#but there is something so specifically tragic in seeing who you love lose hope and grieving and not being able to do anything

[as-rare-as-trees]

There is a specific kind of tragedy in coming to terms with how little you can do, no matter how much you wish it was more

#i thought i had made a post about this already #but maybe i did and then deleted it because i can't find it #so this is about second hand grief and feelings of helplessness in relationships #it's about seeing a friend struggling and knowing you can only be there to support them but you can't lift the pain off them #it's about a friend telling you about all they would have wanted and could never have #about what they want for their life and the way life itself seems to make it so much harder for them #yes we all struggle #but there is something so specifically tragic in seeing who you love lose hope and grieving and not being able to do anything #how do i say that i would give away my soul and my heart and everything i have if that meant they could be happy #and instead all i can do is give/send them hugs and good wishes and hope and encouragement #it's something #being there is something #but #showing love is something #buut #it's like taka says in 'your tears are mine' -> 'i wish i could care for a little piece of your heart' #so 'second hand grief' because as your friend grieves you grieve for them and with them #vaneggiando

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

Every time I learn something new about Batman: War Games I lose my mind a little bit more cause just, just fuckin, look okay so here's the thing:

Stephanie Brown tries to implement a contingency plan of Bruce's just after he fires her from being Robin and because of that gets tortured to (almost) death and no one knows she survived.

THIS STORY RUNS IN THE NEWS:

So, you know, anyone who might be paying even half a fucking ounce of attention to news about ROBINS would definitely absolutely notice this!!!

And then very very soon afterwards Jason comes back and specifically targets Black Mask to ruin the criminal empire he tortured Stephanie to get

As a way to torment Bruce about the fact that he doesn't take care of the nastiest criminals and they continue killing people

And how Jason should have been the last to die

and SOMEHOW

these two things are in no way related and Jason has nothing to do with or say about Stephanie Brown, fellow Robin, fellow martyred soldier, fellow child dead due to Bruce related villains.

HOLY DEAD SIDEKICKS BATMAN, DO YOU COMPREHEND THE MAGNITUDE OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES HERE????

please walk with me down a timeline in which:

Lost Days Jason at first just tries to go after the Joker and can't because who he's really mad at is Bruce.

Then he sees Who Really Killed Stephanie Brown and the utter horror of another Robin dying on Bruce's watch (not just dying, but tortured to death!) is what convinces him to try to straight up kill Bruce via car bomb

Roman Sionis is no longer merely a tool against Batman, but another figure to demand vengeance be brought upon, another attempt to give Bruce a chance to right his wrongs and do what needs to be done

The confrontation with him and the Joker being all the more tragic due to how obvious Bruce's answer would have to be once Jason knows Bruce isn't going to avenge Stephanie either

Does Jason, once he escapes the rubble after UtRH is over, kill Black Mask anyways? Does he decide to avenge her himself? Or does he think that she too would demand that of Bruce, and find his death by a different hand unsatisfactory?

If he doesn't kill Black Mask, then when Steph is back, I feel confident he approaches her, tries to reach out to the other dead Robin, almost certainly makes the offer now that he can ask her. Does she take him up on it, gaining an ally and slipping into a far darker role? Does she instead refuse, either appealing to forgiveness or far more interestingly refusing both vengeance and forgiveness? How would Jason handle a refusal, which I gut instinct feel is more likely?

If he does kill Black Mask, then when Steph is back Jason drops his corpse at her feet like a loving housecat with a dead lizard and she has to grapple with her feelings about having someone really and truly avenge her!!! Like how DO you react to someone who you have been warned is wildly dangerous and mentally unstable coming up to you and saying, "I'm glad you're back, like me. I'm sorry you're back, like me. I made sure you could rest knowing he was dead, because I know what it feels like."

Like no matter how each character reacted to this happening there would be so much high stakes emotional shit to explore with both of them!! Revenge I feel like is such a pivotal thing for both characters, they mirror each other in so so many ways, they could be really interesting together if DC would just fucking let them!!!

Jason had a criminal father who he missed and wanted to avenge. Stephanie had a criminal father who she wanted vengeance on.

Jason started off as a fairly gentle soul who progressively became more violent and more hopeless as he was exposed to genuine horrors during his time as Robin. Stephanie starts off violent, angry and rash and finds her own courage and hope through her time as a crime fighter despite of the horrors she's been through.

Jason went to Africa and died there after Bruce failed to save him. Stephanie was taken to Africa via a fake death in order to save her from Bruce and the vigilante lifestyle.

I just...

There's just...

There's SO MUCH HERE I am genuinely fucking confused as to how this is not all deliberate?? And it's all just left on the cutting room floor because for no reason apparent to me they all just decided Stephanie and Jason were not gonna interact!

AAGHHHH!

#jason todd #stephanie brown #dc comics #damian's tomfoolery

[hatosaur]

if/when we get tlou3, what would you want to see happen? realistically OR your total dream scenario, either way...where do you see ellie's story going? what would you love to see and what would you hateeee to see go down?

realistically speaking, i imagine tlou3 would be what wraps up the franchise. if there's ever going to be more games after part 2, i pray to god naughty dog doesn't milk the franchise and make a billion games. people like to say "well, what if they focused on characters other than joel and ellie?" to which i say, shut the fuck up, you don't understand the last of us, you just want a sad zombie game, and i'm much smarter than you. because tlou IS joel and ellie's story; without ellie and joel, without even the idea of them, it isn't the last of us.

i'll be honest, i don't have any specific plot points that i'd for sure want in part 3. maybe it would be ellie's long journey back home after who knows how long. maybe the ending of part 2 was her deciding she needed to stay out of people's lives but circumstances drag her back home. abby and lev are just a part of it now -- it'd be weird to have them for one game and then just forget about them lol -- so they could share the focus. i'm not a big fan of firefly plots but that's their through-line if ellie crashes into abby and lev's path or vice versa. whatever, i kinda don't really care about the nitty-gritty.

but what i do want, over anything in the entire world, is ellie finally getting a happy ending. now this only works if part 3 is actually the end of the story, which again i hope it is. the game would be shit if ellie gets another bad ending or dies in the end (though her dying could be done right, i'd just prefer her death not be a tragic, depressing one). to me, the point of the games isn't the darkness of humanity or the futility of hope the way people say. it's about love, from beginning to end. it's love that drives joel to disastrous ends all for ellie, it's love that sends ellie on a revenge mission lamenting her chance to reconcile with joel, it's love that causes dina to follow ellie and then to ultimately leave the farmhouse with jj, it's love that forms abby and lev's duo and gets them as far as they do. no one wants to see it, because it's "corny" or whatever, but it's true.

ellie dying a tragic death or losing everything again or ending up somewhere in a depressive state doesn't round off any themes, because if the point of the games where that humanity is shit and love doesn't prevail, things would have been much, much darker.

ellie is a symbol of hope in the first game and a symbol of doom in the second, and i would love it if the third game could just allow her to be a person without any heroic or self-destructive sense of purpose. make her come to a point where she sees that her value lies in something beyond being a cure or an avenger; and maybe that's just being a person. being there in her loved ones lives. being a mom and partner, or a valued member of her community.

there is no point to be made in ellie reaching a new low -- she reaches rock bottom at the end of part 2 -- because there's nothing to say there. saying "everything is shit and horrible and everything good in the world dies" directly clashes with the moral of the first game, that even in a hellscape of monsters, infected or not, you can find purpose. ellie is joel's purpose in part 1. revenge is ellie's "purpose" in part 2. what about part 3?

again, it's "corny," so people won't want it, but what if it was just...her family?

it makes the most sense to me, the series begins with joel's loss of family, so why not end with ellie gaining hers back?

#talkies #thinkies #i have big thoughts about part 3 #i just know that if i smell a whiff of things ending bad for ellie #the game just won't exist for me #tlou #the last of us

[talestales-art]

Reverse 1999 events/lore I would like to see mmmmmm (explodes)

GOLDEN AGE HOLLYWOOD EVENT

This is mostly because I love Bette. I would love to see a Hollywood focused event, especially with Sweetheart & Bette (and maybe even Blonney). Commentary on the film industry and on theme considering how much film related stuff is in the game (tickets, movie review achievements). At least a sweetheart anecdote. Films have also been mentioned multiple times in the daily login.

Black centered event

Can’t comment too much about this as I’m not black, but black people have done A LOT for the world and it often goes unrecognised. Deserves recognition. The game also needs more black characters. I would especially love to see a music focused event, since there’s not many music themed characters and black people invented essentially every music genre. African folklore is also really REALLY cool and I think that would be nice too see. But yeah mainly there need more black characters.

