#cheap tropes and characters that are all over the place

[dragonheartstring360]

Some notes for anyone writing a character with glasses, from someone who wears glasses everyday:

- glasses need to come off before changing a shirt, unless it has a really big collar. Otherwise, glasses will get ripped off by said shirt collar.

- weather will affect how well you can see out of them, especially rain. Raindrops will dot glasses and it’s like trying to drive a car in the rain without working windshield wipers. Snow sometimes does this too, but not as bad, and lots of dust kicking up will make glasses dirty and foggy. If it’s humid enough (talking like swampy, Deep South levels, weather app says “90-100% humidity”), glasses will fog up when you step outside. If it’s crazy windy, glasses can fly off and the character should hold onto them or take them off and put them somewhere safe. They’ll usually get dirty or break in a pants pocket, so maybe have character carry around a sturdy glasses case if needed.

- not all materials are good for wiping glasses off. Some shirt materials just make it worse.

- if your character’s glasses are super dirty or smudged, they will be able to see it 24/7 as they look around and it’s annoying af.

- although glasses can keep things from getting in a character’s eyes (like something that’s been sprayed), it doesn’t protect our eyes all the time, especially if it’s coming at an angle or there’s a large amount. For that, you’d need actual safety glasses or goggles (and yes, they do make prescription goggles, but they’re not cheap).

- speaking of waves, for the love of god, DO NOT have your character swim with their glasses on. At best, they’ll get wet and they won’t be able to see. At worst, if they’re forced underwater or an ocean wave smacks them in the face, they’ll fly off and/or break.

- a crack in glasses is actually annoying af and makes it very hard to see.

- if a character’s face is wet, like from sweat or a ton of rain, their glasses will continuously slide down their nose and they’ll need to keep pushing them back up.

- lots of liquids other than water will make glasses opaque.

- glasses should be fitted pretty well to a person’s head. So if the character’s face is dry or there’s a moderate amount of wind, the “legs” that go behind their ears should be tight enough that they don’t just constantly fly off or slip down their nose. If they do, they’re too big (but obviously something a tornado will make them fly off).

- although I hate the whole “they took off their glasses and now they’re a ✨ model ✨” trope, people do tend to look very different with glasses on vs off - especially a character like Harry Potter who constantly wears their glasses. It’s not unrealistic that people who don’t know the character well (or even those who do, but just aren’t as quick) won’t recognize them at first without their glasses.

- as far as I know (correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve never been able to do this), if a lens pops out of the frames, it can’t be popped back in by non-professionals without the right tools. The glasses are just done for.

- if your character has contacts in (or this is a psa for anyone who wears contacts), DO NOT have them rub their eyes. The contact will pop out and they’re very translucent and tiny, so trust me, it will just fall and be lost forever.

- being able to see clearly out of one eye and not the other (like with a broken/missing lens or a contact falling out) causes headaches.

- glasses are expensive af in the US (idk about other places). One time when I didn’t have vision insurance, an eye exam and two frames with lenses (I have blue eyes and very extreme light sensitivity, so have to have prescription sun glasses as well as regular glasses) cost over $900USD. If you want the special frames that become tinted and basically turn into sunglasses when you walk outside, it will cost extra.

- speaking of those lenses that become tinted when you walk outside, they take awhile to fade back to normal after you go back inside. Your character needs to be prepared to still be “wearing” sunglasses for the first 5-10 minutes after they walk inside.

- if a character is wearing contacts, they can wear normal sunglasses. If not, they’ll need special prescription sunglasses to be able to see. You cannot wear prescription sunglasses with contacts in or you won’t be able to see anything. Ever tried to look through your friend’s glasses and everything’s weird and warped and giving you a headache? That’s what it will look like.

- not exactly glasses related, but people with lighter colored eyes will always have worse light sensitivity than people with darker eyes. I have very blue eyes and looking up at the sky on a sunny day will literally make me see stars, and especially if I’m driving towards the sun while it’s setting, I have to have my sunglasses on or I literally will not be able to see and tears will be leaking out my eyes the whole way home.

- speaking of prescription sunglasses, unless your character can see pretty far without their glasses or they’re far sighted, you cannot just take prescription sunglasses off and still be able to see, especially while driving. You just have to deal with it and keep the sunglasses on and look like a Matrix wannabe if it gets cloudy or starts raining, or you have to do the super speedy Dance of Death where you’re still watching the road in front of you, taking off one pair of glasses and putting the other on super fast (which usually requires you to use your mouth to open and close things).

- GLASSES ARE FRAGILE. Seriously, a very petite person could sit in them and snap them in half. They’re not something you want your character just throwing around.

- there are varying levels of how well someone can see. There’s farsightedness and nearsightedness. Some people don’t have that much trouble and can see pretty far, so only wear their glasses as needed. But some people (aka moi) can genuinely only see a few inches in front of their face. Like if I ever lost my glasses or they broke, I’d be done for. I wouldn’t be able to work or drive or do anything around the house.

- glasses need to be replaced about once a year because of possible prescription changes or sometimes lenses losing their strength and becoming harder to see through. Trying to tough it out after long enough will give your character headaches/migraines and sore eyes from eye strain.

- some mascaras (especially thick ones) will smudge glasses when the character blinks. Same with false lashes (although they’ll brush instead of smudge). Usually less intense mascaras and shorter fake lash lengths are better.

- eye makeup is harder to see with glasses on.

- please, please, PLEASE stop using the whole “omg look how much prettier/more attractive they are without their glasses” trope. Not everyone’s eyes can handle contacts and some people prefer wearing their glasses. And it makes those of us who prefer glasses or have to wear them feel like shit, especially because there aren’t a lot of characters with glasses in media who don’t become the butt of a joke (ie the one wearing glasses is the “ugly duckling” for it like in princess diaries, or like Velma from scooby doo always losing them and patting around, or people who wear glasses will always be some sort of dorky/insufferable know it all).

- glasses come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and can be used to actually enhance a character’s style! Some of them even have magnetic frames that click in place over the simple pair, so have fun using glasses to build your character’s style.

- edit to add: no one ever purposely falls asleep with their glasses on. You will crush and break them when you roll around. However, if a character does accidentally fall asleep with them on, a love interest gently taking them off so they don’t wake them up and setting them on the table next to them can be a super cute moment.

- whoops thought of some more. Hair products, especially hairspray, can be a bitch to get off glasses and doesn’t always just rinse off with water. If they’re spraying anything, including dry shampoo, the glasses have gotta come off and get out of the line of fire first.

- hair can and will get caught in the little hinge by the legs and we do occasionally not notice till we take our glasses off and rip a hair out of our heads.

- be careful when you comb or brush, cuz if the glasses legs get caught in the brush or comb, it will be ripped off our face.

Hope this helps! May the writing gods bless your work 🤓

#friendly neighborhood writer #writer things #writers on tumblr #fanfiction writer #writers and poets #ao3 writer #writerscommunity #writing advice #fanfiction writing #creative writing #writing #fanfic writing #psa #glasses #characters with glasses

[shrimz08]

AANG ＆ OZAI PARALLELS: DEBUNKED

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Because apparently the true villain is the sole survivor of a genocide of his entire nation, and not the imperialist colonizer.

Where do I even begin?? Because I’m genuinely holding in laughter writing this, it’s absolutely insane how certain people can make such egregious parallels that aren’t even found in the first place. 

AH, so a little backstory on how this fucking shit stained idea even came to existence, well our dear z^tara fans pissed their pants over Zuko and Katara not tying the knot, so, as a way of retribution for their supposed “honour” They take any chance to jump on the Aang hate train and make him into some irredeemable abusive demon, aaand they got that perfect opportunity because the LoK decided to take a lick out of the great “Main Characters Must Be Bad Parents In The Sequels” Trope. Which personally, does absolutely nothing to the protagonists resolution aside from cheap family drama but I digress. 

Now, I’m not behind the idea of the writers trying to make Aang a “flawed” Parent, I think it really makes no sense by how they went about it, (I might touch on this in another post) 

((And it’s so very clear that they’re trying to give it a soft “retcon” And even taking extra steps saying that Kya and Bumi just “remember wrong” Which I’ll actually take, because season two of LOK was hell on earth anyway so you might as well give it some saving grace.)) 

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There’s three main parallels that they got from Ozai and Aang: (god help me)

Favouring a child

isolating the rest

leaving pressure On the golden child

I’m going to debunk all three of them while trying not to fall into complete lunacy over how ridiculous they are. 

Favouring a child + Leaving pressure: 

OK, so people are clearly blind with context clues and media comprehension, got it. No surprise whatsoever. I can’t be disappointed if I didn’t even have any expectations to begin with. 

Let’s compare the treatment on how Ozai treats Azula, and how Aang treats Tenzin. (Holy Shit)

Beginning with Ozai, well.. It doesn’t take much of a rocket scientist to understand that Ozai essentially could not give two fucks about Azula, as she in essence, serves the role of an attack dog, as long as it does its job, it’s worthy. 

Ozai favoured Azula because she was molded to match his ferocity and hunger for power, she was a prodigy bender, and was cunning and calculated, all traits that Ozai found endearing and someone worthy to be crowned the next “fire lord.” His “favouring” Of her didn’t come out of genuine love or care, she is his tool who serves a purpose. In short, she showed more competency and more ruthlessness and callousness in comparison to Zuko. Which earned her, her place as the “Golden Child.”  

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None of this is even remotely similar to how Aang treated Tenzin and his kids, aside from the fact he supposedly “favoured” Tenzin more, but that is such a baseline statement and has absolutely no relation with Ozai's reasons.

You have to understand that an entire FUCKING NATION IS DEAD. History, Culture, Tradition, is at the BRINK of being wiped out, Tenzin is quite literally the only Airbender that will be left after Aangs passing. Why do people devalue this concept so much? 

“B-BUT THE AIR ACOLYTES1!!” Still have limited knowledge, airbending is so heavily tied to its spiritual roots, you LOSE your ability to AIRBEND, if you aren't inclined to your spiritual side. Which is a core part of the air nomad culture. Tenzin is... Literally the only god forsaken part left of that, so yeah. It’s a pretty big fucking deal. Aang values his culture and teachings to such a high degree, he is literally the survivor of a genocide. His favouring of Tenzin was done out of necessity and love, not out of a need for power and a new attack dog to send orders around. 

Tenzin will literally be the future “Director” Or guide for the next avatar to learn airbending, people still forget this, and it’s hilarious. He needs to know all the moves, all the teachings because he will be the next avatar's personal guide. 

Aang constantly reassures him, and apologizes for the pressure that may be put upon him but he always reaffirms that he’ll be there to guide him and they’ll “learn together”

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So yeah not the same thing at all. Fuck you for being so inept at understanding the different reasons and perspectives of those situations, just for some petty ship discourse, genuinely disgusting.

Isolating the children:

OK this part, I have to say that the writers definitely messed up with aangs characterization, but I think the execution came out way differently than the intention, so I will try to look more into the intention of each decision.

Ozai isolated Zuko, mistreated him, belittled him, PHYSICALLY ABUSED HIM, but yeah totally on par with Aang actually. 

I don’t wanna touch on this part much mainly because his treatment was literally explained all throughout the show, and granted, while I understand most of these people haven’t touched the show aside from reading fanfic 300000 Where Aang is revealed to us as satan himself, but perhaps, even a small peak at Ozai's parenting would reveal the laughable contrast between the two.

Zuko was a slow learner, and much more of a softie, and a “mama's boy” To Ozai’s heavy dislike, he was thus treated as such, he was belittled, turned down, and literally burnt alive for showing “weakness” He is meant to serve as a direct contrast to Azula, ”The everything he isn't.” 

Kya and Bumi on the other hand, don’t show any actual signs of trauma aside from some petty jabs they threw at Tenzin, 

Bumis talk with Aang at the statue was *very very* Clearly, meant to highlight his own inferiority complex that he internalized growing up. His need for proving himself to be capable of doing just as much if not more than a “bender” Probably happened because his two parents were both prodigy benders and him being a first born son who was a non-bender must’ve hit pretty hard for him, and I’m so sure that katara and Aang reassured how special he is but that kind of thing doesn’t really go away.

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Kya: [while healing Bumi] I told you those rocks were slippery. You're lucky you didn't kill yourself.

Bumi: You done with the lecture, mom?

Kya: Oh, grow up. You haven't changed one bit since we were kids. You're still trying to prove you can do everything a bender can. Well, you can't. Deal with it.

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 That talk with Aangs statue was very much meant to unveil an internal struggle rather than a conflict he had with his father. Kya even doubles down on this, telling him “of course he’d be proud of you” Basically spoon feeding to us, the viewers, that this is much more of internal than an external conflict that he has to overcome along the show. 

“Why Didn’t he share his culture with them 1!!1!” 

He most definitely did, or tried to, but it’s clear they didn’t show much interest so he didn’t pester, this is shown many times throughout the show. 

