#like i very much get the attitude but since he's my blorbo i also am that meme of a man holding a cat behind a sword with him

[queenerdloser]

im rereading six of crows/crooked kingdom and every time someone on the team thinks about how kaz is meaner, smarter, and nastier than the big bad they’re up against i gain +5 life points. inej so sure no one can outsmart kaz! jesper basically comforting wylan with the reminder that kaz is so nasty and ruthless he’s going to raze his dickwad father to the ground and wylan a) absolutely believing kaz can and will do it and b) absolutely finding comfort in it. everyone is always going on and on about how cruel and unfeeling kaz is, but when their back is against the wall and there’s an enemy coming at them, they hear his cane or think about him and they feel relief! they feel safe! he’s a thug but he’s THEIR thug and frankly, as someone who imprinted on kaz like a baby duckling the first time i read the books, it’s a fucking godsend! 

[bogkeep]

Would you recommend the SSSS comic? I know little of it beside the very beautiful artstyle and premise

to answer the question of if i would recommend SSSS as a comic: yes, yes i would.

a description for those who don't know: Stand Still Stay Silent is a post-apocalyptic horror + adventure webcomic set in the nordics (norway, sweden, denmark, finland, iceland) that have been isolated from the rest of the world and gone back to their old gods. the the world outside of safe zones is full of trolls and beasts - humans and mammals that got infected by a horrible virus and turned into monsters. the story follows a ragtag crew that ventures into the old world (derelict denmark) on an expedition to collect books.

the comic updated every workday until it concluded in 2022, and consists of two Adventures. the creator had plans for many adventures with these characters in this world, but ended it after two when she wanted to take a new direction with her life.

what i love about it:

- the art is GORGEOUS. it's been a huge source of inspiration for me. open any page and it's a masterpiece, and you will ask yourself "how the FUCK did she update this FIVE DAYS A WEEK"

- the characters are wonderful and endearing. i just, i love them so much. i am so thankful lalli hotakainen exists he is one of my #1 blorbos forever

- the world is so cool. the blend of chunky sci-fi and norse mythology fantasy magic slaps. it goes so hard. i fell so hard for this comic when i got to the big ferry ship with a viking style dragon head prow added to it. it's everything

- it really really gets nordic cultures. it's difficult to explain all the dynamics and nuances but it just gets it. it brings me as a scandinavian a lot of joy to read a story that speaks to my heart this way. the attitudes, the language barriers, the cultural differences... it was so refreshing to me in a media landscape dominated by american stories. when the pandemic hit, i decided to reread the comic because i found such an odd comfort in seeing how it depicted the scandinavian countries reacting to, well, a pandemic.

- there's kittycats

what i don't like about it:

- the most glaring and obvious flaw is that everyone in the comic is white. there's not a single character of color anywhere, not even i background shots or the prologue. there's no mention of the saami people (the indigenous people of northern europe), either. i believe this was done in ignorance more than malicious intent, but the implications are Extremely Bad and it's been bothering me (AND MANY OTHERS) since day 1. that is the number one caveat i will give to anyone wanting to check this comic out. i've been in the discourse trenches and i am not going to excuse this. it's just bad!

- you can tell in the middle of adventure 2 that the creator has kind of lost interest in the work, around the time when she found jesus i guess. like, very few people can keep up work on the same creative project for years and years and years and i think it's fine that she wanted to drop it, but it's a bit sad to see the comic dragged to its end like a limp corpse, and feeling like the creator no longer really cares about the characters.

- minna sundberg has said and done some questionable things, presumably gotten somewhat radicalised over time, and has also converted to hardcore christianity which is what her new works are about. there's nothing about this in SSSS - there is a moment of christianity represented in the story in a sort of mythological sense, just like the other religions, but this was written before minna's conversion. her new works... are a Choice. i have much to say about them, and i have, and im not gonna rehash it now.

SO YEAH hopefully this will help you take an Informed Choice! i got into this comic in 2015 and was deep in the fandom and it's for better or for worse part of my soul foundation now.

i also recommend A Redtail's Dream, minna's "practice comic" before SSSS, based on finnish mythology and the kalevala.

[originalaccountname]

I am treating the Cannibalism stage play as, like, an official fanfic, but it gave me emotions about Chuuya and he is my blorbo I need to share more details about the infamous "Chuuya cries" moment with full context:

Since they did not have a costume or actor for Poe, they got rid of Chuuya and Ranpo getting stuck in his story, and instead gave Chuuya a mini arc about leadership. They made Chuuya doubt his own legitimacy as a leader (for the Port Mafia) every step of the way.

He started out by saying that as the ex-leader of the Sheep, an enemy organization, it made no sense for him to be the interim boss of the Port Mafia. He even told Kouyou she should take the role because he used to be her subordinate. Kouyou convinced him to step up to the challenge by pointing out he usually didn't hesitate to lead people ("but those times I was acting on the boss' orders") and that she had 8 boxes full of Steel Oracles written by subordinates who wanted and trusted him to be up to the task.

Steel Oracles were the stage play's answer to the Silver Oracles. If the Silver Oracles are the boss entrusting a subordinate with power to act, the Steel Oracles are the subordinates entrusting an individual with the power to lead them. They are check notes with the name of the individual being entrusted written on the back, signed by the person submitting it, and symbolizes the submitter entrusting that individual with everything that they have and are. Chuuya had 8 boxes with his name on it.

He later (obviously desperate) goes to request Verlaine help them assassinate Fukuzawa. Chuuya says the PM his family that he needs to protect. He wants Mori to live. He's having a very rough time. (Verlaine refuses but makes him realize Dazai is plotting something)

When all is said and done, he meets with Mori and Chuuya says he'll be returning the Steel Oracles to the subordinates. Mori jokes about Chuuya being more popular than him, so shouldn't he name Chuuya boss instead? Chuuya refuses immediately, saying that the people were only saying he was strong, not that he had their respect, and says he could never be a boss like Mori. He makes a comment about Mori having already said he wanted Dazai as the next boss anyway.

