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#Of course they also are generally less interested in all the other kids' drama so that could be why but still
lilyginnyblackv2 · 1 year
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The Name of Kyutaro’s Cafe is “Mistletoe.”
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Yadorigi (ヤドリギ・宿り木) means “mistletoe” in Japanese.
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I’m bringing this up now, because the new interview that went up on the official website (which will be linked to in the comments below) is with Kyutaro’s VA. It makes me believe that Kyutaro is going to get some focus in this week’s episode, which means that a lot of things are pretty open to exploration, given the fact that Kyutaro has some level of knowledge about:
- Miri and Misaki
- Rei’s Past & Situation (He mentioned that Rei knew how hard it was to leave an organization, likely implying Rei left his father’s organization)
- Ryo Ogino & The Death of Yuzuko
Any of these topics could come into play in Episode 8 (we may even get multiple topics overlapping and connecting to each other).
I found the VAs view on the relationship between Miri, Kazuki, and Rei to be rather interesting. He sees the dynamic less as “Parent - Child” and more as three siblings. I don’t necessarily agree with that myself, but it’s always intriguing to see others POVs on things like this. I do agree with Kyutaro’s VA when it comes to Buddy Daddies being a “human drama” in which ‘the characters grow up by overcoming the challenges and themes that are imposed on them.” BD really is all about the characters first and foremost, which is why I like it so much. I tend to be drawn to shows that are character studies with some action and drama thrown in to spice things up a bit.
This post is a bit long, so I’ll be placing the rest of this under a Read More.
Anyway, wrapping this back around to “mistletoe.” I’m sure you all are thinking about the way mistletoe is often utilized in many modern day medias (especially in the USA) - kissing under a mistletoe and its ties to Christmas in particular and the holiday season. Buddy Daddies first episode takes place on Christmas Eve, a very couples focused holiday and day in general in Japan.
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But, for children around Miri’s age, there is a bit of a family aspect to Christmas. Toddlers in Japan will likely believe in Santa, and toddlers and children will likely get a gift or two.
But this time frame when Santa is real and kids get gifts is very short-lived in Japan, usually by 1st or 2nd Grade there really isn’t a belief in Santa  and the family focus is shifted away from the holiday once children start reaching pre-teen years. This is talking very generally and about children who have two Japanese parents, rather than ones that may come from families with mixed nationalities where one of the parents may come from a country where Christmas is a family focused holiday on level with New Years in Japan. 
So, I do find it interesting that Buddy Daddies chose to pick a holiday that, in Japan, is more often associated with romantic relationships, rather than familial ones, but turn their focus on the very fleeting time frame when Christmas does have a bit of a more familial air about it. 
But, at the same time, we have the imagery of Kazuki visiting The Mistletoe Cafe alone the day before Christmas Eve:
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Then Kazuki and Rei meet Miri on the job, on Christmas Eve, a holiday usually reserved for couples, but which is made family focused in Buddy Daddies through Miri and her desire to see her Papa, and with the beginning of Rei, Kazuki, and Miri becoming a family (though none of them know it at the time).
And then visiting The Mistletoe Cafe with Rei the next day after their job, which is on Christmas Day:
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Something which is a very rare occurrence in general for Rei (to be out and about in general, not just at the café).
Of course, mistletoe has symbolic meanings to it as well. It can also mean “surmounting difficulties” and was viewed as a plant with healing power to the Celtic people. It has also been associated with fertility, good luck, and great blessings. Kazuki and Rei learning to heal and gain some good luck back into their lives through the arrival of Miri (a child) fits into these themes well, especially since they “gain” all of these things through a job they received at The Mistletoe Cafe. 
The Japanese kanji for mistletoe is made up of the kanji 宿 (yado・ru) , which is used in words associated with inns, dwellings, homes, and even pregnancy. The other word is 木 (ki), which means “tree.” This fits because of how mistletoe make their “homes” in trees and shrubs, and this all fits with Kazuki and Rei turning their house (which is a pretty dangerous place for a kid at first) into a home.
And, finally, mistletoe is a parasitic plant.
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It’s also a poisonous plant, specifically if you eat any part of the plant or if you drink tea created from the plant or its berries. So, rather an appropriate name for a café that is a front for a hitman organization. 
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Anyway, that’s all. I figured I’d share this bit of information since it looks like Kyutaro’s character is going to get more focus in Episode 8, though without a preview out yet, I can’t say this with too much certainty. Just a hunch based on the interview being released (usually there is some connection made between the interview they release before the episode and the contents of the episode). If anyone has anything else they would like to add to this, please feel free! :D
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f0point5 · 17 days
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OKAy this isn't f1 related but i feel like you always have sensible takes and i'm really interested to hear your thoughts. what on earth do you make of the whole situation with princess kate??? or are you not caught up on that
I’m not following it super closely, but I do have thoughts. So I will preface by saying i am not up on all the theories and info.
Personally, while I don’t think the conspiracies have the “why” correct, I do believe that Kate hasn’t been genuinely seen in public for a while. I don’t think it was her in the car with William today, and I’m 50/50 on whether it was her in the car with her mother.
I think she’s likely recovering from an illness that is either emotionally painful for her, or something not talked about in polite company. So, something like a hysterectomy, or something like ulcerated colitis, which I believe often necessitates having part of your colon removed and sometimes a temporary colostomy bag. So, something that you wouldn’t really want the whole world knowing about. My other theory, which I consider less likely but still possible, is that she has early stage cancer and is undergoing aggressive treatment, and a round of chemotherapy has altered her appearance (it’s common for the face to bloat, and of course the hair loss), which is why she won’t be seen in public. Whatever it is they have gone above and beyond to keep it private and I can only assume it’s at her and William’s specific instruction.
I would guess that the photo is AI generated, but not from nothing, probably from a set of photos that originally didn’t have only Kate and all three kids in it. They may well all be from the same day and the same place, but they photoshopped them altogether to create a “Mother” themed picture. I presume this was done somewhat on the fly because they didn’t anticipate how vicious the rumours would get, and probably planned to use a well known older picture, but because of the demand for new pictures, they cobbled one together as Kate is not currently in a state to be photographed.
Could be a divorce on the cards but this is a lot of messing around just to announce they’re not together when frankly they could live separately for the next 30 years and no one would notice. I suppose Kate could be on strike and they’re just trying hide it, or she’s done a Princess Charlene and just run away. But I don’t buy it. She dedicated her whole life to this endeavour, and she was well prepared for what it entailed, I don’t believe she would just pack it in like this.
My crack theory is that she’s not even that ill and this whole “where’s Kate” drama is just to distract from the fact that Charles is about to shuffle off this mortal coil any day now because the herbs aren’t working. Unlikely, but not impossible. Because he’s the one with cancer and low key hiding out as well but no one is talking about it.
Whatever is going on with that family, they must all be having a miserable time, even camilla demanded a break.
I guess my most prominent thought is…why do people feel they have a right to know about this woman’s intimate health problems? Okay yeah if she’s using a body double and fake photos that’s a bit wild but at the same time they’ve had to do that because the public demand to see her like she’s a zoo exhibit. Yes, her role is in public service but she’s also a human. She’s someone’s daughter, and she’s someone’s mum. As usual, I wonder where people get the audacity to demand to know which body part she’s had cut open.
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squeakygeeky · 1 month
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7 Days Before Valentine: Novella vs Drama
This write-up will contain complete spoilers. I know not that many people watched 7 Days Before Valentine, but I think you might still be interested in how things were adapted from page to screen, so the basic premise of both is that a guy who just experience a breakup gets visited by a 'cupid reaper' for seven nights, who gives him the chance each night to erase someone from existence in the hopes of changing things enough to make the breakup not have happened. Ultimately it's a story about acceptance.
