#it's just like lines connecting to lines. EXCEPT ITS OBVIOUS?

[inkskinned]

it is totally okay to be hurt and tired and fed up with the american schooling system but i need you to understand that we need to be better about loudly and routinely defending public education.

yes, many teachers suck, many schools utterly suck. i also got bullied and was absolutely not given the right support for my needs. i am not defending public education because it was kind to me. i am defending it because it needs to exist.

right-wing republicans do not want an educated population. they want kids to be homeschooled or in private school. there is a huge religious undertone to this.

the most common argument is that despite high costs, the "result" is not "good" enough. they point to failing schools as proof that public education is just never going to work out. there will be arguments made here that you actually agree with: that teachers can be bullies, that we taught online for 2 years and still charged the same amount of tuition, that we have no recourse for students to actually have agency or a voice, and that schools are now unsafe for kids due to risk of illness and gun violence.

these are all placing the blame in a fraudulent way, one intended to get your parents to homeschool you. the less kids in a school, the less federally-awarded funding for that school, the less any school succeeds. they will not mention the fact it is their legislation that takes away important funding opportunities, that teachers are living at or below the poverty line, that buildings are not kept up to code, that administration is overpaid and forces specific curriculums, that corporations like (my personal enemy) Pearson Education control certain classroom goals because teachers can't afford other options. they pretend to be ignorant of the gun violence and say "oh just get a gun" - but these are the same people who will be sending their child to a private school with a bulletproof backpack. they don't care if your kid dies, though. they "don't believe" in covid, but they did get their kid vaccinated, because of course they did.

it is a closed loop. conservative parents hear the fearmongering and remove children from the system. frequently these parents are also deeply religious. the kids are raised without access to other media & learn to parrot their parents. you have now created a new generation of conservatives. additionally, one of the parents/caregivers must stay home and homeschool the children, usually for free. i will give you 1 guess which parent tends to stay home to homeschool the children. these parents are encouraged to have many, many children. those children are most likely not getting access to safe sex ed.

we might laugh at fox news suggesting teachers are forcing children to use kitty litter but: first of all, there is kitty litter in the classroom. it's part of an emergency kit in case children are locked in due to a shooter. so that's fucking dystopian, and the fact they've completely reimagined the scenario to somehow make the teachers look bad when it's instead a fucking huge symbol of our failure as a country to protect our children.... it feels a little intentional.

secondly: don't just dismiss the situation. because, yeah, obviously, no teacher is encouraging kids to be a catboy. but the actual undertone that fox news is trying to sew is an outright distrust of teachers and of public education. they rely on the dehumanization of trans people as a common touchstone to hide the fact they're pushing two agendas at once. (which is ironic. because the thing they accuse teachers of. is pushing. an agenda.)

whenever someone tells you they want you to read less, you should be suspicious of that. when someone tries to separate you and your education, you should be suspicious of that. i don't even like incel rhetoric nor would i want my kids exposed to it - but i would not take away my child's (age-appropriate) access to the internet. i would just provide more educational materials, not less. the difference here is that i believe we can resolve ignorance with knowledge; whereas conservatives believe that ignorance is bliss.

they misappropriate funding and demonize teachers. they pull the same trick each time - the same thing we are seeing with anti-trans rhetoric. they do not want you to have access to safe sex ed, so they act horrified, claim sex ed teaches you how to thrust deep, claim that we have no idea what "age-appropriate" means. since the mid-nineties, the united states has spent at least 2 billion dollars on abstinence-only education, even though to quote the above link: "a preponderance of studies has found no effect of abstinence education at reducing adolescent pregnancy". conservatives want you to think less of any person struggling with addiction so they can continue their racist "war on drugs", so they spend up to $750 million dollars a year on the DARE program which has absolutely no effect. acting like teachers "must" be "grooming" children is just the same thing - so they can demand that funding either goes to their causes or the funding doesn't "exist" ("i'm not paying for our kids to learn that thing!")

and they want you to feel uncaring about this. they are aware that you will hate some parts of your school experience. pretty much everyone does. they want to lean into the parts that you hate so that you don't put up a fight about it when they take it away for not being "good enough."

i know i maybe sound like a conspiracy theorist. but truly. truly. it is beneficial for conservatives to reduce your faith in the american public schooling system.

one of the explicitly stated campaign promises of the conservative party: to axe the Department of Education in 2024.

i know we are all tired and burnt out and there is so much else wrong with their entire platform. but maybe just - pay attention to this one.

#i can't believe i have to say this #the conservative party is legit like ''is it anything good? okay we hate it.'' #''lets kill lgbt people and ummmmm school children shouldnt be able to read they should be at home watching jordan peterson :)" #the fact that it's like all related is. wild. #like it's wild bc if u start being like. actually making it impossible to afford housing is part of how they keep the nuclear family..... #it's just like lines connecting to lines. EXCEPT ITS OBVIOUS? #what's wild to me about most conspiracy theorists is that they're like . ohhhh the govt is hiding shit!!!!!!! they don't want u to know!!! #and im like. this old man literally got up on stage and said he hates public education and will let our kids die before taking away ak-47s #and ppl are like: lol thats just bob's sense of humor he didn't mean it literally uwu

[danswideslit]

slime video analysed thru horror with a queer pov

kay it gets its own post because im stil aaa bout it

This is just what I remember/was able to brush up on, since I studied this in 2019, so if anything is outdated I apologise, feel free to correct me, I love to learn!!

also I realized it has all become a lil rambly as I couldn’t contain my excitement soz

So this is my essay on the parallels of queerness in the horror genre and how DanAndPhilCRAFTS - Slime (2024) could be analysed in this light, especially given the creators’ personal history with the topic.

Among the classic tropes of the horror genre, is the topic of losing ones innocence.

Most emphasised is the loss of ones virginity, as a synonym for the innocence, although the innocence as such has many forms. As mentioned in Scream (1996), you may not survive if you have sex, if you drink/do drugs, or if you claim to “be right back” or in other ways investigate to satisfy your own curiosity.

The parallels to the christian church and societal norms are already obvious. If you deviate from the path of purity, it will lead to death and suffering. The only way to survive the night, is to stay pure. Do not be tempted by mere curiosities, for they will be the death of you, essentially.

In the same light, Baphomet is most often portrayed with characteristics from both the male and female human anatomy, and can be used as a metaphor for the inherent evil of gender expressions beyond the societal norm.

In the same light, monsters in various movies are often shown with a deviance in gender and/or sexuality. This role of ‘sexual outsider’ has, for years, been a symbolism that queer people have connected with. The has only further skewed the ‘stay pure’ narrative, as it brings on an ambience of kill or be killed. An either/or of sorts. But it has also made monsters and villains walk the line between sexy and terrifying, which naturally leads people to be enticed. We are sexual creatures afterall.

Often the monsters have an aura of masculine energy, as they make people cower, and the stereotypical jocks abandon their hardcore exterior. This, on one hand birthed the “the boyfriend is the killer” trope, but it also gave way for diving into morality, how many crimes can a villain get away with, as long as the character resonates with the audience.

This is demonstrated in Jennifers Body (2009) which was, at first, marketed to the male audience, making the monster Jennifer an attractive young woman, essentially getting the film marked as “Twilight for boys” by film critic Robert Ebert.

The ratings, however, were lackluster and claimed the movie was neither funny nor scary and thus was unsuccessful. Jennifer wasn’t “as hot as you’d hope she’d be” and essentially the “lesbians-for-the-male-gaze” marketing to boys 17+ failed. 

However, many women and young girls between 17-25 saw the character of Jennifer as empowering and resonated with the film. My theory is that the men did not like being the victim, being killed my something that they are supposed to be worse than. But the women saw a strength in the conflict between what is essentially two sides of the same existence - on one hand the rage of the injustice and gender inequality, and on the other hand Needy, who follows every character trope connected to the “last girl standing.” Except even she is tainted in the end, killing Jennifer and losing her innocence. (more talk about innocence, murder/virginity bla bla bla, okay but this essay aint about that)

All this plays a role in how the queerness of DanAndPhilCRAFTS - slime (2024) can be interpreted. Throughout all four installments of the narrative, Dan is seen being guided by Phil and scolded when he doesn’t do it right. Phil seems not at all surprised when Dans glitter face turns satanic, and by the third video, Phil hands the control over as he gives himself away.

Essentially, the indoctrination of Dans role in Phils devotion is cult-like. Cults are often hidden behind a facade of “found family” before the true behind-the-scenes terror is revealed. Dan is evidently comfortable in letting a more experienced person guide the way, despite his own hesitance. He knows that he cant do this halfway.

also the idea of Phil rising from the dead, during Easter… Jesus Christ, where would we even begin (lol)

But beyond that symbolism, It is the hesitance in Dans nature that seems to point to the “purity being tainted” horror trope. Phils devotion to Him is evident, but Dan seems more so to be devoted to Phil. A follower. Believing whatever Phil believes to be true. A Billy and Stu, Scream situation, if you will. The subtext of two lovers and the blurred lines of love and death, which has been analysed and discussed a whole while by smarter people than me. 

Dans hesitance to follow Phil guiding him to the other (queer) side. The penetrative stab and the menacing disarray of emotions on Dans face afterwards. This was anything but a selfish act, but he gave into the curiosity, he is not the last survivor, he has joined Him. This ritual was giving into love, without trying to contain, rationalise, or diminish any part of it. 

(Kind of how like dan, selfproclaimidly, would still be a ‘Daniel in denial’ if Phil hadn’t come into his life, because Phil ‘led him astray’ but he’s very okay with it and he has embraced it, and he’s happier giving in instead of fighting it?? Too far??)