“You know I could never keep all those gurus straight… There were like a million of them!

remember that long boring story about the guy who never ate?”

This is literally Kya’s remark to Tenzin just after he tried teaching the airbender students this story, basically telling us that Aang DID try to tell them about his stories and culture, but much to their disinterest, didn’t try any further. 

And Bumi, literally could not pay attention to the story to save his life, and instead decided to fool around in his literal 60’s!! I mean Imagine what he was like when he was a kid!! 

I could imagine their dynamic was very similar to Jinora with Meelo and Ikki, Tenzin being the only one with actual interest and care, whilst Bumi and Kya goofing off and not putting much focus onto it. WHICH IS FINE BTW!! 

It only goes to reiterate that Tenzin was the only one who was actually giving interest and attention to the air nomad culture, and it was of Kya and Bumi’s own personal choice to not partake in it. To each their own I see. 

“BUT WHAT ABOUT THE VACATIONS” 

This.. I agree, weird for the writers to decide this, but given how they low-key are retconning it in interviews, my best guess is that each of those trips were side-quests during their journey to teach an important lesson that might’ve just drowned out because Tenzin may not have remembered it as well. 

Also keep in mind that Tenzin was put into a lot of pressure, Aang probably saw this, and as a way to still keep it enjoyable, he took him to trips that would help ease the mind for a little kid whilst also learning something valuable. That seems pretty on brand for Aang actually

And given that Kya and Bumi are literally in their fucking 60’s it wouldn’t surprised me if they didn’t have the greatest memory. Hell, they didn’t even fault Aang as a parent until Tenzin started boasting about “trips” That Kya and Bumi gave petty jabs but weren’t actually showing genuine hurt, just annoyance.

Kya even comments how Aang was too busy “Trying to save the world, and doing his duty that he didn't have much time for them” 

Phrasing as if it wasn't anything "important" But it's clear that this was Kya's own personal irritation towards Tenzin rather than an actual evaluation on Aang's duties.

A continuation comic best explains it in a deeper way:

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Literally showing that “neglecting” His kids wasn't up to him, and was out of a sense of necessity, trying to cram as much knowledge onto Tenzin, the only one who was basically putting his lessons into practices. Kya and Bumi were left feeling neglected. But that wasn’t out of his decision; he still loved them dearly.

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This. Literally highlighting how much pressure was forced upon Aang, so yes, as any person would, he struggled with making time for everybody. Holy shit who knew?? 

GASP!! IS THAT… A REALISTIC BUT UNDERSTANDABLE FLAW!!?? HOW DARE YOU! ITS OZAI #2 

The fact that the smiley energetic person forgets to SMILE, is a big deal, man was put through hells amount of stress but he never cracked.

So tell me, how is a genocidal freak, who treats his golden child like a tool and abuses the other both physically and emotionally for showing “weakness’ 

Even remotely comparable to

 the sole survivor of a genocide, trying to withhold his teachings and culture onto literally his only child that showed actual effort in doing so, while also maintaining the balance of an entire fucking world and being literally the biggest “advisor” And “Mentor” For society, OH! And also building and managing a literal city, but along the way struggling to make time for his children. 

Guess what, they’re not. And if you think they are. You are an idiot, with bias and headcanons.

So the conclusion is, Aang is a flawed parent, but he isn't a "bad" Parent - confirmed by the literal writers.

Comparing him to Ozai a literal dictator, is absolutely sickening, just for your petty shipping discourse when this show's been over for a decade is insane. Indulge in what you enjoy, but stop projecting delusions like they're canon.

:D

#atla #avatar the last airbender #aang #pro aang #aang defense squad #the legend of korra #tenzin #kya ii #bumi ii #how could you hate this cutie #anti anti aang #anti zutara #pro kataang #kataang #you all suck #anti zutara fandom #katara x aang #aang meta

[snowyh2o]

So here’s something that’s been on my mind lately.

When Rosie gives Charlie advice on her relationship with Vaggie, and whether or not Vaggie really meant all the things she had said or if it was just lies, she tells Charlie that “—words, are cheap. But actions, they speak the truth.”

And the reason I’ve been thinking about this line lately is that, everyone on YouTube and Reddit and occasionally on Tumblr are all clamoring over each other about how “Alastor is clearly the main antagonist/villain of the series”, “Alastor doesn’t actually care about the hotel or Charlie, he’s only manipulating everyone”, “clearly, Alastor’s line about controlling all the strings means he’s planning on taking over hell!”. But I can’t help but feel like that’s…. A very shallow interpretation of him as a character and his role in the story.

The way he’s designed and implemented into the story has him filling the “morally dubious very suspicious and probably out for his own goals sponsor of the hotel” trope, and part of what draws people to his character is that we really don’t know what he’s going to do. Is he going to betray Charlie and the hotel? Is he going to give up on his goals for Charlie and the hotel? How is he planning on using that deal he made with Charlie? What will he try to do to get out of his leash? Because as it stands he could very easily swing one way or the other, or both at the same time.

But I also understand that a lot of people are saying those things because of what Alastor himself says about his goals in the series. Particularly in the finale, but also during the pilot and again in the first episode. Alastor says he’s here to watch people fail for entertainment. He says he wants to take control of the strings. He mocks the idea that he’d die for “his friends”.

But Alastor says a lot of shit, and not all of them are entirely true.

Words are cheap.

So, what do his actions say?

In the pilot he offers Charlie a deal centered around him sponsoring the hotel, Charlie refuses and instead orders him as the princess of hell to help out with the hotel for as long as he desired. Alastor agrees to this, and doesn’t push for making another deal. Immediately after summons Niffty and Husk to help staff the hotel and work on cleaning up the place. He then defends the hotel against Sir Pentious’s death beam and beats him up (because he destroyed a wall and interrupted his song—). He renamed the hotel, and then presumably attached his radio tower to the side of the building and moves in to live with everyone else.

In episode 1, he makes a really well put together video advertisement despite his infamous distaste for anything and everything related to modern technology and TVs. The ad is edited, voiced over, and contains custom animations. He would’ve had to have used a computer to do all this. The video itself was satire, likely because he was very annoyed at being told he couldn’t just make a radio ad for the hotel, and not what Charlie or Vaggie had wanted. Later on, when Vaggie decides to remake the ad, she asks Alastor for a camera, he summons a vintage photo camera (again because of his distaste for all things video) and Vaggie has to specify for a video camera. He summons a video camera that looks like it’s being held together by duct tape for Vaggie, and he’s clearly not happy about it, but the camera he gave her still works, and he still did what she asked of him. When Vaggie fails to make a proper ad, he mocks her in a “not so easy now is it?” Way, before offering to help her make one. He makes a deal with her, being that if he helps her with this ad, that she never asks him to deal with “this frivolous television technology ever again.” When she agrees, he summons up an entire movie productions set along with a change of clothing for all the members of the hotel (going above and beyond with this “help”), and by the end of the day had even pulled some strings and limbs to get it to air that very same day after they were done making it. Also, despite Alastor being in frame for the video, he’s the only thing that’s distorted, even though other instances of him being in frame distorts the whole image.

Episode 2 has Alastor defending the hotel from Sir Pentious’s attack again, though he’s also the reason Sir Pentious was attacking in the first place. And has him summoning minions to fix the wall before he leaves for the tailor. He doesn’t do anything tk Sir Pentious, except act a little threatening despite Sir Pentious having ripped off a piece of his suit, and what his reaction before Sir Pentious became a hotel guest was. Alastor is also seen participating as an audience to the “Drug dealer” skit, probably to laugh at Angel’s misery. He doesn’t do anything about Sir Pentious being a spy for Vox, but does appear to have scared Vox into not trying anything else.

Episode 3 has him interrupting his breakfast to help Vaggie deal with the Egg Bois, humanely. Despite how very obviously irritated he was by their constant pestering, he doesn’t do anything to them, even though he was very eager to do so earlier before Vaggie specified he couldn’t kill/eat them. He even makes sure they don’t get themselves killed by saying something stupid in front of Zestial, and tried to keep them outside the building full of powerful and potentially temperamental overlords. He uses Frank to spy on Carmilla, and threatens him into silence (it didn’t work), but doesn’t try to dispose of them and ends up bringing the whole group back to the hotel.

Episode 5 has him in a pissing contest against Lucifer, and we learn that he makes old timey puns, is a reliable hotel manager, and apparently unclogs toilets for them. Charlie notably, agrees with what he says, or doesn’t say anything to contradict his words, and she’s generally much more comfortable during Alastor’s portion of the song than Lucifer’s. When Mimzy appears, he’s very happy to see her and initiates a hug. Despite this, he insists on joining Charlie with giving her dad a tour around the hotel. Alastor appeared upset at the mention of his 7 year absence, but tries to play it off. When Husk pokes at his sore spot, Alastor pulls out the chains and starts threatening him with a tortuous death should he say anything about that again, but doesn’t do anything else to Husk and leaves him alone the moment he has Husk’s agreement. Alastor actively defends the hotel against the loan sharks after Mimzy, and then seriously asks Mimzy, the only friend we’ve seen from his past, to leave if she’s only here to bring trouble to the hotel. He doesn’t interrupt when Charlie and Lucifer finally reconnect and reconcile.

Episode 7, Alastor speaks with Charlie in private and forces her to confront the situation the hotel is in by mocking her about landing the hotel in hot water. He doesn’t stop when she tells him to leave, and is able to successfully get her out of the bed covers and onto her feet. He offers advice, and a little insight to his own smile. When Charlie is at her lowest and most upset, he offers the solution to her problem for a favor at a time of his choosing where she harms no one. He doesn’t ask for her soul, even though it looked like Charlie was both expecting him to and appeared just about ready to offer it herself. After the deal, he voluntarily takes Charlie to Cannibal Town, no strings attached, to meet with Rosie. He was very bored listening to her vent about her love life, but didn’t try to interrupt her or get her to stop. When Charlie has trouble explaining the situation, he steps in and tells Rosie what kind of favor they want. Rosie agrees to help, because Alastor has never wronged her before. Alastor gives Charlie his microphone with no prompting when she comes back to try and rally the cannibals again. When she looks over to him and Rosie for support, he gives her a thumbs up, despite being somewhat awkward about it. He helps bring the cannibals on board with the offer of angel meat! During a more private moment with Rosie in the song, Alastor stated that he believed Charlie could do it all along. Then talks about how she’s powerful, and wanting to guide her potential, before saying they should stick with her if they want to win.

Episode 8: Alastor is an active member of the war council. He shared the details of his ability, or at the very least his shield, and either volunteered for or agreed to be the one to keep Adam occupied should he enter the battle. He lends his microphone to Charlie again during her final night before the battle’s speech. Alastor shared a quiet moment with Niffty. He doesn’t deride her for her attachment to the members of the hotel when she shares how much she likes them, and even almost agrees with her. When Niffty starts laughing uncontrollably, he looks at her for a moment before joining her in laughing, it’s very forced lol. During the actual battle, his shield was paramount in minimizing the number of angels everyone had to deal with, and he kept Adam busy for several minutes, only retreating after taking an almost fatal blow to the chest by Adam’s holy weapon. He disappears from the battle, but likely stayed nearby, and only went to his radio tower after the hotel had been destroyed or the battle had already ended. In his radio tower, he’s in disbelief over his near death experience. His expression when speaking of how he’d almost died for “his friends”, it isn’t anger or derision, it’s shaken, unsteady, and struggling to keep it together with a smile. He uses his anger and desperation to take focus himself again. In the end, he shows up at the hotel again, appearing perfectly fine and totally uninjured, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him at all, no siree! (His microphone is missing)

I think, maybe he doesn’t believe in the hotel, but he does believe in Charlie. Whether he’s aware of exactly how much he believes in her, and for what reasons, is unknown, but he’s placed his lot in with her, and he’s put a shocking amount of trust in her as well.

He’s also put in a shocking amount of effort into keeping the hotel running and doing what Vaggie and Charlie have asked of him for something he claims to think is a joke. If he weren’t serious about it all, he wouldn’t have been nearly this cooperative with it. Just take a look at what he did for the ad when he was doing it begrudgingly!

So I don’t believe him when he says he’s only in this for the entertainment. I don’t believe him when Alastor’s reassuring himself that he’s only in this for himself, that he doesn’t give a rats ass about the rest of the hotel.

He’s spent a little too much time and effort for it all to have been meaningless to him.

Alastor’s words are cheap. But his actions do tell some semblance of truth.

