#((to remember that they're people and stuff and see the depth in them))
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i also forgot how much the dynamic at the start of season 11 is that ryan Does Not Like graham and feels that he's intruding/not really part of his family, and i kinda wish they'd kept that dynamic going a bit longer. having four people crammed into the tardis can work if there's interesting character dynamics between them and if they've all got something to contribute to the plot, but i feel like a lot of the time yaz was The Companion while ryan and graham got shunted off to the side in more of a comic relief role.
#dw#like. the doctor plus three companions worked really well in boomtown in s1#because the interpersonal dynamics were interesting. there was conflict and room for growth.#and also because jack is slightly more capable than the average human of fending for himself in sci-fi alien threat type situations#which means you didn't just have the doctor plus three people who have no idea what's going on/need the doctor to babysit them#boomtown could've been better if the show wasn't so committed to (again) constantly making mickey the comic relief guy.#anyway on the subject of season 11 if i'm remembering right#they resolved ryan and graham's interpersonal relationship and their grief over grace's death relatively quickly#which means there wasn't a whole lot of character arc left for ryan and especially graham to work with.#ryan still had his issues with his dad and his dyspraxia but i feel like the show wasn't that interested in giving graham much depth.#idk it's been years since i watched these episodes so maybe i'm forgetting stuff! we'll see!#but even though i like when the doctor has more than just one companion#i feel like if you're gonna try and juggle three of them then you kinda need a good reason for them all to be there.#like. a clear idea of what their arc is gonna be and what they're contributing to the show.
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Underutilized bit in LOTR, I feel, is how deeply out of his depth Boromir is within the Fellowship.
And by that I don't mean that he's the weakest or the stupidest or any of that, but rather that –against all appearances– he is the sole member of the Fellowship who is a Regular Normal Human, and he would have such a shocker slowly figuring all that out over the course of their journey. I mean:
Age. Legolas and Gimli wouldn't surprise him, since the lifespan of elves and dwarves seems commonly known to be way longer than humans, but Gandalf? The hobbits? None of these ages work as advertised and when he goes down to sit and commiserate with Aragorn about being the only Men in the company and how weird this all must be for them both Aragorn has to cough into his fist and mutter "Eighty-seven." "WHAT?!" (Yes, I know that Gondor keeps records of their Númenórean ancestors and said ancestors' extended lifespans, but consider this: the blood has thinned so much in Gondor that practically nobody lives longer than regular humans nowadays, and Boromir is canonically the jock in a family of scholars. He had to look up what/where Rivendell was after he got Faramir's Prophecy Dream, for god's sake.)
Bilbo. The entire Fellowship except Boromir has a personal relationship with Bilbo, and Boromir has neither seen nor heard of this creature in his life. Everyone else is starting off this quest with significant background knowledge of Bilbo's life and The Hobbit, whether having been told by Bilbo himself or having had family members personally involved at the time it occurred, and Boromir, again, has no clue what they're all on about.
Moria. Dwarves presumably have some built-in sensory adaptions for living underground, elf eye physics are bullshit, hobbits are stated to be far more comfortable/better navigating underground than most races, Gandalf is an Istar, and Aragorn has been hunting and tracking in various ungodly locations for most of his eighty-seven years. This means that, once again, Boromir is the only Normal Person trying to Normally Navigate a mostly-pitch-black cave system while everyone else side-eyes him for bumping into walls all the time.
Elves can sleep with their eyes open. This is admittedly not the most common thing among the Fellowship, but please imagine Boromir, still struggling to understand the fact that he's surrounded by nonhuman beings who have no shared concept of the passing of time, rolling over at 2AM to see Legolas bluescreening contentedly up at the sky, and then everyone acts like he's the weird one when he starts freaking out about it because all of them are used to traveling with/know more about elves than he does.
Even just remembering stuff off the top of my head, Boromir must have had such a weird time adjusting to being the only normal human being among the Fellowship before he, y'know. Died.
(Plus I can totally imagine Merry and Pippin giving him shit for "Well, if you're the only normal one amongst nearly a dozen people, then that's not very 'normal', is it? Maybe Men are the odd ones out and everybody else is normal.")
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you're worth it | han yujin
pairing: yujin x reader
genre: fluff
word count: 1001
warnings: none! lowercase intended, not proofread!
notes: yujinnnnn!! my little guy ugh he is just so cutie i am so devastated. anyways this was so fun to write as i procrastinate getting ready for work LMAO so i hope y'all like it <3 thank u anon for this idea it was so lovely (i know i didn't go too in depth w the actual sleepover part im SORRYYY)
you didn't consider yourself someone who got nervous particularly easy. especially not when it involved your best friend yujin. everything was easy with him. was. before you had developed a little crush on the boy.
you had done a pretty good job at ignoring the way your heart would speed up when you caught him looking at you, or when your hands brushed when you walked side by side. but you weren't sure if that same ignorance would hold up for tonight, your first sleepover at his place.
it's not a big deal. you repeated in your head. repeating the phrase like a mantra as you approached the door for his dorm. you had met a couple of his roommates in passing but the idea of meeting so many new people definitely didn't help the nerves that bubbled up in your chest.
raising your hand you knocked on the door a few times, the once silent apartment erupted in muffled noises. screams, maybe? you considered, not even having a moment to consider why there would be screaming before the door opened to yujin with a sheepish grin on his face.
you almost didn't notice the swarm of other guys standing in the apartment with wide grins on their faces. some giggling to themselves or whispering, while one you recognized, hanbin, lightly hit them on the arm in an attempt to get them to stop. you couldn't help but giggle at the group of boys, giving them a small wave before greeting yujin.
yujin hadn't realized why you were giggling until he turned around to walk with you into the apartment, letting out a groan, "please just ignore them they're being annoying." he put emphasis on the last word, some of the boys feigning offense, hands over their chests like they had just been betrayed.
"we just wanted to meet your little friend," one said with a wiggle of their eyebrows, "is that so bad?"
yujin let out another huff before reluctantly introducing you to the group. you soon learned the two giggling to each other were gyuvin and gunwook. everyone was so nice and welcoming to you that you immediately felt at ease there. the teasing remarks to yujin also seemed to help as you all laughed together for a bit.
who you remembered to be matthew spoke up as he faced you and yujin, "yujin you're really gonna let them stand there carrying their bags this whole time? not very gentlemanly of you." he shook his head, jokingly wagging his finger as he told him off causing a laugh to leave your chest before you insisted it was okay and that you didn't mind.
"no he's right, you can put your stuff in my room, follow me." yujin smiled shyly, leading you to his bedroom. you both tried to ignore the whistles and whispers from the boys behind you as the door shut behind you both.
yujin sat on his bed with a sigh, "sorry about them, they're a lot." he chuckled. you put your bag at the end of his bed before plopping down next to him.
"don't apologize," you reassured him with a smile, "they're really fun actually, i was more worried if they'd like me or not."
he turned to you with a smile, "oh don't worry, they loved you before you even got here." you let out a relieved sigh before you took a moment to process what he had said, raising an eyebrow.
"yujin," you smirked, holding back a giggle "do you talk about me to them?"
his eyes widened at the accusation, knowing deep down what it implied about his feelings towards you. "well," he brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, "you see," his voice trailed off.
"so that's a yes?" you giggled, placing your hand on his, "don't worry, i think it's cute." as soon as the word cute left your mouth yujin started stuttering some denial as his eyes darted between you and your hand on his.
watching the way his brain started malfunctioning, you knew you were the only chance of this conversation continuing, so you opened your mouth again, feeling more confident now. "i don't know if you know this jinnie," the nickname rolling off your tongue so naturally, "but i like you, a lot."
you watched as he processed your confession, a wide smile spreading across his face. "oh!" he exclaimed, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, "i uh," his hand squeezed yours lightly, looking for reassurance, "like you too, also a lot." you giggled at the boy in front of you, his smile becoming infectious, soon mirroring his wide grin.
"well good," you smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek, "now let's head back out there before they start getting the wrong idea." you didn't even give him time to think about the small romantic action before you dragged him up and to his door.
what you weren't expecting as you opened the door was the sight of 8 boys toppling over each other. yujin let out a whine at their antics, "were you guys listening to our whole conversation?" he exclaimed, not even that surprised that they would do such a thing.
"pffft no way! we were just,"gyuvin glanced around the hallway, "uhm," his voice lowered to a whisper, "gunwook help me out."
gunwook perked up, straightening out his tshirt, "we were just expecting the door hinges," he said nonchalantly, "one of them has been squeaking and we were trying to see which one it was." he came up with the excuse so quickly and with such confidence that you almost believed him.
you both laughed as you shook your head and walked past the group of boys, making your way to the kitchen, "you might wanna get used to stuff like that, especially since you'll probably be coming over more." yujin smiled as he grabbed your hand, giving it a light squeeze.
"don't worry yujin, you're worth it."
