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macgyvertape · 3 years

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Castlevania kinda had a pacing problem

spoilers for all of Netflix’s Castlevania. I haven’t seen much analysis for the show on tumblr, im honestly curious if discussions I had with irl friends mirror what fandom talks about

tldr: Castlevania seems inconsistently paced from season to season, and within season as well, leads to a lot of characters motivations feeling unclear so characters repeatedly explain why they are doing something while they’re doing it

overview of the seasons:

S1 I know somewhat of a test for Netflix but it has good main trio character establishment and sets the scale of the conflict

s2: pretty complete emotional arc for most characters and resolves the plot of killing Dracula while setting up additional characters to continue the story. Isaac, Hector, Carmilla all established with the audience as characters whose story would continue

honestly I would bet this is the most popular season

S3: s2 did a bit of worldbuilding, but this season really fleshed out the world with both a wide range of locations and exploring the question of “what now, Dracula is dead but vampires and night creatures remain”.

There were basically 4 plot threads: 1) Sypha/Trevor investigating the cult & Saint Germain; 2) Hector & Carmilla (also introducing Lenore, Striga, Morana); 3) Isaac’s journey of revenge & self discovery; 4) Alucard sits around the castle and is betrayed.

overall characters roughly feel like they are in the same place if not worse. A big criticism I saw at the time, which hold up after rewatching this before s4 is nothing felt resolved for the main characters

I would say this season is where the pacing issues start to become apparent, juggling 4 plot threads that lack a central theme or even mutual character connection. If there was a central theme it would be “humans are awful to each other”. The Judge doing Hot Fuzz style murders, The Wizard in the tower, Sumi & Taka

S4: it starts with the same 4 plot threads, though upfront it is made clear that the plot theme is “people are trying to resurrect Dracula”, and the progression of the plot works to resolve unrelated plot threads until the main trio reunites for the boss fights. To me and my friends watching it was obvious that the show would reunite the main trio, the question was how and how far into the run time.

Season 4 is why I’m writing this essay, for the past 2 days I’ve been like, yeah that character sure explained their motives repeatedly maybe with some philosophical discussion, but it’s just such a weird place considering where they were in s3

Alucard’s arc:

Where he was left in season 3, it was after killing people he had trusted in self defense and impaling their corpses. It was clearly meant to parallel Dracula’s dislike of humanity. However overall his character lacked a proactive motivating force.

Honestly the most interesting thing I found in s3 was Alucard clearly misses Sypha and Trevor, however they don’t miss him or refer to him

One reason Sumi & Taka betray Alucard is for the secrets and power of Castlevania. After inviting the village including St Germain who Alucard was warned of into the Castle, Alucard makes 0 effort to secure anything, not even his personal childhood room. Guess he really learned nothing

Discussing St Germain, I think it’s funny that they had a several minute flashback sequence for his lost girlfriend (who doesn’t have a name or a voice actor), to remind the viewer of who he is, and to justify how he’s suddenly back and down for murder.

In s4 there is the call to help the village, and the walk back to the castle is a montage of Alucard opening up to Greta and becoming friendly literally overnight. He laughs off the impaling, and basically all of the darker things he went through in season 3, which has me asking what was the point of his season 3 arc then?

Honestly writing this I realize the biggest parallel he has with Dracula is the call to action from a bold woman with a dramatic entrance speech which then leads to a romance

Isaac’s arc:

in s3, with all the other themes of “humanity sucks” I was always unsure if the townspeople were meant to appear irrational while attacking a larger force instead of letting him pass through an leave, or him not caring about how he’s provoking them is meant to show his insanity

ive seen the discussion elsewhere, curious about the Discourse here

is s4 Isaac has the whole monologue about how he now has agency but him gaining that agency was his s3 arc. In s4 he’s already at the point of accepting it. By the end of s4 he’s one of those who comes the furthest from his first character appearance to his last.

s4e5 where of Isaac attacking Carmilla in Isaac’s 2nd appearance had him resolving like 4 plot threads at once (Carmilla, Striga& Morana, Hector, and Isaac himself).

but i do wonder if Trevor, Sypha, or Alucard even know any of these people exist. I think not

I was honestly confused if I missed a scene from his dialogue about building something and what is inherent nature, to “My plan has evolved, my plan is now conquest” because he only conquests the one castle and the rest is left unclear

Upon rewatch the connection there is “killing [the wizard] felt just ... I liked that feeling”, so the show says that Isaac in the end attacked Carmilla for the sake of justice and not revenge.

Isaac in his last conversation expresses the theme of s4 “build something new on these old bones, where people can live for the future”

however, his arc honestly feel scenes were cut, and then dialogue was written around it. He’s the only living character who doesn’t show up in the epilogue and the sentient night creature “what if I could empty hell” dialogue was some of the most interesting worldbuilding. Night creatures with sentience and possibility of regaining memories!!!!

The Council of Sisters & Hector’s arc:

oh I’ve already seen s4 discourse about Lenore/Hector while searching for character analysis, a chunk of it seems to be rationalizing the absolute difference between how s3 ended with these characters and s4. It was extremely confusing for me and my friends; wondering if 1) was Hector showing more emotional intelligence than before and putting on a facade to cover up hatred? Nope 2) did more time pass than 6 weeks for there to be some kind stockholm syndrome? No, Hector seems fine to let Lenore kill herself

The slave control ring: played up in the climax of s3 and easily solved s4. s3 Lenore says if he tries to harm them, flee, or take it off it would cause crippling pain, in s4 Hector just easily cuts off his own finger.

for a control ring that they take time to show a version being on the Rebus, it doesn’t do much controlling of Hector

also guess the definition of “do harm” just refers to direct action

Lenore in s4: has no purpose in conquest, has that useless remarked on by multiple characters, is imprisoned, then kills herself after a genre aware philosophical discussion. This essay is long enough, but what the fuck happened to this character who ended s3 clearly physically and sexually abusive? Seriously this was one of the biggest writing changes to the point where she was treating Hector as an equal. Compare her last words in s3 “shh the real people [vampires] are talking”. The change in the relationship is actually something I would have taken being shown, or atleast told of what exactly caused this change other than the vague “you adopted him”

Striga&Morana get the best arc of the Council. 3 scenes: the tent argument, Daybreak armor fight & argument resolution, declaration of feelings and turning away. You could argue Castlevania is plot to be connective tissue between fight scenes, but for all the dialogue about human resistance in different seasons it was nice to see it. Overall the scenes were short but had a lot of showing what their relationship is not just telling,

unlike Carmilla. For as much hyping up as they did with her, and as much power as she had, she only appeared in 2 episodes and no other group except Isaac knew about her military conquest.

the map scene where she states her motive for conquest of wanting to take things from old men is the key example of how characterization became tell not show. How interesting was that monologue compared to the past seasons flashback to her murmuring the old vampire lord, or all her repeated insults of men/man-children that shows how she judges people??

