#can be interpreted as a different thing though

[binmeister]

Whenever you can or feel like it, can we have more bodyguard stuff? Also, I’m a little confused on how Rumi feels about bodyguard reader. Because it seems like siblings, but at one point, it seemed like she had romantic feelings for him.

I’ll definitely be continuing to write blurbs and scenarios or HCs for the bodyguard stuff, its fun and lets me throw out some creative brain worms

Sorry if this a bit of a ramble but I want to give a like, a bigger and vagueish picture of my thoughta

Cop out answer is just “yknow familiarity into falling in love ezpz” but my personal interpretation of Rumi and Bodyguard! reader is a couple different ones:

Reader has and will only ever view Rumi as a younger sibling due to the familiarity and how he was raised - Rumi feels the same and because they didnt exactly have normal upbringings they mistake the comfort and platonic bond as something more before realising it wasnt actually romantic attraction

Reader is dense as seen in most of my hcs because he hasnt had time to experience these feelings other people get to partake in, Rumi realises as they get older that she has developed romantic feelings for him but he does not reciprocate so she lets the feelings die off (what I personally lean towards as a whole)

And lastly is the potential for mutual romantic attraction and the pair has to figure out how to go about it because they had been raised together and practically as family, though not blood related it still feels more taboo because its not exactly child hood friends given how celine had become her parental figure

Im yapping a lot here but its essentially I think its extremely complex and I dont want to lock in anything right now because its still a relatively fresh characterisation that can be changed up and retconned / i do want to leave some wiggle room for people to interpret things how they would want to see it and im honestly happy to write things in a way that leaves it open

TLDR of my half awake yapathon is that Rumi is conflicted on how she feels, he’s kind of the first and was primarily the only guy in her life until Jinu / the Saja boys come in and he’d accepted her for her well before she could love herself and its confusing especially with everything else going on in her life

I hope this can clear up some things but if it made the confusion worse Im so sorry 😭

[zeroiridium]

Underlying misogyny in the Mega Man X fandom

Maybe I'm coming across as "too woke" here or reading into things too much, but I'd like to talk about the misogyny surrounding the mmx fandom as I feel it's an overlooked issue .

My first example is the treatment Iris gets in the fandom.

Ignoring the blatant sexualistaion she's gotten over the years, Iris is either forgotten (which I don't fully blame people for actually), treated decently or hated and bashed for.......kinda nothing honestly

You see, Iris suffers from this thing called "treating writing flaws like character flaws." A.K.A. hating characters for what is clearly an out-of-universe problem.

The most common example is that characters (usually female) are poorly written, and fans of the media hate the characters for it. It's made even worse when male characters suffer from the same writing mistakes and get little to no negativity.

You can probably see how this relates to mmx. Iris is very much not a well written character. She barely has a role other than "extra trauma for Zero boo hoo," but then again, X and Zero ALSO aren't well written. They just seem better because you see more of them, but truthfully, you only need a maximum of three words to describe any of these characters.

Fandom misogyny also applies to other female characters, especially in the oversexualisation or complete ignorance department. Another great example of this would be Layer.

In-game Layer is a reserved, calm, collected woman who only really breaks out of that when Zero is around, in which she seems to get awkward, no doubt due to her hinted crush at the man. Even then she doesn't act all that different.

In a lot of fanon interpretations, though Layer seems to be sexualised and even demonised despite her barely contributing to the games. Granted colourisim also plays a part in that not only in fanon content but in canon media as well. Layer is the only black character in the X series, and she is by far the most sexualised, no doubt also contributing to her fanon depictions.

Another chatacter I'll mention in relation to underlying misogyny in the fandom is one you might not expect.

It's X.

Yeah

X suffers from this thing in male characters especially, where a desire for peace, benevolence and a dislike of violence, or any indication of emotions really, are seen as weak, soft, or you guessed it, feminine traits.

These type of characters are then often infantilised, fetishised, and generally misrepresentation in fan made media.

(It's at this point I would like to state there is nothing wrong with soft or weak or feminine male characters on their own)

X very much suffers from this, as despite fighting several wars people still portray him as a wimp. Even in the Zero games which is honestly kinda absurd to me?

Speaking of the Zero games, this post ia about mmz, so I'll keep this brief, bit there's also a lot of weird stuff when it comes to female characters in that fandom aswell, mostly sexualisation. For Fairy Leviathan, even though I don't like it and think it sucks, I can at least understand it. She does seem to have the maturity of a young adult and is almost flirtatious in her appearances. However, I can not say the same about certain depictions of Ciel, who is a confirmed CHILD. She's 14 in mmz 1, and she's 16 in mmz 4. No excuses.

Well we've come to the end of this rant where I'd like to say that there is nothing inherently wrong with ooc depictions of characters. People are allowed to have fun and play around with characters they enjoy. That's not at all my problem.

My problem is when fanon is treated like canon, to the point where fan made contet is treated as official information which ofc leads to a lot of confusion, misunderstandings and it'd honestly just plain annoying.

There's also problematic aspects like misogyny, racism and others, which I mentioned previously. To anyone with half a brain it should be obvious why those are bad things.

Anyway I saulte for making it the end of this thank you for listening to my ultimately not that clear way of presenting things

[trothplighted]

I think part of the problem at the root of the “straight vs gay” reads of various HP characters (particularly Lupin, though certainly also true for someone like Bill Weasley who was a very popular slashfic staple post-OotP and pre-HBP) is that Joanne is just… utterly terrified to write her male characters expressing any kind of desire for women beyond chaste courtly love hero-worship or the absolute vaguest allusions to sexual arousal

the first is seen especially in Snape’s love for Lily, which Joanne definitely sees as a central brilliant redeeming factor of his personality that changes everything and makes him noble. He is, in many senses, the ultimate Safe Man - below the woman socially, physically less attractive and charismatic than she is, bad at traditional masculine signifiers of gender like sports, ostracized from manhood and picked on/dismissed by other men, totally devoted to the object of his affection, and totally incapable of ever materially impacting her life or touching her or changing her.

(Additionally, I think a significant factor in Snape’s continued complexity is that these character traits - particularly the obsession with one specific Nerd Girl Who Likes Nerd Things - have a remarkably different context in 2025 than they did in 2007. We’ve had over a decade of incel movements and fashy alt-right introverted nerds who were radicalized into violence and disgusting misogyny and racism as a direct result of being unlucky in love in exactly the ways Snape is unlucky in love, and it’s hard for me to blame readers who come away upset with him because real life has shown us way more about how these kinds of men tend to think and act and what they’re motivated by than we had when DH was published. I’m also sympathetic to Snape fans whose interpretations of the character are purposefully separate from IRL context, people who’ve felt consistently the same way about him since publication - it’s really hard when massive cultural shifts forever change the way a character is going to be read, especially because you can’t un-ring that particular bell. But since you can’t un-ring it, I think any sympathetic analysis of Snape has to begin from the starting point that his critics are often speaking from places of personal experience with kinds of stochastic right-wing extremism that parallel what he was actually exposed to in canon. But that’s sort of its own post.)

The second is seen mostly in Harry and Ron and to a lesser extent in James - point of view or central supporting characters who express interest in girls Because That’s What Boys Do, or whose personalities include some element of desiring a girl for reasons that aren’t really explored or explained at all. Harry thinks Cho is pretty, and they kiss, but Harry at no point feels anything for Cho that could be described as sexual desire (though, as @wisteria-lodge points out in a recent post, Harry is probably intended to be read as having physical attraction toward Cho that motivates most of his desire to date her). Ron obviously lusts over Lavender, and to a lesser extent Fleur, when you read GoF and HBP through adult eyes, but we never see him talking about how he feels or what he sees, only that he looks and gapes like a Tex Avery cartoon character. Joanne positions this behavior from both Harry and Ron as immature, not only in terms of them having to earn access to Hermione and Ginny but also in GoF when Arthur teases the boys at the World Cup about being bewitched by the Veela. Worth pointing out that Arthur is in the happiest and most stable relationship we see in the entire series (excluding Bill/Fleur and Andromeda/Ted because we barely see them) and he’s married to a woman who’s described as not particularly attractive - the ideal man, then, can be read as someone who looks for an equal partner who isn’t a beauty queen. Beyond that, Molly is a force to be reckoned with, running her house and her family - Arthur often embodies the henpecked husband stereotypes. A good man is a safe man, and a safe man is one who is to some extent automatically submissive to his wife.

James is in an interesting place here, because his interest in girls and showing off for girls goes hand in hand with the Worst Memory, and therefore he becomes a worse person by becoming someone who’s obviously sexually interested and romantically interested in Lily. His flirting and bragging and brash pursuit of his romantic desires is contrasted with Snape’s quietly heroic love and adoration, and the latter is what Joanne ultimately uplifts as brave and noble and worth pedestalizing.

Remus and Tonks are in the same position - he actively avoids her, she must pursue him, and they only get together because she essentially begs him for it and argues him down. Vernon and Petunia appear to be relative equals, but Petunia still makes a number of decisions that dominate affairs on Privet Drive and Vernon lets her do what she likes and never expresses any desire for her in ways that Harry registers. We know nothing about Alice and Frank, or Lucius and Narcissa, or the Lestranges. And even as Merope is badly badly badly treated by the narrative, her power over Tom Sr. is the most important aspect of their relationship.

This shows a remarkable nervousness around male attention period, even in the abstract, even from “good” characters. She can’t write a man who’s good and heroic and also openly and frequently desires women. She seems kind of incapable of it. Harry’s infamous Chest Monster is an outgrowth of this - she writes his lust for Ginny and his interest in her like something he doesn’t understand, can’t understand, because she doesn’t understand it and (possibly) because her trauma from her domestic abuse prevents her from examining how she feels.

So we get people like Harry (nominally interested in women, is frequently documented staring at Draco or Sirius or Bill) or Lupin (interest in women only confirmed in an interview but never in the text, closest relationship is to a man, marries a queercoded shapeshifter who is a blood relative of that man after his traumatic death) or Bill (canonically GNC by Wizard standards to a degree that makes Molly uncomfortable, romances Fleur entirely off the page until they’re very seriously involved). We get Dumbledore’s queercoding (canon, per author) and Sirius’s queercoding (ambiguous). We get men who are deeply psychosexually fixated on another man to a point of utter devotion (Quirrell and BCJR on Voldemort) while their female counterpart (Bellatrix) is a canon sexual partner of the guy they’re all obsessed with who talks and behaves the same way.

And this really only becomes remarkable when you notice how it compares to other middle-grade and YA fiction.

Daine and Numair (Tamora Pierce’s The Immortals) are the central romantic couple in a series of books with HP’s target audience, and both of them are problematically horny for one another. Rachel Berenson and Tobias (K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs) have long passages of age-appropriate text describing their attraction and desire across multiple books, even though their romance is less important to the plot than the romances in HP. Talia and Dirk (Mercedes Lackey’s Queen’s Own) date and have sex with other people before getting together while both desiring each other, and their appearances as older adults in later books show they’re comfortable with physical intimacy and flirting. There’s more examples that I can think of, but the point stands - Rowling’s male characters are unusually terrified of being horny for members of the opposite sex, and so it’s not surprising that many fans look at that and go “oh so you’re queer and closeted”.

