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genericpuff · 4 months

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Lore Olympus just pulled off the biggest whiff in webtoon history.

I promised I would choose one of two headlines and of course, this is the one we wound up with. But should we really be surprised? Rachel herself seemed to be telling on herself down to the minutes leading up to the finale, fully confirming to us that yes, she's been writing this comic at the last minute, by the seat of her pants, for ages now.

(that second one was literally posted TWENTY FUCKING MINUTES BEFORE THE COMIC UPDATED.)

Welp, let's get into it. Possibly the last essay I'll ever write about this dumpster fire of a comic (but probably not, let's be real LOL)

CONTENT WARNING: DISCUSSION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND FASTPASS SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES FINALE AHEAD!

Holy crap, where to even start with this. I knew it was going to be bad. I knew it was going to be rushed. I knew it wasn't ever going to live up to what I had hoped it would be years ago when I was still a diehard fan.

But I didn't think it was going to fall quite this hard. Despite bracing myself for the worst, Rachel has once again let my expectations down through a final display of explosive mediocrity and disappointment.

Yes, the episode is called "You're Welcome", and yes, that instant "ick" you're feeling is the exact same as what we're all feeling. This title plays into the dialogue later, but what a shitty, lowkey mean-spirited title for the series finale.

Now, before we get into the actual episode, the WT ads for this are just... so desperate and misleading.

They are trying SO HARD to hype up something that isn't there, and at the last minute to boot, because Rachel definitely hadn't written any of this ahead of time.

First off, the bit about the gods being in "eternal chaos" of course isn't a stake worth worrying over because Gaia literally does away with Ouranos in the first 5 panels.

Did you really think I was joking about that 5 panels thing?

That's it. That's the death of Ouranos. As mysteriously and quickly as he arrived, he was gone, after Gaia ripped out of him what appeared to be some purple sunny side up - but it's actually, in fact, Apollo.

And that's when we start to get some of the worst dialogue I've ever seen throughout LO. Remember when I said LO's dialogue was like Shenmue 3? Welp, the finale decided to continue that tradition and further fuel the suspicion that this entire thing was written by ChatGPT.

Oh, by the way, that "thank you, ma'am" was Artemis' first and last line of the episode. So once again, just like in Episode 248, we're completely robbed of her reaction to Apollo being a rapist piece of shit and the character development she could have had as a supporting character. The women in this "feminist retelling" really couldn't be more half-baked.

Gaia stumbles upon Persephone, and I'm not even gonna fucking bother showing the panels where Gaia says it's time to "make things right" because they literally don't matter. Why don't they matter? Because Rachel just had to get in one more pointless time skip.

We're shown a sequence of pointless images that I'm not gonna show as I don't want to waste my image limit on them, depicting Hades having a sad day because his small wife isn't with him and oh nooo what could have happened?? Did Persephone finally divorce him ??

Nah, we couldn't possibly have an actually happy ending in this comic. Instead we get a completely pointless phone conversation between Hades and Hecate-

Not only is the grammar particularly bad in this episode, but the actual script-writing is atrocious. We literally did not need this phone conversation to happen because-

-we're cutting BACK TO THE PRESENT THAT WE JUST CUT AWAY FROM FOR A 3 MONTH TIME SKIP. FOR NO REASON BESIDES SHOWING HADES BE SAD OVER SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY ISN'T THAT BIG A DEAL, AS YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE.

I- I LITERALLY HAVE NO WORDS. I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS. ALL I CAN HEAR IN MY BRAIN IS THE LEGEND OF ZELDA ITEM GET MUSIC-

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-BECAUSE THIS WHOLE THING SUDDENLY SOUNDS LIKE SOME CONTRIVED FETCH QUEST. WHAT DO YOU MEAN HADES AND PERSEPHONE HAVE PROVEN 'TRUE LOVE' IS REAL? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY HAVEN'T USED 'LOVE' AS A FORCE FOR DESTRUCTION?? ARE WE FORGETTING THAT HADES MUTILATED A GUY IN THE NAME OF 'LOVE'? THAT PERSEPHONE LITERALLY INVADED THE HOME OF HADES' CANONICAL FIRST WIFE BECAUSE SHE FELT MILDLY THREATENED BY HER?

This whole concept of "true love" that Rachel is trying to convey feels so juvenile especially for a series that has sold itself as being mature and thought-provoking and progressive.

HAHAHA SO FUNNYYYYYYY why does Rachel write like this. this is, at best, the writing of a 13 year old on fanfiction.net, which I SHOULD KNOW, because I WAS ONE OF THEM. BUT I'M 28 NOW AND RACHEL HAS ANOTHER 10 YEARS ON ME.

Okay, this is the part where I'm CONVINCED Rachel either just mashed this into the episode in the MINUTES leading up to its release, or she used ChatGPT or something. Because NONE of this dialogue makes any sense. Beyond how stilted and lifeless it is (seriously, this dialogue reads like something from Empress Theresa) Gaia is clearly meant to 'replace' Erebus here which I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO EVEN EXPLAIN IS SO FUCKING DUMB, but ALSO what is even Persephone trying to communicate here? "That is true, but it was a deal I was willing to make and ties me to the Underworld. Please don't change me." What? Gaia hasn't even insinuated that she's going to do anything to Persephone, why is Persephone immediately jumping to this conclusion? What does 'changing' her mean? Is she asking Gaia not to force her to sacrifice something (which she never did)? Or is she asking Gaia not to strip her of her Underworld status? Because again, why is that even something Gaia would do?

Maybe this is harsh but I'm pretty sure even Empress Theresa is more coherent than this, what in the flying fuck is Gaia talking about?

"I can just see the potential for conflict! To relieve you from the burden of the whats, the hows, and wheres." Like... okay, first of all, that second sentence isn't even a complete sentence, it's a dependent clause left hanging, but also what the fuck does this MEAN. Is she EXCITED for the conflict but then contradicting herself by saying she wants to relieve Persephone of that conflict? Or is she saying she can see the conflict it would cause for Persephone to have to perform duties in both realms and trying to insinuate that she's going to relieve her of those complications?

Here's what I think happened - I think that second 'sentence' wasn't supposed to be a sentence, but the start of the sentence to the next panel-

So with that theory in mind, the sentence becomes, "To relieve you from the burden of the whats, the hows, and wheres, you are to spend three months in the Mortal Realm to do spring and the rest of the year in the Underworld. That seems fair to me."

It's still a very poorly written line of dialogue, but at least with that fix in mind it makes sense. But man, you can really fucking tell this episode was submitted at the last minute because that's a serious syntax error that should NOT have happened in this two-time-Eisner-winning comic.

Errors aside, it's clear that Rachel is following through on having Persephone spend only three months in the Mortal Realm, rather than the traditional six. There ARE other translations that have that number closer to four, but those four are the time she spends in the UNDERWORLD, meaning she's always spending either equal or MORE time in the Mortal Realm. Of course, Rachel doesn't want her self-insert small wife power fantasy to actually have to be separated from Hades despite this being a retelling of The Abduction of Persephone, so instead of her spending three months in the Underworld, she's now spending them in the Mortal Realm, literally doubling the MINIMUM amount of time (four months) she was originally meant to reside in the Underworld.

But oh no, apparently those three months are STILL NOT SHORT ENOUGH FOR PERSEPHONE-

Of course, Rachel "Retcon" Smythe had to have her cake and eat it too. I always worried something like this was a possibility, but I never thought she would actually prove me right - not only is Persephone only separated from Hades for three months out of the year, but actually he can visit her any time he wants to, so really, they're not separating at all.

I think Rachel needs to look up "reunion" in the dictionary, because if you can visit each other any time, then that means the 'reunions' are no longer special occasions. This completely removes any semblance of depth or meaning from all of the storytelling leading up to this, all of it with the expectation that this was a retelling of the Abduction of Persephone, because that's what Rachel said it was going to be. At this point it's safe to say that Rachel has zero business attempting to "retell" mythological stories, because she doesn't even seem to grasp the concept of why they were written the way they were to begin with. Either that, or she really just doesn't care, and the only reason for making LO a Greek myth comic at all was to propel her career.

This also brings me back to those promotional ads, the other one that posed the question, "Will sacrifice be enough to bring these two back together?"

This is stating the obvious, but I need to make it perfectly clear - Hades and Persephone have never sacrificed a single thing. The only thing they could POSSIBLY quantify as a "sacrifice" is "not being tied at the hip for a few hours", because even Persephone going on the equivalent of a work trip next door is apparently enough to make Hades sad as we saw in the 3 month time skip panels. Why is Hades so sad and lonely if he can visit her any time? Why is he acting like he hasn't seen her in years when he's actually on his way to reunite with her? Why is Hecate calling to ask him if he's "okay" as if he JUST got separated from her, but actually he's about to literally go to the Mortal Realm to reunite with her?

Hades hasn't 'sacrificed' a damn thing, neither has Persephone. They've both always gotten exactly what they wanted, even at the cost of breaking the story's own established rules. Their 'sacrifice' is equivalent to what billionaires think are 'sacrifices' when they can't buy another yacht or go on that third overseas vacation for the month.

And even outside of this episode, when have these two ever sacrificed anything?

I've tried so hard to think of what sacrifices have been made by the characters within LO, and I genuinely can only think of one - and that was when Artemis chose to go to the Mortal Realm with Persephone instead of staying with her family in Olympus. That was a genuine, selfless sacrifice, made by a character who has been shelved in favor of focusing on the self-centered pink and blue airheads.

Being forced to be apart for a couple days to do the equivalent of a day job and whining about it the whole time is not a 'sacrifice'. Neither of these characters have ever sacrificed anything, they just feel like sacrifices because they have the integrity and empathy of soggy cardboard.

sigh Anyways, we're back in the present and Hades and Persephone immediately decide they're gonna have sex because ofc, and then we get this gem of a panel-

MMMMMM

FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY JOKE

For some reason it's just a common thing for people to just be in Hades' home, and they can't seem to get any privacy as a result of this, but I digress. Turns out they still need to have that coronation for Persephone.

There is... so much wrong in these three panels.

First, to state the immediate issues - why the fuck are they mentioning Apollo at Persephone's coronation? Like first of all, no shit Apollo isn't gonna be there, but also, if this is supposed to be an event for and about Persephone becoming Queen of the Underworld, then why in the WORLD is Apollo even being mentioned? This is supposed to be a "feminist retelling" where the victims are empowered and heal from their trauma, but LO once again can't try to show any sort of positive growth for the victims without bringing up the assaulters and giving them screen time. It just goes to show that Rachel's idea of "healing" is purely rooted in the revenge, and not the growth. It's a very high schooler approach to this subject, hellbent on showcasing how all the meanies from the past are losers now and life just sucked for them forever, but inadvertently proving its own point that the victims haven't and can't move on because the narrative is spending so much time on caring what's going on with the abusers. It's the "I don't care! Look at how little I care! I'll prove it to you by putting in the effort of showing you how little I care!" approach, it doesn't really feel like moving on.

It's not about how Persephone and his other victims could have grown and healed, no, Rachel always needs to highlight just how much worse the bullies and haters and abusers are doing to make the victims seem like they've healed by comparison. Don't get me wrong, I can understand wanting to showcase the downfall of a character like Apollo, but this just... isn't the right context for that? Because it's once again taking attention away from the victim to focus on the abuser. It's once again spending screentime on the voices of the oppressors rather than the oppressed.

And speaking of, what the fuck is this punishment even? I knew Rachel wasn't gonna be able to resolve this plotline properly, she never had the capability to, but ... community service? Are you fucking for real? What is this even a punishment for even? Was this EXCLUSIVELY the SA, or does this ALSO include his attempts to overthrow Zeus by poisoning him, nearly killing Daphne, Eris, Eros and Psyche, trapping Eros and Psyche in an enchanted basement, and framing his father's 'death' on his half-sister? Because if so, how in the world is anyone content with community service? He hasn't even been turned into a mortal, HE'S STILL A GOD, so what's to stop him from going "WE'LL MEET AGAIN, SPIDERMAN" and trying something else? How is this a reasonable resolution in ANY context?

