#her adventures could be their own story tbf

[the-darklings]

You are now my love. Forever. That hurt so good that I read it 3 times, back to back, just to feel again.

I'll ask how and why Wanderer was shot? I love how everyone, even her, knew that she loved Dream so fiercely that accepting love from another wasn't in the cards? Mix that with the fear of the curse destroying everything and I'M HURTING.

Wonderful.

WW2, Berlin, following a lead on Corinthian. They assumed she was a spy (but not this time : ) )

And even on platonic level everyone in tibyim universe is so used to seeing those two together, it’s just??? There is no Dream without Wanderer and no Wanderer without Dream.

A certain immortal is going to be showing up next chapter and ask a similar question, so I’ll wait until then to go into more detail on Wanderer’s emotions. But no, despite a few opportunities over the centuries to take lovers, if not more, there could never be anyone else for Wanderer. It never felt right, and for a reason.

#cannot stress how LITTLE you see of how wanderer operates in the waking world especially in more modern era #her adventures could be their own story tbf #next chapter tho we see how far wanderer has come though and actually get a lot of finer detail on the curse or more so loophole #asks #fic: today i bury you in me

[inthe-afterglows]

A Court of Thorns and Roses Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses - 3 stars -Was boring and repetitive for the first twenty chapters, second half redeemed it but overall I didn't really get the hype. Tamlin lovers ... I will never understand you. Feyre was in that place for three months and Tamlin only attempted to see/speak to her alone once and they didn't even talk. They just made out after she'd been traumatised for months. How about some words of encouragement? How about trying to get her out? How about sending someone to heal her after Lucien was injured? Rhys played the villain to help her and you know what? It worked. She's only alive because of Rhys.

A Court of Mist and Fury - 5 stars -Was actually really good! Romance was 10/10, fantasy and action was 10/10. Chapter 55 really did live up to the hype and I loved Rhys and Feyre's banter and tension leading up to it -- they had so many good moments in this book and Rhys gatecrashing Feyre and Tamlin's wedding will forever be iconic. The last 100 or so pages had me so hooked with every plot twist gagging me. Also why is Tamlin pretending to sleep whilst Feyre is vomiting her guts up every night due to PTSD so funny and yet so sad? The ending of this one really cements him as a piece of shit. TBF he is not THE villain but he is Feyre's villain and I hope she makes him pay.

A Court of Wings and Ruin - 4.5 stars -Was really good, Feyre really delivered on her threats to Tamlin and I lived for it. Rhys and Feyre were both in top notch form in their final novel and all the action was great. And again to Tamlin lovers who say Feyre went to far in destroying his Court, let's not forget that when given the chance to be civil to Feyre, he double downed and basically called her a slut in front of all the High Lords in Prythian after thinking of her as property he could bargain for. I personally lived for Feyre taking down the Spring Court, it really showed how far she'd come since the last time she'd been (trapped) there and shows how worthy she is of being High Lady of the Night Court. Just remember, Rhys built her up whilst Tamlin tore her down. Again, he's not THE villain but he is the villain in Feyre's story.

A Court of Frost and Starlight - 3 stars -I liked the insight into their 'quieter' lives after the war but this was essentially a Christmas special. Nothing actually happens in this book plot wise and I actually really begin to loathe Nesta in this one. Kinda sad in this one that Rhys and Feyre weren't having their own little adventure like they talked of in acowar. I would've enjoyed it more plotwise if they had taken a week off to hunt Bryaxis or something (low stakes but still action-y) and they could have cute moments/convos whilst camping on the hunt.

A Court of Silver Flames - 3 stars -It made me understand Nesta more but I still don't really like her as a person. I think there was a bit where someone said she didn't fail Feyre and I wholeheartedly disagree. Elain and Nesta BOTH failed Feyre as older sisters when they were living in that cottage. They were both happy to sit at home and spend the money Feyre earned whilst Feyre was the one who went into the dangerous woods and kept them fed and clothed. I also didn't love the romance in this one because it wasn't a romance. Nesta and Cassian fucked and were friends but there was hardly any romance. Another issue I have with this one was the lack of anything really happening. This was more a mental health journey than a fantasy action / adventure romance which isn't really what I was looking for from a series like this. I think this one might've been improved with a Rhys or Feyre POV or even a Mor POV so we could have at least seen more of the politics going on in the NC at the time and with Nesta's mental health journey / training being contained to the first 30-50% of the novel instead of the whole thing. I would have liked to see her being involved more in missions and making amends more because her hating on her sisters and Rhys for over 80% of the book was really getting old and she really did not have a leg to stand on so it was infuriating to read. At one point I was really only reading for the Feyre x Rhys crumbs.

Overall: As a series this is really average for me. Out of 5 books I only really liked 2 which is less than 50% so I really didn't understand the hype for this series which was really sad because I really wanted to like it. I will say the world building was fantastic. I think the world SJM created was done so well but unfortunately the plot or lack thereof in a few of these novels really bumps it down for me and the pacing novel to novel really sucks. I also would have been more invested if the books following the first four still had Feyre and Rhys as main characters. As it stands, I feel SJM has mostly sidelined them from a storyline perspective for future books. I would have enjoyed seeing more of their adventures that they spoke of at the end of ACOWAR before they started having kids.

As for the Fourth Wing vs ACOTAR debate .... FOURTH WING all the way! I am convinced that people only like acotar more because it came first. To me Fourth Wing has the better romance and overall books (it certainly had the better first novel). This could change as more books from Fourth Wing come out but as it stands, in my opinion, Fourth Wing has given us 2/2 really good books (rated 4+ stars) so far, and acotar 2/5 so y'all do the math lol.

#acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acosf #acomaf #acowar #acofas #fourth wing #iron flame #book review

[zumpietoo]

the way this relationship is a downgrade from her and cole cause i can bet you 50/50 she can imagine him as cole(he sorta looks like him when he smiles, his birthday is a day before his, etc.) but this time she can control the relationship into a totally different outcome like another chance with him. but back to what I was saying she doesn't like jack as much other than a step in cause i could be wrong and she might like him but she did a birthday post for cole EVERY YEAR since she met him even when they first became friends and she just did an IG story for him LMAOO

TBF, she and Cole were already fucking when she did the "my pal Cole", but point taken.....and you're right, Cabana Boi isn't merely a Walmart Cole/fill in, it's legit her trying to control the narrative and choose your own adventure the outcome, so she doesn't get dumped this time (i.e. a do over).

Unfortunately, CB is also a douche and confirmed cheater.....and largely with her to get his dick wet/further his career.....so she'll wind up dumped again, sooner versus later is my guess....

[aureutr]

Lol, no it's fine, I really did think it was my browser, bcos tbf, it usually is. XD Mentioned series were mainly for vibes. And those headcanons were wonderful and just what I needed to brighten the end of another long shift! Thank you so much! (Is Boba Uncle Fester? Is Lurch a cousin of Chewie's? How often do the kids prank Ben? Will prob be hearing "Why, Luke, that's Mando'a" in my head for the foreseeable. Also totally not thinking of "other" uses for an extra hand) I <3 all of this so much!

- I 100% see Boba in a Fester role at least insamuch as the way he plays with the kids. He survived the Sarlacc, he can survive whatever electrocution/guillotine/poison gas combo Rey's cooked up. He probably gives her tips on it. But he doesn't live with them, he's still off doing his own thing.

- Chewie, Han, and Leia are all the "normies" so I don't see them directly connected to this series of headcanons at all. If this were in a modern town instead of the canonverse Ben would go to school with Rey and Grogu and then they'd be forced to interact for sure. Then I'm torn on whether they'd bully him mercilessly or if they slowly corrupt him to be a little ooky spooky himself (much to his parents' chagrin).

- Maybe Lurch's role is filled by a huge-ass droid. Not Threepio, but instead a nearly personality-less one that Vader forced on them at some point. The Empire is around and Vader is a big creepy overprotective jerk so you know he wouldn't be willing to let his son go off without protection. The droid isn't actually needed for that, Luke and Din could handle any actual threat, so they mostly let it answer the door and menace solicitors. Otherwise it just looms around.

- R2 comes and goes. He craves adventure and is an active supporter of the Rebellion. Luke and Din aren't pro-Empire so much as they are pro-being-left-alone-with-their-wacky family so they don't stop him. He always comes back with fantastical stories the children love. No one outside the family can understand his particular dialect of Binary (he's Cousin Itt).

- The Armorer lives in the basement, where she has a forge-slash-altar set up. In this au she's also a Night Sister because we're going all in. Grogu is very interested in learning all about the strange potions and often sneaks them when she's not looking, to hilariously disastrous results (she's Grandmama).

There are so many side characters to Addams Family that you could really shoe-horn in anyone. I'm tempted to make Fennec Debbie except without her actually being an antagonist. Best buds in crime with Ba'vodu Boba still? Absolutely. Maybe still trying to murder him for money? Yes but in a funny way and he's into it. Not necessarily romantic, I like them as friends better.

Whatever shenanigans are going on, if Din and Luke aren't immediately involved they are in the background like:

And when Din comes back to himself like:

#headcanons #dinluke #skydalorian #more addams family au stuff #still not going to write it but someone else feel free

[thebestpartofthecarrotcostume]

As someone whose blog is smeared with smutty Shameless, provocative this, and outlandish that, I shock myself that I enjoy the occasional period drama. To say that Anne With an E  has held my attention and been my main focus for the past five days is an understatement. Much like Anne herself to Avonlea, this series is an absolute diamond among the rough, a proper bloody gem on Netflix.

Is there smut? No.

But is there drama, angst, romantic tension, and real-world issues that have you telling Netflix that yes, you’re still watching, and yes, you know it’s four in the morning? 100% and then some extra.

So Anne’s woeful story of becoming an orphan as an infant and struggling through orphanages and work placements is beautifully done, with her flashbacks to trauma and bullying beautifully slotted in enough to remind you that she still has demons from her past life despite the new one that she’s presented with. Watching Murilla and Matthew grow and learn with Anne and diversify to a point where they openly support her ‘century-ahead’ idea is amazing. 

Anne is particularly favourable (you get past her rambling pretty quickly if that’s a part of her character you find annoying, but tbf that’s the point, her character is excitable and constantly yearning for knowledge and admiring everything about her) for her openness. Anne quite literally embodies support for everyone and their differences, viewing the (illegal) concept of homosexuality as nothing more than following one’s heart on a ‘romantical’ journey. Racial and cultural differences are something that excite her because they’re a primary source for new knowledge, new friends, and new experiences. Women’s rights? Equal rights? She’s bolstering on for them, putting herself in the firing line to fight for what’s right and just. Moreover, aside from the minor dye-job mishap, Anne doesn’t try to change who she is, simply embracing her wonderful, excitable self and constantly trying to keep the best interests of herself and those around her at the front of her mind. Like, there are so many things that could be grumbled about her, but they’re things that could be grumbled about any child. But her passion, resilience (idk if I could continually remain to optimistic if I had been in her shoes), and her romantic view of the world as one big adventure and experience. 

