#Please feel free to disagree

[mightydyke]

Angel Symbolism in New Albion + Ballad of Lost Hollow

so in this post I talk about how the line "be my angel" represents how the McAllistairs basically project all their desires onto Jasper and see him as a representative of what they want, disregarding his own wishes. An angel is a perfect being that brings messages from heaven and guidance. In Islam, angels have no free will. At the end of Dolls of New Albion, it's actually Jasper who calls Priscilla his "angel" because she is giving him everything that he wants by sacrificing herself to save him, essentially doing what Annabel and Byron expected/forced Jasper to do. So that's Dolls of New Albion.

In the New Albion Guide to Analogue Consciousness, when the Voodpunk pilgrims go to Elysium, they are attacked by "Angels". In my opinion, the fact that they went to Elysium expecting it to be a heavenly paradise, only to be met with creatures that kill them, is an echo of the McAllistairs taking Jasper from Elysium and expecting him to fulfill their wishes. It's ironic that "angels" are actually monstrous, and it shows the consequences of how the Voodoopunks didn't consider if the Angels wanted them in Elysium or not, similar to how the McAllistairs didn't consider if Jasper wanted to be taken from Elysium or not.

In the Room Beneath New Albion, the AIs, who are actually the Voodoopunk pilgrims, call themselves angels in order to get Alice to do their bidding. In this case, Alice believes she is doing something great, a special task sent from heaven for her to complete. However, in Ballad of Lost Hollow, we see all the trouble caused by the AI, and also the toll of them trying to fix the trouble they caused, and the effect on Alive herself. Again these "angels" are not quite as they seem.

In conclusion, Paul Shapera uses the images of "angels" to show that nothing is perfect, nobody exists simply to provide others with happiness, and to warn against the consequences of disregarding the feelings of others/ treating people as if their feelings don't exist or don't matter.

#Shaperaverse #New Albion #Ballad of Lost Hollow #Dolls of new albion #New Albion guide to analogue consciousness #The room beneath New Albion #Please feel free to disagree #This is just my interpretation #Also I think there's more angel symbolism in other albums but I haven't listened to them yet

[incorrectssr]

Theory About Dottie’s relationship with Anya in 1x05 The Iron Ceiling

The beginning of the Iron Ceiling is notorious in Dottie lore for its opening nightmare sequence wherein Dottie goes through a day in the Red Room. The focus of this nightmare is a fellow girl, Anya, whom Dottie kills before waking. Their relationship is often seen as a rare friendship formed in adversity, and a tragedy when Anya eventually dies by her “friend’s” hand; however, could their relationship be that borne from manipulation?

Bread serves as a symbol associated with Dottie twice in this episode, as she offers it both to Anya and to Peggy a scene later. In the first instance, she has just awoken and looks skittishly around before taking a bite, although her body is angled quite obviously towards Anya’s bed. When Anya inevitably notices, Dottie rips her (well hidden and very valuable) bread in half and offers it to Anya, all the while looking round to ensure they stay hidden, all the while remaining impassive. It is only after the bread has been transferred and Anya smiles at her, that Dottie smiles, mirroring her expression. An awkward, unnatural thing: her mouth tugs upwards in a practised, rehearsed way. But Anya retaliates as camaraderie has been established through their mutual transgression. The tentative establishment of the relationship between girls implies that they had never interacted particularly before this transaction, furthered by the knowledge that Dottie fights (and kills) Anya later that same day (implying that they know they are to fight to the death that afternoon, as everything appears to work like clockwork with perfect control from handlers, from handcuffs to history lessons), and Dottie offers the same half a bread roll to Peggy (whom she has not yet been tasked to kill, but likely knows that she will soon). Could her sharing of bread be a death sentence disguised as an olive branch?

This is a more tenuous point, but given how little content we are actually given in the memory dream sequence it’s worth noting. Dottie reciting her lines (SAT NEXT TO ANYA, showing that she wants to remain close ) seems to be a little more animated than her peers when reciting her lines. Her eyebrows twitch and her face moves, as though attempting to mimic what is before her. This could show the aptitude for physical and mental manipulation that is later seen with Howard Stark at the air field.

The final section of the memory dream sequence is the fight between girls. As an action sequence, the two girls are seen to be physically rather equally matched, however, Dottie manages to gain the upper hand and get her “friend” in a chokehold awaiting the order to kill. In this moment there is no remorse in her face, just an adrenaline-fuelled snarl. The lack of any kind of regret or reluctance, all considered weaknesses in the Red Room, is typical but surprising if one is to take the girls’ relationship at face value. Taking into account how equal the girls appeared to be whilst fighting, would it be too much to consider that Anya might have been the superior fighter in fair terms. That Dottie, knowing what was going to happen, decided to even the playing field by using her opponent’s emotional weaknesses against her.

Dottie proves in the beginning of The Iron Ceiling through her discipline and diligence that she deserves the title of Black Widow, through both her nightmare (which she endures with her hand cuffed to the headboard, as regulation states), and her response (to immediately begin morning exercises followed by maintaining her persona with Peggy over breakfast well enough to steal her key). This, through means of close proximity and creating friendly relations, it is not so much a strength to consider that she sought a means to create a barrier in her stronger target to make her reluctant to hurt her. By maintaining her own distance from said target she has a much greater advantage when it comes to the physical match to the death. However, despite how detached she tried to remain, it is clear that the events still haunted her as she was a child and these are things no girl should be forced to see or do.

Nobody could ever say that Dorothy Underwood does not deserve the title of Black Widow.