This is why I talked at length about what an issue it was to hide what Apollo really admitted to. Because now we really don't know what exactly he confessed to, and thus we can never really see the point of views of the victims outside of just Persephone - and we still don't even get Persephone's, because she just walks away from him and then he gets eaten by Ouranos and next we see of him is him doing community service! Once again, any emotional development that could be given to Persephone and the other victims is stripped away to make room for the point of views of the oppressive men. In this, the two-time-Eisner-winning "feminist comic" that is LO.

And that brings us to the "where are they now" segment. Yes, as we all feared, there's a "where are they now" segment, and it's as rushed and underwhelming as we ought to have expected it to be.

There is just... so much to unpack here, and yes, all of it is delivered in the dumbest way possible that only raises more questions than answers.

So Rhea and Metis are just back and we're not gonna talk about the implications of them being alive again?

Dionysus is a 3 month year old in the body of a teenager / young adult, and his mom is just alive now because Hades conveniently got his hands on more ambrosia and brought her back to life offscreen? But somehow Triptomelus and Hedone are still child-sized relative to their ages?

How did they 'heal Zeus'? And why is he so content with losing his power as King and Apollo being sentenced to community service after making an attempt on his life? How does he feel about the letter that Hera gave him? Did he even read it?

Where the fuck is Hebe in all of this? Is she okay? Do people still think it was her who put Zeus in a coma? Or did Apollo confess to that, too?

You're telling me Hera and Echo are just in a relationship now despite the fact that Hera is literally racist towards nymphs and there is ZERO reason for them to have a relationship in the comic beyond the fans making gratuitous headcanons out of it? How is Rachel, a bisexual woman, so bad at writing actual lesbian relationships and giving them the same amount of attention as the heterocis ones without shoving them into the background as props for insincere queer rep? And what about Hera herself? How did she overcome her role as the Goddess of Marriage to finally divorce Zeus?

"Ares is still a dog!" Haha! Ares is still a Persephone simp! Happy end!

Why is Eros just standing there smiling at the camera struggling to be seen past Hedone who's just floating right in front of him? You're telling me there wasn't a better place to put her out of that entire panel?

"Hades and Thanatos have been making more time for each other. Sometimes they even have a conversation." I'm sorry, is this supposed to be funny? The man abused Thanatos for years, treated him as just a lowly employee when he was literally his adopted son, and now you're trying to play it off as a joke that they're "making more time for each other"? What the fuck is this?

TGOEM disbanded? Why? What about the women who were genuinely a part of it?

Also, Artemis and Selene are just good friends now because reasons? Because they're both affiliated with the moon, I guess? Why is Selene even in this comic-

"They are still looking for Kassandra". Who? And why? This feels like such a last minute addition to acknowledge a character that the comic spent WEEKS foreshadowing only to have her finally appear as a pointless McGuffin, but it's so last minute that it does nothing. I'm assuming it's Eros and Psyche looking for her, but like... why can't they find her? They're gods, tracking down one mortal shouldn't be that difficult LOL ???

And also, where the fuck is Leto?? You're telling me she was an accessory - maybe manipulating Apollo, maybe not - but we don't see what happened to her? Is she just back to being a social outcast then? jesus christ this comic isn't finished-

Kassandra is where the "where are they now" sequence ends, and we're treated to one final horribly written dialogue scene between Hades and Persephone, where they tell each other how much they love each other in a desperate attempt to convince the audience that this is, in fact, a romance.

There's this thing in romances called chemistry, and if you're good at writing it, you shouldn't have to write dialogue like this. You should be able to see how much the characters love each other through their actions, through their small behaviors around each other. It's not always about what they say out loud, it's about what they don't have to say, because when two people really share that close of a bond based on love and trust and chemistry, words often aren't necessary.

Hades and Persephone do not have that chemistry. It has been apparent for years now, but this final exchange really is the nail in the coffin. There are no microexpressions or subtle emotions, no subtlety in their word choice, and nothing unique setting their voices apart. It's all just "wow thank you for being such a wonderful amazing partner, you are amazing and I love you" word salad that has to do all the heavy lifting for the completely non-existent chemistry that's been at its absolute worst throughout this entire season.

And worst of all, despite this story trying so hard to be focused around Persephone, around her story, her trauma and her healing, her voice... it's still all just about Hades. In the end, she's thanking Hades, and forcing him to say "you're welcome". All of it is trying so hard to convince us that Hades has been a positive addition to her life, that she 'owes' so much to him, but we've obviously seen plenty throughout the comic that begs to differ. And even if he were a better person than he is, it still doesn't change the fact that once again, the men are being held up above the women, with the women being grateful to the men who choose them. LO can try its hardest to convince people that it's feminist, but it is, at best, reinforcing the very same structures of the patriarchal system that it claims to despise and rebel against.

We do get one line from Hades acknowledging Persephone's part in the relationship-

-and it falls so fucking flat because it's still about him and what she does for him, and because nothing about their relationship was built on any sort of organic chemistry. There was a lot more chemistry back in S1, but it was still predicated on Hades lusting after a vulnerable 19 year old girl.

Yep, and that's it. That's the end.

Except it isn't because Rachel wanted to try and be smart by including an 'epilogue' that's really just stretching the episode out pointlessly for another few panels. And of course, we had to get another time skip, just a final dose of salt in the wound, this time to years ahead when we inevitably had to reconnect with Persephone and Hades in the future after Melinoe was born.

To recap, Melinoe doesn't remember... because Hades had Morpheus erase her memories.

This plotline has really started to give me the ick because it actually feels very familiar. Bear with me here, because I'm gonna go on a bit of a tangent about my own original work, but it's because I wrote a plotline exactly like this years ago.

There's this... turning point, in Time Gate: Reaper, when the main character Uzuki is kidnapped by a Reaper (see: undead) who wants to experiment on her in the hopes that he can somehow gain her abilities to bond her soul with others (which later allows her to literally possess people after she becomes a Reaper herself). Mitsuhiro, the male deuteragonist who kickstarts the plot by telling Uzuki she's got a limited amount of time left to live (which he knows thanks to his magical death timers that mark themselves on his skin), feels an immense amount of guilt after finding out she was kidnapped by the Reapers (at this point she's been gone for three months), as they were originally after him; he worries that she was made a target simply due to him associating himself with her, and vows to rescue her.

With the help of some other spunky teenagers and anime trope characters, Mitsuhiro does eventually rescue Uzuki - but for the three months she had been gone, she had been tortured, abused, and experimented on, causing her mind to split and for her to lose any sense of awareness of who Mitsuhiro or her other friends were. She was no longer herself after the hell she had been through.

Mitsuhiro's solution to this is to have Springlock - another Reaper with motivations that are not yet clear to the cast - erase her memory. This is not a light decision that comes without consequences - for the remaining duration of the story, Uzuki is plagued by night terrors and panic attacks, unable to really remember what happened to her aside from whatever brief flashbacks her brain recalls in its haze of memory loss. She is traumatized, both physically and mentally. She has lost three months of her life and memories, and doesn't know how to explain why she's covered in scars that are still healing, why she's missing organs, why she's now blind in one eye, and why the sound of scraping metal and ticking clocks gives her panic attacks. Mitsuhiro has convinced her friends that she's suffering from memory loss due to trauma, but only he knows the truth that he forcefully took her memories away from her, without her consent. This was not the right choice to make. It was not noble of him, it was not a grand gesture of love, he made a decision on her behalf without her consent that has now resulted in her becoming a nervous wreck. Sure, she still would have had PTSD if she remembered what happened, but at least she would know why and could then seek adequate help. Without those memories, she has nowhere to begin to heal. And so we see the consequences of this throughout [AFTERBIRTH] and even the upcoming Thread of Fate. It is a long-term problem that is not going to be solved overnight, especially not with Mitsuhiro withholding information from her.

Reading about Melinoe having dreams about her experiences trapped in Tartarus with Kronos ... it felt familiar enough that I had to talk about why the insinuations of this are so fucked up. I know there are people who are gonna handwave it away as "she's just a kid", "these are gods so what does it matter", etc. but ... it just feels like such an oversight to have Hades effectively erase her memory of her trauma and then hint at them still being present in her mind through her dreams. She did not ask for that. And the fact that she's now dreaming about it all does not bode well. But we're supposed to think Hades made the correct choice, regardless.

But none of this is effectively expanded on or explained, because we get one final scene of Melinoe and Demeter visiting Persephone, who has just given birth to... Makaria?

So it turns out Persephone and Hades are just able to have biological children now. Don't know why, but of course they both look exactly like Hades.

What I was really confused by though is the fact that it's Makaria and not Brimos. Do you remember Brimos? The child that was foreshadowed in Hades' original fantasy dream sequence about his future children about Persephone?

Either Rachel completely forgot about him, or she saw all the criticism over the fact that Brimos isn't a confirmed child of Hades and Persephone (rather, an epithet that can apply to basically any Underworld god including Persephone and Hades) and that her "research" was dependent on a book she read when she was 13 and decided to axe that. But she went to the effort of establishing that all the dreams Hades had were , in fact, canon visions of the future, so good job Rachel, you created yet another plothole on top of the hundreds of others.

And that's where the series ends, on a final nuclear-family-photo of Persephone, Hades, Melinoe, and Makaria. Of course, Dionysus and Thanatos aren't present in this shot because this is Lore Olympus and only biological children count /hj

Why Rachel couldn't move the "the end" portion to THIS part, I don't know, but I'm also expecting way too much of the person who finished this 20 minutes before it was due.

So that's it. Six years and that's what we get. I didn't expect much, but I was still incredibly disappointed, as were many others who walked away from this dazed and confused. Maybe it's all the "haters" deserve at this point. But what of the fans? While many of them are celebrating this ending at best and tolerating it at worst, I can't help but think of the fans of this comic who hung on for so long in the hopes it would "pay off", just for it to go out as gloriously as a wet fart.

As for me, I have such mixed feelings about Lore Olympus ending, but none of them pertain to the comic itself. Most of what I'll miss from this comic isn't the comic itself, but the people who have made reading it every week so fun, the artists and writers who have enriched the content with their own interpretations of what could have been, and the experiences of being part of such an amazing community made up of people who are as long-term-obsessed about this piece of media as I am.

I get people who ask me a lot if it's "worth it" to be so engrossed in the LO slander, who assume that I'm going to "regret" ever being a part of it all... but from where I'm standing right now, I couldn't ask for a better view.

Even if I didn't love every minute of it, everything I have here I owe to this comic. This stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing, pile of shit comic.

#lore olympus critical #anti lore olympus #lo critical

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breeyn · 11 months

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An essay rebutting the “bad writing” claims of s2 ofmd. Spoilers herein.

I’ll preface this with saying you’re obviously allowed to like and dislike whatever you want. I am in no way opposing that. And your reasons are your reasons. Have at. (Also - this is a collection of observations from the past few days, I’m not calling anyone out)

I AM going to rebut the idea that season two was poorly written and lost the spirit of what the show is about.

My favourite movie of all time is Empire Strikes Back. It’s been my favourite movie since I was four. I’m pretty sure it’s a fave of David Jenkins, too. He and Taika have made absolutely no attempt to hide their love of all things 80’s - Prince, the Princess Bride, Kate Bush, Star Wars, etc.

I have ancient video tapes (that I can’t play because who has a vcr) where Lucas is interviewed by Leonard Maltin? Malkin? I dunno. Who cares. Maltin asks him about the Star Wars (original trilogy) story arc. Lucas says “in act I, you introduce all the characters. In act II, you put them in a situation they can’t get out of, and in act III, they get out of it.”

