#but what i'm guessing is that people like this tend to assume that [thoughts/opinions = true self]

[isekyaaa]

wld love to hear ur thoughts abt ur last post on true selves - @milkstore

It's really simple tbh? Basically people have this assumption that if they've never opened up to you, you can't ever know their "true face." They assume that the face that they show to the world is heavily divorced from their true self. Sure doesn't help when they act differently around different people, blah blah blah. To them, their masks are lies and their heart is truth. To be honest, I'm not sure I understand why these people think this way. Are not the different faces a person wears just different facets of their personality?

Regardless, I think because people operate under the assumption that the masks they show to the world aren't their true self, they assume they can't ever be known without their consent. It's a really ridiculous assumption tbh. It'd take a lot of conscious planning and decisions to truly create a persona that is completely unlike yourself. Like you'd literally have to be insane to do that.

In reality, people do not think much before making majority of their day to day decisions. Must you play a mental chess match to decide whether or not to greet your coworkers? Do you make conscious decisions to purchase food you dislike so nobody will know what you actually like? Do you have to physically and consciously move the muscles in your face to form a smile or a frown for every interaction? If these things do not take much conscious thought, then are you not acting true to your "true self?"

Then think about the things you consciously do or don't do. If someone disagrees with you but you don't argue back, does that not say something? If you tell jokes at work to get people to laugh, does that not reveal things? Even if these actions are not a part of your "true self," does not the fact you simply did them tell something about you?

This is just talking about actions. This doesn't even go into reactions. People assume that they are the best actors and can fool the world, but they are just fooling themselves. Initial reactions are hard to hide. True happiness and excitement is hard to fake. Feigned interest is quite easy to see. Stress, anger, and hurt are hard to gloss over. Are not emotions and the reasons for them very revealing for true selves?

And kinda going into my other post, you work from there. [Observation + observation] = intuitive observation. [Intuitive observation + intuitive observation] = mid-tier observation. Etc.

In my personal opinion, while intuitive observations are where the meat of everything is, that doesn't make simple observations less... intimate. For example, you observe a person doesn't eat many vegetables. You can rightfully assume they don't like vegetables. The very fact you noticed this means that you were paying attention to them. You know something about their true self.

#interactions #this post has a terrible ending but i ran out of points lol #but what i'm guessing is that people like this tend to assume that [thoughts/opinions = true self] #[reasonings = true self] #'i think therefore i am' sorta deal #they don't realize that by the way they act we can intuit what sort of thoughts and opinions they may have #not exactly i mean #but you can tell when you observe a person if they'll have logical opinions... emotional opinions... fake edgy opinions LOL #so in the end when they finally do open up nothing comes as a surprise because those thoughts match the person you know them to be #instead of being like 'wow that surprised me' it's more like 'yeah that makes sense lol' #getting a grip of a person's true self will take time (yes) but it's pretty easy once you've done it enough #and like.... i don't mean you take a deep dive into their psyche #but from first meeting you can tell the type of person they are #can you trust them? will they cause you issues? are they fun? will you possibly offend them? etc #everyone does this #if you want to get better though when you do get a general vibe of a person ask yourself 'why do i think this?' #'why don't i think i can trust them? why do i think i'd get along with them?' etc #at the same time though as i've said before put enough stock into your observations to protect yourself but also like... #not enough to the point you refuse to acknowledge evidence to support something else #always refine your observations and never ignore new information #always ask 'why' #ngl i have thoughts on nearly every single person i've met and am not afraid to share them but nobody ever returns the favor haha #bums me out a lot #i want someone to do an anon analysis for me HAHA

[araminakilla]

Regarding Death Wolf...

Hear me out (NO, it's not the kind you are thinking)

We know Death has a job, right? To collect souls and most likely release them to the afterlife.

And for this job, he has to be there when somebody is about to die, as demostrated with him being there moments before Puss' eight death.

Supposing he is THE Death and he has been doing this since the beginning of time (or at least when there were enough stories of the Grim Reaper to adquire a physical form) that means he has seen a lot, A LOT of awful things.

Murders, suicides, massacres, death of infants, people who didn't deserve to die alone, animal cruelty, some other heavy stuff I won't mention here, etc etc etc.

And we thought "man, how is he able to cope with all of that? That job has to be utter torture for someone."

Probably many of you could think that he is able to do that because he is Death, and he was "born" with that purpose and only him can reap souls perfectly.

But while he is a force of nature, he also WAS a force of nature. Let me explain it well: He adquired a personality enough to be angry, excited, frustrated, amazed, happy, among other emotions.

While he has supernatural power and is most likely the most powerful being in the Shrek Franchise (or in Dreamworks as many say) he is also a PERSON.

Someone with a code of honor, morals, opinions, beliefs, etc.

Returning to the question "How can he bear all of that?" taking into account he is no longer an inevitable force, but a character of his own.

The answer is something you may relate to, and that is: Creativity and escapism.

To be the embodiment of Death, the guy is a very creative fella.

First of all, his design. I heard many people saying here and in Twitter that his design is something they would come up in their edgy, teen years of drawing their first fursona.

Guess what? They are right, the wolf form is someone's fursona. It's DEATH'S fursona. He clearly came up with this badass, piercing canine form to blend with the Fairy Tale Land assuming the form of the "Big Bad Wolf". He most likely had other forms he designed over the centuries and was able to present as them like if he were on a role play game in the living world.

His sickles? The weapon of choice with the little crossed cats on it to have a bigger effect of terror for Puss? Those who can become knuckles and join to create a scythe? Those are his creation, probably after thinking it for a while and writing all of those functions on a paper.

The way he presents himself? In the bar? The coins in his eyes as a "watching you" sign while being a cool reference to the Ferryman of souls? He transforming Perrito's forest into the background of a skull? The chilling reveal at the Cave of Lost Souls? The fire ring? It was all him.

As for the escapism part...

When the world becomes too heavy to deal with as real life issues tend to make us feel bad, depressed, angry... we tend to escape it somewhere. And in our time the common place would be the internet as in webpages or comics, stories, etc.

But what has to do with Death Wolf you may ask?

Well, while he would NEVER be able to escape his job entirely, he can have moments where he can enjoy a good hunt of people who don't appreciate life, like the whole plot of the Puss in Boots sequel could demostrate.

He managed to have a little time outside his eternal routine to chase an arrogant cat who took life for granted. He enjoyed it, it was thrilling, it was exciting.

It was a way to escape a monotonous, grim "life", if just for a short moment.

So, when the chase ended as his prey no longer feared him and now was ready to fight for his last life, the wolf retreats, happy for Puss' character development but resigned because he once again had to return to "The Eternal Duty"

And that's not even counting all the times Jack "I'm dead inside" Horner had to interrupt Lobo's hunt and remind him of his job even in his "spare time"

Death knew the chase had to end eventually, but he didn't want it to end.

He didn't want to return to his own world

And if we look at Death like that, then he is probably one of the most relatable characters Dreamworks has ever make.

In the Shrek Franchise:

Monsters can be loved

Princesses don't have to fit the perfect standards of beauty

Handsome guys can be possesive jerks

Love at first sight doesn't work like one would think

Happily ever afters had to be built and not just obtain them with magic

And Death is the most creative and "full of life" being in the world

Because he would absolutely go crazy with his life/work if he wasn't.

Because in a world of Kings, Poets and Soldiers, he's the Supreme King

And he's also a perky goth but none of you are ready for that conversation.

#100% sure that if Tumblr was a thing in the Shrekverse... #Death would have an account #puss in boots #puss in boots 2 #pib #pib 2 #pibtlw #pib the last wish #puss in boots the last wish #the last wish #death wolf #death the wolf #lobo muerte #pib lobo #puss in boots lobo #puss in boots wolf #pib wolf #pib death #puss in boots death #puss in boots analysis #character analysis #escapism #creativity #shrek #dreamworks shrek #dreamworks #this is probably the discovery of the decade #or the stupidest thing I ever wrote on this website

[frownyalfred]

if you feel like it (and if this question even ends up making sense lol), would you mind talking about how you feel about bruce being jewish? not like the idea of jewish bruce wayne, i mean the fact that in 2011 or so he was retconned kind of accidentally into being jewish. i ask bc i, as a jewish person, have a lot of mixed to negative feelings about the whole thing, and you seem not to. i really hope this doesn't come out as like judgy. i don't think you should feel negatively about it. i'm genuinely just interested in your thoughts and feelings about this. two jews, three opinions, lol

It's not judgy! As you said, two Jews, three opinions -- there's no right answer here.

As I mentioned in my Jewish Bruce post, the likely accidental ret-con of Bruce to likely being Jewish is a tricky subject. It's simultaneously a good moment for Jews who want to feel represented, and a bad one for those who think Bruce's story is not an adequate or appropriate vehicle to convey Judaism.

The reality is, Bruce isn't visibly Jewish now, nor is he practicing or displaying overt cultural, ethnic, or religious influences. He's Jewish by halacha, which is its own mess of significance for Jews.

Personally, I feel that Bruce's emergence as a Jew by halacha, and not by practiced religion or culture, is an important discussion to be had in our modern, interfaith, assimilating culture.