#I am drunk whilst I am writing this so incoherency may abound #please feel free to disagree #but this is an opinion I have been formulating and thinking about for YEARS #dottie underwood #agent carter #black widow #marvel #ssr #leviathan #red room #anya (agent carter) #character study #dorothy underwood

[kaladinkholins]

Very interesting to me that a certain subset of the BES fandom's favourite iterations of Mizu and Akemi are seemingly rooted in the facades they have projected towards the world, and are not accurate representations of their true selves.

And I see this is especially the case with Mizu, where fanon likes to paint her as this dominant, hyper-masculine, smirking Cool GuyTM who's going to give you her strap. And this idea of Mizu is often based on the image of her wearing her glasses, and optionally, with her cloak and big, wide-brimmed kasa.

And what's interesting about this, to me, is that fanon is seemingly falling for her deliberate disguise. Because the glasses (with the optional combination of cloak and hat) represent Mizu's suppression of her true self. She is playing a role.

Take this scene of Mizu in the brothel in Episode 4 for example. Here, not only is Mizu wearing her glasses to symbolise the mask she is wearing, but she is purposely acting like some suave and cocky gentleman, intimidating, calm, in control. Her voice is even deeper than usual, like what we hear in her first scene while facing off with Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Episode 1.

This act that Mizu puts on is an embodiment of masculine showboating, which is highly effective against weak and insecure men like Hachi, but also against women like those who tried to seduce her at the Shindo House.

And that brings me to how Mizu's mask is actually a direct parallel to Akemi's mask in this very same scene.

Here, Akemi is also putting up an act, playing up her naivety and demure girlishness, using her high-pitched lilted voice, complimenting Mizu and trying to make small talk, all so she can seduce and lure Mizu in to drink the drugged cup of sake.

So what I find so interesting and funny about this scene, characters within it, and the subsequent fandom interpretations of both, is that everyone seems to literally be falling for the mask that Mizu and Akemi are putting up to conceal their identities, guard themselves from the world, and get what they want.

It's also a little frustrating because the fanon seems to twist what actually makes Mizu and Akemi's dynamic so interesting by flattening it completely. Because both here and throughout the story, Mizu and Akemi's entire relationship and treatment of each other is solely built off of masks, assumptions, and misconceptions.

Akemi believes Mizu is a selfish, cocky male samurai who destroyed her ex-fiance's career and life, and who abandoned her to let her get dragged away by her father's guards and forcibly married off to a man she didn't know. on the other hand, Mizu believes Akemi is bratty, naive princess who constantly needs saving and who can't make her own decisions.

These misconceptions are even evident in the framing of their first impressions of each other, both of which unfold in these slow-motion POV shots.

Mizu's first impression of Akemi is that of a beautiful, untouchable princess in a cage. Swirling string music in the background.

Akemi's first impression of Mizu is of a mysterious, stoic "demon" samurai who stole her fiance's scarf. Tense music and the sound of ocean waves in the background.

And then, going back to that scene of them together in Episode 4, both Mizu and Akemi continue to fool each other and hold these assumptions of each other, and they both feed into it, as both are purposely acting within the suppressive roles society binds them to in order to achieve their goals within the means they are allowed (Akemi playing the part of a subservient woman; Mizu playing the part of a dominant man).

But then, for once in both their lives, neither of their usual tactics work.

Akemi is trying to use flattery and seduction on Mizu, but Mizu sees right through it, knowing that Akemi is just trying to manipulate and harm her. Rather than give in to Akemi's tactics, Mizu plays with Akemi's emotions by alluding to Taigen's death, before pinning her down, and then when she starts crying, Mizu just rolls her eyes and tells her to shut up.

On the opposite end, when Mizu tries to use brute force and intimidation, Akemi also sees right through it, not falling for it, and instead says this:

"Under your mask, you're not the killer you pretend to be."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they see a little bit through each other's masks, they both still hold their presumptions of each other until the very end of the season, with Akemi seeing Mizu as an obnoxious samurai swooping in to save the day, and Mizu seeing Akemi as a damsel in distress.

And what I find a bit irksome is that the fandom also resorts to flattening them to these tropes as well.

Because Mizu is not some cool, smooth-talking samurai with a big dick sword as Akemi (and the fandom) might believe. All of that is the facade she puts up and nothing more. In reality, Mizu is an angry, confused and lonely child, and a masterful artist, who is struggling against her own self-hatred. Master Eiji, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

And Akemi, on the other hand, is not some girly, sweet, vain and spoiled princess as Mizu might believe. Instead she has never cared for frivolous things like fashion, love or looks, instead favouring poetry and strategy games instead, and has always only cared about her own independence. Seki, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

But neither is she some authoritative dominatrix, though this is part of her new persona that she is trying to project to get what she wants. Because while Akemi is willful, outspoken, intelligent and authoritative, she can still be naive! She is still often unsure and needs to have her hand held through things, as she is still learning and growing into her full potential. Her new parental/guardian figure, Madame Kaji, knows this as well.

So with all that being said, now that we know that Mizu and Akemi are essentially wearing masks and putting up fronts throughout the show, what would a representation of Mizu's and Akemi's true selves actually look like? Easy. It's in their hair.

This shot on the left is the only time we see Mizu with her hair completely down. In this scene, she's being berated by Mama, and her guard is completely down, she has no weapon, and is no longer wearing any mask, as this is after she showed Mikio "all of herself" and tried to take off the mask of a subservient housewife. Thus, here, she is sad, vulnerable, and feeling small (emphasised further by the framing of the scene). This is a perfect encapsulation of what Mizu is on the inside, underneath all the layers of revenge-obsession and the walls she's put around herself.

