#im so enriched. i love being wrong about stories

[salemoleander]

I am BARELY resisting going full red-strings-corkboard on this season. And by barely resisting I mean not resisting at all here is an extremely long list of the events those pins would be marking out.

BigB getting a Task that was a different color than everyone else's. It's not just a randomly assigned Hard Task, bc Scar rerolled for a Hard Task and his was also just a white envelope. It's fundamentally different.

That task taking BigB away from socialization, and seemingly being an incredibly time-consuming and dull request. Of profound disinterest to any watchers.

The phrasing of his Task!!

Dig a big hole. All the way down. At least 3x3. Make it your base if you want.

Everyone else's are direct and formal - the only one with more than one sentence was Skizz's, with the rule clarification of "One attempt only." Bigb's Task is four short abrupt sentences. It is also the only Task to contain extraneous information, 'Make it your base if you want.' The requirements (at least 3x3) feel like an afterthought to mimic the numerical/specific demands of the other tasks.

Evo symbol on the face of the Secret Keeper statue.

The fact that there's a statue at all; the fact that there is a physical representation of what is assigning tasks that everyone must complete, when previously everything was always handled via commands and unseen RNG.

Grian talking to the statue, and (bc of his Actual Role as game organizer) acting as a mediator for the impartial decisions handed down, speaking for it.

Grian making one last bad joke and saying he doesn't know if it counted or not- depends on whether we the audience laughed.

Grian asking for task recommendations from the audience. The watchers are making the tasks. The Watchers are making the tasks.

Again I could be off-base, and I'm not usually even that smitten with bringing in Evo lore. I don't want a Big Bad really...but. It feels like something very unusual and intentional and cool is happening in this series. And I'd guess we'll know if theres something going on once we have more than one data point.

My largely unfounded suspicion is that there is another being (maybe Listeners, maybe something else) trying to reach out to the Players via decoy Tasks, and BigB was the first recipient. Get them alone, make them of disinterest to the watchers, and tell them something we don't get to know.

Because that's the really, really fucking cool part (if my wacky theory is remotely right): We're the bad guys. We're the ones giving out tasks - hell, we're the ones actively brainstorming harder and crueller tasks in Grian's comments!

If they actually made a story where the Players have to keep secrets from us I will be delighted. Bc that is the same genius bullshit that made Evo Watcher lore so fun

#secret life #slsmp #life series #grian #secret life smp #bigb #i think im starting to get the shape of the conceit #this could all be nonsense of course. i may be completely off base and nothing will happen and it's just a normal life series #but it feels like there's something Larger happening here #anyways. will keep thinking and mulling this over and collecting scraps of evidence #secret life spoilers #slsmp spoilers #spoilers #salem meta #salem tag #im so enriched. i love being wrong about stories

[variousqueerthings]

Heyyy bestie guess who...

I think your point about love interests is so right, there's less of a focus on how they interact because they're just friends in the later seasons, theres no winning over a nurse moment because they don't need to be won. Also I miss ginger :(

I like your idea about the names and faces mixing too, it plays into the idea of time blurring so three years plays out over 11 seasons.

His fear(?) that he's seen and done too much over his time there is also so interesting, he doesn't feel like he deserves love or affection almost. I mean this in an aro or non aro way too, im even thinking that it would be really interesting if Hawkeye realised his views and feelings about romance and romantic love while in Korea and it took a long time for him to realise that it wasnt something that the war did to him, that it was just a natural part of who he always was.

Also heres where i admit that I stopped watching around season 8 i think(?) because, as you said, of the way the show seemed to constantly punish Hawkeye and how the support he'd had from the beginning has been draining away. (with the exception of Margaret, but one person can't hold him together when he's trying to hold everyone else) I do plan on finishing but i just got away from a similar problem and I don't want to watch it happen when I haven't talked it out properly first lol.

Also all of his lighter moments in the later seasons, especially the ones you mentioned, lack the sort of catharsis he really needs. They're all still about what he does for others, i cant speak on it until i watch them of course bit there seems to be much less gestures and acts of kindness for him.

Okay last points! I really feel like its too late to start censoring fuck my dude, that ship has sailed. I plan on saying more about your last response but its such a beast that im leaving it for my train ride tomorrow where I'll hopefully be able to put it together<3

-majoranon

I hope your train ride is good!

I am personally a glutton for pain (yes I'll leave that phrasing as it is), so I don't mind seeing him upset and worn down 😈

but I definitely feel like he's not given so much softness -- and the turning point was around season 8 I think, because I literally documented Moments between him and BJ and Margaret in s7 (+ season 8 was when Radar left and Period of Adjustment happened and Preventative Medicine was near the end of s7....), and I guess it's because he's increasingly Keeper Of Narrative Themes (vs other characters who carry mainly themes related to themselves and their personal journeys), which puts him in a slightly disconnected space -- the Narrator, Mad Max, Puck, (my flatmate was like "Horatio is also depressed and gay and tells the narrative" and they're not wrong) etc.... so even when he's having fun with the others, or having a moment where he's been relinquished for a second from Narrative Themes to be in the ensemble it feels to me watching like he's on a leash (no I won't change that phrasing either) -- he's still in the prison of the story, it's just giving him a bit of enrichment here and there, but less and less as we careen towards The End

also about aromanticism (forgive me if you already know + you know... things Many Queer People Feel For Similar Reasons) is that it's framed as brokenness by wider society. Romantic Love is the highest form of connection between people and so not being drawn towards this idea is an indication of something being wrong with you and a lot of aro people internalise that

and so the idea that Hawkeye can't disconnect his "incorrect feelings" from war trauma + his thematic role in the Story in which he's being increasingly separated narratively from the others... *charlie day meme*

all of this to say, yeah yeah "communal sub sounds sexual and also that," but mainly I think if someone cradled the back of his head while they gave him a really big hug (kinda like in s7 "Ain't Love Grand"), it might break me (and also him) and that I will on my rewatch document when we've had a moment like in "Peace On Us" where for a second Hawkeye is protected from the violence of the role he plays by the whole camp throwing him a party

(also that Stars and Stripes + Bottle Fatigue + Heal Thyself + Dreams were s8 and I don't know what I'm trying to say there but it certainly makes me stare at a wall)

(also this isn't to say that other characters aren't also occasionally doing their turn as Keepers of Themes or even that Hawkeye-centric episodes tend to be that, so much as when there's ensemble work happening he's increasingly given the War Is Hell perspective)

#MASH #hawkeye pierce #im watching MASH #the landscape of the narrative is going open its gaping maw and swallow him whole #(look i know this won't happen but also my brain is like *what if he just literally got eaten by korea as a Place*) #(it's not a horror story but it IS a horror story) #majoranon

[antiloreolympus]

7 Anti LO Asks

1. Do you know what really gets my blood boiling about this comic? Persephone and Demeter's relationship.

In the myths, Demeter and Persephone loved each other more than anything. Their reunion is so important - it marked the coming of spring and growth. A whole cult was dedicated to this for crying out loud. Yes, the myths were far from perfect, but the Persephone and Demeter myth showed the strength of a loving mother-daughter relationship with Demeter searching endlessly to find her child that was ripped away and had her innocence forcibly taken.

Now, RS is not the only author to make Demeter this over-bearing mother type in order to put more positivity onto the Hades-Persephone relationship. However, RS takes this trend to a whole new level - to the point where I would even consider it misogyny.

How is it, she takes this beautiful mother-daughter relationship and makes it out to be an abusive and controlling one, and then takes the Hades-Persephone relationship from a forceful one to a loving, perfect relationship with no problems? How is it ok to ruin one relationship to elevate another?

I understand that many versions of the myth try to downplay Hades' actions, and even make it so Persephone actually falls in love with him and there is no rape. But it doesn't change that this relationship was problematic, and meant to represent the loss of innocence.

Then fans have the gall to claim this comic is feminist and then claim on top of that that Demeter and Persephone's relationship was the same in the myth? These fans clearly don't know the myths, and neither does RS.

Making Hades a good person is fine. Changing it up a bit to make Persephone's loss of innocence something else is also fine. But ruining Demeter and Persephone's relationship? Especially when Persephone has to spend half the year with her? So horrible. 

2. im sorry, but rachel cant introduce KRONOS coming back and then dropping it for several episodes to focus on a stake-less trail and persephone not knowing what lingerie to seduce hades in. like thats too much of an earth shaking development and huge stake plot point to just ignore for months to focus instead on something as minor as hxp's relationship, which only points out a huge flaw: why is hxp's relationship so minor in this? isnt the whole point supposed to be about them?

3. I think LO completely dropped the ball over Hades’ characterization. 

From the first ep I thought ok, this is good, we have some bones to see he’s not that lucky in love and is just tired and lonely, and while ignoring the creepy actions towards Persephone, I thought ok, Artemis hates him, Hestia hates, even Ares hates him, maybe once Persephone finally sees the underworld and probably gets to know him it’ll be a clever twist and they’ll be proven wrong. The underworld will turn out to be fair and just, the citizens will love Hades, he’ll be revealed to be a good leader and king and not like his brothers, it’ll be like everyone saying Hades of myth isn’t actually that bad, and it’ll help reinforce why this sweet and bubbly Persephone wants him, she sees the real him, not the mean rumors and assumptions, this is perfect.

And then it just didn’t happen. The exact opposite happened, actually.

