#thank you for reading this long rant

[ofbreathandflame]

With the rise of booktok/booktwt, there's been this weird movement against literary criticism. It's a bizarre phenomenon, but this uptick in condemnation of criticism is so stifling. I understand that with the rise of these platforms, many people are being reintroduced into the habit of reading, which is why at the base level, I understand why many 'popular' books on booktok tend to be cozier.

The argument always falls into the 'this book means too much to me' or 'let people enjoy things,' which is rhetoric I understand -- at least fundamentally. But reading and writing have always been conduits for criticism, healthy natural criticism. We grow as writers and readers because of criticism. It's just so frustrating to see arguments like "how could you not like this character they've been the x trauma," or "why read this book if you're not going to come out liking it," and it's like...why not. That has always been the point of reading. Having a character go through copious amounts of trauma does not always translate to a character that's well-crafted. Good worldbuilding doesn't always translate to having a good story, or having beautiful prose doesn't always translate into a good plot.

There is just so much that goes into writing a story other than being able to formulate tropable (is that a word lol) characters. Good ideas don't always translate into good stories. And engaging critically with the text you read is how we figure that out, how we make sure authors are giving us a good craft. Writing is a form of entertainment too, and just like we'd do a poorly crafted show, we should always be questioning the things we read, even if we enjoy those things.

It's just werd to see people argue that we shouldn't read literature unless we know for certain we are going to like it. Or seeing people not be able to stand honest criticism of the world they've fallen in love with. I love ASOIAF -- but boy oh boy are there a lot of problems in the story: racial undertones, questionable writing decisions, weird ness overall. I also think engaging critically helps us understand how an author's biases can inform what they write. Like, HP Lovecraft wrote eerie stories, he was also a raging racist. But we can argue that his fear of PoC, his antisemitism, and all of his weird fears informed a lot of what he was writing. His writing is so eerie because a lot of that fear comes from very real, nasty places. It's not to say we have to censor his works, but he influences a lot of horror today and those fears, that racial undertone, it is still very prevalent in horror movies today. That fear of the 'unknown,'

Gone with the Wind is an incredibly racist book. It's also a well-written book. I think a lot of people also like confine criticism to just a syntax/prose/technical level -- when in reality criticism should also be applied on an ideological level. Books that are well-written, well-plotted, etc., are also -- and should also -- be up for criticism. A book can be very well-written and also propagate harmful ideologies. I often read books that I know that (on an ideological level), I might not agree with. We can learn a lot from the books we read, even the ones we hate.

I just feel like we're getting to the point where people are just telling people to 'shut up and read' and making spaces for conversation a uniform experience. I don't want to be in a space where everyone agrees with the same point. Either people won't accept criticism of their favorite book, or they think criticism shouldn't be applied to books they think are well written. Reading invokes natural criticism -- so does writing. That's literally what writing is; asking questions, interrogating the world around you. It's why we have literary devices, techniques, and elements. It's never just taking the words being printed at face value.

You can identify with a character's trauma and still understand that their badly written. You can read a story, hate everything about it, and still like a character. As I stated a while back, I'm reading Fourth Wing; the book is terrible, but I like the main character. The worldbuilding is also terrible, but the author writes her PoC characters with respect. It's not hard to acknowledge one thing about the text, and still find enough to enjoy the book. And authors grow when we're honest about what worked and what didn't work. Shadow and Bone was very formulaic and derivative at points, but Six of Crows is much more inventive and inclusive. Veronica Roth's Carve the Mark had some weird racial problems, but Chosen Ones was a much better book in terms of representation. Percy Jackson is the same way. These writers grow, not just by virtue of time, but because they were critiqued and listened to that critique. C.S. Lewis and Tolkien always publically criticized each other's work. Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes had a legendary friendship and back and forth with one another's works which provides so much insight into the conversations black authors and creatives were having.

Writing has always been about asking questions; prodding here and there, critiquing. It has always been a conversation, a dialogue. I urge people to love what they read, and read what they love, but always ask questions, always understand different perspectives, and always keep your mind open. Please stop stifling and controlling the conversations about your favorite literature, and please understand that everyone will not come out with the same reading experience as you. It doesn't make their experience any less valid than yours.

#long post #literary critique #literary criticism #booktok #books & libraries #booktwitter #but yeah it’s really hard for me to embrace booktube #and BookTok when the conversations that are most prevalent #are the ones telling people to not be critical of what they’re reading #esp the ones who desparately don’t want to understand differing opinions #‘how could you not like this’ or ‘how could you hate this character’ #easily #because I can #a traumatic backstory isn’t gonna erase a bad story #it isn’t going to make a character or book compelling #more trauma doesn’t make the story more complex #see: with fourth wing. #thank you for reading this long rant #congrats if you make it to the tags💀😭

[phatcatphergus]

I think something so wonderful about sunny is that she is such a little girl. The admin that plays sunny does such a good job of giving her a distinct personality but in a way that everyone who was a little girl can identify with. I’ve seen so many people talk about how they acted like sunny did as a kid or would remember specific memories with their dad that they made as a kid that sunny and tubbos dynamic brought back to the surface.

Sunny being a little firecracker and “spoiled” girl while also being incredibly shy and kindhearted and wanting to be friends with everyone. The way she has an idea of what people like (money, fame, respect) and trying to demand that because she wants to be someone important and respected like a leader or princess would but still giving “poor” members diamonds to become rich because she would never want to turn away a potential friend.

It’s genuinely so sweet and beautiful that so many people can relive personal parts of their childhood as a little girl/kid and remember the good times and awkward time and see how they’ve grown as a person just from a Minecraft egg. It’s so fun to watch sunny interact with tubbo and think of how often I would “help” my dad with projects or how I would demand wearing a dress over a skirt because I wanted to look fancy for dinner.

It really just reminds me how we are all people and all experience similar things growing up. No one had the same situation, or the same family or even the same country, but we all had the same emotions and feelings and we can all identify with them by watching a Minecraft egg as silly as it sounds

#I just love how sunny admin is able to bring so many different people together with the same emotions and feelings #but we all have such different backgrounds #it’s genuinely heartwarming that a pixelated egg can do that #maybe i’m overthinking it #and maybe I’m emotional bc I’m pmsing but I want to cry when I see sunny and think about how I grew up #and how much I loved my dad and how similar sunny and tubbo are to me and my dad when I was sick #qsmp #qsmp sunny #qsmp sunnysideup #meta analysis #kinda???? #I’m just being corny and w emotional #qsmp tubbo #tubbo #thank you to anyone who read my long ass rant LMAO

[sacchiri]

Hellsing 2002 calendar illustration.

Ein wunderliche und erschröckliche Hystori von einem großen Wüttrich genant Dracole wayda Der do so ganz unkristenliche marrter hat angelegt die mensche, als mit spissen als auch die leut zu Tod geslyffen

A wondrous and frightening story about a great berserk called Dracula the voivode who inflicted such unchristian tortures such as with stakes and also dragged people to death

#hellsing #alucard #kouta hirano #translation was found in a comment by u/lazyfoxheart on r/Kurrent #fun fact this is the highest quality version of this image that exists online #i know because i've been looking forever for a version that's clear enough to actually read what hirano wrote under '1443' #but there weren't any so i had to take matters into my own hands #the real image on the back of the guidebook is only 2 inches tall so i had to take this with my smartphone and will my hands not to shake #anyway i'm pretty sure it's supposed to say Eğrigöz (the location vlad was imprisoned) so yeah. thank you hirano very cool #if i might rant for a sec it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure that out because i didn't have the guidebook at first #and in the images i could find online that part was just a blur that looked suspiciously like a person's signature and i was like. who tf #i was thinking matthias corvinus since he issued some political propaganda against vlad iirc but it didn't match his signature on wikipedia #then i thought it might be vlad II dracul's since he probably had to sign an agreement to send his sons over as hostages at some point #but that didnt seem right either so i kept skimming vlad's wiki page #and then i was like goddammit...hirano.....you just misspelled Eğrigöz didn't you.. .... #i maybe should've made a separate post dedicated to this instead of writing a novel in the tags but eh #the hellsing brainrot runs deep #also- i put it in the source link at the bottom of the post but the german inscription is copied off a real woodcut of vlad from 1491 #except instead of depicting him as an adult hirano drew him as a child which gives the inscription a very different feel imo #the one final thing that interests me about this is the fact that hirano published this calendar in 2002 #which is REALLY early in the series. like this was before volume 5 came out?? #i have no idea why he decided to do a massive spoiler drop in a random piece of japan-only merch #sandwiched between a drawing of alucard as john travolta from saturday night fever and integra as a fish no less #it makes me really curious to know what the fan response to this was back then. like did people even know who this was #maybe im just an idiot and everyone back then was like 'ah yes its alucard as a 12 year old. how very informative'

[mangokabuto]

Proof of Usopp and Nami being Luffy’s vice/co captains? I would (genuinely!) love to see your thoughts and evidence, bc big agree

(Context:)

Hello anonymous tumblr-using friend!

