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riality-check · 11 months

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tw for mentions of substance abuse (part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7)

ao3

Steve Harrington has been awake for fifty four hours. With luck, he'll be able to eke out another eighteen. Three days seems to be the sweet spot, even if he only makes it there half the time and, of that half, it only works half the time.

It's better than nothing.

Maybe four days is the sweet spot. Ninety six is close to one hundred, and that seems like a good omen.

Omens don't really matter though. What matters is staying awake.

So, Steve chugs his coffee and walks into the conference room. Coffee isn't enough, not nearly, but it'll do until he gets desperate enough to take something.

He really does try to only take them when he's desperate. It's easier that way, to just do it when he feels like he needs to rather than measuring dosages and remembering times. Hours start to blur around hour forty of being awake.

He walks in, sits down in the chair closest to the door, and is met with a withering glare from Eddie Munson.

Listen. Steve isn't happy about this either, but at least he doesn't look like he stepped in dog shit on the way here. Then again, Steve doesn't have the luxury of ever looking truly unhappy.

Eddie is a rock star. Mean is part of his brand, while mean is the antithesis to Steve's.

Whatever.

"Are you kidding me?" Eddie says, still staring at him, but Steve knows he's not who he's asking.

"He's the best person for the job," Chrissy, Eddie's manager, says.

"We don't need him."

Someone taps Steve's left shoulder. He turns to see Jeff, the lead singer of Corroded Coffin, give him a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you, Steve," he says, and Steve shakes his proffered hand.

"Happy to help," he says, and it's only half a lie.

The drummer and the bassist - Steve would probably be able to remember their names if he wasn't so exhausted - wave their hellos from a few seats away.

"Hi, Steve," Chrissy says.

He takes another swig of his coffee and gives her a little wave in response.

"We don't need a pop singer to write lyrics for us," Eddie says, still not letting this go.

"Yes, you do," Steve says. He sets his coffee cup down on the table and opens the folder he brought with him. "I read through the lyrics of every one of your songs."

"You didn't even listen to them?"

"Would have taken too much time."

That's a lie. Listening, even with the lengthy guitar solos, probably would have taken less time. But Steve needs something to fill the hours when he's supposed to be asleep, and reading, that slow process with its ample, awakening frustration, is the perfect thing.

"You became so much less interesting after your first album," he says. "Every one of your songs talks about the same thing. Conquering evil, killing demons, blah blah blah."

"That's what's in right now," Eddie snaps.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve catches the drummer and Chrissy make the same motion. They pinch the bridges of their noses, clearly frustrated.

Steve sees why Chrissy wanted to talk to him.

"It is," he concedes. "But I also read the lyrics of every song by the bands with top ten hits. They don't talk about it nearly as much. They sing about other stuff. And they don't use an F major chord in every one of their songs."

"We don't-"

"We kinda do, Eddie," the bassist pipes up. "I'm a little sick of playing F."

Eddie takes a breath. Steve takes the opportunity to take a pill.

He found a way to make it less obvious for people who have something to say about it. Steve will take one from his pocket, yawn, cover his mouth, and swallow it dry. Easy peasy. They don't notice, he doesn't have to deal with people who don't get it making comments.

Except when he does, this time, Eddie narrows his eyes. Like he knows what he's doing.

Steve doesn't like that look.

"Have you read my stuff?" He won't ask if Eddie has listened to any of it. He knows the answer is no, if he keeps bringing up genre like that really means anything.

Eddie doesn't respond. He keeps those narrowed eyes trained on Steve and stays silent.

"Didn't think so," he says, and he slides over the thick stack of papers Robin stapled together for him last night. "Here's everything. Read it. Tell me if you like it. I'm only helping you if you give a shit. This goes two ways, and I don't want to waste my time if you think I'm wasting yours."

Eddie doesn't take the stack, but the drummer, sitting next to him, tugs them closer. "Thanks."

"Let me know tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Jeff says, eyebrows raised.

Steve forgets that most people don't actually take advantage of their twenty four hours.

"End of the week," he says instead, and he relaxes when Jeff does.

The drummer starts flipping through the pages while the bassist looks over his shoulder.

"Need anything else from me?" Steve asks Chrissy.

"I don't think so," she says. "I'll call you back to set up a time for Saturday."

He's amazed by the fact that someone as sweet as her works with someone as pretentious as Eddie.

"Sounds good," he says, and he walks out, trying to ignore the feeling of Eddie's eyes on him as he goes through the door.

It only halfway works.

The pill should kick in soon, within a half hour, maybe shorter because of the coffee. Maybe he'll write something. Maybe he'll work on the piano melody he's been tinkering with for the past week. Maybe he'll read the latest book Robin picked up from the library, something interesting enough to be worth the frustration of the moving letters, something that will still fill the time.

He'll make it to seventy two hours. Then he'll crash because his body is a worthless piece of shit, and he hopes this is the half of the time when he doesn't have any goddamn nightmares.

Maybe he should pop another pill, just in case.

#ria writes #tw drugs #tw substance abuse #steve harrington #eddie munson #chrissy cunningham #corroded coffin #st #st ficlet #stranger things #stranger things ficlet #steddie #steddie ficlet #can you tell i just finished daisy jones and the six?#anyway it gave me worms #so enjoy #pop star steve harrington #rock star eddie munson #dja au

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dylanisdazed · 3 months

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so yall know i got an online job. well its online but its also local and today i had to meet with the boss man. he's like 65.

i went in there late cuz i had the kids and stuff so i waited until parker was home to watch his brothers.

so i walk in his office and he closes the door.

he says you drink? you look like you like to party.

i kinda laugh. like idk what this old man means. im 23. yeah i do like to party.

so i say yeah, i like to drink.

he says what do you drink?

i say pretty much anything but i really like bourbon.

he has glee in his face. "BOURBON! my boy! that's a man drink. that's awesome, it'll put hair on your chest! I've got bourbons I'm sure you've never had."

so he tells me to sit down. he pours half a glass of bourbon in the office. i drink it with him. then he pours another. he asks about my major and my life and i tell him about adam...

he's been married to a woman for 40 years and they have 3 children.

He talks about being a teen in the late 70’s/early 80’s. Honestly the conversation wasn’t too bad but as he talks about all the exploring he did…with marijuana, other drugs…and sex…he shifted his eyes and was staring into my soul.

Then without asking he pours a third drink. And moves over closer to me. I should have just said I didn’t want anymore but there really is something to the whole power dynamic that I just drank it. I felt so uncomfortable. I’m alone with him in his office and he’s got the door closed (no one else was at the office it was 6 pm) and I’m drinking a third glass of bourbon with this guy.

He watches me sipping the bourbon and says “I have to say, you’re a beautiful boy” normally I would be flattered hearing that and I just can’t describe why but it’s like I instantly felt how millions of girls must feel everyday when an old man in power is trying to take advantage of me. But I’m also polite and southern and idk so I smiled and said thank you and to help my nerves finished the drink.

He goes “you must really be a good time Dylan, you can hold your alcohol. I’m gonna have to use this whole bottle on you”

And that’s when I really felt weird and scared. Not to mention I had accidentally left my cell phone in my Jeep.

I sorta laughed and said I’ve got to drive home and I have eaten much today. He goes “Come on we’re just getting started”

I say I really need to go, my kids are waiting on dinner and he replies “you’re just a boy yourself, it’s interesting hearing you say your kids. It makes you even sexier.”

I laugh and say thanks but I need to go. I started to stand up and he put his large hand on my thigh (he’s like 6’5) and sort of held me down.

He said “you’ve got to have at least one more drink with me, an ending drink.” I just felt kinda helpless and didn’t have my phone and I was getting pretty drunk at this point so I said okay. He said “good boy”

He pours a last and stronger drink. I sip it as he stares into my soul and talks about how his wife is in Arizona and he’s pretty lonely and reminiscing on his youth and fun sexual explorations. He put his hand back on my thigh and started rubbing up towards my cock. I feel kinda dumb because I just sat there. I was scared and shocked and drunk.

He told me I had a pretty mouth and began unzipping his pants.

Then. THANK GOD. His office phone rang. He looked defeated. He picks up and I hear his wife. “Why are you still at the office? Your phone pinged you at the office.”

“Yeah honey, I’m just finishing up reports, I’m in no hurry with you out of town.” Blah blah blah

I finish my drink. Stand up and head to the door. I wanted to get out of there while he was still on the phone because I could tell he wouldn’t stop me or say my name while his wife was on the phone. I just turn around and do a wave and pretty much bolt to my Jeep.

I start driving immediately, wanting to get away from him. Then I start bawling. Nothing even really happened and maybe I’m just over dramatic or more innocent than I thought but I felt dirty and scared 😭😭

I’m driving drunk and crying and I called my mom. She tells me to tell Adam and so I do but when I get home Adam is waiting for me and consoles me but…he’s the most calm, gentle hearted person I know and he’s like homicidal angry.

“GIVE ME HIS NAME. IM GONNA KILL THE MOTHER FUCKER”

I’m like no ur not gonna do anything like that…

He’s like I’m waiting outside that office and I’m gonna kill him.

😭 it was kind of scary but also very heartwarming and sorta hot seeing him that way 😂

Anyway……. I’m sorry for the long and poorly written story.

I’m okay and we’re taking care of the matter and Adam is also okay and didn’t kill anyone 😂💚

Thanks for the love and concern.

It’s been hard the last few days because I keep thinking about it and wondering what would have happened if his wife hadn’t called. I can’t help it, but my body starts to shake violently when I think of it. I’m shaking now writing all this. 😭😭

But just know overall I’m okay and things are being handled. 💚💚

I’m not gonna talk about this again, at least not for a long time because it scares me.

Please don’t ask me questions about it. 💚💚 I felt like I owed an explanation though and I appreciate all the concern and well wishes.

Now back to fun Dylie!!!

#dylanisdazed #dylie

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veronika-tserber · 1 year

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💫Applying & Separating Aspects in the Chart 💫

I didn't even know about the concept of "Applying" and "Separating" aspects before I enrolled in a formal Astrology program. The letters "A" and "S" in the aspect tables on astro.com didn't draw my attention all that much. 😁

As it turned out, it's actually important to know what they mean, and since 2 people asked me about it yesterday, I decided to write a little post about it. 😊

Essentially, there are three "states" that aspects can be in:

1. Applying

2. Exact

3. Separating

We know that exact aspects (0-1° orb) are extremely potent in the birth chart, especially the major ones. But what about the other two types?

Separating basically means that the aspect has already been EXACT before you were born, and the FASTER out of the two planets is saying "see ya later, alligator", and moving away from the slower one. Applying means the opposite - the aspect will become exact AFTER your birth.

So, in the picture above, there is a Mercury/Venus conjunction at 5° that is Applying. Mercury is quick on its feet, so it will meet Venus after no more than 5 days after the native's birth. This is when the aspect will become exact and will reach its full potency.

Blah-blah, 5 days after birth. Why does it even matter?

Honestly, it matters the most when we pull up progression charts where 1° equals 1 year. In progressions, 5 days become 5 years, which is why the astrologer may forecast an event at that time, that relates to the aspect's themes.

Another example from the aspect table above is the 3° square between Mars/Saturn that is Separating. Will it be less prominent and weak in the chart? This is my aspect, so I can tell you for sure that it isn't weak, at all. But it's also involved in two major chart configurations (T-Square + Saturn is also part of a Grand Trine). Perhaps, if it didn't have those additional highlighters, it could've been kind of "meh" since the orb isn't all that tight, and Mars separates from Saturn.