#hazbin hotel #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #meta analysis #alastor analysis #Alastor meta #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin hotel meta #long post #what Alastor says vs what he actually does #for the hotel #for Charlie

[lannistertwinz]

"You loved me then what right had you to leave me?" - the parallels between Jaime/Cersei and Wuthering Heights

"There's a dialogue that goes on through the years and over the centuries where you read someone else's work and you're inspired by it, sometimes infuriated by it, and you say 'No, that's not quite right, here's the way it would be' and then you write your own twist on it, your own answer to it! There is this conscious playing with tropes, replying to other authors and making a reference or an homage in some cases… but there's also unconsciousness. Those are are rife, sometimes you read a book and you haven't looked at it for twenty years, but it's still there buried inside and suddenly someone points out 'this seems just like this' and you go 'Oh my god! It's right, I forgot about that!'. So it works both ways." - George R.R. Martin, Trinity College Dublin

“The first books I read besides comic books were cheap paperbacks which cost 35 cents back then. There were no bookstores in Bayonne so I got my paperbacks from a spinner rack and all the books in that were mixed up. There were science fiction books and fantasy books, which I liked, but there were also mystery novels, romance novels, nurse novels, gothics, spy novels and, of course, there were classics of literature mixed in with that: Shakespeare, Dostoiévski, the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, etc.” – George R.R. Martin, Gamer’s Haven Podcast

As pointed out above, George has (whether conscious or unconsciously) taken inspiration from other works to create his own characters, and with this post I’d like to explain as to why I believe A Song Of Ice And Fire specifically plays with Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights through Jaime and Cersei’s dynamic.

To briefly explain it to those who have not read it, Wuthering Heights is essentially the story of Heathcliff’s revenge on the Earnshaws and the Lintons for the discrimination suffered at their hands and their involvement in his estrangement from his friend and lover Catherine Earnshaw (aka Cathy) and, at it’s core, it is a novel about intergenerational abuse and family dysfunction.

Shaped by these circumstances, we have at the forefront of the book the toxic romance between the foster siblings Heathcliff and Catherine who, like Jaime and Cersei, develop a very intimate bond early on in their childhood:

She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him. – Nelly, Chapter V He could never bear to be long apart from his twin. – Jaime, ASOS

‘I was a child; my father was just buried, and my misery arose from the separation that Hindley had ordered between me and Heathcliff. I was laid alone, for the first time; and, rousing from a dismal doze after a night of weeping, I lifted my hand to push the panels aside: it struck the tabletop!’ – Catherine, Chapter XII Though Cersei often slept alone, she had never liked it. Her oldest memories were of sharing a bed with Jaime, when they had still been so young that no one could tell the two of them apart. Later, after they were separated, she'd had a string of bedmaids and companions, most of them girls of an age with her, the daughters of her father's household knights and bannermen. – Cersei, AFFC

We made ourselves as snug as our means allowed in the arch of the dresser. I had just fastened our pinafores together, and hung them up for a curtain, when in comes Joseph, on an errand from the stables. He tears down my handiwork, boxes my ears, and croaks. – Catherine, Chapter III "Sometimes as a lark we would dress in each other's clothes and spend a whole day each as the other." – Cersei, ACOK

I took my dingy volume by the scroop, and hurled it into the dogkennel, vowing I hated a good book. Heathcliff kicked his to the same place. – Catherine, Chapter III The dank and dismal fortnight Cersei spent at Greenstone, the seat of House Estermont, was the longest of her young life. Jaime dubbed the castle "Greenshit" at first sight, and soon had Cersei doing it too. – Cersei, AFFC

Miss Cathy had been sick, and that made her still; she leant against her father’s knee, and Heathcliff was lying on the floor with his head in her lap. – Nelly, Chapter V "Care for a bath, Brienne?" He laughed. "You're a maiden and there's the pool. I'll wash your back." He used to scrub Cersei's back, when they were children together at Casterly Rock. – Jaime, ASOS

Additionally, in both cases, the female characters have, from early on, a clear influence over their male counterparts:

His peevish reproofs wakened in her a naughty delight to provoke him: she was never so happy as when we were all scolding her at once, and she defying us with her bold, saucy look, and her ready words; turning Joseph’s religious curses into ridicule, baiting me, and doing just what her father hated most showing how her pretended insolence, which he thought real, had more power over Heathcliff than his kindness: how the boy would do her bidding in anything, and his only when it suited his own inclination. – Nelly, Chapter V “Father will never consent,” Jaime objected. […] “Is it a rock you want? Or me?” He remembered that night as if it were yesterday. […] By morning Casterly Rock seemed a small price to pay to be near her always. He gave his consent, and Cersei promised to do the rest. – Jaime, ASOS

‘He’s considering he’d rather I’d come to him! Find a way, then! not through that kirkyard. You are slow! Be content, you always followed me!’ – Catherine, Chapter XII She rose, her eyes brimming with tears. “Is it truly you?” She did not come to him, however. She has never come to me, he thought. She has always waited, letting me come to her. – Jaime, ASOS

And there’s an element of adoration as well. In Wuthering Heights, at the end of Heathcliff’s life, Nelly refers to Catherine as his “departed idol” and Heathcliff describes Cathy as “so immeasurably superior to everybody on earth”. On the other hand, in A Song Of Ice And Fire, Jaime puts Cersei on a pedestal as the figure of “The Maiden” and describes Cersei’s flame in his weirwood dream as “the only light in the world”. Furthermore, the two claim to have suffered through hardships solely for the sake of these women and that their love is the ultimate factor that drives them:

‘I’ve fought through a bitter life since I last heard your voice; and you must forgive me, for I struggled only for you!’ – Heathcliff, Chapter X When morning came, he made himself eat. They fed him a mush of oats, horse food, but he forced down every spoon. He ate again at evenfall, and the next day. Live, he told himself harshly, live for Cersei. – Jaime, ASOS

‘Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!’ – Heathcliff, Chapter XVI Beside Lord Tywin stood his sister, pale and beautiful, a torch burning in her hand. Her torch was the only light in the cavern. She turned to go. “Stay with me,” Jaime pleaded. “Don't leave me here alone. Don't leave me in the dark!” – Jaime, ASOS

However, the most striking similarities arise from the way that Catherine and Cersei perceive their relationships with Heathcliff and Jaime respectively. Catherine, though far from being the worst person out of the cast of characters present in the novel (certainly Hindley and Joseph and even Heathcliff himself are more morally reprehensible), is the one that possesses the most traits stereotypically ascribed to narcissism: she’s very duplicitous and self-absorbed, she has a completely delusional opinion of herself and consistently projects her own flaws onto others, she’s often contemptuous of the weaknesses of those around her, she has a very explosive temper and reacts with aggression when crossed, she flips situations on their head to make herself look like the victim and she certainly sees her relationships as transactional, including her relationship with Heathcliff:

‘And should I always be sitting with you? What good do I get? What do you talk about? You might be dumb, or a baby, for anything you say to amuse me, or for anything you do, either!’ – Catherine, Chapter VIII

It is also frequently mentioned that Catherine enjoys being in control and does not take well to being contradicted:

It was nothing less than murder in her eyes for anyone to presume to stand up and contradict her. – Nelly, Chapter IX Cersei is as gentle as King Maegor, as selfless as Aegon the Unworthy, as wise as Mad Aerys. She never forgets a slight, real or imagined. She takes caution for cowardice and dissent for defiance. – Tyrion, ADWD

I observed that Mr. Edgar had a deep-rooted fear of ruffling her humour. He concealed it from her; but if ever he heard me answer sharply, or saw any other servant grow cloudy at some imperious order of hers, he would show his trouble by a frown of displeasure that never darkened on his own account. He many a time spoke sternly to me about my pertness; and averred that the stab of a knife could not inflict a worse pang than he suffered at seeing his lady vexed. Not to grieve a kind master, I learned to be less touchy; and, for the space of half a year, the gunpowder lay as harmless as sand, because no fire came near to explode it. – Nelly, Chapter X His sister liked to think of herself as Lord Tywin with teats, but she was wrong. Their father had been as relentless and implacable as a glacier, where Cersei was all wildfire, especially when thwarted. – Jaime, AFFC

And this leads to a point of contention when Heathcliff returns a changed man from his time away:

‘Don’t vex me. Why have you disregarded my request?’ – Catherine, Chapter XI Why does he insist on vexing me? – Cersei, AFFC

‘Oh, you see, Nelly, he would not relent a moment to keep me out of the grave. That is how I’m loved!’ – Catherine, Chapter XV “You swore that you would always love me. It is not loving to make me beg.” – Cersei, AFFC

All of this, combined with the particular way in which Catherine describes her feelings for Heathcliff, led critics of the book to accuse Catherine of perceiving and thus loving Heathcliff as an extension of herself. And, surely, most of these things she privately confesses to Nelly could have easily come out of Cersei’s mouth, who has been confirmed by the author to being written as highly narcissistic.

In chapter IX, Catherine says that her love for Heathcliff is a necessity and throughout the series Cersei’s sentiments for Jaime are frequently displayed through that same lens:

The wench had the right of it. He could not die. Cersei was waiting for him. She would have need of him. – Jaime, ASOS They rode hard the next day, at Jaime's insistence. His son was dead, and his sister needed him. – Jaime, ASOS “Jaime, you're my shining knight. You cannot abandon me when I need you most!” – Cersei, ASOS “I need you with me. In me. Please, Jaime. Please.” – Cersei, AFFC “Why would Cersei need the Warrior? She has me.” – Jaime, AFFC She licked her lips, shivering. “Come at once. Help me. Save me. I need you now as I have never needed you before. I love you. I love you. I love you. Come at once.” – Cersei, AFFC Jaime, I need Jaime. – Cersei, ADWD

Of course, in Cersei’s case, she “needs” Jaime because he is, in her mind, the brawn to her brain (“He was meant to be my sword and shield, my strong right arm.”), her protector, her agency in a patriarchal society… but she also needs him because she does not feel like a self-realized autonomous human being without him as she believes her own personhood has been split into two entities. And the same goes for Catherine:

‘I cannot express it; but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is or should be an existence of yours beyond you. What were the use of my creation, if I were entirely contained here?’ – Catherine, Chapter IX “Jaime and I are more than brother and sister. We are one person in two bodies.” – Cersei, AGOT

‘Supposing at twelve years old I had been wrenched from the Heights, and every early association, and my all in all, as Heathcliff was at that time, and been converted at a stroke into Mrs. Linton, the lady of Thrushcross Grange, and the wife of a stranger: an exile, and outcast, thenceforth, from what had been my world. You may fancy a glimpse of the abyss where I grovelled!’ – Catherine, Chapter XII “I was lost without you, Jaime. I was afraid the Starks would send me your head. I could not have borne that. I am not whole without you.” – Cersei, ASOS

In fact, both women go as far as claiming their partners’ identities as their own:

‘Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.’ – Catherine, Chapter IX “You are me, I am you.” – Cersei, AFFC ‘It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am.’ – Catherine, Chapter IX

And from this idea of a shared existence and a lack of purpose when apart comes the desire for union in death and the mythologizing of these relationships:

‘If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it.’ – Catherine, Chapter IX “If he were dead, I would know it. We came into this world together, Uncle. He would not go without me.” – Cersei, ADWD ‘She’s dead! I’ve not waited for you to learn that’. – Heathcliff, Chapter XVI

‘We’ve braved its ghosts often together, and dared each other to stand among the graves and ask them to come. But, Heathcliff, if I dare you now, will you venture? If you do, I’ll keep you. I’ll not lie there by myself: they may bury me twelve feet deep, and throw the church down over me, but I won’t rest till you are with me. I never will!’ – Catherine, Chapter XII I cannot die while Cersei lives, he told himself. We will die together as we were born together. – Jaime, ASOS ‘I wish they may shovel in the earth over us both!’ – Heathcliff, Chapter XXIX

What’s interesting about Wuthering Heights, though, is that, other than codependency, there is an inherent selfishness and possessiveness to this. In chapter XV, when Catherine is effectively dying, it is clear that she does not want Heathcliff to outlive her and she’s terrified by the idea of him moving on and finding happiness elsewhere:

‘How strong you are! How many years do you mean to live after I am gone?’ – Catherine, Chapter XV “Will you forget me? Will you be happy when I am in the earth? Will you say twenty years hence, ‘That’s the grave of Catherine Earnshaw? I loved her long ago, and was wretched to lose her; but it is past. I’ve loved many others since: my children are dearer to me than she was; and, at death, I shall not rejoice that I are going to her: I shall be sorry that I must leave them!’ Will you say so, Heathcliff?” – Catherine, Chapter XV

Indeed, Catherine goes as far as telling Heathcliff that she wishes he would just die (and suffer) alongside her:

‘I wish I could hold you till we were both dead! I shouldn’t care what you suffered. I care nothing for your sufferings. Why shouldn’t you suffer? I do!’ – Catherine, Chapter XV ‘I’m not wishing you greater torment than I have, Heathcliff. I only wish us never to be parted.’ – Catherine, Chapter XV

And Cersei does something comparable when she (in her delusion) asks Jaime to be her champion in a mortal combat knowing he is likely to lose for his handicap:

“My queen,” said Qyburn, “have you . . . forgotten? Ser Jaime has no sword hand. If he should champion you and lose . . .” We will leave this world together, as we once came into it. “He will not lose. Not Jaime. Not with my life at stake.” – Cersei, AFFC

