#I literally cannot think about this series without ranting

[leafy-m]

alizayd for character opinion bingo 🧍🏽‍♀️

Thank you! 💖

Alizayd al Qahtani is the fucking best. There is no contest. He's empathetic, he's a sass machine, he's got a backbone made of righteous steel, he's a nerd raised to be a jock and was the best zulfiqari of his generation through sheer determination. He's the smartest (and tallest) man in the room that loves to help people and is also an oblivious social loser. He's a math genius and an economic wizard that outsmarted the Royal Treasury's best accountants as a teenager to secretly fund and make the Tanzeem's illegal transactions untraceable, and *During a Recession* got a millennia-old decrepit hospital to be completely rebuilt and functional in like 6 months. He also actually listens to people, and did possibly the most romantic thing in the series by building Nahri her private Cairo-themed office. He's self-sacrificing and self-denying to a fault and all he wants to do is fix things (and swim, and read), and he perfectly fits into soldier life and civilian life.

My man has the best character arc of the trilogy as he learns and grows past his early prejudice and indecision while sharpening his best traits. He is constantly reevaluating himself and his actions while still holding on to what matters to him, like his faith and his idealism that Daevabad can be improved. Even in the depths of his bitterness or grief, he always returns to trying to do the right thing, and not holding unrelated people responsible for the actions of others. He has the best motivational speeches in the series. His great grandpa is a crocodile and their scenes together are hilarious.

My man Alizayd has some Lord of the Rings: Return of the King-level epicness, in how he is descended from both Zaydi al Qahtani and the marid-blessed Armah. Zaydi, who rallied the djinn world against the genocidal Nahids and overthrew them to take Daevabad 1400 years earlier; and his ally Armah who commanded the marid to help take the city and Suleiman's Ring, and made the ultimate sacrifice by staying allied with the djinn. Ali is constantly compared to Zaydi in City of Brass and Kingdom of Copper, but there's this steady transfer of similarities to Armah in Kingdom of Copper and Empire of Gold, until Ali is truly representing both sides combined as he aids Nahri and a global army that he put together in three days to once again take back Daevabad from a genocidal Nahid. The man is a fucking legend, and with any other author or director it would unquestionably be at the forefront of the story. Instead it hides in background details foe readers to piece together, like it's barely worth mentioning.

This is because my man Ali also has the self-confidence/self-esteem of a shy beetle hiding six feet under the earth, and the author's subtle/vague writing style and inability to stand up for what she's trying to say when people misunderstand has created... how do I word this... A lot of wiggle room for bullshit?

Ali gets dragged a lot for being self-righteous and a fanatic, because characters that are threatened by him in the book call him that, and readers parrot it without any consideration or critical thought. Is it self-righteous to be against slavery? Or to create personal boundaries regarding drinking and premarital sex? Is it fanaticism when he argues against corruption, or practices his religion *in a completely normal way?* I dare say no! But Ali is both black and muslim, so he gets a shit load of shit from every corner, and with the author unable to really clear things up and too cowardly to even admit that Ali is her favorite character without immediately asking everyone to forget she said that (Oops. Also: no), it makes me very, very concerned for whoever ends up playing Ali in the Netflix show. Because if past is any pretext, he's definitely not gonna get paid enough for all the harassment he'll face. And if the author can't stand up for her characters and book themes now, how will she do it when the audience is much, much bigger and louder? :/

As much as I love Ali and his countless parallels with Nahri, and have a thousand headcanons for him (and a thousand fic & art ideas/wips), the series itself (or rather how it undid all its narrative themes in the end to appease loud fans who never understood what the series was trying to say in the first place, along with the author's blindspots regarding the Nahids/Daevas), has made me incredibly bitter. 🙃 I am someone who worships canon encyclopedically and remembers everything, and have come to the unfortunate realization that I cannot in good health ever read this series again.

So my beloved blorbo Ali exists for me in a weird dimension that I cannot really interact with anymore. Made worse because I still desperately want to see fandom stuff, but then also viciously tear apart everything I find. 💀

Idk how to end this. Thanks for the ask! ☺️

#The stupid thing is that I'm still trying to finish my fics #Because I LOVED writing Nahri and Ali???? #Like yes my god he deserved better; but when they worked it was So Good 😭💖 #And I feel guilty because We Fucking Won in River of Silver and I still can't get past my bitterness #Doesn't help that the final story is a time paradox and proves that no one on Team Daevabad is doing any due diligence with fact checking #Don't even get me started on the changes to the Gazebo scene -- I'm still mad about how she watered down his lines #I literally cannot think about this series without ranting #Even the good parts just remind me of how it gets fucked up later #And most people don't even notice??? All the praise I see makes me feel insane #And all the Dara fans and other readers completely misunderstanding the series makes me insane #I've never seen a series ask its readers to remember so many details and nuances; and then Get Worse the more you understand! #And not in the 'oh its so much more tragic' sense; but literally 'they stopped fact checking things' sense #It's a series that runs on vibes but is also completely against the vibes its sending out #Fuck I wish I could quit this series 😭 #How do other fandoms manage this kind of bullshit omg #Hhhh #Ok I'm done #Alizayd al Qahtani #The Daevabad Trilogy #Long post #My posts

[scrambled-eggsed]

No but really when i was 9 years old and read the secrets of the immortal nicholas flamel for the first time and the flamels/flemings were introduced. And nick is this unkept guy in jeans and a tshirt, while perry is this beautiful and sharp woman, wearing a quality dress in comparison to her husband's faded clothes. And their love is so unique and filled with adoration. THAT was my butch awakening

#the secrets of the immortal nicholas flamel #sinf #perenelle flamel #nicholas flamel #i miss this so very literally #i cannot begin to explain how much i projected onto Nicholas. and perenelle.............. #that was GENUINELY when it started i think #insane. unbelievable #i recently found out there are shorts stories by the author in the world of the books and im rereading the series before i get the #collection #and still every time perenelle is MENTIONED. #i canmot deal with this #i am simply too gay. there arent many occasions where this is the case but my god #also i am pretty sure perenelle was the forst in the long line of my crushes on. well. that archetype #this series is still like 40% of my personality. without exaggerating #also i am forever willing to rant about nicholas and perenelle literally give me the smallest excuse and I'll write you an essay #like both as a dynamic between characters and as a couple. UNMATCHED #the aging and the magic and the CENTURIES together and the way they balance each other and match each other perfectly #i might cry

[betatrolls]

had a british (or something idk/idc) friend in 6th-7th grade so absolutely vile that i can never look at the "(:" smiley face again without reliving having to interact with them... deadass the worst person I have ever met and several of my family members are actual convicted felons

#post #i cannot even begin to describe how bafflingly immature and self-centered they were honestly. literally impossible levels of petty #skgkdkfhkhf a little while ago after almost a year of having my number blocked they unblocked me at like 2am to rant at me #they first asked me to unfollow their spotify (i didn't even know i still had them on there) because they “didn't want any reminders of me” #and then brought up my name change and fucken grilled me on my irish heritage for some reason (my current name is irish and for reference- #-i'm like 70% irish LMAO) and then had a whole tantrum about a series of misinterpreted awkward things i did back then (i was TWELVE and- #-also severely depressed and just re-learning how to be social after multiple years without talking to anybody my age irl) #and like?? claimed i was bullying them or using them as a punching bag or smth?? when in reality i barely talked to them #as of rn i have their number blocked + had them block me on here (they told me they found my blog and was weirdly rude about what i post) #but idk if they actually still have me blocked here. so if they see this they know who they are lol! #“i cannot even begin to describe [x]” *begins to describe [x]* LMAO #may have already posted about this before but i don't remember lol. whatever I'm thinking about it again and i can post whatever i want

[alovesongtheywrote]

hiii girlie!! it’s my birthday HAHA can i please get a nightmare academia part?? thank youuu 🫶

♥ Summary: SORRY I MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY!! iirc, i got this like. right in the middle of finals season. i am so sorry :( to compensate, i have provided a holiday update!! In this chapter of Nightmare Academia, it's the holiday season and Reid pulls a lil prank.

♥ Warnings: holidays, Wham's Last Christmas

♥ A/N: this is really just a holiday blurb im ngl. happy holiday special ig!! (also. i didn't edit this. my bad lol)

♥ Word Count: 600

Series Masterlist

♥♥♥

The winter seasons were always an interesting time to be a professor.  The campus was decorated with trees and lights.  Fliers advertised Hanukkah and Christmas gatherings.  The students were so stressed and burnt out that they moved through life with a weird sort of festive calm. 

This year, that festive calm had taken on a new feature- your students wouldn’t stop playing Wham’s Last Christmas.  

You had nothing against the song.  All things considered, you liked Wham.  You liked Last Christmas.  It just got a touch annoying when the song played on a constant loop through various shitty phone speakers.  All the time.  Every day.

You weren’t sure what caused it- what earthly force could convince a bunch of college kids to listen to that infernal song so frequently?  What could get them to set Last Christmas to their ringtones?  You were pretty sure most of them hadn’t used ringtones before December.  To put it bluntly- you were confused, tired, and suspicious.  You were also ready to scream.

So you did!

“Holy shit, if I have to hear that fucking song again, I might literally explode.”

Reid looked up at you as you burst into your shared office.  His eyes were wide, as if your pre-loaded rant about Wham’s Last Christmas had caught him off guard.  

If it had, that was honestly on him.  You were only about a week into December, and you had already complained about the thing seventy-six times and counting.  If Spencer didn’t remember that, then his special boy memory powers had clearly failed him.

“Well, you wouldn’t literally explode,” Reid corrected, clearly recovered from his shock, “That’s a common mistake.  You would actually-”

“Reid, stop it before I feed you to the ghost of George Michael.”

