#which i hope isnt reading this stuff too - its too much - she is human

[lovewilltellamillionstories]

Real talk, I hope Nic and Luke are ok.. only just saw how much Netflix and Bridgerton socials are being flooded with complaints. Yes I have my opinions, but they did incredibly with what they were given.

[nikethestatue]

What is your opinion on the themes SJM portrays in her books, like the whole good triumphs over evil, through love all is possible, court of dreams, I am not afraid, etc. Do you like it? I enjoy them fine but I sort of wish she also explored more interesting themes like most authors do about human nature, nature of love, self destruction, dualities, etc (like common classic ones). Personally I find it more compelling when authors explore themes that aren’t necessarily sunshine and rainbows. I think it’s interesting that people praise SJM for not shying away from complexity and darker stuff but compared to other works I’ve read she’s a fairly black and white author that tells classic tales of a hero who is good and a villain who is bad. Yes her characters often have more “grit” than other happy go lucky YA types, but they’re still ultimately good morally. This isn’t a knock against SJM because I do enjoy her hopeful themes and I think it’s sweet she wants to convey these things to her readers. Sometimes I wish she just mixed it up a bit you know. But maybe that’s just not her style. (I also suspect all her books going forward are going to be rom-com-ish.)

i am actually very much of the same opinion--i wish for MORE darkness. More trials. I think in her quest to make sure that everyone's got their HEA, she sometimes forgets about the characters that she originally wrote.

Looking back at TOG, and at CC, I thinks she did it much better in both of those series, as opposed to ACOTAR.

Aelin truly did some terrible things, and she was grey and she went through hell. We knew that there would probably be HEA, but the journey to that end was difficult and painful. Aelin lying in a coffin in that mask, tortured so extensively that she had new skin all over her body is pretty intense stuff. Her relationship with Rowan was uncomfortable at times, though eventually, beautifully rendered.

In ACOTAR, it feels like SJM is ....scared? She is scared to make it painful. She is scared to make any of them be questionable or grey. Rhys was fantastic in the beginning BECAUSE he was so interesting and so malevolent at times. Feyre truly suffered, and was faced with terrible decisions. By ACOWAR, the need to make them all saintly really started to show and for many, Feysand, unfortunately, lost its appeal. They were TOO happy. The trials were too predictable. SJM killed Rhys and for WHAT? For half a page? Feyre cried. She asked others to wake him up and they did. That's it. That was the extent of the drama.

Where was a terrifying bargain that Feyre needed to strike with some entity to bring him back? Where was the sacrifice? SJM literally just repeated exactly the same thing that she did with Feyre's resurrection.

I think you can do hopeful and you can do HEA, but it shouldn't be so predictable. Like we all knew that Nessian will squabble a bit and then be together. That's it. Like how many scrying sessions do we need? And if you are gonna kill Cassian, then kill him for real!! And then have Nesta use her Power of Death to fight for him WITH Death and claw him out of it. Not just be 'haha, jokey jokey, I was hardly even in danger!'

it's still is a fantasy book. Let's see some more magic and fantasy which are difficult to overcome. I think it all boils down to really poor bad guys in ACOTAR. They are not scary. They are barely evil. No one understands their motivations. Therefore, the fight is never very genuine. Hybern? Come on. He guy barely raise his head and died in the same book. Amarantha had potential, but was again killed at once. ACOSF didnt even have a villain.

CC, i think, is a more interesting book, with more complexity than ACOTAR. SJM's obsession with Rhys isnt doing her any favours.

[cielospeaks]

f h story spoilers

honestly shoutout to seithr for literally having the best protagonist arc/ending of literally all the protagonists. no shitty boss to be subservient to for no reason like peo + ash, no life debt to the order like literally everyone else. just "im free to live my life" and sora-ing her other universe selves into her own consciousness/heart/whatever and just thirsting over the person reading this together with them. you go girl.

overall i think this book was weird but it was not bad imo. the person reading this thirst was kinda silly, both in the story context and the unnecessary divide it had in the fandom. it was definitely a more provocative take on it than other characters just being like "i kinda sorta like you uuuu/////" which is fine when its one person imo. the characters were decent. i think the only one i didnt like so much was gull veig and thats mostly for the uwu sadboi stuff w her character that i think kinda detracted from a story where maybe she's a cold and calculating "this is the only outcome" force of nature/inevitability/whatever sorta thing. (and tbh a lot of that was from cyl which was sorta eh. too bad cant help that) as far as ner thus i think shes kinda a fun "interpretation villain". like im glad a lot of people see her as the true villain/manipulator of the book bc i def get that vibe, but i know if she wasnt a busty lady and instead was a guy that the same fans would see absolutely no faults with her :/ but take what you can get i guess.

i still am a njorthur enjoyer and i like his motivation, i wish theyd just fleshed it out more. like he sees humans wasting the seas, wasting the land, killing each other senselessly. hes a stickler for good conduct and he sees humans/mortals as slovenly and disgusting and having degraded (and maybe looks down on them extra hard for in his eyes corrupting his family members, like his sisters obsession w them as well as his kids/relatives its unclear). i dont mind that his motivations arent revenge and actually i think itd be funny if the twins are the children of another sibling of him and ner thuz, completely subverting that whole plot. in my fic i think it still works, bc hed see eitr as a family member who got corrupted by mortals and turned into a nasty kidnapper

i honestly dont mind the designs and actually compared to 5 and 6 with the same illustrator it was a breath of fresh air. i do think theres an unfortunate kinda "sameface" ey trend with a lot of character designs (poor elm) but i like the idea of the loose, kinda otohime esque robes of the vana characters. kinda wish theyd get a new illustrator for every book, it would make the character designs stand out more imo. tbh i feel like another person shouldve done b5. i can accept that 3 and 6 are same as 1 bc they all focus around askr + embla but i think 5's mech designs wouldve looked cool with a different artist, + the cringe meme faces would have maybe been less irritating

anyways i honestly hope that the next book isnt asgard, just like ive hoped for the last two book reveals. but give me some time to finish my fucking fanfic first. i guess ill give my thoughts on my fic when i finish it. honestly works been so bad this year i havent had as much time for it as id have liked rip

[monards]

YES!!!!! THE LOG THINGY!!!!!!!! YOU FIND IN "???" AFTER THE MIRRORS THINGY AND ORDO CHAIN!!!!!!!!

>> First of all. oh my god. the ambiguity around her identiy already sets up SEVERAL red flags; because most people sort of assumed 'oh!! rhine must've been doing stuff for the government, hence why she was likely able to pull the resources for the half the stuff and why celestia thought it was a big no-no' BUT NO!!!!!!!!!!! If she *were* to of been of any political importance other nations would've STILL remembered in some regard. its. kind of hard to forget about an alchemist who learned to bring life to the world through science. considering there hasn't been anyone (who isnt a god,) to have done that SINCE then!!!!!!!

>> This is also implies that, even centuries ago *WHEN* the ordo was in work; her work wasn't properly documented or well-kept?? obv one side of the coin is 'oh hoyo just wants to tease us and mention her ambiguously to give everybody heartattacks!!' but we're able to find records that go back FURTHER than that-- ITS SO OBVIOUSLY MORE!!!!!!!!! First assumption is 'woah. unknown god REALLY fucked up those records. huh' but the issue is that it DOESNT make sense for celestia to mess up those notes in the first place Even in Enkanomiya; 'Before Sun and Moon' (a FORBIDDEN book with knowledge of heart attacks and knowledge from istaroth herself!!!!!) is never properly confiscated by celestia. only that those who read it get. the Orobashi treatment. ^^ so. pray tell. why they'd care to eradicate some random ass khaneriahn alchemists notes (which, mind you were likely incomplete because she was studying matters that she would *not* have found out by the time of the cataclysm) that also, mind you, would be impossible for the average person to follow anyway, because it requires EXPLICIT study of Khemia (which seems to have been otherwise forgotten,) and a deep, deep understanding of alchemy (WHICH THE PEOPLE OF TEYVAT. DONT HAVE!!!!!! LOOK AT THE ALCHEMY QUEST WE JUST DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!) This then leaves the two ideas that 1. she was working completely under the radar from any khaneriahn government to prevent being found out, hence lack of proper documentation because really. theres only so much you can do on your own. / or 2. the khaneriah government was the one making sure these documents weren't properly documented ^^ and. not to be that person. but i am leaning a TAD towards 2 obviously i havent read the rind of nibelung yet (i will soon. i promise) but even just searching it up gives you the simple premise of it beginning with the dward, Alberich, stealing gold from the rhinemaidens. alberich. rhine maidens. do you catch my drift. it REALLY isn't a insane concept in human history for dynasties and rulers to take work and ideas from others. pass it off as there own. only to leave that other person to be obscured from history. this could ALSO explain rhine's clear bitterness!!! i mean. how would you feel if you were completely forgotten. while your work was still out there. ID BE PISSED TOO!!!!!!!!! plus. its not as if im trying to antagonize the alberich clan out of nowhere because (no offense) they already seem shady and. very messed up. already. just look at kaeyas dad himself!! mf what do you MEAN you left your son in mondstadt. let him have a family there. and are inevitably gonna make him choose between his family or khaneriah. THAT IS NOT WHAT PARENTS DO.???????????????///// IF THATS HOW YOURE TREATING YOUR CHILDREN HOWWW ARE YOU TREATING OTHERS??????????????//

theres more i should write and add. but i also need to work on theses rhine designs. so woe is me!!!! hope you enjoyed the insane braindump!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m actually so insane over the fact nobody ever talks about that note we found mentioning Rhine after the Ordo quest’s and mirror quests. WHY DOES NOBODY TALK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!! EUGEHHHH

[miraclecherryblossomsblog]

Tw: mentions of death, war, murder, child abuse, slavery, lil blood think thats all but anything i missed feel free to tell me

Note: not very knowledgeable with the witcher fandom but i tried to investagate what i could, but even so ill probsbly get stuff wrong so my apologies here. Also good with writting so sorry if it sounds shitty XD

POV: u found out whose been stealing ur food

Ana from Nilfgaardian: Backstory

Ana's life was filled by nothing but human's torment and survival. She only 3 years old when she was found with her mother's corpse and letter saying that whoever finded her to please took care of her. Samuel one of the prisioners in the group took the child as his own, felt pity to let it die in the middle of the forest like her mother.

And so for the next 3 years Ana would grew up being taught the best way to stay alive is to stay quiet and obey. Ana's only family was a grop of criminals but they loved her and took care of her as their own. But even so, child or no the guards wouldnt care less, once you become a prisioner you're treated like one...

They knew she wouldn't last long in this hell of a place....

When the heard the rumors of a witcher close to these walls, they decided to help her to escape, witchers protected people so if she could find the witcher she could find protection.

