#thebibi answers

[thebibi]

"Have you cut window bars before professor"

"What are you friend John a nark. Anyway help me with these pliers."

Asdfghjk YES EXACTLY

Who's to say it wasn't in the original manuscript??

[vergess]

Happy first night of Passover!

Thank you so much!!! <3333

You're actually only the second person to wish this to me (technically you were first but I didn't see it until second haha!) so I really appreciate it.

[lilvampirepet]

Hi! Your helward fanart is so beautiful! What's your favorite thing about them?

uwaa thank you!! 🥺🥺 im so glad ppl enjoy my helward art

i think my favorite thing about helward is how much they trust each other. yeah theres the whole gangrene bit but outside of that, seward deeply trusts van helsing when he doesnt know what to do and in return van helsing regards seward as a true equal and believes in him. its and im just. flops down. im so weak for them i can barely articulate why lmao

[thegoatsongs]

Thanks to @thebibi pointing out that Van Heling went to pray before the meeting, not wanting to repeat his mistake again, and his response to Jack (hushing him from trying to tell Jonathan not to speak to Mina) was because he felt that God answered his prayers with the result (the Harkers to communicate about the needed silence)... yeah I'm convinced that Van Helsing took Mina's reaction to his joke and the Harkers' slip to Despair to heart. He treads more carefully and turns inwards and spiritually when he's unsure.

And that is also why he agreed to Mina and Jonathan coming with no more than a "why?" at first, after listening to Mina's arguments.

[hualian]

Do you rewrite the subs in your gifs? I'm really impressed. Or have you found a group that softsubs TGCF? Because sometimes the official subs are hard to read 😭

Yes I do 🥺💖 the hardcoded subs are too small to read especially on gifs when I change the colouring and sharpen it, so the subs end up looking even more illegible XD so I always end up rewriting it on the gifs 🤧 I actually haven't heard of a group that softsubs tgcf but that would be great 👀

[sleepingcrisis]

Thanks @onemoresomething for the tag!!

Rules: Tag people you’d like to catch up with or get to know better!

Favourite colour: when it comes to dressing myself I love dressing in green or brown but in general yellow is my favorite colour I think (honestly the three are interchangeable lol).

Currently Reading: I'm reading the "Handmaids Tail" but fic wise I am reading The Human Condition and 5 minutes a day, for 365 days a year.

Last Song: Bo Burnham: Inside; "That Funny Feeling"

Last Movie: I don't actually watch a ton of movies so probably "Luca" although I have been meaning to watch that movie David Wald promoted on the Sk8 panel so I'll have to give it a watch eventually.

Last series: Just finished binge watching Beastars! Maybe I'll make a post? Honestly it just fuels my puppy Kojiro/Tadashi brain along with fox spirit Kaoru.

Tea or Coffee: Tea! I own so much tea 😌 it has been too hot for the kinds of tea I want to drink though.

Current activity apart from answering this: aside from writing I had been trying to clip my cats claws before answering this... didn't go well 😅

Tag (also if you have already been tagged ignore this 😣): @thebibi @peachy-apocalypse and @chibibinch

No pressure to make your own obviously (nearly forgot to respond myself lol 😂)

[ourgoodfriendjonathan]

@dathen @thebibi

Oh faugh :/ i do not like that answer

Thank you though :) this slipped my innocent modern eye

I do not understand Renfield at all to be honest.

Why was he desperate to contact Dracula at first, called him his master and got jealous rage at the movers for taking him away?

And how did he sense Dracula so well? Even before the count was in London, renfield was already part of the plot.

Seeing from mina and jonathan (both, presumably, bitten) you only get the mind connection when you drink vlad's blood. And seeing as Renfield didn't become a vampire (yet?) he probably didn't drink his blood and so he didn't have that mind connection either.

Is this just a plot hole or will it be explained later? Or was I supposed to understand it already?

