#this isn't coherent really and is just me rambling but. yeah. i just don't get it.

[akari-hope]

no but fr xvi makes me so upset bc it has some things in it that are really fun and compelling. joshua as a character just has very good writing, dion is genuinely a revolutionary kind of character for the series, torgal is a delightful companion even if he's not very useful aside from making me smile, a lot of minor characters are charming, there's a couple of really beautiful tracks in there, the combat can be fun at times when it decides to be. but i have to lampshade all of my praise with the fact that basically everything else is either lackluster or straight up bad.

jill is...god we talk about people not knowing how to write women but jesus fucking christ why does she get the same amount of importance as the fucking dog (sorry but a blip of "oh she has trauma but we won't actually get into that save for an excuse for a boss fight" isn't enough to actually make a character). the romance feels so awkward i literally don't understand how anyone thinks it's compelling, how do you write two characters naked on a beach and still have it feel like they don't have interest in one another. it's a problem when side characters feel better written than your leading lady. not that clive is much better, but his interactions with other characters can bring out more interesting sides of him. there's a lot to be said for the game being a little eager for its m rating, and it comes through every now and then in the form of "did they need to be naked for that" and "was 'fuck' really the most natural word there". it's not bad exactly, just very...baby's first time at the grown-up table.

the combat for the most part is a "press square" simulator and there's zero meaningful strategy, not to mention elements have zero meaning and status effects are gone (despite having an enemy infamous for inflicting status effects appear multiple times in the main story??). there's too much reliance on the eikon battles to be spectacle and as someone that doesn't really care for spectacle or action in general it REALLY fucking shows. i end up not caring as much about the main cast since they hardly seem relevant half the time, and the fact that party members are really just for show and they do almost nothing practically is kind of just insult to injury. there's almost no accessibility features of any kind, and those that ARE present are either not great (different control layouts that are all equally awkward as opposed to just button mapping) or are tied to in-game accessories that take up a slot bc apparently equipping those means you don't actually need other accessories according to yoshida.

the story doesn't really feel like it does much between the prologue and the very end - things HAPPEN but they somehow don't feel much like it due to how episodic it feels, and most of the events are bogged down by poor quest design that feel primed to pad playtime rather than actually be engaging (I had to get past the 20 hour mark to not feel just straight up bored). most side quests are not rewarding either, neither by giving you in-game rewards or compelling stories/worldbuilding/etc. there is an archive of lore/events/etc. but you can only access it by either using the actively changing entries that are always available but are not comprehensive OR by going and talking to specific npcs, which is a decision i still cannot understand and made me literally never care to engage with it. not to mention that the worldbuilding makes almost no sense when you take a step back to contemplate for a minute. aside from those few tracks i find genuinely beautiful, the music is forgettable; not bad, just unremarkable. the end of the story ALMOST gets to a point where it feels like it's interesting and actually doing something cool, but it sort of just...doesn't?? and it isn't made better by that post-credits scene.

and yet somehow this title is critically acclaimed and has a huge amount of people in love with it too. i can't even use the "maybe it's just not for me" excuse bc i have always been a big fan of the series and the ways it changes and transforms (i've played and enjoyed every mainline game aside from v, xi, and xiv, and my favorite titles are iv, viii, xii, and xiii so like...). i genuinely have never understood praise LESS than with this title and it honestly drives me insane.

idk if i wanted to play an action rpg starring a protagonist on a revenge quest who turns into a "monster" and relearns how to find meaning in life through companionship that features engaging combat, a memorable soundtrack, compelling characters, and a story that feels meaningful...i'd just play tales of berseria. at least that has a well-written female lead.

[heliumshorns]

This???

Oh, it's....

It's just an absolute ramble about how GOOD toji fucks when it's nice and slow.

You know.

The basic.

... mdni obviously??? Uhhh.... spit?? A little bit of that.. TOJI IS A SOFT DOM????? FOR ONCE???? WE LACK SOFT DOM TOJI CONTENT????? this was more lovemaking than sex tb but still works I guess

The hand tugging your hair, making you face him even when you believe you just can't? He'll make you remember you can take him, and very fucking well.

Something he murmurs into your ear while you're getting pounded your soul out of your body. And even though 90% of the time you end up losing any sense of coherency with how good the curve of his cock is massaging your G-spot, the times your ears don't ring out of pleasure? You catch a few words.

"Mhm... look at how pretty you look like that, baby. Yeah? Can you hear me?"

And when your moan comes out something minimally affirmative, he grins. He's cocky because he knows. He knows he's good when it comes to making you feel good. He knows you know. It's hard not to when he proves it to you almost every day.

"Stay here. I'm here. Listen to me.... Yeah, good girl."

Now. Toji is aware it technically isn't possible, but he grits his teeth anyway because damn you might just snap his dick off. He laughs, though. A low rumble that runs all through you. He sees how your skin forms goosebumps. How your nipples harden with that shiver.

"Oh... oh yeah... You can be loud, darling, it's just you and me... Just you and me."

Even though you could barely brethe to moan, really. Probably too gone to even think about how you sound. Choked noises with every breath you take. His eyes bore into your rolled back ones, and he sneaks a hand around your throat. Legs over his shoulders. Folding you into a mating press.

"Eyes on me. I want you to see who's making you feel good, baby. That's right."

He felt your heartbeat. There's no way. He's sinking so far deep, feeling how your cervix is massaging his tip so... good. Jesus, he's going insane here. Your eyes eventually manage to look into his, and the lust swirling in his irises? Yeah... The loud, borderline pornographic moan you let our wasn't a plan. Nor were you aware, really.

His laugh makes you whimper. Feel so small.

"My little pornstar, aren't you, baby? Open your mouth for me, baby. Can you do that?"

Your shaky nod has him grinning as he licks the back of his teeth and roof of his mouth. Gathering saliva.

His hand holds your jaw open as he leans down, not once faltering the slow and deep thrusts. His eyes are on yours as his spit slowly drips down.

"Oh fuck, baby..." He manages to lose his own composure. His head falls foward, hair hiding his eyes when he moans out. Low. Deep. And so fucking good while he stares at your cunt just swallowing him so good.

With a thumb swiping to your clit, he hears your yelp. Sees your legs twitch. Yeah. He wasn't gonna last longer.

"Honey, do me a favour. Come for me, yeah? Let's count down. Let's come together."

... Okay. Not easy thing to do, but worth a try.

He uses one hand to fix his slightly overgrown hair, looking into your eyes. With that same hand, he holds your face. He could tell you were so fucking close it hurt. From the curled lip to the furrowed brow. The almost pained look in your eyes.

His thumb presses down. He feels as the nub naturally twitches.

"Three..." He murmurs, hips not faltering their face as he pushes your clit around, making sure to angle his hips just right.

"Shit- so fucking tight, ma-" He moans with a smile.

"Two..." Your eyes glaze over, and your mouth starts to tip open. You can barely fucking breathe now.

"One, baby. Come with me, please."

And God, do you come. Absolutely fucking groundbreaking. Mind on the clouds as his hips snap, and snap, bringing himself to orgasm as you milk him dry. He feels your nails dig into his shoulders? Yeah. Does he care?.... not really.

This is probably the longest orgasm you've had in a while. Shit had you trembling with the aftershocks with God knows how long, but once you're back here, on earth? Yeah.... You're instantly squirming away. Pushing at his chest.

And he complies.

He already had you out of your mind pre-orgasm. He didn't want to ruin you that bad.

Flopping down beside you, chest heaving as he stares at the ceiling.

After a minute or two of silence and heavy breathing, you finally speak:

"Told you it was worth it to take it slow."

He only laughs and nuzzles his face in your neck.

