#there's massive context for it but genuinely i love the way it turned out with chip

[plumpybread]

Asking because of the previous ask, are you not a fan of Ethan anymore? If so, why?

It's complicated, I suppose (rant where i talk abt ethan but then also my OCs in general)

I really do not like the first version of Ethan I made like 3 years ago. Obviously I like indulging in devilish ideas but I don't know, it ended up turning into something I didn't really end up liking too much.

Then I revisited and sort of rewrote his story a bit a while back when making the OC archive site (I'm aware the site is not available anymore for the people who asked, I took it down myself) and was much happier with it for a while.

Don't get me wrong, I like Ethan, I know he's the OC people seem to like the most, but it's still like a personal mental battle of like maybe it's too effed up? Even when I draw characters going through unwilling/accidental extreme weight gain, I make them either ambivalent or accepting of their situation, but for Ethan it's kind of like torture, and I can't bring myself to get like..aroused and excited to draw more of that *personally*.

Changing up his lore wouldn't really work either since his story is based on helplessness and stuff, and it'd be disingenuous to make him be happy with his situation, so I've just sort of subconsciously decided to leave him as is and treat his content as its self contained story more than nsfw art to goon to, if that makes sense. I don't know, maybe I'm just thinking about it too much, but just wanted to say what goes through my head.

I also don't really revisit Ethan for the same reason I don't tend to draw much of all the past OCs I've made, as I see each of them as a way to explore different facets of how weight gain can manifest and adapt into a character's life to create a story around it, and I feel like I've covered most of the ground around them already.

All of my OCs come from a sudden short prompt that pops up in my head, usually out of nowhere. I suddenly wanted to make a big-hearted southern farm guy who was super massive and I immediately ran to draw Rudy, for example.

I draw them a little reference, with my typical bullet points next to them with basic info to get an idea of what their dynamic is like, and a more lengthily written backstory or description if I'm feeling fancy under it, and then for the next week or two it's all art of them and answering questions about them... and then another idea pops up, and a new OC comes in.

It's not that I get tired of them, but I just simply do not know what to draw with them. Ethan is the biggest outlier in this case, since he is my fattest OC and half immobile, you just don't really know how else to bring something new that's not him laying on his bed at a slightly different angle.

I guess that's why I always do OC asks, I sort of need them to be able to know what to draw with them, since I struggle coming with things like that by myself, and you know I always like avoiding drawing a character in a void with no context.

The Genshin Obesity AU is my longest running like "project"?? thing just because there is an endless amount of content I can pull from since there's all these characters, places and possibilities I can write from. My OCs are obviously much more self-contained and moreso serve as individual experiments to explore different people and scenarios, so after the 10th drawing of them... I genuinely do not know what else I can add to them.

I hope that was a bit insightful. I know most of you guys love Ethan, and I love him too! But I don't know, I guess this is why I don't tend to have immobile/near immobile OCs, since the potential art ideas for them drop to just them sitting on a mattress or sitting on the floor and I'm just left confused on what to do with them.

Maybe Ethan in his college days is something you guys might be interested in? Or I don't know, I'm just writing this post as my thoughts enter my head.

Sorry for the rant, I sure do love typing, hope this clears up some questions people might've had

[uwuinator]

doing something funny and you guys get a sneak peek

credit goes to @toonsy-doodles for the official art bc toonsies you're not going uncredited for that amazing art

[sgt-tombstone]

au where Johnny never joined the military (his knee got fucked up before he could and they wouldn’t let him enlist) but it’s okay because that means he got to go to college and study engineering, which is the closest he could get to being a civilian demolitions expert

Anyway, the city his college is in has an army base nearby, which means that every dating app he opens is flooded with army boys looking to marry the first person who so much as looks at them the right way. Johnny’s never been relationship-oriented; he likes hookups too much to settle down like that, but he loves scrolling through to drool over all of the gym pictures

And then one catches his eye. Simon. He doesn’t show his face on his profile, but his muscles more than make up for it. His appearance, though, isn’t what Johnny is most interested in, because his bio says…

Anyone interested in committing marriage fraud?

And that’s… something.

So of course Johnny swipes. He doesn’t expect to match, because Simon looks like a Greek God, and he almost throws his phone across the room when the little heart appears, telling him that he and Simon have both swiped on each other. Which means that Simon swiped on him first. It’s a heady feeling, but he’s not really sure why.

John: marriage fraud?

It’s not his strongest first message, but sue him, he’s curious.

Simon: I’m not interested in a relationship or even sex, but I have a very vested interest in being able to move off base

John: so, what? we get married and then…?

Simon: we don’t have to live together or even like each other. You can finish your studies, get the tax benefits, and live your life as you choose while I get to move off base and maintain my privacy

Honestly, it sounds like a win/win to Johnny. He’s not struggling financially per se, but being able to live exactly as he is while also gleaning tax benefits is… an attractive choice.

John: and if I meet someone else that I’m serious about?

Simon: I have no qualms about an uncontested divorce

John: let’s meet up for lunch and discuss the details

———

Lunch is a simple affair, just a local restaurant, frequented by students and soldiers alike, so they both fit in well. Simon is unfairly attractive, even if he only reveals the bottom half of his face to eat or drink. He’s massive and blond and his eyes do something to Johnny’s insides that he can’t bring himself to dissect further. They chat over their food, sharing details about themselves. Johnny shares more than Simon, and he has a hunch that that’s on purpose, but he doesn’t mind. They click instantly, and Johnny can tell that Simon is taken aback by that. It’s sweet, almost, the way that such a large military man is floundering in the face of genuine human connection. After they’ve finished, they turn to business.

With a quiet, deep voice, Simon lays out his entire plan, and Johnny is fully on board. He’s ready to sign the papers today, but they legally have to wait a month.

It’s the longest month of Johnny’s life.

They text constantly, or as constantly as they can. Sometimes Johnny feels inordinately young and sometimes very inferior; while he’s talking Simon’s ear off about some explosive compound used in building demolitions, Simon is off… doing god knows what, god knows where, serving the country. But Simon always listens, always sounds engaged over the phone when they call, always has follow-up questions that show he’s actually interested. And while Simon can’t talk much about his work, he can talk about details. Small stuff; the awful food, the hot dust where he’s stationed, the day-to-day activities that don’t give away too much. Johnny learns that he’s a lieutenant, a sniper (though that’s more through context clues than anything else), that he wears a mask all the time to protect himself, that he doesn’t like scrambled eggs (or at least, not military scrambled eggs), that he has a very complex skincare routine, that he respects the hell out of his captain. That he’s a good man, or tries to be. That he’s a sweetheart, deep down, despite trying to hide it.

They eventually get married, down at the courthouse, with Simon’s captain, Price, and Johnny’s best mate, Kyle, as witnesses.

And then life goes on. Johnny continues his studies, continues going to parties and hooking up with people every weekend, continues living his life. He assumes that Simon does the same. They keep in contact, for the most part, except when Simon’s in the field and he can’t have his phone, but he always brings back little inconsequential stories when he returns. It’s nice, in a way. They’d never exchanged rings, but sometimes Johnny wishes they had, just so he had something tangible to tie him to his husband.

I’m not sure how it would end, though…

Maybe it would be Sweet Home Alabama style, where Johnny finds someone that he thinks he loves and has to get Simon to sign the divorce papers, only to realize at the last minute that he really doesn’t want to, that he’s been in love with Simon all along

Maybe Simon gets medically discharged and ends up moving in with Johnny, where they both dance around their feelings for each other, despite already being married

Maybe they just… realize one day, that they’ve slowly but surely fallen in love with each other over the years and suddenly, nothing else matters because they’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for

[v3nusxsky]

Can you please do write dom! Emily finds out that sub!reader gets turned on when Emily gets bossy and Emily's uses it to her advantage to fuck reader senseless in Emily's office.

