#like what aspect of his characterization leading up to that moment makes it take you by surprise or think it's ooc

[the-unconquered-queen]

Because I'm seeing cakegate on my dash again, let's stir up some old drama

#playchoices #the freshman #choices tf #the royal romance #choices trr #I'm gonna say it—Drake's was dumb as hell but you can't deny it was p in character for him #them rewriting it + trying to make him out to be a non-toxic masculinity icon later on was what wasn't consistent #(& you cant say the latter was character growth because they never presented it as a journey they just pretended the other never happened) #and see if he didn't want a pink cake just because he doesn't love the color that's valid #it's that he specifically said it was because it was girly that makes it a fragile masculinity thing #and by extension it's also a sexism thing and even a homophobia thing if you wanna view it that way too #the Abbie thing made people mad enough to give it a name (cakegate) and it sure is the icing on the cake for an already loathsome character #anyway I'm voting Abbie cause I hated it but I still think the fuss about the Drake one wasn't really warranted #like yeah I maintain it's a problematic comment but idk what to tell you man that's just the dude you romanced #like what aspect of his characterization leading up to that moment makes it take you by surprise or think it's ooc #and I say this as someone who originally married Drake and had him as one of my favorite LIs but that was Drake being Drake honestly #unconquered queries

[digitalagepulao]

Ok I am snooping on your AU but I would like to ask- how is everyone’s dynamic with each other ? Is it essentially the same as in JTTW or do you have different relationship dynamics between all of them? Or do you have special little quirks they have or do, interesting headcannons, little fears or even gripes that the pilgrims may have ?

BDJHBWAJDBAWHDA HIIII TvT

mmmmm there are a lot of similarities to JTTW but with some nuances since i do focus on the interpersonal aspect more than the allegorical on my au!

For instance, Longma is still a stand-in for the human will, but he's more active in the story. He's often the one pushing the others to keep going, encouraging them to come up with plans or not give in on a fight, he keeps them from wasting time but doesn't step in unless he has to. The fact that he's not always in his horse form also goes a long way xD

The fact that in my AU he's also the head disciple makes for an interesting dynamic shift. The others often turn to him for advice or well, to Do Stuff, but he's still a prince and very good at delegating jobs xD He's also the last line of defense for Tripitaka, so when he's not outracing demons, he's the one putting up a fight to keep any kidnappers away. Stallions can be quite terrifyingly protective when they need to be, after all!

Wujing is the second disciple and it shows. He often uses his impressive size for shelter from the weather when none other is available. Due to his higher status after Bajie and Wukong get recruited, he wasn't the luggage carrier for a long time, the task falling on Wukong overall. However as the relics begin to pile up and the dangers get worse, he kind of takes up the mantle out of practicality. He has a severe fear of bladed weapons due to his punishment, and though he has no visible scars from it, the mental toll is very heavy on him. Despite all that, he takes his role seriously and is quite reasonable on his requests from Wuneng and Wukong, so their antics get toned down thanks to him and Ao Lie.

As for the other two welllllll, they are still very close and very prone to squabbling. Think youngest and younger sibling dynamic, one moment they are at each other's throat, the next they are trading quips, the next they are fighting over the last slice of food, and the next they are swearing undying loyalty to each other. Often they are left to their antics unless it affects the rest of the group which, happens more often than not.

Wukong is very close to his characterization in the book, equal parts rowdy grandpa and puffed up teenager, wearing his heart on his sleeve and always surprising the others with his moments of wisdom and clarity. Same thing for Bajie, he's very much a hardworking being and has an exasperated fondness for Wukong under the bluster and whinging.

Wukong is much more tactile in my au, which took the others some time to adjust to, as well as his (seemingly) random acts of incredible violence and ruthlessness. Before he's a demon or a man or an allegory for the mind, he's a monkey. They bite and screech when angry, they steal and hoard food for themselves, he lived 500 years as a wild animal and it colors his morals and thinking a lot. Most of what the others can deem as his evil nature is just brutal nature practicality, and as the others are either human or have memories of their past as nobility or celestial beings... it leads to quite a bit of conflict.

Aaaand then there's Tripitaka trying to keep his gaggle of apprentices in line xvx

My Tripitaka is closer to the historical Xuanzang than the fictional one, he's the son of a nobleman who chose to live as a monk and took the journey illegally. His call to adventure came through his own frustration and sadness over the lacking scriptures available, and he requested the emperor to go many times, always denied. One day the emperor gifted the abbey a cassock and staff from the West, in a not-so-subtle hint for him to just stop asking and move on. To everyone, they seemed like your average items, but he could see their sacred nature. Guan Yin then came to him in a dream, saying that whoever left for the scriptures should take "whatever they needed" and go. Tripitaka argued that the emperor forbade anyone to make the trip, but Guan Yin just repeated herself and left it at that.

So he did the reasonable thing, plotted with his older brother who lived in the abbey with him, gathered resources and bailed to the west, stealing the cassock and staff on his way out. He thought he was failing a test when Guan Yin appeared, but she reassured him he'd need the relics' protections on the journey ahead. Still throughout the journey, Tripitaka lies and cheats and steals, whatever he needs to continue the journey, and those sins weigh heavy on him. Especially with the sort of disciples he was given. He desperately tries to be a role model for them, but those moments of weakness feel three times worse than they should.

His relationship with Wukong is very hot and cold, seeing an almost paternal figure on the monkey at times but also knowing that the demon could kill him anytime he dropped his guard - and in fact even tried to once! Wukong has a lot of issues to work through and sadly a lifetime of violence makes for a very jumpy and tense monkey, which is a bad mix for the squishy human of the group. He tries his best to comfort the monkey despite the very obvious discomfort he brings him, and Wukong does the same for him... in his own way.

They get along the best when Wukong shares stories from his past or teaches him new things he never learned before, particularly when they get together to work on translations. Ao Lie is also a savvy person, and is often the one helping Tripitaka earn favor with the local kings and nobles to get their "papers" stamped and approved, or yknow, very plainly forged.

Wukong also gets saddled with matters of food more often than not, and he always surprises the group with how delicious the food he can come up with just by foraging ingredients. He's a very good and dedicated cook! It's also fun that Bajie had to go vegetarian on northern Tibet in my AU, cus the communities there are mostly pastoral so most foods are meat-based. He wasn't joking when he said he was rather starved by the time he got recruited, but Wukong luckily gets him back on track.

Wujing is, rather reclusive unless he has to interact with the others. Him and Tripitaka have a lot of baggage to work through, what with the whole eating-his-sifu's-past-incarnations situation. Coupled with his own sword trauma, Wujing and Wukong are on the same level of "unnerving threats" for Tripitaka's subconscious. It's very slow and wobbly progress between these three, and it's thanks to Bajie's jokes and Ao Lie's drive that they keep pushing on.

On the bits where my Expedition and Sun Clan AUs intersect, Tripitaka, Ao Lie and Wukong have a lot of filial guilt to process as well. Wukong may flaunt how they are the ones who left the family and how they must act for it, but the Havoc in Heaven and the siege on Huaguoshan clearly weigh on him and it very much shows when he thinks the others don't notice. Meanwhile Tripitaka feels guilt for involving his own brother in his planning for the journey, knowing that if he's found he'll suffer for it, and likely his father and mother too. And Ao Lie well, he's effectively in exile until the journey is either complete or well, he serves his death sentence. The occasional times when the group's path crosses with his father or his uncles is also a... tense bit for him. Needless to say, pearls make him very twitchy xvx

Oh dear this got.... very long i'm so sorry TvT anyway this is, what comes off the top of my head tbh!

#jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #jttw au #expedition to the west au #tripitaka #sun wukong #zhu bajie #sha wujing #bai longma #ao lie #tang sanzang

[bylerfields]

the ask you answered about not seeing dominant mike is really interesting! i feel like a lot of people fight against a more dom will bc they assume people took “buff byers” and ran with it, ignoring characterization, but this take on it, will being the same will regardless of his looks and it fitting mike who’s just more gentle by nature makes so much sense.

thanks anon!!! waaah i’m glad someone else sees it like that, i feel on an island most of the time

the hc that mike goes back to being his gentle s1-2 self once he has nothing to be so wound up about might be the closest one to my heart, it’s really important to me! people always talk about going back and watching will in the show in defense against buff byers and pointing out how he’s just as soft, which i agree with obviously. he didn’t change in s4 because of his looks.

the way i look at it isn’t that will suddenly rose up to mike’s level and made them both balanced masc dudes in s4 - it’s that they started out on the same level and mike has gone out of his way to rise up past will, and he’ll eventually come back down when he settles into his identity. idk if that makes sense.

kinda sidenote mike character study but this is also why it’s funny to me how his brattiest most bottomy moments are showcased during s3, because it’s also the season where he’s conforming the most. the dichotomy is fun to watch, and while i don’t think this dynamic stays put when he grows up, it says a lot about mike i think. the whole “will isn’t a good partner for mike then if you think he’s characterized like that” claim is interesting to me bc its

