#proving I am a Massive Hater

[crystalelemental]

*deep breath*

Okay, so! As some of you know, I recently replayed almost all of the Pokemon games, because I was in a State, and recently completed this little journey. As part of that, I've been doing write-ups, and in the aftermath, making up some tier lists of game rankings and type rankings. I was going to do the Pokemon themselves region by region, but I've done that before and didn't want to do it again right away. Apparently this was meant to be a mercy. Except I can't let myself be normal, so I decided hey. You know what really needs sorted? All the Pokemon characters ever.

I'm not talking about the specifics here. I will tier by tier in separate posts, but not here. Too cluttered. But I will lay down some explanations here. First and foremost, this is approximate. After a while, your eyes just glaze over and you can't really sustain sorting this individually anymore. On that note, this is intra-tier ranked. If they're higher or to the left, they are rated better. Approximately. Third, I did leave characters off the table. Specifically, anyone who is such a non-entity I can't really comment on them, like all of the Team Flare admins, named shopkeepers who do nothing, or (with apologies to their fans) the Hoenn Frontier Brains I have never met. I didn't do Emerald Frontier. I will never do Emerald Frontier. I do not know these people. I did attempt to supplement some information from Masters, but even then I still do not know these people. But because of this supplementing, I did include Masters OCs. I did not draw from the manga, because I've never read it.

But yeah, cast your aspersions or praises as desired. Or make your own tier list and tag me in it to call me out as having shit opinions/reinforce my personal biases. Either way.

[dearreader]

k so i made this poll awhile ago to answer my question on if people would rather spend a date with a swiftie or an anti-swiftie (someone who hates her and devotes their life to hating on her). i mentioned i didn’t have the spoons to handle it being longer than a day and know it was going to be biased as it would start in my circle and would work it’s way out, so i wanted to do a longer poll when i had the energy to handle a week long poll like that. (i’m assuming when i post this, as i’m pre making it, i’ll be in recovery from my nose surgery since i’ll be stuck at home a week so i’ll have more time to monitor and look at the tags)

so nows the time, but i’m going to addendum the question a bit:

*some extra things that came up on the original poll i didn’t elaborate on fully that i want to make clear:

- you don’t get a say in what type of swiftie you get. assume that you’re going to be spending the evening with someone who massively loves her and her music and wants to discuss it. they’ll talk about songs, their favorite lines and meanings, symbolism behind the reputation album, etc.

- YOU MUST TALK ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT. even if it’s the anti-swiftie you must talk about her. i understand the sentiment people made on her not coming up, and that’s valid, but that’s not the question i’m asking. YOU HAVE TO SPEND THE EVENING WITH SOMEONE WHOS GOING TO TALK ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT NONSTOP, WILL IT BE THE LOVER OR HATER?

- im just trying to gather a general consensus on this and want to get data from a lot of people which means this is going to end up on people’s blogs who probably hate swifties and are annoyed by them. that’s okay as that’s the point of my question. but if you’re going to go off in the tags about how much you hate her or hate swifties and be an asshole about it im blocking you. you can just simple say “i hate her/i hate swifties” and don’t need to elaborate. you don’t need to sit in the tags going off on how much you hate her and trying to “defend” yourself from swifties. i just want an answer to the question.

- ALSO, this is not an open poll to go harass anyone in general. if you are a swiftie and see an hater in the tags and wanna fight DON’T FUCKING DO IT. just block and go read/watch your favorite media and think of blorbos kissing or whatever, but DO NOT SEND HATE OR HARASS ANYONE.

the hypothesis im trying to prove is that people in general would much rather spend an evening with someone that is going to talk about something they love all night vs someone who will spend the evening talking about something they hate. i want to gather as much data as possible to get a good consensus and if you go and be an asshole to someone because of their tags on this poll, either side of the swiftie to anti-swiftie spectrum, your disproving the point. if you see tags you don’t like just simply block and carry on. understand? k good.

- in general this is not meant to be a very serious or heavy question. it’s meant to just let me pick people’s brains and see what they’d want to do. i just want to get my results and go. just vote, drop your opinion in the tags, and go.

- also, this last part is silly and not at all related to my data, but since i’m forcing you on a dinner date i’ll at least let you pick the restaurant and food you have. so if you could also say what restaurant/food choice you’d want and what you’d want to order i’d love to hear it. sky’s the limit here. go nutz or even very specific on what you’d want to eat. i am trying to learn to cook and don’t know a lot of recipes or different food types, so i’m hoping this will give me a bigger idea of what food is out there to make. (this question is not meant to be a way to stick it to anyone or for you to go “i’ll go to a shitty ass restaurant and take a swiftie/anti-swiftie and make them eat garbage 🤪”, it’s just a fun question to give people something positive to add to the poll if they want. AGAIN IF YOUR GOING TO BE AN ASSHOLE ILL BLOCK YOU.)

- i’m going to be annoying and ask that you reblog for a wider sample size and such, if you don’t want to that’s fine, but i’m going to be polite and ask you nicely.

that should be everything, thank you for reading my long ass list and voting in this poll. i hope you have a good day and such.

[centrally-unplanned]

I wanna get this one out before the election since I think that is going to "cast in stone" some takes when it shouldn't given how much of a coinflip it is; Biden really fumbled the ball in the second half of his presidency. I was very pro-Biden at the beginning, I thought he did a great job. I don't think the stimulus was a huge source of inflation and meanwhile the economy came back roaring; obviously not mainly due to him but he did a good job on renewing Jerome Powell (a Trump appointee!) to the Fed, controlling the Strategic Oil Reserve, and "getting out of the way" on a bunch of issues from trade to Covid policy. His environmental policy around the energy transition was stellar, I approve of CHIPS, etc. And in foreign policy he is never going to get the credit he deserves for ending the Afghanistan debacle, and meanwhile the US response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine was about as good as you could possibly expect it to be out the gate.

He actually proved the haters wrong on his promise to "get things done in Congress" using his expertise - he did in fact get bipartisan bills passed and work with centrists like Manchin to get party bills over the line. It was a solid showing; I thought he was clearly better than Obama & Clinton.

But as time went on the wheels really came off. You can almost see the "ideas" running out, like once they had done the Covid drawdown and BBB/IRA, and the midterms made congress more unfavorable, "what's next?" left a void. There was a bunch of bad "party handout" stuff that is completely at odds with how things work today. Foolish moves like the student debt relief - unpopular, unwise in an inflationary environment, a handout to the wealthy, and dubiously legal - or all the kowtowing to the worst unions in the US that still resulting in declining labor vote share! A lack of follow-through on the bills showed the admin's lack of policy chops; the IRA is severely hampered by the lack of permitting reform for energy projects, but the admin applied virtually no pressure to making that happen because, eh, not their vibe I guess? The huge holes in procurement that Ukraine war exposed has been met with very tepid responses as well, just a sort of "throw money at it" default that has fixed little.

Israel is of course peak inertia. I am a realist, I understand fully that there is no world where the US responds to a terrorist attack on an ally by cutting them off - and I think the Biden admin has had its wins in this category, the amount of aid entering Gaza is certainly higher due to US pressure. But it is just embarrassing how obviously Biden himself treated Netanyahu and co as like, credible partners, when they just aren't? Again, Trump would just happily support them doing w/e no matter how many the killed, it wouldn't be embarrassing for him to watch that happen. For Biden, with his stated goals, it is weakness. He could have easily done better.

And we can't ignore the responsibility to the next generation - it is your job as President to set up your successor for victory. Immigration is a classic policy example of that dropped ball - a fear of seeming "Trump-like" in the face of an unsympathetic electorate and an admin itself not actually committed to massive increases in admitted asylum cases. It would be one thing if it was Biden's hill to die on, but it wasn't; just years of muddle before finally doing in ~2024 what they could have done in ~2021, too late to move the needle on the backlash.

Which leads us to the elephant in the room, as all things must. He did end his nomination in the end, again I don't think he is some awful president. But he took a lot of heavy pressure to get there. And the weirdest thing is...he is the one who scheduled a debate before the convention? That isn't normal! It was very obviously a test, to show he was fit - and he failed it. And then refused to admit it. What if George Clooney didn't aim for his head in the press at the 11th hour? What if Nancy Pelosi didn't bring out the big guns? Would he have not bowed down to reality?

