#would be a fairer comparison

[thestarlightforge]

*Stews in “It’s not actually fair to call Nandermo ‘the new Ross x Rachel’ bc Ross & Rachel actually kissed after 31 episodes and Nandermo have gone 50 now”*

Edit: Boosting this lovely fic I found for those of you seeking another solution

#it’s not all about kissing I know #but come ON #luke x lorelai #would be a fairer comparison #ross x rachel #Rachel x Ross #nandermo #nandor x guillermo #nandor the relentless #guillermo de la cruz #wwdits #wwdits s5 #wwdits spoilers #spoilers #ao3 #works FAST

[aeide-thea]

like [in re plastic article i posted earlier] i'm currently wearing one of my fave tees that's, god, i don't know, a good five years old now anyway, and it's a triblend which means it's got some polyester in it, and while i've appreciated the way that's enabled it to straddle use cases over the years—e.g. (1) bicycling to class and then (2) looking like a normal person once i got there—at this point it's starting to pill a little, as poly always inevitably does, and getting rattier and less comfy as a result? and like, i guess i'll try using a fabric shaver on it and see if that helps some, but like. not an issue with 100% cotton tees!

#i imagine it *would* happen a bit with wool‚ probably—it's happened a little bit with the merino socks i have— #and given that part of what i've valued abt this tee is its usability as activewear‚ that's admittedly a fairer comparison #but like. the other thing abt natural fibers is: biodegradable #pulling pills off a sweater doesn't leave me with little insidious pellets of plastic waste #anyway idk. all textiles have tradeoffs but i'm really feeling like. at the very least i only want to buy plastic on purpose #like it's one thing to have a fleece or two (although like. should those ultimately be wool also? maybe!) #(i do own one (1) fancy merino hoodie that's basically a fleece substitute and like. lotta good things abt it) #(but it IS imo slightly less comfy next to skin‚ slightly heavier‚ and slightly worse at wicking than‚ say‚ a grid fleece of similar weight) #but it's another thing to have like. normal garments that just. have polyester in them for no reason (or rather bc‚ i assume‚ it's cheaper) #anyway like. idk. you can't scrutinize yr consumption to death but you can try to keep some criteria in mind #cotton i think has its own environmental issues—water consumption iirc??—so like. truly everything is tradeoffs #and ultimately probably the biggest and best thing is like. rewear things you already have as long as you can! #in which case like. i'm doin ok i think. #anyway. did anyone need this post? probably not. what is a perblog for if not luxuriant omphaloskepsis tho. #mundanities #sartorial #textiles

[hxneylavendxr]

diverdiva could do miwaku geki but valkyrie could never do love triangle

#posts that makes sense to *checks notes* 1 person :( #the secret night would have been a fairer comparison but trigger from i7 also has a secret night #not that they could do that one either but they do have a significantly better chance at a trigger song #diverdiva could do anything...... #honeys✩idols

[eff-plays]

How about we make it fairer?

Comparison below

Both are canonically the greatest in their fields of expertise. Astarion seemingly has no formal training as far as we know, but has far more experience given his life span, and some vampire powerups. His default subclass is Arcane Trickster, giving him some extra magical abilities.

Zevran was taught from a young age and is a literal professional killer, but was admittedly not the greatest at it compared to his former comrades. He does, however, become good enough to start hunting his fellow Crows eventually. His default subclass is Assassin, which boosts his damage output.

#bg3 #dragon age #astarion #zevran #astarion ancunin #zevran arainai #congrats to my two rogue elf husbands on having cool surnames

[onemustalwaysbecarefulofbooks]

Why I Dislike Rhysand, Part 2: #NotMyHighLord

Part 2 in the rant I have suppressed for the past several years. Rhysand Stans, be warned, this is not for you. Be prepared to see critiquing of SJM’s writing as well. Proceed at your own risk!! 

I feel like this section of the rant is going to be the one that most people have seen, heard, or expressed themselves already. I myself have seen many posts and takes on this before. There will probably be the least amount of original ideas in this post. Nonetheless, I can’t turn down an opportunity to finally say it in my own words. 

In Part 1 of my rant (and many other posts), I discussed how Sarah J Maas blatantly has an insane sort of obsession with Rhysand. It is impossible not to notice and acknowledge if you read the series from start to finish. All it takes is about 2 minutes listening to her speak about anything related to him for you to see it as well. He is unequivocally Her Favorite and she has demonstrated that by deeming him to be THE MOST of many different things, especially in comparison with others. I made a post last summer about how I really struggle to define what I think of Sarah as an author overall. She has given me some of my favorite fictional characters of all time, written scenes and exchanges between characters that I carry in my heart and soul and overall provided me with an endless amount of entertainment. On the other hand, a GLARING fault I find there to be with her is that she often writes in an extremely puzzling and contradictory way: beating us over the head with something about a character she presents as being true, verbally stated through the dialogue of characters or through the narrative of the story, while having these characters act and behave in a totally OPPOSITE way to the way they are being described by everyone. And this obviously contradictory behavior is never addressed by anyone in the story--or if it is, the ones calling attention to it are vilified and shown in a negative light, even though they are providing commentary on actions carried out canonly by these characters. 

In the simplest form, it’s like this: The author creates a character who others routinely say is the most kind, unselfish, loving, and generous person to grace the planet. An opportunity will NEVER be lost to state these things, through the narrative and through the dialogue of other characters. The fandom comes to accept these things as totally canon traits. You hear the author repeat these same beliefs. The character becomes a favorite of the fandom, who praises him/her for being so kind and selfless. You get excited to read about such a character and open the book yourself. . .only to find scene after scene where the character acts in a way that is cruel, selfish, and arrogant. All while everyone else continues to laud them for being so wonderful. There is a direct contradiction between what you’re seeing and what you’re being told. Tons and tons of readers seem to find nothing unusual about this. You’re left with the feeling that you’re in some kind of insane asylum where nothing makes sense but no one questions it. 

This is the feeling I get whenever I hear about what an amazing High Lord Rhysand is. 

As we’ve established, SJM is obsessed with Rhys. Therefore, she automatically makes Rhys the best at whatever he does. One day I’d love to do a drinking game where we take a shot every time someone reminds us that Rhys is The Most Powerful High Lord In Prythian’s History (he should really just get that phrase trademarked at this point). But in addition to that, we are also often reminded about what a good, just, fair, and progressive beloved ruler he is. 

Rhys as High King: he could think of no other male he’d trust more. No other male who would be a fairer ruler than Rhys. And with Feyre as High Queen. . .Prythian would be blessed to have such leaders. (Cassian, ACOSF, page 451) 

There are a lot of ACOTAR lines that provoke actual visceral anger and disgust in me. This is probably in my All Time Top 3.

Yeah, Rhysand is SUCH a great High Lord!! Didn’t you know. . . there are no slums in Velaris!!

There’s just, you know, female mutilation going on in the mountains!

Where to even BEGIN unloading? 

I guess I’ll begin here: One of the reasons I strongly dislike Rhysand as a character is because he’s a terrible High Lord.

(And what makes me infuriated and passionately dislike Rhysand is the fact that we are beaten over the head by what an exceptionally wonderful High Lord he is despite the glaring faults shown in the text). 

I really really fail to understand how anyone can believe any differently, when it is canonly stated that two thirds of Rhysand’s court are hellish and terrible places. Women are oppressed and mutilated, people who are brutal and cruel are basically given free reign to do as they please, there is not an ounce of respect given to their so-called true ruler. 

And Rhys, “The Most Powerful High Lord in Prythian’s History” has done. . .nothing. Nothing to truly change either of these places. 

Let’s start with Illyria. 

We all know how horrible life is for Illyrian females. They are forbidden to train, are viewed as vessels for breeding, and have their wings clipped at a young age so they can’t fly. Cassian’s mother is raped by an Illyrian warrior and then worked to death, when her body is dumped off a cliff. Azriel’s mother has her young son taken from her by the male who sired him and relies on his mercy as to when he can be released from his literal prison cell to see him. Rhys’s mother was starving herself so she wouldn't get her period, which is when her wings would have been clipped when she was saved from her fate by his father’s mating bond. Emerie and her mother are horrifically abused by her father, resulting in her mother’s death. Emerie tells Nesta and Gwyn that he would slam her head into walls, crunch her fingers in doors, and that he broke her fucking back. Like most females, her wings are clipped so she’s unable to fly. Upon her father’s death, she gains control of his store much to the displeasure of her male family members who frequently harass and threaten her about it. 

It’s plain to see that these are not randomly occurring isolated situations. Abuse can happen anywhere, with anyone, but there is CLEARLY a cultivated system of abuse and oppression among Illyrian females. Rhys tells us that he has banned the clipping of Illyrian female wings and is slowly working towards implementing changes that will allow women to have more freedom and choices. He tells Feyre that the Illyrians are “slow to change” and that it will take a long time to completely undo the way they’ve lived their lives for centuries. 

I’m sorry, I call BULLSHIT.