We’re shown the LO underworld is cruel and unjust, where the poor dead are forced into slavery and Hades created a harsh class divide with him and him only on top, the citizens hate him, the underworld gods don’t trust him and openly seem ok if he’s taken out of power, he’s not a good leader and king and doesn’t even want the job yet keeps it for his own ego and grip of power m, and on top of it all he is just like his brothers, if not worse. He loves to get violent over any little slight against him, he hoards wealth and resources to enrich himself while his citizens starve and struggle to survive, he’s corrupt, he controls all the media and laws to bend to his will, sleeps with his brothers wife for centuries behind his back while claiming to be holier than thou, he has sex with his secretaries who are made dependent on him for any way to survive, and now he lusts after his barely legal intern who is also now dependent on him for her way to survive, and that’s only what I remember off the top of my head.

LO perfectly set up to prove Hades isn’t the devil or the false pop culture assumption that he’s evil and to show some actual facts from myth, and yet Rachel only ended up reinforcing exactly that and even making him even worse with her made up ideas, all while thinking having Persephone ignore or excuse it somehow makes it not bad or even a good thing. It’s honestly kind of impressive just how bad of writing that actually is. 

4. Chapter 172 is not that interesting. It’s setup had me excited to see Hephaestus and Hera and learning more about echo, but it’s cut so short. Because again the story can’t leave HXP out for 2 seconds.

I can also see why Zeus is gonna go insane. 

5. i agree w/ other anon. LO should have pulled a PJO or a BoZ and just made up OCs and have them interact with the gods than whatever Rachel thinks shes doing, which is lying she's being accurate and faithful while completely changing all of it, removing what is needed, and adding what isnt so that it lines up with no actual myth besides like, various 50 shades fanfic she read in 2015 and some popular tumblr text posts.

6 . the animation studio behind blood of zeus literally can only draw one face for the men and one face for the women and they were still able to make the gods all look distinct and hot while LO can't even bother to use more than 6 colors and can only have the women look as tiny as possible with the biggest boobs while the men are all just lego men.

7. ////FP SPOILERS////

Okay so like I stopped reading LO way back before season 1 ended, and a majority of my knowledge of the series comes from what I read here on your blog which is enough for me lol and I decided to read the latest 5 chapters just to see what's up (on zahard. I refuse to give the actual series any views)

And I just. Could not take the whole scene with Daphne running from Apollo seriously? The anatomy and art inconsistency was so distracting that i genuinely could not find it serious. Even when Thanatos discovers her hibernated body I couldn't take it seriously because of how she looked?

And when Hades had that call (??? Was it a call? Or his inner dialogue? I couldn't really tell ngl) with Zeus and said he's causing Persephone unnecessary distress, and that she didn't pose any threat. B!tch??? She killed a ton of mortals??? She has no control over her powers???? She's literally a fugitive for the aforementioned things??? She apparently woke Kronos up? (Idk if anyone knows about that, again my knowledge only spans to whatever I read here) Hello????

And I have a lot to say about the chapters starting the trial but I'll only mention one thing; Hades saying "I don't think blindly supporting my little brother would be doing him any favours (as a ruler)" had me cackling. This is coming from a guy blindly supporting a girl he's literally only known for a few weeks, who's like what, only recently turned 20? Sit tf down Hades you're not cool, you creepy ass overgrown smurf.

Overall I still hate this series lmao. Regarding art though I feel like I wouldn't be so miffed about the anatomy much if the character designs were consistent and the story was compelling. They literally change hairstyles and body types frame by frame, and it's distracting.

The timeline from what I read here is laughable. 4 years in publication with almost 200 chapters and you're telling me only like a month has passed canonically. That's wild and such poor writing.

And as someone who literally will sympathise with any lead character pretty quickly, the story makes me hate them. It makes me want to root against them. I also hate the fact this trash is somehow top ranked on webtoons when so many other stories are far better then it.

Anyway, many thanks to this blog for existing and allowing me to dump so much text here to vent out my hate for this series lmao. You the mvp fam, hope you're having a good day 🥂🥂🥂

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

[yellowocaballero]

Hi! i enjoy your writing so much. that part where obi wan thought that he did something to make cody was upset and since we're in fox's pov we know that its something that has nothing to do with obi but since obi's a kid he thinks its his fault that this adult he cares about is upset abt something.. Youre really good at writing children. i also loved the small look at siri we got. I wont lie, i got confused while reading abt fox's space dementia but i realize we're supposed to share his lack of memory/bg info, and figure out by ourselves whats going on behind the scenes. I cant really tell if his space dementia brain rot is more from sith mind-control brain magic or from being a fascist but im glad that fox still decides to live in the end. also, cody was so funny in this. Heartwarming! fascist clone dad manipulates politics to bring his son closer to him!

Thank you!!! That story was A Lot, but it was interesting.

Yeah, Obi-Wan's Babie Mode :( and one of the worst parts about being a kid is being so incredibly self-centered you think that everything's about you. He doesn't really understand Cody's feelings, but he wants him to be happy, and gets frustrated when he just can't make somebody he cares about happy. Cody & Obi-Wan's storyline is one metaphorically about cycles of abuse, and it can be tough to be a kid in that situation wondering what you did wrong when your parent can't parent correctly, not knowing that it's due more to their tremendous amount of baggage then it is anything about you. Cody can get a bit secretly smug when A Plan Comes Together, and one of the first things I wrote for the story was the really fantastic mental image of Cody's shit eating grin as Fox realized that Cody just caused THE ENTIRE STORY just for the PETTIEST reason. (That, of course, wasn't very petty at all - the step that Fox didn't know about was that Cody needed Ben on Naboo at that moment so Ben could kill him).

The Siri thing was SO extraneous and I definitely should have deleted it, but I wanted to humanize the jerky Ferrus, compare Jedi vs. clone families, and demonstrate that entering a brain without permission leaves a piece of yourself behind - so, ergo, the Emperor left a lot of himself behind in Fox, and that's what swiss cheesed him.

But that's all excuses because I really wanted to finally write Tahl, Ferrus, and Siri - a family oft-mentioned but never seen! I put more emphasis on Quinlan's family typically, but since OW&Siri's lineages are so close they must have had board game nights. Siri and Tahl died when Obi-Wan just turned 15 as a nod to their early death in canon, and I can only imagine Obi-Wan's reaction was interesting (Sadly, I think he probably made it a point of pride not to care)(Or like, even worse, it genuinely didn't phase him...). We get a lot of Quinlan but not much of her, so I was happy to work her in. I think she was socially awkward and Weird (TM), and she was more OW's friend then friends with the rest of the friend group, and that she was jealous of Quinlan for being so close to OW. She craves violence at all times and is an ace pilot, and also got along better with the clones than other Jedi. She's a lot like Anakin.

Worth noting that without Obi-Wan and with Ahsoka so much older, Ferrus was probably genuinely Anakin's only friend growing up. I changed his pre-O66 personality a bit just for narrative reasons, especially since he should have left the Order and didn't for plot reasons, and the idea of him just being this very mild, friendly, polite, middle manager type, who after O66 becomes comedically badass is very funny to me. He and Fox are genuinely mortal enemies. Fox does not know this.

Re: confusing - yeah, a problem I'm ALWAYS having as a writer is to hit the right level of confusion. I frequently want confusing, but not too confusing. It should be a puzzle that the reader can figure out. It's a hunk of meat frozen in a block of ice for the reader's enrichment. I think I've gotten better at it, but I'm still not great. I do think there's a difference between 'I'm confused because I don't understand what's happening in the plot/the plot's contradictory' and 'I'm confused because I don't know everything that's happening in the story'. The first one is the one I try to avoid! For the second one - sometimes it's very interesting not to have the whole picture.

But - yes, the reader is not meant to have a good idea of what's happening in the story. Only a few things are outright said to Fox, and the reader mostly has to put together the actions of the other characters. Some of it is only really expanded upon or answered in More Than Zero. For example, a lot of the stuff Cody says and does only makes sense when you remember that this entire story he is basically setting up his suicide. Fox doesn't know that. To jump forward, at the end of More Than Zero Cody says that he thinks it failed because he lost conviction - I think part of the reason why he lost conviction was guilt from abandoning Fox, when Fox really needs him right now.

It gives the story a claustrophobic, hazy, confused feeling. It lets us get an idea of how weirdly scary this has to be - 'stay in your room and don't bother us as the galaxy is lowkey collapsing in the background'. People are acting in ways that don't make any sense and he's told not to worry about it. All of the decisions about himself and his future are being made behind his back. Even worse, are being made by Cody, of all people. Who extorted them away from the guy Fox actually gave them to. One throw-away line from Thire becomes the most important in the story - that everybody is split between a bunch of different sides, including Cody: On Cody's Side!, and they all think that they're doing what's best for Fox - but only Mace Windu is on Fox's side.

Finally, what's going on with Fox is definitely not because he's a fascist. It's not a punishment, just a side-effect of Oops All Sith Magic Brainwashing happening to him for so long. He got a little dependent on the numbing effects of the Dark Side in order to deal with waves hands, but we see in the flashbacks how every time he goes Emperor's Mouthpiece mode he can feel his brain frying. Not his fault.

Sorry that got long OTL. A lot was going on in this one. Very little of it was obvious or explained. I REALLY enjoy working with super-limited POV, and the challenge is to give the reader insight into the story through the eyes of someone who doesn't get what's happening. Also why kid POVs are so much fun. Thanks for reading!

#my writing #I guess this story is a set-up for more than zero which is funny #considering the fact that nothing is set up at all #hey I didn't stop to think about how SUPER scummy it is #to take away metaphorical power of attorney away from the guy Fox ACTUALLY gave it to #haha yikes cody. #like yikes dude wish I had stopped to address that in the story

[mellow-elbow]

talk more about tikal in SA3!! i love her and im excited to see her have more concrete importance to stopping chaos! (im a bit fuzzy on the original plot but iirc, she was a magical background force that helped sonic stop chaos? correct me there if im wrong)

👀👀👀

Tikal is the daughter of Chief Pachacamac (I call him Patch for short) of the Knuckles Clan- an Echidna tribe that lived in the mystic ruins 4,000 years ago before they were mysteriously wiped out- the truth would later be uncovered in Sonic Adventure 1 that Tikal’s father took his role as Chief after his mother, the previous Chief, passed away and began his reign of terror. Tikal shows flashbacks to the heroes of Sonic Adventure 1 to give them an idea as to what happened to warn them of the future repeating itself.

