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transfennecbuddy · 2 years

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Heyo, guess what time it is? Random rant time! This time though, I'm gonna add a read more thing (since I figured out how to do that now :D ), so this is your warning!

So, music. As you can prolly tell from the fact that I mostly post about vocaloid songs, I love music a whole lot! It's got a special quality to it. Listening to music is like setting the background music for your life, and especially when you're doing something else, it makes every movement flow and connect with each other as if you're dancing just by moving. It makes it easier to do stuff and drowns out your thoughts so it's calmer when you just... exist. You can decide to be calm and grounded, or energized and productive, or sad and vulnerable. And sure, you can kinda choose that with the music in your head, but listening to it makes it that much more tangible and orderly (in the way that the music always continues forward and you never catch yourself looping the same part and getting nowhere). That's kinda why I like listening to music while I work and clean—it gives me something to focus on and makes every movement and thought feel like it fits in a neat little dance of life.

Plus the happy tingles! That moment where you're listening to a good song and it gets to the best part is the BOMB! Like after a while I'll recognize when the best parts are coming up and I'll blast the music (in my ears, not on a speaker) louder so I can bop that much harder! And when the music's so loud that you can't hear anything but that, when it makes up so much of your whole world that you can't even process the whole thing you can only focus on a section or two at a time (like the thump of the bass, or the emotional ebb and flow of the singing, or the syncopated beat of some instrument in the background), when you have no choice but to bop your head so hard that you're jumping?? That's a good part! I can't even listen to a really good song if I have to do something really mentally intensive, like really complicated homework, cause I'll always end up dancing whenever that best part comes. But simple homework or physical chores, where you don't lose too much focus by swaying and bopping and waving your hands to the beat? Oh it makes things so much better. Like I always love listening to my Ghost and Pals playlist (which has turned into kinda a general vocaloid playlist) whenever I clean up something! Or I'll listen to one song on repeat while I do one task, then switch to another when I do another task, and continue on until I'm done. Good music just spices up your life, you know?

And I've mentioned it before, but looping songs makes it that much easier to listen to music while doing other stuff! (I'm literally doing that now!) You don't have to worry about ads (unless you play it on your phone, then for some reason YouTube will play an ad whenever the frick it pleases), you don't have to process a beat or tone switch, you know when all of the best parts are (or, if you lose yourself in work, you get pleasantly surprised by them), and you don't focus too much on the music as to not be able to focus. (For me, only listening to a well established playlist has the same effect.) Plus usually my favorite (at the moment) songs go on my loop-forever playlist, so I always jam to them. But then since I listen to them forever, I usually end up memorizing them and always having them on my mind, and then I want to listen to them more, repeat cycle lol.

But I usually end up only listening to songs I know I love or songs that I happen to stumble across and be pleasantly surprised by. I usually never listen to music that's recommended to me unless I get naturally interested in it later or a close friend recommended it to me. That's why a blog like this is so different from what I usually do! And I haven't regretted it! First of all, I barely even knew what vocaloid songs were when I started this (and I still have a lot more to learn). And when I did learn a thing or two, I was kinda tempted to just listen to Ghost and Pals songs for eternity. But getting myself to check out y'all's recommendations, even if I don't listen to them all the time, has gotten me to get a better feel for vocaloid songs as a whole. It's really cool to spread out from a niche to check out (as much as I can of) the actual genre. I've never really done that before, and man is it an experience. You've got strange bassy songs like Honey I'm Home and Uncanny, to pop songs like Treat Me So Right, to chiller-but-not-as‐strange songs like Ghost Night Parade, all in the same genre! It's cool to see how vocaloids are kinda everywhere! I certainly didn't expect that, but now whenever I listen to a recommendation, I end up thinking, "What style is this one gonna be like?" And I've never thought like that before since I usually only listen to a few things. And plus vocaloid songs are really cool! I've even found new songs for my loop-forever playlist!! (And I've been harassing [in a friendly way] my friends into listening to them, hehe >:3) For that, I've gotta thank the folks that have recommended songs to me, y'all are awesome <3 Thanks forever!

#HELP I found the shiny object syndrome song by Daniel Thrasher and IT'S HAUNTING ME #it's got a grip on my brain that I cannot shake #also the background dancers are a delight to watch #but yes! Thank y'all for recommending songs to me #Love ya! <3 (platonically)#stimming #actuallystimming #music stim #kitty's rants #a new tag to organize (or avoid) my rants!

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i-dreamed-i-had-a-son · 2 years

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Holy frick Moon Knight continues to be an excellent show I'm losing my mind the acting???? Ohhh my gosh Marc thinking he isn't worthy of love, crying at the meeting of the Ennead (during the entire scene) and just sounding so broken when he says, "Yes. I'm not well. I need help," the CONVERSATION HE AND LAYLA HAVE ON THE BOAAAAAAAT aksjdkkff "I had it under control until very recently" / "What happened?" / *immediately looks down* "Doesn't matter" ahhhHHHH you can HEAR THE TEARS IN HIS VOICE,,, the outburst in the desert,,, circling back around to Marc thinking he isn't worthy of love oh my gosh like that is explicitly given as the reason he won't tell Layla about Khonshu's threats or anything else really and just pushes her away, it's not because of her safety it's because he's terrified that if he tells her she'll see him as unlovable and he'll be truly alone. Like, Marc and Steven are so desperately lonely, you can see both of them wear their heart on their sleeve in their own ways, they're just so hungry for some sort of constant, stable, real connection--and Marc would rather have to divorce his wife, would rather make her hate him, than have to see her hate him because of who he is. There's just so much raw, vulnerable emotion in Marc and Steven and the show and I can't handle it. I can't handle it and I am obsessed

#marvel #moon knight spoilers #moon knight #marc spector #steven grant #oscar isaac #meta #my meta posts #quality meta seal of approval #not to hype my own post up i just put that on all meta posts so that i can find them #and fricking...i actually like layla???? like i was not expecting to just bc i usually really dislike minor/love-interest female characters #because they're usually very poorly developed and written #but oh my gosh i might make another post just about this but she is 1. a super competent fighter but not overpowered #2. has her own goals and motivations that do not just revolve around marc and/or steven #and 3. SHE HAS BOUNDARIES!!! DANG IT!!!! do you know how rare that is???? like #she clearly still loves marc (and steven) and she wants to really know him #but on the boat in particular we can see that she's not desperate for that connection and in fact she recognizes that it's too late #at least too late for her to keep reaching for it. she knows what's healthy for her and so she says 'doesn't mean we shouldn't have'#and lets it stay in the past #just. so well written. losing my mind #kay has a party in the tags #layla el faouly #kay can i just catch my breath for a second

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arlakos · 3 years

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Miraculous Rant

Actually, you know what, while im still mad from the previous post I made, lets go off on a rant. No punches pulled. Lets do this.

The lovesquare is the most terrible ship in this fandom. One girl is a hyper obsessed stalker who tracks her crush with her planner for 3 whole seasons, while the boy couldn’t learn to take a hint and stop flirting for 3 whole seasons until he decided to move on with another girl. Ironically that makes them perfect for eachother, but its in a creepy kind of way, not a loving kind of way.

Adrigami and Lukanette in the S3 Finale were wasted events and never should have occured because they were immediately axed in the first few episodes of the next season. I feel sorry for those that were hoping their ships could be real for at least a short actual while, and it makes me want to curse the writers for their story-boner for the status quo of teases

Despite what I said earlier, none of the girls are good for Adrien. Marinette’s stalkery and a borderline yandere, Kagami’s somewhat controlling and too similar to Adrien help him grow as a person, Chloe is a queen bee beyotch and honestly too much like a sibling to Adrien, and Lila is garbage. Fuck it, have Luka date Adrien and they can play some sweet music together (not like that you pervs, I meant they both play instruments).

Nino needs more love. Not only that, but there needs to be more Adrien/Nino bro moments. If Marinette and Alya can have moments together, why not the bros?

Chloe’s character is a mess, and is neither redeemable, nor notably evil. Her role as a villain in season 1 is very hamfisted, such as in the episodes Mr Pigeon and Kung Food. Not only that, Chloe also lacks any of the qualities that makes a good “bully villain” or rival to Marinette, and her sympathetic moments (which are Written by Sebastien) are mostly overshadowed by the fact that Astruc wants her to be a bully, so it just makes her bipolar and confusing when her character is tugged between two writers.

Chloe should not have joined Hawkmoth in Miracle Queen, see my other post as to why I think so. TLDR, its kinda ooc for her to go full on 2d villain like Hawkmoth especially after Miraculer, plus Lila was being build up to be the main antagonist of S3

Chloe got kicked from the Team in Miraculer because people know her identity? Fine. Kagami gets to be Ryuko again despite being known to Hawkmoth in Ikari Gozen? Not cool. Ladybug shouldn’t be a hypocrite and be willing to break her own rules just because “Kagami is my friend and Chloe’s not”. Same goes for her breaking the rule with secrect identities with Alya, only for her to go on and on about the rules to Chat when he pries.

Zoe is a bland character who’s only notable trait that she likes Marinette, which automatically makes her worthy of a miraculous after two episodes and no actual development.

Astruc is a petty frick who makes episodes that give the finger to fans of the show that have a different opinion than him. Queen Banana, Miracle Queen, and Reverser are good examples of this (Reverser did Nathaniel dirty).

Master Fu is a shit guardian. Read my post for more.

FRICK THE FEAST EPISODE. Not only did is ruin Fu as character, it ruined all the good theories as to why the order fell, and wasted the idea of a new villain being introduced or even taking over as the main antagonist! Speaking of Feast, despite the sentimonster destroying an order when he wasn’t even big, he still go beat by 2 kids even when he was supersized!

Marinette is not a good Guardian. Her ability to choose heroes does not make her capable, and just because “tradition is stupid” doesnt mean that Marinette shouldn’t be tested like others before her!

Despite the Kwami’s being ancient magical buildings, they seem to act like kids a lot, and that annoys me when in S1 they are supposed to apparently be mentors to their wielders, like how Tikki was before she was mentally de-aged.

Lila is trash and should be removed from the show. The only reasons her lies work is because the writers dumb down every other character in the show and ignore the fact the people have smartphones with google.

The “Miraculous” Ladybug spell should require both Ladybug and Chat Noir to cast, because not only does the power have nothing to do with creation, but it also “destroys” anything created by the akuma, which thematically makes no sense. Also it would place more emphasis on the two heroes being equals and “two halfs of the same coin”

On that note, Ladybug has too many powers. Not only is she the only one who can purify akumas, and can cast a spell that can fix Paris time and time again like its no one’s buisness, but she also now gets a new suit and the ability to nullify Hawkmoth’s akumas. Like COME ON! Give Chat some powers too.

Mayura’s feather’s shouldnt be able to be purified by Ladybug since they have no dark energy, and (thematically speaking) Chat should be given an ability that allows him to “vanquish” the energy in Mayura[’s feathers similar to how Ladybug can purify Hawkmoth’s akumas. At least it would develop a rivalry between Chat and Mayura, and would make Chat necassary against Shadowmoth rather than being replacable with any other hero.

The are too many temporary heroes. They should have just stuck with the 3 heroes from s2 and leave it at that. Sure, new heroes were cool, but the overuse has made the whole hero thing feel less special. It made sense for the first 3 to have them, but now it’s just like Oprah where everyone gets a miraculous. Except Gabe.

Chat Blanc was a stupid reason as to why secret identities cant be revealed, also Chat could have told LB who Hawkmoth once he returned back to normal was and the show would be over.

Hawkmoth should not be Gabriel. Frick the lore about Gabriel’s wife dying and him going evil to get her back, it makes the story feel too much like a star wars/Darth vader reference and leaves Gabriel acting bipolar, flipping from wanting to save his wife and doing this out of necessity to being a power hungry madman wanting to take over the world ( which is said in his canon music video). Having Hawkmoth be his own character means he can be an actual maniac who wants world domination and not just have villanous plot that rely on obtaining magical jewellery (perhaps doing other evil things/taking a more active role), while Gabriel being his own character means he can be a father that has become estranged from his son due to the lose of his S,O, and thus can have a plot about him reuniting with his son (I liked the end seen in Simon says, ok?)

On that same note, I think Mayura shouldn’t have been Nathalie. Considering Hawkmoth’s plans were repetitive as heck for most of the show, when I heard about the Mayura leaks back in Season 2 (when she was called “le Paon”) I was theorising that Mayura would actually being Hawkmoth’s boss, the villain the was responsible for giving him his Miraculous and the one who destroyed the Order of the Miraculous, and would take over as the main villain in season 3 due to Hawkmoth’s failures. However, that turned out not to be the case.

Not only that, but Mayuras power is a copy paste power with some modifications to make it complement Hawkmoth’s power, by basically giving his akuma’s magic pokemon.

Speaking of Hawkmoth’s power, for a miraculous that is supposed to be used for good, how can his power mind control people and make them become evil? More importantly, for a miraculous that is supposedly weaker than the main heroes of the show, having it be able to multiply and posses people to create an army is kinda strong.

Fuck the Maribat ship that the salt fandom came up with. Its trash, it was made to bash most of the Miraculous cast sans Marinette, and anyone thinks it is good are either those same salters or are the same people who think that Rey-lo and the Twilight Saga are masterpieces of romance.

