#its probably the number 1 reason why i really like his acting

[sunlightfeeling]

Hero: Episode 2 (2001)

[luckybyler]

This was a reply to someone else, but I'm making this its own post because so many people are being so evil right now re: Noah Schnapp.

You can find other, longer explanations with history and all, but all the places I've seen more or less agree with this:

So you're all calling people to cancel Noah because he's in favor of a Jewish nation in what is today Israel. Which is a perfectly reasonable, decent and educated opinion to have, especially when you, to use a trendy term, "educate yourself" and find out why the state of Israel was created.

11000 dead Palestinians, half of them children

According to Hamas. Don't forget that, ever. They're the current, official government of Gaza, thus they're the ones who give numbers. This means that the real number could be 10, 1 million, anything in between. What I've read is that they probably give more of less accurate total numbers. What they fail to do, however, is distinguish between Hamas militants and civilians, and beteween civilians killed by IDF strikes, civilians killed by failed Hamas or Palestininan Islamic Jihad's rockets (which happens a lot), and Palestinians murdered by Hamas/PIJ (which also happens, a whole damn lot). They also don't specify how many civilians they have prevented or tried to prevent from evacuating or receiving aid.

11k dead people is a horrible number. Even 1 dead person is a horrible number. However, urban warfare in such a densely populated area is its own kind of hell, especially when the other side is fond of using civilians as human shields in every way possible. The fact that the number is 11k and not 50k, 100k, and so on, indicates that the IDF have indeed done a lot to minimize deaths. You don't genocide people by doing roof knocks, opening evacuation lines, dropping guided bombs, putting up an Iron Dome to deal with rockets while avoiding escalation, etc. simply because actual genocide, while a lot worse, is also cheaper, easier and faster than what they're doing. This is important because caling every act of war genocide dilutes the word, and there are actual genocides happening around the world. Also, there is a difference between striking military targets and causing civilian deaths as a side effect (what the IDF is doing) and planning and carrying out a massacre deliberately targeting civilians and inflicting as much pain and humilliation as possible on them. And there is a difference between doing so by breaking a ceasefire (which is what Hamas did), and defending your country because if you don't do that a terrorist group will anhilate you (which is what the IDF is doing).

Back to Noah. So far, these are the things that people have tried to cancel him for:

Traveling to Israel (a completely normal thing)

Having Israeli friends (another completely normal thing)

Condemning Hamas' horrible attack on October 7th (the decent thing to do)

Posting a statement saying he feels unsafe as a Jewish person in the US (which, given the rise of antisemitic acts in the world, including the US, including where he lives and where he studies, is a valid feeling to have)

Signing a letter, along with Shawn Levy, Brett Gelman, Ross Duffer and I think Cara Buono, asking Biden to press for the liberation of every hostage by Hamas. This especially shows the utter ignorance of the cancellers because, as it turns out, caring about every hostage implies a slowdown of IDF's actions (and, at the time, a delay of a ground invasion).

Supporting the existence and preservation of the state of Israel (once again, a completely normal thing). The fact that people are turning against him for these things says to me that the real reason you are all hating Noah is beacuse:

He's Jewish. Like, really really Jewish.

And the fact that this all comes from a place of antisemitism isn't hidden at all: I've seen y'all on here, on Twitter, Reddit, every other social media calling him slurs (such as "cunt"), censoring his name, pretending he's not part of the cast, asking the Duffers/Netflix to fire him, wishing him failure, doxxing him, calling on his classmates to physically assault him, etc. He doesn't need to educate himself: you guys are already teaching him a great lesson on why a Jewish state is necessary. If that's the treament he gets from his own "fans", what can he expect from the world at large?

[jok13-writings]

Something About Us (Modern AU, Gyuraro x reader) Prt 2

Read part 1 |. Read full work on AO3 here

Note: Thank you so much everyone for all the love that the first chapter has received! I'm really happy to be able to post the second part. I apologize for the slow update, but I hope you guys enjoy it! I will continue working on this series and slowly update new chapters here and in AO3. I'm open to any suggestion or tips as always!

Gyutaro was laying in his bed playing some games in his old beaten up PSP when he heard his phone vibrate in his night stand. A sigh of annoyances escaped his lips and placed the console on the bed, feeling a little pissed off for being interrupted while having a moment to relax. He rarely got any message, only from Ume or some of his few friends, so he grabbed it, thinking that probably was one of them. He unlocked the phone and felt his heart do a small jolt as he saw who it belonged to. 

Cute girl from class: “Hey Gyutaro, its Y/N, I was wondering when are you available so we can meet up and start the project ☺️” 

Gyutaro immediately felt his cheeks head up and a bubbly feeling building into his chest, as he stared at the message that you had sent him. “Damn, is that annoying girl again…” he muttered under his breath. Then he ran a hand through his messy black locks in frustration. 

Since the moment that you smiled at him for the first time, he felt a bunch of mixed feelings towards you. He was not used to receiving attention from girls, specially not girls as pretty as you. Normally in high school, girls would look at him in disgust or talk to him just to poke fun on him. The prettiest the girl, the meanies were her to him. 

So when the first day of class you walked towards him and introduced yourself in the sweetest voice he had ever heard, his brain stopped working. He did not know how to react at all, for a moment his defenses came at full force and just told you to “get lost”, leaving as fast as he could in fear of  getting mocked by you. 

He thought that with that you would not talk to him ever again, just like everyone else did when he usually acted like that. But then you continued to smile at him the next day, taking him completely out of guard. When you started to say good morning and greet him almost daily, he started thinking that maybe you were stupid or just out of your mind. He did not understand what exactly did you want from him and felt a little anxious and confused. But even though all that, he secretly craved the attention he was receiving from you.

Slowly, he started to long for those little moments. You were a pretty girl, so why wouldn’t he?  He always ignored you at the beginning, most of the time taken out of guard by your politeness, feeling as if his heart would go out of his chest. But with time, as he got used to it, he would give you sometimes a small nod in acknowledgment. 

He couldn’t help it, but he started to taking notice of you in class, sometimes just staring at you from the distance, watching you interact with your friends or answering questions in class.  He felt a sense of disdain towards you, a typical popular pretty girl with everything in life served in a silver plate…. He couldn’t stand you at all, but for some reason he felt drawn to you, and he hated it. 

Then, one particular day that he skipped class, he received the first message from you in his phone. At the beginning he was confused, not used to receive notifications from unknown numbers. And when he unlocked his phone and saw that it was from a girl that was sending him her notes, well, he was even more confused. 

Why would anyone send him their notes? Specially to him of all people? 

But then he looked at the profile picture of the unknown number and saw a picture of you in a cute blue dress drinking a cocktail, and almost dropped his phone. 

Of course, it had to be the cute girl from class that always smiled at him… He felt his chest flutter. Damn it, why was he feeling like this? 

He did not respond to your message till the next day with a rude tone, but he surely had spent the night looking at your profile picture. 

All this small gestures weren’t small at all for Gyutaro. No one had ever taken the time to acknowledge him like this before, and for the first time in his entire life he felt seen by someone other than his own little sister. 

He hated it, but he was growing attached to a random girl from class for just doing the barely minimum for him. And the worse part is that he did not know how to react to all this kind gestures he was receiving. 

So when he noticed you between the crowd one Saturday in his basketball match, he almost barfed from the anxiety. Why were you there?, could it be the possibility that you were there to see him? It couldn’t be that, surely. 

During the beginning of the match, he couldn’t focus at all, stealing glances at your way all the time. But then he started to feel more motivated by your presence. He wanted to do his best for you, in order to impress you. At the end of the match, he managed to basket four times and performed better than he ever had in a long time. After that day, he really wished you would go see him every match, having the little fantasy of how nice it would be to have for once someone to cheer for him among the grades.