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

Hiiii

So I was thinking about drakes spoiled brat (as I do. Quite a bit) and while scrolling through the DSB tag on tumblr I found those posts talking about epilogs and how that would look. And honestly-just imagine being a normal civilian at the end of this story and all you know is that Timothy "trash" drake is abruptly adopted by the Wayne's and suddenly is very very chill??? Like lol that would confuse the shit outta so many people LMAO

Timothy: I'm a cisgender heterosexual rich Christian white man. And I am better than all of you who are not all of those things. And even if you do check all the boxes, you still aren't me and therefore will never compare.

*the next day*

Tim: I'm uhh gender? Shit next question. Sexuality? Uhhh boys. And girls? Yes. Christian? Shit- fuck- no I'm an atheist...I'm rich and white I wasn't gaslighting myself about those two. So technically it cancels out. Anyways. Uh. Shit man idk I'm running on fumes rn ive been awake 51 hours straight...don't tell Bruce.

The general public: *slow blink* ...who are you and where is Timothy.

The bats: *low key getting some amusement over Tim fumbling*

Anyways. Idk if this is coherent lol I'm just bein silly. I love your fic so much and it's inspired me for some ideas of my own so thanks. You're a very talented author <333

Oh don't worry about coherency hon its brainrot and I just so happen to be a native speaker- and thank you for the praise <33

I will say that Timothy isn't your "classic" wolf on wallstreet guy-

Gotham rich people are a whole new breed because yeah there are social expectations and what not, but once you reach a certian class its mostly "fuck all as long as the investors are happy"

The public perception of Timothy is like a guy who you WANT to feel bad for, and can easily go "yeah that explains a bit of his behavior-" but your still making it REALLY hard to take your side

Most of his "Scandals" have come from him verbally assaulting people, underage drinking/drugs use, and just doing stuff that was not PR approved. To some hes a fucking menace, to others he's as entertaining as those two birkin boyfriends.

Yes he's an asshole, but he's also a kid who lost his parents pretty horribly (wink wink for future lore) and instead of being free as a young nepo baby should be, he's tied down to Gotham, keeping his parents company alive and dealing with all sorts of shit behind closed doors.

Of course hard to feel pity for a rich asshat so there are absolutely a decent percentage of people who roll their eyes whenever someone brings up "Timothy Drake" and everyone has a story of someone with a shit experience

BUT he gets adopted by the Wayne brood and is suddenly- half decent?? Most people would just accept of "Good- everyones favorite himbo gets a new kid, a bit of a fixer upper but lord knows he needed it"

Anyways heres MY ramblings in turn- will definently explore more of Tim and Timothys relationships in Gotham in the future so this is due to fluxuate but as of rn this is generally the perspective <33

[our-trans-punk-experience]

What does it really mean to be a "Punk?"

I'm completely on board with the whole "beat the shit out of fascists and pigs" thing but I'm skeptical of any sort of subculture or group that celebrates values of any kind as "good" because I get pissy when confronted with concrete ideologies like Marxism. I'm scared that I'm going to end up getting into some kind of clique. I don't want to be in a clique where I get shat on for not having the morally approved opinion. If I can't have a controversial opinion without being silenced, then I don't want anything to do with "Punk."

I'm an Egoist. You're an anarchist, so, assuming you know who Max Stirner is, I'm pretty sure you know what that entails, but in case you don't, I put myself above all things. That's not to say that I'm a greedy bastard who wants to consume all the products ever, but that my own being and desires are the basis of my views on politics/society. I hate gender not merely because it oppresses all the poor minorities who need my help but because it gets in MY way, threatens MY life, and demands MY conformance to it. I want my damned life for myself. I want self-ownership. I see no legitimacy in the braindead wokeness of bougie college kids and chickenshit university profs. I want action in the here and now, not ineffectual Bookchinite/Leftcom/Marxist-Leninist meetings where we discuss how best to tickle the workers balls in the fallout of the USSR (which was an authoritarian shithole).

As a post-left anarchist (or preferably no-wing anarchist) I find myself skeptical of subcultures. "Oh, what's that? You don't like *band here?* Well you're automatically a poser/elitist/hipster/whatever." I understand that sometimes it's meant to pick out the actual posers by testing how thin your skin is, but it's really fucking annoying when people expect me to embody values like "don't do drugs" or "be vegan" because I refuse to define myself and my goals according to what other people deem morally correct.

I'm not really in a position to actually join a subculture at the moment because I'm a financially dependent minor, but I want you to give me an actual reason to join the punk subculture. Just so I can see if it's really worth it. What's in it for me, and how hard am I allowed to kick the balls of Nazi scum?

RIGHT!! Fuckin love it when i get asks like this

I'll split up my answer so I can get through all the points without rambling

Political Theory

SO punk does not have any one kind of coherent political ideology. Core political views are

anti-authoritarianism

non-conformist

abstractly leftist

fuck bigots of any description

you will not be bound to Marxism or any key thinkers beliefs. Your politics are your own and disagreement is encouraged as long as you arent being a dick. Of course you might find some punks that get pissy about ideological purity, but they aren't very punk, sooo fuck em. Bootlicking isn't punk, even/especially if the Boot is Lenin's.

Egoism

yeah egoist anarchism is just fine in the punk scene. as long as your "for my own ends" mentality doesnt end up tipping over into "I will go on a Shein haul twice a month bc I want new clothes and fuck anyone who tells me how damaging it is". You don't have to be a saint, just again, don't be a massive dick about it. You can look out for your own ends for sure. You will find that the punk scene often times talks about community, in the sense of solidarity and common goals (which you seem to share anyway), so as long as you can jibe with that you'll be fine

Non-conformity

Is the entire bloody point. If you're looking for a community that won't tell you that you have to look a certain way, or listen to 100 bands from the 70s to be accepted, the punk scene is built on nonconformity. not even just from society but within the scene. And even the big name bands from back in the day were screaming about the dangers of homogenising the punk scene, or letting it get commodified. Differences in opinion, style, music taste, ect are the whole fucking point and if someone tries to impose punk "rules" about that, then they don't get the scene.

"it's really fucking annoying when people expect me to embody values like "don't do drugs" or "be vegan""

i do drugs and am not vegan. you really don't need to worry. i really fear for the punk that says "don't do drugs". absolutist ideals should not be shoved on you.

"I'm not really in a position to actually join a subculture at the moment because I'm a financially dependent minor,"

Ok so while I get that possibly if you're financially dependent on people who would be able to mess up your life if you wore clothes they didn't approve of, and wouldn't buy you anything, it can seem difficult, but I want to just reassure you a bit. Punk is built off communities with financial difficulties, DIY, and more than just spiked collars. You don't have to be able to make it to basement shows or out to the city to be a punk. You can listen to the music (definitely listen to the music), get involved in politics, learn the history, watch movies, read books, DIY your own clothes and accessories, including smaller things like badges, patches or chains. The scene is the people as well as what we do.

how hard am I allowed to kick the balls of Nazi scum?

make them piss blood for weeks.

[tacky-optic]

Had a question about who our favorite Zenigata partner is in a server I'm in and now I can't stop thinking about them. Tis the zaza sickness.

anyway here's literally all of the characters Zenigata's been partnered with that i could find (within reason). if anyone wants to elaborate on any of these guys (cough yata cough) please feel free to go absolutely ham. *(obligatory spoiler warning for a whole lotta lupin specials, waow-- notably zenigata keibu since that's probably the most unwatched of everything i cover. but if youre here im guessing youre as unfortunately well-versed as i am so LETS FRIGGIN GET INTO IT)

Starting off nice n' mellow. I'm pretty neutral on Yata, tbh. I just think he's neat and it's easy enough to write him and not much else. I've rambled about him being a stand-in for the viewer before, but overall i just don't have all that many thoughts on the guy (seriously someone please do yata). ironic considering he's hands-down the most prevalent sidekick to date, but alas. head remains empty.