And while I have been quite impressed by Harris's campaign so far, and not having a primary has been an advantage, it has still been very rushed. Orgs take time to emerge, you can't actually just snap your fingers and get 30 interviews booked or a docket of vetted VPs. I think Tim Walz a mistake, personally! Not a big one, but a weak choice when someone like Josh Shapiro is right there and "pivot to the center" is your stated strategy. But it is hard to blame her when she probably threw it together in a few weeks while also doing 20 stump speeches a month and debate prepping and all that! I can't say that specific decision would change, but others would. Hell, time could have helped - her favourables in a ton of categories have slowly been ticking up, if she was the candidate since January things could be different. We will never know of course, but the more distance from Biden the better.

I think in 2023 and 2024 it is in fact very hard to find any solid wins for the Biden administration. I can think of a few but they outnumbered handily by the missteps. And I think that, if Kamala wins, a lot of this is going to be papered over. All the political missteps will be like "eh, who cares! We won, right?" But that is not how effective strategy works. For one, if Kamala wins it is only because Trump is the opponent; a normie Republican would probably have trounced her. But more importantly your strategy should pretty much never be "eh whatever" to maximizing your electoral odds. Every action should either be A: this will keep us winning, or B: this won't but it will make the world a better place and so it is where we are spending our points. Biden has had a lot of "neither option" these past two years; too many, in my opinion, to be considered a good president anymore.

But I will give him decent at least, it is a tough job!

[bl00dlight]

Question for the Culture...

Some thoughts on s2, Aemond needing mothers milk, alicole pussy rubbing, the Greens writing & characterisation.

After some consideration, I think the reason way the brothel scene is so jarring is because we've spent so little time with Aemond as a character, and S1 purposefully set up this very real mystique around him - espeically regarding duty, having disdain for Aegon's depravity (and literally being above it himself?) Etc, that we didn't get to see the process of what actually led Aemond there as a character. I actually do think it's because we are getting so few episodes that they are bypassing the very needed character progression that Aemond 10000% needs. It feels out of character because the show has set up a character which was exceedingly adverse to that behaviour. And you can feel the shift in his character, this season. To me he feels completely different, which shouldn't be the case just yet since like... Luke supposedly died only two weeks prior to the start of the season. We didn't get to see his progression into going from Alicent's #1 ride or die, to being her biggest hater? Nor did we see his progression into why he was even at the brothel? The leaks spoke about Aegon taking him to Cock Inn during B&C and well, we know that was the case because the Madam mentioned that. But? Why would they not show us that? Why would they not show us Aemond's progression into making that decision in the first place and the after effects leading him to returning back there? I think the scene was within his characterisation but like... not out of the blue. It felt like something we needed to see unfold. Because also, now all of his mystique is shattered. Like those are such STRONG choices to make him a milk drinking, fetal position, mummy's milkers ass bitch straight off the bat. Like??? Considering that two weeks ago he was like "Bro I am so much better than Aegon. I don't do that depravity shit. I'm dutiful, I should be King cause my brother is fucken gross and weak." Well? Okay... now Aemond is objectively grosser and weaker. Which was likely always the case, but it's something that should have been developed and revealed with time? They inadvertently destroyed the idea of his "mask" and his character being a massive antagonistic force that parallels Daemon. Because we've spent 10x more screen time with Daemon and we know underneath he is also fragile and vulnerable. We know that his dependence on Rhaneyra is significantly more complicated than it being about ambition. But it's not shown yet, he still actively is maintaining this incredibly antagonistic mask that makes him more elusive to the audience. We don't truly know his true intentions, his true vulnerabilities yet. So his actions come across as significantly more threatening, for all we know he could truly just be that malevolent while at the same time - we have seen glimpses which prove otherwise, that he is vulnerable and does desire love, comfort etc. But we don't quite know what that vulnerability truly is yet.

But with Aemond it's fucking beyond on the nose having him laying in an older woman's lap, drinking MILK and having his head patted while being cooed upon. Like okay so now we know exactly what the fuck is wrong with him. And he loses all complexity (currently) because we've not been shown the progression of this drastically opposing character choice. We've gone from a dude who was licking his lips at the sight of Daemon slicing and dicing Vaemond, who was posting up to his kid nephews and literally denouncing Aegon for his sexual depravity - to homeboy needing mummy's milk straight off the back, no inner conflict shown. It would've been nice to SEE him actually struggle with this level of vulnerability. It would've been nice to see his character unravel to the point where that scene didn't feel like I've just skipped several episodes of characterisation. And yall can say what you want, but I am right on this. It would've been far more compelling for them to keep his mystique for longer, to keep that vulnerability of his hidden and watch him struggle with it. Because now I know exactly what the fuck he is thinking, exactly what is wrong with him. There is no ambiguity left in his motivations nor whether or not his whole black leather edgy boy thing is a mask. Because now we know it's a mask, so all of his choices don't feel as.... threatening? They feel more like an angry teenage boy who needs a hug. Which is totally fine, but it's more intriguing if it weren't so explicitly shown to us that's what he is. I'd rather that be woven into his character and his of mask edgelord666 not be so suddenly stripped from him? Because now I know he isn't a raging psychopath, now I he isn't driven by his chaos. With Daemon, he still gives the impression he genuinely might be unredeemable. And that should be the case with Aemond.

And while we are here, I fucken hated the line of the brothel Madame reminding him of the smallfolk.

1) What authority does she hold over him to essential give him council or reprimand him on his behaviour. Why does she have the confidence to council him in the first place given she is in a position of vulnerability. That's the paradox, he could absolutely have her killed or hurt her and face zero consequences. So what gives her the security in knowing he wouldn't respond negatively to being counciled on the political repercussions of his behaviour? Why have they not SHOWED US their dynamic? Because I'm going into this knowing Aemond is about to commit mass genocide against the smallfolk? So unless that comment was just a throwaway liner to set that up, why would she feel compelled to be direct in that way? Why would Aemond a man who actively does not give a SHITTTTT about the lives of those below him, let a brothel Madame get away with saying that? And since he did let it slide, WHY???? Show us WHYYYY he would accept that advice?

2) If that line was used as a recalling to Aemond potentially feeling regret for the choices he is about to make, then just cut the cameras. Cause I think that would be an absolute waste of his characterisation. Everyone already feels bad about the smallfolk. They are really hammering it home. Even Otto gives a shit about them. The last person I want to see care is Aemond. Because it just doesn't make sense, why the fuck would he care? He has no reason to care given the role he plays in the war.

I want to use Cersei Lannister as a point that you don't need to implement a sense of societal empathy for your antagonist to have softness within them. Cersei is like number 1 bad bitch, doesn't give a fuck, is a number 1 hater and will straight up blow a bitch UP. But we see glimmers of softness with her children, with Jamie and even Margaery. And I think that just makes her so much more intriguing because we know something else resides within her other than malevolence but we the audience have to watch her go through the motions of it.

So far I've seen Aemond go through ZERO motions and I've seen the writers play their cards already. I hope I'm wrong. But we have 6 episodes left of s2. And so far, I've learnt so little about him as a character, while also knowing exactly what his core wound is.

I'm a tad worried for s2, and I'm a tad worried that the short season lengths are forcing the writers to speed up the way they allowed these characters to develop. There have been some incredibly strong ass moments, like Otto being THAT bitch and telling Aegon what's good. That was unbelievably incredible. Literally the entire scene between Daemon and Rhaneyra. IMPECCABLE character work, IMPECCABLE acting 10/10. Oh and everything Helaena at the moment is also beyond perfect. That funeral scene was harrowing.

