#I can't pretend to be the most up to date on the lore but

[boyfiejay]

I love my girlfriend

PAIRING : Enhypen hyung line x female Youtuber! Reader

GENRE : fluff, bullet point

Warning : curse words, me rizzing up the reader😔

Word Count : 0.9k overall

Author's Note : this was long overdue☝🏻

Heeseung ☆

you're one of those underrated artists, that are underrated due to one sole reason

it's better to gatekeep a talented artist

yk the way some fans get sad that their favourites are now on everyone's fyp

yeah your fandom in a nutshell

they also thirst over you non stop

I mean you are stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, enchanting

just date me pookie

you used to be a youtuber before the music career fyi

imagine your fans' dilemma (dimension?) when you say out of nowhere that you have a bf

‘guys, my boyfriend sent me this :D’

and it's a silly picture of two cats or smtg

like your fans are fighting a fucking war on twt

and you are like cuddling with hee, listening to unreleased songs

you have no clue of what's going on

meanwhile heeseung…

he's ready to fight the war

posts a picture of you kissing his cheek on your insta story

he makes sure that only 1/4th of his face is visible

to keep his identity anonymous yk

…

your fans find his acc in 15 mins

he panics definitely 😭

tells you his innuendo after you wake up

and you're just like

‘yeah ok, sure’

WHY ARE YOU SO CHILL??

your boyfriend is getting deep fried on twt and you're like ‘el oh el’

dw your fans mean no harm

after a while they're like

‘they're cute tgt ig 😒’

Jay ☆

you're like a cooking channel

STAY W ME IK IT SOUNDS BASIC

you're like a blogger who blew up one day

because you're just soso pretty😻

alright anyways, your channel is focused around learning to cook

it's so chaotic sometimes

bcz you don't know shit about cooking

sorry if you do, let's pretend you don't >.<!!

you have almost killed yourself a dozen times

at some point people are like

‘??? how is she alive’

all thanks to your almost professional chef boyfriend

but no one has to know that ;)

anyways on like a milestone or something, you decide to cook blindfolded

bae you can barely cook with eyes open

your followers are concerned bro

like their blood pressure is rising by the minute

and like a holy light in the midst of the darkness

Jay stepped in, to save you from killing yourself fr this time

Your fans are seriously jumping around, squealing bcz he's just so soft and gentle to you :(((

but then they snap out and pretend to be angry

and you're like ‘meet my boyfie :3’

jk your fans love you two

like almost obsessed

also they're always sliding in Jay's dms

like I get it mans fine af but he's also taken

and also absolutely whipped for you 🤭

it's your world and we're just living in it…

Jake ☆

you are a gamer/streamer

your whole fan base is delusional

like so delusional, there are like hundreds and thousands of accounts claiming to be your bf/gf

but the iconic one ‘ynsboyfie’ is everywhere

like that acc is the most iconic thing in your lore

they are always there, no news of yours goes past them

always donating in your streams

and one day…

you forget to log in your priv acc

so your official acc has the comment

‘babe, you're so sweet ☹️🩷’

replying to ‘YNSBOYFIE’

???

oh your fans are livid

jokingly ofc

or maybe not

everyone on twt is like

‘who is this bitch???’

everyone hoping for his downfall

then you drop his pic

THE SWITCH UP IS INSANE

‘oh, oh, he's fiiine😏’

like I can't blame them, that's jake

but still they're supposed to be your fans

fucking snitches

my bae, pookum shmookum I would never

your fans love him

but also bully him calling him a lewser

hes so down bad he had a fan page for you

i dont blame him, i too would fangirl over you 😼

Sunghoon ☆

you're like a fitness channel

like those ones that have insane challenges

and your famous in people who have no interest in working out too

your face reveal went so viral, almost every single person knew your face

also your workouts (even tho deadly) always work so fast

people are in love with your figure and just you in general

you also upload mini vlogs once in a while

in these vlogs people noticed someone always being around you and in the back of the frame

at first they were like

‘obsessed fan😨’

but then they saw you laughing along with him in another clip

from the small clips, people couldn't see his face (bcz it's blurred) but omg the figure

the biceps, the buff and tall guy immediately steals everyone hearts

it's obvious from the clips that you're close with him

so naturally you are asked who he is and you just laugh

???

people are losing their minds woman

and you're just like ‘hehe’

they continue seeing him in your vlogs and in one clip you could see him putting his hands on your waist while you squat

you have no reaction to that

but twt…

he's getting dragged even though half of the people have no clue what's going on

you decide to take matter in your hands

and post this

with the caption ‘he's my boyfriend everyone :3’

the internet breaks

Sunghoon doesn't do his face reveal for a long time js bcz he doesn't feel like it yk

but when he does

good lord…

your fans love him

they also love how he glares at people who look at you the wrong way

you never notice that for some reason

[rosedpetal]

Until Death Do Us Part

Summary: Harvey and you have been on a rocky road lately, but hopefully, you can still find each other.

Pairing: Harvey Specter x Reader

Word count: 932

Warnings: stablished relationship (reader and Harvey are married), mentions of body image struggles, hints at +18 themes.

Masterlist

"No. Absolutely not." Your husband frowned when you came out from the closet wearing your 'costume'.

A huff of annoyance leaves your lips.

"What the fuck is wrong now? Did I gain weight and suddenly you can't get up or something?" Venom drips from your sarcastic remark and Harvey rubs his temples.

"Why are you like this? Jesus Christ, Y/N, it's not about some shit like that, stop trying to make me a bad guy at every given chance!" He snaps. "It's just your stupid wings, okay? You look like you came straight from a Barbie movie, when you said you'd like to roleplay being a fairy, I thought you'd use one of those Lord of the Rings-"

"Those are elves. Not fairies. They don't have wings!" You seethe, taking your plastic wings off and accidentally pressing the light button on them, turning the pink leds on, and Harvey's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I'm sorry if my knowledge in a fictional world lore is lacking, it's because I actually have a real job."

That was cruel and uncalled for and he knew it. Harvey had a bad habit of saying the most callous things without even thinking. It didn't help that he hated the idea of roleplaying from the very beginning.

"How could I forget, it's the only thing you care about!" You raise your voice, and it breaks in the end. "Tonight was supposed to be fun!"

Harvey immediately regrets the jab he made at your wings. Well, it's not that he couldn't get himself to be motivated by you while you were wearing them... It's just that it was fucking weird because he was a grown man and he was pretty sure his kid niece wore the same pink fairy wings every Halloween.

And he could explain that to you, but you just had to make a self deprecating comment about your body and imply that he wasn't man enough to look past his partner putting on some weight.

Which was another ridiculous thing, because, seriously? He couldn't care less if you were a size 2 or 20. It didn't matter. He married you because he loved you, inside and out, and you weren't an airhead that couldn't carry on a conversation with him. He respected you. He was interested in what you had to say (most of the time, at least).

But for months now, you two have been fighting nonstop, and more than often saying some hurtful shit to each other and no longer searching for the comfort of each other's arms in the middle of the night.

He wondered if your sudden self consciousness regarding your body was because you've been stress-eating ever since the chasm between you two was created.

Harvey was selfish, harsh, arrogant and snappy, but he wasn't insensitive to how women sometimes had insecurities that ate them alive.

He sighed, following you in the closet, his chest tightening at the sigh of your angry tears while you put on sweatpants and a top (the sleepwear you wore on nights you made sure no intimacy was gonna happen).

He even agreed on going to therapy with you, which he thought was an admission of defeat, that you two weren't mature enough to solve your problems on your own.

"Honey." He called, his voice soft with regret.

He hates the 'homework' your therapist gives you every week. A dinner date, a little getaway, a road trip, sitting down and talking for an hour. He feels like his own relationship is being scripted and that you can't find common ground anymore.

"What?" You wipe your tears, unable to look at him in the eyes.

"We don't roleplay." He said in a teasing tone. "Why would I want you to pretend to be someone else when you already exist?"

He gently holds your face in both hands, wiping the remaining tears with his thumbs.

"I'm an idiot. I promise my reaction has nothing to do with whatever's been making you feel vulnerable right now. Seriously. The wings just reminded me of halloween, and halloween reminded me of children going trick-or-treating and you don't want your husband to be thinking of children in the bedroom, do you?"

You grimaced. "God, no."

"Glad we're on the same page, babe." He gently pressed his forehead against yours. "Dance with me."

"There's no music." You sniffled.

"We have a nice record player in the living room. Come on, baby."

Gently, he guided you out from the room, his fingers intertwined in yours as he put on some sappy jazz music. He sways barefoot with you on his arms, your head on his chest, and it takes you back to simpler times.

"I'm sorry. For everything." He's the first to speak, and you appreciate the sentiment, because you know how hard it is for him to apologize, specially when he's the first one to bend the knee to make peace.

"We'll get through this." You mumble, and he kisses the top of your head, and suddenly the golden ring on your finger feels lighter.

"I love you more than anything in the world, darling. Please, don't doubt that. I need you to remember that every single day, specially when I'm at my worst."

"I love you too, Harvey."

He knows there's a long way to go, but the little progress you made tonight makes his heart feel more at ease, as long as you're both on the same side, because he knew with every fiber of his being that he meant it when he said 'until death do us part'.

[gothcsz]

but Javi when there’s an actual guy around neighbour readers apartment

Like the hallway smells delicious from the food she cooked and the dessert she baked for their date and he can hear the chatter and laughter and it’s getting later and later and that fucker isn’t fucking leaving 😡😡😡😡😡 so he knocks on her door pretending he needs her help with something and tries to scare the guy off lmao

Can just see him all intimidatingly strolling through the room, sizing the guy up and making some dumb af comments lmao

OKAY YOU GUYS ENOUGH!! (👀) WE CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS!! (👀) I CAN'T AFFORD TO BE OBSESSED WITH A NEW PAIRING/CONCEPT!! (👀) lore for neighbor javi keeps building

“¿Necesitas ayuda?” Javier’s voice comes out of nowhere as he sidles up behind you, eyeing the grocery bags stacked in your arms.

You exhale a sigh of relief, shooting him that bright, grateful smile that’s impossible for him not to return. “Yes, please.”