#zerobaseone#zerobaseonefics#boys planet#boys planet fics#boys planet imagines#boys planet reactions#kpop#boys planet drabbles#zb1#zb1 x reader#zb1 imagines#han yujin#han yujin x reader#zb1 yujin#han yujin imagines#han yujin fluff#zb1 fluff#zerobaseone fluff#zerobaseone imagines#zerobaseone x reader
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SUCCESSORSWAP — a death note AU || for mattmelloweek day 1 - parallels
———
the prompt for today got me thinking about a concept I came up with about a year ago… Death Note has its fair share of narrative parallels, but one I don’t see people talking about enough are the ones between the big 3 of the main cast (L, Light, & Misa) and the Wammy’s House kids from the successor arc.
think about it… Mello and Near are very clearly supposed to serve as each other’s narrative foils to replicate the rivalry between L and Light, exemplifying many of the main duo's character traits & flaws... whereas just like Misa with Light, Matt is Mello’s undying supporter who would risk his life for Mello’s sake... we see the vision right??
their narrative roles are very similar but their relationships are COMPLETELY different, and therein lies the appeal. but imagine a world in which their roles were to change places, swapping with the character who’s supposed to mirror them during the second arc… while maintaining those same relationships they have in canon. and you get:
this! an AU in which Mello is Japan's so-called "perfect top student" hiding his identity as Kira, Matt is a famous idol working as the second Kira alongside Mello, and Near (aka "N") is the genius child prodigy detective hunting them down.
it’s like death note but sillier! and in this universe I’d like to think that everyone else meant to parallel each other switches places as well. (Watari and Soichiro, the Task Force characters with the SPK, the Shinigami with each other, etc.)
but since we're focusing on just these 3 for the time being, here's a little relationship tree I threw together for them:
(sorry in advance if tumblr compression makes this unreadable)
Mello and Near hide a complex rivalry behind a facade of begrudging friendship as they work together to catch Kira (all the while Mello is covering his tracks), Matt and Near are bffs because I live for that shit, and Mello and Matt are partners in crime Bonnie & Clyde style, harboring secret feelings for each other that they mask behind a "fake" relationship.
they're fake-dating for the sake of the case (to cover up them working together as Kira) but wish they were actually dating, you guys know the trope. and I think it'd be REALLY funny if, during the Yotsuba arc in this universe, they forget about the "fake" part of their relationship in the midst of all the Death Note memory fuckery... and just start actually dating because they can't remember that it was supposed to be a facade in the first place LOL
Near is naturally very suspicious about all this (his two biggest suspects having such a close relationship is QUITE the coincidence, maybe not the best coverup after all...) and during the whole Yotsuba arc handcuff thing I think he'd probably rope Matt in too (or Matt would make Near include him because "you're not about to handcuff yourself to MY boyfriend without me!!") which would make for some silly shenanigans (and a very disgruntled Mello)
i have so many more thoughts & stuff written out for this AU so let me know what you think about the concept / if you wanna see some of my in-depth thoughts about their backstories/relationships/or even other characters & who they'd switch places with muahahaha
#mattmelloweek2024#mellodramattic#death note#swap au#wammy boys#matt#mello#near#we see the vision right... it would be funny right#no kidding i have like 50 pages worth of shit drafted for this concept#lmk if you all like this and i'll release the floodgates#special thanks to my personal mellodramattic council for helping me work out the details#you know who you are <3
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Like to think Mer!König is part Orca. I would've said Whale Shark but they're a bit too gentle...and while I do love the whole tentacle stuff König is always associated with in MonsterAUs and other FantasyAUs, I just wanted to do something different so Octopus/Squid was out of the question.
He won't take his hood off for Reader just yet, but he'll lift it slightly to eat the snacks and foods they bring him everyday when they meet at the beach. His sharp teeth startles Reader a bit, but then they quickly remember König is a merfolk, who naturally have sharp teeth to eat fish.
When he tells Reader that he's of Austrian heritage, of course Reader takes it upon themselves to bring him snacks and foods that originated or is common in Austria. König is obviously over the moon to have foods he hasn't had since his mother was alive.
Speaking of his mother, she was completely human while his father was a merfolk just like him, making König a hybrid that can survive on land and in the ocean....but he still have to make sure his tail doesn't dry out. It gets all dry and itchy and just an overall pain in the ass to deal with if he lets his tail dry out.
König brings Reader food that his species eats as well....even if it really is only fish, kelp and other edible animals from the ocean's depths. Like, imagine that scene from HTTYS when Toothless offers the fish to Hiccup. That would literally be König and Reader the first time he brings Reader something to try.
He'd watch Reader curiously as he waits for them to take a bite out of the squid he brought them. If/when Reader hesitates, he visibly tenses up and....was that a growl? Oop, Reader takes a reluctant bite, slowly chewing before giving a pained smile. König is oblivious and thinks Reader thoroughly enjoyed it, so he brings them more. He knows people eat raw fish all the time, as sushi exists....so he doesn't see any problems with this.
#cod#cod mw2#cod mwii#cod modern warfare#cod mw3#cod x reader#konig x reader#konig call of duty#konig mw2#konig cod#könig mw2#könig x reader#könig cod#könig call of duty#könig#mer!au#merman!au#mer!konig#mer!könig
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day one
~2k
chapter select!
i do not got this.
[name] could barely sleep because of her nerves. she kept replaying the worst scenarios possible in her head.
what if he rejected her in front of everyone? she'd have to leave the school from the embarrassment. she'd be trash-- the trash of society!
maybe she just needed to eat.
she crawled out of bed, put on her house slippers, and made her way down to the kitchen.
she saw a couple other early risers along the way, momo greeted her and congratulated her on her successful mission, and iida told her not to stay out past curfew.
same old, same old.
she started to make some chai to drink. "maybe momo would want some, i should make her a glass." [name] pondered out loud while preparing the tea.
she went up to give the glass to momo. "ah, thank you [name]!"
"no problem momo."
she then on her way down, eyed katsuki who was heading to the kitchen at the same time as her.
okay [name]. stay cool.
she poured herself a glass. he walked up beside her.
"yo."
"hey, you want some chai?"
"sure."
she poured him some in a glass, and he nodded appreciatively.
so far so good. she didn't even need a third wheel.
katsuki looked around as if to make sure no one else was with them, then he said...
"did you see when usui kissed misa, and jumped off the building?"
"yes! it was so cute, he really is the best."
"how did he not break his legs though? he should've broken a leg, it would've been such an easy plot point to develop. she could've taken care of him and gotten closer to him that way."
[name] thought for a second. "i mean, maybe the author thought it was too predictable though? you gotta read the next volume. what happens next is so cool!"
"no spoilers [name]."
she sighed. "it wouldn't be spoilers if you weren't such a slow reader. hurry up! it's literally pictures!"
"you didn't even finish ouran high school host club loser. don't talk to me."
"pfft. i watched the anime, who needs the manga?"
"the anime didn't even go in depth to all the arcs!"
"whatever man."
"do you even remember the characters?"
"yes i do! i'm not an idiot."
"then who's your favorite host?"
"kyoya."
"why?"
"because-" oh no. "because sometimes he reminds me of--"
"heya guys! what're you doing? flirting over here?" kirishima exclaimed. expertly cutting her off.
she really did need a third wheel. and she did need to thank kirishima and call him the manliest man in the world, because he really saved her ass.
"no, shut up shittyhair." katsuki remarked, before going off to the side to cook something.
'thank you!' [name] mouthed.
'for what?' kirishima mouthed back.
she facepalmed internally, but mouthed back, 'i'll tell you later.'
he did a signature smile, before going to pester bakugo.
she was saved, for now. she went to go get cleaned up for classes. she did her hair, a bit of makeup, ironed her clothes, and readied her bag.
now, to survive school.
✧˖*°࿐
luckily, she sat next to mina the entire day. unluckily, all the girls in the class were avid gossipers. which would've been great.. every week except this one.
normally [name] would never be nervous while gossiping. she could read others like a hawk, and if she didn't have shoes on, she could focus to an extent and feel their heart beats to confirm or deny whatever they're saying.
of course, she wasn't a bully. she'd only ever think about whether they were lying or telling the truth to herself. she just wished she could keep it to herself today.
"hey [name]." oh no.
"we all always talk about our crushes and stuff-"
stop please.
"so we gotta ask,"
mina please step up!
"we gotta ask why you're so respectful? like c'mon! live a little and talk a bit of trash about some people. there's gotta be something or someone you don't like." mina cut in, saving the day.
who knew the third wheeling would extend to people she didn't even have a crush on?
"uh, well it's not that i don't like people, it's more i don't wanna bother myself thinking about them."
"really? well, who don't you like?" damn it jirou and your good questions.
"mineta." phew, good save me!
"that's too easy of an answer, like, do you hate anyone from 1-b?" Uraraka asked.
yay another easy answer! "i don't hate anyone from 1-b."
the girls all seemed to accept it, phew, nobody ask the opposite and we're good.
"hey, but aren't we asking [name] the wrong question?" tsuyu suddenly said
no! not when i was just safe!
"oh yeah, [name]. who do you like?"
"b--"
"who's ready to learn?" present mic yelled as he jumped onto one of the desks in the front.
"get down. alright settle down and get into your seats. class is starting." mr. aizawa said, the commotion effectively covering her answer.
the girls all went to their seats.
--------
the next hurdle was lunch time. piece of cake.
except for the fact that she'd always sit in between katsuki and mina.
no big deal.
everything started out normal. everyone besides bakugo did their best to not question [name] directly, as they found out only when it was directed to her that she'd be forced to answer.
bakugo was luckily never much of a talker himself, only butting in to defend himself or jokingly insult others, even though majority of his insults held no weight.
but sometimes they'd catch themselves in the middle of their sentences, and have to fix their speech before [name] would be forced to answer. the goal post was moved from not confessing to not making her answer any odd questions at all. because bakugo would definitely notice her robotic answers.
"yeah like, didn't [name] totally-- i mean uh-- didn't we all totally flunk that test?"
-
"[name] remember when we-- uh-- i mean guys remember when we snuck out that one time?"
"which time?"
-
"dude, the convenience worker totally has a crush on [name]! right [na--] uh-- everyone?"
[name] focused almost unconsciously, and she noticed that katsuki's heart beat was speeding up for some reason. huh.
-
"you idiots are acting weird today." bakugo said out of no where.
"what? pfft. no way." sero said, trying to play it off.
"you're crazy man, i mean.. we're all acting normal. it's you who's acting weird!" denki said, before laughing awkwardly.
"yeah something is definitely up. how many of you dumbasses are in on it?"
"what? bakugo you're being uh-- irrational."
"since when do you talk like that raccoon eyes?"
"uh-- since i studied?"
everyone face palmed at that.
"okay the jig is up. the fuck is going on?"
"uh.. gotta go. i'm uh-- real hungry! needa get some sun y'know? see ya!" [name] left before anyone could stop her.
mina followed after her, leaving denki, sero, and kirishima to use the collective 5 brain cells they have to try and convince bakugo that nothing was up.
she was so gonna owe them more than a dinner for this.
