#ok that’s a pretty superficial difference so i’ll also say

[trashcandroid]

Been reading a bunch of books with movie adaptations and also watching their movies lately. A while ago it was Gone Girl, then just this past week I’m Thinking of Ending Things and also American Psycho. I liked the books better than the movie in each case by far—not that the movies were bad, but they all have such interesting narration and other things that can’t be translated well to film. (Interestingly both Thinking and American Psycho had sections where the narration shifted from first person singular to something else despite still being from the same characters’ POVs.) And just more plot points and characters in general.

Sorry, I ended up talking a bunch so I’ll put the rest under a read more lol

I still need to rewatch the movie version of Thinking, that book was pretty short and not all that different from what I remembered about the movie. I think the ending is different though… I also don’t remember the guy being SO similar to me. He’s like an alternate universe version of me with certain characteristics exaggerated just enough so that he uhh does the stuff he does lol.

Instead of rewatching that movie I watched a different Charlie Kaufman movie, Anomalisa. I had no idea he made a stop-motion animated movie with Starburns Industries! I also didn’t know he wrote a Dreamworks movie that came out this past year?? This guy gets up to weird stuff man. He also visited my campus a semester or two ago but I didn’t get to go 😔

Ok I lied about there being a lot under the read more, most of the other stuff ended up in the tags or deleted because I kept thinking it was stupid to talk about

[ana-chronista]

1, 3, 6, 22 and 24 please

Thanks for the questions and sorry for the delay! These ones took some thinking...

1. what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are? In no particular order:

Learning to like reading. I used to hate reading as a kid. I was getting on OK with it but it was boring and difficult and too much effort. One of my parents (actually not the one who is also into reading!) decided that wasn’t going to work, so kept trying me out with different books until suddenly they found one I clicked with. Suddenly I wanted to read ahead and find out what happened next, because when you only get to hear a chapter a night, it gets frustrating. So yes, I was basically tricked into liking reading by a parent who isn’t a big reader but was determined I would be!

Having quite a strong regional accent*. I can’t shake it, even when speaking my second language, and by now I wouldn’t really want to – it’s a part of who I am. It does make people look at me in a certain way in my job, and has made me very aware of how people make assumptions according to how others sound. My accent is often stereotyped in-country as being stupid or superficial, so it’s quite entertaining to see peoples’ reactions when they find out I’m neither. * (For those of you not from the same country as me, it’s probably the accent you’re thinking of; for those of you who are from the same country, you’re probably all thinking of about ten different possibilities!)

Living abroad for a bit. This came with plenty of ups and downs at the time, but I can’t begin to tell you how much more confident it made me, even in everyday life. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who gets the opportunity.

3. 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Seeing Fellowship on the big screen was a huge moment for me.

Airplane and The Naked Gun. Two separate movies but along very similar lines and I love them both. If anyone ever wants to come quote either of these at me, feel free!

And because I feel like the former two are so similar they count as one, I’ll also mention Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which has been doing the rounds on tumblr lately. As someone who didn’t really get into the first Cap movie, this one surprised me, but I really enjoy how it explores Steve’s ties to the world, both past and present. I was always disappointed that the Avengers never ended up feeling more like a group of friends, but those sort of bonds and trust aren’t as lacking in The Winter Soldier – in fact it’s a huge focus.

6. what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator? I absolutely love being able to share my work, collaborate with others, and be part of a community around a common interest. When something clicks about a fandom it feels like you’re just chilling with friends and getting excited about the same things, and that’s definitely what I’ve found on the JO/Kӓӓrijӓ community. As for the worst part, I originally wrote a much longer explanation, but on reflection I think it comes down to the opposite of the above, which is when people can become cliquey and entitled within a fandom. I’ve been involved in many different fandoms over several years and had a huge range of experiences. One of the last before I quit fandom for about seven years was within a much larger fandom than JO/Kӓӓrijӓ. I’d been involved in a community project that left me pretty burnt out and disheartened, but led to me posting a fic on AO3 as my contribution. It got some decent reviews. One person in particular loved it. In fact, they loved it so much that in their final review they threatened me with very specific physical mutilation if I didn’t update soon. It was their final review because I logged out and never went back to post the rest. Obviously they could never find me, they weren’t even serious, and I’ve had questionable or downright bad reviews before, but it was a huge WTF moment and I was just done with it all. 22. say 3 things about someone you love They try not to let little things phase them, they’re compassionate without being a pushover, and they share my weird sense of humour, which is lovely. 24. what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for? Trying to become happier. For a long time I accepted it when people would tell me that “life is just like this” and “most people are unhappy in some way”, until eventually I realised that, actually, I didn’t have to. It’s taken a lot of time and effort, but it’s been worthwhile, and while there’s still work to do (and probably always will be), I feel like I’m in such a more positive place than I was ten years ago.

[alister312]

13, 15, 19!!!

thank u!! in reference to this ask list

13. Most shippable character

Kenny, absolutely. He’s just got that sort of vibe that I can agree working with most anyone! There’s Kenny ships that i much prefer to others and Kenny ships I’m not so enthused about, but overall if shown a new Kenny ship of any kind I’d at least say “Ok sure, I’ll think about it.” Second to Kenny might be Bebe, I really like a lot of ships with her. And hey, I love her and Kenny together too! What puts Kenny above Bebe tho is that he’s character who I feel can very easily attach to another established couple and make a throuple work? Like, I think he works in Stylenny and Creekenny!

15. Favourite poly ship

AND SPEAKING OF KENNY BEING A PART OF PRE-ESTABLISHED SHIPS—

Recently I’ve really LOVED the idea of Chrisgornny (Christophe/Gregory/Kenny). There’s literally only one fic out there with them and it’s nsfw so there’s not much in the way of developing dynamics. However, I love thinking about character dynamics. You’ve got Gregstophe which… god, just read literally any of my fics or posts about them and you’ll Understand. But then you’ve also got Kengory, which I discussed in the last ask but basically, they have a lot of similarities that would mesh nicely. Lastly there’s Kenstophe which I do love SO so much?? Similar to Kengory, I think they’re very similar people except instead of similar goals w different approaches, I think they’d have similar approaches w different conclusions. There’s so much to unpack from their differing conclusions on being cursed by God alone— Christophe being angry down to the bitter end but Kenny eventually getting tired and giving up. Due to his immortality, Kenny is also one of those characters who can exist in odd AUs well, which is also where Gregory and Christophe tend to work best. Kenny’s already been a vigilante, why wouldn’t he decide to join them in being a revolutionary? Especially after his dad took him to a worker’s union meeting and radicalized him.

I’m realizing now I could talk about the three of them forever. I’ll stop for now but they will always be in the back of my mind, I assure you.

19. Ship that you never expected to ship

There’s a LOT of ships I’ve started shipping in my second foray into the fandom that I never would’ve shipped the first time around (Crenny comes to mind). However, I think the #1 surprise ship I now love is Dyde (Damien/Clyde). For one, I used to headcanon Clyde as the token straight guy amongst all the others, and I was pretty dead set devoted to Clybe and Dip. I’ve become much more of a multishipper now though. Anyway, @/honey-creek got an anon request for Clyde/Damien, I reblogged it with a comment and idea that made them laugh, prompting an art trade of me writing Dyde while they drew me something related to my longfic Just Business (hoping and praying Kas someday posts the piece bc I love it to death). Somewhere along the lines of writing, “lmao this is a funny pair” turned into genuinely love of the Dyde dynamic. You’ve got Clyde, Just Some Guy™️ of all time, a little dense and concerned with superficial stuff but ultimately sweet and sensitive. Then there’s Damien, literal demon and son of Satan, Prince of Hell but longing to be accepted and liked by others. I’ve only written two fics about them but I love the idea of them SO much….. talk to me about them at all (or Kas and King) and be inducted into Dyde nation 👀

[bre-meister]

So hear me out. I don’t usually talk about Stranger Things here but I gotta rant to someone even if it’s just like, 3 random people who happen upon this post in the tags. I’ll put the rant under the cut for spoilers and for those who don’t care

Ok so this is 10000% about the whole Jancy situation in st4.

I feel like Jonathan and Nancy obviously have a communication issue that can be fixed with an in depth conversation. Now, will we get that conversation on screen? I’m not holding my breath but all that to say they both have pretty valid concerns about the trajectory of their relationship but it’s by no means has to be a dealbreaker for either side. They can go to different colleges and still be together! Although, slightly off topic, I kinda wish that Joyce would push Jonathan to go to a school he wants (like NYU since she said it was his dream) and not just stay for her and Will. Maybe with Hopper back he would feel more comfortable with that.

Back to the original plot of the story, this whole side thing going on with her and Steve is so weird to me. I’m echoing what a lot of people have already said but it just doesn’t make since for any of their characters narratively to get back together. We’ve established that they care deeply for each other but we’ve also established that “care” doesn’t always translate to “love” in a romantic sense. To me it also doesn’t make sense for Jancy to have that parallel scene where they talk about each other so passionately for the writers to just throw that away to make Stancy a thing again. But what do I know about characterization and writing, I only write fanfics, right?

Also, I’m also getting annoyed with all these characters who DON’T EVEN KNOW ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED giving their two cents on Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship or her supposed feelings for Steve. Even for Dustin to say something about Steve not successfuly dating because he’s still into Nancy? Like…no? It makes sense that all his dates with the “normal” Hawkins girls fall flat. He’s experienced things that have become a huge part of his growth and personal story that he can’t share with anyone else. Plus it’s been established that most of the “normal” girls in Hawkins are a lot less mature or more superficial than Nancy or the other females in the larger party. No duh he can’t find a connection with anyone but it’s not necessarily because of Nancy.

So, to end this all off, I would like to leave whoever has made it this far with what I think would make a funny Jancy reunion and bring a conclusion to this whole revisited love triangle:

- Because we have established that Steve does not know “what he wants” we’ll say he follows everyone’s misguided advice and tries to charm and kiss Nancy even though I’d say he’s feeling a bit conflicted

- Nancy obviously does not reciprocate and immediately breaks off the kiss. She starts to tell Steve why she doesn’t feel the same way but suddenly Steve’s eyes go wide looking at something behind her. Before she can turn around and see what he’s looking at someone comes barreling over to Steve and punches him right in the face

- It’s obviously Jonathan

- he doesn’t truly “fight” Steve and both him and Nancy explain what happened because “it’s not what it looks like! Ok… it kinda was but it’s not!”

- words are exchanged, explanations given, and Steve leaves so Jancy can have a true reunion moment

- Dustin makes a comment to Steve about how Jonathan kicked his ass…again. The two descend into banter as they give the other two some semblance of privacy

Now, I’m not delusional about this actually happening. I do think it’s hilarious and offers a funny parallel to season 1. It also tied back into the joke about Steve and fighting. His total would be like 3:2 now (yes i am counting him fighting off that bat in the UD, it was kinda bad ass so gotta give Steve props) and Dustin or Robin would definitely make him aware that he is now loosing in terms of fights again.

Who knows that v2 will bring. I pray some peace for Jancy 😭

[mllepomme]

watching the half of it and … at first i was like holy shit why did they pick no exit but now i see i’m at the scene where they’re in church and aster texts paul/ellie sth like “you think father shanley knows what’s going on around him?” and ellie replies and she looks at aster but aster looks at paul AND IT’S LIKE NO EXIT:

ines wants estelle, but estelle has eyes for garcin. the configuration feels like the one where estelle is in garcin’s arms but ines does not let them forget she’s here, and makes garcin stop holding estelle. in the half of it, there’s a big difference: ellie doesn’t make her presence known. (EDIT: now that I’ve finished the film…. Yeah. Once Ellie makes her presence known anything between paul & aster falls apart, although it’s because Aster leaves and not Paul. Similar but different at the same time to Garcin being like no, I can’t hold you when she’s (Ines) watching like this.)

there’s other parallels too, like obv. the 2 women 1 man trio, and how paul and ellie are the first to interact and ellie throws a lot of hard truths into paul’s face, as ines does when she’s trying to “break into” garcin.

AND NOW THAT I THINK. IT GOES FURTHER! they’re also direct opposites of their no exit characters:

garcin is fundamentally a coward and a cheater. he might have education but he is unable to admit that he was a bad person. paul on the other hand, may not have much knowledge but one thing he has for sure is that he’s anything but a coward. he acts and tries his best where garcin runs away. (+ garcin and paul share one similarity; their expectations, etc. are shaped by christianity initially : garcin first asking the bellboy where the torture devices and the fire is, as he was expecting a christian version of hell & paul reacting badly initially to learning ellie likes aster. once again if i recall paul says something like “you’re going to hell”…? which brings up the femme damnée pattern that links ellie and ines again)

ines is, simply put, evil. might be why ellie is called aster’s father’s “favourite heretic”; a parallel to ines being a “femme damnée”. but back to ines. she’s fuelled on others’ pain and has no qualms messing with others. she takes up a lot of space and is fuelled by the pain she causes. ellie on the other hand is the opposite, she doesn’t take much space, helps others, and is generally a good person working hard for her family.

estelle in no exit is a very superficial, self absorbed. unbelievably so. she’s a very materialistic and selfish girl who behind a naive exterior hides a rotten core. aster is also a direct opposite to this, as in she does also have an initial image of a pretty girl, etc. but contrary to estelle there is a deeper side to her, a very soft one. what they do have in common is being with a rich boy/man they do not like at first while being poorer themselves ; estelle to get money for her sister if I recall properly???

i suppose hell would be squahamish, since they all “can’t leave” at least at the point I’m at.

anyways I’ll probably add onto this because no exit/huis clos makes me vibrate like a bug

UPDATE: ok a few other things. first thing I thought of was that both ellie and ines “dupe” estelle/aster, albeit in completely different ways.

in ines’ case, she acted like a mirror for estelle and made her believe she had a big red spot on her face, when she didn’t. in ellie’s case she also acted like a “mirror”, but instead of distorting aster’s vision of herself, she distorted the vision of paul for aster.

second thing is that the link between ellie and paul is the opposite of garcin and inès. whilst garcin and ines are linked by their horribleness and cruelty above their attraction to estelle, with ines pointing out that link, paul and ellie are linked by their inherent goodness. they’re good people, hardworking, caring. that’s what links them above their love for aster. 

last thing is, in a sense could the teacher be the bellboy? as in… she opens the “door”, she offers an exit from squahamish (hell) to ellie, who doesn’t take it initially, thus not leaving hell despite the door being open just like in no exit. of course the ending is wholly better and thankfully so because no exit is insane

[thefanficmonster]

Kick Some Ghost Ass

”Until Dawn Gang x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing, Sex jokes (excuse my bad humor)

Genre: CRACK, Humor

Summary: It’s one thing when trouble finds this gang, but why don’t we take a look at what happens when they go actively looking for trouble. Needless to say, chaos ensues and no one is spared. Some are more affected than others, and some are dead-ass traumatized, but isn’t that just how life is in general?

