#but I'm having fun seeing all the cool creative stuff everyone is doing!!!!

[fruitytrollroll]

NIGHTMO FOR THE WINNN!!!!!

nightmo is real folks!!!! we are quite literally manifesting him (i love a good shadow persona) (kingdom hearts made me super not normal about this trope btw 🥲)

it's so insane and fun to me that shipping nightmo x scarab implicates scarab in relationships with no less than 3 different characters (2d prismo, old man prismo, and nightmo). like HELLO??? THIS is the kind of convoluted bullshit i need to rly sink my teeth into a ship!! honestly is there anything priscarab CAN'T do???

[lady-raziel]

and alright, here's my last (let's hope) and boldest take yet. lots of people have been talking about the level of staff (around 25-ish people) at watcher, and whether downsizing that number could have been a potential avenue of reducing costs before just jumping to a subscription model. at first i was like yeah, i'm not sure that there needs to be 18 people involved in making a lets play. i was in the fucking trenches in the unus annus days and i'm still amazed how markiplier and ethan nestor managed to put out pretty well edited videos every day for a whole year with only a handful of editors and a couple people filming. what unus annus was trying to do and what watcher is trying to do are obviously pretty different, but the point is that you really don't need a whole crew of people to make lots of different types of content and do it well.

i still think there probably doesn't need to be a whole production crew involved with the creation of some of the simpler types of content watcher puts out. however, i don't think the size of the staff is the real problem. in fact, i think the staff of watcher probably should have been larger.

let me explain. if i begrudgingly go to one of my most detested websites (linkedin. *bleeegh*) and look up watcher, i can see that pretty much every person on staff is in a creative role of some sort by their own admission. at first glance, its like, oh, that makes sense. they're making creative products, it's natural that they should all be in creative roles. however, once you think about it for a little longer from a business perspective, that fact is really concerning.

after all, by watcher's own definition, this is a production studio. this is a company. So in this sea of creative roles, who's doing corporate planning? Who's managing finance? Who's doing payroll? Or brand outreach? Or human-freaking-resources??? you can hire outside groups for all this. i'm aware. but those services cost a lot of money to contract too. i'm just finding it concerning that there is pretty much no one on full time staff that is there to at least do some of this stuff. if watcher wants to be a big-boy company, that's fine, but that means you have to pay some people to be part of your company to do the not-fun business stuff like accounting. or resource management.

if they want to be a real company, they should actually have a lot more people on staff to deal with all the non-creative parts of running a company. even if they contract out most of it, you want at least a few people that are your people and don't actually work for someone else. that's how you don't get screwed over or end up in a contract you can't get out of.

which leads me to my last train of thought. like, as i go through the staff of watcher and look at what they do, it really seems like one of the ONLY people who's job it was to look at the business side of things WAS steven lim in his role as CEO. and thinking about that, i'm like god, can you imagine?? here's a guy who just wants to create cool stuff too but as one of the few people who has to think about the realities of Brand and the Business, HE has to be the one to burst the bubble. He as CEO has to say no to people and make decisions to make sure the company survives. In a group of creative people who just want to make things they're interested in, no expense spared, he was probably the guy who had to stay at least a little tethered to reality.

I'm not about to say that steven lim isn't to blame here. everyone involved in making the decisions that have led up to this point is part of this. but shit, it absolutely sucks to have to be the person at the end of the brainstorm session when everyone is coming up with their best ideas and to have to say "guys, i don't think any of these things are possible unless we make some big decisions."

is that what happened at watcher HQ? i don't know. at this point, with radio silence from everyone, speculation is all we've got. but if you follow the thread of a bunch of creatives striking out on their own to make their own business after being burned by their former employer, despite not knowing really how to run a business, and then only hiring fellow creative people and not other people who actually run business things... well, all of this starts to make slightly more sense in WHY none of watcher's actions make sense. everybody wants to stick it to the man and be their own boss with their own business, until it actually comes to the hard parts of doing that. at that point people start to realize, "oh, maybe some of the things that existed at my old job were there for a reason, actually."

all this is why lots of creatives striking out and starting their own businesses don't work in the end. they're thinking about in terms of creative products still, when they really need to be focusing more on the "business" part of the "creative business." it's sad. it sucks. it destroys a lot of good ideas and good people, because one person in every company like that has to be the one who thinks practically. could this have been avoided if watcher had been hiring people all along to manage this business and not just adding people to add to the creative output? maybe. even then it might not have been enough to curb other predictable impulses that led us down this path.

i feel bad for watcher, and i feel bad for the fandom. but i can't help but wonder if this was always the kind of situation we were going to end up in, and we just missed some of the warning signs because ALL of us were thinking, "well, that could never happen to us. we're different. not the Ghoul Boys."

[dr-spectre]

Hello everyone, I got some announcements to share and some plans for the future of this blog now that the Grand Fest is over and the news drought begins.

(LONG POST AHEAD!!!!)

I think going forward I'm gonna change how I approach myself acting online and be less "OH MY GOD HOLY SHITENWIOEDISIWIEOE GUYYS!!!"

Because to be honest with you all... I've been feeling very self conscious about the way that I've been acting online and I feel like I gotta channel my passion for Splatoon in a much more healthy and less EXTREMEEEEE way.

I am aware that um.... people have blocked me... and you know, that's to be expected of course when you are online and you're slowly building a following. Still really stings, though, and I think it's due to the fact that sometimes I can be sorta- "This is what happened, and if you disagree with me, you're an idiot and you're wrong!!!!!" When I make posts. And I don't wanna do that, and I don't want to come off as a gatekeeping fan that thinks lower of other people who might not know my stances very well. I wanna educate people and present my stuff as more of "Hey guys, this is what I think actually happened in this event. Feel free to take a look! I think this is really cool and I wonder what you guys think of this perspective that i have?"

And sometimes I can be pretty loud mouthed and stuff and I have talked shit towards certain characters. I remember one time I made a post where I said "what the fuck is wrong with Marie?" And said some stuff... I probably rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with that post... and other posts. I'm so sorry if I have made some of you upset in the past or have said some awful things about your favourite characters in the series...

As you guys probably know, I am passionate about Hypno Callie and I have very strong stances and opinions on her. And that leads to me get a bit... out of control. Callie is my biggest comfort character and to see certain people try and push this vile and disgusting event that happened to her... that she was kidnapped by Octavio and the Octarians when she was alone, and that he brainwashed her and forcibly put the shades on her, or he tricked her and he removed her memories too...

and I try to see the same event in a completely different lens... I see it as more of Octavio manipulating her in a more subtle way and due to Callie's poor mental state and desperation, she heard him out. Octavio used the shades as a way to control her more easily but he doesnt have full direct control over her because her influence helped motivate the Octarians. Octavio still wanted Callie to be... well... Callie. Plus, Callie was more than willing to help the Octarians as well, as she thinks they are cute. I do have evidence to back it up as well as articles and definitions explaining how hypnosis actually works and its limitations.

But this perspective gets compromised and put into question in my head when people keep pushing and pushing and PUSHING the other thing. Then it feels like I have to yell and get mad.... I've seen it as recently as when Blushing Tide came out and I looked at the YouTube comment section on one of the uploads and I just kept seeing people say "oh it's like Tidal Rush but without the brainwashing" or some shit like that idk. I dont remember it well but i know I saw the word floating around. (Don't look at YouTube comment sections. You won't get anything of value from them.)

Anyways, I also wanna cut back on swearing too because sometimes I border on being a hazbin hotel character and I DO NOT want myself to get to that level LMAO!

So what shall I be doing now that Splatoon 3 is officially wrapped up? Well... I wanna do more creative projects and fun stuff like that. I got good reception from my haikus for the Grand Fest and I think doing more stuff like that sounds really really fun!!! And it might actually give me a reason to finish stuff as well lol...

Like I have a God damn Splatoon 2 hero mode finale rewrite that's nearly done and it's been sitting on my Google docs since JULY!!!! I have also made plans to do a fan sequel to the Squid Sisters Stories that takes place in between Splatoon 2 and 3 because that time frame for the Squid Sisters has been barely touched upon. I'm also doing a personal project where it's basically what I want to see out of a Splatoon 4 and I've been really enjoying making that. I dont know if I would ever share it but... it's something to do for me at least.

I also wanna involve myself in the community more, I received an ask where someone said (I forgot who asked I'm so sorry) if I could do a thing where I receive Splatoon OCs and critique them. That sounds really fun!!!

Maybe i can do photo mode competitions or showcases!!! Where I choose a theme (Callie, water, Splatsville, etc) and people submit their photos and I critique them and showcase them to everyone!!! Does that sound like something people would be interested in?! I would love to know as virtual photography is a hobby I love to partake in and I wanna encourage more people to try it!

There is also other stuff i can do like going over the Idols outfits and rating them, but I don't have the motivation to do that at the moment and I know it's not gonna be as in-depth as the one I did for Callie.

Anyhow, that's basically what I have so far. I think im gonna slow down on posting and I'm gonna chill out. Or at least I'll try to chill out.

I've just been feeling incredibly guilty and kinda... sad that I've been acting in a certain way for a while. And I really wanna change that. I dont like making people upset and I don't wanna be the kind of Splatoon fan that puts down others who don't even know any better and don't know who I am....

But enough being sad, I wanna focus on the present and make sure that my future on here is bright!!!

[honey-milk-depresso]

Batboys x reader who is a game/singer streamer

So I'm assuming that s/o is a singer + game streamer from what I can see soooo yeah! I think I went to focus on the gamer part than singer though. Also I could only do this for Dick, Jason and Tim because 😭 sorry ;-;;;

TT o TT

Batboys with a game (mostly) + singer s/o

Dick Grayson

Don’t even get me started on how hype Dick’s gonna be. You game??? And stream?????? Epic-

Dick has played video games with Tim before it’s just that he sucks at playing the modern one sometimes-, so he probably wants to do co-ops with you and maybe join your streams and play with you.

He sucks ASS though in Among Us because he’s bad at lying when he’s imposter and too trusting when he’s just a crew mate. He’s so funny though when you record him while playing with you and your other streamer friends.

