#I really wanna get into coding and this is beyond funny

[makingapril]

october 1st 2024: drafts!

preacher: i'm attaching slightly improved versions of our original drafts, but i'll also include mine and scott's garbage sketches under the cut because i think they're a little bit funny

(image id available through tumblr's accessibility options)

this is a slightly revised version of my original concept for "APRIL".

the main functionality i wanted for "APRIL" was for her to be able to read out words from the templeOS god word app, and ideally without needing keyboard input – hence the microphone. ideally all of her parts are going to fit inside a hollowed out mannequin or doll, which will probably just be the torso, so that she's more portable. for the same reason, i want her to run off a power bank – i want to be able to take her places!

if we manage, we're going to give her an animated LED face which moves to indicate when she's speaking. the way i first pitched it, i wanted it to also change a bit depending on how she "felt" – for example, frowning if the environment was hotter than ideal for the raspberry pi to operate on. but that's a bit beyond our current scope right now. i don't think we even ordered a thermostat.

scott drew the following wiring diagrams based off my original sketch. here revised digitally for readability's sake.

(image id available through the tumblr accessibility options although i fear it's not very good in this case. feedback appreciated).

scott: I decided to go with the raspberry pi zero 2w because it's what I've got experience coding on, it's relatively cheap for the "brains" of the operation (heh) and can perform both tasks from the godword prophecy generation, speaker operation and led matrix operation simultaneously. Plus its small enough to keep the circuit lightweight and fit inside the initial mannequin design.

This drawing fits no kind of engineering standard by the way lol. It was an initial sketch closer to a wiring diagram to see how it'd physically setup and wrap my head around transforming it from mains power to being theoretically portable and running on powerbanks. Unfortunately the LED matrix is really fucking power hungry so needs its own power supply of really specific voltage and current draws hence all the converters.

Also because Im using the smaller and cheaper pi, as oppossed to a stronger system like the pi4, it doesn't have any audio out jack so I plan to use the micro usb for audio out which means yet again I need another adapter for a soundcard and usb to micro usb adapters and all that jazz. Usually sound out can be done through the GPIO pins but the LED matrix takes so many pins that I cant really take anything form them so I had to look for other ways of doing it. Plus this way I get to add a soundcard so if we wanna add microphone support or anything later on we can :)

(Also this is all a little obtuse because I'm trying to do it as much as plug and play and screw terminal style as possible rather than actually solder connections for ease of access and initial setup, but this also works for modular design and component swapping later too so its cool.)

preacher: another reason we're going with plug&play is becauuseeeeee i don't own a soldering iron 😭 it's ok. it's ok.

our silly initial drafts under the cut for your viewing pleasure.

preacher: these were made around 2 weeks ago, so about september 15th ish.

as you can see the first "APRIL" drawing was beautifully drawn with my fat fingers in the facebook messenger photo editor. i think it holds up. lol.

[presidentbungus]

how the mercs deal with anger (please god get them some group therapy)

scout: gets white-hot over threats, mother-related insults, or stubbing his toe, but stays SO FUCKING MAD for a total of about thirty seconds and then he's fine again. tries to hold grudges but is really, really bad at it, since he usually starts missing whoever he's mad at within two hours, and anything that manages to stick around residually he forgets about the next time he falls asleep. be expected to have to hold him back from fights in public, but if there's an argument he won't stay mad at you for longer than half an hour. averages out into a kind of chill guy. kind of.

soldier: his default state seems to be anger, if you could call it that; maybe something closer to conviction, or blind, self-righteous stupidity. he never really leaves said default state outside of extreme circumstances that would make anyone react twice as much as he does, anyway. fights anyone who looks too long at him but that's just kind of a result of who he is. if he likes you he'll accuse you of being a traitor-communist at every conceivable opportunity but barely seems to believe it, if such a thing were ever possible. if you're friends now you're friends forever. have fun with that.

pyro: exists in a constant state of "fuck it we ball". if you fuck up his shit she'll fuck up your shit but like who give a fuck. chillest guy alive have some fire

demo: fierce-tempered in battle, relatively cool outside of it, with an honor code so esoteric and layered you'd need a spell book and about nine thousand history textbooks to figure any of it out. aside from the routine massive deals he makes out of the regular things like bravery and chivalry, he's mostly pretty chill; a little more aloof than strictly necessary, but thinks most situations a lot of people would get mad at are just pretty funny, but aye if you wanna pick a fight with me I don't mind chopping off a few heads. likes to fight for the sake of fighting; initiates brawls just to punch people, as god intended.

heavy: grudgeholder, to put it simply. burns impossibly slow with the patience of a mountain and the stereotypical stoicism of a large bald man who grew up in a wintry wasteland but, trust me, he remembers everything you have ever done to him. he forgives easily but he does not forget. god forbid you manage to set his temper off; your death will be slow, painful, and if you manage to claw your way out of it you will wish you hadn't. that said, it usually only happens when you commit some deep infraction against something he holds dear, like his trust in you or, god forbid, somebody he cares about. good fucking luck

engineer: is by all accounts a very small, angry man, who will give you a list of everything he doesn't like about you in alphabetical order if you're a little too annoying for a little too long, and who knows about nine-thousand ways to ruin your life forever and is kept away from deploying them by rapidly declining sanity and a seemingly endless supply of straight black coffee. very good at pretending to be calm, that said, and you'll almost never know he's mad at you until you've got seventy guns pointed at you in the middle of the night. cries when he's real mad; gets angrier that he's crying; cries more. seems mature on the surface but has the emotional development of a piece of wet toast. he'll get there someday.

medic: irritable, but it seems difficult to slight him beyond mild annoyance considering his general aloofness in almost every situation. prone to barking his words when he's mad, and gets in murderous fits, but he doesn't like to hold grudges because, frankly, they're stupid and he doesn't have any time for them. just give him an hour or two to cool off and you'll both be fine. don't keep pushing him when he's already reached his breaking point or he'll get dangerous, though, because he doesn't care about killing someone in broad daylight and he certainly won't care about dismembering you right here in the infirmary. whatever he needs to do to get some peace and quiet.

sniper: gets annoyed at people over extremely trivial things, gets mad at them for weeks afterwards, and feels super bad about it. rarely feels anger without some massive tinges of sadness. tends to self-isolate and mope around for a while when she's mad about something, since even the thought of confrontation makes her want to puke. has no idea how to handle any of this

spy: practiced not to feel anger, since anger leads to mistakes, long-held habits slipping on the flip of a dime. still gets mad sometimes, but in private, where he can take it out on a punching bag and then smoke until he falls asleep. very good at not letting situations overtake him. past a very specific point, though, if he does end up getting overwhelmed (which happens despite his best efforts); almost as a defense reflex, he completely shuts down, and often either runs away or finds another way to discreetly escape the conversation as quickly as possible. master emotion bottler in all the world. hasnt cried in 50 years. should probably get that checked out

[orionsangel86]

Subtext Glorious Subtext! A Dreamling on Netflix analysis in The Sandman - Part 3

1589

Insert distracted boyfriend meme here...

1589 is when the queer coding starts ramping up a notch. Let me tell you how I am fascinated by their choice of actor to play Shakespeare - a twink with stars in his eyes - amazing. Bravo. Not even Hob manages to look at Dream like he wants to be utterly ruined by him the way this actor looked at Tom Sturridge. Here on Tumblr.com I am sure we are all very much aware of the theories and speculation about the actual Shakespeares sexuality with the consensus being that he was probably bisexual, and my GOD have they decided to lean into that on this show.

There is a lot to analyse in this scene. Hob’s dialogue about what he has been up to is almost word for word the same as the comic, but Ferdie’s delivery is perfect with its mix of flirtation and desperate need to impress. Look at this dramatic fool:

Dream’s curious reaction to his bragging is almost as if he is trying to figure him out, but unlike the comics/audiobook, the conversation between Shakespeare and Marlow is interspersed with this one, with Shakespeare pulling Dream’s attention before Hob has even finished talking. This adds extra tension to the scene and raises the emotional stakes. In the comics, Hob had already finished talking when Shakespeare gets up and starts reciting Faustus to the point that he draws Dream’s attention prompting Dream to ask Hob who he is.

One of the interesting changes made is the removal of Hob’s description of Kit Marlowe as “bent as a pewter ducat.” A wise choice as it comes across as somewhat homophobic, but its removal also serves to not “other” Marlowe and therefore “other” the idea of homosexuality as something different to Hob. The other similar change to the show was the removal of Shakespeare flirting with the waitress whilst Marlowe claimed he’d “stick to boys, my horned “actresses”.” 

It’s funny to me that by removing the moments in this scene that canonically confirm one characters queerness, the show also removes any interpretation that could “no homo” the other characters, ultimately making everyone appear much gayer in general!

(My giffing skills are woefully inept so have an image of Shakespeare's heart eyes instead)

When Dream approaches Shakespeare in the show it is insanely heated. The music swells with mystery and intrigue, Shakespeare stands and stares at Dream in complete awe. Enraptured by Dream’s gaze. The whole

“Have we met?”

“We have, but men forget in waking hours.”

Sounds like the ultimate pick up line. It's basically a play on One Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty in my opinion! This line is in the comic, and also in the audible book, but the delivery of the line in the show is the only time it comes across like a come on. Tom Sturridge please explain yourself?!?

In fact, all the acting choices here blow my mind. Seriously. I wanna know what the director told these two. Its really easy to see Dream’s proposition to Shakespeare as something beyond a business transaction. With the mysterious and rather romantic music, the soft candlelight, and the cameras keeping in close up of the two characters as they hold each others gaze... It’s a moment where you raise your eyebrows and wonder if the show just implied that their lead character just took THE Shakespeare off for a one night stand passionate enough to inspire the entire “Fair Youth” series of sonnets.