1) so limiting and (dare i say) so sex focused, like you think they wouldn’t be able to figure it out at all if they wanted different things in bed? 10+ years of close friendship? will’s head over heels for mike. not the idea he has of him (even the painting even the knight stuff etc etc etc - i think he’s right about mike and the show is obv telling us this. my point is that, it’s a s5 plot point. it’s not informing every aspect of their dynamic like most assume). and again, i simply have trouble believing will’s desires would be so concrete when this is mike, it’s not a fantasy it’s his best friend who’s also gay and comes with his own baggage. which leads me to point two

2) it’s ignorant of any potential depth mike has. there’s the argument that will’s needs and traits are ignored when people write a more subby mike. i think more often than not, mike’s areas of depth, esp areas where he wouldn’t be as compatible to will, are cherry picked out. and i don’t think this is too far fetched to think because of how many have said they see him as just a love interest for their favorite character. there are for sure aspects of mike wiiiiidely accepted that are fanon and people don’t even realize bc it just fits will so perfectly. and tbh! fanon is fun au’s are fun so idc! but let’s call it what it is i guess and not be the canon validity police for other things.

i’m also incredibly bored of the idea that “leader” is a masculine role.

tldr; will’s more dominant side doesn’t require him to become more aggressive than he is to power over mike, bc a mike who’s accepted himself, settled, regulated, and with will doesn’t need his power taken away. he’s just chilling 💞

thanks for the ask sooo sorry for the essay answer <3

#asks #byler #spicy byler

[darkestprompts]

DD2 Shrine Rewrites Part 1: Barristan is the Best

Here we are, finally I’m posting my hot takes on the Darkest Dungeon 2 character backstories as presented by the shrines of reflection. I thought I’d start with general considerations and positive notes about what I consider to be the most successful presentation in the game, to balance out the negativity that will surely follow.

But first, some complaining.

Major DD2 spoilers bellow, obviously.

Face your failures

Perhaps you’ve seen me mention that a big problem I find with how DD2 stories are constructed is that the overarching theme of failure and regret is imposed into characters that weren’t originally built around it. I emphasize this because many of the other major issues tie back to it in different ways. For instance, adding the implication that some characters regret what they’ve done when they have no reason to or were hinted to be unrepentant (eg. Audrey and Paracelsus). It flies in the face of DD1, a game where, while some of your characters are victims of bad circumstances, a good portion of them are kind of shitty people.

I believe this general idea of repentance have caused them to try to show why the characters “feel bad” by making past events as bad as possible, while the heroic implication of their journey makes the game want to present them as not really at fault, at least not completely. It compounds into making them woobies without agency. Because it’s all a built up for the Face Your Failure moment of the final boss, the shrines aren’t written as self-contained stories and some of them really show how this “ulterior motive” can damage pacing, as the chapters struggle to maintain cohesion.

With all of this, how is Barristan’s story so good?

Barristan as we knew him

I’ll admit, Man-at-Arms was not one of my DD1 favorites. His backstory comic was sparse and his barks didn’t elaborate much. We know that he was in some war and his unit was killed in action. His skills are built around leading, protecting and strategizing. His Crimson Court set quote ("Glory days? Hmph.") suggests that he holds contempt for the so-called heroics of war. Makes sense for an officer with PTSD. Not a groundbreaking concept, but it’s tightly built: he protects his allies because he’s lost them before, he’s a strategist and leader because of his military experience, he’s jaded and tired because he’s old and war sucks. Keep those things in mind.

Glory days

Before I get into the new aspects of the Man-at-Arms’ shrines, one thing I want you guys to pay attention to is that all of Barristan’s core traits are justified by his past. This ensures that, even though we are given new information and we didn’t know that much about him before, he still feels like the same guy we played in DD1. It may not be exactly what each of us imagined, but we can easily accept that this path led to the guy we know and love.

So, what’s new about this Barristan? First thing we find out is that he was a shameless social climber, worried about making it to the top by building his influence in parties and events. That’s great! A clear-cut flaw, no excuses, no sugar-coating! His design does wonders for his characterization too. At a glance you know this guy is full of himself, and a social butterfly to boot. Soon enough we find out that this flaw leads to the tragic past we already know from DD1: it’s his fault that his subordinates died, because he was more worried about gaining honors than deserving them with skill and knowledge. This horrible event, coupled with the loss of his eye, rattles him to his core, and he tries to come to terms with it. Ultimately, Barristan is able to move forward from the paralysis of guilt and mourning, but proceeds on a suicidal quest to find a battlefield to hold his corpse.

Fucking amazing.

Note how every aspect of his character is enhanced by this narrative. He’s protective. Of course he is, he doesn’t want to be the one to blame for another young soldier dying under his wing! He’s a strategist. Obviously he doesn’t want to be caught with his pants down, not knowing what to do again. He likes to be at the vanguard because that’s where the danger is at, and if his people risk death he’ll be the first to face it—deep down, he craves it. His contempt is not only directed at vapid military glory, it’s mainly targeted at his former self. It’s consistent, it’s deceptively simple, it makes him more interesting without trying to make him better or more special. It focuses on one core event and fleshes it out, so there’s no confusion in the storytelling. Barristan is perfect.

If only they could all have been that way.

Next time we’ll probably tackle Baldwin, another character I feel positive about, but depending on how much I have to say about him, I may try to couple him with another hero. We’ll see.

#darkest dungeon #darkest dungeon 2 spoilers #dd man at arms #dd barristan #dd2 shrine rewrites

[aihoshiino]

(I had this crazy moment when thinking about ONK today and wanted to tell someone)

If your speculation on the HKAI "I cannot love you" moment is correct, I wonder if the AQRB confrontation re Ruby's request to be seen (and loved) as Sarina to Aqua's Gorou will lead to a similar respond. Ie "I cannot love you the way you want me to, even in the scenario you just described."

Because at the end of the day, if I'm reading it correctly, Gorou was never serious in his "till you're 16" response to Sarina. They both knew that she wouldn't live past 12. Sarina/Ruby is delusional but only in a way a girl (sick and fated to die at 12 with the only person kind to her being her doctor) who didn't get to mature in her thinking could be. And imo that parallels to Hikaru, who's experience in "romance" was offering himself in exchange for "love". (Airi's defense for herself was that they were in love, which I suspect was something she told Hikaru, too.)

Tldr: Ruby in her right mind would not proposition her brother, just like 15YL Hikaru in his right would not think grooming is a form of romance. And it is the other person's responsibility to say "no, I can not offer you what (you think) you want".

Another response that's ultimately too late oops… I do still have a lot to say on this topic tho so I hope it's still interesting to read!

Message from future Claire after they finished writing this ask: tehepero… this one turned into a huge ramble so um. please forgive me. Also, spoilers for Usagi Drop made their way in here, if someone somehow doesn't know the big twist of that ending in 2024…

RE: Gorou and Sarina, this is for sure the intended read of their relationship to a degree . Spica downplays/sidesteps this aspect of their relationship a lot but even there it's said explicitly that Gorou was one hundred percent aware that Sarina's long term prognosis was basically non existent. It definitely makes him way more indulgent of and receptive to the "omg Sensei marry me stuff" but even then it's pretty clear that it is, again, just indulging her.

The manga by contrast is much more strongly characterized by this sense of shared but unspoken preemptive grief for the inevitable, where both of them understand but don't really want to talk about it out loud. It added an interesting wrinkle to their relationship that I liked a lot and was disappointed to see Spica iron out but ironing out the interesting parts is kind of what Spica does in general and isn't specific to Gorou and Sarina lol

BUT UH my point is that because of this shared sense of grief and awareness of Sarina's mortality I never really got the impression that she was under even the slightest illusion that Gorou was serious which is why later materials' framing of her as being convinced she can and will be in a relationship with him feel so weird to me. The SENSEI KEKKON SHITE thing doesn't even really feel like Sarina herself is all that serious about it - the energy is almost more like a running bit. Obviously her feelings for him were very strongly and sincerely held and I do think it makes sense for her to jump to actively wanting to be in a romance with him and thinking it was plausible post 123 when her brain has been ensoupened but again, there's that backfill in both Spica and main story material that implies she was ALWAYS that hung up on and deluded about him and tbh I don't really know what to make of it.

In an exclusively post 123 context though, I do really agree with this take on Ruby! This is obviously not a healthy response nor is she thinking at all realistically about what she's propositioning, especially given the kind of weird energy in 143 where she just never even acknowledges Aqua's existence as her brother. Honestly the way OnK has handled AquRuby since 123 and its reluctance to actually acknowledge the incest when it bothers to take Ruby's feelings is very strange to me and I can't quite tell if it's intentional or not yet.

If it IS intentional, then I think it's the set up for Ruby being smacked in the face with the reality of what actually being in a relationship with Gorou-via-Aqua would would actually mean. Because like, regardless of how you or me or anyone feels about incest as a fictional device, in-universe Oshi no Ko is essentially set in our own world - a dramatically exaggerated version with supernatural elements, sure, but still paralleling our own closely enough to comment on real world issues. For OnK to treat most of the other taboos and issues it addresses as seriously as it does and NOT do the same with incest would be incredibly jarring and deeply incongruous.

