#like stars these conclusions point in many directions

[feminerds]

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

I put this song on - and re-listen to Roddy Doyle's introduction The Dispossessed, now that I've finally finished it.

The moon landing in 1969 & Shevek from the Moon in 1974.

We watched The Dish last weekend.

And I'm sure something else will appear on the horizon soon, that I will connected this as well. And so on. I am obsessed with the way the stars of art make out lives into constellations. I feel like I am always (we are always?) trying to observe some recognisable pattern in the barrage of light and dark.

[animeyanderelover]

Hi can I request yandere soul eater squad hcs please separate

if that’s to many requests then yandere black star , Tsubaki , Kid and Soul , Maka is fine please💕

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive relationship, obsession, clinginess, delusional behavior, stalking, manipulation, blackmailing, isolation, abduction, death

C-Group Hc’s Maka Albarn

💚​From all the people surrounding her, Maka is by far the most mature one which allows her to appear fairly normal within the context of her own developing obsession. As a person who is fairly in tune with her own emotions, she catches on pretty early on her developing feelings and feels the guilt almost immediately. Maka is very self-aware and after having grown up realising just how depraved her own father is whenever he is around other women, she has sworn herself to be like her mother. It is this oath that she made to herself all those years ago that heightens the shame tenfold as she feels like she has failed and become just as low as her father is with her only solace being that at least she seems to only have space for you in her thoughts. Overwhelmed and unsure how to handle her growing feelings, Maka avoids you as good as she can. There's a constant strain on her eyes as she does her best to not will herself to glance towards your direction, her feet instantly moving the opposite direction as soon as she spots you. Even if the two of you were close before and her sudden frigid behavior may hurt you, she deems it to be for the best.

💚​Behind the curtains she still keeps her eyes out for you though in case you should bring yourself in danger. Another attribute of hers is after all her overprotective instinct and that is subconsciously fueled now that her obsession starts to kick in. Whilst she is conscious of her thought process, it is hard for her to stop her silent need to prove herself, especially since she sometimes feels that only Soul is contributing and she brings nothing to the table. The gnawing feeling of uselessness is a terrible feeling that she is unable to push down as her insecurities catch up to her all because her obsession has made her more susceptible to all sorts of emotions. She wants to be seen as capable, especially by you, but that does lead to her at times as coming over as too demanding and strict with you. She has always prefered studying over playing outside and that preference of hers definitely translates to her obsession. Those study sessions of her are not solely done out of malicious intent though as she instead strives to work on her own self-control and to gain more control over her emotions.

💚​Maka handles jealousy better than most of her friends would yet even then she feels like she can do better. Her unwillingness to turn into a depraved individual that is only dictated by desire pushes her to work even harder on her own patience and self-control. Whilst she isn't a person who will be jealous to the point of being irrational, she has a somewhat short temper and tends to snap easily if anything prods her the wrong way. Any spark she notices inside of her and any twitch of her eyebrows is a sign for her that she has still work to do and that she can still do better. The situation would change if the both of you are in an established relationship as she will be fairly confident then. Maybe there is a chance that she at times is slightly paranoid and fears that you may be like her dad, though that fear remains as something that is never proven yet still ingrained in her subconsciousness.

💚​As highly skilled as she is, Maka is not one who craves for brawls as much as people like Black Star would. One can't deny that she is willing to help you and save you in whatever way she can when she realises that there is something that you struggle with yet she is also just as capable to reason with opponents unless she arrives at the conclusion that they won't listen to her. It is likely that at times she may end up being a bit too eager to the point where she is being reckless all because she has that hidden desire to prove herself. In desperate situations it may happen that she subconsciously activates Black Blood's Madness which always exposes a different side of hers. She is much more erratic and violent, downright aggressive as she tries to slice her opponents into half all whilst her mind can only focus on the fact that if they are gone, she will have done her job of protecting you. Outside of this maddening state, she puts more emphasis and focus in helping you and keeping you above all safe.

💚​Maka actually recognises that moving in with someone is in general a very big decision to make and so an abduction is an immediate no-go for her for multiple reasons. She might as well give up on all of her principles if she were to ever abduct you as she would see herself as something even lower than her own father and his pathetic womanizing behavior. An emotion inside her which is unlike most other people with obsession is that she actually hesitates to move in with you. It is a very big step and at the same time it is also a very daunting step. Her hesitation does lie in her subconscious paranoia that you may at one point end up betraying her or hurting her somehow and she'd never get over the exposure of being the fool who fell in love with someone who isn't committed because differently from her mother she knows that she won't be able to stay strong. No, she instead fears being degraded to the desperate fool who stay and hopes that everything will end up fine which is why she would grow siginifcantly more strict the moment the two of you would ever move in. She isn't necessarily overbearing but it is noticable enough for even you to recognise.

💚​Her subconscious paranoia is rather fascinating as it essentially leads her to study you intensely all to figure out if you are someone who wouldn't end up ditching her or who would end up cheating on her and as long as she hasn't finished her research, she won't allow herself to get closer to you. It is only after you have proven yourself to her that she finally allows herself to open up towards you. She isn't one to boast about the relationship though as she values privacy and secrecy which comes to bite her back when her friends eventually find out and some of them, like Soul and Black Star, start complaining that Maka didn't tell them sooner. Due to her preference for privacy and staying at home, her prefered dates with you are always in the safety of four walls. She needs her time with you alone because let's be honest, whenever the two of you hang out with her friends you are always stolen away by them all with the sole intention to get her to to act jealous which always is something they rather on come to regret as Maka will be very direct about what she thinks about that.

Soul Evans

🤍​Soul's attitude is one that is normally always rather aloof and nonchalant which is a great way for him to hide his growing feelings for you. It takes him a good while to even recognise those stirring emotions he feels inside his chest whenever you are around but at the same time he refuses to show them as he thinks that it wouldn't be very cool of him if he were to reveal it. It's about impossible for him to completely conceal it though as he finds his eyes glancing to your form whenever you are within sight and especially if you do something he considers to be sexy he would have a hard time hiding his burning cheeks. It's important to point out that Soul will be oblivious to a certain degree at the beginning, he is absolutely not delusional and that is largely because of the Black Blood and the Little Demon inside of him which you can quite literally describe as the devil on his shoulder, the personification of the darker side of his feelings and thoughts that urges him on to give in. It's precisely because of this that Soul will also work on his own self-control as soon as the Little Demon has exposed to him his feelings, terrified to end up doing what the devil has ominously foreboded him.

🤍​Reluctant to let anyone on about his internal struggles and too ashamed to admit just how uncool he is being, Soul lets it all simmer beneath the surface. His desire and obsession only grow so much worse as he initially attempts to completely avoid you yet the Little Demon haunts him and encourages him to give in to what he truly wants. Eventually it all threatens to become unbearable which is why he finds himself frequently stalking you. What he initially planned to only do one or twice a week has led him down to an activity that is a daily need even if he is normally someone who is on a more lazy side. He feels slightly motivated and that is the scariest thing that could happen to him. He's rather protective of you which is his prefered reason to somehow convince himself that stalking you is at least for your own good but deep down he knows the truth. There's more to it then just wanting to protect you and he dreads the sparks of possessive desires that seem to awaken within him.

🤍​He is a laid-back dude. He knows that and he won't be put down to transform into a jealous mess but it is because he doesn't make any moves on you that he is also aware that technically anyone could try to take you which is why he stalks on you and the people you hang out with. Safe to say though is that he absolutely isn't immune to jealousy either and it is this emotion that brings out the most immature side of his when it grows too much for him to handle and he reasons that it'd be better to step in now before things get out of control. He just comes waltzing in, still trying to play it cool, as he gives a lazy yet arrogant grin though that grin can quickly disappear if the situation escalates and he gets further provoked in which case he won't back down as he's too argumentative and stubborn to give in. Eventually he will be dragged down to act all immature, a scowl on his face as he bickers with the other person. He'd never admit later on though that he was feeling rather jealous.

🤍​The Little Demon loves to inform him about everything going on with his feelings. The dark thoughts and feelings are definitely there and as aware as he is, Soul has found out that being lucid about stuff isn't always the best thing. No, instead he finds himself sometimes almost overthinking whenever he watches you starting to hang out with someone new and starts to wonder if he should somehow interfere before things might escalate into something that is sure to rip his walls apart. Being an overthinker doesn't fit him at all and he knows he's being extremely uncool because of it. As he is infected by Black Blood, risk is that he can fall victim to Madness and in such a state he may end up completely giving in and going after everyone who ever agitated him in the slightest. Normally he is regarded as a slacker yet his obsession does motivate him, for the better or worse, which is why he is so protective of you in the first place and works to become better and stronger to protect you from other dangers as well as his own dark longing.

🤍​Unless Madness takes hold, I don't see Soul being capable of kidnapping you. He likes to think that taking care of someone would be too much of a hassle to begin with though truth be told, he probably would put in the work if the two of you were to live together and he merely tells himself that so that he never even considers the thought. He finds himself often hanging around you though he insists on it all being a coincidence whenever you point that out to him, unwilling to admit his feelings. If a situation should end up getting dangerously risky though, Soul won't hesitate to knock you out and lock you away somewhere for a certain amount of time until everything has de-escalated and he takes the full swing of your anger always afterwards, torn apart between acting as if he doesn't care or actually apologising since he feels genuinely sorry for what he has done. He just wanted you to be safe, that is all. In a mutual relationship he wouldn't bring up the topic of living together until you do but he'd vow to do his best to make you happy even if he can be rather lazy still.

🤍​Despite his feelings Soul still ends up avoiding to admit to you that he loves you. He's too ashamed and insecure and the Little Demon installs fear inside of him that if he were to ever give in to his feelings, he would do terrible things. You probably wouldn't even know just how long he has silently been harboring such feelings for you as you have always gotten the impression that he doesn't really like you due to his aloof behavior around you. It's likely that he admits it by accident when both of you get into an argument, most likely because he was concerned about your safety and went too far, and spills it out in the heat of the moment. He'd be quite stiff and awkward with PDA for a while as it kind of ruins the cool image he tries to build as he tends to get easily flustered whenever you abruptly grab his hand or kiss him but he learns to tolerate it. Secretly he enjoys it as well. He still expects people to know that you're taken though and will give everyone a glare who tries to flirt with you even if there are no serious intentions behind it.

Black Star

⭐​Black Star sure as hell is a unique assassin if you've ever seen one. There are no concepts such as stealth and silence with him as he strives to always be in the spotlight. Perhaps it is because of this rather loud trait of his that you always know about him yet for some reason Black Star still manages to be surprised when you effortlessly locate him within your surroundings. On the other hand it really isn't like he is making any effort to be categorised as a stalker. No, he wants to be in the spotlight and wants all the attention from you that he can get which is the reason why he does his best to squeeze himself into as many aspects of your life as he can. He's so clingy and always insists on following you wherever you go. You never know when shit might get down after all and he has somehow proclaimed himself to be your personal hero which is why he sees it as his duty to ensure that nothing happens to you. Tsubaki really is the only one who can manage to hold him back a bit when she senses that you are feeling overwhelmed, something that flies more than once over his head.

⭐​Soul and Black Star are both noted to be immature in a couple of aspects yet it is only Black Star who would be the delusional one between the two of them. He remains completely unaware of the visible discomfort he can cause you due to his wild and clingy personaliry as he doesn't believe that you would ever feel uncomfortable in his presence. After all he is your hero who will protect you and who you admire. This misplaced belief of his has made him quite possessive to make it even worse as he thinks of himself as the only one worthy enough to claim such a title in your life and for that naturally deserves to be your lover the most. One thing you have to give him though. He takes his role very serious, though this is something you find yourself usually despairing over more than anything as his overzealous attitude often results in misplaced readings of situations from his side. He's way too much in his attempts to protect you and prove to you why he is the best.

⭐​Under normal circumstances he is already someone who wants all of the attention so you can probably already imagine just how much worse this attitude will get if we throw an obsession into the mix. If jealousy would be a person, it would be Black Star. The very moment he notices that your eyes are not on him he is already getting riled up to the point where even objects can become the center of his short jealousy though at least an object can be swiftly thrown away. It's a bit more complicated if it is another person stealing your attention away from him and it'll always end with the other person and you both highly uncomfortable as Black Star isn't even trying to act mature about his jealousy. For someone who is delusional Black Star is shockingly aware of his surroundings though which is why he notices if someone's eyes are lingering on you for longer than one second which is yet another thing that instantly sets him off as he immediately assumes that they're planning to steal you away from him. Really, you can't take him anywhere without him causing a scene.

⭐​Frankly spoken, he is getting in many brawls due to his short temper and highly fueled jealousy. He belongs to the category of people who will challenge others for a fight on sight the moment he catches them staring at you or deems them to be people who may be a threat to you, even if it is for the petty reason that you just hold a nice and long conversation with them. Then there is obviously his self-proclaimed title as your hero which he inspires to live up to. That includes the small things where you really don't need his help which may even end up making everything worse but it also includes doing the smallest part required for being an assassin which is unaliving people. He's gotten into some serious arguments with Tsubaki because of this as she knows that he goes after people for unjustified reasons and refuses to assist him and transform for him. He's far too impulsive so in some instances he doesn't even consider what he is doing and just goes for it without a coherent strategy.

⭐​You have some sort of guarantee with his delusional thoughts that he won't kidnap you though that doesn't have to mean anything in the long run. There is still a major downside to this all though which is his previously mentioned clinginess. Long story in short, he just breaks into your house on multiple occasions. A day without you is something unimaginable for Black Star and if he would have it his way, he wouldn't even let the both of you be separated for more than an hour. He has to protect you after all, enemies could strike you whilst he is absent. In one way or another you are basically living together with Black Star and he, in fact, refers to the situation the two of you have been going on as just that. The both of you live together according to his thoughts and he gets visibly confused whenever you correct him sharply or shut him up before he can say such nonsense to someone else. In fact he even locks you up in your own house if something happens, though in his mind it is of course a house the two of you share.

⭐​There are some small revelations he tends to have at times when he immerses himself into the philosophy of the 'Path of the Warrior' that he wants to master as this requires a great level of self-awareness and the denial of following dark emotions yet those are eventually subdued one way or another by his delusions once again. Black Star wants to be praised by you all of the time and he will start showing off frequently as a way to silently let you know that he wants to hear you singing compliments about him. He tends to get very touchy, especially when he is feeling possessive or jealous and wants to let other people know that you belong to him. For some reason he loves when you let him piggyback you as he gets stupidly excited and starts running around, leaving you to cling to him tight or else you may fall off. Tsubaki is the only one who manages to keep you sane between Black Star's terrible antics as she tries her best to keep him on some sort of leash.

