#the fact 2 of the lords actually got out of there though one would fall defending elwing later

[victoriousscarf]

Turns out reading the first version of the Fall of Gondolin is not very much like the version in the Silmarillion at all and I think I need to go lie down now actually.

Tolkien's PTSD and vivid ability to write battle scenes are way more apparent in the first one.

[pookietsunoda]

Saw this post abt Alonso getting accidentally electrocuted and thinking he was 14 (as well as this tag on a reblog)

what if... the whole grid accidentally got struck by some deus ex machina non fatal zap that gave them temporary amnesia and they all became convinced they were 14 for a day? Here is what I think would happen:

First off, they're all so hyped about being F1 drivers and get excited about the dumbest shit (phone games, wheel guns, tire blankets)

Max and Charles fight each other over the Inchident

George is starstruck by the fact that Alex is an F1 racer (bc Alex was his karting hero growing up) but Alex didn't become friends with George until he was 15, so he has no idea who George is, which is Humiliating to fragile teenage George.

Half of them can't speak English fluently yet. Only the younger ones (Oscar, Franco, etc) know that google translate exists and they help massively in the linguistic problems.

Unclear whether or not Pierre and Esteban are besties or enemies, or both. They are one of those things, and they're insane about it because they're teenagers. Lance and Esteban are probably like Normal friends though.

Lewis is like "where tf is Nico" and finds adult Nico. Lewis is super pumped to hear that they both made it to F1, were teammates and won WDCs, Lewis is an F1 GOAT, and that Nico married his childhood crush. (Their life trajectories literally sound like what a kid imagines their future to be like.) And Nico is like "hey we actually had a falling out" and Lewis is like "that's crazy man, how would we stop being friends? You want some frosties?"

Immediate Spanish speaker clique between Fernando, Carlos, Checo, and Franco. They are shook that THE Fernando Alonso wants to be besties with them (especially Carlos since Fernando is his hero).

KMag and Hulk are probably friends since this is pre Suck My Balls and they're friends now so, their energies align I guess.

Being 14 year olds who find out they're rich and famous, they all want to escape into the real world and take joyrides in the expensive cars they own/ drink alcohol/ see strippers/ buy crazy stuff and their team staff is like OH NO WE CAN'T LET THEM ESCAPE (Thus ensues comedy gold of the team staff chasing kids who have the bodies of professional athletes around the track and trying to contain them)

If in Singapore, Yuki and Zhou manage to escape because they are 2 East Asians wearing designer and F1 merch and they blend in with the fans. (As a disguise, they swap team shirts and put on surgical masks and people are like "Is that Zhou Guanyu?" "Nah why would Zhou be wearing a Yuki shirt?") Word gets out in the drivers whatsapp that they escaped and they immediately get bombarded with requests for what to buy for the rest of the paddock. They cannot rly understand each other but Zhou can get around Sgp pretty easily bc a lot of people there speak Mandarin. He has to stop Yuki from breaking at least five Singaporean laws. They stuff themselves at hawker stands and have a great field trip but then get recognized and have to make an emergency getaway on a stolen electric scooter. They do get Lewis his Frosties.

Lewis doesn't know he's a vegan and almost ruins his reputation by being spotted by paparazzi eating Frosties with non vegan milk. Also gives himself a nasty stomachache.

Despite being told not to tell other people about the mass amnesia, Max and Lance both call their dads. Lawrence is like "My poor son! I will get the experts to look into this right away!" Jos is like "idc if you don't remember how to drive the car, you're gonna do it or I'll disown you." Daniel and Lando grab the phone and tell Jos he's a meanie and also was a shit F1 driver, then hang up.

George finds chewing gum at the bottom of someone's bag and starts spiraling, convinced that the Singaporean police are going to arrest and execute them all for possessing illegal items.

Lord of the Flies scenario where George and Oscar are trying to organize everyone to make sure they don't accidentally hurt themselves, whereas Lando, Fernando, KMag, Daniel, and a few others are just trying to have a good time and cause chaos. Bottas and Alex and a third group are just like quietly messing around in the back.

They come to a truce in order to organize a GPDA strike because they have been banned from leaving the track until they regain their memories. They barricade themselves in someone's garage and have a sleepover on the floor with lots of candy and games. Lewis finds a guitar and plays Wonderwall.

They wake up the next day extremely confused (but remembering everything) and race as normal LOL

[hyperdramas]

smooth operator | lee seokmin

pairing: lee seokmin x reader

warnings: non-idol au, roommate au, mention of gym trainer!seokmin, mutual crush, reader is in love with this dude, reader is a massive flirt and wants seokmin so bad, romantic tension, kissing, humor, flirt!seokmin, mentions of weight loss, seokmin is described as really hot in this, little dialoge/lots of description, part 2 maybe??

now playing: smooth operator, sade

If you said you weren't eyeing your hot, young roommate as he sat with his legs crossed on the couch and eyes down at his phone, muscles tight and straining with each bounce of his leg, you'd be telling a flat-out lie.

The tention had been there between you two ever since the crazily handsome stranger-turned-roomate, Lee Seokmin, helped you move into the apartment he was so kind to let you become his roommate in. His muscles were perfect, and he barely broke a sweat while lifting your suitcase and heavy boxes.

What made him even more perfect was the fact he talked and talked while helping you unpack, making you feel comfortable with him in mere seconds. Seokmin was a sweetheart and a gentleman, all on top of being drop dead gorgeous.

Your face was probably heated with the way you were watching Seokmin's smile spread across his face as he looked down at his phone. His sharp nose caught the light from above in such a pretty way, and you felt about ten more of your braincells disappear when he looked up at you, smiling your way next.

"Are you getting hungry yet?" Seokmin's voice was just as hot as his muscles and side profile was, soft and honeyed with just a tint of flirtation. You nodded, looking down at your phone as you tossed it to the side of the empty plush couch.

"Yeah, I am, actually. Moving boxes is a lot of work," Laughing nervously, Seokmin watches your every move, smile sparkling as he stands up from his position on the couch. As Seokmin stands, his muscles flex as he stretches, and you look away as quick as you can, knowing that your face will betray you faster than you want it to.

"Takeout okay? I haven't been shopping for groceries just yet, so there's not really anything here to cook with." Seokmin states, and you nod, following him to the kitchen awkwardly as you're still getting used to the sheer size of this place.

Seokmin was such a humble person too—you asked what he did to be able to afford such a nice apartment, and he stated that he was a gym trainer, saying that he really didn't need to be paid and that he was just happy to help other people on their weight loss journeys.

Even though you would have thought someone saying what Seokmin had said was cringe about two weeks ago, you stared at him with goo-goo eyes like he was a dream or something.

He was a dream—with those big muscles, shining smile, and pretty sparkling eyes that lingered on you a little too long as he continued to joke with you.

"It's okay, right?" Seokmin asks again, snapping you out of your reverie as you nod, panicked. His smile—Lord, his smile—nearly makes you fall out of your seat.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Seokmin asks as if creating small talk, eyes on his phone as he opens up the Doordash app.

Play it cool, play it cool, you tell yourself. Seokmin is asking you the questions you've wanted him to ask you ever since you arrived here, and now that he's doing it, you don't want to screw your chance up.

"No, I haven't had one for a while. The last one I had was pretty rough." Seokmin looks at you for a second, eyes raking over your face before he simply says: "I should make you mine then."

Your brain stops working, and you feel yourself slipping into whatever trap Seokmin has ready for you. Before you know it, your face is heating up, your palms are getting sweaty, and your default nervous laugh track is playing.

Since Seokmin is getting a bit bold, why don't you?

"I've wanted you ever since I got here," You lock eyes with him, and Seokmin crosses the distance between you as he makes his way to the other side of the counter. Before you know it, his hands are on your waist and yours on his muscled arms as he smiles while looking at you.

"I know that, sweetheart." Seokmin's usage of the pet name almost threw you off-guard, but you didn't let it phase you, recovering quickly as you traced your finger up his arm.

"Will you kiss me, Seokmin?" Your body is heating up, and your head starts to spin, but you don't' care. You just want Seokmin's lips on yours.

"Since you asked so nicely." Seokmin giggles cutely, leaning in as your lips finally lock with each other.

His lips mold to yours in a practiced, calculated way, and he sighs under you as he squeezes your hips. HIs tight grip on you makes you melt into him even more, and you tangle with him before pulling away just minutes later, lips kiss-swollen and mind cloudy with a chance of Lee Seokmin.

A chance you were willing to take.

[ladydeatharcheron]

“The HoW was rehab”

This is a common argument I see in our fandom when it comes to defending the inner circle’s actions towards Nesta in the beginning of acosf. And I am here to tell you that this argument is null and void, using the guidelines of a healthcare institution linked here.

1. The most important thing is to set a positive, supportive tone. Ensure that the individual is treated with love and respect and maintain a calm, level tone, even if they react unpredictably.

Here is the love, support, and respect the inner circle has given Nesta during her so called intervention:

“You look atrocious,” Amren said.

“Sit down,” Rhys snarled.

“Though I bet it’s hard to look good,” Amren went on, “when you’re out until the darkest hours of the night, drinking yourself stupid and fucking anything that comes your way.”

Rhys scented that fear. She knew it from the second one side of his mouth curled up in a cruel smile.”

“You,” Cassian said from the armchair to her left. “This bullshit behavior.”

The High Lord of the Night Court gestured to the sloping lawn beyond the windows. “We’ve got plenty of space out there for a brawl.”

2. Because many who live with mental illness feel trapped, it’s helpful to lay out a clearly defined plan with options for the individual to choose from.

Now here is the options that were given to Nesta:

“It’s not up for negotiation,” Amren said.

“Your apartment is being packed as we speak,” Amren said. “By the time you return, it will be empty. Your clothes are already being sent to the House, though I doubt they will be suitable for training at Windhaven.”

And this gem too:

Wow! I’m sure that the choice of being locked up with no way out (no, walking 10k steps is not an option for someone as malnourished as she), or being sentenced to die in the human lands didn’t make Nesta feel trapped AT ALL. Good job inner circle. Very touching.

3. However, someone living with a condition like depression or bipolar disorder is highly unlikely to react in the same way. A much smaller group of just one or two friends or family members will likely create an environment more conducive to success.

I fail to see the productivity in shoving Nesta in a room with a man she has repeatedly stated she wants nothing to do with, a woman she had a bad falling out with, and a High Lord that taunts her and abuses his authority to get her to do their bidding.

Here’s a Q&N because I can already hear some of you guys from miles away:

1. “Isn’t that giving Nesta a choice?”

No. An ultimatum is not a choice. Even Cassian admits that it is:

Cassian didn’t miss the look between Feyre and Rhys: the utter agony in his High Lady’s face at the ultimatum he knew was to be presented to Nesta…”

Here’s a definition of an ultimatum:

Ultimatum (noun): A coercive manipulation that utilizes the illusion of choice.

Hence, not an actual choice.

2. “Would you rather they had done nothing?”

