#most of the time these things are more interesting to take at face value & examine within the context of the work

[cuubism]

for @magnusbae

--

“Hob Gadling,” Dream says, and there’s a laugh deep in it, hidden in his eyes. “Am I to understand you’ve been engaging in petty theft?”

“I used to rob people on the road, and this surprises you?” says Hob, leaning against his kitchen counter. Then holds up a hand before Dream can respond. “Now, to be clear, my highwayman days are behind me. I’ve evolved. I’ve no interest in hurting people over riches. Also, would be bloody difficult to commit highway robbery nowadays.”

“I see you’ve thought it through,” says Dream from where he’s still lingering in the kitchen doorway. He clearly finds all of this highly amusing.

“I have, and rest assured, this theft was by no means petty. I’m pretty sure this is considered grand larceny.”

“Ah. I see it is no fun for you if decades of prison time are not on the line,” says Dream.

Hob winks at him. “Would you really let me go to prison for decades?”

Dream raises a haughty eyebrow. “I am your get-out-of-jail-free card?”

“Not getting caught is my get-out-of-jail-free card. You think I don’t know what I’m doing? You think I would do this for a lark without a plan?”

“Speaking frankly?” says Dream. “Yes.”

Hob laughs. “Alright, caught. But in my defense! It was for an important reason.”

Dream finally steps properly into the kitchen. “And what reason is that? I know you have no need for riches.”

“Wasn’t about need. Was only about charm. And getting in your good graces. And being the most irresistible and rakish boyfriend I can. Don’t think I didn’t see the way you looked at me at that first, portentous meeting.”

He lets Dream step in, closer and closer, like a predator with its prey. Doesn’t move. “You wish to give me the scrappy bandit I apparently so desired back then?”

“No apparently about it,” says Hob, and oh, it’s fun to be bold with Dream, now that he feels reasonably sure of not scaring him off. “But it’s okay, because I was even more weak for the prissy lord that you were. You know how much you could have gotten me to do if only you’d asked?”

Dream is standing right before him now, crowding him against the counter. His eyes gleam in the dark. “Does that include grand larceny?”

Hob laughs and lays his hands on his sides, feeling the taught realness of him, so much more dangerous than he’d thought of the lord he’d met in that tavern, and so much more glorious for it. “And more.”

He fishes the ruby from his pocket, letting it dangle on its long chain and catch the kitchen lights. He dips his head low as he holds it out to Dream. “A token of my affection. For my lord.”

Dream lets the gem fall into his palm, examining the fine cut of it. It doesn’t have the darkness, the strange angles of his now-broken dreamstone, but it’s still a gorgeous gem. Deep wine red, bottomless depths within the facets. Like Dream himself.

“A token?” He echoes, lips tugging up in a smile. “A courtly gift for one you have no need to court?”

“A small gift for one I am endlessly devoted to,” Hob says, and Dream’s eyes meet his again. There’s a smile in them, now, a real one. The gem is worth a bloody fortune, but Dream cares not for the monetary value of things. This is about the symbol, the game, the effort of it, and it seems it’s landed.

He does like pretty things, too. Hob knows it well.

“Put it on me, then,” Dream says.

He ducks his head for Hob to clasp the chain around the back of his neck. Hob kisses his forehead when he’s done.

The ruby sits against his breastbone, shining against the bare skin at the center of the deep vee in his shirt.

Hob squints. He could have sworn Dream was wearing something with more coverage when he arrived. “Did you… change your shirt?”

Dream smirks. “Perhaps. Such art requires its proper canvas.”

“Cheeky. You’re right, though.” Hob admires it on him, and sighs. So worth it.

Dream kisses his cheek, like they really are courting and he’s shyly accepting the gift. Hob takes hold of his face and pulls him into a proper one, one that’ll leave his lips as red as the gem. God, he better be able to convince Dream into wearing that and nothing else in bed. That sounds like a good way to die, if he ever were to choose one.

“How’d you find out about this, anyway?” he asks, letting his hands wander to Dream’s hair to keep him close.

“Matthew. He admitted that he helped you.” He doesn’t sound too upset about it, fortunately, for Matthew’s sake.

Hob sighs. “I tried to keep his involvement quiet. Blabbermouth.”

“He had fun, apparently,” says Dream wryly.

“Hope you won’t punish him too much.”

Dream smirks. “Just a little.”

“Going to punish me, then?” Hob says. It's meant to be challenging but he can’t keep the grin off his face.

Dream pushes him against the counter, hands pressed tight to his hips. “Hmm.” His voice rumbles through Hob’s body. His eyes are alight with fondness and danger both, and a shiver runs up Hob’s spine. “Just a little.”

#magnusbae #dreamling #dreamling fic #dream of the endless #hob gadling #my writing #1389 dreamling my beloved #thief hob my beloved

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Has anyone asked you about erisol?

If no, then what's your opinion on them! :-)

I feel like people will be upset at me for this, but a completely platonic and completely lukewarm mutual dislike... they don't really like each other, but take no great issue with each other either. The boys are not fightingggg

So like. A common thing in fandoms is taking things at face value and not really reading any deeper into them. You see this a shitton with Eridan in general - lots of people take it 100% at face value that he's a casteist genocide liker, when it's pretty clear upon further examination that he's pretty much lying about being casteist and doesn't actually want to murder his friends. So, at face value, Eridan hates Sollux, and either wants to do spadesies with him, or go ashen with him. And so this has become a really popular ship, but the thing is... at basically every turn, the story kind of goes out of its way to point out that there's actually nothing between them. At least romantically.

See, Eridan does not actually hate Sollux, at least not to the level of pitch/ashen. TWICE before Sollux and Feferi start hanging out all the time, we see Eridan commenting on Sollux in a fairly neutral-negative way - the first time calling him "a drama machine" and noting that "it is fuckin pathetic," and the second time as "the dead guy who saved [Feferi]". And let's be clear about the former, Eridan is just kind of Like That, he's rude as fuck even about people he LIKES (calling his BFF Karkat an "assblood" and sarcastically referring to Feferi by her royal titles), so that's actually one of the less nasty things he's said about someone.

Meanwhile, on Sollux's end, he LITERALLY says "not interested" to what he perceives as pitch/ashen advances from Eridan. Like, actually just says those words out loud. Not even in a pesterlog, he actually just says those words with his mouth.

So it seems to me that there's a pretty clear case to be made here that Eridan and Sollux kind of just... don't really give a shit about each other, and probably wouldn't have interacted in any substantial way if not for Feferi's involvement. Especially because Eridan's chosen method of hitting on Sollux is with casteism, something he's already faking in the first place.

If we really want to dig into this, though, it's kind of - in my eyes - a lukewarm case of the hedgehog dilemma. They're a bit too similar, and it winds up causing them both mild pain to get too close.

They're both nihilists that kind of hate themselves. Sollux's mutated brain causes him a not-insignificant amount of discomfort, his visions of the future and of the "imminently doomed" have made him lose a lot of hope, and he blames himself for killing Aradia, something so painful that he didn't tell anyone else she died, to the point where most of the team - including Terezi and Tavros - had to find out after entering the game. Meanwhile, Eridan struggles with the perceived inevitability of a lifestyle that causes him nothing but distress, and his constant, overwhelming anxiety about it leads to constant stressing over whether or not he's "good enough"; whenever he's in severe emotional distress, he starts beating up on himself.

They also both front at being more okay with their problems than they actually are. Sollux has his 1337 hacker, two cool for you persona that he puts on, and Eridan is always trying to be the big bad sea dweller. For example, Sollux goes "I'm not trolling the humans, it's beneath me," but he's in Jade's trollslum, so the implication there is that he totally did try trolling, it went badly for him, and now he's pretending that he was always better than that. And I don't think I need to tell you how hard Eridan works to try and present himself as badass and scary and totally not deep in the throes of emotional anguish at all times.

And these are the similarities that ultimately make Erisolsprite so stable. Erisolsprite speculates that maybe the reason he hasn't exploded yet is that deep down, he loves to suffer. The truth is, there's nothing between the two that's really so objectionable that they would ACTUALLY hate each other; Eridan isn't actually casteist, and Eridan never really hated Sollux in the first place.

Neither would they bring each other any comfort or joy - Eridan doesn't have any sympathy for Sollux's baggage, since, like, what, he only killed ONE person, and was even under mind control, so it's not like it was really his fault. He's a drama machine. And Sollux wouldn't have sympathy for Eridan's problems, partially because they manifest in such cringeworthy, embarrassing ways (and Sollux is highly sensitive to not being cringe, seeing as he's always commenting on other people being embarrassing or overly earnest), and partially because - I mean, fuck it, he's a rich-ass sea dweller who doesn't need to worry about being harvested to be a battery for a living ship. And also he's an idiot.

That's kind of what their relationship is to me, you know? A tepid and lukewarm dislike. They're just similar enough to each other to understand the other, and just different enough to be like "ugh, but that guy suuuuuuuucks". It's very funny, but not really a ship, hahaha.

So what you really get from that is two guys that just kind of dislike each other. Not vehemently or diametrically enough for pitch or ashen, and not a trace of the requisite pity for flushed or pale. When you throw the two together into one sprite, it won't shut up about how much it hates itself, how each part of itself is flabberghasted by the other, and how much practically the only reason it doesn't explode is a resounding "meh."

Eridan likes to validate his despair; ironically, since it's all he's ever known, it's where he feels comfortable - and nobody would provide better doomscrolling material than the doom player. Similarly, Sollux likes to torment himself, suffering his guilt in silence, and Eridan has SO MUCH to feel guilty over. Combine them into one entity, and you have a guy who can reach SUCH levels of revelling in his own misery, you don't even KNOW.