MARIYA. Mariya my girlie oh how i love thee. finally, someone with a Gimmick on par with Mr. my-sword-can-cut-anything. Plus she's super sweet and smart and sharp and just an all-around endearing character. AND SHE'S DIFFERENT!! she's tagging along with Zenigata of her OWN FREE WILL like gurl what are you THINKING. there isn't a shred of coherent interview material to draw from this man, especially about Lupin. The dynamic they end up developing is on point, though!! Zenigata's initial total miscall of it aside, It's just plain ol' wholesome. If Yata's his surrogate son than Mariya's obviously his daughter. No shot in hell they don't at least keep in contact after the special's done. plus her snapping a pic of him every time he eats shit is peak comedy journalism

MOTHAFUCKIN' MELON COP!! an absolutely magical reefer-smokin' shitbag, especially in the edgy Tokyopop translation. He's a great foil to our otherwise serious(ly neurotic) manga Zenigata. Not to mention the combative potential with a down the line Melon.... ough. A more toned-down "newer part"-esque Zeni getting slapped with an extremely smug and insistent reminder of his angstlord past is such a delicious concept to me. i will be using this guy extensively in that exact way one of these days-- he's too fun not to.

a bit of a sidenote but i've gotta point fingers at gray jacket again (can't recommend it enough) for having my favorite melon depiction in fic; walther recently had him show up in their fic secondhand vanity as well (which i also can't recommend enough), so needless to say i think he has some fun potential.

Sakuraba and Kunikida from the live-action show get honorable mentions, obviously. They're both so different yet learn so much from Zenigata all the same. As far as reacting to the inspector goes, they're the ideal Yatas (again i am so so sorry yata-- surely someone will do you justice). Even though they aren't technically "new" to the force they're new to the Zenigata Shenanigans, and that is where the entertainment factor is. Sakuraba's the traditionalist keibu method-doubter whereas Kunikida's this mousey blue around the gills fella, and over their respective case file appearances, they both gain faith in/learn confidence from Zenigata, respectively. It really is a great bit of development to watch play out.

I'm gonna count The Guys™️ as a collective group/formless mass with maybe one of the Guyest of Guys as Zenigata's right hand Guy, like that one dude in Cagliostro. Apparently the name he's given in one of the dubs is Sam?? That's neat. Sam's neat. for anyone interested in some homework, here's the link to the highly informative lupin forum thread i found that out from: [x]

But yeah the Guys! Right from the start, Zenigata having this army of inexplicably and absurdly loyal cops was always a fun trope and i love to see 'em whenever they show up. I had this idea ages ago for this fake documentary-style miniseries based around them-- all the usual Lupin nonsense goes on in the background while we get a peek at the typically unseen shenanigans happening on the law-bearing side. Getting assigned to the lupin taskforce is probably seen as some kind of punishment, but that just makes the camaraderie all the more tight-knit. There'd be some behind-the-scenes Zenigata/how he interacts with them, what they get up to on their own whack case assignments when they're in a Lupin sighting lull.... hell maybe we even learn why they're all so damn loyal to this one supposedly hyper-independent guy. I think it'd be fun but maybe that's just the Zenigata hopeful in me. Surely he's capable of building some semblance of rapport with the fine group of folks he drags around the world with him....

Let's just rip the band-aid off-- I dislike Oscar with a burning passion. which is weird, right? because i like Melon Cop, the dude who's totally cool with straight-up cold-blooded judge/jury/executioner-style murder. I dunno dude the obsessive daddy kink simping's just too feckin' weird for me. i checked the hell out so fast. If the goal was to make Oscar extremely disquieting, they friggin' did it. Granted he was written to be a bit whack from the start, and getting raised(?)/mentored by THAT Zenigata would irreversibly mess anyone up. I get that the fucked up-ness is part of the appeal, but man. How anyone can gravitate towards Oscar without heavily modifying his whole deal escapes me.

I've seen him written tolerably in fic maybe... twice? He's in gray jacket (there it is again!) and SMRO (needs no introduction nor explanation), so obligatory kudos to anyone who can wrangle [gestures vaguely at all of that].

Vicky though. Vicky Flannigan from Island of Assassins is so goddamn funny. Still can't believe they took one of the most badass Zenigata character designs and actively went out of their way to make him bedridden. I've seen folks call him "Proto-Yata" and. Yeah. Can't argue. He's a glorified babysitter, if anything, and the only reason he's even remotely effective is because he (accidentally) broke both of Zenigata's legs. Funniest shit istg

ICPO LADIES!!! They're cute. Designs could be better but it's Babylon yknow. Despite being an admittedly fun romp, the special has its obvious.... uh. issues. product of its time and all that. iykyk. anyway LADIES. They're competent. They take No Shit from Zenigata. The random little crush that comes out of nowhere between Chinjao and Goemon is cute as hell. Plus, I've seen some pretty rockin' fandom redesigns floating around.... wouldn't mind in the slightest if they made a comeback.

I'm gonna lump all of the Betrayers into one category: Emily O'Brien from Angel Tactics, Kazami from Fuma Conspiracy, and Terry Crown from Alcatraz Connection. Never expected the "Zenigata's partner is the bad guy!!1" trope would be so prevalent, but it tracks in retrospect. It's a neat enough idea-- bummer they never seemed to nail it down, though.

The only reason O'Brien is so predictable is because she's so goddamn unlikable. There's hardly any screentime of them working together and in every single scene, the incompetency just feels so blatantly intentional its almost offensive lmao. Zero surprise in the slightest when she showed her true colors-- just mild annoyance, which tracks for the whole special tbh. Only worthwhile parts are the beginning and the end, and absolutely none of that has anything to to with O'Brien.

Kazami just has that chump secondary villain face y'know. Again, a bit on the nose how obnoxiously dorkish he is-- but them playing up him putting on his glasses so Fujiko can recognize him got a little laugh outta me, ngl. He served his purpose, plain and simple.

I'll never know whether Crown was predictable or not because I stumbled across ""Evil Columbo"" before I watched Alcatraz, but despite the spoiler I can at least say he isn't lame as shit. Pre-reveal, he's probably the closest we'll get to a taste of what Melon might be like in modern Lupin media. He's your run-of-the-mill corrupt sleazebag detective-- steals evidence, generally doesn't give a fuck, takes cheap jabs at Zenigata-- but their final standoff is what puts him above Kazami for me. Just a real melodramatic overdramatic moment of Zenigata Zenigata-ing his heart out.

Welcome to the ELDERLY MEN CATEGORY, OORAH. The old guy from Twilight Gemini, Kogoro Akechi from the pilot, and George McFly from First Contact. I could track down Gemini old guy's name, but I hand-to-god couldn't care less. The only worth a damn thing Gemini's given me is that one jigzeni screenshot, so we're just gonna move on to the next two.

Not much of Akechi, huh. He only shows up in the pilot and doesn't do anything of note besides be someone for Lupin to disguise himself as. Dare i say Goemon was a more effective ally to Zenigata than Akechi...? yeah sure, why not. Goemon's a zeni sidekick. i'll die on that hill. anyway I believe he's also a reference to a pre-existing character...? like Lupin, Goemon, and Zenigata are. All in all its probably for the best that he didn't make it to part 1.

Finally, the only old guy that actually has aspects to talk about. I actually really like McFly and the role he plays in First Contact; it isn't Zenigata learning from whoever his partner may be, but McFly learning from Zenigata. He's a jaded, on-the-verge-of-retirement type that thinks he's seen all the force has to offer, but here comes this young (is he considered "young" in this?? early, maybe) freak-ass foreigner cop with a vendetta he's practically frothing at the mouth to rectify. Neither of them are exactly enthused to be working together, but McFly sticks around anyway and learns to see past a lot of Zenigata's first impression baggage; the tenacity, the passion, the genuineness of it all. Not only does he want to make real change, but the crazy bastard can actually friggin' do it. ...Or at the very least make a sizable dent.