Mori agrees, Chuuya looks a little resigned and starts walking away. But then, Mori produces 5 new Steel Oracles: they're all signed by the Flags. Mori says he was given these long ago, by "experts" who had seen Chuuya's potential way back then. Mori says he had promised to look after Chuuya until the time came. He says that the people he considered family also considered him family. Chuuya hears the voices of the Flags calling out to him, takes the Steel Oracles with a stiff nod and excuses himself (the first anime ending, namae wo yobu yo, starts playing then). He avoids looking at Kouyou, who asks him if he's crying, and exits as quickly as possible.

During the outro section, we see Chuuya again, holding the Flags' Steel Oracles. He smiles (smirks really) and puts them in the interior pocket of his coat, before joining in on the choreography.

For bonus points, when Chuuya was the interim boss, he still had that "nobody needs to be hurt more than necessary" attitude he has in the manga. He fought Kyouka in Mori's room by using martial arts instead of gravity. He was also ruthless in filling in for the role of the Black Lizard for this story: he wanted to use Tanizaki as a hostage to get the ADA, and told him that once Tanizaki was no longer of use, he would be disposed of, just like every ADA member would be killed off until they got Fukuzawa. He wanted to cut Tanizaki's ear off to send to the ADA to tell them the deal was off. It was clearly business for him. He said he took no pleasure in it.

All in all, with tone, acting and context, Chuuya's hesitancy to lead the PM here was clearly an issue of self-confidence. Nobody would trust him with the role. Someone else would be better for it. He has too much baggage to be up to the task. People fear him more than they respect him.

And that issue is "resolved" (big word) when it turned out people he held in high esteem and cared about actually believed in him too. They saw him, they knew him, they cared for him, and they thought that, in time, he would be great. And that's what got to him.

[leadandblood]

Crozcest rewatch part 4 🙈

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 here

They'll soon be on ao3, but I want to do that all at once and format them all prettily and add links and such. I'll keep posting the new ones on here, but they'll be on AO3 as well. Just with a slight delay.

Mandatory warnings in case there might be somebody new...

Below are my interpretations of canon scenes along with screencaps from the show. All the things below are speculation. No, these characters are not related whatsoever in the show. I made this AU up bc it's fun. Don't go into the soup store if you hate soup. Don't read this post if you hate blorbo incest.

Overall

Watching 'Punished as a boy' now.

I made some gifs for this one to make it more fun ^^ God knows it's fucking long... (almost 2k words) Anyway. Enjoy. ...If you can.

This is where we start to get the juicy anti-Edward attitude on screen and I'm so here for iiiittttttt!!!! Tommy has to confont some things and so does Francis (but he'll avoid it, obviously).

The Pissing

I know it only happens at the end, I just thought it'd be funny to call this segment that. Anyway-

I straight up believe Tom thought Francis was like yanking it or something. You just KNOW it's happened before. I know it, anyway. Not just on the ship, it happened at home, too.

The way he awkwardly looks around like he's trying to figure out wtf Crozier is doing. The whiskey glass is nowhere near him, so what's he doing?? More importantly, can Tom help?

"Sorry to interrupt... sir..." I LOVE that he sounds like he can't decide whether to add the sir or not, but says it at last second anyway. He soooo wants to say "daddy" btw. so badly wants to say it. The only thing keeping him from doing it is a lashing. (They're both strictly prohibited from ever calling him father/papa/anything similar while on the expedition. There will be exceptions, though)

Face before "Lt. Little" mention and after "Lt. Little" mention. "SHIT I forgot I also have a worse son. And responsibilities. FUCK."

Am I losing my marbles or does he look kind of fond for a second there? BTW he straight up looks like a frog here (said with utter love and respect)

Anyway, Tommy - ever the good boy he is - starts cleaning up, maybe, possibly, to help fix Francis's mood? I reckon he tends to be in a better mood when things are in order.

Tom's also trying very hard not to stare, probably. Francis stop spreading your legs like a whore, you're distracting him from work. He'd so love to just kneel between them and [redacted]. He's holding on by sheer willpower.

Francis asking if he knows the headlines, because he knows how observant he is and how much he pays attention to everything. It's frustrating, because Francis CAN do better at parenting, he just doesn't. Doesn't see the point anymore since they're both adults and "don't need support". Except for punishment, he's still willing to punish them.

Thomas I swear to god.

I think if Francis saw that he'd give him a good talking to. And the "me, sir? :3c" do i have to say anything...... well yeah i actually do- He can be such a little shit. It's just Crozier's luck that he chooses to be a sweet little angel in front of him most of the time.

I can't help but imagine what younger drunk Thomas must've been like... Full of sass and bite, probably. I need to write that one day.

"Job son, you hear everything." biting screaming throwing up. "FINE dad, you got me, here goes-"

I do love the way he says lieutenant Little, it's got such a nice sound to it. Again, very funny that Francis sort of sighs at the name Little. I think he regrets chosing it, lol. But! Edward's got a point! And these two both agree! For once! (and for now)

The pissing my god the pissing what do i even say about it. Tom's voice seems to quiver a bit, which is amazing. My man, that's your fucking father, stop being horny.

"have you ever thought of becoming a newsman?" what a thing to ask your son who is like 25 by this point and for whom you chose the career of a sailor. But better late than never, I guess. A job opportunity for when they come back home, teehee.

Anyway, I have to move on, or I won't watch anything else. I can't stay on this scene the entire post, it's already way too long.

Ship attack

Tommy finally realising this could happen to any of them...

This is the point when he starts being nicer to Edward. From this point on, he's truly finally realising, that any of them could die at any moment. The ship isn't safe anymore. Edward isn't safe. Francis isn't safe. He himself isn't safe. Like, he knew it in theory before, but it really hit him here.

It's hammered in by "it's come onto the ship, Edward" because they all realise that nowhere is safe now. Francis has this "oh fuck" moment too, that's why he goes to Edward to maybe comfort him or maybe to even comfort himself.

Btw they're so related it's disgusting.

"Please don't go, I'm scared for you" you see, Tommy, daddy has this thing called plot armor, so-

Francis and his youngest son- no, just kidding. But he's so very paternal with Evans, it's adorable. More than his own sons... which is a bit sad. "No ship's boys. Evans..." He's got it in him! Somewhere! It's there! Just to dig it out and use it.