No. Nesta needed help. A more constructive approach would’ve been an intervention with Feyre and Elain only. Her actual family. No insults, no jabs, no belittling. They could’ve laid out several options (did she want to train? perhaps dancing would’ve helped her more? maybe she would’ve preferred helping out in the library only?) and let her decide the one she saw fit. Locking her up is not an answer and I’m a strong believer that the most powerful High Lord and Lady of Prythian would’ve managed to make alcohol inaccessible to Nesta regardless of where she was.

To the people that consider it rehab after everything proves that it’s not, please note that the entire point was to get Nesta to stop drinking and sleeping around. Tell me, why is it that when she slept with Cassian, despite sex being her coping mechanism, no one batted an eyelash. That’s insinuating that the inner circle does not in fact care who Nesta sleeps with, as long as it’s under their control, no?

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[misc-obeyme]

nightbringer lesson 43

Well okay. Some of that was to be expected. Other parts, though...

Listen I didn't hate it, but I have questions!! Then again, I always have questions. Spoilers below as always.

So Babel, huh?

I thought it was interesting that this basically confirms that demons can't go to the Celestial Realm. Not even Lord Diavolo could get that to happen. Babel is apparently kinda like Cocytus - technically part of the Celestial Realm, but not actually part of the Celestial Realm (whatever that means I swear this game is gonna be the death of me).

So instead of sending them to the CR, Diavolo was able to send them to Babel.

With Solomon as their guide! Even though he's never been there before! And he absconds shortly after arriving at the gate!

Then they gotta be judged because of course they do.

And who should show up but Michael himself, disguised as Raphael once again.

I can't decide how I feel about Michael. I mean, he's clearly a menace, but sometimes he's also just super benevolent and there is this heavy implication that he still cares about the bros? I can't figure him out.

I thought it was interesting that Lucifer said this when I chose the option saying I wanted to meet Michael. Tell us how you really feel, Luci.

Anyway, it's interesting to remember that Michael pretending to be Raphael in that hard lesson from season one was actually millennia ago. Like it might have been many thousands of years since Michael disguised himself as Raphael.

But it annoys me that he does it at all, tbh. I was like oh cool Raphael gets to be in this part! But NO.

I also kinda got the sense in the locked lesson that Diavolo and Barbatos like knew this was gonna happen and had planned for it all along? Like it really felt to me like Diavolo is running the SF just so he can grant wishes for the bros and make them do little tests as a family or whatever.

I dunno, I can't figure out the end game for all these shenanigans. I'm just really hoping it'll somehow lead to some kind of Nightbringer related reveal. 'Cause so far... I'm kinda bored?

But we did have some excellent lines and a few other things I thought were interesting, which I will get to.

Hard Mode: Once again we see the Lil Ds doing their thing, Diavolo being adorable with them, and at the end Luke & Simeon approach Nos 2 & 5! What could they want!?? Guess we gotta wait until next time.

Okay here are some interesting tidbits.

I love the implications of this. Asmo asks Satan how Solomon knows about Babel, which says that Asmo thinks Satan might know this fact about Solomon even though he, a demon who has a pact with said sorcerer, does not. Turns out Satan doesn't know, either. But LUCIFER clearly does. asdklfjfdkfj noooooo I didn't immediately go SOLOLUCI that wasn't something I did at all...

I will add here that I felt there were some hints of a Solomon and Michael friendship, though. Is it possible that Solomon left because he didn't want to see Michael? Did they have a falling out? Is this implying Michael is Nightbringer? (This last one seems unlikely but there it is.) Also I think a friendship between them could explain how Solomon knows about Babel to begin with.

I still think the friend that Solomon made when he was locked up as a child could have been Michael.

This whole part confused the junk out of me. Beel. My sweet baby boy. WHY. Why would any of you still love the CR!?!?! I don't understand this at all. It feels like they're trying to get us to think that the CR is a great place. But I've seen them as the enemy from the start?? You can't just switch it on us now. You can't pretend that Michael, a manipulative disguise wearer who [spoilers redacted] is somehow a good guy now? I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But if he wasn't the one doing all that stuff, them SOMEONE in the CR was.

😭Barb why. I thought we were back in the time when you liked Solomon. I just want my wives to get along, is that too much to ask??

Speaking of my wives getting along... chowderhead is my new favorite insult lol. I love Mammon he always says what he's thinking and it's freakin adorable. Was I perhaps considering this in terms of solomams? NOOOOOO. But really what does it mean when a tsundere gives you a little insulting nickname like that? It means THEY LOVE YOU OF COURSE. Sorry okay I'm done.

Oh nothing, just Beel making it sound like he's actually done this before. I would pay money to see it.

This part made me laugh so hard. Like look how SAD they both look l;kasdjfjf. Diavolo's just like, sorry Dad... and Barbatos is like, you have done nothing wrong, my son, my favorite child.

ANYWAY.

I'm still holding out hope but so far this season has been somewhat underwhelming. I give it a solid meh.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[imsociallyanxiousgetoverit]

My Reaction To “The Edge Of Sleep” Show

Spoilers below obviously

ep 1

so was Dave like unknowingly being prepared for this tragedy??? that’s my first thought about what’s happening

ep 2

I actually understand Katie’s view cuz she just believes Dave has disrespected her wishes. I’m glad once he’s there she reacts somewhat well considering

ep 3

this brings up the question if life is worth it even with extreme pain each second. it’s a good question to start discussion about from both those experiencing the pain and those caring for them. primarily the former talking to those around them about their feelings on it.

ah so perhaps I was correct about my ep 1 theory ha

ep 4

I’m so glad Dave talked to Katie finally. I’m also glad someone finally talked to Ruth. Their reactions are all understandable and I really appreciate that.

This concept is so cool and the execution is so well done. God I’m so glad to be watching this now. I’m checking out the podcast after this for sure. Never had the attention span for it before, but I’m hooked now.

Did Mark do Larry and sing by the way? I swear I’m hearing him everywhere lol. It’s so cool seeing his name in the introduction credits. Also the way we slowly understand more of them as we watch is 10/10

ep 5

Trying to figure out if the whale or elephant is good is hard cuz it seems obvious but what if it isnt?

Oh no they crash though…. right? Damn I’m so hyped to know what’s up.

oh my god the choice to make it like falling asleep as a viewer was so good Holy crap

it’s a hard thing to exert energy to stay awake but not so much you lose any energy to stay awake… as someone with insomnia this is a battle I am too intimately aware of

I’m so glad this is the cast. It’s so well picked for each role cuz they’re killing it.

NOOOO NOT THE POOR WORDING

ep 6

woah new intro.

is he dreaming awake now too? oh no.

Holy hyuck Matteo is going through it.

oh no there’s concerning sh info I really hope nobody uses it hyuck.

two hours. yall got this.

Holy thwip water landing okay so not a crash technically??

HEAD BETWEEN KNEES MFS WHAT ARE YOU DOING (ik theyre out of it but ahhhhh)

Holy crap they survived Holy crap all of them

we love abandoned islands lol

oh no hallucinations.

I just realized is the elephant wearing a red dress? its too bright to be a monk-inspired robe right?

I wonder if this is all one island or if its shots mixed together to look like one.

These people are so strong Holy crap. Handling literal torture

it is a red dress!!

oooooo love raw power let’s hyucking go.

Would Katie really want that?

it’s interesting that the elephant needs him…. the fact it can’t just take control… hmm

they made it!!!!

what?

okay much more sense context wise now with so many survivors.

Safet okay. Interesting the name has safe in it. Sounds like prophet too.

This is suuuuch cult thwip.

lol are they real like bro its the actual whales

oh lord. war? more torture sigh.

he’s not gonna take “all as it should be” well

that room has got to be hot as hell tf

so much fire is not safe yall

oh hell no what the hyuck

OH NO KATIE NO

post series

I want to see what’s next so bad omg yes.

Podcast time!!!

[random-senpai]

Master Rule Guesses

Pain - If Tozuka knows anything, it's foreshadowing, and imo there's plenty for Pain to be the first Master Rule. The main thing is that God is an asshole (Sun mainly, Luna is too though tbh), making the first thing consistent through loops be Pain and suffering fits their MO. Second, remember in the first loop back when Juiz talks to Victor the first thing he recalls about his experience is the pain from the vacuum of space, and when Luna talks to Fuuko after Earth is destroyed, she talks about Andy's pain just like Victor's. Third is the commentary from the UMAs themselves. Some of them can't recall anything other than being told to bring Pain and suffering to humanity from a voice they assume to be God and wreak havoc as an offering to God. Others are actively forced to bring it and are taken over when they try to defy him (Spring my beloved). Master Rule 1 being Pain also explains why he looks more regular than the rest. Pain is naturally ingrained into every living being, so there's no need for him to be over the top or flashy. His appearance falls in line with the more modern idea of a sadist. He's well-dressed, attractive, and charming. His attitude towards Fuuko could be seen in that way too. Like a predator playing with its prey, amused to see it fighting back before crushing it beneath its might.

Death - Originally I was thinking that she was Faith or something like Religion. But some people pointed out the similarities between her carrying Luck and Andy and Fuuko alongside what #3 says she smells like. Then I got to thinking about it more. A nun being Death makes perfect sense as she's a servant of god. Death is what drags people into despair and suffering, whether it's their own mortality or losing someone they hold dear. With how much importance Sun places on UMAs bringing humanity pain and suffering, it makes sense that the next thing he makes consistent in the loops. Well, after pain and suffering itself. Making her a Nun is consistent with how death serves as one of God/Sun's greatest servants.

Sex - No real questions about it. DNA in her hair, the fact that she has the appearance of an attractive woman. Sex being both the scientific definition as well as a "sexy" femme fetale is pretty much self explanatory. The only thing I would like to add is that the numbering makes sense that she's the next Master Rule after Death. By bringing in reproduction to the world more lives are born, which means there's more people to die and suffer.

Luck (pretty much confirmed) - No real question about this either. Even if it wasn't for #2 calling them "Lucky" you could tell from the design alone. On their head is the Wheel of Fortune and on their cheek is a bandage. Tozuka loves to make Negators and UMAs share something visually. For Enshin and Burn they have similar hair. For Chikara and Move they both have dice. For Fuuko and Luck they both have the bandage. Also another fun thing to note is that Luck is the 4th master rule. The number 4 is actually infamously unlucky in China to the point where casino tables outright skip it due to high Chinese player bases. Why? because it's pronounced almost identically to "Death". Which further adds into my theory that #2 is Death.

Fair - Originally thought it was Justice due to the knight motif. But someone on Reddit pointed out and hypothesized that it was Fair due to the fact they have spurs on their shoes just like Billy. Given the other negators sharing a design aspect with their UMAs I agree with them. A knight being the personification of fair also makes sense as they're seen as enforcers of their lord's authority. Also it's very reminiscent of the Judges from FFXII.

War/Violence - The uniform reminiscent of Nazi Germany. The half bone face and smoking a cigar. Alot of people think it's War and I agree with them for the most part. But part of me thinks that he might be Violence itself and he's dressed in war attire because that's where he's at his peak.

