#and even as an adult i still feel like im a child with no initiative

[sparrowlucero]

i enjoy ur bird abode thoughts! I was a genuine enjoyer of the show when it was airing, I’m no die hard fan though and love to see ppls personal takes on the overall story/plot. Im curious if you also would agree or have any thoughts on the impacts The Mouse’s cancellation had on the shows ability to be more than it was? srry im not super eloquent with my words, but basically ur response to that ask got me wondering if part of the reason the show like genuinely wasnt all that ground breaking or unique in the end plot wise (other than the villain faces consequences in the end ig) as far as YA/Teen animation goes, was because of The Mouse’s inability to let the writers flesh out the show before gutting it? i have a negative bias toward The Mouse franchise and obviously dont know anything about how writing a show under the eyes of a franchise that big would work, its just smth that rattles around in my head and wanna know what u think!

Well to an extent, but I think it's much more the effect the studio had on how the owl house started out as rather than it not getting a full season at the end - It didn't escape my noticed that the show was initially announced as being a "horror comedy" when it doesn't really seem like either, especially by the second season, and yeah, the original pitch bible is obviously aiming for that much more than the show proper is as it goes along (and is honestly seems quite a bit more funny, weird, and dark, with an overarching plotline about a giant bug being used to religiously suppress people, eda able to cure her curse by killing luz, and one of the major characters being a teen boy awoken from a sleeping curse who ends up being a weird little bigot because he's from the 13th century, among other things)

(side note, i just noticed they actually specifically describe the thing i assumed the show was gonna be about here. huh.) but ultimately the bulk of the show that was actually made seems very influenced by a writing team that was genuinely interested in making a tropey YA fantasy story rather than just being mandated to. I mean even in what aired you can see the show sort of settle in ways that feel less like studio interference and more like, you know, art students creating their ideal fantasy show, like how King is clearly Eda's roommate who's funny because he looks like and sounds like a little dog despite being an adult man at the beginning but by the end they've made him her adopted sad backstory son who's explicitly a child. While I think a third season would have made the show as it existed better, because they clearly didn't get to finish the plot they wanted to (frankly to the point where some major aspects of the show are a bit confusing, I'm still not sure what a grimwalker is), I don't really fault the show for that but also don't think that hypothetical season (which pretty clearly would have been mostly about the magic school teens going to normal school) would suddenly flip around into something that I personally found interesting and subversive. Nor should it, really; again, it being Queernorm Harry Potter thing is clearly the intended appeal of the show, it's not really a flaw but just not a genre I'm personally interested in when compared to what I initially expected the show to be.

HOWEVER I will say they robbed little weird girls of their representation and that can't be forgiven

[july-19th-club]

seriously have been thinking about this all night long. call me autistic but the fact that 90% of workplaces the point is not to get your work done and then be done doing it but to instead perform an elaborate social dance in which you find something to do even when you're done doing everything you need to do in order to show your fellow workers that you, too, are Working . because you are at Work . disgusting why cant we all agree that if there is no work immediately to be done. we just dont do anything

[shaunashipman]

can i ask what your thoughts are on the whole 'tommy can't call buck "buck" bcuz that's reserved for people who know him' thing? (this isn't meant to stir anything up, im just seeing a lot of takes on it)

oh, so random ppl on calls know him? lmao

my take on tommy not being "allowed" to call him buck is that the writers wanted to be very clear from the start that their relationship is different. from the beginning when we see them at harbour in 704, tommy calls him evan, the first hint of how the episode will actually end. even casual viewers would have been tilting their heads at that, it helped lay the groundwork for the reveal

it's the opposite of the take you mention. "evan" is reserved for, not just people that know him, but for people who he allows to. and he allows tommy to. he didn't even understand what he was feeling at the beginning of 704 was a crush, and he was still fine with tommy calling him evan. buck is an adult, if he had any problems whatsoever with it, he would have just said, "oh everybody calls me buck". treating it like tommy is doing it against buck's wishes is infantalizing buck, which is a big problem for this fandom, even outside of shipping

someone pointed out on another one of my posts that ali called him evan too, so there's precedence for an SO to call him evan (also she met him while at work, so he probably introduced himself as buck while rescuing her (i don't remember if introductions were actually shown on screen), and then either gave her permission or she took the initiative as his girlfriend to call him evan, which he was fine with)

i mean, it's a super common trope that a significant other is allowed to call someone by a name that most others aren't, whether they normally go by a nickname, a shortened version of their name, or their last name. this shouldn't be controversial. it's just that a large subset of fandom put so much emphasis on the one scene of eddie calling him evan that now they feel threatened

and like!! the significance of him using evan during the will scene is still there! still important! so many metas about him specifically talking to the child in buck, who still felt that he didn't matter as much as his loved ones; of telling him that "buck" who was created in the fire dept, wasn't the only one who was important to them, that "evan", who didn't know who he was but that he was going to be something, was important just for being, not for what he could do

all of that is still there!! none of that significance is gone or diminished!! it just means something different when tommy calls him evan. just like it means something different when maddie calls him evan

[insocat]

i really appreciate how well the fandom’s taking in alhaitham and kaveh sometimes - not in a shipping way but just their dynamic

*some slight spoilers to things like archon quests, character stories (and kaveh’s unreleased ones)*

like despite being shown only in the later acts, ive seen a lot more about them than ive seen with other dynamics (debatably on par with zhongchi when they were introduced)

i think theyre just really relatable for many people because i think a lot of the demographic of genshin community are students or young adults and theyve lived through their student days pretty recently and they understand that sometimes, even in the stifling environment of academics, theres also some stupid things that will inevitably come around

like the reasons why they get ticked off by each other is stupid, but i mean, i want to say weve all been through something like that before and its usually pretty harmless and we look back on it and laugh

or the angst that they also had to live through, and i think its shown best in kaveh - living through the high of his life, pursuing his dreams with the palace of alcazarzaray only to have it all crashing back onto him - a period of his life he would rather forget entirely, and has left him struggling to live on his own

of your best efforts, putting your all into what you do, and the harsh reality that its just not enough, just out of your control, and you can’t do anything about it. they show how you can be gifted at something, but also the burdens of it - alhaitham’s undoubtedly a genius, but also practically ostracized for it for his pragmatism and coldness towards others, and regular akademiya students hold him on some pedestal they just can’t reach, contributing more to his ‘robot’ vibe we initially got of him. kaveh has is own problems where despite talented, he’s taken advantage of by others. not necessarily exploited for his talents, but he’s been tricked and held himself back at times just to help others (whether or not its his own fault is a different matter)

the idea of leaving family. while alhaitham lost his parents, he was essentially brought up by his grandmother and he practically peacefully let go of her, like how children can grow up and parents watch them turn into an adult, support them, and recognize that this time it’s their child’s turn to start their lives, and while his grandmother is no longer present to see through this, it’s still a stark contrast to kaveh’s, specifically his mother. I feel like while it’s his mother that’s the one who moves away during kaveh’s younger years, it’s a lot similar to how parents kick their own children out of their house once they reach adulthood. kaveh isn’t settled into this life of independence or cut ties nicely like alhaitham had, instead, he’s thrown into this world and has to figure things out on his own and bear the burdens of it

anyways thats just my thoughts on the two i just wanted to get this out there because i think hoyo really outdid themselves with this dynamic

(ayato and thoma, despite being that five-star-four-star duo like alhaitham and kaveh didnt really sail as well as these two did but im really happy their dynamic is just so complex)

[olderthannetfic]

I've just read an article (in Gazeta Wyborcza) about a very popular series of books among young teens in my country, Poland, called "Rodzina Monet" (Family Monet). The author gained popularity while publishing on Wattpad lol. The article basically said that it's problematic because these books are read by young girls, even 10 years old, and it glorifies violence. Plus it just isn't well written - there were some fragments in the article and yeah it's not well written lmao. A woman in the comments said that her daughter is reading this book and asked if she should forbid it. Since no one answered her, I replied that I don't think forbidding the book is a good solution and suggested talking to her daughter about it, showing her the article and asking what she thinks about it. But I don't know anything more about that situation, for example how old the daughter is. I don't think I'd worry if my child were to read this book, I read trashy stuff too. But I started wondering if maybe there should be some control in such a case? The thing with the books from what I gathered (I haven't read them) is that they are about a 14yo girl, who suddenly lost her mother and grandmother, is sent away to US from Britain where she starts living with her 28yo (handsome) stepbrother and his 3 (also handsome) brothers. She lives in a beautiful villa since the stepbrother is super rich. He's also cold and distant and doesn't understand that she has issues with food (she has some kind of eating disorder). Some of the things he and his 3 brothers do can be described as domestic violence but they apologize, buy her expensive stuff and are all adult handsome men. Yeah it's a young adult fiction. The thing is that it's just not well written so none of the bad behaviours is commented upon.