#dan #phil #dan and phil #dnp #daniel howell #amazingphil #danandphil #dan howell #dandandphilgames #danandphilcrafts

[atalana]

so i've been doing a doctor who rewatch with my flatmate, which is giving me whole new avenues to think about doctor who meta from

and i wanna talk about this moment

the dalek emperor asks "so prove yourself, doctor. what are you, coward or killer?"

and i think the full context of his response goes a little underappreciated

because especially if you know a lot about doctor who, this line seems fairly obvious. still poignant as hell, but we know the doctor, and we know he's the man who'd always make that choice, it's built into his very mythology

except this is nine

and the choice he's being offered is whether or not to use a weapon that will kill every living thing in its radius - it'll wipe out the daleks, but the range of it also includes the entire earth. you can finally stop the war, but you have to sacrifice a planet you've come to call home, and all of its people, in order to do so. and you'd better act fast, because the daleks are waging war right now, people are already dying - if you don't do something, they're going to wipe out the human race anyway

logically, he should. logically, he has to.

but this is a doctor who is fresh of the heels of making that same choice! he already did it! not too long ago, with his own world in the balance, he proved himself killer, once and for all. what's one more planet, compared to all that? one more planet, to prove it wasn't all worthless? if you let them go now, you killed your own people for nothing

i don't think he knew, until he got his hands on that trigger, what choice he would make. he was certainly planning to be able to do it. and it's not like he stopped being a soldier after the war, when he met that one lone dalek he did everything in his power to kill it, to make the war finally over, to make it worth it. nine doesn't want to be a killer, but he knows that he is. and he's proven it many times this season

until right now. staring down his worst enemy, his worst nightmare, knowing that if he acts with mercy here he'll condemn the universe to destruction, he does it anyway. throws everything aside to give the devil itself the kindness neither of them deserve

this isn't just the moment he declared himself the man who never would. this is the moment he became the man who never would

and time lord regeneration's a funny thing. same man, new man. same memories, new personality, new goals, new ideals. and sure, some aspects of that are random, but there's still a chain of connection. each new incarnation becomes who they are in response to how the last one ended. the 50th enjoyed going into the differences between ten and eleven, how eleven ran away from everything that the doctor was before, played up the childish and the trickster and never fully looked at all the horrors in their past, because ten couldn't help but take responsibility. he considered responsibility the only moral option, but at the end was still so angry that this weight never stopped dragging him down, that he could never make the selfish decision. the world isn't fair and i don't want it to end like this, i see so much of that in eleven

and that defining moment of nine's that birthed ten, that's right here

the man who never would is a line stolen directly from the doctor's daughter. ten is the doctor who holds up genocide as the worst crime someone can commit, no matter the circumstances. ten who will let a dalek go just to avoid causing another. ten who won't touch a weapon of any kind unless absolutely necessary. who doesn't even want to be in the same room as a gun. it all comes down to this moment, with nine against the end of everything, in the final hours of his life

handed an identical choice to the one that changed his life forever and saying never again.

#this has been sitting in my drafts for a while whoops #i got very passionate about it and then i forgot i hadn't posted it yet until i saw that post like don't skip nine #and i was like YEAH DON'T SKIP NINE HE'S VITAL TO TEN'S CHARACTER #and then i realised i hadn't explained that yet #but ye! i have many emotions about this. and genuinely you can't fully understand ten without looking at this moment #also nine good #doctor who #tenth doctor #ninth doctor #eleventh doctor

[handsome-wise-strong]

I think that's why Im (if not most of us are) drawn to lucemond, its so angst filled. The doomed pair, because we know if their houses weren't so poisoned from the inside, they could've been THE duo of the series.

Sure, maybe they still would've been enemies, but it could've been resolved differently. Many possibilities that the lucemond fandom gets to explore.

Insert some trauma experience or whatever cause its GoT, boom. 'If we die, we die together', or some round about way of 'you fight good'.

Also, like REALLY AEMOND. BLUE. OUT OF ALL THE COLORS YOU CHOSE LUKES COLOR?! Okay, we get it. Do not separate.

See that’s my thing, anon! There are so many possibilities you could imagine for Luke and Aemond. So many different roads for them to have gone down instead of the one they did… but on the other hand, was there ever really any hope for them? Let’s take a look at who they parallel, shall we?

Luke and Aemond are pretty much married in the tradition of their house. (Be delusional with me here for a moment) Not much is known about traditional Valyrian wedding ceremonies except that the couples are wed by blood and fire. Luke and Aemond spilled each other’s blood in the presence of fire. This is a very obvious parallel to both Rhaenyra/Daemon and Rhaenyra/Alicent, especially the latter, because they do the same thing their sons had just moments after the fact.

But on the note of Luke and Aemond being practically wed in that sense, then it’s only natural to compare them to other married couples of their house. That’s where more obvious parallels come into play. Targaryen men have a bad habit of killing their spouses (either intentionally or unintentionally) and Aemond falls prey to that habit as well. Daemon kills Rhea Royce intentionally. Daemon kills Laena Velaryon unintentionally. Viserys kills Aemma Arryn, both a mix of intentionally and unintentionally. And Aemond kills Lucerys both intentionally and unintentionally. The parallel is made stronger by the fact that both Luke and Laena were killed by Vhagar. Daemon, Viserys, and Aemond all sharing looks of horror and disbelief after their spouses die also makes this all the more strong. Once you notice it you can’t unsee it!!

Let’s talk more parallels. Lucemond are pretty much a Daemyra duplicate. Luke being like his mother, the younger of the pair, always being watched by his uncle and in turn, always looking back at his uncle. Luke and Rhaenyra both watch their uncles spar with intrigue. Aemond and Daemon both desire their younger nephew/niece. (I want you to put out your eye. Give me your eye or I will take it / I want Rhaenyra, I’ll take her as she is) Aemond and Daemon both look miserable when seeing Luke and Rhaenyra interact with their betrothed partners — which links directly into Lucemond paralleling Rhaenyra/Alicent as well, as Alicent also looks miserable and furious watching Rhaenyra and her betrothed dance. Alicent gives Rhaenyra a scar, Lucerys gives Aemond a scar. A bit haunting is the Rhaenyra line to Alicent, “I want to fly with you on dragonback,” which we see Lucemond do later on as Aemond chases him across Shipbreaker Bay. A scene which links them directly to another couple again, Daemon and Laena! The scenes are so similar and so different, and it’s eerie seeing Luke and Laena both look back over their shoulders at their partners, Luke with horror and fear and Laena with amusement. Daemon and Aemond move the exact same way, leaning back on their dragons carefreely with smiles on their faces.

Smaller Lucemond parallels to other couples include Rhaenyra/Harwin. Luke giving a shit-eating grin to Aemond with a pig between them, and Harwin giving the exact same look to Rhaenyra, again with a pig there! Harwin calling Rhaenyra boy, and Aemond calling Luke boy.

Why have them parallel so many other canon couples or implied romantically connected characters if they were not meant to be seen as the same? Why have Luke say the line, “I am not free to marry, I am already betrothed.” while looking directly at Aemond if they were not meant to be seen as a married couple?

In conclusion, what I’m trying to say is that this story has been told a thousand times over in the asoiaf universe and in House Targaryen in particular. Lucemond was always going to be a tragic story. But that’s what makes them so beautiful and compelling to me. Their inherently doomed narrative is also probably why so many others were drawn to them like we were, anon! And why so many wonderful and creative fics revolve around their dynamic.

I say keep ‘em coming! I personally can’t get enough of them.

#anon #lucemond #this is a bit messy but i had to get it out #they make me so crazy #i speak only the TRUTH

[bestworstcase]

Have you ever heard the old theory that Yang and Adam were half-siblings, usually through Raven, but I've seen an argument that Adam was Tai's once.

I'm just curious if you have any thoughts.

i think—& this is not limited to just the rwby fandom—there's a degree to which fandom's transformative interest in source texts and ship-centric, blorbo-oriented culture makes it difficult for fandoms to parse narrative devices like foils. a foil character is a tool for creating contrast and guiding audience attention by juxtaposition or comparison between a main character and the foil. the narrative connections and confluences between the main character and the foil are thematically motivated, there to enhance or deepen or ask some sort of question about the main character.

what tends to happen in fandoms is people will pick up on the narrative lines being drawn between the main character and the foil and assume that these connections are relevant to the plot, which almost always leads to either:

wildly popular fanon ship between the main character and foil, or

"these characters are secretly biological relatives."

i generally have a lot more respect for people in the first camp because... shipping character foils is fun, if for no other reason than the depth of thematic connection kind of innately provides a lot of raw material to work with, and in my experience people who like to ship character foils tend to have at least a basic understanding of what a foil is and what foiling is for narratively.

um, as it pertains to rwby specifically, the story makes uses a lot of character foiling and narrative foiling (main plot + foil subplot) to construct its thematic narrative, and i think that's a major contributing factor to the preponderance of theories like "jaune is descended from salem" (jaune is foiling salem) and "qrow is ruby's dad" (qrow is foiling ruby's idealism) and "raven is ruby's other parent" (summer and raven are character foils and the old guard all see ruby as a proxy for summer) and... so on. being charitable, it's an attempt to make sense of clear thematic and symbolic connections between characters by interpreting them literally as foreshadowing for... some reveal of a significant relationship between the characters, and the obvious answer from there is usually a blood relationship.

as a... general statement, i don't think any characters in rwby are secretly biological relatives, unless we're counting "silver-eyed people are all descended from ozma Somehow" on the grounds that the characters overlooked that in the lost fable. even that i am not sure it actually matters to the narrative except insofar as it suggests silver-eyes as another set of proxy-children ozma uses as pawns in his war against salem.

[st4rstudent]

tips on how to draw cogs?

truth be told, I haven't drawn many cogs (mainly just one or two), but I will try to answer this as generally as I can!

This is a long post so I'll post this under the cut.

my biggest tip, as well as for anything, is to break down the shapes. If you try to look at everything at once it becomes really easy to overwhelm yourself. Examples will be drawn sketchy, but hopefully the point gets across.

Our first test subject is mouthpiece which I've never actually drawn before [marketable plushies post doesnt count]. as you can see, I tried to break down a lot of the shapes into much more simpler ones. A lot of cogs seem to share some very obvious shapes, probably because a lot of them are object-related (normal cogs included- first that comes to mind are pencil pushers).