Deep down, he knew that you were shallow and that probably he wasn't even someone special for you. But he couldn’t help but begin to feel a certain way towards you and want to cling into a small feeling of hope. Because maybe… just maybe… you could be interested in him in a certain way, right? After all, you always smiled at him, and more over, for some strange reason that he couldn’t understand, you never looked at him with disgust. It was crazy really, and all his self-deprecating thoughts were screaming at him constantly that he was being delusional. But he couldn’t help it, he was starting to develop a crush on you.

He began to make a conscious effort to suppress those feelings and ignore you even more. He couldn’t let himself be vulnerable like that. But every time he saw you in class and got a glimpse of your smile, his heart melted. 

And then, you did the most unexpected thing… you asked him to be your partner in the next project. 

He wasn’t sure if that wasn’t just a prank or something. You have been nice to him, sure, but why would you even want to do any project with him to begin with?  And what if it was all an elaborate prank to make him fall for you and then make fun of him?  He was paranoid there, so he acted as usual, pretending indifference and anger. But at the end… he couldn’t say no to your cute pretty face, so now he was here, answering your text and agreeing to met up after class on Friday to do the damn stupid project.

What was he getting himself into?  

[cleromancy]

one thing i think people miss when trying to nail down the like nitty gritty of like-- okay. so post-crisis post-resurrection Jason's a hypocrite, right? and hes purposely fancast himself as the villain opposite bruce in utrh.

but also even while Jason's doing this he *has a point,* and he *knows it.* Jasons got a lot of big moral ideas hes spouting, and from what we see, he mostly only abides by *some* of them. so while you're like acknowledging that utrh/lost days jay is motivated by his emotions and doesn't act in ways that align with his moral principles, but also he *keeps bringing **up** those moral principles*, you start to wonder like. What the hell is going on in that big brain of yours jay.

and what i was getting at. the thing i think most people miss or forget when exploring that. is jasons appearance in outsiders 2003.

im looking through the tpb so im not giving you the exact issue numbers for any of these panels sorry but its 44-46 plus the annual.

but here is the crux of the matter:

cutting for length!!

so whats going on here in outsiders! is that black lightning, aka Jefferson pierce, aka anissa pierces dad and one of the few really good dads in the dcu, got (basically) framed for murder by deathstroke; believed he (accidentally) actually did the murder; eventually turned himself in to serve his time in prison.

jason happens across this information entirely by accident, and goes out of his way to deliver that information to dickie, who has an on-again off-again relationship with being the leader of the outsiders at this point in time. and im just going to post a lot of it, both bc i like it and also so you see what Jason was going against JUST TO DELIVER THIS INFORMATION:

skipping the first page to save images but jason asks dick to meet up with him in Gotham; the next pages:

im skipping a bit of really enjoyable fighting after that as well but pls know its there. jason asked dick to meet up and dick fully said okay ill come to your rendez-vous *just* to beat the shit out of you. and he was so valid for that. but this aint about him so lets get back to jason:

why does jason bring this up + how does Jason come by this information? well

ok. now youre as caught up as dick is.

some times fools and jackanapes say to me. but sisky why would jason do this and bring this information to dick. why would he try to break black lightning out of prison. why would he do such a thing when he is a known knave, neer do well, scoundrel, etc. to which i say HE TOLD YOU!!! HE TOLD YOU WHY HE DID IT

JASON FUCKING VALUES THE *GOOD GUYS.*

(and also sidenote. winick is writing this so we have to assume he knows how competent and resourceful jason can be bc... as the guy who defined the character after his resurrection... he *made him that way.* so based on utrh we have to assume both that 1) jason could have pulled this prison break off solo and 2) jason *knows* he could pull it off solo...

but he also knows he's a Bad Guy now, and he realizes that *if* he sprung black lightning hed just fucking! turn himself back in! so jadon needs to convince some big goddamn heroes to do it....

so he goes to dick.)

((and also secondary sidenote. willis todd canoncially spent enough time in and out of prison that jason assumed hed wound up back there without telling him or catherine before she died and jason wound up squatting, and he only found out otherwise when he read the entry on the batcomputer on two-face.))

the point is. jason has a *lot* of moral ideas he is not, at this point in time, capable of living by for a variety of Jason Reasons, ill do more meta on that some other time. so he's inhabiting the bad guy role, but sometimes he keeps slipping and falling and accidentally caring about things, and...

god damn it dick, black lightning is one of the *good* guys. like *you're* one of the good guys. aren't you going to fucking help him??

i will probably elaborate on this more in the future as well. i just need to hit send rn LOL

[weyounpussyindulgence]

Fav Jeff Combs character and movie/series, and why?

Anon, would you ask a mother who her favorite child is?? 😭

Okay well in all seriousness, I don’t have a number one favorite, so I guess I’ll do top 5 (in no particular order)

1. Weyoun. I just love how he’s the perfect blend of a silly goofy character, but also how much of a sly and devious little shit he can be. But at the same time, I can’t help but sympathize with him and what the Founders turned him and the other Vorta into

2. Milton Dammers from The Frighteners. Personally I think this is Jeff’s best performance. Better than Herbert West. Primarily because I think about what if they cast a different character actor from the 90’s for it, and tbh I don’t see anybody other than him pulling it off. I feel like if you got someone like Jim Carrey or Peter MacNicol, they’d probably play Milton as too eccentric and silly. Jeffrey gives the perfect blend of peculiar, threatening, pathetic, and funny to the role and I adore it

3. Doctor Mordrid. Maybe I’m just biased because I’ve fallen out of love with the MCU over the years and didn’t care all that much for the Doctor Strange movies and comics (especially if you take into account how racist some of the comics were), but I love campy fantasy films and Doctor Mordrid is no exception. Anton is very warm, sweet, brave and intelligent and I would feel very safe with him. Not even in a romantic sense, I would just love to be in a book club with him

4. Dr East from The Guyver. Ok ok so this movie isn’t very good and doesn’t do the manga it’s based off of any justice, but I can’t help enjoying it. It’s worth it for the kickass creature effects (Screamin’ Mad George is always a win) and David Gale is fun as always as the villain, and of course, Jeffrey as Dr East. He’s only in the movie for 5 minutes around the 3rd act, but he shines in those 5 minutes. He plays him as [in his own words] Herbert’s ditzy younger brother and it’s so much fun and cute. Plus he turns into a goat monster (before sadly getting killed off 😞)

5. Shran from Enterprise. Despite its many flaws, mediocre representation of diversity in the main crew, post 9/11 Americana vibes and getting canceled just before the series was getting really good, I like Enterprise a lot. Shran is one of the biggest reasons why. He’s a gruff, short tempered, cranky Andorian but underneath that blue exterior, he’s a noble man who cares about the people he loves. Jeff’s chemistry with Scott Bakula is great too and it makes me wish we could’ve gotten them in other projects together (maaaaan why didn’t they put Jeff in an episode of Quantum Leap????)

[darklinaforever]

Sylki is not incest / autocest / selfcest :

So… I risk repeating myself, but I really hate hearing that Sylki is incest, or autocest. Quite simply because it's not true.

Incest : Sexual relations between close relatives (marriage is prohibited) ; incestuous love.

Sylvie and Loki are not close relatives, for the simple reason that they do not share the same blood / DNA. (Variant = genetically distinct) Beyond that, they didn't even grow up / live together, so also can't be bonded like Loki is with his adoptive family.

Autocest : The act of cloning oneself and having sexual relations with said clone.

First of all, Sylvie is not a clone of Loki. She was conceived naturally and born naturally. And even as a variant of Loki she is not him. Once again, she does not share the same blood / DNA as the latter. Beyond that, in terms of pure personality, no, she's not the same as him. They act differently and think differently. Episode 3 is probably the one that illustrates this best during season 1. The number of times Loki points out that he would not act the way Sylvie acts and she replies that, well, she is not not him. Which is completely normal, since the two have not had the same life experiences. What shapes who we are as a person is the trials of life, our experiences. And Loki and Sylvie definitely didn't have the same ones.

“My interpretation of it is that they're both Lokis, but they aren't the same person. I don't see them as being like brother and sister. They have completely different backgrounds… and I think that's really important to her character.” - Kate Herron.

