#Her people skills is amazing like she's very good with calming down people and has something most Bats dont

[problematic-aroace]

Saying Stephanie Brown has no notable skills except for sheer determination is actually pretty canonically inaccurate-

I swear one of these days I'm gonna make a whole fucking post full of her skillset- Just because she doesn't have a traditional skillset doesn't mean she's has no skills 😭

[marymary-diva17]

Girl at this point giving you requests is my hobby.

New idea: how about instead of a hated sully!reader, we could have a favorite child reader.

Like, eywa decided that she'll be the strongest and most skilled future Ole'eykatei, so all of the attention is towards her, overlooking the rest of her siblings.

She's Lo'ak's younger twin sister, but she's made the future clan leader because she's special.

She doesn't mind her role or destiny, but she's also kind and wise and calm every time, helping her siblings whenever they need her.

She has scars from defending the clans but also from fighting the sky people, making Jake and Neytiri more attentive of her instead of her siblings.

Ps: she's very tall and biff for na'vi, like 9'11 with big fangs and a lot of admires.

I don't mind if you can't do it, just wanted to give you a new idea.

Sully family x reader

Jake and neytiri had started a family after the war and the rebuild of the clans as well, what they didn't know was that they were going to be blessed big family. A wonderful family indeed but it was hard for them at times to see that they had favor their kids and left some in the shadows. You are one of their favorites kids and you have seen the effect of favoritism your parents have done, on your family and hated it even the clan did the same thing as well.

Y/n " hey I'm going out scouting and maybe some hunting" you had entered the common area of your family home, as you soon came across your twin brother neteyam, your dad and your uncle Tsu'tey.

Jake " that good always doing the best for my clan, it good that you are your brother as taking your roles seriously"

neteyam " we are planing a bit more attack plans wish to stay and help us"

y/n " I will love to big brother but that your specialty remember you are always good that planning them out, I'm mostly good with the escape plans for the family and clan"

Tsu'tey " your sister is very honorable neteyam giving your credit for you work and role in the clan"

neteyam " yes she is"

y/n " oh yes dad kiri and tuk had went off with grandmother to help her today, as I had helped her yesterday"

Jake " you know you always amazing me sharing responsibility and titles with your siblings, most kids wouldn't do that"

y/n " I love and care about my family hey why don't you ask lo'ak to help he at age to start helping dad, he will become a warrior when he older"

Jake " I think lo'ak is better suit for something else then is" you hated it when you father shot down your ideas of letting lo'ak help, when it came to battle plans. Your mother and father always favored you and your siblings more, and it always left lo'ak in the shadows at times.

y/n " yes sir" you had soon grabbed your arrow and blade and soon left home, you had become a skilled warrior, hunter, healer, and spiritual guide so a young age. Your body had become strong over the years of training and you are tall for your age as well, but not as tall are the other warrior women of the clan.

y/n " hey lo'ak spider" you had been walking when you came across lo'ak and spider.

lo'ak " hey sis"

spider " hey y/n"

y/n " hey I was going hunting and scouting maybe mixed with explore and some fun, and I was wondering if my boys will love to come verse staying here all day"

lo'ak " are you sure"

y/n " yes I love spending time with you two"

spider " yes we will come we have out stuff anyways"

y/n " good now come with me and let have some fun" spider and lo'ak soon had walked away from home with you, as the tiro was walking it was easy to tell something was the matter.

y/n " what the matter and don't lie I know something the matter with you two"

lo'ak " once again it feels like we are being left out of stuff, dad lets neteyam in during his meetings and our sisters get time with mom and grandmother ... and you get to do both"

y/n " ......"

spider " no matter what we do we will see be seen as outsiders, to all the grown ups"

y/n " I can see where you guys are coming from"

lo'ak " we know you do your best to make sure we get involved but, it seems to fall on deaf ears"

y/n " yes I have tried my best like I have done with all our siblings and I will not stop trying, and I hate the favoritism that is played it makes me sick"

spider " thanks y/n"

y/n " anytime"

lo'ak " now come on let get some hunting down or anything else done" you had soon laugh and soon the boys had followed in laughter, after everyone was done laughing the group soon went back to their mission of the day.

y/n " this will be good place there always something good here to hunt"

spider " got it we will look out for anything"

y/n " good"

lo'ak " let see what we can caught today" the tiro was looking around trying to find anything.

spider " hey over here" everyone soon raced to where spider was at and soon saw some animal tracks.

lo'ak " It not that far from here we can track it down and it seems like it with a herd, so we might caught one or more"

y/n " then lets get going" The tiro soon followed the tracks and soon found the massive herd by the water. The three of them were looking at the herd and soon each other.

lo'ak " there are some big one there"

y/n " yes it will be good for the clan so boys which one"

spider " you are letting us pick"

y/n " yes so which one"

spider and lo'ak " that one over there" you and seen the on they had pointed out, you had nodded at them and soon everyone got ready for the hunt. The herd had started moving making the hunt even more challenging but the tiro was not giving up, as the ran after the herd as the animals were speeding up.

y/n " I will fire the first shot and then you two can follow after"

lo'ak and spider " yes" you had fired the shot hitting the beast but it was not going down yet. Lo'ak and spider had fired arrows at the same time soon bring down the beast.

y/n " you guys did it that amazing"

spider " but you could of shot it down you are good hunter" spider was not wrong your strength could of help you make the hunt, over right there but you didn't.

y/n " I could but I knew you two could do it as well"

lo'ak " thank sis"

y/n " now you two can do the honorary rights of the hunters, now come" lo'ak and spider came with you and had the rights and ways of the clan.

y/n " I'm proud of you both now we have to call and get this home"

spider " thank you"

lo'ak " yes thank you"

y/n " anytime" you had made the call to your dad who came with neteyam and tsu'tey along with your and lo'ak banshees to help bring the hunt back home.

Jake " good hunt my daughter"

y/n " dad yes I fired the first shot but it was lo'ak and spider had brought down the kill"

tsu'tey " they did"

y/n " yes they are good hunters and my future hunts I hope they will come with me and anyone else who wishes to come, as my brother and spider are good hunters"

Jake " you make me proud son"

tsutey " you make me happy and proud spider my son"

lo'ak and spider " thank you"

neteyam " you did a good job today"

y/n " thank you I will do anything for our family"

neteyam " I know you will and that will make you a great leader with me"

y/n " yes but only the future will tell" neteyam had smiled at you, lo'ak and spider did get praise for their hunting skills. It seems like after all you had been able to help lo'ak and spider find some position in the clan after all. You had made a promise to do anything for your family, and make sure they are given all the love and support from the family and clan no matter what happens.

[hymnserendipity]

Sugawara koushi, angst. (First time writing in english!)

Bi Sugawara, Word count: 1k

 

You and Sugawara have been dating for six months now, you support him when he's tired after training, when he's stressed about school and he does the same with you too. He often takes you on cute picnic dates, but lately he has begun to talk nonstop about Kiyoko.

"She is so talented—the best manager! She seems the kind who can handle everything by herself, and she does it with that pretty smile too."

You are not actually listening; every time you try to say something, he listens and then starts all over again talking about the volleyball team or her. At this point, you are almost reaching the break point.

"See, the thing about her is that she's always been good at everything, and she likes our team so much. Now we have a second manager, Yachi, and they are already best friends!" He keeps saying this without actually looking at you while he walks with you to school.

"She's quite a capable woman and has a very natural beauty about her." 

Then you stop him. You couldn't take it anymore.

"Ok, but now stop it, Koushi. I mean, you keep talking about her every day, and I'm starting to feel jealous," you finally admit. 

He finally looked at you.

"Why should it matter if I talk about her? We're all in the volleyball club, and Kiyoko is the manager, one of us. It's inevitable that people will talk about her so much, being such an amazing and beautiful girl. You're acting different, Y/N. What's the point of getting so worked up over this?"

You look at him as if he were a different person. Yes, last night he studied late, so he had had a rough night, but you had never seen your boyfriend like that. 

"The point is that I am your s/o, and you've always been talking only about her!" You accidentally raise your voice.

"Why should I care that you're my s/o? It's not like you're that great of a person anyway! All you do is cling to me and whine about every little thing. You're just too much of a kid. I think you could learn a lot more from Kiyoko, and I can learn more from her than from you too, so what if I talk about her constantly? You're actually nothing compared to her—not in skill, not in beauty, not in anything! Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic and immature here?"

You freeze and try to hide the tears that are forming in your eyes.

"I guess you are right, Suga." You can barely look at his face as the tears obscure your vision, and you turn away.

Sugawara freezes as realize the words that came out of his mouth, his angry look and how it must have hurt you. 

"Y/N, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that. I don't really feel that way, you know i adore you... i don't know what came over me, but i didn't mean it... please, i'm sorry, forgive me. "

"Shut up, Suga. " You mumbled.

"No, please y/n, don't be so angry. Can we talk about this? I didn't mean a word of it, you know me, you know that's not how I feel... I just said it because I thought you wouldn't be so hurt by it because it's so ridiculous."

"Please, just shut up. You can go to her for what i care." 

He tries to reach you, but you are already walking away.

"Please calm down and stop crying; I'll take it back; just don't be so upset. If you can't forgive me, then... then you can leave me, but please don't hate me, y/n!" He ran toward you, but you gave him a staring glance, and he stopped.

"I won't mention her again, I promise. Just please...." He whispered to himself.

For the rest of the day, you avoid him like the plague, crying in the bathroom during breaks. 

Sugawara starts feeling awful seeing you cry. It was all a stupid mistake. Why did he say such a hurtful thing? What was he thinking? Before volley practice, he sits down by the tree trunk, feeling hopeless and desperate.

"It's all a nightmare; wake up, wake up. It will be alright; y/n will forgive me. I'll just have to apologize." He mumbled.

He feels tears starting to come down his usually cheerful face. Why did he have to let it all go to waste like that? He is devastated. How did everything go wrong so suddenly? Did he really just ruin their relationship that harshly? 

He tries his best not to seem so upset during practice; however, in reality, he's devastated. His usual cheerful and positive demeanor is gone and has been replaced by a deep sadness. His teammates can tell something is wrong, but he just ignores it, trying to focus on the practice itself to forget about his mistake and the outcome. After practice, once all is over, he decides he has to talk to you, even if it's not easy. He found you at the exit of your photography club.

"Y/N, please, can we talk?" You look at him with tired eyes and sigh.

Sugawara stands in front of you with a sad expression.

"What do you want?" You say while looking at the ground.

"I want to apologize. What I said earlier, the way I was speaking about Kiyoko, I swear I didn't mean it. I don't know why I did; I guess I was just so mad at myself for making you feel bad that I wanted to hurt you back, which was so stupid and wrong of me. What I really want to know is: are you going to forgive me? Are we going to be okay?"

His voice sounds desperate as he pleads for your forgiveness. But... how could you forgive him?

"I don't think I can forgive you. I know she's better than me, more beautiful, and everything. I just don't know how I could look at you the same way now." you confess.

"No, you're wrong. Kiyoko may be beautiful and a talented manager, but she isn't nearly as funny, energetic, or positive as you are. Her beauty is just a fraction of what I feel when I look at you. I love you, and no one can take your place in my heart. Even if I was stupid for being so rude and mean, I don't want to lose you because of it. Please, y/n, give me another chance."

Sugawara looks at you pleadingly, with tears running down his face and his normal smile nowhere to be seen. Instead, he only shows you all his pain and grief over the hurt he has caused.

"I'll do anything you want; just please give me another chance. I won't even look at Kiyoko anymore; I'll do anything to prove that to you. I just don't want to lose you because of a stupid mistake I made. Please, y/n, forgive me." You couldn't say no to this. To his teary eyes. "I forgive you, Koushi," you say.

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

Sugawara's reading list:

[onegianthotmess]

Here’s Heidi Vanrouge at age 19! She eventually died her hair like Lilia’s, though she used red like he did when he was in the military rather than the pink he uses currently.

As Heidi got older, she calmed down on her hotheadedness, but she still has quite a temper and is a force to be reckoned with when angry. She also reminds Lilia even more of how he acted when he was the Right General and it freaks him out a lot.

Heidi actually scares Baul and Peaches as well with how much she acts like how Lilia did when he was General of the Right and it’s really funny to Divian how three war veterans are scared of how much a teenager reminds them so much of how one of them used to act.

Heidi eventually grew to be level headed despite her temper and basically acts like a tired single mother who’s trying to parent fifteen kids while doing a million things at once. Though, despite this begrudgingly motherly attitude towards her friends, Heidi cannot cook to save her life, much like her father and she actually set a stove on fire when she tried to boil a pot of water once and no one knows how it happened.

But it is quite easy to tell that Divian is her mother since she got her “mom glare” and “mom voice” from her along with her beautiful singing voice. It baffles so many people that the no nonsense and all brass tacks Heidi Vanrouge basically had the voice of an angel and can easily sing babies to sleep and call birds to her. She can make birds explode by singing like her mother, as well, though-

And although she seems harsh, Heidi loved Birdie very much and just wants to look out for her since Birdie is the baby. She does this is subtle ways, such as defending Birdie when others judge her diet, helping her with subjects she struggles with, and giving her the best advice she can when she doesn’t have anyone else to go to.

At NRC she’s just a regular student in Diasomnia since she already has a lot on her plate with making sure her dumbass friends don’t get arrested, being president of the Gardening Club, and being an on and off member of the Light Music Club. Heidi is very good at History of Magic and Potionology, specifically the gardening portions, but finds Astronomy ridiculous and hard to understand and doesn’t really see the point in it. Despite this, Heidi has amazing grades and finds that most magic and subjects come fairly easily to her, though she really needs to pay incredibly close attention if she wants to learn because although she is very observant, Heidi gets antsy and can get easily distracted if she sits still for extended periods of time.

And here is Bernadine “Birdie” Vanrouge at age 16!

She acts a lot like Lilia does currently, very silly and goofy and she enjoys looking adorable. While Heidi hates that people call her a pretty dove, Birdie loves how cute she is and enjoys enhancing said cuteness with her clothes and how she styles her hair. And again, Lilia is scared of how much Birdie looks like him since she’s basically her father’s ��mini-me” and looks identical to him aside from her downturned eyes and her ponytail makes her look a lot like Lilia did back when he had long hair in his General days.

Birdie still loves being outside like she did when she was little, but she’s developed a strange fascination, borderline obsession, with horses. And not in the regular teenage girl way, in the way that she studies them extensively and what their physical capabilities are and what parts of a horse are best to eat if necessary and how many liters of blood is in an average horse. She knows so many random and creepy horse facts that it’s scary to even her parents.