She met the group later on, they found her eating their food behind the bushes, she tried to run off and they were gonna let her go if she hadn't fainted duo to exhaustion. The decided to take her in until they could find someone who could take care of her. (Spoilers that day hasnt come 😃)

(They gotted clothes for her cuz c'mon she was barefoot the poor thing :/)

Interactions with the group:

Avdol: He was the first one who she got the closets with his calm aura made her trust him, he likes to read her and share stories of their past hunts, he also tends to spoonfeed her a lot. Litteraly calls him mama XD (doesnt really mind, he thinks its cute)

Kakyion: The quiet duo. They mostly enjoy eachothers company, likes to play with his hair and observe him and avdol when they making potions (she sometimes gets handsy but backs off when told to)

Polnareff: she like his music, she sometimes ask him to sing her to sleep (specialy after having a nightmare) he like to tease her sometimes (which ends up her biting him lol) also because she so quiet she tends to scare him off HAHA

Alex & Yanyu: She loves them :3. Very affectionate with them and likes to sleep on Yanyu's lap. Although Alex gets a lil nosy sometimes so she just cover her ears to let her know shes being too loud (i feel like she tends to raise her voice without meaning to like me xddd)

Jotaro: Another one whose she's very affectionate with. Was scared of him at first but she gets very attached to him later on. Calls him papa (says he doesnt like it but he actually MELTS at the name) stays close to him the most and likes to put flowers in his hair. Loves being carried by him 💕

Ana: Da-ddy?

Jotaro: Do I look like-

Ana: :(

Jotaro:..........Fine

Ana: Papa! :D

He's like those dads that didnt want the dog at first, but treats them like their kid the next day lol

Joseph: He babies her the most and likes to tell her stories of his old adventures, he tells him about holly sometimes (mostly when jota isnt close) uses her as shirld whenever he pisses jota cuz he knows how soft he's become on ana (jota denise it but we all know how it is 🙄)

Overall they all love her very much and will fight anyone who hurts the child

____________________________

Note: Witcher jjba au belongs to the wonderful @ahoge-fish pls go and check it out on their blog! Cuz its thanks to them im just as hooked as i am to this fandom now ksksksksks

Also hope i didnt make the characters to ooc here (im sorry if i did)

[ppnuggie]

hello ppnuggie <3

can i have a lost in space match up please :3?

i go by sunny, my pronouns are she/they and im omnisexual!!

i have short, curly ginger hair and a lot of freckles,, im planing on getting little solar systems tattoed on diffrent clutters of freckles which is not really relevant ig but,, freckles

my eye color is a mix of blue and green and people have actually argued over what my eye color is at school lol,, i dont really have an aesthetic but i do have these really cool pants with doodles on them and a little ufo on the back pocket that says "i need space"

i have a very cheery personality around friends and i would literally die for them,, i dont express myself around my family as much because they can be really judgy and im really sensitive,, and if im around someone i absolutely hate/someone who has wronged me significantly, i will let them know exactly how i feel - if i do have an issue with someone i will always try to solve the issue in a civil mannar without hurting their feelings,, i rely on communication a lot and its an important thing to me with different relationships

but other than that, im very friendly with new people and friends, im very open and try very hard not to be intimidating, because as an antisocial and socially anxious person ik how it feel when talking to knew people,, im definitely more confident over social media and texts than i am in person.

im an artist!!! im graduating a year early from high school and going to one of the country's best art schools!! ive had art set as acareer path in my brain since the 5th grade,, art is my life

i also dabble in creative writting, mostly fanfics but its just so incredible to come up with stories,, im a big book worm,, if im not drawing or watching cartoons/syfi films im reading, could be ao3, wattpad, tumblr fics, poetry, or a physical book i bought, i will read it

i love syfi and action that simmer in some romance ya know,, it just hits diffrent,, especially alien robot themed syfi,, idk my brain just eplodes when i see space robots

i hate being surrounded by clutter, my surroundings affect my mental state so i try to be as clean as possible to keep my attitude and motivation up :))

i have anxiety + social anxiety,, especially if im alone in crowded/public spaces- went on a college field trip once in middle school and i had a break down at taco bell because none of my friends were there and i was surrounded by strangers,, students or not,,

i hate broccoli and coliflower and public speaking/presentation assignments

im sorry if this is too much? ive never asked for a match up before but the ones ive seen are kinda lengthy so im not too sure :// i might do another match up ask in the future for tfp if its still open i love those funky dudes

anyways thank you for reading my tf stuff and requesting it was the highlight of my week !!! :D

ahh tysm for requesting !! 🥹🥹🙏❤️ im so sorry i havent been able to reply to the comments and stuff you make on my posts 😭😭 i promise im not ignoring you ,, its just this isnt my main blog but instead a side blog ,, my main one i dont bother or toucb anymore 😭😭 but my dms are definitely open if you ever wish to talk or so <33 and np !! i cant wait to see the finished result for the request :D i like your work so much 🥹 its rlly good !! heres you matchup <33 under the thing ,, and dw ,, you can request again for tfp bc no ones rlly requested so far 😭🙏 congrats on the art school tho ! :D hope you do have fun with that !!

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 : robot !! :D

𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐒 :

• he would stay around you often ,, not bothering to spend time with others and instead stick close to you unless you told him not to

• hes very curious about you ,, lights swirling around inside the glass on his face ,, he finds you interesting and nice to be around

• whilst hes not all that sure about humans just yet ,, as they all act differently from one another ,, he does feel safer and more comfortable around you

• whenever he catches glimpses of your drawings he tilts his head to the side ,, wondering about them in his mind

• he loves to see your drawings ,, how each varies differently from one to another ,, it just makes more memories for him

• he has tried to draw something for you before ,, wanting to indulge in this littke artistic hobby of yours and make something ,, though it was only in the dirt as he doesnt know how to use pencils and stuff yet

• he’ll help you with public spaces and crowds and strangers as best as he can ,, making it known hes there for you shall you need some reassurance <3

𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎

the small stick glided around in the dirt ,, shapes starting to form as he moved it about. he had his mind focused on a plant form ,, gazing back and forth at it as he tried to mimick its shaping. the lights swirled softly inside the glass ,, hand moving to make another shape.

once finished ,, he turned to look up at you. the lights never once stopped swirling ,, a soft hum coming from robot as he awaited for your reaction. laid there in the dirt had been a mishapened flower ,, the one just a little bit in front of you two.

he hoped you liked it somewhat ,, hoping you’ll enjoy his creation as much as he enjoys yours. the lights slowed their pace ,, blue gazing into your eyes as he awaited.

[etheraltale]

etherealtale char facts bcoz idk (wip?)

big fat ass fucking spoiler warn ✨✨

lets start with snas

he owned a wheat farm with papyrus but he rarely ever tended to it. it was usually papyrus who took care of the crops. sans was the one quality checking the groups of wheat and separating them in two groups. half of the harvest was to sell, the other half was to eat and turn into bread. usually it would be papyrus walking to the market and selling them too.

he wears a quartz pendant of an upside down heart which represents his soul for some reason. papyrus has a pendant like this too.

now were getting into spoiler territory, continue sans' segment at ur own risk :)

since papyrus left for the royal guard, he was left with money by papyrus, as he went to fight in the war going on between the monsters n humans. although, the money was originally given to him to pay off the taxes. but instead, he spent the money on wine and other alcoholic stuff. he also spent money on cigarettes. which stained a few of his clothes.

papyrus ✨✨

papyrus didn't just tend to the crops, he also happened to be training. he often punched trees and made training equipment using the materials he had on hand. he fenced using long, thin sticks with sans sometimes. he took his training quite seriously.

he also happened to cook alot, he loved baking bread and stuff and his favorite ingredient was probably any fruit jam. he normally cooks sweet things, but whenever he comes back from the market he always brings home a few tomatoes for sans cause apparently he really likes eating them raw. none of them are sure why though.

sliightt spoilers ✨

unlike classic paps, ethereal paps isnt too childish, but that doesn't mean hes given up on his childhood dreams. hes always dreamed of fighting somehow. back then, undyne didnt exactly trust papyrus with fighting. he wishes undyne could see him now.

Friskk yaay

frisk grew up to be king (im sorry i dont know what the nb term is))

they ruled about half the country. the other half was taken over by the monsters since they escaped. frisk's castle is decorated with undertale references and icons EVERYWHERE. (this also includes asgore's castle but eh i need more facts)

for example, their ballroom floor has the 7 souls of the innocent. and there are buttercups painted everywhere, and a few real ones. frisk, chara and an unknown child have their own massive stained glass window portraits. maybe flowey's face is painted on the floor somewhere too but idk.

Alphys!!

first of all i wanna get this outta the way but, alphys is definitely my fave so far lol but anyways this whole segment contains spoilers so keep reading at ur own riskk

Since undyne sacrificed herself for frisk and the rest of the human race, as soon as alphys stepped foot onto the overworld ground, she promised to dedicate her life to a new invention, the telescope (sorry gallileo-) she and undyne have always dreamed of seeing the stars together. she dedicates the invention to her in hopes that she can maybe watch undyne in heaven, probably just a metaphor tho.

she lives in an abandoned watchtower with mettaton as her assistant she often paints the stars too. she sometimes paints on her walls too. she also paints undyne occasionally.

i believe she also dreams about showing her invention off to the world, but she's very shy and stuff so she refuses. the old watchtower was built beside a beachside. alphys thought this would be a nice place to live because first of all, its rlly pretty duh, second, sand = glass so she can use it for the lenses of her invention.

i loaf ethereal alphys so much hGhHGHHghH

(this is still a wip! expect more bios in the future i guess)

[kingofthewilderwest]

what do you think of the ending of fmab? do you think it was well-written how ed was able to give up his gate of truth? i personally think it's a deus ex machina bc even if it WAS possible to give away your gate, it's kinda cheap that it has the same worth as Al's soul when it was established souls are invaluable. also even if ed did learn alchemy isnt all too great, i can still never see him choosing alchemy over their bodies even before he learned this lesson

I think it’s a downright *BRILLIANT* ending.

I would say it’s clearly planned from the beginning. Arakawa established the rules of equivalent exchange from the start. And one of the things she shows is that Ed could trade his leg for Al’s soul. I’m more used to hearing the FMA fandom joking about that exchange rather than Ed exchanging Al’s body and soul for the Gate of Truth, a gateway which is so powerful that entering inside of it provides you with all knowledge and understanding of the universe, not to mention the power of alchemy, which allows you to manipulate matter in magic-esque ways with ease. To me, it’s weirder to swap a leg with a soul, but I accepted the premise there (given as it’s a soul without a body, I can fly with it), so I’m more than fine accepting the exchange of Ultimate Knowledge And Power Of Everything with one human’s life.

Given as every character has a gateway, and it’s tied up into your identity, it seems just as plausible to me that someone could give up your gateway, just as you can a soul, or a leg, or your eyesight.

And it’s to note that... Truth has a say in the exchange. Ed is still the person offering his gate; Truth is the being accepting it. Truth approves of Ed’s loophole. Truth is the arbiter who takes things away when someone commits the taboo of Human Transmutation, and Truth intentionally takes away body parts that are representative of the person’s flaw. Truth knew about Ed’s arrogance from the beginning; Truth knows about what Ed learns now.

And what is it that Ed has learned?

As far as Ed and lessons, I believe that Ed giving up his ability to do alchemy is the entire demonstration of Ed learning a lesson. It’s the culmination of his character growth arc, in a way. 