But the downsides have been huge. To me, Aemond is drifting into a territory which is making me kinda not enjoy his character so much. Cause now I know what's good, he doesn't compell me right now. Knowing what lies beneath the surface isn't always a good thing, espeically given he has had like maybe 40 minutes of screen time overall in the series. And Alicole suffers the same fate. It was implied in season 1, 100000%, but uhhhhh its jarring because we never got to see HOW it unfolded. The process that lead alicent and criston into this very complex reltionship. It feels like they've been fucking for years, yet it's been like two weeks on canonically? Oh and having the green siblings not interact after B&C is diabolical. That is fucking lazy writing. Sorry. Because they haven't mentioned the fact Helaena has had neither Aegon nor Aemond acknowledge her. Which again, feels so fucking out of blue? It doesn't even have to be a whole process, it could've been one scene where one of them attempt to comfort her and fail because they fundamentally don't know how to display that level of kindness towards one another. It's that easy. Oh and Daeron? Fuck off. That was an ABYSMAL way to introduce him. Why does Otto need to remind Alicent that she has another son? What grandfather says "remember that third son you've always had and have forgotten about for the past 6 years? *wink, wink*" Like fuck off.

I think they are suffering from too many ideas all at one. And trying to rush major character arcs in order to get to the dance. But what makes GRRM writing and works so interesting and what made GOT (early seasons) so good was the fact they took time to develop the characters and show those lengthy discussions/character interactions. It's ABSOLUTELY insane we haven't seen the green siblings interact properly and may not at all. There is no reason for that, you can't put it down to "dysfunctional family dynamics" if you don't SHOW us the dysfunctional family dynamic and the siblings failing at communicating. B&C would've been the perfect time to show the audience WHY they can't comfort each other and HOW their family system has failed them. It's so deeply unbelievable to me and getting the actors justify it as it being a poor family dynamic is LAZY. Show the audience. Don't have your actors tell us.

[autisticlancemcclain]

The loud creaking noise coming from the walls is worrying, but the wince and muttered “oh, no” by the planet’s official is even worse.

“What’s wrong?” Keith asks warily.

“Oh, nothing to worry about, paladins!” the official says, plastering a smile on her face. “Please, carry on.”

Lance sighs heavily, trying at the last minute to keep the exasperation out of his tone. “Ma’am, there’s no need to shield us. We’re well equipped for an emergency, and happy to help.”

“Oh, you’re guests, I could never —”

Just then the walls creak again, much louder this time, before a gigantic crack appears, spreading across several meters. The official slumps forward. “We’ve been having some problems with our drainage systems,” she explains apologetically. “We were hopeful that there would be no flooding or catastrophes today, but that does not seem to be the case.”

The second the words are out of her mouth, the crack expands further, and water starts rushing out. The gathered people at the gala all make noises of minor alarm, but they’re all clearly used to the struggle, as no one seems too panicked. Lance takes the moment of confusion to step up onto a recently vacated chair.

“I’m so sorry,” says the official again, looking positively mortified. “This is going to have to cut the celebrations short.”

Keith quirks up one half of his mouth, trying his best to smile reassuringly. He looks awkward but determined. Lance looks away, hiding a fond smile.

“It’s fine,” Keith assures. “Do you need our help escorting everyone out?”

The official shakes her head. “No, everyone’s well-used to this at this point. They’ll file out on their own. I would just worry about getting yourselves out and back to your ship, paladins. It may take a while.”

Lance grimaces, glancing at the massive crowd all trying to file through the minimal exits. “Noted.”

The official hurries away, striding to help some of her elderly people make it through the doors first as the water level starts to rise. Nothing alarming, but enough to be frustrating and even a hazard for anyone who struggles to walk.

“Shame this had to end early,” Keith says, looking like it’s quite the opposite.

Lance snorts. “Real shame, I’m sure. Is that why you look like you could sing a tune?”

Keith’s small smile morphs into a full grin, and he shrugs. “No clue what you’re talking about.”

“Mhm. Sure. Let’s get out of here, you hater.”

Keith starts sloshing forward, wading through the now knee-high water. Lance steps from the chair he was standing on to the table and follows.

“You’re going to fall,” Keith says mildly.

Lance ignores him, concentrating on not tripping over plates and cutlery (proving Keith right would be just as bad as falling entirely into the water).

“Am not. Excuse me for not wanting to wade through dirty pipe water.”

“Priss,” Keith teases.

Lance scowls at him. “I’m wearing my nice shoes! And socks are already the worst things in the world, but wet socks? No. I’d rather surgically remove my feet.”

“Well, get your scalpel ready, ‘cause you’re running out of table.”

Lance stops, realising that he is, in fact, running out of table. He’s got maybe three or so meters left before his path gives way to what was once a massive dance floor and is now a pond, and is also the only way to reach the exit.

“Shit.” He shifts his feet, turning to look at Keith. “Maybe I should just wait here. You know, to make sure everyone else gets out safe. And for the water to get drained.”

Keith scoffs. “Fat chance of that. You’ll be here for days, and we have training tomorrow morning.”

Lance huffs, kicking an abandoned platter of appetizers to the side and sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the white tablecloth. “I don’t want to ruin my fancy clothes,” he says petulantly. “Or get wet socks. Why do horrible things happen to beautiful people? I don’t deserve this.”

Keith laughs. A small one, but one where his smile gets wide, showing his crooked incisors and the lines around his eyes. The look of it makes Lance grin back on reflex. Keith shakes his head, teasing, and then opens his arms. “C’mere, then.”

It takes Lance a moment to clock what Keith’s suggesting, but then he scoffs.

“Absolutely not, Mullet.”

The twinkle in Keith’s eyes is something like mischief. “I dunno what your issue is. If I carry you, you don’t ruin your shoes and your feet stay dry. What have you got to lose?”

“My dignity, I would say. You think I’m cool with you carrying me around like some —” Lance flushes at the mere thought — “some damsel, in front of the entire planet that thinks I’m a cool space hero? No way!”

“Well it’s either your dignity or dry feet, princess,” Keith teases. “You can’t have both.”

Lance narrows his eyes at the bastard. “Do you know how irritating it is when you’re both right and being generous, and thus have the moral high ground?”

Keith laughs again, brighter than before, making Lance’s stomach flutter. He opens his arms, wiggling his fingers enticingly. “You made your choice?”

Lance huffs again. “I guess if you’re offer’s still on the table,” he mutters, staring down at his shoes. “I really like these shoes.”

Without another word, Keith shuffles forward, sliding one arm behind Lance’s back and one under his knees. He lifts Lance easily, not even bracing himself or anything.

“Do I weigh anything to you?” Lance demands, fighting off the redness that threatens to overwhelm his face.

Keith smirks. “Nope. Felt like I was lifting a beanstalk.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Mhm. Keep talking shit and I’ll drop you.”

Lance snaps his mouth shut, because Keith absolutely will. As gentlemanly as he’s being right now, his favourite hobby is driving Lance batty, and Lance knows that for a fact. As soon as he decides that it will be funnier to dunk Lance than to carry him, he will.

“You know, this reminds me of something,” Keith muses as they’re halfway across the flooded dance floor.

Lance hums. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“I’m trying to put my finger on it. Early castle days, some sort of disaster, you cradled in my arms?”

“Oh — fuck off!” Lance exclaims, smacking Keith on the chest. “You drama queen!”

Keith sniggers. “I remember it now.” He smooths his face into an exaggerated smoulder. “‘We make a great team,’” he mocks, digging his fingers into Lance’s side.

“I did not say that,” Lance insists, even though he knows it’s futile. They have this exact argument at least once a week and it goes absolutely nowhere.

“You’re right, you didn’t just ‘say that’. You batted your eyelashes at me and made your eyes all big and brown and said it with the sappiest smile on your face —”

“You are delusional—”

“—and then fainted in my arms after holding my hand and gazing into my eyes. And then you got embarrassed and pretended it didn’t happen.”

“It didn’t! You wanted me to flirt with you so bad you dreamed it up!”

“Sure,” Keith says, shifting Lance in his arms. He pays Lance’s thigh condescendingly. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

“You are infuriating.”

“And you are the most frustrating person to ever come from planet Earth.”

They continue to bicker back and forth as Keith walks them through the pond, neither of them stopping to even take a breath. They’re the last ones to clear out, so they take their time. (Well, Keith takes his time, walking as slow as he can to increase Lance’s humiliation, and pretending to drop him every few minutes to hear Lance shriek and clutch his shoulders tightly. Because he is the worst.)

“Finally,” Lance grumbles, as they finally approach the doors. “Anyone tell you that you’re the worst taxi ever?”

“I’m going to dunk you,” Keith says pleasantly.

