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regulusrules · 3 months

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FIC RECS: Tore apart my sanity edition

Missed doing those, especially that the brilliance of this fandom is quite endless. You'd think you've read everything, then a fic comes and makes you stare two ceilings above. I think we all have PhDs in ceiling reading at this point.

1. through storm and hellfire by @prattery.

Look, I know I scream a lot about fics, but this time it's so rightfully, I swear. There is something about this one that just unravels you so fully, so reverently. It was a spiritual experience; reading this fic. Anything written by this author is a spiritual experience. If you're new to my blog, you will soon know that I fall apart for such beautiful prose so easily. And the way Arthur was written here.. holy lord in the sky. I haven't survived this fic as of yet (weeks later). It was not Merlin who got kidnapped here; it's our literal hearts.

2. you hold a knife at my throat (i tell you exactly where to cut) by @nextstopparis.

All I can say is that I found this one on the night of my final MA exam and risked failing because I stayed up till dawn reading it. And guess what? I'd do it a hundred times over. Because this fic killed me 🤩 With a knife knowing exactly where to cut 🤩

Whenever it's Protective!Arthur that is as much consumed by Merlin's safety as Merlin was with his, then know I am absolutely and utterly gone. And everything that comes with Arthur teaching Merlin how to wield weapons and its close proximity trope. Oh boy. I was literally killed, I'm telling you.

3. Of Course Falling in Love is Awful. Why Else Would They Call It a Crush? by watchriverdale.

Respectfully, how does this marvel of a fic have less than a thousand reads?? If I may, it's one of the best AU - Canon Divergence that I've read in so long! Merlin being an actual physician, Arthur making silly excuses to go visit Merlin and it ending up for him falling head over heels, BAMF elements of both, just everything! Absolutely AMAZING. And the full circle at the end; what an icon.

4. The Walls of Camelot by spqr. (@andthepeople)

I'm literally not joking when I say my brain function grew and developed more after reading this fic. It was so fully-fledged in a way you don't find in literal published books. The amount of creativity and research combined in this fic.. WOW! You just literally live the war with them, all emotions entangled, all thoughts experienced. I think I had the hardest time processing that the fic ended more than anything else because of how invested I was in the story. I didn't want it to end. It was a wonderful, wonderful ride.

5. I suppose that I look different (without the robes and crown) by WingedWolf121. (@lancelotofthelake)

You know when fic writers begin to narrate Arthur through Merlin's eyes and describe him as golden? That is what I would say as the overall feel of this fic. I felt it radiating gold and beauty. It was unmatched, truly. From the AU idea to its execution.. I was hooked all 18K. I'd give it 18K kudos of my own alone. And the way it was written !!! Please. Any Arthur who just loves Merlin a tad too much is unparalleled. And when the same energy is returned by Merlin >>>

Oh and lastly: “Ask me who you were there to me, Merlin.” I'll leave you at that.

+ 1: My heart is readily yours by yours truly.

Have I mentioned how much this one tore my own sanity apart while writing it? (yes. yes I already have like a thousand times, tell me to shut up about it already). But it's for good reason. I am a changed human being after this fic. For better or for worse, I'm still not sure about that.

#LJ recs #merlin #fic recs #bbc merlin #merthur #merlin fic #arthur pendragon #ao3 #merthur fic recommendations #if you know the authors' @ on tumblr let me know so that I tag them!#regulusrules recs

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tinydefector · 25 days

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hi!! 🐈 first time asking for a request on a blog huhu so I hope I'm doing it right 😭

mind if I slip in a fluffy request with coppy prowl? him being more handsy and just overall touch-starved than usual with their human and he's embarrassed of asking for the touches so he's got this disconcerting look on his face + a hundred yard stare when their human is close

(⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

Klik Away pt3

Heheheh this worked a little to well for the part three and since you lot made me a simp, enjoy some simpy touch staved Prowl.

Warnings: swearing

Word count: 2k

Chapter1,

Chapter2

___________________

Nearly a week later, Prowl had gotten used to the human's presence well enough, still having arguments with them here and there but most times they kept to themself or hassled Green while he worked. "Prowl, can we go out today, I'm getting sick of being locked up in here" they state softly. They look up at the enforcer with pleading eyes. One more Luna cycle that's all he would have to wait to be rid of the human.

Prowl cycled a ventilation as he registered his human's request, systems conflicted. He didn't need to be chasing them around if they got lost while out in the city, but he also could see they were getting rather agitated being locked up for so long.

One lunar cycle remained until they would no longer be under his care.

"Very well," he agreed at last, calculating most protected opportunities for their enrichment and safety. Rising carefully, Prowl lifts them up before carrying them to the door, once outside he transforms.

His engine purred low as seatbelts strapped the human safely inside the cabin. "Remain still and do not interfere with vehicle functions," Prowl instructed calmly. "We will explore briefly before returning by duskfall, don't try anything"

He Guided them through less populated streets at a crawling pace, enjoying fleeting wonder lighting tiny eyes absorbing alien scenery. Yet enjoyment lingered in his system watching them as they pressed up against the window. They were ecstatic, eyes watching the scenery of the city, market in awe, it was like nothing they had ever seen before, nothing like earth and nothing like the warehouse they had been kept in.

"Woah I didn't realise everything was so... big" they state softly.

Prowl's engine purred in quiet amusement as they vocalised awe at the sights. Cybertronian towers on vast scales inconceivable to humanity, no wonder such vistas stunned one so young and unfamiliar with alien marvels.

"Yes, our world differs vastly from your tiny backwater planet," Prowl rumbled agreeably.

Slowly navigating less crowded areas finding a decent spot to stop so that they could wander the markets.

Don't be a dick!" They huff while lightly slapping his steering wheel. As they climb out of his alte mode they look around in fascination, they stay close to him as he transforms and stands at full height. He bends down to lift them up before he starts walking with them.

Prowl cycled an irate ventilation at the organic's impudence, doors flicking irritation.

" Watch it, and Remain still," he instructed gently, "Do not squirm or endanger yourself through careless movements."

Striding through orderly thoroughfares, Prowl narrated landmarks in slow, simple terms ensuring his human was securely held. Others stared at the unlikely duo, many pointed and whispered as they watched them stride through the marketplace.

Strangers found strange peace as they navigate the market's, The two of them draw many optics as they argue softly between themselves, the human pointing at things and asking questions and Prowl reluctantly answering, he has to on multiple times catch them from slipping off his arm. "What are those?" They call out.

“ Energon vendors, they supply different types of energon and tops” he states, the stalls overflowing with glowing cubes, spiels of alien beverages music, their eyes dance across the many pretty coloured cubes. “Do different colours taste different?” The inquiry. Prowl gives a nod as he approaches the stall. He stops to talk to the vendor and it's the first time they really listen to him speak cybertronian, it's very different from when he speaks to them. a cube of energon with a silver liquid added into it is passed to him. "What's that, I know its energon but what is in it?" They ask, they know what it is but they are curious over the other stuff added into it.

Prowl accepted the glowing cube from the vendor with a polite nod. Sipping the fuel gradually across his glossa, he savoured the blend of it. “This is a standard mid-grade energon blended with gallium, it's how I enjoy energon," Prowl explained evenly, angling the cube for tiny eyes to perceive colours swirling within." The bright glowing Pink fluid “ “ occasionally i like having iridium and strontium to boost fuel efficiency and spark potential. every more rarely ill have high grade with crushed crystal" he watches as their eyes land on another stall.

“ thats a Self-repair kiosks, it's where bots go to get new or spare parts,nanite, mesh patching, solvents for mending”

“ that stall is Cultural archive filled Holobooks narrating millennials, these days they mainly recount the war to newer bots, puzzles to help enhancing logical processing”

Prowl scolds as he looks away from said stall. “Don't like history?” They perk up in a teasing tone. “You wouldn't like it if it last millions of years either Rabbit” he grumbles before walking down another pathway.

“ that's Upgraders, Body modifications, weaponry installations, plating polishes,” the stall is rather large gleaming under neon signs, it showcases shiny and polished gear. “So is it like a car wash or do you like remove your plating and put on new plating?”

“you buy new plating and can trade in older models, markets don't have washes, those are reserved for housing or as you would call it a wash house” he confirmed while taking another mouthful of his energon.

Prowl gives a slight nod to another bot who returns it to him before continuing patrol.

“ Those are Enforcer dispatch, Fellow security forces patrolling, making sure we don't have circuitors, thieves and other dangers around.” The next stall he points to is filled with what looked like air conditioning.

“ Climate regulators, we use these to regulate temperature, cybertronian naturally run a lot hotter than your species and are prone to melting without regulation” . It's fascinating learning for the human before their eyes meet another stall, they give a puzzled look before speaking up as they point towards it. “What's that?”

The stall is filled with Sleek forms, ads playing that look very similar to adult shop banners. Prowl is quick to cover their eyes, hissing out before walking another direction. “Hey!” They grumble trying to look under his servo. “I am not taking you into an interface stall” he nearly snarls. They drop the subject quickly.

Its quiet between them for a long moment before he speaks up again “foreign collectors'' he motions towards the stall. Another cycle closer to reality hits him, did humans even know what interfacing was, had he just caused a scene over something they didn't understand.

His processor noted their interest light upon spying stalls overflowing with alien fruits, grains and flora. Amusement tingled Prowl's circuits to witness how their eyes seemed to like up in awe.

"Those vendors trade planetary Flora harvested from the crystal gardens, or off world planets" he advised, angling a pat towards the stall.

"They have those bugs you get for Green" they state while trying to climb onto the table, they look around at a few of what look like fruits. Prowl's scanners swept the crawling insectoids within bins, analysing nutritional values for his pet. Optics inspected wriggling broods at his mere fraction of size, some glistening and hardy, others feeble and malformed. His logs assessed ratios ensuring they were the right dietary requirements her.

"These appear suitably Green's" Prowl concluded to himself, optics flicker to his companion who looks over the fruit's, he calls out, catching the merchant's attention.