The attempts we’ve seen towards this so far in the story have been half-assed at best. Rhysand makes these laws but doesn’t put anything into place to actually enforce them. In ACOMAF, we get this from Devlon, the war lord who rules over the Windhaven camp:

“Another inspection? Your dog,” he jerked his chin toward Cassian, “was here just the other week. The girls are training.”

Rhysand’s strategy to prevent female wing clipping: Tell the violent sexist males with all the power in the camps that it’s banned. Send Cassian in once a week to check up on it. 

That’s it. 

Allow me to demonstrate how utterly ridiculous and contradictory this is.

In ACOMAF, we have the scene where the IC visits the Court of Nightmares (oh don’t worry, we’ll touch on this place in a bit). Right before their departure, Keir insults Feyre and calls her a whore. (Sidenote: no one should ever be called a whore and I am no way in the SLIGHTEST defending Keir but honestly, I don’t know what Rhys expected. It’s like when Rhys goes out of his way to act evil and do evil things and then everyone takes offense to people calling him evil. He dresses Feyre up in skimpy revealing clothing, has her sit on his lap on his throne, and proceeds to basically finger her in front of an entire throne room of people. It’s stated a million times that fae can sense and smell arousal, and both her and Rhys are both completely turned on by this. Feyre calls HERSELF his whore: “The High Lord’s whore. Who I’d become Under the Mountain--who the world expected me to be. The dangerous new pet that Mor’s father would now seek to feel out.” Like. . .buddy, you have her play and act the part of “The High Lord’s whore” and make a public scene in front of a man who has no respect for women, and then are enraged when he calls her a whore. What did you think he would do?? How did you think he would respond?? It’s almost like he was purposely trying to goad Kier into a reaction so he could punish him for it, honestly). 

ANYWAY. . .Keir calls Feyre a whore. And Rhys loses his shit:

Night exploded into the room.

People cried out. And when the darkness cleared, Keir was on his knees.

Rhys still lounged on the throne. His face a mask of frozen rage.

“Apologize”, Rhys said. My heart thundered at the pure command, the utter wrath.

Keir’s neck muscles strained, and sweat broke out on his lip.

“I said,” Rhys intoned with such a horrible calm, “apologize”.

The Steward groaned. And when another heartbeat paused--

Bone cracked. Keir screamed.

And I watched--I watched as his arm fractured into not tow, not three, but four different pieces, the skin going taut and loose in all the wrong spots--

Another crack. His elbow disintegrated. My stomach churned.

Keir began sobbing, the tears half from rage, judging by the hatred in his eyes as he looked at me, then Rhys. But his lip formed the words, I’m sorry.

The bones of his other arm splintered, and it was an effort not to cringe.

Rhys smiled as Keir screamed again and said to the room, “Should I kill him for it?”

No one answered.

Rhys chuckled. He said to his Steward, “When you wake up, you’re not to see a healer. If I hear that you do. . .” Another crack--Keir’s pinkie finger went saggy. The male shrieked. “If I hear that you do, I’ll carve you into pieces and bury them where no one can stand a chance of putting you together again.”

Keir’s eyes widened in true terror now. Then, as if an invisible hand had struck the consciousness from him, he collapsed to the floor.

Rhys said to no one in particular, “Dump him in his room”. 

Now. . .does this in ANY way, shape, or form seem like a man who has trouble getting people who are opposed to him to do what he wants them to do?????????

Rhys doesn’t even move off of his throne and he has Keir groveling on the floor with his arm shattered into pieces. It takes no effort whatsoever on his part. He is, after all, The Most Powerful High Lord in Prythian’s History, in case you’d forgotten. He later laments to Feyre about how ashamed he is for her to see “that side” of him. Feyre says:

“You’re my friend--and I understand that you’re High Lord. I understand that you will defend your true court, and punish threats against it.”

DO YOU SEE THE RIDICULOUSNESS AT PLAY HERE.

Sarah. You can not have it both ways. You can not have Rhys claim that he is “doing all he can” to defend the Illyrian females and protect them from the violent males in their lives and then simultaneously give us this scene. Keir hates Rhys’s guts and I’m sure would gladly not only refuse every order he gave him, but also run him through with a sword. Does it seem like any bit of this matters in this moment? 

One of the responses to this I stumbled across on Reddit literally floored me. Someone brought up this very argument, that Rhys had more power to control the situation in Illyria if he really wanted to, and I saw several people respond with: “Well, if he literally tried to control them, either through physical intimidation or mind control, then he’d be a tyrant, and that’s not who Rhys is. That’s not who he wants to be. Is that really what you’re suggesting?? You want him to be a tyrant who controls people???”

Um. . .YES???

Like. . .do these people hear what they’re saying??? Do they understand the concept of “context matters”????. Do I want Rhys to walk around flaunting his power over innocent law abiding citizens of the Night Court who are minding their own business and not hurting anybody? Obviously no. But do I want him to use his power in a meaningful way to punish people who are physically mutating and beating women to death??? Hello??? The lengths some people will go to to defend this man is incredible.

What is the POINT of Rhysand having all this power if he doesn’t use it to defend the good and the innocent??? What is the POINT of him being “tHE mOsT poWERful HiGH lORD in PryTHIAN’S hIsTorY” if he sits on his power while innocent people in his court are being abused under his watch???

Spoilers for Queen of Shadows: To me, this is like someone saying Lysandra shouldn’t slit Arobynn’s throat in his sleep because it would make her a murderer. Is that what I want??? For Lysandra to be a murderer?? Does the average person deserve to have their throat slit in their sleep?? No. But does Arobynn?? YES. 

These Illyrian males, if they are behaving in the ways we hear about in the story, DESERVE to have their asses handed to them by Rhysand! They DESERVE whatever punishment comes their way! Don’t want your arm shattered into a million pieces?? Don’t fucking mutilate and beat your wife!!! Easy as that!!

For real change to come about in the Illyrian camps, there needs to be a zero tolerance policy, with public punishment and humiliation, to send a message to everyone that this kind of thing will no longer be tolerated under any circumstances. There needs to be trustworthy people from Rhys’s court stationed there at all times to actually enforce this. I’m not saying that there wouldn't be things that slip past the enforcers, or that Rhys and the Inner Circle have the power to actually change the will and opinions of the males who do this kind of thing. They almost certainly won’t gain any respect from these males. But at the end of the day, it’s very simple. You don’t have to like it, or us, but you WILL stop partaking in this behavior. If you don’t, your consequence is going to be so severe you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it. 

One might ask, This seems pretty straightforward, why hasn’t Rhys attempted anything like this already?? If these males are willing to commit such evil deeds, why even waste his time at all with them? Who CARES if they go rogue and refuse to fight for him anymore? Could it possibly be because he needs the Illyrian soldiers as the main component of his armies? He doesn’t want to outwardly anger these war generals so strongly that they no longer cooperate or associate with him? 

So, what you’re saying is. . .Rhys turns a blind eye to female abuse in his court . .because he needs the might from these people in his armies.

If I’m wrong and you have a rebuttal, I’m all ears. But I’m not really sure what other conclusion I’m supposed to arrive at. Rhys CAN control, humiliate, and intimidate powerful people who go against him. But he’s choosing not to do it here. . .why? Because controlling and intimidating people is bad?? Even if it’s directed towards those who are killing and mutilating innocent people?? I don’t understand and I don’t think I ever will. 

Honestly, I thought the reason Illyria was being left as such a mess was deliberately done, because that was what Nesta’s story and arc was going to revolve heavily around. When they announced in that teaser way back in 2018 that she was going with Cassian to train in the Illyrian mountains, I was fully convinced that that was how she was going to “find herself”, by changing the lives of the Illyrian women and empowering them. I thought she would be a major catalyst in whatever happened there. And. . .that’s not what happened. Maybe that part of the story is still yet to be told, maybe she’s saving it for Azriel’s book or something. . .who knows. For the time being, I guess it’s just there for aesthetics, so the Bat Boys can have a tragic backstory. Still, even if it DOES change in later books, I would still be left wondering why Rhys, who Sarah claims is as different from the other High Lords as humans are to fae, didn’t do something about it sooner. 

On the subject of Illyrians, let’s talk about Feyre and her shape-shifted Illyrian wings for a minute. I’m sure everyone knows what I’m going to say, and you might argue that this is a critique of Feyre’s character and not Rhys’s. I both agree and disagree with that and to explain my reasoning, we’re going to have to back up a little bit. 

I made a post a couple years ago about how Feyre’s title as High Lady holds no real weight in the ACOTAR world and is nothing more than a fancy title and a sign of respect from her husband. Which is admirable in it’s own right, but it’s not truly what all the stans make it out to be. It’s stated as canon fact in the series that the High Lord is determined by whoever this mystical force (is it supposed to be The Mother? I don’t even know) in each court chooses. It’s not a monarchy. If I don’t like my High Lord, I can’t go out and kill him and declare myself the new High Lord. The magic of the court decides who it is. That’s how you end up having people like Tamlin, who have no desire to be High Lord become one. 

