#the whole segment is phenomenal

[daenerys-targaryen]

light of the seven you will always be that bitch

[thebroccolination]

KRIST, FAME, AND WHY "YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS" DOESN'T EXONERATE THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PUBLIC

Lindsay Ellis uploaded this video to YouTube framed around the myth that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles. It's phenomenal, as her work often is. I'll probably watch the whole thing multiple times in the near future.

Toward the end of the video, Lindsay expands on the morbid paradox of fame. Many of us see it as this aspirational thing that famous people should be grateful to have, and yet we're also aware that the circumstances of being famous often lead to tragic ends for celebrities, either by violence or by their own self-destruction.

Over the past week, I made this thread to explain the events that led to Krist putting his foot down after months of trying to placate the segment of KristSingto fans who are vocally opposed to Krist sharing any part of his continued close friendship with Gawin, Krist's costar from his 2023 BL series "Be My Favorite."

The day he started his break from social media, Krist addressed his fans about what he'd been dealing with very clearly and characteristically sincerely. He expressed his confusion, explained the impossible situation this unreasonable portion of his fanbase had put him in, and ultimately just gave the vibe of a very tired teacher. Coupled with the reality that Krist's fanbase is on average much older than he is, it's a little absurd that a twenty-eight-year-old had to tell a fair number of middle-aged, tax-paying adults that he's allowed to have friends.

Krist concluded his TikTok Live only to be tagged in even more abuse and complaints on Twitter. I saw some of it and didn't bother saving receipts, but you can imagine it. You're hurting your comeback with Singto by posting Gawin's photos, Krist. This comeback isn't going well, Krist, and it's your fault. You're supposed to be loyal to Singto, Krist. You abandoned Singto at the outing, Krist. If you hate it here so much then just go back to Gawin, then. Don't you feel guilty for ruining Gawin's career, too? He must be good in bed for you to come to his defense like this.

Oh, wait, I did save that one.

Presumably sensing that he had done everything he possibly could, Krist addressed fans one last time on his Instagram Broadcast channel.

Let no one misinterpret this: Krist left social media mainly and specifically because some Peraya were viscerally outraged that Krist didn't cast Gawin aside and spend 100% of his time adhered to Singto. Even though Krist is the one who wanted the comeback, a significant number of Peraya seem to think he's not trying hard enough.

"Not trying hard enough" even though he was so obsessed with getting Peraya Party right that he made himself sick.

This tweet was when he admitted himself for an IV to keep himself healthy, and then he ended up getting admitted anyway for almost a week. During which time he continued working on the concert from his iPad, messaging staff and Singto who continued with rehearsals.

"Not trying hard enough" isn't something Krist knows how to do. He's a self-professed perfectionist who identified so strongly with the character of Anxiety in "Inside Out 2" that he posted about her on his Facebook seven different times. He has an Anxiety plush. He even tweeted about the anxiety attack scene when he visited Beijing for work.

Krist has spoken about his experiences with depression. He moved back home in 2022 to be with his parents at the suggestion of his psychiatrist, the fourth he'd seen.

It's widely known that Krist hates being alone. Singto recently said it's something that concerns him, that Krist has someone or other at his house most of the time because he doesn't want to be on his own. Just last year Krist said his favorite thing about his four cats is that they're with him always, whereas people eventually have to go their own homes.

Rather than close himself off, however, Krist has remained a phenomenally open and affectionate person. He treats his fans like friends. (The ones who aren't trying to control his life.) He took the time to address fans twice in text and in video.

And yet, as soon as Krist stepped away from the helm of his own narrative, some fans were horrified by the idea that Krist might be mad at them. Others began to twist his words and intentions to suit a more palatable narrative. This wasn't about Gawin, no. He did it for Singto.

And while, yes, Krist did also make it clear that he won't tolerate people trash-talking one of his favorite people, this was about Krist.

It wasn't only about Singto or Gawin. This was Krist facing down fans who have relentlessly demanded more than he could have or even should have ever reasonably done for them.

It's a special kind of horrifying to me that fans are misrepresenting Krist when Krist clearly said as recently as last October that what hurts him most is being misrepresented.

I spoke with some Peraya in DMs about this whole mess.

A few said they have no issue with Gawin, they're only envious of the closeness he has with Krist. They're both musicians and singers, and they're both people-shaped emotions who went through hell together during all the "lol who asked for this pairing" and "ew I'm not watching the homophobe show" nonsense.

Others said Krist is behaving childishly and that he should just ignore everyone.

After all, all of this comes with the territory of being famous. It's normal. He shouldn't overreact. He's taken the wife role. He should be cute and soft and sweet at all times.

When I posted my thread about this, some were underwhelmed by the informational tone and had hoped it would be more of a call-out. Thing is, I'd already criticized that portion of the Peraya fandom:

It's frankly beyond my comprehension how Krist has made it this far as stable and as kind as he is. He was bashed by homophobes for starring in SOTUS in 2016, then stalked at his university by fans who disapproved of him having a girlfriend since he belonged to Singto, harassed about his sexuality until he snapped, vilified by international fans who showed up late to the party in 2020 and made everything a thousand times worse by not bothering to fact-check anything they were seeing, tormented off social media, put through four different psychiatrists, lost the partner he'd been through all of this with, found a new one, lost him, and gained his original partner back only for fans to demand more from him.

And the thing is, I don't want to say all of this on Twitter because it's becoming more and more of a noxious hellscape with every passing day, and the people who need to embrace this aren't going to read it. But I did want to say it somewhere.

Watching Lindsay's video, I felt such a bolt of fear. He's just been pushed so far, and fame isn't what destroys: it's people.

So I'm so proud of him for handling this with composure and strength. I'm proud of him for keeping the promise he made to Gawin in October last year at his solo concert, that nothing would change between them.

One of my Gawin fan friends said it best: Krist was the first person to see Gawin's potential and then show the world. He featured Gawin in his own solo concert, he mentored him through promotion, he opened up to Gawin about his life and his thoughts. He would never cast Gawin aside, and the fact that people are still trying to hand-wave how important Gawin is to him is maddening.

He loves Singto. He also loves Gawin. One doesn't cheapen the other. He loves a lot of people. That's who Krist is.

The idea that Krist should be cute and demure and ignore constant harassment he can't avoid because he needs to use social media for work is so unimaginably cruel I can't fathom how it could even transform from an idea to a real belief. Whether you like it or not, he's standing up for himself now.

Being famous eases some things and barbs others. You'll get free stuff and fans who admire you, but you may also get a deterioration of your mental health and fans who feel entitled to your body, soul, and mind.

You tell 'em, sweetie.

[silverfoxlink]

GMM # 2657

Excuse me for being so dramatic, and yes I know I've been gone for almost three months but I JUST HAD TO. I HAD TO COME BACK AFTER WATCHING THIS EPISODE 😩

WHERE DO I START?

I mean, first of all, I wanted to give a massive praise and thank you to Stevie. Our wonderful Rhink queen for giving us this.

Second, my god, THIS WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WAY TO END GMS. 40th anniversary. Can you imagine? They did that. Holding each other's hand along the way.

Can we talk about Rhett, by the way? The way Rhett looked at Link throughout that whole renewal of vows segment was phenomenal. I could actually imagine him dressed in a suit, facing Link in an actual wedding. This is more than just heart eyes Rhett.

And after that, I knew I KNEW Link wanted to kiss Rhett. But he didn't cave in once again... Rhett was more than willing!!! That hug is still special though. So much emotions.

There's still a lot I want to express but can't find the words. I watched that segment three times now and I can't even watch the More because what else can be better than THAT?

Happy to be back here. Will be scrolling through your posts now.