And wee little Gilbert is such a beautiful soul and he just sees Anne as ‘a cute girl’ and never once belittles her like that little prick, Billy. He has so much honour and is a delightful young man that you honestly want to grab and pinch his cheeks and hug him tight because damn, that boy deserves so much love, just like Anne. The relationship between him and Bash and how he, much like with Anne, saw him as an equal and embraced him as a friend, and then a brother and business partner. But there are times when you want to grab that boy and shake him. And Anne. Both of them. When it came to the dance lessons, I was screaming at the screen for them to just pull their fingers out and get together. And when did that happen? In the final fucking minutes of the final fucking episode. And yet I still enjoyed it immensely.

I’ve basically just rambled on about the characters, but honestly, this show is amazing. Key points:

slowburn that will have you tearing your hair out but have you regularly grinning like a fool

challenging racism, sexism, and classism

homosexuality and accepting one’s self (you’ll want Aunt Josephine to be your aunt!)

going against the status quo (feminism, education for all, fighting censorship)

making one’s own family

So, like, this show has been dropped by the CBC, which is crazy gutting, but it is still definitely worth watching because it’s so wholesome and feel-good when there’s always a happy ending.

Regarding Anne and Gilbert’s relationship? Well, much like Anne, 

#anne with an e #anne of green gables #anne shirley #anne shirley-cuthbert #gilbert blythe #anne x gilbert #diana barry #jerry x diana #netflix #netflix original #recommendation

[djemsostylist]

An Arthurian Film Adventure, Part 3: Lancelot

Today, we are tackling Lancelot.  Arguably the most famous knight of the Round Table (besides Gawain), the story of Lancelot and King Arthur and Queen Guinevere is a timeless one.  Forbidden love, broken friendships, civil war, downfall of a kingdom.  Plus, he’s great with a lance.  Throw in a child who achieves the Grail Quest, and you’ve got yourself a pretty great story, and a pretty easy character too, right?  

Nope, wrong again.  Firstly, because he doesn’t even exist in one of them, and secondly because he fucking sucks in the other ones. 

I should point out, before I begin, that there are several versions of Lancelot which exist.  Depending on whether you go with de Troyes, Malory, Vulgate, or Post Vulgate, you get some different characters.  Universally he is kind and brave and selfless, devoted to Arthur but also damned by a love for Guinevere.  He also can be prideful, angry, a touch selfish, and ultimately fails at achieving the Grail Quest.  Anyway, onto the ratings!

1. Knights of the Round Table

This Lancelot is, by far, the best Lancelot.  Here, Lancelot follows the post Vulgate version (he is just a wandering knight who wants to join the Round Table, rather than having grown up with the Lady of the Lake).  He is sort of the ultimate knight--kind, brave, selfless, great with a lance or sword.  He and Arthur get along immediately, forming a fast friendship built on mutual respect, understanding, and trust.  Lancelot is brave and selfless and kind, but he is also an individual with his own wants, needs and desires.  He can be prideful and arrogant, but he is fiercely loyal.  

Here, Lancelot is close friends not only with Arthur and Guinevere, but also Gawain, Gareth and Percival, the latter of whom he takes under his wing.  He and Arthur quarrel and reconcile, he goes knight erranting (is this a verb?) and lives in the castle Joyous Guard.  He also marries Elaine, whom he loves in his own way, and fathers Galahad.  Here, his love for Guinevere is acknowledged and central, though never consummated, but it is his connection with Arthur and the other knights of the Round Table which sustain his story.  

The downfall here is tragic, both because though he and Guinevere love each other, they have not actually committed treason, and because his estrangement from Arthur leads to an actual splintering of the Round Table.  Also, he has a horse named Beric that he loves a lot, his relationship with Elaine is honestly really sweet and sad, and he also wears beautiful surcoats and has a huge red feather on his helm. 

Attractiveness: Honestly number 1 easily.  He has some slightly weird facial hair, and he’s not big enough, but he’s hot.  (Fun fact, Robert Taylor also played Ivanhoe in the single best Ivanhoe of all time, so).  

2. Camelot

So, this Lancelot is pretty good.  My main problem here is that this Lancelot is more Galahad than Lancelot, in that he is super pure almost the point of ridiculousness.  Like, he is so pure his purity actually brings a man back from the dead, which could be the whole “healing of Sir Urry thing” but is mostly just strange.  Here, we get a post-Vulgate Lancelot backstory (he is supposed to be French is this version but he is played by the most Italian Italian I have ever seen and it’s great).  He and Arthur meet and are super close almost right away (“did we just become best friends?!”) but surprisingly and refreshingly, Guinevere is actually deeply annoyed by him when they first meet.  (She has been going a-maying and Arthur shows up and she just wants to fuck him but he just wants her to meet his new best friend, and she is like, wow ur friend is deeply lame, come have sex with me instead pls.)  She eventually falls in love with him when he cures a dead man from death, and then what follows is a tragic love story of friends who are sort of stuck in this terrible situation and just trying to make the best of it.  

The downfall here is that Lancelot has literally no other friends at court, so while his betrayal is tragic for him and Arthur and Guinevere (like in the 1953 version, he and Guinevere never actually commit treason), it doesn’t really affect any other friendships or relationships.  He also doesn’t ever get married or have a baby here, and his purity can be grating, though the earnestness offsets it well enough.

Attractiveness: Number 2 tbh, but mostly because he is so damn earnest it’s endearing.  Also he wears beautiful armor.  

3. King Arthur

So, this Lancelot is from Sarmatia, which is both weird and never really explained.  Also, he is neither Arthur’s best knight or actually even a knight at all.  He doesn’t have a relationship with Guinevere other than throwing what I assume are supposed to be longing looks in her direction (tbf Arthur didn’t have a relationship with Guinevere in this movie either beyond aborted heavy petting).  He also doesn’t bring about the downfall of Arthur’s kingdom, mostly because Arthur doesn’t have a kingdom.  He also doesn’t have a son who goes on the quest for the Holy Grail, but that is mostly because this Arthur isn’t Christian and neither are his knights.  Also, he fights with two swords and there are no lances in sight, which is a weird thing for Lancelot, since riding around and knocking people off horses is like, literally his favorite thing in the world.  

Attractiveness: Number 3, mostly because I know they tried to make him hot here with the mop of curly hair and etc, but he will also be Mr. Fantastic to me, and Mr. Fantastic was honestly the worst.  

4. First Knight

The thing is, Richard Gere should be last, except that Excalibur Lancelot was literally the dumbest person alive ever, so I guess that means since Richard Gere wasn’t literally just living in the forest stabbing himself with his own sword, he sucks less.  (Look, I said this was a rough journey.)  This Lancelot is just terrible honestly.  Firstly, he’s not a knight, he’s just some dude who rides around hitting people with his sword.  He meets Arthur when he helps rescue Guinevere who is on her way to marry her dad’s old friend bc he is old and sad and lonely.  His introduction to Arthur comes during a tournament.  And by tournament, I mean an extremely 90s, wacky, American Gladiator style wooden obstacle course thing that involves swinging knife things, swinging wood things, and just...it’s bad.  

He doesn’t want to be a knight, mostly because he thinks Arthur’s knights are boring squares (he is not wrong, but I hate him so-).  He agrees only after he saves Guinevere from Melegraunce, which involves more wacky obstacle courses and swinging bridges.  Also, he and Guinevere here give Arthur the horns, and also both suck.  He doesn’t learn anything, he is genuinely terrible, and also he is played by Richard Gere.  

Attractiveness: I’m gonna say last, mostly because his whole 90sness just irritated me and also because he was very moist through this whole movie and also I hated him a lot.

5. Excalibur

Look, this Lancelot was like, literally actually stupid.  He showed up, tried to beat up Arthur and failed, then went to live in the woods.  No like, he literally lived in the woods.  He would tell Arthur he was leaving Camelot to go adventuring or whatever, ride six feet out into the forest, strip naked, and sleep in the roots of a tree.  Also, he for some reason not only slept completely naked, but he also didn’t keep his sword in his scabbard so one night he rolled over and stabbed himself clear through the side.  Also, he and Guinevere had sex is his tree thing, and I saw way too much of his side ass.  I was honestly rooting for Gawain to kill him, and I didn’t even like this Gawain bc he was genuinely awful. 

Attractiveness: I mean, better than Richard Gere.  But, and I know I have said this before, I cannot express how ugly this movie was.  

6. Legend of the Sword

This one was easy to rank, because he did not exist.  This was an origin story, and Lancelot isn’t really a part of Arthur’s origin story so I guess we can give them a pass, except that I love Lancelot so this was a tragedy to me.  On the positive side, his lack of existence means that he can’t be worse than Richard Gere, so I guess I should rank this nonexistent Lancelot in like, 3rd place.

Part 2: The Arthurs

#an arthurian film adventure #arthurian legend #arthuriana #lancelot du lac #lancelot

[jcnuaries-blog]

what’s up you absolute cursed heathens, it’s ya boi kael (he/him, 22, gmt+8:00) and i’m bringing you the lovely miss january st. james who doesn’t have that many gifs so i might b reusing a lot of these so bear with me—below the cut is the sparknotes version of her story and whole deal!

THE STORY—

remember euripedes’ play of medea? well it goes something like that lmao; basically january was born to a line of sorcerers from a demigod who was cursed by the gods to suffer for her power, and january was basically isolated to her family because they diluted their powers enough so they could practice some magic and keep their bloodline afloat

enter: love! love sucks, and january can testify to that! a hero flattered her (w the help of a goddess) and promised her a lot of things so that he could have a sorceress on his arsenal; her power, while it was okay wasn’t good enuf which was a total drag so the only logical thing to do was to activate her curse and at least grow more powerful to help her #onetruluv !!

spoiler alert it doesn’t go well !!

he leaves her after his series of quests, and goes off to get married to some beautiful demigod who the gods have promised to him or he rescued, she really doesn’t care about all that tbf

what she does care about? vengeance! and bc the gods didn’t really care about karmic retribution except for nemesis and she didn’t answer her, she went “fuck it!” and concocted a plan of her own. taking the heart of a freshly dead thing and a sacrificial dagger, she killed his bride at their wedding

she also killed the one after that, but that’s neither here nor there. what’s there is that the guy died in the end. from grief? from anger? who knows, who cares! not january!

this is supposed to be the part of the play where medea gets to fly an awesome golden dragon chariot to her grandfather helios’ place, but like lmao no helios, no dragons only bullshit gods and what happens for her retribution? she gets her family killed!

the place where she lived is now scorched earth and has the faint smell of ozone! the ashes are kept in an urn, where she takes with her and honestly she’s just miserable in the end. the gods also called on her to stay in this city

she hates the city. and the gods. but she doesn’t know what tf to do at this point and just sits in her apartment and goes 2 the database !!