In contrast, the only time we Akemi with her hair fully down, she is completely alone in the bath, and this scene takes place after being scorned by her father and left weeping at his feet. But despite all that, Akemi is headstrong, determined, taking the reigns of her life as she makes the choice to run away, but even that choice is reflective of her youthful naivety. She even gets scolded by Seki shortly after this in the next scene, because though she wants to be independent, she still hasn't completely learned to be. Not yet. Regardless, her decisiveness and moment of self-empowerment is emphasised by the framing of the scene, where her face takes up the majority of the shot, and she stares seriously into the middle distance.

To conclude, I wish popular fanon would stop mischaracterising these two, and flattening them into tropes and stereotypes (ie. masculine badass swordsman Mizu and feminine alluring queen but also girly swooning damsel Akemi), all of which just seems... reductive. It also irks me when Akemi is merely upheld as a love interest and romantic device for Mizu and nothing more, when she is literally Mizu's narrative foil (takes far more narrative precedence over romantic interest) and the deuteragonist of this show. She is her own person. That is literally the theme of her entire character and arc.

#blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #akemi blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai meta #just in case... im gonna tag this as #mizukemicritical #akemizucritical #though this post isnt actually criticising the ship itself but rather fanon's portrayal of the ship and the characters #for that reason lemme also tag this as #wank.mp3 #feel free to disagree of course but please be civil #and if you need to rant about how wrong i am without any convincing evidence kindly feel free to make your own post. peace and love <3 #fandom.rtf #meta dissertations.pdf #shut up haydar #edit: for full disclosure. i do rather dislike this ship. but obviously it's fine for anyone to enjoy it. please do! have your fun! #it's just that as usual! popular fanon and fandom around a ship is what has completely deterred me from any sense of enjoyment of it #it's a shame too because i was very open and even eager for some mizu/akemi romance in the future #but out-of-character fanon + the rudeness of certain fans has definitely soured it for me #but that doesn't mean people can't enjoy it obviously! ship and let ship!!! #plus it has its appeal which i DO STILL see and enjoy!!!! #i would even go as far as to call them soulmates because their narratives and characters are LITERALLY intertwined!!! #but. yeah. my gradual distaste for this ship is indeed very unfortunate.

[be-queer-do-arson]

Okay so I'm not generally a sports person but I can't stop thinking about all the ways the foxes revolutionized exy. For example, the way their tiny team structure made them focus on endurance and coordination rather than brute force? Amazing. And related to that, the way that they adapted by training players to fill multiple positions? That must have had huge implications for how they understood other players needs and allowed for flexibility of they needed someone's specialty in a different position (see the final game). BUT ALSO the way Kevin and Neil specifically shook up the game was insane. Kevin being ambidextrous and using it to make his moves unpredictable. Using heavyweight racquets to put more strength behind their shots. Communicating only in French so opponents don't get any warning but they're still in sync with each other. I'll bet you anything other teams were scrambling to catch up and figure out how to play like the foxes did

#the foxes winning season would have had insane implications for the way exy is played i can feel it in my soul #other teams would've been scrambling to catch up and copy what they were doing but no one can do it like them #the ravens had their time ruling exy but i think the foxess' unpredictability and determination kicked their playing style in the mud #insane about this if you couldn't tell #aftg #neil josten #all for the game #kevin day #the foxhole court #the kings men #the raven king #NOT TO MENTION ANDREW #but during the series what he does is more raw talent than innovative play style #if you disagree and can think of something specific he did please feel free to add on though

[aroacenezhaanddainsleif]

again, aroace and not much of a shipper so my opinion is biased, but seeing people do polls and stuff of like "what's the best LMK ship" always seems so har-

it's Free Noodles. the answer is Free Noodles.

look, Shadowpeach is great, but those bitches are way too goddamn emo for this, and all Traffic Light Trio ships are just chaos incarnate.

look at Pigsy and Tang. look at the old gay guys. they're so dumb. they've been together 20 years. i love them.

(and also Sandy rocks.)

#shadowpeach #lmk freenoodles #freenoodles shipping #lmk dragonfruit #dragonfruit shipping #lmk spicynoodles #spicynoodles shipping #lmk chimera #chimera shipping #lmk sun wukong #lmk macaque #lmk tang #lmk pigsy #lmk red son #lmk mei #lmk mk #LOOK I'M SORRY FOR HAVING AN OPINION BUT I'M R I G H T #feel free to disagree of course lmao #but like. be chill. #please. #lmk #lego monkie kid

[doccywhomst]

okay so i understand that daleks are one of the main brand icons of doctor who, and that they represent a certain breed of fascist thought that can never be fully stamped out, but. :/

i think im ready for the daleks to die.

daleks have been central to doctor who from the very beginning (the second ever episode, the daleks, and season 2’s the dalek invasion of earth), embodying fear, hate, imperialism, and the darker sides of our own nature - but it seems that, for a while now, their continued existence has been maintained solely by the doctor’s mercy and/or ineptitude ??? which sucks as a theme imo

a great example is remembrance of the daleks, a seventh doctor story from 1988 - yes, the one where the doctor blows up skaro. or, davros fires a device the doctor boobytrapped at skaro’s sun, which goes supernova and destroys every dalek in that region of space. it’s pretty baller. anyway! davros and a few daleks hop in an escape pod and fuck off, and the doctor just lets them. k.