To make this scene and the ones after worse - He's remembering his own boys when they were scared. Tommy clinging to his leg, yelling "papa!" over and over until Francis picked him up. Ned sobbing into his coat because he took too long to come home one night... (i'm fine btw << a liar)

Unfortunately, this is the worst time for him to choose to be comforting and mother-hen-y (not a word, probably, but you get my point).

After Evans dies :((

I like how Edward (I think it's him anyway) is welcoming everyone back.

He's probably waiting in agony for Francis to appear. I also think Crozier told him specifically to stay on the ship, so he wouldn't be in as much danger. He still has most of his common sense and the Edward hate isn't so bad yet either.

I want to say something intelligent about this scene, but I can't, other than Thomas missing should mean something.

Maybe these three having the most (?) hope until the end and lasting so long without any signs of scurvy, while Thomas wastes away pretty quickly after walkout... Just a fun thing to think about. (not)

"perhaps you should curb that for now" you KNOW Lydia used to tell him that exact same thing.

Anyway this scene makes me rabid even in canon. He did it for Sophy bc he wants to be with herrr. What if I bite you, sir. In the Au with the added context of wanting the boys to have a mother figure. *bursts into flame*

I think Francis might be a little obsessed with this idea of finding a mother to his boys, more so than finding a partner to himself. Like he's been doing it for years and it's turned into this unachieved goal he persues only because he's used to it. (dgmw though, he does very much love Sophia) Anyway.

Edward's. So. Fucking. Cute. "Yes, father 😔"

He's pretty much only looking at Francis in this scene, except for a one time glance at Irving after he asked a question. It's making me run in circles. (kind of funny, actually, EVERBODY is looking at Francis. James is there too, you guys-)

Flashback

He loves her so much I'm-

Thomas would be so jealous if he saw them btw. On the other hand, Edward would cheer them on. I think he'd actually give Francis some subliminal messaging, whispering to him while he's sleeping like "you want to marry Sophia so bad" because Sophia's been nice to Edward and he's dying to have someone who might actually like him in the house. *starts sobbing*

BING BONG, DADDY'S HERE

Deploy the guard dog!

That's right Tommy, show 'em.

"EVERYONE ON THEIR KNEES RIGHT NOW!!" hahaha, do you think he screamed at the boys like that when they were fighting, lmao- *bursts into flame*

Yes he did, he very much did and his voice used to be a bit stronger, too. I bet Edward flinched when he heard him yell. I don't think Tom would've heard over the people below deck, but he'd flinch too if he did.

All it took to call Edward over was one vague head movement that I didn't notice until my fourth rewatch, so I think it's safe to say they're both used to this and that Edward is a good boy, actually-

Interrogation

I can't stop laughing, they're literally two parents whose kids misbehaved at school-

I know I made the Fitzjames = wine mom joke like 5 times already but aaah! look at them 😭

btw....

I could make a whole post of just them doing things synchronously. This episode is so rich with it...

Francis is very amused.

He doesn't believe a single fucking word Hickey is saying. He has kids. They have lied to him. He knows what it looks like when a kid's lying (Hickey's not a kid, but you know. close enough)

Angry Ned! You do NOT talk to his dad with that tone of voice. (I'm so normal about his teefs, btw, I promise)

So fun and lovely that Edward can also go protecc mode, just in different situations from Thomas. He's so angry oh my goooood, giggling kicking my feet. "You disrespect my dad? Die." He's literally shaking with it.

Breathe, my guy. And stop being so tense, you're not the one getting punished (for once)

Francis is so nonchalant about announcing the punishment, he's done it so many times before... He definitely enjoys it to at least some extent, too. Like, maybe doesn't hugely revel in it, but it does give him a little kick. A little boost to the ego.

*WHAM*

Edward flinched so hard at that table slam. And that's canon, it's not my fault the camera isn't on him, it's canon because I said so-

The lashing

Hey boys, what's wrong? :) Is your dad doing something very questionable? :))) Something deplorable? :))))))

I already did the "Thomas won't look at the lashing if it got him a million pounds" spiel somewhere, but yeah, he's absolutely remembering his own lashing.

He's already tense after seeing Hartnell and Manson, but I think this one's even worse, bc of how humiliating it is. He is NOT having a good time (also flinches! bonus points)

I think in this whole scene, Francis is thinking "I'm gonna be the strict father figure these boys need" and kind of overdoes it and forgets his humanity for a bit, woopsie!

Not like he was any good at controlling it before. He was shit at it, really, especially with Nedward. Oftentimes the punishments would be over the top unreasonable. He still punishes them, btw. Well into adulthood. They're horribly codependant and severely broken <3

Wallowing in self-hate all by yourself, handsome?

Very telling, btw, that Ned didn't want to come talk to Francis himself and sent Irving instead. He's scared of him. So very scared of him. And I think Thomas is, too, when he's in this state, although he doesn't want to admit it to himself. I'll get to it in ep 5, but yeah, he hates when Francis is drunk.

Conclusion

WHAT AN EPISODE. This took DAYS to compile, wow. Francis begins to antagonize Edward in this ep much more, even though his concerns are valid.

My theory of Edward taking/inheriting mannerisms and other behaviours from his father is being supported sooo well, it's basically writing itself.

The boys have been confronted by a side to Crozier they haven't seen in a long time (mostly because they're so well behaved and he doesn't have to punish them very often) They're very unsettled by it, too. Also scared. It's delicious.

If this was ep 4 i can't even hope for what ep 5 and 6 will hold *melts into a puddle of heart shaped marshmallows*

[pink-november]

You know who I want (threatening) (trying to be) (actually this was an attempt at flirting and not referring to Cold at all) (could’ve been referring to anyone) (who care!!)

*crawls out my hidey hole covered in dirt and blood* I'M ALIVE!

I definitely know who you're referring to 🤭 hope I did him well here <333

• First impression

Oh, he's emo. The emo voice. Saw him first with Paranoid in Wraith. Looks like the type to be easily misunderstood because he just sounds like that. Hot voice though, er well, cold voice. 7/10

• Impression now

THE BLORBO. PERIOD. One of the faves. He's actually so silly? Also he's got a lot of depth to him that goes under the radar because it's so easy to assign him as a typical "villain" since he doesn't show any remorse in killing the Princess and sucks at emotions uh, I mean, is emotionless. The rare moments of him showing anything than boredom makes me salivate and feral because my boi you are fucking lying to yourself about not feeling anything at all.