As someone with a lot of knowledge of & a great passion for real-life historical piracy, I have VERY STRONG OPINIONS about how the Strawhat crew would fit into an actual golden age crew structure. When I said "I have proof" I was jokingly referring to my knowledge of historical piracy and how the characters slot into those trends, not any sort of "in-anime/manga proof" of Usopp and Nami being ""co-captains"" with Luffy, so if that's what you're here for then sorry lol.

BUT if you want to learn a little about golden age western-world piracy, (and my "au" of sorts for how each crewmate would be recognized in that context,) stick around! :)

(extremely long explanation under cut LMFAO)

First off, as i said in my heated/j tags, "captain" did not usually mean what Oda makes it mean in OP's world. I am ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN Oda is just as passionate about & did plenty of research about historical piracy, and is clearly pulling a little from wakō history, but mostly from golden-age western piracy (specifically mostly the post-spanish succession period, to my estimation).

That being said. Why he puts so much emphases on Captains and First Mates is BEYOND me, because irl they were not as important.

The captain WAS important, don't get me wrong, but they weren't the sole reigning commander of a ship. They were more like a figurehead, most of the time. This is a sortof flimsy metaphor, but think of Captains like the modern-day king or queen of England; They're hyped up as the #1 leader, they're an important charismatic face for the group, and they technically have last-say on important matters, but they are beholden to two other groups (like the cabinet and the prime minister).

During the golden age of piracy, most crews were commanded by a group of three people. These three people were usually the Captain, the Quartermaster, and the Bosun. Each filled a different role on the ship, and all three were democratically elected by the crew. In all important matters, the three would discuss together how to proceed/solve the current problem, and though the Captain COULD overrule the other two at any time, that typically got him handily shoved overboard via mutiny. By technicality there was a heirarchy of power between the three stations, (with Captain usually being the top dog, then the Quartermaster, then the Bosun just above the rest of the crew,) but in practice they held equal sway in decisions that would effect the entire crew.

HOWEVER, outside of "big crew-wide decision-making moments" where you needed to assemble the three leaders, they didn't always have to coordinate. Depending on what situation the crew was currently in, one of them would be de-facto in charge of the crew, and the other two would step back unless the one currently in charge did something that needed to be challenged, like they made a bad decision or (in a more extreme case) broke the articles.

The Captain was in charge during times of battle. The captain's primary role was as a fighter, performer, and military commander! If the crew was attacked or about to attack someone else, the Captain would immediately take charge. (Now, real pirates weren't actually violent in practice as frequently as pop culture would have you believe, but that's a whole other topic. The reason "performer" is listed in the Captain's "jobs" is that part of their responsibility as a captain worth their salt was to scare enemies into surrendering without a fight through theatrics and reputation.)

The Bosun was in charge when the Boat was damaged or needed upkeep. The Bosun was not always the greatest carpenter or shipwright in their own right (in fact, in larger crews, they usually weren't either of those things), but they would be the one to get together with the shipwright and worksmen and assess damage, organize repair teams, and keep the boat running as well as possible. The crew followed their lead during repairs, and they were the go-to authority on any matters concerning the physical boat.

The Quartermaster was in charge the rest of the time. The way the Bosun is in charge of the physical boat, the Quartermaster was in charge of the crew. They were responsible for enforcing the articles, dealing out discipline, and the crew's general well-being outside of battle. In that same way that a bosun didn't have to be a shipwright, a quartermaster wasn't usually a doctor or cook, but they worked closely with them. Being in charge outside times of battle meant that the Quartermaster was also in charge of headings and navigation, and more often than not they were the ship's navigator, or head navigation/deck officer if their crew was large enough to have more than one nav. They also usually handled the crew's finances/pay and cargo. Is this starting to sound familiar yet.

So. After establishing the roles. I don't think I have to persuade you that while Luffy is most definitely the Strawhat Captain, Nami is our Quartermaster and Usopp is our Bosun. At the VERY LEAST this is true on the Merry Go.

You could possibly persuade me that Franky takes Usopp's place as Bosun once they get the Thousand Sunny, but I would be hard to convince. (I could be persuaded that Usopp loses his position as bosun on the Sunny, but Franky does not behave like a bosun as much as a head carpenter, and Usopp functions like his carpenter's mate. It's almost like, post-timeskip, they don't have a bosun anymore, and Zoro fills the newly empty position on the leadership trio?)

Now, these roles are not concrete, and they didn't always make up the "management trio" on a pirate ship. Some very small crews just didn't have enough people that they needed to single out their three favorite guys; they could just all vote on important decisions together. Sometimes the management trio included the surgeon or the first mate instead of the bosun. There were many crews where the Quartermaster was considered the top-dog highest authority instead of the Captain at all times. Even during the golden age pirate crews varied greatly, but the Captain/Quartermaster/Bosun trio was most common.

As for the ship hierarchy, there was a trend you could rely on no matter who the "three leaders" were. Everyone was generally considered of equal importance on a crew, (hence the elected offices and avenue for mutiny,) but there was a chain of command of sorts? Or at least people who would be shown greater respect and responsibility based on what they provided for the crew:

Captain and/or Quartermaster

Bosun and/or Surgeon/Doctor, and sometimes the First Mate

Everybody else, including captain's other mates.

Speaking of Captain's Mates... On larger crews, every important role on the ship had a "mate," or an apprentice chosen by the person in question to replace them if they should die, or otherwise be out-of-commission. Quartermaster's Mate. Bosun's Mate. Doctor/Surgeon's Mate. Carpenter's Mate. Etc. However, the Captain had MULTIPLE MATES, because his job was front-line combat focused. Ergo, he could easily die and need a replacement. Quickly. And his replacement could need a sudden replacement! So, depending on the size of the crew, the captain could have anywhere from two to eight mates, who were ranked by number. That's why the captain's highest-ranking mate is called the First Mate. Because there was usually a Second Mate. And then some more of em.

The First Mate's job is to be a good ass fighter, and back the Captain up on whatever they're currently doing. They hype the Captain up and enforce the Captain's decisions, no matter what that decision is. This is why they were usually not put in the management trio on most crews, cause you could imagine. The conflict of interest. (There's supposed to be three of them so that no one member has too much sway. Which could be sabotaged if two of the three are captain and captain's favorite soldier LMFAO)

I have no idea why, in the world of One Piece, all of the emphasis seems to be on Captains as the end-all-be-all leaders of their ship and the First Mate as the second in command. Especially when Oda clearly KNOWS about the other roles, since he's written characters that fall into them like perfect puzzle pieces!

...Well, okay, I have some idea. This is a shonen series for teens and being the captain/king/etc is wish fulfillment, and wouldn't be as cool for the projecting readers if you were part of a leading council with two other mooks. But. I can still be salty about it LMFAO <3

#These roles put Usopp's objection over scrapping the Merry in a slightly new light huh? :) /j #i love pirate lore #thank you whoever's here for reading my long ass pirate history rant #i love you for indulging my hyperfixation muah <3

[enhanced-operatives-division]

Junicrane/Starstruck Ramble

I will not be brief, all under the cut

To clear some things right off the bat:

No corpse, no proof with Juniper. Obligatory this is set in a canon where he's alive and adjacent to the agency in some way.

Reggie & Juniper are just gay to me, but I don't mind any interpretation of their sexuality

The games are set in 1967/68 to me (based on a couple bits in game) which is before it was legal to be gay in America at least (1971), which is relevant to how I interpret canon as being somewhat grounded in reality, despite unrealistic elements.

This is just an insane amount of headcanons/elements of and AU all culminated into one post. I will talk about some headcanons like they're just facts because they are established in my head, and it saves me over explaining literally everything, however I will explain some parts a little bit for clarity.

Alright. Actual beginning of the ramble:

Juniper is a character to me who had gotten so lost in his job as an actor and a social presence that in the end his whole life revolved around that 'role'. Because of this, by the time he's put into the situation where he's around the Agency, he basically knows nothing about himself, though he doesn't realise at first. Furthermore, what little identity he had has changed in so many ways. He's no longer a beloved famous actor in the prominence of public light, he's legally dead and he tarnished his career just before he was supposed to die, with the bonus of that making him lose the majority of his estate. From that, he also has horrific facial scarring from the electrical burns from literally having his face fried. I believe a friend of mine made a post about this a while ago (I also think they were the first to think it up also), but, to me, Juniper has a permanent trimmer in his right arm (aka his dominant hand) from the electrical current and it is messing with his nervous system.

