#and like they relate to each other on so many thing

[lucettalongly]

I am so so so curious how you ended up getting in actual incestual relationships with your sisters and stuff! It seems so much like something that wouldn't actually happen irl?

#lucyfunfact has a blurb about how my relationship with my youngest sister started

i mean, it's really just a numbers game. there are so many people who are into incest, some are bound to be born related to each other. it's just a matter of having a good enough relationship with them for things to move forward.

i was just incredibly lucky to be born with an extremely perverted big sis who's a degenerate in exactly the same way i am, as well as several other very open minded relatives 🫶

i will say, though, way more people are open to incest than you'd think, once they get past their knee-jerk reaction

[catras-breakup-song]

catradora's canon status turns 5 today. i also turn 20 today. 🪅

i've spent an entire quarter of my life, a whopping 25% of it now, loving the center focus of she-ra and what this show teaches us...

it's actually pretty wild for me to think too deeply about. truly, it can't not mean something absolutely special (if i love myself, of course) when that much of a coincidence is actually reality.

this story isn't just a hyperfixation, it's a permanent part of who i am. it's shaped my later teenage years and helped me through hard times consisting of confusion and loneliness. i resonated better with catra & glimmer than any other fictional characters i had known before or would ever know since then. i found the art style soothing to stare at all the time. i appreciated the words of comfort we're supposed to internalize. it's been a consistent source of familiarity when i needed nothing more than to rewatch the same scenes repeatedly.

the online community surrounding western queer animation, and particularly this piece of media, kickstarted my hobby of collecting video edits, up to the thousands, that many talented creators have made, on an external drive. unfortunately i lost that project over the summer last year and it devastated me deeply, however i never stopped keeping track of my favorites and supporting the works i loved as i continued coming across them, such as this one to “the great war” by @somanypetals, which i will never stop recommending to others here ─ you can also go through my tag for this topic if you'd like! in fact, i also got back into video editing myself for the first time since 2021 last month!

additionally, it wouldn't be an authentic CBS post of mine if i didn't highlight how beautiful five by five takes' analysis videos on youtube are to me. their writing is a top-tier heart-wrenching gold mine and i've lost count of how many times i've rewatched through that playlist again and again. if you love this masterpiece as much as i do, you'll do so tenfold here. i still remember watching the first part of the series, "how she-ra gives us hope", when it was brand new, and i love bragging to fellow friends about being one of 5X5T's earliest subscribers from this fandom!

i (sort of but not really, which is a long complicated story on its own), came from the traumatized wave of angry voltron/KL fans. thankfully i didn't struggle with trusting the writers to follow through on the groundwork they laid down because it had only been my first fandom and therefore i hadn't been hurt by queerbaiting multiple times, but i say this because it was a big deal when she-ra's finale showed something on screen that could not be taken away or undone. catra & adora's romance helped me find peace & pride in my lesbian attraction. although i ended up not being homosexual despite failing to realize it for another year, i am still very much sapphic and wouldn't trade that gift for the world!

speaking of which, one of the best things you can find in a partner is the relatability of a common interest that brings out the emotional connection between you. i've seen @bluedandylyon around before, but i got to know xim more closely on the SPOP creative flex discord server after i jumped in activity there about a month and a half ago (and i only started being active on this blog again after creating it in 2022 back in august last year, it's amazing what that did for me). the two of us genuinely could not have clicked better with anyone else and i believe we were always destined to stumble into each other eventually. i don't know why the universe decided that time was to be so recent, but after spending half a decade single it's been very exciting to finally leave that break behind. because of SPOP, i asked them if they wanted to date on lesbian visibility day (april 26) and something within me renewed to make me the happiest i've ever been! 💟

my thoughts are too scattered and unorganized for this to feel like a proper essay of some sort, but i know i needed to get this done in time and i enjoyed it. i can't appreciate enough how much my identity, the core essence of who i am inside, has been shaped by this 50-episode cartoon. a simple love letter could never cover how important this reboot means to so many people, even if mattel still refuses to acknowledge it. ⚔️🌈💖

[cross-d-a]

First, I love Gurathin with all my heart. His bitchy energy is 10000/10 and it translates SO incredibly well in the new show. And I desperately love how even though Gurathin is presented as a very unlikeable character especially in relation to the other Preservation Aux members, the show makes an effort to show how much he actually cares about his friends. He’s so different from them and very standoffish, but the way he checks in on Mensah, quietly frets over Bharadwaj and how he confronts Murderbot and is incredibly protective and defensive of his friends (though in an awkward way that can be read as unpleasant)— it’s so clear he is full of anxious fear for the safety of his friends. He’s just a different kind of person than many people are used to, and it’s so beautiful to see that the Preservation Aux team recognizes that and loves and supports him anyway.

And let’s talk about the pronoun thing!!! Arada calls Murderbot “he” and Gurathin IMMEDIATELY corrects quite vehemently.

Gurathin: Do you get the feeling it doesn’t like us?

Arada: I don’t think he needs to like us

Gurathin: You’re right, IT doesn’t need to like us. IT needs to keep us safe.

OHMYGOD!!!!!!!! I smiled SO HARD during this part!!!! Without knowing Murderbot and its preferred pronouns it could come off as dehumanizing but- well. That’s kind of the point. Murderbot ISN’T human. It doesn’t consider itself remotely human. It is constructed of inorganic bot components and organic tissue and struggles with the concept of personhood throughout the series. But just because Murderbot isn’t human doesn’t mean it’s not a person. It’s just much more comfortable with it/its pronouns.

And Arada certainly meant no harm by calling Murderbot “he” because when Arada looks at Murderbot she definitely sees a person and automatically defaults to what she knows— but I adore Gurathin for correcting her. And yes, Gurathin is definitely supposed to come off as suspicious and unlikeable in the beginning, just like in the books. And yes, the series wouldn’t be as good without SOMEONE being kind of a dick and questioning Murderbot and creating inside conflict— but that’s what makes the Murderbot Diaries even more powerful. That we can go from Murderbot and Gurathin vehemently disliking each other, to a few books later when Murderbot asks for help and Gurathin comes running with Ratthi.

I love love love that Gurathin and Murderbot are so similar in certain ways and misunderstood in others, but are still so incredibly loved by the people who consider themselves their family.

Anyways, this is just me adoring everything about Gurathin in the live action series and the vehement validation of Murderbot’s pronouns :)

[shutupineedtothink]

TARA!!! MOTHERFUCKING!! COLE!!!!!!!

😭😭😭

Girls night out job part 2!!

Parker v astrid then parker + astrid team up!!!

Breanna having a crush on Tara being the most relatable part of this entire episode

Silly costumes!!

Sophie being "kidnapped" but then just grifting her way through the whole thing until she just shrugs her handcuffs off at the end. For funzies.

Lets go steal a Sophie Devereaux. You got it in one bitch!