• Favorite moment

He has so many great moments actually: his Razor's entrance, the sheer difference of attitude when it came to his presence in The Greys and his entire show in Spectre. But my top favorite has got to be Moment of Clarity, especially after getting to know him a lot after replaying the game. There's just something absolutely heart-wrenching hearing him continually dismiss the other voices and insisting that he's the only special one here, trying to appeal to LQ that he only needs him alone.

• Idea for a story

Every idea I had about Cold gets sucked into the black hole that is Ouroboros Well, I do have that one story idea where it's a post A New Unending Dawn and Everyone Hates You where all the voices tore themselves out of The Long Quiet and got separated from one another because of how messy they got out their progenitor. They became something close to Catastrophes because of how violent their ascensions were and they bring disasters to wherever they go. And because I need more tragedy, all of them try to seek one another but find out they keep missing each other due to fate fucking with them. Also this is a fic where Cold is a vampire. And Smitten's there too, I guess.

Well, there's also my Swap AU. Gravedigger Cold still lives rent free in my head alongside his bestie, The Revenant.

• Unpopular opinion

He really should be elevated to Tumblr Sexyman status. He's got the qualifications for it even!

• Favorite relationship

I am Burned Bridges truther, mainly because of you Dicey. I have become ill for their dynamic and despite how rocky and nigh impossible reconciliation is with them, I do think they can be good friends under the right circumstances. Also, I love how Cold makes Smitten worse, just saying. They need to get a room smh.

But before Burned Bridges, I do adore Cold's relationship with Hero and The Long Quiet. It's only by virtue of having Nightmare as my first route and The Moment of Clarity happening that Spectre falls short on my favorite chapters, ending in a nebulous second place.

• Favorite headcanon

I love Cold collecting knives! Yes, I love that headcanon very much! Also, he's afraid of The Damsel.

[archive-of-bones]

Okay so imma fuckin open this up with a Hi.

Today we’re gonna tackle the mess that is Jack Lippmann, my blorbo of an oc(you will get context later on I promise) Ft. Their mess of a relationship with Chuuya Nakahara and the flags. This is also gonna be incoherent as fuck with grammatical errors so buckle up.

Lemme start by saying this shit about to contain some adult material, not necessarily nsfw but it is a little iffy so trigger warnings are I guess mentions of manslaughter, implications of using and selling drugs, implied underage drinking and whatnot. Also contains some spoilers.

I am crazy about them, their attitude towards life and people especially. Jack is a pretty interesting character to me because of their optimism and hope towards life despite living in a shitty environment and doing shitty things. I think it’s a nice contrast in a way, also their familiarity towards people and wanting the company of others that basically pushes them to do what they have to, sometimes resorting to drastic measures such as murder and robbery amongst other things.

Anyways, they’ve been sort of admiring Chuuya since day one of being taken in by the Sheep, they were like nine and it would have been at least a year or two since Suribachi became a thing because of the explosion, and they were saved by him when some thugs wanted to sell them off to some sick people who wanted children as their toys or some shit (I can’t properly word how terrible this experience was for them, and for others who weren’t as fortunate as they were). So Jack pretty much worked hard, the Sheep kids liked the contribution they gave; particularly food. Jack was an excellent cook as much as they were an excellent teacher, they always had the sort of impulse to share what they know to people, and they often had the best interests of others in mind.

Jack actually taught Chuuya how to read and speak in English at some point with other children in Suribachi, with the aid of some stolen learning materials they got from sneaking into a campus and stealing books to help them in the long run. But this is exactly what got them in trouble, by giving so much they gained little to nothing in return, and admiring Chuuya became their downfall in the events of Chuuya sacrificing himself to join the mafia in order to keep the Sheep safe. (Shirase didn’t like the fact that they defended Chuuya so much, I’m not gonna say more bc of upcoming fic spoilers).

In the end, they had nothing by the time the Sheep disbanded. So they went around Suribachi for a while and lived off of some cash the residents would give them in exchange for tutoring services (some people didn’t really think it was necessary for them to learn a foreign language or do arithmetic, but for those who wanted to have something that would hopefully help them in the long run, they pay Jack).

Their devastation of losing everything led them to get the resolve to join Chuuya in the mafia, which was… frankly not a very good idea.

But they were pretty much desperate to see him again so they started at the bottom, killing people as quickly as they could without giving them too much pain, stealing, running errands, etc. And eventually they caught the eye of Pianoman, who had been hearing rumors about some grunt who wanted to see Chuuya Nakahara as a main motivation for getting into the dirty job of blood and murder. So he seeks them out, and pretty much falls in love(?) with the tenacity they show for the goal they wanted to achieve. So he helps them, sort of. They basically passed the vibe check LMFAO

Chuuya wasn’t very happy when he found them with the flags though, there’s a lot of details missing from this but nutshell is that he cares about them even though he’s remained his distance for years. So he was actually pissed when he found out they were there, all smiling and happy as if they did not just put his sacrifice in vain by BEING in danger. To him, they should have stuck being a teacher, or a chef, those two things are the ones he knows them for and knows they do such a good job with. So for the first few months they weren’t on good terms, and Chuuya was pretty much mean to them at this time span because he really wants to drive them away from here so badly because he feels /guilty/.

He was after all the reason why they were even in the mafia in the first place.

But the flags weren’t really having it and were pretty much elated to have Jack around, Jack was pretty much good to have around with how open they were with their emotions, which was something the flags highly appreciated (found family my beloved). And in return, Jack was fiercely loyal to them, and the mafia as a whole. They really didn’t have much against murder or any illegal job, they wouldn’t judge anyone for that because they too had to do it to survive, their lack of hesitance towards stepping into the darkness for one person and staying for the people they found there is so interesting because they had a choice. And they chose the path they could never get out of, for them, they didn’t have anything to lose in the light, they had no family or a home, so for them it was the best option. Chasing after Chuuya Nakahara was just one of their many motivations, and one they sort of prioritised and advertised the most, much to the aforementioned person’s chagrin.

I am very crazy about them, I probably will never shut up.

@ettaevie

Buddy, here’s the shitpost exchange, your turn

[rakruined]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime, books, movies or tv series)? Thanks....