That monologue had to carry the weight of justifying the Sisterhood bonds falling apart as well as why her motivation changed from building a human pen from Styria to Braila to world conquest. I think it did so poorly

Sypha & Trevor

really Sypha & Trevor have the main plot in the show. I checked and post season 1 the only episode they don’t appear in is s4e6, which is entirely devoted to the Isaac, Hector, and Council of Sisterhood arc. Their partnership and adventures are the main plot of the show.

Its easy to see what Trevor’s arc was over the show: coming to peace with the deaths of his family, taking up the mantle of being a Belmont, and starting a new family with Sypha.

With Sypha I actually had to scroll through tv tropes for what is her character arc, and I guess hers is disillusionment from adventure and life outside the speakers? My friends joke that Sypha’s magic is what the plot demands to look cool in a fight, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Tangent: the ending of their arc was easy to guess: as soon as Trevor went to fight the final boss alone I literally said “oh i bet Sypha’s pregnant, Trevor’s doing a heroic sacrifice, theyll use the unexplained magical dagger mcguffin, and 60/40 odds that he goes through an infinite corridor to outright come back vs just the implication he might come back”

I guess my final thought of the show, was overall the SUPER Final Boss got my by surprise. It was a good twist I enjoyed. Not that Death appeared, I had guessed that from the heavy foreshadowing, but I was surprised by who it was, because I had thought I thought the characters involved feeling shoehorned into the plot was just more bad writing. The Alchemist who put St Germain on the path or murder for no discernible motive for helping? Sure gotta move the plot along. New Dracula court member Varney who has a whole introduction with almost every character he meets and banter about his smell? Sure thats basically how all characters talk with a snarky and acerbic voice.

#Castlevania #castlevania spoilers #castlevania meta #castlevania season four #overall i enjoyed the show #id love to find some discussion of the show #this wound up being more of a recap than a persuasive essay #but i think my tldr thesis statement stands

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primedirection · 5 years

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Anniversary -Part 2

Post mobbing

It's been two and a half days since the fight and you still haven't spoken to one another, but Harry caves first.

Under simpler and more normal circumstances it was hard enough not being able to speak to you. But this time around the situation bears an immense weight. Because this wasn't just giving him the silent treatment or obnoxiously avoiding rooms he occupied, you actually left. Though once he was alone to stew in his thoughts, he couldn't blame you.

You never asked for this.

On a night that you were meant to be celebrating your love for one another, it was his baggage that intervened. And no matter how much he wanted to give the benefit of the doubt to his following, he couldn't deny that they crossed the line. Mobbing just him was one thing but to do it when he was with loved ones was another.

Harry sent a text concerned about your whereabouts merely an hour after he calmed down. By sunrise he was sick with grief, guilt, and worry. Substantially increasing due to Anne and Gemma also calling to check on you both and informing him of a particularly disturbing video gone viral on all media fronts.

One from your dinner of the girls he was kind enough to take pictures with. As it turns out they had been filming your table for awhile. Adding disgusting commentary of how much they hated you and joking about acts of harm they'd do to you if given the chance. Harry felt disgusted with himself when one of them finally suggests going over to do it and they all get riled enough to agree. Harry genuinely hates himself when hearing them discuss aloud their plan of attack. From this perspective he's able to see just how intense the impact is when you're pointedly elbowed off your chair from behind and then literally walked all over.

Only just to surround him with false praises of adoration and excitement. He feels even more ashamed that he didn't hear or see it before. But he's glad to see those girls get startled when you get back up with a vengeance and curse at them for their barbaric behavior. Teetering on the edge of dignified restraint and justified retaliation. But unfortunately he stepped in and practically dragged you out of the restaurant. The girls laugh to themselves and congratulate each other before the video abruptly ends.

The worst part of it all was that they really pulled the wool over his eyes and succeeded. He really went home and lashed out at you! Didn't even ask if you were okay nonetheless check to see if you physically were alright. He was too focused on their feelings and the backlash you'd get when the story got out to be honest.

The world already ridiculed your relationship enough, as if you didn't deserve him and he didn't want anyone to have any justification to feel that way. But this was just... He fucked up on so many different levels.

After watching the video he called you shamelessly nonstop, leaving voice mails and paragraphs of text messages apologizing. Eventually he stopped, empathy clouded his better judgment and made him realize that you probably just needed time to process everything.

On the opposing end you felt absolutely no urge to engage. Every social media account was overwhelmed with notifications from family, friends, and strangers alike. Gemma and Anne even tried to call but you simply didn't accept them based on the fact that you didn't know what to say or how to explain the situation. You didn't want to lie and say you're fine because honestly you aren't.

If you weren't hurting emotionally or embarrassed before, then watching the accursed video certainly brought on a slew of feelings. Not to mention the physical aspect of the damage.

When the adrenaline completely wore off, the dull pain you thought was bad doubled by tenfold. So excruciating and abnormally painful for just falling down, that you sent yourself to the emergency room. A full day in the waiting room and an x-ray later, you come to find out that your lovely dinner guests gave you a minor spinal fracture. Luckily enough it was just a stable fracture, which meant the best case is wearing a back brace for several weeks and no necessary surgery. Though now the worst case is that and being bed ridden as a safety precaution because the doctor also made the alarming discovery that you are four weeks pregnant.

It was impossible to pretend that you haven't been holed up for the past couple days in your best friend's guest room. Bawling your eyes out from the extravagant self pity party you were throwing yourself. Trying to wrap your head around the whole situation. How were you supposed to face anyone? Especially Harry.