Early Iron Age Scandinavia (aka vikings)

I think it would be interesting to start it off with the 80’s with meeting Erick. Then going back in time to the Iron Age/viking age, and that’s where she gets her i2 garment. It would also be nice to see other Nordic characters, one I would LOVE to see is Njals from the Icelandic Fairytale Njals Saga. They also mentioned vikings in one of the daily login. Also it would be cool w folklore /viking stuff that’s not romanticised. Perhaps even Nordic mythology & folklore (folklore creatures > asatro gods imo).

Rabies lore

If you’ve read his story, you’ll understand. I really hope we get an anecdote or an event featuring Rabies. I would love to see who he was in his past, the emotions he experienced losing all of his patients. I also need bluepoch to release their Alicia/Alicja design. I want them to kiss. Please. Also read his story if you haven’t, it’s so tragic.

Yule event

Shamane yule goat garment when🕯️ also I like Yule, it’s an easy way to celebrate winter time without tying it to one specific religion or practice (as many places do yule in their own way). Also it would generally be nice to see yule talked about more, since christmas usually get the spotlight.

Mesmer Jr Protagonist

Mesmer Jr gets to be the protagonist of an event, just like Vertin, Sonetto, Regulus and Matilda (kinda) got to be. She deserves that. It would also be very interesting with more Mesmer Family lore, especially her finding out about Scott (three doors). Hopefully it would end with her joining Vertin’s team officially and distancing herself from the foundation/her family. Also she gets to change her name, she deserves a proper first name. Please bluepoch give her a happy development please I’m begging. At the very least there’s NO WAY there’s not gonna be a Mesmer family heavy event/lore, there’s already so so so much and they’re building it up for something I swear.

Tragic ballerina character

I physically need a tragic ballerina reverse 1999 character or I will implode. That’s the only reason I made my r1999 ballerina OC Aigrette. ALSO there’s a painting of a ballerina in the suitcase. Bluepoch, ballerina character is a need.

#reverse 1999 #Mesmer jr #rabies #Shamane #Bette #sweetheart #erick #reverse 1999 theory

[cowboyshit]

If I remember correctly, I think Evil Uno said something along the lines of Adam still not being happy even when he was champion. What are your thoughts on that?

oh, you don't even KNOW how excited I am about this ask. I'm going to have to tuck my answer under a readmore. this was honestly a change in hangman's character that I LOVED and always wished could have been more fully played out.

firstly, yes! evil uno told adam specifically: [The Dark Order was] there for your big moment when you won the championship, but you weren't happy. You never seemed happy. I don't know if you thought this was going to be your big moment and it wasn't enough. I hope you find what does makes you happy, but I don't think that championship was it.

I felt like this was a subtle piece of story that most people did NOT pick up on until it was a little too late, because adam lost the belt and couldn't continue telling whatever character arc he'd been working on - which I will ALWAYS BE UPSET ABOUT. some of his best work is in the subtlety of his long-term storytelling and in the brief time he had the belt we saw him go from happy to have it, to feeling the pressure of carrying the belt and the matches he was having to go through, to these brief moments where he would act like the weight of it felt burdensome. there's even a shot (one of my favorites) where he's walking down the ramp with it on his shoulder and he looks over at it and seems upset that it's there.

which is so FASCINATING for a character who chased after it for years with such a hunger, it oftentimes blew up years-long friendships. for a character who proclaimed at the very start of the company that they WOULD be the champion, to finally hold it, and not actually feel satisfied? TRAGIC! the story wasn't the chase for the belt, the story was that he needed to believe IN HIMSELF. he thought once he was holding it and he was champion all of those insecurities that had berated him for years would magically disappear, but they didn't. In fact, the insecurities stuck on even stronger, because now he had to prove that he was capable of holding it, capable of representing this company. the spotlight was front and center on him.

also, shortly after he became champion, adam added one of my favorite songs to his playlist: heavy crown by trixie matel

Heavy head and a heavy crown Had a few since you came to town Where are you gonna keep them still? Winning's losing with a couple strings It's a choosing between two things It's a two-piece suit or all the frills Did you ever think that if you got everything All the records, they don't play the same?

take into account that it was kenny he won the belt from? that added on so much more pressure!!! I honestly was fascinated by the turn of his mood toward the belt and the way he was beginning to lash out again because of it. it was such an intriguing turn of events, versus "he won the belt and now he lived happily ever after"

there was so many avenues of storytelling that I could see adam building up when he held the title, and I will always find myself a little curious to know how that story might've kept playing out. even if he (when he) gets the title again, it won't be this story again, since his character arc has grown in too far of a direction.

although I am curious what that story will be - a lot of people don't pay close enough attention to understand the stories adam is trying to tell. I think he's sorely overlooked as a storyteller in this business and I wish I could scream from the rooftops how much of a mastermind he is.

#ashley answers #you happened to ask something thats one of my favorite things I dont often get to talk about

[sweetqueerinthesummer]

The Archer

The Archer was one of the first songs I wanted to take a deep dive into when I thought about analyzing Taylor’s work, so here we are. Here I’ll focus on the interpretation of the song as being about the closet, it’s not the only understanding there is, but it’s what makes it so so beautiful to me. Handle with care, we are about to get emotional.

And obviously, this is an analysis but I’m not in Taylor’s head, so even if I affirm something I can’t know for sure what she meant when she wrote those words.

Combat, I’m ready for combat I say I don’t want that, but what if I do?

I think this was written before she discussed the idea of coming out with anyone, or at least it reflects on that time. She knows that it will be hard, and she pretended for a long time that she doesn’t need it, that she’s okay in the closet, but she’s not. She wants to be her true self, and even if she pretends it doesn’t matter, she always comes back to the hope that she could someday come out. 

She has changed the line in at least some live version of the songs (including the live from Paris), where she says “Combats” (plural), which I  would understand as a reflect of her realization, since she failed to come out, that it’s not something that can be done once and be accepted forever (I’ll come back to this idea when I’ll talk about evermore, but the line “is there a line i could just go cross” is also about that in my opinion).

‘Cause cruelty wins in the movies

She saw people suffering from being out so many times, it led her to believe that she didn’t want to be, but she now realizes that she does and of course she is afraid. 

I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you

She doesn’t know the right way to come out, and her anxiety makes her rethink every word she might have written about it. 

Easy they come, easy they go

She knows how fast the public opinion can turn its back on her, and that’s what she fears if she comes out, that she would lose her fans, and that everything that she has worked for would be lost because of who she is. 

I jump from the train, I ride off alone

Trains have often symbolized love in Taylor’s music, and more specifically, she almost exclusively uses them to signify relationships that don’t work out (Sad Beautiful Tragic, New Romantics, willow, champagne problems…), which leads me to believe that she’s talking about leaving her (ex-)girlfriends to keep her career safe. 

I never grew up, it's getting so old

She might have had this debate for long, and feel like she isn’t evolving on the matter. It might also be about the way some people consider the closet to be a temporary state, that changes as soon as you have the ability to be out, which could make her feel like she is perpetually stagnating and can't fully grow.

Help me hold onto you

This can be understood as being directed both to her lover or her public, but anyway, she fears people will leave her when they learn about her queerness. 

(Btw, this would be my answer to the way some people react by saying “it doesn’t matter if she’s queer”, if we’re right about that, it does matter a whole lot to her and she seems so afraid of the way we all would react, that saying we see her and that we’re still here does actually matter.)

I've been the archer I've been the prey

She is the archer, the one in control, she is perpetually trying to get people to listen to her music, and she’s good at it, she’s a mastermind. But she’s also the fox in I Know Places, her private life is always hunted and if she ever came out, she would be the target of bigots who would see her as a threat. She made herself both the archer and the prey by choosing this career.

Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?

She knows that she has fans, that people love her, that she is (and already was when the song came out) one of (if not the) most influential artists of her generation. But what would last if she lived her truth? What would happen once she shared her most dangerous secret?

Dark side, I search for your dark side But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?

She’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop, to find out that her public will leave her, but she thinks that she’s the one who would lead us to the dark side. By lying about herself, I think she might feel like she’s the dark side of her relationship with her fans.

And I cut off my nose just to spite my face Then I hate my reflection for years and years

She changes the way she appears, and then hates herself for it. She hates that she is stuck in the closet and the way everyone perceive her because of it. 

I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost The room is on fire, invisible smoke

She is panicking but no one sees it, no one understands what she feels, and no one believes that the danger is here because no one can feel it like she does. 