Whew! I needed that vent. Hope you enjoyed it as as much as I did, and Tune in next time on the next episode of: Arlakos loses his Mind and Rants for 2 pages of writing!

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Salt #Marinette salt #Adrien Salt #Everything salt #This whole show is a salt mine #Rant Time!#I love the show but I hate how its written

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violetnotez · 3 years

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hi! may i pls make a request for bokugo, todoroki and midoriya hcs on what they would do if they had to vs their secret crush in the 1v1 ua sports festival arc? i hope you have a great day!!🥺

Hi babe! Im so sorry it took so long to make these, but I literally couldn’t stop thinking about this idea cause it was so fricking cuttteeeeeeeee

I did headcannons as well as a short one shot right after, I hope thats alright! <3

Music Genre: Pop | BNHA

Characters: Bakugo, Shoto, Izuku

Warnings: cussing

Music Collection | Tip Jar | Requests!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Bakugo

This dude right here ^^^

Sorry but-hes not gonna be too kind

Bakugo most deifnitely is denying every single damn sign that he has a crush on you

He deifnitely doesn’t stare at you for way too long during class, or doesn’t smirk to himself when you got past this first round, and his heart didn’t drop to the floor when he realized he would have to fight against you

Nope, deifnitley not

😑😑😑 Bakugo stop being a shit and admit you have feelings

Kirishima was the one who first recognized his crush on you, and you know damn well he noticed Bakugo’s demeanor instantly changed when he saw your face flash against his in the versus round

When Bakugo saw that on the screen, his shoulders instantly stiffened, his eyes steeled, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets so no one could see how tightly his hands were balled up

Only Kirishima noticed the change in his best friend as his freinds cheered at the line up

“Hey-you okay dude?” He asked, his voice full of concern as he tried to place a hand on his shoulder

Of course, Bakugo being the little shit he is, shoved his hand away with his shoulder, standing up quickly

“I’m gonna go get ready for the 2nd round,” he grumbled, giving his friend a side eyed look and he turned his back on the stadium and going to the hallways to chill

Now, even though he was rudeeeeeeeee af, this dude is freaking the hell out internally

He wants to win so badly, but-at what cost? Something was different with you-he was okay with putting his all into each and every fight

If he had to hurt himself, or hurt his opponent to come out on top-that’s all that mattered right? But for some reason, the thought of hurting you made his body feel queasy and made him feel like shit-

this never happened to him, this possessive want to protect someone and keep them safe-this was such a foreign feeling that it kind of scared him

Was he getting soft? Was he not tough anymore?

He didn’t know what to do-go easy on you and potentially let you win, making him look weak? Or go all out, making sure he wins to the point that he hurts you-which would make him feel like shit after. Would you hate him after? Could he handle that idea of you despising him for hurting you?

These thoughts were making him so conflicted to the point of rage , and Bakugo being Bakugo, he was just fuming internally,

his digits were tugging at his strands, his fist colliding with the table as a curse slipped through his lips

He didn’t know what to do and it was fucking annoying to him

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧ ✧･ﾟ:* ✧

“So I guess we’re paired together huh?” your voice echoed through the deathly silent room, the sound sending a cold shiver down Bakugo’s back.

He quickly looked up, his chest tightening at the mere sight of you leaning against the door frame.

“This is my fucking room-get out,” he grumbled, his crimson red eyes squinting at you at an attempt to look intimidating.

You simply rolled your eyes, a small smirk playing on your lips.

You had known Bakugo for too long and too well to get scared at his harsh words anymore.

“I don’t see your name on the door,” you quipped back with a grin, “and besides, it might be good Im in here. You’re so loud somebody’s gonna think you’re talking to yourself.”

Shit-was he really starting to talk to himself now?

Bakugo swallowed a clump of saliva, a pit growing in his stomach. If he was talking to himself-did you hear everything he had said? Did you know he was actually thinking of going soft on you?

You noticed how he stiffened at your words, a gruff exhalation of breath leaving his lips.

“Don’t worry, I was just joking around-“, You simply chuckled, shaking your head as you sat down next to him. “-but you still are really loud though.”

“And you’re still fucking annoying, as always.”

“Ouch!” You smiled, scrunching up your nose in mock hurt.

Bakugo pursed his lips, hating how cute he found you when you made that expression.

You didn’t seem to notice the way Bakugo was affected by your movement, taking a deep breath.

Something in your expression had changed-you no longer looked so carefree and relaxed. You gave him a concerned look, your teeth gnawing at the side your cheek.

“So is something on your mind? You’re usually always cussing someone out, but cussing at the air isn’t usually your thing.”

His feet shuffled under the table, his hands way more clammy than they usually were. So he really was being too loud- he needed to think of soemthing to tell you. And something realllllll fucking quick.

But he couldn’t-he felt like his was gasping for air, just staring at your waiting face. God, why did he have to actually like you like that? Now as he’s looking at you, something in his heart hurt-he couldn’t hurt you. He just-couldnt. He’d feel like a dick after and he’s never be able to forgive himself if he laid even a scratch on you.

Why was this so fucking hard?

You sighed, your tongue swiping your bottom lip as you look down at your hands.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine,” you looked up, your eyes piercing to him and making his lungs feel shut off. “But-dont let it affect you. I want you to come at me with all you got-“

You gave him a devilish grin, your eyes sparkling.

“-I wanna rub it in your face that I actualy beat you in front of a whole ass crowd. Might be good for you ego too,” you gave out a laugh at the last sentence, Bakugo’s shoulder softening slightly.

“Tch-,” he grunted out, his crimson eyes rolling in their sockets, “-like you could ever fucking beat me.”

You gave him one final look, your eyes quitting at him with a mischievous glint.

“We’ll see about that,” you gave him one last smile, standing up from your chair.

“I’ll see ya later.”

Bakugo heard your feet walk out the room, that tell tale click of the door closing softly reverberating in the room. He let out a sigh, something about your words making him feel like a huge weight just left his shoulders.

If you wanted him to go all out-then he’d do it.

Izuku

Dude, this poor baby

He’s actually freaking out. Like HARD.

Izuku wants to win pretty badly to prove it to himself, his family, his mentor/role model...but at what cost? Hurting you?

Hahah well that’s funny cause that ain’t happening

He’s legit thinking of just going easy on you-what’s the harm in that? Sure he might lose, but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt-

This dude is not very good at hiding his feelings for you, so of course Iida and Ochaco already know of this infactuation obsession Izuku has for you

They kinda have to explain to him that’d it be really really stupid to just let you beat himjust because he didn’t want to hurt you

Iida basically explained that it’d hurt the “pride and prestige quality of the games” if he didn’t “fight to his fullest” and “y/n’s honor would be incredibly diminished” as the fight “wouldn’t be fair nor honest”

Which basically translated to just fight her Midoriya

Uraraka told him that you could hold your own, and you wouldn’t ever get mad at him cause like-it’s the point for everyone to fight their all to win

So Izuku kinda took a chill pill

Until he stepped into that arena

Cause ohohoohohoh it is wayyyyy different from talking about fighting to actually doing it

He’s kinda nervous at first-cause it’s happening. He has to actually fight you like this. In front of everybody.

Damn fate really did not like him right now did it?

You come at him full force-and holy CRAP did it throw him off

But it kind of woke him up to the situation-if your going to try your best, then he felt a little bit better forcing himself to do his best as well

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t wanna scream “Sorry!” And run over to you everytime he blasts ya with OFA, but it’s all good

Your fight was a little bit longer than the others, but in the end, you lost to Izuku

You two were seriously burnt out though-you got cuts and bruises everywhere from falling (and a big ass headache), and Izuku’s arms looked like burnt fried chicken

Deku felt pride in himself, cause damn you were really strong and he actually fought you off but-he hurt you AND made you lose

Looking at your face, he feels like shit-cause of course you look really beat down knowing you won’t be advancing to the next round

His foot stumbled forward, wanting to go see if you were okay

But the teachers quickly usher you two to go see the nurses, so he just had to give you an apologetic look until he could actually talk to you

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧ ✧･ﾟ:* ✧

Izuku sat on the make shift bed, every movement he made setting off a plethora of crinkling noises from the paper overlay.

Everything seemed to be okay with him-he was actually surprised to hear he wasn’t as beat up as he thought he really was. Over course, Recovery Girl scolded him for taking such a risk on his body with his quirk, but with a big smooch on his cheek he was ready to go.

He heard a click of a door opening, expecting to see Recovery Girl come hobbling over to check his vitals one last time-until he looked up and his heart stopped on his chest.

There you were, banged up and bruise, your stance favoring your right side.

You seemed to be pretty surprised to see him too-your eyes widened in shock, and your shoulders stiffened at the sight of him.

Izuku’s head was going on overdrive-how were you feeling? Where you okay? Did he hurt you that badly? did you hate him? Was he invading your space just being present?

The thoughts were coming a mile a minute, his mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish as he kept watching you with a stunned, blank expression.

To his relief, your shocked expression turned into a small smile and your eyes softened as you looked at Izuku’s shy gaze.

“Hey,” you simply said, breaking the awkward silence of the room.

Izuku quickly cleared his throat, repeating a “hey” back to you as he watched you sit down, his toes scrunching in his battered red shoes.

Guilt was bubbling in his stomach, his brows knitted in pain as you tred to sit down on a hospital bed. You were practically limping your way to sit down, the unmissable look of pain knitted in your brows.

God, he did that? To you-out of all the people in the world, you were one of the last people he would ever want to land a finger on. Of course, you had messed him up pretty badly, but it just felt strange to know he had caused you this discomfort.

“Are you-you feeling alright?” He asked quietly, his voice meek and hesitant.

You gave him another strained smile, using the table next to you to support your weight.

You weren’t going to deny it-Izuku really did a number on you. In the fight, your adrenaline was kicking in so much that the pain was barely even noticeable to you. But now that you were calm and collected, the throbbing pain that seemed to be everywhere was coming out in full force.

“Yeah, I’m doing okay-I guess,” you gave a small chuckle, trying to hide the grimace as a zap of pain pierced your bruised rib cage.

Izuku immediately noticed that look on your face, his feet touching the cold linoleum floor.

You felt hands gingerly circle around your sides, the pressure reassuring yet light, heat from another person radiating onto your back.

Midoriya was supporting your battered body, leading you to the closest bed and setting you down gingerly.

To say the feeling of Izuku holding you was making you flustered was an understatement-you were freaking the hell out. But something about him holding you was so comforting-even with him beaten up, and him being the reason you were in this portion- he still somehow was able to make you feel safe and protected.

“ ‘Zuku,” you asked, your heart thumping a mile a minute, “what are you-you doing?”

He set you down gingerly, his hands light and feathery against your skin.

“I-Uh,” He have you a sheepish grin, his cheeks red and his voice a stuttering mess from that nickname. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-to offend you, you just seemed like you were hurting...”

You tilted your head with a grin, your hand wrapping around his wrist for support.

“Don’t worry-you didn’t,”

His face light up, a warm relieved grin on his lips.

“Oh good! I was worried, cause after the whole match and everything, and you looked so hurt, I just, I don’t know, I was worried maybe you wouldnt want me around but I just didn’t want to-“

For some reason, that relief that you didn’t hate him had released the stuttering of poor Izuku, his brain going once again at a pace much to fast to comprehend.

You could barely catch a word, but you were able to stitch his thoughts together, a giggle escaping your lips.

He couldn’t be more adorable, could he?

Your heart pounded in your chest as your digits wrapping around his freckled cheeks. The sensation of your skin so close to his made his mouth stop in its tracks, his emerald eyes wide with shock.

“You really think I’d hate you ‘Zuku?”

God-he love that nickname. Your voice sent a shockwave if electricity through his body, his mind helplessly numb and in control by you.

Even with you cradling his cheeks, he couldn’t bring himself to look at you.

“I-Uh-Uh....maybe?”

Izuku heard you sigh, your teeth gnawing at your bottom lip.

He know it would look strange to anyone walking in, with him standing in between your legs and your hands wrapped against his cheeks. He knew he should move, just in case of the off chance somebody could walk in, but-he didn’t want to. He was in love with the feeling of your body so close to his, finally able to drink in every beautiful feature of your face, put every perfect sensation into his memory....it was nerve wracking yet soothing and he never wanted this moment to end.

“Deku, I could never hate you,” you smiled gingerly, your mind fighting your digits from tracing each adorable freckle decorating his face.

He looked at you with wide, confused eyes, his bruised lips parted and mind blank.

You said-you didn’t hate him?

He felt a rush of relief completely envelope his body, feeling on top of the world. You didn’t hate him for fighting you-and you even said you could never hate him. Was he really that lucky to have such a sweet crush like you?

He felt so happy he just had the undeniable want to just kiss you-you we’re close enough after all, he could just lean in to you....

“Oh-uh,” he quickly stuttered our, terrified he would actually act on what he was thinking, “Thats-thats great, thank you,”

You chuckled at his flustered ness, his cheeks a raging red from his thoughts-he definitely wouldn’t ever stop being a nervous wreck around you.

Shoto

Honestly, you would never know Shoto had a crush on you

hes just SO HARD TO READ

Also this boy would be the last person to realize he had a crush in the first place

very very oblivious poor baby

anyways, because of this oblivious part of him, he’d probably figure out he had a crush right then and there

Like, as he sees your face flash against his, and theres a big VS symbol in between you two

He gets this terrible, sinking feeling

like OH SHIT I have to fight them

He knew something was different this time around, because with everyone else he was fighting agains,t he could give two shits about them

but with you, the person he was actually fighting against felt important now

He just didn't want to fight you

So that through him off- big time

*queue a shoto todoroki internal monologue

this guy is really having an epiphany rn

Like dang- all those times I would stare at them, or get angry when somebody hurt them, or my face would get really hot when they told me “hi” meant I liked them!?