If you'll forgive a tangent within a tangent, this is a big part of why the infamous ending of Usagi Drop comes off as so fucking unhinged. It's not just that the story twists itself into a pretzel to hook up Rin and Daikichi (though, you know… that), it's that everyone in the cast acts like a fucking space alien on service of making it happen and it occurs with no conflict or consequences. There's this bizarre energy around the cast interactions that's hard to accurately convey, but every time someone in-universe finds out about Rin's feelings for Daikichi, it's immediately treated like them hooking up is not only the obvious and inevitable conclusion but that Daikichi is somehow obligated to enter a romance with Rin purely because she has feelings for him. Daikichi's own feelings on the matter are irrelevant. As far as the story is concerned, him going from seeing Rin as his daughter to seeing Rin (very explicitly and textual) as a romantic and sexual partner is as easy as flipping a switch and it's purely macho stubbornness that keeps him from doing so. It's absolutely mind boggling to read.

Anyway. Oh my God. To cut my EXTREMELY long rambling short and actually loop back around to the point of all this: Because of ^ ALL THAT ^ and the way the story has very conspicuously dodged around the HKAI breakup and suddenly swerved to 15YL's depiction of Ai's time in hospital, I'm still pretty certain that the "I can't love you (like that)" is going to be the main emotional capstone for Ruby's own character arc within the Movie Arc as a whole and possibly the emotional climax/resolution of wtfever OnK is doing with AQRB (& GRSR through them) right now. Given how much weight was given to that scene in particular way back when I'd be shocked if we skipped it and I do think there's some merit to the reads of Aqua and Ruby each paralleling the 'opposite' parent, so to speak - Nik (@akane-kurokawa) even pointed out in their 143 review that while the AquRuby kiss is paralleled by the in-movie HikaAi kiss, Aqua is in Ai's position and Ruby is in Hikaru's.

I do hope that this is something intentional and that we'll see something come of it - if nothing else, seeing Ruby have to deal with her relationship to and feelings about her father and the knowledge that he killed her beloved mom is something I really wanted out of the Movie Arc and I've been sorely disappointed by it being reduced to gag fodder thus far. But like I always say at this point, the Movie Arc is such an unfocused clusterfuck I have no idea if this is something we can rely on to be a long term theme.

#oshi no ko #oshi no posting #onk asks #onk spoilers

[lullaebies]

How do you wished helaegon would be written in the show? Their characterization and their relationship as well?

Oh, this question... I have a lot to unpack here, haha. Get ready for an essay, this is going to need a readmore. This may come off a bit as a surprise, but I wouldn't necessarily want them to be a very romantic pair. In my own writing, my favorite aspect of them is that they are kind of groomed into their circumstances and left to deal with the consequences and the exploration of it, which applies here too. My main thing would be to establish them as a contrast to Rhaenyra and Daemon, while also being empathetic about it. We are speaking here about two children, brother and sister, forced into a marriage by either House Targaryen customs +/ political ploys to establish legitimacy (depending on if you speak of the books or show).

While Rhaenyra and Daemon tap into the Targaryen incest, hammer it in with the extra grooming aspect of it, I think I'd like Helaena and Aegon to be established as a couple who are aware that their circumstances led them to the forced marriage. They would struggle as children, but they enter the marriage knowing this is not what they chose, and they bond more as parents or life partners rather than romantic partners.

They should be friends and have a good enough relationship before the marriage where they can still trust each other, but it should be difficult for them with the extra layer of being husband and wife to represent how the sibling marriage tradition is not good and should not be glamorized. Aegon would struggle a lot because he feels like the only firstborn son in the realm that can't give his family anything. Most brother-sister marriages in the Targaryen line so far were either out of love or preparation to be ruling monarchs - and he can't give Helaena a crown or be the love of her life. He can't give their children lands, and their prospects will never be as good as princes of Rhaenyra's line because again, they are not the main line. which is why he finds himself more away. For Helaena, she also tries to cope and relish in the good moments they have as partners, but she struggles because the way things ended up, the children do grow up in a tough situation and she doesn't feel like she's good enough a mother no matter what she does. Sometimes she doesn't feel good enough a daughter in comparison to Rhaenyra, even. And then Viserys dies, and suddenly Otto and Alicent are propping them as King and Queen. And they're both terrified, because it's everything all at once and they are scared of their TB relatives due to... Daemon being Daemon, and well, the Driftmark incident. Criston tells them their brothers and children will be put to the sword, it's terrifying. And then they suddenly have hopes, however. They can make their choices, now. That nobody will ever look down on them again, that their children would be free to marry who they want unlike them (the Queen's leave would be required for royal marriages, and it's not likely Daemon would allow their children have good marriages to houses that may lead to a rise up against the crown imo), that they can make a happy life for themselves - it's within reach. Nobody will speak about their children, or brothers, or mother again. [ I imagine Aegon would convince Helaena in it - she would be more of a pacifist]. And they take up the King and Queen titles, in an attempt to make good lives for themselves and their children, in complete fear of what has been told them was going to happen if they don't.

It all shatters in B&C - as any hubris to take up the crown is met unkindly in ASOIAF stories, and their pain and grief and wroth eats them alive. Aegon's resentment and hate towards Rhaenyra festers as he thinks back how everything was taken away from him and how if he could do anything to turn the wheel he would've, and the story continues as it does. TL;DR: I want them to be a commentary about the Targaryen sibling marriage system. I want there to be sibling love muddled with their relationship as husband and wife, which they learned to vaguely embrace but not fully - and I want them to find their independence to say I don't want the same for my children, but in this lifetime this is what we have - each other. When it's all ruined by B&C, it's their greatest pain - they wanted the exact opposite and were left with nothing once more. ⁕ EDIT NOTE: I do also want to say Aegon can certainly be a nasty piece of shit in this case anyway. Helaena does not like it and speaks against it, but in this case, cheating that isn't expressed via sexual harassment is not relevant to how they feel about each other because they have an established relationship about it.

#WOW im sorry i talked so much #helaegon #hotd #answered #im afraid to tag this fr #team green

[clitfisto]

care to elaborate on the miles venom arc?

YES okay so. the thing abt the symbiote is that (like any good corruption arc) it feeds on and amplifies the worst traits of a character, which is pretty straightforward in peters case - his biggest issue is his anger, usually manifesting via retribution (eg. "i missed the part where thats my problem", hunting down uncle bens killer), so his origin story is always the great power/great responsibility thing so he learns to temper that rage. what the symbiote does, practically, is force him to unlearn that foundational character arc and regress to his worst self

since the symbiote really really loves aggression peter parker is literally its dream guy but miles is a little more complex. hes definitely susceptible to that same anger (eg. wanting to "make kingpin pay", the entire sm2 martin li arc) but not as often and nowhere near as hardcore, so the peter playbook wont work as well for him (and also it would be fucking boring. weve seen that shit like 8 times already (not saying symbiote peter is boring i just think modern iterations need to explore new aspects to avoid treading the same ground constantly (sm2 does this very fucking well (also yuri lowenthal is a great va for peter like right up there with josh keaton (i think this many parentheses means im off topic (the adhd demon got me))))))

SO. whats miles' major issue he needs to overcome in his origin story? full disclosure i have not read the comics (but i heard they had some issues with his initial characterization anyway? which is fair enough tbh writing the successor to such an iconic guy is Fucking Hard) so TO ME PERSONALLY!! spider-verse miles is the definitive iteration of the guy and like. we all remember the whats up danger scene, his origin arc is overcoming self-doubt and learning to believe in himself ("its a leap of faith", "youre on your way, just keep going") which, alongside social anxiety (eg. the itsv "everyone knows" scene, sm2 "are you mad at me? it sounds like youre mad at me" dialog), seems to be part of some general anxiety issues. this is pretty well supported by the recent "the spider within" short film (which funnily enough is very fucking reminiscent of some sequences in kravens last hunt, not relevant but kinda cool) which also shows how miles responds by self-isolating, similarly to ps5 miles when peter ignores him

the symbiote can exploit his self-doubt pretty easily, the inherent power boost will do most of the heavy lifting to make him feel like hes not good enough without it - what if he runs out of web at the worst moment? what if hes not strong or fast enough to save someone? what if hes caught mid-costume change because hes so used to the suit changing itself? the more valid the (inital) concerns the better imo

the social anxiety is a tricky one but i think if miles traps himself in a doom loop of self-isolation he might spiral into genuine paranoia, which combined w/ the patented symbiote rage could lead him to lash out at people around him. "everyone secretly hates me so im gonna avoid being around people" -> "i feel alienated from everyone i know so im gonna avoid them even harder" -> "am i 'okay'? why would you care? what are you playing at? fuck off and leave me alone" -> "nobody wants to interact w/ me so everyone who does must have ulterior motives and is therefore a threat to me/my family/my city" -> "im completely isolated but bad things are still happening so people must be conspiring against me w/o my knowledge" -> "literally everyone on earth is out to get me and i need to fight them about it"

from there i think the ideal conclusion is pretty self-evident - miles takes a metaphorical leap of faith (calling back to the lesson learned in his origin arc) by actively choosing to trust someone, reach out and ask for help w/ removing the symbiote and dealing with the contemporary big bad (potentially his local peter variant bc hes got experience w/ symbiote removal and it would tie into the "leap of faith" motif but idk)

so tldr: a miles symbiote arc would be different to peters arcs in some (very interesting) key ways - rather than unbridled aggression he could be characterized by intense anxiety, manifesting as paranoid self-isolation and a sense of dependence on the symbiote suit, and would end the arc by reaching out for help in a symbolic leap of faith

#autism will really have you writing essays recreationally huh. #idk im just saying shit if anyone else has ideas or anything to add i would love to hear it!!

