#(anime is a whole another category of course)

[violetrains]

There is something so reassuring when you see that someone made a post or a youtube video about a very niche not at all popular cartoon that for some reason you watched all the time as a kid because your country aired it all the time for some reason and you have so many vivid memories of it and thought everyone else also knows it but you had never seen anyone talk about it ever online. Like, THANK GOD, I didn't just hallucinate or dream this cartoon. That WAS a real show that aired!!! YES, pleaseeee talk about the lore!! And yes, every kids media deserves attention and appreciation, not just *instert whatever cartoon that is popular today*. The weird, obscure or forgotten ones deserve love too. Even if they were bad. Ohhh they definitely were kinda bad sometimes. But also like good, you know?

[pinkie-quinns]

rocker eddie/actor steve | exes to ??? | slightly nsfw under the cut | fame au p3 |

p1 p2 p4 p5 interlude p6

Steve’s presented at award shows countless times. He’s good at it. He’s funny, he’s charming. But usually, he didn’t want to strangle the guy standing next to him. Usually, the guy hadn't been pawing at his dick ten minutes before.

But he gets through it. 'Cause he’s a professional.

He is aware. Aware that the tension stifling the room isn’t exactly appropriate for the Animated Feature Film category.

Aware that he did, in fact, tear Eddie’s (uninsured) silk shirt.

Aware that, despite a scurry of last-second HMU efforts, his perfect hair looks insane.

Aware that this is a live broadcast. Aware that anyone with eyes could look at the state of both of them and probably only come up with 3 feasible conclusions. Aware that unlike the photo, this is pretty fucking incriminating.

But he gets through it. Cause he’s a professional.

Eddie's being punchably smug about it, of course. Emerged from the bathroom, pupils blown, eye glitter smudged, lips swollen, and “Ready for his close-up!”

He didn’t even talk to Steve after they were escorted off stage. Just slipped a note in his pocket.

Skip the afterparty?

Skip the afterparty. Who does he think he is? Steve’s expected to show face. His team needs him to show face. They have another suit prepared and everything. He gets it's a foreign concept to Eddie, but people actually rely on him.

Fuck him. Steve can’t just skip the afterparty.

He skips the afterparty.

He ignores the 40 frantic texts from Robin.

He gets his car to drive him to Los Feliz.

It's just the same as 5 years ago, but all reverse. The deja vu is making him woozy, making him sick. Same place he was five years ago but no one's here for apologies.

This time it's a knock at Eddie's door.

Stupid and hollow and idiotic. Steve’s still in his ugly velvet suit. The door swings open. Eddie’s changed. Showered. Hair damp and frizzy. Liner and stage glitter staining his under eyes. He looks soft under the yellow porch light.

There’s a moment, a millisecond where Steve knows he could turn around. Slam the door in Eddie’s face and pretend this never happened.

But he's all red inside, all forward momentum and frustration and anger.

“I still fucking hate you.”

Eddie offers him a sad smile. “I know.”

And then the door is shut behind him and Eddie’s got him against the wall and Steve’s tongue is back where it belongs. Where it’s always belonged. He wants Eddie to choke on it.

Eddie’s grinning, glassy-eyed worship, panting into his mouth, “Missed this.”

Nope.

Steve needs be miles away from whatever the fuck that is. So he gnashes Eddie's lip between his teeth. It's hard enough to draw blood. He needs him as red as he feels.

“Fuck you.”

In the hallway drag to the bedroom, he’s all destruction. Wants to knock down everything in sight. Wants to shove Eddie into his stupid platinum records and his stupid ten thousand dollar guitars. He wants fire and earthquakes. He wants Eddie split in half.

Eddie hasn’t gotten the memo, apparently. Keeps a cool laugh through the whole thing, laughs when Steve pushes him against some hideous credenza (a fucking credenza, the Eddie he knew would’ve throttled himself.) Laughs when some marble thing gets swatted to the floor like Steve’s a particularly bratty housecat.

“Damn. Really got you revved up, huh?” Eddie’s grinning at him like this whole thing is some kind of fucking joke. They’ve made it to the bedroom, finally.

Steve bites bruises at his neck. “Do you ever shut the hell up?”

“Nah, kinda my speciality, Ha–”

He pushes the heel of his palm into Eddie’s crotch. “You’re pathetic.”

“Yeah?” It’s a whine.

“So fucking pathetic.” And then Steve’s on his knees.

He gets lost in it. Just like he used to. He never does anymore. He’s still a bit drunk but he feels all heady like he’s taken the wrong pills. Feels wired too, like he drank three red eyes. Feels a lot of things.

It’s all the same and it’s all so different. Their bodies are different. Soft in places they once were hard. Hard in places they once were soft. They’re not old yet, not really, not at all. But they’re not teenagers anymore.

It’s like he can’t find the ground anywhere– Eddie’s hands on him, Eddie’s skin on him. Bare and rough and different and so familiar it whips the air out of his lungs. Eddie knowing just what works, knowing how to touch him better than anyone. Knowing him better than he knows himself.

He feels cursed. He feels ruined.

And when Eddie finally fucks into him, on that gaudy four-poster bed, a mess of sweat and sheets and glitter, he can’t help the part of him screaming home home home home.

Eddie lights a cigarette when it’s over. Offers one to Steve but he quit years ago. Not that he would know.

Steve says, “You've got to stop that shit, man. It’s gonna kill you.”

And Eddie does that stupid sad smile again. “I’d deserve it, wouldn’t I?”

So Steve finds as many pieces of his suit as he can. Hopes to god Tom Ford doesn’t like, sue him for losing it. Hightails it to the front door. He’s not interested in small talk. Not interested in throwing this asshole another pity party.

Eddie follows him out, leans against the door frame, easy and sad and stupid handsome and Steve hates him nearly as much as he hates himself. “Will I see you again, Harrington?”

Steve can't let him have this. Can't let him win after all this time.

“Don’t count on it.”

[happy74827]

The Way You Kiss Me

[Travis "Trapper" Beasley x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: He’s called “Trapper” for a reason.

WC: 1443

Category: Fluff, Lime/Spice

I would say this is a fan service… but, truthfully, I couldn’t help myself. This is a service to myself LMFAO (enjoy the gif of Dan in The Guest since GxK is still fresh in theaters. I cannot wait for this movie to come out in hd quality 🤭)

『••✎••』

Trapper was a bit of a wildcard, in your opinion. You'd known him since your teenage years and had been the one to give him his name. He'd always been a bit of a recluse, even back then. The man was more comfortable around animals than he was with people. The compassion he had for the four-legged beasts was something you had always admired. It was his love of nature and the wild that had drawn you in; you'd never been able to pinpoint why.