If you go through all the flashbacks, there’s a lot of truly despicable stuff. One of the most important scenes/quotes that still sticks with me is this one:

[image ID: Chief Pachacamac, a red Echidna in tribal garb, is ignoring his daughter Tikal- a peach Echidna- as she begs him not to attack. The subtitles of Tikal are “Attacking other countries, stealing and killing....” end /ID]

Other countries. The Knuckles clan was traveling, pillaging, and desecrating. But what were they doing in other countries?

[image ID: the same scene as before, this time Tikal’s subtitles read “No one has the right to take their holy grounds.” end /ID]

Taking their holy grounds. To the Echidna’s, their holy ground is the Master Emerald shrine. My theory is that there are other Master Emerald shrines across the world, possibly one for each Chaos Emerald (this translates well seeing thag in Unleashed there are ‘Gaia’ temples that restore the emeralds, I believe they were originally meant to be shrines.) I believe Pachacamac was sending troops to steal valuable information and even the Chaos Emeralds themselves to gain power.

Part of what always made Tikal so interesting to me was her color scheme. She’s much lighter than any of the other Echidna’s we see and I wanted that to have some sort of significance. So, after MORE research, I ended up giving the Emeralds their own geological shrine for each of the continents introduced in Sonic Unleashed (the game that was made of scraps from the original Sonic Adventure 3 concepts). Angel Island in the United Federation became home to the shrine of the White Chaos Emerald- or the Unity Emerald, as it’s called in my notes.

White is the color of purity, innocence, harmony, and unity- which kind of fit with the continent being named the United Federation in modern day. The emerald was also titled this because of something Tikal says in Tails’ flashback:

[image ID: Tikal is reciting an ancient mantra in front of the main temple in the Mystic Ruins. The subtitles read as follows: “The servers are the seven Chaos.” “Chaos is power... Power enriched by the heart.” “The controller is the one that unifies that Chaos.” end /ID]

“The controller is the one that unifies that Chaos.” This mantra was passed down to Tikal in secret for whatever reason, as there’s no mention of Pachacamac knowing it. So why was it so important for Tikal to never forget it?

[image ID: concept art by mellow-elbow featuring Tikal in a super-form with a white aura striking a powerful pose with a look of determination. There is a bright light emanating from where her corneas should be. End /ID]

She was a Guardian.

In my Sonic Adventure 3 pitch, Guardians aren’t only limited to Echidna’s- there were once Guardians for each geological shrine. Where’d that idea come from? Well, you may have seen this image once or twice:

[image ID: the mural from the Knuckles boss fight at Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic 3 & Knuckles; the mural depicts a large entity in possession of a green emerald that may represent the Master Emerald. To the right of the mural is a blue figure surrounded by a yellow aura. There are 6 similar aura’s without figures behind the large entity. end /ID]

Everyone is always so focused on the blue figure surrounded by the yellow aura and scream and shout “Super Sonic! That’s Super Sonic!”... but everyone always seems to ignore the six other auras coming from behind the giant boss. To me, this mural depicts a spiky blue entity in a super form distracting the antagonist while 6 other super-formed individuals attack and defeat it.

My story goes that Pachacamac knew Tikal was a Guardian and wanted to use her powers to aid him in his warmongering ways. Before Pachacamac’s mother passed, she was hellbent on drilling peace and unity into Tikal to ensure it would never happen. Her efforts were fruitless, however, as Pachacamac began his reign of terror without Tikal and still succeeded.

When the time had come and he was ready to take the powers of the Chaos Emeralds for himself, Tikal stood in his way and begged him to leave the place be. Her cries fell on deaf ears, as Pachacamac ordered his men to stampede through Tikal and a herd of Chao- upsetting Chaos who used the negative energy to become Perfect Chaos and decimate a good portion of the Knuckles clan.

We don’t see exactly how Tikal stopped Chaos, we just know that she somehow sealed her spirit inside the master emerald with them. I wanted to introduce the powers of the Unity Emerald in SA3 and how she stopped Chaos, as it would be important info that would help the new Guardians defeat the main antagonist.

Tikal’s spirit would make a return in SA3 where she would help locate the new Guardian of Unity and teach the new Guardians how to defeat their enemy by showing how she defeated Chaos.

Anyways SEGA please hire me to make Sonic Adventure 3 😔🤲🏻💙

#sonic adventure 3 #I just think she’s neat :) #sonic lore #sonic theory #sonic the hedgehog #tikal the echidna

[littlebabycrybtch]

oh my god im sorry but i HATE reading analysis discourse so fuckgin much. its so annoying and unnecessary and cruel bc per usual ableists just Scream over everyone and manipulate the view by focusing on the wrong points. disrespect towards this issue is never gonna work and yall would get that if you actually listened to the way the (usually nd) people felt about it and why, but ur too busy mocking them so you look good for consuming the Proper Medias tm. i mean you literally have to know this isnt productive, yall keep going bc you get a kick out of laughing at ‘unintelligent’ people.

‘uu ur teachers didnt oppress u by making u read to kill a mockingbird instead of the hunger games” ok listen 1. media you dont personally care abt can still definitely hold depthful value and be analyzed. oh my god lmao. the people who prefer ~that kind~ of media arent stupid and dont prefer easy thinking, its your own fault for Not looking into it yourself and just assuming its worthless, literally judging a book by its cover. LITERALLY avoiding the analysis skills you claim to have by assuming anything you read in highschool = smart, valuable and anything mainstream = stupid and useless. most books inherently contain symbolism and morals, a lot of these people CAN understand it, theyre just criticizing the inaccessibility of the writing that was forced on them academically. the people analyzing those medias instead of your favs are still taking in lessons even if they prefer to do it in a different format, i mean for instance THG is literally about fucking classism and racism and war you dumb hypocritical tunnel vision bitch, young adult media usually has a Lot of real world parallels in it that very much pertains to how teens see the world, thats the literal POINT, just cuz ur too elitist and dont respect children enough doesnt mean some books are ‘too stupid’ to analyze with any real social value, and 2. A BOOK NOT BEING EXCITING... OR EASY TO UNDERSTAND... IS LITERALLY SMTH VALID TO CRITICIZE IN MANY CASES, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE GIVING IT TO CHILDREN.... if a kid says “this is boring/too long/uses words that i dont know, so i cant make any sense of it” that doesnt always mean theyre lazy or w/e, if its not a book made for kids (bc kids can understand mature themes but that doesnt. mean you can just throw all the other skills they arent experienced with yet at them, they still need writing tailored to them), Thats your first problem, but sometimes ur book is just fucking boring all together. a book can have as much symbolism as it wants, if its not there to open the mind and provide necessary depth, but to feel self important and make you feel self important for getting it, thats not a good book. and with books i do respect now like TKAM i remember outright saying, “i literally cannot read this and dont get it at all” at like 10 yrs old, and my teachers didnt do shit to explain it or help me or give me any skills at all, they were just like. :) keep trying!! according to your scores we know you can do it!!! so, i did not keep trying, i gave up, and i guarantee if it had been a few years later it would have been easier. if i had been given the opportunity to read stories with similar morals that were made for my age range that i WANTED to read, i guarantee i wouldve gotten so much more out of that. but i was literally DISALLOWED, bro if i grabbed a book that actually interested me, i was told i couldnt check it out at ALL unless it was in the ‘range’ i was assigned, which was college level since i was in 4th grade. so if you think i shouldve kept reading, im being unironic rn, you need to go get a degree, become a teacher, and if a kid or teen says to you what i said, sit them down and TEACH THEM without shame, and fight for better regulations of what reading levels can be pushed on what age groups. if lit analysis is this important to you, FUCKING TEACH IT PROPERLY, that is literally the ONLY REAL SOLUTION to the problem you have, NOT SHAMING the people who were ALREADY FAILED BY THE SYSTEM.

the problem is not ‘idiots think symbolism is stupid’ the problem has ALWAYS been ‘the education system is flawed and how and when children are taught certain skills is so corrupted and damaging, the children growing up with it cannot Help but struggle later in life, and your issue should be with the system”. like can i be real. learn how to Emotionally ~analyze~ posts from sad kids with mental illnesses saying smth as basic as “i wish i wasnt forced to read mature books as a child without any themes pertaining to me at all bc it hurt my already fragile motivations for learning :/” without your ass getting defensive over the classics. bitches stan ‘the door is red to symbolize anger’ but think thg is just a stupid dystopia love triangle book................ ur not even that smart like yall are just elitist like LITERALLY just elitist if you mock the values ppl see in other books and claim theyre too stupid to understand ~real books~. a fucking mickey mouse cartoon could hold the exact same moral lesson as a 1200 page novel written by a college professor of 30 years, like the Exact Same Conclusions CAN be drawn no matter how many words and analogies and metaphors are thrown on top!! for many those fancy details make it more enriching but its literally possible to get the same concepts from “EASIER” material, that is not Lesser it is ACCESSIBLE and it should be ENCOURAGED all the same. yall are gatekeeping and its stupid, if you actually want ppl to analyze media then you’d applaud how they analyze their passions even when you dont share it, not shame them for struggling with understanding other stories. this rly boils down to either ‘i hate ppls preferences and wanna make them feel stupid’ OR the ever so lovely ‘i hate whiny disabled ppl and kids who were pressured to the point of burnout, and wanna make them feel stupid’. its fucking exhausting. idc how you guys feel, you talk to hear yourselves talk and its all just talk and nothing helpful, your disrespect doesnt work bc its an echo of the root problem. for gods sake shut up already lmao

