#despite how mature and DEFINITELY NOT FOR CHILDREN a lot of anime is

[blueepink07]

Yuno: her struggling relationship with autonomy

(character analysis)

One aspect I have always loved about media characters is their attempt to be perceived as mature, despite their young age. Some succeed, others struggle to hide what they see as their childish side.

Yuno is no different in this context and I'm surprised that people don't talk about it enough.

Beginning with her age 18, it's truly a controversial age, if I may say. It's a confusing age, because you are technically considered an adult, but, at the same time, your mind is not fully developed to actually be one. In the end, you are still a child at heart and mind, despite the fact that you are legally an adult.

We don't know much of her home life and honestly I don't think it would do any good for me to make assumptions, since it's pointless in the long run and it would just lose credibility. However, one thing it's for sure based on Yuno's actions. She desires autonomy.

Yuno: Despite that, you arbitrarily assumed things about me and sympathized with me. Even though all I did was make a rational decision of my own free will.

I'm the one who chose, let you and you and you all in ~🎵

She highlights quite a lot with these phrases… She chose for herself, she is an adult who willingly decided to partake in compensated dating. Being called naive or innocent, two words that usually are used to describe little children, surely infuriated her… and she shows it.

It's funny now that I think about it. Fuuta also has the same problem, but his reactions are more childish, in the end, not doing him any justice. However, Yuno is no different. Of course, she does it in a more subtle manner, but she really does get worked up quite a lot when it comes to her being perceived more as a teenager than an adult. Her whole song it's literally about this idea. Yuno being infuriated that she is infantilized by the audience, making a sad backstory for her so they can dismiss the idea that there wasn't necessarily a big factor that provoked her to partake in compensated dating, but it's only her own free will.

I might add that the compensated dating itself is a way for Yuno to feel that she has more autonomy and she no longer needs to be treated as a child.

"An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth.[1] The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction." ~ wikipedia

Moreover, even the media promotes the fact that sexual content should strictly be watched by adults. And Yuno does end up having sex during some of these dates…

And if this idea isn't convincing enough… I think that Yuno likes to partake in compensated dating, because she knows the clients don't consider her a child. They are interested in her, in a way that makes Yuno feel satisfied with herself (at least, for a short period of time, when she is in their presence) she feels grown up and mature. She also receives money for her services, providing her with enough financial resources for Yuno to consider that she finally managed to complete one of the first steps of adulthood, to be financially stable.

Doing something that is not really socially accepted, again, can be considered as autonomy, because you do not follow the same rules that the society obligs. Yuno knows how compensated dating is perceived, but she still does it, because she thinks this action provides her "warmth".

The "warmth" that Yuno speaks about is a vague term to describe her desires. Based on her interactions, I would like to think that this term refers to genuineness and mutual understanding. Yuno, in the first VD, describes the society as being a place where "everyone eats each other". People need to point fingers at others who made a mistake, who did something that's not socially accepted to make themselves feel better.

Yuno: That’s right. You know those people who just wanna convince themselves, so they intrude in other people’s affairs even though it’s not their place—I despise them. That’s what I was saying. They only do that to make themselves feel better, don’t they? Those people don’t actually end up doing anything.

And you know what is interesting? The fact that Yuno finds more closure being in the company of some murderers. Why? Because they can also be considered some outcasts of the society that she pretty much dislikes.

Es: However, it also explains why you’ve given up. About yourself, human beings, even the whole of society, you’ve realised everything—that’s why your expression is so cold.

Teenagers usually have little power in our society. They can achieve great things, but have to go through more hardships due to the limited freedom. They need an adult to actually help them. That’s just how society is built.

Yuno's distaste for the society can explain why she has grown so fast, or, at least, thinks that she has matured enough. She was tired of the society inflicting on her rules that she, as a simple teenager, had to oblige. So, going into Milgram, starting to hear people crafting a sob backstory for Yuno, treating her like a child, despite the fact she has already done a few steps in order to sustain herself financially and emotionally as a young adult, it's truly insulting.

Es: This is just popular belief, but the law is also something the people have decided. There’s nothing, which can satisfy every single human being, now is there?

Yuno: That’s right.

However, even after all these, that doesn't mean she doesn't actually struggle with this new found autonomy that she craves.

I actually think that this autonomy is the cause of most of her suffering.

As I stated before, compensated dating is something that she decided to partake in, in order to prove her independence. She thinks that what she has chosen for herself is healing, helping her. But, if it's that the case, then why do we have these scenes?

It's difficult to admit that one of your decisions was actually… Quite wrong. Especially, when it's one of your first one's as an official adult, in the very first stage of your life when you finally have enough independence.

“Cognitive dissonance is what we feel when the self-concept — I’m smart, I’m kind, I’m convinced this belief is true — is threatened by evidence that we did something that wasn’t smart, that we did something that hurt another person, that the belief isn’t true,” said Carol Tavris, a co-author of the book “Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me).”

She added that cognitive dissonance threatened our sense of self.

To reduce dissonance, we have to modify the self-concept or accept the evidence,” Ms. Tavris said. “Guess which route people prefer?”

So which one does Yuno prefer? To convince herself that what she is doing makes her happy.

Yuno: Despite that, you arbitrarily assumed things about me and sympathized with me. Even though all I did was make a rational decision of my own free will.

Yuno: I’m not pitiable. My family gets along super well. And I’m not particularly struggling for money. I decided, of my own free will, to do it because I felt that it was necessary for me.

Sometimes, considering how many times she mentions it, for me it feels like Yuno tries to convince herself that what she is doing is good for her.

But you know what is funny to me?

She is good at making herself enjoyable for others as well as giving somewhat good advice:

Mahiru: My birthday…… the day I was born……But was there really any reason for me being born? Lately I’ve started to wonder that. Do you ever think about stuff like that, Yuno-chan?

Yuno: Eh? Not really. I mean, Mahiru-san, you’re really the romantic type, right? Not that I have anything against that. But isn’t it a bit much to think that everything in life has a meaning? If it makes you happy to think like that then go ahead, but if it doesn’t, then isn’t that in itself meaningless?

Mahiru: : ……you might be right. I’ve always just lived my life like this, so I don’t really know.

Yuno: We’ve all just gone through a bunch of things in life that happened to lead us here. It’s nothing more than a coincidence. Definitely not fate or anything. Probably. Even if there isn’t a meaning, you can still be happy that it’s your birthday. That sort of thing’s all you need in life really. So happy birthday, Mahiru-san.

Mahiru: ……no, I’m fine. As long as I don’t move too much I don’t even feel any pain. Sorry for making you worry.

Yuno: Oh, really? That’s good then. Mahiru-san, if there’s anything you want then just ask. It’s not like it’s a huge burden, I can just ask for it along with my own stuff.

Mahiru: Ok…… I’m fine for now. Sorry, for making you worry. Ah, Yuno-chan…… Today’s your birthday, right? Happy birthday.

Yuno: …Haha, thanks. Thank you, but y’know. Is it really ok for you to be saying that to me when you’re in that situation?... you really aren’t suited for Milgram, huh, Mahiru-san.

Amane: What is it… Kashiki Yuno. Don’t sit so close to me. Go away.

Yuno: Sorry for barging in when you’re getting into your worldview thing. But Mahiru-san’s finally managed to get to sleep. Humour me with some small talk while I take a break. By the way, Amane. Have you ever wished you were never born? I’ve thankfully lived a pretty fun life so far, so haven’t really. But you seem to be struggling with something. So I kinda wondered if you thought like that.

Amane: ……I don’t think that. Being born into this world is the first miracle any person experiences, and is something to celebrate. Even if after birth I was put through trial after trial, the value of that will never disappear.

Yuno: Hmm. Ok…happy birthday, then. It’s good that you were brought into the world, I guess.

But Yuno has a big, and I mean a BIG tendency to self-destruct, not intentionally.

Wanting to be independent comes with its own downfalls. At the beginning of the trial, Jackalope states that Yuno has distanced herself from social interactions. So much so, that we have never seen her actually confiding to someone else, in any of the portal timeline translations. She might have her reasons, either minimizing her problems, and using her energy to help the ones she deems to have worse than her, or, this is simply her nature to bottle up her own sadness. This again might also be the cause of her wanting autonomy and proving to herself and others that she is mature enough to manage her emotions.

Not confiding in someone else for a long time can cause depression. Something that Yuno might be struggling with during trial 3 or she is already struggling with it a bit.

Furthermore, it's interesting that Yuno admits disliking behaviors that she deems childish. For example, she doesn't like the way Haruka and Muu behave, because they are ignorant of the problems in prison and have a really childish way of thinking. Amane's hate towards Shidou, might be often wrongly interpreted as a simple child's tantrum. Kotoko's actions, responding with violence to violence, it's again, an aspect often deemed as childish and immature.

Yuno: Really? If you ask me, Kotoko is someone I would never want to make my friend, though. She’s the type who picks a conclusion from the very beginning and won’t actually talk with you.

Yuno: Well, I guess it’s arbitrary who one gets along with. But Mahiru-san in particular is something. I think both her body and mind are at their limits. Also, Mikoto-san was also attacked but apparently it ended up in something of a draw. That guy was strong, huh—how unexpected. Also Haruka and Muu-chan have become kind of bothersome. And additionally, Amane-chan and Shidou-san too, huh.

Lastly, her second MV also shows her desire of autonomy in Milgram, not only through lyrics, but through visuals too.

Beginning with her door, it looks a lot like a medieval castle door.

Her room, the way it is designed, especially the bed and the chair, also resemble a princess' room.

However:

Despite the important role that princesses played in courtly life, they had limited personal freedom. They were often kept under close guard and were rarely allowed to leave the palace or castle where they lived. This was done to protect them from danger and to prevent them from engaging in political activities that might undermine the authority of the king or prince.

Medieval princesses had little to no autonomy most of the time. Their life was dictated from the start, having the only purpose to be betrothed and give birth to children.

That’s why the design choice is intentional. Yuno feels like a princess trapped in her pretty room (the MV is quite claustrophobic, the only outside elements being a few memories), exposed to the world (the many windows imply this), the voices that keep demonizing her.

That’s why the scene where she starts breaking things in her room is so important. It serves as a sign of rebellion, to show that she is not the perfect, helpless princess that people like to portray her as. She is an adult who makes bad or good decisions, who thinks for herself. She is proud of her autonomy and is tired of constantly proving to others that she is not capable of taking care of herself.