[ilid]

I made the mistake of posting this on Reddit. Would not recommend, i ended up looking like this:

But it made me realize something: Kris and Berdly's unclear relationship might be a 4D chess move from Tricky Tony as a way of hammering Kris' identity to the player. But why would that be the case? The game already makes it pretty clear that Kris is their own person and is different from the player. Anyone that has played the game with their eyes open should've gotten this by now, right? Yes, and despite knowing this, we still project our own feelings onto Kris (myself included, i'm not innocent). Think about it, why would Toby make such a vague scene as the one with Ralsei? Why is it left so up to interpretation compared to everything else? Except... the scene is not really vague, it's only vague because it's Berdly. What if we change the names up a bit for the sake of argument: What if it was uhmm.... (let's pick someone random) Jockington!

❤️ Jockington * Jockington? (Ralsei would be just as confused, he doesn't know shit about Jockington or how absolutely cool he is) * Umm, you don't have to repeat yourself so loudly, Kris. * ... * I - you don't have to repeat yourself, Kris. * If, it's what you really want, Kris! * I'm sure Susie would be happy to see you, um, spread your wings sports? If we don't asume anything about Kris' opinion on Jockington, this reads more like Kris is making their choice clear while Ralsei is the confused one. Especially those last two lines, why would Ralsei say that if it wasn't out of reluctant understanding? It almost sounds like he's saying "You have shitty taste but i'm happy for you anyways".

Then, why is this scene vague anyways if the text is written like a sitcom gag?

Easy answer: Berdly is fucking annoying. Toby wants us to hate Berdly, he's egotistic and constantly tries to piss Kris (and by extension the player) off. His arc in Chapter 2 is not even dignifiying considering his "tragic backstory" barely justifies any of his flaws, he still acts like a douche up until his very last line of dialogue, and in Chapter 4 he REGRESSES back to being almost as bad as he was before. It's SOOOO easy to hate him, even the people who like him often say things like: "He's funny as a character but if he was my friend in real life i would hate him". So when the average Player comes across a scene like this one, they think "This can't be, Kris must hate Berdly just as much as i do! Surely there's an explanation for this!" and so everyone interpreted this scene as "Kris screaming while confused and angry!" even though nothing in the text confirms this at all. But we have proof that Kris doesn't hate Berdly at all, they play video games together on a regular basis: - If you check on him in his second battle it says "He usually only gets this mad when you play games together." - He mentions Kris wavedashing in Super Smashing Fighters - They played Minecrap together in Noelle's blogpost from the Spamton Sweepstakes. - They both compete in speedrunning leaderboards. Not only that but it's implied that Berdly berating Kris, is actually a mutual thing: - "He usually only gets this mad when you play games together." - Berdly seems used to being taunted by Kris. - Kris prank calls Berdly in Noelle's blogpost but helps him reinstall Minecrap after he accidentally uninstalled it. If you take all this into consideration it recontextualizes Kris and Berdly's entire dynamic, THEY'RE QUIPING! The thing is, this is all FLAVOR TEXT, and very easy to miss for the average player! So when Berdly taunts Kris, we only see Berdly's side, and it comes across as insults! We don't have the context to understand it until later! Even dialogue options like: - Telling Berdly to stand outside Rudy's hospital window so he can throw something at him. - "Running away as fast as possible" instead of talking to him in the Librarby. - Singing the wrong number song. What initially comes across as "Kris hates Berdly" options, is recontextualized as just their usual quips! This recontextualization hammers in the fact that WE DON'T KNOW KRIS, we don't know Berdly in the same way they do, and as a result of that, we don't experience things in the same way they do. Just like how Kris' gender identity is commentary on how people project gendered stereotypes onto nonbinary people, Kris and Berdly's relationship is commentary on how people project their opinions onto characters even when we don't know the full picture. Even if i'm wrong (I'm not) and Kris actually does hate Berdly or there's a secret third option, my point would still stand! (I would just be at the butt of the joke).

I'm tired of all the Kerdly deniers coping. I've seen so many people interpret this scene as Kris repeating Berdly's name out of confusion, disbelief or even anger, even though there's nothing in the text implying this.

Usually the other character's make it pretty clear that Kris sounds confused when we make them say something they don't want to say. There's a very specific choice of words here, "repeating yourself loudly" is very different from just "screaming", this specific wording implies Ralsei is the confused one and Kris is repeating themselves as clarification. But, i guess you could say Ralsei is not the most gifted when it comes to understanding social cues, you could kinda make a case for Ralsei either not understanding Kris' tone or maybe even purposefully avoiding mentioning it as to not "upset the player" or something. So how about hearing it from the bird himself? When Berdly asks Kris to join Queen's team, Berdly is perfectly capable of reading Kris' confusion.

But, if you choose to go with Berdly to the festival...

Berdly is INCREDIBLY FLUSTERED, and there's absolutely ZERO mention of any confusion from Kris.

Kerdly is inevitable.

[salientseraph]

Astarion discourse i guess??

Good morning!

I'd like to preface this by saying this is all based on what I remember, I've only scoured Astarions lore a few times, so if I get anything wrong you are more than welcome to correct me politely.

I've been trying to think more critically about my favorite fictional characters recently. More specifically why I'm so drawn to the morally-grey-borderline-evil-but-secretly-misunderstood type of character. Who in the end, most of the time tries to do the right thing. Whether its by their nature or by a learned behavior later in the story. It's like I've always played the devils advocate for them, and I'm not sure if that would totally change if they where real, either. I think it's because I, too, had a villain arc of sorts. Not nearly as flashy as say Loki or even Astarion, but I understand in part why they are the way they are. I relate, in a way. Specifically I've been thinking about why Astarion disapproves when you help others near the beginning of the game. [[GIANT RANT INCOMING]]

I was reading up about a couple of different areas you can get some extra points with him for fun, and I just saw a lot of hate. "Why would he be so awful? How could he not want you to help (insert person here)!" And I took a second to sit with that. Because yeah, shit, after all that he had been through, wouldn't he want to be the person to help others out of that same situation?

And to that question, I ask you this. Can you really even fathom how long 200 years is?

People always respond to that with "Oh well he was a corrupt magistrate and the gur beat him to death." First of all, yeah, he could've been a bit of a dick, but holy shit the gur have always been temperamental pricks. We don't know what ruling led to that, so its purely up to interpretation. 

The worst part is, if he really was an out of touch magistrate, even then, he couldn't have been nearly as bad as everyone makes him out to be, but then being turned into a vampire sex slave for nearly the average of 3 human lifespans didn't fucking help! As someone who has experienced trauma her whole life, especially the worst of it as a kid, closely thematically matching the type of things he went through, holy shit. Yeah. After that type of thing happens to you, and you have nothing you can do about it, after crying and screaming on the floor for days on end to whomever god might be listening and still not being released from something like that, you become fucking jaded. I'm still struggling through my trauma, and I've been in therapy for 3 years going on 4 for things that happened to me when I was a kid.

When the only way to escape from a bad situation is to get into another, almost equally bad situation, you do not want to help anyone. Its only with time to reflect, move past, and heal from the things you've experienced, that you can move past the more self-centered feelings trauma besets upon you and want to help others. It comes easier to some than others, and this switch flipped in me at about 12 years old. But then it got so bad that I didn't start helping myself until I was 18. Two sides of the same coin I suppose. I don't know, maybe I play the devils advocate because I too, am a devil. Maybe I'm not a good person. I try to be, though, even if I wasn't a long time ago, and I think thats what counts.

[plague-carrier]

Is Lift Trans

SPOILERS for the books, including WaT, only related to the topic. I'll still use she/her pronouns because I literally don't know what Lift's gender would be, if my trans theorising turns out true. Here I use "trans" to mean both binary and non-binary trans experiences.

For a long time Lift's feelings about her growing body have reminded me of gender dysphoria. Obviously, she's been very uncomfortable with the idea of growing up because she wouldn't be the little girl her mother remembers. But it felt like there was more to it.

There are many trans people who have had a strong sense of being trans from their earliest years, but there are many children who only come to this understanding of themselves with puberty. The changes to one's body, together with the transition from girlhood/boyhood to womanhood/manhood are what makes many trans people have their first experiences of dysphoria. So, yes, this is why I read Lift as dysphoric.

And in WoT we see that Lift has started binding her chest. While there are some girls who bind their chest without being trans, and it's still consistent with her explanation of wanting to look like she used to, Sanderson had Wyndle explicitly state the aspect of growing up that Lift takes the worst is her "secondary sex characteristics manifesting". He also emphasises that her sexual attraction to men (including Drehy and his husband who are probably the only openly queer people she knows) doesn't disturb her in this way. In the past she's also been malnourished - turning all her food to Investiture, which could interpreted as a conscious or unconscious attempt to prevent this very same physical development.

But of course, if she's trans, her body would have already turned into the body she wants, right? Well, that's not how the healing works. The healing matches your body to the cognitive (and also spiritual, I think?) version of it. For exmaple, if a person has a disability, it only heals if they do not percieve that disability as a part of themselves. That doesn't mean they like their body as it is, or don't deal with internalised ableism - it only means their disability has become a part of their Identity. So, if Lift experiences gender dysphoria but doesn't identify as trans, it's possible her body won't change until she does.

Another possibility is that not all trans people would be "healed" from their secondary sexual characteristics in the first place. Trans experiences and experiences of gender dysphoria can be so varied, and I imagine the way a Investiture does or doesn't affects a trans person's body might be different depending on their specific trans identity, and type of dysphoria (social v physical, bottom v top, etc).

So, do I think Lift is trans? I like the idea of it - it fits with her experiences and the magic system gives room for it to be possible. It's a nice though and so many other trans people have found her relatable in this way. But I don't know if Sanderson would have felt ready to write such a nuanced experience of transness, given how cautious he's been in including queerness so far. Saying a tertiary character got a magic sex change is one thing, or a writing tower spren which uses they/them pronouns is one thing, but Lift's potential transness would be quite another. And that's why I think the answer is "well, yes and no."

