#mary ann is hard to think of an arc for but if there's still a little bit of the rage crystal inside of her?

[deconstructthesoup]

If we ever get a Rat Grinders season, I think it'd be really cool for the shatterstars to still have some effect on them, mechanically speaking.

Like

Oisin now has really good strength, but awful dexterity, since he's now back in his own mind and absolutely not used to his new buff body. Combats are now full of moments where Oisin gets fully surprised by how easily he was able to hit someone without spells, and then he rolls incredibly low on a dexterity check and immediately gets reminded that "wizard" and "tank" are not terms that are meant to go together.

Ivy's ranger senses are now dialed up to eleven, since even though everyone kind of lost a lot of their high-level abilities, heightened senses are hard to get rid of. This gives her advantage on perception, and investigation, and all that other fun stuff, but it does also mean that whenever she's in loud spaces or in stressful situations, she's gotta roll to avoid getting overwhelmed---kind of like Adaine's panic attack rolls.

Ruben's got decent persuasion and everything, now back to having the charisma that comes from being a really sweet person who cares about his friends, but he can roll persuasion with advantage... if he's talking to someone who recognizes him from his famous emo shatterstared-days, and if he pretends that he's still that version of himself---aka, the version of himself who he straight-up does not remember being. It has more of an effect on him in social situations than in combat, but it still leaves him with a bad taste in his mouth.

Mary Ann needs to be really careful whenever she goes into a rage now, because there's a chance that if she rolls low enough, she'll feel that old fire seep back into her veins, making her fully lose control and attack people without meaning to. Since she's so nonplussed and deadpan most of the time, it was hard for people to really tell if she was still affected by the shatterstars... but you can imagine that it would be the hardest to remove the effect from a barbarian, even by a goddess's hand.

[potatobugz]

hypothetical "the rat grinders if they were bad kids and vice versa" type drawings. there are many thoughts swimming around in my brain...

was this mostly an excuse to draw gorgug in mary ann's style of outfit? maybe. am i having fun? absolutely <|:)

[sailforvalinor]

Who doesn't like Edmund??????? HOW can they not like Edmund?????????? He's the best of the Bertrums!!!!

Well, to be fair, being the best of the Bertrams is not too difficult, lol.

But yes, a LOT of people dislike Edmund, like, probably the majority of the Austen community. I agree!!! It’s so frustrating!!!

Like, Darcy insulted Elizabeth’s family to her face and actively separated her sister from the man she loved, Captain Wentworth ignored Anne’s existence and courted other girls in front of her on purpose, Edward was engaged to another woman while courting Elinor, and we give them passes, but we come down so hard on Edmund for *checks notes* letting Mary ride on Fanny’s horse for too long.

Yes yes, obviously there was more to that incident, but the point still stands—Edmund has committed far less grievous mistakes than most Austen heroes, but he’s the most hated. Why is this??

There’s a couple reasons for this, I think: we never get to see him actually in love with Fanny, and, unlike most Austen heroes, he never gets to perform any sort of grand gesture to make amends for his mistakes. We know that he does fall in love with Fanny and that these amends must have been made (especially seeing how quick he is to apologize to Fanny when he realizes he's been neglecting her in other places in the novel), but Austen deliberately chooses to narrate these events without actually giving them to us directly. Admittedly, this frustrates me, but I understand why: Mansfield Park is not a love story. There is a romance in the story, but that isn't what the narrative is fundamentally concerned with--the narrative is fundamentally concerned with Fanny's development and strength of character independent of (you might even say in spite of) the other characters in the novel. Unlike Pride and Prejudice or Emma, Fanny's character development is not incited by the actions of the hero (which, to be clear, I don't have any issue with--Mansfield Park just has a different narrative formula). Fanny overall is what you might call a static character--not in the sense that she is not fleshed-out or well-developed, but in that she does not go through a lot of character change. Rather, instead of her arc being about changing to become a better person, her arc is about her struggle to remain the good person that she is in spite of outside pressure to change to become more like the rest of the world. (For a really good example of a static character arc, look no further than Captain America!) It's not that Fanny doesn't go through any character growth whatsoever, she definitely does, but this growth overall roots her more deeply into what she believed before, rather than inciting change. The more I think about it, actually, the more it seems like Mansfield Park is a typical "Austen" story told from the perspective of the love interest.

It is actually Edmund who goes through the more dynamic character arc that we associate with most protagonists--which is why I've been thinking for ages that a retelling of Mansfield Park from his perspective could be REALLY interesting. Because told from his perspective, Mansfield Park undoubtedly becomes a love story where it did not hold that status previously. And Edmund would make such a great protagonist!!! There is SO MUCH about his character that I find absolutely fascinating. He of course has a very strong moral compass, which is something I've always admired him for, and despite his attraction to Mary and delusion about her character, is never once even tempted to change his profession from a clergyman to earn Mary's love. We really don't give Edmund enough credit for coming out so well-adjusted and morally upright as he did, coming from a family like the Bertram's. He is also fundamentally very kind, but what's so interesting about him is that he is not, though he certainly tries, always the most attentive. He certainly never neglects Fanny on purpose and is horrified when he finds out that he has, but the fact still remains that he is not the most emotionally perceptive (I'm actually very tempted to draw some parallels between him and Catherine Morland here). Edmund possesses a lot of book-smarts, but is somewhat lacking in social intelligence--or, for lack of a better term, street-smarts. I don't know what textual evidence there is to support this, but I've always had the impression that up until the beginning of the novel, Edmund hadn't had much experience mingling in society, given how as soon as he finished college he was brought straight home to manage Sir Bertram's estate while he was away in Antigua. Regardless of whether or not this is actually the case, it's clear that Edmund is a terrible judge of character despite how morally upright he himself is, which is absolutely fascinating to me. (Again! Catherine parallels!!) Fanny makes a direct contrast to Edmund in this regard--she does not possess the same book knowledge or have the advantage of the education that he had, but she is, though unconsciously, the most emotionally intelligent person in the room and the best judge of character in the entire book.

It is this contrast, but with their shared beliefs about the world and what is right and good, that cements my belief in how well-suited they are for each other. Edmund does not challenge Fanny to change, but Fanny's steadfastness of character does motivate Edmund to change--when he realizes that she perceived what sort of person Henry Crawford was all along and that she was right to refuse him, it exposes to him just how blind he is to the character of others. Edmund basically goes through the same sort of arc that Austen's heroines go through, but this time the roles have been reversed! IT'S JUST SO COOL

Anyway, sorry for rambling. TL;DR, I'm not going to try to convince you that Edmund Bertram is on the same level as Mr. Knightley or Mr. Tilney, but PLEASE examine him critically before you write him off as trash, because he really isn't.

[arcplaysgames]

someone asked me a while about about my ideal persona cast using the P3/P4/P5 casts and i didn't answer because this was back when we just got futaba so i didn't know

now I feel I have a bit more of a handle so

The Protagonist: femmeswap Joker. yes i still want to be able to play a girl so fucking bad and i'm mad the game will not let me. i feel like Joker and FeMC would be tight bc they are both fucking weirdos.

The Best Friend Guy: i am agonizing over yosuke vs junpei but I'm gonna say Junpei because I liked having a bro that much. I like Yosuke but only when he's devastatingly closeted and in love with P4MC. I would be friends with Junpei IRL.

The Uncool Girl: I really like Ann but Yukari was great, she was gay as hell, and she had a very interesting arc. I liked how she gave huge "girl friend who secretly dislikes you and is just being nice" vibes but evolved into an extremely sharp plot catalyst who asked smart questions and was super perceptive.

The Polite Girl With A Family Legacy: Makoto was never in the running here, but Yukiko vs Mitsuru is hard. Mitsuru has nonbinary swagger and a motorcycle, but Yukiko is actually really funny and charming...... I'm gonna say Yukiko by a hair.

The Weird Loveable Dude Who I Personally Wanna Date In Each Game: Yusuke vs Kanji vs Akihiko. god, don't make me pick between Akihiko the Autistic Boxer King and Kanji the literal best character in P4. I refuse to pick. Both win.

Yusuke loses because the game forgot he's a loveable weirdo about 20 hours ago and he's just another voice in cutscenes now and i'm sad about it.

The Navigator: oh my god Fuuka vs Futaba is so fucking hard. I wanted to date Fuuka so bad and she's still the most useful of the actual navigators, she's the only one who just gives you a full scan of the enemies when you ask. but Futaba is a fucking delight and her struggle with agoraphobia and social anxiety isn't played up, it's so on point, yeah I'm gonna go Futaba but Fuuka, I still love you!!!!!

Late-Comer Who Doesn't Get Enough Screentime: i don't want to blow any minds but i think i like Haru the most out of these, I'm really loving her Empress arc. Naoto was super interesting up until they joined the party, then the game got scared to do anything with her. nah.

The Guest Party Member: Shinjiro vs Akechi. SIGHS. it's gotta be Akechi unfortunately.

The Mascot Animal: Teddie, no question. Morgana is a close second but I cried about Teddie. hmmmm but morgana is a cat that lives in your school bag......... NO it's teddie! I can't not reward Sam Reigel for the fucking WORK he did!

The Special Edition Character: Marie. Kasumi has suffered soooooo much from feeling tacked onto the story in an extremely sloppy way. With Marie, that... kind of was perfect given who and what she was, it almost aided in the feeling of her as a superfluous vestigial limb of the game that you opt-into caring about. Also her becoming a weather forecaster was hilarious. Kasumi really really needs some fucking edge.

(also, random complaint, Maruki feels MUCH LESS TACKED ON than Kasumi, so i KNOW they could have done a better job integrating her. whatever.)

Velvet Room Attendant: Margaret. I'm sorry, I'm shallow and she's incredibly hot and that line asking the PC to entangle her in his thread of fate was hot. Also the moment she kisses the PC is great. Sorry Liz.

Bad Vibes Bad Guy: Ryoji vs Adachi vs Akechi. This is impossible because all three of them are atrocious in their own ways. Also, I haven't seen Akechi's dismount yet. HOWEVER..... as fun as Akechi shooting Joker was, and it was very fun, I don't think he comes close to P4MC vs Adachi in Yamano's room. The framing, the cinematography, the sudden shock of his Arcana changing, it was phenomenal. JYB absolutely killed that performance. Adachi.

