#those metaphor were one of my favorite things to think about from season one

[x-ladydisdain-x]

One thing I did enjoy in this season was the commitment to Heaven and Hell, specifically Heaven, as a metaphor for capitalism and flawed institutions and corrupt government systems. It was a lot less subtle and felt a lot more intentional than last season, as well as Crowley and Aziraphale’s opposing views serving as representations of different social/political views - Crowley’s being one of radical change, his stance being to screw the entire system because it’s flawed in its very function, as well as his mentality of ‘question everything, don’t just accept something because you were told that’s the way it has to be’ (the very thing that got him kicked out of Heaven) being highly built upon from last season and kept consistent throughout this season as a big part of his character. Meanwhile Aziraphale holds a reformist outlook on Heaven, believing that at its core it is a good institution serving a good purpose, it just has some flaws. This led directly to his decision in the last episode, Aziraphale essentially saying to Crowley that he plans to fix the system from the inside.

Not to mention their conversation surrounding grave robbers specifically echoing socialist vs capitalist arguments, Crowley asking how a poor person can be expected to always do what is seen by Heaven as “good” and saying it’s easier to have the ability to make morally correct choices for a rich person who doesn’t have to focus on day to day survival (touching on the “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism” concept and, by implying getting into Heaven is a privilege reserved for the rich, making the explicit connection in an entirely non metaphorical way between Heaven and capitalism) and Aziraphale countering with his/Heaven’s rationalization that actually being poor means you have more opportunities to choose to be good because you are faced with so many moral obstacles on a day to day basis (in a non religious, real world, context this angle might instead be used to say that people who start with less only have more opportunities to move up financially)

[theotherpacman]

got s1 is really a very faithful adaptation of agot, with only minor divergences. sometimes I really love the little details in the book that the show doesn't have room for, but sometimes I like the decisions the show made differently.

things I appreciate about the book:

the fact that jon is 14 makes his naivete regarding the wall hit so much harder. he's just a little boy and he's willing to sign his whole life away bc he believes he can be a part of something noble... neither his father nor his uncle nor anyone else tells him that to take the black is a grim sentence steeped in shame

ned hearing that bran's direwolf saved his life and being like "holy shit I killed one of them... what the fuck did I do"

sandor just whole ass traumadumping on 11-year-old sansa completely unprompted and then when he realizes he's just made himself vulnerable for literally no reason he goes "if you tell anyone about this I'll fucking kill you"

mormont thinks jon will be disappointed that bran is now a cripple but jon is so ecstatic bran's alive that he picks up tyrion lannister and spins him around (tyrion is startled by this) and then proceeds to cheerfully make friends with a guy who hates his guts bc jon kicked his absolute ass in training

tyrion and bronn starting to become friends on the way to the vale <3

THAT SINGER BITCH i love him

"whatever you may believe of me, lady stark, I promise you this -- I never bet against my family" screaming crying throwing up

jon going to maester aemon and convincing him to let sam take his vows!!!! using the metaphor of the maester's chain to make his point about how just bc sam is different that doesn't mean he's useless!!!!!!!

TYRION FIGHTING IN THE BATTLE AGAINST ROBB'S MEN!!!!! THE SHOW DID HIM SO FUCKING DIRTY i get that they didn't have as big a budget back then but come on man ToT

"when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. when the seas go dry and the mountains blow in the wind like leaves. when your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. then he will return, and not before." LET THE BARRENNESS BE PART OF THE CURSE why did they cut that

when tywin says "because you are my son" tyrion fucking Hates him for that bc he knows that if jaime were he tywin wouldn't spare him a second glance, he's only Tywin's Son now that jaime is prisoner and might die at the hands of the starks

things I appreciate about the show:

arya shooting a bullseye from behind bran. queen

jaime being a dick to everyone all the time for no reason. just going around starting shit. also that scene outside robert's bedroom where he talks to jory. jaime in general

ROS!!!!! MY GIRL ROS MY ABSOLUTE QUEEN ROS

"she's our guest." "she's our prisoner." "do you find the two to be mutually exclusive in your experience, my lord?" lmaooooo get his ass maester luwin

"sometimes possession,,,,, is an abstract concept"

THE DRINKING GAME!!!! first of all it gives us more insight into shae as a person who is so different from tyrion's established worldviews, secondly tyrion is always going around saying offensive shit and he thinks nothing of it bc a) people say offensive shit to him all the time and that's one of the ways he deals with it and b) he's usually right BUT when he makes all those assumptions about shae he's totally wrong and she stands up for herself, but my favorite part of that scene is that tyrion is hesitant to share this traumatic story from his past but he's just made bronn and shae confront their traumas so now he has to share too. and I think that's beautiful

all of varys and petyr's bitchy conversations when they're alone in the throne room

this only covers the first book/season I might make more of these as I keep reading

[honeycreammilkshake]

Soooooo I've read your post about your ships AND I started shipping Togachako even though I've never seen My Hero Academia LMAO

Anyways, any thoughts about the last episode? i had 0 context about anything but Ochako saying "the cutest girl in the whole world" made my cry😭

my first ask about togachako! thank you so much, anon <3

i am not going to lie. i almost screamed out loud while watching this. i had read the manga ending previously but seeing it on screen really almost wrecked me.

love stories are fun... until the love story is one of you dies saving the life of the only one who fully understood you and loved you for who you really were.

i think the biggest reason why togachako is my favorite bnha ship is because of the parallels between ochaco and toga, especially in how they perceive and express their love.

toga had previously assumed that the only person who could truly love her would have to be pretty much the same as her. this came from her own experience with her parents and everyone around her, who saw her only as a monster and tried to repress her inner feelings and thoughts, which made her all the more bloodthirsty after such a long time of being literally and metaphorically starved.

she was treated as an unredeemable demon that couldn't be loved by anyone "normal."

this belief of hers that love can only come from someone like herself also correlates with her quirk, as she often tries to drink the blood of and "become one" with those she likes or wants to be closer to, similar to how she drained her first crush of all his blood as both a kind of love confession and as the emergence of her true self.

throughout the series you can see this kind of behavior of hers to try and relate to other people in order to rationalize her feelings for them. when she first fought with ochaco and tsuyu, for example, she told ochaco that they had the same scent, that they both admired deku, and that they were both trying to emulate the person of their affections. and during their fight in season 6, toga says to ochaco "i want to be like you. you're cute too, ochaco. i like you a lot."

the way toga is always comparing herself to ochaco, drawing similarities between them and openly admitting to wanting to be more like her, is the only kind of love confession she can make because she feels that someone who isn't like her couldn't possibly like her.

compare this to how ochaco sees and interprets love.

ochaco's parents loved and supported her even though they weren't very wealthy themselves, which inspired her to become a hero so she could help people like them. she was also inspired by deku, and her admiration of him led to her wanting to emulate him, something toga picked up on and related to.

it's clear that toga wants to find something to relate to in ochaco, and even though ochaco is quite different from toga, there are still many parallels between them, too.

for example, they both hid parts of themselves from other people, ochaco by denying she had feelings for deku and toga by being forced to conceal her true self all her childhood. toga wanted to connect with ochaco over this, but ochaco refused to identify with ochaco at all.

another thing i want to bring up is the symbolism of toga's smile.

when she's confronted by chitose, she's forced to reflect on how society has shunned and tried to reconfirm her, but instead of feeling miserable about it, toga instead says she is happy because she finally has a clear goal in mind: to get closer to someone she loves.

she then uses the blood she has left to turn into ochaco, which chitose believes is only so toga can die while looking cute, but toga realizes in that moment that she wants to be close to someone like how toga is close to deku.

she wants to be just like ochaco.

in short, drinking ochaco's blood returned toga's will to live, as she was able to find what she wanted in life and even uncover a new side to her powers she didn't realize she had before. she even says that living as someone like ochaco, a cute high school girl that others enjoy the company of and that life treats "easier" is the goal she wants to achieve.

by briefly experiencing what life was like for ochaco, someone who could be close to the person she loved and even get them to trust her (something toga was denied over and over in her childhood), toga realizes that she wants to be more like ochaco. in fact, she might even love ochaco.

and the way this scene was animated is just amazing.

i love the way half of ochaco's face and half of toga's face are merged together, while she gives her widest unhinged grin.

