#though i think ultimately the one im making will be bigger?? i dont know exactly how big the blanket my mom made is

[altruistic-meme]

sent my mother a text and then had a realization :')

[wundersmith-squall]

ramble about your Ezra Squall redemption arc please?

Absolutely- id be very happy to! I'm quite aware that im about to sound like this:

but you asked so this is what you signed up for /j

Soooooooo it basically wormed its way into my head because of the one time where Squall said something like 'We're wundersmiths we take all of the blame and none of the credit' and I was like, okay sir are you speaking from experience? What was the 'credit' of your actions? And also the mention of the shared enemy, which I at the time took as meaning partially something in the republic that threatens Nevermoor, and partially something to do with the system, the Wunderous Society and like, all the people in charge who are against wundersmiths and are trying to hold Mog back.

Along with these two things, I'd like to think that 100+ years of banishment are long enough to rethink your actions and become a better person.

So, I'll explain it in a way that wont take an entire essay to write out. Basically it goes in my head that, Courage Square was, at least partially an accident, and over 100 years the story got skewed, and the current population turned against Ezra and the Wundersmiths, while the population at the time knew how, Wundersmiths ultimately were trying to help Nevermoor. Courage Square was bad, which is why Ezra was banished, but he wasnt killed. After a tragedy, it would be expected that he'd be punished, but at the time, the Republic as we know it didnt exist, and so being banished out there was a very bad fate, but it was definitely better than death.

Ezra went through a, lot of bad mental states during the first few decades of his banishment, but as he grew older, he came to terms with both his past actions and his current situation, though he still feels guilty about it.

In my head, the Wundersmiths were originally established to protect Nevermoor from the weird creatures of the darkness that the Wunderous Society takes care of now. Those creatures are attracted to Wunder. When Ezra was banished from Nevermoor, there were no longer any Wundersmiths in there, and so WunSoc had to step up and find a way to cover for him. Meanwhile, Ezra, who still loves Nevermoor, establishes Squall Industries, partially to improve conditions in the Republic and partially to provide a bigger, brighter beacon of wunder to attract the majority of the dangerous creatures to a place where he could still handle them. In this same thought, the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow werent something he created, but a group of these dangerous creatures that he managed to tame.

On the same subject are the other cursed children, those who, gather wunder but are unfortunately dont have the gift to control it. The creatures of the darkness, who chase wunder, hunt down these children to take the wunderous energy from them, which they dont survive. Ezra does his best in this situation, but one man can only do so much, and the creatures are relentless.

When he first discovers Morrigan, he's not exactly sure what to do. He tries to just get her as an apprentice through the usual means in the republic, but after a certain mad ginger got in the way he sent the Hunt after her, himself being busy trying to help the other cursed children, but we all know that that attempt didnt work. Ezra, knowing about the wunder critical-mass gather-too-much-without-using-it-makes-bad-things-happen thing, so he used the gossamer to get back into Nevermoor.

Having to enter and view Nevermoor again, even though not physically, took a bit of a toll on him, plus having to interact with someone new while being himself, which is not something he's had to do in a long time. He's also never, had to teach anyone before.

From there, I imagine he goes from frustrated and angry, to irritated but starting to get attached to Mog, to actually being a genuinely good teacher (aka the floof you saw in my drawing, who doesnt sleep nearly enough but still tries his best to be a good person), who is Tired™ and also just as chaotic as Jupiter when he wants to be.

Thank you for listening to my ramble- I can happily expand on anything if anyone happens to like this train of thought. I have further specifics on, basically everything, but this is a solid overview.

[theslay3d]

Piper McLean x reader where reader breaks up with her because of her internalised misogyny

Piper McLean x Any camper!reader

Gender: Gender neutral kind of will change if someone thinks otherwise

Warnings: Misogyny

Word Count: 749

A/N lowkey i think the reason piper may have felt that way is because of her mom leaving and not just Rick not portraying her that way. please dont get mad at this.

You and Piper were dating. It was great at first. After you Leo, Piper and Jason all got to camp is when you started to notice something about her.

First it was just little comments surrounding the Aphrodite cabin which could be played off that it was all new to her. Over the course of the whole quest you kept hearing her make those little comments like that. 

Of course that's when you started to pay attention to how she worded things and what she said.  It was hard to figure out if what she was saying was wrong as the way she worded it made it hard to tell. You did start to correct her and call her out when she said anything misogynistic which just ended up in fights of her denying it. 

That's when the comments really started to bug you. She started to say them about you and herself. She would say stuff like “I don't know why you care so much about makeup” when you would put some on. Which was hard to tell what she meant until the comments started to get bigger about things.

Like when you would finally get a moment of peace to watch a movie or tv show you always paid attention to what she said about the women on there. 

After a while what she said really started to make you insecure. You felt like you couldn't like anything feminine without her nitpicking it. 

That's when you had enough. You tried to point it out, you didn't let her get away with the comments, you tried your best to show her how wrong what she was saying is yet she denied it. So that night you were gonna break up even though you did love her. What she was saying wasn't right and was harmful to you and others. 

You were nervous. It was getting closer to the time you invited Piper to the dock to talk to her aka break up with her. You hoped that this wouldn’t end up in a huge fight which would leave your friends feeling very awkward and ultimately hurt you and Piper. 

You truly did not want to hurt her. You know she's been through a lot but you were also a person in this relationship who had feelings. 

You turned your head to the clock you had in your cabin and saw it was time. You walked out and started walking towards the dock. You were surprised to see Piper there already with her back facing you and her feet over the ledge. 

You sat down next to her with a little more distance than you usually would and started out at the lake. It was silent until she Piper said “I think i know what this is about” 

You turned your head to look at her. Her eyes were narrowed from the wind and a few pieces of hair that came loose from her braid were hitting her face. She looked gorgeous yet she had this knowing and sad glint in her eyes. “What do you think it's about?” You asked, turning your head back towards the lake.

“Your breaking up with me over those stupid jokes i made” She phrased it like a statement as if her blade had showed her it which maybe it did.

“Jokes?” you laughed a little as you said it. Did she truthfully think it was just jokes? 

“They weren't just jokes Piper you were being mean even others noticed it” 

She rolled her eyes. “They were jokes Y/N stop being a girl and overreacting”

“Gods Piper what you just said is exactly why i'm breaking up with you” You lifted your hands to rub your face “You're hurting me Piper. Emotionally you are harming me and my mental health so yes thats why im breaking up with you”

“Fine Y/N whatever you say we’re done i guess” 

You sighed and got up. “I don't want to fight with you Piper. I do love you but not enough to harm my mental health for you so goodbye i hope one day you realize what you're saying” You turned and started to walk back to your cabin. 

Piper watched as you walked away. She loved you too but didn't think anything was wrong with what she was saying. She looked out towards the lake and bit her lip trying to stay silent as she started crying. 

Maybe one day she would change. 

[sanstropfremir]

I absolutely LOVED reading your kingdom review. You gave me such an insight in things I never even considered, especially since our rankings are so different from each other. The Boyz was my favorite, the narrative was about RTK. How they felt bad for having to compete against their friends but eventually the groups only lifted each other up and it helped TBZ grow into the group they are now through the hardships and mental dilemma, falling into the next challenge right after they reached the top. It should have been more obvious though, I agree, it wasn't really visible for anyone who didn't know. I was wondering how you felt about the dancing in general? my reason for not ranking BTOB high was lack of choreo (and Peniel's verse), same goes for SF9. Mostly because I don't feel the hype when watching, it doesn't keep my focus on the stage. As a baby-performer myself, my goal is to make the viewer curious about what's next. is that the wrong way to look at it? that's what I've always been told, building the tension up and down to create focus. would love to hear your feedback on that! thank you so much for sharing, we need more reviews of people who actually know what they're talking about.

i'm glad that you got some insight from it! like i answered in the previous ask im here to hopefully bring some more depth and understanding for people that care and are curious!

you unintentionally proved my point about tbz’s performance: that is way too complicated! even the most talented solo dancers i can think of would have trouble distilling that down to something readable in 100 seconds, much less a group of like, a dozen people! the introductory stages are meant to show us the character of the group and their abilities in the most concise way possible, it's not the stage to do deep philosophical and emotional introspection. for a full stage? absolutely, go hog wild! but for this stage it was too ambitious and ultimately was ineffective to anyone that isn't a fan of them specifically. 

by dancing in general do you mean like, every group? i put most of my opinions on the dancing where i had them in each of the individual rankings but honestly? unless there is something that really stands out positively or negatively, a lot of ‘average’ kpop dance looks the same to me. i know it’s not, obviously, and if pressed i probably could do a more serious breakdown, but dance is only one element of performance. it has equal weight with all the others in my mind, and therefore i notice when it is either 

very good

does something unique

very bad, or

interferes with another element

which is the same as how i evaluate every element, if that makes sense. 

hmmmm. i thought about this a lot in the shower and turns out i had more opinions that i expected so i'll put them under a cut.

firstly, i don't think lack of choreo should be penalized or considered an ‘incomplete’ performance. at the end of the day, these are bands, and a part of their brand/product they sell is the music. complex choreo does not need to be attached to that to make it a successful performance. also, btob did have choreo. any movement on stage is technically choreography. but this terminology can cause confusion so usually non-dance choreo is referred to as ‘blocking.’ but they also did include the song’s original point choreo at 1.41. the blocking in their performance was well thought out and suited the arrangement, by placing spatial emphasis on each part of the song that needed it. obviously it comes down to personal taste if the performance is ultimately ‘successful,’ because all art is subjective, but just because something isn't as visually complex as something else doesn’t mean it doesn't have the same level of thought. think of it like this: one is a super clean-lined post-post-modern grey/white living room, and the other is a kitsch goth basement. both share interior design principles and have obvious care put into the space, but they are vastly different styles that appeal to different tastes.

part of the job of production designer/AD is to decide what gets emphasis. a question you're always asking yourself is ‘is this important to the story that we’re trying to tell?’ and btob/their AD made a very smart choice with their introductory stage because it says a lot about them and their abilities in a short amount of time. that stage said ‘our foundation is strong, we have the training and experience and confidence to be up here and not rely on visual tricks.’ because they know they physically cannot do the things the 4th gen groups can; they're a decade older and they only have four members, it's just not feasible. something you learn with experience is the power that specific and pointed emphasis holds, which segues into my answer to your last question. i don't necessarily think that ‘building hype’ is the wrong way to perform something, but i do think it is a flawed way to approach creating a performance.

i think that ‘hype’ is flawed concept at its core, and one that focuses on the idea that there’s always being something more, something next, beyond the work itself. now there’s nothing wrong with playing with tension within the internal structure of a piece, that's exactly how constructing a narrative happens. however, the flaws come once we extrapolate beyond the boundaries of that individual work. the idea of ‘whats next’ implies that you have to constantly be promoting, have a sequel coming, building hype etc so people will keep engaged with your work. which is deeply capitalistic in nature and operates on the assumption that art exists purely as a product to be sold. and in order to keep selling you need to keep making a bigger and better and more spectacular product. and this is not the case at all. marketability is not the essence of art, it merely a factor of creating it under this insufferable system. kpop in particular suffers from this because the industry is specifically fabricated to produce capitol. we can have discussions all day about idols and their artistic integrity but at the end of that day, they are all cogs working with a system that was specifically made up by essentially one person to be culturally exported and to just print buckets of money. so in following that train of thought, there is a constant attitude of bigger and better because shock value (whether positive or negative) gets social media attention and therefore it sells. and it has become exponentially easier (and also seemingly required) to make things that are bigger and better than ever before. i remember being blown away by the projection floor at the sochi 2014 olympics because something of that scale and complexity would never have been possible without literally having the funding of the olympics. now that technology is easily accessible to anyone with an amazon account and the time to learn how isadora works. in comparison, it took 2400 YEARS for just the job of a ‘theatre designer’ to be even become a job at all.