--

Sounds like typical godawful id trash that people eat up. Making a rule against it will just make it more tantalizing.

It would be far more valuable to kick any worthless partners out of one's life and demonstrate not putting up with shit to a tween girl than to ban her from reading trashy books.

One could always try buying her something better, but IME, people who try that always do it wrong: they buy books that are better written, yes, but the vocabulary and sentence structure are a thousand times harder, there's zero iddy wish fulfillment, and the plot is something fucking depressing and supposedly edifying.

Readers can smell a tryhard "your taste is bad" gift a mile away.

I think it's also important when trying to find replacement trash to understand what the kink actually is. Why is it age gap? Well, have you seen 14-year-olds? They're awkward and covered in zits. Of course the protagonist is young like the readers and the hotties are older.

More importantly, why is it abusive? Absolute idiots will be like "Because society taught girls wah wah wah wah wah", but the actual reason is obvious if you've read trash romance for adults:

It's so the love interest(s) can be in the wrong.

The self inserty protagonist of this type of story has very little power. Not only is she usually younger, but she's poorer, a fish out of water in a new situation, etc. The way she gets power is by the love interest doing something absolutely horrible, realizing they have erred, and then groveling forever. Their guilt is an effective way to manipulate them. And yes, retail therapy is usually the next step from this particular trash classic all the way back to The Flame and the Flower.

You can try giving a teen girl a book about a teen girl action hero who is awesome and whose love interest likes her because of that... But if the reader doesn't feel awesome, she's still going to prefer a book about a loser with a destined, fated love or a misunderstood woobie whom other characters have to grovel to after not initially realizing she was special.

You can't fix self esteem by handing someone a book they don't identify with and telling them their id is wrong. And if self esteem does improve, that doesn't mean the lizard brain is going to switch trash fiction tastes anyway.

One can try leaving other fun books around, but that's about the most that could be helpful.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi there Author! I just want you to know that i love the way you write ror stories it really makes my day better. If its ok if i request a story? A bit of angsty if that's ok, its about Poseidon x demi-goddess reader, the reader is a queen of atlantis poseidon married her because Amphitite is a abusive mother and neglects her duty as a queen so he divorce her. The reader was once a human but became a demi goddess because Poseidon turn her like that in order to become a mother to his children and become a queen. They made a contract that states that when Triton poseidon heir turns into a adult they can divorce, reader accepts it but as a time goes by triton and reader developed a special bond like a real mother and son relationship, she also fell in love to poseidon and respect him as a good ruler but not a good husband since poseidon never treats her like a wife more like a business partner. But even though he acts like that the reader treats him well and because of that Poseidon and triton finally experience the family bond that he thought its for the weak gods or human he's still stoic but he care to his son and maybe he think the reader as a trustworthy or equal (and he would never admit it).

After a centuries Triton became an adult and reader is the one who initiates divorce because she couldn't stand a loveless marriage and she wants to do what she wants this time like exploring different places, find a new hobby, and maybe find a man who will love her. Poseidon deny it and find excuses (cause lets be honest he is too prideful and oblivious to his feelings towards the reader). Hades being good a brother in law decided to advise his brother to proper court the reader and tell him that he loves her. At first poseidon denies it until the final straw is when the reader is talking to some human/god and makes the reader smile and laugh cause he is jelouse

This was inspired in manhwa and wattpad. And im sorry if its too long... Im not good at explaining things... Have a good day Author!😊😊😊

-It had been almost five hundred years since you married the coldest god in Valhalla, in a contract marriage.

-Your family and you had been stunned with Poseidon himself asked for your hand in marriage, to help raise his son, Triton, after his ex-wife, Amphitrite, was discovered abusing not only Triton  but her position to gain more power for herself, to overthrown Poseidon.

-Poseidon publicly divorced her, shaming her and announced the crimes she had committed before he secretly killed her himself to avenge his child.

-Your father and Poseidon were friends and allies, and they both knew that you had a bright mind, able to fulfill the duties of a queen and to take care of Triton.

-It was a loveless marriage, a contract marriage, meant for gains, Poseidon would have a queen who would help him rule and Triton would be raised properly with nurturing care.

-The contract drafted out, which you agreed to, would allow for an amicable divorce once Triton came of age, and in turn your family would receive more power in Poseidon’s kingdom.

-The relationship between you and Poseidon was professional, but not cold, you grew to respect and admire Poseidon over the years, as he proved why he was one of the strongest gods out there, he was truly a king. You said nothing of it, but you fell for the stoic king, who you could tell was putting up a harsh demeanor to command respect from others.

-In turn, Poseidon came to respect you, you were a brilliant queen, able to make decisions, plan things out, and together you turned his kingdom into a prosperous empire.

-The relationship between you and Triton was much more public and open, as Triton, while nervous around you at first, came to adore you and you adored him and raised him like a mother should, with so much love, care, and a guiding hand.

-You taught Triton so many things, not just about kingdom affairs and politics, you thought him things that anyone should now, like how to survive out in the wilderness, how to hunt, sew, and you surprised everyone by being the one to train Triton with swords yourself, being an expert yourself.

-Poseidon felt himself soften around you over the years, he saw how happy you made Triton and how happy you made his subjects, so in turn, you made him happy.

-When Triton celebrating becoming an adult, you celebrated with him and Poseidon, Triton actually sweeping you into his arms, dancing joyfully with you which made you smile warmly up at you son.

-You may have not given birth to him, but you raised and loved him, he was your son.

-Poseidon was stunned, the following day after Triton’s coming of age, when you presented him with the divorce papers.

-You were surprised but also a bit confused on why he was so shocked, as he was the one who wanted this in the first place.

-Poseidon tried to deny you, “You are the queen of this kingdom! You’re the one who helped it grow and thrive, why do you want to leave?” he remained silent about the second part, wanting to ask why you want to leave him as he had seen your adoration of him, he knew of your feelings.

-Your hands came to your hips, “I came here to fulfill a duty, one that has been met. Despite helping you make your kingdom thrive, I no longer wish to be in a loveless marriage. I want to go and see my family and find someone who is going to love me!”

-Poseidon was furious, as his pride wouldn’t let him admit his feelings for you, gritting his teeth as you walked out of his life.

-Hades, seeing his younger brother in such a state, when he came to visit, as he knew about the arrangement, offered his advice, “Court her then, show you that you truly do care about her if you don’t want to lose Y/N.”

-Poseidon just grumbled, ignoring the advice until he saw you out in the gardens with Triton, walking around together. When Triton stepped away, another god who had been following you both, approached, giving you a rose.

-When Poseidon saw the smile come to your lips and the color to your cheeks, seeing you happy about getting such gently affection, he walked out, after destroying his desk.

-Hades couldn’t help but grin when he showed up, demanding his elder brother help him.

-When Poseidon approached you while you were sitting in the garden, as you had to wait for him to sign the divorce documents, which he had been ‘forgetting’ to do, with a bouquet of pale pink roses, your favorite, you were stunned.

-He was bright red, not even looking at you, acting so shy as you took the flowers before he walked off, letting out a sigh of defeat as his ears turned red as well.

-That was very unusual for him, seeing him in such a way and you weren’t sure how to feel, he never did anything like that for you in the past five hundred years.

-You found a card in the flowers, with a note from Poseidon, ‘Don’t leave me’ you felt your heart soften, just a bit.

-You were going to remain strong however, if he really wanted you to stay and be his queen, he was going to have to show you that he truly did love you.

-You didn’t need him to do anything publicly, as you knew he was a private person, but he needed to prove to you and you alone, that he wanted to keep you by his side.

-It was definitely a process, as he was quick to learn than your love couldn’t be bought with lavish gifts.

-He turned to both Hades and Triton both, asking for advice and what you liked, swearing both of them to secrecy, but they thought it was amusing to see Poseidon so shy about courting you.

-The small meaningful gestures, written notes with sweet words, thoughtful gifts like pressed flowers, asking you to join him for afternoon tea, those were the things that you appreciated more.

-Poseidon had to learn you were nothing like Amphitrite, spoiled, vain, always wanting more, that was something that Poseidon had come to appreciate, that you didn’t care for him for his power, you cared about him for him.