Heathcliff and Catherine don’t die together, however, and, despite what happened in Game Of Thrones, I’m still highly sceptical that Jaime and Cersei will die together in the books either. Yet the impression that Wuthering Heights leaves is that the unhealthy nature of Heathcliff and Catherine’s bond is at the root of their own self-destruction and tragic end:

Ere long, I heard the click of the latch, and Catherine flew up-stairs, breathless and wild; too excited to show gladness: indeed, by her face, you would rather have surmised an awful calamity. – Nelly, Chapter X ‘Mrs. Linton is now just recovering,’ I said; ‘she’ll never be like she was, but her life is spared; and if you really have a regard for her, you’ll shun crossing her way again. […] Another encounter between you and the master would kill her altogether.’ – Nelly, Chapter XIV ‘You have killed me and thriven on it, I think.’ -  Catherine, Chapter XV “’Nay, it’s enough that he has murdered one of you,’ I observed aloud. ‘At the Grange, everyone knows your sister would have been living now had it not been for Mr. Heathcliff. After all, it is preferable to be hated than loved by him. When I recollect how happy we were, how happy Catherine was before he came, I’m fit to curse the day.’ Most likely, Heathcliff noticed more the truth of what was said, than the spirit of the person who said it. His attention was roused, I saw, for his eyes rained down tears among the ashes, and he drew his breath in suffocating sighs.” – Isabella, Chapter XVII ‘She might have been living yet, if it had not been for him!’ was his constant bitter reflection; and, in his eyes, Heathcliff seemed a murderer. – Nelly, Chapter XXI

‘I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer but yours! How can I?’ – Heathcliff, Chapter XV ‘It was a strange way of killing: not by inches, but by fractions of hairbreadths, to beguile me with the spectre of a hope through eighteen years!’ – Heathcliff, Chapter XXIX

The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, ‘Let me in let me in!’ ‘Who are you?’ I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage myself. ‘Catherine Linton,’ it replied, shiveringly (why did I think of Linton? I had read Earnshaw twenty times for Linton) ‘I’m come home: I’d lost my way on the moor!’ As it spoke, I discerned, obscurely, a child’s face looking through the window. - Mr. Lockwood, Chapter III The following evening was very wet: indeed, it poured down till day-dawn; and, as I took my morning walk round the house, I observed the master’s window swinging open, and the rain driving straight in. […] I peeped in. Mr. Heathcliff was there laid on his back. His eyes met mine so keen and fierce, I started; and then he seemed to smile. I could not think him dead: but his face and throat were washed with rain; the bed-clothes dripped, and he was perfectly still. The lattice, flapping to and fro, had grazed one hand that rested on the sill; no blood trickled from the broken skin, and when I put my fingers to it, I could doubt no more: he was dead and stark! – Nelly, Chapter XXXVI

And I wouldn’t be surprised if A Song Of Ice And Fire were to go in the same direction:

It is raining again, he thought when he saw how wet she was. The water was trickling down her cloak to puddle round her feet. How did she get here? I never heard her enter. She was dressed like a tavern wench in a heavy roughspun cloak, badly dyed in mottled browns and fraying at the hem. A hood concealed her face, but he could see the candles dancing in the green pools of her eyes, and when she moved he knew her. – Jaime, AFFC I thought that I was the Warrior and Cersei was the Maid, but all the time she was the Stranger, hiding her true face from my gaze. – Jaime, AFFC The Stranger represents death and the unknown, and leads the dead to the other world. Whilst referred to as male, he is neither male nor female. The Stranger's face has been described as half-human, concealed beneath a hooded mantle. – A Wiki Of Ice And Fire

“Gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds. And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.” – Maggy The Frog, AFFC “Tyrion is the valonqar. Do you use that word in Myr? It's High Valyrian, it means little brother.”  - Cersei, AFFC “He came into this world holding my foot, our old maester said”. – Cersei, AGOT “The Imp is no longer my brother, if he ever was.” – Cersei, AFFC A man stepped into the lantern light, and she saw his cloak was white. “Jaime?” I dreamt of one brother, but the other has come to wake me. – Cersei, AFFC

So, in conclusion, I find it plausible that George might have simply taken the narcissism, the violence and the “twin soul”/“other half” connection present in Wuthering Heights to it’s even more extreme by creating the chaotic mess that is the incestuous relationship between twins who are mirror images of each other... And there's a decent number of parallels to at least make a case for it!

Tag: @faintingheroine

#this is huge :o #but honestly I cut so much other stuff that I wanted to talk about #jaime lannister #cersei lannister #heathcliff #catherine earnshaw #parallels #meta #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf #wuthering heights

[wc-confessions]

Longtail is my favorite character. I love his character arc, how he acts as a narrative foil to Firestar, and how he starts out as a jerkass but grows to have a backbone, shows himself to be a loyal warrior with a heart of gold where it counts, rejects Tigerstar when lines in the sand have been crossed despite how much he once looked up to him, and eventually grows to be very loyal to Firestar. I wish people talked more about the scene where he saves Fire when Tiger tries to drown him even though they’re not at all on friendly terms yet. Also his mentor-apprentice relationship with Swiftpaw tears me apart but I live for all the fan content that shows their bond and how much regret he has to live with after Swiftpaw’s death.

To this day I have so many gripes with what happened to my boy post-TPB.

If there is a non-death equivalent of TV Tropes’ “Too Cool To Live,” Longtail is basically that. He had to be written out because if he weren’t forcibly removed from the action, then he would be the obvious choice to become deputy during Greystripe’s absence in TNP (and arguably should have been chosen over Greystripe in the first place; I do like Grey but he was not particularly loyal nor responsible in his youth). Longtail was still relatively young, healthy and fit, loyal, experienced, passionate. You cannot convince me that he wasn’t dealt a career-ending injury solely because the plot demanded Brambeclaw become deputy by the end of TNP.

I don’t think Longstar would have ever been realistic to expect because he’s not a central enough character and not related to Fire/Tiger, and because he would have been fairly old for a clan cat by the time of Firestar’s death, but maybe he could have held out as deputy till the end of TNP or even early PO3 and been given a cooler and more memorable death than what he got. But more on that later.

We all know how badly this series shafts its disabled characters. Maybe this is trivial to some, but I really hate the retcon about his blindness. When his vision started failing of natural causes, it was still frustrating for the reasons above but it at least seemed like he made a voluntary choice to retire early. He maintained a degree of agency, and he made his own decision under the circumstances rather than having it taken from him by the narrative. Having him get blinded by a rabbit of all things just feels like a cheap shot to move the plot along. If he were going to have a freak accident, at least make it less stupid than an experienced warrior getting his eyes scratched out by a prey animal.

Not that any of them are handled *well* by any means, but we have roughly this same character arc with so many other characters who are given more depth in coming to terms with a permanent disability or disfigurement and having it alter the course of their lives (Cinderpelt, Brightheart, later on Briarlight…) that we didn’t need this one to happen to prove any kind of point or to say something too much different than any of those other instances.

The silver lining of Longtail’s injury is that it allows us to see more of his friendship with Mousefur than we would have gotten if either of them had died younger, and/or if they had faded to being background characters in the ever-growing ThunderClan roster. I really adore their dynamic. I headcanon them as aroace besties (iirc though this is basically canon for at least Mousefur). I find it so lovely and refreshing that a m/f pair of characters, and ones who are mostly very likable at that, can have a platonic relationship with so much care for each other without it eventually going down the marriage-and-children path that most m/f relationships eventually do in this series.

However.

Longtail’s death, and Mousefur’s role in it, are possibly even more frustrating and narratively awful than even the accident that caused his blindness.

Having him go out in such a cheap and easily preventable way felt like such a fucking slap in the face to these beloved characters who have been around from the very beginning of the series. Longtail had his whole life redefined and turned upside down by one random, frustrating freak accident involving prey and he ultimately lost his life to another one. Mousefur’s character was mishandled so grossly here, and a cat who is usually pretty sensible and grounded lost her best friend because she couldn’t let one (1) mouse go in a moment of what I have to assume is senility.

I am at least glad the two got a proper send-off in the Great Battle, with them getting to reunite on-screen and his spirit guiding her to Starclan after she fell in battle. It doesn’t quite make up for everything else given that Longtail had so much unused potential while alive, but it all would have been so, so much more upsetting if they weren’t given at least that much to close their chapters.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk about Longtail. He is so dear to my heart and deserved so much better than most of what he got.

.

#text #anonymous #confession #warrior cats

[thexcricket]

I suspect that this shot from the trailer is not a flashback, it’s them together either on deaths door or in death.

They are both in their current clothes, Fukuchi in the hunting dogs uniform, Fukuzawa not wearing his scarf. We know that Fukuzawa still wore the scarf at the time of the agency opening party (from Ranpo’s flashback), and we know Fukuchi wouldn’t be wearing the hunting dogs uniform until after the war. The uniform he wore when going to war is a diff color.

Plus, the scene invokes this very light and airy feeling and there are places that look like they’re fading into light (particularly the plant on the left, the leaves on the right of the tree, etc.) My sister pointed out there even seems like there’s a sort of glow around some outlines (particularly the posts) and some shadows are strange and very blue toned (the posts again and the crevices of their clothes).

Basically all of that to say it very much does not feel real. It doesn’t feel like a real memory, and it loses the high saturation shojo style the other flashbacks with them have.

I’m very hesitant to theorize about a character dying because this show never actually kills anyone, but it would be so interesting (and devastating to me) if they killed each other here. I desperately need an end to the excess of fake out deaths, at this point it’s cheap and destroys any real tension, and as much as I hate to say it, narratively, Fukuzawa would be a good choice to actually kill off here.

The classic mentor dies trope exists for a reason, often it is very necessary in order for other characters to move forward and experience development. This is especially true in this context for Ranpo and Kunikida, they would both have so much development from this and it’s AWFUL because they’re also both RIGHT THERE. But this is also true for the entire agency.

Also, something this situation has that is usually not true with the death baits, is that if they do it well, this could be a very good and satisfying conclusion to Fukuzawa’s (and Fukuchi’s) character arc. The idea of their fates being so intertwined that neither of them can triumph over the other, they have to give themselves up as well, is very appealing to me in the context of their relationship. It would be so fitting for them to die together at each others hands.

Another possibility is if that scene is them saying goodbye as only one of the dies, which could also be so interesting.

ANYWAY this is less of a real theory and more just thinking about possibilities. There are also several things that make me think they won’t both die like this: no one ever dies in the main storyline, we still don’t have a confirmation of Fukuchi’s additional objective, Yosano is unaccounted for (she and/or Ranpo could pop up and save the day), and the trailer is indicating to me that Fukuzawa can’t kill Fukuchi.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd s5 #old man yaoi #this is just me being insane #i don’t want fukuzawa to die i’m obsessed with him i adore him #but i’m so tired of the fake deaths #i love reading way too much into things #i’m so excited to see this in both the anime and manga #this better be the next chapter of the manga too and not bones doing some fucked shit #mine

[avelera]

So I never really commented on the "Loki" show on here very much, even though I watched it, for a few reasons.

I found the first season visually beautiful but spiritually hollow and ultimately uninteresting. My connection to Loki was through his story as an Asgardian, his relationship with Thor and Odin and the others. I was prepared for the possibility that the show would focus elsewhere, by necessity, but I was always facing a similar uphill battle to liking it as I did the Winter Soldier show: the relationships I wanted to see more of (Steve/Bucky, Thor & Loki) weren't going to be there in favor of new side characters and my heart just wasn't really in it. But I gave it a chance.

The bigger issue was this: I fucking hate magical policing agencies as a plot point. Corporate organizations tasked to control time, or magic, or stop normal people from learning about magic, blah blah blah, I hate them. I find them immensely boring. Part of it is because I tried to write one once for NaNo in college! I understand the appeal! But they are just deeply, deeply boring to me as a concept. They are overplayed and tired and dull. Loki's TVA would have to have been something truly exceptional to win me over and then it was the whole point of the show and it wasn't exceptional, just the trope played straight and I just... wilted with disinterest.

I also hate mid-20th century aesthetics. Truly despise them. I hate the orange decor and the brown suits and the atomic era gigantic room-sized computers. It's kitchys and awful and I loathe it with my entire being. It repels me. So when the TVA had that aesthetic and the TVA was core to a story about a Norse god, you can perhaps begin to see the problem.

I loved Sylvie's actress. I loved the idea of Sylvie. I loathed the Sylvie plotline. Why don't we know more about what her life was like as a Loki? Did she have a relationship to the Asgardians ever? Why aren't Loki and Sylvie being constantly teased for being narcissists at best and incestuous at worst if they show any interest in each other? I loathed that romance, I found it gross and hollow and uninteresting and cheap. I was so glad when S2 seemed to drop interest in it.

Look, at a certain point, I just accepted that I'm not the target audience. It wasn't the Loki show I was hoping for, something more akin to Journey into Mystery for example. It barely acknowledged Loki's mythological roots, his actual magical abilities which on numerous occasions would have far outclassed the threats they faced with weird TVA technology, and just... look, it wasn't for me, a mythology buff. I just didn't like it or what it was going for.

