#nothing but kill la kill essays

[queer-ragnelle]

I’m sooo haunted by what you said abt Tor being referred to as the son of Ares and it reminds me of this scene in the perlesvaus where after Arthur (who is kinda likeable in this text??) learns abt the circumstances surrounding his birth, he takes on the persona of Arthur of Tintagiles . it’s not textually explicit but I like to think it’s bc he’s disowning his father :))

I could talk about Tor forever. The implications of his origins and how he is portrayed during subsequent events? Like he is “Son of Ares” on a technicality—he was dubbed before Merlin revealed Pellinore as his sire (one of his many hilarious “a wizard is never late, he arrives precisely when he means to” goofs…) so Tor’s stuck with that title.

However everyone breaks the rules so you mean to tell me he just… kept a title he didn’t identify with? Not likely. I could go on about the titles different knights have but I digress. The essay nobody asked for lol

Anyway Arthur good???? I’ve heard people discussing this text but haven’t read it myself I’m intrigued! I choose to believe in some universe Arthur does disown U*her. He should really lean in and be Arthur FitzIgraine, just cut the man and the place of his birth out entirely. C’mon Arthur you can do it! I’d love other details to support it like Merlin speaking positively on Arthur’s line of succession and he’s like… “Let me not be known by those who came before me, but by the legacy of my deeds in life.” Or something… also he should do right by Guinevere then I’ll accept decent Arthur and no sooner! Lol

#valsansretovr #Arthurian legend #Arthuriana #sir tor #king arthur #ask #these are the kinds of things I want to do web weaving posts for #but like nobody will reblog blorbo Tor so I just roll him around like dough in my mind #I think if we take the vulgate & post as unreliable narrated #it’s intriguing that Gawain didn’t kill Tor and he survived until the end against Mordred on Arthur’s side #so they worked together technically speaking #I personally believe he and Tor are friends #and if Lamorak didn’t have chronic foot in mouth disease and get himself into stupid situations he’d be alive #he like…. played chicken with the Orkneys you don’t win against those odds baby noooo #but anyway I want to write an essay about Agravaine a la Duremains #how does this contrast Gareth Beaumains #why is this not elaborated on at all he’s just Hard Hands in some texts and it amounts to nothing #and what about Sagramore le Désiré #someone get Kay on the horn I have questions why all these names explain them to me rn

[thisismeracing]

LEWIS HAMILTON MASTERLIST

✦ LEWIS HAMILTON ▶ LH44

All my Lewis posts here

▸ main masterlist | patreon guide ▸ taglist ▸ who I write for & guidelines ▸ subscribe to Patreon for exclusive content ▸ tip me on ko-fi

KEYS: s: smut f: fluff a: angst ✷: Patreon exclusive

― ✦ SOCIAL MEDIA AU

it's just us against the world (f): Some fans noticed how Leiws is constantly listening to Y/n’s songs and decided to back him up and make it happen a bit faster. Will their cupid play work?

jealousy, jealousy (f): After a red carpet interaction, people are shipping Yn with Chris Evans without knowing that she’s dating a pilot. What will Lewis do when he sees the fuss internet is making about it?

a friend of a friend (f): After a friend in common introduced them, Lewis and Yn can’t seem to stay away from each other, and the fans are quick to catch and manifest a relationship.

part of your world (f): What happens when Lewis goes to the theater with his nephews and realizes he now has a new favorite Disney movie. The princess? Ynl Yln and she’s definitely fairytale-worthy outside the screens as well.

she's that girl (f): Lewis would never imagine that something, or rather someone, could take his attention off Beyonce during her own show, but one of her dancers did

sunshine (f): In which Lewis starts dating an earthy/spiritual girl who just loves nature and good energy.

moonshine (f): In which Lewis is sunshine, but dates a grumpy!reader and fans start noticing how different they are.

food baby (f): Yn is used to posting her belly after meals, claiming it’s her “food baby”, but fans are hell-bent on waiting for the reveal of a real baby Hamilton.

mó paz (f): It’s time for the Interlagos GP and fans are excited to see how Lewis’ Portuguese sounds after becoming a citizen AND dating Yn.

after the afterparty (f): Fans have been watching Yn and Lewis interact since she first started attending races. Nothing seemed enough for them to pinpoint what was going on between the two until the Las Vegas Gran Prix happened, and contrary to the belief, what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Yn and Lewis are about to find out.

your time (a): A couple months after the biggest breakup in the F1 paddock, your song gets leaked, and the internet uproars about your relationship again. This time they have more ammunition than ever to feed the narrative that Lewis Hamilton cheated on you. Are they right though?

more than friends (f): You’re friends with Lewis, but fans don’t buy the “just friends” discourse - for them, you and Lewis make the most powerful couple, even if you’re not famous. And maybe they’re right, maybe you’re supposed to be more than friends.

― ✦ BLURBS

Home (f)

Essays and cuddles (f)

More than friends (a)

― ✦ REGULAR IMAGINES

the phantom of miscommunication (a): Dating a professional athlete is hard, and it’s even harder when you are famous too, and your schedules just keep crashing. How will their love beat their insecurities? 

haunted (s): Lost in the years, lost in the days, Lewis Hamilton haunts the house that once was his. The house where he was killed. And the house that now has new inhabitants. He was used to blowing candles, breaking chinas, and it being enough for the curious newbies to leave. However, it was the first time he met someone who wouldn’t act terrified by his presence. Yn was curious, and that curiosity had a price. Lewis was the one who would collect the debt.

bad religion (s)✷: He used to be a sinner, maybe that’s why nowadays he has so much compassion for those. Your kindness, however, can be your downfall. Especially when directed towards a demon. A breach and a hand to hold were all that Yn needed to complete the Devil’s wish. Lewis should have crushed the snake’s head before she swiftly bit him.

this love is ours (f): Relationships aren’t usually easy. Add to it the fact that you date a world champion racing driver, and your dad doesn’t really like said driver and the media is ready to dissect every move you make. At the end of the day, the stakes are high and the waters can be rough, but what you share with Lewis is true love, and it’s yours

heartdresser (f): When Lewis finds himself just a couple days away from a racing weekend and without his usual braids he desperately searches for suggestions of available hairdressers in the area. As the saying goes, love can come from the most unexpected places, and Lewis is about to discover that this is, in fact, true.

― ✦ HEADCANONS

♡ lewis dating a korean girl ♡ lewis marrying a desi girl ♡ lewis as a dad ✷

©thisismeracing do not copy, steal, or translate my work. do not repost on a different media platform.

#lh44 #lewis hamilton #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton x reader #lewis hamilton x you #lewis hamilton fanfic #f1 fandom #formula one imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 x reader #op: masterlists

[hindulivesmatter]

I'm from the USA and took a lot of Indian history courses at my university. You might already know this or have guessed it, but a lot of what we learned was taught from a leftist--and at times explicitly Marxist--perspective. This was even stronger in other (but thankfully not all!) social studies departments where there were classes focusing solely on various social ills of Hinduism with regard to caste and issues of feminism, yet almost nothing negative could be said if it might be critical of Islam or Muslim figures, (Mahmud of Ghazni being a notable exception for one of my professors.) There was a whole class on British colonialism; no details were spared. Horrible famines in the Deccan, Odisha, Bengal. The decimation of the textile industry. Banning bharatanatyam. The salt tax. Accounts of how a British man kicked one of his servants to death, and another of how the poor and sick congregated outside the gates of a hospital in the south that at the time would only help Europeans. Jallianwala Bagh. But Aurangzeb? Completely whitewashed. You would think Sikhs carry a kirpan for no reason. It was only through reading additional books and documents for my essays and projects that I learned about how he tore down temples, smashed murtis (and stole valuable ones,) levied a double tax on non-Muslims, etc. I remember reading an account of a traveler going through the south at the time of the Deccan wars, remarking on how you could find entire villages empty and deserted fields full of unharvested crops because the people had fled advancing armies. In one region his forces simply killed some Telugu-speaking Brahmins serving the local king rather than force them to convert, and in another his forces captured a royal scribe, forced him to convert to Islam, and forcibly circumcized him before the man killed himself. Obviously the history of all things under the umbrella of Hinduism or any other system is not perfect, but there was a huge difference in how critical you could be of Hinduism (and even western traditions/ideas) compared to Islam.