as toga said, she smiles when she's happy, and being close to someone she loves creates that feeling in her. that's what she wants in life: to love and be loved for who she truly is, to feel that deep closeness with someone. and reflecting back on her relationship with both deku and ochaco made her want to live her life, despite the pain she'd experienced before, so that she could live as she wanted to, love someone who loved her for herself. someone who accepted her normality.

and although ochaco initially rejected toga's attempts to connect with her, making toga feel like ochaco would be just another hero who would kill toga without regret, it makes it even more interesting and beautiful when ochaco reconsiders and chooses to reach out and connect with toga, despite everything.

ochaco is someone who wants to save people, who knows what pure love feels like and knows how to give it in turn. she was at first disturbed by toga's strong feelings and her teeth-bearing smiles, because to her those forms of expression went against her ideas about what love is and how people show it. but now ochaco admires toga's smile. she's even jealous of it, and at how toga so easily expresses her emotions and her love.

they were both jealous of each other. toga was jealous of ochaco for being able to have normal relationships that allowed her to get close to people, to be trusted by them, to feel cute and wanted. and ochaco was jealous of toga for being able to be so upfront and even headstrong about her feelings, to express her true self with such rawness and honesty.

and despite how toga was willing to kill ochaco, the other girl never uses her powers to harm toga.

though they both know zero gravity can be lethal and toga even used it to kill chitose and her army, ochaco is still unwilling to use it to harm her and is tender to toga throughout their entire confrontation.

this goes against everything toga feared and maybe even believed ochaco would do to her. ochaco is not willing to kill toga like the heroes killed jin, and though she won't forgive every terrible thing that toga has done, she is still willing to hear what toga has to say and to even comfort toga through it.

it's such an important detail to me that ochaco literally keeps toga tethered throughout this entire conversation. she's showing toga that it's not a matter of pity or ego that she's doing this, but she truly wants to hear toga's side of the story.

and despite how toga keeps trying to harm her, ochaco never flinches away and never stops listening.

if the manga was way too emotional already, the animated version of their last battle almost broke me, especially during this scene.

i can't get over how ochaco doesn't look away from toga the entire time. the fact that it's so important for her to let toga know she finds her smile beautiful means so much, both because of how toga wants to be found cute by someone and because toga smiles when she's happy, so ochaco is saying she values toga's happiness and that expression of her true self.

toga's smile is wide, unhinged, maybe even a little monstrous to anyone else. but to ochaco, it's wonderful. because toga is happy, free to express herself without holding back or donning anyone else's appearance to do so. her natural face, her natural personality, who she really is... that's what ochaco finds cute.

and it's so telling that when ochaco thinks about how she loves both deku and ochaco, her smile is more worried than happy. yet when ochaco confirms that toga is cute, the cutest girl in the whole world, toga's smile is pure and so wide.

ochaco made her happy, even at the very end. toga couldn't even imagine a world without ochaco in it being one worth living in, so she decided to give up her life to save ochaco's own. because ochaco's love is what gave toga happiness, and she knows that a world without happiness, without that person who makes her smile, would never feel the same.

they will forever be one of the most tragic love stories of all times, but also the cutest and sweetest... if only they'd had more time.

[saltpepperbeard]

Poison into Positivity: A List of What I Liked in OFMD S2

Hello hello everyone! Things have been a little rough around here. Even away from the more heated takes, I've still seen a few "down in the dumps" murmurs. To which, I'm giving y'all big hugs, but also offering up some little bits of warmth! I wanted to share quite a few bullets of the things I enjoyed about this season. Maybe it'll serve as a reminder, or maybe it'll just serve as a chaotic, silly little read as per usual PFFF.

But I invite you to read along, and even add some of your own points should you feel inclined! Also, this might not even be my full list; these are just the ones that came to me quickly/off the top of my head. Still, let's dive on down like a fantastical, dazzling goldfish, shall we?

All the callbacks/parallels. My goodness. When I tell you I'm a SLUT for metaphors/parallels/callbacks/etc etc. Seeing so many things and being able to just *Leonardo Dicaprio pointing meme.* I know people might not share that same opinion because some might view it to be excessive, but I personally LOVED being able to point at my screen and be like "oH EYYYYYYY!!!" Maybe because it makes for such immaculate gifset/meta material <3 SJKJDLHSK

The costuming and makeup. WHEN THEY TALKED AT ECCC ABOUT EVERYONE GETTING HOTTER, THEY WERE NOT KIDDING LMAO. EVERYONE LOOKED SO, SO GOOD. and listen, i am on my knees begging for them to give ed with his hair up back to us. i need Her back,,,ALSO, SOMETHING SOMETHING COMPLICATED EMOTIONS TOWARDS STEDE'S LATTER HALF LOOK, BUT ALSO...GOD DAMN, MR. DARBY,,,,,,

Speaking of Mr. Darby, the acting in this season. The ACTTTINNNGG. Everyone acted their ASSES off. Everyone put their entire piratussies into this season. Though, I'm PARTICULARLY impressed with Taika and Rhys, because again with their "oh we're comedians lol so idk drama can be Difficult Difficult Lemon Difficult." MMMM I THINK THE FUCK NOT, MY GUYS LMAO??? They both did SO well with all the drama and painful moments. The acting in episodes 2, 3, 6, and 7 in particular like...God. GOD!!!

I loved so many characters in this season, and I'll of course have to give two individual shoutouts to my two favorite new ladies, but man. LET'S GO FRENCHIE!!! ALWAYS A DELIGHT!!! FANG/KEVIN MY ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART. JIM SERVING ABSOLUTE FUCKING GENDER THIS SEASON. OLU OLU DARLING OLU. PETE NEVER MISSING WITH HIS ONELINERS. LUCIUS BEING SO THEATRICAL AHDJKSDK LIKE NATHAN PLEASE YOU KILL ME. ROACH MAKING ME LAUGH OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES AS HE DOES. WEE JOHN AND HIS KNITTING AND DRAG!!! AND THEN OF COURSE MY DEARLY BELOVEDS, ED AND STEDE. I JUST LOVE THEMMMMM!!! But okay okay okay-

Zheng my beloved. I just love this badass pirate queen with her sweet little pigtails and her IMMACULATE LINE DELIVERIES SDHJKSKL. A lot of my favorite deliveries from the entire season came from her quite honestly. Please see: "Girl, how ARE you?" and "Hiiiiiii. I KNOWWW it's been a day" and "I've killed mediocre men. I've killed exceptional men. But you're the worst kind: a mediocre man who thinks he's exceptional."

AND ARCHIE MY BELOVED. She kills me because I remember seeing like, those ~*~audition tape whispers~*~ WAY back in the day, and subsequently thinking she was going to be quite a different character. Only for this silly goofy bubbly energetic darling to pop up and snag my heart. HER deliveries kill me also, like when she goes "Like...STEDE Stede?" and the whole "I was IN the fuckin' snake!" also hhngngngngnershkfhslkds tattooed ladies Hot :(

Speaking of which, the comedy. THE DELIVERIES. THE WAY I LAUGHED OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT, EVEN WITH THE DEEP UNDERCURRENT OF DRAMA/ANGST. The whole bit where Stede is in hysterics over his cursed coat is just hsjkdhsklds; it will NEVER not make me wheeze. And then, like I said, almost EVERYTHING Pete says this season kills me; another thing that will never not make me laugh is "a doggie...?" weird little pirate show with weird little humor my beloved

The ROMANCE??? I genuinely was going into the season with the expectation of getting maybe like, one or two Gentlebeard kisses. Imagine my shock and utter delight when we ended up with FOUR, AS WELL AS AN INTIMATE SCENE, THE LETTER SCENES, AND THE LOVE PROFESSIONS. Like, one of them dropping a legitimate "I love you" felt like an unrealistic expectation--the HIGHEST dream tier really. And then wouldn't you know it. And that doesn't even account for all the rest of the couples either! The murder wives having their chaotic little moments of fucked up affection??? LUCIUS AND PETE GETTING ENGAGED AND THEN MARRIED??? HELLO??????

The sets! I know people have pointed out that the world felt a bit simplified this time around, due to budget restraints and what have you. But I still loved what they did with the world even with the various constraints. The market in episode 6 is a PARTICULAR favorite of mine; it's just so lush and colorful. I also love what they did with The Revenge during episode 6 too!

Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I really actually liked that they filmed on location. First of all, love that the Kiwis got to be right at home in Aotearoa. Love that they have an even more special connection to the show now. But second of all, I just like when scenery is...actually THERE? It feels way more TANGIBLE. Don't get me wrong; that hugeass wraparound screen that they use to film a lot of sets is a technological marvel. But I'm a sucker for practical.

The deeper and more complex dives into character motivations/trauma. Like, homie lol...When I tell you episodes 6 and 7 utterly set my brain alight in the best way possible. I was CHUGGING through thoughts. You know those gifs where someone is walking around and ranting/passionately talking,,, yeah. Yeah. Maybe because a lot of it "struck a chord" with me indeed, but I love love LOVE getting brain food like that.

Speaking of brain food, in PARTICULAR, the deeper dives into Ed's self-loathing and into Stede's troubles with confidence and masculinity. A lot of Stede's choices were fueled by those two things, and it was SO friggin fun to catch all of them, put them in a jar, and shake them around. I've seen a lot of people fearing his actions in the latter half were out of character, but to me, I don't see it that way. I just see a man who has been so spurned, so left behind, and SO deprived, a man who is stuck thinking he has to be someone else to mean something. And I think that plays a lot into even the EARLIEST developments we saw in season 1, so it was just so intriguing to watch everything messily play out.

THE INNKEEPER. THE INNKEEPER MY BELOVED. SO much about that episode absolutely has my heart. All the different developments, the stakes, the pacing, and the payoff at the end. Not to mention that I had a FEELING that mysterious figure in the trailers was Hornigold, so it was so SO validating to see him pop up PFFF. And also, all those dream/gravy basket sequences were so so good too. I don't know if it's the chemistry between Taika and Mark, or the deeper symbolism, or the lines that have become vocal stims for me SJKDLS (please see: ooOOoooO eddie eddie eddie...you're laying some heavy shit on me, bro), but man. MAN.

And this one gets its own bullet because of course it does: the fucking mermaid scene. Like, are we kidding. ARE WE KIDDING. THE ROMANCE OF IT ALL? THE FANTASTICAL-NESS INDEED?? THE WAY IT WAS ALL FUCKING PRACTICAL AND RHYS SWAM DOWN TO TAIKA AS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GOLDFISH AND THEY HAD TO THROW HEART EYES AT EACH OTHER UNDERWATER??? WHAT THE FUCK!!! And don't even get me started on Kate Bush lol. This Woman's Work might easily be one of my favorite songs, if not my FAVORITE song from the season. And man. Man. The whole meaning behind Ed seeing Stede as this beautiful, sparkly being, and not some hypermasculine/extraordinary thing. He fell in love with Stede for who Stede really is. And so I ADORE that acknowledgement.

Speaking of songs, the MUSIC!!! Absolute bangers all throughout. And I loved how there seemed to be even more intermixed within the episodes. Like God... "These are the kids..." 🗣️ HELLO MY LOVE I HEARD A KISS FROM YOU 🦗🦟🦗🦟🦗🦟 . And all the beautiful classic piano pieces and NINA SIMONE AND JUST HSJKDHSFJKLHSKD????

Okay, I've always had and STILL have complicated thoughts and opinions on Izzy, but man, seeing him interact with the Revenge Crew was really something. Seeing Stede's influence come over the lot of them like a warm blanket, extending its welcoming and familial hands...It was just lovely. I love seeing our little sea family care for each other so much. They've probably all hurt so so much in different ways, so to see them all being a collective heart is just so nice.

Speaking of which, the queerness of it all, the queer celebration of it all. The way the whole crew is just...a representation of queer people finding each other, and subsequently finding love and family in each other. Like, when the whole world wants to cast you out, you pull each other in. When no one else wants you, you take refuge in each other. And just...the joy, beauty, and wonder that can be found in that.

And speaking of which x2, the overall care that was put into the entire thing, the effort that was put into the entire thing. I know Max fucked us over with the budget, which subsequently fucked things like the intricacy, the amount of characters, and especially the pacing. But, I don't know; I personally could still tell everyone involved was trying so so hard to deliver for us. Based on the little details, the little callbacks, and the little moments that felt so catered to us, it just seemed so...gifted to us. Not to mention of course, the way they so deliberately chose to end on a hopeful note in case we never get a third season. They care about us. They've always cherished our excitement and passion, so it just...idk; it feels so special to have a bit more of an intimate connection like that. I've never been involved with a piece of media that so avidly SEES its audience, and celebrates along with us. So, despite everything, despite any sort of troubles, despite any sort of lows, that's a big part of what has me clutching all of this so closely to my chest. And I really hope they can still see that love, because I want nothing more than for them to see this beautiful story through.

Also, getting to enjoy this with everyone. Getting to ride the wave from the beginning of filming, all the way through the finale. Getting to see all the excitement, all the theories, all the art, all the fanfiction, all the gif sets, all the meta, and everything in between. It has carried me through some nastiness in my personal life, and has subsequently served as a very welcomed distraction. It's been such a pleasure getting to delight in this new content with you all, and I hope we get to do so into the future. <3

[flxfthm]

I don't know if you ever said it before, but do you think Gabriel was a good villain?

mmm i guess the answer is yes because i think he's a good character? and the things that make him a "bad" villain are intentional flaws and weaknesses that make him more human. he's arrogant, short-sighted, and all his wins are attributed to outside help from nathalie, tomoe, or even felix !!! but he's not really meant to be seen as a schemer, as the way he exerts power over people is through his status. as he claims in pretention and as felix highlights in his play, the empire he's built and the resources he has access to make him the most intimidating, it's about "gabriel agreste" as a symbol of influence, who can control people in more ways than one.

he shines the most in S5 as he fully loses it and his dehumanization of adrien reaches ridiculously cruel extremes with the alliance rings, which are one of my personal favorite visual metaphors in the show altogether. it's sort of what i'm getting at, that you can see gabriel increasingly more corrupt with every passing season, and with that he also loses all the plausible deniability he was operating with from the start. the agreste story arc of S1-S5 is ultimately about questioning the consequences of our choices and the power we each hold as individuals, and gabriel is a physical manifestation of our worst possible selves. he's unapologetically selfish from his first to last appearance and even when he seems to come to recognize the results of his insanity, he cowardly leaves marinette to clean up his mess & deal with the aftermath.

while nathalie snapped out of it earlier than him & tried making amends for her actions by doing the bare minimum for adrien with the time she had left, and as felix ended up trading his cynicism for a positive outlook through the power of love, gabriel remained stubborn in his ways and his goal changed from the noble-sounding promise to reunite his family to, like, sticking it to those morally righteous brats as he grew mad with power. like akumas are people possessed by their negative emotions, gabriel is consumed by his regrets without even realizing it, and he's a cautionary tale for marinette to remember so that she doesn't end up like him. felix got to find out for himself pretty quickly how it felt becoming the monster that he thought his father was, that gabriel agreste was, and he immediately changed his path. but for marinette, whose life mirrors gabriel's own, the stakes are much higher and she's yet to come to terms with whether the choices she made in the S5 finale & london special were morally reprehensible after all. even with his physical disappearance, gabriel's control of the media, the people, and his son, have all been passed down to marinette and he still lives on through her. she could arbitrarily sympathize with felix's motivations as they both fought for adrien's sake and eventually their own romantic interests, but this time she's in a situation that would greatly affect and endanger her own life, and that's where the question initially posed to gabriel comes back to her - how far is she willing to go to keep things as they are, and how long will it be before she's also consumed by regrets?

the marinette/felix/gabriel spectrum really fascinates me because these characters have a ton of flaws in common as well as a similar way of thinking, and the distinction only lies in how instilled those mindsets are, and how easy or hard it would be to change them. marinette is always second-guessing, always unsure of herself; felix knows who he is, he has causes he vehemently advocates for but he's willing to make the occasional sacrifice or two if they'll benefit him in the long run, and he'll learn from past mistakes when things blow up in his face - and as for gabriel? he never makes any compromises, never reflects on himself, not once does he try and make an attempt until it's too late to change things.

and the way all of this ties with the show's message definitely makes him an incredible villain to me. thematically, he archieved his purpose in miraculous' first story arc and was an amazing nemesis to the main character. my only real complaints are only about how much more could've been done with these parallels while he was still active as the primary antagonist, or how we were only told about gabriel's past in the last minute, even if it was purposefully hidden. however i'm really excited for lila to succeed him as the theme of lies will surely be the most prominent in the second story arc, and i hope i'm correct in assuming that'll mean gabriel replacing emilie as the entity the narrative revolves around.