-You were the one to toss the divorce documents into the fire, shocking him before you gave him a grin, “Don’t think you’ve won yet, handsome. You still got a long way to go.”

-You never mentioned it, but the smile that appeared on his face, one that he thought you didn’t see, made you feel so fluffy inside, before he chased after you, trying to act cool, asking to escort you as his queen shouldn’t be seen without her king.

[ravs6709]

To Overlap, And Meet - Secretive Plotter & Yoo Mia

Word count: 1.5k words

or: read on ao3 here!

My other fic for @orv-gotcha-for-gaza !! Suuuper late. but it's done! To the anonymous person who wanted something for secretive plotter, here you go, with some post canon stuff + yoo sibs feels. can you believe i originally intended to finish this for his birthday. wtf

ive never written sp before, but I have always wanted to do so, so im glad i got the chance to!

Warnings: none

•~•~•~•~•~•

Before he was Secretive Plotter, he was once Yoo Joonghyuk: pro gamer, and older brother.

“Obaboni, we're supposed to celebrate your birthday too,” Yoo Mia grumbled. “Not jus’ mine.”

“It’s not needed,” he replied, reaching out to pat her head. “I'm an adult.”

She crossed her arms, pouting, baby cheeks all puffed up. “I don't even know your birthday, you're so boring.”

“Mia-yah,” he said, not wanting her to be upset on her own birthday, “Let's go bake your cake.”

He sat her down on a high chair he'd bought—Yoo Mia always seemed interested in watching him in the kitchen, and so he got her a chair to sit and watch from safely—and got to work. After a while, her cake was finished baking.

“Mia-yah,” he said, once he placed the final candle on the cake. He lit them up. “Happy birthday.”

She blew the candles out, then started eating. He watched her stuff her cheeks, satisfied at her content expression.

•~•~•~•~•~•

The scenarios began. Yoo Joonghyuk became a regressor. Fighter. Protagonist.

He became the Secretive Plotter, and the dull, mundane, domestic life became a very old memory. Had long given up on such a thing several dozen million years ago. An ending never existed, so he devoted his existence to ending it.

The lack of an ending seemed to continue proving to be true, even as…

…even as he found his ■■.

A new life in a new worldline, living in a way he never had before: once again as Yoo Joonghyuk, taking care of a broken child, sharing a house with four people who had spent countless years wishing he was dead. A year living in this house now, with four people he had known so closely for countless lifetimes, yet knew nothing about as they grew without the person he'd once been.

Still he knew, when those people were hiding something from him.

Kim Namwoon and Lee Jihye were easy tells. The two youngest of the 999th Regression. They'd lived for so long, yet never truly left behind their reckless childish natures. They bickered endlessly with each other, loud voices echoing throughout the house.

“Are you crazy?” Lee Jihye shrieked.

“Wait, Jihye, hear him out!” 

Yoo Joonghyuk had been more than willing to ignore Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon's bickering, but it sounded as if there was a third person involved. He put down the laundry, ready to go check on them.

“I'll go,” [999] said.

[41] grumbled under his breath. “Don't look for excuses to leave your job.”

“Just let him go,” Yoo Joonghyuk said.

[999] went off to go check on them, and quickly, the loud arguing had ceased. [999] didn't return for another five minutes.

“What took you so long?” [666] demanded.

“It was nothing of great concern,” [999] replied.

“I don't believe you,” [41] declared.

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed, stepping away from the pile of clothes. “Enough chatting,” he said, and then left [41], [666], and [999] to finish dealing with the laundry while he went to cook dinner.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Yoo Joonghyuk had ignored that initial interaction, but didn't fail to notice Lee Hyunsung and Uriel acting just as strangely. Lee Hyunsung had asked for his Murim Dumpling recipe, even though out of all of them living here, he was the least enthusiastic about them—not like that was a difficult feat, given how much Kim Dokja seemed to adore them. Someone had to feel normal about them.

It didn't just stop there though.

He normally let a few of his dependents out at a time—given he no longer lived in an endless forest and this house already had five other people living inside it outside of himself. He usually cycled them around so they each had their turns, but there was a problem.

[999] wasn't coming back in.

“At least he's doing his share of chores,” [743] grumbled.

“I'm doing more than my fair share of work. Unlike others,” [999] protested, perking his head over to [19] who was obliterating Kim Namwoon and Lee Jihye in a video games. [72] picked up a controller too, sitting on the couch to join the three of them.

As the kkomas started bickering about how entertaining the others was ‘hard work’ and should not be discounted, Yoo Joonghyuk left the room.

•~•~•~•~•~•

“All these secrets, just for a birthday party?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked as he entered the house. “You all did this last year. Why are you doing this again?”

“Oh shit, Captain is here!” Lee Jihye called out.

Kim Namwoon opened a party popper to his face. Yoo Joonghyuk stared, unimpressed.

“Birthdays are every year,” Uriel pointed out. “There's no such thing as just one surprise party.”

He scanned the room. Four people, including himself, were in the living room. Lee Hyunsung and Kim Dokja were in the kitchen. His kkomas, save for [999] and [41]—who had also been refusing to go back into his body—were with him, and he could tell where those two were. However…

“There’s someone else here,” he stated.

“Nothing escapes your notice, does it?” A familiar teenage voice asked.

Yoo Joonghyuk froze. Could only stare as a black haired girl who shared his face entered the living room.

“Mia,” he whispered, hands twitching at his sides.

“Plotter oppa,” Yoo Mia said. A teenager, with mild scars. 1864. Not his own. Could never be his own. “No… oppa.”

Her dropping his title made his breath stop. “...Plotter is fine. I am not…”

“Don't be stupid,” she said bluntly. “You’re not Secretive Plotter anymore. You're a Yoo Joonghyuk, even if you're not my oppa.”

“Why are you here?” He asked.

Her hands, which had been behind her back, reached out towards him. In one hand was a bowl with two Murim dumplings inside. The other held chopsticks, picking up the dumpling. “Happy birthday.”

Even if he didn't eat food made by other people, Yoo Mia wasn't just anybody. He could see a small scrape on her hand, one that must have been recent. He didn't hesitate to lean down and eat the dumpling. A familiar taste, the recipe he used. Not quite like his own, nor was it like how Namgung Minyoung had made it, but it was made by her.

“My oppa taught me how to make it,” she said, beaming.

To think, a Yoo Mia would make food for him, when it had always been the other way around… he nearly cracked a wry smile of that 1864th regression of himself to help.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the chopsticks from her hand.

He took the second dumpling and fed it to her, her cheeks stuffed just like she had always done as a child. He looked around the room, the others staring silently. Kim Namwoon and Lee Jihye seemed to be exchanging glances. Lee Hyunsung looked a little nervous. Uriel's expression was calm, but he could see how she was trying to make sense of his reaction. As for Kim Dokja…

His eyes looked knowing. It was an expression he hadn't seen much on this child, but was often seen on his adult self in that other worldline. It was his idea, Yoo Joonghyuk realized. Of course it was. Who else would suggest such an idea if not his reader? Ever the schemer.

“Is it lonely?” Yoo Mia asked.

Lonely..? Yoo Joonghyuk had lived countless lifetimes alone. And now he lived in this house with five other people. “I'm doing well,” he told her.

“Ugh, I'm not a tiny kid anymore where you have to hide your feelings. Annoying oppas,” she grumbled. “You miss your own version of me.”

He nodded. “I do.”

“It's not like I can stay here forever. I do have my own brother to go back home to.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I can’t come here often because of probability, and the portal is going to close soon. But I can’t stand the idea that any version of my oppa would be lonely. I'm going to visit you every year on your birthday."

Oh.

It wasn't the same. It would never be the same. But if his own suffering made it so that one version of Yoo Mia could grow old… he wanted to be able to see it.

“The portal,” Uriel said, the first voice to speak outside the two of them.

Yoo Mia reached up and poked his nose. “I'll see you again.”

He took a hold of her hand. Perhaps their hands could touch, after all. Even if just for this moment. “Goodbye, Mia.”

Uriel and Lee Hyunsung escorted her to the kitchen where the portal must have been. He turned back to Kim Dokja. [999] and [41] stood next to him. They both knew. 

He nodded. “Thank you. That being said, I would appreciate that you all tell me these things. I could have contributed my own probability to extend the portal’s duration.”

Kim Dokja nodded back, not saying anything else.

•~•~•~•~•~•

orv taglist: @subrosasteath

Want to be added/removed from the taglist? Just let me know!