[boglove]

ok i want to actually legitimately talk about my interpretation of aaron in mcd more in depth because i have Thoughts, so enjoy this disjointed collection of 1 AM ramblings

like i’ve said before, i like to think of aaron less as being Dark and Edgy or whatever and more as awkward and stiff. when he’s first introduced, he’s literally just some guy wandering through the woods, presumably tracking zane. during that time, he was probably solely focused on enacting his revenge—and then, all of a sudden, he meets aphmau, he ends up getting brought into the fold of her village, and he suddenly has things to care about again. his behavior, how he deals with that, and how he evolves as a character is very interesting to me.

he was clearly very withdrawn for a good chunk of the series. i think part of this was because, after being alone for so long, just wandering ru’aun and focused solely on revenge, he lacked a lot of social skills and kind of forgot how to, like.. talk to people LMAO. dude was walking around the woods, half-clothed, fighting werewolves for some reason, probably sweaty and dirty as hell. he was basically a feral dog. (i say this affectionately)

he also reminds me very much of a feral/stray dog in the sense that he’s wary to trust, but keeps coming back to aph anyway, particularly in the earlier episodes where he’s featured; he sort of just shows up out of the woods, only ever seeks out aphmau when she’s alone, then disappears again, but never strays too far.

i also think part of the reason for that aaron being withdrawn was because he was trying to resist making connections with aphmau and her people. after the loss of his family and village, he didn’t want to open himself up to any more loss and pain. truthfully, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was suffering from PTSD, and social isolation as a way to avoid re-traumatizing yourself can be a part of that.

also, on another one of my posts, someone mentioned him being in his 30s or 40s and all the other characters being in their 20s, which i think would also explain him being a lot more stoic and unsociable.

i’m not the first person to say this, but aaron could honestly be a great narrative foil for aphmau; he’s lost everything to zane, and, as a result, he becomes vengeful and instinctively distrustful of people, closes himself off, no longer forms bonds. aphmau lost so much to zane too, but she reacts differently to experiencing that loss; she tries to move forward, to continue building community, to continue being kind and caring, to keep the loved ones she still had even closer than before. aaron and aphmau still impart lessons on each other things though, and, at their core, they are very similar; they were both lords at some point with an unwavering devotion to their people.

that all being said, as the series continues, aaron does change, his final act being one born out of love and devotion, not out of a desire for revenge, as he explains in his letter to aph. it’s a stark contrast to how he acted at first, and yet, somehow, also very similar. i think, in a way, he was always motivated by a need to protect, but when he failed at that when it came to his wife, son, and village, it turned into a need for revenge. to me, aaron being able to die by protecting his new family was something that ultimately fulfilled him in the end.

i have a very love/hate relationship with aaron; i’m not a huge fan of him now and i recognize that there’s a lot of issues with the execution of his character, but he was very near and dear to little me. i think a lot of criticisms of how he was brought into the story and resulted in a lot of male characters being sidelined are valid, but i also think that he was genuinely a good match for aphmau because they understood each other.

[tanasha-not-yet]

i have several complaints about the entire httyd franchise that boil down to a single thing and the thing is i dont think the way show interprets dragons is consistent

httyd1 presents them as beings as sentient as humans who can live along with them. so dragons = different 'human' culture

rob-dob.. . brings in some duality. theyre sentient and dragon-human bonding is supposed to be more like best friends dynamic, but at the same time we have.. . . dragon stables, commands and signs, dragon calls, gronckle iron !! so human-dragon relationship Is a lot like human-pet relationship. sooo dragons = animals. odd, though it's not like those two readings are mutually exclusive here (ig?)

rrte still has a lot of the dragons=animals stuff from rob-dob, adding on the dragon migrations and interesting flock behaviors But we also have hints on dragon culture like Vanaheim and the king of dragons. fun how i think it does clear up their role in ecosystem.

httyd2 brings in dragons' own tribe system!!! there are chiefs and the ones who manage to break out of their control become new chiefs!!! yei!! dragon government! dragons = different 'human' culture with its traditions andddd magical element.

and httyd3 treats dragons like neither animals nor people??? like??? theyre like a power people dont deserve so its gone?? LIKE OKAY THIS IS A GOOD VALID WAY TO TREAT DRAGONS IN YOUR SETTING BUT. We have other readings established at this point! we dont acknowledge their place in ecosystem or their attachment to their mixed with humans society or their dependence on humans or anything. shattermaster cant fly. idk what im going on about.

[cookietails]

Happy Julance! 💙

I interpreted the prompt a little differently... 😉 Enjoy!

Day 2: Curse

The first time Hunk heard Lance curse, he almost dropped his space croissants as he pulled them out freshly baked from the oven.

He had to contain himself, find central peace, re-evaluate his mental state and restore balance in his hand-eye coordination to save the hot pastries when a surefire word was hushed as Lance walked past Hunk in the castleship kitchen and towards the fridge. 

“I’m so fucking over it.”

If you know Lance McClain, family man extraordinaire, lover boy of the universe, happy happy joy joy man—he never curses. Never. You couldn’t find a bone in his body that would allow him to naturally swear. So this revelation was concerning to say the least.

“Uh,” he intellectually states, swivelling around in his direction with the hot tray in his mitted hands. “You… You okay, man?”

Lance yanks open the fridge, gets a water pouch, stabs it quite viciously, and slams the fridge shut with such a scary, neutral expression that if he wasn’t aggressively using all of his body language and you just looked at his face, you’d think he’d be okay.

“Fine, man.”

Clearly not. 

“Are… Are you sure?” He digresses, coaxing him to speak up.

Instead, Lance walks away with a degree of sass—hand on hip, legs on a mission—that would scare off every individual within a five foot radius. “Never better, Hunk.”

Uh… Sure.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

The first time Pidge heard Lance curse, it swept them off of their feet… quite literally.

They were both feeling a little competitive and on edge from a mission prior that almost had half of Voltron blown into smithereens, so Pidge offered to play a fighting game with him on the video game console they purchased at the Space Mall to blow off steam. 

Nothing was out of the ordinary. 

“Oh, come on!”

Except Lance was playing so aggressively that…

“Why?!”

…when Pidge won, he detonated like a ticking bomb. He stands up with the controller, incredibly pissed off, and literally sweeps Pidge off of their feet (“W-woah!?”) due to tangled cords and the unexpected flash of movement from Lance.

“What the fuck?! That’s so unfair!” He cries, almost screeching and shattering the metaphorical glass of the fourth wall. 

If you know Lance McClain, and Pidge does quite well, he usually defaults to ‘what the cheese,’ or ‘holy crow,’ maybe a ‘holy cannoli,’ or some variation to which he doesn’t need to swear.

Pidge finally speaks up—a little unsure, a little defensive: “Lance…? Are you… okay?”

Being the king of avoidance when he wants to be, he throws the controller onto his bedroom floor, puts his hands in his pockets, and yells to no one in particular: “I’m checking on Kaltenecker.”

As the doors swooped closed behind him, only the sounds of the fighting game echoed in his room. Pidge was stunned into complete silence.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

The first time Shiro heard Lance curse, it was at the Garrison when they landed back on Earth.

Coran and Allura were working on some Altean technology to get the Atlas ready for launch when Lance had exited Iverson’s office in complete rage. He was in tears as he power walked away from the office door and right into the lounge where Shiro was, playing Sudoku and trying to take his mind off of things.

Adam, the impending war, Earth being taken over, building the Atlas to go back into the void of Space; you know… Things™

He looked up at a sullen Lance and immediately put down the Sudoku book. “Lance? Are–”

“I hate this shit.” He huffed, seeing red like a bull meeting a matador.

Now, if you know Lance, he does everything in the book to avoid cursing and swearing inappropriately. He has a big family, a niece and nephew he hung out with constantly growing up. He wants to be someone they look up to.

So it takes Shiro by surprise that he just said the word shit. 

Before he can say anything though, Lance storms past like a man on a mission to the door on the other side of the lounge, but not before he stops, sighs, and grabs the Sudoku book. Scratching his head, he passes the book to Shiro and simply says: “Four is in the upper right corner.”

He then walks out, moving on from his outburst and into the next room.

Shiro checks the book.

Huh.

He was right.

He writes the number four and wonders if he’ll be okay.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

The first time Keith heard Lance curse, it was on the Atlas, after their private conversation in the boardroom (which he thought went pretty well, to be quite honest).

Scratch that, he was proud of himself. Both of them had made a gigantic breakthrough in their friendship. Lance has been struggling since they traverse Honerva’s mind, and they have no plan for the final battle. Feeling defeated and blue, he sat in a chair and vented to Keith about their line of action, and Keith actually got through to him, made him laugh, and they held hands.

Keith even gave him heart eyes, and he’s pretty sure Lance sent some in his direction too!

He really wants to fist pump to himself later in victory. Hell freaking yeah. You see, for Keith, making friends was like trying to get honey out of the carpet—not impossible, but very annoying. 

…And look, they didn’t hug, but they’ll work on that. He’s sure of it. 

Patience yields virtue, or whatever the saying is. 

Just then, much to his surprise, he heard a sob as he walked through the halls, past their dorms, and past a little pocketed alcove amongst the walls. Leaning against the wall of the alcove is Lance, crying to himself in amongst the shadows surrounding him. 

Keith leaned against the wall beside the alcove to listen in closer. His next words out of his mouth—so quiet and incredibly private—shakes him to the core, catching Keith off guard. 

“...Fuck.” Lance whispers to himself, tears trembling down his cheeks. “I like him. I like him so much and knowing my luck, we’re not gonna make it home.” His lips wobble, a shiver of fear tingling his spine as he cries quietly in private. “Fuck, what am I gonna do about Allura? I… I-I like Keith?”  A sob that sounds like it hurts ripples through his chest. “God, I’m so stupid.”

Unbeknownst to Lance, Keith pockets that information for later, but in that moment, his thicker brows furrowed in concern and a frown takes over the lingering curve of his lips. He wants to comfort him, reassure him, shelter him in that missed opportunity of a hug and tell him everything will be okay. But he can’t—he’s eavesdropping and it’s not right.

With blood boiling and determination ringing under his skin, he walks away, vowing in his mind for them to win. No matter what.  

We’ll make it home. I promise.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

The last time Lance heard himself curse, he was caught off guard by his beautiful Voltron family.

He honestly, genuinely forgot it was his birthday. Everyday blurs between each other post-war; post-integration back into society, and it’s been difficult to figure out what the time and day was anymore post-reality reset. He stopped attempting to. 

So by the time it hit 7pm and he was eating some subpar pasta bake he cooked up on the fly (it was actually incredible, thank you very much), he heard a knock on the front door and jumped out of his skin, dropping his fork on the floor with a squeak.

“I got it, sit down.” Keith commands as he stands up from the opposite seat. All Lance can see is his exquisite lips and muscles ready to burst out of his tank top. 

But all he does is blink, says “Mkay,” and stares absentmindedly into his pasta bake. He disassociates a lot. 

Maybe, it’s the PTSD. Maybe, it’s the intangible feeling of his mortality shriveling away. Maybe, his therapist was right and he’s just depressed by the constellations of mental issues chipping away at his sanity. 

Regardless, he hears a carnival of voices stemming from the front door, and then…

“Surprise!” Hunk and Pidge cheer from the open doorway of the dining room. “Shiro sends his regards from Hawaii,” Hunk quickly informs, with a giant box in his hands. Lance blinks in surprise. “Huh?”

Pidge pulls a popper in their hands, and out bursts a cheerful, colourful noise. “Happy Birthday! We brought you cake, and…” Pidge pulls out some presents, wrapped nicely in shiny wrapping paper and blue ribbons. “Presents!” 

Keith smiles from the front door, walks back to the dining room and sits down besides Lance in another chair. He faces his direction, grabs his left hand and rubs soothing circles into his soft skin.

