#just keep them away from me and i'm good

[starry-bi-sky]

realizing i have. a lot of untapped trauma potential for clone^2 danny because i just Fully Processed Four Months Late the fact that his parents were capturing and torturing ghosts in the basement before he became Phantom. and the fact that he was on house rest for 2 weeks. during that time period. and he wasn't really leaving the house. he could hear their screaming through the floorboards

*points at clone danny* i can give you suuuuuuch a bad time babe ahaha. i've got two untouched years before you meet damian what fucks you up before then

[salvadorbonaparte]

Can we talk about how two of the big name language learning sites (Duolingo and Memrise) have both simultaneously lost in quality and are trying to completely change their own thing so much that they're nearly unusable now

[thekittyokat]

my partner and i have been fleshing out our coffinchain dynamics for a few months now and our ideal lawrence/strahm dynamic is one where lawrence has patiently been observing hoffstrahm shenanigans from afar and watching mark try his damndest to recruit peter into their cult with all of the expected methods ("pleadse please let me hit please please pleasee you're nothing i'm gonna put you in another saw trap i want you so bad") generally coming on strong with the beating the shit out of each other and then making out sloppy

& either out of curiosity or boredom or seeing strahm as a possibly useful asset he decides to toss his hat into the ring with a more "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" approach. which is to say that lawrence is a master of the long con and plays it super normal and polite w strahm and talks about shared interests like books (romance novels enjoyer strahm truther) and sweets (they both have sweet tooth tendencies i know it) and just occasionally he slips in the odd little "oh, would you mind fetching (x) for me...?" sort of request and when strahm does it he leans in heavy on the compliments and he's happy to tell peter how much more useful he is than hoffman etc etc

and by the time peter puts two and two together and realizes lawrence is training him like a dog it's too late he's already been pavlov'd into enjoying this british fuck's company. lawrence has won the game of 4d niceties chess. strahm's literally sitting at a table with him for afternoon tea and little pastries and just sets the cup down and goes "you motherfucker." and lawrence just smiles knowingly and offers peter the little bowl of sugar cubes

[sysig]

Some scribbles :) (Patreon)

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

"But why would Sonic still be friends with them why wouldn’t he denounce them or treat them like the villains they are? Why won't he realize they're just evil?"

First of all, has it perhaps occured to you that Sonic loves/cares for them no matter what they do and doesn't want to hurt them if he doesn't have to? Has it perhaps occurred to you that he doesn't see them like irredeemable villains and it's not because he's a dumb dumb idiot?

Second of all, haha keep talking and I'm gonna unroll my character analysis essay. "They're just evil" yeah that's rich. Bet you thought the ending of the series was about "redeeming" them too, huh?

[yashley]

“Are you sure it wasn’t intentional?” / “Do you think she might be working for the bad guys?”

[cryolyst]

~

[softquietsteadylove]

Hey I thought about an interesting AU and I wanted to ask you what you think about this one.

Thenamesh quiet place AU!

Maybe them living and surviving together and they find Makkari and Sprite and they decide to take them in?

Or you can put your own version in it! You decide

Thena looked around the campground, being careful of the sticks and leaves that might be remotely louder than silent. Of course things seemed calm, but one could never be too sure.

Being out of the city at least was hopeful. She and Gil had managed to leave together because of living in the same apartment complex. They could only hope their other friends had made it out and to some of the boats. That was the goal now; find water.

It was no guarantee, but it was a hell of a lot better than nothing.

Gil waved to her, pointing at a caravan in the back, close to the trees. She nodded. The further from the city they got, the quieter things were, but that certainly didn't mean that they were alone out here. But they needed supplies, just like anyone else.

She walked ahead, being the quieter footed of the two of them. Gil did his best, but he was a dense ball of muscle, some noises were just inevitable. She looked around the area; still nothing. Slowly and carefully, she reached for the latch on the door. It wasn't silent, but it wasn't loud either.

Gil held his hand up. She had heard it too. He walked closer, holding up the butane torch he kept on him as a weapon. It gave off some sound, but it was still a hell of a lot quieter than any gun. And fire seemed reasonably effective against those things.