[anonybaby]

I have a lot of feelings.. this promo gave me a lot to chew on. (Mostly, I feel validated (lol)) because I think as of now, I pretty much got Triple H pegged on his dynamic with Randy when it comes to my story telling (at least I hope I do). Not to mention the way Hunter doesn’t miss the chance to bring up Cody - and how they, collectively, since they are inseparable because Randy chose to make it that way - turned on Kevin.

(Randy looks so young here; it’s always so nice to see certain angles that catch reflections of his Viper side..)

The whole segment was phenomenal. It makes me excited for wrestling, it makes me excited for the unfolding story line..

& it makes me excited to keep on writing. ✍️

[fatuismooches]

greetings!!! this is the first time i've ever shared my idea to anyone, kind of worry but guess that i have to share it with you because your writings are so good and i love how you execute scenarios and ideas (literally awake all night scrolling through your brainrot 😭😭😭😭)

let me tell you that fragile!reader and dottore is what keeps me awake at night i love them so much, i literally read everything in the tags, the fluff and angst is SOO GOOD NGL.

so, angst/ no comfort (because i love tormenting myself (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆), fragile!reader and terminal lucidity - somebody suddenly became lively and conscious before their deaths. i see that you have written about fragile!reader whose memories are slowly deteriorating or slowly losing their eyesight. imagine one day, everything just come back...normal, the sudden recollection of memories, vision returned miraculously, no pain, no suffering, as if they were back to the days at Akademiya. they became gleeful, happy, full of live, no longer the gloomy, sick-ridden individual.

Dottore, of course, was surprised at this phenomenal, run more tests and check-ups just to be sure that we are actually healthy because there is no way we actually turn healthy after being sick in centuries. the segments however, especially Zandy, didn't think much about the whole ordeal. you are fine!! you can finally walking and running freely without being on life-support. your turn in health manage to turned them into a bunch of joyful, blue-haired maniacs with giddy, happy smiles on their lips.

we are fine for a few weeks, which also make Dottore himself believe that maybe, maybe his efforts have paid off, maybe our health have been stable, and maybe from now on, he could spend the rest of eternity with his beloved.

then we die (this is so mean i'm so sorry 😭😭😭😭😭). how they perish is completely up you but i'd preferably that they die in their sleep, a peaceful death. Dottore and the segments are... well, shocked is an understatement, their whole world have...gone, they'd question themself: how can this happen? you were fine in the past few weeks? In which Dottore blame himself the most, he shouldn't have believed that we were fine, he should have run more test, he should have been more cautious about the whole situation but now he completely felt... helpless, for the first time in millions of years. the only person who went thick and thin, the person that can tolerate him in the Akademiya days and the person that he can tolerate now have passed away.

(the ending is kind if short because idk what else to say since my vocabulary and grammar is rather limited. i hope this would be sufficient 😭😭😭😭😭 also looking forward on how you react to this. for now i'll just cry myself to sleep with this scenario while waiting for your work ❤️🥰)

- 🪷

It would come out of nowhere, no one expected it, no one believed it in the beginning. After all, over four hundred years of debilitating illness makes it hard for anyone to believe something good finally happened. But it does, when you first wake up you can feel that something is different - you definitely do some test runs in your room, picking up objects that were once too heavy for you, simple actions that no longer left you tired, no more aches or pains, it was marvelous. So obviously with your newfound energy, you sprint out to find anyone, hell even a random agent would do, because you're finally free. (You can already hear the voices of the segments - no running in the lab because of the very obvious dangers.)

Naturally, Dottore is very skeptical of this, yes, he does not trust how his heart beats at the sight of your glowing self putting on a little performance for him to show how healthy you are now, he can't bring himself to. He's witnessed how low you could become from the worst stages of your sickness, so although he's more than happy to see you well, the possibility of you falling back into such a state is very high. However he cannot find anything, and you don't show any visible signs either. Even so, he still watches you very closely. It's a feeling that always nags, one that may always nag him perhaps, the thought of you becoming worse. But he's not going to damper your mood with his thoughts, you should enjoy this.

Dottore and the segments would still scold you for your recklessness but realize that you are no longer sick and frail and they no longer have to fuss over your health. It's a very strange sensation that's hard to break out of since they've been doing it for so long. But it's good! You're happy! You're strong! You're the [Name] that was buried away, come to rise to the surface once more. Let's just say Zandy very much enjoys the piggyback rides. The checkups still persist as a general measure, but they always go smoothly. It seems there's nothing to worry about.

You would want to assume your role of his assistant once again right away - it's something you've been longing for, to be able to be useful to your lover just like how you once were. To live those days of banter and sharing fascinating knowledge and listening to each other's ideas once more. And so you do, Dottore's more than happy to let you, oh how he's missed you by his side so often. He's excited, he's ready to put the past four hundred years behind and move on, his mind already racing with the countless possibilities that have opened up now. Unfortunately, they don't come to fruition.

Perhaps you felt something wasn't right but it was already far too late - on the day of your death you acted like everything was normal, carrying out your new duties, but also with a lot of added affection, visiting each segment and Dottore and kissing them with all your love. They don't think much of it, you're usually affectionate like that. If only they knew that would be the last time they were embraced by you. Little Zandy too - it would be the last time you ever hugged him and listened to you read him a story. He'd be absolutely inconsolable after your death.

With you gone, the spark in his life would be gone. It would be the same routine of his duties and experiments and research, with nothing to ease his tension. Sure, he no longer has to spend lots of time finding a cure or producing medicine, but this wasn't the way he wanted it to happen. It's the same as when you were sleeping, except this time he no longer has the anticipation of you eventually waking up. Or does he?

Resurrection is a forbidden art, but he is Il Dottore, the one who has no problem sinking his hands into what should not be done, and he is Zandik, the one who loves you. If this world wants you gone so badly, then so be it. He will simply reach for your hand and pull you back to him every time, because even if it is lifeless, he will make sure it's warm once again.

[tradetobest]

bennguin fic rec list (pt 1?)

in honour of the steers and queers anniversary im making a bennguin fic rec list!! it has 14 fics cuz jamie number :))

i wrangled the fuck out of my bookmarks for this, so enjoy :))

Kelowna: Become Human by LadyJanelly

rating: T words: 8.9k summary: What better way is there for a professional hockey team to make sure their prospects can focus on getting NHL ready, than buying them their very own android?

if you know me, you know i am a GIANTTT fan of detroit become human, so this fic is a dream come true for me. it is literally great too like i love it. tyler prioritizing jamie's orders over his programming... oughh....

Custom, Discreet by inlovewithnight

rating: E words: 12k summary: Tyler accidentally discovers Jamie's kink. He is so very on-board.

LINGERIE FIC!! we love.... we love that its JAMIE in the lingerie.... oughhhh

Must Love Dogs by SpiritsFlame

rating: G words: 12k summary: It doesn't occur to Jamie until he's standing on Tyler's front porch at 3am, barefoot, that maybe he should have called first In which Jamie Benn steals a dog, gets his best friend back, and combats toxic masculinity. In more or less that order.

i love this fic so much. cute ass fucking dog. PHENOMENAL use of the premise.