[nursegracecreates]

Old Man (30) Toby HC's

For context, Toby spent three years in an asylum after he and Natalie "broke up"

She didn't kill him, not actually

But her actions made him as good as dead in the world of the proxies

Natalie actually just dumped Toby at a state-run mental institution

Where he was put on meds

Which took away Slenderman's influence

After his escape, Toby seemed much more adjusted mentally

Perhaps all that time in self reflection and therapy really did help

Except Toby couldn't imagine a life without the proxies

And the woods are his home

Despite his... Rustic living conditions

Toby dresses much more neatly at 30

The gray chino pants, green sweater vest and white dress shirt never seem to get too dirty

*Raccoon tail harvested from a freshly dead raccoon found in the woods

Toby is very careful with them and meticulous with their upkeep

Slenderman doesn't show it but he's so proud Toby has matured in the style department

He never could understand these children and their obsession with hoodies

The white shirt is seersucker, so it helps keeps Toby cool

And the sweater vest is likewise very lightweight

The Chinos are very durable and Toby has waterproofed them so watermarks don't show up

He even has a second outfit he wears in the field:

Dark blue jeans, tight black shirt, shitkicker boots, his goggles, rig to hold his hatchet and axe, and his pica mask from the hospital

In cold weather months, a black parka is thrown on

Black gloves with padding (work gloves) are a part of Toby's ensemble no matter what he's wearing

His fingers are in rough shape

Scarring from years of nervous chewing mark every fingertip, knuckle, and webbing

Not to mention the damage done by three years in a straight jacket

The nurses were supposed to let him out of it for a few minutes every hour to keep circulation right

However, Toby proved too unpredictable for that

Unsure of how to handle this problem long term,

Slenderman did the equivalent of putting socks on a baby's hands like one would to keep their child from hurting themselves

Toby puts his gloves on every morning, first thing after bathing

Now that we've got his clothing sorted out

Let's talk about Toby as a person now that he's older

He's much more jaded now

A lot of people have used and taken advantage of him

So now he's very cagey with who he gets close to

But there's definitely a confidence about Toby that there wasn't before

He carries himself taller

Even his walk seems to have purpose

Toby's personality definitely fills a room

But it's nervous and awkward energy mixed with companionable silence

Years of being a proxy and then being locked away seems to have impacted Toby's social skills to a certain degree

His jokes are dark or so off the wall that no one really understands them or laughs

Sometimes they can be quite hurtful, and Toby will be lost in contemplation about why people seem to be eternally upset with him

Likes to take the ugliest candid pictures of people and gets sad when the person demands he delete them

Seems to show more care and affection for animals

Toby will viciously kill a man, laughing and mocking his victims cries

And then usher a row of ducks across the street on the way home from it

[omgkalyppso]

sylvix 8 14 and 16 bc the ship meme popped up on my dash again :)

\(￣︶￣*\) I appreciate you! Thank you for the ask.

8. Do they have any children? If so, do these children predate the relationship or are they a result of the relationship (whether through birth or adoption or otherwise)? Does any partner excel in their child-rearing? If so, is this because of education, experience or instinct?

Picrew 1. Picrew 2. Picrew 3.

I never really explored a lot of my oc Fae's post-canon world publicly, but Sylvix are together there and it was my headcanon that trans Felix would not be comfortable carrying a child to term, and so they adopt Elspeth. There were already so many Faerghan redheads, that I didn't feel bad about going that route with her design.

I've seen a few people headcanon Miklan a child that they adopt, and have sometimes played with the idea that she's that, but otherwise her origin isn't angsty. Happily chosen by her parents in an orphanage because she was scrappy and because her hair reminded Felix of Sylvain's. A brighter, quieter swordsman than Felix was in his youth, who still manages to remind people of him somehow. A Fraldarius in every way.

She's adopted between five and seven, so they miss some of the younger years and milestones, but are around for her to be young enough that she still mimics some of Sylvain's exaggerated / flirtatious smiles, that she still requires a basic education besides one that would be specifically required for people of their rank, that other discoveries and heartbreaks and illnesses are still a new and delicate thing.

Felix is better with making Elspeth feel better after an injury, or handling colds and impatience and distraction. Sylvain is more approachable with emotional conversations, but I don't think he's the best at them or that he'd want to have them without Felix present so Elspeth has to deal with both of her parents talking about her insecurities and desires almost like strategy. Ultimately it works because Felix and Sylvain are mature and kind-hearted and attentive to their daughter, but it's definitely unconventional.

They're always trying to pull each other closer. A whole family with a concern of living up to deserving one another.

Picrews 4&5. Other ot5 kids here.

I also want to add that she's at the Officer's Academy at the same time as two of my ot5 kids: (Hilda and Lorenz's youngest) Baldovin or Vinnie, and (Fae and Claude's only daughter) Sadaf. Vinnie and Sadaf, despite having different birth parents, near consider each other twins. Born only a few months apart and raised together by parents who were involved with one another, they're very familial at least, and the best of friends.

I wouldn't say I ship any of my next gen (with the specific exception of a merciedue fankid and an ot5 child), because I've not really invested in them as teens / adults the way that I've invested in them being children, but I like Elspeth developing a crush on Vinnie, and friends with both of them.

Baldovin is nothing like very little like Lorenz in temperament, unlike his elder siblings. He's loud. He's boistrous. He's short as a Goneril. Here's another paragraph about him from this post:

Baldovin (minor Crest of Goneril: Sometimes allows combat arts to prevent enemy counterattacks.) is a fortress knight. A slow, sturdy wall of armor. Lives to defend, and tries to incapacitate. Sympathy for his enemies. Feels like attacking marching units while mounted on either wyvern or horseback is unfair to man and animal, and thus only uses mounts to get from point A to point B. Crest nonsense: WILL wrestle your wyvern for fun, and enjoys the shock in how their necks rear back when his Crest allows him to pin their chin down while their wings struggle (squish that cat).

I also feel obligated to mention that in Fae's canon / post-canon, Sylvain joined the Golden Deer, and Dimitri survived Gronder but did not end up ruling as king. I have a few dimimari fics about where that left him, but they aren't fully transparent that Felix also remains his best friend.

14. How often does each partner cry? How do their partners engage or react to the differences in emotion between themselves and their partner(s)?

I think that while Felix did grow out of crying as often as he did as a child, that Sylvain cries a lot and unfortunately for Felix, it becomes more and more likely that seeing Sylvain in tears makes him cry also. Felix puts in so much effort post-canon in his relationship to Sylvain (among his platonic relationships to others), so that they can have harder conversations and feel better — and not simply awkward, after vulnerabilities are shared. It surprises Sylvain how bad he, himself, is at communicating, but it becomes more obvious through Felix's growth and efforts. They still have time to be young men together, and Sylvain also improves at giving tears their space, whether from sadness or otherwise.

16. If prompted to describe what love and / or acceptance feels like in their relationship, what sort of answer would each partner give? If this is not their honest answer, what would be the true answer for them?

Felix would say it feels like coming home. Like having a place to rest and not have to worry about being anything but you are.

Sylvain would say it feels like a warm fire after ages in the cold, like something you want to throw yourself into to recover from the chill, but that you have to wait for and tend and appreciate for it to steadily warm you.

[mask131]

The evolution of Wednesday Addams (4)

And to complete our exploration of Wednesday’s character (for now), we will stop at 2019′s animated Addams Family movie.

For this incarnation, while they reused Charles Addams’ original design (with minor changes, such as her pigtails now ending in nooses and her sporting the same grey eyelids as her mother), they rather based her personality on the 90s movie. Like Christina Ricci’s Wednesday, this incarnation is an emotionless girl - not that she does not have emotions, but she lacks any kind of facial express and speaks with a calm, low, monotonous voice, making her look like a walking corpse. In her own words she doesn’t know what “happiness” feels (she can only call it “the opposite of sad”) ; and even when she tries to show love or compassion, she does so in a creepy way almost as if she was threatening you (see when she tries to claim her love for her brother). And just like Christina Ricci’s Wednesday she has a very intelligent and bored view of the world, with many sarcastic and ironic comments reflecting a definitively more adult mindset - though unlike the 90s Wednesday, this one lacks any real form of dark cynicism and biting humor. Instead this Wednesday’s calm and cold behavior makes her rather a very detached character, constantly analyzing and putting in question the world around her, observing it all with a clinical eyes and having diagnostics more than reactions. She is a delicate morbid flower...

... but a talented one. Wednesday, despite having still some “childish” sides to her (she keeps playing with her dolls - beheading them), is also shown to be a gifted “mad scientist” able to build a machine to resurrect dead frogs into zombies ; and she is a talented crossbow shooter. Her experience, maturity and intelligence is also here put forward by the clear affirmation that she is the elder sister, and showing her to be of junior high school age. A clear inversion of the original setting where Pugsley was the eldest brother, and still bearing the influence of the 90s movies: in fact, the inversion is fully manifested here by how in Wednesday and Pugsley’s regular “let’s try to kill each other” games, Wednesday always has the upper hand. She is the one who keeps harming, mutilating, fooling or “killing” Pugsley in various ways, from burying him alive to pulling forcibly his tongue out while ink is poured in his mouth - the complete mirror of Pugsley poisoning a helpless Wednesday in Chas original cartoons. Though again, this apparent “bullying” relationship is still framed as just normal brother-sisters games, and Wednesday is shown to be a loving and caring sister... in her own way. 

Just like in the 60s series, the Addams kid have a pet octopus, but this time it isn’t Pugsley’s, but Wednesday’s, and it is named Socrates instead of Aristotle. In fact, Wednesday is shown to actually go along quite well with the various “pets” of the house, as she is also seemingly the favorite child of the living tree in the courtyard, Ichabod, who is ready to do a lot of things to please her. When she feels bored she apparently likes to burn things down with a magnifying glass, and her bed has a guillotine build in it so that if she doesn’t get out of bed in time, she’ll be beheaded. 

The most interesting aspect of this Wednesday, however, lies in her role in the plot of the movie. Instead of going with the 90s disdain and rejection of “normality”, here we actually have a Wednesday... curious about “normal” life. This movie depicts the Addams children raised alone in their house with no other contact than their family and cut from the outside world - an existence that bores a now teenage Wednesday tired of the same edless routine. So when she discovers the town nearby of “normal” people, she gets fascinated by this different lifestyle and is willing to try all these new things, such as unicorn hair ornaments or pink clothes. A willingness to explore a different side of the world that actually puts her at odds with her mother Morticia, who as we said previously in this movie has a profound distrust of non-Addams people. This leads to a rift in their once loving relationship, as Wednesday perceives her mother as being close-minded and controlling, and in answer turns herself into a “rebellious teenager”, by changing her outfit for a cheery pink one and later running away from her home. Note that she does not entirely adhere to the “normal” lifestyle, as we see her promptly return to her usual black-and-white morbid style and she doesn’t change her lifeless behavior - in the movie it is shown that part of her interest is pure curiosity in front of something “different”, while the other is just a rebellious attempt at annoying her mother and contradicting her ways. 

