#so yeah it wasn't necessary IMO

[notalicorn]

Building up on this post, I love how Tatarigoroshi doesn't give you satisfaction of the murder.

You see Teppei abusing Satoko. You hate him. Like Keiichi, you might think that the only solution is to kill him. And murder in fiction can be enjoyable to read, I guess some readers hyped up for the murder.

Ryukishi gives you the murder you asked for but doesn't give you the satisfaction you wanted. The murder scene is long and painful to read. The whole plan of "killing him with a single hit, burrying him and disposing of the motorcycle" becomes an endless ordeal and almost misses at a couple of times.

And in the aftermath, everything goes out of hand. Satoko as all but saved.

An overarching lesson is: "Don't go to murder, it an act of desperation that won't solve your problems." Meakashi and Tsuhimihoroboshi explore this theme, but I think Tatarigoroshi is the chapter it works the best.

[yan-est]

hi there koni! i rly rly enjoyed the yan! househusband hcs and i'm also rly excited to see more of your writing!! with that being said, how did reader even meet yan! househusband? what was their love story like?

AAAAA my first ask⁉️ omg thank you anon, glad you enjoyed the hcs! now here are some crumbs teehee

sfw, implied manipulation

meeting with yan!househusband for the first time would be pretty cute imo. i can't really see him falling in love with someone during his adulthood, especially since that's when all of his issues came up, soooo i mostly see him falling for reader during their high school years together. so now you'd think that they'd be high school sweethearts, right? mmm, not quite.

you, my dear sweet reader, would barely notice him during your freshman year. he wasn't exactly the most popular or the liveliest student around. he was actually the quiet kid who sat in the corner of the class. nobody really paid much attention to younger!yan!househusband, except a lot of people knew that he rides a limousine on his way home. yeah, he's filthy rich.

but then, on the first day of sophomore year, you were late to class and the only seat left was next to younger!yan!househusband. well, not that you were complaining or anything. he mostly kept to himself and only talked when necessary. you thought he was reserved, until one sunny afternoon during lunch break, you caught him doodling on his textbook. when you peeked at it, the person he drew looked a whole lot like you.

that'd be the first time you two would actually interact with each other, but younger!yan!househusband would be an absolute flustered mess when you realized that it was you who he drew on his textbook lmao.

days after that event, you realized that he wasn't actually so bad. he comforted you when all of your friends suddenly left you without any explanation, he made sure to walk you home after school, and most of all, he'd leave snacks on your desk. how did he know your favorite snack…?

eh, well, it doesn't matter. what matters is that every time you think of high school, you'd think of him. he was always there in the picture. always.

so it wasn't really a surprise when the moment you two graduated, he nervously brought out a promise ring and asked you to be his significant other. you found his actions endearing, and so— of course— you said yes. oh, darling, you really had no idea what you were getting yourself into, huh?

[ellenchain]

It's funny to me that Viktor is canonically ace and Jayce has sex on screen, but I like to headcanon Jayce as the ace one and Viktor as allo!

After all it's not like Jayce showed any interest in Mel before she dragged him to bed.

Viktor is canonically ace? Oh, I didn't know that!

I mean, I can well imagine that he lives extremely for science and that other people would only hold him back from important projects. But in my head he's more demi…

I know, it's also a form of ace, but somehow he's just so busy with science for me that he doesn't have TIME to deal with romance. Maybe it also has to do with self-worth, that Viktor has had bad experiences in the past with himself/his disability and other people on a romantic/sexual level. But he doesn't seem to me to be averse to love and if the right person is there (Jayce) I can well imagine that he can also feel physical love for that person. But it's probably just my headcanon, I mean we know absolutely nothing about Viktor and his love life lmao

But yeah... I'm unfortunately a 'Viktor is constantly horny for Jayce' truther (if he is not occupied by his glorious evolution and all). that one look told me everything I needed to know:

With Jayce we know more and I agree with you that a lot, if not all, of the relationship actions came from Mel. But I can't see Jayce as ace either, more like… ‘when the opportunity arises, nice’ but otherwise he wouldn't initiate anything himself. He's happy with what he gets, so to speak. He's not demi either, he's just… a lovely person who probably sees something good in everyone and Mel is an attractive woman who has shown interest in him, so he probably thought ‘why not?’ I'm also convinced he still loves her, but it just wasn't enough for a relationship. What I mean by that is that he won't just let himself be conquered by anyone, he probably needs a certain amount of affection to let it be sexual. But this affection doesn't necessarily have to be romantic.

imo Jayce is also way too easily overwhelmed by too direct flirting lmao Ximena has raised a very polite and courteous young man, he would probably be far too shy if someone were to hit on him like 'you wanna f?'; which is certainly why he reacted rather shyly with Mel and/or therefore wouldn't initiate anything. He is the very model of a (slightly timid) gentleman!

other than that, I see Jayce as more detached from his own emotions. I've talked about this on Twitter for longer than necessary: https://x.com/ellenchain/status/1871091449166766588

[jaegerisim]

Vent post y'all are gonna hate me for.

I viscerally hate how the Duffers treat most of their non white or queer characters and I hate even more viscerally, how y'all big byler blogs in your circle jerk of other 5 big byler blogs casually like to ignore many red flags the show has.

Y'all like to say: "tHe DufFeRs ArE gReAt WrIteRs" and it's like girl, who are you lying to??? They aren't top shit writers at all. The Duffers are pretty mid imo. Yeah, they run a good show that's fun to watch and theorize abt , but that doesn't mean they're good writers cuz they're not.

1. they completely side lined Will during s3 for the sake of their straight romances: lumax, jancy, mlvn, duzie and partly stobin (even if stobin wasn't endgame, thankfully, Steve's intentions were clearly wanting to date Robin and they gave it a lot of screen time). Will was sidelined bc he didn't fit the straight romance plotline bc they planned to make him gay or whatever. Now in s4 Will and his feelings have been used as mlvn toilet paper. Yes, we like to say this is build up for byler but canonically, Will's feelings have been used to clean the shit mlvn leaves behind.

2. Billy was sympathized a lot during the last 2 seasons. They gave him the sad backstoryTM in order for ppl to feel sorry for him. Billy's backstory is literally Jonathan's but whatever.