Anyway, all of this means that Feyre is NOT equal in power to Rhys, no matter what title he gives her. Let’s pretend their dumb-ass suicide pact doesn’t exist and Feyre can live on if he were to die. If Rhys were to die, Feyre wouldn't continue on as the magical High Lady ruler of the Night Court, while they all just did without a High Lord. The magic would select someone else to be the High Lord, with no regard for her. Feyre is only “High Lady” because Rhys says she is. She has no magical tie to the Night Court. She is a ruler in title only.

Don’t like it? Doesn’t sound very feminist?? Yeah, I’d agree. And for some insane reason, TAMLIN is blamed for the lack of High Ladies in Prythian rather than, uh. . .the woman who created the magic system that made it this way!!! 

(Seriously, the fact that Tamlin is shit on for telling Feyre there are no High Ladies is asinine. Tamlin is not giving personal commentary, he is stating fact. Remember how shocked everyone is when the IC shows up to the High Lord’s meeting in ACOWAR and Rhys announces that Feyre is High Lady? There AREN’T any High Ladies of Prythian! But in ACOMAF, SJM has Rhys tell Feyre that there absolutely are. This is what I mean when I say SJM makes Rhys say and do completely nonsensical things simply for the sake of inflating him as a character. Logic doesn’t have to enter the conversation, if it makes him look good, that’s all that matters. Even if it directly contradicts something SHE wrote!!! It’s mind blowing, honestly). 

Wow, I got REALLY side tracked!! Anyway, you get the point: Feyre’s role as High Lady is really just a fancy title with no true magical tie behind it. But despite this, she is still Rhys’s wife, and therefore a certain level of respect is expected to be given to her. 

And if I were an Illyrian female, I’d find it REAL hard to conjure up any of that respect. 

In my opinion, SJM is guilty of not truly writing these characters with the scope that their immortality entails. Feyre is physically mature and an adult by human standards. But what constitutes an “adult” by fae standards? The IC is collectively thousands of years old. I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't have a hard time seeing someone in their early twenties as someone super young and naive. Especially if this someone wasn’t born a fae and was only transformed into one within the past couple years. 

Think about it. . .how many times have you had a conversation with someone who is older than you, maybe by generations, maybe by just several years and they’ve made comments about how young you are, or how “one day you’ll feel differently” or “one day you’ll understand”. They speak with a wisdom that they claim comes from simply existing longer and going through phases of life you haven’t reached yet. 

Now imagine somehow being over 500 years old and interacting with someone who is 21. They’d be an infant to you!! 

My point in saying this isn’t necessarily to say that I think Feysand’s relationship is creepy because he’s so much older than her. It’s really to say that, as I’ve stated, you can’t really hold Rhys and Feyre accountable in the same way as far as being high fae leaders goes. She hasn’t been alive even a fraction of the amount of time he has and she wasn’t born a fae. This isn’t her fault and I don’t think it’s something she should necessarily be disrespected for. She’s definitely smart and capable of making her own observations and decisions but at the end of the day, I don’t think you can really argue that it falls back on Rhys to help to guide and navigate her through this political life they lead. Rhys had been leading a country for 500 years by the time Feyre was shitting in diapers. Their experience is NOT the same. 

So at the end of the day, I think that Feyre’s use of Illyrian wings says as much about Rhys as it does about her. 

Imagine the pain and the anger you would feel as an Illyrian woman to see your so-called “High Lady” flaunting the wings you were born with and using them to escape to the freedom of the skies, something you had been denied of against your will. She knows nothing of the trials and tribulations you face each day, the abuse you endure. She was not born into your culture, nor does she take the time to try and help you, or get to know you, or learn about you. But she shifts the Illyrian wings onto her back and takes to the sky to do really important things like have sexual intercourse with the High Lord above the most populated city in the court, while you remain trapped on the ground. Imagine the anger you’d feel at your so-called High Lord, who allows his new wife to flutter around Velaris on perfect un-maimed wings, while claiming he wants to advocate for and protect you but does the bare minimum. 

To be clear: I most certainly hold Feyre accountable for this thoughtless decision. She is more than capable of deciding for herself what she feels is right and wrong. But as I’ve stated, I have a really hard time not also putting part of the blame on Rhys here. As I established, Feyre was not born into fae culture and she is a child compared to most of the fae living in the Night Court. Rhys, on the other hand, is over 500 years old, has Illyrian culture in his bloodline, and has been living among these people, leading them, for almost his entire life. I’d like to think he’d have the foresight to pull Feyre aside and explain to her that while she may not have initially considered it, it could be viewed as disrespectful and offensive for the Illyrian women to see her gallivanting around with Illyrian wings when most of theirs have been clipped. 

If I were an Illyrian women, I think it would be nearly impossible for me not to feel a strong bitterness towards Feyre and Rhysand. One could make the argument that Feyre is young and naive and doesn’t truly understand Illyrian culture. The same argument could NOT be said about Rhys. 

So thanks, High Lord, for flapping around shiny happy Velaris with your wife and her fake Illyrian wings, having kinky Illyrian wing sex, while doing the bare minimum to help and protect the women who were actually BORN with Illyrian wings. 

Alright, moving on from that mess, let’s touch on the Court of Nightmares. 

Now, a lot of what I have to say here is going to be the same as what I said about Illyria. But honestly, I feel like this place gets the even shorter end of the stick. 

One of the most truly bizarre things to me in the ACOTAR series is this idea that the people of Hewn City/the Court of Nightmares are somehow just all evil malicious wicked people who are happy to live sequestered in this underground kingdom. This is a super weird notion and I’m not sure at all how Sarah validates it. Especially when a character like Mor exists. You’re telling me she was the only “dreamer” born into the Court of Nightmares? No one else is suffering the way she was? I don’t get it. 

I’ve heard the argument made before that it’s quite possible that this kind of wickedness is specific only to Mor’s family. I’ve heard people say that we’ve never really seen anything in the Court of Nightmares other than the household she grew up in. So it’s actually quite plausible, people say, that the rest of the court is just a normal court, there’s no evidence to suggest that this kind of abuse is happening among the entire group of people. (They claim we are “reaching” for things to blame Rhys for). 

Yeah, NO. Sorry, that’s just a willfully stupid take. Here’s what we hear about this place from ACOMAF:

“The nobility of the Night Court fall into one of three categories: those who hated me enough that when Amarantha took over, they joined her court and later found themselves dead; those who hated me enough to try to overthrow me and faced the consequences; and those who hated me, but not enough to be stupid and have since tolerated a half-breed’s rule, especially when it so rarely interferes with their miserable lives.”

“Are they--are they the ones who live beneath the mountain?”

A nod. “In the Hewn City, yes. I gave it to them, for not being fools. They’re happy to stay there, rarely leaving, ruling themselves and being as wicked as they please, for all eternity.” 

That was the court he must have shown Amarantha when she first arrived--and its wickedness must have pleased her enough that she modeled her own after it. (pages 175-176)

Not enough to convince you? Here’s Mor explaining it in her own words:

“In the Court of Nightmares,” she went on, that voice falling soft and a bit cold once more, “females are. . .prized. Our virginity is guarded, then sold off to the highest bidder--whatever male will be of the most advantage to our families.”

‘I was born stronger than anyone in my family. Even the males. And I couldn’t hide it, because they could smell it--the same way you can smell a High Lord’s Heir before he comes to power. The power leaves a mark, an. . .echo. When I was twelve, before I bled, I  prayed it meant no male would take me as a wife, that I would escape what my elder cousins had endured: loveless, sometimes brutal, marriages.”

“But then I began bleeding a few days after I turned seventeen. And the moment my first blood came, my power awoke in full force, and even that gods-damned mountain trembled around us. But instead of being horrified, every single ruling family in the Hewn City saw me as a prize mare. Saw that power and wanted it bred into their bloodline, over and over again.”

Is everyone sufficiently convinced now? Okay great. 

And Rhys, by his own omission, allows them to “rule themselves” as a reward for not being foolish enough to challenge HIS authority.

But do they REALLY rule themselves?? Take a second and scroll back up to read the excerpt I already included where Keir calls Feyre a whore and Rhys absolutely wrecks him. Who does it seem like is really in charge here? 

I’m sorry, I get viscerally angry over this. In the Court of Nightmares scene, Keir is written 100% completely and totally as Rhysand’s groveling little bitch. He is literally nothing compared to Rhys. Rhys is total power and domination. Seriously:

He led me the few steps onto the dais--to the throne. He sat, smiling faintly at his monstrous court. He owned every inch of the throne. These people. (page 409)

Before Rhys, Keir was nothing more than a sullen child. Yet I knew Mor’s father was older. Far older. The Steward clung to power, it seemed. 

Rhys was power. (page 411) 

This entire scene honestly disgusts me and is so stupid. Rhys swaggers in and the entire throne room drops to one knee in submission. It’s told over and over that he exudes raw power that no one there can even hope to compete with. We’re told he “owns” the people, that Keir is nothing more than a child compared to him. He snaps his fingers and orders Keir to bring Feyre wine and he does it! Mor calls Rhys “Your High Lord” when speaking to Keir. Keir “grovels” when Rhys suggests that the wine he brought them is poisoned. And then the ordeal where he starts shattering bones in his arm one at a time, forbidding him from seeking any healing on pain of death, eventually knocking him out. 