It's on the third day from your split, that you are forced to figure it out because none other than Harry turns up just after your bestie leaves for work. Damn near banging at the door like there was a fire, but that more or less had to with the amount of time you took to answer it. You almost didn't, but the neighbors here were nosy enough and didn't need a show.

With the chain lock still on you barely peek through the crack of the door. Almost immediately he lunges forward, bracing his hands on the door frame trying to get as close to you as possible. It was kind of satisfying to see that he looked as miserable as you felt. In an old ratty T shirt and sweat pants with his hair in extreme disarray. His eyes bloodshot and tinted the same irritated pink as his nose and cheeks. Apparently he'd been crying. "Thank God, are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Can't get ahold of yeh any way else. I've called I've texted— been worried bloody sick to be honest. Can we talk?" His voice is thicker with more rasp than usual.

You wanted to ask if he had been drinking but thought better of it. "Think you've already said enough."

Harry's heart plunges to his toes so fast he audibly chokes on a sob. Sending his desperation into overdrive, "Y/N please, I jus' wanna explain- five minutes. That's all I'm asking."

You stare back at him for what feels like an eternity, debating whether or not if allowing him in was the right thing to do. Literally and metaphorically. He hurt you in a way that made your physical assault pale in comparison. So you're not entirely sure what possesses you to eventually close the door and remove the locks.

Upon reopening the door Harry's not as aggressive as he was before and instead waits for you to openly invite him inside. Eyes on the ground and hands shoved in his pockets.

It's while you retreat to the living room that he sees the massive cargo covering the majority of your torso. A protective vest of sorts. Although on the areas it doesn't cover on your back. He's able to see dark purpling bruises under the straps of your tank top just above your shoulder blades on each side. It makes him sick to his stomach. "Yeh had to go to the hospital?"

"Yeah, was in a lot of pain after the initial shock wore off. Good thing too because I have a minor spinal fracture," you explain and Harry's face loses all of it's color, ”The doctor said I endured the same impact as being in a car accident. Thankfully though I just need to wear this back brace for awhile."

Guilt consumes him like a flame to a torch, to the point that he almost doesn't want to continue inside any further. Because this was solely his fault and he really didn't even deserve to be in your presence. It felt horribly wrong.

He waits until you're sitting down as comfortably as you can on the sofa to speak, "Love, I can't tell yeh how sorry I am."

At the tone of his voice tears start to brim in your eyes against your will. You blink them away on a deep shaky breath and scoff, "So now I'm your love? I wasn't when I left. I was a crazy lunatic bitch you couldn't take anywhere."

His eyes clench shut at the reminder of his insensitivity, unable to withstand the disappointment in your gaze, "I didn't mean tha'—any of it, I swear. I was just being a dick cos' I knew yeh were right. Jus' didn't want to admit it"

Hearing the words aloud was bittersweet. Truly. Your emotions jumble as such, making some tears fall only to wipe them away furiously. "And what? Now you're here because of that stupid video and suddenly feel sorry for me? Well guess what? I feel humiliated enough, I don't need your pity to—”

"S'not about pity, I was wrong Y/N. So wrong." Harry's jaw clenches as he forces himself to sit across from you. Seeing you like this was out right painful and he didn't know how exactly to deal with it. He expected you to still be upset but in an angry curse him out sort of way, not the puffy eyed and anxious trembling hands type of way. "I figured tha' out long before I saw tha' fucking video. The way I reacted was the worst thing I ever could've done to yeh." He has to take a deep breath to calm the tightening in his chest but his tears come rolling down his cheeks anyway. He wipes them away hastily with the back of his hand though more are quick to replace them.

At the sight of his trembling chin you fold your arms and force yourself look away. The emotions bubbling in your chest and his own brings you to the verge of tears again.

"I was fucking atrocious to yeh and for what? For always looking out for me when no one else does? Or always being there when I need yeh to be? I failed yeh huge Y/N. Your safety should be my biggest priority and I'm the one that compromised it. If they had planned that with weapons you could've been..." He could hardly stand to think about it.

"Worse," You shudder at the thought subconsciously folding your arms over your stomach. "Neither of us knew that would happen."

You're reasoning only guts him more, "There's no excuse. You've been nothing but supportive and accommodating and so incredibly loyal... I took tha' for granted and m' so fucking sorry Y/N. I need yeh to know that. You mean literally everythin' to me, and I can't stand that I mucked this all up."

"You know how much I love you Harry. Even on our worst days but I'm not gonna lie that hurt, that like really hurt me..." Tears completely blur your vision now, and it's becoming more and more futile to talk through the constricting tightness in your throat. You reach up and press tight to your tear ducts in order to make it stop but the sobs start to slip out too. It's almost like not wanting to cry but crying anyway makes you cry even harder.

Harry wants so bad to hold you, to rub your back in comfort or in the very least hold your hand. But he knows better. Instead his fingers dig uncomfortably into his thighs, "Fuck, I know Y/N. I know."

You take a sharp breath to speak through the pain, "And I know how much the fans mean to you. Hell I love em too, they make me feel like I'm one of them! I'd never want to turn you against them or make you feel like you have to choose between us. All I wanted is for you to know when to draw the line sometimes, not just for me but for yourself. You give so much to people and I can't stand it when it's taken advantage of."

Harry shakes his head, choked up all over again hating the fact that this was supposed to be about you and here you are still defending him. He'd be a plum fool to lose you. His best friend, lover, defender, and supporter all wrapped into one. No one ever has and never would compare. "I'm so sorry love,"

"So you've said," You retort sniffling, a little annoyed that that's all he's got to say for himself.

"Well I genuinely mean it, you're so strong sometimes I forget that you might need me." His fingers rake anxiously through his hair, "Obviously I don't deserve yeh but I can't lose yeh either Y/N. Tell me what yeh need and I promise whatever it is I'll do it—whatever it takes."

He made it sound so easy but that's not the world you live in. "How am supposed to trust you won't do that again Harry?" You cry despite your attempts to remain stoic, "You're supposed to be the one I can lean on for anything and after that I honestly don't know if I can..."