In seconds, he’s taken most of the bags, his fingers brushing yours just slightly. As you walk down the hallway to your apartment door, he gives the groceries a curious glance, an amused tilt to his brow. “This is a lot. Feeding a whole family, ¿o qué?”

Your cheeks flush. You knew you might’ve gone overboard for dinner tonight, but the comment makes you second-guess everything. You bite your lip, shifting nervously. “I... I have a date tonight. He’s coming over for dinner.”

Javier’s steps falter for a beat before he follows you inside, the sour shift in his demeanor evident. “Oh. Who’s the lucky guy?” he manages, though his jaw is tight. You, however, are too busy mentally organizing tonight’s plans to catch the strain in his tone.

This is your attempt at carving out a new path for yourself. One that isn’t attached to your job or revolved around your handsome neighbor. 

Mateo, the banker, is exactly what you need right now. You see him every couple of weeks when you deposit your check; he’s handsome, charming, and always good for a laugh.

You have this running joke about him feeding you information for an elaborate, fictional heist. It’s silly and refreshing—everything that keeps you grounded and away from thoughts of Javier.

You’ve already spent too many evenings thinking about him while he brings other women home. 

“Mateo. El que trabajo en el banco,” you say, carefully practicing the Spanish he’s been helping you with. “How was that?”

The whiplash from being irritated to amused almost disorients him. A small smile tugs at his mouth, shaking him momentarily from his jealous induced reverie. “Good. Trabaja not trabajo. That’s past tense.” He corrects you politely.

A banker? Javier can already picture him—a polished, safe, number-crunching type with a predictable routine and zero clue on what it takes to be with a woman like you. The thought turns his stomach.

��Close enough,” you shrug, but still noting his correction. You’re definitely making improvements, all thanks to him. 

“Not that it’s any of my business…” he starts, though his voice of reason is telling him to shut the fuck up. “Is it the same guy from the other night?”

You almost drop the carton of eggs in your hand. He’s still on that? “You’re right, it isn’t any of your business.” However, that same feeling you got from when he was at your doorstep, all bothered, returns, and you continue, “But yes, it is. I guess I left a big enough of an impression to warrant another visit.”

You have no idea where you’re pulling all this confidence from, but you need to pump the brakes before this little white lie of yours turns into a big, colorful one.

He watches as you crouch by the open fridge, neatly arranging the groceries, calm as ever, while his mind spirals. 

Javier doesn’t even want to dissect what you’ve just said. One night in your bed and this Mateo is being gluttonous about seeing you again.

One night of feeling your body beneath his… on top… bent over, moaning sweetly just for him, your cunt fluttering around his cock—has this asshole wanting more.

He doesn’t even realize he’s balled his fists at his sides until he feels his nails pressing into his palms.

“Look at you,” he mutters gruffly as he attempts to mask the irritation. “Scorin’ dates.” It sounds more like an accusation than encouragement, and he knows it, but he can’t help himself.

You look at him over your shoulder, surprised by his tone, eyebrow raised. “¿Todo bien?”

He clears his throat, glancing at his watch to avoid meeting your eyes. “Claro,” he says, too quickly. “I gotta head out anyway. Got a meeting.”

Probably with some woman that looks like she belongs on the front cover of a magazine. You mentally shake the jealousy away—you’ve got a date tonight that you’ve actually been looking forward to all week.

“Okay. Be safe, Javi. You can close the door behind you.”

With a disappointed sigh, he lingers a moment longer, like he’s waiting for something—a proper goodbye, maybe.  But you’re so wrapped up in thoughts of someone else and that only adds fuel to the fire he’s harboring inside.

His shoulders slump as if he’s been turned away. It’s absurd, how disappointed he feels at such a small dismissal. “Bueno… diviértete,” he mutters before finally turning to leave.

It’s late, and Javier’s pacing his apartment, unable to ignore the muffled laughter and music seeping through his walls. The hallway outside your door smells like heaven—a mix of whatever meal you put together and something sweet.

The later it gets, the more unbearable the jealousy becomes. Why isn’t he leaving? He’s not naive, he knows exactly why. Not when he has a beautiful girl like you cooking, catering to him, offering yourself up in the most desirable way possible.

Javier wonders if you’re wearing a pretty set of lingerie or if you’ve kept it simple. You strike him as a simple kind of girl, but the idea of you skimping around in sexy lacy sets in fun colors has his cock stirring. Then he remembers who you’re wearing them for.

It’s ridiculous the way his blood boils over the thought of you with some pretentious suit. Unable to take another second of it, he strides out of his place to firmly knock at your door, his mind set on only one thing: making his presence known.

Inside, you glance at Mateo with a playful smirk. “Guess the cops finally caught on to our bank heist plan,” you joke, getting up from the couch to answer.

But when you open it, it’s not the police—it’s the only person it can be.

Javier’s expression wavers just for a split second as he takes you in—his gaze running slowly down the length of your dress, fitted in all the right places, hugging your body in a way that makes his throat tighten. His jaw clenches as his eyes flick back up to your face. 

“Javier,” you say, forcing a polite smile despite his obvious stare. “Everything okay?”

Ignoring the question, he barges right in, gaze hardening as he takes in the scene—a romantic ambiance, this good for nothing on your couch, enjoying your things.

Mateo glances at you as he slowly rises from his spot, raising a brow, as though trying to size up exactly what’s going on.

You shoot him an apologetic look. “This is my very annoying next door neighbor Javier.” You tone is strained, throwing a very not so subtle hint at the agent in your living room.

“Just thought I’d check if your headboard ever got fixed.” Javi’s voice drips with mock concern, “It’s so damn noisy. Constantly banging up against the wall. Real loud.”

Anxiety floods your body, keeping you glued to your spot, eyes widening as you realize where he is headed with this. This is what you get for lying.

“A pillow might help,” he continues with a careless shrug. “Keeps it from hitting the wall. You know, a little courtesy wouldn’t hurt. No one wants to hear you fucking her.”

“Javier, stop,” you hiss, finally finding the will to step between the two of them, heart hammering at his audacity.

Mateo’s posture stiffens, and his eyes narrow. He looks between you both, a muscle in his jaw ticking as Javier crosses his arms.

“Mira, hermano,” Mateo says, holding his hands up, tone growing defensive. Javier scoffs. “Creo que estamos bien. Not sure why you think you need to be here right now.”

You feel your pulse in your throat, anger and embarrassment from his behavior prickling at you as you point to the door. “Leave. Now.”

He bites down on his tongue, his jaw flexing hard as he struggles to keep himself in check. “Fine. Just… keep it down,” he mutters, marching out as quickly as he stormed in.

You let out a breath, murmuring a quick apology to Mateo before following him to the door, catching him just as he steps into the hallway. “We’ll talk about this later when you’re not being weird,” you whisper-yell, the frustration clear in your tone.

Before he can respond, you shut the door firmly, twisting the lock and leaning against it for a second to collect yourself. You smooth down your dress, take a deep breath, and shake off the heat of the moment before returning to your date, flashing him a reassuring smile as you settle back in.

The next day, you’re heading home from work when you spot Javier leaning against the building, cigarette in hand, looking out over the parking lot. His stance is casual, but there’s something stormy about his gaze, fixed on the distant skyline.

“Still in a pissy mood?” you ask, raising a brow as you approach.

He flirtatiously drags his eyes down your work clothes, that unreadable look of his making your heart skip. He blows the smoke away from your face. “About that…”

You give him a look, urging him to go on.

“Had a rough day. Just wanted some peace and quiet but all I could hear was you two.”

There’s an apology in his tone, and despite yourself, your irritation softens, just a little. “I’m sorry you had a rough day, but that doesn’t mean you can just… do that.” The words waver under his gaze, and damn him for how easily he gets to you with just a look.

He nods, a small frown creasing his brow. “I know, cariño. Perdoname. It won’t happen again.” His voice is gentler now, his dark eyes earnest, and you feel your frustration dissolving against your better judgment.

You huff, feigning a stern look. “It better not. If it does, I might actually move out. Then you’ll really have your peace and quiet.”

His mouth curves into a smirk as he takes another drag. “You do that, I’ll never eat again, and you’ll definitely never learn Spanish.”

You can’t help but playfully roll your eyes. “Vete a la mierda.”

The smirk on his lips turns into a full blown smile. His genuine laugh is so warm, pulling a grin from you too. It’s a sound you’d do anything to hear every day, that rare openness that feels almost like a privilege.

You don’t tell him how you, too, hear every sound that slips through these thin walls, or how your heart cracks a little each time you brush past one of his fleeting lovers in the hallway.

Instead, you just tuck the ache away, choosing to stay right here, grateful for these small moments that let you be close to him.

[turntableart]

Let me cutely spit up some lore

Uhm yellow likes lemon tarts

He likes long walks on the beach

He's been out to sea in an au and stayed out there for long long time 💖

That ones a hint to someone

He likes swimming (just not in acid)

He's been blind for most of his irl life (yellow only became non blind a few months ago for plot💖 and character development)

His cane is made out of Addison and other creatures parts (it's built by add-on so of course it is an skull is on the top of the cane)

He uses a cane cause he still can't see to well

His glasses/goggles are inches thick

There's a made up species that I added to my own personal au of deltrune, there's so many of them that they have their own part of the city (they're tv heads if your wondering, Judy named them leckys like aka what we call the electric bill in the uk)

Well there's technically two... I have drawings if anyone wants to see

Yellow can't tell his left from his right

Yellow uses crayons for his art

Yellows favorite drink is a vanilla milkshake

Yellow smells like Marshmellows and nobody knows why

Yellow has to redye himself on a yearly basis

Yellow has once attempted to dye himself with markers (it didn't work)

Yellow so far in all aus combine has dated 13 maybe 15 different people not including everyone slick had pretended to be

Want any more lore?