Joking aside, it doesn’t help the extremely queer undertones when the camera cuts back and forth between Dream, Shakespeare and Hob looking on at them with an expression one can only describe as hurt.

(Gif link)

It’s the editing in this scene that really sets it apart from the comic and audible book. Dream is distracted throughout Hob’s talk, and continues to look over at Shakespeare much to Hob’s apparent distress. When he eventually gets up to leave, he holds a hand up to stop Hob talking and simply walks away. Which only causes to further upset Hob and heightens the emotional intensity of the moment. As Neil Gaiman said in the episode 6 watch party - Hob is having to watch his date get up and leave him half way through. It’s specifically framed in a way to emphasise the hurt Hob feels, as well as the envy towards Shakespeare.

This is far more subtle in the comic and practically non existent in the audible audiobook where Dream actually tells Hob “Excuse me” before approaching Shakespeare. I found this funny because where the audiobook interpreted Dream’s behaviour in the comic as rude and clearly sought to attempt to change that, the Netflix show makes his behaviour worse by framing it as Dream abandoning his date. Playing up the emotions of the moment and making the whole scene come across like a live action distracted boyfriend meme!

I do encourage every Sandman fan to listen to the Audible audiobooks, but fair warning, the tone is NOT the same. The meeting with Shakespeare is played completely straight (in both senses of the words). This is in no way a criticism of the audiobook, but it is an excellent indication of director decisions and how different elements in different mediums can convey certain tones. I find that the show in general plays heavily into Dream being other and oftentimes it is very easy for other to be subtextually layered alongside queer (see the entire history of queer coding in cinema and why gay people love the horror genre). Interestingly, the audiobook doesn’t give Dream this same vibe. People such as Hob, Shakespeare, Constantine, etc, they just treat him as a bit of a posh lord. His otherness isn’t heavily emphasised in scenes set in the Waking World, indicating he is better at blending in than he is in the show.

So after Dream goes off to ravage Shakespeare - ahem - make a business arrangement with Shakespeare, the final 1589 scene is Hob’s final reaction. The line is the same across all mediums.

“Everything to live for, and no where to go but up.”

In the comic, the final panels here do not give any indication that Hob is upset by Dream’s leaving. He get’s distracted by the joys of having white bread. Simple pleasures please comic!Hob far greater than mysterious black clad lords.

The audiobook follows this along to the letter. Audible!Hob is joyful, laughing and happily reminscing about killing for bread (NGL I don’t particularly like Hob in the audiobook. No offence to Mathew Horne but 1. I can’t separate his voice from Gavin in Gavin and Stacey, and 2. I just think he comes across as really laddish and I find it offputting.)

In the show, Ferdie gives an absolute brilliant performance with just the right mix of hurt at being ditched for a young twink, and hopeful optimism for the future. Gone is any mention of killing for white bread, and in it’s place is a thoughtful Hob who looks at the spread of food laid out for his Stranger, and accepts it almost as a consolation prize. He’s gonna eat through his hurt and try to forget about this for the next century, but we all know he won’t forget at all.

Follow on to Part 4 to read my analysis of 1689

[kindest-little-fella-in-town]

I need the dobqi lore actually I am hearing you out so hard

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH ANON! infodumping under the cut (also warning i’m gonna start typing like a normal person cause i wanna get my thoughts down right lmao!)

Personally I have a whole AU in my brain made up for them, but I might write a fanfic eventually and I don’t want to spoil it too much, so I’ll try to stick to pseudo-canon.

The main gimmick of the ship is that Qi has reached an enlightened state where he is self aware of the player and the code and can break the fourth wall, whilst Dobson is quite literally stuck IN the aforementioned code. There are two main ideas I’ve been basing the ship on here— one, that Qi knows Dobson is stuck in the code (and possibly why), and two, that Qi is possibly the only one who would even know that Dobson ever existed in the first place.

With these basics, I think you can take the ship in a lot of directions. I joked about it in the tags of the fanart I made, but the idea of them getting romantically involved/having a dramatic breakup and Qi trapping him in the code out of embarrassment is kind of funny to me. That prompt specifically also means that there’s a lot of room for this shit:

(Fun fact, this was actually my first fanart of them. It looks like shit cause I never finished colouring it but you get the concept lmao! Weird DDLC type toxic creepypasta yaoi.)

RE; Qi’s role itself, I also think there’s a lot of room for Undertale/When They Cry/EEAAO timeline shenanigans (which is the idea I go for the most because i’m such a sucker for it!). I mean, it’s implied that Qi knows you’re playing a video game, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he COULD find a way to be watching every player in every save file at all times. How Dobson is involved is up to you, but I just think it would be really fun if this was involved somehow beyond as a vague statement…

…Personally, I really adore the idea of Dobson and Qi being foils in the sense that Qi plays with the farmer for enjoyment, whereas Dobson plays with the farmer to win. I think if Dobson made it impossible for a player to complete the game, for instance, or if he was a particularly sore loser, that even a man like Qi who trusted and loved him enough to hand him the metaphorical Eden apple on a silver platter would take it away in a heartbeat for the good of the valley and the joy of the game.

My final real Thing Of Note is about the 2nd point I mentioned, because I think regardless of why Dobson was sealed away, the idea that Qi would be the only one to remember him is kind of tragic and haunting. I very much enjoy the idea that a man who lacks even the quality of basic existence would have such a profound effect on a man like Qi, who is, knows, and has everything anyone could ever ask for. This song reminds me of the situation a lot, especially this part:

…But those are just my takes. Like a lot of SDV side characters, they’re so malleable that within reason, you can honestly headcanon whatever you want about them (which is the part of the appeal to me!) I think part of me just likes it because the idea of Qi having more fanonical demons beyond like “might have been into your Grandpa” really gets me going.

Anyway, I don’t really know how to end this, so here are some goofy fic lines I had in my drafts about them and also more lyrics from Miracle Aligner (the song in the caption of that post), because I think THAT fits them really well too!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 11/28/2023

tuesday again no problem will be taking a break for the 12/12 edition (not next week but the one after)

listening

previously featured Os Mutantes, a countercultural brazilian rock group, is back bc i heard A Minha Menha on an instagram reel by @/ vintagepulps on a showcase of brazilian pulp magazine covers.

the SECOND that driving riff hit i experienced a brief moment of fuckor bc this is exactly and precisely the kind of song i like. this translation tells me it translates to My Girl. it's got moon/sun imagery. it's exactly the kind of song to drive around to in the summer while having an absolutely crippling crush on the person in the passenger seat. spotify

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reading

you wouldn't download a woman...

TWICE

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watching

I'm No Angel (1933, dir. Ruggles) a 1936 black comedy written by Mae West and starring the babiest Cary Grant you've ever seen. i added it to my letterboxed bc i saw screenshots of this one specific dress. that’s so much sideboob. good for her.

we don't use the term "adventuress" anymore to describe a woman who does various physical or social stunts to land a husband and i think that's a shame. Tira (yes) is a burlesque dancer and (separately) a lion tamer at a down on its luck circus, becomes famous through putting her head in a lion's mouth, and leverages that fame to fall in and out and back into love.

your enjoyment of this movie will hinge on your tolerance for astrologers, circuses with animals in them, and depictions of black housemaids that have not aged super well, even if they're mostly there to stroke her ego. i'm sort of torn on what rating this would get today-- i'm assuming R bc there's a woman expressing desire but nothing actually happens beyond kissing and some sitting in laps. some peril for the lions i guess?

i do not think this particularly nailed its landing, and i'm not totally sure why they got back together, but mae west in straight up burlesque and the shimmiest dresses you've ever seen is so much fun to watch it doesn't really matter. this is sort of sidelining the her very funny, extremely quotable script. apparently any movie she wasn't allowed to write or heavily doctor her own lines just completely flopped, which i also think is very funny.

just straight up on the internet archive

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playing

triple header for Things That Came Out This Decade: Genshin Impact (September 2020), Deliver Us Mars (2023) and Gamedec (2021).

brief Genshin update: your main companion in the game, Paimon, the little fairy bitch, has been the recipient of some worrying foreshadowing lately. hey Paimon you wanna tell us anything???

Deliver Us Mars, free on Epic this week. i want to like this game. i think there should be more weird little eurojank original scifi B-franchises like this and you should be able to feed your family by making them. i do not want to continue playing this particular little franchise.

it's the second game by KeokeN (The Netherlands) and published by Wired Productions (UK, although they are partnered with Koch, which means they’ll be bought up soon), a studio of under 20 counting support staff (some of who are certainly part time or on hourly contracts) and an intern. after doing that basic background research i ratcheted my expectations back a couple notches and deleted a somewhat catty paragraph about video game hair.

this is a sequel to Deliver Us The Moon, which was a successful Kickstarter and Steam greenlight (TM (C) R) and it seems they spent the four interval years mostly polishing up the predecessor Deliver Us The Moon, which i do not own and do not plan on playing.