[kaleidosouls]

random text post of day #

been watching creepcast more or less since the first/second episode and after latest i keep wanting to talk to ppl abt my thoughts and im tired of trying to engage with other youtube comments / i dont wanna keep bothering my spouse with this plus id want to talk to other ppl who are viewers but dhkdhfk im gonna rant behind the cut; tw animal death/violence, child abuse

gonna rant assuming readers is also a viewer cause too tired to explain, sorry. this is just “stuff id want to chat with fellow fans of the poscast but i dont have friends who watch it, and the youtube comments suck for the most part and id rather be turned inside out than login to reddit”, like i did end up using rhe comment section way toomuch already, jm tired and its like 3% normal ppl and 97% dicks and assholes with bully disorder

like it was a big enlightening to just properly label things last night at last and process the feelings and situation. this is jsut a podcast with isaiah bullying his cohost hunter (“as a joke”) and the fans at large are people who enjoying bullying snd find it funny, and try to bully commenters who disrupt their “fun”, trting to discret and demean them as friendless parasocial losers for not playing along the theater of mockery and treating it as socially acceptable.

like its one thing to tease between friends and make dark jokes, its another thing to repeatedly, insistently, laugh at your friend for being traumatized as a child by violent animal death? like. its like i get that initially he was just really baffled at the event like haha oh my god did that happened thats so fucked up (which is annoyingly normie in its own way like yeah dude, none of us have control over fucked up shit happening to us as children, like he makes such a spectacle about it like its this earth shattering thing). like its tragic and a big deal but like wrt trauma its usually safe to be on the level that the person with the trauma is setting, if theyre talkinf about it really intensely it makes sense to match up to that tone or lower. instead hunter is trting to move on while isaiah is just obsessed fascinated with it like its fiction almsot. idk just . uggghhhhhhh

i could kust make a collage fo commwnts that made me like lose hope for humanity each time but i dontw anna dwell on annoying bullshit and commit it more to memory. like people are jusr… like there is some dark humor inherent to like calljng your mom as an adult on your show to have her back you up only for it to turn out it was way worse, but like the way isaiah kept laughing about it for so long.. like hecan laugh and joke like that at his Own traumas if he has them. just. idk. tgisn podcast like just. ugh its making me irritated tot hink abt explaining whats happening in it to people like go watch it with adblock on, im gonnaskip explainjng more and jsut say some feelings to the void that id rather like scream at someone about. i was gonna say scream at assholes in the commmebts but i actually want their internet connection destroted and for them to be forced to dismantle their phones and pcs and set them on fire so they can never speak again.

isaiah is coming off like such a monster. like, “””as a joke””” acting like an asshole is still acting like an asshole, i dont care anymore that hes actually probably rly well intentioned and ncie bc he jsut needs to stop being fucking rancid and a shitty cohost and friend. an honestly i cant even believe the “hes actually nice” shit anymore. starting tj feel hes been an ashsole all along and just pretends to be a good guy. like he takes too much joy out of excessive bullying to be a good person. like genuine just bullying, with no consequences. ppl are like “oh hunters fine with it bc hes putting up with it” like as if every single person alive Never has to put up and laugh along shit that bothers them. specially on what is essentially their Job. hunter barely appears comfortable and he does not dish back nearly as viciously- and we jnow hes capable of rly dark humor and banter too, on his own channel tje vibe is completely different but he has none or that edge with isaiah. while isaiah is literally like i wnan dox you please fans m*lest hunter in the meet and greet, i want this guy dead; isaiah literlaly makea such a huge deal every time hunter had a disagreeing opinion irs clear hes started to just not weight in when he doesnt like something, itd be one thing to make these super intense mean comments if hunter did them back but every time isaiah would not take or tolerate it when it was towards himself,; and honestly all of the stuff before had been like accumulating to be pretty bad but rhe latest ep with the dog story eallyi guess like crosses a line of like, this is just genuinely wrong and i dont care how mcuh the comments say its ‘parasocial’to have basic human empathy! youre watchint a guy talk abt having the family dog shot in the back of the head in front of him by his grandfather, only to then find out on air feom his mother the shooting had been intentional and his grandfatehr was actuallt a monster instead of a disabled man traumatizinf you by accident. like the ironic tragedy of him calling his mom to back him up on that ‘its not a big deal’ only for her to contradict him is funny on a cosmic sense, but like it is iust. not that funny dude. like isaiah kept bursting into laughter just thinking about it. oh is it too absurd for you to take seriously? do yoh just not give a fuck about how tour friend might feel? dude didnt even fucking ask. he didnt eveb show a sliver of care , sympathy empathy anything. he literally says “ill never let you live this down”. LIVE WHAT DOWN???? having his grandfather intentionally shoot his dog in front of him as a 7 year old child? like what the actual fuck is wrong with him??!! have like even a shred of respect for your cohost, like its all ‘as a joke’ but if you consistently ‘as a joke’ act like a cruel manipulative bullying person, im just gonna choose to believe youre actually just that person using “humor” as a shield to excuse your behavior.

like wtf. i was actually a fan of isaiahs chanel first and i didnt rly vibe with hunter that much and i wouldnt have expected, bc i woildnt enjoy watching an asshole, that isaiah wouldve turned out to be such a self centered horrible person. like its all funny TO HIM, i dont get the sense its enjoyable at all to be in that room when isaiah is getting all giddy and having a kick out of treating hunter like a punching back. yeah he probably doesnt mean to be actually hurtful but it doesnt look like the thought even crosses his satan spawn eyes that someone could have a different reaction than the one he was intends there to be. like i dont know hunter and idk if id even like him if i talked to him in person but it sucks qnr is horrible to watch anyone be treated that way consistently. like i wish creepcaet juet actually ended or isaiah learned how to not be shitty. i dont care if its not in his nature to not be awful he should just try to pretend to be a decent person for once. like i feel bad for hunter becuase it comes across like hes more stuck in the podcast than enjoying it and i empathise with struggling to leave “friends” who treat you like shit. and its like work too, i have no idea how much of a monetary and reputation loss it would be to leave. ppl are like “theyre adults they surely worked within themselves” yeah bc no adult ever has struggled or been stuck in a situation thats hard to get out of. honestly like yeah this is just a shitty podcast with shitty fans who just enjoy watching a bigger guy get bullied for no reason because they are probably mostly awful bullies in their own lives too hurting the people around them and i dont need to convern myself over what people who get a kick out of hurting others think.

i guess obligatory like. insane and unwarranted comment to the hosts bc no one is readingnthis let alone either of them but its like what if they read it and like felt x or y way in reaction. maube writing this will give me some semblance of peace

@ hunter: you seem cool and youre a really talented artist and naturally funny on camera/audio. i relate to having memories from childhood warped like that, and im sure/i would imagine that was the story told because it was far from the actual worst one. i think you deserve to respect yourself more, im sure being bullied is no skin of your back, im fat and ive been derided bc of it my whole life, from since i was 70kg and im 100kg now. its smth you get used to and it feels like not a big deal but on a fundamental level i thibk everyone deserves to respect themselves at least enough to not let friends treat you like shit to this extent. like i know banter and teasing is normal, butlike. its so excessive dude. it comes across like youre just stuck there and idk your financials and maybe you coulr be, ive heard of stories like that wrt youtube projects, and subversive animations arent loved by youtube’s revenue. heavy condolences if this turns out to be the case and hoping things can change. im sure it would be hard to quit anyway bc ppl would make such a big deal abt it. but if you are free to leave at anytime and you have freedom and are safe with isaiah,thank god thats great, get the FUCK out of there or get isaiah to stop treatiny you like shit cause you deserve better. if somehow you iust love beint berated like that i guess like each to his own too, i just hope youre doing ok juwt oj the basis of beint a fellow human being who appears to be in a legitimately shitty situation. if you are ajd im insane, thats fine too, id rather be insane than someone be suffering.