She pressed her back to the outside wall of the camper. She couldn't hear that clicking sound, which was a good sign. But it could still be a stray animal in there that could let out a shriek and spell their doom. Or perhaps the things were evolving and disguising the telltale sound of their presence.

Gil opened the door and poised his arm in the air. She peeked at him from behind, ready to pull him out if something went wrong. But he just stood there. She frowned.

"Uh-"

Well, that was odd. She moved around the door and behind him, trying to see past his wide shoulder. She bent, instead, looking through the gap between his arm and his side. She blinked, "oh."

The kids were huddled together, not terribly young but no older than their early teens. One with unruly red hair was glaring at Gil from under the table. The other one was facing him head on with a baseball bat held high above her little head.

The one under the table gave them the finger.

Gil shut off the blow torch, holding his palms out to show his intention of being friendly. He pressed his finger to his lips. The girls traded a look between them. At least the baseball bat was lowered.

He shook his head as something was signed to him. He looked at her for help, shaking his head and making a face. She nodded; it wasn't her best language, of course, but she knew some.

The girl was fluent, her hands moving rapidly, and with a definite sense of displeasure.

Thena held up her palms as well, urging the girl to slow down. She already wasn't good with kids, let alone kids when communication was even harder than usual. Slower, please.

The girl blinked, maybe pleased or at least surprised to have found someone who knew sign language to any extent. She looked at the smaller one again. Maybe.

I'm Thena, she began, spelling things out in what she was sure was a clumsy way, for the girl. That's Gil. You?

Makkari, the older one also spelled out, before offering a sign that clearly was a shorthand for her name. She even repeated, clearly not expecting much from them. She pointed, Sprite.

Thena nodded, looking up at Gil and then the kids. Why are you alone?

Makkari helped Sprite out from under the table. She pointed at the door, which Thena latched carefully. They had hung blankets in the windows, either for safety or to dampen any incidental sounds.

"We were camping."

Thena and Gil both looked at Sprite with surprise. Maybe they had assumed both kids would be mute. Gil looked at her before gently motioning for her to sit across from the kids at the breakfast nook table. He remained standing. "How long have you been out here?"

Sprite shrugged, although Makkari mentioned something about at least six months. How these two girls had survived all by themselves like this was beyond them. "When everything happened, our mom went to ask someone what was happening. She...she never came back."

Thena frowned; Gil physically winced. His heart was much too tender for all this. She leaned forward in her seat, what have you been doing to keep yourselves safe out here?

The girls traded a look again. They were integral to each other's survival out here. "Kari goes looking for things. She's really fast, and those things kind of don't always notice her."

That was interesting. But if the girl was quick and light on her feet, maybe she was as negligible as the wildlife, in terms of sound.

Makkari pointed at them, you're the first people we've seen.

Since everything happened. Thena looked up at Gil. The look on his face didn't surprise her. They weren't allowed pets in the building they had lived in back in the city, but she always imagined Gil would be the type to rescue a kitten from a box in the rain. And this would be the expression he would have on when he found it. She put her hand on his arm, shaking her head quietly.

He held out his hand.

She made a face, hoping to keep the kids from seeing it. She didn't want to abandon them here either. But kids were a whole other level of liability in their mission to find a safe haven in this new world--this dangerous world.

He put his hand over hers, but gave her a much firmer look. He wasn't going to leave them here, and 'no' wasn't an option.

She sighed through her nose. She could have guessed that was the case. Gil was just too sweet.

"Uh, hello?"

Thena looked at the girls again. They were both still distrusting of them, for which she couldn't fault them at all. This wasn't the kind of world in which just anyone could be trusted. "We-"

"We're not asking you to drag us along, if that's what you're thinking."

They had to be at least 13, judging by the attitude they both had. Thena resisted the urge to roll her eyes; this was exactly why she had been poised to say no. Gil would be a great guardian and father-figure. He would make a great dad, if the world hadn't outright ended. She, on the other hand, was no mother-hen.

"It's not safe for you to stay here," Gil said oh-so gently and sweetly. His voice was comforting, like a blanket. "We can help each other."

We're doing just fine, Makkari argued, her hands smacking together slightly in her passion, right here!

Thena reached out, snatching the girls hands before they could clap together, palm against palm. Makkari looked affronted but she raised her eyebrows at the girl. Careful.