because of kpop’s fan culture it is especially prone to ‘hype’ behaviour. in general with the accessibility of the internet and social media, everything has turned into a competition, and who can generate the most buzz ‘wins’. but ultimately that has taken away the general public’s ability to recognize that you can enjoy something quietly and you can enjoy something slowly. that the enjoyment of something doesn’t need to be all exclamation marks and keysmashes and trending hashtags on twitter. there is value in a work engaging in an emotion within you that is not just excitement. most of the artists and companies that i consume the work of i don’t do so because their work makes me excited, i do so because i liked the experience of engaging with that work. several years ago i saw the eternal tides by legend lin dance theatre, which you can watch a really short clip of here. that is not slow motion, that is actually how slow the dancers are moving. and 90% of the show is performed like that. and its two hours long. and it was one of the most incredible performances i've ever seen. if i ever get the chance I will go see another one of their shows again, not because i care about how they can top that experience i had, but because i know they can produce that experience, and that is enough to make me want to seek them out again. the speed of the internet has also loosened the general public’s understanding of just exactly how long creating a performance work can take. the lead dancer in the eternal tides was with the company for eight years before she and the piece were ready enough to be performed. large scale operas, musicals, and plays often have a year or more of pre-production before they even get to rehearsal. smaller theatre companies workshop new pieces for years at a time. performance is hard and it takes time. you can eliminate some of that with sheer amounts of money and people, which is what the kpop industry has done, but it speeds up the cycle of consumption to a degree that is not sustainable, especially for companies and creators who do not have that kind of access. performers and performance makers often don't put enough trust in their audiences. if they like what they see, they will come back. they dont need to be constantly bombarded with content at all times.

now that i’ve said a bit about why i think hype is a flawed concept, let's bring it back to kingdom. sf9 did something very interesting with their stage in that they actively chose to limit their dance time. and this plays very well off the performance film stage that taeyang did a couple of weeks ago. taeyang is talented and confident (for good reason), and his solo was incredible. but when it came to the intro stage, instead of trying to one-up the solo stage, the group instead said ‘well people are going to be looking at us because taeyang is insanely talented, so let's show them that we ALL have the confidence and the attitude to be up here.’ no need for flashy theatrics, they had the foresight to do something that would make them stand out from the rest of the groups. even if i was just casually watching the stages without doing any analysis on them (like i did for rtk), i would still be able to distinguish them because they had the stones to stand around for half their stage time. now i recognize them and would like to see what else they can do. same principle as what btob and also what ikon did. there is a fine line between anticipation and hype that gets equated in media consumption nowadays, but the two are not the same.

i think the tldr on this is that you dont need to ‘build hype’ or ‘go all out’ to make an interesting work. just focus on telling the narrative that you want to tell, and the people that recognize that will come. i could have a lot more things to say about peoples shrinking attention spans and the constant stream of information that we consume on a daily basis that devalues the labour done by artists in the eyes of the public and promotes hustle culture that is burning out and damaging creators at a rate that is both exponential and frightening, but that’s probably for another time, because this is SO LONG

[kingofthewilderwest]

it kinda bugs me how they cant make httyd3 longer just so they can emphasize the story in a deeper meaning, like your post abt it being disproportionate. httyd3 had a LOT more plot than httyd2 and we can already see how it has to cramp so much and why that makes D2's pace felt pretty fast. the structure of the story is actually well planned.. perfect, to be exact! but the execution like putting pauses, necessary humor, longer dialogue, is whats needed to make it um, understandable? im not sure..

this isnt meant to judge the movie as bad though! but its a question ive been asking why they cant do it longer, for that sake. is it the budget? was Dean really certain the script is okay? or is it meant to be like this so people can interpret the movie their way? (oof that one is confusing).. i dont know, i want to ask about your thoughts on that >

From this.

It’s an interesting conversation for sure! I believe that THW doesn’t have to be longer to be extremely successful in the ideas it needs to convey! The core ideas being:

Toothless cannot be a wild dragon and strong alpha leader with humans. Other dragons probably deserve the respect of needing wild dragon needs, too.

Humans like Grimmel are extremely dangerous to dragons and will continue to arise, so dragons need to go to an area separate from humans to live in optimal peace.

Hiccup and Toothless’ powerful friendship will separate (insofar as physical location) due to the first two points

I know you’re not the only person I’ve talked to who wanted a longer time because you feel like certain elements were cramped, needed more breathing room, or that dangerous plot points didn’t get enough sense of weight. More time would presumably give that flow and sense of scale and danger. Now, it’s true that more time would give us more content to develop these things. That said, I believe solutions aren’t always “add more.” Creating good art isn’t about adding new things; it’s about knowing when to take away or alter, and how to make every second of your creation count optimally.

I remember when I was doing my music composition degree, my instructors hammered into me what would make a good final piece: the editing process of deleting measures - even measures that were really good! - because they didn’t fit what the final product needed. It’s painful to delete, but ultimately, it’s freeing; instead of making a music piece more cluttered to put all possible good ideas in, I can make it less cluttered, more manageable, more beautiful, more meaningful, and more effective to audiences. A better overall piece isn’t putting in every good idea I have; it’s leaving the piece with the beautiful ideas it needs.

I suggest The Hidden World doesn’t need added materials so much as it needs refining what’s already there.

Budget, production green lighting, and carefulness to the script all seem to have been done. HTTYD 3 was given a longer production time than originally planned. They pushed back the date exactly so they could make their best product. Interviews with people like DeBlois and Spielberg (who read several definitions of the script) talk about how much the script was transformed and bettered through its drafts. They did enough tweaking and care to rework the script. As for budget, the movie was 129 million USD, which sure was the cheapest of the HTTYD trilogy to create, but it’s about on par with what DreamWorks has spent on other movies like Home and Trolls - it’s not like there was skimping - and it’s all about making your money count, which I think this glorious, top notch animation quality film effectively did. So from what I’ve heard, I think production ran fine and we can’t question THW there.

I think most of THW’s problems can be solved simply by tweaking how scenes go down, taking a few small elements out, and adding a few small elements in. It doesn’t need time changes; it needs internal modifications to what’s already there. What I propose wouldn’t change much of the movie’s length - though maybe I we could add 5-8 minutes for things like a longer climax.

1. To Feel Less “Cluttered” or “Rushed”

The movie didn’t feel rushed to me or too cluttered, but it’s cluttered. You’re right. In addition to creating less clutter, my suggested tweaks will clear up time THW can spend elsewhere, streamline THW into fewer palatable essential ideas, and give a slight tone makeover that will add more sense of danger and conflict that THW needs.

Fewer humor side gags with minor characters (and less time spent on them). The gang’s antics are fun additions, yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re central to what the plot needs. Spending too much time with them adds clutter and takes away from plot-central, tone-central material. There’s a huge gaggle of gags in THW, more than any movie needs in a less-than-two-hour-long run time. Do we need all these to give THW its comic relief? Don’t get me wrong - I loved the humor - but time needs to be prioritized, and the movie will be improved once “less is more.”

Less time with Tuffnut’s pep talks. This goes with my first point. This comedic gag was lengthy in particular. It’s in part because it connects to the idea of Hiccstrid marrying, which THW does make more central in its themes. However, I also propose:

Spend less time (or delete) the will-they won’t-they marry Hiccstrid plot. THW intends to parallel Hiccup and Toothless maturing into adulthood, including their romantic connections. However, a will-they won’t-they marry subplot in Hiccstrid isn’t needed to create that parallel. Not to mention: it can be uncomfortable to have this undertone of romance as “required” adulthood maturation, and the fact that Hiccstrid are so close and intimate makes it feel “off” that they’re so uncomfortable talking about marriage. Spend less time here, simply make fans aware they’re going to marry in the future but not today, and return to the main relationships THW needs to pay attention to: that of Hicctooth and Nightlight. 

2. To Make Grimmel a Greater Sense of Threat

One of the central points is that Grimmel is extremely dangerous and represents one of many humans that’ll continue to be a threat to dragons. While Grimmel can be overcome, Hiccup will need to interact with Grimmel in such a way he can understand that dragons and humans cannot coexist in today’s civilization without continuing to risk danger, and that it’s best for everyone to live happily in two separate civilizations. It’s not being defeated by the enemy’s oppression, but taking a brilliant countermeasure to give humans and dragons both a better existence.

Making Grimmel feel like a greater sense of threat, and helping audience members understand what Grimmel represents overarchingly of humanity’s current antagonistic state, will help us and Hiccup process why a separation is best. This can be done by:

Show Grimmel’s impact on human society. All we’d have to do is change what his base looks like: it could be located in an area taken over from another human civilization, showing his army’s power and place in this world over humans.

Greater weight placed on Berk’s exodus. The Hooligans lost their home, but it’s played too lightly. It’s not written optimally as an emotionally impacting or destabilizing moment, which decreases the sense of threat Grimmel has. Instead of having the Hooligans excited to find New Berk, show them grieving. They can butt against Hiccup’s ideas of finding the Hidden World, but instead in a way where they’re frustrated at his naive solution and hurt at what they left behind. This isn’t adding time to THW; this is tweaking phraseology and presenting an event differently.

Change how Berk is abandoned. To make the attack feel more dire, threatening, either: 1. Have the Hooligans more reluctant and grumpy to leave in the town meeting, and not play the leaving scene so lightly, or 2. Have Grimmel chase them out of Berk so they have to flee then and there. This might even reduce time! 

Show Grimmel’s power over dragons. We could have a few-second-long flashback of him standing over a field of dead Night Fury bodies, or have his place cloaked in dragon skins or skulls. 

Show Grimmel’s power as a warlord. Grimmel acts in almost a solo fashion, despite cooperating with warlords and having an army. It doesn’t give us a good sense of scale. Show his interactions better with the whole of his forces to make him feel more dangerous, and for humanity as a whole to feel more like a threat against dragons. For example, in the scenes where he’s trying to trap the dragon riders, show him commanding more people.

Show Grimmel’s impact on the dragon (and/or human worlds) through landscape. What if, as the Hairy Hooligans try to find a new place to stay, they fly over several islands that have been destroyed by Grimmel’s forces? Either human civilizations, or homes once havens to dragons, with characters making comment they “hope” people got away. And what if, when Grimmel takes their dragons near the end of THW, it’s again through more violence and a raid and fire and destruction? 

Conversations more clearly talk about Grimmel’s dangers over dragons and humans, and how he’s one of many people that’ll arise. This idea is embedded in THW dialogue, but not clearly enough to fully grasp its weight, especially not in the sense we see characters grasp this. Have Hiccup and Astrid and Valka or something talk about how widely destructive Grimmel is, how even once he’s gone another man like him will take his place, and that while they may continue to fight and win for human and dragonkind, it’s ultimately not the right move to make for everyone to live safest and alive. A conversation laying this out makes a world of difference in our understanding of what dangers are going down and why we need to come to the solution THW concludes with. Again, this isn’t adding time; it’s changing phraseology. 

Add a few minutes to the climax. Make the final fight with Grimmel obviously the final fight, the threat bigger, the action more intense.

Perhaps show that Berk’s done good work changing the world by their choices. Even though Berk ultimately decides to let the dragons go, they are meant to be the voice of peace that changes their world. The good guys can’t resign to letting themselves live under the thumb of bad guys’ choices. Show that they’ve made a difference - Grimmel and his armies are gone and the world is regrowing (no more torched landscape, if we add that element in) - but that it’s still going to help their world by letting dragons go, too… for this generation, at least.

3. To Make Hiccup and Toothless’ Parting Jive Better

Hiccup and Toothless separate out of need - they can’t live in the same place for the better of both their kinds. However, since the movie spends so much time on Toothless chasing after the Light Fury, we don’t get that full sense of need. I propose:

Open THW with a clear Hicctooth sappy bonding moment. We need things like “Forbidden Friendship” and “Where No One Goes” to feel the power of Hicctooth’s love. Give us that starting sense in THW of how close they are before adding in the complications. It can even be done by tweaking how the opening fight scene goes down.

Show dragons profiting by living with humans, but it also being Complicated with their wild side. We need to acknowledge that the relationship between humans and dragons has done the dragons good, too! Otherwise it might feel incongruous with the rest of the franchise.

Show dragons being unfit in the urban area through their own restlessness. The movie tries to show this with Moosie Boi being too big for Berk, and Berk being so crowded with dragons Gobber finds the soup unsanitary. But if we see Stormfly restless and want to leave for the Hidden World, too, wouldn’t this say something more about where dragons are pulled to and belong?

