#so it was a perfect example

[noperopesaredope]

I wish we had more female characters like Eleanor Shellstrop. One of the most unlikable people you've ever met. Read a Buzzfeed article on most rude things you can do on a daily basis and decided to use that as a list of goals. Makes everyone's day worse just by being there. Dropped a margarita mix on the ground and tried to pick it up, only to get hit by a row of shopping carts which pushed her into the road where she was hit by a boner pill delivery truck, killing her instantly. Cannot keep a romantic partner despite being bisexual. Had a terrible childhood but will die before she gets therapy. Best employee at a scam company. Just the worst but also can't help but root for her to improve.

Absolute loser. Girl-failure. Bad at almost everything. Literally perfect female character.

#eleanor shellstrop #you know i was thinking about how we hold female characters to such high standards #and severely criticize bitchy female characters while praising asshole male characters #and then i remembered eleanor and realized that she is the perfect example of how to write an asshole woman that the audience likes #the worse she is the more i'm drawn to her (and honestly same for tahani) #we need more cringe-fail women who nobody likes (for good reason) #the good place #female characters #writing women #girl failure #girl loser #she's so mean #i love her #my favorite #fucking asshole #iconic #the good place eleanor #tgp #tgp eleanor #kristen bell

[deadlyhuggles6]

i think the thing i love about Skizz in season ten the most is- so you know those jokes like "oh they should have one normal person competing in each sport at the olympic to show what a normal person can do"

skizz is the single normal person on this olympic server and the hermits are so concerned for him. like. nothing skizz is doing is That out of the ordinary for a regular builder hermit- but skizz isn't so the other hermits are extra aware of his limits.

from skizz's episode 3: grian: have you made this in creative at all Skizz: no i dont do stuff like that :D *worried grian silence*

Gem: it's a great idea! just dont burnout making giant things!

he's having such a great time with it but the hermits are so worried about him trying to keep up with them. i think its cute and it really shows just how aware the hermits are of how far from Normal this server is, which is hard for us, the viewers, to keep track of since we dont have non-hermits to compare the hermits against. and now we do and i love him so much

#skizzleman #hermitcraft #hermitcraft s10 #genuinely skizz was such a good addition #he's so fun and i think the ongoing bit of his shoulder tango is hilarious #but he's just a perfect example of an almost normal person compared to these master builders

[elitadream]

When we think of Mario and Peach's chemistry in the games, any rescue scene is usually what comes to mind. But there's one bit of Mareach interaction I just had to talk about because it's honestly one of my all-time favorite moments with these two.

The introduction sequence of Luigi's Mansion 3.

We see our characters on a bus ride, and the two of them are sitting side by side. Peach appears to be laughing at something Mario said, and they're both having a great time. All goes smoothly until Toad swerves to the right, causing the passengers to lose their balance and bump into each other.

It takes them a second to steady themselves, and the first thing Mario does as he opens his eyes again is glance at Peach with a smile. But it's not his trademark grin. His expression is quite softer than usual, and meeker too.

Even rarer still: he then lets out a timid chuckle. Something I've personally never seen him do in any other game. He's being shy, bless him. Not openly flustered or delighted, but actually shy.

And what does Peach do? She returns his smile with a bright and gleeful "Yahoo!". An all too characteristic exclamation that she has undoubtedly borrowed from him over time.

It's a very small and brief moment. But OMG does it say a lot about their dynamic.

It captures everything that I find so very charming and endearing about their unspoken affection, and it's a very good example of how I imagine those calm and blissful moments between them to be like. The moments we never see as players, but which are surely there as well.

I wish there was one instance where we got to fully see what a pleasant and peaceful day was like for them. But if this is the closest thing we're ever going to get, then I'm okay with that.

Because this scene alone is downright adorable and it makes me very happy. 😊💞

#I don't usually delve into canon elements in detail but- #THIS scene man 😩😍 #I love it to piece #It's so wholesome and pure #A perfect example of how I see them 🥺💖 #They have no right to be this cute darnit #mario #princess peach #mareach #mario x peach #game talk (sorta) #just had to get it out of my system 😂💕

[orcelito]

everyone always talks about That One panel of Trigun: Multiple Bullets, but i havent seen anyone talk about how fucking BATSHIT INSANE the surrounding fight is

like

Vash & Wolfwood fighting back-to-back, both using the punisher as a shield

(the rest under a readmore bc this accidentally got LONG...)