3. El's anger issues are constantly girlboss-ified. They down play her bullying situation and literally just use it for El to be a ''girlboss" without realizing how triggering that is. As someone who has lived bullying, seeing it be ignored by canon and fanon is super sad. The whole Rink-O' Mania experience must have been so traumatizing for her yet, everyone absolutely forgets abt it 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. Robin, Erica and Argyle are stereotypical characters. Robin is the quirky lesbian with social anxiety, Erica is the badass black woman and Argyle is the Latino stoner that sells weed to white kids and works as a pizza delivery guy.

5. Altho Argyle and Eddie both do drugs, (Eddie actually sells K-12 to a minor and nobody batted an eye. He has a huge fan base). Eddie is held in a pedestal bc "poor thing 🥺 he lives in a trailer with his uncle 🥺". Tell me a single fact you know abt Argyle that isn't "he smokes weed", "he is Jonathan's only friend", "drives a van" and "he works at a pizzeria". Exactly, Eddie is given a useless backstory and Argyle isn't.

6. Dustin stopped being important to the plot sometime around s2 and s3. He is only there to curse and be mildly funny. My guy needs to hangout with ppl his age cuz he only hangs out with seniors.

7. El needs to stop having so much "I'M THAT BITCH" screentime like I need in s5 for El's arc to not just be her becoming more powerful and falling in love with Mike. I need the Duffers to explore her trauma and problems.

8. Angela should have been run over by the van.

9. Patrick should have been given a backstory that isn't the basic "strict black parents that hit their kids cuz they are a disgrace". Patrick's backstory is actually racist af, fight w the wall.

10. As Lex already said, they didn't trigger tag the ep where Jason and his friends assault Lucas and Erica. Like wtf? Why was that necessary? Why did I have to see a black boy being held at gunpoint by some white guy?? Was it relevant to the plot?? I don't think so. And then I've got to see ppl online be like "Jason wasn't that bad. He was just mourning" like bitch you can stfu. This is what happens when you make the racist assholes conventionally attractive.

Also the fact that Lucas's arc is fulfilled by him fist-fighting Jason and "embracing his weirdness" aka accepting he is black. His arc was not fulfilled at all cuz that ending spoke so loud to me. It showed how little empathy ppl have towards the struggles poc ppl living in the Midwest have. Y'all circle jerks can only see racism when it's super obvious.

Furthermore, parents complained when ST showed "an excessive amount of smoking" yet nobody batted an eye when Billy tried to run over Lucas, when Erica (an 11 y.o ffs) was chased by white kids or when Lucas was held at gunpoint by Jason.

All of this happened while they focused on Max's guilt and mourning that, yeah, are important but certainly not less important than racism!!!

11. In s3, they gave us that whole Nancy vs The Bigots arc that was honestly just triggering and useless. It didn't help Nancy's character at all, quite the opposite it put unnecessary angst.

12. Lonnie being presented as an abuser just for him to never be spoken of again. Can we please get to explore the trauma he left the Byers's with?

13. The fact that both queer relationships are considered "sloppy seconds" is extremely sad. Both Vickie and Mike are rebounding from their failed relationship with Robin and Will. These 2 ships have caused more commotion than Jancy and Jopper together! (These last ships are technically sloppy seconds too but everybody forgets that. Shocker!!)

14. Last but not least, ppl blame Argyle for being the one to get Jonathan into smoking weed as if Jonathan probably wasn't the one looking for it. Let me tell you, that you only find weed if you look for it.

[lastofthewardens]

after tonight's episode, i'm just kind of sat here

thinking about why it's so hard for adaptations to just respect source material these days.

not really related to anything that happened. i don't watch the episodes, i won't do it unless i hear foggy is back. i read about what happened and see some relevant clips on social media and that's it.

i know the original show wasn't perfect in this regard but it captured the spirit of many things imo. it's certainly not above criticism, but i think they cared, generally speaking. and there are many adaptations in the past that have made changes but still largely functioned as love letters to the source material. i think the original show did a good job at balancing things, for the most part.

so i don't expect 1 to 1 adaptations of stuff. i really don't. but i do expect respect, and for certain ingredients to be included and matter, because otherwise, what's even the point, right?

the reason this came up is, i was on twitter today and saw some clips from a k*tie c*ssidy interview talking about when her character got killed off on arr*w, and it made me remember how mad that made me. i started reading gr*en arr*w comics specifically BECAUSE i was so pissed about that choice when it happened in season 4. (at which point i learned much more about the source material and had many other issues but still).

it's funny because.. i remember so clearly that when arr*w killed off bl*ck c*nary, the arr*w subreddit changed to be a daredevil subreddit for a while. it was funny as hell, just everyone united under the idea that killing her off was just wildly stupid. the ratings of the show went down when she died! that's how much people cared about comic book integrity and respect for the source material.

and make no mistake, killing bl*ck c*nary in a gr*en arr*w show was WILD. most of the fandom KNEW that was an insane choice because of how important she is to arr*w lore. but foggy gets killed in daredevil and parts of the fandom.. what? praise the show so hard you can't say anything bad without getting downvoted on reddit? lmao

truly the meme of die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

i don't know. foggy is a necessary part of daredevil to me. i don't want to watch a show without him. i don't feel that killing him off shows an understanding of any of these characters or the things that matter to daredevil as a character/story/source material. sure, it's nice to hear matt say wonderful things about foggy, and even i have to admit that that one particular scene was well done, but i don't want that in retrospect, i want matt to be able to say those things to his face. i want foggy to be there in all of the places he should've been in all of these plots. i don't think telling another story about grief is worth losing his entire place in the narrative.

like even if i somehow eat my words and foggy comes back alive (i'm not letting myself hope and i got bad vibes that it's going to stick after watching that scene with frank because that was A Lot for a fake death), i'll be happy to have him back, sure, i'll go back and watch the show, yeah, but.. it doesn't really erase all the problems that exist from this choice being made at all. it just makes them slightly more tolerable because there'd be a light at the end of the tunnel. but this show will never be the same again. they've already covered things and plan to cover things that foggy should be there for, and it's just so noticeable to me that he's not.

my wife and i have been discussing this pretty much since ep 1 came out basically because i've been very upset. i keep telling her that this show is "missed opportunities: the show", and i really believe that. every time i hear about something that happened, or a plot point that could've been cool, or an adaptation that missed something out, i can only think of how much better it would've been in the hands of the old team or even just a different team.

but these days, they don't care about these things. they're not hired to care about these things, they're hired to make something that will make as much money as possible. arr*w only brought back k*tie c*ssidy because their ratings went down.

it's just a huge shame that adaptations now just constantly want to do their own thing and subvert expectations. like.. i guess it's just me, but that's absolutely not what i want. i don't want my expectations subverted, i want to see my favorite stories either continued or brought to life in ways that show love and care. i know i can just watch the original show or read the comics or whatever, but man, i miss adaptations being made by people who just genuinely love the source material. you can always tell the difference, always.