SO IF THIS IS THE CASE. . .WHY. TOLERATE. KEIR. AT. ALL????????????????

If this is how easy it is to control this man, why on EARTH is he given one INCH of control in this place???? The whole scene loses its meaning entirely. . .why do they need to STEAL this orb from him?? In ACOWAR, why does Rhys need to BARGAIN with him about the use of his armies??? (at the expense of Mor’s feelings and security!!!!) Why are these people ALLOWED to treat females the way they treated Mor??!? 

There are two answers here and both of them are shitty:

Option 1) SJM just wants to write scenes to fulfill her dark!Rhys fetish. She needs the Court of Nightmares for her Rhys aesthetic. That’s where the true reason for scenes like this begin and end. She wants to write scenes where we all marvel and swoon at Rhys’s “raw power”. We don’t need logic, it has no place here. We’re supposed to ignore everything else and just swoon over Rhys, as usual. We’re not really supposed to think too hard about Keir because he’s literally just a prop that is there for the purpose of having Rhys flex his power. It’s the epitome of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. She wants all aspects of what makes Rhys sexy and doesn’t care how she makes it happen. She wants the hot, powerful, wicked High Lord we got to see in ACOTAR, but she also wants the saint she made him out to be in the rest of the series. So we’re just supposed to ignore the fact that in making it plainly obvious that he is able to control these people means that he should be able to apply this to making innocent people’s lives better down there but isn’t. 

Option 2) Rhys is deliberately allowing the wickedness and evil behavior to continue to put on a front for the rest of the world. He says that the Court of Nightmares is the version the outside world gets to see of the Night Court. It’s how Amarantha came to design her own court with it as an inspiration. It’s why everyone has such a negative view of the Night Court. Rhys is praised by the IC and pitied by much of the fandom for the “sacrifice” he makes in putting on this evil front and lets the world believe of him, in order to protect his “true” court--the Court of Dreams, the City of Starlight. I’m sorry, what sacrifice???? What is Rhys sacrificing of himself by doing this? He sits on his throne in total control and power while others grovel at his feet. I’m supposed to feel sorry for him that his reputation is being tarnished by the rest of the world seeing this while people like Mor are having nails driven into their bodies because they went against their family’s wishes regarding their virginity and marriage??? No, I’m sorry. The only people I feel sorry for are the people he is doing this on the backs of. Because the fact of the matter is: Rhys needs an evil court to put on this show for the rest of the world. And you can not have evil people without evil deeds. And you can not have evil deeds without victims. Evil people are evil because of their actions to other people. 

So Option 2 is. . .Rhys is allowing people to be abused in the Court of Nightmares and not putting a stop to it because he needs an “Evil Court” smokescreen to protect his REAL court. 

Again. . .do you see why I have such a hard time liking him???

Also, after ACOMAF the whole world knows about Velaris anyway. So there’s no need for a smokescreen evil court anymore. But has anything changed?? NOPE. 

Not only that. . .but if this is the face he puts on for the people of the Hewn City, this is who most of the people there probably believe him to truly be. If another female, or anyone else really, is in a horrible situation like Mor’s, what would make them think that Rhys is someone they could approach or reach out to for help? They're probably terrified of him! The whole situation is just so fucked up and awful. 

What’s also fucked up and awful is the fact that while all of this exists in both Illyria and the Hewn City, Rhys has a shelter/sanctuary in Velaris for abused women. Sorry, get your fake feminism out of here. You can’t stick that detail into the story and expect it to erase blatant abuse of women happening in two thirds of Rhysand’s court. . .under his watch!!!!! When he has the power to stop it!!! 

I’ve heard many people try and make the claim that Rhys is written to be contradictory in this way to prove that he is a “morally gray character” and to that, I call total bullshit. For one, allowing the blatant abuse of women when you have the power to stop it isn’t “morally gray” , its borderline irredeemable. And two, I’ve said it before. . .listen to SJM talk about Rhys. Read the ACOTAR series. This woman is so far up his butthole, I’m wondering if he somehow offered her her own riverfront mansion. She honestly believes him to be God’s gift to humanity!! 

So again, we’re back to my same age-old question: Is SJM a good writer or a bad writer?? I don’t really think it’s as simple as sticking one word on her writing to label it one way or the other. As I said, I’ve gotten immense enjoyment out of some of Sarah’s work and have been blown away by the places she takes her characters and stories. But in this case. . .it’s objectively awful. You’re giving me this character who you’re constantly telling me is good and righteous and incredible, beating me over the head with the level of worship he gets by the narrative, but then you’re making him do things that are like really blatantly terrible. And he faces NO accountability for it! Like???? You are the author??? You can control the things he does?? If you really believe that he’s that great, why don’t you just write him that way??? Why beat us over the head with how great he is, only to make him do awful things and then completely ignore them?? I’m telling you, it’s almost bizarre. . .like she’s seeing just how far she can go with what people will excuse. It's mind boggling!! 

(Honestly what’s even more mind boggling is the sheer number of people who lap this up and accept it completely. For the life of me, I can not understand how people are so blind to this stuff!) 

You can’t have it both ways, Sarah. You can’t tell us Rhys is the most powerful high lord ever born and expect me to believe that there’s nothing more he can do for Illyrian females and the “dreamers” of the Court of Nightmares. Especially when we’ve seen him demonstrate otherwise! Like I said earlier. . .if he’s not using his power for good, what is even the point of it?? 

So, to sum up: We are told over and over again how utterly powerful and incomparable Rhys is as well as what an honorable and giving High Lord he is. We see raw power displays from him where he swiftly and forcefully exerts brutal punishment on those who offend or go against him without so much as breaking a sweat. Despite this, he adopts a passive view on the Illyrians, banning wing clipping and the mistreatment of females but not doing anything to really enforce it, and continues to allow females in the Court of Nightmares to be abused and brutalized because he needs his evil Night Court aesthetic to protect the IC and Velaris. 

My Ick Factor is OFF THE CHARTS. 

And let me just end by saying….try and picture our Queen and Savior, Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius allowing the mutilation and abuse of women in Terrasen because “change is slow to happen”….and she needed some armies. AELIN WOULD NEVER.

It is a dream of mine to see her humble Rhys.

So, yeah. . .Rhys is a terrible High Lord. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Part 3 is probably my most highly anticipated rant---we’ll call it “Let’s Talk About Tamlin”. Coming soon! 

#acotar critical #acomaf critical #sjm critical #anti rhysand #illyrians #court of nightmares #morrigan

[crooked-wasteland]

Hazbin Hotel Live Blog: Welcome to Heaven

Coming back I found I did enjoy the last episode far more than I did the others. It obviously suffers from who the director is, but I could still see the more competent writer underneath certain portions of the episode. This one is written by Adam Stein who was credited for six episodes of Harley Quinn, a series I admittedly do not particularly care for. I wouldn’t consider the series bad and I enjoy scenes more than the whole, but its clear that Hazbin and much of Medrano’s writing ideas are in many ways ripped off from Harley Quinn far more than Bojack Horseman. To be frank, if Medrano had stuck her comparison to Harley Quinn, I doubt she would be criticized nearly as much as she is for her writing. I know, for myself, if she had compared her shows to Harley Quinn and never once breathed in the direction of Bojack Horseman, I wouldn’t have ever been motivated to even criticize this series. I think a comparison to Harley Quinn is fair, it is an objectively worse version of Harley Quinn, but it is better suited to the style and audience of that show far and above something of high art and value like Bojack. Harley Quinn is simply not my tastes, I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but even with a gun to my head I could never in good faith consider it good. It’s better than Hazbin and Helluva Boss, but its also a fairer comparison.

Vaggie adds “gah” to her line about being a liar in the most painful way. While they obviously paid Stephanie the most, they in no way paid her enough to care. It was physically written into the script and it highlights how little the actress actively participated in the series. She didn’t even try to make it sound natural, she doesn’t care for the character she is playing and she doesn’t care whether or not we know.

It makes no sense that Angel Dust is still working for Valentino. He could just stay in the hotel and ignore Val’s calls and texts like we have actively seen him do. So it’s like he hates working for Val, does so under duress and due to a contract on his soul, but Charlie is the princess of Hell whom Valentino openly stated he was threatened by and her hotel and patrons are under the protection of Lucifer who aligned himself with Charlie and her goals…. Just don’t go? There is Vaggie, Charlie, Lucifer and even Alastor who are more than capable of handling someone like Valentino on their own, let alone as a united front. Why is this still happening?

The physical comedy falls flat. Cheri grabs Sir Pentious’ hand and it cracks and is all mangled like it is broken, but he has zero response to it. The humor requires there to be a reaction to the level of violence displayed. Having not even a minor one means the sequence may as well not have happened, and it frankly feels like an excuse to just say Alex Brightman was in the episode and have him say as many lines as possible regardless of whether or not he should. I genuinely don’t understand why this character is even in Hell. Who is he as a person? Just why?