Overall I'm actually calling this for the series, because the novella is very short, but the series is able to flesh everything out and really delve into the characters and the implications of the character's choices on everyone at large.
7 Days Before Valentine is based on a novella by the same title by Patrick Rangsimant. I've also read My Ride, I Love You and My Imaginary Boyfriend by him. I enjoy his writing and he's actually a doctor so you can tell from his writing that he's experienced a lot of things in life and his work tends to have a philosophical bent. This work was definitely the serenity prayer as a BL. He tends to write mostly dialog and introspection, a bit like I write actually. It's straightforward and a bit bare, so the vibes of the story and the series are very different. The overall ominous weirdness of the series came from the director/screenwriter, but I think the way it's very theatrical did suit the talky/thinky source material.
The series is also based on another novella, 7 Days Before Halloween, but that one doesn't appear to have an English translation or maybe hasn't even been published yet. The story we get for Q in the series (who goes by the slightly less cute 'Cue' in the novella) is all in there so I can't say how close that was to what we got in the series. Cue doesn't go into his backstory in the series.
The narrator of the novella is nameless and definitely feels like more of an Everyman compared to Sunshine. He's a little blase about erasing people from existence but feels like he could be anyone struggling to accept a major life change, which is the point. I don't remember him being described physically at all and we don't get any details of his life. This makes him way less frustrating than Sunshine, who begins the novel as a self-absorbed and selfish actor, but also not particularly memorable as a character, and it's less that the narrator experiences general character growth and more that he learns to deal with this specific life crisis.
There's no flower shop/bar in the novella. I was hoping we'd get some explanation for that guy who seems to be another supernatural entity like Q, but nope. Also, having the kid from the flower shop as a character gave the show the chance to point out that romantic love isn't the be-all-and-end-all of love, which is pretty unusual for a romance series and was a nice touch.
There also isn't any exploration of what erasing a person means for the world at large. For example, in the novel erasing the politician the couple argued about just doesn't work to fix things, while in the show Sunshine manages to create a whole dystopia. I think that aspect worked well in the series. Both do have the main character fixing things by wishing himself out of existence, only to be brought back by someone else's wish, but of course we don't get the explanation of that in the novella the way we do in the show.
There is a little romance between the narrator and Cue in the novella, but more just that they meet at the end and recognize each other. Yes the show was a slow burn, but I did like the way Q in the series progressed in his attitude, from antagonism to protectiveness to love towards Sunshine, and the way they both opened up to each other. The climax of Sunshine wishing Q out of existence in order to release him from being a reaper was just so perfectly devastating. In the novella it's much less dramatic since the narrator gets the opportunity to make a normal wish and wishes for Cue to be happy. In both cases this does lead to them having a new meet-cute as regular mortals, it's just 1000x more satisfying in the show both because they'd already fallen in love and lost each other at this point but also because we got to see how things clicked into place with a reaper version of Sunshine having been the Q to mortal Sky, who needed to learn his own lessons about loss and regret and letting go.
I think the bizarre oppressive atmosphere of the show really paid off in the final episode, because everything felt clearer and lighter and yes, the colors, and that added to the impact of Sunshine straightening his shit out and the whole last minute reunion. Anyway, I SWEAR THIS WAS GOOD GIVE IT A CHANCE.
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shihalyfie · 11 months
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i really enjoyed hunters and was surprised that people hated it so much (keep in mind i was about 8 years late) do you think it would've gone over better if hunters leaned more into the silly and fun parts of the series? since it wasn't meant to be anything extravagant
If anything, I think the big issue really was just the time it came out. At the time Xros Wars and Hunters aired, the state of the Digimon franchise and fandom was kind of like this:
News about unlocalized Japanese anime was being covered, but it wasn't as accessible as it was now; even Anime News Network articles often had very minimal information, and there would be a lot of telephone gaming, let alone very few people who knew where to look for news to begin with
Digimon wasn't being simulcast, so people had to wait for the fansub group(s) to get to the episode whenever it aired (edit: it did actually start getting simulcast around Hunters, but by that point people were already committed to the fansub version)
For many people, this was the first Digimon series they were ever watching as proper adults and thus viewing with a non-nostalgic mindset they weren't approaching older series with (Savers was also this for some people, but Xros Wars was where probably the absolute majority of people watching were adults instead of teenagers)
On top of that, Xros Wars was the first anime series that wasn't "conventional" in certain ways; it wasn't a Seki series, and while Savers also wasn't a Seki series, it took so many clear cues from Seki's style (Digimon evolution being linked to human psychology, extensive family drama, etc.) that people still had a perception of Digimon series having to be written a certain way with a certain kind of character development
In such circumstances, I think even something like Ghost Game would have been ripped to absolute shreds. People had such a strong idea of what a Digimon series has to be like that even Xros Wars vanilla and Death Generals were very polarizing; there were enough people who could tell it was deliberately trying to be different and respected it for that, but its lack of human drama made tons of people immediately dismiss its characters as poorly written and claim that the series was all style and no substance.
Now of course, not only do we have Xros Wars, we also have Appmon and the reboot and Ghost Game and a bunch of other Digimon media of different kinds that are just so all over the place that none of us really know what to expect from Digimon anymore. Hunters might have gone over better just by happening to come out now, when we've had other things and more extensive Japanese media coverage that probably would have gotten the fanbase to learn much earlier about the timeslot circumstances and it being a stall series.
And nevertheless, even now you have people saying that Ghost Game is shallow with poorly written characters because they aren't written the way Adventure wrote its characters (not that I believe that any kind of Ghost Game criticism is inherently invalid, I just mean that even now, you can still sense a lot of the "a series must be written in the style Adventure started, or it's bad" sentiment in the air). But like I said, personally, I've watched a lot of kids' shows that are far shallower, less interesting, and less fun than Hunters, so it's never felt like something that's a big deal to me, plus I feel like I have better things to do with my time than go out of my way to single out something to hate because the Digimon franchise and the realm of kids' franchises as a whole are just too big for me to get overly hung up on one series. Sometimes I do wonder if part of the problem is that (or at least, it often feels this way to me) a lot of Digimon fans really don't have much scope of the fact that Digimon is ultimately just another kids' franchise in a wider industry, and thus treat it like it's some narrow closed vacuum-sealed room where there's only one way to write a series based on a precedent from 1999-2002 that isn't exactly replicable.
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kindheart525 · 4 months
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What do you love the most about MLP: FIM?
To be honest a lot of it comes from nostalgia and the fandom! I was 10-11 when I first got into MLP and 15 when I joined the fandom as a next gen artist, so I’ve really grown up with the show. Without getting into too many personal details, watching MLP comforted me during some very medically difficult periods in my life, and being part of the fandom helped me feel like I had a community during some lonely and frustrating high school years (I wasn’t bullied, I just didn’t have very many irl friends).
I know many MLP fans have a similar story of “growing up with the show” and/or the fandom helping them through tough times so my answer may seem a little cliche, but it’s true. There was a period in my teenage years where I lost interest in the show itself and only engaged with the fandom, but in the past year I have started watching the show again. It’s not the MOST well-written television show to ever exist but that fact is to be expected from a kids’ cartoon. Still, it was great to see how much of it still holds up, partly because of childhood nostalgia but also because the characters are genuinely great. Twilight Sparkle was even more relatable to me having watched her journey just before graduating college. Applejack and Rarity also have so many traits that are relatable to real adults even though they are living in a TV-Y rated world. At the very least, they create the kind of show that parents can watch with their children and mildly enjoy. I know MLP is not for everyone, but I can definitely see the lasting appeal.