I can't even go through all the amazing dialogue but there was a lot!

Tara calling both Parker and Breanna babe.

Love the big bad from s1 being the one off villain in s3

Parker stepping back into mastermind/team leader role like she never left

You messed with my family. 😭

The women at the ball being just as shitty and vapid as any of the evil rich men we've seen but then our ladies showing up for each other, some within seconds of meeting each other, all to save one of their own. Beautiful contrast.

Oh my god I'm gonna rewatch this so many times.

[his-dark-materials-trilogy]

The Golden Compass of Our Linguistic Intuitions

From hakoret-harishona . com

October 30, 2018

One of Philip Pullman's loveliest ideas in his book The Golden Compass (1995) is an instrument called "an alethiometer". The alethiometer resembles a golden clock or compass, but instead of the hours in the clock, there are 36 little pictures – an anchor, an hourglass, a beehive and so on – around its rim. The instrument has three hands that can be arranged to point at any of the pictures, and a fourth, longer hand that can swing freely. The image above is a photo of the alethiometer from the film version of The Golden Compass.

The book's protagonist, a girl called Lyra, receives such an instrument, and later on hears an explanation regarding the origin of its name. The word alethiometer is derived from aletheia (ἀλήθεια), "truth" in Ancient Greek; an alethiometer is thus a "truth-meter".

"All these pictures round the rim … they're symbols, and each one stands for a whole series of things. Take the anchor, there. The first meaning of that is hope, because hope holds you fast like an anchor so you don't give way. The second meaning is steadfastness. The third meaning is snag, or prevention. The fourth meaning is the sea. And so on, down to ten, twelve, maybe a never-ending series of meanings … I know some, but to read it fully I'd need the book. I seen the book and I know where it is, but I en't got it. … You got three hands you can control … and you use them to ask a question. By pointing to three symbols you can ask any question you can imagine, because you've got so many levels of each one. Once you got your question framed, the other needle swings round and points to more symbols that give you the answer.'

'But how does it know what level you're a-thinking of when you set the question?'

'Ah, by itself it don't. It only works if the questioner holds the levels in their mind.'"

Choosing a Meaning

As a rule, then, the readers of the alethiometer use books to look up the relevant meanings of the symbols. Lyra doesn't have the books, and in any case, she's an uneducated child. However, as she plays around with the alethiometer, she soon realizes that without any books, she can read it, ask questions and understand the answers. The longer she uses the alethiometer, the better she gets at it. When asked "how do you know where these meanings are?" she answers "I kind of see 'em. Or feel 'em rather, like climbing down a ladder at night, you put your foot down and there's another rung. Well, I put my mind down and there's another meaning, and I kind of sense what it is. Then I put 'em all together."

I recently read Pullman's new book, a prequel to The Golden Compass. And as I read it, I realized that the alethiometer can be seen as a metaphor to the process of speaking, comprehending and even acquiring language.

Words, like the symbols in the alethiometer, have many meanings, often related. Some of them have dozens of meanings – as we can see by considering a few examples, or looking them up in a good dictionary. When we speak (or write), we must choose words that have meanings suitable to what we wish to say; when we decipher what has been said to us (or what we read), we must understand, like the readers of the alethiometer, which of a word's meanings is now relevant. Does since mean "from that time on" or "because"? Does wave indicate the rising of water, the movement of a hand, an oscillating electric field, or something that football fans do at a stadium? The relevant meaning of a word, like the relevant meaning of one of the alethiometer's symbols, is chosen or made clear by the complete message.

The process of choosing the relevant meaning happens when we phrase a message – speak, or ask a question of the alethiometer – as well as when we decipher one. In the quotation below, Lyra explains how she's asking the alethiometer "what's Mrs. Coulter doing now" (Mrs. Coulter is Lyra's mother).

"Well, the Madonna is Mrs. Coulter, and I think my mother when I put the hand there; and the ant is busy – that's easy, that's the top meaning; and the hourglass has got time in its meanings, and partway down there's now, and I just fix my mind on it."

Similarly, when we speak, we choose words that express the message we wish to deliver, i.e. words that one of their meanings suits what we wish to say. In the sentence "I called her but the line was busy", for example, there are several words with multiple meanings; if I say this sentence, I must have chosen called because one of its meanings is "phoned", and busy because one of its meanings is "currently in use". Once the message is created, we hope the person who receives it will decipher it correctly – will recognize, from among the different meanings of each word (or combination of words), the meaning we are trying to convey; that they, as Lyra put it, put their foot down and find another rung, put their mind down and find another meaning, and then put 'em all together.

So far it makes sense. Pullman's alethiometer can be seen as a metaphor, beautifully and poetically made, for symbolic communication. In the terms used by the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, every sign is composed of a signifier and a signified; the alethiometer's symbols, like words in a language, are signifiers, and each one of them can, and indeed does, stand for several signified objects. Identifying the right meaning, in human communication as well as in reading the alethiometer, is a task that requires thought and an act of choosing.

How Many Levels? Perhaps a Never-Ending Series: Meanings, Register, Connotation, Context

Using words, however, entails much more than choosing one of several possible meanings. Words have not only meanings, but also a register: the words child and kid have a common meaning, but one is much less formal than the other. Words have not only a denotation, a primary and literal meaning, but also a connotation – the cultural and emotional associations that they carry with them; thin and slender have a similar meaning, but thin is basically neutral whereas slender has a positive connotation. Some words are commonly used in certain contexts, which can be very specific. Ginger is used to indicate a reddish color, but only for hair or fur (we wouldn't usually say "a ginger sunset"). Blonde is used even more specifically – only for hair: we say "a ginger cat", but we don't normally say "a blonde cat".

All these characteristics of words and their usage – the different meanings, the register, the connotations and the typical context – are somewhat similar to the "levels of meaning" in Pullman's alethiometer. There is the “first level” mentioned by Lyra, the level of the most common meaning, which will probably be the first meaning we learn as we acquire the language; but every word has multiple layers. This is most easily felt when someone uses a word in an unusual context or manner, or misinterprets a word when it is used to indicate a less common meaning. These kinds of mistakes are typical of non-native speakers – people who learned this particular language as second or third language, but have a different language as their native tongue.

The Alethiometer as a Mother Tongue

We thus reach another layer in Pullman's lovely metaphor. Most of the alethiometer's readers are scholars, meaning – adults. To them, using the alethiometer is a skill that requires learning, from books or from another scholar, and they need a book detailing the meanings of the symbols in order to phrase questions and comprehend the answers they receive. The child Lyra, on the other hand, acquires the ability to communicate with the alethiometer without requiring a book or a teacher. She toys with the alethiometer, looks at the pictures, moves the hands and follows the movement of the needle, and soon intuitively comprehends the meanings of the symbols: "I kind of see 'em. Or feel 'em rather". Her communication with the alethiometer is so fast and intuitive that this ability becomes a huge asset to her side in the war described in the book: by the time the enemy's adult reader has asked a question and deciphered the answer, her side has gained precious hours.