[butmakeitgayblog]

It's not talked about a lot in the fandom but I love how high pitched Lexa's voice is. I know Alycia tried her damned hardest to make it low and intimidating but damn that's the best it can do 😳 she looked hot af as Big Bad HedaTM but the moment she spoke on screen with her unmistakable "oh yeah that's Alycia" voice......... I was a GONER. Like the video of "not everyone, not you" you just posted?? Like somehow I never remember exactly how feminine she sounds when I'm reading fanfics 😂

Because Alycia quite literally was the perfect little delicate bean to play that role 😩

Not to get off subject but like, that's part of why I'd never want a spinoff. No one can play this character but Alycia. No one.

Because I feel like Alycia understood the assignment. In a way a lot of other actors probably wouldn't have, imo. She didn't strain to be something she wasn't or try to add a bunch of vibrato and bass to her voice, because that wasn't the kind of person Lexa was. She could do it to a degree, we see it in the scene when they believe Gus has been poisoned and she commands "No Skaiperson leaves this room!" But even then, filled with anger and fear of losing a confidant and father figure in her life... she still sounds like a young woman who is also just a pissed off leader. Alycia didn't strain to make it gravelier or darker. Because her power in that character doesn't come from false pretenses. She doesn't overtly or heavy handedly try and masculinize herself to convey strength. While I don't think there's anything wrong with that approach by any means, it just isn't always necessary.

And I know there is an argument to be made about them feminizing her even further in s3 for various sexist reasons, I do. But I still appreciated the overall performance and portrayal for what it was because despite all of the show's flaws (which were numerous 😒), letting a powerful woman figure be thoughtlessly and unremarkably feminine while also being a bad bitch just isn't something we see a lot imo. Usually if they're feminine, they're shrinking violets who are just shy and dainty and reserved. Stronger figures tend to be more masculine. More solid. More rigid. Deeper voices. Less feelings.

Lexa, however, was really none of those things when you truly look at her, despite the fact that she was unquestionably a larger than life presence on screen. She beat the shit of men twice her size and stood toe-to-toe with her enemies, commanded armies and led 12 warring nations under her iron fist leadership, she lost everyone she ever cared about and had her heart broken more times than she could count and still she dared to let herself fall in love again. Lexa was strong and she was vulnerable, she was lethal and she loved deeply. She was timeless and just a young woman trying her best to be a leader. Lexa was so many things all at once, and I appreciate the fact that Alycia didn't really bog it down with trying to convey her as something she wasn't.

And she did it all with that sweet dainty voice and her post apocalypse contacts and also impeccable eyeliner 💅

[valictini]

I want to take a moment to appreciate all the cool stuff that Tubbo's death brought to the RP.

(obv talking about the characters there)

First of all, the way that it was the culmination of months of RP where Tubbo isolated himself more and more and more, until he genuinely thought no one cared about him? Him constantly putting his last lives on the line, culminating into an EGG of all people killing him? Delicious. Also we got to see Creation again! And we learned a bit more about Tubbo himself! He lost his purpose... Which apparently is a program of some sort? Wdym he wasn't alive to begin with? Is he a cybord-adjacent being like Aypierre? Or maybe something completely different, like a code? A fully grown egg??? So much to think about!

(I could just feel the excitement in cc!Tubbo when he saw the death coming like awwww yes it's all coming together)

(Also absolutely HEARTBROKEN that he died literally like 30 minutes before the Valentine's day event where Fred was apparently supposed to show up!!!! Guy really couldn't chose a worse (better) timing!!!!)

We also got to see the reaction of others too!

New egg drama, with Richas being the one who landed the killing blow. We got to see the horror and despair in Sunny and Chayanne, the only ones who knew for certain that Tubbo wasn't joking. The silent grief, that cannot leave until Tubbo's back. But will he come back the same as before? The possibilities are so scary and I can't wait to see how it'll shape the eggs in the future.

We got Philza who intially did not get it, assuming it was part of the months-long bit that Tubbo was Chayanne's egg and that they were just being dramatic for fun. This made the whole scene that much more tragic imo. And the pay off when realised later that holy shit he's actually dead? So cool. We got him and Creation's first meeting too, and after the initial confusion about whether or not he was a friend (war flashbacks to the day Luffy was kidnapped by a similar mysterious entity that showed up out of nowhere) he ended up doing everything in his power to help Creation, to bring his friend back!

And from what i've seen Fit is in full denial? Like absolutely refusing to acknowledge that Tubbo was even ABLE to die? And fans speculating that Pac might follow suite because of his past traumas? Awesome, can't wait to see how this unfolds. The possibility of a denial feedback loop is really interesting.

And finally as an Aypierre viewer, I'm excited at the possibility for him, the ONE person Tubbo actively dislikes, ending up providing the computer parts necessary to bring Tubbo back, since he's the only cc who has access to computer craft. I know it's unlikely to happen since literally no one knows he has computer craft so i don't think they'll think to ask him for the parts... but one can dream.

So yeah, overall this was a really pivotal and awesome RP moment

[softie-rain]

SOTR SPOILERS (tw my opinions)

Disclaimers: I have made peace with the fact I was not the audience for this book, I'll live with it, everyone is content with a full circle book, I'm not. But I wanna get my opinions out. I've actually already ranted to many of my friends about this SO I'M SORRY.

Also I'm not very good at giving straight points, so I tried to divide them in categories (lol)

My general opinion is that this book was written purely for fanservice. "The theme is going to be propaganda and how it lies to people" ... so you put the point of view of someone who doesn't get tricked by it at all?