[fujoshicaterpillars]

Tagged by: @thefalconator9000 (thank you for tagging me! :D)

Rules: answer 30 questions and tag 20 blogs (wish I’d know that many people lol)

Nickname: people called me by many names but “cat” is fine

Gender: dunno

Sign: cancer I guess

Height: approximately170 cm

Time: 15.43

Birthday: near tanabata

Fave Bands: one ok rock, hitorie

Favorite Solo Artists: aimer, soraru, mafumafu, SIN(th)

Song stuck in my head: dreamin chuchu by emon (it’s vocaloid lol)

Last movie I watched: antman and the wasp

Last show i watched: Whether asobi asobase (very hilarious, totally recommend XD) or My hero academia

When did i create my blog: not sure.....maybe in 2013?

What do i post: my art (seldom, though I should make a link somehow), reblogging posts about fandoms, mostly anime and manga bc I’m a weeb, or just animals/anything I find interesting.

Last thing i goodled: is it googled or doodled? I’ll just say I googled if goodled has meaning or not lol

Do i have other blogs: no

Do i get asks: sometimes and I’m glad lol

Instruments: piano

Why did i choose my url: my friend just said it and I like it combined with how weeb I was then

Following: 300+

Followed by: 200+

Average hours of sleep: 5~7

What i’m wearing: shirt&black pants

Dream job: I seriously still don’t know lmao. A talented programmer I guess.

Dream trip: Japan!+Switzerland also Europe, America, anywhere.

Fave food: sushi

Fave song: so hard lol I can’t pick one soooo 1)watashi no R by kurage-p 2)goodbye by SIN

Last book I read: vatican miracle examiner. Haven’t finished though.

Top 3 fictional universe i wanna join: hmmmm beelzebub? just because I want to see furuichi lol, bnha, and probably barakamon

Tags: (If you’re busy it’s ok though or if you don’t want to it’s ok too)

@mookyhaklungz @cantwejust-be @sakuramar21 @sweetgums @thebibi @cows-quack

[momtaku]

Part 1 Dear momtaku. I greatly like your analysis but there is something I don't understand. Why do you like Reiner? I feel he is a war criminal. Annie is the proof that it was possible for him to feel compassion and empathy for the eldians in paradise like her (especially for the ones they knew personally). Reiner choosed not to think too much and prefered to suck up the marley elite.

Part 2 And during the battle of shinganshina, he was not that young and ignorant anymore, so the child soldier excuse don’t apply. I feel he feels sorry for himself but still continues to betray his own people the eldians (because now he knows they are just like him). As for a redemption, I don’t feel war criminal should be redeemed on Earth. What do you think?

I’ve always felt compassion for the warriors, but the reveals in recent chapters have assured me that my compassion was not misplaced. I’m going to talk generally before getting to Reiner because I view them all equally - as equally innocent children forced to commit equally horrific crimes, each developing coping mechanisms to deal with their particular brand of hell in a way that made sense to them.

Motivation matters. They were born into a society that viewed them as evil. They were raised with that stigma. They were inducted into the Warrior program between the ages of 5 and 7 where they were further brainwashed. They faced threats against their families and physical abuse if they failed. They, and their entire nation, were led to believe that the devils on Paradis were an apocalyptic threat.

The effects of being a child soldier don’t magically disappear at age 17. Brainwashing that occurs during the most formative years of life cannot be quickly undone.

As older teens, regardless of their feelings for their friends in the 104th, Reiner, Bert and Annie were still operating under the idea that the King of the Walls was going to unleash Titans that would destroy the world. They were fighting for a cause they perceived to be noble and necessary. They were also under the threat that if they failed their operation, they and their families would likely be killed in retribution. 

As far as being war criminals, if they were real people,  no country in our modern world would convict them. Every effort would be made towards rehabilitation.

All of the warriors felt compassion for their friends in the 104th, not just Annie. They just dealt with it differently. Reiner by creating a soldier persona, Annie by staying aloof, Bert by clinging to Reiner. But they were in a no win situation.

I understand some people don’t like Reiner for good reason. His treatment of Falco is alarming. He hasn’t learned from his mistakes. And true, at this point in his life he realizes he’s been manipulated. He sees the bigger picture and is doing nothing to fight against it. He continues moving forward knowing that every step he takes is in the wrong direction.

