#so for ppl to read it would be really epic for me....

[hugh-lauries-bald-spot]

hey, i’m writing a story

and I’d really love it if you checked it out <3 

here’s the synopsis ⤵️

A slasher story set in a town who’s all but severed their ties with the outside world, this secluded village grows increasingly paranoid as their population drops off a few mutilated bodies at a time. The villagers take this problem into  their own hands, and are resolved to stop the murders together by means as violent as the carnage they avenge. The suspected killer finds an answer to the mystery at the centre of a cornfield. As the town’s only detective, he has questions. A lure in the dark holds answers. 

I’ve gotten some lovely remarks on what I have so far...

The blog where I’ll be posting updates is @find-the-devil​ 

Here’s the first chapter, with another one coming soon...

I’ve been mulling over this story in my brain for months, had the characters a bit longer and finally put them to use.

Anyhow, enjoy and feel free to ask questions, any feedback and engagement is extremely appreciated!

[ilynpilled]

ive been thinking about this a bit and i feel like i have some very different feelings towards certain things and strongly disagree with the implications present in the ways i see them discussed. i do not like to simplify these themes to “vengeance/punishment bad wahh”, because it does not at all feel complete enough to convey my true feelings, or the themes of the text itself for that matter imo, but like… ofc i personally cant read things like cersei’s walk of shame, where she is punished, humiliated, and dehumanized through the one thing she was unfairly condemned for her entire life— jaime’s brutal maiming and torture where he is humiliated, fed things like horse piss which he forces down because he is so thirsty before vomiting it back up, gets repeatedly beaten unconscious, and is nearly driven to passive suicide— theon’s excessive physical and mental torment that would take too long to list that breaks him entirely— and even a man as deeply evil as vargo hoat (who is not at all three dimensional) having his hands and feet and arms and legs cut off, be cannibalized, and even be forced to eat parts of himself, causing the pov character that swore to enact brutal vengeance on him to feel ill and repulsed once he finds out— and experience much, if any, catharsis, personal feelings about these characters aside. asoiaf is a series where the author pretty often deliberately places us inside the heads of bad people that have done terrible things, who some readers may feel a certain hatred for, as they are put through torment. not to make the reader feel good and satisfied about it, but to present it as something that should not really be a thing that we revel in, and encourage us to be critical about what is even gained through what they are going through. even a morally dark antagonist without a pov like joffrey and his death was meant to have elements of tragedy. during, tyrion notes that he is a young boy with fear in his eyes that he had never seen in the eyes of his father. whether you feel a certain way about it (and i am not arguing that you are morally flawed for not sympathizing with a fictional character, this isn’t real life, i am just discussing themes that i am identifying), the goal was not really to provide us with a feel-good “justice at last!” emotion through the brutally violent death of a 13 year old boy. it makes me genuinely wonder how some ppl come away with the idea that this series is intended to be a celebration and glorification of punitive justice. i am not saying justice in general is not a huge theme, and some catharsis, especially for victims, over the death/defeat of their abusers & tormenters is present in the text as well, understandably so, because it can mean safety. take pia smiling through broken teeth when jaime has her rapist executed and presents his head to her while setting a precedent with gregor’s men. some people need to die, and deserve it, but what does that look like? who decides it? why? by contrast, the instance of jaime actually feeling good when he hangs a bunch of random outlaws reads as something more tied to his current relationship to the self and certain selfish desires at this point in his story than real justice, and it is further elaborated upon and taken apart in the book. anyway, all these questions are present and the answers are not near as simple as i often see them made out to be.

it doesn’t feel like to me that most things that can be interpreted as enactments of punitive justice or moments of karma are these epic events that should just make the reader blindly cheer and applaud, or even feel good about. there is a reason that some things go awry (like with oberyn), and it isn’t cynicism. there is nuance, and not in a way where victims are condemned for fighting back, or a pacifist ideology is idealized. there just really isn’t a glorification of brutal punishment, ‘eye for an eye’ vengeance, and the needless causing of suffering. same with a blind upholding of duty and law based around flawed feudalistic constructs. and all these things should not even be conflated. not to mention that punitive justice exists also in a way where it is connected to institutions. take the faith and organized religion for example. the whole process is interrogated: what is sin? what sins are being punished? how? why? and what are the actual effects? be it jaime’s and brienne’s conversations/interactions with a bunch of different tertiary characters in affc, or cersei’s punishment in adwd. at the end of the day, she is punished for her body, for being a woman. she does not suffer “consequences” for her actual wrongs and the suffering she causes. she doesn’t really learn anything, and it will all just make her spiral more. the whole concept of punitive justice gets focused on especially with theon’s entire identity being withered away through torture. he experiences so much torment that there comes a point where he is robbed of his mind and agency. what does the “criminal” learn? how can a person change in these circumstances? what is the point, and why should we feel good about this? he is not even really “punished” for his crimes, and certainly not by people with any moral high ground over him, he is just being brutalized. same is the case with jaime in asos: it is a bad person being brutalized by men even more vile than he is, and they are not doing it because they want to deliver any justice to his victims. also, though the maiming does kickstart crisis with him specifically, it is not the determining factor when it comes to his reformation. this story is not actually saying that people can be, and should be, tortured into becoming better people, and if they can’t the solution is to just axe them. there is nuance, sure, mercy is not something everyone is entitled to in all circumstances. sometimes “mercy” towards certain evil people will lead to the enablement of the suffering of others, even entire populations. there are certainly circumstances where compromise isn’t an option. but, again, i dont think george is ever holding back on actually interrogating the moral quandaries when it comes to identifying cycles and ending them, and he is for sure not treating every single aspect of these conflicts as black and white. even tyrion murdering his father, who purposefully does have a very ironic and humiliating death scene, which is important thematically, doesn’t end in easy and feel-good catharsis, especially for tyrion, which doesn’t equal “oh, tywin should be forgiven and spared”.

all of this is also why i do not really see how events like the fall of house lannister (first of all, we know it is gonna include the likely very brutal deaths of two innocent small children), red wedding 2.0, valonqar etc would be these grand and glorious moments of justice and pay-off, treated as just the good guys finally getting an epic W. they will very likely be filled with tragedy, so i am genuinely curious about where these expectations for this kind of catharsis come from

[finelythreadedsky]

I know this is a very broad question and I apologize in advance for it, but do you have any recs for someone who wants to get into Greco-roman classics? Both in terms of literary works (and specific translations I guess? Like I've seen ppl talk wonders about Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey so maybe I could start there?) and perhaps more uuuh non-fiction readings I guess? Anything you think it's interesting/basic reading I guess. I know the easy answer would be to just pick one classic and start reading, but I sometimes fear I'd be missing a lot of info/depth since I don't really have any knowledge of this kind of lit, nor its cultural background, but idk if that's something that actually matters or just me drowning in a glass of water :')

my best advice would be to read the introductions to translations actually! often the translators provide a pretty good broad overview of what's going on with the text, some of the reasons it's interesting or unusual, and some of the major issues that scholarship has been concerned with. translators' notes also can often give you some insight into what the translator has done in order to get the text to you. emily wilson and richmond lattimore, for example, have really good and extensive introductions to the odyssey and the iliad respectively (although i would not recommend lattimore's actual translation of the iliad-- maybe wait for emily wilson's translation to drop or check out my thoughts on iliad translations here). and of the two homeric epics i do think the odyssey is a lot more friendly to newcomers to ancient literature.