Ed started as an arrogant character, one who believed alchemy was the ultimate way in which he could solve challenges - in some ways, rise above humanity's struggles. Alchemy will provide a solution to saving their bodies, too, he believes. Throughout the series, Ed and Al realize that they're only human. Moments like being unable to save Nina, or witnessing the birth in Rush Valley, or going through all the near-deaths they have in their adventures... make them see that what's truly great about humanity is its... humanity. Ed becomes humbled in understanding what he can and can't do, and at the same time, comes to find where the greatest value in his experiences are: his friends and family and the people around him.

FMA lets us know humanity's abilities are limited. We can't do everything. We can't raise the dead. We can't create life from nothing. This is all interconnected into the scholarship of Amestrian alchemy, especially as taught by Izumi: all living things are small in the grand scheme of the universe, but they’re interconnected into something incredible. We are one part of All is One and One is All. BUT. Humanity is also beautiful in what it can do: unite together, help one another, live together, fight for what's right. And as the FMA manga and FMAB shows, humanity is a beautiful thing, and all of human life should be cherished. It doesn't matter if you're a chimera, or a soul bound to armor, or Ishvalan, or Amestrian, or Xingese: your life is profoundly beautiful and worth being saved.

It’s to note that the reason the good guys win against Father is because of FMAB’s theme of how humanity unified is the ultimate best thing of humanity.  It’s this bonding strength of humanity that allows them to defeat Father. It’s the Dwarf in the Flask’s downfall to underestimate the power of working together over brute power and alchemical doings.

Likewise, the solution to getting Al’s body back isn’t alchemy: it’s the bond of the human spirit.

Ed giving up alchemy isn't a throwaway last minute deus ex machina, I’d say, because it’s integrated into the biggest themes of the story and the plot developments and Ed’s character development and more. By the end of the series, Ed has become humbler and wiser in acknowledging the limits of alchemy and the strength of humanity. It’s Ed having learned his lesson that alchemy is not all-powerful, to the point that it’s fine to give it up... to sacrifice it, in the ultimate act of solidarity to be with his brother.

The way I read you describing Ed’s exchange, you’re suggesting Ed never learned alchemy isn’t too great, or that Ed wouldn’t prioritize alchemy over physical bodies. Yet I think that Ed giving up alchemy is the culmination of an entire series of Ed learning better about alchemy’s strengths and weaknesses, and Ed growing into appreciating the strength of human character. Ed isn’t just trading clappy science for bodies here. Ed is making a trade to get what he finds most important: a promise to his brother kept, and a sacrifice to make his brother and him move forward in their personal lives. What Ed finds the more important thing isn’t the power of alchemy... but what he can do as a human with his brother. 

ALL of Al is now trapped behind the gate... without this exchange, Ed would never be with his brother again. And that bond Ed has forged with Al was always powerful from the start of the series, and inseparable, and deeper than his love for alchemy. And Ed, with an even greater appreciation for the human spirit at the end of the journey, is more than prepared to drop alchemy for a human bond.

Ed giving up alchemy is fine because he's human, and will be able to experience the great things of human life without alchemy. He'll be able to be with his brother again. He'll be able to live a life with Winry. Alchemy isn't needed for that. Alchemy can't save everything, anyway - they couldn't save Nina with it. Ed's much less arrogant than before, and is willing to give up alchemy for something he understands is much more beautiful and important. 

I’m sorry that this is a skimpy (for me) response, because I’m writing off the top of my head rather than pulling open the text and posting in manga graphics demonstrating my points. It would be fun to talk about this in more depth. Analyzing specific quotes and scenes throughout the manga and anime. Looking in depth at that final conversation with Truth. That stuff. But. I also recognize I have significantly less time in my life than I have in eras past. So I hope this answer suffices! In short, I feel like Arakawa had this ending planned from the start, interwove it with many important concepts that she developed through the series, and came up with a CLEVER AS FUCK loophole as to how Ed and Al can exit Truth’s presence whole - the brothers, who have shown to be intertwined in their beings throughout the series, can now walk together out one door.

[deathgod-ben]

guess these anons aren't in the same fandom im in lmao bc i constantly see racism just like,, "casually" existing all the time in stuff like fics especially. esp w the characters of color are never allowed to have their own stories? like diego and ben are only ever there to be supporting characters that take care of klaus, and allison is only ever there to be a supporting character taking care of vanya and its just,,, really gross? and like, whether ppl do it intentionally or not, if your ranking allison diego and ben at the bottom of your list, that's still smth you should be asking yourself about and being critical of. and god don't even talk to me abt lila, patch, and raymond getting ignored constantly. if u don't wanna start discourse feel free to delete this btw but i just wanted to say i totally agree

NO LIKE FR 100% AGREE

I think a lot of people have one image of racism, like the one we often see in movements like Black lives matter, Stop Asian hate and so on. Which is a correct image, but they're so many other different racism too.

How Ben, Diego and Allison are written as supporting characters for their white siblings is a perfect example. THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE. I dont even read so much tua fanfic because of this reason.

I'll forever be made for what this fandom did to Lila. We have this badass southasian woman, but the fans tore her apart. Like, isnt characters like hers that is usually loved by the fandom? Oh no, wait, she isnt white so ofc we gonna hate on her.

Like, not saying the characters of color are perfect and innocent, because they are humans too. They make mistakes, they have flaws. But fans do be making them the worst character to ever exist every time one of them do something bad, especially if it's against one of the white characters.

Yes, this is 100% meant to Vanya and Klaus fans. Like, do people remember Vanya fans eating up Allison for rumoring her at the age of 5???? (idk maybe not five BUT SHE WAS A KID THEN and their dad made her do it) but when Vanya killed Pogo and cut Allison throat, suddenly Vanya is this innocent missunderstood sweet baby. Or how Klaus fans were ignoring how Klaus never let Ben talk to his own siblings and comparing him to their abusive dad, but suddenly when Ben said or did something against Klaus, he was a monster. (yes we talking about fandom racism but I hope people see some parallel to real life how children of color, especially black children are forced into adulthood earlier meanwhile white people always get turned into some misunderstood young person even though they're 30 years old)

Like characters of color can never be a complex character, the same way white characters can, and it's so freaking annoying and racist.

And oh, watch how the fandom forgets Patch and Raymond the second we enter season 3 (it did forget Patch) but forever remember Vanya's country wifey (I honestly forget her name)

[cryingoverafictionalcharacter]

A little bunny told me

Request:  So 👉👈 may I please ask for fred weasley x a animagi reader who can turn into a rabbit and the story is the reader didnt tell him but she turned one day and he picked her up while she isnt able to change back yet because she isnt able to cause she was picked up by him? Uh thankyou!!

A/N: @kokichismango​ This is so freaking cute I love it! I’m making her an undocumented animagi for *flavor* and because I’m not sure what all the rules are for becoming one, also I added a little confession because I’m a sucker for pining but I hope you enjoy!

You walked out the door of the school, headed straight for the edge of the forbidden forest. For the past year, you would sneak out later in the day and walk through the forest, enjoying the scenery, and just enjoying the peace and quiet. It also helped that you were an Animagus, being able to transform at will helped you to disappear without much suspicion, and also hid from predators in the forest.

You found your way to a familiar large boulder by the edge of the forest, taking your bag off your shoulder and your robes, putting the items in a hole near the edge of the large rock to guarantee they were hidden. However, as you were putting your things down, you heard voices approaching. Afraid it was a teacher, you quickly focused your energy and shifted into you Animagus form... a rabbit. 

The voices got closer and you quickly moved (hopped) to the other side of the boulder, peeking around to see who was approaching, letting out a sigh of relief when you saw it was only Fred and George.

“Merlin that class is boring” George said, making his way to the boulder and leaning against it, facing towards the forest. Fred mimicking his actions and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Tell me about it, Snape couldn’t come up with an interesting lecture if he tried.” Fred agreed, causing you to laugh a bit, which didn’t sound like much in your current state, you were just about to turn and head off into the forest when Fred’s voice got your attention.

“What’s this?” Fred said, kneeling down and picking up a bag. Your bag.

“Shit” You thought. You must not have pushed your things down far enough.

“Is that Y/N’s bag?” George asked.

“Yeah, it is” Fred said, opening your bag and seeing one of your notebooks which he recognized was yours. “What’s her stuff doing all the way out here?”

“Beats me” George said snatching your bag out of Fred’s hands before rooting through it. “You think she has a diary? Maybe you could finally found out if she-”

“Knock it off!” Fred said, taking the bag and putting it back where he found it. “Besides, if she had one, reading it would be a huge invasion of privacy” Fred said, leaning back up against the rock.

“Oh come on, you’re not the least bit curious to if she fancies you back?” George asked, earning a smack to the arm from George, but you barely noticed.

‘Did he just say that Fred fancied you?’

“I am, but I’m not going to go and look through her stuff to find out! That’s creepy as hell” Fred said, George nodding in agreement.

“You have a point, still you should do something soon, watching you ogle her all through McGonigal's class is bloody sickening” George said, laughing when Fred gave him a look.

If you were in your human form, you would be smiling. Fred liked you, how could you not grin like crazy with that news. You inched a little closer, wanting to hear the conversation better.

“I’m trying to figure it out” Fred said, slumping his shoulders a bit “I just don’t want to freak her out if she doesn’t feel the same way”

“You could always slip her a note in class or something, and if she rejects you you could say it was for someone else” George suggested.

“I’m not giving her a bloody note!” Fred said, moving to sit against the rock, George following his actions.

“Well out of the two of us, I’m definitely the romantic genius, so it may be good to take some of my advice” George joked.

“Oh really, is that why you still haven't asked out Angelina?” Fred replied, making Georges face turn as red as his hair.

“That’s different!” George defended, making Fred laugh.

At this point you had heard all you needed to hear. You needed to find a way to escape into the forest so you could get back to your human form and talk to Fred. You made your way around the rock, and started headed towards the forest, stopping when you heard a voice.

“Oi, is that a rabbit?” George asked, making you turn around to see both of the red heads looking at you.

“...Why is it looking at us?” Fred asked suspiciously, making you laugh, which to them just sounded like slight squeaks. 

“It’s talking to us!” George yelled, a little freaked out that the rabbit was staring and making noise directly at them.

“Maybe its someone's pet?” Fred said, slowly moving towards you. You however were to distracted laughing at Georges freaked out reaction to notice, only realizing Fred was near you when he suddenly picked you up.

‘Shit shit shit!’ you thought. you couldn’t change back to your regular form this way, and you weren't exactly sure what Fred was planning in picking you up.

“It looks eerily familiar” Fred said looking at you, trying to figure out where on earth he would have seen a rabbit that he would recognize.

“Its way to friendly to be wild, maybe we should see if anyone's looking for a rabbit back at school?” George suggested.

‘SHIT! What do I do?!’ You thought to yourself. If they brought you back to the school, you would probably be put somewhere were you couldn’t escape, then it was only a matter of time until someone found out you were an Animagus, and because you weren't documented, you could get in huge trouble with the ministry. 

Without another thought, you jumped out of Fred's arms, landing on the ground and making a bee-line for the forest, your rabbit form allowing you to outrun the two rather easily.

“Guess it is a wild rabbit” You heard Fred say from behind you, but you were quickly out of earshot, making your way deeper into the forest.