It isn't wise to judge aspects (or anything in the chart) in isolation. Yet, you can consider the "exactness" of the orb and whether or not an aspect applies/separates, as bonus factors/points adding to the overall analysis of how the aspect fits into the birth chart puzzle.

This is how long it takes for each planet to travel 1 Degree:

The Sun - 1 day

The Moon - 2,1 hours

Mercury - 0,5-1 day

Venus - 0,75-1 day

Mars - 2 days

Jupiter - 5 days

Saturn - 10 days

Uranus - 20 days

Neptune - 25-27 days

Pluto - 30-40 days

Knowing that you should look at the FASTER planet and that 1 day = 1°, you can use this information to find out if you had anything eventful happen to you around the time a separating aspect became exact in your chart. I'd pay more attention if the aspect is between an outer/generational planet and one of your inner planets. Aspects between Mercury/Venus or Moon/Mercury, for example, are much more common and don't hold that much "weight" in the chart, but you can still check them out.

So, if someone has a Moon/Uranus square at 3° that is Applying, this means that the Moon will form the exact aspect around 6 HOURS after their birth! 6 hours is 1/4 a day, so around 3 months after their birth, maybe something happened to them or in their family, which potentially affected them in a big way. Again, depending on how significant the aspect is in the birth chart's story.

With this combo, we could see an incident involving their family members/mother, their parents splitting up, or the family relocating to a different city or even country. In general, the Moon also rules our environment, so there might've been some kind of a shock/shocking event that potentially left a lasting impression on the subconscious mind of the child. It doesn't have to be a "big" event - the child's mind is so sensitive to impressions at that age, that sometimes even an argument between the parents or something similar can be traumatic. But this is a theme for another post.

In conclusion, I am a HUGE advocate for a holistic approach to the birth chart, and although I write about independent aspects and placements, please remember that it's all general information, and you should take it with a grain of salt. Always. Please. Especially if the info implies that you might be f#cked up in some way. 😂 I don't support fear-based Astrology, so I would never want my content to make you see yourself as a victim!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it, and don't forget to stay playful, folks!

The Ask Box is open for specific questions, folks! 😊

- Foxbörn

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ᴄʜᴀʀᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢꜱ

ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴜʏ ᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴄᴏꜰꜰᴇᴇ?

#astrology #astro notes #astrology aspects #astro observations #planets #astrology notes #natal chart #birth chart #astroworld #planetary aspects #zodiac #astro community

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ladyhindsight · 9 months

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So, God definitely exists and Lilith is having her own fashion show whenever she appears. That’s cool. Anyway. It has taken ages to even summon any will power to finish the book, the whole year so far has been personal chaos, but now as the storm has ceased and I had couple days off to just lay down on my sofa to power through this monstrosity, all I am left with is a major what the fuck. Expectations were close to zero and Chain of Thorns still went right under it.

Just minutes before I finally finished Chain of Thorns and I don’t even know what it all was for. The major things holding this story together is everyone’s damn pride and fear of being pitied—obstacles which all of them have to overcome. James and Cordelia are both too proud to be pitied, but narrative-wise there is this perpetual pity party going on. All this ruminating over Things That Never Were and Stuff That Is Forever out of Reach is just whole lot of words for whole lot of nothing, especially when the ending to their relationship is nothing if not predictable. The purple prose doesn’t make me feel anything, doesn’t resonate with me on any level, and I can’t connect to it because in the grand scheme of the story, it is based on false perception created by the unwillingness to be truthful. In the end, all that angst and wondering about the feelings at every turn, it is a waste of time.

Every character is so driven by their self-loathing, seriously bordering on self-pity, and pride that all their motivations blur into the same mess. The unwillingness to be truthful, powered by the pride of each character, is the force for which the plot can even reach the points it wants. Clare truly is a master of creating this endless but absolutely done-to-death emotional circle she just keeps recycling in every trilogy she manages to publish. Writing is the same as ever, dialogue is a pathway to always just tell things, it’s also hand-holding and over-bearing: “It seems the Inquisitor has hurt his right arm.” “He was branded on his arm by Belial.” “So that’s why he was holding it like it hurt!” No shit?! Stop it. On a positive note, I think the series is more emotionally aware and intelligent compared to The Mortal Instruments and even The Infernal Devices, where the emotional awareness only encompassed Clary, Jace, Will, Jem, and Tessa. Not completely without its grievances, but when are these books ever?

The plot served its purpose, I guess. Cordelia becoming a paladin of Lilith served its role in saving James and defeating Belial. Others had their own stories and relationships but were helpful and sometimes integral for the story to progress. It’d be otherwise fine if the book didn’t forget the actual plot for a major part of its duration and exchanged it for useless inter-character dramatics and constant cliffhangers. Additionally, it’s just that the whole Watcher thing (like the Grigori?) was clear from miles away. Whenever Clare introduces a new but a very basic element to the Shadowhunter world THAT SHOULD HAVE EXISTED ALREADY and explains it through a character (this time Cordelia), it’s a dead giveaway. So the tease They wake + the Iron Tombs = waiting two thirds of the book for the characters to catch up with you. The story is so infected with repetitive narrative, drama and self-loathing, pseudo-profound ponderings on love and pride, and I am sick of even thinking about any of it.

Maybe one day I have something else to say about the book in general, but not today. My brain has once again been obliterated. So, as usual, some thoughts and notes and more in-depth grievances:

CORDELIA CARSTAIRS AND JAMES HERONDALE. They come together, because I have no coherent thoughts about James or Cordelia. They were there and did their protagonist duties. Of course there was a love triangle. Blah, blah. I just didn’t like Cordelia in this installment as much as the previous ones. Maybe her pride took so much center stage that her previous kindness and compassion were overshadowed by it and self-righteousness. Her bravery is no longer bravery but same thoughtlessness of every other Clare heroine. James was there, hoorah. No, but seriously. James’ trauma was so in-depth analyzed and told, his feeling of pain and anguish and anger relished in so much that the writing was incapable of coming up with anything new to say instead of regurgitating same things over and over again. Also, Cordelia was constantly aware of James’ bracelet when he wore it, but never mentioned it once he stopped wearing it for good?

THOMAS LIGHTWOOD AND ALASTAIR CARSTAIRS. They worked out, yay. Don’t know why they love each other, but okay. Their romance was a nice and carrying force through some bleak scenes in the book. Alastair becoming more open and comfortable in showing affection was lovely. Turned out great.

ANNA LIGHTWOOD AND ARI BRIDGESTOCK. See the above. Same sentiments. But much like with Thomas and Alastair, most of the development happened in this final instalment and pretty hastily too. And like the above pair, I feel like a lot of the progress came with transforming the characters into unrecognizable version of themselves too quickly. I was happy that Ari was able to connect with her mother again and Flora could flourish (lol) without the stifling presence of her husband, but I also feel like I’ve seen this setting where a bad and homophobic husband and father gets a metaphorical kick to his ass and goes away in order for the life to be better for his family without him.

LUCIE HERONDALE. Lucie was generally great. No hard feelings. It’s a bit contrived that it is precisely the canoodling of Jesse that brings her closer to the dead, but whatever. Love that her weapon of choice is an ax.

MATTHEW FAIRCHILD. Matthew’s story ends on a somber note. While Matthew definitely was not one of my favorite characters, I hoped he could’ve had something more to him than James and Cordelia. His journey to sobriety continues, which was great that it wasn’t over just like that, but the reason for his drinking was such a huge thing that was carried throughout the books, so it was disappointing to see it quickly addressed in the epilogue. Matthew deserved more than a hasty redemption in the end.

CHARLES FAIRCHILD. There are other people that are dying, Charles!! is what I am left with. I am absolutely aghast how Charles’ character was treated. I can’t believe that Clare still managed to write one more let’s push this character out of the closet because it is The Right Thing to Do scenario in her books. Charles has to brave the world and lose what he has to lose because his dreams and aspirations, according to the narrative, are worth nothing because he is more privileged than other people. Charles coming out with his sexuality is set against the choice of standing with or against his family as if there was no other way to solve this but guilt Charles into doing the right thing so he can’t be blackmailed anymore. Nobody cares, your family loves you—then what are the stakes here then, in their homophobic society that time and time again fails to deliver any consequence while existing as this ostracizing boogeyman?

I hoped there was some sort of ploy that Charles intended to execute in order to remove the thorn from his mother’s side and replace the Inquisitor with someone who was more fair and just and capable. At once, when Tessa said that Charles is just misguided, I knew it wouldn’t be because Tessa is never wrong. So all there is this dumb blackmailing plot whose only merit is to have Maurice Bridgestock removed from his position as Inquisitor. It did not serve Charles’ character in any way nor were his story with his family or Matthew in any way concluded.

GRACE BLACKTHORN. While discussing Grace, Christopher says that Grace was just a child when she was forced to act on James. Thomas says it doesn’t matter with anger and fury. Matthew equates Grace’s actions to a murder, as you do. While Will’s actions against Tatiana are in no way comparable to Grace’s, it is strange how Will being twelve is mentioned as if in order to act as an extenuating circumstance, while this doesn’t apply to Grace. It is also weird how everyone else’s torment is mulled over, used as an excuse for some type of behavior, but Grace's abuse and manipulation at the hands of Tatiana and Belial isn’t taken into consideration by anyone else than Jem? Also why did Cordelia get to vanquish Tatiana and not Grace? Grace’s treatment in this book, along with Charles, was just painful.

JESSE BLACKTHORN. Much like James, he is a stale piece of wheat bread. Only thing I have in mind about Jesse is that I found it a bit over the top, out of the little character he had, that he was so angry at Grace so that he left her. Jesse reacted exactly the way I feared Cordelia would react to Alastair. I was hoping for angry but sad and disappointed approach since Jesse knew better than anyone what Grace has lived through. Also, why Jesse (or Grace) wasn’t given time with his uncles who had wanted to get to know him for ages?

CHRISTOPHER LIGHTWOOD. My sweet cheese, my goodtime boy. Characters Clare writes most often only know the strongest of emotions. They always react with anger, defensiveness, and passion; by shouting, by self-righteous fury, by everything that is so exhausting to always read. Most of the characters are that, and am I so happy how Clare stayed true to Christopher’s temperate and serene nature, even when his cousin/best friend has been greatly wronged. And when everyone was so angry at Grace, Christopher was the only one to see reason. So, WHY THE FUCK HE DIED? No one, but most of all Cordelia herself never acknowledge that Kit died protecting her.

The “false” family tree lead the story on how Kit and Grace would probably become a couple, and would’ve made sense since they bonded over science and their minds were alike while they were so unalike in other ways, but boom. Kit dies, and Grace is left to figure out the fire messages on her own, because otherwise there wouldn’t be that obstacle of not being able to reach the Shadowhunters in Idris. Kit died for a shock value and so that a measly little plot point could work. Also great how the Lightwoods always have their children killed?? We never even see Gabriel and Cecily mourning?? Eugenia was weirdly chipper after just losing another one of her family members?? All these pages dedicated to romance bullshit that will solve itself but not for this.

TATIANA BLACKTHORN. Tatiana is a fiend, a terrible demon-worshipping, toddler-kidnapping fiend, but also a cartoonish one at that. It’s just overdone. She was made uglier and uglier, the machinator of evil things, and then she died. Voilà. There is one narrative aspect that was weird though. The Herondales and the Lightwoods insist on having tried their all to help Tatiana who always refused, but when Jesse confronts his mother, he says:

“I have come to know them by now. There is truth much harsher. One I think you know. They have not tried to ruin you over all these years. They have not plotted your downfall. They have barely even thought of you at all.”