All in all, he's not doing great, but he's too proud to admit that he's not doing great, because if anything, what's left of his ego is all he has as a defense since he's deep in unfamiliar water.

Before ending up around the agency (I have multiple interpretations of this, so I'm just going to bring it up generally), he'd never actually seen Reggie, and his only impression of him is a single voicemail, which was his only reference he had to later impersonate him. Juniper probably has very little feelings other than the ones he projects onto him because of Phoenix and that, at the very least, he's physically attracted to Reggie to some degree (that's like the beginning of how everything else would tumble into place in this sort of interpretation at least).

And on Crane's side? His feelings towards Juniper are probably very intense and muddled. On the one hand, he adores musical theatre, and that's his now ex-favourite actor. The thought of just casually being around him blows the bit of fanboy in him away at first because THAT'S the GUY, plus the inklings of a celebrity crush which still poke at him. And then there's the rational side of him, which knows Juniper has committed absolute atrocities on the side of Zoraxis, and hates him for that. Then there's how much Juniper comes off as an asshole at first because he refuses to cooperate with anything the Agency tried to put in place. He finds Juniper endlessly frustrating, and yet he's stuck working with him since, afterall, he's the one who knows the Agency's history with Juniper the best. I imagine him acting a lot like how he does IEYTD 1 around Juniper.

At this point, I'm just describing the pitch for a romcom.

I think the start of their relationship with one another largely started with Juniper trying to wind Crane up. It was a way of getting his attention, and I don't think Juniper knows why he's so dead set on that at first, because I don't think he realises he has a crush on 'this grump' at first. (I think that's actually the fun part about these two, because it's almost like a role reversal of the celebrity crush dynamic. This ex-big name actor has a TERRIBLE crush on an average joe and it is KILLING HIM.) But of course the Agency keeps them together because Juniper is at least conversing with Crane, so it's a start.

Through one way or another, they actually get talking casually, at least mildly at first. It takes Juniper a long time to fully deconstruct the wall he's built, and the thing is, Crane isn't the one trying to deconstruct it, at least at first, because yeah, Juniper realises if he wants Reggie to actually like him in any way, he can't keep winding him up. So they talk. Small talk at first, something rhythmic and almost easy to keep to a script. And over time that turns into actual conversations. Genuine ones in which Reggie rips out the occasional one of his jokes which Juniper is endlessly endeared about. The way he smiles just before he makes them, like he wants to chuckle at what he's about to say before he says it. That's probably when Juniper realised that he does have some vague crush on him, and that it wasn't going away.

This is what kickstarts John I can't-buy-you-things-to-impress-you-so-acts-of-service-it-is Juniper to do little things for him. It mostly starts off as him trying to make Reggie his tea how he likes it. However, the nerve damage in his arm makes that hard, as the weight of the kettle and trying to pour is hard all of a sudden. And he refuses to accept that, so he tries for a very long while. Long enough that Crane would go to investigate what was going on. And when he does see Juniper leaning over a cup with the kettle as he uneasily tries to pour it, and when Crane asks Juniper responds so matter-of-fact that his intention is nothing but genuine. And it catches Reggie off guard because Juniper hadn't done anything like that up to that point, and his very apparent vulnerability is so clearly on show.

It shifts something between them.

From that point on, conversations are longer, more familiar. Both of their attitudes soften, and Reggie makes more jokes. Juniper learns how to better use his left hand while strengthening his right back to a point where it could be used again. Slowly, they're both spending time with one another not because they have to, but just because they can. Little bits at first, not too far outside what they already were doing, but those little bits turned into long bits to a point where the other person's company was genuinely desirable.

As time passes, Juniper probably realises that he doesn't genuinely know much about himself or what hobbies he's into, because he never really had the time when he got big, and his home life in his youth wasn't bad, but it wasn't picturesque. I think Reggie would pick up on it, and absolutely try to introduce him to some things he's into. Some things stick, other things don't (corn husking very much stays Reggie's passion, and John will go with him sometimes because it's him, but it's not something he strongly cares for). Crane introduces him to a lot of music, and it's something that becomes a staple between them, with tracks they listen to more than others (tragically, I know relatively little about 60s music so I couldn't really say what). Occasionally they dance, never anything intense, think slow dancing, but the closeness is nice.

Through all of it, Juniper is battling the worst crush of his life, and he can't stand it, because I think he struggles to read people since he doesn't have anything like a script or a director to refer back to, so he has no idea if Reggie likes him back or if he's just desperate for that to be true. I think because of that any sort of confession between them would be incredibly raw, not only because of the time they live in making it hard for them to be truthful about how they love, but because it's a complete show of Juniper who's worked to be this better person. I don't exactly know how that would go, mainly because I don't have one set version of their dynamic, this post is just a generalisation of main consistent points.

Reggie does like him back, because he's gotten used to Juniper being just this guy, not a figure in the public eye, not a Zoraxis lackey, and not any sort of Agency operative (despite being under their care to some degree). He's someone he genuinely cares for, because they've given one another the time of day to learn one another, and I think because Reggie was a field agent, he was a lot better at reading Juniper than Juniper was at reading him. Eventually Juniper's company becomes something he could see around him for the rest of his life, and I think he accepts that he likes Juniper a lot more gracefully.

I think any affection directed at Juniper would at first be met with him feeling a little muddled. Reggie was a very physically affectionate person when he could be, and sure the initial flirting with one another came with the occasional little touches, but everything now was so deeply intentional. I also don't think Juniper would almost ever get over the novelty of being able to kiss him, or many other gestures, because it made the fact that they were together so very real, and it was great. I do think it comes easier to Reggie, and it's a big way of showing how much he cares, so it's important for Juniper to try and show it back because he knows how much it means to the other.

I like the idea of them eventually living with one another, too. I think Juniper would have always had a quiet little daydream of sorts where he does just live a domestic quiet life, and he can with Reggie (well, as close as they can get between the Agency and Zoraxis always being at odds), and he loves that, and he loves him, and it's immense.

I think they cook for one another a lot, it helps Juniper work on his dexterity in a controlled environment, which means a lot because it's a huge point of insecurity (that and his scars). He does improve, and Crane is proud of that and shows it and it's great. I also think they'd probably cook together too, because they can deal with being in the kitchen together and they work well with one another. It's probably a good way for them to unwind because over time they can do it in relative silence.

As I said before, I also think music is a staple in their household, and that Reggie listens to things on vinyl almost all of the time because he likes the background noise. Sometimes Juniper will catch him chuntering along to the music which he finds endlessly endearing. I wouldn't put it past his dramatic ass to also join in to fluster Reggie, but I also don't think Reggie would mind that terribly because Juniper has listened to the music enough to know the lyrics, and that's huge to him.

I don't think they are without rough patches, no relationship is, but I think the good part about them is that they're willing to talk about it (... eventually). They're used to long conversations, and while they're often less fun conversations, they're needed and they know that, and it works out.

Alright. I think I'm done for now. I haven't mentioned everything, but this definitely got the worst of it out of my system. If you ever want to hear any specific thoughts my ask box is open but other than that, behold my general dynamic for these two which has been festering in my head for years. I think they're great

#ty right-agent for explicitly telling me that this would be welcomed you a real one #i had a massive babble to my friend abt what if they all feed me to the hounds for speaking #and he said “girl that fandom is like 12 people big they need you to speak” and yeah that also helped #i have a hard time talking if I'm not asked/prompted to that's why i adding tags is great for me. that and i like the format #anyways. #THESE TWO.............dear lord can you tell I have been unwell abt them forever.. #this is propeganda (/j) for them. btw. please you have to understand the potential here. it's so good. #it's slowburn <- my (probably) demiromantic ass cannot handle romance without a build up and this set up is perfect (it will never happen) #also i find it easier to write ANYTHING between these two from Juniper's perspective because i find it easier to get into his head #idk reggie is like the gay version of the: what is he thinking of? i could take a bear in a fight. audio ive heard. #whereas with juniper i have him trapped under a microscope #im going to tag this now so i can use the remaining tags to RANT #ieytd #john juniper #reginald crane #junicrane #starstruck #i expect you to die #<- being BRAVE!!! #when I get really excited i start getting like this internal shaking feeling and uh. yeah this rant started that #the worst part abt that is it also triggers my tourettes so like. double whammy. excited about blorbos? jail :( #but. yeah I uh. yeah. sorry this IS so long..I did warn but . AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHAUUUUUUAHHHHHHHHHHHHH #also i did this rant in 2 parts. last night and this morning so yeah uh. yeah. #god im so messed up about these two #make me a boat by the family crest came on while wroting this and while it's mainly a roxanix song to me......AUUUUUG..... #i struggle to find music for these sillies because they have such a specific vibe to me amd I've not quite managed to find something which - #- genuinely feels correct for them and it drives me up the WALL #GOD NIGHT SHIFT JUST CAME OF SHUFFL.....all my ieytd songs are coming out to drive me up the wall....... #FINISHED I've been adding tags as I've gone alonga #thank you for reading hope you enoyed and if you didn't im sorry

[corrodedcoughin]

here's a rather juicy concept for you darling!!~

steve getting too into his head and after a fight with eddie, assuming they're over. the bridge burned, tells himself eddie hates him and didn't feel the same, that he'll always be bullshit, that he'll always be in King Steve's shadow.