[adorationmajestic]

Cypress' TLT Fic Recs (October '24)

Aight. I've never made a rec list before but imma give it a try. No ratings, just praise. No, it's not just halloween/fall themed stuff, that just happens to be what month it is right now lol. Visit the whole list on Ao3: here (link to the bookmarker tag).

I have a few categories for you! Something Hot, Something Long, and Something Still Going.

These are from a variety of years and sizes. Most of them are Griddlehark, but I sprinkled some other pairings in like salt bae.

Next time I'll give something a little more organized and varied. Probably.

First category: Something Hot

Hungry Like the Wolf by Slaycinder - GriddleHark (2 chapters, approx. 13k words) There's two tags that stuck out to me, upon first glance. These were: Local Woman Nearly Dies for the Vussy: Says it Was Quote "Worth It", and Unrelated: have you ever seen needlessly badass artwork of wolves and naked women? I think these two tags do, indeed, sum up what happens quite well. Very hot. Gave me those very special spine tinglies that once upon a time told me that I do in fact like women, vampires, and werewolves. You are never gonna guess what three things this fic has.

Between the Lines by Rohad - Griddlehark (8 chapters, approx. 30k) A modern AU: a stunning look into the life of editor Harrowhark Nonagesimus. She's been assigned to work with one of her publisher's favorite little meow meows, Gideon Nav (an erotic fiction author) (who Harrow hates) (even though they've only ever spoken via email). Harrow accompanies the awful horrible Nav to a few conventions for book signings. This one, in as much as I've tagged it as belonging to the "Something Hot" category, is honestly packed full of feels as well. Harrow and Gideon have to learn how to communicate effectively, and how to interact respectfully, and they learn a lot about each other as well. Rohad's reworking of their respective backstories to fit into the modern day has me FLOORED.

I am a conversation by sluggg - PaulDve (1 chapter, approx. 5k) This work caught my eye with the tag Paul stop quoting Steven Universe it is making everyone uncomfortable and honestly I probably wouldn't have noticed the quotes if I hadn't then actively been looking. Sluggg fits them in just perfectly. There are a precious few Paul/Pyrrha works (and they are ALL bangers actually) and this is for sure one of my favorites.

put some goddamn moves on you (god knows you need it) by hoteyedwraith - CamPal (2 chapters, approx. 23k) This one has a very simple premise, but it really hits home for me. I can relate to Camilla in this modern AU in a very real way, and it felt very very good to reach the end of this work and see the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel. Cam has a bit of an issue, but she doesn't know what the problem is. But it is fixable, and Palamedes lends a hand.

If you've noticed a theme so far, yes. I like my horny with a pinch of sad. What are you gonna do about it.

Second category: Something Long (For those of us who like em big)

The Process of Elimination by zoicite - GriddleHark (8 chapters, approx. 122k) That Regency AU from HtN! The two tags I would like to highlight are; Season 1 of The Bachelorette: Canaan House and Fake/Pretend Relationship. It is probably a general fanfic staple that every pairing MUST have at least one fic where they pretend to be in love and then slowly fall in love for real. It's a classic, and it never fucking gets old. I stayed up til about 4am reading this for three nights in a row. I'm not a slow reader, by any means, but this one hits different after 10pm honestly (when my emotions are at their easiest to sway) and if you can handle that sort of sleep gymnastics (and you brain works similarly) I would recommend giving that a try.

Cataclysmic Variable Star by Elldritch - GriddleHark (101 chapters, 190k exactly) I stayed up reading this one until I passed out about an hour before my alarm went off. I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THAT. This one, you want to have full command of your faculties because this one will make you think. It is a Harrow Nova AU rewriting of GtN and HtN (written before NtN released!) and is a beautiful piece of literature. You want a full night of sleep before grabbing this one by the reins! It is fabulously put together, drawing everything that needs to happen from each of its sources, but with a twist at each turn that you certainly won't see coming.

orbits, eccentric, on course for collision by Stacicity - DiosApate (9 chapters, approx. 76k) The timeline of HtN as told by Augustine Quinque. I might have gone slightly insane and left 800+ word comments on each chapter, which goes to show just how invested I have been in this. Looking at that word count, you might go "Huh. That's not that much, Cy. That's less than half the size of the last one." You would technically be right. But the way with which Augustine perceives time might change how you feel about that. Even if you aren't writing whole essays in the comment section, this one goes by slower somehow. I recommend pulling it up and then having an extra tab open to look up a few of these words in a dictionary. Stacicity has (correctly) decided that Augustine would use a lot of high-level words. This is, frankly, above my reading level (/joke).

Third category: Something Still Going

God Is Dog Spelled Backwards by labyrinthineRetribution - GriddleHark (more than 8k) As of writing this list, this work has 2 chapters. The plot has just gotten started, and I'm intrigued. This title stands out from the crowd in terms of the way it handles the setting (modern AU, somewhere in Aotearoa). Gideon really is the saddest girl in the world, I think, in a very complicated sort of way. I will wait patiently for as long as it takes to see this story develop.

Dividers by enchanthings

[dwampyverseawards]

FINALE: PFTONES VS WHEN GLASS SHATTERS

CONGRATULATIONS TO @pftones3482 FOR WINNING THE WRITERS SIDE OF THE FOR FUN TOURNEY, AND TO @local-dragon-haunt FOR WINNING THE INDIVIDUAL FIC/SERIES SIDE OF THINGS! THIS LAST ROUND IS BASICALLY JUST EVEN MORE FOR THE FUNSIES.

@/pftones3482

Relevant reason for being submitted:

not sure if it has influence on the fandom overall but it had an influence on me and I live by that

They create top-tier Phineas and Ferb content, from fics to thoughtful analysis of characters and episodes. The following link is a great showcase of just a portion of their current Phineas and Ferb fics;

Propaganda: Just their entire catalogue of Phineas and Ferb works on Archive of Our Own. This is my favourite fic of theirs;

And here are some of my favourite posts;

Vote for @/pftones3482!

Have you ever heard of the Secret Life of Candace? Aka best mermaid au ever? GUESS WHO WROTE IT?

I have been in the Phineas and Ferb fandom for over a decade - writing fics for it for 12 years, can y'all believe that? I'm one of the oldest "original" fandom members left on AO3, which is actually insane.

And to this day the things I love about the show have shifted a little - favorite characters, favorite tropes, ships, etc. Nothing drastic, but anyone who's been following me since the beginning has definitely seen those changes.

But the thing I have always loved most about this fandom IS the fandom. The PnF fandom is one of the most wholesome fandoms I've ever been in, and it's the reason it's one of the only fandoms I still interact with. Sure, there's been drama, and sometimes we don't all agree - no fandom will ever always agree on everything (if they do....run)

Overall tho this fandom is so kind and wonderful, and given how small we are, we are still obnoxiously loud about this show 😂 I love us for that

Regardless if I win or lose (and if I lose, I'm honored to go down to someone like @/inators, who is a very kind person and has a big presence in the fandom), I wanted to say thank y'all for getting me this far

Phineas and Ferb got me on Tumblr and started my writing career. The fandom is what helped me stay. If I could give y'all an award for "Best Fandom," I absolutely would 🧡💚

When Glass Shatters, written by @/local-dragon-haunt

Relevant reason for being submitted:

Propaganda: local_dragon has a fantastic way with words and unconventional story telling. AUs where Perry is revealed to the kids are frequent, but ones where he interacts with Linda and Lawrence too are few and far between and the concept has so much potential. I just love their writing

Vote for my bestie @/local-dragon-haunt they deserve it and they won't admit it

Contestants may add their own propaganda however they see fit, provided it does not put down the person they are against. All round 1 matches were randomly generated, and anyone may drop out at any time.

[tadbitsketch]

I haven't done one of these in forever but welcome back to Sketch Rambles About MCSM Stuff at an Unreasonable Hour of the Night 🎉🎉🎉

Tonight, I'm gonna discuss one of my favorite songs from the Minecraft: Story Mode OST, "Redstone Baby," and the potential lore that it holds. And why that's very Sorengaard related.