[girlymatsu]

is there a concrete osoeri origin story? i wanna know ALL of their lore

AHHH YES there is! i have a bunch of aus where they meet in diff ways but there is a series complacent one... i can tell the tale but i always get embarrassed and worry if its cringe when i ramble so i drew some pictures to help give the tldr of it... Long post probably up ahead SO ig it starts in highschool, cringe baby erina crushed on osomatsu, she love that he's soo silly and carefree, because she's anxious and has a forgettable aura she'll pretend to be friends with him in her mind. The crush didnt really go anywhere... they had small interactions that meant a lot to her, but after graduation she didnt see him anymore and it dwindled away

so erina's college years mostly focused on her upping her social skills and fashion sense, turning a full 180 in order to change her image and be liked by lots of people. though she didnt feel a lot of change in her self esteem and problem with loneliness, especially when graduating and not being close with many people to stay in touch

but life goes on and she keeps living and working even though she's bad at being independent and doing adult things. she longs for connection and is ultimately so lonely and epic fail.. at the highschool reunion of The Movie, she shows up late and witnesses NEET village scene happen... finding it very cute and amusing, she gets the idea in her head that if these matsuguys are pathetic losers maybe they would fawn over her like they did for totoko in highschool? she thinks this but really wants to find some connection and friends with people she thinks is on a similar fail wavelength as her. so she stalks them, finding where they hang out and what they like so she can squeeze into their lives forcefully

theres like hanging out and getting to know them bits, but most of the brothers kind of see Erina as like an alien that they can't let their guard down? as much as they like her and fawn over her at first, hanging out doesn't come as easily since she's not totoko and she's not cool and down to earth like kin-chan.. the only one who it comes easy to hanging out with her is osomachu! who doesn't care about how he acts and always puts his worst foot forward, and she likes that about him

and eventually erina gets really insecure about her being really pushy in becoming friends because she'll witness that she's never going to be another totoko who is so strong and beautiful and their childhood friend... she doesn't need to be fawned over but she would like to feel a part of the group too.. it feels really awkward when group interactions start leaving her out.. and she'll feel ignored just like she has all her life

but not everyone forgot she wasn't there ! osomatsu being suprisingly very observant and bold enough to go after her makes her feel seen again- and things happen like getting closer and spending exclusive time with each other only, a lot of friends to lovers mutual pining tropes, they eventually date and become lovey dovey!

so thats like the 'origins'... sorry if it's not that exciting but thgey are so silly to me ^__^ it comes full circle to not being noticed -> noticed

[fazgoo-connoiseur-1987]

Okay I'm gonna do them one at a time but here's the 'William and Henry both went through messy divorces in the 70s' lore.

Will met his wife (Maggie Schmidt) outside a bunch of clubs in the 60s (they both smoke a lot). They hung out and hooked up a couple times and Maggie ended up getting pregnant. Since it was the 60s and also Utah they had to get married cus of this. While Will's happy with what a nice, suburban family does for his image, and Maggie appreciates the finacial security; they both can't fucking stand each other. I think this is cus they are, ultimatly, very similar and this pisses them both off. They try to hold it together for a while for Mikey but all this really does is result in 2 more kids. Maggie eventually has enough of Bill and files for divorce. He's initially pretty reluctant but the way his community reacts to the news is to SHOWER him in sympathy (he's really into that) so he goes through with it and plays up how it's effecting him. The kid's stay with Maggie most of the time but Will has them for the weekends (he also refuses to pay his child support). They're seperated fully come like 1982. They're both happier for it even if Will pretends it's a sore subject.

Henry and his wife (Eryk Maya) got married because all their friends were getting married and they got along pretty well (they were in the same Uni circles and were generally nice to each other). They really really don't click as a married couple though. Henry's really distant, aloof, cares more about machines than his human family; Eryk really doesn't understand this and isn't getting given the affection and support she needs. They divorce pretty amicably there's not really any hard feelings between them- they split a little sooner around 1978. Eryk takes Sammy and Henry keeps Charlie with him. He really doesn't handle the situation very well, he gets very in his own head about not being able to fulfil the nuclear-family-husband role as well as Will (apparently) can. Eryk starts dating his sister and also Maggie but Henry is completely oblivious to this (even when he starts living with them in the 2000s).

[zz-chikorita]

While I know that videogames might not be everyone's cup of tea, let's just pretend that ALL your characters actually do like playing certain videogames. What kind of games do each of them like the most, and are they any good at it?

This one had me do some real thinkin'... 🤔💭

Guzma:

I think Guzma actually really enjoys playing any kind of co-op game with the grunts, even if he's not really good at them. But the grunts think it's funny when he starts raging at a game and he knows it. As far as games he plays alone in his freetime, I feel he prefers adventure/rpg type of game. He doesn't play a whole lot, but when he does find a game he likes, he plays it obsessively and tries to find every little bit of lore and secrets it has. He also always ends up becoming obsessed with games barely anyone's ever heard of and often he pesters Plumeria to play whatever game that is so he can discuss it with someone. (He also likes chill games and farming simulators like stardew Valley and animal crossing, but he's embarrassed about it and will deny it if asked)

Plumeria:

Plums likes rhythm games and strategy/puzzle based games mainly. It's definitely worth noting that she's, like, INSANELY good at them, too. Long story short, all the grunts know to never to take her bet if it invloves beating her high score. She also really enjoys any kind of game that implements any kind of branching path mechanic, so she's definitely played games like Zero Escape, Hades, and any of the telltale games multiple times.

Leon:

Definitely any kind of resource management game. So stuff like slime rancher, oxygen not included, factorio, terraria, et cetera. He's actually had to self ban himself from playing certain games because he missed too many league meetings literally playing for hours without realizing it. It bums him out because they were super fun, but he knows he can't trust himself.

(Other characters under cut)

Hop:

He likes minecraft and other sandbox games. He likes playing co-op with friends, but when he's at home, he doesn't have a great internet connection.

Moon:

Like the little gremlin she is, she likes horror games. She especially likes making Gladion and Hau play horror games with her. Or rather, not telling them it's a horror game until it's too late

A & B:

B is stellar at platformers. A is the best at fighting games of all the grunts. They are both equally trash at racing games.

Kalani (oc):

When he was much younger, he spent a LOT of time playing FPS. By the end of high school, he kind of got bored with them and played more MMO RPGs.

Molayne:

Mo also like MMO RPGs. He also likes games like Elden Ring and Bloodborn. He has, very discreetly, played a variety of dating sims and, no, no one knows about this but him.

Kukui:

The professor plays a lot of battle royale games. He's also very bad about getting sucked into gotcha games.

[cf56]

Revisiting the Scratchansniff-Warners relationship, Part 2: The positives, where it all went wrong, and what it all means

Welcome to part 2 of part 4 of Overanalyzing the Warners. Here's a link to part 1.

In the first part, I focused on Scratchansniff as a character and why he was a terrible fit as the Warners' psychiatrist. In this part, I'll look at the other side of it: the almost fatherly relationship he developed with them over time, and how it all suddenly came crashing down.

Warning: This post is extremely long. I've said previous posts of mine were long, but this is several times longer than those- it's 4576 words. You may want to set aside some time for this or break it up into parts to read at different times.

I've talked about this topic in great length, and this post is meant to be the culmination of all of it. So, in addition to reading part 1 of this 2 part analysis, I would encourage you to read my other two important posts about Scratchansniff and his relationship with the Warners:

In this post, I did an episode-by-episode analysis of Scratchansniff's relationship with the Warners and marveled about how it all went wrong.

In this post, I went in-depth in analyzing Episode 5 of the original series, "Taming of the Screwy", taking a look at a pivotal point in the Warners' character development and their relationship with their p-sychiatrist.

In general, Scratchansniff's relationship with the Warners can be broken down into three phases.

Phase 1: Episodes 1-53 of the original series. Scratchansniff first establishes a relationship with the Warners and they get to know each other better in an up-and-down process where they sometimes act as allies and sometimes as foes.

Phase 2: Episodes 65-82 of the original series. Having warmed up greatly to the Warners, Scratchansniff becomes somewhat of a father figure to them, taking them out on trips and having almost entirely positive encounters with them overall.

Phase 3: Episode 87 of the original series and everything since. The relationship suddenly and inexplicably goes downhill, with the Warners and Scratchansniff mutually seeming to not like each other much at all. This continues into the reboot, with Scratchansniff acting antagonistic to the Warners and the Warners seeming unenthusiastic in their helping of him in season 1. In season 2, the Warners seem to trust him as a father figure again, but he's only pretending to like them in what is actually part of a scheme to get his stuff back.

Phase 1 is what I've already covered most extensively, so I won't talk about it as much in this post. Besides the two episodes that I already covered in-depth, Episodes 1 and 5, there isn't much of great impact to discuss here. The Warners have their usual hijinks. Sometimes they interact positively with Scratchansniff, such as when they get him a present for his birthday seemingly unprompted, and other times they pester him unnecessarily, such as when they ruin his date in Episode 53, "Drive Insane".

It can't really be said that Scratchansniff is the bad guy in any of these interactions. I mean, the guy was just trying to have a good date, and, even though the Warners arguably improved it, never really did anything to deserve them showing up and deliberately trying to ruin everything. Well, he didn't do anything in that episode to deserve it. This still does take place after he betrayed their trust in Taming of the Screwy, so it makes sense why the Warners would be antagonistic to him sometimes. I would describe this phase overall as the "rebuilding trust" phase. Scratchansniff blew his chance to meaningfully help the Warners in a therapeutic sense, but that doesn't mean his relationship with them is forever dead. Quite the opposite.

Phase 2 begins in Episode 65, the Warners' 65th Anniversary Special. While that episode is packed with Warners lore items, the only thing relevant to this topic is how Scratchansniff chaperones them at the event. This is the first instance of him acting fatherly to them.

Episodes 69, 71, 79, and 82 show the same. In 69, he takes them out to the carnival. In 71, Wakko approaches him because he wants to participate in his bingo game, which no one else attended. It could be argued either that Wakko just really wanted to spend time with Scratchansniff or that this was his subtle way of making the doctor feel better about no one attending his bingo game, or both. In any case, it's clear that Wakko genuinely likes being around Scratchansniff by this point. In 79, the Warners invite Scratchansniff to their party, and he both shows up and has a decent time. In 82, he takes them out for another trip and has a great time singing Wakko's two-note song.

Now, hold on a minute. Where did all of this come from? Why are the Warners and Scratchansniff suddenly all buddy-buddy, after spending half the series antagonizing each other? How did Scratchansniff regain their trust even after betraying them? I think it might be rather simple. The Warners took a liking to Scratchansniff simply because they were able to spend a lot of time with him, and he didn't always completely hate their guts while they did so.

