#she's such a himbo i can't deal with it

[starling-dust]

Sketch - Gideon Nav

So I read Gideon the Ninth,,,

[piracytheorist]

I'm rewatching the Yor learning to cook episode and it's just SO fucking good you guys. Not only the episode itself but the way its storyline is presented.

I've seen people react to jokes about Yor's cooking with a "but she's getting better at it!" and while I understand that reaction, the thing is, she doesn't have to get better, and the narrative itself is perfectly fine with her being at best mediocre at cooking. Yor's bad cooking is used to explain her low confidence, but it makes perfect sense when you consider the misogyny in the era she grew up and lives in. But aside from one comment Anya made to deflect, and involuntary reactions to her food that they can't actually help, neither her nor Loid actually judge Yor for her cooking nor do they demand more from her. It's just accepted that Loid will cook as part of his share of the chores and no-one even spares a second thought about it. In fact, the main reason Yor worried about her skill is because she believed Loid spent an entire day in the bathroom because of the breakfast she made, so she wanted to learn better because she wanted to avoid giving them food poisoning.

Of course, this does tie in with her job, where she's trained to kill in cold blood, and with the world around her, who perceives women not only as less valuable than men but also defines them in strict patriarchal terms, one of which is that the wife cooks and she must do it well too. So even though her bad skills don't worry her too much about her worth, it's unavoidable that it will affect her and I think it's important that the story itself takes that into consideration.

And I just wanna point out how it's actually good that the narrative adds a humorous tone to just how bad her cooking is, because while it does make a reference that her low self confidence is because of the sexism she's faced in her life... the humor isn't sexist. Try and flip the genders here. A story of a straight couple (fake or real married) where the woman cooks well and the man is a horrid cook would make no-one bat an eyelash if it simply poked fun at how bad the man's cooking is. Again, without any comments about the character's worth based on his cooking, just that whenever he's in the kitchen, there's usually a bloodbath one way or another.

It's the same exact presentation with Yor! The narrative takes away gender roles and simply pokes fun at her bad cooking, in the same way stories poke fun at characters failing at any random skill. Like we have the word "himbo" as an affectionate term for a male character who's kind but very stupid but god forbid we love a kind female character who is equally incompetent in something. We only find it sexist because we were also conditioned to think that only women cook well and that it's a woman's responsibility to cook for her family and do it well and as we grew we rejected that expectation. The story actually subverts the sexism of that and it says "Yes this woman's cooking is absolute shit and we love her for that."

And it's all solidified with how the story resolves: Yor makes a good dish, and Loid and Anya praise her for it. But it's not in a "you get a good grade in wife" way, it's a "we appreciate this meal you made for us". Yor feels happy because her creation made them smile. She offered them something that they never demanded of her, and it made them feel good. It's about human connection, all over again, that someone's efforts to offer to their fellow human were rewarded with pride and gratitude. It's especially touching that the dish Yor made was something from her own childhood, something that brought warmth to her too.

It's also important to remember that another motivation in the whole thing is that Yor and Loid want the public to think their marriage is real and not worthy of gossip - which is why Yor mentions that she was worried about getting in trouble in regards to her assassin work; her reason to get into that deal in the first place was for cover for that work. The better and more conventional their presentation, the more solid their cover. That's why she mentions at the end that she feels more confident as the wife and mother of the family; it's the fact that she now has something to use for their cover. Say she's talking with someone and the conversation veers towards cooking. Before, if she was asked about her cooking, she would have to say she doesn't cook or her family hates her cooking, and she would worry about getting judged, like Swan judged her. Or she would have to lie, something we know she's not very good at. Now she can at least say "Oh they love my stew!" as the perfect answer because it's simple, clear and also true. So again there's definitely an element of her confidence being low due to the society's sexist worldview. But in this case it's also, and actually more, her worrying about being reported due to not fulfilling her "gender role" sufficiently.

(anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga)

[avanillaskyline]

I've been going through tma recently at the request of my girlfriend. She has, on multiple occasions, showed me the Jurgen Leitner rant. I know I'm not very far into it yet (MAG 53), but I'm under the impression he's getting a bad rep.

Like, we're dealing with a setting where people literally get eaten by the sky and evil worms that burrow into people and kill them in minutes. We're dealing with a setting where Fuckhands McMike can banish literally anyone to the Backrooms (and stab Jon??? Because he feels like it?????) and yet we hate Jurgen because he liked literature. ok. I am SURE there's more awful people out there than a silly lil fucked up book collector

Dude just wants a cool library and I support this, even if he's a little messed up. If he got his hands on the Necronomicon I firstly, wouldn't be surprised and secondly, would support him.

But I'm not buying it. Someone in the setting's gotta be worse

Like... Tim? No, Tim's an absolute himbo fuckboy, we can't hate him. Who else? Sasha's been kinda funky and off-putting since Mag 40 but hasn't been evil, Martin's our bestest cinnamon roll boy, and Jon's just a dedicated lil guy who gets beat up because the world hates him for no reason. We just met that new girl, Basira? She's got good vibes and I'd probably kill for Gertrude

Who else is left?? OH, ELIAS. He owns the archives and told off Jon to "not stalk his coworkers" (ok fun police), which is offensive to both me and Jon, so he automatically goes in the "bitch-ass mf" category and I do not like him

Jon's suspicious of him and SO AM I

(I'll reblog this when I get further in with more details, no spoilers please)

[lanawinterscigarettes]

kind of a weird request but...gossip girl characters reacting to you telling them when drunk or whatever that you wish they were gay so you could make out/hook up? (the idea being here that you're the same gender as they are, so like fem r for the girls and male r for the boys)

I actually really love this idea! hope you like it <3 (I might do another version with jenny, eric, and georgina later on)

Telling the Gossip Girl characters "I wish you were gay so we could makeout" while drunk

Characters included: Serena, Blair, Nate, Chuck, Dan

Warnings: drinking (possibly underaged depending on which season you envision this being set), fem reader for fem characters and male reader for male characters (basically this is for the gays and the gays alone lmao), some implied internalized homophobia, swearing, casual makeouts/hookups that lead into actual relationships

Serena van der Woodsen

Serena is known as a lot of things, among them being the ultimate party girl, so it's no surprise that she's made out with several people before when drunk, both guys and other girls

As soon as she hears you slur out those words, she immediately perks up, no matter how much drugs or alcohol is in her system, and her lips meet yours quicker than you can even react to what's going on

You said you wished she was gay so you could makeout? Well, who said she wasn't? (And she's quite eager to prove to you that your gender doesn't matter to her as long as you're hot)

If you don't feel comfortable going further than making out, she'll reluctantly pull away, making you promise to finish what she started once you're both sober enough for it, and that's something she'll hold you to, whether you want to remember the kiss or not

She's known to have a lot of casual hook-ups, but with you it feels different, like she actually might want something more (even if she does still sleep with the occasional person on the side whoops)

