#but she will be conflicted over her actions

[bloomzone]

strawberry shortcake sweet personality ✧

Hiii everyone , lately I’ve been rewatching my favorite childhood cartoons and always studying the kindest character like kokoro yotsuba , kitty , barbie ect ect .. (because yes, healing your inner child is girl core), and I spent the whole day falling in love again with Strawberry Shortcake. She’s not just cute she’s kind, warm, confident, and the definition of sweet without ever losing herself and that energy is so rare these days ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

We live in a world where people think being cold, mysterious, or emotionally distant is the only way to be taken seriously . Being soft doesn’t mean being naïve , being kind doesn’t mean being weak , u can be the softest girl in the room and still be the strongest. It’s about choosing love over ego, peace over drama, softness over bitterness and doing it because that’s who you are !

This lil blog ! is for any girl who wants to bring back that berry-sweet energy into her life. A little more kindness. Here's how to stay soft and gentle without ever losing your self-respect.

🍓 Always look for solutions instead of dwelling on problems :

Sweet girls know that sulking forever doesn't help anyone. It's okay to feel sad or stuck for a moment, but don't build a house there. Put on your thinking cap and ask yourself, "What can I do next?" Turning frustration into action is the ultimate girl power.

🍓 Speak softly but with confidence no need to be loud to be heard :

You don't have to yell to be taken seriously. A gentle voice can carry so much power when it's laced with purpose and grace. Be the girl who speaks kindly but firmly people will listen because your calm energy demands respect without ever needing to raise your voice. (by experience.!)

🍓 Give genuine compliments and notice the good in people :

Being sweet means seeing beauty where others don't even look. Compliment the girl next to you on her handwriting or her laugh. That tiny sparkle you give someone could light up their whole day. It doesn't cost anything to be kind, but it means everything .

🍓 Be optimistic even when things look tough :

It's easy to fall into negativity, but sweetness means choosing hope again and again. Believe that things will get better, even if you can't see how yet. This isn't about being delusional it's about refusing to give up your light just because the world seems dark.

🍓 Show genuine care for your friends' feelings :

Real sweetness is heartfelt. Listen when your friends vent. Remember the things they love. If someone's quiet, check in. Being emotionally present isn't clingy or weak it's how you build deep, lasting friendships !

🍓 Stay humble even when you're doing well :

It's so powerful to shine without dimming others. Be proud of yourself, of course but don't brag. Let your work speak for itself , sweet girls clap for others just as loud as they clap for themselves. Humility is magnetic.

🍓 Turn conflicts into learning moments :

Disagreements don't have to be ugly. You don't have to yell or go silent. You can say, "Hey, I didn't like how that felt. Can we talk about it?" That's soft and strong. Sweetness means wanting growth, not grudges.

🍓 Believe the best in people until they prove otherwise :

Don't let the world make you bitter. Believe that people are good until they show you they're not. And when they do, you can walk away gracefully no drama needed ofc . Being trusting isn't naive it means you choose hope, not fear.

🍓 Be encouraging and supportive to everyone around you :

Lift others up. If someone's trying, cheer them on. Be the girl who says, "you've got this!" even to strangers. When you create that energy, it always finds its way back to you. Sweetness creates a ripple effect.

🍓 Keep your sweet, gentle energy even when setting boundaries

You can say "no" with love. You can protect ur peace without being mean. It's all about tone and intention. Boundaries are healthy. Being sweet doesn't mean letting people walk over you. It means loving yourself enough to choose peace.

🍓 Focus on bringing people together instead of creating drama :

We're not here to compete, tear down, or stir the pot. Real girlhood is about sisterhood. Bring people together, help smooth things over, and spread love . Drama might seem exciting but peace is way more powerful.

🍓 Always be willing to help, even with small things :

Hold the door. Pick up something someone dropped. Ask "Need help?" It's in those tiny acts that true sweetness shine

🍓 Stay true to your values no matter what others do :

Don't let peer pressure dull your shine. Be sweet, be soft, be kind even when others aren't. You don't need to "harden up" just to fit in. Real strength is staying gentle in a world that tells you not to be.

🍓 Approach challenges with curiosity instead of fear

Life will throw things at you but you can meet them with wide eyes instead of clenched fists. Ask, "What is this trying to teach me?" Sweet girls grow through what they go through. Your softness doesn't stop you from being brave it makes you even braver.

🍓 Spread positivity wherever you go :

Smile , say "thank you." Leave kind comments online. Compliment the moon. The world doesn't need more cold, mysterious energy all the time. Be the warmth in the room. Be the reason someone feels safe today.

I know someone will say "nooo this is not kindness, people will put you under their shoes..." But there's a huge difference between being sweet and being a doormat.Being sweet doesn't mean you let people walk all over you. It means you choose your battles wisely, u set boundaries with luv and you respond to negativity with strength not weakness. When someone tries to take advantage of your kindness, you can still say no firmly while keeping your gentle energy.The world needs more girls who choose softness as their superpower. Don't let anyone convince you that being kind makes you weak. It takes so much more strength to stay sweet in a world that wants to make you bitter. 🧁

@bloomzone

[linka-from-captain-planet]

Painters, The War, Canvases, and Painted People

misc interpretations and headcanons from the Clair Obscur lore brain stew I've been chewing on for weeks

Painters, the Dessendres, and the Real World

It's unknown how many Painters there are, but there is a Painter's Council which indicates both there are many more than the Dessendres and that their powers have some kind of oversight/regulation, at least among themselves

Whether Painters (and Writers) are common knowledge in the real world or represent secret subcultures is unknown, so it's unknown if they have (for example) political power. The Dessendres are obviously extremely wealthy, but this is never explained at all let alone attributed to their powers

It's also unclear if Painting is an innate ability, or something that anyone could be taught. Renoir says both that Aline "taught him to Paint" and how to "safely use this gift", so my best guess is that it's a power certain people have an innate aptitude for that must be trained. Since Clea, Verso, and Alicia were all trained by Aline with varying results, this aptitude varies per person who has the gift

Whether or how the Painters' powers work outside the Canvas is not clear. In Epilogue Alicia, when interacting with wreckage in the manor, Alicia says that Renoir can repair the damage and Clea can repaint the walls... which are also things humans can just do. Alicia's face and throat explicitly cannot be repainted in the real world.