Change - People think that it may be Time because of the clock and he's an old man. But I think he might be Change because he's like the antithesis of Gina. And old man with fashion inspired by western culture, is the opposite to when she was projecting herself to be a young woman in Gyaru fashion. I think that like Gina in loop 100 this isn't his true form and is a "shell" that he's projecting to appear as an old man the way she was projecting herself to be forever young with her unchanging makeup shell. Plus with how central Gina has been to Fuuko this loop having Change itself as part of the enemy roundtable makes it an interesting battle to look forward to.

Knowledge - Not much to say about this. She has a bookish appearance and hasn't looked up from her reading at all lol. The headpiece being architecture is interesting though and reminiscent of older buildings. Her librarian-esque appearance combined with the buildings on her head could be a nod to the famous Library of Alexandria.

Dominance/Instinct - The more feral design, he gives off the vibes of an "Alpha" in the ACTUAL meaning, not the weird stuff that insecure dudes have been saying they are. Specifically the Alpha Male of a wolf pack, going by the pelt he wears. I think he will represent the more bestial urges in living beings, whether that being their natural survival instincts, or the authority to dominate those weaker, it's yet to be determined.

Sick (confirmed) - Cut in half lol

[deke-rivers-1957]

Least favourite elvis characters

Good question anon.

Since I haven't fully analyzed all of his movies yet, I'm just gonna the characters from favorite to least favorite for movies I did review.

1: Jodie Tatum

I'm sure some of you are as shocked as I am that this almost universally panned film gave me the best Elvis character so far. Jodie when you really look at his character is the perfect main character to have in an Elvis movie. As much as I typically despise the cocky, womanizing jock type character, Jodie managed to have all of those character traits and not be annoying. Just by looking at his scenes alone you can write a completely new movie where he's the main character and you would have a significantly better movie. Everything you need to write a movie about a young man learning to become humble and set aside his differences with someone he doesn't stand for the purpose of achieving a common goal of uniting two worlds through marriage is right there. Saying that a side character genuinely deserves their own movie more than the actual main character is the ultimate compliment.

2: Deke Rivers

It was so hard to pick between my number 1 and number 2. As much as I love Deke as a character, unless you want to write about him before the events of the movie or expand on what happened during the movie, Deke doesn't have that much potential for a story. His character arc is complete and he went through the most change out of any Elvis character. There just isn't really that much left to his story where you go "I want to see a sequel and see what happens next."

3: Scott Heyward

This is the best character writing out of all of the cheap to make era Elvis films so far. Scott has actual depth by not wanting to use nepotism to get everything he wants in life. Scott acknowledges that he's in fact privileged but doesn't use that as an excuse to lord over the lower classes. As much as he admittedly doesn't understand having to make a dollar stretch and wanting to have a comfortable lifestyle, he doesn't shame Dianne for doing what she does. The only thing keeping him from being #1 is that it seems out of character for him to want to be with Dianne on a romantic level since she's actively doing the one thing he wanted to get away from. Unless we have a character arc explaining what changed, it just doesn't make sense.

4: Walter Gulick

I admit that Walter doesn't have much of a character arc. But that doesn't matter to me, because the appeal of his character is his relationships with others. He's in the cynical world of boxing, but still has a wholesome outlook on life. Watching him interact with the done with life New Yorkers is incredible. Even though he knows they look at him strangely, he still has a high level of respect for not only the men but also women. It's honestly incredible that Walter isn't once tempted to be with anyone but Rose. Just a wholesome character with a good moral code and shows that not every character needs to have a significant flaw to be interesting.

5: Vince Everett

As much as I find him unlikeable, I think his character has a lot of fanfic potential. Seeing this otherwise everyday man's fall from grace, become one of the hottest artists in America then suffer a possibly career ending, life-threatening injury is such a wild ride. You can easily write introspective stories on why he became a jerk, how he felt when he though he lost everything, and see if his relationship with Peggy will work out.

6: Rusty Wells

Definitely a dark horse of an Elvis character. I wasn't expecting to like him as much as I did. In the first half I thought he was just going to be somewhat of a Tulsa. But once he got in a bar fight with drunken frat boys just to keep Valerie out of trouble, he immediately became way more interesting. The face he makes when one of his band mates ask him about Valerie is so telling. He genuinely cares about Valerie's well-being. And watching the process of seeing this flirtatious man genuinely fall in love and want to stay in a committed relationship is a pretty good character arc for a cheap to make beach film.

7: Clint Reno

I would've been perfectly fine with his character but the last 20 minutes of the movie or so has him go completely off the rails. Him losing his mind about Cathy potentially cheating on him can work as long as it's written well. Given his perceived age there's plenty of ways you can write this concept that shows a different side of Clint without making him completely switch to the "villains" side.

8: Charlie Rogers

Had all the potential of being a great character yet the writers completely dog on him. As much as he has flaws, I genuinely couldn't care because everyone else in his movie were much, much worse. Him wanting to go back to the carnival makes no sense because of how terrible he was treated. I think if done well he can be an interesting character.

9: Glenn Tyler

As much as I like the backstory and think he has the potential of being an amazing character, I don't think his story was handled well. Some of the decisions that he made don't feel like they fit with his character. He doesn't really love a lot of room to write introspective stories since we already have a full idea of why he's the way he is.

10: Mike Edwards

I really like his dynamic with Sue-Lin. It adds a level of depth that makes an otherwise generic nice guy interesting. Even though he doesn't have a character arc, the conflict that he's put in is so engaging. This conflict doesn't end with him learning a lesson, but it allows him to show a different skillset that otherwise wouldn't exist. I still believe that his romance plot with Nurse Warren wasn't necessary but at least it still shows how not everyone who goes through an unexpected conflict end up having a complete transformation.

11: Tulsa McLean

Tulsa is just a generic main character. He does have some comedic moments where he's sassy with his superior officer and "Tiger". Him being of Native American descent and having a lot of experience with women doesn't really add anything to his character. At least he does have a specific goal and the romance he has with Lili gives him an interesting conflict.

12: Rick Richards

I just don't think he's a memorable character. The conflict he faces is a result of his own actions but it really doesn't matter because he doesn't learn anything. His romance is so much of an afterthought that they don't even kiss until the very end. We get more of a focus on the people he used to be with than focusing on him overcoming that past. You get more invested in the Hawaiian background and the Polynesian Culture Center than you do with him.

13: Josh Morgan

The most boring Elvis character. His only goal isn't even his own: it's the Air Force who wanted him to go to the mountain. We don't learn anything about him outside of his distant relation to the Tatum family. His romance with Azalea doesn't give us any interesting dynamics and just feels pointless. He is a completely nothing character to the point where he shouldn't even be a main character.

[phoenixrisesoncemore]

Why Eru Didn’t Trip Gollum: Providence, Free Will, and Con-creation in The Lord of the Rings—Part 4 of 5

| PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 (this post) | PART 5 |

[Go back to PART 3: Untangling the Knots]

Part 4: Examining the Threads

Active and Passive

Both of the interpretations of the book’s climax we have explored thus far reframe what appears upon first reading in the text to be a passive event (Gollum falling by accident due to misstepping) into an active one (Gollum being tripped or compelled to fall). Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Return of the King likewise reframes (or perhaps transforms) the climactic scene. In the film Gollum’s fall is not presented as purely “accidental”—as a result of his careless dancing. Instead an injured Frodo rises to his feet, clutching his bleeding hand, and wrestles with Gollum; during this fight both fall over the edge into the chasm of fire. Frodo (with the help of Sam) is able to hold onto the rock face and climb out; Gollum, however, is not and plunges into the fire, carrying the Ring with him just as he does in the book. 

Though it isn’t clear who was initially responsible for suggesting this change, Peter Jackson has described his concerns that the scene as written in the book would be “a major disappointment” in the “dramatic context” of film:

We felt that audiences – a lot of people haven’t read the book, of course – would feel very let down and would actually judge Frodo badly for just sitting there watching as the ring got accidentally destroyed. (…)  They’d feel that Frodo would have failed essentially in his quest, and it was an accident that stepped in. We had to be careful in the movie to keep Frodo from looking bad because of that. (qtd. in Sandwell)

In fact according to Jackson the first version of the scene that was shot included even more direct action on Frodo’s part:

When we originally shot the scene, Gollum bit off Frodo’s finger and Frodo pushed Gollum off the ledge into the fires below. It was straight-out murder, but at the time we were okay with it because we felt everyone wanted Frodo to kill Gollum. (ibid)

Jackson apparently told Elijah Wood to play his attack as it appears in the final film ambiguously so that the viewer is left to wonder what Frodo would have done if he had succeeded in reclaiming the Ring from Gollum (Sandwell), thus maintaining the plausibility of Frodo’s “active role” in the Ring’s destruction.

Jackson is not the only person to have considered different and more “heroic” endings to this scene. Tolkien, himself, in earlier drafts of the scene, explored a very similar scenario to the one that appears in Jackson’s film. In The History of Middle-earth volumes VI—IX, Christopher Tolkien presents a number of his father’s early drafts of The Lord of the Rings, including outlines of the climactic scene. In an outline likely dating to 1939 and appearing in the ninth volume, Sauron Defeated, Tolkien writes: “At that moment Gollum — who had seemed to reform and had guided them by secret ways through Mordor — comes up and treacherously tries to take the Ring. They wrestle and Gollum takes Ring and falls into Crack” (3). According to Christopher it is clear that as early as 1940 Tolkien knew that “when Frodo…came to the Crack of Doom he would be unable to cast away the Ring, and that Gollum would take it and fall into the chasm. But how did he fall?” (37).

As Christopher suggests, while his father may have known from early on that the Ring would only fall into the fire along with Gollum, he seems to have been uncertain of the cause of Gollum’s fall. As his work on The Lord of the Rings continued over the decade and a half, Tolkien considered his options, pondering heavily Sam’s involvement—by turns Sam hurls himself into Gollum throwing them both into the fire (4), wrestles with Gollum and then throws him into the fire (4), sneaks up on Gollum while Gollum is dancing with glee and pushes him into the fire (5)—and even the possibility of Gollum jumping into the fire intentionally in a kind of ritual suicide meant to keep the Ring from anyone else. Yet Tolkien eventually ended up back where he started: simply that Gollum falls—no push, no shove, no wrestling. Indeed, according to Christopher the primary draft of the chapter “Mount Doom” (that is, its contents first put in prose and not in outline) is both complete and only differs from the published version in very minor ways:

It is remarkable in that the primary drafting constitutes a completed text, with scarcely anything in the way of preparatory sketching of individual passages, and while the text is rough and full of corrections made at the time of composition it is legible almost throughout; moreover many passages underwent only the most minor changes later. It is possible that some more primitive material has disappeared, but it seems to be far more probable that the long thought which my father had given to the ascent of Mount Doom and the destruction of the Ring enabled him, when at last he came to write it, to achieve it more quickly and surely than almost any earlier chapter in The Lord of the Rings. (37)

As with many aspects of the novel, Tolkien’s choices here were the result of long and careful consideration. But did Tolkien view the destruction of the Ring as “accidental?” Perhaps we should return to those letters and let Tolkien describe the forces in action in the scene himself.