Less time spent on Toothless investigating the Night Fury. You can’t cut this down too much or we’ll feel like rushing, but since THW focuses so much on just Toothless and the Light Fury’s connection rather than an overarching problem for dragons, it’s hard to feel the full-scale issues of the problem. Making it just him and her feels more like a hook up love story than “dragons and humans are incompatible for their needs.”

Change Toothless’ body language. Show more emotional division in Toothless about his conflicting options. Show him hesitant to leave Hiccup and the two interact over that. Show him lonely away from his kind when with Hooligans. Show him feeling that loneliness met - that deep emotional need of being with his own species - when he’d thought was lost to him (rather than focusing on it being a romantic hookup interest). This doesn’t take more time; it tweaks what was already given on screen.

Change Toothless’ emotions with the Light Fury to feel more like loneliness being met than horny boi practicing kissing with a rock. This does a better job of showing that Toothless has a deep need that needs to be met as a wild animal and as a social draconic species.

Change conversations Hiccup has with humans about Toothless’ struggle. Maybe have Hiccup processing less with people and more by himself or with Toothless. Don’t write the conversations with people be about “Toothless has a girlfriend” and “of course he left.” Discuss instead how Night Furies are social creatures and Toothless hasn’t been with his kind in six years - that’s a huge hole in his heart being filled. Validate the deep connection Hiccup and Toothless have, while simultaneously acknowledging the struggle of this moment now. The movie shows that the Light Fury can never be domesticated, so I think that’s fine, but maybe one line from Astrid saying, “I don’t think she’ll come to live with us,” would be enough to help other audience members pick that up too.

More time spent on all dragons being in danger, and Toothless as an alpha unable to protect them with Hairy Hooligans. The story doesn’t show Toothless being much of an alpha - intentional - until he reaches the Hidden World and it clicks. But I suggest it’d be more effective to pull this out more than having an issue with Moose Boi taking up too much space in Berk, and Berk being so crowded Gobber has a dragon in his soup.

Put more of a deal on Toothless being an alpha. You can say that Toothless didn’t understand or use his role as alpha when with humans, but I think showing more sense of conflict, and of an alpha needing to be wild to protect his own, would be useful. Make this an issue for all dragons. The alpha status being used as a blackmail device against Toothless to keep the Light Fury alive could be replaced with us seeing the full species of dragonkind being unable to be protected by an alpha apart from his own people. More needs to be done than dragons bowing to him in one scene to understand what the alpha does for his society.

Show Toothless with more Light Furies. The Light Fury being his singular focus is great. But what about, in the Hidden World, Hiccup and Astrid watch Toothless interacting with a whole group of Night Furies, and he’s clearly in a situation that was Made For Him?

THW already has great content in there - Toothless and the Light Fury interacting, Hiccup crying when he realizes Toothless is fit in the Hidden World, Hiccup freaking out and Astrid comforting him when he feels a low, and Hiccup and Toothless parting ways touchingly at the end.

With these proposed tweaks, we get Toothless and Hiccup’s relationship being addressed deeply from the angle of both friends. We understand what both Toothless and Hiccup emotionally feel, and palatably sense how both love the other. We get a sense that Toothless is attracted to the Light Fury and might want to mate, but that she’s also calling him into a wild life and reminding him that he’s been alone, separated from his kind. We get a sense that it’s not just Toothless, but all dragons who might be called back to the Hidden World. We get a sense that it’s not just Toothless, but his whole role as alpha affecting the entirety of dragonkind.

And once we add in a greater sense of Grimmel being dangerous, and that more humans like him will continue to rise up, we can understand why Berk would release all their dragons. It’s not that dragons hate living with humans - THW can make that clear - and it’s not that dragons haven’t been profited by living with humans. But in the current call, the current situation, it’s best to go to the Hidden World.

I’m mostly tweaking how scenes go down, changing lines and reactions rather than adding material. Feel free to propose a longer movie! For me, THW already has enough space to share its message. Maybe it needed to be a few minutes longer, but I suppose my own sense is that they had enough time to budget in this material, make a smooth-flowing movie with all the material they needed to present, and come away with an astounding storyline.

Like you, this isn’t meant to judge the movie as bad! It isn’t bad! It’s downright wonderful in many aspects. I’m so happy I’ve seen it and can scream over it! Simply, if I were in charge of tweaking the script, these are the first alterations I’d make, and I think it would make THW even better.

[bettsfic]

So i used to be really into kylux and i lived for the fics and i saw tbat u touched on kylix changing in an ask. Can u elaborate on what exactly changed bc i feel the same way and it's why i dont like it much anymore, but im not sure whay exactly changed. Like i still open ao3 sometimes but nothing ever catches me like it used to /////-:

here’s what happens in a lot of fandoms: immediately post-canon, the trendsetting writers flock to it and write a lot of really good fic and build a community. trendsetting writers don’t care about traffic or trends – they see something that has potential and write a fic. these writers tend to be exceptionally gifted, and write some really amazing, boundary-pushing, foundation-laying stuff. 

i have tried being a trendsetting writer. i am not. i’m a bandwagon writer, where i see that a fandom is getting some good energy and i join in because i’m looking for friends and community and good fic to read. eventually when i read enough good fic, i want to contribute so i feel part of something bigger.

with trendsetters and bandwagons on board, the writer:reader ratio is still large. there are a great many readers for every writer. longform wips pop up, modern aus. the trope list gets filled out. more people join the fandom, but not too many people. at this stage, you could feasibly still read all the fic and know all the authors. this is the golden age. this is when fandom is the most fun. it doesn’t seem to last long.

then the fandom gets too big, and fandom police decide to start enforcing Laws of Fandom. you can’t write this, this, or this, and if you do, you will get chased out of town. in the case of kylux, it started with a handful of people who monitored and resented the “BNFs” of kylux fandom (an acronym i despise) and started vagueblogging about them/making up rumors/speculating wildly. screencaps were made, receipts pulled. it was ugly, immature, and annoying, but ultimately not something to worry about. these people didn’t have large followings and had no social sway. they could talk their shit and nothing would come of it. 

but then the Harbinger of the Pure arrives. this always seems to be a content creator with a significant following who can bring more purity minions to the fandom, or sway people to the pure, and most importantly, make all the trendsetting writers go “this isn’t fun anymore” and they take their good ideas and creativity and quality and book it to a fandom that won’t make them feel shitty about themselves or send them death threats. the Harbinger has power in following. not only can they send a mob, but they could feasibly dox or otherwise really hurt a writer for not abiding by the Laws. it’s really scary shit, when a purity officer with social influence joins a fandom. 

what’s left are vultures feeding on pristine white bones of the fandom that used to be, a few handfuls of writers who have managed to completely avoid the discourse/made communities of their own, and a couple gems who genuinely do not give a fuck. at this point, the fics being written are mostly just boring ghosts of what everyone has already read, where no one is ~problematic and characters have vanilla sex with one-two-three finger prep and plenty of lube. the reader:writer ratio has tipped so that there are more writers than readers, so no one is getting any comments or traffic, and everyone is bored.

from here, the only savior is new canon content. in kylux, episode IX may bring a few trendsetting or bandwagon writers back, but after that, i think it’ll die for real. 

the point is, fandom gets stale when no one is taking any risks, and no one can take risks when social censorship is invoked. i think the tide is changing a bit, though, in terms of being able to congregate privately on discord servers, which allows communities to stay separate. it’s easy to pick off lone writers. it’s hard to take down an entire community of us. 

this doesn’t happen in juggernaut ships obvs, just medium-level ships. and ultimately, all ships die regardless, this is just the pattern i’ve noticed in trashier ships. ultimately, new canon content always = new fanon content, regardless of purity discourse. but without new content, a great many ships die out, because the trendsetters have nothing to inspire them.

in t100, the Harbinger stepped down (because i think she grew up a little? anyway she was before my time), and now the only purity police left are 14 to 21 year olds with 200 followers each who vaguepost a lot and ultimately stay in their lanes, except for the occasional shitty anon. it’s tolerable, unlike in the kylux fandom where the Harbinger is still going strong and stupid. 

tldr purity is a cancer to fandom

[tumblunni]

I had a really weird dream last night where it started off as some unrelated nightmare and then as soon as it got scary dr maddiman appeared and now it was all about him? Uhh, thanks madds! I wish i could learn how to do that on purpose, being able to summon your fave charries to save you from depression would be awesome!

The nightmare part was really damn weird, it was just my fear that if someone asks me to hold a baby i would mess up and drop it. So in this nightmare i did, and somehow its entire head splattered open like a jar of ravioli sauce IT WAS SO FUCKIN SCARY! and i was desperately running around the whole town asking anyone to call an ambulance but for some illogical reason they all said no, even though the mother was crying desperately over the baby clinging barely to the last shreds of life. IT WAS REALLY TENSE AND DISTURBING!! LIKE A WHOLE FUCKIN EYEBALL FELL OUT OF THE BABY’S HEAD how in the fuck even, it only fell like 30 centimetres onto some grass GAHHH im probably never gonna be able to hold a baby ever again.

So yeh I’m 90% sure that TRULY HORRIFIC nightmare was caused by the lack of sleep and general stress ive had over the last few weeks due to imminant moving house. BUT THANKFULLY SOMEHOW YOKAI WATCH SAVED ME

seriously it was so weird, one second i was in the whole scaryness and then suddenly it was the “nursing home for elderly yokai” and all previous plot was forgotten in favour of cute madds time. thank you whatever part of my subconcious is constantly occupied by my current viddygame obsession at all times!

the plot was apparantly that dr maddiman got sent to a nursing home against his will, and he was like ‘hello excuse me i know my family would not abandon me like i abandoned them, you are absolutely lying that they just dont want to visit me ALSO IM NOT EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO BE HERE’ (cos well he’s an old dad but in yokai years he’s practically a newborn, right?) So his quest was to figure out how to escape this place and get back to his son, he was SUPER PANICKED that clifford would think he’d just abandoned him again. like this seemed to take place directly after some hypothetical yokai watch 4 quest where they actually reunite and started living together again, cos madds was having flashbacks to cliff hugging the turtle yokai and being all ‘im so happy i have little brothers’. But then literally the next day after that happy ending, madds just woke up trapped in this weird supernatural prison claiming to be a nursing home, so HEY YO WTF IS GOIN ON?

And the style of this dungeon was REALLY COOL! it was totally like a prison with nursing home themed decorations and stuff, and a bunch of comedic prison warden/nurse monsters who were SUPER BUFF and kept yelling stuff like ‘TIME FOR BINGO NIGHT’ *shoots giant bingo chips as weapons* or ‘TIME FOR A SPONGE BATH’ *bonks you with a sponge for 1 damage* *BONKS YOU WITH AN ENTIRE BATH FOR 999 DAMAGE* The biggest challenge however was gaslighting? like, every one of these clearly yokai nurses was all ‘oh everything is perfectly fine this is just a normal nursing home and you are totally human man’. So the gimmick for the dungeon was that all of madds’s powers were limited to only stuff he could do as a human, yet at the same time he still kept his yokai appearance and weaknesses like the big frankenheart. So it was an excuse for the gameplay to be similar to the main yokai watch series, you’d ‘catch’ other yokai to help fight for you. Madds had to find other patients trapped here and pull them out of the illusions to add more people to his party. And he was also kinda really damn badass?? Still fought with throwing his scalpels and making evil potions and stuff even though all his magic was sealed. Like “dude my ultimate move was already one of my inventions rather than an actual spell, youre really underestimating me.” And of course he had to get REAL SERIOUS because the love of his son was at stake!!!!!! But he was still the same funny doctor, there were a few good scenes of him struggling to get past physics based puzzles (it was like distortion world but with sofas?) cos he’s so short and fat. And i think one of the other old dads he could add to his party was that square journalist demon guy that ive seen in some fanart but i dunno what his name is? I recall he was sassing like “i thought fat dudes in overalls were supposed to be good at jumping”, and teasing madds by taking photos of him falling off stuff and threatening to post an article of his top 10 fails. But I also got the sense that it wasnt really cruelty but just an attempt to piss madds off so he wouldnt give up? like ‘nyaah nyahh come get me i’m up here’ and then he’d actually grab his hand and help him up if he reached him. Like he was actually very grateful to madds for saving him, cos he’d come to investigate the story of the evil nursing home and got trapped instead. But he was too tsundere to admit his gratefulness so he was just saying he hated him while also being super loyal and helping him fight? I dunno man this dream just randomly gave me the idea that they would be good quarrelsome yet cuddly friends!