Sometimes I daydream about what it would have been like to study Sangam literature in India or to experience Andal without needing an English translation, or going to translate old Sanskrit copies of the Mahabharata whose telling is unique to a certain village or something. But ultimately I'm glad I chose to be a research scientist instead and have a career in that, because I don't think I would have been able to succeed in academia unless I were a leftist. :\ Honestly I feel like even going to hang out with ISKCON for a few days would be a better introduction to Hinduism for the average person abroad with zero knowledge than a class called "Intersections of Gender and Caste in Hinduism" or something.

Very telling how Hinduism, and even Christianity is ripped apart in academia, yet when it comes to Islam, it is a religion of "tolerance, and beauty that respects women."

Honestly, though, it's because of how severely they react when their religion is criticized or even inspected. Apostates are given death, women who do not obey are given death, anyone who utters a word against their precious prophets is given, you guessed it! Death.

No religion is perfect, humans can be horrific creatures, and even Hinduism cannot escape that. But Islam has committed far more war crimes than any other religion.

It absolutely boils my blood to see traces of colonizers in our cities. One side of my family hails from Aurangabad, named aftre Aurangzeb, and you already know the atrocities he committed.

It's so fucking insidious to see how the youth have been told what to think. My own friend claimed to me, verbatim: "You cannot be neutral in the Israel-Palestine war. Either you support Palestine, or you support genocide."

Support Hamas? Support terrorism? The same terrorism that affects us? Has everyone forgotten 26/11?

It makes me so sad to think of the future we could have had. Sanskrit would be the most spoken language, instead of English. Gurukuls would exist, and India would still have all of its wealth.

You're right, even ISKCON is better than the propaganda they feed people about our religion.

#anon asks #answered #hinduphobia #anon i'm glad you didnt get brainwashed thats the silver lining at least #hindublr

[lifeandlies-of-regulusblack]

The Marauders Era but make it the Breakfast Club.

You get MWPP detentioning with the Skittles. Barty and Sirius looking at each other, creeped out by how similar they are so they try to kill each other. James gets a good long look at Regulus up close and is immediately attracted. Ooh la la la. What a pretty boy. He MUST know i exist and that he has piqued my interest. Oh, regulus knows he exists alright. Remus and Regulus being the only ones left seating when McGonagall and Slughorn leave because they're the only two people actually doing detention work. They strike up a conversation and somehow realize one understands the other unsettlingly well. So they do their work together and remus ends up wishing he knew regulus better. He feels oddly at ease. James and Sirius are out of their seats the moment the door closes and Peter follows. Barty gets tired of fighting Sirius and leaves mid-fight to grab Evan and Regulus to try and colonize a section of the library. Pandora is there because she wants to be with her friends. She just wants to vibe and uses Barty as a pillow while they all sit on the floor.

From afar, remus notices that Regulus and Barty tend to get into squabbles and it's Evan who plays the role he often assumes when it comes to James and Sirius. Pandora only just switches from cheering regulus on to cheering for barty. Sirius this time, is a little tense because he's occupying the same space as his brother, hands twitching at his sides as he looks at Regulus, the other pointedly ignoring him. Sirius wants to punch his brother in the face. Sirius wants to make a scene. Sirius wants to grab Regulus and place his head into the crook of his neck because he misses holding regulus in his arms, he wants to take him to the potters for the holidays and never let him go. He does nothing but sit and stare.

Pandora gives peter one of her fidget spinners when he sees him looking at the books alone. Peter tells Pandora random obscure facts about wizarding history and pandora makes a conspiracy theory out of every single one of them.

Barty brings weed and sirius is mad because McGonagall confiscated his! At this point they've all spent three hours together and have two more to conquer. So they all sit the fuck down while barty provides top quality weed and sirius offers up his detention essay for the cause, and they all use it to roll up their joints. "I think this is what the muggles call communism," peter pipes up and they all laugh.

They all get a few hits in and they get to fucking talking. And whoooooooo. Damn. They're all high, and bored, and extremely confused about spending time with the last people they ever thought to be spending detention with. You know what they do? TRAUMA DUMP.

Tbc.

I can't seem to stop writing about the Black Brothers (⁠٥⁠↼⁠_⁠↼⁠). Here, have some more. Also, if you enjoyed this, please consider giving me a reblog! It's a great source of motivation and the only way this makes its way to other people.

#regulus black #sirius and regulus #james potter #sirius and james #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #pandora lovegood #regulus and evan and barty #barty crouch junior #marauders era #dead gay wizards #evan rosier #bartylus #jegulus #starchaser #the black brothers #black brothers #sirius black #slytherin skittles #my writing

[our-divine-violinist]

I was just thinking about this and I’m sure no one cares, but I’m putting this here for the hell of it. Someone talk to me about Nicolas de Lenfent.

----

He had turned to the window, and he was rising as if he’d been called by a secret voice. The look on his face was indescribable.

He knew I was there!

----

It was a very different thing from a mortal seeing my face and blurting out my name in confusion. He had recognized in my monster self something that he knew and loved.

----

And through the silence I heard his panic. He sensed that I was there! My presence, mind you, that is what he sensed, just as I sensed ‘the presence’ in the graveyards, but how, he argued with himself, could Lestat have been here?

----

All I could think was, What in the name of hell is this presence that he felt?

----

It’s a interesting question Lestat asks here, right?

Nowhere in the few chapters we get of Nicki in The Vampire Lestat is there anything to indicate that Nicolas had anything special about him. We know that he picked up playing the violin well enough to perform at a small boulevard theater but would never be good enough to play for the court or a court sanctioned theater. There’s nothing that was really said that was outstanding about his appearance. And we don’t get any kind of back story that he’s unique from any other young man his age-- we don’t hear of Nicki killing a pack of wolves or exceling in his intelligent or natural gifts.

I really think this is as simple as Anne explaining that Nicolas in this moment had a sixth sense. And that got me thinking about it in relation to the time period of the book.

The theory of a sixth sense is, interestingly enough, something that was being written about during this time period in the late 18th century. This was a time of animal magnetism, the belief that a universal magnetic fluid contributed to the health of individuals. But derived from that theory, the paranormal phenomenon of the sixth sense was introduced by Tardy de Monravel in his Essai sur la Theorie du Somnambolisme Magnetique (1785). This basically said that the sixth sense was the source and sum of all our partial senses combined. It had a more spiritual context to it.

Teachings relating to this was started as early as the 1760s by the mesmerists, but it’s doubtful this kind of knowledge would have trickled down into Lestat’s tiny part of the Auvernge so quickly. So it’s nice that he doesn’t know what to call it. I seriously doubt Anne put this much thought into this little bit of the book, but I couldn’t help but go, huh, why is Lestat so interested in this thing Nicki is able to do? I don’t think Anne was writing this from a late 18th century view on the sixth sense, but it’s nice to go down the rabbit hole and realize how recent the term really is! She’s definitely using it in a very modern sense of the theory.

But being the romantic that I am, I want to believe Nicki’s heart/soul was longing for Lestat’s heart/soul because their fates were so intertwined at this point. That it was the feeling of recognizing something familiar and gravitating towards it. And maybe that’s what love is? I want this to be the case so bad, it’s so sweet. So this is usually the take I go with to quench my parched soul for NickiStat.