THE CURSE— 

her curse basically works to isolate her as long as she has her power. this works by creating a roadblock of sorts? like fuzzy memories if she’s around! like she’s there, but... like what did u do what did u see. u had a time w her but u can remember the details of it all u know !!

she needs to have a ritual done in order to create deep lasting bonds which sucks because a.) it’s hard and b.) it hurts !! the double whammy of this is that her power dilutes every time she makes this choice, and if the opposite choice is made to isolate herself she gets her power back !! yay !! but also she will sever contact from the person and no more deep bonds in the end !! boo !!

currently, she’s powerful as all hell, but lonely so u know... yikes? also fuck the gods tbh

THE EXTRA—

she’s got a black cat familiar named the grand duchess aveline du bois who absolutely hates when people come over. that said she’s also a little gremlin who tries to eat potion reagents and january has to spray her with the bottle

she likes sorcery! big shock i know, but she’s made it her main thing after the jackass hero cut her off from her family lmaooo !! she likes doing it, and it’s not uncommon to see things levitating in her house. 

january loves winter and autumn but hates the fact that she can’t sleep in !! let her live !!

bill and ted’s excellent adventure was amazing and january dares u to say otherwise. she loves her comedies shush !!

breaking promises is a no-no !! if u break a promise to january, a real serious one you’re on her shit list and she will not interact with you whatsoever. that said, she will keep to her word 99% of the time, except for the 1% where she needs to lie to make a plan work

she used to design buildings !! it was a good job and kept her comfy !!

her home smells faintly of jasmine bc of the air fresheners she keeps buying every day !! if out she’ll get either lavander or just a clean air one tbh

#curseintro #( get it my guys !! ) #( about. )

[philomaela]

Is there any characterization of the Ragnarssons in the show that you think is close to the ones in the saga?

Disclaimer: I need an easy way to refer to Ragnar’s saga, the tale of Ragnar’s sons and the Gesta Danorum book 9, since I do believe those texts are the core influence on Vikings. I’m going to refer to those texts as the main trio.  Yes, that is the best name I could come up with lol.

I guess if I had to pick… I would say Hvitserk and Bjorn? However, it’s not necessarily because what Hirst wrote for those two is so in line with the main trio, but rather because they are less fleshed out compared to their brothers. While they do things and have a certain level of characterization, most of their actions take place while the brothers are acting as a team, rather than acting as individuals. The result is that the bulk characterization often rests on things that can be ascribed to the Ragnarssons as a whole, rather than on them as individuals. So you have more wiggle room with them, you’re not contradicting anything instead you’re just supplementing, if that makes sense.

On that level, both Hvitserk and Bjorn are regarded as honorable-ish, passionate men who are great warriors. Bjorn also has a desire for maternal affection/praise that is implied by one of his verses in Ragnar’s saga. Bjorn in the Gesta Danorum is also a strong leader who inspires loyalty in his Kingdom and he’s very close to his father, choosing to fight beside his father against his half-brother Ubbe. All those things are in line with his characterization in the show imo.

However, I should add… as is the case with everything on Vikings… Hirst isn’t just drawing from the main trio, he’s drawing from other sources that sometimes contradict the narrative of said trio (even those texts sometimes contradict each other lol!). For example, Ragnar’s adventures in Paris come from contemporary French sources, not from the main trio. And it’s not incorrect to do that, it’s a valid storytelling choice! I just think the way it’s done sometimes leads to some problematic elements.

I know you didn’t ask, but I find it fascinating how Hirst has (imo, obviously) essentially given Sigurd, Ivar and Ubbe the opposite characterizations of the ones they had in the main trio. So, I want to go into detail about that, I’ll put it under a cut because it’s slightly off-topic and also this is already too long lmao.

Sigurd:

This one I’ll mainly be talking about Sigurd as he stands in Ragnar’s saga and the tale of Ragnar’s sons. So, do you want to know what the key is to understanding Sigurd’s characterization in those texts? It’s that he is Aslaug’s son. He is a living symbol of his mother’s proud lineage, his birth saves her marriage and reveals her true background to the world. Sigurd, Aslaug’s youngest son, earns her the respect she deserved, but could not get while she was known as the daughter of peasants. While Aslaug loves all her sons (including her stepsons), to me the text makes it clear that Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye is her favorite. And Sigurd is a mama’s boy in through and through. When his brothers are refusing their mother’s advice to go to war, he speaks up on her behalf, even though he is only 3 years old. In the tale of Ragnar’s sons, Aslaug is given Sigurd’s sword and shield when he dies and raises his children, one of whom is a daughter named after Aslaug. (TBF, the translation I’ve read says that Aslaug gave her own name to the girl, but due to some weirdness in how facts are revealed in the story, I’m not sure if she did this before or after Sigurd died…)

Anyway, the thing about Sigurd as he stands in Vikings… his “origin” is totally different! Aslaug is known as a princess the moment she enters the story, she makes the prophecy of Sigurd’s eye due to anger at Ragnar making fun of her. In fact, the snake in Sigurd’s eye is treated ambiguously, rather than a straightforward blessing linking him to the Volsung line. So in this world, where Sigurd’s birth is not a transformative point in Aslaug’s story… well, he’s not quite linked to his mother in the same way, is he? Sigurd is not her precious boy, instead that spot is reserved for her “new” youngest son, Ivar the Boneless. She gives most of her affection and attention to the son who needs it most and so Sigurd grows jealous and resentful of Ivar. Rather than being a great king who rules justly, as in the Gesta Danorum, he’s seems somewhat petty and spiteful and since he dies young, he never has a chance to grow beyond that.

Sigurd goes from a favorite son and mama’s boy, to a resentful, less-favored child. Rather than inspiring (a small level of) jealousy in his brothers, he is jealous of his brother. Rather than being precocious, he’s just petty and in terms of the narrative, he dies before he has a chance to be anything else. These core character changes imo, come from the decision to change Aslaug’s origin story and as a result, erasing the original narrative importance of Sigurd’s birth. Oh sure, Sigurd’s still got a snake in his eye, but it’s purely aesthetic, it does not carry the same thematic weight and importance that it did in Ragnar’s saga.

Ubbe:

The changes to Ubbe’s characterization are similar to Sigurd in that his origin story is completely changed and this subsequently changes his characterization. For Ubbe, I’ll mainly be discussing the Gesta Danorum, though Ubbe is briefly mentioned in the tale of Ragnar’s sons (as “Husto”) all that is really said about him is that he’s one of Ragnar’s illegitimate children. But anyway, in the Gesta Danorum, Ubbe is indeed Ragnar’s illegitimate son, born out of an affair with a woman of lower-birth. As far as I can tell, this class difference creates some resentment in Ubbe, because there is a line about how he respects his mother more than his father. Later, Ubbe’s paternal grandfather convinces him to stage a rebellion against Ragnar. Ubbe asks his half-brother Bjorn for help, but Bjorn prefers to fight by his father’s side. Interestingly, Ivar picks neither side, claiming that there is no honor in fighting against family. Either way, it’s Ubbe and his grandfather against Ragnar and Bjorn. Ragnar wins and kills Ubbe’s grandfather for inciting the rebellion and Ubbe eventually is captured. After Ragnar’s son Hvitserk dies, before Ragnar leaves to take vengeance, he forgives Ubbe for his rebellion. After that Ubbe disappears from the narrative.

Now in Vikings, Ubbe’s origin is again… completely different! Rather than being the an illegitimate son whose mother was of a much lower social class than his father… now he’s the legitimate son of a princess and an earl/well regarded hero! He’s not an only child anymore, now he’s an eldest son, with many younger brothers to look after. As well, his father isn’t a king whose achievements lay in conquest and forging an empire, but rather a king whose dream was to find farming land. So he transforms from a resentful and ambitious son into a responsible, unambitious son. Power is given to him so easily, he doesn’t need to take it by force and rather than taking away his father’s empire, he aims to fulfill his father’s dream.

So much changes for Ubbe once he becomes Aslaug’s son, you could say his fortunes are completely reversed! It’s funny in a way, Ubbe in the show complained about Margrethe having so many ambitions, perhaps because of his princely upbringing. However, Ubbe in the Gesta Danorum has a far more troubled background and the way he straddles class lines makes him far more ambitious and willing to challenge the societal norms.

Ivar:

So… Ivar is unique case, because I don’t think his “character flip” comes from the changes in his origin, like with the other two, but rather in Hirst borrowing from multiple other sources for Ivar. The dichotomy that comes from reading sources about Ivar are fascinating, you get the sense that the Ivar of the Great Heathen Army and the Ivar of Ragnar’s saga were two very different people lol. In sources such as the Íslendingabók or the writings of Adam of Bremen, Ivar is an evil pagan, the cruelest of all tyrants, continuously waging war, killing and torturing christians. But, interestingly, Ivar is not “boneless” in these sources, no mention is made of him having a disability (unless there is another source I am forgetting?). Now, in Ragnar’s saga, Ivar is very different. He is born disabled, the result of his father ignoring his mother’s prophecy. He is the eldest son and all his brothers follow him because he’s the wisest and most clever of them. He is so well-regarded, that when his brothers try to go to war without him, they’re not able to gather that many forces. He takes vengeance for his father without technically ever going to war and he rules well, watching over England even after he dies. There is a line in the tale of ragnar’s sons about how he didn’t lack cruelty, but… it seems like he is only cruel under very specific circumstances.

So, Ivar’s “origin” is changed a little bit, he goes from the eldest son to the youngest, so he has to fight for control against his brothers. He’s less responsible and more resentful. However, it seems that unlike Sigurd and Ubbe, whose new characterizations follow largely from changes in the story… Ivar’s personality in the show is the result of grafting his characterization from various other sources onto his backstory in Ragnar’s saga. Now, we have an Ivar who was born disabled and is a cruel, angry Pagan. Ivar does inspire loyalty… but as a tyrant, he also inspires fear in the people he rules over. Now, he kills one brother and gladly goes to war against the others, something he refused to do in both the Gesta Danorum and Ragnar’s saga. He’s still clever, but now he’s impatient and has rage issues, rather than being able to maintain a level of calm and work on long term plans like he does in Ragnar’s saga.

I… struggle, with this change more than with the others tbh. There’s nothing inherently wrong with changing an origin or pulling from multiple sources, but in the implication and effect they have on the story. While I don’t really care that Sigurd isn’t a mama’s boy or that Ubbe is a responsible son in the show, I’m not sure if I appreciate the decision to keep the disability of his Saga characterization but to cast him as a cruel, monstrous tyrant, as he is portrayed in other sources. It feels especially egregious when his brothers are painted as more noble and fighting against him. I wonder if there was maybe a middle line that you could have walked, either by making Ivar a little less gleefully evil or by making his brothers a little less virtuous.

#sifshoney #Asked and Answered #vk ask #vikings #I'm putting this in the tags bc... well it's really long y not lmao #also as always #I hope people know... I'm just a fan of this story #I have no credentials #a lot of this is a combination of my opinion on things I read #and supplemental papers that let me look at them in a new light #so if anyone wants like sources or to know if I'm citing something or if it's just my thought process #feel free to ask

[goddamnmuses-a]

Dan Watches: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones

Alright so I did this for Episode I which you can find here. So.. here’s my weird.. live reaction/note taking/whatever this is.. to Episode ll. 

Alright so.. Once again the opening crawl is very politicy. 

Count Dooku I think is mentioned for the first time in it and Padme becomes a Senator instead of a Queen in it.. which.. is weird. 

The Naboo ships im not sure about.. I like the design but they seem too new and clean for being a prequel. That said they are owned by royalty so i can let it slide i guess. 