Oh boy, this’ll be a bit of a long post! Alright I’ll try to keep this quick…

10. Toph Beifong: Look, what is there to say? If a young blind girl beating the shit out of ATLA’s version of Dwayne Johnson isn’t enough for Toph to be one of your faves, then you just have shit taste.

9. Power: A blood fiend with a bad attitude, Power serves as a foil to main character Denji, acting as a little sister/cat to his middle child/dog. Together, the pair make a hilarious dynamic duo, but also bring out the best and worst in each other, just like real siblings. Also Power is certified grossgirl rep.

8. Miles Morales: I wish I was more familiar with the comics, but even going off his incarnation in Spider-Verse alone, Miles has to be my favorite Spidey. He’s just so lovable and artistic and genuine, and his story is incredible. Proof that anyone can wear the mask and that you’re never facing the world alone, he’s an easy pick for my top 10.

7. Blitzo: Funny how his name sounds like blorbo, huh? Blitzo is a character that’s grown on me slowly, but the more I see of him the more interesting and entertaining he becomes, and the more I truly feel for this boss out of hell. As a later entry confirms, short angry men that shoot guns and swear a lot may just be an archetype I enjoy…

6. Jolyne Cujoh: The first (and so far only) JoJo not to be a man, Jolyne is every bit as badass as her predecessors. Her arc of personal growth is just utterly awesome, and her ultimate fate, while tragic, brings the curse upon her bloodline to an end.

5. Stolas Goetia: As a father single-handedly carrying the weight of one of the only engaging mlm relationships in animation, Stolas is a lot of fun to watch. Unabashedly horny, incompetently caring and all around dorky, this owl prince injects some much appreciated character drama into every scene he’s in.

4. Denji: Chainsaw Man’s titular titty-obsessed protagonist may not be your standard Shonen hero, but that’s what makes him so great. His simple but relatable desires keep his story grounded even as all the weirdness and horror ramp up. As if that weren’t enough, his fighting style is just the goriest, most brutal thing ever and I cannot get enough.

3. Bruno Bucciarati: Bucci Gang Rise Up! The adoptive mother figure of Vento Aureo, Bruno is one of those characters who would tech you valuable life lessons before asking if you want to help him commit some crime together, ie. the best kind of character. Not only that, but his stand, Sticky Fingers, is my absolute favorite stand with a unique and fun ability.

2. Angel Dust: Another Italian gangster with an open-breast white suit, it’s Angel Dust himself! From drag shows to mob violence to doing acid behind the Denny’s at 3 AM, Angel brings a lot to the table as a character. While his canon content may be lacking, his music video has me hooked waiting to see how his character will develop and very excited to see more of him. But as for my absolute favorite…

1. Rocket Raccoon: The GotG have been my favorite superhero team since I first started watching the MCU and the sheer novelty of a talking space raccoon with a gun as long as he is tall was enough for him to stick with me. However, his character arc of opening up to his new found family after years of trauma and loneliness, combined with his wholesome relationship with Groot, his best friend turned adopted son, elevated him from an ironic pick to my unironic favorite of all time. My one hope for GotG vol. 3? Rocket gets an actual happy ending for once. He deserves it.

[writing-for-life]

Re: the Audible. Thessaly is still thoroughly unlikeable and super abrasive to pretty much everyone. And since her interactions are mostly with Hazel, Foxglove and Wanda, they all get it full throttle. I’m glad they didn’t make her softer and more likeable overall, because that wouldn’t have worked either. Which slots in with Neil’s intention that we’re NOT supposed to like her (thankfully so, and I think it translates much clearer in the audiobook medium than in print).

What they did though was stripping out the line “Wanda is a man”, and I think that was significant. Thessaly now simply states that Wanda doesn’t menstruate. Hazel also doesn’t point out anymore that Wanda still has a “thingie” (which is often used by people with TERFy inclinations to point out that really: you are still a man). Plus, they stressed a lot more that someone needs to take care of Barbie, and it isn’t framed as, “You just stay here because you’re really a man.” Instead, it’s very much a, “You stay here because she needs protection.”

And as for Hob—don’t get me started. I think the fandom has a lot of blindspots when it comes to their blorbos. The (often white) M/M ship always gets away with murder. It’s unfortunately predictable, and this is no exception. I generally don’t ship much, but this one is probably the biggest no out of them all for me. People can ship whatever they want, and I am a big believer in SALS, but I *do* sometimes wish people would be more discerning and see characters with a bit more nuance. This is also important to think about when we contemplate that most fanfics are essentially self-inserts of a kind, whether directly or indirectly. Hence, they say a lot about our own attitudes, and our willingness to accept or forgive things we wouldn’t in real life. And our blindspots. The fandom has many, especially when it comes to racism and sexism, and I’m still not worried to point it out because it’s true. We all have those blindspots (I am a white, bisexual woman from a certain background with a certain job, and that determines my conscious and subconscious views, my privileges in some areas of life and my marginalisation in others), but it’s our willingness to engage with them critically that makes all the difference. I also get that many people just want to come into the fandom for escapism and not engage with these questions. And yet, it’s important to talk about these things.

There’s also an inherent internalised sexism at work. If I observed one thing over the years, it’s that women are almost always harsher on women in canon than they are on men. That doesn’t make the actions of someone like Thessaly right, but to pretend that Hob isn’t problematic is also strange (and that’s putting it mildly). Or maybe it just shows that most people haven’t read or properly digested the comics *or* the subtext of the show, also entirely possible.

There are a lot of Hob apologists out there who think he magically changed just because Dream told him off in 1789. That’s a steep assumption. On the other hand, we know literally nothing about what happened between Dream and Thessaly. It is often said that Dream himself must be morally grey because he ended up getting involved with her and must have just blindly accepted what she does and did, and that somehow skews the view on our flawless boy. And I love him too, but I’ve got news: Dream *is* morally grey, for the longest time and right up until very far into his arc. Which *is* a redemption arc, but it’s also a tragedy. He *has* a fatal flaw (well, many actually), and that’s why he dies. And we are supposed to learn from that—that’s the whole point of a tragedy. The mere fact that at least half of the fandom wants a happy ending where he walks off into the sunset with Hob and expand on that in Sunday Mourning always makes me think that many people don’t understand the purpose of a tragedy anymore. Tragedies are inherently hopeful because of that—they hold up the mirror and say: “But *you* can do this differently.” (Tagging @tickldpnk8 here because we’ve been talking about this a lot.)