Birdie also thankfully inherited her mother’s cooking skills and often assists in shooing Lilia out of the kitchen before he makes another biohazard of turns a loaf of bread into liquid again. Birdie loves cooking for others and, much like both of her parents, it’s basically one of her love languages to cook or bake for someone and watch them enjoy it. She also loves tomatoes and tomato juice just like Lilia and often starts salivating at the thought of a nice, ripe and juicy tomato or a nice, cold glass of tomato juice if she’s really hungry and hasn’t eaten in a while.

On the subject of eating, Birdie is a very big vegetarian and it’s pretty much like she has a phobia of meat. This stems from when she was about eleven and found out that most of the meat she was eating was birds and it just felt wrong for her to eat any kind of bird since both her mother and sister’s spirit animals are birds and it eventually spiraled into a whole mental crisis until Birdie decided to become a vegetarian and not eat any kind of meat. Though, she’s now so adverse to meat that even the sight or smell of meat makes her feel all nauseous and woozy, but having the parents she does gives her a strong enough stomach to be able to sit through a dinner at home or lunch with friends without throwing up or fainting. But if meat is shoved in her face or someone holds it up to her mouth, Birdie will either run away to go puke or just faint on the spot.

Moving to the topic of NRC, Birdie becomes Vice Housewarden of Diasomnia within her first couple of days of being at NRC thanks to her friendliness and surprising efficiency when it comes to paperwork. It might be a family trait, but Birdie is very good at History of Magic and finds that most magical subjects come to her very easily, though she does struggle with mathematics because it isn’t a magic based subject or a subject that she is particularly interested in. But onto clubs, Birdie is the drummer for the Light Music Club but she’s also a member of the Equestrian Club and is incredibly grateful that both clubs have schedules that somehow never overlap or interfere with each other because, while she is flexible, it’s basically an impossible choice for Birdie to choose between the two clubs since she loves music and horses so much.

[mightyray]

Random Archie Sonic Character Headcanons Pt. 2 Did Someone Order More Echidnas?

Here's part 1 if you missed it. You can blame Ken Penders for this.

Julie-Su: The levelheaded girl of the team, Julie enjoys delivering the deadpan snark. The more tired she is, the more snarky she becomes. Started off mentoring Saffron, but later taught other girls how to fight, including a chunky koala called Abby. While she and Vector don't get along well, they will happily work together if it means stopping the DL, dingos or Brotherhood from turning Angel Island into a giant mess. She and Knuckles' bonded over their controlling relatives. Lein-Da: The worst girlboss, Lein-Da is one bad day away from torching the place and salting the ashes. Secretly obsessed with coffee. If she could, she'd have a coffee cult business and control as much of the supply as she could. Would make an amazing model for an adult business, but has no interest in that stuff at all, outside the aesthetics (Not to mention being horrible to work with in any way). The only thing aside from torturing people herself and coffee that calms her down is watching her pack of dark chao harass low level grunts for fun.

Kragok: Like his sister, he too is one bad day away from torching the place and salting the ashes. However, he's a lot more shrewd and enjoys the political theatre Angel Island brings, allowing his grandfather to take charge. Loathed Luger, his father, way more than his sister, but for some reason couldn't bring himself to get rid of the old man, whereas Lein-Da was all too happy to do the job. He, however, happily killed Mari-Su himself. Xenin and him are good bros, and Kragok even helped him fix his upgrades after Knuckles thumped him.

Moritori Rex: The man who managed to fool everyone... except Knuckles, of all people. Moritori Rex managed to perfectly cover his tracks for decades until Knuckles and Vector unveiled he was a mole. After rejoining the Dark Legion Moritori worked from the shadows to stage numerous political attempts at gaining power over the high council with nearly all of them working thanks to the Brotherhood (Mainly Locke) over stepping their bounds and echidna kind becoming more open to augmentation if it meant being one step ahead of the curve. This would be partially undone by a grunt by the name of Cobar and a massive riot over the closure of a wrestling promotion.

Gae-na: Lein-da's loyal assistant, her coffee is the only one she'll drink from. She deeply admires her from afar, but never dares say it out loud out of fear or ridicule. Very quiet but has been given the nickname the Silent Beauty due to her good looks and ability to have people join the DL just with her presence alone. She was the main reason Julie-su wasn't culled as an infant but placed under the direct supervision of Simon and Floren-ca two of the most loyal DL soliders believing that Julie would follow suit. It did work till she met Knuckles...

Syntar: A dark legion grunt who rose up the ranks due to his fantastic sniping skills. He fully believes the Dark Leigon and has no patience for doubters until things go horribly wrong for him and nearly dies. A complete loner, the only things he likes are talking about weapons and watching the sunrise and set.

Radar and Sonar: A duo consisting of an old man and his adopted brick house of a son. These two always go on missions together. Radar can remove the metal plate covering his lower face to fire an energy attack from his mouth. Sonar specialises in heat detection, but it hasn't been upgraded in quite some time due to him letting Radar get upgraded before him, believing he's getting old in the tooth. Please note, I gave the old man the name Sonar because Mr Penders didn't give him a name and I liked his design.

[comedianflagwriting]

Writing/Roleplaying Basil from OMORI Guide

I am a writer and when I was in the Homestuck fandom, the roleplay guides were a great tool for assisting me in writing the characters and helping to have all the information in one place! I’m going to try and deliver that same level of help I got from there to this fandom! @derselord is my inspiration for this guide and I will be laying out a format similar to theirs. Be sure to check them out because I felt their character analysis was amazing. 

It is also important to note that the characters in OMORI leave a ton of room for interpretation and with the release of the manga I will make a part two to this with it in mind. I am going to try to go off of the physical facts as much as I can but I will have to draw conclusions from other less cut and dry events and dialogue. 

Disclaimer: These are my interpretations and opinions. I am but a random person behind a computer so if you disagree with anything that's completely fine! There is no right or wrong way to write or express a character, especially (Emphasis on this) in fanfiction! :)

Let’s get into it.

(MAJOR SPOILERS)

Personality/Character Analysis

First, we will look at what OMOCAT has to say about her character, then we will take a look at Fanon Basil, and finally some random likes and dislikes that people may forget.

Basil’s personality as stated by OMOCAT is supposed to come off as sweet and gentle, which is something we noticed right off the bat in the game. You enter the park and instantly meet up with Mari and are introduced to a flower-crown wearing boy who is bashful and humble, often talking down his skills in photography but still has a wholesome cheer to his hope. 

“The first iteration of him was calm and gentle- the type of character that has everything under control- a little more of a perfectionist, but all of those traits ended up on Mari instead. The next Basil iteration was Rowan, who didn’t have that calmness. He was just pure angst, supercharged with anger, and easy to cry. That type of character. That didn’t work well for me either, because I thought he was super annoying. So I made Basil by mixing parts of both Flower and Rowan. He seems angelic and caring from his appearance, mannerisms, and the way he’s thoughtful. But there’s still that angst underneath, which comes out through his nervousness. Even though he doesn’t admit it, it’s still there…” (OMOCAT, artbook.)

In this statement from OMOCAT as seen in the end pages of the artbook where she discusses the game and characters alongside the other artists in the ‘artists interview’, we can see from her eyes what kind of person she intended for Basil to be. His whole thing is looking sweet and gentle but having a very angsty side to him that he doesn’t like or want to admit despite very clearly being there. It’s like he is a coin and on either side is Flower or Rowan but with the lack of having it all together and an attempt to appear calm despite being a very nervous individual. She goes on to say that in response to The Truth Basil was completely unable to blame Sunny and had a dissonance of not being able to see him as a bad person. She also mentions when making a statement on how the friends are supposed to be set up, Basil’s description is “Basil… Basil is someone who you can always count on and will do literally anything for you.”

From this artist's interview, we can infer that Basil is a very caring individual who will do anything for his friends and has a very difficult time with understanding that people really can do bad things. An interesting thing to note is that he does seem to have this view at his core that doing a bad thing can make someone a bad person. This may explain why he is so uncomfortable with the thought of having what he may see as “undesirable traits.” He himself does not want to be a bad person. He truly wants to be a good person and aims to do what a good person would do but he often ends up going too far with it that it ends up hurting himself or others.

This shows when he doesn’t want to believe Sunny is a bad person for what he did. Sunny made a terrible, diabolical mistake, sure, but at least for you and I with a bird’s eye view and the power of literally seeing inside of his mind, we know he isn’t a bad person and is haunted by his mistake. 

This leads to the thought that Basil, who has these flaws and this internal insecurity, probably has an even deeper insecurity that he is as a whole a bad person. He knows what he did, he knows he has “undesirable traits”, and he doesn’t want to admit that to himself. This is a constant internal conflict for him and may be seen from an overly nice persona to mask it. 

It’s not even that he tries to hide this monstrous identity and that he’s some great big evil, it’s more that he just is unable to accept the fact that having some bad traits, trauma, or flaws isn’t actually enough to make him a bad person. The fact that he tries to hide that is at least thoughtful for the people around him, but like he does with helping others, he takes it way too far, and this leads him to being an incredibly avoidant character who has a hard time talking to people about things that are really bothering him.

Examples of Basil being avoidant and the lack of knowledge from his closest friends.

Kel, without knowing, gives him a way out of many situations. One such example is that “He has a weak stomach” and believing he went to the bathroom on Three Days Left because he was sick. Basil takes this and runs with it without mentioning that it was actually a panic attack. Then, Kel goes on to say that “He’s always had a weak stomach” implying that this is not the first time this has happened. 

RED FLAG: AVOIDANT

It also shows it has happened since their younger years which only pushes the idea that Basil, who is already an anxious character, has likely had this issue for a very long time, and has not told Kel about it at all. Not even when they were closer. 

"Huh? Y-Yesterday?

W-What do you mean?

A-Ah... Oh, right...

Yes, I feel much better now." -Basil when being asked how he is feeling after his 'stomach ache'

Kel wanted to hangout? Basil says no?

RED FLAG. AVOIDANT

Polly tries to talk to him but he is cold and locks himself in his room?

RED FLAG- you get the point.

Aubrey seems to know more about his state than Kel and is a little more intuitive about these situations, likely from their friendship before meeting the rest of the gang and perhaps from her own experiences at home. She could sense a huge difference in him after The Incident (Which would obviously cause him to be even more nervous). It is also mentioned that he “Went to the bathroom and she found the album on his bookshelf.” Which once again goes to show the bathroom is a safe space for him. She to some extent knows he has these tendencies but does not know how deep they run judging by her bullying. I will post a separate thread on her discussing her bullying and why it was so heated other than the obvious reasons soon. Basil has a similar issue with Aubrey as he does with Sunny by still looking at her from the lens of their childhood and refusing to accept that she was a bad person. This can be seen from the Japanese version of Omori where he referred to her as “Aubrey Chan” (I believe, do correct me if I am wrong) during an argument at the park. He also tries his best to approach her despite her clearly being angry showing a clear detachment from the reality that is their current situation.

Sunny is an entirely different ballpark. While it can be argued that the incident led Basil to hermit himself and become more isolated, it can not be ignored that he has a habit of bottling his feelings and hiding his issues from his friends. Sunny was the friend he talked to the most towards the end and they grew to be best friends and shared a lot of common interests. Basil states in game that he likes taking care of things and that he sees Sunny as “the baby of the group” and that he needs to be taken care of. This could be due to Sunny’s own anxieties, reserved nature, and calmness. With someone who is quiet and calm and doesn’t really push people to reflect on themselves such as Aubrey, Sunny was likely the friend he could tell anything to without being judged. 

“Yeah! We talk about how cool and composed OMORI is all the time... Or about how AUBREY is so caring about everything…” (HS Basil during a picnic. This is kind of a sad but funny dialogue because I am sure at one point this was true but it’s also Sunny being a lil goof in his head. Then again this is hikikomori route so Sunny hasn’t exactly been outside to see the insanity.)

He appreciates all of the traits his friends bring, but Sunny and him share a special bond that feels safe. This is why I can see them growing close because both of them have that inner turmoil but neither one of them is judging the other for it (to their face). This also leads to conflict as resentment can (and did) begin to boil over from their lack of being completely truthful and upfront with each other. 

This is a difficult thing for him to do anyway due to his worries he will be perceived as a bad person by himself and others. If Basil begins to think his actions are bad, then that causes him to have to work circles on whether or not someone else is bad, and the cycle continues leading to a confusion on how he really feels because he’s too afraid to actually feel those things. 

He avoids Sunny and Kel and rejects hanging out with them and is pretty curt with the “no thank you” statement. It is in his mind that not only does he think he’s a bad person but he thinks Sunny believes this too and doesn’t want to place a burden on him. This is a common trend seen in his character, the word burden shows up constantly with him.

"But somehow... whenever I try to help... I always end up burdening you instead."

Alright dude, a little guilting but I'll let it slide.

Anyways he isn't someone to blow up a lot and he's not going to freak out. Until he does. And when he does, it usually ends up pretty intense. It’s hard to properly gauge what his emotional explosions would be like considering we see him at one of the objectively worst times in his life, but from what OMOCAT has to say about his character and his history of repressing his true emotions that he, unlike Sunny at the current time of the game, knows are there, I can’t assume it will be good. There is just too much baggage that he tries to carry and he swings from one extreme to the other and it usually takes a lot to bring him to his breaking point, but even before that point, the issues he harbors internally only get worse with time.

“Hey... I'm really sorry to bring this up, but...Something has been really bothering me…” -Headspace Basil trying to vent to Sunny but being really gentle about it.

Fandom VS Canon VS Interpretation

Basil is seen as kind of a wimp. He quick to cry, leans heavily on other people to unhealthy degrees, his emotions are extreme and everyone in the group notices, and is typically sad and pessimistic while loving flowers and talking sweetly and innocently about little things he likes. This, however, is not exactly Basil. Basil does depend on people to unhealthy degrees but he doesn’t make that known because he isn’t exactly proud of it. To some people, such as Sunny given the situation, he absolutely becomes desperate in an attempt to navigate the problem together given Sunny is directly involved and there isn’t anyone else to talk to about it. This isn’t how he is with the others though. He will hint, tip-toe, and unconfidently try to convey that he’s worried he is bothering someone with his presence but will not outright talk about his feelings unless he is at his complete limit which may come as a surprise to the person he is flipping out on. I do subscribe to the idea that he’s quick to cry though because Rowan was quick to cry and in many of his emotion profiles he is crying be it from anger, sadness, or even happiness. He doesn’t tend to cry in front of people though, he is more of the type to lock himself away in his room or the bathroom and try to organize his thoughts. He also isn’t always sad and pessimistic and most people who are suffering from mental health disorders are not either. It is seen from a majority of the flashbacks that he enjoys poking fun at his friends, having a good laugh, and enjoying the small things. In the current time, there aren't a lot of things to laugh about but this should be noted from the game.

"Hehe...

Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough.

Shhhh... Don't tell anyone, okay?" -Basil being devious about poker.