“Awww, look at me and s/o walking together and building snowmen! We are so—”

*Kills him* “…” “s/O WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK UP WITH MEEEEEEE????”*loud sobbing*

Obviously, no, it’s just what you had to do as an imposter and you have to apologise to your sulky boyfriend.

Fun fact: bought your two of those matching cat ears headphones and he’s so sappy, dear god- he loves those earphones.

Also your voice?? IT’S SO GOOD??? You made your own songs and that’s so cool!! No wonder your fanbase is so big, damn-

And he’s obviously your biggest fan! <

Jason Todd

He’s trying, he really is. Because the last thing he played before he died were Game Boys and then he awoken to Wii Games, Nintendo Switches and whatever the fuck those online games are.

Those sus game ads he clicked randomly made him question what happened when he was still dead-

Jason thinks it’s pretty cool you stream gaming content and all, although don’t ask him to play any RPG with you because he’ll rage quit. He will go insane.

Jason keeps insisting on wanting to join your streams in Among Us but like come on- WE ALL KNOW HE’S GONNA START RAGING MORE-

When he gets killed, he calls the imposter a “Joker” 💀 Sometimes you have to calm him down and tell him it’s their role as imposter to do this. Also, when he gets imposter, he’ll kill everyone except you. Like he’s your bodyguard or something and everyone’s out to get you. You don’t even need to be imposter. If you did kill him before, he’ll kill you back though-

He’s okay if you let him play Minecraft together though, he finds it peaceful (on creative mode).

Listens to your songs on repeat while he’s repairing vehicles or hear it live on your stream when he’s reading. Wholesome supportive boyfriend stuff. <3

Tim Drake

Immediately follows all forms of social media you have, and give subs to every time you go live and stream. No hesitation.

He thinks it’s cool you stream games and all, something he wished to do but just doesn’t have much time to do so, and that he has no idea how to start up a fanbase anyways so-

Tim would join your streams every once in a while to play with you and he doesn’t mind any sort of games, he’s pretty good with the controller… well, maybe RPG. Because if he’s doing a multiplayer game like with Genshin needing to join servers and all, most of the time, people wouldn’t listen to his plans and end up dying and then he goes berserk. Only you listen s/o… wHY?? WHY DOES NOBODY LISTEN TO HIS STRATS????

Also, cat ears headphones?? He has one and he looks so cute in it and would ask if you want one too- he only wears those headphones in private though, or in front of you.

Anyways, Tim loves your singing too! Would listen it live or hear it on Spotify if it’s available. If you sing covers, it’s gonna ruin him. He can’t listen to the original track anymore because it’s just not the same-

Overall, gamer boyfriend you got here. <3

[yukipri]

So I've been trying out the new Star Wars Hunters game that came out on Mobile & Switch recently!

I haven't played many brawling type games like this so I wasn't expecting much, but I've actually been really enjoying it so far! I've probably put too many hours into playing (especially since I was super sick around launch and didn't have much else I could do), and I hit max level 50 and Kyber in ranked a while ago... (yeah, playing too much, I know...)

Thought I'd share my initial thoughts though, since I've put in the time!

Note: Some folks have apparently been playing the beta version for a while, but I've only started playing since the public release.

Stuff I like about it so far:

-The really creative and fun SW universe characters is the best part. A blind Miraluka sniper? (Diago) An Ugnaught driving a Droideka? (Slingshot) Literally two Jawas in a trench coat??? (Utooni) They're fun and have great personality, you can read their blurbs here. I like how they're all voiced and also all have their own theme songs (which are honestly heckin catchy)!

-Controls are very intuitive. Again, I am not much of a gamer and have very little experience with these kinds of games, but I picked it up quick. I play on my iPhone and it's great.

-The graphics are GORGEOUS. It looks beautiful, everything moves stunningly smoothly. Honestly it's hard to believe this is a ftp game.

-So far it's very much ftp friendly! Most of the money locked stuff are just cosmetics, and even then there are tons of free ones. One of the characters, Aran Tal, is currently behind a not-too-expensive paywall, but he'll apparently be available for free soon as well.

-The skins for the characters are fun and creative! Imara Vex has one that looks like Durge, and Zaina has one that kinda gives me adult Omega vibes. The store has an active rotation of skins that you can buy with either irl money or in game currency, and apparently old event skins eventually end up in the circulation too. Here are just a couple of my favorites:

-I love the locations! Each one is very Star Wars vibes and has lots of cool lil in-universe elements, like pod racers going through Mos Espa (they can run you over). The time period is New Republic era, so everything is relatively plausible for that time period in universe.

-There's a bunch of different game types, so you don't get bored, and they each have different challenges, and different characters who shine in them. It's unfortunately a bit addicting.

-The events aren't too grindy or tedious (so far).

-I really appreciate the different modes you can play on! The main two modes are casual and ranked, so it's possible to play low stakes and just level up your characters in casual, or try to challenge yourself more in ranked. I appreciate how the limited time events that sometimes throw you into random characters you might not be experienced with are never ranked, so it's okay to suck. Character leveling is the same in both casual and ranked. And I appreciate the Training mode too, where you can try out all of the characters so you're never in a "wtf does this do" in a PVP environment. I get so anxious during PVP if I don't know what I'm doing.

Stuff I hope they improve on:

-Playing with people + party invites are kind of a pain. The invites disappear really quickly, so it's really hard to time it so you can actually play with your friends. It's also hard to know whether the party is going to be playing ranked or casual, and if ranked you can't see the ranks of the folks in your party before agreeing to join, which is a little nerve wracking.

-This is less a complaint, and more just general frustration, but ranking up is pretty tedious near the top, which is to be expected I suppose. Through Aurodium, it was generous because you earn so many more points when you win than when you lose, but in Kyber, you win/lose the same amount. You are judged by your team score, so losses bring down everyone's rank, and it feels like you have to take three steps back for every one. Kyber players are comparatively more competent, but I've been in some...unfortunate matchups before. (As of writing this, I'm in Kyber III, but I've been bouncing between Beskar II~Kyber II for the past two weeks...will I ever make it to Kyber I cries)

-I think they started with a decent batch of characters, and I know this game just came out of beta and the team said they'll be expanding on them! So this isn't really a complaint either. But in the future, I hope they add more female characters (currently only 4 female characters out of 13 total, which feels a little skewed), as well as more support characters, who always feel lacking.

I'd love a few more "popular" iconic Star Wars species to have characters in support. Maybe a Togruta apothecary? A Nautolan water medic? A Pantoran doctor? And personally, I'd love a super buff Twi'lek lady as a tank! Either way, lots of possibilities to look forward to, especially given how much I love the characters so far!

So far, I've been playing on my iPhone and it works pretty smoothly, though I've heard of some Switch users having trouble with lagging/connecting. I think I've only been booted out once, and even when I'm forced to pop out of the app for a moment (last night, I got an Amber alert that paused my screen), I was able to continue playing with barely any pause, which is honesty impressive. I've heard controls are easier on Switch, but I think I've been doing okay on mobile.

Have you tried this game out??

Here's the launch trailer if you're interested, it's Pretty:

And a self plug!

Feel free to add me, I'm Akaz!

I main Skora (Rodian support) and prefer to play her in ranked, but also have Aran Tal (Mando, he's my baby boi), Sentinel (Stormtrooper tank), and Diago (Miraluka sniper) also at max level. Working on leveling up the others in casual mode!

I'm very happy to play casual mode with anyone! (and I play casual mode a lot to level up my less-used characters, and recommend spending some time there for new folks before diving into ranked)

I'm also happy to play ranked!

(but be warned, you'll kinda want to know what you're doing, or they will slaughter you in Kyber)

I might type up a follow up review giving my thoughts on each individual character and maybe some general tips idk

[miyuhpapayuh]

24

“I'm so excited to be here!”

“We're so excited to have you, dear! Have a seat!”

Having been on edge all day about making a good first impression, once she'd gotten to the facility and saw five women that looked like her, their warm energy calmed her instantly.

“We got you a latte, didn't want you to feel left out.”

“Oh, I really appreciate it! I hope everyone's morning has been good!”

The ladies nod in agreement before the leader begins her ice breaker.

“This may seem a bit school-ish, but I like to go around the group and get a fun fact from each of you, and it wouldn't be fair if I didn't kick it off! So, I’m Roni and I started this group a few years ago so black women could have a creative space of our own.”

“And we love you for it! I'm Leia and I'm one of thirteen kids!”

“Oh my gosh, really? What's that like??” Zora asks, which makes everyone laugh.

“Girl, hectic! We're all two years apart, too.”

“My word. Well, I'm Zora and I actually had given up on wanting my own art career, but I'm getting back out there!”

“We're all so proud of you for doing that, it takes courage!”

“Thank you!”

“Of course, doll. I'm Fran and I'm fifty-five, sitting on a pretty pension from my dead husband.” She says, before cracking up, making the girls do the same.

“A hoot, that one is! I'm Trina and I collect rocks and turn them into little scenes.”

“They're really cool, she's gotta show y'all her latest one before we leave! But I'm Dina, and I'm a photography finatic! I'll take a picture of anything!”

She pulls out her phone and swipes through her gallery to emphasize her point. Nothing but trees, cocktails, food spots, selfies, her cat Toby, the sky and moon and clouds in between.

“You're just like me, for real.” Zora laughs. “Also I've never seen a black cat named Toby, how adorable.”

“She's a girl, too!”

“Really?? That's so adorable, too!”

“I know!” She giggles.

Roni and the others laugh at their interaction, knowing Dina and her infectious personality would pull her right in.

The activity of the day was to take your feelings and turn them into a scene. Any theme. People or no people.

Zora painted a vibrant sunset on her new balcony. Two glowy orbs side by side, overlooking the breathtaking view.

“Can I just say wow!?” Fran gasps as she looks over from her own masterpiece, a never ending garden of bright tulips and wildflowers.

“Oh,” Zora covers her face, “thank you!”

“I've never seen anything like this before. How'd you do that, with the shading around the orbs and stuff??” Trina asks, as the group moves in to see her work.