He held up his hands in surrender, though a smile played across his lips.  You glared at that little grin as vines of suspicion tangled with the fleshy meat of your brain.

“Did you have something to do with this?”

“Whatever do you mean, Doctor?”

“I mean,” you slammed your hands down on Reid’s desk, “Are you the reason I cannot escape that fucking song?”

He leaned back in his chair, weaving his long, slender fingers together like some fucking anime villain, “And how would I pull that off?”

“Easily.  You’re you, and it’s the perfect crime.  All it would take is the promise of extra credit, and your students would do anything.  You think I haven’t noticed that the student body suddenly loves playing Wham?  Out loud?  Without headphones?”

Spencer’s grin got bigger, “Wow.  I’m sorry that your students have been using technology in a distracting and upsetting manner.  I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

“Spencer Reid, I am going to kill you.  I’m gonna choke you out with Christmas lights.  Seriously.”

He leaned in, “Are you literally going to kill me?”

“Fuck you, Reid.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

You snorted out a laugh, “You wouldn’t survive me, pretty boy.  Now, have you seen the essays my cybercrime class wrote?  They were on my desk.”

“Here-” he said, reaching for one of the desk’s many drawers.  That ended the conversation as the topic drifted to your students and the general category of crime that involved techy-whecy bullshit.  

In the weeks that followed, the volume on Spencer’s prank was turned down.  The students played it less and less, and the campus generally hummed with other holiday themed music until the break hit.  The day after it did, a package arrived on your doorstep.

A lovely vinyl copy of Wham’s Last Christmas.  

You were gonna kill Spencer Reid.

♥ Tags: @icarusignite, @usuallyunlikelyfox, @maraudersforlife2005, @fictionalcomforts, @morgthemagpie, @iiheartbowie, @digitalhearts, @corpsebridenightamare, @ghostatrixx, @reiding-writing, @mywellspringoflife, @80katie, @ms-ks-world, @currentfications, @ilse235, @emagen, @foolishwaitersblog if you asked to be tagged and i forgot, pls let me know!! if you would like to be tagged and aren't, also let me know :D

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x gn!reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #x reader #nightmare academia

[jacenbren]

Apologies for yet another nonsensical insomnia rant but the fact that Legato Bluesummers a) has never truly been a free man and b) cannot fathom ever living outside of servitude. really hurts man. Like ohhhhhh boy.

In the ‘98 anime (due to trimax being incomplete at the time), we never really got to see the real dark and nasty bits of Legato’s story, and trigun stampede hasn’t yet gotten a chance to really delve into his character. While Legato still served the same purpose as he did in the manga with similar events playing out, I think a lot of his character’s depth was missing in tri98—we never really learn why it is that Legato is so deeply devoted to Knives, and he’s portrayed as a lot more… theatrical?? than he is in the manga?? anyway. Tri98 Legato serves his narrative purpose and is a great villain, but he seems a bit shallow, for lack of a better word, mostly because we don’t actually get to learn a lot about him.

In comparison to his counterparts, trimax Legato is… kinda a loser. The second we meet Knives, Legato gets crumpled like a soda can and spends the majority of the series as a quadriplegic who sits menacingly in the shadows in his body brace/coffin thing (which I affectionately like to call his Bitch Cocoon). He spends his time being very weird and unlikeable and tormenting Vash in various ways, all while dramatically singing Knives’s praises, despite him being the guy who quite literally rearranged all of Legato’s limbs and permanently crippled him. All in all, despite being an absolute menace in combat and just a generally fucking unsettling guy, Legato’s kind of pathetic and really easy to dunk on at first. Just ask Elendira, who roasts the shit out of him on a daily basis because she’s bored and even “accidentally” chucks a glass of water at him! He’s an easy target!

However, I think this makes the absolute gut punch that is finding out why Legato is the way he is infinitely worse, which I absolutely adore from a narrative and storytelling standpoint.

Legato has been a slave since he was a child, in every way but name—well, he was literally a slave as a child, and more specifically, a sex slave. He grew up knowing nothing other than the absolute worst of humanity, instilling a hatred towards his own kind that would last his entire life. It’s made abundantly clear that Legato doesn’t value himself in the slightest, because he grew up as little more than a commodity, to use and dispose. When Knives razes the city Legato’s being held captive in, and goes to kill him, this is the first act of kindness he has ever received, and yet also the greatest unkindness—Knives has destroyed Legato’s life, no matter how abhorrently shitty it was. Legato has never lived a life outside slavery, so he has no idea what to do with himself.

So he turns to Knives. Millions Knives, whose goal is to eradicate the humans who have done nothing but make Legato suffer. Knives, who seems all too willing to put him out of his misery should he turn down Legato’s offer to serve him.

Legato cannot fathom a life without a master, without pain and suffering and servitude. He cannot comprehend the idea of freedom, and most of all, he can’t understand Vash. He can’t understand that someone whose kind has been used and abused by humans for centuries, who’s suffered for decades alone in the desert, could find it in himself to forgive and love the ones who hurt him so unconditionally. Vash’s very existence infuriates Legato, because Vash is a mirror image of him—a mirror image whose trauma didn’t swallow him whole and turn him into something despicable. Sure, Knives might’ve saved him, but he’s just another master to serve. Knives broke every bone in his body as punishment for disobedience, and yet somehow, Knives still favors his brother—who keeps running, who keeps refusing, who keeps avoiding his past—over Legato, who’s sworn to never disobey his orders again.

Vash is what Legato could’ve been. Vash is what Legato desperately wants to be. The problem is, Legato refuses to heal, and he doesn’t want to be fixed, either.

#i think about him a lot #legato bluesummers #the load-bearing twink of trigun #trigun #trigun maximum #trigun meta #trigun maximum spoilers #cw mentions of child abuse/csa #basically cw for legato’s entire backstory

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

What are some characters you'll like to see interact more that hasn't done so much in the series?

Oooo ok this is tricky and the second I post this I'll probably think of more!

I listed a few duos I'd like to see explored more a while back! I'm a bit lazy to go back and link to it now but I remember wanting to see more Dazai and Kyouka, Fukuzawa with young Yosano after she'd just been brought to the Agency, Aya and Akutagawa, and my favourite joke duo, Odasaku and Adam. Here's a few others I thought of:

Gin and Ryuunosuke: Please let them interact in canon. Please. They are literally siblings.

Margaret and literally anyone: Please. She has such an interesting set up. Where are we going with her? Can we elaborate on her situation? Her story? I just want her to interact with characters beside Nathaniel. I'd love to see her encounter Akutagawa again actually... could be really interesting.

Wells and literally anyone: Bring her back... I miss her... :'(

Mushitarou and Ango: ...me and the three other mushiango shippers crying for more of them... (but really I just think they're an interesting duo. *slaps both of them* these two can fit so much grief and regret)

Aya and Jouno: I'd like them to meet up again. I just think they could have a neat dynamic, with Jouno having faith in her without needing to know of her capabilities, simply because he knows she (and any civilian) would be underestimated. Also, both with the whole "justice as a choice" thing. Idk. Something there.

Chuuya and Atsushi: PLEASE. I need to see it so bad. Why have they not directly interacted yet? It seems intentional to me.

Naomi and Dazai: We get hints that Dazai actually teaches Naomi tricks and strategy advice. I'd like to actually see it!

Mori and Fukuchi: They were both at Tokoyami Island during the war! They may have actually met before this!!! I hope we elaborate on this soon. ...also I want both Fukuzawa's exes to meet and for there to be drama because it's funny to me. Bonus points if Mori shows up while Fukuzawa is still bleeding out on the ground. Old man yaoi showdown... (I am kidding :P)

Teruko and Natsume: These two authors had a real connection! Teruko was a student of his. I'd love if they pulled that into the series somehow!

Natsume and Agatha: OKAY, so this is based off irl Natsume's real exchange to Britain he went on. He hated it there lol. That's why I'm hoping for interactions between these two… and I hope they cannot stand each other. Maybe something happened between Natsume and the Order of the Clock Tower and they parted on bad terms. They meet again and the two are just all smiles as Agatha pours tea and Natsume rests his hands on his cane and they think of how much they wish they could laser beam the other to death. Idk. I like the concept tbh.

And these are just silly and self-indulgent:

Sigma and Tsujimura: if Sigma turns out to actually be Ian Fleming, I demand they meet and have a Bond-esque secret agent adventure.

Katai, Kunikida, and Higuchi: my dream crack trio that definitely makes no sense but I can't get it out of my head. I can't explain it ok I just think it's funny if Katai, after the Gin debacle, ends up with two overworked blond friends who check in to make sure that he is still alive under his futon. I need to emphasize though that Higuchi is far from her usual polite or professional and is just so done with Katai all the time. Katai still can't manage to make proper eye contact with her or have a full conversation. Nobody understands how they are keeping in touch or why. Also important you know that Kunikida and Higuchi have this weird frenemies dynamic where they are rightfully suspicious of each other for being on opposite sides but then feel like. A sharp pang of sympathy in their chests every time they hear about the crap the other has to deal with. They both shit-talk Dazai and can rant for hours. Katai is left standing there like 😥. It's basically just the "two teenaged boys" post, where Kunikida is the (comparatively) gentle "oh did you just wake up", Higuchi is the "OPEN UP FUCKNUGGET" and Katai is the guy who answers the door past noon still in his blanket. I know it makes no sense. Let me have this.