sigh

@ isaiah: i really liked your youtube vids. you seemed like a decent enougu guy. ofc like i dont actualyl Know either of tou, injust am human and relating on basic emotional levels based on the behavior you choose to display online. man. what the hell is wrong with you? if i expected you to actually read this i would be more polite but i dont expect a single soul to read this, really. like, man… i want to believe theres capacity of good and kindness in every person so surely you must have it, and if you do.. why are you acting like that. is being mean That funny? i love dark humor but ive never taken joy out of actively bullying people so i cant really relate but like, surely you can find otuer ways to have fun with your friend? im sure you think its all fine bc hunter wont throw a tantrum like you do but some people are actually way more inwards with their emotions and like you coild try to be a little more interested in how someone else feels when you bully them. “as a joke”. like maybe its not as funny as you think itnis, or they migut not be enjoying it like you do. i know its hard to stop when you want to talk but please try to stop interrupting hunter repeatedly after you clewrly mustve heard him adter the call delay? honestly, i thought you were a fine guy but now its like maybe youre just on a power trip, havint someone hostage to validate your opinions on horror and to bully for fun who wont talk back to you in a way thats actually challenging. since you love the sounf of your own voice so much you could do a solo podcast, you dont need hunter to be there as a punching bag in order to make a podcast. if you lvoe and care about hunter as a friend sincerely and iust have been totally by accident actint like a major piece of shit, id like want to hope for you to improve as a person in how you act and id want to believe thats very possible, but episode after episode its just.. like i dont give a shit abt dark mean humor i dont care if you call us in the audience pieces of shit or freaks or whatever, we’re not there talking to you, but hunter Is hearing what youre saying and is actually there.like id say for a christian you are extremely cruel but that is just ao on brand for open christians to behave that way that i honestly wanted to believe you would subvert that expectation, but it seems i was wrong. you know like i dont get this being mean as a joke thinf and neber have, i would say if hunter died tomorrow would you not have rather spent time with him in a positive way where he was loved instead of berated, but youd most likely “joke” that youre glad hes dead and that you didnt bully him enough. im not christian and i dont believe in heaven or hell but i know for you that youre most likely not seeing the pearly gates until you learn to pretend to be a good person to your friends. its probably not even smth you genuinely want to do or care to do but you could make that sacrifice of being nicer so the world is a better place while it has to have you here.

big sigh this isjsut hggggghhhhhh like a shame bc i love horror and i had enjoyed isaiahs youtube vids but , man this is such a disappointment. obviously i dont rly wana watch the podcast anymore butni like hunter reading and his voice and i would just hope for the best for him going forward, and the insane in my brain is like i gotta check it out maybe isaiah apologizes and acts like normal and nice without being rancid for once. even tho i know that wont be true bc it hasnt been for weeks since i started watching, i guess ill tune in for the next and if he foesnt shape up i’ll quit it. find a diff horror podcast or smth. makes me sad imagining hunter stuck in there. kike idk if hes even a good person like hes edgy on his own channel too but in general like he comes across like isaiah used to , lile someone who just seems fine and i havent heard anything saying theres smth horribly wrong with him. just on a basic human level it sucks to see people struggle and suffer. speciallt when its situations i relate and have been to. its been at least (uhh math…) damn 10 years or smth since an event that really stuck with me, where i was kust telling soem school friend abt my life at home bc we were just talking, and i relayed one of the ways my parents would beat me and how i was so scary, and she burst our cackling in my face. its a feeling that took a long time to stop having it sting in my head. she wasnt intending to laugh At me, or bc she thought beating children was genuinely good or funny, but to her the situation was so absurd it was funny. i can understand that on a detached level like if it wasnt real there would be some comedy timing to it. but instead i iust felt like a joke. like i was stupid, like it was this really funny ass thing, and i tried to play along, and it was like the fear trauma and pain that resulted from those events was a joke too. like i was stupid for having my life warped ny the abuse and it affecting me, because it was just so absurd and funny! like damn, i shouldve been abused as a child in a less absurd and funny way so people wouldnt mock me to my face about it. i guess i deserve it and its natural to be treated this way. until i met someoje who actually respected and gave a fuck about me and wouldnt make me feel that way i thoight it was normal and like i was fine with it too. i used to get bullied communally by my entire classroom for half of middle school and i thought those people were called friends too because id never been treated any better by anyone.

hgggghj i think its helped a bit to get it off my chest, maybe. man this sucks. i wish people would iust be nicer to eachother. life is so short, and some people cant even have the courtesy to not be tormented by people they call friends

[fagsex]

i had been too scared for years to check up on this really shitty thing from when i was a kid because his name his face the building they all made me nauseous and i knew if there was any justice at all it would be too little. i researched it today and turns out i was right. fucking scum got let go and all charges dropped for lack of competency. should that not speak more? when he was initially charged, it was on cnn, usatoday, cbc, covered so much that ive had friends ive made over the years in different states tell me they heard about him. ive found news articles in french about him. and yet not a word from any source outside of local about how he got fully away with it.

this is a weird thing for me to be randomly rambling about but sometimes it just hits me what happened. dr howard schneider of jacksonville florida, the only pediatric dentist to take medicaid in the largest city by area in the fucking continental united states, tortured, not exaggeration, tortured children for 30 years. at least.

when i say im afraid of dentists, im testy around dentistry, and teeth, and so much related things to it, everyone brushes it off easily as a common fear. which is naturally how he got away with it for so long. we were children physically restrained with leather straps. the doors were locked, parents werent allowed to come back, at a pediatric dentist. there were patients with teeth they just got being ripped out of their heads. i was either never given anesthetic, or, on more than one occasion, given so much i violently threw up, while lying down, restrained. i was seven years old tied strapped down choking on my own vomit with a bubblegum gas going in my nose. i can still smell it.

cold air still makes me nauseous. gas masks make me anxious. i couldnt lie down or feel relaxed anywhere that wasnt my bedroom for years. i would be sent to the nurses office as a kid, and refuse to lie down, because i felt like if i did, pain would begin. i would go in for a checkup and leave with too tight, too wrong crowns, covering my teeth. often, my teeth were not inspected or cleaned beforehand, just straight in with the drill. adult clamps in a childs mouth because i was being 'a whiny brat'.

have you ever been to a dentists office, or any medical office whatsoever, where an entire wall was a mirror? i could see myself held down and put through hell. i was too scared to put anything in my mouth at home, it repulsed me, not to mention my gums, my cheeks, the roof of my mouth, tongue, everything hurt so bad. i figured out later it wasnt normal, he was slicing them with a scalpel, with a pick, anything and everything. he put a hole in my sisters cheek. my baby sister walked, toddled out of there with a hole in her cheek after her first check up. we still went back, we couldnt afford anyone else, and he kept telling us how much work my mouth needed. he kept trying to convince my parents i may need braces, but i had the straightest teeth my parents had ever seen.

my heart still drops when i hear a drill, any drill. certain smells make me feel like i cant speak or breathe. my own mother screamed at me for being dramatic, for complaining so much. she said itd only hurt if i didnt listen, and he said the same. he said id be in trouble, big trouble if i told, and i remember it clear as day. he put on a movie on the ceiling tv he bought with the money medicaid gave him for ripping our milk teeth out, and it was the same movie everytime. some people dont understand that even the silliest, oddest thing can scare you if it sticks. he put his hands on my neck several times to restrain me and keep me from moving, and had me stare at the ceiling, and as fucking lame as it sounds, i could not listen to jerry seinfelds voice or participate in any bee movie jokes that became en vogue in 2016 or so, because i was legitimately terrified.

my own mother would mock my fears of putting things in my mouth to clean them, saying that if i was actually scared, i'd want to clean my teeth more so i'd see him less. it wouldn't matter what i did. and a scared 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 year old doesn't have that logic. i was just a lazy kid with disgusting teeth who was scared of the dentist, to everyone. in late 2019, the crowns he gave me all exploded, and took my teeth with them. four, five of my teeth were slowly destroyed and chipped out of my mouth. and every day i had to feel that scraping again, the cutting up of my mouth, how it filled with blooded. i couldnt talk or eat, but my family saw that as a positive, and i was too ashamed to tell them my teeth broke in my mouth. i knew they would see it as a sign of how disgusting i was. to be in my teens, and already have teeth abandoning me.

the state of florida forgave this. over 100 parents and children presented stories like mine, and he was still forgiven. i dont have a reason for sharing this, not now, not really. its not a special date, nor recent news. i dont even have some message behind this, other than oversharing. it was not just him either. it was every adult who did not listen or care, i suppose. it was the nurses there too. it was the state, it was his attorneys and lawyers that he could use his millions on that he made putting patients off anesthetics in papoose boards.

he was never even charged with child abuse, but fraud. the money was the most important thing the law found. i didnt smile with my teeth for years, my sisters speech was delayed for years, i had panic attacks in the middle of the day in middle school over a cartoon bee, ive had to remove 4 shattered teeth from my head and have several other teeth reconstructed where he broke and did not fix them,i was blamed for all the dental problems that suddenly appeared in my mouth when i began going to him, ive been belittled my entire life for such a childish 'fear', and that was never in question. just the fact he took my teeth to make money, that he put me and thousands of poor children, in both senses of the adjective, through hell to charge medicaid.