“Lance…” Keith begins with a cautious, genuine smile; no judgement, just warmth beneath his radiant, moonlit eyes. “You forgot your birthday, didn’t you?”

Oh my gosh. It’s his birthday. Keith hands him his datapad to his right, and he swiftly checks through. He hasn’t touched it since two days ago, and it’s filled to the brim with messages, voicemails, inbox notifications.

How did he forget his birthday? He loves his birthday.

Hunk and Pidge sit down opposite beside him, presents and cake in tow on the table, and as tears well in his eyes, there’s only one thing he can say in response as a broken sob breaks through the echo chamber of his chest:

“What the fuck.”

Tears cascade down his face as quick as lightning. 

“How did I forget my birthday?”

Pidge chimes in at the ready, “We know it’s been hard for you transitioning back into this wacky sort of reality reset. It’s been hard for all of us, too.” Lance turns towards team punk in shock. 

Hunk bridges the gap, extending a hand on Lance’s shoulder and rubbing his thumb into a pesky knot. “Just know, you’re not alone, okay? You can call me anytime, any day, heck, every second if you want to.” Lance feels the burning heat behind his own eyes grow with wonder. 

“You know I love you,” Keith kisses his cheek with a big ol’ mushy grin and stands up, walking away towards the kitchen. Lance stares agape as he reappears just as quickly with a bouquet of worn, blue flowers and places them gently on the table. When did he get those…? 

“But just know, we all love you.” Keith finishes, returning to his side to place a hand on his free shoulder. Lance notices that now Hunk is comforting one side, Keith the other side, with Pidge holding his hand—tight and soothing like a warm hug. It grounds him from disassociation nation. 

“Every single part of you. Happy Birthday, Lance.”

His mind is a clean slate.

His tears are hot to the touch, treading streaks down rudden, red cheeks.

But, for the first time in a while, he smiles—laughs, even.

He feels fuller, lighter, softer, warmer.

He thinks he’ll be okay.

“Guys...”

They wait for his response.

“...Thank you. So much.”

They smile in return. He’s crying softly, so overjoyed to the brim and warm with love.

“I love you all so much.”

[sophaeros]

the strokes for crossbeat, november 2003

THE STROKES

Finally, the new work is complete! All members interviewed

Where should we go? That's what comes across in this album. It means we're getting closer to our goal

The day when "Room On Fire," born from the friendship of five people, will take the world by storm is coming soon ── The Strokes, who continue to "roll" with overflowing originality, reveal their latest feelings!

Interview: Shoho Koguchi / Interpreter: Izumi Kurihara

All pix by Yoshie Tominaga

Things have been going on since the news of their new album last month. The Strokes have finally completed their second album. The title is "Room on Fire". As previously reported, the album contains 11 songs, and the long-awaited Japanese release date is set for October 22nd.

I waited until the deadline to hear the album, but I was unable to listen to it. Based on the impressions from the listening session held about a month ago, "Room on Fire" is unmistakably The Strokes' mark. The minimalist ensemble that was prominent in the first album remains as the basic axis, but it also has the physical strength and experience acquired through long tours. It feels like it has been built up secretly while keeping the same carefree atmosphere. Right now, there's only one single "12:51," but the guitar that leads the whole thing like a keyboard is very memorable. There are many songs that show the charm of a rock band to the fullest, such as the aggressive and dramatic "Reptilia" and "What Ever Happened?", where you can enjoy Julian's shouts.

We want to be better than we are now and give everyone something that they can call "one and only"... but we've never thought of ourselves as something special.

And — and this is the most important thing — these five guys have overwhelming originality. Since the debut of The Strokes in 2001, the phenomenon of numerous rock and roll/garage bands gaining worldwide attention has been talked about everywhere, but these guys already contain the "unmatched core" of pioneers. They are simply pursuing a simple sound, yet they have such an absolute presence that they have given birth to bands that follow them without even realizing it. It's similar to the fact that The Ramones have always been The Ramones. Their strength, unfazed by their surroundings, is a unique strength.

──I had the chance to listen to your new work yesterday. The songs have become even more compact, and the performance is tighter and more compact.

Julian Casablancas (Vo: J): ...Is that a good thing? (laughs)

──Of course.

All 3: That's great (laughs).

J: Oh, by the way, thank you so much for putting me on the cover.

Nick Valensi (G: N) & Nikolai Fraiture (B: NI): Thank you very much.

──You're welcome (laughs). What do you think about the album?

J: I like it... well, I really like it. I was working on it right before I came to Japan, and there are still a few parts I want to change. I'm still talking to Gordon (Raphael: producer) about it... so I don't think it's finished yet. Also, there are two songs you guys haven't heard yet. If I add different flavors to it, the overall impression will be different.

N: But even though it's not finished yet, it's still something we're very proud of. I say that for everyone because we worked really hard on it. It's a clear representation of who The Strokes are now.

──The Strokes are truly one and only. Every sound the five of you make is overflowing with originality, and you’re unlike anything else.

J: Thank you. That's nice.

──When you were making it, did you also feel a strong sense of accomplishment?

J: Ummm... (laughs)

N: Haha (laugh)

J: I've never thought of it that way. I do have the feeling that I want to be better than I am now, and that's something I'm always thinking about. I wish I could give everyone something that they can call "one and only"... But I've never thought of ourselves as something special.

──The shout in "What Ever Happened?" was very powerful. You also raised your voice at key moments in other songs.

N&NI: Ahahaha!! (laughs)

──There's shouting and singing,

N: But no rap (laughs)

──Hahaha, that's true, no rap (laughs). Julian, in terms of vocalization, were you actively looking to bring out a side of yourself that you hadn't shown before?

J: Hmm... that's a good question... I definitely wanted to do something different with each song. That's different from when we made our first album. I wasn't thinking about that at all with our first album, it was just a feeling as the songs were being completed. I think "Meet Me In The Bathroom" is a song that feels close to the first album (it was performed at their first visit to Japan in 2002). That song was the first one we made for this album. The last song on it... you haven't heard it yet... it has a very restrained feel to it. Consciously. When you listen to that song, I think each one sounds even more distinct. Well, you could say it's the result of the natural development of each sound. It's true that with our first album we weren't thinking about that kind of thing. Is that the answer? But it was something like that, wasn't it? (asking for agreement from both of them)

──The guitar sound is really elaborate. I heard from Albert (G) yesterday that Nick was the main cause of this.

N: Yes, I agree. In terms of tone, I would say this album has a lot of variety. But not only that, in terms of songwriting, I think the guitar melody is stronger this time than before. On the last album, one person played rhythm and chords, and the other played lead, but this time, Albert and I both play melodies and counter melodies at the same time. In that sense, I think it's more refined than before.

── I think the live feel has increased a lot compared to the first album. How much attention did you pay to "performing live"?

J: No, I wasn't trying to make it sound like a live performance. I wanted to keep the same vibe. For the first album I used a computer, but for this album I used a mixing board and recorded in a so-called studio environment. Of course the first album was also recorded in a so-called studio environment... Maybe it feels that way because I didn't use any computer plug-ins (laughs)... Probably... This time I was conscious of making it sound more natural, so I think that's why it gives off that impression. How can I put it... There's not much distortion...

── Rather, I get the impression that the five of you have become more united and powerful.

N: Yes, I think we've grown as a band, or rather, we've become more involved as a band while working on this album. Thinking back to when we made our first album two years ago, I think that's true. At the same time, our knowledge of the studio has also increased, so we've come to understand the process of working in the studio, the kind of sound we want to record, and how to achieve that. So...

J: When you start wanting to do this and that, it can get messy, but it's a strength that we've come to understand how to do that. With this album, we can see where we should head. In other words... I think we've gotten closer to our goal. Just kidding, it's the complete opposite (laughs).

── A second album is a big hurdle for any musician, especially in your case, since your first album was so well-received and you've been getting attention from all over the world.

All three: (wry laugh)

──Did you feel any pressure while making this?

J: Pressure? (bitter laugh)

NI: What? (laughs)

N: Pressure, you say (laughs).

J: Haha, rather than from outside, I felt pressure coming from within myself... maybe. It was more like internal pressure (laughs). I was a little worried about whether we could make something good, but then, when we released our first album, a lot of people ended up saying 'it's good'... so I'm really happy... hmm... I don't know? Well, the album hasn't come out yet, so it's hard to really grasp it. It's hard to put it into words... I mean, it's kind of silly to say 'it's great!' before it's even out. But I think it turned out well, and I'm happy. I'm sure everyone in the band feels the same way. That's the most important thing. And I'd be happy if other people felt the same way."

When did you start writing songs?

J: Hmm... I guess I was about 15 years old.

──Huh?

NI: No, aren't you talking about the second album?

──Yes, from the second album (laughs).

N: Then the answer would be '10 years ago' (laughs).

J: That’s right (laughs). Umm… right after we finished making our first album (laughs). “Meet Me In The Bathroom” was the first one…

──What was the songwriting process like? Fab (drums) and Albert said that Julian would bring in songs and the band would work on them, but are you someone who can write songs pretty easily? Or do you spend a lot of time on each song?

J: Well, depending on the song, there are some that are completed quickly, and some that are only half-finished when I bring them to the band. Sometimes, when I bring a song to the band without making much progress, it is completed surprisingly quickly. That's when a good idea comes out of nowhere. But on the other hand, sometimes it doesn't come together and it becomes a mess. I try out different things over and over again, tinker with different parts, and then when I tinker with them, this and that don't go together, stuff like that. Those kind of songs get the nickname "nightmare". They really are a "nightmare" because they never end (laughs). There are songs that aren't finished even after three months. Some songs can be completed in two days. They can be finished the day after I bring them to the band.

Radiohead always goes through extreme changes and it's not what I want. I think evolution is something that happens very slowly and gently. I don't think it matters how much time it takes.

N: We're not the kind of band that can finish a song in five minutes, but we're also not the kind of band that can spend forever on a song. I'm sure there are people who think it's good to create songs quickly, but being prolific isn't necessarily a good thing. Because when you're prolific, there are bound to be some bad songs mixed in

J: But "Supernova" (retitled "12:51") was written in one night and two seconds. The next day, we went back to the studio and played it a little and it sounded good.

N: Yes. Julian wrote it in 2 seconds, played it for us, and played it the next day and it was perfect. There was no need to edit it any more.

J: Yeah. I tweaked it a little and it was enough. For some songs, I even tried out different harmony parts after about three months.

So, what are the lyrics of your new song about?

J: The theme is different for each song... How can I put it, I think adding additional explanations might make it harder to understand... Well, maybe in another 55 years I'll be able to explain what I was feeling when I wrote it, and it might be interesting to talk about that... but for now I'd like to leave it up to the listeners to decide. That's all I can say... I'm getting sleepy... Just kidding (smile)

──Please hang in there (laughs). Are you the type who puts a message into your lyrics? Or are you the type who just writes down whatever comes to mind?

J: Well, it depends on the song. I guess that's how it is, isn't it? Of course there are things I want to say, and there are songs that convey those things.