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #615

Top Ten Songs from Pixar Films

Disney is always associated with music. The very concept of a “Disney song” is so ingrained into our cultural perception of the company, that we even have multiple sub-genres within; the “villain song”, the “I Want song”, the “comedy song”, etc. Not all Disney animated films are musicals, and not all the musicals are the same, and if you go back earlier than the Renaissance the style itself hadn’t solidified in any way, but all the same; you say “Disney song”, chances are people know what kind of thing you mean.

The same is not true of Pixar. When the company first rose to prominence in the late nineties, they felt in opposition to the standard Disney formula (despite Disney releasing all their films and, eventually, buying them outright). Disney animation was just about starting the downswing towards the end of its Renaissance era; the standard pattern established by the groundbreaking likes of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast was, arguably, starting to wear a bit thin through repetition (although I’ll definitely go to bat for late-Renaissance-era bangers like Tarzan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Pixar films weren’t musicals, they weren’t fairy tales, they weren’t literary adaptations or allusions. They were modern, they were comedies, they were buddy movies; they had wit and verve and contemporary references. However, right from the start, they still had songs.

Because we think of the “Disney musical” versus the “Pixar comedy”, I think we tend to overlook just how excellent some of the music in these films was, right from the off. Toy Story was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song (although it did lose to Pocahontas), and it was an accolade the studio would receive a number of times, even winning on more than one occasion. But these songs weren’t the kind of breakout Broadway bangers Disney was producing; they were, more often than not, non-diegetic, songs that functioned the way a musical number might, but were merely “on the soundtrack”. Jessie doesn’t actually sing “When She Loved Me” in Toy Story 2; there’s no evidence the characters “hear” the song at all. But as a narrative device, it serves the same purpose; it imparts emotional information in the most powerful manner possible. Even when characters in Pixar movies do sing, it’s in a “realistic” manner – like, they pick up a guitar and sing – rather than the emotional explosion of a traditional musical number.

All this is to say that Pixar films have some tremendous songs and this is a list of them. It isn’t score, though; these are all proper songs with words and that. And I’m not allowing songs that were already written. These have to be new songs that debuted in the film. And that’s that!

No apologies if some of these make you cry, by the way.

When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2, 1999): I think this I the moment when the sophisticated, mature themes that underpin a lot of Pixar’s stories became very apparent. After what was essentially a knockabout buddy comedy in the first Toy Story, this really rammed home the subtext: the toys were us, parents, saying goodbye to children. There’s an inherent tragedy at the core of the Toy Story films because children will, inevitably, unthinkingly abandon their toys, but the toys will never truly abandon the children. This is heartbreakingly illustrated in this song, a tender ballad of loss that rings all too true.

Remember Me (Coco, 2017): oh Christ, here we go again; a song so good they feature it three times in three different ways. Presented initially as something of a love song, it is revealed to be an incredibly heartfelt lullaby to a child from a parent who has to go away. The simple refrain and Latin guitar helps make it feel like a classic song, something from our own childhoods. Its later use in the film is one of Pixar’s most eye-watering moments, and that’s saying something.

Lava (Lava, 2014): is it a cheat to have a song from a short? Hell no, it’s where Pixar began and it’s where they still love to shine. Lava was put out alongside Inside Out and I don’t think I’ve ever consistently cried more often in the cinema. A somewhat jaunty Hawaiian melody tells a story that feels like a creation myth, with two lovestruck volcanoes missing each other across millennia. The life-affirming triumph of love in the face of tragedy is a nice change of pace from the sadder songs we’ve had so far, but it’s no less tear-jerking.

Touch the Sky (Brave, 2012): ah, thank goodness – this isn’t sad at all! Probably one of the more under-sung songs on this list (no pun intended) it’s a stirring Celtic ballad about freedom. Whilst in some respects it’s a little on-the-nose, its evocative melody contains a lot of passion and also reminds me of the songs from Lord of the Rings, which in turn reminds of the Lord of the Rings movies, and that’s a good thing.

If I Didn’t Have You (Monsters, Inc., 2001): the first outright jaunty number on this list (and the first Pixar song to win an Oscar!), it’s a hoot as Billy Crystal and John Goodman do something of a riff on the old Frank ‘n’ Dean-style buddy-buddy duets. A beautiful pean to friendship, it’s funny and sweet and a minor bop, and is also one of the few songs here sung in-character.

Un Poco Loco (Coco, 2017): Coco is so great it’s the first film to pop up twice on this list (spoiler: it won’t be the last). This song is a blast, a really funny, silly love song about being besotted and willing to do anything despite it seeming crazy. It works so well in the film as a cathartic bonding moment for our two heroes.

Nobody Like U (Turning Red, 2022): amazingly – shockingly – this wasn’t nominated for Best Song at the Oscars. Turning Red – Pixar’s best film for maybe a decade – goes deep on the early-noughties nostalgia, no more so than in this absolutely pitch-perfect parody of a boy band. The central characters’ desire to see 4*Star sing this boppy number rings so true, and absolute top marks to Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell for making a song that really could have been sung at the MTV Awards in 2002.

You’ve Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story, 1995): the classic is here at last! With a kind of charming, louche swagger, Friend in Me is a delightfully plodding little ditty about, well, being a great friend. Randy Newman’s deep, dulcet tones are iconic (and, ahem, ripe for parody), but are also warm and – yes – friendly. There’s something about those opening bars that just makes you feel nice.

I Will Go Sailing No More (Toy Story, 1995): from triumph to tragedy with this, another oft-overlooked minor banger in the Pixar songbook. Telling the story of Buzz’s sad realisation of his own toyhood, it charts the quixotic attempts to achieve the impossible. The use of sailing as a metaphor – when obviously Buzz wants to fly – carries connotations of epic historic voyages, something melancholy and timeless; like Buzz will never board the grey ships to the west.

Le Festin (Ratatouille, 2007): a beautiful French ballad that perfectly recreates the sort of song you think of when you think of a film set in Paris. The lyrics obviously sound better in French, but they compare life and love to food, and celebrate the hero finally getting to enjoy a feast. It’s dead good.

Well, there you go – ten great tunes from, er, seven great films. Next week: Christmas!

[dans-den]

My Top 5 Best Shows of 2022

Hey how's it going everyone its Dan here and today I'll be giving you my Top 5 best shows of 2022!

Just like my Top 5 worst shows list, this is all my opinion, you can agree or disagree with me and that's okay! are we clear? lets begin!

Number 5 goes to Primal Season 2 on Adult Swim/HBO MAX (8/10)

Now this was made by Genndy Tartakovsky the creator behind classics such as Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory, Symbiotic Titan (that show deserves to be brought back), and the limited Star Wars: The Clone Wars series from the early 2000's. When I heard he was bringing this show out, I was interested and I watched the first season and it slapped! This show will give you unfiltered nuts to butts action and make you sad at the same time despite that the characters don't actually speak, the facial expressions, tone, body language tells the whole story of the show. Season 2 kept that momentum going with expanding on the world and the characters Spear and Fang. Even the introduction of Mira was a great inclusion into the series as she developed a friendship with Spear and Fang, especially with Spear. They gave a lot of side characters such as the Vikings, Celtics, Witches, etc. The end of the season was action packed to the brim however ended with the loss of Spear which honestly made me sad. However, the season concludes with a time skip to where Mira and Spear have a daughter (they conceived one before his death) and with Fangs children grown as well. I don't know if were getting a season 3 for sure, but even if we don't this is an overall good conclusion to our main characters. I'd recommend watching Primal, it's one of the best in adult animation today.

Number 4 goes to Spy X Family the anime on Hulu/CrunchyRoll (8/10)

This anime was hyped up and it definitely deserves and lives up to the hype. With anime being more mainstream and honestly saturated nowadays, it's hard to watch them all and figure out which ones are good or bad or which you should invest time into. But Spy X Family stuck out to me because of its plot and the main characters. People compare Loid and Yor to Mr. and Mrs. Smith but I feel that it's quite the opposite, I find Loid and Yor's relationship to be wholesome despite their professions and how they have to fake being a couple with a child. Despite the plan being a setup, they do slowly grow to care and love each other as well as Anya their daughter. Anya truly is the glue that keeps them together bringing out the human side of both Loid and Yor and hoswing them theirs more to life than their work. The situations they get into are hilarious and can be action packed at times. I definitely like the Spy and Assassin elements in this show and keeps it from getting too stale or mundane. I'm sure it'll get a second season, in fact I don't think season 1 is over just yet but even so, 25 episodes means were eating good.

Number 3 goes to CyberPunk: EdgeRunners on Netflix (8.5/10)

Now this is what I consider to be the apology of CD Projekt Red after the disaster that was CyberPunk: 2077. After that games disastrous launch, CD had lost money in both revenue and even made their stock go WAY down! They did fix the problems with the game but the fans were still upset (and rightfully so). Luckily someone at the HQ had the brains to bring CyberPunk into the world of anime and my god, it's a banger! I literally binged this show on Monday and it was quite a ride. It's a ten episode limited series and surprisingly Netflix picked it up (smart move on their part). The show gives me cowboy bebop vibes only more futuristic and a lot more...mature content shown if ya catch my drift. Despite its limited ten episode run, it does an amazing job immersing you into the world and showing you the characters and the struggles of living in such a corrupt city. Reminds me a lot of a Neo Gotham City from Batman: Beyond and it has a surprising amount of Hispanic culture in it which I personally appreciated. I would have enjoyed two more episodes since there's a time skip between episodes 6 and 7 where months pass and Davis goes through character development and appears bigger and stronger than before but it is what it is. It is sad that the main cast gets killed off one by one, reminds me a lot of Akame Ga Kill where it happens to one out of nowhere and slowly one by one, each member gets killed off leaving one of the main characters left. It's a bittersweet end but that's also what makes it a great series.

Number 2 goes to Demon Slayer Season 2 aka The Entertainment District Arc on Hulu/CrunchyRoll (9/10)

Now I know technically it started in December 2021 even when you cut out the Mugen train movie being chopped up into episodes at the beginning of the season. It still didn't finish its season run until February of this year so I still count this as more of a 2022 season to a show. I love Demon Slayer and Season 2 did not disappoint, it started out with the events after Mugen train, we got more depth for one of the pillars which was Tengen, more depth about Muzan and his plans, battling one of the upper moons and all action in it! The final battle was intense and the animation was on point! it was so beautifully done and while I'll admit some of the battle scenes felt dragged out, it didn't take away from the animation and visuals we were getting. The ending gave us a hint of what's to come next season and I cannot wait!