So in summary, they don't share the same blood / DNA. They also don't have the same experiences, so as a result they have different personalities.

So… literally, this incest and autocest bullshit has no backing.

The whole series spends its time reminding us that Sylvie is not Loki. She says it herself several times. Moreover, to clearly reinforce this trait, “Sylvie” is literally a name that she chose for herself, precisely to differentiate herself from Lokis. It's hammered home throughout the series, Sylvie is her own person. This is also why Loki reminds Mobius that Sylvie, well, her name is Sylvie, when he tells him that he has fallen in love with himself, in 1x04. To remind the viewer that no, Sylvie is not Loki, she is again her own person. And it's problematic for me when so many people try so hard to reduce her to being a Loki. Even from those who love her. Simply because it's something Sylvie hates : Being called / cathegorized by Loki. (Probably because it removes the impression of being a person and brings it back to the fact that the TVA only sees her as a variant, and therefore that she should not exist, knowing that she just wants to have a life and live it)

“Also, Sylvie's not Loki. Sylvie is Sylvie.” - Tom Hiddleston.

The only thing Sylvie and Loki really share internally is being the deity of mischief. Which translates into a role / identity given to them within the universe / timeline they came from, with the same power base ; the witchcraft. Something that is learned and not transmitted by genetics in the MCU universe. So there is nothing biological about it that could relate to incest and even less to autocest.

“They sort of have the same role in terms of the universe and destiny, but they won't make the same decisions.” - Kate Herron.

Are Sylvie and Loki alike ? Yes. But no more than other fictional couples are capable of being. That they resemble each other in some way is not proof that they are the same person. Especially since as said previously, they do not have the same personalities / lived / dna / blood...

Once again, Reylo is the perfect example in terms of comparison to Sylki : - Different, but complicated pasts which return them to their feeling of loneliness. - Their problem of opening up to the world because of there traumas. - The feeling that no one else really understands them. - Similarity in combat techniques and synchronization of movements at various times, etc.

Then, something else that both annoys me and makes me laugh a lot… It's those who use Sylvie's line during episode 5 from season 1, namely “we're the same”, the only one of its kind you will notice in Sylvie's mouth, but ardently use by the antis to prove themselves right in their argument that Sylvie is absolutely the same person as Loki, so that the relationship is considered incest, or autocest. So… I don't know what these people's consumption of cinematic media is, but they must have missed a lot of romances… No, because it's a classic phrase / expression in this area, to express that two characters are alike ! Example :

Telling another person “we're the same” is not a contradiction to “I am not you”. And I can't believe this is something I have to explain / needs to be explained to some people.

“I think he realizes, and she realizes, that while they're the same, they're not the same.” - Tom Hiddleston.

I mean... No one is seriously going to say that the spidermans of the Marvel shared universe are the same person. Are they ? Because I've never seen anyone do it. Normal. Since that would just be completely stupid ! No ? Also, directly in the case of the MCU we were treated to Thor and Jane, both being thunder deities, which didn't bother anyone, according to my memories !

The fact that Sylvie is a variant of Loki with whom he falls in love is specifically there to bring about the rather clear metaphor / symbolism of Loki learning to finally love himself as a person (besides loving someone else entirely), even though he considers himself a monster. Because yes, Loki's narcissism is essentially just a cover to hide how monstrous he feels, something I feel like a lot of people forget.

Loki “falls in love with himself”, as Mobius describes it, is not proof of vanity / narcissism which would prevent any evolution of Loki as Mobius and some antis claim. On the contrary, Loki's love for Sylvie not only leads him to see himself differently, but also allows him a real positive evolution.

“to me, is ultimately about self-love, self-reflection and forgiving yourself, it just felt right that that would be Loki's first real love story.” - Michael Waldron.

“I don't think Loki's relationship with himself has been very healthy,” Tom Hiddleston explains. “Trying to accept those aspects of himself, which he's been on the run from, was a way of thinking about that in a really interesting way.”

Besides, in the end, to rephrase in a clearer sense, Loki falls in love with Sylvie as much because he sees himself in her (the metaphor of the dagger in 1x03) as he finds her amazing as a person (Loki discovering Sylvie's story at the start of episode 4 on Lamentis).

Something that is once again nothing surprising in a romance. Many couples fall in love because they find themselves in the person they love, in addition to for the differences they share. Even if Loki's metaphor for love with the dagger is not entirely correct, the aspect of seeing oneself in it is for some a truth.

“Love [...]. You can see yourself in it.” - Loki, 1x03.

“When Loki meets Sylvie, he's inspired solely by curiosity,” reveals Hiddleston. “He wants to talk to her and understand her and try to discern what was similar about their experiences, and what was different. He keeps asking her questions because he wants to see if his experience was also her experience. I think he realizes, and she realizes, that while they're the same, they're not the same.”

So, not only does the incest and autocest argument not work, but the similarities these two share (which seem to bother so many people) and the reason(s) they fall in love, well are in is more of a classic fictional couple coding question designed to represent either the complementarity aspect or the soulmate aspect.

Sylki is essentially two sides of the same coin, or mirrors of each other, like many fictional romantic relationships. (Reylo again for exemple !) Which consequently causes their influence on each other. Because yes, not only does Sylki falling in love influence Loki, but also Sylvie.

Loki obviously learns, as I have already said, to love himself, but also to love someone else unconditionally, to trust them fully. He also learns a new form of magic, and in the end, he even starts playing the hero. Sylvie learns for the first time in her life to trust someone, to open up, to form a team and above all finally develops her first good memories. People often say that Sylvie is incapable of sacrificing herself for anyone, but the truth is that she literally scrambled herself to have a chance of finding Loki, when she wasn't even sure that It would work and perhaps simply kill her, therefore indirectly committing suicide. Additionally, it is also emphasized how Sylki is stronger together than apart.

“They are a mirror to each other. They challenge each other, and out of the challenge, they grow together.” - Tom Hiddleston.

With everything I have just explained / demonstrated, I really have a hard time understanding how this ship can be so controversial / misunderstood…

I don't find the series very subtle on the message for Sylki and beyond that, the writers and actors themselves have already explained these same things in a more condensed way in several interviews.

I mean, I am aware that sometimes the words of directors, screenwriters and actors can be stupid and incoherent (the case of the HOTD series being the perfect example of that…), but here, don't mess around, the series (at least season 1) was very well constructed and visibly thought out.

Really, I don't understand. One of the reasons why people are so uncomfortable is surely and simply maybe the term variants (and again it's because I'm nice...), which for these people necessarily equates to being the same person in all the meanings of the term, which, as we have demonstrated throughout this post, is absolutely not the case… Which can be verified by the series itself, the interviews with the writers and actors which agree with what is shown on the screen, etc. Knowing that in addition I have seen tons of people on tumblr with absolutely remarkable analytical skills (and therefore also in terms of symbolism) yet surprisingly not understanding what the Sylki relationship is, defining it instead as a incest / autocest…

So I can only at this stage, for me at least, deduce that this kind of talk about Sylki is willful and stubborn ignorance from people who simply don't like the ship, trying to justify it from a more “reasonable” and or perhaps “intellectual” way, no idea… than a simple “I don't like it, because tastes cannot be controlled”. Which is OK, because everyone has the right to like what they like / want !

On the other hand, spreading or saying bullshit / false things about the ship in question, to persuade people not to / no longer like it, is something I can't stand.