That's sad, isn't it? It's a really low bar to friendship. By all normal metrics of trust, Scratchansniff never did a single thing to deserve the Warners' admiration. But you have to look at what the Warners have been through. From the moment of their creation, everyone around them hated them with a burning passion. Their creator went crazy in the process. Their main director, Weed Memlo, despised them from the start. Plotz and other studio leadership always saw them as a nuisance at best and a cataclysmic, terrifying force of nature at worst. Their co-star Buddy hated them so much he tried to kill them 65 years later. People literally screamed and fled at the mere sight of them on the lot. This was years before the creation of other famous toons like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck who might have been their allies. They had literally not one person to trust or like or have any sort of positive relationship with, except each other.

All the while, they seem somewhat oblivious to this total mistreatment, because it's the only thing they've ever known. In their childlike naivety, they thought this was just how it was supposed to go. They thought that the people who clearly hated and feared them actually liked them, because they never saw any example of a person who truly did. This explains a lot of their behavior then and later on. They pester everyone, including those they like, because they think it's an expression of fondness. If the Warners truly dislike someone, they just avoid them. And it takes a lot to get the Warners to truly dislike someone. Even people who they legitimately should dislike, who were never anything but mean to them like Plotz, they still eventually take a liking to.

So then they meet someone like Scratchansniff, who still dislikes them but doesn't outright hate them or flee when he sees them, because his job forces him to interact with them. Compared to everyone else the Warners have ever met, well, he's a saint! Of course they would take a liking to him. A similar process happened to Scratchansniff on the other end. Forced to interact with them often because of his job, he eventually became familiar with them. Scratchansniff is quite a lonely guy as well. He doesn't seem to have any family or friends, and even his dates dislike him. By being around the Warners, he came to realize that they were good kids at heart, as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself. This is when he embraced them on his end of things, and that's when he became a father figure. He couldn't commit completely, though. Deep down, he became aware of the inequities that molded the Warners into what they were. However, surrounded by people who didn't, and still being a stubborn old man, he knew that if he admitted to himself the awful treatment the Warners had always received, he would come to despise himself for his part in it. So, he didn't admit it fully. But he still felt bad for them, and that's why I believe he did things such as take them out to the carnival, for no reason other than to make them happy. It can also be noted that Scratchansniff takes them out for his own enjoyment- he takes them to a wrestling show, something that he is very passionate about but the Warners don't like. They're so embarrassed to be there that they put bags over their heads, but they still went. The Warners are Scratchansniff's only real friends that he can take with him to events he enjoys.

On that note, this is another important reason I believe the Warners formed such a bond with Scratchansniff. In all the phase 2 episodes, you can see one thing being consistently implied: the only time the Warners are officially allowed off the lot is when they're accompanied by Scratchansniff.

In other words, Scratchansniff is their only legitimate ticket to freedom. Now, why would it matter to them whether they can get off the lot legitimately or not? They do it all the time regardless. That's exactly the point, and how I inferred something critical about the Warners' characters: they want to be officially included. During the events of the series, they are able to consistently escape the tower and go absolutely anywhere they want whenever they want. Despite this, every single time there's an opportunity afforded to them to do things the right way and be included without breaking the rules, they take it. The only way this would make sense is if they have a personal desire to be able to do things without breaking the rules, and the only reason they do break the rules so often is because there are almost no situations where they're included within the rules. All that to say- being able to go off the lot without being relentlessly chased is important to them, and the only way they can do that is if they go with Scratchansniff.

The point is, the relationship between Scratchansniff and the Warners was forged from unwilling familiarity. The Warners have almost no friends, Scratchansniff has almost no friends, and so, when they're forced to spend a lot of time around each other, they naturally become fond. Wow, that was a much more concise way of stating everything I wrote in the massive block of text above.

What is the relationship actually, really like at this point? Do the Warners regard Scratchansniff as a true father figure? Does he look at them almost like his kids? I've always hesitated to call him a true father figure to the Warners because of how large a part he played in their unfair treatment by the studio, even during Phase 2. How can a man who truly loves them not do more to break them out of that horrible cycle of abuse?

On a meta level, though, that is the part Scratchansniff is meant to play. He's inserted as a parental figure in episodes where either the Warners need to be placed in a situation more relatable to the normal kids watching the show, or when they need to show more traditional childlike traits than they usually do when they're on their own. "I'm Mad" is a great example of this. The Warners need to go on a roadtrip for the plot to work. It's a very relatable plotline for the kids watching, but the Warners would never end up in that situation without an adult father figure to take them somewhere. That's Scratchansniff.

Also in that segment, the Warners can be seen acting much more like regular siblings to each other than they usually do. Basically, when the Warners need to be portrayed more like actual kids, that's when Scratchansniff is inserted as their parental figure. But I don't think that was initially meant to imply the existence of a strong father-child bond between Scratchansniff and the Warners. When writing, the creators of the show may have been just as surprised as the characters themselves that this relationship seemed to be forming so naturally. Just like in-universe, it may truly have been a relationship formed out of circumstance.

I'd be remiss if I didn't spend at least one paragraph highlighting Wakko's especially close relationship with Scratchansniff. From the segment "Ups and Downs", which is actually in Phase 1, he seems to regard Scratchansniff as a really close friend, despite the doctor's lack of reciprocation. I think this is just due to Wakko's nature. Unlike his siblings, he isn't really out to cause any trouble or mischief. He's just kind of flowing along with the current of life. And because of his status as the wacky one, he tends to see crazy things as normal while being very fascinated with the mundane. Scratchansniff is very mundane. Wakko seemingly goes out of his way to spend alone time with Scratchansniff, such as at the bingo game. In that situation, with Wakko as the only patron at the event, Scratchansniff could have very easily closed up shop and said no to letting Wakko play. He decided to go through with it anyway. It's possible that Wakko becoming close with Scratchansniff first was the opening needed for all three Warners becoming close with him.

By the events of Episode 82, "Wakko's Two-Note Song", everything seems to be going swimmingly. The Warners like Scratchansniff and he clearly likes them. Going out on trips with each other seems to have become routine. There are no hints at any cracks in their relationship at all- if anything, it seems like it's just becoming stronger and stronger. Oh, how I wish it had just ended with this episode. Then, maybe, by the time of the reboot we'd see that the Warners have embraced Scratchansniff as their true father figure, he's officially adopted them, and they live a nice family life in a real home. It didn't end there.

Phase 3 starts with Episode 87. I'll be honest, it's a little weird to call this a "phase" at all. That's because, instead of following the logical progression it had been to this point, this is where it completely goes off the rails. It goes from a strong relationship to almost no relationship. Imagine if Wreck-it Ralph 2 had started with Ralph and Felix being at odds again, with absolutely no explanation given as to why. Imagine if Star Wars Episode 5 had started with Luke back on Tatooine living as a regular farmboy. That's what happened here. You have a very consistently followed, logical development of a relationship over 80+ episodes of a TV show, but then in Episode 87 it just all goes away.

As with all the segments and episodes I'm mentioning, I'd suggest you just go watch "Anchors-a-Warners" yourself to get what I mean. But if you need a summary, Scratchansniff tries to go on a cruise to get away from the Warners, but is horrified and legitimately terrified to see that they've followed him on board.

They do everything they can to harass him and ruin his life in the meanest ways possible, for no reason that was ever shown. Scratchansniff did nothing to deserve it. It's the Warners at their worst, written so poorly that they just straight-up seem like the antagonists. Usually they seem like kids just out to have some harmless fun. In this episode they feel malicious. There's a few poorly written episodes like that in the original series, but this one is so much worse because of who they do it to. Because of how it tanked what was previously a thriving relationship with no reason given, reversing all character development both Scratchansniff and the Warners had received over the many episodes of Animaniacs before this. It feels like a bad episode from season 1 that they inserted into season 4. In fact, it's my theory that this is exactly what it is. By this point Animaniacs was nearing the end of production, and it's known that they used some scrapped scripts from the earlier seasons to fill out the last. I think they took this one, which was rightfully rejected years earlier, and made it into an episode for season 4 without much thought.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was followed up by... well, anything. This is the last major interaction the Warners have with Scratchansniff in the original series. Wakko's Wish isn't canon, but even there they don't seem to be close with him at all. Let me reiterate that the building of the Scratchansniff-Warners relationship isn't just a piece of crazy fan headcanon. It's very obviously and deliberately built up. In Phase 1, you kind of alternate between episodes where the Warners antagonize Scratchansniff and episodes where they're more friendly with each other. In Phase 2, though, there isn't a single negative interaction between them. That's why Anchors-a-Warners is so jarring.

Fans were disappointed by Scratchansniff's portrayal in the reboot, as they wanted to see a resumption of the wholesome relationship they had been building before and not see the doctor brought back as your run-of-the-mill cartoon antagonist. I certainly share those desires, but is it really hard to understand why the reboot writers wrote it the way they did? If you watch the original series and assume that every episode happens in chronological order, that is where the relationship left off. Not as family, but as enemies. We can only hope that they redevelop it in the future to leave it on a good note in the end.

So, why do I think it was left off like that? I think it can be attributed to the rocky end of Animaniacs. The network was dissatisfied with their product, which was attracting too many adults, and was relatively expensive to produce. The number of Animaniacs staff working on the show was cut significantly in the later seasons. I think, being slowly forced out like that, Tom Ruegger and other writers probably lost passion for the story they had been trying to tell. It's a huge shame that we never got to see a real conclusion, with Scratchansniff embracing the Warners as true family. I think that's the way it was intended to end up.

In-universe, though, what happened? Are there any hints that might tell us how the relationship went sour? I think there might be one. At the end of "Wakko's Two-Note Song", Scratchansniff has embraced Wakko's way of making music and is trying to make a song by honking his car horn. Mr. Plotz hears this and remarks that "the poor guy's finally lost his noodle."