[Without mentioning that almost no one is talking about it (other than by pointing out the quotes she put before the story) because all they think about is Lucy Gray still haunting the narrative]

FANSERVICE

This book felt pointless and fanservice because it gave us nothing new. Not about the plot [talking about this again in another point], not about worldbuilding. We found out nothing new about the Games, about the careers (which, in a book about propaganda, is kinda insane to me?), about new characters. Heavy wasted potential if you ask me. Unless you wanted to be sure most of the fans were gonna like it. And how do you do that? By inserting all the fan favourites and giving the pov of one of the most beloved character. And people are confirming this by saying "pepople are complaining about the connections and don't realize sotr wouldn't hit the same without them" like, yeah? So fanservice. The whole point.

THE REFERENCES AND CONNECTIONS

I'm not gonna complain about the Covey[again, talking about it in another point] being there and Katniss' parents (and Peeta's dad). District 12 is small, and we already knew they all knew each other. I loved hearing more about Mags and Wiress and, yes, Effie's cameo was nice. But imo they took away space (by being such important characters to the plot) from other possible new characters.

Plutarch was the best written in my opinion, working for Snow and manipulating the videos yet still supporting the revolution from inside. So wouldn't it have been much more interesting to see his point of view of the story? Especially since he's in such close relationship with Snow, knowing how they manipulate the videos for propaganda.

I will say I was bothered by the amount of Haymitch and Katniss parallels. I feel like there were too many. Haymitch sees himself in Katniss, alright. But they're not the same person.

PROPAGANDA AND THE WRITING

And how are you gonna talk about propaganda but completely ignore the careers, and pass them off as bullies (as always, if not worse tbh), kill the 90% of them in the bloodbath, and use them as villains as usual? "Oh but we got Silka showing humanity and then fighting for the Capitol, cause she got tricked by propaganda" YEAH. Why not show how she got tricked? Why she thinks it's so important to die in the Games, to win them? But no, let's show Haymitch, who never once go tricked by propaganda but his experiences have been manipulated by it.

Everything felt to straightforward? Beetee telling the plan to Haymitch the first time was literally so random?? "did you mean it about breaking the arena? ok cool here's how" like, what?? It all felt so sudden and random, and certainly not how Suzanne writes. Was she in a rush or something? (considering she said she finished the first draft in 2024...)

Because, really, what did this book add to the narrative? Nothing. "Now we know why Haymitch is the way he is." We already did. Haymitch cheated in the Games, Snow got his family and love killed for it, and then he became an alchoholic. All we got is the how it happened which honestly, wasn't necessary to understand the tragedy.

SNOW AND THE COVEY

And what about the Covey? Can someone please tell me why was it necessary for haymitch's girlfriend to be Covey? To make Snow's punishment towards Haymitch once again personal???? This thing is starting to feel like they're all trying to excuse the way he behaves purely because Lucy Gray left him. "He hates Haymitch cause of Lucy Gray "He hates Katniss and Peeta cause of Lucy Gray" OH MY GOD HE'S A DICTATOR AND THEY'RE REBELS. I guarantee you he was gonna hate them the exact same way if it wasn't for Lucy Gray. So, again, what was the point of Haymitch's gf being Covey?

And, oh god, nothing screams fanservice more than the Snowbaird agenda. Really?? Still?? The whole point was that just like the poem her name comes from even us was supposed to know nothing about her. Never bring her up again. Instead Snow is still affected by her and gets triggered like he's still 18. I'll never stop saying how tbosas ending worked perfectly with the Snow we see in og trilogy (since tbosas wasn't planned by then), and sotr totally ruined that. Or, as I call it, the sillyfication of Coriolanus Snow.

Other point about the Covey: is everyone is 12 fucking related to them or what Like, Donner's grandma? Burdock's being Lenore Dove's cousin?? How does that work? Especially considering only Tam Amber and Clerk Carmine are still alive, and there are no tombs if not Maude Ivory's (Lenore Dove's mother), Lucy Gray's and Lenore Dove's. I genuinely don't know how any of this would work.

Without mentioning Lenore Dove lacked personality. "no she didn't!!" She didn't cause she reminds you of Lucy Gray. As much as I like Lucy Gray, I would have loved to see a new personality from a Covey girl (especially since she's Maude Ivory's daughter, not Lucy Gray's. Yet it didn't feel like it at all). "Oh but she was raised by Clerk Carmine and Tam Amber" ok? Proves my point further.

THE CHOSEN ONE(bruh)

The ending felt sooo bad like Katniss was the chosen one. I hate that it's all personal now. The "beauty" (tragedy? dramaticity? whole point???) of The Hunger Games was that it was pure case. Katniss volounteered for her sister. To protect her. She never wanted to be the face of the revolution. And idk, but knowing Plutarch and Heavensbee have been secretly waiting for like 25 years for someone like her really tones it down.

WHAT TF DID I LIKE ABOUT IT THEN?

The plot wasn't bad. The Games part was definetely my favourite (mostly because it was nothing we had seen before, finally), and I liked the teamming up of all the tributes to outnumber the careers.

WYATT AND MAYSILEE. Wyatt was my favourite character in the book, I really wish we got more of him :( And Maysilee was such a strong character, really looking forward to see them both in the movie!

Louella's story was terrifying. Kinda random ngl, but terrifying. The fact Snow is completely alright with throwing a random kid in the Games to substitute a dead one is so disturbing (and should show you him being evil isn't related to Lucy Gray).