It’s my time in the fandom that has been the best part of my MLP experience, for many reasons. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings on the fandom because of the drama and toxicity that it sometimes creates, but I think every fandom has its bad side. The MLP fandom isn’t uniquely horrible. I’ve been incredibly lucky to be part of the fandom at a time when it’s more comprised of young adults (and when I first joined the fandom, fellow teenagers) who also grew up with the show like I have, which has led me to make a lot of connections with like-minded people. One of which is my best friend of 7+ years @glitterfleshgum who I am eternally thankful I crossed paths with. Our friendship is one of those rare gems that goes far beyond our mutual love of MLP and even fandoms in general, the kind that we know will last long after our mutual fandom has died. Even now we support each other in so many ways that have nothing to do with MLP. One of the great things about fandom is being able to make connections like this because we definitely aren’t the only ones with a story like this. She and other friends have also helped me expand my interests in music and TV, which has truly enriched my life in being able to see new experiences and gain new sources of inspiration in my own creative repertoire. Thank you so much ❤️
And of course there’s all the stories I’ve gotten to write! MLP has given me so much inspiration for fanfiction and original characters that have really improved my writing skills and broadened my creative outlook over the years. I’ve always loved drawing and making up stories as a child, and my time in fandom has allowed me to do those things in a way unlike ever before. I know MLP isn’t unique for having so much creative potential and that fanfiction and next gens exist for almost every piece of media ever, but I’m really glad I had MLP has been my outlet for such creations.
In short, my answer has much less to do with the MLP: FiM show in itself, but all the ways that being a fan of it has and continues to enrich my life!
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checkoutmybookshelf · 11 months
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Let's Be Real: They Were Both Wicked and We Loved It
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I seem to recall swearing up, down, and sideways that I wasn't going to read another Bridgerton book. *ahem*
And then I got super curious and Bridgerton Season 3 has given us NOTHING (I'm not counting the Queen Charlotte spinoff as them giving us something for S3), so I caved and picked up another Bridgerton book. Let's talk When He Was Wicked.
Ok, as a Bridgerton book, When He Was Wicked was UNUSUAL. Given how tightly knit and very much there for each other the Bridgertons are (although I admit, this might be show bias affecting my reading), the fact that Francesca was, for the most part, isolated up in Scotland and very separate from the rest of the family was odd. It really allowed us to see what a Bridgerton-raised person would do when their back was to the wall and they were more or less alone.
Add to that the fact that most of this book is Francesca's second season and second love and that she gets to have actual EXPERIENCE and CONFIDENCE and not be your bog standard romance ingenue meant that this was a refreshing change of pace. I also would be absolutely remiss to point out that this novel went unapologetic on the fact that Francesca knows a little something about sex and her own body and that she has zero doubt that her needs, wants, and pleasure are important and that she can (and does) ask for what she wants with Michael. That's something that contemporary 2023 still really struggles with, so props to Julia Quinn for making it clear that Francesca can, should and DOES have a voice that matters during sex.
I also want to say that while Francesca wanting to be a mother so badly that she goes for a second season often gets side-eyed or openly pooh-poohed for being anti-feminist, breeding kinky, or somehow lesser, I would say that while the "All I want in the world is to be a mother" is complicated by the regency setting and the gender roles and expectations imposed on women whether they wanted them or not, Francesca is a widow for most of this novel, and widows historically had more (not complete, this isn't perfect) choice about their remarriage, and had Francesca not wanted to, she didn't have to remarry. So I'm willing to give this book the benefit of the doubt that Francesca actually DOES want to be a mother, actually DOES want children, and making the choice to remarry to have kids is an active, intentional choice on her part. Motherhood isn't for everyone, and that's 100% fine. But we shouldn't shame people who do want it, and I think a generous read of this book puts Francesca in that camp without some of the weird vibes and setting complications that you get with Daphne.
Again, none of this is wholly unproblematic, and there are arguments to be made that social conditioning overrode any choice Francesca could make. However, that's a deeply cynical read of a fun, fluffy romance novel, and I'm not here to shame people who can get pregnant for their reproductive choices, whatever those may be.
Michael is, in the grand tradition of non-Bridgerton love interests, fairly bland. His whole thing is being the merry rake, which, like, whatever. That's fine. I'm not like, terribly enamored of his full-on BAILING on Francesca for like three years after her first husband unceremoniously drops dead. I'm also not super enamored of his whole "did I secretly cause my cousin's death because I was coveting his wife and now I can never be with Francesca because I don't deserve her for killing my cousin" schtick, but this is Bridgerton so the absurd drama is pretty par for the course.
The reason to read this book really is Francesca, and Francesca finding her feet as a more mature heroine than we typically see in these books. I was very very much here for Francesca, and I hope that if the show gets this far, we really do get to see how Frannie is different from Daphne, Eloise, Penelope, and Hyacinth.
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jechristine · 1 year
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I’ve had those thoughts about class distinction (and perception since it’s all about how people perceive Tom and Tim and not really reality) and how its rooted in some elitism in a way as well. It feel like ‘film twitter’ forgets there are many kinds of types of intelligence and I hope that Tom knows that as well - since looking at what Dom’s said, I don’t particularly think that he was encouraged in his intellectual strengths (he does certainly seem to have them) in the right way by his dad (which is a big generalization that disclaimer, might not be accurate either since I’m only going by what Dom’s stated in his blogs - he could be a much better or different father than he comes off as, who knows).
But looking at that twitter drama and knowing you’re a teacher, have you noticed social media interfering with education over the years? It just seems ironic to me that these accounts that preach intellectualism actually their voice arguments in a very anti-intellectual way. Looking at someone and reducing them to a failure lacks as much critical thinking as ‘stanning’ them, but all these people act like their opinion is fact and they’re often not interested in an actual debate where both sides are open to new info.
I feel like twitter might have benefits in making friends and also for sure spreading knowledge of social justice, but I also think that the short word count and engagement discourages critical thought and nuance so often that idk if the benefits outweigh what it might be doing to users. I know that when I take a break from twitter I feel less reactive and angry all the time, I can focus more - which is personal since I’m sure not everyone gets that way but for me the difference is huge.
This is a long and slightly disorganized way of asking your thoughts on twitter as a platform - do you think a short form app like that could be contributing to critical thinking skills shrinking too? Tumblr is more of an echo chamber with niche communities but I also feel like the extended word count gives the opportunity for complex discussions
Hey, Anon!
This is probably not what you’re asking for, but there are so many angles from which I want to think about your question. They’re all sort of related.
As a former medievalist & early modernist: the parallels between current outcries against social media and the 16th/17th century outcries against print culture and the printing presses are strong. We’re seeing just so many more people contributing their voices, languages, and ideas to the public space, and consuming so many others’. It can be messy because people don’t all have great things to say, and there are so many of them, but also the democratization of social discourse is so consequential. The printing presses in Europe (which is what I know) changed the course of history, leading as some have argued to the Enlightenment, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and…capitalism. We don’t really know where social media will take us, but probably someplace new.