"Power" and "skill" seem to be separate concepts when it comes to measuring one Painter against another, e.g. "only" Clea is skilled enough to Paint over another's creation, but neither she nor Renoir is able to take chroma from Aline directly because she is the most "powerful" Painter

Painting and Writing are the only artistic skills known to have special powers. Clea is a sculptor, but there is no mention of Sculptors. Aline, Clea, and Verso are all musicians, but there is no mention of Musicians. Works by Clea and Renoir are inspired by dance, but there's no mention of Dancers. And so on.

In Epilogue Alicia, Alicia refers to the outside world as "Paris" when interacting with the manor's front door. Later, Maellicia says she remembers growing up in "two Lumieres". So, it's not perfectly clear where in "the real world" the Dessendres live, or if this "real world" is our world. My inclination is that Maellicia was speaking figuratively/paraphrasing/lost in the sauce, and that Lumiere is the canvas-world doppelganger of the "real" Paris.

Verso's headstone states he died on December 33, 1905. This could easily be a nod to the dev team/title, but could also be a hint that there is some additional AU fuckery afoot even if they live in the "real" Paris

The Painter-Writer Conflict

Unknown history, scale, significance, stakes, goals, etc.

With minimal details about it, it can't be assumed that the Painters are on the right side of the conflict - if there is one - despite being our protagonists. And... look at our protagonists.

Renoir and Clea call it a "war", but they could be being dramatic (artists). In Visages, Fading Man Renoir says that Verso paid the price for the mistakes of his elders. Assuming that he's referring to the conflict (which he might not be - he could be referring more figuratively to the family dynamic and the ways he and Aline failed their children), the conflict is at minimum a long-standing beef involving Renoir and/or Aline

Clea does imply it's more than a beef, though: she believes that her actions against them are necessary to prevent the Writers from wiping out their very way of life. There is a power struggle involved, and Clea either believes it already affects all Painters, or will imminently

There's no mention that the conflict had escalated to violence before, so it's possible that Verso was the first casualty

Possibly, the main point of the fire was to destroy Canvases - the source or tools of Painter power- , not to kill the Dessendres specifically

Clea also says she'll fight it alone if she must, but would prefer Renoir's help. Why there are no other Painters involved, or why she would not seek help from them, or why they are not already involved is unknown. Possibly, she's on a tangent specifically about seeking revenge for Verso's murder and wanting to keep it in the family. She is talking to Alicia here, who would know what she means

All told, it can be inferred that this is a serious enough conflict that Alicia should have known better than to trust the writers. What exactly transpired is unknown, but Maellicia implies that Aline knew she was fraternizing with the enemy and warned her against it.

Since Alicia is openly known to prefer writing to Painting, it's probable that she either tried to find common ground with the Writers to try and mediate, or they knew this about her and sought her out to leverage it to their advantage. She probably did not want to *join* the Writers (formally, at least) because her surviving family would most certainly not tolerate her at all if they perceived her as a traitor, unless...

In the manor, there is what seems to be a guest or servant's room with a secret door in the closet. Behind it, there is a creepy room filled with books and busts of Clair and Obscur. Since Alicia doesn't have to hide her love of books, whose hideaway is this? Are they illicit books? Could there have been *a* traitor, Alicia or not, in the Dessendre manor?

Canvases

Renoior states that he and Aline Painted "hundreds" of canvases, "pushing the boundaries of each one." Verso is known to have only Painted one. It's never mentioned, but presumably Clea has multiple Canvases because she is known to be both skilled and accomplished. Alicia is not said to have ever Painted a Canvas, but my headcanon is that the "clever hiding place" she finds in Epilogue Alicia is her own Canvas

Presumably, all artwork created by a Painter isn't a "Canvas" - they can make regular art as well e.g. the million Monoco portraits

To make a Canvas, the Painter imbues their artwork with a piece of their soul. This soul gives the Canvas its life, and is tied essentially to the life of the canvas-world

Chroma appears to be the base unit of all matter, or at least of all life, within a Canvas. There is a finite amount of chroma; it cannot be made or destroyed, only controlled. The more chroma a Painter controls, the greater their power inside the Canvas

Painters can enter Canvases at will, but spending too much time inside has unspecified negative health consequences. How much is "too much" is intentionally vague. A Painter must take time to recover after leaving before re-entering

While a Painter is inside a Canvas, their body remains inert in the real world, eyes swirling with chroma. After they leave, the chroma swirls remain for a short while before disappearing

Time passes vastly difference inside a canvas vs the real world, but exactly what the time dilation is is unknown. While a Painter is inside the Canvas, they perceive the passage of time within the canvas as if it's real (e.g Renoir experienced 67 years underneath the Monolith; Alicia experienced 16 years growing up as Maelle) even if only hours/days/months pass in the real world.

Headcanon: how fast time passes in a Canvas depends on the intention of the Painter in control of it. Aline's prerogative is to stretch time as much as she can, but what about back when Clea and Verso were just playing in it for an afternoon? It would make sense for the dilation to be different depending on priorities of whoever is in control of the chroma, rather than a fixed ratio.

It's also unknown how or if time passes inside a Canvas when there is no Painter inside it. Possibly, this also depends on what the Painter wants

If a Painter enters a Canvas and it is already under the control of a more powerful Painter, they run the risk of being painted over. This seems to be related to composure, as Clea thinks that Alicia should have been able to resist it had she not panicked

If a Painter is killed inside a Canvas, they are simply kicked back into the real world, unharmed

Painted People

Inside a Canvas, a Painter can create all manner of living creatures up to an including humankind

Painted people are complete copies of "real" humans, able to reproduce and everything

Painted People are subject to the will of Painters to some extent, but also demonstrate free will and agency

Headcanon A: whether a Painted Being has free will depends on the intention of the Painter who created them. Clea intentionally imbues her Nevrons with intelligence, but the ones who wind up with free will, she deems errors. Aline's intention with Lumiere and her Painted Family was to fully replace their real-world lives, so it makes sense to want her people to be *people*. But when Clea Paints over her doppelganger, she is only able to obscur Painted Clea's humanity, not take it from her entirely; as soon as the outer layer cracks, Painted Clea reassumes her agency. This would make A Life To Live Juicier, as Maelle is the original creator of all humans except for Verso. It wouldn't necessarily mean she does or would control them completely, but just that they would be colored at their very core by her motives when she made them, which are same-same but also very different from Aline's motives

Headcanon 2: Painting a real creature necessarily imbues it with the characteristics of its real-life counterpart. If you Paint a human being, it automatically has free will whether you want it or not because it comes with the package. That could explain why the Dessendres otherwise only Paint not just creatures, but fictional ones - that allows them to control their creations' behavior, rather than being at the mercy of a real creature's nature. This adds to the moral dilemma of the Painted people's right to exist, and the ethics of creating them in the first place

[standingbyawishingwell]

While I can’t speak for everyone who disliked the movie (as I am not one of them) I think I can represent a small section of people who felt dissatisfaction with the way Spinel was handled and how her arc concluded. Both her and Steven.