She'll gladly kiss you or hold your hand in public after that, not caring what other people think even if you are both girls. Her mom will just have to deal with having two gay kids instead of one

Blair Waldorf

Unlike her on-again off-again bestie, Blair hasn't made out with girls casually the same way she has (though I wouldn't put it past her to try kissing Serena to experiment while they were both tipsy or something)

Her cheeks would probably heat up at your words, but she'd quickly try to hide how flustered she was by letting out a scoff followed by an eye roll, muttering something defensively under her breath over how she isn't gay

Even if she secretly wants to kiss you, she won't do it unless you're both a reasonable amount of drunk to where she can deny it ever happened if you try to bring it up again

When your lips finally touch, she wants so badly to forget about everything else and just focus on you, trying not to think about how nice it feels getting to touch you like that and how much she kind of wishes you were a guy so she wouldn't have to worry about the feeling of shame swirling deep within her

She'll probably avoid you afterwards, even if she claims to not remember what happened. She'll absolutely deny it if you or anyone else brings it up, and might even threaten them with sending in a tip to gossip girl

Alas, she can't hide the truth forever, and will eventually be forced to face the real feelings she has towards you, even if she'd rather they just go away. You'll have to be patient with her when it comes to bringing you as a plus one to events and such, but she'll gladly give you all of her affection when the two of you are alone

Nate Archibald

Bless his heart, Nate is such a himbo I don't think he'd get what you mean at first, especially if he was also drunk at the time you asked the question ("Makeout with me? But we're both guys?? What do you mean???")

That being said, I don't think he'd necessarily be against it, but he'd definitely be a bit hesitant since he's never kissed another guy before. I feel like he'd probably inwardly panic a little and worry about how to go about it exactly

Should he approach the situation the same way he would if you were a girl, or would that be weird and should he treat you a little different? Or would it be weirder for him to treat you differently just because you're a guy? etc.

Honestly, if you want him to kiss you the best way for it to happen is for you to take the initiative and make the first move because he's never going to do it if you don't lmao

Things would be passionate but sweet when you had sex, and he'd constantly check up on you to see if you were comfortable and okay with what was going on

It's possible he might try to ignore his feelings for you at first, but I couldn't see that lasting for very long before he decides to ask you out for real, knowing that he wants to be with you regardless of whether you're a guy or not

Chuck Bass

Chuck would find it so amusing that you said that, the smug bastard that he is. He'd probably chuckle and reply with "Sorry, but I'm not that kind of girl" all sarcastic like (if you understand which episode/scene I'm referencing you win a free cookie)

Truth is, he does like guys, he just doesn't flaunt his guy hook-ups the same way he does it with his girl ones. Whether that's because of deep-seated shame or just him being an asshole is up to you

Definitely skirts around the topic and teases you a bunch just to see you get all frustrated with him before finally kissing you, then going right back to the teasing once he's done

I don't think he'd mind a hook-up, but you'd have to really worm your way into his heart to expect something more than that from him, like how he slept with Blair and unexpectedly ended up catching feelings for her after that

If by some miracle he did start to actually like you, you're certainly in for it. He'd be jealous no matter who he saw you hanging out with, whether that be girls or other guys

He tries to act all nonchalant and like he doesn't even care but it's pretty obvious to everyone that he does, and when he finally asks you out on an actual date that seals the deal for him. You're no longer ever allowed to have anyone touch you the same way he has ever again

Dan Humphrey

Dan would be pretty surprised, but it'd probably be more of a mix between "wait you're gay??" and "you like me of all people??" rather than just the first one

I feel he actually has kissed a few guys before you. Rufus and Alison don't strike me as the type of people to be overly judgmental or care about whether one of their kids is gay (and knowing them they probably experimented some themselves when they were younger)

After getting over his initial shock, he'd definitely be up for it, but only if you were sober enough to consent properly. If not, then he'd table the conversation for another time when you weren't under the influence of something

He wouldn't treat you any different after finding out you liked guys, though again he would question what you saw in him of all people (especially if you were from the Upper East Side)

Unlike some other people here, he wouldn't try to hide his relationship with you when it began to develop into something real or make excuses about why you're constantly hanging out all the time. He'd simply be upfront about it and say, "this is my boyfriend, and I don't care if you have a problem with it or not because we're happy and that's all that matters"

End notes: yeah I know the gif doesn't really match but eh whatever

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[limetameta]

*Joker and Harley and goons holding Wayne Gala hostage*

Bruce, tied up, chaotic idea moment: Wait, it's my friend Harleen from medical school! Harleen, how’s it going?

Harley, momentarily so confused that she almost drops her mallet: Huh??? Bruce??? Wait hottie Brucie was Bruce Wayne??? Wayne the Playboy! I thought you were gay!! *lowers voice and cringes that she might have just outer someone by accident*

Bruce: :D Harleen, it's been so long! I heard you got a degree and everything. I dropped out because medical school was so hard for me. Half of that stuff just flew over my head :) *exhuding ray of sunshine energy*

Joker, inching closer because he hears Harley giggling and it isn’t due to him: Hey, hey, kids, what's happening here? *looks at Bruce, peers at him in that what's up not batsy bats*

Bruce, channelling himbo energy on max: Harleen and I used to drink shots right before exams in medical school :D

Joker: This is lore I did not know about.

*puts a stop to the whole hostage sitch because Joker grills both Harley and Bruce about their old medical school days*

Nightwing finally arrives from Bludhaven to put a stop to this

Bruce: Harleen, it was so nice catching up! :D

Harley, getting hauled into a police van: Thanks, Brucie! Stay in touch, would you!

Joker, so bewildered: What's next? Jonny turns out to be your ex psych professor???

Bruce: Actually he was only a TA at the time!

Joker, choking on his own laughter: No wonder you're fucked up, darling!!

Bruce: Hey, at least I haven't yet decided to dress up as a furry and beat clowns up for a living ;)

Joker, in handcuffs, being manhandled: HA! FURRY, I'll bring that up with the good Bat! Maybe next time I'll bring a tequilla bottle to get you to relive your college days!

Bruce: :D Ha ha! Only if you want me to drink you under the table!

Harley laughing: He's good, too, Mr Jay! Hottie Brucie might give you a run for your money!

Joker, peeling with laughter because he can't reconcile how different "Hottie Brucie" is from Batman: You've got a deal!

Gordon: Mr Wayne, please, don't talk to the criminals :/

Bruce, sheepishly shrugging: Sorry, commissioner, I'm chatty by nature.

[gothamite-rambler]

Stephanie Brown spitting facts

Stephanie: Beyonce can sing about being a boy and if she was one she'd cry and feel hurt! Well dang it, if I was a man, a strong man, I'd wear shirts with short sleeves or NO sleeves! Wife-beaters, we should change the name by the way, muscle shirts, tight shorts to show off my slutty legs!

Stephanie playfully kicked her leg up evading hitting Jason in the head.