You can do this with really ANY character. Here's our second test subject DOPA for another example.

now these are mainly references from the pictures themselves, which are great as a starting point. my other big tip is just to practice. you don't have to do big full pieces every day, but even just little doodles will help you. i think its very rare for anyone do to super good their first time and this goes with anything, even if you're a highly skilled artist.

you've probably also noticed but I've left out details in my examples, such as the little dots on mouthpiece's eye borders. If you feel that adding all the small details would overcrowd your drawing or just not help it, then I think it's fine to leave them out (of course there are always exceptions to this but as a general rule, its ok).

along with removing details, i think adding details also cannot hurt [to an extent]. if there's something you think would look nice then add it. who cares its your drawing have fun. As an example I'll use prethinker. I always add the little line in the middle, which his model doesn't have. But this is also based off of the 1.3 promotional art as well. Another example could be that when I draw misty, I add a line that connects their eyebrows to their eye. idk just feels more robotic to me and i like it

and again as you notice, my drawings are not model accurate. your style is most likely not going to be exactly like the game and that's completely fine. adjust to your liking, interpret as you will. enjoy the process of creation.

And finally, I'll add my little tip for metal coloring. One thing about metal is that usually the lightest highlight is next to the darkest shadow

The gif goes as base -> shadow 1 -> shadow 2 -> highlight 1 -> highlight 2 -> cleanup + extra

I like to add a few light marks to indicate scratches. although if you wanted more depth, you'd take the darkest shadow and lightest highlight and put them together like this

often the metallic parts are not the focus of my works so I leave it without. As for the random black marks on the lineart, that just also gives it more depth.

And finally, look at other peoples art. Look at the way they draw and pick out bits and pieces of what you like and try to interpret that in your own style.

ok I think that's all. Hopefully this helped!

#clemask #long post #sorry #these are kind of vague overall art tips rather than specific ones but i think its because a lot of my processes follow the same general ar #tips that i follow #but yeah my general rule is just to practice and observe. there will be things that you change and thats fine #sorry if you wanted a specific cog. if you did you can resend an ask and specify but either way i hope this helps you! or anyone else

[thequibblah]

opening line patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there's a pattern!

intriguing! ty for the tag @emeralddoeadeer @kay-elle-cee ❣️

1. i bend like a willow thinking of you

“And so,” Lily finished, swilling her possibly-slightly-gone-off eggnog in its cup, “that’s why I reckon something’s not quite right about everything.”

2. you and i will die unbelievers

They’d set up the tents and the warming charms, which made the crackling fire in the central tent redundant.

3. in death we stand alone

Look, I didn’t want to be the Abhorsen.

4. acid trips

Usually, at a certain point in the night, Lily retreats to a corner and surveys the crowd.

5. certain sharp things

They insist on his entering with his new frock coat.

6. holy the air, the water, the fire;

Lily drew a finger absentmindedly around the rim of her teacup.

7. Two’s a Crowd

Only children must be taught to share.

8. as it is i’ll dream of her tonight

December at Hogwarts: holly was curling its way across suits of armour, frost pinching at students’ faces in the courtyards, but still no real snow.

9. tell me where your secrets lie

Severus Snape really, really wanted to be in Slytherin.

10. walking with you in the sunshine

All bad movies are messy, James has found, but all good movies are messy in fascinatingly different ways.

i actually think the pattern(s) here are more obvious than i expected. i often drop right into a story, as you can see in 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 — arguably more too. i like a shorter first sentence that's declarative or prompts the reader to wonder "okay, and?" in a sort of improv-esque "yes and?" sense lol. i'm mostly just using the first line as a way to jump into the second and i don't put a lot of thought into how i open; most of these come about in my first draft.

the exception is 8, which is a more scene-setting line. i think if i remember correctly i added the opening paragraph after i'd already jumped into that fic, so that was a much more conscious attempt at constructing the throughline of james waiting for snow. i sometimes feel like it can feel like a really obvious connecting-the-dots to readers when i do that and i don't like the inelegance of it (or at least it seems inelegant to me!) but i like this one a lot, actually!

tagging @ghostofbambifanfiction @possessingtheproperspirit @clare-with-no-i @sunshinemarauder and anyone who hasn't done this <3

#i should have a tag for things im tagged in

[heartbreak-sandwich]

💌Red Letters to Nowhere💌

A/N: Chapter 2 is FINALLY here! Thank you for being so patient with me. I've been having a hard time writing the longer winded chapters lately. In Chapter 2, your first day at your new school wasn't as bad as you thought it would be -- that is, until the day ends, and Billy is less than thrilled with your choice of new friends (angst incoming - no other content warnings for this one).

Read on Ao3 ❤️‍🔥 Chapter One 📖 Master List 🌈

💌CHAPTER TWO: Certain Type of People💌

You spit your toothpaste into the sink, rinsing the last of it down the drain, and jumped with a gasp when you straightened back up to see Billy standing behind you in the mirror. He chuckled and patted you lightly on the back before greeting you with sleep still lingering in his voice.

“Morning, new kid.” He smiled as he opened the mirror cabinet and grabbed his own toothbrush, slathering it with a thick line of toothpaste before getting to work, brushing back and forth vigorously, still smirking around his mouthful.

“Morning,” you mumbled, putting your toothbrush back in its spot in the cabinet and closing it, realizing Billy’s sharp, blue eyes still connected with yours in the mirror. “What?” you asked, your cheeks tinting pink at the heat of his stare. Billy just shrugged, still keeping his eye contact until he pushed past you to spit his toothpaste into the sink. You rolled your eyes and left the bathroom, trudging to Max’s room to make sure she was ready to leave for school.

Max was slinging her backpack over her shoulder, her skateboard resting under her opposite arm, and she looked up as you entered her room. You could tell she was nervous even though you were sure she would never admit it out loud.

“You ready?” She gave you a quick nod, and you turned back the way you came, making your way into the kitchen with Max on your heels. You grabbed the three pieces of toast you had prepared before you finished getting ready and handed one to Max who quickly crunched a bite out of it. You both traveled to the living room where your backpack was waiting.

Billy appeared just a moment later in his denim jacket with a cigarette ready between his lips, keys jingling in his hand. You handed him one of the pieces of toast, and he looked at you like you were insane.

“What’s this?” he asked around his cigarette, glaring down at the offering.

“Breakfast,” you answered, crunching a bite out of your own toast. He finally accepted the toast from your outstretched hand, squinting with suspicion at the kind gesture.

“Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled before striding past you and Max to open the front door. He didn’t wait for either of you as he approached his Camaro, quickly sliding into the driver’s seat and starting the engine with a loud roar. “You guys coming or what? We’re going to be late!” Billy was already impatient. That didn’t take long.

You and Max exchanged a puzzled look before you both exited the home, closing the door behind you, and got into Billy’s car. The ride to school was silent with the exception of crunching toast until Billy grumbled.

“God damn, I can hear everybody chewing in this fucking car,” he hissed before pushing a cassette tape into the player and turning the volume up to an earsplitting level, Judas Priest’s You Got Another Thing Coming rattling the speakers as his led foot kicked in, and he sped down the road toward town.

When you reached the Hawkins High parking lot, the three of you got out of the car, and Billy didn’t look back at you or Max as he slammed his door, flicking his cigarette onto the asphalt and strutting toward the front of the building. The ogling eyes of each girl he walked past were so painfully obvious, it almost made you sick to your stomach. The worst part was the arrogance that oozed out of him with every swaggering step he took and every high five and clap on the back he received from the boys that approached him. He loved this.

“Ugh,” Max scoffed.

“Yep,” you said dryly, knowing she had just come to the same conclusion you did. The two of you exchanged a look before meandering toward the front of the building, Max hopping on her skateboard and veering off to the right to find the Hawkins Middle entrance.

After a visit to the office where Janice, the school secretary with way-too-long purple nails, presented you with your class schedule and a scrap of paper with your locker number and combination on it, you managed to find its location without having to ask anyone - thank God. You were busy fighting with your combination lock when you felt someone run into you from the back.

You stumbled forward, dropping the stack of papers Janice had given you as they flowed all over the floor. You immediately felt embarrassment wash over you as you squatted down to collect them, trying to put them back in order, and you noticed a pair of Nike sneakers and bent denim clad knees in front of you. A boy in a green sweater with tall chestnut hair was helping to gather your papers.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized, handing you the remainder of your paperwork. “Tommy doesn’t know when to use his inside manners.” He looked at you with friendly, hazel eyes and a warm, crooked smile. You both stood up at the same time.

“Don’t worry about it,” you finally said quietly, hoping he wouldn’t notice the blush growing on your cheeks. “And thanks.” He nodded, his smile unwavering.

“Anytime.” He held out his hand. “Steve Harrington. You’re new here, right?” You took his hand, giving it a firm shake.

“Yeah, I am. I’m Y/N.” Steve nodded again and looked like he was about to say something more before a boy with short brown hair and freckles appeared at his side and punched him in the shoulder.

“Don’t be rude, Harrington. Are you going to introduce us to your new friend?” Tommy nodded in your direction as a shorter girl with long brown hair and a pink sweater slid out from behind him as he draped his arm over her shoulders. She blew a bubble and popped her gum as she eyed you up and down, waiting for Steve to oblige Tommy’s request.

“Y/N, this is Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins,” Steve said through a sigh as he gestured to each of them respectively. Before Tommy and Carol could join the conversation, the morning bell rang, and the sea of students started to part in different directions.

“I’ve got to get going,” you told them with a soft wave. “It was nice to meet you guys.”

“See you around!” Steve called after you as you beelined for your first class at the end of the hall. You sucked in a deep breath before entering the classroom, praying the teacher wouldn’t make you stand at the head of the class and introduce yourself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time lunch rolled around, you were exhausted. You made your way back to your locker to exchange your textbooks for your copy of The Outsiders. You were ready for a break, so you decided to explore outside beyond the football field to find a place to read. On your way outside, you passed by Billy who was standing in a circle of people wearing expensive shoes and letterman’s jackets, all talking loudly about someone named Tina who was hosting a party that Friday. You met his eyes, but only briefly because he quickly looked away to refocus his attention on the conversation in his circle, obviously not wanting to be bothered. Go figure.

Beyond the football field, you found the edge of a seemingly thick forest. Breaking through the line of trees, you walked for a few minutes until you noticed a picnic table in a small clearing. It was a neat little spot, and you wondered what it was doing all the way out here. You didn’t see anyone else around, so you set your backpack down on the table and took a seat at one of the mossy benches, opening your paperback and immediately losing yourself in its pages.