Also, I’m here to say Hi! You didn’t think someone from 2025’s Summer would still think about this post, did you?

Anyways, I will yap.

If your argument is that Steven should do the things that traumatized him repeatedly in the past because he’s always done it before, repeatedly hurting himself in the service of fixing Pink’s mistakes, you are ignoring the main point I made.

Which parts of “befriending someone who hurt you” is traumatic to Steven?

By extension of your argument, do you think Steven befriending Peridot, Lapis, seeking out Jasper, and Bismuth, was all done because he believed he was responsible for his mother’s actions?

While he had traumatic experiences and conflicts with them, (and it is established how much he suffered because of that in Future), he never explicitly states he regrets befriending them or that it’s a current weight on what their foundation for friendship is built on.

Steven deserves to develop healthy coping mechanisms and conflict resolution skills that do NOT require him to sacrifice himself over and over again.

I agree. Also, he never actually developed those skills. You said so yourself:

Steven risked his actual life while he didn’t have powers so he could go talk to Spinel, and he wouldn’t fight her when she wanted to fight. He STILL put himself in the line of fire far more than a less compassionate person would.

While I understand Steven was just trying to save his planet, there are ways this could be solved without putting himself in self-sacrifice mode again. For one, he could have obviously asked Lapis to fly him up to the injector and guard him while he was still not powerful instead of climbing up himself knowing he could fall any minute.

He could have asked Connie for help. She has his badass Lion that can teleport and a badass sword they could fight with. He still chose to solve things on his own when it came to him and Spinel.

I won’t ruminate too much on the crystal gems because they were too busy saving citizens, but even so, one of them could have said they watch over Steven while the other two fused, rescuing humans.

The ending of the movie, with Spinel going off with the Diamonds, might seem a little disturbing with all the codepencency floating around there, but if you want to talk about compassion, I think this is a good place for Spinel to start. 

I agree that it’s disturbing. Not because of the codependency, but because of the history of abuse the Diamonds had with Pink.

Steven experienced it firsthand. It’s not like he didn't know. He called Blue out when she made him cry. Yellow threw Stevonnie into a dark prison, essentially starving Pink (we know gems need sunlight in order to function properly, but this goes into meta territory.) White isn’t explored in much detail as Pink doesn’t mention her once, but she’s shown to be callous enough towards the perceived Pink in Change Your Mind.

And yet, despite knowing all of it very well, Steven was the one to introduce Spinel to the diamonds, and the diamonds to Spinel, and leave them with her unsupervised. Spinel actually hid when the diamonds showed up. Until Steven said: Come out.

And then he back-pedalled and said “They’re not exactly easy to get along with”, in which he didn’t even remotely reference the abuse, only saying that because they annoyed him/were too clingy.

I think Spinel at least deserved a proper warning.

One counterpoint is how Spinel was also toxic. We know what she did wrong. But what separates Spinel’s incident from the Diamonds is that she does not share a history of this behaviour, unlike them.

Like you said yourself:

This was a trauma reaction, yes, and she isn’t entirely to blame for being upset because she was worried she was just being used and none of her actions were logically thought through.

A lot of people don’t realise this but up until Homeworld Bound, we never actually saw Spinel when she wasn’t reacting to her trauma. Yes, it was a wrong way to react to trauma. But it was still a reaction.

Then there's the fact how the Diamonds changed for the better.

Except the diamonds didn’t abuse Pink out of a flight or fight response. They knew exactly what they were doing, like how abusers often do. Abuse is a cycle. Spinel’s anger, while nonetheless harmful, is short-lived by comparison.

Unlearning all they did, no matter how much they want to, takes practice. Narrative-wise, throwing an abuse victim like Spinel into the mix is not something that would realistically end well, as she’d become the outlet for their further missteps.

It’s an irresponsible decision, made by an irresponsible person. And I’m not blaming Steven for doing this. Apparently, he doesn’t know better. But this decision shouldn’t have been final.

His huge crime here is not wanting to be someone’s friend?

It’s not a crime per se, but it does reflect on his preferences.

Let me get this straight: I do think Steven was compassionate. I don’t think the “I want to help you” from Steven is missing. It’s the “I want you” that’s absent.

And because why? Since when was it established that he doesn’t want someone in his life when so far he’s been the “mom and sister collector”?

I think the problem isn’t that Spinel demands attention and care from Steven - because she does get it. Steven treats her kindly. The problem is that Spinel’s own emotional trauma lies in “I do not matter to people, they will all eventually leave”.

All Spinel ever wanted was a reliable person. Someone who stays. And the thing she wants most and the thing that she needs most, are unfortunately the same.

The truth is, as much as people like Spinel need to learn to not put their worth in someone else’s eyes but their own, everyone needs *someone*. The problem is Spinel had no one. And when you think of someone - anyone - who would face through hardship and pain just to befriend someone, first person who comes to mind is Steven.

Did Steven befriend Lapis, or Peridot, or anyone out of presumed obligation? I don’t think so. He only did because he wanted to. There’s no logic behind it. The argument that it’s because Steven has realised he owes nothing to no one doesn’t make sense. Didn’t he always know that?

Furthermore, doesn’t Future backpedal on this? That Steven feels obligated to fix everything and everyone even when no one needs it? His character arc “Steven who shouldn’t need to fix everyone” he has in the movie is ultimately erased.