anyway what the fuck right. im sorry i dont know why im writing this all out right now but it just feels so stuck inside me that itll burst from my chest if i dont write it out. its actually relaxed me quite a lot. if you live in florida or georgia and you see some old bitch who looks like this just feel free to get him on sight 🤙

[roseamongroses]

its called the parker curse not the morales curse 😒

atsv spoilers under cut

ok...jokes aside. after a certain point when miguel was going in on miles, i don't think he was talking about miles anymore.

and to be clear, what he said and how he said it can't be easily taken back--scorched earth yada yada-- so its impact still stands. but if you've ever had an argument as a child with a traumatized + unhealed adult-- it felt like that.

had me sweating in the theatre because you can feel him projecting HEAVY mid-way through. the way he dealt with miles, even before he started the hunt, def felt like he was punishing his past self / trying to stop his past self rather then understand a new situation +person

the assumptions he was making about miles and how he handles multi-dimensional travel, seem to lean heavy on fear. and that makes sense considering his past, but i do think only viewing justice within the lens of fearing what may happen isn't productive in the long run.

they still don't know how these initial dimensional slip ups happen before the collider exploded and bagel guy showed up. (or do they???lol) nor do they know what decides canon and non-canon (i remember the comic book authority approval at the beginning of the film and i wonder if they get mentioned again or if its just a one off joke)

(getting a lil meta there, do you think we'll get a lego movie esq ending next movie???mfkers wake up and realize they're comic book characters)

-

on the conflict

personally i love a good "hero tries to save them all, and realizes their innate limitations" type storyline, but i don't think that's the conclusion they're going for.

for example i thought Pavitr would def get his shit rocked after his spiel about being spiderman being easy and that he's happy. and he did go through something (and probably will go through something else considering he has a living girlfriend )

BUT he was able to reach out for help instead. he couldn't do it all, but he didn't have to. and i think that plot line is just as compelling as him failing outright and dragging himself out of the trenches as a lonely hero.

the "save one person vs. an entire dimension" conflict is interesting because miles is a believer in "why not both". often times with these trolly problem esq. situations, the person who questions the existence of the dilemma is dismissed.

miles is considered naive because he thinks he can "do it all". but i don't think thats the case. miles considers both because despite the trauma, he's been surrounded by a loving community who sees the best in him.

so he knows (consciously or not) that he can do both because he's not alone. he is the lone spiderman, but that doesn't have to be the case. that's why he was so excited for the spider-club cause he thought he wouldn't have to endure alone, but instead he was met with the fact that the club was meant to reaffirm their loneliness rather then circumvent it.

(also the possibility of this franchise introducing other heros later on is something im begging for btw but ik copyright will nuke that)

if miles is an anomaly, the possibility of his events deviating from the norm does exist. miles had the right to question if it was really the only way or if miguel just didn't want to try otherwise. and to be honest im questioning if miles was really the first anomaly considering we don't have all the details about miguel's backstory

-

on comics

what does it mean to be spiderman? to uphold goodness? to be a compelling hero?

For a lot of the characters explored, their justice is tied to their suffering. they are good heros because they've seen the worst and wil. endure the worst and that's what makes them compelling. but with this "new" generation of heroes, that doesn't hold up when we consider intersectional identities and what the audience desires to see from their hero's.

if the audience is already enduring and suffering in their day-to-day lives what can they get out of a story that only reaffirms the daily injustices of their reality. i don't want heros that look like me if they only uphold the status quo "suffer, work, live, be good". that isn't enough. i love me some angst, but what else makes the story compelling???

i read the superhero genre because i want better. I want to be able to fight back, to question, to explore. to stretch the idea of what goodness and justice looks like for communities that are used to being told to accept the bare minimum and just survive.

[sineala]

Superheroes and Aging

Meta time! I was asked (on Patreon) to write meta about how Tony Stark might deal with feelings about aging and being surrounded by The Youth. I am reposting it here.

I have to say this has also been on my mind a lot. I will say it's a weird thing growing up being into comics and being a fan of the teenage X-Men because obviously they were the most relatable and then being as old as all the adult superheroes and now being older than all the adult superheroes, who have all been basically the same age for decades as the rest of us move on past them. At least they finally aged up the original crop of teenage heroes and have been replacing them with new ones.

So the thing about superheroes in Marvel Comics, as you probably know, is that they pretty much don't age. Initially, this wasn't really a thing Marvel worried about. It was the sixties and they'd made comics cool and profitable again and kids loved them and I'm pretty sure they weren't thinking that sixty years later people (grown adults, even!) would still be reading and loving and expanding on the universe they made. Because I think if that had been the case they'd have, say, fewer villains that really sound like someone thought of them in about thirty seconds at 5 pm on a Friday and then went home. Big Wheel, a guy who has a... big wheel. Swarm, a guy (I mean, he's not really... human) who is actually a group of bees. Nazi bees. Paste-Pot Pete. You know what I mean.

Anyway, at first Marvel heroes aged, because why wouldn't they? Despite what you would guess if you only watched adaptations, it only took, I think, a couple years for Peter Parker to grow up and leave high school. The original X-Men all stopped being teenagers. Time moved on. Then after about ten years Marvel figured out it was going to be a problem if their beloved heroes were too old to be superheroes and they more or less halted the aging process. And that's how we get the Marvel Sliding Timescale. Broadly stated, the Sliding Timescale is essentially "don't worry about it." Everything you are reading right now happens right now, the beginning (the FF getting their powers) happened about ten or fifteen years ago (I think right now it's closer to 15 and we're at four RL years = one comics year), and everything else that has ever happened in 616 -- because Marvel also doesn't believe in line-wide reboots -- is wedged in somewhere in the time between. As real time passes, the sliding timescale slides events closer and closer together because more events have now happened.

So the effect of this is that heroes don't age. I think this is actually most notable with child characters -- like, ask yourself how old Franklin and Valeria Richards are. Or don't. I think Dani Cage has been a toddler for about fifteen years now. So the founding Avengers started off in their early 20s, are now in their mid-30s, and are going to continue being in their mid-30s for the foreseeable future because Marvel doesn't want its heroes being over 40. I think there have been a couple IM issues where Tony has had "significant" birthdays that they carefully avoided putting a number on -- I think one was Bendis, and I know he had a surprise party in the Gillen issue with the adoption reveal. I want to say that maybe there was also a Fraction one? I'm not sure.

The time references have occasionally been lampshaded -- the most recent Iron Man issue as I write this (#6) has Tony asserting that he doesn't remember things by what year they happened in, but rather by what armor he had at the time. He goes on to tell a story of something that happened while he wore the Silver Centurion armor, throwing in an aside that the shoulder pads were fashionable then -- and, out of the armor, he is given his usual stylish perm; the artist has definitely been inspired by Bob Layton's later Iron Man work -- which for me has the disconcerting effect of making it sound like this is somehow taking place in the 80s and also not in the 80s at the same time. Because now they've invented an extra time for shoulder pads and perms to be fashionable and it's approximately 2015. Time is fake. No, actually. It is.

And building on that, I think the effect of that is that mostly they don't seem to have characters like Tony dealing with aging. He doesn't really seem to worry about it, probably because there can't be any narrative payoff if he's simply never allowed to age. (Steve gets it even more weirdly, because a lot of times fandom assumes the serum is just going to halt or slow aging -- as it does in people like Natasha who have serum variants -- but then in universes where significant time actually passes, like House of M, Steve is visibly older, and he definitely is meant to have the serum. Or Bullet Points, where Steve, minus the serum, is actually dealing with aging as he comes out of retirement for one last mission. Which kills him, because it turns out he probably was too old to do this safely. But then in 616 we're expected to believe that Steve can lose the serum and also be mostly combat-ready at age 95. Aaanyway.)

So what if Tony did worry about getting older? Based on how he interacts with the kids these days, I think mostly his worry actually wouldn't involve other people.