(skaro’s destruction was later ‘corrected’ by widely-detested EDA author john peel in war of the daleks, which is unhyperbolically the worst book i’ve ever read, and thus disregarded! but this heretical text explains that the planet was a decoy named antalin. it’s awful yeah. i tried to warn you)

exhibit b: evolution of the daleks (2007). ten confronts dalek caan, the sole survivor of the cult of skaro, at the top of the empire state building. the daleks have just created and annihilated a slave race of pig people, and it’s horrible to watch. you get the feeling that they’ve done this millions of times all across the universe, because they canonically have. they are inherently imperialist, racist, and genocidal. the doctor knows this.

and the doctor’s response is basically “killing you would mean that I commit genocide, so let’s just hang out and have a conversation.”

dalek caan gets away.

and you’ll never guess where he goes. that’s right! he hops the time lock and grabs davros, who escaped in remembrance of the daleks!!! and they make a bunch of new dalek babies together, out of davros’ gross old flesh. it’s a tentacle fest.

so he was right. killing dalek caan would’ve been a genocide- but because he didn’t, now there are ten thousand genocides. a clear improvement!

exhibit d: victory of the daleks (2010).

after a couple of false starts, the daleks manage to make more daleks after tricking the doctor into confirming their species to open their own device (??? okay sure)- but then they trick him again with a robot scientist bomb that he failed to detect even after talking to the guy, and it’s just like…. fool the doctor once, shame on you, fool them twice? damn, you must be on the merch.

exhibit e: the witch’s familiar (2015).

the iconic ‘only other chair on skaro’ scene where twelve and davros chat on the rebuilt dalek home world - super fun, so fun i forgot how the doctor folded like a house of cards. davros, the genocidal maniac, wants to live another day to see a pretty sunrise, so the doctor *checks notes* gives him some artron energy? that can’t be right, wh- oh- oh, but it’s fine because it affects all daleks, and through some contrived science magic, they all ‘learn the concept of mercy.’ on accident.

and it changed nothing. later stories retcon this. i’m too tired to even think about resolution, revolution, or eve of the daleks right now, but those episodes only further cemented my malaise regarding the doctor’s apparent complacency.

again and again, the daleks depend on the doctor’s mercy, and they get it, and they WIN- and it feels like the moral is that they should be eliminated like an unthinking, unfeeling virus, but the doctor is just too compassionate or inept for the job. certainly not the first doctor to lose to a virus, but perhaps the first to do so willingly.

beyond a loss in revenue, i can’t imagine why the doctor couldn’t destroy the daleks, or why they wouldn’t want to - there was a point when, allegedly, “the time lord’s continuity could not survive without the daleks” (“neverland” audio), but i think the weight and relevance of that harry potter type threat has long since passed.

so… it might be time to put the daleks away, for now. sure, they can come back as a concession to the persistence of fascist ideology, but watching the doctor lose or win to fascism for seemingly arbitrary (always sentimental) reasons isn’t really satisfying. the show addresses that daleks cause untold suffering, but again and again the only obstacle to no suffering is the doctor, who can’t get their shit together! it’s killing me.

#some actual blog material for you on this fine morning #i’m not replying to anyone who doesn’t read the entire thing! after you read please feel free to disagree #an example of a satisfying conclusion would be the doctor forming an interplanetary coalition #or persuading a pre-existing one to unite and defeat the daleks #it would be brutal and difficult but i would love for good people to unite and actually SUCCEED #doctor who #classic who #seventh doctor #tenth doctor #eleventh doctor #twelfth doctor #davros #daleks

[turtleblogatlast]

Thinking about the Don Suave scene and what it means in terms of LGBTQ+ representation because my brain does nothing if not torment me with random topics to ramble about on the regular.

Anyway, I just wanted to ramble about why I like the scene but to get it out of the way - the scene can very easily be interpreted in so many different ways, and all of them are valid. I personally see it as Leo having at least some attraction to a man. And the following is an explanation of my own interpretation and thoughts on it and what it means especially for Leo’s portrayal in the grand scheme of things.

Long-winded interpretation under the cut!

Now, to start with, it’s important to me that in the scene Leo looks at Don Suave in the very beginning and then for the entirety of the rest of the time the man is on screen, Leo’s eyes are closed. Yet, in the end, he is still visibly enamored with Don Suave, happily cuddling up to him as he’s being carried away.

You can very easily interpret this as Leo being spellbound and that’s honestly super valid and I believe he likely was at least somewhat in the beginning, but considering how fast he looked away and how he never looked again, I personally think it makes more sense to read it as Leo just finding the man attractive, at least somewhat. (For the record, I personally headcanon Rise Leo as bisexual with a heavy preference for men, but I want to be blunt when I say that any interpretation is valid. Literally any. Ace, pan, gay, bi, none of the above or a mixture of something new literally all of it is more than okay and fair. Hell you could even interpret this entire scene as more romantic attraction than physical and it would still work. Anything goes!! Don’t bother people, guys, really.)

The main reason I take this scene to be at the very least LGBTQ+ adjacent isn’t just because of how it’s portrayed, but because of who Leonardo is. Not in terms of Rise of the TMNT, but in terms of the entire Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™️ franchise.

Leo’s a character who, while changing with each iteration, has still at his core been around for decades upon decades as “the blue one”. One fourth of the team. He’s the one most are going to look at as the Leader, and oftentimes he is the one closest to having the title of Main Character. Not to say the others aren’t just as important, but Leo’s presence in the A plots of basically all TMNT media is often something very main character-esque.

And that’s very, very important to note. Here we have a Main Character of a prolific and decades long-running franchise distributed by a children’s television network. You can play around with his and his brothers’ characters all you like, but there is always going to be challenges to dodge around, especially since this was still in 2018-2019.