This pooor thingggggggggggggggg

Now,

Shoto isnt egotisitical-

hes just practical

So he knows that he would probably win this match-

he saw you as a great fighter, yet his quirk was alot more flashy and powerful than yours

So he had either two options:

one) was to just go all out and try to finish the match ASAP, or

two) prolong it, so you could get some exposure to the heroes watching

(spoiler alert- he goes with number two)

But what he doesn't realized is how FLUSTERED he gets when hes fighting you

He’s never been close to you like this before, even if you are fighting-and damn he didn't realize he had been craving this

He was making more mistakes than he usually would make in a match like this, so it was harder for him to keep the upper hand like he thought he would

But, of course- this is Shoto Todoroki we’re talking about

He finally zaps out of this love sick puppy phase and he starts to fight you for real now-

anddddddd he manages to push you off the stage boundaries

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

Shoto took a deep breath, his lungs feeling icy from his quirk and his body heavy with fatigue.

Damn- that was a hard ass fight.

The sound of a roaring crowd was piercing his ears, Present Mic’s booming voice echoing the results of the matchup.

“Todoroki” seemed to be echoing throughout the stadium, his last name a mantra in the speakers. He won the match after all- he’d be advancing.

Shoto licked his lips, the tang of blood sparking in his mouth. Shoto didnt really feel much in these moments, as he could never really appreciate the achievements he had under his belt at such a young age.

But right now, something different was bubbling in his stomach- Shoto turned to look at you, your knees digging into the gravel and your fists balled into the dirt, your head laying low.

It wasnt rocket science to tell you were feeling down about loosing the match, and Shoto could see you were frustrated by the circumstances- he won, and you didnt.

Watching you struggling to get up from the icy ground he had made, your body beaten and bruised....he felt-guilty.

Suddenly, he felt his feet walking towards you, his heart beating a mile a minute in his chest.

His head was swarming with nerves as he held out his digits, his palm stretched out in a peace offering.

“Here,” his voice was smooth and deep, sending a shiver down your spine as you looked up at his outstretched digits.

You gave him a quizzical look, almost as if to say “what are you doing?”

Shoto bit his bottom lip, looking at the side as his cheeks flushed red.

“Take my hand-you’re injured.”

His tone was placid and calm, his bi colored eyes boaring into yours. It was just so confusing....he won the match, so why did he want to help you?

“Why?” you asked, your voice groggy and thick.

“Because-you’re hurt, and I’m certain my old man wouldn’t want me to be doing this. So I want to do it.”

I small laugh escaped your lips, the sound so sweet that it made Shoto’s face even more red and his heart beat faster in his chest.

“Shoto Todoroki being a rebel-“ you joked, shaking your head as you laughed, “I wouldn’t expect that from you.”

You looked up at the Todoroki son, a smile on your lips as you took his hand.

Ah crap-Shoto was really over heating at this point, his mind going haywire as he tried to figure out why it was so hard to keep his right side at bat as he pulled you up from the floor.

He found something so endearing about how small your palm was compared to his-it fit almost perfectly in his, the skin soft and warm against his.

Shoto cleared his throat, his eyes dancing nervously, trying his best to get his nerves in check.

“Is that-a bad thing?” He asked, feeling slightly sad that you had taken your hand out of his to dust off your tattered PE pants.

“Nope,” you said, popping the “p” in the sentence, “I think it’s a good thing-I like it.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

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nerdemic · 3 years

Text

baldur’s gate but I’m an idiot p.1

I was thinking about how everyone but Astarion dreams of someone pleasant and it led me down a rabbit hole

TL;DWR - BG3 is tackling themes of power imbalance and manipulation, the tadpole dreams make that clear and I’m equal parts worried and excited for where that’s going to lead to once the game is complete

The only thing I can figure at this stage is that each person that the party dreams of might have that alluring quality but more importantly they’re all people (or beings, Idk how the frick to quantify Vlaakith) that the tadpole/Absolute knows can be used to manipulate them. The only difference with Astarion is that his manipulator isn’t one of pleasure but of displeasure. I’ve seen companions talk about the dream being about power and in a sense it is: it’s about the power balance between the party and their respective tempters, for lack of a better word.

The game is very clearly pushing themes about how our relationships can suffer from an imbalance of power, which is a fascinating and worthy aspect to explore in a character driven game. But I digress, each of the companions (whether they really accept it or not) are being manipulated by the wants or commands of someone else; them suddenly being threatened with the idea of losing who they are may be forcing them all to consider their relationships with those beings. Some of them are absolutely over it and want to do whatever it takes to be free, Wyll & Astarion are both more resentful of their tormentors than they are affectionate. Others seem much more suckered in by them, no one seems to talk much about it but Lae’zel is absolutely smitten with a goddess that has basically NO regard for her people at all, I know she’s stinky and stabby and kinda mean but that’s still a sad way to be; Shadowheart is most likely doing the work of a goddess she didn’t actually worship prior to the hella shady mind wipe she suffered. I think Gale is the interesting middle ground (*shocker*) because he knows he was manipulated (if you have the talk after celebration with him at low approval, he describes the situation as being “a mortal plaything in divine hands”) and yet he still clearly has an affection for Mystra that he can’t just do away with. The monkey wrench in this theme is the player character (if using an original one) because the tormentor is made by the player and therefore has whatever backstory the player has in mind so it may not be a relationship the player would describe as “imbalanced” however the tormentor is still someone that the player would describe as who they “dream of” and who they “desire” which inherently means there is a bit of an imbalance that the Absolute would absolutely pounce on ;)

Honestly, I’m concerned that a game that’s this smart in early access is going to use that theme to put the player at odds with the companions. It’s hard to deny the sense of manipulation you can feel as a player in an RPG when there are literally ways to “game” affection from your companions; as a player I have the power in the relationship, if something doesn’t go my way I can reload a save and try again. I’m worried the game will start calling the player out on this, especially in regards to whoever they’re closest to and/or romancing - mind you, it’s equal worry and excitement because MAN I can’t think of a game that has the guts to up-end the standard RPG companion thing and make the player on even footing with the NPCs (if you know of one PLEASE feel free to inbox me so we can nerd out).

Okay, now that that’s out I’m gonna turn my brain off for the rest of the day :D

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 early access #larian studios #Nan rants about things #video games in this case #I blame my current back and forth with Bioshock for my over analysis of games recently #but can you blame me ?????

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mariaiscrafting · 3 years

Note

Thoughts on Wilbur Soot? I want a full-blown essay at least 10k words/j. All jokes aside, this is an amazing blog, I come to it every day to see if you've posted something new :]. Keep going forward OP, you're truly amazing.

That is so sweet 😢 (/gen)

I was really gonna write, “I dunno, I just think he’s a nice dude,” but then you asked for 10k words, so now Imma actually rant. Wilbur’s probably one of the first people who got me back into Minecraft, around 2019, and he was the first person I felt comfortable enough watching the Dream SMP vods from, back in November.

First of all, the guy’s fricking gorgeous, like, ???? I never see any simping for him on my dash, and I’m just like ??? I’m not very good at simping over people’s appearances myself, so all I will say is that he’s fricking beautiful, jfc.

Second of all, I’m a music nerd, okay, and I really fucking like his singing. Back then, I listened to his music covers so much that I learned the lyrics from songs I’d never even heard of before I started watching Wilbur, by heart. Lol it helps quite a bit that a good chunk of my musical taste is made up of Life is Strange-esque, shitty indie songs that fit right into the covers he made back when he first started streaming. I’ve listened to YCGMA so many times that I have that same familiarity I have with songs I’ve listened to for literal years, knowing exactly what song comes next and when each measure ends and when the breaths are taken, etc., etc. He doesn’t have much finnesse when it comes to the technical qualities of his singing abilities, but he’s a damn good musician. His lyrical composition, chord progressions, little guitar riffs, emotion - ahhh, I just love Wilbur Soot’s music so much. I’m certain I’ll be listening to YCGMA in the middle of the night, when I need a good cry, for years to come lol.

Third of all, I really, really appreciate his openness about his mental health just, so much. He talks about his anxiety and getting depressed so candidly, he so easily lets his audience know about what kinda mental state he was in during uni and as a teenager and while he wrote YCGMA, and it makes me feel so normal. As dumb and cliched as it is to need a public figure to validate my own lived experiences, I do, and for someone like Wilbur Soot to succeed and be so talented, encouraging, empathetic, and socially active, despite losing motivation and energy at times, gives me a little bit of hope for myself.

Fourth of all, I mean, the guy’s fucking hilarious, are we forgetting this? People always talk about his talents music-wise and writing-wise, or how nice he seems to be, but they always gloss over his genuine comedic ability, and I ??? It takes so much to keep my attention these days, and Wilbur Soot’s videos are still some of the only ones that can manage that feat. He has undeniable chemistry with practically any CC he meets, his editing style is just *chef’s kiss*, and his laugh somehow makes even the most mundane of jokes seem fucking hilarious, it’s just such a delight to watch or listen to him do bits, man.

I left the best for last, lol. The main reason I fricking love Wilbur Soot is his political consciousness and the fact that his political beliefs align pretty well with my own. I’ve dealt with cishet, mostly white guys, both on and off the Internet, for so many damn years, and it’s exhausting. I am so tired of deconstructing myself and suppressing myself for the sake of social interaction, community-building, preventing ostracization, and being able to consume content without feeling enraged or hopeless. It is an exhausting endeavor to want to like and love all the gamers I’ve watched since middle school, and having to just push down and numb the parts of me that want to flinch at offhanded jokes and comments and exclusion from online spaces. Wilbur Soot is a whole other breed of CC. Lol uhhh, I guess he’s what most of the people in the social media circles I used to frequent would call, “a feminist cuck” and “self-hating white guy.” Which all really just means that he goes just beyond human decency. Don’t get me wrong, I do not by any means let white, cishet guys dictate my self-worth anymore, or even let them educate me; that’s what all the wonderful female and POC and queer CCs that I’ve discovered over the years are for. But there’s still something deeply satisfying about listening to this person who fits all the demographic checkboxes of the kinda person who used to make me feel so Other and Wrong, instead rant about how teenage girls can’t express their interests without being denigrated for them out of deeply-entrenched misogyny, or about how society needs to stop villanizing poor people and realize that government aid and social services do a great service for community betterment and are not just used by people supposedly leeching off the taxpayer’s dime. That’s not even to mention the fucking beautiful satire of the E-Girl Trilogy. I always wanted to rant about this, but I don’t know how exactly to put it into the proper words... Basically, as someone who has spent years and years retconning, observing, and caught in the midst of incels, conservatives, and just extremely depressed cishet men of all races, I am deeply familiar with all the resentment, anxiety, misogyny, homophobia, gender essentialism, and self-hatred that goes into creating the average 20-something man’s view on women, society, romance, friendships, and sex. The E-Girl Trilogy is fucking brilliant because it so accurately captures this cocktail of emotions and ideologies, creating a fucking perfect caricature of the average man who looks and is just like Wilbur Soot. The persona is so well-crafted that most listeners who aren’t familiar with Wilbur as a person, or his political views, actually believe these songs are genuine and empathize with the narrators, can you imagine? And the fact that, in the process, Wilbur himself realizes that all of it is a fucking joke, that the narrator’s views on his love interest are weird and creepy and not at all normal or correct, is what makes it genuine satire. He embodies something so perfectly, only to mock it in the process of showing off how much he can embody it... I love satire, but I fucking suck at writing or accurately embodying it, so I’ve always been so fucking jealous of and beyond impressed by the E-Girl Trilogy’s use of satire.

Lol this isn’t 10k words, but it was much longer than I fucking thought it’d be. Basically, I really like Wilbur Soot, and writing all of this made me realize just how much I missed watching his VODs and streams...

#mcyt #asks #wilbur soot #wilbur #Anonymous #phantom

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cabinofimagines · 4 years

Text

Fears (Connor Stoll xReader)

A/N: Did two requests in one, I hope that’s okay :) Should I put a trigger warning about the gifs I’m using? some might need it... -Danny

Words: 1,358

Requests: Hello!! Could you write a Conner xreader where the reader is a child of Phobos and to cheer Conner up from Travis leaving they prank people at camp around Halloween? Sorry for bothering you! // idk if ur taking request so if not just ignore my annoying ass BUT I would fricking love a Connor Stoll x reader where she finds out an Aphrodite girl likes Connor and gets all jealous and gives him the silent treatment and just like ANGST YA KNOW!????

This was the last not how you were supposed to be spending October.

A child of Phobos is meant to be at their peak during Halloween, but you simply couldn’t, not after the way you’d caught Addison blatantly flirting with your boyfriend. Of course, Connor wasn’t known to be a flirt or anything, but still, that shit hurt.

You were new to the whole ‘relationship’ thing, the kids at camp had an ongoing joke about how awful it’d be to break up with a child of any of the ‘bad gods’ as if there any decent gods out there. They’d say, ‘Imagine having as your ex-partner a child of Hades, they would send zombies after you!’ as if the Demeter kids weren’t known for their love of vengeance.