Barring the Orthodox communities, the number of young observant Jews is dropping. Jews are increasingly marrying into other faiths, assimilating, and raising their children outside of the faith. When Jews do stay in their communities, they tend to stay in more "liberal" ones such as Reconstructionist or Reform congregations. You can read more about this at the Pew site.

There are, and will continue to be, many people who find themselves cut off from Judaism and either halachically or ethnically Jewish in the next few years, with little to no connection to the religion, ethnicity, or cultural traditions.

So in this respect, Bruce being cut off from Judaism by nature of his family structure and abridged childhood is good to see, because it's representative of a new generation of Jewish children or interfaith families. Or it will be?

But. There are many Jews who do not identify with this at all -- who grew up in the community with strong ethnic, religious, and cultural ties, who see Bruce's (accidental?) ret-con to Judaism as rushed, dissatisfying, half-hearted, a million other words.

I don't want to assume what you or other Jews are thinking about this, but I can guess. It's not fun to see your religious identity thrown around somewhat flimsily, especially when there remains such a deep and consistent Jewish influence throughout the DC comics.

Why Bruce? Why not Hal? Why hint at it, or make him somewhat Jewish? Why not have a fully-Jewish character? Why not have a character who embraces Judaism as a belief system?

I think the mixed feelings over Bruce's ret-con highlight the growing divide within the Jewish community over who is, and isn't Jewish, and by which standards we judge those who are peripheral to the community.

Having worked with many converts and patrilineal Jews, I have deep sympathy for those cut off from the Jewish community, especially when it is by halachic rule. How can someone who was raised by a Jewish father, who is 50% Ashkenazi, who had a Bar Mitzvah and attends shul regularly, not be as Jewish as someone who was born to a Jewish mother and rarely, if ever, practiced the religion?

We make conversion to Judaism a tricky, difficult, and conditional process. Reform marriages and conversions are questioned by Orthodox rabbis and not considered valid by others. Some people are Jewish in one synagogue and not Jewish enough in another. It's so hard.

So yeah, in my other post linked above I think I called this a happy accident, which is how I'm trying to view it. It makes me happy to have a character to push Jewish headcanons and fic ideas into to, and to tease out the themes of community and what it means to truly be Jewish from Bruce's story. But I don't expect that to be everyone's else's experience at all.

I'd be curious to hear your, and anyone else's, thoughts on this. Again, two Jews, three opinions -- nobody is right here, and we all change our minds a LOT.

#asks #jewish bruce wayne #jewish batman #jewish batfamily #dc #dc comics #bruce wayne #batman

[anatheyma]

btd/tpof characters don't seem to have official birthdays so i wanna share my zodiac sign hcs

(i'm not an expert in astrology this is just for fun)

strade: sagittarius

this is a bit awkward to explain since i'm a sagittarius myself. i don't relate to him, but he definitely has to be a fire sign and this one seemed the most fitting out of the three. first of all sagittarians are considered lively, passionate, outgoing and charming - traits that i think fit strade's description. he's carefree and fun-loving i guess you could say, but also intelligent in a way, or at least has a good technical information. gato has mentioned that strade has a fear of being limited or locked up which goes well with the thing sagittarians have with their freedom.

lawrence: capricorn

now that is a capricorn man if i've ever seen one. they're described as critical, sensitive and cautious, struggling with letting people in. capricorns are happy being on their own and fall in love slowly, they have to take time to understand you at first. it's clear that lawrence doesn't trust people easily. to me it seems like he wants to be in control of things, too. on surface level, those antlers remind me of the symbolized mythological creature of capricornus and regardless of his love for plants, i associate lawrence with snowy forests instead of green. (capricorns are born december 22 - january 19)

ren: libra

i'm not only saying this because i tend to be head over heels for libras okay let me tell you something; libras are often extroverted and sweet. they avoid conflict which is why they tend to be people-pleasers and we know ren is one. even when he's older in tpof, you can kind of call him out for not making his own decisions, but instead relying on the chat's suggestions and opinions. maybe he struggles with making them himself... and what's the biggest libra stereotype again? yeah, exactly that. librans are ruled by venus, the goddess of love, so they adore beautiful things. of course he'd want to dress you up all pretty for the live streams <3

mason: taurus

i admit i haven't actually diven that deep into this character yet, but right off the bat he strikes me as an earth sign. taureans love to relax in serene, bucolic environments, which i guess you could call his cabin in the woods. they're also built for endurance and tasks requiring concentration and determination, traits that i assume must be helpful when hunting. mason comes off as resourceful and tough, just like taureans.

celia: virgo

my beloved celia... like virgos, she's hardworking and intelligent, but also uptight and easily frustrated. understandably so, imagine being married to a man when you could run away with me 🙄 anyway, they're also perfectionists at heart and she'd probably enjoy training you with diligent and consistent practice, you're her little mouse after all. oh, and virgo rules the digestive system. hand over those donuts, ma'am!

derek: leo

bet you thought i'd say scorpio because of his tattoo? nah, he has leo energy. he's confident - even arrogant - and fits the leo description of both luxury-loving and drama-loving. leos love to lead, be admired and receive praise and respect of others. i imagine derek's like that due to possible daddy issues. sorry to come for him like that. my opinion might be completely based due to growing up with a couple of brats from upper middle class families who happened to be leos.

#boyfriend to death #the price of flesh #strade #lawrence oleander #ren hana #mason heiral #celia lede #derek goffard

[misc-obeyme]

I never understood Asmo's hair color. In the game, he has light brown hair, but in the anime, he has light pink hair (maybe strawberry blonde hair). The wiki states that he has champagne-colored hair, but upon further research, it seems that people tend to refer to this color as strawberry blonde hair.

This is very confusing, since champagne-colored hair is actually a pale yellowish-orange shade, while strawberry blonde hair is a light shade of red with blonde highlights. What's you're opinion on this?? Cause like I'm desperate for an answer....

My opinion is that Solmare was too chicken to give Asmo the pink hair he deserves. (And also the LONG hair he deserves... I have opinions about it lol.)

BUT since they have deprived us of pink haired Asmo, I always kinda thought of it as light brown? I mean, I'm sure it varies slightly based on screens and devices and color settings and such. But to me, his in game sprite always looked like it had light brown hair.

It's like that shade that's right in between brown and blonde, you know? It's too brown to be blonde but too blonde to be brown... I don't know how else to describe it.

I guess you could say it's strawberry blonde, but I kinda think it doesn't have enough red for that? It certainly varies in the anime and the card art. His eyes do that, too. The best card art gives him pink and yellow eyes each with a slightly orange tinge to them. It makes him look so beautiful and bright! Hang on~

Okay Asmo card for reference. I LOOOOVE his eyes in this card.

Anyway, I think this could be classified as strawberry blonde. It definitely has a pinkish reddish tinge to it. But it also has a lot of brown in it still, so I'm not entirely sure, to be honest with you.

When I look at this card, I think I would still call it light brown lol.

The lighter parts of his hair still don't have any yellow in them and that's the color needed for any type of blonde (and I would assume champagne as well though I'm not too familiar with that as a hair color). Even the brighter parts of his hair in this card are just the brown brightened by a white light source.

In the end, I suppose you can call it whatever you want, but to me personally, this will always be light brown. It's not yellow enough to be any kind of blonde and it's not red enough to be strawberry blonde either imo.

#please note that I am not a hairstylist or professional of any kind #this is all based on my personal opinion #and my qualifications are non existent lol #all I want is pink haired Asmo #though honestly I think this color is actually quite pretty too #obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me asmodeus #anon asks #misc answers

[shinyzango]

Greetings!

Hope you have a wonderful day. Need to admit, for a long time my thoughts have been occupied by some questions, if you don’t mind:

How do Hans and Clara feel about their own bodies? For Hans I mean the human form, for the Nutcracker everything is clear thanks to your comics.

And I don't even mean this in a sexual context.

But when they are alone with themselves, when they take off their clothes to change for bedtime, how do they see themselves? Do they think things like, “Well, I guess I'm pretty good-looking, I'm comfortable with the way I look,” or “I'm self-conscious about my body for one reason or another, I don't think I'm attractive.”

Or maybe those are thoughts like “Yes, I’m not completely perfect, there is something about me that doesn’t suit me (scars, moles, etc.), but I think that I look quite beautiful to others.” Not in the narcissism or self-praise way, but calm recognition and acceptance.

And the following question is: once they have already discovered their feelings for each other, do those thoughts change? Does each tremblingly assume that the other will want to share physical warmth with him/her, or is he/she sad, not finding himself/herself good enough for the beloved to look at?

(I apologize in advance if these are too sensitive questions. Frankly, I’ve been thinking hard for some time now about drawing a short comic about such mental tossing, SFW, of course. But I’m very afraid of making a mistake with the character analysis.)

Oh no problem at all! These are particular questions that you don't get to think of often for characters (me at least) but I'll see what I can cook up.