Please note, everyone is free to say whatever they want, as long as they clarify once again that it is their personal opinion. I am talking about people who speak of their opinion about this ship (or any ship) as fact while making fun of others who like it, make them feel guilty / horrible, or trying to change people's tastes…

Is Sylki weird ? Yes, of course. We are talking about two variants with the same identity falling in love ! Obviously the viewer will find this strange, because it's a concept almost never seen before after all in tv, and complex. But it doesn't necessarily mean bad, toxic, perverse, immoral or unhealthy relationship as the antis argue (knowing that in addition it is in contradiction with the positive message about love for oneself that the relationship transmits), notably to try to take down the ship, especially since Sophia di Martino said she found Sylki “weird”. Which is infuriating, because they act as if the actress's opinion is dominant over those directly writing the story, and that her simple opinion will change the minds of Sylki's fans or should condemn the ship to any possible future ! But also it is mostly infuriating because, well, beyond that, as @where-theres-smoak-2 so well pointed out :

“when you actually look at the definition of the word weird it doesn't necessarily mean something bad. The definition from Cambridge dictionary is : very strange and unusual, unexpected, or not natural. The Merriam-Webster definition is : of strange or extraordinary character, of, relating to, or caused by witchcraft or the supernatural. Which lets be honest fits Sylki, they are unusual, strange, unexpected, extraordinary and you could argue with the whole variant thing its got that supernatural element to it as well. I mean them being weird is what makes them fun and entertaining to watch so honestly I'm not mad that she said they were weird.”

But in itself, is the relationship incest ? No. Because not the same blood / DNA and in no way grew up together like Loki was do with Thor / his adoptive family. Autocest / the same literal person ? Neither. For what ? Because again not the same blood / DNA, and they have not the sames experiences, therefore different personalities which influence their behaviour. Being variants, for Sylki, simply mean (once again) being the deity of mischief, a role / identity given to them within the universe / timeline they came from. That's all. (Damn, some will also tell me while we're at it that the crocodile Loki is the same as our Loki ?! Be a little objective people…) There is nothing bad, toxic, perverse, disgusting, immoral or unhealthy about the Sylki relationship.

Fuck the antis !

[quonka]

"Hey, this pretty much universally beloved video game OST actually kind of hits-- why is no one else talking about this?"

Sometime last year in September while looking for more background music to study and write to other than the Neopets: The Darkest Faerie OST, I looked up the Minecraft OST on YouTube.

Then that same December, my personal 2023 Spotify Wrapped released with C418 as my number one artist, who produced the Minecraft Volume Alpha album in 2011 and the Minecraft Volume Beta album in 2013; along with his three 2018 singles for the OST Axolotl, Dragon Fish, and Shuniji.

with a total of 2,518 minutes listened to, in the span of a little less than four months; I was put in his top 1% of listeners-- something I had definitely felt a little embarrassed about at the time.

My number three artist then was Lena Raine, who also worked on the later entries into the OST, with Minecraft: Nether Update in 2020; Minecraft: Caves and Cliffs in 2021; Minecraft: The Wild Update in 2022; and also has a fair number of tracks in the most recent addition to the OST, 2024 Minecraft: Tricky Trials.

Mine-Craft

I can't even say that the reason why I can focus so well to this soundtrack is because I have a nostalgia for the game like in my Darkest Faerie Post. While I did absolutely play the game a lot when I was younger like every other twelve-year-old with computer access; for as long as I can remember, I've specifically turned off the in-game music so I could listen to my own.

That's why for so long, I never really had any palpable attachment to the music.

However, due to that whim in September, I have discovered probably my favorite Video Game OST ever-- one that I listen to for schoolwork yes-- but also one that I often listen to when walking around my college campus between classes, or when biking around my neighborhood, or reading a book for fun-- or when I just need to calm down.

Variety Hour

I think the one of the main reasons why it's so versatile is just the number of artists that have produced songs towards its collection. There's C418 and Lena Raine, but there's also Kumi Tanioka, Samuel Åberg, and Adam Cherof.

This could have been a drawback, where so many different contributors to the same project might've lead to some discordance in the whole sound of the OST-- but none of the artist's sounds really clash with each other all too much, which is incredibly impressive considering the time gap from the release of the first album to the most current album.

Probably one of the most different songs I've heard on the soundtrack so far is Adam Cherof 's 2024 Precipice -- and honestly, I couldn't care less because this song is genuinely incredible. There's so much passion, and energy, and it really feels like you're standing atop a precipice, with the faster tempo of the song and the airy echoing of chimes and keys acting to simulate the wind whipping past your ears-- it's fun, and adventurous, and different and I adore it.

Back to the Beginning

Because Minecraft: Tricky Trials released so recently, it was not in my 2023 wrapped, but with just how many great and repeatable songs are on that album, I fully except to see both Precipice and Creator in my 2024 wrapped.

The song that did take my number one spot though was Équinoxe, off that original album, with Ancestry off of Minecraft: Caves and Cliffs taking my second spot and Moog City again from that original album taking my third spot.

While both Moog City and Équinoxe are beautiful pieces that I could go on and on about, I specifically want to talk about Ancestry.

This song is this beautiful and unnerving atmospheric piece that specifically was designed to play in the Deep Dark Biome, which as the name suggests, is a haunting little area deep underground with little to no light.

I love all the echoing in this song, the crispy static just under the pulsating higher tones, the glitchy wind instrument sounds-- it all contributes to this gorgeous "mysterious and unknown scary" ambiance that the dev team was aiming for.

There are a couple songs like this one too, full of a darker, more somber atmosphere-- another one of my favorites being from C418's Minecraft Volume Beta, The End, or from his Minecraft Volume Alpha, Thirteen.

I guess I'm a sucker for a darker soundtrack because the Minecraft OST has more than its fair share of cold and heavy ambiance.

Looking Forward

I could genuinely talk at length for at least half of this soundtrack. There are so many rich pieces, and motifs, and melodies that I've grown incredibly found of. There are still songs on the OST that I feel like I'm discovering for the first time, where they might not have caught my ear the first couple listens-- but after a while I've started to really hear the intricacies in their scores and gain a new appreciation for them.

I'm honestly considering making a tier list for the soundtrack, or maybe even doing a couple posts at the very least.

I genuinely think that if anyone hasn't listened to the Minecraft OST, they should give it a shot, whether it just be for fun, or to study and write to. You really don't need to have an overwhelming sense of nostalgia to enjoy the music-- and I'm proof.

Here is the entire, currently up-to-date Minecraft OST playlist on Spotify neatly organized in chronological order by user Darra (Everybody say thank you Darra). If you don't have Spotify though, here is the similarly organized playlist by user NightBunny8 on Youtube (Everybody say thank you NightBunny8).

To anyone who is familiar with soundtrack though, what are your favorite songs? or the opposite; if anyone hates any of the songs off the OST, I'd love to hear which ones. I can't say I really Hate any of the songs... maybe one... but that can wait for the tier list or a subsequent post.

[s0lar-ch3ri]

hey new draft making

i keep putting this off, but it today arrives! a ramble about ryan selucreh to fill tghe tag for once

(spoilers for mythborne ahead BUT ITS BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE FOR FREE NO PATREON REQUIRED PLEASDE CHECK IT OUT I NEED MORE MYTHBORNE FRIENDS IN MY JRWI MUTUAL CIRCLE)

so who even is ryan selucreh? well, hes a football jock and a big oaf, the stereotypical strong dumb athlete kid. however, theres more to ryan that we're diving into, years after the oneshot ended!

one thing to note on ryan is how his powers were gotten in a mix of ways aster and connor did. aster was born with them (assumed cause goddess mother), connor got them from a book (recieved from searching, wasnt born with it), ryan got his powers from squats. silly, sure, but like i said, its like the inbetween of the two. he has the power himself and doesnt need a book for them or anything, but he wasnt born with them either. i also wanna note how asters powers are like life (plants and the sun, both can symbolize life) and connors powers are like death (decay and disintegrating, both are related back to death), but ryans powers cant be "like" anything. its not something super showy, hes just super strong (strong enough to rip a mountainin half im pretty sure was confirmed).

lwts get into those comments ryan made, and how its reflected across the 3 episodes. yeah, the comments on faking his personality around people and how he doesnt know who he is anymore.

first showing of this is with the j crew. charlie gave a good idea (he was nicknamed jyan), but condi says he told them that. granted, it was probably to be funny, but theres other options to that. ryan missaid his name out of nervousness, the j crew misheard him, he wrote his name really wrong, so many different options that also are pretty comedic. yet, ryan told them he was jyan to join their team.

on the floatball jersey he wears, they didnt even have a 10 for him, simply a jersey with a 1 and a "poorly painted 0". did someone else use the 10? why didnt they have one? another way ryan changed for people symbolically, wearing one number but being another.

ryan joins in with the omnious curse speech despite it not being planned. an attempt to keep fitting in with his group there.

hell, ryan even was an ass to connor before when he was with the j crew, yet wasnt when he was with connor and aster alone.

he even goes out of his way to try and save asters dad, an act of carrying for her and her father. hes such a friendly and caring dude that hes trying to fit in with them all to keep up their friendships.

thats what makes the whole "i dont have a real personality" line mean so much. because he really doesnt. all that can be seen as his personality is simply to appeal to another person.