Does this difference remind you of something? I was reminded of the difference between mother-tongue and second-language acquisition. Children acquire their mother tongue easily and naturally, with no need for formal teaching or a dictionary. All it takes is for people to use it in their presence (and later – to talk to them). Adults, as a rule, require formal teaching. Even then, and after many years of practice, the second language is still a second language, and its deeper levels might still be missing, resulting in misunderstandings or peculiar phrasings.

Towards the conclusion of His Dark Materials trilogy, of which The Golden Compass is the first volume, Lyra has grown from a child to a young woman, and is horrified to realize that she has lost her ability to read the alethiometer. How did this happen? An angel explains to her that her ability to read the alethiometer has been given to her "by grace", and is now gone. Pullman does not explicitly indicate Lyra's growing up as the reason for this loss of grace, the ability to read the alethiometer intuitively; but she's told she can re-learn it "by work" – patiently, formally, with the use of books, and she decides to do so.

All of us, like Lyra, enjoy a period of grace in our childhood. One in which we can acquire a language effortlessly, just by hearing it. All of us, like Lyra, lose this ability as we grow up. Yet like Lyra, we can still learn a new language, and delve deeper and deeper into it, with hard work, patience and books.

[walnutcookie]

WHAT ABOUT tos dandy and astro headcanons

Sure !!! Heres some lil things about these fellers

:33

ty for the ask anon!!

- Astro feels like he needs to be charismatic like dandy on stage which is why he seems out of character. hes forcing it, he hates the stage and hes not built to be an entertainer </3 Hes the same off of the stage though. my guy is napping between performances (they have a little rest area behind the curtain of their stage since theyre in there so much)

- astro is also still an avid reader!! Best place to look for him when hes not looking is curled up on a couch in the library. he likes it there because its quiet and he usually isnt bothered :] the only downside is sometimes rodger pesters him with questions

- dandy still absolutely adores pebble, he steals puppy away from shrimpo to play or cuddle with him (this pisses shrimpo off so bad. it makes him anxious actually because he doesnt know where his lil buddy is </3)

- While there arent any "mains" in tower of souls, they are a bit of a friend group!! they were super close back in the day but over time as things changed their relationships developed a bit of tension,, everyone pities shelly after the jone incident and after vee started getting super popular dandy started to get really jealous of her. pebble is also there because of the previous point lol.

- ^ relating to this, im not sure if the holiday toons would be included? Maybe theyd be more familiar with the "mains" friend group because theyre each the lead of their music group but the holiday toons dont usually spend much time in the main building so i dont think theyd be very close.

- Astro is good friends with razzle and dazzle :] he doesnt have all that many friends besides dandy, especially not close ones, but i think hed be closest with those two. Probably helps them script/record little films in their free time hehehe

- dandy also doesnt have that many friends, but not because hes antisocial like astro, its more that he has to keep his relationships pretty shallow just because of his job. yk. Its like you wouldnt usually be best friends with your boss because youd view them differently. hes friendly with everyone and i would say most of the toons consider him a friend but he cant have very close relationships because he needs to maintain that distance,, As previously mentioned though he is close with the mains :] i think astro is the only one who really knows all of the deepest parts of him but hes been a bit more vulnerable around their friend group. mostly in their earlier days though since again theres a bit of strain on all of their relationships

- Both of them have a much closer connection to the founders than most toons. Probably a given but theyre really the only ones who talk to arthur and delilah consistently :P the founders dont interact with the toons all too much, theyre busy doing other things and thats the toon handlers jobs, but since they primarily took care of the mascots when they were first created (being the experiments i mean they were the FIRST ones to be made they watched those two like hawks at first) they have some weird fucked up distant parent/guardian/ boss relationship. They go to the founders office pretty often just to talk about how things have been going lately, any improvements to either the business or the toons' quality of life, any incidents with toons or guests, etc :]

- Theyre both heavily reliant on each other. maaybe to a slightly unhealthy degree. ok fuck this requires seperate paragraphs

Astro is attached to dandy for multiple reasons. i mean just to begin with all of the toons form a LOOOT of trust and reliance with each other when theyre first born because theyre placed with a Fellow Toon whos also trying to figure out how to live and shit and they come to understand each other a lot.

Dandy is arguably even more attached to astro. like. as previously mentioned he cant form many close connections to other toons just out of necessity for his job. He takes on all of the social aspects of their roles while astro is more there to come up with ideas and think things through thourughly because dandy can be impulsive and impatient, theyre a very good team together but dandys confidence relies a lot on just. Having astro present. he likes just at least having him in the room, nearby, even if he doesnt help out in any way. thats exactly why he manipulated astro into helping him with all of the ichor-ification stuff, it wasnt that he couldnt do it alone, he just didnt know if he could mentally get himself to do it without the presence of his buddy. he genuinely believed that he was doing the right thing so he thought it was a worthy sacrifice to make astro feel awful as long as he could carry out his plan because Surely their life would be perfect after it all and itd all be worth it!!! (and then he killed everyone)

[gaveyouigaveyoui]

SWIFTIE SLEEPOVER SATURDAY

Day 15, May 17th, 2025

Welcome, welcome to the fifteenth weekend of Swiftie Sleepover Saturday!

Hello all! My name is Jen, and I've been a Swiftie since 2008. I wanted to organize a fun, weekly sleepover event where we can have fun discussions, analyze lyrics, post beautiful edits, take polls, and connect with each other in so many other ways through our love of Taylor and her works of art! Each week will have a new theme or discussion prompt, please post all contributions with:

#Swiftie Sleepover Saturday

Sometimes the world can feel like an incredibly lonely place, especially with all the horrible things happening right now. But, no matter what, we have to remember to hold on to one another and the love we share and something that can't be taken away: HOPE. Hope gets you through the darkest nights, the longest roads, and the worst of times. Taylor's music displays hope in the most intimate and gorgeous ways, from her younger days when she sang about that little black dress (I hope you think of me...) to her storytelling in folklore (to live for the hope of it all...). This week, we're celebrating that hope, our hope, and the hope that we share for a better, kinder world. Feel free to take this prompt as you wish and get creative with it!

Discussion Prompts (Optional!):

What does hope mean to you? What is something you're hopeful for today?

What are some of your favorite Taylor songs/lyrics that mention hope?

You can feel free to make edits, gifs, playlists related to the prompt, polls about hope in Taylor's music, poetry/fanfiction, or make your own post with the discussion prompts! Whatever works best for you! Anything is welcome as long as it is kind and you show respect for others and their opinions. This event goes until the next Swiftie Sleepover Saturday next weekend! Please reblog to spread the fun!