After a few moments, the rustling of leaves startled you. Your head snapped in the direction of the sound to meet the gaze of a pair of friendly, deep brown doe eyes nestled beneath a mess of long, dark, curly hair.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” the man said, holding up a hand. “Are you…here to buy?” You stared at him, perplexed.

“Buy?” You furrowed your brows and continued to stare.

“Or not,” he deduced with a grin. “People don’t usually come all the way out here unless they’re looking for me.”

“Oh,” you responded flatly. “Sorry. I didn’t realize this was somebody’s spot. I just wanted a quiet place to read.”

“During the lunch hour?” He smirked at you and crossed his arms. “Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you before.”

“You haven’t. I just moved here.”

“A month into the school year?” He whistled loudly. “Rough.” He took a seat on the bench across from you, clattering a black lunch box onto the table in front of him. “I’m Eddie.” He held out his hand for you to shake, and you obliged.

“I’m Y/N.” He made surprisingly deep eye contact and smiled as he repeated your name.

“Y/N. Charmed.” You blushed slightly and hoped Eddie didn’t notice, but his grin made it obvious that he did.

You surveyed the patches and pins on his denim vest – Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. His style was different, alternative, and he noticed you eyeing him.

“You like music?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye, clasping his hands together and resting his elbows on the table.

“Sure. I can tell you do, too,” you answered with a cheeky smile.

“Is it that obvious?” He scoffed and looked down at his hands for a moment. “Do you smoke?”

“I never really liked the smell of cigarettes.” You scrunched up your nose at the thought, and Eddie cleared his throat with a chuckle.

“Uh, not that kind of smoke.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he waited for you to answer.

“I don’t get it.” Eddie sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Grass? Weed? Do you smoke weed?” You felt embarrassment rise to your cheeks as you responded.

“Oh, right. I have before, but it’s not a regular thing,” you answered, fidgeting with your book on the table.

“Consider it a welcome gift,” Eddie declared, opening his lunch box and handing you a small baggie with a tiny green nugget inside.

“Oh…thanks, I guess.” You gave him a kind smile as you pocketed your baggie and closed your book.

“Don’t mention it.” Eddie closed up his lunchbox and stood up from his bench. “Tragic news on the horizon.”

“What’s that?” Eddie let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

“It’s about time to get back to class.”

“Oh, right A travesty.” You slung your backpack over your shoulder and continued to make small talk with Eddie as you both marched your way back to the school, parting ways when you emerged into the foyer.

What you hadn’t noticed was a pair of blue eyes burning into you from across the parking lot as they watched you walk into the building with Eddie Munson by your side and a smile on your face.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day went relatively smooth, but you were glad to be heading home after so much excitement. Returning to your locker a final time, you collected your study necessities for the night.

“Hey,” a familiar voice greeted as you slammed your locker closed.

“Oh, hi,” you answered. Eddie’s smile widened when you returned his greeting. “I just wanted to ask you –”

“Y/N!” Billy’s voice boomed in the hallway over every other sound, causing passersby to stare in your direction.

“Billy.” Your voice was small. Why was he yelling at you?

“Time to go,” he said flatly, staring daggers into Eddie whose face fell into a frown.

“Sure,” you answered. “Just one second. Eddie wanted to ask me –”

“I’m not your fuckin’ chauffeur. I don’t wait. Let’s go. Now,” Billy demanded, his voice getting louder by the second, hands balling into fists at his sides.

“It’s okay. I’ll catch you tomorrow,” Eddie conceded with a tight lipped smile and a half wave as he hurried in the opposite direction of where Billy stood. You scoffed and glared at Billy before pushing past him and stomping out to the parking lot.

Max was already waiting beside the blue Camaro when you arrived with Billy sauntering behind you with his usual swagger, taking a moment to wave at some girls who were giggling and whispering as they crossed his path. You rolled your eyes and opened the passenger door for Max to get into the back seat before seating yourself and slamming the door closed.

Billy’s mood was icy, and you could practically feel the eggshells under your feet as soon as he sat down.

“Don’t slam my door,” he said flatly, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.

“Don’t be a dick to me in front of my friends,” you countered, folding your arms across your chest. “Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson is not your friend.”

“Right. Because you get to decide who my friends are.” You glared out your window, wishing you could be anywhere else when –

“Hey!” Billy grabbed your wrist hard enough to get your attention and held it up as he spoke through gritted teeth, his menacing eyes searing into yours. “There are a certain type of people in this world you stay away from.” Billy’s grip on you tightened, and your eyes brimmed with tears. “And that guy, Y/N,” he seethed, squeezing harder. “That guy is one of them.”

Billy shoved your wrist back into you, and you turned your body to look out your window again. You could see Max’s worried expression in the side view mirror as a tear escaped and ran down your cheek. What the fuck was his problem?

The rest of the drive home was silent, and Billy didn’t utter another word or even look in your direction again until dinner time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were setting the table when he entered the dining room and took his usual seat.

“Smells great, Susan,” he gushed with a sickeningly sweet smile.

“Thank you, Billy,” your mom replied, pressing a hand to her heart. “It’ll be ready in just one second.” She hadn’t stopped talking about how impressed she was with Billy’s manners since she met him. You rolled your eyes at his display. What a kiss ass. You could feel his eyes on you as you finished your task and sat down across the table from him, but you avoided making eye contact.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Billy fidgeted with his knife, tapping and scraping it on his plate before sighing dramatically, tipping his chair backward onto two legs. You finally looked at him, and he was still staring directly at you.

“Did you want something?” You weren’t amused by his method of garnering your attention, and you were even less thrilled with the way he had spoken to you earlier. Billy leaned forward in his chair and rested his hands on the table, speaking in a hushed voice.

“I wanted to say sorry. For earlier.” Your eyebrows shot up in surprise at his apology.

“Okay, I guess. Thanks,” you answered tentatively, your eyes narrowing.

“I just –” he shifted in his seat again and chewed on the inside of his cheek as he chose his words carefully. “I have a reputation to uphold, you know? The pressure is indescribable, but it has its perks. If people see you hanging around with The Freak and they know you’re my –” he stopped as if saying the word “sister” might induce vomiting. “If they know that you live here, and we’re…associated, then I start to take the flack. Do you get what I’m saying?” You nodded slowly and scoffed, looking down at your empty plate.

“I understand what you’re saying, but I think it’s stupid,” you retorted. Billy’s expression didn’t change.

“It might be stupid, but it’s better to be on top than to be one of them,” he said dryly, leaning back in his seat again, looking at you through hooded eyes.

“To each his own.” Billy nodded at your response when your mom piped up from the kitchen.

“Come and get it!” Both of you rose from your seats and parted ways, Billy going towards the kitchen and you heading to Max’s room to tell her dinner was ready.

You poked your head in through Max’s door and rapped on the doorframe.

“Hey,” you said, stepping over the threshold into her room.

“Hi,” she greeted, looking up at you from her bed. You could instantly tell she had something on her mind.

“Dinner’s ready. You okay?” She nodded and looked away from you for a moment before answering fully.

“I just – I didn’t like seeing Billy talk to you like that earlier in the car.” Max locked eyes with you, and you frowned.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. He does.” Max was angry. Injustice never sat well with her, especially when it came to her big sister.

“He did,” you reassured, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yep,” you affirmed, nodding slowly. Max was quiet as she processed the unexpected news, and she finally stood up, setting her comic book down on her pillow.

“Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Neither did I,” you agreed.

*Tag List: @lithium80sblog @justsimonrileythings @b1tchy3lf @jozstankovich @darleenjade @jenna-jd @peachyaliien @dananahenderson @strangerthing933 @yoyokiss97 @californiaboytoybilly - if you want to be added, let me know! 💕

#Billy Hargrove #Billy Hargrove fanfic #Billy Hargrove x Reader #Stepbrother!Billy Hargrove x Mayfield!Reader #Mayfield!Reader #Red Letters to Nowhere #Stranger Things fanfic #Eddie Munson #Steve Harrington #Carol Perkins #Max Mayfield #Tommy Hagan #angst #kind of a rework of the scene of Billy and Max in the car when he gets pissed off about her hanging w/ Lucas #Billy has sensory issues and that's my headcanon forever and ever amen #he really fucking hates the sounds of chewing #anyways I hope you guys are liking this one #this is the last potentially more boring-ish chapter #the real shit starts in chapter 3 #sando writes #Billy Hargrove oc

[adobe-outdesign]

You knpow what I think you haven't done for a design review? Pineco and Foretress. Got to love Pinecone Bug and Walnut Cannon Shell in general.

At first glance, Pineco here looks like a sentient pine cone and like it should be a grass-type, ala Seedot. However, Pineco has a secret:

Pineco isn't a pinecone at all, but is instead a bagworm caterpillar, hence the bug typing. For those not familiar, bagworms are a kind of moth caterpillar that build cases out of materials such as pine needles and tree bark:

You can't see it in this photo, but there's a caterpillar in this structure (possibly already cocooned in this photo). In order to move, they stick their heads out of the top like a sleeping bag. :)

Anyway, visually, Pineco is perfectly fine, albeit somewhat generic if you didn't pick up on the "bug in a protective shell" thing. The individual pieces of bark, resembling the scales of a pinecone, are well structured, and having the eyes tucked under the top two scales allows them to pop nicely against the dark shading, especially with their red coloration. It also bears a slight semblance to a grenade, which is fitting giving their habit of blowing themselves up with little warning.

Female bagworms never develop into something resembling a moth and stay in their cases through adulthood. While this line isn't gendered, Forretress indeed isn't a moth but some other kind of organism entirely. The question of what kind of organism is a bit more questionable; it's presumably still a bagworm, but the case now looks more like a clamshell and it gains steel typing of all things.

My guess is that it's a walnut shell, keeping with the idea of protection and the tree theme—it looks a lot less rocky and a lot more organic in its original sprite above. The body has just hardened along with the modified case to justify the typing.

Regardless of what it is, I do like Forretress a lot, more so than Pineco. Like I said above, Pineco can seem fairly generic at a glance if you don't know the concept, but this red creature with an obvious shell and turrets sticking of it its body is super neat, and conveys both that it's a creature in something and that it'll explode and/or fire steel fragments in your face if you get too close to it.