The fact we found out Katniss' parents and Peeta's dad names, MY BABIESSSS. Burdock and Asterid you will always be famous, and OTHO. Otho I love u

That's it folks, I don't think I'll spend more words on this book (unless I forgot something, which I don't think I did?) other than to talk about Wyatt, so hope you enjoyed my rant :3

[mulderscully]

been thinking about some peoples complaints about how the movie handled alex's coming out as opposed to the book.

part of me understands because the movie did sort of neuter this as well as the depth of henry's mental illness, but at the same time i understand why. the movie is already two hours long and tbh if they wanted to do a fully faithful adaptation (which imo is not necessary) it maybe should've been a mini series.

and aside from taking out liam, tbh i still think that all happened just wasn't shown, and the fact that this is why alex has always known he's "lowkey into dudes" i feel like people don't fully grasp what alex goes through in that time after new years in the movie.

not every bisexual person has the same experience, but i can relate to alex pretty well both in the book and in the movie in terms of his sexuality cause they actually are pretty similar.

a lot of times when you're bisexual you just feel like everyone feels this way. you sort of feel like being straight is what being bisexual is, because the idea that others do not experience attraction to the same and different genders sounds... fake. like. i'm not even joking when i say i have a hard time believing straight people exist. i fully, of course, believe gay people exist, but people being straight and not queer at all makes me ??? sometimes, even now that i have identified as bi for over ten years.

then, there is a pretty big difference between knowing you experience same gender attraction from time to time and actively identifying as a bisexual person, as a queer person, a member of the lgbtq community.

bisexuals, to this day, are made to feel like we do not belong by both heterosexual people and our own community (which is why ellen telling alex the b in lgbtq is not a silent letter realllly matters) so sometimes you really do just shut out that part of yourself and choose to see yourself as straight because it's not worth fighting all the biphobia that you face, but it's still a part of you that you are shutting out and repressing, which is what alex was doing with henry the entire time and where his alleged dislike of him comes from in the first place. henry hates how much he loves alex so he's mean to him, alex doesn't understand why henry is mean to him because he wants henry to like him because he ALSO has feelings for him and those things clash.

during the time that henry ghosts him alex has time to evaluate himself, his feelings and his identity. he has the time to say "this is not something that i am going to ignore about myself anymore" and it may not be as magnified as it is for henry because they're in different positions in terms of support systems, it's still powerful.

when he comes out to henry, you can tell he is getting used to thinking of himself as bisexual but you can also tell that he is nervous to say the word, because telling someone you're bi is ALWAYS terrifying because you don't know what they might say to it. on top of that, you can feel that it is important to him to say it, to tell henry who he is now that he understands it.

being bisexual and identifying that way, and that being part of who you are and carrying it in your heart is a different thing than being like "yeah, whatever i'll make out with someone at a party" even if the latter is still a valid way to be queer. and sometimes you just look back and realize that [x] experience was NEVER straight.

and the best part of the movie to me is henry's complete acceptance of this. henry never ever questions alex's attraction to him, he never questions if alex will be able to stay committed to him, if he will leave him for a woman, if he's confused, or any of the things that STILL happen in media with bisexual characters as leads and as a bisexual person that has been one of the most freeing things to watch.

so yes, alex's bisexuality is still very important and handled as such in the film, in my personal bisexual opinion.

[dors-ee]

What they showed was smart. It answers the questions "how did he pull her back to want to live" and "does she reciprocate in this universe?" and "reconciling Jinx vs Powder in Main Universe" Yes showing ekko and the tree for himself as character -and not reduced to a love interest- would have been good for him.

But for timebomb I think they showed what was lacking to make their ship more complete in the show.

Not saying the deleted scenes wouldn't have been nice but they were a bonus. Not a necessity. What lacked in the show -and by lakcing it was detrimental to their relationship/characters- was I think "how did he convince her/helped her get better/wanting to live" and "does she reciprocate here". And simply showing them together in main AU. (edit 2 :+ that Ekko loves her here too and not just Powder as in the AU)

I'm not happy with my wording there, I struggle to put into words what what was lacking and what the MV filled. it's The whole helping her see light and a better universe/version of her is possible and that she is still loved and how he reconciles Jinx/Powder for Main AU (and that he loves her here. This version of her.)

Basically the junction and transition from AU to MU and them in MU. ach I'm really struggling to word it here.

The rest of their relationship, what did or didn't happen, is left to us... and I like that. I like that we are left to imagine, that we are left free. That their themes of "what could have been", and the sadness and tragicness, and "we could have had a wonderful life but in this universe it is complicated and sad and we might want but might not get" are respected. (I worded this better in an earlier post, what their ship hinges on/off in the show, imo.) That we are left with "yes there is something in between them. what exactly? dunno. Imagine. But something is there and they have a special bond and he forgives and helps here". And nothing more.

Stories don't have to show and tell everything. Certain minimums are required, and the show lacked in some of those minimum requirement (still does for Ekko and his tree and him a charcater that is not just a love interest as I said). And technically still lacks them. But the music video gives the lacking elements.

And it's nice. I have not hidden how critical I am of season 2. But I think by not going into "let's show everything" with timebomb by leaving the suspense and what could have been and the maybe yes maybe not and it's complicated and tragic in this universe?

That's good. I can't tell it is good writing, bc it isn't. This wasn't in the show itself. So the show itself isn't well written technically, with that.

I still recognize that in general it is good what rhey did by not showing everything and more of their relationship.

this clip hurts yeah. But also I think... it is what was lacking. And more would be a bonus, a nice bonus but not necessary.

Stories have to leave things up for the imagination. or else they're boring, I think. This one is my own opinion. It is a fine line to walk in between what to show what to leave to the imagination. as i said some things have to be shown, they're the minimum requirements. But not everything have to. I am tired of stories that shows it all to you and take you by the hand and just feed you stiff and you have no work of thought of imagination to do. Stories these days are in one extreme or the other and rarely strike the balance... for me timebomb striked it here, with this MV to complete things.

edit : I knew I was forgetting to say something so : i have been having a blast personally with timebomb bc of how open it was left. Enough was/is defined as a starting point... and then we're free. It's so delicious to have this. I haven't had this in so long, this mix of a little given and defined, sort of a "frame", but left open with lots of possibilities.

also : some could and would argue the theme of forgiveness is still lacking (nah a quick "power to forgive" isn't enough). I think it is implied in the video, with him coming to comfort her and bring her back and everything... But I would still agree that it has been left aside a little too.

[fairly-linked]

Soft ✨ (Pining!Legend x GN!Chubby!Reader)

(A/N: content below the cut!)

Okay, so I did a chubby reader with Twilight, but Legend?

Oh my god. I just-- hnnnggggifuckinlovehim💖💖💖

I view Legend as the black cat type of partner, the kind who loves you more than anyone else in the world and would totally commit arson for you but he'd never admit it, y'know? (he canonically fits the bill for a slight yandere imo. Like he's not gonna off anyone unless it's completely necessary but he'd still do it) So I feel like when Legend sees or gets to hold chubby reader for the first time he's just like

Oh my god I love him 💖💖💖 Depresso bunny man has my heart 💖

Enjoy!💖

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Legend's been... struggling, to say the very least. You had no right being so... pretty.