Last Minute Baddie No One Cares About: Izanami vs Shido vs huh p3 doesn't have that huh. I'm gonna say Shido because no I don't care, but at least he's been mildly set up as the baddie where izanami, all you get is Edogawa giving you a four minute lecture on the creation myth of Japan and then you gotta remember that 40 hours later when the fucking gas station attendant turns out to be evil. It's dumb. At least Shido has backstory with Joker.

that was fun! it's interesting to see the reused tropes and pick which i like.

[v-e-l-v-e-t-g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e]

I kept forgetting to make a post about it, but I finished the novel Taltos - and therefore The Lives of the Mayfair Witches series - last week.

I’ve been meaning to post it, so, full comment under the cut for spoilers for this book and for the whole series.

In some ways, Taltos was easier to read than the others, and in other ways it was harder. The themes are not so dense on this one. It’s less dark and disturbing, although these elements are still very much present in the narrative.

You know, the first time I read Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis it seemed to me that Anne was shoving two very different stories together in the same book (and later on she confirmed that she did, in fact, very much did this); Taltos sort of feelis like that, too.

And to be fair, yeah, Lasher was a taltos and therefore the Taltos lore is present through this book series since the beginning but. While I do think the lore about this species is interesting, I still think they’re an odd fit with the witches, and this doesn’t always work together.

Mona and her pregnancy... damn, all her family ok with this thirteen year old getting pregnant from her 50-year old cousin’s husbands and ‘blaming’ her for it made me so, so mad but I was not surprised since it’s the Mayfairs were speaking about so, very typical for them.

I was a bit disappointed that the whole Talamasca thing ended up being like three rogue dudes. But I have to say that Marklin and Tommy’s executions were terrifying. They commited crimes and yes, they should have payed for these crimes, but what the Talamasca members decided to do with them... the humans in this series really can be so much worse than any of the supernatural creatures.

Ash’s story was interesting, the whole Taltos canon too, but at this time I was already a bit weary of it all lmao so maybe I didn’t appreciate it as much as a I could have.

I have said before that is hard to root for Michael these days and I still stand by it but I think it’s interesting how packed with sadness both his and Rowan’s narration are. I couldn’t find the quotation I was looking for from Michael, but Rowan is all but suicidal at the end of the book:

I liked that this book deals with the things that bothered me in the Lasher novel - that it didn’t feel fair that their whole species was wiped out and considered unworthy of existence. And of course after seeing Ash with her own eyes and therefore realizing that she killed her own daughter, her innocent daughter who came back to save her only to be shot to death, of course it would shatter Rowan. The book actually doesn’t really gives closure to her grief and depression, and I don’t remember enough of her arc in Blood Canticle to judge if this gets dealt it at some time.

I do like how, as soon as Mona realized she was pregnant with a Taltos, she started to see Rowan and Michael as enemies because she would not allow her daughter to be killed, the way Rowan killed her own child.

Morrigan is interesting too, and her escaping with Ash feels inevitable as an ending. It feels hopeful, despite everything else.

I missed the witches lore in this book. Hardly anything about the ancestors, hardly anything even about the current ones except for Mona/Mary Jane/Rowan, and it was sorely missed.

Overall I’m glad to have read these books. I’m even glad it took this long since these are such heavy books, so it’s better I didn’t read them as a teen. The first book remains the best of all the bunch, but the whole series is better than what people have told me over the years lol

[magicisrealandsoismyally]

Don't worry about your tone, I so get that, I'm in the same boat. (And ngl, this has been fun for me)

I see your point with the shatterstars, and that does make sense.

Also, I know Kipperlily could do more damage, if she could plan that out, and be patient about it. Jace and Porter specifically told the Rat Grinders to avoid the Bad Kids so they wouldn't catch on to anything, and all of them, including Kipperlily, failed. (ex: Kipperlily needlessly approaching them campaign events like the one she announced kristen's god died, which she could have spread without approaching kristen, or during the lunch confrontation). it's been well established, that kipperlily is thinking with enough rage that she can't be patient about shit or stick to the plan. So no, I don't think she'd be able to dismantle governments because rogues in particular aren't great when operating emotionally (this isn't mechanically ofc, barbarian/rogue is a peak multiclass).

Adaine on the other hand is a powerful wizard, who, if we remember the fact that xp leveling is canonically, would get really really strong on her warpath. It does help to remember that Adaine's combat strategy is rather reliant on melee (for a wizard) with her sword and Adaine's Furious fist, meaning the strength and probably con that comes with the shatterstars that made the wizards into hulks would absolutely benefit her in a fight.

Adaine is the most powerful divination wizard in the world lorewise. She is a wizard with access to 5th level and possibly 6th level spells (at the time of the mall vision). And unfortunately for the world, her object of anger is a woman adept at magically hiding. Compared to Kipperlily, who's object of anger is a kid she goes to school with. Of course when Kipperlily doesn't have to leave Elmville it's gonna look worse when Adaine gets crystaled.

Also, the dragons and Nightmare King were unleashed on Seacaster Manor to make it crash. Which meant that the survivors of the crash would have still been enraged given enough time. And even if they weren't, the Rate Grinders were still damning a town to hell.

When I say the genre determines who's good and who's bad, I don't mean morality, I mean heroes and villains. Yeah, ACAB includes B99 because the show plays the force as realistic, and often covers realistic scenarios and topics, which the cops in that show tend to respond with "police brutality but it's funny and/or justified this time".

I don't think ACAB makes John McClane, the cop from the Die Hard movies, a bad guy because he is in an inherently unrealistic story (every movie this guy stops a terrorist plot by himself and has never once, been promoted to a government agency).

I also don't think that agreeing with a morally grey marvel villain's ideology suddenly makes them good, because their plan with obviously have something stupid like killing babies shoehorned in to demonize the ideology.

Yeah, in the real world, half the shit that makes Kipperlilly evil, wouldn't apply to a girl like Kipperlilly. Most teenage girls would not murder 6 of their friends (even not so close friends) in cold blood. The genre, made a villain out of the concept of who Kipperlilly is, and that is Kipperlilly. You can sometimes divorce the character from the genre, the story they're from, but a good character like Kipperlilly is shaped by it.

Also, even if she was a normal girl, she is a real world asshole. She's literally another white girl pissed about Affirmative Action. Real world assholes can be changed people yes, but in dnd games, they don't "redeem" that many real world assholes compared to the ones they kill. Kipperlilly just lost the luck roll.

You can't earn a redemption arc. Not in the real world. In the genre of dnd however, likability equals morality. It's why they saved Mary Anne, it's why a party I'm in is besties with the godess of misery, and it's why KLKC is dead and gone. Because she's not a fun person to be around. It's a tough fact, but it's also one that's been true since freshman year when Ragh was redeemed.

Also, I'll agree Ankarna should face repercussions for her time as a Rage goddess, the instant I find good faith argument for Cassandra's time as the Nightmare King needed repercussions. Gods play by different rules, and we've accepted that before, what's different now?

KLKC did not want help. She above all else wanted vindication. She did very little to actually refocus her anger and listen to Jawbone. And the instant a teacher told her that her unfounded anger was good, she jumped for it. She did not want to be help, she wanted to be right.

I love Kipperlilly (as a character, she would be awful to be around irl), but I love her as a villain. And I think in a different story, she'd be redeemed. But she doesn't meet the conditions for it in dnd.

And I'll be honest, the only reason I ever talk about Kipperlilly on here is because I keep seeing posts that are antagonistic to Brennan for not letting her be redeemed, which given the genre, would have felt so goddamn shoehorned in if the players didn't want it to happen.

P.S. Day 45 of wishing, no praying, for a rat grinders side quest

i love kipperlily defenders, someone please remind them you can have a truly evil character be your fav

she did not have normal teenage anger, she had a homicide, she committed cold blooded murder against her best friend, that is not "local teen girl has some issues" that is murder.

it is truly beautiful what people will defend, but as a klkc fan myself, let her be villainous, let her be unreasonable, let her be hated, you can still love her for being awful

[thetimelordbatgirl]

I'm going to be honest, the 3 armies is the only time in the show where Anne personally felt a little bit mary-sueish. Like you and that anon said, apparently her just yelling at the group for a minute was enough for them to put decades of conflict to the side? Let's at least hope the last 2 episodes are good

We can only hope there, anon, given all the crap they gotta wrap up in these last two episodes. Like, I still highly doubt they'll be able to wrap up Marcy in a good way, given her lack of character arc and only now introducing that Marcy was just the friend that was there in the friend group, let alone the whole moving thing and Marcy's and even Sasha's families at that.

But like, yeah, I love Anne. I really do. I just think its S3s writing that made it hard to even enjoy her at times. But like, the fact that Anne yelling at them somehow solved something the episode itself said, went back centuries....literally is just rushed writing, because I guess the failed team exercises were needed! Like, I don't really agree its mary sue move....its just a rushed writing move, because they wasted the whole ep on these stupid team exercises and on petty fighting scenes.

[winterhalters]

We know you'd make a SUPREME job writing a Valois series both entertaining & accccurate to the characters. In which year would the series start/ende? Who would be the strongest (I mean those more charismatic, those who would be "Main Character material") characters in It? Which frequent Valois misconceptions would you like to correct?

lmaooo thanks for the faith in me anon 😌👊🏻

i think first we should establish what kind of Valois we're talking about. i'm a 16th nerd through and through so of course my plans would mostly involve the Valois-angoulême portions of the Valois; i still think it would be a fun twist to still call it Valois anyway because they stretched so hard to keep up with the Valois legacy during the transition from Louis XII to Francis I. For this project specifically, i'd have the story kick off in late 1513/early 1514, just as the news broke out that queen Anne of Brittany was seriously ill. That's when Francis' story really takes off and i'd of course heavily play on the will they/won't they re: his marriage with Claude, and have a quick fun with Mary Tudor barging in (but very quick because let's be honest no one cares on the french side).