But in all honesty, I think we are meant to read this as he had that feeling of knowing he was being watched and assumed it was Lestat—because who else would be creeping on some random alcoholic violinist? His sixth sense was alerting him that he had a predator nearby. Like those stories of people who report feeling something watching them in the woods-- whether that is some wild animal or something supernatural is up to you to decide. We see this same kind of sixth sense from Lestat as a mortal as well when Magnus began to appear. You could argue Magnus was using the Spell Gift on him, but I’m not sure Anne had even thought up that power yet at this point in her writings (but correct me if I’m wrong). We know he has the Mind Gift because Lestat is hearing him call to him as Wolfkiller.

----

When Nicki and I were alone I had to talk about it, about the peculiar sensation that I had fallen asleep on the stage and had been dreaming.

----

Moving away from this antiquated view of the sixth sense, there are two beliefs that we can look to that might resonate a bit more in the 20th and 21st centuries. Charles Richet—this is the guy who coined the term ectoplasm-- used the term of sixth sense to mean an unknown sense the perceives hypothetical vibrations of reality in his book Our Sixth Sense (1928). He denounced that the spiritual had anything to do with the sixth sense and it stemmed from physiology. And this theory later leads to J.B. Rhines’s term called extrasensory perception (ESP) with a book of the same name (1934), which was the ability to acquire information that was shielded from the sense.

Doesn’t this sound way more familiar? Definitely more of where I think Anne was writing from. So what was the name of the presence you felt, Lestat? Anne was writing about Nicki’s sixth sense, just in a modern way you won’t know for around 150 more years! Or you can just do my thing and say it’s the result of love, knowing someone’s heart so well, longing for the thing you recognize as home. Go for the latter explain Lestat. 🥲

#Nicolas de Lenfent #nicki de lenfent #nickistat #nicki x lestat #lestat x nicki #the vampire chronicles #don’t mind me I’m still trapped in this desolate place #I just wanted them to be together #it was such a star crossed lovers story that could have been

[f0xgl0v3]

The Camp Jupiter thing.

That is a vague title, but ‘The various reasons that we have gotten fundamental rules about the ascendancy in Camp Jupiter due to the list of characters we were given’ this post has turned into ‘Various reasons I’m sad about canon Camp Jupiter’

I will note I just go off on like 50 tangents through this post, bear with me. And I forget what I was talking about halfway through. But hey! Long post :D also I’m reading through this and note I am not serious about this, I am cannonically a silly Kerropi and Choco cat hugging on the internet that talks about how much I like Rome and this fictional franchise- please don’t take anything I say too seriously, I can’t put up good arguments without actually trying to format my points in a argumentative essay format. This is just me typing words and thinking it’s good enough.

This takes into account that I have not read ToA yet because for some reason the hidden oracle falls under the same problem that I had with reading TLT or tTC; which is very slow first chapters that are hard to get through :[ So nothing other than what I know about ToA Camp Jupiter stuff (which is dubious) won’t be talked about; sadly including characters that are fully introduced in ToA and their issues, though I’ll probably mention them or something.

Okay, these are claims, but I’ve now decided to dedicate my bus ride to this issue that I’ve realized (that probably is well known and whatever) while those are a couple things,

First and the most well-known Camp Jupiter thing is lack of characterization, or at least consistent characterization (the first cohort),

Aside from our POVs I feel that (and I think most of what I’ve seen from the community) the characters don’t have much of any Characterization, and not in a like ‘these characters don’t have complex narratives and that means they suck >:[‘ but in the fact that they don’t have.. much of anything? Comparing them to Camp Half-Blood seems the best, some of the side characters we see there like Clarisse La Rue, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and Thalia Grace, and more I can’t think about right now all have noticeable to somewhat noticeable arcs, and clear characterization and more than just 2D personalities. (I don’t focus on Camp Half-Blood nearly enough to give rundowns of them and I don’t have room, but note that every single CHB character mentioned has at least 1 B plot and is important to the narrative)

Now, let’s look at Camp Jupiter characters were given (that don’t end up POVs because they obviously have to be given complex personalities.. to which degree it is effective and how they chose to use those personalities is probably a different post) but we have characters that get Characterization like,

Octavian; A character set up to be some form of threat, even though repeatedly we are shown that, despite what traits were told he has, are shown a different character. Who then in the next books is played for laughs because the community didn’t like him enough and is eventually killed off without a solid reason to be killed off. He is set up to be a threat and told to be a threat, but showed to be incompetent and played for comedic value to varying sucess (don’t set up a character as a villain that is said to be hard to deal with if you then turn around and have him beat in the first 5 pages and then continue to beat him again and again without any strain from your Protags)

Michael; We know nothing about him, we are told that he is ripped and that he is meant to be Octavian’s closed ally and confidant (that is slightly exaggerated but he is meant to be close to Octavian) then we see him remorselessly wave and say goodbye as Octavian is murdered and simply walk away (Also and exaggeration, but like- he’s not doing himself any favors)

Dakota; he’s not really given a personality that is distinct, and is played for an addiction joke before being killed off (I have no idea if he is given any character in ToA, but like..)

Bryce Lawerence; given the stereotypical traits for a psychopath, given 2 minutes of screen time to be un-menacing and then to have a horrific death.

I chose some of the worse options (also options of characters I hold dear to my heart and like talking about) but there are probably a plethora of other characters that can also be used as examples. The point is, comparing them to other secondary characters that are presented in the books. They are used situationally, for laughs, to fill in a menacing problem blank or be killed off, and for one of them (*cough, cough* OCTAVIAN *cough, cough*) they fit all of the boxes I have listed. Which sucks because it generally means that when thinking about Camp Jupiter characters, there is digging and a whole lot of interpreting you have to do to squeeze character and possible traits out of them. I’ve been ranting a lot and it’s hard to get what I’m trying to say typed, but I hope when I say ‘most characters were given are nothing burgers’ people understand what I’m trying to convey; that compared to other characters in the same universe that are written by the same author; Camp Jupiters characters are given so much less amazing characterization!

Also I don’t quite know where to put this; but the books treat Camp Jupiter with this mob mentality, but not in a like actual way; but in a ‘I think of them as just a hive mind instead of people with distinct personalities’ where again, in Camp Half-Blood they all have these somewhat distinct personalities and would react differently to situations, where Camp Jupiter, one of the Praetors would say something and then we wouldn’t care because there would be no mixed reaction. There is no CJ equivelant to the Apollo and Ares cabin having a tiff over a chariot, literally it’s just ‘we agree that the 5th sucks haha’. I consider this for one key reason; we aren’t introduced to enough characters in Camp Jupiter who have distinct personalities nor are we introduced to a big variety of characters! And most of the times we get a variety of characters is in probatio’s journal, an extra short story book that people who aren’t interested in Camp Jupiter. THAT I AGAIN MENTION NAMED A DAUGHTER OF JANUS JANICE!!! it’s not a big deal, it’s fine; but it bothers ME. It shouldn’t, it’s fun, it’s a short story but still.

Okay, okay. Second reason is the Centurion/position of power issue. NOT including Probatio’s journal (which I decided not to read before this) almost every single character in Camp Jupiter we are introduced to is or ascends to a position of power. We don’t get a ‘hi I’m Jerry and I’m just a legionnaire trying to work through’ even characters that don’t need to be in other positions of power like my example, Larry.

Larry is mentioned in the Senate scene of SoN, opposing Frank rising to Centurion-hood. Great, he can be one of the 10 elected senators we are told about and then we never have to talk about him again.

But, they had to make him the Centurion of the 2nd cohort. Okay, great, that’s fine- he just was cool enough to be elected as a senator.