Stephanie: And my tight hero suit would show off my hot bod- That's Jason and Dick!

Cass (adding in): And Tim.

Jason (innocent): What?

Stephanie poked Jason's bicep making him jerk his arm back while a blush crept on his cheeks.

Stephanie: What are you eating to get these pythons?

Jason: No, damn it. Not again. I had to deal with a creepy woman flirting with me and leaving her husband. Leave me alone!

Tim (correcting Steph): I don't wear slutty shorts... but the rest is true.

Stephanie: I knew it!

Duke (upset): Nah, wait... why was I not included? I can be slutty! Jason give me one of your shirts!

Jason (hugging his body): I don't want to be included in this. I was just reading my book while we had breakfast!

Duke: Whatever. I can be Sasha Fierce! Give me a muscle shirt and a cool car!

Stephanie: Oh Duke, you have to work up to it. Right now you're, good boi, but you'll get to himbo. Ain't that right, Dick?

Dick (speaking up): I've been called a Himbo in the past and I appreciate the compliment. I'm not going to have this body and not flaunt it. I appreciate you finally noticing.

Stephanie: It's what I'm here for, but dang it, I just realized my butt isn't big and firm like yours, so I can't be himbo.

Dick: I do a lot of squats. Thank you again.

Jason (covering his ears): Stop it! I'm just a child why are saying all of this!

Jason laid his head on the table wondering how he got thrown into conversation. Cass patted him on the back of his head.

Cass: She's just saying you're pretty, sweetie.

Jason (fake whimpering): No she's not. I feel verbally violated.

Stephanie: Oh please, be a girl for the day. Babs what do you think?

Everyone turned to a silent Barbara who had been minding her business and enjoying her coffee. She raised her eyebrow annoyed.

Barbara: I think I wanted to remain unnoticed in the background and drink my tea.

Barbara rolled away mildly disgusted.

Stephanie: Are you thinking about the times you and Dick-

Barbara (shouting): It was three times of regret: FUCK OFF!

Dick started laughing along with Tim, but Duke pouted upset he wasn't counted. Stephanie nodded with a satisfied smile.

[group-dynamic]

Abbott Season 4 Episodes 7 & 8 Analysis Because I'm Losing It

These past two episodes were masterpieces, and I could talk about them all day, because I was deeply affected by them, but I'll pick one thing:

I love how these past two episodes skewered toxic amatonormativity and promoted the benefits of non-traditional, non-restrictive families and holidays.

Like, yes, there's a hilarious sitcom premise, but Barb making a mission of inclusion by reworking their holiday pageant to be a winter pageant so her student who is Muslim won't be excluded or Janine and Gregory making space for Ava with them, while the show allows Ava to deliberately choose who is family to her. Jacob and his brother becoming family again outside their parents. Melissa choosing not to invite the firefighter to dinner because she is valuable as an individual, unattached woman whether her family sees it or not.

But what I think really drove this home for me was the scene in the kitchen and the parallel set up between Jacob and Melissa. They are two roommates from different generations who have both failed to fulfill the heteronormative, amatonormative ideals their families wanted from them: Jacob--presumably--due to his queerness and Melissa through her divorce. (Though this reading is also very friendly to queer!Melissa interpretations, too.)

The moment this struck me the most is Melissa in that kitchen upset and stressed and occasionally teary while holding it together (because that's who she is and that's how she does this) trying to convince Jacob that they need to keep the uncle dying a secret because she's been working so hard to pull off this dinner for weeks and she needs to impress her family who do nothing but insult and diminish her and her individual value.

Like, keeping up appearances is genuinely more important in that moment than the death of a family member. Even if he is a bigoted prick, Melissa knows they'll be mad she "ruined their holiday" more than the familial death itself, suggesting that the very idea of the family is a sham. A performance.

And Jacob remains obstinate because this is a really Big Deal and stressful and he always dislikes the holidays anyway so he can't understand why they won't just call 911 and get the big deal over with, because that guy is dead on his bed. But then Melissa says, "They're going to blame me" and Jacob is aghast, "What, how?" because of course that's incomprehensible, why would Melissa ever think someone would do something that mean and illogical? Especially to a great person like her? And she answers, "You've seen my family. They'll find a way." And then we hear the insults and petty you're not good enough commentary from the other room. And slowly it sinks in.

Because Caleb, Jacob's younger brother, who last episode revealed he completely understood how toxic their family was for Jacob and how proud he is that he made it out-- this goofy, himbo-esque tiktok personal trainer just stares at his brother, until finally Jacob gets it and looks over. Because they've lived this. And, of course, Jacob couldn't see it in the same way, because to some extent, Jacob's desperation to be liked and accepted has always suggested that he maybe still believes that he deserved to be the least favorite. (He couldn't even imagine his brother looking up to him, or having anything nice to say about him , or wanting to see him just because he values him. His "I lift people's spirits!" is a performance we've seen him carry out for four seasons. (Worthy of note is that Caleb's job is also a performance. He's a personal trainer, but not one with any actual training. He couldn't find a pulse. He just acts as a trainer on tiktok.)

Now, of course, the plot has to roll on, so Jacob continues to secretly object, but he takes part in Melissa's performance, now, despite his objections, because while he doesn't agree with the charade, he gets why she's doing it. (And maybe, in some way, seeing how a great and likable person like Melissa can be targeted and bullied by her family, is some proof that he might not actually be a bad and unlikable person after all. Maybe he's not the problem.)

And then when Barbara shows up to that kitchen and the first words out of her mouth are "How can I help?" Like I'm sobbing!! Her IMMEDIATE concern is Melissa. First and genuinely, and that's even before she hears her uncle "died" and then Barb is instantly ready to support her with whatever she needs and her first instinct is to hug her and when Melissa says she needs something else (the bread) she goes and does what Melissa says she needs because THAT IS FAMILY!! aahhh.

Anyway: while there's defeat in Melissa's face when her firefighter shows up and her family behaves exactly as expected (Ooooh, you're good because a man has made you good. It all makes sense.) It's tempered by Barb and her husband coming up and reassuring and complimenting her, acting CLEARLY as better family to her than blood or her current fling.

I don't know if I have a conclusion to this. I just want to shout out that the show also says that you don't NEED to go full speed into found family, either, to combat the loneliness caused by the nuclear family model. Sometimes you can also go on the party bus or to the strip club and that's valid, too, haha.