Once he had received the container he reaches over and grabs a few of the fruits to add to the collection. “add them to my account”.

The human gasps as Prowl picks them back up along with the container of food for Green and a small collection of the fruits for the human. "Hey I was looking!" They grumble as he halls them closer to his chassis as he takes off walking again. Storing the newly bought stuff in his subspace storage. He finished his cube of energon, discarding it in a bin before using his servo to keep the human steady against his chassis.

Amusement tingled through Prowl's frame as his tiny passenger grumbled irritably from being moved, too quickly distracted by alien environs surpassing tiny comprehension. "Forgive the disruption, Rabbit," Prowl soothed gently. Striding through thinning crowds, Prowl gazed down at miniature eyes peering back without fear, curiously tracing armoured plating of his face. his engine thrummed a low, protective purr.

It's a peaceful trip back, Prowl ends up walking the full trip back, Striding through emptying streets towards the hab dome His small company ended up snuggled against his body, eyes flickering occasionally. They continue softly chatting as they point out at the building asking about what they were. Arriving within the sealed complex, he prodded the giant doors aside and strode gratefully into the quiet safety of shielded walls. Spying Green curled upon a pile of fabric. playing idly, Prowl extended a digit just brushing his the Flyt's head in greeting before angling optics downward.

His passenger remained in peaceful recharge, tiny breaths puffing relaxed against ancient plating keeping them warm.Prowl deposits his items onto the 'kitchen' bench

Prowl cradled the human closer, striding towards his berth with strange contentment curling his spark, puzzling his processor at fleeting peace, he arranged the human upon berth cushions with utmost care, ensuring to gently wrap them in their blanket, fragile limbs securely for continued recharge undisturbed.

Retrieving datapads loaded with pending reports, Prowl settled upon the floor nearby to scan logs and organise filing through the coming off-cycles, continually monitoring tiny life signs within, he wouldn't admit it ever but some small part of him worried over them in the cold room.

Sideswipe mocks him for his "distractions" over comm. Yet Prowl snaps at him for his words but doesn't argue or defend himself; simply he hangs up so he can continue his reports. Green chirped contentedly as she curls up against the human sleeping on the bed.

Prowl worked through the part of night cycle, Despite steel discipline perfected over millennia on the battlefield, Prowl found himself defeated by the strange pull tugging him toward where small life forms slumbered peacefully. Heaving a ventilation, the Enforcer gathered datapads and rose, striding to his berth.

Laying gingerly so as not to disturb rest, Prowl retrieved work and centred it upon armoured plates, their body nestled closer as his engine purred low. Strange ease washed over him, Comm lines engaged fellow officers without disrupting the human, Prowl reviewed reports scrawled across datapads balanced upon humming chestplates. At times powerful digits brushed delicately against the form sleeping beside him.

Prowl's engine idled into stunned silence as they nestled closer still in peaceful recharge, their face pressing into the warmth of his side, His programming stuttered, confronted by such delicate vulnerability expressed without fear against plating forged through vorns wading raging battlefields. No creature so soft and fragile should trust so completely in servos designed solely for destruction.

Yet this small being sensed no danger, merely comfort, Trust was Prowl was attached.

His engine finally crooned deep vibrations so long stifled, the deep purr had them clinging to him. Face pressed closer. He relished fleeting peace redefining his role however contradictory to function. Too soon, reality demanded separate paths to resume.

"Primus I don't think I can let you go now" He whispers against their skin.

Prowl's vocalizer emitted a staticky murmur. His systems ached for the soft touch they provided, the banter, they challenged him in so many ways. Yet Prowl grieved, releasing tender buds nurtured from unlikely seeds sown through fleeting chance alone. Programming struggled comprehending how a mere human had done this to him.

Tiny breaths echoed trust against ancient cabling deafened rationality. Here, together, strange peace reigned. Yet bitter facts compelled reality. One Luna cycle was all he had to cherish this, less he convinced them to stay, but even then what was the need for humans to permanently stay on Cybertron, what loopholes would he have to exploit just to keep them by his side.

#transformers #transformers x reader #transformers idw #transformers x human #transformers lost light #tf prowl #prowl idw #transformers prowl #idw prowl #prowl #transformers: more than meets the eye #mtmte transformers #mtmte #idw transformers #tf idw

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evilhasnever · 3 months

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xiyao Pacific Rim au?

Hell yes. I have been thinking about this for about 3 years, but never wrote any of it. I just opened a doc and jotted down this snippet for you! Hopefully someday I can turn this into a whole fic.

I give you 500 words of stranded/traumatized Jaeger pilot Lan Xichen in post-apocalyptic Yunping:

~*~

“Meng Yao… what are you doing?"

“The Kaiju won’t wait for us to run,” Meng Yao replies without taking his eyes off his work, “according to my scanner it is only 160 minutes out, unless it changes course.” The scanner in question looks like it was salvaged from parts, but it is beeping in a very believable, alarming manner. “We cannot evacuate the town in time, and we are unlikely to save ourselves even if we start running very, very fast. We must fight back.” He dives back elbows-deep in the cockpit with feverish focus, ripping and soldering cords like he knows what each of them does. Lan Xichen is once again overtaken by awe and instinctual faith in this small, brilliant human being.

When Lan Xichen had washed ashore near the refugee encampment, banged up and near-catatonic from the loss of his brother, he had never imagined someone with Jaeger training would be hiding in these backwater ruins. His savior was one Meng Yao of Yunping, a wiry young man in ripped overalls, with too many tools hanging off his belt and too-hard eyes in a gentle round face. As it turned out, his clever mind could rival Lan Xichen’s own AI navigator - he’d taken only a few days to assess the damage to his Jaeger and write up a repair plan.

Twin Jade was stretched out on the beach, looking like a sleeping giant half-covered in brine. She was not in a bad state overall, save for the smashed cockpit - but she was down one co-pilot, so Lan Xichen had given up on resurrecting her altogether. Meng Yao had not.

While Lan Xichen consumed himself with worries over Wangji’s fate and his lack of communications, his savior worked day and night to get both pilot and Jaeger back to some semblance of functionality. (Lan Xichen paused to chuckle over the mental comparison of hot soup for himself and scrapyard parts for Twin Jade, both sourced by Meng Yao with unfailing efficiency).

“The repairs are only temporary," Meng Yao's voice brings him back to the present emergency. "But I can essentially jumpstart her for long enough to keep it running in emergency mode for a couple of hours. I’ll need you to do most of the fighting while I keep an eye on the systems.”

“You want to pilot with me?” Lan Xichen’s eyes widen.

“Well, you can’t pilot by yourself, can you?” Meng Yao chuckled nervously, without looking back from the console. “And even if you could, your leg is broken.”

“Drifting can be very dangerous if you have never…”

“I have trained before,” Meng Yao interrupts him. “I can pilot, Lan Xichen. I can,” he swears, pushing his bangs out of his eyes frantically. “I know I am asking a lot, but–”

“I trust you,” Lan Xichen says unthinkingly, reaching out to wipe a smear of grease from his cheek. “I only… wish to apologize for what you may see in the drift.”

Meng Yao only laughs, shaking his head. His eyes are avoidant. “Likewise.”

Neither of them paused to doubt whether they'd be compatible. That much was a given.

Lan Xichen enters the repaired cockpit, leaning all of his weight on Meng Yao. He plugs in with slightly-shaking hands.

It is terrifying to let Meng Yao see all of what you are. But he is scared, too. He is, you realize, more afraid than you are. As if his secrets could be any worse than the monstrosity inside yourself. You smile at him with all the warmth you can muster, smiling past the fears in your head. You suddenly want to see him more than anything.

#pacific rim AU #xiyao #xiyao in yunping #lan xichen #jin guangyao #meng yao #in which I make meng yao the specialest boy ever as usual #of course wangji is fine btw #it is canon #shiome fic #xiyao drabbles

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styrofauxm · 7 days

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So...you're questioning if you are aromantic and/or asexual...

...and you don't know where to start.

Well, here! This is my compilation of all the things that helped me figure myself out. I would adore it if other arospec and/or acespec individuals added on as well.

Resources/Research:

1. Forums

Being able to talk to people about my experiences was really helpful and validating. Being able to see other people's experiences that were similar to mine was also so helpful.

For asexuality, there's AVEN. There's a specific section for questioning people as well. For that section, I recommend only posting, not reading other people's posts. There's also this FAQ section with a ton of helpful information about asexuality in general. Overall, I suggest browsing the site, and posting any questions you have.

(small disclaimer: in my time there, I found AVEN to be pretty unfriendly to aromantic people. I have it on good authority that the problem has been solved, but I want to be honest that my personal experience wasn't all sunshine and rainbows)

For aromanticism, there's Arocalypse. It's a smaller forum than AVEN, but also supportive and helpful. There's an Anonymous Q&A section, where you can post without an account, as well as a Discussion section where you can learn more about aromanticism. There's also a non-forum FAQ, with additional resources linked at the top. Similarly to AVEN, stay off the posts of other questioning people, browse the site, and post any questions you have.

If neither of those work for you, I recommend Reddit, but only as a last resort. The moderation there can be interesting, and there's a lot of in-fighting. But, in my opinion, it's important to have that space if you need it.

2. Videos

Seeing people talk about being asexual/aromantic is really helpful for solidifying that they are real things for real people, not just concepts on the internet. They also provide the information in a more streamlined way than forums do.

My number one recommendation for this is Ash Hardell's series on asexuality and aromanticism. There's 3 parts (One Two Three). There's a ton of good information there, presented by asexual and aromantic people.

My second recommendation is to just go to Youtube and look up "am I asexual" or "am I aromantic". This will pull up a lot of videos of people talking through their own experiences.

3. Articles

If you want to read about asexuality and/or aromanticism, it's better to use the forums. Articles about us are often outdated or include incorrect information. Similarly, the forums are awful at giving information about what sexual and/or romantic attraction is.

That's what articles are more useful for. There's a ton out there describing the experience of sexual and romantic attraction, as well as the development of it in humans. That's very helpful for figuring out if you actually feel it or not.