Vash seeing the shots coming from behind & purposefully not moving bc he knows if he does, Wolfwood would get hit

Wolfwood getting injured too, but not moving from Vash's back. the way he's stanced, it looks Protective. he's doing what he can to keep Vash out of the direct line of fire.

even when he's getting shot up for it, he Doesn't Move. (this also seems to be the moment he got hurt, which leads into the panel later)

& throughout this whole scene, we are only seeing Wolfwood's reactions.

until the girls give them an opening, and they burst out with THIS:

Wolfwood injured, so he can't properly aim the punisher... and he gets around this by sticking one of the leather straps in his Mouth

and then we FINALLY get to see Vash's face again as he grabs the punisher (with a "GAN" sound effect, so he fuckin SLAPPED that metal hand on the punisher).

Wolfwood trusts him enough to just do what he says in the thick of battle, so we FINALLY get to the iconic panel:

which brings us to the aboslute insanity of what Vash is actually Doing.

"DON DON" -> two shots fired for two missiles launched. he literally manages to TURN THEM AROUND MID-FLIGHT (interesting to note that they seem to have internal propulsion, rather than simply being fired by Wolfwood. how many of these does Wolfwood have? they seem heavy.)

he manages to avert the third missile from hitting the dude directly, and instead makes it land Behind him. then the other two missiles, he rests his arm on Wolfwood's shoulders to hit them and direct them behind the other two enemies

Boom.

killing no-one, but showing an INSANE level of fine control AND teamwork.

and in the end, Wolfwood's arm is in a cast, Vash seems either unhurt or hurt but unbothered by it (typical Vash). And Life Goes On.

(forgot to mention before, but all panels are from @trigun-manga-overhaul! thank u for the beautiful pages)

#speculation nation #trigun #vashwood #fanny reads trigun #fanny's trigun analysis #does this count as meta? it's more a fight analysis than anything else #sure w/e i'll tag it. i'm going pretty in depth into it anyways. #trigun meta #anyways. these 2 drive me fucking insane & this WHOLE fight exhibits it so much #the cooperation... the Protecting each other... the extreme skill... #as it's put later in the manga. 'These two are accustomed to fighting as a team.' #& honestly this is the Perfect example of it. #no id #bc it would take... an Eternity to ID all these. sorry .

[balleater]

you know what i am so glad that exu calamity gave us insight into vespin chloras's reasoning and everything because now i can confidently say that the guy who kicked off the point in exandria's history that killed 2/3 of the population and fundamentally changed the way the gods interact with the world had more understandable reasoning than ludinus da'leth does.

#critical role #vespin chloras #ludinus da'leth #also do not think this is me saying that vespin's plan was Good by any means #it is the perfect example of wizard hubris #its just that ludinus's plans are so insanely bad and fundamentally flawed #that it makes trying to replace a betrayer god and starting a centuries long divine war seem understandable

[mysillyside]

The way I completely lose all interest in Lawlight as a ship if Light isn't Kira. And frankly, I feel like L would agree with me on this one. I don't think he'd gaf abt Light in the slightest if Light wasn't Mr. Serial Killer.

#Lawlight only works if Light is Kira bc otherwise light is just some rly smart pretentious teenager. #Like you're telling me L a 24 y/o self made multi-millionaire and the world's greatest detective (top 3 if you count the aliases)- #would care in the slightest abt mr “i got a perfect score on my college entrance exam”. Be fr!! #Idk the ship loses everything that makes it fun and appealing to me if you remove Kira from the mix #Ik ppl do “Light isn't Kira” AUs to make the ship more wholesome but i'd argue it just becomes problematic in a diff way. #L is not only way older but also extremely rich and successful. If Light is innocent but still a suspect- L also has immense power over him #Ig i don't see the point of trying to make Lawlight wholesome. It's still problematic but without the goofy homoerotic enemyship. #Light being Kira not only makes them equals but gives them spice! #However I DO get the appeal of “Light isn't Kira” AUs where Light is still a fake asshole who's performatively nice but hides his real feel #But removing his misogynistic swag/superiority complex/his bitchy internal monologues to make him normal? No... #Imo even if he isn't Kira he'd still be a weirdo. The only Yotsuba!Light is so normal/nice is bc he's trying to prove to everyone- #but most importantly himself- that he's a good person incapable of being Kira. He's trying to be the best version of himself. #Pre-Death Note Light for example is never as outstanding and good as Yotsuba!Light for this reason. Yotsuba!Light is the exception. #Like the Death Note doesn't make you pretentious or hate women that was all Light Yagami. #this is such a random rant sorry guys XD again more power to ppl who enjoy this AU or normalguy!Light but I don't get it personally 😔 #death note #light yagami #l lawliet #lawlight #💬 katposts #🤪 sillygoofy