For example, you can play around with their designs so long as they’re color coded turtles, but their sexualities? Now that’s tricky.

“But what about Hypno and Warren?” Not main characters and also they’re Rise originals. They have a lot more room to play around with than a character like Leo does. But even talking about main characters in the franchise, you could arguably have an easier time playing around with Donnie or Mikey’s sexualities than Leo or even Raph, as (unfortunately) the former two tend to get more B plots, so they’d likely have had a little more leeway (still not a lot though.)

So, where does this leave us?

It leaves us in a place where outright stating and/or showing undeniable proof of Leo’s attraction to men is very, very difficult. So, workarounds!

Workarounds like the entire Don Suave situation.

To be honest, as left up to interpretation and lowkey and deniable as it is, this whole scene means a lot to me because of who Leo is as a character. It’s just nice when we get so see even the bare bones of representation with characters that have been such a large part of pop culture for decades, y’know? Even if more would be so much nicer, this is better than I thought we’d ever get for these boys.

And, again, literally nothing I’ve said is the only way to interpret it, I’m more than happy when people interpret media on their own honestly, it’s just something I’ve been thinking of lately and I was wondering if others felt the same way.

Whatever you think when you interpret this scene or Rise Leo as a whole, I just thought this would be interesting to think about, even if it was ramble-y, haha.

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt headcanons #rottmnt leo #rise leo #rise don suave #rottmnt don suave #I lied I’m back to ramble because I’m just #so bad at keeping my mouth shut #or uh #not typing word vomit #anyway- yeah this is my personal interpretation #I believe Leo was legitimately mesmerized by Don Suave’s powers…in the beginning #but even the series’ creator says it was ‘at least PART of what was going on with Leo’ so #idk it’s something that’s been on my mind and I was wondering if anyone else felt the same?? #may delete this later who knowssss #pleaaaase feel free to disagree I just like to talk lol #but yeah sometimes I look around at how much media has LGBTQ+ rep in it now and it honestly makes me emotional?? #(we always always ALWAYS could use more but) #we did not have even a crumb of this as kids #but also like most of that rep is new properties #and I just was thinking about what that could mean #idk man idk #once again please don’t take this as facts it is VERY MUCH NOT #man I was looking around for good images to use and found jack all #anyway tho did you know Donnie often has bi colors around him and Leo is often dressed in the colors of the trans flag- #okay anyway back to the caves I go this comic won’t draw itself #I gotta spray myself with water any time I go to type long winded essays because they’re not great for the mental health fr

[finleyforevermore]

*walks onstage, adjusts mic.*

The final version of Time Machine should've been more like the demoes (ESPECIALLY Demo 2) and Our Lullaby is better than Stranded Lullaby.

*waits.*

#please feel free to disagree with me or share your thoughts! #these are just my opinions! #hawaii part ii #hawaii part 2 #hawaii: part ii #time machine #stranded lullaby #our lullaby #our lullabye #stranded lullabye #simon hpii #stella hpii #miracle musical

[togo--mimori]

I have a LOT of feelings about kaisers backstory. Mostly positive? My opinions on his character have only really gotten better tbh. Like, he's not a good person. But he is definitely a product of his environment.

I think he does care about Ness in his own twisted way. But he doesn't know how to recognize positive emotions. He doesn't know how to form lasting relationships without manipulation and insults.

Kaiser never got therapy, or even really a trustworthy adult (that we know of yet) to sit him down and try to break through the shell he formed after all those years. It's all he knows, it's all he has to work with. He has no frame of reference for friendship and love. New emotions and feelings are scary, they feel wrong sometimes. So he sticks to what he knows and does it the best he can.

The only thing that's changed is we know WHY Kaiser is how he is. I don't have it in me to hate him now that it's confirmed he's incredibly mentally ill due to his fucking awful and unstable formative years. He's a bad person, but he hasn't always been. But he's not beyond hope or help, like anyone is.

Not supporting anything he's done, just appreciating a well written character. Seeing bits of my broken past mirrored on a fucking rat tail anime man has been an experience.

#This was all typed up on my phone so please forgive me for any weird formatting #Just needed to get this out of my system TBH #I have a lot of experience with people with cluster b personality disorders and I relate a lot to Kaiser's backstory #feel free to disagree with me but if i get any comments or asks bashing mentally ill people I will fucking riot #and no i am NOT supporting his actions if that isn't clear enough #micheal kaiser #blue lock

[luvring]

Hiii! I hope it's not too suggestive since I saw your blog is mainly sfw OWBOANALA but I wanted to hear your headcanons about the main cast of Touchstarved, just in general tho, like who's a bottom, who's a top and who's a switch (I personally think everyone there is a switch bc y'know... whatever makes mc happy they're down for it)

If it's too suggestive or explicit for your blog lemme know and we can ramble about it together in chat if you're down for it! (In that case I'll send you my @)!