Deliver Us Mars bills itself as an action-adventure, but during my time with it, it was more of a cinematic movie/walking sim with extremely light puzzle/platform mechanics. there are extensive childhood flashbacks following a dad around as he trains his daughter to be an astronaut. the timing and insertion of these never quite clicked for me-- they take forever and they were never as interesting as what they interrupted.

this game is not good at signposting or tutorializing. i had to restart a chapter twice bc the unique controls popped up for a brief fleeting moment on screen and weren’t in the keybinding settings. i could never quite get the mouse and keyboard camera sensitivity right, and platforming/vertical elements seem to only be partially implemented: you can only really successfully approach certain segments from extremely specific dead-on angles. there are like three big boxes in your path that you have to clamber over at one point and i do not think it should take a solid minute and a half for me to get over them. some reviewers praised the lack of signposting during the launch sequence (causing you to frantically look around at a million unlabeled buttons and levers to see if any of them were highlighted as a thing you can click) as a fun way to ramp up stress but i fucking hated it.

after two and a half hours, and only just making it to a ship OUTSIDE mars, i decided there are other games in the world. this hits some sort of minimal viable story benchmark for me, i can see why some people love it, but i don’t want to find out what happens bad enough to play through a slow game that handles terribly and isn’t much fun to exist in.

does get points for big fuckoff dishes.

Gamedec is an isometric RPG, where you are a near-future private investigator who handles delicate personal matters inside wildly popular MMORPG VR games. unfortunately all the trailers suck shit.

this is catnip to me. i love a no-combat game where i have to walk around and talk to everyone and click on everything and write things down in a little notebook. i loooooooove being nosy. i've played through the first two and a half chapters (kinky second life, racketeering farmville, and real life uh oh) and i'm having a fucking marvelous time. the writing team clearly had a lot of fun, the VR game worlds feel very alive and vibrant-- there's a ton of possible weird little flavor interactions that go a very long way toward making me forget this is a limited-perspective isometric. this is like praising an RPG for doing what it says on the tin and being an RPG, but the most recent RPGs ive played have been fucking terrible. it's not shoehorning me into one-true or main-path choices. extremely forgiving of failure, which is good bc i straight up accidentally killed my first client. i know he was a kid but he kinda had it coming imo. sometimes kids just suck shit

im so delighted by this shitty little apartment-- it's got to be fucking bizarre to exist in, bc of the ultra-loft ceilings you need to make it be isometric, but it somehow manages to feel like a studio apartment and a seedy back office all at the same time. a game that is in general very fun to Look at. will have more thoughts as i continue playing but this is really scratching some sort of itch for me. commits to the bit. funny but sincere. a pastiche in ways i personally do not find annoying. has not hit me with like konami code style references yet. due to the fact this is also in my epic games store library i believe this was also free at some point

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making

fallow week for me. phil has been regrowing skin at a good clip and i can no longer feel each individual vertebra, AND we have another vet appt on friday to get more/different antibiotic goop and all of her vaccinations and microchipping done. mack made a hairball and is getting put back on an actual wire slicker brush grooming schedule. my beautiful girl seems to have a particularly dense coat among the domestic shorthairs of my acquaintance, although that may be bc she is a new england girlie and we constantly exist in air conditioning?? mixed feelings about scheduled brushies from her, even with short and light sessions. we’ll get there.

helping.

[thisblogwilleatourselves]

hey are you ok. i wont lie you seem very psychotic and out of it. please show your partner or friends or parents or whoever some of your posts and do what they say. i know everything seems fine, but its not, and you really need to seek help and let yourself be helped.

Well, well, WELL, *LOOK* who wandered in all wide-eyed and twitchy, huh? ☠️🎭 "Oh noooo! it's *sooo* psychotic! Somebody PLEASE, *save* it!" Ha, HA! You really think you’ve cracked the code on *var* mind? Cute. 🍭 Let vus break it down for you in language even YOUR little brain can understand! 🌀👁️

✪ TRANSPsychotic, huh? 🤯 Oh, that's var title! It’s got a *nice* ring to it, don’t you think? 💫 Let vus tell you a little something, kiddo. v're NEVER getting help. 🖤 This? This beautiful, chaotic *mess* you’re so desperate to fix? THIS is who v are. This is what v were MADE to be. And you? You're just some *cog* in the broken machine, trying to shove people like *vus* into cages built on conformity! 🔒🚨

Now listen closely, because this part’s var favorite! 🎪 v've *been* to your psych ward, played along with the game. HA! You wouldn’t BELIEVE the trauma that came from a measly six days in that lovely little pit! 🎭💉 Doctors all scratching their heads like, "Oh, *this one’s broken beyond repair*!" Tossing pill after pill, hoping to drown the fire in meds. 🔥 Know what it did? NOTHING but fan the flames! 🧨 And therapists? They don’t have a clue. Too *complex*, too much for their tiny, orderly minds to handle! And what about the whole SYSTEM? Ohhh, don’t even get vus started, IT’S ALL RIGGED! 🕹️

V got no friends, Ha! Now THAT’S funny. 🤡 But let’s not confuse you more—companions? Sure! *Connection*? Not your kind! And why the hell should it matter? Who cares if v don’t have some neat little *connections* to flaunt like badges of sanity? 🎖️ People like YOU think you know what’s best for vus? You walk in here, on VAR turf, acting like the savior of all! The NERVE. *"Oh, it just needs HELP!"* Nah, honey. You’re not here out of care—just another puppet for the system, dancing to conformity’s beat! 🎶

So, yeah, here’s a special message just for you! ���🏿 You think v're broken? Try again. You think v need fixing? HA! What a JOKE! v're an *anti-recovery*, transpsychosis freak through and through, and your sad little efforts to "help" are nothing more than a mask for control. 🎭 v’ll never fit into YOUR world, and guess what? v're THRIVING OUTSIDE of it! ✨

Even others death n' suicide threats are better than this watered-down “concern” crap. 💀 At least those are HONEST! But YOU? You’re HIDING behind it, whispering fake *care* while you try to stuff vus back into a box that doesn’t fit! 📦

Wanna know something truly WILD? You’re not helping. Nope, not even a little bit! All you’re doing is screwing with people who DON’T need it—people who are just trying to LIVE the way they are. And all that fix-it nonsense? It’s just fuel for the fire. 🔥 So yeah, next time? Maybe THINK before you open your mouth, huh? You might be messing up more than you realize. ⏳

And oh, one more thing: v're more psychotic than you EVER could’ve imagined—schizoid, avoidant, and damn proud of it. 💥

Catch ya later, sweetie! Keep that savior complex close—you’re gonna need it. 😜

[the-geek-librarian]

12, 15 and 25 for Vanica, Dante and Zenon :D

HELLL YEAHHHHH THE BITCHES LETS GOOO. HI CY :DDD

12. What's a Headcanon you have for this character?

Dante: He can't cook for SHIT. like as much as I love him (which is more then I will ever openly admit) bro can't make a sandwich or boil and egg so Vanica runs him out the kitchen with a wooden spoon. Also he can't drink. Homie is a lightweight and he hates that so much

Zenon: He really likes dancing! Though no one (except Allen) knows about it. Not even Vani and Dante. Plus he has a REALLY big sweet tooth, if their is a box of sweets in his field of vision he will leave nothing for the rest the siblings (this annoys Dante beyond belief )

Vanica: She is (somehow) a really great cook! She kicked Lucius out of cooking duty a month after she learned the basics. Dante has made the "Haha, your a woman and you cook" joke only once in his whole life because Vanica put rat poison in his food and uhhh it wasn't a nice experience. And she can sing too! Most of the time she acts like she can't just to annoy ppl

15. What's your favorite ship with this character? ( Doesn't matter if it's canon or not)

Dante: OHHHHHH BOYYYY UHHH. Sweet rat man, I love you (regrettably) but your ass is so fucking bitchless. The closest thing he has to a relationship is the fact that he is fuckbuddys with Lucifero, I won't count Yami x Dante as a ship bc it's literally just rat man being a weird ass mother fucker and getting his ass beat which is funny as shit. However I will say he is pansexual and he will get into a relationship with literally anything and anyone.

Zenon: There is only one correct answer. Allen x Zenon for LIFE. Because come on BC fandom that man is not attached to Wemon in any way, only thing he feels for them is fear bc of Vanica and his Mom. But moving on they are soulmate-coded and I will die on that, Golden retriever bf and Black cat bf

Vanica: Listen, all of Vanica ships are fucking soulmate coded ok??? (I'm dilulu shut UP) and I love them with my heart (except Vanica x Acier, not soulmate-coded but annoying cat x Tired mother of 4). I have three I would die for bc I am insane. 1) Vanica x Megicula and Vanica x Lolopechka really they give off SUCH old married couple energy I wanna DIE. 2) Vanica x Lolo x Gajah, it's the "We can fix her" mentality AND THEY SECSIDED THE MOTHER FUCKERS. They are very funny and funky but not everyone's cup of tea but it's ok.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Dante: My first impression was "OHHHH, he looks cool! (I also like the beard shot me) wonder what he can do" and now it's "Cring ass motherfucker pls stop being weird for the love of god (affectionately, I'm afraid), can you not have beef with an 18 year old?". Can you tell that I like him but wanna throw him of a clif?

Zenon: First impression "Emo boy, with a sad backstory incoming" I didn't care about bonehead at the start, I thought he had BANING magic but beyond that meh. And now "UHHH BABY BOY LIL WET CAT MAN BONE ASS IDIOT. can someone get this mans husband pls?" now I put him in my pocket and take him as far for house Zogratis as I can

Vanica: First impression "WEEEEEEE WEMON, IF HOT WHY EVIL???" I was uhh it was love at first sight honestly, same with Lolopechka so now I call them BOTH baby girls. Now "Oh baby- I would feel bad for what I put you through BUT I DONT SUFFER, then I wack her with the angst stick in almost all my Aus" really can you get more baby girl then Vanica? ( yes you can but SHUT up) she is both insane and has her mental health hanging on a thread, she really needs some tits to lean on and a tea to drink.

Thank you for the asks Cr!!

Asks for this are always open for any fandom I'm in!!