This isn't to say it was bad! Just that it was absolutely stacked against my personal tastes in its aesthetic and story choices about 3/4 of the time.

But I did watch the whole thing. And I loved the visuals of the ending sequence in S2.

I hope this means if Loki returns, the door is open for a more magical, mythologically informed Loki. I hope he returns! I hope that just being on his magical time throne doesn't mean he's stuck there but that either his variants, or his ghost, or him puppeting his own variants or whatever can continue to interact with the timeline. I think it's such a magical mystical set up that it's very likely to be possible. it's magic! They can do anything!

But for the love of all the Norse gods, if I never see that hideous cliche TVA again it will be too soon. Sorry, Mobius, you were fun and charming and I loved seeing what the Lokius shippers cooked up, but I hate your work place so much it made me want to claw my own eyes out.

#loki #loki spoilers #loki meta #avelera watches Loki #maggie watches loki #loki critical

[mdhwrites]

Fantasy Versus Reality As a Theme: Does TOH Have It?

I REALLY wanted to make this a Jumbled Thoughts blog but honestly talking about The Owl House’s elements in this regard, and if it’s even capable of the theme properly, is too all encompassing to use as simply an example. That’s what the media references in my Jumbled Thoughts blogs are meant to be after all: An example to help reinforce and demonstrate the main point of the blog. For this though, I want to talk about the fact that I talk a lot about The Owl House having this theme. Fantasy versus Reality. Kind of like calling Belos boring, it’s one of those concepts I still fundamentally agree with but I’ve never properly supported in argument so I want to do that now because anyone who disagrees has good reason to do so. After all, the majority of TOH is fairly basic adventure fantasy. For all of its attempts at subversion, most of its answers to problems are either classic or lazy fantasy answers. How it brings characters together, the outcomes of situations, etc. like that map pretty closely to normal fantasy. And... I actually don’t mean that in the way of magic. When we talk about this theme, it’s much more about escapism. It’s actually what makes Luz’s commentary in the second episode so important. She explicitly talks about escapist and romantic literature tropes that she is hoping to fall into. That she is destined for greatness. That this is where she always belonged. The escapism King demonstrates in the first episode and many of his B plots where he doesn’t see the world around him as it is but this romantic version where he is its ruler is actually in theory playing into this as well. Both characters want a version of reality that is not what is actually around them. This is not a terrible base... And it’s also not anything special when it comes to criticism of the fantasy genre. When it comes to trying to subvert it. As an example: I really like a game called Sunless Skies and it has DOZENS of different takes on fantasy and eldritch stories. There’s one where you help lead a rebellion on a work world, look like you’re going to make a real impact... And it barely improves anything. The revolutionary you helped just becomes the new governer of the place because if the workers stop working, if the conditions are changed too drastically... Everyone there will freeze and die. From their lower position, the workers can’t see that so the main thing you gain for them is that instead of forcing them to pretend to be happy for tourists, now people can go see the actual work conditions and sympathize with these people trapped in fantasy sweatshops. Also, they will rebel again if you do not keep them happy on subsequent visits. And this is just ONE story in that game. I can’t 100% recommend the game because it is a TIME SINK (I have over 50 hours into my most recent file and are by no means through all the content) but it is a very good one and I suggest checking it out to see if it looks like something you’d like. I bring this example up partially because it highlights two of the core elements in making this theme work: Consequences and follow through. See, one of the biggest problems for the fantasy genre is that a lot of things get cleaned up a bit too neatly. You beat the big bad emperor and the entire empire gives up. You do something nice for a dragon and that dragon is now a proper ally and going to win you the war effort. When used bluntly and without follow through, this stuff, from people who don’t like the genre, can feel cheap and bad. It can feel like just bad storytelling while a lot of fans of fantasy will say that the journey to beating the big bad or the cost in order to get the dragon to help is what makes it compelling and makes them suspend disbelief for the ending. Consequences and Follow Through demand two things though: Focus and complexity. If the consequences don’t make sense, the theme is going to feel cheap and so they need to be reasonably complex to the solution presented. You also need focus so that it feels like what is happening is actually because of previous events and not because of it just being the plot of the day. I have talked at length about how TOH lacks both of these, though much more the focus than complexity so let’s talk about complexity and we’ll do it with one of the most obvious failures of this: Willow and Amity. A common trope to escapism and kids shows says that once you have your big emotional moment, you two are friends. It doesn’t matter what came before. You two are now allies and ready to fight for each other, if maybe not die. This is done because it allows whatever cost it took to get here to have a satisfying payoff and now the characters can interact freely without having to come up with reason as to why they’re hanging out. It can feel cheap but it’s a very useful narrative tool to boil it down to one act of kindness and one act of forgiveness. But that is fantasy. In reality, if you’ve hurt someone for years and the original mark was incredibly cruel, it can take much more than that to heal. This is why Willow states that she isn’t ready to be friends yet. The problem is that this won’t get brought up again for over half a season and by that time, Amity will have been made into a full good guy, full stop, the girlfriend to the main character and also played Grudgby side by side with Willow in order to save Luz’s ass.

So, to put it mildly, follow through is fucked here. How about complexity? Well, that comes down to how the two actually do finally become friends because the show does decide to pretend that the statement wasn’t just a blatant lie. Amity shows up at Willow’s house and asks if invading her girlfriend’s privacy is okay. Now... A reminder. Willow has categorically had the best morals in the series. She spoke up multiple times throughout S1 about those morals. Anytime someone wanted to break the rules, she was the first to say something besides Hooty’s Moving Hassle. She’s the one who makes the broadcast in support of saving Eda. As a note, this is part of why I think Willow repressing emotions is kind of bullshit. And here is Amity, her bully for NINE YEARS, asking for her permission to betray a friend’s trust and privacy. And yet Willow doesn’t lose it, doesn’t say it’s wrong, doesn’t call Amity out for not having actually changed but instead shrugs at the question and comments on it being weird to have Amity over at her house. Then she asks for her hair to be braided. And then the only other time this gets brought up has to do with Willow wanting Amity to respect how strong of a witch she is which frankly at that point makes Amity appear to be blind and deaf since how powerful her magic is is like 80% of her character in S2, if not the show in general. Which... Brings it back around to Amity needing to just have a heart to heart with Willow and now they’re best friends fighting together. Which just loops us right back around to the initial point with a lot more time wasted. And this is EVERY time that the show tries to make this theme have any bit to it. You do have Eda in the first half of S1 actually making statements for it because she’s just mean and sarcastic at Luz for most of that portion of the show and openly mocking every attempt Luz has about the world being fantastical or trying to apply normal fantasy or escapist tropes to things. But none of it really sticks. In fact, for half the show, the writing just isn’t willing to be mean enough to Luz in order for the escapism to be questioned and make Eda feel like she’s making real statements. After all, ALL of Hexide is textbook escapism. Two immediate best friends who are at the top of their fields and love you, a rival who you can show up, bonus points for them actually being your romantic interest because BOY is TOH not the progenitor of rivals to lovers, and you immediately are the most special kid in school, logic be damned. Worse yet, Luz straight up equates shit between her and Amity to the Azura series and NOT being refuted on it. Not having that bite her and have her lose points with Amity. Instead, those wants for escapism and re-enactment explicitly lead to some of the biggest moments in which she grows closest to Amity. Adventure in the Elements is even like this where her wanting a shortcut with magic to play the witch is what leads to her getting a power up and saving the day. So... Why do I claim that TOH still was at bare minimum trying to go for this theme even if it so obviously failed? Well... Because it is the explicit theme of Luz’s character for HALF THE SHOW. In a really smart show, Yesterday’s Lie is when that other foot drops. It shows how much damage Luz’s fantasy has done to others and calls her out properly for it, forcing Luz to actually change how she behaves and interacts with things. Hollow Mind does the same thing but even more severely. Luz states the latter multiple times while Vee herself screams at Luz about how good her reality was and yet she threw it away for a fantasy. That is explicitly trying to make this theme and change Luz’s behavior for it. The problem is the inciting incident of one of these two is AFTER THE FIRST ONE. Elsewhere Elsewhen is S2B after all where Luz doesn’t question her lies, how a person is reacting to things, the fact that things are going so easily for her, etc. like that. She’s treating it still like a fantasy tale. So Vee’s words obviously didn’t stick. This is even more demonstrated by the fact that her promise to her mother is haunting her far more in Falls and Follies than anything to do with her having actually fucked up. She’s more worried, explicitly, about losing the fantasy than introspecting on what she has in front of her. Now yes, this all is handled EXTREMELY poorly. I’ve talked about how Luz’s ‘trauma’ is really poorly written, especially from a fantasy standpoint. If we want to talk about escapism and simple answers to complex problems, we just have to look at Luz’s character finish. She takes the question of accidentally having helped bad people achieve bad goals and somehow turns that into “All I needed was to be understood” and that gets her to stop questioning her actions or feeling bad. It is... bonkers how badly the fall outs from Hollow Mind and Yesterday’s Lie are handled. But it almost doesn’t matter for this blog. How poorly or well it’s handled is good to interrogate but the question is if this is a theme of the show? Is it proper to criticize the show for not following through on it, contradicting it, etc. like that. And normally how well a show does a theme actually does determine if it’s a theme of the show. But TOH states it. TOH makes it explicit. They have, in multiple episodes, stated as a thesis of the show, character arcs, etc. like that, in the text of the show, that this is a theme. That this is the point. That there are consequences to you living out your fantasy and denying reality. It makes arguing that it doesn’t impossible because the writers make it clear that this was part of the intent. Much like how you have to judge Eda, King and Luz’s relationship as found family rather than just as friends because the show makes them explicitly a family. Explicitly tries to make itself about found family. Regardless of how true that is.

It’s another one of those elements of the show that make it appear to be BEGGING to be analyzed. After all, most shows prioritize, I dunno, showing off their concepts more than their themes because the concept matters more. The themes people get out of the work is a secondary, more academic enjoyment. This is, yes, normally considered a higher class of enjoyment but I think as a content creator, if that’s your focus then you need to get your head out of your ass unless you are explicitly writing something that’s trippy as balls where the symbolism is also the substance. An adventure, comedy show for kids is not that. The themes should be a secondary priority after just telling a good, engaging, morally rich narrative. Avatar the Last Airbender has themes but when the show starts, those aren’t the point. It’s about meeting Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, understanding their dynamics, understanding their world, their viewpoints etc. like that. It focuses on engaging you through these elements before it gets into its deeper lessons or goals. Even then, those elements are usually still explicitly tied to the characters. Episode 2 of TOH doesn’t do that though. Most of the elements in that episode will be contracted by season 2 (cool to be threatening the child you adopted with rent Eda. Real cool.), we don’t learn much about any of these characters that we didn’t know from the first episode, it doesn’t really establish their dynamic because S1 struggles to have a dynamic with the three of them because Luz is so busy with Hexide stuff and so... The point to the second episode is about that theme. About having a message of “There are no chosen ones” and “Luz, you can’t treat this like you’re the hero in a fantasy book.” And the only reason I’m not commenting on how much the finale is a complete failure of these themes is because I’m waiting until Saturday to do that. But trust me, a show as loud and blunt as TOH as to have thesis statements in the show really couldn’t finish without admitting it had failed to stay on point, somewhat like this rambling blog. And a final note while I’m rambling: It is good for stories to have themes. I’m not saying they shouldn’t. Some will even state their themes, like Amphibia did at the end of its series. But... They usually do it at the end either from a position of strength where they can go back, evaluate their story, etc. like that and say it with confidence, or it can feel like they’re pulling nothing out of their ass right at the end to act like there was a deeper point to the story. TOH is more unique in that it pulled shit out of its ass MID STORY and then didn’t follow up on it. It knew, explicitly, what it wanted its themes to be and still failed to properly follow through or execute on the majority of them and that’s MIND BOGGLING. After all, if you have a theme in mind, your narrative and characters should support that. And I hope I’ve made it clear how much that’s not the case, bare minimum with this theme. ======== I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too.

#Luz Noceda #the owl house criticism #TOH Critical #Amity Blight #Willow Park

[ruby-serpentis]

horror au! kylar - head canons

pairing: male! kylar x gender neutral! reader

warning(s): death, blood, violence, vampires, yandere behavior (kylar is based on the yandere trope), manipulation, kidnapping, drugging, knives, stockholm syndrome, nonconsensual cuddling, stalking, fertility references, mentions of pregnancy

forgive me father for i have sinned!

i know kylar in particular would easily fit into the slasher subgenre of horror. but i saw the trailer for the invitation (haven’t seen it, yet) and it gave me an idea for certain characters (kylar, eden, briar, avery). eventually i went with kylar because of his in game behavior, some lines he said, and most definitely his parents. might make a slasher au! set of head canons for kylar since i already featured him in my robin set.

the trailer for the invitation uses the term bride and i thought about using bride as well (and as a gender neutral term). but instead, we’re going with celebrant for reader (it sounds better than marrier imo).

your cousin is whoever you want them to be, honestly.

the fertility references are here regardless of gender. i’m following a similar logic to the game where pc can get pregnant regardless of reproductive organs. i guess i imagine the vampires to be like plantpeople.

i also gave kylar a more definitive appearance in these head canons. a lot of artistic renderings give kylar dark hair. green eyes is also a common fan interpretation which is something i use here.

please note that i do not condone any of this behavior in real life. this is merely a work on fiction based on another work of fiction.