HELL IM FUCKING CONNECTING IN THE FACT THAR RYAN WAS A HISTORY MAJOR TO THIS! WHO EXPECTS THE JOCK TO LIKE HISTORY? NOT ME, I THOUGHT THAT WAS CONNOR, AND THATS WHY ITS SO INTERESTING, CAUSS NOTHING LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE RYANS INTERESTED IN THAT SHIT!!! ryan barely talks about his past or anything, minus the memory (but that was only to save professor aeliana), BUT HE DIDNT FUCKING BRING IT UP. kinda ironic, the character whos past is pretty unknown is in classes learning about our past.

oh yeah did i ever mention his parents are dead? cause they are (confirmed by condi a while back)

maybe thats why he tries to be so appealing to everyone, to make up for that missing link. i mean, its not like that event wouldnt have some impact on you (also no jrwi pc has gone to therapy from what i know so safe to assume he has no coping skills PLUS ITS A CONDI PC YPU THINK HES MENTALLY STABLE??).

another thing i learned: ryans last name is a backwards hercules. fun call back to the name, yeah, but the actual story may have some weight here...

the screenshot doesnt give the full story, of course, so i will. the picture leaves out how the reason he went through hardships was because he was driven to madness. according to research, hera was mad at hercules being born (for he was the product of zeus and a mortal woman), so she made him go crazy and slaughter his family. to make up for it, he was given 12 impossible tasks to do.

am i saying the full story applys? hell fucking no! i dont think ryan killed his parents or anything, but i think the jist can apply. a man trying to be forgiven by people for wrongdoings that wouldnt have happened if said people didnt make those wrongdoings happen. ryan trying to get the validation of his friends and acquaintances by pretending to be someone hes not, which wouldnt be needed if he could see friends accept people as themselves. given impossible missions (be someone else) to appease those who he looks to (whether its to the side or up to).

another thing to note is theres no episode cover with only ryan on it. cover 1 has all 3, cover 2 has background faceless frat members and connor, and cover 3 has only aster.

it could be from how there was only 3 episodes of mythborne, yet this could be solved by having all 3 in a cover at once. while it would have been a lot, they had all 3 in the first and a total of 4 characyers in thr second cover. this of course was a purposeful choice, and it shows in a way who the focus is meant to be on in that ep (all of them, connor, aster).

so why coupdnt ryan have been focused on in episode 1? yeah he was directly related to the chaos (j crew being first vicitms and shit), yet that clearly had a more general showing. its because ryan isnt a character who can be focused on. he crutches to his friends like a team relys to eachother, thats how he has purpose, thats how hes even a person.

i woulsnt even doubt the stupid bit being an act! to play in a sport, you actually do need good grades (in my school experience, above a C+ in all classes), and ryans been on this team since he started college (infered from dialoge with j crew member), probably since kindergarten even (has known j cre since kindergarten). he learnt it from them, and found it to be a possibly appealing trait of himself to others, everyone likes the lovable idiot! sure, what he does to play an act can be extreme, but if this is really thr coping mechanism i think it is, its not too much for him (also wanna note how of all characters ryan is the biggest stereotype caharacyer).

the 3rd episode btw seemed a lot from the cover and namr and all like the whole world was a fake (for me atleast), and isnt it fitting that ryan was the first to fall off the stage? the man, who had an identity crisis outloud for once after it seemed like one friendgroupd was about to learn his secrets, the first to exit stage down (stage direction jokes). hes been playong a play himself for what feels like his whole life by now, he doesnt need a script.

i came in here to talk about ryan, put him under a microscope, see who he is. really, ryans a shell of a person, a muscle soulless being pretending to be a person someone can love and care about. maybe he too thinks about how connor had changed inside to save him. whatever it is, i think ive not learnt from this who ryan selucreh is, and maybe if he gets aomething like this, he can learn himself who ryan selucreh is.

[drifloonz]

would luv more general steven(or s!3v3n) x reader hcs..

i am so sorry you caught me in the middle of vc. some of these. also i accidentally closed the fucking tab and had to rewrite all of this. i hate being a writer on tumblr.

some of these are by my friends. some of them r by me. some are funny. some are serious. Some are all and or both

i just realized these are only general steven headcanons i am so fucking sorry i was tired and it was like 4-6 am. take them anyways i'll edit like a few actual x reader ones in

_______

he doesn't get outwardly super scared, but he DOES shiver or make discontented noises when he's scared. playing horror games with him is kinda funny. if you make him play a vr horror game he will hate you forever and ever. it's rly funny tho.

he tries way too hard. with everything. pre-incident? being a role model, being cool, being a trainer, being a champion for like one month, being stereotypically romantic, etc. post-incident? being scary, being intimidating, etc.

despite this he is still very dorky and awkward. at least pre-incident. it was common. type of guy to lean on a wall but he falls

he wears light cologne. i'd say he wears axe 3-in-1 but that'd be way too rude to both me and other stevenlikers.

pre-incident he trips over his words sometimes, sometimes his tones too flat, sometimes he speaks too loudly or quietly, etc etc. Basically. 'tism.

he's good at clue, the board game.

pronounces gif like "g.i.f" ( like it's an acronym ). please, god, make fun of him for this.

his hands are always cold for no fucking reason post-incident. if you hold his hands in the summer it kind of helps the heat go away. love wins

really wanted a guitar. he's a dork so he does air guitar sometimes when no ones looking or does guitar motions while holding a long thing that isn't a guitar. He would play guitar hero and be absolutely mid at it but blue and red think he's the coolest fucking thing ever for it. This is inspired by somebody elses hc i think(????). if u read this. ur a real one and r so true.

because of this if you actually got him a guitar i think he'd make a small genuine smile. he has executive dysfunction and depression so itd probably take a while for him to actually do anything with it, but he rlly appreciates the gesture.

also kinda has a good singing voice but is better at backing vocals.

he organizes things a bit too much, which stopped during his spiral phase, but for example his pc boxes are like. a living dex, or just by pokedex number. he prob never completed his dex tho. mike though who did/almost did, has Entirely unorganized boxes. after the incident he obviously stopped caring bc depression so like. yeah. so his rooms a little unorganized and his house in general. he will silently appreciate it if you organize it for him.

never allowed miki to have eggs bc 1; gen 1 limitations. idk how that'd work in universe but that'd probably be why it didnt happen in the pokepastas. 2; as you can tell. he's kinda overprotective of miki. also charizards aren't like. very regular pokemon you find and he wouldn't want to breed her with a ditto. and would only want to allow her to if she actually found a for-life mate.

and for the x reader-ification of this in the edit bc i misread the ask, he'd also do it if ur dating him and u have a pokemon. for example, whatever starter you have and miki would b cute. straight couple.. yuri couple.. yaoi couple... love is love and miki doesnt care. its cute and they act all cuddly and snuggly with eachother probably. kinda reminds you of u an steven too

speaking of miki is larger than normal charizards and probably is built a little different literally and figuratively. stevens tall. miki is taller though. at the very least post incident Corpse Miki is. how unique she was did not help stevens rage ( getting a new one would not be nearly the same especially due to that + he would never. ) but it was a smaller factor in everything. also i do not think that thang can lay eggs post-incident. sorry if u wanted a fucked up missingno charmander.