Featuring Marshall by wutheringjane

rating: G words: 4.1k summary: Tyler's latest video was called "GUESS WHO'S GOING TO DALLAS"

YOUTUBER AUUUUUU!!!!!! oh my god i am OBSESSED w youtube aus. and this ones so fucking cute too. theyre fans of each other your honour

the old brag of my heart (I am, I am, I am) by Mayhem10

rating: G words: 9.9k summary: Sometimes people forget that Jamie Benn exists.

this is part of the condition of existence series, and it's the second one in the series, but the whole series is phenomenal. i replay tyler's discovery moment in my brain over and over (OH YEAH, READ THE FIRST ONE DIRECTLY FROM THIS LINK)

Pitches Love Velocity by bohnem990

rating: T words: 12k summary: There’s no use in talking about money to Tyler, Brownie knows. It’s the reason that Brownie was the one to major in business in college, while Tyler majored in drinking with a minor in marketing. “If you want to drop a grand on one night at a sports event can’t you at least spend it on a real sport?” Several people, Tyler included, gape at him. “Like hockey,” Brownie barrels on, “We could totally go to a hockey game. We’re Canadian, Segs! We’re supposed to eat, sleep, and breathe hockey!” -- Alternately : “Dude,” Brownie laughs, “I think Jamie Benn’s agent just asked you to fuck him.”

THIS FIC. tyler at the restaurant lives rent free. FRAT BOY ASS. i love them so much.

Something Wild by Linsky

pairing: tyler seguin/jamie benn

rating: E words: 3k summary: The girl on Tinder is typing again. why don’t you show me how good you are with a cock Tyler coughs and drops his phone. That’s—wow. He did not expect her to go there.

oh my god. oh my god. tyler is such a dumbass here and i love it. im OBSESSED. 10/10 misunderstanding fic.

something over nothing any day by clawsandsympathy

rating: G words: 1.5k summary: “About this time on Hawkeye in the Morning, we run a little segment called Second Date Update. When someone has a great first date but never make it to the second date, they call us and we try to help them out. Tyler, can you tell us how you met Jamie?”

i think this fic is adorable. the concept is so fuckin cute and i think its executed well w some tropes i really like :))

I Know a Little Chapel by Linsky

rating: M words: 4.5k summary: Tyler Seguin is a very good wedding planner. Which is why he’s not freaking out that Jamie Benn of the Dallas fucking Stars is sitting in his office.

wedding plannerrrrrr auuu!!!!!!!!! tyler planning jordies wedding isnt something i knew i needed but by god did i

sneeze by Anonymous

rating: T words: 5.3k summary: Tyler had never actually heard Jamie purr. It was the strangest goddamn thing.

THIS FIC IS ADORABLE i love the story around why jamie's purrs are Like That. and tyler misunderstanding. ough ITS PERF

let's give them something to talk about by Anonymous

rating: T words: 2.6k summary: ashlee @/messysegsy - Sep 15 why does it feel like everyone got #OneTImerTour tickets except for me??????? @/tylerseguin please explain (5 replies 3 retweets 20 likes)

first part of the rheotaxis series!! i am a big sucker for social media aus, and aus in general, and musician/hockey is a trope i LOVE (shout out to that mceichel fic) so this is the perfect fic for me. unironically perfect.

scar tissue by eternalvariegation

rating: T words: 12k summary: Jamie still remembers when they were practically living out of each other’s pockets, the memory twinging like a muscle he hasn’t used in a long time but that his body hasn’t forgotten. It was probably inevitable that they’d see less of each other once Jamie formally requested that they no longer go into the field together but it still hits him sometimes. The tangible feeling of loss despite it having been his own decision in the end. Tyler didn’t speak to him for a month after he found out. 

SPY AU oh my gosh. "partner doing what he thinks is best for other partner. it is not best" is such an insane trope and i love it so much in this fic. done incredibly well. please read this.

Arms of the Sea by LadyJanelly

rating: T words: 3.7k summary: Jamie gives her back to the sea when she dies, three years into their marriage, their baby still inside her. He sews her up in sailcloth with the porridge pot she brought from her mother’s house, a stone from their shared hearth, scaling knife, thimble and needle. He sails out to the deep water and lowers her into the water, weeps as she sinks into the ocean’s embrace. He sails back to land and gives his boat to his brother. He will not return to the ocean. It is a graveyard to him now. He finds a job in a logging camp, and for a year his feet are dry, his lips do not taste of salt.

incredibly emotional and beautiful fic. op wonders whether their execution of the concept is dull and pretentious in the opening notes and i think that is the worst part of this fic, only because it does such a disservice to it. RAHH i love it

wandering bee seeks the rose by clachnaben

rating: E words: 8.7k summary: Jamie Benn coaches a youth hockey team and Tyler is a determined Hockey Mom. Meet cutes and queer women and youth hockey

yk i had to shout out the lesbians to round it out. sexy hockey mom tyler lives in my head rent free and i dont even like women.

[kiroonsmoon]

I know there's a lot of people refusing to play the renegade route in rejuvenation. Sorry if you answered this already but I'd love to know where you stand on this. Have you played renegade? If so what are you most looking forward to about it?

Oughhhhhahhhh Renegade (BEGINS FOAMING AT THE MOUTH) /neg. My thoughts on it are very mixed so to say. But yes I’ve played it, I like doing oc runs so I did my mono dragon run for Lucifer on it.

Renegade has most of my favorite scenes ever in Rejvu but simultaneously is my least favorite part of the game and is like, the worst mix of my criticisms of the game. Which is why I generally prefer Paragon to Renegade despite paragon having a less gripping story/events to me as of 13.5.

Basically if I could summarize it: I love the story and it has WONDERFUL, heartbreaking scenes but it also shares that with the most whiplash inducing humor and scenes possible as well. Which results in severe tonal issues that heavily damages my enjoyment of the route.

I’m going to be putting my more detailed thoughts under cut. All my positives and negatives towards it. I’m putting it undercut because of 1) spoilers and 2) speaking from personal experience I know it’s unpleasant to see some bashing and criticizing something you love dearly. And I don’t want to subject people to that if they do not want to see that. My criticisms point largely to a specific character I know people are major fans of and love dearly. I don’t want to subject people to unpleasant things like that.

Again all of this is subjective and my opinion. You aren’t bad for liking something I don’t like.

Still here? Good great! First things first let’s start with some positives. Because despite everything I do like this route.

The fights were fun! I had a great time with the battles (expect with Spacea/Timepa but this isn’t an issue on the devs it’s just Mono Dragon is NOT good for that fight).

The scenes when the game takes itself seriously are fucking phenomenal. Adrest’s death and then the failed world with the host and M2 are a phenomenal beginning to renegade in my eyes. And Zumi’s art like always fucking rocks. The failed world really sets up the tone well for renegade. Which M2 finally snapping and attempting to murder the only person she’s been stuck for years. Fantastic beginning to a route about destroying the world.

And Karma Beast Talon….oh karma beast Talon. It’s my favoritest fucking boss battle and segment of the entire game. Everything down to the story, music, setting and Talon’s character mixes into one of the best written arcs in rejvuenation ever. Talon’s arc was way better than I could’ve ever expect and the best of his character is shown in his karma beast route. Just seeing his desperation and pain at learning his best friend died, his mother is on death’s door, he was never anything but a puppet that leads him to becoming a monster of his own despair and that on top of the art in music. Chef’s kiss, I love it so much.

I also loved the Ren chase (hell I made fanart of this moment), M2 getting called the fuck out and Venam + Amber battle and Amber’s death…oughhh all good fucking scenes.

However, all these things are torn down by one thing, the humor. Even more specifically M2.

M2..M2, gosh, she’s a fucking lot. I honestly still don’t know how to feel about her. The only thing I’m 100% certain on and don’t have any mixed thoughts on his her design. Her design fucking rocks, probably my most favorite design of all the Melia’s.

M2 is easily the worst part of renegade and the game for me. She’s very poorly written to me. Which is unfortunate. I like her concept I really do. However the problem is I couldn’t really truly understand and appreciate her concept until I sat down and truly thought on renegades story while removing all the silly stuff from my brain.

Basically: M2 is completely shot down by the humor she brings and it negatively affects her and the story as a whole.