That had been over ten years ago, but it felt like no time had passed. You had gone to school, became what you always dreamed of, and moved back to your hometown.

And, of course, it was only inevitable that Trapper would have trapped you.

It hadn't happened right away.

No, it had started slow, like a creeping fog. You didn't even notice it until you found yourself missing the smell of his cologne and his walkman that he still carried around everywhere.

“Yeah, luv, not everywhere's got Wi-Fi, you know?” He would always say, and the thick Australian accent would make your heart flutter.

He was kind, gentle, and a bit goofy. He could sing like a dream (not really, he was quite awful) and was the best vet in the whole world, or at least in your mind. He was utterly perfect on the inside.

And the outside? Well, a pure accident had gotten you two together.

You'd gone into his office, just like every other time, to borrow another of his rare records. Usually, he was there to let you in, but when he wasn't, you were thankful he kept a spare key under the mat.

The office had been quiet, and as you walked through the small space, you frowned, knowing that he never missed a day, even when he was sick.

Turns out your suspicion was right.

His water got cut off, so he swung by the office to shower, and well, you'd gotten to him before he'd managed to change. So, there you were, in your scrubs and lab coat, walking in on him fresh from a shower, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

It had been an awkward encounter, to say the least.

Trapper was not a big guy. Sure, he had broad shoulders and was decently strong, but his height was on the shorter side, and his muscles were more toned than they were bulky. He was handsome in his own way, and that was one thing you'd always liked. He didn't look like a bodybuilder or some sort of model. He looked like a normal man.

But the moment you saw him standing there, dripping wet and looking a bit shocked, it was like a switch flipped. Your knees felt weak, and the butterflies that had made their homes in your stomach started flapping their wings, making you feel all flustered and a bit embarrassed.

It made it worse when you realized he had his Walkman hanging around his neck. Dude couldn’t even make it a day without his favorite tunes.

And the fact that you had his favorite record clutched in your arms wasn’t helping.

You were the first to speak.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in like this; I was just-."

He cut you off.

"Ah, yeah, forgot to call, didn't I? Water got shut off this morning, thought I'd shower here." He looked around. "Sorry 'bout the mess. Didn't know you were coming by today."

The towel was slipping. You could see his hip bones. You tried to look away, but you couldn't help it. He had such a nice body, and you'd never even noticed it until then.

You shook your head.

"It's fine. I, um, was just looking for one of your records; I didn't mean to."

He raised his hands.

“Settle down, sweetheart, don't get yourself worked up. No harm done."

It was only then that he seemed to realize what was happening. His eyes widened slightly.

"Oh. Sorry, I can just..."

"No, no, it's fine. Go ahead."

It was then that he noticed the album you had clutched to your chest. A smile spread across his face, and he gave you a knowing look.

"Fleetwood Mac… again? How many times is this now? Four?"

You flushed.

"I told you, they're my favorite."

He smiled and shook his head.

"You're lucky I don’t mind sharing. Come on, let's see which one it is."

As he took the album from you, his hand brushed yours, and you couldn't help the jolt that went up your arm.

He didn't seem to notice, thankfully, and instead flipped open the case.

"Ah, Rumours. My personal favorite."

Your heart was racing. You could hear your blood in your ears, and all you could think about was how good he looked in a towel.

He looked up and met your gaze. His lips twitched upwards.

"Welp,” He closed the case and handed it back to you. “Go ahead. It's all yours."

He stepped past you and walked to his office, leaving a trail of water behind him. You stood there, unable to move, just staring after him, the record still held tight to your chest.

"Hey, Traps?" You called.

He appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"What’re you listening to?"

He grinned and held up his Walkman.

“Toto. I was feeling a bit… nostalgic."

You couldn't help the laugh that came from your lips.

"Of course you are."

His grin was contagious, and he disappeared back into his office, leaving you standing there, feeling like a teenage girl with her first crush. Except the crush didn’t stay a crush for long.

You forget what happened initially, but one minute, you were holding the record out in the hallway; the next minute, you were on the couch in his office, the record discarded on the floor, and his lips were on yours.

You weren’t really sure who had kissed who first, but you had been surprised at his actions, and he had pulled away quickly.

The break was short-lived, and the next thing you knew, you were both making out, his freshly picked out plaid pullover discarded somewhere, and your hands buried in his hair, tugging at the ashy blonde locks as he peppered kisses all along your neck.

His skin was soft, and you could tell he put lotion on. His hair smelled like the shampoo he used, and his breath smelled like coffee and mint.

He had a bit of scruff on his cheeks, and you could feel the hairs brush against your skin. Ticklish, but in a good way.

He had strong hands, and they were running along your sides, pulling your hips against his, and the pressure was enough to make you moan into his mouth.

Nothing further had happened that day. It was his workplace, after all. It's one of the things he actually took seriously. But that didn’t stop you two from doing things in his office on the weekends.

Like now, for instance.

He had you pressed up against the door, his mouth working along your jaw and down your neck, his hands running over your back.

Your head was swimming. You couldn’t think straight. The only thing you could process was him: his touch, his smell, his voice.

You felt him push a leg between yours, and you ground yourself against him.

The groan that rumbled in his chest had you shivering, and you reached for him, fingers grabbing for purchase on his shirt.

He was a sight to behold. Hair mussed from your fingers, lips red and swollen, eyes darkened by lust.

His Walkman was never too far, and as his lips moved back up to meet yours, his hands were fiddling with the buttons. Honestly, it was a miracle he could still find the music while being preoccupied.

The sounds of the first few notes of the song had you smiling.

He pulled away and grinned, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"A fan of this one?"

You didn't answer.

Instead, you took his hand and twirled him, pulling him against you, chests pressed together.

His laughter rang in your ears, and the next thing you knew, you were swaying back and forth, cheek resting against his chest, his chin resting atop your head.

For a little while, you forgot about everything: no work, no big apes or lizards, no giant monsters or crazy scientists.

There was no need for them. Not now.

You were trapped in his arms, and you had no plans of breaking free.

[officialspec]

What do you think gay men are attracted to in men that they can’t be attracted to in women?

It can’t be anything about femininity or masculinity obviously. That’s both sexist, and cultural so can’t be what drives men-only attraction.

It can’t be anything about stated identity because someone could lie just as easily as they could tell the truth in such a statement, and it makes no sense because homosexuality and heterosexuality exists in other species with no stated identities. It’s not like other animals without gender are all pan.

Saying idk it’s the vibes or some indescribable trait men have that women can’t but “I can’t explain” is a nonanswer.

Soooooooo what is it? Or do you think any sexuality but bi/pan is just cultural performance or an identity rather than an inborn orientation?