Sick burn, but which is it? Adamantly trying to help her or not thinking about her at all?

MAURICE BRIDGESTOCK. A cartoon character with a cartoon ending. A homophobe bigot who got what he deserved, but a cartoonish character still. He was jealous of the Herondales and thus was an antagonist. Why is everyone obsessed with the Herondales in every damn book?

ESME HARDCASTLE. Esme was shoved in there in order to explain the “found family tree”, which at some point, I have no doubt, was how things were supposed to be, until Clare had more ideas for the Edwardian kids. No other characters in whole of TSC have gone through so many changes as these characters have. And as such, to keep the predictability at minimum—which isn’t a lot—the old family tree is made up by Esme, so Clare can spin this tale why it wasn’t accurate. Grace didn’t marry Christopher, Alastair didn’t have children (probably?). Then Clare had all these surprise babies coming because the way she chose to end the story for the Edwardian kids would mean no Emma, no Clary as we know them. So new Carstairs baby, new Fairchild twins.

i. The beginning of the prologue is over-saturated with flowery prose and similes that the narrative gets buried underneath.

ii. James is worried about Lucie, but more importantly needs to find her so he can go back to worrying about Cordelia and Matthew.

iii. The whole series has been a barrage of period typical social etiquette and decorum fed to you with a spoon. Even The Infernal Devices wasn’t this intent on it. Men did not usually accompany even wives or sisters into a dressmakers shop. What do you care about mundane decorum, you are Shadowhunters! Have some etiquette of your own.

iv. “…one of the modistes attacked the closures at the back of Cordelia’s dress without requiring any instruction—clearly she had done this before—and pushed and pulled at Cordelia as if she was a stuffed mannequin.” CcLeEaRrLy. You just told she didn’t need instruction, the rest is rather obvious. And I hope she knew what she was doing, she works there!!

v. Then there is this ridiculously complicated sentence: “Madame Beausoleil, who kept her salon on the Rue de la Paix, where the most famous dressmakers in the world—the House of Worth, Jeanne Paquin—were situated, was, according to Matthew, well acquainted with the Shadow World.” Like, what. Honey. Darling. “Madame Beausoleil kept her salon on the Rue de la Paix, where the most famous dressmakers in the world—the House of Worth, Jeanne Paquin—were situated. She was, according to Matthew, well acquainted with the Shadow World.” Or does that info about the location have to be there at all? Surely there were plenty other paragraphs where you could’ve stuffed that.

vi. Apparently this, apparently that, apparently everything! Whenever Clare uses such a word, it is a sign that she is unnecessarily feeling the need to justify why she is giving some particular piece of information or why a character is making an observation they could realistically make.

vii. Cordelia’s savings to pay Matthew for the dresses? What savings? From what and where?

viii. There are so many parentheses explaining things

ix. There is not a one scene in Paris where Cordelia doesn’t think how other people might see her and Matthew as a couple. Every time, which is in basically every scene they have in public, someone watches them and admires them and their “young love.”

x. “I have never heard anyone sound as if they were in such pain. Jamie, you must talk to us.” Yes, no one has ever been in greater pain than James Herondale, and that has the stamp of approval of Will Herondale so it really means something.

xi. a lot of the gray is gunmetal gray

xii. Having Tatiana comment on Jem’s appearance as Silent Brother and call it privilege for knowing the Lightwoods and Herondales doesn’t take away the fact that it is awfully convenient that Jem isn’t bald or his face isn’t sown shut. Though I get the intent behind this was to elicit such reaction as how awful of Tatiana! She doesn’t know anything Jem has suffered! It was not his choice! and the like. Blah.

xiii. What is it with these YA books in which waiters always give the characters their unsolicited opinions on people’s orders?

xiv. I assume Madame Dorothea of Brooklyn named herself after this famed Madame Dorothea of Paris. Why didn’t Malcolm go to her about Annabelle? I don’t remember if there ever was a mention of it.

xv. When Lucie tells the truth about Jesse and her powers to Magnus and Will, the PoV changes from James to Lucie with no indication of PoV change:

xvi. “James thought of the box of matches in his pocket, each one a sort of signal light that, when struck, summoned Jem to his side. He did not know how the magic worked, nor did he think Jem would tell him even if asked.” Just leave this part out, readers will think it’s just magic and that’s it. Now this just sounds that you couldn’t bother to think about it and just tried to explain possible scrutiny away. This instead just points more to the fact that you have no clue how the magic in your world works.

xvii. “James returned to the house, crawling into bed with his coat still on.” James can’t return to the house and crawl into his bed at the same time.

xviii. Take a shot every time the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal is said in TSC

xix. It’s annoying how Matthew speaks so lowly of Charles wanting to keep Alastair a secret when their own society supposedly sucks ass and enables shame and discrimination

xx. Cordelia only accepts Matthew’s affections once she thinks she has truly lost James. Why did she want to kiss Matthew if she didn’t even fancy him? She just selfishly used him and his love to forget her own mistakes, which I didn’t like about her at all. But that of course just fed into the love triangle that Clare is so insistent on writing in each one of her series, and the end couple is always obvious.

xxi. “…and James could remember, painfully, what kissing Cordelia was like, hotter and better than any fire.” I don’t think being burned by fire is good?

xxii. It’s torturous—and not in the good giddy way—how Clare finds even the tiniest excuse to prolong James and Cordelia finally getting together. “I should tell her the truth but Cordelia looked so happy with Matthew, so I didn’t.” Good grief.

xxiii. “Pity and kindness were not love. Only free choice was love; if he had learned nothing else from the horror of the bracelet, he had learned that.” Only a free choice to those who are free to love and go for that love and their dreams without having to make a choice between either. So fuck that.

xxiv. Ari didn’t bring any clothes with her when she left her parents. “She’d have to buy new things.” WITH WHAT MONEY? FROM WHERE? HER “STIPENDS” WENT TO LIVING EXPENSES! EXPLAAAIN

xxv. “At the breakfast table sat Anna’s brother Christopher, and, of all people, Eugenia Lightwood.” Yes, out of all the people in this world that is sitting at the table is Anna’s cousin. Truly odd.

xxvi. “The Institute is the safest place in London when it comes to demons; if he did somehow attack, the whole Enclave would retreat here as a matter of policy.” Not when it comes to the Jack the Ripper one in The Whitechapel Fiend.

xxvi. Will discusses Tatiana’s vengeance for being wronged: “Will sighed. “That was me. I read her diary out loud at a Christmas party, long ago. I was twelve. And I was quite severely punished, so in fact, the Enclave was on her side.”’ No, he wasn’t. And the whole Enclave punished Will? Please. There was no culpability, no apology, and no admission of guilt. And he also broke Gabriel’s arm. This is an attempt afterwards to alleviate the guilt on Will’s end when it comes to Tatiana’s madness. More realistic approach, less let’s-make-Will-more-shiny-and-not-at-all-a-participant-in-Tatiana’s-insanity would be something like: “That was me. I read her diary out loud at a Christmas party, long ago. I was twelve, but that’s on me.” And they would’ve gone on that it didn’t matter because in grand scheme of things it was such a miniscule thing.

xxvii. Take a shot every time the writing tries to stealthily prop up Will and Tessa as good and kind. Clare is really adamant at making the Herondales victims at every turn.

xxviii. “Benedict Lightwood brought down vileness upon his family, and Tatiana could not accept either his culpability or her own.” True, yet funny how the same does not apply to the ones who are on the right side of things. Accepting culpability on all that…

xxix. “He thrust the hand at James, who slashed an iratze across Matthew’s palm, followed by two Energy runes. He would not normally give Matthew, or anyone, more than one, but they would act as knives, cutting through any fog in Matthew’s brain.” One very profound problem (which I will bring up with TMI in time) is that this excerpt reveals that Clare thinks we know how runes work, when she has in actuality laid no groundwork for it. Is there a limit how many runes one can bear at once? What are the adverse effects of too many energy runes? What if you use iratze when you don’t need one? Are there runes that, when used at the same time, might hinder the effect of one another?

xxx. Take a shot every time a character narrates other characters on how much they have changed.

xxxi. “Now, Thomas has lost a sister and a friend as close as his brother, all in one year.” Weird way to say a cousin. You surely mean his cousin as close as his brother??

xxxii. “Grace said, not unkindly, “I’ve come to know Lucie quite well, you know, the last months. She was probably as close to a friend as I ever had.”’ Christopher was her friend, hellooo???

xxxiii. There seems to be a theme that whenever things are getting hot and heavy, something abrupt happens and interrupts the scene. Not that I am complaining, interrupt that awkward shit.

xxxiv. The bodies of the Iron Sisters and Silent Brothers don’t decay, but so what? Everyone else gets burned after dying, why not them also? Are they not inflammable? Also, what a great opportunity to mention Abigail Shadowhunter and David the Silent, but did we just once again wave at that opportunity as it passed by? Yes, we did.

xxxv. “Alastair waved his hand. “Yes, yes. It has been Roman and Saxon and now it will be demon. It has survived plague and pestilence and fire—”’ Best quote.

xxxvi. “It is easy to confuse monstrousness and power,” said Cordelia. “Especially when one is a woman, as one is not supposed to possess either quality.” Again, a weird fucking take for people whose numbers are dwindling and need all the fighting power they can get and half of that power are women

xxxvii. “he had been sure, somehow, that Cordelia would come after him, would find a way. And it did not surprise him at all that Lucie had not left her side.” James sure has faith in his sister to rescue him in dire need. No, Lucie came because Cordelia came. Whatever, what do I care.

What, in the end, was the true purpose of this trilogy? What merit is to it that it exists? How has The Wicked Powers become richer for having The Last Hours precede it? It’s actually devastating how inconsequential all of this is. The true Belial has been vanquished, but another demon has taken his place as Belial. Is this new Belial even a fallen angel or just some demon? Because otherwise he is not like the rest of the Princes at all. I would’ve hoped that at least one thing, like Emma getting to finish Belial with Cortana, would’ve given this trilogy even a little bit more purpose. 700+ pages and all is still left rather unfinished. Nothing at least feels concluded other than James and Cordelia’s love for each other being stronger than a Prince of Hell is capable of breaking. Blergh.

[Additional notes]

#Cordelia Carstairs #James Herondale #Matthew Failchild #Thomas Lightwood #Christopher Lightwood #Alastair Carstairs #Anna Lightwood #Charles Fairchild #Grace Blackthorn #Jesse Blackthorn #Lucie Herondale #Chain of Thorns #The Last Hours #Anti CC #Anti Cassandra Clare

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saltygilmores · 9 months

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Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 17, "Dead Uncles and Vegetables", Part I

I have little to no recollection of what happens in this episode except that it involves Luke's dead uncle (duh), which probably means it's filler. Glorious, glorious filler. And I can be free to be SILLY! This one will be silly. Read my reviews of all previous episodes here. The episode opens with Lorela growing irritated as she listens to an excessive amount of answering machine messages left by her mother. Oh, but when Dean does it, its cute?

I feel like I should put this screen capture in my pocket for later use, it might come in handy.

Oh Michel, how I've missed you.

I hope this is one of those episodes where everything is calm and I can just bask in references to outdated technology. Luke calls Lorelai at work because his uncle his dead and he needs to book the inn.

