#tbh i wanted to analyze this (I didn't have time the other day) but you gave me a fun opportunity to do it this time so thanks XD

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

responding to that last ask, i do notice that folks who take P5, and really all the games, a lot less seriously tend to not be bothered by the slapstick humor, even with the emphasis on topics such as physical abuse and societal corruption, so that could be a part of it, especially after seeing the same anime tropes coming up so often and seeing them played more or less the same (that's not meant to be a jab that's just kinda what persona games are) just something i notice since it's typically the most hardcore fans that get the most upset i realize

In all honesty, yeah I've noticed people that take a super casual approach don't really notice issues like more hardcore fans do.

P3/4 have the chibi models to disconnect from reality (as well as more obvious chatter effects and such...imo than P5), and P1/2 sprites even more so. P5 isn't exactly super realistic, but more so than prev games, plus it has the balls to actually criticize the physical/sexual/mental abuse of society.....only to use it as comedy later.

Yeah Persona is pretty anime, and that's fine (I mean I grew up on the Three Stooges so like.....I can go as far as live action slap stick too). It all comes down to framing for me.

Does it do a good job indicating it's slapstick (easier the more cartoonish you get, which is easy for cartoons and anime) ex:

2. (not really a deal breaker in a COMEDY, but if comedy's not the main genre it can be) Is it even? Like does one char always slap stick another, or does the recipient get to slap stick back? Or is it a free for all? (ex: like Angel Beats, Asobi Asobase, and MPGIS is a free for all, Yui/Hinata, Ichigo/Rukia and Ichiko/Momiji like to slap stick each other and are even, but I don't like Sakura punching Naruto bc sometimes he doesn't even deserve it and she's not exactly a great char herself TT0TT it gets tiring having it be so one sided...most of these barring Bleach and Naruto are comedies or a dramady like Angel Bleach are so.....yeah TT0TT Kinda skewed but still)

3. (this is def a big problem I have with P5, but I'm sure it's not the only one with this issue) Cake and eating it problem/tonal dissonance: They medium has a message that would....make slap stick unfortunate. Like it's a really hard line and you'll have to really land the dark comedy. Angel Beats can thread this very well.....P5 doesn't. Tbf AB is part comedy, it can be a dark comedy (I mean it's gonna have to be when it's a coming of age story about dead children). P5.....doesn't spend a lot of time on humor (which isn't bad in theory), but when it DOES it's........unfortunate. It just doesn't mesh well.

Maybe if it leaned MORE into the anime it would've lessened the blow. Wait no scratch that, I know what happens when you do that. You get P4 anime. orz

"Oh Silly, you're the only one that doesn't like it! It's beloved!" Hahahahahahaahaaaaaa oh. OH I know. But there's one scene that I KNOW people hated, cause they hated it when it airs, and NO ONE talks about it. It's the Kanji dungeon segment/episode. When you try to go full anime slap stick you get tonal whiplash instead (which is P4 anime's problem, esp with the new original humor and putting in humor where it was a more serious moment). So I'm afraid that also would happen to P5 if they went that route.....orz

But analyzing my own feelings and where my brain draws the line aside.

Yeah it's probs that the devs are just throwing anime tropes in there bc......those tropes are funny right? Haha? Not realizing the narrative disconnect it makes when it does happen. TT0TT

#silly asks #silly answers #did MPGIS do slapstick? It was more bitching/verbal......well #wait....arms being ripped off....setting a car on fire.....the shoot out yeah I guess that borderlines on slap stick #i mean there's consequences too it's a weird place TT0TT #tbh i wanted to analyze this (I didn't have time the other day) but you gave me a fun opportunity to do it this time so thanks XD #also it gives me a reason to name drop some of my fav comedy series 030 #anyway there's a fine line with certain things and I think some things do it masterfully and some....miss the mark orz

[lucianalight]

“Sometimes a rage builds up and you just gotta let it out. Do you remember that time I was so angry with my father and my brother, I went down to Earth and I held the whole of New York city hostage with an alien army? Tried to use the mind stone on Tony Stark? It didn’t work so I threw him off the building. It wasn’t tactical. I lost it. Sometimes our emotions get the better of us.”

Is this a retcon? Is Loki saying he wasn't tortured or mind controlled and he attacked Earth because he was angry at his family?

Well, let's analyze the situation.

They went to interrogate X-5 who according to Mobius is an asshole that knows them and their tactics. Mobius tells others to not let X-5 get under their skin with a emphasis on Loki, thinking he is the one who most probably is going to lose his temper. But that's not what happens.

Loki does not lose his cool. On the contrary he plays the role of a villain(which is not really convincing tbh) and tries to intimidate X-5. Mobius is the one who gets so angry and hits Brad within a minute after X-5 turns his attention to him. Mobius storms off trying to convince Loki that it was a tactical action and he could play the heavy keys. But when he calms down he confesses that wasn't the case. Then Loki says those lines.

Now let's remember some similar situations we've seen Loki doing sth like this. Before the coronation when Thor was nervous, Loki makes jokes, gives him confidence, tries to calm him down. And after that when Thor is angry, Loki again tries to calm him down, agreeing with Thor saying he is on his side. When Odin saves them from Jotunheim and is furious with Thor, Loki tries to intervene and stop the situation from escalating. In TDW after their argument on the boat, Loki again tries to light the mood with a joke. So this is a typical and in character behavior for Loki.

Should Loki's words be accepted at face value? MCU Loki lies sometimes but he is not the god of lies like comics. He mostly speaks the truth, but not the complete truth. Half-truth is what he mostly uses. He shapes the sentences in a way that people interpret them how they want based on how they think. Especially when it comes to the things that he doesn't want others to know. Things that he was taught were weakness.

Moreover there are undeniable proof in canon that Loki was tortured (his physical state in Avengers, threats of pain by the Other…etc), and his mind was influenced by the mind stone(confirmed by Marvel). There are even moments in S1 that confirm Loki didn't want or enjoy to hurt people. He's had to. And Miss Minutes offered Loki to kill Thanos, which affected Loki more than any of her offers.

"Unbeknownst to him, the scepter was also influencing him, fueling his hatred over his brother Thor and the inhabitants of Earth."

Unbeknownst to him

Remember in S1 Sylvie tried to enchant him but couldn't? Loki said it's because his mind's too strong. For other magic users? Yes. For mind stone? Maybe. Since we know he wasn't mind control like Selvig and Clint. But the Other had a connection through the scepter to his mind and his negative emotions was being amplified. Which Loki didn't know. His memories were clearly tampered with too as he remembered Thor tossing him into an abyss which didn't happen.

In the main timeline Loki spends a year and half in a cell, where he had access to his magic. Being away from the scepter, having the use of his magic and nothing but time, Loki sooner or later have realized what happened. We don't know when exactly Loki realized that the mind stone was influencing him. But we've seen in other MCU movies/shows that removing mind related magic in most cases also needs magic.

TV Loki on the other hand, right after his escape got arrested in a place that he couldn't use his magic, spending his days either running from or after somebody and trying to fix a disaster. He probably hasn't that realization yet. And even if he had, do you think Loki would talk about it? I don't think so. Just like he never talks or wants to talk about his torture.

There are more than enough clues in canon to confirm that Loki was tortured and his mind was influenced and nothing can retcon all of that.

Back to the scene in 2x02, Loki is trying to calm down Mobius through sympathizing with him. He can't say "Hey remember that time I fell into Thanos clutches after I committed suicide, then he tortured and brainwashed me through my hatred and anger, and sent me to take over the Earth and when I got away you found me and tortured me and now you can't handle one minute taste of your own medicine?" That would have been counterproductive. So instead Loki is telling the truth but not all of it. He was angry at Thor and Odin and his emotions got the better of him. But those emotions, those thoughts and words were influenced. That's what Loki's not telling because he wants to sympathize with Mobius through a similar experience.

Could the topic of New York invasion handled better? Certainly. Otherwise there wasn't a need for this meta. But Loki's behavior can be explained in-universe and through his canon characterization without retconning any other proof and clues.

#i'm tired i'm not going to link all the metas related to loki's torture #there are many and choosing from them is hard #just follow the next tag if you're interested #loki was tortured #loki meta #loki 2x02 #mind stone #loki series #avengers

[thelunarfairy]

what r ur opinions on teru minamoto as a character :33 I love the way you “analyze” and/or talk about characters so I’m curious what you think about him unless you’ve already done one on him  ( ^ᴗ^ ) him and akane’s (boy) interactions are so interesting to me tbh

I love reading that you all love my words, it's like a warm hug >,<

Thanks S2

Teru is a painting painted in watercolors and with a little magic paint. At first glance, we find a beautiful painting, full of smiles and joy, surrounded by a beauty unique to him.

But when the hidden paint is revealed, the art mixed with watercolor, we see dark colors, and the painting transforms into something frightening.

Teru is stained art, a stain we cannot fully see. The way he treats other people, the way he despises supernaturals, how he hates them and wants them to disappear.

We can list the reasons, well, a full-time job is not exactly something that anyone in the universe will want, is it?

A boy who didn't know what it was like to be a child.

That he had no choices, that he was not allowed. He was the oldest, he would have to take care of his younger brother and sister, and at the same time he would have to protect people he doesn't even know.

He offered the time of his life for other people, he lost his mother and took his father's place. He takes care of everything, but who takes care of him?

Every now and then I catch myself thinking about the hatred rooted in Teru's chest. How his tiring work provided him with this, how he put himself in front of his brother so that he wouldn't go through the same thing as him. Even though Kou wanted to be an exorcist.

So, maybe the hatred was also born because the supernaturals took everything from him, including his mother, can I consider that a hypothesis?

He lost his mother, his father is away because of work, he gained the responsibility of a father and a hero early on. Kou is inspired by him, Teru, in theory, is a hero who saves people from supernaturals, but at what cost?