“I guess i was wrong, there was no danger at all” *EXPLOSION* ffs Jeff, you couldn’t keep your mouth shut? 

Nooooooo! Not.. Cordey? Omfg that was the worst death i’ve ever seen. Terribly acted. 

Ayy it’s the Jedi avengers, no but like why is like i presume the whole or half the jedi council in this meeting? Shouldn’t they have like 1 representative? 

Yooo thats live action Barriss Offee in the back... hey girrrll ;) 

actually she’s probably supposed to be like 13 or somehting so i take that back. 

 I love just all the traffic flying by the window

YOOOO it’s my boy Jar Jar aka Darth Plagueis the Wise, don’t @ me. 

Spice mines on the moon of Naboo you say? Isn’t Spice a drug but you mine for it.. there are drug miners in Star Wars.. good stuff. 

That elevator would be terrifying. 

Obiwan just like.. LOL I fell into a nest of Gundarks.. what a character I am. .. Love him. 

Anakin like “I haven’t seen her since i was underaged master.. now i can  get my fuck on!”

ALSO ITS BEEN 10 YEARS!?

“Ani you’ll always be that little boy” *Police sirens*

Anakins a little bitch

I think Jar Jar’s ears things are much longer.. but might just be me imagining things. 

She’s not forgotten you, she said your name.. you creep. 

Heeyy look it’s your custom star wars character Zam. 

Obiwan is so sassy

Anakin is pretty creepy towards Padme. 

Those worm things are naasty

Yo tbf that was some smooth lightsabering, they were like an inch tall and right up on Padme and he didnt even hurt her accidentally. I’d have killed her there. 

Obiwan just fucking dives out the window like its nothing. Mad man. 

Zam is the worst, instead of shooting Obiwan she shoots her own damn droid. 

Damn it Anakin, he’s told you to stay away from power couplings. 

Obiwan is just gonna be like “FFS ANAKIN!” this entire movie... well.. Saga. 

I wonder how Jedi pick their robes because like some are very similar and then theres like a few that have darker leather stuff, it’s like there’s a jedi stylist or something.. Someone make that OC. 

 Amazing catch Obi. 

So Obiwan is his real name but he goes by Ben later on and then Ben Solo is named after him but shouldn’t it be Obiwan Solo? 

A changeling, she really is a custom character. 

Yoo that Twilek wasn’t stupidly thin, I’m here for Thicc Twilek. 

What species is Death Stick guy! I wanna know what he does with his life after he rethinks it

I hope it backfires and he’s like “Hey.. I could be doing so much more” and he ends up like the head of a crime family. 

She didnt even change.. so much for changeling. 

....she did when she died i take it back. 

Damn the background Jedi are ugly. 

I like how this shows that Palpatine has already begun manipulating Anakin. 

Still dont understand why Jedi see the balance being a good thing when it’s leaning heavily towards the light side right now. 

Anakin “IM READY FOR THE TRIALS!” .. you aint. You a moody bitch.

I like Padme’s dress. 

Anakin just got warned to back down because he’s being a creep. 

Omfg whats that rape face. 

Dormy or whatever her name is, better actress than Padme. 

Poncho! Cal approves. 

WOO ITS DEX!

Jawa Juice? Ew.

Wtf is the Rishi maze?

Dex suddenly went sinister at the end, why? 

Yess the librarian! She’s the best. I think she has a badass Order 66 story if im remembering correctly. 

She’s very sure about her records though.. calm down lady. 

“No droids” says the droid to the other droid. 

So i presume the head of the Jedi Council is always the one who looks after the younglings. 

Awwh the little babies and they’re all gonna get killed by Creep Vader. 

Yoda is so soft, good dad figure. Best boy. 

They elect queens on Naboo.. thats interesting. 

I love the Jedi fighter look. 

HOLD THE FUCK UP THEY DIDNT KNOW ABOUT KAMINO 

THERE WAS A FUCKING LONG NECKY ALIEN ON THE JEDI COUNCIL IN EP 1.. 

.... some bullshit. 

I should really look into Sifo Dyas

And Why are there not more Clones in Star Wars... 

Other than like.. .. spoilers for.. you know what nevermind. 

I DONT LIKE SAND! HE SAID THE THING

Anakin you creep

Why the fuck would Padme even lean in at all? He’s been nothing but a creep and she’s shown 0 interest in him at all so far. 

The Camino people are pretty chill. 

That was the first bit of actual chemistry between Padme and Anakin 

Omfg the pear, fuck off. 

Also forgot to comment but theres some clear like.. oohhhhhh moments im having with how order 66 got set up. 

Has Padme had an outfit change again?

She’s got her sexy outfit on to turn him down.. seems right. 

Her make up is a bit.. much

Sooo the force is weaker with the jedi because the light sides had it so good for so long that the force is trying to balance out and bring it back the other way, makes sense. 

It’s actually his connection to his mom that brings him towards the darkside to start.. nice. 

Padme trying to be inconspicuous is super conspicuous 

I like that the droid said okey dokey. 

YAAAAAAAAAAAAY WATTO

YAAAAY ANI SPEAKING HUTTESE

I love how Watto is happy to see Ani. 

Watto doesn’t deserve the shitty life he ended up with. 

Love some New Zealander up in my Star Wars. 

Seismic charges have such good sound design. 

Thats one hell of a missile. 

Eyyyyy it’s c3p0 it’s amazing how much i’d forgot of this. 

Tusken Raiders are dicks. They know sign language but they’re dicks. 

Even Anakin is like “These are good people”, good. They’ll raise your son. 

Is that general grevious’ voice? 

What the fuck are these aliens

Awwwh noooo she waited just to die in her sons arms. 

Tbf i’d go full darkside if someone tortured my mom. 

You know what.. this Ani is nothing like the ones from the cartoon, he seems like less of a whiney bitch in the clone wars but we’ll see.. 

Cleg Lars’ hover chair is pretty dope. 

Anakin got over hating Obi Wan real quick. 

Even captured Obiwan is a sassy boy. 

Jar Jar as badass as he is.. is basically putting the Sith Lord in charge. 

So far if you dont know that palpatine is the Sith there isnt really anything obvious telling you which is pretty interesting. 

Padme has had another outfit change, another iconic look. 

And so behind the adventures of r2 and c3po

C3PO had a costume change, he’s been watching Padme. 

The fake out they have you thinking Padme is covered in magma is pretty good

Okay then suddenly she loves him.

Also bye bye lightsaber

Genosians are pretty gross

In my head they were always the same as Toydarians for some reason

I like that bug monster, i remember killing them in one of the older battlefront games.. as maybe Aayla Sekura but maybe i made that up. 

Anakin surely got the best one to fight. He basically tames it.

The fucking peck on the cheek, was that needed? 

Droidekas are still cool as fuck. 

Suddenly Jedi. 

The Jedi that made it up to Dooku is terrible, he cant even reflect a few blaster blasts.

Well.. Jango lost his head. 

The smile on that green jedi’s face is beautiful, what a beautiful alien man. Kit Fisto.

Obiwan is an icon. 

Dooku is pretty reasonable all things considered. 

Woo clones!

“Around the survivors, a perimiter, create.” Yoda.. just speak normally damnit. 

Yoo what if Jaro Tapal shows up in the new Clone Wars cartoon season.. i’d lose my shit. 

I like Dooku’s bike. 

Anakin you dumb fuck. 

I always thought Dooku’s curved lightsaber was weird. 

Rey should have done this sick ass catching the lightning trick instead of the two lightsabers. 

Jedi flips all over the place woop. 

As obvious as it is that Palpatine is the hooded Sith, i feel like they dont show his full face because i feel like a little kid might not be able to tell. 

I kinda like how it shows a bunch of clones (the basic start of the stormtrooper) and then star destroyers and it’s like.. heres where the empire started. 

Aaaaaand they’re married? so yeah.. congrats Ani you creeped your way into being a husband. 

#ooc #dan watches #dan reacts

[calliecat93]

Dexter Grif Analysis, Part Two (Sorta)

I had been thinking of doing a follow-up to my Grif Analysis from last year... but this past season didn’t really provide much for Grif. At least, not enough for me to really do a full-on Grif: S17 Analysis. Maybe I’ll do one for Donut, haha. However we DO have the finale with him and Kai, and that IS analysis worthy. I already talked about it some, but I’m gonna do Grif more specifically and how this affects his characterization, both past and future.

Okay, so in the finale, we find out that all along, the draft story was a lie and that he indeed enlisted. Now, this debunks canon that people have been going by for many years now, though tbf the draft was NEVER brought up in canon until now while the enlistment was brought up at least twice (the very first episode and in S16). Not even the Fanguide mentioned it. Still, it does still debunk what people had been going by for a long time, so... what does this do to the character?

Well, let's think about it. So we all know that Grif had a shitty home life from what has been said in canon. His parents preferred Kai over him. His father was ’unstable’ and probably not in the picture much, especially since neither he nor Kai mention him in the S17 finale. His mother was a circus performer who also ‘turned tricks behind the Elephant cages’. He had to take care of Kai more or less on his own despite being... what, two or three years older most likely. And if The Labryinth is anything to go off on, he had an asshole gym teacher who more or less bullied him on some level, and who knows how many other people treated him like shit for whatever reason.

Grif’s life sucked, and there was nothing that he could do about it. He had no control over the situation and no way out of it. And as much as he loved his sister, his mom couldn’t give him what he wanted, and he knew it. So he tried to find a way to get what he wanted. To have some form of structure in his life. A way to take control and not have it be shitty. So he tried college away from Hawaii, and that didn’t work. I imagine that Grif didn’t have the motivation to put effort into his studies cause... well he’s a lazy person who hates all fo that, even if he is smarter and more fit than he’d ever admit. I mean, while it was from a PSA and technically not canon, he was smart enough to at least get accepted into Harvard. But it didn't work, and Grif had two options: go back home and resume his shitty life or try something else. He chose the latter, and he decided on enlisting.

One problem though. Telling Kai that he was leaving to go to college? That was probably something that she could understand. But the military? Which, if you recall, was at a time of a massive war. Grif could easily die, and as such, he’d have to tell his family about why he’d want to drop out of school and enlist. Which would be the right thing to do... but Grif would more or less have to tell his own sister that he wanted away from home and to have his own life. So, because Grif is an idiot who sucks at dealing with emotions, he decided to lie about it. He got drafted. He was leaving because he was being made to, not because he wanted to get away from his life. He now could avoid what would be a very painful conversation of trying to explain to Kai everything and risk upsetting her or make her feel like he was abandoning her willingly. He would never intentionally do that. He loves Kai more than anyone else. But she was a part of a life that he was tired of, and to get the structure that he felt that he needed, he had to leave her behind. And having to admit that to her was simply something that he couldn’t do. Lying was easier.

And what happened after? His life got worst. He was pushed even more than he likely was in school and he hated it. He found out about his family home being set on fire, and he felt too guilty to go back or reach out, and that’s even if he could by that point due to the military. He couldn't just quit one he enlisted, after all. If you believe the fanguide, he got sent to a doomed colony where he was likely miserable AND everyone but him ended up dead. Then after that, he’s re-assigned to Red Boot Camp and thus sold off as a SIM Trooper without even knowing it. And thus, Blood Gulch happened where he was surrounded by people that he hated and who hated him. Yeah, they cared about each other eventually, but still. Oh and then his sister shows up and now he had to make sure that she stayed safe AND avoid bringing up anything.