After you ran for a while, you decided you were far enough to stop. You shifted back into your human form and leaned against a tree, catching your breath. However you quickly found a smile spreading across your face, and your chest erupting in laughter.

Fred fucking Weasley just picked you up... as a rabbit. Not how you were expecting to end your day.

After a few minutes your laughing finally died down, and you looked to the sky to see it was starting to get dark outside. You sighed, knowing you had to head back, but instead of being disappointed, you were giddy, too excited to talk to Fred to stand still.

You started to lightly jog back to the boulder, the trip taking longer in your human form but after a while, you saw the tree line and were relived to see the boys were no longer there. You didn’t want to have to explain why you were in the forbidden forest at night. However when you went to get your things out of the hole by the boulder, you found they weren’t there.

“Shit” You mumbled to yourself. Fred and George probably took them back with you, thinking you might have misplaced them. You stood back up and headed back to the school, you would have to wait to talk to Fred till tomorrow, and as you went into your room and laid down for the night, you couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when you told him how you felt.

The next morning, you got dressed and headed straight to the Great Hall for breakfast where you knew Fred would be. It was the weekend so you didn’t have any classes, which made being able to get your things back a bit easier since you didn’t have any morning classes with Fred.

You entered the great hall and your eyes instantly landed on the older red head, him spotting you as well and waving before getting up and jogging over to you, your bag and robes in hand.

“Hey Y/N” Fred said greeting you, a giant smile on his face.

“Fred” You smiled back “I see you found my things!”

“Oh right” Fred said handing the items over to you. “George and I were skipping class and found them by the forbidden forest. We weren't sure if you left them out there or something so we decided to bring them back just in case” Fred explained.

“Well thank you, I appreciate it” You said smiling at him. There was a beat of silence as the suddenly realization that you had no idea what to say to him washed over you. You couldn’t exactly say ‘hey I heard you when I was a rabbit and I fancy you too!’

“Well anyway, I just wanted to-” Fred started

“I know you fancy me” You said, the words tumbling out of your mouth before you could stop them.

‘Smooth’ You thought to yourself, mentally face palming at the very abrasive confession, watching as Fred's face grew a bit pink, before his brows furrowed.

“George told you didn’t he” Fred asked, turning to probably beat the shit out of his younger brother for blabbing, though your hand quickly shot out and grabbed his arm, stopped him.

“No he didn’t, and I fancy you too” You said quickly, causing Fred’s eyes to widen, before a confused look crossed his face.

“You do?” Fred asked, not believing what he was hearing. You rolled your eyes at his question, smiling before you reached upwards, your hand grabbing the front of his shirt, and pulling his face down to connect your lips to his.

Fred made a sound of surprise before kissing you back, his eyes closing and his hands moving to rest on your waist. After a moment you pulled away, looking up at the boy you had fancied since fourth year, a smile across both of your faces.

“Wait, but if George didn’t tell you, how did you find out?” Fred asked after a moment, trying to figure out who else would have known and told you.

“A little bunny told me” You said, smiling as he looked at you confused, looking in your eyes before a look of realization crossed his face.

“No way” He said, hands moving to his hair, shock written all over his face. “You’re a-”

“Yes, now can you please keep it down” You said quickly covering his mouth before he could finish his sentence, looking to make sure nobody heard you. Fred nodded in understanding, allowing you to drop the hand covering his mouth.

“Wait, Isn’t that like.... illegal?” Fred asked after a moment. You nodded, looking down while trying to hide your worried expression. Maybe telling him wasn’t the best idea-

“Wicked” Fred said, causing your eyes to snap back up to his, a smile spreading across your face.

“You think so?” You asked, Fred grabbing your hand as you both started walking into the great hall.

“Are you kidding? It’s bloody amazing! You’re a very cute rabbit by the way” Fred said, making you let out you let out a laugh.

“Only as a rabbit?” You asked, giving him a fake offended expression.

“No, you’re much cuter as a human” He said, leading you to the table where George and some of your other friends were waiting.

“What took you two so long?” George asked, noticing how you two were still holding hands, his eyes widening. “No way, you actually told her?”

“Yep, he sure did” You said smiling, giving Fred a knowing look.

“About bloody time” George said, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

You waited a few more days before also telling George about you being an Animagus, confident that he wouldn't tell anyone. Needless to say, he was just as shocked as Fred, maybe even more so. But soon you were using it to your advantage, using it to sneak past teachers and slip into small spaces to pull the best pranks Hogwarts had ever seen. And of course, now that you and Fred were officially dating, he only found it appropriate to give you the nickname bunny.

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

A/N: I felt like the bonus ending was necessary just to fully wrap up the story, so yeah, I suck at endings but we already knew that lol. Anyway I hope you guys liked it! Love you all, let me know if you have any other requests!

[ofcowardiceandkings]

I think you mentioned listening to podcasts? Do you have any favorites to reccommend? I've run out of content :(

that i do !

im not entirely sure what kind of podcast you'd be interested in but i'll throw out a few of the goodies in my huge library of stuff , i'll miss out a few of the HUGE podcasts that have been all over tumblr though

a LOT of it is true crime or human interest stuff , or history because im nerd ,, and a few of these dont have nearly enough attention so [shrug] i'll try to keep this short i guess lol this isnt EVERYTHING ive got in my library or listened series' by any measure

i AM gonna pop a shout to both Stuff You Missed in History Class and Stuff You Should Know from iHeartRadio because their HUGE archives have kept me from losing my mind many times over , and they cover a wide range of both important and wacky topics

BomBARDed (ongoing) this is the only fiction podcast i have happening right now really but its DAMN GOOD ONE .... it's an actual-play D&D 5E podcast in the DMs own musically-inspired world, focussed on a group of multiclass bards going to music school !! and all players (+DM) are members of the Texas band Lindby !! and they actually use and play music in the show with one original song an episode !! Kyle's worldbuilding and storycraft are truly incredible, and (Nick) Goodrich, (also Nick) Spurrier, and Ali's characters are in depth and interesting as well as an absolute powerhouse :') i actually made a piece for its first fanzine, Bardic Dreaming, which published earlier this year and is free to view now, all the players and the community are super wholesome its just very good overall 💙

History & Humans;

Fall of Civilisations (ongoing) legit one of my favourite podcast finds, im so glad my youtube autoplayed one of these ... it took me like 2 hours to realise it was 1) not the same as what was playing before and 2) had been on for 2 hours and wasnt near finished lmao. anyway, this is a series by historical fiction writer Paul Cooper, and is honest to all thats good one of the best documentary series ive encountered in years - and ive consumed a LOT of documentaries. it covered the downfall of various civilisations through history, and the episodes run from an hour to FOUR hours depending on the topic. its so chill to listen to and just get done, but over the pandemic all of the episodes have been given full movie-quality video versions too on youtube if youre more of a visual person.

Casting Lots: A Survival Cannibalism Podcast (on series break) yeah that says that lol ... its a SUPER niche topic but its very interesting and treated very well despite being kind of comical at times, the hosts are just naturally funny lol ... it delves around from the history of cannibalism in whole regions to specific incidents as recently as the 1970s, and of course the first episode is about the Donner Party, and it covers things ive never heard of despite being kind of important ?? anyway Alix and Carmella are good eggs

Sawbones (ongoing) i probably dont need to mention much here other than say that Justin and Sydnee saved me from being SO BORED sooo often, the history of medicine is wacky as hell and its what most of my history GCSE was on so [shrugs]

Cautionary Tales (on series break) this was a wild-card find lol ... it's by Tim Harford "the undercover economist" who writes for the Financial Times, and its topics kind of weave modern topics and science with how to learn from historical errors ... its a bit weird but well worth a go, also each series has a few celebrity guest voice actors which is pretty awesome

Ephemeral (ongoing) this is a very strange but thought provoking series about sounds and other things just barely saved. topics include the last castrato, the hello girls, hand-stamped records, the spread of kīkā kila music, and acoustic fossils of wild places.

Neat! The Boozecast (ongoing) history and bartending whats not to like lol ... hosted by Teylor Smirl and now their dad Tommy, they're just digging around in how important booze is to human culture

True Crime (white collar and weirdness);

Swindled (ongoing) this is an amazing show full stop. A Concerned Citizen details some of the most impactful and unruly things to happen in white collar and corporate crime. very factually accurate but given the sheer bullshit of the topics the deadpan snarking is [chefs kiss] absolutely warranted ..

American Scandal (on series break) this one is a series within a series type, and spends a few episodes at a time poking holes in some of America's biggest scandals, from a dramatised but fact-based point of view. such as what the hell was going on with Enron, how big tobacco was forced to own up to covering its own ass, how Iran-Contra happened, etc. it also now has a sister show called British Scandal, which does the same thing for British cases but with a slightly different format.

Missing in Alaska (finished) this was a fascinating series, a deep dive into what happened to two US government officials who disappeared on a small chartered flight in Alaska in 1972. it goes some really strange places, but it actually turned up a lot of previously unknown information through the audience. John Walczak's new series in a new feed is Missing on 9/11 which looks into what happened to Dr Sneha Philip.

Pretend (ongoing) Host Javier Leiva holds interviews with anyone living a lie, or who have been touched by them. con artists, snake oil salesmen, former cult members, catfishing victims, anyone and everyone.

Power: The Maxwells (finished) hosted by journalist Tara Palmeri, the story of media tycoon Robert Maxwell from nothing to empire to mysterious death and the scandals uncovered after he was gone.

Lets Talk About Sects (ongoing) Sarah Steele covering cults from around the world, in particular those in Australia - where she is from. She often has former members on the show to share their stories, and share knowledge of how they left. each story has the relevant content warnings at the start of each episode.

Brainwashed (finished) investigation of the CIA's covert mind control experiments, centred on the experiments performed at a hospital in Montreal, and its cultural impact.

Dr Death (2 series finished) two series investigating huge cases of fraud and medical malpractice, and how they were brought to a stop. series 1 covers Dr Duntsch and his horribly butchered neurosurgery, series 2 covers Dr Fata and his fraudulent cancer clinic

The Immaculate Deception (finished) untangling the weird and disturbing fertility fraud of Dr Jan Karbaat, who fathered children himself through his fertility clinic, and the impact of his deception. later episodes also touch on other similar cases.

True Crime (Violent/General);

The Casual Criminalist (ongoing) Simon Whistler of-the-many-youtube-channels cold reads a script about the case of the day, with some of his daft commentary thrown in.

Southern Fried True Crime (ongoing) Crimes from the American South hosted by Erica Kelley, she puts all the facts out there but refreshingly for true crime she doesnt hesitate to tell you if she thinks someone is human garbage lol

They Walk Among Us (ongoing) probably one of the most popular UK crime podcasts, very measured and well put together, not weird or annoying about it either.

All Crime No Cattle (ongoing, feed slowed down for now) specifically about crimes from Texas, hosted by Erin and Shay, they're very sensitive hosts and a lot of the cases they cover shed light on why the Texas criminal system is how it is or show an impact at a national level

Canadian True Crime (ongoing) Canadian crime from an Aussie who's lived there for a decade, Kristi is again a sensitive and measured host covering some important topics

True Crime (Violent/Deep Dive);

Hitman (finished) journalist Jasmyn Morris digs around in the sticky tangle around a book published by fringe publisher Paladin Press, and its apparent use as a blueprint in the killing of a mother, her friend and her 8 year old boy for financial gain.