But that’s not just it. Every single character that was mentioned there (not including Cato’s ghost which is wild but extremely funny in my opinion- no I will not be elaborating on why it is funny to me) was a centurion or in a position of power. Every named character was a Centurion, Praetor, or someone who ended up being a Centurion or Praetor (I don’t remember if we’re told names of Veterans, other senators, or if there is a character that was just mentioned without a secondary rank).

But, that itself is like, all fine and dandy. If this and the scene right before it didn’t throw around a bunch of rules during it. Which- with the combination of lack of named characters that were purely elected Senators, we ended up with mishaps like thinking the rule for Centurion’s that they had to serve 5 years in camp before being able to.. like be a centurion (if there is confirmation that the rule applies to Centurions somewhere else in the book please tell me) but no, the quote is just in relation to being a Senator. (I just realized but it doesn’t help that Dakota; our in the book closest source of info for Centurions also happens to be a Senator)

But Okay, so that- and then there is the obvious assumption that Centurions just also go and serve in the senate. Though- I don’t believe that is explicitly mentioned in the books- so not confirmed..? My memory is dubious though so this is a little more flimsy- BUT THE POINT-

The point is, that without any labeling or clear-cut rules that are told to us, it’s harder to know. In combination with the rules we were told being muddled up between the two roles, and it’s not helping when all the characters there mentioned in the senate end up being Centurions- it’s a mess.

I at this point, I have lost the whole point I was trying to talk about. But yeah. Camp Jupiter has a lot of problems, and suffers so much (in my opinion) from the lack of utilization. It makes me sad and upset, and now I have to go re-read Camp Jupiter’s parts in SoN to confirm… a lot of things that were wrong. And think a lot harder on things.

But yes. Camp Jupiter makes me so happy and then realizing Camp Jupiter isn’t written the best makes me very sad/upset/angry but yeah. Lets give Camp Jupiter better characterization and actual characters- yeah :D

I say this a lot in recent posts, but I am a little tired compared to when I wrote most of this and I feel like that’s obvious, but Camp Jupiter map is about.. 75-80% ish done. The first draft at least will be done by at the least, this weekend. I’ll probably either finish a Dionysus/Bacchus kids post I was working on, or start on that Michael Varus post, talk more about Larry because he’s so infrequent but is so silly. OR just talk more over Octavian or Bryce Lawerence because those two are genuinely some of my favorite characters and one (Bryce Lawerence) clearly has much less reason and content for me to like about him.

ALSO possibly Outsiders (the book by S.E Hinton) content coming up? I don’t know how much people like the Outsiders, but I like it. And if anyone wants to know; I’d probably be posting about Two-Bit, Dally, really any of the Greasers. Or Bob- the Soc that Johnny murdered. He is my 2nd favorite character. Yes that is so stupid but I love him too much for no good reason one day I just joked with a friend about Bob being my favorite and it came true-

#idk how to tag this #pjo hoo toa #camp jupiter #kind of a rant #hehe :3 #hoo #i don’t know #I think I lost the plot #I just read the announcement that Argus won’t be in the Pjo tv show and I am genuinely so sad #Argus makes my top 10 favorite characters #okay goodnight

[kilfeur]

Le choix de Viren (The choice of Viren)

J'étais en train de penser aux derniers moments de Viren et souvent on aime pas le fait que la mort est égale à la rédemption. Après je me dis c'est comment on l'utilise par exemple Ardyn dans FFXV était un immortel trahit par son frère mais aussi utilisé par Bahamut pour voir l'histoire jusqu'à la fin avec Noctis dans la confrontation final. Récemment j'ai terminé le let's play de Tales of Berseria, Artorius est un antagoniste qui veut supprimer toute émotion chez l'humanité car ce serait à cause des émotions, que les humains accumulent de la malveillance qu'ils deviennent des démons que les exorcistes qu'il dirige les tue. Il est un contraste avec Velvet qui au final finit par le tuer !

Où je veux en venir avec Viren ? C'est que ce qu'on a vu dans sa vie, il l'a passé à servir quelqu'un. Harrow qu'il le considérait comme un frère et ne voulait pas qu'il meure allait utiliser de nouveau la magie noire pour le sauver malgré le côté questionnable. Avec Aaravos, il a eu l'impression que cette fois ci, c'est lui qui mène sauf qu'au final il n'était qu'un pion pour ce dernier ! Dans la saison 4, il était perdu et refusait de reprendre son bâton. Il voulait vivre ses derniers jours avec sa fille jusqu'à ce qu'elle le gifle pour qu'il se ressaisisse. En revanche, il était dans un état comateux et dans son rêve, il fait face à ses vrais désirs. Son désir de pouvoir, son désir d'avoir été quelqu'un d'important pour Harrow ! Son désir d'avoir ses enfants mais l'un est parti et l'autre va aller plus loin que lui. C'est pour ça que le jeune Viren refuse ce chemin, lui il est libre et du coup essaie de convaincre le vieux Viren d'y croire.

Etre libre, c'est justement ce dont Viren a besoin, Aaravos n'a fait que l'utiliser pour atteindre ses objectifs. Et quand Viren ouvre les yeux, il fait le choix de pas tuer Monsieur Bavetout ! Il va mourir certes mais au moins ce sera son choix et non ceux des autres !

Ça ne veut pas dire que ça excuse tout ce qu'il a fait mais je me demande vraiment si Viren sera mort en saison 6 ou bien il va revenir pour une raison inconnu on verra.

I was thinking about Viren's last moments and often we don't like the fact that death equals redemption. Then I think about how it's used, for example Ardyn in FFXV was an immortal betrayed by his brother but also used by Bahamut to see the story through to the end with Noctis in the final confrontation. Recently I finished the let's play of Tales of Berseria, Artorius is an antagonist who wants to suppress all emotion in humanity because it would be because of emotions, that humans accumulate malevolence that they become demons that the exorcists he leads kill them. He's a contrast to Velvet, who ends up killing him!

What's my point with Viren? It's that what we saw in his life, he spent serving someone. Harrow, who considered him a brother and didn't want him to die, was going to use dark magic again to save him, despite the questionable nature of his actions. With Aaravos, he had the impression that this time he was in charge, except that in the end he was just a pawn for Aaravos! In season 4, he was lost and refused to pick up his staff until the final episodes. He wanted to live out his last days with his daughter until she slapped him in the face to get him to pull himself together. In contrast, he was in a comatose state and in his dream, he faces his true desires. His desire for power, his desire to have been someone important to Harrow! His desire to have his children, but one is gone and the other will go further than he will. That's why young Viren refuses a path, because he's free, and tries to convince old Viren to believe it.

Being free is exactly what Viren needs, and Aaravos has done nothing but use him to achieve his goals. And when Viren opens his eyes, he chooses not to kill Sir Sparklepuff! Sure, he's going to die, but at least it'll be his choice and not anyone else's!

That's not to say it excuses everything he's done, but I really wonder whether Viren will be dead in season 6 or whether he'll be back for some unknown reason, we'll see.

#the dragon prince #tdp #tdp analysis #analysis #viren #harrow #aaravos

[inconsistentcharacterizationcomp]

Shadow the Hedgehog: Inconsistently Characterized?

Submissions propaganda will be here. Feel free to reblog or reply to this post with additional inconsistency in characterization, or to refute it!

See #Shadow the Hedgehog Propaganda as a tag.