i would also highly recommend the greek tragedy in new translations series for great introductions as well as great translations of the greek tragedies. i think aeschylus' oresteia (agamemnon, the libation bearers, and the eumenides), sophocles' oedipus rex and antigone, and euripides' medea and bacchae are probably some of the best plays to start with. i've found that reading a good introduction before starting the play sort of shows you how to read it and primes you to pay attention to certain aspects that you might not necessarily pick up on as a modern reader of a work from such a different culture so long ago.

and i do think that adaptation/reception is a great way to get more into ancient literature and the ancient world. i've recommended a bunch of things here but i'm also loving mary renault's historical fiction at the moment for what it does to really immerse you in the realities of life and politics in the ancient world.

but honestly reading and missing a lot of info/depth is totally okay! a lot of ancient literature works on many levels. whether you know nothing about it or have have a ton of background, there's always some new angle to see, and the things you pick up on or find weird as a first-time reader with minimal background knowledge are also super important.

[delusional-mishaps]

well guys. since i missed epic's birthday (devastating) have some headcanons :)

he is one of those weaboos who learned japanese so he can watch anime "the authentic way" (his words)

so he's fluent in japanese 💀 he literally only learned it for anime but dude was DEDACTED

he's so cringe guys 😭 i can say that. he's my boyfriend i love him

he would adore those cute anime girl v-tubers. like not in a weird way but he'd watch a lot of them

HE PLAYS GENSHIN 💀 he'd probably main beidou or raiden shogun/ei.. maybe run a full electro team with miko and fischl too 😭 (fischl is his fave character he loves her backstory and her bird thing idk i dont use fischl 💀) he loves the electro characters for some reason idk

HE HAS THE WORST LUCK ON THIS GAME THO. bro has c6 diluc (me too ☹️) and all his artifacts SUCK ASS even tho he'll grind every day

he has to spend money on every banner because he always loses his 50/50 and only gets high pity

ok enough genshin headcanons he's cringe we know this

im here ranting about a game i hate because my dumb boyfriend plays it so much

he hangs out with cross a lot ofc BUT

whenever he hears the word cross used in any context he turns to cross like "CROSS????? BRUH THATS YOU!!" (i always make these jokes. im projecting)

cant believe jesus died on his best friend fr... LMAOOO

he speedruns minecraft. he's NOT GOOD AT IT. but he can do it

he's had his speedruns ruined by creepers like 7 times

one time he somehow got into the deep dark and got killed by the warden??? idk what bro was doing down there in a speedrun dawg 😭

sorry he's a gamer in my head but hes really bad at every game he plays (just like me fr)

he sleeps under like 6 different weighted blankets in the hopes that he wont thrash around when he sleeps but he's too strong and ends up tossing them all off his bed 😭

bro needs to be CRUSHED to fall asleep!! he literally cant fall asleep without the weight

not that he likes to sleep anyway because of the nightmares but whatever. hes gotta do it. unfortunately.

he fights in his dreams ofc thats like canon but bro is throwing punches in his sleep fr

if he gets a partner (me fr!!) they gotta sleep in a different ROOM 😭 he is taking NO CHANCES and tbh thats so fair i wouldnt wanna wake up being beaten up by my bf

he is so ipad baby-core <3 he'll just watch youtube on his ipad all day if u let him but he's an old man and needs his spectacles otherwise he's holding it at arm's length 💀

don't forget bro is literally a doctor?? he's SO smart but he uses his goofy persona as a cover up

im convinced like most of the people that know him actually dont know this. they all think hes dumb as bricks 💀

them he'll casually say smth super smart and everyone is like ???????? HELLO??? SINCE WHEN DID UR BRAIN WORK??

i love drawing epic with glasses guys he looks so cute. but he has old man reading glasses

this the typa shit he wears

AND HE FUCKING. anime glasses 😭

like yk how ppl in anime push glasses up

him fr

AUUGH WHY IS HE SO CRINGE I NEED TO CRUSH HIM

he actually needs his glasses all the time but he doesnt like to look like a NERDD so he doesnt wear them

he makes cross read everything for him

they go out to eat and gotta make him read the whole menu otherwise hes holding it 2cm from his face 💔

"whatd that sign say i cant read it"

"dude the letters are huge how cant you read it"

"oh lol i need my glasses my bad bruh"

"YOU ARE DRIVING A CAR RIGHT NOW????"

actually he cant legally drive. because thats funnier than if he could

id still be his passenger princess <3 i refuse to get my license

anyway guys isnt my boyfriend so silly

im so tiredni needto seelp goodnight smooork mimimumumu

its 3am i neednto get up in 5 hours naioiiooooooo

goodbye guys enhjoy my boyfrien mdgrf

[eshtaresht]

holy. fuckin'. DAMN. I was pretty good at predicting the plot so far, but this episode proved that stampede is going in a whole new direction for real. spoilers for ep 9!!! (and manga a bit)

first of all, we still haven't got a full story of the great fall, but I think it's something they'll reveal in this season, probably during confrontation with knives. and still no scar reveal!! I'm angy but it's something that could be relevant to the standoff with knives, hope we'll get it

the piano scene... oh we're eating GOOD, it's just so wholesome but goes to confirm my theory that twins weren't completely fine on the ship. vash feeling useless because he can't do cool plant shit, knives envying vash for being good at human shit.... oh it's great

so glad knives is getting proper characterization and not just "he evil because he evil"! the fear, the hurt, the genuine care for vash, but then frustration with him – it's right there and I'm eating it up so yummy

the way they recontextualized vash's arm loss is GORGEOUS! I've seen ppl reading this scene differently, but to me it was an act of care from naï. he looks really scared for a reason: we see that the gate consumed all matter, including the hand. vash couldn't control it, so it would only grow bigger and destroy him. NAÏ REALIZED THIS AND SAVED VASH THE ONLY WAY HE COULD

he didn't want to fight him, this was not an act of anger, like in previous versions. all he cared about in that moment was saving his twin..... and what did he get in return? a gun pointed to his face. a gun he gave vash to kill human scum. oh, the DRAMA

ahem, now to the less intense stuff

homeboy has so much trauma, like, damn... how is he gonna fit any more from his impending epic brother fight...... I'm quite curious on how they're gonna characterize him in the next season. concidering that we're taking off earlier than previous versions, he might end up with the same unhinged vibe 98' vash had, as a coping mechanism (if depression didn't work, try dissociation and silliness). but then it would be even more interesting to see meryl's and wolfwood's reactions: they knew him before the accident and saw the big sad

vash has sense in the prosthetic arm, so it must've hurt when he damaged it... probably it hurts less than the real one, and it's clearly painless to take off. but the hand seems to be rather sensitive and fic writers are gonna go crazy for this

age reveal! also brad and luida being in cryosleep makes sense, I was racking my brain on how they're still alive. seems like they're using much more plant power tho... both for cryo and the vegetation, while in manga they tried to keep it as low as possible and send signals to earth

saw someone say that they're probably not doing that here because the earth is destroyed... could be that they decided to go the hard way. but in the manga the earth was still fucked, and it wasn't clear if they communicated with the ppl left on the planet or the fleet that was in some new place. what I'm saying is, there is a possibility that they are looking for help in stampede, we just don't know it yet

meryl was so cute! go off, comedy relief goofy girl, while you can, there is more trauma coming your way :3 yeah, enjoy roberto calling you by your first name... oh it would be such a shame if he gave you his derringer before his untimely death..........