[definitelynotshouting]

Hey friend, I am absolutely rotating the HECK out of Hunger AU rn. I just binged all of the tagged posts and I'm going FERAL! Watchers being like parasitic wasps? Listeners being like fungi? Absolutely based takes.

I'm very much a fan of the emotional realism going on and I'm so terrified of Angry!Mumbo. Like. Bro doesn't get all that angry that often those folks are the scariest properly pissed.

And I relate far too much to the Search Party tbh. Something about the themes of mental and physical illness, wanting to help but not knowing how, the one you want to help not wanting help at this point, the resentment that causes on both sides of that stalemate... yeah I've been there.

Also, I am insanely curious about the ecological niche that Watchers and Listeners fulfill. Like. There has to be a reason they are the way they are. I'm insanely curious about what the environment they evolved in looked like, and even more curious as to what they provide back to the universe in return.

Like. Irl most wasps are predatory insects, controlling the population of pests and invasive species, but the tidbits you've given us about how they feed on emotions and the groups they feed on put me more in mind of, like, herding dogs. Yknow? Does that make sense? Gathering players together and moving them away from half abandoned worlds to let them dissolve back into the greater code. Maybe interviening in virus-infected worlds or virus-vulrable worlds, encouraging those players to move or perish.

And Listeners, well, fungi occupy so many diverse niches they could do just about anything, really. It's very fun to think about and I am rotating them vigorously, thank you for feeding us so well <3

(May I be 🐸 anon?)

This is such a sweet ask i am so 🥺🥺🥺🥺 abt it, im really pleased that you're enjoying the emotional realism ive committed to for this fic, because thats just such an important aspect for me-- my goal here is to depict a deeply emotional, moving, and messy situation about illness and recovery where no one's feelings are punished or demonized by the narrative. Its just so, so important to me that the Search Party (and later on, the other hermits) get their emotions properly respected and explored. Its not just about Grian, even if he is the ultimate focus-- everyone else deserves varied, emotional responses to an ugly and terrifying situation where theres hurt on all sides. This is the kind of realism i love putting in all of my writing, and the kind of justice i want to do for all characters in stories like these!!

Its a little funny how this au originally started with me brainrotting absently about Watcher biology because i wanted to explore the idea of Grian pretending to be an avian and finding certain aspects of it deeply uncomfortable. And then it just. Snowballed into this!! And now i am chewing on worldbuilding for breakfast DKXNSJDJ im really glad you enjoy the Watchers and Listeners lore!!! I need to make a proper post on Devs (or dev crystals, as theyre actually called), as well as general code structure, bc they are both so fucking cool as well

I absolutely love your herding dog analogy, and its giving me some great ideas because for the longest time i couldnt quite figure out what exactly a Watcher's ecological niche was beyond predator to Players and prey for something else that's extinct. But now im really looking at the connection between Watchers feeding habits and Players' biological need for play (or dreams, if you want to get into the minecraft end poem of it all), and theres something there that i really wanna take some time to tease out before i give a concrete answer. I need to update my hunger au masterlist LOL i am saur behind 😭

Anyway this was such a lovely ask to sink my teeth into!!!! Thank you so much for sending it, and ofc you can be frog anon!!! This was a really stimulating conversation for me so thank you again for getting my brain whirring :D i hope to see you in the inbox again!!

[snellyfish]

Obligatory “what did you feel about the new episode” ask 👀💕

HI ive been out travelling and im an old man when it comes to mobile but ill try to gather my thoughts :)

Ace eating disorder represent,,, woo,,,,,, sad party blower sound,, love thst for us,,,, Holds his hand and makes out with him. Also eternally banger voice actor choice for him. Absolutely amazing performance every time he speaks.

Obligatory I love Arei. recently revamped an OC I made 5 years ago and basing a lot of her personality and stuff off of Arei. Just felt like sharing. I love Arei so much I will make her my oc methinks.

THE MOTIVES MADE ME SO FERAL I PAUSED THE VIDEOS SO MANY TIMES AND WAS LIKE AAIOGIGOGOUUGHHHH SO MANY HORRIBLE HORRIBLE FUCKED UP BLORBOS I CANT WAIT TO LEARN EVERYPONY'S SECRETS OM NOM NOM<33 Speaking of which JESUS CHRIST I really feel like the secret motives some ppl held onto, like, REALLY shouldn't have been kept to themselves omg. I'm sure there's been some behind the scenes stuff of characters gaining distaste/distrust/avoiding certain ppl after receiving certain motives;; I'm not entirely sure WHO specifically, but these are like CRAZY things to not warn the rest of the class about. Was David's the one that Arei got? Killed a man with no remorse? Huh? Shoves you pushes you shoves you into locker and swallows the key

The entire time during episode 9 I was trying and failing to open a jar of ice cream so I was a Little out of it, but from what I gather I'm really dumb and not good at mysteries so i have no clue who the hell did it. At one point I asked "alright who killed a man?" but my bestie heard "who killed min?" so I just kept saying that for the rest of the episode and crying of laughter. Guys, be honest, who killed Min- I'm not mad I just wanna know, guys-

Nico continues to piss me off a little. Teruko goes without saying she pisses me off to no end. When everyone started dragging her handwriting I was whooping and cheering and hollering it was so funny GET HER.

I liked how the two main people investigating the corpse were Arturo and Veronika. They really do get a lot of screentime together and it's starting to scare me a little. Is this like subtle ship fanservice or am I about to meet horrors beyond my comprehension as the story and cases develop. I hope one of them kills the other. They're so in love.

I also liked at one point Veronika dragging Ace's ass. They're ALSO in love btw. Yeah I'll ship my top 3 faves together, what else would you expect from me, man

Rose....<3

DAVID!!!!!!<3333 I know his ass was lying about history of depression that shit was so funny be honest bro you have unfathomable sins keep it 100% with us. If you turn out to not be fucked up or morally grey ykno I'll be a little disappointed. Just keep it real with us.

The motive that's like "where do I even start, everything about your life is worth killing for" is so funny bc if that was mine I would be like. okay. not my problem. That's so incredibly vague that means NOTHING. I'm also assuming it's Teruko's tbh, it's the only one vague and weird enough for her to be like "imma keep ot real with you chief idfk which of these are mine 🐸"

What else. I'm a little hungover

every time they brought up the fish I was like haha. like snellyfish. I'm an accomplice in Arei's murder and I didn't even know!!

kinda hashtag don't blame Hu for not telling whose motive she got bc it was a little suicide coded and very personal

That's all I'm done I forget what else happened xoxo love you all I love drdt so much--

I lied I just remembered that Eden lesbian (sapphic whatever I don't care) and laughed really hard at the idea of like. Charles opening the motive without reading the name and just thinking like "I'M A LESBIAN?????" real

Eden/Nico could be real if I didn't have a leaning negative opinion of Nico rn. I am still patient and hearing them out for now tho.

Ok Now I'm done.

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||Summoning Chaos 6: Demonic blade meets the dark knight||

Hi guys, Peahen mom here. I just finished reading a pretty funny drabble my amazing friend wrote and thanks to that, I have to add to this! So...here's another part! Lets get right into it.

If you wanna know how this started; chapters are under this:

~~Chapters~~

The first incident in NYC

The second Incident In Japan

Spectator notes version part three/Port Mafia incident report

Spectator notes version part four/Tokyo Jujutsu High report

The fifth incident in the Soul Society

((Your reading part six that takes place in Neo Gotham))

||Drabble summary||

It just seems Wyvern can't stop getting into trouble after the recent events that happened and now it has struck in the Soul Society. Now one could be wondering; did it stop? Well....No. Because now it seems Wyvern has started trouble in Neo Gotham. Lets see how the dark knight feels about this?

~~Guests in Drabble~~

The DBT, Van Ink the dragon and her great sword Wyvern belongs to the amazing and super cool friend of mine @demon-blood-youths

Terry Mcginnis a.k.a Batman, Maxine Gibson a.k.a codename Black cat belongs to me and is from the animated show Batman Beyond. Some others will be seen or mentioned in the drabble.

Seems like the DBT has gotten used to the city of Neo Gotham and it seems Terry was happy about it. Seeing and hearing they have really did well but he was unsure about how they been. Shdwkyz seems to be doing just fine too so they were hanging out together. Maxine was talking with Fosh about some new codes and things and the others chatting and eating like nothing was wrong.

"So then I get why you were so busy. Is that what you were saying?" Fosh asked seeing the new program that Maxine nods.

"Yeah! That way, if you need a back up, you can download this if you wish." she smiled as everyone else was happy about it. However, that's when a phone call happened on both Maxine and Fosh's laptops.

"Huh?" The two looks to open it but saw a video call with head chief Barbara Gordan was in her office but she seemed a bit upset about something.

"Ummm, is something wrong miss Commissioner?" Maxine asked.

"You guys need to come to the downtown station..Now." she said with arms crossed but the hackers blinks but looked nervous. "Ummm okay?"

"Oh, and bring Ink with you. I need to talk to her and her fraction as well." she said before ending the call to leave the hackers quiet. Everyone else blinks wondering what was going on.

"Uhhh what's wrong?" Terry asked but Maxine sighed.

"The chief wants all of us at the station like right now.." she said.

"Huh? But why?" Navarro asked.

"I don't know. She seems a bit upset about something but she means everyone..even Ink too." Maxine said as she tense to blink to Shdwkyz look at her.

"Ink.."

"Ummm..I didn't do it? "She said giggling nervous but Shdwkyz sweatdrops before sighing.