[ghostboyravenight]

(Please keep this anon if it breaks) But I find it so interesting that when tans men/transmascs make a post about trans men/mascs and someone adds something about trans women/fems it's alright, and it SHOULD be alright, but when someone does the oppisite it's bad? We get told to make our own posts but our own posts also get derailed.

Yeah, unfortunately we’re at a really shitty point in time where people just don’t want trans men/mascs to talk about their oppression, nor admit that all trans people experience a lot of the same things as each other. TRFs hate to acknowledge that some of the things they consider to be “transfem exclusive” can actually be experienced by a lot of other trans people too, including trans men.

Obviously, different axes of oppression do exist and deserve their own posts (transmisogyny, transandrophobia, exosexism and intersexism) without being shut down or derailed, but some people just don’t like to be reminded that a lot of these axes can also overlap with each other. Adding our own experiences onto a post that talks about an issue many different trans people face is not derailing, and is simply relating in a way that’s supposed to form community and solidarity.

If anyone tells another trans person that they can’t add their experiences to a post, this is radfem ideology built on exclusionary ideas, and has no place in trans liberation.

[scramjettracy]

Who can bench press the most?

Who can do the most pull-ups in one go?

Who would win a 100m sprint?

Who would win a triathlon-style challenge?

Who would win a 100m swim race?

Who’s got the best balance?

Who can rappel down a building the fastest?

Who’s the best at navigating narrow, dangerous spaces?

Who can carry the most people at once in an emergency?

Who is best at hand to hand combat?

Who has the most ridiculous workout routine?

Who walks off injuries like they’re nothing?

Who can bench press the most? Virgil.

Who can do the most pull-ups in one go? Virgil.

Who would win a 100m sprint? Me.

Who would win a triathlon-style challenge?

Also me. Gordon would be a solid challenger though but I reckon I’d catch up his swim lead in the bike stage.

Who would win a 100m swim race?

Gordon obviously. Even with all of his limbs tied together.

Who’s got the best balance? Me.

Who can rappel down a building the fastest?

Also Me - I don’t put in as many bounces as other people seem to? It’s faster to make each leap bigger (just need to bend your knees properly when you do make contact because there’s a little more momentum behind it)

Who’s the best at navigating narrow, dangerous spaces?

Gordon. Lucky, given he seems to find himself in those worrying frequently.

Who can carry the most people at once in an emergency?

Virgil. He carried five children in one go once. It wasn’t even a rescue… they were just “tired”.

Who is best at hand to hand combat?

Kayo. Then Gordon or me. We are probably reasonably evenly matched although it’s hard to say because I can never imagine a situation where I’m not pulling my punches, y’know? And I suspect he does it too when fighting one of us. You wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Gordon.

Who has the most ridiculous workout routine?

Virgil. Ridiculous in that it is inside and he spends a lot of time hefting flour sacks or massive chunks of engine around. It’s effective and relevant and obviously directly related to why he is as strong as he is but… it doesn’t look enjoyable.

Who walks off injuries like they’re nothing?

Walking off injuries, huh? Hmmm… luckily I don’t really get any injuries that aren’t ’walk-off-able’ - thanks to Brains!

The rest of them are all guilty of it. Alan less so with injuries (he likes to be looked after) but he’s a devil for hiding a migraine or something as he thinks he can still take part in a rescue if he pretends he can still see straight.

Maybe it’s the post-rescue adrenaline makes a person not quite appreciate they are actually hurt? But even Virgil is prone to shrugging off appalling-looking bruising and going out again.. Gordon is least likely to get away with it as we’re all somewhat watchful over his spine given the history…

One thing we are really strict about not walking off is head injuries though. The helmets are pretty good at absorbing most shocks and so concussion isn’t as common as you’d think given what we do. But if it is suspected that person is off rota, no matter what - secondary impact syndrome remains our biggest nemesis - we can’t fix that yet so we absolutely cannot risk another knock or G-force pressure from super-Mach speeds. Luckily our scanners are pretty good at picking it up so even if someone doesn’t realise we can ensure they are kept safe.

[biancasaidstfu]

ok for non book readers who wants to know generally story of the books of s4,5&6, sorry if this is long a but but so that people have general idea I’m sure many things will be changed slightly

in the books Ben meets Sophie at the ball for the first time but she doesn’t give him her name and they share a dance and a tender moment but he was so drunk he doesn’t remember much except that he is obsessed with the sweet girl he danced and something with at the ball. He spends two years trying to find who she is but to no avail and he calls the woman “lady in silver”. One day when he is going to stay at “my cottage” which is a big house at the outskirts of the city that belongs to the family but Ben mainly who spends time there, he hears screams and saves Sophie from getting assaulted, he gets injured, Sophie tends to him as a thank you and realizes he is the one she danced with at the ball two years ago, she knows who he is but he doesn’t know that. They share a moment by the lake while he was naked and they make out. She realizes he doesn’t remember her and since she is a maid he offers her to be his mistress since she is a maid and he can’t marry a maid. She rejects him and get upset by that offer but he blackmails her and force her to work for his family so he can always be near her. She reluctantly agree, he keeps pressuring her to accept that while she keeps rejecting him. He still develops feelings for her and feels conflicted because he still wants the lady in silver not realizing that both are Sophie. Sophie is an illegitimate daughter of an earl and has two step sister the one called Rosamond & the step mother are abusive like Cinderella story. Colin tells Ben that why is he now caring about what society thinks and tells him to marry Sophie. Sophie step mother frame her of a crime and she goes to jail. Pen uncover the whole thing about Sophie and how she was also framed so Pen publish the whole thing in LW to save Sophie. Sophie loves LW btw. The Bridgerton learn everything through LW papers and go save Sophie. B & S get married and live in the my cottage place

Ben book events were years before Colin book so they don’t know that Pen is LW in the books yet so Pen can’t go directly to them to ask them to help Sophie plus she wants to publicly expose Sophie’s step mother so she published that on LW which is the better option to save Sophie. I assume the difference in the show is that Pen will tell the family first before she publish everything and if Ben gets angry that Sophie hid her lady in silver identity from him, Colin can also give him advice about how Sophie having a secret identity doesn’t change who she is and another change is that the evil step sister will learn about Sophie being Lady in silver and possibly pretend that she is her so she can marry Ben instead