One of the billion things i'd obviously want people to wrap their heads around at this time would be that francis was 19 when he suddenly was on the verge of becoming King. Even by 16th century standards it was incredibly young.

that being said a huge project chronicling the Valois™ from early 14th to late 16th century would be a monster but the mythological kind everybody needs in their life. We can spot three different waves of conflict throughout (Hundred Years War, Italian Wars, Wars of Religion) so i think it would be fairly easy to weave the different story arcs from there.

i'm not sure exactly when i would have the story kick off. Part of me wishes i could have it start before the end of Philip IV, see the downfall of his sons, and the rise of the Valois and especially Charles, Philip's brother, since he didn't get to be King but hardcore lobbied for years, but we'd already be on borrowed time so it wouldn't be ideal when you've got two centuries and a half to cover. I guess it would be more interesting to start off right in the middle of things in 1337 when Edward III sent the letter that pushed things in motions towards the Hundred Years War. It'd be easy for people to get behind the context i guess, but i'd probably be quite (and unashamedly) be heavy-handed on the throwbacks to family drama from the early 1300s, especially with his cousin Jeanne, the Queen of Navarre who claimed the throne.

For me both projects would end with the assassination of Henri III in 1589 because that'd be just so wonderfully fitting 👀 also be fun to start with a conflict between cousins over the french throne involving a queen of Navarre and ending it all with a conflict between cousins over the french throne involving a king of navarre 👀👀

[magneticflower]

If you could change ONE thing about AWAE S3, what would it be?

Send me AWAE Ask/Messages of Any kind! 

   At first, I thought this would be a hard one but then I remembered Mary and it wasn’t hard at all. I would absolutely have changed Mary dying. While the episode was one of the most beautifully done and pulled every bit of emotion out of me--- I don’t really feel her death was needed and it certainly wasn’t wanted. I think she could have done a great deal of good for Avonlea being alive more than being a beautiful memory in an obituary. 

��   She had a lot to teach people and a lot to of love to give. They still could have introduced Bash’s mother without taking Delphine’s away from her. I think it would have been more impactful for her illness to shake Avonlea, but in a way that helps them open themselves up to new things and to grow more accepting. It also could have been a wake-up call to Elijah without it resulting in her death. It would have been more impactful if we found out that Avonlea and those around Mary changed for the good without having her having to die for that to happen--- and when I think about how Rachel decided to shake up the council by adding more female voices to it--- what an amazing step it would have been to include Mary in that too? It probably would have been a harder one to convince the council to agree on but it would only benefit Avonlea to have her there. 

I also think that Mary had SO much to offer Gilbert and Anne in their growth and that we missed that chance with her death so early on. I also think that she could have been an important voice to include during Josie’s arc as someone who had also experienced a similar circumstance (if I recall correctly that is)

Most importantly, I really don’t think Mary and Bash’s bliss deserved to end so abruptly. Both of them had had a great deal of struggle through their lives to finally get this little family that filled them with so much joy and contentment in their lives just to have it snatched away. Mary didn’t want to die--- Mary was afraid of it and Mary wanted so much to be there for her kids, for Gilbert, for Bash, and for herself. She wanted to finally live a life that felt like it meant something to her and it got taken away from her so quickly. 

So, out of everything, I really wish Mary had lived. I think it would have only benefitted the storyline.

[enchanted-keys]

not the same anon who asked you about show gilbert vs book gilbert but would love to hear you talk about his s3 arc!!!!

Sure! I’ll take any excuse to talk about Gilbert’s arc in s3, so thank you for asking! 💕 Also, this is probably going to turn really long even if I slim things down, so sorry in advance for that. Gilbert’s arc this season, in true fashion with a coming of age story such as awae, was all about him finding himself and his place in the world, and it was incredibly appropriate for someone his age, even without considering the hard circumstances he found himself in. In fact, I think that many should be able to relate to him on some level, despite not having grown up with the same obstacles, because it touched problems that everyone has to deal with at one point or another. I think Moira was really smart in writing his arc the way she did, because she picked Gilbert’s weaknesses and struggles and forced him to confront them, specifically: - his insecurity - his need to grow up faster, because he feels like he’s expected to - his doubts (about the future, his own worth, his feelings, etc.) - the way so many losses and grief affected him Now, not all of these were completely solved, and I was hoping to see them further explored in s4, but he took huge steps forward. At the beginning of the season we see that Gilbert has finally found some stability with his new family, he’s overall happier and he’s dedicated to his goal of becoming a doctor. But it doesn’t matter that he was forced to grow up really fast due to his father’s sickness and death, and that he’s more mature than his peers, he’s still a teenage boy, and of course in his own inexperience with love he struggles with his feelings, and being the smart person that he is, he tends to overthink everything. Not only that, but he’s at a turning point in his life: exams are at the horizon, school is almost over, and important decisions about the future have to be made. It’s a lot of pressure to deal with, but despite an internship, the work at the farm, and no parental figure to guide him he’s still managing. Then Anne, the girl he knows he has some sort of feelings for, but still has to figure out how far they go, pretty much encourages him to court someone else, feeds his insecurities about his own capability of being loved, and Mary, the only sister he has ever known dies - not only that but he’s tasked to deliver the bad news himself, despite the fact that he doesn’t know how to, and he finds himself wondering whether he's suited to be a doctor or not. At this point Gilbert is questioning everything, and his sense of inadequacy and lack of certainties take over. So, naturally he tries to hang onto something that feels safe enough, which includes Winnie. Now, unlike all those who only care about him as Anne’s love interest and are dead set on seeing him endlessly pining over her, I think that letting go someone who had given him good reasons to think they had no interest in him and trying to move on, was the best decision he could make, and also the healthiest for himself. Which brings me to the part where Gilbert, despite being dead certain of not having a chance with Anne, shows a healthy dose of maturity and not once - not even when he thinks he’s receiving the ultimate rejection at the bonfire - he’s mean to her because she doesn’t love him back, or thinks to make her jelous on purpose: he’s still as kind as ever, he still wants to be her friend, and he wants her to be happy. Gilbert Blythe shows that he knows how to take no for an answer, and that he respects Anne’s choices and agency, despite his own heartbreak and for that I’m proud of him. I won't linger too much on Winnie and how I think she was necessary to get shirbert, because I don't want this post to be about them specifically and because there's a lot to say in that regard, but I think that she was important for Gilbert's individual arc as well (and before anyone says anything: yes, sometimes characters are just plot devices, and that’s ok. It’s been always like that, for both male and female characters, and there’s nothing wrong with that): she represented a source of comfort and stability that he needed, but that he was completely deprived of because of everything that had been going on in his life since the very day he was born, and that got so much worse when he lost both his father and then Mary.   Including her in the picture put Gilbert in front of a series of choices: on one hand, he genuinely liked her, felt reciprocated in his attentions, and later on in the 8th episode she represented a way for him to take the final step into adulthood through marriage – which he felt really preassured about by pretty much everyone around him - and the chance to fulfill his dream of attending one of the most exclusive and important universities in the world (which was conducting a research on preventitive medicine, and ultimately the field he really wants to dedicate himself to, therefore a really relevant point for the story). On the other hand things started to move way too fast for him before he even knew it, and I think she made him aware of how he didn't fit in her world, how out of place and unlike himself he was supposed to be with her family, giving him back a sense of who he really was, who he wanted to be, and what really mattered to him. Moira knew what she was doing: she had a young man trying to find himself in her hands, and what's the most logical and fastest way to achieve that, if not by offering him a series of opportunities and directions (some of which he never thought would be possible for him), and force him to choose? When confronted with all that, even while feeling like he was being pulled in different directions, Gilbert managed to navigate all of his uncertainties and found his way, because that's who he is: someone who follows his heart and his principles, no matter how hard it is, wherever they will move him. Speaking of heart. Though everyone likes to make fun of how long it took him – and Anne – to make sense of his feelings, I thought that was a really realistic portrayal of how complicated love can be. As I said before, Gilbert never had much experience with love in his life, not only in the romantic sense, but especially with that. It's so normal and typical of his age to wonder whether what you're feeling is a silly crush, mere physical attraction, a fleeting feeling that will pass with time or something that will last, and just what love really feels like. How many can at the age of 18 know for certain that they're unequivocally in love and that they have found the right person? And who wouldn't be scared when facing the fact that you have found someone, who's giving you reason to think they don't feel the same way you do, for whom you'd be willing to give up the future you had imagined for yourself and once in a lifetime opportunities? I'd be scared out of my mind. And it's also particularly hard for him, because Gilbert has spent his life losing his loved ones, and Anne is one of the few people he has left, so he can't afford to lose her as well. Gilbert has known so much heartbreak in his short life, and I think that left a permanent mark on him. Embracing and confessing his feelings for Anne was a really big step for him, and to do that he had to push past those huge fears and his insecurity, and I don't think that should be taken lightly or for granted. Especially considering that he did all this, convinced that there was no chance that Anne would ever love him back. He risked everything thinking he had already lost, but for the sake of honesty he still put himself in the most vulnerable position possible. Gilbert went through a lot of pain and confusion this season, but he still remained the honest, and genuine person that he is, someone truly good at heart. Despite the huge amount of responsabilities on his shoulders, and the pain he was going through, he took it upon himself to help Mary and go find Elijah, despite the fact that he had stolen all he had left of his father; he made it his first priority to be there for Bash after Mary's passing and take care of Dellie; he was always supportive of Anne and her battles when no one else was, even when she wasn't being really nice to him; and he devoted himself to take care of people, to heal them and to search for a way to prevent illnesses. And if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about him, I don't know what will. In conclusion, Gil's s3 arc brought up problems that not only are to be expected at his age and in his situation - such as figuring out who you are, who you want to be and what love looks and feels like for you – but that felt in line with his character and partially came from his past traumas and experiences. And even through his mistakes, Gilbert's heart was always in the right place, and remained that kind, caring person we always knew he was. He never had it easy in his life and always had too many responsabilities than it was fair for someone so young, who was also on his own; he always worked hard, and when given a once in a lifetime opportunity that could have made his dream possible (which frankly he deserved, all considered) he still turned it down, because it didn't feel right to him and it wasn't what his heart wanted. And he did all this at the age of 18. I have nothing but admiration for Gilbert Blythe, and love for this arc he was given, because it was relatable, it allowed him to make mistakes and made him so much more real without compromising the wonderful person that he is.