Anyway, i couldnt recall all of the adventure after i woke up, but i think the ending was a boss fight against a clone of Hans Full? the villain behind the evil nursing home turned out to be dr nogut, who in my headcanons is maddiman’s dad so it was like an ironic punishment ‘you abandoned me so i’ll trap you in an illusion of your kids abandoning you’. ‘no dad i ran away cos you were an abusive prick, and it was your own damn fault you died in unrelated circumstances. ALSO YOU MISSED THE MEMO I ALREADY HAD FAMILY ABANDONMENT PLOTS’ (I think a way madds knew this was all an illusion is cos the details the nurses told him were missing everything that happened? Like ‘oh yes your family totally love you and nothing is wrong’, cos evil gramps just assumed his son had run off and had a perfectly perfect life that he was jealous of)

Anyway, nogut had made a bootleg knockoff of hans full and was like SEE HOW YOU FARE AGAINST YOUR OWN ULTIMATE CREATION (EXCEPT BETTER COS I MADE IT) And madds had some sort of badass one liner like ‘he wasnt just a weapon to me, he’s my son’. And him and his army of good dads managed to defeat Second Hans without killing it, to prove a point to jerkass dad about what true dadness is. It was a really bizzare way of winning, though! He suddenly broke the fourth wall and said “if i run far enough out of the loading area then the chasing AI will stop”, then blasted a hole in the wall and just set off running into the void of untextured scenery. i guess that could kinda work in-universe too, considering that this was an illusion dungeon? like maybe illusions just work that way, lol. So nogut’s big boss monster just was unable to move beyond the limits of the dungeon walls, but nogut himself was real so he could keep following them. Madds had to fuckin run a mile a minute to dodge flying knives from this dude, but pissing him off was exactly what he wanted! They ran so far into the void that nogut’s illusion dungeon ‘despawned’, and they were just stuck here. Like ‘if you want to get out, you have to uncast the spell and let all of us out!’ So he did, and then everyone was able to beat him up with their full powers and also madds’s son and all of his friends busted in thru the window halfway thru and joined in, it was basically maximum catharsis time! Also it turned out he was only using illusions to make his bootleg hans look bigger and tougher than the real thing, it was actually a pocket size wimpy version cos he sucks. So as well as rescuing madds they also adopted Second Hans and everything was super cute and even more family than before~!

so yeh a very good anti anxiety dream right after an anxiety dream, lol

[gronjon44]

Welp... here we go...

If you dont want spoilers then I recommend you skip this entire post because I do not respect this film at all to not talk about the shit that happens in this film.

⚠️AFTER THIS LINE ITS ALL SPOILERS⚠️

This films wants to be an emotional gut punch but it is so... I your face about it. Emotional beats are either predictable or just... they don't hit. And the ultimate sacrifice from Bhgs at the end while sad just doesn't hit anything. And the plot of "Oh the main villain manipulates the kid to go against his dad and the villain ultimately joins the rival team" is really predictable. And I know that in the end this is a film targeted to kids and thats fine. But this film felt like it was trying to be too hip and too aware (the entire joke about LeBron acting hip and the 'don't dab' comment is just not funny)

The jokes

The jokes in this film do not land for me, albeit 2 (the joke about Sylvestar grabbing Michael B Jordan instead of the actual Michael Jordan was ok and the fact Wiley Coyote was in Mad Max was really cool) ; most the jokes either fell flat or completely missed the mark (this film tried to be hip and modern with its humor and honestly it was more cringe than anything else.

Also idk if this was intentional or not, but can we stop making jokes about how companies are stealing our info and spying on us? We get it Zuckerberg is trash Facebook and other big companies are taking our personal info but seriously it does get old. Mitchell's vs the Machines was at least clever because it was about a big tech company abusing it's power. Space Jam: A New Legacy is about an A.I trying to make himself feel better cause he doesn't feel appreciated and is projecting his issues on a kid he cyberstalked for a whopping 3 minutes.

The Plot

The films Plot is predictable, short, and a around not engaging. The idea of bringing another pro basketball player to aid the Tunes in another wild game for their survival isn't the problem, it's the rest of the Plot that's the problem.

The first film had a simple enough Plot that worked really well (The Tunes have to win a basketball game against roided up aliens or they'll become Amusement Park attractions, and they need a bow retired player to hp them win) Its short and sweet and it works.

This film felt the need to overcomicate it by forcing a dramatic subplot into the fold which, can work. You can have a dramatic subplot while still being a Zany and fun film. But SJ:NL can't seem to decide which to focus on; it goes from zany and over the top one moment moment then gives you tonal whiplash when it jumps to the dramatic bits in the plot.

I genuinely think that this film would've benefited from focusing on the zaniness over the drama, since frankly that's always been the focus of the Looney Tunes

Loony Tunes: Back in Action and Space Jam 1 are two tonaly similar films but both have better comedy and each have their respective dramatic beats, though their both saved for the climax of the film.

LT:BIA and SJ1 both have they're own dramatic subplots (M.J makes the deal with Smackhammer to raise the stakes of the game and J.D has to save his father from the Chairman and his plans. The difference here is that these films, while adding a level of drama, don't let the drama overshadow what tnis film is actually about (the Looney Tunes)

SJ:NL let's the drama completely overshadow the actual Tunes and isn't really engaging (to me anyway)

Also I'd like to say that, while giving this film a video game feel was an interesting concept it just reminded me more of Pixels or The Emoni Movie (though this wasn't NEARLY as bad as the Emoji movie I'll say that)

That's something else about this film. It feels like one big advertisement for everything WB owns (much like how Emoji Movie was one big Smartphone ad) and while that isn't inherently a bad thing it can be a hinderence to the film as well (I wanted to watch the films that cameod in this film more than the actual film itself)

The Characters

Look this is the Tom and Jerry film again, we don't go to this film for LeBron and his fictional family (if some people do then that's fine) but most of us go to see the film for the Tunes and the cartoon asthetic, and there's plenty of that here. But I'd like to actually care about the human characters in this film frankly.

Let's just get this out of the way, LeBron is not a great actor. He tries his best yes but he is not a great actor in this film; he reminds me more of Vin Deisel when he acts (he has a voice yes but he doesn't act physically. It's like he's trying to have his voice match the film but his body isn't in tune with it.

Now I don't wanna hate on kid actors, they do what they can and they're kids. But listen this kid was not interesting at all, and id have rathered the film not include him (or very least make him more interesting other than the "Gosh Dad stop pushing your ways and beliefs onto me" archetype.

The Tunes are fine I have no beef with how they treated the Tunes (all for ONE detail)

The way thsi film treats the Tunes in this film bothers me on so many levels. "Send him to the Rejects" "Losers" The fact that they treat the Looney Tunes like they're some forgotten property is really unsettling to me. The Tunes have never been forgotten the notion that they ARE forgotten bothers me so much, regardless if it's a plot point for the film. The Looney Tunes are some of the most recognizable faces in ask of media, and I get this is supposed to be a "New School vs Old School" message like with the Father vs Son but my God I do not like how this protrays the Tunes.

Speaking of the rejects, let's talk about AL G Rythm.

My God this is the most uninteresting villain and his whole plan is so easy to spot from the start of the film. "Oh look at me, I have a bruised ego cause I feel unappreciated in my time and im gonna project my issues on this kid I cyberstalked while praying KING JAMES would bless me with his support." Holy shit my guy you have a bigger ego than Tony Stark and its more bruised than Bruce Wayne's back after Bane was finished. He is one of the most bland villains I've seen in awhile, and the Goon Squad is no better. The Goon Squad is nothing but cool designs and a refderence to more popular Basketball players (and yeah they're supposed to be cronies but at least make them cronies with personality; the Nerdlucks were funny, had personality, and were an integral part of the story (also the fact that they ACTUALLY HAD THE NERDLUCKS CAMEO in in film but they were rooting against the Tunes just... Ehhhhhhhhhh) And the Goon Squad was boring and didn't add anything say for AL G. stealing the kids algorithm to make his own team.

Also sidenote, them constantly calling him "King James" got really annoying really fast. Like we get you gave yourself that nickname, you're the current too NBA player rn and all that but you don't have to keep saying it my God.

Now what did I actually like about this film. Well quite a bit actually.

For starters, the animation was top notch and everything looked great. I thought the 2D models were a little odd at first (too shiny compared to the faded sleek of the original) but they grew on me. All the CGI models of the Tunes looked really great, say for Sam who just looked really weird to me (probably cause he loses his hat by the end and a CGI Yosemeti Sam without a hat just looks strange)

The Tunes also felt exactly how they should in a Space Jam film, Bugs especially. Yes Daffy was his usual comedic self and I like how they had him try and be the manager of the team instead of a player, and every other Tune was just as zany as usual; honestly of all the Tunes I'm genuinely impressed with how they treated Bugs (till the end)

Bugs was the most interesting to see in the film, wherein every character left Tune World except Bugs and he kinda became this Castaway parody (with his own makeshift Porky Pig dummy) and he was just really lonely and stayed true to the Looney Way and he just wants his family back. That entire subplot is the most interesting part of this film hands down; the only thing about Bugs's arc I didn't like was the end which was predictable, but i was still more invested in Bugs's arc than anyone else's.

Also when they showed the Tunes on the other WB worlds in the Warnerverse that's not the name ik but it's basically the Warnerverse the only Movie refferences that i thought were clever were Mad Max, Austin Powers, and Themyscira. And as much as it pains me to admit it the Rick and Morty Gag with Taz was probably the funniest of them, and I don't even like Rick and Morty anymore.

The Matrix was just eh, Yosemite Sam just didn't land, Game of Thrones was just not funny and I won't apologize. As far as the cameos/refferences in the end I'll say it again, I wanted to watch the movies and shows that cameod more than the film itself. I'm not gonna try to list them off but some highlights were seeing Gremlins, the Mask, every Tim Burton Batman villain/Adam West Batman, Thundercats, and Scooby Doo. Aside from that this was all just one big add for Warner Bros.

So I'm gonna try end this on a note that I know alot of people are gonna bring up or use to say shouldn't be brought up: Nostalgia.

Listen. This film has the same issue that alot of modern film reboots tend to have, which is the fact that it has to match the same hype as the film that came before it.

Now I'd like to say that this isn't gonna be a Power Point on reboots, God knows this is long enough as is, but the issue with alot of reboots is that they try to remake something that more often than not did the media justice the first time around. Robocop, Nightmare on Elm Street, Ghostbusters 2016, litterally every Disney L.A Remake. This isn't to say these films can't be good, or even surpass their predecessors. But more often than not they tend to miss the mark either just barely or drastically.

And here's the thing, this argument can also apply to sequel films that are following up an iconic film that for fhe most part is still very prominent in modern media.

Space Jam has, for better or for worse, remained one of the most iconic films every made, if not for its premise alone. And when they announced a sequel it was only inevitable that people compare it to the original because, let's face it, we want the new film to live up to the original.

We want this new shiny film to live up to the film we all knew growing up as kids and adults, seeing the Tunes on a basketball court for the first time back in the 90s. And frankly, this film did not do that for me.

This film, to me, wants to be what Space Jam already is. But it felt the need to try and thats the first step it failed; it wanted to be hip and aware and make loads of refferences to the original

This film has a similar issue to Ghostbusters:Answer the Call I think, where in it wants to stand on its own two feet, but jt cant help but constantly remind us of a much superior film. We know they've done this before you don't have to keep saying it "We need help with a basketball game Lola!" Been there! Done that!" "So you want me to help you win a high stakes basketball game? One that could very well decide both our fates? Hmmmmm where have I seen that before?"

This film is like that one kid in class who already proved he was right, and is still trying to prove he was right.

If you think this film is great and you enjoy it just as much as the original that's perfectly fine, I'm not gonna try to overshadow your opinions, I just want to share mine.

In the end, I'm gonna rate this film a solid 4/10 (and most of that 4 is the comedy and the animation and the Tunes themselves.) Can you watch this just for the Tunes? Absolutely. Can you like this film more than me? Also absolutely. Do I think this film would've been worth it if I'd have seen it in theaters? No not at all I'm glad I waited for HBO Max.