#thanks for the ask! #oof there's a lot of characters to tag but i'll try #bsd #bsd gin #bsd akutagawa #bsd margaret #bsd wells #bsd aya #bsd jouno #bsd chuuya #bsd atsushi #bsd naomi #bsd dazai #bsd mori #bsd fukuchi #bsd sigma #bsd tsujimura #bsd teruko #bsd natsume #bsd agatha #bsd katai #bsd kunikida #bsd higuchi #storyrambles #bsd mushitarou #bsd ango

[localvoidcat]

you should tell us about the character misinterpretation...

i was just thinking about. how so many character portrayals surrounding the characters in this series tend to veer towards family dynamics or extremely close friends that would do anything for each other. and im gonna go into both of these. and also the view of characters being seen as girlbosses and all that but thats been talked about a lot so ill be short with that. im putting this under the cut because its just me ranting LMAO. none of these are directed at anyone since i think most of my mutuals seem to get it but this is just in general

im gonna give a disclaimer that theres a very good chance i could be wrong about these, this is mainly based on my own view of some of the character themes/dynamics and how they're framed in-story, i haven't gone back and reviewed canon sufficently enough to be correct on this. with that said i need to be a hater for a bit 👍

i think the family thing. just does not make a lot of sense to me when it comes to like 80% of the dynamics i've seen. literally the ONLY one i understand is thatcher and adam because like. obviously an older character calling a younger character "kid" and helping them out and all that would lead to those characters being seen as having a mentor/trainee or father/son dynamic. i get that. that makes sense ALTHOUGH i will say that i don't think it's quite as simple as that but i wouldn't even know how to explain

but a lot of the time when it comes to other characters. i do not understand how they could be seen as a family dynamic with the knowledge we have of the characters now. like sarah being seen as an older sister figure to bps (which. does not make sense considering she's younger than at least one of them) or like. the mandelatech employees being seen as having any kind of family dynamic (that one just. does not make any sense to me. i feel like the only reason for that is because it's, again, an older character and a younger character that hang out but i cannot see them as uncle/niece or whatever else they are. those are coworkers to me but maybe that's just my view). there's also the idea of the remaining four survivors being seen as a general family thing and i cannot wrap my head around that at all. it makes sense for thatcher and adam as i said in the previous paragraph but it doesn't make sense for characters like sarah or evelin i cannot understand that in the slightest. again this may just be my own personal view

and then the thing with a lot of characters being close friends. this one i can kind of understand because obviously when characters are canonically friends you want to view them as being good friends. which makes sense in a lot of other things but i think with tmc in particular. a recurring theme (outside of characters like sarah and evelin or thatcher and ruth. both of those seem to be character duos that don't have issues in their relationship) is that a lot of these friendships are not good for one or both parties, whether that's a realized thing or not. again, i get how it's a lot more fun to see them as being close but i feel like viewing them as strictly close friends that only have good views on each other or as characters that would really care much about another's death in a very impactful way is kind of undermining the whole point in a lot of these dynamics.

tl;dr: while it's fun to imagine characters as having a family dynamic or as even just having a healthy friendship, as is mainly prevalent in fanon, i don't think that can be applied to canon without ignoring parts of a character/their reactions to things and their story.

final thing i'm going to touch on is something that has been talked about in SEVERAL fandoms by people that could articulate it way better than more. but i personally have a very strong vendetta about immediately labeling a female character as a girlboss or anything like that and not establishing their character beyond that. ESPECIALLY when it doesn't even line up with the character as a whole. most of the time it just feels like a binary where a girl character HAS to be labeled as a girlboss or a girlfailure or whatever other label there is regardless of whether or not they actually fit that. it's understandable to lightly joke about that (like evelin being referred to as the latter. in that case it makes sense to use that in reference to her but using that as the only defining part of her character limits her to that) but when it's used as the ONLY way those characters can be described it just becomes annoying to an extent

even for characters like ruth who we don't know a lot about, there's more to her than just. i don't know. being the singular braincell (which tends to be the view of female characters when it comes to one girl in a group of guys. which i cannot stand) or being the girlboss or being the strong one of the three and nothing else.

for the last paragraph i will admit that the majority of my talking about ruth tends to revolve around her dynamic with her friends, but there's absolutely more to her character outside of that or just being the dead character (even though her death absolutely serves as a driving factor for thatcher's character arc and other things). she does not exist solely for that group dynamic or just to be the dead character she has more depth outside of that and she has so much more depth than just being labeled as a "girlboss" and nothing else.

anyways. this was mainly just me going on a rant towards the end but i just needed to verbalize these thoughts before i exploded nothing i say is canon or the interpretation everyone else has to have this is me yelling into the void. okay goodbye 👍

#tmc #sorry i think i turned into some manner of beast halfway through this. anyways #probably got character info wrong but i hope the majority of this makes sense

[the-path-to-redemption]

Hi I was scrolling through you blog and I saw the post about Rwby and the Racism issue and I was wondering how did Rwby failed in all 3 categories?

I have seen other POCs express their distain regarding fantasy racism and fantasy oppression because you are taking a real life minority experience and using it for your white race (Hunger Games and Bright are examples). Then we have some that says as long as that race is an allegory or being race coded is fine such as Zootopia. Did Rwby followed or try to followed these examples?

That moment when your blog is just chocked full of posts about this topic that you can't find the specific one-

So, I want to preface that this post is my perspective, and it will not always align with other POCs' opinions on similar matters. We're not a monolith, and I speak from my own experiences.

Long Post Ahead

I don't think I can answer the 3 categories you mentioned because I literally cannot remember which post has that. So I'm very sorry.

So I'll start with the next part. In matters regarding the Hunger Games and its usage of societal discrimination, I personally would not say that it's a bad example, and race plays a more subtle part in the totalitarian world of Panem. THG as a series is a commentary on what will happen when we let the government exploit and divide the people, keeping us under their thumb with a cruel system disguised as a form of social order rather than what it truly is. Hell, even the main villain of the series President Snow (spoiler ahead) in the prequel claimed that the Games are a method of showing order in a world thrust into chaos, that the tributes are part of a larger game of reminding everyone in Panem that they are only parts of a bigger machine in order to keep peace. Which the series clearly stated that what he's saying is propaganda, and the world isn't just full of woes. It is capable of love, kindness, and unity even in an environment where the people kill each other.

Sorry for the long rant, but I would highly recommend you read the series. Panem as a world setting isn't a fantasy perse, more like a hypothetical America or any similar nation where the discrimination based on race, class, and everything not considered "norm" is something inspired by real-life without making it a direct example, it's a series encompassing the struggles of being free and allowed to love without being oppressed, which can be seen by any race. I encourage you to get into a deeper analysis of this wonderful series, it's worth it.

And for Zootopia? I would not consider it allegorical. At all. It obviously takes inspiration from real-life racism, particularly that in the States, but just...

If you equate the predators in Zootopia, who are discriminated against because of their instincts to hunt prey and are faced with constant fear that they will kill their prey peers based on instinct or via drug, on any non-white groups in America, while the prey animals are white people? You... you see the issue, right?

You see the issue of making a fictional race that instinctually behaves very differently from humans via eating others an allegory to real-life races, especially black people, right???

That's why I wanted RWBY and the Faunus to be their own thing because the premise itself is fantastical. Don't Write Real Life Racism with Fantastical Allegories. PLEASE. RWBY shot itself in the fucking foot when they equate the Faunus to Black Civil Rights Issues when they aren't educated enough on the topic to even discuss it. If that was what they wanted, just write black people. There are other ways where you can write a fantasy racism plot without allegorizing it to real-life racism. Just write the fucking latter.

RWBY failed, and it failed badly. Even if you don't have the whole Faunus be about Black Civil Rights, the writers still INTENTIONALLY write a disabled child slave fighting for his rights after being abused by a corporation to be the VILLAIN. Not just any kind of villain, but the kind to abuse his loved ones, kill his own kind, aim for mass murder, and never actually gave a shit about his rights. That alone should tell you enough about whether or not RWBY failed or not.

#answered #anonymous #rwde #rwby critical #anti rooster teeth

[fyorina]

(uh, this is rlly long im so sorry qwq)

OMG THAT LAST CHAPTER HAD ME FEELING SM CARINA U CANT DO THIS TO ME !!!! LITERALLY THE FIRST FEW PARAGRAPHS IN I HADTA WALK AROUND BC I WAS SO OVERWHELMED I LOVED IT SM !!! N THOSE LAST FEW LINES. DONTDOTHISTOME I S A W THE "BEAST AU COMPLIANT" TAG ON UU IM GONNA SOB MY EYES OUT DURING IT I JUST KNOW !!!

gonna leave some of my fave few lines n my thoughts abt them from this chapter (ok these arent all of em, bc if i put all of em it'd be the whole 50k words of this series SO ITS JUST THIS CHAPTER)

"because how could he possibly belong amongst people who are so unfailingly good that it makes his tainted heart stick out like a sore thumb?"

STOP NO DONT DO THIS TO MEEEEEE throughout the whole fic u perfectly captured his thought process n how he denies his own capacity for change n how he HAS changed from when he was 18 BUT THIS LINE MADE ME TEAR UPPPPPP

"He is so completely and irrevocably in love with you that Dazai doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to live in a world without you. The thought alone makes his skin crawl and his chest cave in."

self-explanatory

“Are you calling me ugly?” 

u gorgeous, gorgeous man ilysm yes you look like a rat but i'll swaddle u up in blankets n clean u up

the whole graveyard scene. DO YOU WANT ME TO CRY HELLO

“You were a kid, Osamu. You’re not some incarnate of evil for ending up where you did, you were failed by all of the adults in your life,”

ok nvm crying this hit me like a truck

"Humans cannot live without a heart, so if he’s to give you his, it’s only fair that you give him your own—though realistically, yours has already been his for a long time."

i feel like this mightve been ur fave line, but if it wasnt IT STILL IS MINE BC OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD QWQ

ranpos lil rant was so funny he's literally me frfr

“Yeah… ha, look at us, in jail at the same time! Couple goals, huh?” 

i giggled

PLS READER INVITING EVERYONE JUST TO AVOID GETTING INTERROGATED UMMM RELATABLE LMFAO

these are just some of them BUT JUST IN GENERAL, UR WRITING IS JUST MAGICAL ITS EVERYTHING IVE EVER WANTED TO READ N I LOVELOVELOVEEEE THIS SERIES N ALL UR WORKS (n u /p) SM !!! I CANT WAIT FOR UNREAL UNEARTH, I JUST KNOW IT'LL BE AMAZING !!!