Connor had been different though, he’d seen you as an individual. It was still quite recent, the relationship between you two, which is the reason why you still had communication problems like this one.

The thing that you didn’t know, was that Addison wasn’t flirting with Connor, she was merely talking to him, but Aphrodite kids are hard to read from a distance, they have this thing in the way they move and act that makes it look like they’re flirting, but it’s just who they are. Either way, what was done was done, and you were upset, and refusing to speak to your very confused boyfriend.

“How long are you going to keep this up?” Your friend asked you with concern. “You should just talk to him! You two look miserable!”

“I can’t,” You pouted. “I’m not ready to listen to what he has to say.”

“Isn’t it better than to be sad for nothing?”

“I’m not sad for nothing!” You defended. “Addison was flirting with him and he…. he just let her do it!”

“Y/N…”

“No, listen,” You continued, ignoring your friend. “I’ve been treated like I’m some kind of little beast, just because of my father! Because I may have inherited his… interests. Big deal, I don’t see anyone running away from Will and he knows how to handle a scalpel!”

“Y/N.”

“And the worst part is the irony! Oh, the freaking irony– I, a child of Phobos, afraid of confrontation! Afraid of what my boyfriend might say! He, a boy!”

“Y/N,” Your friend insisted, their eyes on something behind your back.

“Honestly, if I had known that Addison wanted to date him, I would’ve stood aside, I can’t compete with that!” You rambled.

“Y/N!”

“What?” You finally snapped, looking at her with annoyance. “What is it? Don’t try to convince me otherwise, you know I’m right– Wha- Why are you moving your head like that?”

“I think they’re trying to tell you to stop talking,” Connor’s voice said from behind you. “Because I’m right here.”

“See you later!” Your friend stood up and left, not wanting to hear whatever it was about to go down.

“Shit,” You let out under your breath, closing your eyes tightly. “Please be a nightmare, please be a nightmare.”

“You’ve been avoiding me…” Connor circled your figure and sat down in front of you, right where your friend had been seconds prior. “Weeks… all because you thought Addison was flirting with me?”

“Can’t we pretend you didn’t hear that?”

“Would rather talk about it so I can understand what gave you that impression,” Connor blinked a couple of times, unsure of what to say. “I mean… you know I’m not a fan of Aphrodite children.”

“So you say,” You scoffed. “But c’mon, who in their right mind would say no to them?”

“Who would say no to you?” He asked in disbelief. “Y/N, she was asking me about Travis.”

“What?”

“My brother, you know he left for college and… well, she was just asking if I was okay, apparently she could sense that I was ‘ruining everyone’s vibe’ whatever that means…”

“She wasn’t… she wasn’t flirting with you?”

“No! And even if she were,” Connor frowned, “you should know better than to believe I would just, I don’t know, play along?”

“Oh, Gods,” You blushed. “I’m so sorry!”

“You don’t have to say sorry–”

“I was an idiot! I was so unfair to both of you, judge you like everyone’s judged me, basing all my facts on her godly parent… I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot,” Connor sighed. “I guess I could’ve talked to you about Travis earlier, that way Addison wouldn’t have had the need to pull it out of my mouth.”

“I should’ve known you were missing your brother,” You retorted. “Of course you do, after all those years together… I knew you were worried and still didn’t ask because I was afraid of getting too personal– I know, I know, a child of Phobos afraid, that’s shocking.”

“I think it makes sense,” Connor smirked. “I’ve met children of Athena that love procrastinating, and Jason Grace’s never been one to enjoy dating several girls at the same time, right? We’re allowed to be different than our parents, and Travis is allowed to build his own life… even if I’m not always there.”

You held his hand and squeezed lightly. He kissed your cheek.

“We good?”

“Yes,” You smiled timidly. “Hey, maybe this is not the best way to handle it, but I have an idea… it might help you feel better about Travis.”

Connor raised a brow. “Okay…”

***

“They’re coming!” You whispered excitedly.

“Then be quiet or they’ll hear us!” Connor said in the same tone.

Sherman approached the big house entrance and spotted the bowl of sweets, he looked at it with feigned disinterest before walking up to it and reach out to grab some candy.

A hand jumped out of it, trying to catch Sherman’s hand. The Ares’ boy let out a squeal at the same time you stood up and took his picture, doubling with laughter as he fought against Connor’s hand.

“You two are going to pay for this!” He said, snatching his hand away in indignation.

“Cheer up, Sherman, it’s a silly joke!” You laughed, throwing him a bag filled with sweets. “There, thank you for helping us!”

“Helping you?” He frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Connor stood up, holding the bowl where his hand was stuck in.

“Our exhibition. Tomorrow morning we’ll put all the pictures we’ve taken so far in something we’ll call the ‘wall of fear’ so far we got Chiara, a few of my siblings, Will, and Chiron.”

“He did not appreciate it,” You grinned.

“Why would I let you do that?” Sherman scowled. “Why would any of us let you show to the rest of camp the pictures?”

“Because we just gave you a bag of free candy.”

“High quality, may I add,” Said Connor proudly. “And this is for the little ones, show them that even the big kids get scared sometimes, and that’s okay…. we also think the faces of the campers when a hand reaches out to grab them are hilarious.”

“Yeah, but we’re not pranking the children. Fifteen up,” You nodded. “We thought the young campers needed a little lift-me-up after all they’ve been through, you know, the wars and… losing siblings…”

Sherman didn’t understand jokes of that kind, but the war he understood, and he knew that soldiers needed incentives to keep fighting. He decided to let it pass just the once, for the little kids that would someday turn into -hopefully- decent heroes.

At the end of the night, you had around forty different pictures, all ready to be displayed. Connor and you sat at the front steps of the house, eating the remaining candy in the bowl, both smiling.

“Did it work?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Think so,” He said. “The pranks were fun, and maybe we’ll make some kids feel better about their fears so they don’t have to hide them from… you know, the people that care about them.”

“Yeah,” You reached out for his hand and held it tightly. “At least I know I won’t do it again.”

“Me neither,” He replied, gazing at you lovingly.

#pjo imagine #halloween fest #connor stoll xreader #connor stoll #hoo imagine #Danny's writing

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lord-westley · 3 years

Text

Doing this on a new post cause it was long

Thank you so much @thespiritoflife my Angel!! I was actually just thinking to myself yesterday that there has been a lack of tag games lately 😂

When is your birthday?

July 19!

What is your favorite color?

Blue will always be my favorite color, sometimes green alongside it

What’s your luck number?

I never really had one but I think it’s 18 now. Not a question but it’s funny, my unlucky number is 62, any download on any game or device etc, always gets stuck at 62

Do you have any pets?

Yes I do! 3 dogs and 4 cats

How tall are you?

I’m 5’5! Or more specifically 5’5 3/4

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I… own a lot. But it’s all goodwill finds so each pair was like $5-$10. I have work sneakers, “formal sneakers”, and Wish.com sneakers I bought for skateboarding. 3 different heels? And flip flops.

Favorite song?

Currently it’s Passerine by The Oh Hellos

Favorite movie?

Aside from LOTR? Disney’s Ferdinand the Bull

What would be your ideal partner?

Someone who is flexible energy wise. Wouldn’t mind going on crazy 2am adventures and suddenly bursts of energy. But also be able to vibe and just stay home and be lazy. Vibe in each other’s presence doing our own things. Also maybe little to no sex drive cause I uh.. no thank you 😅

Do you want children

Nope nada no thank you

Have you gotten in trouble with the law?

Yes, no?? Mom and I got pulled over once cause we didn’t realize we didn’t have the headlights on cause the area was completely lit until we got onto the on-ramp. Officer was like “have you two been drinking?” Mom “oh god no- coffee!”

What color socks are you wearing right now?

Turquoise with a darker turquoise stripes

Bath or Shower?

Shower 100% baths only for fun little things

Favorite type of music?

Anything but rap and maybe not country. Grew up on it and I’m kinda sick and tired of it

How many pillows do you sleep with?

On my bed? I permanently have 4 pillows. One is a body pillow as the “support” since I don’t have a headboard. Two normal pillows side by side since I have a full size. And a decorative pillow

What position do you sleep in?

Anything that’s comfortable. Sometimes sleeping like a running position. Sometimes fetal position. Stomach, or back. Usually only sleep on back/stomach when my entire right leg hurts

What don’t you like when you’re sleeping?

I have a forward tilt in my pelvic bone. So when I lay on my back, I don’t lay completely flat comfortably and it hurts

What do you have for breakfast?

Coffee lol. I have to wait 2-3 hours after waking up to eat or else I get sick. Blame it on waking at 7am everyday for school.

Have you ever tried archery?

Nope!

Favorite fruit?

Peaches, strawberries, watermelon, kiwi, banana, mango, oranges, pineapple… everything?

Favorite swear word?

I’ve been saying b*tch quite a bit lately.. but absolute favorite is biscuit, fiddlesticks, fudge, uhh. Anything that’s a fake swear word and funny to say

Do you have any scars?

I do! Not caused by any actual injuries but scars from having keratosis lol

Are you a good liar?

Depends if I rehearsed or if I’m scared if said person

What’s your personality type?

I don’t remember 😅

What’s your favorite type of girl?

all I guess? Everyone is unique in their own way

Left or Right handed?

Right handed

Favorite food?

Sushi absolutely 100%

Are you clean or messy?

I’m in the middle ground. There’s a few things here and there

Favorite foreign food?

Sticky Ginger Pork w/ Rice

How long does it take for you to get ready?

At most, 10 minutes. Brush my fingers through hair, change my pants and/or toss a jacket on. Deodorant, teeth. Done.

Most used phrase?

“Gog damn”

Are you a good singer?

No but I take pride in being able to sing fast parts of songs

Do you sing to yourself?

Not real songs. More just, whatever comes to mind. “Kitty cat you’re a kitty cat, meow meow meow meow meow, kitty cat, kit kit kitty cat”

Biggest fear?

Losing everyone

Do you like long or short hair?

On myself I like short hair better. But in general both are cute

Are you into gossips?

Only if it’s like, actual issues happening for a friend and they need to give the backstory

extrovert or introvert?

Introvert

Favorite school subject?

Forensic Science

What makes you nervous?

Everything

Who was your first real crush?

I’ve never had a real crush. It’s always just been. Oh he’s nice and not bad looking. 🤷‍♀️ it was almost like a demand in elementary and middle school to have crushes so I like.. had one but didn’t have one

How many piercings do you have?

Four! Two on each lobe

How fast can you run?

In general running, decent. It’s almost like just a jog. But if I really go at it. Holy frick the flash.

What makes you angry?

People who neglect their kids/pets. Granted I don’t like kids but I still understand that it’s not right. Toxicity, anyone who says to respect others but then goes ahead and hates others. Not genuine anger. It’s super hard to make me genuinely angry

Do you like your own name?

Meh. Not my favorite. The time I was born, the name Hannah was super popular and there was like 9 other Hannah’s in middle school. And I hated all of them cause they were stuck up and rude

What are your weaknesses?

Struggle to say no or express my feelings if I don’t want to do something. Honestly everything is a weakness, I’m mentally/emotionally stunted

What are you strengths?

Loyalty, silent loving by gift giving or quality time, uhh I always try to stay calm and kind even if it’s someone who annoys me

What is the color of your bed spread?

The sheets are pink with sprinkles and the blanket is a pretty dark navy blue.

What is the color of your bedroom?

Pure white aside from my bedroom door which is a gross pink tan, but I’m trying to paint it as a Minecraft door.

No pressure tag: @wishingtobeinadifferentuniverse @moonmaidensdream @tolkien-fantasy @justfollowtheroad @riddlesia @idle-thyme @im-almost-me and anyone else

#tag game

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kitkatopinions · 3 years

Note

Sending you a character: Penny

Penny, my poor baby girl. I have a lot of thoughts about Penny, so let’s go!

My top three ships for the character

Penny/Whitley has the potential to be very cute, I think, and they could really wind up looking good together, and they would validate and help each other. Penny/Ren is also surprisingly something that I had suggested to me that I really enjoy! They could have such good dynamic and such a natural, warm relationship (I need to look up art of that!) Also Penny/Ciel. Did we only see her for one scene? Yes. Did she only have three lines? Yes. Did Penny say Ciel was forced to spend time with her? Yes. Are they adorable, and could they be an incredibly cute, well balanced, friend-based, Atlas BFFs turned girlfriends ship? Abso-fricking-lutely. (I almost put Nuts and Dolts on here because it used to be my favorite Penny ship, and I still kind of ship it for their V3 selves, but it got soured for me in canon.)

My three least favorite ships for the character

Penny/Jaune is over and done with. Outside of being a direct abuser, the quickest way to make a ship unshippable for me is to have one of them kill the other, even if they do it on request. Emerald/Penny, same as Emerald and Jaune, only her killing Penny was ill intent and Penny didn’t ask for that death, so... Yeah. I could never ship them. Also Nora/Penny is probably my third least favorite ship. They are both very similar, but I think Nora is too pushy and bossy for Penny, and Penny isn’t willful enough to challenge Nora.

My biggest criticism for the character

They never should’ve turned her into a flesh human. I know I’ve talked about this a lot before in other posts, but it was pointless, it didn’t affect her at all, it came with problematic messages and every part of it up to and including the animation and framing was badly done. And also, it ruined her allusion. More on that below!

