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caw4brandon · 4 months

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TMA: Horror By Sound

A long while ago, I discussed about the interesting values of Audio content. Heck, I even talked about it in a [Video Here] Audio content, despite being considered as old media is emerging from the corners of the internet in the modern era.

With how things are moving at such a fast pace. A quick and secondary type of medium is bound to rise in popularity. Let's discuss;

- Statement Begins -

< The Magnus Archives > is an audio podcast/drama following an archivist at the Magnus Institute, London. The recordings follow Jonathan Sims who recently took over the position of Head Archivist after his predecessor, Gertrude Robinson mysteriously passed away.

What started out as a typical job of filing documents and old cases spiraled into an unusual turn where Jon and his Archival Assistants; Martin, Tim and Sasha are haunted by a grotesque monster as written in the statements.

As of now, the show has a total of 5 seasons and as the seasons progress. The monsters become more aggressive and frightening against the character's lives and their psyche.

- What's Your Greatest Fear? -

The series has the characters deal with entities that feed on the fears of the victims. From the typical fear of the dark to specific fears such as, spiders, filth, heights, closed spaces, and eventually, death itself. Each fear manifested itself onto the victims in various ways that feels personal.

At the end of the statements, Jon or the others will provide their thoughts on the case and report their findings in reality. Often dead end trials where either the victims have long died or went missing.

The series as a whole, has an ecosystem of connections to the manifestations. From the cursed books of Jurgen Leitner to a cast of active creatures hunting for prey to feed upon and tear into madness.

Aside from the main cast, there are also reoccurring characters that joined the show as well. There's former Paranormal Investigator; Melanie, former officers; Daisy and Basira and a few others.

The show takes a slow burn approach, learning the truth as Jon improves. Having the unknown beings creep deeper into his life inch by inch till he is no longer himself.

We get to see him get exhausted, frustrated at his lack and the comical failure of his preparation against the monsters knocking at his door with the conspiracy that he is but a pawn at the bigger game of these Abominations.

The show also shows a number of audio manipulation, adding to the creep factor. Such is when the creature; The Stranger appears by distorting sound and echoes when they speak.

- Statement Ends -

In a disturbing way. The show seems to suggest that we, the listeners are the very monsters that is affecting the characters. Our constant need for more brings the characters descend further and there is nothing we can do about it but listen.

I've talked in the past about how [ASMR is Sound for the Soul] with the ability to simulate soothing tingles and tell a story with one sided conversations. What TMA does is to do the secondary.

Telling a story by second hand accounts. The way how some of the statements feels can get under your skin. The use of words and the annunciation of the statements feels like something is pulling the statements closer to the audience. Simulating a different kind of tingle.

It sometimes feels like we are prying into closed conversations. Listening to the deepest and darkest parts of humanity without the characters noticing.

As of now, I caught up till Season 3 but it seems like Jon will be getting involved more and more to the beings at the threshold.

What I think TMA does really well is not making horror out of typical fears. It relies on those fears and amplifies its ability to make one cripplingly terrified at things we have yet to understand. Reaching out of the tape recorder and into our world in an unpleasant way. Yet, you can't help but click to the next episode.

Recording Ends

#the magnus archives #rusty quill #jonathan sims #tim stoker #martin blackwood #sasha james #melanie king #basira hussain #alice tonner #daisy #elias bouchard #hp lovecraft #the eye #cosmic horror #eldrich horror #monsters #fear #statement begins

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idreaminmugiwara · 5 months

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Part 1 of 2! Alright, Dressrosa, let's talk about it. This will be SPOILER HEAVY so if you have not gotten this far in One Piece turn back, ye lousy land lubber!!! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

Alright, so where to start with this arc? I feel like right off the bat, Moustachio'd Zoro got me feelin' some kinda way. I am also very here for pigtailed Franky, but I'm here for Franky no matter what season of blue hair he sports.

This is by far the longest arc I've watched since I began my One Piece journey about a month and a half ago and this was the first time since Alabasta that I really felt this show just DRAGGED. Too many flashbacks, too many episodes where about 5 minutes of actual story happened. I understand that anime often has to pad their episodes because they need to time it correctly with the release of the manga but this, as I mentioned in an earlier post, was truly a labor of love.

Now I NEED to talk about Sanji because this arc almost made me fall in love with him again. I don't know what Oda was thinking from Thriller Bark up until this point making Sanji an actual, legitimate creep rather than just an obnoxious yet endearing simp. I loved Sanji before he evolved into his more predatory self. But in Dressrosa, when he actually thinks he's found someone to love and take care of, the creep factor all but disappears again and he becomes like....actually loving and caring and kind of someone that feels deserving of a healthy relationship. This is the closest to a romance any of the Mugiwaras have had in about 700 episodes and I actually wanted this to work out for him and Viola.

Speaking of "romance," the fact that Franky brought the show's first Straw Hat kiss to the screen was EVERYTHING. The whole Franky vs the Factory arc was delightful and one of the highlights of the entire arc for me.

Like girl, same.

Now....someone tried to tell me that I would fall for this motherfucker and I have to say unequivocally that fall for him I did not. I'm all for sexy villains, but Doflamingo is a bonafide psychopath who enjoys torturing and hurting innocent people and I GUESS I just don't find that swoonworthy. The voice actor for the dub did a phenomenal job here. Every time that laugh crept its way onto the screen, my skin would crawl. Aside from Arlong, this is the only OP villain I've felt a sense of authentic dread around. 10/10 threat, favorite villain of the series so far.

I have so much more to talk about but I'll do that in a part two, but I'll finish by emphasizing how much I fucking adore Bartolomeo. I love this show's ability to initially make you despise a character only to find out they are a complete and total chad. I want him to become a Straw Hat so badly :) More in a future post!

#one piece #one piece anime #one piece luffy #bartolomeo one piece #donquixote doflamingo #dressrosa arc #one piece review #one piece spoilers #franky one piece #one piece sanji #one piece zoro #i mustache you a question

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that-within · 9 months

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Aziraphale and agency

Upon rewatch, I noticed a small but interesting thread running through Good Omens 2: namely, Aziraphale’s tendency to override people’s free will for the sake of what he thinks is right.

We see it first in Edinburgh when, after his protests go unheeded, he straight up destroys Elspeth’s harvested corpse, removing her (supposedly God-given) agency to choose right or wrong. After all, he's an angel and he knows best. (Crowley’s interference is far less supernaturally heavy handed since a human could have grabbed the laudanum and just not drank it.)

In the same episode, we see Crowley’s contribution to ‘Operation Make Maggie and Nina Fall in Love.’ This plan had been tipping to the wrong side of the ‘yikes’ scale since its inception, but it’s worth noting the wildly different ways our protagonists go about enacting it: Crowley manipulates the weather to try to coax the two ladies together, and it’s still conniving, it’s still interfering, but it does not remove their agency. At any point, Nina could have decided the conversation was not worth staying dry for and hoofed it back to her shop. (Let’s be real, Maggie was never going to take that option.)

In contrast, Aziraphale’s attempts at a romantic coup are far more invasive and controlling. He starts off in a grayish area by bribing people to come to his “meeting,” but eventually the human tendency to push back against Supreme Weirdness and inability to perform 18th century dances off the cuff make it necessary for him to start overthrowing their agency. We get a couple cutesy examples of this (“I’m a seamstress”), but the creep factor ramps up to eleven when Nina arrives.

Of all the guests at the ball, Nina is both the most aware of being puppeted and the most disturbed by it—which negates the entire endeavor because this whole thing literally revolves around her feelings. But Aziraphale is too busy blindly running on the tandem highs of executing the plan and living out his fantasy of going full Lizzy Bennet to notice.

He 100% believes this is the right thing to do and ohgoodheavenswouldyoulookatthat, it just so happens to perfectly line up with something he really wants to do.

The thread finally loops back on itself in the last scene. Once again, we get Crowley coming at the problem in, frankly, a more human way. He confesses, he persuades, he pleads, he hauls his angel in by the lapels, but ultimately he accepts that he can’t force Aziraphale to choose him.

Aziraphale on the other hand has just been given the celestial power to bend the universe to his will, and he wields this like a righteous shield against Crowley's argument. He can change heaven, he can reform it into what he thinks it should be, into what is right. Not because he craves power, but because he can help people, he can protect Crowley, and (most importantly) he can correct the “mistake” of Crowley’s fall—he can finally make heaven be good enough for Crowley.

And just like Edinburgh, he believes he knows best; and just like the ball, it just so happens to perfectly line up with something he desperately desires. So he doesn’t ask what Crowley wants, what he thinks and feels about being an angel again—because this is the right thing to do and he will do it. It never even seems to occur to him that there's another course to take until Crowley (literally) shoves it in his face.