For the first question... hm, I would say Clara is quite comfortable with her own appearance, which she is also thankful for since she's the daughter of a highly stimated family so she doesn't have to go too out of her way to be a pretty presence in meetings and the such, but she does tend to feel a little "too simple" when she's near other girls and women who look a lot more regal and beautiful than her. Nothing bad mind you, it's just a thought that crosses her mind. As for Hans... in pre-curse he's incredibly nervous about his own appearance. He does look fine, but since he's been raised in the Royal Castle, he has always thought of himself as unworthy, a simpleton. Always surrounded by royalty and highly stimated people made him feel out of place with his appearance, if that makes sense. In post-curse he has scars on his body, and at first he thought they ruined his image even more, other than reminding him of the terrifying Mouse King he had to fight. And still felt out of place in Clara's world, fearing people could tell he's not from their world and questioning him about it. Eventually these opinions get better as time goes on thanks to Clara's company and support and spending time with people who he feels closer to his own status.

As for the second question, well Clara doesn't really have thought about that, but Hans would definitely feel not worthy of her attention, especially when he's a nutcracker (for obvious reasons) and fears that Clara will be disappointed when she will see what he actually looks like.

I hope these answers satisfy your curiosity! I don't get to think about this kind of topics so they may sound off or incomplete, apologies ksjdng

#TheLastNutcracker #TLNask

[alwayschasingrainbows]

What do you think about Anne and Gilbert arriving at their house of dreams after the train ride right after their wedding, having dinner with Gilbert's great uncle, his wife, and Captain Jim, and chatting until nightfall?

I saw in some comments that people didn't like it and found it ridiculous and unrealistic. Do you think so? I'm just curious about your opinion.

0 not

Thank you so much for this question, dear @pinkenamelheart! I feel "tickled as a dog with two tails" (to quote Perry Miller) each time I get to talk about my favourite writer and her books! And Anne-related questions are such a treat since I am rereading the series right now!

Now, about the question. I think that some readers tend to project their own feelings and emotions onto their beloved characters (well, at least that's what I used to do). And so, before I'll give you my own opinion, I'd like to look at the situation from such a reader's perspective.

Maybe I am wrong, but I assume that most newlyweds would prefer to spend the first hours after the wedding party together, just the two of them, basking in the glow of their new happiness and love. Objectively, Anne and Gilbert had experienced a day full of elation, delight, joy, but also nerves. Their wedding reception had just ended: wonderful, longed for moment, filled with stress and excitement. Moreover, their union brought further changes, including the need to leave Avonlea, say goodbye to beloved family members and start a life together in a new place. In short: they had every right to be tired. They had every right to want to spend some time together, learning and teaching each other the secrets of married life.

Readers very often identify with their beloved characters and think: "I wouldn't be satisfied", "I would feel so tired after my wedding", "I would certainly have a headache after such nerves", "I would rather cuddle up with my husband/wife" . In other words, they convey their own emotions, thoughts, dreams and desires to the book characters and since this solution would not suit them and they would like to experience the first moments after marriage in a different way, they assume that it definitely applies to the book characters.

Now the question is, if I were Anne, would I be happy if my husband's relatives came to my new house immediately after the wedding reception and stayed for the next few hours? Well, since I don't have a husband, it is completely hypothetical answer, but I'm afraid I wouldn't. I am a completely different type of person - an introvert who would need to "recharge her social batteries". Naturally, I would appreciate an extremely kind gesture from the people who prepared a meal for me and welcomed me to my new place. But deep inside I would probably feel a bit overstimulated and very tired.

However, I am me and Anne is Anne. Despite her dreamy and slightly pensive nature, she is an extremely sociable girl who thrives in the company of other people. Gilbert is a warm and family-oriented person, always appreciating the kindness of others. They were both touched and pleased by the visit. For them it was a beautiful, new experience that they could share together. First memory of a dinner as husband and wife. They had their whole lives ahead of them: many days and nights together, full of kisses, whispers, tender hugs and caresses. I guess the fact that their longed for "alone time" took place a few hours later didn't make it any less romantic. In my opinion, this dinner was lovely for both of them; they made their first friend in Four Winds, listened to fascinating stories, received support and sympathy.

Moreover, this scene was much more interesting from the reader's point of view. Personally, I really enjoyed it. I also believe that Maud, for obvious reasons, could not have written scenes that are now a popular part of fanfiction. Anne and Gilbert's marriage is described in a very subtle way, yet none of us readers ever doubted that these two shared a deep, passionate love. I think that Montgomery approached the matter very skillfully, describing a scene that was interesting for the reader and (between the lines) she wove a lot of romantic feelings and warmth that the couple had for each other. In my opinion, this is a move that perfectly illustrates Maud's artistic talent and her firm belief that literature would lose its charm if it told the world everything.

That's partly why I really like this scene; it shows how warm, family-oriented and friendly people Anne and Gilbert were. Perhaps other characters, such as Valancy and Barney, would need only each other to be happy. They could have existed in a magical circle created only by the two of them. But... Anne and Gilbert needed something more. They wanted to share their happiness with the world and make the lives of others around them better.

I think that every scene should be assessed not only from reader's own perspective. We always have to take into account the characters' personalities, hopes and dreams. Anne and Gilbert were happy and thriving in this situation and that's more than enough for me.

Thank you very much again for this great and interesting question. I'm sorry that the answer is so long, I hope I won't scare you away :) I will be happy to answer any question about Montgomery's books, which I love!

#Thank you so much #Ask #Anne of green gables #Anne's House of Dreams

[marshallpupfan]

Just Some Thoughts About the Third Film

As many of you know now, it was official revealed recently that PAW Patrol will get a third theatrical film. It's due to release on 2026, three years from now. Third movie, three years, and a certain spotted pup drives a vehicle with the number three. It just fits, eh?

Okay, maybe that's a stretch. As of right now, we still don't know anything about the third movie, it's plot, or which pup it will focus on. From what I've noticed, most fans are rooting for Marshall, as am I. Despite my complaints in the past, I want this to happen for a specific reason; to put Marshall back in the spotlight again, which I feel is sorely needed after the way the franchise treated him these last few years... ESPECIALLY during season 9. To see the TV series practically treat him like a side character for nearly a whole season was... annoying, to say the least.

Marshall headlining a theatrical film (and a good one, I hope) would surely mark a great turnaround for the pup and hopefully negate all of that. However, despite how much I want to see him be its main character, I must admit, I do have some reservations.

This isn't a rant, but more akin to a fan expressing some thoughts and concerns. This is, however, easily one of my longest posts yet, so if you're curious, click "Keep reading".

Whenever I look back at the first theatrical film, I have mixed feelings about the way Brunker handled Marshall. On the plus side, he had some great rescues, especially when he saved all those people on that subway. And if I have to credit the film for anything, it's that I'm grateful it allowed my favorite spotted pup to actually be a fireman and put out fires. This seems to be carrying on into the sequel, thankfully. Believe it or not, the last time the TV series allowed the pup to put out a dangerous/uncontrolled fire was, no joke, all the way back in season one. Only the theatrical films, and Rubble & Crew, interestingly, seem to let him do this anymore.

While his rescues were really cool, everything else wasn't as good, in my opinion. And one of the biggest reasons I say this has to do with how Brunker handled one particular element; Marshall's clumsiness.

You all know I love that aspect of the spotted pup... but if I had to take a guess, I'm going to assume Brunker does not. The first film only gave us two brief bits of clumsiness, and both were restricted to the first twenty minutes, no less. Furthermore, he wasn't even allowed to have his pre-mission wipeout, which is arguably one of the franchise's most iconic elements. Brunker skipped over it like it was nothing. Granted, we did sorta/kinda get something else in its place, but it was given to Rubble. Sadly, I can't help but believe both of these will be lacking once again in The Mighty Movie (at the time of typing this, I haven't seen it, so I've no idea yet).

It wasn't just the lack of clumsiness, but how it was handled that also left me disappointed. In the TV series, Marshall might get careless while playing a game and trip over his own paws, or he might slip during a moment of haste. It just depends on the situation, how serious he is, among other factors. And yet, it tends to be, for lack of a better word, natural. Marshall was excited to finally find Jake in that dark cave, wasn't watching where he was going, slipped, and he slid all the way down and kept going until he was stopped by a stalagmite and started spinning on top of it. Classic Marshall! If Chase has slipped, he likely would've only slid a little or stopped near Jake, but with Marshall, we always seem to get so much more out of it.

And in truth, his clumsiness isn't always a detriment, but often a moment of humor. It's something we've all come to expect from him over the years. He saves or helps save the day, and we tend to get a laugh or two along the way because... well, that's Marshall!

In the theatrical films, each moment of clumsiness always seems to be specifically *caused* by something. So far, he's been "clumsy" because he was dancing in a moving vehicle, startled by a hologram appearing beneath his paws, and Chase startling him when the shepherd snuck up behind the Dalmatian with his super speed. Cute moments, but with his tumble in the PAW Patroller being a possible exception, none of these felt like natural moments of clumsiness to me. Rather, they're scenes that, arguably, could've made any of the other pups react in a similar way. What if Rocky was the one standing there when the hologram appeared? Wouldn't he have jumped, too? Or, what if Chase startled Zuma instead? Couldn't he have accidentally sprayed someone or something with his water powers?

I guess what I'm getting at is, to me, these didn't feel like genuine clumsy Marshall moments. They felt less "this happened because of Marshall's characteristics" and more "Brunker wanted a funny scene, and any pup might've reacted the same way so it largely didn't matter which one it was". Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just the feeling I get.