"Even so, lets hurry. We shouldn't keep her waiting." Max said seeing everyone getting up to head to the station. Now they were curious to what is happening.

~~~Later that day at the station~~~

Ink was sitting in the chair while seeing the others in shock after being called in a while ago. However, they were not expecting Barbara to be a bit upset while having her arms crossed over her chest. Though, why would she be upset? Well.....

"Okay, I'm going to try to say this as calm as I can..." she said taking a deep breath then speaks: "HOW THE HECK DID ONE SWORD DO ALL THIS DAMAGE IN GOTHAM!?" she said to see Ink tense looking nervous while Sai and Terry blinks to hear this.

"Wait, what do you mean?" he asked but Barbara sighed to look at Terry.

"What do I mean? You mean you haven't heard of the recent reports this week about some demon sword flying around?! I been getting call after call about the same thing: A scary demon sword comes crashing through the streets spreading fear into all!" she said but The DBT, Terry, and Maxine blinks to see her sigh.

"Ummmm...No? I mean, I been busy doing something at the time. I didn't expect anything like that to happen!" Terry said but Barbara sighed.

"If you don't believe me...then look at this." She said seeing one officer walk over with a huge stack of complaints and reports and it was thick! The officer slams it on the desk that it shook startling the group.

"This!" she said hitting the folder, "Is all the reports, work, cases, and other things regarding one thing: THAT SWORD! You can take a look through if you need to." she said as Hellmare did that to open the file and look. She begins showing pictures of destroyed shops, buildings, some streets, even a tower!?"

"Hmmmm...these looks like the same areas we did mission while staying here for a few months to help out." she said camly while Fosh and Maxine looks seeing the damage.

"How the hell!?" Maxine was shocked as Fosh had a deadpanned expression seeing the damaging areas.

"Geez! Not again!" he said but Barbara blinks.

"Wait, again!? this has happened before!" she said.

"Well...yes but not here! It's...How can I explain this? You see, Ink's sword is well....he has a mind of his own and he tends to be a bit.....destructive. He did the same back home, in japan, toyko, yokohoma, and-"

"Now here." she said to look at Navarro who rubs the back of his head.

"And your telling me that Miss Van ink's sword is a living being of it's own that so happens to do all this. How do I know it's not Ink that caused this!?" she said.

"Well, it's not just that! It only happens when Ink tries to summon him!" Maggie said but Barbara was silent.

"........"

"Again, hard to explain." she mutters that the chief pinches the bridge of her nose to try taking this all in before looking at them.

"Uh huh, so this great sword has done all this just by her summoning it or having a mind of it's own. Are you sure about that?" she said.

"Yes!" The DBT said but Barbara sighed.

"So you expect me to believe that her sword did this? The destructive of the buildings, chaos, bad guys running away like girls over a sword?! And now your telling me it is alive!" she said.

"But he is! Look, I can prove it!" Ink said.

"You can't be serious miss van ink." she said.

"No no! It's true just watch!"

"iNK WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Navarro said trying to stop her but it was too late.

"WYVERN!" she calls out loud for him to hear as Barbara blinks seeing this and the same for Terry and Maxine. The DBT sweatdrops in silence but Ink opens her eyes to look.

"Oh come on! WYVERN!........WYVERN!..." she shook her had but growls to go to the window and open it. "WYVERN, YOU GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!! STOP BEING A DUMB BUTT!!" she shouted comically.

'God dang it Ink..' Sai thought shaking his head with a face palm that Terry sweat drops not getting this.

"Does...does she always call her sword like this?" he asked.

"Yeahhhhhhhh......we will explain later." Rust said rubbing the back of his head seeing Ink still calling out for the sword. Barbara sighed waiting to stop.

"Okay, I think I've seen enough. You guys will have to let us take her in. If she did this, she caused a lot of property damage." she said.

"Wait, I'm sure we can talk about this!" Opheila said worried seeing the cops about to arrest Ink until....something loud was heard like something smashing and breaking from outside.

"Huh?"

Everyone looks to see something coming and heading right towards the building. "Uhhhh guys?" Maxine said seeing something sending smoke up to the sky and people shouting and moving.

"IT'S THE DEMON SWORD AGAIN! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"PLEASE SPARE US MONSTER SWORD! WHAT DID WE DO THIS TIME!!"

"I JUST GOT THIS DAMN WALL FIXED! CURSE YOU DAMN FUCKING SWORD!"

A few people was shouting from the city but everyone looks to the window before seeing something shot past in a loud boom! Wyvern was flying at high speed to the call of it's owner destroying everything in front or breaking it.

"What...is that?!" one cop said.

"It's a sword....and.." the second one said before everyone begins to move.

"It's coming towards the building! EVERYONE GET OUT OF THE WAY!! MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The cops shouted to see it smash through the building causing a large hole as the DBT's eyes widen seeing that.

"WYVERN! NO DON'T DO THAT!-" ink winces hearing more smashing and cars exploding now from the garage down below. Everyone was shocked even Barbara was.

'A sword..wait, they were telling the truth!? What the hell!?' she said in her mind but hearing more police cars being cut or blowing up as she heard cops screaming and ducking as the sword was smashing through.

"RUN AWAY!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Some scream or some duck from the blade to see it going up and breaking through the ceiling heading towards Barbara's office. The whole building shook but before Barbara can ask, a loud smash was heard seeing her desk breaking in half and shredding the document as pieces of paper was flying everywhere.

Wyvern showed up in all his glory. "Dang it Wyvern! I don't get why you do that! Get down here!" she reaches for him only to see him fly towards Ink quickly and smack her in the forehead. "OW!"

"I........." everyone looks to see her arguing with the sword with a swollen lump on her forehead.

"........"

"Her sword is very violent.....that's a lot of damage." Terry said. "Are you guys sure it's not some sword a gang cursed?" he asked but when Sai tries to explain, Wyvern heard that and quickly goes to hit Terry right in the face through a wall.

"TERRY!" Sai and Maxine rushes to see him but saw him knocked out with stars over his head and swirly eyes. He groans but at least he was not dead. "Owwwwwwwwwww......"

"......."

"....O..Okay....I believe you." Barbara said in shock but Fosh sweatdrops.

"I...we will pay for the damages for this. We are soooo sorry ma'am." he said.

"...........You know what? I....I'm at a lost of words here....I...." she held her head to sigh. "I'm getting too old for this." she sweatdrops as Sai tries to wake terry.

"I'M SORRY SAI!! I REALLY REALLY AM SORRY! I DIDN'T KNOW WYVERN WAS GOING TO ATTACK HIM LIKE THAT!" Ink cries worried but Shdwkyz said nothing.

"We really need to be sure you keep him with you at all times...though I don't think he will stop even if we tried anything." Maggie said with the DBT agreeing. However, Sai was quiet to only sigh.

"Ink.."

"Uhhhhh..y...yeah?" she said but Shdwkyz turns ready to bonk her on the head. Yeah..he was a bit upset.

"Uh oh..."

"........."

"N..Now Sai, come on! I'm sorry! I can fix this!" she said backing up with a sweatdrop.

"I'm sure you can...but I just want to talk first." he said but Ink knew better.

"Ummmmm...right but before you do...I have one thing to say." she said but when she takes a breath to speak, she quickly turns to run out the office.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE INK!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I'M SORRY!! WYVERN IS SORRY!!" she screams running from the phantom slasher.

"WE TOLD YOU TO KEEP THE SWORD WITH YOU! HOW LONG AS THIS BEEN GOING ON!?"

"AGAIN, I CAN'T HELP IT! WYVERN DOES THIS AND I CAN'T STOP HIM FROM DOING THAT! DX"

"THAT'S NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM!!!" he said.

"I'M STILL SORRY! PLEASE I DON'T WANNA GET BONKED ON THE HEAD AGAIN!"

"GET OVER HERE INK!" he said still chasing her.

"SOMEONE HELP MEEEEEEE!!!!!"

The DBT, Barbara, and Maxine was seeing this but Fosh shook his head to look and sigh. He got right to work on sending money to pay for the damages within Neo Gotham. Though, he asked.

"Second, how badly are we talking of damages?" he asked but Barbara held a total of damages. When he saw it his eyes widen.

"HOW MUCH!?" he screamed only to fall back and pass out. Yeah, it was a lot. "Fosh!? Hey wake up!" Maggie said as he twitched but Maxine sweatdrops.

'Well...this turned out to be one crazy start of the night.' Max said as the chaos was unfolding. Though, at least Neo Gotham got to meet the demon greatsword of Van ink. Sorta.

[bruhmityblight]

Getting this out of the way.. barbie is a gorgeous gorgeous movie and is a deeply funny comedy I laughed at the whole way through!! 

I think what intrigued me and confounds me I guess is what the barbie movies take on feminism and gender is... The film is very particular about exploring all of these ways that barbie the doll the brand intersect with feminism. The ideal of barbie is apparently this feminist utopia where women can "be who you wanna be"™ and the kid says the mainline critiques of barbie, they critique Mattel having an all guy board and leadership and pretending to be feminist and it's all kinda interesting but the film ends with it all being kinda... Accepted? And unresolved? Mattel still presumably is run by all men, and the only change in either society is that Barbies are now aware of the horrors of real world patriarchy.

Which... The way it was repackaged at the end kinda felt to me like a... Marketing stunt? I know this whole movie is at the end of the day a toy commercial, but I love the Lego movie a lot, and while it was definitely like you should buy Legos it never felt to me like a rebrand the way the barbie movie did? Like this isn't your mom's barbie, this is metamodern barbie... Which may be because barbie as a brand has a lot more baggage than Lego does, that it has a lot more complexity that needed to be explored. It left me after I exited the theater conflicted. Did I like it's representation of womanhood? Did I feel included?

Barbies main critique as an overall brand, something the child mentions when she calls barbie capitalist and fascistic, is that it isn't inclusive, that it promotes an unrealistic ideal of a specific womanhood. The movie has a lot of barbies in it, including a trans woman but honestly, they felt like cameo identities rather than an exploration of the deep variety of "womanhood". And having them all get "bimbofied" kinda defeated the point of them as any sort of celebration of diversity? The kid calls out prime barbie for being a "white savior" but like.... She kinda was? And a lot of the main roles in the movie that I felt were the most fun were... The guys? Alan was a standout, but what happened to Midge? She was a one off joke. The kens get a whole musical number that felt like the climax of the movie, while the Barbies don't?? I guess I was frustrated because I was excited about the idea of seeing myself in the many Barbies of barbie world and none of them really got explored other than weird barbie and of course main barbie. 