#good omens #good omens season two #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #ineffable divorce #this is NOT an aziraphale bash post so get thee behind me with that shit #I wrote nearly 600 words and it still feels like an oversimplification

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a-gal-with-taste · 2 years

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The Afterparty (Oneshot)

Loosely, and less-humorly based on This Post. Enjoy, if you can~

Warnings: Canon-divergence, alt. Episode 9 ending, angst, sad-times, mention of breakdown/abandonment, open-ended/ambiguous ending, hurt/comfort, softness but still ouch-y

As bright as the red-moon sky is this evening, the remains of the warehouse seem almost pitch-black by comparison. It’s enough to have you, rather ridiculously, pull out your own lighter in order to guide your way through the twisted, mangled ruins of a rotting cannery.

Sometimes you’ll catch sights of decayed vines, shimmering only faintly in rotting violet from years and years previous. You press on, step a bit quicker as you descend further into the building. It’s a true resistance not to cut the time you spend in this creepy, abandoned place further by calling out, seeing if the one you’re looking for is even still here…

You’re glad of your ability to keep quiet, when you turn the corner and see haphazardly candles on a crudely-fashioned banquet table. Complete with chipped plates, broken glass and eight seats.

The one at the head of the table is facing away from the table, and though there isn’t a soul in sight - save for the candles still flickering in the breeze whistling through the dilapidated cannery - there is a creeping feeling crawling up your spine, that tells you that that chair, is still occupied.

You bite down hard on your inner-cheek as your fingers ghost over a knife strapped at your thigh, as your other fingers click the lighter off. Eerily, the melting candles on the table seem more than happy to illuminate your slow, caution steps into this… party room, of sorts. Glowing almost invitingly, it’s one of the most chilling sights you’ve experienced. And it’s made even creepier when you glance over to the other side of the table, eyes catching the crudely scrawled ‘JINX’ on one seat.

Fingers curl around the hilt of your blade, and you force yourself to pass the chairs containing limp wooden dummies. Thankfully, you do it without flinching, and even manage to prevent jumping straight out of your skin when you bump into one chair, and it clatters to the ground in a heap, the sound of it almost astronomical and echoing. Admittedly, it takes you a second to remember how to breathe again after the unnecessary addition to the foreboding atmosphere, and when you open your squeezed-shut eyes, they find the chair that's turned away from the rest of the table.

Eyes drop to the rope that's wrapped snugly around it, and finally, you decide to stop dragging out your self-torment by prolonging the suspense, and with your hand firmly grasped around your blade, you stride over, grab the headboard, and turn the chair towards you.

Blood turns to ice in your veins, and for a single, terrible moment, you think he’s dead.

The glow of the candles he now faces, does nothing to bring the warmth of life back to Silco’s face. With his head hanging low, the infamous flame-colored eye as dull as the blue, there isn’t even a flicker or blink of acknowledgement as you croak out your boss’s name, just once, before your eyes dart to the bound hands that they limp in his lap. Perhaps it’s the paranoia and the ultimate freaky-factor of the situation, but the only thing your mind can rationalize is that, even if he’s as still as a corpse, it’s… it’s just too bizarre of a sight that Silco is left, bound and helpless.

Your knife flashes in the candlelight as you take a knee before the nonfunctioning man, and carefully avoiding looking up to see if he really is among the deceased, your shaking hand rests over his forearm so you could begin sawing at the thick bonds around his wrists.

The fact that through his sleeve, Silco’s skin is still warm, isn’t something you actually register before his broken voice croaks from above you, “She’s still gone?”

You barely manage to save yourself from the mortifying act of falling straight back onto your ass in front of your own employer as you jerk back in pure shock, but unfortunately, the less-than dignified screech manages out of your throat. You try to maintain some sense of decorum by whispering as respectfully, and as quietly as possible, when the echoes of your startled yell finally cease, “S-sir?” His eyes are both still dull, but you can finally note a faint, almost invisible glimmer of focus on his hazy eye, which seems sightless as they both look at you, but seem to see right through you.

They look as broken as his next question sounds. “My daughter… she left.”

“Jinx is… gone?”

For a moment, Silco seems alive again, from the way his fully-intact eye seems to squeeze itself shut while his bound-body curls in on himself. It’s a far-cry from the dead-looking man you thought he was when you first saw him, but it’s far from an improvement - he may look alive, but from the agonized groan that seems to sound as if dragged from deep within him, Silco sounds like he wishes to be anything but.

It’s far from polite, but you can’t help but stare in shock. This… this is Silco. This, is Silco? The sight of a man more fractured and broken than glass, hair limp and looking almost in physical pain, despite having not a single scratch or wound on him… It’s inconceivable from the man you know. The man who is proud, uncompromising and forever-intimidating. The King of Zaun, in all but name except on an official paper. The most powerful man in the Undercity, the reigning High Chembaron, and he looks like he’s about to break into sobs, or into a million more shattered pieces.

And you can’t decide which is worse.

“The sister,” It hissed out like it’s poison, but the venom of it has long since expired. The pain, however, is still fresh. “I… she - I told her. A day, maybe two… but she still left…” He’s making little sense, at least from your point of view, and giving another gaze around these demented tea-party setup isn’t helping put the pieces of this puzzle together.

The only things that are clear are that Jinx is missing. The sister, who put Sevika out of commission not hours prior, which sent you on the manhunt for Silco in the first place, is also gone. And you did find Silco, or at least, what’s left of him.

Unharmed, and broken.

You still don’t know which you would’ve preferred, but you do know that you can’t stand to see him continue like this. “Okay, we’ll… Sir, things aren’t good downtown,” You admit, again reaching to cautiously brace a hand on his forearm. A motion he allows, and you appreciate, as you’re able to begin sawing through the bonds on his wrists without shaking too much. “After things get… stable, we can send people out, look for her, okay?”

“She’s gone…”

“I got that, but…Boss, Sevika got pummeled,” You report, and wisely decide not to mention who did it, and the last of the ropes on his wrists snap, before you reach to cut through at the ones keeping his torso pinned to the chair. “Topsides gone into complete radio-silence, even the border is mute. I… We need to get out of here, go back to the Drop, things are an absolute mes-”

The ropes snap, and Silco doesn’t slide out of the chair - he crashes from it, like it was his last tether to life. Left unsecured, you do indeed fall back onto your ass with arms suddenly full of a boneless crime lord, who you suddenly realize is shaking.

Not shaking from the chill, nor with rage - both of which your mind could comprehend. No, as your arms automatically still around the foreign weight in your arms, it’s almost as if the most powerful man in the entirety of this side of the Bridge, is cr-

No. No, you refuse to acknowledge it - not only because it’s unthinkable, but you know the two of you can’t stay here. “Silco,” You whisper, and another raw, tormented sound that makes you ache, sounds from where his face is consequently resting against your chest. You speak a bit louder, hoping to drag his attention back from whatever dark hole he’s in, and back to the reality of being in your arms, “We… sir, we have to leave. Things are… frankly, fucked and you… you can’t break now, Silco. We need you.”

At that moment, another broken sound slips from him. Your mind, despite the bizarreness of the fact, finally decides to acknowledge it for the sob that it is. Broken and in pain, blind to everything, it’s clear that Silco is deaf to what you’re saying as well. He couldn’t care less at this time, and you reason that it’s close to useless to even try to rouse him from the miserable depths he has fallen into, and so, you stop trying to.

Instead, with some remaining hesitance in case he takes a sudden, offended turn, your arms slowly move to more properly slip around his waist. One, even slower than its twin, creeps further up, and though a solid moment passes before you find the strength to make contact, fingers soon cart through the sweaty, errant gray strands of Silco’s hair.

And, there you are. Effectively hugging a broken man, in anguished mourning.

It’s… definitely not what you expected to be doing, when you first joined Silco’s crew. It was more practical to assume you would be doing the seedier, dirty work in the criminal underworld, not wind up half-knocked to the floor with Silco in your arms, in complete and utter despondency.

Despite that, you think you’re doing an okay-job with providing some semblance of comfort to the crestfallen man. Obviously, your typical job skills don’t exactly cater to providing comfort, but you allow your touch to stay soft as you slowly move your hand over his hair, soothing down the worst of it while the front of your shirt gets concerningly wetter and wetter.

You decide against glancing at the table for any signs of proper handkerchiefs. You don’t want to be involved in this room more than necessary, and right now, Silco needed your attention more than the remnants of a terrible tea-party.

Evidently, Silco didn’t just need your attention - he seemed to sag into it, craving it, fully sinking into it with his head tucked beneath your chin, and the moment you tried to settle back into a position more comfortable, you were suddenly locked in place. Not by actual shackles or ropes, but Silco’s arms might have been steel-bands around your body, with how fast and unyielding they wound around you, preventing you from movement…

Preventing you from leaving him.