Nakatsukasa Tsubaki

◼️​Tsubaki is together with Maka one of the most mature people from this group, is in fact much more patient and forgiving than even Maka. She has no worries nor doubts as she manages to approach you the best without being overly cautious nor too pushy like her partner would be. Behind that kind smile is a deeply obsessed person though whose feelings can take on some concerning form if nothing is done. Tsubaki has a huge problem to deny her darling of anything nor can she bring herself to disagree with you or voice her opinion when it involves the hobbies and the things she likes. Instead of telling you how she honestly feels, most of the time she takes the path of adapting to everything you like or dislike until she completely absorbs your hobbies and deludes herself into thinking that she likes them too. It's very concering that she is willing to give up bits of her personality in order to please you but the truth is that she just loves you a bit too much and is willing to sacrifice parts of herself to maximise your happiness in the relationship.

◼️​That isn't to confirm that she is completely delusional though. Tsubaki is aware of what she is doing and she is able to understand that she should not mold herself to fit better to your side. Surely this isn't a normal nor healthy love with the way she is actively changing herself to fit you better yet there is a strange sense of happiness that arises whenever she manages to make you feel happy because she feigns interest in the stuff she usually wouldn't enjoy as much if it wouldn't be for you. If it's for you she thinks that it'll be fine and that it'll be worth it. After all you don't need to know that she goes against her own feelings in order to please you and to see you smile. Her willingness to help can be at times very unwarranted though, especially when she starts mothering you as her overprotective tendencies born out of kindness are subconsciously very strong. She instantly apologises when you voice your displeasure about it though, a habit you learn that she has.

◼️​Out of all of her friends she is the one who handles jealousy the best. Her very patient demeanor enables you to freely interact with people around you without having to worry about her reaction. In fact Tsubaki carries the mindset that she would like to befriend the people you spend a lot of time with and all of that without any malicious intent or hidden motives. Jealousy is a silent agony to her, one that she endures with pursed lips for as long as she can. Her heart is always aching but at the same time knowing that you are happy tickles her like warm rays of sunshine. Those conflicting sensations make her uneasy and slightly fidgety as she is unable to stay still whilst watching the scene unfold. It is in most cases after you and the other person have gone separate ways that she finds herself all over you all of a sudden and asking you question about everything that just happened. It is very likely that if she realises that you are very fond of the other person she will start picking up their hobbies and interests as well so that you can act just as happy around her as you did around them.

◼️​She is really the other side of the moon in comparison to her partner. Tsubaki does not possess such a hot-blooded temper like Black Star does even if her maternal instincts can be sometimes a bit too much for you. When you are around and upset, she always pours all of her attention in you. She fetches you little gifts to distract you from your feelings or cooks something for you all in hopes of cheering you up. Her intentions are mostly open-minded when she approaches someone but she always ends up giving them an unintentional heart attack because she underestimates her own stealth. In the perception of the other person she sometimes just quite literally pops up with a mellow expression on her face all whilst she wants to play the mediator and help to solve the conflict. There's no occasion I could think of where she would murder someone unless it is an emergency as she always prioritises staying by your side, especially after fights to ensure that your injuries are taken care of and that you get enough rest.

◼️​In the relationship the two of you have going on, Tsubaki is someone revolving around you as she actively shapes herself to be someone you will be happy and satisfied around. That means that you are one way or another the one in charge of everything whilst she goes along with it all. Her own wants are put aside as she puts your desires and wishes over her own. You'd never know if she would ever have the wish to move in with you until you are the one who starts asking her how she would feel about the thought of living together. Everything would be catered to your own ideas and images whilst she will go along with it all. She will let you choose the shape, size, location and colour of the house as well as the entire interior and furniture and only nod her head if you ask her what she thinks about it. Domestic life would be quite uncomplicated with her because she avoids all possible arguments by adjusting herself accordingly and doing everything possible to appease you.

◼️​Most of the time she would assume the role of the submissive part in this relationship as she does her best to always focus on your needs and your happiness. There are moments where she puts her foot down firmly and takes on a stubbornness that rivals the one of Black Star but only in dire situations and afterwards she is always rather flustered with her assertive behavior. She is easily embarrassed, especially if you are someone who is physically very affectionate but in reality she also really likes it when you touch her. Truth be told, Tsubaki is more lewd than she often lets on and even though she would be too flustered to admit that, you eventually find out about that other side of hers. She doesn't mind when you look at her naked body nor does she react quite as flustered when she walks in on you changing and being partially nude and she even suggests bathing together without bashing an eyelash which shocks you all the more as you did not expect her to have such a different side to her.

Death the Kid

​🔘​Kid is a finicky perfectionist who tends to get too caught up about the tiny details and this becomes quite apparent in his obsession. I wouldn't blame you for assuming that he would be quite overbearing to you due to his perfectionistic nature but it is actually the completely other way around. Kid builds incredibly high expectations for himself and he spends weeks plotting how to confess to you perfectly. Elizabeth and Patricia try to encourage him to just go for it but he reacts outrageous, ranting for minutes to both of them that someone as unique and special as you deserves nothing short of perfection from him. It is rather strange even to him though as he knows about his uptight behavior about the symmetry in life yet seems to not mind it as much when it comes to you. Sure, he has tons of ideas how to optimise your outfits and your looks to fit more into his aesthetic and can definitely become pushy with his advises very fast but he is not in literal agony even when you wear something that goes against all of his values.

​🔘​As tidy and balanced as he is, he definitely unleashes his obsession by keeping notebooks about you and he spends literal hours writing everything painstakingly down, mainly because he expects his own writing to look perfect and orderly and has a short meltdown when he spells something wrong or a letter doesn't fit in with the rest of what he has written. He reads those notebooks daily and memorises everything written down and if he should accidentally forget a detail about you, he'd spend a solid minute lamenting how ignorant and worthless he is to forget something about you. It is easy to forget that the Shinigami is still one who harbors a possessive nature as he thinks of his darling as a literal muse and refuses to let ugly people close to them, especially if they are ugly and asymmetrical in his eyes. You deserve so much better than that and whilst he is not as arrogant as to think that he has reached his desired level of perfection just yet, he does think that he admires and worships you more than anyone else.

​🔘​He has once proclaimed that he is far too mature to ever fall victim to a petty emotion such as jealousy and Elizabeth and Patricia could only exchange silent glances, already doubting his words. Kid is technically speaking a calmer person if you put him next to someone like Black Star yet it is the fact that he is low-key a worshipper for you that has him entering a disgusted indignation as soon as he spots someone asymmetrical daring to talk to the unpolished muse that is you. The longer he stares the worse it becomes as he notices all the imperfections on their face and clothes which only makes him want to pull at his hair. How dare they even step close to you without even properly checking their appearance?! He comes quite literally storming over, yellow eyes observing the other person outraged as his mask pulls into a disgusted grimace. There are two ways this can go. Either he starts ranting about how the other person could even dare to talk to you with such an unruly appearance or he quickly grabs your hands and drags you away whilst brooding and muttering under his breath about everything wrong with their look. He'll be afterwards vehement to deny his obvious jealousy though.

​🔘​Kid's fixation on balance and orderliness can also be found in his own morales. Every person has some evil within them, that even includes him and his own obsession which he is partially aware of, and order must always prevail and move forward. There is no pleasure that he takes in murdering others but if the evilness in someone's heart and the things that they have done to you overweight anything else, he shows no hesitation to execute someone. It's not always easy, especially if someone shows remorse but there are things he can't forgive even if the other person regrets it as death is sometimes the only way to repent. He is not above others though even if he is the son of the God of Death as he is suspectible to emotions such as anger and wrath and won't be able to always control them properly, leading in some cases to an outburst of rage that accidentally leads him to destroy things in his surroundings due to his recklessness.

​🔘​He has most likely a detailed plan of his routine and the life he plans to lead in the future and now that he has you, you are made part of that plan as well. Without a doubt would he plan to share a house with you later on but he wouldn't abduct you until all of his expectations are fulfilled which means until he feels like everything is completely perfect. He spends months designing everything, buying all the furniture and arranging everything only to re-arrange it over and over again until he finally feels like everything is perfect like he wants it to be and that is when he finally starts planning to invite you to live together with him which will also take him some time until he has cited every word perfectly in front of his mirror. He'd be devastated if you would turn him down though, desperate to find out what he did wrong and how he can redeem himself. He'd blackmail you if you deny him for too long as he would just snap eventually and use his position as a True Reaper to force you to live with him.

🔘​He's begging you to allow him to choose clothes for you as he believes that he could choose outfits for you that would suit you much better and draw out all of your beauty. Kid gets ridiculously offended the moment someone tries to downplay you as he sings praises about you every time the conversation shifts to you, going as far as threatening them to take those egregious words back and apologise. Oh, why does no one perceive you for the unique beauty that you are?? Asymmetry is something Kid only really tolerates with you but even then he busily finds himself begging you to let him help you with it all. He offers to cut your hair, to pluck your eyebrows and even to cut and manicure your nails and hands so that everything is balanced and symmetrical. Everything should be to your liking so he's on the ground if you even mention that something isn't quite to your preference, writhing on the floor as he starts exclaiming that he is ashamed of having disappointed you and it takes you a while to comfort him in his theatrical sorrow.

Elizabeth Thompson

🔶​Between the two sisters, Elizabeth is the one who would be the one partially in on everything concerning her obsession. It's quite safe to say that her inner turmoil spoils her mood quite a lot. She doesn't know how she should handle her feelings for you and doesn't want to risk other people finding out about it, especially not you. This results in her being quite moody and gruff as soon as merely your name is brought up in a conversation as she essentially tries to sell the tough girl attitude by acting like she doesn't really care about you. Unfortunately she fails quite often, especially if you look at her or get too close to her. Her heart starts pounding against her ribcage, her hands start to get sweaty and she starts stuttering as words fail her. All the embarrassment from those things only makes everything more intense and before you know it she's storming away whilst yelling incoherent words all whilst her burning face is buried in her hands. Do not even bring it up to her later on unless you want to risk irritating her.

🔶​Whilst she may still fumble around with her self-control and a total grasp of the situation, there is one thing Liz knows from a quite early stage on. That she doesn't really like the thought of you ending up with someone else. Keep in mind that there was a time before her and Patricia became the weapons of kid where she and her sister were essentially thugs stealing from others. A part of that mindset still exists somewhere within her and that selfishness and mentality to steal what she wants turns into possessive urges that won't allow her to rest easy and just watch back whilst every other damn jerk could try to get to you. As previously mentioned, she knows that what she is doing is wrong and she really hates herself sometimes for the way she behaves because of her feelings but she has no control over it at times. Liz is fully committed to team up with her sister and scare and frighten people who get on your nerves though or who threaten you in another way. No one's going to mess with you if she can put a stop to it.

🔶​Her patience is tested in new ways she never thought would be possible even despite all the antics Kid showcases. She really wants to act like she is more cool-headed than that but she just can't bite her tongue and lash out a bit when it becomes too much for her. Whether she makes some cynical comments or assumes a facade she would have showed in the past on the streets when someone starts getting too confident with you, she refuses to elaborate on her behavior later on. No,she was not jealous back then. You're just imagining things right now. Her younger sister Patty probably thinks she is doing her a favor by spying on you because she knows of her sister's interest in you and always telling her when there is someone else who seems to be rather fond of you or the other way around but it really only serves to make things harder to hide for Liz. She can never tell if Patty has perhaps read the situation wrong or not but she is ultimately too paranoid to ignore it and always ends up checking the situation out herself. Most of the time she realises that there is nothing going on but it is the chance that her sister might be right the next time that keeps her on edge.

🔶​She fully reverts to the life of a thug whenever she has to scare someone. As much awareness as Liz may have about her current predicament, for some reason she has never had much problems threatening and intimidating other people. Perhaps that is because most of the time she goes after people who have done something shitty which affected you. Patty always insists on tagging along and even if Liz tells her to stay out of it, her sister ends up following her nine out of ten times anyways and helps Liz to tell with any asshole that thought that they could mess with you and get away with it. She just starts bullying the other person, sneering at the person and insulting them whilst cornering somewhere together with Patty who joins Liz. She starts working on her hand-to-hand combat as well because she knows that there are times where she won't be able to fight with Patty and whilst she is skilled enough to beat up ordinary people, she needs to get stronger by herself. It isn't like she fights fair though, she's grown up on the streets after all. Think smart, not hard.

🔶​As new as everything is for her and as much as she dislikes her own behavior at times, at least she is quite laid-back when it comes to the topic of living together. She isn't as desperate as someone like Kid would be and she doesn't obsess about it like he would do either. This is a step she is willing to take at a slow tempo because as long as she can spend enough time with you, she isn't going to be clingy. Partially she doesn't want you two to move in too soon is also because she is so messy. She didn't grow up in a normal household after all and she has no sense of order differently from Kid. She can't even properly cook and clean and is far too embarrassed to admit that to you. She should at least be decent enough to learn the basics before considering the idea. She knows she wouldn't have the best capabilities to care for someone for a long period of time. Her moody behavior does lead her to be irrational at times in which case it isn't unlikely that she uses sleeping powder on you or knocks you out to drag you somewhere to lock you away, mostly when she thinks that it's too dangerous for you but you're too stubborn to listen.

🔶​Liz lays down her pride and eventually asks Tsubaki if she could teach her how to cook because she knows that you enjoy the woman's cooking and she feels low-key jealous about it. Liz is the one with the obsession here yet at times she finds herself more concerned with Patty's behavior because her younger sister complies with everything she does far too easily without stopping to question it. Patty has always been her partner in crime and it isn't any different even now as she always assists and helps Liz with everything, even ganging up with her to scare people who thought that they could make you cry. Normally she would like to be seen as a cool and mature woman by you but all of that shatters the moment the topic of paranormal things gets brought up in which case she abandons her tough mask entirely and is clutching onto you for dear life. Couple outfits are going to be a thing the moment the two of you are in a relationship and though she still tries to act mature, secretly she cares a lot about it.

