I need the University to stop telling me now is the perfect time to do a post grad degree because I am not strong enough to handle that temptation.

i am not okay

I owe you a lot, Devi. I know we’ve had some ups and downs but I probably wouldn’t be going to college if it weren’t for you. Well, I actually have a lot to thank you for too.

Do you ever just think about how the headboard on Kevin's bed on the Nest doesn't budge. Of all the hints about what his life there was like that's the one that gets to me the most because it's so deliberate. Because even though he's probably physically stronger than Riko or at least evenly matched, Kevin wouldn't fight back. But he wasn't given the choice to anyway

honestly i think putting neil in kevin’s side of the room is such a telling choice during the castle evermore scenes. we spend so much of the first and second book hearing about how much kevin fears his so-called family, their haunting of the narrative as bloodthirsty hounds who can sniff out his fear, and when we actually get to finding out why that is we see it from someone who was immediately shoved into kevin’s old place. riko wasn’t just hurting neil because he wanted to (“i’m going to enjoy hurting you just as much as i enjoyed hurting kevin”), he was making sure neil knew he was inferior by putting him in direct contact with the roles kevin and jean played in the nest, using him as a substitute for the one that got away. neil gets a speedrun of some of the worst moments of kevin’s life, and he gets not a single breathing moment for it before he has to be shoved back into exy, like kevin was

i wouldn’t dare presume nora sakavic’s intentions on anything at this point, but i like the idea that neil’s stay at evermore was supposed to tell us all we needed to know about kevin’s time there, without kevin ever having to actually recount the years (he wouldn’t, even if he could): that it was horrifying, and that being in his shoes will never be as glamorous as neil previously thought. i like the breaking of neil’s expectations for kevin; i like how it makes neil realize the life kevin led was not better. and that’s the point, isn’t it? when neil is lying in kevin’s bed, handcuffed to kevin’s headboard, his legs pinned under kevin’s only friend, getting hurt by kevin’s brother, that’s what neil realizes: this is not better. it might be different than life on the run, but it is not better.

There are many bad things about wish, but one of the most annoying is how it fails to pay off its own set ups.

It's established Asha's father believes in the magic from the stars. He died of an illness (never specified), that Asha's grandfather (her father's father) never got his wish granted in YEARS, well now to me this feels targeted.

Follow my thoughts for a minute, how easy would have been with this already established set up to add the part where it's Magnifico who killed Asha's dad because he was promoting a different kind of magic that would undermine Magnifico's power? This would've established Magnifico as an actual villain from the start, manipulating people's perception of him with magic and the lengths he would go to keep his power and crown.

This would have impacted Asha's journey as well,instead of asking Magnifico to grant her grandfather's wish immediately (which imo is a good reason for him not to hire her, she literally asks for favoritism the moment she arrives), let her instead be perfect for the position, not clumsy and awkward but make her qualified and respectful of the king's secrecy about the wishes. And still she's still not hired. And then she starts questioning him, she's studied, she's ready and it's not enough and the king seemed to like her until she mentioned her father.

And then she talks with the people of rosa about the king, if that was unfair of him maybe , but the answer is that the king is good and kind and doesn't he grants everyone's wishes, isn't that so wonderful of him? (and maybe this can be a song) and at first it sounds like she just doesn't want to accept that she wasn't chosen but after the forth person answers the same exact thing, well then this starts to feel more like a script than an original thought. Just then she looks at all the wishes Magnifico's granted so far and they're all material, it's all about people owning bigger houses, better clothes, riches, nothing is about community, knowledge, about people becoming something(musicians, teachers, scientists, artists...) . The guy that got his wish granted last year also got it granted a few years ago too, Isn't that weird? Some people never get their wishes and this guy twice? And also his wish was so selfish? He wanted a swimming pool! How in the best kingdom, with the best king, nobody wishes nice things for others? And isn't that weird that she and her friends used to make graffitis and jokes on the guards but when Sleepy gave away his wish at 18 suddenly he doesn't make jokes about Magnifico's beard anymore? He's so respectful of the rules now.

And idk maybe Asha doesn't just wish upon a star and everything is given to her. Maybe Magnifico's source of magic is Star and she frees it and that's why Star tags along. The magic of the starts was real, her father was right! Star knew her dad, he tried to save the magical pet but he was killed instead! Now it's not just about freedom and justice she wants revenge. And this is maybe when she fucks up because she was too reckless, she got discovered. Her friends/family are watching how she's getting arrested/executed for treason and that's SO UNFAIR such a cognitive dissonance it breaks Magnifico's brainwash spell.

Now a song about revolution makes sense. But singing about revolution bc they want to be able to wish? Are you kidding me? Not only the movie established that you can have new wishes and that they make you whole again, but also girl, you all read the terms of services when giving Magnifico your wish. You give it to him and if he finds it worth it, it'll be granted. Making questions about the king choices is the opposite of living under a monarchy.