၄၃
[name] didn't know what lie they were gonna come up with. and to be honest, she really didn't want to find out.
as she sat on the rooftop, she let the chloroplasts out on her skin, which made her have a couple green-ish spots all over.
"eating really does help." [name] murmured.
"watching you eat is so crazy! i mean you're literally turning green!" mina said, eyes wide and wonder filled.
"...you're literally pink.. but okay."
"hey, can't we ask mr. aizawa to nullify the quirk while we're in class?"
"... mina that is the smartest thing you've ever said."
"cool! we'll need to update everyone at our daily meeting today. as long as he agrees we'll only need to worry about other times!"
"we should go now, before class starts."
"okay! you go ahead, i'm gonna go see what our other agents said to bakugo."
"agents?"
"just go!"
‧��˚✩彡
"um.. mr. aizawa? may i come in?"
"yes." he grumbled sleepily. he was in his sleeping bag, barely looking up at her.
"what is it [name]? is this to clear up about you being on the floor? because i really didn't care."
"uh.. no. this is about something that happened while i was on the mission."
"go on." she could tell that even though he seemed completely uninterested, that she had his full attention.
"well, you see, i was hit by a quirk. a truth telling quirk. and it's going to last for 6 more days."
"oh?"
"and.. i'd really appreciate your help. if you could nullify my quirk during just time when we're sitting in the classroom, it'd help a lot." she bowed respectfully as she made her request.
the room was silent as aizawa was seemingly thinking it over.
"sure, why not."
"thank you! i won't forget this!"
ೀ
the second half of the day went by like a breeze. because mr. aizawa was cancelling her quirk, she lived her life in temporary peace for the remaining hours of the school day.
she smiled with relief, everything is going good now.
she cleared up her answer with the girls while she still could,
"guys, i don't have a crush on anyone. im just too busy."
and then she relaxed fully.
the walk to the dorms was easy, she didn't have to worry about dinner since she didn't eat, and she could always call an early night to get out of uncomfortable situations.
easy peezy.
she had no time to talk to bakugo for the rest of the day, since he had such an early bed time.
at last.. the daily meeting was here.
"alright guys! great saves today! here are the rankings for best agents. [name] would you do the honors?"
"yes. unless the honors is a person. i do not know them well enough to do them.
...
just give me the damn chalk."
mina held back a laugh while she walked up.
"okay, on the bottom we have.. denki."
"what? no way!"
"yes way! you were being way too obvious earlier! which brings me to my next loser: sero."
"no way, this is rigged."
"no it's not! what point of no questions do you not understand! anyways
next up, we have kirishima. amazing work this morning!"
kirishima bowed jokingly.
"and lastly, one for one, we have alien queen mina!"
"this is so rigged!"
"obviously she'd win, they're best friends!"
"sounds like jealously! anyways-- thank you [name]! take a seat."
[name] took a seat as mina resumed her place as the leader.
"okay agents! we have a new addition to the team: mr. aizawa!"
"what?" everyone said collectively.
"correct! i came up with the brillant idea for him to use his power on [name] during class time when we're all just sitting around. that's how i earned top spot!
so now, our sub-operation is this:
plan [name]'s perfect confession."
"what?" [name] scoffed, "that's not part of this operation!"
"and besides.. with what denki told bakubro earlier.. we can't go on with that yet."
"what the hell did you idiots tell him?!"
"we just said you were embarrassed because you have crazy woman issues and don't want anyone to question you right now! he interpreted that however he did!" denki defended.
"hey-- i didn't say any of that. it was all you man."
"way to throw me to the wolf sero!"
"just get out! all of you!"
"meeting over guys!"
"mina what the hell?! i thought you went to make sure they didn't say anything super stupid!"
"i did! but it was too late.. see ya [n/name]!"
my life is over.
prev | next!
#bakugo#bakugo x you#bakugo x y/n#bakugo fluff#bakugo x reader#bakugo katuski#bnha bakugou#bakugou katsuki#mha bakugou#katsuki bakugo x reader#anime fic#anime#fluff
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Do you have any initial thoughts on the update? I have so many crossing my mind.
[rubbing my hands deviously before remembering i should put this under the cut so people can avoid in-depth spoilers]
first - between this latest update and The Homewarming Incident, i'm beginning to notice A Pattern of home reacting very quickly when they either see an opportunity to have the spotlight on them, or if they think said spotlight is being taken away from them. consider for a moment how most of wally's dialogue this update was just him speaking on home's behalf. and i mean - the homewarming party was supposed to be for them. it's in the name, after all. they don't seem to have many qualms about sacrificing another neighbor's wellbeing for it, either. i wonder if they were even counting on the neighbors generally not having the Best emotional problem-solving skills to take care of the rest, or on neighbors like eddie or poppy being less likely to speak up if they went just a bit too far in getting them out of the way for a while. it has to be frustrating, being rooted to one spot and only being able to be part of a scene once other people happen to wander by. i imagine it'd be very easy to resort to doing anything to make that happen. i also imagine that you'd get very attached to the one person who always comes back at the end of the day, and that it's very important that it stays that way.... much to think about.
anyways. let's ALSO talk about the ending to the awayfrompryingeyes version of the video! the little bit of the storyteller's conversation that we hear when they stop narrating, the fact that the two people we hear at the end of the audio clearly Sound a lot like sally and frank but are left unidentified in the transcript - i don't think it's a huge reach to guess that this is the first we're hearing of the actual playfellow staff. y'know, voice actors, puppet handlers, etc etc. but then... is that poppy at the end of the video? or is it her actor/handler? if it's the latter, when did poppy leave the scene? where does poppy end and poppy's actor begin?
to elaborate: i've written a lot about how the horror of a puppet's existence in welcome home is that they cannot exist without being maneuvered around by something so much bigger than them (if not in literal size than by virtue of being considered a Full Person whereas a puppet is a simulacrum of a person) that it borders on incomprehensible, right? and also about how i'm not a Huge fan of the idea that things are only starting to go sideways for the neighbors bc they're actually possessed by human souls, but the Idea of possession could work for me in a select few contexts? what if we're seeing a sort of role reversal of the typical possession theory stuff here - instead of humans possessing puppets, it's puppets (making an attempt at) possessing humans, however unconsciously or imperfectly. after all, if you really, truly cannot exist without that aforementioned incomprehensibly vast presence, i suppose your next best bet would be to try to subsume it into yourself somehow.
but this also comes with a cost. it's not wrong to want to exist or to have autonomy. but could you really just end another's existence to get that? would you know what to do with it afterwards? i know i'd have a hard time with it, at least.
...of course poppy could have just ceased to exist temporarily once the door was opened/her actor Presumably got out of costume, but let me have this late night ramble.
i think those are all my thoughts for now! this was a short but Meaty update. maybe i'll have some more in the morning.
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The Trainee’s workplace authenticity
One of my favorite things about workplace TV shows is when the characters actually do work. AND when the details of such work are not only relatively accurate, but also essential to how the characters relate to themselves, the world and each other. So far, "The Trainee" is giving that to me in the first two episodes.
Having interned/been an assistant at a TV production company and later moving to entertainment journalism and managing interns/junior writers there, I can appreciate both Ryan's and Jane's POVs. Here's what I liked so far:
Good Pick's pink tube slide and movie theater seats in the lobby - A lot of these entertainment-adjacent companies take a cue from Silicon Valley and have this frivolous, frat-boy design aesthetic -- bean bag chairs, foosball tables, etc. I worked in an office that had a ping-pong table. The idea is to make it fun enough that people want to stay in the office and work longer, which isn't really all that great. You stop seeing that fun stuff after a while and just want to get home. That said, I'd love to work in a company with a fire pole in it, but that would be too much of a liability.
Ryan's fluke hiring - Baimon totally hearing what he wants to hear from Ryan in that sham interview is hilarious but sadly not all that unusual. What sucks is that this is unfair to the manager who then must work with the unqualified person, and unfair to that person hired also, who isn't the best fit for the position. I've been the person saddled by the unfortunate hire and have had to make do … and sometimes you can figure it out, but often you're left doing extra work to make up for their deficits. If it's just an intern, no problem -- they'll be gone in a few months. I felt Jane's pain!
Ryan's uncertainty & silence - That said, Ryan clearly wants to do well but is out of his depth since this was not even what he was learning in school. I remember the first day as a journalist for a small company where I kind of was on my own, and nobody told me what to do. I was like, "WTF??" Part of you doesn't want to ask questions lest you expose your imposter identity, but you're also wondering just how long you can do nothing before someone notices.
The printer always breaks down -- always. You get pretty good at troubleshooting everything until resorting to calling a technician
Jane's prickly demeanor - The fact is that in any company, people who are competent can move up, but that doesn't automatically infuse them with good managerial skills. I think workshops, etc. are a must for anyone who gets promoted and suddenly have people reporting to them. Everyone can get frustrated when they're overwhelmed, so I do have some sympathy for Jane. He does have one skill that I think is essential to be a good manager: identifying and acknowledging the strengths of an employee. It really makes all the difference that he finally sees Ryan as an asset, not a hindrance.
Ryan's skills aren't that bad at all - As soon as Ryan tells his family that he's no help to anyone at work, he immediately shows five different ways how much he's relied on by his family. Yes, people who are competent, reliable and can anticipate needs (like how his sister needs to be reminded to charge the battery after using the camera) will be able to apply those skills to other situations and can go far. Ryan just needs to familiarize himself with the industry first in order to know how he can fill in the gaps. (I believe in being able to change careers and taking big pivots in life.)
The interns banding together - OMG I remember sometimes just being unsupervised while trying to get a project together, and there is a strange bond you have being the youngest and least experienced. And you do have the most stupid conversations.