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

Overall review/summary of the 2023 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford

With Groban and Ashford leaving this production in January, I thought I'd finally make a post talking about what I thought of this revival as a whole when I saw it on 7/15/23 and 8/26/23.Total rating? About 8/10.

First of all: for all intents and purposes, this revival felt faithful to the original production and like it was bringing that vision to a modern stage, which I really appreciated. There were minor changes here and there, which I'll get to, but it didn't try to do anything crazy and forced edgy/~artsy~. The source material is strong enough on its own and there's no need to deviate much.

In terms of casting: Josh Groban was a great Sweeney Todd and Annaleigh Ashford is pretty much the epitome of taking things too far with Mrs. Lovett, and not knowing when to stop.

Let me explain:

Main Casting:

People are clowning when they complain about Groban's Todd. From a vocal standpoint, you cannot argue he doesn't have an objectively skilled voice, and he hit every note perfectly on the soundtrack and in both live performances I saw. In terms of vocals, this has to be one of the best Sweeneys out there. Regarding his acting, he was good! Groban always seemed like he was in this brooding daze, like he wasn't all there, and I think that's a crucial aspect of Todd's character. The actor needs to showcase that this man is gone in his own world of bloody fantasies and mournful memories, and I think having him seem detached from reality does that. Groban did the angry moments well, too. They didn't seem forced, which is the trap Sweeney actors can fall into. I remember sitting there during "Epiphany" and watching him totally lost in the drama of the moment in the middle of the stage with the razor literally glistening in the spotlight, and again, I felt like the whole thing captured just how removed from reality Todd is in that moment. He had his sad moments towards the end, too. He was really solid, plain and simple.

With Annaleigh Ashford...I wrote an entire breakdown of why her performance undermines Mrs. Lovett's character lol, which I'll link here, but the best summary I can give is that she turned Mrs. Lovett into a British Harley Quinn. She turned her into the caricature that Angela Lansbury and Hal Prince feared the character could become. This is not an actress without talent, but man, she didn't know how to control herself, and it wound up hurting Mrs. Lovett's character, because she isn't a clown, she's the true villain of the show. It was like watching Mrs. Lovett on The Office with the winks to the audience and constant comedic shtick, and that lessened the dark tone of the entire show. If Ashford had been a stronger Lovett, I'd give this production a 10/10, but she's too big of a character to ignore. Thankfully, the source material is too good for her to have seriously damaged the show. Plus, her understudy was really good!

I saw Jeanna de Waal fill in for Ashford during the second performance, though, and she was very good. She retained some of Mrs. Lovett's more annoying, shticky stuff, which suggests at least part of this characterization is the fault of the director, but in general, de Waal toned it down enough without losing the comedy in appropriate moments like "A Little Priest." She has a great voice, I sat close enough to be able to see the subtle expressions on her face, and I think she could have a leading role on Broadway. My family and I enjoyed her very much, while my friends and I found Ashford grating by the end.

Supporting Cast:

I have quicker notes here: I only saw Daniel Yearwood as Anthony, because Jordan Fischer left by the time I went to NYC, but Yearwood was really good! Great voice and acting. I liked how this version of Johanna seemed especially unstable, with jerky, neurotic mannerisms when she sang. You really get the sense that this girl isn't right.

I saw two Tobys: Gaten Matarazzo and Nathan Salstone. I didn't see a huge difference between these two actors' portrayals tbh, both were solid Tobys, but Salstone toned down Toby's insanity at the very end of the show, which I preferred, simply because I've always thought that was the weakest part of the musical and I genuinely dislike it and I'm glad the movie cut that part out entirely lmao.

Everyone else was pretty much fine tbh. Nicholas Christopher was really funny as Pirelli, and John Rapson had funny moments as the Beadle. I did think Jamie Jackson came across as kind of bumbling as the Judge, and I don't think that characterization is quite right for a raping pedophile, but, eh.

Changes to the Production:

I need to start with one thing I totally disliked: how they staged Lucy's rape during "Poor Thing." I know that sounds like a weird thing to complain about, but the problem was that if I didn't know the story beforehand, I would've had no idea what happened. Lucy and the Judge/Beadle/etc. are up on a platform, above the pie shop where Mrs. Lovett is singing, and the lights are out on them. We can only see shadows. The Judge like, extends a hand almost Bela-Lugosi-Dracula-style and Lucy, trapped up there, is weak to his power. She's picked up and carried off to him. That's it. I swear. It's not that we need a graphic rape scene--not even the film showed any nudity--but it's too vague. Everyone who saw the show with me agreed that they wouldn't have picked up what happened if they hadn't seen the film before, and this is a big plot point! It's part of why Lucy poisoned herself, why Sweeney wants revenge, and what an awful person Judge Turpin is. It shouldn't be left to ambiguity. I don't know why the director (I'm assuming) made this decision, but it genuinely hurt the storytelling. It's the only change I completely disliked, but I just don't understand why they did it this way. Just have the partygoers gather around the Judge and Lucy to conceal what's going on and have Lucy scream, like most productions do.

They sped up the tempo for "Johanna (Reprise)" by a hair. I honestly don't know why, and it doesn't ruin the song for me, but that's one of Sondheim's most beautiful and underrated songs, and I prefer versions that take their time. That's not nearly as noticeable as the key change for "Not While I'm Around", though! I don't know why they did that, but I don't like it. Changing the key changes the notes, and changing the notes makes the song sound a lot different lol. It just feels like an unnecessary, negative change

They added a scene of dialogue with Johanna and the Judge. It seems like this was adapted from the dialogue which was originally meant to happen after the cut version of "Johanna" performed by Judge Turpin. In the original dialogue, the Judge offers himself to Johanna. This new scene plays out similarly with the Judge commenting on how Anthony has been hanging around all week, and he's found a suitable man for Johanna: himself. During his spiel, we see Johanna take a spare key behind his back and then hide it, giving the audience a hint as to how Anthony will get in the house later. While the scene wasn't totally necessary, it served as a nice little gap in between musical numbers and set us up for Johanna planning to run away with Anthony later because she's in a panic over the Judge's proposal.

They added women walking in the background during "Ladies in Their Sensitivities." It's a small thing, but honestly a nice addition, because it gives the audience something to look at on stage while the Beadle sings a slower, quieter song. Honestly, just having the Judge and Beadle stand on a bare stage during that song was kind of the stage equivalent of dead air before, so the women in the background gave your eye just enough to look at.

They also made the company walk onto the stage and stare blankly as the Beggar Woman sang her, "Quick, miss! Run and tell!" etc., etc., bit during "Johanna (Reprise)." Making the company come out on stage that moment was nice, too, because the Beggar Woman being able to see them shows how far gone she is.

The company also had choreography. It wasn't dancing, but planned, jerky movements, similar to how zombies would move, in a way. They would almost tip over, breathe heavily, crick their necks, and generally appear like they were undead. It was just enough to make the company even more unsettling during the ballads without going too far, so I liked that decision a lot.

Miscellaneous

I liked the set design with the barber shop being a platform above the stage, as opposed to that one, big, rotating set piece with the barber shop on top and pie shop at the bottom that's often used

I liked the backdrop they had during night scenes with a big moon in the background

I liked the light design with the lights going red when Sweeney kills for the first time, and this dramatic green lighting coming from beneath Sweeney to illuminate his face like in a horror movie when he yells, "You?!" at the Beggar Woman when he returns to the barber shop, timed with a loud, dissonant chord

The company was lively in this production, too. I adored "God, That's Good!" with the energy from them and the main cast. It's such a strong opening for the second act on stage

I liked Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett walking off together at the end of the final ballad and jumping into the abyss together. It's fitting

I kind of like that both Ashford and de Waal played Mrs. Lovett as being afraid of Sweeney at the end and being aware that he was coming after her now. I like the totally delusional portrayal in that moment, too, but yeah

SO yeah, extremely solid production, it felt respectful to the original and it was incredible seeing a full-blown Broadway production of this amazing show. I just wish Ashford hadn't been mistaken that she was cast in a musical comedy instead of a musical thriller

#sweeney todd #musicals #broadway #stephen sondheim

[dr-drea]

Adding to that whole Finn characterization thing, the writers also broke with the Skam tradition of the typical narrative structure of the seasons, where at least in one episode, the love interest is in focus. I guess most of you are familiar with this anyways, but i'll try to shortly explain how a Skam season is (typically) structured.

Episodes 1 -3: establish our main and their character traits, the situation they find themselves currently in, their family background, their hobbies etc.; they also hint at potential struggles, which is why a lot of theory making by the fans is happening here; and, of course, they show us who is going to be the love interest.

Episodes 4 - 7: we can see our main struggling with the themes established before, but also some achievements and happy moments (usually the first kiss, or getting together with the LI); there are some up's and downs in the plot and at the end of this bumpy ride, we also have a pretty clear idea what the love interest is like, and we are guessing about their central struggle.