That’s how it works. This is how stories and literary structures work.

Of course you’re not satisfied with season two. You’re not supposed to be.

The arguments I have read on why s2 loses the spirit of s1 is because no one heals. No one learns anything. No one moves forward properly. The person who makes the biggest move towards healing dies. The two main characters end the show doing the exact fucking thing they had promised themselves and each other they wouldn’t do. Our romantic lead still doesn’t understand his value or make any headway on addressing his tragic flaw. It makes no goddamn sense.

My gremlins in weird: it’s not supposed to. In Act 2, EVERYONE LOSES. This is how it goes.

I’ve read a lot of people saying “but this felt like a series finale, not a season finale.” We all know that outside politics play a part here, the strikes make everything precarious. I remember the last writers strike. It destroyed tv for fifteen years. Anyone remember Pushing Daisies? Some of y’all have never had your fave show cancelled with zero resolution for the characters and it shows.

Daddy J did us a kindness. He softened the blow of a tough season. After the brutal cliffhanger of s1, he gave us a little softness and hope. All those things you’re mad aren’t resolved? It’s because THE STORY ISN’T OVER.

No one on earth thinks “stuff all your trauma into a box and ignore it” is good advice. A way to actually live. This show did not have enough screen time to throw out dialogue for no reason. There was foreshadowing in s1 for s2, and there is foreshadowing for s3 in s2. This is a well-crafted story by very smart people who care very much for these characters. There is zero chance Frenchie explained the box in his head for no reason. The reason people have not resolved their trauma and growth is because they haven’t done it *yet*.

And friends - it’s not thinly veiled. They straight up fucking tell us what they’re doing.

Luke Skywalker spends the first two movies fucking up and desperately trying to prove himself and just generally being an idiot. Sound familiar? He ignores the lessons he is supposed to be learning to go off and do what he feels like doing, and loses fucking badly. At the end of Empire, Han is gone, Luke and Leia wave goodbye to the Falcon that has Lando and Chewy - the rest of their crew - aboard. Everyone has lost everything they care about. Vader is undefeated. Yoda is pissed. Nothing is resolved.

You see where I’m going?

If you think I’m stretching this too far, welp, when Ed tells Stede he loves him - the climax of the finale - Stede quotes Han fucking Solo. Like - *it’s right there*. The story structure. The reason everything is unresolved.

So yeah. They wave goodbye to their ship because they have wounds to heal (like Luke’s hand). The people aboard the ship have things to find. Ed and Stede have *not* learned their lesson about whims and how not to be like Anne and Mary. It’s not stupid that they’re doing the same thing, and it’s not pointless that we were shown Anne and Mary. It’s all relevant.

The resolution comes in Act 3. None of these people are done. The story is far, far from over. And just in case the studios want to be dicks about it, David Jenkins was lovely enough to not repeat my enduring heartbreak over Pushing Daisies.

Thank you, @davidjenks 🖤

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd spoilers

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luna-lovegreat · 11 months

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Twilight and Legends relationship

...I love it

**in this post there's a lot of stuff I didn't notice before. I'm gonna resist the urge to write an essay on each point, and attempt to leave most of it up to the reader's interpretation**

Ok ok there's a ton of stuff here, starting with early character scenes

They're like the rest of the chain: They fight together and talk. Legend is close to Hyrule, and Twilight to Wild and Time.

We see some things Twilight and Legend have in common. One is their dislike of Hyrule knights, and-

As seen in the Gerudo clothes scene, both Twi and Leg like to mess around with pranks and have a lot of snark... wonder what would happen if they worked together

But there's something really important about how Twilight views Legend:

I wasn't aware this was before looking closely at their interactions but... Twilight didn't originally like Legend. This is shown a lot later on- in his facial expressions and words towards Legend. But from the start he didn't like him much, and here's why:

From the start, Jojo says this- Twilight judges Legend's actions as too harsh since his mannerisms come across as picking on someone. (Also Sky you are so so pure and cute 10/10 most huggable Link)

Legend is abrasive because he's had so many adventures- he's hardened to the point of being sharp. But it's wonderful that that character can still be so loved- his heart is good (hero duh)

Twilight has always been a big brother. It makes him well loved (rightly so). Jojo says he knows people can change- for good or bad. But because of his past Twilight doesn't like people picking on others "not even a little". It's complicated- we see it affect Twilight's attitude towards Legend a lot.

Anywho moving on to the plot

Wolfie, Aka twilight

Dark mirror stuff happens, and Legend finds out Twi's Wolfie- as we all know. But he can't just. Acknowledge it of course. He's gotta probe and tease, asking pointed questions (snark snark snark)

And in his attempts to be certain about the Wolf stuff, we were blessed with:

Bunny Legend

Welp. That investigation did not go as planned.

Animal forms:

Bunnies are soft, but Legends actions are not. He is guarded and sharp yet his form shows how sweet his true heart is

Wolves will love/protect their family yet are fierce, they have fangs and will fight. The root of who Twilight is is his kindness and family

Also (sarcastic) good job to Four and Wild for being SO SUBTLE with their emotions when Legend's asking questions hinting he knows Twi's secret

Legend: asking questions about the secret shhh

Four and Wild: Are having a freaking heart attack about it

Twilight: starts ranting about goats

...

Once Twilight gets over the shock of Legend like. Absorbing his crystal. He... well, looking at the harshness in his face and words, this is where Legend's attitude and his past with Colin being bullied biased him against Legend.

Look at his face in each panel through the progression- Twilight is more and more confused thinking legend is not who he thought he was...

And Twilight certainly sympathizes/relates to being hurt by losing someone he loved (in whatever form the relationship took)

And WHY is it always girlfriend trauma with these boys of COURSE it's girlfriend trauma that brings them together NOT SHARING A SPIRIT AND LOVE OF SWINGING GLORIFIED METAL NO THEY HAVE TO BOND OVER RELATIONSHIPS GONE WRONG

Twilight then thinks well that's a good reason to be pretty changed because from the start Jojo said he'll always understand people changing...

So they go, and make legend human again (with pink hair) and Legend is... surprised. And grateful...

Another few defining moments:

Legend's dialogue thanking him is the real start of them connecting like in Leg's original character description "the most reliable, you want him on your team"

And again Twi's face, Twilight is looking at Leg differently throughout this- contemplating to be honest. Considering...

And remember when I said these two both like to prank? Well the second they have a shared experience and get back to camp they immediately team up and start barraging Warriors with snark

Heaven help the chain when these two are on the same side

Legend has never been close to people outside of the few he's accepted as his (love him and hyrule's bond). After this? Twilight's one of his people. There's much more expression of caring and closeness towards Twilight- something we don't see with many.

And then, well, Twilight nearly dies. And Legend, he cares

Bunny boys puppy dog eyes are gonna kill me someday

Twilights pretty injured, he really doesn't see/remember all these moments showing how much Legend wants to help

And then we have this moment

this moment

Matters so so much

Look at Twi's face. Look at his surprise, realization, and acceptance- this is when he realizes- when he sees how much Legend cares for him

Twi woke from his deathbed for his family

and then in the next few updates it's really cute- he just is barely recovering and legend is just... beside him. Staying by his side

Animal forms later development:

Legend's bunny form is soft- but he is still not totally soft. Looking at Legends actions and facial expressions towards the others, while he's definitely closer to Twi now, he's still the snarky boy we know and love.

Twilight's Wolf form is loyal and loves family: Once he knows legends heart? Full on pack love.

And WHY were they so very intent on petting each other

Legend: I'm gonna go try and pet the wolf since I think he's my dude yes good plan

Twilight: I KNOW THIS IS WEIRD BUT IVE NEVER PET A RABBIT BEFORE LET ME TOUCH YOU

...

Here's a few random parallels of them to chew on because I love parallels (them snarky snarking each other, then some brother love parallels)

The thing with these two is their character bonding and whatever is not all sweet and lovey like some of the others. They have some REALLY sweet caring moments with each other. But snark plus snark equals double snark, meaning them together is the weirdest mix of kindness and teasing you've ever seen

And although at the beginning they were pretty harsh towards each other, it makes their getting closer and learning their similarities all the better.

#lots of food for thought #I was surprised to notice Jojos words and Twi's expressions showing he didn't like Legend at first #maybe the progression is the best part #they are so close and care so much #but the pranking???#literally the second they get back to camp after bonding they start messing with the others #the snarkiest boys what mischief will they commit #they're terrifying together #if legend hyrule and wild are the terror trio maybe these two are the terror duo #maybe legend being friends with anyone is just terrifying #loz #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #lu twilight #Lu legend #I love them so much #now onward! to homework!#ugh college

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star-suh · 2 years

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Teacher Park SeongHwa x Male Reader

Synopsis: you have to save the semester but let's say you don't like the teacher that much.... welp until now.

cw: dom! seonghwa, sub! male reader, blowjob, unprotected sex (always wear one guys), breeding kink, biting, marking, spit as lube, cum eating and swapping, spanking, mention of hongjoong, dacryphillia(?) filthy, smuty and dirty things.

an: idk what i'm doing here, this is pure cringe lol, i just wanted to write a seonghwa x male reader since there's not much out there. also sorry for grammar mistakes, english is not my first language.

—

Monday, 6:00 PM and here you are, still in university begging your teacher to help you pass his subject. "Mr. y/n i told you before that i'm not helping you, you don't pay attention to my classes always calling them a "filling subject" so i don't understand why are you here begging me to help you in your grades, and… you didn't even do some of your homework".

"im sorry" you replied, "it was a little jokey joke, you know, don't take things too seriously coming from me" you smiled. he sighs "okay, i would help you but it's your last chance" he search in his bag and then slides a paper towards you, "do an essay about this and bring it to me tomorrow with at least 6 pages". y/n smiled and thanked the teacher shaking his head. "such a fucking dumbass teacher" you murmured little did you know seonghwa hears you, watching you with an angry look how your ass jiggle everytime you step outside his office "i said it was your last chance y/n but it seems you never learn, can't wait to see you begging me tomorrow to help you" he says while licking his lips.

……

Tuesday, 3:00 PM, you confidently walk in the hallways of the university with the essay in your hands and thinking what a dumbass of a teacher you have, of course you only slept a little but it doesn't matter whatever it takes to save the semester. finally you're in seonghwa's office, you knock on the door hearing a come in you opened it, walked in and then close it. "here's the essay teacher, thanks for helping me, i owe you one" you said faking a smile. for no one is a secret that you hated your teacher, you always thought his classes wouldn't help you at all in the future and that he has an one-sided beef with you, always telling you how you don't put effort in the homeworks and other assignments he gives you, that's why your low grades. hell, if it wasn't for that you would've already sent him to eat shit.

seonghwa was reading and humming your essay while you were thinking on beating that pretty face. he stands up and walk around the office with the essay on his hand, he slowly locks the door without you noticing it, then he approaches you smacking the desk with the essay making you look at him with a confused face, "you know y/n it seems that you put effort on that, the essay is really good" you smiled at him "thank you so much" you said. "do you think i'm stupid y/n?, or how you said "a fucking dumbass teacher"" he said glaring at you with a death stare

…. "what?" you replied, your voice shaking, it's the first time you see him like that, angry, he looks scary but hot at the same time you're not going to deny that you stopped looking at him now looking at the desk "i don't know what you're saying teacher"....the room is filled with silence until his laugh break it, you were scared for not saying you almost shit your pants, a strange sensation running down your spine "i know what you think of me, puppy" seonghwa said the "puppy" caught you off guard, you remain silent, he puts his hands over your shoulders and start gripping them hard making you left a moan you quickly put both hands on your mouth "what was that, it seems that you like hard, right y/n?" he whispers near your ear licking them, a blush comes across your face, you shake your head telling him no. "you tell me before you owe me one, i want to claim it now" he said in a low tone, you nod, letting yourself melt in his arms "what you want" you said, "i want to punish you" he replied. "i don't like punishments" you replied, "really? but this little friend over here says otherwise" he says signaling your hard cock being restrain by your pants and underwear. "be honest with me y/n, would you like to be punished by me?" he says while kissing the back of your neck, you on the other side with half-lided eyes, his words and kisses making you feel hot and hot every second that passes, "yes, i would like that"...