Teru hides a secret, a melancholy that reflects in those eyes. Almost so obvious that we could hear him calling for help. He is also caught up in responsibilities.

The first time he was free, he had fun, he became a child again, he allowed himself. Even though he knew it would only be for a short time.

He is a teenager with adult responsibilities and a child's soul. Not literally, but the desire to be free, to do what he never can.

Of course, Teru has his flaws, but I like to be impartial, to be fair. He is ruthless towards supernaturals, and he will want to kill them no matter what.

This reflects on his relationship with Akane, how the simple fact that he works on the side of the supernatural irritates Teru to the point that he is always punishing Akane, that he doesn't show that he cares about him as much.

Teru and Akane have a partnership-based, do-for-me, I'll-do-for-you type of relationship. Nothing beyond that. If Teru cared about him, he would have faced Tsukasa.

If it were Kou instead of Akane, he would risk his life, like he did when number six appeared.

Teru's hatred and contempt for supernaturals is something that borders on the deeply personal, it's not just a job, something happened.

No one feels hatred for something for no reason. Therefore, sometimes I think that he lost someone very important or had a great trauma because of the supernaturals. Besides, of course, it was because of them that the father is absent, that he himself dedicates his life to destroying them.

There was no choice here. His blood determined his own destiny, which he hates.

But he knows, yes, he knows that even seemingly good supernaturals can do something bad. We don't know if one day in the past, Teru got involved with some supernatural and had to exorcise him for doing something bad.

It must have been painful, the same pain that Kou would feel if it was necessary to exorcise Mitsuba because he lost control. So, in order not to suffer again, he wouldn't want to get involved with the supernaturals, just get rid of them, it's easier.

Teru's hatred is what intrigues me, I see him and I want more and more to find out why he was born and where he will take him.

Teru is a canvas full of secrets, little by little the painting is completed, and we increasingly see his truer side.

#jibaku shounen hanako kun #toilet bound hanako kun #jshk #tbhk #hanako kun #amane yugi #yugi twins #aidairo #hanakokun #jshk spoilers #jshk teru #teru minamoto #minamoto teru #terukane #akane aoi #aoi akane #kou minamoto #jshk analysis #jshk akane

[inquebrar]

QSMP was one of the projects that had one of the biggest personal impacts on me. since i was younger, i have always been fascinated by getting to know different cultures and learning new languages ​​has always been something that captivated me. although for years i have "been part" of many fandoms and followed different projects, series, groups and things like that for years sometimes, but i just had my interests without having no one to talk with and share it. so this was the first time that i really participated actively and was so engaged in the "fandoms" i'm part of, to talk about it, share my theories and analyzes and stuff like that. so at the beginning (and tbh i still feel a little) i was always very nervous to talk about it or talk with other people in general (especially in a language that is not my mother tongue) because it was something so out of my comfort zone, but through qsmp i learned more about cultures and languages ​​that before i didn't even thought about learning, i felt the desire to continue learning languages ​​that i had left aside, i felt more proud of my nationality, i met very kind people from different countries, it brought me a lot of joy seeing many people starting to learn my language too and see so many people who like the same things as me who share opinions and interests and even people who speak my language who are also very engaging it's so cool to see and the whole feeling of unity, comfort and cultural mix between different people made me extremely passionate about this project and the things it provided.

but unfortunately, recently it has been very difficult to deal with the excess of negativity and heavy topics and serious matters that came to the surface and started to accumulate with disappointments and overwhelming things that i had been feeling for a while. having hyperfixation on qsmp stopped being something that motivated me and brought me happiness, it started to affect my mental health in a bad and unhealthy way, which already hasn't been so good in the last few days. so i thought i'd just vent a little so that maybe someone who is in a similar situation and having similar feelings to mine will feel less alone or a little more understood.

i heard Quackity's recent statement and i was relieved to see that he handled the situation responsibly and addressed the matters without taking away the importance also genuinely apologizing, it was a difficult and sad situation to witness in general but with the server closed on a temporary break, i really hope that he now stays informed and aware of how his team is working and how things are happening behind the scenes. i hope that this brings more organization, communication, correct and respectful treatment to all those who work to maintain the project with care and commitment, and i hope things get an extremely significant change and that everything improves from now on. i still have a lot of love for this project and i want to believe things will be more positive again, but in the meantime i hope that everyone who was affected by everything that has been happening takes care of themselves and always remember that you are important, your feelings are valid and you're not alone. speak up when you feel the need, when you feel disrespected, when you need help. also don't forget to be kind (to yourself too) and i'm waiting for better days.

#qsmp #after actually participating in a fandom for the first time i felt like i needed to vent about how i was feeling #i needed to get these things out of my chest and if anyone identifies with something or isn't feeling well right now you're not alone ok?🫂 #i hope everything gets better soon let's take care of ourselves and if necessary step back a little and rest #mental health comes first! hoping for better days ❤️‍🩹 #qsmp fandom

[cl4ss1ba33]

CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME GUIDANCE ON THE VOID? I think I entered it but I didn't receive my manifestations

so i found out about the void 10 days ago, and much like your journey I found that meditating was harder for me. It didn't matter to me, because I was going to keep persisting anyways since we are the gods of our realities. Around four days ago though, I discovered that we could go into the void through lucid dreaming. I was delighted, because I used to lucid dream everyday(not anymore, but i pretended i still did so i could get back back into it faster). Today I finally entered the void!!! but... I didn't wake up with my desires manifested (I wanted to wake up in my desired room and a lot of other things). I wholeheartedly believe in the void and when I woke up I was shocked ngl cuz I truly believed it would work, and I still do. I am still going to persist because I truly believe it would work, so I wanted your opinion on why you think it didn't work and what I should do next time. Here's what I did: I simply affirmed for four days that I always lucid dream and get into the void easily. I had already created my void list and I also created a void board on pinterest. For the first two days of trying lucid dreaming, I didn't lucid dream but I kept persisting because I knew I would make it. On the third day, I lucid dreamt but I didn't go into the void because I was busy trying not to get killed 💀(ik i should've just made them vanish or sum). Today was the fourth day, and I made it. So I was doing something in a pink room, and suddenly I remembered I was dreaming. It just hit me and I was like LETS GOOO. So then I made a door appear. It was the same door I've been visualizing except there was no knob. I opened the door anyway and I could see the other side of the room. So i thought, maybe I have to affirm this door will be the portal to the void but before I could do that my brother appeared out of nowhere and put a purple knob on the door (I visualized a pink knob, but I was happy so i didn't care). When I opened the door I could see the void, it was black (I visualized a pink void but again I was oki with it just happy I made it, although I always knew I would make it). I didn't affirm it would lead me to the void so not sure if that's the reason the things didn't manifest, but it felt like the void. I felt like I didn't have a body and there was nothing. It was so peaceful. After that I didn't affirm "i am pure consciousness" or "i am in the void" because I thought I was already in the void.

I started affirming right away, "I have everything on void list, void board, and more" "I woke up with everything on my void list, void board, and more" "I shifted to a reality where I have everything on my void list, void board, and more" "I have everything I want and more" (do you think these affirmations were confusing or were they good?) Once I felt like it was enough, I stopped and I was like alright I'll go to sleep now LMAOO. Then I exited the void and I had a wierd dream where people came out of my current room and were like "yeah we lied to you the void isn't real." and I was like wtf who are these negative people trynna put their negative beliefs on me. so I woke myself up cuz I wasn't abt to put up with them 🙄. When I woke up I was shocked, because I really believed that I would wake up in my desired reality with all of the thing on my list and board. After that I started analyzing things and tbh I don't know why it didn't work because I believe with my whole heart and soul. Maybe my subconscious or sum didn't? Please guide me and give me your advice, I would really appreciate 🫶. either way, Imma keep going for right now and try tweaking things a bit and see if that works. I won't give up !!! (btw sorry for this super long post 😭)

#void #void state #void success #void success stories #void success story

[maymeowmoo]

New episode of Smg4?!?!?!? Well I'm inna writing mood soooooo.... Imma review/analysis and share my thoughts on the new episode >:) ["SMG4:SMG3's BOMB CAFE"] If you're bored feel free to read this overly detailed analysis of a 12:01 minute video! (Actually ~10:30ish)

Analyzing time! ^w^/

Smg3 being so happy abt his lil cafe is very cute. I did not expect Smg4 to be so goddam sassy in this episode but I like that they didn't get rid of their rivalry completely since u know, after so many years it would be odd for it to just disappear even if they have recently been bonding so much u<u

Still I couldn't help but feel a bit odd? Like idk if Four just desperately wanted Three to ask him for help w the coffee or what but DANG was he super into making Smg3's life harder. At 4:49 Smg4 basically goes screw it lets make Three more miserable and invites everyone. Like let bro learn overtime we don't need a Kirby Lunch Rush but with Smg3! Also Four's expressions? Dude is being SILLY on purpose u_u He continues his nuisance charade with 6:22 ("How can you not even have the unicorn frappucino?"). Like dang bro how abt u calm ur sass down and stop provoking Three even more? He does get a clear indication of Smg3's annoyance (8:51-8:52 Smg3 says "Shut up." to Four also stopping him from making another sassy remark) yet still continues. At 9:14 (Smg4:"So you admit you can't run a shop yet?") Four gives his snarky comment and all I can think of is how he intentionally made it harder for Three to run the dang shop. [Note: Tbh even someone who owned a shop would have a hard time with Smg4's Crew lets be fr.] Just like I said at the beginning of this paragraph I am starting to really believe Four wanted to be involved with Three somehow and the only way he knew how is by forcing conflict.