The Supreme Value and Efficacy of Pity

The following are excerpts from four of Tolkien’s letters published in The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien that mention Frodo’s failure and the forces that lead to the completion of the quest in his stead:

[Frodo] (and the Cause) were saved – by Mercy: by the supreme value and efficacy of Pity and forgiveness of injury. […] I did not ‘arrange’ the deliverance in this case: it again follows the logic of the story. (251)

But at this point the ‘salvation’ of the world and Frodo’s own ‘salvation’ is achieved by his previous pity and forgiveness of injury. At any point any prudent person would have told Frodo that Gollum would certainly betray him, and could rob him in the end. To ‘pity’ him, to forbear to kill him, was a piece of folly, or a mystical belief in the ultimate value-in-itself of pity and generosity even if disastrous in the world of time. He did rob him and injure him in the end – but by a ‘grace’, that last betrayal was at a precise juncture when the final evil deed was the most beneficial thing any one cd. have done for Frodo! By a situation created by his ‘forgiveness’, he was saved himself, and relieved of his burden. (234)

In this case the cause (not the ‘hero’) was triumphant, because by the exercise of pity, mercy, and forgiveness of injury, a situation was produced in which all was redressed and disaster averted. (252)

Frodo had done what he could and spent himself completely (as an instrument of Providence) and had produced a situation in which the object of his quest could be achieved. His humility (with which he began) and his sufferings were justly rewarded by the highest honour; and his exercise of patience and mercy towards Gollum gained him Mercy: his failure was redressed. (325)

Two things here are very obvious: firstly that Tolkien places responsibility for the completion of the quest on Frodo’s choice to extend pity to Gollum, and secondly that he describes the action of the climactic scene in consistently passive ways.

Pity is an idea that is addressed several times in The Lord of the Rings; its first appearance comes in chapter two of Book I, only moments before Frodo tries and fails to throw the Ring in the fireplace. Conversing with Gandalf about the likelihood that Gollum has exposed the names “Baggins” and “Shire” to Sauron, putting Frodo and all he loves in danger, Frodo exclaims that it was a pity that Bilbo did not kill Gollum during their encounter in The Hobbit. Gandalf, however, sees things differently:

Pity? It was Pity that stayed [Bilbo’s] hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity. (59)

Our knowledge of Gandalf’s true nature is limited in The Lord of the Rings; it is only in The Silmarillion that we learn he is a maiar who has studied under Nienna, the vala of pity, mercy, compassion, and sorrow. The “supreme value and efficacy of pity and mercy” is likely something Gandalf knows quite a bit about, and he impresses upon Frodo its importance early on. It’s a lesson Frodo will have learned by the time he first meets Gollum; by that point he, too, will have suffered under the strain of the Ring, and will have come to identify with Gollum’s own tortured experience, finding him easy to pity at last. His pity for Gollum will prevent him from killing Gollum during their first meeting and many times afterwards. In fact, Gollum’s survival and presence at the climax is the result of a long string of acts ruled by pity. First is Bilbo’s pity that spares Gollum when Bilbo chooses not to kill him during his escape from the goblin tunnels in the pages of The Hobbit[6]. Next is an act of kindness (almost certainly engendered by pity) by the Elves of Mirkwood from whose custody Gollum escapes; this act of kindness leads to a planned ambush by orcs and the death of several elvish guards, but it also sets Gollum free to track Frodo and the Ring. Frodo’s continuous acts of pity will follow, as he refuses to kill Gollum despite recognizing Gollum is untrustworthy and likely to endanger the quest. Frodo will even plead with Faramir to spare Gollum’s life, despite the fact that Faramir, like Frodo, knows Gollum cannot be trusted. Lastly it is Sam (whose own bungled treatment of Gollum likely prevented Gollum’s full repentance) who will finally feel pity for Gollum: having at last experienced the weight of the Ring, himself, he refuses to kill Gollum on the slopes of Mount Doom just before the climactic scene. 

These acts, as Tolkien says, are folly. No reasonable person would decide that the most prudent course of action is to spare Gollum’s life, especially not once Frodo and Sam have entered Mordor and have the Cracks of Doom in sight. And yet it is clear that without these continuous offerings of pity, grace, and mercy the quest would have failed. Frodo would have claimed the Ring. Sauron would have found him and taken it. The armies of the West would have been crushed, and Sauron’s dominion over Middle-earth would have been final. Gollum’s actions in the Cracks of Doom are ignoble, no doubt—they are driven by lust and total corruption—but they nonetheless inadvertently bring about the Ring’s destruction and the “salvation of the Cause.”

Abnegation and Plain Hobbit-sense

Frodo and Sam’s choices, both as they relate to Gollum and to the Ring, also express an incredible humility and awareness of their position relative to the enormity of the rest of the world. As Gandalf says during chapter two’s pity speech: “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends” (59).

Douglas Blount in his paper, “Uberhobbits: Tolkien, Nietzsche, And The Will To Power” describes those characteristics which Tolkien most closely identifies with heroism and moral authority: strength, according to Tolkien, manifests itself most clearly not in the exercise of power but rather in the willingness to give it up. “The greatest examples of the action of the spirit and of reason,” Blount tells us, “are in abnegation” (98).

It could be argued that hobbits, perhaps more than any of the “races” in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, reflect the virtues of humility and the abnegation of authority which is not theirs to claim. They are simple people who, on the whole, want to be left alone and do not seek domination of either people or of nature. And while their ignorance and small-mindedness are not traits to be looked up to (and everyone from Tolkien to Frodo to Gandalf does fault them for this), I would argue that they, as a group, represent the closest thing in the novel (outside of Tom Bombadil) to the antithesis of Sauron and the Ring.

Though Frodo does fail the final test, Tolkien assures us that it was a test outside Frodo’s (and indeed any person’s) capability to pass. In the heart of Sauron’s domain, at the fire where the Ring was forged, where all other powers were dimmed, no incarnate creature could have brought themselves to destroy the Ring. Tolkien is clear that in this sense Frodo’s failure was not a moral one, as he had been pushed beyond his capacity and had maintained his moral integrity up until that moment—which, to go back to the discussion of Gollum being cursed, further undermines the idea that Frodo at any point actively used the Ring to curse or compel Gollum to his death. Added together, these themes of pity and humility are part of why I would argue some of the changes made in Jackson’s adaptation of The Return of the King obscure some of the most important themes in The Lord of the Rings—in their effort to add additional dramatic tension or to give Frodo the appearance of more agency, they repeatedly dilute either Frodo’s sensible nature or the chain of pity that runs through the story[7].

Two of the film’s choices stand out in particular: a significantly altered scene while the heroes are climbing the Endless Stair in which Gollum tricks Frodo into believing Sam has turned against him leading Frodo to send Sam away, and the climax when Gollum falls into the fire as a result of struggling with Frodo over the Ring. The former, I would argue, works most strongly against both of the two important themes we have been examining in this section: pity and humility (or “plain hobbit sense”). Frodo’s “plain hobbit sense” is called into question here by his ability to be deceived so easily (in a moment which, as written, I would also argue is simply dramatically unbelievable.) More importantly, his deception in this moment interrupts the important chain of mercy and pity that is responsible for leading to the Ring’s destruction. The compassion and mercy that Frodo shows to Gollum only maintains its thematic power if Frodo remains aware of how dangerous Gollum actually is. A Frodo who can be so easily tricked into believing Gollum over Sam—to the point that he would actually tell Sam to leave him—is no longer keeping Gollum around despite knowing he is untrustworthy. Hence, Frodo’s actions regarding Gollum are no longer acts inspired by pity of him. Additionally, the reworking of the final confrontation at the Cracks of Doom, which places far more agency (albeit agency born of desire and rage rather than righteousness) on Frodo in the destruction of the Ring, muddies the still waters of the moment and reveals a lack of trust in the power and virtue of Frodo’s choices and actions prior to the moment, the choices and actions that Tolkien very explicitly tells us are responsible for the Ring’s destruction.

Now it’s time to bring these threads back together and explain why it is that Eru didn’t trip Gollum—why it is deeply important to the thematic and dramatic unity of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s wider Legendarium that Gollum’s fall was not the result of a singular, direct, and unilateral intervention by Eru.

Notes in Part 4

6. This choice of Bilbo’s did not appear in the first edition of The Hobbit: Tolkien altered the book to reflect the new, more powerful, and far more malevolent nature of the One Ring, and it is worth noting that he felt it important enough to include this act of pity in his alterations.

7. To be absolutely fair, Jackson wasn’t unaware of the pity issue, and states as much in the same interview. However, he presumably felt the theme wouldn’t be communicated sufficiently in the medium of film so as to override concerns about the audience’s reaction to Frodo’s passivity.

[Continue to PART 5: Reweaving the Tapestry]

[bungeo-ppangie]

˗ˏˋ ENHYPEN ´ˎ˗ when you make them dance

ღ pairing. enha x reader

ღ contents. fluff, just a fun lil scenario, enha with their s/o

ღ summary. in which you coincidentally find a kpop random dance while walking with your enha s/o, and feel the need to see a real trainee join

﹒⪩⪨﹒scroll for reactions

LEE HEESEUNG

tries to convince you that it's the same as watching him practice

however, you aren't convinced at all ofc

and continue begging him with puppy eyes

he eventually caves in because you were too cute~

(also he was just a little bit excited to show you his talents as our beloved ace)

but he'll never admit it

does everything perfectly, but in the back of the crowd so wonie wouldn't beat him up later for showing up in public without telling him

you're very indignant on how everyone is cheering for a different dancer

(even though they couldn't actually see him and were focused on the people at the front as anyone would be)

when you were absolutely sure hee was better

which he finds absolutely endearing

overall a fun experience

10 minutes of begging for a 30 second experience, but was it worth it?

yes. no arguments.

"... just one song, for you"

PARK JAY

very worried he'll mess up in front of you

barters to get himself out of the situation

convinces you that it's bad for your system to exercise exactly 3 hours and 37 minutes after eating (?)

idk how

but his absolute unfiltered 100% organic bullshitting saved his tush

another factor in his victory may have been that he was talking so fast

that your brain was tripping over itself trying to comprehend what he was saying

so you ended up just nodding confusedly

and never realized what was happening until you were already home with him

he definitely makes you your favorite food for dinner to compromise

you learned 2 lessons from this experience:

1) never underestimate your bf's skill at lying to save himself

2) it is in fact not bad for your system to exercise exactly 3 hours and 37 minutes after eating

"see, isn't this better than watching me look stupid?"