Patricia Thompson

🔸​Patricia could not be more different from her sister as she acts a lot like a child and always keeps a cheerful and happy demeanor on her. This childish mindset of her does not allow her to even comprehend her own feelings for a good while whilst still acting on them nevertheless. Patty knows that she feels always happy when she is around you and for that she constantly seeks you out. The girl is extremely clingy and gets upset and mad when she can't find you to the point of throwing a tantrum, though her mood instantly brightens when she finally finds you. Due to her inabilities to even fully understand her own emotions she is definitely delusional. She doesn't give the attachment she feels for you too much thoughts and often tells you cheerfully to do the same. You think too much and enjoy too little. Just do it like her and enjoy life and you'll be just as jolly as she is always when she has you with her...

🔸​Just like Liz she is also quite possessive because she is not unfamiliar to the concept of stealing from other people. Though there is no need for her anymore to steal from others to ensure her and her sister's survival, those possessive feelings fully resurface now that you are in her life. She sees it all in a quite uncomplicated manner though as she essentially already calls you "hers" as she assumes that with the amount of time she spends with you, she has already claimed you as hers. Very visibly confused when you hastily explain to her that this doesn't work as simply as you are not an object that belongs to whoever possesses it before she starts pouting and asks you what she would have to do so that you would be officially hers. If you give her a detailed answer she would probably just kiss you and ask you if you now belong to her. She has no shame and whether that is because she doesn't concern herself with thinking too much or if she just thinks that because the two of you are a couple she doesn't have to be ashamed aside, her attitude will be a real problem for you and the people around you.

🔸Very much like a child would get jealous and upset if someone would take their most valued thing away from them, Patty would react in a similar way. You're unable to ignore her for more than a few seconds as she will do her everything to make you aware of her again. She prods your cheeks, tugs at your clothes or shoves herself in front of you and calls your name repeatedly so that you turn your attention to her again. She is being a nuisance but you know at one point that trying to lose her won't end well. For someone with such a simple-minded personality, Patty can get scary very quickly, especially if it is the other person telling her that she is being noisy and annoying. The violent threats which leave her lips so effortlessly when she turns around with that same jolly grin on her face are concerning and disturbing, especially once she gives them an almost condescending glare and tells them that they are the one in the way because you are already her person.

🔸​Between Liz and her, Patty is much more prone to violence. She is low-key a bit unhinged and doesn't shy away from threatening others. Whether someone has made you cry or because she doesn't like how they have been stealing you away from her for too long, every word will be spoken with the same childish grin which only makes her more terrifying in such situations. She doesn't even lie about it either as she admits openly that she is the reason why someone is suddenly too scared to get closer to you, though in her opinion threatening others isn't anything that should be of concern as it was a daily occurence in her past. That nefarious grin is still preferable to the insane anger that can possess her when she fully loses her temper and truly returns into a violent criminal that won't even bat her eyelashes whilst casually shooting someone or breaking their bones. Ironically enough she would be one of the most dangerous people for others as she doesn't consider the true horror of her actions that much.

🔸​The two of you will stay together for the rest of your lives and that is final. She doesn't care about what you have to say about that as in most cases rejections enter her ear before leaving through her other. Anyone else who tries to explain to her that she is in the wrong and that she should respect your decision is getting that truly frightening grin from her as they don't have any business to tell her what to do and what not to do. I wouldn't put it above her that she may have tried to break into your own house in the past. She knows where you live because she so frequently follows you and once she knows where your house is located, she constantly pops up and knocks on your door whilst telling you cheerfully to let her inside. You feel like the protagonist of a horror movie whenever her knocks turn more persistent and violent all whilst her happy voice rings through the air with the same request to open the door and let her inside because she wants to see you. Luckily Liz has often retrieved her and apologised to you through the door.

🔸​She literally acts like you are the incarnation of Einstein whenever you tell her something she didn't know before. You have to consider that her and her sister were abandoned on the streets and for that never received a proper education so to her you are extremely intelligent as you know so much more than she does. Patty has insisted for you to teach her the most basic stuff at times and you had no choice but to agree as rejections are always useless with her though she can barely concentrate on what you tell her as soon as the two of you sit down. She can't sit still nor can she remain silent for a long time as she is far too fidgety and always wants to do something with you. She can be incredibly insensitive to your own emotions at times due to not being able to read the situation properly and even if she tries to help you in her own ways, she makes it all worse for you but won't leave you alone anyways.

[thebardbullseye]

www ep 32 spoilers // mini essay below

goddamnit @worldsbeyondpod you can't keep doing this to me

there has been, not quite a burning question, but rather a smoldering one, since the conclusion of arc 1:

How did Morrow build that derrick?

this question raises several other questions/points (outlined in more detail below the gif):

Has Steel truly been the BBEG all along?

Um, why should we believe Tefmet?

How do you verify this information?

We're on top of the world! It's WitchCon(clave) baby and we got decisions to make now that Ame's not dead!!

Tefmet poured some gasoline and the spark is ✨quest fever✨

Who could possibly dissent given this testimony?

How did Morrow stumble upon some of the greatest conjurative and abjurative magic (per Tefmet) the world of Umora has ever seen --on his own-- in dinky little Port Talon-- at the edges of the empire?

and not an archmage (or one's apprentice) of the citadel, no no. a guild mage who isn't even namecloaked. flunked the citadel.

did he build the derrick all on his own with the misappropriated funds from guild mage Pane? it probably helped, but i doubt he invented the technology himself.

of course, i could put up red string as to how steel was secretly funding the derrick or knew about it already or was never going to free Naram or killed suvi's parents and stole the technology (as i'm sure many already have-- joking). and i could paint the citadel as the truly evil villains we all know them to be (mwuahahahahaha). but I'd like to be the devil's *cough* Citadel's advocate for a moment here:

Why should we believe Tefmet?

how do we know what they are saying is true?

they are in direct opposition to the citadel, and like it or not, citadel magic just saved Ame's station, and we wouldn't even be hearing their presentation if not for their (Suvi's) intercession. moreover, they are part of Indri's retinue, aka the witch who just attempted to destroy her.

they bring objects that they purport to be of great magical significance and paint a circumstantial picture of the citadel (implied at-large) to be abusing magic to the point of 1) creating NEW "spirits" not of the spirit world??? 2) destroying a magical artifact of such great significance to their enemies in Gaothmai as part of an (alleged) attempt to bring forth a great spirit??? and 3) focusing discs that were last seen by our heroes to have bound and wounded a great spirit???

further, how would you verify it at the north pole? Tefmet speaks of protection from scrying, so surely even the witch of the wind and stars herself cannot verify it from her library.

and, apart from the discs which were identified on sight, how do you verify or fact check these artifacts against the source, where the other wizards (who just might have An Opinion on this) have been dismissed or retreated to the skyship?

So, with all of that in mind, what happens next?

in case you're just joining us, welcome to witch-con(clave)! the witches are in conclave and are, if not magically required, then at least magically incentivized, to make decisions based on discussions and debates held during said conclave. Tefmet starts by announcing a window is closing and urging swift action.

Tefmet's allegations are gleaned from reading between the lines of the citadel's activities, their footprint. even if they are presenting in good faith and only with the most robust evidence, this is only part of the story.

and, to read between the lines of This Presentation, they speak calmly, but-

it pushes ALL the quest fever buttons. urgency. a ticking clock. a closing window. threat to magic itself. honor and duty and deference and reverence to spirits. and to the in between-- to the greater binding. an abomination. rebel against the empire. reject control. stop the (bad) wizards. end the citadel. it's happening too fast-- no, it's been happening too fast.*

Suvi Sky is not here. Pane burned the evidence. Tefmet burned their notes.

Who could possibly dissent given this testimony?

oh. shit.

*it's been happening too fast-- meaning that the escalation of citadel magic/empire/etc has ramped up dramatically not just recently given these discoveries but also that wizardry didn't exist until 200 years ago-- and it is currently 1670.

[mindutme]

Valya Vednesday #2

Here is a set of tarot-inspired cards used by the speakers of Valya! I’m not sure if there would be more cards besides these, but if so they would be less important, maybe numbered and grouped into suits—basically, these 18 would be like the major arcana. The top right is the symbol on the back of the cards, and the large text at the top is Müzhasi Kitra, “The Playing Cards.”

The cards are used in various ways: for games, for divination, and for making magic. Music is the primary way that the speakers of Valya make magic, and each of these cards actually corresponds to a particular note of their scale—I’ll get more into the music side of things in a future post.

The first card is yet unnamed, but it represents existence itself—all that is and will be.

The second card is fli, meaning “sea.” It represents water in all its forms.

The third card is dzu, meaning “land” or “island”—because the speakers of Valya live on an island and know of no other land, the language makes no distinction. It represents not only the ground but also all the plants that grow from it.

The fourth card is pru, meaning “animal,” though the word originally referred to deer specifically. It represents not just animals but also humans’ bodies.

Ngu means “person,” and represents humans and the things they make.

Mba is the sun, representing life, health, growth, and sustenance. At this point, the symbols begin to get a little less literal, so mba in this context can refer to the continuation or preservation of something without direct influence from the sun itself.

Ghali is the moon, representing dreams, ideas, the future, that which is possible, and magic itself. Some sets of cards have an image of the moon on the back of each card, with this one being identical on both sides.

Mbrizi means “the stars,” seen by the speakers of Valya as spirits that watch over us. This card represents protection, safety, and shelter.

The next card is sfi, meaning “leg.” It represents motion and travel. In the musical scale the corresponding note is the only one that actually has two different pitches, depending on the context.

Next is kngu, meaning “arm” (sometimes seen as likngu, in the plural). It represents connections, relationships, society, and language.

The eleventh card is ngwu, meaning “eye.” It represents knowledge, and is often combined with ghali to symbolize knowledge of the future.

The twelfth card, and the last in the primary set, is vüna, meaning “hand.” It represents creation, beginnings, birth, and transformation.

The next three cards comprise a second set, things which are outside of the domains of the first. The first and primary card in this group is nti, “stone,” representing the past. It is believed that the history of the world is buried beneath the island, and that by digging down one could uncover the past—though one might not understand it.

The next is byu, meaning “bone,” representing endings and death. This encompasses both natural endings (conclusions) and premature or abrupt ones.

The last in this set is mülyi, meaning “ammonite.” This is a very old symbol, predating the card system and even parts of the musical one. The ammonite represents the mysteries of the past—the forgotten, the unknowable, and the world that came before the island that many don’t believe actually existed.

The third set consists of only two cards. First is gva, meaning “storm.” It represents chaos and randomness, believed by the speakers of Valya to exist as a raging storm below the layered stone of the past, and in some tellings surrounding existence entirely. The random fluctuations of this storm can have an influence on the world as experienced by people.

The next card is zhasi, meaning “card.” It depicts the symbol found on the back of each card. It represents luck, chance, and good fortune—essentially that chaos as it filters into the world and (ideally) improves human lives.

The final card is in a set of its own, and is like the first yet unnamed. It represents the void, emptiness, nothingness, nonexistence. There is some overlap in use and meaning with byu, bone, but where that card might be used to end an unwanted event, this one would be used to make sure it never begins—or, if the magic is strong enough, to erase something that has begun from time.

[demonslayedher]

Not-very-spoilery thoughts on the movie release of Pillar Training (+SSV conclusion)

Behind a cut anyway just in case!

--Very nice to hear familiar background music brought back--Yuukaku themes when Uzui & his wives appear, Mitsuri's "Koi Kogare" BGM when she has a good batch of lines, Giyuu's BGM as he's like, "bye"

--I am very happy with the new OP, both sound and imagery-wise.

--One very short clip in particular made me, a fanfic writer, very very happy, but then there was more gratuitous focus that reminded me of another one of my best fanfics. The rewards of writing fic as closely based on canon as I could get them gives me the satisfaction of feel liking like canon-based imagery honors my fics by extension.

--Speaking of imagery in general, Ufotable is finding lots of ways to try to harp on the idea that everyone's wishes to destroy demons find their accumulation in Tanjiro, the Sun Breath user and first person in centuries to unlock the Mark. It is perhaps a little clumsy at times, but hey, that's a theme I like in this series.

--I was sad that Suma sounded so different, and had to look up afterward if she still had the same seiyuu. She does, but I think they might have given her totally different vocal direction so that she wouldn't sound too similar to Mitsuri

--Japanese crowds tend to be very quiet at movie theaters, but people could not contain their giggles at many of Mitsuri's lines

--I had the honor of sitting next to a huuuuuuuge fangirl who before the moving was saying stuff to her friends like, "(Hanae) Natsuki-san was at USJ the other day, and since it's a VR ride, you know, you have to wear the goggles, and I think, what if I wear the pair that he wore??? You know?? Our faces??? Would be so close?????" and then at the review of previous seasons at the beginning of the show, she started crying the instant the Mugen Ressha part started. Not loud crying, but crying.

--You can tell everyone was waiting for the "welcome back" scene, and although I thought Zenitsu would steal the show in that scene, it was indeed Nezuko. In the seiyuu greeting that was broadcast across all Japanese theaters on the opening day, Shimono-san noted that he thinks the audio was turned down on his performance of that scene. I think it was probably was too.

--So much happy daily life in this episode. If you have any friends who complained about last year's theater showing being a let-down because it was just regular anime episodes instead of a Mugen Train style movie, please tell them to just sit this one out and spare us their complaints. Most of this showing was just Tanjiro having a nice time after having a panic attack over Nezuko (oh, and like, killing Upper Moon Four, that too).

--Shinobu's hair seems distinctly longer. Giyuu's hair seems distinctly fluffier.

--Ufotable has put a lot of touches into humanizing Amane

--I wish Ufotable would stop trying to drive the "Zenitsu thinks Aoi is happy to see him (just because Aoi is a girl)" point. First off, yes, Zenitsu being a creep to girls is played up a bit in the anime. Second, the first fanbook states that the only kind of girl who is not so much his type is the Aoi-type.

--Also, on the promo art, I like the design they gave Shinobu's sword, but that's ignoring the fact that the four engraved kanji characters are on either side. Go ahead, Ufotable, hire me as your canon double-checker. EDIT: Oh wait, that is its sheath. Lovely, carry on.

--That said, the original filler they gave us? Gold star. Excellent. So happy with it. One... well, two tiny nitpicks that don't bother me much but stating it here would spoil it.

--One more non-spoilery thing to say about that filler: the people at Ufotable were probably like, "our fans are nerds. We already give them this, this, this, and that to nerd over. You know what else they are probably nerds for? Yeah. Let's give them that." Thank you, Ufotable. This nerd accepts and loved it.