RED HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU NOT TO APOLOGIZE I LITERALLY ADORE YOU IM GOING TO WEEP OMG

honestly the first scene of dazai’s pov was one of my favs to write because it pisses me off so much whenever he’s excluded from the ada panels in the manga fjsjdjsjjd so i NEEDED the opportunity to hit home that that is his FAMILY idc what asagiri says the ada is that boys family and he deserves it 🥹🤞

UGHHHHH STOP BECAUSE WHENEVER I WRITE CANONZAI ITS SO HARD TO KEEP ON THAT THIN LINE OF HIS INABILITY TO ACCEPT HIS OWN GROWTH WHILE ALSO HAVING HIM ACKNOWLEDGING ODA’S LAST WISH FOR HIM SO I REWROTE SO MANY OF HIS POVS SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I WASNT GRASPING IT ALL PROPERLY

the graveyard scene was one of the 3 scenes i started writing for 🥹 i literally was weeping when i finally got to it

AND ALSO THE YOU WERE A KID LINE UGHHHHHHHH BRO when i tell you that’s something that i literally want to scream at him and shake his shoulders like he was FOURTEEN WHEN MORI BROUGHT HIM IN AFTER HIS ATTEMPT !!!!! FOURTEEN !!!!! HE WAS A BABY IT MAKES ME SO SAD WHEN HE FRAMES HIMSELF AS SOME IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER WHEN HE ONLY TURNED OUT THE WAY HE DID BECAUSE HE HAD NO ADULTS IN HIS LIFE SETTING HIM ON THE RIGHT TRACK ugh im gonna weep again i will always be dazai’s #1 defender, i will fight him himself idc he was only a lil baby :’)

oh my god fun fact i actually almost deleted that line about the heart, i don’t even know why like i was rereading it right before i post and i second guessed myself because i was like ‘i don’t think it rlly flows’ but then i decided against removing it because i liked the line in general SO IM WEEPING AGAIB

bro ranpo needs a promotion for real the headaches this man must get because of people not listening to him 💀

HDOSJDJSJDJJD THE COUPLES GOAL LINE WHEN I TELL YOU I SNORTED WRITING IT HELPPPPP I WAS GIGGLING SO HARD

RED ILYSM IM BUNDLING YOU IN THE SOFTEST BLANKETS AND GIVING YOU A FOREHEAD KISS

i’m so excited for unreal unearth like honestly it’s my pride and joy, i’m so pleased with how my beast!dazai characterization has come out so far and i’m hoping everyone else is going to like it too 🥹 if not ill simply die HAHAH JK JK JK no but really i’m so very excited for it

#ᡣ𐭩 carina’s love letters #ᡣ𐭩 from user: cheriiyaya

[jewishdragon]

reccommend any good book series?>

uh, sure

lets start with the three book series i have had on loop (audiobooks through libby) for the last 4 years:

Temeraire. 9 books. alternate history age of sale, an homage to Aubrey Maturin (the author literally stopped posting fanfic for that series 1 year before she published the first temeraire novel). What is the alternate? Well. dragons exist. and they are people. The premise is a human naval captain finds himself captain in the air force because a dragon imprints on him. Explore how the first napoleonic war goes when dragons are involved both in battle and in politics. I love this series because it scratches a very specific itch for humans and giant monsters bonding and interacting at every level of society. A lot of real historical figures show up (napoleon...). but it never feels forced. Im so bad at selling this series. its really great.

Memoirs of Lady Trent. 5 novels. more dragons ! this time a world similar to ours, but dragons exist! however this time they are animals, not people, and the main character is a fantasy victorian jewish woman who is obsessed with studying dragons and breaks her worlds gender barriers (which are the same as victorian englands were) to achieve her goals. also there's a slow burn romance with a nerdy fantasy muslim man (think indiana jones!!!) and they go on ADVENTURES about ARCHEOLOGY AND NATURALISM (books 3 through 5. i dont want you to think i lied when this man dont show up in books 1 and 2. BUT THERE'S STILL BOTH NATURALISM AND ARCHEOLOGY ADVENTURES IN BOOKS 1 AND 2). I did not see the twist of the series coming either. wild stuff. love it. there's a epilogue 6th book where the characters spend 80% of the time translating ancient tablets and somehow this is incredibly engaging, props to the author. this is a first person POV, the author is writing it as a MEMOIR so you have to imagine this old lady writing this down in her study.

The Murderbot Diaries (5 books, 4 are novellas). Sci-fi, out in space! Mostly taking place in literally capitalist hell region of space called "the corporation rim" which is... ruled by corporations. A lab grown robocop cyborg hacks its programming to become autonomous and wants nothing more than to watch soap operas and be left alone, but of course makes friends along the way as it continues to do its job of protecting humans. the snarky humor is FANTASTIC. its also first person POV and feels like Murderbot cornered you in a seedy space bar on an asteroid and just started ranting about shit "you will not believe the fucking year ive had" and then just rants for hours. Speaking of, 4 hours is the audiobook length for each novella, short enough that you can give the series a try without worrying about length

agatha christie. i mean. the queen of murder mysteries is called that for a reason. her stories are indeed bangers

Howl's Moving Castle. its a 3 book series though the books arent super connected. really fun fantasy adventure comedies.

Ok end of the not kids section. here's the kid section

now bear with me on this. Artemis Fowl. 8 books. I didnt read these until i was an adult, in graduate school. They fucking SLAP. some stuff is a little dated but other than that, its action packed, its so much fun. Go on an adventure where a shitty know-it-all genius criminal master mind becomes a better person and also there's fairy magic and fairy tech (which might as well be a second kind of magic). the main villain? amazing, unhinged, megalomaniac to the max. i love her. the minor villains? also amazing. i cannot overstate how great the villains are in this.

Dealing with Dragons/Enchanted Forest Chronicles. uhhhh this is my special interest. fantasy comedy adventure.

thats all for now i think.

#book recs

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

How could you translate Katniss' internal thoughts to screen?

If you become the screenwriter for the new adaptation, what would you do?

Are there any movies or tv series which have good example of this type of narration?

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

Oh tough question @curiousnonny. I've literally been sitting on this one for at least a year because I've been trying to figure out how the heck I would translate more of her internal thoughts to the screen. I will say this...

I have such mixed feelings about what Gary Ross and company decided to do for the films. I get why they did it, but man did it suck at times. What I mean by that is, they turned Katniss and Peeta into The Watson character. By that, I mean that in the original Sherlock Holmes stories, Watson's role was primarily to ask questions and doubt Sherlock's theories in order to give Sherlock a chance to explain what happened and show off his so called "genius."

Haymitch has to explain certain things about the Games to Katniss and Peeta that, in the books, THEY ALREADY KNOW because they live in this world and are not idiots. And the thing is, the movies showed that the film makers DID grasp the concept of how to show us a little and trust the audience to figure out the rest. Gale's thirty second rant in the woods about "What if everyone just stopped watching... It's sick. You root for your favorites and cry when they die" (paraphrase). Movie!Gale tells us something about the Games that we get from Katniss's internal thoughts in the books. And that is that while the districts hate the Games...they partake in them. Katniss tells us about how people in 12 ENGAGE in the betting. It's become a cultural thing so that even though there are people who know the tributes, even though it might one day be you or your sweetheart or your child in the arena, the Games are STILL treated as a form of entertainment on some level...even in the districts. And Katniss knows this, which the movie shows when she tells Gale "That'll never happen" (another paraphrase).

There's also the odds board that we see very briefly in the Capitol. Now we the audience know, just from those handful of seconds, that there's wagering on the Games, without Katniss telling us. More brief scenes like that would help with the world building.

Which leads me to... it works better as a tv series. It's written by a television writer and the story is blocked and paced like a tv series. And I cannot believe that I am saying this, knowing that it winds up being so hated by so many of the fans by the final season, but Game of Thrones the tv series, at least in the first season, did a phenomenal job of translating an entire book to screen. I've only read one book and watched two seasons, so I cannot speak to later seasons/books, but wow. Just... do THAT with The Hunger Games. The added length of a tv series gives you the advantage of more scenes and less of the book being cut out. You have the luxury of included so many of the characters that got cut from the movies, which all of that will naturally bring more of Katniss's thoughts and feelings, and understanding of her world, to the forefront.

But you can't stop there, you need an actress who, at a rather young age, can tell an entire story in just a few facial expressions to play Katniss. Not to bash Jennifer Lawrence because there were some parts of her portrayal of Katniss that were excellent, but I felt like her acting was hit or miss sometimes, and at others her portrayal suffered because of both the script and the editing. Sorry not sorry. So casting is key to bringing her internal thoughts to life through acting.