SIM JAKE

shy puppy

unlike the others he doesn't try to argue

idk i feel like he'd quickly join for a round just to appease you

even if he's a bit nervous he definitely wouldn't show it

but forgets about the event just as quickly as he got it over with

you both just end up continuing on with your plans for the day

and spend half of said day cooing over layla

very understandable though

i'm sorry this is so short

i need to do more jake research

PARK SUNGHOON

worried pt.2

shields your eyes the moment he sees the dance going on and tries to steer you away

mans knew what was coming for him

even though you know you're so getting teased for this later, you pout at him and beg him to dance

he blushes, seeing you so cute, but hides it with his sleeve to save his pride

points out that you're a capable dancer yourself, why don't you do it?

you end up agreeing to do it together, after much debate

when he sees that he can't get himself out of the situation

he decides to just tease you on how whipped you are for him

even though he's just as excited to see you dance

prays to the lord that he doesn't mess up right before the next chorus begins

thankfully he doesn't and performs perfectly

which, in turn, led to his cover being blown

his mask falling off at the end may have possibly also contributed to this

(someone thought you were wonyoung?? best compliment fr)

you two run home after almost being chased the entire way by some not very nice fans

one of them being a dive who may need a new prescription for their contacts

he ends up hiding from wonie for a week

"W for my pulling skills"

KIM SUNOO

sassy queen

you didn't even ask him to join

you could swear he was just next to you, but when you turn around, you don't see him anymore

ofc you're panicking while looking around

until you see a random play dance that was currently playing crown by txt

he just couldn't resist after being repeatedly interrupted during the chorus when he danced in the practice room with the rest of enhypen

you just go stand by and watch him vibing

thankfully in the back of the crowd, who knows what his manager would've done if he knew sunoo was joining a publicly filmed and broadcasted event without approval

he refuses to leave until he's done his 15th chorus

and you're barely able to pull him out

is now besties with half the people there

and he somehow still hasn't leaked his identity

the crowd's excitement dies down a little after our sunshine leaves

he talks the entire way home about the girl group songs

and how you totally would've slayed them

is out like a light after getting home

"that was so fun, you should've joined!"

YANG JUNGWON

worried pt.3

not that he'll mess up because yang leader is perfect

but he thinks he might be discovered by some very perceptive engenes

he figures he'll be fine though

as long as he stays clear of the front of the crowd

and he'll do mostly anything to make you happy

except washing dishes

cutie

dances whenever you tell him to join

will happily stay for as long as you'd like him to

adds in random moves to make you laugh

pulls you in for ping pong so to avoid anyone else dancing as his partner

you two are complimented by various other dancers for your talent and chemistry

buys you ice cream later too cool off with

even though he was the one dancing

"we should dance together more often~"

NISHIMURA RIKI

will hop in without you asking pt.2

is the one asking you to join him

body rolls at any given opportunity just for the fun of it

competing against you even though he knows he'll win

this is a given fact due to the number of just dance battles he won you at

however you'll never admit he's better than you and you're constantly trying to best him

he'll also never admit that you're improving much more than you think you are

he shamelessly reveals himself to everyone within the vicinity with his undeniable talent after a mere 2 choruses

thankfully people were chill about it and decided to turn off the recording camera and livestream to make it more accommodating towards your idol bf

which you both really appreciated

you two end up teaching some kids an enha chorus

(OMG HE WAS SO CUTE WITH THE KIDS I CANT-)

those kids were so talented though it's scary

on the positive side: mini rikis?!??

your previous plans for the day are quickly forgotten

and you guys spend the rest of the day there

definitely one of the best memories you've had together

"i'm still gonna win, you know"

[abundantchewtoys]

HS^2 re: p534-576

Woof (pun not intended), it's a doozy, this one.

Jade as doting mother was hilariously embarassing. But it seems her reasons to have a child in the first place stem from her intense loneliness, exacerbated by her celebrity status.

Meanwhile, Rose's motivation to carry the child... There's two ways to interpret it. The least complimentary is that she's just as manipulative as Dirk, using her powers to 'okay' a disgraceful decision because she'll be forgiven in the end anyway. I hope she actually wanted to see if she could do something her powers couldn't predict the outcome of. It would mean she's aware of the Candy timeline's nature of decreasing truthfulness, relevance and necessity and is trying to do something about it. The fact that she's so dismissive about Earth C's people, as is Jade, could point in that direction.

In fact, it would seem that, for all that the Candy timeline appeared to be a 'saccharine end state' for most of the kids, they do seem to be aware that even beyond the totalitarian government, there's something else fundamentally wrong with the timeline?

Meanwhlie, Yiffany not talking is so funny when you think about it. Even while we're being her, she's just too cool to lower herself to such base characterizational devices.

Would be funny if she's treated as the teen version of hypothetical older Maggie Simpson of Beyond Canon. Implied to be witty & talkative but never shown. :p

What else? So, uh, Tavros & Yiffany are acquainted, and Yiffy probably got locked up/kept hidden in Tavros' house when she was away from boarding school. Like a perverse Rapunzel. Making Tavros not just her biological uncle but also foster brother, oh jeez. So, uh, it might also mean her enmity with Gamzee's corpse stemmed from actual, in-person interactions with the clown.

Meenah's probably calling to let Rose & Kanaya know that Jane's coming to the meteor too.

So, the Point. I'm assuming it's to do with the device behind the curtain, beneath the meteor.

Spitballing & exchanging theories with Blaperile, I'm assuming it's a way for the Candy people to travel into the Meat timeline.

I wouldn't like it to be one way, for one thing because some people might not want to leave. For another, what would The Influencers even be able to do?

It could be a Sburb copy for the new kids to boot a session with & interact with the Deltritus gang?

Would be funny to have a sort of Hivebent situation going on with 2 separate teams turning out to be entering the same session.

If it's a giant version of the Hiveswap device, maybe the Candy & Meat timeline meteors get swapped (a literal swapping of hives).

Then maybe Candy Earth C with the Meat meteor turns out to be Alternate Calliope's home timeline, and the reverse for Caliborn/Lord English?

It would seem Jade was carrying around a stuffed corpse in her sylladex! Of course Adult Dave (now Davebot) is the most likely person. It could lead to Davebot exploding if his corpse is ever prototyped! But then we'd have a new version of Davesprite...

If it were Candy Dirk, we'd get Dirksprite: aka Arquiusprite minus Equius minus autoresponder.

With how Rose's mom got touched on in the argument, what if Jade had stuffed Mom and Dad? As Blaperile pointed out to me, while John & Jade had a funeral for them pre-retcon, we don't know that they did post-retcon, do we?

No chance for a Johnsprite beyond Terezi prototyping Meat John, though! Would've been funny to have Johnsprite^2 or *2. But unless Jade took John's original body (from his quest bed) from LOWAS before it exploded, we won't have that. As she never found the bodies for John & Davesprite in her timeline.

(Yeah I'm just grasping at straws to get a POV & further fleshing out for Dad, can't help it.)

As for the newspost, turns out I missed the one from Feb 1st. Wow, Vast Error has gotten the Hussie stamp of approval and now falls under the HICU protection and can monetize on their work!

I haven't read it yet, but I know from experience how engaging fanventures can be, so good for them!

And oh geez, so much unvaulted commentary to read on Patreon. :B

[bb-bare-bones]

Deya's Favourite Body Horror Films

Art and Words by Dy Dawson, @xgardensinspace

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)

Films that have practical special effects tend to be my absolute favourites! And this film is – at least in my humble opinion – the holy grail for practical special effects! I never get tired of watching bodies becoming unrecognisable masses of bone and sinew in this incredible film, and the fact that everything looks agonisingly real whilst being done through the power of makeup and human hands with such extensive precision blows my mind! EVERY GODDAMNED TIME!

The Void (2016)

Similarly to The Thing, I praise the shit out of this hidden gem because the practical effects are PRISTINE! I don’t wish to say much about this one because it’s a real treat, and the fact that they managed to build a WHOLE creature on such a tight budget (plus all the many other special effects) is insanely amazing. A must watch, if you haven’t already!

Braindead (1992)

For this one I would like to say, buckets of blood and a lawnmower. That is all.

Nah, but in all seriousness, this is considered to be the goriest film of all time, and for good measure. It’s extremely campy, but all the effects are practical (I think you might start seeing the pattern here), super well done, and even if this is a horror comedy, the gory scenes are bound to make you feel icky! Also…Peter Jackson made this masterpiece before Lord of the Rings. I just think that’s fucking precious.

Child’s Play 2 (1990)

Some might not consider this a “body horror” film, but if we really think about it, this film series still contains an extensive showcase of body horror as a doll is quite literally turning human. This could fall under the “mutation” bracket of body horror. The first two films do the best job at showcasing that; the doll’s appearance shifts as Chucky spends time inside the doll. It’s shown through the progression of his staining teeth, the receding hairline, and a blemished face. I have specifically selected Child’s Play 2 because it’s got the most beautiful blend of this “mutation”, and the violation of the doll’s (human) body itself. That final scene in the factory is the best, and this stands as the only film that I couldn’t sleep with after watching. Sure, I was 8 years old, but I’ve been watching horror since the age of 5 and the fact that this one genuinely frightened me and has now turned into one of my favourite franchises saysa lot (mee thinks).

Akira (1988)

This film is simply amazing! And the most stunning example of body horror in animation! Well, the kind about physical human body mutilation, of course. But the animation behind those scenes is pure bliss and such a beautifully grotesque visual. I played King of Fighters before actually watching Akira, though. So when I saw Tetsuo’s arm do “the thing” for the very first time, you can imagine how happy I was to know there was a magnificent reference to the character X/9999. It fulfilled some childhood nostalgia I didn’t know I was craving, and seeing those scenes in the movie still runs chills down my spine because that animation is GORGEOUSLY disturbing. And trust me, I like to be disturbed.

Hellraiser (1987)

My favourite thing about body horror is the absolute gory violation and destruction of the human body. The whole centrepiece of this film is body mutilation, so of course it’s going to be on my list! My favourite scene is when Frank Cotton is being resurrected from the floorboards of the attic. When that spine connects to the brain, I shriek with Frank in pure awestruck! Another thing I love about body horror is THE GOOP! I need fluids, blood and goop and ooze and stringy bits. And that scene has SO much of it!

If I’m not being disturbed and/or disgusted, am I really watching horror?

Re-Animator (1985)

What can I say about this one that Ed hasn’t already? I mean… c’mon! There is SO much body horror and practical effects in this baddie to fill an entire house! I mean, the opening scene has exploding eyeballs, for Pete’s sake! And the entirety of Dr. Halsey head is oscar-winning material for the makeup department! As well as for the effectiveness of working smart, not hard. This entire film is a beautiful collection of practical effects that work effectively by not spending an absurd amount of money. It’s a B-film for a reason! And let’s face it, B-films often have some of the best effects in the industry because people have to work around that tight budget, get very creative and manage to deliver effects that can withstand the test of time, as well as look as convincing as possible. Re-Animator does this so well, and I sometimes forget Dr. Halsey isn’t actually decapitated in that fucking scene. Such a simple effect accomplished incredibly effectively.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

This is one of my favourite films, but not necessarily for the body horror; it’s just such a bloody good story! I still wanted to include it because I feel it’s a bit of an underrated or not very talked about film. Anyone with a period needs to watch it, first of all… And the practical special effects for Ginger’s werewolf transformation are genuinely impressive! One of my favourite things about this film is the opening sequence, with the sisters’ photoshoot on deaths. They are all very precious ways to die, and some are very body-horror oriented! (As well as the social commentary on women and their periods. It’s fucking BRILLIANT!)