“Yeah, right. You’ve been saying that for twenty minutes.”

“Twenty-one might be the kicker.”

“Sure, and I bet —”

But Lance never gets to say what he bets, because as soon as they cross the threshold out of the ballroom, where everyone else has filed out, he’s interrupted by cheering. He looks up, confused, to find Hunk and Pidge pointing at him and teasingly whooping and hollering. The rest of the gathered crowd is quickly following suit.

Lance, it seems, is the only one being carried over the water like royalty. Even Allura is walking on her own just fine.

“Got a real gentleman, there, Lance,” Shiro calls, impish grin spreading across his face.

“Fuck off,” Lance snaps, face redder than Keith’s stupid jacket. He hides his face in Keith’s chest, which is shaking with the force of his chuckles.

“Shall I let you down?” he whispers.

“Don’t you dare,” Lance whispers back.

“You’re liking this, then.”

The truth is…yeah. As humiliating as it is being cradled in Keith’s arms (again), something primal and petty in Lance is positively preening at the attention, at the knowledge that he and he alone is special enough to be carried around by Keith Kogane. No one else got the special offer to be spared from the filth of the pipe water. No one else gets to feel Keith’s arms around them. No one else gets to feel the heat of his body so close, hear the beat of his heart. Just Lance.

“You’re annoying and I hate you,” Lance says instead of voicing any of that. “You have a thing for embarrassing me, I swear.”

Keith shrugs. The movement makes Lance’s belly swoop. “A little, actually. It’s hilarious when you get all riled up.”

“Yeah, well, you look better when you’re all mad at me! Take that!” As soon as he says it Lance wishes he could reach back in time and smack the shit out of himself. “Fuck — I didn’t mean — that’s not —”

But the damage is already done — Keith’s already grinning widely, smug and horrible and so, so sexy. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time you piss me off on purpose, Bluebell. Maybe I’ll just shut you up with a kiss.”

Lance is too choked up to say a single thing for the rest of the walk to the castle. When he finally gets to his room — free of Keith’s stupid horrible strong arms, might he add — he shoves his face into his pillow and screams himself hoarse.

Keith is the worst, and Lance wants him more than anyone he’s ever known.

———

based on this video

[pale-opal]

Ngl seeing Zero and shadow man’s adopted father son relationship is very adorable and sad-. It gives me an idea about Ico and Phantom’s relationship.

What if hear me out—

Phantom is obviously a massive Zero hater (begrudging respect for him). And Ico is basically a soul reincarnation/descendant of the Guy, he’s weary around. So maybe some part of Zero’s connection through shadow man (foundness of Ninja types) is passed onto Ico. As she starts to follow phantom around like a duckling, since she finds his presence oddly comforting.

Leading phantom to be reluctant around her, he’s strongly aware that she’s not her father but the resemblance is too strong to ignore. He’s slowly getting use the idea of being an older sibling, he’s perfectly fine with Volnutt and Roll. So thanks to his little brother’s friendship with Ico, he slowly warms up to her.

He slowly starts to see that she’s kinda like him personally wise being blunt, cold, skittish and at times violent. She’s genuinely a sweet girl, who’s painfully shy and socially awkward. He’s one of the first individuals that she feels safe around to express her vulnerabilities. He doesn’t know how to feel about that…it’s cute…

As much that he loves His younger siblings they can be just as loud as the rest of his family (with the exception of his dear father). So he slowly forms a soft spot for her, in his own way. To the point that she shyly asked if he can train her of proper stealth abilities as he accepted with a simple nod. Somewhat taking the crimson girl under his paws—

The best part is that she also appreciates the quietness of it all. Giving her the special purr privilege (that only his younger siblings and father have).

Eventually forming a parallel to Shadow and Zero’s relationship. But more sibling like rather than father and son but ya get the gist of it-

*Skitters away*

*Skedaddles after you to give my response*

First of all - yes!!?!?!? I approve??? Very much??? I tried to find an image to express how I felt, but I wasn't able to get a good one, so today the pen is going to have to prove now more than ever that it's mightier than the sword:

The idea of Shadow Man adopting Zero having generational affects that nobody could've foreseen is so so cool. It's the opposite of generational trauma. Instead of past abuse ruining lives, it's past parental love making things better. I'm here for it.

Ico following Phantom around sounds so adorable. Imagine that he has a chore or some task he has to do, and when he looks up from his work, Ico's done the other half of it. Just because she can. She might not know why she likes this random cat-man so much, but she does know that she wants to make him happy.

Imagine Zero showing Ico a picture of her grandfather. It'd be very bittersweet, like when your parents tell you stories about a dead relative they were close with when they were alive. Even moreso, since he who died in 20XX: Shadow wouldn't exactly have a grave they could visit (and even if he did, Earth is flooded now. If it wasn't in a specific spot, it is gone). And even if he somehow managed to make it to the Elf Wars or something, he still wouldn't be able to come back or anything like that, since as a robot master he would be barred from the revival method (no cyber elf + no biometal = that man is staying as a corpse).

Okay, this last point is literally just going to be me freaking out (but in a /pos way. It's chill), but I am very honored to have received this. Like??? Oh my gosh??? The idea of my writing having any influence on yours is just??? Absolutely wild???? Especially since I'm a huge fan of your stuff???? Hello??? What I'm trying to say here is

(Well, would you look at that. I guess I found an image (technically a GIF, but who cares) after all.)

[celticcrossanon]

“I suspect that if Harry has something to hold over his father's head, then he is using it to keep his title and royal status, as otherwise I think those would have gone at least a year ago.”

I don’t think it’s anything to do with past history.

In my opinion there are three possibilities:

– Harry lied and said he was heading for divorce, so the palace kept the door open a crack to give him a soft landing place.

– Or the King genuinely fears that Harry’s drug and alcohol addictions will get the better of him. If he ODs apart from the familial grief the king will have to deal with the press blaming him for Harry’s death.

- The Sussexes broke peerage law law with surrogacy. Peerage law bangs up against GDPR medical privacy these days. The palace found out about the surrogacy belatedly & medical privacy law means they cannot prove it nor when they learnt of it.

If the Sussexes reveal their surrogate children it is going to be a massive scandal.

Look at the narrative about Catherine and Kensington party no longer being worthy of trust because of a little Photoshop.

Hi Nonny,

Those are all good points, especially Harry lying about divorce. I can see him doing that to keep a toe in the door.

The fuss about that Mother's Day picture is ridiculous, stirred up by people who have a vested interest in hating on the Wales family (and I include all the press in that). I am waiting for their actions to come back and bite them hard.

That being said, I think have surrogate children and passing them off as coming from your womb is a much bigger scandal and a genuine one. If that is what is coming towards us, I want it to break soon and all of the truth to come out. Of course the haters will scream from the rooftops - that is what they live for, but honestly, they are unimportant. The only ones that matter are the British public, as they are the ones supporting the monarchy with their taxes.

[blackgumball]

okay weird pull but you know how people say that taylor swift is so popular because her work is so bland. she’s uninterested in making any sort of statement or breaking any sort of mould, so her work is so palatable and widely relatable that it becomes so popular among so many people? (real quick psa im a tswift hater so i dont listen to her music, this is a recycled opinion from a more educated hater than me)

i am beginning to feel a similar way about bridgerton. its premise relies on the idea of a diverse regency england, but it becomes clearer and clearer to me every day that the show is meant for white people. all the bridgertons are white, so every love story will either be swirl or just a white relationship (shoutout to polin ig). not saying that poc dont enjoy the show (we obviously do) but there’s this vocal white audience that keeps harassing actors of colour whenever a decision is made that they dont like. or that strays from the books (which is soooo insane literally the moment they cast rege jean page your dumb cracker asses shouldve realised that the show wasnt gonna care about being book accurate ESPECIALLY since julia quinn basically said out loud that every character in her books would be racist.)