Now, compare that to Marshall's appearance in "Rubble & Crew". That episode included his trademark clumsiness at just the right moments, even during the mission. They never restricted it to the first act, but rather, it was seen throughout the whole episode. Even little moments, like when he slipped while climbing into Mix's truck, left me with such a big smile on my face. His clumsiness wasn't caused by something, but rather, it happened naturally and in a way we, the viewers, expect! And these moments really made me appreciate the episode all the more, as I felt the writers took their time to understand Marshall and get him just right. If you ask me, they did a great job!

Going by the first movie alone, I don't get that same impression. Maybe things will be different in The Mighty Movie, but for now, I don't think the director seems to *get* Marshall. He might just see him as the one who "trips a lot" which is why he wrote his clumsy scenes in a way that, to me, didn't feel natural. Instead, they felt forced. Something *caused* Marshall to be clumsy, instead of something happening *because* Marshall is clumsy. There is a big difference, and I'm not sure if Brunker sees this.

And if he doesn't, and he sees Marshall's clumsiness as something that can be turned off as easy as the lights in a room... then I fear we might be in trouble if he directs a film based on the spotted pup. Personally, I don't see Marshall's clumsiness in that way, nor do I believe that was ever the intention. I think it's something the pup simply can't help at times, and it's just a part of him he has to live with. He always gives it his best, but his paws just slip more than the others. It just happens, although it doesn't make him or his actions any less heroic.

And I don't know if Brunker sees it that way. His version of Marshall doesn't trip down the slide, doesn't get a wipeout before the mission, and only acts clumsy when something causes it to happen. Due to being unwilling or uninterested, I don't think Brunker understands Marshall's clumsiness, which in turn makes me think he doesn't understand the pup...

...and to write a whole movie based on a character he might not understand? That... is what has me concerned.

With that said, it's not like Marshall is super complex or anything, so Brunker can certainly take the time to learn more about the pup and how he's like. I just don't know if he will, as he has a tendency to shrug off stuff from the TV series. As he, himself once said, he doesn't treat most of the cartoon as canon to his films. He ignores everything after a certain point in season two, which is why the pups are discovering their Mighty powers for the first time again in his theatrical sequel. Will he try to build off what we know about the character, or will he instead pull something out of thin air again, like he did with Skye and her sudden lack of confidence about her size? Or will he pretend Marshall's clumsiness is the result of something from his past, and like Chase's fears in the first movie, will a pep talk before the finale make it magically go away? Again, I don't know.

Furthermore, I also fear things becoming too stale for film #3. From what little I know so far, it seems like The Mighty Movie, and even Skye's backstory, might share a few too many similarities with the first movie and Chase's own backstory. These films even share similarities with his The Nut Job 2, oddly. Brunker seems to be following a template of sorts, and he's sticking to it like glue. Will Marshall's movie involve more of a corrupt mayor? Will we get more adventures in a city? Will Marshall suffer from a lack of confidence due to a painfully sad backstory, too? If so, I fear people are going to start getting bored. I'd hate to see that happen, especially if Marshall is the focus. The pup has plenty of potential, if Brunker's willing to see it.

It's times like this I really wish I was a somebody in the entertainment industry. I'm not saying this out of arrogance, but I'd like to think I possess a considerable amount of knowledge about Marshall... possibly more than anyone at Spin Master now. To them, he's just a thing in a cartoon that's helping them make money... but to me, he's a character who I've admitted before is my #1 favorite of all time. I know and remember things they've likely forgotten over the last ten years. The character has become special to me and I love him to death, whether that's a good thing or not.

I just wish I could be a consultant to Brunker, should the third or any future theatrical films focus on Marshall. Not to say I'm perfect, but I'd like to think I'd be useful with helping him decide what would and wouldn't work for the character, how the pup might react to certain situations, when and when not to add some [natural] clumsy moments, among other things. I'd even help figure out ways to push the character to help him stand out, especially in-regards to avoiding any similarities between Chase and Skye's stories in the theatrical films thus far. It's wishful thinking, I know. In the grand scheme of things, I'm a nobody, and I'll be the first to admit that. I don't have the slightest chance of this happening. I doubt anyone at Spin master or GURU know I exist... I doubt Brunker knows much of me, either (he might not like this post, so maybe that's a good thing). 😅

All I can do at this point is hope for the best... which I find myself saying a lot nowadays, it seems. If film #3 is about Marshall, I just hope Brunker takes the time to understand the character and get him right. Maybe he, too will start to see why so many of us, both young and old, have fallen in love with this clumsy pup over the years.

As usual, only time will tell.

[mandareeboo]

Velma Review, Episode 1: "Pilot"

Frustrated by a lack of proper, unbiased review, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I want to start this off with my mission statement with this show: Velma isn't a good show. I'd say it's rather mid. But I want to treat this as its own beast- I'm tired of people who would rather compare this show to other Scooby Doo shows and movies. Each is unique, and each should be judged individually.

As such, I wanna give this the proper review status, with things like a Synopsis, Character Introduction, Fun Tidbits, and a final review out of ten points. Basically, this bitch is gonna be long, so get ready.

SYNOPSIS

We open on a monologue by Velma (voiced by Mindy Kaling) explaining that this series is telling the story of how she recruited the mystery solving gang while getting ready for school. It's implied that she wants to tell said tale because she's tired of people assuming it was Fred who began the group.

"Yeah, it was me! Not Fred and his weird sex van. This is my story, told my way. And it starts with a murder, bitch."

Cutting to the school locker room, we see Daphne (voiced by Constance Wu) and some other girls getting ready to shower. The team casually discuss how pilot episodes tend to have more nudity and sex than the rest of the series and how they don't like it. One of the girls, Krista, disagrees and causes an argument with Daphne, claiming that Daphne's favorite part of the Riverdale pilot was Betty and Veronica kissing. Daphne claims that it was "because it was immediately called out as tired in the scene!"

Velma enters with a hoodie and a cane, knocking Daphne out of the showers. She demands to know her opinions on race-point casting in a creepy, distorted voice (callout to Mystery Incorporated?). Daphne gives a very complicated but overall positive response that seems to impress Velma, who pulls off her mask.

"Velma! What the hell, you almost killed me!" "Guess I didn't try hard enough." "See? Now, if this was a show, it'd be super hot if you two kissed." "Krista, if this was a show, you'd be killed off for being horny."

Velma opens her locker to reveal Brenda, the first victim of the serial killer. Though at first assumed to be a prank, Brenda falls out of the locker. Her head opens up to reveal her brain has been removed.

It being her locker, and Velma being pretty damn suspect as it is, she's quickly carted off to questioning. Velma begins to hallucinate as a withered hand digs into her shoulder, demanding to know who killed Brenda. She's shocked out of it by Donna and Linda (voiced by Jane Lynch and Wanda Sykes, respectively) who are the town's local police officers as well as Daphne's mothers.

We soon find out two things. 1.) Donna and Linda, while nice people, are shit detectives, and 2.) Velma's mother, Diya, has been missing for two years.

Donna and Linda lament that they miss seeing Velma around their home, despite Velma's bitter attitude and rudeness. Velma blames Daphne for their friendship falling apart, stating that, "Daphne got hot and ditched me."

The detectives ask Velma for help, stating that they're fully aware that they aren't the best at this. Velma refuses. Donna and Linda tell her that she's likely to go to prison if she doesn't, then leave after telling her they miss having her around and to say hi to her father and mother- who, again, is missing.

"I could kill them all!... Okay, I see how this looks bad."

Velma runs into Fred (voiced by Glenn Howerton) and Daphne outside of the police station. Daphne is breaking the news of Brenda's death to him, and very clearly states she believes Velma committed the murder.

Velma tries to argue her innocence, but falls into another hallucination.

Returning home, Velma complains about her predicament to her father, Aman (voiced by Russell Peters), who is quick to point out that her suspicious behavior at school is likely why she's to blame.

Aman is a lawyer, and has recently started up a relationship with Sophie, the owner of a local malt shop. He's done this despite still technically being married to Diya, which has caused a lot of contention in the family. It doesn't help matters that Sophie is pregnant.

"Well, I have to go prepare myself for prison. Not that you care."

Sophie's gotten Velma a job at her malt shop, seemingly out of the kindness of her heart, as she shows no upset when Velma is visibly repulsed and storms out.

Brenda's friends hold a sort of eulogy at the malt shop. While it's unclear what Brenda was like outside of school, we're given the vibe that she was a kind person who was well-liked among her peers. "My Pony" by Ginuwine is sung in her honor.

Daphne once again blames Velma for the murder, waving around the evidence folder Donna and Linda had brought to the interrogation. Velma leaves in a huff.

Starting to hallucinate once again, Velma bangs on the door, only to be interrupted by Fred. Fred explains that he's trying to "man up" to gain the respect of his abusive father, and he'd fled his home to cry alone. Velma, emboldened by his honesty, begins to tell the tale of her own mother.

Diya Dinkley, according to Velma, was a mystery writer. She would give Velma little mysteries to solve in order to keep her out of her hair. We soon begin to realize that Diya was likely not as wholesome as Velma seems to recall, as her "mysteries" were things like Velma finding her smoking or bringing her more whiskey.