Event Horizon (1997)

This one is truly a treat for sci-fi and horror films alike! And if you, like me, adore both genres, this film is just a treasure! It’s gorey, it’s gritty, and the plot is to die for. A little Hellraiser around the edges, but who’s complaining? And the special effects are truly magnificent! Also, look out for deleted scenes or the unrated versions of this film, please. You cannot miss this film in its full horrific glory!

Taxidermia (2006)

Taxidermia’s a bit odd, but I love it for exactly that reason. It’s one of the only films to have genuinely disturbed me; although it’s for my emetophobia reason rather than for body horror-situations. Although…it brings the question on whether competitive food eating is a bit of a violation on the body, hehe. It’s a film about 3 generations of one family, through the POV of the grandfather, the dad and the son. The biggest “body horror” part in this film is the last segment, and boy is it beautiful! Well, the bits with the son only. The body metamorphosis the dad went through is certainly grotesque, but the effects are sort of unrealistic/comedic(?) and thus look a bit silly. But trust me, that final transformation the son goes through is truly beautiful :)

Again… a really bizarre little Hungarian film, but if you are interested, go watch it and don’t say I didn’t warn you! I also don’t personally know anybody who has seen this film…so it’s always great to recommend and put it out there!

Honourable Mentions:

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

This one is here for being ICONIC. This film is so creative and artsy about its body horror. Certainly taking inspiration from Akira, but also just being unsettling for its stylised way of showcasing the destruction of the human body. Bits and wires everywhere! In black and white? SURE! I love the red of blood, but this movie gets a pass for its sheer imaginative way of displaying body horror.

The Fly (1986)

Love this film, but surprisingly it’s not one of my favourites! I wanted to include it here though, because the metamorphosis Seth Brundle goes through is EXTREMELY grotesque! It’s got absolutely everything I adore about the genre: Physical human body violations, gore, GOOP, and practical effects.

Scanners (1981)

Honestly, this one is just here because I FUCKING love that head exploding scene everyone knows about :b LITERAL ART!

Black Sheep (2006)

A dark comedy! Or horror comedy? Either way, this fucking film is DISTURBING! The practical effects are to die for, and the final creature sent shivers down my spine. I don’t care how silly this film is, if it wasn’t comedic, this would be a straight up HORROR of the most disturbing kind. And besides, anything making commentary on animal cruelty and animal testing is a definite narrative artistry about body horror in my book.

American Mary (2012)

This film has A TON of body horror displays! Full frontal and all. It’s one of my picks that isn’t just about gorey mutilation, but actual sexual violation as well :0 It’s got such a strong message, and the visuals are pretty great! Extra points for empowering women ;)

Slither (2006)

This film is only here for being one of the only ones to genuinely disgust and disturb me. The transformation of that one woman in the barn creeps me to the core :( And that doesn’t happen often! So as much as I hate this movie for making me feel uncomfortable, it’s gotta be on the list, right?

Society (1989)

This film is also fucking GROSS. Commentary on the rich being as disgusting as the actions happening, and as gross as they look in the end of this film is fucking GOLD! I’m all for it. Definitely not one of my favourites (it’s just a little boring at parts), but worth mentioning for that social commentary mixed in with absolutely horrendous body mutilation scenes done with practical effects.

Splinter (2008)

Another little hidden gem of a movie! I don’t hear people talk about this one ENOUGH! One of two films in my list that doesn’t exclusively include practical effects (I think). But that’s okay! Because this film is SO creative and has such a unique version of the zombie virus! It certainly will shake you; especially if hearing and/or seeing bones cracking is one of your “irk” uncomfy factors.

[the-crow-binary]

So I return the favor: your top 10 reasons you fell into Hecula hell? 👀💖

>:)

10- You. (you know what you did. >:<)

9- The parallels with Hector being like a "good" version of Dracula (with his own shades of gray <3)

8- Dracula seeing Hector as his creation :) And his best, thus far, considering how he favors him and made him his protégé :)

7- The power imbalance. Dracula is the Dark Lord, the most powerful evil being, Hector's master and father figure. Hector is just the boy who asked him for power and a home and love and who has no one else but him. <3 Unlike ISAAC, Dracula actually loves him over anyone else...

6- I lied, he doesn't. Lol. Dracula loves himself more. <3 (what is it with Hector and falling for men who prefers Dracula lmfao trevor don't you dare) And what he loves in Hector are things he sees as being the result of his doing, his teachings. Because he got a big ego and barely sees Hector as his own person <3 The fact that, once the possibility that Hector might have betrayed him, his first reaction was to ask for him back so he could basically torture him (turn him into a demon to drink sewage forever), while at the SAME TIME, "hope that [he is] mistaken" and is like "if he's dead, it's fine", shows that though he cares deeply enough to hope Hector didn't betray him... it's not deeply enough to be sad about him dying (or at least, not too much. just as sad as one would be in front of their broken toy :3). Or even start to forgive him for going against him. :) How dare he? Did he really thought he was important enough to be allowed that? That he had agency? Lol, lmao. Learn your place, love. <3

5- Dracula is a manipulative bastard (affectionate). Because Hector was never loved by any of his parents, and straight up ignored by his father, AND no one liked him outside of them anyway, he has no idea how healthy relationships looks like and what parental love should be like. So when he arrived in the Castle, he was like a blank paper-sheet, waiting for Dracula to write whatever he wanted in it :)

4- Hector doesn't have anyone else to love and be loved by <3 (he used to think he had Isaac, before he realizes how Dracula-centered he was. lol) No one showed him true passion like Dracula did :)

3- Even though he has all the good reasons to be completely brainwashed and convinced Dracula is the best and 100% right in everything, Hector somehow isn't. :) He still has his strong character, his boldness, his convictions. And even if he clearly loves Dracula and fear him all the same, he still finds the courage to go against him. Particularly like the version where he begs on his knees for Dracula to stop, thinking he might listen to him, only to get coldly ignored <3

2- Hector is Dracula's specialest boy and it can be literally so cute but can also be so fucked up especially since [insert number 6]🥺

1- Dehumanization... or the attempt at it :) Dracula doesn't love Hector for the person he is, but what he made out of him, and what he can give him. :) A replacement for his late wife? <3 A body to use as he see fit? <3 A general to lead his war for him? <3 A companion when he wants to rest? <3 Or a voice to listen to when he wants to relax? <3 Anything he wants out of Hector, he gets it. And it doesn't matter if he wants or not, it doesn't matter what he feels, he became his the moment he step foot in his Castle. The only moment Hector's feelings matters are when Dracula can use them for his own benefit and manipulate him <3 And yet Hector keep fighting back, fighting for his identity, for his humanity. Yes he has his moments of weakness, of helplessness in Dracula's arms... but he never truly lost what made him Hector. We all know how that ship end >:)

And then ofc there's your top and the 11th reason because there's too many to explain why I fell into this hell to be able to resume it into one top <3

Oh and before i forget

0- The pseudo-incestuous undertones that are EVERYWHERE

[bruh-anator3000]

Special shout out to bae @thehistoriangirl for getting the kettle ready, we got a long story ahead of us. I actually wrote out an entire story but then realized most people dont want that, so let me break it down to the best of my ability. I hope you enjoy, and thank you to the 5 people who showed interest, I love you, like for real.

Warnings: severely unedited, Drug/substance abuse, inhumane product testing, death, probably bad writing at diseases (im working on it), child abuse/neglectance, daddy issues, crime, that should be all

Anisa Hardy was born with albinism and an autoimmune disease

Her premature birth gave both her and her mother serious issues, one that her father, a renowned surgeon and geneticist tried to undo

He tested his genetic reversal on Anisa when she was 7, trying to find the perfect formula to save his wife

He had a prophetic dream that he should splice their dna with the creature told to have 9 lives, so that if his wife did die, she could be reincarnated again

The splicing worked on Anisa but her mother died during the genetic sewing

Walter Hardy blames Anisa for lying to him that it worked

Her older sister ran away from home when Anisa was 16, leaving her the advice 'trust no one but yourself.'

Anisa stayed in school for the one reason of being better than her father

As her father went insane from losing his true love, he created a drug ring, and sold his company as he grew to become Nueva York's largest crime lord, under the alias of 'The Black Mask.'

Given her increased stealth, agility and strength thanks to the spliced cat dna, Anisa was forced to work as his number 1 robber, stealing things for him under the name of 'the Child of the Mask' (father's idea, not hers)

Got noticed by Alchemax as she entered college - the company Walter *used* to own

Met Miguel O'Hara when she interned with the lab cooperation

The typical trope of they couldn't express their care in any other way besides picking on each other

Anisa would bring Miguel his exact coffee order every morning though

He caught onto the fact she never had any real food to eat, and when he asked, she just snarked 'unless you bring me somethin else, I'll stick to my chips."

So he brought her homemade empanadas the next day

He was rewarded with one of the less noticeable stolen jewels her father made her take. Leaving it on O'Hara's desk without a word. This back and forth continued for a while

While in the labs, Anisa created a drug called 'Nine Lives.' A purple substance so strong, it could bring her back to life. It could only be used 9 times since it would slowly take over the blood stream 10% each dose.

However, Anisa made 10. Knowing full well her body would rupture if she ever took this drug ten times. She planned on it, in case one her last leg, she wouldn't be able to survive again

Miguel never really noticed, too caught up in his own research to care

The two never got to address their growing romantic feelings even after 2 years

And when Anisa thought she was ready to commit to the asshole of a coworker and finally ask him on a proper date, her father had the crazy idea that a spider's dna could bring his love back to life.

She was instructed to get Miguel alone and locked in the labs so that his men could take him out for testing. Because clearly, a healthy and strong young man's reaction to this would definitely be the same as a dead woman's

Anisa was inches away from the door when she broke down, running over to Miguel and begging him to leave. To trust her, and to walk out the lab doors and never come back

Obviously, he thought it was some stupid prank, an attempt to get him out so she could copy his work

That was until the glass behind them broke and a posion dart shot Anisa in the back of the neck, having her fall near dead asleep in Miguel's hold

Smoke filled the room, and as he tried to haul himself and Anisa out, three more darts landed on his back, knocking them both out clean

Anisa gained her vision, unable to move anything else as she helplessly watched her father's men drag Miguel away

She never returned to the labs

The next few nights, she paced, trying to figure out a way to get Miguel out of this mess

Thats when she adapted the 'Black Cat.'