Still flustered by their sweet reception, she blows out a breath. “I actually tried something out while painting. Took the shades around it and made a color and outlined them, it adds some depth to it.”

“Hell yeah, it does!” Roni agrees, making the ladies laugh.

“Thanks, you guys! Now let me see what everyone else is working on!”

“Ooh, come look at mine!” Dina says, pulling them over to her portrait of Toby, his big green eyes making them gasp.

“Wow, those are her eyes, alright!” Trina says, giving her a high five.

“They took me like twenty minutes, they better be her eyes!” Dina laughs.

“She's so cute! Her and vday gotta do a playdate!”

“Absolutely!”

“Uh oh, miss Fran! Let's talk about these flowers!”

“Oh, my pride and joy! I've been gardening for about twenty years, and this is what my garden looked like until a couple years ago. The last time I was able to get out and tend to it all, I took a picture of it and now it's memorialized in this painting.”

“Who knew flowers could make you cry,” Zora frowns.

“That's beautiful, Fran.” Roni says. “Wildflowers are your favorite, huh?”

This makes everyone laugh.

“How'd you guess, you smart cookie??”

“Come look at my pretty rock!”

Trina painted a giant black obsidian rock that was cracked in half, indigo and violet on the inside, pale yellow twinkling in certain spots.

“Wow! I like this one better than my own!” Dina says, punching her arm.

“Y'all are the most talented women ever, I'm convinced.” Roni compliments.

“Wait, let's see yours!”

An up close view of a rib cage, pink and green butterflies litter the inside and linger at the garden planted in the center of her chest.

“Rooted in love?”

“Absolutely!” She smiles. “It's how I've been feeling since getting engaged. Just a love plant.”

“Awww, that's so sweet!”

“Yeah! Are we invited to the wedding??”

“Absolutely! It'll be in the fall, sometime. It's our favorite season.”

“Leia, what did you paint?”

A silhouette of a woman behind a rose colored sheet.

“What's the story behind this?”

“Hollowness, really. I feel hidden most times.”

“Oh, babe,” Trina frowns, hugging her.

Welcoming the gesture, she softly laughs.

“Thanks, but I'm okay, I'm just a middle child.”

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿

“Honey, I'm home!” Leon yells from the front door, chuckling as Zora damn near crashes into him, hopping into his arms.

“Hey, baby!” She squeals, inhaling his woodsy scent.

“Hey, my love. I see you missed me!”

Carrying her over to the couch, he plops down with her still attached to him.

“I did! I couldn't wait til you got here so I could tell you how my day went!”

“Oh yeah, I'm all ears! How'd everything go??”

She fills him in on all her sweet new friends, shares their paintings, and gives him a rundown of how their next few meetings are gonna go.

“Look at you,” he cheeses, “my artiste!”

Her nose crinkled as she covered her face.

“I'm good, I guess!”

“Zora Jean, please. You're the best.”

“The best, huh??” She uncovers her face as they both laugh.

“And you know this, lady bug!”

“Thank you, best chef and photographer ever!”

He humbly dusts off his shoulder, making her giggle.

“Speaking of! I can share this with you now,” he says, placing his hands on hers, “today was my last day of work at the warehouse.”

Her mouth drops open in surprise. He smiles widely at her reaction, proud that it was worth keeping to himself.

“You quit?!! Finally??”

“That, I did!”

“I'm so happy for you!” She beams, squeezing his hands now.

“Thank you, my sweet lady.” He smiles, leaning in to kiss her face.

“Aw, you're so happy about this, I love it! What's your plan??”

“Well, I think I can kick off my vlogging now. Not sure if it'll be more than just cuts of me cooking, but it's a start! Also, my boys said they'd support me with whatever I needed while I'm getting started.”

“That's really sweet of them! I can't wait to see your first video! I've got a thing for cameras now ‘cause of you, so if you need any help.. I'm here too!” She cheeses, earning three kisses on the lips.

“Thank you, baby. I may need you to be my camerawoman from time to time, when you're not busy with your own artiste dreams, that is.”

“I'm proud of us. We quit our regular-degular jobs to focus on our passions! How many people, our age especially, get to say that!!”

“We must be god's favorite, huh?”

“Oh, yeah!” She nods, meeting him halfway for a high-five.

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿

“Alright ladies, today we are meeting with a few investors and they are very fond of each of your portfolios, so if all goes well, your names will be on front street before the weekend!” Roni squeals as the ladies do the same.

“I'm a little nervous, wow!” Zora huffs, placing her hand over her heart.

“Don't worry honey, your art is divine! If these suits don't like it, they don't know talent. Okay?” Fran says, rubbing her back.

“O-okay. I'm gonna head to the bathroom.”

Excusing herself, she heads down the hall and into the biggest stall of the bathroom, immediately calling Nique.

“Hello?” Her best friend sings into the phone.

“Girl, investors are coming to chat with us today! They've seen our work and are apparently impressed, which is great! This is what I've always wanted… but what if they get here and see our latest pieces and their opinions change? W-what if they don't wanna—”

“Zora! Hey! Calm down, sweetie!” She coos, snapping her out of her spiral.

Inhaling deeply and exhaling roughly a few times, she places her hand back over her heart. It wasn't beating nearly as fast, but she was still frazzled.

“I– it's been such a long time coming, ya know? I'm just… I don't know!”

“It's okay to be nervous, Jean. This has been like ten years in the making! Those investors already like your work, right?? So, you're in there! Don't worry about anything else. It would be remiss if you didn't celebrate your wins. You put yourself out there. You found an art group and they welcomed you with open arms! Investors know who you are!! They know what you're capable of and they're coming to see you and your work. Hell, let's call up that ex whore of yours and rub it in his face, cause you're killing this shit and you haven't even really started yet!”

By this time, Zora’s face was covered in salty tears at her friend's sweet and true words.

“And stop that crying before them girls think sumn wrong with you!” She jokes, making Zora laugh.

“Shut up, man.” She sniffles, wiping her face.

“I appreciate you for saying all of that. You're right. I've waited so long for things to fall into place. It's my time to show what I'm capable of!”

“Hell yeah, it is!” She agrees. “And I know it's rough, but you have to know– believe that you've already done the hard part. Get yourself together and walk out there with your head up high, mmkay?”

“Thank you, Nique Nique!” She coos, making kissy noises.

“Ah, what would you do without me! You're always welcome, Jeanie! I'll be sitting at home, waiting for you to tell me how it went!”

“Expect my knock, later!”

They squeal and talk a bit more to calm her nerves, before bidding each other farewell.

Thankful for her deep brown complexion, she wasn't as flushed as she feared. She wets a napkin and wipes her eyes and cheeks, before washing hands again.

Rejoining the group and assuring them that she's okay, they fall into conversation to ease the leftover pressure even further.

“I've been curious about this for a minute, but I didn't wanna be that crazy old lady that asks too many questions,” Fran laughs, before looking over at Zora.

“You've got a boyfriend, don't ya?”

The instant smile that covers her entire face makes the ladies coo and giggle at her.

“I knew it!” Dina adds. “Caught her smiling at her phone the other day, but I let her live.”

“Y'all,” Zora laughs, shaking her head, “y'all remind me of my sisters so much! Only, they wouldn't let me live anything down, so thank y'all for that.”

“We had to ease you in, first!” Roni pats her shoulder.

“But now that we know you're in loooove,” Trina sings, making them crack up.

“Yes, tell us allll about it!” Leia chimes in.

“He's so sweet, y'all,” she gushes, unable to help the bright smile on her lips as she goes on about her man.

How smart he is. How generous. Rugged. Driven. Hardworking. Dedicated. Inspiring.

“Does he have any brothers??”

“I had to hook my sisters up! But I'll see if he's got any cousins or uncles up for grabs! A young uncle for you, Frannie.”

“That's my girl!” Fran claps.

Soon the investors arrived and Zora was ready to let her work do the talking, her nerves steady.

There were only two people, a white man and woman, which helped a lot. Not too many people to interact with. Zora wasn't the only one who internally felt that way, either.

“Ladies, this is Roberts and Williams, senior investors from Canvas & Company. They came by to talk to us about their experience with buying and selling art, how the market works and how to invest in it.” Roni introduces.

“We are very excited to meet you ladies! In fact, on the way over, we pulled up each of your files one more time, just blown away with the talent we've seen!” Roberts exclaims, clasping her hands together.

“Indeed! Haven't seen much talent like this in a while. Definitely refreshing.” Williams adds, before they get into their spiel.

“Now the art industry has definitely changed in the last thirty years, pushing boundaries on how we capture an image and paint it for others to see. It's very interesting what one can do with a paintbrush or pencil. Speaking of, what's everyone's favorite medium and why?” Williams asks, looking around the room, his finger pointed at Dina.

“Pencil. There's an eraser always close by.” She laughs, and he fondly shakes his head.

“Gotta love the mistakes, too.” He says, pointing to her twin sister.

“Charcoal. I love the mess of it!”

“See? My kinda girl!” He claps, pointing to Fran.

“Watercolor! I love how lightweight it is.”

“I agree, it's probably the lightest type of paint.” Next was Zora.

“Acrylic paint. It's so vibrant and rich, experimental even! Perfect for my pieces.”

“Acrylic is best for that type of thing. Building color, texture.. it's a hassle to preserve, though.”

“Oh, tell me about it! My poor palette has never been the same.” She laughs and so does he, before pointing to Leia.

“Oil pastel, I love the way it glides!”

“As do I!”

Moving on to a slideshow of how investing in art works, the ladies quickly realized they were on the fun side of things, seeing how much people empty their banks for it.

“Seven grand on one painting?? That would take care of so many things.” Fran mumbles, shaking her head.

“Imagine!” Roni whispers back.

“You'd be surprised how much one would spin! One impression is all it takes, a lot of the time.” Roberts says, looking over to her colleague who agrees.

“They try to scare you with the emerging and well known artists as top sellers, but we don't all curate art the same way, which is why we're here. We see potential in every one of you, even your lead! Phenomenal work, ladies, really.” She adds, to which they all graciously thank her.