From there, I hate to say it, but at some point, you do have to trust your audience to be able to pick up on things. I think you do need to include a few flashbacks, but you can slow roll them. Show us Peeta giving her the bread in flashback then cut back to Katniss on stage looking slightly horrified and confused. Peeta's trying to talk to her on the train, return to the flashback and show his mother hitting him. Let current Katniss show just a flicker of guilt followed by slight annoyance and determination. You can even keep the flashback silent, if you want. Peeta's helping clean up drunk, vomit covered Haymitch and tells Katniss that he doesn't need her help and doesn't want the Capitol attendants. In her train compartment, Katniss shows us the whole thing, starting with her Mom being nonresponsive, an emaciated Prim, a picture of her father on the mantle with the black ribbon over it and a picture of the whole family next to it. Ah yes. Audience can now deduce that Katniss's father is gone and Mom's a wreck, the family is falling apart. Then give us the sound. Katniss pawing through the trash, Mrs. Mellark screaming at her, and the gift of the bread. Your audience is smart enough to take it from there.

You'd have to give us the dandelion part later on, too, but I actually think you could work that in somehow during the arena. Have Katniss find some dandelions after the girl from 8 dies. She can stare at them, cut to the flashback of the day after the bread. K&P share a look and then end it. She sees the dandelion. Prim can mention the bread, causing Katniss to look away from the dandelion, maybe ask how Katniss got it, and then Katniss goes into the woods to gather dandelions for her family to eat. Cut back to Katniss in the arena, confusion playing on her face until she remembers she's on camera and drops the mask back down. There is so much that can be done with one second of emotion that quickly changes to something else in this situation, and while they did manage some of that with Jennifer Lawrence, I don't think they used the technique to its full advantage.

The problem is that the movies were inconsistent with how they handled this problem of translating what Katniss tells us/says to us onto the screen. At times, they spoon fed us too much and did it in the form of spoon feeding information to Katniss and Peeta that they would've already known, making our protagonists look like idiots. At other times, like with the bread flashback, they didn't give us enough, so we don't understand the stakes and the significance of that moment. Fix the inconsistencies, and I actually think they were kind of on the right track with the movies, they just didn't follow through completely or effectively.

#curiousnonny #thg thoughts #anonymous #look at that ask #also for fucks sake #cast someone else to play younger K&P and even Prim in the flashbacks #it's been four years #get us close enough in appearance and the audience can figure it out #basically #at some point #you have to trust your audience to figure out what you've given them

[typekiku]

TSUKIHIME FASHION REVIEW 3!!!

under the dark crimson moon, i write this newest entry of the much awaited much beloved tsukihime fashion review.

it's a duty i must carry out for the sake of the generations of lost sheep both before and after my time that have yet to truly appreciate the true depth of style that is contained within the single greatest visual novel known to mankind (according to me)

yet, i feel as if i am not doing my duty to its fullest... how can i possibly adequately sum the glory of todays fashionista? how can i dare attempt to sum that up?? no! i cannot waver in my faith in my incredibly lacking writing skills nor fear people figuring out this barely has anything to do with fashion... I WILL PERSEVERE!!

on with the show as the youth say!

(SPOILER ALERT: i should mention ill probably end up spoiling a shit ton of oghime and whatnot here so watch out)

so without further ado todays subject is:

drum roll

MORE DRUM ROLL

thanks uhh whatever you are from

MICHAEL ROA VALDAMJONG

yes the one and only roa

BROA

the legend himself, the Serpent of Akasha, Uroboros, the founder of the burial agency, the infinite reincarnatior, and professional Arcueid simp.

we have gathered here today to judge his design and uh fashion ig and whatever else i feel like ranting today about.

lets get right to it.

look at this dude all shirtless and shit like cmon so shameless... cover em up damn. seriously tho this man has a thing for showing off his (or should i say others) bodies like you will see soon.

i guess this comes down to him enjoying the freedom of being fully in control of whatever body he is currently occupying actually?

maybe this is some super deep look into the merits of semi nudism or whatever idk im not smart.

probably takeuchi just wanted an excuse to draw some seriously ripped abs actually i mean this might seriously be the most abby abs we ever see in any TM work. its fucking shredded and roa probably knew that. weirdo

on the flipside that majestic hair is simply incredible. DAMN thats some 10/10 hair. only other hair in this series that compares is my wife arcueid's long hair before her mean little (Older actually but idc) Altrouge got all mean and shit.

umm who is this? what happened to my incredible haired roa?? TAKEUCHI WHERE ARE YOU??? someone please give me back long haired roa... this isnt funny...

do you see what we lost? long gorgeous haired roa should've stayed and im genuinely upset we lost him to this admittingly much better dressed roa. im ashamed of you serpent of fraudkasha

fr tho where tf did he even get this rockstar ass drip anyways? we know SHIKI has been locked up in the outside house for awhile before released thanks to a certain maid... did he just drop by the local hot topic or whatever? did he manifest it through sheer willpower and arcueid simpery?

understandable tbh i too acheive things through arcueid simpery such as dirty stares and social exclusion!!

for reference, here is SHIKI

yea

i guess he just uhh changes him which in hindsight is really fucking sad to think about so lets not

uhh ANYWAYS

ok so ignoring ciel on the right elesia or should i say roa decides the very first thing hes gonna do in poor elesias body is to strip it naked

huh?

yea roa is definitely a weird one. no wonder the other ancestors hate him (besides nero because he is #HIM)

sick cape tho

why is he so hot here actually? what the hell? i underestimated his looks like damn

no really why is he so hot anyways he should look like an absolute freak like he actually is. i see you roa. i see you got that long braid wrapped around your neck like damn son... you may have fallen in love with a literal killing machine and never even got to speak to her till the very very end but i see you.

rizzless bastard.

well thats enough from me so ill drop this classic mahoyo line because i found it very funny without context.

ciao!

#type moon #tsukihime #roa #broa #serpentofakasha #arcueid brunestud #ciel #shiki

[tenebraevesper]

King Shadow (The Altered Future & The Altered Character)

I told myself I wouldn’t do it. I told myself I wouldn’t touch Mobius 25/30 Years Later with a 10 foot pole,... and I still did it. It doesn’t help that, if I don’t count Worlds Collide, which I read mainly because of MegaMan, Mobius 25/30 Years Later (written by Ian Flynn) was actually the first Archie Sonic comic I have read.

Yeah, this was my first real introduction to Archie!Sonic... and it wasn’t a good first impression.

Honestly, kudos to people who like the 25/30YL storyline, but I can barely stomach it without wanting to close the comic after the first page, step back and just forget this story ever existed. So, why am I analyzing it even though I clearly don’t like it?

It is mainly to write down my own grievances regarding one particular character featured in the story - Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow is someone who had his ups and downs when it came to writing his character, with SEGA aiming to make him the Stock Shōnen Rival to Sonic’s Stock Shōnen Hero. While I don’t have a problem with that (and I love their rivalry), I do have an issue when they make him act like an idiot who thinks he’s invincible.

Frankly, IDW!Shadow may not be the best written iteration of The Ultimate Lifeform, but I still like him, especially since he does show to have a softer side. Same goes for Boom!Shadow, who only exists to be Sonic’s rival, but I always looked forward to seeing him show up. To me, both are certainly more appealing that the iteration I’m going to talk about in this analysis. 

So, if you don’t want to read about me ranting about an iteration of a character from a comic that has been deader than dead and won’t be continued thanks to a certain someone, you’re free to leave now. This is your last warning.

As for those who stayed... You’ll be greeted with what I personally consider the worst characterization of Shadow in any media (be it the video games, comics or TV series).

You want Edgelord Shadow? This is Edgelord Shadow.

Before I start, I need to do a quick recap regarding the Mobius 25/30 Years Later story. 25/30YL is a continuation of the initial 25YL storyline written by the most despised Sonic Archie writer in the whole community, Ken Penders. If you want more information on why he’s so despised, I recommend listening to Sonic_Speed’s commentary on what had happened.

After Penders left, Ian Flynn took over as the main writer, and his first year of writing can be basically described as him doing janitorial duty and trying to fix the mess the previous writers left behind, streamlining the story and bringing it more in line with the games. He wrote some really amazing storylines, like Hedgehog Havoc and Worlds Collide, but not all of his stories were good, like House of Cards (aka the one where Sonic and Tails fight; something Ian himself acknowledged wasn’t his best writing).

One of the stories Ian worked on was the above mentioned 25/30YL storyline, aka the continuation to the story Penders wrote, and I have to ask: who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to continue 25YL? I’m not asking that because 25YL was a good story or something - in fact, it was the worst! It was so awful, so boring, with the characters just talking and doing absolutely nothing. As for the ending... What ending? There is no ending, just a metaphor for how awfully Sonic was treated at the time, being literally ripped apart.

I also have other issues with the story, but those are more subjective. For example, it just felt wrong to see Sonic be a King, be married to Sally, have kids... I know that some people don’t have issues with that, but I simply cannot see a character who has been described as a free spirit, who doesn’t want to be tied down by anything, have to deal with this. 

As a side-note, I have absolutely zero issues with Sonic being a King, considering how I loved the reveal of him being King Arthur, the true King of Camelot in Sonic and The Black Knight. I guess it helps that SaTBK is also a much better story than 25YL, allowing Sonic to be who he is at his core.

So, in short, someone told Ian to fix 25YL... and it’s not good. I know Ian’s a good writer, but not even he could fix 25YL. I also sincerely apologize to everyone for what I’m about to drag you into. This was really painful to read.

So, 25YL (Flynn Edition) kicks off with establishing how King Sonic fixed the world from collapsing by travelling back in time. The result of it was the future being changed, though, and we’re greeted with this:

*stares numbly at the page*

I’m not even going to pretend I don’t know who did this for the sake of suspension. This is just ridiculous.