A big thing also is that the friends all react to him very differently. Sunny can tell when something is off but doesn’t know how to approach it (though in the end it’s hopeful he will have a better idea of what he needs to do). He is very careful with Basil and the two of them seem to be able to talk about anything. Sunny is scared of him though. I think he sees the darkness inside himself and because Basil is so close to what happened he can feel that uncomfortable feeling. He is definitely scared from the way Basil reacts when he is under intense stress and his frantic back and forths. This can be seen when he tries to leave the room. Note that it was not always this way as Basil stated he could go to Sunny about anything.

Aubrey can also tell and is seen to be very gentle with him until you meet her in the present time and she’s not happy… at all. It should be noted that her emotions can definitely get in the way of this, but shouldn’t be dismissed that she is the one who recommended the group should stay the night at his house on One Day Left. She noticed him when he was acting strange after The Incident and tried to hangout with him to the point of begging to come over, and in Headspace, she cries at the thought he may be in danger and is worried to tears. I know Headspace isn’t reliable but I do believe it is an important detail because she cried on two separate occasions and was one of the last to forget about him. This shows me that Sunny knows they were close and that she would be worried if Headspace were to be taking place for real in the timeframe he is imagining. I personally believe that based on their closeness as children they were once very close and that’s why it really hit Aubrey hard when she thought Basil was a nutcase who scribbled out the photos. It would definitely hit hard for someone you really trusted to turn out to be a big goober. In the end he didn’t do that but he also did the other thing so I guess it balances out. However she did push him into the lake so there’s that too. That’s a lot of angry feelings for one person to have about another and typically it shows how much they meant to you before for you to feel so betrayed. Similar thoughts to her relationship with Kel and Sunny but that’s for another post.

Kel on the other hand, our sweet summer child, is often oblivious. He does notice when things are off and he is afraid to make them worse, but he really does have a habit of missing the big things. He doesn’t realize that Basil is having issues even to the point of stating,

 “You just focus on going back to being your happy, carefree self!” On Three Days left. He is completely unaware of what is actually brewing underneath but is also a very ‘To Your Face’ type of person and likely assumes that is how his friend will be and that his friend will be honest with him.

One last thing to touch up on in the analysis that’s very important is his codependency on other people. He wants people to like him and to care about him but he also isn’t used to it and as a result doesn’t know how to do it to a healthy degree himself. He has his grandmother and Polly, the latter of which he is cold to. His parents had dumped him off at his grandmother’s and Polly who had been there for either two years or three months depending on which dialogue you want to go off of, had only seen them one time and Sunny never.

Which is odd because they had spent a ton of time together. Like a lot. 

From this, it can be gathered that he has some intense abandonment issues. He also may have gained a lot of (seen in general) feminine traits such as his enjoyment of hygiene (reminding Kel to wash his hands and telling his friends to white their feet off on the mat), gardening, photography, and wearing hair clips and dressing like his grandmother picks out his clothes. He is gentle and incredibly effective. Why? This guy was raised by a gardening grandma and grandma’s (most) don’t really enjoy when someone is messy or dressing weird. Seriously, my grandmother cried every time I cut my hair and would put me in these little outfits. I don’t know, this just makes sense to me.

He is also used to having his birthday missed as he assumed his friends had forgotten and was delighted to know they had surprised him instead.

“(2/18 - MY BIRTHDAY): It's my 12th birthday today! I thought my friends forgot, but they all surprised me with a strawberry cake. I feel so lucky... This year is looking to be a good year!”

He is a person who is terrified of losing anything which is why photographs are the perfect way to showcase this character. He loves his photography because he loves his friends and wants to hold them close and take care of them just like he takes care of his flowers. He is passionate about his hobbies (up until you meet him in the RW) and although there is this soft sweet side to him, there is also a side that is in VERY deep turmoil and pain that he hides.

“It's hard to remember now, but... I think... at the time... I took photos of what I was most afraid to lose.”

In summary from this little spot, Basil is often boiled down to a few different traits but in reality is insanely complex!

Fanon- He's either Flower or Rowan essentially. Find baaalance

Canon- He's a nervous Flower but with Rowan lurking underneath (generalized)

Interpretation- Whatever else you believe/headcanon

Bonus Personal Head canon: I headcanon him as having some light scars after the encounter because they were slinging sharp shears all over the place.

Random Facts and Things to Remember

It is stated by HS Aubrey that Basil is a very considerate person who wouldn’t just wander off without telling anyone. This shows that at least in the past it could be assumed that he thinks of his friends first before taking on an action such as disappearing for long periods of time.

He rejects hanging out with Sunny and Kel

He wasn't the one who scribbled out the photos and was crushed by it

He was neglecting his hobbies when we meet him in RW

In the beta it is stated his favorite food is Tofu

He AND HIS GRANDMA have a staring problem.

Snow makes him sad 

H-Huh? Oh... It's nothing!

Sorry... It's kind of silly.

I don't know why... but snow makes me really sad.

He is NOT an honest person. This isn’t to say he is a huge liar liar pants on fire, but he definitely lies. For example, he will NOT tell Aubrey that you think dying her hair pink is a bad idea if you answer “no” when prompted. This is actually kind of sweet.

What do you think, SUNNY?

Hmm... Maybe we shouldn't tell AUBREY that.

“Don't worry... I know I can always tell you guys anything.” -Basil, who is lying. 

I do think he genuinely meant he could tell his friends things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will. Aubrey had to press him to actually answer.

HS Aubrey mentions he would not like a gambling joint.

Kel mentions he has a weak stomach

He does not like his shots being terrorized by Hector and his shenanigans 

He knows that you need a good poker face when playing the game

Kel in HS outs him for being good with a camera and puts him on the spot. He doesn’t seem to like this or have the confidence to take a photo and mumbles: “Kel… why…”

He likes spiders because they help him with his garden and Kel once again offers him up and puts him on the spot to try and calm a terrified Hero. He is once again doubtful of himself but talks at lengths of their benefits anyway.

He says “ah” All the time.

He likes things that are cute. He’s called Sunny and Mari cute as well as Aubrey. Sorry Kel.

Dude is pretty mentally strong for going so long like this but is also a very haunted person

Was planning his suicide since before we see him

It is mentioned he is a very forgiving person

Aubrey straight thinks he is helpless and needs defended (HS) In RW he needs defending from her lol.

He's somewhat outgoing and a little too optimistic but it's usually a front. Not always, but usually. He just has an innocent outlook. Picture a traumatized stuffed animal.

“Ah! I'm sorry, AUBREY. I just thought you looked cute! I'll show you when it's ready.”

(Not a fact but funny thing is he’s called her cute, Hero straight outted Kel and told Aubrey that Kel used to think she was cute, and Sunny thinks she’s cute. Possible love triangle? Jk…. Maybe. NYAHAHAHAHA)

On Writing and Roleplaying (finally)

He does stutter when he’s nervous. Absolutely and this can be shown. Just don’t go too far! His stumbling and stuttering doesn’t always happen and typically only comes from when he’s flustered or upset. This can be shown in either the dialogue itself or from a description of the dialogue. He usually only stumbles on the first couple of words and sometimes he will pause in a sentence if he feels like he is revealing too many emotions and will turn it back around to make it pleasant or less suspicious halfway through.

 He also repeats himself if he is really bent out of shape and has a very child-like way of arguing when he’s upset which showcases the lack of development from the last four years and the impact on his psyche. Another thing to note is he hides his feelings behind a smile and is very hellbent on making it work. A

"But... tomorrow... you're going away.

H-HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!?!?

That's mean, SUNNY. That's so mean!

here are you going!?

S-Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

I don't... want to be... alone... not again.

You... can't... leave me... again...

No... You wouldn't leave me. That's not like you, SUNNY!"

__________________

"H-How are you doing, SUNNY?

Is everything okay with you?

... Okay... N-Nevermind, then."

His delusions stem from him force-feeding his brain things that he knows aren’t true and pushing cognitive dissonance down his throat. This seems to stem mostly from him secretly believing that bad traits can cause a person to be a bad person which then turns into a need for his friends to not be seen as a bad person and then deluding himself from there. He does not want to admit that someone is bad. He even hesitated on asking Kel and Sunny for help with the photo album likely because of this exact reason. When writing from this perspective, just try to make sure there is actually a reason he is losing his mind and try to see the grounds that cause this problem. The main root of it is abandonment and not wanting a friend to be “bad” and cause them to disappear. It’s the same reason he doesn’t want to be seen as a burden because he believes people will not like him if he shares his secrets which creates an endless cycle of pushing people away. People often project their own worries and he is no exception to this. 

He appears to be very close to his grandmother and it seems she was attentive to him. There’s only so much an elderly parent-figure can do though and it was likely he didn’t want to bother her with his issues either. She seemed like the only person who truly cared so my heart hurts for him that she passed away.

"H-HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!?!? That's mean, SUNNY. That's so mean!"

Basil crying in my opinion is absolutely not out of character and I am all for pushing characters to their limits and making them surprising but truth be told, he really doesn’t just spill his guts out to people the majority of the time. It is mentioned he talks to Sunny privately based on the game and based on Aubrey’s knowledge of him she probably knows more than most would think as well. Kel is the only person I’d be doubtful he’d be super open with but they both do have a good relationship. Kel is the person who puts him on the spot because he believes in him to a very high degree. This is usually counteracted with Basil being completely unsure of himself and vaguely putting himself down. 

He seems to be an easy crier if you go off of HS portraits. Again, HS is not reliable but I do feel like the developers did have the character’s natures in mind for the majority of their HS writing though of course they are Sunny-centric since it’s in his head and he wants it to be that way. He is very sentimental and it honestly seems like he is easy to get his feelings hurt but isn’t the type to admit it until he’s at a breaking point. Just make sure you have some good conflict here if he’s like, exploding.

I thought he had tears in this one but I was wrong. You can't convince me he isn't a happy crier though.

Look. See those tears welling up?

Bro is an angry crier

Look at that stream. He does wear his emotions on his face despite trying to claim he feels a certain way. LOOK AT THIS!

You are not fooling anyone but Kel bro.

 "Psh… nothing wrong over here! Just… enjoying the winter weather… Aaaah, it’s so nice…"

Bro has a blushing problem so be sure to add that if you want.

He isn’t super obsessive in the way many paint him out to be but that doesn’t mean he’s completely innocent from this tag. His beliefs and behaviors show that he does in fact get very in his head about things and kind of assumes the worst about himself which leads to him apologizing for trivial things likely in the hopes of getting reassurement, which his friends often provide. If he were a real person, this would become a regular thing as people like being reassured and if hinting and apologizing gives them that sense of comfort, they will continue to do it. He does seem to think at the current time of the game that everyone hates him and is to such a point that he is outright asking. Repeatedly. 

One thing that I don’t see addressed a lot is how he would feel towards Kel being Kel got Sunny out of his house and spent all that time with him while Basil (despite isolating himself) wasn’t able to get Sunny out. I do wonder what’s going on in his brain about that because he was super angry on One Day Left and there is bound to be resentment. He does get annoyed, we see it very rarely, but it can be seen not only during the obvious Sunny-Basil fight but also during his small remarks when being put on the spot. It seems he rejects the idea that he has any skill in anything and isn’t the type to enjoy that kind of situation. 

Ahhh... Okay, I'll try!

Look at his face when he says he will try to convince Hero that spiders are not something to fear as per the request of Kel.

He is very unamused and this is also his sad sprite. I enjoy the explanation mark at the end of his statement paired with this frame lol. 

Here’s the one with the photograph thing when Kel put him on the spot.

Agh... Why KEL...

S-Sorry... I'm not all that good... Or even trying to be really!

I just take photos for fun!

B-But... I'm not trying to sell myself…

Wanna see the faces? Lol. Here.

Completely mortified

Attempting to be pleasant and recover

*Sweats nervously praying he did that right

He is DEFINITELY the passive-aggressive type so when he gets into general arguments, he wouldn’t be the type to lay out the insults but would rather start off by being incredibly passive. It’s more of the hinting/tip toeing behavior commonly seen. He is also more likely to take things out on himself, bottle up his annoyance, and then harbor resentment if the issue persists. Such as with our boy Sunny. RIP Aubrey, she’ll probably get a couple of those small quips but he’s also the type to feel HORRIBLE about feeling ill on others and is seen to be incredibly forgiving. He is definitely the type of person to make a lake joke I think, but it would be out of the blue, one singular time, when everyone least expects it. Stuff like that.

There was definitely resentment between both him and Sunny there which I personally believe to have been mostly repaired by the end of the game. He still cares about him to a very deep level but, just as Sunny, there is some anger. This is mostly from, once again, abandonment. When writing scenes with them, a good tip for post good ending fics is to think in the way he thinks and create a little bit of uncertainty between them because they both need to have a good long talk and they both tend to keep things from the other that they fear would hurt feelings. Basil tries really hard to make things seem like they’ll be okay but Sunny isn’t a dummy and sees through this. Basil knows this, he chooses to continue hoping anyways. There’s just this thing in both of them where they know each other too well to the point it can be uncomfortable because they can tell when the other one is hiding something.

One good thing to note is be sure to show off his good traits and harbor a depth to him because all in all, it’s who he is. Some guy who is friendly and sweet but who also has a lot of emotional baggage and turmoil following him around. He is actually pretty funny but he’s usually very unassuming with it like when Aubrey called Kel a prick and he didn’t disagree or when when Kel called Aubrey stubborn and he dismissed it.

He is also compliment heavy to the point it can get uncomfortable. He finds these very unique traits that are specific to the person he’s complimenting and he makes it very well known to them when he can. He also seems to be more of a touchy-feely type of friend with the hand holding, hugging, and brushing hair thing. Kel is also in this box. He’s the type of friend that hugs you and you’re confused on why he’s doing that and a little uncomfortable but you just roll with it because that’s just who he is.

He is the type of person who wants people to care as deeply as he does but does not give them an avenue or a chance to do just that and then begins to wonder why they don’t while knowing in the end it is from his own actions.

He does try occasionally to bring up his problems mostly to Sunny but is very hesitant to do so.

He fakes his smiles but is also TERRIBLE at it and just looks kind of scary in the process haha.

His friends mean the world to him and he is willing to destroy everything unintentionally for them. He also battles with a deep inner conflict that causes him to think irrationally at times. Very sentimental and sweet this guy cries with most emotions when they are intense but you usually wont see it because he will go into a private space so he doesn't feel like a burden. Keep this in mind when writing emotional scenes. He’s also either completely straight and sharp to his point before backpedaling or he beats around the bush so he can awkwardly bring up whatever is bothering him.