“It’s… we’re okay,” You murmur, more than a little shocked. “You’re… you’re going to be okay, Silco. I have a secondary house here on the Alcoves. We can head there, try to figure things out…” Obviously, the Drop was out of the question. Stripping away the fact that going all the way back down to the Lanes was asking for an audience to the apparent breakdown of their ruler, what would happen if you actually brought Silco back to base in this condition? If the crew saw the Eye of Zaun, not just looking entirely despondent, but in tears?

You imagined The Last Drop wouldn’t clear-out fast enough. And with Topside gearing up for… Janna even knows what, a fallen leader wasn’t what was needed now.

It’s what you had, but hopefully, with a far, far enough distance away from this nightmare, the Undercity would have the man it needed for whatever came next.

“Silco, we have to go.” You murmured, gently as possible as you lightly tugged on the ends of his hair, catching his attention for him to finally raise his head from off your chest. It didn’t make it either to breathe, for something tightened when his eyes met yours. One is fiery-still, but has dulled to mere embers instead of an inferno ring in a black orb, and the other is rimmed in red. Again, you hesitate greatly, but there’s an unimaginable sheen of wetness on his unscarred cheek, and your fingers soon give into the urge to reach down and wipe at it. For his sake - though you imagine his dignity is the least of his concerns at this moment - you decide not to acknowledge the fact that his head tilts to follow your fingers when they leave his skin.

“We have to leave. We can’t stay here.”

“We?” He repeats, and there’s a note in his tone that quickly reminds you that yes, this is still Silco. It’s a demanding edge in his voice - but not quite an order. And when you see those mismatching eyes darting slowly over your face, taking in every detail and scanning every miniscule shift in your expression, you realize he’s looking for a lie. A trick, or something that proves deceit in your words, and that there is no ‘we’ at all. But you fear that, regardless that this is the last thing you ever expected to do, there’s no way you can abandon him now.

“We, have to leave, Silco.” And, the withering remains of a proud Industrialist and a lost father seem to catch the unspoken promise in your words, and there’s a sluggish, but understanding jerk of his chin in acknowledgement, and no shortage of relief in that red-rimmed blue-green eye.

You manage something close to a smile and, though it’s clear his limbs are largely acting on their own accord to keep you all but pinned to him, Silco allows enough release in order for the two of you to stand. You’re quick to shuffle an arm around his waist so that he can at least stand on his own two feet.

As much as he wants to, anyways. For it’d be clear to the blind that he leans on you in more ways than one but, at least on his own legs, you feel more comfortable than you had been half-sprawled onto the ground with a crying man in your arms. It’s less intimate, and gives you, however false, a sense that maybe things will turn out alright.

“She could be anywhere,” The Eye has a voice that sounds like he took his own nails to his throat, hoarse and awfully ragged. It strikes you that, as exhausted and quiet as he had been when you first arrived, it’s very likely he had been screaming for hours beforehand. More than likely, screaming after the last person to be at this tea-party. “We… I… she’s my daughter,” Silco chokes on it, but not from any other emotion, save for the simple truth of that statement.

Jinx is Silco’s daughter, and she has left him.

You realize now there’s no other explanation needed for this broken demeanor, with a fact like that.

“I know,” You murmur, and begin to urge him from the room, just as a breeze begins to take the dying light of the wax-candles out, one by one. “We’re… we can look for her, after.” The hand around his waist tightens when you stumble out with him, your other arm moving to grab a wrist and pull it over your shoulders. Truly, he’s drained emotionally and physically, leaving you to tap-in to some of your own strength in order to lead him out of the bowels of the warehouse.

“We?” He asks again, again seeking confirmation. And again, you are far from in-tune with the emotional state of Silco, but you can at least understand that the confirmation of your union with him, is all he has now. You don’t dare say he’s lost his empire - streets may be partially-barren with the potential Topside attack, but they still whisper the demise of an uppity Chembaron. But it’s a certainty that the events of the last week have shaken more than a few aspects of his life, and made him lose the most important thing in it…

After the loss of his daughter, if you could provide even the simplest comfort of support, Silco needed to cling to it like a lifeline. You imagined he had lost too much left to grasp on to, if he didn’t at least have you.

“Yes…” You assure him, stopping as soon as the roof, half crumbled and left open by an age-old fire, reveals a blue-streaked sky above.

It’s dawn, breaking through the haze given by the red-moon.

“Yes. We, Silco.”

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eleemosynecdoche · 9 months

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Nah. ASOIAF is just reveling in the brutality of the imagined past. You can look at the Dothraki, or the way that child molestation and violent rape are more socially condoned than they were in high medieval Western Europe, to see that. It's all of a piece. Apologists talk about how this is because of the Romantic overtones- lower lows to get higher highs. That doesn't really scan for me, but regardless, it's not really about accurately depicting retinue-of-retinue armies.

And one way you can tell this is the case is looking at who does engage in looting, foraging, and pillaging. It's sadistic monsters like Amory Loach, Gregor Clegane, and the Bloody Mummers (the latter two conspicuously dehumanized) who engage in this raiding, with some truisms about "war is hell" to assure us the Starks have done the same. Robb Stark the Young Wolf never gives orders to go and rob peasants of their food, we never get any kind of close-up on the results of his jolly heroic raid into Lannister lands, and the Night's Watch aims for a series of good stand-up fights to defeat Mance's army in detail, rather than attacking their stomach in this precarious northern land.

In other words, the depredations of armies in ASOIAF are done by inhuman villains or faceless nobodies. It's very much a post-Vietnam series of books, but one of the ways in which it is that is that it acknowledges the horrors of the Vietnam War while trying to deflect responsibility for or involvement with them. My Lai was the product of William Calley and his platoon, rather than an exceptionally bad instance of what American troops did to Vietnamese civilians many times, driven by a complex assembly of policies including Taylorizing warfare, making bodycount a KPI, fostering alienation from the Vietnamese general population, etc. etc. And which were done by otherwise ordinary people.

I want to contrast this with Glen Cook's Black Company novels, especially the first three. In the first book, there's an episode where the titular group have defeated several enemy military units, one of which is all women, and the narrator/POV character stops to have a metatextual comment that yes, he's aware he's censored out the morally hideous things this mercenary group does, such as raping adult women, and that he can only offer pitiful excuses for doing so, because he feels a need to defend his fellow soldiers. And that one of the other characters has threatened to take the book away and write the "real story".

And then there are other episodes, which make it clear that these characters do have lines that they won't cross, and that women are quite capable of sexually victimizing other women. We even get a recurring minor character attempting to sexually harass a major character in disguise, and after she beats him up, he's then chewed out by his superior. He has not been presented as a slavering creep before this point.

And at the same time, at this point the characters are all in the service of a teenage/early 20s disabled woman, and no indication is made that they see her as a potential target for sexual violence, because she's seen as one of them.

Cook understands sexual violence as driven by structural factors and the desire to express dominance most of all, and as something which is done not just by slavering monsters (which there are quite a few of in these books) but also by ordinary human beings with interiority and charm and the qualities of being a decent person otherwise. These are not, I would say, works of explicit feminist fantasy, but they have a feminist outlook in their worldview that's somehow aged well through the intervening decades, though we understand YesAllMen's problems now. And this feminist outlook is transmitted in part through thinking through, "How could good American boys who played baseball and had teenage sweethearts and listened to Howlin' Wolf on the radio late at night and noodled around with a guitar go over to Vietnam and do all those horrible things?"

Black Company is in its own way more traditional high fantasy fiction- it has evil sorcerers and sorceresses, reincarnated heroines, cosmological signifiers of heroic deeds- than ASOIAF. Where it does things more interestingly is not in "subverting the tropes" or whatever, but in using fantasy as a vehicle to think about these concepts.

#black company #fantasy fiction #a song of ice and fire #criticism #tw rape discussion

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alphinias · 1 year

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Do you think if the pogues don't see them together that Kie is going to tell them she was with Rafe and probably working with him to escape after they all reunite? Cuz I could totally see that being a point of tension later on if Kiara keeps it a secret.

Like we know JJ and Rafe are going to have some kind of confrontation on a boat at some point, so what if Rafe tells him about him and Kie working together in Barbados and makes it sound like more than what it was just to get under JJ's skin and that's when a fight breaks out.

That could also potentially be part of the reason for why JJ is so upset with her at the anniversary party. I'm sure there's going to be multiple reason for the fight, but maybe Kiara's trying to explain the situation and he's just so angry over what Rafe said that he can't hear her out and ends up storming away?

I don’t really see it being a point of tension between Jiara, but a point of tension between JJ and Rafe, absolutely I can see that and am even expecting it a bit.