I think what we can all agree on is: It has no logic. Nobody behind the ink and pen thought about *why* Steven would chose one person over another. He just does. And that’s the beauty of it, but also the cruelty.

There’s no logic to it other than Steven’s own preference like how you don’t choose who you want as friend, you either want them or you don’t. And that’s fine. But this is crucial to know for a writer - namely, why would this character want to befriend x and y, but not z? If you do not have it figured out, that’s completely fine in most cases where the story isn’t about love and friendship. But in a world where this is a cruical point you are trying to establish, it does. Steven’s preferences are these people, and he doesn���t want to befriend Spinel because this and that. So what is “this and that”?

Now what i find interesting is this: The reason most assume Steven doesn’t want Spinel is because Steven is tired. But I ask: Hasn’t he always been?

Wasn’t he tired when Jasper attacked him even though he tried to heal her out of corruption?

Wasn’t he tired when Lapis grabbed him by the neck and tried to drown him? He looked particularly distressed when Connie was drowning.

Wasn’t he tired when Homeworld came and wanted to abduct all his human friends he had mentioned to Peridot?

Because people who think Spinel was treated worse than others don’t say “Steven was unfair to not chose Spinel” we say “it’s unfair that someone like Spinel is the only person not chosen”

Again, this could have served the story’s themes quite well… If Spinel’s wants and needs weren’t the same.

The point is that Steven Universe has written itself into a corner. And then it stepped away from that corner, making it worse. Steven would have realistically been the one person to care for Spinel, knowing everything established about him. And then he wasn’t.

Steven’s only possible logic could be when someone doesn’t ask for it, he wants to, and when someone genuinely wants to be friends, needs friends, he doesn’t. And that may sound like criticism but it is the truth. It is what we’ve seen.

It’s not about anything being Steven’s fault, it’s that arguably, his choice feels unlike himself based on everything we came to know about him.

Or as @bowtothetangerinequeen put it:

That’s the sort of treatment Spinel, not only needed but deserved, and there’s no reason for him not to, given his history.

Also, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned anywhere in your post:

Why would the crew put a line so raw as “You liked me, didn’t you?” in the movie, only to pull a “No, I don’t.” from Steven?

It’s not like that line is a form of spinel misunderstanding his intentions, precisely because it’s said at the end. She started out as “mistook help for devotion”, so she should go from not understanding to understanding. By the end, she should have ended up in a place where she gets how steven feels about her, and accepts that. That’s her arc.

Let’s say this line is Spinel coming to the conclusion that he *would have liked her* If she didn’t hurt him. That inherently implies these two would have gotten along if it wasn’t for spinel trying to kill him, right? But that doesn’t make sense either. She didn’t say “You would have liked me” she said “liked me”. Simple Past Tense.

But like, babygirl Spinel, where?

The crew most likely intended that line to draw home the point of “if you want people to stay, maybe don’t lash out when they don’t” But does that mean… Steven wanted her? At some point? At any point? Even once? Because no.

That line wasn’t a misunderstanding. Yet it isn’t true either.

While I’m personally on the “Steven should have befriended Spinel” route, I think Steven not wanting Spinel makes sense, for multiple reasons I won’t name.

Steven can also choose to like some parts of her, while not fully wanting her, not fully wanting her presence. Because that’s what this is - he doesn’t like her as she is. My problem is the narrative acts like he does. All the while Steven keeps running away from her.

Because what doesn’t that imply about Steven? Whatever the answer is, it isn’t addressed.

I may be overreacting, but in an auditory-visual experience, dialouge is supposed to convey the thematic message. Every line counts. And if that’s your message, it’s confusing what it is you wanted to achieve.

TLDR; Steven comes across as reasonably unfair not because he isn't compassionate, but because Spinel required a different type of compassion. A devoted one. Something which Steven has been able to provide to everyone else so far, except her, because the writers said "Let's make sure he doesn't".

-

If you read it this far, thank you for being able to withstand my blethering. I don't know what I wanted with this by the way. I guess I'm just interested in your take? I would not have taken the time to write this if I wasn't.

When someone toxic needs a friend

I just wanna add a little personal reflection to the discussion of Spinel’s treatment in Steven Universe: The Movie.

A few signposts so you know where I’m starting with this:

A criticism I’ve seen: 

Steven was not particularly warm to Spinel. He did not hug her. He did not offer to be her friend. He spoke carelessly and triggered her toward becoming murderous again. He only cared about what she could do for him.

A perspective I’ve seen: 

LOTS of people with borderline personality disorder or strong feelings about abandonment personally relate to Spinel and are critical of Steven from this perspective.

Rebecca Sugar’s commentary on Spinel:

The thing about Spinel is that she’s a really toxic person. 

She’s so toxic that she’s literally trying to poison people. 

In my interactions with friends who have had a history difficult enough to make it hard for them to trust other people and sometimes even actively want to hurt others, it’s just a very difficult situation to navigate. In the case of Spinel and all of these characters, that’s extremely exaggerated because cartoons have the ability to be extreme exaggerations. I wanted to explore what it’s like when you’re trying to help someone who really doesn’t want to help themselves, who wants to embody the negative feelings that they have about themselves. I think that’s something really real. I hadn’t seen that in a cartoon before. 

Spinel, unlike many other characters, actually has the goal of hurting people, which is new territory for the show. She really wants to hurt Steven, and there’s a reason that she does—because she’s in so much pain. I just wanted to explore all the dimensions of that.

I also think Steven has his way of trying to handle and dissolve conflict. It’s not necessarily a good way for him to handle this situation. It really leaves him in a difficult state, and I think what I wanted to show in the way that they interact is that at a certain point, when you can’t help someone, you have to be able to protect yourself. 

Ultimately, he can’t really convince her to change. It’s something she’ll have to want for herself. But what he can do is protect himself from her, making it impossible for her to hurt him. 

It’s sort of up to you if you would like to love her. If you watch this movie and she, you know, frustrates you, that is totally fair. I want that to be a big part of who she is.

[From the AV Club interview]

So here are a few things I want to shed light on.

It’s very interesting that Rebecca intended Spinel to be read as “a toxic person” because so many fans fell in love with her, said they’d be her friend, hated intensely on Pink Diamond because of what she did to abandon the poor Gem, and sympathized with her directly. But Rebecca was looking at Spinel from Steven’s perspective. And that’s also what I did.