After the meeting is over, Zora feels a ton lighter than she did when her day began. She was proud of herself.

Making it home, she showers, changes into her sweats and heads across the hall, not even getting to knock before Nique opens the door.

“Hey, girl!”

“How did you–”

“I was sitting on my patio and saw you pull up! Knew the knock was coming!” She answers, pulling her inside and closing the door behind them.

Plopping down on her oversized sofa, Zora lets out a sigh of relief and grabs a handful of popcorn, stuffing her mouth.

“Tired?”

“Mmhm! It's been a long day,” she says with a mouthful, tucking her feet underneath her.

“Well, how'd everything go??”

“Great! There were only two people, a man and a woman, both white and like our mamas’ age. Cool people, though! Super friendly. They asked us about our favorite mediums and told us about how they can help and hinder, how the investment market works and girl, these people spend money!”

How much we talkin’?”

“Anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple hundred thousand!”

“Really??” Nique asks with wide eyes. “Let me go paint sumn real quick.”

Zora laughs, stuffing another handful of popcorn in her mouth.

“No, but seriously I'm glad it went great! No stress, no mess, just you and your unbelievable talent showcasing itself!”

“Me too, it's nice having people with loaded pockets take more than a glance at your work! Hell, I might have met potential buyers!”

“Fingers crossed! Your artwork is gonna be in everybody's living room! Just you wait!”

“You better be in the first ten people to buy sumn!!”

“Like I haven't been buying your artwork since we've known each other! Ima be the first! Next piece you cook up, it's mine!” She declares before grabbing her remote.

“I know that's right! What we watchin’?”

“Beauty shop!!”

“Oh, my movie!!”

@ghostfacekill-monger @thegifstories @blackerthings @planetblaque @blowmymbackout @henneseyhoe @honestpreference @blackpinup22 @abeautifulmindexposed @nayaxwrites @twistedcharismaaa @kindofaintrovert @sageispunk @madamzola @soufcakmistress @megamindsecretlair @starcrossedxwriter @slippinninque

[snikt-and-chimichangas]

Discord Server Fall Event Starting 15th of September- 31st of October!!

Hey there, chimichanga lovers! This Fall Event kicks off September 15th and runs all the way through to October 31st, so you've got plenty of time to get your creative juices flowing!

We’re talking fanarts, edits, vids, fics, moodboards, cosplay—you name it. Oh, and we’ll keep you updated with cool stuff along the way, like a possible AO3 collection for all you fanfic aficionados.

Now, a quick reminder: This is just for fun! No pressure to do everything—seriously, no one’s going to send Deadpool after you if you skip a square or two (…yet). If you manage to cross off a full line of 4, you might even win something snazzy! Don’t be shy if you have questions, either. Just reach out and I’ll answer—probably with too much enthusiasm and way too many emojis.

So grab your pumpkin spice whatever, your coziest hoodie, and dive into the madness! It's gonna be fall-tastic! I'm going to share the respective bingo prompt cards (the NSFW one will be available in the ⁠spicy-writing channel! I'll also post some prompts here (I have like a dozen maybe but will update with more prompts in waves!).

[Here are 3/4 Bingo cards (the NSFW one is available in the server)] Halloween/Fall Bingo Rules:

Welcome to the Spookiest Bingo Ever! Get ready for a fang-tastic time as you dive into our Halloween/Fall bingo game. Here’s everything you need to know to join the fun!

How to Play:

Pick Your Bingo Card: Choose a bingo card from the provided list. Each card is filled with Halloween and Fall-themed word- prompts.

Complete the Activities: For each square on your card, complete the corresponding activity. This could be fanart, edits, videos, music, gifs, writing, songs, moodboards, aesthetics, cosplay, or anything else that fits the theme. Feel free to be as creative as you like!

Document Your Entries: Share your completed activities through the specified channels (e.g., social media, forum, or event page). Make sure to include a caption or description for each entry to explain how it fits the bingo prompt. (You can even add in your AO3 note a ref to the server's bingo!!)

Mark Your Card: As you complete each activity, mark off the corresponding square on your bingo card. You can use emojis or any creative method to highlight your progress.

Lines and Patterns: Aim to complete lines of 4 (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) or any specific patterns indicated on your card. Winning and Prizes:

Partial Wins: If you achieve a line of 4 completed squares, you’re in for a treat! Share your progress, and you could win a special prize or recognition!

Full Card Wins: Complete every square on your bingo card to be in the running for our ultimate titles!

Spooky Title: For those who complete the entire Halloween card, you’ll be crowned with a “Haunted Master of Fall” title!

NSFW Cheeky Title: For a playful twist, you might also earn the title of “Frightfully Frisky Fangster” if you complete the NSFW Bingo Card! This title is for adults only and is meant to be cheeky and fun.

Additional Notes:

Participation is Optional: You’re welcome to join in and try any activities you like. It’s all about having fun, so there’s no pressure to complete everything!🧡

Creativity Counts: Feel free to interpret the prompts in your own unique way. Whether it’s a spooky song, a chilling moodboard, or a fang-tastic piece of art, your creativity is encouraged!

NSFW Content Warning: The “Frightfully Frisky Fangster” title is for adults only. To keep things respectful and safe for everyone, please skip the NSFW Bingo if you're not 18+. We’re all here to have fun, but let’s make sure we follow the rules and keep it age-appropriate. Thanks for understanding!

Updates and Announcements: We’ll keep you updated with progress and announcements. Make sure to check in regularly for new updates and to see how everyone is doing!

We also shared some fall poolverine AND X-Men themed prompts in the server, so feel free to hop in to get access to them!! If you want to join our server, please send a direct message (not an ask) and we'll provide you with an invite!!🧡🧡🧡

_ Maul from the Mod Team

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #14 (Part 1)

IT'S TRAUMA TIME BABY WHOOO YEAH I LOVE TRAUMA!!! NOT AS IN LIKE. NOT AS IN LIKE THE BAD KIND OF TRAUMA BUT AS IN PKNA #10: TRAUMA YEAH WHOOOO YEAH!!!!!

Raw asf title panel btw. You know you're in for some crazy shit.

Btw everyone this is Gorthan he's like the One singular relevant Evronian that you should know by name. That's for later but just remember that he reads Shakespeare I guess.

SNOOZER ALERT. look at his fuckass slippers.

Btw is it just me or does this guy kinda look like Launchpad. Like Launchpad if he got stuck on an Evronian prison planet I guess.

BIG FUCKING GUY ALERT!!! Also good art alert god ough the cross hatching here...

OH MY GOD IT'S THE KING FROM DARKWING DUCK

Ok so like. I can understand the gang of street Elvis impersonators. But a bunch of guys cosplaying as roman soldiers? What, do the gangs in Duckburg just do LARPing in their free time now???

I mean... can you really BLAME him for thinking you were one of the criminals...

like......

Xerbian?? haha...... uh oh

OF COURSE HE HAS A FUCKING DARTBOARD WITH PK'S FACE ON IT 😭

YEAAAHHHH LET'S RUN HIM OVER

LOVE the creative use of paneling here, having him grab onto the negative space. I wouldn't consider myself an expert on comic book art by any means, but it's always cool to see fun stuff like this!

No it's NOT plain to see, tf are you talking about 😭 what kind of gang brings in a giant fucking shredded purple guy to settle their disputes

Donald has been acting like a tough guy this whole comic but he turned babygirl real quick here

Y'know sometimes I'm hit with like a brief moment of clarity where I realize that I'm sitting and reading a Donald Duck comic about him fighting a giant alien and then having self-critical introspection about what it means to be defeated by fear. And then I'm like "damn that's crazy."

Anyways now he's thinking about getting really buff

OOH YEAH BABY BIG FUCKIN ROBOT TIME!!!

BIG FUCKING ROBOT ALIEN FIGHT YES!!! THIS IS WHAT THE FUCK I CAME HERE FOR!!! THIS IS WHY I STARTED READING THIS SERIESSS

Sorry I'll stop getting insanely fucking excited over this battle but like look at em go!!

Small detail that I really love here is the switch to the more simple paneling style for the flashback portion, reminiscent of the old comics. A nice touch :3

First of all. Rawest comic spread I ever did see. SECOND OF ALL. I think I looked at this photo like 5 different times before I realized that there's a tiny little Uno in the suit lol look at him

:0

Anyways RIP bozo + L + ratio + get Donald Ducked idiot. Trauma literally met one singular guy that broke through his mind powers and he just died instantly (or like I guess he survived and got taken back by the Evronians but like who gaf we're not gonna see him again GOODBYEEE don't let the door hit your ass on the way out)

And of course you all know what time it is... that's right... Angus Tales. yaaay... (ok Angus hate aside I actually do like the Angus Tales comics like they're pretty fun and they have a silly art style that I like)

Never speak to me like that again or I'm filing a restraining order

Why are all these people severely jaundiced

I just TOLD you bro he has jaundice. can't you read

I wanna shame him for being racist but like are any of us really surprised here

THEY MADE HIM GO TO A FURRY CONVENTION

Ok I will in fact be back again later this week to read Donald Duck Twilight. Which I specifically requested be paired with Trauma in the same week because I thought it would be funny 🦇

[littledigits]

thoughts on the cut episodes and ppls reactions 'n stuff

Since it was confirmed that a few more episodes of Hilda were written but cut, I do think the reaction of people finding this out is really interesting and not just because its fairly common in the industry and isint a sign of anything bad necessarily. I mean heck, in a weird way being behind the scenes and then seeing how people interpret things, what they take as important, what they think is a thread…all of that is interesting. When your job is basically trying to get people to pick up what you're putting down storywise its kind of a neat topic, because everyone communicates in their own way.

BTW before I keep going this is not a post to say dont crit/vent/complain/whatever about whatever the heck you want in hilda or any media, you do you. I think peoples honest takes are fascinating (said in victoria van gale voice) and even just people speaking their mind shows that they are interested and they care so that matters. Also not one singular post triggered this, its just been on my mind as I surface level read things so no stressies.