When looking stuff up about sexual/romantic attraction, make sure you use sources you can trust. Sexual attraction is an area where pseudoscience thrives. If you don't know the source, this site is great for checking if it is factual and unbiased.

Non-Research Stuff To Do:

1. Write down your thoughts

One of the issues I ran into while questioning is that I would figure something out, then a few weeks later, doubt myself on that. So I started writing stuff down. This both helps you remember stuff, and verifies that it happened.

2. Just try out the label(s)

Just use them. It doesn't hurt anybody, and you can always stop. You can use the umbrella terms acespec and/or arospec, or just use aromantic and/or asexual (which also function as umbrella terms). This will give you a feel for if the label is right for you. Remember, it's okay to be wrong.

3. Seek out positivity

Go find asexual and/or aromantic people who celebrate being asexual and aromantic. It's helpful in feeling comfortable enough to use the label(s).

What Not To Do:

1. Do not read other questioning people's stuff

This isn't helpful, just confusing. Trust me. Read it after you have yourself figured out.

2. Do not go through the microlabels

Going through microlabels is helpful once you know you are acespec and/or arospec. Not before. Put the queer wiki down. It won't save you.

3. Do not go into spaces that focus on issues

This also isn't helpful, just upsetting. These spaces are helpful for people who are confident in their identities. Not for people questioning.

Other:

Go through the notes! Hopefully, people have added stuff!

#aromantic #asexual #aspec #queer #aroace #neon's void

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oceanlipgloss · 4 months

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10.1.2024

—nsfw

I just wrapped up Chapter 3 and started Chapter 4, and THERE'S AN H-SCENE RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST STORY. It's going to be Bimet's. It has to be. I can feel it in my bones Belial is still being treated in the hospital and no other demons were introduced or are likely to show up rn anyways so it only makes sense (edit 1: IT'S BIMETTTTTT)

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ´ˎ˗

intro: hehe looks pretty unhinged to me I'm taking this to mean that Bimet goes from being poised to using a couple of brain cells oui, sounds good to me And! I really like how his irises are the shade of molten gold. I love his design, period the character design in this game is perfection overall God bless fr

update I: Satan, Sitri, and Ppyong being jealous cuties annoyed with Mammon? Aw yiss <3

update II: Bimet is blushing ALREADY, and he's almost begging MC to let him 'help' her. Goddamn, bro, have some dignity lol humour and jokes aside, though, Bimet is very much about materialism, so such behaviour makes perfect sense and is expected of him. I like the realistic take on it i.e. money and riches would make him do anything, that kind of thing. He also seems to have become VERY fascinated with MC after Mammon made her his master

update III: yup, MC either stands there butt naked, crawls under the covers or cloaks herself and turns into a reaper. And given what's about to happen, just imagining her sitting on the edge of the bed huddled up like an old lady is comical to say the least lmao

update IV: kneel, before your queen aaand he knelt I have a weird feeling about that

update V: yeah hon, I figured as much does that mean Mammon used to be the one that aroused him most? I also find his wording interesting, particularly the 'owned his Majesty Mammon' part, as it suggests that he may view living beings—and now even his very own king—as another 'brand' of possessions. Look at his face though, the man is gonna snap snapped like a button off a shirt

update VI: run for it, MC he totally lost it lmao it's all at once intriguing, sort of hot and funny to see him act like this. He always carries himself so elegantly and speaks with such sophistication, yet he's so worked up rn that he's basically functioning with half a brain

update VII: why are his eyes bloodshot and why is he acting like a cat and why do I feel like he's this close to holding her foot and kissing her toes or worse pls don't do that she hasn't even cleaned them

update VIII: he seems to get off on the idea of serving her, but if I'm being honest, I don't like the idea of someone viewing themselves as a servant to the other. It feels degrading no matter how I look at it. However! This is merely my 'humane' voice talking, if you will, because taking into account Bimet's Timophilia and the way in which he thinks makes this such an excellent take on his scene and the very foundation of it—it's smartly dark and perfectly in character. I appreciate that a lot and enjoy the twisted tinge to it. With that being said, let me continue reading and see what he plans on doing next I can guess

update IX: ...I really saw that coming from a mile away, huh? NOW he's going to lick or suck them, isn't he?

update X: STOP THAT THIS INSTANT, BIMET. SHE DIDN'T EVEN WASH HER FEET BEFORE THIS I TELL YOU Hands? Sexy. No offense though, I can't see what about feet is...exciting. I understand that feet to some people are like abs to others, but...yeah

update XI: MC is the master of two rich men now congrats

update XII: I'm going to passionately ignore the first part of this extremely unholy sentence and say that him placing her leg on his shoulder is HOT ASF I may or may not have a thing for that

update XIII: slurp slurp squish squish flashbacks is this wording style dedicated to Mammon and his subordinates or something? lol And it seems like Tartaros's devils are fond of slurping sipping from MC's swimming pool the fuck did I just say

update XIV: she's holding his horns for support YESSSS the horns, guys, the handles hornssss and pls look at him iswtg he's losing it

update XV: I CANNOT TAKE IT WHEN TOUCHING THEIR HORNS MESSES THEM UP IT MAKES ME GO WILD

update XVI: sexy slippery things horns pffff MC tho? Girl genuinely needs a floatie or two like how tf does she keep getting even wetter how is she anatomically built? Does her water source know no end?

update XVII: at first glance it seems like he's throwing shade, but logically, this is his way of telling her that he was prepping her for the stick what's next ik he's doing this because she's his master and he would kill to be her servant but that was considerate of him, so good job ig lol ngl though this is such a funny sentence, it comes off both as a roast AND a 'kindness'

update XVIII: fuckkk something about them taking their clothes off as she watches is mmm look another kink

update XIX: someone tell him that MC isn't the CEO of the universe this is hot in a weird makes-the-heart-flutter kind of way And: "so 'this' is yours as well" damn, even his dick I mean his hot object no, his thing belongs to MC now hallelujah

update XX: I really like Bimet, but this has got to be the funniest sex scene I've ever read because I assure you, I am NOT taking it very seriously lmao

update XXI: broooo this is so silly-dramatic it's like a comedy sketch omg lol and MC—as per usual—judges and deduces as she gets railed are u not affected at all

update XXII: boy looks half-crazed And it's obvious from his sprite but wow is he fucking RIPPED which carving knife did God use to chisel that body, honey? her feet look cursed tho ngl I'm also trying to figure out the physics and anatomy behind how he managed to rail her while she was still sitting on the edge of the bed because he JUST entirely moved her on top of the bed and I'm like, eh???

update XXIII: MC is dying going to pieces that's more like it

update XXIV: that's sexy, Bimet

update XXV: yes yes yes. YES. That's what I'm talking about. I love the change in his mood and attitude. At the moment, Bimet wants MC because to him, she's currently 'richer' than Mammon himself, but if Mammon were to no longer belong to her, Bimet would not want her like this anymore. It's so logical but fucked up and dark, which is why IT TICKLES MY FANCYYYY

update XXVI: something about how he's asking her to make sure that Mammon stays hers is making my heart flip because it's almost like he's telling her 'I want to keep being aroused by you,' and I know that's messed up of him in a sense, but GOD IT'S HOT, IT'S SO HOT

update XXVII: the insults compliments keep on coming lmao he means that in a good way weird but okay (edit 2: he next says that 'it's a relief he can make her happy,' meaning these qualities of hers aid him in doing so)

update XXVIII: the others couldn't but he could. He's got power fr money power glory but really now, how come he was able to and the others weren't I'm curious am I missing something here

update XXIX: sjswjdsnjsns I LOVE that expression on him OH GOD speaking of expressions, I just remembered Satan's heart-eyes expression and fuck, it's SO CUTE and it makes me feel something

update XXX: MC made me think of that one yowling cat that goes 'nonononononono' also dude I am howling at these descriptions like PLS LMAO

update XXXI: this is a sweet gesture with unusual undertones. He cares about her in a delusional (in all honesty) and strange manner, but he doesn't quite like her for who she is like others do (i.e. Satan (my bby♡) and Mammon). Yet, he's giving her the first thing he ever considered to be his, and knowing his mentality, that's a big deal—it shows just how seriously he takes this no matter how funny it appears to be. But not him describing Solomon as a saucy man lmao love that saucy must be a hereditary trait I'm also very fond of the concept of giving someone something and asking them to give it back one day with an arrogant expression and saucy words, of course it's such a sentimental concept that has a tint of mystery to it.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ´ˎ˗

+note: I mentioned this earlier, but the way Bimet's Timophilia was handled was smart and very proportionate to his character. I just have a note on Bimet's character, specifically in the final part of the scene.

I'm going to say that while Bimet really enjoys serving MC, I don't approve of how he talks about himself as though he's an object and not a living being (i.e. by saying 'if you feel like I have value'). There's dark beauty to this theme, and it's so damn good it feeds my love for the twisted things lol more importantly, that's just how Bimet's mind often works: materialistically, so he doesn't have an issue with referring to himself that way.

From a sound perspective, though, it's sad that he holds such a view, because in reality he is neither an item to be used nor a servant; also, MC being Solomon's descendant, as well as Bimet quite literally believing the delusion that she's the richest person in the world, both don't mean that MC has the right to weigh anyone's value—that's not to say she will do so—no matter how much he believes that she does.

However, this is a HUGE compliment on my part. What I'm saying is, it's on par with who Bimet is and how he thinks. Basically, it's these themes and mangled aspects to the characters that play a great part in making this entire game such a refreshing pleasure. I really hope it stays that way.

#what in hell is bad bimet #whb bimet #what in “hell” is bad #what in hell is bad #what in hell is bad diaries #whb

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bookaddict24-7 · 3 months

Text

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

EVERY WEEK I WILL POST VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.

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24. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read January 2024

I've been wanting to re-read this series for a while because I never finished it. I remember really enjoying this first book in the series because of the competition aspect of it and I'd say I still enjoyed that!