So bossy…. I like it 18+

*Authors note~ another break from sinful souls to bring you Emily prentiss. I’m not sure how I feel about this one :( I’m going to take this opportunity to wish my lovely girlfriend @just-your-casual-nerd a very happy one year anniversary ♥️criminal minds (and our love for incredibly talented beautiful attractive women such as prentiss JJ and Larissa Weems ) brought us together and I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my life. I love you*

Trigger warnings~ sub r mommy dom! Emily strap warming, praise kink overstimulation for reader, oral on strap em loves Rs boobs more than life office sex, bossy Emily sort of free use reader oral fixation mentions

Prompt~ see ask^^^^

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Your wife becoming the chief of the BAU was certainly an achievement, one you are incredibly proud of her for, but litre did you know, the change in job would do more than add to her pay packet. Being an assistant of Penelope Garcia is how you met your wife, at first you thought Emily Prentiss hated you, but after some time with JJ and Garcia convincing you to join them on girls night, you soon found out that was not the case. She wanted you, too much, and that scared the raven haired profiler. Now her wife, you can look back and laugh at how awkward you both were dancing around the attraction.

The power that woman holds not only as your wife, your dominant but now your boss too, turns out it’s a massive turn on for you. Seeing the way she commands the room had you soaking your panties embarrassingly quickly. It happened so much these days you just always packed a few pairs spare for the work day. It wasn’t your fault, she’s incredibly sexy. But you were growing tired of finding excuses to tell Garcia about why you are always running to the ladies room. But your wife, she had caught on to your extra items in your work bag, the way your pupils would dilate at team meetings and even the slight heat that would cover your cheeks and the tops of your breasts every time she was more stern. Dominance clearly did it for you no matter the context, something she could use to her advantage.

To say you and Em experiment in the bedroom would be putting it lightly, you are both kinky people with needs after all. One of your wife’s kinks happened to be free use, something you turned out to love, this kink being relatively new for you, it hadn’t came into play outside the house. Until today. Being called to her office was a usual occurrence, sometimes genuinely needing your skills, others a lunch date and even on occasions comfort after a rough meeting or case.

“Honey?” You murmured quietly as you entered her office, closing the door behind you. “Lock it” came the first demand, her stern tone sending a wave of arousal straight to your stomach, causing you to jump into action and obey. “Good girl, here now” she demanded in her authoritative tone, loving how you instantly seemed to slip into your submissive state. “Mommy?” You mumbled shyly, avoiding eye contact with her and awaited the next command.

A verbal command never came, she knew you’d safe word If you felt the need to, her strong hand came to push down on your shoulders causing you to kneel in front of the woman. “Under the desk bunny, mommy needs to use that pretty mouth of yours” the raven haired chief murmured to you, a smirk plastering itself on her lips at your enthusiastic gasp. Of course it took some effort to get in the right position, Emily utilising your distracted state to lose her trousers and free a girthy looking six inch dildo that was now strapped to her hips. Where had she hidden that this morning?

“Em” you started only be cut off by your wife, “poor girl, being all turned on at work, good job mommy noticed and can now finally put your skills to use hmm?” It sounded like a question, but you knew it wasn’t, being good for Emily meant waiting for permission to speak. Something you haven’t been given. “Now bunny, you will be my good girl and let mommy fuck your pretty mouth and then maybe I’ll take pitty on you and sort out your messy cunt” the raven haired woman commanded as she settled back in her chair allowing you access to her shaft while remaining hidden from any potential praying eyes.

Aches radiated their way through your cramped body, limbs fallen asleep as you remained pliant for your mommy. God knows how long she’d been lazily fucking your throat but it was starting to become raw with every deep thrust of her hips. Only when Emily decided she was satisfied with how far down into your submissive haze you were did she pull back smirking at your glazed over eyes and a string of spit that attached to the head of her cock and your now swollen mouth. “Oh good girl” she murmured appreciatively as she lent down to rip open your shirt, “god your beautiful baby girl, so good for me. So pretty.”

Her words seemed to muffle as you allowed her to pull you up from the desk shredding your poor excuse for tights and lace underwear exposing your cunt. The heat radiating from your core had your wife moaning happily and you gasping as the cold air hit your sensitive slit. “Mommy” you whined as you subconsciously tried to find the friction your body craved. “Shush sweet girl, I know, mommy knows. Precious bunny, you’re soaked. Warming mommys cock should be no problem right?” Her murmurs seeming to not register as she manipulated your body to the exact position she desired.

Straddling Emily Prentiss’s lap, her faux dick nestled tightly between your sopping walls, head nuzzled into her neck and breasts on full display was definitely not how you expected when you walked in here. Not that you were complaining. No. You were far too down in your subby haze to even care where you are. The only thought on your mind being to please mommy. It doesn’t matter if you cum you just want mommy satisfied. It’s one of the many things Emily adores about you.

Quite truthfully, it was a slow paperwork day in the bureau which allowed for her plan to unfold. Having you on her lap, soaking your thighs as well as hers, desperate to keep your moans quiet and not expose your situation was definitely a way to make the day more pleasant. “Pretty bunny and such a good cock warmer too. Sit up bun, mommy wants to look at these perfect tits” the way her words seem to reek of dominance caused you to whimper as you sat up. “Oh, mommy’s favourite white lace bra today hmm? Gods bunny you’re so perfect for me. Prettiest thing for mommy to use.”

Less than thirty minutes in, you were rocking your hips into hers, lips lazily sucking on the junction between her neck and shoulder. Needy. You’d definitely marked your mommy, not that she minded at all, but getting you off was not the main purpose of this. A slap the tops of your breasts seemed to halt any movement, “behave bunny, mommys working now.” If you were more coherent you wouldn’t protested, but your body is beginning to lose the fight against exhaustion and need. “Please mommy, so sticky! Please help me mommy. I need you to.” You whimpered pathetically causing the other woman to grab your hair into a make shift ponytail before yanking you off the faux cock and throwing you over her desk.

“Just couldn’t behave and wait could you? Never seem to follow mommys orders so I guess you need a lesson. I don’t want to hear a peep out of you unless it’s checking in or safewords. Do you understand little girl” she practically snarled at you while teasing your messy cunt with the soaked strap. A hard smack to the globes of your arse remind you that you hadn’t replied. “I understand” you mumbled guilt soaking the words, you’d failed to make mommy happy, “I’m sorry.”

You couldn’t help the squeak of protest as you felt her enter your red puffy pussy, with how oversensitive your poor abused hole was feeling you knew staying quiet would be extremely difficult. “Shut up and take what mommy gives you. My own personal bunny to fuck whenever I want. However I want.” She grunted in between harsh thrusts of her hips, causing your body to slam into her desk repeatedly. You’d definitely have bruises.

As predicted with her spewing words in between her thrusts you were struggling to keep quiet, frantically searching through bleary eyes for something to put in your mouth. Obviously the profiler part of your wife noticed and ever so kindly lent over your body to shove her fingers into your awaiting mouth. “Pretty girl just needs to suckle on mommys fingers hmm? God I love your pretty pussy baby. Mommy loves you so much baby girl” she groaned as she came again causing you to also come with her. You’d be lying if you said you kept track of how many orgasms she’d given you over the table as well as warming her strap before she finally gentled pulled out and started aftercare.

The strap now hidden in her draw she yanked the blanket off the back of her chair, gently settled you In the chair before unlocking the door and setting you on her lap. Instantly your body turned to snuggle into the older woman, blanket wrapped around you causing you to sigh contentedly. “So good for me sweet girl, rest my love, I’m right here then we will go clean up and head home to have a nice bath hmm?” She whispered before trailing off to hum the same tune she did when your nightmares plagued your sleep. You drifted off to your slumber in the arms of the woman you love, safe and content and throughly satisfied.

Word count~ 1970

[anthurak]

Ruby's and Yang's Family Reckoning

Has anyone else noticed how each of the post-Beacon arcs thus far have featured a member of Team RWBY returning home and reconciling/repairing issues with their family? Volumes 4 and 5 had Blake returning to Menagerie and reconciling with her parents, while Volumes 7 and 8 had Weiss returning to Atlas and helping repair the broken relationships with her siblings and mother.