When It comes to the cut episodes, I'm seeing some people assume that whatever was cut would have fixed some of the crits they may have had about the season..and who knows, maybe yes? But I'd say ultimately probably not. Not because they dont include things that people want to see, or may have some topics people want expanded on ..but because thats just impossible in the grand scheme of things.

I mean this applies to shows in general, not just hilda. Every person who watches a show has their own idea of what the show represents to them. For some of its more of the surface events or characters where as others connect it with a deeper emotion. A lot of people respond to different tones of the episodes, which there are many. Some people prefer the one off adventures that stand alone as their own stories and others want to see more of a stronger through line. Some may see a new character and expect a new arc and thread, while others wonder why we couldn't've used a previously introduced character. Some may read between the lines more and others may take what is presented as very straight forward and literal …and no one is WRONG, because our big wrinkly brain meats all have their own tastes and ways of imputing information.

Television animation is rife with factors that actually futz with the quality and ability of the team to make a beautiful, amazing product like EVERY DAY. The script process and what goes into production is just one. The team is made up of many creatives all with their own varied experiences and voices just like the audience. In order for people to have their own voices and say, you are going to end up with some things that hit better then others, especially if the team is allowed to grow and experiment and play a little. Hilda has always been a show where we've been able to have a lot of creative say, and i think that sincerity comes through ! but with the sincerity and that humanity, it also means that there are going to be things that arnt going to make sense in the grand scheme of things lol. Even the writers and creators and producers have differing opinions on what to explore and dive into, probably more so then fandoms haha. Having more episodes may scratch some itches but not all, HECK, those episodes being cut could have re-allocated resources to other areas that helped elevate your fav ep of the season ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who knows! Schrodinger's episodes! (also ngl I was having cold sweats over the scope of some of them as cool as they were. The season may have been shorter but it was intense..it takes a long time to do stuff that looks that clean and crisp)

Imperfect art is very human! Do the best you can at the time with the factors you have. I was given so much trust and freedom on my episodes, and I was just happy to do something fun that allowed me and my team to grow and learn. I was fucking STOKED to get a one off story because it was way less pressure for me to take my next step directing cuz just doing the thing is a feat. Any sincerity you feel cant come through if that means we're afraid that we cant make mistakes, or do a story choice ppl wont vibe with. All you can do is do the best you can, see if people are picking up what you're putting down, and grow from it for next time.

Anyway, just a thought ramble. Its not to say do or dont do this or think this way blah blah. I just love that storytelling is messy and complex and everyones gonna take it a lil differently, especially if you have a team where you allow lots of voices to have input. It is all just a big experiment to see if people leave with a particular experience by putting your resources into the things you have that matter, and try you best to distract from burnt edges or patched up holes that happened throughout the process of making the dang thing lol.

[catboy-artist]

Speculation for Aurora ocean adventures (when the comic gets there) bc I LOVE the ocean and I love ocean horrors and I am excited to see what thalassophobia nightmares Red inflicts upon us all

More Fun Drowning Facts from Erin about the deep sea and what's in it. Lore dumps are always fun

Depending on how they get there. Either creative uses of an air bubble to get down there, or an Auroraverse submarine.

Dainix having a Bad Time overall. Currently it's Erin's turn to go through the wringer, but soon enough it'll be Dainix's turn. Thalassophobia is fun

Cool Auroraverse ocean life! I wanna see cool whales and coral and bioluminescent life and sea turtles and stuff

Deep sea void monstrosities. I wanna see what nightmares The Twins put in the darkest corners of the world, I'm excited to see some interesting monster concepts

I know Kendal's metal bones make him going underwater a bad idea but here's an alt take. If they're already underwater anyway. Kendal takes advantage of his lack of need to breathe and does something cool that saves everyone

Someone almost drowns and has to be saved

Alinua plantbends seaweed

Mermaids! I wanna know how mermaids would factor into the story somehow

I have no clue what Dainix's arc has to do with ending up in the ocean, and I'm interested to find out how that plays out. I'm betting it involves the volcano somehow

This just turned into a list of things I'm excited to see huh

[beautifulterriblequeen]

hi and welcome, it's new theory time wunce agayne, with I, your host, BTQ, stitching things together that maybe fit perfectly or maybe have no business touching at all: you decide!

Today's post inspo began several days ago when I started playing the Xadia game and discovered some cool lore that I just could not stop thinking about, so here, below the cut for all the spoiler reasons, is a screenshot of what you can find in the game, and what I would love for it to mean!

Topic: How Aaravos was tricked into that mirror prison

Context: We all wonder what happened to Luna Tenebris, how she died, where she went, all that good stuff. This isn't about answering those questions. This is about what she did before she died, and why. If she died at all (yeah that's always the question with Moon beings innit)

If you've played the game you'll know the context for this screenshot:

Ethari says, "Someone with the power to influence the Blood Moon itself used blood magic to become... something else."

and, well,

Luna seems to have disappeared during a Blood Moon. But she might not have died, despite what everyone thinks- she might have just become something else.

Why would she do this?

I'm guessing it wasn't for fun. Something desperate must've been happening. Luna disappeared 300 years ago, hmm, what in the world could've been happening at that moment...?

No, we all know.

You remember the Jailer. She's a human. No arcanum at all. She may be a dark mage, or she may just be a trickster magician. Either way, her whole deal is that she thinks outside the Cosmic Order box - she thinks in ways even Aaravos can't. And human ideas in times of desperation can break a lot of conventions and even taboos - just look at the things Viren, Claudia, and Callum have done when they had to.

So if the Jailer is thinking about dark creative solutions as the only way to trick a godlike Star Touch elf, maybe one of those ways was to get the Archdragon of the Moon to turn into something else, with magic that worked outside the laws of the Moon Arcanum.

We've all seen what Kim'dael can do - her Moonshadow powers and her forbidden magics are available to her at any time, not just during a full moon. Now imagine that ability for a blood magic archdragon.

Yeah.

Why the Queen of the Dragons, though?

I think they needed that much power to combat Aaravos. No one else could've done it with the confidence to succeed. And then there's the whole Moon theme of sacrifice, which all the Moonshadow elves keep demonstrating so determinedly. Surely their dragon queen has the same sentiment, deep down.

This still doesn't tell us what she did. But if she could use her massive illusion/deception powers at any time, they could trap Aaravos in any instant of their choosing instead of luring him to the predictable full moon. And seeing what sort of shenanigans are possible in the game when Moon creatures step outside their boundaries, well, there is certainly a lot of room for surprise there. In several directions. And they'd only have to surprise Aaravos once.

(side note: I can see now why Amaya says Moonshadow elves are the worst kind lmfaooo PLAY THE GAME IT'S SO FUN)

This whole theory feels very Moonshadow because even though I have this central nugget that feels plausible, I still wonder about so much more. For instance, what happened to Luna after this? Where is she now? Did she willingly die to keep from turning into a monster? Is she stuck in the spinning water that bears her name on the map? Is she alive somewhere still, lurking? Is she- NO SPOIL ME I JUST STARTED THE GAME. Idk if she's in there or not, shh.

Anyway. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this lore since I saw it in the game. And there's so much more than this even in the small bits I've played so far! If you're into the lore of The Dragon Prince, you'll wanna get this game!

But, serious lore enjoyer face. This one's extremely fun to think about.

[irl-batsignal]

rank your family worst to best and explain why

oh shit. uhh like everyone-everyone? okay Cass: She's really awesome, she knows everything about anyone and if I were to cross her I'd be put into the ground instantly. She knows my secrets that I thought I buried deep ago but she somehow found the exact location where I buried everything and dug it up quicker then I could ever explain. Jason: Jason's actually pretty chill once you get to know him, he's awesome to be around and I love hanging out with him. Even if it's not often. He's a great cook and I love him a lot. I like watching him maneuver around the kitchen and my toxic trait is thinking I too could also do that.

Tim: He's a ball of stress and you just wanna squeeze him until he's unstressed. It doesn't work. I've never tried. But I would just assume it wouldn't work. He's really great at doing what he does and it impresses me every time I see him working on something he's really focused on. He's great to hang around! I like hanging out with his boyfriend, Bernard, 'cause the two of us are great with FNaF theories!

Damian: He's my favorite little brother, technically also my only little brother. But we're closer in age and I like watching him do his art stuff! He's a bit mean from time to time but that's okay. He's the one who inspired me to make my own little funky art things, you can see them all over my blog too!

Steph: She gets me, she understands me. I love her so much, she's practically my sister. She's great to hang out with and I love her sense of style. I look up to her and she's just always been so awesome!

Babs: She helps me out all the time, even if I don't ask her to. It's small things or big ones like helping me relocate my shoulder! She's great at computer stuff and watching her do her work is so awesome and so cool! She's always there for everyone and I love her for that. She's just amazing!

Bruce: He took me in, he's always been such a great guy, even though he's definitely had his low points, he's always trying. I really admire him for that. He's looking out for everyone as much as he can, making sure we're as safe as we can be and just overall doing his best as a father. Bruce has always been really awesome.

Alfred: I love Alfred so much. He's the best cook I've ever met, he's the best at taking care of everyone and he's always so nice. Except to people who aren't nice to him. Really as long as you're nice to him he's nice to you and he'll care about you and he'll take care of you. But even if he doesn't like you, he'll still take care of you. He's a really great guy, I wish everyone had someone like Alfred. I wish Alfred had an Alfred for himself, he needs to take care of himself. I do my best to take care of him. But sometimes I'm just not enough.

Kate: I've only met her a handful of times. But every time I've met her she just is so cool. I love her hair, it's so pretty, Her sense of style is amazing and I'm really glad to have her as my aunt. Helena Wayne: I love her so much, she's my sister. I care about her a lot. She's great to be around and I'm always so happy to be included by her! She's one of the best!

Carrie: I've never really known much about her, but she's always been so cool to me. I love her sense of style she's so fun from what I hear and I like her from what I know

Jarro: He's a starfish, I love that. He's so awesome and He's so creative and I think that everyone deserves to see him or get to meet him!

Okay so I guess I didn't really rank them, but these are reasons why I really like them so much. Does that count?