Perhaps chastised for the first time in months, both girls quieted. They looked at her with their big, sad eyes. Makkari pulled her hands away slowly and offered a sheepish, sorry.

Gil peeked out from their blanket curtains, making sure nothing was lurking around outside. He patted her shoulder.

It was all clear; Thena leaned back in her seat again. Still, she spoke barely above a whisper, "come with us."

The kids looked at each other, but rather than seeming to have their own conversation between them, they looked tentative. They looked scared, frightened at the possibility of leaving what shreds of a home they still had.

Thena sighed again. "How much food do you have?"

Both girls blushed, perhaps their stomachs were rumbling quietly as they spoke.

Gil hurriedly and happily took off his backpack and dug around in it. "Why didn't you say so?"

Thena gave the girls a smile; Gil looked big and tough, but he was a teddy bear if ever there was one. He was a chef.

The girls' eyes both brightened, big turquoise and speckled brown respectively. They clearly had been living sparingly, eating what they could manage to get their hands on after the immediate supplies ran low.

"Here," Gil whispered, putting down a cloth bundle of dried meats. "It's jerky."

"His recipe," she added with a hint of satisfaction as the girls all but wrestled over it. "He marinates it himself."

The kids tore at it like wild animals. But Gil just chuckled, leaning on Thena's shoulder. "I have more, and biscuits and roasted nuts. You guys can have as much as you want."

They would get spoiled. But Thena had to admit that it was nice to see something as hopeful as kids devouring some good food after everything everyone had been through. She patted Gil's arm as she stood from the seat. "I told you it's good."

He rolled his eyes at her, but he returned her affectionate little pat as she checked the other window. "It'll be dark in a few hours. We can stay here tonight."

The kids looked up and then at each other and then back at them.

We'll need supplies for travelling. We can collect things a little at a time and use this place to sleep safely. When we have enough food and water for everyone, then we'll go.

Sprite had a piece of jerky still dangling from her lip when she asked, where?

Terrible manners, not that those mattered anymore. Thena set her bag down too. "We have to look for water. Those things can't swim. Water is the best way for us to survive."

"Uh, we can't-"

"You don't have to swim," Gil amended quickly and gently. He leaned down, subtly reaching into his pack for more food. "I can't swim very well."

That was an exaggeration; he sank like a stone. Not that she was much better. But Thena smiled, "we'll find a boat, or something. Then maybe we can find an island that still has some people."

The kids shrugged. They weren't concerned with finding the remains of civilisation. They were only concerned with tomorrow, and maybe the day after. They had each other, and that was enough for them.

Thena pushed forward the biscuits for them to also devour like hyenas (which they did. "Where do you two sleep?"

Makkari chewed with her mouth open (great). But she gestured to the benches on which they were sitting.

Thena looked at the camper as a whole--there was a larger bed at one end and a smaller, elevated area at the other, directly under the window. She pointed at the larger one for Gil, you take that one.

She would have to teach him some sign, but he got what he needed from it. Enough to give her a look and insist that she take the larger bed. He pointed to where he stood; he would stand guard.

She rolled her eyes more blatantly at him, "you still need to sleep, Gil."

"And I will," he insisted before gesturing to the smaller shelf of a bed, "there."

Sprite gulped down some dry biscuit, crumbles flying from her mouth as she said, "what, are you guys in a fight or something?"

She frowned, and Gil looked at her too. She shook her head, "what?--no, why?"

Makkari waved her finger between them, aren't you married?

Thena's jaw dropped. These impudent kids--completely without manners, so full of attitude. And why would they assume that?! Just because she and Gil were travelling together didn't mean they were married! They didn't seem married...did they?

"What?"

She rubbed her temple, trying to conceal her frustration. It was just a question by some unruly kids. She picked up her head and smiled at him, "nothing. You should get some rest now, then you can take watch later."

He made a face at her, and at the girls giggling at him.

[virtualcarrot]

On the one hand, I do get the impulse to make ambiguously mild to darker-skinned anime/manga characters be black mixed-race or brown indigenous or the like.

On the other hand, there's something mildly frustrating about it, especially when it's done with the best intentions of diversity and representation, and instead contributes to the erasure of brown-skinned East Asian people.