- [ ]

first off i hate this ask and i think youre a freak. in any other world i wouldve blocked you for this but unfortunately for both of us i actually like this type of philosophy. dont send this shit to anyone else though

i dont think its right to compare human sexuality to the same thing in animals, to get that out of the way. im sure until a certain point it comes from the same biological impulses, but human beings have way more complicated social structures and reasons for coupling that just do not exist in other animals. our social behaviours are what make us unique in the animal kingdom and that definitely extends to gender and sexuality. so theres that

people love to tout 'gender is a social construct' around like its a criticism in and of itself, which i think betrays a misunderstanding about social constructs in general. theyre the foundations we build language on to better understand each other, and affected by a whole host of cultural and historical factors. just because theyre subjective and complicated doesnt mean they arent real. in terms of the effect they have on peoples lives they may be the most real thing that exists

for example, 'kindness' is a social construct. the definition and ways it is enacted differ greatly across personal and cultural lines. but no one would ever suggest a world where kindness doesnt exist or loses meaning, because its an essential part of the way we interact with each other (in the same way i dont really see a world where gender entirely ceases to exist, mainly just one where people have more fun with it. im not a psychic though so who knows)

similarly, sexuality in humans is another social construct. i think the driving biological forces behind it are very real, but the labels people attach to those impulses are subjective attempts to express their inner world to the people around them if that makes sense. and those same biological impulses are ALSO subject to social ideas of gender, because those ideas are established at birth and reinforced over a persons entire lifetime

to use myself as an example, im a gay trans man. ive identified as other things in the past, because i was trying to pick apart feelings i had and express them to others in an attempt to find community. my identity might change as i get older and experience new things, or it might not. i identify as gay because im not attracted to the social concept of women, and someone i would otherwise be attracted to might lose all appeal after i find out they fall under that concept (this has happened before w transfems pre and post coming out lol)

of course, the real REAL answer to this is that trying to give queer identities rigid and objective definitions is a fools errand, and also lame as fuck. someone might identify as gay and be more attracted to general masculinity than men as a social category, maybe they fool around with a couple of butch women without considering themself any less gay. two otherwise identical people might be a butch lesbian and a gay trans man without either of those identities coming into conflict. they might even be the same person at different times of the week

the labels people choose to use are communication tools, not objective signifiers. if you dont understand them, they probably arent talking to you

social constructs are everything. we as humans have the unique ability to interpret our own messy desires and impulses into words that other people can use to form an idea of someone else in their mind. its how we build connections, and of course it isnt perfect because trying to squeeze someones entire personal history and the centuries of context that defined it into a handful of syllables is going to leave some room for error. but its all we have, yknow? so we keep trying. and i think thats much more human than any imposed objective 'truth' could ever be

tldr we live in a society dipshit. get with it

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: Musing on Ages, & Dragon Prep

"Desire" mention - how much does Tensu know of the details of the origin of dungeons? (More than I do, probably...but I know this is thematically important.)

"Us"? Aren't gnomes another long-lived species? Ok this is going to be continuously relevant to the geopolitics so I need to break it down. From the wiki:

Elves: lifespan: 400; adult at 80

Gnomes: lifespan: 240; adult at 40

Dwarves: lifespan: 200; adult at 40

Tallmen: lifespan: 60; adult at 16

Orcs: lifespan: 55; adult at 14

Kobolds: lifespan: 55; adult at 13

Halffoots: lifespan: 50; adult at 14

I see - so really we're dealing with 3 factions: Elves, Gnomes & Dwarves, and Everyone Else. I find it interesting that the longer-lived races reach maturity at 17-20% of their average lifespan, while the younger-lived races all do so at around 25% of their average lifespan. I feel a little like this is a cop-out on the writer's part in trying to keep the ages of maturity a little closer to one another - though of course it's a cultural thing by each race (and, I'm sure, each culture within each race - idk how monolithic the whole comic will treat them, but it would track with the thematic worldbuilding for their to be multiple distinct social groups within each race, even if they do tent to band together against the other races!)

Based on the categories of "long-lived" and "short-lived", the latter seem to view all of the former as much the same - but I'm SURE the Elves have a different view of it, and I'm sure the Dwarves and, as we see here, Gnomes, are very aware of and irritated by the Elves' view.

...and as we see here, and earlier with Chilchuck admitting to being 29 (solidly middle-aged!) and Marcille going, "Aw, so you are a kid!", people rarely make any effort to understand each others relative ages, instead just coasting on their own life-based assumptions.

With reference to above, we can see that Namari at 61 is pretty exactly equivalent to Kaka and Kiki at 20.

Also: this little scene wasn't in the show at all and I love it! Namari in mentor mode!

.

ALRIGHT RED DRAGON TIME!! Hey look, literally the 2nd panel in this ghost city is 2/3 winged lions by volume. Hmmm...

.

I love how it's explicitly Shuro's job to get the final killshot, presumably because he has Feats for this (ie, cool-looking moments) as a "real" anime character (Easterner). This literally bears up with what we see of him in the future.

.

Chilchuck: I will NOT fight!

Chilchuck: I'll totally be dragon bait with you, though.

Chilchuck: Not that I care if you succeed or survive or anything! I'm only here because you paid up front.

.

Laios using the Inspiring Leader speech feat! They're all having a Heroes' Feast before fighting the dragon, a classic pre-dragon act for bonus HP and immunity to being Frightened! I know this isn't actually D&D but that post that I think came through my queue earlier today is right: it DOES have the same bones. It's like reading the Locked Tomb and being aware that this author was deep in Homestuck, or Scholomance vis a vis Harry Potter canon and fandom. I know where this writer has been, because I have been there too.

.

THE BOY IS HERE! THE MAN THE MYTH THE OVERWORKED* LEGEND!

THIS SISTER-EATING MOTHERFUCKER!!

*Crack AU where the whole dragon fight is averted because it talks and somehow the conversation leads to Chilchuck going, "And the Mage isn't even letting you sleep? Tsk. You've got to start a union." And then Laios gets all starry-eyed, "A Monster Union?!" And then the Mage is eventually defeated by all the monsters of the dungeon, and also the poor sane ghosts as well, unionizing against him, and "king" becomes just the title for the Union Rep, whose main job is to honk an airhorn at presumptuous Elves and tell them to fuck off like a Canadian goose.

.