Zenigata sincerely adheres to the idea of what a cop's supposed to be, fundamentally, and not what a "cop" actually is, as a vague collective occupational concept. Zenigata has a genuine effect on McFly-- enough to make him just the slightest bit less soured by the end of it all. It's a nice sentiment; that no matter where you are in life, ideas can still change. It's a small arc that flies beneath the radar of everything else, but i noticed it. I FRIGGIN' NOTICED IT, MAN

tl;dr Zenigata's a lonely guy, sure, but he doesn't have to be.

That should cover all of the significant parts/specials/movies, but if i missed anyone (any notable episodes? manga?) lemme know. Either way, it's nice finally having 'em all in one place.

[captcutshaw]

That thing you said about Bruce Robinson stating that Withnail and Marwood not having girlfriends, because they are poor. That’s really funny and it does make sense! However, it’s really noticeable, if you’re used to forced heterosexual references in buddy films, that women as a whole are never mentioned by the two, never mind attraction to them. The closest we get to this are pictures of women in their walls, but most of these are press photos of actresses. As Withnail and Marwood are thespians, it looks like their interest is an artistic, rather than sexual. And as you pointed out, the only sort of attraction referenced is homosexual. As you rightfully said, Marwood comes across as almost absurdly afraid of it, but interestingly never asserts heterosexuality to compensate, as many characters in similar films do. I’m a big dummy when it come to reading films properly, but it’s interesting that while none of these things alone make Withnail and Marwood explicitly queer (gay, bisexual, asexual, etc), there is absolutely zero effort spent on trying to convince you they are straight. If it took an interview to bring it up, Bruce Robinson probably just did not think it relevant. Again, the relationship between them is treated with greater importance. Of course, we are not sure by the end that it is completely platonic, and I don’t know how intentional that was (definitely was on the part of Richard E. Grant) but the point still stands. Sorry, this is such a long message, I hope it makes sense!

Absolutely! Thank you so much for sending me this, you've given me an excuse to go off on a rant. I've put some of my own ramblings and scattered thoughts under the cut. Sorry in advance for a complete lack of coherence.

Totally agree that it's unusual for a buddy film to have Marwood simply deny he's homosexual, then not show any interest in women to prove his point. No aggressive assertions of heterosexuality or forced female love interest, hell, no mention of women whatsoever (Mrs Parkin doesn't count)

I know he's essentially Bruce Robinson's self insert, hence Marwood being sexually harassed by Monty, who was based on Franco Zeffirelli, the director who sexually harassed Bruce Robinson (sorry if I'm just saying stuff you already know here). But yeah, Marwood isn't an aggressively heterosexual character, which makes him very inviting for a queer reading, among the various other reasons. I mean....look at him. Tboy swag off the charts.

I could list all the queer codings and references in the film but we would be here forever. Don't even get me started on all the ways Withnail is easy to read as queer. But yeah, in summary, I agree with your point that the complete lack of heterosexual attraction in the film can support that queer interpretation.

That's a good point that the photos of women/actresses in their flat could be purely for aesthetic reasons because they're thespians.

As for Bruce Robinson's intentions.... There was an interview where someone asked if Withnail was gay, which Bruce Robinson and Richard E. Grant refuted (timestamp about 21:09). Here Robinson actually jokingly (?) says he thinks Withnail is asexual because he only loves himself.... asexuality isn't caused by narcissism, but hot take!

So, Withnail was never intended to be homosexual. Which is crazy to me, what with... Withnail being Withnail. There is no possible heterosexual explanation for that man's behaviour!! And it's telling that so many people have seen the film and thought he was gay. But good news! Paul McGann has made a lot of comments about Marwood and Withnail being "young marrieds" in his commentary of the film. Also, in this interview (timestamp 6:58) he says Withnail was probably in love with Marwood. Big win for the gays. Overall, Bruce Robinson did not intend for Withnail and Marwood to be read as queer, but everyone say thank you to Paul McGann. Thank you Paul McGann

(Goes without saying, the creator's intentions don't prevent people from interpreting the film the way they want to. Death to the author etc etc. I've always liked to see Marwood and Withnail as queer because that adds another layer of meaning and just....makes sense if you ask me. Their relationship is compelling, platonic or otherwise. I personally found that it doesn't make sense for either of them to be 100% heterosexual, and asexual or bisexual readings are really cool as well.)

(On that note, not sure if it's worth mentioning... I read here that Vivian MacKerrell, the man Withnail was based on, was bisexual. So. There's that. Bisexual Withnail 2023)

[creekfiend]

I went through a period just furious at Christianity and (I thought) at religion as a whole but that's because when you're surrounded by only Christians it's so easy to forget that there are other ways of being both atheist and not atheist? And it's such a huge bummer that people jump immediately to "You're a baby who believes fake things!!" when that only feeds into the same stereotypes. It took my Jewish friends being very kind to me for me to unpack some stuff, also your blog, and I really do feel like ex Christians and non Christians have a common enemy, Christian hegemony, but. Fuck. Karl Marx wrote a really antisemitic piece that represents this kind of "secular" christocentrism and the only reason I don't wildly regret having to read that for class is I can now see what people are doing

In a lot of ways I almost feel like "religion" isn't a coherent category about which we can have these discussions involving sweeping assumptions about how and why things are enacted societally... it's like the secular humanist rabbi said about discussions about belief in God being almost pointless because we do not have a universally agreed upon definition for what the fuck god is and cannot effectively operationalize it in a general, non-personal-individual way

Like, that said, Christianity is certainly not the only religion which does or has done harm -- or the only one that has a hegemony in any given culture (Islamic states, Israel, indias Hindu supremacy problem are all good examples I have seen) HOWEVER Christianity has a unique relationship to white supremacy that I think many people are uncomfortable admitting to or exploring

Um

All of which is to say. Yeah. The other thing that gets me is that non-Christian atheists and agnostics have been criticizing and deconstructing issues within their own religious cultures for centuries and this neither 1. somehow totally invalidates the religion or culture nor 2. is some kind of gotcha about how a certain flavor of atheism is ACTUALLY UNIVERSAL, GUYS.

I have a conservative uncle who is deeply evil and strongly believes that any type of racism or bigotry based on ethnicity or culture or religion would simply be solved via assimilation. He thinks if people all spoke the same language and believed the same stuff/accepted the same stuff as self evidently true, there would be no intercultural conflicts. Some of this shit extremely reminds me of his "well if they didn't all speak different languages they wouldn't hate each other" type rhetoric. I think a lot of it is super disingenuous tbqh. Um. Anyway. I rambled. Thank you for listening!!! And I am sorry about your experiences with Christianity :/ I think it's so so common to become reactive about anything that reminds us of things that have hurt us and there's nothing to be ashamed of in that & identifying it is very admirable.

[nerdnag]

The time has come for me to finish my philosophy bachelor's.

...Lots of ramble below. I mostly just need to get my thoughts out, but there is a plan by the end!

For those of you who were around in May, you may recall that I struggled a lot to get a sort-of-presentable draft ready for my supervisor, hoping to be able to hand the thing in before the end of the semester, and was then completely slammed down into the dirt by said supervisor when he returned the draft a few days later with... pretty strong words about it. Few of which were positive. I couldn't bring myself to read the comments he'd left in the actual document at the time, because the email was enough to bring me to tears.

Yeah.