Honestly, I don’t see Kie keeping that as a major secret and I’m thinking the pogues are just going to be so happy to get her back that they don’t care. At least not directed at her. I could be wrong, depending on if more context is added on to Riara’s past (which I personally don’t think they have much of one other than him being a creep at her best friend’s house but I know a lot of people do), etc. I also don’t really think Rafe is going to be a part of the fence fight. I hear what you’re saying about JJ already arriving pissed at Rafe though, so like, maybe on that end that just helps escalate his mood on the problems between Jiara. I’m not sure of the order of this entire episode (party at beginning or end. I’m thinking beginning if it’s actually episode eight?) so that’s also a factor. It’s gonna be an INSANE one.

I do think Rafe would insinuate things to JJ about the situation to escalate and goad him into a fight, though. In fact I hope we get this djekekek. “Tell kiara she looks pretty hot for a pogue” will always be one of my favorite moments and I’m here for a part two.

#she could just more casually not mention it to them and then Rafe is the one to tell jj #but I still don’t really see Jiara fighting about this #jordan talks riara #jiara #ask

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controversial-blorbo-bracket · 10 months

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You have received propaganda for the previous Micchy (Kamen Rider), have some for the second Micchy (Yo-Kai Watch).

He is the problem kid who doesn't know how to control himself and behave around others because he only had his angry and unstable brother around in his childhood, and no one else.

He is the cringe clingy ND kid who will talk your ears off, embarrass you without meaning to and genuinely struggle with figuring out what he did wrong once you finally confront him.

He is the horrible mix of a free-range kid and sheltered kid whose understanding of human culture, contact and social norms come from superhero media aimed at kids and teenagers, which he tends to emulate without really understanding.

He is the kid in the friend group who will let his other friends walk over him because they are tolerating him and giving him attention, and he will fight tooth and nail for any bit of acknowledgement, even if he knows he is bad at most things and will only be a nuisance.

He is a non-human who is trying desperately to fit on a human mask, but his otherness keeps shining through the cracks.

He loves his friends passionately and fiercely, and people in the fandom tend to misconstruct this love as something possessive and creepy, when he never means anything bad and has never tried to possess or limit the people he loves in any way, much less forced anything on them. He is bad with clues, but when talked to openly, he listens and he backs off. He is learning, but he needs time, and he doesn't have much of it left. He is going to live a much longer life than any of his human friends, including his most treasured one. He is deathly scared of losing them before that time comes.

He is so scared of losing them, he would rather destroy his own body than see them hurt.

He is protective in a way that is almost smothering, because that's how he is wired, but he is doing his best to change and allow himself to be protected, which is hard. But he is trying none the less.

He is also a cringe failureman who makes the viewer shiver with second-hand embarrassment every time he is on screen, and probably reminds people of that weird anime-obsessed middle schooler many of us knew, who latched onto the quiet girl in class because she was too nice to shoo him away and wrote her weird love poems, and also had no inside voice and wore capes to class.

He also happened to have created a humanoid form for himself that looks cool to him an no one else ever, and makes him look that much older than he acts, only adding to the awkward creep factor. I can perfectly see why he is heavily disliked among some subsets of the fandom.

I still cannot help but see a kid who is in desperate need of help, despite being in the best place currently he has ever been in his entire life, with people who are genuinely patient with him and not willing to break him or coddle him, who want to see him become a better, more well-adjusted person.

He is one of the more nuanced and complex joke characters I have seen, and I love him for it. I can see how people could have had horrible experiences with people who share his traits IRL, but in this particular story, this particular weirdo never did anything truly bad. He fucked up in a lot of small ways, and small ways add up, but humans are complex, and so are non-humans who are meant to be stand-ins for humans from a narrative standpoint but not quite, and there isn't really a non-complex character with easily fixable issues by the end of this entire 49 episode-long mess of an anime.

Micchy is a disaster, but he is my disaster, and he deserved so much better than just stay on the sidelines in the final arc, not even unlocking his awe-inspiring final form from the game that never came to the West.

This bitch is NOT Joe Jonas

#not a poll #ask #anonymous #propaganda #yo kai watch #yokai watch #micchy

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absolutely-not-my-main-blog · 10 months

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My internet provider was straight up playing me before because it took 3 hours to download the ep last week and with the new internet, 20 minutes this week, so anyway I took random notes while watching and just gonna post a couple of them in one hit before scrolling my dash:

1. “Anybody can get a guy to bang them once.” Oh, can they, Dennis? Can they?? Sounds like a man speaking from experience, huh.

2. Jack to Charlie regarding “play dates” together and him saying “You don’t remember,” oh that hurts my heart, Charlie having to repress memories of him. And then the extra creep factor with the fucking ice cream truck, good lord, I’m starting to think Jack murder is more and more possible this season.

3. “Don’t mind my friend, he’s schizophrenic.” “I am, yeah.” I know it’s like a joke here, but I like schizotypal Charlie headcanon so I choose to see this as a win. (Spider in my ear vibes though <3)

4. Dee and Mac asking “why” and “how come” Dennis has a system to get men and him shhing them, oh yeah it’s all coming together, he’s used this system fr, and the truth and something else is gonna come out, baby.

5. Love The Waitress is Getting Married vibes from Dennis helping Mac and Dee on their dates the way they tried to help Charlie.

6. Girl, how did Dennis get that bottle open over that guy, this man lives off of beer and air, he’s a weak, frail Victorian maiden who would absolutely get Mac to open jars in their apartment constantly.

7. MOMMY ISSUES DENNIS REAL. Okay so we’re all in agreement we’re gonna transport Den “back to a time when he was a snot nosed little bitch who depended on the most important person in his life for absolutely everything, the person who inflated his ego, who made him feel powerful but also powerless, the person whose validation he’s been seeking his entire life.” I’m SCREAMING. “The way to make a guy fall in love with you is to make him feel like you are his mommy.” GIRL, WHAT THE FUCK, Freud would like a word, I could write a whole essay on this scene alone, but I’m sure someone else already has, but oh my god they’re bringing up how Barbara’s influence really messed with him, inflating his ego, making him the golden child and holding him up to these perfect standards, but he’s trying to maintain that perfection even after she’s gone and realizing he can’t, making him powerless. He just wants the illusion of power! he doesn’t want to have to work for it this much. Head buzzing with incoherent thoughts but there are thoughts here I may come back to just aaahh.

8. On another note, I really liked their acting in this one, especially the S.I.N.N.E.D. scene, their deliveries were all great, they seemed to be having fun and it was sooo cute.

9. A boy in love with Johnny so he can’t be with anyone else, but Dennis is Johnny, Dennis catfish real, Dennis controlling anal beads real, what fever dream is this fucking episode, a boy in love with Johnny, Johnny dennis Dennis Johnny, I’m losing my mind.

10. “I’m Dennis, I’ve always been Dennis” and Ireland’s “You’re you, you’ve always been you” parallels and Mac’s need for solid and clear labels of identity, but Dennis’ continually vague notion of his own self, and Mac remaining completely clueless this whole season, not seeing what’s right in front of him, the blowing jokes, Dennis and his system for men, Dennis is Johnny, while Dennis is starting to realize maybe what he wants and continuously gets more aware, and it leads to mental health day, aaah idk!! So much!

11. I love how everyone was deep dive analyzing the Frank Dennis scene and it was just him telling him he got anal beads in his ass 😭

12. The chess opponent looks a lil like Donald to me.

13. Full ass blast 😭 I hate how this show makes me insane regardless of that.

#iasip #text #sunny sweet 16 #frank vs russia #s16 spoilers #anmmbposts #iasip spoilers

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rewatching-sam-and-dean · 1 year

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The Pilot (Part 3 of 3)

So, this post will wrap up my Pilot episode commentaries, reviews … whatever they should be classified as. Again, thanks to everyone who checked out Part 1 and Part 2. This one took me ages because I ended up writing about the whole rest of the episode. And here I thought Part 2 took me a long time. But, for anyone who takes a minute to read this one, thank you. And please feel free to comment with what you liked best (or didn’t) about the Pilot.

[For anyone who might have seen this post already, I’m reposting since I needed to fix some things and Tumblr wasn’t cooperating.]

On the Road Again

(Alternate Title: Sam and Dean Brothering)

My commentary and more pic edits are under the cut …

THE CASE

ABOUT ME: Alight, so honesty time, I don’t really like horror. Yes, I watched the mainstream ones that came out in the theaters when I was in high school and university (Hello, Mr Padalecki in House of Wax), largely because it was something to go do with friends, but it’s certainly not a favorite genre of mine. I’ve never seen ones like The Exorcist and I don’t plan to. However, SPN, even in the early seasons is more like horror lite, but even then there are episodes I won’t watch while going to bed because I don’t want that crap swimming around my subconscious while I’m sleeping. But all that being said, I generally don’t mind the creep factor on the show, and I like some of the monsters, but the relationships, especially between Sam and Dean are what hooked me on the show. All this is just to explain why I generally probably won’t talk that much about the cases of the week unless they are very relevant to a plot arc or I really like/hate them.