[literaphobe]

marinette doesn’t understand why adrien won’t hold her waist when she drives him through town on her scooter. she thinks maybe he could learn by example so she tries to drive a bunch of friends who All hold her By The Waist so he takes the hint that its okay instead of telling him ‘hey you can just grab onto me :)’ because they are the unstoppable force vs immovable object of making situations unnecessarily complicated. it ends in tears

#text #alya gets a little TOO good at settinf an example of how to press up and hold onto marinette when u ride on her scooter #he wants to be so respectful and so good and so perfect for marinette that it bites him in the ass bc now he gotta see the whole class hug #his gfs waist . #miraculous ladybug #mlbposting #ml action #ml action spoilers #adrienette

[a-s-levynn]

A new era

#now you know why i needed the original video #1) i was looking for a potential pose i liked better so i can switch it up but at the end this still was the best moment #2) i also wanted to check which platform the person who took the video is on so i can tag them in IG for example #anyway this is probably the best thing i drawn like.. ever #obviously not perfect but nothing ever is and i did forgo some details at the end (like the chains) #but like.. i honestly love every part of this the way it is which is a new feeling #if you like this even half as much as i do i'm happy #i'm also keeping the detail shot thing i stole from Misha because i like it a lot TmT #sleep token #vessel iv #iv sleep token #sleep token iv #iv #sleep token band #sleeptoken #levynn tries to draw

[ahalliance]

i think a crucial aspect of the codebreakers dynamic that is sometimes overlooked is how likewise enamoured phil is with étoiles . like étoiles is the god of praising and hyping people up so people tend to focus on how much étoiles thinks phil is the coolest guy ever but do not forget that phil also thinks étoiles is the coolest fucking guy to ever guy he will never pass up an opportunity to talk about how cool and strong and funny étoiles is . their relationship is built on their mutual ‘WOW this guy is awesome’ feelings for one another and it is amazing

#qsmp #philza #etoiles #étoiles #codebreakers #random 2:30 am thoughts #it is so important to me how similar these two are and how mutual their affection is #étoiles is just louder and more dramatic about it sometimes but do not be fooled lmao #also sorry im aware that like. other stuff is happening lore wise . with forever . but im off in my own world OANDKSJD #étoiles has this aura about him where people really want to impress him and catch his eye #looking at team green gay pandas . soarinng ethan blushing twirling their hair at every opportunity #and even though he’s more subtle and laidback phil is like that as well do not be fooled #like PERFECT example of this is when phil etoiles bad and pierre were hanging out at the coliseum mob spawner thing #and etoiles gave gifts to bad and pierre . phil saddled up all sly to étoiles and was like ‘well i don’t NEED a gift étoiles your sense of #humour and personality are incredible as is’ #and étoiles just started yelling at him /pos and asking what gift he wanted OSJDKSKS #i love them

[uncanny-tranny]

I think this topic is underdiscussed in the trans community, so I'd like to talk about it.

It's okay for trans people to mourn that some of us don't have the option to have children the way we'd like to. It is okay if a trans woman mourns that she is unable to become pregnant, for example, and there is no reason to shame her for how she feels. Equally, I think it can be inappropriate to tell us that there are other options besides "traditional" means of conception, like adoption. We know that there are other options, and that isn't the point.

I go back and forth on if I even want to be a father, and in both mindsets, I mourn that I don't have all the options I want to have children. It sucks. It really, really sucks. And it's hard to accept that this isn't my fault or my body's fault. That's the hardest part for me. But whether or not it's hard to accept, it isn't my fault - it isn't your fault, either, if you feel the same ways I do. Our bodies and our selves aren't the problem. We are not broken because we don't have all the options we'd like.

No matter how you feel about this topic, just know... you aren't a problem or a burden. No matter what your journey looks like, happiness and fulfillment can be found, eventually.

#trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #dysphoria tw #i kind of ignored my distress about this but i think it's irresponsible of me to do that to myself #because i deserve to express my greif and anger about this. i'm allowed to and it is healthy for me to do so #i brought up that example because far too often trans women* are shamed if they wished to bear children through pregnancy... #...asterisk because it isn't only trans women who have this wish but unfortunately i only have so many characters per tag #i'd probably adopt but the adoption process is far from perfect and some of the shit adoptees have opened up about is really upsetting #adoption can be beautiful but it isn't a perfect solution and it isn't always going to be perfect #this has just been on my mind and i really wanted to talk about it #parenthood in the trans community matters and i wish it were discussed more

[bonefall]

i'm ngl depicting thunder's prosthetic as a burden is pretty uncomfortable even if it is something some amputees experience because like. there's a huge stigma around prosthetics already you know? it's like having a parent forcibly strap a child into a wheelchair when they don't need it and having a horrible experience with it and that being your only character in a wheelchair. some full-time wheelchair users do resent their wheelchairs but when that's the only time you're bringing it up at all it feels like you're playing into our society's perception of wheelchairs and mobility aids in general as useless and best and divine punishment at worst. idk do let me know if i'm wording this wrong because i really do love better bones! it's just that this detail is... strange.

I mean, I'm open to feedback if that's not something I should do-- but I do actually have other characters in prosthetics and mobility aids! A lot of them! Thunderstar's actually the only one who ends up rejecting his own, because I also wanted to depict that it's bad to force a device onto someone who does not want one.

Especially in circumstances like Thunder Storm's, where that sort of device would be actively unhelpful for his lifestyle. It might help in open field environments like moorland, but then I got more feedback and realized that it would just make a lot of unwanted noise in a forest (since cats have carpal whiskers to help them figure out where to place their paws). Then I figured it was a good way to show how BB!Clear Sky doesn't actually listen to his son's needs and acts differently when he's not "grateful" enough for his gift.

But he's far and away from the only one with a mobility aid or prosthetic!

I haven't figured out Frog entirely yet, but he's going to be the first cat with a "wheelchair" type device, to set up a long line of cats through the generations improving on it (Probably not much more than a reinforced canvas or durable leather, as this was the age of very early flax processing)

Wildfur's the next in the big advancements, even making the Great Journey in his own and getting a side story based around Littlecloud and Cinderpelt collaborating over this

The device is then improved upon by Jessy for Briarlight, giving her a level of independence and confidence that she needs to finally cut her mom out until she learns how to behave

Deadfoot has a brace for his front paw because the joint is loose (it was based on a friend's carpel tunnel bracelet) which is affectionately referred to as The Bonker; his name is also now an Honor Title (Old name: Hoprunner) for inventing a battle move by distracting with his good paw, and then SLAMMING his other limb down hard on his opponent. It's called "deadfooting."

I think mobility devices are super important, usually massively improve quality of life, and I just enjoy designing them, so the choice to portray Thunder Storm's as negative was a very deliberate one that I did in response to what I thought was a desire in representation. Even the fact it's a hind-leg prosthetic was thought out, since those have a much higher satisfaction rate in humans than hand prosthetics, but in a cat would probably be the opposite.

Still, I'm not missing a limb, so now with all of that context presented, do you still think the same thing? Should I just add even more limb prosthetics to make the ratio of satisfied prosthetic users vs Thunder Storm even steeper?

Sunlit Frost is actually going to have a bite on his good paw go septic (the other side has permanent damage from the fire). I could have that paw get amputated and have Thunderstar "return the favor" for how Sunlit Frost created the prosthetic he rejected by helping him build his own. A pawsthetic, if you will

OR would it be better to just remove the subplot of Thunder Storm grappling with/rejecting a prosthetic that is unfitting for him entirely, and have all prosthetics be 100% treated as positive in the narrative?

#I especially want to hear from anyone who happens to be missing limbs or uses some sort of mobility or accessibility device #Ultimately I consider myself a pretty confident and well-read person but I'm just a single guy! #So I'm open to changing stuff if it's not accomplishing what I wanted it to #I'm not perfect and don't know everything. So I try to listen. #Though I will admit that I am a little emotionally attached to Thunder rejecting the leg prosthetic #I WILL drop it and back off if it is unpopular #but in addition to just liking there being an example of a time where one is unwanted and being able to explore *why* #(with a very important and powerful POV character mind you) #I do like the symbolism of it #With him chewing it off after leaving with Sunlit #Like he's literally leaving the expectations of his father behind #And Sunlit complaining about good leather and hard work lmao #BUT that said. It wouldn't be worth it if I was doing something very insensitive SO lmk. #bone babble #disability #prosthetics

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Be careful what you wish for.