I also like the design just in terms of pure aesthetics. The shell has teeth along its edge, and in each gap lies a turret—except for the front two spots, which perfectly hold its eyes. A black stripe runs across the middle of the body and helps to draw attention to the eyes. It's very nicely balanced. I do wish that it had a little more to connect it visually to Pineco however. I like the colors as-is, but maybe just making it green instead of red would've been enough.

My other nitpick relates to how we actually have an entire beta history for Forretress. It started as a unrelated bagworm Pokemon, then got a placeholder sprite, and then we got these early designs:

These designs confirm that the black band around Forretress' eyes used to be its mouth, and while I really like the design we got, there's also something super appealing in these sprites (especially the first one with the wiggly mouth that matches the shell) that feels like it got lost.

I think it's the expressions: the Forretress design we got has very flat and dead eyes, but early Forretress 100% looks like a creature that will explode in your face if you get any closer to it. If the eyes had kept the slightly maniac expression from this sprite while keep the design as the final version, I think we would've had the ideal Forretress. Like I said, a nitpick, just one I thought I'd point out.

Overall, this is a pretty solid line. I do think more visual continuity could've been maintained between the two stages, but the bagworm concept is solid and Forretress in particular is well designed.

Also, this has little to do with the Pokemon, but I don't feel like this review would be complete without bringing up the best Pokemon TCG move name of all time:

EVERYONE EXPLODE NOW

#pineco #forretress #pokemon #pokemon reviews

[theautisticgamer]

The Pomni Theory (The Amazing Digital Circus)

Who is Pomni? That's a question a lot of people have been trying to crack. And I assure you this isn't a take you've heard yet.

Let's first establish what she's not. Most assume she is a gamer, and at first glance this makes sense. After all, why put on a VR headset if you're not one? Except there is an important clue that shows us this probably isn't true. As a gamer myself, I would not be immediately trying to take this headset off. As a gamer, I want to play this game for a bit, meet its cast, do some missions, especially considering how innovative this tech was for the late 90s-early 2000s when the show is set. Yet she is not excited about this experience in any way shape or form; Pomni immediately tries to rip off the headset. Some may say this is because of her amnesia, but if she remembers sitting at the desk and putting on the headset, surely she would have remembered wanting to put it on if she was a gamer. I think this rules out her being a game developer as well; would she be this startled by her work? She doesn't display nearly as much knowledge about the digital realm as some of the other amnesiac humans. But if she's not a gamer or a game developer, what is she, and what is her motive for putting on the headset?

I think an important hint regarding her character could be a piece of disturbing concept art created by Gooseworx, depicting Pomni on a crucifix, as well as the show's ending scene depicting Pomni at the center of a long table, which looks like the painting of The Last Supper. Both imagery compare Pomni to the likeness of Jesus Christ. I don't think this reference is religious per-say, this jester can't save you from your sins, but with The Amazing Digital Circus's story being inspired by an agnostic story, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," the connection can't be ignored. This imagery suggests Gooseworx sees some sort parallel between them.

Whenever I've used imagery alluding to Jesus outside of my faith-based work, I've used it to indicate a character is making a sacrifice, putting their lives on the line and risking injury or death for the sake of others, imagery I've used or would use for soldiers, policeman, field agents, or firemen. That could mean Pomni is a one of these things, though I would skew this down to policeman, detective, or a private investigator. Pomni's motive to put on the headset, then, is to pursue the only lead in her file of many Missing Persons cases tied to the C&A company. Her sacrifice, for the sake of the imagery, is unknowingly putting her safety and life at risk in order to solve the cases, bring their families closure, and if possible rescue the missing people themselves.

However, I've been chewing on my initial theory a bit more, and I may have a second theory for the imagery that's probably more likely. Who is Jesus? He is the son of God, He is the son of the Creator. Could she be the daughter of creator of the game? Could she be the daughter of one of the partners who created C&A? While I'm more compelled by this theory, it lacks a motive as to why she'd put on the headset. Was she at her father or mother's office for a visit, found a headset and was just curious, expecting it was just a funny pair of glasses she could take off immediately just to find it didn't come off?

This latter theory may or may not have extra support. Gooseworx drew a short non-canon comic where Caine discusses with Pomni that he and her mother were getting a divorce. It spurs on a series of silly jokes, but, it's odd to set up Pomni as Caine's daughter or stepdaughter in the first place, isn't it? Unless Caine was a symbolic placeholder for a father-figure who created the game or the company that produced it. I also feel like Pomni originally being intended to be a male lead during early concepts supports the "son of the creator" idea. They may have switched to a female to make this connection less obvious for a bigger reveal later on.

Keep in mind that this is just a theory based off the recent pilot and may fall apart as we get more information in future episodes of the show, in future interviews with Gooseworx or Glitch Productions employees, etc.

But alas, these are just two theories regarding the identity of Pomni. I've been wanting to write TADC theory material for a while, and the show's given me so much to think about. Do you think I may be on the right track about Pomni's identity, or have theories of your own? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

#the amazing digital circus #pomni #theory #gooseworx #glitch #glitch productions #pilot episode #amazing #digital #circus

[stagefoureddiediaz]

THE RED ROPE OF IT ALL THOUGH

Hey Nonnie

the red rope of it all indeed. I am obsessed with the use of red ropes in 911 (and yellow ones but thats for a different reason) and I wrote a meta on it - which I'm going to need to make some additions to I think!

This will be the first red rope we've seen since 4x13 when Buck and Eddie were both on red ropes whilst rescuing Sheila from her balcony (as an aside she was both up in the air and buried and I am very much enjoying the idea that she represents both of their stories in this way - that they both save each other etc etc!!) there were a lot of red rope in that scene - they were glaringly obvious and Buck and Eddie were the only ones connected to red ropes (and connected to the ladder truck).

And now we're getting another scene where the two of them are connected via a ladder truck to red ropes.

The reason I love this so much is that the show has already commented on the red string of fate - Carla in season 4 - almost like it was some sort of set up to put the idea into the viewers mind (I'd already got there by that point but the GA wouldn't have). the Red string of fate story Carla was telling wasn't just about romantic love - it was a bout the idea (which is the more modern way of thinking about them) that we have multiple strings - that connect us to people who play an important part in our story - people who are meant to be together - best friends, adopted children and family. Carla giving this information to the Diaz boys together is important because it ties Christopher into Buck and Eddie as well - the idea that all three of them are connected to each other. I think its fair to centralise this concept on the Buckley-Diaz family because we've only seen red ropes on Buck and Eddie with one exception - Chimney - when he went down into the well to rescue Hayden.

The reason this is relevant is that Buck was on the end of that rope with Chim and they're family - they're brothers-in-law (soon to be legally if we get the Madney engagement we're expecting) and that same line was about to be dropped back down to get Eddie - still connected to Buck. To me that is all foreshadowing - the only ones we've seen connected by red ropes are actual family or the ones the show is building towards becoming an actual family.

And I'm being very very normal about it all!!💜💜💜

#kym answers things #nonnie asks #the red rope of it all #the red string of fate #I'm gonna have to update my rope meta post because this show have been very very deliberate about when it uses coloured ropes #don't forget we still havent seen them back on yellow ropes since Eddie cut his line and Bucks got burned through #and our boys still havent talked aobut everything!!! #911 spoilers #911 on fox #911 fox #911onfox #911 #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buck #buddie #eddie

[time-is-restored]

fellas that last ted lasso episode. hmm.

listen i'll be real no matter what im gonna be out here gushing abt trent crimm cause he's my special little guy and im obsessed with him, but considering the Literal Paragraphs ive been writing abt all the shit i LIKED about the show, i didn't know how else to process these Less Good emotions than by blurting it all out over like two hours (instead of doing the dishes, lmao).

tldr; s3e2 was such an emotional high point for me, since i really felt like it had something concrete + specific to say about physical violence + social/emotional violence, and how they're BOTH highly valued as masculine ideals. but the episodes since then...

it kind of feels like im watching the result of a long and bloody fight between different writers? writers who, apparently, wanted Very different things from this last season, so now we're getting this. bizarro world mish-mash of two hypothetical shows, where tone + content + themes vary WILDLY and inconsistently from episode to episode - and even scene to scene!

[cw: discussions of sexism + racism, in a doylist context, also s3e5 spoilers]

specifically, i feel really disappointed and hurt that they went that direction with shandy's arc. i understand that we're only half way through the season, and obviously anything could happen between now and then but... really? like, is there some kind of budgeting issue here? we can't afford for there to be more than three (complex, not sexy lamps) women in any given episode? is that why the second jack appears, barbara loses any depth (what happened to that lovely moment of connection with the snow globes????????), and THEN the second SHANDY goes off her head it's. jack time? apparently???? like. this would feel a lot better as a viewer if at this point the show hadn't PRIMED me for jack doing something insanely stupid + cruel for no reason except 'haha Keeley Bad At Her Job'.

like. the first thing we see of shandy fine is her pride in keeley, and genuine appreciation of her hard work and skill. she's CLEARLY not stupid, otherwise why would the rest of her introductory scene be her helping keeley out with filmmaking advice (the extras thing) AND random, life experience shit (knowing how to deal with goat shit)?? she knows her way around a set, and she doesn't make any of the footballers feel judged, even when she's clearly thrown by the clips they're providing her.

so why in the space of like, barely a few weeks, does ALL of that get thrown out the window? 'condoms for balls'??? why are we supposed to just take for granted that she's stupid + overly ambitious (other than the Fucking Obvious!) when the show put NO effort into actually setting that up???? like, if her first scene was her monstrously fucking UP the shoot for keeley, and keeley hired her on pure sympathy then like. sure. whatever. no room for bleeding hearts in business. but that ALSO sucks as a story line for ted lasso, a show that (according to its OWN press releases!) is supposed to be about kindness and human connection and breaking cycles!

it just. it hurts? in a way where its like, i don't believe even a little bit that this was what the writers were aiming for with those scenes, and it frightens me that there could be such a wide gulf between intent and result. especially when bonding about The Shandy Incident is what got keeley and jack together (which i am trying... So hard to feel positive about, because explicitly confirming keeley's bisexuality is amazing, least of all bc it makes her jokes with rebecca feel a lot less mean-spirited on the writers' parts, retroactively)... like how am i supposed to be enjoying their moments together when i feel like the show's whole premise has been betrayed???