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 4 MATCH 7

Chrom propaganda:

“Chrobin (Chrom x player character) is so many tropes in one oml. You have friends-to-lovers (Chrom and Robin are canonically best friends according to Nintendo), enemies-to-lovers (Robin is heir to the Grimleal cult, the enemy of the Halidom of Ylisse which Chrom is the prince, and later king, of), there's amnesia, time travel, official next-gen AUs, changed dialogue to lore important events in the game if you marry Chrom, and Nintendo keeps teasing us with the ship. Cheery prince who knows when to be serious, very strategically smart but very bad at communicating, a guy that can comfort you when you're down, make a fool of himself when you're not around, and he's just generally a very sweet guy. Also please consider the fact that you get to watch a cutscene of him dying in the prologue and despite the horrors he's just so supportive of the protagonist. Chrom doesn't care about where you came from or who you're related to, he cares for YOU. He gets KILLED by the protag and he reassures them that they did nothing wrong and pleads with them to get out, to a safe place. I lost my soul to Chrom, I physically can't play this game without romancing him.”

“He eats oranges with the peel still on, he's an absolute himbo. Also the writers accidentally made his daughter canonically trans so he definitely supports trans rights. And technically you can only marry him if you play as female Robin but their dynamic is still just as romantic if you play as male Robin (they literally call each other their other half and m!Robin and Chrom have a valentine's day duo unit in the gatcha, and in the anthology manga m!Robin asks Chrom to make polygamy legal so he can also marry Chrom's wife and they can be a family) so most people play the game with the gay mod so they can still marry him as a guy. He's incredibly stupid ("yeah, let's set all our ships on fire then walk through a volcano, you're so smart, Robin" "I know you've had prophetic visions about killing me and our daughter came from the future to warn us it would happen but I'm sure THIS TIME it won't because of the power of our bonds") but also really sweet. In the summer DLC they're fighting on a beach and when he sees Robin get excited over a weird creature they found he immediately forgets about the battle and starts trying to make a bunch of crafts (and failing) and cooking food (and failing again) and writing "Chrom and Robin were here" in the sand so that Robin could have some nice beach memories. I'm obsessed with this man”

Asra propaganda:

“He GIVES AWAY HALF HIS HEART TO REVIVE YOU okay but like. He's the MCs roommate and they were together for a few years before the MC caught a plague and died and he obsesses over a way to bring them back before succeeding by making a deal with a god to trade half his heart for MC and betraying the emperor. And then when MC comes back but without any of their memories, he takes care of them and teaches them how to live all over again and he never asks for anything in return. On all the routes where you don't choose him he's really supportive and helps you out despite your history and overall he's just really nice and supportive of the MC and is their rock no matter what route you go down. Also he has a pet snake named Faust and I love her she's so <33 

Idk I just appreciate him so much”

"He gave you half his HEART!! He would literally go to hell and back for you!! He wants to take you on adventures all around the world—doesn’t matter where, as long as he’s by your side!! AND he’s nonbinary!!!"

[man-down-in-hatchet-town]

VHSCC OH MY GOD

(no spoilers)

Starkid nation, you aren't ready.

So let's start with the obvious. Look, I spent thirteen years growing up with Starkid. That initial Michigan gang are deeply special to me and I will always miss Dylan, Brian R., and Corey in any show they aren't in. And this one's no different. But just as Janaya came in and took over Belle from Britney so flawlessly, Curt, Brian, and AJ were all WONDERFUL in their new roles. The gentle-but-high-energy, truly decent, romantic himbo charm Curt brought to our Springsteen boy Jim (you all are going to LOVE Jim, I promise) perfectly offset the defiant, sneering anger of Young Scrooge in "That Scrooge." Brian's reactions (particularly to the "rather take my own life" line) were so funny and some of my favorite parts of the show. And AJ... this is now my favorite thing AJ has ever done. And that's saying something. The smaller casting shake-up moments (Joey as Fezziwig, other little line re-distributions) were so fun as well!

The new act 1 is PERFECTION. I was actually surprised by how absolutely hysterical it was? Like, I won't tell you what was up with that clip on Instagram of Brian, Lauren, and Joey doing a freak-out dance, but I can tell you that their whole Act 1 deal threatened to steal the show every. Single. Time. I already mentioned Curt as Jim, but you will also love Della, who is so funny and real and truly carries us through the start of the show (Janaya is a STAR and she Curt have brilliant chemistry). Ali did a terrific job of balancing the sadness and hope that are both at the center of the devastating little Match Girl. And Jamie's Grandma... well, honestly I have no idea how to talk about Jamie's song without giving stuff away.

But the real star of the show in Act 1, as he should be, was our man Clark. I can't emphasize enough how much he nailed the writing of this whole new act. I mentioned that the new stuff is hilarious, but it's also deeply heartfelt, and also sad exactly when it needs to be. Like, the transition after Jamie's song? I can't really talk about it yet, but what that moment does with emotion is unreal. And, as expected, every song is a banger! My one complaint about this show, and it IS a big one, is that there is no cast recording of the Act 1 songs. I want to listen to them all the time.

But the good news is, I CAN listen to Christmas Carol as much as I want! The classic that started it all is back, with so many people reprising the hell out of their truly iconic roles (God I love the VHS Cratchits), and better than ever. I traditionally hate change, and I love the version of VHSCC Live! we already have so much, but I think I somehow loved this version even more? The staging is alive and clever and there are some additions and changes, particularly in "Final Ghost"/"Christmas Day," that frankly blew my mind and somehow managed to elevate the material even further. I can't wait for the digital ticket to come out so that I can talk about them. To put it simply, James Tolbert mastered his Starkid directorial debut like you won't believe. I'm so proud of him and grateful for the larger role he's taken in Starkid since they moved base to LA.

Also, the Ghost of Christmas Past is extra unhinged this year? Jaime pulled out all of the impish stops and it was the BEST.

Basically, everyone more than delivered. I haven't talked about Meredith yet but she rocked it in the band and continued to validate the hell out of my opinion that "3 Spirits" is the dark horse best song in the show.

And a special shout-out to June Saito for continuing to be a costuming GENIUS. I always love her work and this production is no exception. I honestly wanted to give the return of the Bob Cratchit costume its own round of applause.

You know, the world is a mess and everything is pretty much terrible. It's been a hard year in an impossible decade. But every once in a while you come across some art that takes all of that, acknowledges the truth of it, and somehow pulls back the curtains to harness the joy and hope that's still there under the rubble. To me, Starkid in particular has always been about finding and holding onto the hope and the beauty and humanity that allows us to endure an existence that can so often feel bleak. And VHSCC is maybe the most perfect encapsulation of that idea.

So thank you Clark, James, Meredith, Brian, and everyone who worked so hard on this little bit of magic. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Let's make a little light.

[theflagscene]

My Top 10 Fave QL Characters of 2024 🤩

More end of the years lists from me, because clearly I have nothing to do for the rest of the week... I wish I was joking. Much like my pervious lists, my only rule for this is that at least some of the series needed to air this year. It can have started in 2023 or will be ending in 2025, as long as some—or all—of the series aired this year, then it's fair game.

1 ) God - Monster Next Door

What can I say about God that hasn't already been screamed from the rooftops by literally everyone who watched the series? He was aptly nicknamed, because this gentle giant was a gift from heaven. The greenest green flag, even when mad or upset, he was still as green as a damn emerald! The sweetest golden retriever character to have graced my screen this year, I will always love this character and this series, it's become a comfort watch for me, that's for sure.