And all of my heroes die all alone

This could be a reference to the way gay people were often believed to be single when they died because no one understood who they really were, but it could also be about the way so many queer historical figures had tragic endings. 

Help me hold onto you I've been the archer, I've been the prey Screaming, who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?

‘Cause they see right through me They see right through me They see right through Can you see right through me? They see right through They see right through me I see right through me I see right through me

She is so used to people not seeing her, not listening to her, that she feels like she doesn’t even see herself anymore. Maybe she sometimes catch herself forgetting who the real her is, lost behind the public figure. 

All the king’s horses, all the king’s men Couldn’t put me together again

She has separated herself in so many parts between her public and private life, that no one would be able to see her as a whole, even herself, she is lost between too many masks.

‘Cause all of my enemies started out friends

She is making enemies out of her friends because she is never truly honest, and therefore they can’t “put her together again” since they don’t know her whole truth. 

Help me hold onto you I've been the archer I've been the prey Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay? (I see right through me, I see right through me) Who could stay? Who could stay? Who could stay?

You could stay You could stay Combat, I'm ready for combat

Even through the anxiety, she still wants to do it, she finds it in herself to overcome the fear and believe in her fans and her loved ones. She showed a part of her mind, she shared this anxiety, but what comes out of it is that she can’t stay in the closet. This is what makes this song so tragic, if I'm interpreting it right; she wanted to come out so badly, but she wasn’t able to, and now all that is left from that time is her anxiety.

EDIT: I wrote an analysis of evermore, it's a continuation of what I said here.

#gaylor #friends of dorothea #lgbetty #taylor swift #the archer #failed coming out theory

[star-crossed-mid]

Leon becoming the king rambles

I haven't finished the entirety of everyone's stories (I just did the mainstory for all 12) but I've been thinking about Leon's final story where he ascends to the king status.

more info dumping theories below. Also I could be wrong like again I have not finished anyone's story completely pls correct me if im wrong

From what I've seen he becomes king of the heavens and is given a new set of stars (the king star).

It makes me wonder who's taking over as minister of wishes/ruler of leo. He did give MC the Leo constellation for her to become a god iirc. It's funny bcuz its almost like his name correlates to a lion and itd probably get confusing from there. Also MC has aquarius in one of her eyes so I wonder if it just went back to hue after this.

Would Vega or Karno become minister? Would it be MC? Would the departments even be a thing when he's king or would he fundamentally just change everything.

If leon becomes the new king/becomes omnipotent, wouldn't he just be forced to live like the king, always hidden away and alone because he literally sees and knows all. Only left a victim of watching things happen until ppl come up to you for more. Letting curiosity roam free as you have infinite power to do anything. A move of his hand and things are gone. Is he even himself at this point or does the curse of infinite knowledge and power catch up.

This also dives into Leon as a character. He's portrayed as lazy and uninterested (on mondays or smthn) at first. He's also shown as a hard worker and genuinely tries to be just and fair. Whenever a god is in trouble he always makes a stand towards Zyg and the King. Most of his character arc is Leon trying to understand that he can trust MC/other people and that they care for him as a person, not a mighty powerful being. Despite his attitude towards everything, Leon is just a character who has to learn to undo his past ways of thinking that were hurting him and the people around him (and he does healthily learn). Leon's behavior is also very cat-like.

Would he be able to keep all the progress he made in a position similar to where he was most hurt.

He also marries mc and has a kid in that route so ig there's that. From what I've seen he changes a few things to allow everything to go smoothly.

Also to note Star-crossed myth has generally happy endings and is on positive notes most of the time compared to other god media being nitty gritty. I may be reading too deep into this to cope with the bad ending of a new video game. For some reason I really love fics/concepts with the scm gods that are tragic like actual mythology/fairytales

I just consumed a bunch of different media that dealt with characters becoming omnipotent gods and it never ends well.

Most of the times characters who ascend to higher status are just left as watchers, in new forms, only watching what once was and what they once had. No one knows if the previous versions of themselves are still there, or just apart of something bigger now.

There was one fan excerpt where the chars of the show were just yelling at the sky/showing the sky items they bought. They did this hoping to show their old friend who had became an omnipotent god said items, and having no idea if they saw it or not. The ex-partner of the person who ascended also spent a majority of the show trying to speak to them again. Even if they weren't together it was the act of love that stayed.

In a new video game that just came out, theres a character who has a really traumatic backstory and has the option to stop their abuser and 'ascend' to a position like their captor. The entire arc of this specific character relies on them making their own choices for once and not being apart of someones plan, and you as the player have the option to watch them make their choice to ascend or try to change their mind. When this character ascends it literally cursed them into continuing their cycle of abuse and losing themselves in the process. Spent the entire game going through character development only for a ritual to just undo everything hahaha imissthemsomuch one thing ascending did was take away their sense of humor and ability to be nice.

anyways wishing leon the best in the messy story of star-crossed myth xoxo dont let the power get to ur head babes hope he does better than the mf king fuck that dude

also random hc ill probably draw later is I like to believe that both Zyg and Leon were in line for the throne as kids/young gods. Leon a little more favored bcuz his powers r stated to be strongest, Zyg being older and more responsible at the time.

tldr Leon probably pissed off Zyglavis somehow and Zyg gave leon the 'ultimate punishment' and took himself out of the competition. The punishment being the weight of the crown.

#star crossed myth #star-crossed myth #starcrossed myth #scm leon #voltage otome

[beliell]

Monster headcanon playlist - a summary - part I

Hi, everyone! A week ago I’ve decided to make a Monster (Naoki Urasawa’s work) playlist, available now on Spotify

This posts it has not only been created to share this sum of songs but to illustrate more about my decision of why to choose some of the musics as well. It contains my personal opinion about the masterpiece but canonical events as well.

75 songs were added into that playlist, but I’m going to give a raise on the 10 top songs (5 songs in this first part of post), dividing into english songs and german/russian songs. Yep, german/russian songs ‘cause I believe this representation it is very important to the drama and It’s something I didn’t see in other playlists (sorry not sorry)

Disclaimer: We all know that Monster focus on the German and Czech events, but the choice to add specific Russian songs instead of Czech were mostly personnal.

Let’s go!

1. ‘HOME’, by Heems

All I got is the sweater that you left, the letters that I kept, That spoke of how you liked when I kissed you on the neck, And I held you as you wept, Yeah, I held you as we slept, I held you as we crept, I've been a mess since I met you, I regret you, You could say I love what's regretful. You got me, I get you, If I could, I'd forget you, But I can't since I've left you, I let you, If I could, I'd forget you, I would be more forgetful. When it's cold outside, yeah, I miss you, But we had too many issues.

Err...I don't even have to explain this first one. The end of the relationship profoundly marks Eva, who develops depression and alchool issues as a way to deal with it, throught the drama. Tenma it is severe impacted as well, but more in a 'rush' away, as slowly losing all establish that he had one day as a men.

--------------------------------

2. ‘Erschießen’, by IDEAL 

Komm, wir lassen uns erschießen, zwei Schüsse mitten ins Gehirn. Komm, wir lassen uns erschießen, ich hab nichts zu verlier'n. Komm, wir lassen uns erschießen, Sonntag morgens 5 vor 10. Ich kann den Sonntag nicht ertragen, und ich will keinen Montag sehn.

TRANSLATION: (🇩🇪)

Come on, let us be shot, two shots right into the brain. Come on, let us be shot, I don't have anything to lose. Come on, let us be shot, on sunday mornings 5 minutes before 10. I can't stand sundays, and I don't want to see mondays anymore.

Err...I won't even loose more than one paragraph about this one.

----------------------------

3. ‘Goodbye Horses’, by Q Lazzarus

He told me, I've seen it all before, I've been there, I've seen my hopes and dreams, A lying on the ground, I've seen the sky just begin to fall, He say, "All things pass into the night", And I say, "Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong, I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong", Won't you listen to me.

This is a song that I've listening to since I've discovered that were on 'The Silence of the Lambs (1991)' OST.

This book it’s very special to me and it is totally referable to the Urasawa's works due to psychological link they both have. Also, this lyric seems to me like a intimate mono-dialogue between Tenma, who represents hopes and Liebert, the tragical twin, conducting the conversation.

------------------------------------

4. ‘Roman Candle’, by Elliott Smith

'He played himself, Didn't need me to give him hell, He could be cool and cruel to you and me, Knew we'd put up with anything.

I want to hurt him, I want to give him pain, I'm a roman candle, My head is full of flames, I'm hallucinating, Hallucinating.'