He sighs as he sits on his bedroll, away from the fire. He watches you from a distance as you chat with the sailor, who seems to be telling you a story of some kind, Legend concludes by the sailor's hand gestures.

You were just so... otherworldly. That was the only word he could use. The way your hair flowed in the nighttime breeze, the way you moved, the curves you possessed... It wasn't fair. He wanted to hold you; his arms quite literally ached from the feeling of wanting to just hug you and never let go, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Perhaps if he was a bit more bold, he would.

But he still had an image to keep, and the last thing he needed was someone like Wars saying stupid shit and ruining it for him.

He sighs again, being broken out of his thoughts when sweet little you comes up to him, your voice breaking the silence.

"Hey... You okay?" you ask him so tenderly, he's melting on the inside; but his face remains stoic.

"I'm fine," he nods.

Not entirely convinced, he watches you frown.

"...If you're sure..." you mumble. "Do you mind if I sit here for a bit? we don't have to talk if you don't want to."

He pauses. Half of him wants to say no, because he know he'll be tempted by you sitting so close to him; but the other half of him wants you to stay...

...And that's the part that wins.

"Sure," he replies before he can stop himself. He's a bit irritated at himself for giving in so easily, but dammit, your smile on your cute little chubby face was just so pretty...

"Thanks," you smile at him and sit down next to him, gazing up at the night sky.

You don't sit too close to him, respecting his space; and that makes him love you a little bit more. You were just... so sweet. So gentle, and far too pure for the things he and the chain were doing. Out on the battlefield, slaying monsters, and sometimes evil people... He wanted to protect you from it all. Deep down, he knows he can't, and it frustrates him to no end.

If the goddesses were kind enough for once to let you into his life, they'd better let you stay here. He would go insane if you were taken away from them...

...From him.

He suddenly notices you shiver.

"Cold?"

"A little, yeah..." you mumble, rubbing your arms. He knew well that shirt you wore was way too thin to be actually doing anything against the cooler temperatures of the night, but what to do? He didn't want to let you in his bedroll, lest you take it the wrong way; and he doesn't have anything extra for you to wear...

...He sighs.

"...You can, uh..." he trails awkwardly, patting the spot next to him.

He doesn't miss the way your eyes light up a little.

Don't do that, don't give me false hope.

You smile, albeit a bit nervously, and scoot closer to him; but not close enough. He huffs, closing the distance between you two and wrapping his arms around your shoulders. He can't hold back his chuckle in time when he sees your face turn pink.

"...Relax, (Y/n). I don't bite, I promise."

You nod shyly, your hands coming up to hold his arm. Even through his tunic, he can feel how cold your fingers are; he sighs again.

"...Seriously, you can relax. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything," he says softly, loving the way your softer body presses up against his far more than he should.

You nod again, finally relaxing a little into him. You even snuggle up to him slightly, resting your head right under his chin--

Oh god, his heart's gonna explode. He can feel it, and he desperately prays you can't hear it.

Suddenly, he gets an idea; one he may very well kick himself for later.

"Hey, would you--... Uh..." He suddenly becomes a bit shy as you look up at him, your eyes looking a bit more big and sparkly than he remembers.

He swallows, telling himself to just do it already. He leans close whispering in your ear.

"...Would you mind sitting in my lap for a bit?" he whispers, gazing into your eyes. "You don't have to if that's too much. I don't wanna make you uncomfortable."

He watches your face turn a bright red, and for a moment the words 'shit, was it too much?' ring in his ears.

...But he's very pleasantly surprised when you nod.

"W-Wait, really?" he asks, a bright grin cracking his usual stone-cold facade.

He's overjoyed when you nod again.

He smiles brightly, letting go of you for a moment, only to shift into a cross-legged position and pull you into his lap with a strength you hadn't realized he possessed. He chuckles when you squeak.

"I-I could've done it myself, you know..." you say softly, your cheeks so deliciously red.

"I know, I know," he chuckles. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

Happily, although his face won't show it, he wraps his arms around your plush waist and rests his chin atop your head, sighing contentedly.

Much better.

His mind's in a state of both bliss and overdrive, his thoughts running wild at the fact that he has you in his hold, in his lap even, holding you like he's always wanted to.

The whole time, he can't get over just how soft you are. He imagines it's what hugging a cloud would feel like. And the way your curves press so wonderfully against him, like you were made to fit in each other's embraces--

He stops himself out of respect for you. He can't get too excited here; he doesn't want to scare you off.

...But goddamn, you're just so... perfect. Your hair smells amazing, and you're so soft, so warm...

You might even weigh more than him, and he's... not quite sure why that thought turns him on a little.

"Is this better?" he whispers in your ear, melting as you nod and snuggle up to him. He's so warm, you can't help but feel a bit drowsy. It is late, after all.

He smiles a little, rocking you slightly as notes how cute you look. He won't say it to you, but he wouldn't mind at all if you fell asleep on him like this.

It isn't long before slumber overtakes you, and you're sleeping peacefully in his arms. He smiles, but it fades the second two of his brothers, the Captain and the Champion, approach him, looking down at him with shit-eating grins on their faces as they give him knowing looks.

He sighs; he'd forgotten about the others, in all honesty.

He narrows his eyes at them.

"...Say anything and I'll light your bedrolls on fire in your sleep," he hisses softly.

The two men snicker, walking away.

"Brotherly love..." Wild calls out softly over his shoulder, both him and Wars laughing as quietly as they can so as to not wake you.

"Shut the fuck up," Legend deadpans even more softly, rolling his eyes.

They walk to the other side of the fire, leaving him and you be. He sighs again, rocking you once more, and before he can stop himself, he kisses your forehead.

He pauses for a brief moment, wondering what the hell he just did; but then he figures 'oh, fuck it, they're asleep anyway,' and continues to rock you.

Little does he know, Wild's on the other side of camp with Wars, the two grinning as Wild takes pictures with his Sheikah slate. They've never seen Legend be this soft with anyone, and they love seeing it.

...And whether or not Wild totally doesn't plan on using it as blackmail later on is nobody else's business.

[neutron-stars-collision]

hi this is the anon that wanted to create a thread debunking the lies that primarily solo stans keep spreading.