Before I go into Number One, I want to shout out some honorable mentions

First mention I want to shout out is Sonic Prime on Netflix (7.5/10)

Netlfix has truly been getting it together if I have more of its shows on my top 5 best shows list than my top 5 worst shows. I wanted to put Sonic Prime on my actual list but unfortunately it only has 8 episodes released at the moment despite it being slated for 24 episodes. This is Netflix still using that binge model that hasn't really worked since the pandemic due to people not being trapped in their houses anymore. It is what it is but despite that, Sonic Prime shows a lot of promise and is entertaining to watch. As a Sonic fan, its great to see him doing well this year with a successful movie, successful game and a potentially successful show! Were truly in the Sonic Renaissance right now. I love the multiverse idea for Sonic, there is plenty of potential for great storylines but again we'll have to wait until the other 18 episodes get released for a real verdict. It said to have three seasons with eight episodes a pop so we got season 1 with a cliffhanger and hopefully we will get the other two complete seasons. But so far, going strong, going fast!

My other honorable mention will go to The CupHead Show on Netflix (7.5/10)

Why can't Netflix just keep giving us good shows like this instead of cracking down on password sharing? I do enjoy this show but it also used the Netflix binge model. This show had all three seasons come out this year and while I do find Netflix's binge model annoying, I still enjoy this show. I love that old rubber hose style of animation used back in the early 20th century. The game itself is fun and they made a great adaptation with the show just like CyberPunk: EdgeRunner and hell even Sonic. I don't know where the show goes from here but I will say its had a great run up to this point.

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for, the Number One Best show of 2022 goes to....

Number 1 goes to Smiling Friends on Adult Swim/HBO MAX (10/10)

This is how you do adult animation that everyone can enjoy! I've mentioned each of these shows have plots or storylines they follow, but the thing with Smiling Friends is, there is no set story or plot. The main purpose of the show is to make people smile not only in the show, but also the viewers. Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack are internet content creators/animators and they managed to something that no one from the internet space has been able to do, make a great TV show! Many have tried and failed to bring internet content to television, but these guys managed to do it thanks to time, effort, proper budgeting, and overall great understanding of what makes this transition possible. Smiling Friends is a simplistic show with various animation styles, realism, great writing, hilarious humor, and overall is in touch with the audience its going for. It never feels like something huge or complex, its a simple show that makes it feel like you're having a fun and relaxing conversation with your buddies and I think that's where the charm and appeal comes from. The best part about this show in my opinion is how it's able to subvert your expectations. Now people thought the first episode was weird but as they watches it, it grew on them. The first episode came out in 2020 and people were waiting for the full series. The first season came out this year and left fans wanting more. Now the crew gave us a little surprise with the Brazil episode and if you read the description, you'll think "oh it's just a nice beach episode" but when you actually watch it, it throws a complete curveball at you. They spent the entire episode in an airport just arguing with each other and it was the funniest surprise anyone could have asked for. No one saw that coming and everyone loved it. I'm so glad this show is getting another season, this show is a perfect example of adult animation done right as well as transitioning internet content to mainstream television and that's why I believe Smiling Friends is the Best Show of 2022!

Thanks for sticking around till the end, I'll get my Top 5 Best/Worst movies out starting tomorrow.

See ya!

[tgablissortonn]

paul robertson

a lot of his work involves mature content, a common theme is almost women with quite exaggerated features. his work despite being very cartoony doesn’t seem to be directed towards children. it is reminiscent of a lot of adult cartoons.

i think his colour palettes are great. i also love his colouring style, it looks like cross hatching but in pixel art. the way he shades is very clever in making things look 3D and his form is very good. he uses shape language a lot when designing characters. i also love his general art style, i like the round features and the big cartoony eyes. the backgrounds frame his pieces really well. some of his work is quite obscure, with random characters and backgrounds involved. the meaning behind his artwork doesn’t seem to make much sense.

he also utilises the symmetry tool to create some illustrations, and this would be because pixel art takes an incredibly long time.

he also creates animated gifs, and i really like them. the movements are usually very bouncy and exaggerated and i like how weird they are. this one is particularly eye straining with how vibrant the colours are but i think it really represents his style of it feeling like an acid trip most of the time.

some of his art also seems to have loose cultural influences, this one in particular looks to be inspired by desert temples.

he is also working on an animation called Jimmy and Baby, which is fully animated in pixel art. i think that this is incredibly impressive, the amount of movement and flow he is able to achieve is amazing. i really liked the trailer, i thought it was silly and fun and i like all the character’s designs and they all look very different from one another.

he also created a 12 minute pixel art animation called Kings of Power 4 billion %. it is definitely interesting. i do really like it though, and i like that despite its randomness it has somewhat of a story. i also like it looks a little like an 8 bit fighting game. as i imagined, it took years to create. the first trailer was posted 16 years ago. and i believe that even just the trailer probably took 2-3 years. the official animation was posted 8 whole years later, so it took 8 years to create the rest. he also has a lot of other animations posted to youtube, but they are all mostly under 1 minute long.

[asperants]

lionheartedsunflower: 🌼🌻🌼

𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 been an aficionado of stews or soups~~~~what a hassle it had been for Nordion's caretakers to ease her illnesses come winter with chicken broth and the like; she couldn't quite enjoy the taste of a mere liquid~~~~a beverage. Perhaps she had thought that, with age, she would learn to enjoy offered meals....despite their lackluster appeal to a tongue that learned to strive from bread and cheese for many years. Yet, only in this enchanted place would her attempts be forsaken.

Her mature attempt had rendered her petite and frail of limb: chairs now behemoths, tables a grandiose cliff of cover from falling assailants, rats a petrifying present assailant that quickly prompted a gloved hand to hover atop her precious Earth Sword.

"Princess Hortensia, behind me! I have a talent in rendering human vermin askance; they are not too different from true vermin." And she unsheathes her beloved blade, fortifying herself in royalty's presence. "Allow me."

She assails their foe, blade in hand, with a myriad of slashes and gestures honed in her time in Lord Sigurd's company. And her mighty warcry resounds~~~~a trumpet of war, and their foe flees; humor tumults her heart, and a hearty chuckle falls from pink lips.

"I must say, seldom am I hardpressed to scream," She mused. "But there is a reason no creature dares impede upon the echoed lands of a lion's roar."

Swift strides permit her to collect the breadcrumb, and she offers it to her company; she could do without it, despite her past necessities prompting any food permissible to her weakened stomach.

"There's no reason to give up merely because a long journey awaits us," She spoke. "I once journeyed Jugdral's~~~~my home's~~~~many lands on foot before I was deemed strategically adept enough to ride stallion-back." A gloved hand befalls the girl's shoulder, and Lachesis consoles her as she would the many children of pervaded towns she'd defended. "Let us attempt that trek to the gardens afoot, hm?"

The whole process would be swoon-worthy if it weren’t for the fact it was a rodent the lady Lachesis struck down in Hortensia’s name; though, hm, the way she collects herself after those sword strikes and generously bestows Hortensia with her token still gets her heart racing.

Now this was a heroine!

“Hm, yeah! You’re right! I travelled all across Elyos too and that was something I have never imagined before joining up with the Divine One. If we’re together we can definitely make it!”

So saying she accepts the bread crumb and leads the way in what she hopes is the correct direction, at least – having Lachesis correct her whenever they seem off course, and oh, she is certainly happy for small blessings because she can’t imagine how much more difficult this would be if there was a strong wind blowing?

Usually that wouldn’t be a problem her stead Slippi… speaking of,

“You ride horses Lady Lachesis? I suppose that’s not surprise for a noblewoman but I’m impressed! Being able to travel far distances on them shows they must trust you a lot… and animals are good at seeing through intentions.”

Hm. She is about to break the bread crumb apart for both of them when she notices a chipmunk nosing its way through the grass to them, that hasn’t yet seemed to have sniffed them out. She should be ready for another fight, maybe, but now that she’s really looking she’s near sure the thing could fit both of them on its back (no saddle though, boo).

“Hey,” she whispers, handing one half of the bread to Lachesis as she gestures in the creatures direction, “think you can work your charms on this guy?”

not very fabumouse

[justali-anne]

I've noticed in the Undertale fandom that people tended to downplay Papyrus' maturity and exaggerate his 'childishness' just because he's the naive younger brother. Yes, I know he likes action figures, but who doesn't have a collection of their own things that are deemed 'childish'? I have my plushies and models, and I still play childish games with my sister, but I still consider myself to be quite mature. Not entirely mature yet, but still mature.

Papyrus IS mature! He looks after the house, he looks after Sans, he's got a good work ethic, he's determined, he understands the concept of healthy living. So what if he has a big ego? So what if he gets annoyed at Sans when he's slacking off and stomps his foot? So what if he believes bad people could do better?! HE KNOWS THAT VIOLENCE ISN'T ALWAYS THE ONLY ANSWER AND IS WILLING TO TRY OTHER WAYS TO SOLVE A PROBLEM OTHER THAN VIOLENCE! In the No Mercy/Genocide Run of course.

Papyrus stands out as 'childlike' and 'naive' because... What? Because he has good morals? Because he likes things that are made for children? ...It's not because he's autistic-coded, right?

Anyway, sorry about the accusatory tone. I am aware that Papyrus is a fictional character, but sometimes (ok, all the time), he doesn't feel like one. He feels real to me. Maybe because I relate to him the most.

Anyway, let's talk about Sans. I have seen that, especially in fan comics, while I love them, they appear to be exaggerating Sans' maturity just a tiny bit? Sometimes, other than puns, I feel like Sans' more 'childlike' traits are often left forgotten for the sake of angst. For example, his jokes are often childish, what with the whoopsie cushions and all. And knock knock jokes. THE KNOCK KNOCK JOKES. I don't know if this is the case for everyone, but I haven't told anyone or heard a knock knock joke from anyone other than my kid sister in years! It's cute how he found this hobby with Toriel, someone definitely way older than him, but to be fair, at that point, she hasn't heard a joke in literally years since the death of her children. And this brings me to my next point, anyway. Everyone in Undertale likes somewhat 'childish' things. (Well, maybe not everyone, but they're all dorks, that's what I'm saying).

I have a feeling Papyrus stands out because he's very much an overt dork, while almost everyone else has some sort of blatant issue laying on them. Asgore and Toriel like cheesy jokes, but they're burdened by their pasts and the deaths of several children. Alphys likes to ramble about her favourite cartoon and anime, but she's in an anxious suicidal depression that stemmed from her mistakes. Sans admires his brother, tells cheesy jokes, and slacks off like a teenager would, but he has the weight of the resets and his past on him, too. Compared to these guys, Papyrus' problems (his loneliness, which is also debilitating) doesn't seem as bad.

However, despite all this, I have seen more fan art that depicts Papyrus as more mature and not as childish as before. Sure, sometimes it goes into angsty territory, but I believe that it's because people are looking into Papyrus deeper and recognising him as the genuinely cool dude he is! There's a lot of analysis on him nowadays, and I'm going to be enjoying reading them. Never change, Papyrus. Never change.