......

"fuck yes, that filthy mouth of yours does wonders to my dick" seonghwa said, with his hand on your head sliding it up and down his rock hard dick, you feel ashamed and closed your eyes, "uh-uh keep looking at me, you look hotter like that", minutes passed and seonghwa started getting bored and impatient so head lock your head with your thighs and push his dick deep down your throat, making you open your eyes in surprise, tears started to fall, "ah fuck i should've use your mouth since day 1, i always knew you were a whore y/n and i know that your little friend hongjoong has fucked you in every corner of this university" he smiles at you, wiping your tears with his fingers and then licking them, "you're being such a good boy now y/n, what happened with that bratty persona of yours, where is him?" he then unlocked your head leaving you gasping for air "wow, look at my dick dripping with your saliva, looks so hot" he then unzipped your pants discarding them along with your underwear. "be a good boy and sit on my desk, legs wide open" you complied, he stares at your hole clenching on air, feeling ashamed you try to close your legs until seonghwa stopped you "uh-uh of you disobey me one more time i won't let you cum, ok" you nodded, hiding part of your face with your hand…..

you bite the back of your hand trying to hide your moans caused by seonghwa eating you out, "what a nice ass y/n it tastes good" he says licking a stripe from your balls to your hole, twisting his tongue inside you "i think you are ready" he says watching your gaping hole. he slowly enters you, sliding his dick inch by inch making you moan in your hands not liking this he spanks your ass "let me hear your pretty voice slut" watching as how you don't do nothing he spanks you again "don't be a brat y/n i told what's going to happen if you don't behave" he then rams all his dick in your hole a guttural moan leaving your mouth "that's right whore let me hear that slutty voice" he continues to rail your hole while leaving hickeys in your back and neck, the air getting mixed with sweat and the smell of sex, your body smeared with seonghwa's sweat and yours. seonghwa feeling you clenching hard on his knows that your orgasm is nearing "you want to cum y/n?" you nodded "tell me how much you want to cum, beg me like when you wanted me to help you in your grades". "please teacher, let me cum i've been a good boy… i-if you let me cum now… i-i would owe you another one" you said winking and smiling at him, he smiles and then stops fucking you making you whine, "be careful with what you say y/n, next time i won't hold back" "i don't care if you don't hold back next time but i want to cum now", seonghwa smiles, he kisses your forehead "god you are driving me crazy y/n, i wouldn't mind helping with your grades everytime you want from now on", "i would love that" you replied, "f-fuck me dumb seonghwa, don't hold back.. make the whole university knows who's your bitch" something inside seonghwa snapped, he positioned you in a doggy style and started railing you like an animal, uncountable moans leaving your smiling mouth with the tongue rolled out, drool leaking, eyes roll back "i'm going to cum so deep inside you that next time hongjoong fucks you the tip of his cock would be smeared with it" he whispers and bites your shoulder making you wince in pain and pleasure. you started saying non-senses making seonghwa laugh "what a dumb whore, you like being fuck silly, huh?" you try to reply but you can't, "what would hongjoong say if he sees his bitch being fucked by other man?" you shake your head "n-no he ca–n't know". "hmm what was that, why not?" seonghwa says "i remember telling him to come to my office in around 5 minutes, imagine he opening that door and seeing you a panting mess being wrecked by my cock" you look at the door and feel anxious but slightly aroused and seonghwa can feel it, "you're clamping so hard on my dick, perhaps do you like the idea of others watching you how you take cocks up your ass?" he licks your ear and nibble on it "we can make it happen if you want, what if he joins us? you can have two dicks up your ass isn't that exciting y/n?", "shut the fuck up and keep fucking me" you shout and he complies starting thrusting at a fast pace while spanking your ass leaving it in a bright red color, some minutes later seonghwa started feeling he is near, "cum with me y/n" he says and started pumping your dick at a fast pace, you feel your orgasm near "i'm gonna cum" you said "me too fuck! bear my babies y/n" he replies, with some last thrusts seonghwa came painting your insides of white while you came on his hand, he then lick his hand "you taste so sweet, want to taste it too" you nodded, he grabs both your cheeks and spit your cum in your mouth kissing you then. he left some kisses on your neck, then cleans you up and dresses you again while you pant over his desk "such a good boy, you did good today y/n, and remember you owe me one more" he winks at you, "i owe you all the ones you want" you reply and kiss him…..

everyone is surprised how you now love the filling subject you hated so much, even your grades are high. the bell rings and everyone is leaving "mr. y/n i need you to stay there's something bad with your homework" seonghwa says, when everyone is gone you both kiss each other feeling inside your mouths with your tongues "go to my office at 3:00 PM, hongjoong is going 5 minutes later", "sure" you replied imagining how hongjoong is going to punish you for whoring you out with everyone's and waiting your hole to be ravaged by both…..

#seonghwa x male reader #park seonghwa x male reader #ateez x male reader #male idol x male reader #seonghwa smut #idk what i did #male reader #smut

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bidisaster-peanut-romano · 22 days

Text

soo hi everyone!! i'm back on my bully essay/meta/something writing!! sort of. i did this.

anyways anyone who's been on this page for some time know how from time to time i have insistently mentioned the parallels between lola and peanut, right?

welp! that was a joke but the time has finally come!! a super-pretentious essay just for the fun of it!! (and also bc i haven't been writing actually argumentative texts in like months perhaps a year, so. yikes, i really need to practice again)

word count: 2.2k WOAH. IM SORRY

i, in my corner, with my monstrous needs. — susan sontag, as consciousness is harnessed to flesh

take this quote both as a title and an anticipation of what is to come. the essay will be distributed analyzing first the dependence of each of them on johnny, to then draw comparisons. i'll make sure to steer as away from headcanons as possible, sticking closely to the source text. obviously, some things' interpretation might be ambiguous, but, you know. your usual occupation hazard.

also, a disclaimer before we start: while they are psychologically complex and there is always a mimetic intention in developing them, these are fictional characters, and, as such, their primary function is to be vessels for different themes, questions and so forth. therefore, i will prioritize meaning and themes over moral implications and similar elements.

i. peanut

for how much i can adore talking about him, the way peanut depends on johnny is very much on the nose; worn on his sleeve, even. in 11:11 minutes of voice lines, he mentions johnny 30 times.

many interpret this as the caricature of a boy crush, but i have reasons to believe it is much less cute than that.

the problem is that, really, more than trying to identify specific situations... peanut seems to rely on johnny for a significant part of what he does. when he does good at dodgeball:

Look at me, Johnny, look at me!

almost like a child calling for his parent's attention to be praised. he calls johnny's name when he's going through hardships, when he's scared or when he's sad.

more than someone he just loves, johnny is a point of reference. whenever there's something going on, whenever he does or has to do something, his first thought goes to johnny; vice versa, what johnny asks of him is his priority.

I gotta tell Johnny! No time. I gotta see Johnny now. Gotta help Johnny. What can I do next to please Johnny? I mean Lola! I mean…

(this also goes in a "negative" direction, envy being the other side of the medal to adoration. especially because, in some way, this reliance on johnny might be felt by him as emasculating, and, being johnny his model of masculinity, adding it to the napoleon complex thing, it's not hard to guess why it can be so unpleasant. we can see this manifest through some of the things he expresses in regards to lola- not as much an interest he has towards her, but the interest he wishes to have from her- which are a bit more different than it might seem at a first glance. but this is a mouseketool we'll need later. still:

Last time I saw her, Lola made eyes at me, not Johnny!

do we really need this part? heh. i'm not sure, but it's always good to point out)

(also, just because, for the purpose of this analysis, it might be useful to specify: while these sentiments are very much implied in peanut's canon quotes, we have no evidence in canon in what measure they are reciprocated by johnny. the fandom has universally agreed that johnny also views peanut as his Best Friend In The World; while in some measure, they must be at least a bit close, i think it is even safe to say, given the caricaturist nature of bully's characterizations, that johnny holds peanut in less consideration that peanut deludes himself into believing. quoting another post of mine, the kids who show some level of obsession towards their leader mention him on average ten or less times (gord mentions derby eight times, parker six times, kirby mentions ted five times). the leaders don't usually make names at all, that much is true; however, peanut mentions johnny 30 times, and, even in front of this proportion, johnny mentions peanut 0 times. just to make that clear)

overall, what undeniably shines through his voice lines is a feeling of general inadequacy, whether about his height, or his strength in front of a bigger adversary. the audios in which he tries to show off range from being disingenuous, to straight up improbable.

crossing what we have until now said, it is not hard to come to the conclusion that he really tries to make up, to fill this empty feeling of inadequacy by taking pride in his role as johnny's second in command.

while i am a big fan of bully's characteristic of having left much content out of the main game, leaving the gamers to dig it up for themselves, i do believe that scrapping some of the stuff that was prepared for peanut is a loss. we have a number of voice lines coming from chapter 3, in which it was heavily implied how important peanut's role as johnny's right hand man was.

for example, much like... all other seconds in command, really, he was to be followed and then fought in the rumble, before you could get to johnny, with the specific duty to cover his back. even his very first scene, the opening cutscene of chapter 3, i believe, is not to be underestimated. most of the other people, as far as i recall, call you when they need it in person; johnny, however, sends peanut. making him, de facto, an extension of himself, almost.

again, you choose the motivation. what is important, from a narrative point of view, is that peanut clings to johnny through these acts of service, almost making it the foundation of his personhood.

basically, he makes it so that, if he can't be of help to johnny, his whole self is fundamentally annihilated, giving himself completely to johnny.

ii. lola

with lola, reading between the lines gets a bit more difficult; first of all, because lola is much less transparent than peanut, her insincerity being a supporting beam of the whole chapter 3. secondly, whether she was done dirty by the creators or not, it is undoubted that being the perspective that of a teenage boy (namely, jimmy, but we certainly, as viewers, are brought to sympathize more with johnny than with lola) with all the prejudices it can bring with itself.

however, it doesn't mean that there isn't anything to work with- quite the contrary, actually. the issue with lola is that there is a certain amount of layers to get through before gaining a satisfying perception of her as a character. still, we're here to try our best, aren't we!

even behind the muddiness of her intentions and the manipulation she shows herself a master at, it is clear from the second we first meet her that what she does is in function of johnny.

to get through this mess with order, we'll start from an easy, measurable numeric information: lola mentions johnny in her audio files 19 times. which, we're assessed, IS a considerable amount.

we have extensively talked about the way her cheating patterns are a strategy not to succumb to the passive role of the girl in the heteronormative, patriarchal prototypical couple (there's a post here breaking down a lot of this stuff, if any of you is interested!!), so, instead of this, i want to focus on what lies beneath that behavior.

ultimately, the whole point is that lola expects and wants johnny to fight for her. whether is it because she feels taken for granted, or just because he can't perceive it if not through grandiose gestures like the rumble- your interpretation will work; she wants to see johnny fighting nail and teeth not to lose her, she wants him to show her that he wants her.

she's all about that attention, and she knows exactly what and how to do to get it. and i think this is especially clear when you compare the moments in which she knows there's no advantage she could go for; when she has understood that jimmy won't fall for her manipulation, when algie and chad leave her unsatisfied, when norton openly accuses her and antagonizes her - she loses her temper, lets go of that sweetened and/or flirtatious voice tone, abandons that specific kind of gesturing. she doesn't care anymore about obtaining something. she was actually angry, and she was actually upset that johnny had disappeared.

in some of her audios, she references johnny with some amount of fondness, as well:

Johnny and I were on the best date ever.