Camp Hell: Anneewakee (ongoing) this series is exploring how a wilderness camp "correctional facility" was endorsed by the Georgia care and juvenile reform system, despite widespread abuses and shady practices the whole time. warning for csa and child cruelty throughout.

True Crime Bullshit (on series break) this one is a huge huge rabbithole but a very interesting one where the host Josh Hallmark has spent years digging into the life and potential crimes of Israel Keyes. Keyes is often mentioned as a serial killer with no pattern, but in picking it apart thats not quite true, and has sparked some re-evaluations of missing persons cases and stumbling upon information the FBI has redacted organically. there's also a series in the middle looking into the crimes of Kelly Cochran

Forgotten: Women of Juárez (finished) this series looks into the huge numbers of missing women of Ciudad Juárez, the strange circumstances surrounding them, and the potential cover-ups and corruptions on both sides of the border, trying to give a voice to all of the forgotten women and girls and their families without answers. the series itself is finished, but a spanish language edition is being released every week now.

aaaaaand i'll call it there before i list everything lol, i hope you find something to plug your boredom hole with !!

[gayspock]

trek thoguths idk when i last did one babe

ok, literally- feeling rather under the weather so if this is incoherent god bless us all<3 but what i said,a few seasonsback...

i didnt rlly mind the THOUGHT of kira and odo: i was actually rlly welcome to the idea of them sort of ending up together, somehow, but then realising they rlly werent a right fit. it made sense- with bareil passing, and odo still trying to learn to navigate human relationships, and them being very close friends but somehow reading the wrong things into it, but its just.... idk they left it on the back burner way too long and that it really doesnt even make sense to do that now so this entire episode i was jsut like. :/ ok? bc its not offering much of anyhting any more to me, my love, im afraid and tht makes me go -_- bc now youvrjust ... kind of wacked them both together and i hope u arent insufferable with it, but when that happens and relationships are made between core chars with little intention then . well thats honestly the case. i mean i guess maybe theyre trying to go for like... them literally being endgame, he really has been there and she just needs to open her eyes- but god it jsut doesnt work for me..... i dotn think they make a good couple that would stay together liek tht. like i said i think they could have easily grown together much earlier on in some way and then parted ways amicably as besties but idk this just feels off to m now

furthermore with regards to shakaar and bareil... like honestly i dont mind kira having offscreen boyfriends- sorta like how sisko has kassidy , where shes more lowkey, but shes STILL a fully formed character its just shes sorta not the main focus like. im kinda fine with tht you know like.... again i feel like. hm.

i feel like as a general rule of thumb for me . if a character in question is motivated a lot or if a truly significant part of their life is defined by their dynamic with another, more minor character... then that other character does have to have some significant substance and agency. like if u want me to actively give a shit when ur char does i have to actually.... see a another char there, and not a cardboard cutout. its why i rlly rate them for fleshing out jake: lots of parent characters are just given flat, meaningless kids (or vice versa) just to endanger them or to pull on the heartstrings whenever which. really just kinda feels hollow. sisko being a father is a defining part of him- and so its really good tht they have jake fleshed out properly...

meanwhile then im just infuriated by the absolute disservice done to keiko and molly on the REGULAR when o'brien is supposed to be the family man. always presenting keiko in the way they do- its beyond unfair- and at this point in the show theyve literally forgotten abt her for seasons and shoved her elsewhere. and im like. -_- ok.

anyways my point is omg i went on a tangent. .. i think with kira, again- id be frankly FINE with bareil and shakaar being not that relevant at all, bc it really isnt sth that defines her however i WILL say tht... god on both accounts thye both just feel like lost potential. and maynwbe im sayin that bc im sorely missing the politics between ds9 and bajor? i mean- the show has grown so much over the past few seasons, so theyve jsut left it a little by the wayside which is fine but... wahrgh. i dont know i think the fact kira was dating two very politically powerful men- whilst i dont think it ever was to the detriment of her character that they werent fullyy explored, it reaaally does feel like a lost opportunity as does all of the relationships between ds9 and bajor. i guess the show just decided to go elsewhere with a lot of stuff and a lot of the stuff it is focussing on now is GOOD, like... hell i mean . even just episodewise. right now its like 2-3 mediocre eps (one of which might genuinely be. bad.) in a whole season which ... out of like 26? like so many of them are just so GOOD rn omg .... adgosndgpsdh

anyways this gor away with me.my point is idc abt kira and odo jsut dont fuckinf act stupid with it for the love of god

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

AU Raffle: Cryptid AU!

[COMPLETE]

The result of the random selection was the Cryptid AU! Multiple people suggested this, so I'm looking forward to hearing all the ideas and extensions you guys will come up with. This will be a masterpost collecting them all, and it will be pinned for the duration of the AU.

Original suggestion: "For the Raffle. Cryptid AU. None of the Hermits are truly human and they all are really powerful cryptids that are hiding their true nature. The catch! Every Hermit thinks the other Hermits are totally normal and they are the only cryptid one. Hilarity ensures with everyone trying to explain the extrange things that keep happening "

Some ideas I came up with:

- every Hermit is a cryptid or monster of some kind, except for Grian, who is fully human and completely clueless about everything that's going on (suggested by a previous ask)

- Team ZIT is an investigation group trying to prove the existence of cryptids, but each one of them is subtly trying to sabotage the investigation to hide their own cryptid-ness. None of the three know the other two are also cryptids. Hilarity ensues.

- Xisuma probably knows what's going on with everyone, but he's not saying anything

- Mumbo is doing an absolutely horrible job of hiding that he's a cryptid, but somehow people still don't notice. Iskall is probably the closest to figuring it out.

- VintageBeef has already figured out that Keralis isn't human, but Keralis is bribing him to keep quiet

I hope that's enough to get the ball rolling! Send in your ideas using asks, and I'll put them down here!

If you need ideas about which cryptid would fit best with which Hermit, this list may be helpful.

Anonymous Additions:

- I feel like xisuma should be some kind of shapeshifter

- cleo was brought back to life by a family that loved her very much- or at least, that was what they tried to do. in reality, they brought a completely new soul back in the body of a deceased relative. cleo felt uncomfortable around people who thought she was a different person than she was, so she ran away and eventually befriended the hermits bc she just felt ~drawn to them~. she disguises her bloodless skin and lack of body heat with thick clothes and lots of makeup

- Cleo, of course, is a zombie, but she also has ties to Cthulu that she doesn't really try to hide, but that people overlook all the time. I'm just saying, an avatar of an eldritch being having to be a zombie kinda makes sense...

- Cthulu needed a body, and this kind family was nice enough to supply one! It was kinda their fault really, praying to ancient gods and making deals without reading the fine print. Cleo might feel guilty, but it wasn't on her, not really

- cryptid au: joe isn't a human, but a changeling: a shapeshifting, nonhuman entity that evolved to invade human families like a cuckoo. he has the ability to bend light to make illusions, but he normally just uses his powers to make himself appear human. however he does like to make all lime green things he sees invisible, for the lulz

- What about mumbo being a vampire, it just introduces the idea of so many odd behaviors that the others are just oblivious to

- What if ren is a werewolf(I know it isn't original) and he just thinks of the other hermits as his pack and is therefor very protective of them

- Obligatory Ren is a Werewolf for the Cryptid AU. He is acts like a gigant puppy when he is in wolf form. Nobody questions why sometimes they found a gigant wolf trying to play fetch with them. But nobody is complaining. Everyone talks about it and Ren is just upset because the gigant pupper has never come to see him. Surprise!! Not even Ren knows he is a werewolf

- idk if your still doing cryptid stuff because i don't really know how this works but,, what if everyone thinks that Grian Is Something when he's not. They keep trying to figure it out by asking him weird questions or trying to get him to do weird stuff, but he still stays completely oblivious. And then since Xisuma knows what everyone is, he thinks it's hilarious trying to watch everyone try to find something that isn't there.

- Cryptid au: Doc has made it obvious that he is a cryptid like, he explains it so obviously even an idiot would tell that he's one, But no one has figured out yet. So after the 15th time of explaining things he decides to present how he's a cryptid, by making a goatess.

- For the au, I have 2 ideas for grian, either he is very outspoken about not believing in the super natural, or he very much does believe in the supernatural, either way he unknowingly befriends multiple cryptids and is very confused

- Cryptic AU: Tango has fire for hair, and no ones really questioned as to why?

- What if false was a siren, just because it seems like an interesting idea (my addition: Wels would also make a great siren)

- Stress seems like the type to be an elf, graceful and cheerful, and of course admiring nature's beauty

- What if Impulse was mothman, I like this idea because of the whole team zit being paranormal investigators and they just go looking for mothman on one trip, and Impulse is just standing there probably feeling a bit awkward

- If Impulse is Mothman and he can fly and Tango is like a fire demon that controls fire, is only fair that Zed is an aquatic Cryptid. Maybe related to a lake monster or he is a Sea Serpent

- Yeti Iskall getting used to the hot environment of the Jungle??? Maybe?

- i have no clue how this works but etho is related to ningen in a way (Antarctic sea creatures from Japanese folklore)

- Joe's poems seem to stick in your head, echoing around for hours after you hear them, ringing between your ears. Their subjects vary, but they often seem eerily prophetic, warnings encased in rhythm and rhyme. Sometimes you swear you can hear the soft scritch of a pen on paper, before you realize you are the only one around.

- Wait how the hell would jevin hide that fact he's a slime? Better yet how do the other hermits not put to and to together? Through I think jevin probably wouldn't even bother trying to hide it, I mean he's a huge blob of slime how would you not be able to tell

(my response, summarized) Jevin inhabits a body of slime because that's the easiest way to hide his true form. "Jevin" is a non-physical entity that can possess other lifeforms by destroying their will. He chose a slime this time because it was easy and inconspicuous.)

- Cryptid au: Team ZIT have a headquarters and they all pitched in to commission Etho to make their door bell chime, the ghost busters theme, and afterward interrogated Etho to the ground.

- Doc is not a creeper with cyborneticts. Doc is the AI that came with the cyborneticts and over-wrote the conciousness of the creeper. Figured that making Doc something else would be too dificult so maybe subverting what he is with what we got alredy is enough (like you did with Jevin)

- I am putting this here for vampire mumbo in the au because the thought will not leave my head. It's dark, and mumbo's eyes seem to reflect light very well, his canine teeth seem just a bit too long and sharp, they seem to be stained red,was he always this tall? Something about him seems off, he seems very elegant in this darkness.

- cryptid au: when joe was young, he was ignored so much that he turned invisible. you can still see his shadow but you could look directly at him and not see him there with the best tools. he disguises himself by staying quiet, using text to communicate with the other hermits or by covering himself with clothes and masks so nobody would be able to see his body even if he wasnt invisible.