He knows that you have every right to feel the way you do, but the needy and selfish part of him doesn't understand your resistance. He's apologized and currently begging for your forgiveness and yet he still can't seem to get through to you. He's beginning to feel hopeless. "I know words can't fix everything, but please just give me a chance to prove it to you. I'm upping security, I've filed restraining orders, and consider the charges pressed! I swear to God I'll-"

"I'm pregnant." You blurt out.

You didn't think it was possible but the tension in the room intensifies. Silence takes over and it's quiet enough to hear a pin drop. It makes the flutter of butterflies from high strung nerves in your belly feel like earthquakes. Also doesn't help that Harry's expression changes a minimum of three times in a matter of seconds. Confused to surprised to tormented to incredulous to sad to confused again and finally to an emotion that you can't even place. Apparently unsure he heard you correctly, "What?"

You bite your lip nervously, "I said I'm pregnant. Four weeks. Found out when I went to the doctor,"

He swallows so hard it's audible, staring directly at you and yet his gaze is distant. Somewhere else completely until he blinks and the water works start flowing again. "Can I?" He asks no louder than a whisper reaching out for you with trembling hands and grabs yours in his before you can even answer.

Bringing the back of them to his lips repeatedly somehow steadies his nerves. Because within he was raging. One of the most significant moments in both of your lives had been robbed of happiness and tainted with strife because of his baggage. The way you responded earlier suddenly makes total sense now and once again he couldn't blame you. He utterly refused to be robbed of another again.

Harry presses a hard kiss one last time before dropping your hands to shift closer to you. Close enough to cup your cheeks lovingly, since he doesn't trust himself enough to wrap his arms around you without causing pain. "I don't expect you to accept it or forgive me overnight. I understand that I really hurt you and that's just not realistic. But I am sorry Y/N. I'll spend the rest of my life doing whatever it takes to make it up to you—both of you. If you'll have me?"

In that moment all you register is burning. The burning in your eyes that make your tears pour down, the burning in your chest and throat as the heavy sobs rack through you, and the burning flush of your skin from being so overwhelmed with emotions. Because he was right, it wasn't going to magically fix everything but for right now it was enough. He seemed really genuine and sincere in his remorse and that was a good place to start.

You ultimately nod quickly and as best as you can without putting too much strain on your back, lean in to bury your face into the comfort of his neck. Confessing sheepishly, "I'm scared Harry,"

He can't squeeze you back as tight as you both want but there's still the same amount of comfort when he cradles the back of your head, "Shouldn't be. Cos' m' certainly never going anywhere and neither are you if I have anything to say about it."

Now that the threat of you leaving was somewhat gone he found it difficult to be scared of much else. With you he felt truly invincible. His grin even became shit eating at the thought of finally unveiling the ridiculously carrot studded ring currently hidden in his sock drawer. "Thank you for this by the way, s'best gift I could've ever imagined... Well opposed to mine but you'll get it when we get home."

You want badly to laugh at that and smile even because you are indeed relieved but you can't stop crying. Clutching onto his sides for dear life since they are the best you could reach. "I need you Harry, now more than ever. You understand that right?"

His chest rumbles with a hum before he pulls back to kiss you firmly on the forehead, "Won't let yeh down lovie, I promise."

AN: Hopefully this lived up to expectations idk send me your thoughts. I want all the smoke lol Xx.

#Harry styles angst #Harry styles imagines #Harry x reader #Harry styles #one direction imagines #Harry Styles one shot #One direction one shot #harry styles drabble #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #all me #I write I guess

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topweeklyupdate · 6 years

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TØP Weekly Update #53: Out (7/6/2018)

This is it, boys and girls. The “hiatus”, as we’ve called it for the last 364 days, is finally, finally, finally over... probably. Let’s cover the week that was, and look forward to the new era that could be.

This Week’s TØPics:

“New” Music Discovery

The Last Message From Dema

The Return of WILD SPECULATION

Major News and Announcements:

On any other week, new music from Tyler Joseph would be the biggest news story. And... well, I mean, I guess it should be, so we’ll cover it first, but it really doesn’t feel like it. That’s really weird, isn’t it?

@ultrawafflehouse shared a unique piece of content with the world in the middle of the week. After a friend of a friend received an old Tyler Joseph mixtape from a local youth pastor trying to prove his street cred to the middle schoolers of suburban Ohio, Ultra discovered that two of the unnamed tracks were pieces of music that had never previously found their way onto the Internet.

One of the unnamed tracks is a slick instrumental with elements of some of Tyler’s other early works like “Two” and “I Need Something To Kill Me” on full display: i.e., an extremely promising but unfinished arrangement from an extremely talented novice with no training or experience and a dozen better ideas than this that he decided to actually flesh out. Little wonder it, like presumably most of Tyler’s work, never made it to the general public.

The other track, however, actually sounds like a full song. Dubbed “Going Down” due to the phrase’s repetition in the hook, the track fits in perfect with the general No Phun Intended/Self-Titled sound; passionately-sung heart-on-sleeve lyrics supported by a simple piano arrangement with some basic hip-hop elements thrown in. I’ll be real: I was not blown away by this song. The writing in general, particularly on the hook, is low-energy, all over the place, and stretches the metaphors real thin. Tyler’s vocal delivery is at peak teenage whine, and his bars in the sole rap verse seem amateurish and out of breath.

But I wasn’t expecting to love it- most of Tyler’s stuff pre-Self-Titled, and even some tracks on the first two albums, are clearly made by someone who has no real clue how to do the whole music thing. “Drown” and “Blasphemy” are the only truly great songs from No Phun Intended, and they were both repurposed later down the road when Tyler had a better idea what he was actually doing. I still think Tyler is a genius, but he was not born the songwriter and performer he had become by the time Fueled By Ramen signed him. I still appreciate tracks like these, but more as historical curiosities, stepping stones to what Twenty One Pilots would become with brief flashes of Tyler’s insightful introspection and genuine brilliance.

The biggest news of the week, as with last week’s update, was not new music, but updates from the world of Dema. To start, we got three updates from dmaorg.info on Sunday. The first was a gif of a creepy vulture slowly turning to camera. Not too much to derive from this one. There’s the iconography of vultures, aka the carrion feeders who consume the bodies of the dead left at real-world Towers of Silence. The vulture can be seen to “blink” with its thin transparent eyelid, aligning it with the fifth Closing Eye Lyric: “Nobody dreams when they blink.” This correlation is strengthened by the name of the gif itself: “i”.