and really? the one moment nate gets to feel good in this WHOLE season, it's bc the server at the restaurant who previously could not care if he dropped dead right in front of him showed him some affection + validation?????

like, sure, i GUESS im happy that this random excuse for an arc has lead to a slightly more sympathetic female character existing at least in the PERIPHERY of the show's main storyline, except no im fucking not? i don't care about this fucking restaurant, and even though ive been DESPERATELY trying not to hate jade (even though the writers themselves can't seem to decide if she's Literally Racist or just a depressed service worker) NATE shouldn't care about jade! the ONLY way i can see this being an actually interesting arc for nathan is if its another exploration of his inability to leave behind the things + people that have hurt him, combined with years of conditioning where he's never allowed to express being annoyed/upset at anyone (which richmond!!! contributed to!!!!!! 'if you're mad, count to ten. if that doesn't work, count again'??? cool speedrun tips for resentment ted!). like, an arc where we see that distance away from richmond hasn't helped nate as much as it's removed some of the worst triggers, so a taste of athens ends up in the same awful pit of resentment + loathing as ted did. which nate clearly hates! he doesn't LIKE being that person! he apologised to a PAINTED DOLL of ted!!!! but when he doesn't have the framework or tools or SUPPORT to do anything else...

like. where is his team? obviously im not expecting the show to start being about a bunch of football players that AREN'T from richmond but? even just a small moment of appreciation? or hell! maybe they hate him! if we could see LITERALLY ANYTHING abt the sport which nathan has dedicated his life to, and how his Actual Coaching style is positively or negatively impacted by the lessons he learned at richmond? this is a show ABOUT football!!!!!

i just. a taste of athens? again? a-fucking-gain?????

and honestly, the worst part is that i REALLY liked the little monologue that nate got to give about how important the restaurant was to him! as much as it showed that nate is still just as passionate + earnestly defensive of the things he loves, it ALSO shows that he 1. spends that energy explaining his passion to people who don't deserve it/won't care, and 2. gets attached to things that really fucking hurt him! and like. i am on my hands and KNEES for that to be the 'point' of this arc but at this point i feel like that's me being naive! but if fucking JADE from fucking ATHENS is the civilising white gf who FINALLY talks nate down from him ~ ignorant, vengeful crusade ~ against the absolute ~ matyrs ~ of goodness at afc richmond, i just. like. what are we even DOING here gang?

i don't know. it hurts that sam's gone from being an almost principal character in s2 to only getting passing lines in s3. it hurts that rebecca's off in her own world, talking to strangers, having life-changing revelations on her own, surrounded by sets we're never going to see again, where every scene she DOES get to spend w one of the richmond members feels hasty and rushed, like the episode wants to get a few characters obligatory appearances out of the way asap. it hurts that all the chekov's guns around zava's arc (jamie's resentment, ted's lack of guidance, dani being 'demoted' + colin being benched) were apparently all just blanks, to be hastily plastered over with one big long speech about... ted wanting everyone to have higher self esteem, or something?

and listen, more the fool me if another episode comes out next week that i completely adore, and i spend like five days singing its praises. im mostly writing this so i can go INTO the next ep without feeling resentful + upset! i'll be STOKED if i was wrong and all of those little details ARE actually important, and these arcs have more to them than this! but for now im just sad and annoyed :(

#ted lasso spoilers #ted lasso critical #<- this tag has like five posts in it total so i sincerely doubt anyone here needs it but i also Definitely don't want it showing up in the #main tag so??? fr pls lmk if anyone needs a specific tag for this #also. i swear im gonna stop malding and go to bed any minute now but #would rlly love if we got more than one episode dedicated to keeley doing her job. would love if we got more than one episode of ANY of #these characters doing their jobs?? hey what the fuck it just hit me there's been no training scenes since ep 1 #(not counting jamie + roy since that's JUST jamie and roy - not all the coaches and not all the team) #like . remember how that's how ted won over the players to begin with? his coaching style? and how energetic + involved + earnest he was? #the way he ran laps WITH the team and then made a joke out of how they all beat him? #its just. lots of telling and not showing this season which im really hoping changes soon

[kandyrezi]

Mogeko Castle location + Kurokawa [thesis]

Amongst all the puzzling, mystifying things DSP has about their characters, worlds and relationships to one, something thing that has always stuck out to me, and to a lot of other people, is the fact that apparently, contrary to popular belief, Mogeko Castle is not located in the Pitch Black World/Land of Roots, but somewhere else entirely. Sure begs the question - where is it then?

Well, one of its potential locations could possibly be in More Ordovices’ (aka. Tapir God’s) world.

The very first image that comes to mind is the one where he’s seen pouring from this mug; an alligator and a bunny type of creature + a mogeko.

Nataka Kurokawa & Imika Yuhijma are the only ones who are seen riding on the train with Yonaka at the beginning of the game, and not any of the other characters. We don’t know how it traveled from the human world to Mogeko Castle specifically, possibly by either some magic intervention, or the human world where Yonaka is from (seeing as there is more than one - Victor Flankenstein, for example, lived on an entirely different human world before it was destroyed) is specifically connected to Tapir World.

Another familiar, recognizable character, yet from different places; Why is Kurokawa, the mysterious, largely unknown entity, in Tapir world specifically, and not anywhere else? We can assume Kurokawa & Nataka are connected to one another with their similar appearance & the exact same surname.

I would not put it past for Nataka to eventually have gone through with it and actually have committed suicide at some point, considering how often she’s depicted with suicidal/self-harming imagery.

(The hand reaching out to her could be someone offering her a change at starting over her life?)

If they are one and the same, then why are Nataka & Kurokawa being shown as two separate characters instead of one individual? On the character page of Funa's website, Kurokawa is in the 'unknown' category, while Nataka is in the 'human' one. We’ve already seen reincarnation is possible in DSP’s worlds. (The TGG ancestors as an example; on a fundamental level, their descendants are technically the same persons as they are, while the gray village girls are still their own person and not just a copy of their ancestors.) As such, Kurokawa might be a reincarnation of Nataka, but now that she's More Ordovices' creation, she isn't fully 'human' like she was before.

The creatures in More's world are mostly based off of fairytale characters, so it feels Like an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ type of situation for Nataka, except less child friendly for obvious reasons.

A popular running theory that used to float around in early days of Funa fandom was the idea that Rose Murder and Imika Yuhjima are related to one another, taking into account some of their physical/visual similarities. Similar deadpan expression, similar eyes, similar hair.

If Rose Murder is in Tapir world, then Imika could have received the aid from Rose to resurrect Nataka and bring her over to a different world. Imika has a canonical crush on Nataka, so aside from just being friends, Imika has another reason to go to extreme lengths to want to bring her back.

That being said, Nataka and Imika being on the train together at the beginning of Mogeko Castle could be a subtle hint towards the possibility of them having a connection to Tapir World.

it's possible the world surrounding Mogeko Castle isn't ruled by a God at all, but only by king mogeko. It's not entirely clear how massive the land surrounding Mogeko Castle is, as Yonaka spends majority of time inside the castle, and only goes on a somewhat linear path towards it at the beginning of the game. There is no way to explore anything beyond that, unlike in The Gray Garden.

If it isn't located in any specific world, then that opens up an entire can of worms to try to unravel, but might also explain why the ending sequence after Yonaka exits the castle on floor seven doesn't follow a linear path of time; waking up at the train again and seeing Defect Mogeko's blood on her hand. (unless you believe the theory that she just hallucinated the entire encounter with her brother.)

So, passage of time might work differently in a world not reigned over by a god.

In conclusion, my money is on either:

1) Mogeko Castle is located in the Tapir World.

2) Mogeko Castle is not located in any world ruled over by a God. It is instead entirely its own land under the reign of King mogeko (or Lord Proscuitto, depending on the ending/timeline).

#funamusea #mogeko castle #okegom #dsp #mogeko #deep-sea prisoner #nataka kurokawa #imika yuhjima #personal

[bestworstcase]

Any thoughts on what the role of the Maidens are in the overarching narrative of RWBY. Because they are developed as characters and not as just keys to get the plot coupons of the relics.

conceptually the maidens represent ozma's dedication to the divine mandate, right. reading between the lines of the fairytale in context with what we know about how ozpin operates, it is pretty obvious that he empowered the maidens intending them to act as his agents in his crusade against salem. in this sense his present-day conspiracy's dehumanizing treatment of the maidens as relic-guardians is not a corruption of their "true purpose" but the extreme logical end result of what ozma made them to be.

with respect to ozma as a character, the obvious symbolic line between his four daughters and the four maidens suggests some things about how ozma might have viewed his own children—particularly if taken into consideration with 1. his abject horror when the eldest turned out magical without the blessings of his god, and 2. all four girls vanishing from the scene as ozma moves to attack salem, which presumably indicates he has no idea what happened to them after that point. we don't actually know why ozma tried to sneak the girls away that night, and the common assumption that he feared salem was a danger to them and went down fighting to protect them from her has some obvious holes (the girls are not shown during the fight, ozma isn't even depicted as fighting defensively at all, and when the smoke clears after the castle falls, salem's a pile of ash).

and then there's this in his commentary on 'the story of the seasons':

However, despite the prevalence of powerful wizards and witches in our fairy tales, the world has never known the levels of magic described here—for which we should be grateful. I fear that if unrestricted magic use were possible, the results would be chaotic and catastrophic. Better to leave such fanciful notions comfortably in the realm of fantasy!

given how ozma reacted to his daughter's magic, and how tightly ozpin controls the maidens, "unrestricted" strikes me as the key word here. the god of light told him that humankind was diminished, a mere fraction of what they once were, without the brothers' presence and ozma understood that to mean "humans can't have magic except by divine fiat" and his ideological view on magic is accordingly uneasy.

i think the narrative purpose of the maidens is to interrogate that discomfort: he created them by imparting his own god-given magic to young women he trusted to faithfully serve his divine mandate… and then he lost control of that power because it developed an inheritance system directly at odds with his intention. (if a maiden dies violently, and her killer is a young woman, the magic will most likely be inherited by her killer; and if she dies without a suitable candidate in her final thoughts, the magic chooses a new vessel in accordance with its own will. ozma cannot use the maidens to attack salem without effectively ceding that power to her. i am inclined to think that's precisely WHY the magic passes itself on in this manner.)

and of course the narrative thread connecting each seasonal arc is that the maidens are all in some way breaking free from ozpin's control: cinder kills him, raven walked away, penny chooses who she wants (winter) instead of making the pragmatic choice (weiss), winter leaves ironwood behind to fall with his city. by virtue of being the literal keys to ozpin's reliquaries the maidens are sort of the locus of his ideological failures; literally human beings reduced to objects.