Requested by my dearest ever - Until Dawn Anon. Hi lovely! I’ve missed writing your requests and I’m really happy to be back, creating another chaotic fic! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to post it but here it finally is - crazy as ever! I hope you enjoy it! Love you to Blackwood Pines and back baby ❤❤❤

I don’t know how I’ve found myself in this situation but I’m not complaining. If I get to do dumb crazy shenanigans with my crew, I’m ready for just about anything. Not to mention I’m no stranger to ghost hunting. I’m that kid that made DIY Ouija boards and took them to cemeteries with their terrified friends. You should’ve seen us leaving after capturing no ghostly activity - my friends relieved as fuck, and me pissed as fuck.

But today, I’m not expecting nor will I be accepting any disappointment. Especially not with Jess swearing on her Chanel purse that she wasn’t making things up when she said she had a haunted house she wanted us to visit. I must say, I appreciate this group’s enthusiasm when it comes to the paranormal. Never have I had someone who catches my vibe on the subject so well, let alone an entire gang all sharing the same opinion as me - that ghosts, demons and poltergeists are so fucking cool. Sure, Emily took a bit of convincing and Jess is not one to give a shit about the other world creatures invisible to the human eye, but something allegedly happened that changed her mind.

Her a-hundred-and-something-year-old great-grandmother passed away recently and though the death itself didn’t shake Jess up as much as it probably should’ve, the events that followed led to this moment right now - the eleven of us pooling out of two minivans that have pulled up to a terrifying looking house in a wooded are of the suburbs. Jess literally gathered us all on an ‘emergency meeting’ in the courtyard of our college just so she could explain the situation in detail - she doesn’t do well with explaining things in general, let alone when she’s hysterical - so we only understood what she was trying to say when she mentioned the word ‘ghost’. That’s when we all started listening more closely, with the exception of Emily, Beth and Sam but the latter two were intrigued despite trying yo hide it. You can only imagine how excited Josh, Chris and I were, Mike and Matt following a close second behind. Ash was a tiny bit more hesitant but Chris convinced her to give in. And just like that, a week later, here we are.

“I gotta ask, did your great-gran own a VHS player? Or a chest in the attic? Bonus points if there’s a creepy, child-sized doll in there.“ Josh asks as he yanks all the equipment he insisted we bring out of the trunk of the minivan.

“Quit fucking around, Josh! This is serious!“ Jess complains from the spot she’s standing in, shivering in the cold autumn breeze.

“Yeah, Josh! VHS players, creepy dolls, that’s all child’s play.“ I scold him as I pull on my jacket, wrapping it around me more tightly, “Shit gets serious when there’s a secret basement.“

“Y/N!“ Jess shrieks in exasperation. Honesty, how am I supposed to NOT bother her when doing the opposite is so much easier and brings more amusement? “You’re not helping!“

“Wasn’t trying to.“ I wink at her, driving her into a new level of fury that almost leads her to chuck her phone at me. If it weren’t such a prized possession of hers, I’m pretty sure she would’ve chucked it with the intention of knocking me dead. I’m lucky she has the aim of a drunk toddler that spun around fifteen times.

“Hey, quit pissing my girlfriend off, will ya?!“ Mike, who is basically halfway inside the trunk of the other van calls out to us.

I roll my eyes but choose to let it slide. However, someone else doesn’t. Emily does a dramatic turn on her heel, turning to face Mike, or at least the only part of him which is visible. You can imagine how hard it is arguing with an ass like THAT. I don’t know how Emily does it but oh well, I guess I do it too, in a way.

“So it’s girlfriend now, huh? No space between the words?“ Oh that smile she’s flashing him, it could make the Devil himself shiver. I find it kinda hot though - it means shit’s about to go down or hit the fan, either way, the rest of us will be entertained.

Mikey boy straightens up, gracing the rest of us by-standers with his dazzling features. Nah, I’m capping. I honestly think Mike is as attractive as I am patient - very little, almost not at all. It’s surprising how him and Jess are now apparently together since I always pegged her to be the superficial type.

“Got a problem with that, Em?“ He asks, eyebrow raising, head tilting to the side. Oh yeah, it’s on now. But, as someone who’s been quite excited to do some ghost hunting, and also as a representative of the peanut gallery formed of the rest of us who find it amusing and annoying, I feel the need to cut it short before it goes where it shouldn’t. I came to see some exorcist shit, not Keeping Up With The Bitter Exs.

“Jess, I sure hope your grandma is a blood-thirsty ghost cause I can think of at least two people I’d serve to her on a silver platter.“ I snatch the keys the blond has been jingling nervously between her fingers and jog up the stairs to the front door.

Ok I maybe overexaggerated the eeriness of the house. It sure wouldn’t sit right with you if you saw it around sunset or at night, especially not if it’s foggy, but a horror movie house it is most certainly isn’t. It’s pristine and well kept, not a single crack in the walls, the only reason it’s unsettling is because: 1) We’ve all seen a few too many horror movies; 2) There’s been reports of ‘ghostly activity’ - as far as Jess is to be trusted.

While I’m surfing through all the keys, checking each and every single one of them on the door because the real key is unmarked, I can’t help but overhear the conversation going on behind me on the porch.

“Can you believe we got all this in a single day and for a discount on top of all?! Whoever says Craigslist sucks isn’t doing it right.“ Chris’ enthusiasm over the deal him and Josh got on the ghost hunting equipment has been what’s keeping a wide grin on his face this whole time. Though I’m proud of my boys for not getting murdered by the Craigslist seller, I must say I hate that I lost the bet we had - I had to pay them each ten bucks if they didn’t get scammed/kidnapped/murdered and I’m now twenty bucks poorer. I’m not saying I value those twenty bucks more than my friends, though my broke ass needs all the bucks it has and all the dollar bills it could get, but Lord knows I hate losing.

“Yeah, and the guy was only mildly sketchy.“ Josh adds just as excitedly and proudly, “To be honest, Cochise and I were probably the scary looking ones in that parking lot.“

A look over my shoulder shows the twins, Sam, Matt and Ash giving the duo skeptical and somewhat disappointing looks and shakes of their heads. I’ll admit, the equipment is in very good condition and it’s the complete set for ghost-hunting, according to BuzzFeed at least. I’m impressed with the purchase - probably had something to do with how scary Chris and Josh actually look. The all-nighters we’ve all been pulling lately have taken a toll on them worst with the dark circles and bags under their hollow eyes, pale faces and brains turned to mush. I know I’d give them a discount to avoid them pulling out meat cleavers on me.

“That’s all fine and dandy guys, but do you know how to work any of this?“ Sam asks, hesitantly lifting the EMF reader and turning it in her hand, analyzing it with a curious gaze. 

Josh and Chris exchange a look before the former replies, “Just the cameras and voice recorder, the rest falls on them.” He points a finger at me and laughs, “Though they aren’t able to work something as simple as keys, they are more than qualified to be a ghostbuster.”

“You know, Josh, jokes on you, I can work keys! Jess, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be able to work well with organizing things, hence my problem with these keys.“ I hurl the bunch of keys connected my a scarlet keychain at Josh, “Lemme demonstrate my true skills.“ I hop down the flight of stone stairs and approach the pile of equipment the guys have created smack-dab in the middle of the house’s driveway. 

“Oh, I gotta see this!” Mr. Ex-Class-President all but runs over, frowning when we all turn to look at him just as I pick up the spirit box to show off how it works, “Oh that’s what you meant. So you aren’t taking your clothes off?“

Jess and I are alike in one thing - the need we feel to chuck objects at people who piss us off. “You’re girlfriend is, like, right behind you, Munroe. Have some decency!”

“I was gonna enjoy a show as well, but I’m guessing we won’t be getting one.“ The girlfriend in question replies, looking at me quizzically as though that’s gonna convince me into discarding my outfit.

“No, unless you’re a ghost.“ I point the device I’m holding at Mike, “But if your boyfriend here keeps acting up I might turn him into one.“

“That sounds kinda kinky.“ Beth’s comment surprises me. The wink she sends me even more so. “And I kinda like it.“

Ok, ok, ok, hold on. 

Flirting with Munroe is one thing, but Beth is a completely different story. I can be threatening Mike with a knife one moment and cracking sex jokes with him over cold beer the next. While Beth actually has the ability to get me flustered and blushing, and my close relationship with her brother doesn’t help. Mother fucker can just whack me upside the head every time he catches me fussing over my silly crush on his sister.

“Ew, you too! Keep it in your pants or at least get a room.“ Emily doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to being herself. She’s truly a garbage bin full of treasure.

“We’d do the latter if SOMEONE could get the door open.” I glare daggers at Josh who is making hopeless attempts at what I was doing earlier - unlocking that damn door.

“I’d be more than happy to come through for you ladies.“ Mike says, getting in a stance of a runner before a race, his body directly opposite the door.

Oh I can’t wait to see where this is going. I SHOULD RECORD IT.

“Mike, it’s still breaking and entering and it’s still against the law even if the person’s dead.“ Sam points out, entering her mother-like mode, ruining the fun and causing me to pout at her. She gives me a look of disappointment - one worse than I’ve ever seen on my parents - so I just shut my trap before she can also express said disappointment through words and have me feeling guilty for the rest of the day.

A loud crash suddenly echoes causing us to turn our heads to look for the source of the terrifyingly startling sound. One glance is all it takes to put our minds at ease and a second one is enough to provoke different reactions in all of us - the broken window telling the story of where Josh has disappeared.

“What did I just say about breaking and entering?!“ Sam shouts after him while the vast majority of us are cracking up like hyaenas. Jess is just gaping at the broken window next to the front door in disbelief. She obviously can’t decide whether to join in on the fun or serve as back-up to Sam. Josh did technically damage private property that’s partially hers, but if you ask me it serves her right for not marking her keys.

“Sorry, I was too busy breaking the window to hear that part of the conversation!“ Josh’s apologetic smile appears on the other side of glassless frame. I can’t tell if he’s genuinely sorry or holding back laughter but either way, he looks innocent enough for Sam to let him off the hook as long as he doesn’t cause any more trouble - in which case: tough luck. Chris, Josh and I are nothing if not troublemakers, especially when we’re together. Chris tones it down when Ash’s around, and the same goes for Josh with Sam while I’m simply problematic regardless of who’s watching. My chaos is untamable, it’s a blessing and a curse and I love it, even though it’s landed me in hot water more than once. It’s nice to be around people on the same wavelength - chaos resides within this group and not a single one of us can hide it.

“At least we have a way in now.“ Ash offers Josh a helping hand in this argument after she recovers from the overwhelming fit of laughter. “I hope the broken window doesn’t anger your gran, Jess.“

The blond snaps out of her trance briefly, “No, she was a very sweet lady, but damn is Josh creative!” She hurries to correct herself, “Destructively creative.”

I hurry to correct her once again, “Chaotically creative.”

“Guys, do you mind coming in? It’s very creepy standing here alone!“ Josh calls out to us, looking over his shoulder at the interior of the house, “I’m expecting to be snatched and dragged to that secret basement we mentioned.“

“Mention it one more time and I swear to God-!“ Jess screams, fists tightened.

Before her angry wrath could crash atop us, we all make our way into the house through the broken window, carefully avoiding the shards of glass strewn about. One step inside and we’re met with the upmost of horror clichés - a drop in temperature. We’re all wearing thick hoodies because the weather outside is chilly in and of itself, but said hoodies aren’t as efficient at holding the house’s cold at bay and away from out skin.

Chris and Matt make their way in last, carrying the equipment consisting of three cameras, flashlights for everyone, an EMF reader, a spirit voice box, a voice recorder and a motion detector. I help them hand a light to each group member as well as a ghost-hunting device before we venture onward.

“If I were your grandma’s ghost, I’d be ten times more pissed about that window. It looks to me like that lady payed a lot of attention to keeping things in order.“ Matt comments while he examines the expensive looking painting hanging in the hallway.

I hear Emily scoff, “Unlike some.” but the remark is said so quickly and quietly I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who heard it.

Jess laughs, “She did like things in order, but she was never as strict as you might think. As I said, she was very sweet.“

“So do you just not take after her at all or were you adopted?“ Emily’s remarks are no longer a mumbled jumble of words, “No, nevermind, of course you’re not adopted. Your parents are smart people, they wouldn’t have chosen you if they had the chance.“

Jess laughs again, much more menacingly this time, causing me to exchange a look with Hannah who’s walking beside me. “Twenty bucks says one of them isn’t making it out of here.” It’s just a matter of time, to be honest. If not the lodge, or any party we’ve ever attended as a group, this haunted house is the perfect opportunity for a murder. We could even argue it was a ghost.

Luckily, the two cats clawing at each other’s throats don’t overhear, “No, my parents aren’t stupid, but your boyfriend clearly is. He chooses to date you! Or are you holding him captive or something.“

Ok that’s enough. I can tolerate a lot of things, but people calling one of my best friends stupid is not something I’m about to put up with, “How dare you call one of my hoes stupid?” I sneer at Jess, eyes narrowing.

“I thought I was your hoe too!“ She fights back, looking almost offended.

“Even more reason you shouldn’t have called him that! I don’t tolerate my hoes not respecting each other.��� 

I don’t get to see where this argument goes because Ashley’s shriek echoes throughout the hallway, stealing mine as well as the attention of everyone else. 

“There’s a ghost in here!“ Making it to the doorway of the room she’s in first, I peak my head inside and see the EMF reader she’s holding going nuts as if it’s detected something.

“Don’t worry, Ash, there’s a dead cactus here. That’s not the ghost we’re looking for, is it?“ Chris, my amazingly bright friend says, quirking an eyebrow suggesting that remark was nothing short of dead-ass serious.

“Chris, darling, that’s not how it works. Cactuses are plants.“ I point out as sweetly as I can as to mask my laughter.

“Don’t the same ghostly rules apply?“ The genuine look of confusion he gives me almost makes me lose it.

“Ok children, leave the room, we need to set up a motion detector to be sure.“ Beth says with a tone that suggests she’s more than over our insanity. Jeez, count on her and Sam to start parenting us through our chaos. They are of high authority, must admit - one genuinely feels bad if they don’t comply to whatever these two girls demand.

We all pile out in the hallway while the twins set up this interesting motion detector with green dots. I don’t know what Jess’ granny looked like, but I bet that even the most unattractive of people would look hella good with this lighting. Thankfully the room is dark enough with the shutters closed and the curtains drawn, allowing the dots to be perfectly visible.

We stare at the minimalistic room littered with fluorescent green dots on every surface for maybe a minute or two but not much happens to the disappointment to some and relief to others. However, as if not wanting to let us down, the ghost makes a shy appearance if the shift of the green dots is anything to go by.

“Oh shit, is that a ghost?“ Chris whispers, sounding as amazed as I feel in this moment.

“It better be.“ I mutter in response, refusing to blink and risk missing anything important.

The sudden presence of the obnoxious noise of the spirit voice box makes us all jump. As I turn my head to glare at whoever’s using it, Josh speaks up. “Are you an attractive ghost?”

“Josh, that’s my great-grandmother, you ass!“ Jess barks with disgust in her voice.

In the meantime, I catch glimpse of Mike rolling up his sleeves. Oh shit, this ain’t good.

“I’ve been waiting for this!“ He shouts victoriously, cracking his knuckles.