If you're on Twitter yesterday or today you'll see they are still spreading lies and using those to justify their hate against Luke ( this includes the lies they have made about Antonia).

I wanted to make the thread for days like these.

If we have solid thread we could use that to defend him.

His haters don't care about the truth, they'll keep rehashing the same lies because they truly hate him.

If we have that thread we could just squash it when they start acting nasty again. It's a pattern with them because they want to divert the negative attention away from who they stan.

I am 70% yes towards making it to 30% no.

And if I do it I would make it with others and make drafts for review before it's put out there.

So after today, have your opinions changed or still the same?

Hello again!

Yes, I've seen the bs on twitter and elsewhere, unfortunately. I'm still in favour of the debunking thread, as I think that it's always good to try fighting lies with evidence and facts.

Like you said, it won't convince the haters, but it'll be something. And while I don't think that rehashing the "pap gate" is necessary, as all that needed to be said, has been said, other things like Antonia's assumed zionism, and Luke's "failings" should be mentioned and backed up with truth.

Also, I just saw something today, and I wanted to say... In what world do you think Luke has been blacklisted? Because of going out with his gf? Yeah, sure, makes sense. Idk I'm just annoyed, because imo it makes way more sense to say that he took a little break (which wasn't longer than 3 months including castings, and prep, bfr), than to fantasise about him getting blacklisted for living his life.

Just shut up. Gossip can be dangerous, in case you didn't know yet.

[bthump]

This causality and idea of evil is all confusing to me. Can you explain it to me in a simpler way? thank you so much

If the existence of Griffith is preordained by the IoE, doesn't that make him a victim becoz he basically doesnt have a choice? If Griffith is the manifestation of IoE, what is even "human/real" about Griffith if everything about him (feelings, desire, encounters, choices, actions, personality, genetics) is designed/manipulated in a certain way? manipulated to feel this way, act this way, dream this way etc.

It feels artificial. Yet tragic. How does he even differ to a robot. Does this mean his feelings for Guts is also artificial? Becoz thats the last straw that cemented his decision to sacrifice.

I can try.

I definitely see it a lot different than you do. I don't think the concept of fate in Berserk negates the idea of personal agency. In a way it makes Griffith a victim, but that's true of everyone in the universe in Berserk's world.

It doesn't mean that anything about the people in Berserk's world is artificial though.

Flora describes fate as "encounters" in chapter 203. "God bestows upon us fate. The fate called encounters."

The way I see it the characters are all people the same way people are in our world. They're not being puppeteered or programmed by fate, all their feelings come organically from a combination of genetics and life experience the way all of ours do.

What fate does is ensure the necessary encounters happen to shape people into who they need to be. Fate didn't force Guts to leave the Hawks by bodyjacking him and making him want to leave, but fate ensured that Shizu saw him at the side of the road and Gambino raised him, which gave him self-esteem issues, which meant that when he overheard Griffith's speech he would choose to leave.

Fate didn't force Griffith to make the sacrifice, but fate ensured that Griffith met Guts, that he had a chip on his shoulder as a kid from living on the street that made him want to pursue a dream, etc.

How fate arranges those encounters is handwaveable imo. We're not meant to think that fate puppeteers people into meeting each other either, those also happen organically based on choices each character makes. Guts wasn't forced to overhear Griffith at Promrose Hall either, Guts chose to seek Griffith out because he was feeling miserable and self-hating after accidentally killing a kid.

Whatever fate does involves a very light touch that doesn't negate any characters' own choices.

And on a more Doylist level, it's not something I think we're meant to care about. The story isn't written like the characters have no agency and fate is making them dance like puppets, and if it was it'd be a shitty story full of characters acting ooc. The characters are all organic and fate isn't an excuse Miura leans on to justify any stupid character decisions, fate is a metaphysical concept being explored as part of one of the main themes of Berserk. The point of fate is really just to explore how humanity instinctively wants someone external to blame for bad things happening.

So imo questioning whether the characters' personalities are real or fake is kind of beside the point and not something the story itself ever suggests as a takeaway from fate as a concept. The characters still make organic decisions based on their personalities which have been sculpted from life experience, because they're very well-written characters.

And it's important to the themes of the story that the characters do still have personal agency, because like, fate isn't framed as good lol. It exists because people want to believe in it, so they have someone other than themselves to blame, and that belief is framed as negative. So it's important in Berserk for people to take personal responsibility for their own choices regardless of fate's existence. And you see that sentiment a few times in significant moments:

So yeah, basically I don't see fate in Berserk as ruining the characters because they're still written well and make perfectly believable choices based on their personalities and backstories. Whatever fate does is too subtle to worry about, because it doesn't make the characters feel less real.

I also have a couple of other posts that get into this that I'll link, in case those get my point across better lol, because I feel like I was a little rambly here.

Thanks for the ask, hope that gives you another way of looking at it!

[musette22]

Hi Minnie, it sounds like the reports are saying Chris would be playing someone other than Steve, or possibly hydra!Steve which, UGH. Either way, I'm not happy about it. It sounds like desperation from Marvel because their last several projects haven't done as well as the classic Avengers/Captain America stuff. They're like, hey, we've got RDJ and Chris Evans back, come on, you've gotta watch it now!

IDK what I'm really trying to get at here. It just feels like a bit of a regression to me. Like RDJ's nearly 60 and he still can't get away from Marvel. I'm just hoping that isn't the case for Chris too.

Oh man, I don't even really know what to hope for at this point (aside from the reports just being blatantly untrue), but I do know that I'd take anything over Steve's storyline and character arc being massacred even more. I know Chris has been pretty protective of Steve and the character's right to remain retired post-EG, so I really hope that means something and he isn't going to agree to making this worse somehow. But I don't know, I'm afraid that with the right encouragement and arguments he might just be persuaded to do it anyway, and that would be.... not good, imo 🙃 I can only imagine what horror's they'd be able to inflict on us poor Stuckies and real Steve fans, lol. But let's hope that if he really is returning, it will be as something different and innocent and easily ignorable if necessary.