Not that it's healthy or positive for either of them... just that it would be incredibly stable. It's their worst tendencies being satisfied by each other. Maybe that's a form of leprechaun romance, but it's certainly not a quadrant.

#homestuck #eridan ampora #sollux captor #admittedly sollux is one of the trolls i'm still working on grasping #and this post should also in no way be taken as 'stop shipping them' because idfc #ship what you want who cares hussie has already been driven away with jeering and sneering #i just was always kind of fascinated by the endurance of the ship #despite pretty much every piece of canon involving these two pointing to the fact that they just. kind of dont like each other #but in a platonic way

[tavtime]

One of the things I've been thinking a lot about (as I very, very slowly write my longfic about it) is this theme in BG3 of conflict between gods or godlike authorities versus ordinary people. I think the things it has to say about how "the Great and the Good" treat people they consider their inferiors, and where real power is actually located in that dynamic, are very interesting.

Like. Ok. Literally every full companion's personal arc is concerned with that companion being used as a pawn by an actor with greater scope of influence than themselves: Karlach is on the run from Zariel; Lae'zel finds herself in direct conflict with her people's god-queen; Shadowheart's entire relationship with Shar is dependent on her compliance to being bent to Shar's purposes at the expense of all other connections; Mystra tells Gale to blow himself up to earn her forgiveness and derail a competing power. Even Astarion and Wyll, who aren't beholden to gods per se, are struggling against being manipulated by those who hold sway far beyond the scope of their own (Cazador is not just powerful as a vampire but implied to be socially powerful as well, and Wyll's conflict is not just with Mizora but also his father in his capacity more broadly representing the needs of Baldur's Gate).

And the interesting thing with each of these, what gets brought up time and again, is that these gods and betters aren't actually the ones exercising power over the situation. They're trying, via manipulation of those in service to them, but they aren't actually exerting influence directly in most cases. The implication is of indifference, impotence, or being themselves beholden to a greater power (Gale does make an offhand comment re: how willing Ao would be to overlook Mystra's interference in mortal affairs). The people who actually end up exercising power in this situation are the little people, the ones nominally being used.

Which, Thing One, I think this is a very intentional storytelling choice that yields fantastic contrast to the interactions between the controlled party and the antagonists. The Dead Three are a threat in large part because they were willing to get their handa dirty and operate on the material plane. The first real boss the player faces, Ketheric, is not just chosen of Myrkul directly wielding some of his power, but transforms physically into his avatar. Orin and, to a lesser extent, Gortash as well, can be analyzed along similar lines.

But Thing Two, which I think is really the thing I want to spend the most time turning over, is that the story takes a pretty clear position on moral and personal value in this situation. Basically, in the conflict between the ordinary people of the world and its gods and paragons, the narrative comes down very firmly on the side of the people who are considered pawns or disposable. The protagonists are the ones winning this fight, not their gods, and every time a character gets the opportunity to rise above their "station" to be on equal footing with those powers it's framed negatively. Durge embracing Bhaal, Astarion completing the Ascension, Shadowheart becoming a Dark Justiciar, Gale reforging the crown, Karlach becoming a mind flayer, any Tav or Durge choosing to dominate the brain - all of these involve the character gaining a large amount of power, and all of them are framed by the narrative as "bad endings" (though whether you as the player personally feel differently about them is left up to you, of course). The sole exception to this might be Wyll, who has the opportunity to step into his father's shoes, but even then, there is some aspect of power only being framed as "good" when it is used in service of the people.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that there is an allegory here about class conflict and the power inherent to ordinary people which I think is worthwhile to examine, and is a crucial part of any thorough analysis of BG3's themes.

#and don't even get me started on withers as a pov for the hand of the author. i could talk about that funky little dude all day #this is by no means world shattering or original analysis of an rpg lmao. but it is taking up space in my brain #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #karlach #wyll #shadowheart #gale #lae'zel #long post #meta

[jeannereames]

Dr. Reames, a simple question from someone interested in history but who is not part of the academic world: in order to study Alexander the Great and Ancient Greece in general, how much Ancient Greek does one have to learn? Would you need to learn Demotic Greek or the many other dialects, such as the one from Macedonia? As in, you’d need to learn one or more versions of Ancient Greek?

Thank you in advance! I always enjoy your responses!

How Much Greek Do I Need to Read about Alexander?

It depends on how far you want to go…what’s your end-goal?

If you’ve no desire to make it a profession, the good news is you need very little Greek.

Most ancient Greek and Latin texts are available in translation in the major languages of (European) Classical studies: English, French, German, Italian. Now, if you want them in Polish, or Japanese, or Bengali, you’ll have more of an issue. But the Loeb Classical Library (and LOEB ONLINE) has English translations of virtually all extant (still existing) Greek and Latin sources, and if you’ve got access to a (larger) college library, they probably have them, even if you have to ask them to get things out of storage. Latin is red (PA6156); Greek is green (PA3612). Budé is the French version of Loeb, btw.

Loeb texts also have Greek and Latin on the facing page, but I mention them because they’ve got translations of (almost) everything. One can find cheaper versions without the Greek/Latin from Penguin, Oxford, et al. But those don’t have, say, Aelian, or Athenaeus, or the obscure texts of Plutarch’s Moralia. Loeb does. That said, the Alexander histories (Arrian, Curtius, Plutarch, Diodoros, and Justin) are all available in relatively cheap translations. Much earlier, in answer to a different ask, I listed our main sources on Alexander, extant and lost. It’s a longer read, but perhaps of interest.

(See below for more online sources in translation.)

So, no, you don’t need Greek. But, if you’re at least moderately serious about reading beyond pop history, you will want to learn a few Greek words to better “get” Greek sensibilities. Say, timē (τιμή), which means honor/public standing/esteem, but has all these attendant connotations. If you start reading the Serious Stuff (articles and academic books), authors will throw these around so it’s useful to know them, as they tend to carry an entire freight of meaning we don’t want to explain every time we use them. These are words I make my students learn in my intro to Greek History class (2510), so there aren’t many. (Undergrads put up with only so much, ha.) For Alexander, it’s also useful to know the Greek names of some units, such as the Somatophylakes (the royal Bodyguard of 7), or the Hypaspists (the specialist hoplite phalanx, not the same as the Foot Companions), or even the name of the long pike (sarissa). But you can make do quite well with a vocab of maybe 30± Greek terms.

It's only if you want to pursue research at the advanced (graduate) level that you’d need Greek. Even then, it’s mostly Attic Greek. The only time you’d need dialects is for quite specific study and/or epigraphy (inscriptions). Epigraphers are language specialists. Most of us, even the “pros,” don’t work at that level. But yes, if you’re getting into extensive examinations of passages, it’s good to understand the language for yourself, not have to trust a translation. Translations are, by definition, interpretations.

I hope that encourages some folks to embark on reading the original (primary) sources. Of more import for these is to understand HISTORIOGRAPHY. Even those who can read the Greek, but lack historiographic training, tend to take stuff at face-value when they shouldn’t.

Go HERE for a discussion of historiography (with regard to Alexander). Again, it’s part of a specific ask, but I explain why we need to know something about the historians who are writing our texts, in order to understand those texts. It’s another longer read, but essential.

Almost forgot! If you prefer video, I've also talked about the sources on TikTok: Part I: Intro & Lost Alexander Sources and Part II: Extant Alexander Sources

Some Useful Online Sources to Bookmark:

Perseus (at Tufts.edu): clunky as hell because it’s old (in internet years), but indispensable. English/Greek/Latin/other texts in translation and original language, plus all sorts of other tools, including an image bank. Pitfall: these are translations outside copyright, so old and sometimes problematic. Still, it’s free, and so-so much stuff here. Every person dealing with the ancient Med world has this one on speed-dial. (You can find other online sources with various texts, but Perseus has, again, almost everything; it’s the online Loeb.)

Stoa Org Static: a version of the original where you don’t have to sign in. Takes you to various super-helpful pages, including the Online Suda (a Byzantine encyclopedia you can search: look up “Hephaistion” there. *grin*) Bunch of other helpful links.

Wiki Digital Classicist hypertext list of topics ranging from the Beasley Library (of pottery) to the Coptic Gnostic Library and various online journals. Just click around, see what’s there.

Topos Text: clickable map of places which includes all references to them in ancient sources. So if, say, you want to know where X places is, mentioned in Arrian, you can find it on the map.

PHI Searchable Greek Inscriptions: I have used the tar out of this. It’s much easier than Inscriptiones Graecae, and comes with English translations.

More Online Resources: more links. This is just one of various collections out there.

Again, ALL this stuff is free. Even when you may have to pay (like Loeb Online), the amount of material you can now lay hands on even without a uni library is fantastic.

JSTOR: requires a subscription, but, if you’re a college student or can get access via a uni library, you can look up material for free. Problem: JSTOR has different subscription packages, and only the really big Class-A Research schools have large holdings for Classics. I’m regularly foiled in things I need, as my library is smaller. I use ILL (Interlibrary Loan) a lot. If you can’t get what you want via your school JSTOR or ILL, sometimes you can purchase a solo copy of an article via JSTOR Google Scholar. But (hint) always check the journal’s website itself. It might be cheaper there! (The Ancient History Bulletin, for instance, is super-cheap; check their archives. Karanos [Macedonia only] is FREE.) Same thing sometimes with books. Certain publishers have rental options, Open Access, etc.

Also Academia.edu first: Your savior…if the author is a member, and has uploaded the paper you want. We frequently face restrictions on what we’re allowed to upload, and when. Yet we may list an article we can’t yet release publicly. That doesn’t mean we won’t send it to you privately via email if you message us and ask nicely. 😊 Especially if you’re not providing an entire wishlist, or asking for a book for free. It depends on the person, and whether they have a PDF.