2 ) Yai - The Sign

There aren't enough sweet himbos in QLs imo, typically whilst cute but dumb, they're also mean or bigoted or just not very likable. Yai broke all of those stereotypes, he was cutest himbo around, a perfect brother, friend, bro and husband. I knew I would adore him from the very first episode and I was not wrong, he did not disappoint. Every scene Yai was in wasn't enough, I wanted so much more of Yai (and his scary beautiful wife, Sand).

3 ) Joker - Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart

Joker and his emotional support idiots might have fumbled the ball at damn near every turn, but he was absolutely adorable whilst doing it. I think it's physically impossible for me to dislike a character War plays, so me adoring Joke was not a surprise to me. A master thief who really wasn't that great at not getting caught, a hopeless romantic, mama bear and perfect grandson-in-law? What more could I have asked for?... Possibly better fake tattoos, but we can't have it all lol.

4 ) Jeff - Pit Babe

I admit with no shame whatsoever that I found Jeff to be one of the most interesting characters on the show. His powers were the ones with the farthest reaching consequences and the most difficult to live with, he was tragic in all the ways I love a character to be tragic. I really wished I could've watched a version of the series from his pov, because I feel like I would’ve fast forwarded way less lol!

5 ) Tae Myungha - Love For Love's Sake

His depressive aura bewitched me body and soul, what can I say? The fact that he tried so hard to make everyone around him feel loved, wanted and important whilst he spent his entire life feeling none of that just broke my damn heart. He was the perfectly example of: the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody to feel like that.

6 ) JJ - This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans

Poor JJ has an idiot for a bestie and a douchebag (affection) for a love interest, this dude did not have an easy time of it lol. His forever exasperated resting bitch face and constant annoyance at literally everything that came out of both Plawan and Methas's mouths made me laugh so much, JJ had absolutely no time for any of their shit and yet he was constantly dealing with their shit. The poor guy needed a vacation away from the people in his life even though he loved them, which I totally understand lol!

7 ) Aylin - 23.5

While this wasn't my favourite series, Aylin was definitely one of my favourite characters. Her autistic coded self just spoke to me, I too dislike humans to a level that I would easily take the first alien spaceship off the planet lol. Aylin was so sweet and funny, I loved the way she spoke and her lil hats! I just wanted to squish her!

8 ) Fadel - The Heart Killers

Was I expecting to go into this series loving Fadel? No. Should I have? Absolutely. I have always loved the shrew characters when it came to adaptations of The Taming of the Shrew, which is the point of the character so ya know, duh! Lol. Any series with FirstKhao in it I always assume one of them will end up being my fave because well, it's them! But Fadel is the realest of the real when it comes to the slog of daily life, his routines, his annoyance with the general population, his need to remind himself that killing people whilst working in customer service is not worth the clean up nor the prison time. Sure, he's an assassin on the weekends, but hell, who isn't working two jobs in our current economy?

9 ) Rock - Cherry Magic TH

Rock was the perfect sunshine dope of a sidekick and I loved him for it, completely oblivious yet extremely caring at the same time. A man smitten with the idea of a woman who wants to eat fatty foods, will kidnap his Phi for a super secret mission no questions asked and respects a woman's right to say no without becoming an incel about it, he really was a joy to watch. It also helped that Sing played him, because Sing is an adorable ball of sunshine and I luff him.

10 ) Tan - We Are

The first person to get his man, and so easily. It made perfect sense why Fang fell for Tan, his hyperactive sunshine energy was like an instant 'smile' button. He was so genuine with his emotions and interests, he was a simp and made no apologies for it. He loved Fang so completely and unconditionally, he did whatever he needed to make sure that Fang felt safe and cared for. Tan really raised the bar when it came to clingy boyfriends that aren’t cringy, which is a hard thing to do.

[merlinsbudgiesmugglers]

I love all the parallels between the Amsterdam episode and the Liverpool episode in season 1. But with the team losing instead of winning.

-Instead of the team instantly know where they're going and agreeing on how to spend the night, they're aimless, arguing amongst themselves, unable to make a decision (much like their playing?)

-Rebecca - instead of feeling shitty about her ex-husband on her anniversary and dragging Keeley along so she wouldn't be alone, lets Keeley go off to do her own thing, and spends a night rediscovering the joy in life, much like she did in Liverpool, but in different ways.

-Ted, instead of having a panic attack, has started dealing with some of his issues, and finds inspiration from his home to help turn the team around.

And then there's the little things

-Keeley on the TV in the hotel

-The himbo's finally having a pillow fight

-Rebecca singing

-Rebecca catching the team bus instead of the 'jet' discussed in the Liverpool episode

I think there's more, but I can't remember them right now

[a-big-apple]

pls can we get your most niche tlt headcanons/ canon points you think are too overlooked or unappreciated/ fanon you see too often mistaken for canon/ juicy background bits on the babytrap or skater AU or otherwise.. the ppl are starving

omg this is exactly the treat i deserve after doing so many chores today, im gonna hit all these categories just for funsies

niche tlt headcanon: this is maybe more a theory than a pure headcanon but i think someone in Camilla's direct family line, either a parent or a grandparent, was from outside the Houses. Hect is an arithmonym, but it's not Sixth, it's a prefix meaning 100. as there's no 10th (or 100th) House, i like to think this is meant to indicate that someone in her recent family tree was an outsider! also she's hot enough for the Alexandrites, which suggests at least one of her bio parents or grandparents was hot enough for the Nireids and perhaps scored some out-of-House genetic material to spice up the Sixth's diversity. also Silas questions her eligibility to be cav primary, and since she's brilliant and badass and the Sixth don't base these things on bloodline/inheritance, there's no reason for even a prig like Silas to disqualify her other than some kind of citizenship issue. anybody with at least one Sixth parent is considered Sixth, that's their whole deal, but maybe the Eighth take a dimmer view?

smaller but purer headcanon that has no basis in anything except my gut: i think the "very silly" description of herself that Dulcie sent to Pal and Cam, and the drawing Cam sent back (mentioned in TUG), is a reference to this classic of ancient tumblr

overlooked/underappreciated canon moment: at this point i dont think there's anything i have noticed that i haven't seen at least one person blog about, but one of the tiny little things that gives me shrimp emotions is Gideon in the pool scene, after she's had this intense thing with Harrow, and then Harrow starts waxing about her beloved in the Tomb: "[Harrow's] voice had the quality of someone in a long dream. She stared through Gideon without looking at her, and Gideon gently took her hands away from Harrow's jaw. Instead she sat back in the water, buoyed by the salt, her eyes starting to sting from it." she's suddenly being told that Harrow is into someone else, she assumes these feelings she's been slowly catching are doomed before she can even really examine them, she pulls back from the very intimate position they've just been in, and she has a quiet lil cry about it that she won't even acknowledge in the narration. BUT I KNOW WHAT THAT SALT STINGING YOUR EYES IS GIDEON NAV

fanon you see too often mistaken for canon: GIDEON ISN'T STUPID T^T she's not a himbo jock, she's just a jock who doesn't care about necromancy! she also can't sense it, so she naturally has less information than Harrow about what's going on in GtN. she has a baller vocabulary, she's strategic, she's observant, she's super good at what she does, and she adapts to a completely novel situation VERY quickly.