After finding her Christmas presents early, Diya supposedly went to the store to grab her something fresh to unwrap. She never returned. Her car was later found with her glasses and a gift inside. Velma blames herself for her mother's disappearance, and has begun having hallucinations out of what she has diagnosed as guilt rather than unchecked mental illness. (Yes, I know, we'll get to that later)

Shaggy (voiced by Sam Richardson) appears, causing Fred to flee out of social pressure. He claims to know who the killer is. Then, once they're together, he admits he doesn't, but he knows how they can figure it out.

Norville runs the school paper. He explains that he'd been running a little investigation into the malt shop Sophie owns, as he felt it might be a drug front. He assigned Brenda to the job. Brenda stated she caught something strange on camera, but never extrapolated as to what. Now she's dead, and the camera- an expensive piece of equipment, as Norville keeps insisting- has gone missing. Velma suddenly recalls that Sophie just got a new camera.

"If I find your camera on Sophie, I'd solve Brenda's murder and send Sophie to jail. It's a win-win!"

"Or, maybe we could find the camera... together?"

The camera, of course, is a dud. Aman admits that Sophie takes pictures of other peoples' babies for extra cash, hence the new camera. It's a work item.

As Velma tries to ask deeper into things, the hallucinations start up again, worse than ever before. She ends up convulsing on the ground and is implied to have almost died. Aman is more worried about the camera. Sophie, recognizing her distress, pounds on her chest and manages to bring her out of it.

Aman apologizes, implying that he'd never believed her about said hallucinations before- an ongoing problem for two years now, completely unchecked. He also tries to remind Velma that Diya didn't disappear. She left them.

We then see the same flashbacks, but from a wildly different perspective. She found Diya smoking and accidentally sent the cigarette into her eye. She brought the whiskey but, curious, had some, leading her to break the laptop and the bottle. Her drawings were across important pages of her newest book. Velma throws out her unwrapped present and goes inside.

This tells us exactly one thing: Velma's perceptions of the past cannot be trusted in any circumstance, even now.

Velma tries to push away lingering suspicion by coming into school the next day looking "free of any guilt". It goes well at first, but she's eventually called out and pelted with various foods and insults.

Fred, inspired by her backstory, steps forward and commands the popular kids to chill the fuck out. He makes a piss-poor speech about how, even though Velma is a bit odd, she's not someone capable of murder. Everyone eventually agrees, bolstered by Fred.

Daphne corners Velma in the bathroom, accusing her of trying to steal Fred's attention. Velma denies this, though admits she wouldn't pass on a nude of him.

"Fred? Naked? Hilarious. We've been dating for a year and he still won't take his pants off."

"A year?... Is he gay?"

"I've haven't heard that rumor."

After being told Fred kicks everyone out of the bathroom at the malt shop to pee, Velma drags Shaggy off to visit his house. Shaggy questions the validity of Fred murdering Brenda for something as small as an accidental dick pic, but Velma shrugs it off.

Velma breaks into Fred's house and starts to hallucinate, something she assumed would stop now that her guilt about Diya's vanishing has gone down. Shaggy is on the phone with her as she struggles not to have a heart attack.

Shaggy reveals he has romantic feelings towards Velma after she claims no one likes her. Velma assumes this is a joke.

"What? No you don't. You're like a brother to me. That's hilarious."

The humor keeps her mind off things long enough to have the hallucinations die down a little, and she gets to work. She quickly locates Brenda's camera but finds nothing but various teens hooking up.

Fred appears from the shower, explaining that Brenda also photographed his legs.

Fred explains that he has yet to go through puberty. It's a deep embarrassment to his family, and they've gone to great lengths to hide such a thing. Brenda having a photo showing said lack of growth could very well have made him the laughingstock.

"It's okay! I'm just gonna do to you what I did to Brenda."

Fred reaches into his robe, but before he can finish his thought he's shot in both legs by Donna and Linda. They'd popped by when they saw Norville's car parked outside and heard everything.

They arrest Fred, who seems to be baffled. He seems genuinely hurt that Velma assumed he was going to kill her. He'd been pulling out a pocket book- to pay her off.

Shaggy and Velma talk on the walk home. Norville asks why she's still hallucinating if she no longer feels any guilt, and Velma replies that she does, deep down. She doesn't believe Diya would just leave her, no matter how frustrating she was a child.

Spotting roaches crawling on a recycling bin, Norville opens the lid to find Krista's corpse. She's also lacking a brain. The episode ends.

CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS

We meet a whole slew of characters this episode. As such, it feels important to make a little blurb on each of them. This will be long, but it shouldn't ever be this long again. Swings and Roundabouts.

Velma Dinkley is around 14-18. It's not been made clear exactly how old she is. She's moody, judgmental, and suffering from unchecked mental illness.

Velma's mental illness is both an important context to the show, but also a strangely gaping problem. No one believed Velma about her hallucinations until recently (except for Norville and Sophie). Her own father dismissed them for two years and shows no signs of trying to get her help when he finally does believe her.

They almost kill her twice in one episode and yet no one around her seems to think it wise to call a doctor or see about avoidance strategies. Her lack of assistance has led to an inflated lone wolf complex, where she honestly thinks she has to do this herself and no one can help her.

Velma has psychosis. She's at the right age to start seeing mental issues crop up in her life, and this is around the time when people start noticing signs of this issue. Yet no one has even considered getting her mental help, or a therapist, or- I dunno, at least looking up ways to help her through the delusions? She's been left to rot with hands crawling under her skin.

Daphne Blake, same age as Velma. Intelligent, meticulous, and a bit petty. Her spite with Velma runs deep, and it causes her to lash out at the girl quite often. That said, it seems she misses Velma more than she lets on- her constant badgering of Velma never seems to cross the line, and their back and forth is honestly the best joke in the episode.

Shaggy Rodgers. Going by his birth name in this show, Norville is a reporter, an anti-drug activist, and potential long-time friend of Velma with a crush. Though a bit clingy, it comes across more as just general ditziness than anything malicious. Their friendship is mostly one-sided, with Velma using him for rides or math homework, and Norville seems to realize that, though he never sticks up for himself.

Fred Jones. Rich, entitled, and a literal man-child, Fred is both surprisingly kind and EXTREMELY rude mixed into one package. It's clear that his family's abuse has run deep in him, and they've allowed him to basically be a giant baby. No one's ever given him a slap on the face to wake him up. But once he gets to know Velma, he goes out of his way to defend her, and seems more surprised than angry when Velma assumes him guilty of the murder.

I do see some form of arc coming with Fred. It's clear he wants to be better, be "the man" his father wants, and I think eventually it will culminate into... something. I'm not saying the arc will be well-written, but I am expecting something from the hints they've dropped.

Aman and Sophie. Sophie feels younger than Aman to me? Not by, like, a lot, but her mishandled hashtags and wine shirts give me "out of touch 30s-40s" vibes, and Aman reads as like. Late 40s, early 50s?

Regardless, it's clear that Sophie (though a bit ditzy and sometimes even insulting to Velma) is the one doing the heavy lifting in the parenting department. She tries to get Velma a job but doesn't have a fit when she quits. She recognizes her hallucinations and is quick to act. She's not upset when Velma coughs on her while regaining her breath. It feels less like her trying to be a mom and more like a weird, somewhat supportive older sister dynamic.

Aman, meanwhile, is focused on his work. As a lawyer, he has long hours and a lot of shit on his plate. He's basically ignored Velma entirely, giving her no assistance when the cops threaten her with jail time. When Diya left that night to get gifts, he "reminds" her to get him something too.

Donna and Linda seem like cool wine aunts to Velma, and though they're terrible police officers it's clear they're good mothers. Not much to say on them, really, besides the fact they shoot Fred in his legs which was some level of brutality when Fred was weak enough for a tackle or taser.

Diya is both a character in this episode and not, but she's important to the plot. Velma's memories of her are clearly skewed- at the beginning it's glorification, then it's demonization, then it wraps around into some form of both.

I want to be clear that the show itself is clearly implying that Diya DID vanish. If she was leaving Aman than why the found car? Why leave her glasses behind? It wouldn't be difficult to crash on a friend's couch and start the divorce paperwork. For all of Aman's iffy traits, there's nothing implying abusive tendencies that would make her feel the need to flee. Something did happen to Diya.

But, while I agree with Velma's perspective on the case, I want to remind that Velma's perceptions are clearly VERY flawed. We really don't know Diya Dinkley. Psychosis has a habit of affecting memory and the process of new information, and it's very likely that those two combined has altered her ability to explain her mother's character to us, the audience.

Here's what we actually know about Diya: she was a mystery novelist. She drank and smoked. She left an unopened gift box and her glasses in the car. The car was stashed in some bushes.

Something did happen to Diya, but her character, her reasons, and her nature are completely null and void to us as an audience. We can't trust Diya as a person. We can't trust much of anything told to us about her from Velma or Aman, as he clearly is living in denial. It's hard to say where that will lead us from here.

FUN TIDBITS

We have no active proof that the popular girls have ever bullied Velma. The only photos we saw are of Velma spilling ice cream and people laughing about it. They said nothing during the bathroom scene, and none of them mock Velma when she gives her input.

One of the books on Velma's shelf is "SCUBA: Do's and Don't's"- maybe she dives on weekends?

Crystal Cove is the name of the town, originally from Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated.

Velma was labelled "Most Revengey" in the school yearbook.