Episode 8, also known as hellweek: Now, our LIs struggle is clearly pointed out, leading to an accumulation of both the main's and the love interest's problems; this is leaving the main as desparate as never before. Gradually tho, they manage their way out of the mess so that...

in Episode 9, the love interest is in focus. In the case of newly established relationships, we see the main dealing and overcoming their own problems, and then fighting for the Love Interest, to get back together with them (the only exeption here is the Hannah/Eva season, which ends with a breakup, but we still learn a lot about Jonas' character and background story in the last two episodes).

Finally, Episode 10 is where all storylines come together, eventual side conflicts are resolved, everyone is happy.

Let's go back to the current season and how Finn is (not) in focus here.

The topics established in the first three episodes can still be considered the main topics of the season, though we all agree they were handled messy and weirdly. And I do think, up to episode three, the season was quite okay.

But episode 4 - 7 do not provide us with a coherent 'up and down' of the Failin relationship, but rather with a messy, incoherent construction of both characters and that love relationship, which also in later scenes seemed underdeveloped. That resulted in almost nobody rooting for them to get together.

Both episode 7 and 8 seemed like hellweek for Mailin (and Zoe), and while Mailin got really tangled up in her own problems, I don't see a central struggle for Finn.

That Mailin is avoiding him? That's HER problem, not his, anyone would have been annoyed by that.

Him feeling like a 'tryout boyfriend' is also not really his problem, but kind of the conclusion of how Mailin has treated him so far.

So again, a reactive characterization.

And now we are at the end of episode 9, and I don't see the drama ending?? And I also don't really see Mailin 'fighting' for Finn, or how the plot takes Finns feelings/struggles into consideration. It is all about Mailin.

And that might be one of the central mistakes that were made during this season. Having it solely revolve around a white, skinny, heterosexual, neurotypical girl, a character who we have seen over and over in the media landscape. Making her BY FAR the most privileged character in the series, by also giving her a high socio-economic status, and then barely reflecting her privileges. And that, while having an extremely diverse friend group around her, whose stories even centered around not having these privileges, being discriminated against and disadvantaged. And on top of that, having these characters doing nothing, but praising her.

With everything happening, the writers and creators of S8 are completely ignoring thoughtfully made casting choices and previously established storylines.

I'm so done with this season, and tired of criticizing it, but especially the last aspect I wanted to point out again, as it bothers me a lot.

#druck mailin #druck s8 #druck #finn nguyen #mailin richter #media criticism #long post #i promise this is the last one #but it BOTHERS me #edit: fixed a typo #i wrote this in the middle of the night don't judge me

[chihirolovebot]

!!!NEW CHAPTER I'M SQUEALING LIKE STEAM POPPING OUT OF A TEAPOT!!

Gosh I love your writing so much, it's always so well worth the wait <3 your imagery is second to none I stg,

"You were full of stones drifting down to the riverbed, watching the shimmering surface recede before you, powerless to stop it."

Like -- ugh, I literally can't conjure up the right way to describe that reading your work doesn't really feel like reading at all with how submersive it is. As always, your characterization is straight from the game canon. The way you subtly show Miu's struggle as the weight of what she's about to do is starting to crush her is just so delicious, I'm sick and clutching my chest. I was reading Kiibo's and MC's argument and literally thinking about how it so easily parallels Kokichi's relationship to the MC in terms of trust and keeping secrets. It's oddly satisfying in the most angsty of ways seeing the MC on the opposite side of that coin now, y'know? Now THEY are the one doing questionable things to protect that sweet, innocent-eyed individual they call a friend, one that undoubtedly deserves their trust and is begging for them to do so. Corruption arc for the reader??? A little hint of one anyway??? Their loyalty to those they care about is getting ground up into both a virtue and a flaw because of the circumstances and I am EATING it up. Also, them wanting to try to stop Miu in their own way but struggling to do so with just conversation?? I love them so much it hurts :((((((

And and and, knowing how this case originally goes, I saw that; I saw that tiny, eensy weensy little detail you changed, my hand went to cover my mouth and my mind is now BURNING with curiosity as to how these next couple updates are gonna go. I'm on the edge of my seat, leaning so far forward that I might fall off even.

I don't remember if I mentioned it last time, but I absolutely LOVE the overhaul of Tenko's character. She was one of my least favorites when playing V3 originally, mostly because I was really upset with how they executed their (kinda) first openly lesbian character, twisting her potential into some lesbophobic caricature that's creepily obsessed with fetishizing Himiko. But oh, how you've kept her close enough of the original to keep her feeling like the same character, but managed to save her potential, fleshing out her character, combined with her design update just gives me life; yours is now the canon Tenko and I will NOT be taking criticism or hearing otherwise~~

The moment between Kokichi and the reader right before they started to put on the helmets?? Faints. I literally can't say enough how you have absolutely NAILED this relationship and his character in general. Sometimes reading Kokichi fics, people make it all about the lying thing, but they don't really ever go into the depth of WHY he lies so much or the other aspects of his character, like his distrust in other people and his seeming lack of attachment or reliance on them, his hatred of killing and the desire to protect people in his own way going hand in hand. Sobs and shakes his stupid little purple head. He is such an excellent morally grey character, and you execute every scene with him perfectly. Also, you can tell his walls are STARTING to come down the reader now that he's let them in, his touches getting a tad more affectionate, it somehow feels like there's more weight behind his silly little flirtatious quips now-- my heart races with the MC at the smallest things like him holding their hand

I am so excited to see if the reader can manage to get under his skin enough in time to save him before these flaws of his lead to his downfall, or if Kokichi's influence leads to an even stronger corruption of the MC's character as they try to help him and get them both killed in the process, or I could even see the reader eventually sacrificing themselves for him and opening up his eyes in the worst way possible what his actions have led to. No matter what, I'm going to love every moment of it~

You've created such a wonderful story here Vee, I still remember stumbling across it and clicking on the title in curiosity, and now you've got me and countless others in a chokehold with every update. I know you've fallen on seriously tough times recently, because of course, life just does that to you sometimes, and even though you're doing better for now... you've got a village, a lil community behind you, and we all love you and are here for you if you need anything~ Please take as much time as you need between updates, and pls pls take care of yourself -wraps you in a blankie and pets your head and makes you cocoa or tea or whatever you want- you deserve it, I'm probably gonna wind up rereading the newest chapt again tonight to catch the other little things I might have missed~ and I know I've said it already, but taking care of yourself also means you never have to reply to my literal essays born from love and brainrot for this fic, I have WAY too much to say as it is haha, and I know it can be emotionally exhausting trying to come up with responses sometimes (*˘︶˘*).｡*♡

Thank you for another amazing chapter, I'm biting my hand eagerly waiting to see what comes next. Take care and have a good weekend~~!!

LOVE OKAY hi. HI. i did want to respond 2 this earlier but i got sick very shortly after (covid rip) and now i feel ok enough to look at a screen i am finally getting around to it (i know u think i do not have to respond but i simply do) !

first of all. thank u so much as always!!! my brain literally short circuits when i see these comments/asks like u do not know how insane ur making me /pos.

the mc stuff these last few and future chapters make me feel so Evil.... like yes maybe they do go a little insane and degenerate. and ofc ur spot on with the parallels of mc/kiibo with kokichi/mc n im happy that was obvious bc i was kinda stressing abt it when i was writing it hehe i was like 'uhghghg how to show that the nature of the killing game intentionally warps the actions of a well-meaning person trying to protect those they care about which only ends in their classmates fearing and distrusting them hhhdhdhshsjhsdh pulls out my own hair.' as for the corruption arc.... hm. Hm. also this 'Their loyalty to those they care about is getting ground up into both a virtue and a flaw because of the circumstances' HELLO??? this is a gorgeous way to describe it im literally staring . lurking n stalking over this. and that's just it!!! loyalty is an osentibly good trait to have but during a killing game where the only way to help ur classmates is to make them distrust u.... god. it's a flaw in the sense that it makes mc's friends doubt and grow frustrated with them, but of course it's a virtue in that mc IS doing all they're doing for them!!! pain and agony.

also the miu stuff was very fun to write. i love miu, she's probably myyyy fourth favourite? from v3? gonna say cautiously bc my rankings change all the time but she's definitely up there, moreso for the potential she could've had in the main game. it always burned me that the only depth she ever really got was like. AFTER her death? and told through the grapevine no less. there's such an interesting parallel in her character to kokichi and it sucks it wasn't explored more i think. i hope i made her a little more of a Person in this fic even if i didn't focus on her as much as the others.

tenko. oh tenko. talk abt characters with a ton of potential that got done SO Dirty by the source matieral. it was all right there ! and they just made her into a predatory lesbian and killed her at the peak of her character development as they love to do (sideyes hiyoko and taka). yeah i definitely consciously took out all the lines that made her look like a weirdo. i think her openly liking himiko a lot would be enough to make someone like himiko uncomfortable WITHOUT tenko being weirdly predatory and fetishing her so. that's what i did. new tenko is just openly admirative of himiko which still makes her uncomfy but for like. better reasons i guess. and now they get a chance to actually DEVELOP their relationship instead of another bury ur gays ur whatever.