also? i understand why it's visually more appealing to draw Kiriona with her chussy out, or modern au Gideon showing a lot of skin, i dig it, im hot for her too. but Gideon is canonically shy. she doesn't even take off her robes to duel in GtN, and is so constantly hooded that nobody even knows she's a redhead until halfway through the book. Kiriona is buttoned up to the point of wearing a goddamn ascot to cover her neck hole. i definitely understand au situations where her upbringing was different and so she's a little different, that's part of a good au for me, but it still always crosses my mind when i see her with her shirt wide open or her tummy out or in booty shorts or something. she's hot and she wants everyone to think she knows it, but deep down she does not know it and doesn't really flaunt it, except those guns

juicy background bits on babytrap or skater au: hmmmmm. Kiriona would deny it's the reason she hasn't named the baby, but she IS waiting for Harrow. she doesn't feel like she has the right, and she has complex feelings about both the names her own parents gave her. she has a deep-seated sense that Harrow, who is smart and cares a lot about doing things the right way, will be better suited to this responsibility.

in the figure skating au...a minor character from early in the story is going to be very important in the sequel fic, i think.

[tobiasdrake]

Dragon Ball Daima 01x09 - Thieves

Alright, one Dragon Ball down. What's next?

It's a perfect plan. I'm not hearing any objections. Look at those eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who likes this plan and is excited to be a part of it.

Worst case scenario, we get caught, Goku fucks up a few more cops, and then we can fall back on sleeping on rocks. He just defeated a Tamagami. It is pretty firmly established that there is nothing in Daimakai that could ever touch him.

Yeah, it's the Nyoibou that stands out here. Only nyoibou. Out of every single thing about Goku's appearance right now, the stick is the part that will make people jerk straight up in their seats and go "Holy shit, it's him."

Thank you.

These clowns were legit about to walk right in there, flashing the spoils of Goku's unprecedented and historic victory against a Tamagami around. I'm glad Kaioshin, at least, has two brain cells to knock together.

Goddammit, Kaioshin. You know better than to leave Goku unsupervised during a stealth mission! This is on you!

...from who?

Who would buy one Dragon Ball out of a set that still requires you to defeat two impossibly powerful ultra-foes to collect the others? This is a terrible plan.

The Three-Star Ball in Goku's bag is invaluable. But also kinda worthless. I can't imagine there's much overlap on the Venn Diagram of "People capable of claiming the other two Dragon Balls" and "People buying stolen goods from the black market."

These guys really want to risk an altercation with the guy who defeated the Tamagami in order to steal an artifact that no one would ever buy. They'd be better off calling the cops and asking if there's a bounty on Goku's head.

Appropriate response. You're nasty, Goku. At least ask Piccolo to teach you Clothes Beam so you can conjure fresh dogis out of thin air.

Okay, so we are now using Panzy's Not-Dragon Radar to track a Dragon Ball.

Is it weird that I'm kind of proud of them for this? Like. Someone went out of their way to contrive a new way in which Panzy could be specifically Bulma-adjacent and make it work in-universe. It was a long walk to this pier, and I don't know why they wanted to come to this pier but I'm proud of them for making it.

Is it, though, Banana Beak?

I think Goku's the one making a lot of sense here. And you should probably feel ashamed of yourself when you're losing a debate to Son Goku.

Goku has to be letting them play Dragon Ball Keep-Away for shits and giggles. He can teleport.

Spoilsport.

Aww, she won his approval. I mean, he sucks and who cares what he thinks, but still. D'aww.

The funny thing about Glorio, now that we know what his deal is, is that he thinks he's going to be allowed to betray them. He honestly seems to think that is a thing that will happen.

Sorry, my dude. Once you're in an anime nakama, there's no going back. Just ask poor Vegeta, who once made a temporary alliance to face the Ginyus together that spiraled wildly out of control, and now he's Bulma's himbo arm candy. This team owns your soul now.

"I'll stay up and keep watch" says a person whose only interest or hobby is one that physically fatigues him. Goku made bad choices.

XD It's good to know that Makai #3 is just fucking lousy with plane thieves. Bulma and Vegeta's first day in Daimakai is exactly the same as Goku and Kaioshin's.

XD That's really all he knows about it.

Why do I feel like this is going to be important?

Gomah really thought he could just go zap all the people who vanquished Majin Buu with cosmic fuckery, kidnap their deity, and then fuck off. And they'd just... let him go.

Oh, there we go. I forgot about that. That's definitely the thing on Hybis's belt.

At last, the most important characters meet.

They will either instantly hit it off or ironically hate each other.

When Team Goku was landing in the cop shuttle, I was half expecting for it to be actual cops and then there's a big mistake altercation.

Team Goku seriously just came to say, "Hi, how ya doin'. Anyways," and then fuck right off. The two parties are remaining separate even though we just reunited. XD Why is Team Bulma even in the show? Comic relief?

Oh, that's... actually a pretty cool idea. Bulma and her crew will go handle the plot while Goku's off fighting the unbeatable Tamagamis. And then, presumably, they'll come back together for whatever Next-Gen Majin Buu thing Dr. Arinsu is whipping up.

I'm here for this.

Now that he's officially part of the show for realsies, Vegeta gets an establishing fight that's basically the same as Goku's bar fight, just more.

And also Piccolo is nearby, getting to throw exactly one punch. To be fair, I made a point before of how Goku technically did defeat Majin Buu but really doesn't actually, like... He can throw hands with Buu, but he's still sorely outclassed. Gohan's the only one who can face Buu in a straight fight and win.

But on the spectrum of characters who can throw hands with Buu, Piccolo is....

...not.

Piccolo is just not. He peaked in his Android 17 fight and ceased to be a relevant fighter afterwards.

Since we're in the area of "Less than Cell" for most of the powers we're going to encounter here, excluding the Tamagamis and Dr. Arinsu's project, that's fine. Being able to throw hands with 17 makes Piccolo reasonably well-leveled to this environment. But being attached at the hip to Vegeta? ...yeah, it makes sense he only got to throw one punch.

...they're not seriously saying that Saibamen are Majin too. They can't... No, I refuse. Do Saibamen even have ears!?

Oh goddammit.

Not everything in the Dragon Ball universe has to be Majin. Can't wait to find out that Frieza and Cold were secretly Majin all along too, and their... whatever's going on there is just a fancy version of pointy ears. Somehow.