I mean, he wasn't wrong, it was just a bit shocking to have him go from "hey, how's it going for you, the thesis treating you well? oh and here's a link to a fun video i found on the internet" one day to almost-kinda-petty critique the next. And also, I am wholly unused to disappointing teachers, supervisors, mentors or superiors of any kind. That may sound strange considering my ADHD, which should in theory have gotten me in lots of situations like that, but my entire life, I've usually managed to make use of three things that have helped immensely to get things done well and on time: 1) special interests/obsessions/hyperfocus, 2) perfectionism and performance anxiety, and 3) high IQ. Number one has helped with motivation and creative flow; number 2 has helped motivate me through shame; and number 3 has helped me "bullshit" my way through assignments/relatively easily create a coherent and acceptable final product without doing all of the actual work I should have done (...and also making the actual work I do put in a pretty good quality).

But for some reason, these tactics didn't quite work out this time. I could come up with many different ideas about why this was, but one really important part of it was probably the fact that I've been heavily overloaded with work at my job and still haven't fully recovered from the immense stress I was under from March 2022-June 2023. I might not be able to recover from that period of my life without doing some pretty extreme changes in how I live my life, and although I've been working on trying to make some of those changes over the course of the first half of this year, it hasn't been impactful enough yet.

And so in the middle of this, of trying to recover from a backlog of both work and stress, while still being under quite a lot of stress at work (although not even remotely compared to how it was a year ago), I was also trying to write a bachelor's thesis in my spare time.

Oh, and did I mention I also took on a volunteer position in my spare time from April onwards that has demanded quite a lot of time?

(Jfc why do I do this to myself. ...Because it's fun and I am bad at saying no. That's why.)

Anyway, enough rambling about what's happened and the reasons for it - long story short, I realised I wouldn't be able to finish the thesis in time, and so I told my supervisor I'd hand it in by the end of the summer instead. And wouldn't you know it, the end of summer is closing in. :)

So with the help of my partner, I managed to finally open the document containing my supervisor's comments, and rather than lose myself in complete and utter anxiety and horror over the words, we could sort of laugh over how unnecessarily harsh he was being. (I guess my supervisor actually was a bit disappointed, since he'd seen before that I was more capable than that. I don't blame him.) I also realised that it wasn't quite as bad as I had imagined, and that my life isn't actually over and done for. So yeah. (He even had a couple of positive comments for me, actually.)

Then we made a plan for how to tackle this thing. I'm going away on the 22nd of July, so the goal right now is to have a finished draft to send to my supervisor on the 21st. Then he can read it, give comments, tell me whether he gives his approval or not, and after I've made any necessary adjustments, I can hand in an opposition version by the middle of August. Since I am currently on vacation, and I do need to actually try to wind down from work as well, I've settled on working on my thesis for 3 hours each day, starting tomorrow (the 13th), and my deadline each day is noon. If I realise after this Sunday that I need more time, I'll increase it to 4 hours every day.

It should work. I know what I need to do, and my supervisor's comments are clear. I enjoy writing and doing research and I will finish this in a way that I'm proud and happy about.

So there. That's my promise to myself. I'll climb out of this hole, fill it in with new dirt, and then start building the collapsed tower of blocks up again.

[dragonmasterhiccup]

(HICCUP IS NOW IMAGINING THAT FIRST KISS?? 💀💀😭HAHAHJA CAUGHT IN 4K...sort of)

Glancing back out at the water, she meant to speak in a sarcastic tone, but her response came out much softer than she intended: "I think that day took us both by surprise.."

Sharply turning her head at Hiccup, she took a small step closer and pointed at him, a stern expression taking over her features, "No, nuh-uh. If we somehow get caught, then I'll very much be there for the consequences too. I'm not gonna cower away from it; we both decided on this, not just you." Her face remained the same for a moment, backing away before she continued, "And, aren't you the one who said you didn't want me to cower away in the first place? So, no, it won't just be you taking the blame, Mr. Nice Guy."

Shrugging lightly at his question, Freya tapped her arm as she considered what either of those outcomes might be like, "I'm being completely honest here, Hiccup... I don't even know if you're gonna end up sparring against him or just train the group with us... But I would just say to be prepared for whatever happens. If you manage to win against him, I'll tell you right now that I will be more shocked than I was today. If you choose to let him win, it'll help his ego and he still might approve of you.. because you were willing to try.."

She was getting ready to take a step towards her weapon that still laid on the ground, but as Hiccup turned and continued what he was saying, she immediately felt a warmth crawl onto her face, slightly stumbling over her own feet as she struggled to say a coherent response - which she chose not to give as she tried to appear like nothing happened while she grabbed her sword. Why she couldn't handle genuine compliments, she didn't know, but she sure did not like fumbling over her words because of it.

----------------

Ayla continued to lightly jump in her spot, quickly answering Hiccup's questions, "I'm doing really good, I just got back from gathering herbs with my mom, she's at Gothi's right now and she told me to come home because she's gonna stay over there for a little while longer!" She carefully handed him one of the jars, leaving only one in her arms, which gave her more room to hop in place.

Tilting her head, she gazed at him with a questioning stare, "What? Isn't that what couples are supposed to do?" Shrugged, she let him off the hook as she turned towards her older sister, "I just wanna know who does it first."

Freya, for one, did not know why she was so interested in that for her age, but she brushed it off for once, too focused on sharing the details of their new plan. She reluctantly agreed with Ayla's idea, though, figuring that was as good of a plan as it could get. As she waited for her response to Hiccup's question of whether or not she'd help them, she sighed out in relief once she gave her answer: "Yeah, of course! You guys are my two favorites!" She lowered her tone of voice as she continued, "Don't tell anyone I said that!"

Finally noticing how late it was getting, Freya suppressed a yawn, looking to her younger sister with a tap to her shoulder, "Alright, we'll need to get our rest if we want this to succeed.." She closed her eyes in irritation when Ayla was quick to complain, rambling out excuses of: "But Hiccup just got here!" And "I'm not even tired yet!"

"Just give me five more minutes!" She pleaded, purposefully staring up at her older sister with widened eyes to make her give in, which she begrudgingly did, much to her delight. She gave Freya the other jar she was holding, not fazed in the slightest as she nearly stumbling by how she practically forced it into her hands. "Can you put that inside for me in Mom's special cabinet? Thanks!" She ran next to Hiccup as she continuously tugged on his arm, ignoring Freya's annoyed groan while she trudged up the steps into the hut, slamming the door shut behind her as she left to do what was requested of her.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can I ask you something?" Ayla remained in her spot while she gazed up at him with a curious tilt of her head, "Why did you choose to be with my sister? I really, really, really like you as my best friend but I wanna know how in the world you made Fey like you!"

She glanced down at her boots, feeling a bit..sad that her older sister would spend more time with someone else other than her for once, "Just make sure you take care of her, okay? I don't want her getting hurt.." In Ayla's ten year old mind, she was only thinking about her physical protection, not fully understanding the emotional side of things, but as she returned her focus on Hiccup, she knew that nothing bad would happen.

Blaze quietly listened to the two, silently wanting to reassure himself that Hiccup was okay with being around his best friend, slightly wanting to deny how he sensed a big difference in how she treated and acted around the Chief's son. He was used to being the one that filled most of her time, alongside Ayla, but he became even more happier when he noticed his rider smiling more often, although he was a bit jealous that it wasn't only because of him anymore. But at least he got to play with Toothless.

Without any warning, Freya abruptly opened the door, stomping down the steps as she finally allowed herself to yawn, flicking a stray piece of her hair away from her nose. "Okay, folks, we need to get some sleep. I can't be on my best performance if I don't get my proper amount of sleep in." She strode over to Hiccup, tapping Ayla on the shoulder before she continued, "Get your butt inside. Dad is already sleeping and he, thankfully, didn't wake up when I..shut the door the first time.."

Ayla pouted but agreed nonetheless, finally feeling the exhaustion from the day catch up to her as she mumbled: "Okay... goodnight, Hiccup..!" She went to give him a brief hug, waving her goodbye once she was up the steps and disappeared into the hut, lightly shutting the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Freya motioned for the jar her younger sister had forgotten with her hand, "She completely missed that.. sorry."