Also, since the glasses were originally Diya's, has she been wearing a prescription she doesn't need for two years?

That damn gift still hasn't been opened and it feels like it should've been taken as evidence by now

FINAL REVIEW

Velma's pilot is... bumpy. Rough. Kind of a dumpster fire, honestly. But if you can ignore the self-referential humor, it's actually not as bad as other stuff I've watched. The animation is solid- especially the hallucinations- so shoutout to the team for doing good work with an iffy script. The voice acting is really good minus a few hiccups, but usually only on phrases that I can't imagine saying with a straight face either. The plot isn't exactly inspired, but I am curious to see where they're going to take it, and who will be unmasked as the serial killer. Also, to find out what the fuck they're doing with those brains. Trophies? Gross.

Score: 4/10, not the best but could be WAAAAAAYYY worse.

#Velma #Velma 2023 #Velma Spoilers #(does anyone care about spoilers for this show? Likely not) #Velma Dinkley #Daphne Blake #Fred Jones #Shaggy Rodgers #Manda Reviews #Wow that's a new tag for me #Anyway thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[indiaalphawhiskey]

Hello India hope you are well!

I do not know your stance on babygate but I'm assuming you do not believe Louis is a dad and I would love to hear your thoughts concerning the recent change in Louis' approach on the matter. Louis always seemed to rebel against this stunt and always did the bare minimum. So suddenly making a very public appearance with the kid on Christmas and wishing a public happy birthday to him on twitter, then having him on his show and waving at him, then name-dropping him unprovoked in a video call with a fan and now mentioning him unprovoked in interviews and fabricating all those stories about surfing and cooking pasta.... its all a lot of effort from louis' part so I'm guessing there's something in exchange for him there. The only way I would excuse Louis putting so much spotlight to a minor would be if that was the only way to put an end on this. If it eventually doesn't end and Louis continues to put unnecessary attention on the kid (when he has shown that he can ignore it if he wants) that could potentially harm him in the future I would be very disappointed in Louis and reconsider everything I've thought about him as a person...

Hi love,

You’re right, I don’t believe Louis is a father. I also don’t really like discussing babygate because, apart from it being an incredibly cruel stunt, it serves no purpose (that I can see) but to keep Louis under thumb in the most inhumane way possible. Any talk of it also always seems to encourage people to come out of the woodwork on Anon in an effort to use my blog as a platform to push whatever narrative they believe for XYZ reason, and I just don’t want to entertain that.

But, I did want to address two things under the cut.

One, I don’t really have an opinion on the sudden uptick of stunt mentions. I don’t particularly understand it. I have my theories in terms of marketing and the image of Louis they’re seemingly trying to paint for this new era, but none that I’m confident enough to share because I don’t necessarily see the direct correlation between this image and being a father.

But, if you wanna know where my most rational mind tends to go, it always comes back to image clauses and contracts. I’m not a lawyer and I don’t work in entertainment, so I don’t have any experience with the exact limits (or lack there of) of contracts, but from what I know from being in this fandom for 7 years, its that it’s easy to underestimate how far people will go to cover their ass. Babygate is a lot bigger than Louis + Kid + Simon + The Clarks. It’s a result of a lot of dirty, abusive power play marketing and negotiation, and the number of people that are implicated in the approval and execution of this stunt extends far beyond who we can name. Each of those people have a vested interest in quelling any and all questions from the public (not that that’s really working), and their reach and influence within the industry is likely unquantifiable. I don’t say this to diminish Louis’ part in the stunt or dismiss his sudden active participation in it, I say it because its a reminder that the underbelly of the entertainment industry is the biggest and most unknown variable in this discussion and we cannot hope to get even a fraction of the answers to our questions because on that front, we’re flying entirely blind and have literally nothing but our own assumptions.

Two, I understand how Louis’ more active participation in the stunt can be extremely uncomfortable. I understand how it seems very counterintuitive to the person we know Louis is, involving a minor in something this messy. Again, I don’t aim to excuse him or paint him as a victim. I understand that he is a grown man with agency (how little or how much, I don’t know for sure, but he certainly seems to have more than he used to). I also understand that the situation is a lot more complex than we can begin to know.

That said, I do want to point out that if we believe Louis is not F’s father (which I do) then we must also believe he has no legal rights over F or his welfare. This is a natural conclusion not many people seem to acknowledge, because logically, a complete stranger and non-blood relative would never have any claim whatsoever over a random child.

This means whether or not F particularly is involved in this stunt (and to what extent - pictures, mentions, live participation) is legally entirely up to his real family (The Clarks). Essentially, this means the only relationship Louis has with F can be distilled down to colleagues, almost imagining them as co-stars on a reality TV series. You both show up, you say your lines and do what you’re paid to do, you leave. Louis may not like that a child is involved, but right now that ship has sailed. A child is involved until he isn’t, for whatever reason. Does Louis have any control over how much or how little? In one aspect, yes. I think Louis can decide (and clearly has) in which ways he’s willing to keep up his end of the contract and what kind of distance he can demand from the child physically to try and preserve some semblance of safety in a tricky situation (pictures, yes. Pap shots, no. Mentions, yes. Organic shots from behind, yes. One appearance at a concert, etc etc).

In another aspect, no, in that Louis cannot exactly dictate how this child that he has nothing more than a working relationship with, is raised or used for his family’s profit. And, that the thing, right? That’s the unanswerable question: is Louis actively choosing to profit off of this child or is he simply maneuvering as best he can around being dealt an old and binding bad hand? (Note: How “maneuvering” is defined and shifts, depending on the current context of what’s expected of him professionally is an entirely different conversation altogether.)

I tend to believe the latter, because again, Louis has never proven to be a cruel person who would, if given the chance, actively choose to take advantage of someone innocent or willfully endanger a family member in any way. Entirely to the contrary, actually, which is exactly why this entire situation is so unbelievable to me.

Do I have questions? Many, as always in this fandom.

Will they get answered? Likely not.

Am I relying entirely on my faith and character based evidence in believing Louis is doing the best he can in an impossible situation? Yes.

Do you have to agree with me? No. That’s up to you.

#iaw ask #iaw anonymous #babygate tw #babygate discussion #stunt discussion

[fanstuffrantings]

"It's become so popular to cyberbully people in this fandom, especially if they hold any opinion outside the extremely limited and strictly enforced one-way-only 'acceptable' opinion."

This. Fucking this. I haven't experienced anon hate ir any sort of harrassment, but hearing the hate people can get boogles my mind.

You like Adam or dislike how things ended for him? You feel uncomfortable how fndm treats him? You're an abuse apologist. (because the only villains you're allowed to like are the ones WE decide you can like.)

You like Ironwood or dislike how things ended for him? You dislike how his villain arc got writen? You feel uncomfortable how fndm treats his paranoia and prosthetics? You're a terrible person who supports facism, because you dared to do some critical thinking and don't agree with the group by daring to have different opinions (how ironic)

You ship Blacksun instead of Bumbleby? You're a hompohobe, 'cause Yang and Sun are totally the same people so you should be shipping BB too. (Lets ignore how I water down Yang and Sun to 1 surface level trait and that both have different plotlines with Blake)

And now shipping FB is bad? I thought this fandom cared about f/f ships? Guess, not and only care about keeping everyone in line. For god's sake, you're telling me people got shitted on for theorizing that Qrow is Ruby's dad?? Sheez, with this pathern of behavior I can safely assume I would get accused of being a military bootlicker who supports bombing cities because I like Harriet.

For my time in this fandom I learned the only way I can enjoy RWBY, without mentally blocking out the toxic part of Fndm or getting mentally tired in the Rwde side and without getting frustrated by the canon...is to stay in my corner. No matter how friendly Rwby positive blog looks like - I'm staying in my corner. Quick look at their posts about Rwde, Ironwood etc. and I'm taking a distance.

And what sucks more, I do want to talk about RWBY with people. I want to talk without bringing up it's flaws. Once I brought up RWBY to a mutual of mine and they hadn't heard of it before, but said they would check it out.

I was happy because I would have someone to talk about RWBY, but then later I remembered about how Fndm can be, about the war with criticism they have. I would get worried them getting harrassed if they talk about the flaws. What if Fndms toxicity influences them? Maybe, I did the bad thing for mentioning RWBY to them??

I get, Fndm not wanting constant critcism in their dash. Trying to enjoy a show with many pointing out the cracks can be draining. But all this? All these rules of what to think, like and ship? This isn't ok.

I agree that RWBY haters can drive off new fans of the show. but there are times where fandoms are too responsible for this. Congrats Fndm, I'm tired.

Largely since my re-entry into the fandom I've been incredibly careful about separating positive posts from critical ones. I'll tag things as rwde/rwby critical liberally because I don't want to chance a post I make finding someone who thinks it's too negative. I tend to be more critical this days or think a lot about alterations I'd make to canon to enjoy myself more and I'm having fun doing that in my corner of the internet.

I think mainly the part that threw me was to see a harmless post get someone upset, and then a request for people to manage their internet space only caused this to worsen. Last time I posted freezerburn content (2016 I believe) it was treated as normal and not subject to controversy. It felt a bit like getting a bucket of ice water dumped on me because I wasn't ready for a completely angry response to positivity.