pretty weird that nobody knows why they fell on no man's land, but ppl probably were too ashamed of their past and 150 years later the new generation is oblivious. also so funny that luida has to explain what vegies are..... they have so many plants but haven't see any plants

tbh I wasn't expecting the zazie twist at all, but I'm excited! they are SO gender in stampede, might be the best redesign in the series, love me a genderless bug creature with bold fashion choices. really cool to see that storyline adapted, it was barely touched upon in the last volumes of trimax

btw the multiple bullets story about a plant, worm and human who went around figuring out if their species could coexist and just.... creating this foud family and then building a town there all were equal...... that's my favorite mb story for sure

wolfwood saying "I'm not your friend"... I know what you are. and we got a "you'll have to decide one day"... oh oh the misery, but the context was lacking. it just doesn't hit the same when he isn't daring vash to shoot him in the most homoerotic way possible. on and he looks so goofy trying to ride with his cross

in the last ep's rant I assumed that luida lied about rem saving everybody for some reason?? but no, she actually saved them, I just got a bit confused

so, as I predicted, the gang separated (tho not because of vash) and by the end of the next episode vash'll be in july and meet naï. the poster, man.... that gorgeous futuristic city is getting obliterated for sure

btw vash's gate being opposite to knives and sort of a black hole is nothing new. but there are new layers to this, like vash willingly giving away energy, but destroying things against his will, and knives with the opposite of this. ying yan twins go brrrr

[moistvonlipwig]

should i poke the bear and ask for cwsg for the top 3 ask game? 🥴

consider the bear poked!

top 3 favorite characters: The legendary Lena Luthor, my king from the future Querl Dox, and uhhh I'm actually not sure who's third? Could be Red Daughter, could be James, could be Nia. Could even be Eve who fascinates me despite being underwritten. IDK. Depends on my mood. ...And actually if we count him as a Supergirl character and not as a walking backdoor pilot then it might just be Clark. I do like Clarky boy.

top 3 least favorite characters: Mon-El obviously, Ben Lockwood who Manchester Black should've gotten to strangle with his bare hands, and...there are several other annoying misogynists I could list here but I'm actually going to give this spot to Overgirl because it's still so baffling to me that none of the higher-ups thought, 'hey, maybe we shouldn't make a crossover where AU versions of Supergirl and Green Arrow are actual literal Nazis.'

top 3 otps: Kara/Lena, Lena/James, Brainy/Nia

top 3 notps: Kara/Mon-El is a no-brainer, Kara/William was a flop, and I can't believe it even needs to be said but. Kara/Alex. No.

top 3 brotps: Lena & Brainy my beloved <333 And I like Lena & Sam's friendship as well. Honestly a lot of the relationships in this show are great in theory but a little thin in actual execution, but I enjoy reading fanfics where Lena is good friends with Kelly, Nia, and/or iconic queen Jess the secretary. [I wish I could give a brotp for Kara but honestly I think most of her relationships suffer greatly from how they write her character.]

top 3 favorite episodes/chapters/scenes/games in series: My favorite is definitely 4.16 "The House of L." Bonus points for epic title also, like, that's an iconic pun right there. I look fondly on 4.11 "Blood Memory" as well which I think is probably Nia's strongest outing on the show and also is an episode that actually bothers to do something interesting with the Danvers sisters relationship. And in terms of episodes that are consistently entertaining I do really enjoy a significant chunk of 5.13 "It's a Super Life" although it's tainted by the terrible ending (as well as the foreknowledge of what comes after). [You might be thinking: what about XYZ Season 2 episode? To which I sadly must respond: Mon-El.]

top 3 other things u think ppl who like this thing should watch/read/play: I'm going to refrain from recommending other Arrowverse shows because I think that's too easy. But I do think my recommendations would depend on what you liked or didn't like about the show? If you like light-hearted superhero shenanigans you should watch DC Super Hero Girls (2019-2021). If you were frustrated by the show's surface-level pop feminism then you should watch Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997). If Lena Luthor's character type fascinates you then you should watch Severance (2022-ongoing). [If you're in it for Katie McGrath I can't help you, that woman was cursed by a witch long ago to only be in the worst shows you've ever heard of.]

my rating of this media out of 3, with 0 being lowest and 3 being highest: uhhh 1? idk. it's not 0

[kadextra]

after my previous post, I decided to read ahead of the manhwa now bc I can’t wait!!! and I kinda feel like writing down some liveblog thoughts here while doing it :D

here we go, starting from chapter 184

[ MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!! DO NOT CLICK if you haven’t ever read before. I’m so serious its a lot of spoilers. pls just ignore this and scroll on ]

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ummm dokja saying “oh this scenario will be fine! don’t worry i’m prepared this will be problem-free & so very easy haha :)” + getting all emotional about his friends is setting off my red flag senses so hard. dokja you still have the fate message praying on your downfall….

dokja I’m scared. Dokja I Don’t Like This

ah. hah. the demon king guy is literally dead on the floor 🧍awesome

damn I knew this couldn’t be trusted and some plot twist would happen it was never going to be that simple. someone has to take the position now. I hate you nebulaes how about you catch these hands

OH NO JOONGHYUK?? YOU STUPID IDIOT STOP

my boys are fighting o(-(

yo wait turns out the world won’t reset even if he regresses??? but still :( he won’t be able to see this to the end and will get stuck back in the loop :(( joonghyuk has changed so much from the start and I’ve grown to like him a lot he doesn’t deserve this I’ll cry

OF COURSE DOKJA GONNA SACRIFICE HIMSELF INSTEAD. ITS HIS FAVORITE HOBBY!

dokja’s self reflection of how the reason he survived all the tragedies in his life is bc of TWSA & watching how joonghyuk never gave up…. the whole “it’s because you saved me so now it’s my turn to save you” from a person directed to their favorite character and their favorite story which was their life companion…. honestly I don’t quite have words to describe the way these lines make me feel. it’s just profound and deeply relatable

gilyoung my poor son he doesn’t want his hyung to die 😭

sighs it’s too late. at least demon king dokja looks cool…. now the wings fanart I’ve seen in passing makes sense…..

he’s a goner

I am going to be completely honest. I genuinely expected to be reading more of an epic shounen-style final battle where he uses all the cool corrupted demon powers and maybe goes a little wacky because that’s usually what happens in stories when the protagonist unlocks an evil power and has to fight his friends. NOT THIS????????

the situation has zero hope and he is just standing there one sidedly taking hits from his friends who are forced to kill him. while guiding them on how to do it. smiling and offering them words of encouragement. this is so devastating I feel sick

URIEL MY BABY seeing her cry is the worst it’s torture

of course his stigma is called sacrificial will

STOP

THAT ARTWORK

THEY ARE HIS LOVED FAMILY…… HE LOVES THEM ALL N JOONGHYUK WAS YHR PERSON HE LOVED MOST I CALLED IT I want to hit something

im full on crying now

all the constellations messages of they don’t wish for his death I’m not strong enough

reading this feels like getting ripped apart limb by limb

NO WAY THE FVGTIFJFJCKN HELD BY THE NECK THING RETURNS A THIRD TIME LIKE THIS??? STOOOPPPPPPPP

uriel T-T

he died

demon king of salvation

need to just lay here for a bit

ok I’m back joonghyuk is disassociating from the grief. relatable

“What if Yoo Joonghyuk went back and there was no Kim Dokja? or what if Kim Dokja never acted like this again? Yoo Joonghyuk was afraid of something for the first time.”