Characterization wise what surprised me is how even after two instances of Three yelling for the others to stop fighting they still continue on. Idk I just feel like they would've listened tbh. They were very... hyperactive I guess? The characters do act kinda like they should but it still felt odd to me for some reason. Eggdog as always has the best characterization tho, man do I like that silly egg thing. Anywho this wasn't the only thing that felt odd continuity wise. I would've thought Smg3 learnt to make proper coffee before he started up a cafe? Especially since he literally lived in a STARBUCKS??? Like I just think he would've idk tried making coffee before opening a cafe even if he didn't make any during his time in the Internet Graveyard. I did make up two explanations for this tho! One is that the dead memes (Specifically the funny lil knuckles) made the coffee during his time in the Internet Graveyard and the other is that he was just too anxiety/adrenaline ridden to make proper coffee. At the end of the day these things aren't huge issues for me but as I said before it did make me feel odd.

Smg4 getting called out for his sass was necessary for me to like this video so imma glad it happened and he doesn't just get away with his behavior. At 9:23 the realization of his silly shenanigans finally catch up to him and that means..... THE SMG34 PART OF THE EPISODE STARTS YEEHAW! Even though Smg4's and 3's confrontation felt just the tiny bit forced to me (probably Four's fault) it was so nice to see them being softer. I also really like how Three doesn't agree to Four's proposal without making some convoluted reasoning as to why this isn't just two pals helping each other out and is actually TOTALLY just a transactional thing. It feels really in character! Oh yeah since I need to put this somewhere at 9:47 Four is like "I want to help" and like... you made it harder and now you want to help? Better now then never tbh ^w^/

Jokes -> The joke at 2:27-2:34 made me chuckle ._. and that makes me somewhat disappointed in myself (You want it? Issa urs my friend is so real). 3:00 is also a joke I liked, it felt very relatable (I struggle with basic human stuff like buttons on a coffee machine also u_u aww man). 3:28-3:32 Decent joke! 4:12 having a Gmod Three bang the coffee machine was good but the sudden Pomni/Smg4 reaction wasn't for me :v (It is good for Au art tho, I've seen the Smg4 as Pomni art hehe ;P ). 5:55-6:05 Nice joke ^v^/ (Smg3 writing '1 jar of poison for Mario' was the cherry on top tbh). 6:29-6:35 just like the joke at three minutes the whole 'operating a coffee machine being like dark magic' is still funny to me. 7:35-7:38 7:45-7:46 the music that plays when the rainbow (acid) coffee is shown is cool. 8:34-8:49 The whole Tari going coo coo joke is honestly pretty unfunny ._. I did not like it :v. 10:44-10:45 'Cleaned up everything!' is such a funny pop up to put here. Joke APPROVED!

Joke wise I think this episode is actually quite solid. The one joke I really didn't like kinda puts it down but ignoring that issa cool ig :D (6,8/10)

Closing statement -> Dude Four on roller skates working at a cafe for Three? THIS IS JUST A FANFIC AT THIS POINT... and I am all for it ;D

[Note: I have no idea why I wrote this but I felt like it sooooo... YEAH! >:3 If you have any thoughts abt this ep I'd love to hear em ;o]

#smg4 #supermarioglitchy4 #smg4 smg3s bomb cafe #analysis #anons_C.A.R

[peachycrime]

SLK or Spider/Kiri/Lo'ak Headcanons

idk what these will be about tbh i’m just writing as i think of stuff lmao

Kiri had a phase where she was convinced she was a witch because everywhere she went an animal would just waddle up to her

Spider, Lo’ak and Jake talk to babies like they’re grown people, like no baby talk and it’s hilarious

Lo’ak was once holding a baby, and you know how you hold them high in the air and they’re above you? Yea they were having a moment and then the little creature threw up all over his shirt and started giggling right after

“Dude seriously? we were having a moment wtf” it took everything in him not to just drop the baby

Lo’ak would copy everything Jake did as a kid, his lil mini me fr

Lo’ak’s first words were either dad or Teyam

Spider and Lo’ak both have severe anger issues and lord knows what would happen if they ever turned on eachother abt that anger

Lo'ak is always reprimanded about the things he does, gets yelled at and gets in trouble in situations where he isn't truly at fault. Authority figures never let him explain himself and always assume he's lying or trying to makes excuses and they expect him to just take it and move on. He does, but all that annoyance and anger at a situation he can't help tends to come back up a lot.

With Spider on the other hand, adults can never seem to shut up with their backhanded comments,

"you're nicer than i thought you'd be considering your dad"

"Oh wow you're so smart I didn't think you'd get it'

"You look just like him" (in a bad way)

"Oh you're good at this, who would've thought"

All this stuff and he can't really say anything because he'd be proving them right. So he stays silent, doesn't argue back and boy does he hate it.

One time Neytiri made a comment on the wrong day at the wrong time and he honestly considered violence before he just silently walked out of the room. He definitely punches and breaks stuff but he tries to restrain himself which adds to the pent up anger

They've both used that anger on their bullies, Spider broke the guys nose and dislocated his shoulder by pulling it up his back and making him promise to never show his face again

Lo'ak just went straight to the punches, broke the dudes nose and left him slack jawed

So if you ever catch them in a slightly off mood and you even try to talk to them or act any sort of way, you're getting sent to the nurse. I'm sorry i don't make these rules

Kiri is the mediator, she doesn't want to be but she sometimes ends up being the most rational because when she's upset, anger isn't her default unlike the other two

Lo'ak collects comic books, Jake started the obsession and he went wild. Have a comic or manga you wanna borrow? Vintage or not it's probably in his room somewhere

Spider is a math genius, the formulas are just free balling in his head and it makes it easy for him.

He's also a literature enthusiast but has a hard time expressing his own ideas on paper, great public speaker though

Lo'ak definitely over analyzes his favorite characters, gets sad and cries silently abt it

Kiri is an all around science nerd, she goes to class just because she enjoys helping out w hands on science stuff, most of the content isn't new for her

Kiri despises chemistry, she understands it but finds it uninteresting. Ofc biology and botany are where it’s at

All language nerds

All great at physical education, i mean like the actually science behind the body, they have all the muscle names memorized etc

Kiri is their little jewel, Lo’ak especially, he tries to make it the least obvious but Spider definitely tells her how much Lo’ak cherishes her

Spider is very open with his affections, he just doesn’t feel the need to hide it, they live that loves that about him

Spider and Neteyam know how to cook a mean meal, put them in a kitchen together and you’re literally drooling at the smell

Spider is a spicy food enthusiast right along with Jake and Neytiri

Kiri has had a cat for 4 years, Jake has only known for 2 years because he used to be terrified of them and Kiri didn’t want him to freak out

He now carries said cat like it’s his mini purse

I’m all out

i’ll be delivering some locorro crumbs soon!

#lo’ak avatar #neteyam #spider kiri and lo’ak #avatar james cameron #avatar spider #avatar the way of water #neytiri #kiri sully #avatar headcanons #locorro

[chirpsythismorning]

I love it when milkvan accounts have "the superhero and the heart 💜💙" in their bios, like yesss address her by exactly what she doesn't wanna be seen as, and him as how his other love interest standing in the way of milkvan sees him

I can honestly say it's gotten to a point where I feel bad? Like, completely separate from byler obviously, just seeing some of their takes on things, it makes me feel pity almost because their interpretation of what's happening is just so superficial and yet they truly believe it's the most beautiful love story on the planet.

I'm not even the type of byler that hates milkvan tbh. I am a byler that was a milkvan back in the day. Like, I hate to admit this, I hate it so much, but I literally remember rewatching season 2 to prepare for s3's release and I skipped all of s2 practically so I could get to the end to rewatch their reunion! I was that bad!

For those that don't know, s2 was seen as like a big risk from Netflix's perspective, because they were scared that the show would tank since El wasn't with the boys again, specifically Mike, for the entire season. And so I can honestly say, at one point, I contributed to a large sector of fans back then who thought it was the Mike and El show and ended up missing a lot as a result. Though, upon coming across theories post s3 (Mike in front of the closet in Will's room was what opened my eyes officially), I remember rewatching s2 and seeing that shed scene and feeling instantly that it was romantic... And so apparently, all it took was me actually watching it instead of skipping over it to realize....

So that's probably a part of the problem for them still, is that they're watching the milkvan scenes with undivided attention (with rose-tinted goggles), and they're glossing over everything else. Even now, with one season left we still see them downplay Mike and Will's relationship by saying Mike hates Will? And that alone could not make it more obvious that they do not actually watch the show.

Most bylers on the other-hand are capable of watching milkvan scenes, multiple times, like we analyze them to death. And most of us are coming from a good place, genuinely trying to understand these two characters and where they are both coming from. Though, I have yet to see a byler scene be analyzed by milkvans? Like they just don't talk about them beyond downplaying them both romantically and platonically? I'm convinced they've seen every byler scene maybe once bc they were forced to on the first watch but they've avoided their scenes ever since... Not great for their ability to understand the show obviously.

Many of them do in fact view that first meeting in the woods as like them falling in love at first sight. And genuinely, A LOT of people got hooked on Stranger Things in the first place because of Mike and El and them sort of viewing all of their interactions as irrefutably romantic.

And that isn't inherently bad! It's not! But now when you add Will in the mix, you start to see the hypocrisy seep in through the cracks. And it's because by comparison, they view fans merely speculating about Mike's potential feelings for Will as something to be seen as perverted or gross. And so that for me, is when I sort of start to question the groundwork of milkvan.

Because quite frankly, I didn't see any of these people getting angry and defensive about how gross 99% of the audience was for shipping Mike and El in s1-2. As far as I can remember, the show was a hit in large part because it followed this very successful trope of self insert nerdy boy meets girl who is way more 'cool' than him, and people ate that shit up bc we always do. It's what we're used to. It's safe. From what I recall, no one had any problem with Mike trying to kiss El in his basement bathroom after like 3 days of knowing her, during a very traumatic time in their lives and only specifically after Lucas implied Mike was already in love with her and wanted to marry her at this point.

They saw that and said, that's love bitch.