She found 9 available rooms that quickly, business must be slow.

"Today's Desserts" haven't changed in 2 years.

Haven't seen this guy in a while.

Sure, it's bad customer service, but I think Luke should tell more people to shut up. The citizens of Stars Hollow need to be humbled. Where's Jess to help juggle all those orders? Is a little bit of child labor too much to ask for?

I love how Stars Hollow in general is always behind techology wise (I'm not convinced they even have dial up internet yet) but Luke is always even further back. While the citizens are enamored with this new technology called a "cellular phone" Luke has banished them from his establishment and hasn't even caught up to "cordless landline" yet.

Okay, but Luke asking you if you know how to make coffee is a reasonable question. You are in here every morning, afternoon and night where Luke makes your coffee for you. I never see you brew it at home.

The answer to this question is always "Upstairs, jerking off."

If Jess should be at school, then why aren't you at school? Just sayin.

Rory dared to go upstairs alone to look for Jess and Lorelai didn't follow behind her and lasso her with the Rope of Sexual Abstinence? What is the urgent and pressing business that Rory needs to discuss with Jess? Why does she sound, idk, angry? This is puzzling.

Whoa, mama! He looks smoking hot here! His hair is gorgeous and that shirt looks great on him! I'm a slut for rolled up sleeves! I have no memory of this whatsoever. What a nice surprise.

Listen Rory, I like you, but like, why don't YOU get a job? Luke is the Kingpin of Teenage Labor. He's employed Jess, Lane, Zac, and April and he's even had his own girlfriends pitch in and wait tables. He wouldn't be against employing his future stepdaughter.

Rory never worked a paid job in high school except supposedly, working at the Inn in season 1, which I don't believe was a real thing.

Blah blah, she's focusing on academics, blah blah.

Love the bright orange dildo lamp complete with balls.

"I'll be down in a minute, the Spice Channell just unscrambled for a few seconds and I thought I saw a booby."

"I was just about to take my pants off." "Just assume that Jeannie's going to get Major Healey out of whatever scrape he's in." I've never seen that porno. #IDreamOfWeeny #ICreamOnJeannie #OkayOkay #IllStop

TOMATOS SIGN! MY BELOVED! I MISSED YOU! Lorelai's shirt says "For good luck rub my tummy." Lorelai accuses Kirk of hoarding packets of sweeteners to bring home, as if Luke didn't just offer Lorelai a gigantic no strings attached loan some episodes back and he couldn't afford to lose a few sugar packets. Jess emerges from upstairs with Rory close behind him after being out of sight and alone with her for several minutes and for once Lorelai doesn't seem all that concerned that Jess could have been having 2 minutes of raw unprotected sex with her daughter. Remember when she said Christopher got her pregnant in under 10 minutes (lmaaaao, what a sick burn) so she can't leave Rory and Jess unsupervised?

She's even being suspciously nice to him. Huh. Weird. Oh, right, Teach me Tonight is coming up so she's just conserving her energy.

Jess says Rory is gonna break his neck and Rory replies at least it's not his arm.

J: "I need my arm for jerking off." How many masturbation jokes can I fit into one post?

To be continued.

#gilmore girls #denise rewatches gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 2 #dead uncles and vegetables #rory gilmore #jess mariano #milo ventimiglia #literati #luke danes #silly stuff #the one where Rory remarks about Jess breaking his arm and then in the next episode rory breaks her arm #sorry I meant she fractured it #I mean it was amputated #if you were to gauge the severity of her injury on Lorelai’s reaction alone #Rory needs a job

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dearweirdme · 7 months

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I know this is your blog so forgive me for getting saucy with your anons. But lowkey yall need to SHUT UP about enlistment and oooh who's going next and oooh what does that mean. This isn't some silly will they won't they and what does that mean in shipping land type deal this is their lives and quite frankly their freedom being put on pause for almost 2 years. We just lost one member and for me the pain has not subsided not even close idk why there's so much glee around fantasizing which member will go next when you could just be in the present when the four left are active, happy, and giving us consistent content. And for the anon who said "its not fair if blah blah" this is mandatory military enlistment not one part of it is fair and they ALL have to go. Please try to be calm and normal, I know that's a hard thing for some of yall but pls chill out with the speculation and overall nonsense surrounding this major and all around unfair change.

Hi anon!

Agreed. It’s an incredibly difficult topic even, because there’s also a highly cultural/situational component to it. Most of us (though not all) don’t life in a country that has a threat of war, and where mandatory enlistment is actually needed. So to talk about the effects this has on fandom and on ships (why also valid, because we are effected and BTS as a group is effected) should come with consideration in mind. The conversation probably goes beyond what I can fathom, but it’s definitely not something fans should project on themselves.

Sadness is absolutely valid.. we miss those that have left a lot, we’re gonna miss those that are gonna leave a lot.

#members

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brandonxdylan · 10 months

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Ranking the GAY EPISODES of Beverly Hills, 90210 - Part 2

(Part 1 here)

#4.) Blind Spot (Season 4, Episode 26)

Car trouble lands Brandon and Steve stranded at a GAY COFFEEHOUSE, where, amidst all of his ridiculous gay panic, Steve clocks Mike, his fraternity president, enjoying a coffee with another guy. Back at the frat house, Mike approaches Steve, assuming that since he was also at the GAY COFFEEHOUSE, he must be gay too. Steve gives Mike the cold shoulder, showing no empathy for him whatsoever, and it’s actually really sad because Mike was so excited to relate to someone else in a similar situation, which I have to imagine would have been a rare opportunity, and I know how vulnerable and embarrassed he would have felt in that moment. Later on, Artie, another frat guy, makes, like, two incredibly dumb gay jokes about Steve, and rather than ignore them, fire back, or do literally anything other than the one thing he shouldn’t do, Steve immediately goes into self-preservation mode and deflects Artie’s homophobic ire towards Mike, the actual gay guy who’s been hiding in plain sight. Mike is understandably pissed when Steve tells him that “it just slipped out,” which isn’t really true. Latently homophobic Steve intentionally threw Mike under the bus to protect his own extremely fragile ego. Even Brandon agrees that Steve is a huge fucking dipshit for this, so you know it’s bad. Anyway, some of the frat brothers paint Mike’s bedroom door pink (such a weird fucking flex, honestly) and Mike threatens to leave the frat to avoid any further humiliation. He doesn’t, of course, because during a tribunal to decide Mike’s fate (insane that this is what it comes to, but the show doesn’t even acknowledge that), Steve saves the day by calling out Mike’s good attributes and blah blah blah, the homophobe becomes the hero. Hooray. Honestly, I kinda wish Mike had just left the frat. Why stay somewhere that is full of assholes who need to have a group fucking meeting discussing your personal life before they permit you to be in their presence? Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t consider being allowed to stay somewhere like that “a win.” But whatever. Mike manages to make some good points, and his gay rage is, appropriately, very justified. I just wish it didn’t have to be tempered at the end. I wish he got to peace out, go find love somewhere better than the damn KEG house, and leave Steve feeling like a piece of shit for fucking up his life. I would have been a hell of a lot more satisfied by that. Though this episode gets bonus points for featuring the GAY COFFEEHOUSE, which is the same coffeehouse used in an iconic double date scene from the stone cold classic, A Very Brady Sequel. More bonus points for some cute Dylan stuff during the photo shoot B story, and in particular, the moment where Dylan checks out and proceeds to compliment Brandon’s boxers. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me going.

#3.) Making Amends/The Nature of Nurture (Season 8, Episodes 23-24)

While working at the free clinic, Kelly finds a baby abandoned by its teen mother (a young Jessica Alba), and though she initially wants to adopt it herself, she relents when she learns that the baby will be placed in a foster-to-adopt situation with a carefully selected couple, as opposed to going back to the mother, whom Kelly has quickly and harshly written off as evil. But things that a major turn when Kelly learns that the foster parents are (gasp!) HOMOS! This sets off her strange and highly problematic crusade to return the baby to the custody of its mother, who does actively want it back now that she too knows her baby is at risk of being raised by a couple of gays. Ultimately, teen mom’s homophobia proves excessive, and causes Kelly to recognize that maybe the baby is better off with loving parents, regardless of their sexuality, than with a homophobic teen mom who only wants it out of spite. Naturally, things wrap up neatly, the baby lands with the gays, and Kelly gets to feel good about doing the right thing despite being the source of a LOT of strife for a LOT of people. There’s also a LOT to think about in this episode, and overall, I think it’s fairly well done aside from some frustrating character stuff. While Kelly – allegedly a social work major - demonstrates next to know understanding of how social services actually work, the writers do. I already wrote a bit about this episode so I won’t get too into it, but suffice it to say it tackles some thorny issues regarding issues of child protection, fostering, and adoption pretty well, and with as much accuracy as I think can be expected from a show like this. What I find most maddening about this episode is that Kelly isn’t granted the opportunity for any substantial self-reflection or personal growth. Her homophobic beliefs are placed in stark contrast to teen mom’s more extreme views, and therefore written off as not that bad. Additionally, the out-of-nowhere explanation that she wanted the baby for herself is positioned as the real reason for her actions, and the fact that the foster parents were gay was just an easy excuse she used to justify her shitty behavior. This doesn’t really track, and I don’t buy it. I think it would have been far more interesting to have this episode tackle the issue of latent homophobia, and explore the nuances involved in addressing that. As it is, Kelly isn’t left accountable for her actions, and that’s a problem for me because that’s really the theme of this episode. It’s not really about the gay parents, it’s about other (straight) people’s feelings about them. I think they could have dug a little deeper to offer a more satisfying character arc for Kelly. It’s not problematic to have latently prejudiced beliefs. It’s human! And dealing with them is something that would have been refreshing to see in an episode that otherwise gets so much right.

#2.) A Mate for Life/Disappearing Act/Pledging My Love (Season 7, Episodes 3-5)

Kelly begins a school placement at a group home for men with AIDS, and befriends Jimmy, a young gay man who is dying of the disease. Jimmy (played by Michael Stoyanov from Blossom) copes with his illness by practicing magic tricks, engaging in some self-deprecating gallows humour, and being generally charming. At one point, Kelly gets some of Jimmy’s blood on her hands, and she panics that she might be now be infected with HIV. Following an anxiety dream in which she gets AIDS rash, Kelly gets tested and though her doctor assures her that she’s probably fine, he does give her a lecture on safe sex, reminding her that HIV isn’t just for gay men - anyone can get it, and sexual intercourse is an easy way to do so. While she’s waiting for her test results, Kelly tells Clare and Donna that she’ll move out of their beach house if she ends up testing positive, and it’s around this point that I began to realize that this is a storyline that is wasted on Kelly. First of all, she’s straight, and though, yes, anyone can contract HIV, it goes without saying that it was gay men who were disproportionately affected by it in the United States at this time. Second of all, she was “contaminated” in such a minor way. These two factors make all of this feel really low stakes. We know that there’s no way in hell Kelly tests positive. I want to be clear that I don’t think that shows like this have any inherent obligation to those who have lived through trauma or illness to deal with these issues in a way that is consistently true to life. That’s a slippery slope because not all lived experience is the same, and what might feel validating and representative to someone might feel offensive to someone else. Plus, it’s also a lot to ask of a TV show, whose primary concern should be to entertain and to compel, not present viewers with a case study on living with AIDS. However, in this case I have to admit that it does feel a little inappropriate to be putting Kelly through the ringer in the most low stakes way possible, and milking that for drama when so many gay men were really going the ringer and the stakes were much higher. Not to minimize the experience of people like Kelly who suffered the worry of a close call, but it feels like the show is really pushing it with what it’s asking us to buy into. Granted, I guess that’s why we have Jimmy - to demonstrate what being a gay man dying of AIDS in the 90s actually could have looked like. And while yes, Jimmy falls squarely into the much-maligned trope of gays who only show up to die for the sake of the straight characters’ growth, he’s probably about as good as we possibly could’ve expected to get at the time, barring the show deciding to suddenly break all kinds of barriers and introduce a main gay character living with AIDS. It was just never gonna happen, and I’m not going to hold that against the show. Unsurprisingly, Kelly tests negative, but Jimmy takes a turn for the worse. Watching him make peace with his fate as Kelly offers some misplaced naivete, desperately suggesting that what he knows to be true might not be, it’s hard not to feel something. When Kelly suggests taking a photo of the two of them, it makes sense that Kelly would want to not only preserve a memento of their friendship, but also to assure Jimmy that he is someone who will be remembered fondly. It’s a touching moment, and the weight of it is effectively conveyed. While I already explained why I think this episode kind of mishandles its subject matter in terms of the AIDS scare stuff, what it gets right is the friendship between Kelly and Jimmy. I think what could’ve made it even better, however, would have been to allow Kelly just a little more time to sit in her open-ended grief, and try to make sense of Jimmy’s death. Some frank acknowledgement of the difficulty involved in doing that might have been an appropriately cathartic cap to this story, and it would have been a uniquely heavy moment for a show that by this point was often pretty superficial.