Now I’m not saying renegade has to be 100% serious and grimdark. That’s just not realistic and I would just have issues with it the other way instead. However the humor it shows is not for renegade. The humor of renegade (and M2…) is very lol xd and sudden and random. It’s very very very jarring. Especially for such a dark and grim route. Renegade’s humor would be better placed in paragon. Rejvu’s humor is already hit or miss and renegade’s humor is nearly all miss.

Now humor in renegade can work, hell it’s even required. Stories can’t be all dark, you need a breather in there. However, balance of the humor is very important and Rejvu’s renegade route does a really piss poor job of it. Some jokes can work though! The fucking bait and switch with the item during the Ren chase seen is probably my favorite joke it all of Rejvu honestly. It uses the expected actions of the player and turns it on their head. It even works in a character sense! M2 is smart, she’s been taking notes on you and uses what she knows on you against you. It makes for a great joke and prank, I couldn’t even be angry that all my pokemon had 1 hp! It was a fantastic humorous moment that made me go “you son of a bitch” and crack a smile. I also think M2 calling Kanon an incel is a joke that works as well. However I do have problems with that as well, but that doesn’t relate to the humor, I’ll get into that later.

Renegade would’ve benefited from more humor like that. Not the clones, which made me more and more annoyed as time went on. The clones should’ve been left in Ren’s Chase as NPCs that act as obstacles and that’s it. Not the random beef M2 had gotten with random unimportant NPCs offscreen, which just made me more annoyed with her (and not the fun kind of annoyed). The kinda annoyed where I wanted to bash her head into the wall.

However the biggest offender of them all is Guilty or Nah. I’m going to be blunt. Guilty or Nah is not needed and brings absolutely no substance to the story and actively damages it. I hate it. You are actively chasing down someone WHO YOU PLAN ON ERASING FROM THE ENITRE UNIVERSE. And when you finally catch up to them, guess what happens! The most completely unnecessary and tonal whipping lashing gameshow thing I have ever seen in a piece of media. ITS NOT GOOD. IT SUCKS IN LITERALLY EVERY WAY POSSIBLE FROM A NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVE. It needs to be cut from the story completely. The most important part of the chases are the emotions and perspectives of the victims. Karrina’s, Ren’s and The Hag’s deaths/near death would’ve been so much better and impactful if Guilty or Nah was completely axed. Look at me in the eyes and tell me if Talon (+ Florin in one route) suddenly got a Guilty or Nah before being erased it would do anything for the scene and their arcs. If like anyone has any reasons I would genuinely love to hear it because I cannot see any reason for Guilty or Nah’s existence.

Anyways now that’s out of the way, less negative thoughts more kinda musing I had. M2 to me is a very….nostalgic character. She comes from an older version of Rejvu, which again cool in concept. However it also alienates newer Rejvu fans like me who weren’t around for the older versions. This is definitely compounded by me play renegade first but even if you played paragon first and know every version is canon…a newer rejvuenation player will not have the context of what M2 is talking about in regards to her version. I was completely unaware Ren and Kanon used to be major fucking assholes until my Rejvu veteran friends told me. Basically, a veteran will have a different reaction and feel for m2 than a newer player, with newer players not having all the context unless they ask friends or go looking around. Which they may not have or do.

Anyways yeah! My renegade thoughts. This got way more longer than I meant it too but I have a lot of thoughts on renegade as a whole. It could be so great but it’s extremely brought down by its humor and alienates a lot of people who don’t like the humor it has (cough like me cough).

[vroomvroomwee]

Something about the "you're the bad guys" scene doesn't feel right. And I'm not talking about the coffee theory or Aziraphale, somehow being forced to say it. And I'm not gonna focus on how harsh it was towards Crowley because that deserves a whole post for itself.

No, I'm talking about the contradictory nature of Aziraphale's statements throughout this entire scene.

First, we see him all giddy and bringing forward the news like it's the greatest thing to happen in all of history. Then we hear him say things like "Heaven is the side of good, of light." And it doesn't really make sense why he would be saying that, especially taking into consideration the arc his character took in season 1, where he abandoned any hope he had that Heaven was truly on the side of humanity and chose Crowley over them.

For a long while, I thought it was perhaps some sort of trauma response. When in distress, it's not uncommon for a person to fall back on old habits. Aziraphale saying those things comes as a result from simply being left without an option to say anything else and resorting back to the familiar, to the things he's believed for millenia.

BUT, then he says, "we can fix it," and you can see how contradictory that is to what he just said moments ago. And Neil being a phenomenal writer and Aziraphale being incredibly effing smart, this just doesn't make sense. How can you fix something if the thing that needs fixing is by nature good, pure, and overall incapable of wrongdoing?

And it struck me.

Now we know the Metatron masterfully manipulated both Aziraphale and Crowley, down to his attire, his maneurisms, his choice of words, his timing, the proposition itself, everything. But what if he downright lied about Gabriel?

And there is a sequence that happens off camera, a segment of their conversation we as the viewers didn't see. What if, he told Aziraphale, the reason Gabriel was fired was because he wasn't doing his job very well. And I mean in the sense that he wasn't performing the way an angel should be, with kindness and empathy and care. That he was discharged for being stubborn, and proud, and narcissistic, and egoistic, and arrogant, and selfish. All the things an angel shouldn't be.

And Aziraphale would have no reason not to believe him. Not when he has been personally witnessing Gabriel's mockery, passive aggression, and patronising behaviour his entire life. And especially not when he had no idea about the real reason Gabriel was actually fired since Crowley didn't have the time to tell him.

From what the Metatron has told him, Aziraphale now believes that Heaven HAS been good all along. It just had bad management. It's always been good and right. Someone has simply prioritized their own needs instead of diligently leading it.

Someone broke it. But he can fix it.

It's always been good, all it needs now is HIM.

And that's why, he just... doesn't GET Crowley's reluctance. He doesn't understand because he hasn't seen the things Crowley has seen. And whether the Metatron knows that Crowley knows or not, doesn't matter.

It's too late now, isn't it. The idea has already been planted in his head. All those times Aziraphale thought he failed as an angel because of how his superiors treated him have all been laid to rest by a more authoritative voice. His entire work as an angel validated in mere minutes. He was never in the wrong, and now he has a chance to prove it.

If only he knew how futile it is. If only he AND Crowley realised how manipulated they were. If only they TALKED to each other.

But it's too late now, isn't it. It's always too late.

[prof-ramses]

Why Ghostfuckers is the best HB episode (without Mammon in it)

So, yeah, a lot of shit came out on Halloween and it took me a week to fully process Ghostfuckers in particular and post about it, but holy fuck it's so good.

First off, an unambiguous Millie episode, and not just that, but one that helped me realize what Viv meant when she described Millie, her character is defined by her lack of major traumas, which somewhat isolates her from the rest of IMP. Along with adding another layer to Blitz's traumas and his understanding of them.

The animation this episode was genuinely phenomenal, the scene with all the dead callback Millies was particularly amazing.

Despite being one of the show's very few (if not first) truly one off villains, Rolando was amazing not just as a villain but also as a source of world building. John Waters performance was delightfully dark and all of the character's animation sold the whole thing, especially when in his ink form. (On a side note, I headcanon his last name as Brines for obvious reasons)

In addition to this, there was also so much good comedy here, both visual and in dialogue, plus the whole episode is a lowkey Scooby-Doo shoutout, which is amazing. The opening and closing segments with Loona and Moxxie were also more than welcome

[sassyfrassboss]

My turnoff moment for Meghan came a little before Harry happened to her. I had actually watched her interview with Craig Ferguson. And I was completely turned off of her. She was tacky, dressed provocatively, over acting the whole time to the point that i felt it made Craig uncomfortable, and that's saying something. He is phenomenal and for him to have to try hard to get through that segment must have meant something. I was a huge fan of his and had watched his show for years so I knew this was off.