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

[storgicdealer]

ahem. cracks knuckles.

you know what time it is boy

highlights of attacking the innocent (also balling): general analysis of influencer arc episode 1

(so. the green onceler arc might be actually real)

THIS EPISODE WAS SO SICK. the animation????the music??????? the 3D CYBERSPACE??????????? MWAH chefs kiss . and the most interesting new thing: new character to play dolls with (thank you everyone who put their 5 cents in and shared a braincell: calling him greenscreen)

and. god.

the 3d insides of the computer box and programs... GOD !!!!!! GOD !!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR BABY!!!!!!!!

i NEED to find out the dimensions of it.

the way the ab team decided to expand on the 3d perspective just like this is. oh my lird

personally this means SO MUCH for me as the #1 lover of the "internet is walkable" trope. one of the main reasons why i adore avam so much

more points on that: the icons dont seem to.. "gain shape" until they're interacted with: in this case picked up by the cg. another point: sticks need to apply force to an icon to open an app . swag

additional note: the episode itself seems to begin in sticksfight?? or just a random table that was drawn

additional note electric boogaloo: green seemed to hit the CEILING when performing his ballin movement. is the gui of the computer really not that high?? and.

where are the doors. where are. where is the backstage that the sticks constantly come out of. hello

the way they interact with adobe premiere is SO SO interesting. the whole process of videomaking in the universe is something im gonna be thinking of for a GOOD while

(small note: i know sticks own hammerspace and can basically bring out anything but. is the red cape the red fabric green used in the matador short?

now, onto our new character

greenscreen seemed to appear out of the adobe video being overloaded? with effects n unnecessary sfx and clipping masks and such, causing it to glitch. in fact, adobe itself warned to proceed with caution the second the cg put too much stuff into it.

honestly, we can always put this monent into the "something glitchy-fucked happens and there are consequences" category, with the consequences just happening to be a new guy (thank you so much whoever did that). but worldbuilding wise, how exactly did it manifest? did the excessive amount of effects and glitches.. shape a creature into existence? with it taking the appearance of green as the main character that appeared in the video the most. sort of like a puzzle to create a being?

what's interesting, the screen focuses on the cg throwing the video away before the sequence with it gaining sentience by taking the form of green starts.

now, the main thing about the fight scene to me is how greenscreen took all of his movements/actions from the video itself,

and how many people have already pointed out, is that..

he doesn't seem to have wanted to attack in the first place.

screen, from the beginning of his existence only possessed powers/moves that green & cg themselves have shown in the video. and of course, the main point of the video itself was fighting a monster — obviously filling up the video, the whole essence of the character, with mostly that. his whole being was shaped up that way.

screen might've tried acting friendly, or neutral at least — but the whole way the video, a fighting video, was jumbled with glitches kind of.. forced him not to exhibit any other behaviour. perhaps, if not for these glitches, he could've controlled his own actions — he would still know the most of the world from the video, but at least, if he wanted to fight — he could control it. and do it himself, if he wanted.

(additional note: greenscreen seems to glitch everytime he's hit, also.)

the time he does attack, himself — is when he is cornered, and has been shown nothing but violence from others.

woah that pal has some seeerious issues to get under control ! anyways, onto other highlights of the video! (/silly)

the new video did a WONDERFUL job at showcasing the cg's fighting style in a new, clear manner. the gang regained the weapons they have wielded in the first part of "wanted", but in another form.

orange, equipped with the classic brush tool, seems to be mostly focused on defense. (regaining the previous defense styles based on the last parts of wanted & avm s3!)

red seems to focus on melee and hand-to-hand fighting,

blue, classic: fighting at a distance with the bow.

yellow seems to also fight at a certain distance, but it is only a hand's reach: enough to hit, enough to not get hit. (this also heavily reminds me of yellow's behavior with the staff, where in fight she has mostly hung out in the middle: aiming and attacking from a certain distance.)

i'm not particularly sure what category to put green in, also taking in his usage of the rod in avms3 and a .. gun. in the beginning of wanted. but his moves are the most agile and sharp (literally) out of the crew.

a bit of the video i am . Really interested in

finding out about his adobe-abilities, screen consumed other bits of the program to use it for attacking. including posterizing time, which is not only a quite strong ability in on itself, but!

..also seemed to affect other sticks, while he, himself — was unaffected by time.

the move seems to be incredibly powerful??? like. if it was that easy for a glitched video to consume parts of adobe, use it for his own powers, to a point of manipulating time???

damn. the cg basically created an adobe demigod????????

another supposition i have onto why it worked on sticks: the cg were drawn themselves, and drawn in adobe flash, therefore being interacted with as symbols whether they were affected because of just being drawn beings themselves, or because of some kind of influence all adobe programs might have on each other — their creation itself is probably the reason for this. (once again. they created a killer machine and provoked it itself!!!!!! damn pick a struggle!!!!!/j)

the episode finishes off amazingly in my opinion by the cg recreating and using the basketball movements they learned when filming their first video. they Slamdunked a stick. good lord

anyways. FEEL FREE TO ADD ON TO THIS POST WHATEVER YOU WANT !!! i appreciate all notes !!!! :D

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

There's a small moment in the Hunter x Hunter 2011 anime that I thought was pretty cute. It's close to the beginning, during the Hunter Exam, when they're looking for pigs in the forest. Gon slides down a hill, and Killua follows him, only for him to crash because Gon had stopped at the bottom of the hill. This scene!

It's one of those rare little bits added by an adaptation that really add to the characters - because yeah, this was not in the manga.

I find this anime is really good at adding little moments that either

are just cute or endearing

are fun extra interactions that show off the character dynamics more

actually highlight something about the characters in question

This one, I feel, does all three. First of all, I just love seeing Killua a bit more involved in their group before the eventual reveal of "he just wanted to be friends". It's really sweet.

But mostly, I think it's interesting that Killua assumed Gon was just messing around, when Gon was actually focusing his efforts on beating the challenge. Because, sure, Killua finds Gon somewhat intriguing, and he really wants to stick around him due to his desire for a friend - but Killua still sees himself as a class above pretty much everyone else there, and also as an assassin in a category so firmly removed from "regular kid".

So, Killua totally misreads Gon here. He assumes Gon is just doing a regular kid thing and attempts to mimic it so he can join in. It doesn't actually occur to him that Gon was tracking the pigs, or focusing on the task at hand.

It's a far cry from later on, where Killua and Gon are primarily a team effort - in sync, aware of the others' strengths, and taking each other quite seriously.

And part of it, of course, is that they just don't know each other very well at this point. But I think another thing is that Killua, during most of the Hunter Exam, is more invested in what Gon represents than who he is, necessarily.

His first friend represents rebellion against his family, childish enjoyment, and the desire for connection and understanding that he is not receiving. And even though, as time goes on, he grows more and more impressed with Gon, I really don't think it fully clicked that he wanted that friend he wished for to be specifically Gon until he was confronted by Illumi.

I also think Killua takes Gon a lot more seriously after the fight with Hanzo, and especially after Gon went all the way to the Zoldyck estate to save him. Before the Hanzo fight, Killua was outright irritated by Gon being ranked higher than him overall, and was even a little bitter at the beginning of the fight ("I could've dodged that easily" comes to mind).