#1.) I’m Back Because/The Following Options (Season 9, Episodes 8-9)

Steve’s mom comes to town because she’s starring in a much-hyped comeback sitcom. Rumours abound that she’s dating her co-star, and when Steve asks her about them, she neither confirms nor denies, instead opting to remind Steve that it’s no one’s business who she dates. Eventually, however, she admits to Steve that she’s not dating her co-star, nor is she dating any man. She’s actually dating a woman. And okay, this is honestly one of the most unexpected yet awesome choices that this show could have made at this point. In an era of the show full of random retcons and arbitrary character development, the fact that this one comes out of nowhere actually makes sense, considering Samantha had been deeply in the closet prior to this moment, and she’s not someone we see every week. And choosing to give a coming out storyline to a middle aged mother as opposed to some young twentysomething? That’s a bold choice! The crux of the drama here is that Steve (once again) demonstrates some very blatant homophobic feelings about his mother’s sexuality, and slings some pretty nasty remarks her way, going so far as to accuse her of adopting him in order to complete some sort of heterosexual façade for the sake of her image. It’s all pretty embarrassing for Steve, but as with the earlier episode featuring Kelly and the teen mom, there is room to allow these characters to explore their latent homophobia. That would not only offer some compelling drama, but it would be an accurate reflection of reality. And this storyline gets 75% of the way there. They just bungle the ending. Steve only starts to see the light once word of Samantha’s sexuality leaks to the media, and Samantha is fired from her new show amidst the ensuing scandal. Watching his mom go through all of this undue humiliation causes Steve to do an about face, and choose to embrace her for who she is. It’s a cute ending, but man, does it ever skip a lot of steps in terms of Steve’s growth. We don’t get to see Steve do any of the work involved in addressing his homophobia, nor do we get any indication as to what specifically would have spurred his change of heart beyond his mom’s name being dragged through the mud. There’s no suggestion of introspection or vulnerability. There’s not really even an apology. I think if this storyline had had one more episode to really flesh out Steve’s character development, and to offer a heart to heart between mother and son, it could’ve been great. But there are still great things about it. Christine Belford is really good as Samantha (seriously, Samantha is not even a character we get to know very well over the course of the series, yet I practically cheered when she told Steve she was gay, so that’s a testament to her), and for all of Steve’s shitty behaviour towards her, Samantha gets to land a few zingers of her own. And again, I appreciate that the show chose to go this route with this character. Coming out in midlife is a reality for many people, and Samantha’s celebrity adds an interesting dynamic. There are definitely things that could have been improved upon, and it perhaps bites off a little more than it can chew, but its heart is in the right place, and it’s sympathetic without being condescending or othering. And while it’s Samantha’s final appearance on the show (BOO!), we do get to meet her new girlfriend, Karen, in the aforementioned luau episode of season 10, and wow - LESBIAN LEGEND. I sure hope Samantha hung on to her.

Well, there you have it. A thorough(ish) rundown of Beverly Hills, 90210′s major(ish) storylines featuring gay themes. It’s disappointing how short-lived all of these stories were, because most of them would’ve been better served by characters whom we actually get to know outside of their relationships with members of the gang. Still, as I’ve said before, I’m used to accepting scraps when it comes to queer content. And I’m happy to look back at this show and accept that we needed baby steps like this in order to get more and better gay content on television.

I hope everyone has had a safe and happy Pride month!

#i did not fully realize the scope of this undertaking and this whole thing took me a lot longer than i first anticipated #but it was still satisfying to do!#beverly hills 90210 #queer #90s

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princekirijo · 10 months

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thinking about your post on gushing over persona designs and also a reply youve left on one of my posts before... >:3c would you wanna talk about your thoughts on 3rd tier p5 personas because id love to hear em

I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS THANK YOU LEAF >:3c

OK so like disclaimer: I have yet to get to the third semester in Royal myself (I am playing through the game at a snail's pace 😭) so this is more like my thoughts based on a) just the designs in general, b) the designs in the context of the characters and c) what context I do have of the third semester (I know most of it but obvs it will be different once I actually play it). Oh and of course these are all my personal opinions so that's just something to keep in my mind!

For a more general overview of the personas, I actually think the design principle behind these personas slaps so hard. The way that each of them are in a sense, the real, true version of the original character of the initial designs is actually amazing and such a perfect final form for the thieves (considering their whole thing is ripping off their masks they wear in society blah blah blah). And also each of them try to incorporate a part of the character into the persona design (I'll explain that a bit in a minute) is really really cool. However, as with anything there are designs that nail these ideas and then there are some that for me miss it. Overall though, I think they are a solid set of personas and in general I would say I like them as a collective (not as much as the initial and they slightly lose out to the second tier designs but not by much).

Now for a more detailed persona by persona breakdown:

Raoul: Oh boy. Raoul. OK this is tricky for me. As like a design I think he slaps so hard. He looks sleek, cool and I love his head and wing design, I think they continue on from Arsene's monster gentleman look well and bring a more modern vibe to the persona (which a lot of these personas seem to do). And I think its a fitting design for Joker (purely from an aesthetic point of view, I find it hard to comment on it from the point of "does this fit Joker's personality" because that's really down to player interpretation). But hoo boy. There's two major issues with him for me.

Obvious one is that he's a DLC Persona. Instant loss for me. It adds no sentimental factor to him as a Persona (i.e. no awakening scene), all you do is just pay however much it is for him and then bam you have a cool Persona. That was a huge missed opportunity on Atlus' part. However, this brings me into my second issue, is that even if he did have an awakening scene there is no way it would ever top Satanael. Like Satanael is such an underrated persona for me, its a shame he's underutilized in the games too, because like wow that awakening scene. Is there any bigger fuck you to a god then summoning the devil through the power of friendship and humanity's hope to shoot him in the face. Unparalleled. But back to Raoul I just don't think he tops Satanael and he's stuck in DLC which lessens his impact/importance for me even though he's probably one of my favorites design wise.

Diego: I actually really really like him. I don't know why but I appreciate the swagger this Persona has. I think what Diego does best is really capture Morgana as a character. He's cocky, confident, considers himself as a bit of a ladies man (Diego looks like a playboy sorry) and successfully brings a modern twist to Zorro (and you know fits the whole this is Zorro unmasked because well it is literally Zorro unmasked). I can see why the design wouldn't appeal to some people because admittedly it is a bit boring but all in all I think its a solid look.

William: Yeah William slaps. He's a great design. I really enjoy how he's a more punk (might not be the right word but that's the best I can think of rn), cool, sleek version of Captain Kidd. I think he really fits Ryuji in the sense that it actually looks like something Ryuji would wear lol. It fits as well with the whole "Ryuji embracing his role as the delinquent" and again as is with a lot of these designs, brings a modern twist to it. This doesn't really mean much but I really like the sleek boat that he rides on. It just looks cool and honestly that's how I feel about William. He just looks really cool and very Ryuji.

Celestine: My Ann bias might come through here but oh boy do I adore this design. I think out of all of them, this is the one that executes the third tier design principles the best. First: it's a really cool upgrade for Carmen, and it really looks like it was made for Ann. Like the confidence the swagger and yes there is the whole sexy dominatrix thing going on with her but to me it feels like this is much better executed. The men at the end of her pigtails is to be quite honest a really neat design and a nice continuation of the elements we see in the previous personas. Which brings me to my next point: this is one of the two best examples of another aspect of the third tier personas: the fact that they are shown to be a fusion of sorts between the previous two personas. I don't think the ones I've mentioned so far execute this as well as Celestine and one other I'll get to later do. The combination of the Hecate color palette and Carmen's features plus the elements of Ann herself (Celestine is very fashion model to me) is done so well that I actually think it's probably the best designed of all of them.

Gorokichi: Oh Gorokichi. I have seen two opinions on this persona: people either love him or they hate him. I am very much in the later camp. I really hate this design NOT because of the actual design itself but more so the design in context. Look on its own I love how flamboyant it is. The pink fur coat, the ridiculous heels, that Groose looking hair style it's honestly really fun and different. It looks like something out of Zoolander. This all being said, in context... no. Look Yusuke is a flamboyant character. He's an artist he's passionate we know this. But this persona is far too gaudy for him. Gorokichi looks extremely materialistic and honestly way too tacky for Yusuke. Idk I'm sure other Yusuke fans feel differently but for me I just think it's probably the most out of character of all the personas in terms of how the designs relate to the character. There's something about it that just doesn't sit right with me 🤷‍♂️ I will say though I think it does an OK job at being a fusion of Susanoo (who is by FAR the better design btw) and Goemon. Again all of that is just my personal opinion but I think this is probably the weakest of the third tier personas.

Agnes: OK after writing like essays for the others I'll be honest I don't have much to say about Agnes. Like it looks cool af it's a batmobile ass looking motorbike and I think it fits Makoto I just... don't have much else to say. I don't really understand the color scheme for this one I'll be honest considering that up until now Makoto's personas have primarily been blue so this black and gold combo kinda comes outta nowhere, but it's fine. It's just missing something for me.

Al Azif: Star Destroyer. OK but in all seriousness I like the design. Again not much to say, the sleek technology + hacker vibes obviously fit Futaba very well and all in all I like it. Like Agnes it's just kinda there for me. I will say though it does feel like a Pokemon evolution more than a fusion between the previous two. Like the Salamence line (creature -> ball -> powerful creature). Does this mean anything.

Lucy: OK I promise I'm not running out of steam or anything but again, Lucy is kinda just there for me. I've honestly been sitting here looking at it like "it looks cool. It looks like an upgraded Miladay. It's cool. Why a spy I don't know but its cool". And that about sums it up to be honest. I get that the figure she is based off of was a spy but like why a spy for Haru. Was this just a case of them going "well it looks kinda like a modern business woman and looks like a spy which is what Lucy is based on so a spy it is". Is that what's happening here.