In other words, Grif quit on his family because he was sick of the constant struggles and tried to do what he wanted. As it turned out, what he thought was better for him wasn’t. It just left him miserable. And it wasn’t the last time that he did this. Look at Season 15. The season where he quit the team, essentially leaving behind his makeshift family. Why? Because he was sick of the constant struggles and decided to do what he wanted. In this case, he actually DID tell them to their faces the reason why instead of lying like he did with Sister, but it’s still Grif deciding that he’s had enough and doing something for himself. And, like before, it made him miserable. He no longer had anyone. There were no more adventures, but he also had no one with him but himself. That drove him crazy. He can’t stand being alone. He loves the Reds and Blues, and he realized that he needed them. It’s why he went back and he apologized the first chance that he got. 

He shouldn't have left the Reds and Blues, and that’s how he felt about Kai. He shouldn’t have left. It’s hard to not blame Grif for his choices. because... yeah, he had every right to call bullshit on a life that he hated and try to change it. Both times. But both times, he found himself in something worst and was just as unhappy as he was before as he found himself in situations beyond his control. It’s like no matter what he did, he couldn’t escape it. He was always going to be like a pinball, knocked around over and over no matter what he did. The fact that he never just tried talking out never helped. He never talked his feelings out to Kai. He never talked them out to the Reds and Blues. He kept running form his problems instead of just getting it over with to get through it as quickly as possible.

While S17 didn’t do a very good job of illustrating Grif’s development, it was still there. He had quit complaining about his the constant work, for example. And I think that the finale does illustrate that on some level, he did learn. He ends up in Kai’s Labryinth, and he finally decides to come clean about everything. How he lied. How he was unhappy and tried to find more structure for his life. How he hadn’t meant to cut Kai out, and he felt too guilty to bring anything up himself. And he outright says that whenever Kai wants to talk about it, he’ll do it. He’s willing to talk the feelings out, both his own and Kai’s. He never would have done this in the beginning of the series, not even with his own sister because he always avoided those kinds of talks. He did talk his feelings out some with Simmons in S15, which was a good step, but he still avoided talking in depth about it by just saying that he hated everyone, but he still needed them and was their ‘hateglue’. Yeah imo, he just said that as a copout to avoid talking any further about his actual feelings about the constant adventures, which he did finally talk about with Huggins a season later. So this is a big step forward for him as a person since he’s at least now willing to talk to his sister about everything.

So how does this affect Grif’s characterizaiton? I don’t think it changes too much. I mean, yeah he wasn’t drafted which may affect things some fan perceptions. But it is still using what’s been given in-show for him. He was still essentially forced into things beyond his control over and over again, even after his military service was more or less over. He never got anything out of it, at least at first. Remember how Doc didn’t mention him when he pointed out how everyone got what they wanted in S10? Yeah, because Grif hadn’t. He hated the military and was only then starting to not hate the people that he was stuck with. Has he gotten what he wanted now? To an extent. He has people that he loves and realized that he didn’t want to be without. He’s actually trying to work through problems now and starting to realize that he needs to talk shit out instead of avoiding it. But he still hates the constant adventures and he’s not 100% there yet, but he’s certianly progressing. Kind of like how Tucker has still been progressing these past few seasons. I’d say that at this point, Grif is starting to find that structure and is certianly int he place that he needs to be. The structure is still a little shaky and incomplete, but it’s certianly a work in progress.

Simply, Grif is in a better place than he had been before. As I said, he’s still got progress to make and S17 could have done a better job in that area, but he’s certianly on his way. I think what has to happen with him now is for him to start opening up to the others more like he was able to with Huggins, or at the very least to someone like Simmons or Kai. He can't control them getting dragged into another adventure, but if he can vent it out and have that support, he can endure it. He may still moan and groan about it some, but he’s not going to quit anymore, he’s going to work through it as quickly as he can. He’s becoming better, now he just needs to find some form of stability.

#rvb #rvb17 #dexter grif

[imthemuthafuckingcricket]

I was tagged by the lovely @somewheremeantforme

10 Favorite female characters

What? Only 10? Alrighty then…Potential spoilers and rambles. Here we go.

1.Angrboða [Poetic Edda/Norse Mythos]- I don’t know if she counts as a character, but considering she is not a real person that is alive and breathing I’ll add her to the list. I have always found her fascinating and her lack of media presence just fuels me to do more research and gdi I should just write/draw her more, but I can never get her right. And dammit Angrboda deserves, nay demands perfection.  Anyways I feel as though Angrboða doesn’t get enough respect. Grief bringer? Mother of Monsters/Wolves? Hag of Ironwood? Chief?? Yea she’s badass and is worth more than her relationship to Loki(e)…I could go on…

2.Integra Hellsing [Hellsing] - I don’t know man she’s just cool. I wish I could be that cool.  

3.Princess Carolyn [Bojack Horseman]- Oh where to begin, this is one of the best female characters I have seen written. PC is at her core the stereotypical “I don’t need a man, I don’t need anybody all I need is my career. Oh no I’m almost 40yrs old and I’m lonely” character, but still the show gives her so much more beyond that. She is working hard to adopt, she genuinely cares about her friends/loved ones and will do anything to help them, when Diane wanted an abortion she was upset that Diane was willingly giving up what she could never have but still at the end of the day didn’t vilify Diane and talked to her (this whole episode btw was amazing and dealt rly well with abortion) I also enjoy Diane as a character and her flaws, most of the female characters are written really well, I’m getting sidetracked here but yea watch Bojack Horseman. Anyways, PC is a strong person (cat?), but we get to see her at her most vulnerable “It's…just…really hard to need people” and her struggles. PC can be pushy and one-sighted and yes her helping people is not completely selfless and in some way it benefits her. Besides wanting children, I never thought I would related to a pink cat wearing a fish dress so hard.

4.Lady Eboshi [Princess Mononoke]- In many ways she is the villain and the main antagonist (I say this bc there are multiple villains) of the movie but I find her interesting in that she is not wholly evil.  Though she is horrible to the environment and the animals/spirits living there she is a fair leader, who has helped the unwanted and worthless of society and gave them work and a home. Her people genuinely love and care for her. Which is another reason I love this movie because it hints at “Humanitarian vs. Environment” Lady Eboshi being the personification of this argument, also Lady Eboshi highlights how one person can do excellent work/relief in one area and be a completely shitty person in another area. Does her bad deeds cancel out all the good she has done? This is a favorite argument of mine, just in a general sense.

5. Evelyn O'Connell [The Mummy]- Come on I made a post specifically about how I wanted to be like Evie when I got older. Super brave and intelligent woman that could read Egyptian( I think she knew multiple other languages as well) studied/worked in Egypt,  got to go on a magical adventure in EGYPT. When I was a kid I was majorly into Ancient Egypt (I haven’t quite outgrown that). I also had a big thing for Lara Croft too and I think that goes hand-in-hand with Evie. But most importantly… “ I AM A LIBRARIAN!”

6. Haruka Tenou [Sailormoon]-  Baby gay [me] was gay way longer than she anticipated. Also...A E S T H E TI C

7. Medea [The Medea]- Countless essays have been written about Medea that would go way deeper into her complexity as a character than what I can do right now. Yea, she’s an interesting character that is by all means not a hero, but it also a victim herself. And one of the few stories from the classics that revolves around a woman, that isn’t two-dimensional.

8.Leslie Knope [Parks&Rec]- I’m going to say it, Leslie knope is the reason that P&R is far superior to the Office even though the writing team is practically the same and the humor at its base is also the same. Leslie Knope is not Michael Scott, Michael is pretty bad (tbf I haven’t finished the series, so we’ll see), But despite Leslie’s many flaws she’s still endearing, hardworking w/ high goals, loves her friends/job and her community. Again, I’m not saying she is perfect because she has such high standards/expectations that she expects everyone to meet her at these impossible heights, often ignores her friends’ advice/complaints even if it’s all with good intentions, can be mean and so forth. Ill admit it, she makes me want to work harder and the character Ron Swanson was great at balancing her out.

9. Rosa Diaz [B99]- Rosa is a cool character with a cooler jacket and I enjoy watching her, I don’t have a deeper reason than that.

10. Anthy Himemiya [Revolutionary Girl Utena]- Anthy is a character that has more questions than answers within the context of her own story. She has done many horrible things and should be held accountable, however, Anthy has been the victim of abuse for years and as a character we must take that in consideration. But where do we draw the line for guilt/personal responsibility? How much physical/emotional abuse can really mess a person up and drive them to these terrible acts? Also, I thought she had the most character growth in the series, which made the ending all the more powerful because of what she went through and the choices she had to make to get there. However, I would literally die for all the women in RGU so…

Bonus: Xena the Warrior Princess, Medusa

Mutuals/followers please feel free to do this and tag me in your post!

#aaah i am severly lacking book characters #next time #perhaps #tag yourself #cricket chirps #hmmm def feel i have a certain character type #well this got out of hand oopse

[smilingperformer]

SM073 - Thoughts

I think I’ve calmed down from Friday enough to write this now... let’s see. I’m not sure you guys even need me talking about this episode. It was so good!

It is finally time for Rocket Gang to go get themselves their very own Z-Ring! I’ve been waiting for this ever since I started watching this series almost a year ago now, and I was so god damn happy to finally see it happening. This also marks the start of Ula’Ula Island Arc, and I found it brilliant to start with Rocket Gang instead of Satoshi. Who, btw, is absent until the very last 10 seconds of the episode! This hasn’t happened since Diamond & Pearl’s first episode, if I remember correctly.

(This post is getting so god damn long because there’s lots to discuss so, I’m actually gonna put a cut here! To save your dashboards from this freaking long post! I hope it works for mobile people as well, if not, I apologize. I think I’ll continue on doing this in the future as well!)

Anyway, they head to Ula’Ula Island in search of Island King/Kahuna Kuchinashi/Nanu, who appears to be old acquitances with Rocket Gang Boss Sakaki/Giovanni. This is a detail I didn’t expect to be canon in Pokeani until the news hit, and I’m looking forward to learning more about this! Sakaki told the Trio (and Sonansu :D C’mon, it’s how Narrator said it) that they might be able to get a Z-ring from him, which prompted them to go on the Air Balloon ride. Which hasn’t appeared in Sun & Moon after it’s very early appearance in episode SM005! Great to see them still having it! (They did reference it in last episode so I guess it was expected!)

We then cut to a local Island Library to get us introduced to the character a lot of people had been waiting for to appear: Meet Acerola! She’s shown to be working at the said Library, and starts reading a book about the Greedy Lapoo to two young kids, who, according to VA cast list, are called Nene and Piko.

I must say, I love the designs of these two, and even if they seem to end up being CotD types, I’ll most likely be enjoying whatever screentime they’ll give us of them.

But, this scene also serves as a plot element teller as well, in addition to introducing these three characters to the story. In short, it’s a story about a ghost that stole people’s items, who then ended up being hated by people, because of it’s greedy nature. Thus, the name the Greedy Lapoo. It was then sealed away by a local Island King, and was never heard of again.