Shadow, why the hell did you set up a statue of Maria as an angel and made the Mobians worship her?! I agree with Tails here - this isn’t right, but for completely different reasons. The first page made me already want to close this comic and never touch it again, but alas, I must soldier on.

The comic establishes that Shadow is the current King of Mobius, with Knuckles as his enforcer, which just feels weird (and I always imagined Shadow to be more of a Knight than a King).

We then finally meet his Highness for the first time, King Shadow, decked out in full royal regalia and torturing an older Rotor. After not getting any answer, he leaves the room, and is met by OC!Echidna Lien-Da (I don’t like her), thanking her for bringing Rotor over to be interrogated.

*sighs*

Okay, this is King Shadow’s first appearance and alarms are already blaring in my head. I cannot overstate enough just how wrong and painful this feels to see and read. It’s like someone grabbed Shadow and just brainwashed him into this dictatorial and militaristic version of himself who just screams “I’m the bad guy!”.

You know what’s funny, tho? I actually don’t think that King Shadow is wrong as a concept. As a matter of fact, we already had Shadow deciding to conquer the world in the video game Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), that being in the True Dark Ending - Dark Mission (where he decides to destroy the world because he gave up on humanity), the Dark Ending - Dark Mission (where he sides with Black Doom and becomes his enforcer), the True Dark Ending - Hero Mission (where he overthrows Black Doom and decides to conquer the universe), the Neutral Ending - Hero Mission (where he is - somehow - convinced he’s an android and decides to take down the Eggman Empire and make androids rule Earth).

So, yeah, Conqueror Shadow isn’t a new concept, but the difference is that in ShtH, it is at least somewhat explained that he’s either brainwashed (either by Black Doom or Prof. Gerald) and/or has given up on humanity... or thinks he’s an android (probably still influenced by the events of Sonic Heroes, but not less weird). The point here that is that there seems to be a somewhat solid explanation to why he has snapped (and Snapcube has him decide to become the President of USA/King of Hell, and I would legit vote for him).

King Shadow, on the other hand, feels like someone flipped a switch. He just woke up one day and chose violence, and it is really uncomfortable to see him like this.

Here’s also a little tidbit I found on the Sonic Wiki:

Ian has stated that there is no official reason for why Shadow became a tyrannical ruler after killing Eggman and destroying his empire.

So, yeah, King Shadow really did wake up and chose violence.

So, to continue, after he talks to Lien-Da about “thanking” Rotor, King Shadow reveals how he cannot lose this world, and how he had done too much good for it to be stopped now.

Okay, this is actually kind of interesting. King Shadow sees himself as some sort of heroic figure, using his militaristic forces to stop any kind of conspiracies against him so he can keep on ruling. He wants to protect the planet by controlling it, which I think is actually an interesting idea.

Obviously, his rule isn’t going to last much longer, since King Sonic is back and ready to kick ass... and honestly, I’m seriously debating whether I want to show the next image, because it just gets worse.

You know what, screw it.

I bet you haven’t thought you’d see Sonic as a hobo. Neither was I. Nothing could prepare me for this. Sonic is just there, sitting, doing nothing, throwing himself a pity party.

This is so wrong on so many levels. The Sonic I know wouldn’t allow this to happen. Instead, he would run right up to the castle, kick the doors down and fight Shadow in an attempt to set things right... not this.

There is also a nice moment between him and Tails (and later a nice scene with Knuckles), but let’s skip ahead to the next part. Again, this is supposed to be an analysis on King Shadow, with some added bits that had personally irked me (Hobo!Sonic being the prime example), not a whole plot analysis like I do with IDW!Sonic.

After finding his resolve to fight back, Sonic and Knuckles burst into the throne room, finding King Shadow and Queen Sally. Now, we learn later that Sally basically married Shadow to bring some balance and stability to the kingdom, and protect it from his tyrannical rule (not seeing any success here, Sal), but I have to ask: Why? Why was this necessary? Like, I may not be a fan of Sally, but I know that she is a fighter, so why didn’t she try to lead a rebellion against Shadow? She did the same when SatAM!Robotnik was around, so did she just give up?

I mean, I understand that Shadow is pretty much one of the strongest characters in the Archie!Universe, but still... nothing? No resistance?

Oh, and speaking of Robotnik/Eggman:

It was hinted at that Shadow took down Eggman before becoming king. When writer Ian Flynn was asked how Eggman died in the Light Mobius universe, he said "Any events happening between the present and the maybe-future will be teased at best. That said, the original M25YL revealed that Knuckles vaporized Eggman and had to be stopped by Sonic. I figure the same events unfolded but with Shadow replacing Sonic."

So, I guess that’s answered. I still don’t like the execution.

Moving on, Knuckles gets Sally out of the throne room, while Sonic fights Shadow. Shadow easily dodges it, sneering at Sonic.

This is followed by Shadow throwing away his cape and beating Sonic up, telling Sonic how he’s old and past his prime, and how as The Ultimate Lifeform, he never ages... so, Vegeta moment? 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

In any case, Sonic is beaten, and I’m asking again... Why? Sure, at this point, Sonic is in his 40s (still can’t believe I’m saying that, it feels so weird), but I’m pretty sure he can still fight. Hell, Shadow didn’t even use his Chaos Powers, so why couldn’t Sonic at least put up a proper fight, even if he does lose at the end?

I know that I’m just complaining here, but compare the fight above to this one:

I don’t know about you, but I prefer their fight in IDW more. Not only were they on equal footing, but this fight was less about Shadow proving himself to be superior, and more a challenge of their ideals, with Shadow insisting on killing Mr. Tinker and Sonic wanting to keep Mr. Tinker alive. Yeah, Sonic still loses (thanks to tripping on a root), but it still feels more satisfying than him being knocked down in a spin-dash, kick to the gut and punch to the face.

So, how is King Shadow defeated then?

In comes Lara-Su (to note, she’s not among my favorite characters), Knuckles’ daughter, who dodges Shadow’s attacks and goads him into using his Chaos Powers while also demonstrating her own.

Shadow throws Chaos Spears at her, which Lara-Su deflects, chanting Tikal’s prayer and using Chaos Control on Shadow, freezing him in place.

I don’t really know what to say about this. It is just... anti-climactic. Like, would Shadow really lose like this?

*shakes head*

You know what, I at least gotta give credit to Ian Flynn for trying to clean up the mess Penders left behind, but this story is just not my cup of tea. Shadow feels just wrong and Hobo!Sonic wasn’t something I wanted to see.

So, is that it? No more 25YL? No more King Shadow?

I’m sorry to inform you, but it’s not over yet. We still have 30YL and I’m still asking: why is anyone going back to this story?

I will let Sasha Cat sum up what happened:

Honestly, the expression she made about the wedding between Shadow and Sally mirrored my own. I hate it.

However, I do like the fact that Shadow is using the Black Arms logo as his symbol during the conquest. Black Doom must be proud of him.

Anyways, to sum up events, King Sonic and Queen Sally are happily married, Lien-Da and her mooks try to assassinate the royal couple, Lara-Su and Silver keep them safe, Sonic goes back into action in an attempt to deal with the situation, so Lien-Da calls for reinforcements:

King Shadow is back for Round 2! I have to admit, 30YL is definitely better than 25YL, but only by a small margin, and I still don’t like it. Not to mention, this Sonic Universe story came out right after The Shadow Saga, a fantastic arc where Shadow came to terms with who he is, internalizing how, even if he gets kicked down, he can learn from his mistakes and get back up, and formed Team Dark together with Rouge and Omega.

It is really jarring to just have King Shadow shoved right after an arc that developed his past/alternate self as a character. Like sure, here’s Shadow, who just had a moment of self-reflection, relying on his friends to help him, and here’s King Shadow, who wants to rule Mobius with an iron fist and fear.

As a side-note, tho, I like this cover. Not gonna lie, King Shadow does look badass in this pose.

Anyways, going back into the main plot, Lien-Da fills Shadow in on what happened after Lara-Su froze him with Chaos Control. Shadow is shocked that five years have passed, then walks away and tells Lien-Da to keep talking.

Lien-Da is ready to help King Shadow regain control over Mobius, but King Shadow refuses, much to her confusion (and I’m not gonna comment on the “Maria’s Wish” code; it has really uncomfortable implications), and explains how this world needs to be punished for its inaction.

Lien-Da is shocked when she sees what Shadow plans on using.

It is a glass orb filled with a green liquid, with Shadow calling out for Tikhaos. We see a shape in the form of none other but Tikal, being lonely and hungry, with Shadow promising to release her. Lien-Da pleads with Shadow not to do this.

Lien-Da tells him how she released Shadow to bring back his stern rule and to not release Tikhaos (which I assume to be a fusion of Tikal and Chaos, although I have no clue how she came to exist).

Shadow, clearly having enough of Lien-Da’s protests, asks her about the armband, which protects her from the shift in the time-line. Side note:

Ian Flynn revealed in an Ask Ian podcast that Shadow's knowledge of events in the previous timeline was due to Lien-Da's information.

When Lien-Da confirms this, Shadow just breaks it off, causing Lien-Da to vanish from existence. Okay, I didn’t like her, but this is kinda brutal. He basically killed her... or maybe she doesn’t even exist in this future?

Shadow then turns to Tikhaos, smirking as she tells her how it’s time to reintroduce her to the world. Honestly, seeing Shadow like this isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s plain disturbing. He looks like a maniac, as if something in his mind just snapped.

Tikhaos begs for Chaos Energy, which Shadow is happy to supply, removing his Inhibitor Ring and not caring anymore when he’s told that King Sonic has retaken the castle.

“Let him have it. It does him no good now.”