--Tiny Nezuko filler as they set the stage talking about Muzan is probably looking for her? LOVE THAT TOUCH, at every level.

--Shinobu does have multiple goldfish, but they look a bit different?

--Genya's makes the best face in this whole episode

--Speaking of Genya, in the seiyuu greeting they had actors in big chibi costumes of the Kamaboko gang come out... PLUS GENYA. Giant chibi grumpy Genya was so, so, so, so freaking cute. Also, his seiyuu Okamoto got to join the stage with everybody and was talking about how he always used to scroll through his social media seeing the other seiyuu at KnY events and he was like, "sigh... sure looks like everyone is having fun..."

--Hanae Natsuki and his wife are big Genya fans, though, it seems

--Okamoto had a lot of trouble performing young Genya in the flashback, especially the emotional screaming. The desperation Genya always displays as he fights? That was Okamoto. --Meanwhile, Matsuoka always looks very overwhelmed at these things. I think having to embody the spirit of Inosuke terrifies him.

--IT WAS SO GOOD TO HEAR INOSUKE AGAIN

--Those actors in chibi costumes? The Zenitsu and Inosuke ones embodied them SO WELL. I don't usually care for those giant mascot character costumes, but these were legit so much fun to watch, like with Inosuke going right up into the cameras and Zenitsu trying to pull him back and then the two of them pushing and shoving. Zenitsu acting like he is being bullied and Inosuke showing off his muscles. I loved them. I am very sad that I will not be in town when they travel across Japan and come to my area.

--Also, the baritone voice of Oyakata-sama's personal crow? LOVED IT.

--Himejima at the the Pillar Meeting is such a statement. The new promotional material has a tag line that prominently uses one of the kanji in his name ("cry out"), and I feel like this is set-up for him to have a lot of impact later on in this season. Here's hoping!

--I am probably gonna go watch it again in a couple weeks, ufufufu

--Which is worth it for that KIZUNA NO KISEKI REMIX WHICH SOUNDED SO COOL IN SURROUND SOUND, OH MY GOSH

[multifunctionalnitroglycerin]

The Locked Tomb Series Names and Symbolism #4

Hiya folks! Hope you are all doing fine and dandy. This series ofc couldn’t be complete without our beloved Sex-Pal in the count. Now according to wiki there are two figures that inspired the Master Warden, Παλαμήδης, the Greek mythological hero that took part in the Trojan war, and Palamedes the Arthurian knight. I am more well-versed in the Greek myths than I am in Medieval plays, I admit, but I will do my best to do justice by both these inspirations.

            But first things first, some etymology. There are two most prominent versions for the etymology of the name Palamedes or well, Παλαμήδης. In the first one, it’s a derivative of the verb παλαμάομαι meaning devise/contrive and invent. Aka the inventor that devises plans (Or concocts schemes, depending on how you want to see it). In the second one it is believed to derive from the verb παλαίω => παλεύω aka fight and μήδομαι => σκέφτομαι, συμβουλεύω aka think and advise. So, Palamedes would be the one that thinks abt the battle and gives advice for it. Both etymologies I feel fit our inventive strategist, The Master Warden of the Sixth, to a t.

Let us now begin with the Greek hero from the Trojan war. And no my pals, this is not yet another Iliad reference, for our proclaimed hero does not actually appear in the Iliad. His first appearance is in what has been known as the Κύπρια, a well-known epic of the ancient Greek literature that despite being quite famous during the classical period, has been lost to the sands of time. Long story short, this epic is a part of the Trojan circle and follows the conclusion of the Iliad. Palamedes’ story is one of many included in the epic that counts I think 11 books.

            Truth to be told, Mythological Palamedes did star in quite a few epics, tragedies and other works that refer to the Trojan war or the time after it, but for the sake of keeping the post relatively short, and since I do not quite have the time to hunt down every ancient text reference and draw a parallel to the Master Warden, we’ll mostly reference the most relative ones and I’ll leave a list in the end, in case some of you do want to go hunting ancient texts.

            I’ll start with a fun fact. According to a Trojan priest of Hephestus, Dares the Phrygian, Palamedes was described as tall, slender, wise, magnanimous, and charming. Now I cannot speak for everyone, but well, to me that sounds like Palamedes Sextus.

            In general, there are not many direct parallels that I can make between Palamedes the Euboian and Palamedes Sextus, bar for the most obvious one, that they are both ingenious. Palamedes the mythological figure was accredited with inventing part of the Greek Alphabet, lighthouses, navigation, coins, the division of time into months days and hours and a few board games, with κύβοι being one of the most prominent (to my understanding it’s the equivalent to dice). Palamedes Sextus on the other hand, figured out the secret to Lyctorhood, necromantically bound his soul to his skeleton, saw through Cytherea’s ploy, exploded himself, created a bubble in the River in which he persevered until Camila could glue his skull back together and he figured out a way to co-exist with her, in her own body, without killing them both, plus the Grand Lysis and Paul’s creation.

            What mostly sticks with me from the above, among others, is navigation. One Palamedes is the inventor of it, and the other, though by that point is Paul, seems to know a way to the Tomb via the River. The river that even God struggles navigating – at least with other people on the way. So, could it be, that Palamedes -that beat even Cassiopeia in time survived in the River – figures out a way to truly navigate this sea of the dead?

            Two smaller parallels we could draw from mythological Palamedes are 1. Pal seeing through Cytherea’s ploy, the same way that Palamedes the Euboian saw through Odysseus’ ploy when he wanted to avoid fighting in Troy and played mad, plowing the earth with a horse and an ox throwing salt in the holes.   2. The syphoning challenge. This story also includes Palamedes butting heads with Odysseus – not going to lie to you, they were evenly matched in genius – although according to some accounts it’s Palamedes who was the brightest and most ingenious of the Greeks - , but Odysseus never forgave him for uncovering his ploy and may or may not have orchestrated Palamedes’ murder – only in this analogy Pal is Odysseus. In a time of great hunger for the Achaeans, Odysseus was sent to Thrace to find wheat and returned empty-handed. Palamedes mocked him, and Odysseus replied that for all his ingenuity he too would return emptyhanded. Palamedes did embark on the quest and was successful, returning with shiploads of supplies. In the syphoning challenge, Pal is Odysseus, the one who turns up empty handed, refusing to risk Camila’s well-being once he figured out how the test worked. And he is also the one that tries to talk Harrow out of completing the challenge. Harrow much like the mythological Palamedes jumps in the opportunity to prove herself – through the challenge’s objective had little to do with proving one’s self, as we saw – and succeeds, obtaining the key.

            All in all, the biggest parallel’s we can draw here, is that Pal like his mythological namesake is a genius inventor and strategist, a bright necromancer and brighter scholar still. He is the Odysseus in Harrow’s Palamedes and vice versa.

            And now that I drew the parallel with Odysseus I cannot unsee it. He made his body the Trojan horse that exploded in Cytherea’s face. He was stranded in the River – the sea of the undead, of the souls and corpses and all that nice stuff – for however long it took Camilla to piece the skull together, like Odysseus lost in the seas. He found his Ogygia in Camila’s mind where he stays safely stored until his stop in the island of the Phaeacians – Naberius’ body. A brief stop gathering supplies, gathering courage before going home. Back to Camilla, but now as one. There is no him and her anymore. They have had a home in each other, and it’s time he returned to it, burning down the ruins of the past, and getting reborn as something new, together, as one. (Cam and Pal are a phoenix metaphor if I have ever seen one.)

            Onto the Arthurian Palamedes now, our friend was a knight of the round table, and makes his first appearance in an expansion of the Tristan and Iseult legend, as a knight vying for the princess’ hand, much like our beloved Sex-Pal wanted Dulcinea’s affections. There are no Trsitans in this world however, merely Cytherea as an imposter.

            Now what is interesting about the Arthurian Palamedes, is that according to various tales he is the hunter of the Questing Beast – a multi animal snake like monster that he, Percival and Galahad are tasked with exterminating. In most versions the hunt is futile and bears no results. After Palamedes converts to Christianity however, releasing himself from the worldly entanglements, he is finally able to slay the beast after the other two trap it in a lake. My theory here is that the Questing Beast, Beast Glatisant or whatever you want to call it, is a Resurrection Beast, perhaps even Varun the Eater. And the Warden has “converted to Christianity” by ascending, aka completing the Lyctorhood process. He shed his mortal shell, disentangled himself from the coils of mortality and worldly needs, becoming very much the equivalent of the “converted Palamedes”.

 Practically, to sum up, Pal through Lyctorhood and Paul could be the one to slay the Resurrection Beast that is Varun the Eater. With the help of two other individuals – for some reason I feel one of them would be Pyrrha – they trap Varun in a “lake” – could be the Tomb, could be the First, could be yet another metaphorical body of water – and he is the one who end the RB that allegedly killed and consumed Cassiopeia the First.

That’s the post folks, now the list of ancient Lit that I promised:

Ἀπολλωδώρου, Βιβλιοθήκης Ἐπιτομή, 3.7 /  Apollodorus, library epitome 3.7 (But he, not wishing to go to the war, feigned madness. However, Palamedes, son of Nauplius, proved his madness to be fictitious; and when Ulysses pretended to rave, Palamedes followed him, and snatching Telemachus from Penelope's bosom, drew his sword as if he would kill him. And in his fear for the child Ulysses confessed that his madness was pretended, and he went to the war)

Ὑγίνου, Μύθοι, 105/ Hyginus' fabulae 105

Παυσανίου Ελλάδος Περιήγησις,/ Pausanias' guide to Greece

Γοργίας, Υπέρ Παλαμήδους Απολογία / Gorgias Palamedes’ Defense

Ovid, Metamorphoses pp. 13.34-60, 308-312

Virgil, Aeneid pp. 2.81-85

Plato, Apology 41b

Take care of yourselves! See ya on the next one!

[archivalofsins]

During the break in Milgram content I've mostly been relaxing and using the time to creatively work out my feelings on Milgram as a series. Admittedly writing that oc milgram with Star has actually been really helpful with doing that. It made me really think about what it would be like for people to be in this sort of situation and had me looking at the characters and the audiences behavior in brand new ways.

Given the theme of what we're writing heavily being rooted in self-forgiveness I've been thinking of the many ways people forgive and I've come to some interesting conclusion.

Firstly to the surprise of no one I still don't like the way the fandom uses forgiveness when it comes to the series. I never really did. People highlighting that this isn't about Guilt or Innocence it's about forgiving or not forgiving is really fucking dumb.

Like not to be blunt as hell but anyone really viewing this solely from a point of forgiving or not forgiving others is missing a lot of the point. Viewing Milgram through that lense alone or even just through the framing of guilt or innocence is only really touching the surface.

Milgram showcases the issue with only viewing things through these framings alone over the course of trial one.

Mainly through the lyrics sprinkled throughout the first trial songs that call to attention these ways of looking at the situations presented to us.

The songs actually hit on judging someone as being guilty or justified first,

"Am I a bad girl? Please don’t answer."

This line later serves to contrast both Haruka and Mu's trial two lyrics,

"I just want to be your good boy. I will keep on killing to be a good boy."

Haruka's line can be used to highlight the juxtaposition of his mindset and Yuno's. Both characters continuing to contrast and highlight each others strengths and flaws through how close in proximity their songs are.

So when Yuno gets upset over being caressed with the words good girl it actively highlights a titular part of Milgram,

What will work with one person won't always work with another. This is what Haruka wants and the type of dotting attention he enjoys but Yuno is not the same way.

Meanwhile Mu's line in It's not my fault is more of a direct parallel to what Yuno said,

"Hey, what if- If I am a bad girl? Don’t hate me."

This line servers to show the difference in Yuno and Mu's mentalities. Yuno doesn't want an answer. She doesn't want the label of good or bad. Continuing to state as much in her second trial song.

In contrast Mu despite singing about how it's not her fault recognizes that she is in fact the bad.

She's not asking am I a bad girl. No she's going,

"So, hey what if i am this thing? What if I presented myself as not being x but I really am? Will you still like me?"

Which makes perfect sense for her narrative because she just spent her entire first two voice dramas framing herself as a victim of bullying and someone who'd never bully others. Despite knowing full and well what she's done.

Mu like Kazui, Mahiru, Amane, and Kotoko all want their wrongs to be recognized and forgiven. They know what they did was wrong and have made it apparent that they do. Yet they still want to be forgiven all the same.

This is something Amane and Kotoko do blatantly. Displaying very little shame or hesitance around discussing their wrong doings over the course of the trials.

Kazui and Mu on the other hand are more ashamed of what they did. Along with being terrified by the idea of possibly getting hurt again if they open up. So they try to present themselves in more human and palatable ways.

They both do this by selfishly highlighting their own feelings and using the other parties around them as nothing more than props-

Yuno and Mikoto are very much mind your business or believe what I'm saying. If you can't do that then shut up and go away-

Mikoto

"All I did was dream, so you find me INNOCENT, it’s that simple right? Come to know me as an honest man, eat your words, gulp them down." "Please tell me it’s a mistake, that’s it’s a lie. That I’m right, I’ll forgive you if you tell me now."

Yuno

"Just shut it, will you? You know it all. Caressing me with your “Good girl” Who needs your self-righteous pardon?" "Please don’t answer."

Yuno goes to great lengths to explain how people treating her certain ways has never done anything for her. In both her first and second voice dramas.

Yuno First Voice Drama 5:29,

"That's right. You know those people who just want to convince themselves. So, they intrude on other people's affairs even though it's not their place? I despise them. That's what I was saying."

"So, nauseating...so, creepy...will you please disappear." - "Please don't answer." - "Just shut it, will you? You know it all."

"I don’t need to be lectured to like that. Do you just want to make yourself feel even better?" - "Who needs your self-righteous pardon?"

Yuno's songs highlight how being judged by another persons standards ultimately does nothing to change how someone feels internally. Not only that but it can actual cause more damage even if the person only has positives or sympathetic things to say to the other party. So, it's best to just do what the audience showed Futa to do through the first trial verdict-

Mind your own business. Instead of intruding on other people's affairs when it's not one's place to. Yuno even states in the same voice drama that there's no limit to how others will judge the people around them outside of the law.

Futa follows after her introducing the sort of tactics the first trial will end on. Highlighting that there are people who do wrong that go unchecked and at times socially rewarded for the things they've done. Just getting a slap on the wrist and spoken poorly about as a result. At times never even apologizing for the way their selfish actions have inconvenienced the rest of society.

