#sure they have flaws but i love them all so much

[greenmango-kai]

lmao it's okay, I didn't mind the wait

spoilers

He's definitely not the best, but if you think of all the leaders that have been in power, they're not great either so compared to them senkuu is amazing. Senkuu cares so much about his friends (Tries to get Chrome to stay behind while he get the acid so science doesn't disappear, Saves Ruri (someone he's never met because he sees how much she's liked, for his own selfish gain but y'know, point stands)

I'm pretty sure he was the actual club leader in school before the petrification lol

Ryusui probably has more experience with leading larger groups (the Nanami fishing school, can't remember the name sorry)

When I was reading this I was definitely thinking of the 5 generals, they definitely counter and neutralise (words?) the others flaws, I think in the future the main village, KoS and TE will be like the worlds government or something like that which will be good because they've experienced things most people haven't (if the world comes back, not many people will experience the stone world)

I also feel like when Senkuu realises the Legal system is so messed up, he's going to rebuild the whole thing just so Hyoga and Homura get the sentence they deserve ("Do I have to do everything now? This is 10 billion percent boring.")

I Loved treasure island and I love that Hyoga respects women (That's what I took from him fighting Moz instead of Senkuu)

I've never actually read the manga, I'm an anime watcher (I'm sorry) I've been meaning to get the manga because Sai is just a little guy, I have seen a few panels online but I haven't seen it. However, I do want to see Taiju and Yuzuriha actually start dating because those two are perfect for eachother.

I'm happy talking about anything, I really don't mind :)

*eats a chip (crisps or fries) before handing them both back to you*

Happy holidays <3/p

Your honor they're homosexuals

[oddyseye]

Let’s talk about translations of the Odyssey for a second, because, honestly, I’m over here sobbing over how ridiculous some of these choices are.

Every time I pick up a new translation, I hope it’ll finally capture the true grit and messiness of Odysseus, but nope, every one of them polishes him up too much, turning him into either a tragic hero or a charming rogue. Where’s the Odysseus who lies as easily as he breathes, who manipulates his way through every encounter, and who leaves a trail of ruin wherever he goes? I want the man whose brilliance is as sharp as his selfishness, whose cleverness cuts both ways — not just a hero, but a survivor who’s as flawed as he is formidable.

Anyway, I’m gonna break down the biggest mistranslations that really make me want to pull my hair out and remind everyone how different the original Greek actually is. Prepare yourselves.

Let’s start with the absolute disaster that is Telemachus and Peisistratus’ bond. Homer used the word ὁμοφροσύνη to describe their relationship, a term that’s about fucking soulmates, alright? But what do these translators do? They water it down to “just good friends” or “nice companions.” It’s about a relationship where minds and hearts are aligned — telepathic level shit, not just a handshake between two dudes. Yet these translators just gloss over the whole thing, so you get this milquetoast version of their relationship when it’s actually so much more.

Homer says: "ὁμοφροσύνησιν ἐνὶ καρδίᾳ ἐνθα καὶ ἄλλων οὐδὲν ἐπέλθομεν" ("In like-mindedness of heart, where no other man could compare.") So, Telemachus sees Peisistratus as someone he’s totally aligned with, in a way that’s almost romantic in its depth. ὁμοφροσύνη is usually used for romantic couples most often.

Then, we’ve got Odysseus and Calypso, which — oh my god, don’t even get me started on this absolute trainwreck of a translation. The term ἀνάγκῃ is used when Homer talks about Odysseus’ “relationship” with Calypso, but translators somehow miss the force behind the word. It doesn’t just mean “necessity” like they’d have you think. It means force, violence, and distress. When Odysseus is on Calypso’s island, stuck there with her, it’s not this peaceful love story where Odysseus is some willing lover. It’s a prison. There’s no choice, and no one’s riding off into the sunset together. But translations just gloss over this desperation and make it sound so much more peaceful and comfortable than it ever was. It’s forced captivity, and the use of ἀνάγκῃ screams that: “ἔνθα μὲν ἀμφ᾽ ἀνάγκῃ, τῇ δὲ θεὰ ἐρῶσά μιν ἔσχε.” (“There he stayed out of necessity, for the goddess, in her love, held him there.”).

Homer uses the same word when Odysseus describes his time with Circe: “ἀλλ᾽ ἔμεν᾽ ἐν σπέσσι λαῶν ἀνάγκῃ.” (“But I stayed in her halls by necessity.”). Again, ἀνάγκῃ shows that Odysseus's relationship with Circe is dictated by forces beyond his control. His connection to her isn’t out of love or desire, but out of a divine obligation, a situation where choice is completely stripped away. It’s not love; it’s divine manipulation. So much for romantic freedom!

And let’s not forget how Homer actually portrays the suitors and their reaction to Antinous’ violence. After Antinous, in his full rage, decides to throw a chair at disguised Odysseus, other suitors chime in, disapproving of his actions. They say things like “ἀργὸς εἶναι,” which roughly translates to “you’re acting cowardly,” and “ἀτασθαλία,” meaning “reckless.” They’re still on the same side, sure, but they can’t quite get behind the utter savagery of his actions, and it’s maddening how this detail is often glossed over in some translations. They make it sound like they were all in on the violence, but in the original text, these suitors are not all cut from the same brutal cloth, no matter how much some translators want to make them seem like one big mob.

Homer uses the word οἰκέτες to refer to the people in Odysseus' house. "οἰκέτες" means slaves, people who are literally owned by the household. But oh, what happens in the translations? We get “maids” and “servants,” as if these slaves were just there because they wanted to be, doing chores like it was a normal job. But no, they’re not “maids,” and they sure as hell aren't "servants" in the modern sense. These people have no freedom — they belong to Odysseus. The translation of οἰκέτες as "maids" completely erases the brutality of the system that Homer is talking about.