Knowing this won’t end well, the first thing I do is snatch the camera from Chris’ hands and turn it on.

“Um, Mike, what do you mean?“ Sam’s back to being concerned, turning to the rest of us when Mike doesn’t give her a response, “What’s he gonna do?“

“Fight it.“ I answer as though it’s the most normal thing to ever have been done, “Or, ash he calls it - kick some ghost ass.“

“A freaking ghost?! He’s gonna try to tussle with something he can’t see?“ I can’t tell if Matt’s tone is disbelief, amusement or disappointment, but I believe he isn’t about to try and stop or dear ex-president in his pursuit and that’s all that matters. I ain’t about to let someone stop whatever’s about to go down from going down.

“That’s still my great-grandmother, you dumbass!“ Jess shrieks with something alike terror.

“Don’t worry Jess, I’m sure she’ll go easy on him.“ I say in an attempt to reassure her but I can’t even be bothered really, I’m too laser-focused on the circus that’s about to take place in front of me.

Mike, as if encouraged by my words, charges into the room. Much to his dismay, before he could even reach the ghost, he’s met with a much more vigorous enemy - the carpet. The rascal trips him up and Mr. Munroe falls flat on his face.

The group stays silent, looking at the glorious aftermath of the glorious fall. Told ya these lights could make everything fabulous. Must say, it’s truly an honor for me to have been able to catch all that on tape.

“10/10, would ghost-hunt with Mikey Munroe again.“

[arlingtonpark]

SNK 137 Review

I can't unsee it.

-rubs temples-

Ok, I know I’ve been absent the past two chapters. I’ll get to why and what I thought of 135 and 136 in this post, but for now…jeez, this chapter.

It was badass and dumb and sometimes both at the same time.

Where do I even start?

-sound of pages being leafed through-

Ok, then.

I actually really like Zeke’s character. He is unironically my second favorite out of the cast.

When we first see Zeke, he’s in his beast titan form. He’s lumbering, hulking, unsettling.

He’s a titan that can talk. He’s a titan that can control other titans!

And he wiped out humanity’s second strongest with ease. I forget his name. It was Mickey, right?

Worst than that, actually. He ordered his titans to kill Mickey with all the gravitas of ordering a side of fries at McDonald’s.

Iirc fans were wondering if this new character would be the main villain of the series.

He went on to wipe out the Survey Corps at Shighanshina, and after that we learned he singlehandedly foiled his parent’s right-wing conspiracy when he was a kid.

Zeke was a mastermind who shouldn’t be taken lightly…right?

Welp, the more we saw of Zeke, the more obvious it became that he wasn’t actually all the impressive.

He wasn’t very good at being a warrior. Honestly, it seems most of his high marks comes from his unique royal blood powers, and the good will be built with Marley when he turned in his parents. TFW cronyism.

He foiled the restorationists plot, but really he was just an abused kid who wanted to get away from his parents.

He killed Mickey, but Zeke was a King Kong sized titan and Mickey was caught off guard and unarmed, so…yeah, ofc he won that fight.  

Zeke has royal blood powers, but that doesn’t say anything about his intellectual prowess or anything.

The Survey Corps was wiped out at Shighanshina, but the circumstances of that fight strongly favored him. The Survey Corps were trapped in the city, so all Zeke had to do to win was sit on his ass and do nothing.

And he almost died anyway.

Levi got the drop on him because of his own incompetence. He let himself get distracted, which created the opening for Levi to strike.

Throw in his gullibleness towards Eren, his bumbling demeanor, and his totally emo philosophy, and the true nature of Zeke Jeager became undeniable: this guy is a fucking moron.

Like.

A real fucking moron.

And that’s why his character is unironically so great!

Zeke’s character is such a brilliant subversion of audience expectations.

We were all made to believe that this guy was a Big Fucking Deal through what turned out to mostly be circumstantial reasons.

In reality, he’s an idiot who’s been failing upwards his whole life.

Zeke got as far as he did because he’s really lucky. That’s all he has going for him.

I liked the more fleshed out version of his world view we got here. It is appropriately emo.

My read on Zeke has always been that if he existed in real life he’d be an extremely online philosophy bro, so seeing his outlook on life being effectively copy pasted from 4chan was just delightful.

Zeke is 2deep4(chan)u.

Life exists to multiply. All actions are explained by this singular drive. As such, life is hollow and we’re better off dead.

Imagine that is how you see the world.

Life sucks. It’s an existence of suffering driven by a desire to ensure more people are brought into this world so that they can toil away ensuring that yet more people are brought into this world to toil away ensuring people are brought into this world.

On and on and on and on.

To Zeke, this is the cycle of violence.

Not war which begets war which begets war, but rather life itself.

One suffering existence that begets another suffering existence that begets yet another suffering existence.

That is the context from which the euthanasia plan came from: it was an extension of this broader world view.

Everyone gets a dose of pain in this world, but Eldians especially get shafted. If anyone deserved release from this nihilistic existence that is “being alive,” it’s them.

Hence, Zeke’s plan to sterilize Eldians so they can die out peaceably.

…

It’s hilarious how easily Zeke is disabused of this notion.

I’m not sure if it works from a storytelling perspective, but it tracks perfectly with what usually happens when emo philosophy bros like Zeke have their beliefs challenged.

The emo bro will go on a self-absorbed rant about how nihilistic life is. For sake of example, let’s say the reason is because morality is just an opinion and nothing is objectively wrong.

The n the guy he’s ranting to will drop a critique on the bro so devastating that they’re left speechless:

“What about murder? Isn’t murder objectively wrong?”

Emo bro: -surprised pikachu face-

I swear to God this happens a lot. I don’t know if transplanting that into this pivotal storytelling moment works, but I sure as hell enjoyed it.

But, yeah, while we’re talking about philosophies, let’s look at some others.

Armin thinks there is beauty in pointless moments. Moments that are meaningful only for the people who partake in them. They’re an expression of the love they have for each other. Those moments are worth cherishing and protecting.

He’s right, but you know who also thinks that way?

Eren does.

Superficially, anyway.

When Eren starts rumbling the world, he thinks of his friends and the fun they’ve had together. He’s doing it for them.

Of course, he’s hurt them instead, but that’s still his logic, however deranged it may be.

What separates Armin from Eren is their sense of boundaries.

There are places that Eren is willing to push on towards that Armin is not.

For that, Eren thinks Armin is weak. All Eren had to say to him when they spoke at the restaurant was how useless Armin was.

Armin can’t go the distance. He can’t do what’s necessary. He takes options off the table too easily. He wanted to negotiate instead of seeing the truth that war was inevitable.

To Eren, that’s weakness.

In reality, it’s empathy.

Armin cares about people. Even people who hate him.

Eren doesn’t. If you’re his enemy, you’re dead to him, period.

Eren has no soul.

He may have slept under his enemy’s roof, ate his enemy’s food, and saw the good in them for himself, but he’s still killing them.

I don’t care if he’s crying on the inside. I don’t care how many times he said he’s sorry to Ramzi.

That actually makes it worse.

Eren made the calculation, the conscientious decision, that the lives of billions of people across multiple civilizations were worth less than that of his race.

Not even his whole race; just the subset of his race he was most familiar with!

Eren and Armin represent two widely similar, yet subtly different philosophies.

For Eren, the world is beautiful, but you have to do cruel things to protect that beauty.

The world is cruel because it is beautiful.

For Armin, the world is beautiful, but it is plagued by cruelty.

The world is cruel, but also beautiful.

SNK made the right choice. Armin was rightly depicted as the superior worldview.

(I have some gripes about how endemic the series seems to think cruelty is to the world, but we’re ignoring that now.)

Ymir is more of a wild card than I thought she’d be.

It seemed straightforward.

Ymir had been beaten and enslaved her whole life, so when Eren offered her freedom and treated her life a human, she sided with him.

That still looks to be what happened, but it seemed like Ymir also genuinely wanted to destroy the world with Eren.

The world treated her with cruelty, so of course she’d want to burn it all. Makes sense, right?

But Ymir, it turns out, is a lot more complicated than that.

She was beaten, enslaved, raped, hunted like an animal, and after all that, she still believed in this world.

She saw two lovers together, and that embodied what made the world worth getting attached to.

Those two lovers were her conquerors. Her oppressors.

She saw the love between two of her slavers, and instead of resentment or jealousy, she simply knew it was beautiful.

If people threaten his freedom, Eren wishes death upon them.

When Ymir is literally enslaved by them, she still acknowledges the beauty of their romance.

It’s a cool layer of complexity to add to their dynamic. They’ve been through similar shit, but they couldn’t be more dissimilar.

My guess is that Ymir is sympathetic to Armin and everyone came back to life through her help.

I know Armin Zeke the credit for that, but…that makes no sense?

Eren defeated Zeke when Ymir sided with him and he started the rumbling.

Eren, via Ymir, is in control, not Zeke, so it makes no sense for Zeke to be able to do any of this.

The only explanation is that Ymir broke from Eren and now Zeke is her new best friend.

…Yeah, this is the part where I talk about the bad stuff with this chapter.

The exact mechanics of how all of this went down is very underexplained.

Zeke being able to reveal himself like he did can be chalked up to Ymir’s power, but if it’s true this was purely Zeke’s doing, then…how?

How was Zee able to do that if Eren is in control? Why would Eren even put Zeke there instead of encasing him in crystal and keeping him physically close by?

This whole final battle has been very underwhelming for me, which is why I didn’t do a review for the last two chapters.

The premise is pretty bland.

The Alliance’s main opposition in this fight are mindless drones. The titans they’re fighting have no humans inside them, they’re just puppets. NPCs.

What drama there has been here has been the same fucking crap we’ve been dealing with for the past few volumes.

Yes, Mikasa, Eren has to die.

I know this is hard for her, but my patience has run out.

Eren told her to her face that they had to kill him if they wanted to win, and then when the Alliance is riding on Falco’s back, they make the final call to kill Eren and this is the face Mikasa makes.

Like this is the first time she’s heard it.

This is the face you’d expect from a child, not a grown ass adult. 

That was the moment I became convinced Mikasa would probably die in this fight.

Her head is too far up her ass as this point.

She is utterly incapable of processing the obvious fact that Eren hates her.

Yes, he’s theoretically destroying the world partly for her, but he’s also deranged and too self-absorbed to see that he’s hurt her. He has no real regard for her. 

It is beyond annoying that there has been almost zero progression for her character on this issue.

If by this point in the story, she had accepted that Eren had to die, but was still visibly coping with that, then all would be well.

What’s frustrating is that just when it seems like we’ve progressed past that stage, we learn we haven’t.

I also feel that a lot of the major beats of the fight were pointless.

A major point in the battle comes when Armin gets eaten by the Okapi titan, and Mikasa, Annie, and the rest have to rescue him. But Armin didn’t seem to be in any danger of dying, and him being sent to P A T H S was actually a good thing in the end because he was able to win over Zeke.

The whole deal with the explosives around Eren’s neck was also pretty badly handled.

You’d think the hard part would be getting the explosives to the neck and securing them to it, but nope. Pieck took care of that in a couple of panels, and the real meat of the fight is doing the very last thing they need to do to win.

It’s very tedious and contrived.

Instead of a fight that’s interesting because they have to wrestle their way through titans while carrying the bombs, we get a totally generic fight because the story breezed through the hard part and all they have to do now is push a single button to win.

But in the end that entire sequence was pointless because Armin decides to blow everything up anyway.

Jean’s shining moment?

A total waste.

Reiner’s shining moment...wrangling that worm thing?

Also a total waste.

Armin was going to blow it up anyway. There is no way you can say that Eren would have survived Armin’s explosion but for Reiner and Jean’s efforts.

It just defies all common sense.

So yeah, this whole battle was a pretty lackluster climax.

Looking to the future, I think this is it.

There’s only two chapters left, so we need to start wrapping up. My guess is Eren’s likely dead and next chapter starts the epilogue.

Tally-ho.

---

I made a post about all the character’s chances of living or dying by the end of the manga. I figured I’d update those death ratings here.

Eren: Likely Alive --> Lean Dead

Historia: Likely Dead --> Toss Up

Mikasa and Reiner: Lean Dead --> Lean Alive

Annie: Lean Alive --> Likely Alive

Jean and Connie: Likely Dead --> Lean Alive

Pieck: Toss Up --> Lean Alive

Zeke: Lean Alive --> Ded

You’ll notice I’m still rating most of the cast as having a significant chance of dying.

While I do feel that this is probably the end of the battle, I’m choosing to be cautious in my choice of ratings.

Mayhaps Eren will pull a come from behind victory.

Ya never know.

[a-lil-bi-furious]

omg i sent an ask for the ship ask thingy a while ago but completely forgot about it (i assumed it never arrived??) but now i remember and still.. need ...to .. know... opinion on stisaac and allydia?

Hi Anon! Tumblr would betray me and not deliver your ask?? 😱😠 Rude. I did not receive the first, but I am happy to answer this one. Sorry it took me a bit (school’s got me super busy rn), but hopefully you’ll still see this!

Stisaac

I don’t really ship Stisaac tbh, so I haven’t given them tons of thought? It would take some convincing for me to ship them romantically because their relationship in canon just felt like pure hostility on both ends to me. I do, however, see some potential there with the banter (add in even a tiny sprinkle of affection and we have something to work with). If they were to have a relationship, I can’t see them being all that serious or committed to it, and I have a hard time seeing it as a very healthy dynamic. They’d be like...the pair that people think are dating? Maybe? It’s kind of hard to tell when the only things that ever come out of their mouths are insults with very little outward affection (even though they both care at least somewhat, they just won’t admit it).

I think their dynamic in general is interesting, though, because they’re only really in the same circle because of Scott. And (in my opinion) some of their hostility is because Scott’s in the middle of them; he’s always been close with Stiles, but he’s starting to really bond with Isaac too. Scott has always been Stiles’ best friend, and for a long time it was just the two of them, and now suddenly there are all these other people around. And that’s great! They could both use some friends. But Isaac is living in Scott’s house and suddenly just seems to be everywhere Scott is. Stiles already wasn’t all that fond of the guy and now he’s getting all chummy with Scott and Scott is all chummy with Isaac. And he hates it. And Isaac knows he does. But look, Isaac wasn’t big on Stiles either and with the clear chip on his shoulder and all the insults Isaac is happy to just deflect that bitchiness right back. He couldn’t care less about what Stiles thinks of him. He kind of wishes he wasn’t around so much, though, practically marking Scott as his best friend territory. What I’m trying to say is (whatever the nature of their respective relationships with Scott) there’s some jealousy here.

The form of their relationship I’m most on board with is begrudging friends who somehow end up paired off a lot and hate it, but kinda, sorta, maybe, a little bit have grown more fond of each other. But that’s a secret for the grave. They’re frenemies. And hey, sure, maybe they’re frenemies who get a little hot and bothered and make out once. It’s not a big deal, okay? Stiles threatens Isaac in his very morbidly specific way about telling anyone it happened. Isaac quips that it wasn’t good enough to be worth telling. And then casually announces it hours later, entirely too pleased with himself. Lydia and Allison are so over this before it even starts, but ultimately decide to fan the fire. Poor Scott is ready to bash his head in with these two fighting. Again. (Afterward he never lets Stiles live it down. After all, what are best friends for if not to mercilessly lovingly harass each other?) I’m rambling nonsense at this point. What I’m trying to say is I see them as essentially rivals turned friends-ish. I don’t ship them, but I’m discovering this dynamic would be fun to play with in the love/hate, bantering sort of way. I could potentially be convinced to read fic with them given the right premise, but couldn’t see it/wouldn’t want it in canon.