I’ve been Steven. I have VERY much been Steven.

When you meet someone who was done dirty, when you recognize the horror they’ve been through, when you see how much pain they are in and agree they have the right to be angry, it’s natural for empathetic people to offer themselves as comfort.

But when you’re Steven, you also know it isn’t YOUR fault either. Before you have the ability and experience to set boundaries, you can get sucked into other people’s stormy waters and think you’re helping if you drown in solidarity with them. What’s really important to preserving yourself is learning that you can stand on the boat and toss a life preserver. That it doesn’t ACTUALLY HELP to jump in the water and sink with them.

Some folks are angry that Steven didn’t jump right into sacrifice himself on the altar of friendship in the service of an intense, literally murderous stranger who tried to poison him and his planet and lash out at his friends, robbing them of their rich pasts and their relationships because all of it hurt HER so much. It is SO easy to understand WHY SPINEL WAS ANGRY. But nothing she was doing to Steven, his friends, or the Earth was going to fix her problems, and furthermore, she FULLY UNDERSTOOD that it was NOT THE FAULT of any of the people she took her anger out on. It was irrational, yes, and that is part of her dysfunction. But also, in these situations, what helps explain it still does not excuse it.

Some have railed at Steven saying he somehow forgave genocidal tyrants like the Diamonds but couldn’t be friends with a damaged Gem like Spinel who just wanted friendship. The big difference there is that Steven got involved with the Diamonds when both parties believed he was a different person. The Diamonds believed he was the lost Pink Diamond, and Steven has also spent much of his superhero life believing he WAS his mother and was therefore obligated to accept punishment for her crimes or to clean up the messes she made. Now that he knows he is not her and that she did some pretty horrible stuff, he also wants the right to stop feeling responsible for every person Pink hurt in the entire region of space.

Steven gave Spinel basically compassionate treatment. He did not abuse her. He did not insult her. He occasionally coddled her when it seemed important (and though some said he was too businesslike while he pursued his mission, he was literally looking at the world ending within two days if he didn’t solve the problem). And most importantly … .

He let her leave the garden.

Spinel stayed in the garden all those millennia because Pink Diamond told her they were playing a game. All that time, she had visions of Pink returning so she could see her smile, hear her laughter. We see a sequence where she tried to follow Pink out of the garden and Pink manipulated her into staying willingly. We watch those feet leaving and one pair of feet staying behind. We see Pink disappear.

When Steven goes to leave the garden, Spinel follows in the same manner. Some have criticized him for letting go of her hands.

But he invited her out of the garden. He didn’t say stay. He said come with me.

As he sang about her deserving someone better, he was sincere. But he did not say the person to make her feel found should be him. He did not want to take on another person with thousands of years of baggage who would require a specific brand of attention and so much tenderness to avoid snapping. He did not allow her to be held by the hand and led out. He recognized that she needed encouragement to leave this place because of what was done to her, but he wanted her to take the steps.

Compassionate people are crushed all the time under the weight of needy people who make it hurt to love. People like Steven can acknowledge that Spinel deserves love and deserves to be happy without accepting that it’s heartless to stop short of personally doing it. Especially when you literally have to take physical, mental, and emotional damage as a general consequence of offering support and counseling. It is sometimes just beyond what you can do.

I made the mistake several times of getting very close to someone who treated me poorly while taking comfort in my presence. I cared that they were hurt and I didn’t know how to say “You deserve love” without stepping in and loving them. In EVERY case I was involved with, the person went from initially grateful to “why don’t you help me more?” shockingly quickly, and two of them deliberately tried to create situations where I would be trapped with them and isolated from others. 

I could get very personal here but I don’t think I need to. Those of us who relate all too well to Steven wanting to help others will have been in this situation. Your heart hurts for people who live with pain that has never touched you, but when they’ve made it clear with one of their first actions that they feel satisfied at the idea of ruining your life, trusting them could mean the end of you. Especially if they demand that you risk life and limb to fix and save them before you’d dare to call it love, and especially if they want to be fixed without feeling responsible for initiating any of it. Some people mistake suffering for working hard toward a goal. Both can hurt but only one is constructive. If I’m expected to spend extensive resources on someone, I need some partnership in the goal, and I can’t accomplish that with someone whose wish for companionship manifests as “I want you to feel as bad as I do, and will take steps to hurt you so I have someone to cry with.”

Steven risked his actual life while he didn’t have powers so he could go talk to Spinel, and he wouldn’t fight her when she wanted to fight. He protected himself while she spent her anger. He STILL put himself in the line of fire far more than a less compassionate person would. He took time and tenderness to listen to her story and sympathize with her, tell her she deserved better, bear witness to what she’d become after being treated like a discarded plaything, and bring her hope with promises of a new future and a way to feel found.

Sadly, Spinel flipped back to being murderous at the first sign that Steven might be about to prioritize someone other than her, reframing his reasonable needs as if he was planning to abandon her, isolate her, discard her. This was a trauma reaction, yes, and she isn’t entirely to blame for being upset because she was worried she was just being used and none of her actions were logically thought through. 

But does someone ever “deserve” the friendship of a specific person who can’t feel warm toward them because of their OWN bad experiences? 

No! 

Steven has a big heart but he has his very own huge storehouse of trauma, and being physically attacked with his family and planet put in danger over the actions of his mother is at the top of the list. Instead of assuming that the person who has trauma the loudest is the most hurt, can’t we just acknowledge that Spinel’s and Steven’s respective traumas make them NOT the best match for friendship?

The ending of the movie, with Spinel going off with the Diamonds, might seem a little disturbing with all the codepencency floating around there, but if you want to talk about compassion, I think this is a good place for Spinel to start. 

She just wanted to make Pink Diamond laugh and enjoy her life. She longed to do that for so long and then it all ended when she found out she would NEVER GET TO DO IT. I think bonding with the other Diamonds and having a familiar, safe place to experience the kind of love she’s used to will be a good FOUNDATION for building herself into a person beyond that. For now, she needs comfort. I hope they treat her well.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

These pass few episodes of s6 (Climatiqueen, Illustrahater, Sublimation, etc) really shows that these episodes were written by different people. It’s like they really can’t seem to figure out Marinette’s personality or whether they want her to be a good girlfriend who let’s Adrien be and figure things out on his own or be there as support for him (Climatiqueen, Werepapas) or want her to be a control freak girlfriend who feels a certain way when he has other (female) friends (Sublimation) and still can’t be in the same room as him and still doesn’t know how to be in a relationship with him even though they have been dating for a few months now, they had more then enough time to know how a relationship works (Illustrahater).