Interestingly, Telemachus, who is often portrayed as rude or immature, calls these individuals “servants” or "maids" in a more respectful manner. This is the same guy who can barely get his act together most of the time, but here he is, calling the οἰκέτες — slaves, remember — not just slaves but “ἄνδρες ἰκέτες,” which translates to "men-servants" or “butlers.” Like, hello, Telemachus! For once, he’s actually treating them like people instead of just the property that they are in Homer’s original telling. Respectful? Who knew?

And lastly, let’s talk about Penelope. Odysseus, when he finally speaks to her, he says: "ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ μὲν ἔμπεδος ἐν οἴκῳ, ἔτλησαν δ’ ἐμαὶ ἄλγεα." ("But you, steadfast in your home, endured my sorrows."). Odysseus sees Penelope as the rock, the one who has suffered patiently in his absence. Unlike the goddesses, she’s his equal in suffering, not a forced relationship due to divine will. He longs for her, and her presence stands in stark contrast to the chaotic, imposed relationships he’s had with Circe and Calypso. Penelope is the constant, the one Odysseus has chosen — no divine manipulation, just pure, enduring love.

Anyway, all of this goes to show that translations can twist what Homer was actually trying to say — especially when it comes to the relationships in the story. It’s frustrating to see these critical, subtle moments get flattened into bland, palatable phrases. Maybe if they spent less time trying to make everything sound "noble" and more time actually getting at the grit of what Homer wrote, we wouldn’t have to deal with these watered-down, emotionless versions of The Odyssey that everyone is so obsessed with.

[salemssimblr]

My Top 24 Screenshots Renders of 2024!

I was tagged by the so many lovely mutuals and creators! Thank you @elderwisp, @savagemagician3, @sikoi, @blvckentropy, @mosneakers, & @azeterna! I love yall so much!

I'm so sorry, despite my very best efforts I couldn't choose just 24, so have 30 instead 😅

Looking at all these together, I'm worried I may have plateau'd just a bit 😅 No but in reality, it's really cool to see that I've refined my style and methods over the year, starting in January and continuing it all through 2024. Seeing progress and improvement is one of my favorite things about this process, so doing these recaps is always enjoyable.

January:

Looking back, I'm still so proud of the first dancing set of renders for Ariss & Vasily, and who could forget the first Alice sighting?? I can't, look at her.

February:

February was a bit of a slow month for me but I still love how this A+tM album cover came out!

March:

March was a bit slower, but I love this set of Ariss (:

April:

April was a goood month, I'm still so in love with all three of these.

May:

MerMay was lacking for me a bit this year, but I really love how my contribution turned out (: & this spicy render of Ariss & Vasily is one of my favorites, if for no other reason than his little fang peek.

June:

June was all about Alice + the Madness! & like LEGIT? I still can't believe I made this Rolling Stone cover? I have a secret, I've tried to make another one for Alice, but nothing has or probably will ever look as good as this one so I've given up lmfaoooo

& this render of Erisande was such a labor of love. I sat down and said it'd be really quick and then spent hours editing meshes and adjusting the lighting... but then, that always happens with me and "quick" renders 😅

July:

Bit of a slow month, but I'm still so floored (& happy!) about the love Millie has gotten! This isn't even a completed render and it's one of my most well-received posts to date haha, but I can't blame anyone, look how cute she is.

August:

Ramping up into spooky season we have two of my favorite renders of all time, my "bog demon" and mothwoman! As obsessed as I am with Ariss and Vasily, it's really nice to do creative one-off renders and these were both SO FUN to do. I hope to do more in the new year too (:

September:

This iconic portrait of Ariss will always be one of my favorites (& is actually my computer's wallpaper rn, but a version updated with her 'new' tattoos), & this render of Kai could definitely be improved on (maybe in the new year...) but it was a really fun challenge! I do see flaws in it now but that's growing and learning!

October:

October was (not surprisingly) a very busy month for me! The idea for the render of Theo & Millie had been rolling around in my head since I first created them, & while the end result wasn't exactly what I was envisioning, I still really love how it turned out.

& though this set of renders for Ariss & Vasily took me FOR-FUCKING-EVER, and I see a lot of flaws even now (after trying my damnedest to have NONE), I still really love it. The end result/edit/colorway was NOT what I planned but I really fell in love with it.

November:

November, the month of ambitious scene-building, pose-making, and upping my skin shader game in a BIG way. I spent literal hours perfecting Ariss' new tattoo, and literal days building the scene for that gorgeous render of Kai.

& I'm so glad yall love that pose set! It was definitely a learning experience and a labor of love.

December:

Looking at this overview, December has been dark and spicy lmfao but I actually love it. Once again, all of these took wayyyy longer than I thought they would when I sat down to start them, but I'm genuinely in love with all three!

& that's a wrap (so far) on 2024! I'm having surgery tomorrow so not sure I'll be able to create/post anything else this year, but I have big plans for 2025! So stay tuned (:

I'm tagginggggggg @kuroashims, @a-m-pyra. @acidheaddd, @gothoffspring, @pralinesims, @thebramblewood, @moonfromearth, @nepotisim, & YOU, I want to see all your creations!

(There were a LOT more creators I wanted to tag but I saw yall have already done this!)

[1shadowhole]

Since it's once again the 24th, here comes the annual reminder from me that Kingdom Come AKA the so called BBC MERLIN'S Canonical Season 6 is actually anything but canon and was made by fans.

BBC Merlin doesn't have a Season 6

And every year people tell me "I don't think that anyone actually believes that Kingdom Come is canon" and every year I cry because no, no a lot of people do. Maybe not on Tumblr but everywhere else you always see comment threads that go a little something like this:

"omg the ending was so sad why did the writers do that?😭😭"

"don't worry! The writers actually wrote the script for Season 6 that later got cancelled, but it's online you can read it!!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THANK YOU SO MUCH"

Ahhhhhhhh

And I also make these posts for all the new, wonderful fans that don't know the whole story, who may stumble upon the Kingdom Come blog and read "the canonical ending of the show" or whatever lie the people who made it wrote and believe it to be the case. Because why wouldn't you? It's says it is! BUT IT ISN'T!!