and the show Clearly isn’t interested in pushing any boundaries. look at fucking cressida cowper. given, i have no idea whether her character is going to return to the show, but the way they handled her was so muddled and fucked up that i wondered why they even bothered? they bring her in, humanise her, and then cart her off with this terrible fate. why? if anything, it made eloise and colin far less likeable (eloise, because it seemed like she didnt care about the fate of the only person who treated her with respect after she was “ruined”, and colin, because it made him seem shortsighted, naïve, self centred, and pitifully stupid). i complain because i think eloise is right. the women in this period were stifled. they were not able to study as extensively as their brothers, not able to travel by themselves, kept from sex education into their adulthood, and married off to random men (sometimes against their will, as it was for danbury, charlotte, almost cressida, and arguably daphne). you set such a sexual show in a deeply unsexy time. there’s romance in cressida escaping, being cunning and able to run. it also would’ve made the show more DRAMATIC. it straight up doesnt make sense for cressida to learn whistledown’s identity and not go immediately to the queen. why not have her escape, and let the bridgertons deal with the consequences? i don’t know. they seemed to take the stupid way out.

and then there’s the lower classes, who we rarely see outside of the women bridgerton men fuck with no/low commitment, paperboys, and printers. i’ve said before how i think it’s hideous that the lives of these women aren’t explored outside of their role as sex objects. season one at least explored the tension between anthony and sienna, who he loved but couldn’t commit to (im very glad she got out of there. im glad she respected herself enough to cut ties w him). also in season one, we see how the servants of the bridgerton house played a role in saving daphne from marrying that gross dude, but it feels like that role has vanished from subsequent seasons. maybe they know that seeing how none of the lords and ladies and other rich pricks of mayfair can’t fend for themselves is a turn off for the modern person (remember when anthony and daphne couldn’t use a stove in s1? i got the ick bad). but by ignoring this massive demographic, the show proves its disinterest in exploring the pitfalls and prejudices of the society it is set in.

its a show where women who want to escape their circumstances are villainised for their attempts and where the lives of the poor are either ignored or used to threaten the privileged. you occasionally have a sienna or a theo, but through knowing them, we are never left with the sense that society should change. they may try that next season. i know benedict is supposed to fall in love with A Poor.

i want the show to be good. i want the show to be interesting. i want all the fans who think that it can’t be good unless it’s explicitly relatable to straight white women to get over themselves (or at least go back to tswift and tsitp). i want to watch the show and not feel as though all the female characters are trapped. i want to LIKE ELOISE. some things i dislike about the show are impossible to change, but i guess i just have to hope it can be better. actually start pushing against the constraints of the genre, why not? you’re already one of the most popular shows on TV, you can risk making good television.

[quillkiller]

joker/harley quinn as quillkiller thoughts??

ouffffff. im a massive joker/harley hater. their number one hater and if they have no haters im dead .

i think the difference for me is that the joker and harley are a man and a woman, so there’s an inherent power imbalance and indirectly (and directly) harley is being abused . it really makes me so uncomfortable

HOWEVER. if they were to be dykeified … i could definitely see it. the thing about lesbian relationships and why i love lesbian ships is bc women will literally always be equals. doesn’t matter if one is a super villain and the other isnt. doesnt matter if one is a ceo and the other is a idk janitor. or, you know, a pureblood witch in the sacred 28 and a halfblood ravenclaw witch. women will always be percieved the same way politically, in society, and by men . so if a very well written quillkiller joker/harley fic was being written about them i would devour it, but if it clung to the same heterosexual power abuse and dynamics then i wouldnt want it

obviously women can abuse women too, i was abused by my ex girlfriend of three years, but it’s not the same kind of abuse bc there isn’t a power imbalance. doesn’t mean it doesn’t kill you though, obviously. a heterosexual relationship, while still being a healthy relationship, will always suffer from power imbalance while a lesbian relationship doesn’t have that start point bc women will always be equals

i think the thing for me, w the quillkiller in my little head, is that i don’t see them in an abusive / toxic relationship. i know a lot of people do and they like that narrative and idk to each their own i guess . but to me they’re the kind of ship that are toxic and abusive and awful to everyone else, but not each other. theyre so good together and for each other and no one else would be able to give them what they need or crave in a relationship. i have a line in one of my fics ’my love will never die’ thats like:

”Rita had seen Bellatrix’s dirty laundry and decided to kiss it. To not only accept it, but to love it.”

and that’s what they are to me. i see them more w the dynamics of killing eve rather than a joker/harley dynamic i think?? that whole ”no one understands you like i do” and ”i’d literally kill for you to prove my love” ”i will be turned on by you stalking me bc i, too, am a little fucked up” rather than one party being the one in power and the other being the weaker/abused one

[thesinglesjukebox]

DOJA CAT - "PAINT THE TOWN RED"

Spooky season lasting a little longer than anticipated...

[4.75]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Doja Cat's music and Doja Cat's public image are in this weird inverse dynamic where the more outré and provocative she gets the more boring her work gets. This has no distinguishing features at all, an expensive sample wrapped around a platonic solids. For an artist that, at her best, could be either an exquisite pop-rap irritant or an effortlessly charming hook machine, here she seemingly intentionally choses to be neither. At this point, she's an empty retread of her empty retreads. [3]

Michelle Myers: Massive, obvious samples like this are actually quite bold if you consider how easy they are to do poorly. Helps that the selection isn't arbitrary. "Paint the Town Red" channels the same refined resentment that Dionne Warwick mastered in the '60s. The raps are flowy and villainous with some genuinely weird phrasing. Euch! [7]

Jackie Powell: I couldn't be more glad that Dionne Warwick, an underrated legacy artist, once again gets her mainstream due. First she was the queen of Twitter before Elon Musk turned it into a dumpster fire, second she was impersonated by Ego Nwodim on SNL, and now she's been included in a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. Unfortunately "Walk On By" didn't have a random revival cover, but rather Doja Cat took Warwick's hook followed by the two bar trumpet riff that follows it to serve as the heart and soul of her diss track "Paint the Town Red." Warwick's original song is about getting over heartbreak, but Doja Cat uses Warwick's vulnerable hook as a chiller means to say buzz off. That's why "Paint the Town Red" feels lyrically out of place. Doja is trying to emulate an I-don't-give-a-fuck type of attitude alongside one of the more vulnerable hooks of the 1960's. That contrast leads me to believe that Doja Cat actually does care about the droves of people on the internet that have a problem with her. Using the phrase "walk on by" to dispel haters might make sense initially, but writers Burt Bacharach and Hal David intended for it to be much more introspective and about some personal accountability. That doesn't happen in "Paint the Town Red." [5]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Every time I hear this song, I immediately cue up its slowed and reverb remix, and then I am at peace. I'm going to avoid engaging in Doja Discourse (you hate your old music and your fans, okay), but for something that's supposed to be a demonic clapback, this ends up feeling a little too bouncy and endearing. The snaps in the percussion leave the trumpet sample sounding oddly jaunty. Even the title is quaint, more "pleasant carousing" than scaring the haters into submission. (Unless the implication is she's painting the town red WITH BLOOD, but that's just funny.) The one element that is genuinely intimidating is the vocal harmonies, and I think what keeps dragging me back to the slowed and reverb remixes is the extra depth and menace they gain. [6]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Tik Tok background music that dissipates into invisible wisps of smoke when it's asked to foster any IRL connection. [3]

Tim de Reuse: I do not like Doja Cat. There's a featheriness in her aesthetic that itches at me. At high enough energies her delivery is like being caught on the kiddie coaster at the fair malfunctioning at sixty miles an hour. I [1]'ed her breakout hits on this very site back in the day. I hate fun; My poptimist card has long lapsed; I'm never here to have a good time. But here, there's a heaviness to her delivery. No longer failing to seduce, now proudly misanthropic, her style -- finally, finally! -- clicks into place, immune to my curmudgeonly nitpicks. If I dug in, I might find insincerity, awkward rhymes, lazy lyrics, but that's not a fight I can win. She is not here for me to have a good time. Finally, we agree on something. [7]

Nortey Dowuona: Doja Cat deciding to embrace her super serious Little Brother side proves that some folks need to stop running from liking browbeating purist rap. We've been doing it for years now, and whenever this happens. it's dispiriting to the actual true schoolers who won't switch up and chose to continue making purist rap and the cynicism by certain pop rappers who wish to escape the scrutiny and hype caused by their own actions and sharpen their hooks, pick more important and complimentary beats, get makeovers, then chafe at the restrictions and try to become serious without undertaking the necessary effort to make oneself -- at this point, the writer realized he was in this picture and ragequit. [6]