[robininthelabyrinth]

🧿🤠🐇🍲🍯: Lan Wangji does not think it’s safe to raise A-Yuan in Cloud Recesses after the Lans participated in the killing of his zhiji and the entire Burial Mounds community (or more accurately that it’s not safe while he himself is in seclusion and can’t watch over A-Yuan, at least) so he delivers A-Yuan to the one person who he knows did not stand against Wei Wuxian (and got away with it, bc this person has never stood against anything, since standing takes effort): Nie Huaisang.

Little Side Door - ao3

Nie Huaisang’s rooms in the Unclean Realm had a little side door that no one but him ever used.

They hadn’t originally. The Unclean Realm was a fortress, designed to maximize protection and defense; there was no better place for keeping things safe by locking them away. While it had its fair share of boltholes and escape routes, they were not common and universally difficult to access lest the enemy learn of them and use them to their advantage. Even the layout of their open spaces were carefully planned lest the attack come from the sky, a concern that only cultivators had, and not about how they themselves could escape – after all, weren’t they all Nie, ready to die rather than endure dishonor?

The little side door that led to Nie Huaisang’s room opened onto a small rock garden, left to grow wild with weeds rather than reveal its presence to more people. It existed only because his brother had ordered it constructed by those he trusted most, all in secret in the dark of the night. He had never explained why he had gone to such lengths to create such an unwelcome and inauspicious place, but then, he hadn’t needed to – Nie Huaisang had been there, too, when his father had descended into madness and they had been trapped in the familial quarters with no way out that did not take them through him. If his brother had been the one to brave his father’s rage directly, Nie Huaisang had been the one stuck in a small space that was only not claustrophobic because it was so painfully familiar.

Now, though his father was long dead and gone, Nie Huaisang had a little side door.

A little side door, and a little garden that almost no one knew about; in combination with the saber that his brother forced him to learn and the golden core he had so begrudgingly formed, he now had a way to reach the sky and the illusive freedom it represented – the freedom to flee and leave his home behind.

If it ever happens again – his brother had said once, the closest he had ever come to speaking of it.

He did not finish his sentence, as Nie Huaisang had thrown his plate into his face and stormed off, steaming mad and close to tears. He did not raise the subject a second time.

Nie Huaisang did not often use his little side door.

Although he enjoyed gardens, he preferred the aviary he’d constructed, or one of the myriad of well-tended gardens in the main part of the sect; even the vegetable gardens out back beside the kitchens were far more welcoming than that sparse straggle of land. He’d only ever spent time there when he was a child and in desperate need of some quiet, wanting to avoid adults with their arguments and their miseries; he’d taken some friends there because he thought it might impress them, but it hadn’t, and anyway his brother had put a stop to that soon enough.

He didn’t even think about the little side door, most days. It was just a part of the room, a small tucked away corner with nothing in it. Nothing to think about.

And then, of course, years after he’d put it out of his mind entirely, there came a terrible banging noise at that little side door, like someone was kicking at it furiously from the outside.

Nie Huaisang nearly fell over sideways in his scramble to get up, and then once again when he realized where the noise was coming from – almost no one knew about his side door and its little garden, and so no one had ever come to him through it. Who would be knocking now…?

He opened it.

Lan Wangji, white robes stained with blood and cheeks bright with fever, shoved something into his arms. “You have a child now,” he said through bitten lips. “Congratulations. He is called A-Yuan. I entrust you with his care, for my sect cannot be trusted with it.”

And then he turned and staggered away, mounting up on Bichen and flying off before Nie Huaisang could say anything – before he could even finish searching his memories and recalling that yes, in fact, Lan Wangji had been one of the friends he had shown the side door to, years and years before, and thus knew how to find it. Before he could even start processing the thousands of thoughts that had spring to life, fully formed, at all the information he’d just received: the bloody robes, the desperation, the reference to the Lan sect – the Lan sect! – being somehow untrustworthy…

He looked down at his arms.

“Congratulations,” he echoed blankly. “I have a child now.”

The child blinked up at him, and then smiled.

-

“Da-ge!” Nie Husiang howled, rushing into the sect leader’s study where his brother was doing work – luckily it wasn’t receiving hours and he wasn’t in the main hall, as that would have been unfortunate. “Da-ge, you have to help me! I have a child now!”

His brother stared at him, expression blank and mouth slightly agape. The brush in his hand dripping ink onto a now-wasted piece of paper.

“Huaisang,” he said after a moment. “What the fuck.”

Nie Huaisang nodded furiously.

“Where did you get – how – who – what did you do?!”

“I am currently unable to disclose any details,” Nie Huaisang said promptly even as his brother tossed aside the brush and got up, striding over with a storm brewing in his face. “All I can say is that I have to raise this child now. By which I mean, you have to help me raise this child now; I can’t raise children! I’m not mature enough to raise a child!”

“No kidding! Why would someone entrust – to you…” Nie Mingjue trailed off, looking down at the child with a frown that shifted from disbelieving irritation to concern. He pressed his hand to the child’s forehead. “Huaisang, this child has a high fever. We need to get him to the medical wing at once – is that blood?”

“Not his, I don’t think?”

“I don’t want to know,” his brother decided. “Move.”

Some time later, they were both sitting next to the bed in one of the spare rooms in the family quarters; Nie Huaisang thought it might even have been the same one that he’d used when he was very young. A-Yuan was sleeping, and Nie Mingjue was still holding his little hand in his own, having been clocked as the oversize comfort animal that he not-so-secretly was from the very first moment A-Yuan laid eyes on him.

The doctors had declared A-Yuan’s fever to be very severe, but they had applied plenty of medicine – the Lan sect might have more esoteric healing techniques, but there wasn’t anything like the Nie sect when it came to standard medicine for injuries and illnesses associated with the battlefield, and despite A-Yuan’s tender age Nie Huaisang would be willing to bet that his injuries were from a battlefield. They were confident that A-Yuan would make a full recovery, body and mind both intact, although they warned that his memory of the past might be impacted.

Nie Huaisang had thought about all that blood that wasn’t his, of Lan Wangji pale-faced and wild-eyed, and decided that a little bit of forgetting might not be so bad after all.

“Are you going to tell me anything more,” his brother said after a while. “Or should I just give up now?”

Nie Huaisang leaned over and patted his knee. “It’s good that you know your limitations.”

His brother rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe this is my life,” he remarked.

“What part?” Nie Huaisang asked, curious. “The fact that we have a kid now, because obviously we’re keeping him? Or the fact that someone gave a kid to me?”

“Both,” his brother decided. “Definitely both.”

-

“His name’s A-Yuan,” Nie Huaisang said. “Apparently.”

“Well,” his brother said. “Obviously that won’t do.”

-

Nie Huaisang had the ability to be sneaky when he wanted to be. It wasn’t a matter of stealth, he had explained to his brother, but sneakiness– a completely different concept. Stealth suggested that he was doing something to conceal himself and required skills and talent, or else a lot of practice, and obviously Nie Huaisang was not going to go in for either of those.

Sneakiness, though…

He didn’t need people not to be able to see him in order to be sneaky. He just needed them not to care about him, or wonder where he was.

“Psst,” he said, knocking on the window to the rooms where Lan Wangji was purportedly practicing seclusion. “Psst! Lan Zhan!”

Lan Wangji had given him a child. They were definitely past the ‘Lan-er-gongzi’ stage.

“Lan Zhan!” he rapped at the window with his fan. “We need a courtesy name!”

There was some sounds from within the jingshi, mostly stumbling around. Nie Huaisang waited patiently, and after a few moments the window opened and Lan Wangji stared out at him. He was as pale as a ghost with lips as red as blood, and very clearly not in seclusion at all, but rather in the midst of healing whatever wounds had left him bloody – he probably shouldn’t have gotten out of bed to answer.

Oh, well. Too late for regret now.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Lan Wangji said, voice dull and eyes blank as he stared at Nie Huaisang. It was unclear if he meant in the Cloud Recesses generally, or here in particular, interrupting his ‘seclusion’.

“Didn’t you hear me?” Nie Huaisang said, scowling at him. “We need a courtesy name! A courtesy name for the child, you hear me? You know, of course, that Qinghe Nie don’t use personal names, not even for children – certainlynot for children older than their first year. It’d be a complete giveaway that he’s not organically ours if we call him something like A-Yuan.”

Lan Wangji raised a hand to pinch his nose. “Please go away.”

“Courtesy name, Lan Zhan. I mean, I may be the one who’ll be raising him, but please think carefully: do you really want meto be the one naming him?”

“…call him Sizhui.”

“Sizhui,” Nie Huaisang repeated. “With the characters…?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

“Uh, no,” Nie Huaisang said. “I need a bettercourtesy name. Are you joking?”

“Nie Huaisang. Go away.”

“But –”

Lan Wangji slammed the window shut.

“…fine,” Nie Huaisang said to the closed window. “Be that way, see if I care. Not like we don’t need to build up a decent coparenting relationship or anything eventually.”

He thought he heard a choking sound from behind the door and smirked.

“Don’t you think you can baby-trap me and just walk away, Lan Zhan,” he said in his best ominous tone. “If you wanted someone to raise your kid without ever consulting you again, you should’ve dropped him off in the Lotus Pier with Jiang Cheng, who’d probably be too busy being confused to even question where he came frome – but no. You came to me. I don’t make decisions in the best of times, least of all good. I have questions. A lot of questions.”

He thought about it for a moment.

“Not about how you got him or anything like that,” he said. “I’m not stupid, I can tell a secret when I see one. But, you know, other types of questions. Parenting stuff. Are you a ‘go sit and think about what you’ve done’ sort of parent? Or more traditional discipline, with copying lines and occasionally strikes when they’re naughty? Do you want him to learn the Lan sect rules along with the Nie sect principles –”

There was a muffled sound from inside the house.

It sounded angry.

“…we can talk about it later,” Nie Huaisang decided. He might’ve pushed his luck a bit too much. “Talk later!”

-

“You have a…what?” Lan Xichen asked, his smile a little fixed and stare a little wilder than normal.

“A nephew!” Nie Mingjue gushed. “Isn’t he wonderful?”

“Nephew.”

“He’s so well behaved, too! He plays quietly by himself most of the time, drawing and even writing a little, and Huaisang’s already teaching him how to play the dizi –”

“When you say nephew, do you mean Nie Huaisang’s child?”

“Do I have other brothers?” Nie Mingjue rolled his eyes at him. “He’s obviously not yours. Anyway, I know Meng Yao is expecting one, too, but he wouldn’t be dressed in Nie colors if it was his, would it?”