Why am I so pressed about it?

I mean I ain't going to lie the main reason is because I don't like it and think it is a great example of character assassination and disregard of what the original show wanted to share with the finale.

But I mean there are many fanfics (and kingdom come IS a fanfic) that I think are just as bad if not worse. Why don't I also complain about them? Because it isn't my place! I can criticise some tropes but you'll never see me directly attacking a specific fic by name! It's a story someone made for free just because they like writing.

But since these creators clearly believe that their work is somehow superior and has more value than other fics, I will treat it as such! And if you wanted it to be canon so bad I will criticise it like I do with the actual show. And trust me, as much as I adore BBC Merlin I am not blind to its flaws, and I am very critical about them on here.

So yeah. I think it sucks that a lot of fans believe that's the actual ending! Even if you liked it (and so didn't think that the show ended horribly with all its morals squashed) I don't think it's right that you fell for a lie. I had conversations with people who loved it and think of it as their personal season 6 while knowing it isn't canon. And that's wonderful! But you should know the truth.

So let me repeat this one last time

BBC Merlin has no canonical season 6

I feel like I was a lot harsher and aggressive this time around. I think it's because I lost a close family member just this month, and with Christmas so close my nerves are frayed.

But my goal is to make so many of these posts that when you look Kingdom Come up you find them before the actual blog lol. So anyone reading will know not to trust what the blog says.

And to make it clear. Hidden in their posts they do say it is fanmade. But you have to look for it, and if you just want to read you won't see it.

Plus the way they make it sound, the script they sent to BBC (btw... DON'T SEND YOUR FICS TO WRITERS FFS) was actually accepted lmao. And the only issue was the actors didn't want to come back.

Sure babe, sure. That's how shows work.

Damn I'm so salty today.

Again I wouldn't talk about other fics this way, I swear.

Now go read And like the cycle of the year we begin again. Or the Change Trilogy. Both very different, but very long and amazing possible Season 6s

[hannahssimblr]

Commentary - The Italian Arc

Hello! To wrap up the year I'd love to do a lil commentary on the themes of the Amalfi Coast trip! This was challenging to write, because it was more adult than usual, but overall I was very pleased with how it all turned out.

So!

Let's get into it.

It kicks off with the first important plot point - Jude and Astrid drive the winding mountain road from Naples to Amalfi. Jude, a not-so-confident driver, plays it cool while secretly white-knuckling the wheel, fearful of coming across to Astrid as weak or undesirable to her. He is determined to be the 'right' kind of man for her.

Right off the bat, Jude has unsettling feelings about the kind of people they are, or appear to be. The theme of gentrification and the perils of tourism come up now and again during this section. Something about being on a luxury trip makes him feel uncomfortable, whereas Astrid is perfectly happy with how they are choosing to holiday. Jude is uneasy with the person he is becoming. The person he feels Astrid is turning him into.

Astrid wants to take photographs, so Jude obliges. I wanted there to be a sense that he always just does what she wants him to do without input or protest. Later, at the villa, he carries her bags from the car to the bedroom. He's eager to impress her, but her responses are cool and unenthusiastic. Even the villa itself doesn't seem to thrill her. She's not thrilled by anything to do with him lately, it seems, no matter how hard he tries.

“It’s quite nice,” she says.

"But Astrid can. Perfect, clever Astrid. She gazes at her appearance in the mirror, and smooths out her dress, which shows no signs of having been travelled in. She combs her fingers through her pin straight hair, and a strand comes loose, floating through the sun rays like a strand of white silk."

There are several times throughout this section (and previously) that Jude describes Astrid as perfect, wonderful, gorgeous, beautiful. He's obviously amazed by her, and sees she can do no wrong, but it's delusional. He doesn't completely see her as a human, flesh and blood with flaws and fallacies. The dress comment is emphasizing this. How has she done that? Sat on a plane for hours and come off with no wrinkles in her dress. Magic. Witchcraft. She's not a mere mortal like the rest of us.

Yet here, a crack is showing. Astrid rejects Jude's advances by making up an excuse. This has been happening frequently, and Jude is growing frustrated and confused. I think the people-pleasing is a direct result of this, as he has some idea that if he does everything she asks and is the perfect, devoted lover, she'll come back around and have sex with him again.

Maybe he'll buy her that jug she likes.

Later, at the café, Jude is irked and jealous when the waiter speaks to Astrid in Italian. I like to think that the waiter actually was flirting and calling her beautiful, perhaps even saying something like "what is a beautiful woman doing with a guy like this?" Of course, she insists the conversation was innocent.

Still, she very much enjoyed talking to this man, being complimented and hearing about how she's too good for her boyfriend. It's a pleasant boost to her ego.

The next day, ah, she's swimming to avoid morning sex. It's okay. Make her breakfast which she will not be grateful for.

“Alright,” she gets out of her chair and drifts towards the villa. “I’ll make myself presentable.” 

I like this line because it's indicative of their dynamic, and the work Jude has to do to allow her to drift about and make herself presentable. Who will clean up after breakfast? Who makes sure they are on time for their boat trip?

Enter Silvio and Suzana, the Portuguese couple Astrid befriends on the sailboat tour. Astrid gravitates towards them for a couple of reasons. Firstly, to avoid spending quality, romantic time with Jude, and secondly, to make herself feel important, sophisticated and interesting. She senses their worldliness and is invested in gaining their approval. This is probably the first sign that she's not as confident as she seems - emphasised by the lie she tells them at dinner.

“[we are] Twenty-three,” she says smoothly. I rest my fork and stare across the table at her as she slides a piece of ravioli around in cream sauce. “Jude’s birthday is November, and mine December.”

The ease with which the lie slips from her mouth is a sign that she's done this before. Troubling. Perhaps Astrid is used to bending the truth to gain approval, or to get the things she wants. I don't believe Astrid has other motives here apart from feigning maturity to have a licence to hang out with Suzana and Silvio (28 and 32 respectively).