She made her own suit, far different from the crappy skin tight shit her father threw at her, a mask that was inspired by Miguel's nanotechnology he tampered with, and broke into her father's labs

She found Miguel motionless, still dead asleep as a computer read how close his dna was to completing it's splicing

She ripped all her father's work apart, finally getting the revenge she's wanted for years and dragged Miguel's limp body out of the building

It was tough but she managed to get them back into the labs, where she set to work on making a neutralizer, similar to the one she had to take to contain the more... feral parts of her split blood

She created it, basing it off of her own but with spider calming elements instead and wrote it down for him. She injected him with it, watched as he sat up screaming, and disappeared, unable to face him

Guilt heavy as she wondered day and night; maybe if she tried harder, Miguel wouldn't have to live like her. Maybe if she was better, she could've saved him... and her mother

News of the black cat caught on, especially since she would steal for her father under his given alias, then take it all back a week or so later under her more fitting identity

She never talked to Miguel again, ignoring his calls, too ashamed with herself to even think of him

It wasn't until she was robbing one of the more secure banks of the city (technically un-robbing it by putting jewels *back*) that she met another vigilante, Spider-Man 2099

A ridiculous name, she taunted, her mask giving her words more confidence.

As they fought, and he told a smidge of his story, she caught on quick

She knew he was Miguel from the very beginning

I mean, who else has spider dna?

Suddenly, she didn't know what to do and nearly got herself kicked off a building and into the road

As time went on, Black cat was the only mask Anisa wore, stealing the artifacts or secret chemicals from their establishments before her father could get to them

All Walter knew was that his horrible daughter finally went missing - unaware his own creation beat him at his game nearly every heist

Spider-Man was the real issue. Choosing to fight Anisa instead of listening to her side

It was the labs all over again. Arguing without even caring who was actually right, just caring that it meant the spent more time together

Miguel would catch Black Cat just 'strolling' along rooftops where he was patrolling

He found himself sitting with his nemesis, splitting street food as they watched the city bustle beneath them

He didn't find out about her identity until he almost got her killed

Use one of nine for her concoction of 'Nine Lives.'

Miguel had found Black Mask's house of operation, and ignored the pleading of Black Cat

He refused to give up on this mission, needing to ensure Black Mask couldn't harm the world again

A failed fight later, the only way to stop Miguel from being shot dead was Anisa ripping off her mask to calm her father

But being seperated from him for so long, she forgot the rage that would boil over him everytime he saw his daughter's face - too similar to her mother, too similar to the wife she killed

He shot her 5 times in the chest without blinking, walking away as Miguel crawled over

He truly thought he lost another one to Black Mask. First, his uncle, the only one in his family who cared about him - and now the girl he ever considered close. Dare he say, a friend - maybe more.

On the brink of death, Anisa brought his hand down to her belt, revealing a purple vial with two needles at the end. Like fangs, with a shot mechanism

Rolling her head to the side, a silent invitation to inject her with this vial, right into her major pulse point

Miguel almost didn't do it. Terrified it would make things worse, but he had to take a chance

And after watching her bullet wounds heal over with fake purple skin, Anisa shot up, gasping

They grew closer then, after Miguel snappes at her for her criminal activities, and almost dying

The Black Cat and Spider-Man, working together?! Was on every headline for a few months

Then, Miguel disappeared

Completely gone, like he had fallen off the face of the earth, and Anisa couldn't do anything

She tried every resource, every gang, every possible thing, unwilling to loose someone like that again

But she couldn't find anything. Miguel was gone

It wasn't until three months later when one of her sources notified her of his pressence back in Nueva York

She immediately ran to a museum, stealing the largest Tomb there and waited anxiously for Miguel to come after her

He did, and she nearly tackled him with excitement

She quipped on and on, teasing him for leaving, but Miguel didn't respond to a single taunt, not even a grunt

When she lowered her guard, and her mask to sincerely ask what happened, a red web caught on her midsection

Slamming her face first into the concrete of the roof, breaking her nose immediately

He grabbed her chin, unfazed by the blood streaming down her face and yelled

But he didn't exactly yell, his voice just so angry, it was cold against her ear as he told her that hes seen things she could never comprehend

That there were worlds, far greater and far less than theirs, that they meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, that Anisa meant nothing. She never did.

And that if she kept trying to steal and be a criminal, he would no longer be the one to save her from her doom. That he wasn't going to spend his life chasing a lowlife like her. That shes already wasted so much of his time, that nothing she did mattered. It never did

And then, he left

Miguel left Anisa on the roof with a broken nose, the words of her sister ringing like a bell in her head

'Trust no one but yourself.'

For a while, Anisa let it be. Angrier than ever, upset that she let herself get hurt again, she went to work with her father again

Receiving tasks under a fake identity - Walter Hardy still believed he finally killed his daughter

But she grew bored, her anger needing closure or else she was going to bash everyone's head in Nueva York against the very asphalt they walked on

Like any normal not really ex - she stalked Miguel

It was hard finding a lead at first, but what she found was astonishing. Miguel had created an entire society

A society of spider people, from apl different dimensions

Naturally, she mapped out the entire building and filled all the air systems with a sleeping gas that knocked all the spiders out, expect for Miguel

His vents filled with paralyzing smoke, leaving him unable to move, but to witness the woman he never thought to see again walk through his complex building like she owned the place

Barging into his lair, she pressed on his wrist until a red web shot out

Grabbing it, she wrapped Miguel in his own webbing, and threw him into his chair before pressing a knife to his neck

"Anisa," he gulped out, "good to see you,"

"Ohhhhh," Anisa's head whipped around. Finding other spider with a five o'clock shadow slumped over. "You know her? Veryyyy cool." Peter B chuckled, slobbering running down his face as the paralysis kept his muscles still

They eventually work it out after he has Lyla do her explainy fhingy while hes limp and tied to a chair (lyla took photos) and Anisa would eventually get over it and understand

She would later go on to finally stop her father with the help of Miguel

Later, she would take over as Nueva York's largest crime lord - pissing Miguel off until he realized that crime actually went down since her rein began

She only took over because she knew if she didn't, someone worse would, and she uses her status as a way to demand criminals to get therapy and better jobs

She would also be granted max security for the spider society, and be allowed in whenever she wanted - always to meet up with Miguel, sometimes to help him, other times to just lay around and be a silent menace

Okay! Now with her story out of the way, i get to share the smaller details!

Anisa was born a second generation immigrant on her mother's side, from what was once known as Iran

Due to her albinism, she has silver hair and purple eyes, and she's smaller than a lot of people from being born prematurely

After the dna spilce, she gained some melanin back, and was given the opportunity to be a more average height/weight from it

She had to curate her own stabilizing serum since her father gave up on it, working closely with one of his scientists who helped her understand what was going on

The cat dna improved flexibility, agility, endurance, stealth, speed, heightened senses, and oddly, her chances of luck

Has claws and fangs very similar to Miguel, on both her fingers and toes. Her pupils also gained the ability to shrink and expand like a cat's, giving her an odd slit pupil look regularly

Bc of that, and her albinism, she's very very sensitive to light, often wearing some sort of eye wear to keep her safe

Her hair grew thicker too, excessive hair growth that was darker than her normal silver. It's odd trying to explain why near her temples/roots, its darker than the rest of her hair - explaining your mad scientist father spliced your genetic code with a black cat isn't easy

Makes biscuits whens shes deep in thought, and her claws get stuck on fabric and she cant pull away unless she grabs her wrist to manually detach her claws

Her tongue is textured too, and she came to that realization after licking ice cream and it left a really concerning pattern

She has to be very careful with what she wears, anything could tick her off with her hypersensitivity

I actually can't decide if I want her to grow ears and a tail yet so its in my mind as concept design still lmao

Really close to her sister, Emelia, and Anisa listens to her voicemail of her whenever she gets sad

Grew up used to people bullying her for her different appearance, so even if she wanted friends, no one dared be near her

Ironically enough, she's actually deadly allergic to seafood, so though her feline insticts go off when she smells fish, she cannot risk eating it

Her father signed her up for any extra curricular she wanted, Martial arts, sword fighting, gymnastics, anything to keep her away from him

Got in a lot of trouble with the law as a juvenile, an act of rebellion towards her father

Ordinarily, Alchemax wouldn't have hired the daughter of the insane scientist, but Anisa forged documents and changed her last name to her mother's

People tell her that she does have a very similar appearance to her father, and it makes her go crazy, wanting to rip out every part of her

Her skin is very sensitive, even more so bc of the heightened senses, so it scars really easily - it doesn't help she's picked up picking at scabs as a habit

Was lowkey in love at first sight with Miguel until he finally opened his mouth to tell her she was wrong with her formulas

They were apart of a group of roughly 10 other interns, but the rest requested a transfer not long after Anisa and Miguel started fighting over everything

The one thing that kept Anisa's interest piqued was that whenever someone made a diss about her appearance, calling her unnatural or a genetic mistake, Miguel would get on them in an instant

He backed another intern named Mark into the cart of petri dishes, breaking them all - Anisa would've started a fight on it if Miguel hadn't used it to his advantage to get the guy fired

Miguel was also quick to notice the bruises she'd come in with (being your father's main robber, only to then rob him to unrob the banks wasn't easy)

He only knew how to argue with her but he didn't want to make her feel bad about the scars or bruises, so that's when he brought up nutrition

And he didn't hesitate to make her lunch from then on. He didn't even explain why or let Anisa question him. He would simply silently hand her a paper bag as she handed him his morning coffee

After the whole testing incident and stuff, he planned on coming back to work and to ask Anisa what she knew about it, but was devastated to find her gone

As Spider-Man, after their maybe 6th run in, Anisa stopped what she was doing to teach him how to control his claws and fangs, tired of being smacked with a handful of talons

It was awkward as she would dig her fingers into his hands and above his lip, helping him feel the motion of retracting them, but it worked

She also tried to teach him about the sixth sense, the spidery sense bc she had a cat sense

Only to find out that she could lob foam blades at him all day and he wouldn't be able to sense it

Literally could not stop laughing as she made him stand there, eyes closed, and threw fake weapons at him, and he couldn't sense where they were, grumbling

Anisa progressively got more flirty as time went on, her hidden identity making her way bolder than normal - even though she's never actually done the deed

(She didn't trust anyone enough to, especially not with how incredibly sensitive she was. Claws come out when unchecked, just saying)

While on patrol, he found Black Cat just sitting and joined her, unknowingly starting a habit of them both grabbing street junk food and watching the city together

During these times, she would joke how she knew his identity, but never had the courage to actually say it, so she would compare him to old movie stars just to see him get offended

He found out Anisa was Black Cat - or at least really started to suspect it when she responded the same to his question of eating better - "unless you make me," in the same almost forgotten tone

Their relationship did progress into a grey area of romance, both of them knowing they couldn't reveal their identities so being together outside of their little game of cat and mouse

She never did more than aggressively makeout with Miguel on the rooftops, refusing to. Miguel understood but he was always perplexed how someone could flirt so heavily then not be hot and bothered like him

Anisa is obviously very smart, and was able to copy Miguel's digital watch, the hologram aspect of it at least

Also copied his nanotech designs, obviously, and would often try messing with his to understand how it all worked

Was shocked to find out it wasn't nanotech, but a bunch of unstable atoms to create a hologram

1000% stops mid battle to follow stray cats, often making Miguel come with

Does the cat kicking litter move on him when hes late to their chase, often mocking him by asking how he was gonna let pigs beat a spider