(there is also a voice line in which she says "He told me he likes me because of my personality. Isn't that sweet?"; due to it being a general chatter and not exclusive to one chapter, i assume it is relatively safe to assume she is quoting johnny. however, as i said at the beginning, we're trying to stay as close to canon material as possible, so, do your thing- and i'm open to arguments!!)

a considerable amount of audio files, however (which will lead us to our final point) is about her... calling for help for johnny, or stating, confidently, that he will come save her, or avenge her later.

Someone get Johnny! Johnny's gonna get you for this. Johnny is gonna kill you!

but wait... i have some sense of déjà vu...

You're gonna be sorry when Johnny finds out!

iii. two faces of the same medal

if i had to pick an effective image for a metaphor, i'd say that the thing about lola and peanut is that they are both dogs looking for someone to take their leash; we’re talking here about an exclusive relationship with someone they can rely totally on, someone we’ll call the Other (with a capital o, distinguished from just other. yes it is unnecessarily complicated i’m sorry).

for what my professor would call accidents of history, it happened that both of them found that Other in johnny.

each of them attempts at creating an exclusive relationship with the Other, one foolproof and fundamentally… perfect. perfect in the way that everything works like oiled gears, in the way that every next move is predictable, in the way that any accident will not break the created equilibrium. (even if, in the general sense of the term, lola and johnny's relationship is everything but perfect, it is in the connotation that we have established here. lola is aware that, no matter what she does, johnny will come back around. hell, the very thing that she does is aimed at keeping that balance; specifically, keeping him a bit on the edge, pushing him into a corner where he has to actively make an effort to keep her close.)

they both hide something they are ashamed of, regulating not only their actions and reactions but their very way of existing in the world, in order to keep that gear working, in order to remain in johnny's hand. lola hides that craving for a genuine and stable affection, dissimulating it with the cheating and the fatuous physical demonstrations of closeness; peanut hides his sense of inadequacy and complex of inferiority, by being the tough and reliable second in command.

basically, what they mean to achieve is a sense of security, the safety of not really being the one to lead but, at the same time, finding a purpose, other than a shield from the outside world that they are not willing to concede themselves to. like a... symbiotic relationship?? i was going to say parasitic, but, yknow. the Other does get some advantages, which are, respectively, peanut's acts of service and lola's capacity to boost johnny's pride.

now, of course, johnny is not aware of either of their play. which makes it even better, since, as we already said, both of their approach to the relationship needs some degree of insincerity.

like, i don't deny that johnny might be a good friend, or a loyal one. but he is an oblivious, prideful fuck who can't see past his own nose; he's got a tendency to make it all about himself - which of course goes perfectly with what we said about both peanut and lola making the Other their center, taking up, in a certain way, a passive role in the relationship.

this way, both of them aim at creating with johnny a relationship that is, in a way, codependant and conditional, in which the do ut des (their respective "service" ↔ johnny's guarantee of stability) creates the foundation of the very relationship.

this, of course, brings up the problem of exclusivity; on which, however, i prefer not to delve into too much, as this would bring us to the topic of their antagonism which... isn't really what i wanted to go for, at least not here. (it would risk bringing us a bit too close to my subjective interpretation and too far away from the canon, which i PROMISED i wouldn't do. however, someday i might elaborate on that??? idk , please do lmk if someone's interested around here)

i will, however, show you a diagram (it looks like a triangle- i guess it is, but it is VERY important that it is a pyramid, with a top and a larger foundation) and a quote, to wrap this up bc i think it is already WAY too long and ramble-y lmao. let me know what you think anyway, my ask box is always open <3

it almost feels like a joke to play out a part when you are not the starring role in someone else's heart you know i'd rather walk alone (i'd rather walk alone) than play a supporting role if i can't get the starring role -- starring role, marina and the diamonds

#WHEW. do you know how long this has been sitting in my drafts???? do you???#date: 23 of aprile. yeah. but i only had the premise and the title. whops. the intention was there.#it took me a bit more than half an hour to write the first two paragraphs. then it took me THREE WHOLE DAYS to write the last one #i was RECORDING MYSELF. RAMBLING AND TALKING. THROUGHOUT THE DAY. trying to get some coherent thoughts out of my head #god i love them but theyre SO compclicated to talk about. i guess i just like my characters a little bit fucked up idk #also yeah ask box is always open u know the drill. thank you if you have read all of this and congrats!!#i hope i fried no brains in attempts at reading this bc i certainly fried mine at attempting at writing it #bully #bully cce #bully canis canem edit #bully game #bully scholarship edition #canis canem edit #lola lombardi #peanut romano #greasers #odyposts

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littlemisstfc · 11 months

Text

How The Bayverse Failed Optimus Prime

Hello, hola, こんにちは。

Welp, it’s been eighty four years since I have written a Transformers essay for Tumblr, huh? I do deeply apologize for my months-long hiatus on this funky T app. I was busy being a gaslighting, gatekeeping girlboss in the wilds of the bird app and that funny video app I think the kids call Taki Taki. Huh. What an odd name for an app. 🧐

Wait, what am I talking about? Wait, I remember. Anyways…

Oh, sweet little Bayverse, my dear archnemesis. Everyone and their mothers have the universal opinion of all opinions: the Bayverse is fundamentally flawed. Even if you hold nostalgic opinions about this franchise, by all means more power to you, you cannot deny that it’s a film series that is basically an 12 year old edgelord’s wet dream. Loud, obnoxious, filled with every horrible stereotype of the human race imaginable (from women to people of color to people with common sense), and lacks an understanding of what made Transformers special. If this movie was a person, it would call me a slur. 😭 But that’s a discussion for another day, and I’ve already made a video about the misogyny of the Bayverse if you’re curious. Check that out in your spare time! 👍🏽

youtube

In a nutshell, the Bayverse movies are not good, and there’s no better representation of why the movies lack a basic understanding of the franchise it was adapted from than a character that is essentially a childhood icon for many people:

Optimus Prime.

Everyone and their mothers hold a universal opinion that is sadly present: this man is a maniac who basically says, “GIVE ME YOUR HEAD.” However, Imma about to say something that not only caused a flame war when I brought it up a while back on Twitter, but reflects how the portrayal of Optimus in the movies is flawed in insidious ways:

Optimus is the victim of bad character writing as well as the lack of understanding his core personality. Thus, as a result, this resulted in the, “Bayverse Optimus is a psycho phenomenon” that demonized his visible mental health issues. He was a traumatized individual affected by the tragedies he had to endure throughout his entire life, and the movies did not do his hidden character arc justice. Come along with me on this journey of understanding Bayverse Optimus as a person, not as a demonic caricature that is unfortunately common in the fandom.

3, 2, 1, PINGU.

A Tale of a Bot: The Long Road to A Broken Mind

Optimus’ current personality and outlook on life in general is a result of having a life filled with betrayals and tragedy. Having been orphaned at a young age after the Fallen has killed off the lineage of the Primes, he was taken in by Sentinel Prime as a pupil. Having worked with other Autobots in revitalizing Cybertron into a hospitable world, he was selected by Sentinel to lead the Autobots. At the same time, his true heritage was revealed. However, feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities of his prestigious family history, Optimus turned down Sentinel’s offer. He accepted the responsibility of co-leading Cybertron with his childhood ish friend Megatron, as he is the fair to the latter’s firmness. However, throughout their rule, they clashed multiple times over multiple scenarios such as the arrival of enemy invaders and the discovery of a relic. This was mostly fueled by Megatron’s own resentment and jealousy towards his co leader due to Optimus’ Prime heritage. The boiling point that exploded into war was Megatron and his followers ambushing Prime and his companions while on a trip to Metrotitan. Thus, along with the apparent death of Sentinel through the latter’s ship being shot by Starscream, this drives Optimus in adopting a rage induced mindset towards Megatron. The one he grew up, the one he confided in, the one that he adored so much, the one who has betrayed his trust all for a vain and arrogant quest for the ultimate power. It lays the framework for Optimus’ jaded, yet hopeful outlook on life, something that the movies at least did a job in conveying. It’s also helped by Peter Cullen giving it his all as usual in conveying his sadness buried underneath his stoic demeanor. Thus, along with a few more shenanigans in the comics, this is where the first two movies started.

I appreciate the comics existing, because they took the time to actually develop Optimus’ personality and his mental state as seen in the film series. We see him as a hopeful, naive bot who hopes that one day, Megatron can change his mind and Cybertron will be alive once again. Unfortunately…the one predictable aspect of life is its unpredictability, and god dammit…it reared its ugly head as all hell breaks loose after a certain old bot returned in Dark of The Moon. Dark of The Moon is the true outlier among a sea of mediocrity and awfulness, for the best element it got right: how Sentinel’s betrayal deeply affected Optimus in the long run. This is someone who raised him when he had nothing, someone he deeply loves as a father, someone he trusted whole heartedly. And how does Sentinel repays Optimus’ loyalty and adoration for him in DOTM? Tricking him and the others into leading him to the Allspark, since UH OH he is a Decepticon spy all along, killed the Hit Me With Everything You Got robot, helping Megatron invade Chicago, and planting Seeds in order to revive Cybertron by killing Earth. Optimus saw his mentor going down a path similar to Megatron, which essentially broke his idealistic viewpoint into devastating shards that could never be put together again. I find his confrontation with Sentinel after defeating him in battle very compelling, because you could feel the heartbreak, the anger, and…the disappointment that his mentor is not the the man that he loved as a father. It was Sentinel’s choice to go to the Dark Side, it was Sentinel’s bed to lie on,

Sure, the day was eventually saved in the end. However, everything that Optimus knew and all the people he loved is gone officially. He got his main band of amigos, that’s good. However…he is basically alone in dealing with his thoughts. The universe is a cruel mistress, and it keeps putting our Flamin Hot Cheetos boyo through the ringer.

We get to Age of Extinction, years after the Battle of Chicago. Now on the run thanks to the American government being the American government, he has no one. His friends are also in hiding, Autobots are fugitives in the planet they sought refuge in, and humans are willing to turn him into the authorities. This drives his mental state into something even worse as it is, as years of trauma and stress has finally caught up to him. Like, dude legit needs some weed to soothe his nerves and it is HAUNTING. Reduced to a broken, traumatized man in the safety of a barn, he is left with major trust issues. However, one day, a kind human by the name of Cade Yeagar did the unthinkable: he didn’t turn in Optimus to the authorities. Instead, he chose to repair our Flamin Hot King out of the kindness of his heart once he realizes that Optimus is no ordinary car. Even with the pressures of his family’s financial situation, Cade still chose to help Prime. This is the first step to breaking the first wall of Optimus’ mental state: his trust issues. For a movie infamous for being one of the worst movies in Transformers history, it does a surprisingly excellent job in portraying Optimus’ and Cade’s relationship in a natural progression. They’re both bird of a feather; they’re both tired fathers raising a rebellious teenager while also trying to make it in this crazy ass world. Thus, with Cade still helping him even when his life is in danger multiple times, Optimsu learns to open up to other people for the first time in probably centuries. He reconnects with his teammates, he begins to regain his faith in humanity and the universe, and he opens his spark again to love. By the end of the movie, Cade became the person that Megatron and Sentinel had failed to be, someone who is actually similar to Optimus’ other close friend Elita One.