#asks #greek language #alexander the great #studying the classics #Classics #source on Alexander the Great #How much Greek do I need? #ancient Greece #ancient Macedonia

[violet-lazer]

First Kisses : Papal Edition - Primo

Content / Warnings : Primo/Reader, Mostly Fluff, Gender-Neutral Reader, 753 words. Thanks, please enjoy! (AO3)

Your first kiss with Primo.

It’s your own enthusiasm that betrays you as you hastily round a corner in the Ministry gardens and promptly stumble over the leg of a decorative stone bench, launching yourself spectacularly towards the ground. You brace for an impact that doesn’t come. Instead, unexpectedly strong arms grasp your waist and prevent you from sprawling across the floor.

“You are late,” Primo says, gently easing you upright. “Are you alright?”

You’re alright. Well, actually, you managed to graze your hand on the traitorous bench on the way down, but that’s what you get for rushing. It’s the same bench Primo has evidently been waiting for you at, for your weekly demonology-for-beginners study session. The one you’re running very late to.

“Yes,” you say. The pain of embarrassment is worse than the sting of your palm. 

Unsatisfied, Primo looks you over. His eyes are keen, and he locates your graze immediately. Before you can protest, he carefully takes your hand in his and brings it close to inspect the damage. He hums.

“So eager to see me, hm?”

Slowly, he lowers his head and presses a kiss to your palm. It’s soft enough that the pressure doesn’t hurt, but it’s deliberate. He’s warm. Ah. Well. You weren’t expecting that. He’s holding your gaze and you’re certain you’re blushing.

“I always want to see you, Papa,” you confess. 

Primo has a stare that pulls all sorts of secrets out of you, but it’s hard to mind. You think you might be his favourite. You hope you’re his favourite. You don’t see him inviting any other Siblings for private lessons.

“And yet, you are late,” he says with a sigh.

He’s not wrong, and you know how Primo values punctuality, but in your defence, you’re late for a good reason. Well. You’re vacillating between it being a good reason and an unspeakably cringeworthy reason, but it seems like it might be time to confess. Gingerly, you reach into your pocket.

It’s maddening when someone permeates your mind to the point that silly things remind you of them. Case in point: you see a mildly interesting plant and you think of Primo. It’s relentless. And this morning, you’d been thoroughly on-track and on-time when you’d dropped your keys in a patch of grass just outside the living quarters. When you bent down to pick them up you’d come face to face with that most elusive treasure: the four-leaf clover.

Now. You know Primo is more into archaic rituals and portents of doom than trite symbols of good luck. Four-leaf clovers weren’t really…Satanic. A bit too cheerful and overdone. He wouldn’t have any use for it. After all, who needs luck when you can chat to Lucifer? But. Still. There was nobody else you could even imagine sharing your find with. You’d debated with yourself for a good seven minutes before you quietly picked the clover and tucked it into your pocket. And then you’d realised how late you were and had almost broken into a sprint.

So here you are, presenting a devoted follower of the Old Ones a four-leaf clover. Primo looks at you with an expression you can’t quite place. Then, slowly, he takes it from you.

“Ah. Thank you.” After a moment of examination, he carefully tucks it into his robes.

The need to explain yourself is absolutely crashing over you. 

“I thought of you,” you begin, and then you stop. You have another go. “I know it’s silly, but-”

Primo’s arms are around your waist. He pulls you in, gently but firmly, until you’re almost pressed against his chest. Wordlessly, you reach up and lace your fingers around his neck, and as you look into his eyes you can feel your heart in your throat. Your palm doesn’t hurt a bit any more.

“And I think of you,” he says. “Often.”

When he leans down to kiss you, you meet him halfway. You want to make up for lost time- the weeks you’ve been sneaking glances at him as he reads your study notes, the unnecessary questions you’ve found yourself asking in a bid to borrow him for just a little longer. The notion that your interest is reciprocated makes your head spin. Primo kisses softly but insistently, grasp firm on your waist, holding you tightly against him. You part your lips to kiss him more deeply and he hums, content. 

What’s wrong with leaning into superstition every now and again? Here, wrapped in Primo’s arms, you feel like your luck might be changing.

#the band ghost #the band ghost fanfic #primo #primo x reader

[adelrambles]

I am so sorry I promise I’ll stop spamming you about Bishop now (maybe.)

Do you think Bishop could ever be in a healthy relationship? What would the dynamic be like with evil Bishop versus Fast Forward Bishop?

And no I don’t mean Stockshop. 😭

Oh no worries at all I'm enjoying your questions!! Please feel free to spam to your heart's desire. Sorry it took so long to get around to this one, I have admittedly not put much thought into Bishop in romantic scenarios, so I had to think on it a bit!

So, could Bishop ever be in a healthy relationship? Short answer NO. NOT AT ALL LOL

Slightly longer answer, there is some potential depending on how you like to interpret Fast Forward!Bishop. I think it's impossible for Present-day Bishop to be in any sort of healthy romance (and I'll go into way more detail than neccessary about that below 👍) but if you take FF's presentation of the character at face value, there's certainly a possibility.

So long answer, Bishop is one of the single most self-centered, unexamined people to walk the damn earth. There are a lot of factors that go into why he would be just, the absolute worst in a relationship, but the biggest issue is he doesn't give a shit about anybody but himself. If we throw everything else out and consider a hypothetical where he enters a relationship for the relationship's sake, he is not capable or willing to see things from a partner's perspective. In any disagreement he will be unwilling to consider he could be wrong, and will go to great lengths to ensure the other person concedes or backs down. He is a paranoid control freak who would not stand for anything less than being agreed with and obeyed, and he is perfectly willing to break someone down to achieve that. And in a scenario where, indeed, his interest is actually in the other person, we know he has a terrible possessive streak. As long as his interest holds, there is no out for the hypothetical partner. He is going to be emotionally and mentally abusive at best.

Moving more to the particulars of what he'd want a relationship for, it's worth pointing out that Bishop is very single-minded and relentless in his ultimate goal. I find it very difficult to consider a scenario where any single person would be considered worthwhile enough to distract him from that. We've seen him willing to sacrifice personal friends in-canon for the sake of his experiments, (if you ascribe to the theory that J. Finn was mutated on purpose to some degree,) so his work is ALWAYS going to come first. But that's the nicer option, because there is always the possibility that he would consider a relationship if it benefitted his greater goal (OR fed his ego tbh.) In which case, he's only in it for what he can get out of the other person, and the second they've outlived their usefulness to him, well-- I guess it depends on how much sensitive information they know, by that point.

But, okay! Let's consider President Bishop. He's certainly less likely to lure in a partner just to use them and then dispose of them, so he has that going for him. With him, there is a lot of room for how you want to interpret his "change of heart." You could take it at as presented in the show, or read more into his actions based on what we know about his past. Personally, I prefer the latter, but I'll examine both for the sake of thoroughness, and also for funsies.

So let's assume Bishop is being genuine in how he acts, first. In this case, I think there's a decent chance he could learn to be a good partner, though I don't think he'd start out that way and I doubt it'd come naturally to him loL. His job requires a lot of time and attention from him, and he is always going to prioritize it; he is, after all, "a bigger picture kind of guy." Kindness does not come naturally to him, so in times of stress he may default to meaner actions. However, he is also pretty effective in learning and adapting, so with good communication he probably won't make the same mistakes too often. In this scenario I think time constraint really is the biggest obstacle, given his job.

Now, assuming his Good Guy act is just a mask for politics? He's still pretty damn toxic. Bishop's tactics have changed, but his personality remains pretty similar. I'm not sure his pleasant demeanor goes that deep, once you get into more than small talk. It's a necessity for his job, but he still appears to be cold and utilitarian underneath it. He still thinks he's right about everything, and based on the insidious ways he phrases his own backstory to always shift blame away from himself, (even throwing Stockman under the bus, STILL, just to look better in comparison,) he's gotten a LOT better at making it feel like he is always in the right. What you've got is a Bishop who can lie, persuade and charm better, who also still doesn't care about much beyond protecting his territory and using the people around him. This presents us with a partner who, unlike 2000s-era Bishop, is far FAR more subtle with his abuse. And again, heaven forbid he actually genuinely has an interest in his hypothetical partner, because now he has galactic-wide surveillance and public sway on top of the immortality, and they're never getting away.

I hope that answers to satisfaction! Honestly while it's not my cup of tea it is really interesting to examine this facet of his character, so thank you for the question!!

#asks #I don't ship Stockshop anyway but if they were to be together it would be HORRIBLE #Bishop's already abusing the dude and he doesn't even like him #not uh. not that you asked. but #the way my friend Trauma characterizes them is excellent tho chef's kiss shoutout to that guy #I know there's been some new writers on the scene regarding this too that I've been meaning to check out! just haven't gotten around to it #Megaman has suddenly grabbed me by the throat #agent bishop #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2k3

[vampirepunks]

Yeah, unfortunately I feel like many got caught up in the scifi-ness of Death Stranding, and missed that much of it is about how we as humans deal with both life and death, and how we approach both.

Amelie/Bridget is very interesting, in that she is simultaneously both very flawed and human, yet also very inhuman, like shes a human incarnation of a force of nature. I feel like theres a lot of parallels between her and princess kaguya, and the more fickle/destructive/harmful kami in japanese folklore. It's why I feel like she's the hardest to empathize and forgive out of all the characters in the game

It's easy to lose that sense of metaphor and abstraction! Death Stranding is a very visceral, cool piece of media with characters that feel almost too real. Sam and Higgs are like close personal friends to me at this point, I can't imagine not having those characters in my life. At the same time, there's value in the big picture perspective.