But yeah, as far as marvel itself is concerned, I think you're absolutely right about the reasons for this move. Someone reblogged the previous ask I answered about this earlier with some really on point tags, which basically boiled down to "this is a cheap tactic to bait people into watching the stuff marvel has been producing since EG because all the plotlines and character developments are so convoluted and farfetched now that you'll basically only understand the new stuff if you've also seen all the stuff they already put out there, which people were less interested in because the shine wore off after EG, but hey (as you said too, nonnie), if they've got some of the OG back, people are definitely going to be watching again right?" It's just... yuck.

It feels like a regression to me too, and another example of that trend in movie making where old concepts that have proven to be lucrative keep being remade and rehashed, because it's a safer bet to make money than to go out on a limb an create something truly original. I don't like it at all, but at least when there wasn't any talk of Chris being involved, I could easily ignore any rumours or news about new Avengers-adjacent stuff because I simply cannot be bothered. Now though... I really hope this is just a rumour that got blown out of proportion and it'll turn out to not be true after all, but idk. Again, if it's true, I can see why Chris might've decided to do it, because he's always loved working with the Russos and marvel and RDJ, plus he'd probably get a handsome paycheck for it too which I can't begrudge him, and maybe, if we're lucky, he'd get to play something cool which actually challenges him... Anything but further desecrating Steve's memory. Still wish Chris would stay far, far away from marvel and focus on other opportunities, though, but alas, that is not up to me.

[musical-chick-13]

I know she is a very old character, but thank you for posting about Molly Hooper, there is so much less positive/neutral/analytical content of her that you have to sift through a lot of her being just put her tag name 😭😭😭

OMG, you are so welcome!

Yeah, the way people treated this (need I remind everyone, completely fictional) woman, and indeed every woman on this show, just about, was. Ridiculous.

And I've seen people complain over the years about Molly being "passive" or "obsessed with a man" or "refusing to move on," but. I can think of several times in-canon that she stood up for herself against said man? And she did make an effort to move on. She tried dating Jim. She got engaged to Tom. Those efforts just weren't enough to fully quell her feelings for Sherlock.

Idk. I've been in that position before, where you try SO HARD to go on with your life and move on from someone, where you do everything people say to do and attempt to put your feelings somewhere else but you just...can't. It is an experience that actually happens to real people. And, yeah, the audience is allowed to take issue with the way an experience is depicted or any messages that depiction might be sending, but the complaints I've seen were literally just about the fact that this was a part of her character at all.

This show, I think, falls into the category I often see about assuming that just because there are critiques you can make about the handling of women in a show (I am STILL ready to throw down over killing off Mary and the way her relationship with John was handled before said death, as well as the fact that they never had the women interact with each other), that we should write the whole thing off as useless.

Like. The fact that Molly's character "revolves" around her feelings for Sherlock is just. Not true? Her primary function in the story is working at the morgue and providing information. Obviously she's incredibly competent. And she is consistently one of the actually nice characters in a show filled with very messy, morally grey people. That contrast is necessary to keep the show somewhat-grounded in reality, like it is trying to be. She was instrumental in Sherlock successfully faking his death, which. Again, she must be. Incredibly competent!! To do that!!! People LITERALLY just hated her for having an unrequited crush on a guy. I hate it here. Get me out.

This show was, at one point, very important to me. And I will, despite the flaws I think it has (for example, why was season 4 Like That™) go to bat for it. It's an imperfect yet, imo, ultimately entertaining show with some fun characters. It wasn't breaking any new ground, and there were some. Uh. Choices™, certainly. Just like every other TV show at the time. I know it's cool to label everything from 10 years ago as Cringe™ and dunk on this show because of an Infamous Shipper Fanbase and the so-called "conspiracy" they proliferated, and also yell at teenage girls for being loud about their celebrity crushes on the lead actor but. Guys. Please. It is not the worst thing to ever exist. Pick better battles.

[darkfictionjude]

I'm a diehard Nia romancer so I'm super excited to see more of her over the next few episodes but also imo I think its a good thing that she wasn't as present in the early chapters.

She without a doubt has the strongest foundations for a relationship with Crowny - even in the interactions we've had with her so far all of her romance (and even antagonistic/platonic options) feels built on years of friendship and understanding, while Imre is only just beginning to get to know Crowny, and Lorcan has years of actively hating Crowny clouding their interactions.

Her not being a part of the investigation so far has made the interactions we do have with her feel more genuine - instead of her being forced to be around Crown for the sake of finding a killer she comes across as genuinely caring about Crown's wellbeing, and obviously understands and cares about them as a person - on a deeper level than either of the boys (as of this point in the story).

It also makes the angst of Crowny feeling betrayed by their best friend more poignant if they feel like she's avoiding them as opposed to hanging around and going right back to being besties again. (Not to mention going straight back to hanging around Crowny feels out of character based on what we've seen so far).

Also it forces Crowny to form some kind of relationship with the boys (even if it isn't romantic) because (at least from my Crown's perspective) if Nia had wanted to go straight back to being friends I really don't see the need for them to have spent any time with Imre/Lorcan at all because they already have someone who they have some semblance of a positive relationship with that they can stick to and investigate these murders with - based on how ostracized Crowny is I can't imagine them putting themselves out there to work with two people they had a tenuous relationship with if there was a 'safe' option readily available to them.

Anyway sorry for the long ask but yeah I just wanted to say that while I'm super excited for more Nia content I think it's a good thing that she wasn't around as much in the early chapters :)

Yes that is what I mentioned that she has a leg up over the boys and a more personal history with Crowny. And feel like it made no sense to shove her in when there’s no point since she doesn’t want to.

Like Nia is having an internal battle between wants and needs. She feels as if she doesn’t need to be close to them but wants to

I love this because I hadn’t thought of it, yeah it does force Crowny out of their safe space. They’ve always had a safety net with Sally and Nia and so they probably never felt the need to do things on their own and venture out. Because development with someone who’s never had it a lot of time has to be a bit forced on them. Like moving out of your parents house, terrifying and unknown but you can’t stay in the nest forever. And even if you don’t like Imre and Lorcan at the very least Crowny is talking to people and being proactive it’s just like the side quests

Nia being away has forced Crowny to live without her and even though it’s painful it’s necessary and a good thing. If they become friends (and/or eventual date) again it will feel on a more equal footing with Crowny not needing Nia to be there as a crutch and Nia not needing to push aside her emotions and personal troubles because of how fragile Crowny has been for most of their life