INTRODUCING...THE GROOM OF THE SEASON!

you were an orphan. that was no surprise. you didn’t know your parents, didn’t know if you had grandparents or any sort of family. why would you when bailey kept your birth records locked up tightly?

it wasn’t until you took a dna test did you realize you had family. some sort of second cousin. you weren’t too bothered by the specifics. all that mattered to you was that you had family.

you weren’t alone!

you had the courage to message said cousin over social media after finding them and they responded back! very quickly actually. so you of course asked to meet them in person to which they reciprocated, saying they would fly out to you. how wonderful was that?

your cousin was a delight to interact with and have. you were utterly charmed by this side of your family that you never knew. apparently it was your mother’s side?

“mmm, there’s a wedding happening this winter. i was wondering if you wanted to come? out to the countryside and all. the celebrants are quite charming.” your cousin spoke with such a distinguished voice and accent. definitely old money vibes.

“oh well, i would have to see if i’m available-”

“oh please dear cousin! everyone in the family is dying to meet you. we hadn’t seen your mother for years and didn’t even know she had a child. it would mean a lot for us.” they had such a charming smile.

you smile. “okay sure.” you pulled out your planner from your bag. “tell me all the details and information.”

“great!”

your cousin offered to come get you when the time rolled around so all you had to do was pack up and get in the car.

you should’ve packed more stuff honestly.

everyone at the estate was nice. you were right. your family was old money rich. antiques of all kinds, clothes of an absurdly wealthy price that not even the richest celebrities had. it was all so new and you felt slightly out of place with your clothes. even your formal clothes seemed cheap in comparison to everyone else.

“oh cousin (y/n). there’s someone i would like to introduce you to.” your cousin smiles and brings you over.

the person is around your age. his formal attire looks a little...messy with some creases on his sleeves and pants. his hair is also a little messy and beneath the veneer of his dark hair were striking green eyes. he was also kind of small. but maybe it was because he was slouching a lot.

“this is a good family friend of ours: kylar.”

“hi kylar.” you smile.

“h-hi.” his voice is low and you’re still able to hear it. but he seems awkward. it definitely stands out in the midst of all these people. poised, elegant with neutral voices that don’t stumble when pronouncing words. it unnerved you a little bit. there was something a little unnerving about the party.

“kylar is actually the groom for the wedding!” your cousin said.

“oh wow. congratulations on getting married!” you don’t realize that he’s blushing.

“th-thank you. it’s a very special occasion.”

“well if you’re the groom then where is the celebrant?” you ask.

“oh they haven’t arrived yet.” your cousin says. but their voice sounds...strained. as if what they were saying wasn’t true.

you brushed it off as your cousin probably being tired from the drive. it was a long drive after all.

“well i greatly look forward to the wedding festivities!” you were someone who enjoyed weddings. you found them quite special.

after the last few days, you regret saying that.

getting settled in was easy. however, soon after you noticed that some of your stuff had gone missing. some clothes (particularly your underwear), some of your makeup, and even your journal.

your cousin was kind enough to provide anything you needed that went missing. but you didn’t know why. it was just...gone.

and all of these people were too rich to steal from you. was there a ghost? a demon? maybe they were obsessed with you? you could only laugh at the thought. it was absurd! “monsters aren’t real.”

some of the nights in the countryside were cold. it was winter after all and you’d curl up under the blanket, trying to maintain your warmth. but you would feel a sudden warmth embrace you and you relaxed into it, sleeping peacefully.

you didn’t hear the heavy breathing or even feel the way the arms held you close, cuddling you and providing you with some much needed warmth.

then the grand rehearsal dinner came about.

you were provided an outfit by your cousin, who insisted on you wearing it. you would like to not be stared at like before so you wore it without any protest. it was odd how it fit you perfectly but you didn’t pay much mind.

finding your spot at the table was...hard. because it just seemed like they forgot to put you down. except... “you’re right here dear cousin.” your cousin gestured to the seat. and there it was, your name.

but you were sitting next to kylar. who was the groom. wouldn’t this be the seat of the celebrant?

“worry not. the celebrant will be here soon.”

you take your seat just as kylar comes in. his suit looks a lot more neat than when you first met him and his hair is less messy and rough. he sits next to you, looking slightly nervous and fiddling with his fingers.

“excited about getting married?” you ask.

his eyes light up as he looks at you. “very.” he smiles. it’s a cute smile actually. he’s kind of cute now that you can see him more and that he looks more put together.

“let the festivities begin!” your cousin exclaims.

the doors open and people walk in. you notice that they’re not wearing anything besides their underwear. they seem content with the exhibition. what a strange way to celebrate-

you almost screamed watching a guest pull out a dagger and slit one of the person’s throat. something inside your gut told you not to scream, not to let it out. you would get in a lot of trouble if you did. +++ Trauma

the blood flowed and gushed so...so...bloodily? your mind couldn’t process it. the way the people collected blood into the bowl, scooping it in their chalices. some of the guests even went for biting a few people directly. and they were content.

kylar takes a glass that your cousin offers him and inhales the scent of the blood. his mouth waters and his lips part slightly. you noticed fangs, white as pearls. ++ Stress

oh god! oh fuck! is this a wedding for VAMPIRES!

your cousin turns to look at you and raises their glass. “to the groom and his future spouse!”

“to the groom and his future spouse!” everyone repeats.

kylar smiles, raising his glass and taking a long, long sip.

you felt sick to your stomach and your heart was about to burst out of your chest. you swore you were going to collapse in your seat, right then and there.

“my beloved.” kylar speaks, taking your hand. his grip is strong, almost like iron. and he wasn’t putting any pressure on it either. “we’ll finally be able to get married.”

“what? no!” you exclaim. it came out before you could stop it. “i...i’m just a guest. i’m not-”

“but you are!” your cousin chimes. “the celebrant for the marriage, a union between our two families! i mean, auntie’s child was promised to kylar!” they laugh and everyone laughs with them.

“th-this was a mistake-” you wince feeling kylar’s grip tighten on you.

“my beloved loves to joke! don’t they?” he laughs, pulling you close. he buries his nose into the crook of your neck and takes a deep breath. “they smell divine~”

“to be expected. i mean, (y/n)’s father was quite the human!” your cousin exclaimed. “alas, no fangs. no claws. it seems the vampire in dhampir just didn’t manifest.”

“ex-excuse me?” you ask, your voice shaking. “dhampir? as in...half human, half vampire?”

“why of course! we are a family of well respected vampires. auntie was supposed to marry kylar’s father. and yet, she ran away. with that human man no less.” your cousin scoffed. “he was literally a mere human servant. i mean, they got offered the gift of vampirism. at least he was offered said gift. and he could have lived forever if he didn’t run away with auntie.” your cousins shakes their head. “didn’t you ever wonder about your body? how you felt less pain? healed faster than most kids? could lift things a normal human wouldn’t be able to?”

now that your cousin pointed that out, there were plenty of times where that was the case. like when you broke your arm. healed within a week. or when you shielded robin from an incoming car. you both weren’t hurt and instead, your body had caused the car to bend into a c. you chalked it up to pure dumb luck.

your cousin continues. “and of course, then you were born. kept hidden, secret. given to an orphanage when you were a baby.”

“gi-given? what do you mean given!” your body begins to shake. everything you knew, your reality, was beginning to turn upside down.

“your mother knew we’d track you down, and her, and her manthing. and we’d have drag you back here. she didn’t agree with our lifestyle apparently. clearly didn’t want you raised here.” your cousin rolls their eyes. “i mean, it would have been so much better here than in that dusty orphanage that bailey runs. a menace to society, if you ask me.”

“and of course, they were killed. father in a car accident. auntie pushed onto a stake.” your cousin shrugs. “i mean, they did their job. kept you hidden very well. but just our luck when you reach out! and that dna test? what a coincidence! and you’re even the spitting image of your mother. same hair, eyes, skin. even the same nose and beauty marks! and it was an opportunity to make things right. kylar was promised a spouse as a way to make up for auntie’s mistakes. what better to offer than you, dear cousin?”

you wanted out of here. you didn’t want to be here! what the fuck was this even?!

“i have been waiting so long my beloved.” kylar’s voice is low and it almost sounds like a moan. his tongue glides across the skin of your neck. you shiver.

“i need to use the bathroom!” you exclaim. “like...really badly?”

“let me take you beloved.” kylar tugs on your arm as he stands. “we best spend quality time together-”

“i would prefer to...go alone? i...” you lower your voice. “i get shy.”

kylar nods. he snaps his fingers and a woman appears. she’s wearing a maid’s dress. “deidre, accompany my beloved to the restroom. make sure they don’t run away. we wouldn’t want a repeat from years ago.”

the journey was silent as you were guided to the nearest bathroom. you made sure to lock the door behind you before panic fully set in your body.

your mind was racing at a thousand kilometers per second, trying to wrap your head around all this new information. and the fact that you were the celebrant. you were supposed to be kylar’s spouse!

you weren’t supposed to be here! you just wanted to know if you had any relatives, if you weren’t the only one. if you weren’t alone.

but curiosity kills the cat, doesn’t it?

think, think, think!

you notice a vase out of the corner of your eye and get an idea.

“de-deidre?” you ask.

“yes, my liege?” she answers as you open the door.

“i...i think the toilet’s broken.”

“oh my.” she sighs. “we just fixed it too. but vampires!” you let her in and she walks over to the toilet. “sometimes they regurgitate if they eat too much. and of course, the blood ends up congealing or freezing and then then the toilets have to be fixed-”

you were quick to grab the vase and smash it over her head, causing her to scream. with deidre distracted, you took the chance to run (making sure to close the door behind you. it would do nothing but it did give you some time to spare).

all you heard was the pounding of your heart against your chest and the sound of your shoes hitting the floor. you wouldn’t stop. you couldn’t stop!

“my liege, are you alright?” a man asks. you almost run into him.

“i-i’m fine. really. i just need some rest.” you smile.

“after all that running? i’m most certain.” he smiles back but it doesn’t reach his cheeks and his eyes are dark. “come now. let’s go back.”

“i’m fine. really i am.”

“i insist.”

“fuck this!” you shoved him into a table, watching him crash and break it. sometimes, your strength surprised you.

you grabbed a piece of the table and ripped off the leg before hitting him in the head. a ridiculous weapon but you needed something, right?

you ran away from the scene as a woman emerged from the other side of the hallway. all you could hear in the background was screaming, most likely to alert the party and your darling cousins.

you didn’t want to think what could possibly happen to you if they caught you.

besides, marriage wasn’t for you. you were satisfied with not being married. fuck marriage.

somehow, you managed to find your way out. your clothes were all disheveled and there was tears from the few people you did run into. but your trusty table leg did the job on them quickly. thankfully, they were humans and not vampires. you’d probably be caught by now.

you swung hard at the valet, knocking them out and grabbed the first set of keys hanging off of a hook. pressing the unlock button, you located the car and got inside, making sure to lock the door right after you got in.

buckling yourself in was a not a priority, not when you saw kylar emerge from the doors of the mansion. he looked angry and you didn’t want to stay around and find out.

you floored it. you’ve seen one too many horror movies where the protagonists got caught because they didn’t floor the car and looked back. you didn’t care if you’d run anyone over. it didn’t matter, not when your life was on the line.

it was nighttime, dark. but as you reached for your phone, you realized that you had left your phone back in the room of the mansion. and your belongings. “fuck! fuck fuck fuck!” you screamed, hitting the wheel.

your only choice would be to keep driving.

but as the minutes went by, your body felt fatigued and you felt your eyes begin to close and your consciousness drift off. you had to shake it off. you needed to find somewhere to stay. or at least find someone with a phone so you can at least look up where the nearest motel was.

you came across a quaint little building by the side of the road. it looked like an inn and from the car, you could smell food. fresh food. your stomach growled immediately in response.

you parked the car and locked it, keeping the keys with you as you walked inside. a girl with red hair turned around when you walked in. “hi! how may i-”

“i need a room. one person.” you say.

she looks at you from head to toe. “all fancy. must’ve come from those posh people. you look hungry too. would you like something to eat?”

“oh no thanks i-” your stomach growled. very. loudly.

embarrassing.

“i can whip up something quick. you can go sit in the dining room.”

it’s empty, for the most part. and you sit down.

“tea or coffee?” she asks.

“um, tea please.”