As I already said: Dream will know what Thessalian witches are/were like (and she might even be older than that), and he might not find that in any way surprising. And on the other hand: How do people know he didn’t tell *her* off and was okay with what she did? Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. We simply don’t know. But people’s willingness to hate on her is so much more visceral than to hate on Hob, who really is a terrible person in canon (both comics and show, although toned down a bit in the latter, but there is so much between the lines people are willing to ignore) while *also* having lovable, very human traits that make us feel for him. And I have a strong feeling this is down to how a lot of people in this fandom see themselves:

The queer academic. Any whiff of TERFiness creates an instant outrage (to the degree that it sometimes looks performative, because people don’t even make the effort to lift the curtain on the actual comics a bit and examine things through a more critical lens). Racism however—hmmm.

There is a willingness to let one character get away with an awful lot because they fit our perception of how we see OURSELVES. And some reflection on that might be helpful…

So, you mentioned something about Thessaly in a 90s context in one of your responses to another post, and I was wondering if you could expand on that. Because yeah, I have no problem with her *existing* as a character, because obviously she has a role in the narrative, but I highly suspect that her perceived role has changed a LOT in the intervening years since the initial writing.

As someone who first read Sandman in 2022, I figured that her character role was to get us to question what we think we know about Morpheus. Can we really trust that he's changed or improved, or that he's even all that likeable, if he's literally jumping into bed with this thoroughly unpleasant woman who likes violent murder *way* too much and also seems to be transphobic to boot?

At the same time, though, I got the uncomfortable sense that we were supposed to *like* Thessaly. In a sort of, "You go girl, be a #girlboss, let's show these boys we can be JUST as good at killing as them!" sort of way. Which I rationalized as "well, that probably was progressive in the 90s, but the idea of cold blooded violence and emphasis on the possession of a womb being feminist ideals has aged poorly."

So, yeah, I'm wondering if that is anywhere close to how she seemed in the "intended" context.

This is such a good ask, and I feel there are a lot of bases to cover here. Not sure if I’ll do it justice, but here goes…

Disclaimer straightaway: I absolutely detest Thessaly and everything she’s done narratively, and I’m neither a Thessaly-apologist, nor someone who loves her as a character. But I think we need to discuss her with a bit more nuance than I see in lot of fandom spaces.

I think first of all, we need to look at:

Thessaly as a fictional character

As you already pointed out, she naturally has a role in the narrative. I also think parts of her role in said narrative are sometimes a bit misunderstood. One prime example would be the idea she never loved Morpheus. And yes, she absolutely always put herself and her own interests first, so from that angle, she loved herself more than she loved him. That doesn’t mean she never loved him at any point though. Many people quote her saying that she never did as proof that she didn’t. But what people say doesn’t always align with what they feel or do: She says at his wake she swore she’ll never cry over him again—and cries while she’s saying it. That tells us two things: She *did* cry because of him before. And she *does* cry now.

Again, she is a selfish, utterly horrid bitch, but she loved him at some point, and she was mad at him for neglecting her and not paying her enough attention. That’s when it turned sour (and we know how absolutely shit at communicating with women Morpheus is, so they’re both as bad as each other in that regard).

I see her as someone who is totally disconnected/dissociated from her emotions, to the extent that she probably really believes what she says, out of some deep-rooted fear of any kind of vulnerability. Why that is—we can only speculate, because Neil never went into it, hence nothing we assume will ever be canon.

What can be considered canon, however, is that Neil has confirmed the fact that she *did* love him at some point—most notably in the Sandman Companion:

Hy Bender: […] Of course, she’s lying when she says she never loved the Sandman.

Neil Gaiman: Of course; I think that’s made explicit by the final panel, where she says, `I swore I would never shed another tear for him’ while crying. But after he’s won her and then returned to his duties, he wasn’t enough for her anymore. She wanted attention; and when she wasn’t getting it, she said, “Right. We’re done,” and walked out on him.”

I’d also like to point out that the most trans-exclusionary prick in the whole of AGoY is actually George, just that he’s not a woman, and hence, no one ever seems to mention it (he’s actually the one egging Wanda on, not Thessaly). Plus, walking the moon road is maiden, mother and crone to a T, and consciously so. Foxglove is the maiden, Hazel is pregnant, and Thessaly is ancient. So Thessaly’s choice was also based on that, and the only one who Wanda really could have *potentially* replaced would have been Foxglove; she presumably never had penetrative sex, unlike Hazel (in the archaic definition of what penetration means, so we don’t need to argue about lesbian sex practices now). We don’t know that about Wanda, no matter if someone sees her as a man or a woman. I didn’t mean to get that explicit about maiden status, but I guess it *is* important in this context (although yes, of course Thessaly said Wanda is a man, and I’m not arguing that either, but I still think it was grounded in her belief how moon magic works).

Which brings me to a very important point: Thessaly is ancient. Culturally, we can’t compare her to someone who grew up in the 20th century, also with regard to her violent inclinations. She is thousands of years old. She’s seen it all. She has a fierce sense of self-preservation, maybe even rooted in some fears or trauma of her own. All not very nice character traits, no, but that’s not the yardstick, and probably was never supposed to be. I also remember Neil saying he consciously wanted to oppose neopaganism and the watered down, new wave witchcraft of the time (late 1980s/early 1990s, and that, I really remember), which was all about the “divine feminine”, female empowerment, tarot cards and incense sticks. I’m being a bit flippant now, but it isn’t far off. It was more of a trend than anything. He wanted to consciously oppose it with someone who would still act according to ancient, rather violent codes and rules. And Morpheus will have known those, and probably found them less surprising than we do (doesn’t necessarily mean he’d condone them either).