I also see the foreshadowing for the MC's ability to attract all of the men in her life LOL. While I might not have enjoyed it as much as the first time, I still enjoyed it for the most part. There were a lot of things I forgot about and was delighted to be reminded of. The MC is a badass, but her constant "I could kill him with two moves" comments at the beginning had me rolling my eyes a few times.

Even though I know book two will break my heart again, I can't wait to pick it up. Also, SO MANY clues in this one about her identity that I missed the first time around. Definitely one of those books that is worth reading more than once just to catch all of the little pieces of the overall puzzle.

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25. Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have a bit of a gripe with this author. While I like a good chunk of the books she writes, the third act breakups are so infuriating. They take away all of those happy feelings that were building up throughout the book because the drama and miscommunication for the third acts are freaking ridiculous.

I was listening to this book last night when it happened--the inevitable "I'm afraid and a coward and let me let you stew in this miscommunication so that it somehow makes sense for me to break up with you because I'm so scared." Listen, as someone who has anxiety and has relegated herself to singledom because I don't want to deal with the messy emotions, I UNDERSTAND. It's freaking scary. BUT. But for the love of god, there are better ways around this. This manufactured and forced drama is so frustrating. I literally wanted to throw the book out the window.

These characters deserve better.

Three stars because I loved them when they were actually functioning like human beings and not drama puppets. Three stars for the small town side characters, who I have loved the whole way through this series (I'd give THEM a higher rating). And three stars for the diversity of a Latine character (even if the Spanish was sometimes questionable.)

Will I read the last book? Of course. I want to read about the other couple, but I KNOW that I'm going to be frustrated as well. Listen, I didn't think I was going to get as annoyed as with the climax of book one (because book two was actually kind of okay with the climax), but oh man. The FRUSTRATION.

Sigh. Moving on. Read this series if you want cute moments and sexy characters, but be prepared for the moments of frustration. This FMC has a lot of things to work through and I think one of the things that frustrates me the most about these third act breakups is that they feel like they come out of nowhere. They're fine in the moment and then boom, "I'm a coward."

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26. Breathless by Amy McCulloch--⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of the issues I have with adult thrillers is that I sometimes build them up a lot more in my head than the story itself. While BREATHLESS kind of suffers from this, it had its interesting and captivating moments.

I thought the mountain climbing aspect of the book was really cool and I wanted the MC to prove everyone wrong, including her awful ex-boyfriend. Granted I know nothing about mountain climbing, but that aspect of the book is probably one of the main reasons why I kept listening to this audiobook.

The mystery was not predictable but also it kind of was? LOL. It's hard to explain--I didn't actively think it was one person, but when it was all revealed, I thought it made a lot of sense. Like I said, I thought the mountain climbing was the true thrilling aspect of this book.

Overall, this was fun and I loved that ending, but it wasn't something I think I'll be thinking about a month from now. It was good, but *shrug*.

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27. Slewfoot by Brom--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn't know what to expect from this beautiful book. I purchased it a couple of years ago because all of my friends were talking about it, so of course I fell to the peer pressure. Just like the beautiful and eerie artwork, the story itself is unsettling and straddles that morally grey line of justified vengeance and anger versus a society's portrayal of evil (ie. a woman refusing to be cowed by a male's authority.)

Reading this gave me this odd sense of satisfaction when everything came to a head--especially thinking about all of the women who were accused of witchcraft and murdered. I especially felt this anger when I think about how many people the MC helped and how those people let their fear and hatred guide their actions against her. I think, beyond the cowardice of a man not accepting defeat, that angered me the most--women turning on each other because of a male dominated society's idealism and "godliness".

Needless to say, I loved this and couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what came next, even though I KNEW it wouldn't be something good. I'm just grateful that Brom knew that I would be looking for those satisfying moments of vengeance.

Also, I'd call this terror in the sense of that overhanging fear of what comes next. But even with the gory bits and the blood lust, I'd say the real terror in this book is humanity and how easily they are swayed. It all leads to me wanting to ask: who is the true devil here?

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28. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can't believe I've made it this far! Although, I have this feeling I have because the deja vu is hitting me HARD.

FROM DEAD TO WORSE had so much going on, but unlike some of the other books before this one, this one actually took place closer to home. I kind of missed reading about Sookie's misadventures near her home. We got to revisit a lot of her relationships with the men in her life in this one--like the cleanser book for any ends that weren't fully cut clean.

I may have been spoiled for who's endgame, so I am totally seeing how Harris starting laying down the little hints here and there. But even so, knowing this doesn't stop certain moments from feeling bittersweet for me.

More things were revealed and Sookie grew even more as a character. I understood why she made the choices she made because she's finally putting her self-worth above those of the men in her life, but I still DID feel a little bad for her beau in this one. But again, I am on her side because she's been dealt some shitty men cards in the last eight books.

Onto the next one!

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29. The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After trying and failing to read Ferguson's THE NANNY, I really wasn't sure what to expect with this vastly different genre of a book. I'm honestly so glad I decided to give this a shot anyway because THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN.

I was hooked onto the story and I loved the different tropes that were used. The whole grumpy/sunshine thing will always be a winner with me, and I am a puddle for this kind of tension. And don't even get me started on the smut. Omg, this man. The dirty talk in this was *chef's kiss*. This man is hot HOT.

I also really liked how the climax of the story was handled, even if one of my least favourite tropes was temporarily employed. I admire a self-sufficient FMC who can slap some sense into the MMC.

I do recommend this book to romance lovers, but I know that the topics explored in this book may be new to some. Research beforehand might be an awkward time LOL.

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30. Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I want to preface my review by stating that I am not a member of the Trans community, so my opinions on this book are from an outsider's perspective.

JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE was an intense read, both because of the clear transphobia and because of the MC's youth/naive nature about the people around her. The number of times she was cut off by those around her, or had such clear transphobic comments and actions done against her and she brushed them off was rage-inducing. I think I know why she does this--especially at the end, when it all ties up really nicely together, but in the moment, I felt immense rage towards the people around her.

Kanakia's novel touches on so much happening right now in society and how people twist narratives to fit their agendas and their means. How some people can see one person as an "object" to further their ideologies.

This book just made me feel a lot and made me so angry, but I know I am privileged in my cis-life. My heart broke for the kids who are in these situations and/or are surrounded by people who just refuse to see beyond their own biases and hatred.

I also appreciate the representation of the complex familial relationship between the MC and her parents--it may have been imperfect, but as an adult, I can see the love there for their daughter.

Between the beautiful cover, the emotionally stimulating and thought-provoking story, and the raw reality of a young character trying to figure herself out, I do recommend JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE. I do also recommend that the TWs be heeded: transphobic language, transphobia, internalized racism, transmisogyny. Read with care--but know that this is a pretty important story. Also, Kanakia has a pretty great author's note at the end!

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31. The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE PROBABILITY OF EVERYTHING was so much more than what I was expecting and although my heart feels wounded and my eyes are still feeling that aching pressure after a good cry, I'm so grateful I was able to experience it.

Twelve year old me wishes she had this book to read when my world changed so irrevocably, much like the MC of this book.

This heartbreaking novel follows a young scientist-to-be who likes to deal with probabilities in exchange for the anxiety surrounding her world ending. We are faced with a family grieving the end and how everyone handles it differently.

I don't even know what else to say about this book for fear of spoiling it--but know that it is powerful, important, and heart-rending.

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32. Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read: January 2024

I've been wanting to re-read LONG SHOT for a while, even though it is a very heavy and dark book. I had forgotten just how dark this book gets and while I highly recommend it, I do still super recommend you check out the trigger warnings.

Despite the dark and the abuse, the shining light was the blossoming romance between the two MCs and how, if something is truly destined for you, it'll happen.

LONG SHOT is a book full of emotion, heart, heartbreak, and a bit of magic in the sense that Karma is a bitch and it comes for all. Also, the FMC is one strong woman who did everything she could to protect those she loves. Kennedy touches on the misconceptions that haunt survivors of DA, which I thought was a very important aspect of the book.

Now I want to read the rest of the trilogy, which I never read after the first time I read this one.

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33. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am always wary of sequels--especially when it's for fantasy books I initially really enjoyed. Somehow, Rachel Gillig delivers a sequel that was even better than the first book. TWO TWISTED CROWNS was a delight of a read full of dark moments, high intensity, anger, and a love story I felt more deeply than in book one.

The angst alone between two of the characters I wasn't expecting to see together was better than I could have ever hoped for. This was what made this book even more fun--just me casually waiting for these characters to just cross that line with each other.

Also, I found that TWO TWISTED CROWNS had me reacting more viscerally towards the hateful villains. The way I wanted to smack a bitch in this book because how dare they hurt these precious beings?

And, hi, I wasn't expecting to cry? Imagine that I'm enjoying this darker fantasy novel when all of a sudden, my eyes start to water during an emotional scene.

Let's applaud Gillig for making this a duology (hopefully) and not dragging this in a ten series saga. This whole series was such an incredible piece of fiction. I'm glad I fell into the hype and read these two books.

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34. Holes by Louis Sachar--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-read January 2024

I don't even know how many times I read this when I was a kid. Reading it as an adult now was such an interesting experience. For one, the story felt a lot shorter and quicker than I remember it being. I also remembered everything because I'm not kidding when I say that I read this A LOT as a kid.

Being an adult, I can also see how truly sad this story could get--especially one of the historical stories told throughout the book.

Such an amazing classic and truly a gem.

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

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pixelchills · 9 months

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I'm curious, do you have any ideas on what like the animutants skull structure is like? For Sunrise and Moondrop and Solar I mean. I'm also curious how their ears work, like if they're based off of an irl animal's ears or just made up

Their skull structure is very similar to humans, but just with bigger facial features. The eyes and nose are bigger, the shape is wider from the front rather than the back (which means their brains are also a slightly different shape). Their chins are a bit thinner.