Ultimately I agree with everyone who says this movie feels empty, because it's true, it's a bunch of disney trope stitched together with easter eggs that don't makes us feel anything and that contradicts its own message. The fact that disney doesn't want to make grey characters anymore it's felt. And it mirrors the way people have started to see enjoying stories as media consumption, everything that alludes to people being flawed is an endorsement of abuse. So disney's characters have all turned is these empty shells of heroine tropes. They're always bubbly, their worst flaw is being clumsy, but the worst is that they're always right. Asha's quest to free the wishes is based only on her conviction that the king is wrong in not granting everyone's wish. It's never even hinted in the movie that the subjects of rosa lack something. It's a fairy-tale kingdom in every aspect (maybe the king is a bit egocentric but that hasn't hurt anyone so far), except that her grandpa's wish wasn't granted and so the king must be wrong. If it wasn't for Magnifico's long exposition of I don't accept criticism she wouldn't have questioned him. And even then, that's what living in a kingdom means, that you follow the king's rules. I'm sorry but singing about revolution and then ending the movie still under a monarchy is just contradictory with the whole premise.

i don’t normally have nerves about posting stuff but i gotta say after the reddit thing im like….. experiencing anxiety about the last part of persephone. like oh man the idea of people reading this fills me with profound dread

Remember these asks? Well I got inspiration and….

It’s a work in progress :)

DUUUUDE THIS IS SO GOOOOOOD

Cleo: Bdubs is going to stick with his alliance, because that's what he always does when the chips are down. Bdubs is loyal, he pretends he's not because he likes *you* (looking at Etho) to do things for him.

CLEO!! Thank you for your takes!! I'll be chewing on them forever

saw this tweet and my brain immediately thought of your characterization geto……..

YESSSS honestly, to me, geto is just the perfect character for the whole slowburn, fated lovers narrative!! he's so patient when it comes to love, treats it as something so delicate and if he loves someone i truly believe he sees them as someone worth waiting (and fighting) for, no matter what! what if he meets you when he's still so young he can hardly grasp the meaning of what it is that he's feeling. he sees you sitting lonely on a swing one afternoon, kicking your little legs in an attempt to get it to move but failing miserably, you're alone and you ask him if he can help you, if he'll push you and you promise to push him too, afterwards. he falls in love with your laugh first, your braids are dancing in the air and you only laugh harder the higher you get. he's only a child and he's made aware of just that because his arms are too thin, too weak and they're hurting so bad yet still he makes an effort to push through the pain, to keep on pushing you even though his arms are starting to give out on him because he wishes to keep on hearing you laugh, even if his arms fall off as a consequence. you never fullfill your promise to him, however, because your mom eventually arrives and drags you home by the arm despite all your protests. it's okay, he thinks - you'll return. he's twelve at the time and when he arrives back home his mother is setting the dinner table and he runs up to her to help her carry the heavy platter in her hands, she tries to shoo him away but his small hands still reach for the platter anyways "i need to get stronger, you know?".

the next day, he returns to the park but you're not there. he visits the place every day for a whole year yet you never show up and he gives up. he doesn't hear anything from you for the next ten years until he moves to tokyo and spots you sitting on a coffee shop with your friends and you still have that same childish laugh that makes him melt, that distinct sound - so lively and pure, like that of a little girl he met years ago and fell in love with as a boy. that beautiful, cherubic sound which reminds him of how rotten and tainted he has become throughout the years, the innocence of the boy he once was, the boy he had been with you, left behind. much has changed yet, still, he watches you though the window as you get up and leave, waving goodbye to your friends and walking towards the nearby empty playground before taking the vacant seat on the swing, typing away in your phone and to him, suddenly, it is a if nothing has changed, and it fills him with courage. he gets up and he exits the coffee shop but not before leaving a couple bills on his table to cover the breakfast expenses. his feet are carrying him in your direction, he's not thinking much, just allowing them to lead the way as if they've gained a will of their own.

"i'm still waiting on you to follow through on your promise from back then."

you look up from your phone and take in the image of the mysterious man seated on the swing next to you - tall and handsome, so self assured in the way in which he speaks, a strinkingly enticing demeanor as he smiles gently at you, almost as if he has known you for years. its a particularly chilly day and he brushes away a few strands of hair that are blown out of place by a gust of wind and suddenly, it clicks. he still has that long silky, lovely dark hair that'd you'd been so envious of as a little girl, it'd been strangely long at the time and you had teased him about it, saying he looked like a girl as you weaved it into two braids while he blushed shyly, bashful at your words - and gesture. he'd been smaller at the time, thinner and his hair, that even though didn't reach past his scrawny shoulders, seemed to swallow his entire frame. he had looked awkward. but he's twenty-two now, almost twenty three (it's december. february is only two months away, you remember.) and though his hair has long since grown past his shoulders and is longer that ever before, he wears it well, suits him and it makes him look so handsome, somehow manly even, more mature. he's become strong, too, you conclude as you let your eyes roam over his figure, his features sharper, shoulders broader and muscles bulkier and noticeable even under the loose material of the long sleeve shirt he's wearing. he's certainly not the boy you had met all those years ago anymore still, you've made a promise to him, one you must uphold.

you only smile and move to stand behind him on the swing, your hands on his back as he braces himself for the ride. and maybe he doesn't really believe in fate but you make him want to believe in it - that he's meant for you and you're meant for him. he wants to believe you were put on this earth for him and him alone, why else would he cross paths with you after such a long time, if not for you to fulfill the promise you'd made to him? you're bound to be, no matter what you'd always find each other. there's nobody else for him but you.