Namekians and Kaioshin, I was like, "Yeah, okay, sure, whatever. This was already kinda-sorta canon." But this one actually bothers me.

I still love that Dr. Arinsu's witch's broom is a hookah. She's just over there getting stoned while Marba works.

He looks like Golden Frieza.

Why.

Why is he Golden Frieza.

I was being sarcastic. So help me, if this does end up being somehow linked to Frieza I will throw things.

[jjmorelikeotp]

Okay so I am watching BTVS for the first time in my life & I'm currently on season 6 E 14, and one thing I really really love is how Spike is just so...comitted.

With Angel, I personally had the feeling he was grieving the person he could be, all sad and sappy in his misery that kinda clung around him all the time (ik we're calling spike a drama queen but. THAT MAN? Depressed himbo vibes. No offense.) Even though he had a soul, there was this feeling of self pity in him - and it makes sense considering the fact he probably knew that one true moment of happiness would turn him back into a monster, and that is rly depressing tbh.

Does not change the fact that Buffy being underage when being with him is totally absurd and predatory, there, I said it.

He is kind of the big scary monster guy and sometimes she does seem like a normal 16 year old, and by that, naive or simply, young.

It made me feel like she was prey, not gonna lie.

It is what stopped him from truly comitting to Buffy. I mean yeah, their love was pure and they definetely are soulmates in some way. They truly affected each other's fate.

But this is where Spike is different than Angel as well. He is truly COMITTED to what he's doing, he is all in for buffy. Like, the way he offers to make money for her when she needs it? That offer is NOT a deal-kind-of-offer. He truly wants to help her and it is so casually because he already is in full partner mode, in whatever way she needs. Offering comfort when she has to work a double shift (yeah by fucking outside, mkay, just the spuffy way ig) like that because he is actually afraid she will lose her sanity? Even though they drive each other insane? Yeah these scenes are not talked about enough.

In that same scenario, Angel never even would have showed up. He would have waited in front of the building after Buffy ended her shift, maybe. He never even offered to be in her life like that, while both of them found a million excuses for it. But Spike does not. He just simply does stuff that COULD be the solution if he ever even thought of them being a problem.

And I think that is also why he's so pissed about Buffy going on and off about him - to Angel, she seemed so comitted, but to him, he just does not seem to be able to.

And again, it make sense, but I also think we don't talk enough about the fact that Buffy did indeed kill Angel, when it wasn't even necessary as in "he was soulless and a monster" anymore. Even though she loved him. But only when she had a really really good reason/purpose.

So one thing that might be also pushing her away from spike is the thought of having to do that again, and desperately trying to find the purpose without being able to.

He makes her choose wether she wants to be the prey or the hunter in this. On purpose. To show her her options and her power because she never really got to experience both sides / perspectives with Angel OR Riley.

So while she tries to figure out 1. Her reason why she should kill him (which should be a very very valid one so she can bring up the power to do so) 2. Her life's purpose in general, he just ... delivers purpose, not to her, but as in, her being the purpose. That's what he acts like and That's what she can't handle. Yes, she is the reason he is trying to change, but also, he puts her in the Position of being the purpose of him doing that.

Showing her the self responsibility and ability to be her own purpose and make her own decisions. (After her friends all kind of screwed up that kind of SELF responsibility.) He really does man up in this show, and like I said, these are just my thoughts watching it for the first time (did not see angel the series yet).

He is also holding her accountable even though he has a soft spot for her, and she is not used to that. She treats him like a man, yes, but he treats her like an equal as well and always has. She is used being looked down upon by adults or the council, enemies, blablablah, also her friends who "saved" her earlier this season, or being the superslayer hero and leader who has to do everything. She is always in positions. Even with angel, she was, it kind of stopped when they broke up but even then, he treats her like she does not know SHIT. Something is standing between them and always has been, and while Angel kind of used that as an excuse to keep distant and keep their walls up, Spike uses these exact walls as a reason or challenge to tear them down. Spike never acts like things are not his fault even if they are horrible, he just simply accepts his dark side while still having a normal one, with passions on tv and card games and whatever. He *subconciously* takes responsibility even before having a soul, for stuff he did, he doesn't blame his vampire side or whatever for it.

I think in subtext, Buffy always had a slight commitment to angel, as in "maybe, one day, it can still happen" while angel cut off all those hopes for himself (not his desires, maybe. But his ... solution oriented search or smth) as we can see when he visits her at her mom's funeral.

And one other reason why Buffy is so terrified of that whole Spike thing is because it makes her stop that hope for angel or resolve that feeling of being owned by (her feelings for) him.

And don't get me wrong, Spike is kinda possessive too, but as I see it he is trying to commit to a relationship where she can own herself and that is what terrifies her truly.

(That's what we see him do with drusilla from the beginning)

You understand what I mean? If you got thoughts on it let me know!

[ravi-is-my-beloved]

My 8x06 Thoughts

This won't be a summary, because I just have a lot of feelings of this episode. Even now I'm still kinda laughing.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

I want to start with Eddie, because I had been so excited for his storyline this episode.

The confession with Eddie and Father Brian (we finally got his name) was still so heartbreaking to watch, even though the sneak peek we had gotten yesterday had showed us most of that scene. Eddie saying "That's it?" when Father Brian gave the amount of Hail Marys and such that he had to do... Oh that hurt. Him basically running out of the confessional booth because he doesn't think he deserves forgiveness also hurt.

I do think it's funny that Father Brian and Eddie managed to bump into each other at the juice bar and that Father Brian was like "I'm going to ignore the fact that confession is supposed to be anonymous and confidential."

But anyways, Father Brian's correct assumptions that Eddie's mustache is a disguise and that Eddie is still punishing him were good. I really like his speech about how God has forgiven Eddie. And I love that he still let Eddie set his pace, to deal with his own feelings of needing to be punished while also telling Eddie that he can't punish himself forever. Eddie eventually has to forgive himself and let himself be happy.

And while we didn't see Eddie doing what he had been told by Father Brian to do to atone for his sins, we did see the aftermath. We saw Eddie shave off the mustache (though I do think it's weird that he did it with no shaving cream) and then we see Eddie in just a shirt (same color shirt as the shirt he wore to the bachelor party in the previous season) and his underwear.

The song of choice that they used during the scene where he's just having a dance fest was so funny, but I don't think I could tell you why it's funny because it's something that you just have to know why it's funny. Anyways, I loved seeing Eddie so care-free after he spent so long punishing himself was honestly so good, I was vining with it.

Now, onto the Madney of it all.

Maddie saying "Maybe we should give Jee a sister or brother" during dinner and being so casual about it, was lowkey funny. Of course Chimney had his reservations, because of Maddie's postpartum depression after she had Jee. They both had good arguments and I'm glad Chimney realized that it shouldn't stop them from trying again.

And turns out, Maddie is already pregnant!! I'm so excited for them!