!!!! I AGREE!! AND DEFINITELY DID MORE THAN U ASKED! My Bad guys. indulged myself a little w one (1) nsft post. a gift 🫶 & OFC i'll also talk more in chat w u / anyone who wants to!!! i always want 2 hear everyone else's thoughts 👩🏻‍💻

leander

switch...sub leaning.? they did Not have to tell me for a leader he sure likes it when others take control. that vere wouldn't spit on him if he were a fire, "oh no, he'd enjoy that far too much." leander saying he doesn't mind vere around since he's fun and "got a real...presence." when he said "anything you want." I Know What You Are.

smth smth addressed by a title, sensation play, degradation said in a praising way, body worship, size kink, overstim, smth smth. i trust vere. spit on him. leader who relishes in giving up control and being taken care of yeah yeah yeah

enjoying being a sub aside he can easily be a service dom

mfw leander gets on his knees and says he'll do anything to please you just say the word. when he touches you somewhere and asks here? is this good? oh the intimacy of interlacing your fingers and bringing your hands to touch him anywhere, everywhere, just as a reminder that you Can

ais

switch - "gives it almost as well as he takes it, even if he's awfully greedy." thanks vere my buddy my pal

i know this little shit (said lovingly) is a tease like dragging his fingers slowly telling you to say please kind of way

figures out what pet names you like and has the most annoying smirk on his face. "oh? did you like that?"

edging. Needing you to tell him what he wants or he won't do anything.

idk i think this guy likes it when you take control though! like get on top and he'll have a stupid cocky grin before he eventually unravels and is moaning whimpering swearing 🤨

i don't have to say anything about the tentacles. moving on

i have a vision where if you let out a noise he looks at you with a raised brow before smirking and then whispering "cute." in your ear before trailing kisses along your jaw But That's Just Me Projecting I Think

vere

switch in a bratty prove you can dom him way. "looks good in blood and better in tears." LETS BE SERIOUS AIS 😂😂 you don't have to tell me twice if bro likes rough sex or is into bondage or edging or overstim or marking or

smth abt predator/prey... i'm not even really into that but i can see it

same thing w u taking control and him saying a stupid joke then being caught off guard,, at least the first time. i know this guy would do shit to tease and rile you up in public just so you'd do something later

he made that biting comment and i believe him. nips at you. seems like he'd leave hickies in places people could see and if you did the same to him Well why would he hide them. also pull his hair

something about fingers in your mouth or vice versa. smth smth making u taste urself Sorry Woah this was bc he was licking champagne foam from his fingers. i had a vision

kuras

switch in an easily doms + teases you, may surprise you with a few kinks, takes a bit to be sub but ends up liking it kind of way. reminds me of om! barbatos + tot vyn. I know what you are. (brat tamer)

the sub thing. like the first time u ask he's Very curious about what you'd do. amused even. the joy of telling him not to touch and teasing him then stopping right before he finishes. and then telling him to be nice and ask for what he wants,, if u go long enough he'll finally groan w a little "please," where his voice cracks WHO GETS ME!

giving me blindfold + temperature play vibes. don't know why.

anyways. can also be soft i'm sure. like a traditionally romantic sort of sense. i don't know how to explain it.

btw "you know, on account of his massive...heart." thank you vere for being the realest person around

mhin

switch vry sub leaning for me but that's bc i like teasing them. and so does everyone else.... oh mhin...

but if u were a soft dom they could use that i think. like Let yourself be close and taken care of mhin. please. OHH praising them to tease them instead of being mean catches them a little off guard. they get flustered and look away again Yeah

i don't see them as particularly talkative during sex,, tbh i think they'd get embarrassed and try to stop themself from making Any noise until you tell them you like hearing their voice...

drags myself through the mud... breathing heavily... leave hickies on their chest... mhin leaving hickies on you... i have no grounds to explain this btw. i just get sensitive chest/collarbone area vibes

still figuring out dom!mhin in my head. charas who are easily teased can often switch it around on u if u say the right thing so. though i don't really see them as being very degrading during sex

misc / multichara thoughts i didn't form properly bc i have to go back to essay writing in a bit.

vere and ais would have the biggest impact on me w the first vulnerable soft sex scene. they deserve it

someone's into the sex after an argument thing. something about jealousy. marking you etc etc

leander telling you you can use him. leander shower sex. leander using magic. leander. help me

has leander just fucked everybody. can he stop blushing when talking about other people + the others' opinions what r u guys implying YOU ARE GOING TO DRIVE ME OVER THE EDGE /J /NM

i don't see kuras / mhin being very into quickies but well. the other 3.

something abt the bad ending w vere tells me he really enjoys when you're vulnerable and exposed to him. trust or whatever

scenario where you tell kuras u think something's wrong and u need a Check Up w the Doctor :( and he gives u a little look before reminding you if you want attention you could just ask then kissing you. Who gets me

mhin smirking . that's all. my legs wobble

#havent done nsft hcs in so long hello world its me #im back baby. temporarily #🧾nia.answers #<3 anon #nsft #touchstarved game #please do not take me super seriously btw. #feel free 2 disagree. i actually alrdy dont remember what i wrote #anyways. feel free 2 send any other nsft asks #nia + touchstarved

[y3ahwhat3ver]

Been seeing this over and over and it's sort of been annoying me but. Valentino and Alastor are not even remotely comparable. Like. Look I may be a bit biased bc I like Alastor and don't like Valentino beyond the funny moments he has but like.

Okay. Alastor sucks. Like he's a violent dickhead but part of that is that he's very restrained in his violence. The only times we see him do anything outright violent are when he/the hotel are under attack and then his one moment with Husk. His relationship with Husk gets brought up a lot when people make the comparison but to me like.

Throughout the show you see Husk talk shit to Alastor, literally all of the time. He heavily dislikes him (in my opinion a major part of that is bitterness over losing his own title just to become subservient to Al) but he doesn't ever really seem scared of him, beyond the one moment. He and Alastor have known eachother for years and it's pretty clear to me that Alastor sort of just. Let's him say whatever as long as he doesn't hit A Limit. Alastor's own contract is something he's very clearly sensitive about and Husk bringing that up when he was already in a bad mood. I'm not saying the way he treats Husk in this scene is good, or right but just that it makes sense in context.