Why the FUCK does Shadow work for GUN when his whole origin story is that he hated everything because GUN invaded his home and killed everyone including his 12yo sister. And also made his dad? go insane. What. Why do we have both a game where Shadow learns the power of friendship and relying on his friends is strenght and a game in later timeline where he says “fuck friends they don’t do nothing be strong = lone wolf.” He Would Not Fucking Say That

THE FUCKING CHARACTER EVER!!! listen. shadow is such an impactful and tragic character who suffers so much and nobody fucking understands him especially the writers who massacred who he was as a person. not to mention sega themselves sabotaging him by enforcing mandates that restricted who he could interact with and locked him into the "early vegeta clone" archetype. im sorry this is going to be so fucking long b im going to go into detail about shadow's creation and his purpose, who he is as shown up until sonic 06, and how they both fumbled his character FUCKING IMMENSELY.

[SEE READMORE FOR ESSAY. It concludes: "Okay I restrained myself. According to the word counter website this is sitting at 1,712 words. Holy shit."]

Shadow was initially created 50 years ago for the purpose of achieving immortality by the United Federation (the in-game equivalent of the US), though he was also created for the research of weapons of mass destruction. The scientist the president had insisted take on the project, Gerald Robotnik, had initially refused because he thought it was crossing an ethical line and that it would be used for war (he was right lmao), but then he realized he could co-opt the project in order to cure his granddaughter Maria of her deadly illness called NIDS (basically HIV/AIDS). So he agrees and they start experimenting with chaos energy and living things and when that works, they go to making prototypes of this so called "Ultimate Lifeform". Gerald needed help though and thats when the Black Arms appeared, an alien race that came every 50 years with the Black Comet. In exchange for the delivery of the chaos emeralds in 50 years time, Black Doom the leader will help Gerald make this Ultimate Lifeform, even giving some of his DNA in order for it to work. The first prototype, the Biolizard, showed promise but in the end was too violent and couldnt survive without its support system. This caused distress among the scientist. The next creature was a little hedgehog, made using Black Doom's DNA. While tensions brewed, Shadow was created. Gerald knew that they would take this creation and try to turn him into a weapon, so he gave him a heart and personality similar to his granddaughter Maria. Maria and Shadow were inseparable, practically siblings. Shadow is 15 years old and Maria couldn't have been older than 16. (Sonic X places her at 12 but since that isn't official I don't really count it). Shadow often wondered about his purpose was, always wondering who he was. As tensions among the staff rose, the international military group Guardian Units of Nations (GUN) stepped in. They saw the danger such an experiment could bring and decided to take Shadow for themselves. They raided the ARK and killed all the researches and evacuated some of the civilians, aiming to get Shadow and Gerald. Gerald sends Maria and Shadow to the escape pods. However, a GUN soldier shows up. Maria puts Shadow in an escape pod to keep him safe but she is shot by the GUN soldier as Shadow can only watch in horror. Literally kills a sick teenage girl in cold blood. Maria tells Shadow that he was born to make people happy and keep them safe. He was not made to be a weapon, but to be a protector. That her wish is that he will help fulfill everyone else's wishes. Maria's last words to her little brother being goodbye and that promise as she makes sure he survives. GUN went with their plan of the cover up, telling the public there was a freak accident and all the scientist except Gerald were victims of it. Gerald is detained and sees Maria's name in the list of dead. He went mad with grief and instead of continuing to work on the cryogenically frozen Shadow to service the military, he used him as a weapon for revenge. He creates a program to cause the ARK to crash into the earth and even brainwashes Shadow, altering his memories of Maria in order for him to carry out the destruction of the planet. GUN, fearing that Gerald might retaliate a little too late, stopped his work and execute Gerald by firing squad. They keep Shadow dormant for 50 years.

He's awaken by Eggman, who wishes to rule the world using the Ultimate Lifeform from his grandfather's journal. Shadow speaks subserviently, referring to Eggman as "my master" and using the Japanese pronoun of 僕 (boku) which is more humble and is informally giving deference. This is only for this interaction, since Shadow has plans and he takes charge, with sometimes Eggman looking at Shadow for confirmation, such as when Rouge asks to join them. Sonic Adventure 2 is the game we first are introduced to Shadow and its when he is at his most raw and mentally unwell. He is traumatized and the pain is fresh. It may have been 50 years for everybody else, but it had just happened for him. He grapples with flashbacks due to his PTSD, he hears Maria in his head telling him to keep his promise and to not "make her upset" and he is overall not in a good place mentally. He is willing to kill himself if it means keeping the false promise that Gerald had placed in his head. He does this plan, not because he himself wants to, but because its what Maria wants and for the longest time, that is how Shadow goes about it. Shadow cares so much, and its seen by how he sees Maria in Rouge and he risks his life to save her. It shows in how much he loved Maria and how he will keep this promise regardless of what happens to him. When Amy speaks to him, he is instantly reminded of Maria and he remembers the true promise. He cries at the memory, and then immediately goes to set things right. He lets himself fall to his death because "this is what you wanted, right Maria?" This kid is 15 and traumatized and he is hurting so much and it GETS WORSE.

Eggman finds him, and makes android copies of him, then seals him away with a killer robot in an abandoned hold. He spends the entirety of that game becoming close to Omega and Rouge who find them both and he doesn't even know if he is the true Shadow because of all these androids running around and he has no memories. He remembers nobody. Not Rouge, not Amy, not Sonic. The only thing he remembered was Maria's name and her death. Not even the good memories. From Heroes (this game I just explained) and on, Shadow's main antagonists deal with wanting to control him. What we know of Shadow currently is that he is selfless, he loves with all his heart, he is self-sacrificing, and though he is withdrawn and cocky, he still is willing to say that he thinks Sonic might actually be the Ultimate Lifeform. Surely, they've given us this great thing! How can they possibly fuck it up?

Shadow he Hedgehog (2005) absolutely destroys his character and gives him an absolutely bad rep BUT there is some good stuff in there. Remember the Black Arms? Remember that deal Gerald made? Yeah it's been 50 years. Knock knock, Shadow's other shitty dad is here!! You thought this kid's mind was gonna stop being manipulated? lmao. anyways shadow the hedgehog makes shadow absolutely edgy. he's kinda a dick he just... can kill people. it's a Weird game. sad to say he never recovered from this with the exception of Sonic 06!!

Now Sonic 06 is literally a broken game that can barely run (still funny tho so I play it) BUT THE WRITING FOR SHADOW'S STORY IS ABSOLUTELY SO GOOD?? they made him a GUN agent though which was. Something I was NOT expecting. BUT its a return from the edgy hedgehog we saw the year before so I'll look past him working for the same organization that killed his sister. A common thread about Shadow-specific villains/antagonists are that they all want to control him in some way shape or form before killing him. Gerald, Metal Sonic (kinda. he just set off the identity crisis by showing all the Shadow androids), Black Doom, Mephiles, Infinite. They all follow this thread which happens to accidentally create a story arc (bc it was definitely by accident) but thats not what we're talking about. ANyways, Mephiles wants to get to Shadow for Shadow sealing him away in a scepter in the past (theres time travel it gets confusing) and Shadow manages to win not only because of his own strength, but because he was not alone. He is made up of the people he loves, just like Sonic is, and everytime Shadow beats Mephiles is because he had Omega, Rouge, or both with him.

Sounds good right? Just one stinker game so surely its all fine? No. Because then Sega set mandates. Shadow wasn't allowed to have friends, he was not allowed to crack jokes or be anything but an angry rival to Sonic. They dissolved Team Dark (the team between Rouge, Shadow, and Omega) and now Shadow is alone. His biggest strength used to be his love for his friends and their presence in his lives and now they boiled him down to an "early Vegeta" clone. Sonic Boom released, and he is literally just a violent asshole who antagonizes Sonic for no reason. He barely shows up anymore and when he does its so painfully off that its best he doesn't. The writers of the meta era didnt really use him (which is a relief because they admitted that they only ever read wikipedia articles about sonic games and never actually played them). He was decent in Forces but he barely showed up and honestly that's for the best. I have major issues with how they write him in the comics as well but I think that has to do with mandates and it seems that theyre letting off since Frontiers since all the characters were revamped and are giving us good characterization. He's going to be in the next Sonic movie and I am hoping they do him justice.