My favorite thing about the character

Her sincerity and emotional depth made her a great character. In the first three seasons, that made her become fast friends with Ruby and made her good for hinting at a bigger picture through her naivety and trusting nature, and her love for people and clear pure heart made it gut wrenching when she killed and only in the best ways. In the seventh and eighth season, she was one of the only characters that I actually felt for emotionally, because it was clear how torn she was, how much she was despairing, how hard she was trying to do everything she could. And despite the fact that she didn’t do much more than Ruby to actually help people in V8, she had some really valid excuses, including the fact that she was getting manipulated on both sides, from Ruby and Ironwood, from both of their teams. She was a bright light in V8 when there weren’t a lot of characters I was cheering for, and that was largely due to how clear and well depicted her emotions were.

A headcanon I have about them

Penny sees Ironwood as a beloved uncle. Is this canon? No, but I will not stop writing it into fan fictions. When I write for RWBY, I write Ironwood to have been heavily involved in the creation of Penny, and that he was actually completely on board when the idea changed from ‘it’s going to be a weapon’ to ‘she’s going to be my daughter’ (and side note, I think the design was then altered from what was going to be a young adult to a mid-range teenager.) Ironwood was heavily involved in Penny’s training and her day to day life, and Penny was so fond of him and was always eager to tell him anything new she learned. Ironwood was protective of her in Vale because he didn’t want anything to happen to her while she was clearly still young enough to be incredibly naïve, and he wanted to keep her safe since he knew there were infiltrators in Vale. He started funding and helping with the reconstruction of Penny as soon as he got her back to Atlas, and he was one of the first people she saw when she woke back up. But Penny didn’t really think ‘uncle’ until she talked to Ruby later about Qrow, and while Ruby was describing ‘protector/care taker/provider/loves you/but not always there/can leave, she was like O.O “That’s just like General Ironwood! Is he like my uncle? I’m going to call him ‘Uncle General Ironwood the next time I see him!” I don’t care if this isn’t canon. XD

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I do think I would resurrect her again. I think she was a great addition to V7 and 8 and I’m a big fan of Penny, but I would keep her a robot and I would keep her alive! Penny is very OP and making her become a Maiden makes her even more OP, so it’d be hard to keep her with Team RWBY throughout everything. I enjoy splitting teams every now and again, so in my version (which would not include evil Ironwood and instead ‘just needs to do some adjusting, which Team RWBY have to do too,) I’d have Penny be torn, hesitant, saddened... But then she stays on Ironwood’s side! And then I might have her left behind in Atlas too, to maybe have a side plot with Qrow and not-dead James.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Like with James, I think that Penny’s character allusion was really strong before season eight and then it all goes to hell. Although she’s much more connected to the Disney version than the original tale (in which Pinocchio is a scheming, frustrating, hard headed person always getting into mischief and straight up murdered the cricket giving him advice) Penny is a person made by an older crafter, who does break the rules and restrictions she’s given, but only in an effort to have fun and make friends, and she has connections to a blue themed magical girl, and a lying tell in her hiccups, she doesn’t want to be held down, but is often swayed by the opinions of others due to her naïve mindset and the fact that she wears her heart on her sleeve. The clever subversion of her character in the first seven seasons comes from the fact that Penny never needed to ‘become a real girl,’ because she already was one. Her journey instead involved getting that affirmed and Penny breaking away from the swaying of other people and the metaphorical strings that held her back from being the person she wanted to be (well intentioned strings or otherwise.) Although I would want Penny to join James’ side based on her own moral compass, the show did manage to have her breaking away from what others wanted from her and wanted her to be by leaving the life she was trained and kind of born into, and they had her personhood affirmed by having her become a Maiden, given that ‘exclusive to women’ power by the aforementioned blue themed magical maiden. But like with James, this clever and interesting subversion gets chucked out the window in the eighth season, when they threw out the affirmation of her as a real person and real girl in the robotic body she learned to value by having it stripped away from her and die in front of her while she became a flesh human. And they stripped away her ‘breaking away from the strings of the people trying to tell her who to be’ qualities, and they replaced that with ‘doing whatever Ruby wants and letting Ruby talk for her’ and then they just had her die while claiming it’s the only choice she’s ever made - despite that being totally false! So... Boo. Having her not have her lose her robotic body and having her not die, plus having her decide to stay with James through her own moral compass (and then trying to convince him to let Team RWBY help) would I think be plenty enough to make her a really good, interesting, even clever subversion of Pinocchio even if she is mostly based on the Disney version.

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a9saga · 3 years

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I wanna make one thing clear. Nobody killed Jenny Schecter. Nobody. Not even herself.

The L Word was the most sloppily written, most lazily dramatic show, and it never cleaned up any of its undeveloped sub plots that they began once and then suddenly dropped entirely and pretended never happened. I swear to God the writers must have never revised a damn script. And this wasn't the type of thing that you only noticed if you're really hypercritical of shows you watch. Very little in the show happens subtextually. It's not a subtle show. Its on fricking Showtime.

Jenny herself over the course of seasons is an example of how the show would just create drama without reason. In season one she and her boyfriend just moved into west Hollywood next door to a couple of lesbians and through one experience with Marina at a party hosted by some of the neighborhood lesbians, she begins to understand she is really intensely drawn to this woman and her boyfriend is at this point still seemingly necessary to her new life, but he doesn't hold up to her interest in this woman no matter how guilty she feels. This makes sense as a plot point. This is how you begin a show about a bunch of lesbians in proximity to one another. The new girl in the neighborhood wants to ditch her fiance for a woman she just met. And after all this Marina stuff subsides eventually, Jenny is a decently developed character. She has flaws and good traits alike. She's messy but she's passionate. She's a drama queen but she cares about people. For instance, Max? Jenny is the main support system for Max in his transition at first, she's really like the only one enthusiastic for him about the whole thing besides that Scottish guy who does drugs in Kit's restaurant and has a couple of otherwise completely unacknowledged sex scenes with Max that dont develop into anything else and don't matter in the future to the show at all. Again. It's a Showtime show. You get the quality you should expect.

And Max is another great example of a sub plot the writers lose interest in! He's a priority to the show for basically just that one season. Honestly they treat Max like shit and lose all interest in him until they get him pregnant in the last season and even then he's only in like every other episode for a few minutes. That was mean. And so was Jenny. Jenny has like, anti-character development throughout the show which is not normal for writers to do to a protagonist. She goes from Jenny Schecter, aspiring writer and newly out lesbian in a new neighborhood to Jenny Schecter, two faced bitch with princess syndrome. They just start writing her in being obviously mean and wrong. And when Max gets pregnant suddenly she's misgendering him on purpose left and right and to my memory maybe the shittiest person to him about his pregnancy? Except of course for Tom, Jodi's interpreter and the guy who got him pregnant who was all on board for parenting the baby until for no reason he gets up in the middle of the night and leaves Max's room and never comes back. Oh and immediately changes his phone numbers apparently, and I guess cuts off contact with everyone on the show or something. That was also just a sudden, uselessly dramatic thing the show threw in that you didn't want it to, that was not justified other than to fuck over a character in a vulnerable situation, and which isn't even in character of the guy who did the thing.

But anyway. This is all to say that no member of the main cast killed Jenny Schecter. You know why? Because the writers are too fucking lazy and careless to make you want to point the finger at anyone, again, including Jenny herself. They don't give you one particularly good reason why anybody might've done it or how they were possibly tied to it. They don't give you reason to think anybody is more likely to have killed her than someone else. They give you nothing to work with in your mind's eye besides your ability to understand who in the main cast hated Jenny the most already. Jenny up and died for no reason because you aren't properly made to raise an eyebrow at her death. Jenny's death is another undeveloped subplot that the show isn't interested in seriously developing, except it is meant as the dramatic series finale to leave you at the edge of your seat so they want you to think it's *mysterious* except that's actually just a recurring fault of the show. Half assed undeveloped melodramatic subplots that get dropped and written out well before your mind forgets them. Don't let them trick you into thinking this was clever of the writers. It's not. It's so consistent with the headache inducing and lazy writing of the show it's absurd. Nobody killed Jenny Schecter. Mark never recorded Shane and Jenny in their own home. Papi was never falling in love with Kit. Etc etc. Ultimately none of this shit happened because they were unfinished and dropped entirely, and the whole murder mystery of Jenny's death ended up being less important than everyone being interrogated by police and explaining their personal history in the show like it's fascinating when weighed against this sudden death. Alice sighing and explaining "the only person I ever loved as much as Tasha... was Dana 😔" is just the investigation being a substitute for therapy. The murder mystery is an afterthought to the cast's final reflection on their relationships to each other just to stick in your mind after the show ends the way the writers want them to. And then they're like. Oh no but who killed Jenny? Nobody. God killed Jenny. Big Bird killed Jenny. The old rescue dog Jenny adopted to put down and then seduce the vet she took him to came back to life and killed Jenny. I killed Jenny. Your mom killed Jenny. The Joker killed Jenny. No one in the main cast killed Jenny. The writers just want you to think they did enough to make you think one of them did. They didn't.

Now that we've established the absurdity of the l word, why did I watch the entire show? Because I was a senior in high and a newly realized lesbian of course. That was more than 4 years ago now. I finished just before Showtime announced they would be bringing it back. I haven't watched generation q so I can't tell you anything about that. But my confliction for the original show as well as my really weird and intense love for Shane are both documented on this blog. I can't believe watching the l word in senior year and falling way too deeply and all-encompassingly in love with Shane is not a universal or even common experience. What were you guys doing senior year? Haven't you watched the l word?

#i started this show because the women on unsolicited project aka the gay women channel referred to it all the time and said it was hilarious #i thought it was gonna be a sitcom....#some of their opinions stuck out to me and oh boy i do not agree with some of them #the answer to 'who is worse jenny or tina' is not BOTH. okay? don't even fucking. no.#when the fuck did tina adopt an oldass dog just to seduce the vet who puts him down #as elaborate revenge for the vet's girlfriend's negative review of your book like??? what the fuck????#no one is worse than jenny that bitch is fucking ridiculous #in her worst moments tina never pulls any of the nonsense shit jenny does don't even go there #shut up kaily #catharsis #the l word

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afraschatz · 4 years

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Leverage: The 12 Steps Job

It‘s been a while since I‘ve done one of these, but I‘m rewatching Leverage yet again (SHOW, I MISSED YOU) and here are plenty of things I love about ‚The 12 Step Job‘: I love…

… The montage of Hurley in the car and how he walks into his office. Man, that is one NEAT character introduction because when you first watch this, of course he could pass as an absolute jerk and the baddie of the week – despite the client‘s description of him as enthusiastic and sweet. But at the same time this is just how he is later on in this ep and when he returns in The Boys‘ Night Out Job: An absolute slob and a complete mess but also very congenial (how much he knows about all his co-workers? Sweet) and with his heart in the right place.

… Nate being a complete dick and so fucking in denial about his alcohol problem here. I haven‘t watched season one in a while and it‘s so interesting how his and Sophie‘s relationship is so different here (the biggest shift of course being between s2 and s3 where Nate decides to take a vacation in prison and Sophie runs the crew in the meantime – this changes things forever). But it‘s so cool how Gina‘s acting walks the thin line between being the one who is absolutely in the right here and being just that bit annoying that allows Nate to justify implying that she‘s overly dramatic

… Eliot‘s hair is ON FIRE in that episode, wow and that blue shirt *chef‘s kiss*

… how the team works together in figuring out where Hurley might be. Yes, it‘s season one and Nate is very much calling the shots – and he is the one narrowing it down here – but Eliot and Hardison specifically absolutely pitch in.

… Sophie‘s and Eliot‘s little eyeroll at Hardison‘s dropping strip club knowledge

… ‘if Billy was a drunken sex fiend’ – hahaha, Parker, spot on as always – and Eliot‘s and Hardison‘s responding expressions. Come on, boys, don‘t deny it, you‘re in love with her already.

… that look on Nate‘s face when he figures out how to find Hurley. His whole expression changes, his gaze focusses, he leans forward and that drunken haze is gone for the moment

… how Eliot and Hardison constantly share the same frame <3

… Eliot‘s little DELIGHTED smile. Okay, his and Hardison‘s delight in strip joints doesn‘t quite fit later seasons, so we all can just agree that Hardison asking for change for 100 in singles is just because they really want to tip generously for the chicken wings there or something :)

… Eliot‘s and Hardison‘s synchronized walk off

… ‘Don‘t get mad, Eliot, I may have spilled slushie in your car’ and his badly acted expression of contrition hahaha, no one is buying that, Hardison

… Eliot and Hardison being extremely sexy in sitting in Eliot’s car (and as so often, look at the perfect way that shot is lit! Hardison’s and Eliot’s faces both fricking glow)

… very smartly dressed random thugs

… the messy way the fight scene is shot – close ups and very wobbly camera moves, and how you can still tell how efficiently Eliot fights and how… well not all that efficiently Hardison is. And yes, again, it’s season one, so Hardison grabs the gun and shoots it, too, instead of just sitting back and chilling while he watches Eliot beat people up (which is way better than the strip joint idea anyway)

… Eliot being annoyed with Hardison

… ‘Is he sleeping?’ LOL, yes, Sophie, that’s why Hurley is using the air bag as a pillow

… Nate looking progressively more like the absolute mess he is as the episode progresses

… - how confusing is it that Sterling’s Theme is used and Sterling isn’t immediately around the next corner? That is SO cool because yes, he shows up later, or rather: withdrawal!Nate hallucinates him; and so his theme music this early in the episode is almost like foreshadowing

… everyone in group therapy apparently understanding Sam perfectly well aside from Nate

… Parker having to read from the cheat sheet she wrote onto her lower arm to get her three-sentence-character-intro right

… Hurley’s massive list of addiction, with the climax of “Tacos”

… “Uh-huh” - and Sophie and Nate having another fight while everyone else in the group is already tired of it. Especially Parker, if one were to judge by her VERY subtle expressions.