Allydia

Now, Allydia. I don’t even know how to describe my feelings on this ship! I feel mystified by it, honestly. They both just have such wlw energy so much of the time, and it’s a damn shame Lydia never got a girlfriend. I always loved both Allison and Lydia individually, and I did love their friendship! They were never a pair that I really gave much thought while watching the show (specifically ship-wise) but I remember seeing a gif set once outlining their relationship, and was kind of like “ok but why the fuck not??”

I love pretty much any iteration of them, canon-compliant and not. I ship them romantically, platonically, queerplatonically; in a polyamorous relationship, as friends who dated but decided they were better as friends and are super close/supportive exes, mutually pining, unilaterally pining; in different AU situations like... dark!Allydia, (both) supernatural!Allydia, (both) hunters!Allydia, non-supernatural world Allydia, etc. etc. I am 👀 intrigued about pretty much any idea. I do prefer a healthy dynamic, so that’s for sure a constraint, but mostly I just...am more or less indifferent to the form of Allydia I get as long as I get it somehow and they’re close and love each other, whatever kind of love it is. I get so emotional sometimes about how much they bonded, and especially about their relationship in season 3. That’s where it really seemed to blossom in a genuine, reciprocal way. In seasons 1 and 2 I do think Lydia and Allison cared about each other, but they were both so focused on portraying an image/persona that sometimes genuine care in that relationship got overshadowed by superficiality. And they are such a power couple too! Oh my godddd the strength and the confidence and the skill and the intelligence and the sass...incredible. I also cry whenever I think about Allison dying, and Lydia feeling it and screaming for her. I just....they were so connected and they loved each other and I am sad. I haven’t read fic for them before, but I certainly would if recommended a good one. 

I think my overall preference for shipping Allydia is as a queerplatonic relationship--just “platonic” doesn’t seem to quite cover how they feel in the way that most people mean it, but there isn’t a romantic connection. (To be honest, Lydia strikes me as somewhere on the aromantic spectrum just in general.) But, yeah, no one quite understands them like the other does, and ultimately they want to go through life together. So they live together and build a life together. They’re open to date other people romanticlally/sexually (if either wants); they function as partners in every other way, just as they always have, really, since Lydia first spotted Allison and announced “You are my new best friend.” And maybe love at first sight does exist, but maybe it isn’t what everyone assumes it will be. Maybe there was something about that glance that said “come get to know me” and Lydia declared “I already do.” Maybe there’s so much focus on romantics that people miss it when true love in other forms passes them by. Not Lydia. She’s not one to let opportunities pass her, and, honestly, she isn’t one to wait for them to come along either. She creates her own; if she wants something she goes for it. She wants a relationship with Allison. She gets a relationship with Allison.  And hey, it works out wonderfully. No one is impaled by a sword, and they live out their long, happy life together. Yep. It’s decided.

(Send me ships and I’ll tell you if/how I ship them!)

[radramblog]

Every Boros Commander, Part 2

Where we last left off, I was shitting on Adriana, Captain of the Guard, who gives ACAB a pretty different meaning. Fortunately, most of the pickings this time aren’t quite as dire.

Depala, Pilot Exemplar (3rd most played as of writing)

Holy shit, a Boros commander with card advantage? It’s niche, but it was a first. Being limited to Dwarves and Vehicles does leave her with a problem a lot of commanders and tribes tend to have, which is being just a smidge under critical mass- but with the upcoming Kaldheim appearing to support Dwarves, and vehicles appearing to be a deciduous mechanic, I feel like it won’t be long before Depala is as powerful as her placement suggests. She is niche and mana-hungry, but basically the only Vehicle commander (and definitely the only Dwarf commander at the moment), so I suspect she’s here to stay for a while.

Tiana, Ship’s Caretaker (15th most played as of writing)

Tiana is possibly my favourite character lorewise in all of magic, frankly. She’s cool and cute and a massive dork and also someone who found her purpose in life, and frankly I love that for her. 

She’s also a really interesting commander to build around, seeing as she has a unique brand of card advantage that leads to the addition of old and weird cards, which I’m always a fan of. I should really get around to building a Tiana deck, to be honest, though I already have 10 commander decks with an 11th in progress, sooooo…

Firesong and Sunspeaker (4th most played as of writing)

I’m surprised to see F&S this high, but the first unique Buy-a-Box card did expand into an archetype previously unseen in the combination in the form of Boros Spellslinger (Dalakos would later return the favour as an Izzet Equipment commander). Previously, you had to go into Pauper EDH and play fellow Minotaur Blaze Commando for this kinda deck. Like Depala, F&S are heavily played despite being niche, though the also have the benefit of being a RW minotaur commander, if you want to play White instead of Black in that deck for…some reason? The siren moo of Boros Reckoner speaks to us all, I suppose.

Sylvia Brightspear and Khorvath Brightflame (17th most played as of writing)

The only partner pair I’m discussing today on account of their monogamy. Knights and Dragons make a weird combination, seeing as there are basically no other cards that help them work together rather than apart. You could almost run them as a goodstuff deck if you wanted, seeing as many of Boros’s best creatures are Knights or Dragons, but largely I think sticking to one or the other is probably for the best. With that in mind, the pair are actually the only real commanders for either tribe within Boros- the only other Dragon is something we’ll get to, and the only knight is…Adriana…so…. The buffs given by either pair are excellent, and not something that either tribe gets easy access to typically, so I can see the appeal of them in that slot. At that point, the extra commander is just a bonus.

Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice (21st most played as of writing)

Oh, another Aurelia, and she’s worse this time. In seriousness, her ability looks like its likely to be targeting herself most of the time, and Mentor just doesn’t do enough in this format. She has enough keywords and power to Voltron, but I’m not expecting much interesting from her outside of that.

Tajic, Legion’s Edge (18th most played as of writing)

Tajic has 4 separate lines of text for some reason, and only one (ok fine two haste is nice) actually matters. Having a damage prevention effect is nice in the zone, but it doesn’t apply to himself, so if you’re planning on turning mass damage one-sided you’re going to need to protect him still. And like, what else does he do? He’s not a good aggro commander at all, his last ability is a joke, why are people playing this card? If I was in a mass damage deck I’d just play Gisela, at least she does something on the off chance she survives. Probably no-one is gonna go out of the way to kill Tajic, at least. Beats out Aurelia for biggest downgrade, imo, even if Aurelia fell from higher.

Feather, the Redeemed (Number 1 most played at time of writing)

Feather is the most popular Boros commander, by over triple the next most popular. It’s not hard to see why: she’s a cheap commander that turns any targeted cantrip into a draw engine, she synergises with so many random powerful cards that you can build her a fair few different ways, and she’s a cool story character getting a card 12ish years after her appearance in the Ravnica novels. She does so much and is so interesting that it’s completely understandable that she’s as huge as she is. I’m still never going to build her though, even with my funky Japanese copies, if only because I’m too much of a hipster.

Gerrard, Weatherlight Hero (13th most played as of writing)

Kinda funny that Gerrard’s little text that made him work in the command zone until recent rules changes is now a strict downside. Gerrard has his niche, with a Second Sunrise in the zone unsurprisingly supporting Eggs decks rather nicely, and synergising with a lot of just random bullshit. I’d probably never build him, and it seems pretty easy to make it degenerate, but I’m glad he’s here and he’s certainly better than the first iteration of the character.

Haktos, the Unscarred (12th most played as of writing)

I’m kinda surprised to see Achilles this high, considering how recent he is. He reminds me a lot of Progenitus, oddly enough, as a commander that would be good at Voltron but can’t get buffed easily by traditional means. I think adding equipment on the off-chance that it fits his heel is a complete mistake, but things like Silverblade Paladin and Exalted cards do exist, so fair play. He’s pretty hard to kill unless you’re boardwiping, and even then damage-based ones probably miss, so I can see the value in that. But that mana cost hurts to look at- hitting 2 mana of 2 different colours on turn 4 was a pain back when I played Trostani, and that was a green deck.

Stet, Draconic Proofreader (No data available)

Okay look, I tried so hard to find a way to abuse this dork’s ability but there’s just no good way to do it. Stet sucks hard enough that even if you are playing with Silver-Bordered cards legal I just don’t know why you’d ever run it. His art is pretty funny, I’ll give it that. We got Alexander bloody Clamilton and Surgeon Commander in the same cycle, keep in mind.

Winota, Joiner of Forces (2nd most played as of writing)

Having menaced standard, Winota is still pretty decent as a commander, even without access to her 7-mana blue payload.  There actually aren’t that many beefy humans to cheat out in general, but considering how easy it is to enable her ability and the fact that she digs *6 cards deep* on trigger, I think you just kinda end up swarming the board distressingly easy with her deck. It’s shocking to see a card from 2020 in the top 5 like this, considering how the year has gone for the format in general, but like. 6 cards.

Zirda, the Dawnwaker (8th most played as of writing)

Look it combos with Basalt/Grim monolith in the command zone isn’t that neat. Zirda is pretty open-ended, but not especially powerful outside of the aforementioned combo. I find them much more appealing in the Companion slot, frankly. With that said, I do like that Boros is the colour pair getting access to Training Grounds in the zone, seeing as it works well with its other themes (Equipment mostly) and opens new archetypes (Cycling, etc.) up as possibilities.

Akiri, Fearless Voyager (7th most played as of writing)

Haha, Brion has more decks than Akiri. That’s probably since it only released a few months ago. Of course, I’m not including the other Akiri, so this is the first time we’ve seen her on the list. But apart from that, Akiri was somehow the first of these commanders to actually say “draw” on it. Her synergies with Living Weapon (and the recent equipment cards that do the same) are pretty sick, though her second ability will end up costing a lot of mana over time if you have to use it. I think its hilarious how much more value this gives you than Adriana for doing the thing Adriana wants you to do, at 2 less mana.

Also, she’s probably the best general for Kor tribal? I guess you could go Akiri/Black partner so you can play Orah in the deck. Someone build this! Kor like equipment, Akiri likes equipment, lets go.

It’s only just occurred to me that Akiri gives you more for attacking other players than Adriana does. Fuckin hell, man.

Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant (25th most played as of writing)

Bell finally getting a card 15 years after his fictional death was a welcome treat, but the exile-related ability is frankly awkward and abusing it to 1 or 2 hit commander damage is pretty difficult. Still, having impulse draw in the zone makes him probably just the best generic #goodstuff commander. I’m surprised he’s as low as he is, but he only released a month ago (at time of writing) and we got an absolute stack of legends (including 2 other Boros ones and the partners) in the same set.

Reyav, Master Smith (28th most played as of writing)

Reyav is neat since he combines 2 of Boros’s more traditional archetypes, being Aggro and Voltron, into one damage doubling dwarf. I suspect his lack of play is again due to the other legends in the same set and that it only dropped a month ago, because there’s no way he deserves to be below Munda. Also, he’s 2 mana! The only other 2CMC Boros Legend is partner Akiri! How did that happen? I think he deserves better. You can suit him up and get dunking real quick.

Wyleth, Soul of Steel (16th most played as of writing)

Our final general is Boros’s second ever Precon commander, and the only one with flavour text. He’s got the space for it, considering how much work that second line is doing. I appreciate that Wyleth, despite being superficially similar to Akiri, plays pretty differently, as he prefers Voltron while she prefers spreading equipment out. I assume Wyleth would be a lot higher if the precon itself was included, but there’s no way of knowing how many people are playing just the base deck, so who knows.

A CHALLENGER APPROACHES!!!

Koll, the Forgemaster (no data available) This bloke got spoiled between me writing most of this and going to publish it. I can see a few easy combos with his first ability, especially seeing as Grafted Wargear is a card. Playing fairly though, his first ability feels kinda slow, and not being able to protect himself is a huge drag. The second ability feels kinda stapled on, as its a way of giving you a bonus since the first one doesn’t do shit for tokens. But like, just don’t equip them, lmao. Awkward, but has potential.

And that’s the lot of them! Uhhhh yeah that’s all I’ve got, stan Tiana kthnxbai

[me-and-fo]

Ok, so I’m going to just take a moment to introduce my main F/O and explain why I love him so much. This will be a long post so be ready.

This is Gantlos

He is from an Italian cartoon called Winx Club, which got English dubbed and eventually aired on Nickelodeon later on. The cartoon is about a group of six girls that call themselves the Winx and are fairies. They have magical transformations, gain new forms and powers every season and fight seasonal villains. Gantlos is one of those villains. From the fourth season. He is part of the group called the Wizards of the Black Circle. The other three members are Ogron (the leader) Anagan and Duman. (I really like the other three as well, I have them as platonic F/Os). They are 4 ancient wizards from Earth that went to war with the Earth fairies. They imprisoned all the fairies a long time ago, bu there is still one fairy left that they haven’t gotten yet. The goal of the season is for the Winx to stop them from capturing her, free the imprisoned Earth Fairies, and fully stop their plans.

Anyways now that I’ve explained the background let me explain why I love him so much.

1. He’s pretty as heck. Yeah, yeah I know it’s a bit superficial and basic but it is one of the things I love about him. His entire outfit is amazing. I love the gothic style. I also love his hat. He has long black boots, and I have a really big weakness for long black boots for some reason. His hair is also pretty and also looks super fluffy. I also have a thing for CARTOON/DRAWN (Keywords: Cartoon/drawn. I don’t have a thing for this with real people) older men. I love all of those things on their own and combines is just PERFECTION. (Also there is a brief flash back reel in one of the episodes where he and the other wizards are seen in medieval style armor. He’s only wearing it for 2 images, but he looks AMAZING in it)

Current outfit

Medieval

2. He’s a cool villain. I have a weakness for villains. Always have and always will. Especially when they’re done good and also if they have some redeemable qualities (which this guy has a pretty good one which I’ll get into later). He’s also a powerful villain, being able to fight so many powerful fairies.

3. His powers are cool. Another mild point but nonetheless felt I should point it out. He has basic dark magic powers. But his main power is the use of seismic/sound waves that come out of his hands and feet. He can shoot sound waves from his hands by clapping which causes tons of destruction to the area around it. He can also cause seismic waves by stomping on/punching the ground and causing a mini earthquake. I just find these powers very neat. He also seems to have telepathic abilities, but it’s only touched on like three times? He used these powers to track one of the main characters when she was running from them, used them to make sure the same character was alone at a different point, and sent a mental distress signal to his friends. These powers aren’t touched on that much but I still find them neat.