It represents rage in a sum, right? The first parts reminded me of Bonaparta and the twin's relationship, so much abuse they've got into and how Liebert as kinda of develop to support a lot of problematic aspects of the worst in the human bein.

    The secound part tho..reminded of Tenma. He was writed to simbolize Light, but we all know that it wasn't something he always got right. His rage for all the crimes that Johan was commiting while transforming his life in a living hell...well, that wasn't something easy to perform throught it, we all know that.

----------------------------------------

5. ‘Was Hat Dich Bloß So Ruiniert’, by Die Sterne

Wo fing es an und wann? Was hat Dich irritiert? Was hat Dich bloss so ruiniert?

      TRANSLATION  (🇩🇪):

Where did it start and when? What irritated you? What was it that ruined you?

Mostly about child abuse and the consequences of it. The Grimmer arc gave me deep sad chills about those children experiments and how he manage to survive throught it.

---------------------------------

The first part ends, I hope it was a good read. Remember, click here to listen to the playlist

#monster #anime #manga #kenzo tenma #johan liebert #anna liebert #nina fortner #eva heinemann #wolfgang grimmer #grimmer #naoki urasawa's monster #naoki urasawa #playlist #rock #instrumental

[softguarnere]

A World Without Color Is A World Without You

Eugene Roe x reader

A/N: What's up y'all?! @brassknucklespeirs and I have been talking about soulmate aus, and now they're living rent free in my brain. I had a wild day at school, and using those feeling to create angst was strangely therapeutic, I won't lie. I hope you enjoy this, and my requests are always open if you have something specific you would like to see! (As always, this is written for the fictional depictions from the show -- absolutely no disrespect to the real-life veterans!) 💕🕊️

Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST! The usual HBOwar stuff: war, guns, injury, blood, language. I also didn't really proof read this, so take that for what it's worth.

"So is it like, a cultural thing?" George asks. In between his shivering, he gives you a sideways glance, watching you tense up as you continue staring straight ahead through the darkness, watching the line. He shrugs. "I've just always wondered."

"About what?"

He shrugs again. "Well, back in Toccoa, I kinda thought maybe you were just shy. But I know that's not true; you're pretty chatty after a few drinks. I remember reading somewhere once, before the war, maybe back in school, that in some cultures it's rude, or even taboo."

On your other side, Joe huffs. The cool air in front of him clouds up with what little warmth he can muster. "George, I'm sure if she wanted to talk about it, she woulda told ya by now."

"Yeah, Luz," you agree. "If I knew what the hell you were talking about, I probably could have answered you twelve different times."

The radioman knocks his shoulder against your own. "Awe, come on (Y/N). My brain is frozen -- gimme a break."

"Okay. I'll answer if you actually ask the question."

"Okay." Luz nods. For someone who was so eager to find answers a moment before, he seems unsure of himself when you give him permission to ask. He stops looking at you and trains his own eyes on the line, voice softening when he asks, "Why do you never look anyone in the eye?"

There it is.

Toye reaches behind you to smack Luz on the back of his helmet.

"Ow!"

"You can't just ask that!" Joe reprimands. "Besides, you could probably just figure it out from context."

Joe is right. It seems like most people should have figured it out by now. Maybe then you wouldn't have so many sweet-talking replacements sauntering up to you with calls of, "Hey, Shy Girl, you found your man yet, or are you playin' hard to get?" or "Baby, I bet I could be the one to make you see color."

Because that's the thing: your world has always been shades of black and white, and it will remain that way until you look into the eyes of your soulmate. The first color you ever see will be the color of their eyes, and then -- according to everything you've heard your friends and family describe -- the rest of the world will follow as a whole universe of color is revealed to you. But therein lies several problems for you.

Problem one: you didn't find your soulmate back at home before the war. Which, you initially thought, might be okay. Maybe you would meet them after. Or during, some of your more romantic-minded friends told you dreamily before you shipped out.

Which made problem two all too real to you: if you meet your soulmate and then they die, the world will go back to being black and white.

The realization had hit you like a punch in the gut. Everyone else seemed to think it was tragically romantic, but not you. You had always known the world as shades of plainness and shadow. How could you stand it, if you discovered the beauty of the world, only to then have it stripped away from you? And worse, how could you stand to lose the person that you loved -- that you were destined to be with? Something that was all too possible in the middle of a war.

So you made a decision. A hard one, but one that seemed necessary -- you wouldn't look a stranger in the eye again until after the war.

Under the blanket of night, huddled together with your friends for warmth, you tell them exactly that. No one can tell if the slight shake in your voice is from emotion or from the cold, and no one calls it into question. You've never told anyone before. You're not sure how they might react.

Joe pats your knee. He's not a man of words, but his action says it all.

"I'm sorry," Luz whispers. "I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," you reassure him, trying to smile, more for yourself than for him. To lighten the mood, you decide to do what he would do if he weren't in an awkward position -- you crack a joke. "Why does it matter, Luz? You worried we might be soulmates?"

Taken off guard, he laughs. "I won't lie, (Y/N), the thought has occurred to me."

It had taken a lot of strength to tell them your secret. Now though, they know -- secrets rarely feel so heavy when there's someone who can help you carry them. Your burden reduced, you turn towards him in the darkness. "Well, let's find out."

"What?" Out of reflex, he turns to you.

Your eyes meet and . . .

Nothing. The world is still black and white.

"That answers that question," Luz says.

"Toye, you wanna find out if we're destined to be together?" You tease.

"Eh, why not." You blink owlishly at each other in the darkness, searching each others eyes for something that might not have been there before. Nothing happens, but neither of you breaks eye contact.

A smile pulls at the corner of Joe's mouth, and before you know it, the two of you are giggling at the idea of finding out that one of your oldest war-buddies might have been your soulmate all along without you realizing it. Who knows if it would have been funny anywhere but Bastogne -- the environmental pressures are starting to get to everyone -- but in that moment, it's the most hilarious thing in the world. Even George is shaking with laughter.

"Shhhh!" Only the sound of crunching snow rushing towards your fox hole can stop the joke. Compton leans down, his eyes never leaving the line in front of him as he hisses, "Keep it down! You wanna give away our position?"

"Sorry, Lieutenant," you giggle.

For all your trying, it's not until he's long gone that the three of you manage to catch your breath. Somehow, it feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, however slightly. You can look your best friends in the eye. That's something.

You fall asleep between them, the world still black and white, but not quite so dismal as you once imagined your dull color scheme to be.

--

"I've been workin' on the railroad, all the livelong day," you sing along with the other men, your grin the widest it's been in a while. Finally out of the fox holes, finally haven taken Foy, finally moving on.

"I've been working on the railroad, just to pass the time away --"

You're just beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, things will start to look up for Easy Company when something zings by your ear. One of the men beside you falls to the ground, and suddenly, the world around you descends into chaos.

A few more men drop like flies. Others tumblr over each other like dominos, some of them trying to flatten themselves to the ground for cover while others trip over each other to duck behind one of the nearby buildings.

"Sniper!" someone calls out. A body slams into yours as you try to scramble away from the tank you had been sitting on. The force of their body against yours sends you stumbling. It's just enough to hold you back from safety, and you feel the hot metal rip through your thigh.

You cry out as you hit the ground. Around you, bullets still race to find new marks as the sniper's rifle peppers the air with the sound of rounds being fired. You're face down on the dirty snow. It's harder than it should be not to roll over and call out for help, but the image of Julian back in Bastogne enters your mind and you settle for clenching your right hand into a fist and shoving it over your mouth to muffle your cries as you wait for it to be over.

More gunshots. Some cheers. How long have you been on the ground? A few minutes? Hours?

Someone grabs you by the shoulder and flips you over. Only then do you gasp out in pain.

"(Y/L/N)! Where are you hit?" Sergeant Lipton demands.

"Thigh." You try to sit up, but the Sergeant holds you down as he calls out for a medic. "Are the others okay?"

"Shifty got the sniper," Lipton assures you with a weak smile.

"But what about the others who got hit?"

"Alright, where'd they get her?" Spina asks as he appears beside you. From your awkward angle on your back, you can see him grimace as he looks at your thigh, which is pulsing with white hot pain.

"Is it bad? Is it --" you have to stop and swallow before you can continue. "Did they get an artery?"

"Roe's got the morphine," Spina says, looking over his shoulder and calling for the Louisiana boy before glancing back down at you. "Just take it easy, (Y/N)."

You grit your teeth through a spark of pain. It's hot and bright -- probably what stars feel like as they burn out.