I took a humanities class last semester called "Death, Dying, and Grief" taught by a grief specialist that's informed a lot of my interpretations about Death Stranding. Never in my life have I been through a more emotionally difficult class, but it was a personally meaningful experience too. The first day, we discussed human mythologies about the immortal man, e.g. Christ, Heracles, and then moved on to afterlife conceptualizations, both things that act as coping mechanisms for our mortality; they're ways to reject our ability to die. Death Stranding examines such notions head-on.

There's a lot of critique surrounding how society thinks about death, altruism, immortality, connection, and the hero's journey. Sam is both immortal and a messiah figure, his story revolves around the burden associated with not being able to die and the under-acknowledged, singular suffering of loneliness that comes with martyrdom. To a degree I've seen in almost no other media, Death Stranding openly states that being the chosen one fucking sucks. Sam's "why me?" attitude reflects the tearful pleadings of Christ in Gethsemane, saying, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." Sam does not take the hero's journey in the typical sense, he's dragged along almost by force and, just like Christ, was never once given the choice to not be the sacrifice. He was ripped from the grave of his mother's womb, shoved into a BB pod, and then severed from the natural cycle of life and death. No matter you frame it, Amelie/Bridget stole something important from him. There's an ongoing theme about that: "He ain't human." That's one of Sam's dialogues in the final waltz with Higgs, as he rants about how nobody cares if he dies, nobody cares if it hurts, because he'll just come right back. His suffering isn't seen as important or even relevant. It's expected, demanded of him. This comes back to the point about empathy, because the people in Sam's life have shown him very little. They don't really care what he wants, only what he can provide, what utility he serves, what he represents. He's a sacred idea to them, not a person, not the man who used to be a scared little boy who didn't want to leave the Beach every time he went, who developed aphenphosmphobia because touch was neglected in his childhood development. Other characters don't acknowledge his most basic boundaries; Fragile even gets in his face at one point as a social authority flex, continuing to advance on him as he's backing away. His fear of touch is solely treated as an inconvenience and a tool of social control. (Which, as someone with my own phobia, pisses me off, and I was in his corner from day one, shouting "stop fucking touching him!" at the screen.) Only Higgs can touch him in a way that doesn't trigger his fear response, and he's the only one who truly treats Sam like an equal. All of this resonates with the demands people made of Christ throughout the gospels, and it calls out how deification of an individual or character is inherently dehumanizing and destroys basic empathy.

Bringing Amelie into this discussion, there's a stark similarity to the themes in NBC Hannibal; to be divine is to be inhuman, cold, distant, detached, without empathy or remorse. Just as Hannibal deifies Will Graham, making him less human, and Will Graham humanizes Hannibal, making him less than a god, Sam humanizes Amelie and she deifies him. She stole a piece of his humanity and absorbed it into herself ("I had no idea I was alive until you told me") and as such, Amelie exists in a state between humanity and ethereal other-ness. She isn't human, but also she is... but also she isn't, you get me? There's a very Lovecraftian element to it, in that there's aspects of Amelie's nature that can't be understood from a human frame of reference, things about her that are beyond mortal comprehension. The Beach exists on a plane above time, which is one of the most crucial elements of how humans understand themselves and the world.

I strongly believe Amelie is subservient to a larger, more powerful force, whether that's a god-like individual/collective or another force of the cosmos itself, or some in-between intangible, primordial entity. As evidenced by Amelie saying she didn't have a choice, that the extinction has to happen, and that she/Bridget felt like the ha-ka split was the Beach's way of punishing her actions and keeping her focused on her responsibilities as the EE. I imagine DS2 will delve into this.

I'm not familiar with Princess Kaguya but I'll definitely take it as a recommendation, so thanks for that, dear anon. As for the concept of kami, that definitely speaks to Amelie's thematic role and the essence of her being. As a human, her actions are unforgivable to many of us, but it's hard to apply the same judgment to a natural element. A fire is not evil for burning down your house, a tsunumi is not evil for destroying a city, those things just are, etc. Treating Amelie as an exclusively human woman is a sunk-cost, as she exists beyond that. Spite directed towards her is, in many ways, similar to spite directed at fate, nature, or God, she's simply personified in a way that makes her seem human. Schrodinger's humanity, if you will. Bridget was the human side of the EE, and seemingly lost her sense of expected empathy due to her disconnection from her soul; she was the head, Amelie was the heart. There's also all kinds of parallels to draw from other mythologies, such as that of Hel, the fates, and Ammit. Academically, her story is fascinating. I'm fiercely invested in and protective of Sam and Higgs (blorbo disease), but I'm not above acknowledging the narrative intent surrounding her character for what it is. I do not, however, believe she's supposed to be babygirlified (nor is Higgs) and excused of the harm she did. All characters in DS are implicitly intended to be held responsible for their actions, hence why I'd like to see Higgs be redeemed through making amends rather than absolved of his sins entirely. I want a good ending for him, and I want him to be loved and happy, but there's a long path of redemption that he needs to go through for that to happen. I relate it to examples like Sylar from Heroes (my first villain crush) or Zuko from ATLA; he can be forgiven, but he has to prove he can do better to stay forgiven.

This turned into a whole rant but yeah, TLDR: Death Stranding is powerful social commentary on matters like death and empathy, it's valuable to zoom out and analyze its overall messages sometimes, Sam is the best Jesus parallel I've ever seen, Amelie isn't specifically human and can't be treated as such, and DS advocates forgiveness as a powerful force of human connection.

Since I dove down the analysis rabbit hole, tag list:

@goldenbridgessss @pylonium @rubensmuse

Context post

#death stranding #higgs monaghan #sam porter bridges #amelie strand #anon #logan answers

[ladyloveandjustice]

Summer 2023 Anime Overview: Ooku

Ooku: The Inner Chambers

Premise: The story of Ooku: The Inner Chambers is an alternate history taking place during Japan’s Edo period. After a mysterious plague starts wiping out most of the men in Japan, social upheaval occurs and female shogun take the reigns. Meanwhile there's the Ooku, a group of attractive young men who must stay in Edo castle and serve the shogun, often in the bedroom. Some men in unfortunate circumstances get involved with the Ooku and all the upheaval within...

Ooku: The Inner Chambers is a fascinating take on alternate history where women are supposedly in power, because it show how even when the male population declines, misogyny still persists and things don’t get any easier for women. The misogynist systems are still in place, and some men become even more highly valued because of their scarcity, even as their roles change. Even the women thrust into power still suffer and face limitations due to their gender. It feels more true to life compared to other role-reversal stories, much like how simply putting a woman in charge of a company won't necessarily make it a better place for other women. Historical events in Ooku still unfold similarly to how they did in our timeline, but the context around them heavily changes.

If you’re interested in history, political drama and/or examination of gender roles and toxic systems, I really encourage you to check out Ooku because there’s a ton to chew on. There’s also some well-developed but fraught romance to appreciate as well. The characters are complicated and at times detestable, but you can always see the humanity beneath.

Some might struggle a bit with the story because of how dark it can be (there’s rape, death and abuse aplenty), but it doesn’t really revel in the darkness, and presents it very straightforwardly. Also, while while you don’t need a great understanding of Japanese imperial history to appreciate it, it greatly enhances it. The animation is also pretty limited, which makes some of the kissing scenes incredibly awkward, but mostly the anime does a decent job hiding how limited it’s resources are with detailed character designs that do a lot of talking anyway. (The art in the manga is much better; I prefer putting up with stiff animation rather than dealing with the official English manga’s faux-Shakespearean translation, but that’s very YMMV).

Still, Ooku is a great story for those who like complex characters, sociological themes, and tantalizing what-ifs. As it's a dense, historical josei show without amazing production values,  it’s likely to be overlooked, but you owe it to yourself to give it (or the manga) a shot.

#ooku: the inner chambers #ooku #summer 2023 anime #anime #anime overview #my reviews

[chwe-y]

i think one of the most interesting things about the brothers hawthorne and the entire inheritance games series is this commentary on nature and nurture, like all four boys were raised by tobias hawthorne and you can see the evidence of that through how they navigate and interact with the world, they take nothing at face value everything is something to be picked apart and examined they all have these intricate little complexes courtesy of grandad of the year and they've all chosen to deal with their tobias hawthorne induced trauma in different ways and this is where we see how similar they are to their respective fathers. we see this a little with nash and xander but a lot more in the brothers hawthorne with grayson and jameson who's fathers and families we get to learn a lot more about and i like that what the books seems to suggest is that while we may be cut from the same cloth as our parents its our choices that kind of define who we are, the boys are a perfect mix of nature and nurture, at end when jameson chooses to save zella and give up the game and branford tells him ian would have let her fall we see the kind of man jameson is, like simon said he's a man with honour, he has all these little bits of ian and tobias but he's become this third better thing and when branford says jameson is more like him than his dad is that like the first time jameson's been compared to a positive adult figure lol? and the same with grayson in this book at so many points he notices the similarities between him and sheffield but those similarities are apparent in savannah as well and he likes savannah so maybe those traits aren't inherently bad just bc they come from this man who didn't want him, and again its grayson's choices at the end that make him different than sheffield. and im probably not explaining this properly but i just thought the nature vs nurture debate being "what if its actually nature and nurture" was really cool and also kind of funny coz yeah i can relate

#the brothers hawthorne spoilers #the brothers hawthorne #jameson hawthorne #grayson hawthorne

[portablenetworkgraphic]

I’m going insane over here. Ok. Strap in. I’ve got a lot to say.

I’ve already made a couple posts about this but the thoughts are running rampant in here and I think I’ve got some more in depth topics I want to get into this time.