A month after, Eddie shows up on his doorstep drenched from the rain with no other explanation than " you're worth the love it takes to fix this"

It takes time but they make up, get life sorted, and get married and adopt a dog and live as happily as they can~<3

welcome back!!!!!

Steve living life on autopilot, Robin and Dustin can’t even say that he’s doing anything wrong because he isn’t? He’s doing everything he’s supposed to, picking up the kids, going to work, feeding himself, keeping up with his appearance. It’s just…there’s no Steve in it. There’s no bitchy comments when Mike puts his feet on the back of the car seat, no raised eyebrows with Robin with a customer comes in looking for ‘a movie with yellow in the title, or maybe it was the poster that was yellow?’ He’s technically there but there’s no joy in it.

And he’s not even properly avoiding Eddie, he just happens to not be where Eddie is. Almost like they’ve subconsciously orchestrated their days so that they never cross paths. Every day that goes by Steve just seems to retreat more into himself, his personality dimming until there’s nothing he can be called out on, keeping it all inward facing so there’s no opportunity to be told he’s not good enough.

It’s affecting al of them seeing him like this but Robin and Dustin agreed that telling him would just make it worse. If they try to cheer him up, drop kick him out of his pit he’ll sense it and blame himself, maybe even push them away. He reassures them both, letting Robin know he’s okay, assuring dustin nothing is wrong They just don’t know what to do and it hurts. Steve doesn’t know what to do either. The thing is he doesn’t know if he cares. He cares about his friends. Obviously he does. There’s nothing in this world he wouldn’t do for Robin and Dustin may as well be his own flesh and blood but he’s tired, he’s tried everything he can and just when he thought he’d finally cracked it. Thought he’d found his happiness he ruins it for himself. He knows he’s thinking himself into circles but what else is there to do? So he goes home and every night he puts the tv on to try and pretend that the house isn’t lonely, that he’s okay and that he can cope with the way his life is going. Blames himself when it gets overbearing and drags himself down on the couch to sleep. Rinse and repeat.

He’s just settled in for the night, inconsequential show playing and a sad bowl of over boiled potatoes on a plate with unseasoned salmon that shrunk after he left it too long in the oven. It’s a sad state of affairs but Steve doesn’t contemplate it too long, no point.

There’s a thudding at the door as he half way through a bite of too soft potato. Thinks about ignoring it but doesn’t want to cause a problem so heaves himself up. He makes it to the door, hearing anxious muttering on the other side as he unlocks it. Doesn’t register the voice, actually he doesn’t let himself register the voice until the door is open and Eddie is stood staring at him. Sad, sad eyes meeting Steve’s own.

‘You’re worth the love it takes to fix this’ it’s a simple statement but Steve can’t accept it, won’t let himself. Believes it to be pity, a kindness eddie offers him out of the goodness of his heart. He can feel his head shaking minutely, eyes cast down.

‘Eddie, you don’t have to do this’ it’s despondent and flat. But eddie doesn’t back down, takes a step forward and crouches slightly so he’s in Steve’s line of sight.

‘I know I don’t. That’s why I’m here. When have I don’t anything because I have to Steve?’ He tries to let out a laugh but it doesn’t land, ‘I want to. I need to. Please don’t let this, us, go. I don’t think I can do this without you now’ it’s earnest and real and Eddie’s voice breaks at the end. One more step and Eddie is fully in his space, asking Steve with his eyes as he grabs his hands. Steve nods, let’s him take them.

‘You might not like it but I’m basically a vampire, you invited me in and now there’s no getting rid of me’ Steve looks at him. Finally let’s himself take all of eddie in and it’s a bone deep ache. He wants to pull him in close, bring him into his house, make a home for him, with him. He just wants so much and maybe it’s too much. He doesn’t realise he’s said this last part out loud, words slipping past his lips to show Eddie where it hurts.

So Eddie does what he’s been longing to do, he cradles Steve’s head between his hands ‘Steve, if this is too much i don’t want any less, ‘Kay?’ He finishes with an uncertain smile, then it’s quiet, a pause before Steve brings his own hand up over one of Eddie’s, let’s their foreheads rest together.

‘Okay’ and Steve feels a lightness threatening to break free in his chest, a dam built up and ready to burst with everything he’s been keeping back. The effort to unlearn what he’s been told will be worth it if it means he gets this. If he can look at Robin and Dustin and allow his love to fill him. If he gets eddie back.

#oh look didn’t proof read anon I’m SORRY #there’s going to be so many mistakes in here but I’m #going to burn my friends dinner if I don’t post this rn #I went on way too long a rant with this I’m so sorry but here we GO! #if it’s not what you want please just say and I’ll try again #I obviously adore your idea thank you for being so kidn as to send it and letting me riff w you #I love riffing #stranger things #eddie munson #steddie #steve harrington #hope you have a lovely day my friend!!!

[schumiatspa]

Okay I'm gonna elaborate on my "Charlos as Romeo and Juliet" take, I just couldn't shut up, I'm sorry akansksj

Don't expect anything deep from this long rant because it's just going to be a bunch of personal opinions on f1 ships and friendships, family-like dynamics (i'm a sucker for the family found trope ngl) and such, all badly taped together lol

SO the grid is more or less divided into two sides: the Hamilton-Vettel side and the Alonso side (I'm considering the current only, plus Mick, Seb and Danny).

The Hamilton-Vettel family: grid dads Lewis and Seb are disgustingly in love and happily married and Charles is obviously their child™, alongside Mick and George (I don't see him as their kid as much as the other two, but he's not that far, so). Other people included in this family are definitely Alex (Georgie's boyfriend and Charles's friend), Pierre (Charles's bff and Lewis's friend) and Lance (Seb's former teammate and pseudo grid kid and one of Mick's bffs). I know that Lance being here and not on the other side of the barricade could disappoint some people because of the 'good relationship' he seems to have built with Fernando (I saw your Strollonso propaganda and porn), BUT c'mon!! He's Mick's friend! He was definitely indoctrinated by Seb! He said his idol growing up was Michael (which might have single-handedly got him adopted by Seb lmao)! No way he's leaning towards Nando.

The Alonso family (single dad power!) is basically him and his kids: Max (he has clearly chosen him as his successor in f1), Lando (he loves him and Max and Carlos love him too, so) and obviously Carlos (we know all Spanish athletes are probably in a sort of cult, spanish solidarity is very strong, they have known each other since Carlos was a child thanks to Sainz Senior blablabla).