Eloise book starts right after Polin book, with her best friend and favorite brother getting married plus her other older siblings too, she feels lonely and each time she goes to spends time with Polin she finds out they are busy fucking lmao so she decides to run away to go visit Philip. Marina is The Bridgerton cousin in the books and isn’t related to Penelope at all in any shape or form. She likes Philip brother George and was supposed to marry him but he dies and her father plus Philip father force them to get married; she has depression and has moments where she not talk at all. Philip father pressure him to have a heir so they have sex but she doesn’t enjoy it. She gets pregnant with twins and give birth later and her depression gets worse. After a while Philip tries to have normal relationship with her but she is mentally unwell. They try to have sex again but in the middle of it she just becomes unresponsive so he stops and never ask her again. Years pass and the kids are 8years old and her depression is just worse and she tries to unaligned herself multiple times. One day she tries to drown herself and gets really sick and dies. When Eloise send condolences Philip responds and they exchange letters. Anyway she runs away to meet him. He only wants a step mother for his kids first and find her talking too much but slowly warms up to her as time pass. The kids prank her a lot but she love her she becomes like the mother they always wanted. He falls in love with her and Eloise finds out that his dad was both physically and verbally abusive to him and Philip is covered by scars. The only person he ever had sex with was Marina and the experience traumatized him but his love for Eloise open him up and him & Eloise basically get freaky a lot. Eloise brothers go fight Philip and force them to get married. Colin is the only one gentle with Philip and talks a lot about missing Pen. Anyway they end up getting married

in the show they already made George be the father of the kids so the icky part that people fight over already changed and he is gentle so far when he talks in the show unlike in the books he is pretty cold so the changes so far are good

Fran loved John but they had issues of getting pregnant. She gets pregnant and miscarry. The other time she gets pregnant, John dies and she miscarries badly this time. She is going through a lot. Michael or Michaela in the show fell in love with Fran the moment they met her but felt guilty about loving his cousin wife so he traveled being colonizer in other countries( thank god that won’t be in the show) and he sleep around a lot. Anyway after John passes the title goes to him and ge wants Fran to stay so he kinda pressure her to marry him. They have a lot of freaky sex, she still has issues with pregnancy but finally get pregnant and gives a birth to a boy. Colin and him used to be kinda friends in school and Colin is the one who tells him to confess to Fran if he really loves her. Michael is kinda shitty and make fatphobic remarks about Pen because she is curvy in his head he doesn’t say it out loud but he refers to her as the pudgy redhead and internally makes fun of Colin for falling in love with her. In the show they already changed a lot so thank goodness to that

btw Colin, Eloise and Fran all get married the same year lmao

Colin is really important to all his siblings relationships and is the one who gives wise reasonable advices all the time so I hope they keep that in the show. Colin is actually the author favorite character and he is all her regency books even the spin off series. He literally shows up suddenly in a scene or two, no other sibling have that. Sure they show up in the ensemble moments but he always gets solo scenes in the books and they usually very important

Thank you for the break down!!!

[peytonhayes]

Peyton couldn't help but smirk at him. "You'd be fine." The words were simple, but there was depth to her words. It felt like a fact. Despite having felt so certain, deep to her core, that her father was this sturdy figure who would always be in her life— until he wasn't — there was this unshakable knowledge that Tyson would be a constant. He had to be. At least for her own sanity given that he often felt like the only real person in her life. While she was surrounded by people continuously, both the faceless figures across the bar or the demons in her sleep, he was often the one person she truly saw.

But she also believed that he had nine lives. Or maybe it was just brownie points for doing such good by saving lives.

"Plus scars are hot."

She tipped her bottle towards him in a mock 'you're welcome' as if she'd be aiding him with his non-existent (so she suspected) dating life.

"Stake knife, huh? Better than a gun, I suppose." He was alive so it seemed better than many things. Her grimace was all she replied about the sushi and she pouted slightly at the cat. She was an animal lover in all its forms, plus she could relate to cats on a deeper level. "The cat is good. Company and all." She wanted that for him, even if it came in the form of a tail and purrs.

What she wasn't prepared for was the seriousness of his tone that made her shift uncomfortably, and she suddenly felt translucent. As if he could see exactly what she hid, but there was no shock there as they both shared that.

"I think there's a lot of truth we can tell each other. But I'm also avoiding going up there." She wouldn't be alone. A bottle, some crappy tv show, maybe she'd manage to call someone to come over, but the truth was that she'd likely pass out before that.

"As long as you don't ask for it in return, I'm all ears." She didn't know if she could open up fully, ask more of him when he'd already done so much for her. But she would gladly listen and carry his torment until her last day, and perhaps maybe, she could find a way to shine whatever light she had left towards him.

"I'm asking, Ty."

Tyson caught the beer she handed him with a quiet thanks, cracking the cap with a thumb and a flick of his wrist, the hiss of carbonation punctuating the silence between her landing and her question. He took a sip, leaning his hip against the bar, watching her with a softness that didn’t quite make it to his words. “Dodgy medic, huh?” He tilted his bottle in mock salute. “Guess I’ll take my chances with it. Though if they screw up the stitching, I’m blaming you.”

The joke came easy, but the weight behind her words—about carrying herself to bed, the obligation in her voice—lingered. He knew better than to poke directly at it. Knew that kind of exhaustion. Knew what it looked like to wake up inside a life you never really chose and then keep going out of guilt anyway. So when she asked what was new, he didn’t answer right away.

He tapped the neck of the bottle lightly against the bar. “New?” he echoed, like the word itself had dust on it. “Let’s see… I stitched up a guy who swore he fell on a steak knife twice. I ate gas station sushi at two in the morning and didn’t die. And I think my neighbor’s cat has decided we’re roommates now. So, you know… the usual.”

He glanced at her, one brow arched. “You really wanna ask me that, or are you just hoping if you keep me talking long enough you won’t have to climb up there again?” A beat. Then quieter, “’Cause I can give you the truth if you’re actually askin’.”

He didn’t say I’ve been running on fumes, or some nights I don’t remember the last time I ate a real meal, or I’m pretty sure I don’t know who I am when I’m not saving someone else’s life.

[thisshitisridiculous]

watching eddie and bosko scenes is so hilarious because there's this clear intent for them to have an immediate connection and what could be the start of a romantic relationship if there wasn't a complete lack of chemistry like that's a gay man and a lesbian

[arcane-ish]

I don't think that it that impossible that it was planned from the start. Sadly it tracks with the idea they have sprouted from the start that they think politics is not enough, you always need a personal motivation.

So if they think politics alone isn't interesting, it sadly fits that they think "Vander and Silco fought because their shared friend died" is better than "they disagreed about politics" or "they disagreed about strategy".

(this is also imo why we have "Caitlyn becomes dictator and calls for martial law because she's beside herself with grief" rather than "Ambessa successfully convinces her for a while that this is the best for both Piltover and Zaun through the power of arguments". Because these writers always favor the personal over the political/philosophical)

If your goal is to ultimately make her the reason why Vander attacked Silco, I guess it makes some sense to do it like that (ie tie it to the kids, because we know Vander cares about kids) rather than making it something when they were younger.