#character intro #propaganda #sonic #shadow the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog propaganda #shadow the hedgehog meta

[chinzhilla]

Do you have any fave Thai BL series? If you do, what's your top 10?

hiiii thank you for the ask! 💙 and oh yes of course i do!! i'm not gonna actually rank these but here are my top ten thai bls in no particular order (with commentary bc i always have to be the most verbose person in the room):

The Eclipse - i think this one goes without saying if you’ve been following me for long. it's the first bl i watched live, before this blog even existed, and i imprinted on it like a duckling. that's the firstkhao effect i guess, and also my penchant for repressed sadboys and characters who are so attracted to each other and so mad about it

Manner of Death - may be surprising since i haven’t posted about it much but this drama is just. perfect. one of these days i’m gonna do a rewatch and i’m gonna be SO annoying about it. tension and release doesn't get any better than this, and the entire time the plot is plotting and it's fantastic!!

My School President - this one should also be obvious given it's the source of my url and also basically the reason this blog exists. this is the show that escalated my bl obsession to critical mass and left me with no choice but to make a sideblog about it. the soundtrack is banger after banger, every character is lovable, there are such genuine touching moments, and gemini and fourth just kill it the whole time

A Tale of Thousand Stars - i don't think any show has made me cry more. i was warned but nothing could have really prepared me cause it's like this drama was made in a lab specifically to target all my emotional weak points. i related a ton to tian and his need for escape and agency, and his growth and redemption over the course of the series is really just beautiful

Bed Friend - this show is a bit of a sexy comfort watch for me. to watch uea go through absolute hell and come out the other side getting the love, respect, and devotion (and cat ears) he deserves is just sooo satisfying. and did i mention how sexy it is?

La Pluie - closest i ever came to writing actual meta was while watching this show. its take on soulmates is so refreshing and thought-provoking and i really appreciated its emphasis on family and the trauma it can bring even when everyone loves each other. also gorgeous chemistry from the leads and lomfon and tien had me in a chokehold for weeks

Only Friends - obviously the show has been very polarizing but y'all all know where i stand. i'm not without my criticisms of how THAT storyline ended but there are far far far more positives than negatives for me. and in terms of pure entertainment they DELIVERED

Not Me - another one i don't talk much about but absolutely adored. every relationship in this show could have essays written about it (which i'm sure has been done) and the seanwhite first kiss is actually one of my favorites

Laws of Attraction - charn wasn't on my screen for a minute and i was already in love with him. this is another one with a great plot, good chemistry, and a captivating side couple. the only thing it doesn't hit right on the mark for me is the physical intimacy (especially bc i couldn't help but compare it to mod) but it makes up for it with hot lesbians (silvy pls give me a chance)

I Feel You Linger in the Air - no it's not over yet and yes i'm two (almost three) episodes behind but listen unless they really screw the pooch right at the end this one absolutely deserves to be here. once again the chemistry is chemistrying and the setting and mechanics are FASCINATING. however i have a feeling it's gonna join the ranks of atots as dramas i adored but might not everr watch again due to emotional devastation

honorable mention to Shadow which is currently airing and which i am obsessed with so far. if i ever do another version of this list it may well be on there

#bon answers #anon #thanks again anon this was fun!! #thai bl #bon.txt

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

I’m glad Hades is getting a sequel but please tell me I’m not the only one who’s pissed that Zagreus gets to be all ripped and shit but women get fuckin, Genshin Impact Barbie. I’m sure she’s fine as a character but the design feels SO fucking misogynistic, which is a huge letdown from such a highly praised indie studio

And whenever I bring it up people are like “ohhhh well it’s because she’s a magic user” or “it’s because she’s associated with the moon” (?????? you’re telling me the giant space rock is soft and skinny?) or “well actually Zagreus is smaller than other guys in Hades so it’s not sexist” or “Well Nemesis is buff” (she’s not the fucking protagonist now is she?)

Like that’s not the POINT. The point is that it’s 2022 and we’re still seeing the same World of Warcraft ass “broad-shouldered chiseled muscle playable man, petite curvy pantsless playable woman” character dichotomy. You can justify it all you like, it doesn’t make me feel any better about it than essays about the themes of Kill la Kill did about seeing naked teenagers. 

In conclusion, I Ask For Nothing And Still I Am Disappointed

#People keep calling it a win for gay women or whatever but idk I just feel like I've been shortchanged #Like what are we supposed to be winning at. She doesn't even have pants. Zagreus got pants #If I wanted a protagonist for gay girls I'd just go play Order of Ecclesia cause this ain't it lmao #Like I'm glad other people are happy and I don't think it's wrong to be into her but tell me I'm not the only one seeing this. #I'm so tired I'm so fucking tired

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter - Monday, October 2

AIMEE MANN: Man, I hate playing vampire towns.

~~Sleeper~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Forego Empty Promises (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, T) by arcanedreamer

O Christmas Tree (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, G) by arcanedreamer

Jolyne and Buffy: Spirit Cousins (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, G) by arcanedreamer

Blowing Off Steam (Resident Evil crossover, T) by arcanedreamer

Swoon (Spike/Drusilla, T) by a_sort_of_friendly_ghost

Lover’s Walk: Lucidity (Spike/Joyce, E) by LoTJ

Passing Mistakes (Gen, T) by NAOA

everything in the world changes, and nothing changes at all (Spike/Buffy, R) by disco-tea

[Chaptered Fiction]

Presumably Dead Arm Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Tragic

A Marriage of Inconvenience Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny

Of Things That Would Never Be Chapter 55 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Blond Goth Girl

Surviving Together Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, Adult only) by ionlylikebadboys

Buffy's Spooky Birthday Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

Buffy's Spooky Birthday Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

What the Drabble? Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

I remember who you are Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Desicat

A Place in the Sun Chapter 24 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

Autumnal Shorts Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by VeroNyxK84

Vamp for Rent Chapter 3 (Spike/Xander, R) by forsaken2003

Lock the Door Chapter 2 (Faith/Buffy, T) by arcanedreamer

Meet & Greet Chapter 2 (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure crossover, G) by arcanedreamer

Kinktober 2023 Chapter 2 (Buffy/Giles, E) by Skyson

Post-Grave Chapter 1 (Buffy/Giles, Not rated) by Skylark62

[Image, Audio & Video]

Art: Faith by pocketsizedann

PODCAST: Normal Again S6 E17 (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by lisalilly

[Reviews]

Spuffy, trauma and the Bathroom Scene by Flow

season 1 episode 4: teacher’s pet by slut-jpeg

season 1 episode 5: never kill a boy on the first date by slut-jpeg

[Fandom Discussions]

the incestuous, wrong connotations david fury is trying to implement between buffy and spike by silvermars

the amount of nasty thoughts i have about s4ats-s7btvs spangelus by fblckt

it would have been a better idea for Oz to also be gay by hermyohkneegranger

Spike and Harley Quinn are the same character by goodolreliablejake

Never forget that Buffy wanted her wedding photos to be taken at the cemetery by aphony-cree

Episode Battle: Goodbye Iowa vs Dirty Girls continued by multiple posters

Positives and Negatives - S6 continued by multiple posters

How Evil Was Spike? continued by multiple posters

Who did Angel hate? continued by multiple posters

FFH: Did Fred's Death Make An Impact?) by nightshade

How many seasons by Jakarisoolive

Are the later seasons shot with 4:3 in mind depsite also releasing in 16:9? by EgonHeart123part2