[First] Prev <-->Next

#Poorly Drawn MDZS #season 1 #wei wuxian #little apple #Cheek circles have been added! And I took the time to play around with my scanner settings so the ink looks less washed out #Already feeling progress B*) #I love the twist with the fairy goddess statue it is the perfect example of why you should not make wishes to an inhuman entity #blended 'Chance Encounter' into the last comic and this one. I am once again thankful for the audio drama guide

[svtskneecaps]

also in terms of the bolas playlist it's fascinating to me that the songs added by each person have a slight tendency to represent a consistent aspect of bolas

like

the songs added by slime are their chaos

the songs added by philza are their rebellion

the songs added by cellbit are their rage

the songs added by baghera are their anguish

it's so fucking FASCINATING TO ME but i don't know enough music theory to elaborate lmfao this is Vibes Only

(mouse's songs i can't boil down to an easy noun which is why they aren't mentioned lmao anyway they go hard asf)

(also i went on the longest fucking unhinged elaboration in the tags lmfao i almost didn't have enough tags left to tag "long tags" at the end

(i could have even gone on longer in terms of where their characters were at entering purgatory [philza: cage for a cage; cellbit: fed worker murders; baghera: her past as a federation experiment; slime: turning into a code because of the code pretending to be his daughter] but i ran out of space and also time it's 4AM AAAAA)

#qsmp #qsmp purgatory #this is a sweeping generalization btw esp for baghera's she added a WIDE variety of music #qsmp bolas #sorry i forgot that tag existed lmao #i will elaborate slightly: #slime added: find your flame; gas gas gas extended; waltz of the meatball man; foghorn sound effect #philza added: b.y.o.b.; throne; the melting point of wax #cellbit added: hayloft II; brazilian dança phonk (which roier literally played during purg while beating the shit out of bbh lmao) #baghera added: can you feel my heart; still waiting; and coincidentally she added 'it's been so long' (the fnaf song lol) #TO BE CLEAR THESE ARE GENERALIZATIONS #baghera also added the government knows [REBELLION] and oops [CHAOS] #philza added given up [ANGUISH] #cellbit added zombie [ANGUISH] and tokyo drift [CHAOS] #slime added as above so below [ANGUISH] #it's not a perfect category; ESPECIALLY for baghera's songs i want to make that so clear in these tags #HOWEVER. it is interesting. #anyway i went after lyrics for these examples but just generally when going through the playlist the first time #i kind of learned that like. #music to murder to was probably cellbit; punk millenial music was probably philza #the wackiest shit was probably slime (was shocked to find out tokyo drift was a cellbit song for this reason lmao) #baghera's i usually could only pin down bc it didn't sound like anyone else's #and mouse's added songs i could not describe the vibe if you threatened me for it but it has one #i guess the closest vibe is 'a college radio station run by anime fans' and even then it's not that close #it kinda excludes songs like the b//ad bun//ny songs #unless college anime fans are also fans of them in which case great! #IDK IT'S 4 AM I WAS JUST MAKING MYSELF SAD ABOUT TILIN I NEED TO GO TO SLEEP #shut up vic #block game brainrot #long tags

[sneeb-canons]

Headcanon #400: Heart & Mind are usually never a neutral temperature. The area around them is like the sun & moon. Mind's being hot and Hearts being cold. They're body temperatures however contrast that with Mind always feeling cold like metal/machinery and Heart feeling warm like a literal heart.