(really long post its like 1.5k words so dont click on it if u dont wanna scroll thru all that LOL)

First off, we’ve got the voting system. I have… a lot of gripes about the voting system. I’ll preface this statement with maybe I’m wrong, because I haven’t spent a lot of time interacting with the fandom, but it seems like a lot of people are taking the voting system at face value. The premise is simple, after all. Examine the prisoner, assess their crime, and decide whether you think it was justifiable, right? But there’s a twist, obviously. Your verdicts have a direct impact on the prisoners. And you are speaking through the audience surrogate, the warden at Milgram prison, Es. Es is very interesting to me. Despite being a clear self insert, they absolutely exhibit personality of their own, and thought processes and decisions that aren’t influenced by the audience at all. A perfect unreliable narrator. They aren’t a character at first as much as a lens to see the prison through. From the very beginning, they insist on the same thing: job first, questions later. They’re the warden after all. No time to think about the prison. Now I haven’t read the light novel so I’m sure I could go more in depth on my thoughts on the prison if I had read it, but regardless of that, it’s painfully clear how suspicious the whole situation is. However, the way it’s framed almost makes the prison itself, the warden, and Jackalope fade into the background. It’s kind of brilliant actually. Anyway, you’re voting through Es. But who says Es has the right to pass judgement? Look. No one knows what Milgram is. What their ulterior motives are. What’s ultimately going to happen at the end of the project. According to the light novel, it's happened before, so again, I’m perhaps not the most knowledgeable about this part. But why does Milgram get to decide what to do with the prisoners? It feels awfully hypocritical and potentially dangerous. But the whole project is set up so you have no other choice than to vote. It’s fascinating. You’re led towards the conclusion that Milgram wants you to reach. And your immediate thought is NOT to question it, because it’s a piece of media. Why would it lie?

Alright, bear with me for a minute. You know the original milgram experiment? The one the whole thing is supposedly based on? It's about obedience to authority. Listen to me. I am shaking you guys by the shoulders. It’s about obedience to authority. DOESN’T THAT SOUND LIKE WHAT I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT. They had people administer shocks to “test participants”. The shocks got higher and higher till near fatal levels. The test participants weren’t actually real, but they found that “every participant [went] up to 300 volts, and 65% [went] up to the full 450 volts.” (Milgram experiment, Wikipedia). The whole video series is like this experiment. I don’t know. You get it. You get the connection. I don’t know how much better I can explain this. You can imagine me jumping up and down and flapping my hands.

Listen to me. If you aren’t looking at it from a meta perspective that’s fine. I get it. Most media I like I just passively engage with. Usually that’s more fun for me. But frankly with Milgram I feel as if not looking at it from a meta perspective makes you just another test participant. Another shock administrator. Another cog in the machine. I see people talk about Milgram’s bad writing sometimes, and, you know, fair. There are subjects not handled with the care they need. I’m not claiming that Milgram is perfect. But I haven’t seen anyone talk about how fucking cool this is. They’ve taken the art form and made it into a mechanism. I think it’s kind of brilliant.

Anyway, essentially what I’m trying to say with perhaps an excessive amount of words is that I don’t think we have the right to pass judgement on the prisoners. From a meta perspective, of course.

Apologies in advance for another interjection. This part is perhaps less relevant to the rest of the post, but it’s so cool that I kinda wanna skim over it anyway. You can skip this part if it's getting too long for you, especially since I already kind of touched on it up there. Es as not only an audience surrogate but ALSO as their own character makes them so interesting. I personally actually hated them for a little while after watching some of the voice dramas. Because they act cruel. And make bad decisions. And say insensitive things. And some of that is seeping in from the audience, but even more interesting to me is that a lot of it is just a result of their environment. They’re harsh and defensive and seem very convinced in their own righteousness, and they come off as a total asshole about it sometimes. But think about it. They’ve woken up in this prison. Fucking insane. But instead of freaking out about it, they begin to cling to their newfound authority. I mean, it’s the most rational thing to do. Like, it’s not a normal thing to do, but it’s rational. It’s easy to make yourself forget about everything else when you fixate on a certain point, so that’s what they do. They don’t seem to think there’s any way out of this besides becoming a willing participant, so they lean real hard into the whole “warden” thing. They’re just as trapped as the prisoners are. I believe there’s an empty cell in the prison. Probably Es’s; It’s not a hard conclusion to come to. Milgram has happened before and my guess is that the prisoners are picked more or less by chance. This has very interesting implications. Either Es is a totally random person, or they’re just like the other prisoners, having taken a life. This would make sense as to why they needed to have their memories erased. This makes the whole thing just that much more hypocritical. But I digress.

And so now we come to my second point. Or maybe third on account of the tangents. The parallels with the other prisoners. Specifically number 03, Fuuta. Fuuta is a really good example of taking things out of proportion. His crime is simple: something along the lines of cyberbullying someone into commiting suicide. So like, yes. Objectively? Shitty. Shitty move. He’s not a great person. 20 year old terminally online gamer. Many people off the bat are not going to like him, and therefore probably vote him guilty. But put that into scale: he did not actively kill the person, nor was his intention to cause death. Which is not to say he wasn’t in the wrong. But consider it; we’ve got this weird suspicious prison complex. And we’ve got some loser online. And then there’s the immediate consequence. Now we didn’t know Kotoko was going to go crazy, but regardless of that, that was the consequence of us voting Fuuta guilty. Now he’s literally missing an eye for the crime of… being mean online. So clearly some people started to think about this (hence his innocent vote in trial 2). He’s a crack in the facade, or something of the sort. Apply pressure, dig a little deeper, and it starts looking like, well, the stuff I’ve already said.

But more than that is the realization that Fuuta really has just been taken and put into this prison. He’s a normal person, who has behaved in a less than ideal way, but still a normal person, put into this absurd situation. And you know who else is like that? Well, everybody, but specifically Es. I genuinely do not think there will be a happy ending for anyone unless Es begins to realize this. Which means the audience beginning to realize this. The “innocent” and “guilty” votes don’t really mean anything. Or, they do, because they’ve been assigned value, but the person assigning value to them is, once again, Milgram. Or Jackalope, I suppose, assuming he is the guy behind the whole thing. Maybe I’m preaching to the choir. Maybe you guys have already considered this. But it’s been bouncing around my head all day and I was going a bit crazy over it and I had to get it out.

TLDR; I think the whole voting system is rigged in the favor of the prison itself rather than the prisoners, I don’t think that, as Es, we get to decide who is and who is not “guilty”, Milgram Project itself seems an awful lot like the experiment(not the content of the media, but the interactivity of it), and Es has probably done something bad in order to be in the prison in the first place. The key takeaway from this is that I’m actually really normal and pumping out 1.5k words in 2 hours because of this media is an average and usual thing to do.

#some of this probably doesnt make sense but whatever #pleeease if u have any thoughts or disagreements i want to hear them #milgram #milgram project #milgram theory #bug*collection #long post #bleeeuhi typed all this out in 2 hrs #milgram spoilers #junes milgram posting tag

[cinematicnomad]

Hi! Can I ask you how was Killers of the flower moon ? (No spoiler pls but just your overall opinion) I think I'll go see it but I admit that the 3h30 kind of scare me 😅

oh man, i loved it. it was SO good, and so deserving of that runtime. tbh i didn't notice it much—i subtly checked the time only once in the movie to get a sense of where we were and it was about halfway through. i didn't have to get up and go to the restroom during the film, and i only noticed like, a handful of people who did.

i highly recommend it to people, especially so that you can see lily gladstone fucking knock it out of the park—she's the heart and soul of this movie and she steals every fucking scene she's in and she breaks my heart too many times to count. de niro is fucking chilling in how he chooses to play his role, this insidious, two-faced, polite monster. dicaprio's character is just...so fucking dumb, in a way that is not hokey or over-the-top but completely 110% believable—that guy you knew in high school who didn't have a fucking single thought in his head—who clearly thinks he's a good guy bc Of Course He Is, but has just as black a soul as all the other white men in this movie—arguably even blacker, bc he tells himself he loves mollie despite all he does to her.

i think it's definitely a better movie for the decision scorsese and roth made (with the help of dicaprio) to shift the focus of the story away from the FBI and onto the actual people. i think it's valid to discuss the lens scorsese approaches this story, as a non-indigenous person, and how he clearly finds moments of sympathy for dicaprio's character. i think a person taking the movie at face value might argue that the film believes there is genuine love between dicaprio and gladstone's characters. but i think the film itself rebukes that belief, by showing how duplicitous ernest burkhart was—no matter what he thought he felt for mollie, it wasn't love. it couldn't be. not really. not after all he's done.

but i think it's okay to have complicated feelings about this movie. i think it's okay to examine those feelings, to consider those critical views, and to realize that two things can be true at the same time. that this is a very good movie does not negate the fact that a different version of this movie centered on mollie might be more emotionally devastating—just like a different version of this movie centered on the FBI as white saviors coming in to make everything Right Again™ would most likely be less interesting.

but i'm a white woman, so i'd encourage you and anyone else going to see this movie to listen to what christopher cote, the osage language consultant for the film, had to say about it and to also read what jim gray, a descendent of one of the victims, henry rohn, and the former principal chief of the osage nation, thought about the film.

#ask #anonymous #killers of the flower moon #martin scorsese #kat has opinions #are they unpopular? who knows #i love this movie

[visceravalentines]

One more for good measure before I yeet myself back into the crypt.  Fluff/smut/mild angst.  Michael Myers x GN!Reader.  

Smaller Than the Ocean, Bigger Than You

Michael Myers has never been to the beach. You decide to change that.