As a high school English teacher: I’ve been immersed in PD lately in what’s being called “the Science of Reading.” A lot of the American education system has fucked up the way we teach kids to read in the last 20 years, and we’ve created a huge problem, especially for our students furthest from opportunity, i.e. the majority of my students at a high-poverty Title 1 school with many English-language learners. (If interested, this podcast is so illuminating/horrifying.) I know this is American-centric, but that’s what I know. Problems exist in terms of who has access to knowledge and ideas that are so much deeper than character count on social media. I’d bet this is true in other parts of the world, too.
And I think one more layer, connected to that one, is that lots of people are engaging with subjects on such a superficial level, just kind of repeating what they’ve seen said elsewhere without the knowledge background or frame of reference to dig deeper or be critical. I’ve seen a ton of really excellent Twitter threads from which I’ve learned a lot—so I don’t think character count is really an issue. I think lots of people don’t use the thread function because they simply don’t have much to say.
(Finally, I know what you mean about tumblr being an echo chamber but also I do think my mutuals and I disagree plenty without being shitty about it. Sometimes disagreement is really narrow. In fact, I think the best disagreement is when “opponents” share values and thoughtfulness but come to different conclusions. I also think tumblr would be just as bad if it had as many users as Twitter does.)
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doom-nerdo-666 · 9 months
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When thinking of writing a post about why people tend to dislike Midnight, i had a bit of a thought: Just like SgtMarkIV/Brutal Doom, the hate can come from people that are usually uninformed.
A way to see Midnight is that he's more of a "side effect" and represents things that aren't unique to him (Specially if you look at other Doom related channels and see similarities).
I've seen him compared to MrBossFTW as if Midnight is the Doom equivalent to that.
He seems like a clickbait channel trying to exploit people that know less about Doom than he already does.
A recent example being him doing a video about Lilith PK3 and how his observation (If it's legit) can be comparable to that of how game journos (The group that Doom fans supposedly hate) talk about Doom mods.
(Because i don't think he even knows about the weird drama about that mod at all)
It's why DoomKid making a video correcting Midnight was a bit of a shocker: Both could be seen as representing opposite sides related to "Doom fandom".
But in general, a way to better understand this is by looking at 3 big points:
The Doom community and its history
I already made certain points in different posts, like differences between older and newer fans or aspects of certain activities etc.
You can read some of it here:
Random observations about the Doom community.
A specific Brutal Doom post.
Things that may've not exist if not for the fans.
Nerd/geek/fandom/whatever-you-call-it culture
I'm sure people are aware of nerd stereotypes in pop culture: The smart but socially awkward skinny guy with glasses with weird speech patterns and interests in pop culture, that gets bullied.
While they are exaggerated, they do have some truth in them (To the point some even say this outcast nerd aspect is what inspired Peter Parker, Spiderman).
So the "Funko Pop crowd" image seems different from nerds that get picky over how their favorite media is handled.
Might come from a place of what if means to love something so much: 100% blind love that you like anything associated with it or wanting "the best" for it that you tend to have standards like a parent wishing their kids get a better future and don't throw it all away.
Of course, some nerds will still have silly complaints over stuff but it also seems like some people find it easier to be nerdy in the "blind loyalty" way than making interesting stuff out of their passion.
Some also argue whether or not "nerd culture" is that obscure because something like Star Wars was always massive.
But it's still interesting to learn how subcultures change because it's not just a matter of newcomers but even the old guard can change too.
Internet content
When people discuss why "content creator" is a bad term, they usually include the angle from the corporations: How they treat artists and their art.
Be it corporations labelling different art forms as "content" or treating it badly even if the art itself is good and gave them some revenue.
But there's at least 2 angles we shouldn't forget:
The "creators" themselves because for all the talented people that deserve better, there's always those with crappy stuff or zero talent that somehow get to win at times.
And the audiences because some people tend to have really bad taste and in massive scales.
Youtube is a good example when you look at its popular videos and "personalities": A bunch of people with no actual talent or charisma "gamefying"/taking advantage of a system and the clueless audiences that watch them because they don't know better.
It reminds me of why a medium like animation got less popular:
First, there's specific rules from Youtube such as the 10 minute mark and how it relates to income, which was something animators barely could handle.
Then there's the fact that people like to play videos while they do something else as if they're background noise (This doesn't apply to just podcasts or commentaries).
It's probably not a surprise that some people who worked on more creative mediums end up doing podcasts or LP channels.
And then you have smaller channels doing the "don't forget to like, subscribe and hit the bell" etc part because YT essentially became a race of success and less about passion or effort into quality content.
Some say YT became more about personalities than content but even then, you can tell that James Rolfe still has a more interesting personality than Logan Paul.
One can argue that some people do rely on YT for the sake of money so "clickbait is needed" but i also assume that anyone who's super into Doom could just discover content on their own.
Another thing about modern internet is chasing trends or when everyone has to talk about what's currently popular, leaving little room for novel topics or creativity.
Anyway
Each of these 3 sections could've been better but i brought up some points that serve as food for thought, so any more interesting observations/opinions/even trivia could be reached from reading this, hopefully.
I doubt Midnight would ever find this blog and read this post... but at least he'd have more interesting material to use for his videos i guess.
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neoptolemid · 2 years
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where did your love of neoptolemus come from please tell me all about your special boy
Of course of course, there aren't enough words.
I really came about getting into Neoptolemus from getting properly into Classics, part of having hyperfixiations/special interests is really learning everything you can on that subject. That was the case with Neoptolemus, I started learning more and more about Achilles and his deal and it led me to learn about him as well.
A lot the current 'fandom' of Greek mythology/classics comes from Madeline Miller so while trying to learn more and more about Neoptolemus and the other characters I saw the information presented by texts and then the way the fandom behaved. These conflicting sides of things only further got me into learning more, and it is where a lot of my love for Neo comes from. I found myself really taken by the characterization of Neo in works like 'Philoctetes' by Sophocles and 'Fall of Troy' by Quintus. I interpreted his character as far more sympathetic. I will not lie he does very terrible things, but so do all the Greeks and arguably Trojans as well. However he is a fictional character at the end of the day, and when judging him from the stance of his sources you need the context of when and who is writing it. For those antique texts it matters a lot if Romans or Greeks were the ones writing them.
None the less I really found myself drawn to him and his story, a lot of my own 'canon' is heavily changed/interpreted from the original but I will never lie and say that is it the correct, because it isn't. Most of the art I depict him in is my own canon and not correct, even some of my pieces of him are different canons. As I have gotten to know his character more and more I have changed the way I chose to write his story and the surrounding 'au's I have.
Now the timeline of the epic cycle isn't real lol
the epic cycle isn't meant to be read as super linear, none of the antique writers were counting out the years, they just called someone an 'old man' or 'young man' and called it a day (it is a bit more complex than that but this is a simplification) but when you think about that in versions of Achilles leaving the island of Skyros either Neo wasn't born yet or was still very small this means that by the time of the 10th year of the war Neo could very well be from 10-15, I generally put it at 13-ish.
He is a child soldier drafted into a war, and that aspect of his character and how that must shape a person is very interesting to me. Some childhood trauma I think is something a fair bit of us can relate to. I don't see him through the lenses of Madeline Miller or Virgil, I see him just as a traumatized kid reacting to the world around him in the best way he can. Trying to survive and being influenced by the many adults around him, the adults around him are the ones that have agenda and plans, the ones who more so care about fame and glory. He is a child responding to all that. He has only loose idea of those concepts. Furthermore Neo's story doesn't end in the abrupt way that Madeline Miller writes it in SoA.
There is a lot more going on and there are a fair amount of details that go on between the time that Neo leaves the shores of Troy and is buried in Delphi.