By Heavens Arena, I feel they both have a much firmer grasp on, and appreciation for, who the other is as a person. Killua is more consciously aware of his investment in Gon as an individual rather than an abstract, and Gon is aware of Killua's crappy upbringing and is quick to be very supportive of him as he figures things out for himself.

During the Hunter Exam though, a lot of the interactions between them feel a lot like Killua is either mimicking or acting out "regular kid" behaviours, either because that's what he thinks Gon is already doing, or he wants to see if Gon will respond in kind.

Aaaaand... he does. :)

So, while they do not have what I feel is a true depth of bond here yet, the foundation is already being laid down for their powerful friendship - Gon and Killua both show an immediate willingness and enjoyment to go along with what the other wants to do and to try out what the other is good at, and they wind up having a whole lot of fun together right off the bat.

[centrally-unplanned]

Another big stop in Tokyo for me was Jimbocho Book Town! It is a neighborhood of, depending on who you ask, up to 400 generally-secondhand bookstores flanked by some of the major universities in Tokyo. The local government even prints out maps of the stores to help people find them all:

Which, you will note, is not 400 stores, because the process of becoming an "official" Jimbocho Town Bookstore is an intensely political operation run by local stakeholders with tons of fights over what should qualify and what rights that entails - never change humanity!

"Book Towns" used to actually be quite a common thing, and they peaked during the literary boom of the late 19th century. Figuring out "what books existed" was a hard task, and to do serious research you needed to own the books (you weren't making photocopies), so concentrating specialty bookstores in one area made sense to allow someone to go to one place and ask around to find what they need and discover what exists. It was academia's version of Comiket! Modern digital information & distribution networks slowly killed or at least reduced these districts in places like Paris or London, but Jimbocho is one of the few that still survives.

Why it has is multi-causal for sure - half of this story is that Tokyo is YIMBY paradise and has constantly built new buildings to meet demand so rents have been kept down, allowing low-margin, individually-owned operations to continue where they have struggled in places like the US. These stores don't make much money but they don't have to. But as important is that Japan has a very strong 'book collector' culture, it's the original baseball cards for a lot of people. The "organic" demand for a 1960's shoujo magazine or porcelainware picture book is low, but hobbyists building collections is a whole new source of interest. Book-as-art-collection powered Jimbocho through until the 21st century, where - again like Comiket - the 'spectacle' could give it a lift and allow the area to become a tourist attraction and a mecca for the ~cozy book hoarder aesthetic~ to take over. Now it can exist on its vibes, which go so far as to be government-recognized: In 2001 the "scent wafting from the pages of the secondhand bookstore" was added to Japan's Ministry of Environment's List of 100 Fragrance Landscapes.

Of course this transition has changed what it sells; when it first began in the Meiji area, Jimbocho served the growing universities flanking it, and was a hotpot of academic (and political-polemic) texts. Those stores still exist, but as universities built libraries and then digital collections, the hobby world has taken over. Which comes back to me, baby! If you want Old Anime Books Jimbocho is one of the best places to go - the list of "subculture" stores is expansive.

I'll highlight two here: the first store I went to was Kudan Shobo, a 3rd floor walk-up specializing in shoujo manga. And my guys, the ~vibes~ of this store. It has this little sign outside pointing you up the stairs with the cutest book angel logo:

And the stairs:

Real flex of Japan's low crime status btw. Inside is jam-packed shelves and the owner just sitting there eating dinner, so I didn't take any photos inside, but not only did it have a great collection of fully-complete shoujo magazines going back to the 1970's, it had a ton of "meta" books on shoujo & anime, even a doujinshi collection focusing on 'commentary on the otaku scene' style publications. Every Jimbocho store just has their own unique collection, and you can only discover it by visiting. I picked up two books here (will showcase some of the buys in another post).

The other great ~subculture~ store I went to was Yumeno Shoten - and this is the store I would recommend to any otaku visiting, it was a much broader collection while still having a ton of niche stuff. The vibes continued to be immaculate of course:

And they covered every category you could imagine - Newtype-style news magazine, anime cels, artbooks, off-beat serial manga magazines, 1st edition prints, just everything. They had promotional posters from Mushi Pro-era productions like Cleopatra, nothing was out of reach. I got a ton of books here - it was one of the first stores I visited on my second day in Jimobocho, which made me *heavily* weighed down for the subsequent explorations, a rookie mistake for sure. There are adorable book-themed hotels and hostels in Jimbocho, and I absolutely could see a trip where you just shop here for a week and stay nearby so you can drop off your haul as you go.

We went to other great stores - I was on the lookout for some 90's era photography stuff, particularly by youth punk photographer Hiromix (#FLCL database), and I got very close at fashion/photography store Komiyama Shoten but never quite got what I was looking for. Shinsendo Shoten is a bookstore devoted entirely to the "railway and industrial history of Japan" and an extensive map collection, it was my kind of fetish art. My partner @darktypedreams found two old copies of the fashion magazine Gothic & Lolita Bible, uh, somewhere, we checked like five places and I don't remember which finally had it! And we also visited Aratama Shoten, a store collecting vintage pornography with a gigantic section on old BDSM works that was very much up her alley. It had the porn price premium so we didn't buy anything, but it was delightful to look through works on bondage and non-con from as far back as the 1960's, where honestly the line between "this is just for the fetish" and "this is authentic gender politics" was...sometimes very blurry. No photos of this one for very obvious reasons.

Jimbocho absolutely earned its rep, its an extremely stellar example of how history, culture, and uh land use policy can build something in one place that seems impossible in another operating under a different set of those forces. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

[katyspersonal]

🤔 I heard that information that in Japanese original, 'I abandon here my love' actually said 'lover' (so, Trina herself was that)

I'd need more straightforward confirmation, but if true this actually makes a lot of sense? Think about it: Miquella is(was) cursed to have the body of a child eternally, and that must have most likely completely ruined his chances for proper relationship! He could not find love with a child because he still aged mentally and intellectually! My biggest clue is that ascension to Godhood gave him adult body and if the implication was breaking the curse, that means he did age in spirit all along! And other clues for this personally is that he was able to organize his own whole sociopolitical structure and created a whole new school of philosophy and magic! (Not trying to throw a shade at the "genius 10 years old" anime trope, just assuming what's more likely gfbgfh Still, Demigods aren't like dragons or other creatures, they're very humanlike so in their case living for centuries would have left the effect on psychology!)