Maddie really hit the nail on the head when she said that they shouldn't go into this pregnancy thinking Maddie is just a bomb waiting to go off of. Because that can have negative effects on the environment they're raising the baby in and it's just not good for anyone, least of all Maddie.

I saved Buck's storyline for the last because God, the reason for his spiraling made me cackle.

His and Tommy's six month anniversary dinner being ruined (in only Buck's eyes) by Tommy saying that he almost married Abby was funny only because I couldn't believe everyone who said that not only Tommy would have a past with marriage (or an almost marriage) but also that the writers would have Tommy by Abby's Tommy. I just had to laugh at that, couldn't help it.

Buck's conversation with Josh and Maddie was nice. I did like how Josh said there was obviously a difference between Tommy's experience as a gay man and Buck's experience as a bisexual man, since they realized their sexual awakenings at different times when the acceptance of LGBT+ people was different.

I did disagree a little bit about Josh saying that you can't judge Tommy for what he did in the past while still hiding himself, but whatever.

(Side note: I loved the reappearance of the running joke of Buck not knowing pop culture in the form of Buck having never seen Glee.)

The loft scene where Buck reveals to Tommy that he was the "Himbo" who dated Abby after Tommy broke up with her was a whirlwind.

Like they went from Tommy learning that they shared exes, to Buck telling him to move in. Which I also had to laugh at, because it reminded me of the original BT. Like Buck just was going to rush into moving in with Tommy.

And then Tommy is breaking up with Buck in the most vague way where Tommy goes to leave and Buck has to ask if they just broke up. That's so wild to me, it was the vague breakup.

The last thing that happened, right after Eddie's little dance, was Buck going to Eddie (after the breakup) and the episode ends with them sitting on the couch and drinking. Like I just love that the first person Buck thought of to go for comfort was Eddie and the way Eddie not only didn't bother to put on pants, but he also didn't need Buck to tell him what happened.

Overall, I liked the episode. It was a better episode than I was expecting, because I had gone with lowered expectations. I can't wait to see what happens next for the firefam.

[tilthedayidice]

Hey welcome back to my BG3 Hot Takes

While I have your attention, here's a cool site to help Palestine, all you gotta do is click it daily.

This session was inspired by @lipsie, gettin me ttalkin way too much. Yes I am aware that the tadpole changes things, and they have to make it balanced for the game blah blah blah- let a bitch complain.

Screenshots sourced from the Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki

Gale is the only character I feel is spec'd correctly, He's smart but fiuckin stupid, he has autism rizz, mam could not lift any box you asked him to, the only reason his constitution is 13 is because he's been dealing with the Orb and he's used to it by now.

Karlach should start with 20 strength and you CANNOT convince me otherwise, her charisma should be higher also, she's a ball of sunshine and could put the fear of god into anyone, and the line "Gods I wanna ride you til you see stars" will never leave my brain. Give this bitch a 15. She do be a little dumb I'll give you that.

Shadowheart is just funny to me, How can her wisdom be a 17 when she's been cloistered away for so long? Her wisdom is only a 17 in ONE SPECIFIC SUBJECT, a subject where she's forced to give up her memories. Memories are where we get our wisdom. Wisdom is gained through lived experiences, I'd give you the 17 for endgame Shart, but not start of game Shart. I'll take the 8 CHA cause she's a bitch (said with love, me too babe) but she knows enough to get what and where she wants so I think we should nudge it up to like 10.

Lae'zel.... I think it's unfair to put Lae'zel's intelligence at 10. Her wisdom being low, yeah i get that she's been cloistered away in a society that believes its the only way, it's all she knows. But intelligence? No. She might know much about Faeruns culture and people, but she knows EVERYTHING about the stars. And there's far more of that than there will ever be of Faerun. She's the funniest person we know, give her 9 CHA.

Wyll my beloved, do you airbrush those abs on? Do you wake up every morning and contour them? I DON'T BELIEVE YOU DO!!!!!!!!! SO WHO'S THE ASS WHO DECIDED YOUR STRENGHT WAS A FUCKIN 8??????? THE BLADE OF FRONTIERS SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST A 13. He deserve a 15 but I know they won't give it to him. Lipsie and I were talking about him and they're right, WHEN WE DUMP THE BITCH HE SHOULD RESPEC INTO BARD.

Astarion..... oh Astarion.... you're such a disaster. Such a wet cat of a man. Such a pathetic little mew mew. I shit on him a lot, but I do really love his character and development lol. LESS STR MAKE HIM WEAK, he has been starved and living off rats and shame, he can have his measly 8 AFTER he drinks... uh "Thinking" Blood. His CHA being 10 is perfect actually no notes. I personally think his actual INT should be lower, not too much lower, maybe 11/12, I knooooow he was a magistrate, but you can't tell me he's not giving himbo... no what was that word on the meme graph? Himbim? Himbim.

Halsin.......... 10 STR? 10?!?!?!?! You built him LIKE THAT and give him 10 STR?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!? What in the nine hells...... Weaker than Karlach of course, but 10????? Give that man 15 at least 8 INT???????????? 8???????? LARIAN WHY DO YOU HATE HIM???? Is it because he isn't Gale? Mans has been studying the mindflayers on his own, he's been studying the shadow curse... on his own. HE'S A MASTER HEALER?!?!?! AN ARCHDRUID?!?!?!?!?!?!? That takes time, study, and dedication. You wanna assign him himbo so bad. He's just a whole well rounded man with autism,. (Not a dig on himbos, quite literally my favorite genre of Man). This is just 'cause he fucks isn't it.

Minthara she's so much smarter than Larian gives her credit for. While I agree with the WIS, that's more a product of being so closed off, Her INT is much higher. I'd give her a 14? She cunning, just because it's used for Evil deeds doesn't mean she hasn't been she hasn't put a lot of thought into her work. She lived in Menzoberranzan for Gods' sake. She had to be smart or be killed?!? She's said so on multiple occasions! Just because she's Evil aligned doesn't mean she not smart. (She's just as smart as our average Bear according to Larian)

Minsc...... First off let me say that I love that they chose this image. A Bad Bitch. Anyways, anyone who doesn't find that dumb happy face charming is either lying or literally has a stick up their ass.... 12 CHA. Also why is he so weak? I know he isn't like actually weak... but mans chunked that mimic? Let him have 14.

Jaheira I'll give you the 10 STR, she's complained about her knees like three times in my most recent session. 8 INT? So what I'm getting here.... is anyone not an origin character is just baseline 8? Lazy. Especially considering she was ALREADY GIVEN STATS IN TWO PREVIOUS GAMES. In both BG1 and BG2 she has an intelligence of 10, and if anything she's only gotten smarter over time. I wasn't gonna do this... but left is 1 right is 2.

15, 14, 17, 10, 14, 15, and 15, 17, 17, 10, 14, 15

Make it make sense. I know she's old at this point, but in my game she killed Sarevok again so idk man.

Rip me apart in the notes ;)

But do it nicely...