Basil does NOOOT like confrontation. Not at all. Remember when we looked at how he will take Kel’s assumptions and run with them? He is very hesitant when approaching something that bothers him (of course unless he’s at his limit and even then he teeters back and forth on what he wants to say and how he feels) and he will actively avoid it for as long as he can unless he truly believes he can talk through something. An unfortunate thing was that in his situation with Aubrey, there wasn’t a whole lot he could say but he did try. He’s not completely against trying and he will attempt for as long as he can if he feels there might be some hope, but in regards to his feelings and emotions specifically, he’s pretty bad with confronting them even though he really wants to. This is a parallel to Sunny who does not want to confront his problems and throughout the game has to work to finally allow for the necessary actions to be taken for the greater good of everyone and himself. A lot of Basil’s issues do boils down to a flaw of wanting and not wanting something at the same time and not seeking avenues to mend them. He didn’t want to tell Aubrey about the photo album but he did want to talk to her about getting it back. We do not know what it is he was going to tell her the two times he tried to talk to her, but he’d have to say something if she had given him the room to talk. He didn’t want to be out on the spot about his panic attacks and he did not reveal any of it to Kel but did to Sunny once Sunny saw firsthand. It seems to be that he is very much a one on one person where he would rather talk to an individual about a problem than to talk to a bunch of people at once about the same problem that may affect everyone. Once the cat is out of the bag with him, he seems to immediately go into repair mode and try to either elicit comfort out of someone or backpedal completely. He’s very complex in this manner. I think it looks kind of like this.

Issue- He will talk to one person at a time rather than the group of friends in their entirety. He doesn’t seem to enjoy being the center of attention and he talks to each character differently.

Emotional confrontation- Either very tip toe through the tulips and hesitant to reach a conclusion or an emotional explosion after holding everything in

Internal issues- completely hidden (such as his suicidal ideations, panic attacks, anger) unless confronted and then he has no clue how to approach the confrontation and goes back and forth on how he feels because he doesn’t even know. Is quick to point out what has been pissing him off or hurting his feelings. Will state exact causes but will also break down and be confused why someone would do something mean like that.

External issues (photo album)- will try to talk it out and if it has to do with someone first and if that fails he is prone to giving up. He does seem to find a small bit of strength if there are people on his side but he is still not confident in himself.

Another thing to keep in mind is how back and forth he is. Cognitive dissonance does this to people and can be seen during the Sunny Basil fight when he’s not only verbally going back and forth on what he believes and how he feels, but his moods change at the drop of a dime as well as his expressions. It was so terrifying when I first played through. Can you imagine being in Sunny’s shoes? He was switching so fast and didn’t know what to believe. It was a pivotal moment for him. This can be expressed in writing in a myriad of ways. One thing to avoid is to make him too straight to the point and one-lane focused.

At the end of the True Ending we can see Sunny and Basil’s nothings disappearing and some may speculate Basil’s didn’t entirely disappear. A part of me is cool with this theory because he didn’t really get a lot accomplished on his end other than waking up to Sunny smiling at him. I think BOTH of them still have a long way to go but I think Sunny has finally started and is able to begin healing whereas Basil is pointing in the right direction but still needs to walk for a bit. Keep in mind when writing post good end fics that this kind of thing will leave lasting imprints forever and that people can heal but still have hurdles along the way. There are also always times people do fall down after doing good for awhile and returning to having issues. Basil is a very back and forth character and with the way the friends were so gentle with him as a child it could be thought he’s had some issues for awhile and they are aware and treat him accordingly. Be sure to reflect on this because when everyone just goes back to normal or hates each other without any of the lessons from the game it feels off in a way. Create some nuance! Give them mixed feelings. (If you believe that is what they would feel)

Talking to Characters

He talks to of the characters differently and I feel like it goes something sort of like this.

Mari- He compliments her a lot and looks very highly of her. He does seem to enjoy talking to her and Hero and it gave me the vibes of someone who had to grow up a little too fast and was comfortable talking to the older kids and understanding their wish to keep everyone from arguing with each other. He sees Mari as someone who has everything all together and that’s something he wants for himself. He’s very inspired by her.

Hero- There isn’t a whole lot of dialogue between them but I feel like it’s on par with Mari. Hero is calm and has a humble side to him that I think Basil would really enjoy. He seems to like that Hero watches over them all so they don’t get too rowdy such as when they were fighting over the Polaroid in HS which I’m sure I’d likely based on a true event because it just makes sense. I think these two would have a similar mood structure for a generalized calmness and humbleness but they also don’t have a lot of common hobbies and Hero is skilled and trophied whereas Basil hardly believes he can take decent photos. There’s more confidence on Hero’s end than there is Basil’s and that would cause a difference between them.

Sunny- Sunny is one of Basil’s closest friends leading up to the incident and he refers to him as his best friend. He deeply cares for Sunny and wants to make sure he’s taken care of. Sunny is shyer and quieter than Basil, and being that Basil has his anxious tendencies and prefers quieter hobbies, it is likely he has picked up on this and wants to make sure Sunny is heard and understood. It’s what a good friend does after all and it’s something Basil would want out of a friendship too. Sunny listens to Basil talk at lengths about his hopes, dreams, worries, and fears and they used to spend a lot of time together! He also always looks for Sunny’s opinions but generally only speaks on it if his opinion isn’t going to hurt someone’s feelings. (Aubrey’s hair, for example.) he’s a huge supporter and can seem to pick up on things very easy by seeing patterns and assuming based on expression. An example of this is Sunny’s crush on Aubrey. He picked up on this from Sunny asking to look at the picture of Aubrey and noticed a pattern in wanting to see. After the good ending, Basil is probably worried constantly about how Sunny feels about him due to the whole eye poke thing and likely still has a lot of hurt feelings to navigate through. They will definitely remain friends though. There is this deep understanding they have of each other but with their personalities being conflict-avoidant, it makes it so difficult for them to be able to fix a conflict the two of them share. Basil wants to but can’t by himself and Sunny is trying to run away from it. Basil takes it very personally and is incredibly hurt because who wouldn’t be and Sunny is terrified. Sunny picks up on Basil’s small issues easily but isn’t vocal about them like Aubrey is. He’s more of a physically be there and Basil seems to understand this and is alright with it. An example is Sunny following Basil into the bathroom or his bedroom and knowing something is wrong but being unable to say anything. In the end, Sunny had gotten the shears from Basil after popping him in the eye with his fist or something, and the two of them had a HUGE fight due to all their boiled conflict finally just exploding. This is something I feel would be common between them with smaller conflicts on a smaller scale because while they are there for each other, Sunny is terrible at talking about it which is something Basil wants and will try to force out of him because he’s making himself panic. The thing that tends to chill Basil out is talking through things essentially and Sunny’s not good at it. I feel like this would be something Sunny learns he needs to fix because at the end of the fic he finally does just that.

Kel- Kel is different when Basil and is one of the people that I feel is really fun to write for when it comes to dynamics here. The two of them are close and Kel often cheers Basil on buuuut he is loud, confident, and excited about it. I like how Basil gently talks to Sunny and cheers him on, Kel talks to Basil and SCREAMS that he’s awesome. Kel is a Chad for this. Basil, however, not enjoying being the center of attention, gets slightly irritated or nervous in response but generally caves under pressure unless he’s really unsure of himself. I feel he and Kel would have some of the best laughs but otherwise, there is a huge disconnect between the two of them. He definitely does see Kel as being an awesome person though because despite not liking being put on the spot, Basil sees the good intentions. Sunny is also very close to Kel and I occasionally wonder if there was ever a hidden nervousness around that seeing as Basil and Kel are so different and Basil is shown to be very wishful he had the “good” traits other people had. I don’t see a lot of deep talks between the two of them but I do see a lot of laughs, cheering, and an occasional very deep conversation about other characters or situations. There is just this fundamental disconnect where Basil seems to think Kel will not understand the issues he is having OR that he does not want to tell him out of embarrassment or worrying about burdening him. He does better when people pick up on his cues such as how he picks up on Sunny. The thing is though, Kel is very supportive and does have a depth to him that he occasionally brings out such as the graveyard scene. He’s just a very hyperactive person which I think freaks Basil out a little bit.

Aubrey and him have my personal favorite dynamic because it’s soooo messy. Basil and Aubrey grew up as neighbors and share a dysfunctional family dynamic and she was the one who introduced him to the group. There will be some personal interpretation here based on the contents of the game so keep this in mind. Aubrey was the person who picked up on Basil’s cues such and Sunny knew this. You can tell because in headspace, despite her HS counterpart being in love with OMORI, he didn’t wash out how much she cared about Basil. This is supposed to parallel her RW character too. She cried over him being missing, was one of the last to forget about him, talked about how she missed when he brushed her hair, lamented he wouldn’t like the Last Resort and was offended at Kel’s poor drawing, and picked up on his behaviors when he was sad. What this tells me is that prior to the incident these two were very close. Sunny either didn’t want to delete that from her character or was unable to dismiss it because it was so fundamental. Basil doesn’t usually explicitly say what’s bothering him unless promoted and Aubrey was the person that prompted him and noticed and for that she was a special person to him. She is capable of being very rowdy and loud just as Kel is, but the difference is that she also enjoys the calmness of small things, shares hobbies with Basil such as arts and crafts, and sees a side to him that he doesn’t like to share and is more than happy to comfort him. This is why I can see her drastic change being so believable because she felt like everyone abandoned her and when Basil was one of her first friends and in her mind avoided her and scribbled out all of the photos, she was blind sighted with rage and pain and thought it was more of a situation of him not caring, not wanting to be around her, being a huge nutcase, and her being completely wrong about his character the entire time than it was her just hating him to hate him. She mentions at the lake how he is the worst of all for what he had done and pushes him away. She immediately regrets this as she mutters “shoot” under her breath and in the walkthrough guide the art shows her crying as they carry him away. She is so distraught at her actions that she locks herself in her room and opens up to her old friends about their story at the end of the game. Aubrey hates rejection and when she felt rejected she took it completely to heart. She tells the group they should stay at his house that night and tries to talk to him when he locks himself away. This shows that she genuinely feels awful about it all and realizes her error in that he did care about her. How do I know it’s not just about the photo album and has more to do with their friendship? It’s obvious because she never even learned he wasn’t the one that did that. She begins crying because she feels awful and is finally humbled to the point she actually has to think about it all and approach it from an end she didn’t want to out of anger. She assumed Basil didn’t want to be around her but didn’t realize the depth of it. It was never about her as much as it was about all the other things she wouldn’t have even begin to know to think about. Her staying at his house that night is clear she knows something is VERY wrong and wants to be there to be safe. She knows a side to him that only Sunny also seems to really know and that is why she is so gentle with him (in the past) and so supportive of him. People get their dynamic as one extreme or the other so much that I feel it’s very important to talk about them because there are so many small details that are so easily missed. I feel like Aubrey and Basil’s friendship has a lot in common with Sunny and his honestly. Sunny was more in his head and Aubrey was outward. She also never hits him with the bat, even in the manga she kicks him over instead which is still diabolical. In the game though, Kim is the butt who hits him (dang it Kim) and Aubrey is more of the person who isn’t really actively doing that but does let the bullying happen.

It should also be considered that despite this she did call him names and was very cruel to him and it inspired others to do the same so I presume there is a chance she isn’t his only bully since she told Hero other’s joined in on calling him a creep and stuff. This all comes down to her wanting to not only push him away but being so resentful that he wronged her and Mari that she wants him to feel bad about it and no longer cares what he has to say to her because she feels like he is only going to lie and didn’t want to be around her when she was hurting anyways. In Aubrey’s mind she went out of her way to be around him after the incident but he didn’t want that and scribbled their history away. It’s very nuanced! They say hate is one side of the coin as love and I think that her deep friendship with him from the past is made so obvious for this exact reason. This can be said for Sunny as well who was incredibly troubled by his opinion on Basil but eventually came through and realized that he mattered so much to him that he’d do something he’d been running from so that he could fix things. I love coins.

Thanks for reading, I used the Wiki and the Omori Quote goats.dev website!!! Thank you to the people responsible. Please check out my fanfic! There are Petals All Around Us and Loser Committee on AO3, I will cry. They aren't perfect but I've really gotten into them and I have enjoyed learning how to write for these characters. I will have more character things so follow me if you wanna seeee!

-CF

[loveabledirtbag]

1.03 - brigade

what a chill opening. we learn carmy owns a coat, AND a hat? not just a white shirt and black pants. that’s what we call character growth, gang.

it’s amazing how in episode one we see the back of mikey’s head, in episode three we hear him say “let it rip, buddy”, and when he is finally revealed later on in the season i had NO idea it was gonna be who it was (more on that later). and now every rewatch when i hear him talk, or we see the back of his head i go “how could i not realize who the actor was playing mikey before it was revealed?”

i had NO idea that was molly ringwald at al-anon for the longest time. but i saw her name in the credits and had to think hard about who it could be! it was honestly like, “well….the only character who even remotely looks kinda like her would be the woman who spoke at the al-anon meeting, but there’s no way….right???” and then i googled it. yeah. that’s molly ringwald! this show does cameos so well. joel mchale last episode, now molly ringwald. so good.

i think it’s really good writing that when carmy attends al-anon for the first time, molly ringwald (i’m sure her character has a name, but i don’t know what it is) talks about “keeping my side of the street clean”, and that inspires carmy to implement it in his own “life”, his life being the shop. however, he doesn’t have the skills, the practice, the knowledge or anything to know how to implement “keeping you side of the street clean”. so he does the best he can with what he has: kitchen systems. which to him means implementing a french brigade. i also love that in the long run doing that DOES actually help the shop, but at the end of this episode we’re kinda shown that it’s a totally shitshow flop.