I watched some of the random things she had done over the years - the acl ice bucket thing, the food Network show, her interviews etc and she always looked like she was over acting. So I had dismissed her as a try hard starlet. I honestly thought, when posted those hearts and spooning bananas that she was drumming up PR for herself and that Harry would never be with her.

I knew a little bit about Harry from.some.of the engagements he'd done. He was not as charming in real life while the events we're happening as he came across in videos. And not smart or intelligent or emathetic or even as engaged. So I actually did not like him. But I did know he seemed reserved, a bit introverted when in company (publicly) and did not like a fuss made over him. He was also not the kind who seemed to take charge of situations.

Then the Invictus Toronto happened and saw her there with him. Her white shirt, torn jeans and purposeful walk holding Harry's hand. It seemed to me that she (or they) had arranged it to officially introduce her as his gf. It did not seem as spontaneous and carefree and laid-back as it was made to seem. Because I knew how he was behind the scenes, he wouldn't have taken this big step with her until he was told to. And only she could have told him to do this, his team wouldn't. I looked at his teams faces in videos and pics from then and they all.looked so tense. It was all a bit suss. She was the only one who seemed to be revelling in that attention. That was my red flag.

Then the engagement interview and photo call. She was grinning like an idiot. She was hanging off of him like a tacky cheerleader. And her hair, clothes, shoes were dishelleved. She had mud on her heels. That told me she did not care about how important this occasion was from a BRF POV. I wrote her off that day.

I kept thinking the wedding would be called off. All the drama was like watching a soap opera. Like it was all scripted, so odd.

Stopped following completely.

Then at Eugenie's wedding she wore that coat, stepped out of the car and tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at the camera. I knew! I knew this woman is writing a whole different story in her own head.

Then one day I googled the term "gaslighting" (for personal reasons, I was going through some shit in my own life). And came upon Tumblr. And that same pic of hers from Eug's wedding was on there. That split second mean girl look that I had clocked all those months back. And so I had to read what else Tumblr had to say about her, was a right all those years back when I had dismissed Meghan off as a thirsty starlet?

I am still here. Being validated for my "judgement" about her.

Thank you!

I think I only saw a couple minutes of that interview but she was OTT for sure.

I think what threw me off about the engagement photo call was how sloppy she looked as well. I did think her hair looked nice but otherwise everything was sloppy.

Her dress was too long for her coat and the coat wasn't tailored to fit so it looked big on her. Her shoes were not the same shade as her coat and were dirty. It was just all over the place.

We went from always seeing Catherine immaculate to Meghan looking messy.

It really seems that Eugenie's wedding was a turning point for a lot of people.

You never announce news like that on someone else's day.

[nkirukaj]

Our Renaissance (7)

Pairing: Human!Alastor x Fem! OC

Warnings: Swearing, Racially Degrading Language, 1920s Slang

Genre: ANGST (& Humor!)

Word Count: 2.3K

1935

She’d heard them. They kept her up at night. 

For the past two years, she’d been afraid to fall asleep. Every night it was the same dream. She had no desire to continue reliving her husband’s death on a loop. But it was in her dreams that she found a detail that she’d overlooked in that moment. She’d heard them. The sound of two men running away. Perhaps they’d heard her wails and realized their mistake, or perhaps it was no accident at all. This time she decided to sleep, she decided to relive that moment once more, for the sake of Alastor, herself, and justice.

She loved her babies, but she couldn’t look at them without thinking of her husband. They were four years old now, so they had no memories of their father, like she did. She envied them, envied the way that they could live without grief and act as if he’d never existed at all because to them he didn’t. Sure for a while afterward they cried when they couldn’t get their daddy to hold them, but those memories were quickly erased with ones where Mommy was the only one to call for. They could speak now, and they never called for their daddy.

But Vera did. When she lay awake at night silently screaming and sobbing. She’d become numb, only taking care of her children as a shell of her former self. Her body did what it needed, while her mind was long gone.

When he didn’t show up at the radio station, they asked and questioned her why, but quickly replaced his segment with someone white, which Vera thought that they were itching to do anyway. No departure speech, no announcements, nothing. Like the babies, it’s as if he never existed to them at all.

The worst part of it? Lying to May. 

She’d gotten used to her son’s frequent visits and after a few weeks of not hearing from him on the phone or having him visit in person, she’d come over to see him. Vera had told her that he wasn’t there and when she’d asked where he was Vera had a choice to make. Either tell his mother that her son is dead and then have to explain how and why that happened, thereby sullying her view of her baby forever, or lie and say that he just left them, leaving his mother to wonder for the rest of her life what had gone wrong and why he would ever do that. May knew how much he loved his wife, so it would never make sense to her that he would leave her, but that was better than her knowing that her son was a killer.

“May,” she spoke flatly, “I think a visit to their grandmother is quite overdue,”

“Of course!” She reaches out for the children “Come here babies!” They waddle over to her, hugging her legs. 

“Take care of them May,” Vera speaks over her shoulder “They deserve it.”

“Of course,” she said with a confused look in her eye “Hey Vera,” she called after the younger mother

Vera turns to acknowledge her

“He will come back, I know my son. He would never just abandon you,”

Vera gives her a small smile “Thank you for your hope, May. I just want you to know that I think that you’re a brilliant mother and a phenomenal woman all around,”

May gives her a humble smile before waving her goodbye and going inside with the children. 

Vera had spent the past two years looking for those men. Those men that killed her husband and then fled like cowards. To be honest, she had nothing and no one to go off of other than the men who frequented this hunting ground, and there were many. It was a quite popular spot for hunting. So she began hunting herself. Some found it odd to see her there day in and day out and did not cease commenting on it, but this was important to her. Though every day, she scouted and spoke to each man who hunted alongside her, they never felt right. They never felt like Alastor’s murderers, and then it hit her. The piece that she had been missing this whole time. 

Alastor was killed at night.

All along she had been looking in the right place but at the wrong time.

The next night she stalked the hunting grounds thoroughly and quietly finding only two men around that time. Would it have been more ideal to have evidence? Yes. However, her gut told her she’d found the men, and at that point, that was enough for her.

She took her time dropping her gun and herself, making as much noise as possible as she fell. They came running over and asked what she was doing and if she was all right. She came up with a story about learning how to hunt, but being too embarrassed to hunt during the day.

“Are you Vera Bates? Well, it’s an honor to meet you! Shouldn’t your husband be out here helping you? What kind of man would let his wife out like this at night,”

She begins stroking the gun “Unfortunately I do not have a husband to teach me. I’m a widow,” she bats her lashes “Would you two like to come over and show me some tips?”

He smirks “Well of course,”

These men were insufferable. They were loud, crass, and even though she made it seem like she wanted something sexual, their comments were lewd and crude.

“And like a year or two ago, we was hunting out in the dark, like usual and I’m pretty sure we killed a man!”

Vera’s eyes and ears perked up “Oh?”

“Got right between the eyes,”

His partner laughed “I was just surprised by his good aim!”

“I was like damn! If only that was an animal!”

“He was!” they begin cackling

Vera turns to the quieter one “What do you mean by that?”

He settles down “Well, I’m sure he was colored, but he doesn’t believe me,” he points to his louder friend

“Now, why would a colored man be outside that time of night? That’s just dumb if he was!”

The blood in Vera’s skull boiled, and her skin turned physically hot. She slaps the table and stands

“If you’d like, I could refresh your beers for you,” she says with a smile

“Well thank you, doll!” he and his comrades cackle with drunkenness, slapping her ass as she walks past.