Freya's soft tone of voice took Hiccup by surprise. He blinked at her, wondering just what she meant when she said that.

He had to admit, he found her determination charming. "Did I say that?" Shaking his head, he insisted, "I can't let you do that..." But he caught her eye, and he realized it was useless to argue. "...Find. We will both share the blame, equally... except for when it comes to my dad. If the truth comes out, then I will make sure he knows that it was my idea. Deal?" His expression was serious, jaw clenched, eyes hard. He would not waver on this.

------------

Taking the jar, he tucked it under his arm.

"Uh...well, yes, couples...they do that, but we're--we're just taking it slow."

His face felt like it was burning, and he knew that wasn't just because he just choked on the water he was drinking. He just hoped that no one would suspect the real reason he was so red.

Relief came when Ayla agreed to help, and Hiccup felt himself relax a bit more.

At her comment of them being her favorites, he couldn't help but grin.

As Ayla tugged at his arm, his eyes were on Freya, feeling bad that she was getting sidelined like this.

Turning his attention to Ayla, he tilted his head, registering her words.

"Oh, why did I choose Freya?" There was that warm fuzzy feeling again. His eyes were on the door that she had disappeared through as he answered. "... because...she's amazing. Strong, determined, capable of just about anything. I've...I've really enjoyed getting to know her better over these past few weeks, and...I don't know, I just...find myself wanting to know more."

Looking back at Ayla, he shook his head. "No one makes Freya do anything. I'm not sure what I did, exactly, that changed her mind, but...I'm glad she chose me, too."

Hiccup's eyes softened, hearing Ayla's request. "I'll do my best, Ayla. I promise."

Seeing Freya return, he hoped she hadn't heard his brief exchange with Ayla. He wasn't exactly sure how she would've taken that...

Returning her hug, he said, "Goodnight. See you tomorrow!"

Giving a quick wave, he watched as the door shut, leaving him alone with Freya once more.

"Hm?" He chuckled. "Oh, I forgot about it, too, actually..."

Handing her the jar, he stepped closer.

"It's fine. She...she really cares about you too, you know."

Running a hand through his hair, he said, "Uh, I...I should probably get going, get some sleep, too..." Looking at her, he gave a small smile. "Thanks. For, you know, the fun time in the Great Hall...our sparring session. It was, it was a lot of fun."

[vamqiredove]

OKOK @indigoartistqueen i'll ramble and elaborate err i'm keepin it here cause this rlly isn't smthing i want on slaingelo especially bc i get a bit mad in this oops

CAMERAS LIKE THAT ARE USELESS. ALSO THEY MAKE SHIT WORSE IF YOU ARE PARANOID. having them inside your house is unnecessary unless you're convinced someone's living in your house without you knowing. otherwise it does nothing but take up electricity or batteries and money ect ect whatever. If you unnecessarily install cameras you're going to be checking them constantly. and also within the context of just "waah my big strong man is out for a week i'm so scareed i'm going to put cameras inside my house" WHAT IS THAT GOING TO DOOOOOOOOOOO SOMEONE HAS TO /ALREADY BE BROKEN IN TO YOUR HOUSE/ FOR THAT TO BE "USEFUL" AT ALL AND BY THAT POINT IT'S NOT SECURITY WHATTTTTT

like other people said in that post, security like that makes it impossible to get out of your house fast/give first responders a hard time getting in. I have a bar in my window. it's removable from the inside very easily and all it serves to do is keep the window from opening more than a few inches. this mf would install damn prison bars if her husband had to go away for a month.

IF YOU'RE THAT PARANOID ABOUT LOCKS GET A FUCKING DEADBOLT AND/OR CHAINLOCK OH MY GOD. first responders are more likely to know how to get around those than "mobile locks" what the fuck is a mobile lock. OH WAIT !! SHE ALREADY HAS A DEADBOLT AND SHE'S DOUBLING UP WITH THE MOBILE LOCK. HUH ???????????????????????????????????

YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW YOU ARE HOME.... when I'm home alone I actively try to make it look like someone's always awake. do I go over the top locking every door and window in the house and leave the curtains facing the backyard closed and did I once move furniture to block my bedroom door in order to sleep ? yeah sure but I'M MENTALLY ILL. WHAT I'M SCARED OF ISN'T EVEN PEOPLE BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE FFS IT'S MONSTERS THAT AREN'T REAL BUT MY DELUSIONAL BRAIN CONVINCES ME IT IS REAL TO THE POINT OF INSOMNIA IN PARTICULARLY BAD EPISODES. I AM NOT THE AVERAGE WHITE AMERICAN WOMAN FOR I AM NOT EVEN ANY OF THOSE THINGS

literally the only way I can see someone going this far for security in a way that ISN'T just "this is an ad" and/or "i am trying to brew fascism" is if someone fell into the delusion of being gangstalked, and in which case, they probably aren't posting their entire security system online because they'd be convinced their stalkers are watching their every move online and offline lol... it sure as hell wouldn't be framed like this either. also if it was the case she'd still be scared while her husband was home. it wouldn't magically appear when he's done, it would be constant.

doing shit like this isn't normal nor healthy, it's either a sign of going severe into the alt right pipeline and/or severe mental health issues that are going unchecked bc those are absolutely not mutually exclusive.

even the "keeping a flashlight nearby" thing is stupid in the sense that I DO THAT. BECAUSE WE FREQUENTLY GET POWER OUTAGES HERE ???????????????? what's it going to do if there is an intruder are you going to shine it in their fuckin face. what, can't see them thru your aesthetic lighting ?? what's the fuckin whistle going to do ... you've isolated yourself your home alone it's a WHISTLE. at the veyr least get a fucking weapon, HUH ?????????????

honestly I don't even know how coherent any of this is, it pisses me off a lot. I've done a lot of shit to try and feel "safe" and frankly it feels insulting especially given my minor agoraphobia too [ can't leave the house alone, i always need a friend or family w/ me ] especially the weird way this shit is made aesthetic. AGAIN. LIKE THE FUCKIN PURPLE LIGHTING IN THE VIDEO. AND ALSO THE SLEEK TECH.

the aesthetic-ification of that video is probably what REALLY gets me mad about it though.. like it really just makes it feel like an ad playing both on white peoples fears and mentally ill people.

blah blah my experiences aren't universal and my delusional paranoia isn't "that bad" compared to other ppls. whatever. i don't like it either way

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Yeah I've had a S4 poster on my wall since middle school and I still have a deep deep fondness for the show, I mean I'm reading fanfics for it still, but if you think that Eurus Holmes was a good and well executed idea I don't know what to tell you :')

Unstoppable force (I really really want to rewatch some Sherlock BBC episodes and my brain won't let me do anything else) vs immovable object (none of them are actually good and I don't want to go through that experience again)

[sukipershipper]