He forcefully feeds Tikhaos more energy than she can handle, with the echidna mooks running away when they realize that King Shadow is going to destroy them all, while Shadow remains calm, completely serene.

Again, I’m actually disturbed by this behavior. Are we sure that Black Doom hasn’t brainwashed him somehow?

Anyways, Tikhaos has turned into a complete monster resembling Perfect Chaos and is attacking the city, leaving Sonic and co. to deal with her. As for King Shadow:

He apologizes to Maria for what he has done. He tried to lead by example, but when they didn’t see it, he tried to lead by force. He was rejected. He wanted to bring peace, but the world demanded chaos, so he’ll let Tikhaos ravage the world, wash it clean and let it suffer... and when they learned their lesson, he will return to lead them to peace he desperately wanted for them.

Absolutely not a fan of this. It feels so forced, especially since the last Sonic Universe arc was about Shadow moving on. I love Ian Flynn’s writing, but this is one of the worst stories I’ve read that he had written.

And this is also the last we see of King Shadow.

Honestly, I’m glad Worlds Collide happened and changed the universe. I really didn’t want to see more of this. Not to mention, Post-SGW!Shadow is a real treat.

So, King Shadow? What are my thoughts on him now after re-reading the story?

Honestly, he’s a good concept, but the execution is awful. Even though Shadow as a conqueror exists in the Shadow the Hedgehog video game, we still know that those paths aren’t canon to the main story. The Shadow we know is a protector of the world, but he wouldn’t go this far to protect it, becoming a villain. King Shadow really comes off as unhinged and his personality switch feels like it came out of nowhere.

Again, if you like this story, more power to you, but I don’t. To me, this is the worst Shadow has ever been written. It just feels so unnecessary, so wrong... and I’m glad it doesn’t exist anymore.

If you guys want my thoughts on how I would write a King Shadow story, leave a comment and I might write down the concept for it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch Sonic Prime. I need to clear my mind of what I just read and I just want to see Shadow trying to save the world without being a villain.

EDIT: Here’s my own take on the King Shadow storyline:

#King Shadow (The Alternate Story)

An alternate take to the Light Mobius story:

Isekai'd As My Past Self (Sonic the Hedgehog AU Story)

#Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer (Masterlist)

#king shadow #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #king sonic #archie sonic #silver the hedgehog #sonic universe #I don't like King Shadow. #sonic idw #sonic boom #sonic prime #mobius 25 years later #mobius 30 years later #Sonic the Hedgehog Analyzer

[cookinguptales]

capribornio said: From my own personal perspective? Write it. Lots of people have complicated feelings about the end of s5, and it might help others to process them. And it would definitely help you, I think.

--------

Complicated is a good word for it... Like there are parts that I find interesting and parts that I enjoyed and parts I would like to explore more but like. Let's just say I wrote a very long rant here and then deleted all of it.

(but the rant did come out in the end, so I'm putting this under a cut)

But I guess, fic-wise... It's hard for me to write something in direct opposition to what canon has said re: Guillermo's desires and motivations, but I also find that reveal to be completely unsatisfying when paired with... literally every event of the series thus far. I found the ending of the season to be so deeply unsatisfying that it... honestly kind of killed my love for the show a little. Even the past seasons. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch a single episode since the finale aired. It doesn't feel fun anymore. I know I'll bounce back eventually, but right now I still feel so frustrated. I worry that I might feel that way until I see how s6 shakes out, at this point.

So... when I think about writing a fic, all I can do is feel that sense of... things not being finished, I guess. That sense of dissatisfaction. Like I can write a version of nandermo that is still largely canon compliant, but that version of nandermo will be just as dissatisfying as the show has been. I can't build to catharsis that doesn't exist. I can't bring together all the things the characters have done thus far to a satisfying and logical conclusion because the show didn't do that. This last season pretty much said that all of the character motivations we've had thus far didn't amount to a hill of shit, so like... how do I write something satisfying using stuff from the entire series when the writers completely ignored a lot of that early canon in s5?

So whenever I think about writing for them now... the end of the fic is not cathartic. It feels like things are okay for now but are doomed to failure eventually.

I guess... as far as the show goes, I'm not at the point where like. I have lost all hope in it. I'm really, really hoping that they fix some of this in s6, as much as is possible. Like... some things I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to move past, but I'm hoping they at least find some other way to make Guillermo truly supernatural and comfortable in his own (deadly!!!) power. Like at least give me fucking that, otherwise what the fuck are we even doing here.

At least give me confirmation that Guillermo de la Cruz does not actually see vampiric life as being worth less than human life, because it's starting to feel an awful lot like he thinks murdering vampires is fine but murdering humans isn't because vampiric life is intrinsically less valuable than human life. And therefore his human friends and family matter more than the family they keep telling us he's been building with the vampires.

At least!!! Understand that after using the vampiric world as a very thinly veiled metaphor for queerness and being socially othered for four and a half seasons! It feels awful for your queer and/or socially othered audience to see the only protagonist with a choice actively choose the mainstream world instead! Because he understands now that the vampiric world is just too ~gross and terrible~ for him!

Like we can never get back s5 and have a version of it without massive plot holes and character decisions that make no fucking sense (especially Laszlo, christ) but the writers still have the ability to give me those things, I guess, if they actually! want to!

I'm sorry I literally cannot talk about this without ranting lmao. It's frustrating because a lot of Nandor's thoughts and feelings about Guillermo's changing are fascinating and I'd love to explore them. I think they're generally pretty IC. I like thinking about him believing that Guillermo could never be a vampire because he's too sweet, and him believing that he morally can't turn Guillermo because Guillermo would hate it, and him believing that he can never truly be with Guillermo because Guillermo's not actually cut out for their world -- and will thus die probably centuries before Nandor will.

But god, the fact that s5 tells us that Nandor's right when everything in the first few seasons shows us that he's wrong is so fucking frustrating. It's like they forgot that Guillermo de la Cruz was one of the most interesting and complicated and downright vicious characters on television while simultaneously being adorably endearing. The flattening of his characterization that we've seen happen steadily over the past few seasons has culminated in this, us being told with a straight face that Guillermo de la Cruz can't handle killing humans and has somehow never realized that he'd have to do that in order to be a vampire. He's too?? Nice?????? Guillermo de la Cruz, whom we've seen mock humans for being sad and lonely as he leads them to their deaths and then dismembers their bodies. Too empathetic to feed on a human!

Fucking! okay!

I actually always kind of suspected that he wouldn't become a vampire with the others, at least not exactly the same kind. I'm not actually upset about that. I'm upset that he actively rejected that world, not because he could be something better and more interesting on his own, but because he didn't have the stomach for it. I always thought he'd realize that he's too strong to be just a basic-ass vampire, not that he'd realize he's too weak.

Seeing Guillermo build his own strength for several seasons only for them to tell us at the last minute that no, he is actually too weak just like they'd always mocked him as being, feels fucking insulting. Guillermo, after stubbornly wresting his power from the jaws of mediocrity with his own two hands, willingly giving it up--! Because he couldn't handle the life.

fuck, man.

This wasn't Guillermo realizing that he's stronger without vampirism. This is him just... being defanged again, both literally and metaphorically, just like they've been systematically doing for... honestly, since the showrunner change, really. S3 was fun and I enjoyed it, but now I can see the fucking writing on the wall. They never intended to let that man kill indiscriminately again, and I hate that. They're just going to keep taking away his power and his backbone and have him get kicked around again and again Freddie-style until we all die I guess. Because I guess they think that's funnier and easier to write.

I don't even know what to make of it all. It's so diametrically opposed to everything I found interesting about the character. The first few seasons were all about weirdos living in a normal human world. The humor was mostly derived from, like, a vampire trying to figure out the DMV. And Guillermo was finding that he was much less of a "straight man" to their weirdness as he thought. That he was being thrust into a wild and powerful world that he couldn't control, until he could. Until he found his own power and used it to devastating effect. He killed so many people in s2.

But as the show has progressed, as they swapped showrunners, as the focus has changed to exploring a much more supernatural world, Guillermo has been getting more and more "normal". He really is becoming more of the straight man. He almost never kills anymore, and when he does, it's solely out of direct protection that he can find no other way out of. He keeps trying to be responsible, to be caring, to be fair, and nothing else. Who gives a shit about that? Let the man kill a room full of people again. Let him throw a fit because the vampires didn't kill a victim he brought to them. Let him manipulate innocents into an early grave solely because it suits his own selfish needs.

Like damn, where's the man I remember who could be feral and selfish and sweet and caring all at once? What is this "too kind to be a vampire" bullshit? Was it just too hard for them to keep writing a character who was so complex and had so many contradictions? Did they think they had to make him suddenly feel conflicted about killing so they could justify his sweetness? Like Guillermo hasn't always managed to do both? What's even the point of giving him these powers, of having an arc where he comes to accept these powers, if you never let him truly use them anymore?

fuck

The entire time I was watching s5, I wanted to write a fic where they all get dosed with some kind of sex potion and Nandor and Guillermo have a lot of sex while thinking they have no choice for ages before finding out that it wore off weeks ago. And Guillermo finding out the truth and, like... I wanted to use him having that terrible knowledge that could destroy the relationship they'd been building to mirror the other secrets Guillermo is keeping. And I didn't know how I wanted to end it because I didn't know how the season would end. What Nandor knew and what he didn't and what his response would be.