──As Nick said earlier, the new album reflects the band's growth in many ways, but in what area do you think you've grown the most compared to the first album?

J: Mentally, I’ve regressed to childhood (laughs).

N&NI: Haha (laughs)

J: Hmmm... I don’t know... I think we'll be able to answer that in about five years (laughs). We may have gained something from the first album and grown, and were able to reflect that in the second album, but for us who are in the middle of that, we don't really know what that is.

──I understand. Julian answered in an interview with this magazine that he wanted to "create something that evolved." What do you think of as "musical evolution"? Something drastic like Radiohead? Or do you mean strengthening the unity of the band?

J: For me it's not that kind of extreme change... I think evolution is something that progresses very slowly and gently. If it leads to a change for the better, I don't think it matters how much time it takes. As long as it gets better. And I think it should happen naturally, not intentionally. I know it sounds a bit fishy to say it like that (laughs), but that's what I think. ...How should I put it... I think Radiohead always undergoes very extreme changes, but it's not that I want it to, it's not that it's bad... I guess if you keep doing a lot of different things... you end up here before you know it... but I don't really know what I'm saying. Someone stop me (laughs).

── (laughs) Radiohead are staying here too, have you met them?

J: Oh, are they here too?

N: They're staying in my room (laughs).

──Ah, right (laughs). Everyone?

N: Yes, all five of us (laughs). There are six of us including me. All six of us are together.

──How many beds are there? (laughs)

N: Just one. But well, we’re managing.

──Do you decide who gets to stay in bed by playing rock-paper-scissors? (laughs)

N: No, we discussed it (laughs). I even put the drum sticks in the bathtub (laughs).

J&NI: Hahaha...

──Well, that's beside the point (laughs), but people have been saying rock is dead countless times now, for decades now.

J: That's been said since the 50s (laughs).

Other people are the ones who say "Rock is dead.” I guess that's what you say when you see music that you can't imitate. When guitar, keyboard, bass and drums come together, I think it's something that will continue to expand.

──(laughs) But even though we're in 2003, the band sound hasn't died yet. How much potential do you guys have for a "band"? Are you confident that you can still produce as many interesting and exciting sounds as you want with just guitar, bass, drums, and vocals?

J: I think there are always people who come up with new ways of doing things. I think people who say 'Rock is dead' say that when they see music that brings great ideas to fruition, music that no one else can imitate. I don't particularly want to imitate them, but even if I played like Led Zeppelin and someone said 'They're already dead, it's just a copy'... I think there are a lot of things that can be done with the instruments in it, like guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, and I think a lot of things are happening. I think that when those instruments come together, something can spread. However, there are probably some people who don't think that what's being developed there is new, or don't notice it. That's all I can say.

──I'd like to ask, what are your ambitions as a band?

J: ... (long silence). Ahh... to stay together with all these members forever.

──……Is that all?

J: Yeah (laughs). Because it's a very important thing.

──So, let me ask it another way. Do you want your second album to sell better than your first?

J: I want it to sell like hotcakes (laughs)... Just kidding (laughs). I don’t know.

N: Tell that to him (pointing at the person in charge at the Japanese record company). That's his job (laughs). But you know, all we want is for people to like it. We make something that we can confidently say is a good work, and send it out into the world. That's enough meaning. With that alone, there's no need to think about anything else. That goes for the creative process and everything else.

J: Even if I try to make everything go my way, it's not something I can control myself. It's not something that has a direct connection to the music itself.

──Is there any particular band that the Strokes are aiming to be like?

J: Yes.

──Who?

J: Maybe Mel Gibson (laughs).

──Really?

N: It's not like it's anyone in particular or anything.

J: There are a lot of musical idols out there.

N: If I had to say, it would be all the music that we've been listening to since we were kids and that has influenced us. Listening to that kind of cool music makes us want to play cool music too. So it's not like we want to be Iggy Pop or Keith Richards or anything like that.

J: What about Nikolai Fraiture (the bassist Nikolai, of course)? (laughs)

N: You want to be like Nikolai Fraiture? (laughs)

J: It might be a little funny (laughs).

N : Yes, we look up to each other.

NI: I wonder if this wraps things up nicely (laughs)

── (laughs). But the Strokes themselves have become a model for subsequent bands, haven't they? I think you guys created a trend, to the point that people say "after the Strokes."

J: Oh, really? (laughs). Then I have to live a long life (laughs). That's... weird, isn't it? Of course, we have a message and there are people who have received it. But... how can I put it (laughs), there is a much longer road ahead of us (laughs).

──Since you guys came out, many bands that play primitive rock and roll have appeared. Do you feel that you are a turning point band in rock history, that you opened the door to a new music scene?

J: Hmm... I don't know... But I don't think that there are a lot of bands that wouldn't have been successful without us. There's no way to confirm whether that's true or not. I'm sure those bands would have been successful without us.

N: But don't you ever think you'd like to say something like that? (laughs)

J: Okay, I was just kidding (laughs). How’s that? (laughs)

NI: I mean...

J: I don’t know. Of course, it's easy to say, 'Listen to the music we make! It's great!' but that's not what I'm thinking about. I want to reach a certain level. And I don't think we've reached that level yet. We have our own ideas about what we're doing. If we end up being successful, that's great too. But becoming super popular or getting into the top 10 charts, that kind of world is like an alien world to me. So... I don't think we've made any big changes at this stage. We've only just started. At least, that's what I think.

Before being band members, they are all friends who can be trusted. I think that atmosphere is conveyed from the above conversation. Julian himself said that he has an ambition to "continue with these members forever," and there is not a single cloud in that. I was impressed by Julian, who seemed reluctant, but spoke passionately about his enthusiasm in his own way. They are a group of musicians with their feet on the ground more than I had expected.

From here on, we will continue with the pairing of Albert (G) and Fab (Dr), who continue from last month. We decided to ask them a variety of topics, including the relationship between the Strokes and the band, as they actively play the role of "diplomats" within the band.

──First of all, what was the vision that the members shared when approaching this new work?

Albert Hammond Jr. (G: A): I want to make each song better, and I want to complete it in the best way possible for that song, and I want each song to have its own personality.

Fabrizio Moretti (Drums: F): After the recording, I spoke with Julian, and it seemed like he had a very specific vision for each song. With the first album, I didn't realize it at all as we were arranging and recording, but he had an unspoken vision. Once the recording progressed to a certain stage, that vision became clearer. It was about what kind of songs they should turn out to be.

Ichiro once said, "If I were a chef, I would have to take good care of my knives, otherwise they would rust. Then I wouldn't be able to cook." I practice at home every day, holding my sticks. That's the way to become a good musician.

──So, all the songs are about three minutes long. Were you determined to stick to this length?

F: There was a part I was trying to develop in each song, and it was complete when it was enough. So I wasn't worried about the time at all. It wasn't like, 'Oh, if I extend it any more it will exceed three minutes! Let's end it here' (laughs). So I guess I just brought out the part that the song needed. If I just added 'more, more!' I think it would become boring.

A: Yes, that's true. I think that in order to develop a song, you should look at the internal aspects of the song itself rather than the external aspects and develop it accordingly. You shouldn't force the song. If the song needed 9 minutes, I think I would have made it 9 minutes long. I wouldn't have shortened it to 3 minutes. And none of the songs feel short to me.

F: Yes, I don't think they're short either. There's always an interesting part or aspect to each song. It's not like, 'Oh, so that's how it goes around here. That's right, the one and a half minute part has to be like this' (laughs).

A: There are some players who always try to create cool parts.

F: That tends to be overplayed.

A: Since the birth of rock 'n' roll, songs have remained that length, right? Well, that's because they were originally made to be played on the radio, but I think that many of the songs that I would call the best songs are about that length. Of course, there are plenty of great long songs as well.

──It's pretty difficult to complete a song in 3 minutes. In your case, it's even more difficult because it's a superb pop song. Did you have any difficulties in making it so compact?

A: But that's what we're aiming for, that's our goal. I enjoy that kind of music too. If you're well versed in music, you'll understand, but even in songs that seem simple at first glance, you can discover interesting rhythms, right? It's the same with guitar. It's not just a simple phrase, you know (laughs).

──That's true. What is the Strokes' songwriting process like?

A: Julian will write it first.

F: Yes. We would work together in the studio to polish whatever he brought in. We would try out different things together and think about the arrangement.

A: There are five of us, so it takes time. There are many times when we say, 'Let's try this,' but it turns out to be a complete failure.

F: Arranging is about how to complete the song, how to present it, right? Julian writes the heart of the song, and we go from there.

A: But the one absolute requirement is that it's something that everyone likes. Otherwise it won't work as a song.

F: And before I even think about whether I like it or not, the base idea is Julian's original. I think that's great. And then we get to breathe life into it in the studio.

──What do you think you gained from the long tour for your first album? What you gained there must have led to improvements in your songwriting and performance skills.

A: From the beginning, we were successful right away. Then, we were faced with “things we have to do.” If we had to do it, then we had to do it. But for the new album, an 8-month tour would be enough. I don't want to do long tours anymore (laughs).

F: But when you play a song over and over and over again, you discover something new, or you see new possibilities for the song. I think we've all grown as musicians. I was talking to Albert about it, and we were rehearsing for Summer Sonic a while ago. At that time, things that used to be challenging for us didn't feel difficult at all. I think that's because we've gained experience.

A: And there are more difficult songs on the new album too (laughs).

F: Yeah (laughs). I feel like the vibe has been strengthened. By the way... I once saw an interview with a Japanese baseball player in Seattle. Who was it?

──Ichiro.

F: Yes, Ichiro. He said something really cool... The interviewer said to him, "You polish your glove every day like a sword, and treat your bat as something sacred." And he said, "If I were a chef, if I didn't take good care of my knives, they would rust. Then I wouldn't be able to cook." It's the same thing. After making this album, I think I've realized that I love my instrument. Especially when I get home every day, I hold the sticks and practice by myself. I think I understand the relationship between me and my instrument, and I think that's the way to become a good musician. I practice with a metronome, and I know what it means to play tight, and it's not a rough feeling like, "OK, let's give it a go." (laughs) I think it's more spiritual, and I think it's important to make music for yourself.

A: I think it's the same as learning a language. You study it, and then when you go out and try to use it, you'll be able to speak it properly. It's the same thing. When you go on stage, you'll be able to do it naturally without having to think about it.

F: Yes.

A: Well, of course (laughs).

F: I don't think you’ll end up thinking, 'Hey, how do I play the C chord?' (laughs)

── (laughs) By the way, Albert and Fab, you guys appeared on an MTV show hosted by Courtney Love, right? Was that because you were drunk?

F: (already laughing while listening to the question)

A: Well, it was 4:30 in the morning, and I was having drinks with Ryan (Adams) at a bar. Then Ryan said, 'Let's go to MTV, Courtney Love will be there,' and I was like, 'Sure thing.' But when we got there, it was like, 'Oh no...' (laughs). But Ryan was there, so it was pretty funny.