The fact whether Thessaly should make us question Morpheus in the comics is a tricky one. What she definitely *should* make us question is: Morpheus could have quite easily broken some rules in the Kindly Ones when Thessaly had set up the protection circle for Lyta, and the consequences probably would have been less disastrous than playing by said rules. And we can safely presume he knew. We are also supposed to question the same when he lets Nuala call in her boon and doesn’t just say: “This isn’t really a good time, can we do this later?” (and he absolutely COULD have done that), but actually follows through with going ,“Well, what gives, I basically grant you your boon now and leave the Dreaming, even though I know the potential consequences.” So yes, Thessaly is supposed to make us question Dream’s choices, but probably not the way we think. And for that, we perhaps should look deeper into…

Thessaly the TERF and Feminism in the late 1980s/early 1990s

This might get a bit longwinded, and I am showing my age here. I grew up at the intersection of second wave and third wave feminism, and as a bisexual woman, I made a lot of experiences during the early 90s that feel wholly aligned with the plot of AGoY (which was written during that time). I don’t want to write a whole essay about feminism here, but second wave feminism was on its way out in the late 80s. A lot of the bad associations some people have with feminism today stem from that time (not always justified, because a lot of good was achieved during that period. But parts of it in specific sub-communities—definitely problematic). Equality vs equity discussions within the feminist movement were dominating everything, and the divide between radfems and libfems was getting deeper. People like Audre Lorde IMHO rightly criticised that failing to understand that not all women start on equal footing, that not all women are the same, is problematic (so you could easily see how this is incorporated into the narrative of AGoY).

Second wave feminism wasn’t just about making sure women had rights. It was very much about “all of us can do everything men do, and we want the same a man gets”. It was all about the workspace (so often very white, CIS, middle class), not being at home with the kids etc (of course there were also other topics, but this one was really quite dominant). You could even see it fashion (massive shoulder pads etc). All the while, actually *being* a man was vilified (again, just in certain quarters).

So I feel you’re on to something with your #girlboss comment, only that I don’t think it was intentionally set up to like her, but rather as a criticism of what certain quarters of the feminist movement were like at the time.

Personal anecdote: I got that type of schtick from WITHIN the LGBT community at the time. Bi-erasure was big. And there were radfem lesbians that would actually tell you that being bi doesn’t exist, that you are basically a traitor to your “sisters” and just a lesbian who isn’t fully out. The same shite they used to criticise about men who would say you’re only a lesbian because you haven’t found the right guy yet. And here they went, telling you that you can’t be attracted to men if you’re also attracted to women.

Third wave feminism has a much stronger focus on the individual woman and what it means to be a woman to HER. This also included trans women, much more than during the second wave. Judith Butler’s work is actually exemplary for this (in essence, there is no such woman as “the” woman—we’re all different despite sharing common traits and problems. Trying to make us all the same will only harm us in the long run).

And with AGoY and Thessaly, we are exactly at the moment in time (in the comics) where that shift happens. I think Neil got it right for the time, and understood a lot of what was going on. Many people in queer communities felt really understood and seen, myself included. I absolutely see how that translates differently today. But it always saddens me when the historical context gets completely stripped away, and people don’t take the time a work of fiction was written into consideration and only measure it from today’s viewpoint. We can, and absolutely have to be critical if the TV shows fails to address these points and just translates everything 1-2-1. Which I am fairly certain won’t happen, because Thessaly has already been stripped off a lot of her obvious TERFiness in the Audible. I’m not even sure if we’ll get her in the show—we’ll hopefully find out.

Phew, that was long, I’m gonna lie down 😂

[notknickers]

absolutely! i love the way you paint scars, especially, but your style in general, too. (i'm still finding mine) so, i don't ship them properly, but am also open to it (which is why i asked you on a whim, since you seem to likethem both) and that is because of some delicious fanart i found around here and there. the thing is, i've read some excellent ghoap fic, which is how my interest in the cod fandom started, by the way. but outside of slash, i'm not in love with the ghost x afab!reader fics i'm finding. (nothing wrong with them, i'm a ship and let ship kind of person, but they don't resonate with me, unfortunately.) (in fact, knowing very little about canon and relying almost entirely on fanon and vibes, the characterisation has made me kind of dislike ghost, when initially i felt drawn to his character and the dynamic he had going on.) (and i hate the idea of hating a buff, masked blorbo full of angst and woe when he's right there for the tapping, so i guess i'm trying to outsource other to reignite the spark that brought me in this fandom in the first place. lucky you for being chosen, i guess... 🤭) (or just exchange headcanons and silly ideas about ghost, könig and ghönig. that's fine too!) yeah, i mostly share what you said, that in a way they are to sides ofthe same coin. my understanding is that ghost and könig do not like each other very much. (which, see how much potential for angst, h/c, putting them in *situations* and shipping in general?!)

hates human interaction unless it involves a knife -> that's the one i latched on to like a baby calf to a cow's udder, because i know a thing or two about reserved and avoidant personality types *clears voice* I could see these two being comfortable sitting in silence while others squirm in it. I can envision Konig being envious of Ghost's qualities and Ghost feeling like he has met his more feral match. -> now we're getting interesting places, aren't we?! so, i cannot suggest any ghönig (köst?) titles proper, because what got me curious about their potential has mostly been fanart and audio. since i usually save fanart i like, i can dig in my folder to see if i find the names of the artists and their socials, if you care to have a gander and find out if you see what i see when i look at them. (fair warning, it's all nsfw stuff) as for the audio, könig is depicted as anxious, eager to please and subservient to ghost, never objecting to anything ghost orders him to do, which... does not sit very well with me, because there's a difference between submissive inclinations (something i am actively exploring in my fics of him) and being a spineless pushover. (i have my own könig headcanons and the above-mentioned qualities do not figure. if you're interested in comparing notes, they are listed in my pinned post.) as for ghost, as i mentioned, i think there is more to him than just being callous and manipulative and you already brought up very interesting points about the two's similarities and differences and potential attitudes towards them.

as for potential dynamics, based on the above... rivals to lovers doesn't sound so out of place. (in fact, it's so obvious as to be the default cliché first answer . still, we have to start somewhere, don't we? 😉) i think they would both be incredibly surprised if things evolved that way and with both being emotionally stunted, proud and reluctant to trust, there would be a lot of fumbling and hurt feelings litigious words and threats hastily shouted before reason prevails...

but... i also like to make shit up. in fact, i am understating how much i love to make shit up, with little care on whether the dipiction is ooc, as long as it is interesting to me and it's something i can envision.

oooooohhhhh! also!!! sorry, this got long already, but thinking about them together, i was just reminded that, not long ago, i had an injured and lost eldritch!könig from space and a simon riley at his last straw meet and find unexpected friendship, comfort and understanding in one another. (and then they bone, of course... eldritch!könig has tentacles and heat cycles and lays eggs after all... it was bound to happen!) (but before it got to the boning, it was a very slow-burn, comfort after all the hurt, with hints at ghost's (semi-made up) tragic past from which he needed to heal...)