“remove myself from any situation that is, or could become, toxic”…well, someone’s never worked in the service industry. and i think that’s probably the point? because to me that’s the bigger point being made in her speech, but carmy’s whole life right now is the restaurant, and the restaurant is a toxic situation, and carmy can’t remove himself from his whole life. so he chooses to focus on keeping his side of the street clean instead.

the hard cut to “remove myself from anything toxic” to what is, arguably, the most tense scene of the whole show until episode seven, is very well done. and so poignant. we go from “remove yourself from anything toxic” to jumping RIGHT INTO an extremely toxic situation: richie and sydney screaming at each other, a line out the door, people not doing their job right, the whole works.

also, i don’t want to anger any sydney stans. but i think it’s strange how many people i’ve seen saying that sydney is always perfect, and carmy is always an angry monster. because here is sydney just absolutely making the situation worse by meeting richie at his asshole level. he’s yelling at her, and she’s yelling right back. she’s actively NOT helping. in fact, carmy is the one trying to mediate, and trying to calm everyone down. i’m not trying to shit on sydney! i love sydney. but i’m pointing out that this show is very good at making everyone human. everyone is nuanced. everyone is at fault at one time or another and no one is perfect. im also not defending carmy for every instance. he makes mistakes. REPEATEDLY. but he doesn’t only make mistakes. here is a scene where carmy is trying to do it right, and sydney is at fault. obviously i haven’t even mentioned richie, but that’s because of course richie is at fault. it’s richie. the louder richie is is equal to how wrong he is in any given moment.

the man with the sysco hats orders 2 dogs with everything on them, and richie says “$5.25”…i mean, i know a dog isn’t the most expensive thing in the world, but damn. it’s not exactly a mystery why they were having money problems…i looked up a chicago style hot dog place near me and one dog is $6.25

oh damn, carmy at home, and he’s wearing a black t-shirt! so much character growth! we’re learning carmy owns other clothes!

i think it’s strange in the scene where we see carmy not able to sleep, and so he goes into the restaurant early. because manny, angel, and marcus are already there, but marcus asks “what are you doing here so early?”. that’s not necessarily the most weird thing in the world, bakers are usually the first in at a place, because dough and baking in general takes a lot of time. manny and angel could also be there early to wash dishes. typically dish washers work the hardest in a kitchen. but it is strange because this early into the shift how many dishes are there for them to do? if it’s only marcus getting his prep ready, i don’t think the shop needs to be paying for two dishwashers to wash the few dishes marcus would be making. keep in mind that the beef also only has two dishwashers when they are going through a wild and hectic dinner rush. i find it more believable that they’d need two dishwashers for a dinner rush (professional dishwashers are some of the most skilled dish cleaners you’ll ever meet. they’ll clean shit so fucking fast it’ll blow your mind) more than i believe they need two dishwashers right away in the morning when it’s just marcus prepping dough for sandwich bread. but that’s not even the weird part! marcus wonders why carmy is there early, but then sydney just happens to also be there. she’s just getting in, but she’s at the shop too and no one thinks its weird she’s there so early. and then just a few minutes later ebra is also there. if so many cooks are at the beef right away in the morning, why is it weird that carmy is there? we already know carmy is obsessed with the place and spends all his time there. and he’s also the one who is supposed to be directing everyone in their cooking, as well as helping with prep and cooking himself. so why is it strange that he’s there so early? i assume it is just the writers trying to let us the audience know that he couldn’t sleep?

i do love the sort of inspirational talk carmy and marcus have. where carmy is trying not to be triggered by thoughts of his past restaurant while looking at all the dishes he used to make, as he tells marcus stories, and as marcus is being inspired by them.

not that i’m the most knowledgeable person on cooking and kitchens, my time has been pretty limited, but TWELVE PEOPLE??? i’ve never heard of a dish that takes twelve people to make. by my best estimates with carmy explaining how to make the dish he only mentions maybe 6 people: the two chefs cooking down the plum wine. the person(s) cooking the plum consommé. which carmy says takes hours, so let’s just say it takes two shifts which means two chefs. the chef making the compressed plums. and then maybe a different chef who takes the consommé and makes it into the gelée. idk how you take six chefs and make that into twelve, but DAMN

carmy talks about these compressed plums cut into perfect squares, but there’s no square plums in the picture. which is so confusing to me. i’ve thought about this forever. i hate how much time this has taken up in my life. the plums are circular in the picture, but carmy says squares. why didn’t they write it differently? they had to have had the reference photo for the dish, right?

i like to think that the chef who cracked the plum gelée was luca from copenhagen. but as carmy tells the story we’re only getting flashbacks to his shop in new york, and we don’t have any evidence that luca worked with carmy in new york.

i’m glad that the show addressed being a woman in the kitchen. i know that being a woman in the service industry is getting better, BUT there’s still so much work and progress that needs to be made. obviously. and so we have two women in the beefs kitchen and one has learned how to be as tough as nails (tina) and the other has proved herself with talent, and is insistent that she doesn’t need any help with anything (syd).

it’s also poignant, because sydney is tiny and marcus is a giant with a golden retriever soul, and he just wants to help without even thinking of the fact that sydney is a woman. that’s obviously not an excuse, but i really believe marcus is just puppy-dogging his way forward and is just like “can i help? that thing is three feet above your head, but it’s at my eye line so i can grab it!” and sydney struggling with all her might is like “nah! i got it!” even though she clearly doesn’t got it.

the continuation of the tomato mystery!!! mikey was buying tiny little cans? even though the bigger cans are cheaper per ounce? whatta mysteryyyyyyyyyy????? (more on that later)

the short back and forth between carmy and ebra *chefs kiss*! again, ebra is criminally underused! even more so in season two (more on THAT later). but “english carmen!” “the more i understand about michael, the less i understand. rest in peace, young man” “who cares? we don’t use tomatoes anyway”. there’s nothing abundantly funny in the lines, but ebra’s delivery is just PERFECT

the conversation between carmy and sydney, specifically the conversation continually being interrupted, is just spot on. i don’t think i had a single meeting or important conversation with someone when i worked service industry that wasn’t continually interrupted by a million things. seriously, gang….management in service industry is just a fucking lot.

i think carmy’s idea makes a lot of sense, and also has some context to it. even in episode one carmy says he wants to start defining roles in the shop. i get sydney’s hesitancy because of her history in restaurants, and carmy does a bad job explaining his reasoning behind it. but if you’re dealing with a chaotic shit show, isn’t part of the answer introducing some order?

THAT BEING SAID: the moment sydney agrees to running the kitchen in this new system and carmy says let’s go is SO SHITTY. it might be one of the worst things carmy does in the whole show. reordering an entire restaurants workflow, when some of the staff have been there for DECADES, and putting the responsibility on the newest hire, and then telling her the moment she agrees that it’s gonna happen that instant and she’s going to be running the meeting where is being announced...it’s stupidity to the utmost extreme. i know carmy isn’t trying to be shitty, but FUCK dude. that is SHITTY.

“yo, carm the phone ringing” ….no shit marcus. it’s been ringing all morning, in carmy’s office. where carmy just came from. again, it’s probably a writers technique to show us that the phone ringing is something that we should have on our mind, because this shows sound design is very intentional, and it’s possible we could subconsciously think that the phone ringing is only meant to add to the chaotic sounds of the shop. but when thought of practically…carmy can probably hear the phone marcus.

once again, carmy talking about harnessing their gifts, organizing the special thing the whole team has. in my opinion he is coming from a place of respect, and love for these people (many of whom he has known for years) and wants to give them a chance that life has denied them because he knows they can rise to the occasion if given the chance. but i can also see where people could argue carmy is white-savioring, or “my fair lady”-ing, or some other toxic thing. but i do think carmy is going about this with the right intentions, and not as “i’m better than these peasants, they need my help”

what a weak pun by richie. escoffier/scoffi-gay. weak. i mean, yea, also homophobic and offensive. but what a crime to name puns. come on richie.

i wonder if it means anything that as richie makes the joke, the camera is on angel and he looks sort of annoyed and displeased at richie. we’re two seasons in without knowing much about angel, it could just be a camera cut to make the scene more interesting and dynamic, but for some reason angel is looking at richie and he doesn’t look happy

“i was in a brigade once” “what happened?” “many people died” GOD, EBRA! so funny! but also, fuck, that’s tragic dude! but then carmy’s “…o-okay, this is gonna be different”. is delivered so well. just the air of “i didn’t think i’d have to be telling people that a french cooking brigade would be different than a somalian army brigade…”

“like hierarchy!” “more like a regular chill-archy…” syd is so awkward, and this is one of those scenes where you close your eyes and groan because you wish she was anything but awkward. the writing, the acting. god, so good!

“i’m the sous, right? which means i just follow orders even if it leads to tension, and chaos and resentment and ultimately doesn’t work. but yeah, that’s what i do.” is SO GOOD. if any good person has ever been in a management position before, they KNOW that’s the eternal power struggle between owners and staff. and is also why i think the service industry desperately needs to unionize. because far, far, far too often managers have to voice something from ownership that fucks over the staff because part of their job is just to do as they are told, much like how staffs job is to follow orders from management. and it sucks! and if a good person is not careful, they follow orders and ignore their conscious and walk right off a cliff and suddenly they’re in a viral video talking to camera’s about how their staff deserve to work minimum wage without being allowed bathroom breaks for 12 hour shifts and how child labor laws are ruining this country, all because they’re just doing what the owners are saying and they forget that they’re in charge of actual human beings.

“chef de partie?” “yes” “…i accept!” GOD EBRA!!! i would die for ebra.

i love with the camerawork that from richies face we know something isn’t quite on the level with niko. we don’t know what (yet) but his face says “damnit niko, why are you calling? don’t mess this up for me and get me in trouble.” that’s added to by the subtle “i’ll hit him” from richie. he means “i’ll hit him back” as in “i’ll get back in touch with him and talk” but by cutting out the “back” it sounds a little more threatening: “i’ll hit him”, “i’ll punch him, because he’s gonna get me in trouble.”

also, it’s so beautiful and sad that carmy can’t see richie’s face. because he says that it felt like mikey was alive for a second. and richie looks like “i know exactly what you mean” but richie also looks like he’s saying “i can’t deal with that right now; because i’m barely holding on myself, so i can’t carry you too.” so richie says “no thanks” and carmy is just left to believe richie doesn’t care about him. just more assholery from richie. but we the audience know, oh, richie is broken.

i think the show does a decent job of showing anxiety and panic this season. BUT i think they go above and beyond in season two. the ringing and grabbing his heart is good, but season two really helps channel the anxiety

peep the crisp white sneakers on carmy’s feet as he walks into the church for al-anon. i know jeremy allen white is a sneaker boy, and i wonder if those shoes are just jeremy’s, or if they also wanted to give carmy some sick sneaks to go along with his denim love

quick peep at syd’s japanese knife. much like carmy’s japenese knives. i don’t know if anyone reading this knows about different countries knife philosophies and how their knives are designed to suit that philosophy (maybe philosophy is too strong a word…), but it’s interesting that carmy and sydney share a similar knife

ah, hiding in the walk-in because you need a moment to yourself to stop yourself from crying. i miss it and also don’t miss it. you know? maybe that’s ptsd? the scene is all the better because syd goes into the walk-in talking to the team with the most empty cadence a person can have. she’s saying what she’s supposed to be saying but she doesn’t believe a word of it herself. which also means the team doesn’t believe a word she says

ok. there’s very few good things to say about tina up to this point, which is probably why i haven’t talked about her much. but the fact that she clearly has so much beef with syd, but still she goes into shop-mom mode the moment sydney gets a cut. i just love it. every shop has a shop-mom and every shop needs a shop mom. tina is one of my favorite characters, of all time, and her journey is so well done this season.

and of course sydney doesn’t help anything by getting defensive and once again trying to prove how good and tough she is, instead of just accepting the care and help she needs.

and….of coooourse tina goes from trying to help sydney to then immediately turning the heat up on her stock and sabotaging her. because tina might be the shop mom, but sydney is annoying her, and trying to change everything, and so shop mom goes mama bear on her and fucks with her.

sloppiest “assumed” drug deal ever between richie and niko. like they’re looking around and trying not to get caught and somehow they miss that carmy is RIGHT THERE

here again with syd’s burnt stock, carmy is a little bit of an asshole. obviously we think he’s being more of an asshole than he is, because we know sydney is having a hard time being the sous in the shop with everyone against her, but carmy doesn’t. to carmy, he put the only highly skilled chef in charge while he left, and he gets back and no one is doing what they should AND sydney is (seemingly) making rookie mistakes which she should know better than to make. so he does get a little angry at her, and even from his prospective he could have been less intense, BUT from his view it’s like “how did you mess this up? this is cooking 101”.

again too, when sydney’s trying to explain that tina should be on onions, but tina’s on lemons and carmy just wants her to say “yes, chef” and do the onions…i have mixed feelings on. because, once again, we the audience know that carmy is being an asshole and not helping sydney’s already shitty day. but carmy doesn’t know about sydney’s shitty day (which is also his fault), and to his credit sydney trying to explain that she has tried to get tina to what she’s been told and tina isn’t listening sounds a lot more like whining than explaining. there are times and places, and right after being scolded for burning your stock is not the time to try and explain that the real problem is actually not you, but tina. is carmy ultimately way in the wrong? yeah! but he’s asking syd to say “yes” and in the moment she should have just said “yes”. your bosses makes mistakes, and when they’re telling you something, it’s not the best time to show that they’re wrong and you’re right. sometimes you just gotta say yes, and hate them in your head. and if they’re a good boss (like carmy is) you then go and talk to them when things are calmer. they have that moment later in the episode when things are calmer.

i’m not trying to say that people just have to put up with angry shit from their bosses…but in a moment of stress, ESPECIALLY when you’re in the service industry, sometimes you just gotta nod your head, take whatever they say, and curse them in your head. because in a heated and hectic moment in a shop, you’re not gonna convince them of the nuanced issues going on. that has to come later when things calm down and they have a clear head.

knowing that the hands that are prepping the food are actually syd’s and carmy’s hands (i know the actors have names, i’m sticking with syd and carmy) never ceases to amaze me. especially in the scene where syd preps the onions, because you can really tell she got skilled at it. with carmy they cut back and forth and so they can make us think he’s moving faster than he is, but they had a long shot of sydney just cutting, and she was zooming through. (the gif below is carmy because i was struggling to find a gif of syd cutting)

i always wanna know why the suqaar isn’t good? like, it’s so bad that sydney is near revolted. because ebra says it with such pride and confidence, carmy seems excited by it. but then when sydney tries it she’s so disgusted. was it actually that bad? or was sydney just in such a bad place that nothing could taste good?

those lowboys are SO gross. i have nothing else to say, really. just real bad.

it’s rather unprofessional that when “someone” took sydney’s onions she bursts out of the kitchen to the front of house, WHILE richie is hanging out and talking to a customer, to yell at him asking where her onions are. richie is working. obviously hanging out with customers might not seem much like working, but that’s front of house (FOH) shit right there. and to yell in front of a customer (which she and richie have been doing a lot in this episode) is just unprofessional from someone trained in the way of fine dining.

the small detail of syd having her overwhelmingly bad day, and when she goes into carmy’s office he’s just sitting there, and then the first thing he says is “we should be outsourcing bread”, which was 1) in her 30 page packet last episode, and 2) talked about just a few hours ago in the team meeting carmy skipped out on. it would be beyond frustrating. and we know that carmy is actually working, like, the guy stays late to hand scrub the floor, so he’s really working. but it just looks like he’s chilling while syd is running around, and that doesn’t help her boiling rage and panic.

the most painful thing is the world is sydney yelling at marcus about him offering to help her with something again, to the point that her hand is shaking and her eyes are bulging…and then he leaves and she dumps it all over herself. i’ve never been a woman in a male dominated workspace, but i have been someone who really wants to prove themself, and to then have it blow up in my face, especially if it LITERALLY blows up in my face like it does to syd, and the added shame of knowing you wasted a bunch of money (veal fat isn’t free), is stay-awake-at-night-reliving-that-moment kind of painful.