GODDDD kokichi breaks my heart man. and ur so right that a lot of fics that write him don't delve into the 'why' of his character. every line i write for him i think to myself, okay, what is he ACTUALLY feeling right now? would it make sense for him to say this, does it align with his end-goal, is it ooc for him to reveal this much? PLUS having to keep in mind all the tactics he uses in general conversation, like poking people in the right direction for answers without straight up telling them, or saying something absurd or flustering them to change the topic or divert someone's attention away from something. basically behind every line of dialogue he says u gotta be thinking in terms of the bigger picture, when u don't so much for the rest of the characters. im sure thats also something u get, writing for nagito!! bc he's also a super complex character with a lot of weight behind all his lines. definitely feels like a guy who everything he says tells u a little bit about him if ur looking closely!!

last part of this made me a lil emotional uh oh. thank u so much love, i appreciate it so so much. btw i LOVE replying to these n the longer and more nonsensical the better /gen thank u thank u thank u again (ps i saw the final piece had updated yesterday but i havent gotten around to reading it yet!! im planning on setting some time aside this evening so get ready for another stupid novel comment ehehe)

pls take care of urself!! i hope ur having a good day <333

#<3.love #dear venus. #🏚.sleep awake

[azulawriting]

I changed my opinion on Ulquiorra, surprisingly.

Before I begin, I wanna say this: I’m not structuring these long rants, nor am I expecting to make a lot of sense. If anything, these are just really long shower thoughts.

Watching the anime, I did not really fathom how bleak the entirety of volume 40 and the final Lust chapters in volume 41 are. I’d argue it’s the darkest Bleach has ever been, manga-wise. From the poem at the beginning of the volume to the title of the chapters themselves and the finale, which is chapter 353. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll call the entire set of chapters I’m referring to as the “Deadly Sins” arc.

I’m not one to take too seriously the poems are inherently significant to the characters themselves. I think that they should be mere accessories to what’s being shown in the story and not necessarily complementary material. I generally consider symbolism to be a very complicated thing to handle, and conveying any element of narrative significance through symbolism is rather hard. Plus, I don’t think that generally speaking, Bleach is a series that is driven by symbolism, which is why I don’t give too much importance to the poems nor to the non-jokey additional drawings at the end of each chapter in a manga volume.

But that changes when it comes to Ulquiorra, and the Deadly Sins arc is a brilliant exemption to the rule. In the anime, once again, most of this is lost and I only remember Ulquiorra as being a very powerful villain that had a great final fight against the main character. It was impactful and dreadful by how it reverted classic shonen tropes. He was a powerful villain for sure, but even then, Aizen and Ichimaru were more interesting villains than him, even though Ulquiorra is the only villain who has killed Ichigo. Hell, even Starrk, Grimmjow and Harribel were more interesting to me back then.

As I finished chapter 354, I realize that Ulquiorra might as well be one of the most interesting Arrancars. And all of that changed through some very subtle, symbolic story-telling in the poem in volume 40 and the two end-of-chapter drawings in chapters 353 and 354 in volume 41.

I think that he’s the only character where it makes a lot of sense to give more importance to what would otherwise be accessory symbols to his characterization within the chapters. And it’s because of the nature of his conflict with the aspect of death he represents as well as, paradoxically, the sin he’s not aware of until the very end of his existence. His inner conflict is hidden, maybe even bottled up, up until the point it unambiguously manifests to both him and the reader.

The Deadly Sins are in and of themselves full of symbolism, whether that is through classical literature like Dante’s Inferno or more secular interpretations of the theme. Sins are as human as they are a transgression to God’s will. I’m not very religious, but I believe that part of understanding why Ulquiorra is so interesting as a character is that he transgressed the laws that brought forth his very existence. God’s will, to put it that way.

His insistence on understanding what “the heart” is, let alone being confronted by that foreign concept in any way, goes against the aspect of death he is supposed to represent. Despair leaves no room for love, hope or any human connection. The source of his obsession with it, his Lust if you will, is the heart. The concept he cannot quite wrap around. The poem at the start of volume 40 is a realization of his yearning and interest in humanity. For what he can never hope to come close to. It is no wonder, then, that he ceases to exist the moment he comes to fully understand what the heart is. In the moments leading up to his understanding of the heart, Ulquiorra starts being more emotional than I’d even ever thought imaginable. I mean, as far as my memories go, the emo Espada was a wall of ice with minor cracks in it.

The manga, however, makes a point to approach him as close to the heart as possible even before his eventual demise. And even his last thoughts are centred on just how close the heart had always been. And the image at the end of chapter 354 is only the culmination of those final, soothing, yet forever haunting final thoughts. The broken English almost seems intentional, almost as if to say the remnants of his conscience got cut mid-way before truly picturing for the reader what the heart is besides that single, scribbled black dot on the page. 

It makes for a rather tragic character. As ruthless as Ulquiorra was, especially in that final fight, Kubo uses mere symbols to humanize him far beyond what his actions led me to believe in both the anime and the manga chapters alone. Although, I will admit that I was shocked to see him scream at Ichigo. I was even more shocked by the fact that that scream, unlike the anime, took as much space as Ichigo’s own denial of his victory by the end of the fight. It brings a very interesting mirror image that only enhances the weight of his final moments.

#bleach #ulquiorra cifer #manga review #I'm just rambling to the one person/bot who might be reading this #symbolism is kinda neat

[dailymichifer]

do you ship midam?

short answer: I like them a lot but no, I can't say I actively ship them. It's more of a fun ship-in-law.

long answer:

I'm not very invested in it. I kind of wish I was! I read fics that include them, but I don't go looking for stuff that focus exclusively on Michael/Adam romance (unless I randomly decide I want to read pwp, or if it's a fic rec/a fic written by someone I really like/trust with the characters).

I AM interested in their dynamic, but mostly the non-romantic themes (friendship, vesselhood, etc) and most of the time I'm much more invested in Michael (= what it means in terms of character development for Michael in general) than Adam... If I had to choose a Michael/human ship I would probably pick Michean or Michael/Sam because I'm much more interested in these human characters and the character development that would need to occur for them to end up with Michael.

One big turnoff for me is that a lot of fanon Midam dynamics are based on late season canon (which makes total sense since their only real interactions take place in S15), and I dislike most post-Kripke era characterizations, especially Buckleming!Lucifer, meaning Cagefics/Cage hcs are a bit annoying to me in the context of Midam in a corner + Buckleming!Lucifer who is mostly ignored or used as a plot device for Midam angst (trying to torture Adam or whatever); I also dislike how Buckleming!Lucifer's unidimensionality leads to a less complex interpretation of his dynamic with Michael, which flattens Michael's character as a consequence (e.g saying S5 Michael was lying when he told Dean he didn't want to kill Lucifer, etc.) that's a big nope for me - not matter the pairing/story, if your version of S5 Michael is completely indifferent to the idea of killing Lucifer then it's not Michael to me (and the swan song script agrees with me!) - and I'm not interested in him.

Speaking of flattening, that's another aspect that turns me off... there's nothing wrong with liking that, but the "pure, healthy unproblematic cinnamon rolls" interpretation of the ship does not appeal to me at all. I do like fun normalcore domestic aus, but only with some spice you know? Not necessarily angst, drama and heavy codependency, but at least something that addresses that the characters are more than y/n + y/n-with-wings in a coffeshop. (The same could be said for Michifer ofc, there are some popular fics/hcs about Lucifer being a smoll bean who did nothing wrong/etc.)

I don't think the "100% unproblematic" interpretation I just mentioned is the most common though, I've read great fics/hcs/metas that explore their characters in much more compelling ways... and in general I think Midam is fun and has a lot of potential for all types of interesting dynamics!!

However, looking for Midam 'content' is like a dodgeball game to me because of the headcanon incompatibilities I just mentioned (and the ones I kept to myself djfkjd), and at the moment the ship's potential doesn't motivate me enough to fuel me with the energy I would need to actively, regularly thread my way through this part of the fandom to look for things that tick all my boxes. Add Lucifer to the mix and it changes everything though; Midafer ftw 👑!!

#mod replies

[blorbosexterminator]

Hiya!

So, I had this thought sometime back :

There are a lot of character arc gaps for Tokyo, Palermo and Berlin.

For eg : In s3, I empathize with Tokyo a lot, even in the scene where she gets drunk and becomes a nuisance. But comes s4 and her arc is just...reversed like she is the best in everthing?! A surgeon, a leader, a SNIPER, you name it and shes perf at it?! Barely After 2 hours of becoming a hassle?!

Palermo : s3, professionally I would trust him with my life, no doubt about it. But in s4, idk why but I felt there were a small part missing in his journey of character arc, I just did. Cant exactly pinpoint.

Berlin : Now, we all know how he was in the Mint. A twat, a sexual harasser, a rapist and a pure psychopath. Comes S3 and he is given a sort of redemption arc. But nowhere, did they show as to HOW he went from the "out of jail" convo to the psycho he was in the Mint.

I mean, I KNOW that there is no explanation for being a rapist. You JUST are. But there was a lot of gap in his arc too.

What do you think of this?

Hm, I don't think of it like that, exactly. La Casa de Papel generally has writing pitfalls, unrealistic abilities, etc. And it just what it is, it comes with the package. We have the expression where I live that goes "because the directors wants it so." How the hell was Tokyo that good at surgery? Because the director wants it so. How did Gandia survive all of this? Because the director wants it so. How did the professor forsee literally everything ever to the point of ridiculousness? Because the director wants it so. This is just the formula of the show. And I get where your trouble comes from, where do we draw the line between "this is just an inherent part of this media" and "this was genuine bad writing that is external of that formula."