"Hey --" Lipton pats your cheek with his hand, trying to keep you grounded. "Stay with me, (Y/N). Roe's comin', okay? Hey, at least you didn't get shot in the ass like Perco, huh?"

"Mighta hurt less," you hiss.

"She got morphine?" A thick accent asks as Doc Roe appears above you. He glances down at your thigh and then at you. And then --

Something happens.

Roe must sense it too, because just as his eyes start to move back to your injury, he stops short. Something about his eyes . . . it's hard to describe. It's unlike anything you've ever seen before.

They're not black and white, you realize with a start. You gasp sharply, not sure if it's from pain or from the shock. Then, slowly, the world around you draws into focus in a way it never has before. The blacks and whites you've become so accustomed to fade away as color seeps in, like water paints bleeding onto a fresh sheet of paper, filling in the world in ways that you didn't even know was possible.

"Doc, are you gonna help her?!" Lipton asks as Roe falls to his knees beside you, still staring straight into your eyes. Neither of you take note of Spina cursing in confusion, grabbing Doc's bag and tearing through it for morphine and bandages.

"It's you," you gasp at the same time that Roe whispers, "I found you."

Lipton looks between the two of you in confusion. The minute it clicks, his jaw drops into a capital O. "Oh shit."

"Right --" Spina pats your leg and stands up as more people approach. " -- Didn't hit an artery, but she'll need to visit an aide station to get this cleaned up. I've done what I can."

Aide station?

"Wait, no!" You try to push yourself up, try to prove that you're fine. If you get taken to a hospital, it might take forever for them to let you out. And then how will you get back to Easy? Something could happen to Roe before you return.

You grasp the Cajun boy's hand as you're lifted onto the piece of wood that's serving as a crude stretcher. Over the rumbling of the approaching Jeep engine, you plead with him. "Don't let them take me, Doc. I'll be fine. I'm fine! I don't wanna go."

"You gotta," he says sadly. "Your leg . . ."

"I want to stay here," you insist. "Please. Please, Gene."

"I'll find you." He presses a kiss to the back of your hand as they load you into the Jeep. "I promise, we'll find each other again, okay? But you gotta go now, (Y/N)."

Your tightly knitted fingers unravel as the vehicle starts to move, unnoticing and uncaring of your feelings on the matter. For the first time since you got hit, you feel your eyes grow hot and watery. There's no use trying to hold back the tears that slip out as you're driven away from the boy who colored in your world.

From the boy who's your soulmate.

#I said angst and I meant angst #bon appetit ya know? #band of brothers x reader #eugene roe x reader #doc roe #eugene roe #band of brothers imagine #band of brothers fanfic #band of brothers #my writing #soulmate au #george luz #joe toye #carwood lipton #ralph spina #buck compton

[meltthefrozenheart]

Frozen 2 Theory: What If the director willingly left seeds for a possible 3rd installmeant?

Totally personal, but the more I analyze it, the more I notice some sort of pattern around Frozen 2: the movie is very careful at showing in its opening WHAT idea Anna and Elsa had of themselves before the Accident (which, following Jennifer Lee prespective, happened that same night), and how that tragic event and the Separation distorted the Sisters view in opposite ways, which reconnects perfectly with the events of the first Frozen.

The insteresting thing is the focus given by Anna and Elsa on the characters of the story:

Anna says "Who cares about danger, when there is love.", and focuses on making the Prince and the Princess kiss each other in an exxagerated way;

Elsa instead says "They wake the Fairy Queen, who breaks the spell and saves everyone!", and her focus is on the good Fairy Queen defeating the evil Snow Goblin;

Both narrations obviously work in their own regards, but also compliment each other: even if for Elsa "kissing won't save the Forest", this doesn't stop Anna from closing the story with an "And they all get married!", and having her older sister laughing without contradicting her. This is clearly a way to show the Sisters simpler and happier times, when fantasy and games were their only issue.

But what makes me more curious is how Frozen 2 than brings Anna and Elsa both to a very specific ending: Queen Anna is engaged to Kristoff, but their "big moment" still needs to happen, while Elsa has just begun as the Fifth Spirit, without facing an actual threat yet, just destroying Prince Hans ice-memory.

Both Sisters have found their own place in the world, but there are also sides of their story which relate to them, but it's NOT ONLY about them:

If Anna thinks about Hans as a Villain, she also views Elsa as a Hero, her hero, as she has always done since the first movie, when she had so much hope in her "Sure you can. I know you can.";

If Elsa views Kristoff as Anna true Love Interest, it's because he proved time and time again that he's a true Prince for her amazing and brave little sister , who she always trusted to be Arendelle true leader in her place "Your life awaits. Go enjoy the Sun and open up the gates.";

I'm sincerly convinced this new situation perfectly suits both Kristoff and Hans because we've seen Anna and Elsa already going through a lot of things about themselves.

I've always loved idea to see our Snow Sister being the one taking charge in relation and thinking about others issues, diving into Kristoff's childood, his original family and how he met Sven, and how the Trolls help him regarding his trauma, as well as finally getting a clearer idea of Hans , seeing a little more about him and Sitron, and seeing finally the Southern Isles, a kingdom we only know for having thirteen heirs to the throne:

If Anna was the one that gave great importance to both of them in Frozen, now, thanks to Elsa in Frozen 2, we have now the key to truely know the past:

With the Sisters have both their lives consolidated, then I think it becomes quite clear they can't be the source of trouble to actually subvert the expectations of the story a third time, or, to be more specific: in order to involve Anna & Elsa directly and don't lose the focus on them, the issues must come from something that's fits their new status quo, but still has a deep and personal connection to them, both emotionally and narratively.

#Frozen #Frozen 2 #Frozen 3 #Anna #Elsa #Kristoff #Hans #Princess Anna #Queen Anna #Queen Elsa #Fifth Spirit Elsa #Prince Hans #Arendelle #Enchanted Forest #Southern Isles #Gale #Bruni #Nokk #Earth Giants #Olaf #Sven #Sitron #Trolls #Grand Pabbie #Lieutenant Mattias #Yelana #Honeymaren #Ryder Nattura #King Agnarr #Queen Iduna

[case-of-traxits]

Sephiroth 1-26

[From this prompt!] [Still accepting!]

Omg, 1 through 26? That's a lot. Okay. Here we go. This got really long. I hope you enjoy!

Character Ask Game!!! 💫

Character Questions: Sephiroth

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Right off the bat, my favorite thing about Sephiroth is definitely how surprisingly soft his character actually is. Like, I've been eating well with the release of Ever Crisis, since it confirms a lot of how I've always written Sephiroth. As for dislikes... Let's see. I dislike how inherently tragic his character actually is? Like, that sounds odd, coming from me, an angst queen, but I mean it more... He really never stood a chance. I usually love angst for my characters, but often because they've done it to themselves? Sephiroth is heartbreaking because of what's been done to him rather than because of anything he's specifically done. And no, I'm not discounting Nibelheim or anything. I don't want anyone to read this and walk away thinking I think that I... I don't know. Don't think Sephiroth was responsible for anything. Of course he is. He's a villainous character, and he goes completely mad and falls. That's the entire point. But his madness and his fall itself is inevitable within the canon of the game. His character is a relatively innocent one who lacks almost all agency, and when he finds out why, he completely loses himself in being the monster that they've created. Like, to be perfectly honest, is it a surprise that so many fangirls glommed onto him, hotness aside?

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I love how his canon materia set up is as follows: Masamune Materia Slots: Revive Restore Earth = All Fire = [empty spot] Gold Armlet Materia Slots: Ice = All Lightning = All Like. I love that he has a restore and a revive? And an open slot? I don't know. It's just fun to think about.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

His fixation on Cloud. Like, don't get me wrong, I do completely understand it. I just don't like it. I can recognize that canon has made a decision that I personally disagree with.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Ooh, any other media... Honestly? This is going to sound weird, but I'd put him in FF8. I think he'd fit right in with the SeeDs, and almost none of them have parents either, so it would just be... normal.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

So fuck you, fuck you, fuck you And all we've been through I said leave it, leave it, leave it It's nothing to you And if you hate me, hate me, hate me Then hate me so good that you can let me out, let me out Let me out of this hell when you're around -- Rootless Tree, by Damien Rice

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

We both suck at making friends. We both got like, two of them and were like, "well, here we go. Our entire sense of self-worth hinges on these two people. Hope nothing happens to them. (:" In all seriousness though, I am extremely bad at making friends. And Sephiroth clearly is too. So. SOLIDARITY BBY.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I love when fandom puts him in just... normal situations. I love seeing Sephiroth cook or run in the morning or go to the gym or really anything besides being effortlessly perfect. I like seeing his humanity under there. Probably because he rejects it so thoroughly after Nibelheim.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Well. I don't click on these fics anymore because it's just easier to not engage than it is to deal with my feelings about it, but I hate when fandom just reduces Sephiroth to purely his post-Nibelheim state? Like, I'm aware that part of it is because that's the timeline most people are writing in. And in that case, go right ahead! Do your thing! But if you're writing pre-Nibelheim, you need to contend with who he was before that event.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

I suspect I am not a tidy enough individual to be roommates with Sephiroth. I think he would be extremely particular.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I mean, as much as he can be best friends with anyone? His biggest problem is letting people in, and not because he doesn't want to, but because he has no idea how.