“He met Kim Dokja in his third regression and they became companions. Then he lost Kim Dokja”

he cares for him so much

a scenario without dokja.

whag did I just read

-

UGH that was so good. emotional damage was an understatement now I get why ppl were warning me

why did I decide to do this in the middle of the night…. I need to stop now I’m tired but how am I going to sleep? im haunted with thoughts

it’ll take a bit longer for the manhwa to adapt this part but I’m honestly really glad I continued reading and got to imagine it all myself in detail first- it hit so hard. I’ll let it sit and take a few days break before I continue. excited to see how they adapt it into drawings and cry all over again cause this wound ain’t healing for a while

I have the need to recommend this story to all my friends and family

oh right!!!!

the other day I went through youtube animatics & saved some that I could watch when finishing certain chapters into a note (thank goodness most put a warning of when to watch in the first few seconds!)

since I finished 188, I get to watch this one :D

I just watched it

I cry myself to sleep

[superbellsubways]

ok im Crazy. Assorted things i've thouvht abt the past couple of weeks....

coppy slowly beginning to grow accustomed to clippy's family and then oscillo gets brought into the mix, and since he doesn't trust oscillo alone Ever and he doesn't wanna hire a babysitter because Oscillo would kill them so he's forced to take oscillo with him. he gives him a tiny prep talk beforehand like. little man i need you to do this for me Please don't make them Hate me and hes like Ok Whatever ....

oscillo would gey overwhelmed i imagine bc he'd be able to keep up The act of being a helpless kid in fromt of one or two people but clippy's family Including coppy .. and also just being around a lot of people he doesnt know in general. He'd shutdown and hide behind coppy the whole time but eventually gets curious abt clippy's siblings. #Autism

i 'm drawing new refs for them btw !!! so that'll be fun and theyre both cute so i wannw try and draw them more but ANYWAYS i think they'd be friends. kevin would take him out to the nearby liquor store and stephanie would like. give him her old stuffies and they'd watch movies together. Also regarding the two siblings I think they'd generallt be on good terms with eachother?? OFC W THE classic sibling tropes such as. Hating eachother. stealing their food. and i. idk i'm an only child but i think thats pretty much it. ..

also enjoying milk probably runs in the family. being annoying too. they all probably yap so much. ..

also clippy's the oldest obvs... stephanie is the middle child and kevin's the youngest 😁😁 they both would love oscillo i think despite his Quirks and hes all happy bc he's never really interacted w other kids who weren't kind of fucked over by other viruses so hes all smiley and warm and I imagine he purrs like a cat and like. vibrates. idk oscillo is cat coded to me Meeooww meeoow m

also Yk hiw they have those toy guns at liquor stores. i feel like kevin would buy them for him and oscillo and EPIC PRANK CLIPPY !!!!! SHOOT THE FREAK SHOOT THE FREAK SHO

kevin and oscillo both like annoying ppl too they'd be insufferable together. kevin is also probably a bad influence LOL but he'd try his best to not. idk. Get oscillo into smoking 😭😭

also kevin sleeps w his hat on OKAY BYE THATS IT BYE AAAHHH AAHH AAHH!!!!!!

OK finally getting to this i was smiling so so wide reading through this last night btw AUUUUU 🥹🥹

everything is soooo freaking cutes,😭😭😭😭😭😭 do you want me to explode.. 😭 oscillo finally making friends via clippys family ill die. smile 🥹ALSO the comic u added EEP!!!!!!! i cant even formulate proper sentences rn sorry i wanna scream and run aroumd 😭 i heart them so bad❤️ OKAYYY!!!!!!!!!

[carmenpeach]

this sonic comic you're doing seems batshit crazy, i love it!

YAAAAY THANK U SO MUCH!!!!! im so happy so many people like my little comic and makes ppl laugh <3 but i wanna say that also its not just a solo work, like im drawing all of it and interjecting a lot of my own jokes but the insane world crafted of it was done with my epic friends @sistemshock who thought up the idea in the first place, and @betagrove who made nvidia and @bowsersex2 and @quank and over the last few years we would just pop in and make little jokes building on each other and i felt it deserved to be drawn out as a tied together story ^-^ it started as just the 1st page of ch1 and was gonna leave it as just that but i kept adding to it and now its the longest story comic ive made lol

and it's also been a special story to me putting together a funny little world with my friends where some of the characters in it are schizophrenic (shadow and silver) like me and finding ways to be funny with it lighthearted and playing with that with eveyone. ive been working lightly on and off arranging ch5 (likely the last chapter) and seeing how many people have been coming over and reading it has made me so happy, feels like a birthday present to me since it happens to be my birthday and lots of people found my comic today and it's made me really happy seeing that something i made is making people laugh. its really motivated me to work harder and more seriously to get it done ^-^ im hoping to make the whole thing in color when its done too but i gotta like finish drawing it first lol but first im gonna hunt down any additional drawings ive made with stanley et all and post them ^-^

[emeritus-fuckers]

hello i was wondering if i could participate in the match up event?

I am afab and nb, I use any pronouns :) I'm cool with being any gender or being with any gender neither matters much to me

I lov the ghouls and their silly little shenanigans :)

I'm pretty feminine looking, I'm 5'1 and I'm built like a comic book male superhero like broad chest and shoulders but a straight line from the ribs down like a upside down dorito w legs

I'm asian so my eyes and hair are dark, my hair's like a shoulder-length wolf cut ish thing... idk I just hack at it. sometimes I wear glasses, but sometimes I just feel like being blind. When I get dressed I pretend like im dressing up in a fun little costume so my day is more whimsical and silly my go-to is like sailor uranus prince-type girl crush but a wizard or a wizard who is going on an epic expedition to recover lost artifacts but no matter the outfit the key is that I look like I'm secretly a merlin-style cartoonishly evil wizard. So i guess maybe like goth grunge academia something something pinterest buzzword Oh and I have major rbf, and it makes ppl scared of me

I'm an introverted person and I tend to be very logical but. I think different from a lot of ppl apparently. I've been described, to paraphrase, as "sort of ominous and mysterious but actually funny", "uncanny and unsettling in a good way", and "awkward and weird but its endearing" which just sound like insults. I like to live in my head and make silly stories and things to play with. Like every tumblr user I've got fucked up mental health and bad parents so I am kind of like one of those freaky ass chihuahuas that is always scared and shakes and bites people and has digestive issues. I tend to be hard to read or sort of deadpan so I like fucking w people since they can't tell if I'm joking bc i love mischeif and japes. I want to be a silly not-quite-supervillain like Dr doofinshmirtz or like a trickster archetype sort yk

I was a pretty intense synchronized swimmer for like 9 years I competed at like opens and nationals and all that when I was in school but my university doesn't have :( I'm on the rowing team now but I would rather do synchro esp since being my main thing was being flexible and it has no advantages in rowing lmaooo I've been a huge vocaloid fan since elementary school so I've been around in that community for a while (I am so well-adjusted). I like to make vocal synth covers and draw, especially when I'm able to work with producers to provide art for their vids it's so cool hehehehhe I mostly listen to vocaloid music but I like a lot of metal stuff as well that's how I found out abt gonst. I also like 2 play video gamez, I'm so fucking bad at them but I think it's rly funny so I just spend hours giggling and watching myself get mauled over and over.