But I particularly loved the reblog by @thebibi​ in this post:

Reiner is the surviving child soldier in a failed operation the Marleyan government carried out to secure control over the last of the Eldian race.  As a child, all Reiner could think about was being the perfect Marleyan soldier so his family could be together.  As an adult he is looking past that and noticing how fucked up everything is, and that all that loyalty has stripped him of almost everything he’s ever loved. He’s tired, he’s severely depressed, he has major PTSD, and he’s having to choose which brainwashed kid will end his life…. 

These chapters haven’t been about Reiner realizing he’s on the wrong side of the war, its about him realizing there are no good sides at all.

I think Isayama wants us to care about Reiner. He doesn’t shy away from presenting Reiner as someone who is deeply flawed, but by letting us see him in more relaxed situations - like being best dad at the fair and showing us his real affection for the rising warrior kidlets - Isayama is giving us a glimpse of who Reiner could have been had he been born into a different world. It assures me that while Reiner did evil things, he was never an evil person. He’s someone worthy of our compassion. 

I hope this answers your question. Thank you for your ask!

[thebibi]

Dear friends,

I hope this message finds you well. We are a family living in harsh and difficult conditions due to the war, suffering daily from fear and destruction. I am writing to you today, appealing to your kind hearts to share our story and help us reach a safe place where we can live in peace. Your support and sharing of our story may be our only hope in this ordeal. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your understanding and generosity.

🌹🙏❤️

May God bless you.

Please help share and donate to Samer's fundraiser 🤲🏼

[vergess]

When I saw your tag for "carrot pie" I was so bewildered for 2 seconds before remembering us Pakistanis also make halwa out of seasonal red carrots so yeah that totally slaps actually!!! This isn't a question but now I'm wondering what carrot pie is like!

I'm not personally familiar with carrot halwa, though I looooove regular halva!!

It's a custard pie, so the filling is about half egg yolks and half steamed, mashed carrot. Plus cardamom, butter and sugar. It's similar to a cross between a pumpkin pie and flan, especially since I like to put a honey glaze on top, similar to flan's caramel.

I'm trying to find a decent recipe online but google is failing me, so I'll probably have to write it out next time I make one!

[sweetgums]

it’s about dang time i did one of these again

i got tagged by @channelcherry!! but this is also dedicated to people like @isahnas and @kurtbrussels who have tagged me on these before and i never did them, im so sorry guys, im just forgetful as fuck, but here it is for you too, so thank you all

i’m tagging @kurtbrussels @ubersaur @alicechugstea​@isahnas @chocobito @sakuracards @cows-quack @thebibi @fabelyn​ @kaeshidamashii​ @purple-petrichor​ but as always, no pressure

Name: not exactly a secret but not super advertised either: ana is my real name

Nickname(s): so ‘sweetgums’ doesn’t lend itself to a lot of nicknames, so people just call me by my given name, but you’re welcome to try and make up your own tho haha

Gender: i’mma girl!

Star sign: pisces, i forget what this says about me, but i do like water most out of the other elements

Height: 1.76 m / 5′9′’ according to google

Sexuality: ace ♠️♠️♠️

Hogwarts house: i’ve taken a bunch of online quizzes over the years including pottermore’s and the general consensus was ravenclaw, but recent years have leaned me towards slytherin as well… sounds about right

Average hours of sleep: oh jeez cause of work i tend to have about 6/7 hours of sleep, but i’d much rather they were 9/10

Dog or cat person: i love both cats and dogs, but dogs are the only ones who tend to love me back so dogs it is haha

Blanket you sleep with: i dont really have a blanket i cuddle with thats a favorite… if i had to choose i’d say it’s the comforter im currently sleeping with that has a hugeass tiger print on it. its very warm.

Dream trip: going to spain with @cows-quack to finally meet in person

When I made my blog: may 2011, dang. i remember that first month being super confused about how this site works, but then i found the yugioh fandom and rolled from there lmao.