Perhaps Plotz believes that the psychiatrist spending so much time with the Warners has, instead of taming the Warners, actually made Scratchansniff insane. So, the next time he sees him, Plotz chews him out for failing to do his job and orders him to go see a psychiatrist of his own to bring him back up to level. In the midst of this humiliation, Scratchansniff became paranoid that Plotz was actually right, remembering how he used to be and believing that the Warners made him insane. This caused him to try to cut off close contact with the Warners, becoming cold to them the next time they met. The Warners, hurt and confused by the sudden rejection, became angry and got their revenge by picking on Scratchansniff like the old days, only increasing Scratchansniff's bitterness towards them and sending the relationship plummeting back to how it was before. This is why they're so hostile to him in Anchors-a-Warners. None of that is rooted in canon besides the one moment I showed above. It's all speculation, but it's the best answer I can come up with.

That's the end of my in-universe speculation. I'd like to touch upon the greater societal impact that Scratchansniff may have had. Before Dr. Scratchansniff, there were no or almost no reoccurring, seriously taken psychiatrist characters in cartoons. You wouldn't see Bugs Bunny sitting on a therapy couch for anything other than a quick gag. I won't pretend like Scratchansniff's character is meant to be taken very seriously or that any of his therapeutic interactions with the Warners were much more than jokes. However, it was a long-lasting, mostly positive relationship between doctor and patient that was thoroughly explored. Imagine being a kid in the 90's who has to go to psychotherapy. You probably feel ostracized, probably bullied if anyone knows about it. Then a new super popular cartoon comes on the scene where the main characters regularly go to therapy and have a long-lasting relationship with their psychiatrist. Maybe it made it a little better.

And maybe that's what this is all about. If I were to distill Animaniacs down to one statement, I'd say it's meant to show the perspective of the little guy. It shows the world from the perspective of kids, from the perspective of pets, lab mice, the neurodivergent, the flame on a candle.

Before I started writing this post, I was under the impression I usually am with these kinds of things- everything I'm talking about is fan theory, and the creators probably didn't intend more than half of it. Fans, especially fans who look as deeply into things as I do, tend to go way overboard, finding meaning where none was ever meant to exist. I very much do not think the English teacher overanalysis of every little detail in every creative work is generally the most correct way to look at things, from the point of view of what the creator intended. I do it for fun, of course, but as an author I know that most of the most profound symbolism and hidden meanings in my works are things that were completely unintentional, that I only find after I reread them several times. That's especially true in a silly comedy cartoon like Animaniacs, right?

As I got deeper into writing this, though, I realized that there might be more there than I first thought. Mental illness, or "insanity", is a consistently reoccurring theme in this show. The first segment in the first episode starts with the Warners getting acquainted with their psychiatrist. Their psychiatrist is their closest ally and favorite enemy, the one that around 10% of the episodes in the series focus on. A psychiatry office is one of the default settings for the show.

Insanity is mentioned in the intro to every episode (totally insaney!). Before most episodes, the Warners' backstory is shown in Newsreel of the Stars. In their expanded backstory shown in certain episodes, it's revealed that their animator went insane creating them.

Everyone else, at least the adults, around the Warners call them destructive and insane, ostracizing them from society. To anyone with half a brain watching, though, it's immensely clear that the Warners aren't anything more than hyperactive children with no strong adult guidance, using the god powers they never asked for to act out for extremely understandable reasons. The show consistently shows instead that the adults around them, the stuffy business types calling them insane, are the true unstable ones. They're blinded by prejudice, trying the same thing over and over, banging their heads against the wall trying everything to solve the "issue" of the Warners, except the solution that was extremely obvious the entire time. The Warners just need someone to care for them. Even the one who's supposed to be the expert in the field of mental health can't figure out this very basic idea.

Think back on the history of how we as a society have treated mental health issues. First, hundreds of years ago, we tried to lock the crazies away in asylums. Get them away from society so they can't harm us and we don't have to think of them. Then things progressed to aggressively trying to treat these mental disorders, with lobotomies and shock therapy and every horrible thing in between. We became obsessed with trying to take the neurodivergent and make them "normal."

What happened to the Warners? First, they were locked away, separated from society. Then, they were aggressively treated with the explicit aim of making them "normal." Their psychiatrist, as I covered in part 1, probably got his degree around the 1930's or 40's, using extremely outdated tactics that inevitably would fail to give the Warners any real help. You can see the parallels.

The Warners live in a world where it's extremely clear how everyone mistreats them, yet they're always made out to be the crazy ones. Animaniacs shows it for what it really is, from the perspective of the marginalized, from the perspective of those who were driven mad by the environment they were born into. Even though the truth is extremely obvious to them, no one can ever see their side. Animaniacs is meant to show how treating mental illness with the intent of making the patient normal is nothing more than banging your head against the wall. It will never help them or you. If you truly want to get them help, then help them. Help them exist in society the best they can, and only then will you start to see some of the improvement you hoped for in the first place. Like I said in the last part- the Warners could have been tamed, but if you want to do that, taming them cannot be your primary goal.

This is one of the few things I've spoken on in my overanalysis series that I believe has a strong chance to be fully intentional. In fact, now that I've laid it out for myself, the symbolism of Animaniacs seems kind of obvious. We've grown as a society recently, getting on the path to accepting mental illness and neurodivergency for what it is instead of jumping right to ostracizing it (though there's still a ways to go). Animaniacs, on the other hand, was trying to get this in our heads 30 years ago.

Bringing this back around to the main topic, I'll say something I've said many times before- I hope the Warners get a happy ending. I hope they embrace Scratchansniff truly and he embraces them. I hope they get out of the tower for good and can live the lives they want. It doesn't have to be the focus of an episode or anything. Just, to end the reboot off, show a 30 second scene of them being happy and free. That's all I want.

And so, finally, mercifully, that's all I have to say on this topic. At least until I think of more in a year from now. The next installment in Overanalyzing the Warners will focus on the Warners themselves, specifically their sibling relationship. That won't be out for a long while, though.

If you have anything you want to add, comment on, correct, or say about this post, don't hesitate to leave a reply or send in an ask. In any case, thank you for reading all of that. It continues to surprise me how much support I receive for these insane lore ramblings about this children's comedy cartoon. Thank you.

[lazyvase]

PvWeak (5/16/2023)

Devil's Advocate

This is for the best.

Not for everyone mind you. But it is for me.

When at first I heard the rumors and ideas of PvE being released in chunks/sections/chapters/missions, I was apprehensive. I worried what would happen to the flow of the story, and the functionality of the skill tree. However, after some consideration, I came to terms with it. In all fairness, there are some (personal) flaws to be had with a full campaign, and some benefits to a diluted release.

My biggest issue with a full campaign is that it would have most likely been a one and done deal, consumed like every full season drop on netflix. I would've had to rush through the game if I did not want to be spoiled by the countless users and youtubers doing the same. I would not have been able to enjoy and marinate within the lore and character interactions. For me, all at once would have meant nothing at all. Especially since I know that the campaign would have not been "infinitely replayable". You know what else was "infinitely replayable" in the eyes of Blizzard? The Archive missions. Wrath of the Bride. Starwatch. Junkestein's Revenge. Now, to some of you these modes were infinitely replayable, but I know a lot of you didn't. And I am certain that the campaign would have been just as "infinitely replayable".

I truly prefer the gradual release. Think about it: We FINALLY have the Overwatch TV show! After each mission release, we, the Overwatch community, will have time to debate, converse, analyze, discuss, dissect, and ponder each mission. It's gameplay, it's interactions, it's lore dumps. (Those sweet, sweet lore dumps have been preserved!) Everyone always complains about getting the whole season at once, and how things would be better if we went back to weekly releases. We here in the Overwatch community shall receive the full beauty and power of separated release dates. We shall FINALLY BE ABLE TO THEORIZE AGAIN! This is for the best.

Now, I'm not going to pretend this is perfect for everyone else. I'm no fool. Many fans were more excited for the gameplay opportunities. I give you my condolence. Perhaps the Overwatch team will still be able to spice things up in the missions. Time will tell.

Now. For the elephant in the room. The Future of Overwatch.

Overwatch will die sooner rather than later. There will never be an Overwatch 3. The grave has already been built. The death of Overwatch is NOT due to the lackluster PVE. But the mass exodus from the fanbase. They have lost faith in Overwatch. I can't blame them for that. But. I CAN BLAME THOSE FILTHY YOUTUBE CLICKBAITERS. They ALL title their videos "PvE is cancelled" "PvE is scrapped" "PVE is completely gone" IT'S NOT. YOU HAVE ALL BEEN TRICKED BY PEOPLE FOOLS WHO REFUSE TO READ THE SLIGHTEST, OR REFUSE TO LISTEN IN THE SLIGHTEST, OR ONLY CARE TO MAKE A QUICK CLICK. THEY ARE THE WEAK LINKS IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE SNAPPED THE CHAIN THAT HOLDS THEM UP.

Apologies for keeping all that in the post. But I did tag this as a rant. I have been quite annoyed by those digging the grave before the body is cold.

I still have hope. I am quite certain me and other Overwatch loreheads shall get our worth out of it. Some gameplay oriented fans may get a kick out of it. If you want to leave the Overwatch fanbase after this disappointment/betrayal, I implore you to do so. May I suggest Omega Strikers? I hear it's like league of legends, without the toxicity and tendency to give you mental health issues. If you desire to block me, do so. I admit this is one of my more off-putting posts.

Regardless, thank you for listening. Have fun. Stay safe. And I'll see you all next PvWeak.

[chano4kauwu]

Maybe drop some oc lore? Like what they're like, interests, that kind of stuff? :0

Thank you for such a question/request! I am pleased to hear that someone is asking me about my OC :") I will try not to stretch this post by millions of letters. I have nothing to say anything definite about the characters, because all the action takes place in a world like ours. In America. About the characters, I will tell you a basic little information about each : ") I have 19 of my characters.

Here I showed their physique and height. Plus I only needed the base colors of each character.

I'll start with the main three characters that I most often draw:

Fritz Hagen. He is 22 years old. He's German. He's a biology teacher at school. He is not a serious person at all, he constantly jokes stupidly and tries in every possible way to make amends to his ex-boyfriend, with whom they met - with Ron. He killed his parents as a teenager, so Ron has been afraid of him ever since, that he might kill him too. Fritz and Ron broke up two years ago. And Fritz can't let go of their breakup in any way, wanting to meet Ron again.