F: I feel this especially when Albert, me and the other members are together, but we have the illusion that 'we are the strongest!' (laughs). No, seriously. It's like no one can beat us, and being together with everyone makes us even stronger. For example, let's say you're walking down the street and you bump into someone. Normally you'd just say 'excuse me' and pass by, but when we're walking together as a group (laughs), you're like 'hey, watch it!' (laughs). When there's friendship there, it can make your life seem bigger than it actually is. That's what happens when you go to places like that. It's not that we're violent or anything, it's just that we're full of confidence.

A: It's interesting, isn't it? It's the same with music.

──Are you close with Courtney on a regular basis?

F: Courtney seems to like our music. She's a nice person.

──You've been going to some Kings of Leon shows recently. Do you like them?

A: They're a great band. Their live shows are great too.

F They're a band that won't disappoint. They're young, too. Two years ago we were really young, but when I look at them now I feel like we're like second-years. It's the same when I look at other bands, but I think, 'Oh, they're freshmen? That's nice.' I hope we can tour together.

──Apart from Kings of Leon, what other bands do you think are great these days?

A: I don't really know these days. I've been recording for a while, so I haven't been listening to anything at all. It's only when I have time off that I find bands that I like to listen to.

F: Once we start recording, we get so focused that we don't go out. And as soon as we step out of the studio, we're like, (covering our ears) 'Please, don't make me listen to your music!!' (laughs)

A: I discovered Kings of Leon when I had about a week off. I was in between studio work and had nothing to do for a week or two.

F: And since Kings of Leon is on the same label, they'll hand me stuff like, 'Listen to this' (pretending to hand it over secretly).

A: Adam Green's new album is also really good. His live performances are amazing, the best.

──You're also actively interacting with Ben Kweller in New York.

When we're together, we have the illusion that we're the strongest! (laughs) No one can beat me! When you have friendships, you make your life seem bigger than it actually is, but it's just that you're full of self-confidence (laughs).

F: Ben Kweller is great too!

A: This may seem surprising, but while it's true that we have made a lot of friends, we're all on tour, so we don't get a chance to see each other very often.

F: But on the other hand, being in a band means we get to meet the people we want to meet, so we're lucky.

A: Because it gives us something in common.

──Have any musical projects ever emerged from these frank connections?

F: That's not possible.

A: It's still a little early for that. It'll be a different story if we release about seven albums and become big. Right now we're still young and we need to focus on doing things ourselves first. Only then will we be able to do that.

──I heard that celebrities flocked to see the Strokes at last year's Coachella Festival. How do you feel about being perceived as a "cool band" like that?

F: We're actually pretty weak.

A: It has nothing to do with me. Don't get me involved (laughs).

F: I didn’t expect it (laughs).

A: If people want to see us and enjoy us, that's fine, but there's no need to give them any extra justification for it being cool or anything.

F: And celebrities just say "hi" in a sarcastic manner and that's it (laughs)

A: It feels like a different world. Everything is different. The lifestyle, everything.

F: I don't think they actually know much about us.

A: I guess it was just a coincidence that we just happened to pass each other. We took a photo together, smiled, and that was it.

F: Besides, it's so much more fun and satisfying to meet the enthusiastic fans who come to our shows than it is to meet celebrities. I'm so happy when I meet kids and they tell me, 'I love The Strokes' music, it really inspires me, it really touches my heart.' Compared to that, the reaction of celebrities is...

A: It was like, 'I've been in the industry longer than you!' (laughs)

F: That's right. (with a cocky pose) They said, 'I like your music' (laughs). Really, I was like, 'Oh, great, great, thank you for coming.'

A: Also, when we talk to kids, I think we can see clearly through them what we want to do and what we don't want to do. That's really exciting, and it makes me feel like I've become a bit of an older brother (laughs). That's why we have more fun when lots of kids come to our shows.

F: Better than a show filled with celebrities.

A: In the first place, isn’t that kind of weird?

F: Celebrities don't take the initiative. They're like, 'I'm famous, so everything just comes to me without me having to do anything' (laughs).

A: It’s like, 'Oh, so the concert was good? I see, I see, that’s good' (laughs).

F: So in other words, you want to say it’s ‘cool’ (laughs).

A: That's right! (laughs)

────

"The Strokes meet up with SUM 41 in Osaka"

Text: Masataka Oguchi

The real story! Behind the scenes of their visit to Japan

The Strokes' visit to Japan lasted for a week. At their request, they stayed at the Hotel Okura, which has a Japanese feel (many foreign musicians choose this hotel). Julian was a big fan of the opening video of "The Tale of the Heike" broadcast on BS2, and apparently even recorded it on video. Maybe it will be used in a future clip?

The title he came up with in that hotel was the first single, "12:51". This was reported as "Supernova" in last month's issue, but the moment he got involved, he was apparently overjoyed, saying, "Oh, if you fold this with a ":" in the center, it overlaps!" Only Julian knows the true meaning of that...

After meeting them, my impression is that the drummer Fab is the friendliest. He has a friendly personality that is typical of Italians, and he doesn't forget to casually hand over an ashtray. Julian seemed very sleepy during the interview, and half-seriously said, "I'm getting sleepy..." while speaking. Nick may have been the most cynical. The way he rolls his eyes is the cutest in the band.

At Summer Sonic Osaka, an unusual meeting between The Strokes, Stereophonics, Sum 41, and Good Charlotte took place at a hotel bar. Apparently, Julian invited the members of The Phonics and Sum 41 to come over and have a drink. Then Sum's friend Good Charlotte joined them. However, things didn't quite go well, and Fab and Julian ended up arguing.

After Summer Sonic, they went to Kamakura, which they had planned to do for a long time. Everyone was supposed to head out together, but in the end, only Nikolai (and his family) went. During the interview, Fab was excited and said, "I want to see Buddha!" Anyway, it must have been a nice break from recording here in Japan.

[wisterianightmare]

TW for further spoilers and discussion with reference to abuse.

So above OP has used the term “dead to the world” to describe what is essentially a part of the model for a form of abuse called coercive control, which is a prevalent form of abuse within family structures. Amongst other things in this model, physical and social isolation is used most often by parents or parentified older siblings as a means of not only limiting outside factors in their control, but also to reinforce the idea that outside relationships are inherently threatening to the current hierarchy. There are a few reasons why I find it particularly apt that Caleb is so callous towards his friends with this in mind, and with how MC is not off-put by this in No Return Night.

Starting with OP’s observation about Caleb’s desire (threat) to fake MC’s death in Homecoming Wings: for Caleb, safety is control. Maintaining control of MC’s circumstances to the extreme that he feels is necessary requires isolation and deprivation: the hallmarks of coercive control. To Caleb though, it’s clear that this serves more than just his concern for her physical safety. In a scenario such as this, MC would only have Caleb to rely on for any meaningful human interaction. Building deep relationships outside of Caleb would threaten the privacy that maintains said physical safety, and that is also what Caleb is fantasizing about. A world of just Caleb and MC is Caleb’s idea of bliss (another instance of his ‘Eden’ theme surfacing). And while we can speculate about how much of this is under the influence of his chip, the fact is that Caleb has exhibited isolationist behaviors before. In fact, he reciprocates these behaviors of gestures of his own goodwill: his aggressive insistence that he will never get a girlfriend because only MC and Gran are enough for him (even though no one asked), his willingness to not only drop whatever he’s doing at MC’s call but to loudly insist that the people he’s blowing off don’t matter to him at all, and then the treatment of his friends after his “death.” To me, these behaviors read as learned behaviors. Which begs the question, is Caleb even aware that these things are coercive at all?

OP’s comparison between Caleb’s desire to whisk MC away in HW and his own treatment of his friends is a stunning connection of cycles repeating but in opposite directions, and I think the lynchpin here is probably: Josephine.

There is a lot to speculate about Josephine, but based on the information we are given from MC’s POV in the main story (Catastrophe > hospital > I go home with “Grandma and Caleb”), I think it’s safe to assume that the familial designations were assigned by Josephine. Regardless of how literal you’d like to define MC and Caleb’s relationship as, the insistence of sibling-like roles absolutely would’ve benefited Josephine; especially with the level of distrust and clear resentment we see Caleb exhibit toward her. However the acquisition of these children happened, Josephine and Caleb very clearly view each other as threats. They are equally necessary to protect MC (Caleb being a child could not support/care for them alone and Josephine depended on MC’s emotional reliance to Caleb to assume control), but they both hold the key to the other’s possible downfall. In essence, if either Caleb OR Josephine were to cross any lines in the other’s eyes, it would be a case of mutually assured destruction. So, how does the adult guardian of two traumatized and bonded children try to encourage some degree of separation without triggering a nuclear response? She encourages them both to form relationships outside of each other, and tries to leverage those relationships to reinforce the “family” agenda.

This, though seemingly different, could also be a form of isolating coercive control. Or at least, I suspect that’s how Caleb interprets it.

We know that Caleb is a popular kid. He’s recruited to lead gangs of the neighborhood kids and is on the basketball team in high school. He gets the attention of girls. He has a regular crew at the DAA. But at every opportunity, Caleb reinforces that these are mostly surface level relationships. So if he isn’t engaging out of his own preference, it stands to reason that Caleb is maintaining his lifestyle out of necessity. My thought here is that Josephine likely used social pressure as a way to distance Caleb from MC. It may have even begun with healthful intentions for both of them, as the codependency between them was already born out of trauma and torture. I can even see how Josephine might be able to get a young Caleb on board with this: that MC (and by extension him) having other friends and trusted adults could only make their lives more vibrant. At a young age it makes sense that Caleb would be able to participate in these relationships and be able to judge them (and MC’s safety) for himself, and we do see where he makes decisions on MC’s behalf even as a child to protect her when it isn’t appropriate for him to do so. But as he and MC get older and more independent, I could also see how Josephine could use those relationships to fabricate further divisions between them. Encouraging Caleb to be on a sports team, where he will have large chunks of scheduled time out of the house and away from MC, shifts his priorities away from her. Telling MC to take a summer trip with her friends instead of coming home could be seen as an intentional separation. As time passes and romantic tension in the house rises, it’s likely to me that Caleb would see these encouragements as calculated choices to keep them apart - valid or not.

So is it any wonder that when they do finally enter the realm of a romantic relationship, when Gran is no longer in the picture, when there is no one else who they are beholden to the time and attention of (again, because they believe Caleb dead) that Caleb and MC lean into the fantasy of a world just for the two of them? No Return Night, Caleb’s Myth, the corresponding planetary exploration game event, etc: they all revolve around that reciprocated fantasy of seeking refuge from the rest of the world. To me, MC’s acceptance of this illustrates the success on Caleb’s part to paint other relationships as unimportant or threatening (and I’d write more about how he uses degradation, gaslighting, and withholding- the other methods of coercive control- to do this, but I’ve already hijacked OP’s post enough I’msosorryahhhh). And I think from Caleb’s POV, that perspective originated from Josephine: his experience of her both before and after becoming “Gran.”