Hereward: And here he is the main man himself. By FAR my favorite third tier Persona. Sorry Celestine I love you but have you seen this man. This Persona design hits the nail on the head. Is it a good representation of how Akechi has changed as a character? Yes absolutely (dark hero vibes). Is it a good combination of the previous two Personas? Without a shadow of a doubt knocks it outta the park. Does it fit with the initial Persona unmasked theme? Yes yes it does. I also wanna mention that I like the idea that Akechi awoke to Loki and Robin Hood at the same time (full credit for that idea goes to whoever drew that phenomenal artwork I am so sorry I can't remember their url) and Hereward being a really good combination of both of them leans into that idea nicely (that's more a coincidence tbh cause I don't think it's explicitly stated which one came first). Also this quote from the wiki really sums up how good I think Hereward's design is:

"In a similar vein to how Robin Hood's design was largely inspired by comic book hero Superman, Hereward's design may have been inspired by Batman, hence the black armor and the bat wing-like protrusions on the back of his head. This may be an allusion to Akechi's role in the third semester, symbolizing his transformation from a seemingly-altruistic hero to a feared warrior seeking to see through his own personal justice. It also can be seen as a visual combination of Robin Hood and Loki, incorporating the bow and weapon of the former and the dark aesthetics of the latter."

Ella: um. Yeah I gotta be honest on this one, I don't feel... qualified? enough to give my thoughts on her because I feel like I haven't fully grasped Sumire as a character. I think the whole Cinderella persona thing she has gong on is great and it fits what I understand of her story but as for Ella's design. Why a wedding dress. Like why. It looks appealing but like??? I don't know tbh 💀💀

And yeah that about sums up all my thoughts. I will say that like I feel my thoughts will change once I get the full story of the third semester because already I feel like a lot of these designs are missing (or I'm missing the context) some connection to the actual story of the third semester. Like these personas are supposed to represent the sort of wrapping up of the thieves character arcs and I feel like that aspect is, while the idea of the personas being based off of their original personas leans into this, ultimately underused. I don't know maybe my thoughts will change once I play it properly. Uh hope you had fun reading this because I've been typing for like an hour no joke 💀😭

#asks #nebulaleaf #persona 5 royal #good lord in heaven i went off #sorry to main tag this eheh #but yeah again as always these are just my own thoughts and opinions #i find it harder to comment on the p5 ones in general because my knowledge of the game is not as good as i am with 3 #but hopefully with me finally playing through royal again i'll be able to give fresh new thoughts you know #but ty sm for the ask leaf 🥺🥺🥺 ily <3333 /platonic #can you guys tell i have two favorites #one of them might be controversial cause as ive said people either hate or love that design #but i said what i said #enjoy reading all that LMAOOOO i am too tired to spell check 😭#man i really come on here and just rant about personas and then poof

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skitskatdacat63 · 2 months

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hi catie u can write as many paragraphs on any film that u watch!!! i think that would be neat :)

also DISCLAIMER i havent watched killers of the flower moon, nor have i fully researched the real life event, but i feel like one of the reasons that people think it’s peak cinema is that it’s really really long and (i am assuming) that it has some interesting cinematography?

idk it reminds me of oppenheimer (film i actually watched). like its good-ish, super lengthy, and portray historical events. the visuals were fantastic but i don’t think it was absolutely perfect and the best film of the century, etc etc…

i honestly dont know where i was going with this so sorry for the super lengthy ask 😭

OKAY THEO THANK YOU FOR FREEING ME FROM THE SHACKLES OF MY INSECURITY

Okay as a preface. Watched this with my mom who read the book it's based off of, so that's an additional perspective I'm gonna touch on, and also was very glad to have. And also YES I HAVE SEEN OPPENHEIMER!!!! Seriously my ultimate film of 2023, probably one of my favorite movies I've ever watched. And I guess I thought that, because I enjoyed that, I would enjoy Killers of the Flower Moon(KotFM from now on), for the exact reasons you stated! Also I'm trying to watch all the oscar nominated best pictures before the event lol!

I will rant now, thank you :)

I'm sorry but like I genuinely don't understand how it's so highly acclaimed???? Like how are all the popular/majority of reviews positive?? Did we watch the same film????? Have I somehow lost my taste for cinema???? It's just like, any argument I've seen about why it's actually amazing is so easy to dispute??

"It's about how evil can be done by normal people and that's why it's from the perspective of the perpetrators blah blah" Well, I just watched The Zone of Interest, and I think it portrayed that concept wayyyyy better. Everything was so off-putting and disturbing, and it was from the perspective of the perpetrators, just like KotFM! And you literally never see those getting murdered, because it's all off screen and yet you still feel disgusted and feel terrible about what's happening, even though you didn't techinally see anything that happened. Meanwhile in KOTFM, the Osage are there on screen, actively being exploited and murdered, and I just don't feel attached to any of it, because it wasn't fleshed out well. And to add on, my mom said so much of the stuff involving Leo's character, yknow the character they picked as the main character instead of the actual Native Americans, was just completely made-up! Wasn't in the book at all!!! Martin Scorcese said that he read the book, and immediately thought that it was a book that needed to be adapted to film. And then just fucking makes up shit???? Yes certainly you have to add narrative stuff into a movie when adapting from a book, but to just make so much shit up just so you can portray it from a different angle is so bullshit to me.

"Every minute in the almost 3½ hour runtime is justified" I am convinced people are straight up lying, I'm sorry. It's not like I don't enjoy long movies! Loved Lawrence of Arabia, that's literally almost 4 hours long. Loved Oppenheimer, that's 3 hours long. I like long movies but oh my god, this was just a complete slog. And I kept seeing people say that the last hour was the best, well I'm sorry but after having to sit through 2½ torturous hours, I just have no mental energy left for what's apparently called the best part. I hate that people always start calling movies with long runtime cinema. Yes there are movies I definitely think are worth the long runtime; this one was not one of them.

"The main heart of the movie is the romance" Oh my god, this bugs me so much. I was so happy about Lily Gladstone winning and being in teh running for awards....until I watched the actual movie. Her romance with Leo's character literally makes no sense, and I felt just so ???? about it. The movie wants you to think they're so compelling and that it's so unfortunate that Leo's character is doing these terrible things to this woman he loves and her family, but they literally spent zero time fleshing the relationship out???? It was literally like, oh hey they're in a relationship now, don't really get why, but okay. There's actual reasons about why she would marry him(she literally needs a white man's permission to get access to her own money), but no nooooo they're so in love. There is zero build up. She knows he wants her money, he has literally zero charm, and yet she marries him and says "yeah I know he wants my money, but he's handsome!!" In what world!?!?!?? And a lot of the last section is like, awww they're hugging...even tho he murdered her whole family. And its just you get zero sense of any love between them, because they failed to build it in the first place, and certainly you could make this plot compelling but it's just not!!! It's not!!!!!

Another thing is that for basically all of the movie, I really couldn't get a grasp of anything that was going on. It didn't feel like a connected narrative for me, it felt like vignettes. Like, oh hey we're in this scene now I guess, I don't really know how this connects, or whats going on, or where we are in the story! It just felt very discombobulating for me, maybe I'm stupid, but I couldn't get a grasp on it. And I basically knew the plot, and so did my mom of course, but neither of us could really follow it so, maybe that's not a me problem, but a problem with the film! And I think vignettes can be used well, I thought The Zone of Interest did it really well, where you're just voyeuristiclly watching the family, and there's really no narrative, bur it was really effective. KofFM was more like, oh they're trying to tell a story here, but just not ...well. it's even worse when it's so long, because you're just feeling constantly unconnected from the story and its a slog and it's terrible, etc etc. You're just watching the characters fucking meander around, and you're like, man, would love it if it felt like the plot was actually progressing. And so much of it felt like the big events happened off screen, and you're kinda just told that they happened.

Also okay so the book itself is framed somewhat as a murder mystery. It's very well researched, and it slowly gives you the truth, as if you're learning it alongside the actual people involved. In the film, it's literally so obvious within the first 15 mins who the bad guys are. So you're just spending the whole film, watching all these characters(who you really have no reason to care about imo) die, and they all come off as so naive, and you're just furiously gesturing like "does no one notice these cartoonishly bad guys!?!?!?!?!" Yes, you can do a film where you know the truth from the beginning and watch the cast find out, that's a great concept! But this just made the native American characters come off as stupid and naive, and you're supposed to feel bad for them, and I do, but because I know the actial history, not because anything the film is showing me. Again, they don't flesh out the characters well at all imo, so you watch then die, and you're like, okay this person died, this is a depressing situation, but god, can they figure it out already. Again, the narrative with Lily Gladstone's character is that she loves her husband, so she can't really see what's going on. But. That love is not believable. And before they're in love, she's very suspicious of him, and yet now somehow when he's killing off her whole family, it's fine?????

Ugh okay yeah I don't know what else to say, except thst I just feel like I wasted so much of my time, and it really sucked out my energy. I'd like to be more concise, and I probably have more complaints but again, it really just killed my brain. And also that's its very frustrating and isolating when you hated a film, and then all the reviews are extremely positive and you can't see where any of them are coming from. The funniest part is that my mom and I are like wow this movie feels like it's been going on a while, let's check how much is left! Literally only halfway through. I really could not fully focus after that because I was like, I cannot do almost 2 more hours of this shit. I wanted to finish it because i was really hoping it would pick up, and I would realize why everyone likes it so much, but that never happened, I just felt increasingly bored and done with it. I think with Oppenheimer, a film I love, I was originally kinda unsure but as it kept going, I fell in love with it and didn't want it to end; so I guess I was hoping that would happen with this and it never did. It just got increasingly more boring for me, and I just got more aggravated about it. Also cannot believe I saw reviews saying of Scorcese's films, this one was better than The Departed. Absolutely no way.

Anyways this was extremely salty, oops. Wish I could get those 3 hours back, and watch some other movie instead. I wanted to watch Dallas Buyers Club or Tár, but I just feel like I've wasted enough mental energy tonight. Also lol, kept meaning to post this but it's deranged, but I'm talking about movies already and my brain is all over the place so might as well! I really want to rewatch Interstellar, but I feel like it'll completely emotionally destroy me again so I can't. Y'know when you just like a movie so much and ir means so much to you that it's just way too emotionally investing to rewatch!?!??! But I keep thinking about it, bcs im super into matthew mcconaughey rn, but god I really can't or I'll just be sobbing and hurting.

* oh also. My original complaint abt this was that they used a historically inaccurate word. They used the word "genocide" which certainly describes the situation they're in, BUT THAT WORD WAS NOT INVENTED YET!!!!! It's so easy to check that??? Like we know when and who coined it???? Little things like that really bug me, sorry LOL. Its like man, you can't check that one little thing??

#catie is: extremely salty #oh my god im so sorry for this its so fucking long #but thank you theo truly for getting rid of my inhibitions #so hahaha here you guys go. i guess.#oh wait forgot to mention smth funny #when talking about oscars with my mom #she said that martin Scorcese should win Best Director bcs its a shame hes never won it #anf then midway thru this shes like nah he doesnt deserve it for this LOL #catie.asks.