[more in tags :}]

#chonny jash #cj heart #cj mind #cj soul #depending on how negative or positive they feel makes it either a comfortable temp or an uncomfortable/unbearable temp #also feel like when they're more mutually chill with eachother [like in Light & We're Gonna Win] #they're still opposite temps but coexisting together #like perfect example is a spring & a storm [literal wise not just the songs] #spring being a nice warm breeze & maybe some very light rain. so together its a nice combo & its not too intense to make a storm #and then on the other hand #the storm being the two clashing & even making a tornado since the temperatures & winds are fight so much #the end of StAAS especially is vry musically stormy/tornado like with how the tempo gets faster & their lyrics clashing together too #[which btw chonny added in the tempo speeding up cos that's not in the og & I LOVE that detail SO much] #and then during THA it becomes an uncomfy cold and as Be Born & the beginning of StAAS its an almost unbearable cold #Heart gives up control to Mind so its like if a body *literally* lost its heart #as StAAS gets through its becoming warmer from Mind & then there's the storm feel at the end #TME starts annoyingly hot & gets worse & worse as the song progresses [also kinda like a computer is overheating] #TSE [and also just Soul in general] is neither. a very empty feeling even #since Soul is the shell/vessel [Whole without his Mind & Heart] he has no temperature at all. bro is just empty feeling #at best [or worst] Soul will be a sucky inbetween. if he feels cold & puts on a thicker coat he gets too warm. #if it's too hot. it'll just wear a t shirt but then it gets too cold [kinda like having the flu/a cold] #anyways the bidding is a harsh swapping between the two. changing between who's singing #the duet bit with M&H is similar to the storm but just circling winds that aren't as violent #by Two Wuv & VoaC its much more neutral and peaceful with Soul being able to feel the positive parts to the others temperatures #but thats enough inane ranting #i like the temperature idea can you tell? #most of this idea i got months ago from thinkin more about how the end of StAAS is like a literal storm lol #the og already had fun instruments swelling & stuff that made it have a storm vibe but CJ went ham on his #i love StAAS mayhaps a lil bit

[heartbeatbookclub]

I think, in a lot of ways, Monika and Sayori are reflections of each other.

Really, I think all of the girls are similar in a lot of their issues (self-esteem, anxiety, etc) and that's something emphasized in a lot of the stories, and a big part of why they all gravitate towards each other and work to create the club as a safe space for all of them, but I think Monika and Sayori in particular are just very much alike.

I think Trust really emphasized this similarity in the reveal of Sayori's poem, Become the Flower.

Prior to shifting focus onto the poem, Monika talks to herself about her real vision for the Literature Club. I think here, Monika points out what Sayori actually meant when she said that Monika was "trying to make the club [she] needs the most, out of anyone", even if she doesn't actually realize that yet. It's pretty clear that when she says that literature is a window to the real self underneath the person who's "forced to always smile and blend in", and is "forced to be perfect", she's really talking about herself.

I think that a lot of Monika's character throughout Trust is expressed more subtly, often in a roundabout way like this. A huge part of the story is centered around Monika's own personal struggles expressing herself, and that trait is pretty well exemplified in this indirect way of talking about her own struggles. I think that the reason why Monika's characterization here is so subtle overall is reflective of this.

And I think it's pretty blatant that this is statement is also meant to be reflective of Sayori, given that we immediately move from this statement onto the poem which reveals to Monika that she's been hiding her own problems. In this way, I think Team Salvato wanted to explicitly point out how similar they really are, and draw your attention to it.

I think that the way that Trust as a story is put together is meant to really emphasize just how similar they are even in their differences; spending a great deal of time focusing on Monika's own problems, to then showcase Sayori as the mirror to them.

I think the two of them make a very interesting pair in that respect, because a big similarity they have is that they very much place others above themselves, so they both end up individually building each other up while they put themselves down. It creates this strange back and forth where they each insist they suck and the other is great, when the reality is that they're both pretty fantastic.

In the statement Monika made to herself about her vision of the club, while it's clear she's talking about herself, she frames it in the context of somebody else getting those benefits out of the Literature Club, rather than herself. Throughout the entirety of Trust, she speaks dismissively of her efforts and her problems alike, while pointing out that Sayori is providing a lot of help. Sayori by contrast spends most of her time hyping her up and points out, explicitly, that Monika doesn't give herself enough credit. She also dismisses her own efforts, pointing out in most things she does, up into the climax, that Monika is a lot better than her at whatever she's doing. And when Sayori's problems are actually revealed, she explicitly says that she doesn't want Monika to worry about her, and that she doesn't want to have this conversation.

I think this all really shows that both of them are averse to tackling their own problems head-on, and I think this comes out of a fear of being vulnerable, since that's directly mentioned several times in Monika's issues openly expressing herself.