Ron Williams. He's English. He is 25 years old and works as a chemistry teacher at the same school as Fritz. Ron is a terribly hot-tempered, dissatisfied person. He is well able to pretend to be an intelligent, well-mannered person - but in fact he swears most of all. He tries to avoid Fritz. But Fritz comes to him without asking. Deep down, Ron still loves Fritz and worries about him. In this world, the main role is played by the pupils in the eyes. His pupils are the same in his eyes, so he is gifted in the exact sciences, he has an excellent memory, logic, thinking. He had already had some knowledge of chemistry since he was 4 years old. He is also an albino.

3. Ben Summers. He is an American and he is 17 years old. He goes to school with Ron and Fritz. They are his teachers. Ben was born with his Siamese twin brother. His brother died at the age of 5. He got a small and unhealthy heart, which could not stand it and stopped. Ben has been suffering from amnesia related to his parents since childhood. All his childhood he could not remember either their names or their faces. He was often scared of them because he saw them "for the first time". His mother died of an illness and his father crashed in an accident. He still doesn't know about it. His parents died when Ben was 10. He lived for some time with Fritz's family, who sheltered him. Ben also happened to witness the murder. Fritz knows Ben saw it, but he threatened him - if anyone finds out about it, Ben will face the same fate. He has been friends with Ron and Fritz since he was born.

Ben (right) and his brother Al (left) 4. Claire Taylor. He is 27 years old. American. He works as a physics teacher at school with Ron and Fritz. He was called by a female name because the family was expecting a girl, but a boy was born. His mother bought a lot of things for the girl, and until the age of 7 he went in dresses, played with dolls, addressed himself in the feminine. He is a very touchy person. Manipulator and he is very jealous. He is also an owner. He dated Ron for a while. Until he found out that Ron was also dating Fritz at the same time, whom he hated. He hates his younger sister Margo more than anyone else in the world. Claire is the heaviest, nasty-looking person. nobody wants to have anything to do with him. Some are even afraid of him. There is also a pendant hanging around his neck. It's a gift from his girlfriend who died in a plane crash. She was the only one who could see a good person in him.

Ron, Claire and Fritz/Claire and Edith are stuck together in an elevator.

5. Margo Taylor. She is 17 years old. American. She's a classmate with Ben. She is most afraid of her brother Clare. Especially at home. At school, she is the most beautiful girl, she wins many competitions wherever she participates due to her appearance. But in fact, she is a quiet, not noisy girl who only plays a role in public. She understands that many friends will turn away from her if she shows herself real.

6. Edith de Fleur. 29 years old. A Frenchwoman. She is a French teacher at the school where Fritz, Ron and Claire work. She was most unlucky with relationships. Men do not look at her, considering her boring and not very interesting. She is a quiet, modest girl who has a personal home library. Her twin sister was married twice and she had many partners. She is madly in love with Ron and shows it to him in every possible way. But he doesn't seem to see it. At the same time, she does not notice the courtship from Claire, who already loves her, but she does not notice him already. Also, Edith's whole body is covered with many different freckles. Especially a lot of them on the face, shoulders, hips.

7. Rick Evaco. 27 years old. Brazilian. He was born in the favelas of Brazil and lived for a long time in the poorest family. He is the oldest child. There are three children in their family. His father became very good friends with one of the influential people on the black market. He earned enough money so that Rick could leave Brazil and move to a prestigious place. He moved to Spain, where he was able to pass the exam and go to college. There he was able to show himself, his knowledge. Rick turned out to be not the stupidest, on the contrary - one of the smartest students. During the summer holidays, he visited America and became friends with Ron and Fritz, who helped Rick a little with money. Now he is a successful businessman who has two companies in Spain, one in Brazil and one in America.

Rick with his sister. 8. Ines Sarto. 25 years old. Italian. A sweet, calm, quiet girl. She was in the same class as Ron at school while she was living in America. In Italy, she met Leah in a cafe. At that moment she was working as a waitress. Now Ines is engaged to Leah after a long relationship. Inez still communicates with Ron on the Internet. She often uses a translator, since she began to forget English.

Ines and Leah 9. Leah Gentile. 26 years old. Italian. She was born in a large family. She is the second oldest child. There are 7 children in her family. Leah's parents are terribly religious people. She ran away from her family at 17 and stopped communicating with them at 20 when she said she was dating a girl. She smokes a lot, is a rude and tough girl. She protects Ines and worries a lot about her if she goes somewhere alone. She often swears and does not behave culturally in society. But not in front of Ines.

10. Engel Weber. He is 26 years old. German. He is rude, not polite, harsh and uncomfortable person. For a long time he was close friends with Fritz. They were friends until Fritz pushed Engel's sister into a pit with iron bayonets. When Engel found out that Fritz had killed his sister, he swore revenge on him. But by the time he realized, Fritz had moved to America. Due to the loss of a loved one, Engel stopped caring for himself, he gained weight, he has mental and not only health problems. His hair was dyed gray with white tips. The only goal left was to take revenge on Fritz for what he had done.

11. Josh Carter. 30 years old. American. He works as a teacher of several foreign languages at the same school as Fritz, Ron, Claire and Edith. He's a terribly deceitful, cunning man. He is never interested in the affairs of another person. If he asks something like that, it means he needs something. He was in three relationships, and only the last girl was able to injure him. There's a burn on his left side of his body. His ex-girlfriend threw a kettle of boiling water at him in the hope of killing him. But it didn't work out. He realized that all girls are fools and he remains single. The only one who really matters to him is his friend Henry.

Josh and Henry 12. Henry Gate. 30 years old. American. He works as a psychologist at the school where Fritz, Ron, Claire, Edith and Josh work. He is a terribly sentimental, empathic person with weak nerves. For a psychologist, he takes everything too close to his heart. He often tries to help everyone to his own detriment. The only person who is particularly important to him is Josh. It is still a mystery to everyone how they were able to make friends. He is terribly fond of collecting books and drawing. Especially landscapes.

13.Ed Ryder. 17 years old. American. He's a classmate with Ben and Margot. Ed lives with one father, his mother left them when Ed was 9 years old. My father's salary is not enough for normal living, and sometimes not enough for normal food. Ed is endowed with a slightly feminine physique and appearance. Therefore, he followed in his mother's footsteps and went to earn money through prostitution. So he was finally able to provide for himself on his own. Despite his position, he remains optimistic and often jokes. Especially on sexual topics.

14.Amintas Exarchidis. 31 years old. Greek. He works as Rick's bodyguard. They became good friends, despite the closed and not verbose nature of Amintas. Aminats has three younger sisters and one older brother, who provided great support in his youth. He, like Rick, lived in a poor, not rich family, so they quickly found a common language. Despite the numerous scars that are on his body, he still tries to resolve any conflicts peacefully.

[cosmicangst]

olympia soiree review after 100%-ing the game... general consensus of my brain worms is that the premise, its themes, the japanese cultural context, and the lore are its biggest strengths. but it needed a heavy editing hand. writers gotta trust their audience more bc we really do not need flashbacks to a thing that happened three minutes ago. it just felt like some great solid bits that were bundled up way too much w superfluous padding. as such the pace suffered and what should have been devoted to developing further why byakuya and her li would fall in love is spent on filler and revisiting info we already know

the spiciness and the sheer romance of the cg scenes are so good but sometimes it was whiplash when byakuya and her li were suddenly in soulmates mode. the individual scenes were chefs kiss but the relationship development overall felt less earned which made those scenes less impactful than it should have been. i know it's just the two weeks but cmon ive been sold less believable absurdity in less that time

anyway in terms of each route:

himuka - tbh he really didn't leave a lasting impression besides his place in the lore. my fave thing is his character design and i spent most of the route pretending this was a yuri game lmao i think his was the one where i rly questioned why byakuya fell so hard and fast (and she does that in every route but his especially i was like.... but why are you suddenly so ride or die??)

tokisada - cute! but im not typically a fan of the little bro type. when he talks about walking into the ocean tho i did cry 😢 his bad ending main menu speech is so good. i love it when men break down despondently 😌

yosuga - loved him up to That Scene. i love possessive dubcon stuff in otome but this was a character who was established to be someone who prioritizes consent and safety for the female citizens of yomu so it just seemed so out of left field and uncharacteristic. did enjoy the hades and persephone analogue vibes tho

riku - such a fan of this nerd. for some reason i felt his angst more than i did the others perhaps bc his biggest obstacle in returning byakuya's love was his own self. rly related to his desire and anxiety to live up to other people's standards and his general ineptness in romantic situations. bc it often ends w byakuya being the most forward one which i always enjoy whenever the mcs take the lead in otome. had fun w him but he and byakuya felt the most whiplash along w himuka

kuroba - enjoyed his personality for most of the game and was honestly thrown off that he ended up being the most yandere of the bunch. which is interesting considering the reveal of who his birth father actually is. was not a huge fan of how they treated sexual assault in this route. like i intellectually understand why the good ending is like that but they rly should have let that motherfucker choke. handkerchief callback was adorable tho

akaza - BIG FAN of bbq dad. his was the one i was looking forward to the most bc he was the one byakuya was the most resistant in giving a chance. and im just a sucker for decent men who give off a bad first impression bc they take things too seriously. i love his insistence of asserting himself and byakuya as singular entities and not bound by the fate of their roles which is a deft way of tying the relationship with the game's overall themes. his route felt the most believable in selling why they're compatible and why they fell in love because they went to intentional multiple dates where it truly felt like they were learning about each other. i would have liked some room to explore his faults and fears outside of byakuya but i enjoyed his route the most so i can't complain too much

other scattered thoughts

the short stories are great esp the memoirs by the supporting cast. made me appreciate them more bc it gave them nuance and complexity

SHURA 🥰 complicated women my loves. wish tho that her bitterness against byakuya wasn't also rooted in her infertility. not that the motivation is inherently bad but as one of the few female dynamics byakuya has it isn't great

hairi devolving to villainy was understandable but disappointing. wish tho that there was one character based in yomu who wasn't on byakuya's side but wasn't also a villain either.

douma reveal just doesn't sit right in the end like they're trying to establish this grumpy dad vibe when douma spent the majority of the games not just being grumpy and stoic but actively being an asshole and almost resentful

kanan i was generally annoyed with until i got through the bad endings and read his memoir and i did a complete 180 on him. earnestly really enjoy this asshole now and i find him fascinating as a villain

tsukuyomi's memoir is my absolute fave "now i water the cherry tree" just the existential resignation of it all....