I love horror a lot but I'm less a slasher girlie and more of a supernatural psychological tormet girlie esp if its got mythology or religions shit involved. Im majoring in history bc all good history ppl like silly metal and I wrote this instead of my abstract that's due in like an hour bc I have no idea what to do for the topic 🥲🥲

- the fuckin wizard

This post is part of the 1000 followers match up event. Entries for the event are now closed.

Your match is... Zephyr

They like listening to you talk about your major and interests. He's a very good listener.

While they might not be the best swimmer, they enjoy the activity and if you want to show off, they'll absolutely let you and be super proud.

He doesn't mind how unique your style is. He probably wouldn't really try to match clothes with you, but they'd try their best to buy you stuff you'd enjoy.

Since he doesn't really walk much, they picked up drawing and started doing it with you. They're surprisingly good at it for someone who just randomly said "I'm bored, maybe I should start drawing".

Also, horror movie date nights! They're also much more of a psychological horror person, but his favorite is of course the paranormal (he finds it hilarious) so you two take turns picking the movies.

Video game dates included, too. He's got a PS3 and the first three Uncharted games, as well as some others. Their favorite is Uncharted 3.

He'll insist you wear your glasses. He knows the consequences of ignoring his health. It's not fun.

~

Written by Nosferatu with the help of the wonderful and of @ask-zephyr-ghoul (ilysm pookie).

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

I know you like shuggy but do you think there’s anything that makes you ship mishanks? Do you think their bond is also special and deeper? They do have history and some ppl think Mihawk was in shanks crew at some point. What are your thoughts on them? They are even more popular than shuggy so there has to be sth since so many ppl see them in this way

Have to admit, I've always been kinda indifferent to Mihawk as a character. (When first reading OP back in… god, 2003? oh my god, I'm ancient—anyway, I was a very basic Zoro girlie who only saw Mihawk as an obstacle to his dream.) Though I do find Vampire Swordsman Living In A Pirate World to be very fun, aesthetically, as a character I find him pretty inscrutable & hard to care about.

But it's not like I don't see it. Mishanks isn't for me, but it's not just a "two beautiful men smirking at each other" ship.*

Mihawk, like Buggy, thinks of or brings up Shanks in moments when he really doesn't need to. (Mentally apologizing to Shanks for fighting Luffy! What on earth.) Shanks can convince Mihawk to relax and have a drink with his crew, though Mihawk is almost always shown to be alone and happy that way.

But so much of their dynamic and history has to be read between the lines, and I find that frustrating. I want answers! Canon answers!!

Like: why did they have those epic fights (which even Whitebeard spoke of with respect) when they were younger—was Shanks trying to take Mihawk's title, or were neither of them at the level of the World's Greatest yet? (Side note, I would love to know who Mihawk beat to get that title and when.) Does Mihawk refuse to fight Shanks these days because he thinks a one-armed swordsman is a bad fight? Or is he trying to preserve the memory of their last fight as near-equals?

(Or… I can't speak to all of Shanks' fights since he lost the arm, obviously, but in present day it's notable that he only pulls out his sword as the nuclear option. I wonder if Shanks just can't do casual, fun fights anymore, the same way he can't relax on enemy ships.)

Was Mihawk ever a member of his pirate crew? I for one can't see him as an ex-Red-Haired Pirate—for one because he's such a goth loner it seems like a bad culture fit, but for another because I think it would have been brought up in canon. The Marines made Buggy a Warlord because of his history with Shanks; if Mihawk had been a member of his crew, wouldn't that make Buggy redundant? That said, I can see Shanks trying to use their fights as a recruitment tool—"If I win this time, you'll join my crew!"—but I don't think it worked out.

Basically, I'd say there's a decent ship there in theory, but for me to get into it I'd need a lot of things that have been left implicit to be spelled out.

Which could happen! Maybe Buggy going after the One Piece and dragging Mihawk in his wake is going to force him to reveal a hidden detail about his history with Shanks that makes him reluctant to fight him anymore…

*Though imo that is part of why they're more popular; for a long time gay ships in English-language shonen fandom (& probably others, but I'm just speaking from my experience) were exclusively about basic-ass hotties. You'd have to ask me about my days in Naruto fandom if you want that salt, though. (Please don't. That's such a dark path to ask me to go down.) Another reason is that we see Shanks & Mihawk interact in present day hundreds of chapters before Shanks & Buggy. Early interaction = early establishment of the ship = long fandom history/staying power.

[national-hockey-gay]

Hi!! I think the team edit series is such a cool idea and im happy to provide anything you need for the islanders as far as vibes goes!! sorry if you didn’t want a thesis but you might be getting one haha

so i’m a pretty new to the isles as far as actually being invested but my family has been into them forever so i think i have a pretty good grasp of them!

the core of our team is our vets, the 30 somethings that make up the backbone of our team and seem like they’ve been playing together for ages, and honestly some of them have. like the identity line: matt martin, casey cizikas, and cal clutterbuck; i think it’s frankly adorable that their line has a nickname. and we have a lot of guys that have been on the isles for 3,4 years+ that are just good solid guys that seem to get along real well and that most fans absolutely love (read: loosing anyone in the off season will kill me)

we also have our newer hot shots, most notably of course matt barzal who is just crazy talented, especially with someone close to his level to bounce off of. then there’s wahlstrom who’s been on ir all season, and our newest acquisition hudson fasching who’s been pretty killer with all the other guys out

i feel like a big part of our narrative is being the under dogs. like a lot of people will write us off or shit on us for like no good reason? like recently for example we’ve got a ton of beef with paul bissonnette for calling us boring (including our color commentator/isles alum butch goring dusting off twitter to shit on him lmao) meanwhile we were playing pretty incredible, at the very least interesting, hockey fighting for our playoff spot.

a lot of it too is us coming just short of the big stuff. like loosing the ecf two years in a row to the lightning in some absolutely epic brawls. and then coming just shy of the playoffs last season absolutely sucked. i’m not speaking on this season cause i don’t wanna jinx it but.. yeah

i would definitely consider us in the doomed by the narrative category. between last year’s season killing covid debacle and the amount of injuries this season. lots of our heavy hitters and instrumental players out 10, 15, 20 games. the timing of the barzal injury just after getting horvat from the canucks was… rough. (and there are definitely ppl better than me that could wax poetic about the narratives of the beauvillier trade but personally i like him on the nucks better). i feel like the whole 3rd period isles contribute to the underdog thing too, i dont remember the stat but we outscored in our 3rd period like crazy this season, especially when we’ve been trailing.