Disclaimer: this is me interpreting silly block people. Unless otherwise stated (or in the game), it ain't actually canon. Also, I am a teenage girl. I am not versed very well in the specifics of how music theory works and how it's used in media. Also also, I wrote most of this like two months ago and completely forgot about it.

(In case you needed a reminder of how it sounds)

This song appears twice in the season 1 episode 3: when you arrive in Soren's lab area, and again in the end credits. It can also be heard through the closed secret entrance wall in the Wool World™, and it gradually becomes clearer as you approach the door to Soren's lab, where a music disc is playing the song inside.

The instrumentation of "Redstone Baby" consists of guitar, piano, and violin. It feels comforting and cozy, whilst also giving a sad, longing sort of vibe. According to a comment written 6 years ago by Antimo on the linked video, they were going for a sorta "Fallout: New Vegas" vibe when they wrote it. The song holds an air of nostalgia, of better times. An idealized dream of how the world could be.

To get to the point: it's cute, it's cozy, and it's a love song in a game where they weren't allowed to explicitly write any canon ships (if I'm remembering correctly). Also one of the few songs in this game to be given lyrics. So, of course, we're gonna talk about this. Or rather I'm gonna write about it and you're gonna read it.

The lyrics go as follows:

In a marshmallow world, you're my sweetheart.

In a marshmallow world, you're my sweetheart.

You're the bed to my rock,

The flint to my steel.

My redstone baby doll...

My redstone baby doll.

(music)

In a marshmallow world, you're my sweetheart.

In a marshmallow world, you're my sweetheart.

My sugar baby...

aaaah ladada, awoah...

The lyrics are pretty strange, right? It seems nonsensical at first, but I (and many others) believe that it has more meaning than meets the eye.

This is a love song addressed to a someone proficient with redstone. Funnily enough, Soren's old friend group did have one of those. A brilliant Redstone Engineer: Ellegaard. And quite interestingly, these two were pretty close, as is said multiple times in canon. I think Magnus mentions their little "Nerd Club," in episode 3 at some point. Another fact to back me up on this: Soren calls the song "Symphony in E" in-game on the little radio-disk-program-thing.

And for whatever reason, Soren and Ellegaard didn't stay close or end up together. There's not really a way to know for certain what went down between them. All we do know is that Soren wishes it was different.

The "marshmallow world" that is talked about in the song is Soren's perfect world. It's safe, sweet, and fluffy. I am of the opinion that it could possibly be an indirect reference to the wool world that Soren built. It's bright. It's safe. No monsters can get him there. He can just build things and be happy. In a perfect, marshmallow world, Ellegaard is with Soren.

The metaphors Soren uses here, "the bed to my rock, the flint to my steel," they're both iconic, inseparable duos: bedrock, and flint and steel. In Minecraft, bedrock is the unbreakable foundation beneath all else in the Overworld. Flint and steel is used to set things on fire, and is most often used to light Nether portals, which is way less symbolic (unless someone can find something? maybe the whole flaming heart being a metaphor for love thing?) but still iconic and the phrase has a very nice rhythm to it.

When we first hear the song, it feels like normal wishful thinking. It's more just fluff and poetry than full-on wants and desires.

But when we hear it in the end credits of episode 3... We just saw someone die after sacrificing their safety for Jesse's. The monster that they died to help kill isn't even dead. Someone we thought was dead is actually alive and doesn't remember anything. It's loud, dark, and burning. A sickening storm of death and destruction. Anything but the marshmallow world.

Without considering which of the two died, this song is already quite jarring in comparison to what was just witnessed. This "marshmallow world" that seemed somewhat close just a moment ago now feels implausible, and thus it'd be worth so much more if it were real.

I will never not love when something in a piece of media is treated as a good sign or motif or something and then it gets recontextualized and hurts ya right in the feels.

And with Redstone Baby combined with Ellegaard dying, it's just that extra brutal.

Because now it's not just, "in a perfect world, we'd be together." It's "in a perfect world, you wouldn't be dead, and we'd be together."

If only Soren wasn't so much of a coward. How differently things could've gone.

[aroacephotographer]

Star Trek Nerding Out Time

I've been watching a lot of Star Trek recently. And it's been a full force ADHD mega marathon of my favorite franchise right now. A lot of this for the first full time.

I grew up with TNG as a kid, seeing random episodes here and there. But I never followed the storyline.

Lower Decks is one of the best shows right now. And I LOVE the fifth/final season going on. If I had any complaints, it would be that they should have 7 seasons like the 90s shows. But I digress.

I have to nerd out about this connection I just made.

Seeing Lower Decks earlier this year introduced me to Kayshon, a Tamarian who joins the Cerritos in season 2. But it's not the first time a Tamarian has been in the franchise. Kayshon is a continuation of the first episode the Tamarians were in.

Star Trek: TNG S5:E2 "Darmok" shows Picard trying to find a way to speak to the Tamarian race. This is something that's been tried before, but the other two or three captains failed. Picard found a way to communicate with them; which btw is a very poetic episode. The Tamarians joined Starfleet after that.

The star dates for this episode are 45047.2-45048.8. Because I wanted to know the dates.

Paul Winfield

So here's the behind the scenes thing that makes me so interested in this episode: The actor who played Captain Dathon was Paul Winfield.

Winfield is one of those actors that's been in quite a few movies and some childhood TV shows that I enjoyed. HERE'S his IMDB page so you can peruse it for yourself.

But some notable cartoon shows he's been a part of are: Batman The Animated Series, Gargoyles, Spider-Man The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond.

He also starred in The Wrath of Khan!

Huckleberry Finn was a huge deal to read when I was a kid. And I'm pretty sure I was shown the film adaptation from 1974. I'm from the South, so my parents wanted me to read or at least watch it. But I vaguely remember seeing Winfield's rendition of Jim from that movie. I bring this up because (and I cannot prove this speculation) I believe this was one of those roles that made people pay more attention to him as an actor.

Thinking back on this was wild. Anyway, back to in-universe stuff...

Kayshon, His Eyes Open

By the time of Lower Decks comes around, we see Kayshon join Starfleet.

If you haven't seen the TNG episode before the LD episode like I did, the whole concept feels random. But (and spoilers I guess) Tamarians speak in metaphor. Which causes quite a bit of understandable confusion.

When I first saw Kayshon in LD what he said seemed really random. But Commander Jack Ransom points out in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that the Tamarians speak in metaphor. Over the course of several episodes (I'd have to track down the precise episode again) the Commander starts speaking in metaphor around Kayshon. To which he responds happily.

The attention to detail between TNG and LD is phenomenal. I want to rewatch LD in general, but now I have yet another reference to look out for.

Seeing the TNG episode had me make the connection after seeing the Tamarians for the first time. And it felt like a Canon Event.

[wholoveseggs]

Hi, I guess this is more of a general question than request, but if he falls in love with a human reader, then how would he discloses them of his truth, the existence of the supernatural world, his original vampire status and his chaotic family?

Also there is a darker and more violent side of him and his life, and the plethora of enemies Mikaelsons have, how would he help them to adjust to the other side of him and keep her safe?

Hi Anon! Sorry that I took so long to respond to this, (it got lost in my inbox).

Here are some of my opinions / headcanons on Elijah dating a human:

~I think there would be a lot of adjustment required, especially considering how many enemies the Mikaelsons have, but Elijah is very protective, and would not put someone he loves in unnecessary danger.

~Elijah would probably have to tell the reader about the supernatural world and his status as a vampire when he gets serious about them, and would have to trust that they will not go around telling everyone and making themselves targets.

~As for the violent and dark side of his life, it is hard to say. Elijah tries to live by a code and keep a clean slate, and I think the show kinda does a poor job of showing his complicated inner struggle.

~Like, in TVD one of my favorite moments is when he says ‘Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves.’ Which makes it seem like he harbors a lot of guilt over all the bad things he has done in the past, and is trying to make up for it and that's why he tries to be noble.

~But his actions are always very contradictory. He can be very cold, cruel and calculating. Like, he will help someone or save their life and then turn around and stab them in the back later, or even worse, sacrifice someone else's life in order to achieve his own goals.

~He is very ashamed of his red door and all his internal darkness, which kinda proves that he does have a moral code, but at the same time, he's not a good person. I think his ‘noble’ reputation is more of a shield than who he actually is, like how Klaus is more bark than bite.

~So my guess is that he would not want to hide those things, because he would want his lover to know the real him, but at the same time, he is terrified of being rejected because of who he is.