That is another thing that draws me to Neo but also to most everyone in the epic cycle. what you see with basic google searches and in many books surrounding these myths is only the most basic things, there are so many more myths and small details that you find out from sitting down and reading texts, combing through these stories and Neo was exactly the same. There are plenty of little details that he has that can influence the way you see him when you just look a bit deeper and for me those make all the difference. I think some of the beauty can be found in the drama, in the sadness of these characters. In the details and pieces that others will miss because they never looked deeper.
I could truly could just go on and on about my thoughts on Neo and what motivates me to love him.
In my mind it is a true shame that people will learn about Neoptolemus from Madeline Miller's, Song of Achilles and will never look deeper and just accept everything she says in her book.
She is straight wrong and in some cases the way she portrays things are harmful.
It pains me when I see people take her work for fact, it only pushes me to create to try and get people to see Neoptolemus for what I see, for all the possibilities I see in him. I create more and more for myself and for my friends who like my work and inspire me, but I also create in the hopes of getting others to see what I see.
To inspire them to look deeper into these amazing characters in the same way as I have been inspired.
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shrimpmandan · 8 months
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I think it's interesting how pre-2022 or so when the average person heard "paraphiliac" they'd picture objectums and/or dendrophiles (writing this unlocked the staggering memory of watching a guy reacting to wikipedia's paraphilia list like cringe compilation style), while now everyone associates it exclusively with pedo/necro/zoophilia and reacts with hatred to the most general mentions of it... I don't actually know why this happened but I'm not a fan
I think it really is just because paraphilia discourse picked up steam in the last couple of years, and a lot of people who do have potentially harmful paraphilias just say they're a paraphiliac as a way of keeping themselves safe. Hell, it's what I do. Being specific would just result in targeted harassment, so it's best to be vague so that people can't use that information to hurt me. And of course, what naturally happened is people began to assume that anyone calling themselves a paraphile in a broad sense was trying to hide something in that vein.
That, and it's not like people ever really liked paraphiliacs to begin with. BDSM is still highly stigmatized, a lot of other unusual fetishes (feet, inflation, feederism, piss/scat, etc. etc.) are pointed at as being "cringy" or "perverted", and that's not even touching on the few paraphilias that sometimes result in criminal behavior, like (nonconsensual) exhibitionism, voyeurism, and frotteurism, and of course pedo/zoo/necrophilia. A lot of people will just assume that because you have a fantasy, that it means you intend on acting on it, when in reality that really isn't the case. It's just that there's far more coverage on offending paraphiliacs (especially regarding the big three) because most would not out themselves publicly in their right mind. Which of course means most paraphiliacs are only outed when they're caught actually doing something heinous, such as looking at CSEM or defiling a corpse. This makes the ratio of offending vs. non-offending paraphiles feel signifcantly higher than it actually is.
That, and of course, criminal behavior of all types is sensationalized. People will go on for weeks about this YouTuber or celebrity admitting to fucking their dog or whatever, because it's good drama. It's basically free money to talk about it, AND you can warn others about a potentially dangerous person. But it still has the unfortunate side effect of dragging other paraphiliacs down with them, because things like animal and child abuse are especially topics that trigger a lot of strong emotions, and so of course people are going to react viscerally if you come off like you're trying to excuse or sympathize with the behavior even the slightest bit. Comparatively, a YouTuber/celebrity being outed as liking feet or inflation is far less likely to get a reaction, because even if it's considered "weird", at least it's not something potentially or tangibly harmful. Exceptions made, of course, for people like Dan Schneider who involved underage persons in his fetish. Sexual abuse is a sensationalist topic. That's why grooming allegations get hundreds of thousands to millions of clicks. That's why the guy who gets outed as being a kid diddler or a cat fucker gets far more negative traffic than the guy who admits to having a piss fetish. That's why paraphilias in general are far more associated with criminal behavior than they are with "fetishists in general".
It's also difficult to talk about how paraphiliacs are treated at all because you'll either have bad actors trying to force themselves into communities that they aren't apart of, or other people misconstruing them as doing that. For example, the times certain pedophiles and zoophiles tried to worm their way into the LGBT community have basically destroyed any conversation you can have about how paraphiliacs of all stripes are sexually oppressed and stigmatized. Or how some people will hear about how paraphiliacs are subject to ableism and take that as somehow comparing disabled or mentally ill people to abusers. This is such an inherently sensitive subject that requires a lot of tact to discuss, and the unfortunate reality is that a lot of people simply don't want to hear it, or the conversation was made infinitely more difficult by genuine apologists and bad actors trying to hide behind paraphilia advocacy as a way of receiving encouragement to abuse and even access to potential victims.
Hell, something interesting I've noticed is the few times I've accidentally stumbled across zoophilia/bestiality forums, wherein anti-contact zoos were basically treated like "pick-mes" trying to appeal to broader society. It's fascinating, and many paraphiliacs (particularly pedos and zoos) tend to not even act maliciously. They genuinely believe the objects of their affection can consent, or that they aren't doing any harm, and so they're forced to maximize their cognitive dissonance and surround themselves with yesmen in order to avoid confronting the harm they've caused. It's... genuinely pretty sad, I think, and is a lot more harrowing than the "these people are just evil and are hurting these vulnerable people/creatures for selfish reasons!" narrative that dominates most outside perspectives of paraphiliacs and sexual abusers.
So between sensationalization, demonization, and flat-out misinformation: of course pedos/zoos/necros are singled out. Those three paraphilias are among very few that are absolutely never consensual, and many people object to just thinking about them because the idea of a child, animal, or deceased love one being violated brings up a lot of visceral emotions. Other paraphilias are easier to justify; "kink is just two consenting adults, why are you so pressed about it?", whereas people are far less likely to jump to the defense of even things like lolicon/shotacon and fictional bestiality or necrophilia porn, because of just how deeply stigmatized they are even in theory. Even when it doesn't harm anyone, it's still seen as decrepit and dangerous, because Westerners especially are conditioned to gauge pretty much everyone by how much of a "potential threat" they could be-- whether this be due to someone's mental illness, race, gender, or any other amount of uncontrollable factors that inevitably lead to you being profiled as being a dangerous person or not.
Anyways I'm genuinely sorry about just how fucking rambly this is. I know there's big blocks of text and it's not really cohesive, but hey, I can barely focus and this gave me something to respond to that I like talking about. I really appreciate this ask in particular, as it's something I enjoy talking about which is why I started sperging about it C:
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How does your school work? You've mentioned a lot of interesting things about it, and now I'm really curious.
I'd be more than happy to explain! Though I can't promise to cover every interesting thing I've said because I've forgotten them all. It is a pretty cool situation that works out great for me, but if you have any questions--about my school, college in general, etc--I'd love to answer! (started over explaining, but hopefully it makes sense)
Essentially, it's a dual credit high school. I can't speak to how it works at other high schools, but my understanding is typically they might have a dual credit program where students can choose to participate in dual credit. The difference here is that my entire school is dedicated to that specific concept, built around it. Here, there is no option but to participate; it's why you go here.
Dual credit means that we're earning high school and college credit at the same time, so I've been taking college courses at an official community college since 9th grade. All of it is paid for my district, I don't have to pay for the college education.
The way it works, instead of electives (like spanish, drama, art, etc.) at a typical high-school, our electives are our college courses. These can be things like the normal electives, but they can also be things like philosophy, culinary classes, welding, etc. These classes count double, both towards the high school side of things and the college side of things--hence dual credit!