It really shows they clearly couldn’t care less abt the writing of Marinette’s character and will make her do anything just to make the episode work and make sure to make it her fault even if it doesn’t make sense.

Marinette accidentally being the cause of Sublime’s prosthesis breaking was clearly thrown in for stupid cheap drama just so they can blame Mari for some dumb shit like s1-5 Marinette wouldn’t do ts. Like sure she may get jealous but this?? Really writers, you really make your MAIN CHARACTER do this bs just for some cheap drama like wtf.

These writers are so inconsistent with Marinette’s character, it’s like they don’t know what they wanna do with her and it shows that they don’t care about continuity nor do they care abt giving Marinette character development just bc they wanna throw in their middle age men humor for the sake of the episode and it’s incredibly frustrating.

I don’t hate Marinette, she’s a fictional character who actions and decisions are decided by the writers and is a narrative tool for the writers can get their point across. The writers are real people and their messages that they are sending to the audience is horrible.

I've noticed that too in the transcripts I've read and in what I know about the still untranscribed episodes. When I saw the season six previews with Marinette spying on Adrien I was deeply concerned where season six was going. Why were they writing her like this after the square started dating? Shouldn't we be over this BS?

Illustrahater seemed to confirm my fears because that episode was painful to read, but then other episodes were fine and wrote Adrienette as reasonably drama free. On the surface, it's nonsensical and inconsistent as hell, but I think I know why it's happening. This is the rule that I've pick up on: if the writers don't want Adrienette to be the source of the conflict, then they're reasonably healthy. If Adrienette is the source of the conflict, then they're toxic as hell! It's Marinette's crush all over again!

As I've discussed before, Marinette's crush was terribly written in many ways, a big one being that it was wildly inconsistent! The writers only played in concerning ways in random one-off episodes where the writers wanted to use it for conflict or comedy. When the writers didn't want to use the crush for a larger plot, then Marinette was fine! Surprising no one, that writing issue has continued, it just has a slightly different flavor now. That's how bad writing tends to go. The same issues pop up time and time again just with slightly different looks. That's why I often point out when a specific issue effects different characters in similar ways. I'm trying to show that this is not a character issue. It's a writer issue. When a writer or writing group has a specific weakness, it tends to pop up all over the place. That's extra true when the weakness shows up in a basic writing skill like characterization.

There's actually a season six episode that perfectly encapsulates the issues with Marinette's writing. At least, I think it does. I'm still waiting on the full transcript to give my final verdicts on this episode, but I've read the first half of Revelator and I know where it goes at the end from seeing people talk about it. The bizarre path it takes makes it a great example of what I'm talking about.

There are two conflicts in that episode. The first is about an influencer slandering Marinette by editing an interview to make it seem like she's a terrible girlfriend who is lying to Adrien:

Vincent: (on video) Want to know why Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are together? I know because no truth can be kept from Vincent Secret. I interviewed Marinette Dupain-Cheng for you and she revealed all her secrets to me. We already knew she was after the Agreste empire. But what we didn't know is about how she really felt for Adrien. And here's her answer. Marinette(on video) I hate this guy.

This leads the influencer to get akumatized into an akuma that reveals secrets. This power leads Alya to learn about the secrets Marinette is keeping from Adrien and decide that Marinette is... a terrible girlfriend who is lying to Adrien. In spite of this, Adrienette is shown to be cute and happy in this episode and Vincent is shown to be the villain for making Marinette look bad, making the message in this one wildly confusing. Is Marinette the bad guy here or not?

Here's why I think that happened: while the influencer conflict is about Adrienette, it's an external one where a third party is threatening their relationship, so they're allowed to be healthy. Then the episode shifts to being about the fact Marinette is lying to Adrien, but the liar conflict was about Marinette and Alya, not Marinette and Adrien, so there was once again no reason to show Adrienette struggling since the episode wasn't really about them. If anything, showing them happy is used to explain why Marinette is so scared to hurt him with the truth.

That one episode shows me that this season really doesn't know what the hell it's doing. Is Adrienette a good thing or not? Should we be rooting for them to stay together or viewing Marinette as a monster? Don't ask the writers. They clearly don't know!

[acesw]

Reverse: 1999's Story Themes in the Form of Arcs

As we know now there are 3 story arcs in Reverse: 1999: The Timekeeper Tetralogy (Chapters 1-4), the Equilibrium Trilogy (Chapters 5-7), and now the Homecoming Series (2.0 Series, Chapters 8-10).

All 3 of these arcs are very integral to the main story and I found them quite interesting to think about how there are particular themes that stand out among them.

Disclaimer: These are very incoherent ramblings of someone who has had little sleep. Don't take all of what I said here to heart, nor limit down the overall themes into categories as narrow/overgeneralised as what I go over here.

I want to just rant talk about this here since it's early in the morning and I talked about it in a call. As much as this will sound incredibly incoherent, let's get started.

The Timekeeper Tetralogy — "Pillars"

The term "pillar" can be described as a metaphor for resilience, crisis, saviors, any of the sort. Chapters 1-4 primarily centers around this theme as we dive into the world of Reverse: 1999 for the first time. We're introduced to a world that is in chaos due to the "Storm" and the harsh changes that come with having to live through constant tragedy. From these calamities, people need something or someone to turn to for hope, or for them to be saved from this rubble, no?

It's in this series that it establishes the substantial roles hold by our main characters and factions; most importantly, Vertin's role as the Timekeeper. It becomes clear that she is highly sought out by many because her profound altruism shines through as a person who sought freedom more than anything. She showcases the impact and change she brings to be able to progress forward to making that change.

Of course, it's not just herself, we also have characters such as Madam Z, Druvis III, and Sonetto, whose actions become highly influential to the changes that needed to be pushed through to allow the Foundation to progress. There are also characters like Schneider, who plays a role in saving the lives of those they consider their own (e.g. Schneider trying to save her own family) in spite of the world that functions against them.