That being said, we are all aware of the not-so-simple relationship between Seb and Fernando and Lewis and Fernando and their whole decade-long history. This obviously causes some big trouble when Charlos fall in love and begin dating. Seb and Lewis do approve of their son-in-law (there are a lot of pictures of them interacting and they seem to get along pretty well - an example is the Barcelona gp and the whole chili bucket hat drama lmao), if Fernando wasn't there Carlos could easily slip into their family and be pseudo adopted even without marrying into the family (Carlos as Sewis's kid could make sense) BUT Fernando. is. there. and Sewis don't really approve of him, and viceversa - i'd say that he likes Charles, so the problem is always the same: their respective son's in-laws (I'd add that Carlos Sainz Sr is the one who doesn't like Charles very much, he probably sees him as a threat). Moreover I think that things between Lewis and Max might still be sort of tense, same goes for Georgie and Max, and other similar conflicts, so Christmas dinners with the in-laws won't probably be very pleasant in general (the risk of them easily turning into crime scenes is very high - there are knifes around). SO all of this means that Charles and Carlos are a bit like Romeo and Juliet!! They come from two different families which are more or less in conflict with each other (and the conflict can only increase as the championship goes on, especially with Fernando currently doing well and Ferrari being utterly shit, because the gap is getting increasingly bigger) but their love managed to blossom in the middle ground. Obviously it's not that dramatic, the two sides don't hate each other that much: it's not hate per se, it's more... some dislike? Complicated feelings for sure! I know that some drivers are friends with the enemy family (es. The Twitch Quartet), but it's all for the sake of the narrative lol Anyway the vibes are there!! And they're immaculate!! I haven't imagined how a proper and more elaborate Romeo&Juliet AU could work (yet), but the foundation would be more or less this. Something that would be interesting to reflect on is how the dynamics would change if the championship results were different (es. Ferrari were competitive), between everybody and especially between our Romeo and Juliet, but I'm digressing now

Bonus: what about the rest of the grid? Val obviously prefers the Hamilton-Vettel side, Checo would be on Fernando's side (Spanish speaker solidariety and all that, but his 'allegiance' is not that strong, I suppose he doesn't care that much, he's like a distant uncle), Oscar is actually Mark Webber's kid (and!! that's a story for another day, because!! Mark... and... Seb... and Mark and Fernando!! We all know things happened. But let's not dwell on that rn, it would be too complicated) so he'd better stay out of the conflict and Logan, being useless his friend, would probably follow him, so. I imagine Kmag and Hulk would more or less stay neutral (they've got their personal sUcK mY bAlLs MaTe beef going on so lol) and so would Nyck? Tbh I didn't give them much thought because someone like Yuki is much more interesting in this setting, since he is Pierre's bf but Fernando has taken a liking to him and kinda made him one of his grid kids, so he is in a peculiar position. But let's be real, Yuki doesn't give many fucks, so he is probably going to waltz from on side of the paddock to the other without a care in the world. Estie is interesting too: while he is Mick's other bff, he also has a love-hate relationship with Fernando. I believe that he is on the other side, still I don't trust him and Nando together lmao. I'm actually not sure about Zhou, he would probably be quite neutral, but I know he admires Fernando a lot (I admit I'm fumbling a little bit in the dark here lol but it's okay, I hadn't actually thought about every single driver, some of them I'm making up as I type).

The real wild card is Danny Ric, because he has known Lewis and Seb for years (underrated trio!!) and obviously likes George and Pierre and more or less their whole family BUT. Alonso has Max on his side. And Lando. So Danny's probably like the friendly neighborhood dog: he loves everybody and he gets fed like four times a day because everybody loves him and he doesn't really pick a side.

The end.

#WELL THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO GOT HERE TO THE END #if there is anyone lol #i could have ranted more i know some things are more nuanced than how I described them but it was already too long lol #so enjoy reading i guess? #sebastian vettel #lewis hamilton #charles leclerc #carlos sainz #fernando alonso #sewis #charlos

[lab-trash]

A Few Hot Takes About Elite Force

Bree did not deserve to go to Centium City, nor does it make sense plot-wise

In season four it's jokingly established that Bree is becoming sort of a mom-friend, mom-mentor sort of figure. There is no way in hell that she would've allowed fucking Adam and Leo to run the bionic island. She knows those two knuckle-heads would get into trouble. Don't get me wrong, I love when Adam takes control of the situation and when he takes responsibility for Bob in that one episode, but let's face it: he is not ready for such a large role when it comes to that many kids. Dude is not equipped to be a babysitter. When it comes to Leo, while he is more equipped for the situation, he is very well established to make shit go wrong on fucking accident. We see it time and time and time again, not only in season one, but in season four (read: the whole business card fiasco). She would've known that they would've be able to handle it alone, especially when taking into account that their chaperones would've been fucking Terry Cherry Perry and goddamn Douglas Davenport! Excuse me???? No! She would have not allowed that.

Edit- Also, she just got a sister! I know that she said that the excitement was gone after having to change diapers, but you're telling me that Bree wouldn't want to be a part of her life????

Leo did deserve to go to Centium City, and it would've made more sense plot-wise (especially if they kept it mostly the same story-wise)

Leo, as we all know, gets along great with Kaz. Not only that, but he's a superhero nerd. I guarantee that if Leo just knew wtf the 'secret project' was, he would've been on board faster than the train to Downtown Welkerville. It would've been epic to see him interact with not just Kaz, but Oliver too? Skylar probably would've felt like she fit in more too, because she's definitely one of the boys (not in a pick-me way, in a nonbinary way). It would've been really fun seeing Chase trying to battle Kaz, Oliver and Leo down from playing Topple Tower and whatever other various games. Such as, for example, Leo jumping off the building for Kaz and/or Oliver to catch him before he fucking dies. I know this was more of an Adam and Chase thing, but I still think we should've gotten a prank wars episode, and since it's decidedly canon that Bree is, at best, mid when it comes to pranks, it could've gotten real fucking intense. I love the idea of Oliver and Kaz warning Chase and Leo about Skylar being really amazing at pranks, and then when they don't really notice her being weird or suspicious, they just think it was to mess with their heads (which does or does not work, depending on if you want a Sicillian situation on your hands or not) so they brush it off, only to be bested by the prank master. But I'm getting off topic. The biggest reason that I think that Leo should've gone to Centium City instead of Bree is because of Episode 9 and Episode 10. In episode 9, The Intruder,we are introduced to a character named AJ, who finds Chase and Douglas in the Mission Command (aka, the basement) by mistake. And I know that they often draw comparisons from AJ to Chase, but I think that it would work way better with Leo— Better yet, Leo and Chase. Like Chase, AJ is autistic coded, socially inept, and a tech nerd. But like Leo, he means well. He wants to be a part of the team, even though objectively that maybe shouldn't be allowed. He snuck his way into this family by running into them when he didn't mean to, when he was just exploring where he lived. AJ should've gotten bonding time with Leo. Maybe then, the common headcannon that AJ will/would become Mission Specialist like Leo once was, would be cannon. Next is Episode 10, The Rock. In The Rock, AJ makes a list ranking the most useful/gifted in the Elite Force, to the least. This causes Bree to become insecure when she's placed in the middle, leading her to attempt getting more powers by touching the Arcturian. I will always stand by the fact that this was a fucking stupid idea. But when it's Leo? This idea becomes nearly fucking genius. Leo would likely be placed in a similar place, if not lower, given that only part of him has powers. He is not bionic, he has bionics. And, y'know, he's a superhero nerd; why would he not want superpowers. He also is reckless, which would make sense why he would touch the Arcturian without really thinking about it as much as he probably should. And best of all, this could be a personal secret, instead of a secret between him and someone else, like it was with Bree and Skylar. After all, Leo already has a buffer. His arm. Leo wouldn't need to be endangered to get these powers, he already paid that tax years ago. Leo would finally have powers. Not just partial powers; real, true powers. It makes sense that he would be the first bionic superhero. Leo deserves to be the first bionic superhero.

Edit cont.- I do think that Leo would want to be in Naomi's life too, I understand that. Especially with his dad having been absent in his life, he might want Naomi to grow up with her family around. But at the same time, I really like the idea of him letting Bree have that honour. Like a bit of an emotional moment as they debate who goes to Centium City and who stays on the island/in Mission Creek, and in the end, Leo knows how much Bree's always wanted a sister and decides that she should be allowed to have that.

I have way more, but I can't remember, so this is probably the last one. Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing should've been in Elite Force

They couldn't have invited Auggie Issac back for one episode just to make it feel more like Caldera? Seriously? She is definitely one of the highlights that we get when we visit Caldera in Mighty Med, and without her, it feels disingenuous. Hell, start the episode with a quick video chat with Gus talking about how things are going in Philly and with The Domain, make the universe feel more coherent and put together. And then, if Chase and Leo/Bree see the call, they could later mention how she looks like Gus. And, not only that, but she could help save Skylar. Like, instead of Scarlett just being like 'hey muthafuckas, lemme bring you to ya girl,' it could've had this semi-dramatic, semi-emotional moment with Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing where she explains that she saw Scarlett taking Skylar away. She could've explained the whole rebellion thing to Oliver and his accompaniment. They could've had one of those cross cut scenes where it cuts between Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing and Scarlett explaining what's going on, instead of getting weird feeling, one dimensional exposition from just Scarlett talking to Skylar through an oddly shaped TV. I would've loved to see her and Skylar reunite, even for a little bit. Hell, y'know what, Ka-Kai-Ra-Ta-Hee-Haw-Mwak-Floopie-Pazoing is basically not a pet, which is implied through the numerous jokes of her not responding to things that a normal pet do, and the fact that she speaks english. It would've been epic as fuck if she was like... leading a rebellion army. That would've been so fucking awesome. But that would've been far more difficult to do, and I understand that. But the first part? Cmon, she is the heart and soul of Caldera. She should've been there.