I think what makes Monika's particular brand of self-negging quite so disheartening is that she dismisses it out of hand as her being silly and dramatic, and in that way, she doesn't actually address the fundamental problem underlying it, nor does she actually address the statements themselves as incorrect. The amount of time she spends talking down her own problems as something trivial and silly, particularly in comparison to Sayori's problems, are a manifestation of her own desire to avoid the vulnerability of even having these problems, and it's just...heartbreaking. Sayori's denial is its own can of worms, but Monika's ability to so consistently minimize her issues when they are clearly still impacting her is so uniquely troublesome.

I think a big difference between the two of them in that respect is that Monika wears significantly more of her heart on her sleeve, so Sayori finds it a lot easier to directly target Monika's problems than Monika does in the reverse, but their individual habits of avoidance are coming from the same place.

I'm traveling a bit aimlessly in this essay, trying to tie things together nicely as I see them, but there are just a lot of similarities I notice between their actions and the way they think that showcase that they have a lot of the same problems, and a huge theme in Trust is expressing oneself, which both Monika and Sayori struggle to do, in much the same way.

I think a key similarity between the two of them is their tendency to catastrophize over a situation when left alone, mostly revolving around seeing the worst possible scenario for how they could've personally messed up the situation. I'm just rewatching Trust for this little essay, so there are two major moments I see Monika doing this, but I remember Sayori doing this...a few times, actually, throughout the side stories.

I think the spiral Monika goes into after reading Become the Flower is particularly important, as it exemplifies the habit of dismissing her own problems fantastically; in this case, she has an excuse. It's true that Monika's issues with her perfectionism seem silly and trivial in comparison to Sayori's, but that's exactly the thing: She shouldn't be comparing them in the first place! Her problems are real, and they clearly cause her distress, but because Sayori's own issues appear so much more serious than hers, she dismisses them wholesale as her being dramatic and silly. Because Monika's problems seem so small, she doesn't see them for the problems they really are. In the same way, because her own accomplishments and work seem so small, she doesn't see them for the accomplishments they are.

This spiral showcases Monika's biggest problem, the reason why she has such trouble expressing herself, and conversely, the exact same problem Sayori has. She doesn't want to be the center of attention.

Put another way, she doesn't think she deserves to be the center of attention. Her problems are so trivial; her accomplishments menial. Her fear of vulnerability isn't a fear that others will hurt her; it's a fear of being selfish.

Sayori is very similar, in that the reason she actively works to avoid showing any possible sign that anything is wrong is because she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She doesn't want other people to dedicate time and energy to her.

I think that for both of them, this comes from low self-esteem. Sayori is self-explanatory I think, but I'd say Monika's perfectionism makes it exceptionally difficult for her to really feel accomplished in anything she does, which, coupled with her constant preoccupation with how she appears to other people (I think Monika places very high expectations on herself. I mean, Trust literally starts with her frantically apologizing and saying "I normally don't ever do this!" when Sayori finds her napping) makes it very difficult for her to feel confident in herself.

The fear both Sayori and Monika have in being vulnerable isn't that people will use that vulnerability to hurt them.

It's that people will try to help them.

And I think that's a really big part of why Sayori feels like she can trust Monika with her darkest thoughts, because she understands that they're the same in a lot of ways.

Monika created the club which she needed the most...and it was also the club Sayori needed the most, for the exact same reason.

I think it's kinda easy to overlook a lot of this because of the sheer amount of focus placed onto Sayori and the more explicit issue Monika has (insofar as the plot is concerned), but I think Sayori is exactly what Monika needs just as much as Monika is what Sayori needs.

#i'll probably be making a lot more of these sorts of essays on different characters + side stories #i just noticed this and thoughts it was really interesting to look at #i think there's not a whole lot of focus given to monika as a character through the side stories in general outside of this #probably because the base game gives so much #i think this is a really interesting showcase of the pressure of this expectation which monika has of herself to be perfect #one thing i didn't mention here is that monika seems to outright reject the authority/seriousness of the club president position #i think another similarity between the two of them is that monika seems to use humor to soften things which make her uncomfortable #which based on the flippant way she talks about setting an example as club president specifically #it seems like she's not exactly confident in acting as an authority in her position #idk i really have a lot to say about them. both individually and together. #musings #ddlc monika #ddlc sayori #ddlc #doki doki literature club