also if it helps at all they had an interview where they asked all the guys their favorite books. by the answers it seems like half of them can’t read lmao, but if you can find any substance in there i think it’d be neat! obviously you don’t have to use anything but if you want to look here’s the link! x

sorry this is probably like way too much info but i hope it helps :)) uh tldr; we’ve got a good group of mostly older players, no all stars really but we make so. we’re good but not quite good enough to take it home, and definitely doomed by the narrative

— @ilya-sorokin

i hope you know this was like 99% of the inspiration for the islanders edit, so i owe you my life🫶

[bohemian-nights]

nettles was theorized being the only non valyrian to claim a dragon the same way the shepherds did for yrs, for some reason its now that ppl suddenly believe she's his daughter which was never a popular theory or even entertained until daem*ras started to go crazy on twitter

their fake outrage about nettles is also very funny considering rhaenyra was 15 (or younger in the books) when she started getting groomed and kissed by daemon in brothels and suddenly they think he cant have an emotional affair with a young girl when we all know daem*ra is a crumbling relationship at best it was never really interesting in the books cause there relationship is barely touched on

i think its on the showrunners for romanticizing it so much including behind the scenes but its also stupid to think daemon is a good spouse considering all he's done in s1

I think these fans know that Nettles isn’t his daughter, but the fact that they insist that Daemon only saw her in a father/daughter light does not make sense. Yes one source does claim that Daemon saw Nettles like a daughter, but that same source also says that Daemon and Nettles bathed naked together 🫠

They will wholeheartedly believe the first claim at face value. This is the main basis of their argument against the romantic relationship between Daemon and Nettles. Cause that is the only source that claims Daemon saw her as his daughter, but somehow the second claim(made by the same source) is a lie or it’s not what it appears to be🫠

I don’t want to go there, but did these fans bathe naked with their dad or their father figure at 17? No one is having father daughter bonding time naked with their dad(if you are let me call the cops for you cause that’s not right).

Yes Nettles grew up an orphan who lived on the streets, but there is no reason for Daemon to hop in the bath with her to show her how to bathe properly.

The man was prince and the castle they were staying at had plenty of female servants that could help Nettles out. Nettles was also not an infant. She could bathe herself. Use your brains people.

They do not care about the “grooming” they only care that Nettles will be the “final blow” to Daemyra(which is why they are so defensive). If they really cared they would dislike Daemon x Rhaenyra as much as they do Daemon X Nettles.

The ship is stale and that is what gets me. If you read the book(s) Daemyra is not this epic romance these stans are making it out to be. Their relationship on screen is dry to me. Daemon has 0 chemistry with adult Rhaenyra.

It’s like am I watching the same show? Show!Daemon is being portrayed as this man obsessed with proving himself(he’s like this in the books) and has a general love for chaos.

His approach to his wives so far and just everyone in general is not the most loving(an understatement I know). I’ve got a problem with this, cause I think Daemon does have the capacity to care for/love others w/o a motive, but I won’t get into that right now.

The director/show creator has come out and said that Daemon is lowkey obsessed/in love with his brother and sees Rhaenyra as an extension of him, but you guys somehow think Rhaenyra is the love of his life 🙃 Whatever drugs these people are on I want it cause I too would like to be that delusional.

[blue-tech]

ive been thinking about that one theory I heard of the Magnemite line being aliens....... and ngl I really do think Magnemite are probably some sort of extraterrestrial aliens.

epic pokemon theory time

like... Magnemite looks so artificial and mechanical, I think it's highly unlikely that this sort of creature evolved from other biological creatures. The only other magnetism Pokémon I know is Probopass and it looks a lot more natural, more like a rock creature. But Magnemite looks so distinctly like a robot...... However, I don't believe that Magnemite was man-made, that's a little boring and if it really was man-made it would have been made a lot more obvious. I also don't think it evolved based on human creations (the screws and magnets), because it was shown to have existed at least 3000 years ago (From the Kalos war flashbacks). There are other Pokémon with artificial appearances such as Klink, but I don't really know much about their origins. From what I've read, they might have been discovered 100 years ago, but they might possibly also have been the inspiration for modern day gears. So, if Klink did just evolve to be gears naturally without any human interaction, then I guess there is a chance that Magnemites could have been completely natural too (unless they are aliens too?????) but honestly anything can happen, because it's also implied that Clefairy are aliens...

The thing that really makes me think Magnemite are alien drones is Magnezone. Ppl don't like it's design for some reason, but I think it's a cool ending to the line and it adds a lot of mystery to the Magnemite line. The Pokédex entries say that Magnezone are observed to be sending and receiving unknown signals to and from space, which is already saying a lot. This is probably the best piece of evidence to show that Magnemite are aliens. Why would any natural Earth creature want to do that??????? Also, the fact that Magnezone is shaped like a UFO could just be Gamefreak hinting that they're aliens. The way that Magnezone's center red eye really looks more like a sensor than an eye (due to lack of emotions) really sells the idea of it being some sort of drone too.

So, I think that Magnemite are alien drones sent to study Earth, and I think I can use that to explain some of it's features. For one, I think they're probably biomechanical creatures, seeing as they also have eyes (but idk if they're organic eyes or just metal too), and possess the desire to eat and reproduce like other living things. This could mean they were built to be self-sustaining drones that have been collecting and transmitting data about Earth for thousands of years.

Another really interesting feature that I think fits perfectly with the idea of Magnemite being extraterrestrial is it's evolutions. Magneton is known to be a really odd design, being just three Magnemite stuck together. It's a nice reference to magnets, but other than that it's never made any sense (just like Dugtrio but I don't wanna talk about those guys). People are also confused about how the evolution works. Does Magnemite find two other Magnemite and then they link up to make Magneton? Or does the single Magnemite grow another two identical Magnemite? For my theory, I think it's the latter. Another interesting thing is that the Pokédex entries for Magnezone say that Magneton needs to be exposed to a special magnetic field, then it's molecular structure will change, forming Magnezone. I think.... (Crackhead theory time) that Magneton was NEVER supposed to be an actual evolution in Magnemite's line. Magnemite's alien creators intended for Magnemite to evolve directly into Magnezone. Small developing baby grows into strong adult drone ready to perform its duty. Magnemite was meant to simply grow two extra side eyes when it evolves, allowing it's middle eye to be a sort of sensor. BUT, in the alien home planet, the Special magnetic field (that evolved Magneton into Magnezone) is present throughout the ENTIRE planet, so the aliens never considered that things might go wrong when Magnemite is in a planet that lacks this special magnetic field. So Magneton is kinda like an incomplete evolution. It needs the special magnetic field to finish evolving into Magnezone.

Anyways, do you think that Magnezone are territorial because they like to reserve an area to study it in greater detail? And do you think maybe the Magnezone that are owned by trainers are actually using this as an opportunity to gather data about their trainers?