[taikanyohou]

hey faiza!!! i hope you've been having a good day so far 💕 i was scrolling through your replies tag (which i do every other week when i have free time bc you have a beautiful way with words and it helps put my mind at ease for a while) and i thought it was already past the time where i come here and express my gratitude to you (which i tried doing once before but i felt awkward and didn't want to be a nuisance (haha get it?)). ever since i began following, i've learned so so SO much. not only +

+ about the islam and all desi matters (that i had so little knowledge about, shame on me! it's a beautiful culture and i'm so glad i'm able to see a slice of and learn about it through your blog!!), but also about so many other things, whether it be lgbtqia+ topics, just perks of life and even how to be more conscious and educated about the things and pieces of media i consume. i'm just a teenager u kno, whereas you are already a grown woman, so i couldn't possibly compare us as equal, as you certainly have more life experiences and knowledge than i do, and we come from drastically different places; my view of the world is still so limited to my surroundings and where i come from, but it's within the internet that i find a place to learn more about others and make that view of the world be wider, richer and more mindful. god i feel like im derailing, sorry shdhajd, but my point is: i didn't expect to be able to learn so much when i began watching bls again this year, i thought i would watch the shows, follow some blogs for pretty gifs, and that's all. but i was wrong, because tumblr gave me the opportunity to meet and befriend so many incredible people and i was so lucky that you were one of them. i've said this before but, my tumblr experience is so much better whenever i see you on my dash talking about whatever it is, and i look up to you so so so much. i'm not a religious person but the way you talk about the islam, the Qur'an or Allah makes me feel so emotional and it's beautiful to see this deep and passionate connection you have with this religion. and just how incredibly articulated you are when talking about any topic, it always makes me stop scrolling and read all the things you write. i adore reading your thoughts, your opinions and your take on things because they always come from a place of reflection, appreciation and respect, and i admire that a lot. you have such a wonderful and kind soul, it's so inspiring to me to see how you always try to be positive, optimistic and respectful no matter what is in front of you. of course, we don't //really// know each other that well, but the little of you that you pour out and show us is already so beautiful and welcoming 💓 i'm gonna stop now i'm sorry that this is so long goddd i just.... i wanted to thank you for all that you do for those who follow you and how impactful your presence on my tumblr experience has been. (i swear to you, when you followed me back on this blog before i made the sideblog, i legit freaked out lmao my mind was "WHAT??? SHE, WHO'S SO CLEVER AND AMAZING AND TALENTED, JUST FOLLOWED ME? WHEN I HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER?? SJDHSJSJ WHAT" and tbh i still don't know What made you want to be mutuals but i'm glad for whatever it was 💞) i hope all the parts go and im so sorry it's so long shdnksjdj

dawn!!! hello my sunshine!!!!!!!!! i hope you've had a lovely week, and i hope this weekend you take some time off and relax! i hope you're doing well!!!

oh my goodness me i- what have i done to deserve this I DO NOT DESERVE this. thank you so so much for just. being so loving and you are so so wise, i READ your tags, i READ your posts. and i think, despite however old or young people are, there's something to learn from everyone. there's something to appreciate and pick up on and implement and become more aware of and about from everyone's story of life. so don't ever think you may not have much to offer!

this year's been hard. a lot has happened. and i think everything has been a lesson to learn from, and for us to really truly understand what it is that really matters the most to us, and to show gratitude for what we have, all the blessings we have. and its hard to stay positive all the time, and thats okay. sometimes, our sadness needs room and space also where its telling us to just ... take a moment and reflect on why the sadness is there. but i've become so .... adamant that i choose to go back and think positively again. bc although it feels like we've been stripped away from being physically social, i've seen how much goodness and humanity there is still left within people on here, within all my mutuals - and i realised that, as long as there is goodness in this world, there's no reason to give up on hope. people together can make so many things happen.

and part of, i feel, what people should be proud of, is being proud of who they are. not in the arrogant sense, but in terms of WHO you are. what makes you, you. and now more than ever we need to know about one another. about different backgrounds and cultures and religions and beliefs etc. we can become ambassadors of those things, and being an authentic source of knowledge for people. of course, not everyone may like that, but thats okay. knowledge is power and there's so much knowledge out there for us to dip into. by learning from another, we can truly enrich ourselves, find out about commonalities and similarities and differences and contrasts. and ultimately realise that every single one of us has the right to life and the right to live. we can share our sorrow and pain, and also share our moments of joy and happiness too. we may not all agree on the same thing, but that should not sway us from wanting to befriend someone and missing out on an opportunity to get to know someone, just because you may not agree on one thing. there could be 10 things you do agree on vs that 1 that you dont. and that doesnt stop you from being any less you, nor them being any less them. we all deserve respect and kindness, despite our similarities and despite our differences from one place, culture, religion or belief, to the next.

there is just. there is so much good in this world, in nature, in people. we need to celebrate that. we need to appreciate goodness and just. be thankful for everything we have, and anything we get on top of what we have, is a blessing.

thank you so so so much!!! i love youuuuu!!!! 🧡🧡🧡

#faiza answers #DAWN THIS MESSAGE EYE- 🧡🧡🧡😚😚😚😚😚😚😚😚😚

[mxdam]

so kat and i got lit to cinderella 2015 as is our tradition, This Time With Social Isolation, and i ranted at her about something i want to try to talk a little bit about

first of all, that the movie implicitly and the novel explicitly make it clear that like. ella reads plato and shakespeare and that’s Good. the tremaines dont and that’s Bad. there’s this particular value system embedded in how they’re depicted and contrasted against each other thats basically all about how unintellectual and stupidly evil the tremaines are because they don’t value what ella values, and that’s... wrong. im saying this as a person with an english degree, i have plenty of friends who don’t read or care about shakespeare, and i find them to be lovely people who enrich my life. this value system is not correct.

there’s also this value system at play when it comes to how the characters communicate. the tremaines, especially margarethe, play by social rules and that’s Bad. ella doesn’t play by social rules and that’s Good. ella cuts through the bs and tells it like it is (politely) and that she has the clear-headedness to do that is great, but it doesn’t actually make the tremaines inherently fake or worse people because they don’t do that. playing by the rules is a way of keeping yourself alive, especially for women. that margarethe is socially adept and manipulative is a survival technique for living under patriarchy, and her passing that on to her daughters is her trying to ensure that they will live well.

to that point. ive talked a lot over the years about how margarethe socializes. that she is manipulative and cunning, and extremely gifted in either breaking social rules when she chooses, or in speaking deftly in social codes in order to communicate her meaning without breaking rules. ultimately, that’s how she expresses herself. and, a bit like the social contract idea i described before, when she uses a social code she is in a sense throwing a line to the other person in the expectation that they will catch it. she is trying to speak to them, in her own, particular language. if they don’t grab the line, they are rejecting her attempt to communicate, a bit like if you put your hand out to someone to shake and they didn’t take it.

the moment when she comes to the house for the first time and tells ella’s father, “you did not say your daughter was so beautiful,” this is her speaking in a social code. it is not a deeply personally meaningful statement. she’s saying something as a way of expressing to ella’s dad, i’m here, i’m looking at the world you live in, i’m stepping into it now. and his reminder of ella’s mother is as though he took the line she cast and dropped it--he is not responding in kind, he is not answering her in code, he is not speaking to her in her own language. or if he is, he’s saying, yes, you’re here now, but this world isn’t yours. that’s why her eyes shut down so spectacularly in that scene, like a wall’s just gone up between them. she tried, and whether he really meant to do it or not, he didn’t.

margarethe is not being spoken to in her own language. and she tries, at the beginning, to speak her language with ella and ella’s dad, even if they don’t recognize or choose to not understand what she’s trying to do. and there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong in this difference in communicative values, except that the story tries to frame one as innately bad, or on some level devoid of any value at all, and the other as innately good.

#██ headcanon tag. #possibly going to keep rambling

[9w1ft]

it’s been seven months so, let me tell you a little story about the eye theory

when i was first presented the idea, i 100% didn’t believe it. i am not particularly a hidden picture gal (blame bad eyesight) so whenever someone points me to one (i get a lot of them) i often write it off as possible-but-not-conclusive. and, as i have mentioned before as well as in the original eye theory post, i sat on the theory for weeks before posting. i looked through images of taylor and karlie’s eyes for *hours* looking for a match, and just had an awful time imagining it would be true because the implications were big while the evidence was so in your face.

one reason why i posted about it while still being undecided was because of the thought and dedication and earnestness with which @79-swift approached and laid it out. there was a solid narrative, a big reveal, and reason to believe it was in fact a puzzle (within the promo magazines) intended for us by taylor to solve. a full package. and i thought it was a cool idea!

i post what people begrudgingly call “reaches” all of the time. mostly? i think it’s interesting. taylor has put it out there that she loves easter eggs, and, having come to believe in taylor and karlie’s relationship separate from the reaches, im always on the lookout for things that *could* be pulled off.

i wholly did not expect the eye theory post to get more than 50 notes. literally.