~So I can see him struggling, and eventually just coming out and saying it and hoping that love is strong enough to handle his truth.

~I also think Elijah is very much a supernatural creature, and would want to turn his lover into a vampire once he knew that they were truly committed, and that they wanted to spend eternity with him. I think the show does a poor job trying to show how exactly he feels about what he is. He is clearly very good at being a vampire (compared to hungry boy Stefan or volatile Damon / Klaus). He has demonstrated that he has incredible self-control, and is able to resist the bloodlust. He has centuries of experience and a very sharp mind, and is very confident and sure of himself. I think the red door plot was meant to show that he is certainly not perfect, although it turned from an interesting metaphor about how he suppresses his guilt to a literal construct in his mind that makes him forget his own actions, which is a little ridiculous and dumb.

~Anyway, I digress. The point is, he is very much a vampire and I don't think he would be satisfied with anything less than his lover joining him in eternity and becoming his partner forever.

~As for dealing with his family? Hopefully the reader has some thick skin and doesn't mind drama, because with the Mikaelsons you kinda get what you pay for. And Elijah would never abandon his family, (fuck season 5) so they would have to find a balance and make room for each other.

[lesbianmarrow]

What were your thoughts on season 5s Fool for Love and Family episodes?? Those are my absolutely favorites for season 5

i liked family! i didn't like it as much as i know some viewers did. i wanted it to impress me more than it did. i think part of why it didn't click for me as much was that i felt it was manipulative, like it was trying too hard to make the audience cry. there can be stories that are manipulative and pulling out all the stops to make you sob and they're still very good - 5x16 "the body" is doing exactly that, and in that one it lands very well. but it doesn't always land well.

tara's family's cruelty also felt rather cartoonish to me and i had trouble taking it seriously for that reason. and i feel kinda bad saying that, because it's a homophobia metaphor and i know there are people who are that blatantly offensively homophobic in real life (particularly in the early 00s when this aired). still it comes off awkwardly and at times feels kinda lazy to me. i can't help but compare it to xander's situation with his parents. we only get very brief glimpses into it and that ends up being so much more effective than a more thorough exploration of it would have been. i liked the subtle hints we'd gotten about tara's past in earlier episodes - i think i might have preferred more of that to the melodramatic confrontation we get in this episode.

and the thing that really keeps me from being more fond of the episode than i am is willow's position and the way her relationship with tara is treated. there are a lot of moments in the show particularly early in into the willow/tara relationship where it becomes very clear that the people writing it are very unfamiliar with the reality of gay people and gay couples. like, maybe they know gay people, maybe they have gay people in their lives who they love, but it's clear that they struggle with writing from the mindset of a gay character and showing us that character's perspective. in this episode, that jumped out at me when willow meets tara's family. i don't remember exactly what it was about that moment but i remember feeling like, either willow would know tara's family is homophobic, or she might not know but then would be hurt upon realizing tara didn't open up to her about this. and that's not how it plays out in the episode. so i was frustrated.

still there was stuff i really loved about the episode!!!! loved the opening scene where they're cuddling and willow wants tara to tell her a story. loved xander saying about tara "all i know is that she likes willow, and she's already got one of those." i loved the reveal and then reverse-reveal of tara thinking she's a demon and hiding this from her loved ones only to discover that she was never a demon at all. i think that's such a smart idea conceptually and i just wish it had been realized a bit better. loved the ending scene with willow and tara dancing at the bronze and floating!!!!!!!!!! and i loved spike helping by punching tara in the nose. so funny how nobody questions why he's there. he just is. and he helped! i definitely feel fondly toward this episode, i just wish it could have made me like it more.

i also loved fool for love!!!! i don't remember it as well because while i was watching it i was just kind of mentally screaming in joy and agony. i would have to watch it again to assess it more thoroughly. but i loved seeing spike's backstory! and him sparring with buffy!!! all they ever do is dance!!!!!!

[meatchamber]

I’m reading the jjk manga since i’ve only ever watched the anime and i started from the beginning since it was a bit since i watched season one. I constantly have the same sort of thought about these characters.

I used to hate yuji, which is crazy to me now but I know why I thought that back then. I also strongly disliked Suguru even when I *did* watch hidden inventory. Now i adore all these characters. I even have been collecting suguru merch cause he’s become a favorite.

I disliked yuji and suguru because I didn’t understand them.

I thought yuji’s goals were too simple, that they weren’t enough to proclaim him as the protagonist. I’ve been used to stories that are told through the characters and JJK isn’t like that. We focus on yuji not just because he’s important as sukuna’s vessel but because of his central desire. It is because his desire is so simple. He just wants to help people anyway he can. He knows that he is the person that can handle sukuna’s power and keep him in check so they can exorcise him so he has to do this. There isn’t a choice. He won’t run away because then he wouldn’t have done everything he could to help people. In those early chapters where he willingly takes back control when his heart had been torn out was due to his desire to protect megumi (their dynamic is a whole other thing). He was trying to protect everyone, preserve what he could even if he died.

Suguru on the other hand just had made me upset. I knew people loved him as a character and I didn’t get it. To me he was a guy that just took the most extreme route and was selfish and in a way it is true. He did take the most extreme route and it could be argued as a selfish act as much as it was a selfless act. He is a victim of his environment, of the world he was forced to be apart of. Every jujutsu sorcerer is putting their lives on the line for people that will never acknowledge or understand them. They are also always being pushed to be the best, to be stronger. Be stronger or die. Be **the strongest** or die. When he’s left behind because satoru had surpassed him, he was alone again. You die alone as a sorcerer. There is no time to mourn. Who looks out for them? Why are they always forced to exorcise all of the time? WHY is suguru the one that was metaphorically cursed to have to consume the curses in order to get stronger? Satoru had been the person he could rely on and when he was deemed too strong to need suguru anymore, it left him alone too often. He was not given an opportunity to process his emotions or figure out things for himself. I could go on and on about suguru in specific.

They’re both tragically condemned to their place in society. It’s no wonder suguru turned to the life he did and it is no surprise that yuji is devastated during the shibuya incident.

Anyway that’s all my brain can handle to think about right now.

[mikeylikeyou]

✿ IN THE PAST...

𖦹 A big thing I reflect on is just, "what made me so obsessed with music and film?" And now I think I've got at least two shows that really changed the level of perception I had for both medias. Those two shows being, "I Am Not Okay With This" and "End of the F***ing World."

𖦹 These two shows CAPTIVATED my mind in music and a new interest in psychology back in 2020. To start, IANOWT has a super interesting yet pretty tame sci-fi aspect along with a HEAP of teen psychology within it's plot and I will forever be sad that it was cancelled. Along with the plot, it has a fantastically 70s/80s classic rock, pop, and jazz soundtrack (also some good hits from around the 50s and 60s.) Which at the time, I had been already interested in 80s music, yet it truly broadened my horizons and allowed me to seek out plenty of other music along those dates and genres. Two songs that have stuck with me from this show are "Fly" by Bloodwitch and "The King of Rock'n'Roll" by Prefab Sprout. 𖦹 Then there's EOTFW. A beautiful show about two extremely conflicted teenagers on the run from their families and past lives, alike to IANOWT. Yet this show had truly taken the ploy of teen psychology and ran with it, dragging my brain along for the ride. Both seasons were so beautifully orchestrated and so mind bending in the best ways, not only having a captivating plot, it had a perfectly set soundtrack as well. This show really made me want to seek out the specific genres of film that talked about more serious leaning topics, wither or not if the films were comedy leaning or not (as comedy has always been one of my favorite genres.) 𖦹 Overall, I am just so happy to be so well invested in the history of film and music. AND to be interested in the intricacies of lyrics and metaphors in film. Without music I am not myself!!! Without movies I am not the quote-spouting man I am!!! Im also sure theres plenty more reason to why im so obsessed with media, like how I was raised always watching movies and tv, or how I was allowed unrestricted access to the internet as a kid (not a good idea...), but tiisss just a theory!!! A... game....... theory...... ⸜(ˊᗜˋ)⸝

[kitofawriter]

LMK season 5 Episodes 3-4 spoilers below the cut!

SWK is very grumpy about the headache he will presumably be having this whole season. Tang, your loud rambling is not helping (JK ILY)

“I didn’t think they were real!!” Tang, you should’ve learned by now, assume any super powerful thing is real until proven otherwise.