(P.S. do not hijack this post please)

[arrtemisia]

Hey so... If you could redo cannon Makoto what would you do? How would she change? I'm curious cause out of the main cast she was the only one that I just couldn't get a solid interest in (aside from Ann but that's just cause the idea of her being a fashion model confuses me more than anything I think)

God. So much stuff.

There's a couple big things about her that bug me, and none of them really change at all in her canon vs fanon portrayal, which means it's hard for me to enjoy her even in fanworks. In my opinion, I think her biggest flaw is that she's simply miscast, and her character would have worked much better as a confidant instead of a thief, which would've given her a place of her own to shine and avoid the weird dissonance between different aspects of her character (and this was actually their original plan, so Hifumi would have taken her place which. She would've fit in much better imo bc she's actually suffered under another's will like every single one of the others and she's an actual strategist instead of just """smart,""' but that's a topic for another post), but since we're talking about how I'd personally fix Makoto in the role she currently fills, I'm going to list some of the issues I take with her and potential solutions.

First of all, just to get it out of the way, she needs an actual reason to be here. She doesn't have one, full stop.

The big thing tying the thieves together is that they're all victims of abuse and oppression who rebel against their tormentors and want to prevent anyone else from suffering like they did. I'm not saying Makoto has never struggled, because she has, but it's really, really not the same type of struggle.

This leads to weird moments where everything about Makoto's personality and characterization, such as being a stickler for the rules, idolizing the police, etc mean that she has no in-character reason to stick with the thieves after kaneshiro is dealt with and should maybe even be opposing the thieves' way of doing things, but the plot drags her along anyway because the game really wants her to be a party member. And really, what's up with her awakening? She gets threatened once and then bang-boom-kapow she has a persona? It's weak.

Also before anyone says "well all those things about her personality change when she awakens and she sheds her good girl personality and yada yada," no she doesn't, actually, and I'm getting there I promise

The easiest solution here is also the most drastic. Swap when Makoto and Akechi join. This kills two birds with one stone; Makoto gets an actual reason to awaken through Sae, and Akechi's betrayal hits harder because he's pretending to be with you for longer (although admittedly this is much less needed on Akechi's part ever since royal).

Not only does this give Makoto a much stronger reason to awaken and join in the first place (Sae starts twisting into something horrible and Makoto wants to help both stop and save her), but it also gives her an internally consistent reason to stick around. Before, unlike the others (who all at least have "I want to stop others from feeling like I did," or in Futaba's case, "I wanna find the ppl who killed my mom."), once Kaneshiro is done with, Makoto has no real big personal reason to stick around other than "I'm a thief now and the plot says so ig." Now, of COURSE she'd want to go after Shido because he's the one that was manipulating her sister, and after that of COURSE she'd want to help take down mr divine sippy cup in order to get Shido tried and jailed.

However, if we're not going to shuffle around the order of party members bc that'd nuke the canon plot a little, then we need to rework the entire Kaneshiro arc and/or Makoto's backstory and values as a whole. Yeah this is why the first solution was the easy one.

I'm going to go in-depth about how I feel Makoto's personality and values should be reworked later I'M GETTING THERE, so I'll talk about that then. As for reworking Kaneshiro, I... don't have a whole lot of ideas. The palace itself is fine, it has one of the coolest atmospheres in the game (c'mon, there's got to be a fun bank heist in a game like this), but Makoto's connection with him is very weak. Maybe have it be that he was extorting her for years in secret and she never said anything? Maybe have him be the one that ordered the hit on her father? I'm not sure what would be strong enough to match to the other palace leaders, without feeling forced. I'll have to come up with more ideas for this one.

The second big issue I have with her is less of one specific thing and more of a collection of smaller problems that all come from the same source. She waltzes in, takes over, and starts acting like she's the boss of things. She then names herself the "strategist" and yet only ever states the obvious and, to use a word I hate, mansplains things to you that you already learned two palaces ago. She's constantly condescending and passive agressive to the other team members, especially Ann and Ryuji, berates everyone for not being as naturally book smart as her when all the other characters are smart in their own ways and just not good at academia, all the while everyone around her, even characters that normally wouldn't take that (ryuji, ann) or are too prideful to admit to anyone bring better (mona), are constantly like "You're so cool, Makoto!"

It's a classic case of show don't tell, and rhe game is obsessed with telling you that Makoto is "smart" and "cool." Once she joins the team, all the characters that were originally shown to be smart in their own ways are never allowed to say anything meaningful ever again bc Makoto is the "smart" one. She never does anything particularly different compared to the other party members, but the game is constantly insisting she's special.

I'm very hesitant to call her a mary sue, because I don't think she is one, and also I disagree with the use of that term at all as these days it's just meant to devalue powerful characters that happen to be girls, but I definitely think she's emblematic of a common writing flaw that can lead to mary sues. The problem with making a character the "smart" one as a personality trait instead of something that just comes naturally is that you have to dumb down everyone else's characterization to make them look smarter or cooler by comparison. It means that the character you're trying to prop up bends everyone else around them, making them act in ways they normally wouldn't in order to make the one character you're trying to look cool seem better by comparison.

This has an easy solution: cut that shit out. Have her slowly find her place on the team naturally instead of forcing her way in as a pseudo-leader. Don't give every single "well, duh" line to her, and cut the scenes where she stands around explaining obvious things you already know in a condescending manner so she looks smarter. Let the other characters actually act like themselves when they're in the same room as her instead of bending around her to prop her up. Have her treat those characters with respect in turn, bc for all intents and purposes when it comes to thief stuff they are her senpai, instead of just having her act like she's better than them, or boss them around, or be passive agressive about the fact that their grades are bad. Show that other characters are smart in other ways instead of acting like Makoto's book smarts are the end-all be-all. And for fuck's sake, stop acting like "smart" and "punches stuff real good" are personality traits, which leads me into my last big point.

Makoto and Queen don't really feel like the same character. Okay, so to explain this, let's walk through her awakening again.

Makoto is a good girl who's a stickler for the rules, sucks up to authority, idolizes the police, is obsessed with her grades and academic performance, and looks down on others who don't do the same. A couple people call her useless and then she gets threatened by a mob boss, after which she decides to live her life for herself and completely shed her good girl lifestyle and rebel against everyone pressuring her.

That is, except for the teensy tiny detail where she doesn't.

Nothing significant about her personality changes all post her awakening and joining the thieves, aside from the part where she sucks up to authority maybe a little less. She's still uptight, her grades (and the grades of those on her team) are still her top priority, she still idolizes the law and those enforcing it.

Y'see, persona has a bit of a common problem with saying one thing about a character, be it making a reveal or saying they're gonna change in some big way, but not fully committing to it. You can see it most in p4 (party members saying they're gonna quit/stop/do whatever and then backtracking in the last two ranks of their social link), but it's rarely so severe that it completely ruins their personality and character arc as a whole. Makoto, I feel, is the main exception.

The writers want Makoto to become this tough, rebellious biker queen who oozes badassery in every move and will never follow anyone's wishes for her ever again, but they also want to keep her old personality of the uptight naive rule-following law-abiding academic. So, instead of altering one to better fit the other, they try to do both... badly.

Instead of integrating the two parts of her personality, it just feels like she swaps between them whenever the plot calls for it which is really, really jarring. She'll be stuttering about following the rules and getting to know her generation one second, and then the next she'll be yelling about mowing down shadows with her motorcyle the next. It feels like Queen and Makoto are two separate uninteresting half-characters, with only a couple personality traits each, instead of one whole well-rounded character.

Either rework Makoto's thief aesthetic to better suit her personality as a whole and give her something other than "I'm totally not a good girl anymore" to make her compelling, or actually commit to Makoto shedding her past life everyone around her had forced on her and change her personality. Have her grades start to slip, have her talk back to Sae, change the way she dresses so it's rougher and less perfect, hell, maybe even have her quit student council. Just, anything to make her more well-rounded as a character.

I have some other nitpicks with her here and there, like the fact that her confidant is actually just Eiko's confidant and doesn't give Makoto herself any development, or the way the game keeps trying to set her up as Joker's waifu or whatever, but those are just that; nitpicks. The three big things I mentioned earlier - her not having a compelling personal reason to be a part of the thieves, the way the writers shove her into the spotlight by putting down everyone around her, and the fact that her characterization is just one badass half and one smart half that don't mesh and have little else in between - are the problems I feel are what's actually holding her character back.

Again, I do think that all of this stems from the fact that she's miscast, but it's too late to fix that now. While I personally really dislike Makoto, I do kind of understand her appeal for others when she's written well, and she's a totally valid character to like. I just wish she was portrayed better.

(Also, if anyone wants to reblog this, feel free I ask that you please don't put this in Makoto's main character tag. I know how much it sucks to get a bunch of negativity in a character's main tags as I am an Edelgard fe3h fan)

[deconstructthesoup]

Okay, everything about this finale made me ricochet through a thousand different emotions (and seeing the Cathilda art was just the icing on the cake), but what it did give me, first and foremost, is a concept for a season with the High 5 Heros.

It really is just the five of them now, and they're still processing Kipperlilly's betrayal and the lasting effects of the shatterstars. In an attempt to fully reconnect as friends and prove themselves as adventurers, they retake their spring break quest... and things spiral out from there.

Ruben (played by Raphael Chestang) doesn't remember anything from when he was shatterstared, but he still has all those fans who want to hear more of the emo music he wrote... and even though having attention is good for a bard, he's very upset about the fact that nobody wants to hear his real music. Ruben's starting to get a lot of self-confidence issues based on the fact that the guy that he doesn't even know but who he briefly was was so popular, and he's trying to be himself, but, well... it's hard.

Ivy (played by Mariah Rose Faith Callias) is... well, actually, the fact that she wasn't shown as often in the season means that her player can make up an arc from scratch for her, and I like that. Let's leave that up in the air. Maybe she's trying to reconcile her stint as a mean girl with her true self, or maybe her mean-girl self is closer to her true nature than we think.