Jude, meanwhile, feels threatened by their relationship. They're hands-on, PDA loving and completely obsessed with one another. I think he sees the beginning of his relationship with Astrid in them, back when they couldn't keep their hands off one another, and now he's angry. Astrid hasn't been interested in sex in weeks at least, and he's totally in the dark. Why should this couple get to have it and not him? His frustration comes out in his thoughts about Silvio specifically.

Later, perhaps spurred on by the romance he witnessed at the bar, Jude initiates sex with Astrid. She refuses again.

“It was okay. I just didn’t feel like continuing.” I feel foolish. “Well, that’s obviously allowed. Did I do something you didn’t like?” A shrug. “No. I suppose you didn’t.” She has put on the vest now, but is still moving about the room, looking into her handbag, retrieving nothing, looking for something to distract herself.  “Okay, well, it’s really important to me to, um, keep you happy and stuff. I hope that you would tell me if you want something specific.” “Yes, okay.” Picking up her dress now, rummaging in the wardrobe for a hanger. I hesitate. “Am I, you know, doing what you like?” A sigh, hassled, as the clothes hangers clatter. “Sometimes, I guess. Yes.” “I try.” “I know. You’re very good at that. Very attentive.” “But?” “I don’t know. I just don’t feel like it now.”

Later, we learn that Astrid's exact problem is that Jude only does what she says, and never asks her to do what he likes. She's tired of being in control. Compare this to the beginning of the year, when Jude prides himself on exactly this, believing it to be an excellent trait. Smug.

I choose her now, love her in the same way I kiss her and touch her and fuck her, by doing what she wants me to do. It’s not a submissive situation. I’m not into that stuff. I am a man clocking in and doing as he’s asked, thoroughly, diligently, excelling at his job. Eager to please. Employee of the month

You’re doing that anxious thing. I press a finger into the space between my brows. Smooth, no line yet, but I’ll get it someday. One groove to match Christopher’s. From being his son, a life, condemned to doing that anxious thing.

Jude fears he is becoming his father. There are comparisons in this arc to Jude and Christopher, such as the interest in the sailboats, the line he fears will form between his brows, and the sad, empty feeling of being unhappy in a dead, sexless relationship. It serves as only logical that we should compare Astrid to Colette, too. They have similarities in their manner, the coldness, the unwillingness to give approval, the lack of nurturing qualities. In a later scene, Jude feels depressed at the idea that his life with Astrid will echo the life of his parents. He worries that there's no alternative for people like him. It is his destiny to suffer with a woman who chooses not to love him the way he needs.

In the most important scene of the arc, Jude and Astrid finally discuss what is going wrong in their relationship.

“You’re…” exasperated. “You’re so nice. I know, and I’m thankful. You always do what I want you to do, but… I want you to do something else.” Sharply. “What?” “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to have to tell you.”

The first striking thing in this scene is Jude's vicious resentment of Astrid, and the cruelty of his thoughts. I never wanted Jude to be exempt from his straight-white-maleness. He's a nineteen year old, and the year is 2011. Modern values feel forced. Although I think he's a good person, he's still a man in a certain era, struggling with thoughts and feelings that were acceptable in the company of other boys. This is a major point. It always comes back to Fitzy, I think.

She’ll break up with me, probably, after all this, when she has squeezed the last she can from me. Used my money, sucked out my dignity. I flinch outwardly at that. Its viciousness shudders down my arms and out of my fingertips. This is the kind of thought to be ashamed of. An ugly thing. I never saw myself like them, those boys you’d get stuck with at school, their contempt for girls who didn’t like them. Stupid bitch, they’d say. She’s rotten anyway. Wouldn’t touch her if she begged.

This point is relevant when it comes to the discussion of their sex life. Jude simply cannot fathom doing what he wants with a woman. It's inconceivable. If he truly gave into his desires, what would that make him? One of those disgusting boys from school who showed pictures of naked girls to others on their phones? He doesn't want to be like them, and cannot seem to separate one thing from the other.

He is surprised to learn that what he thought were the actions of an excellent boyfriend are the actions that make him repellent to Astrid. She doesn't want to call the shots, she wants to be dominated. A difficult reality for Jude to grasp, who has prided himself in his gentleness and consideration. Jude Turner, a self-professed friend to women. What kind of normal man would ask a woman to do the things he imagines in his head?

She’s struggling, eyes darting around, settling on nothing. “Well, what about the things men say to each other, or think on their own, but would never ask a woman to do? Isn’t it what you all secretly desire? To take a beautiful woman and disrespect her?” “Ah, so you expect me to hit you across the face or something.”

Astrid's uncertainty here is also interesting. She genuinely doesn't really know what she wants. She only knows that she does not want what Jude is offering. She reveals that their five month relationship is the longest and steadiest one she has ever had, despite being engaged to someone else for a brief period the year before.

She stares, a light wind rippling across the hem of her dress. “Alright, well, it was meaningless. I said yes for fun. I didn’t intend to actually marry him. It was like a play, and we were the actors. I hardly knew him at all. It was a thrill, and he was exciting for a while.”

We don't actually know a lot about her past yet, but it is slowly revealing itself. There seems to have been a consistently performative element, recklessness, short lived relationships and excitement. She views Jude as a steady rock whom she wishes she could be happy with, and finds herself upset and frustrated things aren't working out as she hoped. She can't even explain her own feelings, as she's so unsure of herself. The façade of her otherworldly perfection and self assurance is crumbling. She finally seems like a 20 year old, rather than someone who could embody any age, as Jude thought earlier.

And so, assuming it's over, Jude makes attempts in vain to cancel the rest of the holiday. When it doesn't work out, he calls home to talk to Ivy.

the striking part of this conversation is Ivy's opinion of Astrid. She views her as a doll.

Moulded from the same template used for fashion dolls, the ones Ivy has played with her whole life, and still does. In her room, ten of them hanging out in the bookshelf she emptied to make an apartment. She wants to see one in the flesh.