With that in mind, I think it’s easy to imagine that Volumes 10 and 11 will be Ruby’s and Yang’s turn to sort out their long-standing family baggage. I mean, they’ve got two of their parents/parent-figures already in Vacuo, the third and their childhood home is just a quick bird-mom-portal away, and it turns out they ALSO recently got information that their fourth parent might not be as dead as they thought.

And here’s the other thing: we’ve also seen an escalation in just how complicated, dysfunctional and overall ‘fucked-up’ the family issues faced by our heroines have gotten over the last two arcs.

As many have noted, Blake has the only unambiguously good parents among her team, with the worst of the ‘issues’ they had to deal with being some simple estrangement. Instead, the real family ‘issues’ Blake had to deal with Volume 4 and 5 was reclaiming her family’s legacy, ie; the White Fang, from Adam and the Albain brothers.

Then we went from that, to the long-abused mess that is the Schnee family.

So going off that trend, as well as several other factors…

Yeah, I have NO doubt at this point that the STRQ family is going to find a way to be an even BIGGER fucked-up, messy, dysfunctional train wreck that Ruby and Yang are going to have to sift through and repair.

Now I know some people are probably wondering how Team STRQ could possibly be worse than the Schnees? After all, they had actual Worst-Dad���, Jacques Gele. How could Summer, Taiyang, Qrow and Raven be worse than that?

Here’s the thing though: The Schnee family may have been a wreck, but it was also a fairly uncomplicated wreck with a singular, easy-to-understand root cause; one utter shitbag who was making life terrible for everyone else. And the solution to the family problems (or at least the START of the solution) wound up being likewise simple and straightforward; just kick out the aforementioned utter shitbag and the family can start healing. I mean, it took less than a day after Jacques was given the boot for Weiss, Willow, Whitley and even Winter to make major steps in patching things up between them.

The STRQ family on the other hand aren’t going to be anywhere NEAR that simple. They are ACTUALLY messy and dysfunctional and complicated and ambiguous and all the other things fandom claims to love yet more often seems to just break their black-and-white-morality-loving brains when they actually see it.

Because unlike the Schnees, Team STRQ DOESN’T actually have just one terrible person who can easily be pointed to as the root cause of their problems (No, not even Raven)*. Instead, I think it’s becoming more and more apparent that Summer, Raven, Qrow and Tai are simultaneously good people who all love their daughters and genuinely want the best for them, and are also all MASSIVE dysfunctional fuck-ups in each their own way who have FAILED Ruby and Yang as parents in one way or another.

Summer the ‘supermom’ who also obsessively chased her hero-complex into martyrdom.

Raven the ‘daddy had a good reason for leaving you’ who actually didn’t have a good reason.

Qrow the ‘cool uncle’ who’s actually spent the last 15+ years wallowing in alcoholic depression.

Taiyang the at-first seeming ‘reliable’ father who turns out to actually be a MASSIVELY dysfunctional wreck.

All while Ruby AND Yang can both state openly and matter-of-factly that YANG was the one to RAISE RUBY. The kind of sibling relationship we might generally expect to see in two orphans. Which does NOT, in any context, speak highly of the parenting they received.

And I think Volumes 10 and 11 are going to be when the story finally shines a light on all those problems and forces Ruby and Yang to finally confront them.

Simply put, I think this is going to be when the story effectively yanks the rug out from under us and flips the script on basically everything we, plus Ruby and Yang, long assumed about Team STRQ has been wrong. Or alternatively for Ruby and Yang, everything that’s been right in front of them, yet have been refusing to confront all this time.

Things like just about everything Yang thought she knew about her family when she explained her backstory to Blake in Volume 2 (and which has served as the basis for nearly ALL of our assumptions about Team STRQ) turning out to be wrong in one way or another.

Or things like Taiyang being shown to be just as big a dysfunctional fuck-up parent as Qrow and Raven.

Or things like Qrow being called out for ditching the family pretty much just as much as Raven did to join Ozpin’s secret society.

Or Raven turning out to be Ruby’s dad.

Or Summer turning out to NOT actually be dead and is basically Salem’s Darth Vader via horrific grimm-hybridization.

And ultimately, just how much Summer, Raven, Qrow and Taiyang all FAILED Ruby and Yang as their parents, as illustrated, once again, by the fact that Ruby considers her primary parent-figure to be none of them, but rather YANG.

Ever since Volume 1 featured songs like Red Like Roses Part 2 and Gold, the fact that Yang raised Ruby has been a proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over Team STRQ. Representing the fact that that ALL of them, Summer, Raven, Qrow and Tai, FUCKED UP as parents.

And I think in the next couple volumes, that sword is finally going to fall.

--

*Okay, maybe Ozpin.

[lemotmo]

Yes allow us to be positive and excited about the possibilities!!

Q. Full disclosure the Buck/Tommy kiss brought me in but I wanted to know the story so I went back and watched the entire series and by the time I made it to season 7 Tommy was toast. It was Eddie all the way. The behavior of his fandom was also extremely off-putting. But obviously I am new to the BTS stuff, have Oliver and Ryan not always been like this? I went back and found as much BTS content as I could from last season and there definitely seemed to be an enthusiasm gap between the first half and the back half of the season, especially for Oliver. I was just curious what their norm is. Love your blog btw!!!

A. Aww thank you, anon, and welcome to the family! I promise it's usually much nicer around our parts than it has been this off season. There is nothing wrong with the B/T kiss bringing you into the fold. You did the right thing by going back and getting the context of the entire story. That particular fandom not wanting to understand or learn about Buck's character will never not be dumbfounding to me. Although the reason they refuse to go back and watch the history is because of what you said in your ask. Based on the asks I, and many others have received, much like yourself everyone who went back and watched ended up pro Eddie not pro Tommy. Because context is everything. Context is the enemy of Tommy so his fans don't want people to have it. But the ones who had been around understand the Eddie of it all and that's why they tried so hard to steal Eddie's entire characterization and headcanon it as Tommy's. Because of course they did.

As for Oliver and Ryan the short answer is no. They have not always been like they were in the early BTS of least season, and they definitely have never been the way they are now. They've been friends but they went through a rough period for a bit and have seemingly come out the other side closer than ever. I am not in the camp of people who believe that means anything romantic on their part. I just genuinely believe they love and care for one another and what they went through has made their bond stronger. I also think the chains fox very clearly constricted them with have been removed by ABC and it shows. They both seem much happier where they are now. It's one of the things that was so hard about 7b. Oliver was so excited in every single interview right up until 7x6 filming was complete, which of course was the bachelor party episode, and the last episode before the rewrites took over. We literally watched his enthusiasm die in real time and it was awful. The enthusiasm level from the cast as a whole changed entirely following episode 6. It was obvious none of them were fans of the 7b changes. Oliver was just the worst at hiding his annoyance. Oliver is like Buck in that when he is excited about something it's obvious and when he isn't happy about something it's equally obvious. He completely shut down and it made what was already turning into a massively disappointing second half of the season even more difficult to watch. I think that's partly why the Lou cameos took hold of that fandom like they did. He was the only one who seemed remotely interested in the story, such as it was. They wanted someone to fan girl with and it became very clear very quickly that person wasn't going to be Oliver. He wanted nothing whatsoever to do with it after 7x4. Which, to me, should have told that fandom something but whatever. I think Buddie was supposed to happen last season. I think they were told about it. The scripts were written and they got excited about finally getting the greenlight. But they got renewed so fast that Tim decided he wanted to slow it down, and everything got put on hold. And as a result Oliver mentally checked out. It was fairly telling when he wasn't the one doing the interviews anymore. He is their PR unicorn. He's always the first choice and they stopped sending him because it was clear he wasn't into the 7b storylines. He couldn't fake any enthusiasm for it. They sent him on one interview to promote the finale and it didn't go well. He clearly didn't want to be there. Following that interview, show wise, we didn't see him or hear from again until production started on the new season. We also never heard from Lou again shortly thereafter. And before anyone tries to start anything that was not typical behavior of Oliver so that tells you everything you need to know about how unhappy he truly was by the end of the season.