Mary Ann (played by Katie Marovich) is still, at her core, Mary Ann, and I like the idea of her arc being less of an arc and more of a reassurance thing---this is who she is, she's not apologizing for it, and that doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve the same amount of respect. That'd be pretty cool to see.

Oisin (played by Joey Richter) is dealing with... a lot. Seeing as his actions led to getting his great-great-great-great-whatever grandmother killed, his family has not outright disowned him, but there's a lot of snide comments and clear disrespect being thrown his way. He's trying his hardest to prove that he's better than that, but, uh... yeah, I think it would end in a "fuck my rich asshole family" thing, much like Adaine's arc.

And lastly, Lucy (played by Ashley Johnson) is, of course, very shaken by the fact that she legit died, and spent a good chunk of her death in a hellish state. Her connection to her goddess has wavered after her experience, and she's very much in a space of doubt---maybe a space that's big enough for her to connect to Cassandra, and maybe share in Kristen's four-deity pantheon. Not to mention, it's still very hard to interact with her friends when she still remembers the night of her death, even though they were possessed.

So, uh... yeah!

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

JULY PICKS!

You heard me correctly, I said JULY! Whoosh, this year is going by fast-but not in a good way if you know what I mean. This will be my last monthly wrap up where I am strictly staying home in quarantine as this upcoming week I’m heading back to work in person. Wish me luck!

We had quite the range this month from newly released, reality, musical and then some favorites from last month that I’ve continued watching. Without further ado here we go....

There’s going to be PLENTY of SPOILERS this go round. ESPECIALLY with my first pick of Stargirl. You’ve been warned!!!

DC’S STARGIRL

I need to talk about 1x10 or I’m going to burst!!! As stated above there will be A LOT of SPOILERS IN THIS POST!! So scroll down to the next picture if you don’t want it to be spoiled. 

You’ve been warned...again.

IT CANNOT END LIKE THAT!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Henry! Wow! 1) Epic fighting 2) The backstory and how he wasn’t going to give up on his dad AND THEN how he wouldn’t give into his dad. 3) HE DIED RATHER THAN JOIN HIS SIDE OR PRETEND (which I honestly felt was going to happen). His character arc and I can’t believe it’s over!!! 4) His speech at the end: *weeping.* I knew Brainwave was going to say he killed his mother. It just felt like the build up. Brainwave Jr. would have been a GREAT ADDITION TO THE JSA! AND OMG THE WAY THE REST OF THEM FOUGHT FOR HIM! I loved how they framed it so you could still see them in the back when Henry spoke to his father. Super heartbreaking. Man, it feels like a lot of people have been killed off this first season (or am I just still thinking about Joey?) 

Side note: Check out the Instagram Live between father and son Brainwave on Stargirl’s CW page. Jake Austin Walker did an AWESOME interview in his take over.

This was one of the strongest episodes overall and definitely one of my favorites so far. I agree with many others that while it is SOO GOOD and I want to rewatch it again, I don’t know if I can emotionally yet. I can’t remember the last time I felt that way about a show. 

Some other thoughts this episode: WAY TO GO BARBARA! Way to record them to translate later (such an awesome app btw, how do I get it?). I’m glad her and Pat came more to an understanding because I love them especially with that glimpse into how they met. Jordan’s parents give me the creeps, like the couple from The Visit vibes. I feel like Mike’s got to find out ASAP, especially because he’s spent time in the garage. Something’s got to show him the truth; because I’m really feeling he figures it out rather than being told. Very curious to see what his reaction will be. SOLOMON GRUNDY. Thank God Beth talked Rick down. She really is like Chuck in being the voice of reason. She did really well in the cafeteria too. While I still don’t believe Starman is Courtney’s dad, how cute was it when she put together her and Henry were cousins? Speaking of Court’s dad, who else didn’t feel like Starman was her dad until they saw that upcoming promo? I don’t know who that impostor is but he is not her dad. Something’s fishy.

Loving this show. So happy it’s renewed for a second season!! 

THE 100

From a show I can’t get enough of to one whose final season is a disappointment. I’m not going to spend too much time talking about The 100 because I feel I’ll just be repeating myself from previous posts. However, I did want to include it because I haven’t spoken much about the previous 2 episodes that I wound up watching back to back and I didn’t overly dislike them. 

As many have complained, when you have a final season you shouldn’t introduce SO MANY new characters and just push aside your originals (or the ones who are left). You also shouldn’t include so many confusing plots that are making it look like were the main points overall (like this many world concept was around since the first grounders) and playing with time in so many episodes is hard to keep up with too. Having so many people separated makes it difficult to remember what just happened to this specific group because I haven’t seen them in forever. ANYWAY, I did promise some positives. I didn’t except to like 7x08 because of it being a flashback episode with brand new people that was just going to feel like a potential spin-off pilot. Well...I actually really enjoyed it and the concept that the bunker was used before One Crew. The characters were easy to like and it was cool seeing Allie again (and this time not as the villain). While it felt forced including the orb (is that what it’s called? If not that’s what I’m calling it), but I liked how all the other pieces fit together (ex: the flame, the grounders’ language). Honestly, I surprise myself to say this, but I’d watch another episode. For 7x09, I liked being on Bardo and watching Octavia, Echo, Diyoza and Hope slowly get “brainwashed” I mean trained. We all knew it wouldn’t work for Hope and if I was them I would rather be on Sky Ring than Bardo (but then I guess I’d go crazy, so...) I enjoy the Octavia and Levitt relationship and would love them to work out, but if this show taught you anything it’s to be skeptical. I also want to shift to the Primes plot, just to showcase John Murphy for a second. THAT MAN! What a character development he’s had on this show. From the first season where I was like come on Murphy to now me awaiting his scenes. From cockroach to someone who won’t view himself as a hero. So good and something that is fantastic about this final season. They might have forgotten about other characters, but they’re doing it right by Murphy. 

Well, that was more than I was expecting. ;)   

THE CIRCLE

It feels like I haven’t watched a lot of reality TV this year, which makes sense because of our quarantine situation (but then again I’m watching World of Dance, but that’s a different because it’s more of a competition/dance show. I’ll stop rambling). The Circle is a reality ‘game’ show that could be easily completed during quarantine and social distancing because the contestants do not see each other in person. They each have an apartment in this complex and only communicate with each other on a social media platform called the Circle. The objective is to become the most popular and an influencer who gets power over who stays and who goes in the competition. There’s some side contests throughout, but most of the show is just people chatting through an insta messenger and trying to learn as much as they can. Alliances are formed and cat fishes try to thrive all for the grand prize of $100,000. (Wow, that’s a lot!) It is SUPER addicting and very funny. Having a voice-over narrator really makes it even funnier because she says what we’re all thinking. Just about every episode a contestant leaves and then is able to meet one other person in their apartment. It’s been cool seeing their reactions as oftentimes it’s someone they did not expect AT ALL. I can’t wait to finish it. If you’re a fan of Big Brother than this is definitely for you. Looks like there will be a second season, which I am excited about.  

THE BABYSITTERS CLUB

Jumping from one Netflix show to another. Released on Netflix on July 3rd, I tried not to binge it all in one day because then it would be over (and we still don’t know if there will be a second season yet). This is definitely my feel good watch for July. If you want something that’s a quick watch and just wholesome and fun to escape our current world than this is for you. I always felt so happy after watching and couldn’t wait to watch another. While I was familiar with the franchise--the 90s movie and of course the books (although I was more of a Babysitter Little Sister fan, so I was very excited to see Karen), you don’t have to have any knowledge of the Babysitters Club to enjoy this show. I was hooked just about right away by this new series shown by me watching the first three episodes back to back. I really like how they set up each episode with one girl as the main focus (just like in the books) where she takes over the voice-over narration. Great representation and made modern to fit in with our current times. The first example that comes to mind is when Mary Ann babysits Bailey who is transgender. I liked how Bailey says those are her old clothes while they’re playing. It’s shown in a way that explains the situation without feeling like a lecture. It fits so naturally into the episode. And then Mary Ann’s speech at the hospital is super powerful for both Bailey and herself. This is just one example of how well represented this show is. Extremely strong cast and actresses who are the proper ages. I also love the adult casting and how they threw in a Clueless reference from Alicia Sliverstone (who plays Kristy’s Mom). As someone who is writing for this age group, I really liked hearing and seeing how authentic this show is. 

FEEL THE BEAT

A Netflix original movie that has been on my list for a while that I just got around to watching. It didn’t come out too long ago. In the film, Sofia Carson’s character is a dancer who is a perfectionist. She gets on the bad side of a big NYC producer when she not only leaves her in the rain as she steals her taxi, but also knocks her, accidentally, off stage and becomes a viral video-this basically blackmails her in Broadway. This all happens within about the first 10 minutes of the film and the majority takes place back in her small home town (very Hallmark-like) in Wisconsin. While there her old dancing teacher wants her to share her Broadway wisdom with her young students. Meanwhile Carson has only been a chorus girl, so she doesn’t really have any. What draws her to helping the young girls is the chance to perform in front of a big choreographer that could get her to be the star she always dreamed of. The catch is that it’s the teacher dance in the childrens dance competition. While this might sound like a movie you’ve watched many times before, it was still worth it and a really fun watch. I think the kids really make the movie. They are adorable, funny and super talented. You feel connected with them really fast and want to see them succeed. I loved Dickie and how he joined the group. I think he was my favorite overall. I loved how inclusive the cast was here too (just like BSC) from a mixed race family, to single parents and even a student who was Deaf. It was great seeing the other actors sign to her. Carson’s character, April, can be annoying at times, but you understand it’s her character and something she needs to overcome. As I said before the plot may seem familiar, but the ending was something I didn’t see coming. Overall, wholesome, feel good and fun for the whole family. You can consider to watch while babysitting. (See what I did there??)  