Chief, here I offer thee *kneels down while handing this to you*

Soda x Bull

Thank you dear scout *pats head* your noble ship will be rambled about coherently...OKAY NOW HERE WE GO ONE OF MY TOP SHIPS- Soda and Bull were pretty much besties the MINUTE they stepped into the WVBA and saw each other. Once they became friends everyone knew they would end up together Giant intimidating men but also giant Labrador personalities? Bitch yes you know they dating. Soda is defo the affectionate one. He loves giving Bull hugs and kisses and Bull is just furiously blushing trying to get Soda off. He eventually just accepts it and hugs him back. Bull's whole love language is doing deeds of affection. From opening doors to giving Soda a back massage or running an errand for him. That's his way of showing how much he loves Soda. Bull don't Trust the Scientist's Soda works with for one second, and he is constantly worries over his boyfriend's safety. Soda doesn't care or mind THAT much so he brushes it off, not really seeing the distress it causes Bull. Because of this, all of their trips to see them usually end with a little argument and Bull lying in bed with tears in his eyes, worried about Soda's wellbeing while Soda hugs him and gives him lil kisses telling him he;s gonna be okay. This goes the same way for Soda as well, who is always worried about Bull whenever he's in interviews or involved with the paparazzi in the slightest. He knows how much it irks him and so he worries that one day Bull is just gonna snap and hurt someone. Stealing this one from @fan-mans hahaha/lh- Bull and Soda don't have a bed as they're too small to lie in properly and snuggle so they get shit sleep. So they have a giant pile of pillows that they wrap a sheet around and just lie on that instead, it is literally ten times better. Soda can wear all of Bulls clothes, Bull cannot do the same, he is too big. Oh yeah, Bull is plus size in this. He has a lil chonk I think this is canon at this point. He isn't self-conscious about it so much as he finds it annoying when he goes to put a shirt on and oh yeah- he's got a tum. Soda actually doesn't care though, he'll just squeeze and hug bull the same because hey it's just a little extra bit of you to love! That's all :)

Soda will collect little soda bottles and put flowers that he collects in them and give them to Bull as gifts for his cottage. Soda visits Bulls home more than he visits his own, he finds the atmosphere more calming than in his. Soda is still relentlessly teased and made fun of by some of the older men in his hometown, which is a big reason he doesn;t like to go back there that much. Bull always reassures him and tells him he is "beautiful no matter what and that the past is past, and if the others can;t see that you are no longer that girl from before, that's THEIR fault, not yours...and don't you ever think you are lesser than them...cause you are stronger in every single way...but if you want me to fuck em up I will..." God I got angsty with this one lol. Here;s a quick lil happy one: They love singing 2000's rock songs together, it's their jam. Their old go figure lol

[hopeds]

rambling about ships/dynamics i yearn for while i sit in the car

peko/tenko:

saw a post in the tags saying how predespair tenko probably idolized peko and now i've just been thinking about them — especially in the sense of having adjacent enough interests but tenko encouraging girls to outwardly express their emotions while peko does the exact opposite. i think tenko would absolutely adore peko's fondness for cute animals and i think she would do wonders to help peko regain a sense of autonomy :')

gundam/mikan:

thinks about their drs interaction where he calls her the lamb and lets her hold the devas so she can be less anxious with animals...

idk if my thoughts are coherent at all about them but i just think they can be . so cute.

nagito/mikan:

but specifically ♠️ like they are in the trial for chapter 3

idk how much i ship it apart from that sort of dynamic because they're both such unstable individuals that i can't see much between them really being that healthy nor enjoyable tbh?

but them bitching each other out ohohhohoho

tenko/mikan:

i will talk about characters other than tenko and mikan i promise. but ohhh my god i think mikan would make tenko's protective instincts go HAYWIRE

and again with the expressing emotions thing like i briefly elucidated upon for peko and tenko but i think mikan has a lot of shame about her emotions and also isn't sure entirely how to express them normally (like when she randomly screams/yells or when she says really. weird shit out loud unprovoked) and i think tenko could do. so much for that

hiyoko/fuyuhiko:

another one of my dearly beloved ♠️ moments

idk how many thoughts i have about them offhandedly but i like them and i like them antagonizing each other

hiyoko/sonia:

this one is more platonic in my mind ( ... sighs.. ♦️) but i think they'd get along so well because of their mutual interest in horror/crime/occult etc

like yeah hiyoko canonically dislikes her but as much as hiyoko torments kazuichi i think she expected a pervy gross guy like him to give her all the attention (as per her track record with her fans unfortunately) so someone else getting that attention kinda. sets her off

BUT when she realizes that sonia didnt even really want kazuichi's crush on her to be a thing i can absolutely see her softening for sonia

especially because sonia was kind to hiyoko and shows a great deal of respect for traditional japanese culture, something very close to hiyoko's heart

hiyoko/kazuichi:

on that note...:)

not a ton of thoughts about them to prattle about right now to be honest but i have a soft spot for them and a soft spot for hiyoko antagonizing him

any combination of peko/maki/mukuro:

they're all similar personality - wise but i just think. idk. a lot of themes of dehumanization overlapping that makes me want to see them kiss

hajime+izuru/mikan:

sry combining them into one but. god the thoughts i have about hajime and mikan are unreal and i like them

even with hajime's self loathing for his lack of talent i still think he's stable enough all things considered to support mikan in a way she needs?

ugh when she mentions wanting to harm him so she'd need to take care of him and he just says she doesn't need to do that. emotional

chiaki/mikan:

i just feel like. i don't know i just feel like they can be so cute

gentle/soft spoken/kind person just the kinda person that mikan needs... and i think she could show her so many video games and it can something that is so sweet

mukuro/sayaka:

hmgmghmh ladies...

socially awkward x social butterfly like what if i cried.

also their drs interaction is SO cute and i just. weeps

mukuro/kyouko:

self sacrificial x unable to depend on others... oh they're foils your honor

i've mentioned this in ims before but omg drif/other adjacent scenario where kyouko notices something Off about disguised!mukuro and then they just. they're gay your honor

tenko/touko:

oh i just feel like tenko can get through to her. i just know she can. even if it takes ten million years

peko/fuyuhiko:

dare i say something controversial?

hm. well. ♠️

in the sense of like. fuyuhiko not wanting to be reliant on the kuzuryuu clan and peko being the embodiment of it because she's his Tool/object as per the clan. and i can just see it getting warped somewhere down the line and i'm so fascinated by that

also like. normal romantic stuff but that can also go without saying i feel

tenko/angie:

okay so. jealousy over himiko aside. i'm so intrigued by the idea of like. tenko confronting angie about hiding her emotions behind her religion in a sense — but i can also see it going in a ♠️ sort of way tbh

kaede/miu:

ohhhh how i love them so. not a lot of cohesive thoughts but i LOVE them so much

other:

nothing cohesive again but god am i a sucker for possessiveness/predator+prey dynamics teehee

also this isn't comprehensive! tbh i'll ship pretty much anything and i love writing ships, very rarely do i care about chemistry so you can just ask me

anyways if you're interested in writing any of these perhaps PLEASE hit my line or lmk in any capacity because i'm dying to tbh

[gecko-with-a-greatsword]

saw someone else to this so im plaguing my mutuals with this

free pass to ramble about literally any topic!!! i wanna hear about the things you like

ok I know you said things I like but I'm actually going to take this opportunity to rant about The Lorax (2012) because I have a lot of thoughts about why I hate this movie. Thank you for the ask :)

idk how coherent this will be and this might get long sorry

By the way no judgement to anyone who likes this movie or to the onceler fuckers, these are just my opinions. So to start off, I feel like the lorax story did not lend itself well to the animated kids movie formula. It probably would've been better as some sort of short film or something. And I know Dr Seuss was, like, racist and stuff but the lorax had a pretty good message. And in making the movie I feel like they muddled that message a lot.

So like I said, the story didn't fit the vibe, so to make it work as a kids movie they added an entire other plotline outside of the actual story. They expand upon both the world and the child hearing the story, and I have a problem with both of these. It seems like they were trying to make the town have that whimsical feel that other movies based on Seuss stories have, but personally, I don't think it works for the Lorax. Reading the story you get a sense that the world is desolate and barren. It feels pretty dystopian. In the movie that's only the area where the onceler lives and outside of that is a pretty nice looking town. Sure they have no trees, and are being scammed by some shitty CEO but it's a society with lots of people, who don't seem to feel like anything's wrong. And considering that it's a movie for children, I think the things that make it feel dystopian are too subtle. And you could argue that it was intentionally made to feel like real life, as some sort of commentary or something, but again I think kids won't pick up on that.