don't have much thoughts on the obvious allegory and how it explores oppression as a theme namely bc im missing the cultural and historical framework w my largely western lens and i think context here is absolutely imperative to do this justice

[rejaytionships]

cougarverse: knd timeline

Basic Information

Name: Arnie Treize Pronouns: She/Any Age: (somewhere in her 30s)

Relationships

Father / Benedict Wigglestein-Uno [husband]

Delightful Children From Down The Lane [stepchildren]

Jenkins [friend]

Numbuh 13 [nephew]

Toiletnator / Lou Pottingsworth III [queerplatonic partner]

Timeline Lore

(under readmore)

arnie treize is a tomboy who self-describes as "washed up" and "unlucky"

she would work a few low-wage jobs and every single time she'd get fired for an otherwise ignorable mistakes somehow becoming comically tragic accidents

being in the same family as numbuh 13, arnie believes that the bad luck the two face is actually a gene across their entire family tree

she lands a job as a cleaning lady for father because quite literally everybody else applicable either quit within a week or was too scared shitless of father to get the job to begin with

initially father thinks she's kind of annoying but he's desperate for someone this willing to have a job with him. he honestly assumes she's going to quit within the first week but at the very least her interview went best out of everyone else

when father asks arnie about the knd (specifically to weed out if she'd be a willing member of his evil team) she agrees to help him out with this endeavor

father is most pleased with this new minion. arnie is however 100% under the belief that the knd are simply roleplaying, and she assumes that now part of her job is larping with father's five very peculiar children and their "friends"

father is known to have a horrible temper. the whole household thought father's first temper tantrum around arnie would cause her to quit, but actually she ended up handling it fairly well and even managed to shut it down quicker than usual

the two do talk a little on the off-hours since father has a baking lifestyle going on. arnie likes spectating whatever father has going on, considering his baking style is "perfection isn't enough" and arnie's baking style is essentially "fuck it we ball"

at some point arnie figures out that the knd aren't just roleplayers, and that they were now actually caught in a crossfire between petty adults and wacky children. if father hadn't otherwise been very satisfied with arnie's dedication to the bit, she would have been in a world of trouble with father (it did somewhat embarrass him tbh to find out that his worker thought she was playing pretend with him this whole time)

what causes arnie and father to eventually start getting closer is after one of the missions against the knd failing catastrophically. father was sulking by the fire and arnie decided to bring him ice cream with the excuse "ohhh i wanted some for myself but you seem like you might want some too" and thus it opened up the perfect window to get father to talk about what's going on in his head

this turns into a tradition. father feels upset about something? ice cream by the fire! arnie saw a weird bug when cleaning and needed to complain? more dessert! both of them just needing a reason to socialize? you know where to find them

both of them are very lonely people deep down. the difference is that arnie is the one who takes steps to do something about it, while father was willing to accept he probably wouldn't form meaningful relationships ever

the delightful children (and jenkins) also end up attached to arnie, since she makes an effort to extend kindness to them (and has been taming father's crazy anger issues with this hit new ice-cream-and-chill trick)

the reason they end up together is probably because one night they're hanging out in the kitchen talking about their pasts together and the topic of exes comes up. arnie hasn't dated since college, and father hasn't dated period, so they get to bicker about how much they crave some form of romance......and then it clicks with them. they can date each other, can't they?

arnie ends up getting promoted from "cleaning lady" to "loving member of the house" because of this. even though arnie no longer gets a paycheck from father, he still covers all of her financial needs and more

he's probably above and beyond about it as well. she saw a cool outfit at the store today? he'll have it hand-tailored by professional fashion designers, made to fit her perfectly. she wants to take a trip to a theme park? he'll privately rent the whole place out to ensure the lines are short. it's his love language, and he has his ways of pulling it off

the first time arnie saw father's true form was shortly before the two got engaged. it was something he was frankly very embarrassed about, but arnie did not think it was that big of a deal. like.....oh no, he's still my boyfriend who is also attractive? the event let father feel more comfortable being himself around arnie, although he still does bottle up that side of him a lot for comfort reasons

father ended up proposing at the end of an all-day date just under a year after the two started dating. they had spent the sunlight at the beach, and the evening was spent at a high-end restaurant near the water. dessert got brought out, and right on top of the delightful cake treat was the ring. arnie took way too long to process what was happening and genuinely almost ate that damn ring

the wedding was fairly unpopulated, since all arnie had was immediate family, and father had like.......his delightful children, jenkins, and maybe a few random villains. however, it was still quite grand and they made the most out of what they had

the delightful children sometimes try to play pretend-restaurant at home to treat their parents. they do none of the cooking (at least not after the first time) but they always looove getting all fancied up and presenting things super formally. arnie gets way more of a kick out of it than father does, but they both appreciate the efforts

i'm sure i'll think of more but WAUGH. arnie lore dump. good fucking night it's quarter to 3am

(10.june.2023) EDIT i have more because i'm a toiletnator stan now

arnie would eventually start tagging along to the villain meetups, so that she could see exactly what she needed to learn as a new "villain"

at these meetings is where she met the toiletnator, lou, who managed to get sat at father's table. arnie and lou started to chat it up during the meeting, where lou really hyped himself up as an incredibly competent villain

when father brought arnie home that night, he explained the toiletnator is certainly not competent, much less good at what he does. this only made arnie more intrigued by him

eventually, arnie and lou bonded over feeling like the odd ones out in the group. lou found himself at father's mansion a whole lot more often now that arnie would bring him over to hang out. he was the only friend she could hang out with besides father or jenkins, so after a while he became a fairly big figure in the house. much to father's distaste, of course

lou and arnie also bonded over both having nephews in the knd (lou had numbuh 4, and arnie had numbuh 13)

the two of them becoming qpps wasn't made official in a super fancy way, similar to arnie's romantic relationship with father. lou and arnie were watching a movie, and they started talking about their feelings. arnie tried explaining that she had a weird crush on lou, but it wasn't anything romantic. like a friend crush. lou exclaimed he felt the same way, and then the two agreed on calling what they had going on "friend-dating", like platonic soulmates!

this was ran past father, who didn't judge the type of relationship but rather with whom it was with (he just thought the toiletnator was kinda lame, as kind-hearted as lou was). he ultimately was fine with it though, given how happy it seemed to make arnie (and also kept her entertained when he wanted his alone time)

[castlebyersafterdark]

He never dated Josh smh but yeah they had a little fling and the guy decided to leak a Snapchat story :(( noah was pretty much a baby back in 2020 like yuck man

Combining these both here because they're about the same thing but oh nooo. Poor kid! I don't know anything about this but that's just a sad iffy situation if so. The lore goes deep, and I feel like more than half of it has got to be just gossip and conjecture. I can't even pretend to keep up with most of it. I just hope nothing truly shitty happened to him, that's a rough one, especially that young and not out!! Makes me sad.

[cakejerry]

Like you (maybe? You had put a question mark) I am jm biased as well. The reason I got into bts was because of his unique tone. I can admit that, yes, jimin has times and days where his vocals aren't up to par, but I believe that it started happening when Bh led him down that higher voice road. I am in love with jm's lower register, it's always been my favorite but the higher tone .....for some reason I don't think it's his actual voice, if it was, he would've started out with it.

I like jk as well, jk on a vocal level is good but his performances.....🥴. My time is the most cringe performance I have ever seen. I get second hand embarrassment everytime and I can't watch it fully through. The world cup performance was lack luster as well. Jk as a vocalist is good, he's stable and he has that pop boy voice but that's it. There's no flavor. There's nothing about his voice that makes me want to listen to a full album.

And I know it might seem like I'm hating...I'm really not. Like you, I voice my opinions, even if others disagree, which I know you might since it seems like you're jk biased as well. Though it seems like you're more jk biased than jm's 🤭.

Then I saw you talked about jm's stage presence.....I must say I disagree. I'm confused, honestly.

What makes you jm biased cause you don't like his stage presence, and it doesn't seem like you like his vocals......so what is it that you like about him? Is it the jikook ship or something? Maybe I'm missing something 😭

Anon you might as well dm me so we can talk 🤭 I'll try to answer every part of this

1. The lore is that I was a hardcore jimin biased army from i need u to dna, and then switched sides to become a bts hater due to an avalanche of reasons (not writing that essay here). But through that time I would occasionally check up on them or find myself thinking hmm.... Bts sure do suck, but Jungkook has done nothing wrong ever and he is the Best and most talented kpop boy in the world and I hate bts but I love him. In fact i can tell you the exact time and date this switch started happening. I was already one foot out the door at this point.

Which I guess turned out to be true 🥴 I'm in my 2nd bts era rn, I plan to catch up with everything, and the second I started consuming content again it was apparent Jimin is my actual bias, not Jungkook. (i never resented jimin but liking him and the rest of bts was very cringe. I could write an essay on this.)

2. I think jimins voice does naturally fall in the higher range. Korean karaoke machines have tone settings, to switch songs by girls to a male register and vice versa, and in in the soop they made a point that Jimin switched to a higher range and Tae was like nooo. But just because that head voice comes natural doesn't mean it's usable anywhere besides heavily processed studio adlibs. He has never been able to sing any one of his 'high notes' live and im tired of pretending he did. I do love his lower register as well, as you might've seen in my posts about 'ma city' and 'danger'. I'd love if you sent me some more examples of your favourite of his vocal moments

6. I switched to jk because of his talent but I was jm biased because of his personality and that imo is way more important when it comes to idols. It's just that some people will act fake and be like "noo jimin totallyyy sung live!! No his voice didn't crack you're an anti!!" but im straight up about it. Idc about talent (i mean it doesn't hurt that hes the second best dancer but if he danced like jin i don't think it would change my mind). I first fell in love with his fat ass and thighs, his thick lips and chipped tooth and tiny pinky finger, then realized he's a fairy angel gangyangi baby boy, the self-proclaimed fake maknae, i think he's a person born to receive love and imo the only one who seems comfortable no matter who they're paired up with in the group? Maybe that's eering into delulu teritory but I'm a big 'soft cute jimin being doted on by everybody' truther. He's mochi to me. Jikook has nothing to do with it and I only started shipping it when they MADE me ship it, with adult ceremony and saying shit like 'i want him' in that one seasons greetings dvd

3. I watched my time just for you anon, and it's not that cringe!?? Maybe bc I opened a version with eng subs and immediately clicked out and found one without, so idk the subject matter but his vocals and stage presence are great? You'll have to tell me what you dislike about it. Dreamers is just.... The "of bts" is bigger than "jungkook" and that's obvious. He definitely wouldn't be able to make it without a group, but I don't think any of them would.