VIOLETTA SEASON 2

She’s back! I know last month when I included Violetta it was mainly me being excited to see the second season FINALLY streaming on Disney Plus. I had watched a few episodes (remember there’s 80 altogether, so even if I watched 20 that’s still very early on and just a dent in the season) and was still getting used to this season. Well, now I’m happy to report I am in the 40s and more than half way. For a bit I was watching many of these episodes a day, which told me that I was loving it again. Recently, I feel I need a little more of a push to watch, but it’s mainly because of certain story-lines that feel like they’re dragging. (For example: Violetta’s voice. One minute it’s fine and the next she’s like dying). For this section I have two words: LOVE TRIANGLES. And I’m not just talking about Violetta, Diego and Leon. For a bit it felt like each character had their own love triangle, which honestly I was loving. These characters have definitely developed a lot from last season, which allows this to happen. Olga was in a love triangle, which just recently got resolved. I think German is still in one because of his alter ego Jeremias. Jackie was “kind of” in one. For her it was more of a misunderstanding, which is very classic on this show. Lots more secrets have been uncovered in these episodes as well as songs! You know how excited I am for those. Overall, I think I’m still enjoying season 1 songs more (which get referenced enough in this season), but some of the season 2 ones are really growing on me. Specifically Leon’s Entre dos mundos and when he sings with Diego Euphoria in English. Also, Yo Soy Asi has been real catchy. I know Frederico will be coming back soon and I can’t wait to see him again!  

HAMILTON

Like many I watched Hamilton this month-actually on the day it came out. It’s been a musical that I’ve been intrigued by, but never thought I’d get a chance to watch because of how popular and expensive it is to see on Broadway. So, I was very excited to hear I’d get the chance when it was to be released in theaters for a special event. Then because of Corona it was released to Disney Plus, which was EVEN more convenient and exciting. I really enjoyed it and watched it twice within the same week. I immediately downloaded the playlist and started singing it around the house. I do this a lot with many of the plays I see, but depending how good they are is shown by how long I listen to the soundtrack. (Some of my top ones are Bandstand, Once, Newsies and Anastasia.) Because there are so many songs in Hamilton it is taking me a little longer to know all the words, but I feel pretty confident with the first act. It was the perfect timing for this to be released on Disney Plus. Not only because it was July 3rd, but also because of the world we are living in. Lin’s diverse cast brings to life the world of 1776 and the revolutionary war (as well as the time after it), but it’s such a strong commentary on our world today. This is something I am continually noticing with historical dramas/pieces being released within the last 5-10 years. It feels like there’s more we can say in this genre than in a commentary piece. I also like all the analysis videos I’ve seen popping up, which just make it even more powerful. (Like it being Eliza’s story and her putting herself back in the narrative. That the play Hamilton is named for both her and Alexander.) I don’t know if all of what I see were intentional, but  either way well done. I hope it doesn’t leave Disney Plus soon. 

1917

And lastly, 1917. I promised quite the range this month and you can see that’s definitely the case. I always enjoy watching war films and with 1917 there was so much hype (both before it came out and after) that I was interested to give it a watch. Giving the movie to my dad for father’s day felt like the perfect excuse to be able to watch it. Even though our DVD stuck in a few places (still don’t know if it was the player or the DVD itself), the film was very entertaining and I would suggest it to anyone who is a history/film buff. Taking place in WWI, we follow two British soldiers as they attempt to deliver a message about an upcoming ambush that could take countless lives. I feel that I often watch more films revolving around WWII, so it was very interesting to be immersed in the first great war. After watching I am not surprised that the film was up for so many Oscars. While cinematography is the first thing everyone discusses when it comes to this movie (and it should be because the one shot/long shot is sooo impressive and beautiful to watch. It really brings you into the scene and has a way of making you feel like you’re there too. There’s a realness to it that’s raw and new compared to other war films I’ve watched in the past), there’s so much more to this film too. First, I like how it connects back to Sam Mendes’ grandfather, so while it’s not a true story it has real facts in it. I LOVE the score and music to this film. In the scene where George Mackay runs at night through those ruined buildings I could really hear how well the music worked with the action. Because of this I made sure to listen to some of the soundtrack and now I’ve added some of the songs into my writing playlist. I have chills just thinking about it. The other point I want to bring up is the cast! While there are SO MANY big names in this film from Colin Firth to Benedict Cumberbatch, the two main characters are played by George Mackay and Dean Charles Chapman and they are the ones with the most screen time. If their chemistry and acting wasn’t so great then the movie wouldn’t be as successful as it is. Because of this I have been watching non-stop YouTube interviews of the two of them for this film. 

They are so well-spoken, stand-up guys and I can’t get enough of their dialogues with each other and others. (You should watch these interviews too). While familiar with Chapman’s time on Game of Thrones, I haven’t seen him in much else, so I’m excited to see what he’ll have in the future (as well as checking out his IMDB page). For Mckay, I’ve seen him before when I just watched Ophelia earlier this summer so that was my first time watching him act. After that film I was curious what else he was in, but it was only after 1917 that I started doing more research. So far, I’ve only been able to watch the short film he was in called Infinite. While only 17 minutes it was very strong and deep. I highly recommend. As I’ve shared on this page already, in another post, the more I hear him talk the more of a crush I am developing. It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced a celebrity crush this strong so soon. This quarantine has to end so I can make it to England to just casually bump into him like one does. :) 

[edieswriting]

Lady Claes at the verge of destruction

So! I can’t link to external pages yet! Thanks Tumblr! I’ve opted to just put the chapter here under a “read more”, but the link to my AO3 can be found on my tumblr. Please give me a chance and read (and comment)!

Summary:

Katarina Claes has (almost) everything. She has a gorgeous fiancé (though he does not have enough interest in her), powerful parents (though they don't talk anymore), magic (albeit extremely limited), and a skilled maid (thank the gods for Anne). Thanks to her noble lineage and earth magic she is attending a prestigious magic academy, where she runs into *her*. Maria Campbell, little miss perfect, a commoner with the audacity to give Katarina's fiancé heart eyes! Determined on teaching miss Campbell her place (and keeping her away from Geordo), Katarina and friends bully her mercilessly. That is, until one day when Katarina slips and learns some new information. Katarina will, in her own way, be seducing Maria, Geordo, Mary and Sienna (and everyone, but those are the most important ones). Who, if anyone, will she end up with? A rewrite of the Bakarina Hard Mode Manga (The Verge of Destruction Arc) in which Katarina Claes seemingly remains Katarina Claes instead of a sudden 180 degrees change to our familiar Bakarina. This is my first time writing in many years, so I welcome any constructive criticism or other feedback!

“Just what are those supposed to be, sweets?” mocked Sienna. Katarina, Sienna and some other girls had surrounded that pesky miss Campbell and quickly realized she was planning on giving some of her commoner food to the revered student council.

 “They’re… I made them using the leftovers in the kitchen,” miss Campbell answered weakly. At least she had the sense to be docile when facing her betters.

 “Baking with leftovers? Why, how very befitting of a commoner, wouldn’t you say?” Sienna said with a laugh, addressing Katarina. Katarina agreed wholeheartedly that those “sweets” were fitting for someone like miss Campbell, but even daring to think of feeding her lowly food to the student council was unacceptable. It was time for Katarina to teach miss Campbell a lesson.

 She took a step forward and slapped the basket out of miss Campbell’s hands, sending the strange little pastries flying over onto the dirt. As one of the other ladies held miss Campbell to the ground, Katarina stepped on one of the pastries – perhaps they were supposed to be muffins? – and declared “Come now, I’ve made it much easier to eat for a lowly commoner like you. Eat up!” as her friends giggled. Miss Campbell did – to Katarina’s frustration – however just sit there, paralyzed.

 “Hurry up and eat! Or, perhaps, you can’t even do that much without me assisting you?” She said mockingly as she stepped towards the light mage-

 and promptly slipped as she stepped on a pastry.

 As her head collided with the ground, she felt a stream of memories enter her consciousness.

 Those memories…

 A young girl, more monkey than girl, climbing a tree to avoid a dog. Sitting in a tiny, unlit room – perhaps a doghouse? – staring at a glowing screen…

 It was all so familiar.

 Then it her.

 Those memories were the memories of her past life.

 She had died at 17 after staying up all night playing video games and was now reincarnated into Katarina Claes.

 How detestable! She, Katarina Claes, would never be so undignified as to climb trees! She could absolutely not inform anyone, least of all her dear fiancé, Geordo, about this mess!

 As Katarina managed to open her eyes, she saw a pretty face looking down upon her… no. That is miss Campbell’s face, looking all concerned as if she is capable of an emotion like that.

 “Out of my way!” Katarina growled, and miss Campbell fell backwards. Katarina was quickly back on her feet, thanks to Sienna, and gave miss Campbell a look that would make anyone’s blood freeze. “You stay on the ground where you belong.”

 Still shocked with all the information being processed in her brain, Katarina hurried off, her friends trailing behind her, fussing and doting and whatnot. Katarina was not in the mood for their chatter, she had 17 years’ worth of memories to process and then forget. Forget, as she doubted there was anything even remotely useful in the memories of the monkey she sadly enough had been.

 After she got back to her room and sent Anne to get the bath and a change of clothes ready, she allowed herself some time to investigate the memories of her past life.

 She had been an otaku, immersed in manga, anime and video games. The last night of her life had been spent playing an otome game named Fortune Lover. She had been so set on conquering the black-hearted, sadistic prince Geordo, but the rival character Katarina Claes – Geordo’s fiancée – kept getting in her way…

 Wait a second.

 She knows this plot.

 She knows these names, these people.

 Horror dawned on Katarina as she looked in the mirror and realized what this meant. She was the villain of an otome game!

 How could this be?! She was no villain, she was Katarina Claes, a proud, dignified noble lady engaged to a prince! Those things with miss Campbell was merely her teaching a commoner witch some lessons! Did miss Campbell not except Katarina to notice the way she looked at her fiancé or bastard half-brother? Geordo was Katarina’s fiancé, as courtesy of a wound she had gotten as a child, and Katarina loved him! She was not about to let some commoner steal him after all her effort, not even a light mage!

 And Keith? Don’t even get her started. That bastard ruined her happy family, made her parents miserable, and then had the nerve to damage their good name by getting caught up in scandal after scandal. She was not about to let him ruin their name further by getting it on with some random commoner!