The second post, another letter from Clancy, was much more intriguing. The letter contains some great prose, with Clancy describing how the bishops have robbed the denizens of Dema of their dreams using something referred to as “smearing” and pledging to not let them crush his hope. The references to nighttime and light connect it to the sixth Closing Eye Lyric, “remember the morning is when night is dead”. The image title of this update is “e_sr_eve_r.jpg” (”reverse” in reverse), and that’s reflected both the content of the letter and its organization- you can swap the order of the sentences, and it still makes perfect sense. But why this command to reverse? To what end? Hmm....

The answer to that comes in the third update, a simple smattering of yellow marks slipped out of chronological order in the middle of the list the list under the date of the band’s Grammy win. When laid over the Clancy letter, the markings for individual letters again spell out the word “trench”, which connects it to the audio clip from the previous Dema update, while the solid vertical lines highlight the phrase “We are banditos.” When you connect all these dots and reverse that audio, as several people had already discovered previously, it becomes pretty clear that Tyler is singing “We are banditos.” What does that mean? Well, hold your horses, kid, because the circled letters in the message spell out “end”. That looked like it might be it...

Until the gif that originally revealed the Dema site made its way back onto the main website. Many interpreted this to be the fulfillment of the last Closing Eye Lyric, “Now I just sit in silence,” due to the gif ending with the finale of the “Car Radio” music video, and a sign to the Clique to pay attention to the site if they weren’t already.

dmaorg.info finished its mission on Thursday with another rush of content. First, a photo of a vast desert with a single small figure possibly visible on the horizon. The image was simply titled “o_ut.jpg”. Not much else to say; once again, the big reveal was delivered to us by Clancy.

This letter is honestly the best fiction writing and world-building I’ve seen from Tyler yet, good enough to make me wonder if he’s been considering writing a Hunger Games-style YA series if this whole music career thing doesn’t pan out. Clancy lays out his plan to break out of Dema: since it will be impossible to sneak past the huge walls unnoticed, he plans to make a big commotion during the enclave’s biggest holiday, the Annual Assemblage of the Glorified, to distract the “watchers” and permit those from the “other side” to find a way in, then avoid being “smeared” by the bishops until the others can show him the way out. There are tons of great details and turns of phrase (”concrete coffin of a city”) and really cool moments (”They don’t control us” should sound way more cringey than it reads here.) They even snuck in a final hidden message message: following the dotted lines up the same number of rows as there are squares reveals one last “Wake up.”

The biggest takeaway from this letter, though, is how direct it is. It makes reference to it being “a year since the last convocation” and directly says that “by morning, everything will be different.” And, if you still didn’t get the message- *poof*. Within minutes of the Clique posting and dissecting these new posts, dmaorg.info was gone. They pulled the plug. The only evidence of the last few months of theorizing, speculating, and decoding will be on Reddit threads lost to the dust of time, as our thoughts become occupied with a whole different type of Twenty One Pilots content...

WILD SPECULATION:

As of the moment I’m writing this (7/6/18, 1 am PST), the band has not released any new music. I am not bopping to “Jumpsuit” right now. But something is totally happening within the next 12-24 hours. The only question is... what?

Well, I have zero information beyond the registration of the song titles “Nico and the Niners” and “Jumpsuit” and the implication that the songs will relate to this unfolding tale of Clancy and the Bishops of Dema. But I do have some theories/wishes.

First, I don’t think we’ll be getting a whole new album all at once. Twenty One Pilots ain’t Beyonce. They don’t have the clout (yet) for FBR to let them get away with dropping a full project with zero mainstream promo (also, there’s no other registered song titles, so nothing for at least a few weeks). I think that, in following the standard pop music tradition of the last few years, we’ll get two singles dropped on the first day (the aforementioned registered names), with a music video for one to tide us over, then a trickle of songs for two or three months before an album in time for the holidays. I suspect “Jumpsuit” to be the main radio-play single (I’m already picturing a prison break from Dema for the video), while “Nico” serves as the song for the fans that lays out more about this concept.

The thing that excites me most about the whole Dema idea is that, unlike the rather straightforward metaphor of Blurryface, the ARG content we’ve received so far has laid out an entire world populated with multiple named characters and concepts that we aren’t clear on just yet. Because of that, I think we might get quite a few songs (like, hopefully, “Nico”) that focus more on storytelling (and, also hopefully, killer soundscapes) than just affirming the importance of staying alive. I really hope “Nico” is, like, a nine-minute long rock/EDM opera that lays out all the different bishops’ plans and motivations while mashing genres in the classic TØP style. I really want to see Tyler and Josh push themselves artistically, and I think that what we’ve seen so far is really indicating that is the case.

A few more questions (and some speculation):

What other songs are coming? “Trench”? “Heavy”? “Banditos”? “Wake Up”? “Coconut Sharks: Requiem”? (No clue, can’t wait to find out.)

What will the promo look like? Will the band bother to participate in local radio interviews anymore? (Depends on how early sales go, I think.) Will they do any long-form/in-depth sit downs? (Rooting for Zane Lowe, but also hoping a mag like Rolling Stone that’s willing to put artists in the hot seat puts Tyler on his toes and asks some of the difficult questions.)

What can we expect of tour? (I’m calling amphitheater followed by arena shows, just like with Blurryface and a lot of the bigger FBR acts. Praying for more live musicians and maybe some theatrical stuff with Dema.)

What will the album be called? Dema? Silence? Tower of Silence? Iris [remember that, holy crap]? Blurryface 2: Electric Boogaloo? Hard to say (Probably the first one, let’s be real).

Will it be successful? (Almost definitely not as much as Blurryface. We’ll have to see how hard they focus on the Dema concept or an alternative sound, since radio hates weird.) Will it be good? (Yes. I was unsure for a long time, but I’ve got a really good feeling now. A really, really good feeling.)

Community Spotlight:

This is technically cheating, but I am part of the community, so I’m gonna write about myself today. Forgive me.