Here's a quick example from the first human skull I could find from Google, just stretched with the clip studio liquefying tool XD (looks awful but I wanted to demonstrate lol):

What comes to their ears, they work exactly like human ears without the outer ear; certain high-frequency noises are not heard, and they sometimes might have difficulties being able to tell exactly where a noise is coming from. But there isn't any difference between the function overall, and they're not partially deaf or have any massive issues with this type of ear. A human can also hear just fine without the outer ear.

#asks #animutants #animutant physics

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ginoeh · 5 months

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knocks gently on your door to whisper:

#99 for the spotify wrapped ✨️

Hey Vi, thanks for the ask! The song is Blood Be Fluid by Emilia Romana.

Okay, so this one turned out to be a bit more complicated than I first thought! I hope no one will want to skin me alive for what I came up with - there's no fluff here at all lol. Don't despair, though, I'll likely never write this one XD.

The song is a slow piece, dreamy with a dark voice and overall very thoughtful. The lyrics are more associations than story. So I did some quick association games myself to get the ball rolling.

This one would be a story about innocence lost, being in a dark and cold place and yet clawing yourself out of the lethargy of loss. And about the consequences of doing that at any cost.

I'd go for something featuring Hob, spanning the timeframe of 1589 to 2023. It starts out with his 17th century. He's miserable, starving, dying every other day, the bright future, the innocent awe with which he looked at his fortune is long trampled in the mud beneath the boots of the uncaring. And yet, his blood still flows…

What's there to look forward to, to hope for? Hob claws his way to the meeting with Dream. He starts anew, changes his doom into something better. There's nothing but hope and endless life for him, after all.

But hope and grit and the search for things lost can lead you astray.

So there is Hob, gorging himself on hope and life while stealing both and more from innocents. Things like that have consequences - need to have consequences.

This would be a try at a redemption arc for Hob, in which he, after recognizing what he did when helping the triangular trade along, finds out that there is a price to pay. Not to regain his own lost morals and make amends for his eternal soul, but for the simple act of running afoul his own destiny. He is given a task (by the fates/furies maybe?) that will persist as long as he keeps living: He must give all hope to others and keep none for himself. He is to be an eternal conduit of one of existence's driving forces.

(There is no punishment for him if he fails, not in the traditional sense. He doesn’t know what would happen, he only knows he wouldn’t suffer more or less than anyone else. But then again, what would humanity be like if there was no hope to gain, to give, to lose, to find? If there was no middle ground between dreams, desires, despair and reality? It would likely spell disaster on an unimaginable scale. And Hob really does love humanity after all!)

There'd be the meetings with Dream each century, with Hob trying to find common ground in 1889. Inbetween, Hob would meet the other Endless, learn about function without reward. This isn't a particularly easy lesson for Hob Gadling who was always greedy and mostly just interested in his own gain.

But it is what he has to learn by shadowing Death, Destiny, Desire and Despair. The 20th century isn't an easy one for him. He makes mistakes that cost more than he thought.

We'd meet him in 2023, finally a changed man, perpetually aware of what he's done in centuries past and much more attuned to the needs of humanity than ever before (instead of just his own needs). The last step of the journey (to where, he doesn't quite know) is to shadow Dream.

In the end, one way or another, Hob would become Hope - an incarnation of it that’s not just some kind of sparklingly optimistic can-do-no-bad Hope!Hob but the thing that lifts you up as well as cuts you down, bright and clear just as much as cruel and manic.

I don’t know how I would spin the end: it would not be softly romantic Dreamling. In a hopeful AU, we’d end with two entities that are endlessly drawn to each other just as much as they clash. But Hope!Hob will persist to the very end of the universe because hope always dies last.

Now an alternate idea is where more of the tw's come in:

In a much darker AU, after a hotly burning and unhealthily dependant relationship between Hope and Dream, we’d end it like the comics, nothing changed (and Dream lost Hope because both are ephemeral, gossamer) - after, Hob/Hope will have to decide whether he will keep doing his duty the way he has learned or if he wants to remember his human roots: maybe his lifetime as Hob is over, and he chooses another way to try and regain the lost innocence of his early years.

He has, after all, still the option to take Death’s hand and end their original deal.

Then, there'll be a new Hope.

But as I said, I’ll never write this. It dips into places where I don’t think I can safely go. If anyone else feels inspired to take this (or parts of it), feel free to run with it!

And that's it from me for The Spotify Wrapped Thing. Have a good New Year folks 🥂

#the spotify wrapped thing #hob gadling #the sandman #ginoeh writes #tw for mentions of slave trade #tw for mentions of canon compliant suicide #Redemption Arc. Maybe.#Sorry I'm fresh out of Dreamling fluff atm lol #I really finally need to wrap up this Spotify wrapped thing XD

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variousqueerthings · 5 months

Text

They were both Zygon and human at the same time / I spend an awful lot of time being kidnapped, tortured, shot at and exterminated, doesn't mean I like it

The Zygon Invasion/Inversion -- the Zygons are back and it's a direct continuation to the last Zygon episode, which I'm always a fan of. I think I'm probably slightly affected by not being a big fan of UNIT and this story is very UNIT heavy. I do like Osgood though, I think Osgood and to an extent Kate Stewart are indicators of different kinds of writing women that came around bit by bit in this era. I do think Osgood should be too smart not to doubt UNIT at this point, considering how flipping ineffectual at best they are! Anyway!

I continue down the lane of "not having taken notes for s9 RIP me"

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 4/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 6/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 6/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 8/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 9/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 7/10

FULL RATING: 72/100 (if I can count….)

I think these episodes are quite good -- they're not really for me and the things I enjoy about Doctor Who, but in order to have Osgood I have to watch big spy nonsense unfortunately. EDIT: I do enjoy them more now I've written a bit about them

OBJECTIFICATION: there is, once again, nothing that sticks out. in fact I'm not sure if anything sticks out for the rest of the season? genuinely think we're just good here?? correct me if I'm wrong, again, I really should've taken note RIP

PLOT-POINT: I think there's some interesting back and forth between Clara and her Zygon double, however I do notice that Clara is mostly there to forward her (their?) development, and isn't herself going through an emotional journey in this. there's this bit at the end where she's interacting with the Doctor and she's asking if there was a moment when he thought she was dead, and he says "longest month of my life" and again it's... it's good, but it's not Clara's feelings, it's Clara being there affecting someone else

Osgood, Kate, Zygella, they've all got some trajectory in this, some form of change or confirmation -- Osgood as someone who fundamentally resists violence and who bonded with her other self and continues to have these foundations making her able to work with the Doctor based around his way of doing things, Kate who initially doesn't do that/is very violence based just like in the previous Zygon episode, but is convinced to step away from the box, and Zygella who goes from wanting to destroy humanity to becoming the second Osgood

Clara does a few neat things in the plot, but it doesn't really revolve around her emotional complexity

COMPLEXITY: it's quite a simple plot on the whoooole, but I think there was some needless "now we're in America" stuff in it that I... I just don't enjoy Doctor Who in America, because it always uses America-as-place to piggyback off of genre-type TV that just doesn't feel like Doctor Who to me. the exception to this is Daleks in Manhatten to me, and no, I can't tell you why either. I'm sure if I thought about it I'd have a compelling reasoning, but it's a sleepy day on the whole

but yeah, otherwise. Zygons. they look like humans. they're trying to start a war by making humans lash out against the idea of aliens in their midst and the Doctor talks them out of it. actually I'm not 100% clear on how the Doctor talks them out of it, but the Doctor does talk very eloquently + I appreciate a plot that ultimately isn't solved with violence. I have some questions that may come up in the politics section around Zygon oppression and how the Doctor interacts with that as a scifi concept with very real life underpinnings, but that's not for this section

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: Zygons are still here. uh, UNIT still kinda sucks and a whole bunch of its soldiers got zapped, but also sometimes you come across characters too stupid to live, and honestly at this point that's every soldier in UNIT

the Doctor had a teaser of the idea of Clara dying and wasn't happy about it

COMPANIONS MATTER: Clara does more in this episode! this despite being in a pod for a lot of it! (she also has some great outfits, but that's an aside) (I have clearly got a whole bee in my bonnet about how Clara is dressed as a character, maybe I should make a separate post about it at some point) (but this was great)

Clara inapod! VS Zygon Clara! I quite enjoyed all of that, I enjoyed Clara saving the Doctor's life by using her own smarts, I enjoyed her finding ways to communicate with the Doctor that she was alive, I enjoyed her getting Zygon!Clara to the base. I wish she maybe had a bit more to do after that, but this is a whooole lot more than Clara usually gets in an episode

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor gets shit wrong in this episode, Osgood notices things (like Clara being alive) that the Doctor doesn't, there's a whole bit of trial and error, I enjoyed that. it gets a bit more high and mighty at the end with the speech -- full disclosure I'm reading transcripts of the episodes as I go along, because I was silly enough to not take notes in the moment! (always take notes!)

and I do remember watching and going "oh is there something I missed" because the Doctor gets them there, declares that this is wrong, and the Zygon!Clara goes "oh yeah, you're right" and steps back <- it's more complicated speeching than that, but I'm not sure I quite understand the shift that happens in this moment. as a sleight of hand it doesn't quuiiiite work for me, even though I enjoy it

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: there's a whole bunch of references, as is standard with UNIT episodes -- lotta things I don't know yet, because I haven't reached it on my classic!who watch. that's the thing about UNIT. I may not like them much in the writing, but they are a great way to get a treasure trove of past lore references into a story. now make them villains cowards!

“SEXINESS”: again, I cannot recall anything on this front in this episode, and indeed, for the rest of the season. we may. be cured.

INTERNAL WORLD: I know, I know, the Doctor is "president of the world" so they can just fly a jet to New Mexico and then back to London in a jiffy, but I often think DW stretches itself waaay too thin when it tries these "big" spy drama type setups (I feel, btw, similarly unconvinced by that big UNIT avengers tower in the new special, but at least the action isn't actually led by them)

DW just doesn't do this kind of idk. American Action Drama type thing well, nor is that what I watch it for anyway. my suspension of disbelief is ohhhh so close to snapping!