I believe this is a narrative that Jude has encouraged in some way, as perhaps he actually feels the same. The way he describes her suggests this anyway, as I mentioned earlier. He actually doesn't really humanise her, and although he'd never admit it, the way his sister views Astrid and the way he does is the very same. He's just a man, treating women the way he is programmed to treat them.

The peak of the arc is the reveal that Silvio and Suzana are swingers. There have been signs the whole time, and I think it was obvious, due to the comments they made to Jude and Astrid, and the constant displays of affection in front of them, but the hangout at the house while things are extremely fraught between Jude and Astrid is the height of it.

“He’s selfish?” I don’t answer.  “Does it run in the family, selfishness?”

(do you want to share your girlfriend with me, please?)

I think that Jude and Astrid's lack of awareness about what was blatantly going on around them is echoed by their ignorance of one another, too. They could not read one another, could not communicate effectively, so it only makes sense that they were blind to external vibes too. Jude is completely blindsided, and shocked to discover that Astrid feels the same.

“I didn’t invite them here so that we could… swap partners, or whatever it was they wanted to do. I didn’t realise they were like that.”

This is a bonding moment for them. For the first time, they are connecting as equals. Not a man who hero worships his beautiful girlfriend, and a woman who indulges him. The dynamic was making them both miserable. Jude, resentful and self-loathing, and Astrid, withdrawn and bored. They both need a shake-up, and now they have an opportunity to mend things.

The most important line is this:

“Well, I’m human.” “I see that.”

At last, Jude can see Astrid for who she is, rather than who he wants her to be, or as she wants to be perceived.

They laugh together, share their outrage about Silvio and Suzana, and talk candidly about their feelings. Astrid admits guiltily that she feels turned on by the idea that someone could want her so much that he was willing to break boundaries to get her. She needs external approval from other men to be happy, more than Jude can give her. I think this is a moment where he accepts this. If she has to be seen like that, flirt with waiters etc, then he can choose to be fine with it.

She is a woman who chooses to be seen as something more than human, I think. Turned on by the idea of being a male fantasy. I'd love to expand on this further in future, and learn why this is, and what this means for her.

Finally, they have sex, and Jude gives into his desires, though not completely free of the guilt.

“I love you, you know,” I whisper. A low laugh from her then. “Yes, Jude. I haven’t forgotten.”

And so the arc is finished, and this crazy couple move forward with a new, deeper knowledge and understanding of one another. Each fully accepting the other at last. Flaws, weirdness and all.

[hermanoga]

Vortex We Took Every Breath to Follow : Shiguang and Their Companionship Through Life and Beyond

@justfrolikin I hope this will be a suitable reply to the question you asked; what I think about the nature of the bond Shiguang share.

First, a few words from me :

Even though I love engaging in fandom spaces and enjoy ship fanarts, fanfictions etc, till today my heart truly belongs to a very few ships. Shiguang is one of them. As long as one is not blinded by homophobic delusions, I enjoy discussing any kind of interpretation of my OTPs, be it 'Platonic', just friends™, romantic or whatever. But I have a fixed category (which very ironically is not quite fixed if you read the whole discussion) that fulfills my idea of true love.

for me, Love is a dialogic discourse with your existential other.

The terms I used are very loaded terms; 'dialogue' and 'other' come from the Bakhtinian philosophy of ethics, 'discourse' is a Foucauldian term and existentialism has a long postmodern and post-structuralist philosophical tradition. The reason I LOVE Link Click is because of their postmodern lens and the narratives of the characters, not only the protagonists fundamentally question what is the real purpose of life? Why do human bondings matter? The answers reside in the simplest vignette of everyday life. Grief, trauma, hope, memory, reconciliation, remembrance, love, family - these are the central themes of Link Click. Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi's separate existence and their interpersonal dialogue thematically and structurally complements the main ethos of Link Click.

When asked about the nature of Shiguang relationship Director Li Haoling answered : 是生死之交咯! (Shì shēngsǐ zhī jiāo gē! - It's a life and death relationship!)

source :

Fate, mortality, death, remembrance are the building blocks of their relationship as we perceive it.

Now let me talk about something. When I first watched Link Click on September 17th, 2024, the first Intertexual connection I drew was with another text called Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Funnily enough, early in this year I wrote a crossover Hamlet adaptation (and won the second prize in a competition hehe) interweaving a few elements from Godot. Time loop, fragmentation of time and space, panopticon with no exit - all these elements featured in that. I recommend Waiting for Godot to you all, you'll understand why it resonates so much with Link Click.

Now,

Lu Guang is a person who is shown to be a character who has some mysterious powers to manipulate time and space. Even from the very beginning, he has this dominant (and sometimes seemingly monologic that feels problematic to new viewers) voice with which he guides Cheng Xiaoshi through the dives. He is apparently headstrong and has acquired all kinds of praises ™ like hypocrite, selfish (lol) and what not. Again quoting Li Haoling "Lu Guang is a complex and delicate character." But after the release of 'The Eye' and 'The Lull', I think we are pretty sure that Lu Guang has been trapped in a rewind, like a Sisyphus figure. A friend of mine told me the other day, "Superficially, Lu Guang is presented as an archetypal strategist, the one who guides, the one who keeps things in control, but in reality, he has no agency whatsoever." Lu Guang lacks the fundamental agency in life (we all do but we have to accept it one day or other) and that mortifying realisation comes to him with the death of Cheng Xiaoshi. What is unacceptable to him is the most obvious outcome of a mortal life : death. Lu Guang's tragic flaw stems from this unacceptability of Cheng Xiaoshi's death and him attempting to manipulate time, very Sisyphus of him. Till now, we are yet to see Lu Guang's character traits without any reference to Cheng Xiaoshi but this does not reduce his character depth. His denial is actually very delicious ( I almost wrote a paper on this, taking the popular sci-fi trope of time travel as an allegorical and symbolic means of resistance and subversion but anyway, it's not relevant here)

Lu Guang's character makes me fall in love with the song Flash by Gorilla Attack. It is from Lu Guang's character, no one can convince me otherwise.