The only courses the high school offers itself are the basics, like math, english, history. They're condensed into semester long courses to match the college, and everything else is college. As you progress through any high school you need less core classes (e.g., I only had PE the first year, next year it was an open slot for an elective) and can take more electives, so your schedule also gets more free.
Right now, I'm a senior in high school, so I only have one class a day. This semester, I only had English, and next semester I'll only have Econ/Gov. I finished my math credits before 10th grade, and there's no more required science or history. So during the school year I go for an hour and a half (that's the length of one period), do my class, and then go home. (freshman have a full school day, and it gets less with each year).
The time you save you can put towards the college courses you're taking. A certain number are required each semester (with one high school class, 3 college are required. with 2 high school 2 college are required, etc.) so you count as a full student, but you can take more than that. If these classes are in person, then you'll attend them when they're held and do the work like any other homework. I've personally elected to take all my courses online because it's less draining for me, so I just go home and do my work.
My school is structured in such a way that the goal for all students entering is to graduate high school with a two year degree or a certificate, though that's not the limit. I've personally already earned several degrees.
It's also an incredibly small and close-knit school. You get in via a raffle, so you apply then they randomly select students to get in. There's about 60 kids in my grade level (if it was full there'd be 72), and almost all of us have been here since 9th grade so we're all familiar with each other. We've been taking classes together for four years. I will say that unless you're directly involved with student government or something, you won't know shit about the other grades. You only know your own because our schedules don't let us mix. And since it's so small, the teachers all know us pretty well. It's a lax and friendly atmosphere, treating us like adults in college instead of kids preparing for college.
The principal knows all our names and she jokes around with us, same with all the other faculty. The other day the principal and vice principal were standing next to the stairs talking and I passed them by, and they called to me and joked, saying, "Quil, we hear you only have a 104 in english, you better step it up!" and they complimented some of the art they'd seen for an assignment I'd done. My 10th grade English teacher gave me books from her personal collection to read and I gave her a few from mine. Even this one teacher I never had (he's new this year and teaching a grade below me) knows about me (though that may be because I'm an accomplished student, so staff tend to hear about me).
I'm probably missing something, but that's the gist of it! I take core classes at the high school, and college courses that count for college and elective credits. This gives me an incredibly free schedule (that doesn't match the rest of the district) with a personal, relaxed environment. And it's all paid for!
It's definitely not for everyone, but it's wonderful for me because I don't have to be in a place for an extended period of time and all the teachers are more than accommodating when I use fidgets and earplugs. Couldn't imagine going anywhere else :)
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kat--writes · 1 year
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Ngl, I was pleasantly surprised by 90s Show - the first few eps and especially the pilot was rough (mostly with the new kids) but I felt like it steadily improved. By the last maybe 3 episodes or so I was on board, and I actually really love the Leia/Nate ship and was happy when they gave them a few moments. I’d actually really like to see them continue developing that and the show in general. Definitely do think, though, that this show really encapsulates, as you’ve talked about, the need for bigger episode orders. They would have really benefitted from more breathing room. Instead, I'm assuming largely because of the 10 episode order, it felt like so much of the drama and dynamics were unearned in those first few episodes. I've loved reading your input on the way media is being produced and consumed these days (as always). (also I hope you’re doing well and am always sending love and good vibes💕)
Yea, I have to admit, after I finished it I was like, “OK … that kind of slapped.”
As I said, the longer shows last the more actors are able to settle into their characters. I do think Gwen needs to not be so broad (writing and acting wise) and the kid who plays Kelso — who, admittedly, has big shoes to fill — needs to maybe step up his game and find his voice a little more and at times it was giving a little Disney Channel but I do think they really carved out individual personalities for each character and the writing in general was very funny (and, like I said before, had some of the best and most authentic 90s references I’ve seen on TV).
I’m FULLY into the Leia and Nate of it all, those two characters are just like, blueprints for one another and I liked the twist that he’s (seemingly) really her “Donna.” I also think it adds an element of complexity being Gwen’s brother, being Nikki’s boyfriend, etc. it allows Leia’s presence to shake up a group dynamic in interesting ways. I think they understand each other — they both lead with their heart first, act emotion and they’re super earnest. They also just have really good chemistry and their scenes add a spark of energy into the show that was missing.
I also think it could potentially maybe open the door for a Gwen/Nikki frenemies to lovers pairing that would be wildly entertaining. I am fully in the camp that Gwen is queer, so, I guess we will see.
And, of course, in the moments where the show maybe struggled Red and Kitty held it DOWN.
Because that’s what they do.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was something worth a season 2 and a show I’d really be interested to see come back and tell more stories. I just need a little less “Camp Rock” and a little more “70s Show,” but thats not in the writing. The writing is there. It’s in the performances.
(Also thank you for the kind words! You’re the sweetest!)
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If you could make up your own dcla show, what would it be like? General plot, main character(s), which city...
So, since I live on the literal other side of the earth... Argentina is one of the countries closest to Antarctica, Sweden is one of the countries closest to the north pole, so yeah it's more or less other side of the earth /hj
Well, I live in another context and culture from where the dcla shows take place, which means a lot may be different than someone who lives in Argentina, or in South America in a whole.
Though, it doesn't stop me from finding things in the shows relatable, of course. But anyway, keep in mind that I, again, may have other perspectives.
This is how a swedish nerdy weird girl would do a dcla show:
Well, first of: I'd like a main character with perhaps more siblings or a bigger family. I always love the family storylines in the dcla shows, and I love the found family aspects. But the dcla main characters always are only children or youngest children who's been living as only-children for a while. I need specifically a middle child main character. She can have a brother and a sister, for good measure (and the dcla mc is a girl, it's just how it is). If I wanna make her closest to myself, she can have an older sister that's almost 2 years older and a little brother who's at least 5 years younger
Of course, a dcla horsegirl show would be very fun, but I have two other approaches: either a theatre kid or a swimmer.
Both could work. The main character doesn't necessarily have to go to a performing arts school - what she could do is simply go to a normal school and have theatre on her freetime. I can picture them getting a script, deciding the play is boring, then perhaps write their own script. There would be a plot about how the script is too personal to someone's life, and probably someone shy who doesn't say much, go "hey I made this scene, wanna try it?" and no one tries it until eventually, they consider it and realize "hey, shy person, your script is great!!!!". The music aspect would be a little on the side. Of course, people will sing too, maybe not necessarily in the plays (as I don't think they necessarily need to do musicals), but on the side. Maybe someone has a band, maybe they just like singing for fun's sake. Maybe one of main character's siblings likes music and she sings a lot at home.
Also, all the "I didn't study for my test because I had play rehearsal", people waiting and being let down because people were late due to play rehearsal, people kissing on or behind the stage, someone wanting to sabotage the theatre... we got it all.
Now, swimming: I think what would work best is synchronized swimming, just because of all the shows they could perform. Main character LOVES swimming, she likes being underwater because she feels like a mermaid. Maybe she has friends who are into other water activities, one is one the swimming race team and one is on the diving team. Or they're not her friends but her love interests, idk.
Here, we could also have drama. Maybe someone almost drowning. Someone accidentally falling from a diving board that's high up and hurting themselves. Maybe someone trying to ruin the synchronized swimming routine.
The music aspect? They perform their swimming shows in rhytm to music. The swimmers can't sing obviously, so it's pre-recorded. Or there's a live band there beside the pool just playing, you know, the standard dcla chaos/logic
Also, a lot of scenes would take place in locker rooms and while obviously not much would happen, I feel we'd get some wlw content just by like. The tension there. Idk.