Very similar to the mindset Kotoko showcases at the end of Milgram except she highlights the most extreme example of wrongdoing. Yet she also highlights a bunch of petty crimes just like Futa one literally being bike theft.

Both songs show that Futa and Kotoko both believe strongly in the guilty or innocent framework. That if someone does something wrong they should pay for it. Especially if it's a repeated pattern of behavior.

Yet with Mu and Shidou is where things get interesting. Mu's story highlights the seemingly never ending grief that comes from not being able to apologize to a person you've wronged. Because they're not their to apologize to anymore.

Orihime's first arc in Bleach highlights this feeling well so I'll just link the scene

Look I'm gonna need to to follow like these instructions exactly because there is no clip of this scene go here and then skip to 18:30 you can do dub or sub just watch the scene in it's entirety to 19:33 to get my point. Then come back here so this hurts more.

Hey, did you see the closure Mu will never have? Let's continue now under that emotional understanding for context. Experiencing Bleach when I was like fucking ten really did some shit.

Because when I saw After Pain and saw these lyrics,

"“I’m sorry” won’t reach anyone."

Coupled with this imagery-

I was like damn whatever we do this person is fucked. Because you can apologize to corpses all day but they're not going to get back up and start walking.

"Oh, shit you're sorry for stabbing me that changes everything!" Mu's victim's heart restarts, and they hug it out.

Sorry Mu even though you talk like a Pokémon doesn't mean your tears have the same effect. I was watching another video recently that discussed an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer called the body and like you just gotta see the discussion.

Spider-Man Lotus - A Film Born From Spite The Cosmonaut Variety hour 28:12 to 34:24.

Then when you have even more emotional information follow me on this. Really think about this with me-

Does being forgiven by strangers who have nothing to do with the situation really give someone in Mu's position closure? No, and that's why even though she was forgiven, her second song is her very rapidly spiraling into self-doubt and hate.

Because no amount of outward validation will be enough for Mu. She'll only need more because the one person whose words would matter in this situation isn't alive to speak anymore. No amount of apologizing or people going I understand what you're going through will help.

Because no, they don't. No one really understands what it's like for someone to die when you are not on speaking terms with them or you feel you've done them wrong other than people who have lived through that. Which is already traumatic enough without adding into the mix, "Oh wait, you're the reason they're dead too."

Which is the point of her and Futa being paired together.

Because there two people who took very mundane situations way too far.

"It’s going great, we’re gonna punish you until you cry. If you get off now, you're a traitor."/"Don’t you think it’s wonderful to control them with my gentle sting? If you want to betray from jealousy- You know what’s gonna happen ON YOU!"

After Mu, Shidou comes in to basically say the quiet part aloud when it comes to viewing this under a forgive or not forgive framework,

“Throw down” ethics is a delusion I’m still guilty even if the morning comes. - "Please, don’t forgive me. That’s why I want this to end."

Regardless of if Shidou is forgiven by the audience or anyone else around him. Even if the sun comes up again that guilt doesn't just disappear. He can't stay away- He'll always be stuck trying to atone for his past mistakes trying to do it again this time but better.

Because all of that couldn't have been for nothing. He's indispensable even if it's unpleasant it's up to him you know- There are lives that need saving. So, he'll do the same thing again and again because there will always be lives that need safeguarding.

Gif provided and made by @apatchworkstar

How far can forgiveness or pursuing another persons innocence go- If those people aren't willing to forgive or view themselves as innocent? If they can't move passed it. If they've made their permanent home address turmoil.

Whose opinion of ourselves really matters more than our own?

Just like Mu second voice drama said to Es,

"Guard-san, we call you "Guard" because that's what you are, right?

I was assigned to be a prisoner, but that doesn't mean my heart will become just that of a "prisoner" too. After all, I'm still me."

even though she's here she's still Mu.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

I'll start off by saying that your YOI meta posts are really wonderful and are the reason I began following you. They are super detailed, and I'm consistently impressed by your conclusions. It's obvious you put a lot of thought into them, and I've learned a ton from you.

At the same time, I wanted to mention something I've recently observed in light of the poll you made around why your followers are following you. I know I haven't done anything to prove that what I'm saying is worth considering, so if your reaction to this is "well, what the hell do they know?!", no hard feelings whatsoever.

In a few of your more recent posts, I've seen you share a frustration that academic canon-compliant analysis is nonexistent in the fandom. Or, that interest in it seems to be low, which is very valid. However, the way it comes across in tone is a bit off-putting, and might be getting in the way of your goals when you say you'd like to achieve stronger engagement/a sense of community.

In your effort to articulate to your followers that canon is your prime directive, it can sometimes read like you think that anything that doesn't adhere to that standard (i.e. anything short of an exhaustive canon analysis or a product of comprehensive analysis) doesn't have a place in the Yuri!!! on Ice fandom. If the majority of your followers don't regard canon in the same way (i.e. as their highest priority), it could be that they might feel judged when seeing you use terms like "vibes" or "speculation" for what you perceive as popular content.

Which leads me to highlight an important distinction.

A lot of people, myself included, believe canon compliant simply means "the things contained in this analysis or fic do not directly contradict canon". Not, "the things contained in this analysis or fic are directly supported by evidence from canon or logically extend from canon or other source material (like interviews with the creators and that sort of thing)."

...two very different things, and perhaps your desire for people to more clearly articulate which definition they ascribe to is one part of the solution. I strongly suspect that when other fans posit or believe their headcanons/metas/fics to be canon-compliant, the vast majority are using the former definition (especially since there is a lot that canon YOI never addresses and for which drawing any one “most logical” conclusion is impossible with the lack of subtext or backstory).

Even though I consider myself to be more invested than just a casual YOI fan, I definitely have not waded through the most salient interviews with the creators or even read a ton of metas to form my particular headcanons. But more importantly, I don't think that should be the bar to engage or have my thoughts considered worthy contributions. All this is to say, if there is someone else out there that enjoys looking deeply into canon but they are wondering if their version of "academic" investigation holds muster when compared to yours, they may feel reluctant to reach out and engage with you, for fear of "doing things wrong" in your eyes.

It's obviously fine to have high standards, but I also think that fandom can be escapism...meaning, that if people feel that someone is being overly didactic it can be intimidating, because no one wants to feel/be told that they are "doing" fandom wrong. Especially when this is a passion project for many.

And lastly, to that point, I'm not saying you're "doing" it wrong either...I'm just offering the point that your engagement may suffer if, regardless of intent, your followers have come to believe that you think that being part of fandom needs to meet a standard of rigor to count as a real contribution. Just something to think about...of course it's your blog so, ultimately, you should write whatever the hell you want and strike whatever tone you'd like!

Hi anon, thanks for your message!

The "prime directive" is a term from the Star Trek fandom. It's a guiding principle that prohibits the members of Starfleet from interfering with the development of foreign civilisation. I've found it to be a quite accurate description of what I do in my writing: only write what is directly supported by evidence or, where that's impossible, a logical extension of the source material. I've coined this term for my own analysis and writing, not to tell other fans how to engange with the source material or to tell them that they're doing fandom wrong or have no place in this fandom. To be honest, I find the thought that it comes across like that disturbing.

So, I would like to know, dear anon, what exactly gave you that impression? And what exactly gave you the impression that this is the level I want people to engage with my posts at?

Apparently, fandom is escapism and make-believe for a lot of people, which is something I don't get because I'm the type who just LOVES to analyse the things they obsess over deeply. I, personally, am not satisfied otherwise. Again, before anyone reading this twists my words to turn me into a villain: I'm not telling people how to be fans or on what level to engage with the thing they're a fan of. It just something that I like to do.

However, by saying I'm not intersted in engaging in certain kind of posts, I'm not detailing out any rules for interacting with my posts. It just means that I don't want to interact with any kind of analysis that misses important core elements that are crucial for the analysis to be coherent and sound. It would put me into an awkward situation because don't want to tell the op that their conclusions are wrong, and I don't want to feign agreement, either. Again, I'm not telling people how to be fans.

So why am I so frustrated then? The popularity of these posts makes me wonder why I keep putting so much effort into my analyses since almost no one cares about them. On an emotional level, it conveys a strong sense of being not wanted in this fandom and that if I stop posting, it wouldn't be a loss, because I'm just too different from the rest.

I agree that there should be different terms for "this thing doesn't directly contradict canon" and "this thing is directly supported by evidence from canon / logically extend from canon" because it DOES make a difference (I often use the term "canon-compatible", but it's not that different from the term "canon-compliant", I have yet to find something more fitting, for my metas I now uses "analysis"). For my writing and my canon analyses, I operate on the level of the latter whenever I can. Otherwise, I would feel as if I was being sloppy, and I can't have sloppiness in my reasoning. I've worked in academics for a couple of years and together with my love for literary analysis, it had a huge impact on how I approach any piece of media because it resonates with my inner nerd. But that also makes it impossible for me to not spot the errors in someone else's reasoning. I've decided that it's healthier for me to give such takes a wide berth.

Anyway, thank you for your honest words. I understand much better now why I've never felt welcome in the YOI fandom, although I still don't have any clue how to change that.

[dominik528]

Five & Lila: Enemies-to-lovers done right

As unexpected and controversial as the pairing of Five and Lila was for the final Umbrella Academy season, I have to say that the writers knocked it out of the park with the "enemies-to-lovers" development.

Now, was this romantic direction planned from the start? I highly doubt it. Even with their bathroom fight scene in season 3, with Lila obviously naked, I got absolutely no vibes of sexual tension. What I think happened was, since Castañeda and Arya broke up, the writers decided to spare them the awkwardness of continuing to play an on-screen couple, so they chose this trajectory.

When Lila and Five first meet, there is clear distrust and animosity between them, contrasting from her and Diego's bonding and quickening attraction. Five even threatens--and comes close to--killing Lila.

Then Lila's hostility grows when she learns that he's the one who killed her birth parents. After another fight, Five, calmly and reassuringly, says that he was acting under the orders of her adoptive mother, who arranged the hit and picked up the scared 4-year-old girl at the scene.

Come season 3, and Five now considers Lila as part of the family, even with Klaus pointing out how she tried to kill them a few days ago. But, of course, it's more of a begrudging allyship, seeing how the two still bicker and insult each other.

By the time season 4 rolled along, and we got the scene with Lila wiping away the sugar on Five's mustache, lingering, followed by Diego getting the wrong idea, I thought, 'Wait...' (The first hint that slipped by me was when he noticed her from afar earlier, like a scene out of a romance.) After that, I started anticipating more scenes between the two.

You can imagine my excitement by ep. 5, seeing two people who once despised and taunted each other now warming up to one another more and more, finally leading to a kiss. Yes, I had the actors' age difference in mind (Gallagher being over 18, Arya being in her 30s), but I still found myself adoring seeing Five being happy. After all, he'd grown bitter and cynical after spending over 40 years alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with an inanimate object for a companion, becoming a cold-hearted assassin, and only mainly showing his softer side towards Viktor. With the cottage core-like scenario at the greenhouse, I hoped that the series would end with the pair living similarly, like how Viktor tried to rebuild his life.

But then, I told myself to tamp those hopes down, considering what happened to every other relationship on this show: Viktor & Leonard, Viktor & Sissy (another unpopular ship I loved), Klaus & Dave, Allison & Ray (I was rooting for them in season 2!), Allison & Luther, Luther & Sloane (I was looking forward to them reuniting in this reset timeline☹️), and now, Diego & Lila. I'd recalled a quote from an article about Five having an "emotional arc" with Lila, giving himself a reason to live, and feared it meant that Lila was gonna get fridged.

The last 15 minutes of the show proved to be far worse than I imagined, leaving me and many viewers alike feeling empty inside.🙃For the first five episodes, I thought, 'This is enemies-to-lovers done right!' And then a chance for a satisfying conclusion to such an arc, along with long-suffering characters finding true happiness, was dashed away, just like the entire cast of Star Wars: Rogue One, and Kylo Ren and Rey in The Rise of Skywalker.💔

[jojotichakorn]

khabkhluen from 'star in my mind' - your next autistic fave

so, the mlm drama 'star in my mind' that came out in 2022 didn't gain much popularity (and when i post my review on it in a couple of days, you might understand why) but with the release of adjacent our skyy 2 episodes, the polls that make us decide upon which bl character has the most autistic swag over at @bl-bracket and due to the fact that i keep insisting on khluen being my favorite character specifically because i relate to him on a big level as an autistic person, there is no better time than right now to discuss this.

without further ado and in no particular order, here is a list of things that have explicitly happened in the drama 'star in my mind' that made me consider khluen being autistic canon:

♾ khluen is very particular about things

when one of the characters describes khluen's routine in high school, it has huge "we are introducing an autistic character" vibes, because he says khluen comes to school every day at the exact same time and his breakfast consists of the same sandwich and the same juice every single morning. by the way, two years later, he still only drinks that juice (at least as far as we see during the events of the drama). when khluen moves into the dorm and needs to unpack, he opens the closet and starts to place hangers in exactly the same distance away from each other (which also prompts one of his roommates to joke if he "needs a ruler for that"). according to his own words, khluen also doesn't like mess and needs things to be exactly where he puts them. he also pays attention to the smallest of details and sort of absent-mindedly expects that everyone else notices those tiny things as well. he also says that he never changes himself and doesn't like to readjust and have a lot of change in his life in general.

♾ khluen takes everything others say very literally and expresses himself literally as well

any questions khluen is asked, he does not even imagine reading into them and thinking they might be implying something other than what is being explicitly stated. at one point, khluen's partner actually says that khluen is "interpreting [something] wrong", which seems like a pattern for him. whenever he responds to questions or simply says something on his own, he expresses himself very literally and says exactly what he means as well.

there is one important-to-the-plot conversation that happens in the middle of the series and that hurts my brain and khluen's brain simultaneously and that is very relevant to this section. in essence, khluen's conversation partner does not say a single thing directly and relies fully on implications that allistics would typically recognize and understand. during that conversation, khluen is visibly confused - he tries very hard to understand what the other person is trying to say but he is failing. this alsoleads to him coming to the wrong conclusions because he is simultaneously forced to make assumptions in order to comprehend anything that is being said but is given absolutely no direct information to work with. along with this, he continues to answer questions very directly (e.g. when his interlocutor vaguely asks if he has rejected someone who has confessed to him in the past, implying his own confession, khluen misses that implication entirely and instead just honestly says "yes", as he has previously rejected someone else).

by the way, upon reflecting on the time he actually rejected someone, khluen says "i said it directly, i didn't hesitate, i didn't spare her feelings", which is not only a reflection of shitty things that other people say about him rubbing off on him (which i will talk about later) but also simply of him being self-aware as to how literal he is.