I think of "pillars" as a way that the first four chapters of this game brings the words "leadership" and "saviour" to light. The highlighted characters are very central to how they lead others out of conflict, whether temporarily or permanently.

Equilibrium Trilogy — "Belief"

Belief describes in the faith and trust held towards something or someone. How is this different from the first part and how does it connect? In Chapters 5-7, this word becomes very central to how many characters think. Many of the characters in this arc tend to have something or nothing to believe in.

All of them: 37, 6, 210, Sophia, Isolde, Marcus, Hofmann, Kakania, Lucy, Enigma, Ulrich, Semmelweis, Lorelei—Even someone like Heinrich—They all held beliefs that particularly influenced not just their personal stories but the overall narrative. Their communities held beliefs that had become their downfall later once it is shaken.

For example: Greta Hofmann is a mixed human that has lived through repeated tragedy. She has lived to see her brother nearly commit suicide, her colleagues be reversed, even the people she meets disappear right beneath her feet. Yet from all these years, it has drastically changed her perspective on arcanum and arcanists. She had accepted that there was no way to go back from where it all started in time; it becomes important to how she sees how the tides must be shifted through how the arcanists are able to see fit. It does not mean that she believes in arcanist supremacy, rather, it highlights the importance of the role that arcanists play into the world they are all in now.

When thinking of the word "belief" here, I really mean that each and every event, each circumstance, is particularly influenced by what the characters believe in. And what comes out of it strikes back at those beliefs, severely impacting how these characters view the world after they are faced with the effects.

The Homecoming Series — "Home"

It's quite in the name, isn't it? The 2.0 series is unique in that their event stories particularly tie back to the main story in some way. While that is in itself a major writing flaw, the theme particularly sticks out in all of the stories.

This series emphasizes on the theme of "Home" and how many yearn to return to it. Even if it were destroyed or taken from them, they still yearn to go back to where they found comfort and where they feel most safe. It becomes central to many conflicts in the story, and every character involved in this series so far has been affected by it in a way.

"Home" does not have to mean a physical building either, it can mean family, close friends, and kindred spirits as well.

There are characters like Joe, Anjo Nala, and Fatutu who are all facing conflicts from being essentially removed from their homes, or fighting their way through to return back to that home in such a way that it affects not only them, but their communities and families as well. Then there are those like Lopera, Barcarola, and Recoleta, who all have left their homes, but still feel this sense of longing to return in a way that they seek the comfort those homes once gave them.

It doesn't always prompt them to go back, but they always miss and yearn for what they had left behind or what they had lost. They yearn to return to a place they considered a place of safety and comfort, only to be met with conflict and a place now unfamiliar.

Afterthoughts

While having pulled an all-nighter and gaining a headache from staying up, I genuinely enjoyed getting this out of my system and it helped with organizing my thoughts about this game's story. While it has it's ups and downs, there's no doubt that I genuinely do appreciate the story as it is. These themes have been really fun to identify and explore, and it impacts how I see the story itself.

Thanks for reading my tangent here. As always, feel free to leave your own thoughts as you see fit.

[guidaozongshi]

It's deeply ironic to say Naruto is politically unaware while stanning Sakura.

While Naruto's idealism and Kishimoto's adherence to shonen tropes uphold the status quo, claiming this stems from ignorance fundamentally misreads his character. His very existence as Konoha's Jinchuriki ( their living WMD ) is inherently political. He experiences this duality firsthand: vital to Konoha's power yet violently ostracized by its people, and he knows this is his status.

Naruto has been shown to understand the politics of the world he lives in as well as be opposed to its systems.

His flaw isn't ignorance; it's his later internalized responsibility . Following the Pain Arc, rather than continuing to challenge the system that weaponizes and persecuted him, he tragically shifts, blaming himself and dedicating his life to appeasing Konoha and preserving its order. This was a conscious choice, despite understanding its brutal costs and having previously opposed aspects of it.

In stark contrast, what evidence supports Sakura's superior political consciousness? Kishimoto's narrative consistently portrays her as sheltered and politically disengaged. She comes from a stable, civilian family within Konoha, untouched by the systemic traumas defining Naruto or Sasuke's lives. Her early struggles centered on Sasuke's rejection. Crucially, can you recall a single instance in the manga where Sakura offers critical analysis of the Shinobi system, village politics, or the root causes of conflict?

The excuse that Sakura was "kept in the dark" about politics, often used to justify her actions towards Sasuke, doesn't work . True concern or love would compel someone to demand understanding of why a person acts radically. Sakura never seriously investigates the truth, or the reasons driving Sasuke. Her infamous assassination attempt wasn't born of political conviction or an understanding of his cause; they stemmed from overwhelming personal guilt and a desire to relieve Naruto's burden. She chose willful ignorance over political inquiry.

This difference extends to empathy and understanding. Despite his ultimate loyalty to Konoha, Naruto actively sought to comprehend Sasuke, grappling with the cause fueling his vengeance, even while rejecting his methods. Naruto refused to kill Sasuke, only considering it if Sasuke attacked Konoha; he was also prepared to die alongside him in their confrontation. Sakura, however, repeatedly defaults to pleading, or poorly conceived violence rooted in her own feelings, failing to bridge the gap between her sheltered experience and his politically rooted trauma. She lacked the emotional intelligence to grasp his motivations on any level , personal or political.

[mobius-m-mobius]

#a man who DESERVES A SLICE OF PIE

[natasha-in-space]

So I'm replaying Ray's After ending rn, and it got me thinking that what I adore so much about Rika as an antagonist is just how damn scary she can be. I always found those who cause harm with good intentions (at least in their point of view) much scarier than those who hurt you with pure intention on hurting you. I think the best example of it is this CG in particular:

Look at that. Such a loving, gentle expression on her face. Probably kissing his forehead. Because she loves him. Heck, without any context, this CG looks even sweet, if you think about it. And yet, all that is while Saeyoung is forcefully sedated on a powerful concoction of drugs even a trained agent like him can't do anything about (and Saeyoung WAS definitely trained to deal with this sort of thing, hence it's mentioned that this is a 'special' kind of drugs). He looks miserable. Bags under his eyes, his expression pained and troubled, even his hair is paler than usual. All that as a direct result of her actions. But she's utterly blind to it. What's scarier, is that she knowingly shuts off her understanding of what's really happening. She's not oblivious to it at all. She just chooses not to see it that way. Simply because she doesn't want to.