Ryan wasn't much better. He just didn't have the luxury of being left alone. He was the off-season promotion. The tone his interviews had immediately following the finale made it clear he also wasn't happy. It was an abysmal back half of the season and forcing him to try and spin it in any kind of positive way was never going to work. He couldn't be bothered to try and spin it. He didn't want to talk about it. His interviews that came later all had a distinct tonal shift in a far more positive direction. That's also when he started using gender neutral pronouns and talking about Eddie learning to love himself this season in order to be ready for his person. I believe whatever the plan was last season is what the plan now is this season. And whatever that plan is has made Oliver and Ryan both noticeably more enthusiastic and engaged. But as you know, anon, saying that out loud is both homophobic and also somehow racist so fair warning. But I'm going to be positive and I'm going to take my cues from Oliver and Ryan. I'm not going to let that fandom suck my joy anymore. I'm glad you found the show and I'm glad you've chosen to stay. Here's to a better season for us all. Cheers 🍻

Thank you Nonny for dropping this into my inbox. :)

I'm not going to add anything here. I think Ali said it beautifully.

Also, shout out to a viewer who was smart enough to go all the way back to season 1 and see why we are all still here rooting for Buddie. :D

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[taldigi]

Like IMO, as it's put into the game, the accomplice ending is kind of goofy in how out of character it is. Like not that Adachi is written out of character or whatever but like... What a massively out of character, heel turn sort of decision in n Yu's part. Other media I believe manages to make it work? Like I believe the animation does a good job of framing it as a protective thing.

But like *as it is* in the game like.... Especially compared to the Persona 5 bad ends. Like... I can *see* those happening. I don't think those are outside of Ren's character to choose Maruki's reality over his own truth in order to ensure his friend's happiness above all else or even opt to accept the deal in order to stay with his friends as the PTs forever.

Heck, even the bad ending of Three has a perfectly reasonable blanket of "Even though my friends don't agree I'm doing this for them and their happiness" and it's bittersweet in that way.

But the accomplice ending like straight up puts people in danger right? It betrays pretty much the entire investigation team as well as the entire town. And retroactively we know that he's a threat but in the moment, based on their confidence when confronting him, the IT don't know that. That doesn't... feel like Yu at all. Even anime Yu who almost threw Namatame into the TV. Him trying one last time to reason with Adachi? sure. Going in solo about it despite that being a huge violation of his own rules? Sure. But throwing *everything* away? Including Nanako's memory? And for what? Idk man. I guess if you have the brain rot for it you can twist it into something bittersweet but personally I just think it's really silly.

Anyway my whole point that I'm getting at is that I feel that the neutral ending where they don't guess the killer and end up killing Namatame is the most genuinely upsetting and much more emotionally investing one. Especially with the context of how not discovering the reason behind it all will eventually consume the town. Like yeah sure. The accomplice ending is objectively worse right? But like I said, it's just so out there knowing what I know about the characters that it's a little hard to take seriously.

The characters give in to fear and despair, there will still be a murder on the loose and they don't even know it, nanako is dead, All that's left is guilt and fog and what-ifs and they're forced to take comfort in the fact that they must have done the right thing- because I don't think a single one of them could live with the truth that they did not.

They don't even get the luxury of knowing that soon the whole town will be consumed by fog, that every last person is going to be torn apart by shadows or turn into a shadow.. and the underlying horror that Yu is none the wiser and thinks he's just been forgotten once again once he's moved away... especially if you follow the belief that this is like.... The only time he's ever let himself love a place or people. That's so sad dude. It's melancholy and awful.

[renard-dartigue]

Kaiju no 8 ch.116 Review

Alright so after a couple more reads I finally have my thoughts together about the latest chapter.

Spoilers ahead:

So to start out, I love how we get extra context into why Narumi doesn't like Hoshina.

I like how on sight it was from the start lmao. And Soshiro's older brother being annoying seems to be universal lol. Its no wonder Narumi already had a poor impression.

However, using his eyes, he's able to see Hoshina's potential as a valuable asset. Given Commander Shinomiya's influence on him, its obvious Narumi values having strong people by his side.

I just love how much Narumi cares about looking cool. It's like a kid trying to impress the new kid on the block for street cred. 💀 But Narumi is clearly being genuine here. He acknowledges Hoshina as someone strong and potentially dependable.

It's actually a massive honor for the captain of the first squad to come to you personally and offer you a place in his unit. And Hoshina would have definitely fit as Narumi's Vice-Captain.

And so it was a get punch to to Narumi's pride when Hoshina turned him down. This was probably the first time someone has ever turned him down. And then Hoshina when on to climb up the ranks and beat Narumi's records in close combat. Its no wonder he's pissed off.

So here we are in present day, Narumi and Hoshina teaming up to fight No.9. A team up that has been anticipated for a very long time.

And boy oh boy was it glorious!

I believe it was back in the chapter where Hoshina and no.10 fought where it hinted at this, with Hoshina needing to distance him and 10 from the other troops so he didn't hurt anyone.

In the current fight, Hoshina is looking out for Narumi's attacks and dealing damage as well.

And man is Narumi not pulling any punches lmao. But its 9 so he really can't afford to hold back. Narumi really is a monster.

Even 10 is excited to potentially fight Narumi. But Hoshina doesn't fuck with that idea lol.

What in the scarecrow is going on with Narumi's face???? Is that No.1 manifesting due to him pushing his power to the limit? Or is a representation of Narumi's barely contained monstrous inner power. Regardless it's sick.

Also love how Hoshina still has Kafka's well being in mind. Settling my gay brain aside, he really is a considerate vice-captain.

But of course since Naoya Sensei likes fucking with us, Narumi and Hoshina's attack doesn't phase No.9 and now I'm worried about them.

MEANWHILE, Kafka is sinking in his mind ocean again, on the verge of death, but this time someone else is there. I think the next chapter is going to confirm a thought that I had all the way back when Kafka first started training with Hoshina. When Kafka saw a phantom samurai.

My thought was about how the samurai Kafka saw had the same eyes as Kafka's kaiju. What if the kaiju shifting power has existed for centuries, assisting humanity in fighting kaiju. Also, I always thought that Kafka's form never looked complete. His face plate is always cracked, and his body looks exposed without armor. But that could just be me lol.

Yall I think Kafka is going to go super sayain 2.

[turbulentscrawl]

Identity(V) Headcanons: Luca Balsa

Next up!

Again, I am new to the IDV fandom, and I have never played the game, so these headcanons are informed by my ongoing lore dives sourcing the wiki, japanese twitter responses, comics, stageplay, and more! Some of these may relate to or even contradict character backstory, and some of them are just pure vibes for me. If you like it, consider shooting a request ;)

-So to start, I personally headcanon that Luca initiated the fight that led to the electrical accident. He’s always been hot-headed and impulsive, especially in regard to the source of his pride. I don’t think he intended for the confrontation with Alva to end anywhere near the way it did, but I do think he felt a good shove or two were well-warranted when he found out "his" ideas were being stolen. It’s when Alva fought back a little too viciously that the accident happened—and it well and truly was an accident. Not that it matters much when the only survivor doesn’t remember the event at all.

-He has headaches regularly, and terrible migraines at least once a week. He’s yet to find a way to relieve the migraines and, even worse, they are typically followed by an episode of more intense amnesia. Under normal circumstances, Luca’s memory problems are manageable. He doesn’t remember the accident, and there are massive blackouts in the memories beyond it, but on the average day he only struggles with small details of more recent events. During these post-migraine episodes, though, he completely loses all context for where he is, what he is doing, and who the people around him are. Most of the time, the important bits come back…but not always.

-Forgotten memories are also sometimes sporadically triggered by something mundane. A word, a texture, a sound, and suddenly he’s frozen stock-still in the face of a one-person cinematic viewing. By the time he turns to tell someone about it, though, the memory is gone again.

-To try to combat these issues, Luca keeps notebooks stashed everywhere. He writes down anything that might be important, as well as anything sentimental. The obvious issue with this, however, is that he doesn’t always remember where he keeps these notebooks.

-Despite his memory problems, his personality is largely in-tact. He maintains a lot of gentlemanly mannerisms and is cordial, if not outright friendly, to just about everyone he meets. Generally, he’s only “rude” in the sense that his attention tends to shift very abruptly.