[comicteaparty]

January 21st-January 27th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from January 21st, 2019 to January 27th, 2019.  The chat focused on Helsirvente by khkddn.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Helsirvente by khkddn~! (http://helsirvente.webcomic.ws/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PST), so keep checking back for more! You have until January 27th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 3. Who do you think Helsirvente is? For that matter, what do you think Helsirvente is? Ultimately, what theories do you have on Helsirvente’s goals considering they involve a lot of murder that has specific signs on the body?

QUESTION 4. How exactly do you think the red ghost from the first arc knows Helsirvente and what does that have to do with their rage? Additionally, who was the ominous green ghost who helped save Edith?

QUESTION 5. Given its continual mentions, how might Edith’s possession in the first chapter continue to affect their future ghost hunting? Do you believe Edith is dealing with it, or are there going to be long-term emotional effects for a long time to come?

snuffysam

1. For me, it'd have to be the end of chapter 2. Figuring out Roswell's power and discovering the baby boy that he is (except not really) was just real fun.

snuffysam

2. For the main characters... I'm gonna say Edith. I like how she's the risk taker of the group (particularly when it comes to impressing Sadie). for minor characters... Trash Reaper over Jacques.

3. Helsirvente eats ghosts, according to the last couple pages

due to... hunger, i guess

Not sure what's up with the specific body signs though. Helsirvente poking metaphorical holes in their victims so that their spirits don't blow up in the proverbial microwave?(edited)

Red Ghost was probably killed by Helsirvente

though if that's the case, what's up with Helsirvente killing someone, then leaving their ghost in an abandoned spot for years? Seems like you wouldn't get a great dinner that way

khkddn

I mean we've all forgotten stuff in the microwave before, right, maybe that's what happened

Or she doesn't taste good

snuffysam

i suppose we wouldn't be able to meet both red ghost and roswell if they tasted good

or the hound

or i guess trash reaper and jacques?

khkddn

Who would have thought, a ghost going by the name of Trash, would taste bad

snuffysam

jacques probably tastes like snails

khkddn

That's what he RP's he is, but he's more like a cheeseburger(edited)

Delphina

Just caught up on the comic! Reminds me a lot of Paranatural in its subject matter and banter! XDDD

Edith is pretty decisive and definitely stands out as the most memorable protagonist to me of the four. I like that Sadie is taking a more proactive interest in the "hitting stuff with crowbars" department, though, since the guys just seem to take more passive roles of standing back and/or sassing.

Of the ghosts, Trash Ghost is definitely a very lovable kind of delusional. I also like Green Ghost. It seemed so happy about seeing people!

I think my favorite scene so far is the one where they defeat Roswell's illusions with bird puns. Can't go wrong with bird puns.

khkddn

ah thanks, paranatural was one of my inspirations for the comic hah

RebelVampire

QUESTION 6. Do you think Sadie is a murderer as her fear-induced illusion accused her of being? If so, how did it happen and who do you think the illusion entity was supposed to be?

RebelVampire

1) Any of the scenes where Edith is interacting with the red ghost whether real or illusion. THey are creepy af in the most excellent way between their visuals and pacing. And I like in general just how dangerous the situation feels whenever the red ghost is about. 2) Theo. I like the idea that their supposed ghost expert in the group is also the most cowardly. And I also how comically he tries to play off his cowardice but then at other times flat out acknowledge it. And inevitability I'm really interested in seeing his character growth and how he overcomes these things. 3) I'm gonna take the implication to be that Helsirvente is a spirit of some sort. Maybe the spirit of a serial killer who was like "Hey I can kill ever more ppl when dead cause they can't hurt me." Although I think Helsirvente is actually killing people hoping to steal ppl's ghost powers. And the more traumatic the death, the more power they get or something like that. I think this fits in well why some ghosts aren't eaten as Roswell implies Helsirvente does. That or the ghosts have to take time to marinate to be good enough to eat.

4) Red ghost I assumed was killed by Helsirvente but then Helsirvente mehed and moved on. So red ghost basically died for nothing thus her unending rage. As for the green ghost...no one good. I do not trust the green ghost at all. There's being happy to interact with people and then there's being a massive creeper about it. I would not be surprised if the green ghost turned out to be helsirvente. 5) I do not think Edith is dealing with the posession at all. I think emotionally she's trying to live in denial and move on rather than confronting how scared she was even after the fact. I think once she does come to terms shes not invulnerable, she's gonna learn to be less reckless during their adventures. 6) im gonna ballpark guess: the illusion entity was meant to be her father that she killed in self defense when he was being abusive. although even if not her dead, im sitting firm that i think she totally definitely killed him and that it was a self defense sort of situation

Delphina

Yah, I could see it being Sadie's father or older brother figure and she's got some strong trauma that's being interpreted as "I killed him" through the guilt lens. Perhaps that's why she was so excited to join Edith's ghost group in the first place.

"Maybe I can talk to him/explain things/apologize if I can see him again."

snuffysam

or maybe she was little and that guy was driving a car that swerved from hitting her

khkddn

Oh interesting theories :o

Delphina

Is "Helsirvente" supposed to be pronounced like "Hell Servant"?(edited)

khkddn

It's "hell sir ventay"

Or "hell sir vahnt" but I think I'm the only person in the world who's thought to pronounce it that way, so the other one is how the characters say it

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. The story emphasizes Roswell’s illusions can be future fears, so which fears (if any) do you think were those future fears? What do you think they predict for the story?

RebelVampire

(the archive for the chat on sunstrike and bluemist is now available~! @ShaRose49 https://comicteaparty.com/post/182287769955/january-14th-january-20th-2019-ctp-archive)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 8. Do you think when all is said and done that Mariel will come to trust Edith and company? Will Roswell get to move into the diner as well? Lastly, why was Mariel so freaked out upon learning they knew about a Helsirvente corpse?

RebelVampire

7) comically i hope its this clown http://helsirvente.webcomic.ws/comics/102/ that was a future fear. cause always gotta take the opportunities to make clowns terrifying. also mothman. cause mothman illusion was adorable. but more seriously i think the red ghost illusion thing had an aura of both. like thats a fear thatll just keep on giving cause of all the illusions that one seemed the most ominous. but either way i definitely think they arent done with getting into more ghost trouble 8) i think mariel might have been freaked out cause perhaps the corpses somehow attract helsirvente? cause that sounds like a logical reason to be terrified of them and be suspicious of anyone who might have contact with helsirvente. i dont think mariel will trust so much as just tolerate. assume that there are bigger fish to fry and that murdering human children isnt productive. so yeah, i think theyll let roswell move in. roswell can learn to dramatically roleplay and gain some confidence.

Delphina

Roswell: I'm gonna be a LARPer like the cool kids! =D Zander: Oh buddy we gotta have a talk about the cool kids...

khkddn

lol, Roswell would be a great larper

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. How do you believe the increasing danger of the ghost hunts will affect all the characters? Specifically, how might their relationship dynamics be effected?

Delphina

That's an interesting question because it feels like we already started on a pretty high note of danger/life-threatening in the first chapter. It's only really Zander and Theo's conversations with Sadie that we got any indication this level of danger in ghost hunts was atypical for them. So I wonder if Zander and Theo are going to reconsider their role in this and want to back away from all this (I don't have a strong sense of their characters/motivations at this point, so really not sure). I suspect with the possession and Edith's strong-headed nature, she's just gonna get in over her head more and more but be too stubborn to admit it because she's always felt like the one in control. Sadie is sorta in the middle because this is new to her and she doesn't have a sense of normal yet, and it seems like she might be seeking closure for the dude she "killed" in all this, so I expect that to be a further motivation for her and hope to see more details about her past as we go.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 10. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

snuffysam

the thing I'm looking forward to most is seeing these characters grow. I fell in love with all four of these idiots through the first few chapters, and now I want to see how they develop over the rest of the comic.

khkddn

they're gonna change, but still prolly be idiots unfortunately

overall it's been neat hearing what people think will happen next!

Delphina

I really like the episodic nature and how each part reveals a little more about the big secret stuff at the core. The balance of snark and horrific is also fun. I hope we see a little more about the human characters' lives, both in and outside of ghost hunting.

khkddn

im glad you like the balance of silly and scary. sometimes i think it's veering a bit too much on the silly side tbh

Delphina

Oh yeah, I get that. Specifically comparing it to Paranatural, I feel like the silliness is less... dense, which still gives room for a lot of creepy ambiance, where Paranatural feels like a comedy story first and a dramatic horror distant second.

I think also there's a difference between wisecracks/goofs (which come from the teenage humans being teenage humans) and other kinds of humor (like the Diner Ghosts), and feeling out that balance so that both don't detract from the "whoa heck murdered people" vibe is tricky.

khkddn

My main worry in that respect is a reader gets to the murder parts and is like "what? this is a violent story??? where are the goofs" haha so if there's a noticeable creepy vibe that's good

RebelVampire

9) I think for now the supposed increased danger is fine, but I think that just means it's gonna build up. THey're gonna keep trying to go back to normal, only to have to finally blow up emotionally and accept maybe what they thought was normal wasnt normal. or that normal has changed. I think this is gonna put strain on all their relationships. Everyone will be frustrated with Theo's cowardice, Edith's strong headedness, and so forth. And I think at the end its gonna make them question all their friendships but inevitably strengthen it as they learn to bond over the danger and that working together is better than being alone. 10) like Delphina, im kind of hoping to see more of their lives outside of ghost hunting. i think itll be an interesting contrast that shows how their ghost hunting adventures are kind of crazy and such. but overall i think itll just reveal interesting stuff about the charas that may add context to stuff as their ghost hunting adventures continue.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Helsirvente this week! Please also give a special thank you to khkddn for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Helsirvente, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://helsirvente.webcomic.ws/

khkddn's Twitter: https://twitter.com/khkddn

[topicprinter]

So I typed this out and it ended up being very long winded. I'm just trying to create an accurate picture of why im feeling absolutely stuck. Tldr is I put it all on black after feeling the game was rigged and it turns out there wasnt ever any black.I had a sense this was coming, but the power got shut off this morning and that's it. It's not really official, very unlikely chance I could open back up. I'm telling customers we are having electrical issues, we'll get back to them in a few days, but most replied, thanks and good luck... I've been open with the employees about what's going on. I was mostly a side hustle for them.I took over a family business after I graduated college, the recession started, but this before anyone knew that, just I couldn't find a job. Probably will be a few months. So a resume booster. The business was going under any day. I managed to slash costs, and started to increase revenue. It was still losing money, but it was managable. The general agreement was I'd be working for free, dad would pay down his debt, I'm effectively buying the place from him even though it was already understood I'd inherit it, and he'd give me the money I need to fix it up after he got his finances in order.At the end of the day, the issue is, the place looks run down. Our customers like that, but we tapped the entire market and it's not enough people. A lot of leads, if I converted 5% over the years, I would've been good, but same thing, place is gross / " dirty" / run down.Dad refused, he doesnt see how aesthetics matter, another one of his businesses closed for the same reason. He was also born dirt poor in a 3rd world country and he actually likes how the place looks.A few years ago, it suddenly was no longer my business. Older customers who didnt want more people and hated the changes, started complaining I didn't know what I was doing. The college campus expanded into our area and I was focused on them and young professionals.... He hired consultants and they all agreed I know exactly what to do and the place is going to fail otherwise. He said they were scams. Started yelling at me for not shutting off lights the second someone was no longer in the room. That would've maybe saved $50 a month and he wanted me to hire someone else to do just that. That's " when he realized I was wasteful and spoiled brat." Seriosuly, it's a 40k square foot facility. I just cant physically do that. No one could and also do their primary job.He started buying equipment for a new business he was starting, but it was going to take 10 years to purchase all the equipment. I was like wtf, 30k is all I need and I'm sitting here waiting for it. I tried things I thought were wrong in food faith and they were wrong. He said he would only give me the money after I'm profitable.....So I got the hint, got my mba, gave him my last semesters tuition due to an emergency. I asked for the money back and he said no. He's given 20x the amount to charity. I ended up going into collections and my credit score is in the 400s. Student loan debt is approaching 200k since that interest is accumulating. Cant prove I've been to college since my transcripts are locked until I pay my tuition. That's been my brick wall everytime I apply for a job.He asked me if I'd hire someone who really needs money. I started flipping out on him. Later on, he told me he was in collections and that was dishonorable. I totally lost it on him. The result is he claims I've been paid over the last 12 years, even though I wasnt. That he paid for my college and he never took money from me....there is nothing more shameful than a father taking money from his son to pay his bills and I'm just being " nasty" by claiming he did. I'm also disrespectful for flipping out. I guess besides him thinking if he ever listened to his son, hes a failure, he was trying to teach me a lesson for all that he's done for me and I wasn't appreciative..... up to this point I was oblivious that he was a narcissist and believes I'm his property.3 of my cousins started yelling at me because he's a great guy, he paid for them to go to college. They refused to believe he didnt pay for me or my brother.Word around town is I'm an idiot since the business is a goldmine, if I just made it look nicer.... Other people think I'm dumb because I tried to get more customers or wasnt appealing to them. The median household income of my city is 22k and that's my annual property tax, the average joe doesn't fathom the cost of operations. Either I had no authority, no money, or they were wrong.... my nearest competitor had 40x the customer base in an equal size facility and charged 2x.My bro is an issue. He's mentally ill. The plan was to make the business profitable and then sell it. Put half in a trust for my bro and have him live with me. Within 5 years of living on his own, I'm pretty sure he will be dead. He would never hurt anyone, but has been arrested a few times for making threats. Doesnt drink, doesn't use drugs. My dad refused to get him help when he was younger since mental illness brings shame to your family or something like that, and I was an asshole for saying he had mental health problems. Now my dad finally sees he does, but now my bro is refusing help. I dont know how I could start a family and help him at this point.So locally, I doubt I could find a job due to my reputation. I'm sorta on the outs with my family. I've been working 100 hr weeks for the past 10 years, so I dont really have friends anymore. I still have the transcript issue and I'm not sure how many landlords would rent to a sub 500 credit score in an area where you could feel safe. Almost 250 k in total debt with zero assets and I'm 35. Nothing in a retirement account. I'm not seeing the options right now ( I'm not suicidal by the way). Airforce still take recruits upto 39...although it is a bit late in life for that. My undergrad was in chemical engineering, so I think I have a decent shot. I can pass the fitness requirements. I was on a couple defense contractor type of startups that never went beyond sitting at a table discussing the plans. Thats what ultimately my goal was. Would probably help in those endeavours.I thought I should be at a point where my college education no longer mattered, but I guess working at the same place since graduating undergrad sets off alarms. Every job I applied to the application process stalled when I couldnt provide transcripts.I just do see a path for life. And I dont have to money to just move to a bigger city and see what I can get.