people who have followed along with me since the beginning will remember that after i posted about it, for the first month, as things unfolded and celebs linked to taylor started covering one eye, that i tagged my posts with the sentiment: “it’s nothing it’s nothing it’s nothing” because i could not believe my eyes. my freak out reactions to each and every milestone eye inclusion from karlie *and taylor* herself have been predicated on the fact that i literally *cannot* believe it is real and i find it absolutely bonkers and hilarious every time they have proven me wrong by pointing at it, both in ephemeral forms and in everlasting music video visuals. i chose those bert memes for a reason: i’m a bottle cap collector with a fondness for carrier pigeons, because i am just so infuriated that of all the reaches i’ve made this is the one that keeps on giving. it is literally the funniest thing to me. amazing.

and it’s not epistemological for me. with many things kaylor, for me anyhow, i am not interested in a quest for the truth. why do i stick around? i think it is the wildest thing that we are consistently being included in the conversation (looking at you tsl). same with like, the five holes in a fence thing. it’s not as if the swifties who contributed to that suddenly evaporated when taylor said it wasn’t true. she literally made it a part of swiftie culture. it’s a contribution to something bigger.

i am still dumbfounded by the eye theory for that reason. that, over the past year and a half, this has somehow become a beacon for a bunch of people when everything has been wilting around us. for what it is, i love it to pieces.

which brings me to this:

i say i am a kaylor proudly, separate from the question of whether or not they are still together. i am not going to sit here and try to prove it to anyone because people who want proof aren’t the kind of people who respond to the kind of hints we currently have. there hasn’t been a photo of them together since August 2018, i’m not gonna ignore that! and there are multiple narratives pointing to them not being together anymore. i get it.

despite this, i still see flickers of interaction from both karlie *and taylor* *in both orders* which is what drew me to this corner of the internet in the first place. and it’s why i stay here and why i still consider myself a kaylor. for me, this extends beyond the question on everyone’s minds (though for the record i still think they are end game ☺️ ain’t gonna sidestep saying what i believe)

sometimes i am made to wonder, what is the core fear for this community? i think it is different for everyone and i would posit that people sometimes mistake their own fears for those of the community at large (this applies to me as well), but at this point i would offer that we aren’t all here to “prove” to people that they are together, and there isn’t some fail state wherein we will disappear if it turns out they have called it quits. i believe we are all here because it’s a phenomenon that has captured our imaginations. and this shared experience is what has brought many of us together. that’s my takeaway.

if taylor and/or karlie are with some other girl now, or if they are in the future? that’s totally fine! i don’t mind being ‘wrong’ about that, and i only want them to be happy. i guess i just... have a different set of conditions that i look to when coming to a personal determination. and given how dire things are? not even anything karlie or taylor might say to the public makes that list.

there are plenty of ways for one to judge if they are together or not but i find it a time sink at this point. mainly, i just look to if they want to interact with us or not, and in what form that manifests. that’s all i base it on. you could make the argument that they are over and this is just some big scheme to turn our continued interest into another ploy to make us part with our coin? i guess? but i think that’s only devastating if your core fear is of being used. i’m not afraid of that; i think it’s interesting as all heck and i want to acknowledge the labor that requires. once again, just my personal take.

what *does* keep me up at night are those times when the friends i have made along the way are made to feel awful, when i see othering rhetoric.. basically.. when it becomes a narrow and thorned room where earnest people worry about their every move, and are made to believe they are being monitored. that stuff just bums me out to no end...

we cannot truly affect taylor’s situation nor karlie’s (nor any other POI lmao, they’re all strong women), but we can look out for one another, and we can’t expect the looking out to be done by any one person but the collective of ourselves, as much as guidance from any one voice can feel relieving. i think there is so much beauty here and camaraderie here and people have the right to step in to that beauty and mutual experience and grow. that’s the community i fell in love with when i stumbled here at the beginning of 2018

as such, i am not an OG by any means. and i have *absolutely no sources* as you all know, and i am not convinced people take me seriously on here because i have found myself the village “reach” queen so i’m not sure any of this matters to anyone but i just... i just wanted to send my love at the end of this week and say, to the xaylors of all shades, i hope you find something here that enriches your life. listen to yourself. be kind to yourself, and be kind to people who are, in earnest, trying to be upfront with you and with others.

in the end, we are all we have. the rest is just extra sprinkles (of which, i feel, there are)

#all eyes on us #among other things #didnt expect this week to bum me out in the way that it did

[nomadicbeard]

Hi! I saw on one of your posts you said that you used to be a stucky shipper. I actually started off as a stony shipper but then absolutely fell in love with stucky but I like both . I was just wondering what made you "jump ship" on stucky lol. Sorry if this comes across as annoying or anything im just curious!

Hey! As you can see a couple of people have asked me this over the last couple of weeks and I’m really lazy and haven’t got around to responding yet, but the people deserve an answer so here we go. Before we start a quick disclaimer: I’ll only be talking about the ships themselves, not the communities or any of the discourse surrounding them. This is not a ship-bashing of any kind and please do not take it as such, it’s just my own personal experience surrounding these characters and these relationships. 

 Buckle your seatbelts kids, this is a long one.

I first got into Marvel c. 2015. I’m European so I’d never really watched any marvel movies before that, I watched Age of Ultron on a plane and remember being vaguely aware the Steve/Tony was a thing (what is pretty interesting is that to this day I have no clue where that knowledge came from) but was mostly just excited by the superhero stuff. I then got home and watched The Winter Soldier and fell in love. I love the Winter Soldier, it’s probably still one of my favourite marvel movies (it got kicked out of its top spot by Black Panther last year unfortunately) and to me no other marvel movie could hold a torch to it at the time. So I came onto tumblr, searched up The Winter Soldier and was just inundated with Stucky stuff, as expected. I rolled with it, got invested just from constant exposure (it was also around the height of the Stucky ship) and as far as I was concerned, that was that. I was super into Stucky for almost six months and was pretty much your average shipper, I didn’t understand stevetony, loved Steve Rogers, was close to creating a Stucky sideblog wit some ridiculous pun as my username, I was gone over this ship.

Then one day, I sat down and read the man on the bridge by boopboop on ao3. You’ve almost definitely heard of it, but it was the most popular fic in the Steve/Bucky tag on ao3 at the time (for some reason I had just never got around to reading it until then, it was long and I didn’t have the stamina I have now). It was your pretty standard Stucky fic, Steve gets Bucky back, they have to deal with his trauma which results in Steve and Bucky declaring their long lost love for each other etc. etc. What was different about this fic, was that it was all told from Tony’s point of view, and since Steve and Tony were on the same team at that point, their dynamic was a huge part of the fic. And I found myself falling completely in love with Steve and Tony’s dynamic. I went back to the fic for this post (and god it is a good fic) and pulled up the first couple of chapters and instantly just found so many instances of that dynamic

(grade A stevetony arguing over each other’s safety with a side of flirting from Tony)

(Idk why but the image of Steve and Tony not going to sleep, but rather staying up and brewing coffee together was such a vivid one when I first read this fic, I still remember it to this day. )

(Tony picking Steve flowers while trying to desperately play off that he didn’t aka. Tony caring while trying desperately not to care)

(Everyone knowing that Steve would definitely come to Tony, apart from Tony himself.)

Now obviously, this is a stucky fic and I went into it knowing this, but I found when Steve and Bucky finally got together I felt honestly a bit bored, a bit cheated. I had no idea why at the time. I remember very clearly x-ing out of the fic at the end and feeling really uneasy, I came onto tumblr, went straight back into the Stucky tag and all was well.

When I next went back onto ao3, I started out with a couple of oneshots in the Stucky tag, but for some reason it wasn’t working for me anymore. I remember sitting there, a little bored, not at all invested in this relationship and just missing something. I figured I was probably missing Tony’s presence in the fic and so filtered in Tony Stark’s character tag. I read a few of those and all was well but I realised the same thing was happening as had happened in man on the bridge, the moment that Steve and Bucky got together, the fic lost something for me. Desperate at this point, and a little annoyed at myself I conducted an experiment and went into the Steve/Tony tag on Ao3 and as they say, the rest is history. If you go onto older posts on my main blog there’s a pretty drastic, almost overnight shift c. January 2016. I have to admit, I expected Civil War to be a conversion so I enjoyed stevetony without consequence for five months, while still labelling myself as a Stucky shipper because I expected to be pulled back to Stucky after civil war, the reality was that somehow I came out of civil war shipping stevetony harder than ever before. From there, I spent two years reading my way through the stevetony tag on ao3 and finally set up this blog in 2018, with a really obscure reference as my username and it’s been stevetony til I die ever since.

I just couldn’t read Stucky anymore. That’s what I mean when I say on this blog that stevetony has ruined me for every other ship, because it has. Steve and Tony’s firecracker dynamic pulled me away from what was fast on its way to becoming my favourite ship in 2015, all because they had a bit of banter on the side in a fic. It’s kind of depressing really, the sort of hold that Steve and Tony’s dynamic has over me, 

It’s strange you say you fell in love with Stucky, I fell absolutely out of love with it. I have thought a lot about how I ended up falling into stevetony and why I was so drawn to them instead of Stucky in the first place and I think it all comes down the the story itself. To me, Steve and Bucky’s relationship carries much more weight as a friendship, I still have no doubt that Bucky is one of if not the most important person in Steve’s life, but having that be a lifelong friendship is way more powerful and impactful to me, (especially since what I know I misconstrued to be Steve’s obsession with Bucky is actually Steve’s obsession over the past. I’m not saying Bucky isn’t dear to Steve and he does want to obviously rescue him, but looking back on it there’s more to Steve’s obsession with Bucky than just love, it’s a fear of change and it’s him desperately trying to hold onto a past that’s gone.)