Rating:  Explicit/NSFW

Length:  2.2k

CW:  smut, oral, choking, hair pulling, biting

Reader POV

There are countless things Michael Myers has never experienced.

Big things, like birthday parties, the freedom of summer vacation, a first date, first car, first job. Small things that are somehow so much bigger: snow angels. Trips to the library. Learning how to cook something besides toast. You’ve done what you can to catch him up on those experiences, as much as he is willing to try, which is admittedly limited. Public places are by and large off limits, the overstimulation of sights and sounds dangerous for everyone present. Media of all sorts is of little interest to him. Technology is a nonstarter.

While the chance to guide him through new experiences is unique, precious, and often immensely enjoyable, it is almost always a little heartbreaking. Often your guesses about what he might find compelling are wrong and you are met with a blank, dispassionate stare. Other times, he is as close to delighted as he ever comes – bubble baths, for example, are a surprising favorite.

This time, your hopes are high.

It takes no small amount of convincing beforehand. Michael does not enjoy trips in the car, especially with you at the wheel, especially on an unfamiliar route. When you explain that there may be other people there, you just about lose him on the idea. But eventually, you manage to cajole him into the weekend road trip with a compromise on who will be driving most of the way.

He watches you pack both bags like he’s supervising the task. He is skeptical about the swim trunks. He examines the sunscreen closely before handing it back to you without comment. You smile at the wariness in his eyes.

“I know it seems like a lot of new things, but I promise it will be worth it. When we get there, you’ll see. If you don’t want to do anything else, we can just sit and look at it.”

He lets out a long sigh.

The night before you leave, he sleeps even less than usual. You remember what it was like before a big trip as a child, the anxiety and excitement over an early morning departure. You rub his knuckles with your thumb, a small gesture that has become the go-to comfort signal. The last thing you see before you drift off is his face in profile, staring at the ceiling.

In the morning, he is up before you and standing by the door with the car keys in hand. You pack into your little car and settle into the passenger’s seat. He gets to drive the first stretch through familiar roads.

It is a beautiful day and a beautiful drive. When you eventually take over, he rolls down the window and lets the air rush over his face. You know it helps ground him, helps distinguish this drive from being transported between institutions as a prisoner. His wavy hair fluffs in the wind, his big hand wrapped around the rim of the window, and your heart contracts.

At the halfway point, you stop for the night at a roadside motel. He does not come into the lobby with you to check in, but after a careful inspection of the room he seems to relax. He is accustomed to sleeping in unfamiliar places.

He undresses you slowly while you lay beside him on the polyester bedspread. His face, as always, is expressionless, but his eyes drink you in, a bastion of familiarity in a strange place. You let him set the pace, especially here, and while he is in no rush to expose his own skin, he strips you to nothing and wastes no time closing the distance between you.

His curls hang around his face as he moves his mouth down your midline, his breath warm on your skin, his tongue tentative. Your toes curl when he reaches your sex. He has learned the value of delicacy, no longer quite so frenzied when he goes down on you. You sigh, moan, body lolling back against the pillows. “Michael….”

He loops his arms under your thighs and lifts you closer. Waves of pleasure roll up your spine and your abdomen contracts. When you open your eyes, his gaze is intent on your face. You want so badly to touch him but you know he will not approve and so instead you clench the bedspread in your hand, gasping.

When you are close, so close, to your climax, he pulls away and flips you onto your stomach. You wait impatiently, expectantly, for the feeling of him between your legs. He slides his full length into you with the first thrust and you whine, twisting the covers. His fingers run across your scalp and he takes your hair in his fist, drawing your head back with measured force. He is not one for kisses, but he bites the base of your neck and sucks. His supporting arm beside your head is beautifully veined.

Just before you come, he releases your hair and his hand glides to your throat, wraps snugly around it, not too tight, but enough that he can feel your vocalizations. His thumb and fingers span the distance between the corners of your jaw like they were made for each other. As he finishes inside you, his grip tightens and your vision fuzzes.

He remains on top of you afterwards, supporting most of his considerable weight on his elbows. He has kept his shirt on, but the heat of his skin is overwhelming. You reach up and lightly tug one of his curls. You are shocked when he nuzzles your temple, lips brushing your hairline in what is almost a kiss.

And then just like that, he is gone, the sudden lack of him on top and inside of you dizzying, and when you turn over he has already disappeared into the bathroom. It’s freaky, his ability to melt from one place to another.

You pull on a t-shirt to sleep in and wait for him to return. Often after sex he needs breathing room, time for his body and brain to process the amount of physical contact he has just experienced. You have both gotten better at feeling out his boundaries. He no longer reacts violently when gentle, affectionate touch becomes too much.

When he comes back, fully clothed, he lies next to you and stares at the ceiling. You don’t know where he goes in his mind during moments like this, but it must be a safe place, for he retreats there often. Eventually, he slides his arm out towards you, palm against the mattress, and you stroke his knuckles with the back of your fingers. Eventually, he flips his hand over and you trace the lines in his palm, up and down each finger in order. Eventually, he shifts his head into your lap and lets you comb through his curls and massage his scalp. His eyes are light and although they do not close for very long, they do close. How incredibly far he has come, you think. How comfortable must he be with you to allow this kind of simple, peaceful physical interaction. How lucky you are to see this side of him.

There are two beds in the motel room – you always give him the option of more space – but he spends the night beside you, on top of the covers, and you think he sleeps well.

In the morning, back on the road, you stop for coffee. He likes plain lattes. Food that is too spicy, too bitter, too much of anything, he does not care for. Halloween candy is the exception. His anxiety has lessened considerably from the previous day’s journey and he even allows you to drive most of the rest of the way while he watches the scenery roll by.

When you approach your destination, he straightens in his seat. You know he can smell the change in the air. A glimpse of it through the trees and he all but leans out the window. His hand reaches absently towards you and you place yours on top of it. He looks at you with a mix of curiosity and trepidation and you smile back encouragingly.

At last, a full, uninterrupted view of the ocean opens up around the vehicle. Michael sits forward, gaze panning slowly across the horizon. The way the world seems both to end and extend forever, you know he has never seen anything like it. His eyes are tumultuous as he tries to take it all in at once.

You know you’ve picked a good destination when you park and there are only two other vehicles in the lot. He is hesitant to exit the car, sitting with the door open as you unpack the beach day necessities from the trunk. When you come around to his side he looks at you expectantly.

“Come on,” you say, setting everything down and reaching out both hands. “We can go look first.” He does not take your hands, but he unfolds from the car, his incredible height looming over you. He allows you to lead the way out of the parking lot, up the boardwalk trail that crests a hill thick with grasses and then deposits you in the sand.

The sand is worth stopping for. He stares at you dubiously as you pull off your shoes and sift your feet down to the cool underlayer. “You can try it if you want,” you say, bending down to scoop up a handful and letting it trickle back out. He watches you before turning back to the ocean. He is captivated.

You touch him lightly on the elbow and walk past him. “We can get closer.” He follows you at a distance with his head tilted slightly, absorbing the sound of the waves. When you walk all the way to where the sand is wet and let the tide swell up over your ankles, he stops about ten feet from the waterline, totally at a loss. The wind tosses his hair. The shriek of a gull draws his gaze like a magnet before it swings back to you. You dip your hands in the water and shake them off, backing further into the surf. “This is the ocean,” you say. “It’s one of my favorite places.”

He actually cocks an eyebrow, just a little. For him, this is the equivalent of throwing his arms in the air, as if to say he does not even know where to begin. You grin and approach him, sand coating your wet feet. “You can take it slow. We have all day.”

He stares out at the edge of the earth and you wonder if for once, he feels small. He makes no move to enter the water, his fist clenching and unclenching in an unconscious self-soothing gesture. But there is little tension in his shoulders and none in his jaw, and eventually he pulls off his own shoes, plants his feet carefully in the sand, watches it filter through his toes, and then looks back at the sea.

Eventually you return to the car to get your things. To your surprise, he does not come with you, and when you come back he has moved to the edge of the tide. You sidle up beside him and together you watch the water rise, barely touch your toes, and pull back across the sand. He does this for a very long time.

The day is spent in increments, alternately sitting up the beach and standing in the surf. The two of you walk along the shore for nearly an hour and he keeps looking back at the waves that erase your footprints. You introduce him to a few low-anxiety beach activities, like looking for shells (he is very good at this but you can tell he does not understand the purpose) and piling sand up over your legs (he is also very good at this and seems to enjoy it). By far, however, he spends the most time just looking.

When the sun sinks at last into the sea, you hate the way he stares up at you as you begin to shake the sand from the beach towels and stuff them back in the tote bag. “We can come back tomorrow,” you say, and reluctantly he stands up once the only thing left in the sand is himself. You take his hand on the walk back to the car, running your thumb over his knuckles, and he squeezes your fingers tightly.

In your hotel room, he lays down immediately and breathes out a long, heavy sigh. The sun has lightly kissed his cheekbones, probably for the first time, and it is immensely attractive. You order in takeout and he eats, per usual, like it is his last meal. Exhausted from the sun and the plethora of new sights, sounds, and sensations, he falls asleep well before you do, something you have only seen him do once or twice before. You hope you haven’t overdone it.

But in the morning, you wake to the familiar sense of being watched. To your amazement, he is dressed – in swim trunks – and the beach things are piled by the door. You hold back a laugh and beam at him.

“What do you say, should we go to the beach?”