And bylers say this all the time, but it is absolutely true: If the roles were reversed, if El was the best friend of Mike's who went missing and instead Will was a boy they found in the woods while looking for her, fans would have been saying this is obviously a best friends to lovers story between Mike and El!!!.. And that bathroom scene? If that happened between Mike and Will? They would have saw that and said what the fuck kind of sick shit is this.? And maybe it would have been in large part because the circumstances at play, bc it doesn't really matter to me personally when it comes to that situation whether it was a girl and a boy or a boy and a boy, it was an odd choice to make, plain and simple. And that's what I'm trying to say here. That to them, one is true love, and one is disturbing.

Mike's known Will longer. If he is queer (he is), then it's very likely he did have a crush on Will at the time he met El, not necessarily super consciously or anything. But even despite that, I don't think Mike would have felt comfortable with kissing Will in that situation, nor any other boy or girl. They prove this when Mike's makes that comment in s2, chastising Dustin and Lucas for merely being interested in getting to know Max, despite never having spoken a word to her? Like that tells you right there the circumstances and everything at play is what led Mike to try to kiss El in that moment, a moment that was unprecedented and never would have happened in any other scenario.

Even in the case they found Will in the woods instead of El, I don't even think that scene would have happened either? And this is because the whole point of it was for El to ask Mike if she was still pretty despite having a buzz cut (looking like a boy like everyone in the story has been hinting at us that entire season), for Mike to say pretty, really pretty, only for him to look visibly uncomfortable with himself, followed by trying to overcorrect this moment by kissing her.

That scene wouldn't make sense with Mike and Will bc it was happening in the first place because of heteronormativity. And it existing and people thinking it's like peak romance, is in and of itself proving the hypocrisy of an audience that is eventually going to call Will and Mike ending up together, coming out of nowhere and perverted...

Bc you just know if El was Mike's best friend, they never would have had any interest in Will as this boy they found with superpowers. They would have got those scenes of Mike looking everywhere for El and instantly latched onto the boy/girl slow-burn best friends to lovers trope.

The crazy together scene???? If that scene was between Mike and his best friend El, fans would have been rooting for it to end in a kiss... Why do you think the Duffers had that awkward long pause at the end? They were nodding to the fact that this audience is willing to see one thing, but not the other. Even when the thing they're willing to see is overcast by things that should make you a little bit more critical of it in the first place.

Putting Will or any other boy in El's place in that scene in the bathroom or other moments between Mike and El in s1 would have completely removed the romantic lens for most of the audience back then, and it's because... wait for it... HETERONORMATIVITY!

We as a society see a boy and a girl being nice to each other and pressure them to make it official. Hell no a boy and a girl can't just close friends. Either one of them is harboring secret feelings or one of them is gay.

Heteronormativity is literally why most of society latched onto these 2 characters, not necessarily the pieces that made up the whole. And so they have to make up excuses despite the circumstances bc it is so normalized that they don't think twice about it, because they've never had to think twice about it up to this point.

Stories have always catered to them. In fact, the stories we've been exposed to our whole lives has created the expectations we have in the first place.

And so like... I do feel bad but only bc I'm a decent person and don't like to see people hurting genuinely.

No doubt I will feel satisfaction seeing some folks who were hurtful to bylers get a taste of their own medicine, but I genuinely hope that they can eventually learn to accept it and appreciate the story for what the Duffers intend it to be when it's all said and done.

As for the superhero and the heart... again, I feel bad like genuinely, I don't know how to even explain the unnecessary guilt I feel that these strangers who I don't even know are going to be whiplashed tf out of next season...

#stranger things #anti milkvan #sorry that i sort of went off on a tangent #i just don't feel like i'm the type of byler to hate milkvan? #maybe it's bc ive reached a point where i feel zero threat to like byler or whatever? #but that's the thing #it's not even about shipping byler and like wanting them to be together #i've just been along for the ride this whole time and going along with what's presented #and byler is obvious to me based on the evidence #and so i like talking about it and analyzing it bc there is so much to still discover #if byler didn't happen i wouldn't like be heartbroken #i would just be like 100% genuinely confused #bc i'm not here bc i'm like queerbaited constantly #i'm here bc i like tv shows and movies and get fixated on ones that are smart and interesting every other year #and st is the fixation rn #and byler is like the life and blood atp #bc there's just soooooooo much! #hopefully milkvans will allow themselves to rewatch byler scenes finally post s5... #bc you just know most of them can't bc it makes it near impossible to convince themselves milkvan is superior... #like... it's obvious the show doesn't want you to feel that way by the end of s4 #so... #but it's inevitable they'll have to choose between being bitter forever or just simply accepting it and appreciating it for what it is #i wish them all well #besides like genuine homophobes who are pieces of shit #i look forward to them saying this was fanservice or last minute or something #that will be... peak entertainment

[merakiarchives]

OMG OMG WHAT ABOUT A SHORT FIC ABOUT THE READER GETTING INJURED AND WALKER GETS REALLY WORRIED!!?!?

Amazing writing btw <3

A/N: Holy shit Anon- your a genius. Tbh I wanted to write a part 2 but i didn’t know if I should. So thanks for the excuse to write part 2 ig. Also ty, I just started writing a few days ago and I’m surprised people like my writing.

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I Thought You'd Never Ask.

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Walker & BountyHunter!reader hcs here: Headcannons

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Characters: Walker x BountyHunter!Gn!Reader

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Genre: Angst/Fluff, Fic

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Prompt: While Walker and Reader are out on a mission, Reader gets stabbed in the back while trying to go after the target.

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Warnings: Blood, mentions of knives & guns, Stab wounds, Reader is a bit stubborn. Walker refers to reader as “Love”

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You take a glance back at the enemy's campsite. Although it's far behind you guys, the echoes against the canyon walls scream. Suddenly the canyon hit you two with a heatwave. The burning smell of wood and cloth in the air as the explosions set off.

You feel as if you should tell Walker. You know he's worried about you after any mission, contact, or no contact with enemies. You swore you could hear the assassin behind you. Or at least, almost did. By the time you could turn around the knife was already in your thigh.

Even though you feel like fainting, you don’t stop running behind Walker. Trying not to groan as ash burned over the two of you. You quickly tighten the sash you used as a bandage.

"Luv, are you alright..?" He asked as he turned around towards you. A look of fear drowns across his features. "What happened?! Shit.. you can't be using that as a bandage." He mutters, quickly ushering the two of you out the canyon and into the village, that was just outside.

Hiding the two of you in an alleyway. He presses his palm against your stab wound. Only grunting when you bite your lip and hold in a scream. "Why didn't you tell me. It's deep and you're quickly bleeding out." He hisses, hiding the both of you behind his cloak as the enemies run through the village. Looking for any possible guilty people.

Blinking slowly you sink towards the ground. Whimpering slightly as you come in contact with the floor.

“Hey, you can’t die on me today. Come here, I'll carry you back to the Inn. We'll be safer there. You think you can get on my back, luv?" He offers, offering a hand towards you.

"I'll be fine. I can get back to the Inn" You sigh, carefully. getting up next to him with a grunt. Taking off the makeshift bandage, you quickly analyze it. Only to yelp as Walker picks you up.

"Come on, we don't have time for you to be stubborn. How much pain do you feel? Did you need anything immediately when we get back?" He asks, quickly beginning break into the running stride with you in his arms.

"I don't feel pain. It's mainly numb and I feel really tired." You mumble, hiding your face in his chest. You can tell by the way he looks down at you that he means what he says, the way his eyes glister making you tear up.

"Good, good. God damnit luv. You can't scare me. Keep your eyes open and breathe." He guides you. Quickly weaving through the alleys and straight into your room once you return to the Inn.

"Everything is going to be alright. We will get you stitched up and I'll make your favorite dinner tonight." He promises. Swiftly cleaning the cut with water and a bit of cleaning alcohol. Grabbing a medical sewing kit and beginning to stitch the cut.

"Alright.. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Walker.. I just didn't want to make you think I'm fragile." You sigh, lying back on the bed and wincing when the needle punctures your skin again.

"I would never think of you as weak or fragile. I see you as my strong, independent, patient, and lovely significant other. And I'd never think less. So, please just rest for a bit." He smiles slightly. Closing of the stitch and pressing a kiss to your temple.

"mhm.. Just... cuddle with me for a bit..?" You ask, taking one of his hands in yours and pulling him in bed.

"Thought you would never ask." He chuckles.

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A/N I think I went overboard lol. Don't mind me writing this before I go to bed. D':

#afk arena x reader #afk journey x reader #meraki_archive writes #afk journey #afk arena #afk walker

[pumpkinrootbeer]

This could differ from person to person but I do believe that at the start, Evan genuinely just wanted to help the Murphys and wasn’t sure how to do that other than to lie and he felt trapped by his situation (for lack of a better word) and that was sort of influenced by what Jared said to him (“you’re seriously gonna tell them all they have left of their dead son is a weird sex letter you wrote?”), though of course I’m not trying to say Jared like, did that maliciously. As time went on, particularly in Act 2, Evan did start to act out selfishly and trying to use his lie with the Murphys as a means to get what he wants rather than actually helping them. I really like your posts analyzing them, honestly Evan and Jared’s dynamic is so interesting, and at the end of the day they’re both just like. Awful teenagers. They need couple’s counseling or something

i absolutely get you, and like you said they're just awful teenagers!! they're kids who are going through so much and have no support, they're going to do stupid shitty things. and of course you're absolutely free to your interpretations!! no shame in interpreting media differently then me :) that's the joy of fandom! And thank you!!! i have really enjoyed rambling abt these losers I love them so much <3

Also you've activated my autism beam and now i get to talk Abt my interpretations even more hahaha my perfect victory.

So first thing, yes! I 100% agree that Evan did want to help the Murphys and try and alleviate some of their pain at the start. But there's a shift at some point throughout the play where it's less about helping them and more about helping Evan, which I think most people agree on that at some point Evan's interests shift to being more self centered— it's just a matter of when that change occurs that people disagree on.