… Parker aggressively chewing on the meds the doctor gave her. I absolutely LOVE the way she constantly gives other people this uncensored WTF-look in season one

… Eliot being smart in the parking lot. I have so much love and respect for how that’s played here again – Eliot is the one who has to have 360 vision, it’s his job to anticipate problems in all forms and sizes

… Hardison’s bricks-on-the-seat plan. That’s so great because he might be the smartest guy Eliot knows TM, but he is fucking afraid here and panicking and that’s not conducive to coming up with super clever plans, is it?

… Hardison and Eliot working together while bitching at one another - “Yes, there are a lot of wires! It’s a Com-Pu-Ter!!”

… Hardison’s brain rebooting as he figures out that it’s a computer bomb and the system needs to be re-booted

… Eliot trusting Hardison’s knowledge, and Christian’s acting here – knowing Hardison is right, being low key annoyed by it, being just a bit unsettled (that lip quiver!) “Run that sack of bricks by me again...” - “Are you ready?” - “NO!” and his trembling hand - he is so good at rapidly changing expressions and tones

… “I’m gonna go and freshen up a little bit. Maybe cry a little”

… Hardison thinking on his feet and that sweet Jamaican accent – Eliot thinking that is sexy, and backing him up with a bomb

… and again, Kane’s acting – that beat and that look before he says “Sure” when Hardison asks whether he’d have saved him as well

… Nate’s withdrawal. So well done. Over all, the show is SO good at showing that alcoholism is a sickness and a serious problem, even if (especially if!) Nate doesn’t acknowledge it

… HARDISON AND ELIOT’S DATE AT THE RECEPTION DESK. - So, while in the scene before, Hardison takes the lead in acting their way out of the situation, here it’s Eliot by shamelessly flirting with the receptionist. And Hardison’s FACE throughout this. Like, bro, do we have time for this? DO WE? - And then “I’m with him”. And Eliot trying so hard not to burst into laughter, especially when Hardison is doing that thing he is famous for which is shamelessly over-acting just to piss Eliot off. - The ringing of the reception bell and “Bring yo ass”. And none of that even being mentioned in the next scene. - So much quality content in this episode.

… Sophie taking over for Nate when Nate very obviously can’t, and her tone of voice changing to what we’ll get to know from season three Sophie

… Parker coming up with a believable story and selling it. Up to the point where her make believe parents found gold under their trailer…

… Nate’s withdrawal getting worse, Tim’s acting is brilliant here.

… Sophie talking differently to Nate than before. Yes, she still seems to focus on Nate and how Nate is being a dick to them and particularly her, but her voice is different and she uses the real emotion between her and Nate’s exchange to get what they need from Hurley; the list of people he wronged. Brilliant little twist here, because of course Sophie is focused on the con and on helping their client, especially now that Nate is threatening to lose his focus entirely

… that Genesis? Veeeeery subtle product placement, Leverage hahaha

… “I checked your notes - he seems like a deeply troubled man” - Thank you, doctor, yeah. Nate IS a deeply troubled man. And again: Nate’s withdrawal getting much worse, and the con threatening to get out of hand. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s really great how they used this episode to focus so much on Nate’s alcoholism. It’s something so important not only for later seasons but also for the upcoming s1 finale, and we’ve watched enough episodes at this point that we understand WHY this happened to him. And this episode doesn’t offer an easy fix, nor do the following seasons. “Just give me something to do” is what Nate says here, and Sophie has to decide whether or not this is really the right thing to do

… “He is an addict, he knows how to manipulate people, my father was an addict, my grandfather was an addict, I know how these people operate” - yes, Nate, we know who you’re talking about. And so does Sophie

… Sterling as the one Nate hallucinates. Because Sterling knows him, because they used to be friends, because Sterling is as ruthless as Nate is (well, nearly), because Nate is still projecting and in denial that he is in fact talking about himself. So what does he do? He imagines his former friend who is now on the other side, chasing him. - I’m not too big a fan of Sterling in later seasons but this is such a STELLAR use of his character, and Mark’s acting is brilliant here, and so is, of course, Tim’s.

… “Knocking on heaven’s door” - ouch

… Nate’s aggression towards Hurley, first in a physical form and that is scary but also less dangerous because it’s unfocused; and then when his mind has something to focus on, that sharp sharp focus – fuck, he’s one scary dude indeed, it’s rather disconcerting that one is looking at Hurley for emotional reassurance in this scene…

… Parker’s strange walk because of her meds and the return on her focus when her thief-self kicks back in

… “If you’re doing it to help someone, doesn’t that make it okay?” Good question, Hurley. Your answer, Nate?

… Nate shoving Hurley in the hallway rather than explaining what’s going on. Funny, and sliiiightly sloppy, Mr Ford

...Tacos :)

… Eliot and Hardison sharing the same level of annoyance and then acceptance. So in tune in this episode, these two

… re-using that bomb. Everyone does their part in sustainability and careful usage of resources ;)

… the thugs thinking the bomb thing was done by the Jamaicans, aka Hardison and Eliot

… Eliot’s and Hardison’s reservations in the flashback. “Uh---why?” from Hardison and Eliot’s emphatic headshake

… the cash in the tire. Very practical choice, Hurley

… HURLEY JUST WANTS A HUG

… Hardison going the extra mile with Hurley’s new identity by getting him a gym membership

… Parker’s brilliant drawing!!!

… Parker smelling the Sharpie

… Parker running, PARKER HUGGING ELIOT AND HARDISON!!!! OT3!!!

… and that song, that is a variation of “What shall we do with the drunken sailor”, right?

Seriously, this is such a dark episode for Leverage standards because of that focus on Nate’s addiction, and yet, it’s counterbalanced by so much Hardison/Eliot fun and competence porn, by Sophie’s strength and by the fact that the villain of the week has a redemption arc. I love this show so much and this mix shows why again; such a delicate balance, so beautifully handled

#leverage #nate ford #sophie deveraux #eliot spencer #alec hardison #parker #Things I Love About #The Twelve Steps Job

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arlakos · 4 years

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Things that I feel would have made Miraculous Ladybug a better show.

A Comprehensive Guide to what I would fix with Miraculous Ladybug, with 10 different Ideas.

WARNING: long post for mobile users

1. Combine the Riposte and Captain Hardrock episodes to introduce Luka and Kagami and have it be strictly a civilian episode.

After 3 seasons of Miraculous, I can safely say that I don’t care much about the whole lovesquare stuff, and to be frank I hate the fact that Luka and Kagami were added into the show just to be alternate love interests for the heroes.

I mean, Kagami gets a pass because she has a unique personality, but Luka is literally just every guitar teen ever, and is more one dimensional than season 1 Chloe.

EDIT: It really doesn’t help that because of these new ships, there is even more ship teasing that before, making the whole romance side of miraculous rather boring and filled to excess with ship teases

HOWEVER, if you really wanted to introduce these characters as alternate love interests, why not do something unique with it and in a way that won’t go over so long?

My idea is as follows

1. Have Adrien meet Kagami at fencing and Marinette meeting Luka with Kitty section.

2. Have the two main characters interact with these new love interests and learn more about them.

3. NOT have Hawkmoth come and akumatise anyone, because akuma’s shouldn’t be the only reason and/or way to progress the show or make it interesting.

4. Have the new single episode be about Adrien and Marinette falling for new people.

That way, the show can introduce the idea of new love interests, change the episode format so a bit so that its not so linear, and save an episode slot for a episode idea more interesting... Or perhaps instead restrict the whole alternate romance subplot to a few episodes as part of a small storyline and have the whole romantic subplot be done with instead of extending it is like with the Lovesquare over 2 seasons

EDIT: I don’t particularly like the ship, but the idea I’m proposing could be a good way to shorten it into a more coherent and more interesting plot, instead of adding another ship tease into the series that ends up tearing the fandom apart.

2. Have Season 3 be about Ladybug and Cat Noir teaching the 3 new heroes how to fight.

Season 3 is trash. There I said it. And its not just the episodes themselves are the problem. The whole season and the premises it tries to introduce are garbage as well.

Lets start with Lila.

Based off of the Chameleon episode, it was believed that Lila would be a more prominent character in the show, basically being a villain for both Marinette and her alter Ego. Despite that, her actual effect on the season was about as minimal as you could get, with her presence only being restricted to a few episodes (with these episodes more relying on everyone else being an idiot for them to work, Chameleon included). It also didn’t help that the show still stuck to the single episode format, meaning Chamelon, which was meant to be an episode that would set up a ‘war’ between Marinette and Lila was immediatly suceeded by episodes such as Gamer 2.0 and Animaestro, both of which did not feature Lila at all and took the tension out of the first episode (unfortunately not the salt though, rip Miraculous Fanfics)

Also, the Finale robbed Lila of her spotlight. Imagine being presented as the villain of season 3 only for you to be replace with a knockoff Queen Wasp 😭.

Season 3 also made the mistake of introducing new heroes into the show.

Now, I’m of the opinion that the new heroes introduce in season 3 were a mistake, because not only did the new heroes make the idea of getting a miraculous not so special anymore (with so many new heroes), but some of the designs, powers and/or Miraculous tools were not really that great. I mean, Viperion looks cool and all, but his tool is a goddamn lyre. At least a yoyo can be used to tie up people. And do not get me started on Pegasus.

Also, with all the new heroes introduced, it meant that the heroes from season 2 barely got any screentime. Chloe was made into a villain by the end of Season 3, while Rena Rouge got to appear once and my boi Caracace got only one episode out of the ENTIRE SEASON to appear.

But I do have a solution to at least on of these problems.

What if, in season 3, that season was all about Ladybug and Cat Noir teaching Rena, Carapace and Queenie how to actually be heroes and form a team of 5? It would help bring some new dynamics into the whole hero stuff, and we could potentially see more of the stuff that we had only seen in heroes day.

(Also, rewrite heroes day so that the 3 heroes don’t immediatly get akumatized and actually help Ladybug and Cat Noir. God, they got ripped off for all the hype build-up.)

It could allow for new stuff in season 3 such as:

More hero dynamics

Seeing Alya, Nino and Chloe adapt to daily heroics

Ladybug (and Chat) learning how to be leaders and mentors, which would then make the plotline about Fu passing on his title to Marinette make more sense and justified, since they didn’t do that in season 3 at all.

A more realised storyline about Chloe’s identity being public knowledge that goes on for more than two episodes

Also it means we could get rid of Lila...just saying.

3. Have Miss Bustier work to rehabilitate Chloe and have that be the starting point of Chloe’s redemption.

In recent months, there has been a lot of salt aimed at Miss Bustier, and to be frank I don’t think she deserves it. Her characterisation is honestly really heartwarming when it comes to the idea of teachers caring for their students, but her character can often be forgotten by writers, especially when they desire a story to tell. This can be seen as early as Origins, where she ignores Chloe outright bullying Marinette so the latter can stand up to her later on, but notices Ivan being angry at Kim so Ivan becomes Stoneheart. I personally think her character is lovely, and certain fanfic stories like the Miraculous World of Caline Bustier show that good side of her that so many salt fics fail to forget or intentionally ommit because of one bad episode where Marinette cries (chameleon).

However I do think that Chloe gets way out of hand in the show, and I do feel that despite her best intentions, Bustier not doing anything about Chloe for two seasons seems a bit...off putting.

But what if she did do something about it?

I think that the best way for Ms Bustier to act more like a teacher without breaking her ‘kind teacher’ status would honestly be to actually work on rehabilitating Chloe, either by working with her after school with exercises or recommending her to a psychiatrist for help. I know this can come off as dark for miraculous, but Chloe has already shown that her life beforehand has been a bit rough (even though it doesn’t nullify how she has acted in season 1), so it would make sense that Chloe would need some help with her behavoir/attitude. It would be a great way for Bustier to actually do something about Chloe’s behavoir, without compromising her kind personality. She is kind enough to care about Chloe being better, but assertive enough to do something about it.

Plus, for those who like Chloe, it could be a great way to redeem her properly without going back and forth between a ‘likable person but also bitch’ and ‘an asshole bitch with no redeeming qualities’ like in season 3. Plus it would then make Chloe becoming Queen Bee more fair instead of making it seem as if she doesn’t deserve to be a hero.

Also it would make those people who make salt posts about Bustier frick off. Leave her alone she’s a good character

4. Not having everyone immediately liking Ladybug/Marinette but not hating her either.

Ok, this is where I get really heretical with this post, especially because of how much of the fandom likes Marinette, but I feel that having every single character in the show immediately liking Marinette is a bit too much, at least for me. This sounds biased, but it causes problems for the show for two main reasons.

Marinette is kinda at this point a part-Mary Sue, at least when it comes to the idea that everyone in the world seems to like Marinette and the only ones who don’t are irredeemable pieces of trash who are probably villains (Lila and Chloe being Astruc’s favorite examples :/ ).