Sera says she only green-lit the exterminations so that Hell didn’t act up, and places the blame on Adam for Lucifer getting involved. But then she just… keeps letting Adam do what he’s doing, which is what caused her to feel threatened like this in the first place. So essentially “This is all your fault because of the things you’ve done. So keep doing them.” I don’t even get why Sera or any of Heaven feels this way about Hell. I assume Sera knows Charlie’s plans about redemption, but she seems threatened by it? When in reality treating Heaven like a prize for sinners seems like a logical way of cooperating with Hell and even maintaining civil relations.

Also, can I just point out how the character designs really fail to send any sort of message. Alastor, Niffty, Velvette, Carmella and her daughters, Rosie, and Mimzy are hyper humanoid demons in a Hell where non-human designs make up a majority of the cast and the distorted, abstract and animalistic designs in Hell make sense, whereas Heaven is mostly humanoid with random demonic designs walking around. It fails to send a message as well as just makes Heaven and Hell entirely the same. It fails to really sell the idea that Heaven is in any way better than Hell. Honestly, demons should have less human designs and appear more twisted and deformed. Heaven should have prioritized humanoid figures. Especially seeing as Medrano with a heritage in Latin America and Catholicism would know that the idea of Christianity she is supposedly criticizing emphasizes that humans were made “in the image” of god and angels. It also sets up an idea of one’s soul being cleansed by having this “godly” form. Mixing in furry designs at the same rate as Hell collapses any argument for media literacy or messaging being made.

Welcome to Heaven as a song is the best song of the show thus so far. It is the One Short Day of Hazbin, a vapid superficial scene-setting song that isn’t meant to further the characters, just the plot, and it actually succeeds. I’m not amazed by it, never would i play it for enjoyment reasons, but it works for the role it plays and is the only song that does so well.

Adam is telling Vaggie her own backstory, my favorite bad writing trope.

Additionally, I thought heavenly weapons were the only thing that could harm an angel. But Lute just rips off Vaggie’s wings with her bare hands. It really confuses the world when you don’t even keep to your own rules.

In the previous episode, Charlie says the hotel isn’t “working”, this episode has Adam demanding “evidence”. The lack of understanding what Charlie is looking for when she says Progress is never defined. On one hand she says Angel Dust is making progress, but just the last episode said that the hotel wasn’t actually helping anyone. Even at the start of the episode we don’t see any change in Angel Dust, just that he’s sad. He still swears performs sex work, is rude and crude, and at no point has his situation with drug addiction been addressed in any way. I can appreciate not wishing to say someone performing sex work is committing sin. As well as the implication that how one holds themself is unimportant to Heaven. But I think everyone can agree that drug addiction and abuse is harmful to those in the addiction and those who care for them. And also, it is extremely difficult to break. Drug addiction would be an excellent analogy for sin and breaking it would work as a parallel for redemption easily. So why is it the one thing you had going for you in way of themes and a show of progress and character growth we’ve never actually even addressed. In fact, Loser Baby enables the idea that Angel Dust’s use of drugs is fine because he’s a loser anyway. Just give up on yourself. So when this episode inevitably implies that Angel has actually been making progress on that front, it’ll make no sense.

That happened a whole lot sooner than I thought it would. And it being Husk saying he thought Angel was “Better than that” really does make his whole message in Loser Baby hypocritical. Him being the one to judge others on how they cope, offloading his hypocrisy on the excuse “I’m not trying to get to heaven”, but then still performs the emotionally abusive tactic of publicly and maliciously shaming is partner into a form of compliance. And this is the romantic relationship I’m supposed to be going nuts over? Even in the case where one can argue he is doing it from a place of concern, he has never once cared about Angel’s drug use in the series. It has never been mentioned in any detail of it being harmful. It is literally placed on the same level as his hypersexuality in the song Loser Baby, which we are supposed to wave away as not being harmful because he enjoys it. The line is he “samples” every sex toy and drug. This is just the Alastor must be lying because nothing makes sense argument, except its the world that doesn’t make sense and thus nothing can be trusted and the suspension of disbelief and the act of world building is inherently gone. This isn’t even a story at this point. It is merely a bunch of drawings doing things for nearly half an hour because time is money, and Medrano likes money.

I feel the setup isn’t too bad. It’s the story of Job, which, yes, you should use the material you are criticizing if you are actually seeking to criticize it (whether or not Medrano’s is even attempting a critique on Christianity is hugely up to debate, but that’s not for this kind of post). It’s Lucifer in the Bible coming to the court of god and saying he’s been on earth observing the humans. He claims humans would never worship god if not for god incentivizing them through blessings and so god is like, “bet, do your worst”. Except, in the Bible story it shows god’s callousness. He allows Job to suffer and gives permission to Lucifer to torture this faithful man, of which when Job laments, god chastises him for doubting. This removes the negative qualities of god from the story by just watching Angel Dust make his own decisions. Which works for the idea of free will, I suppose, but the idea of free will being imagination from the last episode to now just waiting for Angel Dust to choose to conform to an idea of morals takes away any meta critique on the nature of heaven. Just saying.

Still not a fan of how infantilized the show makes Niffty.

The scene with Angel standing up to Valentino was such an attempt at an emotional reaction, and in reality it only succeeds in tiptoeing the edge of emotional catharsis. It never gets to reach that point because we don’t actually see the way that Val and Angel interact most of the time. And I’ll just say it, the Poison sequence ruins this scene. It set up this idea that Angel Dust has complicated feelings for Valentino and in many ways their relationship is just as much an addiction as the drugs. But we never see the harmful side to Angel’s drug addiction and nor do we see his complicated feelings for Val break down as he grows closer to Husk. It is unearned. And then having Charlie point blank say why that scene exists for the narrative kills any and all investment. It was there just so Angel Dust can fit Adam’s checklist. So there is no authentic emotions attached to that scene from the ground up. It is a contrivance that feels almost hateful in its existence.

Why is Adam treated as Sera? Adam was the one who made the list, but Emily contributes it to Sera. Sera didn’t even know how a soul ends up in heaven, all she says is “he was the first human soul here”, meaning she defers to him to understand. To have her be the one saying not everything is written in ink, when she openly is the first one to say she hasn’t any idea, really confuses the lack of story you are trying to tell.

So, the whole series has now confirmed it has no clue how to tell a story. “If Hell is forever then Heaven must be a lie”, so the idea of moving between heaven and hell is not a concept. Someone from heaven cannot fall to hell and someone from hell cannot enter heaven, except they can. Vaggie. Her entire existence is proof that heaven isn’t forever, so why would Hell be? If anything, Vaggie should be a spark of hope for Charlie. Additionally, the threshold of whether souls can be redeemed has nothing to do with if they can or not. Rather, it ends the same way it began. No one is in control and no one has any power one way or the other. But Vaggie being in hell, despite being an angel, who was never held in a court to determine if she should fall or not and was deemed unholy by humans, not the council of angels, just brought this whole house of cards down. In fact, the person on trial should have been Vaggie, and in extension Lute. Who is Lute to have the right to make such a call compared to Emily? Why does no one bring up this discrepancy? And having Vaggie on trial instead of an ignorant Angel Dust being critiqued without his knowledge would have been a better vehicle for not just exploring Vaggie’s past, but also the ideas surrounding redemption and banishment and the values/hypocrisy of heaven. As it stands, this episode was a waste of everyone’s time.

Adam Stein brought nothing to the table, all the same issues in Medrano’s writing are present and played out here. Adam may as well be a ghost writer as he didn’t even attempt to bring any of his own strengths to the script. I can’t say I’m surprised at this, however. It is just Harley Quinn after all.

2/10

#vivziepop critical #vivienne medrano #vivziepop #spindlehorse critical #vivziepop criticism #spindlehorse criticism #hazbin critique #hazbin hotel liveblog #hazbin critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critique #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel #hazbin criticism #adam stein #harley quinn

[bunytime]

about Kyle and HUMANCENTiPAD

I only feel comfortable talking on this specific issue because it's not solely regarding head-canons or ships and I prefer to avoid infighting over more inflammatory topics to the best of my ability. Also, Tumblr allows for more nuanced discussion so I'm putting it here

This is not an aimed post, it's just my two cents

I want to start by saying I don't think someone is horrible for preferring to draw the most “canon-compliant” version of characters. I follow this in my own way. I'm commenting on why this is a concern to me as one Jewish fan. I don’t speak for anyone but myself. 

While there are exceptions, it is discomforting to see Kyle with these mouth scars for many reasons. I think S15E1 is pretty torture-porn-y as far as South Park goes (I don’t have a better term for this, sorry). No, I honestly don’t feel grossed out or disturbed by most episodes. Yes, it’s a comedy, and rightfully, if you don’t have the stomach for South Park, don’t watch it; to some extent, this also applies to the fan works which explore canonical dark tones. We also know Matt and Trey can take it too far and have in the past. S15E1 just is one of those personal thresholds for me, although this post isn't really about the morality of the episode.