I guess what really does it for me is Niffty as well? Like it's so clear she loves Al, quite literally crawling all over him and crowning him. They have a very sweet relationship in the show. She's comfortable enough with him to freely speak about her own feelings ("I really like them Alastor. They let me put on roach puppet shows without booing")

You just get the sense that like. Alastors relationship with his contractee's is. Maybe not the most outright friendly but it's not inherently violent.

And then you compare that to Valentino. Valentino is violent, but worse he's impulsive. And also kind of an idiot. Like the first time we see him it's Velvette calling Vox to come deal with him bc the man is on a rampage and killing her models. He has to be talked down from going to the hotel and killing everyone there. (Already a bad idea image wise but like. With the literal Princess of Hell in that hotel it's like. What was your plan for after that Val. What was your plan for after you attacked the only heir to the throne, the literal daughter of the devil. Christ.)

The difference here is that the only contractee we see him interact with is Angel Dust, and their relationship is fraught with abuse. Physical, sexual, and psychological. Valentino enables his drug addiction because it makes Angel more compliant. Even when he is not being violent towards Angel himself, he's still perpetuating that violence through the work he has Angel do (literally the everything about Poison makes me kind of sick to watch. Tbh, like great song but i cannot watch the mv without getting kind of upset. And look there's a conversation in there about sex work, and specifically SAFE sex work but that's not really what this post is.)

Like. There's literally a line in the show about Angel being WATERBOARDED at work. ("You know, Val, he's into that waterboarding shit now - I don't know, it's a kink." - episode 6 welcome to heaven) And this is JUST Angel's perspective. You don't see Valentino's other contracts but from the way Angel is treated, it's kind of clear that he does shit like this to anyone under his control, and thus anyone who cannot tell him No.

Look. You get the sense that Alastor is a dick, but there's no implication that he takes Niffty and Husk out back and beats them when he's aggravated (with them or otherwise.) We literally watch Valentino assault and threaten Angel because there is someone stronger than him [Valentino] who is trying to get him out of work.

#rant post #this is kind of a silly hill to die on but this hill is my home so die i must #hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin alastor #valentino #hazbin valentino #feel free to disagree but please remember this [this blog] is my house and be nice about it #sorry if this is worded weird i just have a lot of passion and im also half asleep rn #long post #and look idgaf if you like Valentino. this is not me saying you're not allowed to like him bc frankly i dont care what others do in their - #spare time. this is me saying that alastor and valentino are not comparable in their violence to the people they “own”

[impulsivesuperrobin]

i saw a post talking about neverafter slander on twitter so i went to check it out

here are some thoughts: (keep in mind, i’m not calling anyone out or saying your opinion isn’t valid if you agree with one of these points. try to read this as a light hearted discussion, like talking about a book with a friend)

a lot of it is people saying the season wasn’t horror enough and while i agree it’s not exactly as straightforward horror as the marketing suggested i think that that’s a take that is fundamentally misunderstanding what this is. it’s the horror season of dimension 20 which is a d&d show first and foremost. it’s not going to be following the beats of a horror movie because that’s not what they’re doing. when you run a horror campaign you fold in horror elements which they have been excellent at doing especially in the eldritch and existential categories

not to make assumptions but it seems to me that a lot of people making a big fuss about this haven’t played d&d for themselves. the things i have seen suggested the most for making the season more in line with the horror people were expecting involves turning the campaign into a more dm vs players situation (which is joked about a lot in fandom but in more of a meta humor way than is being suggested). this is something that anyone who has ever played in a bad campaign knows makes it a hell of a lot less fun to play and, i’m assuming, not so fun to watch either. the point of playing d&d is to work together to tell a story, if you go into to making a campaign with the goal of making your players lose, everyone is going to be miserable and your story is going to suck.

following that, some people are ragging on brennan for forgetting details and not having the lore entirely fleshed out. as someone who does unnecessary worldbuilding for homebrew campaigns every single time, i would just like to say on behalf of dms everywhere: it’s hard! there’s so much stuff to keep track of and so little time to keep the lore straight if you want the session to keep moving smoothly, i’m sure it’s even harder when you have a limited time to film the episodes/season

and maybe it’s just me, but i love horror movies (and other media) and neverafter is about as scary as most horror movies i’ve seen. it’s definitely better written than a lot of horror movies, we get to know the characters and are fully invested in them when bad things happen. it’s sort of on the level as the hellraiser reboot imo. some people make the point that besides the body horror, there’s not enough gore/blood kinda stuff, but i think gore isn’t truly horror, especially in a spoken format. it’s more of a shock factor thing, like a verbal jumpscare

and i’ve seen people saying that the pcs are too much like heroes/they’re too capable to be in any real danger, but in a horror movie, most of the bad things happen around the protagonist(s), they’re still thrown into the shit but most of the time they make it out. horror as a genre is so ill-defined anyway that people still debate if slashers and thrillers even count. plus, how many times in a movie has a side character been forgotten or something about the lore has been off? and that’s with multiple people overseeing the production.

jumping away from the “it’s not like the horror movie i envisioned” complaints, i’ve also seen a lot of people say it’s confusing??? and tbh i’m more confused about that than the campaign. to me it’s pretty straightforward, no more confusing than starstruck at the very least.

for the big picture: it’s different factions of people with conflicting (but occasionally overlapping) goals than all need to get to macguffin in order to reach whichever goal they’re aligned with

the pcs have their own character arcs which are very clearly laid out throughout the season

the minute details are there because that’s how you make your world feel lived in

and yeah, there’s a lot of potential in the stuff they could’ve done but didn’t. but i feel like that’s the whole point, y’know? this is the story they did tell, and the thousands of other ways they could’ve told the story live on like every retelling of a fairytale.