(of course, I generally would have preferred just a political conflict, so since I don't care about the outcome, I don't care about the setup)

I don't really have that much of a problem with the "it means that Silco was willing to kill her kids" aspect of it. I have just accepted that the writers have a more negative view on Silco than a lot of the fans have and so his "I'm willing to do anything and sacrifice anything and kill all emotional ties" attitude makes some sense to also extend to even Felicia's kids at that moment in time. (I don't think him not making a better case of persuading people is that illogical, imo Silco's plans were never that logical/find the optimal strategy for the situation in the first place. IMO there's always been mixes of nostalgia, revenge, buried anger rather than just "doing that makes sense")

But yes, it's awkward, it would have worked better if there had been at least another scene that makes you go "ah, now this makes more sense". (for what it's worth, these writers have always had a thing for both surprising connections (ie "Viktor knows Singed") and making things appear like one thing, but than having it be another (2bsyken did a really good video where he talks how this extends even to genre conventions, including making the show seem like one thing (kids adventure show) and then swerving hard by having half of the Act1 cast get murdered). So I can see why they might have been able to justify it to themselves.

Ultimately, it bugs me not because it's so unlikely or so unrealistic that Vander would have contributed to Vi's name being picked but because:

within the scene it seems excessive. Her telling him before the baby's father is already very special. Her asking her friends to take care is already very special. Having all three elements just seems like overdoing it. (again maybe their motivation was they needed a super duper special relationship to explain Vander attacking Silco over it)

It just seems so unnecessary from a Vi & Vander point of view. I think that's the core of why I dislike "fated" type stories. I like stories about people who like each other because of their personalities, because they have a lot in common or really complement each other. Vander doesn't need a super special reason to really like Vi. Their relationship is entirely plausible without. You look at them and it just makes sense that they love each other, because they are very similar, presumably like the same things, have a similar temprament, really relate to each other's position in life. So from a Vander and Vi perspective it just feels very pointless.

But maybe that's ultimately the best explation of "why did they do it like that". Ie that it's not really about Vander and Vi. They just had their mind set on wanting to give us the explanation for Vander and Silco's fight AND because that is their genuine world view they settled on something interpersonal AND because they had so many other things they wanted to do that season they didn't really want to spend too much time on it.

So from their perspective maybe it is economic, they have to squeeze exessive connection into a single scene so they can use it as the reason why Vander "lost his head". (which is not unrealistic, but just pretty trite/uninteresting as a reason)

The s2 Silco/Vander/Felicia flashback

@lady-griffin stealing the conversation from over there, because we are already yapping so long on somebody else's topic.

If I was doing that scene, without completely rewriting or removing it – I would have made it less of a flashback and more of memory. Have things be disjointed or non-real elements included; Vander’s memories have been torn up again and again and again but Vi calling his name was enough for him to put them together and be cognizant enough to be himself again... but those memories are still broken up. It’s not 100%. Some possible thoughts - having flickers of other people being in the bar too (making it feel more like a community and not just three best friends) and then it just becomes Vander, Silco, and Felicia because those two are who he tried so hard to remember. Maybe we see the mom dancing with the dad, but he keeps flickering in and out and disappears altogether because Vander wasn’t desperate to remember him as much when he was being experimented on by Singed; but Felicia and Silco, his girls, his kids – he clung to those memories so they're more solid for him, but even they’re not perfectly remembered, because he literally can't. Maybe young Silco keeps appearing with his eye after the river or the barnacle version of him creeps through for a second or two.

You know, that's a really interesting point. I have issues with that scene and not all of them are really the writing. My thoughts here are bit disjointed, so I'll try to collect em.

I don't like the fated/connected from the start stuff

ie I don't care for the "Vander named Vi/Felicia told him first" stuff, just like I don't care about the "Jayce encounted Viktor as a child". It's just genuinely a trope I don't care for much.

I don't mind CaitVi just nearly missing each other at the heist of Jayce's lab. And I don't mind Timebomb being playmates as kids and that being the origin of their story.

But if like the show had instead given us a scene for Vander and Silco where let's say Vander flashes back to his parent and the parent suddenly drops a scrawny kid into his room and says "you gonna take care of him now". That would have been just about my least favorite turn of events. Even though they are my biggest ship.

It's not great as a "fated" type story

I don't like fated type stories in general but I can see when they work like JayVik obviously did for a lot of people. And you can tell those stories about platonic love.

But to me that isn't really there.

Because the flashback emphasizes Vander's connection with Vi (he named her) but most of the season emphasizes his relationship with Jinx more. Which I don't think is that unnatural, as season 1 is more from Vi's POV and season 2 is more Jinx's POV, it makes sense that those seasons would emphasize each main characters connection with him.

But that means it doesn't work as a tragic fated story.

He named her, but he dies with Jinx. And his last scene that we know of (putting both girls to bed, blowing out the candle) emphasizes both of girls fairly equally.

If his death had been more about him dying for Vi maybe it would have rung better, more poetic more fated. Or if him and Vi had gotten one proper scene chilling together, just about the two of them.

Like let's say the scene Jinx and Vi share at the place with their height measurements, if that had been Warwick and Vi instead, maybe their story would have felt more whole.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to change it, that scene was important for Jinx and Vi. But Warwick and Vi not getting a scene like that contributes to Vi and Vander's story feeling like it's been left dangling. (ie that Vi hallucinates Loris as Vander)

So getting a big "fated" type scene but then having the storyline feel like it's kind of dangling, doesn't really pull together. Which to me enhances the feeling that the scene feels cheesy.

Felicia's role is both too big and too small

I generally have a bit of an issue with how a lot of the minor s2 characters are written. That a lot of them feel less plausible/in the world. I have this with Isha, with Maddie and also with Felicia.

The art of season 1 was that everybody and their wants and needs felt very plausible within the world. A lot of the s2 characters (Felicia, Isha and Maddie spring to mind) feel more "plopped into the world to do their purpose and then fuck off".

Felicia before season 1 was just glimpses, dead body on the bridge, flashes in Vi's memory. And suddenly she gets this big fat scene that focuses on her and her needs and her ideas.

... and then she's pretty much gone from the story. Yes, she's not completely gone, you can argue Vi and Jinx have their bonding scene and that is the end of her "arc"/her fullfilling your purpose.

I just feel like a little bit more might have tied it together more.

ie Jinx hallucinates her and she tells her not to give up

or she shows up in Warwick's healing dream as a guide kind of like Skye

or she shows up in Vi's hallucinations as a comforting presence

or she shows up in Vander's final "putting the kids to bed" dream

or have her statement be more in line with the "message of the series" that is later voiced by Jinx's hallucination of Silco

Don't get me wrong, as I like Silco and Vander, I'm glad that that scene wasn't an intro to "oh great, now everything is going to be about her now".

But the imo relative lack of follow through makes it weird to me that the scene is like that (long, very focused on her)

The visuals are boring

I think you actually hit the nail on the head.

When wrote my review/reaction to that scene, I think I settled on this very early that my biggest pet peeve isn't what happens in that scene or is said, but that it feels off. They look too clean, too well fed. Why no dirt, no scars, no tattoos, no ripped clothes, hard muscles from work? Why not try to communicate more about the setting?