A third crack idea: Mc likes trampolines. She likes jumping high and doing stunts in the air. The theme song of the show is called "Salta" and just shows everyone jumping. Would follow the theme of "obscure sport that's treated like the biggest thing in the world" theme continuing from SL. But this is less polished and just a random idea I had in my head.
Now, besides what her main interest/s are, mc also has a more... normal school. Not a fancy private school or a special school for arts or something, just a normal school. Not saying they need to focus much on the school, but still like. Show them there.
There has to be a family mystery, and I lowkey want it to be not a dead relative, but rather a "relative they don't talk about". I want it most of all to be an aunt that's an outcast for some reason. Like, the aunt still comes to family gatherings and stuff, but she's mysterious as heck and mc wants to learn more.
Also, I just want everyone to be queer, of course. Would be marvelous if the main character was queer and in love with her bestie. But also, I love a queer mean girl. Maybe also the aunt can be, or one of her siblings. Just everyone /hj <3
That is all I can think about. I realize I made several potential shows in one, but that is me.
Also I didn't say which city but like. I guess Buenos Aires, cause every dcla show has to take place there /j
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straywrds · 1 year
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You feel as their souls met before? You believe in those stuff? It’s very nice -to hear about things like that-if you know what i mean. And I like it! Also it’s true, they also look similar and have similar vibes in some ways? Like the energy. Even tho they’re quite different obviously. Is that one of the reasons you think that? I don’t know much about things like that but if you wanna say more it’s always interesting for me!
That interview tho. They really know what each other needs. And bring warmth to each other. Not to be a person that assumes but during hyunjins hiatus lixie looked quite down the most. And I really adore their moments. Also the fact Hyunjin calls Lixie his angel! Would bf Hyunjin call his s/o angel too? ok this went elsewhere and it’s longer that I thought 😂 .. Personally, I love Changbin and Felix’s bond. The way Changbin broke down and held each other when Lixie was eliminated.. That moment always brings me to tears. It has touched me more than any other moment. They really love and care about each other. Of course all of them were sad but I don’t know Changbins reaction touched me the most and stayed to me. Their moments are always so cute and adorable. They’re like soulmates. Sometimes they also remind me of a youthful teenage couple hopelessly in love (I don’t ship them.!!!) but like the vibe. It’s very nice. I love their interactions.
Ps. (For others reading this) Of course I love every skz friendship and I’m in love w their bond overall. This is just talks. Don’t want anyone to read too deep into it bc ppl tend to do that and make drama 🫣🙄🤣
I know I talk too much and dive too deep when it comes to stray kids but it makes me feel like I live in a daydream to stan them and it brings me a lot of comfort and makes/fills my day with positive vibes if you know what I mean. Idk if I’m too delulu however I enjoy it at the moment
I agree with you on so much of this!!!
I do feel like their souls have met before. Now I don't even know what I believe in per say... but there are a few individuals on this earth that I feel a special bond with, and when it happens I always feel as if our souls have met before. About Hyunlix, I said to a friend last night that it feels as if their atoms were part of the same star before, in a distant past, and so they are not quite complete without one another. They will always be drawn to each other, always be a part of the other's life. Existences entangled. I think it's a beautiful kind of connection to have with someone, regardless of the nature of the relationship (friend, lover, sibling, etc) and I am glad they found each other in this life too.
Now Changbin and Felix <3 I love Changbin. He's a lot more sentimental than people seem to think. So of course he would feel deeply for Felix. In general I feel like Bin feels responsible a lot for his members, in a different way than Chan, but no less important. He wants to support them, he wants to feed them, wants to make sure they feel heard. I think it's because he, Changbin, wants to make sure that no one would feel alone. And only a lonely person would feel like this... now I'm not gonna make assumptions or anything either but yeah. I just feel like Felix is there for him and he is there for Felix because they both feel deeply and want the other to be happy!
And yes for people reading this, this is just a conversation we're having we're not assuming anything about anyone in skz.
Please know that it's ok to let skz comfort you. Positive vibes are hard to come by so please do not hesitate to take whatever you can. I think skz would want you to let them help you, you know? For what it's worth, they've been there for me when I really needed it in the past months and they are still there. I would be a really depressed person if it weren't from the little and big joys they bring me... if it weren't for the people I've met and reconnected with through them. <3 This blog is deluluville so please feel safe here.
You're gonna be ok, alright? <3 Lots of love.
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funakounasoul · 1 year
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Miko Month: The Meta History
I gave a quick history on Miko's childhood a few days ago. But what about her "meta" childhood? How did she even come to be? This is a thing I talk about every Miko Month, but it's always fun to revisit. Even on Tumblr, I’ve mentioned the history before, but I think it’s been AGES since compared to Twitter’s “every Miko Month” lol
So sit back, get comfy. We're going back to...Halloween 06? WAIT-- YOU?!
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PREHISTORY
Halloween 2006...From 5th grade all through high school, I was a member of almost every single iteration of Band (marching, wind ensemble, jazz, pep, etc). Marching season was almost over and we get to wear costumes for the Halloween parades we do for nearby schools.
I was The Goth-Vampire-Knight-Thing, of course (for those who haven’t seen my Twitter, basically it’s this outfit I put together for my junior and senior years of HS, and that was, actually, how I described myself to anyone who asked). My best friend at the time, though, was showing off the prototype version of the cosplay we were both going to have for a con in '07 - the Azumanga Daioh school uniforms. Here are the finished ones (featuring me and my friend!)
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Anyway, by the time we finished the third grade school parade route, we were high on sugar or something and were really goofing around. My friend, to both of us, didn't QUITE look like Yomi and, I dunno, we started goofing around and somewhere along the way "Koyomiko" was uttered. By the time we got back to our school, it was "after school" time and I was just waiting for my mom to come pick me up. We were STILL goofing around, and jokingly tossing around "Koyomiko" this, "Koyomiko" that. 
 And some gears started turning as I went home that evening...
I do NOT have the original sketch of Miko anymore, but she was literally drawn on November 1st (hence her canonical birthday!). And I went to school that next day telling my friend how I made a kid for Tomo and Yomi. She humored me, at least (she wasn't really a yuri fan lol)
A few days later, I would try to draw her digitally. I still used Pixia at the time...as well as tiny Wacom tablet. TINY TINY. Graphire 4 I think? Anyway, THIS is the pic I showed to the world:
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DEVELOPING MIKO 
As I said, I decided that she was a child of Tomo and Yomi. Because I love Tomo and Yomi. And they have a kid somehow (science!) Her original full name was, legit, Koyomiko Takino-Mizuhara. I couldn't decide what the dorks would decide to use as a surname lol
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This became my Thing for FOUR YEARS! Sure, I did regular canon Toyomi yuri and other fan art and stuff, but the Takino-Mizuharas were basically my main shtick. I coined the term "Azu-Kid." Miko's content was akin to Yotsuba's. Except lesbian moms. And Osaka as an "auntie."
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I met Leigh through this silliness. She even brought out her own OCs from a different thing to have as friends for Miko. She was the sarcastic, smarmy, *half*-French (in this iteration) Sachiko Nakamura. Also, her older brother (and INITIAL love interest for Teen Miko)...Hayato
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(ahem, yeah, it's really funny, considering what happened over time) COUGH. Anyway. Eventually, I wanted Miko to take the spotlight instead of her moms (which are the bulk of the original content - Toyomi parenting). It started out just as a new generation of Azu, but, over time, I wanted something different. I didn't want to do just comedy. I wanted some drama. So I tweaked it a bit and "Reminiscence & Reflections" became the new draft. At first, the old Azu gang were still part of it, but in the background. And then...they disappeared.