even if the trade incident happened but miki came out alive he'd still go on a depression spiral. he probably wouldn't kill mike in the end, but he'd be much quieter, and would be even more paranoid. would probably willingly move away from mike or separate their rooms at the least. if u were dating him during this time you could probably at least still recover him from this state since its less serious but the tension would be palpable for a while.

mike is your number 1 wingman for steven swooning. he's kind of bad at being a wingman. or he's good at it. whichevers funnier in your opinion tbh. but he knows what steven likes ( at least he hopes he does ) so he gives you tips and tricks for wooing him. or he gives steven tips and tricks on wooing you because he knows both of you n hangs out with both enough to know.

this is a headcanon with basically no basis but theres a part of me that kind of likes steven and mike being born in johto or somethin'. which is why he goes to johto in doors open after the incident. he's running away from his past + kanto + it's his home region. At least for a while. so he sometimes likes to travel around with miki and you there, or to other places.

he double-checks a lot of things way too much. like if things are locked, if things are properly in place, and if wires are properly connected and not fucked up or tangled or broken ( iykyk ). if you check for him and reassure him everythings fine he'll calm down slightly, but his paranoia goes "okay but what if they didnt check enough."

if you told s!3v3n he was being a bad boy like a fucking dog when he does smth you dont like he probably would actually look like a dejected puppy for a moment and sit in a corner ( /j. maybe. )

s!3v3n's got big fuckin shadowy hands. and claws. good for backscratching or massages oddly enough, if asked for....????

steven will try to impress you by playing a videogame and doing something cool. he probably fails or almost fails at it. but its kind of endearing and cute anyways.

he's left-handed ( definitely not projecting ). for symmetry, mike is right-handed. also miki is ambidextrous. How can a Charizard be ambidextrous you ask? You know. For fun. Daisy is also ambidextrous though which is the more normal option.

i mean... steven is probably also ambidextrous with anything other than writing/drawing ( PROJECTING HARDER ).

ultimately kind of silly ( He has murdered three )

hope you enjoy :)

[cowardlybean]

teruki and minigishi. go forth

thank you fish my number one supporter

Teruki

Why I like them- middle school be so fine then BAM. WILDLY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE. and learning to become better because of it. Also other reasons but I am not describing my ancient middle school drama in comparison to teru

Why I don’t- I actually cannot think of any criticisms about teruki that boy is just living

Favorite episode- S1 EP5 where Mob fights him! That’s actually the episode that got me hooked on mp100 :3 Also S3 broccoli arc when psycho helmet is behind him that scene scared the shit out of me

Favorite season/movie- I actually really like season 1 Teruki because his whole fucking world got flipped on its head and he immediately gets a giant ass wig. That’s how I acted in middle school too

Favorite line- can’t think of one off the top of my head but something from confession arc most likely

Favorite outfit- transgender shoes :3

OTP- N/A

Brotp- Minori and Teru!

Head Canon- I think he used social media the most out of the main kids (Tome, Mob, Ritsu, Shou, etc) so he pulls references that Mob just does Not understand out sometimes

Unpopular opinion- um. Raises hand. I prefer platonic TeruMob,, I don’t mind the ship ofc I just see it better as a friendship!!

A wish- PLEASE GIVE US A TERUKI PIGEON TOED FIGURE. PLEASE. PLEASE

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen-

5 words to best describe them- “average middle-schooler wildly inaccurate worldview” turns into “that one really queer friend”

My nickname for them- haystack

Minegeshi

Why I like them- the fact he gets a new start at the flower shop and learns to take care of plants rather than use them. God I love life.

Why I don’t- I’d probably like him more if there was more post-Claw content of him

Favorite episode (scene if movie)- I LOVE THE BIT IN BROCCOLI ARC WHEN HE TOUCHES A ROOT AND JUST KEELS OVER LMAO

Favorite season/movie- his appearances in s3. All of them. I love them.

Favorite line- can’t think of any :(

Favorite outfit- um the main one?

OTP- n/a

Brotp- I think he still hangs out with hatori sometimes

Head Canon- BOTANY NERD. KNOWS EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW. Put him in a greenhouse and he will flourish

Unpopular opinion- idk how popular it is but I don’t ship him with anyone so I guess there’s that? I dunno

A wish- minegeshi figure with plants. Please. Please. Ple

5 words to best describe them- “um. Uh. Plant. I guess”

[lulushults]

wrote something like this about natsu, now for my best girl lucy💖

i could honestly write on and on about lucy and how i think her past really was and how it truly affected her, so i’ll try to keep this short!

lucy’s childhood starting normal for her, she had 2 loving parents that did everything to ensure her happiness. then her mum died, and her life kinda went to shit.

lucy didn’t just lose one parent the day layla died, she lost both. jude started being neglectful and from the handful of short scenes we see in the anime slightly mentally abusive towards lucy.

i believe this was because of multiple reasons. number 1 because of lucy’s similar resemblance to layla. from what we’re shown it seems like layla and jude were incredibly in love even before they had lucy, to me it seems like after layla died he couldnt bare to look, or be around lucy due to how similar they looked. it caused him too much pain to be constantly reminded that layla was gone and she was never coming back.

number 2 pretty much links into the previous one, i think because of how much pain laylas death caused him he isolated himself to throw himself into his work to avoid facing the reality that was layla’s death.

however, for lucy to be 10 years old after just losing her mother, and then for her father to start acting like he doesnt give a shit about her, that must have been so confusing for her. to have your life completely flipped on its head within a couple of days probably led lucy to be so confused as to why jude wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

lucy was pretty much isolated from the outside world entirely, she had no friends her age, wasn’t allowed to attend school and therefore had to spend all day every day entertaining herself because she had no one to play with. not only this but she also had no one to talk to about how she was feeling at such a young age, she had no one to confide in and ask why her dad didn’t love her anymore, no shoulders to cry on, nothing.

this may be a personal headcannon of mine, but i believe lucys mental health as a young child was incredibly bad. to spend 6 long years almost entirely alone with no friends can for sure have long lasting effects. the reason why lucy was probably so sure about running away and living on her own was probably because she had already been raising herself for so many years beforehand, so whats the difference if she actually left.

lucy could have also blamed herself for judes behaviour, thinking that she had done something wrong to make him so mad at her all the time.

lucy, also, so obviously has intense abandonment issues. the way i see it, she’s been alone for so long that now she finally has friends and a family that care about her again, she never wants to let them ago. that would also explain why she was so heartbroken about natsu leaving her for a year, and if i remember correctly im pretty sure in the dub she literally says ‘i will be lonely’ when shes running after him.

i think her abandonment issues are more closesly related to natsu and happy than the entire guild however. natsu and happy were her first real friends her age, natsu helped her too reach her dream after knowing her for about a day without a second thought, she owes everything to him. i think the idea of her first real friend leaving her to be alone again absolutely breaks her heart.

my poor girl probably has so much going on in her head that she doesn’t want to remember. i can’t begin to imagine how horrible it must be for a 10 year old girl to be completely abandoned by her father after losing her mother. i really see myself in lucy, ive spent alot of my life with no friends so its easy for me to identify how horrific it makes you feel.

lucy may even struggle with her mental health outside of her past, for her to join the strongest team in fairy tail after every other member had been training since they were kids. for her to be surrounded by people who can so easily defend themselves in a fight when she could hardly hold her own and depended so much on her spirits thats sure to cause other issues. to feel like your the weak one in the group holding everyone back can cause so much guilt without even realising. (before anyone thinks it, im a lucy stan and im proud of her growth as a mage, im only talking about how she was when she first joined the guild)

lucy also, atleast around the beginning of the show, hated being connected to the heartfilia family. she point blank refused to let anyone outside of the guild know who she really was. theres a large possibility that if people were to find out her full name, some people around the world would resent lucy for joining a guild, thinking that shes selfish for taking jobs to earn even more money. lets not forget the time the guild belitted her behind her back for pretty much this exact thing, calling her a brat.

the way i see it, one of the reasons lucy was so infatuated with fairy tail growing up was probably because of their obvious connection with one another. she craved for a home, for people to love and care for her just like how her mother did before she passed. she craved love from other people after being shunned from her own father for so long.

before i shut my mouth, i’ll touch on something that i think pretty much every lucy fan is aware of and thats the reason behind why she dresses the way she does. her entire life lucy was forced into stuffy dresses she very clearly did not enjoy wearing and was told she wasn’t allowed to show any skin as its not ‘lady like’. lucy dresses she way she does to show her recent independence and escape from such a strictly ruled environment. to go from showing no skin at all, to wearing shorts skirts and little crop tops, shows that it’s her way of trying to re-discover herself after being bossed anound and told what to do and wear for so long.