Ian Mathers: An earworm of a chorus deployed over a lovely use of the Warwick "Walk on By" and maybe the only song I've heard to make me think of both Kendrick and "212," but ultimately with this kind of power move it comes down to: when she starts off with "bitch, I said what I said," does it signify? I discounted this one on first listen and then came back a few days later and rewrote this blurb after I couldn't get it out of my head, so you tell me. [8]

Oliver Maier: Boring, mostly because Doja is entertaining as a rapper when she's being a weird little sex gremlin, not brandishing a huge inexplicable chip on her shoulder about being one of the most successful musicians on the planet. Even the touches of whimsy -- like the breathy, higher register she brings out on the god-awful chorus -- feel perfunctory, like they're only there to remind you who you're listening to. More whole lotta nothing than whole lotta red. [3]

Brad Shoup: A jaw-dropping heel display here, a weapons-grade blister agent: like prime Eminem without the self-thinkpiecing. She makes one feeble attempt to sort the fans from the freaks--otherwise, it's omnidirectional menace. The jokes are great; the image she inhabits is too. To sound famous, Doja Cat risks looking ridiculous ("ain't no sign I can't smoke here"), getting so deep into her lore I'm honestly surprised she didn't threaten to show feet. The sophistipop sample is big and obvious, but she doesn't interact with it like on "Vegas". In fact, listen hard enough and Warwick becomes a beleaguered member of Doja Cat's team, pleading with her to drop it already. [9]

Katherine St Asaph: At the risk of engaging in the sort of parasocial shit Doja Cat openly despises, including on this song: What demon lord are we talking here? Lamashtu? Oublivae? What is the Doja Cat lore? (Besides an Internet history of far-right chat rooms and a present history of working with Dr. Luke. Just pretend the "Walk on By" sample is siphoning more of the proceeds to Burt Bacharach than it probably actually is.) [7]

Michael Hong: Explained Doja Cat lore to my friend under the dim lighting of a restaurant, from "she was showing feet! in the racial chatroom!" to her berating her fans for acting like they know her. Knowing that, it's incredible how little bite, or anything resembling weirdness, her music has. [3]

Taylor Alatorre: For most people under the age of 60, "paint the town red" is not a phrase that immediately calls forth any specific, tangible emotions or experiences, if indeed it ever did. That doesn't mean it can't be used as the basis for a contemporary song, but it should ideally be expanded upon, with some sturdier reference points brought in to help with the heavy lifting, rather than left to fend for itself in an ocean of tetchy self-justifications. Name-drop Carti or Trippie, claim a tenuous connection to the Bloods if you have to, just do something. Maybe the Dionne Warwick nod is meant to do that -- an old-timey phrase paired with an old-timey tune -- but I doubt it. If that were the case, they probably would've done something with the sample beyond giving it the most basic Pro Tools treatment imaginable. [1]

Aaron Bergstrom: It sure doesn't take long for that sample to go from pleasantly hypnotic to painfully tedious, which is a problem since it's the most interesting part of the song. [3]

Leah Isobel: This year, Kim Petras released an album called Problématique, a title that petulantly nods to her association with Dr. Luke and the aura of controversy that has consequently clung to her work. Earlier that week, "Paint The Town Red" hit number one. While Doja's association with Luke hasn't impacted her career in precisely the same way as it has Kim's, his presence has undoubtedly shaped the discourse around her. "Paint The Town Red," and the whole Scarlet album cycle, demonstrates how that discourse has, in turn, shaped Doja right back. The needling repetition of the line "Bitch, I said what I said" has big I'm-not-bothered-you're-bothered energy, turning the laid-back bounce of the sample into something testy and passive-aggressive; the post-chorus slide into the third person is like she's psyching herself up, trying to summon her persona in order to escape her own emotions. I'm very sympathetic to Doja -- her work is admirably honest about how dehumanizing it is to be a woman who makes pop. This feels more and more vital as the industry contracts around the demands of major labels, who have a habit of hiring dudes like Luke to flatten out creative and talented women. In this light, Doja's edgelord heel turn isn't surprising; it's just sad, and predictable. [4]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Becomes tiresome with every passing minute. Everyone who complained about TikTok songs being 90 seconds was wrong. [1]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[hologramcowboy]

https://www.tumblr.com/hologramcowboy/714868495147532288/jensen-is-trying-really-hard-to-shake-the-truth

I sent you the Sounds of Someday anon and I have a theory about this.

I think Jensen is playing the cutesy AAs by telling the story, but also speaking his truth that the marriage isn’t happy at home if you listen to the clues.

Hear me out here:

Like all actors - and something that was even acknowledged at the con - they are expected by their camps to sell certain images. Everything they portray in public, every project they attach to, all of it - they are carefully designed and created.

Jensen accepted the design that he and Elta had a great marriage, that they were Ken and Barbie. I think he genuinely loved her and thought this was it for him, so he allowed that image to be sold.

However, I think Elta is massively insecure (which is actually one of the biggest red flags for narcissists, ironically) and that sort of insecurity ruin marriages. Add in distance, starting off through infidelity, and his huge popularity - it’s a recipe for her to rapidly become unhinged within the relationship. We know she had plastic surgery in her late teens / early 20s and that women who choose to portray overly bitchy and slutty women tend to be insecure which only adds to it. Then we add in the bullying of other women, the need to stamp her claim that she caught him - this woman hates herself.

So I think “someday” was home and eventually that home caught on fucking fire because of that insecurity.

In keeping with that sold camp image, he has to tell cutesy stories about his wife. So in response to something that JDM said, he latched onto something that was new information that the AAs are foaming at the mouth for.

But here’s where him speaking his own truth quietly comes in.

He knows he has a song that literally references the “not today but someday”. He is careful with his words in keeping with his image. But then he still mentions that note knowing he has a song that talks about the fact that even “though the sounds of someday maybe be home” - his “not today but someday” that came true and became what he thought he wanted - his world is still falling apart and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows?

That’s not an accident. This was playing both sides. Selling the image he’s supposed to but also telling us all the truth.

He knows there will be people who draw the two together. I genuinely think he quietly just confirmed what we Elta antis already know - his marriage is PR at this point.

JDM even said that we were “all sleuths” and could “read between the lines” about another subject matter - but I felt that was a shout out to the fact that there are a lot of theories that people get right.

(Sorry it’s so long)

Interesting, Anon. He tells a lot of stories but when you look at the emotion that is lacking behind them, his body language and the subtle digs as well as the desperation to shift public perception that tells us everything we need to know. If Jensen is so happy and living the love pf his life why does he constantly feel the need to prove that and in the process gets so passive aggressive that even Elta haters are starting to sympathize with her? Something is deeply off here. It's fascinating how on one side he wants to sell an image he has no chemistry for and simultaneously he is revealing how miserable and unhappy is. Almost like he wants to have the image of a married man to show he is a "winner"( his AAs overuse this word as if Charlie Sheen trained them lol) and, at the same time, he doesn't love his wife so he also wants to signal the he is available even if tied down. He wants the perks of the image and the freedom of still living life his way which makes me suspect there is someone else he is into but cannot have/reach and he doesn't want to risk alienating that person completely so he tries to make it clear that he is "married" but not satisfied. Which again points to him being spineless. Sorry, I am on a bad roll today facing a pretty harsh truth. If he loves someone else he should chase that love not try to have his cake and eat it too. No high value woman is going to stick around for a man that is this manipulative and spineless. Though, I have to say, I'm more and more curious as to who Jensen is actually pining for. Does anyone have any theories/info?

[nalyra-dreaming]

I do start to understand what you guys mean by that some new fans are being “mislead”. I am starting to get a bit annoyed by some articles saying that this relationship is “doomed” and have also seen an analyser on YouTube calling their relationship “narcissistic and doomed to fail” in the headline, also a similar headline on a video about Lestat (didn’t watch the videos, so can’t judge it fully). Not saying that these things aren’t true, I mean, their relationship is doomed and narcissistic and they are both insane. But this is just how it is and how they are, you know? They get their happy ending to my understanding (I’m a new fan).