4. You're absolutely right that he's flavourless!! And posting your opinions is good, you should absolutely do it publicly!!! That's the problem with being a jack of all trades- he's a master of none. I get the appeal of any of the rest of the tannies vocal tones. And literally every time there's confusion about who is singing, jungkook the chameleon is at the crime scene. He's just a blank slate in life too, it's insane. He's the only idol who can genuinely go from cutie bunny to sexy sangnamja and pull off the edgy pierced tattoed look as well as the innocent flower boy vibe. And I'm saying that sincerely. There's a reason his stereotyping in fanfic ranges so wildly, from jock to nerd and from alpha to omega. I get what you mean about not desiring a full solo album from him but I'm in the majority boat of 'as long as the song is good idc who sings it' and that's why he has the potential to do well internationaly.

5. About stage presence.... I just watched 6 hours of fancams trying to formulate my point and ended up more confused than I was before 🫠. I'll try to sum it up.

Hoseok performs like he was born to do it. His facial expressions are an equal part of his dancing as his body, and he dances like he would die of he couldn't. He's an entertainer, a performer, he's energetic and electric on the stage, and in my mind's eye I cant even imagine him slacking off the way I'm about to describe for Jimin. I wouldn't say he owns the stage, but he definitely owns the largest part of it while still working in harmony with the rest of the team.

Jungkook is an idol group Center. And I specifically mean the jpop senbatsu model, where they all dance the same dance, no formations, but there is one fixed Center for every single. Jungkook is that. He's the one who will stand in the middle, represent the group while people dance and rap to the left and right of him. He's the one who will do the basic choreography so that the rest can add their flares to it, the one who will sing the whole song in the studio so that others can give their adlibs and harmonies. He will face the public head-on and he does it great

And here is the main difference between both of them vs jimin, and in my view the most important measure of stage presence: Eyes.

Specifically, where are your eyes when the camera isn't on you?

Everyone talks about Jimin's sexy gaze. Sure, fine. He has his killer parts. He has the moments in the songs tailor made for the camera to zoom in on him and capture his sexy expression. But... When that camera leaves and moves on to the next member... The audience is still there. And that's what Jimin seems to forget.

His default seems to be looking at the floor. He often seems like he's there just to dance, like he's counting the beats in his head, just waiting for His Part, or hyping himself up to Make A Facial Expression. His face doesn't dance like Hoseok's does, expressing the emotions of each song perfectly- he doesn't look straight on at the audience like Jungkook does, cocky and confident. He has two moods- serious and goofy. He's serious most of the time. Which means most of the time he looks and acts like a very good back up dancer, who is occasionally VERY GOOD at posing for the camera. And that's my other point- his face doesn't dance, it poses. There's a reason why in my time in the fandom I always saved fantakens of him but never watched any fancams. He's good at Posing. And making that face. And raising that eyebrow, or winking, or splaying out that tongue (something he does A Lot). He's good at being coquettish and flirty and inviting. For a few seconds before he gets... Embarrassed. It's all so scripted. It's all pre-planned, never spontaneous like H and Jk seem to be.

As I said, I watched fancams up to dna + fake love and boy with luv. Reflective on my opinion on him as a whole, I think he does marginally better in concepts like bwl, where he doesn't feel the pressure of being sexy- he can play around a bit and be goofy. Nothing is more emblematic of this than his war of hormone era fancams, which I watched and literally GASPED because.. That's what I want from him!!! Always!!!! That playfulness, that flirting with the audience, not just the camera!!! If you're still reading this, please go watch a woh era jimin fancam. It will change your life.

So I guess you can say I'm being too subjective and some people will find his blank expression and dead eyes very sexy. Sure. But I will forever prefer him SMILING to him doing any other expression (which all seem to blur into nothing) and I sincerely hope in my journey through the rest of their career I will find more instances of him owning the stage. I'll update. But having seen snippets of like crazy and some other songs... I doubt it 😔

[ceaseless-rambler]

HOW DID I NEVER SEE THIS I WOULD LOVE TO EXPLAIN THE LORE.

Okay so the crew, immortal space pirates who are immortal due to their mechanism, a piece of their body that's been replaced with metal and it regenerates them every time they die, indefinitely. We have:

Jonny d'Ville, he/him: insists he's the captain, everyone else insists he's the first mate. He was the first (successful) mechanism, and his mechanism is his heart. He does all the narration. His backstory song is One Eyed Jacks

Nastya Rasputina, she/her: engineer. Dating the Aurora. The second mechanism, and her mechanism is her blood. The only recording of her backstory song was at the Lashings performance, but there's more information in the written fiction on their website, notably in Cyberian Demons (this is also the name of her backstory song). References to her going Out are in regards to when she threw herself out an airlock, permanently, because Aurora had changed too much. Her status is unknown.

Drumbot Brian, he/him: the pilot. His mechanism is everything except his heart. He has a morality switch coded into his mechanism. As in, people can flip the switch and change his morality. It's not good vs evil, but rather MJE (means justify ends) vs EJM (ends justify means). On MJE he can't perform any action he sees as "bad", even if that would directly prevent something worse from happening. He can't lie to protect someone/something, for example. EJM means he can do anything, but only if the consequences will be something he sees as good. His backstory song is Lost in the Cosmos, and more information about his backstory is on his profile on the website.

Ashes O'Reilly, they/them: the quartermaster. Their mechanism is their lungs. They're more into long term organized crime than, say, Jonny and Tim, who are more into outright violence. This means they do things like become a crime boss, or the capitalist antagonist in one of the albums. Their backstory song is Lucky Sevens

Gunpowder Tim, he/him: master at arms. His mechanism is his eyes. Officially he uses he/him, but I've never seen any other character assigned so many different pronouns by fans, so you might see him referred to eith different pronouns. His backstory involves blowing up the moon, so many jokes about him involve that. If you see people mention Bertie, he was Tim's "best friend" while Tim was still busy being mortal. Nearly everyone has assigned them as either boyfriends or queerplatonic partners. Tim's backstory song is Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser

Baron Marius Von Raum, he/him: ship's doctor. Neither a baron nor a doctor. His mechanism is his left arm. He practices unlicensed psychiatry. He doesn't have much in the way of official backstory, we just know bits and pieces

Raphaella la Cognizi, she/her: science officer. As cruel and brutal as she is science. Her mechanism is wings. She has wings. She is so cool. We know even less about her backstory

Ivy Alexandria, she/her: archivist. Her mechanism is her brain. She doesn't have any singing parts but her backstory is on the website and it fucks me up a little. Extremely underrated character

The Toy Soldier, it/its: just happy to be involved! Literally a Toy Soldier. It's alive because it's pretending to be. It follows any order given to the letter. People often capitalize the first letter of every word in its dialogue because it kind of just Talks Like That. It stole its voicebox from someone who broke its heart. Its backstory is on the website, and it also has a bit of information in Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser

The Aurora, she/her: their starship. She used to be a sentient flesh moon, and then she got turned into a (still sentient) battleship. She's full of spiders. Her girlfriend is Nastya. There's a lot going on there

Doctor Carmilla, she/her: really her own post that others are more qualified to make. What's relevant right now is that she gave most of them their mechanisms and they don't like her very much

Put you clothes back on we aren't having sex I lied to get you in here. Yeah no I'm outlining all the mechs lore to you. And then we're listening to everything yhey have on spotify. And then we're watching all the live performances. Stop trying the door you can't unlock it

[celsidebottom]

I want to throw out some of my theories (not sure if they’re really theories more like random thoughts) regarding the magical teleportation bulbs in the Garden of Yerlik so that all of my ideas can get destroyed in this week’s episode

I have been insistent that the bulbs in the Garden of Yerlik are somehow related to something at Kew Gardens that they encountered back around episode 20.  SO all of this may be clutching at straws However I relistened to the Kew gardens episodes recently and I noticed a few things

They mentioned that in Edison’s journal it says that the seed was purchased from some trader at sea, and then “What are the odds of finding two?”  THAT comment about finding two and then the Rangers only finding one seed makes me think that the seeds - and therefore something to do with the Garden of Yerlik - comes in pairs.  SO I am wondering if those bulbs are directly linked to another similar bulb elsewhere in the world.  For instance, there was one in Svalbard that then sucked the dwarves through to the garden, instead of the whole thing getting teleported there by the seed and then the seed growing. 

That’s the more legitimate part of this theory.  The rest is more red string conspiracy board nonsense but we’re putting it out there anyway.

At the end of the dungeon crawl in the bottom of Kew Gardens, they fight a bulb plant that uses its roots to pull itself around, but it is specifically described as a bulb and it has a red lotus flower on top, which made me think of how Alex described the bulbs in the Garden as not being open but still having the space to produce a flower in the clearing.  They also mentioned that the one in London had a skeletal arm and a skull in it.  Not sure if the rest of the body was there or not, it was not mentioned, only those two parts, which makes me wonder if somebody tried to travel through it with the whole void teleportation thing but it uhhhh didn’t quite work

And that brings me to Colgate, who was there at Edison’s presentation of the Simulacrum and then later at Kew Gardens.  As they’re walking in, he talks about some of the plants they see as they go along, and the two names he says are “Borealis Extremis” and “Borealis Gigantus,” and as far as I can tell neither of those are real plants.  It’s entirely possible that Alex just made up some names but the fact that they both have Borealis in them when the group is now, 160 episodes later, facing plants in the arctic where there are a bunch aurora borealis and wild magic makes me wonder.  It also makes me suspect Colgate as being involved in all of the destroy/take over the world plot going on, but that is a vague connection.

ANYWAY it is entirely possible that this is completely wrong BUT I am Thinking about it and I am very intrigued no matter what happens