♾ khluen only speaks when he wants to and when he finds it necessary

this manifests in many different ways. first of all, he is almost entirely silent while his crush is confessing his feelings to him, and on many other occasions when he is in the middle of some emotionally taxing conversations, he speaks in incredibly short sentences, often uttering no more than three words, while the other person has already uttered a hundred. second of all, when he is asked questions that would prompt allistics to expand on the subject under discussion, he answers very directly and therefore with few words, never offering any extra information that he isn't explicitly asked for (e.g. "do you have any talents?" - "i have some"). third of all, if someone asks khluen a question he doesn't want to answer, he simply says nothing: he offers no explanation for why he doesn't want to respond, doesn't even say "i don't want to talk about it". he very literally remains silent.

♾ khluen either explains nothing at all or overexplains himself

in connection with not saying much and often preferring to stay silent, khluen is - most of the time - annoyed that people demand an explanation for everything he says, does, wants, etc. however, whenever khluen is having an important conversation with someone, he provides excessive and most of the time unnecessary clarifications (e.g. he explains that his crush had no personal impact on him breaking up with his girlfriend, because though he did it because he realized he fell in love with his crush, the crush actually had no direct hand in it - now, this is obvious, because he and his crush have literally never spoken at that point, and there was just no way in which he could have affected khluen's relationship directly and intentionally).

♾ khluen is not familiar with unspoken social rules and can't read social cues

this manifests in about a thousand different ways.

khluen isn't entirely sure how to interact with people he knows indirectly (he picks up his crush after class and his friends, who khluen kind of knows through that crush, are there but khluen has no idea how he is meant to interact with them, so he just ends up slightly awkwardly ignoring them while talking to the crush). in connection with him having a hard time identifying different levels of relationships and behavior that typically corresponds to them, there is a scene where he tries (and fails) to explain the very platonic nature of the relationship between him and one of his friends (which is later consicely and extremely accurately described by said friend as simply a sibling-like relationship).

whenever he is asked some sort of personal information, he is genuinely baffled as to why he should reveal anything to people he doesn't know that well. khluen also asks very direct questions that are sometimes considered impolite or simply wouldn't typically be asked in the given context by someone who understands social rules better. while playing a game with his friends, where they have to reveal the first impressions of each other, khluen does not sugarcoat his initially negative impression of his friend. khluen also gets into an argument with one character because of a secret he had to keep (that wasn't his) only to find out later that he was apparently stupid for not realizing he could reveal that secret to that specific person in that specific situation despite promising to never tell anyone because there are exceptions to everything in this world and khluen just doesn't understand them. one character very explicitly tells khluen that "he seems to be the only one who can't tell how [his crush] feels about him", because others are able to deduce it through his body language and other implications, which are clearly foreign to khluen. this is also why he says that he always feels like he is "one step behind" in his relationships.

in connection with this, khluen also relies on other people to read the social situations that he is in. he literally asks his crush in the middle of a very serious conversation if he can call his best friend to consult him so he could make sure he doesn't say anything wrong during the very important conversation (which does not seem like a joke on his part, it seems like something he's genuinely done before). in general, whenever someone reveals some sort of information to khluen that he knows he is unlikely to understand himself (e.g. someone liking or disliking another person), he accepts it as truth right away because he feels like there is no way for him personally to deduce that kind of thing.

♾ khluen does not really show his emotions through facial expressions during particularly heartbreaking moments

so, first of all, as not just a khluen fan but also as a fan of the actor who plays him, archen, i can confirm that this is indeed not chen's typical acting style. in fact, we can see him being very expressive even as khluen in this drama - just not in particularly heavy moments. the way khluen's face is entirely blank while his very serious crush confesses that he likes him back in high school and the way he once again isn't showing any feelings with his face while finally having a real, honest conversation with the guy he's been in love with for years are the biggest examples of this.

♾ khluen does not know how to express his feelings in a way that other people want while being very honest and direct about them

he is self-admittedly "bad at talking and expressing himself" (to allistics, i'd like to add, because i understand him quite easily). when he is asked how he felt when he fell in love, he very seriously answers "i felt love, what else was i supposed to feel?" because there is a bit of a disconnect between what he's actually feeling and how to put it into more words - he directly states that he is in love and isn't sure what else he could say otherwise. in connection with expressing feelings (in a way that allistics do) being something that is difficult and overwhelming to khluen, he also says that he is "stupid when it comes to love" (and unfortunately "hates himself for it", which fuck the world for making the boy feel like the way he expresses himself is wrong).

♾ khluen is afraid of hurting other people because he does not fully understand their boundaries and implications

khluen is very acute to any discomfort or annoyance that he might cause to the point of being anxious about making someone uncomfortable at the smallest sign of it (e.g. one of the characters mentions he is bothered by strangers shipping khluen and him, and khluen is afraid it could somehow be his fault). when his friend (jokingly, according to her) tells him that "he shouldn't be with anyone [romantically]" precisely because of his misunderstanding of other people's signs, he takes it to heart, echoing the sentiment as potentially true multiple times throughout the series. there are several moments in the drama when he cries at the thought of having hurt someone else emotionally because that was not his intention at all, and there is even one time when a character calls him out on the "emotional damage that he has caused", to which khluen desperately responds that "he means well", while not really understanding what he has done wrong in the first place. khluen also apologizes all the time, many times, for anything and everything he can, almost always feeling like he's not quite doing or saying the right thing.

♾ there are certain things that other characters say about khluen which give us an idea of how he is perceived by society in general and those he is close to

people mention on multiple occasions that he seems proud and cold. one character says that he feels like khluen is "judging him with his eyes", while khluen is very confused at the comment, as he is just standing there, looking at the character normally. the same character says khluen is "tight-lipped and likes to make stoic faces". one of khluen's friends says that "people are afraid to approach him". she also says that he is "book-smart but otherwise a dumbass", with the latter part referring to the way in which he doesn't understand other people's signs well and also doesn't express himself in a way that most people (read: allistics) understand.

however, there are two characters who percieve khluen very differently from the rest, and i think this contrast is incredibly important for the bigger picture. the first one is khluen's mother, who is a lovely woman and a great parent. though she does not directly state anything antonymous to what i've described in the previous paragraph, she does understand khluen's signals very well and also clearly perceives him as the opposite of what the majority of characters describe him as. another one is khluen's best friend who he has known for years, noel, who once again does not directly wax poetic about khluen, but who supports him in a genuinely helpful and understanding way (e.g. he suggests khluen should go to the bar where his crush is, but when they actually go there and noel notices the first signs of discomfort, he explicitly apologizes for taking him there and asks if they should leave). needless to say, neither of the characters ever expresses any opinion that is even remotely close to what is described in the first paragraph of this section.

♾ other facts about khluen include...

... him often being unintentionally funny by just saying what he means; his best friend pointing out that he overthinks all his social interactions; him being praised for his acting skills (which duh - so much practice with masking); sunflowers likely being his special interest; and (though this is debatable as the camera angles don't allow to say this for sure) he seems to rock back and forth to calm himself down in stressful situations.

closing statement

i believe i have provided all the information i could on why i not only personally headcanon khluen as autistic, but genuinely consider it canon, despite simultaneously being sure that this was not deliberate on the part of the writers (and unfortunately we often get the best, most authentic representation when allistic writers don't realize that the label "autism" is attached to it). that being said, i would pay anything to interview the writers on their process of creating the character and also see how the director dealt with chen on set, because khluen is seemingly unintentionally one of the most relatable autistic characters i've ever seen on screen.

as promised, @sparklyeyedhimbo

[rubyvroom]

The Halloween 2024 roster so far: leaning pretty heavily on new and indie horror this year. I actually liked most of these to some degree or other. Lots of unexpected sci-fi but I'm not complaining.

The Company of Wolves - beautiful, dreamlike, features not one but two of the craziest werewolf transformations I've ever seen. Mr. X insists this is not a horror film, but it has an Angela Carter screenplay and werewolves, so I say it counts.

Deathstream - Horror comedy with a very convincing YouTube channel spending the night alone in a haunted house. Some legitimately funny bits here and good use of the premise.

Army of Darkness - I've heard the quotes for many years but I had never actually seen the movie until now. Bruce Campbell really should have been allowed to star in more films. I enjoyed every minute of this, allowing for the bog-standard 80s-90s misogyny.

Speak No Evil (Denmark) - I am not watching the US one if they changed the ending. The ending is the entire point. It's a commentary on Danish society and if you couldn't adapt that to the US then why are you remaking the movie? Stop wasting my time. Anyway this was great. Frustrating, but again, that's the point.

Happy Death Day - Better than expected. Groundhog's Day slasher, has fun with the premise. The actress sells it.

Happy Death Day 2 - The same but make it sci-fi.

Synchronic - Cool concept, which I don't want to spoil too much except to say it's about a convenience store drug with an unexpected side effect. A little lazy as a film but I enjoy watching Anthony Mackie do his thing.

Something in the Dirt - This film and the one before are from the guys who made Resolution and The Endless. Neither are as good as those but worth seeing if you liked their other films. This film is again a sci-fi scenario, sort of cross-polinated with William Friedkin's Bug.

Bodies Bodies Bodies - Takes the slasher theme of "insufferable youths die one at a time" to its natural conclusion. Perfect casting. Had a great time with this.

I Saw the TV Glow - Magical, haunting, endlessly sad. Still thinking about it.

Oddity - NO THANK YOU SCARY WOODEN DOLL. THIS MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE.

Freaky - Another comedy horror, a body-swap where a teenage slasher victim swaps bodies with the killer. Resulting in Vince Vaughn portraying a teenage girl and taking it pretty seriously? Like he's all in? But I enjoyed the teenage girl serial killer even more.

Abigail - The trailer gives most of the plot away but it's still really fun and the ballet really adds to the action scenes. Cast is really good. Goes in a couple unexpected directions, one of which had me saying oh THAT'S why Dan Stevens is in this, now I understand.

Hold Your Breath - Kind of meh but the setting itself was engrossing, in the middle of the dustbowl farmlands. Sarah Paulson doing the most again.

She Will - Lowkey involving, though I've forgotten most of what happens.

Immaculate - Search your feelings. Are you willing to cheer on a priest being strangled by his own rosary? If so, watch this immediately. As a heathen I found it, as Glen Weldon would say, a hoot and a half.

Caddo Lake - Did you like Dark, the twisty and moody german tv show? This is the American version. I mean it's not but it very much is.

Ghostwatch - the legendary banned BBC broadcast, which you can now watch on Prime, is still pretty effective.

The Dark and the Wicked - This was trying waaaaaay too hard to be Hereditary. Didn't really enjoy it.

We Are All Going to the World's Fair - Mr. X slept through this but I was hypnotized by it. There are two kinds of people.

Maxxxine - Not as good as X or Pearl, and it if was a stand-alone film it would be pretty incoherent. But it is very stylish and has a lot of fun with the 80s LA setting, and I can watch Mia Goth do her thing all day long.

Suspiria - Legendary. Loved it. When did we stop using COLORS in movies?

Longlegs - this one at least remembers the color red, for the very striking opening. It runs out of steam a little bit throughout but pretty exciting for a lot of the run. Liked the probably-autistic protagonist a lot. There are some Nicolas Cagisms and I never for a moment forgot it was him, but he does have some genuinely frightening moments.

The Quatermass Experiment - Most of my favorite things were influenced by this so figured it was time to check it out. Glad I did. Fascinating and makes good use of its low budget. Free on Youtube!

Eyes Without a Face - I may have had some nightmares after this.

Glorious - Surprise, you got some cosmic horror in your rest stop bathroom freakout, and JK Simmons is here!

Next on the list is probably Possession which I fully anticipate is gonna fuck me up.

Top films so far? Suspiria, Eyes Without a Face, Longlegs, I Saw the TV Glow, Bodies Bodies Bodies

[nikethestatue]

Not a question, just a statement. I honestly don’t really care about a ship war. I think everyone is allowed to interpret and root for whoever they want. But what I don’t understand, past so many cannon signs, is how people genuinely believe that the next book could be Azriels. Let alone Gwyn. At the end of ACOWAR, we end with Feyre and Rhys flying in the sky, a gift of being together. It’s their conclusion as the main couple in the series. The next book is a NOVELLA. Novellas are always books that either are prequels (like assassin blade for example) or a change in direction for a series. The latter is ACOFAS. We still have Feyre and Rhys POVs because they will always be main characters, but we begin to hear the voices of other characters: Mor, Cassian and Nesta. This is not an accident. It’s laying down the ground work for the rest of the series. Specifically, we see Nesta and cassian begin their journey of reluctant mates. And the beginning of Nestas story of healing and growth. We also see Cassian’s care for the women in Illyria not training. We also see some things about Mor (like her estate) that we never saw in the plot. We also see a glimpse in to what might have happened with Eris. Could this be in terms of her past, powers and love life? What else do we see in ACOFAS? The continuation of Elain and Lucien not having a connection, and we actually see Lucien and hear from his own mouth about being in the Band of Exiles. What else do we see? Azriel stating he doesn’t spy on Lucien (and he’s a spymaster?? With him saying it’s an invasion of Elain’s privacy: with RHYS thinking it’s more just not to know what they are doing) and then the taking of the plate scene with Azriel being upset with his brother for not waiting for Elain. We see her give Az the headache powder, and him having such a joyous laugh that Feyre never heard before. His eyes being bright. Them sitting and going over the garden plans at three in the morning when everyone else is going to bed. What else do we see? Az not wagering on Lucien coming to solstice while looking out of the window at the garden. What else? Cassian not wanting to wager on women training consistently in Illyria. What else? Amren telling Feyre that Elain has her own problems to focus on, with a pointed look. I could LITERALLY go on. This novella that people give a 3 star rating and saying that is boring is FILLED with plot starting events. Let’s look at ACOSF:

what happens:

Nesta is lost in her trauma and mental health issues

She is forced to train with Cassian, or be sent to the human realms and is sent to the House of Wind

Cassian and Nesta become physical, but there is still that emotional boundary, even though we all know there is something there. THEY also know something is there. Reluctant mates.

who comes into the plot? ERIS. We still don’t know what happened with Mor, but he becomes more visible in the plot. Which was shown in ACOFAS through Mor when she goes to the court of nightmares. She talks about it.

what else happens? The valkayie. A women specific training plot. An an Illyrian women (emerie) comes into play. And she ALSO was in ACOFAS mind you.