THE MONSTER OF THE WEEK: Anyway, The Woman in White is a pretty decent first ghost to set up the show, and the case shows us what the Winchesters do when they hunt and what they know about the supernatural world. The MOTW gives us some classic horror tropes (the cheater gets killed, ghost kids are creepy as hell), and it sets up some classic SPN tropes (shooting ghosts and blood splats, anyone?). I think the ghost is sufficiently creepy. The case is fairly straightforward, but it’s not like I usually tune into the show for the mystery alone, so that’s fine with me. I think the effects are pretty decent for the ghost given when it was filmed, though the glitchy-ness makes it feel a little too much like computer effects, at times. Still, the only part that really stands out to me in a bad way is when the ghost kids zoom over to their ghost mother and … latch on to her? Whatever they are doing, it looks weird, to me, and kind of awkward, and it sort of takes me out of the moment. Overall though, I think the ghost and the first case are a good start to the show.

WORKING TOGETHER AGAIN

GETTING STARTED: When Sam and Dean first start working the case, we really start to see who they are as people and their dynamic. Surprising to no one who has watched the show, Jared and Jensen do a phenomenal job of selling Sam and Dean as siblings despite not looking much alike. Their frequent bickering and physicality paint a very convincing picture of siblings dynamics between people who grew up together. As someone with brothers myself, their teasing and the occasional smack feel on point to me.

When they get into the car, the show sets up how Dean and his Dad live and support themselves, as well as Sam's vague disdain for scamming credit cards. But one of the most classic of all SPN imagery and concepts is set up here with Dean as the driver, picking the music, with Sam riding shotgun. If this isn’t also a metaphor for a good portion of their relationship, I don’t know what is; Dean is the boss and Sam is expected to follow (except when he doesn’t). On a similar note, later in the episode, the irony of Dean calling Sam a control freak when Sam shoves his chair away from the computer is … phew. Dean, my friend, you are a black pot and Sam is your kettle. Anyway, not only does the way they act around each other, and play off of each other, more then sell them as brothers, it starts to reveal who they are.

Dean is a snarky smart-ass who clearly has little respect for authority (when it isn’t his dad), as he has no problem lying to or even mouthing-off to law enforcement. To him, they are civilians poking their noses into monster business, so he can’t be bothered to pretend to respect what they have to officer. Sam kicks Dean under the officer's sight line for his flippancy, and aside from being a classic sibling move, this suggests he has more respect for authority (when it isn’t his dad) and the law in particular (as a hopeful future lawyer, this is not a surprise) than Dean. It also shows he’s more cautious and less brash than Dean, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves by being snarky or confrontational.

Besides starting to establish who our main characters are, this early part of the case starts to reveal the complexity of how Sam and Dean feel about each other. Clearly, there is a lot more volatile emotions simmering away than simple sibling rivalry. Sam seems to resent Dean siding with their dad over him, and both his dad and brother's for hunting and revenge. On the other hand, Dean is clearly not over Sam leaving (abandoning him, their dad and the mission) and is seemingly itching for a bit of a fight. All it takes is one statement from Sam about their mom being gone no matter what they do, for Dean to break. As I mentioned in (I think) my Part 1 discussion, this moment, paired with the introduction scenes with Mary, makes a lot of sense. Dean is pissed that Sam doesn’t seem to take the mission seriously enough, while Sam truly can’t remember her, so it’s impossible for him to feel the same connection to dad's mission of revenge as Dean. Despite growing up together, these boys clearly did not have entirely the same childhood experience (which of course, we will see more of later). Despite their tension, it’s also clear that these brothers care about each other and are comfortable together. They speak at the same time (jinx!), showing they are clearly in sync. They are both annoyed and amused by each other's teasing, especially Sam reluctantly smiling at Dean's snark. They sit so close that they’re practically on top of each other, which they definitely would not do if they didn’t like each other and weren’t comfortable with each other. And, they express their care for each other in their own (jerk-bitch) emotionally constipated way. The latter is especially true for Dean of the no chick-flick moments. Even after years apart, these guys clearly have a close bond, despite their issues.

DIVIDING AND CONQUERING

HOW THE WINCHESTERS WORK: Even when detained by the police, Dean, we see is holding true to his fearless and flippant persona as he gives the cop interrogating him little respect and a lot of attitude. We also find out a little more about Dean and John. They clearly think ahead, setting up systems for finding each other in the inevitability of them getting separated (the coordinates in the journal). This is something I love seeing in the show later with Sam and Dean, their code words and contingency plans. These are aspects of the characters that really make them feel real and competent, and I wish we got more of this throughout the seasons. When the officer gets called away, we also see that Dean is resourceful (hello, Clippy!), and can pick a lock.

Meanwhile, we see the first hints os Sam's true super power, puppy-dog eyes. Still, they must not be up to full power after years off the job, as the widower ends up storming off in an offended and guilty huff. Next, as it turns out, Sam was the one who called in the tip that cleared out station, giving Dean the opportunity to make his escape. I love that Sam does this for three particular reasons. First, it shows that he’s smart and resourceful, and, despite his desire to no longer be a part of the hunting life, thinking on his feet is clearly still very much a part of him. Secondly, and related to my first point, this move shows how he and a Dean are a team, even when separated. Sam knows that if he gets Dean an opportunity, he will find a way to use it and escape. Finally, this little move of essentially prank calling the cops, reveals more about Sam. Mr. Future Lawyer is not above breaking the rules if it means helping his brother. This confirms to us that Sam isn’t exactly the straight-laced guy he appears to be at the start of the episode.

A couple more things that stand out for me, while the brothers are on the phone, is how proud Dean clearly is of Sam fior making that call into the police (one of us! one of us!), and Sam is full on smiling while discussing his recent misdemeanor. Whether he likes it or not, a part of Sam enjoys this. He is having fun hunting, or at least hanging out with Dean, and Dean is loving having Sam back.

REUNITED FOR NOW

(But really, for the next 15 years, give or take a few separations)

BETTER TOGETHER: So, not-unsurprisingly, Sam gets attacked by the ghost. He is a faithful guy, which already seemed pretty clear from his vibe when he’s first introduced in the episode, but it’s nice to have confirmed. The ghost doesn’t care and basically sexually assaults him so that she’ll be justified in killing him. I mean … bad form, Constance. Dean shows up shooting her in the face, which distracts her just long enough (despite not being salt shells - is this when they get the idea to start using salt shells, I can’t recall?) for Sam to crash the impala into the house, effectively taking her home. So, Sam helped save Dean by giving him a chance to get out of custody, and Dean helps save Sam by distracting the ghost so Sam can bring her back to the house. I like how they both save each other, or give each other the opportunity to save themselves. This establishes that they are both capable alone but better when they work as a team.

So, besides my comments on the screen shots above, a few more things really stand out for me in the final parts of the episode. Sam, who just crashed a car into an abandoned house, was attacked by a ghost, and has now been threatened by his sibling, is again smiling. This weirdo is having a good time, and I love it. I keep pointing this out because I don’t think I fully noticed just how much Sam smiles in the Pilot when I watched it before, and a lot of the time it’s with Dean or just after breaking the law or being attacked. It really adds some interesting nuance to Sam, who is not simple the straight man, and informs his conflict over going back home.

Another thing that stands out to me here is just how desperately Dean wants Sam to stay with him. We can practically feel it through the screen. A part of him was clearly starting to hope that now that they found their groove again, Sam might just stay with him, that maybe he would blow off that law school interview after all. He is clearly crushed when Sam says he has to get back, and we pretty much see him scrambling to pull his armor back on to protect himself from Sam's rejection. It’s almost heartbreaking, which is a testament to Jensen's acting, as well his and Jared's chemistry and ability to make these guys seem real. In just about 45 minutes, we are invested in these characters and their relationship. Jared does a good job with Sam, too. We can clearly see his conflict; he did have fun hunting with Dean, it’s clear that he had missed Dean, and I think a part of him wants to stay with Dean. But Sam is stubborn, and more than that, he has built a new life for himself, a plan. Still, when he offers that olive branch when they’re saying goodbye, of him and Dean hanging out some time soon, I believe that he wants to, but I’m not sure if either of them believe it will happen. It’s actually sad to think they are going their separate ways, and we’re already rooting for them to stay together.

Finally, the episode comes full circle with Sam finding Jess on the ceiling (not pictured above because it just creeps me out, like with Mary), the fire, Dean saving him again by pulling him out of the fire, and Sam picking up his father's mantel of vengeance. At this point, Dean has been fully established in our eyes as Sam's protector, and Sam has been established as our doubly tragic hero who is now on his own mission for revenge.