Sorry for the super long post that was basically about nothing, but I was ranting to my friend who knows nothing about the lref universe and I wanted to share these. They're definitely the ones I'm most passionate about— not including how I think that Douglas definitely should've been indited more as their father instead of Donald, especially in Elite Force where Douglas showed up more than Donald did. And that Tasha deserves someone better (and I wouldn't exactly mind if that person were Douglas, but I've been over how I think that Douglas deserves a nice twunk)

Let me know if I should make a part two, and I might rant about a few more things they could've done to make Elite Force better.

Anyway, all in all, thank you for coming to my ted talk.

#please read this I worked really hard on it #please comment and/or reblogg I worked really hard on it #lab rats elite force #lab rats #mighty med #chase davenport #kaz mm #kaz lref #oliver mm #oliver lref #leo dooley #skylar storm #bree davenport #aj lref #headcannons #headcanons #thank you for coming to my ted talk #ranting #long post #trash rants #trash talks #ka kai ra ta hee haw mwak floopie pazoing #gus mm

[all-too-unwell-13]

ik I'm kind of late to it, but I just watched the live action atla series!!! I've only watched the first so far, but I have some things to say!!!

(Also, please keep in mind it's been ages since I watched the cartoon, so any comparisons I make are based on my memory).

Okay, I'd just like to say I love the casting so far. Like, Katara and Sokka are so cartoon-accurate (is that a thing?), and while Aang does look like he's approximately 7 years old, his casting was also good.

The casting for Zuko was different than how I'd imagined him to look if he was a real person, but so far he seems good too :) although I am slightly concerned about his facial expressions because um.

Anyway!!! I love love love Katara so far, and though I wish she'd stand up to Sokka and his stupid patriarchal beliefs (I don't know how to explain how he acts at this point any better tbh) a bit more, she's so sweet and the way she immediately cares for Aang is just <3<3<3

I'm going to be honest, Aang flying at the beginning looked so unrealistic the cgi was not cgi-ing at that point I think (I also have no idea if that was actually cgi or smth else but let's ignore that!!! Hopefully you know what I mean). But I love how they did Katara's waterbending because, wow, that little sphere of water she made levitate after Aang told her how; I thought it looked so cool.

The firebending!!! I don't know how to describe it other than 'cool,' because it just looked so realistic and :O, you know what I mean???

The Avatar State looked amazing too!! Aang did look a bit strange (I think) when he was flying during it, but other than that, the way his markings lit up was just like the cartoon; it genuinely looked so powerful.

Anyway !!! I will probably also rant about the rest of the episodes when I get to those :)

#as someone who LOVED (and still does love) the cartoon #so far the show looks incredible #how they did the air temples (idk if thats the right word !!!!) was so so so cool #and the cgi and stuff for appa is awesome too #overall im really enjoying it so far :) #atla #atla live action #avatar the last airbender #avatar aang #atla netflix #netflix avatar #katara #atla sokka #atla katara #sokka #atla zuko #so sorry for this long rant #and thank you if you read it lmao #i hope it made at least some sense!!!

[jessicas-pi]

it's actually, genuinely, honestly hilarious that in a fandom where popular ships include characters who are biologically related, characters with a 10+ year age gap who met when one was a teenager or even a child, and characters who have tried to kill each other, people hate on a friends-to-lovers ship with a <2 year age gap where the characters have a deep emotional bond and plenty of romantic subtext, because "they're siblings". my brother in the force they are literally not.

#i'm just saying. out of all the ships in the star war; sabine and ezra have one of the healthiest dynamics #right up there with kanera and bail and breha and obitine and maybe a few others. there are SO few 'problems' with it. #not that those 'problems' make a ship BAD when it's written well or in certain context. #just that out of all the ships to pick on; people choose THIS one????? #the one with character growth and found family and mutual respect?? #the one with self-sacrifice and decades-long loyalty and obitine parallels and a jetpack chase scene???? #what's there to hate??? #and i would add a disclaimer about how if you dont ship them its fine as long as you dont bully but honestly? #i am so so tired of having to qualify my statements. #this is about the targeted hate. this has always been about the targeted hate. #and i don't care if someone loathes something i love as long as they they keep that loathing out of my personal space. #this has been a tag rant. thank you for reading. #btw i'm not being sarcastic about it being hilarious. it genuinely cracks me up to see people get SO hateful over this #for a reason that does not exist #as opposed to several other ships which DO IN FACT HAVE THAT OBJECTION. #like. oh my gosh. are you even listening to yourselves. #if u wanna have the don't-ship-siblings fight then puhLEEZE bring it to someone who ships siblings. #jessica's controversial star wars opinions #sabezra #(don't worry that this post is a vent because i'm getting bullied or anything. im not visible enough for that i guess lol) #it was written in humor not in hurt :)

[motianz]

He Tian's Arc

Ok, so this will be a very rambly post, but bare with me.

As we know Ht is a very complex character, being mainly affected by his childhood and the people/situations that hurt him. First and foremost, his family.

Starting with the loss of his mother HT starts having that crippling fear of his of losing people, slowly becoming fiercely loyal to those he loves. Then we get to his father, although we dont have much info on him as of yet, we do know Ht was very aware of how dangerous his father was, to the point of even asking his brother if (if he did something wrong) his father would kill him. With this HT very obviously grew up with a mentality of fighting to survive, and learning to live in the "darkness" of his family.

Then, what I believe has shaped him the most, his Brother.

He cheng has lived with their father and family business for a lot longer, and has learned what HT would come to learn a lot earlier, and (maybe accidentally) taught it to his little brother. HC shows HT that he's "on his own", if he wants something he HAS to fight for it, he can not be weak because that will make him useless (in the sense of not being able to do what he wants to do, like saving people)

Ht then understands that his family is different, they have a "darkness" that he not only hates, but is terrified of.

He hates his father, and he hates what his brother is/has become. He does not want to be part of his family's business, the violence, the killing and the cruelty of their "jobs" repels him. I think he hates it so much because he's scared to have that "darkness" inside himself as well, scared that its inevitably in his blood already. Even literally stating to MGS that he is scared of the dark. So he pushes and does his best to stay away (hating his brother, living alone, not talking to his father) he only ever "uses" his family when it's to take something from them instead of give (like money).

And then, here comes Mo guan shan.

And he's the exact opposite of everything his family (and by extension he himself) is. Mo guan shan does not lie, or scheme, and above all he does not see or fear that darkness inside Ht. We've seen that he and JY were friends before all this, and that at the very least they were close, but Jy did not completely understand Ht, he was a friend but as we've seen with the countless panels of HT standing alone in a landscape, he still felt alone. He felt like that darkness kept him apart from other people, and so when MGS came along he just couldn't help but fall for him.

So Ht becomes extremely protective over little Mo. And thanks to the idea of being the Strongest, the one who protects and is not protected ("weakling") Ht develops a very self sacrificing mentality. It simply does not matter to him if he gets hurt or in danger, because he is strong and he has that darkness in him, all that matters is that those he love are unharmed, safe and happy.

The problem is, Mo guan shan has a "stalker". She li considers him his, and prefers to break MGS than have someone else "take" him. Which means HT ends up putting himself in situations a lot worse than normally (well, at least outside his family business) not only to take the hits in MGS's place, but also to attack those who hurt him.

Still, the people he loves keep getting hurt, not only Mo but also Jian Yi. The other person who Ht is also willing to sacrifice himself to save. It starts to make HT desperate, and it slowly pushes him further down that "dark" path he feared so much.

And that pushes him towards his family, his brother and the violent measures they take. His brother tries to warn him (not that greatly I might add) and at the very least veers him away from the true rock bottom (killing someone).

And he does say he doesn't care about what people think of him, and I do think that's mostly true at this point, but he does care about what MGS thinks. Because Mo doesn't fear him, and he doesn't want that to change.

We've seen several times HT asking for Mo's opinions and thought on him. I think that fear of scaring off MGS specially shows when after holding SL's neck in the stairs Ht asks this.

Still decides to resort to that side of him, to eliminate SL, even if he has to sacrifice his own existence without that darkness and family. He'd do anything for those he loves.

Which makes for a whole new problem. That sacrifice is a little too much, even for him, he's terrified of it, (maybe horrified is a better word for it). He loves his friends too much, and hates those who hurt them just as much. It makes it too easy for him to cross the line, to the point someone has to be there just to stop him, to hold him back. And look at that,

He flinches.

He flinches from what he did, and the person talking.