POLITICS: okok so there's a few contrasting thoughts I have here. first of course, we love a story about non-violence, and we love a DW that's about peoplehood, in fact those are amongst some of my favourite. everyone is People. howeeever, this is where we get to the parts of the speechifying I'm not quite onboard with, which is that Zygon!Clara says "we've been treated like cattle"

and the Doctor basically says "so what" not because the episode is saying they should be second-class citizens, but because the Zygons currently have the power to start a war and have a revolution and it'll be bloody and awful and beget more violence, this is something I agree with. where I think there's a bit of a blip, is that I don't think the episode fully deals with the fact that Zygons are second-class citizens in the first place

I mean, firstly, it's not something I actually had much of a sense of was the driving force behind this want for war, but then I'd question the ideas of "Zygons need to stay undercover for the sake of peace" as a sort of "as long as you pass you're welcome" type situation and that is... I mean it's not quite so deep in this episode, but that's the thing, I think it should be that deep or else it comes off a bit weak

if you're dealing with a story about a people who have been oppressed, then the focus of that story can be "Do Not Try To Oppress Others In Turn," but I personally think it also needs to be more cognizant of the oppression in the first place

I think Osgood once again is a great addition to the story, in that she represents a future of co-existence that appears to be based in equality and non-violence -- if it were someone like Kate I would be waaay more wary of what this episode were trying to say at the end, but Kate gets her memory wiped, so we know what the Doctor -- at the end of the day -- thinks about her way of thinking and handling situations (Kate Stewart villain arc When)

but this is still a relatively highly rated point, I think a lot of its heart is in the right place, and although I don't like how UNIT is portrayed, it does seem to be saying "yeah they got it wrong" -- the fact that they continuously choose violence and it's continuously wrong throughout nu!who and the Doctor still works with them, is why I'm scratching my head

FULL RATING: 71/100 (if I can count….)

we're over halfway through the season now and it has been a consistently quite highly rated season. Clara still fails to take a centre stage, which as you know is my main Thing that I'll probably continue to gripe about, but while it did occasionally go a bit too hard on the soldiers and American Location Where We Can Conveniently Situate The Violence at the end of the day UNIT were not in the right

is it just me or is Osgood way more of a Companion type than Clara a lot of the time? I mean I get that she's not a Companion, because she seems to prefer being on earth and helping out there and she's very well-grounded in herself, but she's just so efficient. maybe a bit too fanboy and meta for me to ever have wanted to see her as a full-on Companion, but certainly enjoyable to me every time she's there

#im watching nu!who #im watching capaldi who #the zygon invasion #the zygon inversion #the measurement

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e-the-village-cryptid · 8 months

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What did you think of Rogue One?

Ah boy. Ok. First, a disclaimer that this is just my opinion, not me declaring some objective truth about the movie. Just because I felt one way about something doesn't mean I think everyone has to feel that way. If people really liked the movie, I am honestly happy for them! And if you really liked the movie to the point where someone disliking it will upset you, you may want to stop reading now. That said, here's my review.

Overall, I'd give the movie 2.5 stars on a scale of 1-5. Maybe 3 if we're being generous, because it was fun to watch in a casual way at some points, and some things were done well— Jyn's character and Galen's moral quandary were the high points for me. Everything else, though— storytelling, sense of place & visual feel, dialogue, characterization, most of the action sequences, overall plot— was disappointing to me. There was very little originality to be had in any of it, and although of course things don't have to be wildly original and never-been-done to be good, it felt like I'd already seen this movie a hundred times, except done better. Most of all, the majority of it felt flat and lifeless. It would have been extremely forgettable to me if not for Andor having already made me care about some of its characters.

Things I liked:

Jyn as a character. She has an interesting backstory, was well-acted, and has a depth and dimension that I feel the other characters were missing. I am very curious why, upon seeing that movie, the decision was made to dive into Cassian's backstory instead of Jyn's (although of course I'm glad we got Andor!). I think Jyn's time growing up being trained by Saw Gerrera would make quite an interesting story. (Watching her singlehandedly wreck like 12 people while Cassian watched in awe was definitely fun, haha.)

Galen's choice. I think this posed a truly interesting question. Was it true that the Death Star would have just been built without him? Would the destruction of Alderaan have happened without him? Did building in the flaw make up for the fact that he still in fact built it? Did his choice save lives or destroy them? Did he do it because he truly believed he could save lives that way, or because he was just trying to stay alive himself? Was it bravery or cowardice, or both in some strange combination?

K2. He was fun to watch, good comic relief, and I empathized with him a lot.

The death scene on the Scarif beach. Beautifully shot, acted, and directed. No notes.

The music. Lovely, orchestral, classic Star Wars scoring.

Things I didn't like:

My main issue with the movie is how flat everything felt. The characters, the setting— everything felt lifeless. It was hard to get emotionally invested because nothing felt like there was a true spark of life behind it. I'll go by points here.

The settings. The visual effects fell flat to me, but even beyond that, there was no humanity behind places like Jedha. It felt like the extras were told to mill back-and-forth aimlessly in front of the camera, rather than being given something to do that would give us a background glimpse into the culture of a place, as on Ferrix in Andor. The lack of depth to the setting made the locations feel like sets, not planets, and made it hard to feel a real sense of place and emotional connection.

Pretty much every character except Jyn was completely one-dimensional. None of them felt like real people at all, just devices to move the plot along. They each had their character archetype and were not allowed to deviate from it at all, and their choices came not from their characterization or their motivations, but from whatever the story needed in that moment. Their decisions felt contrived, making the characters not believable as people.

Many parts of it felt afraid of genuine emotion. It would pull back on the sincerity right as people died, refusing to actually let the emotional impact hit. Maybe this is a function of being directed at a younger audience, I don't know, but to me it felt like a refusal to take the world and people seriously in a way that affected my emotional investment.

The plot felt like a straight highway where you can see right through to the end and there's nothing by the wayside but endless fields of corn. I'm not even asking for twists, it's just... there was just not much there at all. No real arcs aside from the main one of getting the death star plans, no interesting or unexpected wrenches in the main plan, just... bland.

The action sequences were almost comically cliched. Nothing wrong with some well-used tropes, but after the second time Jyn wound up hanging off some ledge by one hand and had to dramatically haul herself back up, I could no longer keep from rolling my eyes.

Much of the dialogue was stiff and not believable. It didn't feel like people talking, it felt like the writers trying to deliver information.

The blocking was often very contrived and awkward to the point of feeling goofy.

Wow, they really managed to pull the "magical Asian" trope AND the "blind but can ~sense~ everything around them so don't worry they're not actually disabled" trope in one character. Really being efficient here.

(Also, not a critique but I am so genuinely confused on why they were all so dismissive of Chirrut. They treated him like just a wannabe, but... The man can literally dodge bullets and read minds, why the fuck is that not impressive or even like... useful to any of you?? Truly baffling, I do not understand it at all. "He's not actually a Jedi, so his ability to do crazy levels of Force magic that none of us can do doesn't really count" huh????)

(Also not a critique, just another thing I'm confused about now after watching— Why has Saw been so vilified, in canon and by fandom? "He's an extremist" everyone here is literally involved in a violent rebellion, he's doing the same thing "He's uncooperative with the other rebels" Rogue One also went rogue, because the other rebels were wishy washy and unwilling to commit "using Bor Gullet to read people's minds is so unethical" no more unethical than shooting your own source in the back of the head. What happened to enjoying grey morality? Anyway I stan Saw forever.)

#oof this got long #i'm gonna get anon hate for this lol #listen i was 1. directly asked 2. very careful with the disclaimers #ask tag #an e original

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sumrot · 1 year

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*TW ED* in response to both ur intamacy post and ur weight loss posts as someone a bit older:

intimacy: a) we are living in an age of extreme loneliness and disconnection. loneliness is one of the most dangerous things for humans, we have evolved to be reliant on each other, as we are pack animals. you are not alone in feeling intimacy starved, as u can see by ur responses. its truly a mental health epidemic… b) in a way i envy u. from such a young age i was hypersexual (some thanks to the slut movement of 2014 tumblr). it never made me feel good about myself or wanted or valuable. it made choose bad relationships for pseudo intimacy. i put myself in harms way constantly to try to feel wanted. thats not to erase the pain u feel now but to offer the perspective that as u get older and engage with older people, who hopefully know what they want and how to be kinder, u can find true meaningful intimacy and hopefully avoid another type of heartache of having ur intimacy violated and taken for granted. being in ur early 20s and navigating relationships fuckn sucks but it gets better with age.

weight loss: i am about ur height and weight. i used to be really underweight, 108lbs, and didnt eat. ur right, i still never felt small enough then. if i kept on that track the health consequences down the line could have been awful. its not worth it. i had no energy and still hated my body. the nutritionist is maybe right, for many bodies we need to eat more foods that make us feel good, with good protein and nutrients, and move more too lose weight. not eating just shuts down bodily functions. i gained some weight and got to 140 just by eating more and then started exercising and quickly got down to 130, but i look more toned and i feel better about myself. most of that weight is in muscle and a fat ass. i dont get sick all the time. the exercise is really light too, just taking walks or doing some yoga that engaged all my muscles a few times a week for half an hour. it helped with self esteem a lot too, bc i put in the work and im so proud of myself. no im not as thin as i once was but im happier overall and in my mind thats worth it. TLDR: eat a little bit more, and move much more, u will get results. it can be a good way to meet people too ;)

I love to vent on here but receiving messages like this also make me extremely grateful to have the followers that I do on here, and also that y’all are willing to take the time to offer support and advice—that is to say, this was insanely helpful. Thank you 🫶 will seriously be coming back to this. I will be trying to pursue more intimacy, but agree that it can be easy to chalk up my self worth to that. I’ll try not to..

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yolkcheeks · 8 months

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So here’s a take which I think is downright tepid yet still am deliberately putting here instead of FB on account of boomer relatives likely making themselves annoying!