 Maybe that is why she regained those cursed memories? To use them to make the choices that lead to her happy ending!

 Whoever miss Campbell romances is the one whose “route” the story is on. Each route has a good ending and a bad ending. The four routes are Nicol Ascart, Alan Stuart, Keith Class, and perish the thought, Geordo Stuart.

 Katarina never got to play Nicol’s route and as such as no idea what happens in it, but it probably won’t involve her. In Alan’s route, he either ends up with lady Hunt – his fiancée – or miss Campbell.

 Katarina smiles happily as she concludes that must mean that Geordo ends up with his fiancée if miss Campbell fails. Though, come to think it, Geordo and Keith had similar endings, didn’t they? If miss Campbell attempts to romance Geordo or Keith, the so-called good ending involves Katarina Claes being accused of “bullying” miss Campbell and then getting exiled. In miss Campbell’s bad ending… Katarina attacks her and is murdered by miss Campbell’s love interest.

 The image of Geordo murdering her is not one that is easy to forget. She has done everything to be a good fiancée, a proper lady, anything he could wish for, and yet he would murder her for the sake of a commoner?

 He truly has no love for her.

 With the image of her own death burned on her eyelids, Katarina got a notebook from her bookshelf.

 It was time to make a plan.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment telling me what you think, and look forward to the next chapter! It will be up soon-ish

[masterhandss]

WATCH ME RAMBLE ABOUT THE HAMEHURA SPINOFF

My Next Life as a Villainess! All Routes Lead to Doom! have officially taken over my headspace, and I really want a platform to talk about it. I’ve read the manga and novels over and over again, and I’m so happy to seeing the reactions of everyone to each anime episodes.

Though surprisingly, other than obviously the original novel, what actually piqued my interest in the series is actually the spinoff manga for hamehura, “I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags... In a Dire Situation!? Verge of Destruction Arc”. Yes, it has a spinoff.

(This might be considered spoilers for the spinoff and anime, be warned!) I just want to ramble about it and give my critiques, opinions and expectations. My words might not make sense if you haven’t read the spinoff, but I think having a general gist of the events of the original anime/novel/manga is enough to read through my vents and rambles. also there’s screenshots here so there’s that. 

It’s basically the same plot as the anime, but if Katarina regained her memories of her past life during the events of Fortune Lover, within the school year, instead of when she was 8 years old like the original novel.

I don’t even really know if I’m in the right place to comment on it, considering it only has like 6 chapters (with the 7th one still being a month away) anyways and has a lot of time to expand and grow it’s concept, but gosh darn it, I want to talk about it!

I really really love the premise of the spinoff, and i think it’s much more compelling than the original novel. The novel wins by being more wholesome and heartfelt, but with the spinoff, we get to see Katarina play this “game” in hard mode” where she doesn’t have the connections that she would’ve had if she remembered sooner. There’s a sense of urgency in the plot that you don’t really have in the novel because she had already won everyone over before the game even begins. Both premises are charming, but this one really lifts up the concept of the title.

While I’d love to say that i’m excited to see this alternate version of the plot and find out how Katarina would solve herself out of her destruction, sadly the spinoff still follows the original material very religiously, preventing the spinoff as really coming out into its own (again, I could be wrong, there’s only 6 chapters so far after all but from what we have so far, it’s practically identical to the manga/novel). 

I think one of the greatest strengths of the spinoff is that it would take it’s time in the Magic School because Katarina only has one year to put the odds in her favor, instead of years, so it means we wont speed through her school life like the novel/anime/manga did. 

This is why my favorite part of the spinoff is Sienna, Katarina’s main underling when she was still the villainess of Fortune Lover. I love her because her existence provides a reason for the writer of the spinoff to find ways to insert her into the original plot, or to write new ones altogether in order to include what I imagine to be Katarina’s new best friend in this timeline.

Sienna’s existing can also be a sign of a possible future conflict regarding Katarina’s behavior post-accident. In the original novel/manga, it was okay for the snobby and spoiler Katarina to suddenly become dense and gluttonous, because she was 8 years old, and thus in the eyes of the adults, still had a lot of time to grow and develop her character. It’s still weird of course but it can be written off as such. With the event happening during the events of Fortune Lover, characters such as Maria and Geordo are obviously confused but her change of heart. Personally, I’d love to see her underlings and other students call her out on her behavior (especially since we are about to see the dynamic of Keith and Katarina in this timeline) because of how abrupt and sudden this change was. The spinoff tries to run away from this problem by writing off Mary and Alan as “not knowing much about Katarina other than rumors” but I doubt it, considering how much they would probably encounter each other in social gatherings and such. For them to not have an independent impression of her seems lazy to me to be honest, because not having an opinion on her means that she can act in any way that she wants and it can be considered as her being normal to them.

Because of how faithful this spinoff is to the original material, the banter that characters would have about Katarina feels undeserved, such as Geordo being possessive of Katarina during her interactions with Alan, despite not being interested in her until now. Bare in mind that at this point, Geordo had already met Maria (who piqued his interest during their first encounter, according to Katarina in the original novel) and only just gained interest in her fiance because of her out-of-nowhere change in personality. the banter between the twin princes doesn’t feel right when you factor in that he doesn’t care about Katarina enough (yet) to find his brother as a threat. To be honest, I wouldn’t even have this problem if the spinoff wasn’t so loyal.

This also opens up the question of how she will gain rapport with the characters in Fortune Lover. The spinoff pulled off Mary and Katarina’s friendship through their similar interests in gardening, but without the mistake of taking Alan’s in game dialogue, Mary has no reason to be attached to Katarina at all, and is definitely in love with Alan.

I mean i’d be okay if the spinoff writes off their relationship as just friends, but then again that ruins the charm that the original novel had (which is that Katarina catches love interests like she does with pokemon) which can be both a good thing and a bad thing (I don’t mind if they don’t have the harem, but maybe that makes it too far from the source material idk)

This is why I don’t want the spinoff to be religiously loyal to the source material! Keith’s introduction makes me nervous because there is absolutely no way that the spinoff can follow the original method of winning him over without making it look ridiculous, so obviously his route will have to be written from scratch. It’s not the rewrite that makes me nervous, it’s how similar it’d be from the original novel. The same would have to happen with Sophia (who has probably lived in fear and isolation without a real friend FOR YEARS), Nicol (who is intertwined with his sister), and Alan (depending on how far Maria is into the plot). From what i’ve seen from the spinoff so far, Katarina can still realistic gain the character’s of Fortune Lover as her allies, but they won’t be (or atleast might not be) as attached to her as they do in the original novel (like Mary and Sophia maybe)

My only biased exception to this is her and her maid Anne, because it’s pretty endearing to know that even the spoiled version of Katarina is still attached to Anne, so as long as they are together, she doesn’t really mind the difference. 

I would really love it if Katarina could gain allies outside of the established cast, to emphasize how different her situation is now that her circumstances are different due to the time of when her memories return. I just don’t want the spinoff to suddenly make the characters interested in Katarina, even though she’s lived her life until now as a spoiled and selfish noble.

This brings me to another concern of mine: Maria, the protagonist of Fortune Lover. So far, Katarina has already won over her friendship and has forgiven her and Sienna for their actions against her after seeing their efforts to fend off other harassers. My problem isn’t really how quickly she got won over or anything (despite this already solving her problem of being accused of orchestrating her bullying that could cause her end just before the final graduation event of the game), it’s more of what she represents.

You see, what made all the characters of Fortune Lover so attached to Katarina is that she lacks the outlook of a noble, being someone who lived as a normal school girl before being reincarnated. She is a very empathetic person who is able to sooth the worries of the characters but literally not seeing it at all (examples being Alan with his rivalry with his twin, and Mary & Sophia with their appearance). She alleviates the pain and worries of others by being what they need. In the original novel of My Next Life as a Villainess!, the readers/viewers already know that her villainess fate is already thwarted because she had already accomplished what Maria was supposed to do during the events of Fortune Lover (befriend Sophia = gain Nicol’s affections / interest Geordo = gain his affection / differentiate Alan & Geordo = gain Alan’s affections / be a first real source of comfort and company = gain Keith’s affections etc.)

I can’t really speculate on much of the plot of the game, but luckily the anime dvd box comes with the actual Fortune Lover game routes of the 4 boys so I might be able to comment on this better in the future. 

Maria is basically the same as Katarina (or Bakarina, if its less confusing); both characters are outsiders to the world of nobles and royalty, and it’s through their own personal outlook that they help and befriend the characters of the game. The spinoff would probably stick the two by the hip now that they’re friends in order to solve this problem, but it’s basically a race between the two of which of them can apply their personal quirks in getting the characters to ally with them. Again I can’t really speculate bc I don’t know the actual routes of the boys, but yeah. 

For example, Geordo has met the heroine while she was trying to climb a tree with a skirt, which he has never seen before, while her also being the pretty light-magic user commoner, and this definitely made her interesting to him (Note: this is an event that occurs canonically within the events of the game, Fortune Lover, but is not presented as something that had occurred in the manga). 

Now we have Katarina acting out of character and eating tons of sweets, while trying to salvage the dress of her peer after she spilled a drink on it, and this character change made her interesting to him as well. Katarina, considering her actual personality as time progresses in the story, is definitely much more interesting than Maria’s (I say that with biases of course) so Geordo would most likely find her to be the more unpredictable and interesting out of the two, but it looks like the only way (or what seems to already be the chosen way??) of writing the spinoff out of this mess is to make it appear like the Maria event didn’t or hasn’t happened yet, because while the original novel does state that Geordo would have fallen for Maria if he wasn’t already inlove with Katarina before they entered the Magic School, Geordo has yet to address his relationship with Maria. (yeah I get it there’s only 6 chapters yet jhgsdgfjsdg BUT STILL IT’S A LOT TO THINK ABOUT)

I don’t know what kind of dynamic Maria and Katarina would have in the spinoff, especially since you need to factor in Sienna, but in the original novel, Maria was pretty submissive to Katarina and would mostly just follow her lead. Maybe with this new friendship, Maria might not actively approach the main love interests (unless it’s by accident, since they don’t have to always save her from bullying Katarina and Sienna already try to solve that themselves) which gives time for Katarina to win them over with the quirky personality. At least, this is what I hope the spinoff goes for lol. (side note, it’s actually interesting to see what it’s like when Geordo literally only uses Katarina as a shield from other women, so when the shift from tool to romance occurs, i think it’ll be pretty nice to see)

To be honest I don’t even know what I’m rambling about, I’m sure I’ll love the spinoff regardless of what direction it takes lol. I’m just nervous because I really really love this concept an I want it to be different from the source material because it literally has the potential to be its own story (idk if this spinoff is even official at all, like I think it has the permission of Yamaguchi Satoru, but idk if its licensed)

Before I end this long ramble, I just want to note that i actual like the art style of the spinoff (illustrated by nishi) more than the original artist nami. I feel like this more simple artstyle captures the shift between Villainess Katarina and Bakarina more smoothly, while the original illustrations kinda makes it looked forced (mostly the manga tbh, the novel covers and art is fine). With nishi’s art, you can easily grasp that these two personalities are both Katarina. 