Conversely, I feel like adding a romantic element to Steve and Tony’s relationship enriches the story being told, if you look at something like civil war (either MCU or 616 tbh) in the context of Tony being desperately in love with Steve, it makes a lot more sense, especially with things like The Confession in 616 or the stuff brought up in that strange conversation in the conference room in the MCU. There’s lines from Steve like “I’m home/you gave me a home” or even straight up “he loved you” and his tormented behaviour throughout infinity war and endgame that just really makes you wonder, not to mention lines from others like “you two still gazing into each other’s eyes/sounds like both of you got into bed with the wrong people” and they did have to share a bed at Clint’s farm after all lol. The tragedy of their story is heightened if you look at it through the context of them being absolutely in love with each other, just never having actually got around to telling it to each other’s faces. This tragedy is heavily implied in The Oath/The Confession in 616 when they confess their deepest darkest secrets to the other’s comatose/dead bodies, and apparently it’s always been that they love the other person. Actually you could easily introduce a romantic element by making relatively few changes to the MCU, but that’s a post for another time (I have a long and comprehensive list in my notes app on how little you actually need to change to make that happen, it’s literally the matter of a few lines of dialogue and one major story change at the end of IM3, an interesting thought exercise to say the least).

Finally, there’s a quote that came up on my dash the day I made that fateful venture into the ao3 stevetony tag, “your soulmate isn’t someone who comes peacefully into your life. It is someone who makes you question things, changed your reality, somebody that marks a before and after in your life. It is not the human being everyone idealized, but an ordinary person, who managed to revolutionize your world in a second” to this day, it resonates so strongly with me about stevetony. It’s everything I love about this ship just compressed into a quote. 

So yeah it was basically a bunch of happy coincidences, but thank god it happened. As a writer, stevetony has taught me so much about character and dynamic, stuff that is honestly invaluable. When you have long fics that basically detail the day by day life of Steve and Tony post-civil war in rural Italy and consists of them sleeping, crying and working through their repressed feelings (looking at you @silkspectred ), it is the characters and their unique dynamic that drive the entirety of the story. Steve and Tony, in the hands of a compelling writer, can keep me hooked over a frankly embarrassing number of words. I still have a bit of a special place for Stucky in my heart really, it did start me out in marvel after all and it was one of my first ever ships, but your first love is only so good until you meet your true love, not to get all sappy but stevetony has completely destroyed my ability to ship anything else. I might get a bit flirtatious with some other ships, like sambucky (I still love Bucky, and I love Sam!), or the riverdale ships (beronica and jarchie or bust), or even the game of thrones crack ships (daensa til the day we die), but I’ll always come back to stevetony.

So yeah this escalated into a far longer post than I intended to make but I’ve never really spelled out on this blog how or why I ended up jumping Stucky to Stony when I know it’s usually the other way around. I guess it just comes down to stevetony catching me out when I least expected it, and never having let go of me since. 

#and WORD #jesus this is a long post #stony #stony meta #stevetony #what i should be doing: maths. what i'm actually doing: crying about stevetony. it's an average day #ask #answered #anon #idk whether to tag it as stucky or anti stucky tbh #i'm going with neither and pray i don't get shouted at #steve rogers #tony stark #superhusbands #long post

[sunfloweryang]

what is your opinion on like Salem and her little evil council like I enjoy Hazel and Watts (but I hate Tyrian don't like him one bit he is boring and can't for his ass to get killed) but I sort of feel like they are pushing out characters like Cinder, Emerald and Mercury (it also feels like Neo is pushing out Em and Merc because she is a fan favorite) and I do find it sort of annoying

i’m like...ambivalent...? i honestly really loved Hazel up until the big reveal with his sister and why he hates Oz being what it was. like, don’t get me wrong. i love that characters exist to challenge someone like Oz and the system in which he has had a hand in creating. and if it had been handled differently, i think Hazel would be one of my favorite villains. but i feel like...the writing still grants so much leeway to deny any culpability on Oz that it weakens Hazel’s motivations. i really wish that the narrative would undeniably make something the result of Oz’s manipulations/motivations instead of making it gray enough that people could argue whether he gives people choices in their role in his war with Salem and Hazel’s story couldve been that...but it didnt go far enough, imo. either way, i do like that he’s not a conventional villain with clear cut evil motivations. it’s nice to have villains that aren’t nefarious “evil bc im just a terrible person” characters.

speaking of, i’m not a fan of Tyrian either, and i think it’s precisely because he’s a character that’s evil...just because he’s evil. Tyrian is honestly really hard for me to take seriously lol he’s so ridiculously over the top and has only really taken a role that’s been enjoyable to me on screen fairly recently. like...to me, Tyrian only works when he’s being used as a part of someone else’s (in this case, Watts’) plan. he’s ruthless and axe-crazy, but he doesn’t really have much purpose beyond being the one who doesn’t give a shit about getting his hands dirty, which is why i think he works best with no real dialogue or purpose beyond killing people. idk, the guy is just...annoying lol he’s just hard for me to take seriously and isn’t nuanced or frightening to me. i’m just waiting for him to get killed

as for Watts, i’ve actually been really enjoying him this volume, and i was hoping i would. i think RWBY really lacks in strong villains, so i was hoping that Watts would pull through in the Atlas arc bc i was concerned with how they would utilize Jacques. so far, even without getting into his own personal baggage, i think Watts has been a more enjoyable villain to watch given how manipulative he’s been in the periphery.

i genuinely want RWBY to have better villains bc i think it’s a part of the show that’s been a weak spot for it for a while, so i’m not opposed to any of Salem’s crew getting some narrative focus (although, i could live without Tyrian). so like...i wouldn’t really want them to steal from Cinder/Merc/Em, but like...enrich one another? like i want to just get more substance from the villains in general. i feel like RWBY is finally hitting a groove where the heroes’ side is starting to feel more fleshed out and cohesive, but the villains’ side is still kind of lacking

[crimsonredemption]

Hey, could I have an match up? Im always smiling even when sad it doesn't take much for me to smile and laugh. Most don't realize if something is wrong. I'm also talkative where I could sit still and be quiet but choose not to. I love reading and deep conversations about philosophy. Also quit petty if I'm being honest. I have about 5 friends but am the type of person where I could find anybody to sit and talk to. I don't mind a night by myself curled up watching TV or reading. Thanks!

Yes I would love to! 

I ship you with Javier Escuella!

Your voice is the only thing out there that Javier loves hearing just as much, if not more, than the sound of his guitar and fortunately, he gets to listen to you talk every day. Everything you say sounds like music to his ears and oh god your laugh? Heavensent. 

I believe that Javier is highly emphatic so it’s not easy to fool him with a fake smile. Even if it’s not actually fake, he’ll notice that there is something bothering you even though you try to hide it from the others or just try to ignore it and go on about your day. He cares about you way too much to just let it slip. 

He’ll find you where ever you are in camp, not caring for any of the tasks you’re doing at the moment much to the dismay of Ms. Grimshaw, just to sweep you off your feet and carry you somewhere private. He loves to spend time with you one on one, just being in your presence soothes him like nothing else can. He’s hoping of course that you’ll tell him if there is something bothering you but he would never force or urge you into saying something you’re not comfortable with. 

He appreciates the conversations he can have with you. Javier is really intelligent and has led a turbulent life so far, he has a lot of stories he would love to share with you and only you. There aren’t many people at camp he can have philosophical discussions with and he’s really so impressed with your knowledge that seems to spread out in every direction. 

Quite pretty she says. Pffft. Javier would literally write songs about your beauty, praising the curve of your hips and the sparkle of your eyes. 

He understands that it’s not the quantity but the quality of friends that enrich one's life. Having close allies at camp is important to you, and even though it might only be a few, you know they have their back. Javier knows this as well, and he’s forever grateful that they take care of you when he can’t. 

Not having many friends doesn’t mean that you’re a shy person though. While he tends to be quiet around others, content with providing the music for the evening, you can be seen conversing with pretty much everyone at camp always trying to find something to talk about.

Those quiet nights, though. He wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.

#red dead redemption 2 #thank you! #rdr2 matchups #javier escuella

[yyhfanfiction]

The Shotgun Approach by ClaireShepardHKKY

M | English | Drama/Romance | Multi-chapter | 94,371 words | In Progress

On: FanFiction.net

Summary: “In my mind I saw all the tiny chess pieces and tried to predict all their movements, from start to finish, but Yusuke was always the wild card—that one unknown factor that could ruin the entire game. Etternia is a rare demonic species called Elementa. She works as a paramedic in Sarayashiki and finds herself quite tangled up with Yusuke Urameshi, current king of demon world.”

Overall Score: 97.71%

Read more below (warning: SPOILERS!).

Note: As this review was completed on a work-in-progress, the reviewer comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

(Author credit on tumblr: @1nerdygurl)

Canon Plausibility

Definition: How well the plot and characters aligned with the original story universe.

Score: 5.00/5.00

A high score for this element indicates that the story blended into the original universe well. This includes the characters being portrayed as they originally were, and that the plot and/or any original characters aligned with the sense of the universe as well.

Reviewer comments: This fits very well and very uniquely into the post-barrier removal YYH-verse. I think that the author has matured the characters and taken them to logical, but fun areas that are great to experience as a reader. Additionally, all original characters blended in well with the story and added enrichment to the plot and/or character development.

Relationships

Definition: Platonic and romantic interaction and development between characters interspersed over time.

Score: 5.00/5.00

A high score on this element indicates that the presentation of the interactions between characters created realistic and meaningful relationships that allowed the readers to connect with and understand the characters.

Reviewer comments: While the romance is technically "young" so far in this part of the story, it has a GREAT foundation that has been set-up with utmost care. I truly envy the author for the area she's written herself to play in for the future of all of the relationships. I also love all the little details that get slipped into the story - like Yusuke playing footsies with someone! Just the many scenes that are in here conveying those feelings and relationship development are great and allow me to readily connect as a reader.