In contrast to this, I heard their were a few people on Twitter that said that there need to be “a safe place for people to hate Lestat etc”, which is fair, but I also personally felt like that was a bit silly. Like, is their any other fandom that has had to make that sort of agreement except for this one? Maybe I’m dumb but I thought that was a bit weird.

Though, I do think this reactions of many new fans come from how they may have gotten a little surprised how beloved Lestat (and loustat) is. I think some are forgetting the fact how old this fandom is and how week respected this character has gotten over time.

Idk, I just think this proves the idea that Anne Rice isn’t REALLY for a massive audience (not that she’s undeserving). There is no point to really argue about disagreements; if you get you get it, if you don’t you don’t.

Yes, some of the reviews, podcast and articles are not helping.

And I have said it before, I don't quite get it, because these books have been around for almost 40 years - shouldn't there be some research before you classify something as "doomed" when of the 13 books Louis and Lestat are some kind of item in 10+? I mean... *sighs*

And yes, Lestat and Louis do get their HEA :) It's written^^.

That safe space for haters is... weird. Lestat is the anti hero of the chronicles, he'll be around. I think those articles and reviews and other, more... morally simple shows have led people to believe this will be an easy ride. Which it won't. And I think the people calling for a safe space now are slowly realizing that.... The Vampire Chronicles are a very special beast, and it does not seem as if the show is trying to lessen even one aspect of it. And I personally love that.

So - welcome to the fandom!!! Buckle up and just enjoy would be my advice :) And feel free to ask whatever^^.

[hannmadi]

Are We All Just Living In A Simulation?

i'll be the first to admit that the work of Stephen Sheehan is a little ... odd. when i heard he was coming to speak at my uni i knew the session would be ideal material for a blog post. i was definitely right - what began as a discussion of Sheehan's work somehow wound up in an incredible, terrifying, two-and-a-half-hour spiral of existential dread. let me tell you all about it.

initially, i googled Sheehan and was baffled by the idea that pieces (or ‘actions’ as he prefers to call them) such as kicking eggs in a field near the sea could be deemed ‘art’. i went into the session with the preconceived notion that this work of his was going to be high-brow, pretentious twaddle. as did many others in the room. however, I was more than willing to engage with him, excited to be proved wrong. my relatively newfound enjoyment of contemporary art was ready to be developed.

the whole thing started out with Sheehan asking us which genre of art was our favourite, evidently trying to identify the contemporary art haters in the room. if you're interested, i told him that i like a little bit of everything (semi-true but i didn't feel like getting into my hatred distaste for cubism) and that if i spend long enough with most art i can convince myself i like it. some agreed with me, and others identified as anti-contemporary art from the jump. Sheehan was thankfully not deterred by this.

he talked us through a couple of his actions and though i am still oblivious to the reason behind the creation of kicking eggs in a field near the sea (sorry!) i feel we all gained a new appreciation for his work in hearing him discuss sensitive topics with a touch of humour. take his action playing badminton with my dad, for example, i personally could tell it was about grief but others in the room initially could not. this is what made the discussion so special, i got to watch people who were against the idea of contemporary art being something they could engage with, slowly realise they were doing just that. Sheehan explained the action, centred around his process of coming to terms with the finality of his father's passing, with such clarity and compassion that i would wager he left most people feeling emotional. finality and fragility are massive themes within Sheehan's work, he mentioned multiple times an obsession with the absurdity of life and the morbidity of our impending doom. because that's not in any way terrifying! /s.

funnily enough, the session was disrupted by an unannounced fire drill and we all had to relocate. this felt a little like a performance in itself, but we'll debate that more later. so, we moved to an office and ended up sitting around one large table. with paint-splattered chairs and slightly dingy lighting, this felt like a perfect location for the session to continue.

from here on out things are going to get a little existential, my aim at the end of this post is to have you thinking there's a possibility you haven't really experienced anything in life. i want you to question what it means to experience something, what it means to be alive, what constitutes personhood, and whether or not there's a chance you are nothing more than a brain floating around in a vat of nutrients. because that is exactly how i felt after talking with Sheehan.

in this new environment, things continued as before at first. we began by discussing another action - Curtain. this time we were told the story before being shown the piece and i noticed a change in how people received the art after having heard it explained before seeing it for themselves. the overall reaction was more positive and this definitely inspired a lengthy conversation afterwards.

anyway, back to the action itself, Curtain was created after Sheehan attended a friend's funeral and witnessed her body resting behind a large blue curtain. the action consists of Sheehan pulling back a curtain to reveal a brick wall. through this, he comments on the finality of the end. in explaining the action, Sheehan commented many times on the absurdity of this life we lead which ultimately ends with us being laid to rest behind a curtain. is that really all our existence culminates in? i think this is where everyone began to spiral and look something like this.

we began to discuss the idea that perhaps in this modern era no one ever really dies. with so much technology and the ability to upload literal memories to the internet, aren't we just creating some sort of heaven online? taking this a step further, there are people out there who think the future will see a merge of human and machine in a way that tbh is actually terrifying. transhumanism is not something i want to be around to see but who knows, maybe my great-grandchildren will be some form of sentient AI. and at the rate we’re progressing, by the time i die they’ll be able to upload all of my memories and ideas to the cloud and replicate me so that i’m around forever. that’s a terrifying thought, i have no desire to be immortal. but hey, for those of you that do, it looks like we’re right on track. Sheehan suggested that to an extent, even now we are reaching a level of immortality never before thought possible. through apps like Instagram and Twitter, we can catalogue and curate our identities, presenting an ideal version of ourselves which will outlast us all. Dracula who? thanks to social media we’re all immortal now.

okay, getting back on track now, the conversation then moved to discuss the boundaries of performance art. as Sheehan is a performance artist, he offered up his opinion first. presenting us with his internal conflict around the idea that he wants to share his work with others but filming the actions and uploading them to platforms like Instagram, or even his own website, makes them seem somehow inauthentic – Sheehan asked for advice. personally, i am of the opinion that the action is more about the intent, and seeing as he is making art firstly as a cathartic process (and not to be some sort of influencer) then there’s no way Sheehan can be considered disingenuous. stemming from this, we debated whether everything in life can be considered performance art or is it only a performance if someone else is watching? i think the latter, though not everyone agreed.

to sum all this up, my experience with Sheehan was unlike any i’ve had before. the conversation brought me back to my A-Level philosophy class and it was so refreshing to be able to discuss deep, existential matters in such an open environment. i would definitely encourage you to check out more of his work here or on Instagram where he is @stephensheehanstudio. and if you run into him, stick around for a chat and see if you don’t have an existential crisis.

[sweetmastermind]

https://sweetmastermind.tumblr.com/post/706289515167399936/do-you-think-wonyoung-ive-will-proved-herself-more

The procedures thing is really sad, most of her fans really try to make her feel better about her procedures saying "wow I really need to know where she got them", I am glad they are just fans trying to make their idol feel better and not people who actually mean it (bc it would be sad if they were actually thinking about getting those procedures, considering her fandom is all teen girls who are around her same age), her face will have problems with aging correctly when she hits her mid 20s bc of all the work she got done, many people would think I am hater but it is just the sad truth for her future, and I hope that after seeing her career people understand why we dont like minors debuting(I seriously side eye Wonyoung's parents too), I dont really see any passion in Wonyoung to be an entertainer, and I get why, she never dreamed about becoming a celebrity, debuted at a young age and exprienced lots of traumas and she is under a shitty company, so I kind of get why may not have motivation to improve her skills despite the criticism she always got, also her fandom is very toxic, her fandom are those genz teens girls who are obsessed with relatability, they want to see other people their age being massively successful and doing fun things and wearing pretty clothes because that way they can project onto them, and that feeds the parasocial relationships even more to get inclined to stan as hard, but then when someone tells them about the not so cool sides of their lives they go like "you are just jealous of someone young and successful", like if they had personally attacked, she used to talk about wanting to be a normal person who studies for a job, so I hope she can that after she is finally free.