Being one cog in a bigger machine - I really appreciate how they show all the different departments that have to come together to make one project work -- especially when last-minute changes need to be implemented or a persnickety client has opinions. You complain, you worry, you put in extra late hours and have to make 11th-hour fixes -- but it's so satisfying to see it all come together. Shit goes down, and you fix it.
Hiring extras - The hiring of extras at Good Pick was different from what I've experienced. I actually have been an extra, and what I'm used to is being part of a company or agency that has you in their database, and then you get picked or cast by that company and sent to your gig. But that's in Hollywood and for TV shows & movies. It's probably different for ad houses or in Thailand, but I did like how they showed that it is still a casting process. There are deliberate decisions made, and certain looks sought out. I thought it was hilarious that Ryan's first thought for hiring the salaryman was to get an uncle from the same restaurant as the auntie. If he had his way, everyone in that restaurant would be hired for some gig or another.
Ryan getting scammed by the extra - I was screaming at Ryan as soon as he offered to pay that scammer extra. Just … no, boy. You had to have known that was shady. BUT despite being duped, he was willing to think on his feet and try to solve a problem by being proactive, and that does happen. And so do mistakes. He just needs to calibrate his radar for what is OK. (I'm glad Jane saw that.) Ryan is lucky that it only cost him 1,000 baht for that lesson.
Extras must be on hand and wait - OK this is a scene in the preview for Episode 3, but I was so happy to see it: Extras in Hollywood actually cannot just spend 5 minutes or whatever to do their job, even if that's how much you see them onscreen. There's a ton of hurry up and wait on film sets, and so extras have to stay in Holding -- usually just a designated area with some chairs (sometimes you get tables) -- until you're needed. And production schedules never run on time, so it can be hours or even days. You're lucky if you're there long enough to get a meal, if the temperature is nice, if you're able to make friends with the others and if there's wifi. Sometimes you bring your own clothes for wardrobe based on what you're told, and sometimes the wardrobe department supplements your wardrobe with extra pieces to help complete a specific look. And yeah, you're not able to leave except for the bathroom, so Ryan definitely shouldn't have let that one extra wander off.
"Ryan After Work" - I like these post-credit sequences that give extra insights into the job. And while the first one was more instructional, explaining how the production house differed from an agency, the second was more about the cohort camaraderie (and hinting at Ryan's positive feelings toward Jane). I hope the romance aspect of the show doesn't overshadow the work specificity going forward!
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The Double ep 15-16 reaction
I'm glad they added another flashback of her brother and included his escort friend from the novel. Minor character and a small tragedy but it humanizes him for me. He was just a sincerely nice guy who wasn't kind to her as an aim to possess her, but because he was a good person. And so she never forgot him. She thinks he forgot her - only to learn he never cut ties with her; he was killed. Little tragedies, small people that royalty step on like ants.
To me it feels important that as much as the drama gives her husband depth and makes us sympathize with his situation, it shouldn't allow us to forget that her family was destroyed. We didn't see it happen, like the shovel to her head, but her father was his teacher. Xue Zhao was his brother in law. Their names may no longer matter to anyone else, but our protagonist will not allow them to go unavenged. [lil note from the novel I liked - novel!Duke Su being perplexed and unable to figure out how FL is getting this successful escort to assist her, when even he seems to respect how impossible it is to get a handle on the woman - because she has a secure position as a popular escort & enough money & is satisfied being exactly where she is (doesn't want to fight for favor as someone's treasured concubine), independant and unable to be threatened or bribed. so what could possibly move her?]
(Now this is sorta thematically tying in with the backstory drama created for ML with this bandit. ML's general dad was a good person and so he wasn't forgotten by this person whose life he touched, so presumably he'll do ML a favor. FL and ML have turned into schemers and are willing to get their hands dirty; but are aided in their quest by the fact that their dead family had a positive impact on some people who still remember it?? Be interesting to see if this does become a minor theme 🤔)
ANYWAY let's get to the good stuff: Last episode ML started realizing he's catching feelings. This episode FL feels jealousy and isn't shy about it ('can't I?'). We're making real shippy progress here!
He very much still enjoys watching her strut and perform. But the distance between them is slowly closing. That whole drinking game scene was pure gold.
"Are you not upset now? "Huh?" THE LOOKS THEY EXCHANGE AT THIS.
He's entered the play, joining her on stage instead of coldly manipulating from a high vantage point. Her walls are down for a moment and he's not even hiding his bias. Blatant flirting and she has him smiling. Yes, he has 2 agendas here but unlike the last failed 'date' they were playing together, not her in the role of pawn. I love a smart ML. Boy is not gonna fumble this chance to have his schemes AND a woman who's perfect for him.
I found this subplot of FL foiling the Li clan's plans for Ye clan her most clever manuveuring in the translated novel (up to ch 113). Though it's being compressed for time & tweaked, still satisfying to see her outflank the corrupt local government. As well, very glad to see the ML point out that she has a double-motive... to intentionally make the Jiang and Li irreconcilable. (They're not her real family, they're her enemies!) Nooooooo don't have multiple layers to your plans, it's too sexyyyyyy
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Games I Played In 2024 And Whether Or Not I Thought They Were Good (Part 3/4)
[1] - [2] - 3 - [4]
More of them! I've been doing these roughly in chronological order so I'm going to have more to say about these ones probably.
Another Crab's Treasure
Haaaaaah. Mixed feelings on this one!
The idea is that it's a Dark Souls game, only, like, vibrant and colorful and ocean-themed. You're a hermit crab who's trying to get his shell back! Cute!
First off: if you get this game, do not get it on the Switch. It is broken on Switch. Like, crashes regularly, freezes up on simple object interactions, drops frames all the time... it's rough. I've seen LPs of people playing the PC version, where it looks and plays much better, so that's probably what you want to do instead. I'm shocked Nintendo let them release it on their store in this state.
And... that kind of colors my perception of the gameplay, too, because it turns out soulslike difficulty gets way more frustrating if you're usually dying to the game freezing up during an enemy attack, or the camera getting stuck where you couldn't see the tell animation, or some other technical issue that completely wasn't your fault. I was fighting the game every step of the way.
That said, I can easily see the version of the game that works, and the gameplay's pretty fun! The various shell powers, the rolling mechanics, and the smart enemy design make it really smooth to play when it's actually running at full FPS. The environment design is also really good, and overall it's very well-executed.
Hated the story, though. What a mess. It's... totally thoughtless doomer nonsense, whose primary message is "capitalism bad!" while completely failing to depict any capitalism and instead having the government be bad. It's all half-formed ideas from people with no model of how the world actually works- just a vague sense of anger at powerlessness and disenfranchisement, directed at incoherent strawmen. The speech where the evil corrupt mayor tells you that laws exist to make it legal for him to kill anyone who defies him is especially eye-rolling- as is the strawman of techno-optimism who shows up as the surprise final boss. Just idiotic stuff.
None of its metaphors even work on its own terms- like the thing where pollution is a nebulous force of corruption caused by greed in the hearts of the crabs who hoard trash, except that the greedy trash hoarders live in the clean colorful heights and the poors with no trash live in the polluted undercity with too much trash. Wait, what? Yeah.
Fun though.
Loop Hero
This one was really cool! It feels like there's some potential it had that it didn't realize, but I enjoyed it as a smaller experience anyway.
The idea is... the world's been destroyed, and you can sort of bring it back by remembering. As you walk along this desolate looped path autobattling enemies in search of a boss, you can put down tiles that change it- biomes that spawn different types of monsters, buildings that give you buffs, and terrain with global effects. As you progress, you unlock more types of tiles, and learn synergies between different types of tiles that create new effects.
There's a lot of these, and they're really cool. Like, put down nine mountains or hills in a square, and bam, you get a tall peak that spawns harpies to fight. Or put forests next to a lightning tower, and get burning forests that, uh, I think lower everyone's HP or something? Place a light source next to a field, and it blooms with flowers, doubling its XP bonus or whatever it is those do.
My problem I think is just that there's not enough of them. Each type of tile has between two and four different kinds of interactions with other tiles, and you don't really get too many elaborate combos. Most types of tiles ignore each other. I kind of wish there'd been a little more depth to these systems, with more surprising interactions with older terrain types as you unlocked new ones. Let me run a river past a spider nest and get diving bell spiders, or put a storm tower next to a vampire castle to spawn frankensteins! The surprise tile synergies were the most exciting part, and there was definitely room to include more of them.
The story had some kind of cool things to say about, like, the weight of creation, passing judgment on the world, deciding what has the right to exist. I don't know that it really explores it fully, but there's something there!
Hades II
Yep, this thing's in early access! And no surprise: it's good as hell. I've wasted far too much time in it.
Gameplay-wise, it's going to be pretty familiar if you've played Hades, but there's a few major changes. The most impactful, I've found, is that you only get one dash. No upgrading it with the mirror or getting more from Hermes- you get one, and then can hold down the button to run slightly faster if you gotta move fast. This makes Melinoe play very differently from Zagreus, who favored getting in close and overwhelming foes with a flurry of blows before zipping back out with dashes when things get hairy. Melinoe needs to stay safe a lot more than Zag does, and relies on her ranged options to do so.
(There's also a few other tweaks- every attack comes with a charged version that costs mana from a mana bar, olympian calls are replaced with "moon blessings", and of course all the weapons are new and take some getting used to- but the dash is the biggest thing.)
The story, this time, is fascinatingly weird. It concerns a war between the gods and the titan Chronos, and... it's not entirely clear if you're on the right side of it. They play up how callous and evil the gods are with respect to mortal life, and have multiple supporting characters who put this concern front and center where Hades 1 kind of sidelined it. But Melinoe is this weird, uptight honor student type of character with a strong sense of propriety and familial loyalty, and kind of doesn't care about that compared to her quest to rescue her family.
It keeps, like... dropping hints that you're not really on the right side, here? Chronos is personally unpleasant and loathsome, but you keep getting little hints that what he's actually doing is an improvement over how the gods were running things. Various character arcs seem to be headed in a "the gods suck and you should stick up for your non-god friends" direction, but...