Soon, The Last Knight arrived and things got worse for him. Subjected to brutal torture at the hands of Quintessa, who tried to force him to love her as a mother, he reached the breaking point of his sanity. An empty shell of his former self, a representation of everything that he went through, the painful reminder how he felt about himself for so long…true, he was rescued by Cade and regained his grip on sanity in order to save the day. However, it means that he’ll have to carry the scars of the single most traumatic moment of his life so far… honestly, say what you want about The Last Knight. However, through this one hidden gem underneath a pile of mediocrity, lies a character that suffered for so long to find the love and happiness he desperately wanted, that suffered for the liberation of his people, that suffered because his lineage ensures that he couldn’t find happiness possibly for a long time…

But an Autobot has no tears, and therefore he suffers so much more.

So, riddle me this, dear TORB Nation: how does the movie portray a genuinely compelling character arc that reveals another side to Optimus Prime?

BLOWING UP SHIT AND BODIES BODIES BODIES ON THE MOTHERFUCKING FLOOR, AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The movies not only twisted such a character arc into simply nothing more than, “Optimus angy,” but it’s genuinely disgusting that his visible mental issues was thrown under the bus because heaven forbid, we have an emotionally complex protagonist. They don’t understand who Optimus Prime is. Optimus Prime is someone who pushes through his sorrows and chooses to remain a kind person in spite of said trauma. However, the movies twisted his character into another angry badass robot, never highlighting his kindness, It only highlighted his sadness. I cannot believe that Imma about make this comparison (mostly because one of these outcomes is arguably better than Bayverse in all ways), but fuck it. I need to say it:

EVEN MOTHERFUCKING TRANSFORMERS PRIME KNEW TO SHOWCASE THIS VULNERABLE SIDE OF OPTIMUS THAN THE BAYVERSE EVER DID.

Like, TFP Optimus is a pretty brick with no personality trait other than Badass Stoic Optimus that plagued the 2010s. Still, still, still, it made sure to highlight his vulnerability in a respectful and careful manner. Said respectful and caring manner is barely there except for hidden bits from time to time due to the lame ass, “Primes don’t party” logic and moments that personally grind my gears, but that’s a story for another day.

Anyways, my point is that Michael Bay would rather focus on style than substance when he’s not busy terrorizing women. Even if you’re an apologist for him, it resulted in the movies being broken for better or for worse. Mostly worst. Because of the movies being broken, it continues to do an even worse job in The Last Knight, as it focuses on the same stupid shit as usual and throws Optimus under the bus as usual. He isn’t given time to breathe, time to fully flesh out his personality and state of mind in a caring and graceful manner. Like…this honestly upsets me just as much as the disgusting elements of the Bayverse as a whole.

This Optimus Prime is someone who was me when I reached my breaking point in the lowest moments of my life. I understood where he was coming from, I understood his pain and anger because of all the heavy shit he went through. For a long time, he has a special place in my heart as I got older because he represents who I was in a time of my life where I was just as vulnerable and broken as him. So, don’t ya’ll (especially those on Twitter) ever fucking say he is a psycho because to me, that shows the ugly side of your personality. He was me, he was a character that came in a point in my life that helped me through difficulties in my life. He is a character that has the most bastardization of any character I adore in fiction, because of the insidious nature of the movies he was in for a decade.

Bayverse Optimus Prime is more than the “GIVE ME YOUR FACE” guy. He is a character with hidden LAYERS that is done dirty by the Bayverse movies. I will continue to repeat this statement: He is more than, “GIVE ME YOUR FACE.”

Conclusion: Why Are Y'all Booing Me? I have a third eye.

I have to put up with this “Bayverse Optimus is a psycho” bullshit for YEARS, I deserve to be a feral gremlin DAMMIT. After a long time of seeing one of my favorite iterations of Optimus Prime be reduced as a funny murder guy by the non Tumblr fandom, because of the Bayverse movies bastardizing his character, I have to put my foot down. If y’all can’t see my viewpoint, that’s fine. However, I’ll continue to be a passionate fan of this Optimus Prime and gatekeep him from the fans who demonize my boyo into nothing but a caricature. He is the big titty goddess in this household with so much more going for him. I’ll never stop to be his ace attorney for as long as I live, because he was someone who was me. Someone who opened the doors to introducing me to one of my favorite characters in all of fiction. He was the light in my darkest hour…

Anyways, good night Tri State Area. Pingu.

#transformers #bayverse #val talks #Youtube

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punisheddonjuan · 6 months

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Over the last week I've been back in my hometown of Hamilton staying at my parents' house and sleeping in my old bedroom. I had that optometrist appointment earlier in the week, it's Easter on Sunday, and I need to order my prescription at the pharmacy here on Monday anyway. So, an extended visit was an obvious choice. It's been nice. This afternoon I did a little dig through my closet after my mom mentioned that she would like to clear out anything in there which I wasn't keen on keeping. So I took a look, and while there was definitely stuff in there I am fine getting rid of, and in many cases can't remember why I hung onto it for as long as I did, there was also a bunch of neat old stuff in there.

Everything in that closet is thrown into a few banker's boxes, I wasn't quite sure what was in each of them. The first box I dove into turned out to contain all of my university coursework, all five years of it, and much of it disorganized and in disarray. I must have just thrown things in there, because there were loose sheets of translation work interleaved out of order, folders stuffed to breaking with photocopied journal articles and book chapters from different courses, syllabi and unrelated essays in messy piles, and various notebooks, loose notes and revisions. Organizing it all is not a task I'm up doing any time soon, and part of me doubts that I'll ever get it done, it's hardly important anymore. Surveying it all made me think on what a shame it is that I never have any occasion or reason to write things out by hand. I miss using my fountain pens, and my cursive was really quite nice.

I also found my official transcript, of which I have seven copies for reasons that have been lost to time. Presumably I ordered more copies because of grad school applications, but I can't remember.

I guess I did pretty well. And even though grades don't matter at all after you graduate, I did have to do a double take and think back for a minute trying to remember how the hell I managed to bomb Beginner's Ancient Greek II winding up with a C after getting an A in Beginner's Ancient Greek I (and then back to getting As after that). The memory did eventually resurface; I had deferred the exam on account of illness, but when it came time to write the exam in the summer, I wound up running a fever anyway, and on top of that, I was writing it a little over a week after my girlfriend had broken up with me. To be entirely honest, that summer and back half of the year is something of a blur. Welp, oh well.

Oh and hey, in one of those messy piles I found the paper for which I won a departmental essay contest and then third place in the national CAC undergraduate essay writing contest.

The professor's comments were far too kind. It's an okay paper for an undergraduate, I'd change a lot of things looking back at it now. I wonder what Dr. Corner is up to these days and if he finally finished his book. We had lunch together when I first moved to Toronto but that was years ago now. He was the professor I was closest to, a real mentor.

Buried behind the coursework box was another banker's box containing something entirely unrelated but very cool, these:

It's my old iPods! The 30GB iPod Video is completely dead, but the 160GB iPod Classic booted after I found a cable and gave it a quick charge. The headphone jack is busted, if I recall correctly, I had already paid to get it fixed once, and then it died a few months later. By that point I was fed up with having it fixed, and replaced it with an iBasso DX80. The electronics in it are still functioning fine; I might give a go at modding it into something I could put to use. Modding iPod classics is a whole scene these days and you can buy custom DIY replacement parts like microSD card readers to replace the harddrive, and there's custom firmware that allows the iPod to support higher capacity storage. Modding it shouldn't be too difficult and wouldn't even require much soldering. I'd replace the headphone jack, pull the 160GB HDD and replace it with a dual or quad microSD card reader and cram as many 512GB/1TB microSD cards it can take, and replace the battery with a higher capacity one. I stream my music collection from my media server to my phone via PlexAmp these days, but it would be cool to have an offline option, or something I can just leave permanently plugged into the Aux port of my stereo. My dad says he's got a 120GB model that half works floating around too, maybe I'll mod both of them.

There were a few other neat things in that second box like playbills from when I used to attend the opera. Which is yet another thing I used to be able to do and now miss terribly. That double feature of Bluebeard and Erwartung was phenomenal.

There was also a copy from one of the godawful and glossy annual "All About Sex" supplements the University newspaper published. I won't share pictures of that because there are a lot of half-naked semi acquaintances in there, but be assured, it's godawful.

In a third box I found approximately half of my physical PC game collection:

Check out that copy of X-Wing on 3.5" floppies and the sticker advising Windows and Pentium users that this is a DOS game. That's the very first PC game I ever got as a kid, received it as a present for Christmas '95. What you see there is less than half of what I know for a fact that I own on CD-ROM. Just off the top of my head I know I have physical copies of Half-Life, Red Alert 2, Tiberian Sun, Dune 2000, Emperor: Battle for Dune, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Sid Meier's Civilization, Total Annihilation, Unreal Tournament, Star Wars Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, Mechwarrior 4, Star Trek: Bridge Commander, Doom 3, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Thief 2: the Metal Age, Deus Ex and most of those games' attendant expansion packs. I didn't find any of them while clearing out the closet, which means that they're almost definitely up in the attic above the garage, along with the sci-fi and fantasy novels I had from adolescence which I didn't take with me when I moved. Getting up into that attic is a pain in the ass though, and it's cramped and stuffy once you're up there. Maybe next time I visit my parents I can put aside a day to go up there and locate everything. I'd really have to be feeling up to it though. I'm pretty sure my hardback copy of Good Omens is up there, as is my copy of Neuromancer, and the Black Company omnibuses. None of which I've read in years.

The only other things of note were a bunch of pewter figurines of wizards I had for unknown reasons and a few nice and largely unused (with the exception of a few pages that I must have torn out years ago) notebooks that I can put to good use.

Actually, I just figured out the reason I owned these and hung onto them. It's because they're rad as hell. Wizards rule.

#blog #personal history

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do-minuzz · 4 months

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so let's look actually realistically at thoschei ship

and in realistically I mean looking with all the EU stuff that happend between them, because yeah that's basically the main conflict stuff

be careful there's a lot of words that I wrote without thinking twice lmao

why thoschei isn't canon yet?

so from the doctor's point of view I think the main reason is that he just cannot morally accept master as the way he is, not only due to his cunning nature which just cannot flow in the same stream with him, but also due to doctors morality codex which is fully conflicting with masters

and what hurts me even more is that it's fully doctors fault. which doctor also feels guilty of, but he never acknowledges it nor wants to because welp, doctor is a coward and that's it. he's afraid that it will eventually turn him into something else than doctor - doctor is supposed to save others, not running around with local universal criminal with weird principles

when we look from the master's point of view it's very different. master is just STUCK with doctor. he doesn't have anyone to kneel on, just no one who would be actually interested in him and no one who would give him admiration and understanding. it's so fucking horrible to be honest.

only doctor was able to do so, they had similar paths, and master was fully trusting him, and then doctor did a lot of things which resulted in betrayal. and master just didn't turn evil. hot take: master NEVER was evil and NEVER will be evil. It depends on from which eyes we're looking for.

if we're looking from the doctor point of view yeah, master is evil thats it. he's immoral and evil.

evil and good is a question of perspective.

so master did not turn evil for EVERYONE alright, he was just evil towards the doctor because of betrayal, and if you think about it - everything what was master doing eventually led to doctor

was it intentional? yeah, at the beginning of it

but with time that line just got blurred and he's doing everything instinctively.

and when there's no doctor around for thousand or so years, master isn't so «evil» anymore. he's just... koschei.

so with this I can say that the identity of master was created by doctor himself. there's SO MUCH more to it that I could write a fucking essay thirty pages long just describing all the shit they caused to eachother lifes (please god just let them reduce to atoms I swear-)

so for the thoschei to be canon(i mean healthy and almost fully established) we need a doctor who's not considering himself a doctor anymore.

luckily we have one! it's 14th :DDD

and we need a master who's not in need anymore to get admiration and awe from doctor using rage and a lot of killing in process involved

which could be anyone if doctor is able to redeem himself in eyes of master, redeem all this betrayal, give up his title

and then master will not have to run and kill everyone on sight because well... doctor-not-doctor-but-a-friend-from-distant-past is here. he's available and free™

and then they'll be able to start again from almost scratch

but through giving up themselves and building up again together.

so the main point of all this shit: saxteen is canon XDDDD

but actually I'm going to explore this deep further later in my fic for sure.