[survivorinternational]

Episode 8 - "You got outwitted and outplayed, and soon... you will be outlasted." - Michael

HAHAHAHAHA omg I didn't get voted out and I still have an idol this is awesome! And good on everyone for breaking up that 4 I'm kinda glad Randy is gone but I'm glad I didn't have to be the one to do it. 

Things went odd last round, i think any trust i had in the undersog alliance is gone and vice versa, i think they were playing me and i surprised them with immunity. At least that showed Allan where he stood with them. Now I’m back to putting it all in with the ala mai alliance. To emily, liana, allan, and vilma though, I want them to think of my as a possible flipper. Good god Im a messy player.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V-RSwer7lduEhNN176RfuaIrZZEzyqpe/view?usp=drivesdk

That tribal was a fucking mess. No-one was willing to throw out names until the last min which lead to the most stressful, panicked scramble I've ever seen. Originally there was a chance that there were enough votes for Randy. Emily seemed very hesitant to on her OG tribe and Allan wanted to vote elsewhere. About 3 hours before Tribal, Allan suggested the numbers would be there to take out Liana, and after some discussion, the vote seemed to switch onto her. Then, as if noticing he was safe, Randy pushed for a vote onto Jacob. This immediately got everyones back up and caused all the votes to go back onto Randy. It was his own fault he got voted out and frankly... I am glad. The reaction from both Randy and Clash is comical and sad at the same time. Randy seemed to take the vote far to personally and the way he acted after is not in the spirit of the game (calling people ugly and dumb cunts in PMs) Clash saying "no-one told him about a Randy vote" and that everyone lied to him... Im sorry, but this is a game that involved Outwitting... you got Outwitted and outplayed and soon... you will be outlasted. And don't pull that "everyone lied to me" bullshit... You lied to everyone else as well... you even said to me that you "spoken to Jacob to much to vote for him" what happened there huh? All in all, With that tribal out of the way, it seems like we now have a few alliances. The OG Ala Mai (Jacob, Tyler, Stephen and myself), The Trust Cricle (Vilma, Emily and myself), the outsiders (Clash, Pat and Liana) and Allan finding his way. If I can get Allan on board, we should be able to flush out one or 2 idols next vote while still taking out an outsider. GAME ON MOLES!!! 

i bid all my money on one item and it ended up being nothing i guess that’s what i get 

Final 10 baby. I've been trying to lay low, talk to people and make a minimal presence, but after the Randy vote, and ironically having the most votes out of anyone this season, it's been hard. At this point I've managed to wriggle my way into a position that almost anyone can come talk to me, hopefully I can do some more talking to the likes of Patrick, Allan and Liana. I don't want them to potentially be on the jury thinking that I don't want to talk to them at all.

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Received votes at 3/3 tribals, and if Liana's group targets me again, and flips Emily/Vilma, I'll be a goner. I tested the waters with Michael, Clash and Stephen about voting Emily, Michael wasn't down so I pulled back instantly, I'm now hoping that that didn't make a lasting impression and I can get the vote onto Patrick again. If I can get Clash to use his extra vote on Patrick, and get in touch with Vilma/Emily/Allan, I may be safe.

-_- that is all

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So things are weird atm. Jacob and co want to vote out Pat, and think Clash is on board with that. Clash is telling me he is lying, and that he is really trying to get me Liana Pat Allan Himself and his extra vote to vote out Emily. Soooo Idk what to do. On one hand Emily is a strong player, on the other hand Clash is A Mess(tm). However Clash thinks we’re tight. It boils down to who i want to piss off, Emily and co. who arent really working with me, and by extension the rest of og ala mai. Or, Clash and co. who are a little less together, but maybe thats better in the long run? 

so apparently jacob has doubted my loyalty and is coming for me. fat fucking chance you arrogant moron. i saved you the past two round and now i’m going to be the reason you go home! like literally! do not fucking cross me it will not be pretty! :) he has made me mad beyond belief so a blindside WILL be coming honey. it will be.

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not little miss emily heading a big blindside against jacob and the ala mai boys? yee freaking haw! i think this will literally work. we should have like six or seven votes on jacob if my plan works out how i want it to :)

Hi, yay randy went home he wasn’t my favourite. Now pats the target and we’re having a hoot of a time

What is even happening. I cant keep up with this game and I'm so frustrated with being played by everyone all the time.

I feel bad I didn't have time to explain the last round properly, but all I'm gonna say is it was quite messy and I changed my mind a couple times. Ultimately Em got put off by Randy's unwillingness to vote Liana and he threw my name out so we felt more comfortable voting him out instead of Liana. Moving on to this round: I'm p sure the og Ala Mai bois have an alliance I just hope Michael doesn't leak everything to them I'm trying to be as open as possible with both Emily and Michael so they would trust me 100% I need to be able to trust at least some people's word here Jacob has lowkey been dictating the merge votes so far Seems like he is kinda dictating this one too I think last round going his way gave him confidence to throw names out I'll let him do that in hopes of keeping away from the spotlight But since we're voting out people he's the least connected with, I have to try and remember what would be the ideal moves from my perspective I think getting rid of one of the people who voted in minority is a solid idea for this round Because if we got rid of someone else they would have a solid group of three for next and that's kinda dangerous (and the suspicion of Clash having an idol on top, yikes) But after next vote it might be time to get rid of one of the Ala Mai bois I feel I've done an okay job seeming quite unthreatening lately I don't see why I should get targeted over some more dangerous players My biggest fear is Clash idoling me out because he holds grudges I'm fine staying in the background for now, it's only f10, bigger plays will come in picture later Although it'll be difficult for me to make any with zero advantages in my pocket That's my biggest concern Other people will be able to claim moves as their own because they have advantages they can use And I'm just relying on people using them to help my position And not against me I'm kinda a potential goat at this point But it's too early to worry about that Just trying to keep my name away from people's mouths So I had a good convo with Emily and she really doesn't want to vote against Patrick which I don't blame her for. I personally wouldn't mind one of Clash/Pat going home especially with the possibility of flushing an idol in the process. But on the other hand Jacob has been on a power trip lately and was trying to turn people against Emily earlier. Everyone kinda knows Emily and I are close so it would be an indirect stab at me as well. I'm not a big fan of that kind of thinking. He even made a chat with Emily and I without asking either of us if we wanted to be in one haha that was funny. I think he definitely has a chat with the Ala Mai bois and made the chat with Emily and I in hopes of being able to guide our votes through that one as well. It's not a great look for him, I must say. So Emily and I were toying with the possibility of siding with Patrick/Liana/Allan/possibly Clash and voting Jacob out instead. I'm not exactly sure if it'll happen since people are having trouble responding to me, that makes me think they already have a plan in fruition that I'm not aware of. Or they just trust people will vote Em with them, not sure? Also Clash and Jacob have gotten closer recently, I'm scared Clash wouldn't want to vote Jacob out but I'm not sure. But as far as I know I'm probably voting either Clash/Patrick or Jacob tonight. Let's see how things develop from here. I'm kinda ready to go home though tbh, this game is starting to stress me out. I'm up for a Vilma blindside. 

Once again... This scramble is a mess What should be an easy vote on Pat or Clash has now evolved to people wanting to make moves and others trying to react. Jacob asked me last night to put forward my vote towards Emily which I find extremely strange after she helped save him the last two TCs. I explained that if we vote out Em this TC, Vilma and Allan would turn and Ala Mai will become the target. Emily and Vilma decided that they dont like Jacob talking about this vote and are now trying to rally numbers against Jacob And to top it all off, Clash may have an Idol... ARGH!!!! In my mind, this vote should have been a 4 Pat, 3 Clash and 3 ??? Vote with my using my vote blocker... but now things are everywhere. Hopefully i've done enough to keep my name out of talks 

I want this to be known that IF I go home I knew I couldn’t trust allan and that he or Stephen was leaking everything to Emily and she knew. If there are no Jacob votes I will be impressed but also impissed, and I’ll be mad because that will likely mean I’m going home. I really think they was me out. Little ol me. Super unfair. But I guess we’ll see. And tbh clash is hinesty bae. He’s been super great to work with I like him a lot 

So last round was a mess and I think this one will be too. Let's go back to last TC. Basically Randy was being rude af towards me because I told him I wanted to vote Michael out and because I knew there was a group of people already voting Randy out I decided to take him out too. I honestly feel like I was deciding vote and that move will either make or break my game imo. Now, at the auction, I won the ability to exile myself for 24 hours and miss TC. I was really tempted to use it this round but I figured it would make me an extremely easy vote when I came back because there had already been tension. So I'm holding off until at least next round to use it and the plan right now is to blindside emily using Clash's extra vote. I really hope the plan works but even if it backfires, I think I can take a backseat and let all the drama unfold in front of me. 

i could very much be going home this round BUTTTTTT i am optimistic that it will be JACOB going home instead of me or clash. tldr: jacob wanted to flush an idol of clash’s, that clash may or may not have... he kind of insinuated to me he had it but lmao! jacob’s real plan was to vote pat so i decide to go to pat, clash, and liana with this new plan and tell them what’s up. while they were (rightfully so) upset with me from last round, i think they believed me and are on board to vote for jacob will me, vilma, and allan. and michael is aware of this plan but is voting pat to save face (or idk who he’s voting tbh) anyway i think i have successfully planned a blindside against jacob but also i’m playing so freaking hard at this rate i’m playing for fifth place. no one is going to let me get to the end of the game if i keep going so HARD lmao! i need to calm down next round for real omg

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just. a confessional. to say how much i love vilma. i knew we were put in this game together for a reason. i love her

So after Randy going I lost my closest ally but now I am gonna try and get Stephen and Allan back and make them flip on Emily and hopefully Emily goes that will break up Vilma too 

Uhh I don't think voting Jacob is the best move for me But I'm just gonna go with it it's too late to change my mind I'm playing such a weird game I'm playing for 3rd place right now But I just wanna be loyal to Emily and Michael ugh they're so great Last round I didn't feel bad because I was voting for someone who wanted me out anyway But I think Jacob kinda trusts me so I feel bad voting him Plus he is actually really nice But he didn't tell me about the plan to blindside Emily though Even though I guess it was Clash's plan originally I still wish he would've told me I think this flip will backfire on me next round Emily has better ties to the other side I feel so I'm going to be the one struggling more from flipping And we won't even flush any of the idols out I feel sticking with the split would've been much smarter But I don't think Emily would budge, she won't vote Pat this round Oh well It's kinda new to me to be playing this crazy? I won't win but at least I'm trying out something new lol Chaos Vilma... Yay? Nay? Also a bit paranoid someone has told Jacob what's up and they're coming up with a counteractive plan as we speak but. Tbh I'm tired and I just want to sleep. If I get fucked I get fucked and that's okay. I love Emily. 