In the next panel we see his face at it, engulfed in darkness. And I think that one of the things he also fears is knowing MGS saw him, I think here he is scared to see Mo's reaction. So he looks back

And Mo guan shan isn't scared Of him, but For him. MGS still stands By him and Hugs him, and HT doesn't even care about his hand, or anything else he just wants to hug Mo back.

Because yes, He tian has slowly descended on a cruel and violent path that he feared, (and still fears) but Mo guan shan still wants to stay by his side. Even with He tian literally red handed with blood, Mo wants to share his troubles with HT (symbolized by him wearing the jacket Ht gave him when telling him not to shoulder everything on his own) and take on part of Ht's troubles as well.

He wants to accompany and stay by his side. Mo guan shan still doesn't fear He tian. And I think that's all Ht wants.

TLDR:: Tianshan has slowly driven HT to a darker and more violent path, but their relationship shows just how deep their connection is, and how much they've come to rely and develop alongside one another.

#19 days #tianshan #mo guan shan #he tian #he cheng #long post #rant #19 days analysis #i gues lol #i wanted to put a lot more images but tumblr sucks and hates me #if you read all of this you're a real one thanks #and yes Mgs going on his tip toes to hug Ht is the most adorable shit ever

[theotherbuckley]

Write that character however the fuck you like. Fuck them up, put them through shit, genderbend the fuck out of them, give them more trauma, give them less, make their childhood worse or better or whatever the hell you like. Give that kid another parental figure or one they’ve never had. Write that character OOC because they’re yours now. Make them deal with feelings or give them more feelings or fuck make them bottle them up and break. Put your own issues and life experiences onto this character I don’t care it’s your character now. “Are we watching the same show?” No we are not. I am watching through my lens of my life experiences and you’re watching through yours. I’m not saying you have to like every fic and every change that people write but man i just dhjddk stop hating on the way people choose to write characters. I don’t care if they’re completely OOC and fucked up, it’s fanfic. If everyone was in character with no changes whatsoever, there’s a damn good chance you wouldn’t be writing or reading fics yourself. Don’t like don’t read but skksk I keep seeing people hating on other peoples fics saying that they’re watching a different show or that these characters would never do that. No they wouldn’t, you’re right, but we can write what we wanna write and you can read what you wanna read and it’s all valid. It’s fanfic, the characters aren’t canon they’re ours. Can we stop judging people for the fics they write just because it’s milking a scene you don’t like or changing the characters personality?

#fuck that was a long rant #I just got mad for a sec #I keep seeing posts saying how a character would never act a certain way and like #maybe they wouldn’t #so what #it’s fanfic #the characters can be however you want them #if you don’t like it don’t read it that’s fine #but stop hating on the people who do like it who write it and read it just because it doesn’t fit into your idea of canon and fanon #just dhisjsjs #ok I’m done thanks for coming to my Ted talk

[slopdoughnut]

My bitchass cat- 80 ft up in a goddamn tree

It has been a day

#i dont want to make a long post so im ranting in the tags #this is now day 2 of her being up there #we only just found where she was in the tree thanks to binoculars #there are lots of emotions rn #ive already had a shitty few days and now this #on top of all that #this guy that came to “help” was constantly making remarks about ways to get her down that would definitely kill her #“oh I'm just not a cat person” #ok??? #and??? #shut the fuck up #i lost my cool on his ass so fucking fast #i like to consider myself a generally nice person when it comes to social interactions #but within the hour i was done with this asshole #i will not mention the ways he talked about getting her down #but i will mention that i definitely threatened him #lucky i did not tell him what i was really thinking #which was that i wanted to cave his skull in #but still #i dont give a fuck that you are here to help #the past few days have been shit and now this???? #why are you such an ass??? #fuck that guy #thanks for reading my rant #i hope your week was good #ill update on how getting her down goes #rant post #personal rant #rant

[zainmalik]

.

#now this may sound crazy #but i think i’ve broken the deep parasocial relationship with louis #i love him and i’ll never stop loving him #but i now feel like it’s not the obsessive kind where he takes over my life #not to be Like That but the medication may have played a part on it #i can enjoy my other interests and focus on my real life goals and responsibilities #as i said i’ll never stop loving him. he’s my fave. my baby. my pookie #but i can now establish a healthy relationship with him #i feel like this is better and it’ll allow me to enjoy him in a positive way #i’m excited actually. i can follow him without needing to know everything he’s doing all the time #i just feel great right now and i’m gonna enjoy it for as long as it lasts. and when the bad days come i’ll keep going #because the good days are worth it #also this is a formal request to not send me any discourse about the husbands #i’m not interested in engaging in that anymore #no stunts. no bbg. nothing about that. just chilling #i’m here for the music and their journeys #riley if you’re reading this. thank you for being patient with me and letting me rant to you and for the intervention #you were right and i feel happier #love you so much #logan.txt

[legionofpotatoes]

Hello! I just saw your new Blasto poster and it's v good! I was wondering if you would give a quick rundown of your "process"? I love the style, and I'm trying to get back into digital art, so I think it might benefit me and several others. :-)

Hi there, thanks for waiting! I went ahead and cleared this with Bioware so I could answer your question with some in-depth references from our actual process. So I hope this ends up useful both technically and in terms of approach. And not too much of an overkill!

It's tricky to speak of the process here by starting at style, because the initial pitch was quite varied and it could have really gone anywhere. Ultimately what dictates the most high-level building blocks in something like this is layout and color, and choosing those are essential steps in focusing up the concept and eventually informing the style part as well.

I mention this because that pipeline illustrates a key difference between client work and personal work. I could start with style if this was my passion project, but I had to stay loose to Bioware's pitch and conform to the our iterative process (despite them knowing my work well and even providing very clear north star from my own work as a target).

So, when the idea isn't yours, but you are told to play to your strengths, how do you interpret a pitch to design a mock movie poster for Blasto? My approach: look at the raw pitch and your vision as two ingredients in a soup. And then bust out a number of sketches that each contain different dosages of those ingredients. One will be super close to reference and play to your established work, one will be as literal a translation of the pitch as possible, one will be a loose mix of the two that organically tows that line, etc.

The pitch was for Blasto to have a dirty-harry-style spy movie poster that would feature the infamous tagline without walloping into obscene territory. The reference was my fan poster for Boba Fett. So I came up with these:

Immediately from the reference I understood what they had in mind; the "tentacle gun tornado" variant came first as a safe bet for a target. Then I went ahead and looked at old spy thriller posters and came up with #2; no loose plot details, just tropes and visual flair from that illustrated poster era. You can tell how different the style would end up being if we'd gone down that route. And then I had a bunch of variations on #3, which by-and-large all involved Blasto in action and a larger framing device shrouding a villain character. That was also in-line with my earlier work but communicated that detective story feel stronger.

I tried not to shoehorn the humor here; playing it straight felt funnier. It's a fucking jellyfish there cocking a gun with two tentacles. You can't crank the knob on that any further. And technically speaking, these weren't ultra-polished thumbnails. I don't push fidelity in my work anyway, but since I like to communicate depth, strong silhouettes, and tight composition, I tried to hit those targets with loose grayscale values and call it a day. Thumbnailing is its own goal-oriented task.

The tools I use here are just basic brushes and flats, with some semblance of a sketchy line layer. Again, no technical craft, but hints at what strengths we'll squeeze out of the layout. Which as I mentioned in the beginning is primary building block #1.

So naturally once we chose an option it was time to get to #2; colors. I did a second pass at the sketch, brought everything out into rough lines, enriched the dynamism with more implied details and quickly blocked it in with colors that I then spent a very, very long time alternating into palettes.

Picking a color palette and sticking to it early on is one of my personal unwritten rules and it's a nice feather in the cap when managing client expectations during the concepting phase. I looked at those same old posters, then some contemporaries, then my own reference points, and pulled all sorts of wacky color combos until I whittled them down to six I really thought would work well for the target. I took care to maintain a sense of depth in values, since this was a center-stage character-action focused piece. And yes, I think this is a good place to start being deliberate with that, and not to go all wishy-washy until the broad strokes are locked in. You can always play with accent pops afterwards, but fundamentals are fundamentals and their service to your thumbnails is invaluable.

Of course, if that was just me, I would have a style and even a color target set much much earlier. But exercises like these are still good to do mid-process; challenge your own vision, discover new ideas, maybe even a trick you can migrate over. It also helps you see a roughly rounded version of what the finished thing will look like; and that's always extra gas in the tank. This is why I always evangelize iterative-holistic processes instead of linear ones; it's exciting to see layout and colors working together into a cohesive, unique thumbnail, even if it's a simplistic doodle. It motivates you to finish the thing. By comparison, spending a day hyper-rendering a leg then zooming out and seeing nothing but that leg is, unsurprisingly, deflating.