Random sad thought of the day by WhatName230

Favorite rivalries in the Buffyverse? by zmuda1234

Tabula Rasa - head cannon by johnnyorac

Gunn and Fred did what Tara did for Dawn with Connor by The810kid

I think I just traumatized my boyfriend by RaspberryMonkey5723

I would��ve loved to see Gwen and Angel as a couple by Sweet-Siren

XANDER - COMPLICATED OR BADLY WRITTEN by EstablishmentMost397

Thoughts on why Angel / Angelus seem so separated. (It's all about Dad and the religious upbringing) by greenisthefutureAMA

Can we talk about the Angel feeding off Buffy scene? by Hopeful_Routine8942

What’s a metaphor you think the show did really well with? by Anyanka_Tin

Buffy always questions popular expressions by Tsole96

Second time watchers- does it bug you how much they dumb buffy down? by Hopeful_Routine8942

Could this be the moment Angel stopped drinking human blood? by rfresa

Xander was an underrated hottie by Sweet-Siren

[Essay rec, French language] Buffy ou la révolte à coups de pieu, déconstruire le réel par le surnaturel by RadiKultMag

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

#btvs #buffy summers #angel #ats #angel the series #Buffy The Vampire Slayer

[roseybits]

i have. an essay in my bones constantly trying to escape abt why bethesda rpgs ultimately fail at being what they advertise

ID under read more

An image of a discord user called "Rose Marie" saying

"playing vampire the masquerade bloodlines really does just hit me with the "oh video games are good actually :) i had a small like, anger moment abt the state of bethesda rpgs because they really are false advertising themselves as these open ended sandboxes where you have freedom to do what you want, but they have such harsh restrictions on what you can and can't do like, i enjoy skyrim quite a lot, i do. but it's so clear that the devs expect you to play a nord warrior who doesn't understand high concept thought. it's very blatantly a game that desires barbarian fantasy a la conan which is like, fine? there's nothing...too inherently bad abt that but it becomes frustrating because the game markets itself as something where you can be free and do as you please but i mean, even down to the idea of enacting violence as freely as you want (which, violence is the freest form of interaction players have with elder scrolls games, really) is heavily restricted by the idea of "essential npcs" like, ok for example, in prey (which i've also been playing recently) you have this npc guide robot lady with you basically from the start but, here's the thing (edited) the first time you meet her in person? you can just fucking blast her to shit and the game doesn't go "this npc is essential to the main quest" or do some hackneyed "the thread of prophecy has been severed" like morrowind you can just...keep going! it's just the game becomes much harder because you have to navigate the game's story entirely on your own now there's an action and reaction that makes the game's setting have weight and reality to it the ultimate reason the essential npc thing exists in modern bethesda rpgs is because their worlds don't have that, so players would often find themselves just mindlessly killing NPCs and then getting frustrated because they didn't think that maybe that npc could be helpful or important after a while of playing skyrim of oblivion or w/e i feel this like, existential dread encroaching upon me because even though i do like these games there's a weightlessness to them that makes them severely uncanny valley"

End ID

#my posts

[marshmallowgoop]

10 People You Want to Know Better

I was tagged by @meitantei-shitpost, @hexfloog, and @blenderfullasarcasm! Thank you!!

Relationship status: Single.

Favorite colors: Pink! Though, I'm a fan of most colors. Except maybe orange.

Favorite foods: Potatoes (in whatever form), apple pie, chili penne, ice cream, BBQ, pizza, bread pudding, corn, soup, watermelon, carrot cake, popcorn, fried chicken, coconut mango curry, chocolate pudding... I love food and could go on and on and on. But I suppose marshmallows should be on this list!

Song stuck in your head: Nothing really in particular right now? Maybe "Enjoy Your Life" by MARINA, because of this AMV.

Last thing you Googled: Not counting things I searched for work (confidential), it was the date of a holiday so that I wouldn't accidentally schedule a NaNoWriMo meetup on that day 😅 (I'm one of my region's Municipal Liaisons (MLs) for National Novel Writing Month next month.)

But the more interesting search before that (and the one I want to ramble on about for a sec) was "danny phantom shadow of a doubt." Because I'm feeling super nostalgic, and I helped beta a chapter of that fic back in the day. And also drew the first fanart for the story that ever hit the web?

Time: Probably time to cook some food...

Dream trip: Good question, haha. One where my family is all together?

Last thing you read: YouTube comments?

Last book you enjoyed reading: "Enjoy" is too strong a word, but the last book I read cover to cover was The Long Goodbye. And boy was it long. Enjoyed it more than The Maltese Falcon, I suppose...

I really need to read more books.

Favorite thing to cook/bake: Soup? Considering that's about all I ever make 😂

Favorite craft to do in your free time: sobs about how I'm not an artist and not creative and can't do anything artistic

Umm, I'm new to it, but I've come to really love video editing! And if it counts as a craft, I can't get enough of writing essays about my blorbos.

Most niche dislike: It's maybe a dangerous thing to admit so publicly, but. Popsicle sticks. It's... a minor phobia. I can't touch them. The sight of them puts me on edge. I used to be able to eat popsicles and that kinda thing by just wrapping a paper towel around the stick and dumping the food on a plate when I got to the end, but I don't think I can even manage that anymore. Just thinking about it gives me chills. Eugh.

Opinion on circuses: I respect the artistry, but I can't say I ever seek out opportunities to go.

Do you have a sense of direction: Nnnnnope, lol. The "don't lose your way" song from Kill la Kill is my ringtone both because it's the love duet of my OTP (tell me I'm wrong) and because I, uh, get lost constantly.

Tagging: @badgerjaw, @cartoonsbyandie, @circumference-pie, @defectiveconantoy, @meitanteisachi, @mirrorfalls, @observeroftheuniverse, @snoozeeroo, @tangentiallly, and @voiceofthecity

But of course, absolutely no pressure to play if you don't want to!

#tag game #thanks y'all!! <33 #video #goop makes a (kinda) personal post

[argyrocratie]

I define a strong tie as a tie that 1. cannot be dissolved by a unilateral decision of one of the parties, 2. endures until death and beyond, 3. is enforced by an external agency, not the parties themselves.

In this sense love or friendship are weak, citizenship or loyalty to a nation are strong. We tend to be fooled by the habit of disguising weak ties under the appearance of strong ties (“love beyond death”, “friends forever”, etc.), but they are not the same. A quick look at the obvious personal experience of everyman confirms this view easily. Weak and strong ties pass for each other in the rhetoric of noble sentiments (marriage as a life‐long contract or love for one’s “motherland”).

It appears that strong ties of a personal nature were predominantly displayed at a certain historical stage, under the form of collective killings of followers, what Testart has analyzed and brilliantly theorized under the name of “les morts d’accompagnement” (Testart 2004). Archaeological evidence of mass graves predating the birth of great empires, such as Rome or China, tells the story of a particular practice observed around the world: slaves, servants, followers, dependants, consorts and familiars (including horses) were put to death after the demise of a prominent person or man of high status. If we follow Testart (id.) these deaths are a clear sign that personal links of loyalty and fidelity (“fidélité personnelle”) were institutionalized, leading to the killing or self‐sacrifice of dependents and followers.

Loyalty to a person until death and beyond became in many places around the world an institution. It is only this kind of personal loyalty, together with the widespread development of slavery and debt‐bondage in primitive and pre‐state societies that led to the formation of early states. These were nothing but transference of strong ties between persons, to strong ties between subjects and rulers and, later on, between citizens and nation. Strong ties once internalized make tyranny acceptable as La Boétie told us five hundred years ago in his aptly entitled essay “De la Servitude Volontaire”.