Plot and Technical Execution

Definition: Interrelated content sequenced in the storyline, including subplots, presented in a grammatically accurate manner.

Score: 4.75/5.00

A high score on this element indicates that the readers did not have a hard time following along with the storyline and that major situations were addressed logically. Additionally, there were likely few or no grammatical errors.

Reviewer comments: In terms of a slightly lower rating - there were only occasional typos, but nothing that was glaring or made the story illegible. So far, there have been no plot-holes or inconsistencies in the writing and all POV changes were utilized for a purpose and clearly marked. The advancement of the story has been useful in developing the characters and their relationships.

Conflict

Definition: Internal or external struggle presented throughout the storyline, eventually reaching resolution.

Score: 5.00/5.00

A high score on this element indicates a balance of presented conflict. The characters have taken a stance in a situation or addressed a pressing internal struggle. This has allowed for character development and reader interest.

Reviewer comments: I cannot rate resolution yet since the story is in progress, but I really find the main OC's drug habit and past an interesting and uncomfortable issue that is great to read. It's uncomfortable in the way that's intriguing and puts the reader into a feeling that I don't think we get to experience too often. It has been well-utilized to advance the plot as well (in terms of the troubled background and addiction to unfeeling/numbness). It makes me thirsty for the resolution with both of these concerns AND the "unrequited" love.

Originality

Definition: Uniqueness of the presented plot as relevant to the fandom.

Score: 5.00/5.00

A high score on this element indicates that enough unique content was presented, sparking readers' interest.

Reviewer comments: I rarely get to see post-barrier removal stories and I really enjoyed where this author took it. It's been a pleasure to read so far. Additionally, while drug addiction isn't necessarily a unique issue to tackle, I don't see it done frequently in this fandom, but this also took the issue further and has really examined it in a comprehensive light. I would love to see more of it and how it ends up affecting others around her. And I love hearing about Yusuke, his Mazoku markings, and all his dealings with being King (and the use of King's Hands - used so purposefully - is FABULOUS).

Dialogue

Definition: Quality and quantity of the conversation had throughout the storyline, including verbal and nonverbal communication.

Score: 5.00/5.00

A high score on this element indicates that there was an effective balance in quantity and/or quality of verbal and nonverbal dialogue. The dialogue was well-utilized in furthering character or story development.

Reviewer comments: So far, I have read a very good balance of verbal and non-verbal communication in the story. Anything that the characters do converse about is used to a purpose and aligns with their overall characterizations well - or highlights a moment of importance if it does not (e.g., OFC lying).

Pacing

Definition: Appropriateness of the speed of the presented storyline.

Score: 4.33/5.00

A high score on this element indicates that the pacing was appropriate for the storyline and that the readers were able to meaningfully experience the story without losing interest or being confused.

Reviewer comments: The rating on this area is mostly reflective of me reading a slow-burn I believe. I can't say that that's a bad thing, but it may more accurately reflect my desire for more to happen NOW (i.e., my impatience). That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the pacing, but it might affect my own personal ability to stay focused. So, the author should take this portion of the feedback with a grain of salt. Overall, I think the story is going well and that it is logical how long it is taking to develop the characters - because it's happening more naturally and believably given the situation. I think I am just dying for more, but in a good way.

Front Matter

Definition: Appropriateness and instilled intrigue of the categorized preview information and summary.

Score: 5.00/5.00

A high score on this element indicates that the front matter was accurate and enticing. This may range from a well-constructed summary to appropriate categorizations for the rating or genres.

Reviewer comments: No comments.

Additional Comments

Overall, what could the author improve most to make the story better?

At present, I think only my impatience is coming up in desiring to see more happen and actually shove Ettie over that bump in the rode to getting better. I want to see her FLOURISH with these two both romantically and demonically. I am so impatient to see it happen, but know it should ultimately be worth it. I am trusting the author on this because she has not disappointed!

Overall, what did the author excel at that really made the story for you?

I really enjoy a lot of things in this story - from all the small intricacies that have been put into this post-barrier removal/demon-integration section of the world, the uniqueness of the OFC and other side-characters, and the well-thought-out points of the slow-burn and relationship building - this story has a lot of promise to be great in many ways. It makes me want to stick around to see more!

What was your favorite moment in the story? Were there any particularly funny or surprising moments?

It's not a moment, but the choice to have a polyamorous story to this depth is great and really, really hooked me. I wanted to see how the author went about it and so far, all the best developmental details have been taken to really set it up. To that end, it might be the interactions between Hiei and Yusuke, on the romantic side, that I've enjoyed the most. I cannot wait until we get to see ALL THREE OF THEM TOGETHER PLEASE IM DYING AND LIVING FOR IT... ahem.

#yyh #yu yu hakusho #hiei #yusuke #fanfiction #writing #yyhffrREVIEW #the shotgun approach #review #first one in forever #go read this

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. Please please please please PLEASE Rachel! Don't do what you did to Artemis and Apollo to Thanatos and Hypnos! They don't deserve it! Just let a pair of twins love each other for once!!!! I swear at some point she's going to introduce Phobos and Deimos just to make them hate each other too. All I want in this comic is for the underworld twins to have a healthy, loving sibling relationship. Just this once Rachel. Not even Hades could get this right! She could have one up on Hades!!!! Please!!!!!!

2. i think rachel doesnt know what "complex" characters actually are, because a complex character would be hades who is tough yet fair (sometimes brutally so) and despite his aura of intimidation and seriousness is a kind man and just king, not insisting hes actually the most perfect man to ever exit while excusing his (never in the actual mythology) abuses of power, his lust for impressionable young women, his hypocrisy, violence, and actual slavery. that's not "complexity", he's just an asshole.

3. Yeah I’m a little more concerned at this point of Webtoon originals creators are framing this discourse as “you guys are just hating Rachel for no reason!!” (As if there isn’t a lot of critique her on??) instead of being like “hey I deserve a better pay for my full time job”?? Esp bc these same creators were complaining how bad the pay was only weeks ago?? Rachel is in a huge position of power at WT to really promote some change and set an example (bc we know she’s easily making way more than 2k a month) yet she treats her team like that while she solely benefits from their work. Y’all need to go on strike and unionize or something bc so many of them are open how much they work and burn themselves out and don’t get paid enough in compensation. Don’t defend Rachel, demand more for your labor!

From OP: Plus, RS has four other assistants so it’s not like she doesn’t have the money like the other webtoon creators.

4. so ... has the comic ever confronted hades' actual eternal enslavement of thousands of poor people to enrich himself or are we just supposed to ignore that...?

From OP: Persephone briefly addresses how wrong it is to have the shades pay but then they kiss and it’s never brought up again. Even then, that doesn’t address the ‘unpaid labor’ so it’s a no.

5. There’s nothing wrong with a reactive character who doesn’t really think out their actions before doing something and this pushes the story along (this is basically every MC if we’re being honest) but Persephone is not that way at all. She never is actually pushing the story along, the story just happens and she gets yanked along with it. I’m not sure if this because Rachel is is too scared to make her “unlikeable”  or doesn’t have the skills to write Persephone as anything more than a blank slate to project onto, but she is easily one of the worst leads I’ve ever seen depicted. Even her own feelings and actions are hand waved as some outside force she can’t control, never of her own choice and will. It claims it’s a story about agency and choice, yet Persephone never gets to use either. Is something like Twilight perfect? Gods no, but even that made a point that Bella pushed the story along and how her story went was her choice and no one else’s. How is LO the “empowering” masterpiece when it cant even  stand up to Twilight of all things? 

6. i dunno, the fact some of the creators are like "i only get 14 dollars per panel! including 20+ unpaid ones!" that im just like you guys need to be paid more then ??? like stop defending rachel??? she doesnt need your help when shes gets so much perks over yall??? demand more for your better work and long hours??? like the capitalist bootlicking really popped out instead of being like can we actually get paid for our work. they shouldnt have to fill in the gaps via fp and patreon imho 🤷🏿‍♀️

7. ya know, if that was actually fair pay she wouldnt have purposely turned off comments and replies and try and "own" people who were calling her out of it while never answering the actual questions they asked. thats social media 101 to basically admitting you know youre wrong but trying to silence as much critique as you can.

8. I looked up the 20 panels on Twitter and my heart S A N K E D. One of my favorite Webtoon originals artist who I followed for a long time even defended RS on the pay. I mean, I would do it personally for the money but yet I wouldn’t as well because I can’t draw anything in RS’s style.

9. the fact LO has 5+ ppl working on it and it still looks like THAT  is like what are you guys even doing?? bc there are other webtoons with only one/two helpers if not just one person doing all the work (wolfman of wulvershire, purple hyacinth, stray souls, suitor armor, etc) who have stunning art and good stories too, meanwhile LO has twice as much help just in the art and it still looks so bad, and thats not even touching the writing. i just dont get how its only gotten worse with more help.

10. i mean yeah art does change over the years and esp in webtoons but its usually for the better? like leaps and bounds better too. LO is the proof of the exact opposite happening despite getting more help. its weird.

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

[kosmicdream]

hi i just discovered your webcomic !! i very much love it a lot and i was wondering if yo could maybe clear up the worm's anatomy ? cuz like, one minute they have boobs except its referred to as a he and then it has a dick but its still a queen ? don't get me wrong its insanely cool but if you would be so kind as to enlighten me on the subject it would be very much appreciated !! keep up the good work !!

I’ve been getting a lot of new readers and I think its been a while since i’ve gotten questions about this, so I suppose I don’t mind recirculating some information again. Hopefully i can cover a little bit more of the deeper nuances about worms and their relationship to gender/sex/pronouns that i haven’t talked about before. Its best to keep in mind that pronouns and also body parts (genitals/breasts, ect) arent always indicative of gender or sex. I think this is safe to say this is true for.. even outside of my story.