FINAL THOUGHTS: One last thing that I forgot to mention above that I love about the Pilot is the humor that runs though it. It’s not uproariously funny or anything, but it has nice doses of humor throughout. A good amount of this comes from Dean who is established as a funny character, but funny moments also come from a lot of the brothers' interactions. Their squabbling and backhands, or digs on each other, add a nice bit of realism and lightness to what could otherwise be an unrelentingly dark episode. I love how this becomes an established part of the show later, I think starting especially in Season 2. In later seasons, though it does get a little too heavy handed for me on occasion. I think it’s ultimately a big part of what mane Supernatural different. That and Sam and Dean's general unhingedness regarding each other.

Regarding Jess, as much as I like her character and believe Sam would have eventually returned to hunting regardless, now that Dean is back in his life, I think it makes sense that she dies here, giving him that push. It gets them going on the hunt more quickly. Also, I read somewhere that the writers had toyed with having Jess be possessed. I’m truly glad they never went that route. I think it’s much more poignant that she was just a good person, who Sam loved. It’s more tragic, more painful him him to lose her as she is in the Pilot, and it’s ultimately a more pure relationship.

At the end of the episode, we are left with a lot of questions to speculate on, and even more that we want to find answers for. This, besides establishing the characters, is just about the most important thing a Pilot can do. It leaves us curious and wanting to know more. Would Sam have seen Dean again if Jess hadn’t died (yes)? Where is the dad? Why is he leaving them coordinates, instead of just calling or texting them? When are we going to see him again. What is going to happen to Sam now that he’s lost Jess in this way? What will this mean for the brother’s relationship going forward? What killed their mother and Jess? Why? What other kinds of scary crap are the boys going to come up against?

Will we find some of the answers in Season 1, Episode 2, Wendigo (I mean … mostly, no)?

Well, this ended up being way longer than I planned, so if you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to comment or reblog with your thoughts on the episode!

To be Continued …

… in Wendigo, Part 1, coming soon-ish …

#Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #sam and dean #Supernatural #Rewatching S&D #The Pilot #My Thoughts #My Edits #Jared Padalecki #Jensen Ackles

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sentientdessert · 10 months

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I’m sitting here feeling more than a little scared... Explanation, in hopes that it’ll calm me enough to lie down and try to sleep again. I am a huge horror fan. I read, watch, listen, and make horror related media. One series I really enjoyed reading was a manga called Fuan no Tane, which is a lot of episodic short not true urban legends that the author, Masaaki Nakayama came up with. He genuinely does good creepy stuff, though parts can be repetative. I started reading a second series he started translated to PTSD Radio. Unlike Fuan no Tane, there is a linking theme to all the stories. The atomosphere in the stories was really good, and had me getting gooseflesh and shivers as I read. Always a good sign when enjoying horror. After I finished the first volume, I went on a friend’s discord (another horror lover) and made a few comments about the story, and saying they’d probably enjoy reading it. I returned to reading the stories and made it to the end of the 5th volume. Volume 5 is a little different. Half of the book is filled with the authors real life experiences. Where he states that until he rented and worked out of a certain bulding in Sapporo, he didn’t believe in the supernatural or anything remotely horresque. He just liked telling the stories. He started to experience weird things while using that space. His assistants were experiencing weird things in that building, some even quitting or straight up disappearing on him while they worked there. And the people whom he told the story too would have strange things happen to them, bouts of bad luck, injury, and at a panel where people tried to relate the parts they had been told, there were strange things happening as if to try to prevent the telling, loud sounds etc that stopped as soon as the story stopped. The author himself even almost died, and was diagnosed with a rare blood problem that caused his blood to refuse to clot. Some of the real life tale was written while he was in hospital receiving treatment. After reading chapter 5, I was sold on getting my friend to read it and I went back to the discord. I mean, real life instances always add to the flavour and deepen the creepiness factor. So I went back to the channel and found all my previous posts discussing the story... were gone. Now, I know this could be chalked up to a mod just deleting them, but pretty sure most are asleep. I have asked the friend to check the modlogs as well to see if someone deleted them just to fuck with me... but I’ve got a feeling I’ll get told tomorrow “there’s no record of it.” Which makes me more than a little creeped out... It may seem minor but with everything that is within the 6 volumes of that series, I’m just feeling a little off. And scared. As with the author, I don’t believe in the stuff, but some things start to look more than coincidental... Highly recommend the series, and his other work as well if you enjoy horror. Even sitting here contemplating “maybe there is something going on” I would read it again even knowing I’d feel like this, cause it is not often something legit scares me these days.

#jiggly goodness #horror #fuan no tane #ptsd radio

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drama-glob · 6 months

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SPOILERS FOR HELLUVA BOSS SEASON 2 EPISODE 7!!!!

Let me start off by saying F*CK YOU MAMMON!!!! >:( >:( >:(

Okay now, I LOVED THIS EPISODE because as much at it broke my heart with how much of a gut punch it was that Fizz has been putting up with Mammon for years, the fact that he got his freedom at the end with the constant support of Blitz and Ozzie, who genuinely care about him melted my heart as well. ^_^

I knew going in I was going to hate Mammon (because with how he runs his ring, I couldn't see how he could have any redeeming qualities), but he seriously was a bigger abusive d*ck and was way more blatant about than I expected. >:( Poor Fizz right off the bat with his unhealthy work ethic that he's not good enough and that his value is tied into his work, something that many of us (me included) have been guilty of. I blame Cash for being the most likely factor in why Fizz thinks that way, along with his idol worship of Mammon playing into it. >:( Also, that creep getting in Fizz's head was so messed up because we come to see how genuinely nice Fizz is and he sadly let what that guy said get into his head. ;_;

I'm so glad that Ozzie from the start is looking out for Fizz's well being and mental health, which is also really sad because he has no doubt had this conversation many times with Fizz about not needing to please Mammon and that he is good enough, only for Fizz to insist everything's fine when it's not. ;_; I also had a feeling Ozzie wouldn't be a fan of the Robo Fizzes given that he loves Fizz so much and knows what people use them for, so most likely it's part of the whole blackmail deal/Ozzie can't break out of making them so long as Fizz doesn't call it quits. ;_; I'm also happy that Ozzie clearly harbors no ill-will towards Blitz (which we already saw in "Oops," but it's nice that he knows Blitz wouldn't like the state Fizz is in and needs to cut ties with Mammon). :)

Fizz is just so talented with his craft, but the further pressure that he had actual competition from Glitz and Glam just made things so much worse, but of course Mammon don't care. >:( One of the absolute best moments though had to be the sweet little deaf kid signing to Fizz and Fizz signing back as well as sign his picture, so it was sweet and it helped Fizz's mental state temporarily. It was unfortunate that flipping creep came back and messed with Fizz once again, only adding to Fizz's panic attack that goes into overdrive once he sees Glitz and Glam perform. ;_;

My sadness only built as Fizz spiraled and tried to make himself "fine," but my man Ozzie being there as soon as he hears (from Blitz no doubt) that Fizz is not okay and him not leaving until he can get to the bottom of way Fizz is so adamant about doing this while trying to comfort him was wonderful. I legit cried, as I'm sure many of you did, when poor Fizz admits that he feels like practically nothing next to Ozzie and that without his job and the fame, he'd eventually leave Fizz despite how many years they've known each other and how much Ozzie does to remind Fizz that he loves him for who he is. ;_; ;_; ;_; It's sad too that Fizz has put up with the year of abuse because he felt he owed Mammon for leading him Ozzie, even though that's certainly not true. It really brought it in home just how much trauma Fizz has suffered and affected his mental state. I can only imagine how bad it'd be if he really didn't have Ozzie in his life. O_O The sweet, honest words from Ozzie afterward just reinforced my belief that Ozzie is the best boyfriend and their song "Crooked" was so saturated with lovey-dovey sentiment, I went awwww so many times and shows how lucky they are to have each other. ^_^<3<3<3

Fizz's "2-Minutes Notice" was absolutely incredible, (especially considering this was improv ;) ) and the fact Mammon didn't realize it was about him until the end was hilarious! XD But Fizz certainly proved how amazing he is and I'm sure Ozzie was more than happy to provide the magical backup to really stick it to Mammon. ;) ^_^ <3 It was really cool getting to see full demon Mammon and Ozzie, but it was especially amazing that Ozzie announced he loved Fizz to everyone so that he could no longer be blackmailed by Mammon and so Fizz could be free of that asshole; plus, he already seemed tired of hiding it. ^_^<3<3<3 Although Mammon will definitely come back for revenge on this sweet couple, Fizz and Ozzie get to at least have their peace for now and will face the future of their relationship being outed to all of Hell together. Also, those giant nuzzles from Ozzie are everything to me! ^_^<3<3<3<3<3

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pashminalamb · 1 year

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If you make an another account will you be posting it? You know so I can immediately follow and all 😁. And same I’ve always been a loner too. There have been a few exceptions though. But the past year taught me a lot about friendships so I’m just working on myself this year. It’s kind of lonely but at the same time really peaceful? I think I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long time. Yeah the lack of friends and companions makes things lonely but it’s not something that I’ll let break me anymore. I know I’m stronger than that now. Someone’s I think online people are easier to interact with because there’s no attachments?? Like if they left me I can assume something happened or they decided to go offline but I know for sure (mostly) it’s not my fault you know? And people online are just so much kinder in general. Not that I interact a bunch of people online, just a few, but that’s just my experience so far. Didn’t mean to go off on a rant there my bad 😅.