So if No Return Night ended up feeling a bit anticlimactic, might I suggest that it was not really about MC’s perspective. Bear with me, but so far from MC’s POV, the tension between her and Caleb has been building. But from Caleb’s side of things, in pretty much every card he’s in some way fighting with the possibility of letting go. No Return Night was the turning point, and for Caleb that meant a deescalation of the tension between them. Because the tension has never been about whether or not MC loves him. He says so many times that he will accept her any way she allows him in her life. He isn’t waiting for her to wake up one day and realize he’s the one, even if that’s what he wants/expects. The tension has always been about what he needs to do to keep her safe, and the outside forces that he feels threaten their ability to be together. Without that threat, Caleb doesn’t have to exist within those extremes, which is what I think people found refreshing about it. An unthreatened Caleb opens up a whole world of possibilities within the relationship, and while admittedly that’s not quite for me I do think that it was very intentionally and thoughtfully crafted with that tone in mind.

Now, about Sylus -

No Return Night - Thoughts

Spoilers below the cut! As usual I apologize if mobile Tumblr trolls anyone. I'd started this a while ago but got distracted, figured better late than never to share my thoughts! 🤣

SPOILERS BELOW HERE

First off, I want to add a disclaimer that 1) I have a strong Sylus bias and 2) I will accept no hate for Caleb or Caleb girlies!!! These are just my subjective thoughts.

Something that stood out to me watching No Return Night is just how many friends Caleb has that he basically tells to fuck off because he only wants to spend time with MC. And I totally get the dark romance aspect and that this is part of the appeal, but 1) that specific dynamic not just my thing personally and 2) I ended up thinking about the contrast to Sylus's birthday where Luke and Kieran are celebrating every day of the month 'cause they don't know the specific day and they're just tickled to be able to wish him happy birthday.

Part of what is (subjectively) off-putting (to me specifically) about a lot of Caleb's content and especially No Return Night is just how callous he is towards his friends. Like when Gideon first sees him again he has ZERO compassion for like "hey so I know you thought I was DEAD and probably MOURNED me."

When MC mentions that the rest of his friends are having a party in his honor but without him there, it's like--has he told them he's alive? If so, kind of a dick move to not at least make SOME time to hang out with them, even on a different day. More likely, only Gideon knows, and MC and Caleb are just sitting there eating while his friends are mourning his death having a memorial dinner for him on his birthday.

Like... dude. I do not feel okay about that.

Not to mention MC just casually picks him up from running THE EVIL SPACE MILITARY THAT MURDERED A CHILD AND KIDNAPPED ANOTHER ONE.

But "dead to the world" is an explicit theme for them--we even see in Homecoming Wings that one of Caleb's first ideas for keeping MC safe is to tell everyone else that she died.

I think this is an artful and intentional decision that highlights the toxic nature of Caleb and MC's relationship. It's the kind of relationship that leads them to want to cut off other people--even people who care about them very much--in order to spend time only with each other.

In contrast, MC spends Sylus's birthday encouraging him to engage with others more. She wants to be at his side going out into the world, and she welcomes and cherishes the presence of Luke, Keiran, and Mephisto. The unhealthiness in Caleb x MC's relationship helps make more clear how intentional and healthy so many aspects of Sylus x MC is.

Something this has made me realize is that I've had several relationships (not romantic, but familial and professional) with people who have tried to cut me off from other people, to keep me to themselves, etc. And so I find that I have a pretty visceral avoidant/fear reaction to some of Caleb's behavior.

Which makes this good writing! Caleb's team is successfully painting a picture and what doesn't work for me is exactly what someone else is looking for, and vice versa. That sort of self-destructive obsession can be really gratifying to read.

But personally, I find that some of Caleb's content leaves me vaguely unsettled and I always learn something about myself while unpacking it, and for that I am legit grateful.

I hope we still get more Caleb yearning content now that we have cards of them "together" because that is always my favorite Caleb mode--desperately wanting something you don't feel good enough to have is deeply relatable. And I think there's a lot of threads to pull about how his self-hatred is what causes him to cut off his friends, even when they could be there for him. So I really do think there's a ton of interesting stuff to look at there, and he's well-written, it's just not always my cup of tea.

I fleetingly saw someone post about how No Return Night felt anti-climactic to them, and ofc they got a lot of disagreement in the comments, but I felt the same way. I think you can project whatever arc you want onto the card, and that's great! But I find myself preferring yearning Caleb and we don't really see any of that in No Return Night--just "all is well" Caleb and then "I'm sick of waiting" Caleb. I found myself either wanting things to be more raw (like their altercation in Homecoming Wings) or more tender (a yearning confession met with acceptance).

What I also think is really interesting and telling is that I do not have nearly as much in common with Caleb's MC as with Sylus's MC. I thought it was poignant and important that she talked about always having taken him for granted--but I just couldn't relate to that, because I had always been the eldest sibling trying to hold it together for everyone. In my own personal journey, I did the equivalent of saying "fuck you" to the Deepspace Fleet and charting my own path. I don't take kindly to ignoring the consequences of our actions and ignoring our access to leverage.

I need to face the truth, in all its ugliness, to keep moving forward and that's a large part of why I gravitate towards Sylus.

Alright, I think that's all my big thoughts. 😅

Again, these are just my personal reactions! I'm sorry for all the disclaimers, but some people will say "oh this is just me" and not really mean it and I really do mean it. �� If you loved the card I love that for you!! I think we can mold and shape and fill in the blanks to these stories in our own personal way, and that is 100% valid and intended. Things that feel like gaps to me may feel complete to you and I actually think that's fascinating and really cool! I know the same thing happens with Sylus and he just clicks with my brain more so it all makes sense. (He's also intentionally written as a "healthier" character.)

[mellybabbles]

May I ask for the one and only Killer Sans?

"We're gonna have a great time~"

So I totally decided "why not animate it rq" real quick was a lie, this took hours and it was totally fuckin worth it @swiftmitsu he's at your door bro, let him in (don't rip off the door on accident-)

Killer belongs to Rahafwabas Please do not repost my animations

[peliginspeaks]

I think having "Nightmares" encompass all psychological troubles is an interesting and honestly pretty fitting decision for the game, given the time period. With Freud being on his peak nonsense at the time, ascribing lots and lots of meaning to dreams was becoming fashionable, and there's a certain elegance to considering yourself to be Plagued By Dread Visions! instead of just...coming apart at the seams from the stress of it all. You're losing sleep because of the nightmares, not because of the things that caused them and their effects on you. You're mumbling to yourself and jumping at shadows because of the lost sleep, not because of that other stuff. Just get somebody or take something to fix the dreams, that's the trick! Nothing you have to acknowledge. Nothing unseemly, and nothing outside of your control. It's so very Victorian. It's sad, in a way, when you see it as an attempt to apply a cultural attitude of denial and carefully constructed (performative) self-mastery - that already didn't work well for the real time period it came from, mind you - to life in a cave that kills and traps you and is filled with horrors both beyond, and unfortunately well within, your comprehension.

[tinfoil-jones]

[Context: Naps 1, Naps 2, Naps 3 & 4 aka @triptychcryptid having no chill]

Circa. 2013

This post is printed out, put in a manilla folder labelled "CLASSIFIED", and ends up on the desk of Stan O'War II Research Chemist, Dr. Mr. Stanley R. Pines, D.Chem.

He opens it the folder, curious, and then reads the 'report'. At first, his curiosity turns to confusion. Then the confusion turns into an emotion that can only be explained with the following image:

[Tiktok Video, Instagram Reel]

Look he knows his brother can be narcissistic sometimes, but this is just ridiculous.

---

ABOUT: (The) Anti Ford, and The Anti-Dimension.

What is the context behind Watchdog and Anti's conversation?

If you were to look at the multiverse and it's countless variants of different people, The Anti Dimension exists solely to be the opposite of the 'prime' dimension, or the opposite of prime versions of people.

Because this dimension and its residents exist to be the opposite, the most far removed version of somethingz the opposite of the spectrum, everyone from outside of The Anti Dimension is inherently squicked out by it, on a fundamental. Its automatic and no one is ummine to this effect, that feeling that your 'Anti-Self' is inherently wrong. That type of feeling has to actively be un-learned, there has to be effort in not feeling that way.

On a base level, the Anti- version of someone is the opposite in terms of personality, that's the most basic type of Anti-Self. Objectives, goals, and values can be opposites, but not all the time. And while sometimes it can mean that the Anti-Self is opposite in terms of morality ("Canon" Mabel-46'\ vs The Anti-Mabel), that also isn't an automatic, they could very well be the same in terms of morality, or simply not at complete opposite ends of the moral spectum ("Canon" Stan-46'\ is considered good or morally dubious, Anti-Stan is considered morally good).

Anti-Ford, or Stanford F. Pines of The Anti Dimension, while a Ford at the end of the day, still exists to be the opposite of a Ford. Specifically, he exists to be the opposite of Canon Ford (namely popular fandom interpretations of the character).

Ford is known to insensive, stubborn, and curious for the sake of knowledge; he's a introverted nerd with poor social skills, but fearless in the face of danger. Anti-Ford is sensitive, laid back, and curious for the sake of novel experiences; he's an extroverted jock who is a people person, but easily scared.

Whereas Ford stands his ground, Anti Ford is a push over. Ford was unpopular in high school, Anti Ford was popular. Ford felt the need to prove himself because he was treated like a freak for his six fingers, Anti Ford never felt such drive because he loves being different.

But they're still the same in a lot of regards; because sometimes they do the same thing, or have the same trait, but the application or motivation is what differs.

Ford, even if he's had some obstacles and hurdles, loves his brother, and their niblings. He's adventurous. He's a genius, and he's brilliant in the way he can apply the knowledge he accumulates. He can also be naive at times, blinded by his ego.

Anti Ford was never treated as a matching set to his twin, they treated as individuals so they've always been close; he loves his brother and niblings just as much as canon Ford. He also adventurous. He's also a genius with twelve PhDs, just in different fields. He too can be naive, blinded by his idealism.

Anti Ford is, all in all, a really nice dude even though he's cringe. He's nice to most people he meets, and doesnt project resentment onto Stan alts; he's usually kind and excitable around them because while he's still projecting like any other Ford, that projection is positive because his Stan, Anti-Stan, is his best friend.

For the plethora of cat coded Fords out there (with exceptions; Watchdog wouldn't have gotten his monicker if he wasnt basically a really scary border collie in human form), Anti Ford is a big golden retriever.

Anti Ford is... not well liked the Fordverse. Jerk Ford is either considered The Worst Ford, or one of the worst Fords out there because theres a debate that by being the Anti-version, the furthest thing from who/what Stanford Pines is, Anti Ford is automatically the worst.

Fords across the multiverse are not known for being the nicest. They're not inherently mean, but they more often than not have poor social skills and can't read a room. As Anti Ford unnerves them to a moelcular level, their general reaction to him is to ignore him or avoid him because he's the emodiment of cringe, or be mean to him for the same reason. Which is ironic; a bunch of nerds bullying one jock.

He isn't wholly innocent; the (Jerk) Ford Hate Club includes him in their list of malefactors because he's done more than his fair share of prank videos and challenges on them, but in his defense this is the same group that hunts of one his closest friends for sport.