11. Would you date this character?

Hah! Look. I have a wonderful husband already. XD

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Sephiroth has a blue pick-up that he drives on the few times he leaves the Tower.  He dislikes taking the train, and technically, the car belongs to the company, but no one would ever stop him.  He has a string of those fake materia beads that are so popular in Midgar hanging from the rearview mirror, and he likes to periodically just leave Midgar and drive on the dirt roads that go nowhere.  He finds it soothing, particularly with loud music blaring in the truck. -- Pulled from my headcanon blog. I mean, I could give you new ones, but I love this one.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

I really cannot imagine Sephiroth using any emoji except the thumbs up and thumbs down ones, to be perfectly frank. Except, possibly, for texts with Genesis and Angeal, if they use emoji? If they do, I think he would slowly assimilate their styles of use, and do his best to mimic them.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Cottagecore. No, no! Don't go! Hear me out. Sephiroth in giant, oversized, cozy sweaters and his hair in a loose braid. It'd be great, and he'd be so happy.

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Tseng and Sephiroth. I just. Tseng is so good for him, all quiet acceptance of anything odd about him, and gentle instruction when Sephiroth looks uncertain and just... I love them dearly. I have a ficlet series! I should add more to it, but here, look. ENJOY. I Fell (heavy) into Your Arms (like a stone) For the record though, I am also 100% on board for Genesis/Sephiroth. Super excited for Sephesis Week in January. I'm going to get so much new fic to read.

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Ooh, spicy question there. Uh. I don't want to start anything, but I am not a huge fan of Sephiroth/Cloud. I mean. It's fine. It's just not my thing.

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Mm... As a general rule, I am flexible on ships. Even my least favorite ship for Sephiroth is someone's ship, and I wish them the best in their shipyard.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I love his relationship with Genesis. Huge, huge feels when I started Ever Crisis and he was calling Gen and just... T_T Babies.

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

That would require him to have actual relationships. That said, his only other real relationship is with Cloud, and as I said in the ship questions, that's... fine. It's just not my thing.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Honestly, I do really like Sephiroth with Genesis and/or Angeal, and I think Tseng would be a good friend for him, even disregarding my shipping tendency. That said, Reeve would be good for him too. Not the least of which because Reeve would probably be able to help him get some answers about his mother if Sephiroth would ask him. Or maybe that's just my Reeve, who has been with Shinra since he was five.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

Something I like: I like seeing him interact with people outside of missions. I like watching him be normal and having to deal with everything that comes with that. Something I don't: I hate fight scenes. Have me write 7k of introspection any day, but please, as few fight scenes as possible. XD

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Something I like: I love when other characters are super warm to Sephiroth and he's just like, "Do you like me? Do I want you to like me? Is that okay?" I just... it melts my heart every time. Something I don't: I find it difficult to believe people when they write Sephiroth as a sex god. Weirdly specific, right? But true. He's such an awkward teenager in Ever Crisis, and while he's very calm in Crisis Core, 90% of his "perfection" comes from just... not talking. I cannot imagine that he picks people up or hooks up very often. XD

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Currently? This one. Seph/Gen, kissing. But if you mean "ever," that's impossible. There's been so many fantastic pieces of fanart over the years.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Mm. So little baby Trax, all those years ago (seriously, I watched FF7 being played when I was about 9, when the game was released), was basically like: Traxits: "Wait, why don't we like Sephiroth?" Cousin: "He murdered the President." Traxits: "The guy who dropped the sector? The one we were going to kill?" Cousin: "Yeah." Traxits: "And that's... bad?" Cousin: "Murder is bad." Traxits: "... but we were going to kill him first, right?" And then my cousin (age 13) made me go play in a different room.

Now, of course, I understand more about what was going on and everything, but the fact is, he's one of my favorites just because of how ... Mm. Doomed he is, maybe? I just. I love writing moments of happiness for him. He deserves them, despite everything. Because of everything. Because in the end, he's going to completely surrender himself to the alien cells in his body and he's going to lose himself. And there isn't, as far as we can tell, any way to save him.

26. Freebie question; Per discord discussion: Most obscure headcanon?

Oh, that's a fun one. Mine is probably that Sephiroth is a vegetarian. Actually, I'm not sure how widespread this is, but it used to be popular (I sound like a lady discussing what was "fashionable" in her time) to have Sephiroth be wildly sensitive to all kinds of foods, but from what I've seen in the current meta/jokes/etc., most people seem to headcanon that he has an iron stomach now. I go the opposite way and say thanks to the degree of experimental testing and the lack of exposure to a wide variety of foods, he's almost overly sensitive to new foods. To the point that he pretty much subsists exclusively on things from the SOLDIER cafeteria (who have a list of things that they can prepare for him) or things that he himself has prepared.

THANK YOU FOR READING ALL OF THAT.

#Character asks #Sephiroth #Headcanons #FF7 #Final Fantasy VII #asks

[jayflrt]

Calling that there was an agreement where Jennie taps Hoon and Sujin taps YN to avoid the whole situation looking nepo baby and WHEN Hoon freaks about it then his brother is just going to frame it as him not trusting him again. The gas light is on people.

Heeseung you fishy little fish. I feel like Hee was probably once a decent guy but surviving in this world is not easy and he has begun to drift away from his previous frame of morality. He doesn’t want to admit to himself that he’s not that much of a decent guy anymore.

Controversial opinion but I feel (based solely on the evidence we have now) like Hoon is actually one of the most morally upright members of that group. His methods are NOT always great and he frequently loses sight of what is important, but my dude generally has pure goals and is not out to wreck people for fun. He is genuinely working for what he has. He is being bullied and manipulated by his family. He is a truly tragic character and fully deserves better. Hoping Yeonjun’s secret twin sister (or something) shows up and teaches him how to love like a human being. He genuinely deserves someone who cares about him. YN did but she was not the right person. Hoon needs a ball buster with a heart of gold. YN had the heart in spades but she didn’t have that pitbull streak that would really be needed to partner with this Hoon.

YN is a genuinely good person and she is strong in so many other ways. Hanging on to her morality and her compassion in that group is not easy feat but she has not bent to considerable pressure (both spoken and unspoken). It makes sense that someone looking to ruin her might need to resort to hiring outside help. Unlike many of the others in her group, she doesn’t have an immediately obvious exploitable weakness. I know she HAS made mistakes before and I fully believe those are going to come back in a big way. The stuff she wrote about Heeseung and the real reason for her fallout from Sunoo…I mean there is obviously something cooking there.

My theories are…that Hoon’s family might have something to do with hiring Jay. They need to secure a connection with YN’s family. It would be smart to have an insurance policy.

But to be more specific… if it is Sujin… Jay is the perfect insurance policy. He just needed Hoon and YN to drift apart, then he takes over the company and uses info from Jay to ensure that YN’s hospitals will be in business with the Hoon family company only if HE is CEO.

I really hope I’m not spelling Sujin’s name wrong. lol. But yeah this series is amazing.