- For the au I think that Iskall could be a dryad because of his base this season

- Imagine if you will: Tango leaves town for a bit so the team ZIT can't do their "investigations". Impulse gets bored and decided to pretend to kidnap Zedaph in mothman-form. When Tango returns, Zedaph tells him how he almost was kidnapped by Mothman (and is over-exaggerating on every detail)

- What if in the au there is a situation where team zit is in some sort of danger, and so each of them just independently decide that they have to reveal the fact of their cryptid selves, and they just collectivly think,"huh. Okay." And after they are safe, they just talk about it as a group

- Beef is big foot.

- Biffa looks like a robot or cyborg, which one? He won't say. Maybe its because its neither, maybe he's just a walking body with a mind, maybe he's just a suit of armor roaming the world, maybe a spirit or ghost from the past, maybe a mob whose inhabited and pilots the body, maybe he's just Biffa. Only he knows, but he won't say

- Cryptid AU: I’m just imagining zedaph or tango throwing a bell at grian in an attempt to “capture” him under the suspicion that he’s part fae or something at a server meeting

- About Cryptid!Wels, sometimes, when the night is dark and the world is silent, you'll hear it; a soft voice in the darkness. You can't help but listen to it as you get lost in the song, swaying to the melody as your foot moves to the beat. The song gets louder and your feet are more frantic as they seem to take you somewhere. Suddenly, the voice stops singing and so you stop moving, and when you open your eyes you find yourself on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. The siren lurks near

- Doc isnt a Creeper with cybrog parts but a robot made to look like a creeper, that arm and eye? yea just exposed parts from years of just not caring enough. He's waiting to see when someone will call him out on it. So far, only TFC and X but they like to watch how long this will go. Doc isnt even hiding anymore, he loves to mess with Grian by making remarks that imply he's a robot but Grian just can't figure it out

- tbh I love the idea of Joe as a regular human who just acts super cryptic and strange, and has a bit of skill at poetry. others try and figure out what he is, and he's just vibing in a corner, the last one anyone would expect to be the sole normal person on the server

- Cryptid AU. Joe and Cleo as the ‘One Bagel. No!! Two bagels!’ Vine. Joe being the one that asked and Cleo ignoring Cthulhu

- Joe starts sharing different ideas of what he could be, and only Cleo knows (mostly... she's the closest at least). Joe's mystery is a Hermitcraft classic, greeting every hermit except X, who still only has what Joe's told him to go on. He delights in the chaos he causes

- Scar is a poltergeist, he hides it well. One time Grian caught him using his powers, after scar fessed up, in private, they both bring some amount of chaos to the server, but not to much so the ZIT crypt hunters, name in progress, don't know about the chaos, thus not puting the duo in danger.

- Mumbo might be a vampire, but it isn’t for blood (at least, not anymore). Only Grian has come close to figuring it out, and it’s due to seeing how refreshed and satisfied his friend looks after being around 2+ groups of people. If only he would just straight up and ask. - 🦊

- Rather last minute but do you have any ideas of how Evil Xisuma could fit into this? Would he be a shapeshifter as well. A copy of X's true form? A demon haunting Xisuma? Just X's pesky brother? There's a handful of ideas I can't personally decide what would fit best. Maybe none of them at all, who know?

Cryptid Au. Xisuma shapeshifts for fun. Thats how we get Turtle!Xisuma, Beesuma and Stridersuma. All hermits just assume X changes his suit because they have never seen his face so there is no way for them to know he shifts. Also clasic headcanon that TFC is Herobrine and he is just laying low in Hermitcraft after years of going around worlds. Everyone knows the legend about Herobrine but have not connected the dots yet because TFC is just everyone’s grandpa. No way he could be Herobrine.

- @/ivi-prism

- While most might assume that Grian would be a harpy, its actully Scar. He's incredibly flexable in Human form, hes able to manuver his foot behind his head, and moret than once has Cub walked in on Scar with a living fish in his mouth. He never questioned it because "Hey, Vex magics weird."

- Imagine- sytyr Zedaph and Fae Impulse walking in on Willowwisp Tango who,because willowwisps are typically tiny, shrunk in response to panic and is now stuck in a caldron. I think that be hilarious. Just the idea of impulse going-"YOUR A CRYPTID?" while Zed just "WAIT I KNEW I DIDNT BURN THOSE PAPERS!" Which leads into a discussion of ZIT internal sabotage, and suddenly ZIT invesigation changes direction from "Are cryptids real" to "Is anyone else a Cryptid cause this cannot be a Coincidence"

- @/crypticalwitch

- Cryptic AU: Tango can also control his hair, to an extent. He can slick it back, but it still looks like burning embers. It's a bit mesmerizing

- Cryptid AU: Cub was a normal guy, maybe with some weirder interests, before the Vex. "Playing" with their magic too much is what made him a cryptid. So maybe he understands that the other hermits aren't exactly "human". But it isn't his business, and it means they don't question what the Vex get him into, so he just doesn't say anything about it

- Cryptic AU: Team ZIT's strongest evidence for Grian is the fact he's a master with an elytra, especially since he first said he "might use it a little bit" for long journeys. He's flown into a dark hole in a dark wall that's barely big enough to fit him multiple times, with ease, among other risky stunts that would get other hermits killed. The fact there's not much else to go on, besides his pranking zeal only matched by Zed himself, drives them up the wall

- Cryptic AU: when you stay out too long at night, you might start to feel watched. You'll turn around and nobody is there, but still you feel eyes on your back, and the breeze always seems hot and brushes your neck like too-close breathing and a hand. Finally, you catch it: a familiar figure that stands too stiffly, always just too far away to name. Then it vanishes with an airy shriek, and phantoms descend from the stars. Bdubs did always say the worst things happen in the night.

- Cryptic AU: Impulse's smiles are just a little too big. If you look at one too long, you feel as though it's stretching wider and wider, the cheery shine in his eyes twisting into a hungry gleam, but then you blink and he's back to normal ol Impulse and you question if you really saw anything. That time you saw his smile glinting in the darkness just beyond your bed must've been a nightmare. Your imagination.

- Cryptic AU: Don't look into his eyes. Look in, and you will see the universes. Billions of stars, trillions of futures, all impossibly swirling together, hauntingly beautiful. You'll fall down, down, down through the glittering spirals, until with a breathtaking snap you're on your knees, on solid ground. You're lucky he doesn't want to keep you, like others might. The lives and worlds you glimpsed will echo through your mind, weave through your dreams. Do not fear. Do not look into his eyes.

- The mountain is his territory. If you enter it unbidden, he will ensure you leave, lucky to keep your life. His contraptions are nonsense, seeming to serve no purpose other than to confuse. They distract from how the air crackles on your skin, how it tastes of storms and thunder. They distract how, from the corner of your eye, Zedaph's limbs are too long, fingers with too many knuckles and legs with too many knees. All angles and bones, like his designs. Do not look too closely at his garden.

- Everyone learned not to ask about him. Mostly because in trying to form the question, you'll find the words slipping from your mind. So Tango's hair burns, his eyes are red cherries. In the darkness he glows, the embers of a forgotten fire. His skin is always hot, almost feverish, yet he isnt sick. If he gets too close to lava, the illusion fades, reveals the magma that forms his skin. Illusion? No, that was just a burn. He relishes the smoke and rubble of explosions. Control. Always controlled.

- xB doesn't mind being away from the other hermits. It's quiet there; far enough away that most aren't bothered to prank him. He doesn't like surprises. Surprises get people hurt. Gets his friends hurt. His guardians appreciate the still predictability. The calm. Yes, he prefers to sit back, quiet, and watch. If he looks too long, bad things happen. So he observes it all, never focusing too much on one detail, never letting them go unseen. It prevents surprises.

- Because that last one wasn't all that clear, xB is a guardian-based cryptid! While nothing seems inhuman about him at a glance, he has a close affinity to water, and when threatened the spines he hides with his clothes will stick out. (Guardians only spawn in water, but they actually don't suffocate in air! Though their desperate flopping is a sad sight to behold) Plus, laser-eyes

- Xisuma wasn't always able to change his form as easily or drastically as he can now. But by now, he's forgotten his own face. Now, he'll feel his skin, his body begin to itch with the need to change. He's glad the hermits don't seem to care when he does. Keralis's mimicry was a surprise, but a welcome one. He feels less alone. Loneliness is how he would lose himself. He's scared of that possibility.

- When he sleeps, he walks through the minds of those whose eyes met his, as if it were his own dream. He'll hear their thoughts as if they were his own. He doesn't like this. It feels like an invasion. He feels like a parasite, and maybe he is. Whoever he dreamed through last, they seem exhausted and jumpy after, while he feels energized, near invincible. It's through this ability he knows their deepest secrets, but they aren't his to tell. Sometimes, he wishes he could understand. (Xisuma pt 2)

- Cryptid AU: another reason that Grian cant possibly be a human is his clothes. Just. How does he have something for every occasion. He even has a janitor one? Why did he have that? This "man" doesn't own a single closet yet has at least 20 different costumes-- not to mention you blink and he's changed! Wh- he had a REAPER costume for himself AND SCAR???

- @/basaltdragon

- Cryptid AU: Grian used to be against cryptids because of Sam (YHS) and his bunny attributes, but has since accepted the fact Sam was just a bad apple, and cryptids as a whole are neutral/good.

- Your heart, it beats, like redstone ticking away within you. He knows redstone through and through... so why not you too? Every pulse sent though the machine of your body is one more reason for him to reverse engineer you. But he restrains, takes a step back, as these machines could never be put back together.

- He's been here since the beginning; not of Hermitcraft, but everything. Watching as the game evolved over the years... He smiles at the thought. His hair now matching his eyes - like harsh reflective snow - he recalls these memories fondly. As his eyes fade to their piercing blue, he sighs, for this is home.

- When any of the other Hermits (at least the ones with blood) get injured, Mumbo has to step away. The need for their blood, their lifeforce, is too overwhelming.

- @/12u3ie

- Cryptid AU: with the team ZIT headquarters I thought of something similar to the TEA headquarters from season 3. Probably more confusing, colourful and chock full of even more excessive redstone doors. Why not add another elevator? Where's the coffee machine? Maybe the next room over? Was that corridor there before? I don't know. What's the use of that room? What's behind that door? What's behind you?

- Cryptid AU: with the whole burning hair thing on Tango, another explanation for why no one questions it. That's just Hermitcraft, people just assume he either royally messed up a redstone machine, or succeeded completely, you never know with Tango. Or maybe they think they're sleep deprived. They haven't slept in a while, Bdubs has been reminding them to do so. What were they doing? Maybe they should go home instead. Whatever they were doing can probably be done later. What were they doing?

- @/the-royal-bat-snake

- If joe is a changing then he is some kind of fae folk or as the irish and the Scots call them "the good neighbours" he could like anything, from a human, a small man, like knee height or a small green impish or goblin esque creature. Also changlings were the very old fae folk, not just the babies (humma women were stolen to be nurse maids cus fae folk cant make milk, also stolen to be mistresses) I know a lot of irish faerie lore so if you want to know anymore

- @/whatschooldoesntteachyou

[podcastlimbo]

My honest honest opinion on second citadel season 3

Uhhhh... short answer? I didn’t like it much.

Okay wait before I go on to my long answer I need to say that this is all just my opinion and it’s all subjective. If you liked sc season 3 that’s awesome! I get why you do and I’m glad you enjoyed it!