Just a loop A bored 'n loop Should I do this now 'til the end? Into the story As just an extra You are the reason I live But you don't remember me? Oh, can I be with you?

And

The only thing that I got, just like a little lamp I gotta go in one-way smoke Resist the lifeless scenario Become the person The person I wished for that day The room like a coffin, too bright A groove that I lost faraway Blanket, I need a blanket Not a synthetic one Notice the regret engraved so hard

And the line that keeps coming back as a haunting refrain :

Flash me, flash me Gotta get the power to rewrite I just wanna deny, I just wanna rewrite, yeah

Every time I listen to this song, these lines send a chill down my spine. But Lu Guang's obsession with 'rewrite' echoes with what my professor said to be Hamlet's constant meta-theatrical discomfort with the script, role, play he has been provided with. He does not comply with the playwright's words. Apart from time and death, I think Lu Guang's most wretched enemy is Li Haoling himself. That's why he constantly wants to 'rewrite', but all he has got till now is 'rewind'. Now whether his 'urge to rewrite' will turn into a successful 'write back' is the central play of the plot we are looking up to. What is my personal opinion on the ending?

The ending which is so dryly plausible in our real world is Lu Guang accepting his defeat and carries within him the remembrance of Cheng Xiaoshi.

But my question is, my brother in Buddhism Li Haoling, why the fuck would I watch your Link Click to know that death is the node that can't be changed? Is it not the given fact? It's a cultural text, however modern or postmodern a text might be, it ultimately uses the plot to defamiliarise and convey well known concepts and emotions with a critical engagement. A plot is just a vehicle, a crucial one, to help us have a greater and more nuanced vision of life. Due to non-linear narrative and active subversion of chronotope, complex plot will have plot twists and cliffhangers BUT it still has to perform a crucial, non negotiable role - the arc. If the beginning point and the ending point have the same temperaments, what kind of significance will it even achieve?

If Lu Guang can't write back at the end of Link Click, the structure of the plot will be like this :

1. Exposition, rising action : Cheng Xiaoshi died at the very beginning, Lu Guang is fucked.

2. Climactic stage : shit and shit and complex quantum physics, hallelujah hot villains, 'I am a great writer I can kill any character TeeeHeeeeHeeee', backstories, parallel narratives, foil characters have no relevance and rendered completely meaningless,

3. Falling action and resolution : Cheng Xiaoshi is still dead to the very ending, Lu Guang is still fucked.

No catharsis, not a milimeter of displacement from the beginning point.

What is the fucking point?! From the perspective of a writer and a critical reader, I can say it will be a sheer waste of money, time and potential. I would rather watch... whatever.

The friend I mentioned before told me, " You know why Emma or Chen Bin die? They had to die. Emma had a loving family, she got the job she wanted, she had her hardships but she didn't begin with tragedy. And when tragedy came, she was so not ready to negotiate the problem and considered self-annihilation as her first choice. She actively erased the possibility of dialogue with herself. If Emma were an orphan, struggling with unemployment and other hardships from the very beginning, I don't think Emma would die that easily. Emma was denied the conflict of life which very ironically tests human agency itself."

And for Chen Bin...during my first watch, the moment I saw him my instincts told me he was going to die. He had a loving wife, a daughter, he loved her, she accepted the proposal and they married soon. Conflict where? To bring his story to a full circle, he had to die.

I can say every parallel story in Link Click can be judged from this lens. People who had a point of conflict (the noodle lesbians, the couple who lost their child, Xu Shanshan, that old man) engaged in dialogue with themselves, others and social forces ultimately got a happy ending. Even in the earthquake episode, it's a story of reconciliation with the past, the man got his mother's photos and it's plausible and satisfying (and bittersweet resolution). He got his (absent) father back.

Another thing, we as a fandom have a collective amnesia about....*drumrolls* Cheng Xiaoshi's character! Congratulations! The man, the freaking protagonist just dies at the beginning, accepts his death, and remains dead. Doomed yaoi allegations are just nonsense. Link Click is doomed if Shiguang doesn't get a happy ending. Link Click is NOT a dramatic monologue told from Lu Guang's perspective, engaging with his perpetual trance of melancholy and him holding onto Cheng Xiaoshi's memento mori.

If Lu Guang is attempting to write back to Li Haoling and the doomed yaoi allegations, Cheng is attempting to write back to Lu Guang himself, not in confirming his own death, but saving Lu Guang from the loop of eternity and by being together. Cheng Xiaoshi is always seen to be guided by Lu Guang, he has to witness repercussions of his actions. Even with all this knowledge I will say, Cheng Xiaoshi has way more agency than Lu Guang has. During my first watch, I could feel Lu Guang has this barrier of guilt and unsettled emotions wrapped around him which denies Cheng Xiaoshi access into the deepest core of his subjectivity. Even though he achingly wishes to be together with Cheng Xiaoshi, the burden of his past actions and PTSD holds him back from being together with him, as if his existence is antithetical to Cheng Xiaoshi's existence. Cheng Xiaoshi is that glitch in the matrix that messes up Lu Guang's plans of withdrawing himself from Cheng Xiaoshi. Cheng Xiaoshi should not listen to everything Lu Guang orders. In season 1, he mostly conforms to Lu Guang's ideals, but in season 2, when Lu Guang was hospitalised, Cheng Xiaoshi became more active and you could tell a layer of barrier melted away. He was less of a stone statue, showed more emotions (the S2ep1 lmao when he said "would you prefer if I die?" abhimaan we call it), then the unique high five that feels like Lu Guang accepting Cheng Xiaoshi's proposal or something :

(LMAO ignore my comments, but what I said is true)

My point is, Cheng Xiaoshi is Lu Guang's existential other and vice versa. They cannot live without each other. They cannot exist without each other. If one dies, the other will die and I want them living happily ever after in heaven. Cause 'Break' clearly depicts them as soulmates. I personally take Break as the ultimate canonical ending

Do you see? each of them has one wing missing, meaning that it's their cumulative effort that will make them fly successfully. FYI, there is another Haoling directed, Haoliners Animation League animated canonical queer donghua called 'Beryl and Sapphire'. A separate episode, episode 13 just explores this 'one wing soulmate trope'.