Followers: i got super popular during the beelzebub craze back in the day, for such a small fandom in any case haha + when i was active on the marble hornets fandom as well (fun times) but nowadays since im not super active in one anymore on tumblr, i havent gotten past 500, im forever stuck on the perpetual 480s

Why I made a Tumblr: because @saltytea told me to!! ahahaha. at the time i hadnt been active in an internet community since gaia online lol for about… 2 years or so? honestly i dont remember how i got my fandom content during that time. but regardless one day saltytea approaches me and is like, yo you should make a tumblr!!! and im like why???? and i didnt really get it at first but as mentioned, i soon found the ygo fandom and the rest is history. im gonna be here forever probably.

Reasons for my url: so i’ve actually answered this before but not included there is the fact that i was like, 20 at the time and on my hipster pretentious phase lmao and also the fact this was basically a rebranding of my internet persona. back in the good old days of gaiaonline i used the username “angel_terra” for my online presence there, deviantart, livejournal, fanfiction etc. and had had it since i was like, 15. but when the opportunity to make a tumblr came by i had decided that username was super nerdy and that i needed a better name to showcase my newfound maturity!! and i, in my recently acquired wisdom, decided ‘sweetgums’ was the perfect choice. its a name that came forward for dubious reasons, but ive become attached to it so im probably gonna keep it for a loooong time still.

[perfectackeracy]

I’ll do the tag thing. Exceptionally.

Oh well, there’s a reason why I picked that sideblog, but I’m willing to do a rare exception. Only because it’s you.

I was tagged by @all-my-ships-are-snking for the questions thing and by @leapingtitan for the 10 Things About. Let’s begin!

Relationship status: married to my metas and my studies. Love life = non existent.

Favorite colors: olive (duh) and violet.

Pets: I’m a cat owner but cats are only allowed in the familial domain, a place where I’m not currently living at

Last song I’ve listened to: La Mer by Nine Inch Nails, because I’m a sad emo shit.

First fandom: Pokemon and I’m still into it.

Hobbies: writing meta, reading, literally anything that can stimulate my analysis senses, just let me science my way through this world!

Favorite book: It’s been a while I can’t really remember. I don’t have a favorite per se but the latest one was The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir. A really enjoyable read that still demands the reader to acknowledge Feminism 101 before analyzing.

Worst thing I have ever eaten: between the poisoned sausage that made me sick for a week or the fried eggs that gave me an eating disorder for months, I think I’ll pick the latter.

Favourite place: somewhere nice and cozy where I can breathe and feel the wind caressing my face. Any place whose atmosphere is radically different from the city will do. Except places crawled out with bugs.

Now about Nick’s tags...

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

1. I started this blog in April. Around January I was lurking around, then swooped back into a fandom I left since 2014. After several months of lurking, I said fuck it and made a sideblog for that.

2. Speaking of that sideblog, I think I intended to reblog pretty fanarts of my OTP (hi reibert) before going into more general posting. It went slowly into an archive blog of meta posts before I started to write some myself. That was my very first contribution.

3. I only own the first three volumes in French, Answers and Vol. 20 in Japanese. Sorry I haven’t taken the time to go shopping lately. Really reluctant in buying Vol. 21 Special Edition, though.

4. My first ship when I started SnK was Jeankasa. I quickly updated my shipping list since then.

5. Since I created this blog, I made 377 original posts. First time in my life I’ve ever written so much OPs before.

6. My favourite arc is Utgard Castle- what do you mean it’s a known fact?

7. I keep rambling about this fandom I’m neglecting the other ones. Been into One Piece before but you know how each arc at the beginning makes me feel: yawning from the whole setup pattern.

8. I was a proud orphan till mom took me into the metafam. Ever since then, people called me perfectyummycurry. You may not think it’s much of an unusual name, but all I had to do was take it, and then I was given a fine bed and fed meals. 

9. Nick should rather find a dog. It’s more affordable. Or print pics of Jean and stick them to his walls. Even more affordable.

10. More Ymemes for justice?

I tag @josie-theoneandonly, @bertltolt, @autiacora, @thebibi, and anybody who stumbles across this post.

[thebibi]

You could say Van Helsing shifts the narrative center. Not only does he come at the center of the story, he's from Central Europe, he is both a man of science and a man of faith, and he uses both cutting edge technology (eg blood transfusion) and old powers (eg garlic flowers), putting the dichotomies into a marriage.