At the same time, he could not find love with an adult because then his body is a huge roadblock! Every other person would still perceive him as a child. Most people won't find these features attractive; child body is not the same as just very youthful/miniature body. But even though personality is sure more important than 'physical shell', it is still a very crippling experience to know that no one will see your true self! Not even you will when you look into a mirror! Depending on the severity of the feeling in can become a rift between oneself and others preventing true intimacy. And if he embraced how his body is.. that'd get him back to perceiving self as a child, with roles and all

This would be a VERY frustrating life for someone if they want and need romantic or even sexual intimacy! TRULY a curse! However, Trina by default is the one and only being who is stuck in the exact same situation as Miquella. They are the only people in this unique age "category" after all. They didn't have to fall in love on this basis, of course. People, not animals. But that still happened? Finding a solace in another when the whole world doesn't understand (not the world's fault) is a very powerful feeling

[golden-dragon-feathered-serpent]

LMK Celestial Monkey Theory

So! In the original Journey to the west. Celestial Monkeys are described to have been in a category all on their own. They are not gods, mortals, beasts, demons, or anything of the sort and canNOT fall in any category of the natural order.

The reason for this is because they’re meant to be pure forms of chaos to balance out the rest of the world’s Order. Yin and Yang sort of thing. Especially considering how powerful every celestial monkey is described as well as how they only seem to come to be by pure chaotic chance. (MK’s birth pending of course)

Now Chaos is not a bad thing inherently, not at all. It’s what keeps Tyrants from power long-term, and keeps our lives interesting from day to day. Another aspect of this is that the Celestial Monkey’s power levels directly correlates to the balance of Order/Chaos in the world already. More Order? The Monkeys have way more packed behind their punches. And each of em gets a stronger urge to cause mischief & maybe get a little feral. (Never losing themselves to being wild animals tho. After all they’re SMART. As MK has said “There’s nothing mindless about me, Friend.”) But also alternatively, if there’s more chaos in the world than order they themselves get weaker in comparison. They still have access to all their powers, buuut for example their super strength isn’t AS super as before.

I mean after all, who have been MK’s biggest baddies? People wanting to bring about a whole new world order. DBK, Spider Queen, LBD, and Azure Lion all wanted to reshape the world into a new world order and who was there to stop them? MK, our little harbringer of Chaos.

[natasha-in-space]

Y'know, I didn't talk about it that much when it first came out, but it is so sweet to see some more content of Yoosung enjoying his life as a vet.

I think it's kind of understandable that it's often overlooked, since it wasn't as much of a focus on his route. By comparison, we do know a whole lot about hia love for cooking, and he actually shares this passion with us many times during the game. Therefore, seeing him suddenly become a vet can feel a bit out of pocket for the player. I wish we had a bit more content on that particular aspect of his. To expand on it a bit more than what we already have in canon. Even his previous birthday events and CG's didn't really mention it. The only content we do have is his Valentines dlc and his after ending. Which isn't all that much. Yoosung's image is probably one of a student, gamer, or adorable cook when you think of him. It'll be nice if his career choice as a vet fit into that category, too.

That said, I looove to think about all the potential details of this time in his life. It's also very sweet to see MC helping him out with some of his duties. After the events of his route, I always see his dynamic with his MC as very supportive and reliant on one another in things big and small. Like MC bringing him lunch to work, or Yoosung picking them up from their place of work/study in return. You're a team, and you work as a unit. So it is very cute to see it in action!

I like to think that Yoosung is the type of vet who tends to spoil his patients, sometimes to the extreme. Deciding to arrange a spa day for them was probably his idea too. Just because one of them just happened to need a bath on that say. So he figured, why not treat them all to new shiny coats and relaxing massages!? Participating in this chaos was only agreed upon by MC, of course. It's impossible to tell me otherwise - these two are a well-known power couple in the clinic.

Or, it's possible that this is their idea of a date on the weekend. It's easy for me to see that, particularly if his MC is a huge animal lover!

Being a vet can be a very stressful and demanding job. Yoosung has to deal with many unfortunate losses and pains caused to innocent animals who didn't do anything wrong and their loving owners. So it's probably such a huge source of positivity and motivation for him to just relax for a few hours and have fun with a bunch of furry patients. Focus on the lighthearted sound of laughter between him and his lover and happy noises of mischief from some rowdy pets. The sight of their wagging tails and slow blinks is a significant reminder of the reason behind his actions. And to have his partner there with him... Well, that's just a cherry on top of the cake!

They better not take any selfies after that, though, because with this many furry participants, they'd be covered in fur for sure. It won't make Zen and Jaehee very happy to see it in the chatroom.

Of course, they still do so anyways.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Caine, Ragatha, and Kinger x plush!reader

not much in the inbox so i think imma rattle off some ideas ive had in the brain for a while but didnt have the time or energy to get out!! i know im posting earlier than i have been the past few days but!! idk i just cant sleep. ill probably hop back on later and get to writing again, maybe

CAINE:

thinks youre really cute. definitely ramps up on calling you names like "Doll", he thinks hes so clever for the petname. I like to think that he gives you a whole wardrobe of cute outfits and accessories. sure you might not be a doll... well... do plushies fall under the same category? as far as caine knows, you do! probably offers to give you other stuff, like alternative eyes (IE. buttons) or hair, probably unaware of how morbid that sounds since he cant relate to the whole "having a body/sense of self" thing that the circus members have. theres no malicious intent, i promise! loves snuggling into you, bonus if youre scented

RAGATHA:

on the off chance one or both of you get torn during the day/IHA, you guys patch each other up. of course this is assuming you guys can get torn up in the first place.. honestly im on the fence about it but the image of the idea of you guys caring for one anothers injuries has me feeling things. you guys have matching outfits, its nice, i think. both very soft, emotionally and physically. really i mostly put ragatha here so i could write down that first idea! maybe you guys sew in patches of fabric into one another, like you have ragathas favorite color and she has yours.. think of it as your versions of matching couples tattoos!

KINGER:

imagine being weight and/or scented. that man would be all over you, holding onto you. i mean even if you werent, he would still be clinging onto you since it brings him comfort. but the added smell and weight gives him that bonus level of comfort! probably immediately calms down when you lean in to hug him, wrap your arms around him and his body is already calming down from its shaking and noclipping. if youre an animal plushie, he probably runs his fingers through your fur and plays with it. very gently grabs a handful of it and ever so lightly tugs. in a way its how he determines youre actually. there. and in the present moment

[thechekhov]

So I just recently got caught up on WD!Steven and that little rant that Pearl went on about humans speaking sumerian and using animate/inanimate gender classes to refer to gems (EE Bomb: Friday) and I was wondering if you had resources where I could read more about that? It seems super interesting.

Hey! So I'm assuming you mean this comic.