Arcane so far has been really good of really characterizing the different eras of the Last Drop. And it feels that just off that it's that empty and has that little personality. (ie if they wanted to emphasize that it's been freshly built and it's before the grand opening they could have had like tools lying around, brooms and buckets)

Or give me Felicia having the same dialogue, but have her actually be ragged, with bags under her eyes, ripped cloths, dirt on her cheek. Make them feel like proper young revolutionaries rather than like well fed students chilling.

That's why I personally prefer the little flashes of Silco in Warwicks memories as he runs through the mines. They communicate so much more personality.

Arcane has done flashbacks that felt very realistic, very plausible, like the Caitlyn or Viktor child flashbacks. And they have done flashbacks that clearly mix stuff that happened with like impressions (uninjured Silco floating in really deep water versus Silco being drowned by Vander in clearly less deep water). And then we have things like are like clearly warped, to the extent of having an off the wall style like the Remember Me video or the Isha montage.

The fact that the Drop is that empty makes it feel like a capsule in time. It doesn't feel like a realistic place that tells us a lot about the circumstances that they live in (even though it would have been super interesting to get a glimpse into the Zaun of the past).

Okay, so let's embrace it's not a realistic, scene, it's just Vander's memory. So what does it tell us abour Vander? Is it his happy place? Then why does the style look so different from other memories? Does it communicate that he cared a lot about Felicia? Then why not build on that again.

I guess the idea of the scene is to emphasize that Vander was connected and bound to the girls from the very start. And his love for the girls is like the only thing that keeps Warwick slightly tethered to thir world in s2. But I dunno, it still feels kind of off to me.

I naturally rag a lot about the writing (just because a lot of the time it's just so clear that they infused scenes with so much more personality and meaning with the animation alone, without any dialogue being needed). But that's really a scene where the writing is "okay", but the animation is kind of uninspired/they could have done more to give it personality. IMO it stands out as one of the more boring scenes of the show.

As for improvements in animation alone:

like you say, flashes of other things, to continue with the theme of Vander's memories being very fractured

make the characters more ragged, make them feel more like a realistic part of the world, imply something about how much work it was for them to get the drop

But that's kind of the thing too. I think the Remember Me montage suggests that Vi had a relatively happy childhood. Which in turn implies that period of peace between them getting the Last Drop and the Bridge.

So maybe they didn't want the implication that life in the past was a constant struggle, to make it work better as a baseline of peace that Jinx and Vi can bond over.

I dunno, to me the scene just feels "off". It feels very "blunt" and kind of not very economic in both the writing and the animation.

Like, when I think of a scene like Caitlyn telling Jayce that she's upset about Jinx. The writing is very blunt and on the nose there as well, but the animation and the scenery with the wind, it tries to communicate something to us about what Caitlyn is feeling, how "stormy" it is inside of her. It's still a building scene "because Caitlyn feels this way, she will later do X".

Compared to that the flashback scene just feels kind of ... flat to me. Very uneconomic about what it communicates compared to the length. (and I don't mean that every scene has to be economic, like clearly Arcane will hold on a scene in order to wallow deeply in that emotion, where the emotion or a badass fight scene is the kill shot of a scene, but it's not that type of scene. Or if it was meant as a "wallow in nostalgia" scene it is outdone by the much more excessive Remember Me)

It's not the worst scene, I don't hate it. There are aspects about it that I like (I like Silco's diary, I like Bozo 1 and Bozo 2, I like the ankle biters). It maybe communicates a bit about what world/backstory the writers imagined (carved from bedrock) even though it does pretty much only in dialogue rather than also in animation.

But I think of scenes like Vi and Jinx walking into Silco and Vander's old hideout and Jinx touching the jackets and imo that does just such a better, more subtle job of communicating things on so many layers (communicate something about Vi and Jinx and their relationship to each other, their relationship with Silco and Vander, Vander and Silco's relationship with each other, something about the time).

I do wonder why it was that way. Like, they clearly wanted to show as a little about Vander and Silco's past. But why do it that way?

Did they throw in the "Vander named Vi" part because they think it's important or because they were worried some people might not get that it's the same woman from Vi's flashbacks? Did they want to set up "Felicia asked both Vander and Silco to take care of the girls" to create a bedrock to explain why Vander and Silco are together in the AU?

[dragonnarrative-writes]

GhostGaz Week - 2nd chances // road trip

This one is more of a dialogue based character study than anything else, I think. I felt unhinged writing it even though very little happens.

@ghostgazweek

CW: use of cigarettes, littering, discussions of gender and sexuality, past dating experiences, brief reference to simon riley's terrible awful service experiences

Gaz doesn’t hate land transport, but he’d much rather be on a helicopter than in this silent car with Ghost right now. He’s viciously bored. If it was Price, he’d know how to carry a conversation. But fresh off his third milk run with Ghost, he’s floundering. He checks the clock and groans. There’s another hour before they hit the tarmac and head home.

Desperation for something to talk about makes him blurt, “You ever been in love?”

Ghost doesn’t give much indication that he’s heard, eyes never leaving the road, hand relaxed on the top of the steering wheel. Sometimes Gaz wishes he was a photographer. The Ghost in the driver’s seat would make a great campaign poster. He’s bulky with all his gear. Solid. The picture of a man. This is the guy protecting the innocent by risking himself. A skull faced badass.

“Take the wheel,” Ghost says.

Used to the routine by now, Gaz leans over the arm rest to hold the car steady while Ghost pulls pulls a cigarette from a pack and lights it. But where he usually only lifts his balaclava over the bridge of his nose, he reaches up to take the whole thing off. It’s the work of a moment for him to light the cigarette and open the window. Gaz finds himself looking between the empty road and Ghost’s scarred jaw and the shape of his nose.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah,” Gaz says, settling back into his seat. He tries not to stare, but it’s hard. Without the mask, Ghost is still the picture of a man. Just... different.

“Why’d you ask?”

“Huh?”

Ghost tilts his head to make brief eye contact, then looks back at the road. “Why’d you ask if I’ve ever been in love?”

Oh. “Just… curious, I guess,” Gaz flounders. “I feel like we should know each other better by now.”

The silence is near painful as Ghost takes a drag from his cigarette, and then another. Gaz can’t decide what’s worse - if he’s being ignored or if Ghost is actively offended. He’s about to apologize when he gets an answer.

“Been in love a few times. Puppy love 'fore I joined up, told myself I woulda proposed to ‘er if things were different, but probably not. Was all over the place.” He takes another drag, exhales as he talks. “Had a crush on another private in basic, gave it a go when we graduated. Dated in secret for about a year before I broke things off. Hurt a bit but tha’s a part of it all, yeah?”

“Why’d you break up?”

“Didn’t like being his secret,” Ghost says around another puff of smoke. “He didn’t like my daddy issues.”

Gaz feels his eyebrows crawl up beneath is cap. “Didn’t know you liked men.”

That makes Ghost - Simon? - laugh. “Yeah, well, now we know each other better, I guess.”