Last year, on my 21st birthday, Twenty One Pilots posted a shut eye and some mirrored lyrics on their social media and then, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. I spent my whole twenty-first year of life without ‘em (the irony is not lost on me), which was weird considering how much they had inspired and impacted me throughout high school and college.

I did a lot of stuff when I was 21. I graduated college. I got a new job. I made friends. I lost friends. I got in fights. I learned to let go, but not soon enough to spare someone I cared about from unnecessary heartbreak. I turned corners in my mental health, only to run into new walls. I listened to a ton of music. I grew up.

Today, I turned 22. The irony of the absence of Twenty One Pilots aside, I’m so glad I had the chance to figure out who I was without this band by my side every step of the way. I learned that I could make it. And now I get to have them back while I continue to make it. How sick a birthday gift is that?

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

#twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #josh dun #dema #hiatus #top weekly update #music

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1ff · 7 years

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Advice for people struggling with selves-doubt (Am I multiple?)

This is in response to a question/rant/plea someone put to me, but I decided not to respond directly, or even @ them because my response broaches on some really messy territory and I didn’t want to add to their crisis by bringing syscourse to their personal blog. I also wanted to make a response on my own blog because I think it’s a crisis that a lot of multiples go through and I hope that our experiences can be helpful.

First of all: to anyone suffering through doubts, confusion, conflicting symptoms, conflicting perspectives and opinions, skeptical professionals, and angry gatekeepers: I don’t even have words to express my sympathy. It’s bad enough trying to figure out whether you are “actually” multiple without having to deal with everyone else’s hangups. Dozens of virtual *hugs* to you all.

In the end, please remember: anyone who comes to you and claims to be an expert should be treated with a grain of salt. Even psych professionals and other multiples. Even the “official” textbooks. Trust me, I’ve read dozens of them, and they don’t even agree with each other. The DID experts like to act as though there is a well-defined, broadly agreed-on model for multiplicity, but when you start to pick it apart you discover that there is no united, scientific consensus. It’s contradictory and goes through fads. Do not let them tell you the parameters of who you are allowed to be.

We were lucky to have discovered a broader idea of multiplicity early on. Reading about endogenic and spiritual systems allowed us to discover each other first, without having to deal with trauma right away. We were a mostly-mapped, selves-aware, and internally-introduced system well before we ever talked to a psych professional about it. Along the way, in the process of meeting and understanding each other, things started to crop up that pointed to trauma. Nobody could really say exactly what it was; it was more like a giant gaping hole in the past that was the shape of something nasty. Some system members were intentionally keeping secrets about it. Some members were missing memories about it.

Like almost every single traumagenic system I’ve ever met or read about, we all said “well, obviously there was some kind of trauma, but it wasn’t bad enough to explain how we became us.” After all, consider that we are a largish group (several dozen) with our fair share of members specifically dedicated to hiding memories, physically protecting us, dealing with fallout, dealing with anger, hiding emotions, etc, etc. We experience dissociation to varying degrees pretty much continuously 24/7. We look like a system that’s been to hell and back, but “obviously” we haven’t. So we assumed.

There’s three problems with that assumption, though:

#1. Different people experience trauma differently. The outcome (in terms of system size and nature) is not directly correlated to the kind or degree of trauma they endured. Remember, some people go through horrible trauma and don’t even become systems at all.

#2. The entire point of being multiple, in the DID model, is to produce at least one member of the system who is completely or mostly oblivious to ever having gone through trauma. They all have someone who can say “I can’t be multiple, I barely went through anything bad.”

#3. I know this will make a lot of people very angry, but I still stand firmly by the idea that there are multiples who didn’t become multiple through trauma.

Now, in regards to the crisis you are facing: I really, honestly do sympathize. I know how badly this can mess with your mind, both intellectually and physically. We have sketchbooks and journals full of diagrams and system maps and angry rants reflecting our process of trying to come to that answer. Nobody can tell you that you are or aren’t multiple. As comforting as it can seem for a psychiatrist to write down that diagnosis on a clipboard, that doesn’t really resolve it. Psychiatrists can be wrong, and this disorder is highly contested. There will always be another psychiatrist ready to cross that diagnosis out. And sadly, there are many psychiatrists who are all too willing to make that diagnosis without enough evidence.

When our group faced that crisis personally, it led to a big mess. It was like an internal civil war. Day after day of shouting and fighting, then weeks in complete silence as the arguing moved further down. We ended up re-traumatizing ourselves, and as a result the main front (Ian) fissioned off a new member (me, One. I was named after a crisis over whether we were One or many).

I’ve seen other groups sort of fade away, becoming “less multiple,” until finally realizing that they had sort of invented the whole thing. It does happen. Some people either invent a system for themselves through an overactive imagination, or experience some temporary low-level dissociation of identity that later resolves. I think it’s important to note that people who go through this tend to fade away within a few weeks. (And I bear absolutely no judgement against them, or consider them to be infringing on a culture or a disorder. Sometimes self-discovery is messy.)

I also believe firmly that there are median systems, both endogenic and OSDD. Some go through phases of being more or less present. Some don’t experience amnesia or aren’t fully separated. This is legitimate in my eyes and not infringing on anyone else.

The point, in the bigger picture, is this: Don’t let anybody else tell you who or what you are. Don’t let anyone else decide what boundaries you’re allowed to exist within. Take advice from diverse sources. Do your own research. Be prepared to accept yourself/ves regardless of what you discover. Take your time. Find peace. Don’t constantly obsess over the question: find hobbies and pastimes that give you catharsis and distraction. Consider other diagnoses and explanations that might explain things. It will take time, and will be difficult, so be careful with yourself/ves.

In the end, you won’t really find an answer to the question “Am I multiple?” There is no kind of test in the world (yet) that can answer that conclusively. Instead, eventually you will come to a conclusion like “It would only make sense to assume that this is how I/we are” or “Living like this is turning out to be healthier for me/us, so I/we will continue under this assumption.” And I promise that coming to this conclusion is a lot more satisfying than it sounds.

-One Faraday

Edit: Sorry, huge gigantic post, forgot to cut it. Fixed.

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someone-im-close-to-fanfic-blog · 7 years

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Chapter 12- Written (Epilogue)

Let’s hear some things from Wilson’s point of view. You might want to keep those tissues with you still, just in case.