**SOME SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVENT READ THE ENTIRE COMIC... SORRY I RAMBLED***

Anyway-- In the case of hydragora worms (which ill focus on as they are the ones with the king/queens classifications), their pronouns are not even exactly related to their genders or sex at all! but rather the type of ‘class’ of worm they are. Technically, all worms are able to lay eggs and also fertilize them. there are no “girl” or “boy” worm. Sometimes their rituals with how this process happens are different depending on what kind of worm they are, but they are all able to shape-shift their bodies to look how they want-- well, based on what they eat-- so body parts like boobs and genitals are really just accessories. For some worms, they’re important parts of their body that help make them comfortable, for others they couldnt give a fuck about what is swinging around. it really depends on the individual. Worms can mate without even having any visible genitals just as long as they squirm around in the necessary fun fluids with some sort of .. open.. orifice to absorb it with.... worm sex can be real damn freaky i wont get into it rn.

Back to the pronouns though. What does it mean??? Well, Kings do not actually mean male and Queens do not mean female..Even though we humans generally associate these pronouns/words with male and female! To make it as simple as i can, I try to explain or ask others to think of it like..Kings (he/him) - Typical characteristics: Lazy, Important, Need to be worshipped and protected. Very sexually appealing. Also have mysterious powers. Often have little weird crowns.Queens (she/her) - Characteristics: generally very large, can regenerate, specifically hunt down kings to kill them. Super strong. Generally have cool looking tails for some reason. Very colorful because that is useful for intimidation and showing off how strong they are.Regular worms: want to worship kings + protect them, also desire to become knights. technically speaking-- i would say that the lack of pronouns is the most ‘suitable’ pronoun to describe them. some even casually adopt he/she/they pronouns but usually in the space of interacting with other species. anyway, they’re loyal and subservient. knight worms: the special king-appointed upgrade of regular worms, they often adopt he/him pronouns through this process but it is reflective of their close bond with their king. (the very simple format is thinking the three basic worm genders as LAZY, MURDER and WORSHIP.)

*ok more specific character spoilrs below YOUUUVE BEEN WARNNNED IM WARNING YOOOU ok done warning**

Some worms break from this system and try to reinvent or reinterpret pronouns for their own while still interacting with worm culture/society. A couple examples of worms that do this are Agent Paper and Nail. (although really, its hard to think what worm character in ffak does not do this lol) Paper is a woman wishes to be viewed/treated as a woman by ANY species she interacts with. But! this doesnt mean she identifies as being a queen worm however- even tho she uses she/her pronouns. She just is a female worm. That identity is important to her even if, for a worm, it is far more ‘binary’ way of thinking than worms typically exhibit. Other worms will probably view her as a wanna-be-human or close minded. But just because the majority of worms are very fluid in many aspects of their gender/bodies/identity/sexuality doesn’t mean paper has to conform to this fluidity as well. The idea of a ‘Binary Gender’ for worms is typically very confusing (or an example of someone who is misinformed) to those who understand that worms generally do not adhere to a binary system. Especially for a worm who is NOT trying to disguise themselves as a human and integrate with human society (Aka, like Dylan who mostly interacts with humans and generally tries to remove herself from worm culture/society completely. Dylan does not even WANT to be considered a worm while paper still LOVES being a worm and associating herself with worms. shes just a woman worm. dylan is a woman. just not a worm woman. she will begrudgingly accept she is still technically a worm, but the identity of woman is less important to her and is more just the default of being viewed as a cis lady by humans and dylan is like ‘yeah whatevs’.)Nail is a queen worm, which typically have she/her pronouns, but he goes by he/him pronouns and also is fairly assertive of that. However, this doesnt mean he is a man or wishes to be viewed a ‘Man’ or ‘Male' (specifically) or even as a “King.” its more like... his own interpretation of what he/him means, which is about authority, dominance and most importantly: power. If he would pick a ‘binary gender sort of thing’ (while rolling his eyes bc he thinks its stupid while also thinking its important enough to get annoyed at when people dont respect his pronouns) he would pick being a man and would vehemently reject being viewed as a woman, but in a more deeper level that is not actually how he sees his he/him pronouns as a man thing. (even between being NB/male/female he would still pick man because that just seems ‘direct to the point.’ and satisfying) He also generally rejects the label of Queen worm too, but will begrudgingly or unenthusiastically accept that he is one. He is also considered an ‘odd’ queen because he is very small in stature and generally has muted colors of browns/tans instead of flashy ones. He has been teased at this too that he wasnt QUEEN enough by being so small and puny lmao.

To backtrack a little, As worms integrate with human society, or even hekatons (which that species also mimics a lot of human society), they will often adopt the ideology and system of how pronouns are used. Or at least, will be forced to process how other species will view them based on the shared language of using the same words, despite it meaning many different things... to not only groups of people but also on the individual level. I think thats an important thing to consider that there are many different dynamics, interpretations and journeys interacting all at once and influencing each other and are constantly evolving and branching out. Even the lines between what is a king/queen/other worms really ARE is blurry because its all on a spectrum of.. various physical characteristics and behaviors.

And to go into EVOLUTION and BLURRY LINES... As we can see with a worm like, Jacket for example... while he is specifically NOT a king, he is also more like a unique blend of features from queens/regular worms and also knights. because he WANTS to be a knight he already uses he/him pronouns despite not actually having a king already and hasnt even gone through the specific knighting process. Jacket sees He/him as words that mean total loyalty to the king. Whoever the king is. And if someone were to try to put him in a specific box of queen/king/knight/regular worm they would be unable to place him b/c he is something else unique entirely. and while jacket uses he/him pronouns i think at the core of it he literally does not give a fuck about language at all, or genders, or labels. those are all nonsense things. he relies only on instinct and desire.

Phew. ok I could ramble on and describe every one of my worm characters, but I’ll leave it at there for now. Crimson is even more confusing bc she is a fucking hybrid human/mandragora worm, using a goddamn hydragora body, and has like 2 other clone heart selves and all this other fucking bullshit. i have been writing this for like an hour. lmao

I hope some of this is communicates at least, its a little difficult to orchestrate and articulate all the levels operating here at once in a simple-to-digest manner. the fun thing about ffak at least is that if you dont want to think about this stuff you dont really have to--although id think it enriches the experience a bit.

#ffak faq #ffak #feast for a king #paper #dylan #nail #jacket #hydragora worm #this is long as fuck #tethys-dimensional

[barasulia]

Hyukoh, and the singing about Pitfall of Youth

 Let me introduce you to my number one picks from 2017. It comes from South Korean, a monster in music industry who grows rapidly and in November 2017, successfully held a concert in Indonesia. It’s Hyukoh, indie rock band formed in May four years ago by Oh Hyuk, Im Dong-gun, Lim Hyun-jae, and Lee In-woo. They are super rookie and are ready to spread their music globally with its latest album, <23>!

It's their third full album, consist of 12 excellent indie rock songs. The music demonstrates their nature and we know only Hyukoh can do those style. The first track 'Burning Youth' portrays the whole theme of this album. Together the soulful lyrics and music offer their point of view about the colorless youth and the bad being young. While others showcase average cheerfulness, broken heart love story and how to live youth to the fullest, Hyukoh goes with the anxiety, vagabond and unsettled journey.

These records feel more meaningful especially for people in their twenties because youth is like one epoch in lifetime, can't go back to fix mistakes, unsure to choose because there is no guarantee about what is right and what is wrong. With this album, we can easily relate as Hyukoh talking about the dark side of youth.

My top five are Paul, Tomboy, Die Alone, Simon, and Wanli. Wanli is written in Chinese, with monstrous melody, rich instrument and built with less lyrics but Oh Hyuk's husky voice put the perfection on it. Die Alone started with drum, and the lyrics tell about how we start adulthood when the youth dies. This song has sad and depressing feeling as the lyrics like: "We all die alone/we are all alone/Lord come take my soul/So we can all reborn" repeat over and over again. Paul has different pace as it offers slower beat. As soon as we hear beautiful piano enchanting, sweet voice of Oh Hyuk come along. At first I wonder what is the meaning of the lyrics: " I hear bugling that boo-woo/It’s your victory". But later I know that this song is about past and regret. Tomboy tells the most about the youth's duality we talk about before. Depicts one's identity, the fear of losing but passionate about our dreams. I had difficulty understanding Tomboy, but after graduate from Uni, I can relate better to this song. "Everything is unfamiliar and strange, but we still want to succeed. I tried to show the feeling of being stuck between those two thoughts", Oh Hyuk admits to Soompi (24/2/17). Simon is about a friend of Him, and he died. "Sing a song to my beloved friends/dear Simon/And also when I look for you there comes silence."

This album is closed with track titled 'Surf Boy', Hyukoh insert their message that we all already see the dim view of youth, so let's hope for the best yet prepare for the worst, too.

Master in Chinese, English, and Korean, makes Oh Hyuk, the main vocalist and sole song writer, wrap this album with three languages and somehow it enriches the feel of his records. Oh Hyuk's ritual which is dark, metaphoric lyrics, and depressing melody being well-known globally and prove their existence by topping worldwide chart for long time.

This album recommended to: those who want to experience another side of Youth, those who want to enjoy K-Pop in another way.

Check their profile on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuvdmRlSWAlwB_rJZgg1cmQ

and watch their double title track:

TOMBOY MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC6tPEaAiYU

LEATHER JACKET MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzUETvviKtA

#Hyukoh #Hyukoh Review #Hyukoh 23