If anyone actually believed that it is a few bad apples and cops as a whole are mostly good family men invested in protecting all citizens in the area they serve out of a sense of civic duty- you know, your basic copaganda fairytale- all you have to do is look at what the police themselves do to see it ain’t so.

like, ok, we know by now that Uncle Politics Guy and Karenus Bluelinea ignore any statistics which don’t suit them and will whip out special pleading every time there’s another incident where a cop brutalizes or murders someone unless there’s a oner showing the whole thing, in which case there’s one of the bad apples.

So in their view of the world, most cops are good guys with guns and a few totally different people slip through. They also can see that a huge swath of the population does not trust cops and judges the incidents they say are fine a lot more harshly. We know they know this due to the way such folks will bring up how hard it must be for heroic innocent good guy cops to be subject to such vitriol. So, to recap, cops are mostly good, and there’s a loud and growing public sentiment they are not, damaging their PR and morale.

What would be the logical response for the cops in such a scenario? Probably to take steps towards:

Removing the Bad Cops, not just when they do something egregious and the public outcry is so loud they are forced to act, but as a preventative measure because they are Good Cops who Want to Protect People Actually- it would really hurt morale even more to keep one of the guys ruining it for everyone else around!

Retraining the Kinda Bad Cops; to the degree that there might be some Bad Apples who Totally Still Deserve a Chance, it would also be in the interest of a culture predominantly populated by civic minded people to make sure all their members are upholding the law, not just because it is their job, but because they’re Good Cops who Care.

Of course sharing PR which directly addresses the people who are upset; whether the perceptions are reasonable and realistic or awful mean liberal bullying of the poor innocent cops, the public clearly no longer trusts the police. That’s a big issue for how police are supposed to function, so you would expect to see campaigns that directly address that loss of trust. Probably something that tells the public about the strides above, maybe even cite some sort of external oversight or study that shows their particular department is so full of very good cops who never get violent with the citizens they are sworn to protect.

But, I know this is not a shock to anyone who follows me, that is not what we seen happening with police departments across the US (in the specific only because I can’t speak to other countries’ cops). What do we see?

Cops who have been a repeated and expensive problem for their department get promotions and often their pattern of misconduct only comes to light when they finally are caught murdering or brutalizing someone and gain national attention.

Cops who have done things which would get them fired from any other job, who are not disciplined at all or who are put on desk duty until attention dies down.

Cops who show a clear disregard for human life, from laughing at the “low value” of a young woman brutally killed by an on-duty officer, to writing up reports in which a victim they judge as undesirable (usually sex workers, PoC, unhoused people, and other demographics who are overall subject to discrimination) as having “no human involved”

Cops making fun of, blowing off, and showing extreme resistance to any professional development which challenges bias or otherwise overlaps with DEAI training.

Cops who do try to bring attention to injustice within their department being stymied, intimidated, and (special shout-out to the NYPD) subject to involuntary commitment to shut them up which is subsequently memorialized as a full color enamel challenge coin showing a rat in a straight jacket. Oh and can’t forget the more recent incident where they beat one of their own to death “accidentally” during a “training exercises” like an extra fucked up sparagmos.

Cops who are high ranking within their hierarchy demonstrating the expectations of police culture by not just ignoring but engaging in all of the above.

Of course neither list is exhaustive, just taking a bird’s eye view of what you would expect from an organization which aims to protect and to serve, and what we actually see happening. These actions point to an organization that not only is refusing the judgement of a large fraction of the populace which the fairy tale claims they serve- and that they serve everyone is definitely part of Uncle Politics Guy’s perspective because folks who pity the poor wittle cops love to crow that the libs will be crying for police back if we actually defund/demolish/even slightly discipline the cops. “Who will you call when [racism, usually]?” they ask, implying that in their view, the good guys with guns cops would currently be useful to protect even you, callow cad that you are, from the very scary evil criminals.

These actions point to an organization which not only refuses that judgement, even if they are super sincerely sure it’s not accurate or merited, but rather than demonstrating a commitment to being the good guys with guns, they refuse to engage in anything which would prevent, counter, or clean up after their messes. Remember that reporter who lost her eye while covering a protest? Remember the cop spraying the seated college kids directly in the face with chemical “disincentives”? Rough rides ring a bell?

They get more violent when someone tries to hold them accountable or points out their actions. They insist on special treatment and the law can’t touch them. They use violence on and off the job as a first response to fear, anger, mild annoyance, and will swear up and down they “feared for their life” even when footage comes out showing that no rational person would believe they were in danger, never mind someone who is supposed to be trained in deescalation and non-lethal force.

Cops do not act like an organization of do-gooders with a few fellas who just were too jumpy for the job and made a mistake they feel just awful about. Cops act like an organization which knows it has power and feels entitled to wield it against anyone who opposes them, from protesters to their own men when they try to speak up. Cops behave consistently like they believe they are above the laws which they supposedly enforce despite not knowing them.

You know, when there’s one bad apple in actual apples, it spoils the whole barrel, and farmers don’t fuck around with letting their whole harvest turn. Not the first by far to point that out, but it merits saying. Cops don’t even turn the barrel over to salvage the good ones and the barrel itself is shot through with fungus. You can ignore everything other than what happens to be audio or video recorded and what police themselves say and it still paints the same picture.

#yolkcheeks talks #caution: a take #ACAB #didn’t realize this was gonna be so long I just had a stray thought on my way to PT #I know the back the blue fuckers wouldn’t even do that #because they don’t really believe that #even if they assume the lib media is exaggerating to the greatest degree possible they do know what the score is #they just agree NHI #I was just thinking about how batshit insane it is when you think about the reality which bootlicker greatest hits suggest #I know that’s not the best terminology but I am feeling spicy and trying to type fast #like I just tried to imagine the frutiger aero desktop wallpaper of that world #one glossy stock image of Copmerica #and it falls apart if you look at it for more than a second #they see horrific things happening at the hands of the people who #again supposedly in their view #are the good guys who you can rely on when there is trouble #and are just fine with it #that’s fine #it doesn’t count for some reason #they’re still my precious boys #and they shouldn’t cave to those wild and dangerous libs insisting on #looks at notes #stop killing us #get remedial Good Boy lessons Aka days when you sit around and drink coffee #while a nice consultant with a glasses chain explains how to save the department money by calming the fuck down #but they do spend thousands of dollars on speakers who froth them up to see anyone suspicious as a monsterous wolf #in the US in any interaction with a cop you have to remain aware that #whatever SVU told you #they have been trained to be jumpy and treat any situation in which they feel the slightest bit threatened as mortal peril #fuck cops :)

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syekick-powers · 11 months

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i've been seeing some posts circulating on tumblr lately that have been like, arguing for why the idea that fantasy/sci-fi is better without certain irl prejudices and bigotries is a bad take. and that in certain stories, purposeful inclusion of things like queerphobia, transphobia, ableism, racism, etc into a narrative can be used as very effective commentary against that particular bigotry by distilling it down into its essence and presenting its negative consequences in an emphasized fashion, to bring to attention otherwise unnoticeable aspects of those bigotries in the actual world.

and yeah. i do agree that portraying bigotries in a sci-fi/fantasy setting is often a good way to commentate on those actual bigotries. but i think a lot of the ways people try to argue that point tend not to address what people who like fantasy/sci-fi stories WITHOUT those things actually like. often times, arguing that using fantasy and sci-fi absent of those bigotries as escapism is portrayed as supremely naive and shallow, like anyone who doesn't enjoy seeing portrayals of people graphically abused for traits they share is somehow weak or pathetic or removed from reality. and it's really getting grating on my nerves.

see. i like a little bit of both. i enjoy certain portrayals of genre fiction that shows real, genuine depictions of bigotry and how it functions on a micro or macro scale, how it negatively affects people and their lives for years and years. but i ALSO very much enjoy escaping into worlds where those bigotries don't exist and are considered ridiculous. because bigotry IS ridiculous. and sometimes i ENJOY stories that portray bigotry towards minority populations as awful, horrid, undesirable behavior, and certainly not an inherent trait for society overall. the idea that a story without IRL bigotries cannot function as a critique of those bigotries is just patently insane to me, because portraying the absence of a bigotry can be just as politically motivated as portraying its presence.

like. think about this. you start reading about a fantasy world where homophobia and transphobia doesn't exist, where queer attraction and gender variance are treated as normal, natural, and completely unremarkable things. do you think this isn't saying something about how our current society views queer attraction and gender variance as dirty, deviant, and disgusting? the story goes out of its way to state that this prejudice is wrong in the way the characters react to anyone who goes against this expectation (i.e. anyone who DOES react with some kind of bigotry towards queer/trans people is treated as an awful person by the narrative and other characters) and repeatedly states the conceit that it is normal and natural again and again: this particular human variance is NOT dirty and deviant, it is so normal that people don't have a concept of it being anything else. that is, in of itself, a political commentary on bigotry. it IS stating that bigotry is a learned trait, that it's not inherent to society, that being bigoted towards people is terrible and that anyone who behaves like that is equally as terrible.

additionally, i feel like there's some nuance lost between individual portrayals of bigotry versus just a narrative's presence or absence of irl bigotry overall. i find portrayals of homophobic/transphobic fantasy/sci-fi stories written by cishet white men to be fundamentally boring and unpalatable because most cishet white men who insert queer/transphobia into their fantasy or sci-fi narratives do so without actually learning about what underpins that bigotry. they don't have a genuine motive to portray the negative effects of queer/transphobia; they include it in their spec fic because they haven't done the work to unlearn those bigotries on a subconscious level and cannot imagine a human society that does not possess hatred of queer sexuality and gender variance, even if they don't understand what kind of motivations underpin those hatreds. they haven't done any work to understand the societal structures that encourage and replicate these bigotries, thus to them the bigotry is reduced to some kind of fundamental essence that cannot be separated from humanity. most stories written by people like this are shallow, and their portrayal of that bigotry is practically abuse porn, where queer/trans characters are put through all manner of horrifying treatment without any kind of emotional catharsis or sympathy given to them by the narrative. stories like these are fundamentally unpleasant to engage with for me, as a queer trans person, because they do not seek to deconstruct bigotry and display its inherent flaws and irrationalities. rather, they seek simply to reproduce those bigotries because the author does not understand how they work or what they come from whatsoever and sees the hatred of minority groups as some kind of inherent feature to being alive and sentient. so. again. the idea that all fantasy or sci fi that portrays irl bigotries is good because it's "critiquing" them or "offering social commentary" on them is just. ridiculous. like i love sci fi and fantasy but writing spec fec does not free you from your biases, and biased authors will write biased stories.