“Yes, but…are you telling me that…that Nie Huaisang…”

“It’s a battlefield child, Xichen,” Nie Mingjue said patiently. “Obviously. Someone entrusted him to Huaisang.”

“Oh,” Lan Xichen said, looking relieved. “Yes, that makes more sense…wait.”

Nie Mingjue waited.

“Someone entrusted him to Nie Huaisang?”

“I know, right?” Nie Mingjue said, and Lan Xichen didn’t notice how strained his grin had suddenly become, or how thoughtful his eyes were as he surveyed Lan Xichen as if trying to find an answer to a question. “I would’ve assumed they’d go for someone more responsible, like you. Guess you never know…”

“I guess you don’t,” Lan Xichen agreed, looking down at the child with a bemused expression. A battlefield child, entrusted to Nie Huaisang… “They must have been truly driven to desperation.”

“Perhaps,” Nie Mingjue said, and then changed the subject to little Nie Sizhui’s accomplishments, of which he could list many at great length and very great enthusiasm. By the time he was done with that, Ln Xichen was so overwhelmed that he didn’t ask a single other question.

-

“So I’ve got an idea on how to do this whole co-parenting thing,” Nie Huaisang said, cracking nuts to eat. He was sitting next to Lan Wangji’s bedside, and dropping the shells straight on the floor, too, staring dead-eyed at Lan Wangji as if daring him to say something – which he wouldn’t, of course. “Since with Sizhui starting classes soon it’s become much more urgent, on account of me needing you to attend meetings with his teachers and discuss his progress.”

Lan Wangji looked deeply long-suffering. He’d only invited Nie Huaisang inside because Nie Huaisang had threatened to start shouting out his business loudly on account of oh but Lan Zhan, how was I to know if you could hear me in there, I just had to raise my voice just in case because I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the extremelyimportant news –

It was all Lan Wangji’s fault for being born earlier than Nie Huaisang, Nie Huaisang thought virtuously. It was merely Nie Huaisang’s lot in life to fulfill the role of annoying younger brother to everyone.

“See, it’s the music,” Nie Huaisang continued. “You do music, right?”

Lan Wangji’s ice-cold glare suggested that he did, in fact, ‘do music’.

“So your brother has been playing this song for da-ge on a regular basis,” Nie Huaisang explained, ignoring the glare entirely. “And when he’s not available, which is most of the time nowadays, he’s been sending san-ge instead. Even though, of course, poor san-ge’s so busy back at Lanling all the time…ughh, it’s so unfair, you know! Poor san-ge has to do all the work of being the heir and gets none of the benefits, and they pile even more work on him on top of that – really, he gets no respect.”

Lan Wangji’s expression suggested he didn’t care.

“And think about the inconvenience to us!” Nie Huaisang sallied forth, undeterred. “People coming and going all the time, da-ge having to interrupt his schedule of spending quality time with me and Sizhui – and sect leader work, of course, though that’s less important – in order to march over to greet them and host them and listen to them…what a pain it is!”

Lan Wangji appeared on the verge of suggesting that Nie Huaisang consider getting to the point.

“So you should come do it instead.”

Lan Wangji’s expression cracked, suggesting that Nie Huaisang had actually managed to make an impact.

“You remember,” he said, voice low and a little hoarse from all that refusing to speak he’d been doing. Really, if Nie Huaisang wasn’t around to goad him into it, he might’ve lost the voice entirely – he didn’t even have little Sizhui around to force him to speak! “That I’m in seclusion. Right?”

“You’re horribly lonely is what you are,” Nie Huisang said briskly. “You require company. Therefore, coming to take up a semi-permanent posting in the Unclean Realm to play the Song of Clarity for my brother morning, noon, and night is clearly the finest way to solve all of our problems, and for you to see little Sizhui as often as you like.”

Lan Wangji visibly wavered. “My brother,” he said, then coughed. “My brother will never believe it.”

“That’s your problem,” Nie Huaisang said. “Find a way to sell it.”

He stood, shaking the remaining shells onto the chair.

“See you in Qinghe soon, Lan Zhan..!”

Lan Wangji was trying to kill him with his mind, Nie Huaisang thought happily as he wandered off with a whistle and a vaguely silly expression. Good – he’d been inside for too long. He needed the stimulation.

-

“Truly,” Nie Mingjue remarked, strolling around their gardens without any apparent notice of the small child perched on his shoulders, giggling wildly at the feeling of being tall, “I feel far better than I did before! One can scarcely compare it – night and day, really. Your Lan sect’s Song of Clarity is a marvel, even if it does take a while before it kicks in.”

“Mm,” Lan Wangji said, walking slowly with his hands behind his back. He was still unsteady on his feet on account of the absolutely horrific injuries he’d incurred – but if the Lan sect’s response to everything was seclusion, seclusion, seclusion, then the Nie sect’s equivalent response was exercise. These little excursions through the gardens were the result.

Thus far, they were still only doing laps around the main gardens, but Nie Huaisang had plans to eventually force Lan Wangji to go even as far as his own little side garden. He’d made it through his side door once, after all; why not a second time..?

At any rate, Nie Huaisang still wasn’t quite sure how Lan Wangji had talked Lan Xichen into allowing him to come to the Unclean Realm, but it really did make the whole co-parenting business a lot more convenient. And his brother had had so much fun making Lan Wangji stiff and awkward over all his thanks and praise for his decision to come ‘help out’ with Nie Sizhui’s raising until finally, at last, Nie Huaisang had taken pity and revealed that Nie Mingjue knew perfectly well whose battlefield child this was.

Both in terms of who had gifted him to Nie Huaisang, and who’d adopted him originally, and of course even his original surname – The little tot’s been through enough adoptions to make anyone’s head spin, his brother had said, his voice gruff as always. There’s no point in thinking back too far, is there?

Lan Wangji had been very relieved.

“Run, bobo!” Nie Sizhui cried, pointing over at a bird. “We need to get it for Sang-gege!”

Nie Mingjue snorted like a bull but obediently quickened his feet and left the rest of them behind, heading in full charge straight at the wild pheasant that was far more likely to end up on Nie Huaisang’s plate than in his aviary. It was about even odds which one Nie Sizhui meant, anyway.

“Nie Huaisang,” Lan Wangji said, his voice low, and Nie Huaisang looked at him. “The Song of Clarity does not take time to work. These effects should have happened at once.”

Nie Huaisang opened his fan, hiding his face as he frowned. “How odd,” he said. “And after san-ge put in all that hard work.”

“Perhaps he played it wrong.”

“Odd,” Nie Huaisang said again. “When san-ge gets so very little wrong…has your brother sent any word on the Xue Yang issue?”

“…he has not.”

“He’s going to need to pick a side eventually.”

“He does not want to make things difficult for his sworn brother.”

“Does he have only the one?” Nie Huaisang asked archly, and Lan Wangji averted his gaze. “It’s awkward for us if he doesn’t back us, and is a bad look besides…truly, it’s a wonder that san-ge managed to squeeze out the time to come here.”

Lan Wangji’s frown deepened. “Indeed,” he said. “One would think his father might be tempted to stop him.”

“Wouldn’t you just?” Nie Huaisang said. “Wouldn’t you just…you know, maybe when you’re feeling better, we should go visit Lanling ourselves.”

Lan Wangji glanced at him, arching an eyebrow, and Nie Huaisang smiled, fanning himself casually.

“I’m not the only one with a little side door,” he said. “Let’s go knocking and see what we find, shall we?”

[cinturon-cadena]

Nope. It's literally called "Batman: The Animated Series". It's a classic that ran from 1992-95, and despite being a children's show it dealt with some very heavy and mature themes.

I especially appreciate that it paints the rogues in an empathetic light whilst still making it clear that their actions aren't exactly the greatest. But it demonstrates really well just how fine the grey line is between being passionate for a Just Cause and becoming a dangerous fanatic of said cause.

It doesn't shy away either from themes such as Harley's abusive relationship with the Joker and her slow recovery from and constant relapses into said relationship. It's good at showing the difficulties of recovery from unhealthy behaviours and that you can't just get a perfect happy ending in 30 minutes. To say nothing of the struggles the other rogues face as well (both satirically, like the Joker, and genuinely, like Harley, Catwoman, and more that I won't say bc of spoilers).

You should be warned though, the cartoon seriously discusses the impacts of things such as Grief/Loss, Abusive Relationships, Mental Illnesses (which it isn't the best representation of because, you know, the 90's, but it doesn't bash it or therapy either- in fact, it actively encourages therapy and puts acknowledging mental illness in an empathetic light), Obsessions, Ecoterrorism (and the importance of preserving the ecosystem), Poverty, Gang Life, and Discriminations of multiple kinds. Just to name a few.

Wow, this turned into a whole bit, didn't it? There's a lot more I could say about this series, I love it so much!! It's definitely worth a watch- especially if you want to learn more about Batman and his surprisingly humanly-relatable rogues.

The whole series is available for free on Watch Cartoons Online: https://www.wcostream.net/anime/batman-the-animated-series

ACKTUALLY Danny Phantom is basically just offbrand DC stuff in its design (thanks, Elmer) so of course smacking it onto the DCU isn't a biggie?? Everyone is basically just running a bootleg/reskinned program on superhero hardware. Of course it's functioning flawlessly. Also how dare you make me like DC I went so many years avoiding Batman and it's derivatives and now I understand the lore 😭😭

[yandere-mc-yt]

Good Hunting

Just a really short piece set in in my cryptid au featuring everyone's favorite pig man :)

Cryptid!Technoblade & GN!Reader

Warnings: Yandere Themes, GN!Reader, obsessiveness, kidnapping implied, violence implied, suggestive, horror, blood kink, allusions to cannibalism, 2nd POV

×°×°×°×°×°×°×

No one goes to the town by the sea in the dead of winter, your great grandaunt had warned you. Becuase when all the leaves are gone from the tree, the Blood God returns to the wood and rot it was born from.

You clicked your tongue stubbornly. You weren't a child anymore- which is why you were fullfilling a bet you made with your friends to go into the woods after dark. Really mature and not at all childish of you.

And just as children do you get lost in the woods at night.

You should have brought a compass or a maybe a better phone provider becuase the gps isn't working. Unable to tell where you came from either with the slow snowfall most likely had covered your tracks from an hour ago. You weren't just going to stay in one spot. Not with how exposed you felt. It could just be your anxiety getting to you but you felt like someone has bee watching you since your friends dropped you off at the edge of the woods. Maybe it was a really curious wild animal.

Despite how dense the forest was, with a full moon high in the sky the snow around you practically glowed in the dark, lighting the ground and some areasaround you. This was almost a pleasant experience. You absolutely can't stand the only sound being the crunch under your feet though.