#doctor who #thoschei #writing #fourteenth doctor #doctor who academy era #relationship #relationship study #putting them under a microscope #or in a microwave that depends

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leosxrealm · 8 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/leosxrealm/741425875076186112/why-do-i-feel-like-lewis-is-retiring-soon-hes?source=share

Why do u think that

honestly that just popped in my head when i first saw the rumors/announcements

and i feel like i should give some kind of warnings here - i’m fairly new to f1 (yes leo we know you’ve mentioned that 1000s of times) but i have seen bits and pieces of the f1 world here and there before. so i might be completely wrong about literally everything

moving on🗣️

i started officially following and watching f1 since last september/october, and i’ve always thought lewis looked kind of lonely?

he doesn’t have a lot of friends on the grid. he is civil with his fellow drivers but that doesn’t mean he considers them a friend (imo)

that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have friends at all. he does have friends outside of f1 but due to him traveling sm, he doesn’t get to meet them often.

both his friends on the grid (seb and nico) are retired. (and other issues that i’m guessing we all know)

also the reason he doesn’t have a lot of friends might be because of his “introverted” personality (he doesn’t interact with drivers a lot or participate in conversations)

“introverted” in brackets bc it might be forced (?)

this is from an article i was reading

and it just might be because all other f1 drivers (except alonso) have met as kids at some point in their life (he doesn’t get along with alonso so he isn’t really left with a lot of options)

and i’m pretty sure these were rumors (about lewis wanting to quit after the 2021 season) but you can’t help but think if there’s a possibility they might be true

i think (this is just my opinion don’t come after me) that lewis did want to quit after 2021, we all know he ain’t a quitter so he gave f1 and mercedes another chance, but with max/red bull domination, he doesn’t see much hope for himself, of him winning another title

mercedes hasn’t been the same like it was in the 2010s neither have ferrari

makes you question why would lewis wanna go to a team that hasn’t been doing good lately, and then lewis posted on instagram with that caption “chance to fulfill another childhood dream. driving in ferrari red.”

and welp, he can only do that when he’s still on the grid

also the fact that he’s 39 and he just might think that his time’s almost over. he’s gonna be 40 in 2025 by the time he joins ferrari

“bUt aLoNsO iS sTiLL dRiViNg” he’s not alonso. seb retired in his 30s, lewis might wanna do it now

lewis has signed a multi-year contract with ferrari and i think he might stay till 2026/2027 to check out the new team (audi) and then leave

and yeah all that stuff makes me think that lewis might be leaving soon </3

racing might be the only thing lewis has known and i’ve only known racing with lewis in it. ngl, i might not be his biggest fan but i’ll miss him

also such a random and probably mean thing to say but i don’t think red is lewis’ colour. or maybe i’m just too used to seeing him in merc colours :(

side note: my inbox is open for discussion just don’t be rude :]

that’s all i have to say

“tHaTs aLL i hAvE tO sAy” proceeds to write an entire essay

#leo is a yapper confirmed #also alonso being 40+ means he prolly gonna retire soon😭#formula 1 #f1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 x reader #lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton x reader #mercedes #mercedes formula one #leo’s nonsense

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zaahvi · 2 years

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Hello I would like the essay about soul blades please and thank you. Also it can be 10 pages that's fine.

(original post for reference)

soooo it's less of an essay and more like bullet points with my thoughts on individual quotes from the passage buuut here we go:

the urge for self-perfection proves to be self-destruction - humanity always strives to do things "for the greater good" in order to save themselves (see enderal), but this is all in vain because, well, nobody is perfect and their flaws end up being their undoing with the cleansing - unleashed at the end of the cycle (called predestination here).

the first shadowgod in history broke through the perfection of humanity - this sure is interesting considering that the veiled woman did this exact same thing. kadath was a perfect society, and she destroyed it because it was causing them all to live in misery. this might just be referring to the first turn of the cycle: the veiled woman smiting kadath could really be something like the starfall, right? and after this imperfection was gone, the shadowgod eventually arose as a natural consequence and the rest of the cycle ran its course

the blades prevent the urge for perfection - as with the previous point, the shadowgods seem to be against this perfection... being a part of the cycle, which was created to combat perfection, this makes sense; but if humanity's urge for self-perfection is to want to do good deeds, why would the blades prevent this? well that's what i thought at first, but you can also be "good" without striving for perfection - the shadowgod could fit with that. striving for self-perfection is arrogant, in a way (example tealor arantheal). as for how the blades affect this..... man i have no clue. i'm open to ideas

and why should they? - well from kadath we know why

ancient, all-devouring soul collectives that want to bring humanity to a collective consciousness - rubbing my hands together and cackling. of course, these are the high ones, but how do the soul blades protect against them? i never really thought about it until i read this part, but it makes perfect sense: the soul blades trap your soul in it. similarly to how you would bind one to a soul gem, except that you're actually alive and well. the cleansing affects anyone with a soul, but not objects, because then we wouldn't have places like the living temple. so of course it wouldn't work on anyone trapped within the soul swords... so yeah, the shadowgods are immune to the cleansing, not only because their death was predestined to be something else but also because the cleansing just wouldn't work on them

the high ones: are they our guardians or do they just prevent us from achieving perfection? - the high ones and the cycle were created after humanity's perfection was broken, so yeah they prevent. but, well, if you knew the eternal misery that perfection brings, why would you want to strive for it? wouldn't that make them our guardians? (well, if it does, it doesn't explain why they have to be so obnoxious and condescending about it lmao)

welp that's all :) if you read the whole thing thanks! i'm always down to write paragraphs about vyn stuff hehe

#nehrim #enderal #vynblr #asks #vyn lore #guys i know a Very Large amount of vyn lore and have a lot of thoughts so if you ever have any questions go ahead #also idk if that first link works on mobile sorry

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yasavinggrace · 1 year

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hey grace, this is a totally dumb question but I'm genuinely confused 😵‍💫 is your name grace or seraph? like, which one do u go by on your blog??

hiii sky that is not a dumb question plss 😭 I always liked the name seraph so that’s why I put it as my blog name but a lot of ppl kept calling me grace (and technically it’s kinda a meaning for my real name & the reason for my username) so honestly either or it doesn’t matter :)) 💞

welp why did I write a whole essay here 😭

#sky my darling

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mrkis · 1 year

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this is a submission written by ellie (@thetypingpup). you don't understand how fucking much i enjoy these reactions and how she feels reading twlg LMFAO. i have already read through and responded to her via discord (as she was kind enough to send this as soon as the final dropped) please enjoy reading this as much as i fucking did LMAO

The last federalist paper (for now lmao)

Good lord this is nerve wracking and emotional. I’m literally shaking as I’m typing this. But we’re here. We’re at the last part, and I’m writing my last condemnation of that man (unless i come up with more to say bc i probably will lmao). I’m gonna do the same thing as last time where i’m gonna write the reaction as an essay while I read, so somewhat intelligent, lots of screaming. *deep breath* ok here we go

Full disclosure, I have trust issues with these types of stories so I did skip to glance at the end first to see where this went, and so far all I have to say is huh…I did not see that coming.

Ok now to see how we got there.

Omg what’s this? Actual thoughts…ABOUT MC? Positive thoughts that aren’t just about sex?? What the fuck???? Omg i’m really taken aback by this so far holy shit. And omg not him being worried for mc? Is that worry on your face sir? Where’s all this coming from holy shit this is what i’ve been waiting for from him the whole time what? Fuck better late than never for that man, better late than never. Jeno’s right tho he is spending an awful lot of time with eunbin. Might wanna…might wanna address that sir.

I will say tho that scene with jeno is the first time we’re seeing the exclusive thing be acknowledged from mc’s side. Again better late than never. Treading a lot of ground in this part wow. Jeno’s the number one best friend so far here.

This is just the chapter of surprises bc not that man is the one to be like “we need to talk”. Not mc being the avoidant one. Not me almost crying at that kiss scene. Which is crazy bc I read the spoiler, but in context it's a gut punch. This has been nothing but surprise after surprise so far. Wheeeeew that was a clusterfuck of emotions omfg why do I feel for both of them WHAT THE FUCK CAS WHAT THE FUCK???

"Jaemin feels conflicted." Bitch I feel conflicted bc there were some egregious bumps in the road before getting to this point with that man. I would know I wrote about them at length lmao. And I be if he had a gun to his head he still couldn’t list five of mc’s personality traits. Welp, let’s see how he atones for all that.

“I wish I could pull an Eunbin and leave on a trip.” AND I OOP. ANNA OUUUUU. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW WHAT THE FUCK WOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Ok wow. Just….wooooooow. I can’t even say anything intelligent. The words are on the tip of my fingers, but all I can type is just….wooooooooow.

I’m loving the dynamic with the three besties too. Like yes mc is the main character, but i’m so glad the others have established storylines and the dynamic btw them is really fleshed out, and it’s all displayed so seamlessly through their interactions. It’s giving euphoria in the best ways.

“You hardly know anything about him, and that’s because he doesn’t let you” YES EXACTLY THANK YOU. oof there we go some acknowledgement. At the very least tho, mc knows some things. Surface level things, but still some things, things we've seen, which is still more than i can say for that man at this point. So far what do we got from him? Uhm…he likes the sex, he likes the emotional support, thinks you’re pretty, and…that’s what we got so far. Ah well, we’ll see how that changes leading to the end.

OMG YANGYANG MY MAN. MY BOY. the way i was internally screaming throughout that whole scene. Poor guy I feel bad for him, but i’m glad it was a blurting out of ‘hey actually i like you and i wouldn’t do that shit to you that he did’. As much as i personally would’ve loved to see that, i am glad that he respected her enough to keep that part to himself and just comfort her. Once again proving that he cares so fucking much about her omg. In another universe this would be a different canon event and these two would be together bc the tenderness? The care? The heart wrenching confession of ‘i love you’ whispered so quietly it could easily be lost to the wind? The tug on the heart strings? The way we got so much more of how he actually feels about mc than we ever got about that man in tens of thousands of words? The way all of this affection for her came through in a few paragraphs? *big sigh* in another universe. In another universe. Alright let’s see what’s going on with that man again fack.

Yeeeeeeees. This yangyang confrontation yaaaaaaaaaaaas. Bring it oooooooooooooon. Ah damnit he doesn’t beat his ass. He should’ve had one good punch in. nah but on some shit, dramatically, this is a perfect follow up to the previous scene. Yes he technically betrayed mc’s trust, but fuck it someone had to get the ball rolling, so it makes perfect scene.

Ok i’ll admit, when that man’s heart sank when eunbin finally admitted her shit, i smiled. I smiled real big. I had a grinch smile on my face. Serves him fuckin right after everything that’s happened. Oh we cheered. Oh we cheered and clapped. More pain more heartache for that man he needs to suffer. I still don’t know why that man was spending so much time with her to begin with after he claimed to be done with her before, but at least that time is over. Oh wait a minute now what’s this? Acknowledgement? Self awareness? He finally figured out the problem with having eunbin around? Just surprise after surprise this chapter wow.

“Do you realize you were the one that broke the rules first?” “Enough with that fucking name” GET HIM AGAIN FOR ME. GET HIM. WHACK HIM. DRAAAAAAAAG HIM. Wheeeeeew my head is spinning omfg. GET HIIIIIIIIIM. FINALLY oh my god you have no idea who cathartic this is. The way it still wasn’t her verbally agreeing at all, at any point, and just that man decided “hey we’re exclusive now” and still going along with it. Like what now she’s saying she agreed to this? Where was this before?? That does still bother me quite a bit I cannot lie. But still GET HIM AGAIN.