just. like. i understand wanting to see bigotry portrayed realistically. and i understand people who say things like "i want to see this hatred of people like me included in portrayals of people like me because being a target of that hatred has irreversibly shaped my identity and my relationship with the world, so any character who is supposed to represent me who lacks that experience with that hatred doesn't feel like an accurate representation of what people like me go through." i get it. i get it. i get it. but painting spec fic stories portraying irl bigotry as "incisive commentary about how bigotry works" and spec fic stories that don't portray irl bigotry as "bland boring escapism that's only consumed by vapid idiots who aren't in touch with reality" is so unbelievably, absurdly reductive. you need to fucking take this kind of shit on a story by story basis, and look at what the presentation of bigotry is saying in the narrative. sometimes the presence of bigotry is fundamental to the story's themes and the message it is attempting to convey, and separating the bigotry from the story inherently destroys its premise. sometimes bigotry exists in a story as an afterthought only included because the author is trying to be "realistic" without fully understanding the real implications of including that bigotry in their story, and it becomes some shallow bullshit that adds absolutely nothing to a narrative's themes or message and only serves as a vessel for cheap, shocking violence. sometimes a lack of bigotry in a sci-fi/fantasy setting is meant to be a political statement in of itself, as a way of calling to attention the inherent ridiculousness of hating someone for something as shallow as skin color, and is meant to show that bigotry is a learned trait rather an inherent one, telling us that it's possible to eventually create a society where those bigotries no longer exist. sometimes a lack of bigotry in a setting just exists because the author was trying to convey a specific theme that would have been muddled by the addition of that bigotry, and the lack of it has no specific meaning to the story whatsoever.

please for the love of god. just judge each individual story on its own merits instead of trying to smear a particular trope you don't like.

#sye's babbles #no readmore. you will look at my opinion whether you want to or not.

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crystal-meloetta12 · 9 months

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hello, I would love to see your yokai watch ocs 💖

Ok so Ive been putting this one off a little bit for a multitude of reasons, most of which are some variant of "god Im so cringe", but I absolutely will ramble about them now that Ive been asked. This will be going under a read more because I go through 5 breakdowns and again am very cringe. I will also be showing each OC through a Picrew because trust me when I say my art is absolutely god awful, but all of them will be sourced.

Catherine

(Source: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1787745)

Ok, so she's basically the main protagonist of my little sector of hell. Her main watch model is the same as Katie's, but she does get upgrades overtime. Overall, she presents herself as a pretty stereotypical nice girl to those she talks to, and also shows a genuine interest in wanting to use her watch and skills to help those around her. Outside of yokai activities, she really enjoys all that she deems to be "cute", like Next HarMEOWny and clothing. She tends to be the most sympathetic of the party, opting to want to help yokai through words and actions as opposed to fighting them.

While a lot of her interests are genuine, some of her mannerisms are put on for those around her. She was very isolated for a lot of her childhood between consistently working parents and just not really being included in social circles, so a lot of her stereotypical cutesy vibes are just as much the only way she knows how to gain attention as much as they are for her own enjoyment. Because of this, she has a really bad tendency to become dependant on her relationships to the yokai around her, thinking that it's her only worth as a person and resultinf in an almost hero complex. So much so she often has a Pepillion on hand for when smiles are much harder to force.

(I KIND of want to add some neurodivergencies onto her, but I want to make sure I understand what Im talkkng about as well as I pretend I do before I actually go through with it)

Despite that, her primary go-to yokai is a Frostina she bonds with early on. She also usually has a Ratelle on hand for fashion-based things.

Her relationships with people are overall really chill, as she's generally nice to people. She is more open with the other watch users and her own friend group, allowing herself to be a bit more silly and goofy around them. The main stand out as of right now is I like to think Kyubi tried to flirt with her at one point as part of his "quest for hearts", and ended up learning what a lesbian is that day.

Hana

(Source: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/186583)

Hana's somewhat inspired off of the whole "robot from the future" line of yokai, and is actually a robot herself who was designed to help humans and yokai get along better. While designed to look like a human child, her whole body basically serves as a yokai watch, with her eyes basically acting as lenses that can pinpoint yokai. Because of this, she most often takes on the "navigator" role in more combat based scenarios, basically acting as the player in game. She was pretty much sent to current time as soon as it was confirmed shw was functional, so she has no real memories or way to travel to the time she came from.

Hana's the most carefree and childlike member of the cast, knowing a lot of things logistically but still experiencing them for the first time. Sometimes her curiosity and wonder can actually lead to trouble, but can usually be pulled out of it by others if not herself. She's actually probably the most emotionally well rounded of all of them tbh, mostly just having the occasional "Im not human" crisis and some trauma I'll get to later.

In terms of her yokai team, she mainly gets access to Don-chan who shares in her sometimes endless seeming energy, as well as Komajiro (not for any major reason, I just say so). She also has a Bruff in her team, mainly to act as a somewhat older brother figure who can ward off trouble if needed.

Mariah

(Source: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/3595)

Okay,

This girl is definitely the most subject to change, mostly because I made her core concepts back when I only played up to Yokai Watch 2 and was unaware I'd be submitting myself to Nightmare Lore! She's honestly recieved a ton of edits up to this point as well, my main strategy being "fuck it we ball" every time new lore presents itself to me. The current hurdle I have to pass for peak Blorbo Writing is Forever Friends, which I will watch after the Ensemble Stars interest dies down a little bit and I can actually continue Shadowside.

All that being said, as of writing this post, Mariah is a half human half yokai experiment facilitated by Ancient Enma to further push the "yokai human get along" thing until his ideals eventually shifted. Thus, she is treated as a member of the Enma family even if not related by blood. She is incredibly powerful with a high aptitude for yokai skills, althlough nowhere neae as strong as the man of all time himself. In terms of scaling, she probably is in between Zazel and Enma, though there is a sizable gap between all three of them. Because she was meant to be human, though, overexertion is a serious issie. She can only exert so much power without collapsing without other external circumstances. But with power like that doesn't just come responsibility, but pressure.

In the main group, she's the more collected one of the three, reeling in Catherine and Hana when they get more out of hand. Although, this is not to say that she doesnt get into antics of her own. Given her half yokai status, she doesn't really have much need for a watch, though she isn't above summoming Venoct for a fight. Shw does havw a slightly more human disguise, though it mainly changes her hair and eyes to be black.

Mariah and Enma get along really well, and share a sibling sort of bond. They tend to conversw over food, and she occasionally joins in for the "Enma's Holiday" manga shenanigans. She does end up in major conflicts of interest with Zazel on occasion, thus causing them to butt heads now and then, but they also genuinely care for eachother's well being.

Also I might rename her to be just Mari idk lol

Peg + some Shadowside discussion

(Source: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1403004)

(I know, I know, Im gonna rename her eventually. It was an i side joke that isnt rlly funny anymore tbh)

... okay so is now a good time to mention Catherine fucking dies-

I don't really have the specifics planned out, but I do want her to eventually fall to some greater threat. She is remembered lovingly, albeit not much of the front-less her survived. Enough for her to be out of the way by the time the watch is banished. I am admittedly breaking ome of the rules of Shadowside, that being she is very much remembered by everyone.

Anyways, enter Peg, a shut in living in 2040 who ends up coming across the Arcane. Like Catherine, Peg lived most of her life in isolation from overworking parents and hitting bad luxk in social circles, only she copes through using her alone-ness as a shield, going out of her way to avoid letting people in. For most of her life, this has been fine, as she's able to excell in all sorts of random things completely on her own. Yokai, however, are one of the few things you can't go through alone. She actually has the most trouble out of the cast trying to get things done with them, as her abrasive nature ends up pissing off the yokai she tries to talk to if anything. And while Hana and Mariah are clearly traumatized by what happened and trying to work through it, everything Peg learns about Catherine builds a really bad imposter syndrome, and another person's shadow so big it feels impossible to crawl out.

She does get along with Hana the best, who still retains a lot of her wonder in the world, which opens up Peg's eyes somewhat in turn. Where she and Mariah sometimes feel more like work partners, Hana could be much more considered a friend. Im not really familiar enough with the Shadowside yokao to give her a proper team (as I only have the anime to go off of), but if we are ripping canon rules apart further, I think she'd largely have a Wydeawake amd a B3-NK1. I also want to give Hana something kinda similar to the Yokai Watch Ogre but idk Im indecisive lol

I've also been considering the possibility of Cath wandering around as a yokai, but the ideas I've had are more "trauma demon" than anything.

Alice

(Source: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/41329)

Okay so a lot of her core development has also been largely put on hold in a hellscape of "Crystal needs to watch Forever Friends but hrrng no motivation", but she is alive during tne time period that would take place, which according to the wiki is also when Nathaniel woild havw been a kid. She comes from a largely traditional family who doesn't give her much agency, and often sneaks out at night to do the things she'd really like. She's generally kind and open to the world, but doesn't have a single clue who she is as a person or what she wants to do in life.

I'd LIKE for her to be friends with a significantly younger Mariah (who has weird aging bc yokai growth stuff), but I don't know how possible that is because Enma Bullshit. Her party largely consists of classic yokai, a standout being a Smogling she befriends early on. She has the marble component of the yokai watch zero built into a necklace.

And that's just about everyone's basic introductions! Ive had these characters anywhere from "about a year" to "many, many years", but this is really the first time Ive openly discussed them, so I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to ask any questions about them if you'd like, and thank you again!

#im so sorry to anyone willingly reading this #yokai watch #youkai watch #yokai watch shadowside #youkai watch shadowside #my ocs #ocs #oc

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