Marinette often has everyone agreeing with her on everything (when Lila isn’t there) and majority of the time she goes unnopossed with anything that she does, to the point where even a fireman doesn’t call the cops when he see’s her outright breaking into Adrien’s home (in Oni-Chan).

It would be more interesting (or at least more realistic given the setting) if most characters aside from a few important ones were mostly indifferent towards Marinette, aside from ones such as Alya, Nino, Adrien and Nathaniel for obvious reasons. I’m not saying they have to hate her, but it would be cooler if the rest of the class were more individuals with their own lives and focus, rather that characters with a trope who just revolve around Marinettes world.

Also those girl squad moments in Miraculous seem kinda forced, mainly because Alix, Mylene, Rose and Juleka don’t seem like the type to hang with Marinette unless the episode calls for it like in Gigantitan and Reflekdoll.

Now, lets discuss Ladybug.

To keep it simple, I think that it would make more sense if people weren’t immediately trusting of Ladybug at first, and I feel that as seasons go on, it would make sense that over time, people would eventually start to lose trust in her or start to feel angry at her for her inability to stop Hawkmoth permanently.

I mean, if you take episodes such as Syren (where said villain floods a whole city), it is likely that some people got hurt (or worse) and people would eventually start to worry that Ladybug could fail or that her Miraculous Ladybug could stop working.

It would wouldn’t help that Hawkmoth is mostly focused on getting Ladybug and Cat Noirs Miraculous, and people would start to realize that and would start to get the idea that if Ladybug and Cat Noir gave up their Miraculous, Hawkmoth would leave them alone.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t think that this has to be a permanent thing that constantly worries the heroes like in other shows such as Ben 10, but it would be an interesting storyline for Miraculous if some people in Paris would start to get fed up Paris being used as a battleground for heroes and villains.

Also, it would make sense that the class likes Ladybug at least, especially for saving them in season 1.

EDIT: Changed my opinion, read my reblog

5. Have Adrien fall in love with Marinette and Ladybug fall in love with Chat - AKA I’m tired of the lovesquare.

I’m gonna be frank with you, I’m a little biased on this one, mainly because I can’t stand the lovesquare stuff. Its annyoing because people fight over which ship they like, and tbh it has gone on for way too long.

It also doesn’t help that it ruins the main characters. Marinette suffers because she can act like a creepy stalker at times, memorizing his schedule and even stealing his phone, yet can’t even speak to him properly (or more importantly like an actual friend) in a majority of episodes, making her look both creepy and/or idiotic.

Chat Noir also suffers, but even more so due to double standards by the fandom. I don’t think Chat is a sexual harasser like SOME might want to thing (looks at the salty side of fandom), but I do think he flirts WAY the fuck too much, to the point where it wastes most of his character. At least him making more jokes would be better than flirting.

So, my idea is to get rid of all that.

Let Marinette actually talk to Adrien, learn about him, care about him like he’s an actual human being, and actually be a good friend for once rather than being friends through Nino and Alya. Let Marinette actually be kind to Adrien and have her actions make Adrien realize that he likes her more than a friend, rather than Plagg telling him something he wants to deny.

And on the reverse note, Have Chat stop flirting and be more caring. I want Chat to treat Ladybug like she’s the greatest thing in his world, and not by flirting with her during akuma fights, but by checking how she is daily, wanting to spend time with her on lonely nights to make her feel better, and overall being more a friendly (yet lovestruck) partner than the flirty sidekick that Astruc wants to relegate him as. By all means, let him pun and make jokes during fights, that’s part of his charm, but I want Ladybug to fall in love with a Chat Noir that stands by her side, cares about her to the point of overkill and makes her always feel better no matter how down she feels.

And THAT’S what the lovesquare should be about, a story about two characters falling in love with two amazing people, not realizing they are one an the same.

I want Adrien to fall in love with the extrodinary Ladybug who changed his world forever and the simple but amazing Marinette who loves him for who he is, and not what he is. I want Marinette to fall for the sunshine Adrien that is too pure for this world and made her smile on a rainy day, but also for the caring Chat Noir that has always stood by her side no matter how dark the situation has gotten when fighting Hawkmoth, and has always cared about her to the point where cannot help but love him for who he is, puns, humor, love and all.

That’s what I think would make good romance in Miraculous Ladybug

Also Adrien doesn’t deserve that kinda salt btw. FIGHT ME.

6. Have Akuma battles actually cause an impact on the show.

Akuma’s are both a curse and a blessing for Miraculous Ladybug. A blessing because the powers can be unique and the designs are pretty to look at (minus a few), but a curse because the way they are written is responsible for Miraculous Ladybug’s stagnation and also how character issues are resolved.

Someone gets sad because a personal problem, they get akumatised, the return back to normal thanks to Ladybug, and their personal problem is suddenly resolved. Rinse and Repeat. All of the damage caused by the akumas is fixed, and no one seems to be affected by the akumas long term.

So...why not change the last bit?

I think that the akumas should do more than just trash Paris and not by being more evil, but by also have an effect on people mentally, similar to how people write about Chat Blanc causing Marinette to have PTSD. I don’t think the akumas have to be more threatening then they are, but I do wish that certain akuma’s or even the experience of being akumatized would affect certain characters more than what is shown.

Like say, how about an idea where Style Queen suddenly trying to turn Chloe into a statue, and not caring for the fact that she is her daughter, causing Chloe to straight up hate her now that her true colors are shown? Or perhaps an episode where people get hurt due to rubble from a battle, and one of the main characters sees someone greviously hurt despite them being fixed after the battle? These are just some ideas, but as is, akumas feel somewhat of a let down, because despite their cool designs, they are just one-shot glorified henchmen of Hawkmoth who are essentially forgotten after a single episode.

EDIT: I personally got some asks saying that giving characters PTSD would be a bad thing for a kids show, so Im just gonna clarify: I dont think that the characters should get PTSD, but I do think akuma battles should matter, given that some akuma backstories are made from more personal problems but are treated as with less seriousness than expected and often times fixed instantly by the end of the episode.

7. Give Luka a personality

Luka is the personification of every soft spoken teen music player ever and has the personality of the song Wonderwall. Next.

8. Have Alya not try to Figure out Ladybugs identity.

For someone who has read hero comic books, Alya should realise that trying to expose someone’s public identity is a VERY BAD IDEA.

9. Have Ladybug and Chat Noir unlock new powers on their own, rather than having to rely on Gimicky power up potions.

I’m gonna be frank, the power up potions are lame as heck. They are essentially glorified costume changes that add new stuff onto the suits, which doesn’t sound that bad until you realise that Miraculous Wielders are capable of Changing thier costume designs anytime they want, meaning more likely than not they could probably just change costumes without the potions. Even the Aqua form is pretty lame once you realise that Ladybug and Cat Noir’s tools function like water breathing devices.

Instead, I think it would be cool that as the heroes wear their miraculouses, they star to bond with them as they get close to their kwamis, allowing them to unlock new abilities over time, similar to how learning the basics of martial arts follows into more advanced styles. It would also make the miraculouses feel more magical and add more depth into them, as it turns the miraculous from magical jewellery that give powers, into a magical experience that grows and changes as the wielder and Kwami bond together on a spiritual and magical level.

It would also help to offer contrast between the heroes and Hawkmoth, because while the latter doesn’t have a timer for his powers and is stronger (for the time being), the heroes bond with their kwami’s and unlock new abilities in the process, while poor Gabe is stuck with his base powers due to forcing Nooroo against his will, only able to unlock more abilities through cheating (aka Scarlet Moth).

10. Change Hawkmoth’s story

Hawkmoth is about as bland of a villain as you can get when it comes to villainy. Even with the whole sob story of Gabe’s wife in a coma and her trying to bring him back, Hawkmoth himself has always been all over the place, especially when the writers try to bring the two sides of the character together. They want him to be unwilling to hurt Adrien in one episode, but then for him to be a dangerous and despicable villain in Chat Blanc. It gets really annoying, as they both want him to be a sympathetic villain, but also a villain who isnt afraid to be pure evil as well.

Also Mayura doesn’t help much with the story either. Before she was revealed, people were speculating that she was a new person would be the actual big bad of the show, and it was rumored that she would be Hawkmoth’s boss, and also the possible reason for Hawkmoth getting the Butterfly Miraculous, which could have been used to expand upon Hawkmoth’s character, and potentially have some sympathy given to him if the writers wanted to go that path, with Mayura being the new evil of the show. Unfortunatlely, it turned out Mayura was Nathalie all along, essentially being a glorified henchman for Hawkmoth, and not only that, but her powers were a copy and Paste of Hawkmoths own abilities (Villain infects an object, something something magic, Ladybug needs to destroy an object and purify it in order to return it to normal)

They could have at least given the job of purifying feathers to Chat, would have made him more essential in season 3 if Mayura was actually used more.

Hawkmoth’s character has stagnated, and personally, I think he needs a rewrite.

Some ideas that I have for Hawkmoth that could make him a better character better are:

Have Mayura be the actual big bad of the show (and a completely different character) and have Hawkmoth be her (somewhat unwilling) lackey. She could also be written to be crueler than Hawkmoth, and could show how Hawkmoth is a more sympathetic character by having him only focused on his son like in Gorizilla, while Mayura’s the one more likely to pull a Chat Blanc situation and absolutely torture the poor cat into being an akuma. Also, it would still allow for those Nathalie/Gabriel moments without ruining them with character changes.

Have the Butterfly Miraculous be corrupted with dark magic (thus allowing Hawkmoth to make possesed villains), but as a side effect make him more crazy, causing him to go from the kindness we see in Gorizilla to the ruthlessness seen in Chat Blanc. (On a a side note, the idea of the Butterfly Miraculous being corrupted would make more sense, given that it can corrupt people into being villains, and would also explain how something that is supposed to be used for good can be used for evil.)

(My Favorite one) Have Gabriel and Hawkmoth being entirely seperate characters. Have Gabe keep the book like in canon and have the Peacock Miraculous be broken, but Hawkmoth is for all intents and purposes a different person who is also a villain. It would allow for Hawkmoth to become an actual villain without the moral restrains made in season 2 with the revelation in The Collector, while also allowing for a story with a nuanced yet kinder Gabriel. Perhaps even a story where Adrien reconnects with his father.

I think that all of these story ideas would really help make Hawkmoth a better character, either by allowing him to be a villain that the writers want him to be like in Chat Blanc, or the sympathetic villain that wants to fix his family.

And that’s about it! Do you agree with this list? Don’t agree? Got more ideas? Reblog this post and write about what you would fix with Miraculous

#Miraculous Ladybug #List of shit i would fix with the show #A comprehensive guide to fix the show we love but also don't love #Sugar all around for these badly written characters #Chloe redemption #or more like a way to make a well written Chloe redemption #No salt on this post!#Adrien or Miss Bustier Salt can go somewhere else!#Miraculous Lovesquare

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 3 years

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The Last Word: Shirley Manson on Fighting the Patriarchy and How Patti Smith Inspires Her

The Garbage singer also talks racial justice, living for now, and why legacy is an inherently masculine concern

Almost as soon as Garbage’s self-titled debut blew up overnight in 1995, their singer, Shirley Manson, became aware of the patriarchy running the music industry. Even though she was the group’s focal point — belting dusky electro-rock songs about making sense of depression (“Only Happy When It Rains”) and taking pride in nonconformity (“Queer”) — she was still a woman fronting a band of men, one of whom, Butch Vig, had produced Nirvana’s Nevermind. Almost immediately, she felt as though her role in the group was being devalued — not by the guys she worked with, but externally.

“There was a lot of stuff written about me in the music press, and that’s when I started to realize how I’m being diminished, how, in some cases, I’m being completely eradicated from the narrative because I’m female and not a man,” she says now. “I was talked over by lawyers; I was ignored by managers. The list goes on. It’s boring and tedious; there’s no point in me moaning about it now, but certainly, that was my awakening.”

That revelation emboldened her to speak out about equality and she quickly became a feminist icon, using her platform to bring attention to human rights, mental health, and the AIDS crisis. All the while, she wrote inclusive hit songs with Garbage about androgyny and reproductive rights (“Sex Is Not the Enemy”). On Garbage’s great new album, No Gods No Masters, she grapples with racial injustice, climate change, the patriarchy, and her own self-worth. But as weighty as the subject matter is, she approaches each song in her own uniquely uplifting way.

“I don’t think really the record is serious, per se,” the singer, 54, says, on an early May phone call. “I think it’s an indignant record. I think in indignance you can still carry humor with you, as well as softness, kindness, and love in your heart. I just felt it would be inauthentic to say anything other than what I was saying in my daily life across the dinner table from my friends and my family. I think as you get older as an artist, the challenge is, ‘How I can be my most authentic self?’ because that’s the most unique story I can tell. In an industry that’s just absolutely jam-packed to the rafters with ideas, opinions, melodies, and so on, you can’t afford to be anything other than your most authentic self. It won’t last.”

Authenticity and being true to herself are the qualities that have made Manson who she is. And those traits seem to guide her answers to Rolling Stone’s questions about philosophy, life lessons, and creature comforts for our Last Word interview.

What are the most important rules that you live by? I’m 54, which is ancient for the contemporary music industry. At this point, I feel like if it’s not fun, then I’m uninterested entirely. If somebody’s treating me poorly, I have to walk away. Life is so fricking short, and I’m three quarters of the way through mine already; I just want to have a good life, full of joy.