-He’s the sort of person who appreciates variety. In people, food, scenery, just about everything. Part of why he gets along with so many people is because he can genuinely appreciate all manner of skillsets and hobbies. Likewise, to be a friend to him you only need to show appreciation for his work; understanding is not a requirement.

-It’s canon that he dislikes noise, but enjoys music. These might seem like clashing sentiments, but what it really comes down to is expected noise. Music can be relaxing, inspiring, rush-inducing! It holds your mind’s hand and hurries it along its thoughtful way. JUST noise is…chaotic, distracting, and sometimes startling. Plus, Luca likes being able to hum along while he works.

-It’s common to be static-zapped if you touch him. Long-term contact can even cause your hair to start standing on end. Unfortunately, it isn’t something he can control, so just be prepared to deal with it.

-The best Love Language to give Luca is Quality Time. He can honestly work with pretty much all of them, but Quality Time checks multiple boxes—especially if you’re good with parallel play. For one, he gets so busy with his work that it sometimes makes him feel guilty for neglecting the people he cares about. If you’re comfortable just hanging around his space, doing your own thing while he does his, it’s easier for him to check in with you between the erratic come-and-go of his thoughts. Those small bits of time add up, and he feels much better about his workaholic nature. Second, the more you permeate his memory, the less likely he feels he is to forget you. One of the few things he doesn’t struggle to remember is himself, his own name, and if you’re always there maybe it’ll be the same for you.

-He has trouble balancing his priorities. He often foregoes food, sleep, hygiene, and even his loved ones in favor of working on his invention. Sometimes he’s so absorbed in it that he doesn’t even understand the weight of hurtful decisions, but even when he does, he’d find it difficult to change.

-It’s also never impossible for the emotions that caused the accident to rear their head again. If someone were ever to intentionally sabotage Luca’s work or unapologetically steal his ideas, he may very well lash out with violence. Even if it were an accident, there’s no guarantee he wouldn’t be enraged.

-Luca has no idea what he’d do with himself if he ever did finish his invention. The guilt he feels for what may-have-happened is confused and warped, and he keeps it buried beneath his weighty obsession with the one thing he’s never forgotten…but if it were ever to be out of the way, Luca might be consumed by darkness.

[majycka]

Hello!! I just wanna drop by and say i enjoyed your Utahime thoughts! And i wanna share s couple of my cents if that's alright? Here we gooo

So I'll start by saying that i have nothing against anyone that ships gjhm, that's the beauty of fandom and aus and stories. however, i have tried to see the appeal in a realistically speaking sense within the context of the actual story and i just cannot. for the life of me. Like it's pretty evident that Utahime does not like Gojo, and that he's very disrespectful towards her, however, there is the trust they share because of their roles as teachers and their ideology. it's not that Utahime is an unreasonable person that would turn down an offer that would put her students in harms way right? but the thing is, I don't think the story ever set up any sublots for them to like each other you know? And I don't wanna be a killjoy when i say this altho i probably am, but rather that it's just not something author has envisioned for them?

i do think Gojo likes Utahime, but just not in a romantic sense, and this sort of dynamic is really reminiscent of that i would find in siblings, where one is endlessly annoying and the other wants to strangle the younger. i think if the story went the other way instead of the one it went now, Utahime and Gojo should cooperate and be understanding of one another as in good colleagues/friends? but given how Utahime was written and her limited appears in the story, luckluster and underwhelming sometimes, it's nearly impossible, and it's mostly on gege because all these characters have so much potential yet he only utilizes them as plot devices, in short it's not about the characters unfortunately.

and frankly i can't blame people for creating aus, in fact go ahead, it's what makes shipping so great! like i love to ship gojo too, mostly with geto or sometimes shoko heck i even like to pair him with ocs or readers too! but idk why i just can't picture him and Utahime ever being in a relationship at least within the story like context. again i don't wanna undermine anyone who loves this ship, i am all supporting but i just wanted to get out how i see it. Hope this wasn't confusing!

I see what you're coming from, Anon! People have varying preferences/opinions, and that's the beauty of it! I know Gege wouldn't draw out a romance plot line because he stated he ONLY sees it for mutamiwa. I can be delusional with gjhm BUT realistically, I’d never trust Gege EVER to handle a romance plot line cuz it will probably end tragically lol.

Imma try to speak from gojohime pov and give some insight why I personally love the ship.

I think the gjhm fans that I've seen doesn't ship them just because its ability to be canon but instead the dynamic that gjhm offers. Like you said Utahime does hate him while Gojo seems to like her, and the most funny part for me is that Gojo genuinely believes her "annoyance" is a joke between them. The way I see it, it offers this a slowburn romantic comedy potential with Gojo learning to get over himself, step up, and have this massive realization of falling for Utahime. I had this convo with my moot ola and moot said how basically Gojo just went “shit, she CAN fix me!” with Utahime (Because ya know how Utahime is everything Gojo isn’t) thus he continues to bug her xD

There's just so much to "play" with their dynamics honestly if you take them out of the canon story. You'd think that a slow burn romance would be two people earning each other's trust then doing all the slowly loving/liking part, but since the story already has set up that gjhm have each other trust because they share the goal of teachers fostering the new generation of sorcerers plus their decade of familiarity with each other, it makes you think what's more to this slowburn romcom?

Well, the way I see it, their opposing teaching beliefs can help them learn from each other and be better teachers. Gojo will be forced out of his emotionally constipated ways. Utahime's strength in her patience and ability to connect with other will be highlighted. They can be such a fun colleagues to lovers slowburn romcom type of story ya know which I honestly find hilarious xD So yehhh thats basically why I ship these two fuckers :^)

[cherrys-writings]

Exhaustion

Just something a litte short and fluffy

slight angst, reader is overwhelmed

Your heart sank with every ring. He’s not gonna hear it. You shouldn’t have bothered, all grown up and you can’t handle these days on your own.

You pull the phone away from your ear, tossing it onto the empty part of the couch. You try to calm down, telling yourself to power through it and things will slow down again soon. Soft footsteps sound behind you and the knot in your throat tightens, Grayson leans over the back of the couch to kiss the top of your head. You manage all of three words, “I can’t Gray,” before sobs wrack your body.

Grayson was immediately beside you, “talk to me.”

He didn’t force you to look at him when you started rambling, “There’s all these expectations from my family and projects they want my input on. I’m finally leading a project at the company and I get…..I don’t know, bombarded by everyone just wanting to help. A-and then there’s family obligations and helping my sibling plan their wedding and spending all my free time with everyone, so no one thinks I don’t love them.” Grayson pets your hair, pulling you closer on the couch. Ignoring how wet his shirt is. 

“I can’t be this talkative with them all the time, Grayson. They need to know I want to be around them, but I’m exhausted. Being this, this,” I wipe at my cheeks, gesturing in search of the word, “This….out with everyone all the time. Before I say anything I have to make sure it's not too blunt, that it makes sense in context of the conversation, my tone doesn’t sound condescending. It’s so much work just to hold a conversation. No matter how much sleep I get, I’m always tired.” 

Gray rubs circles on your back, pulling you tightly against him, as if he could will the emptiness away. He sighs, “I’m proud of you darling. Your family shouldn’t push you to be a certain way. I love you. I love your straightforwardness, the unique connections you make between things when we talk. And I love quiet times with you. Right now, it sounds like you need some quiet. Can you take some deep breaths with me?”

You nod and focus on matching your breath with his. Grayson’s steady heartbeat slows your mind, his presence an anchor. Hitching breaths eventually turn into a massive yawn and you feel the rumble of Grayson chuckling. 

Gray leans back to look at you, “How about you come with me and get some genuine rest.”

You’re too drained to protest when he stands, lifting you with him and carrying you to your room. Gray sets you on the bed, walking to fill the bathtub, jasmine scent floating out. He returns to grab your pajamas and lead you to the tub.

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” you say watching him turn as you remove your clothes and step into the steaming water, “you can join me if you like.”