[itsnothingofinterest]

Yeah seriously, why is endeavor being compared as a light of hope??

It seems like the 'light of hope' concept in bnha has little to do with actually bringing hope, or at least not on any larger scale, definitely in comparison to ofa. Because who did endeavor really protect/inspire or give hope to??

The civilians he protected from villains, including his son natsu? (Even though, through causality, they're only in danger now because of endeavor's actions and choices)

The hero kids maybe he taught well enough but aside from deku and bakugou (I think) he never gave anyone else anything noteworthy right?

Inasa wasn't even a part of anything! 😆 He just got two different looks from endeavor and let them shape big parts of his world view, despite knowing zero context! And even when he presumably knows the context through touya's reveal, he doesn't seem to mind...I guess?

Hawks is pretty much all of this rolled into one, do you think?

Also am I sending you too many asks?

(in response to this.)

Exactly. The story and so many people in it keeps acting like Endeavor's this inspiring figure like All Might was, but I honestly think that's mostly just coming from the position of the number 1 hero itself rather than any trait inherent to Endeavor. If Kamui Woods was No.1 instead, they'd be treating him the exact same (also he's probably do a better job but that's neither here nor there).

I mean, maybe I could forgive the comment because it came from Hawks, not only another horrible hero exposed for being horrible and still allowed to act as a hero for reasons I'll never understand (well, besides cop-defending-cop-based corruption), but also someone who's had a bias for Endeavor since childhood that's been known to affect his judgment. But Isana saying similarly out of nowhere legitimizes Endeavor as a light of hope that he just isn't (especially because he's a known domestic abuser & rapist), and I really think its just because he's No.1.

And they've been so dependant on All Might that everyone needs some kind of replacement to pretend everything is still as normal, no matter how objectively awful a replacement symbol Endeavor is. (And boy is replacing All Might with just another All Might a recurring red flag among hero activity.)

And side note, but really even talking about the heroes needing a light of hope feels laughable in this war, wherein the villains started out with 6 total threats including Skeptic, and are now down to 3 (maybe 4 if Toga has another trick up her sleeve.) Like I am sorry but the heroes pretending like they're in any kind of bad spot does not actually add any tension; the heroes have been trouncing the villains this whole arc and that's a big part of why I keep hoping its not actually the finale to this story, because what a whimper of a finale it's been.

Lastly, of course you're not sending too many asks. Frankly I consider asks a great excuse to put my own thoughts out there, especially because they're actually prompted by people and I know at least one person actually cares about what I write down. I'm not just self-indulgently throwing my thoughts into the void, like when I guessed at what quirks the Shimuras could've had whilst simultaneously theorizing Tomura would learn he had these quirks and use them as his own vestige quirks.

[samglyph]

If you want a space to rant about ST season 4 and its horror flaws I would love to hear your thoughts---i just rewatched seasons 1 and 2 so I'm in the thinking about it mode

Ohhhh I’m vibrating with all I have to say but I’m going to stick to the horror flaw theme and leave out most of my other non horror related thoughts. Ok so starting off: I actually like most of the first three seasons of Stranger Things. I think season 3 is flawed in a lot of ways but there’s enough that I like there that it’s watchable for me. I know a lot of people feel differently so I’m just putting that out there first.

Season 4 starts strong. The first episode? Good! The dnd/basketball scene? Fantastic! The scene with Eddie and Chrissy? Adorable, great character building. I think one of the strengths of this show has always been the acting, especially from the younger actors, and I think that remains true. And in terms of horror, Chrissy’s death scene is super spooky.

Episode 2 is where it falls apart. The reason I said ‘horror rule number 1’ is because while it might not be a general hard and fast rule (there are plenty of things that don’t do it and are still good and scary), it’s generally accepted, especially in creature features (which ST TECHNICALLY IS) that you shouldn’t show off your creature right away. Jaws? You don’t see the shark until the climax. The Thing? You see people transform and mutate early enough, but you don’t see the full spider body horror monstrosity until well through the film. And Stranger Things season 1 does this perfectly; people are taken/killed left and right, but aside from a blurry photo we don’t see the demigorgon until the LAST EPISODE. Now, yes this is often done for budget reasons, but it’s a good technique! Not being able to see what you’re running from makes it scarier. Showing us Vecna in the second episode? His whole body? With his tentacles? It’s a cool shot sure, but it’s unnecessary and immediately makes him less scary. He’s just a weird dude! They’re trying to do like. Power scaling. But it doesn’t connect well to prior seasons and the world building is really finicky at best.

I know it’s season four and they’re trying to explain stuff because we’re coming to the end of the show and they want to wrap up the mystery, but here’s a thought: sometimes things…. Should stay mysteries. The upside down, as a concept, is very cool and scary, and in trying to explain it they just opened more cans of worms and it’s still a mystery but now it’s almost more fantasy/eldritch sci fi then the grounded sci fi that it was and so some of the believability falls away. Also adding magic glowing dust is a retcon and ridiculous we know that’s not how the lights work. And I LIKE alien eldritch horror ok you know that but that’s not what stranger things IS it shouldn’t BE HERE. Also making your villain just the “weird spooky probably neurodivergent child” trope? Don’t like it, I think they could have had Henry find a small portal to the (already existing I don’t think El should’ve made it) upside down and that corrupted him and mind controlled him and given him some base power (kinda like Will in season 2) would’ve worked just as well, but that’s just an idea.

Another issue with the horror: it’s rushed! Why is Max’s Possession scene in episode 4! It shouldn’t be there! It’s a great scene, but it’s WAY to great and climactic to be happening BEFORE THE MIDPOINT OF THE SEASON? There’s another climax with max but it almost feels less important despite the fact that she basically dies. AND WITH BARELY ANY OF THE CAST THERE? That’s a separate issue but really quick: horror partially comes from the awareness of the characters, and then the audience being aware of the characters awareness. Either the character is aware of the horror which can create stress, (ie. Watching Will in season 1 as he tries to avoid the monster in episode 1) or the character is unaware (shouting ‘he’s right behind you! In scream) which can also create stress. But in the latter section, the film/tv show/whatever has to emphasize that lack of awareness. Meaning if for instance, one of your best friends is about to die, and you’re a MAIN CHARACTER and you have NO IDEA, it might behoove the writers to nod to that somehow to twist the knife a bit. Like El is so important in the second Max climax but isn’t even remotely important in the first scene. Cmon. But that’s just my opinion and a little off topic anyway also the Russia stuff slows down the plot and I don’t care about it and they used a nazi prison and then tried to monetize it as a hotel experience Ls all the way down.

Tldr a lot of the horror was ruined because things were rushed/shown to early and overcomplicated. Something needed to be cut so that other things could flourish.

This is no where close to all my thoughts on season 4, trust me I’ve got a whole like. PowerPoint/video essay locked in here and also I have a head cold right now so apologies if this isn’t coherent. Or if I’m wrong I’m not watching the season again to check.

[doodlegirl1998]

Get out of a nice shower and....I think AM is popular bc people thought he has 2 quirks which is rare in mha.