OOH can't wait to see your thoughts on sungjin's motive reveal 🫣🫣 i totally agree with your take on heeseung too !! he's definitely wrapped up in trying to fit in with everyone else when he was once just like jay 🤧 (or, well,, mostly like jay LOL) and hoon def goes about most things the wrong way LMFAO 🤧 but he is genuinely focused on his goals and future !! it's only a matter of time until his family pushes him to a limit tho :(( HAHAH NOT YEONJUNS TWIN SISTER but bro does deserve love 😔 tho i don't think he has the capacity for it rn after how messy it was with mc

hot take i love mc too 🫶🫶 my soft spot for tragic characters and i wrote this story to be teeming with them MUAH and you're so spot on with her because she's got her secrets and hides them WELL 🧎‍♀️ doesn't even let her close friends into her priv because she's actually so reserved for someone who is forced to be a social butterfly

HAHAH *sungjin but you were close and his name only comes up at the top of the screenshot in a handful of chapters anyways !! 😩 and your theories are so intriguing to read 🫣 when we get to the ending im SO looking forward to reading back on these 🥰 also i'm so so glad you like the series 🥹💖 it's always such a joy to read what you have to say !! i hope you're doing well ml and having a great day/night 🫶

#💌 : love notes #ladyartemesia #series: yours forever in 786

[itsclydebitches]

Yeah, there's also things floating around about how the rigging team in RT was crunched specifically, and how mishandled they were by management. But I keep thinking that if vol. 9 doesn't come out, then RWBY ended literally with the four protagonists falling to their deaths, after being the people who decided to destroy two cities. Like, Salem didn't crash Atlas into Mantle, Ruby did. If vol. 8 is the end then this story led up to Ruby committing genocide and then dying.

You know, as messed up as it would be, I kinda wish we could have that ending. In reality though, if we consider all official promo material part of the story (which I personally do), then our ending is more that they "died," ended up in some strange world with a talking mouse, and... that's it. That's all we get. Like don't get me wrong, ending the story on the heroes' failure of Volume 8 is #NotGreat when your story isn't supposed to be tragic (totally different case if RWBY had always been aiming for an unhappy and/or ambiguous ending), but at least it's about as wrapped up as a story can be when it unexpectedly gets cancelled. Team RWBY went to Beacon to become huntresses, got caught up in a war, tried to fix things by taking a classically heroic route that prioritized ethical perfection over morally gray practicality, utterly failed, died, doomed a kingdom to drowning/death by grimm, and the villain is poised to end the rest of the world on the heels of that failure. The End. As someone who has been reading RWBY through the lens of what the story is actually saying as opposed to the thematic intention of the writers, there's something compelling in that. Whether RT realizes it or not, they'd have written a cautionary tale about "simple souls" leading the charge in a world that is not, in fact, a fairy tale.

Instead though, we'd end up with a muddled, "They totally survived and there's still hope because it's heavily implied through storytelling expectations that they'll escape this world and go fight Salem again! ... You just don't get to see that lol." RWBY Volume 8 is arguably a complete story, regardless of how awful we might think that story is. RWBY Volume 8 + promo material for a presumed Volume 9 is a mess of implied information with no actual resolution attached and I personally find that to be the more frustrating option of the two. Especially when said promo material is currently defined by problems that hypothetically might never get resolved: Why does Ruby only get two seconds of tears after she's lost everything? Why is our only nonbinary rep a mouse? Why did we heel-turn back to Jaune as the emotional cornerstone of the story? Everything that currently makes us go, "Yeah, it looks like a potential problem, but I'm sure the Volume itself will fix things!" would never get that chance to improve. This is all we've got and what we've got from Volume 9 so far doesn't stand well on its own imo.

To be clear, I don't actually think we're losing RWBY. At least, I won't think that until I've seen concrete evidence that these revelations (unlike many previous revelations) are actually threatening RT's position. Until then, this is just another round of, "RWBY is dying!!" a claim that crops up during every hiatus and, of course, amounts to nothing. But yeah, if we did end the story there with no possibility for even a quick conclusion through a movie, special, etc. it'll be severely disappointing. For those who still love RWBY and for those who have been critical of it.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas #ah #it's good to stick something in that tag again :D

[turnsorrow]

this is purely indulgent character insight bc i’m an emotional wreck but i feel like alisaie is the kind of person who only ever says i love you to someone when she like impulsively is losing her shit bc she’s afraid of losing them or else just really anxious about something. and i mean this like in terms of family specifically bc romance is a whole ‘nother beast with her, but like ??? with alphinaud / her parents / found family she very RARELY if ever will tell them just how deeply she cares for them outside of emotional moments. directly, anyways, she SHOWS it in a LOT of ways and even says it but she always kinda dances around it?

bc like not to get tragic backstory tm in this chili’s but i feel like the last time alisaie would’ve told someone she loved them was when she met phoenix / came face to face with louisoix’s “phantom” bc that was the closest she was ever going to get to saying goodbye to her grandfather and proper closure (who, as we know, she loved a lot. he was basically her father to her.)

she definitely insinuates it the most when interacting with alphinaud, though it’d mostly be like??? behind closed doors, cuz alisaie doesn’t really like the idea of people knowing how much she loves her brother cuz it embarrasses her to be seen as his little sister for no reason in particular other than her pride. alisaie is much nicer to alphinaud when they’re alone, which creates this fun little contrast between how they bicker and torment each other in front of the other scions but then privately alisaie probably deadass spends a good chunk of endwalker actually crying over how scared she is of losing alphinaud + the wol specifically, which is smth alphinaud would see in person over everyone else.

MY POINT BEING her emotions really have to be dragged out of her despite how emotional she is. ie : her sobbing at the wol’s bedside even though the entirety of the scions are surrounding them and begging them to wake up, her flipping out any time alphinaud is in danger, etc.

alisaie expresses her love (directly) through blatant outbursts rather than quiet moments. if alphinaud or her mother or whoever tells them they love her during quiet / sentimental moments, she’ll probably just get embarrassed and groan about it, but if she’s very emotionally charged / crying / freaking out / scared for someone (etc), she’s way more likely to express to them directly how much she loves them.

this like half bounces off the fact that alisaie has serious issues with fears of loss following the dramatic way in which she lost her grandfather, like. she never got to tell louisoix himself that she loved him because he was already long dead by time they discovered phoenix and having to settle for that / that whole experience was lowkey really traumatizing, so now any time she has to deal with the real fear of someone dying or disappearing (read: in serious enough situations she can’t just hope it away), she freaks out in a “what if this is the last time i ever talk to them” kind of mindset. see : stormblood post-patches when it’s only her & the wol left, endwalker.

so anyways, endwalker sucks for alisaie quite a lot! she’s REALLY struggling through that entire expansion!!!!

#i'm half asleep i hope smth in this sounds sensible BUT LIKE U GET WHAT I MEAN #alisaie is a coward who forces herself to be brave #she isn't afraid of fights or confrontation or getting hurt #she's afraid of what will happen to the people around her who she cares about #closure with louisoix was just that but it was also like. an expansion on that fear bc in a way getting to say goodbye to a shade #was worse than if he'd just not been there for her to say goodbye to at all #◦ 「 ☆ 」 —— headcanons . #anw i word vom'd ! #PLATONIC I LOVE YOUS!!!! FAMILY!!!!!!

[justastrugglinghotchocolate]

Hey, it's me again. I've been thinking, do you think Henry is completely the one to blame for how Dorian came out? Or maybe Dorian was already in his way to it, and he would've discovered it sooner or later?

It's just funny how everyone sees Henry as a buffoon who says weird stuff and sometimes makes people laugh, but for Dorian, talking with him for the first time was a life-changing experience. Or is it that Henry specifically choose to bullshit Dorian until he got something out of it, something he doesn't try with the rest of people?

What I mean more generally is like, why did Henry's bullshitting struck Dorian so hard? I have a few more thoughts about it, but they're barely incomprehensible so I'll keep them inside my mind.

HOOOO BOOOOY YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GATES YOU HAVE OPENED!!!

Okay, so let's start with Dorian, and let's ignore all the general Victorian setting and focus on the character and treat his tragic backstory with a modern outlook.

So, the tragic backstory of Dorian Gray. Losing both of his parents before he could know them, then being saddled with an old man who canonically neglected him, Dorian evidently doesn't have any male figures to look up to. He has been deprived of that kind of attention up until he becomes an adult. (I doubt that Basil's was the first to openly hype up his beauty; he was just the first older male figure to do so [and to do so with love, though he definitely didn't know how to express it]). So already, Dorian is unconsciously seeking male validation.

When Basil arrives, he receives it, but not in the way that was fulfilling. Dorian was unwittingly seeking familial male validation (Daddy) but was receiving romantic validation (Daddy~). So when Henry shows up an, instead of offering romantic validation, offers a guide to life (like a self-help book in the form of a piece of shit bastard man, lmao), Dorian is absolutely enchanted.

So is Henry really to blame for how Dorian turned out?

Absolutely.

Henry immediately recognizes the vulnerability in Dorian and exploits it intentionally. He may not have been the one to cause the tragic backstory, but he is the one who takes full advantage of it to manipulate a young man into his experiment. However to cut Henry some slack, it's probably because to some degree, he himself is suffocated in his own life. So, like the coward bitch (affectionate) he is, he lives vicariously through Dorian.