...I mean, they can't actually do that, can they? Just, structurally! It's a roguelike, meant to be infinitely replayable! Hades 1 had a pretty elegant resolution to that problem, reframing the gameplay as something that can fit without the central conflict, but I can't imagine how Hades 2 could possibly do that. An entire section of the world takes place on a fleet of ghost ships sailing to join the war effort! Even Melinoe failing to grow and just winning seems incompatible with the game continuing. A good chunk of the game doesn't exist without the conflict! I don't see how they can possibly put a bow on all this, and I'm excited to see how they try.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
My favorite game from my childhood has received an updated rerelease on Switch... and they did it right. You gotta check this out.
I've talked about why TTYD is great before- I think one of the first posts on this blog, waaaaaay back in the day when my posts were bad and you shouldn't go looking for them? But the upshot is: the battle system uses small numbers, and you can figure out exactly what kind of damage you can dish out and take in a given turn, and plan your risk-taking and resource management around it precisely- in a way you can't really do when you've got big damage numbers with RNG ranges of outcomes. All the risk is in the execution of your guards and special moves, which let you attempt harder inputs in exchange for more favorable outcomes, with a chance that you'll fail because you fucked up,
Going back to it after so long... honestly, with fresh eyes, the writing isn't quite as lively as I remember? Like, I remember a big reason I was disappointed by later PM games was that there were no partners, or that the partners didn't really talk or figure into the story. But... honestly, TTYD does have that same problem, outside of the chapters where those characters are introduced. Once someone's In Your Party, their relevance is kind of over, and they all deliver pretty similar filler lines while out. That's something they could maybe improve on in a proper sequel.
Still, the writing generally remains sharp and very funny, and the variety of scenarios it throws at you are great. And the remake adds a few things that really enhance the experience- like new remixes of the battle theme for every chapter, and extra animations for every character, even the random background nobodies. You can hit NPCs with your hammer and they'll play a little "hey, ow!" animation now! Different characters get different dialogue bleep sounds! And they added a warp hub for backtracking, so the General White quest isn't so tedious! And a warp pipe between Creepy Steeple and Twilight Town, to cut out like an hour of pointless backtracking! All the changes they made were really smart.
(Including: putting Vivian's trans stuff back in the script, after it was cut in the original localization. Good on you, Nintendo!)
Pokérogue
I was weak. I held out two months, and then gave in. And I regret everything.
This fucking thing ate multiple months of my life. It's... infuriatingly addictive. It boils the Pokémon experience down to this ultra-tuned flow state, with accelerated levelups and mechanics to streamline the game into a roguelike form factor, and it's so goddamn tight. Every moment of it is setting you up with a thing you can do next, so there's no stopping points- just new goal after new goal after new goal. It totally hijacked my brain until I beat the damn thing into submission, doing absolutely everything it's possible to do in it.
Except "ever voluntarily using Skwovet", because fuck that thing.
Don't play this. It's bad for you.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Technically not a new game, but the DLC is basically an entire new game, with a map about the size of the base game and its own progression system and story.
I don't have too much to say about the DLC itself! It's More Elden Ring. Miquella's story is cool and tragic, the final boss was a terrifying surprise, and the new environments and enemy designs were sick as hell. If you liked Elden Ring for those things, there's more of it here! 'Nuff said.
What stuck out to me was... I started a new character and a whole fresh playthrough of the game, because I didn't know what the entry point to the DLC was. And while last time, I built a strength-focused warrior with tons of HP, this time I decided to try out a totally different build and play a squishy wizard with ranged attacks. And the game was so different like that! Still balanced, still fun, but completely a different game.
Instead of being about getting in close, staying in close, and sticking around for a long time while finding openings to attack, it became about staying at a safe distance, dodging projectiles, and retaliating with nuke spells to end fights before bosses could get much of a chance to hit me. Some areas that were a huge problem for me before were trivialized by my reusable ranged blasts, and some areas that were no trouble were suddenly a difficulty cliff because there was no way to be effective at range. I'm surprised at how much of a transformation it was! Impressive feat of design.
WEBFISHING
This is a cute little multiplayer fishing game based off Animal Crossing's fishing system. It's a relaxing little second-screen game without too much going on! Not too much to say about it- it does what it sets out to do. Kinda wish they'd tried a little harder for some of the fish "jokes", though- a lot of them are anti-humor about not having a joke for this one. I will retaliate by... not having much of a review for this one.
DEATHLOOP
This thing was fuckin' cool. You're an amnesiac trapped in a time loop- but not just any time loop. The people on this island came here specifically to trap themselves in a time loop, where they could kill each other and live out hedonistic fantasies with no consequences, but something fucked up and now only you and a crazy lady who's trying to kill you are actually experiencing the loop. For everyone else, it's their first day, and they don't take kindly to you trying to break the loop and ruin their fun.
In order to break the loop, you have to kill a bunch of important assholes (called "Visionaries") who've somehow anchored the loop to themselves. But you've got to do it in a single day, and they're scattered all over this huge island- so you've got to come up with a plan. Find ways to manipulate where they'll be at what times, when they'll be vulnerable, and line up that perfect killstreak.
It's fun stuff. Initially, it seems impossible- they're too spread out, too inaccessible, too heavily-defended. But as you work on figuring them out one at a time, you learn lots of little details about gaps in their defenses, ways to fuck with their routines, and traps you can set for them so they'll die without you needing to be present. It's like a mystery game, even though the minute-to-minute gameplay is a pretty standard stealth action shooter.
(Said gameplay's pretty fun on its own- though weirdly, the starting pistol pretty much kills everything in the game in one headshot and has perfect accuracy, so I'm not sure why they bother giving you other guns. I upgraded to Frank's SMG which is basically the same gun but it reloads instantly, and basically never needed to use anything else.)
The story's... a little weird. It tries to focus on the relationship between Colt and Julianna (your also-looping nemesis trying to stop you from breaking the loop), but like... she's not... there, except as an annoying random superboss encounter that sometimes spawns in the middle of you trying to do other shit. She's just a voice over the radio that snarks at you and doesn't have any relationships with any of the other characters.
So like, ultimately you learn a twist about who she was to you before you lost your memory, and she explicates her reasons for wanting to protect the loop, and there's like, some decent character work being done there?
Buuuuuut, in attempting to foreground this character dynamic and make it the main resolution to the game, they kind of forgot to give a satisfying resolution to anything else. Like, these seven people you spend the whole game obsessively stalking and learning everything about so you can efficiently murder them in one go... don't really get a resolution other than being anticlimactically murdered. And there's like no resolution to like, what is the loop and how does it work and why did it get fucked up and what are the stakes here. It's all so meticulously done that I get the impression some writer somewhere answered these questions while plotting it, but they just either didn't put any of it in the game, or I missed something huge.
One negative I will say is: this thing made my old computer overheat like instantly. I had to build a proper gaming PC before I could run this thing- and that was in fact my main motivation for building it, was because I wanted to play this game without my laptop melting. Not really playable on smaller machines, even on minimum settings.
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One more coming down the line, for the games I played but didn't beat this year, and that should do it!
[1] - [2] - 3 - [4]
#game rec#game review#elden ring#deathloop#loop hero#hades 2#pokerogue#ttyd#not going to tag ACT 'cause i was super negative about that one and don't want people getting on my case
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Caduceus is going to be doing so much of the Pro Gods heavy lifting in the animated CR universe it is unreal. He does a lot in the Campaign anyway, but with the way the story is trimmed down and distilled, most of the small npc interactions that add breadth and depth are not going to exist. It's really all on him and Pike, and Pike is busy right now having a crisis lol. They are going to be able to get so much exposition and philosophy into the story through him it is wild. He is radically different from every other character ever played at the table and I hope they preserve just how weird and lovely he is. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in all of his animated glory.
Especially considering how much of Pike's relationship with the Everlight has been cut/ changed/ shuffled around. All the temple building/ restoration she did hasn't happened in the animated universe yet. They haven't really explained the Everlight's diminished following, though they have a good set up for doing that with the Zerxus/ Asmodeus bit they've got going, so I think they might be getting more into that in season 4 hopefully. (Hopefully we see Pop Pop Wilhand again and we get some revised family lore about why the Trickfoots started worshipping The Everlight! I love what happened in the campaign but it's pretty obvious we don't have time for any of that and they made a new thing up. I hope we still get to see JB).
I think it's cool that Pike is getting a crisis of faith arc because Ashley wasn't able to be at the table often enough to have that kind of character arc for Pike, and I'm sure her relationship with the Everlight will come out even stronger in the end (they wouldn't make THAT gigantic a character change, that would be stupid lol. C3 Pike is still running around out there as a faithful cleric of the Everlight, so unless they're RADICALLY shifting into an alternate universe that storyline will be resolved at some point), but for the Mighty Nein animated series, it will be interesting to see how they approach Caduceus and his philosophy and his steadier faith. Because he is the stable anchor at the heart of the group so very often.
His doubts tended to be small and quiet moments mostly focused inward rather than outward from what I remember. Like when he was worried about his family, he was more doubtful of his own strength and clarity of purpose rather than of anything to do with the Wildmother. When the Ship stealing piracy shenanigans happened and Caduceus had his no good very bad first experience with the ocean, he was worried that he had misinterpreted the Wildmother's will and made the wrong choice going with the M9, his faith in the Wildmother herself was still strong.
They'll obviously get to the Everlight stuff at some point in tlovm considering they are literally going to go to her house and meet her face to face, along with the Knowing Mistress and The Dawnfather. But it's still a completely different vibe in C1 and C2 in the party between: "People who don't worship the gods but think some of them are great + Pike" vs gaining the firsthand philosophy in action from one of their followers in Caduceus and everyone slowly learning life lessons from him, including one conversion in the form of Fjord. (And Yasha's stuff with the Stormlord, and I guess Jester counts too lol). Pike's awesome, but just purely in the animated show, right now she's not the best ambassador for the Everlight or the tenents of that faith lol. Although to be fair to Pike, in the campaign, Vax did almost become a follower of the Everlight before his faith was rather abruptly claimed elsewhere. Also Scanlan converted for the (first) wedding apparently.