“coming right up!” you glance at her name tag, which reads alex.

you don’t wait for that long since alex whipped up some roasted vegetables and some eggs and she sets down your tea.

you immediate scarf down the food and the tea. the piping hot water didn’t burn you as you chugged it down. your body was all warm by the time you were done.

“taste good?” alex asks.

“yes tasted...very...good...” you rubbed your eyes. your vision was blurry and your body felt heavy. you felt yourself lean out of your chair and hit the floor.

before your vision went black, you saw alex approach a landline and dial a number. what you heard made your heart sink.

“i got ‘em.”

it took a while for you to come to consciousness. and you tried to move your body only to realize you were tied up. you try to speak as well only to realize you are gagged.

“my beloved is awake! they have awoken!” a voice exclaims.

kylar suddenly hugs you, tightly, almost squeezing the air out of you. you can’t say anything, tell him to let you go.

your eyes flicker around, looking for a way to escape. except what you see is...mortifying.

drawings. tons and tons of drawings, complete with photo references, were littered across the walls. and all of you. you also noticed some clothing that was yours, your underwear (favorite pair no less), some of your makeup on his desk. it had been kylar stealing your stuff!

and some of the photos were taken at your apartment. you undressing. you sleeping in your bed. you cooking.

“oh, d-do you like them?” kylar pulls away. “the drawings. the pictures. i-i knew you were out there. so i went looking. and i f-found you. but i didn’t tell them. i-i wanted you all to myself for a little bit.”

your breathing is heavy and shaking, your body trembling with anger. and even a little bit of fear.

“i can hear your thoughts.” he smiles. “hear every single one.”

“i didn’t have to do anything.” he hums. “yo-you brought yourself here. right into my arms. you wanted to be with me!”

you say something incomprehensible, at least to him. it’s muffled. but it sounds angry.

“we-we’re going to be married! how exciting!” kylar puts the nail of his thumb between his teeth. he puts enough pressure to bite but not break the nail. “you’ll be my spouse. a-and afterwards, we can turn you. completely!”

your eyes widen.

“i-it’s possible.” he chuckles. “and easy! so easy. it’d just have to be done the old fashioned way, wh-where you become mine! my fledgling!”

“and after that, we-we’ll have children. tons of children!”

you shook your head frantically, your stomach dropping. you couldn’t get pregnant.

“don’t worry about the l-logistics. i’ll impregnate you. procreation for vampires is so easy.”

you said something again. muffled. but kylar’s face fell and you saw his eyes go dark.

“i-i wonder what robin tastes like.”

you freeze.

“i wonder what he looks like with the life drained from his eyes.” kylar giggles. “will he taste good? i think he’d make an excellent wedding cake! i can do it. don’t believe me?”

you shook your head.

“good, good.” he smiles. “y-you’ll be a good spouse, right? and if you do, then robin won’t die.”

you were utterly paralyzed.

all you did was dissociate from the whole thing. you didn’t want to be here. but here you were, dressed in white, in front of your cousin who was ordaining the wedding.

“you look so stunning in white.” kylar had whispered in your ear earlier.

you were mistaken to look for family, blood family. robin was your family. he had been all these years. and look at where trying to find your blood family had gotten you.

you snapped back into reality as your cousin read the words from the book in their hand.

kylar had already said “i do.”

and now it was your turn.

+++++ Trauma

+++++ Stress

----- Control

“do you, (y/n), take kylar to be your husband? and do you promise to love him for the rest of your immortal lives? in sickness and in health? for rich or for poor?”

you swallow the ball in your throat and muster up the courage to speak.

“i do.”

#degrees of lewdity #dol #dol kylar #kylar the loner #ruby's horror au #horror au #kylar x reader #x reader #female reader #male reader #gender neutral reader

[talenlee]

3e: The Love Potion

We’re all kind of on the page that ‘love potions’ in stories are probably bad, right?

Those things that you could buy in 3e as a cheap, disposable magical item?

It’s one of those tropes from history that people used pretty freely up until like, even until 2013. Gravity Falls featured an episode about a character using a love potion, and then realising it was a foolish plan and going to undo it, only to find that, y’know, maybe it was an okay idea after all. And that was Gravity Falls, a cartoon I like. Shock! Horror! And that’s a bad trope and all!

Love potions show up in stories all over the place, and that makes them an iconic trope and I feel like they go through a sort of life cycle. In their oldest appearances — as I remember and are filtered through the mind of a boy like me — the love potion is a solution to a problem. Then, as things get a little more protestant, a little more puritanical, love potions tend to be set up in the first part of the story, and then developed and dismissed in the second part. Love potions are a thing you think will solve your problems, then you find they don’t.

There are a lot of reasons they can fail. They can fail because you find out that the person you love-potioned, you don’t actually want them in love with you. They can fail because you find out that the potion doesn’t make them love you the way that you imagined. They can fail just because love potions aren’t real but now you have to consider what it meant that you tried. They can fail because they have to destroy the way the person you were interested in order to work, somehow. And of course sometimes they can fail because you mess up their application like spilling it on a bird or something.

Lots of different ways that ‘the love potion’ is a setup that gets subverted. In fact, so much so that, especially in reset-heavy pulp media like sitcoms and weekly dramas, love potions fit the mould really conveniently. The subversion means that the characters undo the love potion by the end, and that’s that. It’s a tidy little plot loop, and the form it’s poured into handles it just fine. Makes sense.

Why can ya buy ’em?

Look, 3rd edition was a hungry beast. It needed content, content, content and a lot of what it needed never made sense to me. I did not think I needed as many versions of ‘human, but ugly and weird’ as the game books provided me. I never needed the flying mount rules, or the keep rules. They were nice, ostensibly but they weren’t useful, because they weren’t focused on the game played by players and instead on a sort of systemitising the world. This is a reasonable thing for a system to do when it wants to do it, I’m not criticising them for the choice, but that the choice put the way D&D 3E was built at odds with the way I expected to play it.

You’d see this throughout supplements, in Dragon Magazines and soft cover splatbooks; sometimes there was a cool idea that the game could do and that cool idea ran headlong into the system’s design. A gladiatorial campaign? Cool idea, here are maps and opponents. Oh, the system isn’t designed to make one-on-one fights very interesting for the uninvolved parties and dying represents an immense debt? Hm, sounds like the real thing this system needs is loans and banking. Oh wait, but if you’re doing gladiatorial fighs, how do you get loot from enemies? You can’t loot the bodies, that belongs to their stable! There’s got to be a payment system!

And thus we return to the love potion. The love potion was in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (and SRD, even now!) because it’s an obvious trope, the item works in a simple, easily explained way, and it fills some inches in the book that needs so, so many inches filled. The item is built by a formula, it works to a rule and it kind of rests on a leyline of things D&D 3e doesn’t do very well.

First of all, the item gives a save. Well it has to right, because otherwise it’d be overpowered. But saving throws aren’t like, narratively coherent things. They’re there to defend you from attacks, but ostensibly, they’re there to represent how well your body resists things changing it (which was why you can resist healing spells and, in some cases, are called upon to do so, which is, yes, dumb). Don’t worry, though, the DC is really low: Only a DC 14. Which means an ordinary human with nothing heroic going on has about a 30% chance to ignore it and it lasts for 1d3 hours.

Thus we position the elixir of love perfectly badly. It’s a magic item that an adventurer can buy in bulk, that they never would care about, that represents life-deforming mind control, but not for very long and not very well. It promises what a love potion in a story is, but delivers instead a very crap charm spell, which is the closest thing it can approximate to love because the game system wants to try and systemitise love without dealing with how incredibly overpowered love is. There’s no category of ‘minor effect’ or ‘story beat’ for magical items, which need to be built to instead, operate the way adventurers expect adventurers to work.

The Elixir of Love doesn’t actually represent anything particularly heinous. Nothing out of type. It’s a love potion, but because it sucks it’s not that bad, and nobody would use it, except because it sucks, and that it sucks isn’t because of the story needs but because of the way the mechanics of the system handle items. It’s the same wonky stuff that permeates 3e. Systems aren’t immune to this. My favourite system isn’t immune to this kind of thing!

Still pretty funny way to waste a year’s wages for a normal person.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#DnD 3e #Dungeons & Dragons #Games

[cozycryptidcorner]

Classic movies I have watched thus far and are ranked according to:

Monster/alien/robot and human action

If the genders were flipped, would it appeal to me more

Is it so bad it's good or so bad it's bad?

Movies Reviewed in the post:

Barbarella

Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women

The Forbidden Planet

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Life Force

I Married a Monster From Outer Space

Everything (INCLUDING SPOILERS) so far under the cut:

Barbarella: OK. this one is actually pretty silly. Definitely has aspects that would not be considered "progressive" today that were probably revolutionary at the time. Like I'm sure a woman who had sex with men and enjoyed it would not be labeled as "innocent" the way Barbarella is played to be, but like in the context of the sixties... idk probably was a profoundly intriguing concept. Loved the set and costume designs!!!!!!!!

Rating: 6/10, lots of human/nonhuman action.

Would I enjoy it more if the genders were flipped: Yes, as long as the costumes stayed the same. <3

Not bad. The parts that were dated could even be fun.

Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women: THIS WAS SO BORINGGGGG!!!!!!!! yup there were definitely come prehistoric (????) women there and they were all blond. I was definitely expecting this to be a low key fetish film about the really bad "noble savage" trope but the team from earth doesn't even see the titular prehistoric women. It's just the team from earth dicking around trying to collect samples while the prehistoric women try to secretly run them off by getting their gods to cause harm. Costume designs looked like cheap party city props.

Rating: 1/10, no action at all.

Would I enjoy it more if the genders were flipped: No.

So bad it's bad, full stop.

Forbidden Planet: Actually not too bad. Just disappointed that the aliens had been long dead by the time the humans get there. No alien/human or even robot/human action. GREAT set design (I like the look of old scifi set designs even if they don't look "real" i will always believe in set design superiority over CGI), pretty nice costumes. Very predatory romance between all the men of a military crew and the one human girl and some references how "immodestly" she dresses around them (I am rolling my eyes all the way back to my brain)

Rating: 5/10, interesting concept but no human/nonhuman action

Would I enjoy it more if the genders were flipped: that would be an interesting dynamic

I wouldn't call it "bad," just that I'm definitely not the target demographic.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: oh i feel the strength of the red scare in this chili's tonight. Very much a "what if the russians invaded our town slowly" deal. No alien fuckery, in fact I'm still VERY confused as to how the switch happens. Because in this film, a pod will grow another human and then take someone's place while they are asleep. BUT in the scene where the main two are running away, when the woman is so tired she falls asleep... she's replaced? okay why grow a pod then. she was fine and then falls asleep accidentally for a few seconds and her humanity is gone but she wasn't replaced.... maybe it made sense in the sixties :/

Rating: 5/10, again. interesting, but no action

Gender flips? No, nothing would change

It's not bad, it's a classic movie for a reason. Pretty solid story line.

Life Force: NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M FUCKING TALKING ABOUT BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SPACE VAMPIRES? VAMPIRES FROM SPACE? But also on the flip side, have you seen that post where it's like "men who write scifi are like here's a cool world building idea and also how much i fucking hate women." That's this. Decent effects, cool idea, but the main character is just... wild. There's a scene where he's sure a space vampire has taken over a random woman and just beats the ever loving christ out of her, unprovoked. Super uncomfortable to watch. You can tell that this is like an example of how some men view attractive women as sirens that "lure" innocent men with their "wicked beauty" and manipulate them. Not a good look! The set designs are cool tho

Rating: 5/10, would have been higher if not for the violence against women :/ there is human/nonhuman action.

Would I like it if the genders were flipped: yeah probably, as long as the domestic abuse undertones were also removed.

So bad? Oh girl they play it 100% straight. This is a movie about vampires that come from space and everyone is giving it one thousand percent effort in their acting. It's not velocirpastor levels of great, but it's a good movie to watch while high with your friends on a friday night.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space: oh girl that cold war red scare strikes again. This is definitely playing on the fears that you might just wake up one day and find out your spouse was a spy for the soviet union.

There is a dog, and the dog does die :(

Rating: 6/10, decent movie with drama and they explicitly sleep together in a very hayes code way

Would I like it if the genders were flipped: No, but the gender rolls should be. I played this up in the 'classics reimagined bisexually' but the guy does not actually malewife very hard

It's not bad. It's also not good.

#exophilia #monster movies

[blurglesmurfklaine]

Stick Season (11/14)

Summary: After Finn dies, Kurt leaves everything he knows behind without a trace. His hometown, his family, his boyfriend. When his dad has a medical scare, he returns to Lima, one year after breaking Blaine’s heart with no explanation.

A non-chronological series of one shots and drabbles set in this universe

Tropes/Genres: Angst, Reconciliation, Grief, Alcoholism, Mentions of Major Character Death, Mental Health

Track 10. Growing Sideways // Day 11: Last Dance

A/N: listen the first time i heard this song I UGLY CRIED so... sorry lol

Words: 870

Sam is the first one to notice a change in Blaine.