Sure, its the dead of winter. Birds fly south and a shit ton of mammals are hibernating. That doesn't explain why when you stopped for a moment to check the time on your phone, there's a very delayed crunching sound from the distance. You didn't pick it up immediately. Not until whatever it was resumed without you.

You could just be stupid as hell but the second you realized you weren't alone you scrambled to turn on your phone's flashlight and pointed it in the direction of the noise.

Whatever the fuck it was didn't seemed phased as it kept marching towards you and you shrieked.

You'd later on curse your lack of preservation skills becuase you took a few more seconds to take in his appearance- the hulking man with a boar mask and oh god oh fuck. He was definitely covered in blood. You finally had the brains to run with a scream when he was all but a yard away.

It was probably pointless now. You stumble and sprint past a few trees to get some distance, nose burning, cold air caught up in your lungs but the second you turn around he's fucking running now too. And he's faster. You blink and hes snatching you up by the scruff of your jacket. Even as squirm and squeal on instict, in the split second you're able to think rationally, you quickly unzip your jacket, dropping onto the ground.

Your would be killer must not have been expecting that becuase he didn't grab you again until you were a few feet away. This time you can't escape from your long sleeve, not with the way he's bunching it up in his fist. You don't know what you can do now but squirm as he lifts you up higher off the ground.

Here you are, crying, squirming and freezing in the hold of some deranged lunatic that lives in the woods. He was probably what rhe urban legends talked about that killed the animals in winter- the blood- oh god the blood on him was so fresh, the blood on his hand was ruining your favorite shirt‐ was probably from your friends that should be waiting on the outskirts of the woods. This guy was what was stalking you this whole time. You sshpuld have listened to your grand auntie. What a terrible fucking way to die.

But death doesn't come immediately.

With you still held up, he pins you to the nearest tree by his hold. You yelped when your bare back is scratched by the cold bark.

Its strange but things become much stranger when you look at the boar head and realize that its blinking. It's not a mask. It wasn't a mask. You open your mouth to let it be known that oh fuck that's not a mask, but the boar man interrupts you.

With his other, you now notice is clawed, hand he gently(?) scratches it against the bit of exposed skin of your belly enough to bleed. You watch in horrific fascination as the beast lowers his his face and therefore his snout to your stomach and snorts against the skin there.

You can't help but hiss when you feel his hot tongue swipe against the scratches before he nips you. He moves away and stares at you. You feel exposed and flushed when he starts making a noise that sounded a lot like something between a growl and a purr.

And finally, the beast you know for sure is the Blood God, speaks.

"Perfect flesh."

[mayabruhbruh]

GUYSSSSS I LOWKEY PREDICTED SOME PLOT POINTS OF S4😭 IM SO CONFUSED ON HOW I ACTUALLY GOT IT

you can find the original post here, but it’s a little long so I’d rather just shorten it a lil in here.

SO LIKE SOMETIME LAST YEAR OR EVEN EARLIER, I snatched the summaries of all four of the movies Robin and Steve mentioned at the video store at the end of s3. I thought to myself “why the hell would they add in this comedic dialogue and miss the opportunity to add clues?” SO I DID.

Here they are. Animal House. The Hidden Fortress. The Apartment. Children Of Paradise.

First off, THE MOVIES FURTHER PREDICTED THAT MIKE AND DUSTIN WOULD BE THE NEWBIES OF HELLFIRE and it would follow a similar pattern of the movie. In case you don’t know, animal house:

BOOM.

Obviously, this very neatly describes the dynamic between Mike, Dustin, Eddie, and Hellfire as a whole. I thought it was interesting that there were only two main characters in this movie, which is how I came to the OTHER obvious conclusion that Lucas would be drifting from them and lean more toward the basketball team. NOT TO MENTION HOW the principal in Animal House wanted them gone for good, and tried getting them banned, sabotaging them, etc etc. It works great with the town as a whole trying to shut down, shun Hellfire for its “satanic connections” and such. I though that was a cool addition too.

Next movie involves my bby LUCAS:

WHAAAA

ok yo be honest, this doesn’t FULLY align exactly, but I FEEL LIKE ITS CLOSE ENOUGH. Lucas had a lot of internal struggle this season, and I’m glad he chose the right side in the end even despite being in constant debate early on. I feel like you could swap out “the girl he loves” with either Max or his friends Mike and Dustin and hellfire in general, because he really did have to choose between either two and it was difficult for him. But yeah, I feel like that was close enough

Thirdly, I think this was the one I was most surprised to find true.

Children of Paradise

This storyline, just by reading it, is definitely supposed to be Jancy. IT MAKES ME SO SAD BECAUSE IT MEANS THEYRE MATURING AND LEADING LIVES OF THEIR OWN BUT THEYRE NOT TOGETHER AND ITS SO SAD. I originally thought it could also be Mileven, because of the whole long-distance relationship thing, but Jancy made much more sense in the end. Still so sad😢

Anyways onto the last one, which I’m not even sure is… well, you guys decide:

Ok so my original thought was it'd be Will, because he's at a new town and I assumed s4 would show that he is heavily closeted (which i mean they kind of did), but I think they used this more for El being in a new town. She's hiding from the government and has yo officially go by Jane in front of everyone she doesn’t know, and especially has to conform to society and the school environment around her. Which is a major battle in itself.

ANYWAYS I feel like this just further solidified the fact that the duffers do not waste A MOMENT to hint at whatever they possibly can. I think it was a pretty solid idea and I’m glad I got to come back to it with clear eyes.

[olivyh]

TWST FAMILY HCS PT 1) Heartslabyul

Riddle:

-We all know his mother’s personality (cough cough garbage), but I think that she acts that way behind closed doors and is professional and cares a lot about her public appearance, which is why Riddle was so nervous to come out about the things shes done.

-I think his mother is a little taller than him, maybe 5’5, 5’6. Shoulder length red hair thats almost always tied back in some way.

-I think he gets his short gene from his father, who I think acts like the king of hearts from Alice in Wonderland, but less stuttery and more on the timid side. I don’t think he and Riddle talk much aside from when they have to be in the same room as one another

Trey:

-I picture Mama Clover being on the shorter and more heavyset side, with lighter green hair (with grey streaks because managing a popular bakery and watching over her children has to take a toll) and dark brown eyes (you know the kind that makes people look like baby deer?) I think she’s quieter and kind, giving out free cookies to kids who might have a tighter budget or who couldn’t get what they want. Despite that, she’d be on the stricter side when it comes to her children, making sure they don’t eat too many sweets or hurt themselves in the kitchen

-Papa Clover is on the more carefree side. He’s the one who mostly runs the kitchen of the bakery. I like to think he’s an artist (bc designing cakes is IMPOSSIBLY HARD) and often sketches his wife and kids when he has the time (theres an old sketch of mama clover rocking baby trey still hanging in their hallway). He’s where Trey gets his prankster side from, often spraying the kids with the hose from the sink or clapping flour all over them

-Trey’s younger brothers, who I like to think are twins like tweedle dee and tweedle dum, act just like them. They’re mischievous and love to hear stories from all over the place, often interrupting one another when they they to retell their own. They’re likely somewhere around ten-twelve, since I think their parents would have wanted time with just Trey before having more. The two are practically inseparable, except in the kitchen. The kitchen turns into a war zone whenever the two are involved, and often Trey or his mother have to step in. They inherited their mother’s green hair and brown eyes.

-Baby sister Clover is the baby of the family, ranging at four to five years old. I think she’s the one who’s most like Trey personality wise, often acting like a “mini-mom” to her older brothers. She’s stubborn, and knows how to use her cuteness to her advantage. I mean, how can anyone turn down her with her baby fave and eyes made bigger by her comically large glasses (are they even hers???)

Cater:

-Papa Diamond: An oldie at heart. Has no idea how technology works and often struggles with basic phone protocol. He tries to get involved with his children and their fast paced life, helping Cater and his sisters with whatever trend they need hik for. No matter what, he’s their biggest fan and will print out his favorite pictures of them from their magicams. I think he had brown-ish hair before it all turned grey due to having to raise three children on his own (including two Cater-like personalities). I’d say he’s on the taller and more heavyset side.

-Oldest sister Diamond: The straight laced and mature one. She tries to act like shes so much older than she is, and insists that her decision to major in photography is not at all based off those pictures of magicam models. She does partake in teasing her younger brother when she can, though, critiquing him on his angles and choice of filter (she really wants to help him grow his magicam account but is afraid to say it without hiding it behind teasing). She has bright orange hair that she often wears up, though when it’s down it goes all the way down her back. She’s also taller (5’7-5’8 ish)

-Second oldest sister: The wild card. She is a social butterfly much like her younger brother, but cranked up to a ten. She is impulsive which ends up in a lot of late night tears with her sister while Cater tries to fix her failed bangs (“they made it look so easy online!”). She often sneaks out to take walks through the nearby city at night, thriving in the busy streets and the bright lights. She takes pictures to show Cater so they can go to the small spots she finds in the morning (even though all her photos turn out blurry or smudged- she got the gene from her father). She has short chopped orange hair, that often has little accessories or chunks dyed different colors.

Deuce:

-Mama Spade: The love of my life, the apple of my eye, the sun to my moon, Mama Spade. The sweetest woman you will ever meet, always looking out for her son and his friends. Even when he was hanging with a bad crowd, when one of his friends needed a place to stay because something happened at home she was the first to take them in. She seems like the kind of person to love animals (despite being upset about not being able to take care of one), and often sends Deuce small magicam posts about animals doing cute things. He got his love of chickens from her. She is probably around 5’4, and has the same coloring as Deuce, with dark blue hair that goes down her back (with a few grey streaks, making her hair look like the sky with shooting stars) (god i love her and she’s not even shown in game)

Ace:

-Papa Trappola: A gruff man, who stands at the same height as his son. He’s like one of those men you meet outside a 7-11 and they’ll tell you their life story for a slushie. Definitely has had a rebellious youth that shaped him to be a little rougher, which got him in trouble, but otherwise deeply cares for his wife and children (even though he shows it in weird ways- like when one of them mentions they like a certain food he’ll drop a whole container of it on their beds and leave, acting like he doesn’t know where it came from) He definitely looks like Giulia’s (i butchered that) dad from Luca.

Mama Trappola: Remember what I said about Luca? Yeah, she looks like Luca’s mom in human form. She’s a stern and strict woman, often scolding her boys and husband for bickering. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and can and will snap at anyone who threatens any of her boys (it’s terrifying to see a short, stout redheaded woman charging at you). She’s very affectionate when she’s not scolding them, often smothering her sons in hugs and kisses, making obnoxious noises while doing it.