For all that intelligence in Marvel seems to be a single invariant and quantifiable statistic that can be accurately measured (which isn't the case in reality but work with me here) and that Tony is a genius but not The Smartest Genius in the Universe, he doesn't ever seem to display any ill will toward anyone ranking higher than him on the list -- say, Reed -- and he is in fact definitely willing to take on the younger geniuses, like Riri, as proteges, and he seems happy to mentor them. He doesn't seem to feel at all threatened by the idea that some of these people are definitely smarter than him -- say, Moon Girl -- and will someday succeed him. Or at least will if Marvel ever lets them age out, which again seems unlikely. Theoretically he also ought to be drawing on a lot more lived experience than Riri that he can use to advise her, but one of the bizarre things that Cantwell's run has left us with is Tony believing that giving the Mandarin's Rings to Riri to study with zero oversight is absolutely the right thing to do; Rhodey congratulates him on his great decision-making. I guess we'll see how that turns out.

(This is in contrast to a character like Doctor Doom, who clearly can't stand the idea that Reed might ever be smarter than him.)

Given that Tony is a character who often has execrable self-esteem, it actually seems a little odd that it doesn't bother him that he isn't the smartest, but it really doesn't seem to. He seems fine with that. He's enough of a genius to do what he needs to do, I guess, and that's good enough for him. Even in Cantwell's run, which was, uh, not a run I would call particularly in-character for Tony in many ways, the thing he decides to do with the Power Cosmic is make everyone in New York as smart as he is. I think this was a fairly poor storyline for a large number of reasons, but I think it does actually show that he has good intentions, in a sense -- he wants everyone else to benefit from the intelligence he has, the same way they can benefit from his philanthropy. He wants to give people the advantages he has. So he seems like someone who wouldn't resent the up-and-coming heroes and geniuses; he seems like he'd be honestly happy that there would be more people out there on his level.

I think, really, as long as he knows he's good to go, he knows he's good enough to do the things he wants to do -- even if sometimes he just hates himself as a human being -- and he probably looks around at all the kids and knows they have to train them up, because even if they're going to be good they're not as good as he currently is, just because they don't have the benefits of years of experience. I mean, maybe they could have some kind of superhero Registration or something. The joke he made to Steve at the end of Empyre wasn't entirely wrong.

(I feel like I should probably also read Young Avengers, for more on how the Avengers deal with The Youth, but I haven't gotten around to that yet.)

Since Tony often blames himself for, well, everything he can possibly blame himself for, including the deaths of people he feels he should have been able to save, I feel like his worries about aging would probably involve his ability to continually successfully be a superhero. We haven't really seen much of this worry since his Extremis/Bleeding Edge days but there was definitely a period of time where his main concern seemed to be the ability to compete with the people he's fighting -- and this seems like it might be where he's heading again in his confrontation with Feilong, who, I should point out, does actually attempt to make fun of him for being old. Tony doesn't seem to take it personally, but he does seem very upset that he's not on Feilong's level, technologically. So I think the thing that would bother Tony wouldn't be the idea that he couldn't keep up with the heroes, but rather that he couldn't keep up with the villains.

So, yeah, that's my take.

[errorscriber]

there's been a lot of talks about shidou's safety in regards to amane now that Purge March has dropped, I would like to give some people peace of mind about amane's threat to shidou. there have been lore drops here and there that implies he'll be fine

21/03/22 (Kazui’s First Trial)

Shidou: Mukuhara-san, you’ve not been looking great ever since you came back.

Kazui: Ahh…… yeah, I still haven’t got back to my usual self huh. Y���know, Shidou-kun…… kids can be really brutal huh. I don’t have any of my own so hadn’t realised until now.

Shidou: Haha, so they are. They won’t listen to the excuses adults make to explain themselves. ……though that’s also what makes them cute.

Kazui: Yeah… You’re really mature, Shidou-kun. By comparison, I’m really immature huh. Not growing up in any way other than my age. ……*sigh* Even I’m starting to hate that about myself.

22/06/27 (Amane’s Birthday)

Kazui: What’s up, Shidou-kun? You’re looking pretty down. I guess you must be tired, I’ve been relying on you a lot lately.

Shidou: Yeah, I just remembered…… today is Amane’s birthday. I’m just getting a bit sentimental.

Kazui: Hmm, it’s unfortunate, but at the moment we can’t worry about that. ……you understand, right? There’s something that you need to do right now. And if you tried talking to her your words definitely won’t reach her. Don’t look at me like that. We’ll just wait until the situation changes. Let’s do our best.

Shidou: Yeah. I’ll do what I can. I can’t have a child making a face like that. Even though we’re “murderers”…… we’re also the adults here.

22/10/24 (Shidou’s Birthday)

Amane: ……Kirisaki Shidou. How long do you plan on continuing this foolish behaviour?

Shidou: I wonder what you might be referring to there. I’m just doing what I need to do. If anything, I’d be happy if you would lend me a hand.

Amane: I warned you. I can no longer turn a blind eye to this wickedness taking place right in front of us. You’re bringing ruin unto yourself. Do you understand?

Shidou: No, I don’t understand. It’s my job as an adult to teach you that throwing a temper tantrum isn’t going to make everything go your way. If it’s a test of endurance you want, I’m happy to oblige, Amane.

i know prison isn't really comparable to a hospital, but shidou is a doctor. he's probably met folks who are averse towards medical treatments. we have to also remember he's canonically a father as well. the patience in this man knows no bounds! shidou is the person who knows best that children can get volatile if they go through their word and actually initiate in their tantrums.

in the second trial we've clearly seen him be more proactive and more motivated to interact and help other people in the prison. to me, these conversations shidou has had implies that he'll find a way or be able to defend himself is amane were to do something to him.

maybe let's say, i am grasping for straws here and maybe shidou is gonna be in ruins but for now i want to have faith in that guy. he's tried to be gentle and passive around amane at first from the very beginning, now he knows that type of approach doesn't work. i surely hope he's prepared and i think from these conversations, shidou himself is trying to prepare for what is about to come.

i do want to take amane seriously and respect her wishes not to downplay her as a child but im not gonna try and give her too much power, i don't think she's a Big and Major Threat we should all worry about. i know there are so many variables we have to consider in the second trial towards what to vote. regardless of what you want to vote her this trial, i think our first trial verdict has already locked her thoughts into place anyway.

22/04/19 (Futa’s Birthday)

Futa: ……! O-oh, it’s just you. It’s nothing. ……but well, on that note. Hey. Don’t you have anything happening too? Since being in here, just suddenly getting anxious. Feeling as though loads of people are all there condemning you, telling you you were wrong.

Amane: ……I’m fine. I don’t know what you’ve done or what it is you’re worried about, but I think if there’s something you believe in, you should stay true to it. It’s not something that should waver just because other people said something. I personally don’t plan on changing my own beliefs even if I’m told I’m wrong either…… ……today is your birthday, correct? I’ll pray for God to keep you under his care.

this is my first time doing a post like this so im sorry if there are any misunderstandings i have regarding these conversations. i do hope that maybe you can find some faith that shidou will turn out fine in some way. he's going to beef with a 12 year old. he should start thinking about what to do.

[silvr-skreen]

Any random HCs for MFN (OC or canon) you want to share but haven't had the chance to?

OH BOY DO I? This is going to be incredibly long

Headcanons:

none of the puppets can swear if a child is around. Like physically can't. it's a failsafe Al added JUST IN CASE. they can if everyone is an adult however, but usually dont.... usually.

i am a gordon transman truther and i am going to die protecting my truth. grumpy old man deserves the world

also a ray HOH truther. i dont think his hearing was ever the same after the sewers and all that heavy machinery.

In relation to the last headcanon, he only got hearing aids after failing to hear the fire alarm during a drill... gordon found him inside and confused as to where everyone was. ray got his hearing aids the literal next day.

i like to think al was initially intending a lot more with the show, but got kind of trapped in the "doing what's always been done" and cutesy kid stuff. Especially since i can see the CNBG blocking him

they turned down a lot, and Al had never been bold enough to try and push back, beause he was afraid of losing hat he'd worked for.

RICHIE TIME. Richie is indian/mexican. he first tried to get into other shows or movies after leaving MFN but ironically... hated how grim they all were. there wasn't even an ounce of goodness unless it was to be used as a misdirection.

One of the things the CNBG pushed back on was the puppets (or at least some of them) having different races/ethnicities/nationalities etc. because Al wanted it to feel like a real neighborhood.

Pearl is Singaporean, Norman is hispanic on his mother's side, Ricky is african american, and Ray is scottish/irish, Gobblette is from Appalachia. The other puppets are still kind of a WIP on my end deciding

All puppets can clone themselves, they just need enough material. Larger puppets require more material in general, and so clone less.

The dogs are mostly clones. Started w/ just Mahoney and then they cloned themself twice into the other 2.