Once she arrives in the kitchen, she removes two more beers from the fridge and pops them open, staring out the window behind the sink. She opens the kitchen drawer and places a knife on the counter. Alastor’s voice rang in her ears.

I would kill for you. I would die for you

And I for you, my love she thought, entering the kitchen drawer and gripping her meat mallet. Her grip loosens for a moment when she thinks of her babies. So young, soft, and innocent. 

They don’t deserve a killer for a mother.

She grabs the meat mallet tight and rejoins the men in the room.

“How long does it take to refresh a beer, honey?” He yells then begins laughing with his partner “Women, am I right?” they cackle

Then suddenly half the laughter stops as his partner falls to the floor unconscious. The man drunkenly looks up “Huh?” the last thing he sees is Vera raising the meat mallet over her head, and swings, ready to tenderize.

When they awaken they’re back at the hunting grounds, but they’re tied up and they each have concussions.

“Woo!” Vera says, walking into their line of sight “You two are heavy! It took me about an hour each to drag y’all out here! Lucky for me you’re both blockheads and stayed knocked out”

“What’s going on??” Vera shrugs “Well, I’ll be honest. You’re both going to die tonight,” The men’s squirming became much more intense and they flopped their bodies all around “So remember that ‘colored’ man you bragged about accidentally shooting?” She plays with the knife in her hands “How do you know who I am,” she paces in front of them “But don’t know enough to know” She stops as they squirm in their restraints “That he was my husband?” She grins maniacally 

“You said you didn’t have a husband!”

“I also said I was a widow! And that’s because of YOU!” She pulls out her knife and drags it across the palm of her glove “So now I’m going to kill you,”

“You’re a crazy bitch!” he spits out

She nods “Yes.” she walks over to him “But that’s your fault. For not having better aim. You killed my husband and you made me crazy.” She steps on his dick, hearing it crunch underneath her boot. He screams out in pain. “So here’s what’s going to happen okay?” she points to herself with the knife “This little Sheba is going to make you suffer. And then kill you like you killed my husband. By ‘accident’” She uses quotes, before plunging the knife into the man’s leg, twisting it in deep, and dragging it down as he bellows in agony. She’s indifferent to his screams before shoving dirt and a rock into his mouth.

“God shut up.” She spits in annoyance, moving over and doing the same to his silent partner “Today my husband would have been 35,” she stabs them both in the stomach, then the eyes, then in both of their hands. “I wonder if you’ll meet us, down in Hell,” she says before taking her gun out and shooting them both in the head.

Afterward, Vera goes home and takes a bath, burns her clothes, and gets dressed in her finest gown.

“Hello?” She asks the police on the telephone “Yes, this is Vera Bates and I’d like to report a murder,”

When they arrive she opens the door, gun in hand, and waves it at the police.

“Drop your weapon!’ The policemen call out, but she doesn’t. Instead, Vera cracks a smirk and raises her middle fingers on both hands.

“Shoot me!” she cackles before a bullet hits her right in the chest, and everything goes black.

When she wakes up, everything is red. The sky, the ground, and the buildings. Looked an awful lot like a city. Something like Brooklyn. When she looks down at herself in a puddle, she sees that she now has short red hair, and brow deer ears on top of her head. White deer spots all over her face, and was covered in freckles. Surprisingly, she was unsurprised. She wandered around for weeks before ending up in the right place. The right place, to hear…A voice on the radio.

First, there was a scream of bloody murder that went on for about 2 minutes when it finished, there was a voice that spoke.

“This has been brought to you by ‘The Radio Demon’. Well hello, you wayward sinners, that was another reminder of who I am. I may be new to Hell but certainly do not cross me.”

Vera knew that accent anywhere, it may have been phony, but it was distinctly him.

“Excuse me, where is the radio station? I need to find the Radio Demon,”

“You must be one crazy bitch,

“Yes,”

Finding the station was the easy part, but working up the courage is go inside was hard. What would he think of her? Would he remember her? Would he even be happy to know that she’s there? Would he recognize her? All those thoughts running through her head, when the door to the station opened, and a 7ft tall demon with deer ears part of his red, fading to black hair and antlers on top of his head, a red coat and shirt with black pants exited. She didn’t know what she expected to see, she supposed she expected him to look the same, though she didn’t, why would he? 

One thing about him that was striking, was a bright yellow smile at the bottom of his face. He almost ran into her and she felt the annoyance through his eyes, but his smile never faltered.

“Can I help you?” he asked, so no he didn’t recognize her

“Alastor,” she said very breathy-like, his name was all she could get out.

“Yes?” 

She stares up at him through her lashes, tears threatening her composure “You killed for me, you would die for me,”

His eyes soften behind his red-tinted monocle, he reaches up and caresses her face “Vera?”

She nods and tears begin to fall from her eyes. he puts his hands on her shoulders

“What about the twins?”

“I left them with your mother,

He nods, understanding “They’ll turn out much better than I did,”

They stand quietly staring at each other, hands lightly brushing over each other’s skin, as if each of them could not believe that the other was real, here, and in front of them. Vera breaks the silence.

“You broke your promise,” she told him as he held her in his arms

“I know. I hope you will forgive me ma chérie.”

“Never leave me again,”

“Down here, that is a promise I can keep.”

“Then I forgive you.”

“‘Til death do us part,”

“And even after that,”

Epilogue

“I just think it’s something interesting to think about.”

“Well my dear, I like to think we’d end up down here, together. No matter what”

Voe turns her head to look at her partner, knowing deep down in her bones that he was right. That in every universe and every timeline, whether it be New York City, New Orleans, or even manmade; this destiny was written in the stars for them. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

THE END

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

Sorry I tried leaving this as comments on your reply to my ask but there was just too much waffle and it was all jumbled so I’m putting it here😂😂

Sorry it took me a MARATHON of time to reply to, I can’t explain how pleased it makes me that this comment made your day bc honestly every time you update it always seems to be during a v tough week and it’s just this ultimate stress relief and enjoyment that I so so love🥹

Just to quickly waffle about what you said, I’m so appreciative of how you fret over the characters sounding real bc it pays off SO MUCH and though I’m still of the mind that you’ve been given this unique ability to read their minds, I can recognise it must take so much studying of their characters and the words you choose and to have such a phenomenal skill <3333

And honestly I LOVE watching him have all these realisations through Suzy bc it’s so real and so satisfying and I’m so excited (but also terrified bc poor woman how do you compete with soul mates) to see how everything unfolds between them all.

And the LITTLE DETAILS that you should honestly trademark bc you do them so well 😭 but I literally have this growing list in my mind that I need to write down cause they make my heart flutter they’re so intimate and careful :’) I could literally waffle about them all day.

You’re so right, they have SUCH a special dynamic, and often I find it frustrating with real life ships bc it’s not like with films where though characters can be deep they have a specific kind of basis to them which fits a role. Real people are so complex and so it’s not 24/7 that someone gets them so right that you feel like you’re watching a segment of their lives (milex writers in general do tend to have an uncanny ability to write them brilliantly) but with you it feels like everything you write can just be added on to their actual interactions and it’s perfection.

I’m so so pleased that my ramblings had an impact on getting your confidence back to heights it should be at because I rlly can’t explain how brilliant you and your writing are so thank you thank you for all the work you put into it. I’m SO EXCITED for the next chapter 🥰🥰🥰🥰 and one day I’m gonna go into the absolute insane perfection that is the sex scene in chapter 8 bc the realism, build up, and EMOTIONS as well as pure sexyism (almost put sexism there which wasn’t quite right 😂) is just one of the best and sauciest things I’ve ever read.