In terms of resources, I'm afraid all I've got for you is basic work-ups on Sumerian as a language. I believe at this point it's pretty much agreed that Sumerian had two grammatical genders - human and other. (source 1)

I extrapolated a lot, for the sake of the comic because I am admittedly not well versed in ancient Sumerian grammar, but it felt fun to me to consider the idea that ancient humans initially saw gems as something so OTHER that they did not even place them in the same category as human-classified nouns.

It should be noted, of course, that simplifying Sumerian nouns into simply animate and in-animate is not altogether accurate, as per this paragraph from Daniel A. Foxvog's “Introduction to Sumerian Grammar” (Source 2)

Sumerian features a kind of grammatical gender which has nothing to do with the natural gender categories masculine vs. feminine. Instead, nouns are viewed as either personal, referring to individual human beings, whether singular or plural, or impersonal, usually referring to persons viewed as a group (collectives), animals, places, or things. Some grammars use the linguistic terminology "animate" vs. "inanimate," which can be misleading, since the impersonal category is used not only for lifeless objects, but also for animals, groups of persons, and "objectified" individual persons referred to scornfully or dismissively such as slaves – all of which are certainly animate, living things. (*emphasis mine)

My initial thought was admittedly just based on the gems' inhumanity, but another interpretation could be made that the gems, which function as a mass unit and often come in near-identical groups of the same gem, were thus interpreted by the Sumerians as a collective rather than another individual.

Aside from that, the rest is just me speculating. If you're asking for sources from the canon text (original SU) then I'm afraid I've got nothing - that whole comic was just speculative! I made it all up.

As for genders in grammar - if you're asking this as a general curiosity, I do want to mention that Sumerian isn't particularly WEIRD for this. Grammatical gender is not the same thing as cultural and social gender, and is a whole other beast of its own. Many non-Western-European languages classify what we call 'genders' in grammar by things that have very little to do with masculine and feminine traits. You can read about it more on the Grammatical Gender wikipedia page!

Cheers!

Sources Sited:

http://www.eltereader.hu/en/kiadvanyok/english-gabor-zolyomi-an-introduction-to-the-grammar-of-sumerian (Lesson 1, Page 15, page 167)

2. https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlp/2.0.pdf (Page 22)

[lunarsilkscreen]

A Pokemon Researcher's Journal

A half video game developer, half Pokemon professor fictional guide to Pokemon.

The Current PKMN Meta includes three main categories of Pokemon:

Starter - Typically Stronger than any other wild Pokemon, which is a nerf on almost all enemies. These Pokemon are similar to "Pedigree" animals in the real world; they are strong *because* they are bred to be.

Legendary - Either the same power as a Well-teained Starter, or stronger. But typically unique and one per trainer or event trainer has taken part in.

They represent a pure-bred variant of another Pokemon or meta-physical aspect of life. Take Entei who is basically an unofficial evolution of Arcanine, or Mewtwo who is literally a genetic clone of Mew infused with human DNA.

SUB-legendary - Not considered legendary, but still considered Unique in some facet of play. Like Farfetched or Porygon in p1.

Wild - Every Other Pokemon

Note: This is different than how everyone else categorizes because I'm talking from a game design perspective.

Pokemon Typings (ones that matter to gameplay) include Elemental *and* bio-masa types.

Bio-mass types include things that inform the physical (or non-phyaical) make-up of a Pokemon. These are things like Normal, Fighting, Ground, Ghost, Dragon, and Fairy

Elemental Typings include things like Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, and Rock.

I believe the original Pokedex, due to limited storage capacity didn't differentiate these two settings because it was focused *more* on the utility of the Pokemon, E.g: how a Pokemon interacts with other Pokemon, habitat, and other minor details.

Effectively; this was the assumption made by previous researchers.

A Pokemon's effectiveness in combat has to do with their overall typing (above) combination and their ability and set of known moves.

Some Pokemon have been known to have access to all the sets their type should allow, while most currently only have access to 4 moves from their entire moveset availability.

A Pokemon's Stats (training and genetic makeup,) their passive abilities, and moveset have changed the course of many Pokemon tournaments by some very intelligent trainers.

However; I believe there's much more that we don't know about Pokemon. And the limited data on the Pokedex, focused on cataloguing all variants of Pokemon, and not focused on individual Pokemon has lead to this.

Even still, Pokemon tournaments are still very limited in the breeds we might see.

It would be beneficial to the Pokemon League organization to include more varied events alongside the typical battles that we see.

Obstacle courses like we see in the real world. Pageantry like we see outside of the Large scale tournaments. And other types of courses like we had seen in the first Pokemon Stadium Tournament.

The Pokemon League themselves tends to focus on a few *Golden Child* Pokemon which are typically given to new trainers, and Pikachu.

Ghost and Dragon types are also Typically utilized because of their unique flair that most people in the world don't see everyday. And while they *are* fairly strong; they're no stronger than your typical Starter.

I'm not sure what necessitated the change in the breed of Pokemon given to new trainers, probably the rise in price and scarcity of the elemental evolution stones for the Eevee breed we used to distribute.

As synthetic evolution stones have become more and more common; it's still a wonder why the Pokemon League doesn't switch back, it being a cheaper option for the league and new trainers as a whole.

It still isn't clear *where* the Pokemon even gets new starter Pokemon; as while they are unique to the Region they come from, they are incredibly Rare in those regions as well.

I've come across rumors in my travels about dual-elemental Eevee-lutions as well... Some trainers who specialize in Eevee have showcased evidence of unique evolutionary conditions for a multi-typed Eevee. As every Eeevee-lution has a different name, they are all easiest to reference as "Eevees".

It's clear to me that we should be encouraging more variation in the types of Pokemon that people typically take in their care. As the starters start making their way to SUB-legendary status; it's clear that a wide gap in performance between the pauper trainers and the Aristocratic Trainers will become a problem for entry into the pokemon trainer program.

It will become prohibitively expensive for new trainers *and* widen the socio-economic gap between educated and under-educated trainers.

It has also resulted in excessive "Ditto Cloning," and we're starting to see a breakdown in the genes of the most well known and widely used Pokemon.

We also haven't nailed down the "Missing Numbers" glitch in the Pokemon transfer and storage glitch; which, while used to create the artificial Pokemon Porygon... Still hasn't had a cause identified.

Is this because of Hacker in the system stealing particularly valuable Pokemon and replacing them with a proto-porygon? Or is it something far worse that might suggest continued usage of the system is akin to Poke-abuse?

Some have suggested that it's caused by a number of factors: including the Pokerus (the beneficial virus) and a Pokemon meeting evolutionary requirements while being stored at a time when it should have evolved, but that claim hasn't been verified.

It's possible the two assumptions could be connected, as the Poke gang problem still hasn't been addressed.

Also two problems correlated; the value of certain widely used Pokemon at Stadium tournaments, and the desire to obtain said Pokemon through illicit means...