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struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor · 1 year

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I don't ship jikook but I have to tell you, you're the only normal jikooker left. All jikookers are so delulu, screaming all day "jikook is real!!!! Jimin was hiding in the bathroom" - when they couldn't accept that tae and jk and hobi were together, and Jimin wasn't with them. It's true that we don't know their lives but - in my opinion - jikook are not seeing each other often as before, not only because we don't see them but because they never mention something like "yesterday I saw Jungkook" or "Jimin told me that blah blah" implying that they met or talked. For example, during the live on ig tae told jk "I see you tomorrow". Tae mentioned Jk many times. Hobi said that he saw Jimin for a drink. Vhopekook meet. Taekook met many times with Tae friends etc. Jikook, the closest duo of bts is disappeared and don't you think it's weird? Even when Jk said he wanted to go to see Jimin on music show, it was weird to me. Why he didn't ask Jimin's schedule? Why Hobi and Yoongi went to support Jimin and not him? Hobi and Yoongi knew Jimin's schedule. Why Jungkook didn't ask when he could go if he REALLY wanted to go? He mentioned the music show only because Jimin was doing the live after the work. But it was too late. So it means they don't talk that much. I think they're friends but it seems that Hobi and Yoongi are more close to Jimin than Jungkook. They don't share anything anymore. It seems that they have always time for the other members but when they could meet, they're casually busy and they can't anymore

I'm the only normal Jikooker left? Is that meant to be a compliment? Plenty of Jikookers are normal, the whole fandom is filled with crazy people and they are not all shippers. It's like you're praising me for being less of a Jikooker than others, and your ask just gives off major Taekooker vibes.

I didn't see anyone say Jimin was hiding in JK's bathroom during Vhopekook's live. Why would he have done that? I know some fans believe that, but I think we all agree their opinion doesn't matter.

Jungkook saw Jimin rehearse SMF yet didn't mention knowing the choreo before watching the MV with us; Jimin only mentioned it much later. So, it's not true they would necessarily mention every time they saw each other. They were probably together to record Letter and since Jimin played the guitar he was probably the one who gave Jungkook that "guitar" lesson, yet Jimin didn't mention Jungkook at all when talking about Letter, and Jungkook hasn't talked about it either. Whenever Jikook went out together in the past, with or without friends, they never mentioned it and we only learned about it because they left their autographs at a restaurant or had their picture taken. Like I said, Jimin is private, Jungkook as well. Hobi was the one who mentioned having a drink with Jimin, Hobi was the one who mentioned playing games with Jimin. He was also the one who said OT6 had a drink together for the first time after Jin left. They're all private in different ways. Jungkook never mentioned hanging out with V or J-Hope. We only know because there are pics and videos. Jungkook only occasionally mentions eating with his family. He rarely talks about his friends.

About V and Jungkook in particular, I watched that live and don't remember V saying "see you tomorrow", but Jungkook literally got on a plane that same day? You think they saw each other? JK is in LA right now. And if that's actually what V said, have you never told someone you'll see them tomorrow even if you won't? Last Friday I told my grandparents, who I see once a month at best, that I would see them the next day when I obviously wouldn't - especially since they were, ironically, leaving the country like Jungkook, to go on a cruise. And V had a pretty empty schedule so he could hang out with Jungkook more. They've also been rebuilding their friendship ever since ITS 1 where they talked about growing apart, so that's great. V hasn't apparently been spending much time with Jimin either, yet no one is saying their friendship is over or something. And V mentioned a song Jungkook recommended a few days after they hung out... But you can share playlists on Spotify or talk about music over the phone. And V mentioned JK many times? You mean the song recommendation and the fact that V watches Jungkook's lives? Jungkook and Jimin literally mention or talk with each other every time they do a live? They also watch each other's lives? JK knew Jimin had skipped Unholy and Jimin knew he had sung it.

Suga went to support Jimin because he had promised to do so in Suchwita. He was the one who wanted Jimin to go on music shows so he probably thought he had to go there once. And J-Hope is an angel who always visits the members. Jimin didn't visit the More or Arson MV shootings, yet Hobi visited Jimin during the Like Crazy shoot. J-Hope is leaving soon. He said he wished he could be there for all the members in their solo careers so he's clearly doing the most right now while he still can.

You think Jungkook should know Jimin's schedule? Or ask about it? I talk to my mom every day and she still forgets basic things about my every day routine, which is always the same, unlike Jimin's. Hobi and Suga are at the company a lot, talking with the management team (who told Hobi about Jungkook's schedule); they knew when Jimin was doing the pre-recordings because they had already made plans to visit him. Jungkook knew Jimin was doing live shows but not when they were recorded, or maybe he had a vague idea and forgot? He wasn't aware that the last show Jimin recorded was his last but knew he was recording that day. Jungkook was staying at home a lot so his sense of time was probably shot. My mom forgets stuff I tell her all the time and she literally lives for me. Maybe Jungkook didn't think to visit Jimin because he didn't think he needed to? He thought Jimin wouldn't need his support or would feel awkward having to perform in front of him? This is more about Jungkook's personality than anything. V didn't visit Jimin on set and neither did the other members. Hobi was the exception and Suga went to the recording because he told Jimin to do music shows in the first place. It's boring going to shoots and they're too close to feel the need to make a statement.

"Jikook, the closest duo of bts is disappeared and don't you think it's weird?" "So it means they don't talk that much. I think they're friends but it seems that Hobi and Yoongi are more close to Jimin than Jungkook. They don't share anything anymore. It seems that they have always time for the other members but when they could meet, they're casually busy and they can't anymore" Wow. They don't share anything anymore? Does a whole song not count? What a bold statement. Hobi and Yoongi are closer to Jimin now and V is closer to Jungkook, right? And V and Namjoon are barely on speaking terms because they haven't mentioned each other at all and only hung out once at Harry's concert but they didn't even sit together! And no one but Jihope visited Jin so those friendships are on life support as well. It's good to know "delulu" Jikookers are in good company of delulu whatever you are. As the only! normal Jikooker I'm sad to say you aren't one of the "normal" shippers (or maybe you're way more normal than me - you definitely sound like most shippers I've seen).

#ask #bts #jimin #jungkook #jikook #text

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myrfing · 1 year

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ok finished ep11. it was good very hype i think it told a neat story by striking an conflict in a lot of its major characters about what nationhood, destiny, and the times mean to them. i admit im just not too attuned to conflicts of patriotism (total secret I know) so the weight of a lot of the i love my country it is the greater thing that gave my life nobility and meaning and work but it destroyed itself with its flaws stuff is lost on me emotionally BUTTT it was cool in the end. the toppling of the mauseoleum the fight to and against change and rebirth blah blah blah liked it even though im kind of eh about victoria.

the sarkaz thing is still up in the air. i did assume kazdel mustve been the name of “terra” before the ancients landed and I’m curious but apprehensive to find out why they went to war with the sarkaz (what were they running from, why did cooperation fail, whatever) and how that relates to the seaborn/sky/north/feranmuts. my guess is that they’ll gun for a both sides wacky thing where the ancients were running from some space demons or whatever and they found kazdel, colonized kazdel against the will of the teekaz and destroyed their homes and left them to wander the earth bloodied probably by siding with a rogue faction (the sankta?) and villifying the teekaz/sarkaz forever out of fear of them regaining power, and now all this is lost to the global memory of everyone but the sarkaz (and kaltsit/the feranmuts) who inherit memories through blood on top of living much longer lives. but they’ll make it a both sides are complicated or whatever thing with the whole sarkaz are turbo blood-superiority guys with a crucial species difference or whatever who would not have granted even tenuous refuge to the ancients which is odd to write in a faction with jewish and indigenous influences but arkn doesnt like Either Side being “at fault” ever and likes having those guys be “the (sympathetic) enemy” to complicate things so big shrug

#arkn #into the mist spoilers

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trashingfish · 2 years

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I saw Thor: Love and thunder yesterday and...it wasn't bad but it wasn't good either, it just okay. I'm also not really a big marvel and could give a rats ass about Thor. I love DC far more, going to go ahead and say that, because I want to talk about the pros and cons of this movie.

Warning: These are MY PERSONAL opinions, I'm not forcing anyone to agree with me. Also spoilers, MAJOR spoilers

_______________________________________________

I'll start with pros: I think the God butcher is a good villian, I like him (Also the fact I couldn't tell it was Christian Bale until my sister told makes it even better). But I thought the God butcher's motives were justified and excellent. Like the man devotes his whole life to serving this God and when he meets him, the God is a total asshole. On top of that his daughter is dead along with his whole village. I also love God butcher's design, it's simple but its good. The scars on him from taking his tattoos off? Bro they looked so badass. I love that he's just in rope too. I love the nercosword, it's such a cool weapon. Bonus points for it making God butcher literally go more insane and taking his life at the same time.

I love the whole scene with Zeus, that was one part of the movie that actually got a chuckle out of me. I love of how all the most powerful God's ever are just sitting on their asses watching Zeus do whatever (at least that's what I got from it). But I do wanna know how accurate that got all the other God's, because I don't trust Disney to have actually done their research when doing that part. Although I don't care for Chris Hemsworth, he does have a nice ass. So bonus points for casting someone with a nice ass. Also the recations of everyone when Zeus made him naked, was so funny. The part also had the best fighting scene to me. I loved the background, the move sets, and the gold blood going everywhere. Iiked when the rock dude became just a face, I think that is how he should always look. Also, Thor's lightening mixing with Zeus's lightening was very cool and pretty.

I thought it was really cute when the children had Thor's powers for a limited time. That part was done pretty well

I loved that the guardians of the galaxy weren't in the whole movie and that they left very quickly.

I liked the first planet Thor was at because the aliens that lived there were funny. I loved their designs, location, and how they talked with Thor. They also actually made me genuine laugh.

I like that Eternity got a human body. I think Marvel/Disney can do something really interesting and cool with that in another Thor movie, or give Eternity its own movie. I would just liked it if they took that opportunity they just gave themselves.

However, I do hate the ending so on to Cons now: I liked that Jane died because I don't like (she gets on my nerves), but they shouldn't have killed her off. The reason being because now they can't make a woman Thor movie...she's dead. I hope they don't because I don't know how they are going to make sense that "hahahaha she's actually not dead bc blah blah blah." They should have had make Jane woman Thor, given her her own movie, and then made Thor: Love and thunder. I don't like that the God Butcher didn't kill all the God's. I know he can't actually do that because then no more Thor movies, but still. This man just spent so much time killing off God's, just for a God themselves to be like "no, choose love." He also wasn't even doing all this just because his daughter died, his whole village died and he lost complete trust in the God's. His whole deal was that no one should trust or worship God's because they don't actually care about their followers. I feel like when Thor saying he should choose love, should've been his finally breaking point and wish for all God's to die. Thor is God...why would the God Butcher start listening to a God again? Also they did this because in the movie they said Thor would be a good dad, but at the same time Jane was dying...they literally made God Butcher wish for his daughter to be alive again just so Thor could have a kid. Again through, why would God Butcher wish for his kid, she's ending up being a God and raised by a God...He would hate this.

Most of the comedy was cringe, cheesy, and corny all in one. I hate those screaming goats so much, they were so annoying everytime they were on screen. I really thought/wanted them to eat them but they never died. Turns outs space goats are the strongest thing to ever exist. Every joke Thor made or any comedic thing he did, was just bad. Everytime he tried to make a joke, made me cringe and awkward smile. I hate how he's "cheating" on his hammer. It's so stupid, the whole joke is just "hahahhah look he's when his ex's and he misses them...but what about his current love?" It's just not as fun as they think it is.

I don't like the gay rock thing. It was from a company who doesn't hate LGBTQ+ people, I wouldn't mind it. But coming from Disney I just feel like they're mocking gay men and them having kids. I don't know much about Valkyrie and her girlfriend so I can't say how good the lesbian rep is, but again it's from Disney and they're just trying to seem like they don't hate gay people.