(okay, it's a bit jumbled, but it was all laid out neatly in my head)

(if it's not your jam, feel free to save your butter and bread for a different ideas, of course!!!)

i hope i didn't bore you too much with my ramblings and i hope they made sense! if you end up doing something of the ship, please, let me know!

hey, stumbled on your blog and stayed for the beautiful art. read you're simping for both ghost and könig... do you ship them together or plan on drawing them together? asking for the könig simp that lives in me, thanks ♥

Thank you ^^ I'm glad you found my blog and that my art resonated with you to stay a lil longer.

Short answer. Not thought too deeply about it tbh. I will defo draw them together again :D

longer thoughts about it...

I don't ship Ghost and Konig together at the moment, but I'm open to it. I'm mulling around their dynamic in my head now. To me they're different shades of the same colour. Big dudes, wear masks, efficient killers, arrogant, cold-blooded (this is why I like them a lot <3).    Looking deeper, they have slight differences the fandom can work with. For instance, in Konig's bio- it tells us he has social anxiety which the fandom has latched onto and there are basically 2 types of konig's in the fandom for people to explore and, gravitate to. The shy introvert that can barely talk to people and the other version that hates human interaction unless it involves a knife. Part of his military background also includes his failed assessment to be a sniper, which Ghost, on the other hand, excels at. Ghost has no problem talking to people. He's just more careful when he speaks, not a breath wasted. So I guess I could see these two being comfortable sitting in silence while others squirm in it. I can envision Konig being envious of Ghost's qualities and Ghost feeling like he has met his more feral match.

I mean. If you can recommend me some fics that explore their differences and how they compliment each other as a duo, that would be awesome. I'd love to see how writers out there bring these two together romantically (ˆ⌣ˆ)ε｀●)

If you or anyone wants to tell me what you think their dynamic would be like, my ask box is there ^^ open my eyes to the possiblities of these two !!

[ladyknightskye]

So, I read your original reply at like 1:30 AM my time last night, and I didn't reply for obvious reasons, but I ended up thinking before I finally fell asleep - as you do - and I realized something.

I also don't care much for Denning's version of Lopis - I basically built my own based on my interpretations of her actions, and no little bit of influence from other Tumblr Veta fans. It's like that shitpost floating around about how someone likes an MCU character, but not Marvel movies, or just likes the version of the Blorbo that lives in their head. I already mentioned that I don't like elements of Veta Lopis's backstory, chiefly, I ABHORR RAPE AS BACKSTORY. Like, I can tell a dude created Lopis because he feels the need to explain WHY a very pretty woman is wary of men. Just let her be the Mom friend who dislikes most men aside from a few Spartans.

I still like giving Fred a more "every dude" kind of personality, and I do feel like the Spartans would be waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more loose around each other than they are around other people. Military indoctrination doesn't like, stamp out the human need to connect. It makes way more sense to me that when they are amongst themselves, Spartans lose a lot of the cold stoicism they show towards the world. They become more emotive and more expressive because these are their brothers in arms. The military wouldn't want to make them each an island unto themselves - unit cohesion and comraderie is a hugely important to the military since time began. It wouldn't change in the future. So yeah, I have adopted the idea that Fred gets a bit more slapstick around Blue Team because he doesn't have to be the leader anymore - let John take that shit.

Also, these are members of the god-damn space navy, they're sailors, John-117 absolutely will let loose a string of profanity so horrific and so wide spanning that it would make a Sangheili blush. Does he do it often? No, but I refuse to believe that he doesn't drop multiple F-bombs per engagement. (I just had the punny thought that there's a reason they're on Blue Team.)

Look, I ship John-117 with happiness, but being that sort of multishipper means that I absolutely ship John/Cortana which is why I have to say that the entire franchise's attitude towards their relationship is weird. Like, I could swear that right after 5, the party line from 343i was that Cortana had romantic feelings for Chief and he was kinda ??? but it looks like lately they've tried to push that it was just deeply platonic on both sides which . . . okay? He has this much angst because he failed her? I could see that, I can accept it, but I've seen more people apparently believing that there's a more familial relationship going on which makes me a little squicked. Deeply platonic, at base minimum, but when you start saying that Cortana and John had a maternal/filial relationship, I look at all the flirting and suggestive language and get a bit . . yeah. All that to say is, I've seen some screen shots, so I can believe that Denning's handling of Cortana would be weird. I don't think he even knew what the heck's going on in John's head because 343i wrote a storyline between two characters that tap dances in the grey area between platonic and romantic. Since he was showing all the signs of wanting to write a romance novel in Last Light but rightfully understanding that he is not equipped to do so, if he'd known for sure what he was allowed, he would have said it. I think part of that may just be that the production Bible for Halo is all over the place.

Here’s a thing I think about Halo novels, and I guess about books in general but right now, specifically, Halo novels:

Not everyone reads books for characters, and that is fine, but the characters are definitely high on the list of things I read books for.

The thing about Halo novels (and probably most things where an author is working temporarily on commission in a shared universe. really) is that a lot of the time, most or possibly even all of the characters in a book are never going to show up in a significant capacity again even if they survive the book. That’s just kind of how it goes. Therefore, the challenge is to make my time with them not feel wasted.

If I get through a book and feel nothing about anyone in it, like I have not been shown anything interesting or human about anyone due to the author’s evident disinterest (or sheer ineptitude), it has been a negative experience for me as a reader.

Mind, this is pretty light gamer tie-in fiction so I don’t expect my time to actually not be wasted. I am not expecting anything filled with deep meaning that will alter my life. But I do hope to find enough craft and the modicum of giving-a-shit sufficient to do a magic trick for my brain such that I feel good about the time I invested in the thing.

That’s all I ask.