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 25 thoughts

OKAY S2 finale!!!!! make some noiiiiiise!!!! this is big, this is huge!!!

i remember the s1 finale like it was yesterday. because it was a little over a month ago. man, how time flies. but a season a month isn't a bad pace, and means i still have lots and lots of fun agent time to go. wowowow we sure did go a lot of places this season! in every sort of meaning.

the episode description refers to "an encrypted computer disk” and i'm thinking, girl it’s a virus… watch out! (hint: it was not a virus, but taking proper safety precautions is always advisable)

(while the beginning of the episode was loading i sighed wistfully and said “i miss you deep throat” out loud and then burst into laughter at the sheer absurdity of that sentence. i'm always saying weird stuff and so glad no one is listening. can you imagine hearing someone say that. in absolutely any of the contexts to which "deep throat" can refer. man. need to find a way to work that phrase into ordinary life)

anyway. we are at a Navajo reservation in new mexico. an earthquake is going on. be careful, young man whom we open upon, do not let the cacti on the shelves above your head fall on you! he somehow dodges the spiny falling objects, and we learn his name is eric.

eric is riding on his cool little bike up into the cliffs. someone in his family- who we later learn is referred to as albert, so i shall refer to him as albert starting now- told him to leave the snakes alone. which raises the question: are we interating with snakes on such a regular basis in this town that leaving them alone needs to be pointed out…? that has always sort of been implied in my life. but different lives we lead.

eric sees something white in the ground… and a crowd has gathered? eric, what have you brought to the door of your home like a cat with a bird it shouldn't have? OHHHH... an ALIEN BODY. it has seen better days, very old and looking mummified (which i'm sure would actually please many historians). albert says to return it because they will be coming- i'm torn on the meaning of the "they" here, is he referring to aliens coming to fetch their lost comrade, or the government coming to bury the evidence? either way, he has been commanded: put that thing back where it came from or so help me.

(sidenote: why did we decide aliens look like That. they could look like ANYTHING. i'm sure there is a reason and i could look it up with ease but i just think that we could exercise some creativity here. like we're coming up with an entirely new species of intelligent creature and we make it... vaguely humanoid? like god in our own image? but creepier? hmm. no. go all out on that)

new character alert! he is hacking Something. i would guess this to be the mysterious records referred to in the episode description that prove aliens are real

and it looks like he succeeded, because we hear that someone has broken into the “MJ” documents. this is causing a stir in the UN! Italy, Germany, and Japan are involved. suspicious selection of countries….

germany man is on the phone w cigarette guy. cigarette guy speaks german?????? i'm impressed. he hangs up and says “gentleman, that was the phone call I never wanted to get” okay so who are we talking to here...

MULDER AT HOME!!! TAKING ADVIL IN A SLUTTY TANK TOP!!! YES I’M CHEERING!!! WHAT A GIFT!!! WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!!!

(i was worried calling him a slut wouldn't bode well with the established x files fans, but i'm glad that everyone has so far been in agreement that this is an appropriate way to describe him) 

he doesn’t feel well :( the lone gunmen are here but he doesn’t feel well… have we ever seen him not feel well? beyond the boat. if we have ever seen him under the weather before, i don't recall it. so this has got to be plot relevant.

news from the lone gunmen: someone named kenneth “the thinker” hacked into the defense department database. and the thinker left a time and a meeting place asking SPECIFICALLY for mulder!!! let him have his aspirin in peace y'all

(for an organization that is supposed to thrive on secrecy, mulder sure is well known in the community of conspiracy theorists... i fear this may come to bite him someday)

but the thinker might already be dead…. (spoiler he was not!)

down the hall someone just SHOT her husband? slutty tank top investigator on the scene. he finds nothing. i knew this was too weird to NOT be a chekov's gun moment but everyone was acting pretty causal about an old lady killing her husband in the apartment. it was an interesting tone choice. but of course, detective tank top still feels very ill, so there are bigger fish to fry.

he is now waiting in the botanical gardens. “i don’t want you to use my real name, I don’t think it’s important that you know”, says the thinker, to which mulder replies “sounds like a line I used in a bar once” <- LMAO??? slut confirmed?

(it's so hard to know with him because he'll say anything he thinks will make him sound clever. but i'm trying to imagine him at a bar and the image isn't really loading mentally. this is a man who is probably at the library in his nonexistent free time)

the thinker claims to have the original UFO files from the defense department. big if true!

what do you want from me? “I want you to promise that those rat bastards answer to the people” <- guy who is saying words in precisely the correct order to get mulder involved in some sort of Scheme. mulder takes the file and the dude leaves and i find everything suspicious! how does he know there isn’t a tracker in there?

LMAO he puts the damn thing in right at work i'm cryingggg he does not give a damn. whilst clocked in!

“you familiar with the Ten Commandments, Scully?” WHY DOES HE ASK WEIRD AND OFF PUTTING QUESTIONS IN THIS MANNER. you kept her cross necklace in your pocket for like a looong time you weird rhetorical man. you know she was Raised Catholic ofc she knows them.

he is showing her the files labeled “TOP SECRET” and there is panic in her eyes and tbh I’m feeling it too!! like damn i never want to be burdened with the forbidden knowledge

he sees it is written in what he calls "gibberish" (i’m suspicious… looks like phonetic pronunciation to me) and he starts THROWING STUFF!!! scary angry man

(i realize now the impulsive throwing and putting of the top secret cassette in while at the work place are the effects of being drugged but at the time he was scaring me a lil. calm down, i was thinking. men who throw things are not my friends generally!)

scully notices the writing looks like it is in Navajo!!! YESSSSSS MY QUEEN OF REALIZING THINGS. her father told her about it and she remembered awww :,)

“only a handful of people can decipher it” she points out “well find one of them” he says <- BITCH??? do it yourself??? you take for granted her presence in this manner again and i will have words with you. i am thinking to myself, he is NOT acting like the man who stayed by her comatose bedside. suspicious.

she asks if he’s okay and he is not looking very okay but he says he is because he is a scoundrel and a liar. and then he goes to see skinner. he says he hasn’t been sleeping. that’s weird. 

he denied knowing anything about the files and then PUNCHED SKINNER IN THE FACE??? WHAT THE HECK. okay, so whatever is going on that made that old lady snap is clearly getting to him too because WHAT.

(i had faith that my boy would not truly do such awful things as throw hands with skinner and be mean to scully out of his own volition. sometimes he can be a bit of a jerk but never in such raw quantities)

skinner got him in a headlock and asks if they’re finished HUH??? what is going ON?

(skinner handled that quite well all things considered. i wonder if this has ever been a problem in the past)

scully called skinner's his office with a bunch of other people present. looking scared. nooo they’re gonna ask about the top secret files she was burdened with knowing exist! but right now they are asking about mulder's behavior. 

ohhh “weren’t you brought on to debunk his work” says some smarmy guy in the back... well things change??? get with the program

they say that if she hides anything from them she could get fired but she gets up and leaves and does not mention the files LMAOOO. that is what it means to be a ride or die. even after the bestie punched boss in the face and was acting rude as fuck she is gonna cover his top secret rule breaking. because she's the last real one on this planet.

also, skinner has an awful bruise on his face. it makes me sad.

cutscene to the vineyard: MULDER WENT HOME???? it's a long drive to Massachusetts. BUT NO!! it is not mulder at the door! but cigarette man!!! mulder’s dad answers. and he looks like they know each other??? 

“no one was supposed to know”, one of the men says to the other. okay so they DO know each other because they worked together??? tea... this is juicy.

unrelated really, but cigarette man has a very soothing voice. too bad he chooses to use it for evil when audio book narration could have been a viable career.

the files from the defense department have mulder's dad’s NAME on them??? WHAT DOES HE KNOW??? what has he been hiding from his son?!!!

cig man claims the file thief came forward but i'm doubting that... the thinker seemed very committed. this seems like a classic case of “claim something and see if the accused goes along” 

“you wouldn’t… harm him?” asks mr. mulder. “I’ve protected him this long, haven’t I?” <- HUH??? YOU NEARLY KILLED SCULLY YOU CANCER PUMPING RAT?? NOTHING about you makes anyone feel safe.

mulder’s dad’s name is “Bill”. this has no real relevance, but i find it interesting. and cigarette man says to deny any involvement: "deny everything" like the words on the opening screen from the s1 finale!

(is anyone getting a homoerotic undertone here or is it just me? the whole cig man and bill scene went down so quickly it was hard to tell. but the hand on the shoulder lingering and the "you look well"... hmm)

mulder on da couch. he is sleeping. seriously we need to get him a mattress. scully is here!!! he nearly shoots her but luckily this does not happen.

(it was lowkey funny to see her just standing there watching him sleep lmaooo. like was she gonna wake him up or just observe and try to figure out what exactly was wrong with him. i guess we'll never know)

she needs assurance that she’s doing the right thing (and i love this. i love a character that Needs to do the morally right thing) and he is being snappy about "just getting that code" and i feel that something larger is going on here. he looks very sick. he puts the X in the window. ohhhhh no, getting x involved, that is just asking for trouble

“why did you attack skinner?” “i honestly can’t say” <- yeah there has to be some sort of brainwashing going on here. she looks freaked tf out. and I would be too!

despite him being the way that he is, scully goes to the office of the Navajo nation, bringing the coded files. it’s still encoded but she recognizes a few words.

(they didn't just transmit their message in the Navajo language; the words translated into Navajo had their own coded meaning. which i think might be a common misconception. so translated into Navajo, the words would still look like random nonsense, unless you got someone who had been trained in the code from ww2. which i think is so cool)

mulder's father calls in the middle of the night saying something is very important and he needs to see him right now. he seems quite ill for making that journey.

scully is still at his apartment. then someone FIRED AT SCULLY THROUGH THE WINDOW ?? they hit her head. girl what the hell!!! they nearly killed her!!!

(is his dad getting him out of the house so that he won’t be there when the agents go to shoot him?!? i don't actually think this is what happened but i had a bit of hope)

mulder is sitting on his dad’s couch looking like he’s about to die. and his dad is mumbling vague things about his work. “you’re taking about your work in the state department” <- okay so he KNEW his dad worked at the state department. i'm guessing he just didn't know in which capacity.