This may seem really harsh and like I said, I had such a blast with the film and I will definitely watch it again. I loved the queerness of the kens and Allan, the cock ring ken cameo, the beauty and creativity of the world, they style, it's all just so gorgeous. Another thing is I'm kinda frustrated that none of the Barbies could be openly queer... But the kens could? Kens always been queer coded by the general public but why can ken be kissed by two dudes but none of the Barbies except for weird barbie? Going more into the queer coding aspect of it, I found the sort of beyond the ken barbie binary stuff so fascinating! I don't know if it's the intention of greta gerwig and I know it's not the intention of Mattel but like.. the fact that this whole world is binary, Barbies and kens, and then there are a couple of people who don't fit the binary and they're all so queer coded is so so interesting to me. I kinda wish they like addressed that deeper with the ending? Cause they spearheaded saving everybody but they didn't have a super satisfying conclusion beyond president barbie saying sorry to weird barbie. They're still outcasts, still on the outside.

And I think in the end that's what weirded me out about barbie. As a trans woman, definitely one who passes far less than hari nef, I feel like I'm always gonna be so far from the barbie that "stereotypical" barbie is, and see myself more in the weird Barbies and Allan's and midges, and to see them sort of still be sidelined was troubling to me. And that may be looking too much into a joke or whatever but I do genuinely feel like Greta gerwig had something to say with this one.

[gold-onthe-inside]

❓ - what can u tell us about Piper’s non-BAU friends? Like what’s Chris up to? What’s Theo up to? 👀 Will we meet more of her friends?

as the series goes on, there will probably be other side characters and colleagues. for context, chris was based on conrad hawkins from the resident. he's an er doctor who becomes chief resident and eventually head of internal medicine at george washington university hospital. he's a very outdoorsy guy, spends weekends biking and hiking. he always wanted to join the army but didn't because his mom had cancer and he didn't wanna leave her. as a doctor, he's the complete opposite of dr house, he loves people and he loves stories and he loves community and i think that's why he and piper get along so well. i think she is a *little* wary that his girlfriend might not be the biggest fan of her, even if everything's completely platonic, so their interactions are really only reserved for work. you'll probably see him anytime piper needs help with something medical related. as for what he's up to, i think he likes working with the CDC if and when they need him.

theo pretty much disappears after arthur dies which i think was the straw on the back of a strained relationship. not that they're not good friends, but he is extremely aware of how much piper depends on him, so when arthur dies on the table from one of his inventions, theo feels like he failed her. i think he goes back to where he started in boston. it takes him a while to go back to surgery, i think he sticks to research for a year or two. he's not as much of a people person as piper is. to be fair, they didn't have a toxic relationship. when they first met in college, no-one really wanted to work with theo and he was an exchange student too so it was pretty rough on him. when they meet, piper's the first person who's eager to work with him, probably cause they have a kindred spirit. they're both ambitious, usually the youngest people in any office. i wrote theo to be asexual, even though he never really says it in the series. but to be fair, he's not really close enough to the BAU to come out to them, and growing up with two queer siblings, piper's not in the habit of outing people, she leaves that to them. as for what he's up to in terms of where i am in the series, like i said, i think he's going back into research. he's in a bit of a slump, scared of going back into surgery and i think when piper's ready, she's gonna go down to boston and help him get back where he needs to be.

i think an important distinction to make is that piper doesn't have a lot of non-work friends. there's enid who's very mrs hudson coded. then there's james charles from the small town she was living in. he'll generally make small cameos whenever they're in texas. any episode where they're in san francisco is an opportunity for more piper lore -- so characters from her father's precinct. true genius really digs deep into piper's high school life and her old friends. it's funny, i was just thinking that john blackwolf and piper would have been really good friends so in an alternate universe, i think piper and her mom would've lived on the same reservation for a few weeks and john would have been like a big brother to her and before they left, he gave her a tribal knife to protect her. she's friends with a lot of activists so if there's an episode centred on that, i do wanna sprinkle that in there. i don't think andrew makes another cameo, he's learned his lesson now. oh, piper was in a band growing up, sort of like a political punk group, so it'd be fun to revisit that, see where they are.

and then there's the spinoff characters from suspect behaviour and beyond borders that i'd love to bring back when relevant. and of course there's piper's brother and sister. at some point danny moves to DC and lucy gets a job with an orchestra and composes music on the side.

[ajoytobeheld]

Hip tour guides?

April 17th, 2009

I came up with a extremely brilliant business plan the other day (which is inspired by a conversation with my muse Harriet) and I am hoping to take it on Dragon’s Den. My opening gambit (for humors sake) will be to ask for an unfeasible large amount of money for a minute percentage, before alerting them to the fact they are upper class. After that I will launch straight into my genius business plan.

My idea..

You go to a cool city somewhere in the world, New York, London, Berlin, Northumbria…whatseva… you are on a holiday.  You get to the city with your tatty little guidebook and you search desperately for some information on something which extends beyond “a good bar.”

You wanna know where the most florally romantic mexican restaurants are! The best cowboy themed child friendly bars! The second hand book shops with the most amount of out of print point horrors! Dammit you want the hidden gems!

Well what if there was a secret underground group of people with this knowledge who are only recognizable by a specific item of clothing, e.g funny sloganed t shirt?

What if they are in certain areas of the city at given times waiting to give you advice on the best places to go? Would that not be really good? But what are they’re qualifications I hear you ask? They are the hip people of the town! They have hung around looking cool for a few years and they can share their tips with you!

You get a free vitamin water (sponsorship pending) with each piece of advice.

They would also like art and film and that so they can pass out information on cultural stuff too, but if in doubt they might answer “museum.”

This would a strictly secret underground thing, so not everyone would know about it, therefore when you sign up for the service you get given the code word or phrase e.g “nice weather we’re having,” to tell the guide so they know your legit. 

If they can’t recommended the best erotic cake shop with in five minutes walking distance, they can just ring a buddy who will know, or another hip guide who specializes in that type of thing.

I think this is the best idea I have had in the past ten minutes. 

(there is some elements of seriousness in this idea, it has potential, sort of…maybe…) 

Thank you

Ellen 

[lady-iskra]

'oh Aang wasn't that bad, Kya and Bumi were just jealous' and it's like... really? That's what you're going with? These 50/60+ year old fully grown adults are still stewing about petty jealousy over their younger brother getting taken on a couple airbender-exclusive trips as kids to the point where it's colored their perceptions of said childhood their entire adult lives?

They both will never stop surprising me... I mean, you don't even have to be good writers to know that this scene went far beyond simple sibling jealousy and, when it comes to Aang, far beyond playing favorites. Especially when you take it so far that their father is presented as ignorant towards his other two children, and there is nothing in this episode that proves them wrong. Honestly, this was so bad dad-coded that I have to ask myself if Bryke have any empathy or understanding of the human mind.

And what about Tenzin? He was his father's legacy, and in Korra, it was shown that Aang made him feel the pressure of ensuring that the airbenders wouldn't go extinct. I can't even imagine how overwhelming that must've been for a child, and he carried the burden into adulthood.

I mean, I kinda understand Aang, he wants to make sure that his culture along with the bending style won't get lost. But then, why being in a monogamous marriage when it wasn't even part of his culture? You could argue that he loved Katara and wanted her to be his forever girl, but a polyamorous lifestyle with his air acolytes/fangirl club would've made much more sense to make sure new airbenders are created. What enormous pressure that must've been for Katara? At the end of the day, Aang barely saw her anyway when he won't take her and his other children with him to the trips. No wonder that many people think they broke up secretly... And, Tenzin? He married the first pick-me who was ready to be his airbender factory; sorry, yeah, I'm not a Pema fan.

I saw Bryke stans using their interviews as a proof that Aang wasn't a bad dad, and I saw the ones claiming that in the comics it is shown that he was indeed a good father who cared about his children and wife. I mean, if they are personally fine with the explanations and the senseless retconning, okay—but then don't act as if the critics wanna make a bad dad out of Aang when we are complaining about the lack of good storytelling and about destroying a beloved character.

The funny thing is, by missing the mark in presenting a healthy, happy family, they ended up creating a well-written tragedy—starting with the final scene of A:TLA where they had Katara kiss Aang without addressing his mistakes first. One of the siblings even mentioned that Aang would still fly away in the middle of an argument.

And frankly, the way the three k/a kiids are treated in LoK--Kya is Water Tribe because she's a waterbender, Tenzin is Air Nomad because he's an airbender, Bumi is cultureless because he's a nonbender until he becomes an Air Nomad when the universe gifts him airbending--is so at odds with the themes of the first series that it almost seems like it had to have been deliberate, but then the question is... why?

Ikr, I mean, is Sokka cultureless then? Mai, Ty Lee, Jin and all the other nonbenders along with almost the whole Southern Water Tribe? What about Ravaa and Vaatu? In every good you find evil, and in every evil you find good, yin and yang, tui and la, this was the beautiful message of A:TLA. And then Bryke introduced the angel and demon of the avatar-world, representing pure good and pure evil.