One of the answers to that is, the characters behave in a way that is unnatural to them, even if "them" includes exaggerated skills, to take the plot somewhere else, and you can tell that it's not organic. Obviously all the characters' roles are to move the plot, but there is a difference between, say, Sergio's ability to have predicted everything and prepared for it in season 1 and 2, and Nairobi suddenly thinking Tokyo would be a great leader in season 4 so that we move the plot to the coup.

I don't think there is a big arc gap in Tokyo is Tokyo, we know that she's reckless but insanely resourceful, that she fucks things up but is very quick on her feet to fix what she sees wrong. And that remains true to her until the end. She learns quickly, she acts quickly. Whether that acting leads to problems or solutions depends on the specific situation.

Palermo worst arc moment was the first volume of season 5. And that was because of the shows attempt to try to make him likable, give him a redemption arc where a redemption arc was never meant for him. I don't think there was much of a problem is season 4 regarding him. (Except that last scene with Helsinki, that was ridiculous). Everything else fit him perfectly. He's professional and a great leader and would die for his team as long as he's not challenged. The moment his ego is insulted or others try to take his place, he won't hesitate to turn it all over everyone's head. That's just part of his basic characterization, we had the sense that no one trusted him that much in season 3 and that they were wary of him and we got to see the aspects of him that would arise those emotions in season 4. No gap there.

And Berlin, I don't see any gap either. Andrés in the Mint was factually in his absloute worst moments in life. In the years leading up to the Mint, he lost the dream he was canonically in love with, he lost his closest friend that has been a huge part of his life for ten years, his wife cheated on him with his son, he got into jail and he was dying a painful, humiliating death. I don't think many people would act better than he did in a context like this. And put in all of that, the insane pressure of the Mint heist and being locked in one place, a place like that no less, for nearly two weeks, with a group that a LOT of tension and problems exist in (have you ever done any group project? You'd know what that's like lmfao), while being given an insane amount of power over people, the adrenaline and the delusion this brings is like nothing else. And also remove the element of consequences because there is no consequences left for a man who has months left in his life. Why wouldn't he act on his worst impulses? It makes absloute perfect sense that he did that. Even the rape part. Andrés had his morals and limits yes. BUT. Like, the one problem regarding rape with this character is the self-image of him being an undesirable man who has to force himself on a woman to accept him. Not the actual violence of it, not that he sees women as equal creatures not to be treated with this vulgarity, no, only that the image resulting from that doesn't fit the image he wants of himself. But the image is already distorted and this a time in his life where nothing makes sense anyway. Sure the whole "he didn't know he was raping her" was a stupid writing move from the show. The storyline as a whole wasn't that well-written nor very necessary for character exposition. But other than that, do I think Andrés is a person who might rape a woman in a situation like this? Yes. I don't think he would even think it's a big deal or deeply regret it or anything. He wouldn't give much of a shit about her part of the equation, only his image. Andrés is a deeply misogynistic man and it's a not superficial trait that would only result in some funny and stupid speeches lmfao. A woman to him is little more than a body that which existence is there for his pleasure and which otherwise presence is there to complete his image of the perfect gentleman with a woman on his side. Women are just accessories with the added benefit of serving sexual pleasure as far as he's concerned. Makes perfect sense to me.

#lcdp

[film-in-my-soul]

Review: Old Fashion Cupcake (2022)

Region: Japan

Aprox. Length: 01:05:42

Viewing Source: Viki

Summary: Sleep, wake, and work — sums up the day-to-day life of 39-year old, Nozue. A routine that eases him, and conversely weighs heavily on him — which worries the hard-eyed but reliable Togawa, a 29-year old subordinate of his. In an unexpected turn of events, the two of them end up visiting a pancake shop bustling with girls.

Overall Opinion:  I have very limited exposure to Japanese BL but of the few I’ve watched I enjoyed Old Fashion Cupcake a great deal. I wish we’d gotten a bit more time for exploring the aspects of Nozue and Togawa’s pre-existing relationship that we don’t know about because of how the show starts but I think that the characters are interesting, the feelings are there, and there’s just something very charming about the whole thing. If you were a fan of Cherry Magic I think you’d also really enjoy Old Fashion Cupcake as well, it’s not the same vibes and I don’t find Nozue or Togawa as complex as our leads in CM, but it has the same soft energy and has an ending that just as satisfying and sweet. I couldn’t stop smiling for the last 10 or so minutes of the final episode.

Technical Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Personal Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

(See under the cut for a deeper analysis/opinions of character/plot/technical aspects. Beware of possible spoilers.)

Main Characters:

Nozue:

Nozue is a character I can really relate to. Even though I’m not his age I feel like we all get stuck in these holes we make for ourselves where life is comfortable, it’s easy and straightforward, but is it really living? Are we actually enjoying our days or just letting the cogs keep turning? I wish we could have seen a bit more of that discontent, but I think that, if you dig a little deeper, it’s clear to see that Nozue keeps his dissatisfaction hidden with a smile. This is especially evident in the last episode where he finally admits how he’s been feeling, how he’s scared of what it means to make uncertain steps, open up new doors, and I think that a lot of people can understand that hesitation.

Some of my favorite moments are when we see Nozue by himself, half interacting with the world because of this fear. It’s the moments he refuses to pet Togawa’s hair, take a bite of the pancakes he wants until he’s pushed, and refuse to accept any promotion thrown his way even though he’s extremely competent. Takeda Kouhei balances a charming but reserved man who doesn’t know how to continue moving forward to enjoy life again very well and was a delight to watch in this role.

Togawa:

Togawa is the stand-out character for me. I think that’s partially due to the fact that his character is far less reserved than Nozue’s, so it can feel like he has a larger range than Nozue does. I also have a soft spot in my heart for pinning characters who are just so obviously smitten with their objects of affection. Togawa is a layered character in how he’s exceedingly straightforward to the point of rudeness while also being unintentionally earnest and absolutely adorable. Nozue never stood a chance.

When Togawa is grieving the relationship he wants so selfishly, admitting that he took the opportunity to help Nozue as a direct way to seduce him, not to just be a good subordinate, Kimura Tatsunari really showed his stuff. I particularly enjoyed his performance in the last episode, after the mutual confession. You can feel his unbridled joy, the youthful giddiness he has over not just getting what he has wanted but helping Nozue get what he wants too. It’s a stellar performance from both actors, but Kimura just gets to show his range as an actor in this role more overtly than Takeda’s intentionally subtle characterization.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Side Characters:

The story predominantly focuses on our main couple and therefore, side characters are not very developed or explored. Notably, I do enjoy Kirishima (who is the head of Nozue and Togawa’s department) and Nozue’s back and forth in the first episode and when she pops in to unintentionally stir trouble with the boys is fun. She’s not enough of her own person within the story to dedicate a section just for her, but she’s amusing.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Story/Plot:

For the plot being as simple as it is, I thoroughly enjoyed this love story. If I were to point out one thing I felt was weak it would probably be how they established Togawa and Nozue’s preexisting relationship. Out of curiosity I read the manga and will say that the show is extremely faithful to the source material, but I found being dumped into their already established dynamic a bit confusing. It took me until close to the end of the first episode to get a good idea of where they already are and I wish that there had been a bit more lead-up into the plot as I couldn’t really understand why Togawa was helping at this moment when it's obvious that Nozue has been passing up promotions for a while now. It also didn't help that I didn’t fully understand his relationship with Nozue until probably the second episode. It’s not a story ruiner for me, but if I’d only had the first episode to watch and wasn’t able to start up the second immediately after I think I wouldn’t have been as gripped with getting to the next.

Outside of that one aspect, I think the slice of life/office romance plot line we get is fairly endearing. None of the jealousy or moments of miscommunication feel forced or like it dives into overdramatic depths and that’s always a plus. There is also a parallel I really enjoy regarding Nozue in the third episode as he’s dealing with Togawa not texting him back. He, for all it seems, is acting like a teenage girl who feels like they’ve been ignored by their crush, and, considering the plot device of Nozue’s “anti-aging” I thought it was a great touch on both his character and the developing romance.

The story is solid, the angst is there but not overpowering, and there’s a highly satisfying ending even if we don’t get a final kiss.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Technical/Visual Execution:

I was fully prepared to give Old Fashion Cupcake 3 stars for the technical and visual execution until the very last episode aired. I’m not sure if I was just more focused on this episode or if the filmmakers really poured their artistic work into the final act, but the camera work, especially in the first scene as Togawa is apologizing, keeping it in that wide shot, no cuts, as he’s retreating, still crying and letting Nozue leave then rack focusing into him barley holding himself together just out of frame? Inspired. Don’t even get me started on the beginnings of the confession scene, the dark alley that Togawa drags them to, the harsh orange light casting them in a beautiful silhouette, it was fantastic.

My only complaint is that sometimes the editing feels weak when they cut back and forth, there’s a large lighting discrepancy on our leads' faces in the final episode when Nozue first comes back that distracted me, and the majority of the show feels standard in how it’s shot. The last episode is masterfully done however and earned Old Fashion Cupcake its 4th star. 