#my writing #michael myers x reader #michael myers x you #michael myers x y/n #michael myers fanfic #michael myers #michael myers fic #michael myers fluff

[stillfruit]

It takes me a long time to understand some things if they're not too obvious so I had a difficult time watching true detective a few years ago. Do you have any tips to rewatch it and maybe understand a little more? 👉👈

omg of course, i love to hear that you would want to rewatch true detective (applies to s1 only i haven't watched beyond that)!!

to base this a little, please don't worry over understanding and not understanding something too much. everyone thinks, experiences and processes media differently, and our understandings of what counts as 'understanding media' also differ (understanding in different contexts can mean an analytical understanding of the core themes identified through a specific framework, or an emotional reaction and a feeling of connection to the thing that's difficul to articulate, and so on and so forth). there's no universal objective level of 'understanding' and what you deem is enough for you is enough! being comfortable and confident enough to interpret things yourself while remaining receptive of other perspectives (including the perspectives of the story and its author) is what's most important in 'understanding' things. also secondly, not everything is for everyone and sometimes something just doesn't click because of that.

i'm not sure what aspects specifically you would want to understand more, but here are few things on how i approach the story:

there are overall themes i find interesting in true detective such as (toxic) masculinity (it's about men who are bad in specifc and systemic ways), narratives (internal as in how you construct yourself, like marty consistently justifying cheating on maggie; and external and institutional, like religion), power and autonomy (police and people with money have the power to do what they want), and existentialism (rust lacks overall meaning of why he is alive). they serve as lenses through which you interpret the story - kind of like picking an academic framework (theory) and looking at the data (story) through that.

there are many things that happen in the story and because s1 was so big back in 2014 there are numerous thinkpieces and video essays about it, all of them picking various aspects they see as central. because true detective is what it is (surface level edgy dudebro nihilist police man annihilates everyone around him by being so nihilist and cool show), some are very bad. i'm not that interested in the kind of analysis that looks super closely at the intertextual aspects of the story, for instance, or "the philosophy" of it (if that means looking at what rust says, taking that at face value, and connecting the story to existentialist philosophy based on that). just reflect on what interests you and see how the story looks and feels when examined through those perspectives.

a lot of the time i like looking at things through and by focusing on characters, and i think this is especially crucial when it comes to true detective (which is a heavily character driven story. sure it of course matters that they are police and that they are in louisiana and that there are murders etc but those things are not what the story is about). looking at a character contextualizes that character (what they say and do and represent) and rust is an excellent example of this. he talks in a cynical and pessimistic manner, looks down upon others, is very capable in terms of violence, is alienated and alienates other people, is obsessive, has issues with substance abuse, and his house is the definition of that one r/malelivingspace meme.

however, when you look at what he has been through and how he behaves (as well as how the narrative treats him) these things are contextualized not as 'behaviour you should look up to and which is good and correct from the perspective of the story, or at the very least is very cool and/or edgy, because he's the protagonist' (media analysis 101) but behavior of someone who struggles with ptsd, trauma and his own feelings of empathy in a world that has been very unkind to him since his childhood. when rust is saying things like 'time is a flat circle nothing can change' he's coping and trying to make himself believe it because he's incapable of processing, realizing, or externalizing any of the trauma he's been through or any of the care he feels in a healthy manner (which is quite explicit in, for example, how he empathizes so intensely with people who are dead). he's brilliant at rationalizing everything and it's terrible for him. the ways in which marty constantly lies to himself are quite explicit and rust is one of the people pointing them out, but rust is coping by creating his own narrative of his self and the reality all the same.

(better articulations of his character specifically are to be found eg here, here, and here)

so, maybe if i were to articulate the core thing for understanding true detective (or really any media) it would be looking at what happens on screen in the story in terms of actions and speech and then reflecting on how that relates to what's 'actually' going on, what kinds of things are being left unsaid, and why. there are various explicit examples of the theme of narratives and unreliable narrators as well that tell you that this is what's important (such as the interrogation narration of the ledoux confrontation and showing on screen what actually happened).

something i do when i watch or read media (that is engaging enough in a good or a bad sense to warrant this) is writing about it on my personal notes app (now obsidian so i can organize everything) in the same way i would talk about it to someone else. i also save interesting writings etc there so i remember and find them later, and write my own thoughts on those things there as well, having my own private discussion with them (which. is a lonely thing to do but shh).

few blogs who have written super interesting things about true detective which i highly recommend you check out (because seeing the perspectives of others is inherently one of the most enriching experiences and helps you understand so much) include @inkandcayenne and @sketiana. iirc there are some good video essays on youtube as well but i can't name any because it's been too many years since i watched any.

a central thing that makes true detective so meaningful to me personally is exactly the fact that many of the themes i care about in it are not super explicit or vocalized in obvious ways (saying 'i want to die because i'm sad' doesn't hit but describing death as a warm and welcoming substance does). i hope you have fun looking into where you find emotion and meaning <3

sorry this went a bit off track tldr have fun and be yourself, lmk how you feel about the story afterwards if you want!

#and to be clear another key is to enjoy stories for what they are and knowing you can find 'problematic media' compelling #true detective represents the kind of story that examines its themes largely through showing something and saying 'that's bad' and #the effectiveness of that as a tool for writing actually transformative narratives instead of contributions to the original things #you say you criticize is questionable. proven by everyone who watched s1 and went wow he's just like me fr the world needs bad men indeed #all of which is to say i fully understand why everyone doesn't like it or finds it boring. i got +5k words of notes out of it though #crystal ball #true detective

[edenvs3000f23]

Blog 10: Kickstarting change for the better of the environment

Prompt: Describe your personal ethic as you develop as a nature interpreter. What beliefs do you bring? What responsibilities do you have? What approaches are most suitable for you as an individual?

Throughout this course we have been encouraged to examine what kind of interpreter we are and what we represent as an interpreter. I have not only learned a lot about the different ways I subconsciously interpret nature but also the way I rely and share this information to others. In short, I definitely feel more connected to myself as someone who interprets nature and specifically what things in nature particularly interest me. I feel like this is especially important being someone who is in Environmental Science and going on to persure a career in this field. 

Being an Environmental Science student, all of my classes have looked deeply into the innerworkings of the environment from how different parts of nature function and why, to how multiple factors function to create what we know as the planet. With that said, I have also learned a lot about why conserving different aspects of the environment is important and this directly lines up with my beliefs as a person and as a nature interpreter. I think that if we as humans feel we are so ‘important’ and put our importance above the natural world to the point where we feel we can alter it however we want, then we automatically make ourselves responsible to protect and sustain it when it is faced with adversity. Sort of like a ‘you break it, you fix it’ scenario. Now, I know you’re all thinking that you’ve heard this a million times, but we are seriously running out of time and that’s something I think a lot of people don’t understand or can’t get a grasp on. I think oftentimes we forget that there are 8 billion people on earth all operating in the same manner and at the same time we are, and that many people have a significant influence on the earth. When we pursue and support conservation efforts, not only does it acknowledge the intrinsic value of other species, but also the intrinsic connection between us and our natural world. We can’t seem to get a grasp on the idea that the world’s resources are finite, so I believe looking towards conservation efforts is a first great step in the start of working with the environment rather than against it. I wanted to brush up on this blog I read regarding social science and its role in conservation that I largely agree with and I think kind of goes hand in hand with the point I’m trying to get across. The blog talks about this book called “Conservation Social Science: Understanding People, Conserving Biodiversity” and how human behaviour is a crucial part of conservation practices and solutions and is mostly ignored. They go on to explain that conservation is about changing the way that we as humans interact with the environment in our everyday lives, therefore we have to also look at aspects such as human’s relationship with the environment. Just because there is scientific evidence that there is a need to protect the earth doesn’t mean everyone understands it or believes it, that just the kind of world we live in. This blog also touches on how significant amounts of money is being put into conservation efforts but sometimes don’t succeed for the simple reason that they do not take into consideration how societies interact and influence the environment. I believe that this is definitely a huge factor but just as much as conservationists need to ultizate social sciences, society needs to be more self aware in terms of their relationships with the environment and why it is so crucial to understand the world around you as there is way more than what meets the eye. I’ve linked the short blog post below if anyone is interested!

Although there is always room to expand my environmental science knowledge, I think as someone who understands and studies the environment as well as works within the field, it is my responsibility to be the voice for nature. It is my responsibility to do my best to spread my knowledge to others in hopes to make society more aware and it is also my responsibility to keep learning about the environment as time goes on. Being a voice for nature can show others a recognition of interconnectedness between us and the environment that they may have never understood or have simply overlooked. I feel although reading books or articles about this topic is extremely important, learning through others can make learning these things a lot more fun. I’ve found that when I learn through other people I tend to remember things better and actually engage in the topic of conservation by asking questions and bouncing off knowledge. It is my responsibility to not relay information by talking at people, but talking WITH people. There is a huge difference. When you make learning interesting and are passionate about what you are presenting, it entices people to listen and hopefully continue to strengthen their knowledge.  Not only is it important for me to be an advocate but also ensure that I am also making environmentally conscious choices within my everyday life and working towards a greener way of life. If I’m going to preach that way of life to others then I need to be a prime example myself! Having learned everything I have in my studies thus far, I feel a sense of responsibility to create change and do something memorable. Whether that be discovering new research or designing something that contributes to protecting our planet. 