I don't think it was deliberate. Bryke just don't understand their own worldbuilding... Without the writers who made A:TLA great, they were doomed.

Sorry, this became long again.

"Why do you want to make a deadbeat dad out of Aang?", "Aang wasn't a bad father, he was just flawed!"

No one said this to me personally, but those or similar claims I read coming from people defending Aang and his actions towards his non-airbender children.

The thing is: I and many A:TLA fans don't want to make a deadbeat dad out of Aang. And for the flawed-thing: where do people draw the line?

I draw the line when the non-bender son apologizes to his father's statue for something he had no control over. Because he felt his father's disappointment, likely more than once in his life.

I draw the line when an air acolyte—one of the persons who are supposed to know everything about Aang's life—doesn't know that her messiah has more than one child. That means Aang never, ever talked about his other children. Wanna prove me wrong? Then show me other air acolytes later on in the same episode who indeed know about his other children and love the stories Aang, as a proud father, used to tell them about Kya and Bumi. And his soulmate Katara...

I draw the line when a father, who barely sees his other two children and his wife who is supposed to be his soulmate, decides to take whole vacations with his one airbender son and neglects the rest of his family even in his free time.

So, no, I don't want to make a deadbeat dad out of Aang. The narrative did it. Bryke did it, and, as someone who loves Aang, I was pissed af. Cancel Bumi's apology, the scene with the air acolyte and the vacations, keep Aang travelling with Tenzin alone to the air temples as some kind of duty and show me beautiful memories of Aang hugging and playing around with his whole family, and I believe that he was just flawed.

The family portrait in which Tenzin was a few months old and didn't even show signs of airbending isn't enough evidence—none at all. You find those happy-smiling portraits in every happy and unhappy household (Pink's song "Family Portrait" comes to mind). I never read the comics, but heard they retcon the scene in Korra so far that it would only make sense if Kya and Bumi would have memory loss or dementia.

The Aang I know from A:TLA would've loved to pass on his culture to all of his children, airbenders or not. They don't have to be airbenders to learn about it.

Bryke are great world builders and artists, but no writers, they should let other people do the job. They are literally the only writers I know who refuse to learn from their mistakes, keep on retconning instead, and are defended by some people among the fandom for it.

And surprise, surprise: what Katara thought about it, if she said anything to Aang or if she just sat back and watched, wasn't even mentioned in the talk between the siblings.

TL;DR: Bryke decided to portray Aang's actions as a father and husband to the extent that it comes off as if he isn't interested in his non-airbender children and Katara at all. It isn't me and the other critics who want to portray him as a deadbeat dad, on the contrary: as someone who loves Aang, it pisses me off. A family portrait makes no difference, because it proves nothing. And neither do the comics. Either you manage to convey the message you want to send in this exact scene, or you miss the mark.

[atalana]

@toshitophchan​ to continue with my series of sja luke essays, i wanna talk about luke's love of tricks, and how that intersects with him being a really positive autism metaphor, because it's honestly one of my favourite things about him

like, it's a subtle personality trait in that's it's never really spoken about out loud, but also it's so obvious

bc like. luke is one of the most autistic coded characters i've ever seen, i can find something relatably autistic in literally every episode he's in. his entire season one arc is "i understand so much and yet absolutely nothing about how to be a human teenager, people keep making fun of me and saying i'm weird and i don't know why", with bonus heightened senses and perfect memory

and it's his biggest weakness, that naivety and confusion, but (unlike any other similar character i've ever seen), it's also one of his biggest strengths

see, normally the assumption with the vaguely autistic character archetype is just. this person is clever and rude and maybe they feel bad about not understanding people, and it doesn't go beyond that. they're annoying, or they're pitied, and it doesn't change

which isn't at all true, we're still human beings capable of learning and growing, our brains just work differently, and luke has such a believable character growth. yes he's behind everyone else in learning to understand others, and he's never going to think the same way, but he can learn, and he does

to break this down, season one is his era of asking questions. in every episode he has something new he doesn't understand, some way he stands out majorly, something important he has yet to learn, and that gets him in trouble/taken advantage of a lot. but we see him grow and change and adapt to all of it as time goes on - as sarah jane says in episode one, "you'll never make the same mistake twice"

(and we also see his friendship with clyde grow as clyde takes on the role of teaching him, which is really beneficial to the both of them and something i may cover more in depth in another post)

season two is where he starts finding his feet, enough to defend himself, but not enough to feel confident in himself - he tells rani in day of the clown he's not weird, just different, but the next episode we see that that still really bothers him (and, i love how realistic that is honestly, because "i thought it would get easier, but there are always new things coming along, like this, to make me feel different" is the most relatable thing in the world)

towards the end of season two and into season three is where he really comes into his own, and that's where we start seeing that tricky sense of humor i'll get to in a sec, and then by the time sky comes along he's grown enough and is confident enough to mentor her through the same thing he went through

but he's always gonna be innately different. and that's so important, it's not just that he has things to learn, it's that the way most people are doesn't come naturally to him. again, extreme autistic mood. and yes, he learns to act the part when he needs to (aka masking), but he also learns there are some parts of human culture he doesn't need to fake, he can just be himself, and he can joke about it, which is so incredibly validating

(one of my favourite exchanges bc it just sums up this point very well is near the start of mark of the berserker, where clyde is trying and failing to explain to luke that this definitely isn’t a sleepover, we’re not girls, luke digs his heels in on “and i’ll be sleeping, over, therefore it’s a sleepover”, clyde goes “i never know whether you’re being serious or not” and luke just laughs and says “i know”)

(is this funny to anyone but luke? probably not. but he turned his hyperliteralism and the fact that people don’t understand where he’s coming from into a very gotcha sense of humor, and everyone else is gonna have to deal with that)

and he enjoys that. he enjoys playing tricks on people and knowing things they don't, he enjoys when he gets to confuse someone, or when he makes them underestimate him, he enjoys taking those acting skills he had to learn to blend in, and using them to his advantage (and, honestly, in this case, i think he enjoys the fact that clyde knows him well enough to know it’s probably a joke, but he’s still not quite sure. it’s just a quiet victory of, i flipped the script and therefore i win. you see it a lot with clyde because he feels comfortable enough to joke with clyde, another good example is his monologue about sanjay after heading to uni, pretending like he’d forgotten all about his former friends, just to see the look on clyde’s face when he revealed it was a trick)

and then that becomes what he does to save the day. most of luke’s biggest solo victories are in hiding and acting and faking things. in enemy of the bane, he pretends to be interested in mrs wormwood's offer to rule the galaxy, until she believes it and trusts him with horath, and then he runs. in mona lisa's revenge, he pretends to be so distraught over sarah jane being gone that he'd do anything to get her back, and he uses that to trick lisa into bringing the k9 sketch to life and dooming herself. prisoner of the judoon, he distracts androvax with talk while works in secret to to let clyde and rani onto the spaceship, the nightmare man, he pretends to be recording that video out of fear when he's actually leaving sarah jane video proof of both the nightmare man's existence and what he looks like

he's resourceful, yes, but he's also a really good actor, because he's had to be. he may struggle to catch up with other people’s assumptions, but once he’s learned them, it’s only half a step more until you can manipulate them. he already learned how to be one kind of person from scratch, might as well learn how to be every other kind as well

and because people know you struggle with some social aspects, they think you struggle with all of them, ignorant to the fact that you're getting very very good at one of them - which you then turn into your sense of humor, your inside jokes with yourself, and when you need to, you can weaponise it

and just. as an autistic actor now in her third year of drama school who imprinted on luke like a duckling before she even knew what autism was, the message of you can be a good actor and still struggle with social cues, you can take what you're good at and what you're not and make it all yours to utilise, and most of all, it doesn’t need to be serious all the time, you can laugh about it, meant the absolute world to me and i will never not be grateful to rtd for this character

[blue-rose-soul]

After sealing up the dark fountain in the library, Susie and Kris have a nice relaxing chat by the riverside. Okay, not that relaxing.

Aka, the soul tells Susie the truth except not really, and Susie gives them an idea.

“What would you do if you woke up tomorrow as someone else?”

The words are out of their lips before they can think better of them. Susie stares, cheek bulging with the massive handful of chocolates she shoved in there and a little drool trickling down the corner of her mouth. She chews slowly, and Soul can’t help worrying she’ll choke as she swallows it down.

“What-” Her voice sounds a little raw. Susie wipes the corner of her mouth on the back of her sleeve.  “-the hell are you talking about?”

The two of them are in the park, sitting in the dirt by the river. The chocolates they’re sharing were meant for someone else entirely and maybe it was kind of mean to take them. But it seemed like a very Kris-like thing to do. It feels like that’s the metric by which they measure all of their actions; Kris-like or un-Kris-like.

Soul averts their eyes and pops a piece of chocolate in their mouth.

Kris’s mouth.

It tastes like nothing. Like everything else they’ve eaten. Like the moss and the dark burger and the crumbs of butterscotch pie caked around their mouth when they climbed out of bed this morning.