4. Remember that redeeming quality I mentioned? Here’s where it comes into play. Despite doing horrible things, he is shown on several occasions to genuinely care about his friends. This is actually a theme with all of them, they all seem to care about each other. But Gantlos has the most examples in universe. He’s the one always coming in to save the others, and seen caring for them. He’s like team dad. He saved Anagan from falling, when they were running for their lives, which cost him time but he took the time to save his friend anyways. He also showed care for him when he warned him to be careful. Duman got severely ill at one point, but Gantlos carried him around almost the entire time he was sick, and also showed genuine emotion and concern when he was in pain. He also saved Ogron’s life. When Ogron was pushed onto the train tracks just as an oncoming train was approaching Gantlos JUMPED IN FRONT OF THE TRAIN to save him. It was also made abundantly clear that this was not easy on him and put him through great stress, but he did it anyways to help save his friend, then he helped carry him after that.

Saving Ogron

5. Then there’s his personality. And I see heavy compatibility of me and him. Of course he is shown to be cruel, as he is a villain. He is seen as the trigger happy, angry one of the group that has a temper. He also gets villainously smug, when something is going him and the groups way, or if he’s having fun fighting. I always love seeing his smug faces. But, as we see him be kind and protective of his friends we see him with a softer side. His personality gives me the vibe of someone that is cruel and easy to anger to the world around him, but to those he’s close too he’s really soft, caring and protective. He also gives me mega tsundere vibes. I feel like even though he’s cruel, if you and him get along you could actually get close to him and he could start to genuinely care for you. I find this very similar to myself, although more extreme. I don’t become close to people easily, it takes a lot for me to get close to and start to care for someone, I don’t have too many people in my life that I find I care about. I only have a few people IRL and I do have a few people online (looking at my discord folks). But those I care about I care about really strongly. I feel like we both have a tough outer shell, and we both hide our emotions because we’re afraid to show them and be honest, very few people can get through our shell, but those that do mean a lot to us, so I feel connected to him in that way. He also gives me major introvert vibes but I don’t exactly know why? Maybe it’s because he’s shown to be less extrovert like then his friends? But he gives me the vibe of someone who doesn’t really like to go out too much and also isn’t good at socializing and communicating (IDK why TBH there isn’t a lot of evidence for this in canon, but we don’t know too much about him so I can headcanon what I want according to vibes he gives me) which I can relate with. I also am an introvert that doesn’t like to go out and am also bad at and hate socializing and communicating, unless it’s someone I know and like. I can imagine us staying home and relaxing together while all our friends go out and do things. I also hate confrontation, or rather confronting someone myself. Meanwhile Gantlos is very confrontational. So if we ran into an issue with someone he could do the confrontation stuff, and probably be very fine with it. He also just seems like the protective type, which I love.

6. I don’t really know if this counts as a reason to love him, but just something neat. He’s a character that gives a lot of room for headcanons, since we don’t know much about his past. We know the ‘what’ he does and ‘how’ he does it. But we don’t know ‘why’ he does it. The best thing we’re given is generic “get more power, take over the world” stuff. We know that him and his friends attacked and imprisoned the Earth fairies, but not much about it. We’re basically told that one day him and his friends just showed up out of the blue and started wreaking havoc and that’s it. Nothing about his backstory and why he does this. Which leaves plenty of room for theories and headcanons.

7. This one scene in episode 7 of the fourth season where in the Rai/Cinelume version of the English dub (there are multiple English dubs) he says “If you wanted to be alone with me all you had to do was ask” 👀👀👀💗💗💗

8. This moment that has always stuck with me. In episode 6 of the fourth season there is this one scene where the fourth wall is broken. They basically make fun of the whole “villains doing nothing while main characters transform” trope. The main girls start transforming but then it cuts to Ogron (who’s holding Roxy hostage) mocking them and their transformations. To which Gantlos says “I kind of like it”. This evil, grumpy man likes magical girl transformations and that’s honestly the best thing 😂😂😂

9. I remember he was always one of my favorites as I was a kid. So there’s the good old nostalgia factor.

10. This image of him laughing wholesomely 👀👀👀

Anyways this is the end of my gushing over why I love this man so much. Maybe this’ll help y’all understand my love for him. ❤️

[tillyblogs]

WHY DEKU IS A GRYFFINDOR AND BAKUGOU A SLYTHERIN

OK Imma go into EXCRUCIATING DETAIL about why I totally believe Kacchan is a Slytherin and Deku a Gryffindor 😊 And check out my Hogwarts Au for the story and headcanons! 

VERY LONG POST AHEAD SO PLEASE READ CAREFULLY and take your time :3

First Bakugou…

Before anything I NEED to point out that Katsuki DOES have Gryffindor traits, but he has MORE Slytherin traits. I do believe people do have traits for all the houses but the traits that stand out the most are the ones that determine which house you go in. I dug A LOT of Slytherin and Gryffindor meta to make this analysis so yeahh 😊

ALSO ALSO I want to say that I DON’T PUT BAKUGOU IN SLYTHERIN CAUSE HE HAS THE BAD GUY VIBES AT FIRST OR USE TO BE A BULLY. NO. I actually hate that stereotype and I want to break it. I DIDN’T put him in Slytherin for that. It’s because he does have almost all the traits that ACTUALLY define Slytherin. Slytherins are NOT bullies, are NOT evil, are NOT always the bad guys and are so misunderstood most of the time. So no... I think Katsuki is a Slytherin for a LOT of different things that are NOT negative. Slytherins are characterized for being cunning and ambitious and those are not inherently bad things. You just need a little push sometimes.

ALSO ALSO ALSO, I need people to understand that Slytherins are actually very highly regarded as excellent students and people who accomplish things. Forget HP and what most people’s perceptions of what Slytherins are. Their traits are NOT inherently bad and just like Bakugou… The drive to succeed can be good when pointed in the right direction.

OK Now Izuku…. This one’s even longer

I think People perception of Izuku is just SO WRONG most of the time, specially from people who hate him and say he’s bland and has no development. To those people I say screw you cause after MUCH further analysis you understand that he’s actually just SO DEEP and multilayered that you don’t have to rely on your typical character development to understand how his mind works and how he works in the setting of MHA and how deeply flawed and has so much to learn and he’s actually such a great character.

Ok so as I said before, having traits from other houses is normal and you can have more than one inclination… that being said… This one is a bit complicated… most people think that because Deku is a soft bumble of goodness and joy he’s instantly Hufflepuff… of because he’s analytical and strategic he’s an instant Ravenclaw… But I disagree… after A LOT of research I understood a LOT of things about Gryffindor. As a Gryffindor myself I understand that, it’s a complicated house… Not because you’re “brave” of want to “do the right thing” it means you’re Gryffindor… ANOTHER stereotype I want to break. But I do think it goes deeper than that.

Now I DON’T MIND putting Deku in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, I have mad respect for those houses. He DOES have a lot of them traits specially Hufflepuff, but LITERALLY the first episode we see how his most prominent traits (just like Hermione or Ron) are his daring, justice-seeking hero-like personality that actually puts jumping into action even if you’re scared, even if you’re chances are slim, above all his traits. His analytical and soft side are actually BELOW this one HUGE and most important trait he has: the daring desire to do SOMETHING no matter what. This is inherently a Gryffindor trait. Izuku cannot stand still and do nothing, it will legit drive him crazy. It’s what he values the most that matters. Even with his wit and analytic skills, his raw desire to act is very much his core trait and that’s Gryffindor right there.

KEEP READING TO SEE THE ANALYSIS OF EVERY TRAIT PLEASE

WHY BAKUGOU IS A SLYTHERIN

OK so I’m going to explain every trait in detail:

·         Ambition: I think this one’s pretty self-explanatory. Katsuki aims to the moon. His ambition is pretty much fixed on a single goal and that is being number 1. His drive to succeed and be number one is also aligned with the fact that he has such high expectations of himself and wants to meet those expectations. I believe that his ambition comes from a place of self-completion. He wants to prove to himself and others SO BADLY that his skills and his quirk ARE worthy of him. He wants to surpass AM cause he’s the epitome of greatness, he knows that with a great quirk he has SHOES to fill.

·         Competitiveness: Again, another one I don’t have to explain, this is also a trait they share with Gryffindors. He competes with Deku in an idealistic kind of sense. Not that Katsuki is an idealistic, he’s not. THAT’s why he can’t stand Deku at first cause he challenged his very image of what he’s supposed to be. His competitiveness comes to a drive to want to prove others that what he believes is the only way to be number 1. He also competes with himself, by constantly pushing himself to be better. Taking into account all his flaws and other people’s flaws to up himself.

·         Determination, this is too a Gryffindor trait, but I still believe that a lot of houses have similar traits cause we’re still people and we can have many traits from all the houses. He IS determined as he is ambitious.

·         Self-preservation: This one’s important, I do think Katsuki takes very good care of himself, he wants to be the best he can be, so he worked on himself a lot. Self-preservation also includes insuring survival when he is in a dire situation, he’s quick to act on his natural instincts.

·         Shrewdness: Yes, Katsuki is very aware of his surroundings and has exceptional judgment in practical matters and he’s very observant, that’s what helps him win most of his battles, he’s hardheaded and uses cleverness to discern situations.

·         Exclusive about who they let close and selective/Protective of their own: This one is just starting to show since we’ve seen it protect his own in his recent battles. Also, when he fought along with Kami and Kiri in the license exam. I believe that Katsuki definitely is self-preserved but when he finds people, he tolerates he would stick to them.

·         Not very idealistic: even if Katsuki shoots for the moon, he’s not a dreamer. He is very realistic and knows his boundaries, he isn’t like Deku in this aspect. He knows what he’s capable and doesn’t go searching for something he knows he can’t do.

·         Resourcefulness and Knowledge to put into use: This one is VERY MUCH IT. Katsuki’s way of fighting and thinking is this. THIS trait I would say is the most defining of Katsuki. He puts all his knowledge of EVERYTHING into use. Everything he learns he use it to develop himself and grow stronger. He is resourceful with everything. That’s why he’s so close to number 1.

·         Cocky/Borderline narcissistic personalities: he has humbled himself a bit, but he is DEFFINITELY proud of himself. He knows what ‘s going on for him, specially on his quirk that’s why his expectations for himself are so high.

·         Get shit done: Slytherins want to get results. Katsuki is definitely not patient. He wants to get shit done as fast and efficient as possible.

·         End justify the means/ Goalgetter/drive to win/ born winners: Also, a Slytherin trait that he has cause since he wants to reach his goal, he (at least at first) would do anything to get to that end. And since he’s not very idealistic, he knows he can and WILL do.

·         Leadership and taking charge in a group: this one also is a Gryffindor trait they share. But we’ve definitely seen this in Katsuki, he is a leader group, people do follow him, he didn’t know how to work a in a group but now we can definitely see that now. Slytherins ARE group oriented and take care of their own, even though they do seek for personal greatness like Gryffindors.

·         Fashion sense: I know this one can be superficial but... Slytherins appreciate sharpness and aesthetic. This is not NECESSARILY a Katsuki trait, but I would take into account the official art on his casual clothes like… this boy KNOWS what he’s wearing.

Few Gryffindor traits he has tho 😊

-Determination (above)

-Individualistic

-Persistence

-Desire to prove to prove himself and others

-Impatience

-Remembered from their great deeds.

ALSO I wouldn’t put him in Gryffindor cause Katsuki DOESN’T charge before thinking (unless he’s being really unreasonable which hasn’t happened since SEASON 1) I’ll explain all this in the Deku section. He’s NOT idealistic (above), he’s not really interested in being trusted but followed. He’s not so keen on friendship (not yet) and jump first to defend their friends, which is DIFFERENT from being protective. Also, he’s not the “hero” stereotype. His desire for glory has different bases from what normally Gryffindors are known for. It’s more like self-fulfillment than seeking approval from others.

WHY DEKU IS A GRYFFINDOR

·         Bravery: I think I need to explain this one right of the bat cause people thing that being brave is not really a trait, but I think it’s more like fearless. Taking risks. Which he did… in chapter freaking 1. That gut feeling to save Kacchan, THE most unaccountable risk, he HAD to do it. THAT’S his defining moment. That’s what changed EVERYTHING. He acts on instinct. Those are all Gryffindor.

·         Daring: DISPITE his wits and his analytical skills (which are not inherently Ravenclaw), his raw instinct to ACT is what sets him apart from the rest. THAT’S what makes people look at him, not his wits but they way he uses them to reach his own goal. He’s a secret badass tbh… He can take down ass when pushed and he will fight to win when that happens. His instincts are to save but when you push him he’s capable of MURDERRRRASCHNASO

·         Passion and Persistence: Yes, Gryffindors are passionate as HELL. He’s very passionate not only to reach his goals but also in what he likes. We call him a nerd but his PASSION for what he loves is what makes him want to pursue things (like All Might).

He’s ambitious YES. That’s a Slytherin trait he does have but that trait is not ONLY Slytherin. Also, they HUGE difference he has with Slytherin is that Slytherins really think before they act. Deku doesn’t. YES he analyses his situation very well and that’s AMAZING BUT. He acts mostly on instinct, like All Might tells him.

Deku’s ambition comes from a place of borderline crazy ambitions of a LUNATIC. Like breaking himself? My boy… A Slytherin would never do that unless it’s ABSOLUTELY necessary, they would think of every option, every angle FIRST like Katsuki. But Deku just think that’s the ONLY option and IMMEDIATELY jumps to that first instinct and does it without thinking too much of the consequences. Granted this was AT FIRST, he IS getting A LOT better in this aspect and THAT’s where his development is at now. THAT’S one of the biggest differences between these two.

·         Individualistic and independent: Ok I’m gonna take my sweet time with this one. This one drives me crazy cause some people do not see that Deku is SO INDEPENDENT. He’s been alone most of his life and yes, he loves his friends and family, but he does his things his OWN WAY. He beats to his own drum. He looks for self-fulfillment and self-improvement. But he helps people in his own way. THAT’S HIS CORE. Like when he fought Kacchan and Todoroki, he refused to follow the norms. He saved them his OWN way even when people told him he was crazy.

He leads by example, he’s not very group oriented, granted WORKING IN GROUP DOESN’T MAKE YOU ANY LESS INDEPENDENT. He KNOWS how to work as a group, and he knows how to adapt to environments BUT he does it when he NEEDS to. He will still do fine on his own. He has MANY times.

He wants to save others OF COURSE, he wants to make everyone smile, but he DOES NOT conform. People tell him over and over but he doesn’t listen, WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN CANON. He’s NOT part of the crowd, he stands out for his individualistic nature, he LOVES being welcome don’t get me wrong, he LOVES being with people and his friends but at the end of the day he will do things his own way. He’s not willing to conform, he’s not like every hero out there. He has his OWN goals and All Might saw that. THAT’S why he chose him. But he cares for having the approval of people, SPECIALLY ALL MIGHT and Kacchan. He seeks to prove himself to himself and to others mostly. Which bring me to…

·         Care deeply about people/ The first to defend their friends/ Want to be trusted: Like Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors are very social and love to be around people, they also care deeply for their friends. This is also a Hufflepuff trait that Deku def has. BUT. BUT… As I stated before.. Deku is VERY independent and individualistic… He has responsibilities… one’s that sadly his closest friends don’t even KNOW about. He keeps a LOT to himself. He’s loyal YES. He cares for them and will defend them ALWAYS (like he did with Kacchan when Monoma insulted him) He’s fiercely loyal to him specially… But he still does what he wants more than what needs to be done. Which ALSO drives Katsuki crazy. I’d say that Deku is selfish in this aspect sometimes.  He doesn’t NEED his friends to sustain himself he’s pretty self-sufficient actually. He has been most of his life.