The Pokemon League itself has refused to comment on any of the known issues, and simply refuses to act. I believe they've gotten complacent with their own strength, wealth, and fame; and have stopped thinking about the world and Pokemon as a whole.

It'll take a lot to change the minds and hearts of people and Pokemon alike... Who would even be up to such a task?

[some-pers0n]

Really liked the previous abnormal psychology post, do you have anything to say about intrusive thoughts (and how people tend to misuse that term (and how they aren't only about violence because that's the only examples i have seen people talk about))

Ah but of course!

Intrusive thoughts are in this category where a lot of people use the term without really understanding the extent to which it means. People often conflate it with impulsive thoughts or fantasies, wherein a person will have an urge to do something reckless but enjoy it. This could be something like dying your hair, making a really mean comeback to that one annoying coworker, jumping in a lake, or even something more aggressive like pushing over a baby stroller. They're thoughts that people have at random but enjoy the thought of them, even if they're a little dark. Fantasies in particular can cross over into the whole desire aspect of what a person would want, which mehhh I don't really wanna get too into since this is about intrusive thoughts

Intrusive thoughts on the other hand are unwanted thoughts of any kind. They're thoughts that bring the person stress, anxiety, etc and etc. These can be anything really, but most of the time it can be anything like these

Suicidal ideation and or self harm

Being SA'd or SA'ing someone else

Homicidal or aggression towards innocents

Fear of social ostriziation

Random imagery that's just generally disturbing

Public humiliation

Philia-related (ex: SA'ing a child, animal, corpse, etc)

Mind readers or someone potentially observing your thoughts

Believing that something that happened to another was actually your fault and you're to blame for it all

Religious-related fears

Scrutinizing your identity (gender, sexuality, etc)

World-ending catastrophes

These thoughts aren't exactly a representation of who you are nor your "secret desires" like say fantasies. I want to make a distinction between that. Intrusive thoughts are disturbing and can oftentimes cause stress and anxiety

This can manifest in disorders like OCD, where to combat these intrusive thoughts (obsessions) they do these things that..don't really work (compulsions).

Here's a list of some common compulsions as well lol

Interrogation of self, like asking yourself whether you actually want to do any of those things or whether you feel rightfully repulsed by them

Checking and recounting things in case if someone had stolen anything or something bad will happen if it isn't quite right

Asking for reassurance from peers

Routines and "rituals", like how a person may have to watch a certain video in order for them to sleep

Doing somethings over and over, like washing your hand 4 times because 4 just "feels right" enough to get whatever the hell is on your hands off

Compulsions don't have to be logical or rational. Sometimes they're just stuff like "I need to flick the lights of my room on and off seventeen times or else my parents will die and go to hell". It's just whether or not it makes sense and has the person feel as though it works

Either way, intrusive thoughts are an infinitely complex topic that most people don't really wanna talk about because they're exposing. I know damn well I don't really wanna share mine. It's not really until they're less demonized and misunderstood that people can really talk about them

Intrusive thoughts make sense for why people who don't get them are reaaallly off put by them, but it's still irritating. Like I get why a well-adjusted person would be spooked by hearing that someone they care about has these thoughts, but it's still...gewhhhghhhhh y'know?

Like c'mon. Thoughts are not really indicative of a person's core. Your brain is going a mile a minute. Sometimes the train of thought just spits out the worst thing known to man and you just kinda gotta live with it knowing that it's not really you, but some subconscious part of your brain that's like "god wouldn't it be so fucked up if that happened?" It feels even more isolating honestly since not only do you feel like a freak and horrible person, but you can't really vocalize it unless it's in broad strokes and hushed tones. Ah well

Either way, intrusive thoughts and disorders connected to them are pretty complex. Again, highly recommend checking them out and researching them more if you wanna

[theshippirate22]

careful what you wish for @grimmfitzz because i have been vibrating wanting to rant all day and now i’ve been given permission so it’s comin’! here we go yall

THE RANT

listen. i am an Alice in Wonderland person. that is my thing. i love everything from the novel. i love the merch. i was Alice at least four halloweens when I was little. picture the thing you love the most of all the things and multiply it by ten and that is how I feel about Alice in Wonderland.

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THE GRAVITY WHEN I TELL YOU I HATE DISNEY ALICE IN WONDERLAND

let me tell you why.

starting off with the animated 1951 version, i personally don’t like that they focused so much on like. giving it a plot. like in the original nothing bad happens, she just is trying to get home and keeps getting stopped by these eccentric little people (she does get chased by the jabberwocky in Through the Looking Glass but that’s like the not even part of this movie so it doesn’t count.) like part of the whimsy of the original novel is that it’s just like her meeting all these silly little people on her way home and there’s a whole bunch in the 1951 that’s like put there specifically to move the plot along. which i get, for what they’re trying to do like i do understand it’s an animated movie for children but like. come on guys you defeated the whole purpose.

Now, as for the 2010 Tim Burton version, I love the aesthetic and the vibe, and even the story and I wholeheartedly believe that that version of Alice did more for feminism than all of the you-can-tell-i’m-a-strong-female-character-because-i-don’t-have-a-love-interest bullshit disney’s been doing the past five ish years combined. however, it’s like. not Alice in Wonderland. like it fits in the same category in my head as a really well done fanfiction because yes, its Alice in Wonderland characters but no it’s not Alice in Wonderland.

But of course, my biggest, nastiest critique of both versions is (*deep breath*) the goddamn Queen of Hearts.

If you know like anything about like Alice in Wonderland *lore* you know that the story is like… not an allegory per se but basically it’s supposed to exaggerate how children are sometimes treated by adults.

Like asking stupid questions (the caterpillar) or talking in circles about nonsensical things (the hatter) or giving conflicting or unhelpful directions (the cheshire cat) or telling dark/pointless stories (tweedledee abd tweedledum)

Which brings me to the Queen of Hearts.

Both Disney versions depict my beloved Queen as the main antagonist- the Bad Guy™️ if you will- but the problem is that in Lewis Carroll’s novel, she actually isn’t. The antagonist is the jabberwocky, which is a personification of Fear. The Queen of Hearts is just another crazy adult who says things that Alice doesn’t like. If we want to interpret the character into Alice’s real life, she might be a strict teacher who hands out punishments too generously (off with their heads!) or a governess who is set on dictating every single instant of her life. It’s an exaggeration! The Queen of Hearts is NOT the Bad Guy™️!!!!

ahem anyway that drives me actually bonkers if you can’t tell and i know it’s not that important but i wanted to say something anyway lmao so there you go

(if you are looking for a good Alice in Wonderland adaptation try the 1985 made-for-tv one! It’s like three hours long and it’s so fun and cute and there’s a bunch of old celebrity cameos! Details here)