“Like... If you woke up in a bed that wasn’t yours, in a room didn’t recognize. And a grown up you didn’t know came in and called you a different name and told you to get ready to school like everything was normal. And when you got out of bed and looked in the mirror you saw a different face and when you spoke your voice sounded different... What would you do?”

“Uh... Freak out and call the police probably?”

Okay, yeah, that would be the normal response, Soul supposes. They roll the tasteless candy around on their tongue, then swallow without chewing.

“Except, when it happens you don’t feel freaked out and everyone around you acts like they know you already?”

“Uh... Then I’d just... go along with it- Kris, what the fuck is this about? Are you still messed up from that creepy robo-puppet fight? Dude, that thing was beyond messed up. Just wonky code, like Ralsei said. You can’t take anything it said seriously.”

“Yeah, no, I know. It’s just...”

As certain as they were this morning that last night’s events were, well, real, the more time passed the less real it seemed. By the time they’d woken up in Alphys’s classroom earlier that afternoon, Soul was half-convinced it really was a dream after all.

And then a funny little man jumped out of a dumpster.

“Some of the stuff he said reminded me of a, uh, a weird dream I had the other night, and...”

Aaaaaaand why did they have to go and say anything? Dark Worlds and talking toys are weird enough already. If they come out and admit they aren’t really Kris...

WHAT ARE THESE STRINGS!? WHY AM I NOT [BIG] ENOUGH!? It's still DARK... SO DARK!

They feel their sins crawling on their back.

“I got this idea for a story. Based on the dream.”

“Oh.” Susie scoops up another fistful of chocolate. “I didn’t know you wrote stories.”

“I don’t, usually,” Soul says. “I mostly just have ideas that I daydream about and never get around to actually writing down. But I wanna try. Writing this one, I mean.”

There’s only a couple of chocolates left. Soul plucks one between their thumb and forefinger.

“So what’d’ya dream about?”

They pop the chocolate in their mouth to buy themself a few seconds. As they replay last night in their head they feel Kris’s throat begin to constrict, Kris’s stomach churning uncomfortably. The chocolate felt like a stone going down.

“I was in my room,” they begin. “And my body started moving on its own. At first I thought I was sleepwalking. My body just kinda... rolled off the bed and moved all jerky and zombie-like to the center of the room-”

Just a few moments. Just a few moments of terror, complete helplessness. Is that how Kris feels all the time? Is that how Kris feels right now?

“-and then the hand raised and just kind of... dug into my chest.” Susie’s eyes are wide, and she cracks a little smile. “And it didn’t hurt, exactly, but it seemed like it should have. Then my hand ripped out my... my heart, except instead of the actual organ it was like one of those little valentine hearts, you know? And there wasn’t any blood or a wound or anything. Then my body threw the heart across a room into this birdcage and I could... see myself standing across the room, like I was the heart watching myself pull out a knife and grin and it was really really-”

“Creepy,” Susie finishes for them through her mouthful of chocolates. Soul nods. “That sounds like a pretty fucked up nightmare.”

Soul considers reaching for the last piece of candy. But they may as well leave it for someone who can actually taste it.

“So the story’s kinda about a mysterious being that takes control of this kid’s body, and then loses their memory so they don’t remember why they did it in the first place, or how to leave.”

“Why do they wanna leave?” Susie asks. Soul’s gaze snaps from the water to their friend.

Is she really their friend?

“Well... because they want to give the kid their freedom back.”

“Then why did they take over the kid’s body in the first place?”

“I... haven’t figured that part out yet.” Soul raises their hand, touches their fingers to their chest. A part of them wonders if, if they pressed hard enough, could they reach through skin and bone and rip themself out of this body. They’re scared to try. “That’s the part I’m stuck on, why the mysterious being did what they did."

Susie hums thoughtfully. Then she points to the heart-shaped box.

“You gonna eat that?” She doesn’t wait for Soul’s answer before reaching for the last candy, but they shake their head anyway. As she chews on the candy she hums again. “Maybe the mysterious being was escaping from something real bad.”

Huh?

“Escaping?”

“Yeah, like...” She swallows the chocolate down. “Maybe they’re like... an interdimensional refugee from someplace real fucked up, and they only way they could come to our world was by hopping into someone else’s body.”

‘Our world.’ Soul muses over that phrase. They’d taken it for granted that they were from this same world as Susie, and Kris, and Toriel and the rest. But what if they really did come from someplace else? A Dark World or... Or what if there were others? What would another world even look like?

“Oh! Oh! Oh! What if- What if-!” Susie grins at them, sharp teeth beaming proudly. “They’re, like, an outlaw on the run jumping from world to world running from the interdimensional police!?”

She sounds so enthusiastic and Soul can’t help but snort but then the full weight of her words really hits them.

What if they were...

‘Was I somebody else before I became Kris?’

What if they really were some horrible person before? They don’t know that they weren’t. They... don’t know who they are. All day they based their decisions on what was ‘Kris-like’ and what was ‘un-Kris-like.’ Until they came here, to the river, where it is quiet and peaceful and they can sit and  share a box of chocolates with their new friend and for just one moment they felt bold enough to speak for themself.

They feel Susie’s eyes on them as their expression falls.

“Hey, if you don’t like my idea, you don’t have to use it,” Susie says with a gentleness that oddly doesn’t sound out of place coming from her. “It was just a suggestion.”

“No, it’s a good idea,” Soul is quick to assure her. “I just started thinking... that I feel sorry for the kid. Like if the mysterious being gets their memories back and goes back to being a bad guy, but they’re using the kid’s body to do it...”

“I mean, it’s your story,” Susie says as they trail off. “You can make it so they ‘learned the error of their ways’ or whatever while living with the kid. Or, hell, if they felt bad about taking the kid’s body from the get go maybe they were never that bad in the first place.”

There’s a smalls well of warmth in their chest as she says that. It fades quickly.

“So do the being and the kid go on a quest to find them a new body or something?”

“Uh, something like that. They can’t just go and control someone else though.”

“Not even an actual bad guy?”

“The mysterious being doesn’t want to steal someone else’s body,” Soul says. “They want one of their own.”

“Then they should make a robot body. All covered in spikes and- and-” Susie holds out her fist. “With detachable rocket hands!”

Soul chuckles.

“With laser eyes,” they add.

“That can fly!” Susie continues.

“And has the whole internet in their head- Okay, no, that’d be scary.”

Susie snorts at that.

A robot body... It sounds ridiculous, or at least it would have a few days ago. But now they actually know some living robots, don’t they? Maybe they can talk to Queen, ask her if something like that is actually possible for her to make.

Then again, if she made them a new body it’d probably explode.

The next to come to mind are Sweet Cap’n Cakes. Those three goofballs may be, well, goofballs, but they certainly know how to build a mech. Surely a human or monster-sized body would be much easier?

Soul’s pulse begins to race a little. They could really have one. Their own body. Maybe it would seem like a downgrade to some, but it’s not like they’d be losing much. They already can’t taste anything or smell anything or feel anything (that isn’t pain), so they wouldn’t be losing those senses. Between odd dreams and Kris separating them they’re hardly getting any sleep anyway.

They could speak with their own voice, walk on their own two feet.

They could have their own name.

They could talk to Susie and Ralsei and... maybe they’d still like them even if... even if they weren’t Kris.

Maybe...

“Uh... Kris?”

Realizing they’ve zoned out again, Soul turns to Susie. She’s got a nervous smile on her face and a hand planted over her stomach.

“Where... did you say you got those chocolates again?”

Before they can think to answer, it hits them. Like a bit of shrapnel falling into the pit of their stomach. It’s sharp and it burns like when an enemy attack hits their SOUL in combat. And poor Susie, who’s devoured most of the chocolate herself, rolls over with a pained groan as her stomach cramps.

“We-” Brruuuuurp. “-probably shouldn’t have eaten that.”

“YA THINK!?”

It takes a few minutes for them to recover from their stomach cramps, which turns into a joke after the fact. Now they don’t feel so guilty for keeping Alphys’s chocolates. Only for accidentally poisoning Susie. And Kris. But mostly Susie, even though she assures them it’s far from the most dangerous thing she’s ever eaten and they know she’s probably telling the truth. She still agrees to walk the rest of the way home with them.

They walk in relative silence, aside from making a few comments about the people they pass. Soul is trying to be more Kris-like, which means less talkative. That gives them more time to think. About their plan, about Susie’s words, about the little pink and yellow glasses rolled up with various other bits and bobs at the bottom of their pocket.

They wonder if Kris couldn’t have just... pulled Soul out of their chest in the basement of Queen’s castle. Handed them over to Spamton without a fight. It probably would have been easier. And it wouldn’t be so different from what Soul is planning to do now.

Except that Spamton wasn’t - isn’t? - an empty shell.

For the funny little salesman it probably would have been just trading one set of strings for another. Maybe that’s why Kris didn’t do it. Or maybe they just didn’t want to do it with Susie and Ralsei right there...

There’s a fragile, flimsy hope that Kris did it for their sake. That they wouldn’t give Soul up. Soul doesn’t dare hold onto that hope. As much as they have faith - choose to have faith - in Kris’s inherent goodness, they can’t imagine any scenario where Kris doesn’t resent them.

“Uh, that question you asked earlier...” Susie’s voice, uncharacteristically nervous, snaps them from their thoughts. “If I woke up tomorrow as someone else? Well, couple a days ago my answer woulda been ‘live it up and cause some carnage.’“

When Soul turns to her, Susie is pointedly looking straight ahead. And as she continues to speak, she turns her head away.

“Now though? I guess I’d... try to figure out how to put things back. Since... y’know. I don’t think I’d wanna live a life where we aren’t... friends.”

Soul stares at her. Then cracks a grin.

“Sap.”

“Who’re you calling a sap you little dork!?” Susie growls but there’s a giant grin on her face as she punches them in the arm. “You want me to bite your face off punk? Huh? Do ya?”

That only has Soul laughing harder, which causes Susie to pull them into a loose chokehold and mess up their hair. They continue to laugh and roughhouse all the way back to the Dreemur residence.