And now I know how I want to end that fic, and it's with them together but not in a fully open and meaningful way. Guillermo is still retreating into humanity because he can't figure out that he lost that a long time ago, and Nandor has come to terms with the fact that he'll probably never truly have Guillermo. There's still anger and hurt feelings and a sense of dissatisfaction, like they'll never have an honest, truthful, and fully emotionally satisfying relationship if things stay as they are then. But they both love each other too much to give up the pale substitute for a relationship that they have. They both know what they have now isn't as good as what they could have had, but the alternative, living without each other, is too awful to contemplate.

And I know, I know that's just mirroring the way I feel about the actual series but...

damn, man. I guess I do still have a lot of feelings. lmao

SORRY I may be too exhausted right now to hold back. I'm just. Frustrated. idk.

#we never came back from the questionable guillermo characterization choices post-time skip did we #RIP #wwdits tag #again trying to keep this out of the main tag so people won't send me hate mail again lmao #replies

[mayahawkins]

no one asked me to list my fav blogs but i’m just gonna make my own end of year follow forever bc i wanna rant abt my talented friends, beloved mutuals, and just people i follow that i have never spoken to but who are such a joy to see on my dash. so, without further ado, maddy’s 2022 follow forever:

@strangeswift abby strangeswift, my beloved. you were the first person i talked to in this fandom and i’m so glad u were bc u are the sweetest most kind person ever. you are so supportive of all your friends and mutuals and u make me wanna be a more outwardly loving and supportive person fr. i remember when u wrote that lil ficlet based on my text post and i’m p sure i almost cried bc i felt so special that someone had been inspired by something i had said to write smth so wonderful. you’re an incredible writer and i am always so excited anytime you post any of your writing. i can’t wait to read more of your fics and am so patiently waiting for MilevenVision (as much as i may bug u for crumbs). i’m so glad to call you a friend <3

@elekinetic ella ella, bonded in shared discord trauma so ur never getting rid of me. i feel so honoured to call you a friend bc you are one of the best people i know. you are so smart and level-headed and loyal as hell to your friends. you are also so kind and you're so deliberate with what you say and how you say it. you defs intimidated me the first few times we talked but now im like oh ya ella, my amazing talented friend ella. your scripts give me so much life. and not just your st ones but your original ones as well. can't wait to one day see "ella elekinetic hexagirl" in movie credits (bc obviously ur last name is ur url). and your OCs?? i have never once become obsessed with someone's OCs the way i can't stop thinking abt yours. that's what you've done to me. you are so incredibly talented and ily <3

@andiwriteordie ANNDDIIIIII ILY FR <3 u are so insanely talented and kind and wonderful. i’m so happy we started talking recently bc u have truly brightened the last few weeks of the year. u got me back into watching merlin so thank u for the pain u will surely cause me as i rewatch this show i haven’t seen in almost a decade. ur fics were some of the first that i read in the byler fandom and that means u will always hold a special place in my heart. i remember the first time i read your let's hear it for the boys series and i was just like omg i'm obsessed with this. i have absolutely adored every single one i’ve read (even though i’m a lil behind on them rn oops but i will catch up) and can’t wait to see what else you write. your atla!au (and the newly brainstormed merlin!au) live in my head rent free and i can’t wait to read them if you write them.

@nnilkyway my fellow emo will truther <3 yvie i love you dearly. you are so incredibly talented i could scream abt ur artwork literally for days. your fanworks and your original art and your doodles are all beautiful and stunning. the day we started talking and you sent me the lil doodle you did of emo will byers i think i actually cried at how much i loved it and that it had come from our conversation about it. i saved it onto my camera roll so i can come back to it easier that's how much i love it. you are also one of the funniest people on here, your tags almost always have me rolling. i can't wait to see what beautiful art you draw in the new year.

@finalgirlbyers sierra lovqbrl madcleradin finalgirlbyers!!!! i know we haven’t talked much but i love seeing u on my dash and u always have the best takes and theories and just posts in general. i know i've said that literally multiple times to you but it cannot be overstated how correct you always are. one of my fav people to follow on here.

people i don't talk to but whose presence is a joy to have on my dash:

@astrobei an absolutely incredible writer that wrote some of my fav fics. one of the best will fics, not all the prayers, that truly is just so unbelievably amazing. like the care that you can just tell went into that fic is just incredible. Some absolutely incredible lines that will punch you right in the gut in the best way possible.

@blueeandyellowmakesgreen jade! one of the coolest people, has some of the most amazing art over on @azuries, like it's actually so amazing and people need to go look at it and reblog it now immediately

@mlchaelwheeler an absolute joy to follow. so many good posts and im fr rooting for mike with a sword in s5 just for her

@elmaxed their fics were some of the first i read in the byler fandom and i absolutely fell in love with them. they hold such a dear place in my heart. also one of the sweetest people fr, one of the first to compliment my gifs and so they are forever in my mind for that <3

@smoosnoom omg their fics!!! are!!!! incredible!!!! so many wonderful fics, i was just looking through my bookmarks and i swear half of them are theirs. the one about mike's will voice has my whole heart.

@wiseatom another lovely fic writer, and one who titles her fics with taylor swift lyrics bc she Gets It!!! also one of the sweetest people in the fandom, always seems to be supporting other people.

@kidovna one of the most talented artists in this fandom oh my GOD. i cannot praise her and her art enough idk how what else to even say besides amazing incredible talented showstopping

@byeler wrote one of my all time fav fics, Heavy Hopes, with my beloved trope, oblivious jealous mike, which is truly *chef's kiss*. such a good writer like it cannot be overstated

@ice-sculptures a truly amazing gifmaker. gifs so many little byler moments that are so precious that i've definitely missed when watching the show.

@william-byers an absolutely incredible gif maker. taylor swift and stranger things together on one blog, what more could you want?

@padme-amidala makes some of the most beautiful gifs ever oh my goodness, her gifs are part of what inspired me to start making gifs and to challenge my gifmaking. i hope to one day be as good as she is.

@robiinbuckley also makes some of the most beautiful gifs, literally in awe of her gifs. also inspired my gifmaking journey and has inspired me to challenge myself when it comes to gifmaking.

#personal #follow forever #blog recs

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

So I watched/listened to a plot synopsis of ACOTAR out of curiosity and wow. It's obvious SJM thought of a misunderstood bad boy halfway through her Beauty and the Beast retelling and then proceeded to make him *too* bad. As in, "drug and assault you for a month to help you not be traumatized" (really Rhys, was that the *only* way you could have "protected" Feyre? Are you sure?). I see why everyone's angry with how the book ended it's such a mess.

god, yeah. as much as it makes me mad when people skip book one, i totally get skipping book one because it is ABUNDANTLY clear that SJM published it without thinking about literally anything. She spends so much of the rest of the series retconning/reframing events so the guy that she made into a genuinely scary villain in book one is now a fucking saint who builds sanctuaries for battered women in his magic secret city of saints and artists - like, let's ignore the fact that he left a severed head on someone's doorstep as a prank, and the fact that he committed SA, and the fact that he violates peoples' minds/boundaries on the regular.

Like, the most charitable interpretation of Rhysand's actions UtM is that he re-enacted his own sexual abuse on Feyre, because he entered into the pseudo-relationship with Amarantha unwillingly, but believing that it would be the best way to protect himself and his family. The LEAST charitable interpretation of his drugging and assaulting Feyre repeatedly is that he was trying to keep her dazed, constantly in a state of sleep-deprived sickness, struggling to recovery, and thereby prevent her from solving the Super Obvious riddle - because again, he worked for the evil queen willingly. Even if his motivations were "good" he still actively terrorized the rest of the country in the name of protecting the one place and handful of people that Rhysand, personally, deemed most valuable. Like, dude, people DIED. Rhysand later spends a lot of time whining about how NOBODY FOUGHT OR SACRIFICED AS HARD AS HIM..... bro. I don't know how to tell you this but at least two of the other High Lords were running an active rebellion in Book One (the Winter Court confirmed; Rhysand later murders the Winter Court's children - and SJM desperately wants you to forget that this event happened/mattered; the Summer Court was implied to be assisting) and if Rhysand hadn't interfered, Tamlin probably could have used Feyre to break the curse's stupidly complex conditions on his own.

But also!?!? None of this fucking matters, because the canonical actual reason that Rhysand gives for - and I cannot emphasize this enough - DRUGGING AND SEXUALLY HARASSING/ASSAULTING FEYRE, THE GIRL HE CLAIMS TO LOVE MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF, REPEATEDLY - was that he was jealous.

He says this, to Feyre, on the fucking page. Rhysand did not like that Tamlin and Feyre were clearly in love, that their relationship seemed strong, and he wanted to make Tamlin angry and jealous - by hurting Feyre, and using her as an object with which to taunt him.

Rhysand never apologizes for this, by the way. He just gets sad and says that he regrets it, and Feyre feels sorry that she upset him by bringing up her trauma, which he caused. Fucking CHRIST.

And later, according to SJM's narration, I am supposed to revile and condemn Tamlin for getting angry and being upset/traumatized by having witnessed someone he loves he dangled in front of him like a toy by a guy who wants to hurt/kill him and is capable of destroying people's minds!? I'm supposed to be upset when he tries to rescue Feyre from Rhysand later!?!? HELLO!?!? We can talk about Tamlin's character flaws but first of all, he's never sexually assaulted anyone, and second of all, he's against slavery for no reason than because slavery is bad.

No, actually, this is relevant, because Rhysand later tries to "both sides" fucking SLAVERY.

Anyway rant over, fuck ACOMAF especially.

#anti sjm #anti rhysand #i'd tell rhys to go fuck himself but he'd enjoy that so - no he doesn't deserve the pleasure #tamlin #ya know what fuck it this post is pro feyre she's an annoying bitch but she's MY annoying bitch #every day i mourn for feyre's character and the agency she was robbed of because sjm decided that rhys was king