#critical role#the everlight#critical role spoilers#the wildmother#the mighty nein animated#pike trickfoot#caduceus clay#tlovm#vox machina#the mighty nein#zerxus ilerez#asmodeus#philosophy#nature#exandrian pantheon#cr c1#cr c2
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Colour theory with the main cast
Basically, there are two main trios in Assassination Classroom, atleast that’s what I believe :
• Nagisa, Karma, and Kayano
• Nagisa, Karma, and Korosensei
And I just find it so ironic that they also have the most popular colours as their hair colour, but like, why not go into depth about it?
Nagisa, Karma, and Korosensei are obviously more well known; literally, most official art is based on them (excluding manga fanart in this).
Also, their main colours are the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue); it’s almost as if they were designed to be remembered like that. Most people learn the primary colours at a young age, and it’s a very easy concept, kind of like it’s easy to understand that these three are the main focus. Plus, Karma and Nagisa naturally have their hair coloured (wow, what a shocker). and Korosensei made himself that for reasons I genuinely forgot, but I think... it was so he could be more presentable looking to the class. Yeah, I really don’t know.
They have quite a bit of stuff focusing on the three of them (when they went to the cinema in Hawaii and how the whole class civil arc was focused on Nagisa and Karma fighting to get their opinion on how they should deal with Korosensei in the future). In addition to that, they’re the three characters with the most screen time and are ranked the most popular in the fandom:
Going back to the colors, they have almost the exact same traits as their main colour.
• Korosensei: inspires, optimistic, energetic, creative, kind of egotistical (?) and the list really goes on.
• Nagisa: loyal, relatively calm, reliable, pretty responsible, passive, etc. (also, the idiom "out of the blue" really does suit him).
• Karma: strength, attention (shown clearly in the class civil war), courage, confidence, and aggression (again, the idiom "seeing red" fits him when the class starts to argue about killing or saving Korosensei).
Now, in comparison to Nagisa, Karma, and Kayano, they're a completely different story. Although the three are known, Nagisa and Karma are obviously more popular (as shown before in the old ranking chart), and their scenes together as a trio isn't a lot, as well as official art (since Korosensei is in quite a lot of them), most I've seen is promotional material, like merch or the Blu-ray CD covers.
Clearly, they're not the primary colours—at least not for paint, that is. They are the main additive colours, which are basically the colours that produce white light and are used for laptop, phone, or iPad screens, so it's a bit trickier for people to get their heads around compared to red, blue, and yellow for paint. It's as if they're right there, but you can't see them; they're not obvious, but they are indeed there.
Now here's where the true comparison comes in: Kayano and Korosensei are not naturally their “colour”. Kayano dyed her hair from black to green, and Korosensei personally decided to become yellow when he could've very well picked any other color. With that, Korosensei is genuine about the traits he has that are shared with the colour yellow, while Kayano is not genuine and it's all an act (except negative traits like inexperience and possibly envy), but slowly she gains those green color traits throughout the show, especially after her whole arc (growth especially, encouragement, generosity, etc).
Overall, even though Nagisa, Karma and Korosensei are the main focus of the animanga, Nagisa, Karma and Kayano truly do drive the narrative forward and do play key roles (not saying Korosensei doesn’t he definitely does).
I just found this really interesting, and I live for colour analysis in characters, so yeah 😯
#nagisa shiota#karma akabane#korosensei#kaede kayano#shiota nagisa#akabane karma#kayano kaede#assassination classroom#ansatsu kyoushitsu#assclass#chat am i cooked
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Intro Post/Masterpost
These amazing dividers were made by @cafekitsune. go check them out! My banner was made by an IRL friend of mine. if you see this(which i doubt you will but maybe), thank you!
Hello! The name's Enju. This is my introductory post. Welcome!
I'm a aspiring author and poet living in the US. I mainly write Fantasy and am dipping my toes into dystopia.
i have three projects, listed later.
Asks and tags are always welcome, but please please please don't be mad if i dont answer right away. I'm alittle slow on the upkeep + life outside of writing is pain. Ill get to asks eventually, I promise!
Although i treat this like my Main blog, my dumbass made them in the wrong order when I first got here. @i-hate-happy-endings is my main, and its quite empty lmao.
#Sunset things: Related to my WIP, Sunset #Ailan's Legacy: Related to my WIP, White Candy #Frontline: Related to my WIP, Frontline #meet my OCs: A little series where i go into depth about my OCs #Enju's Worldbuilding: Stuff pertaining to worldbuilding(usually tagged with #Sunset things or #Ailans Legacy) #Greeted the Messenger: Replying to Asks
Master list for my WIP posts + taglist
Whenever i make a WIP post I'll make it pretty clear what kind of stuff is in it. CW mentions will always be at the top for mature themes and I'll try to put tone tags as well if i think there's any sorta stuff that might disturb people in there. And Lastly, Here be Dragons. I wont always remember or know what judgement to make, so Here be Dragons is my go-to warning label.
My WIPS:
Sunset: Sunset is a high-fantasy medieval romance series and the main topic of this blog.
White Candy(Ailan's Legacy): White Candy is a mystery novel with solar/steampunk elements.
Frontline(Placeholder name): Frontline is a dark fantasy dystopia with mature elements. Interact at your own risk.
this'll get updated as I do short stories.
An Eternity With you: A short story on a immortal guy and his journey of love
I'm afraid to tag my moots bc i interact with like two of them regularly. but they're all amazing people so here goes: @theliteraryarchitect @garden-of-runar @the-ellia-west @saturnsconstellation @wyked-ao3
@dandelionflowery @mae-occasionally-reads
@themortalityofundyingstars @thisisntrocket
@bookish-karina @elizaellwrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @a-pretty-damn-good-narrator
@leave-a-message19 @aesthetic-writer18 @rivenantiqnerd @humongouskittentraveler @emilynotfound
@the-alywickd @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling @melo-writes @agirlandherquill @heymacareyna
@poethill @angst-is-love-angst-is-life These are all amazing people and you should go follow them.
Emotional support post
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This is going to sound really strange but the most recent GRWM video has. Some of the best Janus characterisation I think we’ve seen in a while?? Also he canonically sheds now, so
You are not wrong, anon: this is the best characterization in a while. It's way better than the last one, in which Janus was mostly a drunk idiot, and it's way worse than SvS. This one sits in the middle: it's not bad, it's not amazing. It's good.
Just like Mr. Sanders' last videos regarding Sanders Sides, this GRWM is okay. Not groundbreaking, not impressive, not deep, not stupid. Just okay.
And trust me, this is the best possible outcome! When I found out Thomas was planning a video with Janus and it was a GRWM and Janus had questions to answer... I wasn't just scared, oh no. I was absolutely terrified. I feared to see the destruction of Janus' character. I feared to see him being all like: "YASSS QUEEN all I love is WINE and nothing else, also being SASSY is my religion BIATCH".
And we got a bit of that, sure. But it was a bit, not the avalanche I expected. I was bearable.
After all, this is just a random video. There's nothing plot-related here. Heck, there's not even too much Sanders Sides stuff, because this GRWM clearly was Thomas' attempts to reconnect with the character. I shouldn't care too much about it. I shouldn't overanalyze it.
But you know me: you know I love to over-analyze. And if you know me, you also know that Remus is my favorite child, but Janus has a special place in my heart and if one little thing about him is off I will start rambling.
Hence why I will overanalyze the shit out of these 9 minutes of a video and I will do what I shouldn't do, i.e. look back into the past's characterization. Not for shaming Mr. Sanders for not remembering it (even if the videos still exist and he can watch them too if he wants), but to remind you all of Janus' personality. The public needs to remember what kind of character he was and who he became.
So I'll over-analyze everything and no, you can't escape. You're stuck with me here, so put your seatbelt on, because you're in for one of the things I love the most: talking about Janus.
The importance of nuance
Let's talk about make-up a little bit. Don't worry, by the end you will understand my point.
The current make-up isn't even comparable to the past one. And if a lot of people complain about it and prefer the old one, it's not because they're all demanding: it's because of nuances.
Let me explain and let's start with the current photo Mr. Sanders showed to promote the GRWM video:
If you look at this make-up, your eyes will inevitably be drawn towards that sharp black line. And as soon as you will look at it, you will immediately register it as a drawn line.
It's so clear and so evident it's a line, I can literally see the black liquid eyeliner, the tip and the hand tracing that line on Thomas' skin.
But this line isn't supposed to be a line: it's supposed to be/resemble a snake's mouth.
Now, look at the past make-up:
The line isn't sharp black: the line is nuanced. You can see a bit of brown and a hint of red/pink to give it depth and emphasize the shadow.
Also, this color is very similar to the little shadow given by Thomas' upper lip on the lower one, so it looks more natural against his skin tone. It doesn't seem like something added on him, but on something that was already part of him. And isn't that the goal of make-up? To add something and disappear, so people won't notice it exists in the first place?
Look at the eye as well: the past one is a softer, more nuanced pink. It looks more natural, against Thomas' skin tone. The present one is so dark, it looks more like a bad bruise.
So the problem with the current make-up isn't just that the colors aren't the same: it's that the current colors are too much. They're too sharp, too saturated and, consequently, too fake. It's clear that Thomas wears make-up, while in the past the blend was softer, the colors closer to Thomas' actual complexion. Consequently, the make-up faded and gave us an illusion of reality.
I know Mr. Sanders had skin conditions and everything, but I'm talking about colors and nuances here. Two things a make-up artist should know better than me, an idiot on the Internet who loves art, color theory and learns from artists on the web. You can obtain these things independently of the used products.
So my opinion on the make-up would be: please Mr. Sanders, switch for softer tones, no sharp black and no coral. Too much. Nuance is the key.
And not just for make-up.