Lucien and the band of exiles are in this book as well, and we see cassian’s account of the dynamic between the three of them.

we also see Az being more aloof than usual, and cassian mentions this several times. He sees him brooding way more. And he specifically mentions how he doesn’t need to buffer Mor and Az anymore like he used to. That Az seems to have finally given up after 500 years

we get INTRODUCTED to Gwyn here. Note how she was NOT in ACOFAS? Emrie was, because she feeds into the Illyria plot here. Gwyn has a specific plot of being Nesta’s friend. And also just a bad ass women who overcomes such terrible events in her life to become a true warrior. And to become nesta’s first true friend. People forget that Feyre has Mor and Amren, Elain has Nuala and Cerriwden (sorry if that’s wrong) and Nesta FINALLY has two friends. And how many is in each? 3. Just like the bat boys and the band of exiles. Like Lucien also finally gets 2 friends. (Also want to point out. Notice how Feyres two friends involve Rhys? How Nesta and cassian are involved in training with the Valkaryie? Does this allude to Elains relationship with the wraiths being a connection to Az? Does the band of exiles mean something for Lucien? That’s up to interpretation).

what happens at last? Nesta and Cassian stop fighting their feelings and become mates.

what else happens? The plot around the troves and koschei thickens. And Elain starts to push that she is willing to help the IC. Building into her own book…? Ya. Literally. Not to mention the plot with Koschei that also has Azriel involved “I was waiting to meet you” vibes.

so where did so many of these plot points come from? Literally from the little boring novella that people want to skip over. It’s the literal building blocks for the rest of the ACOTAR series… and I’m totally missing points in it as well. These are JUST off the top of my head. And I read ACOFAS last year lol. The next book is Elains book. And the novellas? Could be Mor or Gwyn or Lucien. It could be Vassa as well.. But the main plot revolves around the sisters and the bat boys. There’s so much cannon that makes it hard to imagine that it won’t be Elain and Az next. But I don’t even wanna go there. I don’t hate any of these characters. They are all literally so flawed, that if we are only looking at flaws, we should hate them all. If we can all go from hating Nesta to having a better understanding at bare minimum or even LIKING her.. then why not for Elain? Since the beginning it’s clear that Elain has been undervalued and not considered. Being she is seen as weak. Always just deemed the pretty useless one. Like she is an SEER. Something just as rare as a shadow singer. And SJM has continuously implied she will not put women against each other. I really loved Gwyns role in Nesta’a story, and I’m not ruling out her being a lightsinger (because why else was that even brought up in ACOSF?? And why does she bring up singing with Az?? Because he’s a shadow singer? Doesn’t seem necessary unless it alludes to something. Nothing is random for SJM). BUT if she isn’t, then I’m still glad we got to see her. I think a telling sign, past the bonus, is that Gwyn went back to the library. If the next book was going to focus on her, she would not be going back. She would be moving forward. But she isn’t ready.. training or not. And that’s OKAY. She could still be a part of the plot, which might be implied in her being in the bonus. But the bonus takes place in the middle of the book mind you. And tbh I PERSONALLY feel it is to add to the plot in a lightsinger way. But that’s just my own interpretation. You can have your own if you want! And like she went through a fucking lot. The next book is clearly Elains journey, which involves Az and Lucien. And in that, it involves Vassa and Koschei.

so anyways, sorry for the super long rant. But I hope this makes sense to people? The ship war can be fun, but I think we seriously need to stop being so mean to people just because they envision a different person with one of the main characters. In all honesty, I trust SJM to follow through on whoever Elain is with. Who Az is with.Who Lucien is with. Who Gwyn is with. Who Mor is with. Who Emerie is with. And even who Eris is with. She is the CREATOR of these characters. And we can speculate, but in the end she truly knows what’s best. She hasn’t been wrong yet… even Amren and Varian is cute as fuck lol. So anyways. Thank you for reading. And let’s all just be happy we get some time in this world!!!

But that's why the other side specifcially HATES ACOFAS and actually recommends skipping it because 'there is nothing there. It's a Christmas Special'.

Whereas, as you said, Anon, ACOFAS is a blueprint for what would be happening going forward and the future stories.

When it comes to Elriel, we see Lucien being the point of contention between them, so we know that this will be addressed and would play a significant part in the book. We know that the Elriel relationship would probably come as a surprise to many and that it will start secretly. Kind of under everyone's noses, but also people keep missing the signs. I think the biggest misinterpreter of signs will be Rhys, because he, again and again, presents a narrow POV which is completely misaligned with what is happening around him. I think there is also something to be said about Rhys really not knowing his closest friends and confidants--I think that that needs to be dealt with as well.

Yes, I think it's fun to ship, but i think there needs to be some logical foundation to shipping and basic understanding of text. There is a logical flow to books and then there is crackshipping. I've noticed that in this fandom, crackshipping has become an art form. People start believing in their own theories a little too much.

Like SJM went and killed Sigrid in the fist 1/3 of the book, whereas we spent so much time on her in HOSAB. Who is to say she won't do the same with Gwyn? I think unless it's a main, readers need to be cautious with their wild theories and their excessive confidence.

[kaz-rizzveld]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents with season 4 of The Umbrella Academy.

Disclaimer: no hate please, this is my opinion!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Starting off with the ending.

So what the actual fuck. One time I saw someone say back before the season came out that they did in fact think the show should end with all the siblings dying together and realizing there’s nothing they could do and someone else replied how weak that thinking is and I completely agree. (I believe the person who explained how that was weak was "mortal-song" here on tumblr, btw)

Anyway, if the show creators thought of this choice as another “tragic ending” that should have been written or a lesson that things don’t always end well, I get it from a standpoint of someone who thinks all outcomes should be portrayed in media, I just don’t agree that it was the right direction for this show. It’s literally become nothing more than a trend and people thinking they’re quirky and different by ending things badly with a handful of unexplained plot holes because they think they’re Shakespeare. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re not. 

I also understand the idea that this is not a kids show and deep and sophisticated plot lines will be explored, so there should be no problem ending the show this way, right? Wrong again. I’m sick of the idea that because this show is for adults, that we can, and should, give it a tragic ending to communicate that things don’t always end well, no matter how hard you try and that’s such a dangerous message. I’ve also seen people talk about how the show is about coming together as a family and working through childhood trauma as now grown ass adults and that the final conclusions the characters came to is that “we’re the problem and we should give up and die.” This the complete wrong message on so many levels. The devolution of these complex characters and unnecessary romance storylines is so ridiculous (don’t even get me started on Five and Lila) and, quite frankly, insulting to the actors, but I’ll get into that in a minute.

My overall point is that the message and ending in general is absolutely WEAK. It’s rushed, sloppy, and weak. If we had to keep all of the other batshit crazy plot lines that don’t even make any sense, but ended the show differently, we could’ve ended the show with the characters allowing the world to end and them die because they believed that they would also make it to the next world, another motivating message that could’ve been explored, by the way. They could’ve ended out also alive and well in the fixed timeline, living their lives as regular people and healing together. Them literally dying and being erased from existence making the past three seasons pointless is just. Weak. 

Now onto the actors, especially Aidan because based on interviews, I feel like I relate to him and this is just what I feel I can speak to. !! Now I am not him, I do not know him, and I don’t know how he feels !! but if I played Five Hargreeves, if I grew as an actor playing such a complex character, and if I learned a lot about who I was and who the people around me were through my character and theirs, and then the writers completely changed who he is in so many ways, whether that’s selfishness, self pity, giving up, or being a complete home wrecker, I’d be quite upset. If I was in Aidan’s shoes, I’d be furious. That’s so insulting because he brought your character to life and explored a traumatic story for you and for viewers AND gave an absolutely amazing performance, and you go and do him like that…. That’s honestly just so odd of you and I feel bad for him and his costars for being insulted like that. 

I could talk about Ritu as well because as an actress she watched her co-star and friend grow up, and then you go and make her have a romantic relationship with him. I know they’re actors and it’s their job but that’s literally so odd. This mainly, but also other aspects of her character that I feel was completely different to who she was as a person in the last two seasons, is also very insulting to Ritu. Like just wow.

Some other smaller examples for the other actors:

It’s insulting to Tom that you reduced his character to a literal stripper and over the top golden retriever after he progressed and grew.

It’s insulting to David that you reduced his character to a “father” who isn’t doing his job well and in a highly broken marriage. Not to mention he was against the Lila and Five plot and you went and did it anyway.

It’s insulting to Emmy that she didn’t get to build on and explore a real or complex relationship with the people her character sacrificed everything for in the first place.

It’s insulting to Robert that you developed his character to someone sober and more mature, just to strip it away and reduce him back to season 1 him- someone the others can’t trust or take seriously, whether he’s drinking or a germaphobe, just for giggles. It wasn't funny by the way.

It’s insulting to Aidan that you reduced his character to a blind and selfish boy who betrayed his own brother and gave up on his family when that's literally the opposite of his character.

It’s insulting to Justin that you reduced his character to the monster he was afraid of becoming since the beginning and probably gave him false hope about being able to share a powerful message this season since he was supposed to be the focus.

It’s insulting to Elliot that though he was able to explore his character as a grown individual who stands up for himself to his father, that it was all for nothing, meant nothing in the long run.

It’s insulting to Ritu that her character development also meant nothing and her character was reduced to a messy adulterer and questionable mother.

It’s a bad and weak message to the audience and it’s a bad and weak message to the actors and it’s insulting to them that they had to communicate said message after all of this.

[daisiesinchampagne]

Balance Unbroken - A Winx Tale

Chapter 1

“Please state your name and planet,” Demanded a tall woman, a thick, heavy-looking clipboard firmly in her right hand. Dressed in a white tunic-like shirt, neatly tucked into dress pants, and tall hunting leather boots, tightly laced up, she looked like she was about to set into a nearby forest for a hunting exercise. Her long brown hair was hastily braided and now rested on her shoulder. She was not human, a conclusion one would come to after having observed her long ears which pointed outward, rather than up. 

“Coda, ma’am. Coda of Melody.” Ever since he was young, his parents would constantly remind Coda to maintain eye contact with the people he was talking to. Right now this endeavor was proving to be quite challenging as he would have to get up on his toes just to barely reach the height of her neck. Still, trying to be polite, Coda straightened his back to the best of his ability, remarking to himself that he never met someone quite so tall. 

The lady either didn’t notice his discomfort or didn’t care, as she was too preoccupied with trying to find his name in the many papers she was holding. “Coda… Melody…,” she mumbled, frantically flipping through the pages. “Here you are, right on the top of the list. Welcome to Alfea, your Highness. I am Professor Alenda. Please go ahead into the courtyard and await the welcoming ceremony.” 

Coda awkwardly bowed and quickly walked past her towards the campus, trying not to hold up the line. From behind, he heard Professor Alenda flip back through the pages on her clipboard and shout, “Next!”

Coda moved with the large line through the massive stone gates, trying not to bump into anyone - a task nearly impossible as with what felt like the entire population of Magix City gathered in one place. He couldn’t help but notice other students glaring in his direction. Some fairies were - or at least tried to be - discreet, but many didn’t even try to hide their peaked interest. 

“Quick, Lily! Look on your left!” an excited young girl whispered loudly. “By the stars, don’t make it so obvious! So the rumors are true…” 

Coda had known what kind of reaction his appearance would cause at Alfea, but actually being here was much more uncomfortable than he could’ve imagined, the crowds staring and murmuring like he was some kind of rare animal, being paraded around town. After what felt like an eternity of smiling uncomfortably at girls who weren’t even trying to be secretive with their stares, he approached a podium set up next to the main entrance and heard a familiar voice.

“Look who’s here! You finally made it!” a loud voice cut through the sea of conversations around him. He turned and looked for the source of the squeaking voice. Suddenly, a petite girl squeezed herself through the crowd, almost being crushed between two people in the process. She dashed over, a pink, frilly dress billowing like a cloud, while her long blonde pigtails bounced behind her delicate headdress. She came to a jumping stop in front of Coda, looking up at him with a wide, childish grin. “Coda, it’s so good to see you!”

Coda, relieved to see someone familiar, couldn’t help but smile. “Long time no see, Fianna.” 

“How was your trip?” she asked gleefully, as she took his arm and began leading him toward the seating area for the welcome ceremony. Together they almost looked like a young girl excitedly dragging her father around the courtyard.

“The magic barrier had to be lifted just so I could teleport here, so it’s a miracle I even made it on time,” Coda said as he tried to match her quick pace. “My escorts were sure we’d be attacked when leaving Melody.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about any of that now!” Fianna asserted with a smile. “Magix is the safest place you can be! Speaking of safe places, how do you like Alfea so far?”

Coda looked around. The large structure looked almost ethereal, with pastel-colored buildings shaped almost like elaborate clouds, surrounding a courtyard with a perfectly uniform lawn, now filled with students and professors alike. Colorful flower bushes were planted along the buildings, painting vivid splashes of color against the muted colors of the walls. The weather was scorching hot, a bit strange for the last day of summer when one would expect the temperature to begin to let up. Coda couldn’t help but notice various girls using either magic or elaborate technological gadgets to keep themselves cool. 

“It’s big, and very… girly,” were the only words he could muster up to describe what he was seeing. Fianna gave him an unimpressed look.

“Girly huh? Well, ignoring your crude choice of words, I guess I can see where you’re coming from,” she said. “Though I heard that they tried their best to remodel the place here and there for the new male students… Oh! Seems like they are starting.”

The two rushed to find open seats and settled into their chairs just as an older-looking lady made her way up the steps to a wooden stage at the front of the seating area. Her heels clicked against the floor loudly, causing voices from the crowd to gradually dissipate as she reached the podium. Her appearance was certainly striking. Dressed in a tight-fitting red dress and an enormous red hat with white accents, Coda thought she resembled a poisonous mushroom from his home planet, or maybe an exotic bird he once saw in a picture book. Behind her, the professors formed a long line. Coda noticed the woman who took his attendance upon his arrival, professor Alenda, was among them. Her tall height made her stand out among her colleagues like a sore thumb. The lady in red adjusted her sharp-framed glasses, which hung precariously at the tip of her nose and quietly chanted a voice-amplifying spell before turning to her audience.