Chapter Rating: G

Day 6 of...

Spring #7, if memory serves

1926

Been a while since I finally got the chance to sit on my ass and write something. It's a welcome break from all the building and cleaning and harvesting we've done around here lately. Wendy’s knee has headed just fine, but there's a large and very noticeable scar just underneath the patella that she's a bit self-conscious of. Wigfrid and Webber are always trying to build up her confidence about it, though, so I'm sure she'll be fine with it soon enough. She’s quite adorable about it, to be honest. I didn’t think much of raising children before, but I’m having second thoughts about that now thanks to Willow. Wendy and Webber are like everybody’s children around here, and as far as I know their only problem with it is that they’re unsure of who to call ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’.

Winter was actually surprisingly mild for us. I'm sure we all know who to thank for that. Everyone was quite depressed during the most of the season, but they’ve recovered since then. Not fully, but we’re all making progress. Now it's spring, as stated at the beginning of this entry, and so far, we’re thriving. I'm a bit worried, actually, since we haven't received any attacks from the hounds just yet. We usually get one around this time. Maybe I've just miscounted the days. That, and for some reason Charlie never came back as a human into this world. While I’m feeling a bit suspicious about that, words can’t describe how happy I am that she’s gone and that we’ll never have to deal with her again. Hoorah!

Our crops are doing just fine. The bees are starting to produce honey but we can't go anywhere near them because they'll poke us full of holes and bee poison if we do. Oh well. Honey isn't a priority right now anyway. What IS, however, is monitoring the world closely to see what other changes Willow may add to it soon. At least, that's MY biggest priority. Everyone else is still trying to get used to the fact that she's gone in the first place, and on top of old Wickerbottom’s death, too. Can one blame them for missing her? Absolutely not. She was a treasure to us all, myself and Wigfrid especially. Wigfrid especially has had difficulty adjusting to her absence. Before these past two weeks, I had never heard her cry before. It’s not something I want to hear again. It’s quite heartbreaking to listen to someone you’re friends with cry over something you know you can’t fix. Poor Winnie. The good news is, she and Maxwell are on better terms now. They apologized to one another for the little incident that went down between them when we found Wickerbottom’s body and how they approached it. Wigfrid is actually fairly accepting of Maxwell and I now, so I suppose that’s a good thing, too.

By the way, Maxwell made the strangest discovery. The morning after we confessed to one another about how we felt, he found a note in his tent that said ‘Hey-- take good care of my brother for me, okay? -W’. Oh, Willow. We didn’t deserve her. I will admit, though, I’m a bit embarrassed at the idea that she saw us getting intimate out there.

That note isn’t the only thing we’ve gotten from her thus far, actually. Near the end of the winter, Wes had a horrible mishap with some beefalo in heat that had somehow wandered close to the base. Wigfrid brought him in to clean him up, but his wounds were pretty severe, and we were dangerously low on disinfectant. He developed an infection and passed away within a few days. It wasn’t pretty. We were devastated, Woodie especially, until we found some things outside the base the next morning. They looked...I don’t know how to describe them. They looked vaguely like a person’s heart with ropes tied around them, as if to hold them together. They came with a note detailing how to use them, and long story short, we brought Wes back with one. That’s one moment I don’t think I’m ever going to forget. That, and one of the kids mentioned bringing back Wickerbottom with one of the spares. Let’s just say trying to dig up that body wasn’t our brightest idea. I moved the last shovelful of dirt, looked down to see just how far I’d gotten, and promptly turned my head to the side to vomit. Luckily neither Wendy nor Webber saw what I did, or they would have been horribly, horribly scarred. I should have kept in mind that decomposer bacterium existed here as well as in our old reality.

I suppose if I’m to continue writing, I’ll write about something more positive. Maxwell and I have gotten closer since that night. I’m not really sure how else to refer to it. He’s a lot more shy about romantic things than I thought he’d be. It’s actually kind of cute, I’m not going to lie. I just hope he doesn’t find this paper detailing my feelings. Otherwise I may die of embarrassment. We’ve spent a lot more time together since then, but we haven’t told the others explicitly that we’re together. Honestly, I’m not even sure that’s what we consider ourselves to be. I don’t know that much about same-sex relationships, other than the fact that they’re common in nature and that the animal with the highest rate of homosexuality is the bat. If only the world I knew before this one was more accepting of such things. Maybe then I’d have more knowledge of how to go about being in love with someone of the same sex. I’m sure the others can tell we’re together, though, and they’re fine with it. If they’re not, no one’s said anything. No one seems to have a problem with Wes and Woodie’s blatant flirting on a daily basis, so I have no idea why they wouldn’t be alright with something more low-key. Besides, we’re happy. If that’s the case, then there probably isn’t anything wrong with our love.

To be honest, it feels weird calling it that. I don’t know why. I guess it’s just because when I say I love someone, I’m not used to saying it to mean that I love them romantically. I usually just say it to mean more like my brotherly affection towards Willow, or the parental affection I have for Wendy and Webber. Looks like this new relationship is yet another thing for me to get used to. That’s not a bad thing, of course. I’ve just got a lot on my plate right now.

One more thing before I finally put my pen down. All this time I’ve spent with these people has made me realize something. Before I came here, the only thing that was important to me was my experiments and becoming one of the smartest people alive. (Keep in mind, I was trying to steer my focus away from my family since I hated my parents and thought my sister was dead.) I was morbidly self-obsessed, and that’s probably one of my biggest crimes. However, these people have taught me to become more… I suppose the word is compassionate, more aware of the needs and wants of others. While I’m still incapable of interpreting some feelings and emotions, and may not be the best all-around at interacting one-on-one or paying attention, I think I’ve become better with socializing with these people. The knowledge that I can do this brings me great happiness. Before now it was so hard to feel like others actually liked me, but here there’s a feeling of mutual acceptance for one another in the air, and it feels wonderful.