Grayson turns back, making almost no effort to hide his lingering gaze, “You’re supposed to relax. Besides, I’d rather not boil myself alive tonight.”

You flicked water at him while he retreats from the room. 

Grayson was already in bed, stretching his arms towards you and making grabby hands when he saw you step out. You pull the blankets over you both and rest your head on his chest. 

“Tell me a story,” you whisper.

“I don’t know any.”

“Please, Gray.”

“Fine.” You don’t need to see his face to know he’s rolling his eyes and smirking. “Once upon a time, there was a fairy. Now this fairy wasn’t like the ones in old tales who stole children and trapped people in impossible deals.”

“Let me guess, they’re not like other fairies,” you mime tucking your hair behind your ear

“Hey, this is my story,” he chided, “As I was saying. No this fairy wasn’t like the fairies of old tales or even like the new tales. He didn’t have a scarred face with a metal eye, or arms covered in tattooed symbols that flowed over his chest and back. Some might say he was better than all these fairies because he didn’t have bat wings or violet eyes flecked with star light.”

You lightly smack his shoulder, laughing, “Leave my book boyfriends alone.” 

Grayson turns, both of you on your sides. His hand drags up your arm, coming to gently tilt your chin up and presses a kiss between your brows.He rests his chin on the top of your head, rubbing slow circles on your back, the feeling pulls your mind away from the earlier worries. Your eyelids grow heavy and almost miss when Gray says, “I promise I’ll always help you through the hard days.”

**************************

A friend convinced me to give ACOTAR a second chance....new thing to obsess over

[antrunner]

hey bestie can tell me about Kyle's origin story like how he vecame green lantern if possible can you explain how the others besides hal became green lantern

OF COURSE

so, kyle's origin is the most interesting and compelling to me, but in order to fully understand his start, we need a bit of context.

Hal Jordan. ya know him ya love him or maybe you cant stand his ass. he'd been The Green Lantern for decades!! but suddenly its the 80s. and he's exhausted. he's worn down and tired. and the 80's are like a minefield for him as he tries to find what he wants to do with his life. feeling lost and beaten down (both metaphorically and literally). then theres a reign of the supermen crossover thing where Mongul destroys the entirety of Coast City

7 million people dead in an instant, a lot of which were Hal's friends, family and neighbors. He grew up there and suddenly it's all gone and it's just a crater left. It breaks that final thread for him and he creates a massive construct of the city. The Guardians (the corps bosses) HATE this because rings aren't supposed to be used for personal reasons, so they revoke his ring.

Hal gets pissed and runs back to Oa in an attempt to argue with them... and it turns deadly. VERY deadly. Out of the 3000-4000 lanterns, only a handful survive Hal's rampage. He kills every Guardian except one (Ganthet), and absorbs the power from the central battery.

Anyways, long story short, Kyle is literally at the club and walks outside to get some fresh air and Ganthet goes "you'll have to do i guess" and gives him it. LMAO yeah that's his origin story. 100% CHANCE AND LUCK. it's fucking awesome. because it's completely different from all the other lanterns, who are chosen specifically by the guardians and the rings. like John and Guy for example. Guy was the second choice for Hal, but happened to be further away when Abin Sur (Hal's predecessor) died. John was then Hal's replacement. (I haven't read a whole lot about them since i'm working my way through some other runs, but thats the gist of it!)

Kyle, on the other hand, was completely alone, untrained, and also caught up in the middle of a cosmic massacre. It's really fun watching him figure things out and the ups and downs of his life. to me, being a 20-something year old art major too, his story resonates extremely deeply with me. Ron Marz has some AMAZING writing too. Highly recommend reading Green Lantern 1990 (kyle's run starts at around #50). It's super fun and engaging and we get to see Parallax (Hal) vs Kyle and how sometimes violence really genuinely isn't the answer, and sometimes people just need a friend to talk to. it's so freaking awesome

Lmk if you need more info I didn't wanna infodump too much today........ teehee

[girlreviews]

Review #438: Parklife, Blur

In some ways this review is going to be like the antithesis to the one I wrote for Pulp’s Different Class. In that, this album features songs that are so important to British culture, and individually to my formative years, that I can’t ever be mad to hear them. However, unlike my ongoing and steadfast admiration for Pulp as a band, I have way more complicated feelings about Blur, and about this album in particular. Okay, so some context and education first. Blur had success in the UK with their debut album, Leisure, but had really dug themselves into a financial hole through poor management. They owed the taxman a lot of money. As such, they were essentially forced to go on a long, arduous tour of the US to promote their successful album. In theory this would be great. But it wasn’t great. They were touring tiny towns and venues that had never heard of them. The grunge scene had just exploded out of the Pacific Northwest and literally nobody Stateside had any fucks to give about Blur, British Music, or what they were doing on this tour. The band themselves have described the space and time immediately preceding the creation of Parklife as pretty bleak. Miserable. Oppressive. They felt backed into a corner, exhausted, downtrodden, underappreciated, and homesick.

Where they sort of lose me on this is where they express feeling as if they were shamed for being British and they were resistant to just create a record that adhered to the current trend of music. They returned to the UK with a concept in mind: a quintessentially British album, about British culture, that makes a statement: British music is a thing of its own, and it’s worth your time. I mean, I don’t disagree with that. I just fail to see how grunge being a popular genre at the time meant that they weren’t able to be proudly British, and proudly produce whatever music suited them. Artists make art for the art, and if someone likes it, that’s great. But they were young men at the time and I imagine egos and the lures of chart success influenced their feelings about it. You don’t get into a tabloid frenzied ongoing rift with the Gallagher brothers because you’re a really chill bunch of guys that only care about the music. There’s an irritating overtone of testosterone and national pride that has an icky vibe to it. It’s too easy for it to be co-opted. And it was! And it still is!

So let me just get the following points off my chest and then I’ll work my way through them:

1. Parklife is and was an important record in British music

2. It’s also not Blur’s strongest album by a BIG margin, but it’s managed to persist as somewhat of a defining album for them. I’m glad they shook it off, and we didn’t just get record after record of Parklife from them. That’s honestly how a lot of people would have done it and I can respect their commitment to art as a band: we’re going to do something different than what you just loved, and if you don’t like it that’s a you problem. People did like it.

3. Parklife also paved the way for an obnoxious marketing/PR ploy from the music industry surrounding British Indie/Rock artists, that created a ridiculous craze and wave that was surfed by bands ranging from incredible and deserving, to absolute dogshit. Ladies and gentleman, I give you: Britpop. If you were there you know what it was like, and you understand all the nuance and resentment surrounding it as a “genre”. We’ll get into this more later. In hindsight it all worked out okay and we live in a world where – at least to my knowledge – you can appreciate and criticize both Oasis and Blur for their talents and their fuck ups without it representing some massive class and cultural divide. This was absolutely not always the case and it was, for some reason, a really big deal, and it mattered to everyone, a lot. Blur or Oasis? I was 7 turning 8 years old at the height of this manufactured-turned-real rivalry, and it genuinely caused me stress. As a child! I loved them both. But I felt forced to choose. I chose Blur. I understand how ridiculous it sounds, but I wish I could go back in time and refuse to choose. It mattered, and it also really didn’t. They don’t sound similar enough to compare or compete? So why did we have to? But WE DID. It was on the news. It was the biggest thing going on at the time. It dominated the papers. Bookies were taking bets on who would be #1 between the two of them. Blur won that battle with Country House. I don’t think anybody won the war. I think everybody got bored, gave up, and went home.

So Blur kicked off Britpop with their return from this grinding US tour and they made a full blown concept album about being British. And it was good. But all of a sudden there was just this… Overwhelming influx of bands who were banking their success solely on this “being British”, thing. It had a look, it had a sound, it had a style, it had a location. The same thing happened with the Indie wave in the early/mid-2000s. It’s so annoying to me though. You end up just having to sift through a whole bunch of fucking garbage to find the stuff that is legit, and would be legit with or without the “scene”. Parklife is legit. It’s just responsible for the aftermath and onslaught of bullshit. Is that their fault? No, but they definitely participated in it all for a bit. There was a lot of great music that technically fell under the Britpop genre, but essentially looking back most of it isn’t Britpop – because that was just made up. It was just good music from various genres, and they all happened to be British artists. That’s not the same thing. It was just a music industry scheme and boy howdy did everyone buy-in.