Anarchic and open‐aggregated communities observed by ethnographers do not put any premium on such ties. They display loyalty and trust to a high degree but very rarely to the point of self‐sacrifice and death outside the domestic family. Instead they rely on weak ties, like those of friendship and partnership. Weak ties are, and probably were in a majority of pre‐Neolithic communities, the material with which communities were built. These ties entail a continual negotiation between partners and consociates, leading to frequent and repeated fission and fusion of groups, bands, local settlements and other temporary forms of association (Dentan 1992). Weak ties bind people together but do not weld them together. They permit solidarity and cooperation, occasionally create intense feelings, but are not forever, and at any moment anyone can and may shake them loose. They imply no long‐term commitment. They must match certain requirements and obey what I have called “conditions of felicity” (Macdonald 2008 b, 2009, in press c).

-Charles J­H Macdonald, “Can anarchism be a critical point in the new anthropological imagination? Contributions of anarchy and anarchism to social theory.” (2010)

#charles macdonald #anthropology

[capow02]

Freak Show >:) and/or Want if it’s not cheating to do two songs :3

This is amazing, my very first response and you've somehow managed to find two of the sio songs I have the most to say about! Get ready for an essay.

Freak show is an absolute masterpiece of a song. You know you're in for a treat when you hear the magic sparkling sounds fade in, Cody delivering his first two lines with nothing but guitar chords in the background, and then the strings, drums, and absolutely epic guitar riff that masterfully lead into the first verse. I've always thought this was an amazing way to open the song. The verses are really strong, and Cody's "yeahhhh" at the end of the first one, along with the drums, is incredible and a perfect lead in to the chorus.

And oh my god, the chorus. It might be my favourite ever sio chorus to date. It's so catchy, with Cody's "I lost myself in make believe" blending so well with the "I don't wanna go"s. I'm always so unbelievably happy to hear it, and if I'm alone you best believe I'm singing it as loud as I can. The "you want reform" line masterfully adds some variance to the melody, while still being catchy as hell, and the decision to cut the instrumental for the last line was a perfect choice. Amazing.

And the bridge? It puts so many other bridges to shame. The "la da da"s were a master stroke, especially when they continue behind the lyrics. And then, Cody must've thought "Oh, you're not dead yet? Let's finish you off" when he decided to, on the last "you can't break me", pause the instrumental for half a second. I want to go back to the moment he chose to do that and personally thank him. It gives me goosebumps every time.

And even after all that, the way Cody goes higher when he sings "decieved" and "tainted bliss" in the last chorus is transcendent, and just the perfect capper on the perfect song. And I haven't even talked about the lyrics, which are so relatable when you've tried to change your personality to fit in with others. It's so inspiring, and singing "I've become who I am" and "you can't break me" at the top of your lungs is really freeing.

So yes, freak show is a perfect 10/10 song, my favourite from cinematics, and my second favourite sio song ever. I wonder if anyone will submit my number 1.

And want, my favourite song off upside down, where to start with this one? The beautiful and almost sombre opening is an immediate attention catcher, and very unique for a sio song. The way the pre-chorus builds up to the chorus itself is mesmerising and dramatic in a way that never fails to keep my attention, like I know I'm about to hear something important. And I am, because the chorus is so heartfelt and real, but also really catchy in a lowkey way.

In the bridge, Cody delivers one of his best vocal performances with the long "youuu", and the way the background vocals combine "this isn't what I really want" with "I gotta say" scratches my brain in a really satisfying way. And the backing vocals at the end are just perfection. Listening to this song feels like you're going through an extremely important experience. And that's not even the main reason why I love this song so much.

While freak show was relatable, want feels like Cody has reached into my brain and written a song about my own personal experiences. Having only just figured out that I'm aroace after convincing myself I wanted a relationship for years, lines like "so sure but so confused" and "I guess I found another way to lie" hit me straight in the feels. The chorus especially hits, because I only figured it out when I actually began a relationship. So, if you asked me this a year ago, I would've said this was a very average song. But now? I belt out that chorus with feeling whenever it plays. It's probably my most relatable sio song tied with lonely dance, and according to my top 30 list, it's my 13th favourite ever sio song.

9/10! Also, epic kill the lights reference.

#bet you didnt think id type all that out did you #you underestimate how bored i am #and how much i love freak show #also feel free to send in more than one song!! #i love talking about my favourite band #pow asks #sio pow asks #set it off #set it off band #sio

[voicestm]

"Hey, you Josh?" Meeting a new plug is always a nuisance. They're as paranoid as she is and her agitated demeanor rarely sets them at ease. Sam tries to keep her cool, but the stuff at the edges of her vision is always gaining ground. "Sam. Kirby's friend." Rather than give him a hand to shake, hers extends with her phone out, a picture of herself and the blonde on the screen, hugging and laughing and obvously acquaintances of some sort. "She was supposed to ride up with me, but I think she got a better offer. Of dick— not weed." Sam was supposed to wait but that way madness lay. At least driving out of the county had given her something to do, something to focus on other than the voices, the black shroud in her peripheral, the whispered questions and the looks at home. Anything was better than that. Even jumping through the hoops of a hook-up with no reason to trust— other than the fact they both look similarly aged. Similarly fucked if they get busted. It's not like anything about her is giving undercover. She shrugs. Hyperactive slim, she could just be another girl with a care for her figure except little else about her appearance suggests actual caring. Black hair is worn long and loose and sporting more than a couple of snags and tangles; the liner ringing black eyes smudged and fading into heavy dark circles, like full lips worked over by her own teeth, split in a couple of places, dry and a little chapped. Oddly enough, they seem to be matching on a few of those counts too and Sam begins to understand Kirby's suggestion that this guy might be good for more than just some weed. Pills too. Not the uppers her peers popped to get their essays in on time, cramming in mad overnighters for colleges she had no intention of even applying to— no, those just made things so much worse. Ritalin. Adderall. Things that turned the volume up on everything she was trying to shut out. Downers were harder to come by. She kept her hopes small and at bay, so as not to get disappointed. "So, you good for a half?"

Kirby.. Kirby.. There's a face that goes with the name, one he's sure he knows but just couldn't place. Pretty.. Blonde.. But that's where the familiarity ends. It's LA. There's pretty blonde's by the dozen. Hell. He has three best friends who were pretty blondes. So really. That means nothing to him. This girl isn't familiar though and more than that.. She looks like trouble. It isn't exactly her Look but the way she carries herself. Like he's seen some shit, like she's been through even more and he's five seconds away from turning her away when she whips out her phone. "Kirby!" He finally places the face and nods. The girl who could all but be a twin to his best friend. He was thinking sister from a different miss. But he wasn't about to say that to either one of them. Both of blondes were spicy on the best of day.

But that does mean he steps back to give the girl a second once over. Yeah, no, she still looks like trouble. It's in her eyes he thinks. He's seen those eyes in the mirror. And what had he told Chucky comes back to him. Troubled knows troubled. That never did do him any good though did it? Another one to love and leave. Ah but there he went.. Getting lost in his own train of thought when the girl hadn't come seeking him to save her. She just wanted another fix and he was good with the supply. "Good for more than half." He motions her into the house as he steps aside. He's glad their pretty blonde friend had given her the keycode, so she could let herself right into his glamourous abode. Or his parents. But daddy was on a shoot and he and mama dearest wouldn't be back for weeks. So the house was more or less.. Filled. With a bunch f kids their own age. Scattered around. Music thumped out from hidden speakers and laughter bounced off the walls. "You can stay as long as you like. Only rule is leave the upstairs alone and don't fuck with my sisters. In any way. I'd kill for them." Was that too much? He doesn't care. It's the only rule he ever enforced. Hannah and Beth were off limits.

#- { Josh Washington } - #- { Interactions - Sam Carpenter } - #- { Verses - Another Scream In The Void } - #echoestm