But I really wasn’t a fan of where they went with it (even from episode 1), and I’m gonna go on a long rambly and repetitive rant about it.

I’m not gonna talk about the way the season ended and the setup for s4 because I haven’t fully formed my opinion about that - to form my opinion means to relisten to the season and i don’t really feel like doing that.

Anyways, these are my unfiltered 2am thoughts about the Rest Of It - maybe I’ll neaten it up later to make it more palatable but for now it’s wordy n messy and you can just. Not read it bc it’ll probably make you mad, or feel free to pick it apart and tell me I’m wrong, or unfollow me (and at least one person has already done so lmao) but like that won’t change the fact that I just wasn’t feeling s3 so uh. That said.

Long answer? I love the second citadel... at least the first two seasons

I love the world building, how the setting is such a unique, deliberate step away from eurocentric fantasy, how refreshing all that is! The Second Citadel (the place) is rich with culture and history from the brief glimpses we get of it (mostly in knight of the crown). Not to mention the monster society, with its own rules (or lack thereof) and environments and personalities.

I love the storytelling, how different mediums are woven into the way each episode is formatted. Rilla has her tape recorder, Damien his prayers, Caroline her letters, and each medium is so well suited to each character, and it truly lets us get a glimpse of what’s going on in their minds, and I find it utterly fascinating how a protagonist of one story could just as easily become an antagonist (or at least, an annoyance) in another

And the characters! Each one so compelling, with their own goals and motivations, their own intriguing backstories and potential.

Most importantly, the way these characters play off of each other is what makes second citadel amazing. Getting to see people with similar experiences but different world views clash (Caroline and Mira), people with fundamentally different beliefs reconcile and meet in the middle (rilla and arum), just, Kabert created so many interesting characters, and watching them bounce off one another is a joy.

And that’s what made season 2 so great for me. The exploration of each character, getting to see their good sides and bad, through either a medium tailored for them, or through interactions with others, as they explored a fascinating world.

The end of season 2 left me so satisfied, but still with so many questions and excitement about what was to come. I wanted to see Talfryn come into his own and step out of his brothers shadow. I wanted to see Damien, Arum and Rilla navigating their new relationship. I wanted to know more of the fate of Rilla’s parents, Damien’s past, the consequences Arum would surely face after defying the monster court. I wanted Marc to finally be recognized by his fellow knights, to watch as Caroline lead the journeymen knights, while learning to trust in others as she was beginning to do. I wanted Angelo continuing to unlearn the implicit biases that had been instilled in him as a result of his upbringing, or more details on Caroline and Quanyii’s relationship. I was also curious!! How would human and monster relations change after the events of the finale? And would we learn more of the past, when humans and monsters lived together in peace?

I was buzzing with excitement for season 3, and then.. it came, it aired, and then it went.

And I felt... meh?

Don’t get me wrong. There were moments that I liked. Some of what I hoped to see did happen (see the above paragraph lmao), getting a glimpse of the western wastes with its own culture a joy. The dynamics between Olala and some of the characters were really fun! And the direction the story took at the end was one I didn’t expect, but left me open to more.

That said,,, everything else about the season just. Didnt gel with me.

Everything I loved about second citadel pretty much wasn’t there??? Aside from Caroline, Angelo and Quanyii, all the characters they spent so much time introducing to us and fleshing out over 2 seasons were just relegated to the side??

I think my main problem with season 3 was that it felt like a completely different show. Characters introduced as part of an ensemble became side characters in (what was supposed to be) their own stories. Character arcs that got set up were dropped, and mysteries/backstories teased were forgotten. Heck, the monster court and senate wasn’t even brought up! The aftermath of the fear bugs attack ont the citadel went unexplored! It’s like nothing in the past season even happened!

And I’m sorry I gotta say this, but the problem is Olala.

I mean. Okay I don’t wanna be super mean- she’s perfectly fine as a character. We root for her, we cry when she cries, and we cheer when she wins the day.

But since all the episodes were centered around her, we didn’t get to see anyone else’s inner worlds. And like okay, yes, they did it for this season of Juno Steel too, where Juno, the previous POV a character for 2 seasons, became a part of an ensemble, and was a side character for many episodes. But this choice worked for Juno and not Second Citadel, because it was a natural progression for his story! We spent 2 seasons exploring Juno’s character, his backstory, his motivations, we saw him come to terms with his family history, grow and change as a person, and by the time he joined the Carte Blanche, we’d gotten to a point with Junos story where we’re okay to step away for a while, and see events through the lens of others.

But that just?? Doesn’t work in second citadel? Because unlike Juno, the characters introduced in s1-2 are virtually unexplored! There’s still so much about their stories we don’t know, and so many ways for them to progress.

But we didn’t get any of that! Stuff established in s1-2 barely got payoff in this season. Characters stagnated, and when previously it was amazing to watch them interact with each other? Having each episode throw different combinations of characters together and seeing how they clashed and came together? Yeah we didn’t get that, it was all the same characters bouncing off of Olala, which is fine at first, but honestly? After the first couple episodes, it got stale.

And remember how before, we would get to see the characters tell their story through a medium suited for them? Well I noticed that the format of this season was a lot moreee audio drama-y (basically a TV show but with no visuals) and while there’s nothing wrong with that, one of SC’s strengths was in using the medium in unique ways, presenting the episodes in unique formats depending on the POV character. And with the exception of a few moments, the season really lacked that!

I know there were episodes in s1-2, like caves of discord and the Janus beast which didnt follow that format, but I think it’s a fan consensus that the episodes that do (moonlit hermit, KOTC lots, lady of the lake) are favourites, because they fully embraced the advantages and limitations those framing devices offered, and were truly perfect for character exploration.

It’s like. Idk. Imagine wolf 359 s3 where the si5 were introduced, and there was like 1-2 episodes of them interacting with the rest of our cast, but then after that the rest of the season just completely focuses on Eiffel and the new characters, and everyone else just disappears n twiddles their thumbs and doesn’t even do anything during the finale. That’s what happened this season, and that’s the kinda weird vibe I’m talking about.

Since I’m already rambling, I might as well just say some more stuff. I was disappointed with the music this season. I can tell Ryan Vibert was trying to figure a way to make SC sound different from Juno, and he was getting there in s1-2! The pieces that stand out now are the soft, acoustic guitar pieces, like Rillas song, or the lone melody line of the guitar in the SC theme. I thought he was getting it with s3e1, when Marc fought the dinosaur while traditional Japanese instruments were playing!! But then for the rest of the season, it was just samey echoey ambient electric guitar, like how it is for Juno. There could’ve been so much potential to give this world its own musical identity, but in the end, that attempt was dropped (at least that’s how it come off to me), just like so many other elements introduced in s1-2!

I’ve gotten this far in my rant, and I haven’t even talked about the story. And the story is. Hmmmmm

Like. It’s completely serviceable? Kabert are good at what they do so the story is a okay I guess? But to be completely honest, the characters and story were so tied together in previous seasons, so much so that in this season, even though the plot was just fine, it stayed just that. Fine. it always felt like there was something missing because the characters were the story, and to have just. So many holes in that department meant that the story itself was fundamentally empty.

Anyways uh. All of this is to say that this all boils down to character. I had my nits to pick with other elements but the fact that Rilla, Arum, Damien, Marc and Talfryn got completely sidelined (Tal most of all) when so much of the previous seasons were spent setting them up- in favour of a completely new storyline featuring new characters and settings when there was still so! Much! Left! Unfinished! From unfulfilled arcs to dynamics left untapped, and creative potential lost, the essence of the show was watered down and it left me with the intense feeling of

:/

Idk. Season 3 felt like a completely different show. I liked s1, I loved a2, but s3 just. isnt second citadel for me. I’ll probably still listen to the next season out of loyalty, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel as passionately about the shows future as I do it’s precious seasons, especially if they continue this way.

Sorry.

[smallestclowninthecircus]

Season 3 notes popping off

due to my desire to not completely fail all my classes this year i made myself slow down significantly while listening to this season, and the fact that the other person i'm listening along with had to catch up. We've managed to convert several other people to start listening and its pretty great.

ep 81: what does it even mean to be chosen by one of them? And if he was chosen by the eye. we know Gertrude wasnt? Because she cut the eyes out of the magazines?

ep 82: elias lmao. I understand why people like him so much bahshdhdk i thought he was gonna snitch on Jon but he didnt so he's fine. Ok but how do we think he knew all that stuff. Idk probably just institute connections. I love the fact that the recorder just wants to record stuff randomly bjahsjdhd. Elias feels a lot like Michael in the sense that he knows more than he should and talks in a way that implies he just wants to wait and see how things play out for his own benefit. I understand him knowing the things that happened but his description of her emotions implies something paranormal. Maybe he's connected to one of the entities. Which one I cannot guess.

ep 83: did a file get delivered randomly to the place he's staying at? Probably elias lmao. He thinks the mannequin is related to the stranger. Idk I would believe it.

ep 84: worms? I know he says earth worms but idk. Again? Is she making gordon golems out of trash? Martin popping off. You can tell the statements get to him more that they get to Jon. How come martin is so mad about it? I want to assume he just doesnt want her to get stuck there but idk. Jude Perry. The calliope organ. Jon heard a circus in one of the last episodes

ep 89: he's talking to perry? Like jude Perry? He says ... God? Is that what it is? Lmao. The Desolation. Jon is tired of ppl being vague and not telling him stuff lmao. Oh God Jon is so confused. Compel her? Is she assuming he has some kind of power? Does he have powers? Hmm. im agreeing with jon here please jesus christ why does everyone have to be so cryptic. Just say what you mean. "maybe you get an itchy eye" bahasjkdfklsjdf girl what. Agnes saved her? Oh this is the girl from the cafe story? So theres the Cult of the Lightless Flame? They worship whatever entity this is? The Desolation? Why do they all seem like they sorta worship her then? Is Gretchen gonna die oh god. fuckin michael. a different michael aaah. i see. dont do it shes gonna burn you. sir. please. sir dont you dare do- WHAT DID I SAY what did you think was gonna happen hhh.

ep 90: try to make it less obvious you're trying to get fired big T. Elias that doesnt sound like the most healthy thing to do. oh dear is this gonna be triggering for me. uuuuuh. uuuuuuuuuh. doesnt seem like it ok gonna keep listening. Jared. hmmmmm. Ok we've seen Keay and hotner or whatever his name was.

ep 91: Michael Crew. Oh is this the lightning scar guy. Mister jon sir did you just die. No? God everyone is so fuckin cryptic. Say normal things please. They all just like to go on about pain and agony and j e s u s c h r i s t we get it you got hurted by whatever thing. So theyre avatars? question mark? Jude Perry is an avatar of The Desolation? hhhh fractals. thats a spiral thing innit. Yup. messing with your perceptions. God they all talk about feeding their god and feeding that which feeds them and. hh what does that meann. Leave big J. please. uh oh. is it daisy? how come he has the web lighter still? the tape recorder just turns on sometimes you know how it is. So he can compel people? not that he knows it obviously but. a bit wack. powers go brr i guess? If the eye just wants knowledge i guess he feeds it by getting the statements? b/c i doubt it wants him to murder ppl or whatever.