Anyway, there’s a big argument about Kyle’s scars representing his overcoming of trauma, etc. but I disagree with this defense on why they should be there. If we genuinely wanted to talk about Kyle overcoming trauma, we would talk about the primary source of his trauma: how Kyle, even in more recent plots, is constantly harassed for being Jewish. We would also allow for more open conversation about antisemitism in the fandom, especially in the form of fan art. Kyle’s religion is irrelevant to how he wound up in the situation of S15E1. Therefore, the “overcoming trauma” point feels dishonest and inaccurate to me, especially considering the episode is just one long joke (vs South Park storylines which are more serious). It’d be fairer just to claim drawing it for fun.

For comparison: Butters has an eye scar; this is widely accepted within fanon. I have depicted it too. However, the optics of giving a blond-haired Roman Catholic white boy a minimal scar over his eye is way different than giving prominent scars over essentially half of a Jewish character’s face. Plus, it’s fair to say that an eye scar is usually regarded as a “beneficial” character design element regardless of origin.

Butters’ scar, while it would be a traumatizing injury, was accidental. Indeed, the conceit of “Good Times With Weapons” is the shitty way Butters is treated by the people around him. Kyle’s scars, on the other hand, would be from purposeful torture, and it’s lately been depicted not just as two sutures on the sides of his mouth but as large amounts of scar tissue shaped like an eerie smile. If it's to be scientifically realistic, then fine, but by that logic Butters should be blind in one eye or even more likely missing it, and other characters would be visibly scarred in different ways as well.

In addition, Butters’ appearance is widely and commonly depicted as “cute” - for lack of a better word - so adding a comparatively small and pinkish scar to a generally positively-regarded character (at least in terms of conventional appearances) is not the same as adding highly exaggerated scars to a Jewish character that fans generally don’t seem to think of as “soft” or even approachable the same way they see Butters. I draw Kyle with his kidney surgery scar, so I hope I am making it clear that scars are fine on characters. Of course, facial scars are very different. Still, when you stretch the scar tissue into an uncanny smile over half the face of a minority character from a one-time torture porn gag, it’s fair for people to be upset.

From my point of view, it’s off-putting because it’s about how a Jewish person (myself) sees fandom treat a Jewish character in particular; one who is frequently on the end of vitriol from within canon (Cartman’s abuse, most often) AND fans (that is: a whole subset of fans who think Kyle is cruel, heartless, and manipulative, and stress it) and it is arguably a symptom of something more insidious and deeply alarming than folks might want to admit. 

I’ll be the first to say that Kyle’s canon features deserve faithful depiction, even within stylization. Moreover, facial scars don’t carry inherent personality traits in real life. But fictional character design does not exist in a vacuum, and some people are virtually insisting that Kyle be as aggressively caricatured as possible. Please remember that for centuries Jews have been (subjectively but societally) associated with ugliness, weakness, dirt, and disease. Be mindful when portraying Kyle as extremely blemished and essentially inferior or ostracized. It’s not because facial scars are these negative traits: it’s about what they mean in context to certain characters. We all internally moralize what we dislike. As such though, it’s troubling to observe that this fandom scrambles to talk about why “feminizing” Kyle is hurtful to Jewish people, yet there’s no such section defending it as there is one defending Kyle's stigmatization.

#text #pardon my edits

[thee-horny-thicky]

Hey, Mama!

In honor of Mother's Day, here's a snippet of a fanfic I wrote about Kurusu Kazuki lusting after a single mother, because there's a disgusting lack of reader-insert fics about that blond assassin

If you're interested in the full fic, it's on Ao3 💓

If there was one thing Kurusu Kazuki loved, it was women. Though he was technically bisexual, he had a strong preference for the fairer sex. He adored their feminine curves, their soft skin, and even softer lips.  He viewed them as walking works of art regardless of their size, color, or origin. Because in his eyes, women were just God’s gift to Earth, a reason to preserve in this cruel, cruel world. A wise man once said that though it’s a man’s world, it’s nothing without a woman or a girl, and Kazuki wholeheartedly agreed.

And the woman before him only reinforced that belief. With heavy breasts that hung beautifully, a soft tummy he just wanted to rest his head on, deliciously thick thighs that flared out to child-bearing hips, and adorably chubby cheeks, you were truly a sight to behold. A walking fantasy come to life, one that he couldn’t tear his eyes from. From the way you shyly smiled at him, he knew he was coming off a bit strong, but he couldn’t help himself.

His time at the daycare had exposed him to many women he deemed attractive, but they all paled in comparison to you. And based on your ringless fingers, unlike them, you weren’t spoken for. A single mother for a halfway single father, a match made in heaven.

“Papa!”  Miri called as she dashed toward him.

Behind her was another little girl with cloud-like black hair, who bared a strong resemblance to you. As Miri called for him, the other child called out, “Mama,” and B-lined for you, confirming the blond’s suspicions.

“Hey, sweetie,” you cooed as you scoop her into a hug, your soft tone making Kazuki’s heart flutter.

She beckoned you to come closer. When you did, she whispered something in your ear, making you furrow your brows together.

“Papa!” Miri repeats, tugging at his pant leg and recapturing his attention. His cheeks warmed as he realized how unfatherly he was being. “Can Mia come over?”

“Mia?” he questioned, trying to recall the names of her friends.

He knew Miri primarily hung around two other little girls, but his daughter was a social creature who would make friends with a rat if given the chance.

“My daughter,” you volunteered as you joined the two of them, clasping Mia’s hand in yours. “She was just telling me about Miri. Say hi, sweetie,” you urged when Mia hid behind your legs.

“Hi,” she whispered quietly, barely loud enough to be heard.

“She’s a little shy around strangers,” you revealed with a soft smile that made Kazuki weak in the knees.

Shit. He needed to say something.

He grinned at you two, hoping it masked his nerves, and offered the girl a wave. “Hey, kid! I’m Miri’s father.”

“So can she come over?” Miri inquired, a small pout on her face at her question going ignored.

“If it’s fine with her mother, then sure!”

He’d like nothing more than to have you at his home. He’d have to make sure the living space was clean, as Rei was a messy being. Often, it felt like he parented two children, a hyper child and a teenager in the middle of his emo phase.

Miri nodded, before turning to you. “Miss, can Mia come over?”

Much to his daughter’s delight, you nodded. “Sure! Let me get your number so we can set it up. When are you free?”

You wanted…his number? Holy shit, you wanted his number! Even the fact that it was completely platonic and for the sake of your daughters didn’t put a dent in his joy.

“Yeah, of course!” Kazuki exclaimed; a tad too eager based on how Miri looked at him funny. Pulling his phone from his hoodie’s pocket, he unlocked it and handed it to you. “Go ahead and put your number in.”

You nodded and accepted the device, quickly inputting your information. Your phone vibrates, and with a nod, you hand it back. “Okay, all set! It was nice meeting you two!”

He felt the same way. In fact, he was thanking every God in existence that you were put in his path.

“Yeah, same here!”

“We have to get going. Say bye, Mia.”

“Bye, Miri,” she said softly, no longer acknowledging Kazuki’s presence.

Okay by him, since she’d have plenty of time to get used to him. Seeing as he was going to woo her mother and all.

#reader insert #x reader #black coded reader #chubby reader #plus size reader #buddy daddies #kazuki kurusu #kazuki kusuru #buddy daddies kazuki #Kazuki Kurusu x #kazuki kurusu x reader #snippet #ao3fic

[mars-the-menace]

Gender thoughts (Cersei and Daemon)

Everyone wants to compare Cersei and Rhaenyra, which is a valid comparison given their children, but I’d argue the better comparison is Cersei and Daemon. They both have a very interesting relationship with gender in that they’d both be happier as the opposite sex.

Cersei constantly bemoans being a woman within Westerosi society. Were she born a man, she’d be her father’s heir in all things. She shares his cruelty and devotion to family as an extension of the self (Tyrion is the one who has Tywin’s intelligence/cleverness, but Cersei is far from dumb when she’s not being completely delusional). Considering the skills that Jaime has in swordplay, one could assume that male!Cersei would have developed a similar talent paired with more ferocity. Yet she’s not a man and is woefully reminded of that by everyone, especially herself. She cannot inspire the fear that Tywin does nor wield the power he does because she is the fairer sex, therefore, she’s never viewed as a true threat.

Daemon is frequently put in the shoes of a feudalist woman despite being born a man. He is disregarded by most at court, shipped off in a political marriage, and relegated to the role of consort. He’s furious at such things because as a man in their society, he should be treated with the respect reserved for heir to the throne. He wants power and could have it if not for the fact that he’s fucking unhinged. That said, given the incestuous nature of his family and the fact that his brother has been the only constant in his life, there’s an argument to be made that he could have been happier as a woman. If he were a woman, he would have likely married Viserys, unless he chose Aemma still. In that capacity, female!Daemon would’ve essentially ruled the kingdom as a Visenya-esque capacity to compensate for Viserys being as spineless as he is.