“you’ll come to understand the words… the merchandise” <- ohhh that was one of the words the woman at the Navajo nation could understand from the code!

dad is acting strangely and says he needs some medicine. GUY IN THE SHOWER WHEN HIS DAD WENT TO THE BATHROOM???? WITH A GUN? is that krychek or another random white man.

DAD IS DEAD??!! MULDER HOLDING HIS BODY WHILE HE DIES???? 

now both agents have dead dads. this is SOOOOO evil.

and mulder is gently laying his body on the couch. ohhhh my heart.

calling scully. it is a very painful conversation, and he sounds crazed and deeply ill. she is telling him not to leave the scene whatsoever because everything points back to him- his weird behavior lately, him being the only known person in the house at the time of his death, his access to firearms. and while she is yelling trying to get him to understand, she tells him that someone shot HER!!!!

cutscene to him stumbling into a room and falling into her arms OUGHHH I will eat that up a million times over. so clearly he did not listen to the "stay put" advice as she guides him through her place. is he laying down in her BED covered in his father's blood???? wow. her devotion to him is truly endless.

“we’ve got to find out who killed my father” “right now you need to rest" OHHH CRADLING HIS HEAD and putting a cold compress on it. the gentle murmuring of "it's okay". OHHH I could die. be still my whump addicted, rapidly beating heart. it's so gentle.

he wakes up mostly naked on her bed. she took his gun!!! and she took it to be compared with the one that killed his dad!!!! she is trying to clear him of wrongdoing. but it LOOKS like she suspects him.

he calls her to ask about taking the gun… “what, were you afraid I was going to shoot you, too?” <- OH I paused right there to copy down that line and her eyes look SOOO scared. my heart is breaking. she must be wondering what has gotten into him and why he can't trust her.

“you’ve been making reports on me since the beginning, scully, taking your little NOTES” <- this is SICK. SICK!!!!!! i wonder how much of this is whatever evil has gotten into him talking and how much of it is him really believing deep down that he Cannot trust her. or anyone. oh i just know that must have felt like a knife to the gut after everything she has done for him.

“you have my files, and you have my gun. don’t ask me for my trust” he hangs up after saying this. okay wow like i get he’s sick here and something is afoot but damn. after all they've been through.......

she takes the bullet from his wall. and notices someone is bringing a tank of stuff out. gas?? gas that makes you crazy?? is that what has gotten into him??? and the lady who shot her husband?

it's actually water! someone has been messing with the water on mulder's floor. we see the fellow who did this leaving in a van.

mulder takes a cab… back to his place? and sees someone running around the corner…. is that fucking Krychek. they are closing in on each other. 

and yes!!! it is him!! good to know even sick mulder can still kick krychek’s ass!!!!!!

now scully is on the scene!!!! AND SHE SHOT MULDER right in his shoulder!!! and krychek ran away!!! what is going on!!! what ratlike activities has krychek been up to!!

mulder wakes up in a bed in the house of the man from the very beginning who warned about snakes. albert!

“your shoulder is gonna be fine, the round when through nice and clean” she says, very gently, sitting next to him. YEAHHH MEDICAL PRECISION BABY!!

(in the whiniest, angriest voice imaginable) “you shot me >:(“ “yes, I did” <- LMAOOOO she is being so gentle with him

“if you killed krychek with that weapon, there would have been no way to prove that you didn’t kill your father” OKAYYYY queen of logic and facts!!! she is so smart. saved him by shooting him.

oh tea… they were putting what scully assumes to be LSD in his water. to make him distrust everyone he knows. and she still loves him after all of that. AUGH.

she drove his comatose ass TWO DAYS to New Mexico… like can love be any stronger??? it’s debatable.

“you’re lucky she’s a good shot”, says albert and YEAHHH THAT IS MY GIRL!!!! a good shot!!! :,)

pause. just gotta say here. scully is remarkable. mulder had been acting very Weird and yelling and screaming and his dad was shot and it looked like he did it. and despite all the evidence pointing to him killing his father, she never believed it fully. and he found this guy holding krychek at gunpoint, about to make himself appear guilty for his father’s murder. so she shoots him with enough accuracy to knock him down, gets him bandaged up, finds the LSD in his water, knocks his ass out, and drives him two days to New Mexico to find one of the very few people that can understand this code he is breaking a million rules to try and understand. like are you joking. is she not top ten characters of all time??? take a moment to acknowledge how amazing this is.

okay, so Albert says that evidence of a secret agreement is buried not far from where they are. 

he groans and gets up and asks “what about you” OHHH :( she missed her meeting with skinner for this and now she will have to Atone. he will be on his own for this one. this is probably for the best. she needs to stay employed and also explain to skinner that the punching thing was not actually his fault.

“thank you for taking care of me” OUGHHHH <- moaned by a girl who is in emotional pain. he thanked her. i mean, it's the least he could do; i'd say buying her dinner for a year and also bankrolling the animal shelter of her choice would be more appropriate, but this is a good starting place. for him to acknowledge his vulnerability. how out of his mind he was. chef's kiss.

OH her NAME is in those files?? with duane barry’s?? AND IT MENTIONS A TEST??? “i want you to find out, Mulder. i need you too” NOOOOO WHAT DID THEY DO TO HER?? she deserves NONE of this. i can only imagine how horrific it is to know you were taken and you don't know What Happened. again with the complicated medical history thing. mulder PLEASE find out for her. she deserves a lot more than that.

despite being shot, mulder is back behind the wheel, driving somewhere. albert says a people called the Anasazi disappeared 600 years ago and historians say they don’t know why because they won’t “sacrifice themselves to the truth”, and that "nothing disappears without a trace". i know a lot of historians so i can try and check and get back to you on this.

albert says "they still visit"... i wonder what the aliens like about this place? they make it to where they wanted to go: to eric! 

mulder is riding on the back of eric’s motorcycle. it is a bit of a funny sight. shoutout to eric for real. he shows mulder the big white thing from the start of the episode. and why do I feel that this episode will end before answers are obtained...

cigarette man calls!!! he says he needs to talk to mulder NOW. Re: his father: “he was never an opponent of the project. in fact, he authorized it. he couldn’t live with it” girl he doesn’t even know his dad was ON the project yet so. let's take it one step at a time. 

“no, he couldn’t live with it because you had him killed” being killed does generally stop living. but seriously mulder there are more pressing matters at hand!!!

“listen to me you black lunged son of a bitch, I’m going to expose you and your project” banger line but. WHY are you answering your phone rn mulder like they could be tracking you and you have BIG discoveries to be making!!

“expose anything and you only expose your father” <- ooo that is interesting... how much will that weigh in on his decision making process? i bet it's more his mom dealing with the fall out he's worried about

AND THEY DID GET A COORDINATE ON HIM DURING THAT CALL!!!!! WHY WHY WHY DID YOU ANSWER, MULDER! the minute you heard his voice you should have hung upppp ohh i'm gonna YELL 

he’s digging in the dirt and it says something about a railroad… it’s a refrigeration car…. thank you eric for showing the way. you are a hero. and he is IN THE CAR calling scully. he describes that it is filled with bodies. she asks, “what happened to them”, further revealing that she is the queen of asking grounding questions for those experiencing extreme distress

she knows some of what was in the files: it mentions that Axis powers scientists conducted studies after the war… so the alliance of earlier countries was NOT an accident!

in the railroad car, we see shriveled bodies, alien bodies, a foot. all visible as I type all this. she mentioned tests on humans referred to as “merchandise” but they aren’t humans, he insists!! they’re aliens and they’re scary… is he gonna see his sister… (thank god this did not happen)

he sees one with a vaccination scar. that is a terribly human thing to have. what did they DO to these people??

eric shuts him in the box car because the helicopter is arriving. 

eric refuses to talk to the government (king of knowing his rights) and mulder is gone. “nothing vanishes without a trace”, says cigarette man. okayyyy repeated motif. maybe mulder hid in all of the alien bodies in the car? that would be my guess.

ohhh, cig man is saying to burn it… and they do, in fact, blow that shit up. WHERE IS MULDER THOUGH??

NOOOO THE EPISODE ENDS THERE WITH A “TO BE CONTINUED” NOOOO

sigh. The AGONY contemporary viewers must have felt seeing this……. i feel for you, i really do. and all i have to do is just click the next button. but unfortunately i have too many rules to do such a thing and must first post my thoughts on this episode, and then my favorite moments from each character this season, and then my favorite moments of them together, and then the things we learned about them, and only THEN can i allow myself to watch the next episode.

but omg this was goooood though… last time i made a list of some fave episodes and this has definitely joined their ranks. the drama! the angst!! mulder being sick!! the fear of being unable to trust each other- if they cannot trust each other, does trust exist at all? my least favorite rat bitch krychek returning,,, and while I don’t care for him, it is an interesting development. also. mulder’s dad KNEW Cigarette Guy? and not just KNEW him casually, but was somehow involved in their alien fuckery? and we also learned today that, if we had any doubts, they have been squashed: scully is one of THE characters ever. she can shoot you so clean!!

I’m glad he was the damsel in distress. like i said, i demand gender quality in saving each other.

and the plot!!! the aliens!!! alien bodies with vaccines… so humans that TURNED into aliens, somehow? and we see them!! we so rarely get to see the aliens. and what if we get to learn what they did to scully!!

but where will this go from here!! will scully be in trouble with skinner? I feel like skinner will believe “mulder was being drugged part”, but I’m not sure if he can dig them out of the hole of having secret encoded files. 

and scully. she just wants to do the right thing. i love so desperately a character who wants to do the right thing, make the moral call, even if it’s hard, even if it means lying, putting it all on the line, it just has to be the right and ethical thing to do and then it’s okay. 

and mulder… losing his father… who he clearly didn’t have the greatest relationship with… his haunted voice on the line when he called scully… the way her first thought was to protect him, even if he couldn’t see the bigger picture, the way she SHOT him so he wouldn’t be accused of his father’s murder…

and krychek… i thought that was him in the shower but it was hard to tell because it was such a brief scene… but it was!!! what have they been doing to the rat man!!! he has been in the sewers rehearsing his ratty deeds!!!

a very good episode. i am hooked. i wish to jump right into the next one, but i shall not. i felt the same way at the end of last season, but i have to do my duty and blog. and to think, so much has happened in one month! both in the show and in my own life. wow.

it’s funny, i usually don’t care about the aliens at all. like I watch this show for mulder and scully time and not the spooky. but here, i'm kinda hooked. i want to know what happened and what they are hiding and what the bigger picture is between this and the stuff we learned in s1. you know it’s good when the girl that’s only here for the steady undertones of two people exhibiting extreme devotion to each other is actually tuned in to the extraterrestrials. who we think look like this: 👽 

i’m pleased! i’m pleased, and i’m intrigued, and i want more.