Moving on to the kid voiced by zac Efron, (I don't remember his name and I don't really care) I think in the story the kid is meant to be a stand in for anyone, like it doesn't matter who he is because it's meant to be you, reading the story. So making this kid a more fleshed out character was not something I would've done in the first place. Furthermore this kid doesn't even think anything's wrong. He's just motivated by the girl he likes saying she wishes she could see a tree! and that's kind of all he cares about which makes me feel like at that point why isn't she just the main character? (also side it was a weird choice to make her be so much older than him.) Basically I didn't care about any of this, they should have left out the entirety of this outside plot.

Anyway, moving on to the actual important part of the story, we have to talk about the onceler. And I think the main issue with the onceler is that they humanized him too much. Obviously in the picture book you don't really see his face, and reads like much more of a creature. I also believe that there was early concept art of the onceler where he was a lot more creature-y but obviously in the movie he ended up as just a guy. And you could argue that this makes sense because in real life it is humans who are at the root of all the things destroying the environment, but the onceler isn't meant to represent one person, he's meant to represent the companies and corporations. And I don't think the whole tumblr sexyman thing was necessarily their fault because I don't think that was intentional or that they could've forseen that, but it's kind of a testament to the fact that he is too sympathetic a character. And I guess that might be sort of the root of my problems with the movie, that everything feels too personal to be as allegorical as the original story feels. Oh yeah also the deleted song "Biggering" is actually really good and in my opinion would have worked much much better than how bad can i be or whatever. I feel like there's a lot more I could say and i'm probably forgetting a bunch of stuff but I'm kind of losing steam and I've already written a ton so I'll leave it at that I guess. I'm not rereading this lol I hope it's at all comprehensible and if anyone reads this whole thing sorry :P oh and DISCLAIMER I haven't watched this movie in a while or read the story so this was just me talking out my ass if I got something wrong or said anything stupid, whoops 🤷🏽

[mine-ventures]

Hmmm but things working off of "game logic" and the world being real doesn't need be exclusive. Both can be true.

Where the inhabitants see pixels and code just as we see inches and atoms. It is very real to them. It is reality to them. Just based on strings of code for laws of physics and essence of existence. Blocks and pixels rather than our elements and curves.

A world built im blocks and voxels which we outsiders, players, mere visitors, see as a game, doesn't negate the fact it might just be as real for the people and mobs living there. They don't need have the same game interface as we do. They don't have the vast dimensional pocket the inventory is or the magical crafting skills or the raw fist tree punching abilities.

Players may just be the oddity, the weird, the ones feeling outta place which otherwise would be a real place like any other.

I am not negating or arguing your take, not at all! You do as you feel fit for your story your worlds! There's wonder in creativity and free mind.

I just wanted to share my humble side of mind that one truth doesn't necessarily negate the other. Especially that ask blogs tend to be rather interactive and you may meet dificulties if met with characters of other "world rules". No biggie! Just a rambling passerbya!

Bye!

And yeah, you're also right anon!

At the very end, this place is just to have fun!:]

It's always interesting to see different POV of the same silly game, and quoting what you said, there IS wonder in creativity and free mind!:D

And about interacting with other Ask Blogs, well, I haven't interacted that much tbh... But it's my fault for being SO shy and sometimes my stuff isn't THAT coherent as other ppl ask blogs and that makes me feel out of place sometimes /cry(¿

But I'm ALWAYS open for interactions! And I can always create new AUs just so my OCs can interact with other ppl MC OCs too!:] (Cuz to be honest with ya, this Ask Blog itself is ALSO an "AU of an AU" of the very original tale I've created for these silly OCs lol xD)

I mean, I would LOVE to interact with other ppl!! And meet new cool OCs!!:D

So, I don't worry about making sense or interactions, cuz I'm a very friendly person and I always find joy in creating new stuff!^^♥♥

Also, thank you so MUCH for coming into my blog and question about my world building and stuff! I LOVE when ppl come with curiosity and ask me stuff!! (Like, really, I LOVE getting asks and answer them!!:''D♥)

So, thank you so much for sharing your opinion, Anon. Is always good to see different opinions!^^♥

[candy-pants]

Oh no I’m so sorry!! I hesitated to say anything cuz I wasn’t sure if you were just taking your time lol. Sorry we’re down to the last day but let’s pack in a lot of questions in that case!! First off, Ashley is kinda slaying in that vid ngl. And I love learning more about latam Disney channel, thanks for sharing!! What show were they on?? And you have a point about Sabrina lol. Switching gears, ofc ik you love descendants and mal and Ben in particular, who are your favs outside of the core four and why? What are your fav ships besides bal and why? And what are your biggest hopes for rise of red? I hope you have a great holiday and enjoy your gift tomorrow!! Sorry again for the miscommunication!! -gcwca secret Santa

don't worry! i was thinking you were busy or something so i didn't say anything either sdjhdhdsj i know tumblr tends to be the worst functioning website on the planet but we're all still here so i guess that says something about us

okay this is gonna be a long one buckle up

1 - they were in a show called que talento! (yes with an exclamation point) and they were basically playing themselves if they went to high school and were still amateurs lol i really liked the theme song but only the show version bc the studio version sounds awful sorry bruno i know you produced it but it sucks

2 - out of the core four (and ben) i have to say uma is a huge fav for me, probably my 3rd favorite character of the franchise. when i heard china anne mcclain was back on disney channel to play her i was sooooo excited and i can't imagine anyone better for the role. i love that she has such a strong sense of justice and community even if her ways aren't necessarily the best. obviously i love that the franchise makes sure to let us know she and mal are two sides of the same coin and if they weren't both so proud and stubborn they'd be friends, but i like that uma isn't just a carbon copy of mal like they're very much two different characters. uma is driven by collectiveness and she cares so hard about everybody it's almost aggressive and she's such a great example of leadership on the isle (as acknowledged by both ben in d2 and mal in d3 (and as a side note i'm obsessed with mal, ben and uma's dynamic and i could ramble on about it for the next 10 years but that's not the point)) and if i don't stop now this is gonna turn into a mal vs uma analysis

3 - i really really love the idea that mal and uma are exes. like to me that's just canon and no one is gonna tell me otherwise bc it doesn't contradict anything! "and how would you know, mal? you've never had [a boyfriend]" so in my head she could have dated uma idc it was probably quick and messy bc they would have this toxic power struggle which ultimately ends in mal not letting her join the gang. i think they would absolutely kill each other as a couple now bc of how similar they are but as exes? hell yeah that's a vibe

as for present day relationships i'm a fan of harry and uma getting together at some point in the future bc lbr those two are in a weird situationship lmao i also love jay and gil!!! very unexpected but jay realizing how jaded he's become after seeing the beauty of gil experiencing things with such wonder and then deciding to do a gap year so they can travel the world together is something that can actually be so personal

ALSO i'm not usually one for crackships but harry x evie had me like 👀 in d3 bc sorry wtf is this

for the record i don't think they should realistically get together, i don't think they'd work out, but the chemistry is there and for some reason kenny chose to highlight it so idk

4 - oooo so rise of red. here's the thing. i'm fully expecting this movie to be bad sdjdshjdjhsjdh i'm mostly worried about these seemingly amateur writers they got. like. even if descendants is its own little fanfiction thing let's at least try to make things coherent inside its own universe. the fact that they all went to school together defeats the purpose of beast UNITING THE KINGDOMS but well anyway let's see what they're gonna do

i like jennifer phang as a director though! she did two eps of cloak and dagger (one of which is 2x01, one of my personal favs) and the pilot of secrets of sulphur springs, so i know she's competent. and mark hofeling is coming back which is GREAT bc changing the production designer would be a terrible move for a spin-off partly set in present day. i just wish kara saun would come back to do the costumes but oh well

i'm so excited to see your gift!!!!! i hope you have a great holiday as well!!!!!!