Anyways that’s it, my hands hurt lol. Might edit this in the future. 

[combat-wombatus]

uHm if you do these and if you want to do it I’d love a bnha matchup <3?

• my name is Aubri, I’m bi but prefer MHA boys tbh. I go by she/her, too.

• I’m a very Gryffindor person. (Sorry if you don’t know Harry Potter - 😖)

• I’m a June cancer, and I have ADHD and anxiety. My anxiety can be literally crippling somedays, but it’s gotten better overtime.

• I’m a bit of a class clown and usually just a clown 🤡 but that’s irrelevant. My teachers all hate me but like school-wise I do well so we have a love and mostly hate relationship 🤧

• I’m usually the ‘entertaining’ friend, in elementary the popular kids would invite me to play games with them because, “you’re funny” and it was like the biggest achievement ever 😭👍🏻 then they’d ignore me but that’s another therapy session

• I’m usually made fun of by people for being ‘weird’ and ‘insane’. Like all through elementary everyone thought I’d be a criminal when I grew up JUST BECAUSE I HAD UNDIAGNOSED ADHD - I hate it here 😐🦶🏻

• I’ve always been super into crime stories/true crime (where my anxiety comes from, I’m always worried about a pesky serial killer just killing me. It’s usually being kidnapped tho lmao) so I knew and still know like all these murder facts and sometimes I’d just randomly be like;

“Hey did you know it takes 12 hours and 2 days to dissolve a body in acid?”

or

“If you bury a dead deer over a dead body you buried deep in the ground, when police dogs sniff it and people dig they’ll just think it was the deer and won’t dig any farther.”

• So maybe people had a reason to be scared of me and think I’ll be a criminal someday, i dunno.

• I love love love reading and writing, and also debating. The things I’ve wanted to be when I grow up are basically: Dog shelter worker, actress, FBI agent, politician, and a writer. But usually I just want to do something that makes a positive impact on people. Like i wanted to be an FBI agent to solve crimes for people. I wanted to be a politican so I could actually help a lot of people. The entertainment industry also seemed like a way to make people happy. Idk, but then I decided I couldn’t be a politican at 10 because they were all corrupt and to be one I would have to be too. 😫🤌🏻 we love some good childhood angst

• the only subjects I’ve ever excelled at are ELA and Social Studies aka History, and Math I can’t do to save my life. ELA comes easy for me and I usually don’t have to work that hard and/or get too stressed over it. But I always get the meanest teachers for some reason. For example, one time I did my final essay for like 30% of my grade in 30 minutes the day it was due and I got an A+ 🦟🦗🦟🦗

• Uhhh id describe myself as a pretty loyal friend, I’m a ride or die type of girl. A story from my childhood that summarizes it pretty well is when I was in 2nd grade my friend wet her pants and she didn’t want to go to the nurse for it alone so I peed my pants so I could go with her and she wouldn’t have to be alone. Like, you know, a professional problem solver

• and I have genuinely attacked people for fucking with my friends but don’t snitch pls 🕳🏃‍♀️💨

• But also just anyone, people at my school tend to come to me with their problems for me to either help solve them by reasoning, or just to confront the other person like the bad bleep I am 😈😈

• I also have a huge daydreaming problem, it’s literally maladaptive daydreaming. So paired with my ADHD I don’t get shit done like ever.

• I have really high empathy levels I guess, like I always say hi to everyone I see on the street, especially if they look sad 😔 I’ve done it ever since I was a little kiddo.

• My fashion sense is very much a preppy/alt style. I wear those ripped tights and fishnets, I also have the MOST BIZARRE JEWELRY- like who allowed me to buy the gummy worm glittery earrings, hmmm???????? and those Mary Janes???????

• But I love crew necks and pleated skirts so I always obide by the National “hoes dont get cold” policy 🇺🇸😫🦅

• I wanna move somewhere someday, I don’t want to stay in America for very long

• I can speak Latin, French, and my native language which is English.

• My music taste varies, but my all-time favorite artists who all of their music they’ve ever put out has been my favorites are, Billie Eilish, Melanie Martinez, and Conan Gray.

• I no-joke have a sign in my front yard that says;

In ✍️ this ✍️ house we ✍️ don’t ✍️ worship Jesus ✍️ but instead ✍️ Melanie ✍️ Martinez

• My favorite shows are MHA (duh), The Promised Neverland, and Malcolm in The Middle.

• and I’m not going to tell you what I prefer in a partner, because that ruins the fun 😤

• but I will say I cannot be friends with someone who doesn’t really make me laugh. Like I’m used to doing most of the talking in convos but if you’re just boring I’m sorry it’s nothing personal but no thanks 😐✌🏻

• About my physical appearance, I have fluffy n curly brown hair, but when it’s in the sunlight it looks sort of brown but golden yk?? It’s shoulder length :) I have bleach blonde streaks in the front. I like wearing eyeliner most days, too. I’m pretty average size/ on the skinnier side. Kinda high key inscure abt my body bc I got flat shamed in elementary EVEN THOUGH I HAVE TIDDIES NOW- whatever 😤🙄. I also have crystal type blue eyes, and I do have fairly big eyes. But, like, not weirdly big. A good big. My cheekbones are ALWAYS PRESENT so sometimes I get called a Tim Burton character but it’s cool ig ☠️☠️ oh and I’m kinda short. I’m 5’3, even though my doctor said I’d be 5’7. I feel like I was either tricked by the doctor or someone just stole my destined height while I was asleep. It’s probably cause I didn’t keep an eye out for Selener 👁 😔😔

• I’m a definite night owl, like all of my energy comes at night which really sucks cuz I can’t do much since everyone else is asleep.

• My love language is touch starved so I’ve never figured it out ✌🏻😗🔫

• but I am an attention whore so idk 😏

• I’m a huge introvert with social anxiety. It isn’t as bad as it used to be cuz I used to not be able to like go to restaurants but now I’m much better.

• I’m a huge history person, mostly like sad history LMFAO. Uh but a lot of my hyperfixations have been on history. Some examples are The Roman Empire, Julius Caesar himself, Anne Frank, The Titanic, the Black Plauge, Helen Keller, Marie Curie, Slavery in the US, Joan of Arc, and just a lot more. I always love talking about these things if someone would let me ramble to them but no one ever does 😖 it also got to a point where for all these subjects I’d go to the library and try to find a book on them but usually I’d either have already read it or I’d read it and know all the information.

• I’m super into Greek Mythology, I have 7 books filled with the stories, I’m going to Greece maybe this summer to see it’s history, and named my hamster Aphrodite but we call her Aphie. I also will talk about this forever and ever if you let me.

• My favorite color is yellow, my favorite food is literally nothing I never have an appetite, my favorite planet is Saturn, favorite song is Tag Your It by Melanie Martinez atm but it changes like everyday.

• Music is a huge safe-space for me if I’m feeling down or having a panic attack. It calms me down n is overall my coping mechanism 💃🏻💃🏻

• Biggest fear is spiders, even looking at one gives me a panic attack and I cannot sleep at all for that night, adding to my insomniac ass 🧎🏻‍♂️🏌️‍♀️

• I’m mature for my age, I don’t exactly like hanging around kids my age and I get along better with older crowds.

• i don’t like conventional dates, (I PROMISE IM NOT TRYING TO SOUND ‘QUIRKY’ AHAHA) I kind of like having a best-friend type partner more so dates that aren’t as romantic as like the movies or a fancy restaurant suite me better. My dream date is playing Monopoly on my bedroom floor 🦧

• Also I hate getting gifts. End of story. If someone gets me a gift like awe that’s nice but never again, I’d prefer to get you one. Especially in a romantic partner 😐 i keep a journal of my friends’ interests and hobbies so I can get them the perfect gifts for their bdays and Christmas’s. Been doing this ever since 4th grade.

• Though I don’t have much actual experience with relationships🧍🏻‍♀️

• I’m a huge believer in ‘family isn’t blood, it’s who you make it’ because I have a pretty shitty family life and my childhood has been trash. My friends are my family to me.

• Also if my friends don’t like my romantic partner ✨ GOODBYE ✨. Sorry girlie, bros before hoes 🦨💨

I was going to put more but I’m so so sorry for how LONG AND COMPLICATED THIS IS- idk if this is a autobiography or a matchup at this point 🤦‍♀️ don’t feel pressured to do this and if matchups aren’t open IM SO SO SORRY LMAO uh yeah ilysm 🦎🎂🧃

OMG ASLDFKJHASLKDJH

🥺 i’m so sorry bby but matchups are closed ;-; my 100 follower event was over while ago (i guess i should’ve specified that in the asks i answered LKSAJHFLKJAHDS SORRY IT’S MY BAD) but you sound so cool?? i had a lot of the same hyperfixations interests (heLLO helen keller was badass AF and the roman empire was messed up but still v cool, anne frank was awesome too) i also may or may not have wanted to be a politician when i was younger alskdjfhalkdhj but now i’m just 🧍🏻‍♀️ lost and anyways you’re amazing >.< love u lots and don’t forget to drink water and eat a lil something hehe :p