How? He canonically has super strenght and can fly. 2 things that for the public has no relation with each other so..."he has 2 quirks"

We dont know about his past. I think we talked about it and I dont think he was ever poor nor face discrimination (I dont think quirkless are treated as the fandom thinks, nor we know how quirkless are treated in his era) but is all speculation. The thing is, only Izu is bullied and quirkless is just an excuse. He could have a quirk and guess who would still be after him?

Back to my point, AM never mentions his quirk to anyone(save Izu and even then its not enough) so to the public he has 2 quirks ....and could explain why Endy is so crazy in surpass him. (No. This is not to lift the blame on Endy merely to explain)

Also....Izu has tentacles and can use more than one quirk but this seems to be a surprise for AM. So...he doesn't get his pwn quirk?

Wait...who gets such quirk?

Hi @mikeellee 👋

I don't think this is the reason AM is popular, in MHA he classified his quirk as Superpower / Super Strength so essentially hand waved all the feats he could pull with that. And by emmulating flying with big super powered jumps/leaps. I don't think he can canonically fly (unlike Nana and Uraraka.)

I believe in universe that AM is popular because;

1) because he beat a record breaking number of villains and established an era of peace - because AM dedicated his whole life to it and rarely did anything else so he was very successful here.

2) his "Haha! I am here!" Catchphrase along with his upbeat demeanor - he saves lots of people, always makes an effort to smile and make others happy that inspires others to like him.

3) He has people in awe of / jealous of the raw power of his quirk and how he always seems to win (see Bakugou and Endeavor.)

We don't know about his past but I do believe AM could have been poor (to inspire Bakuguo's urge to falsify another underdog story when he's the definition of privilege.)

I think also that AM could have been discriminated against for past quirklessness but to a way lesser degree than Izuku - due to the fact that AM didn't question Bkg further when he said he had bullied Izu. He probably just imagined name calling / some rough housing - because Bkg is a coward and deliberately did not elaborate on what he did to Izu.

I think Izu unlocking the other holders quirks was explained due to the quirk singularity theory and Izu's past quirklessness being why Izu could unlock all those quirks without negative reprocutions. Still why this never acted the same way for AM... No clue. Hori didn't explain that part.

TLDR - AM has a lot of reasons to be number one, why he was good at it too and thrived in MHA's society.

And Bakugou is a coward who wishes so bad to be a winner like AM, to be inspiring like AM (fake underdog story) when really he is a coward and a fake hero.

[hotch-girl]

Let’s talk ER!! Who are your top five fave characters and why?

plssss thank u so so much!! no one ever sends me asks ab er im excited. this is actually hard bc there are a lot of great characters who’ve all annoyed me at some point dsjfksk. im going to rank them: 

5. mark - i almost picked kerry or benton because they have better character development. when i first started watching, i didnt care ab mark. and the season and a half post-susan i hated him akdjfsk. but i sobbed his last ep and mark leaving changed the tone of the show more than any other character who did. i always loved how (unless he was in a bad place) he put patients above his career, too. also 1x19.  

4. early season susan - the only reason shes not higher is because late season susan was terrible 😭. shes likable but her storylines are nonexistent. there was actually a lot of potential for her to battle kerry over the importance of being a good practitioner vs. research and fundraising. INSTEAD WE GOT CHUCK!!!! shes still a favorite because her characterization in s1 is amazing. shes a great teacher and a really good doctor. i loved her niece storyline in s2 and wish we could’ve seen more of her dealing with the fallout in s3. susan was my favorite character when i first started but her good seasons are so brief shes not a fave-fave 

3. neela - imagine if they didnt give neela thosee bad romantic storylines imagINE THAT!!! neela means sm to me because shes the only er character i identify with. it helps i blocked out tony and ray and only paid attention to her friendship with abby 😌. seriously, her plot ab being good in school compared to struggling in real life resonated with me bc i worry ab similar things. theres another scene when she talks about going into surgery because it gives her time to think and plan and a chance to be good. most people probably dont even rmr it but it meant a lot to me. neela is set up as a character who's the foil to abby- seemingly ready to be a doctor while abby struggles. but neela develops into someone who it takes a while to figure out what she should do and accept who she is/what shes good at. forever will love her for that  

2. carol - my other early season love <33. loved her deciding not to become a dr and her mental health storyline is so important. overall, shes a genuinely amazing character (shes mean to jeanie but she comes around and is nice eventually!!!). love how she wanted to foster the little girl and that she always treats the patients with dignity. 

1. abby - my best er girl the number one girl!!! abby went through sm that actually seeing her get to be happy meant the world to me. of all the characters, she had the most trauma. she was literally kidnapped and the next ep all she did was act a little sad, smoke, and that was it dsjkfsk. still abby never becomes bitter like mark or self-important the way carter did. she deals with a lot and still is always willing to help anyone she can. i dont think its possible to watch er and not love abby. she CARRIED the middle to end of er. mark lied bc abby set the tone, not carter. she was the heart of country general my forever er love <33

[technicalknockout]

i think a big fucking reason why ko and tko cant really be friends is how concerned ko is with how others think of him. and how others treat tko is a major contributer to ko's own inability to accept himself OR tko. because hes afraid of what the consequences will be.

and like. tko is generally violent a LOT of the time, but its in reaction rather than him just being like That.

there is ONE instance of him being violent of his own accord (his debut) which i find somewhat wrong, and hes still reacting in that instance to other peoples actions! hes reacting to people refusing to see him as his own person (which for tko, is one of the Worse things ever) and disregarding his autonomy (another thing tko regards as one of the worst things ever). and lets mention the fact that up to this point he was literally fucking stuck in a cage (WHICH AGAIN IS ONE OF THE WORST THINGS EVER TO HIM) and not ever allowed out. along with the fact that he probably didnt even Intend for things to go as out of hand as they did. (by reference of OTHER power battles)

and NONE of his actions cause permanent damage to anyone. violence in ok ko is not treated that seriously.

now i could analyze every other situation in as much detail but im going to keep up to season 3 short. in mystery science fair 201x he was once again responding to awful terrible treatment AND TRYING TO FUCKING PROTECT KO! someone at this point who he fucking hates. and in youre in control he straight up does nothing wrong. he doesnt attack anyone who isnt the boxbaby and enid & rad CHOSE TO FOLLOW HIM. thats their own damn fault. also rad can literally fly using his telekinesis he wouldve been fine. dark plaza he was literally just fucking defending himself. he didnt show any real signs that he was going to mess with the plan.

now season 3 is like. tko rules for one IS VERY MINOR even without the context. and with the context its like. tko is a traumatized kid who lacks any real support and is hated by practically everyone around him. AND WHAT HE DID WAS ABLE TO BE CLEANED UP IN *LESS* THAN AN HOUR.

now the other things. its again. tko is a abused and traumatized kid who LACKS ANY FUCKING SUPPORT and is hated by so many people. of course he took shadowys deal. shadowy actually called him by his name (something that SHOULDNT BE SPECIAL) and offered him actual understanding and support. so of course he did that. THAT AND HOW HES EXPERIENCED A BETRAYAL THAT IS THE WORST THING EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so its like. without context his actions do look bad but within context (and how, up until season 3, they cause zero permanent damage to anyone) its like. hes a traumatized kid with zero real support system. how he acts should not be treated as something that isnt in reaction to other things. im the number 1 tko defender. he did nothing wrong to me <3 (he did do things wrong but i understand him and if you blame him for anything ill fucking get you /j about the fucking getting you part)

YES. not saying the stuff tko did was FINE but it wasnt out of nowhere, he literally could not do any better, and i completely understand why he is the way he is. one thing about tko is that he sees his actions as justified, he's just reacting to how others treat him or ko and tbh he should. and even the entire murder thing in lftte was a result of shadowy being the awful person he is, leaving tko feeling betrayed and abandoned by the only person he thought actually cared about him. Conclusion drag tko to therapy