I know this one hurts a little but… He almost never cares about the people he leaves behind. He’s so self-sacrificial like that. Like what happened with his mom. And Kacchan… like 3 times?? Let’s be honest here, Deku’s ideals and his drive to do what’s right overweighs the care he has for himself and his friends…

·         Justice greater than loyalty: Again, as stated above… one of the mayor differences between his Gryffindor loyalty and Hufflepuff loyalty. Deku IS loyal but to a fault, his loyalty is to his ideals most of the time. He will not hesitate to bring justice over loyalty, like what happened with Nighteye. He was told to do as he was told and to wait, but at the end of the day, the NEED to bring Overhaul to justice overcame that loyalty he has to his superiors and what people tell him to do.

·         Stubbornness: As I said above… Deku doesn’t listen. He IS getting better at that but you can’t tell him off of reaching his goals. He WILL do what he wants if it means doing the most good for himself now AND for others. Honestly people don’t really give Deku enough credit on how stubborn he can be… he’s very open-minded yes cause he wants to learn everything he can but, he’s VERY idealistic. Which brings me to…

·         Idealistic/Having beliefs and standing up for those beliefs: Yes, Gryffindors can dream too much tbh… Deku in chapter 1 was shooting for the moon but he didn’t have the means, but he kept believing anyway. Katsuki particularly hated this cause he’s a REALISTIC. He KNOWS how the world works. That’s why Deku wanted to believe so hard that he can still be a hero against all odds and his world came crushing down when AM told him otherwise.

·         Acting out/Leap before they look/Recklessness: I think this one’s also a bit obvious… His instincts make him jump into action ALWAYS. He CANNOT stay still and do nothing which brings me to:

·         Physical discomfort doesn’t bother them: yeah… he’s pretty self-destructive… he’s working on it. Another thing he bears to reach his goal.

·         Impatient / Hates boredom: Deku always need to do something. Specially with such a big responsibility on his shoulders now. He hates not doing anything specially when action calls. That’s why when he let Eri go the first time he was OVERWHELMED, he hated standing still. Like Hufflepuffs he’s VERY tolerant but UNLIKE Hufflepuffs, people confuse tolerance with patience and Deku is def impatient and WAY too much excitable.

His Ravenclaw side (not much tbh)

Unlike Ravenclaws, Deku they doesn’t seek out knowledge for knowledge’s sake (maybe a little at first but now he’s REALLY putting it to use) BUT NOW if he learns something, it’s going to be something that enables him to better himself TO SAVE OTHERS, and if he want to learn something, it’s going to be something that allows them to pursue his goal - ways to get stronger and faster TO SAVE people.

As stated WAAYY ABOVE, being analytical and having observations skills are not inherently Ravenclaw (Slytherins have them too), but Deku puts them into USE. Now more than ever because he HAS A PLACE to put them into use. Also, I need to point out that he changed DRASTICALLY after he met AM in Ch 1… His self before that WAS seeking knowledge for knowledge’s sake cause he loved taking notes of heroes BUT that was BECAUSE he wanted to become a hero himself someday, he wanted to put them into use. Also like I said before, he’s very passionate so of course he would try to get himself into ANYTHING he’s interested in.

Also, another trait he definitely doesn’t have on Ravenclaw is… thinking outside the box… he’s not very good at coming up with new things. He uses what he’s learned in a practical sense, but he doesn’t INVENT anything. He’s not as OUT there as people paint him out to be cause you have to understand where those tricks come from… from SOMETHING ELSE, or someone else, not him. Hell, it even took him A LOT of time to figure out Shoot Style cause he was so determined to follow AM and not seeking out ANOTHER way to do something original… my baby…. Another flaw that DOESN’T MAKE HIM STUPID BTW I WILL FIGHT YOU I YOU CALL HIM STUPID. It’s just a CHARACTER flaw, rooted DEEPLY in who he is and how he sees the world but literally EVERYTHING I already wrote above.

Ok now Hufflepuff… (disclaimer: I ADORE Hufflepuff this is just an analysis on why Deku is not a Hufflepuff, any comparisons are NOT to downplay the house or other characters in it)

Why I DEEPLY think he doesn’t belong in Hufflepuff is mostly cause Deku is REALLY NOT a rule follower, he doesn’t COMFORM like Iida or Kaminari… He’s hardworking HELL YES HE IS, but that’s cause he’s determined and persistent to reach his goal but PLEASE don’t forget his CORE. Working hard is a MEANS to his goal, that’s not what comes first in his heart. He works hard BECAUSE his goal is being is being number 1 and he kinda HAS to now?? Before he got his quirk he pretty much stalled most of the time and nerded out and dreamt BIG. He didn’t actually WORKED to be a hero. Which is what people use as an excuse to hate on him… He mostly didn’t do much TO BECOME a hero. If he was a Hufflepuff, he would’ve worked WITHIN the system. He would’ve become a cop, he would’ve found other ways that included actually following the rules and CONFORMING to the norms, but he didn’t. Deku doesn’t conform. He does his things his own way, which is another interesting flaw AND a Gryffindor trait.

Don’t confuse hard work with determination. Determination is not a Hufflepuff trait.  'Not willing to back down' is not a Hufflepuff trait. Being friendly is also not an only Hufflepuff trait. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs actually are the most extroverted and friendly houses so I understand why these two are mixed. They BOTH are friendly and welcoming but Deku definitely has more Gryffindor traits that Hufflepuff.

Deku avoided confrontations at first but he still fought. He ALWAYS fought for what he stood for and now more than ever that he CAN. He’s very respectful but that doesn’t mean he will not accept a fight when it’s in front of him i.e. Kacchan. ALSO, super important to take into account, if he needs to use deception he will.  He has A LOT of times.

Also Hufflepuffs tend to be suspicious of the extraordinary, like Iida or Kaminari or Ojiro, Deku on the other hand is enthusiastic and doesn’t avoid danger. He’s flashy and risky. He will NOT avoid confrontations if it means miscarriage of justice too.

And finally, compassion… compassion is not something that puts you in Hufflepuff. Everyone has compassion and Gryffindors def has it too. So yeah..

[ladyhearthkeeper]

Please tell us more about how you were raised like a Victorian lady. I would like to be accomplished too.

Hello :)Thank you for your ask. I will try to answer it the best way I can.

Well, the main thing is that in my education more emphasis was given to building my manners, broadening my mind and my taste for art, music and literature, religious obligation rather than a career.

This is a quote from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen that expresses what I mean by accomplished like a victorian lady :

“No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.  A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.”

“All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”

So these would be more of the superficial (yet important elements) of what makes a lady accomplished.

To that, one needs to add a foundation. A proper victorian lady was raised as a believing woman. This provided her with a space to work on her soul but also provide kindness to her community and those in need.

Even though I use dear Jane Austen to explain this, I think Margaret Hale from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North & South is a better example. Examples help us find what we want to work towards.

Now that we have a framework, here is more about me…

I was encouraged to read all kind of books, in any genre. Back when I was a teen YA wasn’t really a thing so I read proper books. YA are nice but they are not enough to broaden a young mind. I mostly read classics but I didn’t stop at that. Books were my best teachers. Later, when I realized that I wanted to become more ladylike I even read guides written in the 19th century for young ladies. You can found them at the Project Gutenberg. Books like this one.

It helps that I studied literature, with a particular interest in 19th century novels. Victorian ladies were well read and had a lot of knowledge. So I think it’s important to choose a good subject to study, not as a mean to earn money but to broaden your scope. It doesn’t have to be frilly, it can be science, technology etc. The goal is to learn more.

I joined the choir (I regret not knowing an instrument but I would like to remedy that one day), took painting classes since I was a kid, and learned how to embroider, sew, and crochet. I still eagerly learn new skills. Activities such as these also helped me to have a sense of what is beautiful. Of course, I was also taken to the museum and to concerts, and taught about nature. Learning to attune your sense to beauty is important.

The more you learn how to do, the more you become accomplished. To take the time to learn something new, gives you patience but also substance. Especially if you dedicate yourself to the mastery of a skill or a subject. 

Contrary to what one may think, these ladies did not lack depth nor intelligence. It wasn’t only about knowing how to hold a smile.

I’m lucky to be from a culturally diverse background. It gave me the opportunity to learn many languages but also about how to identify different types of social cues in different cultures. All this to make sure I keep my behavior attuned to those of around me and not make them uncomfortable. If you know about someone else’s culture or background you know how to make them feel at ease.

So yes, knowing how to hold herself in society is also part of what makes a lady accomplished.

I was taught by my mother how to behave with others, especially men. It’s about having a sense of propriety. How to receive people and to honor invitations. How to hold a conversation. But I learned more from observing rather than actually being taught.

I was also taught how to make condolences visits, how to support bereaved people, how to be supportive with people who need help, how to be part of a community. Of course, charity work, volunteering have played a big part in my life too and have given me the opportunity to go beyond my own self. Keeping a good inner life is what gives a graceful quality to our outer behavior. It’s more important to work at being a good person than learning a new skill.

All these things I’ve listed in the previous paragraphs can be explained more thoroughly if you wish. But I wanted to mention them because being a victorian lady is more than being good at playing the pianoforte. Lady Catherine de Bourgh would approve.

Most of these things are drawn from my own religion but they reflect the values of 19th century Britain. So maybe your own ethics can help in the matter.

I’m not a social person, I am more of a wild creature of the woods. But I have been so used to being aware of my behavior towards other people that in spite of my mood, I can keep a serene agreeable countenance. Not always unfortunately but most of the time. So much that one day, after leaving party I told my friend that I didn’t feel social at all and I was glad I was going home and she was surprised because I talked with everyone and remained interested in what they were saying. 

It’s not about being fake (please don’t do that) but of not imposing your mood on others. That doesn’t mean saying yes to everything and forcing yourself to be social all the time, but it’s knowing how to hold your own when you don’t feel like it. It’s about saying ‘ok I don’t feel that great but I’ll deal with this after I’ve honored this social situation and once I’m alone or with intimate friends or family.’

I think deportment is also very important. I was vaguely taught about it (I attended some ballet classes as a kid but I didn’t continue)  I think the practice of yoga has helped me better understand how to use my body gracefully. It’s about understanding how to hold yourself, it flows outwards from your own sense of worth and dignity.

Here’s a good illustration from Elizabeth Gaskell’s North & South :

« And as he looked with this intention, he was struck anew with her great beauty. He had never seen her in such dress before and yet now it appeared as if such elegance of attire was so befitting her noble figure and lofty serenity of countenance, that she ought to go always thus appareled. She was talking to Fanny; about what, he could not hear; but he saw his sister's restless way of continually arranging some part of her gown, her wandering eyes, now glancing here, now there, but without any purpose in her observation; and he contrasted them uneasily with the large soft eyes that looked forth steadily at one object, as if from out their light beamed some gentle influence of repose: the curving lines of the red lips, just parted in the interest of listening to what her companion said—the head a little bent forwards, so as to make a long sweeping line from the summit, where the light caught on the glossy raven hair, to the smooth ivory tip of the shoulder; the round white arms, and taper hands, laid lightly across each other, but perfectly motionless in their pretty attitude. »

This is what I mean about deportment. It’s not about the surface but poise, an inner serenity and openness to the world. 

But, without telling you the whole story, I have to just add that the character described here, Margaret Hale, is not only defined as a lady by her behavior at this party but also by her behavior in times of loss, with people in need of help or even people behaving in an uncouth manner. She is also characterized as a lady in her kindness and generosity towards others. These are key to being a proper victorian lady. For this, volunteering for a good cause can benefit your character immensely.

How to be gentle is also an important thing.

Most ladies had servants but they still knew how to run a house and keep a home. These skills are also important but more tedious to describe.

Those are only a few points that I’m exploring but there are many other things that can be said in the subject. And I don’t think there is just one way to go about it. But reading helps, it can help you identify what you want to emulate and what to avoid. I could give you a list of books that can inspire you if you want. :)

Now, having said all of that, I don’t think I’m an expert on the subject. And I’m far from being a perfect lady. There’s a lot of room for improvement. But when I read those novels I feel like these women were raised the same way I was and I feel understood. I don’t think it’s necessarily how everyone should be. There are other skills that I struggle to learn and that would help me better navigate in this world. Skills that were not necessarily taught to victorian ladies...

I simply wasn’t raised to be a career woman (there’s nothing good or bad about it, it’s just how it is) but I was raised to be an accomplished lady. 

I hope this wasn’t too long, and I hope I answered your question. If not, you can ask again. Thank you for asking I enjoyed replying to this.

I’m sorry for any spelling mistakes or forgotten words. I’ve notice I’m more prone to these recently.

[xxkellsvixen19xx]

Perfectly Unexpected Colson Baker X Reader

Word Count: 2,250

Warnings: None kinda fluffy lol

There weren’t many things in life you genuinely didn’t like - all in all, you considered yourself a positive person. But you wouldn’t be a human being living in a modern society without ever coming across some aspects of life you could definitely do without.

Like Brussel sprouts, for example. Or ingratitude. Or, when looking at society as a whole, phenomenons like social injustice. Sure, you weren’t a perfect person, and you certainly didn’t want to end up as a hypocrite pointing fingers at others while simultaneously not practicing what you preached.

Yet that certainly didn’t stop you from standing up for your beliefs in front of others - a character trait which kept your circle of friends relatively small, but that was fine with you. Having a handful of truly trustworthy and honest people in your life was better than having a few thousand superfacial acquaintances – at least to you, it was.

Besides the previously mentioned things, there was something else you really, really didn’t like.

Blind Dates.

Now, of course blind dates weren’t generally a bad thing. But, much like listening to a song over and over again until you came to hate it eventually, blind dates had been pretty much ruined for you.

All thanks to your best friend, Jewels. You loved her, you adored her, but sometimes, you just really wanted to strangle her. More times than you could recall, she’d convinced you to go on a blind date with a guy of her choice. Each time, you’d tried to talk her out of it, but she would have none of it – and in the end, she was more persistent and you were too much of a harmony junkie to rebuff her.

The first few times, you’d been genuinely excited for your dates. When it came to dating and relationships, you were pretty “old school” – you loved the concept of meeting someone through shared interests, the idea of fateful encounters – of romance just in general, really. Of course you weren’t naïve enough to believe in something as ridiculous as the concept of “love at first sight” (well, maybe you were, but you certainly wouldn’t tell anyone about it).

Yet you still couldn’t help letting your expectations running rampant in those few seconds before your blind date would eventually walk in and crush all of them within mere minutes.

One time, Jewels had set you up with a guy she’d met on the subway – seriously, who does that? – and while he’d seemed interesting enough at first, he’d proceeded to shamelessly flirt with and swoon over all of the female waitresses and fellow guests during your date, leaving you sitting there to mend your wounded pride while he ended up getting punched in the face by the boyfriend of a lady whom he confessed his “eternal love” to.