Being here has made me realize the importance of being close to someone. If I hadn’t come here, then I honestly don’t think I ever would have met people who cared for me better than I’ve cared for me, and that would have been really different than what I’ve got now. I would have never met Wendy and Webber, my wonderful children whom I wouldn’t trade for the world. I would have never met Wes, the kind mime who doesn’t need words to be a good man. I would never have met Wigfrid, the wonderfully talented and strong stage actress who can take on any role flawlessly and loved my little sister with a heart of gold. I would have certainly never met Maxwell, the man I’ve learned to love despite our several disagreements over the years. Wickerbottom, Woodie, and Wolfgang have all influenced me as well, and even though I don’t interact with them much (especially Wickerbottom for obvious reasons), I can’t imagine what my life would be like without them.

Point being, I think these long years of living with these people has taught me that you need to have an anchor of some sort to get through the worst times of your life, and that other people are sometimes one of the best forms of anchor that you can get. That’s probably some of the most useful information I have in my head right now, and I think that if anyone were to find this paper somehow and read it then I would want them to remember that single piece of information.

At present, Maxwell and I are underneath a birchnut tree together and he is asleep. Wigfrid and Wes are playing with the children in the garden. Wes has made them all flower garlands and it’s probably the cutest thing I’ve seen in ages. Just to the left of them, Woodie and Wolfgang are casually conversing with one another. It’s a wonderful and peaceful sight to behold, and I can only wish that it would last forever.

Nowadays, I think that if someone were to come up to me today, tomorrow, a week or even a century from now and ask “Wilson, who’s someone that you’re close to?”, all I would have to do is show them this wonderful bunch of people I’ve grown to love like family, the children, and my sweet baby sister, and that person would have their answer.

The End

#don't starve #story #chapter 12

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elenajohansenauthor · 6 years

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Down the TBR Hole is a (very) bookish meme, originally created by Lia @ Lost In A Story. She has since combed through all of her TBR (very impressive) and diminished it by quite a bit, but the meme is still open to others! How to participate:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf

Order by Ascending Date Added

Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.

Read the synopses of the books

Decide: keep it or let it go?

I left off with Second Position, which despite being at the end of my second go-round of this meme, is now #6 on the overall TBR. Woohoo, I’m reading books I wanted to read!

I pick back up with a real doozy.

#1 – 1Q84, by Haruki Murakami

The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.

As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.

A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s — 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

I’m pretty sure this made it on the TBR because it sounded interesting and I’ve read a lot of praise of Murakami’s works in general. Digging into the reviews of 1Q84 specifically, though, it seems like a bad place to start. First, it strikes me as a love-it-or-loathe-it book: very few middling reviews, tons of 1- or 5-stars.

Second, even people who like it themselves are repeatedly saying not to start here if you’re new to Murakami.

Third, it’s nearly a thousand pages, so if this might not be a keeper, it’s probably not worth investing the time or money in.

This one goes, with the caveat that I’ll look into his other works and pick one to try that’s better suited as an entry point.

#2 – The Penryn & the End of Days trilogy, by Susan Ee

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again. (Angelfall)

Booklr loved these books when I showed up there as a brand-new independent author, and Susan Ee was an indie who made good. I’m a sucker for post-apoc fiction (duh!) and these sound right up my alley, simple as that.

They stay, though if I don’t end up liking the first one, I’ll quit there and ditch the other two.

#3 – In Another Life, by Julie Christine Johnson

Historian Lia Carrer has finally returned to southern France, determined to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. But instead of finding solace in the region’s quiet hills and medieval ruins, she falls in love with Raoul, a man whose very existence challenges everything she knows about life–and about her husband’s death. As Raoul reveals the story of his past to Lia, she becomes entangled in the echoes of an ancient murder, resulting in a haunting and suspenseful journey that reminds Lia that the dead may not be as far from us as we think.

Steeped in the rich history and romantic landscape of rural France, In Another Life is a story of love that conquers time and the lost loves that haunt us all.

I think this one came to me via a recommendation list on BookRiot…I think. Or possibly I spotted the giveaway on Goodreads when the book was published in 2016–the timeline is right for that.

Now that I’m reading the blurb again, I can see why it intrigued me (romance) but I’m less excited by murder and suspenseful. And the reviews mention time travel, which is not a thing I’ve been impressed with often enough to seek it out.

This one goes.

#4 – A Man of Character, by Margaret Locke

What would you do if you discovered the men you were dating were fictional characters you’d created long ago?

Thirty-five-year-old Catherine Schreiber has shelved love for good. Keeping her ailing bookstore afloat takes all her time, and she’s perfectly fine with that. So when several men ask her out in short order, she’s not sure what to do…especially since something about them seems eerily familiar.

Caught between fantasy and reality, Cat must decide which—or whom—she wants more.

Blending humor with unusual twists, including a magical manuscript, a computer scientist in shining armor, and even a Regency ball, A Man of Character tells a story not only of love, but also of the lengths we’ll go for friendship, self-discovery, and second chances.

I honestly don’t remember where I stumbled across this mostly-unknown title (just over 100 reviews on GR) but I’m glad I did, because it sounds adorable. And the ratings are good, especially for such a relatively small sample size.

Maybe it’s self-indulgent to want to read about a writer who gets to date her own creations, but I don’t care. This one stays.

From an impressive sisterhood of YA writers comes an edge-of-your-seat anthology of historical fiction and fantasy featuring a diverse array of daring heroines.

Criss-cross America — on dogsleds and ships, stagecoaches and trains — from pirate ships off the coast of the Carolinas to the peace, love, and protests of 1960s Chicago. Join fifteen of today’s most talented writers of young adult literature on a thrill ride through history with American girls charting their own course. They are monsters and mediums, bodyguards and barkeeps, screenwriters and schoolteachers, heiresses and hobos. They’re making their own way in often-hostile lands, using every weapon in their arsenals, facing down murderers and marriage proposals. And they all have a story to tell.

I undoubtedly saw this on Booklr when it was new, but honestly, I haven’t seen much of its presence since. I’m less inclined to collections of short stories than I might once have been, having had some bad luck and impatience with them in the past few years, and looking over the author list, there are only a few I’ve read before and liked, and one I actively want to avoid due to strongly problematic elements in her other works.

As much as I’d normally want to support such something with such clearly feminist goals, this one goes.

Have you read any of these and have an opinion you want to share? Let me know in the comments if you think I’ve made a mistake!

Down the TBR Hole #3 Down the TBR Hole is a (very) bookish meme, originally created by Lia @ Lost In A Story…

#my TBR

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