Rika is the type of antagonist that will cup your cheek into her warm hand with the most loving of smiles on her face, all while you are getting elixir poured down your throat. Even whispering to you that you're doing great, that the pain will soon pass, and that she can't wait to see you reach the happiness she knows you deserve. I won't be surprised if she even cried genuine tears of compassion during some ceremonies for her believers. All while being the sole reason behind their suffering.

And that's... God, that's terrifying to me. I love that about her.

Rika Kim, they could never make me hate you

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Imagine you're Mr. Wu and your weird gay daughter runs away in tears after destroying some unespecified object while yelling about you ruining her life. Because you told her you'd be moving to another state. This is the last time you see your daughter in half a year, and when she comes back, she comes back... wrong. She's wearing a light leather armor, a fur-lined cape, and a green flower crown. She has two long scars, one alongside her spine and the other along her chest, the tissue around them covered in burn scars. Doctors say she shouldn't have survived. Doctors say she didn't. Yet she's right here, in front of you, hospital gown clinging to her small, fragile, trembling frame. She fidgets with her hands. Getting her to stay still has always been difficult, but now it seems impossible. She won't let go of her phone. She's always texting her two friends. When you take it away, she gets anxious. You always knew those damn phones cause kids to act weird, but your kid having a panic attack seems too extreme, even for her. Then again, she's always been odd. Nowadays, she wakes up crying and screaming almost every night, and you realize she's been stealing her phone from your bedside drawer every night to text her friends, returning it before you wake up. You catch her once and decide to give her that damn phone back. It's the only thing that calms her down, as if she were a baby with a pacifier. She spends her last weeks in LA clinging to her friends, having sleepovers and playing her weird board games with them. Everytime they drop her back at her house, there's an excessive amount of hugs and tears. But the moments when they call her, or when she leaves to meet with them, or when they show up at their door to pick her up... those are the only moments in which you see her happy. One of her friends, the rude and disobedient one, came back with a big scar on her face. She's been acting a lot nicer, though. The other one too. She acts a great deal more adult now. You doesn't know what happened or where your daughter went. She won't tell you. But you can tell this friendship is the only thing keeping her afloat right now. Maybe you know, deep down, that no one else would understand.

And then you decide to move anyway because fuck her amirite

[rorydrawsandwrites]

Watched Chalupa's sequel vids about The Princess' Jewels yesterday (because I love (vicariously) experiencing cringe)

Honestly, if the story just owned up to her villainy, I'd probably like the protagonist. I too have a feminine piece of turd named Rosie who's a spoiled rich brat and collects pretty men like toys. She deserves to be put in a gigantic blender and she's my special little darling. Let your female protagonist be a piece of shit that's acknowledged as one by the narrative and I'll be on board

[tinygayproductions]

in other news i hit a

new achievement on r34 with my circe art

first art of character threw me off

[fromtheseventhhell]

It's almost like Sansa was coming to an age that can be difficult for parents with more feminine daughters, because shes on the verge of old enough to not rely on them so much but is also too young to recognize their own naivety about their worldviews. Ned doesn't not talk as much with her because he doesn't know how to, he simply has a dynamic with Arya that's much more open to honest communication.

Sansa is a girl verging on teenage years who doesn't want to talk to her father like Arya does. Not because Ned doesn't know how too. It's just frustrating when your a father who doesn't know what to say to your daughter going through an emotional stage in her life, especially when she doesn't want to start the conversation herself.

I think all of this is a valid way of looking at their relationship but personally, I don't think it's that deep. Arya and Ned's relationship is more plot relevant and Arya is a more fleshed-out character, so it makes sense that her relationships with other characters would be more fleshed out as well. Arya is constantly recalling lessons she's learned from him, his "lone wolf" quote, and the water-dancing lessons are integral to Arya's survival. This was all intentionally included as part of Arya's arc. It's pretty silly to say that the reason Sansa doesn't have the same is cause Ned didn't like her as much. I think people try and judge these characters like they're actual people with their own autonomy and forget that they're written in service of an ongoing narrative. So the lack of equivalent scenes between Sansa and Ned doesn't denote a strained relationship. Actually having scenes of conflict between them or Sansa recalling him unfavorably would, but we don't get any of that cause it's not part of the story.

[anthromimicry]

anyhow, i have now come up with a happy end(ing) for misao even though... well, it may be debatable as to whether she deserves it BUT like wonder woman once said — it's not about what you deserve. and of course i'm not trying to say that misao could make up for all of the bad thing's she's done throughout the years because honestly,, she has a LOT of blood on her hands, but good redemption arcs for characters aren't made to erase all of the bad thing's they've done in the past, in my opinion. they're made to accept what they've done and how, although they CAN'T make up for it, they can start working towards a better future and won't make the same mistakes again regardless of what kind of protests they might face from people who think they might be faking it or that they don't deserve it.

but anywhozies, misao's happy ending is becoming a grief therapist because helping other people work through their grief would also help HER work through her own, i feel like... and somewhere where people really need it so maybe in the east end or something?¿ and she'd also offer some pro-bono therapy sessions for the rogues because, like i said, she's not trying to erase all of the bad things she's done because that's virtually impossible. but misao would be trying to make amends with people and that includes the people whom she counseled / had therapy sessions with in arkham. and they don't have to forgive her, OFC, at any point. but i just feel like that'd be something she'd put out there for them and what makes this ending even more truly happy is this.

misao reuniting with ryuuji, her half-brother, and since he works as a medical examiner (yeah, he eats off of the dead bodies, y'all JSJSJ) ... he could transfer to gotham + be a part of the PD and sneakily take back parts of people as gross as that might sound for misao to eat. but i mean, at least she wouldn't be killing people anymore and it's an arrangement that would work for them to be able to eat, in retrospect. so yeah

[arolesbianism]

Finally got around to designing some of the oldest members of the og magic cat world story, yknow only took me like 5 years fhfksgkfg

[themyscirah]

Started thinking about the Amanda Waller + Ben Turner relationship again.... fuck, I'm gonna need a minute

[rainmonarch]

.