I'm of the opinion that the change happens, or at the very least starts to happen, very early on. I would say the moment Evan's motivations start to shift is when he says the line "They didn't want me to stop." while talking with Jared (and I am going to talk about my interpretation of Jared because I have so much to say about that freak 😭). This is the moment, for me, Evan realizes he's getting positive attention for lying. And that maybe he kind of likes it.

And I've said this in my other posts, but Evan isn't admitting to himself that that's why he's doing this! I don't think he's even aware of why he's really doing this. When he says he's doing it for the Murphys, he genuinely believes that.

The moment where I think he's 100% doing it for himself, even though he doesn't realize it, is Disappear. Because Connor's memory is already forgotten and they are parading this fake version of him around, a fake version of Connor that makes Evan look better and one that is actively causing real Connor to get forgotten faster. And Evan admits in the song that it's also because he doesn't want to be forgotten, which is not this horrible awful thing to feel! Evan isn't a bad person because he doesn't want to be invisible. I don't think Evan is a bad person at all!! What he does that's bad is hijack this tragedy for himself, a thing that again, he doesn't even realize he's doing.

i would definitely agree with you that by act 2, everything is mostly for himself. Cue the "It's not my fault other people can" line. Which I would argue is probably the cruelest thing Evan says in that entire show 😭, and then we get Good for You where Evan realizes things are starting to fall apart and that Alana isn't completely unaware and Evan's hurt her and his mom cares so much and has been so hurt by what Evan has done and that Jared isn't going to always be at his beck and call to write more emails whenever Evan needs him to, and that he's also been hurt by Evan's actions. Probably the most important song in the whole musical tbh. And THEN we get Words Fail where Evan just finally has to come to terms with why he's been doing everything, and it's also such a crucial moment for Evan's character Words Fail baby I love youuuuu.

So yeah! I agree that Evan started out with pure intentions, felt trapped, and then ended up finally feeling seen. He's a complicated character that I think gets watered down to a one dimensional poor anxious bean too much, it does a HUGE disservice to his character. I love canon Evan my perfect asshole son WAAAYYY more than fanon Evan did nothing wrong ever he's too anxious to hurt anyone.

With Jared, I actually think one of the most interesting things about him is that line!! Why does he tell Evan to not come clean? He has nothing to gain from it, he isn't even using the lie to get closer to Evan yet because the lie doesn't really exist! And you can't even argue that he's trying to sabotage Evan in this moment because there's nothing to suggest Jared ever actively tries to ruin Evan's life.

Sure, he says he would if he had that letter but nothing in the show suggests that's something Jared would do. He keeps Evan's lie for him the entire show, even when he has no reason too. Jared had cause and means to ruin Evan's life, but chooses not to again and again. So I'd definitely agree that he's not acting with malintent.

How I read that line, and obviously people are free to disagree, is concern. He is genuinely worried about Evan here and what Evan telling the Murphys will do to Evan. It's not even self preservation because he has nothing to do with this yet!

And because Jared is... well Jared, him looking out for Evan is telling him not to come clean! Nod and confirm, boys. Nod and confirm. Like it's this really imperfect, messy answers right? Because he's a teenager whose go to answer is not telling people shit about what's going on with him. Like, so many of Jared's problems would be solved if he knew how to talk to people, like "Hey Ev you're my only friend and you inventing a fake friend who is your best friend kinda sucks and hurts my feelings. Also this thing you're doing is weird and selfish xoxo love Jared." But he can't say that, because he's well. he's Jared.

And then he just offers to write these emails for Evan, and then continuously tries to do shit for Evan in the second act when Evan wants fuck all to do with him it's literally insane how Jared acts. "I can't do any more emails this weekend I have to hang out with my REAL friends 🙄🙄" to immediately "wait I can help with the project please please involve me in your life" like the lie isn't really holding up there Jared 🤨🤨 and then the invite for Evan to come over and drink and just shoot the shit with him he's clearly so desperate for his friend but he's also such an asshole he had to constantly push Evan away at the same time 😭😭😭😭 OHHHH I love them.

#:v #ask #anon #jared kleinman #evan hansen #dear evan hansen #kleinsen #THANK YOU FOR THE EXCUSE TO RAMBLE ABOUT MY BLORBOS..... #any chance to talk abt Jared and Evans fucked friendship is one I will take in a heartbeat #I never want people to feel like they have to agree with what I'm saying #i am not the arbiter for deh lore of course and people can read Evan as perfectly innocent and Jared the devil on his shoulder #I think they're WRONG but they're free to do so of course #not saying that that's what you think btw anon!! #I honestly agree with basically everythin u said <3

[jovenshires]

I feel like the real problem with the shourtney isn't the weirdo (affectionate) tumblr side but stuff like tiktok. Bc with almost every other ship it is only weirdo tumblr kind of people that treat it as ficition but with shourtney there are so many normies that are doing truther shit.

Tiktok is so so so so bad. There is a tiktok with half million views analyzing courtney and shayne selfies and account of their family to "prove" that they are a couple.

They scare me.

I am not part of either group but if you a weirdo tumblr shourtney shipper just know that when people complain about shourtney "shippers" they are talking about the second group of people mostly.

(sorry for so many people using your inbox to do ship "discourse" haha, I am doing too but feel free to ignore and delete this if you don't want to talk about it anymore)

okay so to start off - totally agree with you that it's not really tumblr that's the problem. i will say i don't go into the sh/ourtney tag (bc. not my monkeys not my circus) but at least as far as the mutuals i have that do ship sh/ourtney, they're super chill about it! as we do, they treat the dynamic as purely fiction, they don't ya know. harass anyone.

i (and i say this thankfully) am not REALLY on smoshtok. i get the occasional smosh men or angela thirst edits and that is About it. but i will say this: you all know i am totally against tinhatting in all senses of the word. i try to stay as far away from those sides of every social media platform. so i'm with you, that shit is nasty.

but even after all that - i saw that tiktok. multiple friends sent me that tiktok. i didn't like it or anything or engage with it on purpose but i saw it. and then i found out later that they were both tagged in it, as was the official smosh account. my brother in christ i truly wish i'd never seen it. i think its one thing to look at a picture and be like 'omg they're so cute here' but another thing to compile it as evidence and throw it back in their faces. at that point, it feels like forcibly outing an aspect of their life that they clearly either do not want to or cannot discuss. they are still people with a right to privacy. rpf is just that - fiction. this is something different and i hope they one day have the clarity to see that.

tbh i really appreciate your input; you worded it much better than i did!! this is what i was talking about when i said that this epidemic isn't a huge thing here on tumblr, and i think a lot of that is in part bc the cast isn't here for us to interact with. the official smosh blog has been dead for years and as far as i know (?) none of the cast uses tumblr anymore. i was thinking more of the instagram, tiktok, and some twitter fans. (twitter is a mixed bag though and i won't get into that here. ever.) 9 times out of 10 i am Not talking about tumblr fans when i critique shipping at large. (that is to say not always. we can always work on ourselves and grow as a community. i, myself, am always learning and growing.)

anyway! i wanted to publish this ask, because i think it's very succinct and touches on a subject that i think was very valuable to this discussion (re: tinhatting). this ask is totally fine and did not cross a line in any way and i genuinely appreciate the thought you put into sending it!! that being said - this is probably the last ask i will publish on the subject. though i adore you all and i want you to feel free to speak your piece, frankly, i would also like to maintain my peace knnfnfk i do think that these discussions are important and worthwhile but that being said. i am just one lil guy.

#discourse #shourt crit #rpf #shipping #tinhatting #fandom crit #shipping crit #ask #asks #anon #anonymous #with all the love in the world. tomorrow is my birthday. im already emotional enough and the whole thing is in some ways making it worse so #for my mental health im just gonna be deleting any more asks ab this bc i think we've talked it to death kdnknknf #long post

[imakeublush]

so i found out about the void 10 days ago, and I found that meditating was harder for me. It didn't matter to me, because I was going to keep persisting anyways since we are the gods of our realities. Around four days ago though, I discovered that we could go into the void through lucid dreaming. I was delighted, because I used to lucid dream everyday(not anymore, but i pretended i still did so i could get back back into it faster). Today I finally entered the void!!! but... I didn't wake up with my desires manifested (I wanted to wake up in my desired room and a lot of other things). I wholeheartedly believe in the void and when I woke up I was shocked ngl cuz I truly believed it would work, and I still do. I am still going to persist because I truly believe it would work, so I wanted your opinion on why you think it didn't work and what I should do next time. Here's what I did: I simply affirmed for four days that I always lucid dream and get into the void easily. I had already created my void list and I also created a void board on pinterest. For the first two days of trying lucid dreaming, I didn't lucid dream but I kept persisting because I knew I would make it. On the third day, I lucid dreamt but I didn't go into the void because I was busy trying not to get killed 💀(ik i should've just made them vanish or sum). Today was the fourth day, and I made it. So I was doing something in a pink room, and suddenly I remembered I was dreaming. It just hit me and I was like LETS GOOO. So then I made a door appear. It was the same door I've been visualizing except there was no knob. I opened the door anyway and I could see the other side of the room. So i thought, maybe I have to affirm this door will be the portal to the void but before I could do that my brother appeared out of nowhere and put a purple knob on the door (I visualized a pink knob, but I was happy so i didn't care). When I opened the door I could see the void, it was black (I visualized a pink void but again I was oki with it just happy I made it, although I always knew I would make it). I didn't affirm it would lead me to the void so not sure if that's the reason the things didn't manifest, but it felt like the void. I felt like I didn't have a body and there was nothing. It was so peaceful. After that I didn't affirm "i am pure consciousness" or "i am in the void" because I thought I was already in the void.

I started affirming right away, "I have everything on void list, void board, and more" "I woke up with everything on my void list, void board, and more" "I shifted to a reality where I have everything on my void list, void board, and more" "I have everything I want and more" (do you think these affirmations were confusing or were they good?)