(<- all of this is one of my reasons for thinking the branwen twins' shapeshifting is the key to whatever additional protections ozpin put in place to conceal the beacon vault.)

salem's side of this is also interesting in that she has always struck a rather ambivalent tone with cinder regarding the maidens: "your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness," "remember that it comes with a cost," and so forth. notably, her interest in the maidens is strictly in relation to the vaults, which have only housed the relics since ozpin's tenure as headmaster, and both ozpin and qrow have referenced circumstances in which the identity of the maidens became "unclear" (as opposed to maidens ending up under salem's control). i am unconvinced that salem cared about the maidens in the slightest before ozpin decided to link them to the vaults.

i do think there is probably a thread being developed here in regard to the ozlem girls, if only because the symbolic line is very clear (the original four maidens in the fairytale were sisters and their colors match the ozlem girls); i don't think the maidens are the daughters in any literal sense, whether whole or in part. the implicit similarity between ozma's exploitation of the maidens and his interest in ruby's silver eyes—when silver-eyed bloodlines originated from him—is probably telling. his implicit assumption that salem intended to use their daughters, coupled with his obvious projection of his own suicidal ideation onto her, likewise. we know that he lied to and manipulated salem throughout their marriage because the god of light told him she was irredeemable; to what degree would that perception of her color his relationship with their children?

<- the maidens are inextricable from this question because he made them by sharing his magic between four sisters whom he apparently, if the fairytale colors are any indication, emotionally associated with his daughters. and in the broader sense, the maidens represent the family he sacrificed on the mandate's altar; representations of his daughters that he can use as pawns in his crusade against salem.

there's also a more general purpose the maidens serve in relation to salem's "no victory in strength" thesis in that the point of a character becoming a maiden is not to Be Powerful, and in fact the maidens are all defined by their vulnerability:

amber is introduced in a coma pending extraction of her soul

pyrrha is coerced into becoming a vessel for someone else

cinder loses her eye and her arm as a consequence of becoming the fall maiden

the last spring maiden died under circumstances that have left raven emotionally shattered more than a decade later

fria is subjected to extreme medical neglect in a futile attempt to control her final thoughts

penny is mutilated, infected with a virus to strip her of agency, and ultimately murdered because of the maiden's power

winter receives the magic as a gift but spirals into guilt-stricken despair because she couldn't save her friend or her sister

all underscored by salem's repeated warnings that the power comes with a cost and various illustrations of how "godlike power" not only isn't a trump card but becomes a liability if treated like a trump card (see: amber vs CEM and penny vs ace-ops). so the maidens are an important building block in that theme as well.

[addictedtostorytelling]

I’ve been doing a bit of a csi watch lately and i’ve just finished blood drops. It really is such a close parallel to sara’s own past. I think at the time, they perhaps didnt know quite what was going on with sara’s past or maybe hadn’t narrowed down details - i don’t know writer decisions! But watching back, i think its a shame that this ep was done so early because itcould have provided such a fantastic thing for sara once her background was more well established - or perhaps, as the gateway for her bg to be told. Either could have worked well. Not that i want to see her suffer more, but from a storytelling pov i think it could have been interesting for this ep to play out in a later season and really affect sara, have her experience flashbacks or panic and back out of the scene. Basically for it to be clear that something about this scene is really getting to her. It could be we already know as the details of her situation have already been said, so we can draw an obvious connection, or that we don’t and upon asking why she’s so affected, she explains. Either way it also would have been prime gsr material, as gil could comfort her. It also might have been a good oppertunity for someone other than gil to do so, perhaps catherine or greg, since most of sara’s show of /healing of trauma is gil related. It would have been nice to see support (knowing support) come from somewhere else.

Bit of a ramble, sorry! Hope it made sense aaaa! Suppose i was just wondering if you felt the same in that the episode was so perfect that it might have been better used further down the line, rather than at the start of season 1? <3

hi, anon!

i can definitely see where you’re coming from and think that experimenting with the premises you put forward in your ask—i.e., moving the events of the episode back in the timeline and/or using them as an inroad to explore sara’s trauma in more detail—could be really fun in a fic setting.

that said, in canon, i'm pretty okay with episode 01x07 “blood drops” occurring both when and how it does.

i don’t consider it a wasted opportunity.

if you're interested in my reasoning, i've got it after the "keep reading."

__

so.

every story has to start somewhere, and, the way i see things, episode 01x07 “blood drops” provides the right start to sara’s trauma arc.

to me, the point of that episode (sara-wise) is to introduce the sense that there is something going on with her beneath the surface but not to fully elucidate what that something is as of yet.

to that point in s1, the sara we’ve seen has been ambitious about her cases and somewhat brusque with her new colleagues, with the exception of grissom, whom she softens around. while she hasn’t been dispassionate by any means and has even at times shown some emotional vulnerability—like in episode 01x03 “crate n’ burial,” when finding the “victim” buried alive causes her to despair the cruelty of people—there hasn’t, until now, been any sense that her reactions have been anything more than just the normal kinds of beats for a compassionate, justice-minded investigator.

episode 01x07 “blood drops” is where we see that assumption challenged.

a first crack in the armor.

it is the initial leg in a narrative that is meant to be a marathon, not a sprint, and it succeeds in its objective of kicking off that distance race, showing that what is happening to brenda clearly strikes a personal chord with sara, provoking an emotional response beyond even what the tragedy of the case might be expected to elicit from her, though not explaining wherefore, leaving that explanation off to be expounded on later, in subsequent episodes and seasons.

i think the episode does its job when you watch it through the first time: it makes you (along with grissom) go, “what’s going on here? what's driving sara's behavior?”

but then the real beauty of the thing is when you rewatch it again after having seen episode 05x13 “nesting dolls,” and you can see, in retrospect, all of those parallels and connections, the way the one story informs the other.

imo, the episode isn’t any less significant to sara’s arc or any less revealing of her because it happens early on in the timeline. the parallel isn’t less effective because it works reaching backward from episode 05x13 “nesting dolls” to episode 01x07 “blood drops” as opposed to going in the other direction.

it still exists. it's still recognizable. it still informs our understanding of sara’s story.

the necessary information is all there; it’s just sublimated.

like a fossil buried beneath the surface of the earth, with only just one tiny fragment of bone sticking out, the shape and size of what’s there will become more apparent upon further excavation.   

while the writers didn’t know sara's full story at that point—according to ann donahue and josh berman, they first started to piece together what would eventually become sara’s canonical backstory circa the writing of episode 01x10 “sex, lies, & larvae”—they did know enough to show that her reaction to the case (and, specifically, to brenda) wasn’t just the normal compassion of an investigator but rather something more deeply personal, pressing up against some very raw nerves for her. they also knew enough to make grissom her touchpoint—the character who is on the receiving end of her belligerent, aloof weirdness at the crime scene and who most noticeably reacts to her uncomfortable jokes at the team meeting.

and in doing so, they set a precedent, laying the foundations for both sara’s character and the gsr relationship.

though neither grissom as a character in the story nor we as the audience outside of it yet realize as much at the time when the events of episode 01x07 "blood drops" are taking place, with repeated exposure, both he and we come to recognize that that abrasiveness in sara, that in-your-faceness, that poke-the-bear behavior, is actually what a trauma response looks like from her.

we’ll see it time and time again with her in subsequent episodes such as 01x10 “sex, lies, & larvae,” 01x16 “too tough to die,” 01x23 “the strip strangler,” 03x14 “one hit wonder,” 04x03 “homebodies,” and 04x23 “bloodlines,” until finally we get to its most blatant example, episode 05x13 “nesting dolls,” which serves as the climax to the storyline—and the point at which grissom has finally accumulated enough evidence to draw a conclusion about sara and approach her with it, showing up on her doorstep to say, "here's what i know, now please tell me the rest. i promise i'll be gentle with it."

by then, that moment of revelation is a thoroughly earned one, both for sara as an individual character—because after so long spent desperately trying to keep this huge, painful secret, to the point of alienating everyone she cares about from her, she is finally at a place where she just can’t anymore; she doesn’t want to; she needs to give voice to those memories and name the terrible thing; to confide in someone—and for grissom and sara as a couple—because for all of his many missteps over the years, something grissom has always done right is that he has consistently shown up for sara, proving to her through his patience, persistence, and refusal to allow her to push him away that he cares about her unconditionally and that he wants to be there for her, come what may.

the fact that episode 05x13 “nesting dolls” brings not only that moment of catharsis for sara but also paves the way for grissom and sara’s romantic relationship in vegas is so narratively satisfying; a culmination of so many plot threads, finally woven together.

and the way i see things, we might not have gotten to the moment of sara tearfully telling the story of her family tragedy to grissom as he sits across from her on her living room sofa in 2005 had he not first witnessed her acting ~off~ about the child survivor of a domestic homicide case back in 2000, you know?

episode 01x07 “blood drops” was that first domino to topple over.

and as for the issue of the sara never letting more people than just grissom in on her trauma of her own volition, honestly? i don’t necessarily see that part of the story needing to change, either.

we can discuss the healthiness or unhealthiness of sara’s decision to only ever (of her own volition) confide in just one person about her trauma elsewise, but at the end of the day it’s true to her character that she would never choose to open up about her childhood to her wider circle of friends.

given her private nature, her deep-seated fears of rejection, the way she trusts, what intimacy really means for her, how she wants to portray herself in public, how close to the surface her emotions run, how deep the pain of her trauma really is, how she attempts to cope, what her aspirations are for herself, etc., etc., that behavior on her part just tracks.

i likewise don't regret the fact we never get any flashbacks to sara's childhood (barring the audio ones in episode 05x13 "nesting dolls") or see her having the "classic tv panic attack" because i think her trauma is clearly articulated as is; what is implied is implied well enough.

i actually appreciate that her trauma responses are different (and even less straightforwardly "sympathetic") than the ones more frequently portrayed in media, as not all ptsd looks the same and some responses are quieter and harder to clock—more on the level of changes to the demeanor, isolation from others, engaging in risk-taking behaviors, etc.

so.

like i said up front: i could imagine some really interesting fics that might involve moving the events of episode 01x07 “blood drops” to occur later on sara’s timeline, using them either to directly precipitate her first confession regarding her past or to follow up on it (a la episode 05x21 “committed” in canon). i can likewise imagine some really interesting fics that made the episode more sara and/or gsr-centric and/or where other characters than grissom became involved in responding to sara’s behavior. there could be lots of cool storytelling avenues to explore along those lines.