Usually, he doesnt let this instinctual dislike of him bother him; he has lots of friends and he's generally well liked and popular across the multiverse (he and Anti-Stan are very good friends with Stan-H512'12 and Co from the Demon's Disciple AU)

But he's still just a man, a sensitive one at that, and sometimes having almost every version of yourself hate you just for existing is... Not so easy.

Any Watchdog Jerk Ford Anti Ford interactions? Or Lee and Watchdog?

So... word is that y'all want some interaction between Watchdog, Jerk Ford, and Anti Ford. I'm more than happy to deliver some snippets between Watchdog and his two friends allies. I don't know if I've stated this before (but I probably have) but Watchdog has always had a soft spot for Anti Ford because he is the literal opposite of a Ford and therefore Watchdog's favorite Ford (other than a certain someone who he has a parasitic bromance with, of course).

The first time Watchdog used Jerk as a glorified mattress:

Jerk visited randomly after running from a particularly persistent threat, which is using the tactic of sleep deprivation to wear Jerk down and hopefully catch him. But little do they know, Jerk has a handy-dandy sealed dimension to hop into to escape. Lee is in the kitchen when he hears Jerk and Watchdog come up from the sub-basement lab, poking his head out.

"Whoa, ya look like shit." Lee commented, his brows furrowing. And he does look like shit, his clothes have fresh burns and holes, including the hoodie; meaning some must’ve been pretty recent. He’d lasered himself and his gear clean, but that doesn't hide the dark circles under his eyes being deeper than normal. Or the heaviness in his gait. "When was the last time ya slept?"

"I got an hour yesterday." Jerk said curtly, clearly not open to discussing the matter further. Lee looked at Watchdog, who was preoccupied with scrutinizing a visibly agitated Jerk.

"That's… kinda concernin’." Lee muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face as he stepped out of the kitchen to join Jerk and Watchdog in the living room.

"I'm fine." Jerk bit out, convincing absolutely no one. "I just need to shake this asshole."

"Hang on, what asshole?" Lee asked, once again glancing at Watchdog to hopefully glean some modicum of understanding. Thankfully, Watchdog was already looking at Lee, the older man merely shaking his head to signal that he had no idea what Jerk was talking about either.

"The asshole who won't let me fuckin’ sleep! Obviously!" Jerk snapped, a hint of a Jersey accent slipping out in his anger.

"Hey, there's no need ta yell, Stanford." Lee said firmly, stepping into Jerk’s path so he was forced to stop pacing or run into Lee. Jerk ground to a halt with a scowl, though he made no attempt to side-step the younger man. "I'm just tryin’ ta understand what's goin’ on so I can help."

Lee proceeds to herd a mostly compliant Jerk to the spare bedroom up in the attic, but Jerk is too worked up/anxious to even lay down (let alone sleep) and Lee heads downstairs to make him some tea. Watchdog lingers in the room, studying a pacing Jerk to collect more data. According to Watchdog’s initial scan, Jerk had very recently healed via regen serum, and he was exhibiting all of the signs of both anxiety and sleep deprivation.

"What does your brother do when you're like this?" Watchdog tentatively asked, more than a little out of his depth considering that he and Jerk didn’t do vulnerable, but determined to help nevertheless.

Jerk Ford actually managed a gruff laugh at the question.

“Nothing you can do.” Jerk quipped, turning on his heel to walk back toward the far wall.

“What makes you say that?” Watchdog prompted, his eyes following Jerk from one side of the room to the other, a repetitive back and forth that ultimately did nothing to release any of the pent-up frustration and nerves that clung to Jerk.

“We had a special connection, kinda psychic maybe magic. Came from Ma's side of the family.” Jerk tersely explained, his stride slowing some as he pulled his glasses off to massage the space between his eyebrows. Probably suffering from a headache. “Anyways, we could feel what the other was feeling so sometimes he'd manipulate that.”

“Ah, a split soul pair. That explains a lot.” Watchdog mentally files the information away to mull over later, right now his top priority is to calm Jerk down and get him to sleep for a solid twelve hours. “Manipulate the bond how? I'm assuming some action he took resonated through your connection to you. But what did he do?”

“Usually he'd just pile shit on top of himself until he was overheated and crushed.”

“Ah, so you'd feel like you had a weighted blanket.”

“A what?”

“Weighted blankets are a relatively recent development, they're often used for people who are anxious or have other neurodivergent disorders like ADHD or autism.” Watchdog relayed with a surprising amount of patience, which he usually didn’t have much of when it came to Fords.

“We only have one and Fiddleford uses it for his anxiety.” Watchdog’s brows furrow. “An oversight on my part. I'll purchase more, but for now I'll have to improvise.”

Watchdog sheds his trenchcoat and Jerk suddenly looks more like cornered prey than the restless man he was a second ago. He's practically hissing when he speaks.

“What are you doing!?”

“My body temperature is elevated due to genetic tampering.” Watchdog explained, toeing off his boots, Jerk's gaze darting to the door behind Watchdog. He's clearly contemplating the merits of making a run for it, though Watchdog doesn't blame him considering they currently have a tentative alliance and Watchdog is about to do something ill-advised.

“What does your temperature have to do with anything?” Jerk demanded, edging toward the door.

“I understand that you're sleep deprived, so I'll refrain from questioning your intelligence.”

“Fuck you.”

Jerk, to his credit, is usually pretty good at thinking on his feet and reacting to (real or perceived) threats, but he's also sleep deprived. And because of his lack of a timely reaction, he's unable to do anything as Watchdog full-body tackles him onto the bed in the attic. And he complains about it, of course he does, but Watchdog gets special treatment from him so he doesnt get violent or start biting him.

Cue Lee entering the attic five minutes later with the tea, stopping in the doorway when he sees Watchdog pinning a sleeping Jerk down.

“…you sedate him?

“No. There was an easier way.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“Just realized somethin' is all.”

“Care to share?”

“Nope.”

A bonus soft moment between Watchdog and The Anti-Ford:

"Is something wrong?" Watchdog inquired, taking a seat beside Anti on the sofa. "You were less talkative than usual during filming."

"Oh, you noticed?" Anti asked, raising a brow. He was on his laptop editing the video that they had just recorded earlier that day. The quiet was disconcerting, a clear indication that something was amiss, and Watchdog was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Of course I did, you're my friend." Watchdog said mildly, his head tilting as he tentatively scooted closer to Anti, who adjusted in order to wordlessly invite Watchdog into his personal space. Watchdog swiftly closed the last bit of distance between them, pressing his thigh flush against Anti’s.

"I shouldn't be surprised, you're super vigilant." Anti hummed, draping an arm across the sofa’s backrest, his fingertips drawing senseless patterns on Watchdog’s shoulder.

"Anti, what's wrong?" Watchdog murmured, voice pitched low. It was the same tone that Watchdog used with Lee when he was having a bad day or when Jerk was anxious, the soothing rumble coaxing Lee to get out of bed and lure Jerk to the couch for a cuddle session that they both insisted wasn’t a cuddle session.

"It's not a big deal, I just ran into a Ford variant when we were out bar-hopping the other day. He… said some things that stuck with me I guess." Anti sighed with a dismissive shrug, Watchdog’s concerned expression smoothing out into something unreadable.

"Oh? Do you know which one?" Watchdog asked, his voice level and expression deceptively calm.

"Nah. They all tend to blur together after a while. You and PJ are the only Fords who seem to be able to stand my existence." Anti drawled with a lazy flap of his hand, Watchdog easily catching his wrist and gently squeezing.

"I don't tolerate your existence, I'm grateful for it." Watchdog countered, maintaining eye contact with Anti. "They don't know you, they don't care to know you, so their opinions don't matter. I'm quite fond of you, just as you are."

"That's…" Anti trailed off, throat audibly clicking when he swallowed as his free hand came up to cover Watchdog’s. "That actually makes me feel better. Thanks, Watch."

"My pleasure." Watchdog said with a nod, giving Anti’’s wrist one last careful squeeze before letting go. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to elsewhere. Text or call if you need anything."

“Sure thing, bro.”

[wyvernity]

wip posting just to get something out there, and it's def a mixed bag!! the only thing more inconsistent than my posting schedule is my art style RIP

[neunhofferart]

Howdy, Heidi! You said that some fans picked up things that were done on accident… Were there more scenes like that? Also, were there scenes that you guys made on purpose but fans didn’t pick up / were aware of them? In shipping terms (hihi) and in general terms. Thanks!

I think in every type of media you will inevitably see versions of 'authorial' intent vs audience interpretation that overlap and differ from each other in many ways. (Authorial intent in quotes because in collaborative mediums like film and animation every single person on the pipeline who touches the work probably has a slightly different personal interpretation they're contributing to the final work, even under someone like a showrunner or a director).

Humans are smart and it's in our nature to look for connections and find explainations to questions, so most of the time if someone is putting something down, someone is going to pick it up, so to speak, and a lot of things ARE on purpose.

But this same phenomenon can also lead to us seeing connections in places that even the 'authors' might not have originally thought of while creating the work, and I think that can be pretty neat actually! I don't necessarily think reading alternate interpretations of works is wrong-- it can be very healthy to explore multiple reads of a narrative or a character/character dynamic. On Chaos Theory there were definitely times when we were like 'fans are probably gonna ship this even if it's not the text' haha. Sometimes fans latch onto headcanons you really have no control over. Sometimes things were animated slightly differently from how they were conceived (which is also a natural part of things).

But yes, sometimes I have seen a few other things that were interpreted in slightly different ways from how they were directed or written verbally, but I'm personally of the opinion that it's more fun to leave some things visual and open to a little interpretation rather than beating the words over the audience's head and having the characters constantly announcing 'I'm feeling this because of this!' And going 'this is the only way to interpret the show and the characters and if you don't you're wrong!'

It's usually not a huge deal. I think even as we were working sometimes I'd make connections to myself that weren't necessarily spelled out to us and go 'oh, this is a throughline for this character actually!'

Like for example- if I remember correctly, the original direction behind how Kenji reacted to Ben's apparent death was that it was supposed to the first time he'd ever seen someone he really KNEW seemingly die right front of him, and being unable to do anything about it deeply affected him. Ben is a very important turning point in his character development regardless of which way you read it.

And I think this is actually something that just continued to stack onto his character throughout both shows whenever any of his friends lives are seriously in danger. In Camp when he's still unable to do anything but comfort Sammy while she's poisoned, to deciding it's too dangerous not to trade Wu's laptop for Brooklynn, to eventually throwing himself between the spinosaurus his dad is about to kill Darius with and choosing his friends over his own father and being willing to die with/for them... and then in Chaos Theory it kind of reboots all over again with Brooklynn dying and then his dad dying right in front of him, and his complex of not wanting to be useless and trying to do whatever he can at the expense of even himself to keep the loved ones he has left safe is kicked into overdrive.

I think there are a lot of things like that where the intent is not always verbally spelled out, but the more important thing is that it's still (hopefully) making you feel something.