Once I felt like it was enough, I stopped and I was like alright I'll go to sleep now LMAOO. Then I exited the void and I had a wierd dream where people came out of my current room and were like "yeah we lied to you the void isn't real."

and I was like wtf who are these negative people trynna put their negative beliefs on me. so I woke myself up cuz I wasn't abt to put up with them 🙄. When I woke up I was shocked, because I really believed that I would wake up in my desired reality with all of the thing on my list and board.

After that I started analyzing things and tbh I don't know why it didn't work because I believe with my whole heart and soul. Maybe my subconscious or sum didn't?

Please guide me and give me your advice, I would really appreciate 🫶. either way, Imma keep going for right now and try tweaking things a bit and see if that works. I won't give up !!! (btw sorry for this super long post 😭)

so first of all congrats on getting into the void so quickly! however, i personally do not recommend lucid dreaming to enter the void because based of many success stories i’ve read when you do it that way, it gets kind of confusing. there’s nothing wrong with those affirmations, but i’m pretty sure if you didn’t wake up with everything you wanted, it wasn’t the void. like you said, you didn’t affirm that the door led to the void, so maybe it just felt like the void but it wasn’t? i’m sorry if this doesn’t help, but next time make sure you affirm it leads to the void. 🎀💗

#loa #law of assumption #ask #loassumption #neville goddard

[dekusleftsock]

You mentioned in an earlier post that Izuku never takes the time to process his own emotions and his reactions to situations. What do you think would change if he did? Like, how would an Izuku who is learning to process his emotions differ from the old Izuku? We've talked before about how Izuku isolates himself emotionally from other people, but I was wondering about what parts of Izuku do you think he doesn't want to see? For instance, we've said he doesn't like his negative emotions and he's often ashamed of himself for having them. We've said that compared to other characters he feels strangely mysterious. I've seen some posts before saying that Izuku's opinions on society are hard to understand because he often doesn't express them. Both before and after getting his quirk he's faced some very harsh treatment from society, yet his opinion on said society remains...strangely hard to decipher. Personally, I get the sense that he's often so worried on reaching his goals and keeping people safe that he simply doesn't let himself come to conclusions about things. Nor do I think he would let himself express it if he deemed those emotions selfish in nature. The narrative surrounding Izuku has always been strangely hard to discern, but it's given me the sense that we're supposed to view Izuku's brand of selflessness and lack of selfishness as a flaw, not a value. It started with critiquing the consequences his selflessness brought about, and lately it seems (to me at least) to have grown into criticizing the way he never takes himself into account. Before now, the story hasn't felt like it's pushed Izuku to have an opinion on the political issues that are going on, simply to prevent things from falling apart. The more he thinks about Shigaraki though and is confronted about his flaws, the more it feels like the narrative is pushing him to decide what he believes (instead of simply reacting). I hope this made sense, it was hard getting my exact thoughts out since not many people mention Izuku's lack of opinions. Sorry if it didn't.

Thank you for the questions! I try to get these out about a day or two after people send an ask but uh, irl stuff happened recently and it’s been a bit rough in general.

I think how much Izuku will change solely depends on how much horikoshi does or doesn’t know about emotional intelligence. Since uraraka and Katsuki have both changed a lot when their emotional intelligence improved, I’m gonna say he at the very least knows enough to have done therapy at some point in his life.

The thing with analyzing vs processing emotions is that it’s a very new age idea. I’ve seen therapists online explain that they didn’t actually know what processing emotions meant and they just told it to clients and it worked for some people and not for others. But it is something pretty integral to how people get past old wounds and trauma. Tbh with you, a diary is one of the best ways to actually do that, same with venting to someone. You are sitting in your own emotions and just.. going. Some people solely do it through therapy by talking about surface issues which slowly unravel the bigger ones.

Most people already process emotions one way or another but Izuku just keeps going all the time, always. Never takes a step back to look at everything. Never uses critical thinking for anything that is not inherently selfless. If he were to not take the step back to really look at it all, he would run himself into the ground and kill himself.

So, how would new Izuku change from old Izuku? Healthy reactions to emotions is really the big one. Also healthy and thoughtful reactions to anyone he cares about almost dying; like Katsuki. He has to accept who he loves and really analyze why he feels something, so he can be happier and healthier.

Healthy is really up to perception. It’s a healthy balance between Izuku’s personality and how a happier Izuku looks. Not only would he not set his value on how close he can get to suicide in order to save someone, it would also stop those extreme reactions.

Think of ofa as Izuku’s emotions. At the beginning it is all or nothing, much like his middle school years. Then it’s some or everything, like in high school. Ofa is a manifestation of his emotional intelligence in the actual manga, but it’s also an overall metaphor for how he grows up. The more control and closer Izuku gets to emotional maturity, the more control Izuku gets over ofa. We’re in the final stretch, he’s reigned in on most of his emotions, except those having to do with Katsuki. That’s because his emotions having to do with Katsuki are what he fears the most. Along with how Katsuki has become his weakness; therefore Katsuki is in danger constantly because of how much Izuku cares about him.

When Izuku started using shoot style and his legs for his main fighting style, he realized his own internal distaste of all might due to how he wants to be his own hero. When he was rescued during his vigilante arc, he realized his fear of being vulnerable. When his mother apologizes for not telling him the things he needs to hear, he understands the hidden distasteful emotions he has of his mom.

He’s been emotionally maturing at a snails pace, but that’s because of his trauma and toxic masculinity.

I also believe (and this may just be me projecting lol) that he has some kind of internalized homophobia. Homophobia/transphobia was established when big sis mag was misgendered and toga/twice got defensive of her. “Don’t that make that mistake again”

We all know Izuku’s quote during deku vs kacchan part 2 when he calls his feelings “gross”. I think it fits really well into internalized homophobia, especially because of just how relatable it is. It’s also (again) tongue and cheek with the homophobic fans. Making Izuku call his feelings gross shows EVEN MORE how much Izuku was made to make fun of dudebros who watch the show.

I just don’t see the point in establishing that transphobia/homophobia exists if it won’t be relevant to our two secretly queer characters. (Izuku and ochako) But, I’ve said this before, projection and bias is apart of any analysis, and that includes my own. Don’t take my words by law, rather as guides for what YOU take away. Stories have purpose in showing a message, yes, but in some aspects, projecting onto storytelling can make it equally as fulfilling to us.

Back to Izuku tho. Izuku has never truly processed a feeling to do with “kacchan” ever. Throughout the entire show it has either been met with thinly veiled envy, anger, and this silly little emotion that he doesn’t know what it is yet. Love to us, quite obviously, but not to him. He just doesn’t know. He understands who Katsuki is on every level, just not what he means to Izuku. Or maybe he does. That’s the amazing thing about horikoshi keeping Izuku’s thoughts under wraps; right now, we get to make our own interpretations.

However, if you want to know more about Izuku and his relations to Katsuki, this post (along with dekacchannn’s other posts) and the entirety of angy-grrr’s queer hypothesis are great places to find those things. I saw you sent an ask to angy-grrr recently, so I’m sure you’ve probably read some already, but their post of shojo vs shonen is one of my favs.

Rambling again. Anyway, what parts do I think Izuku doesn’t wanna see? His anger, romantic feelings, and, most of all, his deep rooted distaste of certain people around him who have hurt him. (purposefully or not) Now, this isn’t to say anyone around him is necessarily a bad person, but part of maturity is being able to say “you hurt me and I want to heal from that” regardless of how much that guilt will hurt that person. People make mistakes, we’re all human, and that’s made a point in mha frequently. I’m of the opinion that endeavor is learning to be a good father and husband, and he is not owed forgiveness but it is good if one of the people who he hurt chooses to forgive.

You should never let the guilt of someone else stop you from healing. It’s your trauma. You get to choose how much or how little someone knows, yes, but some things require you to talk about the mistake with the person. Izuku is selfless, ofc, so he would rather deal with it all completely on his own if he has to deal with it at all, but he’s afraid of what he may dislike about someone. He’d feel so guilty if he was still holding onto any feelings.

Do I think he’s holding onto old wounds? No, surprisingly. Like I said before, after certain events he realized why he felt the way he did and also what caused those aggressive reactions. In fact, he even talks about how he feels about allmight in 348.

This is old news to him. He’s reciting something he’s known for a while, seeing as he’s literally thinking of battle strategies while he talks to her. This line about shutting down izu//ocha for good, (as he’s directly saying he does not experience love the way that uraraka does) about how he won’t say Katsuki, (to not shut down bkdk) and also to show a glimpse into Izuku’s feelings of allmight.

Does this mean I think he has fully processed or analyzed an emotion in his life? NOPE! Does this mean I think he’s almost there? Absolutely.

As for political opinions I think it’s a similar situation as his love of Katsuki because he feels like he’d somehow be betraying allmight or being on the villains side. Propaganda uses our abilities with pattern recognition and societal expectation to fit in by telling you that “this is the norm. There is something wrong with you if you do not believe in x”, and hero society uses propaganda frequently to shame people into shape. Keep them in line. Anyone who does not fit into this formula is useless/villainous and we should shame them until they either break and become what they “truly are” (a villain) or make them fit this standard.

My hero uses the war propaganda old comics in the US but in a way that actually shows you how this perception is warped. You yourself have talked about how mha manages to actually be more optimistic and peaceful than shows like SU even though it dabbles in darker themes. (Child abuse, poverty, ableism)

If you’ve watched any tv show/movie ever, there will always be propaganda in it one way or another. Studio ghibli movies tend to show a more anti war and hopeful message than the classic Disney movies.