TL;DR I think Magnemite are self-replicating drones sent by aliens to study and co-exist with life on Earth.

sorry if this theory kinda sucks idk how to make good theories and I wrote this at 1am

[the-meme-monarch]

Suggestion: Maybe make a tag for like, posts involving discourse, like all your posts headcanon policing scc, being really rude to r34 artists, and discussing more srs issues, I love your art but admittfly im over sensitive about fandom. Cause like, its sad to see and artist that contributes such epic things to Fandom discouraging others from doing the same.

Sorry if this came off as rude at all. I've been sitting on sending this for a while and was worried I'd be bad at wording it (I'm autistic, tbh i, probably completely misreading your tone in these posts as harsher as I struggle to pick up on humor sometimes) all of this is very much /lh, I just dont wanna unfollow but I'm not sure what tag I should block?? Maybe you already have a similar tag that would work??? Sorry for taking up your time, I hope you have a lovely day :3 I love how cartoony your artstyle is. Tbh itd be cool if you made like, art tips posts nshjjdks your lines and shape language and colors are all top tier

I'm more confused than anything here so i hope this doesn't read as mean: As far as i can tell my "headcanon policing" is either me saying "sweet isn't jaded and isn't mean all the time" or "scc are teenagers" or "i think scc are siblings" which those first two are like. canon. third one i just tack on a 'dont tag as ship' tag bc i don't want ppl reblogging it and saying shit like "awwe the boyfriend's" on art where i am writing them as siblings.

I'm only mean to r34 artists who draw porn of minors. i don't like porn, period, but I'm not gonna be shitty about people drawing adult characters. (aging up characters who are minors is different. they looked at a child and wanted to sex them up, so they aged them up. which isn't alright)

and I'm really not sure what you mean by tagging more serious issues? I have trigger tags. if i forgot to tag something feel free to tell me so, or if you want a specific thing that I don't currently tag for, feel free to ask. asking me to tag "discourse" here is really vague

and also like. i have Just an art blog if that's all you want to see from me. @the-monarchs-art-gallery

[rumpunch]

HIIII so… i finally got to see hadestown this weekend (the national tour production) w two of my best friends 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 i knew we were gonna see it for months but i didnt want to post abt it beforehand / acknowledge it in any way after making plans bc i was scared i would jinx it like what happened when i posted / talked abt seeing shows on the west end and then covid hit and sent me home lol. but i can’t believe i finally saw it!! it doesn’t feel real and honestly didn’t until right now as im writing this….. being in the theater was truly an out of body (and mind lol) experience for better or for worse. this was my first time seeing a show since covid and im soooo glad it was this one given how much it’s meant to me for all these years 🥹💗

i have a lot of thoughts on the production and also the plot / story so here they are lol:

production thoughts

for context ive never seen a hadestown 👢 before, i told myself that i wanted my first experience of seeing it to be actually seeing it in person. but ive listened to the obcr 5798673594 times over the last 3 years and the songs have become thoroughly woven into my life... so that made for a really weird experience where i knew every word but was watching it unfold for the first time and yet i knew what was coming for the most part. that also could be chalked up to the fact that ive seen so many gifsets and have read so many posts about other ppl seeing the show so i did know about some visual things.. but yeah it was just weird what i knew / expected and what i didnt lol

my friends and i sat in the back right corner of the mezzanine (like the LITERAL corner. no chairs behind us or next to us and the exit right next to us) and sadly the balcony in the set was cut off for us so we had to keep leaning across each other or scrunching our heads down to see the action up there :~/ but it was ok

i think bc of the above two bullet points + the fact that i really did not let myself believe that i was going to see the show bc i was scared of jinxing it + me having depression / possible derealization issues that i did not have when i first got into this show... i was kinda numb the entire time which sucks a little. i cried a couple times (happy / disbelieving tears in road to hell (persephone's entrance specifically for some reason, idk why it wasnt the "aight"s LOL) and any way the wind blows, sad tears in doubt comes in) but i didnt really... process anything in the moment or really experience the epic highs and lows of it while watching it. i just generally wasnt very moved! and im processing the show right now for the first time. and that kinda sucks and is unlike me and unlike what i thought seeing it was gonna be like. in a similar vein i found myself really focused on whoever was in the spotlight and im kinda mad at myself for that bc this is a show where SO many little details / context clues are communicated when ppl are in the background. but its fine i guess, i may be in a weird place mentally but i got to see it and maybe i'll see it again someday and be more moved

the cast was PHENOMENALLLLLL. j antonio rodriguez was our orpheus and he was the standout for me, his singing and acting as were breathtaking! i was frustrated about hannah whitley (eurydice) though bc like (and i feel bad for saying all of this)... nobody can be eva noblezada but hannah was missing a lot of notes / singing off key and kept like.. idk what the technical term for it is but she was kinda singing on her own beat and adding in a lot of pauses or rushing into things instead of staying on pace with the music and also she kept kinda revving up into the high notes and all of it grated on me. but i grew warmer to her singing in act 2 and i really appreciated her acting throughout! i didnt rly have many thoughts about hades (matthew patrick quinn), persephone (maria christina oliveras), or hermes (nathan lee graham) aside from ADORING all of their performances and what they brought to the roles compared to the obc! and the fates (dominique kempf, belén moyano, courtney lauster) / ensemble (kc dela cruz, colin lemoine, sean watkinson, shavey brown, raquel williams) / musicians were INCREDIBLE and had such amazing chemistry with and between each other :~D

antonio made for a bolder more charming orpheus and hannah made for a darker moodier more tortured eurydice which was interesting. but (and maybe this was just me dealing with the whole numbness / already knowing what to expect thing) i wasnt really convinced about their love story (specifically the early parts of it in act i as they were falling in love) or that orpheus in particular was insecure and vulnerable to the fates. but they did have some good chemistry in act ii especially and i was rooting for them so hard despite knowing wht was to come :~(

i knew that on broadway they have that little elevator in the center of the stage so i was curious about how it would work in the tour and... they had this giant oven box thing with moving doors! i actually really liked that, it made the whole idea of traveling to / from hadestown seem more sinister. that said i was kinda bothered by it during doubt comes in because orpheus and eurydice had to walk around the entire stage to make sure eurydice was positioned in front / inside of the oven and it kinda spoiled the ending in a way (even though we all know how that ends)... im guessing that on broadway its less exaggerated and you dont see it coming bc all eurydice has to do is just move over to the side a little. but idk i'll finally let myself watch a 👢 and see what the difference is

i couldnt take my eyes off of hades and persephone during promises. they started the song with hades kneeling with his head against persephone's stomach and then he stood up and they just hugged.... for a LONG time. like at least 3-5 minutes. and i was like god i wish that were me and i was thinking about what that mustve been like for the actors playing them.. like if thats a moment that they share and look forward to or whatever bc i know i would. it made me think about jenna's dear baby monologue in you matter to me LOLLLL

i saw from another post i read on here (as i was pregaming for the show by scrolling thru my hadestown tag LMAO) that orpheus runs through the audience at one point? and he didnt do that for us that i saw which i was bummed about. maybe thats just a broadway thing

i had no idea the set splits open during wait for me!!! it was so cool

i also didnt know / fully realize that hades produces a flower for persephone during epic iii 😭 the tears in my eyes... also speaking of epic iii hades singing the lalalalalalalaaaa got a LAUGH and i was so MAD!!!!! i get that its kinda funny because it just sounds so weird in his voice and its a startling moment... but that pissed me off bc the moment is supposed to be so tender and heartbreaking and the audience didnt appreciate that.. augh.