The fandoms response to my recent posts about this situation has been overall more positive in all honesty with a lot of support and mutual aggrevation (like this) at how many rwby fans can often live in an echo chamber where canon is law and anyone who ignores said law is out to destroy RWBY regardless of how much they might enjoy the show.

This defensive nature might stem from fans getting incredibly protective of the series because there was a point when it would get a lot of unnecessary hate in the early days for dumb things (animation and episode length when budget was clearly an issue). But even so they now begin to lump everyone enjoying the show differently together and assume the worst which is what isolates so may people.

I do appreciate all of you for being supportive though and it's unfortunate that the fandom got into a state like this, I feel like it's one of the worst versions of this type of thing in fandom that I've seen. But when we get the fans who accept people are going to have differences of opinions and handle their online space to make sure they're having fun it makes enjoying the fandom easier!

#rwde #rwby critical #molten rambles #anon #ask #like at this point i tag anything remotely controversial as rude to keep myself safe

[eternalglitch]

Have you ever felt pressured to change small parts of the plot so it matches what people think will happen? I'm not sure if you ever said that Leo would use a scarf to hide his scars, but people kind of just assumed that would happen (i did too jsjs). I'm not asking for spoilers but, for example, have you felt the need to add a scarf so you won't "disappoint" your readers? (Also you won't disappoint no one! Your writing is amazing and disappointment is basically impossible with your work).

Haha! A very valid question.

Fanfiction is often written in live time, unless you are one of those writers that prewrites the whole thing before posting (my major respect but I could NEVER.) And often it is still just you and your work and a few nice comments and that is it. I would say that smaller fic will still inevitably be influenced by the fandom and what the author consumes in that fandom, but it's usually not very direct.

And then once in a while you have a fic such as Like Father Like Son, which is an entirely different monster. I have people writing theories and essays about it. (One I saw recently where ohhhh they are on to me. I won't tip my hand at all as to who or what it was, but I sent it very excited to a few beta readers like look!! My foreshadowing is working! Not even anyone in my server guessed this one yet!)

The short answer is yes. It has changed thanks to the readers. Some of the more major changes came to be because one of my friends (all met through writing this fic) hopped into my dms with art, or a thought, or a theory. And I liked it so much I asked to use it. April alone in Draxum's lab was thanks to @aoshimaonwards and a future Mikey line of dialogue is thanks to @jinbugs. I slipped in the phrase "all eyes on him" as a nod towards @soldrawss and her animatic in another chapter, and yeah, the scarves didn't even occur to me until all the fanart suddenly had it and I went "wait, yeah, that IS a great idea. How can I expand on that in a way that works?" If I don't like it, I just ignore it. Simple as that.

Having readers influence you is not something to be afraid of in your own work, so long as you don't steal ideas and ensure everyone participating is having fun (including yourself!). My friends tend to be the most influential, of course, but sometimes a comment or something will lead my brain down a rabbit hole and allows me to improve lfls in a way I wouldn't have spotted on my own.

It's not sad that this fic would be different if I had written it in isolation or before anyone knew about it and had a chance to influence me. It just has the fingerprints of people that also love this fic just as much as I do added next to mine.

THAT BEING SAID. The worst thing an author can do is 100% listen to their audience when they know it doesn't make sense for their own thing. I know and trust my calls on how things should go, and I stick with them, because that is what drew so many people to my work in the first place. I very clearly remember after the Battle Nexus arc a few people wrote me essays about how I was wrong, Leo should have been saved there, I was dragging the story out and ruining everything. Considering the arcs I had for Raph and Donnie that required the Weapon arc, plus all of the other aspects of it I had planned, I could clearly see how it was an important part of Like Father Like Son and just kept on going.

As the author, I already have hindsight of how the arcs and character development will go; the readers do not. That's where you do need the strength to trust yourself, and your writing, because if people are reading it and talking about it you are doing something right already.

You won't ever be able to please everyone. Some people might be disappointed with what I do down the line in Like Father Like Son. At this point, it's almost inevitable because I have so many of you reading it that there are a hundred different opinions on how it should go and only a single route I can choose. But I showed the people whose opinions I trust as highly as my own my plans and they were all so excited so if I'm wrong, and they're wrong, then I guess I'll just be wrong on my story's ending. This was a fanfic started for just me, and at the end of the day that's who I want to reread it and love every second of it (plus now all of my friends that helped support my silly little endeavors).

#glitch answers #lfls

[rosietrace]

Haiii 😳😳😳... for interactions if you still do them, can I ask for ∅ Yuuta with my Yuu Squad please ?

OFC OFC 😈😈 I love writing for Yuuta, he's so silly

Sumeragi Yuuta — Thoughts on the Yuustin, Yuliya, and Yves

Character Featured: Sumeragi Yuuta

Mentioned: Yuustin, Yuliya, Yuuven/Yves

Warning(s): Yuuta himself /j, man Yuustin REALLY doesn't like him 😭, there's a Crowley mention but he isn't important to begin with, potentially ooc (more likely than not, it's probably Yuliya who's the most ooc I'm so sorry-)

[ Apologies for any out of character moments ]

[ Reblogs > Likes ]

†•°•══════ஓ๑❃๑ஓ══════•°•†

“Ugh, him? He thinks of himself as some mystery extraordinaire, and frankly, I find that hilarious! Let's be real, I'm doing a better job at- Huh? Wha- Don't listen to what Yuustin has to say! I'm not trying to take his errands for the money!”

“She’s a doormat. I don't have much to say about her, she just is. I don't understand why she's trying so hard to act like someone else.”

“Uhh…. Yves? Pretty solemn, that one. I guess he's alright, he keeps quiet and minds his own business, that's for sure. Don't know why, but he's a bit attached to me.”

— Sumeragi Yuuta

╔══ஓ๑†๑ஓ══╗

Non-verbal Thoughts

╚══ஓ๑†๑ஓ══╝

「 General Thoughts 」

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ The trio's relationship with Yuuta is…. Complicated. They all have their separate opinions of him, and vice versa.

➜ Yuuta thinks Yuustin’s super annoying and weird. Like, why do you try to find enjoyment in Crowley's errands? Tf? The only thing he can seemingly give them credit for is their charisma.

➜ Yuuta doesn't understand Yuliya. Or rather, he doesn't understand the people around her. Seriously, why is everyone mistaking her for someone else…?

➜ Yuuta tends to hang around Yves the most. Mostly because Yves doesn't really like being alone, and surprisingly enough, Yuuta makes for good company.

↳ He's a horrible influence, though. Someone should probably tell Yves that-

➜ He never talks about his life before coming to Twisted Wonderland with anyone, and that includes the trio. They all simply learned to accept it and do their best to respect Yuuta's boundaries in their own way.

➜ Yuustin tends to use Yuuta's ‘Spirit shutter’ more than Yuuta himself does, so he just kinda gives it to Yuustin when he doesn't know what to do with it. (This happens more often than you think)

➜ Other than Yves, Yuuta spends the most time with Yuliya. He's not good at… Well, not being an ass, but he does his best in trying to assure Yuliya she doesn't have to pretend to be someone she's not around him.

➜ He's not trusting any of them with the Midas Roscoes. Nope. Never. Absolutely not. No chance of that ever happening. One simple brush against the golden guns of Sumeragi Yuuta could give you the silent treatment from that guy for God knows how long.

༝ㅤ･ㅤ˚ㅤ。ㅤ.ㅤ⋆ㅤ「❃」

「 Interactions 」

❐ I mean…. They're all living in Ramshackle together. It was only inevitable for all of them to meet eventually, right?

➜ Yuuta's first impression of all of them, were, simply put: Yuustin's overbearing, Yuliya’s committing identity fraud, and Yves… Who is Yves-?

➜ No joke, Yuuta used to forget who Yves was from time to time because he was so used to calling them ‘Yuuven’ 😭

↳ Nowadays, this doesn't happen as often, as Yuuta became accustomed to calling Yves… Well, Yves.

➜ Genuinely starting to think they all had to do a double take when they found out Yuuta liked gardening 💀 Like, HIM?;!:?:!’ THE GREEDY LITTLE wdym little SHITHEAD:?:!?: OF ALL PEOPLE???

↳ Yes, apparently. No, Yves, you can't join him during gardening hours.

➜ Ngl, there was probably a language barrier between them and Yuuta for a bit 😭 They're all fluent in English, whereas Yuuta had to grow more accustomed to the language once he started living in Twisted Wonderland (assuming English is the mother tongue of that world)

➜ Yuuta sneaks Yves some candy a little before classes start. Just so they could have something sweet to chew on during a ‘boring’ (his words, not mine) lecture.

➜ He calls Yuliya ‘Little Miss Cheerleader’ due to her love of cheering during Magishift matches. Additionally, he legitimately takes time off his schedule to listen to Yuliya sing — if that is what she wants.

↳ They also play cards together after school!

➜ He's very much aware that Yuustin wants to learn some of his gunslinging skills, but he's not gonna teach him any of that for free. In this economy? No!

➜ He's painting all of their nails during his self-proclaimed ‘sleepovers’ during the weekends. He makes sure to give Yuustin the most half-assed ones.