Another time, you’d ended up with a man who was quite a few years your senior, but other than that, pretty much the full package – beautiful red hair, a few scars that only added to his charm, a stunning smile, and some humor on top of all that. It could’ve been perfect – had you not found out about his wife and child by coincidence a few days later.

You could vividly remember how furious you’d been and how Jewels had sincerely apologized, assuring you that she’d just met the guy through mutual friends and that she’d had no idea about his little double life.

But none of that was quite as devastating as your latest blind date – and, as you’d promised yourself after that evening, your last. You should’ve known something was wrong with the guy as soon as he managed to use about 10 different curse words within the first five minutes of conversation. But you didn’t want to seem snobbish or superficial, so you’d tried to give him a fair chance.

Well, let’s just say he managed to start a fight with an entire group of men seated at the table next to you, and the evening had ended with you being questioned by the police. Yikes.

After all those experiences, you were pretty sure any sane person would never agree to go on a blind date ever again, let alone one set up by your best friend. But alas, either you were suffering from temporary insanity, or Jewles was just some kind of witch, because yet again, she’d managed to convince you.

At least this time, you wouldn’t be alone – since your blind date tonight was actually her boyfriend’s friend/bandmate, Jewels and Rook would be accompanying the both of you, making it a double date. According to your best friend, Rook’s friend was none other than the infamous Machine Gun Kelly!

You and Jewels were currently getting ready before meeting up with the boys at the restaurant.

“Jewels, I don’t want to go, please don’t make me!” you whined.

“You already said yes, (Y/N)! I can’t just call it off now!” Jewels answered, munching on some marshmallows she’d brought with her. “Besides, you’re gonna love Colson, he’s perfect for you!”

“Yeah, well, according to you, all the other guys were perfect, too,” you deadpanned.

Jewels just rolled her eyes at you. “Yeah, but Colson is Rook’s friend and brother, and let's be honest, my boyfriend is pretty damn hot.”

Is she for real right now?

You couldn’t help but laugh at your friend’s brazenness.

“Ok, first of all, that doesn’t even make sense, since you already told me they’re not blood-related. Second of all, looks aren’t everything, and lastly: EW! He’s YOUR boyfriend, I’ve told you before that automatically turns him into a neutral being I wouldn’t ever think about in a sexual way! Like … a nice fruit basket!”

“Well you do know fruit baskets can potentially include bananas, and-“

You groaned. “Why are we friends again?”

“Because you love me. Now hurry up and get dressed, or we’re gonna be late!” 

A little while later...

You had taken a little longer to get ready than usual, since, unlike all the other times before, Jewels hadn’t given you advice on what to wear to impress your date.

“Just… be yourself, I think that’ll impress him.”

Maybe this date wasn’t going to be as disastrous as all the others. Maybe, just maybe, this guy was actually different. Or maybe you were just a hopeless romantic born in the wrong century.

You were just about to enter the restaurant when Jewles let out a loud squeal, making you turn around to see the guys arrive.

Looks Aren't Everything,don't be super facial,stay calm-

HOLY shit.

Blonde, shaggy hair, the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes you’d probably ever seen, and a scar… he was undeniably handsome.

You swallowed. Suddenly, you were feeling just a little more nervous than minutes before.

Ok, a lot more nervous.

He politely greeted Jewles before turning over to you. But instead of shamelessly checking you out, like some of your previous date had done, he simply smiled at you, keeping eye contact the entire time.

“Yo, I’m Colson, nice to meet you.” He held out his hand. Ok, this guy was way more polite than you would’ve expected.

And a lot cuter.

Shut up, brain!

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m (Y/N), but I’m sure you already knew that.”

He laughed quietly. It was a soft, warm sound, and you knew immediately you wanted to hear it again. “I do, actually. I hope you’re not uncomfortable with those two” – he pointed over at Rook and Jewles, who were still busy eating each others faces – “setting us up.” Even though it was already quite dark outside, you could make out just the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

Adorable.

“N-No, it’s alright, I’m actually quite glad that it’s with someone like you.” A second later, you realized how that had sounded, blushing profusely. “Oh my god, that sounded so superficial, I apologize. I’m just- uhm… a little nervous.” You smiled in what you hoped was a genuine way (and prayed it didn’t make you look as idiotic as you felt).

“Don’t worry, I know what you meant. I’m a little nervous, too, actually.” He reached up to scratch his neck.

You were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind you. Turning around, you were met with a shit-eating grin from Jewles.

“So, should we go inside or do you two lovebirds need another minute?”

A while later…

“What?! So you’re saying that even though you love music, you’ve never been to one a live show?” Colson asked you excitedly.

“No, I haven’t. I’m just not a big fan of large crowds, you know? Makes me kind of anxious.”

He shook his head in mock disapproval, making you giggle. “No, this will not stand. Next time I’m going, I’m taking you with me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, so don’t worry.”

You blushed. After the initial awkwardness, you and Colson had basically been talking non-stop for the last hour or so. Jewles had been right – for the first time ever on a blind date, you were able to just be yourself, and feel comfortable doing so. Colson not only shared many interests and ideals, he was also incredibly charming and polite. Even though you wouldn’t admit it out loud – at least not to Jewles, who kept wiggling her eyebrows each time you looked her way – this was completely different from your previous dates.

The scar covering his eye had been caused by an accident, which had taken place while shooting off guns during down time, and he’d also told you a lot about his love for his other band mates. Apparently, they are very close.

“So, what do you want to do after you’re done with this tour?” you asked, taking another sip from your drink.

He cocked his head slightly, taking a moment to think. “Uhm, I’m actually not sure. I’ve done a couple of projects, so there’s quite a few directions I could potentially go in, but I actually like the idea of just living in the moment. Career is important and all, but so many people just forget to have fun along the way, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I couldn’t agree more! And even if you make tons of plans, who says they’ll actually work out in the end? Life’s full of surprises, anyway.”

“It is, indeed.” The way he looked at you just then made you think he was referring to you, or this… whatever this was or could be, and it made you smile like an idiot and blush as red as a tomato at the same time.

Left completely dumbfounded, you were desperately trying to come up with some sort of witty answer, but had no idea what to say. He just smiled, still looking at you, before asking: “Hey, uhm.. you want to go get some fresh air for a second?”

Feeling clueless as to why he’d ask but somehow also excited, you got up immediately.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” Jewles asked, looking as self-satisfied as ever.

“We’re just going to get some fresh air, we’ll be back in a second,” you replied, unable to keep blushing yet again when your best friend simply cocked an eyebrow as an answer.

Once the two of you were outside, you took a deep breath before looking at him, really looking at him. Your heart started beating faster and you were feeling like a teenager who was crushing on someone for the first time, despite only having just met this man.

You were royally screwed.

He looked right back at you, and smiled before scratching his neck once more.

“I’d actually really like to kiss you right now,” he said, taking all your breath away with just one sentence. “But I’m not going to, because this evening – no, you, have been so perfect and I don’t wanna ruin it by moving too fast.” You both spent a moment in comfortable silence before he added: “Uh, that is, if you’re even feeling the same way.”

You couldn’t help but giggle. “Colson, do you really need to ask?”

He chuckled. “I guess not.” He took a look at his watch before grinning cheekily. “So, why don’t we get out of here?”

“O-out of here? Why- I mean where would we go?”

“Doesn’t matter. We could go look for a place that still sells ice cream at his hour, or just drive around in circles all night while talking about whatever we want. What do you say?”

Well, that was unexpected. And a little reckless. But you couldn’t say you didn’t like it.

“But, uhm… what about the other two?” you asked, slightly unsure if it would be alright to simply ditch your friend.

“I think they’re going to be just fine on their own, don’t you think?”

You took a look through the glass windows to see Jewles and Rook sharing what was probably the biggest pizza you’d seen in your entire life.

Colson was right – they’d be just fine.

He held out his hand for you, and you took it, immediately intertwining your fingers with his.

As the two of you started running down the street to his car, giggling and laughing like little kids, you couldn’t help but think that maybe, you hadn’t been born in the wrong century, after all.

[fairydust-stuff]

Wendy Darling Embodiment of Motherhood

Here’s the thing ,I have never been a big fan of Wendy Darling from JM Barrie’s classic novel Peter Pan. Not only is she a cocktail of every bad stereotype about Victorian women casually thrown into a blender to make the ultimate Grimm’s fairy tale heroines are more bad ass then you smoothie. But Wendy is just straight up the most boring character in Peter Pan. That being said she does play a very important role in Peter Pan. Also it’s gotten the point where I’m a bit tired of seeing this idea that the Never land ladies have nothing to offer. If we don’t change everything about them or let’s just leave them out entirely trend via Hollywood. Seriously when is the last time Tink got more than a cameo and I’m not talking about the sugary princess clone Disney created from her mutilated body. Anyway I want to take a look Wendy Darling how she works, how she doesn’t work what she embodies and how she’s been portrayed in various adaptations.

First let’s take a look at some themes. Peter pan is at its core a coming of age story about accepting the inevitability of growing up. However Wendy as a point of view character is kind of an odd choice for this theme. In the original novel Wendy brings a flower to her mother who declares “Why can’t you stay like this” Then the narrator proceeds to talk about how Wendy knew she must grow up. So we already have a character who accepts the fact she must grow up on page one. In fact Wendy doesn’t run away to Never land as much as take a holiday, and to be fair John and Michel suffer from the same problem. Honestly I think the closest thing we get to a character arch in the novel is George Darling who is a seriously underrated character in my opinion. So Wendy just never struggles with growing up. However another theme of Peter Pan is motherhood and oh boy does Wendy fit into that.

“She used to come to me in my and I’d say pretty mother, now she has come and I’ve shot her” Tootles laments after thinking he shot and killed Wendy. Even Hook want to take Wendy to be the mothers of himself and his crew in typical pirate fashion coveting what Peter Pan and the lost boys have Wendy becomes a treasure for them to steal. Smee when carrying Wendy even promises “I’ll save you if you promise to only be my Mother” Every boy and man child in Never land craves a mother and want Wendy to fill the position. Wendy taking on the role turns her into a kind of ideal in the eyes of everyone in Never land even her own brothers get in on the treating her as the perfect mom.

In fact Wendy only gets to be a little girl in the narrative when Hook offers his hand to her and she takes it and only because the narrative felt the need to defend her submission to her own capture. But looking back that may very well be the point when you look at Wendy and Peter’s relationship without the shipping googles it’s actually quite interesting. You’ve got two pre teen’s on two different wave lengths. Wendy states in the novel “Peter what are true feelings towards me?” and is displeased with Peter’s answer “That of a devoted son” this seems up their relationship perfectly. Wendy uses the role of mother to try to basically become Peter’s wife something which he is deeply uncomfortable with needing constant reassurance that playing an adult couple is “ Only make believe” now whether or not Peter is flat out not interested or scared of his own feelings is up for debate. I personally lean toward the former because Peter is constantly surrounded by busty topless mermaids who like to flirt with him. So if he hasn’t had his sexual awakening yet it’s not happening ever, but the point is Peter uses the reaffirmation of Wendy as Mother to keep her at a distance. When Wendy returns home Miss Darlings offers to adopt Peter which he refuses. This highlights the fact when given the chance to have an actual mother he doesn’t want one.

Wendy is a reflection of Peter’s warped relationship with motherhood. He confesses to Wendy that he did at one point did return to his mother only to find the window barred and “There was another little boy sleeping in my bed!”  It could be argued Peter’s desire to stay a little boy forever actually steam from the fear of abandonment and being replaced. This shapes Peter’s relationship with Wendy in sense he wants a mother he can actually control. One who never makes him feels too grown up or who challenges him or his choices in a meaningful way. This shows that motherhood is important and that without a proper mom boys will never truly grow into men.

Wendy plays a similar role to the lost boys only she actually ends up helping them. While the lost boys clearly already have mommy craving’s Wendy gives them a taste of what having a mom is actually like or at least what an ideal mom from a Victorian upper middle class family structure would be like. So when Wendy wants to go home the lost boys who getting a taste of what their missing decides to go with her. Where they get adopted into the Darling Family and grow into respectable members of society who all get boring office jobs in the prolog which completely contrast their colorful energetic personalities, moving on. Wendy acts as kind of encouraging benevolent guide for the lost boys and Peter her inevitable goal being to encourage to move beyond the superficial trappings of childhood and take a step forward into adulthood. Peter is the failure, deficient as the novel itself states but the lost boys are a triumph of the power of proper maternal nurturing.

Wendy Darling has appeared in various adaptations and Spin offs though I’m mostly going to focus on Movies and TV because most of the Peter Pan book retellings where Wendy plays a key role just do not fill me with any positive feelings. And I want to mostly focus on the good today with some casual snark thrown in.

So let’s start with Wendy from the 2003 Peter Pan Live Action adaptation. I love this version it makes changes from the novel while still paying homage by using actual lines from the book. Though I have very mixed feelings about 2003 Wendy.

The movie heavily leans into the annoying I’m not like other girls trope. Here Victorian lady Wendy turns fairy tales into gore fests, and has an interest in sword play and pirates. I’m not saying girls from that era can’t have those interests but it just feels like their Wendy is the product of listening to too many focus groups not to mention she learns to be an expert sword fighter who can go toe to toe with adults after five seconds with Peter. And what is with the sudden unexplained blood thirst? Where did that come from?

Though I do like how the film unlike the novel actually gave Wendy an arch. Wendy’s aunt is mortified at her niece’s interest in becoming a novelist who travels the world.  She insists Wendy’s parents separate Wendy from her brothers and allow her to tutor, Wendy to teach her how to be a proper lady.   They also have a school teacher shame Wendy for drawing a picture of Peter flying above her bed. This seems to be subtext for the Victorian shaming of sexual expression from girls as dirty and shameful. This actually makes Wendy feel like her life is changing way too fast and it scares her. Since she is twelve and her family is already talking about marriage prospects.  While the scene where Peter and her meet is pretty much played like in the novel. There’s the added moment of Peter whispering in Wendy’s ear “ Forget them Wendy Forget them all come with me and we’ll never ever have to think about grown up things again” which unlike the novel frames Wendy as running away from growing up.

Then she develops a crush on Peter Pan and this being Hollywood they go with the scared of his own feeling interpretation. I guess her whining and screaming his name for a day was just too sexy to resist.  Wendy contemplates joining Hook’s crew because when your crush rejects you validation by pirate man children is good salve for your wounds. But then realizes she can’t remember her mother and much like the novel becomes scared that her and her brothers have forgotten their parents. Then they all get kidnapped by the pirates and Hook and Peter have a show down which is way better than the novel because here Hook attacks Peter’s abandonment issues and actually brings him to his knees. But then Wendy kisses Peter and he gains the strength to defeat Hook. Basically the implication is Wendy realizes growing up is ok because romantic love is a thing. Hey, I didn’t say it was a great arch but it’s more than the novel gave her or anyone.  I’m not a huge fan of this Wendy depiction but I’ve got to take my hat off to the writers for at least giving Wendy a coming of age narrative.