Anyway, we went with #2, and that basically meant Boba Fett but make it Blasto. And I was just fine with that :D from there, the process becomes simple; it's a sprint to final that involves as many flexible and mutable parts as you can muster. You have to stay nimble and ready to incorporate comments on very fundamental levels, so you use lots of layers, and you make very deliberate choices in order to serve the high-level goals.

Here is where the "style" of it comes into play as I try to wrangle legibility and effective framing out of the thumb. I use depth-softened colors in linework and spend time building up the main characters so they have that organic pop when the eye wanders over them. It was fun gathering reference for all the iconic guns and designing the asari out of scraps of Blasto lore (and don't even get me started on the hoopla I raised about determining the correct amount of hanar tentacles).

Illium, in terms of visual priority, is a backdrop; a forest of texture, so I use very little lines and mostly focus on breaking up the various "plates" to create, again, a sense of depth. It's vector-based shapes all the way here, dotted with lights representing windows and skycars, softened in values near their base, arranged to fit most of the other elements around them. They also create a nice symbolic "fence" that Blasto rises above of, as if the city itself is the corruption that only he is uniquely equipped to fight. This was all semiotic nonsense that came to me in the process, but was still super informed by the original layout.

And then you just add in all the details and ideas without violating those basic rules of color depth and clean composition that were promised to the client by the very first sketch. All those things like planets and stars and fumes end up being glorified framing devices for centering the focus on our heroes, adhering to some internal math of element relation and action lines, and helping guide the viewer to what matters most and not overwhelm them with visual noise. I don't know how exactly to coach this, but references and study help a LOT.

Ultimately it's that exercise in restraint and concerted effort that ends up becoming a "style", and is subsequently super rewarding because the thing then is both effective and representative of your initial pitch. Style is very seldom the starting point; it's the product of tricks and quirks and discipline that you pick up throughout years of doing this. It's boring and obvious, but yes.

Just start and keep drawing to build those tricks up and be holistic in your approach and challenge your instincts and study contemporaries and iterate and iterate and iterate. Trust me, it's so worth it.

You might even get Blasto to tell you he loves your work.

#soulmate-y #asks #another one of my long-winded rants but hopefully this one's helpful #and a little inside baseball irt to my work process on these bioware gigs #thank you if you read through it!!! #and I had to include that last one for me. as a treat. for my ego. mark is very nice to me on twitter and I dont know why #long post #just in case

[jewishcissiekj]

Alright, so Cissie is back.

(Green Arrow (2023) #1 cover art by Sean Izaakse)

I feel like I’m calm enough after the unbelievable burst of excitement and happiness this cover gave me when I first saw it, so let’s talk about this.

First off, I have to say that until I saw this cover last week, I didn’t think Cissie should be Arrowette again, and this cover gave me different ideas and hope for Cissie’s future, so my judgment might seem clouded. 

So first, to any Meghan Fizmartins and co out there listening who have no idea why Cissie quit being Arrowette, here’s a “brief�� summary:

After her Counselor and mother figure, Dr. Marcey Money, gets killed by her ex-boyfriend, Cissie (rightfully) throws a fit and blames the lack of gun control in the U.S. as the reason for the murder. After that, she puts on a darker version of her Arowette costume (the same one Sean Izaaksa used for the GA cover), and goes to hunt down Marcey’s killer and his friend that was with him. During the chase, Cissie questions herself how much of a “Good Guy” is she, chasing down these men like that. At the end of the fight, she fires a killing shot from her bow, intending to kill Dr. Money’s murderer, when Superboy comes out of nowhere and catches the arrow. Then, she runs away and cries, confused and distraught. In the next issue she’s in a catatonic state following her actions, and after she gets out of it she breaks her bow and declares it’s not hers anymore. In the next issue she quits Young Justice. She makes it clear she never wants to be Arrowette again in the rest of the series, saying she can’t lose control again and talking about how her mom forced her into the hero life. 

For a much more extended and detailed version I recommend reading Young Justice #15-17, it’s a great story and a great read.

Now, she has donned the Arrowette suit a couple of times after quitting, most, if not all, were pretty weird and out of character. 

Starting off, we have that creepy thing in Spyboy/Young Justice, which I’m not 100% sure is canon at all, but it’s still worth talking about for a bit. In this miniseries, Cissie doesn’t actively choose to be Arrowette again any way, with Kon & Bart stealing her clothes while she’s in the bath and replacing them with the Arrowette costume, basically forcing her to put it on. They did give her a choice as to which costume to wear, the darker version from before or the usual one, and she chose the usual one, but I don’t feel like we should really give them credit for that. After that, she walks around in the costume, but doesn’t shoot a single arrow (she almost does, but she gives up on it) or fight, and is really just Cissie in a costume and less Arrowette. She also talks about how her friends are uncomfortable with the ‘Cissie’ part of her and they don’t know how to react to her with one of the spyboy characters. Overall I don’t hate it, except for the way they actually got her in costume.

Next we have the most confusing one yet. In Wonder Girl (2007) Cissie tells Cassie she could always go back to Arrowette for her (and later on in the miniseries she actually does), Completely disregarding her quitting storyline. That might (probably) be the writer’s mistake, but I’d like to think Cissie was at a point in her life here where she made peace with the whole “Arrowette” thing and with her mother and is just willing tp help an old friend with her slightly unusual skillset. She also previously hadn’t completely associated her archery with Arrowette (she competed in the Australia Summer Games an won a gold medal during ‘98 YJ), so maybe she’s just come to peace with that part of it all now. But since that is never specifically said in the series, I’m only assuming stuff.

Since then, she wasn’t seen as Arrowette or in general for more than 10 years, only showing up again in Young Justice (2019):

There’s no real explanation for her coming back this time other than, again, like last time, she’s made her peace with Arrowette and is only helping an old friend (Conner, this time) dressed in the most generic Archer-superhero outfit that came out of nowhere. She was barely in the series, but her return was handled badly anyway. Unless, of course, you’ll consider my theory from the previous time she came back canon, it’s pretty annoying that Brian Michael-Bendis brought her back, instead of Anita for example (which would’ve made much more sense), even after stating she was retired.

Now we have my least favorite handling of Cissie post-quitting.

Oh, Dark Crisis: Young Justice, the definition of shattered hopes. 

This is complete and utter bullshit. Not only Cissie kept being an archer after quitting and had several storylines in Young Justice (1998) related to her archery outside of Arrowette, Cassie not only knows that, she was literally there for half of it. Cissie is an archer, and that’s a part of her that she pretty much completely separated from her Arrowette persona, and she made that clear in more than a few instances during the original Young Justice run. I hope Joshua Williamson isn’t taking Cissie character lessons from this run, which not only handles Cissie quitting weirdly, but is outright spreading misinformation about Cissie.

Has Meghan Firzmartin even read the original YJ run? I don’t think she did, at least not fully. Cissie quit because of very specific reasons I've previously stated, not this. She also has a good relationship with the rest of Young Justice, and definitely doesn’t see them this way. 

Even though Cissie isn’t Arrowette at any point in this run, it feels much worse than any of my prior examples. Also, she is basically running around as Arrowette there, just without the costume. I hope the new Green Arrow series will ignore DC: YJ, because it’s just bad.

So to sum it up? I’m not completely disappointed Cissie is Arrowette again. I do hope Williamson will actually handle her past and not make her a whole new character for his run. I think a Cissie as Arrowette story can be interesting, if it’s at least implied she felt with her trauma from her quitting incident and made peace with everything the name and the costume mean. However, with all my high hopes, I'm still being realistic and I'm gonna say I don’t think I'll get everything I want in the new series. The series is currently a mini-series of six issues, unfortunately (but preorders might change that and give us more issues! Preorder the first issue!), and it tackles a seemingly large cast of characters with a lot of mysteries and questions around them and their appearance in the book. And with the actual plot being them trying to find/retrieve Ollie from where he was last stuck in in Dark Crisis, I do think there'll be space for good character interactions but not for a lot of individual character exploring. Overall, I think the series will handle Cissie’s return basically how YJ (2019) did, with a mostly unexplained return, but I guess a girl can dream about more.

#cissie king jones #arrowette #green arrow #Young Justice #green arrow (2023) #spyboy/young justice #wonder girl (2007) #young justice (2019) #dark crisis young justice #long rant but i think it's worth it #if you read all of this thank you #I'm impressed #Joshua Williamson #Sean Izaakse