➜ I'd say, between the three, he's closest with Yuliya and Yves. But mostly Yuliya, as he wants to give her some moments where she doesn't have to pretend to be someone she isn't. Even if it gives her an advantage, and because it was expected of her from people who mistook her for that person.

↳ This isn't to say he isn't close with Yuustin, they just clash a lot 😭 I'd say they're civil with each other, at best.

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#twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst yuu #yuusona #sumeragi yuuta #yuuta sumeragi #『 yuuta ❀ 』 #mutuals <3 #mutuals ask #mutuals asks #twst ocs #ramshackle #twst ramshackle #ramshackle oc #oc asks! #asks! #oc asks #「🌹」 oc interactions

[tolkien-feels]

your inbox is too full, you say? *fills it further*

Glorfindel, Haleth, Elrond and Beleg for the character ask, please! (or as few thereof as you like)

I feel like you just dumped a cart of characters on me and I'm very amused. Apologies for the length!

Glorfindel

Sexuality Headcanon: Grayromantic and for sexuality he's like... a 5.5.

Gender Headcanon: Transmasc, actually, and he very specifically did not want his body to be any different the second time around

A ship I have with said character: Surprisingly, none? I roll with any ship but there's none I'm particularly into

A BROTP I have with said character: Ecthelion because I'm basic. Turgon and Elrond (these are linked), Aragorn, Gandalf, Bilbo, essentially anyone who spends more than a week living somewhere he's living,,,,,,,, I just find him sociable but also interesting no matter who you pair him up with

A NOTP I have with said character: None that I can think of

A random headcanon: His voice is unusually ethereal even for an elf and people tend to rate that as his most attractive quality (which he agrees.) Not an exceptionally good singer though

General Opinion over said character: I honestly don't give him as much attention as I should! I love him, I just don't often remember to rotate him

Haleth

Sexuality Headcanon: Heteroromantic but ace, but she doesn't know that can be a thing and assumes she's aroace

Gender Headcanon: Whatever gender Eowyn has got going on

A ship I have with said character: None? None that I can think of, at least

A BROTP I have with said character: Besides her family (listen, guys, I like family relationships) and clan, none. I enjoy her relationship with Caranthir but only when it's very definitely not a friendship. There's respect and convenience but they aren't friends

A NOTP I have with said character: Caranthir, I guess, but I don't actively hate it, it just does nothing for me even when the concept is interesting

A random headcanon: Very, very few people in the history of Arda are better with a spear than she is

General Opinion over said character: I'm sure I would love her much more if we got more canon info about her. I don't know why, but whenever I try to headcanon her, I hit a wall. (This happens to other characters we have little canon about too. Sometimes my brain just won't let me like minor characters and I hate that.)

Elrond

Sexuality Headcanon: Queer, and that's as descriptive as he's making it. Runs parallel to his experience as a peredhel

Gender Headcanon: See above

A ship I have with said character: Celebrian! I like canon ships!

A BROTP I have with said character: Oh literally too many to list, but I'll highlight GILRAEN GILRAEN GILRAEN. I am always feral about his relationship with Gilraen and nobody seems to care about it and it makes me sad. I'll also highlight Celeborn for the same reason

A NOTP I have with said character: Pretty much any ship other than Celebrian

A random headcanon: He's not tall at all and looks even smaller because he's very naturally delicate-looking. You see, he's got Luthien's body type, and Luthien's body type is "Tiny, girlish fairy-looking princess." (Like Luthien, he uses it to his advantage.)

General Opinion over said character: Everybody Is Wrong About Him But Me vibes. I have thoughts about many common fanon tropes ant they tend to run counter to what's popular. Anyway: I've known Elrond since I was 10 and would cry if I could meet him for real

Beleg

Sexuality Headcanon: Um... Pan? In that he knows he's attracted to any gender. But he hasn't really ever been strongly attracted to anyone

Gender Headcanon: Cismale, by his account. But he's still doing Cuivienen gender and that doesn't quite match with Doriath's current view of gender. Comes across as gnc but not to elves of his generation. He occasionally finds that confusing.

A ship I have with said character: Let me pick a fight with the entire fandom: Beleg/Morwen. Talk to me about Beleg and Morwen!! This could be such a great ship!

A BROTP I have with said character: Turin is the obvious one so I won't even mention it. Mablung is also very obvious. I like the idea of him being very close to Thingol, though in a way similar to how Hurin is close to Fingon. It's not friendship, but it is a very strong bond

A NOTP I have with said character: ...Turin. I don't hate it, but I find their relationship infinitely more interesting if Turin looks at Beleg and sees Hurin, and Morwen, and Sador, and Lalaith all rolled into one, and Beleg willingly takes on all these roles. You have to come up with something exceptionally interesting for me to entertain them as a romantic ship instead.

A random headcanon: Can imitate the singing of just about every bird with uncanny accuracy and that's a party trick even for elves. (Melian is quite fond of this skill, incidentally)

General Opinion over said character: I love him but not if he's playing Responsible Person to Turin's Chaotic Person. No, no, no. Beleg is a hot mess of an elf! Very tragic, but just Legolas levels of "?????? why are you the way you are"

#ask game

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

Hey Kami, what do you think Mayor McDonough's first name was? Some people assume it's Guy, but I have this idea that Hancock got his love of American history from his mama and she named her first baby George after Washington and her second baby John after John Adams or, even better, maybe after John Hancock in a crazy twist of fate. What do you think? :)

Weirdly enough, I never really thought about it. Probably because I usually refer to him as McDipshit.

I've heard some people say his first name is actually Mayor, which is just...a thing, I guess. I only recently saw people who think his name is Guy, and I can see that, but Hancock has a habit of calling other dudes "guy" so I'm not sure I prescribe to that one either, although, I mean, people's HCs are their HCs and I ain't gonna judge them for it.

I mean, our boy got his love of history from somewhere. I mean, growing up in DC means he had a formal education, and I agree with most people's opinions that he's always been a big reader, despite his assertion about ghouls and books being their best friends. I, personally, have an HC that his mom is originally from Diamond City, but his dad was from a settlement elsewhere. That they tried to live in the wilds where his dad was happiest, but his mother couldn't stand it and dragged them all back to DC. But, his dad often took the boys fishing just to get the hell out of the city for a while. So, it would stand to reason in my HC that his mom would be more the history buff. DC folks tend to kind of be stuck in the past. I mean, their music hasn't changed; they want people are separated by wealth like the "good old days" despite living in the fucking apocalypse; and they are racist as fuck. All the finer points of the fucking 50s. Bleh. I can see his mom being the one trying to instill the importance of history, maybe in a misguided kind of way, in her boys. It just so happens, they each took that in a different direction.

I really love the flip sides of the coin that they play in FO4.

Anyway, I can see his brother being a George. Or maybe even Thomas, after Thomas Jefferson.

I guess this is a long-winded way of saying, I think that's a pretty damn cool idea!

.

.

-------------------- I just realized that when Hancock uses "guy" it was talking about dudes he has an intense hatred towards. McDipshit and Vic he referred to as "guy". Huh.

#fallout 4 #fo4 #Hancock #ask

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Since Yami wasn't asked yet for the ask game, 9, 10, 16 and 24 for him, please?

Yami! Most certainly

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

As said, I'm bad at being roommates with people that I barely know. I tend to stay by myself behind closed doors and not bother them, up to the point where the roommates that I've had, have probably wondered if I'm even there at all. I just.... don't like sharing my living spaces with people that I don't want to spend my life with. For that reason I'd have to say no. At least for a long time. For a short amount of time, sure. I could be roommates with him for maybe about a month, maybe two, but for an extended period of time, preferably not. It's just about me, enjoying my solitude or living with people who I want to actually share my life with.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

Maybe not best friends, but I could definitely be friends with him. I assume that he'd get on my nerves from time to time, but he's a good guy deep down, and I tend to befriend guys with the golden retriever mentality. They might be a bit goofy, but their heart is in the right place, and I think that Yami fits that description.

But he would get on my nerves from time to time, even though I can be a bit of a ... gremlin irl with my friends. Even though I might not seem like it. But I can certainly be loud, and opinionated, and shameless about some things at least... *awkward laughter*

16. What’s your least favorite ship for this character?

*Thinks about all the ships with Yami that I have seen* uhhhhh....

So, basically, I think I've only seen YamiChar and YamiNacht ships with Yami, which... well, out of these two my favourite would have to be YamiChar, but it doesn't meant that I'd dislike YamiNacht. Sure, it as a romantic pairing might not scratch my particular itch, but to label it as "my least favourite" ship with Yami seems a bit harsh.

But since.... those two seem to be the only ones that I've seen... I guess that would need to be my answer. Damn, that feels harsh, but if I only have 2 options .. ^^'

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Well, since I'm not in another fandom per se, I thought back to all the anime that I've seen (and instantly forgot all of them, whoops), but maybe I'd think him to be similar to Sig Curtis from FMA. Big beefy guys who are caring. Who feel drawn to someone who is strong and fearless. Sure, Yami is more rambunctious, but you need to remember that Yami is ~29 in canon atm! And Sig is... in his...mid thirties? Early forties? A married man who has settled down, at least a bit more than Yami has. So, in the same life situation, I think that their similarities might be even further emphasized.

#yami sukehiro #anon flamelets #ask game #thank you for the ask!