The best thing about BSD Lucy Montgomery is that she is trying so hard to live her fairy tale dream, like asking Atsushi to save her from the Guild and all that nonsense.

Instead, she just gets beaten by him once when they're enemies, gets out of the Guild on her own, and has to save that sorry boy's life over and over again.

Like, sorry, Lucy girl...you're not the damsel in distress in this fairy tale. You're the prince charming who had a bit of a villain arc and now is doing good out of sheer spite and stubborness. Better luck next arc?

thinking about how akio sees his younger self in utena and wondering if there's any fondness there. doesn't change the horror of what he does to her obviously but i do wonder

I’m replaying act 1 (for the fifth time) and when Gale is explaining his condition to you he mentions he’s “never told another living soul” about it, except for Tara. You’re telling me this man shut himself up in his tower for an entire year and didn’t tell anyone why and no one ever bothered to find out? He has so few people who care about him in his life that he fell into a depression and disappeared for a year and NO ONE thought to go and check on him and find out what was wrong? He’s had no one but Tara providing help and support until he meets Tav???????

What do you think as Hermione's career would be post battle of Hogwarts? To me her being minister for magic really doesn't make sense. She does not have patience or tact to wade through murky waters of politics 😭😭

So hard to say! The Trio are so, so young when we leave them, I find it almost impossible to project their futures farther than a few years out. The job that suited me at 17 would be radically unsuited to me now. That's why of all the Trio, Ron's ending strikes me as the most realistic — he jumps straight into the save-the-world business again, burns out, realizes he's actually Done The Fuck Enough, Thanks, and pivots into a low-stress career where he gets to see his family a lot. Feels accurate! The others are weirder to me because they do seem to just... pick a lane and stay there.

With Hermione, you could spin her a couple ways. You could say that she leans into her bookish side and does research or teaching, which is not my preference for a couple reasons (namely, I don't think Hermione would like academia as a profession; she finds her classwork interesting and enjoys intellectual validation, but she'd be stifled and wasted in a DPhil program, and she'd be infuriated by the administrative politicking of your average higher-ed faculty). You could say that she gets disaffected with politics and ends up as a barrister or a lobbyist of some kind, but if anything that requires more political finesse, because you don't actually have institutional power, you're just handling the people who make decisions and trying to persuade them of your goals. This is not Hermione's preferred method of influence. She's not even particularly good at persuasion, she just happens to be smart enough (and right often enough) that people take her ideas seriously.

Or you could say her brashness fades with the years into a softened flavor of tell-you-like-it-is honesty, which some politicians actually do successfully trade on; as we see in British politics today, you don't have to be all that charming or clever to get ahead, you just need to be really driven and well-connected (which Hermione completely is; she fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the first postwar Minister and her bestie, the Literal Messiah, runs the Auror Office.) But I don't know if Hermione especially wants to be Minister, after the war. She's just watched years of horrendous bureaucratic incompetence plunge the country into a violent civil conflict. She's had not one, but two Ministers of Magic try to bully or shame her friends into complicity with fascism. Her view of government is... likely extremely dark.

But Hermione also isn't the kind of person who sees her life as a quest for happiness. Babygirl has a savior complex that makes Harry look selfish. (She basically kills her parents — yeah, obliviating is a form of murder, #changemymind — "for their own good," and justifies every batshit, vindictive, mean-spirited move she ever pulls on the grounds that it "helps" one of her friends.) She is a mean, lean, dragon-slaying machine, and she needs a dragon. After Voldemort, the Ministry is the no. 1 threat to muggle-borns and non-wizarding Beings. As a war heroine with basically infinite political capital, I'd be surprised if she didn't try to do something there. That said, Hermione is so vivacious and dynamic that she could potentially grow in a hundred different directions; it's possible that all of this, while true of her at 18, becomes completely inaccurate by 22. That's why I'm not too fussed about any particular fanon interpretation.

OUGH FUCK cdream and foolish helped build their own cages dream designed the prison he knew every mechanic he drew those blue prints and foolish built and designed so much and worked so hard for a man that had him murdered. Sam and Quackity are so intrinsically involved in the worst time of both dream and Foolish's lives. something something quackity trains the dogs and sam builds the kennels

They're never gonna make a megop dynamic that's as good as IDW ever again and the sooner I accept that the sooner I'll be able to curb my disappointment when every continuity from now until the end of time makes Megatron and Optimus' story "Megatron is the gladiator/writer who actually has protagonist energy because he has goals and is starting a conflict against the government (antagonist), and Orion is just his bestie/simp friend tagging along bc he had no ambitions until Megatron showed him the light" like oh my god give OP initiative for once in his life I'm begging

I always think it's funny that a terrible life is one where "you're alone with no lover and you will only have the company of cats to keep you scarcely tethered to the real world.

Like... don't threaten me with a good time. That is a dream to me