Anyway, this is all to say, that Izuku is prone to propaganda. He feels like if he has an opinion at all that he is villainous. It’s why uraraka didn’t really have an opinion either until recently. It’s the fear that if you call out anything wrong with heroes, that you will be labeled as someone you aren’t. The shame of just saying ANYTHING is wrong is THERE. If hawks talks about how the hero commission basically made him a child soldier, then he is apart of the league. And yeah, I may not have explained this in the best way either, but I honestly believe most of why Izuku is so apolitical seems to have to do with shame. Idk, maybe I’m wrong, not SUPER confident in this, but yeah. Partly propaganda/cultural norms, partly the fear of being isolated, and partly not actually taking time to process his feelings ever.

Anyway, hope this made sense. I talk too much about a lot of topics as per usual, but ig that’s what y’all are here for anyway lol

I’m not rereading this bc like I said a lot of irl stuff happening so I hope I answered this in a way that made sense

#bkdk #midoriya izuku #mha deku #bkdk brainrot #bakudeku #bakugou katsuki #bnha deku #mha analysis #deku midoriya #mha bakugou #leftsock rambles

[will80sbyers]

One of the things that made me stop reading analyses in the Byler fandom is how people just tend to pick 'parallels' that they like while ignoring or dismissing other parallels that do not suit their takes. Especially the most/more obvious parallels that are put on the show. For example Byler being paralleled to other romantic ships show that byler is also romantic but apparently Mlvn being paralleled to Byler and other romantic ships don't count as a romantic parallel. Mike being paralleled to Vickie apparently isn't a parallel because it doesnt support the intended *parallel meaning*. They literally framed Vickie and Mike in the same way and gave them same lines while paralleling Vickie's ex and El, and Will/Robin.

People will analyze all Byler scenes back and forth to show how it's romantic meanwhile completely ignoring Mlvn's romantic moments on the show. Even when Byler itself literally parallels Mlvn..... And it happens all the time not just with parallels but with other stuff like framing/editing or set design clues.

And these are not even ''minuscule details'' or ''subext'' stuff that you have to analyse. They are like the most obvious parallels that the show put.

Dont get me wrong, i like finding clues and reading analyses but they just kinda feel extremely... disingenuous sometimes when you just pick stuff that you like while ignoring other stuff just bc it doesnt support your argument.

Yeah, I get why you feel like this!!

I don't understand the point of ignoring those parallels too, the existence of byler-minteven parallels is part of why I can't think Matrioska is not romantic, that and like also the framing of their scenes where they are framed with a romantic meaning very very often, especially in the first seasons but also in season 4 they have some moments framed as romantic too!

I didn't stop reading the theories because of that though, I hear people out many times even if I don't personally agree and I like seeing all the little details that maybe could be intentional... But I do stop reading the theories in the posts when they are phrased in a way that sounds pretentious to me or seems like they are saying that if you don't think that then you are stupid, but even in that case I just ignore it as long as there is no biphobic idea involved I'm fine with people ignoring what they want to ignore in the show... I just don't care xD

I think it's also a thing about a different interpretation of stuff, I tend to not be able to ignore the big picture of what I see all together, so stuff like the "boys only" thing or the drawing in El's room etc doesn't seem like a good enough reason to say Mike is gay to me I see it as sort of general queer coding for Mike like saying "from now on for you it's only one boy aka Will"

But I also see him as acting genuine with El and also liking kissing her a lot in s3 and other people watch that and are convinced he hates it because he moves her hands...so I just think it's all about the subject that is watching for some things and it can never be super objective because of that unless you are literally the writers

But you know, I still think they all should be allowed to ignore what they want tbh even if I think taking that into consideration gives the best fair judgement on the show if you try to be the most objective possible by looking at everything... but like I'm not here to police people about what they should talk about in the tag so I just skip it and continue my day lol I get annoyed if the arguments used are clearly born from biphobia, for the rest I don't care much tbh

in the end it's not that important if he's gay or bi or just queer the important thing is that he's happy and kissing Will Byers next season

But I definitely still think he's a messy bisexual until they confirm he's not, because that's what makes sense to me for now 🌈

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #el hopper byers #ask #bi mike wheeler

[crackedramblings]

Notes from 24.3.24

I've been trying to analyze myself and why I got drawn into CA's channel and the group. The logical part of my mind never really believed some of what she talked about; as you know I even left the group at one point as life got really tough and it wasn't serving me. But I came back because I really did hear the group in my mind calling me. I still feel that I know some of you on a soul level. You, K, a few others feel familiar (not Mort though haha). Even if none of this turns out to be real (I never saw any alien ships, I'm still salty about it) I still believe in a HS. Even if none of this is true, part of me that wanted me to follow this road for some reason. Why? What was it?

I never even cared about a recall, tbh. I don't think I ever told anyone in the group this but I took the first two doses of the thing. It wasn't even necessarily that I was scared of getting sick. I just ... didn't care if the thing hurt me. I really, really didn't. I decided to be a willing guinea pig because, if it turned out to be toxic, who cares? I'm ready to go. I felt that way three years ago, and I still feel that way. Sure I have moments of fun on this planet, moments of enjoyment; music and food, cute cat antics, etc. But if I got a bad diagnosis tomorrow and I was given the choice of treatment, I'd likely just say 'no thanks, give me pain pills and leave me alone.' This world is not my home, like they used to say in my church. So many people in the group were worried about whether or not it would hurt people and for me, for myself, I just didn't care in the least. So I took the first two and never got any more. Ironically it was my mom of all people that absolutely refused to take it. It even irritated me at first. She was already in poor health, what did she care? She kept talking about infertility, as if she was in her 30s or something. I'm pretty sure she thought (and still does) that it's the mark of the beast or whatever.

But nevertheless, I took it, and I'm still here, and maybe I've had ill effects (all the heart fluttering? idk) but maybe not. Maybe I've just lived an American life fill of crap food and crap soda and sitting on the couch and now that I'm almost fifty freaking years old, it's caught up with me. Maybe it was all just another one of the stupid endless games my HS plays to keep itself entertained. Similar to the stupid endless stories my mind makes up to keep myself entertained. Because this world is just crap. I've heard spiritual people say 'Oh your HS is thrilled to be here' but I call BS. I can't find joy here. You know with all this free time I have not working (and boy does that trigger some people) I've not done anything worthwhile (and that triggers people even more). My latest idea is I want to start getting into whisky. Such a 3D thing. I mean several of my ancestors were alcoholics so, why is this even crossing my mind? What is my HS playing at?

Did I make the idea of my HS up? Is life here so incredibly intolerable that I created an idea of an HS just to make it more bearable? I don't think I did, I think it's real. And I really don't want to part ways with my HS, I really don't. But for whatever reason it wanted me to believe in what CA was telling us. Even if it turns out to all be a story to entertain us for three years.

Maybe I'm just resisting. IDK. Maybe not. But I can't make any sense of it. All I can do is keep eating, sleeping, doing laundry, all the crap human stuff that I have to do every day. I can't even stop, like I told myself once. I can't stop doing this stuff. I'll need an outside force to stop me. Or what I perceive as one.

IDK. I'm in a mood. Maybe it'll become clear. Maybe not. Maybe this was all an exercise to get me writing, which I'm supposed to be doing anyway according to my QHHT session. Blah.

[quaranmine]

Book Reviews with Quara

Since I keep talking about audiobooks, now I want to do a sort of mini book review of the books I've read since starting to "seriously" pick up reading again last year. Also I just like typing about things. I'm skipping Fire Season by Philip Connors and Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams because I've spoken about them already. Keep in mind I am not super-super critical of reading material; generally if I enjoyed it I'm giving 5 stars. If I disliked it though I get a lot more critical because then I want to start analyzing what didn't work for me. Now go forth and learn about what my reading taste is when I'm not reading/writing angsty mcyt fanfic!

Books I loved, aka 5 stars:

Cold Storage by David Koepp

This was the first book I checked out from Libby and it was a banger. I am still trying to replicate that high tbh. When I gave my mom access to my library card in Libby (her rural library has nothing and my city library has everything) I made her check it out too. The narration on the audiobook is fantastic. My mom raved about the narration and basically says she doesn't want to check anything out that wasn't as good--regularly her reviews to me are "good narrator, not as good as that Cold Storage book" lmao. You may know David Koepp as the guy who wrote the Jurassic Park screenplay. This is his first novel.

It's about a mutated fungus that is a sci-fi version of the very real Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, which is more commonly known as the zombie-ant fungus. In this book, a version of Cordyceps can infect all lifeforms, including humans, and has been locked away deep in a former US military vault that has since been sold and converted into an underground storage facility. The plot follows two unlikely protags who work in the storage facility, as well as the two retired military people who are the only ones to have seen the fungi in action, as they try to prevent it from being released into the world. It's funny, horrifying, and gory.

They are making a movie of this book. The release date is tentatively 2024, but I worry about it because I have heard so little news on it. They did do filming though. I have high hopes because they cast Joe Keery as a main character, which I think is perfect casting for the guy in question. I have low hopes because they cast Liam Neeson, a white man, as a character who was originally Hispanic and (as I just noticed while writing this) changed the character's name to be more white. Ugh. Who is Robert Quinn and what did you do with Roberto Diaz???????

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

What if you got kidnapped and woke up in a parallel world where everybody knew who you were, but they think you're someone else? What if you're just a quantum physics professor, but this other version of you is a successful theoretical researcher? What if your wife never married you in this universe, and your son was never born? How do you get back home? This book is constantly pulling out interesting new questions, twists, and places to explore. Also I liked that while it does feature romance pretty prominently, it's about a guy who just really loves his wife of 15 years and wants to see her again. I just like it when men love their wives.