Daemon and Cersei both have similar faults but the way they express them differs based on their genders and the inadequacies they’ve developed from them. Both have a penchant for cruelty and violence, but Daemon can go out and swing his sword and whore to fill the void with minimal reproach. Cersei has to drink and seethe, then order someone else to commit violence for her. Additionally she has to fuck her brother, cousin, guards, and whoever else in secrecy. Daemon has performance issues unless he feels secure (and is fucking another Targaryen) and Cersei tries to take pleasure in hurting other women when she’s not fucking herself (Jaime) or manipulating men through sex.

All this to say, they could be happier in each other’s circumstances. Probably not, but this is all speculative.

#daemon targaryen #cersei lannister #gender #game of thrones #house of the dragon #gender is weird #gender envy #hotd daemon #queen cersei

[acidmatze]

Okay but so far my 2 cents about Trigun Stampede are basically:

Its not fair to compare it to the OG because its not even trying to be the OG. Its its very own thing. It would be much fairer for everyone to see it as an AU of sorts. "This Coffeeshop AU is nothing like its source material!" wouldnt make any sense either, right? Sure if this would try to be a prequel, sequel, reboot or whatever it would look pretty bad in comparison but it doesnt want to be any of that.

Personally I am excited to see where this journey is going to take us. The OG manga and anime aren't going to vanish all of a sudden. They will always be there.

#trigun #just throwing this out there so i can be eaten by wolves or some shit #hello yes ive read and watched the OG i am having opinions #lets all stop being disgruntled 30 somethings yelling at clouds okay? love and peace okay?

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

It seems that more of the show reviews are fairer - like they’re really starting to give his music a chance. It’s a different feel from previous times when they all (or most) would slandered Louis and were unnecessary harsh so that the critics’ favorite, that balding lip syncing clown looked better in comparison.

You know kinda reminds me a lot of Mindy Kaling who is massive smart and talented. People had preconceived notions about her and tried to pigeonhole her into side roles. She wasn’t lead material in their minds. They wouldn’t ever consider her in a leading role, either in acting or in the boardrooms, so she created opportunities for herself and the respect for her grew from there. And you can tell she’s very involved in the process. Her works have her signature on them and you’re like that’s her, that’s her sense of humor, that’s her writing styles. It’s a lot like when we recognize a Louis song or a Louis production because it’s just so undeniably him whether in front of cameras or off. He knows the details and can talk about them at length because he didn’t hand them off to someone. He wasn’t given a script to memorize so he can recite fake deep canned answers, the kind of answers that make a person scratch their head and ask what white nonsense is this. Louis knows the process because he throws himself in it beginning to end. I’m so proud of him. I pray for his continued success and happiness.

(I also pray that those assfaces, aka harries, larries and directioners fuck off and leave him alone. They should stick to their live on tour hemorrhoid conventions.)

Co-signed!

#louis tomlinson #louies

[gcldfanged]

@setirophx

Getting from Midgar to Junon had been a stressful endeavor, requiring assets such as falsified documentation and passports- New identities they had to memorize and manage to seamlessly obfuscate. Jae’s cover story had been easy enough, a simple name switch and a fake occupation. Immigrants from Wutai and Haneul typically had dual citizenship, so it wasn’t a massive stretch. Sephiroth and the child, on the other hand, had been more difficult. It wasn’t just a matter of cutting and dying hair, they had uniquely colored eyes to boot- Not to mention the former General couldn’t exactly pass himself off as any other eight to five salaryman.

The worst of it was behind them, they’d managed to get through to Yoon’s nation of origin. Shinra still had its industrial claws sucking the land dry of naturally rich deposits of mako, but they would not be risking a life in the capital city. The Turk took them further in the north along the various streams and rivers branching from the sprawling mountain range. Flat grassy planes and fertile hills began to give way to steppes and rocks. But they remained along the borders at the feet of the jutting dragon’s spine of cliffs along the peninsula, where the forest was dense. Game and flora would be more abundant there.

It took some time even by truck and Al was clearly growing rather disenchanted with how windy it was in comparison to the sunny shores of Junon or mild weather of Midgar. 

“I think this might be it,” Jae finally spoke, stepping out of the pick up. Ancient slices of tree trunks made a meandering pathway to a large house, clearly abandoned and in a questionable state. He was surprised that it was still standing, to be honest.

Al glanced around, looking less than impressed as he clung to Sephiroth’s leg.

“When are we going to go back?” the child asked, fidgeting in an anxious and unsure manner.

“This is going to be our home, Al. I grew up in this house when I was about your age,” he answered, feeling a strange mixture of nostalgic familiarity yet also awareness of the passage of time. It was still on the cusp between the end of summer and the start of fall, so the foliage was alive and vibrant green, trumpet vines and creeping ivy overtaking everything.

“Good thing winter hasn’t kicked in yet, or it’d all be snow.”

The nearest trading outpost wasn’t too far away, a small village a couple miles south. They could rely on dry goods and canned food for now, but when they had to contend with day long blizzards and low visibility, hunting would be their only source of steady food in addition to preserving grown vegetables during the fairer times of the year.

“Just keep your shoes on, I have no idea what kind of nasty bugs have probably been shacking up here. We get everything- Huntsman spiders, house centipedes, geckos- At least the geckos are cute.”

The hanok is mostly wood, stone, and earth, with sliding screen doors lined with additional panes of glass. Most of them were broken or cracked from wear and weather. The floors were heated via water boiler, but there was also a gudeul system for cooking and heating via firewood. There was a bathing area inside the house that required heat as well, but the bathroom was in a shed a couple steps away. A large gas generator was housed in a shed to run appliances and electricity, though they usually saved energy and relied on the gudeul in the wintertime.

“I’ll have find someone in the village to check the ondol system, since carbon monoxide poisoning is an issue if you don’t know what you’re doing… The generator seems okay, just dry. Water comes from wells and the mountain streams. Everything is totally overgrown, I’ll have to start over from the soil up if we want to have a garden.”

It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t great, either.

“We could make this work, but I’ll be honest- It’s going to be hard. We’re going to have to do ton of repairs while the weather’s still nice and winter prep is going to be… uh. Maybe we’ll just deal with that after we get the house in working order. What do you think…? No good?” he asks, looking over the place once more.

#tredispade #setirophx #◈ rp threads #better learn to be a handyman Sephiroth #verse tag pending!

[tittyinfinity]

Have you checked out Jasmine Sherman and Brittany Jones? They’re both third parties and honestly I checked some of their policies out and it looks very promising. Between them and Claudia De La Cruz I feel hopeful about possible candidates. I just hope one of them wins and are actually able to do what they say they want. Because I know the senate and the house would push them back as hard as possible.

they both seem to have very similar goals! so our next step is for everyone to research her, Claudia, and other third party candidates, and decide which one we'll back up. I haven't done as much of a deep dive on Jasmine yet, but after skimming over a few websites, I really like her as well. I may put together a comparison chart of their policies to help us decide on the candidate we will advocate for. We just have to make sure that all of our votes are going to the same candidate if we want them to stand a chance. Splitting the vote between one or the other is unfortunately not a winning option.

#answered #.bdo

[endeavvor]

“ Their cruelty to my people is all I've known. ”

Dune: Part One Prompts

Not for the first time is Kirk forced to ask himself what he truly knows of these people. Only what is written in the texts by those that have attempted to carve a hole through them. There is no curiosity in the words, it is purely scientific in a way that reads like a dissection.

It is telling.

He thinks of what he's come to learn in the few days he's spent here amongst them in a brittle peace. How many times did he chide Spock that not everything could be learned in a book, yet fell into the same mold. He relied upon what was comfortable, and because of it, he is falling short.

Kirk has not yet earned his way, and though he can tell this makes them hesitant to him. His time is borrowed on the back of a promised ally. Though, to earn his place would be a fight to the death, senseless without challenge. A robbery of the people he's trying to know.

Logically, he knows it is necessary.

His hands are clasped behind his back, to still them from reaching out and touching anything as they pass, or offering things to the children that are seen - determined to be brave or seek a glimpse of an outsider, whose eyes are so blue they suspect he's one of them, save for the white still visible around them - hide behind their mother's legs, or immediately dart back out of view into familiar outcroppings.

Mostly, it is her side he is kept to: Layla El-Faouly. He catches her eye every time he does something that marks him considerably as an outsider. Tugging at the neck of his stillsuit, a gift from her people that is not yet broken in or comfortable against his skin. Even shielding his eyes from the unrelenting sun. It did not matter if he came from a desert planet of his own, it paled in comparison to Arrakis - whose sand was lighter and reflected heat worse.

It reminded him only how much comfort had been taken for granted, and how ashamed he was of the thought of returning to the house they were to occupy. It was fitted with large tanks to store fresh water so the S'Chn T'Gai household would not go without. His cheeks colored with it now, but could be mistaken for his fairer skin becoming overheated.