The song Parklife, is pretty genius, still. Damon Albarn, unable to commit to the concept with a cockney accent, enlisted well-known British actor, Phil Daniels (of Quadrophenia fame) to deliver the lyrics. This was both creative and super novel. People went pretty nuts about it. They still do. It’s got the same pull as Common People. If you want to see an entire nation lose their shit over a song – you might stick on Parklife. It’s just deeply entrenched into the fabric of British culture and it’s as if it was from the moment it was released. It just is. I actually saw Parklife live at Reading Festival when I was 16 or 17, and they brought Phil Daniels out. The most memorable thing about the whole thing, was that Damon Albarn fell off the stage. I guess the most surprising thing about the wider record, is that you expect it to be more of Parklife the song. And it actually isn’t. It’s just a Blur record, and a not bad one at that.

It's just so weird how a regular album took on this entire life of its own, turned into a cultural phenomenon, and produced this era of music that for better or worse is part of history now. Some of the subsequent singles from subsequent albums honestly seem like they were more “Britpop” than a lot of the tracks on Parklife. Maybe they were running with it for sometime to bank on its success, but ultimately they grew tired of it too and changed directions. I’m glad.

I guess the other thing about Blur, is the individuals its made up of. They’ve been indie darlings forever. Graham Coxon was a nerdy little weirdo, he left and came back. I think Britpop almost killed him if I’m being honest. Damon Albarn was a pretty-faced front man and has gone on to produce some absolutely insane albums for other artists and with other bands. He’s got something, that’s for sure, but it’s not always good. Some ego and misogyny always sort of leaks out and it would make my life easier to enjoy his creative output if he just kept his mouth shut. He seems to have a problem playing nice with successful women and insists on tearing them down publicly, only to be forced to admit that he hasn’t actually worked with them, met them, talked to them, or even listened to the music that he is loudly criticizing. That’s fucking annoying, but, is also par for the course regarding male opinions being inexplicably important and accepted even absent of any actual valid perspective or input. Damon, you have a lot of great things to say with your music. That doesn’t mean you have to say something, about everything, all the time.

Alex James, floppy-haired and handsome bassist, for a time was the biggest darling of them all – attracting praise for being so quirky and unique by establishing a cheese farm. Over the years, I have come to suspect he’s really just hidden in plain sight and really what you get with him is a basic man, with basic opinions, who loves some attention. I can’t ever really quite put my finger on it with him but there’s something deeply off putting about his whole persona. I’ll just say it. Whatever image he puts out and however quirky and cool he makes himself out to be: he’s just a fucking Tory, man. With that comes everything else: classism, racism, misogyny and fucking over everyone worse off than you, so long as you get yours. But hey everyone, who cares right? He makes cheese! Isn’t that so weird and kooky? He’s gotta be a cool guy! It was this exact fucking line of thinking that allowed Boris Johnson to take advantage of the comedy panel show circuit for years and years and years, elevating his reputation among liberal young voters. Everyone thought Boris was a funny joke, so let’s vote for him! He goes from MP, to London Mayor, to high-ranking cabinet member, to the fucking PRIME MINISTER. And it wasn’t a funny joke then, was it? So let’s pay attention to the things people actually say and do, and not just the music that they make and the cheese they produce. The other guy in the band, whose name I can literally never remember – Dave Rowntree – he’s just the drummer, who brought nothing to the band visually, and was just sort of along for the ride. Seems like a nice enough guy, it’s just that nobody cares.

If you’re interested in making more sense of this review, I will recommend that you turn your attention to Netflix series This Is Pop which does a pretty decent overall rundown of Blur, Oasis, and the Britpop era. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good, and I appreciate that it gives a voice to the women in that music scene at the time, who were treated like shit and had to deal with all of the masculine national pride shit that came along with it all. It’s pretty clear from listening to them: Oasis, literally didn’t give a shit – about anything – and that was pretty hilarious. Blur, despite being genuine talent with good music to offer, bought into the hype and acted like a bunch of pricks publicly. They were all pricks, it’s just some of them were more authentically pricks than others. Ha.

I guess all I can say is this: I love Blur, and I hate Blur. I don’t know that I’m inclined to agree with Parklife’s inclusion in the Rolling Stone Top 500, but I can also appreciate that I’m talking from the inside and the majority of listeners didn’t also absorb the cultural moment as it was happening. If you happened to be there, you know it was all kind of nonsense. It’s kind of wild watching documentaries or reading write-ups of a particular time in music that you were actually present for in real-time. Like how I imagine people who were at Woodstock, or when Bob Dylan went electric, or the original British Invasion of America with the Beatles. It was a whole thing, and if you were there, you remember.

[theelderscrotes]

ok since i now show up in tags again and i can annoy everybody in them i'm going to repost, trim and add onto my collection of heimdall headcanons and chuck them at the fandom with all of my strength. i have so many thoughts, i am rotating this twink in my mind FULL fucking speed.

-seeing the potential outcomes of events? reading peoples intentions and seeing the potential end result of them? supernatural levels of perception? hearing everyone's thoughts all the time forever? oh this guy has to have TURBO anxiety, i know this in my soul. he's bottled it the hell up and will never let anyone onto it but he's a stiff breeze away from a breakdown at all times.

-ragnarok looming in the distance makes his divinely weaponized super anxiety even more fun because now he's constantly thinking about the apocalypse. losing his shit whenever atreus is in the room is at least partially because he genuinely gets a flash of new, exciting outcomes featuring his family dying and his home burning to the ground.

-odin simply does not care about this, calls heimdall a worrywart and tells him to stop being so negative all the time. odin taking 'loki' under his wing exacerbates the Looming Horrible Dread heimdall is already inundated with, but now it also comes with a dose of daddy issues.

-actually the more i think about it maybe he was kinda valid for being like 'fuck this kid in particular', but like, cmon dude.

-being 'the guy who carries the horn that heralds the apocalypse' does not help any of these matters. he dreads having to use it, and dreads even more the possibility of someone else using it. he has to always have the gjallarhorn on his person at all times or he Will freak out.

-he can't turn off the mindreading, and occasionally forgets which is people thinking and which is people talking. he tends to respond to thoughts more than actual spoken words when he's impatient, and will ask questions aloud for context for people's thoughts out of the blue. great for quiet/nonverbal people, annoying as fuck for everyone else.

-the burden of his powers just in general makes socializing a nightmare, so he turns everyone away by his secondary divine power: being an absolute massive cunt. being comfortable in knowing you're despised by everybody is more tolerable than worrying about who is going to betray you or harbor hatred for you amongst your loved ones. so, he doesnt have any. loved ones, that is.

-heimdall can tell when anyone is lying but, he cannot lie himself. absolutely dogshit liar. you ask him if he took the last slice of pie, he locks up and stares at you like a deer in the headlights before finally saying ’… no?’ odin's.... discipline contributes to this.

-odin contributes, enables and exacerbates a lot of his issues, primarily because when applied correctly heimdall's abilities can be extremely fucking useful, but if they're ever used on odin its all over. putting the fear of the all-father into the boy at a young age to make sure he never, ever looks into his father's mind was step one on the agenda of making him into the perfect little aesirpilled bootlicker

-the immense amount of trust odin places on heimdall, of course, keeps him up at night. being convinced utterly that it's genuine and based in love is about the only thing he's got going for him.

-he is certain that the moment he blows the gjallarhorn, he'll stop being useful. also the whole, apocalyptic super-war does not make him want to blow it any time soon.

-he looks the most like a younger odin out of his siblings (because as we all know, odin is also an ephemerally beautiful femboy god), but he is cursed (blessed?) to be the only one of his brothers to receive odin’s balding genes.

-heimdall is the type of guy who brags about how well behaved and loyal his dog giant cat steed is because he abuses the fuck out of them as 'discipline', but this is definitely also an odin-caused behavior. he genuinely does not know how to treat them any other way, this is the 'correct' way to him.