ep 92: elias you all knowing fuck what do you know. (i guess all given what i just said) Lukas. Heard of them before. Mordecai Lukas. Loneliness. The lonely even. Jonah Magnus. Elias ur sounding like a bit of a dickhead rn. lmao jon's just like "i dont care" elias what is ur deal. Why does he want to tie her in. ohh i see. lmao theyre all just like "elias why" The Unknowing lol seems very much like something the eye wouldnt like. lol elias is gettin all philosophical. what does it really mean to be human. this still doesnt answer why gertrude wanted to destroy the archives tho.

ep 93: bahsjdfh he seems so dead inside rip. awww admiral. i love him already. ghh breacon and hope. purple mold. doesnt sound like anything we've seen so far. I think the funniest explanation for breacon and hope is that they dont actually serve the stranger they just kinda happen to be a random neutral party that cart around random spooky entity related stuff. ooooh. when we hear the slight static of the tape recorder it's cuz he's compelling ppl.

ep 94: the end! listen man they were all just grayed up for 4/13.

ep 95: the end also? death but also savagery/ animalistic shit. aww martin. lmao becerra. she's just been chillin in the corner.

ep 96: return to sender. haha minecraft go brr. prediction: breacon and hope? yup there we go. jon why is there an echo. are you in a stairwell? is he gonna eat it- yup. how did i call it. unsure abt what theyre talking about but ok. they kidnapped someone? Sarah Baldwin. ooooh that guy.

ok im just putting this here so i have notes for when nicholas gets to this part. It seems like (from jon's conversation with jude perry) that the desolation and the eye are kinda at odds with eachother? like i guess not directly but it seems like they dont really vibe? so how could be with both. Cuz if he has the heat powers and shit then we know he's an avatar of the desolation. but then why does he have so much eye imagery. also he got burned intentionally? like jude did when she went on her monologue about the feeling of burning? but then why did he wear the eye pendant. it stops him from being burned all the way which seems like he's not fully accepting the fire or whatever.

Nooooo I lost like a bunch of my notes rip. I keep forgetting to save.

Ep 104: tim gives a coherent statement without jon even being there. Ugh. Fucking robert smirk. Dont like him. Joey. Dont recognize the name. The show must go on. Clown. The spooky circus?

ep 105: total war... shogun 2? jon is just understanding languages again. "if i understood mandarin or cantonese" are you sure you dont big man?

ep 106: havent we heard this one already? mans in space? oh no this is just another episode in space. fairchild... uuuh. cant remember. oh! this is related to that! this is one of the ppl from the other side. sounds like a Vast thing. oh he's the one that the dude saw? but that guy didnt have a face... she's sorta like jon. wanting to dismiss the statements. lmao i love the workplace gossip. ace jon for the win! oh cmon elias dont be a dick. sunny meadows or whatever. thats the place we heard about.

ep 107: oh great is it jude perry again. Third Degree. bahahsdkfj she was arrested. sorry but imagining this old british lady getting arrested is funny. she was trying to resurrect him. using the skin book. he's not feeling well. jon take a nap. i wonder if this is what happens when he uses his powers too much. He gets into The Zone when he reads statements lol. didn't we have a burning train car in anothre statement? is it julia fairchild? bahahahs "kidnapped. Again." poor jon honestly. julia... about her dad. daughter of the murder shed guy? hunting like your dad liked to hunt or normal people hunting. oh hunting vampires!

ep 108: melanie has been suffering. poor martin peter lukas why do you have to be like this. can he not just use the front door? does he have to bother the ppl doing statements?

ep 109: how come he cut her off? kinda rude tbh. its either jon's influence or there was smth he didnt want her saying. is it gerard on the table? this sounds kinda like smth from one of the university episodes. is it the closed eye on the hand? yup. he's like one of the students! if the thing listening in is elias then... he can do that without the tape recorder yknow. plus who's to say it wont just turn itself on again

110: who wants to bet its a leitner?

111: Lukas related to The Lonely. I used to not like Gerard that much but i like him more now. but i thought there were 15? ohhh thats right isnt flesh newer? gerry for the win honestly. finally telling jon things.

112: lol "again" no one ever tells any of these ppl anything. tim and basira are just out of the loop constantly. music, like the war episodes. The hunt or the slaughter? probably the hunt. so Daisy is related to the hunt right? basira likes the reading, she's doing fine at the institute. daisy's getting worried...

113: it just turned on randomly. what is it lol. explossives! oh boy. why do they always assume he turned it on intentionally. melanie youre not making me like you that much. which entity is this about i cant tell. lol he was disappointed it was just the end. The title Breathing Room made me think it was gonna be about the buried but i guess not. So many of these entities deal with death but the end is one that deals in just death. it has no need for fancy deaths, just death is enough

114: more hilltop road statements? the tree. oh boy. ok the tree has 8 arms obviously theres the spider parallels. was she taken into an alternate universe? oh no. jon tries to phrase things so he's not asking questions. thats honestly good. "sometimes i was kidnapped" oh dear. they got gertrude. daisy ur so odd lmao. who wants to bet they dont know the tape recorder's running?

115: silaca? or whatever? antique man? meat grinder... related to the meat is meat episode? oh wow. they buy antiques from him. maybe dont antagonize this creature which can kill you?

116: lol theyre all just so done with elias. music? is it like the one band that if you hear them you die or wtvr. oh its chess? i am very much confused. mmm stranger go brr. gorilla skin? oh shit the dance. woah. this is so good. this is so gender. the words are wonderful. "you can just say tim" lmao trying to fool elias never feels like a good idea.

117: except elias lmaoo. oh shit. leitner getting some use for once idk. bruuh poor melanie she has been thru so much shit. martin you can just say youre worried about jon. lol he's so accurate in his jon impression. lol who was that. was that daisy? lmaoo. oop hi tim. oh god i hope tim doesnt die. i feel like i wouldve heard about that? but im not sure. destroying the source of knowledge is gonna be hard for jon. yay jon! you did a good thing. let him rest.

118: go off martin lmao. awww poor martin. oh god the tape gets that squealy quality and its awful.

119: woah. lots of things happening. uhh. POP OFF TIM!!

120: lmao elias giving a statement about jon's dreams lol. damn jon doesnt even get his own dreams? has to stay Watching even when he's asleep? f in the chat this man goes thru so much shit. oh boy its peter. lol martin my beloved. idk i dont trust peter.

[tillman]

top ten worst arthurian takes GO

god how can you limit me to only ten. almost everything everyone says is just so dumb in some way and god the main thing? i wouldnt give a shit i really wouldnt if people didnt constantly act like theyre talking about the REAL legends <3 and then source toafk.

and like. okay! i dont expect people to have read everything. thats fucking impossible. who is going to have read 1000 years worth of literature. but to then either claim superiority cus u like one branch over another or cus you think youre too cool to just.. admit u dont know something? it makes me very angry and i am legally allowed to bully you.

anyways under a cut cus well .... anyways im going to be mean i dont give a shit. 

10) this is a catch all one but literally everything to do with lancelot. every single fucking thing. none of you people are normal.  the idea hes some sort of awful parent, the idea hes a “later addition” to the legends (just ... not true?????? the vulgate alone which solidified his existence is ..... 13th century..... thats.... so early in terms of arthuriana......), the general conception he fits into this “bimbo” type archetype (specifically that) in see him being characterized as a slutty and stupid vapid person whos only with guenevere to get closer to arthur, THE IDEA HES EVEN VAGUELY CLOSE TO ARTHUR? thats a huge plot point in a lot of the vulgate lancelot doesnt give a SHIT about arthur, th white, making him into the stereotypical full of himself man, bro its literally all fucking bad. whatever have your own takes on the character but hes . fucking hell just stop talking about lancelot if you cant be normal.

9) th white. i dont care anymore i dont think anyone should be looking at his work anymore it has nothing worthy of any attention. it truly has no value. 

8) jesus fuck uhm theres a lot i could say about how the general fandom and books themselves treat women but the treatment of morgause is just abhorrent. she isnt a fucking r*****. lot is literally worse than her in terms of parenting and being a human being yet shes the only one demonized ever. and like. okay! you can write her as an abusive mother and be uncomfortable with how she is written in the text but modern texts making HER the one to initiate the thing w arthur .... usually against his will for some reason. well. fuck you.  also not a huge thing but portraying guenevere as an abuser is rooted in so much misogyny. this is not the place to have a serious discussion about that but just be aware of how u are thinking about characters. 

7) everything to do with galahad and mordred LOL not even just galadred but bro they are substanceless characters theyre not that fucking deep. 

6) uhhh also everything to do with arthur/guenevere/lancelot <3 the power and age dynamic at play here literally physically makes me sick and also its glorified so heavily i just dont think you people should be allowed to touch these characters. it doesnt even have any hold in text you people just read th white and some other nonsense and were like wow <3 polycules solve all issues <3 and like they do but not this one LOL

5) stop combining elaine of astolat and elaine of corbenic this isnt a complaint this is a fucking PLEA I AM BEGGING you people. aslo please treat elaine of astolat right i love her so so much she means the world to me

4) i think you people are fucking weird around kay. ohhh booohooo the french were meaaan to himmmmmm. okay. stop pointing at the prehistories for reasons kay is actually sooo cool and soooo competent. ohhh hes soooo cool in the welsh texts. thats cool for the welsh texts and doesnt have anything to do with how hes characterized in literally everything else. he doesnt haev to be this competant killing machine to be a really cool character. also hes not. he. hes not thor? 

3) here this is a complaint for the original texts but villainizing gawain? cool thats hot. doing that by making him into a sexual abuser? i hate you. i hate you. prose tristan author and the post vulgate author who took it from them im going to litearlly fucking twist your head off your body.  oh here ill tie this back to the general fandom. gawain isnt some fucking “cinnamon roll” being “uwu slandered by the evil dutch texts fans...” gawains a shitty person and thats cool. hes mean and devious and smarmy and uses the image of the perfect knight to get thorugh loopholes. SGATGK isnt the only text in existance. its also not... an “early text” its pretty late. its. its the 14th century thats after lancelot was introduced to the . hes. its late okay.

2) if i have to see one more fucking take that isolde gave tristan the potion knowingly i literally might snap this is a threat. i cant fucking do it where are you people getting this from its jsut so fucking insane and so . wrong ? disgusting ? like i get it no ones read anything tristan and isolde related besides misreading le morte but jesus fucking CHRIST where are you even getting this one why do i have to KEEP seeing it.

1) STOP. making characters cishet.  stop it. stop. i fucking see you cishets. STOP thinking the arthurian stories are for you. they arent. shut the fuck up. 

anwyays thats all i. this was mean sorry im being mean right now but god <3 you people are fucking insane.

the thing i want to note is hey. its okay to not know things. arthuriana spans a thousand years of texts. if you only like the modern stuff cool good for you i hope you have fun. i do truly hope my friends and i are starting to create a space that people are comfortable admitting you dont know something or to ask questions or just simply not want to know. like thats cool and fine of you! do that! 

just stop fucking making weird arthurian takes and making me look at them. thank u.