And don’t apologize for closing the chat box!! It’s completely understandable. As kind as people can be online there are still a bunch of creeps out here 🤢. So pls stay safe!!

YOUR SCREENSAVER?!??! ASDGKKGFFGG MY BABY HE LOOKS SO PRETTY. Also I’ve only recently gotten a Haitani brothers brainrot so like that’s a big factor atm 💀💀. OH there’s this one artist that posts her drawings in insta and tiktok abt TR and they look amazing and are so freaking funny I end up clutching my stomach every time 💀😭😂.

Here’s one of them

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRCVqAnf/

I’ve posted a few things on my blog but only drabbles really. I’ve been wanting to start doing analysis’s for a long time but I never got around to it. Just like character analysis’s and relationship analysis’s and story arcs and all that jazz. I love all of it. And in my opinion the best stories are the ones where the characters are what drive the plot of the story. TR did an amazing job of doing this and it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with the story in the first place almost immediately.

That one illuminati ask was…. something 💀.

Comfort fics are my favorite and the ones that explore real experiences and feelings and aren’t just a colt bf paste of the same words really do it for me.

Thank youuuu ☺️!!! Yeah my blogs a mess but I have so much fun with it. I haven’t posted anything in a while tho and I’m thinking about starting character analysis’s posts first. I’ll probably brainstorm over winter break. Which cant come soon enough btw. I have so many ideas for stories (besides fics I mean) and I wanna warm up and practice with tumblr.

Emperor! Izana ehhhh 👀👀?? Don’t worry I can wait. I can be patient when I want to be 😌. And the 30+ WIPS?? I felt that 😭😭. I don’t even wanna look at all the almost blank documents where I speed typed like 30 words at 3 am and when back to sleep 💀💀.

REOOOOOO!!! See like Nagi is also very adorable. And Barou has been growing on me lately 👀. See what I’m doing with blue lock now is just being spoiled left and right. I gave up trying to avoid spoilers (my lack of patience really shined through here) so now I see a post abt a match point or a duo breaking up in the manga and I’m like WAIT WHAT and then just don’t read the manga 💀💀. I WILL (eventually) soon but after the first season ends.

I love love love analyzing people and hearing their stories and learning things through experience. Which is really rich cause Im not good with talking to people and I never leave the house 💀💀. You can see my problem 😭😭.

How’s reading TR going? 👀👀

Ohhh I’ll check out those recs.

What did you think of the new episode of Chainsaw Man? Shit really hit the fan after the first 5 minutes 💀💀.

You should’ve told the guy where you found the picture so that he could save it as his wallpaper if he liked it so much 😌🙄.

Also can I mention how much I love the headers you put at the end of each ask? Like they’re so adorable and cute and thoughtful. I just wanted to say I really appreciate them!!! You’re so sweet ❤️❤️.

As for me, I’m currently in the library waiting for my next class to start. I took a tumblr break after eating lunch. My professor just made a big essay optional and extra credit because he wants us to review for our last unit test and midterm throughly. SO LIKE HECK YEAH!!! But also I already have an outline for it so I’m debating if the 10 point extra credit on our midterm is worth the extra work or not.

How’s your day going? Papers are rough but you got this 😤😤!!! Don’t forget to take breaks and eat something and drink water today okay??? *sends many virtual hugs*

- ✨ anon

Kinda want to announce it so that I don’t seem sus - but I also wanna be discreet abt it so that I can interact with people who wanna message me (in priv) and not people who want a part 2 of something from me ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა (please I get that you guys don’t wanna be left on a cliffhanger - but. I have a life outside tumblr and left with less hours to write. And if you want quality, you’re gonna have to wait. Pushing me isn’t gonna work cause you’re gonna be disappointed with the end result and so will I) you’ll be able to tell it’s me cause I will say this - it’s a TR username - I have two of them in mind and I can’t figure which one I want more cause the one I got represents me in whole and the other is a guy who’s high (ikyk)

Yeah, it gets lonely here- but at least it’s peaceful; I follow a few blogs - mostly art + JJBA updates (and I’m super excited to check out the new eps of stone ocean) interaction wise... i have tried it out before, but none of them lasted long. what hurt me the most was when i was trying to be genuine abt something and writers here (not all but some) are really closed off yk? like they're fine interacting with friends but are really selective with new people? cause of that i just gave up interacting with them altogether and after my ideas got taken and neither was anything being reciprocated back on my blog by them despite us following each other- cause it goes both ways and if its just me, i wont do it anymore. my experience online hasn't been that great except with the upload of fics... and the only interaction i would get was comments or going through tags that was included by the person who reblogged it- but with recent developments, a lot of that has changed and i'm comfortable talking to people now ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Oh yea definitely. Safety is super important to me - that's why i never reveal too much about myself just small things cause you can't be completely safe on the internet- like when i was still a small time writer i got followed by a spanking account (istg the way my eyes widened when i saw it; and it wasn't even the kinky variety- it was traditional method of disciplining someone) - won't go much into detail about it but yeah i ended up blocking him. And now that i think abt it he must've read my hanma fic - but still (T.T)

Rindou is so pretty- i. he looked at me on the train (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ

Unfortunately, I don't use tiktok. I used to be there - but i realized that i wasted a lot of time with endless scrolling, some of the content had received a lot of likes despite there not being enough effort? not to mention my ex's friends came to troll me through that app. I deleted my account and as i got older, i decided to never go back - so now i just stick to pinterest, twitter and instagram with the latter two being purely for uni reasons. so yeah i'm not much of a social media kinda person - and yeah i live under a rock and i'm ancient (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

Oh yeah when characters take the drive and the plot goes ahead is a different thing altogether - and i agree. like even in tr, i was really surprised to see the turn of events and character development - especially Kazutora and yeah i saw the drabbles (didn't get to read them cause i haven't watched one piece but maybe i should soon) - glad to know that you're a woman of culture for liking ace cause i like him as well - despite not watching the anime (is a zoro fan as well) and now i wanna change the theme of my blog as well- thinking if i should go with beige, sage green or blue- gonna see how this pans out

that illuminati ask had me dead- and i was just laughing from confusion and saying that idk who was a part of project and conspiracies- it's gonna be an inside joke on the blog 😂

Oh yeah emperor Izana - very fitting for his image tbh; and literally- when its time to write, it is time to write and lately i've been feeling the word "cold" a lot which added to True north Aiku's part (yes i will talk abt my husband- and apparently he's set a standard for me in men too shaggy hair with a mullet minus the side shave + scruff/ 5 o clock shadow) I haven't watched the latest of bllk - i read the new chapter though - not much action but Isagi's development; and you found out abt a duo breaking up- ૮₍•᷄ ࡇ •᷅₎ა dw tho - there are more pairings that come in and you'll get to see Barou with his hair down- p hot ngl .What i really really pray for is aiku getting animated (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) i wanna see him touch him feel him (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)

TR reading - might start uploading manga panels soon and i still like Senju/ Senjuu - she's like me (๑>ᴗ<๑) (although i know some ppl would disagree- i'm curious to see what character would you relate me to tho)

And i forgot to add that i read philosophy as well - i'm all over the place tbh - one of my favs is tuesdays with morrie. Its a sad book but totally worth the read.

I haven't watched chainsaw man just read the manga- but i think i should start watching that cause mappa did a good job with it and honestly- the animation looks very different than their usual (i was roped into re-watching aot - likes reiner and porco )

Ty fur liking the headers- (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) i'm gonna put them for every ask - might start putting webtoon ones too

Oof good luck on the review!

So, i wrote the review and the prof liked it a lot- i got summoned to the archival section of the library - the books there are so old and dusty and i'm working on a research paper with my prof (had to wash my hand three times to get the dust off and i'm thinking of carrying surgical gloves for this-)

I hope your say is going well too, starry!

I do not regret sending cursed images I found on Pinterest

#Belle.☏#.lost sheep : ✨ anon

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fallensnowfan · 1 year

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With the anime gradually approaching the finale of the battle on Onigashima, now feels like a good time to start making posts for episodes/scenes I want to talk about.