-im sorry fanartists but i respectfully disagree, i sincerely doubt this guy willingly gets tattoos. subjecting himself to pain he can't avoid, not matter how mild? no thank you! but i like to think he has like one tiny rune because thats as far as the tattoo artist could get before a soft, young heimdall begged for them to stop

-for as much as i am making him as sad and wet and pathetic as i possibly can, he's still just a massive cunt no matter how you slice it. he loves being a mean little bitch and getting away with it. he loves pushing buttons and receiving negative attention through his behavior. he walks down the street and dodges every rotten tomato, knife or rock being flung at him and he is having a blast.

-the quickest way to his heart would be to take his awfulness unflinchingly and be an asshole right back at him. he wants someone he can be mean with but like, affectionately, but his feelings and how he processes them are so severely messed up that, well. it probably isnt worth it, for either him or anyone else.

[probablygoat]

Some Random 3:47 AM Thoughts

I've been playing and replaying Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy a ton recently. It's fun, genuinely. I enjoy its physics, its movement, the authentic feeling of improvement, and above all, I enjoy its philosophy and the things it has to say about the media we consume.

For a long time, I've gently prodded at my own means of media-related consumption. I love to branch out and have new experiences, but something that always gets in the way of me doing that (and probably always will) is the inevitable retread of an already-lived experience. Replaying favorite games, rewatching favorite movies and TV shows, listening to favorite albums and artists ad-nauseum until it's reached levels of proverbial insanity.

There's a personal sense of comfort that comes with the engagement of familiar settings and ideas, but I think there's more to it than that.

There's a quote from Getting Over It that I think about a lot since I first heard it: "For years now, people have been predicting that games would soon be made out of prefabricated objects, bought in a store and assembled into a world. And for the most part that hasn't happened, because the objects in the store are trash. I don't mean that they look bad or that they're badly made, although a lot of them are -- I mean that they're trash in the way that food becomes trash as soon as you put it in a sink. Things are made to be consumed and used in a certain context, and once the moment is gone, they transform into garbage."

Initially, this postulation read to me as something highly negative—pessimistic even. But the more I spin this idea in my mind, the more sense it makes, and the more I can relate it to my personal habits.

I massively enjoy replaying video games. But not all video games; certain ones that appeal to those fundamental aspects of myself that scream for and want and desire unforgettable experiences. Those experiences, for me, come in all forms: challenge, narrative, mechanics, depth, character, mood, ideas, atmosphere, variety, or a combination of these things or more.

"When games were new, they wanted a lot from you. Daunting you, taunting you, resetting and delaying you. Players played stoically. Now everyone's turned off by that. They want to burn through it quickly, a quick fix for the fickle, some tricks for the clicks of the feckless."

I've come to really appreciate video games that are built with this sort of replayability in mind. Games that dare you to improve after each playthrough, games that encourage you to keep coming back for an increasingly rewarding experience. Said experience can even change drastically, depending on the game. It can change for better or for worse, but through that encouragement they've made an active effort to avoid becoming trash.

I don't actually like using the word "trash" to describe media, but for the sake of categorizing my thoughts, I will. It doesn't mean that they look bad or that they're badly made, it means that they're trash in the same way food becomes trash as soon as you put it in the sink. If an experience you've had is amazing—and I mean honestly, truly amazing—then why only experience it once? I would even argue that the lack of a recurrent experience, in a lot of cases, narrowly misses the full and complete picture of what a lot of things have to offer.

If that call to action is ignored, it becomes trash. Disposable and light—like a wad of paper being thrown across the room. A thing that you did, and will likely not do again.

Of course, like any philosophy, I don't genuinely believe this can hold 100% true in every case. It's different for everyone. But I do think it opens up an interesting discussion. How much do you truly value each new experience you consume? Do you have the drive and the time to appreciate its every crevice, pore, wrinkle, crack, high, and low? It can be video games, music, TV shows, movies, anything. Chances are it comes down to either personal preference or circumstance, and that's definitely okay. Some don't have time, some don't have the patience, some just want to get their money's worth, others simply don't care one way or another. And that's perfectly fine, because this sort of cultural waste is inherently recyclable.

What I mean by this is: something may become trash to someone out there. It may even become trash to an incredibly large amount of people. But human beings, as a collective, love to preserve. We don't exactly have a 100% success rate with all of our preservation efforts, but the effort is always there nonetheless. A video game that very few play or talk about anymore could come coupled with pages of important resources for those who wish to experience it retroactively. To that person, in that exact moment, they likely don't see trash. They see a new experience. And under the right circumstances, this new experience could blossom into something special. It could lead to inspiration—new ideas being created and subsequently introduced into the world.

An experience like this can stem from just about anything. So, if you can, take the time to replay, re-listen, rewatch, whatever it is you do. You might be surprised how different a second experience can be from the first.

:)

[positivelybeastly]

Do you think Xavier is a bad influence on beast and the X-Men as a whole?

"That is - that is pure - pure poppycock and balderdash! That is ludicrous! That is absolutely - how would you - "

And then Hank stops for a moment.

And thinks about it.

"I don't - think he's a bad influence, no. That's a ridiculous question."

*

So, I think it's important for me to state that I think Professor X as the secret bad guy/villain of the X-Men story is just. Dumb. The X-Men story falls apart if he is just evil, there's clearly enough good about him to justify why everyone believes in him and follows him and puts stock in his dream (and no, it isn't fuckin' telepathic control).

But.

. . . Okay, this is going to take some set-up and context, so bear with me.

I find that if you take just the original 60s run as fully, unaltered canon, which . . . some people do, then you're gonna end up hating Xavier because he is just such a massive piece of shit. But pretty much any characterisation past that point, especially Claremont's, takes much more care to depict him as still very much an authority figure, but with a strong caring, paternalistic (for good or for ill) side to him that's shot through with a strong, burning tendency towards manipulation.

I think a delineation does have to be drawn here, though, that Charles being manipulative is (usually) different to someone like Mr. Sinister being manipulative, because Charles I think genuinely does have people's best interests at heart, but he's got a tendency to believe that that means his idea of their best outcome is the correct one. And. It isn't.

You can see it with Scott most acutely, where he tried to give him something that would best utilise his talents and give him what he was missing from life, but he didn't realise (and I do think it's a case of realisation, rather than not caring) what that was going to do to him in the long run. Scott doesn't have anything other than the X-Men because Xavier didn't think to really give him anything other than the X-Men.

You can also see it with Hank, where he really should have realised that Hank was in the middle of a really bad behavioural spiral pre-Krakoa, and pushed him to be closer with his actual friends or get off the damn island, but because he was preoccupied with Krakoa and probably thought, well, Hank's one of us, we should try and help steer him back, he gave him X-Force.

Which was precisely the wrong thing to do. You don't give an emotionally compromised wreck of a man control over your intelligence agency. But I choose to think Charles tried to do it out of love, not wanting Hank to feel cast aside or useless in the new status quo.

Bobby, Warren and Jean don't have it quite as bad, mostly because I never got the impression Xavier connected with Bobby or Warren as closely, and Jean is so absurdly powerful that their relationship has been one of equals for a long time now rather than outright teacher and pupil, which was what Scott and him were for the longest time, and which Hank and him arguably still are.

I always liked the version of Xavier you see in Parker's First Class, which is a version that makes the O5 and the X-Men at large's loyalty to him make sense, but you can't ignore the paternalism and manipulative streak that really does run through his character. Even before a lot of the damaging retcons to his character like Deadly Genesis or Danger, he was still doing fucked up shit like erasing Hank from his parents' minds because it was 'safer.'

So, is he a bad influence on Hank and the X-Men? Yeah, kind of? But I don't think he intended to be. I think he genuinely had the best intentions for all of them, they just . . . didn't pan out, and he went about trying to actualise those intentions the wrong way.

I feel like that's a more compelling characterisation for him, to be the man who loves his children but who can't stop fucking up their lives, or turning them into (in a roundabout way) weapons in his fight for mutant rights. The good man who can't stop doing bad things because he can't just let go.