Anyway, we cut back to Rocket Gang, who are preparing to make good first impression with the Island King with some Malasadas. They get their disguises on because of the place they’re heading to being a Police Station, and when they get inside, oooooh boooyy. It’s what we’d expect from Ula’Ula Police Station.

It’s filled with dozens of Alolan Nyarths! Talk about over-kill. And they all get their eyes on one thing: the Malasada. Poor Rocket Gang.

That’s when we get to see the Island King thou! Meet Kuchinashi/Nanu! Or well. We know he’s the guy, but our dear buffoons don’t. So when they ask to see the Island King, well... you know what happens. I made a huge screencap post on it, but to put it short: he outright lied to them that Island King is away and may not be coming back for possibly a year! What a jackass! But I already fell in love with his characterisation at this point, so full points on perfect introduction. He clearly likes to avoid his Island King/Kahuna duties, which fits the game profile as well.

So, Rocket Gang loses all hope and head off. We then cut back to Acerola and co., who have finished reading the book, and decide to head to the tomb stone that is said to be the fairy tale’s Greedy Lapoo’s. However, Rocket Gang has decided to mourn their bad luck at the very same place, and when Musashi loses her temper and breaks the tomb...

Meet The Greedy Lapoo the Gengar! The fairy tale turned out to be true, and the Island King’s seal on the ghost is now broken. Way to go Musashi! Thou, tbf, she had no idea of such tale. I originally though it’d be a Totem Gengar, but then I realised that there’s no such thing in the games, so it’s probably something else that makes it so much bigger. Pokeani can do some interesting stuff with the Pokemon Universe anyway!

Anyway, Gengar steals Rocket Gang’s Dark Z-crystal, and then heads to Acerola and co, who had just arrived to the place. While the two kids are scared as hell, Acerola shows that she’s not.

I just noticed I’m rambling about all episode details again, but it’s hard not to. New characters were introduced, and as a huge fan of Acerola, I was stoked when this episode had so much focus on her! it’s great! Anyway, she gets kidnapped by the Gengar, who then proceeds to go steal stuff from random people around the Island. Acerola’s Mimikyu, who she calls Mimi-tan, tries to rescue her, but to no avail.

Mimi-tan gets thrown into air by Gengar, and while falling, Acerola jumps to catch it. Why thou?! I haven’t said it yet, because it’s actually revealed at the end of the episode, but Acerola’s Mimi-tan is an actual Ghost of a Mimikyu. So it wouldn’t really get hurt, would it? Then again, this is the first time Pokeani explores actual ghost pokemon, so there’s much we don’t know. We might learn more during this arc thou! I certainly hope so!

But y’know, this is where we start to see the good side of the Greedy Lapoo Gengar. It shows to be worried about Acerola after her fall, and when Acerola shows it she’s fine, he’s quite happy! Turns out, Gengar very much likes Acerola, and when Acerola tries to tell him to take her back home, he selfishly refuses, and tries to convince her to stay. When Acerola keeps on denying it thou, even when gengar shows the Dark Z-crystal that it stole from Rocket Gang, Gengar loses it. This is where I’m actually kinda spooked.

WHAT IS IT DOING??? Trying to put Acerola inside it? How rude is that??? Mimi-tan is unable to do anything, oh boy am I proud of the following moment:

Musashi came in and actually saved Acerola! Considering her dialogue earlier about how she can’t stand Gengar being so selfish with his liking to Acerola, I want to believe she actually did this to both save Acerola, and get the Z-crystal back. And it was really well done! Kinda reminded me of Satoshi and Pikachu thou lol. The pararrels between Satoshi and Musashi are increasing! They then mock the poor Gengar in hilarious ways, seriously, Rocket Gang’s writing in this episode is top notch and I have never loved them more in an episode.

Gengar then starts chasing after fleeing Rocket Gang (which actually seems like a lure plan???) and when Nyarth tries to counter-attack, Gengar possesses him. Spooky stuff. Musashi quickly orders Mimikyu to do something, who uses Wood Hammer on Nyarth. Ouch. Musashi cares for Nyarth, but she’s always been rough on rescue plans.

But then Gengar posseses her! And this honestly looks sort of scary at this screenshot. It kinda reminds me of a certain ghosts from Sonic Adventure 2 thou... : D Kojiro is shown shook, and he definitely doesn’t do hasty moves when it comes to rescuing Musashi. This is definitely something Satoshi’d do as well, and god damn it. Kojiro does come up with a perfect plan, and it shows how good of a trainer he is: Hidoide’s newly learned Dark-move Knock-Off is perfect counter for Ghost type, so he orders Hidoide to hit Musashi with it, gently. Musashi only gets a headbump from this so, all good. Except Gengar is mad as hell now. XD GG!

Then the best scene starts! Kuchinashi comes to see the situtation with Acerola, tells the Rocket Gang Trio that they’re actually better than he initally thought, so he throws them a Z-Power Ring! And then we get to see the god damn gorgeus Dark Z-move! it’s darn powerful looking, and man, the faces Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth have while seeing Gengar get sucked into the Blackhole Eclipse is very, very well done. It shows both amaze and spookyness in them. This is the first time they’ve done the Z-move now, and oh am I glad they actually did it together. Even if Kojiro was the one to wear it, the energy def came from all three of them. This is the best outcome I could have hoped for the Z-move and I’m pleased. Very pleased.

Acerola then realises that Gengar was actually lonely instead of being greedy, so she decides to be friends with it. A happy end and all! Judging from Kuchinashi’s dialogue, this seems to be a norm to Acerola. Acerola also spills the beans about this old man being the Island King Kuchinashi to Rocket Gang, who aren’t very pleased with his trick. But Rocket gang also spills beans on being from the criminal organisation, where we realise Kuchinashi does indeed know Sakaki. And yet, he lets Rocket Gang keep the Z-Power Ring. Fits him.

In the end, Acerola’s Mimi-tan rewards Musashi with the Mimikkyu-Z crystal, which I bet is because Mimi-tan is greatful for Musashi saving Acerola earlier. It makes sense in my head at least. And imo, she deserves it. So, Rocket Gang ends up with a double-prize this episode: Z-Power Ring, and a new Z-crystal! Ii Kanjii indeed!

At the end of the episode, we finally have our appearance of the real main character of the show, who’s finally heading to Ula’Ula Island himself as well! It’s time for his third island adventures!

I’ll cya all next week, when Satoshi gets to battle Kuchinashi (all thanks to Acerola convincing him), Kuchinashi gets a call from Sakaki himself, and Lugarugan’s Red eyed Beast mode returns! Until then!

#aleira watches sumo #pokemon #pokeani #pokemon sumo #ula ula arc #sm073 #long post

[stvlti]

11 Questions

i was tagged by @privatekururugi, @espiadimonis, and @transguynoriaki a while ago. each gave me a set of 11 questions to answer, so i will answer these 33 questions. i’m not gonna tag anyone in particular, but if you see this do feel free to have a go at any or all of these sets of 11q’s.

from @privatekururugi:

1) Do you have any specific diet you go by? (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo, etc.) i used to be pescetarian, but then the deficiencies it gave me caused some pretty bad dental / gum problems, so i started eating a bit of lean chicken and pork on the side again... (yeah i know supplements exist, but even my nutrition major of a friend thought a pescetarian diet won’t yield deficiencies, and also supplements are fairly expensive. get off my case)

2&3) Do you have any siblings? If so, how close are you? nope, i’m an only child

4&5) What’s your favourite book and why? (I might want to read it lol) hmm. i still really like 1984, it was the first dystopian classic i read and the concept of Newspeak, tampering with historical authenticity on such grand scales, etc. just blew my mind. so even though i still dislike its weakass character-writing (p much anyone besides Winston has no personality, no distinct personal motives, etc), it’s got a soft spot in my heart. next to that i also liked A Clockwork Orange for the philosophical discussion of the nature of right and wrong (although in hindsight the story is a bit didactic); To Live by Yu Hua (the ill-fated episodes and tragic ends are made all the more absurd by the subtle and simply narration style, but it really is a humbling and informative experience for us readers of a different era and socioeconomic background); and of course, my favourite fable, A Little Prince.

6) Would you describe your personality as dominate or submissive overall? what the fuck kind of question is this. well i’m opinionated as heck, so i’m not submissive “personality-wise”. and that’s all i’ll say on the matter because i’m p sex-indifferent lol, if that’s what this question was trying to get at.

7) What are your dreams usually like at night? oh man. i usually don’t dream normal dreams; as in, most dreams i have is either one big adventure / story, or some bizarre situation that would have been questionable at best, fucked up at worst, in real life context. when i start dreaming about mundane everyday life problems or situations, like failing a test or being stuck with a friend i’ve cut off from my life years ago, that’s usually when i’ve got some kind of stress going on in my life.

(i’ve been trying to restart my dream journal tag actually, but i got stuck on my second entry trying to recall the specifics lol. maybe i should release entry #3 from the drafts first.)

8) Is there anything you’re currently anxious about? well, yeah. my future. my job prospects. being homeless once my parents decide to sell their house off for retirement because the housing prices are through the roof here. pick one.

9&10) Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving? Will you be contributing anything? we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving!

11) Whose your favourite Death Note character (if you have one)?  Light Yagami, even though he’s a slimy fox.

from @transguynoriaki:

1. What kind of music do you listen to?

hmm, i only listen to really slow music or something dark or rock-ish, nothing in between!! muahahaha!! 

okay that’s generalising it; i do love The Honey Trees and The Novembers, which are on opposite ends of the “slow” spectrum (one’s dream pop, the other’s infused with shoegaze and other distortions + some screamy vocals and loud noises at times), with Lana Del Rey and her decadent sounds smack in the middle lol. but yeah i certainly have a taste for the more atmospheric stuff, so aside from the fuzzy feelings of The Novembers’ stuff and the grandness of Lana’s string instrumentals i also like the darker chill vibes you get from The Neighbourhood, some of The Weeknd’s older stuff, etc. 

and I also really enjoy MCR, Muse and the like - i.e. dramatic sounds, that’s the good shit to me haha.

i also like more conventional pop acts like Lorde... and my fave local singer, Ivana Wong, of course!

2. Do you prefer to keep your living space neat and tidy or do you like a certain amount of mess?

i do prefer order and routine in my life, sadly if i can’t do that on a structural level you think i can do that with my desk?! lol. in an alternate universe, maybe.

3. What was the first ship you remember really shipping?

hmm probably TerraxBeast Boy from CN’s Teen Titans. i was lukewarm / indifferent to other canon pairings i’ve seen in media up until that point; but i guess i was more persuaded by the storyline than their characterisations as looking back there are glaring trust issues in their relationship (and that’s an understatement)

4. Do you have a certain show or book series that holds a lot of nostalgic value for you? If so, what was it?

hmm, i guess Courage the Cowardly Dog? (i was a weird kid but shush) and Teen Titans of course. as for books, hmm... ASoUE is definitely one of the ones that just takes me back to middle school. i even bought the Beatrice letters files thingy. tbf the whole Lemony Snicket universe did teach me a lot about cryptography, which i guess if me or a friend of mine were to do an L rp and solve cases it would help a lot (*cough* not saying that’s what’s happening right now because i’ve got other stuff i’m investing my time into. i guess my friend’s gonna make themselves scarce as well hahaha *cue Mariah Carey’s i can’t read gif except it’s L*)

5. What is your favorite type of food?

Italian and Japanese are my fave cuisines! i guess that means i love richly-flavoured foods and creamy stuff. ooh, love those sauces.