Who are your heroes and why? Patti Smith is a huge hero for me for a lot of different reasons. Most importantly, it’s because she’s a woman who has navigated her creative life so beautifully and so artfully, with such integrity and authenticity, and she has proven to me that a woman, an artist, does not have to subscribe to the rules of the contemporary music industry.

It’s very rare for other women to see examples of women actually working still in their seventies. That, to me, is really thrilling and really inspiring, and it fills me with hope. At times when you come up against the ageism, sexism, and misogyny that exists in our culture, I always try and picture Patti in my mind’s eye, and it always brings me back to center, like, “OK, adhere to your own rules. Design your own life. Be your own architect. You can continue to be an artist the rest of your life.” And to me, that’s life. That is a fully lived life.

You’re also a role model yourself. How do you handle that responsibility? I’m a bit speechless if the truth be told. I realize that I’ve now enjoyed a long career in music, and by default, I think people are inspired by that. I think whenever you see an artist, no matter who they are, when someone can endure, I think that’s exciting to everybody else, because it’s a message that says, “You too can get up when you think you’re done. You too can brush yourself off and try again.” By just continuing, you can help other people continue and fulfill themselves in ways that they thought they wouldn’t be able to.

I try to be a decent person. I make mistakes. I fuck people off. I say stupid shit. I’m not all-knowing; I am ignorant in so many ways. But I do try my best. I think that’s really all I can ask of myself.

How others perceive me is absolutely out of my control. There’s always going to be people who think I’m an arsehole, and that’s just part and parcel of being in the public eye. People are just going to hate on you, so I try not to take too much of it in; I don’t let it absorb me too much. I have gotten to that point in my life when I’m able to just go, “You know what? Fuck it. You can’t win them all.”

You once said that the idea of legacy was a masculine construct that you don’t believe in. Do you still feel that way? Yeah. I still very much believe in that. I know a lot of male artists who bang on about their legacy and their importance. Not to knock that if that’s what’s important to you but for me personally, what do I care? I’m going to be dead and gone and totally unconscious of any so-called legacy that I might leave behind. I want fun now. I want to have a good life now. I want to eat good food now and have great sex. It’s absolutely meaningless to me what happens after I’m gone. I want to use my time wisely, and that’s all that I really am concerned with, to be honest.

What is it about legacy that’s inherently masculine? This is armchair psychology, so please forgive me, but I’m sure it has something to do with how women have this uterus that can bear children. I think that’s profound. One of the few gifts that men have not been given is that ability to create with your body, and your blood, and your heat and all these nutrients from your body. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why you don’t hear as many women banging on about the great legacy they’re going to leave behind. I think for women it’s their kids.

You’re Scottish. What is the most Scottish thing about you these days? I’ve got a lot of grit, and it’s served me really well in my career. I think that is a really Scottish trait. The Scottish people are tough, and they also have a good sense of humor. So, grit with humor. I should say “gritted with humor,” in the same way we grit roads.

As you were saying “grit,” it occurred to me that a lot of your songs are about survival and moving forward, going back to “Stupid Girl” or “Only Happy When It Rains.” They’re about perseverance. [Pauses] I think it’s funny you should say that because I’m just sort of like, “Wow, he might be right.” I do think that a huge theme for me is, “How do you overcome? How do we all overcome?” Things can be great for a while; things will not be great forever. And to every single life, these challenges appear. We all have to reconfigure ourselves in order to try to hurl ourselves over obstacles in order to have the kind of life we hope for. So I do think you’ve shocked me a little by discovering a theme for me. Yay, I feel thrilled. I have a theme. It’s exciting.

“Waiting for God” is one of my favorite songs on the album because of the way you address racial justice. How can we, as a society, fight white indifference? You know, that’s a question right there. It’s interesting that you use the words “white indifference,” because one of the things that shocked me so greatly is the ambivalence and the apathy of white people all over the world who are seeing what we’re seeing on our TVs and on the internet, and yet not having the moral courage to speak up. I think the most important thing we can do is pull back the carpet to see the mess on the floor in order for us to actually start cleaning it up.

If we could curtail some of the brutality of police against black people, that would be a good start. I think it’s going to be decades and decades and decades before we can start to really equalize our societies so that everyone is enjoying the spoils of Western wealth over in the developing world. It’s necessary that we try and help these countries that aren’t as powerful or as wealthy. It’s good for the whole world if we start to improve situations for everyone. Nobody will lose anything, and everyone has everything to gain.

But if I had the answers to how we go about fixing it, I would be in politics and not in music. I just know what I believe to be right, and I’m doing my best to use my voice to try and encourage my friends, my little ecosystem, to start with paying attention and supporting black businesses and elevating black voices and black talent.

What’s your favorite book? I have so many. The one that springs to mind would be American Pastoral by Philip Roth. I loved All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I loved The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje. I loved Winnie the Pooh and Wuthering Heights. I’ve got so many that have really stuck with me that are classics.

My most favorite recent book that I’ve just finished reading is Dancer by Colum McCann about [Russian ballet dancer Rudolf] Nureyev. I was just absolutely mesmerized by it. It was just such a fantastic read, and he’s such a miraculous writer. He brought out Apeirogon last year about the struggle in between Palestine and Israel. He talks about this complicated mess with such clarity, kindness, and generosity. I couldn’t believe Apeirogon didn’t get more fuss made of it last year. Somehow it just seemed to get buried in the morass of other books, and of course the suffering that Covid had brought upon the earth.

What advice do you wish you could give your younger self? “Take up your space.” When I was growing up, to be a girl was to be told to minimize the space you took up: “Close your legs. Don’t be loud. Smile. Be cute. Be attractive. Be pleasing.” I inherently balked against that as a kid. I was a rebellious kid, and I wasn’t going to sit in the corner and be quiet. I’ve never been like that. However, looking back, I still notice some of the patterns of my own compliance. It’s not that I hate myself for it, but I just wish I could turn around and say to my young self, “Take your seat. If there’s not a seat there, drag a seat up to the table and sit down.”

I’m still really aware of the sexism and misogyny that I have had to battle throughout my career. I’m not crying, “Woe is me,” because I’ve obviously flourished in my career, and it obviously didn’t hold me back enough to hamper me in any way. But I feel for all the women who were unlike me, who didn’t have my forcefulness of personality, or my education, or my ability to articulate myself. I want that for all people, though; I want all people to stop trying to please, and accept that some people will like that, and some people won’t, and that’s OK. It’s OK that some people just don’t dig you.

On the topic of gender, I got a kick out of your song “Godhead,” where you ask if people would treat you differently “if I had a dick.” I’m really proud of that song, because I think it’s talking about something really serious, and it’s really fun. It’s about addressing the patriarchy, and how omnipresent it is. When I was young, I was so busy trying to make it, I didn’t see that there was a patriarchy in place. And it’s only as an adult, I start looking back going, “Oh, wow — when that A&R man told me to my face that he wanked over pictures of me, that was really uncool.” But at the time, you kind of laugh it off and just press on.

I was oblivious to it. In this song, I’m talking about how patriarchy bleeds into absolutely everything, specifically under organized religion. The “Godhead” is the male, and we are all under the godhead forever, and that’s unquestioned, and how crazy is that? Because a dude holds a higher position in society, because he’s got a dick and a pair of balls. Often, these balls are smaller than my own [laughs].

It just gets silly after a while, when you watch other men protect other men just for the sake of protecting the patriarchy. So few men are willing to speak up about bro culture and call into question the behavior of the men they are associated with. There’s just a reluctance by men to address this absolutely shocking, terrifying, depressing, pathetic assault by men of other people’s bodies.

In 1996, your bandmate Butch Vig said about you, “So many singers screamed to convey intensity, and she does the opposite. It just blew us away.” How did you come up with that approach? I don’t know. I’ve found that when people speak to me quietly, I feel the most threatened because I’m really comfortable with conflict. I thrive on conflict. It excites me in a funny way. When people are shouting, I don’t feel scared. I like to shout back; that’s just how my family were. We’d just start to shout at each other all the time. I’m not scared of elevated temper. For me, when people get really quiet, that’s when I know they’re really serious, because they’re in control of their rage, and that’s when they’re most deadly.

The last question I have is a shallow one. I love being cheap and superficial.

What’s the most indulgent purchase you’ve ever made? At the height of my success, I hired a person who would shop for me and then send everything in a big box to my hotel room. I would choose what I wanted and return anything else. One day, this beautiful pair of Italian leather boots arrived. I wore a pair very similar in the “Stupid Girl” video, and I thought, “Oh, yeah, these are really me. I’m going to keep these. These are amazing.” It was only when I got back from tour, I found out they cost $5,000. I can’t even laugh about it. It makes me so crazy. I still have these boots. I’d like to get rid of them just so that I never have to look at them again, but there they are every day, warning me of my own greed.

#shirley manson #garbage #2021 interviews

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apex-academy · 3 years

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Chapter 5: Caring Is a Hazard to Your Health (#8)

And that’s the new floor. An exciting adventure. Exciting enough to make me tired, at least.

I part ways with my exploration group and head back to my study hall.

“............”

It’s... rough. All those high-quality customized rooms that the owners will never get to see. Even on other floors, a lot of them have lost their owners after just a little while. This whole place is getting too empty.

Is this over yet? Does the mastermind really expect us to keep killing each other?

Given our track record so far, guess it’s reasonable.

But we’re all too tired now, aren’t we? Nearly too tired to put one foot in front of the other, let alone murder someone who’s helped us make it this far. And if the “game” keeps going, the young master is going to run out of players. Not much of a murder mystery if you’re down to yourself and the last culprit.

Is there some way we can get this called off? Please? Please...

“...”

My head hurts trying to come up with something, so I give it a rest. Enough of that. Just play pool a while. I don’t have to save the world. Just keep moving forward. If I cross an opportunity, I’ll work with it. I’m in no condition to scrounge up any new ones.

I play a good few rounds before calling it a day. Head downstairs.

I don’t hear anybody else until I reach the main hall.

“Is that an argument...?”

I hang back, but I don’t hear any punches or objects being thrown. Just some half-raised voices. With a frown, I continue forward.

Kanagi and Kaichi stand in front of the cafeteria doors.

“ ‘s literally mold, though?”

“Well, if you don’t want it, there’s totally no problem, right? Just give it.”

“ ‘f ‘s legal tender, ‘m not gonna do that.”

“Fine! Then what are we betting on?!”

“ ‘m sure we can figure out something.”

“All right!!”

“Can y’ at least promise y’ won’t actually eat it?”

And just like that, Kanagi’s newfound excitement crashes.

“That’s the entire fricking point, dude!”

“...”

“There’s just, like, a lil bit on it, right? I’ll totally just scrape it off, no worries.”

“Not how mold works, brah..”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Kanagi jumps. Kaichi waves like he actually knew I was right here.

“Kakumi, awesome! Back me up, ‘kay?”

She points at him.

“He’s totally got the last surviving dorayaki and he doesn’t wanna give it to me just ‘cuz there’s, like, a little mold on it.”

“And you still want it?”

“It’s the last one!”

And this fixes the problem how.

Kaichi leans against the wall.

“If w’ end up with some freako allergy stuff ‘thout ‘ny doctors here, that 'd be real bogus.”

“Otherwise ‘m all for eating suspicious crap.”

“Like, I told you, I don’t have allergies!”

“Thaaaat y’ know ‘bout.”

“Are you really that desperate for another dorayaki?"

“Well, Yuks can’t make any more, and, like, the mold’s not gonna get any better, so I should totes just take it now, right?”

“Why’s who not making more?”

Kanagi sighs.

“ ‘Cuz detergent got spilled on the bean paste and Monochap’s too DUMB to replace it.”

“And nobody wants me to eat the detergent, either.”

“Yeah, would also ‘dvise against that, brah.”

I don’t register the impending clunks, but I don’t jump when Monochap appears, either.

“I-I’m not dumb...!”

“I just can’t restock something that’s still there!”

I look from face to face to... whatever we’re calling Monochap’s. I turn, open a door, and walk into the cafeteria.

“Kakumi?”

One or two people follow me. I don’t bother checking. Just step, step, straight into the kitchen.

“Where’s the paste?”

Kanagi leads the way but rapidly loses track of where it’s supposed to be. She’s still trying, though.

“I’m, like, close...”

She locates a box and pulls it off the shelf. She starts to offer it to me but pulls back before I can take it.

“Hang on, are you gonna eat it? How’s that any better?!”

“...”

I grab the box, and she doesn’t see fit to stop me. Great, since she’s tall enough to play keep-away pretty well. I walk over to set it on the counter and open up the lid. Smells about right for red beans and detergent. Guess this is it after all.

I take a step to the sink and chunk the entire wad of red bean paste into the drain. Turn on the garbage disposal. Turn off the garbage disposal. Put the empty box down and walk away.

There’s a beat before anyone responds.

“Well, guess ’s not still there.”

Kanagi looks from me, to the sink, to Kaichi, and back to me.

“OH MY GOSH YOU’RE A GENIUS.”

“Sure.”

“WHERE’S YUKS OH MY GOSH—”

She goes plowing down the hallway. I leave her to it.

...I get the distinct impression she’ll still go after the moldy dorayaki later, but.

Whatever. Problem solved. Let’s go... do whatever it was I was doing.

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