Gaz's ears burn a bit. Into the silence, he offers, “Me too. I mean… I’m… not strictly heterosexual…?”

“You askin’ me?” the man snorts a laugh. “’ve seen your beauty serums, Gaz. I know you ain’t straight. Best egg in the carton.”

Gaz scrunches his nose, he can't help it. “What does that even mean?”

Ghost grins that grin. The one that makes Price shoot his whiskey. “You ever have dreams where you’re a girl?”

“What?” Gaz blanches. Five years ago, he’d have answered, doesn’t everybody? But he’s learned his lesson since then. “No.”

Ghost’s grin doesn’t falter. “I do.”

“Bullshit,” Gaz says, because what? What even is this conversation?

“Third love of my life made me go to therapy,” Ghost continues, like he didn’t just rock Gaz’s world on its axis. “Learned a lot. Admittedly before the Ghost thing. Broke up because the therapy was working. And then all the Ghost shit happened.”

“Of course.” What else is there to say?

“Flirted with someone a couple times in the last six months, but either I’ve been too subtle or they’re not interested.”

Gaz gropes around for an appropriate response because I've only ever seen you stare silently at people feels a bit rude. “Maybe it’s the mask? You’re hard to read.”

“Maybe so,” is the answer he gets. “What about you? Ever been in love, Garrick?”

The question shouldn’t startle him, but it does. He stumbles over his answer. “I dunno. Maybe. Had crushes when I was kid. Dated in sixth form, but I don’t know if that counts.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I was a kid, yeah? Everything feels intense when you’re young,” Gaz shrugs. “Doesn’t mean it’s love.”

Ghost is quiet for a moment, nodding to himself. Finally he says, “M’ therapist says that just because it’s a kid that feels it don't make the feelings less valid. If anything, feelings are more intense for kids. Puppy love is still love.”

The realization that Ghost is a romantic snaps into place. He sits with that for a beat before saying, “Well, she cheated on me with my mate, so that ended. Took a long time for me to get over that one.”

“That’s shite,” Ghost mumbles. “You datin’ now?”

“Not much time for a civilian relationship,” Gaz admits with a shrug. “And I’m not… out on base. I’m not not, just… I don’t really care to have people in my business.”

“Fair,” Ghost answers. He flicks his cigarette out the window. “Well, if you ever do think about dating on base, keep me in mind.”

Gaz might pull something in his neck, he snaps to look at Ghost so fast. “Huh?”

Ghost just laughs.

[minnieposting]

2 things ive noticed about sunday and robin bc i can no longer subject my poor best friend to paragraphs on paragraphs and I want this out of me

1. Designs

Sunday features dull, muted colors and has a lot of sharp edges. He's also got darker colors in general. Robin is so much brighter, bouncier, and has a lot of rounded/organic shapes in her design.

2. Sunday constantly in the shadows, Robin always in the spotlight

Goes hand in hand with their designs tbh, which I find cool

He's just always in the back!!!!!! Pretty much speaks for itself...

I'm so curious to know their deal in just a few days, because this has been killing me this week, on top of their baby trailer 😭😭

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay I just need to say that I knew I'd like this Tailstube as soon as I saw the thumbnail (after all, I am a Sonadails enjoyer, and Tails is literally in the middle of them in the thumbnail)

But I think probably something that stood out the most to me when I watched it was just

The hints that Shadow and Tails have a relationship outside of Sonic??

The first thing that tipped me off to this was that not only did Tails convince Shadow to join in on his show, he also convinced him to stick around to its natural end?? You know, Shadow. The guy you can't force to do anything and frequently will just dip if he's bored or doesn't want to be there. But even while Sonic was annoying him and he made it clear he wanted the "interview" over with, he still never made a move to chaos control out of there because of any of this.

And the second thing that tipped me off was this:

When Shadow is both confused and annoyed at Sonic, he chooses to complain to Tails about Sonic. And so Tails steps in to try to "explain" what Sonic meant by what he said (i.e he told Shadow something much nicer in the interest of getting them to be on better terms). The fact that he looks to Tails to complain to about Tails' own best friend and possibly even to explain that which he does not understand in a social context tells me just how highly he regards Tails. And since both Shadow and Sonic are being childish here, it's amusing to see Tails regarded as something closer to a trusted figure with more power here.

From an objective analysis standpoint, of course this means they have their own friendship. And this is a prospect I enjoy (The idea that Tails and Shadow are good friends)! It actually means a lot to me that Tails could form a frienship or bond with Shadow outside of the context of Sonic (in terms of who initiates it and for what reason it's initiated).

But, my friends, from a biased standpoint, I'm shipping trash. And to me this Tailstube was a fun show for Sonadails fans. Honestly, Tails staging this episode to get Sonic and Shadow to talk and "bury the hatchet", as well as how he acts during the show, read a lot to me personally like a guy trying to get his two boyfriends (who happen to be rivals) to get on better terms, if not just tolerate each other. I quite like the idea of Tails dating both of these idiots and just trying to get them to play nice when they're all together (although frankly I think the ideal scenario for Tails in my biased reading is that Sonic and Shadow get together as well).

This is also not to mention the dynamics showcased here! Sonic and Tails as best friends, with Sonic assuming that he and Tails were gonna talk shit about Shadow behind his back, and Tails trying to get him to play nicer. Shadow and Tails as friends, with Tails trying to convince him why he and Sonic are in the perfect position to become friends and helping him out socially, and with Shadow choosing to do something he doesn't want to because of Tails, as well as looking to Tails to complain to when Sonic is annoying him or when he doesn't understand something. And then there's Sonic and Shadow. In short, their relationship in this episode reminded me a lot of the dynamic I plotted out for that Sonadow post I wrote up where the two just beat the crap out of each other. In slightly longer terms, I find interesting how Mr. Flynn maintained Sonic and Shadow's dynamic during SA2 (with Sonic bothering Shadow and trying to fight him, while Shadow is just annoyed that Sonic won't leave him alone) while also showing the audience that they are rivals. And in longer terms...Sonic was clearly seeking a fight during this episode. And the facial expression, the mocking, his tone of voice, it doesn’t really matter whether or not he actually dislikes Shadow and believes they could never be friends. He's trying to annoy Shadow and goad him into a fight because he wants to fight Shadow so badly it makes him look stupid. And we can tell by how he expresses his confusion to Tails that Shadow is just not getting this. To him Sonic is just being annoying and confusing. Sonic is targeting him specifically, and Shadow shoots back with his own words. And so it's also pointed that Shadow reciprocates/actually decides to fight Sonic when Sonic specifically challenges him. He doesn't respond to Sonic trying to goad him on, but when Sonic challenges him specifically he's much more interested in opposing him.

Anyways guys I love Shadow and Tails having a soft on the side relationship while Sonic flirts by convincing Shadow to fight him somehow😂💖