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Oh, you bet I was ready to start a webcomic, you betcha! It took a bit, especially moving in with Leigh, trying to get through college (and failing), and less time to art. But eventually, I thought I had it all ready. And I posted this:
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I started drawing up the pages on paper and then...then...Why wasn't I happy? Why is it so BORING?! I even thought about sprinkling some supernatural-y stuff in, but it wasn't working. I would slowly stop drawing Miko for a bit. SM and Pony art prevailed. Here's an example of what I DID draw during this “drought period”:
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Enter me also unsure of what I wanted to do in the real world. I was in a brief stint at a call center. I was still in the initial lecture phase when I just had...this epiphany. I started scribbling down notes, thoughts, doodled some uniforms and weapons. Oh my god. This was it.
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Well, almost. It would take a few more tweaks during the year of 2013, but basically, Raison came to be! And by July 2014, the rest was history~ 
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applestorms · 2 months
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questions of pacing aside, i actually think the progression from one set of kids to the next in homestuck is quite good, and also at least in part explains why the comic shifts so heavily into the more blood-based relationship/character dynamic focus in Act 6 and onward, as opposed to the more breath-based plot emphasis that was more present in the first half.
the most basic way you can see this is in how the characters age over the course of the story, actually. you start off with the beta kids--13 years old, four humans, related by blood even if not explicitly stated from the start--who generally stick to the plot and keep away from the relationship drama. john doesn't seem particularly interested in romance other than through celebrity crushes and as a plot point in his movies, rose is (presumably) confident in her lesbianism and doesn't converse w/ jade enough in-canon to push much of a dynamic there. dave is the main one that very obviously (and, imo, cutely. d'aww) has a crush on all of his friends, but his latent internalized homophobia (and the uncomfortably Freudian implications of the Other One) means that jade is the only real candidate he can pursue. jade herself ends up being into the idea too, so there ends up not being much of a struggle anyways, at least at the beginning.
the trolls are also 13 years/6 sweeps old, but notably they're coming from an entirely different social context, one that pushes the necessity of relationships much more strongly (note the underlying "fuck or die" implications of the imperial drones). there's also 12 of them, meaning a lot more potential options for romance, not to mention the 4 quadrants for pursuing it in the first place. fitting, then, that the introduction of the leader-ly blood player adds more romantic drama to the story.
karkat bitches about his fears of troll/human sloppy makeouts enough that the story was destined to devolve into some degree of that at some point, but the rapidly rising number of troll/human interactions in A5A2 in general was bound to add to the already present interpersonal drama that drove a lot of A5A1. even looking past the burgeoning powerhouse that is rosemary at this point in the story, terezi, dave, & karkat have enough drama amongst themselves to power a fucking rocket, and that's before you add people like vriska, jade, & john into the mix.
so by the time you get to the alphas it really doesn't surprise me that so much of the plot of their early pages revolves around The Jakestakes and it's corresponding drama. the kids are also 15 going on 16 and a lot more explicitly horny by this point (bound to happen w/ the smuppets & blue women, roxy's overwhelming Thirst aside), pushed to new levels by the similarly new levels of isolation almost every character is surrounded by. the kids want interpersonal connection, and it seems natural to me considering the (human) Society they're coming from that they would default to romance at this age, REGARDLESS of whether or not they are actually interested in it. (i see you, aromantic jake headcanons.)
the same thing happens with the dancestors, actually, who are probably the most explicitly horny set of characters in the comic iirc? or at the very least, the ones who have the most canon basis for that kind of relationship history, even considering how little they show up in general. i see this as a combination of both being around 19 years/9 sweeps old and being stuck in the dream bubbles, honestly. what else is there to do but delve into a bunch of nuanced relationship drama and awkward post-death situationships, really? (unless you're cronus, of course.)
but anyways, alongside the age difference resulting in more relationship drama, there's another thing the progression lends itself to: identity crises!
this is maybe less clear in the dancestors, but it's definitely clear for the first three groups. where the beta kids all have fairly distinct, natural identities revolving around their interests (maybe more strongly stated in the case of dave & rose, fitting considering their level of maturity in comparison to the prospit kids), a lot more of the trolls are concerned with the Image they project out into the world. take rose's pre-grimdark interest in the occult & psychoanalysis, fairly genuine interests i think that do shape her identity into something fairly distinct, in comparison to the fucking Lifestyle Choices of vriska & terezi with their respective mindfang & redglare roleplay. not all the trolls are that level of dedicated so they make for a smoother transition from the betas, but there's definitely a lot stronger of a theme of personal reflection & identity within the trolls, especially in how they view/treat their ancestors.
the alpha kids take this to another level, which again i think is fitting considering their age. the alphas are a bunch of fucking liars, yes, but the key thing to note here is that when they lie to themselves, it's probably just cause they don't really know who they are yet? like, dirk is certainly Aware of some core, unchangeable parts of himself, yes-- but none of these kids have really gotten the chance to figure out who they are yet. when roxy talks about being a sick haxxor bitch, or dirk about being a multitasking, hyper-competent puppet master, or jake about being A Goddamn Adventurer-- they're playing with costumes. they're rp-ing, and trying to figure out who they actually are in the process, what parts they're willing to show the world and what parts they're more inclined to hide. even jane (or perhaps especially jane?) is just fitting herself into the role she's been placed under since childhood.
this is one idea i think the epilogues/post-canon content really missed in its interpretation of the alphas. these kids aren't uniquely terrible, their relationship drama is not world ending (despite how it may feel. looking at you A6A5A1x2), they are not harboring some exclusive seed of evil deep within them. i honestly think that if you had chucked the john/vriska/terezi/karkat/dave/jade love hexagon from hell into a different context it would look no different to the alphas' English Sweepstakes.
which kinda leads to my final point, actually: the third thread. miscommunication.
communication gets more and more obtuse the further along in the story you go. i feel like i've mentioned this before, but hussie really starts taking advantage of the medium of pesterlogs the further in you get w/ the whole concept of Biased Narrators (also see: doc scratch, homosuck), which is part of the reason why i think the story gets more and more misread the further into it you get as people skim more and pay the price even harder.
prospit/derse differences about directly vs. indirectly saying what you mean aside, the kids get more and more cagey as the story progresses. this development is actually the clearest imo when you look at how it goes from the beta kids (friends talking to friends) -> trolls (online strangers, ready to fuck w/ you but ultimately sympathetic in their own right) -> doc scratch (literally just an internet predator). as who you're talking to online increases in potential danger, so too must the required level of Fuckery.
caliborn might be a little shit w/ some violent tendencies & questionable taste in art when he's talking to the alphas (in particular, dirk & jake), but he's also the future (V)illain of The Comic and shouldn't be taken too lightly. at the very least, the power that he and calliope both have over the story as a whole is nothing to scoff at.
as much as it doesn't feel like it at first, the alphas take a lot of the themes previously established surrounding the more personal/emotional/relationship-oriented aspects of the beta kids & trolls and crank it up to 11. everything just feels so much more intense, even if the game mechanics and plot shit is dialed down significantly in turn. it's no wonder A6A5A2 (the tricksters) and A6A5A1x2 (the conversation on the quest beds) play out the way they do-- i mean, those two acts alone basically sum up the Entire dynamic of the alphas & all of their interpersonal problems in one big dramatic swoop. more lonely, more longing, more confused about who they are and who they love and who they want to be. the alphas got it all.
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