Sketch plan section!!

Monkey king brand band aid

Hype man M-M-M-Mei!

I love MK’s little Nüwa drawing!

“It’s burning!” Tang, you guys survived the Samadi fire incident, I think you’ll live

Toasted peach!

Also SWK making sure Tang gets to do the lore dumb is adorable. And Tang is so happy he gets to do it!!

Lots of painted style, love it!

“There’s always a temple” “m-mmhmm, yep”

“Sounds like Tangy’s on board!” Sandy, I love you so much, you deserve so many good things. Hold on while I grab some silver star stickers from Shifu Subodhi just for you.

As someone who just got home from a hiking trip in the mountains, I feel you MK, stairs are the worst. I wouldn’t climb all that either.

Alpine Sandy!!

Tang can’t climb either those weak ankles though!!

Pigsy questioning is MK knows ‘trial by fire’ is a metaphor is hilarious considering he raised that boy, he’s probably the one that taught him most of the metaphors he knows.

Li Jing sitting by his magic tracker muttering ‘hmm, yes, they will use magic and I will find them’ is absolutely what SWK is picturing.

Cloud doesn’t count as magic I guess.

Pigsy, you have to carry him! His weak ankles!

“It’s just my good fluffy boy! Loophole baby!” Alright, cloud as SWK’s pet fics are needed now.

Well if it isn’t the consequences of his own actions.

Pheonix!! Fenghuang to be exact!

MK mocking SWK about the “trial”

Creation flashbacks?? Also since MK was like made directly by Nüwa doesn’t that like, make him the equivalent of royalty? Hand sculpted monkey right here.

“Classic final boss aesthetic” he’s not wrong.

Is MK prophesied to fix the pillar or is this a past life kinda situation?

“I’m feeling confident!” Traps!

The return of smarty kid!!

SWK got free acupuncture

Lots of references this season!

Grumpy SWK

“They represent my many many dads!” They acknowledged it!!!

I love how SWK is the only one with any damage, thus indicating he keeps taking the blows for (the likely oblivious) MK

“First time was just a city, don’t get cocky”

“You know you just gave me a third path I have to choose from right?” “Bud! You know what I mean!!”

“I thought maybe we’d find a map that we’d never end up using” so be fair, you did use the Samadi fire map.

Oooh! Flashback!!

Oh I do not like the implications of this.

OH I DO NOT LIKE THE IMPLEMENTATIONS OF THIS!!!

This was a legend of Zelda dungeon. They even got a shiny stone at the end.

SWK is in denial, but also he’s right.

They made it just in time to turn around.

Did anyone have Tang’s weak ankles on their season five bingo card?

So Nüwa made MK to be there to fix the pillars of one ever got busted again, right? Like we’re gonna find that out and it’s gonna be a big moment of MK realizing he’s not Chaos but was created to stop it. Then it’s gonna be a “you can choose how to be, you don’t have to be what you were made” thing from SWK because MK goes super self sacrificing. Calling it now.

One of these days the end credits will change to MK.

Episode 4!! I’m probably gonna pause after this one to give me time to really soak in the season and watch some more tonight (I saw as if I’m not planning on rewatching this multiple times)

Decisions are not MK’s strong suit.

“Kid takes one how to write seminar and now he wound shut it with macguffins.”

Sandy sees MK getting overwhelmed and steps in!

“I love this new commanding Sandy” “didn’t know big blue had it in him” he’s been reading a self help book.

Sandy training! Mo standing guard!

Sandy training is therapy I hope

“Yeah that was a lie”

Have I mentioned Sandy is my favorite?

“Breadstick shoulders”

Sandy: MK you need therapy. Sit.

“I’ve got my trauma bottling process down pat!” That’s the problem MK

As someone who only recently started meditating, Sandy is actually explaining ways it’s helpful really well. So PSA that if you have anxiety, especially if it’s like mine and your mind continuously makes up scenarios that will never happen and you rarely feel yourself in the present because of it, try meditating! It can really help!

MK is also me.

Sandy MK bonding was not something I expected this season but it was something I wanted so badly!

MK that is not a demon that is just a snake (probably?)

Secrets tunnel!! Secret tunnel!!

Sandy’s little worried marker thing!!

Stone snake!!

Sandy looks so offended that the tortoise questioned MK’s worthiness.

“I am not ready for the test” “be here now” “but I don’t wanna!”

Sandy getting a hug until MK meditates

“Hey get off my Sandy!!”

Sandy being so supportive despite the circumstances!!!

Ooooh! MK vs Monkey MK in the mind!! Monkey MK taunting!!

“You like it” dang the voice acting for that line was nice!

MK going into monkey form to try and protect Sandy!!!!

“There’s parts of all of us we don’t like, but it’s always still us.” Sandy hitting with the deep quotes.

Still in monkey form!! With it controlled!!

Sandy angry for MK’s sake!!! “Was it enough? Was he WORTHY?!”

I’m pausing for a second because this episode is so far one of my favorites. It’s so good. I need a minute.

I want more backstory to Sandy.

“Pigsy always said you were this rage filled guy and…I just never believed it”

Mo is a good guard cat!

Mei destroyed the car this time!

I’m sorry Sandy, you deserve a lasting vehicle.

This episode is probably gonna sit next to Amnesia Rules as one of my favorites (I love Sandy too much guys)

[ahh-fxck]

If you've read Warrior's Blues anytime in the last four years, thank you. The fourth year anniversary of me hitting "publish" on the first chapter was the 26th, and as a result I've been thinking about this story a lot. I decided I wanted to share some of my process for writing it and the reason I decided to write this fic in the first place.

I was going back and forth about publishing this, but what pushed me over the edge was a movie I just watched. It's currently available on Disney+, the title is Swan Song and it stars Udo Kier. Of all the movies I've watched, TV shows, books, audiobooks, podcasts, this one piece of media hits me the hardest. Queerness was supposed to be invisible, shunted to the margins of society. But all of these queer men and women carved spaces for themselves and their joy. They made community and celebrated and loved and fucked and set their own standards for beauty and attraction. Our predecessors and ancestors (and most of them are ancestors now, far too soon) were everywhere, as unstoppable as flowers forcing their way through concrete. They connected with each other and their communities, they made spaces for themselves. Those connections laid foundations of love that set the stage, both literally and metaphorically, for the queer youth of today to thrive. We're here because of them.

Ancestors. Those who came before us, the roots from which we spring. They were on my mind when my friend @stressedspidergirlsfandomblog prodded me to write something for queer history month. I had just watched season one of the Witcher and I was struck Very Queer Feelings. My fingers got to tapping and I thought, I'll write a short little crack piece with some internalized homophobia and 90s nostalgia sprinkled on, I'll be done in a week, it'll be great. (LOL.)

But then it became so much more. Because somewhere in there I realized I was writing a love poem to the Witcher fandom about queerness, about queer history and queer love and the pressures of living before legalization in the USA. When I realized I was doing that, I started watching, listening to, and reading, everything I could get my hands on.

Four years in, I have taken in a ton of media as part of writing this fic (and I will take in much more before I'm done. Recommendations welcome!) Swan Song was especially poignant, but it's all been important in forming this story. When I'm not actively writing, I try to be taking in things that help me understand the times and places each of my characters is steeped in. I've been devouring everything about and from 1995-1951 for years now. I'm not picky, I've been trying to distill all of it- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Golden Girls has been a favorite. Pose too. Right now I'm watching the Simpsons. I've also read things like American Warrior, a book written by Army Ranger Gary O'Neal. When I do dishes I watch Cheers, or the Donna Reed show. Other days it's Seinfeld. Some of my research has been beautiful, like reading the works of Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai. A lot of it grates. It's painful to process all of the queerphobia, and it can be uncomfortable to wade through things that rub me wrong. But that's sort of the point. Queerness can be hard. It can also be so, so joyous.

More than reading, when I can feature vintage queer media in the story, I try to do so. Some of the easter eggs are subtle, and some of them much more obvious, like the Mapplethorpe photos in the bar. My hope is to honor their history and remember them with love.

I do want to make one special podcast shout-out: @makingqueerhistory has been an integral part of my research. Their archive of episodes is truly a treasure trove, and has enhanced not only my understanding of my characters' worlds but of the sheer depth and breadth of queer history itself. I am so grateful that this resource is available. I keep wanting to recommend them to you but I don't usually get around to talking about the media that goes into this story. So consider this a plug. If you love this story and you can donate to them, please do so, even if it's only a dollar or two.