Rating: ★★★★☆

Masterlist Nav · INBOX · Weekly Posting Schedule

Thank you for reading

#old fashion cupcake #オールドファッションカップケーキ #togawa x nozue #jdrama review #film-in-my-soul review #old fashion cupcake jdrama

[sugirandom]

Ranting about Sonic X, a lot of critical stuff so feel free to skip if you like Sonic X XD, I might even go into some personal stuff later so yeah... this was longer than I intended ha ha

So, my best bro and I have been working through watching Sonic X and we’re nearly finished the season 3... Sonic X has frankly been a chore to get through at times...especially season 3

Of all the Sonic cartoons/anime I had the highest expectations for Sonic X because it was (and as far as I know still is) the adaptation that’s closest to the video games in terms of the original Sonic characters, the Japanese version having the original voice cast also helps.

But honestly the need to place Sonic in the ‘human world’ has always been very strange to me because there are humans in Sonic’s world in canon and this seems to be forgotten constantly, with Sonic X being the first offender of this and the live action movies doing their own version of the same thing.

So,there’s that and thanks to that most of season one was dedicated to getting us attached to the human characters, of which some are interesting, but the human lead, Chris, is not...he’s 12 but he acts 10 so I honestly flat out forgot 12 was his canon age. He’s a privlaged rich american kid who acts like he’s all alone despite his maid and butler doing a good job of raising him while his parents are pretty much absent because of their work and when tyhey are around spoil him...so yeah there’s that.

He forms a bond with Sonic and honestly the tone often feels kinda romantic, at least of Chris’ end. I don’t think they intended it that way but I mean...I’d take Sonic 06′s Elise over Chris any day (the one they actually acuse of pushing a relationship with Sonic and a human lol). I guess I’ll stop my rant about Chris here because there’s more that I wanted to say but... I don’t want this to all be about him...I just want to add one more thing...the end of season 2 ruined any chance Chris had of me liking him...

On ocassin they miss the mark with the actual Sonic characters too, often flanderizing certain aspects of them, for example, with Amy Rose...she has more to her than just loving Sonic obsessively but especially when we get to season 3 it becomes her entire character. I’m not saying the video games are completely innocent of this (see Sonic Heroes) but it’s a bit of a nitpick...

As much as I love Rouge being chaotic neutural by season 3 they seem to abandon any bond she developed with the other characters (except her bond with Shadow, which is great!).

There’s also a huge genre shift, season 3 is it’s own Sci-fi story with aliens they completely made up and a saving the galaxy from these aliens who are stealing the life force of other planets...for reasons (the main villain hasn’t revealed why at the point we’re watching this). I honestly think this idea may have come from another anime that the team working on Sonic X couldn’t get approved or it was a case of “make it Sonic” XD

Ironically I’ve had an idea forever for a Sonic fanfic...series that I have yet to write involving aliens but mine are humanoid and their focus is just on Earth so it really made me question why we were all longing to have Sonic fight aliens so badly lol

If you guys want to hear me rant more about Sonic X let me know. If I feel really brave I might share some of my story ideas too but...for now... I’ll list a few things I like about Sonic X so I don’t sound like a complete jerk.

Quick list of some positive points: Eggman’s characterization is, for the most part, interesting and close to the video games so I do like that, he’s evil but he has his moments where he’s more complex. 

Some of the supporting human characters are interesting but the plot doesn’t always know what to do with them

Sonic is hilarious and entertaining, I like the Engrish he uses, very memeable but not cringe and genuinely fun (applies to the Japanese version only obviously)

Some filler episodes did have good plot ideas (not all but a few)

The designs of the Sonic characters were done well

Shadow is badass but honestly for the most part you have to be trying to mess Shadow up. 

That’s all I can think of for now and I’m tired of typing but I wanted to get this off my chest!

[ddarker-dreams]

Yan Diluc, Childe, and Venti HCs.

i’ve been into genshin impact the past month so it was just inevitable at this point

Diluc:

Diluc’s descent into obsession would be a slow one, characterized by doubt and distancing. He’s journeyed the world, exploring the darkest corners, coming out a different person for it. Change doesn’t always mean improvement. Underneath a carefully crafted façade of composure, is the fear that he’ll lose you too. 

His mind becomes a battleground, logic versus emotion. Diluc is aware of what his impulses mean, that it’s immoral, and how he shouldn’t entertain them any longer. Entangling himself in a romantic relationship would serve no practical purpose. He tells himself this, unable to look away when you’re in the room. His thoughts don’t align with his actions. 

Diluc is mindful of his actions and surveillance of you. He can’t get too close -- not yet -- while there are still people who’d seek to hurt him by any means necessary. So for now, he contents himself in making small but meaningful contributions to your life. 

Not one to flaunt his wealth openly, Diluc would be surprised how much of a crutch it becomes in his pursuit of you. Mysterious gifts from an unknown admirer become the norm in your life. He’s displeased with himself at first, but being as inexperienced in courting as he is, it feels like a good place to start.

Your interactions are curt yet pleasant. When Diluc isn’t working, he tends to avoid people but is always open to discussion with you. He allows you to carry the conversation, asking open-ended questions with the hopes of learning more. Any troubles in your life that you share with Diluc will seemingly disappear overnight. 

The only time he’d ever take drastic action is if you were somehow in danger. That’d be a tipping point, one he’d never bounce back from, crazed at the idea of you being harmed. What he ultimately will depend on you. Should you welcome Diluc into your life, under the guise of keeping you safe, all will seem well on a surface level. 

It’s when you refuse the limitations he “suggests” following your life-threatening encounter, that Diluc changes his methodology. He’ll explain, in a calm voice, that your physical well-being will come before your happiness.  

Childe:

Childe, while not malicious for the sake of it, has shown he’s willing to accomplish his morally ambiguous goals by any means. This means that nothing in the pursuit of winning you over his off the table. Bribing, intimidation, kidnapping; whatever it takes is his motto. 

He’ll initiate a give and take relationship to ensnare you. The phrase “too good to be true”, is evident with Childe. You don’t meet the standards for a loan with the bank? Oh, you poor thing, leave it all to him; he promises to take care of everything. Childe disguises himself as your savior when in reality, he’s anything but altruistic. There comes a time where the debt will be repaid. 

It won’t come down crashing down at you at once. No, it’ll be a slow yet steady plan to trap you, and an effective one. Childe will hint at suggestions on how to keep him on your good side. That he’s done oh so much for you, more than anyone else would. Why not give him a chance? 

If you deny him what he wants outright, you won’t see the consequences immediately. Childe will sigh, muttering something about how unfortunate your decision is, but that he thinks he can change your mind eventually. All said with a tight-lipped smile. 

That’s when you feel the ripples in the water. Any business that you’re associated with will be met with fierce competition from the Fatui, rendering them obsolete. This extends to your family as well, financial pressure unrelenting from all sides, a clear agitator in your mind. 

You know it’s Childe. He knows that you know. And god, if he doesn’t love every second of it, watching how you’re forced to come crawling back to him. Or maybe he’ll pay you a visit, under the pretense of checking in. Whatever the case may be, you’re presented with a single out. Devote your life to him as he has his to yours. 

Childe promises you, that all will be forgiven, that he’s willing to put it in the past. So don’t look at him like that, he is being more generous with you than he would be anyone else. Don’t test that benevolence any longer. Giving yourself to him isn’t an unreasonable request, he assures. 

Venti: 

Venti isn’t held back by rules and obligations like most. He does what interests him, whether it be traveling or recounting legends to captivated crowds. Trivial matters, or more precisely, human matters such as love were never given credence. This leads him to be unsure of his approach to you. 

He plays it as naturally as he can. Venti makes random appearances in your life, popping up at the most opportune times, intent on seeking out your company. Even if you’re busy, he’ll still be by to chat you up. There’s no ridding yourself of him. Venti is everywhere you are. 

You might be left with the impression that he knows more than he lets on. That beneath the carefree smiles and singing, there’s ancient wisdom being drawn from. Venti knows a little too much -- more than any man could -- and doesn’t seem to care much that you pick up on it. If anything, he hopes that it’ll impress you. 

Venti believes that the winds will lead you to him. Even if it’s just for a moment, he omits the knowledge of how immoral this is from his mind, guiding you on a path with a single destination. Venti reassures himself that such minor interference on his behalf is trivial. 

Venti’s surprised by much he enjoys physical contact. Even if it’s just resting his head against your shoulder, it’s thrilling, unlike anything he’s experienced before. He has numerous methods of getting information on you, but none can compete with the pleasure of close physical proximity. He’s very touchy, shrugging it off should you ever point it out.

When he can no longer suppress his obsession with you, it bleeds into every aspect of his life. Venti’s lyrics and ballads will consist solely of love stories, a stark change in tone from his normal adventure-based narratives. Some might gather that the young bard himself fell in love by how personal the stories sound. 

One thing’s for certain, Venti will remain ever-present in your life, no matter what measures you take. Mondstadt and beyond, the winds will always bring you back to him. He’s more than happy to remind you of this with a thrilled tone. That it’ll be far less painful should you cave to his whims. 

#diluc #diluc x reader #yandere diluc x reader #childe #childe x reader #yandere childe x reader #genshin venti #venti x reader #yandere venti x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #yandere genshin impact #yandere x reader #genshin impact imagine #my stuff