Now take them as friends, platonic friends with no erotic feelings, pure familial feelings or whatever, they are like Yin and Yang, like Shiv and Shakti, and Yin changes to Yang and Yang changes to Yin actively as they interact. You will have a hard time pointing out who is who. I have watched TGCF and Beryl and Sapphire and a tiny bit of Spiritpact - all three directed by Li Haoling and I am well aware of his narrative strategy to represent soulmates and Link Click seems to be the one of the greatest (and my favourite) product of that genius mind.

I began with team Lu Guang cause he is a scorpio, I understand him, his birthday almost coincides with mine, we share some identical issues. But the fandom's often yeeting Cheng Xiaoshi out of the narrative phenomenon brought back my due attention to him. Is Cheng Xiaoshi so willing to be doomed? Does he not yearn to be with Lu Guang? Let me whisper to your ear...he yearns for him too.

so he

does understand that the person who dies...dies, death affects them the least who dies, it's the people, the family and loved ones who actually suffer. This man will leave his Lu Guang on his own volition? eh.

Also I wanna talk about Link Click's strategy of deliberate misdirection. The first and second seasons are so deliberately crafted (manipulation of narrative you can say) to actively erase Lu Guang's subjectivity and nuance. We are just denied access his perspective. He is mysterious but not that aligns itself with a viewer's emotions. In fact, during my recent re-watch, I felt "wtf Lu Guang, why are you interacting with Cheng Xiaoshi like a straight dudebro?" He is a menace, the kind I usually don't like. But there also seemed to be a critical undercurrent which I couldn't really grasp, but it was surely there. It was adding up to my increasing discomfort and made me question - "was it just my wishful projection? they do not share that bond at all." I was so pissed at that thought that I almost decided I am not gonna abandon Link Click. BUT BRO, BRO

'The Eye' and 'Lull' just blew my mind. I was not that affected by Cheng Xiaoshi's corpse advertisement agenda (that corpse is drawing people's attention who is suddenly aware of Yingdu release, great tactic, Haoling) what pleasantly brought me out of despair is Lu Guang's love for Cheng Xiaoshi was acknowledged in these songs. You will read between the lines on your own in season 1 and season 2 if you have that critical method to engage with a cultural text, but the silencing narrative was also very prominent. I very much felt that the Shiguang story is actually the central action, and not the creative sci-fi archtexual exercise of genres, which again, is just the vehicle. But The Eye and Lull focus upon them, them and them. Their emotions are acknowledged, they are no longer behind the veils of symbolism, parallel narratives, intense defamiliarisation; their emotional dialogue now not only demands a voice of their own but also has the potential to reclaim the central part of the stage as they struggle and negotiate power and agency. And I am here for it.

@guangshi-091305 I present to you my rubbish.

[shychick-52]

It pisses me off, because Roland's recognition of Cedric at the end of 'Cedric's Apprentice' (both when he saved Sofia and when he pulled off his invisibility potion) was the most sincere and earnest it's ever been prior to the end of 'In Cedric We Trust' and the finale; almost every other time seemed kind of half-assed compared to that (yet poor Cedric, desperate for any scrap of recognition, always eagerly lapped it up). And I imagine both Cedric and Sofia truly thought that Roland finally saw what a great sorcerer Cedric was at the end of 'Cedric's Apprentice', and that his attitude of him would finally change; and when his reputation around the palace didn't change or he would still get blamed for freaking everything, I imagine how deeply disappointed and hurt Cedric must have been... almost feeling like a fool for daring to have hope. Because no matter how many times Cedric proved himself, Roland seemed to go "Oh cool, good job ig" and then nothing would really change. I imagine it almost cheapened the sincerity of Roland's show of respect and praise in 'Cedric's Apprentice.'

Even Amber and James (especially Amber) went back to treating him like a second-rate after 'Cedric's Apprentice'. It wasn't until 'Substitute Cedric' (and in the start of that episode, Cedric and Sofia talked about how nobody except her thinks he's a great sorcerer) that their views of him finally changed- and seemed to actually stay changed- once and for all. And I'm sure that Sofia and the kids totally told Roland and Miranda all about how Cedric helped them save Royal Prep and then spent the rest of the day teaching them magic (and I LOVE your hc that he regularly tutored the kids in Sofia's sorcery class), so you'd think Roland would have been really impressed by that! (Also, it's interesting to note that at the end of 'Substitute Cedric', Cedric no longer had any desire to finish his potion to make his face appear in every mirror in the kingdom so that "all will finally behold my true greatness whenever they fix their hair", and it was greatly implied that he no longer cared what anyone else thought about him since Sofia and the other royal kids- and even the three Good Fairies- thought he was a great sorcerer... yet, he would go back to caring about what everyone else thought of him).

Although- like I said in another post- we didn't see Roland and Cedric interact much for most of s1 after 'Cedric's Apprentice', so in the early s2 episode 'The Enchanted Feast' when Roland apparently had enough confidence in Cedric to perform (in front of the other royals in the Tri-Kingdom Area, no less) and Cedric likewise felt confident about doing so (instead of nervous, like he would have been before), it's easy to speculate that they were both still influenced by the events of 'Cedric's Apprentice'. Which is why it really bothers me that Roland (and Amber) were VERY quick to immediately dismiss Cedric and go back to thinking he's a failure as soon as it seemed that his spells failed (without even giving him a second chance)! Although, tbf, Roland was surrounded by other royals, so his reputation was likely his first priority, which still isn't an excuse but is still understandable... but even after Sofia emphasized/confirmed in front of everyone that Cedric used his magic to save them all from "Sascha's" vines trapping them at the end (and I definitely hc that Sofia also told them all about how Cedric played a huge part in defeating Miss Nettle, tho we didn't see her do so), Roland would still revert back to overlooking and doubting Cedric until the next time he saved the day/help saved the day, rinse and repeat.