As I mentioned before, this project got started during Pride month thanks to @stressedspidergirlsfandomblog goading me to write a fic. (Thank you friend, sometimes it helps to get a push) It is also my love letter to the Witcher fandom about Pride, about why it's important, about what our queer forbears did to pave the way to the world we live in today and what joy their hard work is bringing us. About why it's important to love what we have and also why it's so important to fight for our rights. I'm afraid for the future. I think a lot of us are, but what I see of our past gives me so, so much hope. We are strong, we are resilient, we have always been here. No matter what happens, we will persist. There is a reason that dandelions resonate with so many of us on this webbed site. Like them, we can flourish in the most adverse of conditions. They are fierce, and they are beautiful. Just like we are. We will keep popping up no matter what happens. I believe that queer people or all sorts deserve to exist. We deserve to celebrate ourselves and each other free of guilt, shame, or fear. And we deserve to experience joy. Cause you know what? Our joy is BEAUTIFUL. It's worth protecting! It's worth fighting for. Thank you for being with me on this journey. I'm in it for the long haul, and I appreciate each and every single one of you who's stopped in to enjoy this story along the way. You are wonderful.

And a special thanks to @stressedspidergirlsfandomblog. Without you, none of this would have happened. Love you, friend!

I hope this month brings everyone the joy they need. You all deserve it.

Happy Pride, family.

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 6 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 6:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.47

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 5

Ranking breakdown: 11 5s; 6 4s; 2 3s

Season as a whole thoughts:

Another really solid season! The thing that I remember standing out to me even as it was originally airing was the number of callbacks to earlier seasons, and especially the first season, with the title (and plot) of "Sexy Dance Healing" and the title of "Sacred Couch". I remember wondering at the time if there was some sort of significance to it (my fear being that maybe the show was preparing to wind down- a lot of my favorite shows ended after 7 seasons). I wonder if maybe the production staff was feeling nostalgic with the 100th episode coming up- or if they just enjoy making callbacks as much as I enjoy spotting them (and making them in my fics)! Either way, it's the thing that stood out the most this season.

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Sliding Bobs": Doing the rewatch, I've noticed that I generally enjoy the three-story episodes but I think this my absolute favorite because I love the framing story so much. I honestly find what Linda says to Tina at the end, about the universe being random but sometimes everything lining up and going your way, to be really beautiful and meaningful. I'll take random crap going my way over fate any day.

"The Land Ship": One of the rare episodes from the middle seasons of "Bob's Burgers" where neither the A plot or the B plot interests me. There are some funny bits ( I mean, Mr. Ambrose is in it, so of course there are some funny bits) but overall it's pretty meh in my book.

"The Hauntening": As I mentioned when discussing Season 5, I got to see a clip from the animatic of this when I saw "Bob's Burgers Live" at the Chicago Theater, so that will always make this special to me. Even without that, it would still be one of my favorite Halloween episodes, and I love Boyz 4 Now song and video at the end!

"The Gene and Courtney Show": Another follow up on Season 5, but as I mentioned when discussing "Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl", the rewatch has made me realize that I really love the way Courtney's character and her relationship with Gene developed over the show, and this is a big part of it. Gene's song at the end of the episode is so beautiful! This isn't my favorite Valentine's Day episode (that's next season...) but it's probably in my top 5.

"House of 1,000 Bounces": Bob: "Can pigeons open doors?" Teddy: "Do you mean metaphorically? In the right situation, I suppose." This may be my favorite Teddy line on the show, and the pigeon subplot is absolutely fantastic in my book. But, you're probably expecting me to talk about the Rudy plot, so...I think it's fascinating the range of takes there are on this episode. I've literally seen people list this episode as the reason they ship Louise/Rudy and other people list it as the reason they don't ship it. For me, it isn't either of those things (I was already on board the ship) but I to think it is a good story about their friendship. One of my (many) similarities with Rudy is that as a kid (and honestly, still now) I cried pretty easily. And there were definitely other kids who noticed this and would just try to get me upset because they thought it was funny. So, I love the fact that as soon as Louise realizes how upset Rudy is, she works to fix the situation. She cares that he's upset. I also think it's fascinating to watch "Bridge Over Troubled Rudy" after this one because it almost seems like the show realized they resolved Rudy and Louise's conflict a bit too neatly here and needed to explore that further (several seasons later...). If you want more of my thoughts on the role those episodes played in the evolution of this relationship between two cartoon nine year-olds that I overthink about, you can read my best non-fic piece of "Bob's Burgers" related writing.

"Stand by Gene": I've mentioned before that I love episodes that involve the Belcher kids and a diverse group of their friends going on an adventure, and I think this might be the best of them all. In my mind, it's kind of the Trope-namer, I think of those types of episodes as "Stand by Gene"-episodes (even if "The Belchies" was probably the first one).

"The Hormone-iums": This episode is really one of the two that inspired me to this rewatch! Honestly, I just sort of vaguely remembered its existence and had no clue if I liked it- so if I rated it without rewatching it I probably would've given it a 3 or maybe a 4. But I happened to catch it on TV and realized how freaking funny it is! A wonderful Tina puberty plot; the wine shoe B plot (complete with Louise wearing mouse ears on her bunny ears during their presentation to Calvin and Felix, which is basically the cutest thing ever); great songs; a joke about Tony Danza- this episode has it all, in my book! Definitely a 5; the original sleeper hit.

"Pro-Tiki/Con-Tiki": This is a pretty funny episode. Chris Parnell is a hilarious actor, and as an "Archer" fan it was fun to have him act opposite H. Jon Benjamin in a different role. But I give this one a 3 because I hate the central conflict and the way it is resolved. It's one of the few episodes of the show where the actual plot and its ending really bother me. Warren and Bob are both kind of idiots in this one. Bob has a super-rich friend who is willing to lend him money to help his business, but instead Bob chooses to frequently be on the verge of going broke because of American small business owner macho capitalism self-reliance independence nonsense? Screw that. The other Belchers were right to be mad at Bob for his actions in this episode; he's lucky they forgave him.

"Bye Bye Boo Boo": I love Louise's crush on Boo Boo so much! It is an absolute treat any time it gets brought up! It's one of the few things that completely knocks Louise off her game, and it is wonderful for that. (Also, a pretty accurate portrayal of what it feels like to have a crush, regardless of your age or gender.) Honestly, after Roudise, Louise/Boo Boo might be the Louise ship with the next most appeal to me (do they have a ship name? It has to be "Lou Boo", right?)

"The Horse Rider-er": Did you know that being the voice of Jericho is widely considered to be Paul Rudd's second most iconic role after Peter Klaven in "I Love You, Man"? (It's not, I'm just making a weird joke to amuse myself.)

"Glued, Where's My Bob?": They did a great job for the 100th episode! Honestly, if the show ever gets a planned series finale, I kind of hope the last scene is something similar to the climax of this episode- all our favorite recurring characters hanging out in and around the restaurant and supporting Bob. (Except, maybe it would be for something good, like Bob making a really amazing burger, rather than him being glue to the toilet...)

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-I wish they had handled the Frond/Gayle relationship a bit better. I actually think they make sense as a couple and I wish they had done more with them before breaking them up off screen. Or, they even could of kept them together (although, I understand the writers thinking it's funnier to have them single.) But at the very least, I wish they could've aired the three episodes that discuss the relationship in an order that makes sense! Why did they air "Gayle Makin' Bob Sled" before "The Cook, the Steve, the Gayle, & Her Lover"? (I mean, probably something to do with Fox's schedule and holidays and football and so forth but it still annoys me.)

-I literally just noticed that the title of the episode is "Gayle Makin' Bob Sled", I'd always read it as "Gayle Making" and thought it was just a straightforward title and now I am realizing it was probably actually supposed to be a pun on the Jamaican bobsled team immortalized in the movie "Cool Runnings" (and discussed by Gene in my favorite Christmas episode "God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins"). God, I love the "Bob's Burgers" writing staff and the length they will go for a silly 80s/90s pop culture pun!

See you in Season 7! The post could be up relatively soon, since I've actually completed the rewatch of it, too. (Spoiler: Season 4 might be getting knocked out of first place...)