but, it’s also so sweet, and so relatable of marcus to come in after hearing the spill, to sydney standing there covered in her own mistake, and to wordlessly leave and come back with towels and help her. everyone in the world needs a marcus.

that first inkling of seeing HUGE payments to KBL electric! my brain was just like “oh shit, mikey was laundering HARD”

i love the scene where marcus tells syd that family dinner is ready, when syd walks out of frame we stay for just a moment on tina. tina cleaning her station. because to me i think it’s easy to assume, well, she obviously has to clean her station at some point while working, so it’s now. but after having a few back and forth moments with syd in the episode, where syd specifically asked her to clean up, i think it means something that tina is finally cleaning up. and knowing the arc she goes through in the next episode, i think this is like a seed being planted showing us that even tina is slowly being changed by the new system that carmy and syd are implementing in the beef.

i know that this is like the tiniest detail, that has also been talked about SO MUCH by people in the restaurant industry. but carmy drinking out of a plastic container hits to good every time i see it. i’m 29, i haven’t worked in food-food in like 8 years, and i still love using those containers as water glasses. THEY HOLD SO MUCH, plus you get them for free if you order pho from my favorite restaurant (and most restaurants where you’re ordering soup to go) so it’s like an added treat with my pho.

i do think it’s important that carmy can tell something is wrong with syd. only because he’s been so single minded for three whole episodes. missing cues from the people around him about the pain they’re in. i know there’s a lot of discourse on here about if the relationship between syd and carm is moving towards romantic, or showing the depths of a truly deep and trusting friendship/business partnership, either way i don’t care if the writing and performances are good. but it’s important to note that this is the first time carmy has looked outside of himself/the restaurant at someone else and noticed them for real. he went to find syd, and upon seeing her body language asked her what was wrong. obviously, most of what was wrong is because of him, but he still tried to make it better and showed that he’s the kind of boss who actually cares and is trying to create the best working environment for his staff as possible. he’s just human and struggles at doing it.

i’ve read a few people say it’s shitty that carmy admits to being harder on sydney than everyone else in the shop, but i really don’t think so. no one else has gone to school for cooking. no one else but syd can comprehend most of what carmy says or even understand his vision for the place. syd has been at the beef for a few days/weeks/maybe a month or so? and she’s now the number two over people who have been there for decades. so i don’t think it’s outrageous that carmy holds sydney to a higher standard. or is more upset when she sinks to richie’s level to yell at him, or when she isn’t able to properly make a stock. once again, i’m not trying to excuse carmy’s bad behavior, but my first day in a kitchen i was treated with baby gloves, but when i was a supervisor, and in charge of training people in, i would never hear the end if i messed up something simple. because i knew better, and carmy knows that sydney knows better.

i think it’s worth noting that sydney says “i think this place could be so different than the other places we’ve been at.” she says “we’ve been at”. not “i’ve been at.” she’s assuming, and assuming correctly, that carmy has also been in some terrible kitchens. and she’s assuming, and assuming correctly, that carmy is also really tired of it

i think it’s probably only really tv magic that we’re in episode three and sydney feels comfortable to tell carmy that she wants to partner with him in making the beef better, but that he also has to listen to her ideas. that’s a lot of trust in the emotional maturity and headspace of a boss that you haven’t really had any previous emotional connection with. like we haven’t really seen her and carmy connect or have a mutual understanding of the other. we haven’t seen him give syd a reason to think that he wants her to partner with him in improving the beef, or that he’s all that interested in listening to her ideas. HOWEVER this scene works because we know carmy so well already, and we know syd really well, and their chemistry sells it. so she basically says she wants to talk freely with her boss and be heard and listened to and instead of him shutting her down like 90% of bosses would do, he says “you’re absolutely right, and i agree.”

and for her leap of faith, we see carmy open up to her! carmy opened up! he’s trying to work through his gunk! it’s so good!

FUCK BRUNCH

ok. i love brunch. but i hated working brunch. it’s the worst shift in the world.

the scene where carmy comes out of the beef on a break, cigarette hanging from his lip, his hair a particular kind of wild, to listen to sugar’s voicemail…that is the vibe and look i have wanted to replicate from the moment i saw him, and i have no idea how to show the person who cuts my hair because the look is just “sweat and grease” and that’s a hard ask in a salon chair.

i like the flow of learning its michael’s birthday, with us returning to the beach with carmy. because it makes the fact that carmy heard mikey say “let it rip, dude” more powerful. carmy is thinking of mikey on his birthday, carmy’s been thinking of mikey all day, and it’s been nagging at him and weighing on him and everything he has said and done has been because today hurts worse than most other days have.

the question then becomes: timeline-wise, is carmy at the beach the same scene that started the show? we know that only a day has passed, did carmy wake up and go to the beach, and then after work go to the beach again? i’m sure someone with more attention to detail could tell me if the sun is in the same position in both scenes, or if the sun is on the opposite side of the sky in one from the other. but it mirrors the opening so much that it kinda feels like we opened on either the beginning of the day, or the end of the day, and now we’re closing on that same visit to the beach, to remind us of that trip and to put the day into a greater context with mikey’s birthday. if i had to bet, i would bet that both scenes happen at sunrise, because we have a shot of the shop while the dinner rush is happening and it’s dark outside. like past sunset dark. we know they close late, like 10/11pm late. which is far after sunset. so if carmy is walking outside while there is a sliver of light, it’s probably sunrise.

UFFDA, i love this episode. i feel like it slowed way down (except for that one scene during a lunch rush), and amped up both the emotional ante, and the comedy. the next episode to me is like a mid-season finale, because it wraps up some major themes and storylines and opens up some new ones, but we’ll talk more about that in episode four!

Season One: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 |

[queen-scribbles]

#YEEEESSSSSSS WHAT AN AMAZING GIFT 🥰💖🥰💖🥰💖#god I don't even know where to start it's all so good#tragen and marii understanding each other so well they can communicate without words or using the force YES#marii having a voice-kink and competence-kink and struggling to keep her mind out of the gutter while tragen gently threatens people YES YE#when brin actually thought he'd trapped them! 😂 alexa play 'now you fucked up' from whitest kids you know#the action! the fighting and the chase sequence! their banter! 😘🥰 YES YES YES YES#the contrast of tragen being so calm and in control as he casually wins 4v1 fights and sprints down hallways without even getting winded#vs aramarii 'force-assisted recklessness' wrinn ripping out wires and stabbing consoles and barreling around corners#him preferring to travel in her ship because his is too gloomy and scares people 😭 darling boy you would've made such a good jedi#(give her a hydrospanner and a week and she can fix it up. she's already planning a shopping trip to bed bantha and beyond with vette)#does he KNOW how sexy his voice is? that he could melt her into a puddle reading space-ikea instruction manuals?#or is he genuinely unaware of the power he wields? thank the stars he's not the type to use it for evil#okay I better stop before I write an entire tag novel 💖💖💖 I'm gonna go eat some cake and read this like. 30 more times

@haledamage I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT. :D I did some poking around in Marii's tag for details and personality stuff but didn't have time to read everything, so I'm happy to have done her justice. 💖 (cut for length)

I love couples who know each other so well it's like they read minds or share thoughts, it's so good. They would clean up at one of those game shows where you have to writ down your partner's answer to a bunch of questions. xD I cannot blame Marii for any of those kinks bc they're all very fair ones to have wrt Tragen. Competence is extremely sexy. 😂 (I might have a bit of a Thing for the M!Warrior's voice. Just a little one. That may have bled through. I mentioned it was self-indulgent, right?)

And I've long headcanoned for Tragen's own universe--and now this one apparently-- that they don't make it common knowledge he has less of a Force connection than your average Jedi/Sith. Might be perceived as weakness yada yada. And people he fights are too busy trying to survive to notice he's like 95% martial skill/5% Force use. This is just one more benefit; someone like Brin goes "How do you catch a Sith? Get him away from his lightsaber and cut the Force and he's nothing" aaaannnnnnddd they're Very Very Wrong. >:3 I love the contrast between Tragen and Marii's personalities, and their complementary roles in escaping(I had to throw in combat. It's my Brand now) were so fun to work out. The thing about Tragen's ship is another long standing headcanon, and Vette will be thrilled to help Marii redecorate. She's already complained about it being gloomy multiple times before the end of the class story. xD (Now I want to write Marii "kidnapping" Vette for a girls' day which just means giving the Celestial Dawn a makeover and Vette's practically dancing with excitement the whole way through Bed Bantha and Beyond(I'm laughing at that again jsyk) bc she's wanted to do this for a DECADE, why didn't you start dating him sooner?!?!? shush with your logic about Emperor's Wrath and Jedi Battlemaster etc

Tragen is... aware some people(Marii included) find his voice attractive. He is NOT aware of just HOW Attractive. We are very lucky he's at least partially ignorant and not the type to use it for evil even if he fully understood bc holy HELL could he conquer galaxies. That voice? His charisma and diplomatic skills? the Arms? YEAH.

[terrifyingstories]

empathy as tasha's greatest strength and also weakness is everything to me. tasha has an amazing ability to connect with people around her and come to see and understand their struggles and feelings, and it's one of the reasons she's so good at what she does. as a self defense instructor, she comes across a lot of people who have experienced trauma or just in one way or another are looking to strengthen their sense of security and safety in their own bodies and she's able to access her own trauma in a way that allows her to be really helpful and very skilled in connecting with people and helping them feel safe in their own skin without it.

it also serves her really well as a parent, is something that tends to make kids feel really safe with and understood by her. makes her the calm parent you can bring things to without fear that she'll freak out or overreact, who will sit with you and talk things out with you and when she does have to set hard boundaries or limitations, will always discuss them with you vs doing a 'because i said so' because she knows how that feels. someone who explains things and doesn't talk down to you and will relate to you as an equal rather than a superior. gentle creative parent of my heart

however, as much as this empathy enables tasha to build connections, it's just as capable of tearing her apart. she feels things so, so deeply and is susceptible to being overwhelmed by it. she has a high window of tolerance most days and can carry a lot of weight, is able to come home most days and leave her work behind, but sometimes all of that empathy will rip and rip at her until she's sitting in the dark in the middle of the night feeling so drained she can't move. will break her down until she's screaming in a pillow because it's so overwhelming and she can't handle all of the pain and injustice that's in the world and how powerless she is to stop it. it can whittle down her ability to see the full picture until all she can see is the bad thing - the wrong thing - the not right thing and how to stop it and not fully feel or realize the consequences of it.

it takes tasha's ability to distance herself in a healthy way so that every Horrible Thing isn't hers to carry until all of it is on her shoulders and all of it is her responsibility to fix or mend and it kills her when she can't. she looks into the darkest dark and she isn't scared because she's survived worse and she can help, she has to help. she can carry it she can mend it she can fix it. and if she can't, she can't handle that. having been trained throughout her childhood to Be Strong and push things down and not let anything show, she doesn't really know how to ask for help or to recognize that she's in need of it or even consciously recognize that she's in a negative frame of mind.

it takes really being forced to confront the place she's in for her to see all of the chain reactions it has, from aggravating her already-bad insomnia to the point that she's not sleeping at all to stealing her appetite and impairing her ability to make sound decisions.

tasha was raised by people who cared only about image and self-interest and pushed the mentality that you have to be strong and not show weakness and work for the family agenda but she turned all of that outward. she's capable of locking down around the people closest to her (christian and sometimes others, like in pll-verse) and pushing out everything else, but that's more a trauma-response than something specifically in her nature, and even then it's rooted in protecting Others rather than protecting Herself.

rather than Being Strong Being Impenetrable Carrying It All for the sake of advancing the status and security of family in a vain or self -interested way, tasha does it for the sake of goodness, of helping and compassion and kindness. she does it to provide solace and healing and protection to the vulnerable and her empathy makes her very good at it, but sometimes at great personal cost.

[illumiera]

I slide into your inbox to give you a 😍 and a 💘 for miss Ellie and the Moth of her heart... 🥺💖

from this ask game! ✨

😍: What does your OC find irresistible in others?

Elentari: answered here!

Miraak: Miraak, like Ellie, is less drawn towards the physical (although once he falls for someone, he finds everything of theirs beautiful) and incredibly attracted to intelligence. he's also, admittedly, into power—a person who can match him, who can do amazing things with their Voice or magic, will compel him to no end, and he'll love to see just what they're capable of. the biggest thing, though? something completely antithetical to the world he knew back in the Merethic Era? kindness. gentleness. he's unused to receiving it, and it breaks him down like nothing else.

couple 'power' and 'kindness' until you get someone who could use their staggering power for destruction but instead chooses, at every turn, to help, and it's really no surprise that he took one look at Ellie, the woman he named Light-bringer, and thought, "that's my future wife right there." 🥰

💘: Is your OC a very good flirt? Are they charming?

Elentari: Ellie, despite being very reserved, is very charming. a lot of that charisma stems from her upbringing in Daggerfall, from learning to talk to people, compliment them, and make them feel like they're the only person in the room—especially when she's smiling until she dimples, showing them kindness, and giving them little gifts to show she cares without saying it. but it can't be denied that her dragon soul and skill with magic help her out. I headcanon that the magic and Shouts a person uses most influence how they come across, and though Ellie feels unearthly powerful thanks to that Destruction skill, her Restoration mastery gives her an innately calming, comfortable presence. as for her dragon soul, it makes her command attention without effort; she feels not-of-this-world in a way that can't help but compel.

all in all, she's well-spoken, witty, and has a little bit of a mischievous side to her when she lets it show... unless, of course, she has deep feelings for the person she's speaking with, and then she feels like goes from Speech 100 to Speech 10—at least at first. I think Miraak's spellbound either way, though.

Miraak: Miraak is much the same in terms of his magic and his dovahsil—except perhaps the Bend Will Shout left an imprint on him, and now eyes bend towards him like grass in the wind. perhaps, for someone who isn't a Dragonborn like him, it's easier to agree with him, to find whatever he's saying utterly captivating in the moment. regardless, he was once a strong public speaker regarded as a good leader by his people, and after Apocrypha, he's well-read and full of interesting—and beautiful, I'd imagine—things to say. especially in that voice of his, a thing he's absolutely aware of.

he's good at flirting without speech, too—a handwritten letter or poem in a language the object of his affections might have to decode, a song played just for them on the lute, their hair braided into particularly meaningful Atmoran styles, loving touches that get them flustered (as well as him; he's quite possibly the most touch-starved creature on Nirn). however, he's only ever tried any of these methods on Ellie, so maybe it's less that he's Overall Good At Flirting and more that he's got an A+ in Ellie-Wooing, a thing that is both normal to want and possible to achieve. 😼

[arriansarchive]

Platonic!Female Reader and Georgie Cooper, where we’re childhood friends and I’m helping Georgie and Mandy with CeeCee maybe? Where I’m Georgie’s oldest friend and I’m helping him learn how to be good with babies.