Oh definitely! Though I think its more accurate to say he comes from Western Europe, because the Netherlands were always considered as allies.

I think Van Helsing being associated with marriage and love is also very interesting. I know you meant it as in Van Helsing marries science and folktales, but he is also a vehicle for everyone uniting together. People always talk about him being this ultimate problem solver for his intellect and experience, but he brings a domestic paternal aura as well. I feel like he comes in and starts befriending people and creating bonds that really form the polycula, so to speak. Also he's the real sexual liberator of the story but that's for another time.

[thebibi]

don't start me thinking of the cinematography that could happen with the shots and timeframe of youth selflessly and homoerotically sucking infected blood from old man with power over him vs the reverse happening with dracula and jonathan, or everything you could do with the entire age dichotomy (see also youth forced to suck infected blood wrt dracula and mina, old renfield vs young maid lucy in willingness and unwillingness and their fates, etc etc)

There is a part of me that thinks they could use a religious perspective for cinematography, like Van Helsing being the savior and Jack being his disciple. The act of sucking the gangrene could look like kneeling and kissing his hand. But I also like subverting it into something more reciporated.

I was thinking about other famous cases of people sucking poison out of a wound. The only prominent example I could find is Eleanor of Castile saving her husband, King Edward 1, from a poisoned arrow by sucking the affected blood out (which may not even be true). This painting by Angelica Kauffman depicts an atmosphere of intimacy, love, as well as urgency and danger. Also interestingly, the couple are both on the bed, bowing their heads to each other, which gives the impression they are equals.

I really like the idea of the same kind of styling being used to show Dracula feeding on Jonathan, or later Lucy, with more stark and dramatic shadows! Of course, Dracula would have to be on a much higher ground, or larger than life to show how powerful he is against his unwilling victims.

[thebibi]

Could you explain how Van Helsing is the real sexual liberator of the story according to one of your recent posts? I’d love to hear about it, he’s my favourite member of the Drac Attack Pack!

In older literary analysis and media adaptations there's this theory that Dracula "liberates" Lucy and Mina from their roles in Victorian society, because being a vampire means being much more control of yourself and your sexuality.

However, personally I see Van Helsing being the bisexual awakening/sexual liberator to Seward. Quite literally, after he arrives in the story Seward is much more overtly descriptive of how attractive men are that wasn't present in the story before hand*.

When introduced into the novel, Jack is aware there is something "wrong" with him, and he wishes that Lucy would help him be normal. He has depression, possibly even before he proposed to Lucy. To cope he focuses on his work, but really he just performs exceedly unethical experiments on Renfield. Pointedly, Jack does not mention Van Helsing at all in the novel, but as soon as he does, we get a description of how wonderful and exceptional he is, way beyond professional capabilities and more akind to having a crush:

This, with an iron nerve, a temper of the ice-brook, an indomitable resolution, self-command, and toleration exalted from virtues to blessings, and the kindliest and truest heart that beats—these form his equipment for the noble work that he is doing for mankind—work both in theory and practice, for his views are as wide as his all-embracing sympathy. I tell you these facts that you may know why I have such confidence in him.

These are not facts, Jack.

The September 7th entry is really good at showcasing this. He hasn't described Arthur before, but today he says:

"When first the Professor's eye had lit upon him he had been angry at his interruption at such a time; but now, as he took in his stalwart proportions and recognised the strong young manhood which seemed to emanate from him, his eyes gleamed."

And it just snowballs from there. Ever since Van Helsing appeared, Jack is much more aware of men's appearances and their manliness. And Van Helsing brings up Jack sucking gangrene from his wound, which forshadows blood transfusions, as they are both intimate healing rituals where body fluids are shared. Van Helsing being present immediately brings out this trait in Jack, like he is meta textually encouraging it.

*The other exception to this is Renfield. Obviously its highly unethical, but I find Jack's interest in Renfield is a "safe" option for him to expressive obssessive feelings towards because he is a patient. Notice when Van Helsing meets Lucy for the first time, Jack immediately distances himself from Renfield, even avoiding calling him by name.