"Often," He starts to speak, surprised when his voice cracks from disuse. Nothing is wasted here, not even words. "I think people mistake cruelty for power. They think it instills servitude, but only breeds rebellion." A shrug, he should make another pass here, stress the importance of the alliance he's come to foster, but doesn't. Nor does he show his own scars from such cruelty, but he does give, just a little. "I know of their cruelty too. They took my brother from me, and maybe his death was a kindness, considering everything he went through before it, but it doesn't make me any less angry about it."

@lalamoon

#lalamoon #v. will turn to noble ambition | dune au #q. you have the conn

[briebysabs]

Romeo & Juliet in VnC

-Act II-

This is my crazed breakdown of the similarities, comparisons, and possible inspiration VnC has taken from Romeo & Juliet. Keep in mind this is all for fun and my word is not the gospel truth.

Here is Act I if you’re interested or lost

Romeo= Vanitas

Juliet= Noe

It’s been a while seen I’ve done this, mostly due to forgetting. Okay, this is where we begin breaking down specific lines. So for a lot this I’m gonna need you to stay with me.

-Act 2 Scene 2-

It’s a long scene, a lot to digest. First of all, let’s get into Romeo’s soliloquy. Sun and moon metaphors being used, comparing Juliet to the sun. And guess which character has the sun/light imagery surrounding them? I’ll give you a hint....

“What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief,

That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.”

→What light is that in the window over there? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Rise, beautiful sun, and kill the jealous moon, which is already sick and pale with grief because Juliet is more beautiful than she is.

The sun rises in the east. Wow oh wow when Noe says “I’ve decided to stay with you, Vanitas.” What is happening in front of them? Because oh my goodness would you look at that!!!

And ‘kill the envious moon’.....c'mon now. Noe killing Vanitas who is slowly dying (sick) from the Mark. And how he envies the way Noe is ‘fairer’, a better person than he is.

Juliet soon appears and talks to herself, bringing up some intriguing dialogue about a name.

“What’s in a name? That thing we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name, which is no part of thee

Take all myself.” →What’s the significance of a name?.........So even if Romeo had some other name, he would still be perfect. Romeo, take off your name–which has no connection to who you are—and take all of me instead.

We are well acquainted with the importance of names in VnC. The title ‘Vanitas’ invokes fear and here Juliet says how you are more than your name. Romeo is perfect despite being a Montague. Vanitas is perfect to Noe despite bearing such a name, being part of Luna’s clan, etc. I mean he goes a roundabout direction to say that in chapter 45.

And ‘take all myself’, Noe hasn't told Vanitas about his past yet, but he has already dedicated himself to him, to be by his side until the end, and isn't afraid to give his life for Vanitas //more on that later.// Romeo swears by the sacred moon and Juliet tells him that he shouldn’t, for the moon is unreliable. This is because of its changes in position but in vnc terms, we can see this as the different colors the moon takes. Red, white, blue, it isn’t constant. And honestly, with the importance the moon has for this whole series, it might as well be sacred.

And Romeo says this, I cannot explain but:

"My life were better ended by their hate

Than death prolonged, wanting of thy love"

→I'd rather they killed me in hatred than experience the prolonged death of life without your love

I'm just leaving it there no words. No comment make up your own.

-Act 2 Scene 4-

Most notable thing here was the Romeo and Mercutio banter. Battle of wits they put it, listen, Romeo calls Mercutio a broad goose. Just in case you had any doubts about the Vanitas/Dante comparison.

-Act 2 Scene 6-

The Friar, before unifying R & J in matrimony says,

“So smile the heavens upon this holy act

That after-hours with sorrow chide us not."→ May the heavens smile upon this holy act of marriage, so that afterwards nothing happens to make us feel sorrowful about it.

I’ve chosen to view this as Vanitas and Noe’s partnership. The very on-the-nose line forebodes the tragedy that will befall this relationship. Romeo asked for Juliet’s hand in marriage in a church. (Yes, Friar’s cell in said church) just as Vanitas called upon Noe to be his shield in a church, which led to their partnership. Obviously, I’m not equating vanoe’s partnership to marriage but more so the roles they could both fall into in this scene.

#anime #the case study of vanitas #les memoires de vanitas #vnc manga #vanitas no carte #noe archiviste #jun mochizuki #vanitas #noé #manga #vanoe #noe x vanitas #romeo and juliet #tragedy #soliloquy #series #stories #meta #theories #comparison

[ideahat-universe]

I don't know how I feel about the circus.

It's been a few weeks and I don't know. Aside from the fact that it's a very well done project by very talented people, I think it's not great.

I think the problem. MY PROBLEM is that for a pilot, I don't feel like we can go anywhere with the premise.

Take for instance the plot of Courage, the Cowardly dog.

Pilots for shows back then were just a basic indication of what an episode could be like. Riding off the heels of Animaniacs (which were inspired by Loony Toons who themselves were just animated vaudeville) a show could be about basically anything. Middle of Nowhere has roughly the same flexibility as Springfield, as a location that constantly moves and is never exactly in one place.

Maybe the episode can be about a monster of the week, like the pilot suggested. Maybe the monster is just a bad guy and is more nefarious than intimidating.

Maybe the bad guy is a negative emotion or behavior, like jealously, anger, or prejudice. You wouldn't expect a glorious episode like The Mask or the Last of the Starmakers even though the latter shares its spot with a sequel to the pilot episode.

The strength comes from the pilot not restricting what the show can be about and explicitly just telling the viewer that "Something" will happen in the middle of nowhere and Courage will rescue at least Muriel.

Here's a fairer comparison. Monkey Wrench! It's on its way to its third episode. What was its pilot like? Well, the pilot showed the day in the life of the Bounty hunters doing their daily job while also establishing the world and hinting at an overarching plot that the audience can find an additional interest in.

What is the ultimate objective of the mysterious group that hired an S tier assassin to kill all those diplomats and fat cats? What's in the cargo (and is it a girl again, like it was in Firefly and Outlaw Star?) ? Stuff like that gets you interested in what's going on and how our space cowboys will get roped into it.

The pilot has a plot.

Let's go back to The Amazing Digital Circus.

Pomni ends up trapped with other characters in a digital world where they are basically tortured by Caine, who is a corrupted AI!

So the plot is escaping?

NO. You can't escape. In fact, if you try to escape you'll go crazy and become abstract which is essentially death (I think therefore I am, if abstracting strips you of your ability to think, and without the ability to think, you can't confirm if you exist or if you are alive or dead, it would effectively make you non-existent or dead to be abstracted).

Pomni isn't a very strong lead, as she spent the whole first episode just being scared and mental. Every other character has been there so long that her anguish is a novelty. Their indifference about escaping stunts character growth, with the only thing that could change them being the hope of escaping, but the hope of escaping abstracts you because there is no logical escape. Caine can't even program a way for them to Alt f4 out of the game, merely thinking that the exit should lead to some area that is outside his ability to comprehend.

So the show is just about them surviving the eternal torment that is Gregory House, The Amazing Digital Circus! What can happen at the circus? Well, circus stuff. Maybe something random and nonsensical.

Well, if you like Bobobo maybe random nonsense happening and people yelling and playing along with it in goofy ways is enough, but I like my torture to have some structure in it. I mentioned it jokingly, but Gregory Horror Show also traps a lead character and, typically, subjects them to torture specific to that person.

The first time you watch it, you don't get it until the end, but after watching the end, you realize how doomed that person was from the beginning.

I've seen the digital circus theories. Don't you worry. Some people think there is an escape, some people think escape is why people abstract, some people think that this is supposed to be some kind of Kafkaesque escape from some horrible reality. Some people compare it to Sword Art Online, perhaps it is more like Code Lyoko's Virtualization or even Digimon's Digital Dive.

The reality is that very little is told from the pilot except that there can be no escape.

I guess that leaves us with one or two results.

The Amazing Digital Circus, having a really strong plot with character development that is entirely contingent on breaking the one rule it hammered into us (that we can't escape the game and trying to escape will abstract you) and that Pomni is more than just a shaking leaf and will actually rise to the occasion and will shift the paradigm and change the fate of everyone in the circus.

OR is the Amazing Digital Circus going to have a "scenario of the week" setup where nothing with long term ramifications happens and no one changes throughout the show, including Pomni whose job is to just do this

Over and over until the show ends.

I mean, there is a glimmer of hope as Goose has toyed with the idea of having a layer of intrigue to a story.

Of course, the fate of the show could be in your hands. After all Goose threatened to make the show bad on purpose if you fail to control yourselves and well.

Most show writers don't have to tell the audience the age of the characters, so the audience can feel good about looking up and creating pornography of the characters.

I mean every fandom has its bad apples but dude, let's be frank. This made sense when Hazbin Hotel all but demanded you be aroused and most other indie shows don't have this problem (including other works by Goose and Glitch) so unless you want the show ruined I'd tone that down.

It's not my show at risk in the end. Monkey Wrench is my jam and that show's fandom did not get completely fucked up after the first episode and has a clear plot, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

#fandom #monkey wrench #courage the cowardly dog #the amazing digital circus #controversy