Like, again, I get why we in the West have a tendency to see a tan and run with it in the euphoria of diversity. Genuinely. But it kind of feels like a double-edged sword.

[mastersoftheair]

Sorry but am I the only one that thought that episode…sucked? Like it was straight up bad. Horrible pacing, no wrap up of all the random characters and plot lines they’ve thrown around all season (the tuskegee airmen, Westgates spying, literally all the guys beside like the main 4). (Seriously it makes me so mad that the three redtails got all of 5 seconds of screen time, almost no lines. Literally what was the point of introducing them other than to pretend the show was iNcLuSiVe) Even at the end of BoB and the Pacific you get a much better idea of what happened to all the remaining guys. In this they’re like what happened to DeMarco or Hambone or Brady or (insert character here) we don’t know! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The concentration camp scene felt shoehorned in compared to how it was done in BoB. Unless that actually happened to Rosie (which i haven’t heard anything about) but it was just like.. ok? It all felt so rushed and emotionless to me. Maybe I’ve just fallen out of love with MoTA but it’s been downhill for me since episode 6 or so.

i already made a little (read: long) post-finale write-up here, where i talk about the use of the tuskegee airmen, l'sandra, and overall editing/pacing issues i felt the show had. but i don't agree with the notion that adding the redtails was in any way insincere or trying to halfass being "iNcLuSiVe", i just think they suffer from this show's obvious time constraints. and to summarize what i wrote in my linked post, there's a limit to what white writers/directors/producers can do when creating a story about black people. there are some stories i'd feel uncomfortable with them telling on their own, truth be told. dee rees wasn't the sole nonwhite director, but she Was the only black one. i think she did her job well given the limitations and i appreciate that they let her direct those episodes, rather than leaving it up to a team of white people trying their best to tell a black story.

the worst i can say about the finale is that it didn't feel like That strong of finale, tho i wouldn't go as far to say it "sucked" or call it "straight up bad". i liked it plenty, it's just the weakest of the hbo war finales imo.

as for the concentration camp scene, artistic license was taken with both shows. unlike what's seen in the BoB, easy company wasn't the first to arrive at kaufering, and there's 0 mention of the all-japanese american 552nd who helped them liberate it). similarly, rosie rosenthal did assist in liberating those camps, though it would've been after the events shown this episode. idk if he saw one in that up-close way seen in this episode, but he could've (i should research this when i have time). plus, it would've felt weird Not having him acknowledge them at all. "shoe-horned" is an odd term to use here imo, as both scenes more-or-less center a jewish character (BoB's liebgott and MotA's rosie). the former show has survivors the characters can help, the latter shows no one left to help. the former has all of easy company there, the latter has rosie there all alone. rosie's scene felt deeply personal in that way. at the end of the day, both scenes are communicating different things. that doesn't make one better than the other when they aren't trying to be identical. (disclaimer, i'm not jewish, so i'd be interesting hearing from the perspective of someone who wrt whether or not they felt it was "shoe-horned")

i can understand if you've disliked the show post-episode 6 (and episode 6 was a very strong episode i'm ngl). eps 7 and 8 were weaker in many ways, even to me, so i get it. everyone's entitled to their own opinion (i'd be a hypocrite saying otherwise). just understand that this blog is run by someone who overall enjoys this show despite its flaws! basically, i encourage you to take this energy and make your own posts.

[spaghett-onaplate]

sixth day at my new school and i didn't sit alone at lunch today 🥳🥳

[invisiblemelonmoose]

Thinking about how I rarely get the yuri I want in non-yuri specific media that has canon queer characters or a least a sizable yuri fanbase

[seaofreverie]

The Me who bought tickets to see TMBG in february 2023 and the Me who's going to actually go to the show next month are two completely different people

[lock-my-feelings-in-a-jar]

i have only been listening to russ's last 3 albums for like a week or two now and i can't stop

[sealeneee]

siiiiiiigh

[edennill]

Been listening to Finrod's Duel with Sauron in the Finrod rock opera and I can't help but just be amused at how inconsistent Sauron is being.

"Yeah, well, you're not guiltless before the Creator either."

"Who is more guilty? We, or the one who knowingly taught us pride?"

"Oh, that was for your own good."