I think the approaches that are most suitable for me as an individual are getting involved or working with companies that express the same values as me, giving me the opportunity to put my mindset into action. I am striving to pursue a job with large companies working in environmental restoration and protection. I feel this would give me a great opportunity to take what I’ve learned and apply it in a real world scenario, different perspectives and voices are always needed in this kind of field. In my first year of university (approximately 4 years ago) I worked with Trent University students in releasing turtle hatchlings back into a wetland within the city of Guelph and since experiencing that, I knew that was something I wanted to keep on doing. I think in doing this kind of work not only am I putting my beliefs into action but I hope to also enspire others to want to do the same, especially younger generations. I think it is extremely important to expose these generations to scenarios such as this so that they can be consciously aware of their actions and also enspire them to potentially take a science route in their future studies. Scenarios like this can completely change what people think they know about nature and also help the younger generations get a head start on a greener way of life and influence them in an environmentally cautious way. Creating first hand experiences to others can potentially change someone’s route of life like it did mine! It can help people see what they are interested in and work towards pursuing that. There can never be too many scientists in this kind of field, more is potentially one step closer to saving our earth. With all that said, I will leave you all with this short video and remember it is never too late to do the right thing and if you put your mind to it, you are capable of great things.

#Youtube

[kdramedies]

Can you tell me what's wrong with suyeon please??

I have one word doc I use for Extraordinary Attorney Woo that I update every week with my thoughts about the episodes. When I post any of these thoughts on tumblr I delete them from my word doc so that I don’t accidentally post the same thing twice. I’ve posted about a wide range of things in regard to EAW, but there’s always one character I’m scared of posting about. Most of what’s left in my word doc is about Su-yeon and why she rubs me the wrong way, but I’m very reluctant to post anything because of how much I know fans love her.

To be clear, I don’t think Choi Su-yeon is a bad character and I did like that she seemed to be getting over some of her prejudices after spending more time with Young-woo. But I hate the way she talks to Young-woo. She talks to her like she’s either, an idiot for not knowing something, or like a child she’s entertaining but not fully taking seriously. Choi Su-yeon knows how smart Young-woo is, I know she doesn’t think Young-woo is an idiot, but she still uses that voice you use when you talk to someone you believe is not as smart as you are. It’s condescending as hell, and every time she talks to Young-woo I want to reach through the screen and put my hand over her mouth. Kwon Min-woo by comparison, rarely, if ever, uses a condescending tone with Young-woo. Maybe it’s because he’s never really helped Young-woo with anything. He’s never been in a role where he feels ahead of her or like he can navigate the world better than her, but Jun-ho is. Jun-ho is often put in situations where he has to explain things to, or help Young-woo, but he also doesn’t come across as though he’s belittling her. The tone that Su-yeon uses is so obviously condescending when compared to that of any of the other main characters on the show, even characters who do think they’re better than Young-woo. I don’t know if this was a choice by the director, the actor who plays Su-yeon, or just something that happened naturally, but it makes her character seem insincere and patronizing.

But I think the biggest gripe I have with her is that, while she examined her prejudices at the beginning of the show and seemed to want to improve, after realizing in ep.7 that Jun-ho was obviously interesting in Young-woo, not her, and she understood that the reason she didn’t see his affection for Young-woo at first was because of her own prejudices, her desire to grow stopped. She had one revelation and thought, “That’s it, I’m cured of ableism!” After that case, A Tale About Sodeok-dong, Su-yeon let her hair down (literally) and her arc was aimed toward a nobler pursuit, dating. She still touched Young-woo, even when she was clearly uncomfortable, she still talked to her in that condescending tone, and then she decided to start making eyes at the one man in their office who has actively tried to harm Young-woo’s career.

People have been making posts for weeks saying, “Girl, you can do better!” but it says a lot about her character that she doesn’t want to do better. There’s a reason so many people have said since ep.1 that they thought Su-yeon and Min-woo were going to end up together, and it’s not just because enemies-to-lovers is in vouge. They had chemistry from the start, and yes, Min-woo went down his dark little path for a while, but they have more similarities than differences. Although they come from different upbringings, they both have a similar sense of values and way of looking at the world. They both fully believe that Young-woo has a leg up on them because of her autism. In today’s episode, Su-yeon vehemently agreed with Min-woo that Young-woo can do as she pleases and not face any negative repercussions. This is despite the fact that Young-woo has already been branded hard to work with and that she was just kicked off a case for sharing a possible argument. She tells Min-woo to “be a fool” and just stand up for Young-woo for once, even though he has never given any indication that he wants to, but even if he did, she is saying that from a very different place than him. Su-yeon’s family is well-off and her father is a judge, if she supports Young-woo and is branded as “hard to work with” she’ll be fine. Min-woo on the other hand might not be.

Min-woo has to prioritize money in order to support his family which is why he behaves in such a deplorable way, but he has the same level of passion for his work as Su-yeon and if the roles were reversed, I could easily see Su-yeon trying to undercut Young-woo, and Min-woo becoming her new best pal, trying to hook her up with his roommate. The only difference between Su-yeon and Min-woo is money. One comes from a well-to-do family who’s never had to worry about a thing, one has to make plans ten steps in advance for fear that his family will suffer if he doesn’t. “Spring Sunshine” Su-yeon, gets to skip along the garden path while “Tactician” Min-woo has to plot every step of the way. None of this excuses Min-woo’s behaviour, nor does it mean that Su-yeon isn’t hard-working or good at her job, but the fact that these two characters are so easily interchangeable, and are obviously drawn to each other, says something that I think a lot of non-autistics don’t want to hear.

#extraordinary attorney woo #I've got more little icks about her but these are the two main ones #choi soo yeon #kwon min woo #kdramedies #ask kdramedies

[floralcrematorium]

💕 - You've got your choice of one pairing you can canonize, but you've got to come up with how you choose to do it. Which pairing do you choose and what's your game plan for how it happens?

👶 - Which nation do you think would make the best parent?

👄 - Which nation do you think has the most fitting voice actor? Whose voice do you think doesn't work?

Thanks for the ask! Also help, I get rambly again

💕 - You've got your choice of one pairing you can canonize, but you've got to come up with how you choose to do it. Which pairing do you choose and what's your game plan for how it happens?

I answered this one for CanUkr! You can read it here. I'm not sure who else I care enough about/know enough about the relationship to canonize. I'm not ride or die about any of my ships and I wish I was as unhinged as other people. I wanna be known as the ___ person for something

👶 - Which nation do you think would make the best parent?

As much as I love the FACE fam dynamic, in canon Arthur and Francis are terrible to and for Alfred and Matthew (I say this having watched that one World Twinkle episode last night).

I don't think I can answer this one for nationverse to be honest. I'm inclined to say Yao regardless, though, just because he's seen. it. ALL. He's equipped for So many situations, however I don't see him wanting to become a parent if you consider age as well as however you perceive his relationship with Japan. Yao's in his Childless Wine Aunt era.

I have two answers for this I think?

Single Answer: Denmark. Surprising choice. I think of all the Nordics, he would be the most equipped to deal with a Child (cough, Gutters, cough). I think a lot of people are big fans of Sweden as a father figure to Ladonia and Sealand. In examining his relationship with Iceland, I think Sve is a wonderful older guardian, but I think communication may not be one of his strong suits. The same goes for Fin -- I think He can be excitable, fun, and patient, but he's be better suited for an older kid. He's like. The cool uncle who shows you heavy music, lets you take a sip of his drink, and has eclectic hobbies. In my eye, he's also a people pleaser and is also someone who prefers to save his own problems for later to help someone else. He'd get too exhausted. Now, Norway as a parent? Moving on. I'm not including Ice in this. He's not necessarily a teenager in my eyes, but he's my age whereas with everyone else I see being a bit older human-age wise. Ice isn't in the spot to be considering parenthood -- he's got his own stuff to figure out (not in the Moody Teen Way that is so often relegated to him). I also think Ice values his personal time and needs time to recharge. So this leaves Den. I think Den can be,,, wild. He can be irresponsible and obnoxious, but I think he's someone who knows how to tone shift depending on who he's with. I think like Fin, he's like a fun and excitable to a kid, but I think Den is someone more willing to put his foot down when the child's best interest is in mind. But to be honest, all of the Nordics are best suited to be uncles you visit for a weekend rather than parents in their own right.

As for a ship? My answer is: CanUkr. Surprise surprise. I think they're both patient people who also know when to put their foot down (both of them deserve to be assertive, damnit). Kateryna would be a terrifying force in the event of misbehaving children, but she's someone who would know what he child needs/wants. I also see her being like my grandmother -- My grandmother is constantly trying to take care of us and provide the things for us she never did. Matthew is the kind of parent who would invest time into his kid's hobbies. They're not Fun™ parents, but they would be able to raise a functioning and good human. I trust them not ruin a person, lol.

👄 - Which nation do you think has the most fitting voice actor? Whose voice do you think doesn't work?

I don't really have a favorite voice, but I'll tell you one thing. Todd Haberkorn HAUNTS ME. The Hetalia English dub being my first ever anime has POISONED me because every time I watch a new anime I hear a familiar voice and go on Behind The Voice Actors to figure out where I know them from, and they've usually voiced someone in Hetalia (hi, I watch dub for most anime because I can't watch watch something and I have to have it on in the background while I draw or game). Todd Haberkorn is someone I can recognize instantly and he haunts me. I don't dislike him whatsoever, but like. It triggers some sort of response from me and I'm expecting HWS Italy to come running at me full tilt.

As for a voice I don't like... Denmark. I don't think I like either of his voices? I just went and checked how he sounds before and after his VA change and thought I liked his old voice more than I actually do. I'm not sure how he's supposed to sound in my head, but neither of his voices do it for me.

I also still can't get used to England's new voice in the dub. I know why his VA had to be changed, but because he's had two new VAs, the difference is always startling.

Also okay, I lied, I just rewatched the "Every Time Norway Speaks In Hetalia" video. My favorite is Norway. I have no good reason. I genuinely don't. I know a lot of aspects about Nor aren't popular with Scandanavian fans, but his voice is a guilty pleasure of mine. I have no good reasoning for why it appeals to me other than It Just Does

Hetalia Asks

#floralcrematorium ask box