More worried than ever this tribal, I'm pretty much guaranteed to never catch a break with votes, still not sure why. I'm also going against Clash here which I hate to do, but I'd rather hurt Clash, than hurt all of ala mai.

[sidelpunchna-blog]

4 years dating not engaged

My boyfriend and I have been together for 4 years, and now he wants me to marry him. I am not ready .what should I do? We set a date by May but have changed it 3 times lol.  It would be heart-breaking, as I am not a robot, but I know that living by my values is ultimately what would bring me life.  In 2013 summer I said: 6 months to think — lets get married or lets break up.  Hey kiddo- So I take it that you are throwing in the towel on this relationship and moving on? They only go married because she wanted his health insurance, not because they felt marriage would be more of a commitment than they had already made.  If you value being with him above being engaged right now, you could have a conversation with him in which you ask point blank if he feels that he will be ready at some point to get engaged and if so ask for an approximate timeframe for when that might happen.  I say murmur because it appears that he has quietly removed himself from this relationship.

Break Up After 4 Years Together A rebound is a good distraction, but after a while he'll recognize it's hollowness.  He is an alcoholic and has been sober for 3 years.  I think it depends on the circumstances.  Hope this reaches you and let me know how you are doing! If so, then he is a total tool.  I think it would take a very sturdy woman— specifically a robot— to not to be upset about the lack of engagement.

I've been engaged for 3 years..how long is too long? / myLot I have decided once this is done if it is ever going to get there, I do not want to date ever again.  Thank you so much Jayspop and smorisch.  We were together for a year then break for 2-3 months and have been together for the past 7.  If a man makes a woman wait that long to marry her it could mean a variety of things.  Those vows are serious stuff and they should be taken seriously.  So you want to marry your boyfriend? I have learned everything from how to hug to why I should get a four year degree.  I thought I was going to get a ring, I was disappointed, tried to hide my feelings.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 4 years, and now he wants me to marry him. I am not ready .what should I do? Because I might have just given women stuck in dead end relationships which will never lead to marriage the false hope that they too will be one of those success stories, and the motivation or excuse to hang in their for another couple of years or more.  Read this question as- are you strong enough to leave? My parents and his parents have been incredibly supportive of us and our pace.  Couples who have more conflict in a long courtship often deteriorate faster after marriage, and if you are already fighting or tense because of this issue, it might be best to address it now.  It's weird being away from the love of my life for 4 years that i thought i was giong to spend the rest of my life with.  My husband is a wonderful man but can't compare to this person.  Otherwise this dramatic state could last for months before he finally admits what I suspect or she just becomes too emotionally exhausted to continue.  It was a big issue in their relationship.

Why Won't My Boyfriend Marry Me? Here Are The Top 5 Reasons We truly love each other and vaguely talk of spending our lives together, however things have reached a point where they are comfortable for him and I do not see much of an effort on his part to take things to the next level.  If not, are you ready or willing to take a stand for what you want? I believe he fell out of love with you before he broke up.  Better for him to run away now than to waste 10 or more years of your life keeping you in a perpetual state of limbo.  Let him see your worth as a woman.  Just curious how long people were dating before he popped the question - and after getting engaged, how long did it take you to set a date? Im so afraid this wont happen for me though.  Relationships are built on trust, respect, and shared life goals and interests.  I think there are some big questions you have to ask yourself since your relationship is at a crossroads.

Why Won't My Boyfriend Marry Me? Here Are The Top 5 Reasons Still, sometimes I have my moments, because when your with that person for such a long time, they r more then just a boyfriend, they become your best friend, someone you trust.  I never pressured him wiht this subject.  Secondly, if a man is scared of you wanting to be married at some point during your lifetime and runs away, he did you a favor.  I haven't cried in about a month now.  You would have it after you asked for it.  If you love this man for all that he is and who you are with him, why in the hell would you risk losing that right now? After about 3 years he lied to be about a couple of small things. I have two young sons who adore him.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 4 years, and now he wants me to marry him. I am not ready .what should I do? Sometimes the desire to get engaged drives women to think and do things that their more rational side would dismiss.  However your relationship is now, it will be the same in marriage, only amplified.  I recently broke up with my bf as well, and I came across this.  He just wants to be alone and find himself.  I have not regretted any of the challenges, the sacrifices, the lessons I have learned in the last four years.  She looks back at the situation with sadness, because she spent the bulk of her 20s with a guy that didn't end up in marriage like she wanted it too.  But I can see that perhaps not everybody feels that way, and to him it might be a different level of commitment.

How long were you dating before you got ENGAGED? and how long did it take to set a wedding date? I think that a fundamental characteristic of a good spouse is the simple desire to be married.  I am dating my biyfriends for almost 1.  She a little fish in a big lake , trying to be something she is not , she's a fake! I am in my late twenties and ready to settle down, but four months just seems like way too little to know this.  Try to be the person you are before you found him before he found you.  If I could go back I would have left when I found out.  There are legal protections that go along with the status as well as just social implications.

My boyfriend and I have been together for 4 years, and now he wants me to marry him. I am not ready .what should I do? And then we started to do long distance.  I just heard about a young woman who ended a 10 year relationship with her college sweetheart.  Yes but he is almost 24 as well and we both agreed we are happy with a longer engagement such as two yrs or so.  How can he date someone after 2 months of breaking up when we were together for 4 years.  Well at least reading these, I dont feel so dumb.

NO RING..AFTER 4 YEARS OF DATING Have you been in a that ended well? Most say living together prior to getting engaged has , but this might not reflect changing cultural acceptance.  We are both 34 and he wants another baby! He said he juz wantd to be single and he was use to you.  At first glance, by revealing that this new girl in his life was just a friend, which was a masquerade of sorts to protect the innocent.  Well, if the risk of divorce is scaring him much more than the risk of losing you — or if his fear of commitment is bigger than the fear of losing you, it may be time to show him exactly what losing you would really feel like.  Our families get along so well and I never expected to find such an amazing, caring,and generous man! If you are prone to feel anxiety during ambiguous situations, it might just be that feeling getting the best of you.  Maybe back off a tad and dont mention it or bring it up for some time and see what happens.  You might even be filling your thoughts with anxiety and frustration about the future of your relationship.

[ahnamission-blog]