[wazzappp]

You write fanfics, right? Would you mind giving a newbie a few tips for writing their very first fanfiction ??? 🥺

FIRST OF ALL WOAH. IM HONORED YOU WOULD ASK ME FOR ADVICE AND SECOND OF ALL AKAKKFJGKHKHSKSGG I uhhhhh. Kind of????? Write?? I make plans and then I draw comics I'm actually trying to WRITE write something right now (key word being 'trying') but INEXPERIENCE ASIDE I guess I can try to tell you about some stuff I like to think about when planning a comic?

I like to start by knowing both where everyone is starting out and where everyone is going to end up. It's also helpful to know what everyone WANTS. I make sure to separate those two because they aren't necessarily the same thing. It's good to know both before you get to the details. If you don't know where you're going, you cant have fun getting there!

When I'm planning something out I like to start with the big parts as bullet points and then fill in the gaps. That way, if you realize one point doesn't flow into the other the right way, you can rearrange things before you're 5 hours deep and realize 3 hours worth of it doesn't work.

Try to think up multiple different ways a scene/situation could go! I replay something in my head a dozen times in a dozen different ways until I land on one I like. If you have something solid its totally cool to stick with it, but it's also fun to explore possibilities in your head before committing. That way you can pick out what the most impactful version is and go with that.

TALK!!! TO YOURSELF!!! FOR DIALOGUE!!! Find somewhere private where you wont be judged or interrupted and just go for it (my personal favorite is in the car on my drive to work but don't do that if you think it will get you into an accident lol). Try and get into each characters headspace and think about how it feels to say the things you're saying. Does it make you feel sick? Choked up? Tense? Notice it and think about how it will change their body language and how other people perceive them.

Know what your characters flaws are! Perfect people are BORING. Not to mention unrealistic. Also its really important for how people interact with each other! If someone is distrustful, judgemental, naive, defensive, blunt LITERALLY ANY CHARACTER FLAW it will play a role in how they deal with both people and problems.

Working on biographies + character designs (if you draw) for characters to make sure you understand them as well as possible is really helpful. I do it for almost all of my AU's that I make. But also I'm incredibly detail oriented so yk. Take that bit of advice with a grain of salt. I like picking my favorite little guys apart with a scalpel but if you find that demotivating don't worry about it too much.

If you're following along with a game or a movie, it's good to know ahead of time how closely you are sticking to the established story and universe. Keep track of any new rules you make. Working within a set of constraints helps to get both you and the character to think more creatively, and keeping those rules consistent makes the world feel more real. In a way, setting limits makes your world bigger!

Its also worth mentioning that I like to pay attention to what I enjoy reading when I'm figuring out a story. What pacing do you like? What level of description? Do you like things phrased more straightforwards or more poetic? I'm not suggesting you copy people of course. Just know what you like and try to apply it to yourself!

Damn that was way more than I thought I had to say lol. I'm going to also tag @moosemonstrous @rokhal @kermit-coded @cannibal-wings sin case they might have some tips to add because they are all absolutely exemplary in their craft (bring out the FANCY words today just for you) and I HIGHLY suggest looking at their works.

<3 Thanks for your ask!! I cant wait to see what you make!

[your-average-teenage-mess]

The first time I ever watched ride the cyclone, I was watching the slime tutorial on my phone with a friend, who's already watched it before. And when I saw Noel's character, I was legitimately prepared for pain.

Cool, a stereotypical gay teenager who's a drama queen and sex-obsessed and kind of annoying to everyone around him. Literally me, but he's gonna be turned into the butt of the joke we're somehow supposed to find empowerment in, right? He'll have his little moment of self-expression and pride, everyone around him will be embarrassed of how cringe it is and be framed as the normal ones, and we'll just have to take it because at least they aknowlaged the existence of gay teenagers. Very cool and not upsetting at all.

And then there was Noel's lament, and I was just like, "that's gonna be it, right? He's having his moment of expression, which he'll then be made fun of to hell and back for daring to be gay while expressing vulnerability". And I kept thinking, god this is beautiful, god do I relate, god am I so sorry for what's about to come. Because the thing is, I also experienced stuff not so different from what he went thorough. Being openly queer from a young age, everyone around you being cool with it on paper but also seeming to think you should stop being so weird, and so you try to keep it down, and be normal, and inside you turn to escapism, because all the heroes in all the stories had a better reason to feel hurt than you do, what are you complaining about, and you wish you were traumatized, because then all that pain and feeling of repression and preformence would not feel like you're just looking for attention even though you're trying to hold it back even though you CAN'T because you have no fucking filter, and... And right after Noel's lament ended, when he was just sitting there in hesitation, waiting to see how the others are going to respond to how he just poured his heart out, I just reached and paused the video, and I turned to my friend, and I went "just... Give me a second," because I wasn't ready to see another gay character I can relate to being degraded for having emotions that are messy.

And then she told me, "no, look," and unpaused the video, and... The other characters didn't act like he just humiliated himself. Mischa thought his performance and creativity were really dope! Ricky loved how he got to play the accordion for this, that was really cool! The only one who was being weird about it was Ocean, and she was presented as an annoying judgmental stuck-up who's trying a tiny bit too hard to seem like this doesn't make her uncomfortable, and was immediately side-eyed by literally everyone, as she should have been because for fucks sake that is how this is literally always like. He poured his heart out... And the story didn't punish him for it. It was genuinely radical for me to see that.

I'm not saying ride the cyclone is perfect in terms of representation- there is a LOT to be said about what they did with Ricky (#saverickypotts). But this is proof that you CAN, in fact, have queer characters and their stories inside of stories that are not inherently queer, and this is why you SHOULD. Because we don't deserve to feel as if the only way we'll ever be accepted is by locking ourselves in a room with only each other and become completely unable to engage with the outside world because every interaction with it becomes so fucking draining. If you're writing a story with mostly straight people, and one of the characters "happened to be (insert queer identity)"... I just want you to know, they don't have to act hyper-respectable all the time, they just need the narrative to treat them with respect. Not just about their identity. About their entire internal world, too. Let them have the dignity of people even if they're sometimes cringe, or weird, or overshary, or bad at communication. Because this is how much it can mean to someone.

[honeyjars-sims]

2.4 Drama Lessons

Lexie: I couldn't believe he found another Snowflake for me. It was the sweetest gift anyone's ever given me.

Bonnie: That's such a cute story! Johnny had a little stuffed cat that he used to drag around everywhere when he was little. What was his name again? Jackie? Jerky?

Johnny: Jinkies. I was really into Scooby Doo at the time.

Bonnie: That's right! Well, it seems like you two are birds of a feather. I'm so glad Johnny found such a sweet girl. And so pretty, too.

Lexie: Thanks, Ms. Ayers!

Bonnie: It’s Messer, actually. I never bothered to change my last name after my divorce. I'm glad we finally got to meet. I was beginning to think Johnny was trying to keep us apart.

Johnny: Mom, I told you I’d introduce you to her. I just wanted to wait a little while.

Bonnie: I know, I know. But it all turned out fine. I swear sometimes you make things so much harder than they have to be. Everything’s always gotta be a big thing. Lexie, I’m sure you know what I mean.

Lexie: Um, actually, Johnny is pretty easy going most of the time.

Bonnie: Yeah, that’s because you’re a girl that he wants to impress. Give it a few months and you’ll see. I love him to death, but he can really be a drama queen when he wants to be.

Johnny: Gee, thanks Mom.

Bonnie: Oh, come, Johnny. I’m just teasing you. I thought you were all about the jokes.

Lexie: Ms. Messer, I don’t know if Johnny mentioned this, but we’re going to be involved in some theater productions with the Drama department this year. Right, Johnny?

Johnny: Yeah, I think it will be fun. Hopefully we’ll be able to get some onstage experience. It’ll probably be a lot of behind the scenes stuff.

Bonnie: Oh, that’s nice! Do you want to be an actress, Lexie?

Lexie: I do, but I’d like to do a little bit of everything. Writing, directing, producing…it all seems exciting to me.

Johnny: We’re friends with a lot of other drama students and we’ve been talking about creating some content together to post it online.

Bonnie: What kind of content?

Lexie: Right now there’s a lot of competing ideas. Everyone has something different they want to try. I guess that’s what happens when a bunch of creatives try to collaborate!

Bonnie: I’m sure you’ll figure something out. That sounds really cool. You know, you’ve been such a good influence on Johnny. He’s been doing so much better since he met you. 

Lexie: Well, I can’t really take credit for that. Johnny is really determined. Once he decides to do something, he’s going to see it through. I’m really proud of him.

Johnny: Thanks, Lex. That’s nice to hear.

Bonnie: I’m proud of you, too, son. I guess all your stubbornness is finally paying off!

Johnny: Yeah, sure.

Lexie: Well, it was really nice to meet you, but Johnny and I have an assignment we need to work on. I don’t want to fall behind so early in the semester.

Bonnie: Oh, I hate for you to leave so soon, but I guess schoolwork is important. It was nice meeting you, Lexie. Johnny, don’t be such a stranger.

Johnny: See you later, Mom. I love you.

Bonnie: Love you too! Bye!

Johnny and Lexie: Bye!

Johnny: [whispering as they walk away] Thank you.

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