Thank you very much for this request! Im very excited, and I hope you like it!

The writing may seem awkward I've been over it a few times, and I just don't know how to fix it, so I'm really sorry.

There still might be spelling mistakes that I didn't catch, so you may be on the lookout for those.

I'm sorry this took a second. Ideas weren't going to plan, but it's here now!

Now, I didn't know exactly what you meant by oldest, so I just assumed that you meant you had been friends the longest.

Words: 648 (very short)

ENJOY!

Summary: Mandy is asleep, and you decide that Georgie needs some help dealing with CeeCee.

Your car sputtered on as you climbed into the driver's side seat. You sigh as you start the car, some weird music that your mother had playing was still on the radio.

Georgie texted you a few hours ago about CeeCee not calming down after she awoke from her nap. He was distraught about possibly waking up Mandy, and he assures you that nobody wants to wake up Mandy if she's sleeping, so you asked him if he needed you to come help him.

He told you no at first, probably worried that he wouldn't be a good dad if he had to ask for help with his own child but soon did it anyways. He could never say no to being in the same house as his three favorite people.

You've known Georgie since you two were children. You had always come over to play cars with him or to help him with his homework. Missy clung to you most of the time, and it really annoyed Georgie.

You were in the same highschool as him whenever he was still attending, and you sat with him and Veronica most of the time.

You were singing along to the radio in your car on the way to where Georgie was, occasionally looking above the road to see if the weather would hold out on you.

You liked to think that Mandy liked you, and you had no reason to believe she didn't, you just didn't know what she would do if she saw you in her house uninvited.

You pushed that thought away and focused on the one at hand. How would you get CeeCee to calm down? It might be an easy task, Georgie might be doing something wrong, or it could be much more complicated.

Usually you were good with babies, having had a baby sister your whole life. You'd think that he would know what to do in these situations since he also had two siblings but apparently not.

The car slowed to a stop on the driveway, and you sauntered up to the door and knocked. You heard frantic footsteps coming up from behind it with loud screaming and crying.

"Y/N, thank god!" Georgie said as he opened the door quickly.

He ushered you inside before you could utter a word and pushed you directly to CeeCee. Georgie looked at you expectantly.

"Are you going to help her or not?" He asked.

You gave him a solid glare and began to pick up CeeCee carefully. You also wondered why he hadn't gotten Connie or Mary to come over here and help him.

The bottle on the table by the crib was still full, you realized.

"Georgie, why is that bottle still full?" You looked back at him while bouncing CeeCee in your arms.

"She wouldn't drink it whenever I did it, so I waited until you came." He shrugged.

CeeCee has calmed down a little by now and tears weren't constantly streaming down her face anymore. She was babbling loudly, arms spread out.

You picked up the full bottle and held it up to CeeCee's mouth carefully. She opened and began to suck on the bottle's nozzle.

You tipped it up slightly, and the liquid started to pour out slowly.

CeeCee's eyes eventually closed, and the bottle emptied. All the while Georgie was watching with silent glee and surprise at your amazing skills with babies.

You take the bottle slowly out of CeeCee's mouth and put her back down in her crib quietly. She was sleeping soundly now.

"Thank you, Y/N." Georgie huffed, reluctant to give you all the credit even though you actually did everything.

You laugh and slap him on the back softly. "It's fine."

He gives you a grateful smile and a wave then pushes you out the door of his house. "Now go, so I can tell Mandy that I did it."

You obliged and got inside of your car, speeding away.

Overall, you think that your a successful baby sleep assistant. Maybe you should get another babysitting job like whenever you were younger.

[moonferry]

Hehe I saw the OC questions thing. Maybe 🌺🍄🍂 for any of em! I just like hearing about your OCS in general

And for the ask the creator questions, maybe the 💦 one (if you want to do that question)

YAHOOO thanks for the ask :33 ummmm i'll just bounce around and answer for whoever it seems right bc. There's a lot of them /silly

this one is LONG so it'll be beneath the cut!

have more questions? ask from here!

What does your OC do to calm down when they’re scared or after a nightmare? Do they have any special comfort items or need to be reassured by a specific person? How do they handle this if they’re alone?

for this one, im going to choose.... danny!

hmm.. i don't think danny gets "scared" very often, but he does have anxiety and often gets very anxious. he can get stuck inside his own head - often overthinking things he's done or hyper analyzing his own actions and comparing them to things his mother has done. if he finds something that mirrors an action diana would do, he typically shuts down :(.

luckily, though, his husband (lee) knows how to deal with this. lee will simply reach over and carefully squeeze danny's hand (likely to help ground him when he notices danny's vision becoming distant / danny disassociating whenever he's anxious). it got worse after the war, but danny has a therapist in zuzu city :)

as for how he deals with it alone.. in the beginning, he doesn't. or rather. he can't - his brain completely shut itself down, leaving him unable to do anything but sit there in anxiety-induced paralysis. after attending therapy, however, he develops some healthy coping mechanisms & gets involved in some crochet or knitting !

What are your OCs favorite snacks? Their favorite comfort food which always cheers them up when they're down?

for this one (or at least this part of one LOL) i'll choose... wes! i haven't shared much about her here, so this'll be fun <3

wes is a vegetarian & loves eating seaweed wraps, filled with rice and beans. it reminds her of something her grandmother would make when she was just a guppy. emily learns how to make it for her <3

Favorite meal to make? Do they enjoy baking and cooking and are they good in the kitchen?

this one is relatively short, so i'll answer it for all of 'em! (yes it's half of the other question but who cares)

danny - he is an amazing chef. he loves baking and cooking & some of his fondest memories come from messing around in the kitchen with his sister, playing with recipes and tweaking the flavor until he found something he liked.

he enjoys making lee's favorite meal, which is a recipe he learned from an old cookbook he found in the back of the oasis. he made it to surprise lee <3

lee - it's not that he can't cook, im sure he could if he wanted to, it's just.. danny does most of the cooking. lee likes making desserts, though, and often makes tiramisu!

star - he. he cannot cook 😞 he tries his best, and most of the time it's relatively edible, but his decorative/presentation skills need some... work.. however, he likes making (attempting) to make his friends' favorite meals!

wes - she can cook, however it's VASTLY different than cooking on the surface. everything she makes is very flavorful, as well as resourceful, but it may seem overwhelming to someone with a different pallet. she enjoys making sea-salt caramel cupcakes (made with actual sea salt)

Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for their friends/family/significant other(s)? Over all, what are they like with receiving affection from others?

again, i'll do this for all of 'em! + plus a bonus hehe

danny - he enjoys hugs, but only if you are close. he isn't very physically affectionate (unless with his husband, lee, or family members: his daughter / the neilsons). his love language is "words of affirmation!" he's very vocal and always provides constant reassurance whenever someone needs it. he also uses "acts of service" and enjoys making nice meals for the people he cares about! he's fine with receiving affection, as long as you're pretty close with him.

lee - like danny, he is only physically affectionate with people he's close to (loved ones, family) but hugs are always welcomed. lee's love language is "quality time" and "physical touch". he loves spending time with those he cares about, and with danny specifically, he's very tactile. he'll delicately brush danny's hair out of his face or kiss his temple, maybe squeeze his hand. he's more affectionate than his husband, though.

star - star ADORES hugs. he's very very tactile, even with people he's only slightly close to. he loves being physically affectionate and often greets his friends by launching himself at them full speed, tackling them into a hug. of course, he always ensures they're comfortable with it before giving anyone affectionate. he can often be found in a big cuddle puddle with all his partners, or simply holding their hands as they walk. he likes to lay his head on their shoulders or laps.. he just really likes affection - and readily gives it out. star enjoys gifting and giving people things that remind him of them!

wes - she is not physically affectionate, at all. (unless of course you're emily). she doesn't show affection in the "typical" way - instead she prefers acts of service (usually protective acts, such as warning someone of danger or crouching to put a bandage on someone's knee). she also enjoys giving words of affirmation, mostly to her wife. emily loves to kiss wes, wes is in different about it and likes to compliment emily instead.

and WHATS THIS??? the ba ba ba.. BONUS??

samson - samson .. he was a very affectionate man. in his own words he "doesn't do handshakes" and preferred to pull kent into a hug. everyone who entered his home was a friend and would always be given a warm, gentle welcome. he gave the best hugs, too. they were firm & fatherly, while still being soft enough to be gentle. there wasn't a person who he met who didn't think highly of samson sawyer. he would give a proud pat on your shoulder, followed by the best advice you ever heard. he was.. pretty much full of love. even diana, as distant as she was, softened whenever samson held her gently.

If you, as the writer, could erase one traumatic event from this OC's life, what would it be & why?

ooh.. i'll answer this one for danny and lee! & ray bc he ties into this

probably the fact that they died in their canon story LOL

no, but in all seriousness.. i don't think i really can erase any traumatic events. as unfortunate as they were, they sort of shaped them into the people they are today.

but.. if i had to choose one, it would probably be the bullying danny received for being gay. he shouldn't have to be afraid to be himself - nor should he have been made fun of for it.

which leads me into another part: i would get rid of ray's homophobic father, the man who taught ray to hate himself & to perpetuate that hate because he was terrified to be gay. because his father told him that he'd be disowned or that it made him "less of a man" to have feelings for another man. i really wish ray had a supportive father and.. if he did, i know that several things would not have happened the way they did.

[pirateslifedogtraining]

Ahoy, mateys!

Welcome aboard the good ship Pirate’s Life Dog Training, where tails wag, adventures abound, and a love for dogs runs as deep as the seven seas.

I recently earned my certification as a Victoria Stilwell Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT), and for nearly two years, I’ve been charting my course as a dog trainer at one of the big pet stores. Helping people understand their dogs and teaching them how to unlock their pets’ potential has been an incredible journey.

Teaching is by far my favorite part of being a dog trainer. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching the “aha!” moments happen for both dogs and their humans. I’m passionate about this career and determined to turn it into something truly amazing—like finding a chest of gold at the end of a treasure hunt!

At Pirate’s Life Dog Training, we believe in using positive reinforcement to build a strong bond between humans and their canine companions. Training should be a fun and rewarding experience for both parties, focusing on encouragement, trust, and clear communication. Just as a good captain earns the loyalty of their crew, a dog thrives when their human leads with kindness and respect.

By focusing on what dogs do right and guiding them through challenges, we can foster confidence and joy in every training session. It’s all about turning those tiny victories into big wins—one paw at a time!

The Blog’s Purpose

One of my goals for this year is to embrace social media and share more of my journey as a dog trainer. At the same time, I’ve been wanting to journal more regularly, so I thought—why not combine the two? Every great captain keeps a logbook, and this blog will be mine.

Through these pages, I’ll chronicle my adventures in dog training. As a trainer, I’m constantly working to improve my craft, learn new techniques, and help more dogs and their humans set sail toward success. But this logbook isn’t just about me—it’s also about my loyal first mate, By-Tor.

By-Tor and I are on a mission this year: to help him earn his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title. This journey will be full of challenges, triumphs, and plenty of learning opportunities for both of us. I’ll be documenting his progress, sharing the highs and lows, and reflecting on what I learn along the way. My hope is that these stories will inspire and connect with others navigating their own training adventures.

—

Meet the Crew

No ship sails without a trusty crew, and mine is made up of two very different but equally lovable dogs: By-Tor and Luna.

By-Tor is my young first mate, currently in the full swing of doggy adolescence. As any captain knows, a growing pup can be a bit of a handful, and By-Tor is no exception. He’s a lovable goof with boundless energy, known for his epic zoomies and his couch-cuddling skills. But don’t let his sweet side fool you—he’s also a mischievous scallawag who loves to steal Crocs when he thinks we’ve been sitting idle for too long!

By-Tor’s biggest challenges on our journey to earning his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title include his over-the-top enthusiasm for meeting people (making polite greetings tricky) and his strong reactions to unfamiliar dogs. These hurdles will be our focus as we chart a course toward success.

But By-Tor isn’t the only crew member aboard this ship. His best friend and my steadfast companion, Luna, is our seasoned sailor. Luna is my older husky who has gracefully settled into the life of a landlubber. She enjoys the company of others but on her own terms—no smothering allowed!

Luna has had her share of challenges, including some bad experiences with off-leash dogs, so she prefers slow walks and quiet days. Most of the time, you’ll find her holding down the ship, lounging on the couch while By-Tor and I embark on our adventures. Her calm, steady presence makes her the perfect anchor for our little crew.

Together, these two make life full of joy, laughter, and lessons. By-Tor is the adventurer, Luna is the homebody, and I’m the captain trying to guide us all toward calmer seas.

—

Goals for the Year

This year, we’ll hoist the sails and set a course for new horizons: confidence, trust, and mastery of the seven seas—or at least the CGC test.

The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test is all about demonstrating good public manners. It ensures that a dog can keep their cool in public spaces, no matter what challenges the world throws their way, and that they can interact respectfully with the people and environments around them. For By-Tor, this will mean tackling some of his biggest challenges, like polite greetings and staying calm around unfamiliar dogs.

Completing the CGC certification is more than just earning a shiny title—it’s about strengthening our bond as a team and setting a foundation of trust and confidence that will carry us into bigger adventures. The CGC is also a gateway to the exciting world of professional dog sports, something I’ve always wanted to explore.

But that’s not the only treasure I’m hunting this year! I’m also setting my sights on gaining new certifications, like becoming Fear Free certified, so I can continue my learning journey and better serve my community as a dog trainer. Education doesn’t stop after certification—it’s a lifelong adventure, and I’m eager to expand my knowledge and skills.

Another exciting goal is to dip my toes into canine nosework. By-Tor has such a curious and active mind, and I think he’ll absolutely love hunting for buried treasure during nosework training. It’s a great way to engage his natural instincts while offering him a fun and fulfilling activity.

On the social media front, I aim to get more comfortable with platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Building a following on these platforms isn’t about chasing fame—it’s about fostering a community of people who share a love for dogs, enjoy learning about their canine companions, and want to become the best pet parents they can be. By sharing my journey, I hope to inspire and educate others while creating a space where we can all grow and learn together.

—

Why Pirates?

The biggest and most obvious answer is simple: Pirates of the Caribbean. Those first three movies were everything to me growing up, sparking a lifelong fascination with the adventurous, rebellious, and free-spirited imagery of pirates. My love for the theme even inspired my first tattoo—a pirate ship.

Of course, I know the pirates from history were far from the romanticized versions we see in movies. Historical pirates were often vile and villainous characters, leaving destruction in their wake. But the version of pirates I draw inspiration from is symbolic—representing a transformation, much like what dog training has undergone over the years.

