#and the irony is terrifying

[chirpsythismorning]

El saying this, in a letter filled with lies, makes the line come off as naive... which makes me feel like Jonathan and Nancy are not going to go to college together...

[yupuffin]

I think the aspect of the 2.7 story that felt most impactful to me was something that was previously addressed in the Penacony main story, but was reemphasized and expanded upon with Sunday being the narrative focus of this update:

Sunday is scared.

His motivation to protect the people and things important to him -- Robin is an excellent example -- manifests as a desire for control, to eliminate potential dangers. This motivation is based in fear; he's afraid to lose what he has to factors beyond his control, like the bullet that nearly took his sister's life.

And part of the "true paradise" he longs for involves preventing the sense of powerlessness that accompanies that fear. He believes that humanity sleeps because "we are afraid to awaken from our dreams." Indeed, the appeal of the "sweet dream" of Penacony is freedom from the uncontrollable and inevitable tragedies of the waking world.

It's part of what made him such an effective villain in the Penacony arc; even though you may disagree vehemently with his actions, you can understand with and sympathize the rationale behind them. In his mind, absolute control over the Dreamscape -- the elimination of frightening unknowns -- is the most effective way to keep everyone safe and happy. However, this undermines the real freedom and autonomy of the affected populace, many of whom are unaware of the Dreamscape's true nature.

In the 2.7 update, Sunday is "nerfed after turning into a good guy," to use March's words. Previously, he enjoyed immense social status as the head of the Oak Family -- and as the imposing, invulnerable, "final boss"-style antagonist. Now, his role is effectively reversed; he's a fugitive who has to disguise himself to evade the potential consequences of simply being seen.

He's an incredibly vulnerable position.

Not just physically -- as the audience, we also get intimate insights into his feelings and thought processes. Now he recognizes the scope of the harm he was previously willing to cause in the name of absolute control, and shoulders the responsibility of dealing with the repercussions.

His newly evident guilt and shame is emotionally moving on its own...

...and becomes even more poignant when you realize that guilt and shame and vulnerability has been a crucial aspect of his character from the very beginning. After all, so much of his deep-seated fear of the unknown stemmed from him blaming himself -- his lack of control over the situation -- for Robin's unforeseen injury.

I found the scene at the Dream's Edge the most touching in this update. Sunday's conversation with Robin is a bit of a paradox: he is deeply sincere and vulnerable in speaking to his own sister, yet guarded because he must avoid revealing his true identity. And Robin, in turn, directly provides an alternate outlook on Sunday's character, describing him as though to someone who's never met him, as though he isn't there.

And Robin's perspective reaffirms that Sunday's apparent invulnerability was essentially a facade. He may have been the head of the Oak Family, and the imposing final boss, but at the same time, on the inside, he was continually paralyzed by fear.

Sunday has always been vulnerable. He has always been scared.

And I think what makes the conclusion to the 2.7 story so satisfying and triumphant is that Sunday begins to properly address his fear, his persistent guilt and shame. He moves beyond simply acknowledging it, and recognizes not just how indulging his fear can bring further harm, but also what good things (that otherwise wouldn't occur) can happen when he overcomes it -- as it were, when he doesn't let his fear control him.

I'm going to be real, I probably had an intelligent-sounding conclusion for this, but... it took me several weeks to write this and I've forgotten any idea i might have had previously, so let's just say he definitely hit me right in the feels. 🤣

[the-crooked-library]

look i don't know how true this is but i hate hate hate in my bones the way that the recent rise of purity culture has intersected with minimalism and irony poisoning

no sex. no dark themes. no "fetishization." no ornamentation. no "unrealistic" lighting and you can't see a thing. actors don't enunciate for shit. no "purple prose" or "overwriting" (it's just an adverb) or "tumblr prose" or whatever the fuck the newest term will be. sincerity is cringe, ew, why would he say that. no colour grading, because we want the big-screen blockbuster to be "realistic," BUT we will shoot it in a room with fake sunlight and slap the effects onto the scene post-production. moral fiction. moral fanfiction. "omg this is craazyyy was the creator on drugs??!!1????" about any form of creative expression. lists of reasons why this short experimental amateur one-shot is Very Bad Writing, actually. s*x smex spice adult fun time p0rn k!ll grape sewer slide.

everything is boring, nothing is real, i am fucking sick of it

[mrghostrat]

looks at my half made breakfast toast

crowley would eat vegemite out of the jar

[daisynik7]

me when I write: fill me up, stuff me full of cum, breed me daddy, give me all your cream pies

me in real life: diligently on the pill, bf still uses condoms, both of us absolutely terrified of me being a teen mom at thirty

[harlothane]

Aeron & Theon - Views on each other

[daily-hanamura]

[spamtonbabygirl]

I can't decide if I like the possession theory or the transformation theory more. I really enjoy the parallels to Mettaton and Mad Mew Mew/Mad Dummy with the possession theory. But the other worldly horror of Spamton watching his body slowly change and he can't do anything about it scratches my horror fan brain very nicely.

[vee-lociraptor]

had to get blood drawn today and im very scared of needles so i literally sat there and scrolled miles edgeworth fanart the whole time so i wouldnt panic. and brother it worked

[resurgentclass-stardestroyer]

I diagnose Hux with 'near-death near-drowning in the middle of a vast dark ocean at age 15 incident'

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

anyways. some ieytd character opinion headcanons bc i've been thinking about doing it for a little while. its read left to right (character in question is the column, character who they're reacting to is the row)

also made a separate version beneath the cut with ieytd3 spoilers, but the first one is spoiler free tee hee 💕sorry it's so small its because i have too much to say smh

[tatekane]

Jurassic Park's most iconic scene Minecraft edition starring Bdoubleo100 or The Shining's "Here's Johnny!"

and one of the best scenes in Decked Out 2 haha

[kissingarthurclaus]

Ok before I fall even harder into this ship there's something you guys gotta know...when I was a kid I actually watched Lazytown a LOT! I remember a lot more of the first season + songs than I thought I did tbh.

But at some point, I had a dream that I saw Sportacus naked, and from that point on I was too embarrassed to watch the show again 😂😂😂

[i3utterflyeffect]

Loc!Tim constantly is tired but can't sleep as they are in constant pain and that their body moves on their own when they are unconscious

THAT'S SO FUCKED UP BUT FITTING CONSIDERING THE HEADCANONS ABOUT DARK SLEEPWALKING........

[exclamaquest]

yes eating the rich is cool and all now can we discuss the practically nonexistent safety regulations for submersibles and how easy it is to get around them

[peliginspeaks]

Hey gang I just realized that I don't think Null can pass the mirror test? Which in the context of their past profession and Flondon in general is. Hilarious

Context: the mirror test is a test of intelligence for animals (and development for small children) to see if they realize that the person in the mirror is Them and not another baby/cat/whatever. I'm pretty sure it tests the intelligence needed to realize how reflections work, but it also needs a sense of self, and since Null straight up Doesn't Have One I just... don't think they would pass. Which is hilarious because by sheer luck their assumption that the reflection is a whole other person is in fact kind of right in the Neath.