Disney’s classic Peter Pan pulled a similar move taking the focus from Peter and putting it entirely on Wendy. The implications at the end imply that Wendy’s adventure was all a dream and that Tinker bell and Tiger Lilly were reflections of her own manifesting sexuality. Peter Pan her desire not to grow up and Hook I’m going to guess that he was her daddy issues.

I actually think Walt did Wendy a solid in her characterization. This is one of the few Wendy’s were her concern for her brothers and the lost boys don’t feel tacked on. Since most adaptations do very little to build Wendy’s dynamic with the other kids. Here it’s in every face wipe and tearful good bye and every “Do be careful” thrown over Wendy’s shoulder.

Also the Disney movie does a one eighty from everyone in Neverland worshiping her to Neverland treating her rather badly. It takes Wendy’s annoyance from called her squaw from the Novel and has the Indians bully her into fetching firewood instead of joining the celebrations. Also the mermaids not only try to drown her but Peter thinks is all a big joke. Disney’s Wendy constantly stands up for herself but often gets brushed off or forced to walk the plank. In this version you can one hundred percent understand why Wendy is so done with this place and ready to grow up. Here the reality of what it’s like to experience everyone acting like a self-centered child is here on full display.

Also Disney’s Wendy is not perfect she gets angry and loses her temper attacking mermaids or yelling at Indians. She gets jealous of Tiger Lilly being all over Peter and is sour towards him.  Wendy is dreamy eyed, and polite but this version of her also doesn’t take anyone’s crap and will let you know if you’ve crossed a line or if you’re flat out awful.   But she’s still pleads with Peter on her attempted murder’s behalf. Wendy also reminds Peter that Tiger Lilly is drowning when he gets caught up in celebrating his cleverness. She still makes sure she can say goodbye to her brothers and the lost boys before Hook kills her. Even on her worst day Disney’s Wendy is a kind person even when those around her are less so.

But my favorite portrayal of Wendy has got to be from the 90’s classic “Peter Pan and the Pirates” TV series which aired on Fox was about one season then got cancelled.  While it doesn’t really focus on Wendy a whole lot since its more concerned with the relationship between Peter Pan his lost boys and Hook’s crew. 

She still has a pretty important role.  Wendy often serves as a voice of reason to the group which doesn’t go against her original role in the novel since she takes a cake that’s been left out all night away from the lost boys. Which does present her as the one with the most common sense but the show lets Wendy tell Peter this is a bad idea way more often than the book and blow up at him after he does the stupid thing every one told him not to do. Also Wendy gets to be more of a moral center lecturing Peter for stealing the picture of Hook’s mother in the episode “Hooks mother” and encouraging him to return it and even getting Peter to take care of Hook after he’s injured. This is in a positive change in my opinion because it actually expands on Wendy’s role as a guide to adult hood. Here Wendy Darling encourages a kind of good behavior she helps build moral character in her boys. Wendy has strong ideals and this adaptation actually has her stand by her principals for better or worse. This not only gives her more of a central role in the story but also gives her more chances to be active. Yay character agency!

Also this version of Wendy was the first to have a bit of an interesting relationship with Hook. (Who is voiced by Tim curry and does an excellent job.)  While the writers got rid of the almost pedophilic undertones of Hook wanting to keep Wendy from the novel and the “My beauty” pet name.  Thank god for that even in the novel i thought it was too much.     There’s still a bit of a dynamic even if its way more innocent.

In the episode  In Peter on Trial Wendy not only lands on the ship unharmed but reminds Hook executing Peter without a trial would not be proper form at all. She then hits Hook in the ego by declaring “Surely you don’t doubt your powers of debate against that of a mere girl” And not only gets a trial but manages to win even when the trial is rigged against them. Hook even congratulates her before proceeding to find his own loophole and kill Peter Pan anyway. The point is this suggests this Wendy has a bit of an insight into Hook maybe more so then Peter. She knows he’s obsessed with good form and has an ego that prides its self on being the smartest person in the room.

This cuts both ways while Wendy is capable of manipulating Hook, he also consistently manipulates Wendy by offering his word as a gentlemen when he intends to break it as a pirate. This dynamic highlights Wendy’s flaw of trusting dangerous people and allowing them to hurt her friends. Hook has picked up that she trusts or wants to trust him. In this version Hook actually treats Wendy as opponent vs the usual she belongs to Peter and I want to steal her like in most adaptations. Also despite Hook being terrifying Wendy has no problem being all “There’s no need to get cranky Captain” and I kind of love how comfortable she is with the guy despite him being an enemy.

This proves Wendy doesn’t have to be a sword wielding “Who are you to call me girlie” action girl to be a good character. She can be flawed but still remain a good person and giving her a spine is always appreciated.

Wendy Darling is at her core a guide into adulthood with a strong moral character and a voice of reason who is used to shine a light on how important motherhood is since the result of mothers abandoning or neglecting their children shape the Peter’s of the world.  This makes her important to the overall story and themes of Peter Pan.

[andyl394]

All 85 questions Im back on my bullshit

1. Are looks important in a relationship?

I don’t think so, but i cant relate bc my gf is hot.

2. Are relationships ever worth it?

Yes.

3. Are you a virgin?

no

4. Are you in a relationship?

YES

5. Are you in love?

In a way, I guess every day I fall a bit more.

6. Are you single this year?

No.

7. Can you commit to one person?

Yes.

8. Describe your crush

Ginger, incredibly sweet and smart, she’s so talented and pretty, she’s so strong and such an empath. 

9. Describe your perfect mate

Read question 8

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

To some extent.

11. Do you ever want to get married?

Heck yes.

12. Do you forgive betrayal?

Nop.

13. Do you get jealous easily?

It depends.

14. Do you have a crush on anyone?

Grace,

15. Do you have any piercings?

I got 9, most are on my ears and other two on my nose.

16. Do you have any tattoos?

I got three looking for more.

17. Do you like kissing in public?

I do hehe 

20. Do you shower every day?

At least twice a day.

21. Do you think someone has feelings for you?

I mean,,,, I hope my girlfriend does.

22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?

At this moment? Not really.

23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?

Lmao I can last my entire life and not cheat.

24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?

I don’t know?

25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year?

I am in one!

26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?

Guess I’ve never been that important to someone

27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you?

Nop

28. Have you ever been cheated on?

Yeah.

29. Have you ever cheated on someone?

Nop.

30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body?

Yeah, and I’m gonna get one, I’ll have to do a breast reduction, not as much because I don’t like my boobies, but because they’re too big for someone my size/height, always gave me back pain too.

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?

Lmao yeah.

32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love?

Yup.

33. Have you ever had sex with a man?

Unfortunately.

34. Have you ever had sex with a woman?

yah

35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

Yeah.

36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends?

Not in a romantic way.

37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?

Yes.

38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?

Yes.

39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?

Yes.

40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone?

Yes.

41. Have you had sex so far this year?

No.

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander?

As long as the other person feels comfortable with.

43. How long was your longest relationship?

4 months?

44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had?

5

45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013?

Don’t remember, probably one?

46. How many times did you have sex last year?

qué

47. How old are you?

18

48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say?

Depending on the situation, if I told them I liked them and that was their answer, I’d say “sorry, thank you for letting me know.”

49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her?

The way she cares about people and how sweet and gentle she is. Also she’s smoking hot.

50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept?

no.

51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for?

Yeah, my gf, my friends and my brother.

52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why?

Yes, my parents. Because I learned that although I’m not important for them, I’m important to others and I should put my effort into those who do.

53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?

No.

54. Is there someone you will never forget?

Yeah.

55. Share a relationship story.

lmao i was starting to count on one, then i realized it was two, then i REALLY realized it was three. Ok, three exes of mine never broke up with me, they all either stopped talking to me or just showed up dating someone else.

56. State 8 facts about your body

I have big tiddies;

My eyes are not as dark as people would think;

I’m not tall;

I’m flexible;

got big giant hands;

big feet too;

tummy big;

pretty nose.

57. Things you want to say to an ex

sorry you died and I wasn’t near you.

58. What are five ways to win your heart?

Be sweet;

gimme food;

call me petnames;

don’t treat me bad;

don’t be a dick.

59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!)

I don’t hide it, it’s my profile pic.

60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners?

22 years and that’s called child grooming.

61. What is the first thing you notice in someone?

Their smile.

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?

tug my hair, pull me to them, hug me from behind, whisper in my ear or close to my face.

63. What is your definition of “having sex”?

Trusting someone to see you vulnerable.

64. What is your definition of cheating?

Being romantically/emotionally available to someone else other than the person you committed to, besides the obvious physical one.

65. What is your favourite foreplay routine?

idk

66. What is your favourite roleplay?

that’s a secret.

67. What is your idea of the perfect date?

Watch the sunset and kiss under a tree or just cuddle in a lazy cold day.

68. What is your sexual orientation?

Pansexual

69. What turns you off?

being rude.

70. What turns you on?

many things.

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream?

I was gonna say but damn i can’t lmao.

72. What words do you like to hear during sex?

Praise words and if I’m being honest,,,, maybe calling me some bad names.

73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you?

Just overall cherish me

74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for?

I can’t think of anything, but probably a pretty smile?

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you?

My friends got together to buy me gifts before I moved out.

76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone?

I can’t think of anything.

77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships?

I don’t care as long as it isn’t pedophilia.

78. What’s your dirtiest secret?

I have a choking kink.

79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why?

Romantically, when one of my exes manipulated me into believing he was having a relationship with his friend. And jealous overall, when my parents forgot my birthday and spent the whole day with my brother.

80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?

Can’t remember.

81. Who are five people you find attractive?

@binkysteebnpewter, my friend Leticia, Bread, Birb and u.

82. Who is the last person you hugged?

A friend at work.

83. Who was your first kiss with?

A girl from my class when I was young.

84. Why did your last relationship fail?

She died.

85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet?

YUP

[nerdsideofthemedia]

Filmmaking and Bumbleby (RWBY)

I have this posted on the nerdsideofthemedia a while back, but since I’m not going to be writing many more posts here for a while, I’ll post it here too.

This is an analysis of the finale of V3.

Because I am going to talk about writing and filmmaking, so I think I have to say this: I don’t have an education in those fields (so people who do, feel free to correct me). What I know I learned either by analyzing things myself or via reading/watching videos from people who have an education in those fields. While I have attempted to write stuff, so far I’ve thrown everything in the garbage.

Writing process

This obviously changes from a writer to another, but it usually goes something like this: outline (which can be more or less complete or skipped, if you’re one of those), writing, editing, editing, editing. Editing is the phase where one and others read what they wrote and perfect it. A ton of stuff either is cut or is rephrased, entire scenes can be cut, others are put together, etc. Seriously, the first draft and last usually look nothing alike. The number of edits is dependent on the time and experience of the writers. And yes, I know CRWBY isn’t great handling time, so I understand maybe they don’t edit as much as they should or do it in a more superficial way, nonetheless that phase exists.

Kuleshov effect

Kuleshov was a Soviet filmmaker who defended viewers deride more meaning from two sequential shots than one. He did his own experiment, shooting a man with a neutral expression and intertwining these shots with different things: like a plate with food and a dead child. Hitchcock also did a variation in which he showed a close up of a man, then a woman with a baby, cut to the man smiling. In this case, the man is a sympathetic figure.

Then, he changed the middle shot to a woman in a bikini, so it was: close up of a man, woman in bikini, man smiling. And the conclusion is: the guy’s a pervert.

This is the power of editing in filmmaking: create meaning. And to quote Dan Olson (whose video on the Kuleshov effect is linked below): “Because this meaning becomes inherent to the sequence, a careful consideration of placement, order and timing is necessary to both create desired meaning and to avoid undesired meaning”.

Let’s look at RWBY’s “Heroes and Monsters”:

“ I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love”

They hear Yang call Blake, cut to Yang, cut to Adam again.

Then Adam turns to Blake to judge Yang’s importance to her, so we cut to her again and he takes his conclusions.

“… starting with her” 

“Love doesn’t have to mean romance”. Sure, but to use such a loaded word in that context is to put romantic meaning undoubtedly on the table, not just as a possibility, but due to the stakes and how the entire scene is edited as likely. It seems like a pretty deliberate choice since the writers could have chosen to phrase it differently like “I’ll destroy everything you care about”, but they didn’t. And they confirm this was indeed deliberate in V5, when Sun does fight Adam for a while yet, when choosing a word to connect him with Blake via Adam, they went for… “classmate”. Remember the writing process? Editing – still a thing in there too.

The entire scene is done in a way that Adam not only understands the importance Yang has to Blake, but also for the audience to associate the word “love” with those 2, even if Adam only discovers they are in love in V6.

After the fall of Beacon, Sun looks at an injured Blake and Yang while the first apologizes to the latter with tears in her eyes. That shot exists for Sun to realize the connection between the 2 girls, not for him to see Blake injured, otherwise it would have been better if Yang had been kept out of the frame, not to mention that he had already seen her injured. 

No, this shot doesn’t exist to show Sun seeing Blake injured, because he already knew that. When Weiss arrives and sees Yang and Blake injured, he’s already there. Plus, he was the one who told Ruby Yang was going to be OK.

If the point was to make him notice Blake’s injuries, it makes no sense for their hands to appear. Yang would have been kept out of the frame, instead of taking up more space than Blake. If the point was to show him notice an injured Blake, it would have made much more sense to use a sequence like this: 

Sun’s expression should be a bit different in the last to emphasize concern. Or they could have had the entire like the one they showed, but with a different angle in a way to cut Yang out of the frame.

In the original RWBY, the shot of Blake is seen through the perspective of Ruby, not Sun’s. Instead, we only got a shot of him with both girls. No close ups, no particular importance placed on Blake, their hands near the middle of the shot, with Yang taking up more space than Blake.

To me, this is the moment where Sun realizes Blake’s feelings for Yang, it’s the reason why he brings up Yang in V4 after his injury.

CRWBY could have done the same with their hands: Sun – BB hands – Sun again, but this way they left it more ambiguous which was probably the intention. It would have made no sense for them to go for subtlety if it was meant for Black Sun, because the audience was more than aware he was interested in Blake since V1 and subtlety had never entered the equation when it comes to them. For example, when they first meet, it was even used slow motion with him winking at her. I’d say BS was intended to be a red herring from pretty early on.

My previous posts on RWBY:

Bumblebee was Always the Plan

Bumblebee was Always the Plan part 2

Faunus and the White Fang: The Portrayal of Racism

BB & Renora

Weird Post on Weiss’s Clothes

Foils: Adam and Yang (this one is in wordpress; it was my first one and I didn’t have Tumblr then)

Let’s talk about Adam Taurus

(I didn’t post this one on Tumblr because the title and tags could lead Adam fans thinking this was about “his wasted potential” when really it defends the decision of killing him off and explains why it happened)

Kuleshov effect:

Folding Ideas (Dan Olson – watch his videos. He’s great): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy2Vhnqtu8I

Hitchcock explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNVf1N34-io

Kuleshov effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gGl3LJ7vHc