6. Was there ever a fad or activity from your childhood that you could never understand or get into?

i wasn’t a gamer at all. we didn’t own a single console and i wasn’t allowed to get a handheld. the most i had was a Tamagotchi. so i guess it’s not so much i never got that ‘fad’, just that i was never given the opportunity to discover the really good games. i’ve only ever played a bit of Mario Kart or Cooking Mama on my cousin’s NDS so yeah. didn’t see the appeal in the more light-hearted games like that.

(now that i’ve played Undertale i’m kinda wanting to explore more PC games though. i heard Papers Please is good, and PJ (@kickthepj)’s been recommending Hyper Light Drifter a lot, and the art looks amazing, so yeah... too broke to get them though... and even if i had the money and time to play them i’d be allocating it towards other stuff you know?)

7. What’s your favorite time of day?

well i got 2 fave time periods. the first one’s the witching hours between midnight and early morning, when the world is quiet and you could do anything and nobody would know. the other one is early morning, just after sunrise, and the air is clear and slightly chilly, and it’s also really quiet but you can just hear the birds tweeting somewhere.

i’m more likely to be awake for the first time period described here though... ._.

8. What’s your favorite type flower and why?

hmm i'm not really a flower person. i’m just gonna steal Luke’s answer and say cactus flowers haha (well i do like cacti, they’re some of my favourite plants; i even named my IG/Twitter and Pokemon Go usernames after the plant; also some of you might remember that i had a pet cactus for 8 months)

9. What’s your favorite cliché/trope in fiction?

lovers running out of time...

10. Did/do you do any extracurricular activities when you were in school and what were they?

(wow Luke that’s a lot on your resume!)

i did bits and bobs throughout school, but perhaps my longest commitment was my Clarinet lessons. started when i was in Year 2, carried on until i obtained a Pass in Grade 8 ABRSM certificate in Year 10. i had to quit and give up on a diploma there because i was starting the IB diploma programme in Year 11...

this commitment is only rivalled by the dance classes i took. i did ballet from a young age until i was about 12~13, quitting just before en pointe shoes were introduced; i had also been in Chinese dance lessons from Year 1, so after quitting ballet i just focused on that until Year 10 as well (again, quitting to focus on my full-time diploma).

i also did Taekwondo as a child and obtained a black belt qualification by age 12. i quit once i did though, because again i couldn’t afford to juggle so many commitments the older i got and the more demanding my studies became.

perhaps the proudest extracurricular i’ve done is in my senior years of high school: i started and chaired the student committee as the editor in-chief for the school’s first student-ran and seasonal (now monthly) publication. it’s not student-ran either anymore because i guess the kids that came after the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 just dgaf about slightly more demanding extracurriculars that require organisation as long as they can earn their credits elsewhere (yes i’m salty, i’m allowed to be okay, it was my brainchild but apparently kids these days don’t care about having their voices heard if it means having to negotiate diplomacy with the adults in charge. god, how do they expect to survive in uni or in a workplace?)

11. What’s your favorite piece of work that you’ve ever created and what about it do you love so much?

hmm. i think for sure the prose poem i wrote about Light’s death in the anime. idk, the flow and the imagery is just a good concentrated example of what i could be capable of given the right tone and context. (of course, i’ve been trying hard to branch out in genres and forms, so that sort of language isn’t always applicable. but yeah, it remains my fave as a showcase of my best writing abilities ^_^)

and from @espiadimonis​:

1.If you could have one piece of death note merchandise of any kind, what would it be?

oh man! i’ve been pining after the Hot Topic official DN poker card deck for quite some time! i’ve checked Blue Banana while i was in the UK, but it’s not available there, and it’s not at Tokyo Toys either (they do sell a DN playing card deck, but it’s a lot cheaper in design :/)

2.What’s your favourite 3D animated movie?

does Lego Batman count? if not, then i guess Zootopia.

(there’s a reason these 2 are listed in my bio fandoms list like...)

3.What superpower would you like to have?

i used to always choose levitation / flying, but lately i’m not so sure. i’ve heard a lot of compelling arguments for other powers haha.

you know what, i’d trade for something as simple as better control of my own brain. i don’t care about mind control over others; i just want to be able to harness the best parts of my lightning fast thought processes and out-of-the-box thinking on my best days without being constantly tripped up by executive dysfunction like that on a metacognitive level.

4.Favourite piece of clothing?

my soft furry hoodie, which i’m wearing right now! <3

5.Who’s your favourite Sailor Scout?

i don’t have one, sorry! i was 4 when it aired on TV, so i don’t remember much from those years except the Sailor Moon t shirt i got courtesy of my aunt because it was all the rage back then... i’m sorry, but i have more vivid memories of Pretty Cure and Sugar Sugar Rune!

6.Do you prefer potato chips chocolate?

it is a good combo for sure! we are talking about Royce’s chocolate potato chips, right? (if you haven’t tried it get some next time you or a friend/family goes to Japan! we can buy it locally from like Citysuper or something, but i doubt they export it to any countries beyond East Asia haha)

7.What song makes you feel melancholic?

oh, Six Billion did last week. it left me feeling cold all over. an effect from the combination of the layered vocals and the instrumentals i guess. (is it in minor key? i’m sorry i can’t tell anymore, it’s been far too long since i’ve had any musical training. but if it’s in minor key it would explain why.)

there’s also some of the stuff off The Novembers’ catalogue... mostly 終わらない境界 from To (melt into), which was my daily commuting soundtrack at a time when i had brainfog on a regular basis, so yeah, anxiety and all that fun stuff :/

8.Which dn character would you invite to Spaceland(the amusement park)?

Sayu or Matsuda? they deserve a lot more than the hand canon dealt them. hmm maybe Rem too? but she wouldn’t be able to interact with a lot of the stuff there :/

9.What’s the funniest movie you ever watched?

i guess The Lego Batman Movie? i’m sorry i know i keep bringing this film up, but it’s comedic genius for a “kid’s movie”.

10.You can only choose one pokémon! Which one do you choose?

Blissey was gonna be my go to answer. she’s a tank, have you seen her? but is she really my fave mon? debatable. idk man. i really liked Vulpix/Ninetales as a kid... but dark and ghost types though!! okay i can’t choose, next question 

11.What made you happy recently?

i went to another poetry event last night and i met up with a friend i haven’t seen since September :P

#tag meme #long post

[comicteaparty]

November 1st, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on November 1st, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Littlelight Asylum by Julian Dominguez (Writer), Esther Pimentel (Artist), and Toben Racicot (Letterer).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Littlelight Asylum by Julian Dominguez (Writer), Esther Pimentel (Artist), and Toben Racicot (Letterer)~! (http://littlelightasylum.spiderforest.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

i think for me, my favorite scene is hands down when cthulhu shows up and lays the smack down. this might be biased from really liking to see cthulhu get around. but i also just kept being like "this squid kid reminds me of cthulhu" and then my assumptions were vindicated

keii4ii

Yup XD

I also liked seeing Eve get excited for the Crimson Archer

mathtans

That was pretty cool. I also liked just earlier when Eternal Flame was still the dork.(edited)

Yup, gotta imagine Eve squee face.

RebelVampire

yeah i liked the timing for it too. cause eve stonewalled for so long but then gotta have that little quieter squee when the actual hero showed up.

although i also liked when lilith was all squee but then immediately turned on the tsundere "its not like i like this at all" XD

mathtans

I like her personality. Vaguely Spock-like. She's sensible.

Eve, that is.

Also, MASSIVE bonus points for "drum roll". That was too good.

keii4ii

On a more subtle note though, I also liked that Eve hid the video games, AND that her gaming stash had both of the other characters' favorite games. Sometimes you wonder why/how some characters get along, and it's subtle details like that that grounds the relationship for me, by showing that they have more in common than it may seem.

mathtans

keii: That's an excellent point. She's a good friend.

Though how could you not get along with Hollow.

RebelVampire

i liked that moment too because i think it demonstrates both eve's intelligence and that for monster kids, taking away their stuff is really not that easy. so it was a moment that kind of did some subtle and excellent world building as well.

mathtans

I think Eve is the only one who can portal though.

keii4ii

Yeah

the person who took the stuff wasn't expecting it at all

mathtans

(And there's just this dude living in there, that was funny...)

RebelVampire

true but i dont doubt the others could find a way to hide their games. like lilith seems like shes 100% use magic....that would ultimately mess up in some fashion. hollow might be screwed unless he decides to bury his games in the backyard.

granted i wouldve thought headmistress light wouldve realized eve kind of has some op powers for someone her age

mathtans

Fair. I do think Light is happy so long as there's no destruction of property going on.

keii4ii

Though if the average monster kid is good at sneaking stuff around, I would think others would be more aware/skeptical

mathtans

I'm still trying to figure out my feelings about Lilith. She seems pretty self-absorbed.

keii4ii

She kinda seems like the meanie who hangs out with the good kids because she does get lonely, and no one else will tolerate her

RebelVampire

tbf tho their tolerance isnt the highest. since the first scenario they basically said "nope lilith has to clean up her own mess" until it wasnt possible for them to leave it alone

im interested in what shaped lilith's personality to be as it is

keii4ii

I found it interesting that she seemed to genuinely like Sona as a character, as opposed to just "I like her because her game is fun." Sona seemed like she had a decent personality (or maybe that's just my assumption based on "typical video game main characters" )

RebelVampire

nah sona had a nice personality cause she was all positive in the brief moment we see her. very opposite of lilith. so it makes me wonder if lilith has had a bit of a troubled childhood. like i mean dont get me wrong, shes mean. but given shes also a kid you always have to wonder how genuine it is and how much of it is putting on airs and acting in a way she thinks is expected of her.

cause i know her profile even mentions shes half demon or something. so she could be thinking "no im a demon gotta do the evil"

Superjustinbros

Hey there, just popping in to say hello since I'm a bit occupied with something else atm

if I can make it later I'll jump into the chat proper

(I do want to say briefly that this story has some appealing character designs)

keii4ii

It could be something like, she doesn't get along with the Less Evil of her parents (could be the demon, could be the other one), so she's latching onto evil being desirable. But that's a total stab in the dark at this point in time

RebelVampire

true. could be opposite in that the witch parent is more evil. or they could both be evil

QUESTION 2. The cast of the comic is colorful to say the least. Did any of the characters in particular strike you as interesting? If so, who and why? Why do you think Lilith is at the orphanage when she implies she has parents? Who are her parents and where are they? What about Eve and Hollow? Do you think they’re actually orphans or are there mitigating circumstances to why they’re at the orphanage? What do you think Eve’s implied connection to Cthulhu is? What about Hollow? Any theories that turn what we believe about Hollow on their head? Do you think the three main children will manage to stay friends despite their differences, or will one of them cause a rift?

keii4ii

I do think an "the friends have a fight, but realize it was silly and reunite to defeat a foe that they could not have defeated individually" episode is likely, though it's still early on and can't really say what might cause such a scenario

RebelVampire

i could argue thats sort of their whole relationship tho. the whole friends fight but reunite

cause even the first issue basically kind of does this

keii4ii

Yeah

But I mean something more... extreme

The first one seemed like a daily occurrence kinda thing

But like, something that makes them think, "great, I'll never talk to the other two again"

RebelVampire

actually what i hope happens is that lilith is the great ill never talk to the other two again

has a solo adventure but comes back

and eve and hollow are were like "what do you mean our fight and friendship breakup? we thought you were just being you"

keii4ii

If that happens, I would like to see it contribute to Lilith's character growth long term, even if very subtle

mathtans

Sorry, had to deal with little one here. Just to finish my earlier thought...