I really thought that Thor was going to duel wield Mojmir and Stormbreaker, but he never did. That really disappointed me. They could have made Thor do something so cool, but they didn't. Plus Zeus's lightening bolt? Thor would have been so powerful and badass for once, but nope.

Okay I saw this in IMAX, so it isnt really that major, but the IMAX was a huge disappointment too. Most of the time it was just standing next to the Thor. I would have loved to be more in battle, flying with Mojmir or Stormbeaker, and maybe one pov where I'm getting hit with lightening. But instead I just felt like a 3rd wheel for most of the movie. Also when Thor was fighting I didn't even feel like part of the battle, I just staring at Thor.

They didn't keep Thor's dad bod so minus lots of points. I really wish they would make him have actually Thor's body. Actually Thor is a huge glutton and is always drinking alcohol, so in turn he's fat and huge.

I don't like the music choice, they play some songs at the wrong time and some songs should've never been in the movie. Like "Welcome to the Jungle", I don't get why this was in the movie. I know this song is mostly used for when a character is kicking ass, but I just think it should be played when a character is kicking ass in a JUNGLE. "Sweet Child O' Mine" was played at the wrong time, they should have used it when during the kids fighting. They literally have Thor's powers.

The message of the whole film sucks. Choose love instead of hate...how rich coming from Disney.

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Again: These are MY PERSONAL opinions, I'm not forcing anyone to agree with me.

#also I went to see it because my sister wanted to #she enjoyed and thought it was good #also sorry if I sound confusing in any of this #Like #yes I like that Eternity is in a human body #no I dont like that the God Butcher wished for his child back #thor odinson #thor love and thunder #thor spoilers #marvel #honestly tho this movie has been stuck in my head ever since I saw it #so thats good thing i guess???#Thor

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malaky-nightm4r3 · 1 year

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I know you aren't supposed to trust your brain past dark

but Im having a really bad time with my brain resurfacing all the trauma I have from the past few years and just dragging it all over my thoughts and dreams lately- I wonder if brains do this to punish you for the decisions that lead up to meeting people who traumatize you. I mean. Your brain is supposed to force you to learn from your trauma so you don't get hurt again and again, and for like three years straight, though this year was very mellow, I was in and out of being surrounded by people who I can see now did basically nothing but traumatize me. I've put that aside and learned to cope. And since then, Ive started taking zero shit and learning from my mistakes. The moment people start showing red flags I can recognize, I address them, and if nothing is changing I drop that friend or acquaintance. Or I don't let in new people who I even think could be a bad influence or harmful to me and others.

But its making it even harder for me to even trust new people whatsoever. I judge newcomers too swiftly. I've only recently felt comfortable enough to speak publicly in discord servers I used to be super active in a few times at max, hiding a majority of the time like I have been for a very long time.

I don't understand people, people confuse me. The way they act, the way they think, the way they speak, its all so confusing. I can understand an individual person if Ive known them long enough- I understand the way they do things and find their actions and words familiar. I don't understand when someone I trust flips their whole opinion on everything and starts talking badly towards me, talking badly about me to others, ignoring me, laughing at me, not telling me whats wrong, when just a little bit ago they were laughing with me and including me in a lot.

I don't understand why people demand people tell the truth, but when I am honest, Im "being insensitive", "too honest", "being an asshole". Everyone told me my whole life to be honest so I am! Why do I still get in trouble? I'd get in less if I just lied and said everything you want to hear. But that's not right. I don't want to lie. I prefer telling the truth. Why is it my fault people refuse to accept it because maybe it hurts their egos?

Society pisses me off. Why is it when a bully punches you, nothing happens, but if you punch back, you're the villain? Why is it when a victim raises their voice, the abuser points at them and cries "ABUSER" "MANIPULATOR" "LIAR", and gets away with it? Why is it when someone assaults you, you get the dirty looks and are blamed for what you went through? Why are victims always the ones who are punished and left to suffer while the abusers are either ignored or supported and encouraged to continue their behavior? Why is the person with more popularity and the kinder sounding voice believed over the broken and crying one in the corner?

Why is it always victim blaming that is the go to. I've dealt with all of the shit I listed above, I was fired from a daycare job because when they found out my former coworker assaulted me, I WAS THE ONE BLAMED FOR THE SUDDEN BAD REPUTATION. I've lost friendships and ties over people believing my abusers over me, several times. I was the one serving detention because I had enough of being bullied without doing something to stand up for myself. I was pushed into doing shitty things because of the abuse I was dealing with, and yet I was still the one to blame each and every time even when I was only following the rules of the game I was living at the time.

I know I'm not alone in this. But again. Can't trust your brain past dark, can you.

Can't voice how you feel and how you're affected by your trauma so you don't hurt your abusers' egos or feelings, so you don't get hurt more because they'll attack you or tell all their friends how HORRIBLE you are and you'll be harassed by everyone they know, blah blah blah I don't care anymore. How immature can you be, to harass someone you've already hurt so badly. To obsess over them. To wish them more harm. I don't even know if half the people who've hurt me over the years even have tumblrs anymore/at all, this is directed at none of them. Don't worry. Im not fishing for trouble. I just wanted to scream my thoughts to the void, to finally let some shit out for once, to give a glimpse as to how tattered and fucked up I am after everything that was done to me, without revealing too much so people can't fucking weaponize my trauma or whatever they say happens on the internet. I just wanted. to fucking vent. Because my physical state is getting worse constantly nowadays, and my mental state is fluctuating because trauma I thought I'd dealt with and knew how to cope with is swallowing me whole and making me terrified again. Im so tired of getting hurt. I want to be able to trust people fully again. I want to feel safe.

We want to feel safe. This entire plurality shares this fucking sentiment that i just spent ranting about.

#~ chai #vent #vent post #personal vent #tw abuse #tw assault #tw assault mention #tw abuse mention #all in all just stay away from reading this I guess #tw victim blaming #victim blaming vent #If this ends in me getting harassed or attacked then that's just a sign to me #that I shouldn't bother to be open if it just keeps getting me hurt over and over again #I just wanted to fucking vent so I could hopefully go to sleep without another nightmare about them #But knowing my luck it could be even worse now

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thetldrplace · 13 days

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Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History. Ch. 8- Spanish Domination

The terms of the Caltabellota treaty made it clear that the Angevins had not renounced claims to Sicily. The Spaniards and French went at it again in 1312, but it was always half-hearted. With neither side particularly committed, its inconclusiveness sapped enthusiasm. The Sicilian barons didn't care too much since they thrived on war and were disinterested for Sicilian independence for the sake of indepedence. They're concern was with their pockets and they'd side with whoever bolstered their short-term interests. Some of the baronial families were: the Ventimiglia, mainly around Trapani; the Chiaramonte, around Palermo; the Moncada; and the Peralta.

Frederick III died in 1337, succeeded by Peter II, who died in 1342. There was a Louis in there too... blah-diddy-blah blah.

The Black Death arrived in 1347, and although we don't have figures for Sicily in particular, about 1/3rd of the population was lost in Europe, and we can reasonably assume it was somewhere in that neighborhood in Sicily too.

Frederick IV (the Simple... not a nickname I would have been particularly in love with either) became King and inherited a hopelessly chaotic realm. The barons had split into two main factions: the Latins, led by the Chiaramonte, and the Catalans, represented by the Ventimiglia. In 1371, Fred the Simple went to Naples to see if he could resolve this, which he did, on condition that he pay an annual tribute to Naples. When Frederick died in 1377, he left no heir, so the Island was divided into four 'Vicarates' to be administered by the four principal baronial families: the Alagona fam would govern the east from Catania; Peralta from Sciacca in the south; Ventimiglia for most of the North, minus Palermo; and Chiaramonte in Palermo.

The only daughter of Frederick, Maria, now become a major pawn among the princes of Europe. Hard to figure out why anyone would have been all that psyched about Sicily by this point, but they were. Lots of European royal families were busy marketing their sons to get married to Maria and grab on to Sicily. I don't know if she was a looker or not, but I'm pretty sure the artist who did this painting of her should have been killed for his efforts. Anyway, while that drama was in mid-season, one of the baronial families, the Moncada, were pissed about being left out of a 'vicarate', and kidnapped Maria. They shipped her to Barcelona where she was promptly taken off the market and married to Martin I, the "Younger", of Aragon. Martin decided then that Sicily was to be subject to him and invaded in 1392. Some baronial families welcomed him, presumably those that thought they could profit from his reign, while others resisted. He eventually grabbed enough control of the important areas, but large swaths of the island remained outside that control.

Martin revived the parliaments, but they were never, uh, what we would call "democratic". They were basically just assemblies for the parliamentarians to listen to what was being dictated to them from on high. Martin died in 1409 before having children, so his Father succeeded him, but lived only a year longer. Yeah, it's unusual to have a father succeed a son, but hey, it happened this time.

In 1412, Ferdinand was chosen as King of Spain, and claimed Sicily for himself. The Sicilians didn't object, were probably too tired to care, and figured the new guy would probably never set foot on their island anyway. But Ferdinand died in 1416 and in 1421, Alfonso V was named ruler of Sicily, while living in Naples. Anybody else feel there's just a constant cycle of names here? Yeah, me too.

The 1400s were a time of constant money problems. Too much of Sicily was enfeoffed (weird word meaning 'given as a fief' or feudal land) to the barons. Alfonso, nicknamed the " Magnanimous", but probably NOT by the Sicilians...) stopped at nothing to squeeze as much out of the Sicilians as possible. In 1458, Alfonso died and his brother John II was given Sicily. Sicily seemed ok with the new guy, and only once, in 1478, when he tried to squeeze them for more money continue his war against the Turks, did the Sicilians stand up to him, because they had a healthy trade with the Turks and the Sicilians needed that healthy trade to not be interrupted.

His son Ferdinand, who ascended the throne in 1479, was of huge historical importance. He was the same guy who married Isabella, and commissioned a rather insignificant event in world history: the expedition of Columbus to America. But just a touch before that, his pious Catholic sense commissioned another event. In 1487, the Spanish Inquisition arrived, which ordered Muslims and Jews to either convert, or leave the island. Muslims were already mostly gone, but Jews represented a large, and important, minority. Sicily's economy suffered big-time as a consequence of this declaration.

Meanwhile, through corruption or neglect, many Sicilian lands that were technically Spanish crown territories, had become baronial estates. But Ferdinand wanted them back. A viceroy named Ugo Moncada was appointed to reclaim these lands. When Ferdinand died in 1516, a mob chased Moncada out. But while the Sicilians would occasionally rise and revolt, they lacked cohesion, as well as any positive or constructive ideas for what they wanted to build in place of what they tore down.

When Charles V of Habsburg arrived in 1517, he was still a Dutchman through and through, which did not make a good first impression. But he was sagacious and shrewd. He did his best, but managing his own countrymen turned out to be difficult. Probably by now, the Sicilians were getting sick and tired of foreigners getting all the good government positions depending, the nationalities of which depended on the revolving door of nationalities making the decisions about their island

However, it was another event that began to turn the page on the Mediterranean: The discovery of the Americas, and... the route to India around the African horn. The Mediterranean had been THE conduit of trade from East to West. But now, new richer markets had opened up in the new world, and the new route to even the old trade partners in the East, meant the Mediterranean could be bypassed altogether. The Middle sea had become something of a backwater, and Sicily, as always, was the loser.

#sicily #sicilian history

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