@bartramcat used to wish we could have gotten an episode 01x07 "blood drops" callback featuring a teenage or young adult brenda collins in the later seasons of the show, maybe in place of the storyline we got in episode 15x12 "dead woods," and i can see how that option could be a very intriguing one to fic, as well.

but ultimately i'm glad to have the episode as is in canon.

of all of the complaints i have about writing decisions on csi, the way sara’s s1-s5 trauma arc plays out isn’t generally one of them. i think both its pacing and the way sara is characterized as behaving throughout works. ditto for the gsr aspect.

your mileage may—and from the sounds of things, probably does—vary, but, personally, i'm satisfied leaving episode 01x07 “blood drops” as is.

anyway.

i'm rambling now.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

#answered #anon #asks: csi #** #my meta #meta: csi #meta: sara #hypothetical scenario #01x07 #csiverse #let's talk shop

[nenilein]

since it's pride month, do you have any lgbtq+ headcanons/interpretations for the puyo cast?

I got this one before pride month, so I was waiting till it's actually June to answer it.

Let me preempt this by saying that I don't really like making "headcanons" that would create contradiction in how I read the text as presented by the writers, because something that doesn't gel with the source material in a way that enhances my experience with it isn't a "headcanon" to me but an AU.

(I infamously once made a post on here where I was yelling about how people need to stop calling their AUs "headcanons" that went kinda viral... oops.)

(Don't look for it, that was YEARS ago)

So, while I love reading, for example, Arle x Rulue fanfics, lesbian Rulue would be an AU to me, not a headcanon, because Rulue being into Satan is just an undeniable reality of the source material.

(That said, bisexual or pan Rulue WOULD be a headcanon)

Likewise, due to how extremely proud Raffina is of being a "lady", trans girl Raffina would be a headcanon, but trans boy Raffina would be an AU... Anyway, I am rambling. This is just how I define those terms for myself.

So, let's move on to the queer readings I have for the Puyo characters (it's a lot).

Arle is asexual and aromantic. Schezo is asexual.

This one is obvious, I even drew art for that a couple days ago. It's not just a case of me projecting my own sexuality onto "my favorite characters" either; Schezo and Arle aren't even close to my favorites, I'm more partial to the Primp characters. However, in most of the games, with some sparse exceptions from the Compile era (where characterization was generally inconsistent and spotty), Arle and Schezo are written in a way that I can only describe as "arch-asexual".

Whenever Arle is written as she is currently understood (spunky, freedom loving, adventurous), she never shows interest in relationships of any kind. She outright calls Schezo and Rulue "sexy" multiple times in both, the Compile era and the Sega era, but that doesn't seem to make her feel anything, she uses the terms as blunt descriptors that don't have much meaning to her personally. As an asexual, I do find that very relatable. In general, Arle's only one true love seems to be the concept of adventure (especially dungeon crawling) itself. In the novel "Everyone's Dreams Come True", the projection the dream mist tries to entice her with when its sleep curse fails to grip onto her is a projection of the entrance to an underground dungeon. In the Web Original Manzai Shorts, when she tries to explain the concept of a "wedding" to Amitie, she is incredibly awkward about it, like she's never even considered it herself before. She really doesn't show any interest in "partnering" up with anyone (other than Carbuncle) for life.

Meanwhile, Schezo's entire running gag simply doesn't work if he's not asexual. His slip ups are funny because he does NOT mean it that way, but is really only interested in three things: Power, cute stuff and food (in that order). The two times in the Compile era where he's not written as "asexual" infamously are hated by fans because they ruin his entire characterization: Saturn Madou's portrayal of Schezo is a black sheep for the entire franchise, both in the Japanese and English fandoms, and the one line he has in Nazo Puyo Tsuu that contradicts his otherwise asexual portrayal (I won't even repeat what he says...) makes absolutely no damn sense, even in context. A Schezo who portrays actual genuine interest in sexual matters in canon materials is a badly written Schezo. We have empirical proof of that.

That said, unlike with Arle, I don't feel comfortable also calling Schezo aromantic, because... I feel like he just hasn't had the room to explore whether he wants someone in his life or not yet. He had the Dark Mage business forced upon him at a very young age. He's isolated himself from people in a way that made it hard for him to start connecting again once people actually did come back into his life. When he thinks someone (I think it was Draco, but I forget) is flirting with him in Waku Puyo Dungeon, he seems genuinely flustered, not because he's interested, but because he's never thought anyone ever would act like that towards him (and unlike with Arle, that moment doesn't disrupt his characterization at all), and when he thinks Ms. Accord is flirting with him in Puyo Puyo 15th he has a minor meltdown, because he's not even sure if he wants to turn her down, but also thinks he just shouldn't have a romantic partner as the dark mage... So yeah, I think Schezo still needs time to figure stuff out for himself.

Satan is bigender or genderfluid

While he's portraying a super-masculine image whenever he's on screen, he's also shown zero qualms about slipping into more feminine roles, and openly and happily admits that he wanted to LARP as a princess in distress for Arle to save in Chronicle. His "Satan Saturn" alt in Quest is also really girlish, with the bow and the ponytail and the cherry blossoms, and he seems to be enjoying himself... As an ancient, possibly primordial demon lord, I think it would be weirder if he didn't have a rather lax approach to gender, tbh.

Oh, fun fact, in Madou Monogatari 2, the first time Satan ever appeared, his description of the person he wants to marry does not mention gender at any point. His only condition is that they're powerful, beautiful, wise and intelligent enough to make it to the bottom level of his dungeon in the Layla ruins...

Klug is a baby gay.

His babysitter-crush on Lemres is so palpable, it's downright painful. :'D Even Feli sees him as a romantic rival! The way swoons about Lemres during Tet 2 was quite telling as well.

There are a couple of moments in 15th where Klug portrays interest in women (specifically, older women...) but those just stink of comphet to me and are genuinely just extremely awkward moments that I am glad have never been addressed again since. 15th was only the second time Klug was more than a minor side character and I feel his characterization wasn't quite settled yet back then, so even aside from this, there is a lot of stuff in there that generally "feels wrong" in comparison to how the character has been consistently written in all materials since then. Even in his White Day alt in Quest, he only talks about how being popular by giving girls chocolate gifts will give him a sense of authority AND bring him closer to Lemres, so yeah. In retrospect, I absolutely read those awkward moments in 15th as comphet. He's a baby gay with a babysitter crush on Lemres and will hopefully find himself a nice guy his own age as he grows up.

Amitie will grow up to be poly and pan

In the drama CDs and novels its shown that Amitie absolutely doesn't understand why anyone would want to have only one romantic partner, and when she first hears about the concept of a "wedding" (which she apparently has never been confronted with directly before then??) she immediately wants to have one with her entire class.

Rulue attributes this to Amitie being "still a child", but I don't see it that way, given this behavior persists for two novels in succession. Even when Amitie shows signs of a specific crush on Sig, it always comes with the caveat on "I want to get others in on it too!"

So yeah. No way this girl won't have amassed a "harem" of boy- girl- and other-friends by the time she's off age and certified as a sorceress...

Raffina and Lidelle give off trans girl vibes, and Raffina is probably a lesbian

Raffina's determination to prove herself as a "lady" and Lidelle's fear of having certain of her physical features be "seen" seem to connect really strongly to a lot of my trans friends as analogue to their own experiences and I can totally see it. Portrayals like that would just blend in perfectly with their characterization.

As for lesbian Raffina, it's just a vibe I get from her. The few times she mentions handsome men, it seems more like she wants them as a status symbol, but has no actual interest in being with them. Even when she thinks the prince Otomo is looking for is "handsome", she has 0 interest in helping the man search for the prince until Otomo offers her a reward. Then, "Everyone's Dreams Come True" showcasts it even more clearly when the dream she is trapped in includes her "keeping" an army of young bodybuilders as "servants", and enjoying the fact that they want to be with her soooo badly, while she has no intention of ever giving them the time of day, holding the fact that they are "not worthy of her" over their heads. Meanwhile, when she's with other girls (like Rulue or Lidelle post Fever 2) she seems far more appreciative.

Either Maguro or Risukuma is a trans boy. Either one of them.

I don't think about this one too often, but it would make sense. Maguro was bullied as a kid for "looking like a girl", and a friend of mine has this amazing headcanon that the experiment that turned Risukuma into a squirrelbear was actually homebrew instant HRT. Amazing, 10/10.

I'll admit, this is partially just me having fun with the fact that Maguro and Ris were originally written as girls before plans for Puyo Puyo 7 changed, but, hey! It doesn't contradict with anything, so why not?

Ecolo is Ecolo

'Nuff said. There is no gender that can contain the absolute glitch in spacetime that is Ecolo.

The fact that Ecolonosuke (one of Team Ecolo, who all represent aspects of Ecolo's personality) is canonically nonbinary helps, too!

Seo and Accord are lesbians and they will get married in this essay I will-

I AM SORRY, BUT SEO CANONICALLY NEEDS ACCORD TO REMIND HER TO EAT FOOD OR SHE WILL DIE.

THEY ARE THE GASLIGHT AND THE GIRLBOSS, THEY BELONG TOGETHER (Popoi is the gatekeep)

Eight = GAY

I'm sorry, Quest is not even SUBTLE about this one!

The day Eight shuts up about how badly he wants to get closer to Zero and his genius is the day he finally forgets to breathe between his words and perishes.

Okay, so these are all the big ones. If I forgot anything, it's because I don't think about it often or because it's canon anyway (cough, cough, dapper bones...)

#neni replies #puyo puyo #pride month