The thing about plastic surgery (invasive and non-invasive procedures) is the maintenance to keep it up (in the industry) and after a certain time the change in the beauty standard that, unfortunately, is set on these idols

Im not going to deny that the world works in favor of being young and pretty, and some changes might be a you thing, but i have seen so many ex-idols and people from the industry give statements about the constant "suggestions" other people give kids about their appearance and is sad that they are not considered enough

4th gen stans, the hardcore, and intense ones are all for the projecting and if you don't share the same view or show concern you are instantly cataloged as a hater. Her fans are not the worst but I can understand in a way where they are coming from, considering the amount of hate Wonyoung gets for simply existing

I don't know if she likes her career or any other job because she is extremely controlled by the company and barely has time to sleep, i think we need to see what she decides to do when she has more time and it would be fairer to give a "judgment" in that case and not now that she barely has input in her schedule

[nikethestatue]

Hello! I'm new here and I'm not sure if I'll be active. I just went here to ask something. I felt like I'm reading the whole series wrong or I missed something but I am sure of what I read. After finishing acosf, I was sure Elain will have the next book. I have a hint that her story will contain breaking of a mating bond, a choice, and her seer power and another unknown. I was excited how she and Az would face Koschei but at the same time I think Vassa will be the one to kill him. That was my whole thought. And truth be told, I am excited for Elain and Azriel. I went to fb and tiktok and also started looking for fanarts. Now, I appreciate crackships, but I was still surprised to see Gwyn and Azriel. I thought I missed something, and someone told me to read the extra chapter,but it only confirmed Elain and Azriel for me? And tho I think the scene with Gwyn and Az are there, it only reminds me of Cassian and Emerie. Nothing more. Someone also told me to read their theories, I did because I was so confused. How did it happen that a crackship, which is okay, became like a "true" ship?

I read Gwyn's heritage theory, her mating bond with Azriel, Elain's pliant bone, light and dark, and everything but I noticed one thing. Gwyn's a side character that was given too much importance by the fandom. It's okay but most of who she is is not who the fandom paint her to be. It didn't make any sense for me but I still tried to understand it since they said sjm confirmed Gwynriel. As far as I know, Gwyn was written to be Nesta's friend, her story was already told, and she somehow have this power I can't point yet but not really important for the whole acotar series plot? But somehow the whole acotar world revolve around her.

And it saddened me to see Elain haters. Like everywhere. They want her to be evil or get killed or raped or something. It kinda disappoint me that they see her as a boring one who do nothing. She's not my favorite, she's not even in my top five favorite but I think she's getting this massive kind of hate because Azriel has feelings for her while she's mated with Lucien. This is supposed to be an interesting plot but the fandom thinks it is too ugly. I also noticed the way everyone hated Azriel "lusting" over Elain, which I disagree since we see how he cares for her from Acomaf to acosf and the extra chapter just proved their feelings are mutual. They paint Az as someone who barely controls himself and would fuck Elain anytime he want, which is not true, but still ships him with Gwyn who is not ready to be with a man in the books? And don't get me wrong, but I thought Gwyn is a like a teenager or a child?

I think acotar fandom are so obsessed with the ships that they will ignore everything and ship Azriel with the first person who breathes the same air as him except Elain. I am more baffled to see Tamlin fans and shipping him with Elain, because, isn't he abusive? And I see people comparing Rhys and Tamlin. Haha I am still new but I am over acotar fandom already. I don't think I will last long here. I'm sorry to say but acotar fandom by far is one of the most toxic I've seen again after so many years. The series is good, not great but good, and the fans are too misogynistic and hateful and pro abusers. I've been told by a friend the fandom wasn't like this before Acosf but I guess I'm too unlucky not to witness it.

I reached to you because I saw you got reblogged by one of Gwynriel and I'm still like one week new in acotar fandom but honestly I am so relieved to see your blog. And also other Elriels. It felt like I wasn't alone and people see Elain's true capabilities and choices. I read the series correctly. So sorry for the long rant. Thank you!

Oh Anon,

I totally understand everything you've said. And I get it. Nothing you've said is incorrect and no, you DO read the books 'correctly'!!

You are clear and concise, but people in this fandom are so lost, so utterly confused, can't tell the difference between fanart/canon/and headcanons. There is no critical thinking--just nonsense from TikTok or Reddit. Like the other day, there was a huge post on Reddit 'proving' that Elain and Tamlin will end up together. And like--just 3 weeks ago, the author herself yet AGAIN said that Tamlin is an abuser. So how can you reason with people like that? There isn't a way to argue or have a logical conversation.

Canon's been lost a long, long time ago in a sea of (non)'theories', loud TikTokers and artists who add fuel to the fire to keep interest on them.

At the end of the day, nothing surprising or unexpected will happen. Elain and Azriel will be the couple. Elain will get her book. There will be bond related issues that they'll have to overcome. Lucien will end up with Vassa. And Gwyn will remain a character in the background for the duration of the series.

That's all there is to it. SJM will write an Elain book, just like she planned for years, and Elain will end up with Azriel.

And no one will care, in the end. Some will seethe and be all mad, but then it will pass and no one will remember the Gwynriel / Elriel shipwars.

[mega321boom]

Okay, listen to me; someone had to say this, because this little guy has the worst and most stupidest mentally insane haters i've ever seen, of all the characters that have some stupid haters this guy has the worst ones, luckily this is the only character with a fanbase that has common sense, look Minoru Mineta is not a bad character, he just pissed some stupid ass fanbrats of the female cast, basically the only characters people care about, and no I am not making that up, people only like the series because of the girls, ships and not for the storyline, though the writting gets dumber and dumber if you read the manga, the fans are so insane they make hate arts and fanfics of people expelling him or killing this guy as if murder is not a crime, I'm starting to believe that this franchise is propaganda for SJWs and feminazis since everyone THAT insane, why does the girls' fans hate him? Because he's a pervert, you might be thinkin "isn't there other perverts in the series?" or "doesn't anime always have perverts?" The answer is yes, but the fans only like those guys because of how attractive they look, no seriously the fans care about looks and they hate his design, many people points out that they like other characters that act just like him or act worser than him, the only difference is that their designs is a get out of jail free card, so they care about fanservice, the series also has a yandere, a character that should be considered ALOT more offensive than Mineta, a friend of mine on tumblr pointed that out, but since it's a female, it's not a crime, the fanbase is double standard sexist hypocrites because the fans be saying that if he was a girl, no one would hate him and that proves they're the REAL sexist, what's really stupid is that they act like he's the only hateable character, they say he's useless, but then again those are the same stupid idiots that worships characters that hardly do anything, especially if it's an invisible girl that's not important, they let their obsessions with female characters blind them and oversensitize them to the point where they think he raped the girls or "assault them" even though it's so obvious that he hasn't done that, those stupid idiots don't even get this mad when they watch other anime with perverts in them, and they act as if he's a massive selfish asshole in the series, okay here's the biggest stupidity for the whole fanbase, their two favorite characters are super big assholes, the first one is the world's worst bully ever created, he constantly screams at people for no reason, picks on the main character, told him to kill himself, tries to murder him in school, assaults insults him, fights him which in results gets them both in trouble, give death threats to many people, even to his own parents, and SPOILER WARNING: stabs Deku's head with his gear, and people took it as a joke, that guy should've been hated by fans and characters, but that's the creator's cash cow so he's a gary stu and the second one is an abusive father and husband but yet, he's viewed as a hero, he made eldest son turn evil, beats the shit out of Shoto when he was a kid, abused his wife physically and mentally to the point where she snaps and scarred her child out of fear, just for fame and glory, and the worst part is that when the all abuse was revealed; nobody cared, the real messed up part is that the fans blamed all the abuse and bullying towards the victims, even the writer blames the bullying on the victim, so by the fanbase's logic, I'm supposed to praise two unforgiveable assholes with fake ass developments and so called "redemption" who torments people and have a massive hate boner for a 1 inch teen just cuz he pisses off idiots over a few damn chicks? Fuck that. I'm not gonna lose my mind just because a bunch of retards act like they can't survive without their "pweshus waiffus!" or praise overrated characters being saved by bad writting. Call me when people start having common sense.

Recently, I heard people got pissed at him and the writer over a mistranslation, seriously they got so mad, they want the writer to die. Yeah they're THAT kind of people. It's official, the female characters make people stupid and the sjw nazis are braindead pricks. Jeez, Mineta could give a kid food and people will think he drugged it.