After her whole shot in the chest and died thingy, Miguel asked about her 'Nine Lives' substance and she walked him through the process of making it and how it reacts to her blood only while laying in a web hammock he made

She explained that because she was the only one in charge of keeping her genetics human - besides the one other scientist - she was constantly trying to improve her serum, which led to the creation of Nine Lives

Teased her once with a fish cake, and nearly had a heart attack when she gurgled out how deadly allergic she was to it before trying ti claw it out of his grasp

He threw it in a randomw alley and had to web her to a wall to get her to stop trying to eat it

Once he caught on to the way Anisa's eyes slitted in focus whenever his webbing would first shoot out, he would use the string to mess with her until she gave into the feline urge to chase it

Same with lasers, its very embarrassing for her but Miguel loves it

His 3 month disappearance was when he switched places with his alter self, going to take care of Gabriela before her world collapsed

Which is why he was super angry when he came back, furious Anisa could be making jokes at a time like this (she didn't know what time it was, just that her super hot not really boyfriend came back)

Given her abilities to copycat most structures or devices, Anisa spent an entire month mapping out the spider society, just so she could send them all to sleep

And it worked, spider senses or not, no one could escape the sleeping smoke when it came from every vent

Peter B was very thrilled to find out Anisa was Miguel's Black Cat, unbothered by the fact he was in the lime of fire, falling to the same paralysis Miguel did

Lyla absolutely ate that shit up, barely keeping herself together as Anisa wheeled Miguel around in his chair so he could explain things better

When she finally forgave him, he took her on a tour of the society

Something awoke in Anisa everytime Miguel would get slightly harsh in tone, telling any spider that approached them that she was *his* Black Cat

Made her feel very special

When she became crime lord, Miguel didn't talk to her for weeks, feeling betrayed without even listening to why

Then he noticed he wasn't called on his Earth for missions anymore, able to focus on the multiverse a lot better

Thanks to Anisa

Who spent all her time handling actual villains for him, and helped the ones who felt they had no other option get stable jobs

I.E kicked the shit out of Green Goblin (Miguel's brother, whoops) and helped his minions find secure jobs that would financially keep them stable

The spider people love her for her ability to calm Miguel down (they have a separate training room that they use to tear into each other after 24 hours of no stabilizing serum)

She gets really heartbroken when she hears the other canon Black Cat events, and takes her time to notice them so she can discreetly derail them from happening, a silent attempt of keeping Miguel in her life

And that's all, so far! I'm sure theres plenty I forgot, I really tried to cut as much as I could so it wouldn't be a long read but... I'm a writer at heart, I couldn't help it. Please, please, please ask questions! I would love to tell more about her! Thank you to those who read it all, I hope your leftovers are heated evenly and your pillow is cold on both sides <3

[didsomeonesayventus]

Okay, I trust you as a source for all things Fire Emblem - can you please tell me if Fire Emblem Engage is worth getting? It's a lot of money, and I've seen a real mixed reception for it. I've read reviews that call it uninspired and shallow, storywise, and that some characters are difficult to enjoy. Is it actually worth it, or am I better off just replaying Fates? I am TORN over here.

SO! Good news in brief: if you liked Fates I'm fairly certain that you've got a good chance of liking Engage. I honestly see Engage as Fates 2 with a much better focus on what it wants to be and do! In fact if I HAD to pick a previous entry for fair comparison/vibe similarities, I'd pick Fates, maybe Sacred Stones (though I've yet to finish that one).

Engage is right now my favorite entry of the series.

MORE DETAILED ANSWER UNDER THE CUT (I have only played thru once on normal + casual as of writing)

I still maintain it's a good game and worth it, but you HAVE to be open-hearted about it. It's going to be silly. It's going to be hammy and subtle as a sledgehammer. It will even say the most cringe ass shit with it's whole heart. It's just about the farthest from 3H you can get on the fire emblem scale to the point you could have it sitting next to Kingdom Hearts and I, personally, love that for it, but feel like comparing it to 3H's darker tones is the thing most negative reviewers fall prey to.

Is it simple? Yeah. Absolutely. Terribly predictable, even. Is it heartfelt? YES! ABSOLUTELY! Engage has no time for "wow that was cheesy" because it LOVES cheese and it wants you to know that LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL THING EVER. It knows it's running a trite and cliched story and it doesn't care about that so much as trying to hit its notes with just the right vibe- and I argue it does a majority of the time, but can concede some things are rather silly. It's full steam ahead with the power of love and friendship and it does that with about as much reverence as a Sat. A.M. cartoon. A good Sat. A.M. cartoon that you're still thinking of years down the line that was a formative childhood joy.

And it's not about romantic love, actually! Hardly at all! There's a lot more focus on familial and platonic love than romance!! There are explicit "I love you"s regarding family bonds and multiple sibling relationships that make it clear they would do everything for their family. The only romantic aspect is whoever you choose to have Alear S-Rank (the game calls it a ring rank for Reasons but its essentially an S-Rank), and everyone else's supports end at A. Even then there's room in a fair number of Alear's S-Ranks to get interpreted as Really Good Friends, as the focus is not on "I Love You" but moreso the fact Alear and the blorbo in question have a deep, deep bond (though there are S-Ranks that are romantic-tinted and some who will explicitly say they love Alear, and regardless of gender picked! wow! diversity win!). If you were looking for pairing up your sexy chess pieces and getting paired endings, though, there'll be a bit left to be desired.

Again if you like Fates, or Kingdom Hearts, or stories that are cheesy, simple, cliched, but heartfelt, you're going to like this one. The cast is wonderful, and the story has some surprisingly good emotional beats. Oh, and also some of the FUNNIEST supports I have seen. Ever.

Alear in particular has become my favorite lord of the series, just barely scooting ahead of Corrin by virtue of having a more solid characterization and arc that Fates didn't quite let Corrin have. Which, yes, you can rename Alear and give them their own birthday, but there is NO question that Alear is their own character; hats off to Laura Stahl and Brandon McInnis for bringing stellar performances that are essential to the character. Frankly hats off in general to the voice cast as a whole they really bring a charm to the game that cannot be ignored.

I will say that supports are pretty hard to grind out, though, requiring units to be adjacent, and the leveling curve leaves a lot of... wonkiness? It's VERY easy with the rate of receiving new units + leveling funk to have units fall behind, or your army to feel underleveled, if you're like me and mostly skip the side skirmishes (bad gamer, I know). I hear the skirmishes are also kind of wonky and scaled to Alear's level which. Can Be A Problem if you're trying to level or support grind weaker units. Though I will say that playing Normal + Casual playing straight through the main story, while it occasionally made me sweat, it did not make me have to completely redo a map (or, if it did, it was probably only once or twice and I've simply forgotten about the inconvenience). Just made unlocking supports irksome as units fell off and/or made it hard to keep some characters off the bench.

There's also an OBSCENE amount of freedom in what you can do with your units. Go crazy go stupid try not to die. Resource management can get tricky, there's not quite enough gold or bond points to do everything, but you can do a lot of stuff, especially if you find a favorite to focus in on. As for the Engage mechanic: very powerful, but not to the point of sapping all the challenge out of things, and fairly balanced. The Break mechanic introduced I think is a great addition to the weapon triangle mechanics and adds a nicer layer of consideration to unit placement + weapon diversity in your army than before.

Also, if you're worried Engage overly relies on it's intent as an anniversary celebration, don't! Engage still is doing its own thing, and moreso uses references to past entries as spice or flourishes of color. They add some fun easter eggs and flavoring to the story, but it doesn't rely on the emblems or any throwbacks to tell the story it's trying to tell. Are Firene and Brodia a 1:1 for Zofia and Rigel? Yeah! Probably on purpose! They literally got the guy who voices Duma in FEH to do King Morion! Do you need to know anything about Shadows of Valentia to appreciate that? Nope! Just nice to know. Corrin's ring is found in a Northern Fortress, to further help illuminate the cute nods involved.

If you're on the fence, totally get that, especially since dropping 60$ on a game in this economy- ~90$ if you wanna add DLC -is a lot of money to ask for. But I've thoroughly enjoyed what Engage has to offer, and currently am hopping along through playthrough #2 and trying to tell myself to S-Rank someone who isn't Alcryst (I will probably S-Rank Alcryst again). I'd suggest looking into the first few eps of a playthrough if you're still not quite sure, and, frankly, imo there's no shame in just purely enjoying it from a "watched a playthrough" perspective, if you have to.

and, if none of this has persuaded you, please direct your attention to Zelkov and this Honest-To-Alear real support exchange: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1_lsOLB68g

[acourtofthought]

At this point I’m not taking any ship stuff related to Azriel seriously because it’s all about what he deserves and what Gwyn or Elain can do for him to “fix” him. As a character he’s one of my favorites because he’s dark and really messed up, not just broody. Not sure I’m sold on him as a love interest. I felt bad for him in ACOMAF but he’s been giving psycho stalker vibes since ACOWAR. He’s gonna need a personality makeover and a shit ton of counseling before he’s good enough for anyone.

That’s why I don’t think the next ACOTAR book is about him. I feel like he needs at least 2-3 years to sort himself out. I feel like his life is kind of similar to Lucien’s, especially the shitty family, but Lucien is absolutely more emotionally well-adjusted.

Whoever Azriel’s mate ends up being, I just can’t see him not pestering her about accepting the bond, ignoring all the issues and flying off into the sunset with the way he’s acting right now.

I'm with you, I really like Az without romance. I enjoy that while he looks somewhat reserved and polite on the outside, he's really sort of a violent storm inside and that some of the most powerful characters in the NC are scared of him at times. His obsession with females makes him so much less cool than he used to be. And I think some shippers on both sides are guilty of making him a gentle but broken sad little boy. Does that seem to track with Rhysand, the most powerful High Lord in Prythian history saying that Az's stare sometimes scared the shit out of him? 😂 Rhys tries to play the dark prince (his actions may at times be scary but they're controlled) but Az is the King of Darkness (who comes off as way more unhinged) and I never seem to find predictions or headcannons that include this side of Az. Unless shippers are hoping that side of him just disappears when he falls in love for real? I definitely don't think Az would pester his mate about the bond but I do think that any feelings he develops at this point would be too tied into his thoughts on not having gotten a bond. Would we believe it's actually love on his end or would he just be hoping yet again he finally received a Mate? It's ok to feel a little jealousy but he's beyond that if he's not balking at the thought of killing an ally because he's jealous the ally got a bond when he didn't. And I agree. I'm not saying Lucien won't have things to deal with but emotionally he does strike me as more mature and stable. And even though he's struggled with feeling like he's betraying Jesminda with thoughts of Elain, he's had centuries to acknowledge that she's gone and not coming back. I really do think an Az romance would feel more authentic if he spent a little longer learning to live with the fact that he's not ever going to be with Mor. When you've been pining for a female for 500+ years and that female is a somewhat regular part of your life, I don't even think a year would feel like enough time to reprogram your way of thinking when it involves them.