The history of animal training is marked by harsh, outdated practices done in the name of control and education. Similarly, the outdated “alpha theory” perpetuated the idea of dominance and submission in dog training—methods that were not only ineffective but harmful. Thankfully, modern dog trainers have charted a new course. Today, through science-based methods, we focus on humane, respectful approaches that strengthen the bond between dogs and their humans.

I like to think of my training philosophy in terms of running a crew. My dogs are my crew members, and we work together as a team. Just like any good captain knows, a crew doesn’t work for free—they need to be paid (in this case, with treats, toys, or affection). If the crew isn’t happy with the working conditions, they might mutiny. As captain, it’s my job to ensure that doesn’t happen by creating an environment of trust, respect, and clear communication.

The pirate theme is a fun, creative way to express my philosophy and connect with others. It reminds me to stay adventurous, adaptive, and always ready to navigate new waters in the ever-evolving world of dog training.

—

Join the Crew!

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for coming aboard! Consider joining the crew as we embark on this exciting journey. Making connections and building a community in this space is always a treasure worth finding.

Follow our adventures as we set sail for new horizons in 2025! Whether it’s By-Tor’s training, my growth as a dog trainer, or the occasional pirate-themed musings, there’s plenty to explore.

If you have any advice, feedback, or just want to share your own tales from the high seas of dog training, I’d love to hear from you. Together, let’s navigate this wild and wonderful world of dogs and make it the best voyage yet!

Anchors aweigh, and may your sails stay full,

Captain Jordan, VSA-CDT

[yiovani]

In my life, music has always been very important to me. It's so incredible when artists touch into the same energy and make sure that the lyrics fit with everyone in the crowd. Some of my favorite artists have the amazing power to move and inspire me in ways that words alone can't.

The Sacred Souls are one of my favorites because their soulful songs and heartfelt words really hit me and make me feel better. Their music is a bit like a warm hug; it comforts you when things are bad and makes you happier when things are good. Their sound is very deep, and their lyrics are very honest, which makes it easy to connect with their music on a personal level.

The Smiths are another band that has been very important to me. Their lyrics, which are a mix of sad and funny, along with the catchy guitar sounds, make for a sound that is both familiar and new. Songs like "This Charming Man" and "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" flow through my heart, making me feel all kinds of feelings and remembering how hard life and love can be. Morrissey's singing and songwriting skills mostly make me think about how I feel and what I've been through.

Clairos music is a different way to escape. The sound of her singing is beautiful, and the lyrics are really about herself. Together, they make a personal connection. There is an openness in Clairos music that makes it easy to relate to, and I get lost in her songs and find peace and inspiration in her words.

Mac DeMarco's music is full of this easygoing style and odd personality. Definitely, the unique way he mixes humor and earnestness in his albums makes them stand out on the listening experience spectrum. The songs "Salad Days" and "Chamber of Reflection" calm me down and make me think at the same time. My favorite thing about his music is that it makes me think and reflect, no pun intended.

Beabadoobee is another artist that has caught my eye. Her sound is both familiar and new at the same time. It reminds me of alternative rock from the 1990s, which makes me feel at ease. The songs she writes are honest and easy to relate to. They talk about the ups and downs of growing up and finding oneself. There are songs like "Coffee" and "Care" that make me feel like I'm not alone in what I'm going through.

It's amazing how it can make us feel things and get us going. I find it amazing how these artists can connect my life to my own thoughts and feelings. Basically, they add songs to my life, which take me through a range of emotions and help me keep going.

Musicians have an amazing ability to connect with people like me. Their music does more than just make people happy; it heals, inspires, and motivates. It's a lesson of how powerful art is and how it can change our lives in big ways. I'm very thankful to The Sacred Souls, The Smiths, Claire, Mac DeMarco, and Beabadoobee for their contributions. I'm also looking forward to hearing more new artists who will continue to inspire and affect me in the future.

[mcw-rp]

ƐçӀìքʂҽ

A promo package would air on the Elite Collective of Wrestling and MCW websites, showcasing Karmen Petrovic in a dojo, practicing her martial arts skills as she addresses her upcoming High-Speed Princess Championship Match at Mythic Dream…

🅒🅞🅥🅔🅡 🅨🅞🅤🅡 🅔🅨🅔🅢 🅦🅗🅔🅝 🅣🅗🅔 🅔🅒🅛🅘🅟🅢🅔 🅢🅣🅐🅡🅣🅢...

“A month ago when I officially joined the Elite Collective of Wrestling, when I made myself one of the many women on the MCW roster, I described myself as ‘EVERYTHING YOU WANT…’“ The wall would show on the screen, with multiple silhouettes on it. Karmen would quickly take down multiple people she’s training with…

“‘AND NOTHING YOU CAN HANDLE...’ So far, I’ve been living up to my hype, right?” Clips of Karmen’s previous matches in MCW would flash over the screen as Karmen continued…

“Raquel Rodriguez was put down in my first match here, I sliced her up and now Mama Knight’s gonna chew her up and spit her out at Mythic Dream… I sent Valerie Nightingale and Wynter Blackburn off to question their life choices and WHO KNOWS when they’ll come back? I sure as hell don’t. The boss lines them up, I just cut them down, it’s not my responsibility to know where everybody is, I’ve got championship gold on my mind… And I’m not gonna slow down until I get it… That brings me to today…” Karmen would gain the focus in the present, standing in the ring at the Elite Collective of Wrestling gym as she gains into the camera with a confident smile…

“Mythic Dream is just a few days away, and I’ve been given an opportunity to bring championship gold to the Elite Collective of Wrestling, a chance to set the bar and raise it around here in MCW, and I don’t plan on wasting that opportunity by showing up and not leaving without the High-Speed Princess Championship… That just wouldn’t make me look all that good, now would it? All of this effort, all of the slicing and dicing I’ve over here for the past month and I’m not making history as the first ever High-Speed Princess Champion? We can’t have that… My back’s against the wall, I’m facing two very good, very experienced wrestlers, but I won’t back down. That’s not who I am, I’m not gonna let myself be eaten up by the ‘Sky Tiger’, or trip and lose the race to the so-called ‘High Speed Bomb Girl.’ My plan is to take this title home with me and I DON’T CARE who I’ve gotta cut through to do it…”

Karmen would lose her smile, replacing it with a calm and determined expression before clips of one of her opponents, AZM, flashed over the screen, showcasing her hard strikes, amazing technical abilities, her time in the ring as a child and an adult, and even her championship wins…

🅨🅞🅤 🅜🅐🅨 🅖🅞 🅑🅛🅘🅝🅓 🅘🅕 🅨🅞🅤 🅢🅣🅐🅡🅔 🅕🅞🅡 🅣🅞🅞 🅛🅞🅝🅖...

“The Joshi Wrestling scene has some of the best women’s wrestlers in the entire world, and among them is you, AZM. I have to admit, it’s impressive that you’ve had the opportunity to do this since you were eleven years old, I didn’t get to perform karate for my country until I was 17 years old. You’re one of the best names in Stardom today, and now you’re in MCW… Maybe you’re thinking that High-Speed Princess Championship is made for you, but the honest to God truth is that you’re in the right place AT THE WRONG TIME…” Karmen would retake the focus, walking around the ring while still looking at the camera…

 “I’m what you should refer to as a HIGH SPEED PROSPECT. I’ve planned to rise up to the occasion, show the world what I’m capable of as the inaugural champion, draw the line in the sand with my blade and if I must, remind each and every one of my opponents where the line is, and that includes you, AZM… I’m not afraid of a fight with someone like you… I’ve won medals fighting. And I’m looking forward to winning championships while fighting, especially when I have opponents as hyped up and as highly thought of as you…” Karmen would toss the microphone into the sky and unsheathe her katana before spinning it around in one hand and cutting a line into the center of the Elite Collective of Wrestling practice ring, much to the delight of her stablemates before catching the microphone and continuing…

“Cross me on the way to championship gold… I dare you, I DOUBLE DARE YOU… I relish the opportunity to show off my skills, I can never fail to look forward to seeing myself standing on top of someone who shows up in the form of a challenger, but is really just waiting to be unwrapped and exposed as a stepping stone, or today’s slices of meat served to the roster on a plate, not as their meal, BUT AS AN EXAMPLE… I don’t mind making an example out of you, AZM. If this is what you’re looking for in an MCW debut, then don’t underestimate the BaeBlade… I’m hot as hell, and I may be new to the wrestling scene, BUT I CAN STILL CUT YOU DOWN ON ANY DAY OF THE WEEK…”

The Elites would clap and cheer for Karmen as she sheathed her katana and maintained her energy for a moment before moving onto Starlight Kid, with clips showcasing her other opponent’s fast paced and tough offense, her enjoyment of brutality and her highly flexible moveset…

🅘 🅦🅐🅝🅣 🅨🅞🅤 🅣🅞 🅢🅔🅔 🅜🅔 🅢🅗🅘🅝🅔 🅦🅗🅔🅝 🅘🅣'🅢 🅐🅛🅛 🅞🅥🅔🅡

“And Starlight Kid, I haven’t forgotten about you… I saw your match against Alexa Black a few weeks ago, and I was impressed. I saw you take her down and get the victory, you’ve earned your place in this match… HOWEVER… You’ve also earned MY ATTENTION… I know how dangerous you can be, you’re someone who had to realize she enjoys tearing people apart to realize just how much potential you’ve got, to truly embrace the head of the tiger you’ve worn for the last few years, and that’s great… Because I want to face that tiger at full strength… A lot of people would probably tell me that I’m STUPID for even trying to hold up a katana to a tiger when I could’ve used that chance to run, but let’s remember… This is professional wrestling… Running isn’t an option for me. I FIGHT EVERY SINGLE TIME…” Karmen would regain the focus, once again leaning on the ropes as she continues…

“Just like AZM, you’re great in Stardom and you’ll be even better in a few more years, SLK, but that’s A FEW MORE YEARS… It’s not the Sky Tiger’s time to shine, or to tear her claws into the world, IT’S THE BAEBLADE’S TIME TO CUT THE WRESTLING WORLD OPEN AND CHANGE IT FROM THE INSIDE…” The Elites would clap and cheer for Karmen as she licked her lips and continued…

“I look at these two and then I look at that High Speed Princess Championship, and I see them doing good things… I’m not gonna lie and say otherwise, they’re good, they’ve been going this for years, they’ll probably do it for 10 or 20 more… But I don’t see them doing anything I’ll be doing with the High-Speed Princess Championship around my waist… I promise that I’m going to set the world on fire with this title reign, I’M GOING TO SET MCW on fire, I’m going to put an ECLIPSE over us all, and by the time it ends, you’ll be thanking the Elites for showing up to MCW and paving the way for everyone… You’ll be thanking the BaeBlade for the greatest High-Speed Princess Championship reign of all time, and you’ll call it the greatest eclipse you’ve ever witnessed in your lifetime… Little girls will be inspired and they’ll make history, too…”

“So, AZM… SLK… Get ready to be cut through, because I’m ready to make history… WE CAN’T DO THAT WITHOUT SOME BLOOD…” Karmen would get a massive ovation from her stablemates as the camera faded away with her gazing at it, seeming hellbent on becoming the High-Speed Princess Champion this Wednesday at Mythic Dream…

[vilecemetery]

I think this is a deeply misogynistic and discrediting take on inej. there’s a difference between having criticisms about a romantic relationship in a book and completely misreading a well written female character for cheap talking points on why you don’t like said romantic relationship. to look past inej’s character and everything important about her to say she has no personality outside of kaz, and to ignore her massive and significant character arcs to say she’s “supposed to be this badass” is not the revolutionary take you think it is. it’s giving “in my reading era on booktok” and anti intellectualism. not all the girls and women in every piece of fiction have the same arc and personality, there is not a certain way to write a female character that makes them “badass”

if inej’s character had been male, you wouldn’t be using those phrases that are rooted in sexism, and to ignore all of inej’s achievements and accomplishments to say all she does in the book is stab people at kaz’s behest is deeply disrespectful to her.

inej’s personality is raw, and unfiltered. she is so courageous, true herself and her beliefs, greatly empathetic to others despite her own situation, and deeply unafraid. she’s short tempered and sarcastic, (which is typical of someone her age,) and skeptical of most people. she has a lot of the funniest lines because she roasts the majority of the others thought the book, especially matthias and wylan when she first meets them. she’s unwavering, stubborn and persistent. despite the horrific things she’s endured as a child, she is still strong enough to look past that and find good and search for good everywhere. she makes the most out of being in a bad situation. she never abandons her faith and never forgets her family and her values, even when her values are tested and she has to do things that she wouldn’t have if she had other options. she’s inspirational because she always finds the light when she’s in the dark, she’s still an amazing person whereas if I had been through everything she had, I would not give af. she’s taken a trauma reaction after what happened to her (disappearing while being raped) and turned it into a deadly weapon, to be completely unseen. she’s a talented performer and acrobat and she uses those skills that came from her family and her family’s business (a place of community and love and passed-down talent) and adapted that and used it to survive.

to ignore inej’s complex personality, many arcs and achievements, skills and important part on the crew to narrow her down to her best friend helping her regain her freedom and begin her mission leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. kaz and inej save each other, look out for each other, and help each other up. they can’t count the times they’ve saved each others lives. just inej’s voice can calm kaz and help him to fight off a panic attack. he knows her and he knows what she needs, which included freedom and leverage and power. to turn that into a one sided thing of inej being some helpless damsel is very sad and pitiable.

the book is largely about fighting back against the system that is out to get you and wants you dead. all the crows help each other at different times.

and as for personal arcs, which there are a lot for a heist book with 6 main leads; inej went from being unable to walk past the building where she was sex trafficked in case she ran into her former pimp, to ruthlessly choking her as well as stealing precious jewellery from her. she met a trained assassin she thought was better and stronger then her in every way, and outsmarted her because she doesn’t need to be royalty or deemed someone special when she knows the city’s rooftops better then anyone and was able to face her shadow. she scaled a burning incinerator to save her friends, and when she was being burnt half to death and thought she couldn’t make it, she recovered and pushed on anyway. she got her money, helped to pull off the most insane heist & auction ever, and then took all her experience with slavers and sex traffickers and her skill of spying/finding information to dedicate herself to hunting down slavers. what part of this was irrelevant and not enough character development to you?

I can't fathom why people are into Kanej...she has no agency! Shes a lethal assassin who wants to take down the sex trafficking rings that she was a victim of (incredible premise! Love that for her!) and then Kaz just...does it for her? Wants to pay off her contract! Kaz does it for her. Wants to buy a ship and man a crew! Kaz does it for her. Wants to find her parents! Kaz does it for her. In a round about way, now she's indentured to him. She's supposed to be this badass character but all she did in this book was stab people at Kaz' behest. She has NO Personality or character arc beyond him!!