---
The fakeness of reality tv
Janus enjoys reality television because nothing about it is real. His specific words are:
I very much enjoy reality television: the scheming, the plotting, the lying. Every person for himself and even on top of that, all of the production none of reality television is actually real. It's just delightful.
I get the idea behind it and I understand why Thomas thought it was a good choice. On paper, it works: Janus should enjoy this kind of show because it's made of lies and he's Deceit.
But if I follow this line of thought, I inevitably meet with Janus from Into the Unknown:
[Patton]: Well yeah I guess you'd like it, everyone all dressed up, disguised as someone else... [Janus]: How is it we've had so many of these visits and you still know so little about me?
Janus himself said that not everything associated with lies is something he enjoys. And it makes sense, because Logan too said the same thing in the last Aside:
"Is that all I am to you? The reading guy?"
So now I'm asking: why does he like reality tv? Just because it's fake? Then why is he so happy about it being fake? Reality tv should represent reality, it should mirror how society works. And thanks to SvS, we know Janus doesn't hold society into high consideration:
[Deceit]: Society itself is a lie! (...) You get enough people to share a piece of land and breathe the same air and... you've got a society. Why? It's just a bunch of people in the same general area. It's an abstract concept, as real as the monster under your bed! But we obey these rules or get punished for breaking them. All in the name of society. It's absurd and terrifying.
Just like society, reality tv has a group of people put together and they make a society. It's an abstract concept, as real as the monster under your bed. And these people must obey the rules or get punished for breaking them.
And yet, Janus doesn't think reality tv is "absurd and terrifying", but "delightful".
Again: why does he like it? Why does he like something so similar to what he hates most?
Maybe you can live with the "It's fake" explanation and that's good for you. But what if instead of liking reality tv because "it's fake", Janus likes it, because it perfectly mirrors the flaws and the emptiness of society? What if he enjoys it, because he loves the irony of society using its own means to unmask itself and show its real face? What if he watches it, not because "it's delightful", but because it's bittersweet to see such an inability to understand your own flaws?
Which explanation do you think is more fitting for his character?
---
Remus eats glue sticks
Of course he does. His digestive system is probably able to digest molten lava, so glue sticks are a walk in the park for him, bless his chaotic soul <3
(Have I already said Remus is my favorite boi?)
---
The possibilities of shedding
Okay, the "Have you considered not having pores?" is hilarious and I love it on multiple levels.
Well, here we are. Janus sheds, two to four times a year. And I know the fandom went crazy over this and I'm happy for you... but I never really cared too much about it.
I mean: it's fine, but I can't really think of anything truly special to headcanon about it. Snakes shed their skin all the time and they just chill around, while slowly peeling their skin off. It's not dangerous, it doesn't hurt, it's just exfoliation time✨. I mean, does it hurt you, when you remove sunburnt skin? Don't think so. The worst thing for snakes is probably not being able to take the skin off with hands, since they don't have hands.
But hey, this is canon now, so I should probably integrate it in my headcanon. And I can do it in two different ways:
The shedding is just part of Janus' routine: twice a year he gets one day off, takes a reeeeally long bath and slowly peels off his skin until he's done.
I can take inspiration from this fanart and imagine the shedding as a real "leaving your body behind" process, in which Janus slowly gets submerged into his room and re-emerges as a form of pure power and instincts, which then solidifies into a new body. I think I like this idea more, because when I go with Janus, I need something that makes him look either more god-like or more monster-like.
And since we're talking about snake traits, how many more does he have? Because I already added a few on my list, like:
sunbathing
climbing trees
laying everywhere (especially on trees)
taking long relaxing baths
And I'm just waiting for an excuse to add "mating". But I suppose only future will tell.
---
What you don't like
"An important aspect of being oneself, in addition to knowing what you like, is knowing what you don't like and saying to that thing: ew get away from me, I don't like you... Roman"
Okay, that was genuinely funny and it made me smile, so kudos for that, Mr. Sanders. It was a clever move and I enjoyed it.
Also, for more reasons I will explain further down, this makes me want to write a conversation between Janus and Roman, to study how they work together, why they don't like each other and their personalities in general. My only problem would be to put it on a timeline, because I don't like to write things suspended in a temporal vacuum. If inspiration strikes, maybe I'll do it.
---
Religion... and self-preservation
Now, I don't know who made that question about Jesus Christ, but you. You. You gave me real fear... but also indirectly confirmed one of my headcanons, so thank you, I suppose.
I was bracing myself, waiting and hoping Thomas didn't say anything stupid, because Janus and religion have a super tight bond and one misstep can lead to me rambling for the rest of my life, all while throwing canon into the trash because no one can say anything wrong about the relationship Janus has with religion, not even Mr. Sanders.
But the answer was... okay. Harmless. A bit simplistic, maybe, but I can accept Janus saying that Jesus is cool for having followers and turning water into wine.
What really struck me the most was when he said Jesus is his style because "he refuses to die".
For me, that's the most important part of the video. You can take away everything else, because this is the only part that matters for me.
Why? Because this is the essence of self-preservation. Because, as I said in the past, self-preservation is that force that protects you from dangers, threats, even yourself. And it protects you from death. It's part of that intrinsic will to live that defines all living creatures.
So, since Janus encompasses this role too, it has always been implied (at least for me) that he's that force that will fight against death until the end, just to make Thomas live a little longer. In my headcanon, he literally refuses to think Thomas can die before his time, because he's built to not make this happen.
Hence why when I saw Janus putting such emphasis on the idea that Jesus refuses to die made me immensely happy, because it's (implied) canon. Janus refuses to die, because he will never surrender to death. Because it's his nature, to never surrender to it.
---
Deceit or Ego?
The snake telepathy part was fun when mentioned, then it was followed by the "memememe I'm gorgeous" part, which is perfect if you're the representation of Ego, a bit less if you're deceit.
Speaking of that, I think there's a bit of confusion in Thomas' mind regarding these two aspects. And since they're represented by two different Sides, the contrast is even more jarring.
Janus is confident and this is part of his personality. But confidence isn't repeating "me" in your head 400 times and telling yourself that you're gorgeous and handsome even when sitting still. This isn't confidence, this is Ego. This is something Roman could say to himself... and he did it, in the past. He looked at himself all the time, called himself gorgeous, asked if his makeup was okay because the prince's gonna slay, said he dramatically serenaded himself in front of the mirror. All these things are a constant reconfirmation of yourself and this is what the Ego does: it constantly reconfirms you're great and cool and gorgeous.
Confidence, on the other hand, doesn't need constant confirmations. If you're confident, you already know you're great, you don't need to repeat it yourself. You just do your things and if others criticize you, you shrug their reprimands off.
One example of confidence from this video? This part:
"What are my guilty pleasures?" Guilty pleasures? Why would a pleasure be guilty? I've got none of those. Indulge in your pleasures guilt-free, people: life is short.
This proves Janus is confident, WAY MORE than him repeating how cool he is. This is the tone he should've had for most of the video, not that "Oh, look at how cool I am".
Also because it may seem a paradox, but the more you repeat how cool you are, the less people will believe you. That's why people who constantly show off are perceived as weak and insecure: because they search for a constant reconfirmation they would probably never need, if they were truly confident.
---
All of the selfcare - and what else?
Aside from the things I already mentioned, the rest of the video is mostly made of advice like "your opinion is the only one that matters/others are less than you/don't give a shit about others".
I don't know if this is Mr. Sanders making a reminder to himself to not indulge in criticism too much, but okay, let's ignore it XD
These pieces of advice can all be traced back to another aspect of Janus' personality: the self-care one. The last canonical one.
And since it's the last, I can understand why Thomas latched onto it and made it be like 60% of the video. It's probably the part of Janus' character he remembers the most.
And it's the easiest too, along with the "sassy" aspect. Put them together and you get the sassy queen who tells you to relax dear, don't give a fuck about the rest of the world.
So I understand you, anon, when you say this is the best characterization in a while: it is, because it's based on the last canonical piece of Janus' character, mixed with the "sassy" aspect that developed more recently. Of course it seems more coherent with Janus' character, compared to him being drunk for an entire video.
But even if canonical, self-care is just an aspect of Janus' personality and it makes most of the video. The remaining part is a huge amount of Ego, which shouldn't even be here, because it's Roman's trait.
And the other aspects? Nowhere to be seen. No distaste for society, no cryptic language, no wittiness, barely any lie, barely any real confidence, barely any body language and zero foreseeing ability.
I know what you're thinking and yes, I said at the beginning that this video is clearly just a way for Mr. Sanders to reconnect with the character. So I understand why Janus' personality is like that and that there are mistakes or incomplete things. I am not blaming Thomas for trying.
I am writing this post, to remind you Janus' full personality. To remind you that he's not just "sassy wine aunt/self-care queen".
On the contrary, I think present Janus is exactly like his make-up: the traits are similar to the original one, but the aspects are too sharp. They should be here, they are part of him, but they're not in the exact shade or nuance to be him. They are similar, but off, because something is missing. And that something is nuance.
In the end, that's what this post is all about: nuance. Past Janus was more nuanced, because he was more than one aspect. Present Janus is less nuanced, because he's stuck between two aspects - which is a truly cruel irony, considering his entire thing is being a gray, multifaceted character.
My only hope is that, just like with the make-up, Mr. Sanders will find a way to bring nuances back into Janus' character and make him at least similar to who he used to be.
#sanders sides#ask#thomas sanders#janus sanders#I just love this character a lot#he has a ton to offer#and he has such a gray multifaceted personality#he doesn't deserve to become a one-dimensional cardboard
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knock knock knock hi im curious to know more about your au with charlie as a fish… is he like a triton? a merman? a siren? what kind of fish is he? how’d he and mariana meet? sorry im just silly about slimeriana sooooo :3
OH DAMN MY GUY you asked me the right thing! I can talk about this AU for HOURS! Anyways, the whole idea is that some characters are sea creatures some people. The main characters are Charlie and Mariana (OF COURSE lmao)
[sorry ill reuse some stuff from my other post]
Charlie is a moray eel merman, so hes a carnivore. Also (remembering one chuckle sandwich episode) he has a second smaller set of teeth. His tail is really long and massive and he has some fins on his body.