Puppets like Pearl, Ray and Gobblette who are large and fully dexterous (have you seen pearl leap?) have inner metal frames, theyre not particularly hard or poke-y, but they help hold the puppets structure like bones.

Gordon is physically disabled in some capacity, personally i've got a few headcanons on that, such as the asthma and a bad knee (as well as some others that are a bit in the realm of spoilers for my fic sorry lol)

He also has multiple medals. (three to be specific, but i cant tell you what 2 are yet.

Gordon to me is the biromantic ace guy who just never understood the appeal but shrugged it off like "im sure everyone dreads that part of a romance and just does it because its something you do."

Shirley coming back (hell even just being alive) was a shock to every puppet who doesn't go to the basement. they didnt know that one of her made it to the basement and stayed hidden with ray. Pearl stared at her for like a solid 2 minutes while trying to figure out if she was real.

ow this was exactly as long as i was expecting. i probably have many more i cannae remember em tho.

[sparrowmoss]

the acolyte episode 3 livetweet post SPOILERSSSSSSS

curious to know why the little girls playing young osha and mae are not identical twins. just an interesting choice when u have the same person playing the adults so obviously they are identical

NIGHT SISTER?????

oh no we’re about to find out the bad stuff

oh my god their mother is the coolest looking woman ive ever seen

okay not a night sister just a zabrak. and this zabrak is their other mom. so why did they call her koril and not also mom or something

OH MY GODDDDD YESSSSSS YES YES YES GETTING TO SEE OTHER FORCE WIELDING PRACTICES!!!!!!!! YES YES YES YES YES

witches… so… Maybe a night sister thing. maybe just other witches

osha i love you. you are so great and i relate to you so bad it makes me feel ill

FUCK this is so cool

ABIGAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dude the wookiee has a part shaved head thats so cool

ohhh it is mother koril. okay!

oh my god the actual. hypocrisy of this. the jedi. im Laughing this is so unbelievable. no ones allowed to have children and raise them in their own force sensitive practices that can only be done by the jedi

“the jedi do not take children” LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

what you’re doing is wrong but i love you sol

sol what are you doing man

oh

man im so fucking mad at both sides. why do none of you want to give these children their own choice. it should be up to them what they want to do. mae should be allowed to stay with her mothers and osha should be allowed to learn about her other options and not be forced to take the same path as her sister

oh now mother aniseya says “osha wants to do it” which i am glad for

“she is old enough to know what she wants” so true!

hm. mixed feelings on this. i think koril should get just as much say if shes their other mom but she is still wrong on this

torbin is sooooo cute oh my god

LMAKSJSKFJKSD OSHA failing at lying 😭😭😭😭

oh dude im gonna cry. “there are other children there?” godddd what a miserable life

appreciate the rejection of destiny and saying you make your own choices. just on a personal level

them both cryinf is making me tear up i dont like this

mae what the fuck dude

dude whats even catching on fire its a room made of stone and metal

WHAT is GOING ONNNN that little fire didnt do all this did it

watching sol become attached in real time right here

THATS THE END???? man i…. im…. hmmm… i expected the jedi to have done something quite bad. but a child with codependency issues set fire to her entire town because these people and her mothers potentially intended to let her sister choose her own path. i really thought it was going to have been the jedis fault. the only thing they did that i take issue with is indaras initial implication that no one other than the jedi are allowed to train anyone to wield the force. but it seems like in the end the jedi were also going to give osha the choice whether or not to come with them….????

[castlebyersafterdark]

ugh youre such a dream thank you for such detailed answers! its so appreciated and i feel as fresh as coming into the fandom all hopeful in summer 2022, up for discussing!

re this: '[wills'] sexuality is less explored in regard to the most baseline aspects of being gay. Is it infantilizing because he's our cute sweet little victim? Is it because he has yet to actually pursue his love interest in the narrative? I'm still working on pondering this myself!! Because it isn't at all how I viewed his situation or character.'

would LOVE to hear more thoughts on this, because i too have not figured it out. tbh, the whole party growing up was a hard pill to swallow at first cos its bittersweet, but it never made me deny will's character a coming of age arc or sexuality arc. i was like - welp, its happening, whether im sad or not that theyre no longer babies. infantilisation makes sense though - i even had non-fan friends who watch the show assume that will was a few grades below the other boys, and much younger.

perhaps for many, they can't accept his growing up because it's reflective of change in general, of the show coming to an end, changing? this is narrative the show itself explores, though - beautifully, i might add.

but i would love to know what your original thoughts on will's character and this storyline prior to all this spicy policing were! how did you view his growing up? was a sexuality storyline inevitable for you?

One thing I never fully understood is the general unease or being uncomfortable thinking about members of the party "growing up" and now viewing them in a different light, meaning getting involved in genuine teenage experiences like sex etc etc et al. I guess I just do find that frustrating sometimes when my view is: everyone grows up, we're there. Hit with: "but we saw them as kids! We watched them grow up! It's weird!" But WHY? I want people to explain why. Stupid analogy, but I think of how dumb it would be if my bf saw some home movie of me as a little kid and turned to me to say "well, unfortunately I can't fuck you anymore. Turns out, you were at one point - a child!" 😂 it sounds like that to me though!!!

Yeah we can still see our cute little babies s1 but we can also watch s5 and appreciate the journey, the coming of age. That's what's gonna make stranger things such a cool show, watching the actual journey from childhood to after (didnt Linklater film Boyhood over a decade to capture growing up in real time? Cool idea, never saw it). It's like any child star in the Hollywood industry. Miley was on Disney but then she started her adult career and were people initially odd about it having a pretty sexual angle? Yeah. Then everyone had to get over it. I acknowledge and understand the adjustment period, but it's frustrating in fandom for these boys that at large it's such a hang up. And, they're fictional. I know the irl actors portraying them plays into all this but... still.

(Then we got the M'leave-hers out here wanting Mike and El to get married and start having babies in s5 while we can't even talk about byler having a heated makeout or joke about Mike checking out Will's ass without pitchforks thrown our way. Booo)

As for what I thought for the shows trajectory, I did always hope we'd get an exploration of Will's sexuality as time went on. I really thought that was built into his character from the beginning (and it was and I was right) like it's one of the first things we learn about this little boy, with what Lonnie thought of him ☹️. I always wanted to see what they actually did with that and now it'll be a really, really incredible payoff if he does Get the Boy. I wasn't even really thinking too hard about byler back then but I can't even describe how heartbreaking that little moment when he tells Joyce "I'm not gonna fall in love" is in context, just... it always gets to me. S4 was a game changer and seeing what they were doing with Will and Mike? Hooked me. Decided to actually look into the fandom as something I wanted to engage w beyond just TV and the occasional pretty gifset or funny interview clip I came across on my dash or theories on reddit - shock and awe when eventually I saw how the vocal asshole fans acted. Debates and witch hunts over how far just a kissing scene can go? Sad.

Byler is great, byler is cute and palatable until you acknowledge that gay teenagers feel desire and maybe have sex, woah! People were even weird about aged up fic and art and everything! Still stumped to an extent about it. Our canon gay character (two, actually, just yet to be hmmm canonized lol) gets the sanitized treatment while Steve and Eddie and all their fanon post 7000 E rated fics w little complaint. (Finding out that was actually as popular as it is really shocked me?) I'd celebrate that and care about them more if the differences weren't so annoying. Just because of the age thing. Oh, get over it. Wish I'd taken a stand from the beginning and just did what I wanted without feeling awkward and going with the status quo. Lame. But maybe this is better, so much nicer having complete openness and a relative fresh start.

[tireddovahkiin]

one of the best things to have as an age regressor...

IS AN OVERLY AFFECTIONATE MOM🥺

My mom STILL loves to give me cuddles and kisses, even after turning eighteen and basically- 'becoming' an adult whats an adult?? I think a part of her still isn't over a fact that I am growing up... Trust me mom, same. SAME.

I feel so happy to realize I still get to have free pass for affection from my mom, and not having to even ask for it, she just goes and initiates herself😭 IM SO LUCKY TO HAVE MY MOM... MOM I LOVE YOU MOMMM <333

I am NOT afraid to say that I still PROUDLY cuddle with my mom🥴 I just hate that some people, who never grew accustomed to such affection/never received any, have to make it look/sound weird. Like, there's nothing weird with a child cuddling with their mother??? No matter how old they are, they're still THE MOTHER'S SON/DAUGHTER/CHILD. That's love in the purest form.

I love my mom fr... Moms are the best. ♥