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

Also trying to add a cute lil milex hug gif to this is impossible bc they’re all far too sexually charged or emotionally unstable 😂

hiii lovely!! 💝 oh my goddddddd i swear your asks just leave me a blushing, giddy mess every single time 😭😭

i'm so glad to hear that my updates always seem to manage to coincide with a time where they're able to provide you with a little bit of comfort and escapism 🥺

honestly i've always just found other people fascinating, and have found myself imagining what the world might be like through their eyes for as long as i can remember! it's been so much fun to get to really delve deep into that in this fic, so i really love that you notice and appreciate that side of it 🥰🥰 aghhhhhh. it truly just means so much to hear that you feel i capture something real about alex and miles and their dynamic in this fic, thank you 🥺

also STOP your flailing about the smut scene is too sweet 😭 i am SO glad you felt all the build up and emotions worked, and honestly any time you feel like going into it, please don't hold back - i am more than happy to hear your thoughts! it was hands down one of my favourite bits of the whole fic to write, actually 🥰

once again your utterly lovely words have lifted my spirits so much, thank you for your kindness and generosity in taking the time to share your experience of reading four walls with me 💖 you're an absolute gem and i cannot WAIT for your to read chapter nine! (which will be posted tomorrow... 😉)

(god you were not wrong about the milex hug gifs, were you?! aghhh they're both so ridiculous 😭😭 anyway here, have them being their silly, playful selves having the best time together! sending you all the best vibes for your weekend 💜🌟)

[vmures]

No Skip Albums: Tag Game ✨️

Thank you @oldefashioned for the tag! 💜 Music is one of my favorite things.

Rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums.

These are listed in no particular order. Pretty much just as I think of them.

Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter

This is a phenomenal album all the way through and I've been listening to it a whole lot. I love the various music traditions that get interwoven throughout. It's truly a genre defying album while also being very much a country album. It also reminds me of my own Louisianan roots.

2. Taylor Swift - Midnights

Taylor's got a lot of great albums and compelling songs but this one really drew me in and I can just listen to it on repeat for hours.

3. Tracy Chapman - Collection

It was super hard to pic a single album by Tracy Chapman cause many of hers fit this tag game for me. But collection is one I absolutely love. So many great songs. Tracy is one of my favorite artists. Her voice is so beautiful and powerful and her lyrics so thoughtful and potent. It's music that just speaks to my soul.

4. Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily

I probably drove my high school roommates (I went to boarding school for two years) nuts with this one. And all these years later it remains one of my favorite albums. There is something so soothing about it for me.

5. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy

Another one from my high school years. It's hard to believe this one is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. Where on earth did the time go? This one has so many heartfelt songs that I still love to sing along with.

6. Various Artists - The Crow Original Movie Soundtrack

Love the comic, the movie, and this soundtrack. My favorite song on it is still Jane Siberry's It Can't Rain All the Time, but all the songs are fantastic.

8. Fleetwood Mac - Greatest Hits

Another one from my teen years. Lol. I listened to this one so many times I nearly wore my cassette out. 🤣 It ended up being my soundtrack for the entire Last Herald Mage trilogy and to this day when I hear some of the songs I think of those books. Still a fantastic album and still one I really love.

9. Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

This is another artist I had a hard time picking a single album for. 🤣 Ultimately this one won because it is one of my favorite of his albums. If you can't tell, I have a fondness for well written lyrics and singer-songwriters.

10. Yoko Kano and the Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop Remixes: Music for Freelance

The entire soundtrack for Cowboy Bebop is amazing, but I have a particular fondness for these remixes. I still love putting this one on and jamming out to it and I enjoy the little segments of Radio Free Mars we get as well.

So there we have it, ten albums I adore and will happily listen to on repeat with no songs skipped.

If you are interested in playing along, please consider yourself tagged! I love learning more about what others enjoy!

Til next time. See you, space cowboy.

[crystallizedkingdoms]

walks over while clearly being a horse.. haayyy can u talk about yiik iv

omg hi horsie!!! if you have anything specific you want me to talk about feel free to send me another ask but for now im gonna talk about my feelings of I.V in general and my favourite additions!! spoilers under the cut

let’s start this off by saying i am Not 100% done with I.V. ive gone through the whole main story and NG+, but i have yet to go through NG++ nor have i begun any search for the third ending (but i really wanna!!) so i will be speaking from that perspective.

but here’s what I think in general, and i say this with no exaggeration: I.V has elevated YIIK to one of my favourite games of all time. legitimately top 3. I.V balances between strengthening and improving on plot points in 1.25 that existed in a limited aspect, and adding entirely new things that make it so much fucking bigger than i ever expected it to be. Everything about Benevolent Psychosis had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, being in completely new territory yet understanding how it tied in with the original story made it so incredible to experience.

I am absolutely in love with the Nameless segments. I really looked forward to playing her every time i was nearing a chapter end. learning about Allison and Carrie through this vessel and learning to question her presentation, and those she interacts with (God of Hope im looking at you) is the most fun ive had in a long time, and i love picking through my multiple interpretations of her character and her sections. especially the Hell House segment. the level of dread i felt when i realized what i was playing genuinely made me so happy, and the gameplay of that moment really fucking enhanced it.

also. Michael. what theyve done with Michael is fucking genius and i am in honest shock of how theyve managed to expand on him. he was easily my least favourite character of the main cast in 1.35, not because i disliked him, but because I honestly felt Nothing about him. as much as i did end up enjoying 1.25 after letting go of my irony poisoned interaction with the game, i still hold the belief that Michael simply wasnt written that well. but holy shit does I.V rectify that. All the extra context we have of him now, from his relationship with the Camera and the Red Room, his younger existence in the Nameless sections, his strengthened connection with Chondra, and his diary entries in BP are honestly phenomenal. hes become such a central character in I.V and now easily one of, if not The favourite character of mine in all of YIIK. his relationship with the Egglestons will ruin me for years to come

Another thing that i am such a big fan of is the dive into memetics that I.V takes. I will not act like i am super well versed in philosophy, but seeing the concepts and characters (namely Kisage X) brought from Deviation Perspective to I.V was really really fun, and learning about Memes in the context of Original Sins/Wins was really incredible. I feel like it’s genuinely taught me about some things in life, which imo is what a fucking phenomenal story does.

but. if there was One thing about I.V that i did not like, even if it’s ultimately really minor… it’s the Mind Dungeon. dear god navigating the Mind Dungeon is an absolute total nightmare, despite how cool the area itself is. I’m lucky im not sensitive to eye straining visuals (in fact i personally love it) but Jesus Christ how does this game not have a warning for it. the camera is very wonky in that area and i for the life of me do not understand how or why the dash button is also the “teleport yourself to the main hub section” button. What the fuck. also I don’t think I ever figured out all the skills or even that one floating platform in the distance but that’s entirely user error on my part

so uhhh yeah those are some of my thoughts. again feel free to ask for anything in particular . here’s a sugar cube if you read all of this

[gubbles-owo]

y'all it is hyperfocus scream time

Alright so sporadic Arknights posting is cool and all, but tumble here is THE website for info dumping your weird fascinations unto the world. I worry enough about being annoying or overbearing all the damn time, so fuck it, it's time to scream about something I love. I've always loved music, and I'm fascinated by splitting it apart and studying it, figuring out what makes things tick. One of my favorite ways to do this is via stems-- that is, when a fully mastered track is broken down into audio files for separate instruments or parts: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, synths, all that. This way you get to hear all the lil intricacies you might've otherwise missed! Unfortunately most music out there doesn't have stems just lying around, but sometimes we're graced with the next best thing: instrumentals. There's a lot to it but TL;DR, we can pull some fancy phase shenanigans between a full and instrumental version of a track to isolate the vocals! It's not perfect, there'll be bits of the full mix poking through, but it's enough to catch some cool things you might not have otherwise heard. Buckle up bitches, cause I'm gonna take you for a ride. Today I'm gonna take you through some of the intricacies of one stellar vocal performance: Suisei's TEMPLATE.