“Good morning dear students,” her voice, amplified by magic, filled Coda’s ears like a luxuriously smooth silk. “I am Headmistress DuFour, and on behalf of all the staff, I welcome you all, new and returning, to Alfea.” Coda glanced around and saw that every audience member stared up at the headmistress with glittering adoration. “Before the school year officially starts, I would like to share some exciting news. As of this year, our great school Alfea is now a co-ed institution. We are pleased to announce that after many years of preparation, we will be educating female and male fairies alike.” 

Murmurs began to sweep through the crowd, and DuFour paused before continuing. “This is an exciting and momentous occasion, after being a women-only institution for hundreds of years. I ask you all to exercise patience as we adjust to new rules and conduct. For now, I hope that we all get along and have a fantastic year together.” 

The female fairies could hardly hold their excitement as they swung their heads around, trying to find the new male students, their soon-to-be classmates. Coda shrunk in his seat as the people around him glanced in his direction. The welcoming ceremony couldn’t end soon enough, he thought, as he sank lower and lower until he nearly merged with his chair. He looked back up to the podium and was surprised to see the headmistress looking directly at him. She wore a warm smile and her eyes had a reassuring determination, and suddenly he felt instantly at ease. 

“Moving on to other exciting news, the Cloud Tower’s administration has graciously offered their campus as a venue for this year’s Welcome Ball. Students are to use the shuttles provided by Alfea to get to Cloud Tower after dinner. Please use this opportunity to network with fellow students and professors alike, and don’t forget that you will be working closely with both the student witches of Cloud Tower and specialists of Red Fountain to enhance your education here. Lastly, remember that you are representing Alfea, so I implore you to behave yourself throughout the evening.” 

***

After the ceremony concluded, Coda found himself in a group of students being herded toward the residential quarters. Fianna, now a sophomore, had gone in another direction with a group of female fairies. Dorm suites occupied the entire west wing and each floor was dedicated to a different year. First years were to move into the third-floor dorms in place of freshly graduated third years. Some fairies, who were unable to get their enchantix form, had to stay for a fourth year and were able to keep their dorms, but now had to share them with the freshmen. 

Coda walked along a seemingly never-ending corridor, swerving in between colorful luggage bags and their owners, many of whom stood in small groups in the middle of the walkway with no regard for people trying to pass them by. Finally, he reached his destination - large glass double doors that served as an entrance to his apartment. “Frey of Callisto, Cian of Serenia, Coda of Melody,” were the names listed on a nameplate on the left of the door. Coda slowly opened the door and looked around. It occurred to him that Alfea was considered one of the most prestigious fairy academies in the universe - and it certainly looked the part, the entryway alone was absolutely enormous. The common area, brightly lit by a panoramic window, contained four spacious blue loveseats, arranged in a circle around a large, wooden coffee table. To the left of the window, a sunken sitting area was tucked into a corner. A small fireplace was nestled into a circular recess in the wall, and next to it were two blue accent chairs. A large bookcase with numerous textbooks took up the entire right wall, and magical plants with colorful flowers served as decorative elements across the room. Despite being royalty, Coda was left awestruck by the resplendence of his new living arrangements.

The common space had two corridors that branched in opposite directions, leading to the students’ private rooms. This year, despite turning co-ed, Alfea housed only three male students which, to Coda’s delight, would mean that each boy would get a room to themselves. He pondered for a second, wondering which corridor his room was supposed to be in, and eventually picked the left one. This hallway led to a communal bathroom and a single private room. After a closer inspection of the nameplate on the door to the room, Coda found his name and grinned at his luck. He was still curious about the other corridor but decided that it must lead to the other two private rooms, which he had no business in investigating. So he opened the door to his new quarters.

Coda’s bedroom was nothing short of spectacular. Immediately on his left was a large closet, with all his luggage bags piled up next to it, and on the other side, standing next to the right wall, was an expansive desk, already full of supplies for the school year. The crown jewel of his room, however, was the bed. Resting between two towering shelves stood a large oval-shaped bed with silk sheets, swathed in sheer canopy curtains. It was a bed unlike any that Coda had ever seen, the sheer size of which could comfortably fit three people. 

As Coda turned to his luggage, the built-in mirror on the closet door caught his eye, drawing him to his own reflection. His black hair, a little too long and unruly, framed his narrow face, with bangs hovering just below his eyebrows as if they had a mind of their own. He fumbled for a comb, trying to make himself look somewhat presentable for meeting his new suitemates — maybe his mother had been right about cutting it before the semester began.

His pale complexion didn’t help, making his delicate features seem even more fragile. Black eyes stared back at him, reinforcing the unremarkable appearance he always saw: nothing princely, nothing regal. Just small, mousy, and easily overlooked. He was shorter than most men he encountered, though at least still taller than Fianna. That was some comfort.

Coda had just begun unpacking his largest suitcase when he heard a loud thud in the common area. It must have been one of his new roommates, Coda thought, steeling his nerves as he went out into the corridor. In the middle of the common area stood a tall lanky boy surrounded by piles of clothes, presumably spilled out of the massive bag he was holding. He looked extremely disheveled as if he had just woken up from a long slumber. His red hair stood up in random places giving it the appearance of a roaring flame, and his clothes were wrinkled all over. At the same time, he looked as though he was ready for another nap.

“Um, hello. Do you want me to give you a hand?” Coda asked as he made his way over to the boy.

“Out of my way,” the boy hissed. With a flick of his hand, the clothes floated off the ground and trailed after him as he made for the left corridor. 

“Actually, your room is the other way,” Coda said, taken aback by the remark. The red-haired boy shot him a deadly glance. They stared at each other for a moment before the boy turned and redirected his belongings, shooting them in the opposite direction with such force that Coda just barely managed to avoid being knocked over by a floating pile of books. And then just like that, he was gone, disappearing with his luggage into the righthand corridor.

“Heh, what a piece of work,” Coda jerked his head around, surprised by the voice coming from behind. There in the entryway, another boy leaned on a doorframe with a smirk on his face. Coda stood, silently studying the newcomer. “Well, looks like we're all roommates now, so he could at least try to play nice.” The boy dragged a small suitcase behind him as he entered the common area. He stopped in front of Coda and held out his hand. “My name’s Frey, by the way. I’m from Callisto. And you?”

“Coda,” Coda replied, shaking Frey’s hand. “Coda of Melody. Nice to meet you.”

Frey cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. His wheat-colored hair fell in a perfect wave over his forehead, contrasting with his tanned caramel skin. Frey was a whole head taller than Coda, with a strong, athletic build, yet his long eyelashes, sharp jawline, and eyebrows that came up in the center gave him a very feminine face. With his short stature, small frame, and unpronounced features, Coda couldn’t help but feel like a laughable parody of a human being next to such a beautifully perfect-looking person. “Coda of Melody,” Frey said with interest. “You mean, His Royal Highness Coda of the Planet of Music?” 

“Just Coda. I’m no prince at this school, just a student.” 

“As you wish, Coda the student,” Frey said with a devilish smile. “Well, we should start unpacking. Our Welcome Ball awaits.” 

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

I've been wanting to watch this forever, and there have been subs since at least the start of the year, but per so many nyaa comments said subs are kind of shit. It was only just a week ago that these two movies came out on Netflix, and have subsequently been nyaa'd by erai. And with that, I've been able to watch the conclusion to the Sailor Moon Crystal saga. Finally.

These movies were pretty good! I can't shake the feeling that I'm so far removed from first watching Sailor Moon and whatnot to where I was… not confused at all - it's all easy to follow and all that - but I guess just not at the level of emotional investment I could've been. But despite that, I had a very good time - the stuff happening at this point in the story is so insanely high concept and far and away the series at its absolute most dramatic and it's really entertaining because of it, the lore starts going absolutely insane and as an extension of everything that's happened so far Usagi as a character feels at her most deeply tragic, which ofc consequently makes her standing up to it all anyway feel all the more powerful. I understand that Sailor Moon's place in popular culture is most prominently represented by the 90s anime but it's kind of insane how kiddy the franchise's reputation is when this late in the game it's as serious as it often is. Visuals I'd also say are confidently the best that Crystal's looked easily. Ami dies first which was sad I barely got to see her lol. But no, good time.

And from there I'm... well I kinda don't know how to feel. I feel something but I don't know how to parse it. Thinking about it, it's been about 4 and a half years since I finished what was at the time the entirety of Sailor Moon. Both 90s and Crystal. And about 3 years since I watched the Eternal movies. To have all that time pass and witness the final part of the story come out, again, it feels weird. It's a good feeling, cathartic, but weird. You know when I heard Sailor Star Song I was tearing up, and the handwritten thank you message from Naoko Takeuchi at the end got me even more so. Fun thing, that.

I would like to use this as an opportunity to spur me back into, if not necessarily reading right away, at least finish collecting the Sailor Moon manga volumes I'm yet to buy. I've been 6 volumes out of 10 into Eternal Edition for years now, like surely I can get that done. And ideally once I do, read the fucking thing - such is generally the point of books. Collecting at least the 90s anime would be fun but I don't think it's licensed in the UK and I'm not really in the mood to spend extra importing shit, you know how it is. But yeah no, good time.

Sailor Moon good. I rated Crystal stuff pretty high by volume, admittedly I'm sort of mixed on it anyway - it exists both as a faithful manga adaptation and a 90s nostalgia trip and at times doesn't commit enough to either front and feels sort of awkward. Even in Cosmos they played Moonlight Densetsu as the OP to the first movie and the ED to the second, like yes I remember Moonlight Densetsu, well done. But you know, still fun. Rough to start and I'd still say with full confidence I prefer the 90s anime, but definitely good. Again whenever I actually have read the manga we'll see what direction I end up leaning. End post.

[ausetkmt]

The Daily Dot: Black People Question 'The American Society Of Magical Negroes'

The Sundance Film Festival’s recent screening of The American Society of Magical Negroes has stirred significant controversy. Natalie (@nataliethehero) discusses the hoopla, and its star’s recent comments in a trending clip with 289,000 views on TikTok. This satirical fantasy comedy, directed by Kobi Libii, has garnered many critical reactions, particularly from African American audiences and critics.

“This movie is a hard no,” said one of the commenters.

Others had words on star Justice Smith’s career. “I want Justice Smith to want more for himself lol,” wrote another person. Said another commenter: “Dude, I feel so bad for Justice Smith. He came out of the gate swinging w/ his career but has made/ been pushed into some bad duds.” “After “The Get Down” “Detective Pikachu” and “The Quarry” I thought Justice Smith’s career was going to take off :/ makes me sad,” wrote yet another person.

As mentioned by Natalie, journalist Robert Daniels, contributing to RogerEbert.com and renowned outlets like the New York Times, gave a scathing review, stating, “The American Society of Magical Negroes lacks politics, coherency, and the grand vision necessary for vast world-building.” His review paints a picture of a film with a promising start that ultimately fails to deliver a coherent message or meaningful critique of the anti-Black world it depicts.

As Daniels points out, the film begins on a high note but quickly descends into confusion, culminating in a hollow conclusion against its attempted humor. Daniels emphasizes the film’s failure in world-building and character development, particularly critiquing its protagonist, Aren, played by Justice Smith, for being frustratingly underdeveloped.

Smith revealed the film’s divisive reception from focus groups. In a discussion at Sundance, he highlighted the varying reactions among Black viewers, with some feeling triggered and others seeing reflections of their experiences. “Black people were triggered by seeing something that they weren’t ready to admit in themselves,” Smith shared, perhaps also defending Libii. He praised the film for showcasing the diversity within the Black community and pushing the boundaries of Black art.

However, reactions to Smith’s comments and the film have been mixed. Some viewers criticized the insinuated narrative that Black people who disliked the movie were too ignorant to understand it. Others expressed disappointment in the film’s focus on white-centric themes, hoping instead for a film that celebrated Black magic.

One viewer’s feedback encapsulates the general sentiment: “I saw the movie, and it’s just not as interesting as they think it is. It’s banal in its attempt at being provocative. It centers whiteness and placates the sensibilities of the group it claims to be critiquing.”

The American Society of Magical Negroes is billed as a satire of the Magical Negro trope, a concept widely criticized for perpetuating outdated and racist stereotypes in American cinema. The Magical Negro, typically a supporting character in film and literature, is often portrayed with mystical powers or unique insights, existing mainly to aid white protagonists. This trope, criticized by film director Spike Lee and others, is seen as a modern-day extension of racist archetypes like “Sambo” or the “noble savage.”

We've never seen microaggressive corporate racism?? Whaaat? WE have not only seen it, but lived it time and time again. What is unique about THIS rendition of surviving racism??— Denise – Pamela Denise Long (@PDeniseLong) January 21, 2024

The film’s intent to critique this trope and the anti-Black world seems lost in execution, as indicated by Daniels’ review and audience reactions. This disconnect raises questions about the effectiveness of satire in addressing complex racial issues and the responsibility of filmmakers in creating works that are both thought-provoking and respectful of the communities they represent.

Despite its star-studded cast, including David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, and Nicole Byer, critics say The American Society of Magical Negroes struggles to balance its satirical elements with meaningful commentary. The film’s tepid reception at Sundance and its polarizing impact on the focus group suggest a missed opportunity to thoughtfully engage with critical themes surrounding race and representation in cinema.

Doubling down on the tepidness, the Hollywood Reporter writer Jourdain Searles declared, “Ultimately, The American Society of Magical Negroes is a film bogged down by its filmmaker’s inability to make the central joke work.”

As the film gears up for its theatrical release by Focus Features on March 15, how wider audiences will receive it remains to be seen. The discourse in this TikTok video suggests a need for more nuanced and respectful approaches to storytelling, especially when dealing with sensitive topics like race and identity.

However, a review from BlackGirlNerds.com writer Catalina Combs suggests the satire had hit its target, calling it “a must-see satire about what it means for Black people to protect and care for ourselves and each other.”

The film serves as a case study of the challenges and responsibilities of creating art that aims to critique societal norms. Its reception at Sundance and online underscores the importance of authenticity and sensitivity in storytelling, particularly when exploring themes of race and identity. 

The American Society of Magical Negroes presents a tricky narrative that has sparked significant debate and reflection. While its intention to execute satire on a problematic trope is clear, its execution may leave much to be desired. As the film industry continues to grapple with issues of representation and diversity, this movie stands as a reminder of the importance of thoughtful and respectful storytelling.