HOWEVER, all this inconsistency and messy development with both Roland and Cedric may have been frustrating from a story-telling pov, but it makes it all the more realistic and fascinating, proving just how flawed and complex both men are (both themselves/individually and their history/dynamic)!

@bettathanyou @fantadym

You know how at the end of 'Cedric's Apprentice', Roland was so sincere in seeing what a great sorcerer Cedric was after all? Well, since Sofia had wanted to show him and everyone what a great sorcerer Cedric really was, do you think she felt bad when Roland and everyone else went back to disrespecting him after that (you just know Cedric must have felt like shit)?

Also, Sofia should have told Roland what she learned from Cedric- that his mistakes around Roland was really from his nerves (from his lack of support and faith, resulting in a vicious circle).

@tookishcombeferre

[iron-niffler]

I see you love Avengers Assemble, me too! I enjoyed it when I watched it on Disney+ last year and I felt it was overhated! While a couple things bothered me, like Bruce Banner seemed to perpetually be the Hulk and Falcon annoyed me until season 3! (He was a whiny teenager, I was like “Tony, go change his diaper, maybe it will quiet him down!”) I actually felt he should’ve been replaced by Sam Alexander as the “kid the Avengers babysit”…. Because he is a teen hero and a sweet baby boy! In fact, the Avengers think he’s a cute kid!

I am not just saying this because he’s my favorite teen hero! He just fits the bill as the cute kid and he’s not annoying! And he made The Punisher laugh, THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE.

Anyway, with that out of the way! It was a fun watch and I felt it had a great story! However, it got bad at season 5 because it felt like an entirely different show.

I also think season 4 is the best season overall because everyone is together and I loved the cameos from familiar faces like Moon Knight and Ironfist! And the Beyonder was cool too! I am aware he’s the big bad in Moongirl and while he’s fabulous in it, I still think AA’s Beyonder is the best because he’s what a big bad should be, menacing but charming.

It’s a hidden gem nobody knows sees!

oh absolutely avengers assemble is awesome! Obviously it's not perfect in every way but it's a really fun cartoon that's always fun to watch! You're right, someone like Nova DEFINITELY would have fit the "novice kid/teen/general newbie" bill better than Falcon. I do agree that the show completely changed after season 5 (never really got used to the new animation style tony doesn't even have a mouth half the time and it weirds me out) but overall it was a great show! I feel like they found a nice balance from season to season between an overarching story like the Beyonder or Ultron and the nice little slice of life episodes. They generally did well on the relationships between characters.

Thanks so much for the ask, glad to find another Avengers Assemble enjoyer!

[lunarwednesday]

No Home has filled my heart with so much warmth and sadness at the same time -- they're a family!!! a family that lived in a creepy old house in the woods 😭

[the-woman-upstairs]

Firmly believe that if Ford had joined the Henchmaniacs, he and Pyronica would’ve instantly become besties. Ford finds out she’s a quantum physics genius who burned her city to the ground when she didn’t receive the proper appreciation she so rightfully deserved and is like “oh she’s just like me fr.” They would’ve been a “two queens maximizing their joint slay” dynamic for the ages.

[jacky-rubou]

i'm done with gravity falls focused servers. left the two i was in for my own sanity

[shannonsketches]

lays on the floor do you guys ever think about how in ResF Bulma falls for Vegeta's fake-out with Freeza and both she and Yamcha are worried about Vegeta's villain fake-out strategy in Champa and Beerus' mini tournament and how it's only been a couple of years since the Buu saga and how Vegeta straight up stopped using that strategy after that tournament

[jess-bradford]

a truly terrible idea has latched hold of my gremlin brain which is, buck and tommy do break up so that buck can pursue eddie because either tommy thinks buck is in love with eddie or buck feels like he should be with eddie because everyone else keeps suggesting there's something more there BUT buck/eddie getting together changes their dynamic so much that neither of them are enjoying themselves (and they're worrying about losing what made their friendship so special because of all the changes to the dynamic) AND buck and tommy keep hooking up [air quotes] platonically (with tommy stumbling into inconvenient feelings and pining pathetically for buck while fucking him) while buck struggles to sort out intense feelings toward eddie (which obviously have to be romantic of course) vs. his calm, more settled feelings toward tommy (they're not as intense as his feelings about eddie so they can't possibly be romantic) blah blah long story slightly less long but buck realizes he's been in love with tommy the whole time and was having trouble separating strong but platonic feelings for eddie from his romantic feelings toward tommy and then tommy's like "newsflash asshole i've been in love with you the whole goddamn time"

i'll never write it because it's irredeemably stupid and i value my peace but it IS sitting in my hindbrain tormenting me right now

[brick-van-dyke]

My dad, jokingly: "I'm badman"

Me: "haha sure" (not thinking he's anything like batman)

My dad: *left/ separated from my mum when I was a teen, started a GTA gang that helps bullied kids, ended up emotionally adopting like 8 kids and helped them through bullying, suicide, abuse, etc.*

Me: *was hurt by an abuser and had to deal with said abuser being forgiven by family around me*

Me: *gets into Batman lore*

Me: ...

"Wait a second..."

[idiotsonlyevent]

i forgot how, frankly, deranged the wrightworth dynamic is

[firstroseofspring]

thinking pondering to me john torres is like. what if u met a woman. with confidence and dignity and a strong moral backbone. you meet and she makes a distinct impression with her honesty and her frankness and she seems like she's always sure of what she wants and what she needs and she's so different from anyone else you know and thats exciting and she's exciting and she likes you specifically you. and you don't think much of you but it feels good to be liked by someone like that. you love her of course. you marry her. of course!