Also, a fair amount of Goodreads reviews poke fun at this author for having way too much fun hitting the enter key on his keyboard, but since I listened to the audiobook I never had to deal with any annoying formatting choices lol

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I feel like we all know about this one already, tbh. If you don't, heavy tw for child abuse and eating disorders. Tread carefully. It's worth it though if you are confident you won't get triggered. If you haven't read it I recommend the audiobook specifically because Jennette narrates it herself and that gives the book so much extra. It was a 6 hour audiobook and I was gripped by it all day.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

BACKWARDS TIMELOOP BABEYY!!! This one was great. It's about a Mom who witnesses her teenage son kill a man. Every day she wakes up in the past again until she can solve why this happened, the mystery leading up to it that entangles her family, and try to prevent it. First she ways up the day before, then two days, then three, then a two weeks, then a few months, then a few years--until her son hasn't even been born yet. I enjoyed it. Also a plus for British accent narrator (can you tell I'm American....)

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

This one was fun. I checked it out because it was longish and I had to drive like 8 hrs roundtrip for a work trip, so I listened to this the entire way. It's about a (Canadian) woman named Mallory who was a police detective in the modern day, who gets attacked while out for a jog in Edinburgh, Scotland. The attacker strangles her and she goes unconscious. When she wakes up, however, she finds herself in someone else's body--in the Victorian era. She's now a 19 year old housemaid, and has to adapt as quickly as possible to avoid suspicion. She quickly finds out that she works for a man named Dr. Duncan Gray, who is a medical examiner. And there's a person who's been murdered in a very similar way to how Mallory herself was attacked. And she's quickly finding out that the person who's body she's in was not well-liked.

My favorite part about this one is the emphasis it has on early forensics in Victorian Scotland. Dr. Gray is a fantastic character and it is so interesting to see him doing his lil cutting-edge forensics research (which Mallory, being educated in modern times, wants desperately to help him with.) Also the narrator, while being Canadian, does Scottish accents for all the Scottish characters. I'm not the best person to ask as someone who isn't Scottish but I thought the accents sounded pretty good lol

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

My mom recommended this one to me. It's also a lot of fun. The title is, mostly, accurate. Ernest Cunningham (protag) is a writer, who mostly creates how-to books for mystery novelists he sells on Amazon. No, he doesn't write mysteries, he just writes the how-to books. But he's very well-versed in the "rules" of how to write a classic mystery! He promises that, as the narrator of this story, he will always be an entirely reliable narrator. The book itself is obviously fiction but within the narrative of the book, it is being told like a nonfiction account of something that the main character is writing down. This book is sort of a bottle mystery--strange murders while everyone is snowed in at a ski resort during a family reunion, anyone? The main character is funny and breaks the fourth wall often. I am convinced that there is a separate audiobook specific version since the narration within the book references it being an audiobook. The main character will be like "so, you probably realize this isn't the real killer, since we still have 4 hours of the book left to listen to" lol. I almost want to check out a print copy of this to see if the text is different.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

First one on the list that I didn't listen to as an audiobook. Honestly, I probably read this book in 4 hours flat. Three of those hours just dead-focused while on a plane (with the book's hold expiring as soon as I landed and took my phone off airplane mode.)

I don't really know how to explain this one. I don't think I understood what it was about until I actually got like 4 chapters in and then I couldn't stop. It's just off-the wall ridiculous. There are talking cats. There are dolphins that want to unionize. There is a volcano lair. There are explosions and assasination attempts. There is a reasonably bleakly accurate capitalist picture of what "villainy" means in our world. There is a poor main character in over his head as he learns he's inherited all this from an uncle he never saw. This book is like...satire comedy. Comedy and outlandish but you're also depressed about billionaires a little while reading it.

Books I thought were Okay (3-4 stars but actually I gave both these 4 stars I think)

The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

The second book to the book I mentioned above. Honestly, I remember very well what the first book was about (i typed the summary by memory) but I have trouble remembering specifics about this one. It's a bit too long as well, at 14 hours. I don't have anything bad to say about it, I just didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one.

But honestly I do remember it was still a good time. I just really like Dr Gray as a character and the setting, early forensic science focus, etc. These books are also setting up to be an EXTREME slow burn romance between Gray and Mallory, which I don't mind. (Literally by book 2 the most we have is that she thinks he's attractive, so at this rate it will take us 3 more books to get anywhere lol.) I will be checking out the 3rd book when it is released this spring.

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moines

Also a book that suffered from being too long. It's a 12 hour audiobook but I think that it could have been 8 or 9 hours and gotten the same point across. My mom recommended this to me. It's narrated by Daisy Ridley, who does a good job. I enjoyed it, but I also started to feel like I really wanted it to be done?

Also unsure how to describe this one. Slightly-contrived-but-cute plot about how a bag switch up in a gym connects two women's stories. One is a, frankly quite annoying, American woman who married rich but has now been completely cut off from her money (and even passport) by her ex-husband who's cheating on her with a younger woman. One is a British woman with low self-esteem and a bad job who is struggling to keep her family afloat while her husband suffers from severe depression. I think my favorite was a side character named Jasmine who brought light to every scene imo.

Books I disliked (2 stars but after writing this review I almost want to make it 1 star)

Aurora by David Koepp

David I really believed in you after Cold Storage. But imo, this book isn't it. It throws away every interesting part of its apocalypse-level plot to focus on the characters. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a good character-focused plot, except I never connected with anyone in the book. I just kind of didn't enjoy any of them. This is a story that is supposed to be about a solar flare taking out all electricity and communications for most of the world. And it only covers like a few days after the disaster AND THEN TIME SKIPS LIKE 8 MONTHS UNTIL EVERYTHING IS HAPPILY SOLVED NEIGHBORHOOD UTOPIA STYLE. I'm sorry????? Assuming I can believe that this little suburban Illinois cul-de-sac has managed to set up subsistence farming in a few months and is living perfectly happily, why would you....not show me how that happened.....

Also the "everything fits together" character moment at the end felt unearned. I was like yeah, okay, I guess this slots together. But the author didn't earn that moment for me. Instead of connecting with the characters and the plot and getting invested I felt like I was just being....told that everything worked out?? Or told that this was an important moment instead of actually Feeling the moment? It's hard to explain but I was like ok great thanks let's all go home now.

Sigh. I just can't get over the whole "throwing away the most interesting part of your setting" part. Again. Why would you spend a significant time setting up the science and how much of a disaster the solar flare is and then not show any of the characters figuring out how to survive it long-term....?

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

This book has such a high rating. It's very popular right now. It took me like 12 weeks of waiting for my hold to come up, and that's with the library having 7 copies.

It is, supposedly, about a smart octopus named Marcellus who helps an elderly lady solve the mystery of her son's disappearance at sea when he was a teenager.

In practice, it is about one minute at a time of Marcellus (the best part of the book) and extended sections of characters that I don't care about at all. I assume all the pieces of the story were supposed to come together later, but I was just highly bored. I was so bored that I DNF'd at 25% when my hold was up. I do not care enough to wait weeks to check it out again. Based on the one star reviews I read, the characters I didn't like did not develop into better people later and remained similarly annoying. Now, I don't need characters to be good people of course. But I do expect to be interested in them. I still don't know how the son's disappearance factors in because I felt like I heard barely anything about the supposed main character woman.

I feel vindicated because my coworker also checked out the book and told me a few weeks ago that she was at 50% and there still wasn't anything happening in the plot. I will ask her tomorrow if she finished it or not and if it ever got better.

Write an entire book for Marcellus the octopus and I'll check it out...

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

This book had so much potential. It's about a group of four women who were formerly assasins but are now retiring at 60. To celebrate retirement, they go on a cruise and then realize that they're the new targets for assasination, presumably because they know too much about the organization that used to employ them.

In execution....very meh. I actually had a Libby glitch on this one, where I think I missed about 1.5 hrs of narration total because the book skipped twice. I have no concept of which parts I missed. What I do know is that, the book was already so cobbled together before the first skip that I didn't realize I had missed anything until the end. Like sure, parts didn't make sense, but I was ready to accept that it was just Like That since the rest of the book was like that. After reading a bunch of reviews of this book I am convinced that there is NO way that all of its flaws can be explained by me missing a small part. After all, I did listen to 8.5 hours of it still.

The characters never felt their age to me. I felt like they either acted like they were 80 or 90, or like they were 20. It just seemed odd to me. The characters also felt very 2D, like the author wrote down three traits per person and called it good. There's a younger woman who appears to know the main character and conveniently helps the group, but I literally never figured out where their relationship originated or how they knew each other. Maybe I missed that too. By the end of the book I still didn't know who anyone was and couldn't remember which person was the main character. The plot jumped around to new locations constantly and often with little transition--this happened even on the parts where I definitely didn't get a skipping glitch. The main villain was a guy I literally had barely heard anything of til that point, although perhaps he came up in the 1.5 hrs I missed. They described the same painting in excruciating detail THREE separate times. It was...too feminist? Feminist in a contrived way where I have to be reminded every 5 minutes the characters are women? Like, I know, I am reading a story about women. Please don't mention it several times a chapter. There are ethical and moral considerations about their profession and chosen organization that never really get given the weight required. There was a love interest for the main character that I hadn't heard of once until he was introduced like an hour from the end--maybe I missed more about him in the parts I skipped? Unknown.

ANNND THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!

#quara talks books #my current book is mr penumbra's 24 hr bookstore by robin sloan and i'm not getting promising vibes from it 30% in #i'm gonna try to finish it but....the mc kind of annoys me #but i could live with that! #what i can't live with is the author's incessant need to talk about google constantly. there's a character who works for google. #does the author have a thing for google....?? why do they wanna **** google's ***** in this random presumably unaffiliated book???? #also more product placement vibes like macbooks and kindles coming up a lot #like dude. please. stop. you promised me mysterious bookstore not megacorp tech worship #also the tech talk hasn't aged super well in this book imo #a bit amusing to read about people being very wowed by someone attending a party 'virtually' via webcam #in the post pandemic work from home era of zoom meeetings and teams meetings etc #also getting manic pixie dreamgirl vibes from main love interest #ANYWAY. stay tuned to see if I have to put this book in the middle or bottom tier (it's already missed its chance at 5 stars)