So now its time for the story!
Mariana was a simple fisher doing some different little jobs connected with the sea. Basically he and his best friend Roier were sailing around different places delivering things or selling fish. Everything they could to make money yk. One day something really unsual happens. Their net caught something big and heavy. At first he fears it's a shark, that would be bad. But then... Mariana realises its literally A MERMAN he looks at him in shock like what the hell. At the same time Charlie is SCARED looking at the fisherman like in "i guess ill die" way.
He had heard of mermaids and mermen, but he always considered them a myth. He had seen a megalodon, he had seen a kraken, but not them.
Mariana sighs. If he brought him to the port. He will become a rich man, a lucky man. But….something inside unpleasantly gnawed at his heart
The guy took out a knife
"Hoy es tu día de suerte, muchacho." (Today is your lucky day, guy.)
He went to the net and cut the ropes to let Charlie go. The creature's pupils narrowed as it looked at the knife, but then the words caught it off guard. Once the ropes were cut enough to get out, Charlie looked at Mariana in genuine surprise, and then with one movement he dived sharply into the water. He quickly disappeared from sight into the depths.
"¡Oye, qué estás cortando ahí! ¡Сomprarás una red nueva!" (Hey, what are you cutting there! You'll have to buy a new net!)
An old friend of Mariana's comes up from behind. Very annoying and completely useless. However, better than alone. Roier chuckled and looked at the net with confusion.
Mariana winced, turning around and looking at Roier
"si…si si! Se acaba de formar un nudo, ¡así que lo corté! ¿Ya has revisado las velas? Pensé que estaban rotos" (Yeah…yeah, that's right! There was just a knot here, so I cut it! Have you checked the sails yet? I thought they were damaged)
Royer picks his ear with his little finger and glances at the sails.
"No, servirá. ¡Veo una buena capturado!" The guy smiles, "¡Ya quiero ir pronto a la orilla! ¡Y a la barra! Espero que estés conmigo, ¿eh?"
(Nah, they're fine. I see there's a good catch today! I wanna to go to the shore as soon as possible! And to the bar! I hope you're with me, huh?)
Roier playfully pokes Mariana with his elbow and giggles mysteriously. It seems he already had plans on where to spend all the money.
The return to the shore turns out to be quite calm. Seagulls occasionally screamed over the ship and the scorching sun forced their eyes to close from the bright light. Only rare dull knocks under the ship raised some questions. Perhaps it was some garbage there…
Charlie swam on the heels of the ship. At first, he thought of hiding at the bottom and never returning close to the surface of the water again. But then the beautiful face of the fisherman flashed in his head and the merman, as if enchanted, swam closer to the surface to look at the man again. He let him go. It was so sweet of him. The last time he saw people, they either screamed in horror or tried to kill him. And this one… is different. Maybe this is a chance? Charlie really decided to watch his new acquaintance for a while… Just… Out of interest…
===
So that was their first meeting. After that Charlie swam after them and basically stalked Mariana for some time lmao. There's a lot of things happening in this AU. I made it up with my close friend Cherry and we really enjoy it. If you wanna learn more about this story just let me know!
So yeah sorry for my spanish i used translator hope it's not mierda yk
Must adress that later in the story there's one OC that becomes another daughter to Slime and Mariana (Yes we also have flippa too), but basically all the characters are from MC RP thingy there's qsmp mainly but somehow we have Schlatt as the villain pirate lmao anyways, it's pretty funny
#my art#qsmp#slimeriana au#slimeriana#qsmp slimeriana#slimecicle#el mariana fanart#el mariana#qsmp el mariana#what else can i type here#MORE TAGS!!!!#SLIMERIANA FANS WAKE UP#misclick duo#komipacket
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I've been an Invader Zim fan since 2011.
I was 15-16 at that time, and though I did thoroughly enjoy the show, I was not mature enough to really get it. Sure, it was funny, but I didn't pick up on the subtleties and style of humor beyond the surface level. I liked the wackiness and the characters, but I SURELY wasn't at a point of being able to deconstruct themes or analyze character motivations and narratives (like I very much enjoy doing now). I remember discovering an artist on DeviantArt who drew cute ZaGr stuff, so that was the pairing I liked too. I didn't think too deeply about much, and honestly, I don't think the majority of fans (if they were my age or younger, that is) did either. Everything was taken as dumb and silly for the most part, and that IS truthfully a major component of the show itself.
Getting back into Invader Zim within this past year though, I'm looking at it through a WILDLY different lens. I like Invader Zim for what it is and how it's intended to be perceived. I like that the show is meant to be dark, satirical, and tragic at the same time that it's silly, chaotic, and nonsensical. Almost everything that happens onscreen is written in to be funny above all else. (I've mentioned before that I've been watching Jhonen's Twitch streams for a while now, and I have a MUCH better understanding of his sense of humor bc of that. IZ makes way more sense if you can sorta see things from JV's perspective, lol.)
But at the same time, I also like Invader Zim for what it offers in terms of interpretation and what it can imply (intentionally or not). There is genuinely SO MUCH DEPTH to this dorky lil cartoon that a casual viewer wouldn't immediately pick up on. And a lot of that depth, I think, was not woven in purposely. The show itself was never meant to be taken so seriously. Nevertheless, I'm constantly fascinated by what IZ implies about good and evil, the nature of general society, and especially how it goes about demonstrating the devastating effects of social isolation and bullying. Meta for this series is always pretty damn *chef's kiss.* And what's even more interesting is how viewers manipulate canon to expand upon this world and these characters.
Given that I've come to understand Invader Zim better, I've also grown very fond of ZaDr. Now, while I wouldn't want to see this pairing happen in canon material, I love the potential it possesses in transformative contexts.
In reality, I get that these characters were intended to have a deep hatred for one another and a never-ending rivalry for the sake of comedy and not much else. It's an extraterrestrial perpetually throwing hands with a 12 year old because he's incompetent and his plans often fail. And that's funny. That's the point. But beyond that, canonically, these are two characters who are mirrors of each other; they're both treated like garbage by their respective peers, and they both crave acknowledgment, validation, and a sense of purpose. Throughout their story, they find they're only able to obtain these things from each other, so as a consequence of their similar personalities, they become utterly, unhingedly obsessed with each other (to a sometimes unhealthy degree). They are undeniably forever intertwined by design of how the show is set up.
And because of that, shipping of these characters was, frankly, inevitable in fandom spaces. I myself fell victim to their appeal too. (Sorry, Jhonen. 😅)
I'm not gonna go into any discourse surrounding this pairing because there's already PLENTY of that to go around online. Everyone has their own opinion on the subject, and that's fine. I respect that. Point is, even though I understand and appreciate what Zim and Dib are supposed to be in the context of the show, I also enjoy the idea of them as friends and romantic partners outside of and beyond the confines of canon.
And that's something that I think many fans who are biased toward ZaDr would also agree with! Actually, I'd say the majority of people who ship characters in ANY media would concur. We like the idea of seeing how specific relationships could develop over time and/or within different settings and circumstances. It's NOT always about wanting to see a relationship unfold on screen or in fan works strictly adhering to canon. It's about stretching canon, or in some cases, scratching canon entirely however you see fit! Who cares! It's fiction!
For me personally, I enjoy ZaDr because its attributes fall into so many trope categories that I've come to adore over the years (ones that I either wasn't aware of when I was younger, or that I didn't enjoy in the same intensity as I do now). Zim and Dib are, or could be, depending on context:
Codependent toxic soulmates
Human x non-human
Shared history
Classic enemies to lovers (or, as I often prefer it, enemies to friends to lovers)
Bicker couple
Battle couple, when put in the right setting for it
Violence as a love language
Smol and tol
The wild card paired with the rational one, the best part about this being that sometimes the more rational one is Dib, and sometimes it's Zim bc they're both a special flavor of insane
Make each other worse/stupider when together, tho oddly, they also kinda bring out the best in each other too
And, my personal favorites, the potential for hurt/comfort and angst with a happy ending, with the comfort and happiness aspects ultimately coming from each other
I like what these characters could be, to and for each other, apart from their roles in the show.
I would never want to explore a dynamic between Zim and Dib that goes beyond "frenemies" territory in canon (because that doesn't fit what the show is, and I do appreciate the integrity of Jhonen's vision). The subtle foundation for them is there, it's just that it can't really work unless a few key details are changed or manipulated, and, well...
I sure as hell like exploring every bit of that expanded potential in fan works because it's fun to imagine the various directions things could go if they were different!
This isn't me, like... trying to defend my (or anyone else's) enjoyment of this particular ship or trying to convince people to like it. Or the show for that matter! To each their own, truly. And I'm obv aware of the controversy ZaDr often incites and why. Everyone has valid reasons for liking OR not liking it, and I accept differing viewpoints on it. It's a touchy, nuanced subject to be sure. But this isn't about that.
I don't really know what this is, actually, aside from a very long very weird essay, lol. I just wanted to process why and how all of this works for me with my changed perspective from when I was first introduced to Invader Zim in my teens up until now.
It's strange, looking back. I didn't get ZaDr years ago. But I do now, and so much of it, at least from my perspective, has to do with taking the crumbs present in canon (that are undeniably there, whether you choose to acknowledge them or not, and whether they're intentional or not) and absolutely running with them to the ends of your own wild imagination.
(ZaDr content is always tagged appropriately on my blog. Pls use tag blocking functions if needed.)
#invader zim#invader zim meta#zadr#iz zadr#zim#dib membrane#my posts#this is... A LOT but i just needed to work thru it for my own sanity lol#said it before and i'll say it again: pls utilize the tag blocking function however you need to bc i KNOW this can be very Yikes for some#but at the same time this is my blog and i'm gonna do what i want :P
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