since its pride month the set was initially lit up with rainbow lights and in act ii hermes had little rainbow tassles on the ends of his sleeves!! :~D

plot / story thoughts

another context bullet point to kick us off: i discovered hadestown in the spring / summer of 2019 which was an INCREDIBLY formative time for me and so many aspects of the show (creative expression as a tool / forum for bringing about the world as it could be (and illuminating the possibilities in the world as it is), discovering that you have agency, love / loyalty / betrayal / sustenance, finding your purpose, etc.) were profoundly relevant to things that i was awakening to at that exact place and time in my own life. so i went into this experience hoping to have more insights like the kind i had when i first listened to the obcr... and i didnt really. i mean i had some but they didnt feel as profound i guess? and again that may just be me having mental health issues now that i didnt have then.. but that was a thing that i was aware of and kinda sad about. so yeah

that said... the main thing along those lines that i did take away (which really only hit me while watching epic iii / promises) is like... love is agency is love is agency is love.... or something like that. at least that they coexist and happen together. the oppressive conditions in hadestown and the poverty in the overworld strip the gods and humans alike of... their humanity (which is weird to apply to the gods but still)! their sense of self, and their love for each other and the world. the moment that became clear for me was in epic iii when the workers took off their goggles one by one and it was like.. they could See again! they could see themselves and each other, they were holding hands with each other and singing together. and they saw a future that they could create together. and hades was letting persephone dance and she kept spinning away from him with her arms outstretched like a bird but then coming back... idk. im not articulating this well and i need to think about it more and let it simmer for a bit and maybe watch a 👢 to get all the details. but it was like yeah... the opposite of capitalism imperialism etc etc is love and agency and they go together and they are the same thing.

another thing i need to think about more: orpheus went to hadestown all by himself to get eurydice! how come he was so confident then? he was LITERALLY alone. he didnt know where she went or if she would come back with him. and he didnt have the workers following him (though they were there in wait for me swinging the lamps, but i interpreted them as being like... part of the scenery i guess). he was completely alone and operating off of hope AND THE FATES TAUNTED HIM TOO and he was like... fine! so then in doubt comes in.. when he has all these people including eurydice following him... like idk. maybe its just because he'd confronted hades who couldnt fully be trusted and he knew that eurydice had turned her back on him and stuff... like maybe its just because on the journey back he'd experienced things that caused him to doubt / mistrust the people he was journeying with / from and that's what made him vulnerable, not so much the physical loneliness but the emotional loneliness that comes with a betrayal. which is something i just realized typing it out lol. but that kinda agitated me bc its like... he was FINE the way up so why did he crumble on the way back :~(

doubt comes in is such a fucking GUT PUNCH btw. i wanted to cry harder but didnt let myself bc i didnt want to be too loud or soil my mask. but i was so so scared to see it and it devastated me. its just so... SAD. and its so... like i relate to / identify with orpheus SO much yes in part because of the creative expression / seeing the two worlds thing but also because of doubt comes in specifically. its just so so so sad. he had all of these people including the person he loved most cheering him on and echoing to him. and he couldnt hear them. and he couldnt internalize how much they loved and believed and trusted in him. and he turned. that is so wrenchingly real. and it hurt so bad to see it playing out on the stage knowing what was about to happen and then WATCHING it in all the brilliant horror. like thats another insane thing the way the lights get so wildly bright. actually now that i mention that i think the lights are brighter in hadestown when bad things are happening. like hades saying I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY etc etc. that could be a whole post. someone should make that

im thinking a lot about The Song and whose song it is and actually WHICH song it is. bc if you think about it... so we're introduced to the lalalalalalalaaaa and whatever song that is which builds in the epics. and that song incites a lot of action like orpheus (quite literally!) tuning out eurydice which causes her to choose to go to hadestown, and hades realizing what love is and whatever. but another song that is equally if not more catalytic is.... IF IT'S TRUE!!!! bc thats the song that sparks the revolution among the workers and gives orpheus hope that he almost lost after learning about eurydice's betrayal and inspires eurydice to fight for something instead of succumbing to her fate. and in wait for me reprise when eurydice is singing "echoing OUR song" "the falling of OUR feet" ... like they're not alone as just the two of them, the workers are coming too!! so which song is she referring to! what if it's actually "if it's true" and the hopes that orpheus has stirred up about what the world could be?

btw speaking of orpheus tuning out eurydice... im sure this point has been made 5476463979 times but its rly interesting to think about how love languages (for lack of a better way to put it, ik that can be kinda reductive) work in this show. eurydice and orpheus both attempt to address the storm but the ways they choose to do it are different / dont align: eurydice tries to manage the short term by searching for food and firewood, while orpheus works on the song that will bring spring back and stop this kind of disaster from happening again. but iirc they dont talk about how they're going to take these two different but equally important strategies — eurydice at least interprets the song as being unimportant and orpheus just... straight up seems unaware of the food / firewood thing also being important. so theres a communication failure and eurydice interprets the silence as abandonment (for good reason, also relatable) and turns her back (ha!) on orpheus. and then with hades and persephone... hades does all these big flashy power gestures to show his love for persephone but it's the exact opposite of what she wants and they dont see eye to eye about how to express their love for each other either. yeah

speaking of eurydice making that choice... like yeah. sigh. betrayal is such a huge thing in this show. trust and betrayal. eurydice was (kind of) leading orpheus through the immediate short term danger of the storm and she turned on him. and the fact that she did was part of the reason orpheus turned on her. they made their vows in promises that they would walk side by side but he couldnt get over it (partially bc they literally weren’t allowed to physically walk as they planned but still). and eurydice said "im right behind you and i have been all along" and its like no you havent been thats the entire plot of the show lol (again for understandable reasons but still!)

another thing im sure has been analyzed 456456984 times but its interesting to think about hermes watching everything playing out while knowing how it will end and not choosing to intervene. idk what that means and my laptop is running out of battery so im not going to dig into it but im just thinking on it. BUT ALSO THAT GOES FOR US AS THE AUDIENCE like so many ppl probably know how it ends and maybe some ppl are seeing it multiple times and its like... anyone could intervene and change the story (within reason ofc). also goes for the other ppl on stage too like the musicians etc. its just interesting to think about the implications of that and what would happen if someone tried it both "in character" and "out of character" i guess

its interesting to think about the role walls play in the show too. like the wall hades is making the workers build to keep out the "enemy" and keep them (him) powerful and prosperous in their (his) isolation vs the walls repeating the falling of feet, echoing songs... letting people know theyre not alone. and the fact that that doesnt happen in doubt comes in even though orpheus is being followed by a whole crowd basically. idk. fascinating

ok those are all of my thoughts i think! i also saw some interesting posts / takes that im going to rb again bc theyre on my mind as i interpret the show but i dont want to put them in this post bc theyre not my original thoughts. ty for reading if you did :~D this is a glorious new era in rumpunch nation im so glad and grateful that i can finally say ive seen this beautiful show!