-Big brother Trappola: Cockier than Ace by a mile, and won’t hesitate to be blunt about whatever’s on his mind. If you want the truth, he’ll give it and then some. He’s a lot more level headed than his brother, brushing off arguments and snide comments like it’s nothing. He’s a very talented magician, serving as a role model for his younger brother. He looks the exact same as Ace but with hair that is kept more neat and being a few inches taller, almost at the six ft line

[citrus-cactus]

Finished the story of Psychonauts 2 last week! It was really good. Like, REALLY, really good. I don’t have anything profound to say, but here are my thoughts if you wanna read ‘em. Obviously there are SPOILERS BELOW, so click at your own risk if you haven’t played into post-game! (FWIW, I HIGHLY recommend playing this game as spoiler-free as possible. And play the original, while you’re at it!).

Here’s a pretty tame spoiler that I don’t think anyone will mind me sharing though: RAZ IS A CUTE. JUST LOOK AT HIM:

Things I appreciated:

Raz asking permission before entering almost every brain

PET THE GOATS

BOBBY DANCE

Getting to see Whispering Rock a couple of different ways! Actually, the theme of showing events from multiple perspectives (and the different forms of trauma resulting from certain events) was really good.

Raz helping the Psychic Seven help themselves. The game is so gentle with these old damaged hippies. SO GOOD.

QUEEPIE AND FRAZIE and just… all the Aquatos, man. What a group.

The family being given space to grieve together (important) before yeeting their middle boy into the whirlpool (badass). And them still having a lot to unpack/figure out post-game. It’s complicated, man! Of COURSE they wouldn’t have it all figured out yet!

Larry and Pam! LOL.

SAM BOOLE, WTH. Best dialogue tree in the game??? XDDDD

WHOMST in-universe put the graffiti on the back side of the funicular? Oleander?? :O

I have not finished the Scavenger Hunt yet, so idk if Raz gets his clothes back. I’m betting not *shakes psychic fist at Norma* XD

Powers and combat were all really cool!

ANIMATION! ALSO!! REALLY!!! GOOD!!!!!

I’M STILL LOSING MY DANG MIND OVER RAZ’S ARCHETYPE, good god. Double Fine, you mad geniuses, how DARE you stage a Zim/Gir reunion in the year 2021??? If anyone has ever equipped the pin that mutes that delightful little paper lad, I cannot emphasize enough how dead you are to me XD

I thought Cassie sounded a little like Mona Marshall?? The credits proved me wrong, but there were several moments I thought “…maybe??” (I have a much easier time ID’ing her when she’s playing a boyish character than a woman, whoops!)

So much symbolism in the brains! “Subtle” is maybe the wrong word to use, but between some of the throwaway dialogue, the different subsections in each, and the different set designs, most of the mental states just felt more… complex? nuanced? than the first game.

I don’t actually know if I could pick a favorite level! Compton’s Cookoff was definitely the most unique (I would have appreciated the option to try the food challenges again, but “getting the best time” is obviously NOT THE POINT, so kudos to the game making it about the story/character and not about the player here!), and I really enjoyed the paper-and-book-aesthetic of Cassie’s! Bob’s boss battle was one of the most poignant, but the 60’s psychedelic aesthetic and Nona’s different layers were really creative and fun. I also liked that we got a few different styles for Raz (especially in the 2D sections!) but I always could have used more!

On that note though, CENSORS! IN!! SEQUINS!!! XDDDDDDD

THE MUSIC!!! My husband and I JUST realized that Peter McConnell scored the Sly Cooper series as well, so we have newfound RESPECT and AWE for this guy’s ability to write absolutely fantastic music in so many distinct styles and genres. Both of the songs w/ lyrics also slap.

The return/spiritual successor of Goggalor (Pootie-lor???). Amazing. Incredible. Did not expect it, loved it for how narratively important it was. The ending in general just made me quite emotional.

The post-game conversation between Truman and Lilli. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it absolutely RADIATES Tim Schafer dad/real-life daughter energy.

The Grulovia level was a really interesting way to introduce a villain. Based on every level previous, I was actually prepared for the game to offer some sympathetic facet of Gristol (such as finding out the ride was something he had been conditioned to think from a lifetime of hearing an idealized version of the story from his parents, and it was somewhere he would go to rationalize his actions despite not really believing them… or something), but obviously the longer you spend there, the more you realize it’s something he constructed himself, and he is actually delusional (er, delugional) about Maligula and his family’s legacy. Really sets up an interesting parallel with Raz, in a way. Gristol’s mental state is essentially that of a child… but Raz is an ACTUAL child, and demonstrates more maturity, empathy and understanding than both Gristol the kid (see the Mental Vaults) and Gristol the adult. Kind of amazing he was able to fool a whole building full of psychics for as long as he did (and I guess he was a fine mail clerk too??), but tl;dr I like how the game’s “true” villain is the only one who is unable to change/experience any sort of remorse for his actions (maybe the jury’s still out on Dr. Loboto though XD)

A little concerned that Hollis said Gristol’s fate was to be “experimentation,” and only corrected to say “therapy” when questioned by Raz. UM. This game does make it part of its point showing us the flaws in the Psychonauts, both as an organization and as individuals, leaving them in a bit of a mortally grey area (who are clearly mismanaging their resources if they have a whole Motherlobe of agents doing who-knows-what and their primary source of funding is running summer camps for psychic children). I am… definitely concerned about what Hollis said (as well as Otto’s assertion that he would be picking up where the Seven left off!), but I guess I can accept it as part of the theme that no one and nothing is perfect. Maybe that’s sequel fodder though??? (hey, I can dream about Psychonauts 3, can’t I? XD)

Genuinely though, I’m just… SO PROUD OF RAZ. He’s going to be such a good agent someday!!!*cries forever over one begoggled psychic acrobat son boy*

[among-starz]

Can we have the mlqc boys as dads

I'm gonna be honest with y'all, I was very hesitant about writing this one because I cannot see myself ever having kids in the future, and putting myself in the shoes of someone with kids is kinda difficult. But, somehow, I managed to write something I really don't hate, so enjoy!

MLQC/MLDD boys as dads

Gavin

-Initially very lenient with his kids.

-His father wasn’t a good man, and he doesn’t want to be anything like him.

-Only when one of his kids gets into a small skirmish at school over a swing does he realize that, while he shouldn’t be harsh like his father, he also shouldn’t let his kids do whatever they want.

-He knows what it’s like to be a violent kid, and that’s another thing he doesn’t want for his kids.

-His kid gets punished for the fight, and Gavin starts dishing out more punishments, but only when necessary.

-When you two have your first child, he immediately gives up going on missions in favor of becoming either a standard city police officer, or someone who does work behind the scenes.

-He wants to be as present in his children’s life as possible, and that means he can’t up and leave unexpectedly for days, maybe even weeks at a time.

-Will definitely want to play all sorts of sports with his kids, but if they’re more into arty activities, he’ll try to join in, even if he’s horrible at it.

-Is the dad to coach his kid’s little league team

-If they want to, he will let his kids dress him up to their liking “Daddy’s a princess now!”

-Kept the star lamp he bought on the furniture city date and puts it in the kid's room.

-Flies the kids around a bit, much to your horror “Gavin! Get down here now!” “Higher daddy! Higher!”

The rest of the boys are under the cut :)

��Kiro  

-Dad jokes galore.

-“Hi hungry, I’m dad!” “Dad, shut up.”

-As soon as you tell him you’re pregnant, he’s stepping down from the spotlight.

-He knows what it’s like to grow up with thousands of eyes watching his every move, and he doesn’t want that for his kids.

-Will probably do freelance coding work from home.

-Stay at home dad!!

-Gonna be honest, probably let himself go a bit did anyone say dad bod?

-Don’t get me wrong, he still works out and keeps himself in okay shape, but without the whole world watching and Savin breathing down his neck, he’s allowed a little more freedom the extra pudge is a good pillow anyways, I’m not complaining.

-When his kids start school, he may be tempted to change his legal name so no one treats his child any differently.

-Will do anything so his child can grow up normally.

-Packs the best lunches for his kids. Like those cute bento boxes with cute, themed picks and sandwiches cut into fun shapes.

-He can put his foot down when he needs to, but he usually feels really bad about it.

-Constantly singing and playing music to his kids, you’ll play the piano, he’ll play the violin, and the kids will sing to their heart's content.

-Will enthusiastically watch their concert put on in the basement, will cry, and demand an encore.

Victor

-Harsh dad.

-He’s a complete tsundure to his partner, no way is that changing too much when he has a kid.

-Despite that, he always puts his kid before his work. Your kid has a soccer game while he’s supposed to be on a business trip? He’s sending a representative in his place.

-And will make time in his busy schedule to play with his child, anything from playing in the yard to letting his kid pretend he’s a pony is fair game.

-Cooks the best food but is a little annoyed with the picky pallet of a child “I’m not putting ketchup on your eggs and that’s final.”

-Will relent when his kid refuses to eat, but cringes at their every bite.

-Doesn’t say I love you often, but when he does it’s so full of emotion his kids know he means it.

-Is less shy when dishing punishments than Kiro and Gavin, but never gives unfair punishment.

-He knows his kids are growing up in a privileged household and will instill the actual worth of money in them so they don't go into adulthood thinking everyone can just up and fly to Dubai.

-Is pretty strict when it comes to grades but encourages his child to take the classes that interest them.

-Isn’t about to try and dictate what his child does with their life, not matter what they end up doing he’ll be proud.

Lucien

-When you give birth, his work habits don’t change much.

-The only thing is, when work can be done at home, he’ll likely bring it home.

-He usually has a lot of paperwork to do and, if he were to do it all at work, he’d never be home.

-Best tutor in the world.

-Will help his child with any homework they have, is the king of helping them with their science fair projects. “No, you’re not making a baking soda volcano.”

-Is pretty strict about grades too, like Victor, but since he’s always there to help with homework/studying grades probably won’t be too much of an issue.

-He’s pretty much involved in every hobby his kids might want to pick up I mean, photography, painting, reading, I wouldn’t be surprised if this man learned to build rockets in his free time

-Is very open to sharing his hobbies with his kids, and on the off chance they want to try something he doesn’t know how to do, he’ll be right there learning beside them. “Dad I wanna skateboard,” Lucien, in all the skater boy attire, “Way ahead of you.”

-Doesn't like punishments, is much more into lectures about why what they did was wrong, and trying to figure out why they did that.

-His child will grow up very emotionally mature.

-Punishment is the last resort, and his kids know they really fucked up when they get grounded.

-Is at every game or event of his child’s. 100% the embarrassing parent yelling his kid’s name. “Daaaad, please never do that again.” Sorry, but he will be doing that again.

Shaw

-Does not want kids.

-Will adopt a few weird animals like a lizard and a ferret and call himself their daddy, but that’s about it.

-Kids are loud, smelly, and gross, no way does he want to go within 10 feet of one of those fuckers.

-If you really want kids, Shaw isn’t your best option.