#tbh a lot of the criticism feels like people nitpicking to find stuff to hate but you can’t please everyone ig #feel free to disagree and tell me why! just please don’t turn my notes into a rage-bait discussion #dimension 20 #d20 #neverafter #dimension 20 neverafter

[pinkeoni]

Thoughts on the time jump:

This is a relevant conversation today, so I thought I would throw in my two cents (this isn’t a targeted post btw, just speaking thoughts aloud)

I like the time jump. It not only allows for darker and more mature plotlines, but it allows for a new dynamic with the characters. There is already a timejump at the beginning of each season for this reason, this would just be the most severe.

I can’t imagine the painting lie reveal happening before the time jump. It is too dramatic of a plot point that begins to move too many pieces too early in the game. I also don’t think it’s unrealistic to keep it unresolved for two years, gay bitches be bottling shit up.

For the same reasons as listed above I can’t imagine Max waking up pre-time jump either. It would be a huge reversal way too early. Yes leaving her in a coma for two years feels long but thats how I see it happening. This is likely a plotpoint that will happen midseason or later.

Milkvan will likely break up pre-time jump.

J*ncy will break up pre-time jump. This is the likely conclusion after having that much unresolved conflict left open at the end of last season— if they kept them together after that it would feel like a cop out. Them getting back together post-time jump I’m less clear on but open to.

Contrary to the above bullet, St*ncy will not get together post J*ncy breakup, I don’t see their love triangle as a case where one couple is going to win, unlike the Willelmike one.

Byler will not be established pre-time jump. They are milking the shit out of that slow burn cow.

I do think that Mike’s sexuality will be revealed at least to the audience pre-time jump. He won’t come out or anything but there will be a huge signifier. Lettergate Either way I think that the direction that milkvan and subsequently Byler will be heading in should be set up in episode one.

I feel like I have a different idea than most on exactly how post-apocalyptic Hawkins will actually be post-time jump. I don’t imagine democreatures roaming in the streets, Henry would have to regain strength in order to do that, which I imagine will be an important plot point post-time jump. I also think that businesses and schools would still be operating. I do think that the particles will have an effect on the environment and that the town will be placed under martial law, however. There will still be plenty of damage and livlihoods loss but usually in situations like these people attempt to maintain normalcy as much as possible. (Which would reflect real world events as well ergo pandemic)

Time jump will likely happen either between episode one and two or a little bit into episode two. Anything after could be done but would feel extremely late to me.

As stated with the first bullet, characters are usually a little different after a time jump and I imagine this will be no different. I think that if explained well and realistic this is a good and exciting thing. But the character who is going to be acting the most different post-time jump is Will.

#please do not see as targeted if i counter an opinion you have #but also feel free to disagree! #this is just how i see things in my little head #byler #anti milkvan #anti j*ncy

[takeustothelakes]

one of the things that confuses me about kpop fans is how they’re quick to say, “oh, so-and-so can’t sing. so-and-so can’t dance. so-and-so can’t rap.”

but. those idols they’re talking about CAN. if they couldn’t, we wouldn’t be talking about them, let alone know they exist. kpop companies only debut the trainees that have serious talent, like all rounders, or those who have serious potential to grow further in their idol career.

i’m not going to deny that yeah, sometimes companies just put someone pretty in the groups just because. but don’t you also think that they put them there for the chance to grow further?

#please feel free to disagree!! this is just my opinion and how i view it #kpop #kpop fandom #bts #seventeen #blackpink #twice #newjeans #le sserafim #enhypen #stray kids #skz #tomorrow x together #txt #itzy #(g)i dle #ateez

[captainkirkk]

If a fic author deletes their work, what’s your take on people who’ve previously downloaded the fics sharing their copies? I’m personally torn on it - I can understand both sides, but was wondering what others think.

This might be a controversial opinion, but I think it's fine to share downloaded copies of fics in certain situations. For example, if a friend mentions they have the fic and another friend asks them to email it to them. Or someone is desperately looking for their all time favourite fic that was deleted and asks for it on tumblr, I think it's okay for someone else to answer and offer to email it to them. I think, as authors, we need to accept that we give up a certain level of control when we publish a fic. Anyone can download it, even if we later delete the fic.

ALTHOUGH, I think posting it in a more public setting for other people to access (e.g., sending a link to a massive discord server) is probably a no-go?? Also, if the author has come out and explicitly asked people not to share downloads, then I'd say respect their wishes!!

#i know a lot of people will disagree with me #but as a writer i always personally feel like i give up my fic to my readers in a way #i may have written it but it lives in their minds and their memories #they have just as much of an emotional connection to it as me #i've never felt comfortable deleting fics for that reason #ultimately i think respecting the author's opinion is the most important thing #if my ao3 account ever goes down please feel free to go crazy go stupid sharing my fics <3 #ask #anon #fic discourse

[sigridsdottir]

here’s a hotness chart of men of vikings i made SORRY

#please feel free to burn me alive in the tags if u disagree #but i said what i said 😤 #instead of studying i objectified men today #feminism #vikings #vikings history channel #aethelstan #ragnar #ragnar lothbrok #ubbe #ubbe ragnarsson #bjorn ironside #ivar the boneless #ivar lothbrok #ivar ragnarsson #alfred the great #vikings valhalla #rollo lothbrok #hvitserk lothbrok #floki the boat builder #vikings floki #vikings fandom #vikings edit