Ok here’s his apology. Hmmm…I feel like he’s got a lot more to apologize for (see previous essays lmao), and again besides the sex, the emotional support, and now a more apparent attraction, still don’t know what it is about her that he’s drawn to. Can he name those personality traits or do I need to grab the revolver? What is it that he likes as a person? As a human being? I guess that’s gonna be one of those unanswered questions. I guess that’s the way life goes.

The ending is very sweet tho don’t get me wrong. The love making is very sweet. The epilogue is very sweet. It’s very cathartic and really made me emotional to read. Now, is he still that man? Am I still his parole officer? What’s the verdict? Well I just finished the chapter and so far I have to say hmmm…I guess Jaemin is in the clear FOR NOW. He’s done his prison time. We’ll call this probation then. But I will be watching for him in the upcoming parts of this college series, and I’m more than prepared to make a citizens’ arrest if I have to I will be the first one to jump his ass.

Fuck this was…such a journey. This was such a fucking journey. And honestly this journey even transcends this work. Like yes this work is masterfully done, one of the most enriching immersive experiences I’ve ever had with a fic, but I already told you that lmao. Through this I joined the discord, met some incredible people and made some incredible friends. Through this I met you, and you’ve become such a special friend to me and I value our friendship so much. I appreciate the fuck out of it (see what i did there please clap). I’m proud of you Cassie, for putting in all this work, for seeing this through to the end, and for cultivating an incredible community with your amazing work.

I was going to end this with something cheesy like "the real way life goes was the friends we made along the way", but i'm moreso sitting there like the fish in bags in finding nemo all like...now what? Lmao will be tuning in for your future work!

#⟡ [submission ! ]#thetypingpup ⛧#‣ [mutual]#fic: the way life goes #it made me fucking laugh rereading this lmfao im gonna miss these!!!

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tsuki-sennin · 2 years

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I spent the last couple days watching Kamen Rider BLACK SUN. Absolutely fucking fantastic show, holy shit. I had very low expectations going in, mainly because it marketed itself so heavily as a reboot, also some questionable decisions in the first few episodes (relating to co-opting of real life protest phrases and Kotaro's... extremely difficult to take seriously ketamine addiction for example, though that second one is definitely more my fault)

It was so worth it though for this extremely honest and angry allegory about Imperial Japan's inhumane treatment of both its own citizens and the people it deigned to conquer, and how conservatives and ultranationalists trying to downplay its actions or support them because it aligns with their own bigotry is extremely fucked up.

Now, there's far more to unpack within BLACK SUN than just that. Even if I had the time to create a massive 10 hour video essay about it, it probably wouldn't be enough. I wouldn't wanna spoil anything, which is why I didn't do my usual thing here, but it is sooo good. Not for everybody, I'm aware. It's very gory and heavy, and it was definitely a bit much for me to process at times, but man do they go hard on the action, the writing, the suit design, the acting, the cinematography, the lighting, the music, oh my GOD it's all so good.

9.1/10, go fucking watch it right now if you're even a bit interested.

Anyways, Geats! I watch that, right? Good thing I'm not watching Delicious Party yet, otherwise this might be even harder whiplash!

Spoilers, I guess...

-Fuck I miss you Keiwa.

-Fare thee well, Tycoon.

-Welp, we're all fucked.

-Yeah, don't rely on Instant Win Conditions.

-It ate the can!

-Adapt and improvise.

-Game Master!

-Who are you behind that mask?

-Egg

-Don't poke the egg, Tsumuri!

-Becomed God.

-I see Keiwa's still featured in the intro.

-Yeah, he's totally coming back soon, don't worry folks.

-Wake up!

-OH MY GOD, THAT JAMATO KILLED A BABY HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK

-Egg

-Awwww, Ace's using the Ninja Buckle :)

-Ace, I really have to wonder what kind of things your mother taught you back in the days of the Roman Empire.

-Secret Mission, Clear!

-The Boost is your friend once again, Ace. Now that Keiwa's not around, it's come home to give you a kiss.

-Ponder the egg.

-Buckle Get!

-Propeller!

-Never have children, Azuma.

-Drill!

-I really have to wonder how the Egg Gacha works.

-Put a power drill into a zombie skull!

-"My egg is a late bloomer! It will take its time to grow healthy and stronk."

-Man, how could you wanna go to a normal life after going through all this?

-Neon :)

-No more giving up, huh?

-Man...

-I don't wanna jinx it, but Takahashi really stepped up with his feline female Rider after fumbling Yaiba.

-Seeing Neon say goodbye to her fanbase like that pulled on my heartstrings.

-Traaaaain Azuma train!

-For revenge

-Ace, training all by himself.

-When you stand by yourself, you look like the loneliest creature on earth.

-C'moooooon, crack!

-Let's fucking go, gamers.

-Final Boss Time!

-Begin!

-Oh my god, that's Birth's Drill Arm.

-And that's Build RoseCopter's Batrotor Blade!

-God, I recognized both kitbashes so easily. I don't know if that's a result of Toei being so shameless with them or me being so meticulous about this information. Both are really sad.

-"Wake uuuuuup, Egggg!"

-Zombie Drill Victory!

-Propeller Strike!

-Guess horse man don't.

-Oh, here he comes! The fox!

-Death... only makes us stronger!

-LET'S GO AZUMA

-Holy shit, he's so cool.

-The Buffalo is the Goat.

-FUCK YEAH BABY

-Egg Smash.

-The little Monster.

-Baby

-MONSTER!

-READY, FIGHT!

-One punch! Knock this world out!

-Flyin' out!

-Mission Complete!

-Desire God Met!

-OHHHHHHHH PUNKJACK

-HE SPEAKS

-Good night, monster friend.

-He learned a lot today. And it's all your fault, Azuma <3

-Ohhhh, Azuma :(

-Welp. Congrats, Neon! You lost better than everybody else!

-Why the long face, Tsumuri?

-Oh god, what did he wish for

-Of course. The new world.

-Welcome to the new world, Geats Gamers!

-Oh good, the baby's okay.

-I wonder... do repeat player's wishes... overwrite one another?

-OH THE MASK

-IT'S OFF

-Geats!

-New season pass!

-Whoa, Ace! Did you... make Tsumuri and Giroli live with you?

-Harureya Win?

-Hallelujah Win? Halloween?

-NA-GO MY GIRL GETS HER POWERUP POG

-Halloweeeeeeeen! So says Cosmo.

-Speaking of which, that's tomorrow.

-So yeah. Happy Halloween!

#kamen rider geats #kr geats #geats spoilers #the world's next round: trick shot of desire for the grand victory #kamen rider #i also talk about black sun briefly oop

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thescrapbookingscientist · 3 days

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Bimonthly Media Roundup

- The Locked Tomb (Books) - My sister's currently listening to the audio novels for these, and talking about them has reignited my love for the series. There's rarely ever such a big fandom presence around wlw-centric media, and for this one to come from a sci-fi/fantasy novel series is particularly incredible, I guess it just proves how entertaining the series is.

- Spx X Family Code White (Movie) - The Spy x Family movie is on Crunchyroll now which catches me up with the animated part of the series. I like the show as a whole though I don't think the movie was it's strongest showing. It wasn't bad per say, I did like Yor's misunderstanding infidelity plot-line as well as Lloyds mission to gather materials to make a dessert, but Anya (the most entertaining character) was a bit sidelined and overall the movie spent too much time on bland action scenes and montages. There was also an annoyingly long poop joke and a lack of the generally good comedy the series overall has, particularly in the latter half. I wouldn't call it a skip as I still enjoyed these characters, but it's not really a must see either, fans aren't missing anything substantial by skipping this one.

- Cowboy Bebop (Anime) - Not much to say yet only a few episodes in, but boy do I miss 90's anime character designs and detailed space western backgrounds, even with the square ratio it's a treat to look at.

- Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) - Still in Gego Hell. In between the fanfics I've been reading I've been writing an enemies to friends to lovers Actor AU with nepotistic child actor turned type-casted romance lead Gojo being forced to costar with recently famous and well respected prestige indie actor Geto, which is fun to think of scenes for even if it will most likely never see the light of day.

- Steins;Gate (Anime) - Welp we finally finished Steins Gate, and while I definitely wouldn't call it the worse thing I've watched, It is the largest gap I've ever seen in regards to it's hype and reputation versus it's actual quality. MAL might not be the only measure of popularity but it's usually pretty good at gauging overall fan opinion, and this series is the 3rd highest ranked anime of all time with 9's and 10s across the board, with it frequently popping up on anitubers favorites lists. I'm not usually one to give things number scores as I think they are too vague to be useful, but if I were to give this series one it would probably be a 4/10, 5/10 at best, and that's me being generous. Honestly the only real positive I'd give this series is that the 'sending text messages and memories into the past, altering the present such that only the protag keeps their memories" is a pretty interesting time travel method, even I don't think it gets used to the best of it's abilities here. Other than that though I cannot for the life of me imagine how the series got so popular, other than the obvious nostalgia value combined with pandering to otaku culture/self insert harem protag combined with pseudo-intellectual science babble. I'm npt normally this mean but man, the first few episodes of this series were almost unwatchable with a bland color pallet, annoying archetypal characters who babble on with inane and honestly cringe dialogue, and absolutely no notable plot progression. About halfway in the plot picks up and it becomes mildly more interesting, but not enough to excuse the lackluster visuals and lack of any interesting characters or relationships, especially given that they go for the most basic of all time loop plots of "no matter how you change the past this innocent character dies over and over" without really justifying why in the same way that Madoka or even Life is Strange does. I'll probably watch some video essays on this as I'm genuinely curious why people like it, though I doubt my own opinion will change. Groundhog day loops are some of my favorite story devices but even as a big fan of the trope I wouldn't recommend this one, half of it is straight up painful to sit through and the other half has been done far better in other media.

- One Piece (Anime) - The Sabo and Imu stuff is neat but I am seeing what people meant when they said One Piece is a much better binge read than serial experience, I like the story but the short episodes and week wait time makes all the time wasting with random unimportant characters thst much more noticeable.

- Tiger Tiger (Webcomic) - The new pages are so cute, with Jamis not understanding why he's so jealous, Remy having his 100th existential crisis, and Arnos dumping some crazy lore then just watching in silent amusement at Jamis and Remy's mutual pining. A+

- Cult of the Lamb (Video Game) - Watched a friend play this on vacation and it looked so cute and creative that I bought it myself. I love how cute the little player Lamb character is, though the side noses + both eyes on one side of some of the character designs are a bit off-putting. Raising your own little cult in a game tied to Lovecraftian style old gods but in a cutesy animal aesthetic is right up my alley, I'm excited to learn a lot more of the lore surrounding them.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Natlan is here! Not sure why everyone is so white, which is annoying, but I'll probably still be trying hard to get the geo lion girl as a geo healer would pair perfectly with my Navia. Natlan's Savannah/safari environment and new animals are neat though I'm not big on the new movement styles as I would prefer to stay as myself rather than switching between animal forms, even if the animals are pretty cute.

Listening To: Good Luck Babe, Red Wine Supernova, My Kink is Karma, Casual, and HOT TO GO! by Chappell Roan, Harpy Hare by Yaelokre, The Mind Electric by Miracle Musical, Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan, Save a Horse, Ride a Cowgirl by Chloe Breez and Annapantsu, Too Sweet, Lunch, Bitter, and Stick Season covers by Reinaeiry, Tounges and Teeth and Metaphor by The Crane Wives, Espresso, Taste, and Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter, Like a Prayer by Madonna.

#weekly roundup #my post #This isn't late actually #I was on vacation and skipped a week on purpose

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