the truth

im supposed to stay strong, maybe im supposed to say nothing. it’s odd because i can rant and type and talk about anything but when it comes to you its a different story. i doubt you’ll ever even read this, but in the rare case you did- i would hope i had taken the chance, taken a risk to actually put out there what you mean to me. you will know exactly who you are if you ever read this, there could never be another you. the truth is im scared right now, even typing behind a computer screen, wondering if you could hear this, wondering if you heard all of this. i just want you to know i did it all for you, and i would do it all again. im still holding back, i guess this is what they talk about when i read all those inspirational quotes (and yes im procrastinating) those quotes that say, your life begins at the end of your comfort zone. well talking about you, or to you, or the possibility that you could hear or read this is definitely way past my comfort zone so i figure, i have nothing to lose. i already lost you being in my life, even as a friend. and im 29, everything has changed....life completely changed and its been a massive, overwhelming blessing to know this all wasn’t in vain and to know that im part of something bigger than myself and to know that you helped me learn so much and see past the blinders i had on. and i can never repay you for that. and the truth is, even though this path has been hard, trying, lonely, confusing at times and ultimately life changing...., honestly earth shattering in some parts of it, to learn that the majority of my existence was a lie and a sham, that i was the last to know everything, that at 29 im just starting to see what reality is...and all these people say im so green to it- im thankful to know it finally, the curiosity was within me for a reason and you gave me the truth i needed, you gave me my life, but when i found out....it wasn’t my life, it was a lie- but then to learn that you were always the truth....and that now i have the chance to actually live, and love, and choose kindness rather than anger like you always did for me, and be a good person, and try to help wake people up - just trying to do something that extends beyond myself. ....despite all the ups and downs of all of it, and this unconditional love that my heart feels for yours, and the fact that you have someone else and the fact that i am truly happy for you as long as you’re happy because truly that’s all that matters to me is that you are happy. i would do it all again in an instant, no questions asked (this time), no matter what this world sees or thinks or perceives us as can never take away the fact that you were the one real thing that existed in my life- and i lost you, because of myself. i was selfish, unkind and so crazy. you helped me through the darkest parts of my life and myself, my mind could not comprehend what my heart was experiencing from you. i had been in relationships for a decade, long term and they always failed, i was always chasing something that wasn’t meant to be and then outta nowhere there was you and you were and are to this day the kindest and best person i ever knew. but, through the darkest parts of myself...the parts i didnt even know existed- you stayed through those. for some reason, you did. my family didn’t even stay through those, relationships i had put years into didnt stay through it....friends i had known since i was 7 didnt stay through that shit. but you did. you should know undoubtedly you are and were the best thing that happened to me, and there hasn’t been one day since meeting you that i have went without you in my mind. after knowing you, i didn’t honestly care what happened to me, i fell back to what broke me and let it break me even worse- i just needed something, anything to avoid the reality that i fucked up and lost my best friend. the fact that you weren’t in my life anymore was - well, it still leaves me speechless. i know you want space, i dont want to disrespect your wishes, but something is different about today, actualizing that i could have died that day- what would i want to say? i would tell you all of this, that youre the best person i ever met, that i dont know why you stayed with me, that i am so thankful that you fought to teach me to love myself, im so thankful for everything you taught me, the power of now, reincarnation and twin flames and soul mates and you started my soul on this journey that i cant get enough of, i only wish you were part of it. this is my most vulnerable, this is the real me and this is my heart and its still yours like its been since the first time you drove on that blunt cruise and i looked over at you and for the first time in almost a decade i felt safe and comfortable with a man, and you were just so different. and i never thought you would ever see beauty in me. i have written poems, endless diary entries about you. your eyes. and just your presence, i wonder what youre like now. i wonder if you still play the dijiridoo, if you moved, if youre happy, if you like your job whatever it is, how your family is, if you still wanna be a shaman, if you can hear all this, if this consciousness is really real and im actually not batshit crazy, if were twin flames, if you care, if you don’t. if you’re listening, if you’re sick of hearing me talk if you can hear this at all. i hope youre still happy and silly and fun and living a life you absolutely love. i hope everything is working out for you and that the universe has blessed you with all the happiness you deserve. i wonder if you have these intense dreams and what it all means, i wish i could just listen to you and learn like it used to be. i hope its not weird to say things about relationships its just that i say it out of context, like “wow i spent blah blah years with so & so and in 2 months this guy (you) had me completely unraveled, wrapped around your finger” i can honestly say i never loved anyone the way i loved you, i only wish that maybe i could have shown my insecurity as that, my inability to accept true love because i didnt think i deserved it, rather than driving you up a wall. but i honestly hope you are happy now. i miss you, more than i ever knew i could miss anyone. but once again, you are just you and always take me by surprise. idk i guess i was just hoping after all this stuff thats happened that we were meant to be together, star crossed lovers and that you could look in my eyes again and it would just be like it was when we were laying down in your bed and you looked at me and asked me if i ever felt this way before and i said no and we just kissed and it was indescribeable, like home. and i just miss you so much, it feels like the best part of me is gone. and i would give anything.....its like the better half of me is just somewhere out on this earth and just knowing you exist and youre out there, i feel so lost without you. and this is where people say or think oh you’re substituting someone else for a deficit of self love but its not true. i love myself. and i love you, unconditionally. i love you unconditionally and there is no condition in which i couldnt love you or wouldnt, there is nothing you could do or say that would make it not be so. it is, what it is and it will always be there and as long as you are a happy man my heart is happy that yours has found contentment. though i miss you more than there are stars in the skies and grains of sands in the ocean, there is nothing that is more important to me than your happiness and i wish we were in each others lives so i could look in your eyes and say that all to you, that i am so endebted for all you taught me and gave to me, and that you’re such a strong person and i look up to you so much and im sorry i wasnt better and i was so broken and i never meant to hurt you or anyone at all, but especially you when all you did was try to fix me. im so sorry i went back to him, it was idiotic and theres no logic to it. but all i ever have done since you is compare everyone to you and no one has come close. i wish you were here, i wish we could text like that one day when the car was stranded and you were so nice still. and you always are. but i am just so surprised because i just thought we were a perfect fit and i just thought we were just destined to find each others eyes again in a crowd and that we would be like those songs that say climbing every wall to find you and all those songs you gave me that helped me through all the hardest nights, and i dont know what im doing but i hope im doing an ok job and i hope its helping and making a difference. and i wonder how long you knew about all this stuff when we were together and i knew about none of it, the left side and the right side and all the lies, and all the pain and the boundaries of the mind and spirit we have to surpass. and my life has changed 180 degrees since you and i just wish you could be here to share it with me, even as friends and just give you the biggest hug because youre such a wonderful person. and so many people think im crazy and mentally disordered and all of these things just for loving you or caring at all or not giving up. should i give up? because ive been trying to fear not, and keep calm and carry on and the best is yet to come and saying all these positive quotes and stuff, because its like honestly duolingo is the best part of my day and how do you make me laugh when im so down and how do you always know the exact right song i need and all those basshunter songs and the CD you made and all the time you put into the description of each song and just smiling as i read it and looking over at you and you were just snoozing. and just being at lisas and waking you up because i was afraid of ghosts and you were angry and a little grump but you got your little bag of some prescription drug manual that was like pocket sized and was grumbling in the car and upset but you went with me to make me happy and you were just the sweetest thing in the entire universe and the wine and the roses and i just didnt think all of this could have so many deeper meanings and the synchronicities and im always in these dreams trying to find my way back to you and there was that dream and you were a phoenix. i miss you. i am so sorry i hurt you. i am so sorry i was so stupid and reckless with your heart when you never were with mine, i just dont understand why things are this way right now what about liesl and po and all the bunnies and all the stuff you help me see and all the random times you hop around and do things and then youre gone again and then i thought we were finding our way back to each other and then you have a girlfriend and i just was beside myself and took sleep medicine and i know attachment is like something were not supposed to be having or doing or i should be evolving past it but dont we love each other like more than all of this bullshit thats around us? i mean i tried to stab myself to get home to you because i thought that was what was happening, and then im still here and the light playing when the phone was underwater when i was going to stab myself in the bath and im not trying to guilt trip you or say you owe me anythjing but i just thought loki and mia. pepper. hops. tortuga. conejo. mi corozon. was i wrong? was this all in my head? did i just make a fool of myself to wake up the world and end up alone? idk cuz i guess then at least other people are happy and awakened and get a chance to find love and someone who completes them and i mean that. i would be happy for them. but its just all thats been happening this past year,all the dog comments and fat jokes and stabs at my weight, or my face, or an animal comment or the sloppy joe comments or the cupof joe commetns or the half price book comments and im just fighting for us, im fighting for you, i would do anything for you, i would die for you. am i supposed to live for you or something like in the joker and harley quinn thing when he says wuld you die for me, no no no thats too easy, would you live for me? and she says yes and jumps in the ACME bowl of random goo or something. what am i supposed to be doing? because im trying to do whatever my purpose is but i have no idea what that is and i thought because of duolingo that you were like maybe into me or something or maybe just messing with my head but asking me to play along so you could get peoples attention and wake them up and all this stuff but i dont know youre a really confusing person and idk, i just wish we were talking thats all. i was so happy to talk to you in the at&t store and i told you i still love you and you never replied and i was just wondering what you thought about that and then we started talking when i got a new number and then you went away again and im not trying to be disrespectful of your requests and im kinda over tired and maybe this is sounding over needy or selfish or annoying or like a broken record or something that makes you feel like you cant be free or like im trying to force something but its just that arturo was like, its like he was you in a different form. and then angie and it was like you were there and i dont let anyone see me like this but you and now everyone knows and its like have they always heard? did they just hear us through everything? when were intimate? in duolingo? in prayers? when we or you wanna play? has the whole world or all the awakened people just heard everything thats between us and idk now youre with somebody else? i just dont know i was hoping you would think i was pretty or interesting or have some reason to look my way or take a second thought that i might be different and changed and actually good for you or something. but its like you helped me through everything, and the stabbing and everything changed after that and all the noises in that big tv and i dont care what they think they already think im a loose cannon or some schizophrenic biatch who needs to be put in a padded room but its like ive been in the hospital 4 times and like isnt that because we share dual consciousness or something? duality? like the something masculine and feminine, the divine feminine and masculine. and all the stuff about twin flames and soul mates and the incense and the candles lighting up and the songs adding to the play list and the rift in the space time continnuum and all the people on bikes down lake shore drive and all the music that night and the power of now adding more pages and all the visitors of moths and signs and synchronicity and the left sided people and the right sided people and like how i wrote all those things but it wasnt me it was like you or something and then you fuck with me sometimes and i dont know if youre just using me to wake people up or youre hoping i trust you or the universe or something but im sorry that im such a neaurotic and paranoid person and am so used to being fucked over and talked badly about and talked down to and i expect lies and to have my own back. but to be honest i have no idea what im doing all i know is i thought i would stab myself and we would meet in heaven or something but im still here and theres all these signs of you around but youre not here and does your family still hate m? i have changed. i hope youll give me a chance one day or something even as friends and im sorry this is so long its way longer than i meant to go and youre probably annoyed or asleep or upset that i didnt respect your wishes to leave you be because a friendship just wont work out and isnt worth it to you right now but - where did you go. whrerever you are i hope its better than my life, i tried to start over but it seems so many people hate me or are rude to me from my past and im scared to meet new people because most of them seem to already have some idea of who i am or think im an asshole when all these thoughts just barrage my brain and i cant control half of them but they’re all mean cruel judgments and i feel like im disappearing into one big collective ocean and my little wave is just a little itty bitty dude and hes about to just become this massive ocean and i dont know which way is up without you. i miss you. i wish you would give me a chance to see im different. i wish you could come over to the apartment and i would make you bacon and just listen to you or something and we could just cuddle and be close and look into each others eyes and be happy because the worst is over and we can finally be free and be ourselves and be together and know all the songs really were for us and we made it and we won because we got each other. i dont know why youre not here, im sorryi try to be strong but i miss you and your eyes and your feets and the song screenshots and our late convos and making love in random places and you bringing me a dandelion and sharing headphones on a hill and even our stupid fights and you throwing your phone at the computer chair cuz of snapchat and kara saying we have to find better things to fight about, idk its stupid but i would rather fight with you then be with anyone else. but i would never fight with you. idk. maybe i said too much but i gotta have a backbone and post this because everyones already heard it and this can affect more than us and maybe in some weird way this will help wake people up idk all i know is my left and right sides of my body seem at war and i love you. 

[datingadviceonreddit]

(I am new to reddit please forgive me if i did not do this right) I am a 21 year old male.For the sake of this story lets call the girl i am talking about keisha. Keisha and I are both in college now and we went to middleschool and highschool together, we are not strangers. Our schools now are not far at all from each other (20/30 mins using public transportation) We have been talking for a few months now (she made the first move) when this whole thing first started we would talk on the phone/ft for hours.. until she fell asleep (she would get "mad" when i would call instead of facetime...saying i want to see your face). We texted,facetimed for a while before we actually hung out. After just a few weeks just talking on the phone and facetiming everday i kinda felt a connection w keisha and i could tell she felt something too. we went from talking once a day everyday to talking everyday all day long.After the first time we hung out we had such a good time we hung out again the very next day. A month went by and i definitely caught feelings for keisha so i shot my shot and kind of popped the question "what are we... can you be mine, can i be yours".. all that stuff. She told me that she likes me ALOT and that she caught feelings for me when we first started talking (on the phone and whatnot) she also said that when we first hung out that she could def see herself w me but she is not at the right point in her life for a relationship and that she thinks she doesnt know me well enough for one and even though she likes me she doesn't think it would be smart for her to act on those feelings just yet because it happened so fast... she also said that before me and her first started talking she was talking so someone else but that it died down when me and her first started talking (i think it is safe for me to assume that she still has feeling for this other guy because if she didn't she wouldn't have brought him up).From what she told me i assumed she wasn't ready just yet and i continued talking to her and hanging out w her. and we hang out ALOT. We went to the movies and of course i attempted to buy the tickets but she actually bought tickets for the both of us ahead of time (idk if her buying the tickets means anything). we go out alot and she comes over my house and we basically hang out for the whole day most of the time. I honestly had the intention that we were dating if we are hanging out so much and talking all day everyday and going out places, but in her eyes we are just "talking" i told her straight up that i have a goal and that goal is to date you (exclusively) and if us dating is not in the cards somewhere down the line then this isnt for me... her response was "i like you so much and i think about you alot and i like kissing you i like hanging out w you i like talking to you but idk what that means for our future. I feel like "dating" for us is whats next, its close." she then told me that when she is "talking" to someone she is generally all towards that one person. So after her telling me this i told her that i would like to work on "us" getting to bigger and better things she said she would like that as wellIDK if she is telling me this stuff because she wants to keep me around and get relationship benefits without actually committing to a relationship OR if she actually is not ready for one and just wants to take things slow (in the very beginning she told me that she is not a fan of putting labels on things right away that labels come w time/its not smart to rush and put labels on things and for me to just go w the flow) she told me that her last relationship wasn't good and she was cheated on and that her next relationship she wants to make sure its right and potentially the last because she doesn't want to get hurt again. I honestly feel like keisha is the girl of my dreams and that she is the girl i have been looking for.I am 21 and i honestly am tired of messing around w girls and i am looking for an exclusive bonafide relationship. keisha sends me goodmorning text here and there and says sweet things about me. She even baked for me and took me out for diner on my birthday, got me gifts too... but part of me feels like she is just doing this to keep me around. I dont want to waste my time and try to make something happen with her if she has no intentions of making something happen. I told Keisha my feelings and how i feel about her multiple times and she hasn't necessarily told me her feelings and i feel like that is somewhat unfair. I feel like my emotions are being played with because whenever we hang out i can tell that she likes me because we make out, cuddle, show each other affection but she has yet to tell me how she actually feels about me (besides the fact that she gets butterflies whenever she sees me).She knows exactly how much i like her and i feel like she thinks she has me wrapped around her finger which is why she acts funny sometimes. I like keisha so much and i want to text her everyday but if i do i feel like i may bother her or annoy her. Ultimately i feel like i am taking big steps in the right direction and she is talking small baby steps in the right direction but takes 1 step back for every 2 steps forward. I would truly appreciate all the advice i could get on how to handle this situation. part of me wants to end it because i get the impression that she is just straggling me along because she doesn't know what she wants but on the other hand part of me wants to stick around because i would hate to end a potentially good relationship prematurely. (she also asked if i was talking to any other girls and i told her no because im not at the moment and i asked her and she said if u are asking in general i text someone i used to "talk" to, but just as friends... i kinda have a feeling that keisha is telling him that me and her are just friends too.Just recently i told keisha that it might be best if we were just friends because i am getting the impression that the feelings are not mutual and all i want is for us to be on the same page... she got mad and basically told me that the feelings are mutual and she doesn't know why i would think that. We continued being more than friends and hanging out.. so called working on "us" Keisha knows what i want but i do not know what she wants.. i know that you cant rush something that you want to last forever but i just keep getting the feeling that she wants me to stick around until she is "ready" but I may no longer be around when she is finally "ready" (i cant wait forever)... she tells me that im not doing anything wrong that i make her feel so good and that she would love to be with me... im not sure whats holding her back though... does she just want FWB and is afraid to tell me? or is she unsure if she likes me enough to date me? Please help. via /r/dating_advice