Let's get started!

In fear of the boundless wrath of the copyright gods, I don't wanna post any bits of the og or instrumental raw, so I'll reference parts in the original with timestamps like this (0:00)! I highly recommend you first listen to the song in full, then reference the noted segments in the og as we go through the audio examples. I really want you to appreciate how cool this all is xD To give you an idea of what our instrumental phase cancelling sounds like, here's a short bit from verse one (0:15 - 0:25)

Neat, huh? Already we're hearing the slightest touch of reverb that mostly gets buried in the full mix. It's subtle, but it gives a sense of depth and space that'd be noticeable if missing. As far as performance goes, I love the tension of power in this, the swell of intensity followed by reeling it back in. It's subtle at first but it really evolves as the song progresses. Let's dive a bit further. Here's the vocals for the first chorus (0:34 - 0:59)

Alright now we've got some interesting stuff going on. I wanna stress here that Suisei is a phenomenal vocalist, and the sense of careful control over power and projection she's got starts to show here. Specific syllables are thrown out like a gut punch, and just as quickly retract in this delicate weaving of intensity, and it is so goddamn cool. We also get to hear some harmonies that accompany the lead vocals, but they're still a bit buried under that lead. What if I told you there's a way we could further isolate those? Another technical TL;DR but in addition to left and right, we can also split stereo audio into mid and sides. Most modern mixed music will have lead vocals straight up the center, while backing harmonies are either doubled or effected to trickle out to the sides, to give that lead room to breathe. So what does this same chorus sound like if we listen to just the sides?

Okay so right off the bat we hear this harmony that has a graceful snap upwards to its last note. To my extremely limited jp knowledge it's something like: Boku wa zutto kurushi kattan da That kattan da harmony is beautiful in its own right, and it's not something you get to hear on its own. (also if u know better than me plz correct me if i'm wrong on that jp for the love of god) And after that? It turns out the whole chorus has a layer underneath that's sung an octave below the lead. Like. Holy shit. To my limited knowledge I don't know if we ever get to hear Suisei sing this low in isolation, so this is wild to hear on its own. Her tone and inflection is way different here. Notice the power and projection isn't really there, how it's a bit more lowkey? It doesn't get in the way of the powerful lead, and helps round out the bottom end into a wall of sound when combined. You don't notice it much in the full track, but you'd definitely notice its absence. See, often with music I do this hyperfixation thing where I latch onto the tiniest details imaginable and listen to them over and over again, just to appreciate how enormously fucking cool they are. This low octave chorus is no exception. I heard it when first listening to the full track, but it was awesome to finally hear it in (relative) isolation. ...when excitedly showing this all to some friends, one of them said "gubs you are so fucking down bad." And you know what? She was goddamned right.

Moving onto something a lil smaller, there's an additional higher octave for a moment in verse two (1:11 - 1:15)

And the same thing with the sides isolated:

Simple things like this really help add texture and dynamics to a performance. A harmony that persists for an entire song is often more boring than having it weave in and out! It's especially effective in helping to emphasize certain lyrical bits. The 2nd chorus has different lyrics, but from an arrangement standpoint it's mostly the same as the first. Let's fast forward to the start of the bridge (1:42 - 2:01):

This part isn't particularly buried underneath the mix, but I thought it was worth isolating anyway. I really want to point out how beautiful the additional higher melody is in the second half.

Alright, it's time for one of my favorite parts of this track. Let's take a listen to the latter part of the bridge (2:10 - 2:20):

...do you hear that? Do you fucking hear that?? There is something incredible in here. Let's isolate it.

That last line, with the lead taken out of the mix, has not only a harmony sung an octave above, but also an octave below. Holy fuck. Okay. I need you to understand. Being able to sing the same line in 3!! THREE!!! Different octaves! IS FUCKING WILD. For fuck's sake the melody line itself nearly spans an octave in range!? God. My fucking god. I'm sorry for losing my shit over this (not sorry at all) but this demonstrates an incredibly flexible range, and that is not something you'll hear flexed quite as hard as it is here. I've only heard a handful of examples of this sort of thing before. I adore this shit so much. I am such a gay fucking loser oh my g od *ahem* alright let's wrap this up by listening to this fantastic outro segment (2:42 - 3:01):

Personally I tend to dislike when a slowed, half-tempo chorus is replaced by/followed with a full-speed section in an effort to ramp up intensity. Speed doesn't equate to power, and if anything, I feel that a slower feel is often more methodical and powerful. But here? The chorus to this song is sublime, and it feels like all three have been building up this boiling tension that finally explodes in this segment. It's so fucking good. And while she still demonstrates a more than competent grasp on how to project and emphasize, Suisei gets to let lose and go all out here. And for funsies, here's the backing harmony behind that whole segment:

I love shit like this. I cannot sing to save my life (god i wish i could) but over the years I've picked up a lot on how different vocalists construct their backing harmonies. It's not something most people think about, but carefully crafted layered vocals can really enhance, emphasize, and expand on a performance. They add so so much color and personality to an artist's style. Fuck y'all this shit is so cool.

_____________________________ Welp, that wraps it up for this one!! I hope you got to hear and learn something new, maybe pique or cultivate an appreciation for the intricacies that often bury themselves in the mixes you listen to. Or maybe you just thought it was neat, that's fine too xD I'd love to scream more and do similar breakdowns of other songs and vocalists, so I dunno, I may or may not already be plotting another one of these :3c

[domain-of-sentience]

ch 35 part 3 ramblings

yes im catching up on the story...

also umm some things aren't in order bc i just tossed all of my screencaps haphazardly in a file 🥹

the dream/collective unconscious stuff was much more understandable than all da physics which is kinda funny coming from a former engineering student. but also i eat that jungian psychology shit up.....

phenomenal entry. is there anything better than girlbeef

i saw this dialogue ages ago and it still hits so hard. nothing else at stake here nope!!

from a jungian perspective i just think these texts were neat. hos is someone who puts on an egotistical mask/bravado but is actually very sensible about her power and place in the world, seeing how she knew very well that she couldn't defeat kevin head on, and is still afflicted by the "traces of fu hua" to this day and therefore lacks a true sense of self

the latter thing really bugs her, so much so that i personally think she Was considering "ego death" to get a fresh start and ultimately free herself from memories that never belonged to her. but at the same time she is the most fucked up paradoxical character who also wouldn't want that for herself... do you understand me (no

here is an example of such paradoxical traits ("childish" and destructive but also very smart and likes to hold back her power/not show her trump cards). but also mhy keeps doing this thing where they show hos being immature googoo gaga and then later they remind the audience like "she's not ACTUALLY childish she can hack your mind hehe...." like i get it. i mean 90% of the fanbase still doesn't but like please find a middle ground...

this description was sexy though.

overall the hos segment of this was REALLY good and i loved all of the cool poses/expressions/one-ups she had. it was kinda smooth sailing from here until the fuckin ai-chan shit which broke up the tension and pacing of everything and i feel it'd be much better if she was cut out completely... although this did give me a stroke

i must say i pogged at the whole spaceship fight sequence....

i don't have anything to say about the ending cg other than it was the thing that pissed me off so much that i had to take a hiatus from this game. i'll cap it off with this though

this PART gets a 7/10 and was significantly better than the previous parts and chapters (everybody say thank you hos for the carry and also this captain