Episode 1047

First, this additional segment in the anime with Inuarashi picking up the fabric of Ashura’s outfit? It’s a good moment for Inu, especially with the hole in the roof from the earlier conflict allowing Inu to regain his Sulong form to continue fighting Jack, though at the same time... I wasn’t ready for it, it’s heavy. Hope Ashura is having a nice drink with Oden and the mountain bandits who attacked Onigashima too early.

Shifting to the lighter stuff, Brook carrying Robin is a fun scene, more of the Nami, Usopp, Speed, and Tama group is cute, Kawamatsu is amazing and smart as always, and I like seeing members of Kidd’s crew wrecking Kaido’s underlings. Then there is this guy...

Oh man, look at this face. Toei is really amping up his creep factor and I’m all for it. Love to hate this candy man.

To end, the preview for 1048 show the three daimyo, who may be getting some extra scenes? Cool! And it seems there will be some fantastic animation to look forward to, the two zoans on the roof continue their clash, and Luffy and Momo prepare to return to the levitating island.

#one piece anime #one piece #episode 1047 #inuarashi #ashura doji #charlotte perospero

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addictedtostorytelling · 2 years

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Sort of a weird question but I was wondering if you happened to know if Holly Gribbs was originally suppose to be Grissom’s love interest? He just seemed pretty flirty with her on the pilot, and since Sara wasn’t thought up of until the second episode, I didn’t know if that’s what they were going for. A Grissom that hugs new coworkers is so weird!

hi, anon!

i've never seen anything to say that she either was or wasn't, so i honestly can't give you an "official" answer.

the only stuff i've ever read about the character makes it sound like the decision to kill her off came fairly early in the process, as the actress had tested poorly with test audiences.

that said, my personal sense is that she wasn't necessarily written to be grissom's love interest, for a couple of reasons.

for one thing, her depiction skewed toward making her seem both very young and very green, much more so than with sara; grissom hugging her and looking out for her, while not presented as being entirely paternalistic, does seem much more like a boss looking out for a rookie than a "white knight" swooping in to save "the princess," at least to me. though the actress (chandra west) was actually a year older than sara is (and only two years younger than jorja fox in real life), holly herself comes across as being very much still a "kid," to the point that i think there would have been a creep factor had they tried to pair her with the much more experienced and distinguished grissom.

for yet another thing, i don’t think the way that grissom is written/depicted as interacting with her is necessarily meant to read as romantic. while it is a bit flirtatious, the grissom of the pilot is a flirt all around (which is part of his s1 oocness)—but, again, to me, the hug doesn’t read as being at all emotional or sensual; it’s just meant to be human and endearing, an acceptable quirk for a grissom who is, at this point in his history, being presented as much more open and even “normal” than the grissom of later seasons will be.

furthermore, i also think that during the pilot era, the writers weren't really in a place where they were conceptualizing of grissom as someone who might have a long-term love interest at all, never mind the holly gribbs component specifically.

like.

the grissom of the pilot is much more like some of billy's former movie characters than he is like the grissom we eventually come to know and love, not only in the sense that he is a loose cannon much more so than the restrained and introverted man he will eventually morph into but also in the sense that he is a bit of a “cad about town” (as opposed to the later grissom, who is so thoroughly monogamous and uninterested in romance outside of with sara). while his conversation with charlotte meridian tells us he's not necessarily successful in his dating efforts, there is still something of a sense that he “gets around.”

i think he was very much written, in the beginning, as that classic cop show hero: the man men want to be like and women want to be with.

so i'm guessing that had that iteration of the character tested well and been something billy was more interested in pursuing, the writers would have kept him “single and ready to mingle” for a long while; they wouldn't have tried to tie him down to one girlfriend.

and, i mean, in s1, they really don't do so, even as is: he has romantic interactions or at least flirtations with charlotte meridian, teri miller, sara sidle, and even a few female suspects and persons of interest throughout the course of the season. while sara is his official love interest (and was conceived of as such since before jorja fox even auditioned for the role), she is so in a very "long game" sense, with the writers in no rush to get her and grissom together and very willing to pair him with other female characters in the interim.

that so, i just can't imagine that they went into writing the pilot with the idea of holly being “the one” for grissom (and especially not because, frankly, the actress was not strong enough to play off of a powerhouse like billy).

anyone they were going to cast as grissom's love interest was going to need to be a much more charismatic performer in her own right.

i think they only eventually changed tacks between the writing of the pilot and episode two because of feedback they got from the test audience and because of billy's vision for the character.

as was talked about at paley fest 2015, there was a considerable time gap of probably about five months between the writing and filming of the pilot in the spring of 2000 and the writing and filming of episode 01x02 "cool change" in the fall of 2000, during which time jorja fox was hired.

i think some of grissom’s more “too cool for school” tendencies got nerfed between episodes 01x01 and 01x02 and that the writers wanted a way to ground him and round him out, and that’s where the idea to give him a long-term love interest came from.

but before that revision to the character was made, i don’t think anyone was thinking down the lines of “who is going to be the love of grissom’s life?” yet.

that’s just my sense, though—and, like i said, i can’t either confirm or deny if holly gribbs was originally intended to be grissom’s love interest or not.

it’s just my personal sense that she wasn’t.

sorry i can’t give you a more certain answer!

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

#answered #anon #asks: csi #**#my meta #meta: csi #meta: grissom #meta: production #season one #speculation csi #let's talk shop #csiverse

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farchanter · 1 year

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For All Mankind (season 3)

This isn't about God, it's about NASA.

Two episodes into the third season of For All Mankind, I did not have a good feeling.

In the final season of Parks & Recreation, the characters all become successful beyond their wildest dreams. In order for the writers to accomplish this, those characters become distorted, caricatured versions of themselves, bringing perhaps one or two notes of their earlier characterizations while having those notes blown up to wild proportions.

Whether we like that choice or not, we have to acknowledge where Parks & Recreation was in its lifecycle (they were, effectively, taking a victory lap after a run as one of the greatest comedies of its generation) and also what Parks & Rec was (a comedy). For All Mankind isn't supposed to be either of those things: it's a hard sci-fi with no particular end in sight.

The tone of those first few episodes, then, was really off-putting. Everything was just so exaggerated in a way that felt like a parody or fanfiction of For All Mankind instead of a new season. For example, the incredibly awkward, uncomfortable, but palpable romance arc at the end of season 2 has metamorphosized into a stalker arc. Ed— whose growth was one of the main driving factors in the resolution of the conflict at the end of season 2— has backslid, and at first blush it seemed like that was just to fit him into the "reactionary Greatest Generation member" hole the show requires.

That sour taste never quite goes away, but once the show gets rolling into a multiparty race for Mars, we get back to what made the earlier parts of For All Mankind so compelling. Where Ed's initial state this season felt like a needless regression, his nonlinear growth throughout the season feels remarkably human— and, hopefully, it sticks. The interpersonal conflicts, dramas, and romances of the Mars journey feel quite authentic.

The science fiction— the world part of the show, as opposed to the character piece— experiences a similar split. The alt-history proposes some pretty thoughtful questions (in this world where NASA is a powerful government agency, its commercialization of nuclear fusion has induced protests around the country when the fossil fuel industry collapses overnight, and we also get to deal with the ramifications of trivial orbital and even lunar travel and the dangers they might pose) but also feels a need to ground itself in the real 1990s, when the show is set, which felt jarring. I kind of wish it had committed more fully to the alt part of alt-history.

The space missions are just as pulse-pounding as we've grown accustomed to. There is an unfortunate tendency to what I'm doing to call "tension creep", where the writers feel the need to push the missions one step further than where they went before in terms of their impossibility. It reaches the point where, when the head of NASA reminds us of Apollo 11 just as the daring end-of-season mission is about to launch, I startled. The relatively staid act of landing on the Moon feels like a completely different show from the absurd mission about to take place. The characters are more important than the space portions, but it still took me out of the moment a bit.

We've already been renewed for season 4, but I think For All Mankind needs to start winding down. Part of that is that, if the showrunners want to "tension creep" even further, the show is going to become a farce. There are also important in-fiction questions of where we go now that the race for Mars is over. And, moreover, we have to acknowledge that a lot of time has passed between June of 1969 (when the show begins) and 2005— where the end-of-season roll suggests the next season will take place. Many of our characters are dead— and, even for those that aren't, there's only so much longer they can reasonably be effective. I don't personally believe the show has done the necessary groundwork to invest us in new characters yet.

#completion list #tv #completed #todo #review #for all mankind #alt-history #sci-fi #sci fi #scifi #apple tv #NASA #space #knight #ronald d. moore #alternate history #Matt Wolpert #Ben Nedivi

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