Now, Dorian could have definitely been headed towards the same kind of lifestyle, but without Henry its highly unlikely. Consider this: The Picture of Dorian Gray can still happen without Basil, the character. All the story needs is the loving artist archtype (I say this as a Basil lover). It cannot happen without Henry. Thus, I think yes, Henry is the cause of Dorian's corruption and eventual fall.

So to recap/tldr:

Is Henry completely to blame for how Dorian came out?

No.

Was Dorian already on his way to it/Would he have discovered it sooner or later?

Maybe, not likely.

Did Henry specifically choose to bullshit Dorian until he got something out of it (Something he doesn't try with the rest of people)?

Yes and no. I think Henry does this shit as a past time, but he made the decision Dorian would be his new experiment once he saw how Dorian reacted when first hearing his 'philosophy'.

Why did Henry's bullshit strike Dorian so hard?

In a phrase? Daddy Issues.

In a word? Daddy.

Hope this helps!

#ask answered #asshole! #this is the half joke/half analysis i was talking about #i wrote 'daddy' way too much on this #the picture of dorian gray

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

In the last couple of years, I have listened to all 125-ish hours of the Russell Howard and Jon Richardson radio show. Also, all 217-ish hours of the original Bugle, and something close to the same number of episodes in the reboot. I have now reached the 2023 episodes of The Bugle, which means that tragically, I’m going to run out of them at some point.

From this, I have learned that apparently, I’m quite happy in life if I have some audio-only comedy going, preferably something long-running in which I can get quite invested. I’ve tried to drag The Bugle out as long as I can, but once I run out of back episodes, I’m going to need something to replace it.

I’ve already decided what I’m going to do as soon as I finish The Bugle. I’m going to get over my aversion to Stuart Goldsmith, and listen to the episodes of the Comedian’s Comedian podcast that I downloaded last year because I wanted to hear them, and then never listened because it started bothering me to hear Stuart Goldsmith’s voice, after I may have, fucking ridiculously, kind of gotten into a fight with him late last year. And I didn’t stop listening to him because I disliked him or anything. More because I was annoyed at myself and just didn’t want to be reminded of it.

It’s fine, I won’t get into it all again. Some guy was a dick about David O’Doherty like ten years ago, and I may have slightly overreacted, there was some horrible shit going on in my personal life that slightly overlapped with some specific ways in which that guy was a dick, I might have been projecting, also I did not realize that if you withdraw your financial support for a person’s podcast, the person who runs that podcast can see what you write in the “why I’m unsubscribing” field. I mean, I wish I hadn’t made a big deal about it in a place where Stuart Goldsmith could see, but I maintain that I was basically correct, that guy is the absolute fucking worst, I hate him so much, he’s on that fucking Irish laughing reality show they recently announced, I hope Aisling Bea punches him in the face for being a shitty misogynist and also just every other type of “the worst”.

I mean, it’s impressive if you manage to be such a dick on a podcast that you don’t just ruin your own episode, you ruin an entire podcast for me, I lose all respect for the host just because he managed to be in a room with you without punching you.

I realize it might look like the above couple of paragraphs were me breaking my claim that I wouldn’t get into it, but compared to the length of the multiple posts I wrote about it when it actually happened last year, only doing two paragraphs is me refraining from getting into it. Anyway. Before that happened last year, I’d listened to a bunch of episodes of Stuart Goldsmith’s Comedian’s Comedian podcast, I’d really enjoyed them (so much so that I’d financially subscribed for bonus content), I’d had a bunch more episodes downloaded that are still waiting to be listened to. So after I finish The Bugle, I’m going to get over my Stuart Goldsmith aversion and listen to those. But there are only about 15 of those, it won’t take that long, so that still leaves me with an open spot for some other long-running audio thing to get into after that.

So, what do people think? I thought I’d make a poll, but then I realized that Tumblr polls restrict the character count in the potential answers, and what I love about Tumblr is that it’s not fucking Twitter, you can write as much as you damn well want. So I’m going to instead label each answer by a letter, so I can write about it properly and then translate it to a poll option.

A) Go back to where I left off the Russell Howard and Jon Richardson radio show, after Russell left the show in 2008. Jon continued hosting the show without Russell for a couple more years, but with a rotating crew of guests (regular guest Matt Forde, whom I can manage to find funny if I force myself to ignore the centrist Blairite thing, and someone different each episode), and a lot of the other guests are people I like. I do have all those episodes downloaded, but have not listened to them because Russell leaving the show was too depressing. But I could go do that this year.

B) Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish’s radio show, 2007-2011. I know this show is supposed to be very funny, and every time I’ve seen Adam Buxton on panel shows I’ve really liked him. I’ve been warned, before, that it gets depressing near the end, as the fame discrepancy between the hosts increases and this makes one of them sad. But given my previous long-running audio choices – the Russell Howard and Jon Richardson Show, and The Bugle – I’m pretty sure “two white guys talk to each other in a comedic way once a week for a number of years, then one gets more famous than the other and that makes things sad” is exactly what I’m into.

C) The old Peacock and Gamble radio things. About this one, I’ve been warned that the downside to it is that Ed Gamble is a lot rougher than the version we see of him on TV. Again, this sounds good to me, as I really like Ed Gamble, but I like him best when he sheds a little of his TV polish, and I think I’d very much like a version of him from before he developed that in the first place. Having said that, I realize that sometimes “this is an edgier version of that comedian” means they’re less pretty and polished overall, and sometimes, it means they say racial slurs. I’m hoping this has a lot more of the former than the latter – though if there’s a bit of the latter, I can cringe my way through a few slurs. You cannot hold people everything they said in 2012.

D) The Do the Right Thing podcast: I very much like Danielle Ward and I very much like Michael Legge, but I haven’t heard as much from either of them as I’d like, so this would neatly fix that. I think of Margaret Cabourn-Smith as being mildly annoying for the completely unfair reason that she went on the Taskmaster podcast once and thought Jamali had personally sewed the decorated sweater he’d brought in as a prize task, when he’d clearly just told production to make it. I think at the time I was really into cheering for Lee Mack to beat Jamali Maddix in the scoring, so I took against her for the way she gave undue credit to Jamali, like a sports fan if I find out someone I don’t know roots for a rival team. There is no good reason for me to maintain this grudge, I’m sure she’s a good comedian, I’d like to listen to this podcast and find out. Also, I like a lot of the people they’ve had on as guests. And bonus: it’s a rare option on this list that isn’t just several white guys talking to each other. I don’t love how much of my taste in audio comedy seems to veer toward white guys talking to each other.

E) Pappy’s Fun Club podcast: I’ve heard a few episodes of this and hugely enjoyed them. I really like Matthew Crosby, don’t know much about the other two (don’t actually know that much about Matthew Crosby, but enough to know I like him), but they seem entertaining. They’ve had a lot of guests over the years, some of whom are people I like.

F) The John Robins and Ellis James radio stuff: Tick this box if you think I don’t have anything else to do for the next 1,000 years. Yes, I hear it’s very, very good and I really like John Robins’ stand-up and I think this is exactly the sort of thing I’d hugely enjoy. But there’s so much of it, and it would take 1,000 years.

G) Isolating - that thing where David O'Doherty pretty much just talked to himself on an island off the West Coast of Ireland nearly every day for like a year at the beginning of the pandemic.

H) Book Club, Shambles, something like that - figure out what, exactly, are the different things Robin Ince and Josie Long have done together over the years. Then listen to them. I really like the few things I've heard Robin Ince do, Josie Long is the ninth wonder of the world (Nish Kumar's the eighth), this seems like an obvious choice. I just haven't yet worked out exactly what it is. Does anyone else know?

I) Something else? Please tell me your recommendations! Especially if they involve anything besides two white guys talking to each other! Honestly I don't know how many fans there are on Tumblr of most options on this list, so there may not be much point in turning this into a poll, it's really just a way to organize my own thoughts. But by publishing it as a poll instead of just as a list, I hope I'll encourage recommendations.

I will say that as much as I'm sure Off Menu is great, it's ruled out because I dislike food-based shows. Similar thing with Brett Goldstein's podcast, I hear it's good but I'm not into movies enough for that. I've thought of both Mark Watson's Menkind podcast and Mark Steel's WTF podcast because I really like Mark Watson and Mark Steel and I like both podcasts' premises, but Mark Watson's co-host is a reality baking star, and Mark Steel's co-host is his son, who sucks, so I'm ruling those out too.