Lilith seems to have this need to prove herself to someone, so there's that, but she's not great at considering the consequences. Like even being forced to clean up the kitchen. It's an interesting counterpoint to Eve... and I guess since my personality's more like Eve, I have little issues.

I think Lilith was probably left at the orphanage by a relative who just couldn't deal any more... her parents were maybe going to come back to said relative's place at some time. Now Lil's trying to get their attention, maybe?

RebelVampire

maybe. i feel like something deeper is going on. cause normally if you couldn't deal with a child youre watching you just ship them back to their parents. not send them to an orphanage.

not to mention lilith is a bag of trouble

and if i was the headmistress and knew lilith had parents who didnt abandon her forever, i wouldve been like "oh whoops back to your parents you go"

although nobody might know where the parents are

maybe lilith's witch parent is as bad as magic

are trapped in a video game

mathtans

Yeah, I figured maybe it was a "no forwarding address" kind of thing. Possibly because one of them is wanted, and they don't want their ties to the kids to be an issue.

Heh, that'd be amusing, if Lilith's witch parent had the same trouble with spells. Came by it honestly.

As to parent/kid ties, I feel like Eve is maybe a reincarnation of Cthulu or something. Which is why she can channel subconsciously?

RebelVampire

or the secret child. cause i mean of course cthulhu would abandon a kid. not out of evil but cthulhu has evil cthulhu stuff to do. no time to be raising kids. but ya know, can make time to show up and say "dont you tocuh my kid weird demon fellow"

but reincarnation works too

never considered that

or maybe eve just is cthulhu

the only one

and that was just an astral projection of her power or something fancy like that

mathtans

Yeah, monster adults be busy and all. Speaking of, I wonder if the other beings are kind of in their own dimension somewhere? Or if there are pockets in the real world? I mean, seemed like a normal town not too far away.

Eve is a chibi-cthulhu.

RebelVampire

it could just be both cause this seems like one of them tricky magic worlds where every answer is probably plausible O_O

i want to know why hollow can breathe fire on a side note. like is this werewolf lore i dont know about XD

mathtans

They live in video games.

Hollow eats a lot of spicy peppers.

keii4ii

I'm not aware of fire-breathing werewolf lores, but now that I think about it, it'd be really cool(edited)

to see a howling wolf exhale a long stream of fire into the moon

mathtans

Maybe it comes from the human side. Born of one of those fire eaters in the carnivals and a werewolf.

keii4ii

Unlikely but not impossible: could be a loose reference to the eclipse dog that tried to eat the sun (and failed)

mathtans

Hm, not one I know of.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. The world of the comic is interesting to say the least. How do you think Littlelight Asylum manages to stay under the radar given its unique composition of occupants? Do you think we’ll see Mel again? Further, do you think Mel will manage to expose Littlelight Asylum for what it is, or will Mel’s efforts wind up in vain? How abundant do you think monsters are compared to humans anyway? What do you think would happen if normal humans found out about the orphanage? Will it turn out okay, badly, or do you think they have safety nets in place? Lastly, why do you think Headmistress Light continues the orphanage when it causes her many headaches and risks a lot?

RebelVampire

ive never heard of that one either but i dont mark it off as impossible either. it was just a weird detail that made me curious about hollow. granted tbf hes a wolf all the time so this def is a diff sort of werewolf

mathtans

Different rules and all... demons live in hats.

I think calling the place an "Asylum" is a good way to keep random visitors from showing up. Just saying.

Monsters must be more prevalent than one thinks though, if they're having relationships with humans? And if Mel has enough data to identify them as such?

I'm not sure about safety nets, btw. The best solution they had seemed to be get on the bus.

RebelVampire

well that orphanage alone was pretty populated from what it seemed. and having an orphanage implies that either 1) the population is large because generally you only have an orphanage that community raising isnt a viable option or 2) orphans in the monster world are extremely, extremely common and probably more orphans than kids with parents

thats a great point about asylum tho

that its used as a detterent

thats brilliant and i never considered that

mathtans

True, about the implications. It could also be that it's the only place on the entire Earth for them.

I wonder if anyone tries to send an actual human orphan to the place. Are they listed in the yellow pages?

RebelVampire

if they are actually using the asylum thing as a deterrent for humans, probably not

mathtans

About Headmistress Light... she may have inherited the place? It is sort of named after her.

RebelVampire

yeah her profile says as much

mathtans

Probably not. Unless you get a tax writeoff or something.

RebelVampire

that the place was her father's

mathtans

Ahh, I didn't recall the profiles.

RebelVampire

i assume she actually just cares about kids and knows that as monsters its not like they have anywhere else to go. cause you cant exactly send them to regular orphanages cause they might not understand the concept of not getting caught by a human lynch mob that well

mathtans

Yeah, I kinda feel the same. She also checked out the costumes before going into the town.

RebelVampire

i do think were inevitably going to see mel again. mel had too much potential as an antagonist

and i also think mel would be a good character way to show the human side of things

and how the humans might perceive monsters

and maybe actually show those preventitive measures

mathtans

Yeah, that does seem likely. I wonder what her damage is? Like, just give the weird monsters a chocolate and they'll leave you alone. You can then do all your plotting in secret.

Mel has her own issues, basically. ^^

I liked the explanation for why they went to her house even though they knew she was annoyed with them, btw.

Also, very topical for this time of year.

RebelVampire

yes. not even purposely timed XD

tbh tho i kind of also hope they turn mel into an ally

like show mel look we can go into the video games

and mel is like "ok this is cool i will help you now"

mathtans

Help them what though? Hide out? They've been pretty good at that.

Though it could be funny if Mel can cast spells properly, so Lilith gets advice from her.

RebelVampire

if not mel i do hope we get to see a more competent spell caster that can mentor lilith a bit. although i kind of hope all the kids get mentors. learn to become well-rounded ppl

QUESTION 4. The story is formatted in a way to offer lots of room for interesting scenarios. Are there any sorts of supernatural based scenarios you think might be interesting to see? Alternatively, is there something non-supernatural that you think it’d be interesting to watch the kids go through? Do you think we’ll see any of the antagonists from the previous scenarios again? If so, what do you think will happen? How many of the future scenarios do you think will be caused by Lilith’s magic going awry? Speaking of the supernatural though, what other sorts of cryptids or similar are you hoping to see character wise? Alternatively, is there a character you’ve seen already that you want to see more of based on their cryptid base?

RebelVampire

to answer one of those questions, id really like to see monster schooling. cause that must be a crazy mess

mathtans

I'm just trying to think of who'd be the mentors... might mix things up, have the wolves try to mentor Lilith...

I'm wondering if ghosts are a thing. Or contacting dead people. Particularly if parents are dead.

I hope the Lilith's magic going weird doesn't become a crutch... I liked how it was subverted a bit in the most recent one, where they were able to defeat the enemies.

RebelVampire

yeah. i do hope to see some character and skill growth

cause i really want lilith's magic to be useful at points

and for her to learn to maybe read the whole thing

and not invoke curses

mathtans

I feel like her learning might be a bit of a stretch. Could be interesting if they end up in classes though.

Like, are there spell casting classes?

RebelVampire

maybe

oh you know what i could forsee as a scenario

another witch joining the orphanage

that is way better at magic

mathtans

Ohh, that could be an interesting point.

Or even worse, like, gives Lilith a superiority complex.

RebelVampire

yeah that could happen to

unless the orphanage has that already, another witch. tbf id really like to see more of the kids in general. cause there were a lot of interesting and great designs already(edited)

and it could add to the kid's dynamic as well. like seeing how they interact with the others. cause lilith might not be the only one who's kind of outcasted from the other groups

mathtans

It's true. Maybe all three of the mains are kind of seen as the troublemakers by other kids too. So they end up by themselves.

Just looking at the character page again. It mentions that headmistress light has a power. Maybe she'll end up as a mentor?

Also, I wonder about Annabel there too.

RebelVampire

yeah. annabel i hope we get to see of more too. cause she looks sort of puppet or frankenstein like perhaps? so i want to know what her story is

granted i also want to know about bel too

i especially want to know how eve and hollow feel about bel

cause i assume they know bel exists

mathtans

Yeah, that would make sense.

Like, I would assume they figure he can't control Lilith any more than they can... so hmmm, what use is he?(edited)

RebelVampire

on the opposite end they might feel hes a bad influence on lilith

mathtans

Annabel could be a puppet, that might explain the pose after she fell off the ceiling, I hadn't considered that.

Maybe. Particularly if Bel's, like, reporting back to a witches council or something.

RebelVampire

he might just be a bad influence via not always discouraging lilith's crazy. you could make that argument at least

mathtans

Maybe he's really Lilith's dad in disguise.

RebelVampire

before the chat closes out, i want to add that i agree with super in that the character designs are really fantastic. theres a real great balance of detail and simplicity and i feel like all the designs really match the character theyre for.

mathtans

Dad's kind of a bumbling goof, doesn't want anyone to know. ^.^

Yeah, and I think the characters complement each other really well. Like, the more reserved sensible one, the off the wall random one, and the guy who's prone to excitement and is happy to be doing his best.

Even that second antagonist (if the ones at the start with the vines were the first), the Flame guy, he had some good motivations and things... and "eternal" wasn't just a catchphrase.

Btw, Hollow and Eve seem to share a room... does Lilith have a roommate, you think?

RebelVampire

well bel could technically be considered her roommate

probably just bel

lilith might spell another roommate into accident death

i liked eternal flame guy. he had the kind of over the top personality that is really fun

mathtans

There is always that danger.

RebelVampire

and i also liked that until cthulhu showed up he was op and able to beat children

mathtans

Extreme traits are interesting. Yeah, I liked the line "Oh, uh, are you with them" or whatever it was.

I suppose he could come back too, from the pocket dimension. Maybe he'll help to mentor them.

Anyway, should prove interesting to see what the next storyline is.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Julian Dominguez, Esther Pimentel, and Toben Racicot, as well, for making Littlelight Asylum. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Julian Dominguez, Esther Pimentel, and Toben Racicot’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://littlelightasylum.spiderforest.com/

Julian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boxboycomics

Esther’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gilly_thesilly

Toben’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TobenRacicot

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Anacrine Complex by Sae. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, November 8th, from 5PM to 7PM PST for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: http://pigeoncomic.com/

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