He responds to something Sam says with a joke, something about Sam having seen enough boobs for the both of them, and Sam laughs for a minute straight. For months now, Blaine had given up on his sense of humor, knowing Kurt wouldn’t be there to respond with his beautiful laugh.

“It’s good to see you get back to yourself,” he says. Blaine cocks his head to the right.

“What do you mean?”

“You seem better. After everything. Lighter.”

“You can say no if you want to, but a few of the guys from work are going to the Paper Tiger’s open mic night if you’re interested. I’m gonna play a few songs, they’ll probably rag on me. It’ll be a total sausage fest of toxic masculinity.”

“And that just screams my scene to you?”

“No, but I think you’re finally in a good enough place to leave the house for yourself instead of someone else. Maybe even pick up music again.”

Bloaine hasn’t touched his guitar or piano in weeks. After Finn’s funeral and Kurt’s disappearance, he found it hard to even muster up the will to sing along to tunes playing over the radio. When he thought about it, though, Donna Summer had been playing on his way to his dad’s earlier that day, and Blaine realized he was singing along to the disco track.

As it turns out, taking his prescription antidepressants and pouring his trauma out on some sad-eyed middle aged guy’s overpriced new leather couch really was helping, despite it being the most cliche of cliches.

“You know what? I’ll be there,” Blaine says, feeling hopeful for the first time in ages. For what, he doesn’t even know. Maybe that there is life after Kurt. It’s a relief to know he can live without Kurt, despite the fact that he doesn’t want to.

He still ignores some things—his parents divorce, the effect Kurt’s leaving has had on him—things that would probably take more effort and energy to unpack than he truthfully has to give. But he’s here, he’s healing, and he’s alive. 

He hopes Kurt is, too, wherever he is. 

That’s about all he could hope for.

***

Before Kurt’s fuzzy vision comes into focus, he feels the sheets of some cheap motel that probably have a thread count in the single digits slide against his bare leg. Last Dance plays through the cheap alarm clock radio standing on the bedside table.

With a groan, he attempts to sit up, before the splitting headache reminds him why that’s a terrible idea.

He nearly tells Donna Summer to fuck off before deciding that’s some bad Karma he doesn’t want to accrue. Instead, he just lets himself fall back onto the cheap motel room sheets that have a thread count of about seven, if he’s being generous.

There had definitely been someone else next to him when he’d fallen asleep last night, though Kurt can’t quite remember who. It doesn’t matter. He’ll never see the man again, and they’ll never try to find each other again. Kurt was drunk and lonely, and the guy whose name he can’t even remember was there.

Besides, he much prefers the self imposed solitary confinement he’s crafted for himself. There’s no one to disappoint.

No one to hold you when you start freaking out either.

That’s all it takes for the everpresent unpleasant buzzing in his chest to return. Some days he can just ignore it—power through it until he can get home and make some tea, get on social media or watch hours of reality tv to distract himself from it.

Blaine wouldn’t have left like that stranger.

Other days, it grows. It festers, growing louder and louder until it’s roaring in Kurt’s ears and shooting up static into his brain that makes it impossible to do anything except cry until he passes out from exhaustion. 

Yeah, that’s the problem. He doesn’t know he deserves better than you.

It seems today is one of the latter.

No, no, no. Not today.

 He needs to have a good day today. He’s up for a promotion at work at the print shop. Granted, the other option for manager is Margie, an elderly lady who only works there because she’s bored of retirement and likes to talk to the customers, but Kurt needs that raise. He needs it to move out of this shitty motel and get a shitty apartment instead.

A shitty apartment that he’ll have to keep clean, pay rent on, sign a lease for, go apartment hunting for… God, it’s all so overwhelming. Staying in place, moving on. Life is so fucking overwhelming.

“Fuck it,” he mutters, and downs the remaining vodka in the glass by his nightstand. “By the hair of the dog.”

It settles in his stomach, warm against the cold and humid air of the room, and the shards of anxiety prickling at him begin to melt away. 

It’s a vicious, never ending cycle of drinking, waking up hungover and anxious, and drinking to alleviate the symptoms he’d created. At the end of the day, though, numbing himself is the lesser of two evils. If his engine is running perfect on empty, there's no sense in refilling it.

There are worse ways to stay alive.

#klaine #glee #klaine fanficiton #klainevalentines2023 #stick season #kurt hummel #blaine anderson #wow look at me im writing! #just realized i havent put this on AO3 but ill probably fuck with that later #wow im in my taylor swift era with my Tumblr Exclusives and whatnot #I also meant to post this earlier but i am on babysitting duty #and have a four year old who keeps requesting i play down by the bay on the ukulele

[nemesis-cat]

OTJ Spoiler Day

Truth be told I’ve avoided tumblr and MTG in general the last couple weeks… Over these posts I’ll explain why. I loathe this set!! Every aspect of it.. That I’ve seen so far at least. Here we have Olivia. Easily one of my favorite characters ever created, not just in MTG I mean ever created. While I would normally be beyond happy to receive a new Olivia… I hate this so much! Finally a new Mardu Vamp Commander!.. nope no vamp synergy. Does she steal card like previous Olivia? Nope, she’s an assassin now that cares about outlaws joining her crew so she can get treasure… whaaa.. But she’s got her cowboy hat!! Thanks that makes it better, no it doesn’t. Another victim to the world of hats and a mediocre card, almost want to cry…

Most importantly her flavor is now ruined.. Forever!! In a failure to actually create new characters and new proper worlds WotC has resorted to placing fan favs in costumes and hoping we will all be happy. I’m not. It’s cheap and lazy and destroying the previous 30 years that was invested in story and REAL world building. Many say, “WotC has always built world of hats. Look At Innistrad. It’s just world of horror.” While I agree they built worlds on tropes in the past there was one big difference… They built enough resonance in these worlds to make them feel special. They made characters like Olivia, Gisa, and Geralf. People loved these characters! So much so that OTJ had to have all 3…

My point… OTJ is a flavor fail that relies on the flavor of previous worlds to try to make you care. In the process.. it is ruining the flavor of other worlds. Now when we go back to Innistrad will there be no Olivia? If so thanks WotC! Will there be furries fighting zombies? Can’t wait..

#magic the gathering #mtgcommunity #outlaws of thunder junction

[atherix]

For the trope rating/ask thing:

Matyr or death as redemption

Sparks I fucking love you <3 Rant ahead, warningggg

F. So hard F. 9 times out of 10 it's a cheap trope that's treated like a get-out-of-jail-free card, where just because this person sacrificed themselves they get forgiven- EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE USUALLY THE REASON IT WAS HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE??? IT'S THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR OWN ACTIONS??? AND NOW THEY DON'T ACTUALLY GET THE TIME TO REFLECT AND ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGES TO BECOME A BETTER PERSON?!?!

Imagine fucking Avatar if Zuko had a change of heart AND THEN THREW HIMSELF BETWEEN AANG AND AZULA AND COULDN'T BE SAVED. WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN SATISFYING?! IT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING HE FUCKING DID, HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY GET TO STRIVE TO BE BETTER OR HEAL FROM THE PAST OR MAKE AMENDS. Was Jet's death satisfying?! Does it make you feel BETTER about his character?! Does it make any of his actions in the past okay?! NO. (and yes, I'm aware even after death Jet was not forgiven by everyone, namely Katara, BUT it was a form of this trope and no one can deny it, and it's at least acknowledged that his death doesn't change what he did or make it okay.)

I hate this trope so much. I will be surprised if I ever see anyone use it well. I literally cannot use any fanfics as an example because the minute I see it coming I nope out. There are SO SO SO MANY media examples, and I hate it so much. Sorry, honey, just because you die to save the others does not absolve you of EVERY CRIME AGAINST THEM YOU COMMITTED IN THE PAST.

If you're gonna redeem characters, GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO REDEEM THEMSELVES. Let them LEARN. LET THEM GROW. Let them atone for their mistakes, let them apologize and mean it, let them BECOME better people, let them live with the guilt and knowledge of what they have done and let them heal from it.

Death=Redemption is a cheap trope and I stand by that, it takes away all the needed effort that comes with redemption because no one wants to speak ill of the dead. I say let them live with it and grow from it- that's what real redemption is.

And forgiveness is not needed for redemption. Not everyone has to forgive them for what they've done for them to become better people and move on. COME ON.

Anyway. Rant over. Death=Redemption is a cheap fucking trope and you will NEVER see it in my writing. Let the fuckers die evil or let them live to atone and grow and learn to forgive themselves.

That's all, there we go, thanks for letting me rant <3

Send me a trope and I'll rate it!

#ask #ask game #ONCE AGAIN #these are just MY opinions #if you like death=redemption #well that's on you really #just know you will never see it from me #and when I see it I delete the fanfic from my life #and the media #also #spoilers #for Avatar I guess? #it's only been out for 10+ years now but you never know

[phoenixcatch7]

One of the things I find most interesting about svsss/pidw is that it is, above all else, a story. Not even a particularly well written one, at that. One with hundreds of dropped plot lines and flat caricatures and unrealistic reactions. Everyone and everything isn't created from general 'story themes' as much, but pidw logic, specifically. And in this world of characters, we have two people.

Anyone who's done literary analysis can tell you this: characters, for all their creator might pour their heart and soul into them, might give them hundreds of hours of screen time and agonise over every move they make - they'll only ever be characters. They will never reach the complexity and realism of a real, live person.

Ignoring the meta of sqq and sqh also being characters in the story of svsss, they would be completely alien to the characters they meet. There are rules and tropes and clichés that everyone in the world is unmistakably bound to. And sqq and sqh are untouched by them. Their minds don't work the same way. Oh, system hounds their steps, forces plot points and ic, but in the day to day?

They'd blend in just fine, mostly. Very few people spend every hour of the day with them, and they've long since learned their roles and routines, how to move safely through conversations and what is expected of them.

But sometimes.... They'd say things just slightly 'out of character', they'd suddenly change their mind about something with no real reason, they'd take a different route to the meeting than they normally would.

'Mu shishu always greeted disciples politely, if with a slight frown' airplane wrote decades ago, and luo Binghe sees nothing strange in the identical dialogue he is greeted with every time he goes to see him.

'His shibo was a strange man, never failing to greet his cruel shizun with a smile' but sqq can quote his opening lines by heart, complete with intonation, no matter the circumstances they find themselves in, and finds it eerie still.

In a world of caricatures, static but for the roles of the plot, used only for the sake of half hearted, cheap drama, to see a real person must be so immensely alien. Unnatural. They shift and change according to nothing at all, masters of themselves in a way nobody else can be, by the laws of the universe. Mercurial. Sqq picks a new favourite snack and lbh worries the last batch was imperfect or poisoned. Sqh reorganises his rooms just for a change and mobei is convinced an assassin found blue prints for the private wings.

Things fall differently to how sqq remembers. Gravity seems just slightly off, though he can't tell if its just a perk of being in a new, cultivator's body. Meats char differently, the heaviest of fabrics blow in the slightest breeze, strong winds pick up and die down in seconds, storms can appear from nothing, the sun shines just as warmly stop the highest mountains as the lowest valleys, and the air is just as thick. Blood didn't used to drip like that.

I just. In a world of unreality, the real things must look so out of place.

[emblemxeno]

Honestly, i appreciate that Fates' one of the only games in the series where none of the villains are shown, stated or implied to be capable of teleporting; teleportation is an insanely broken ability by it's very nature and, unless significant amounts of screentime are dedicated to explaining the exact mechanics of the ability, it always runs the risk of the villains conveniently forgetting that they have a permanent escape route, just so they can die (such as Ephidel forgetting he can teleport and just letting himself burn to death for no well-explained reason).

Just the fact that the closest thing Fates has to teleportation is Iago's replica, which itself has the stated drawback of being significantly weaker than himself along with the easy inferrence that the original would need to be nearby in order for it to work, solves so many of the logistical issues with other villains in the series that it's not even funny; i don't know why they chose to go back to the “villain can teleport but will never use it for anything other than saving himself from death, until the plot forces him to forget he has that skill when the time comes for him to die” trope in Three Houses, but it's a significant step back.

That's honestly a good point because I feel, at least in FE, teleportation has never really been within the realms of what magic can be established to do in the games themselves. Like, I have no problem believing that mages can teleport themselves, but it's so out of reach within certain, idk, rules of what you can and can't do. Warp and rescue exist but warping and rescuing yourself willy nilly seems kind of... cheap? Not in a "game is so cheap and unfair" way but in a "they can't find any other way to justify Character X being here without them teleporting in and out." Echoes and Fates had the right idea of changing player controlled warp to be based on being positioned right next to an ally, so it has some kind of believable limitation, but shit like Nergal and Hubert warping in and out of places all the time for example? Crazy.

I do like Iago's replicas over teleportation too, especially cuz magic dealing with illusions and deception are well established in Fates' universe.

#queue #fire emblem fates