#however weird the implications of that are

[pineappleliar]

My interpretation of the color/size disparity is that it’s all to do with weird route potential, with the size representing severity and the color representing… accessibility? I’m still dwelling on it.

this mostly comes from how the chapter 3 sweepstakes page lists ‘not applicable’, then has the word ‘but…’ hidden off screen. To me that implies that at least on a first pass of the chapter there won’t be a way to immediately break it. The ‘but…’ however implies it may be possible to go back to chapter three at a later point and make some huge changes.

my suspicion is the chapter 3’s secret boss is gonna require some weird route, chapter jumping shenanigans to access, which will in turn lead to that chapter’s weird route, but that’s just my pie in the sky theory. In one update we’ve been told that because we’re missing ___, we can’t get the Crystal (presumably the shadow Crystal associated with secret bosses). Then we get a lot of implications that Chapter 3’s weird stuff will be much more conditional than Chapter 2’s, which you already had to go out of your way for.

I’m also fond of the ‘needs external influence to make weird’ option because it means there’s a chance you can mess with Chapter 1 as well, even if only a little. Given the sweepstakes listed the chapter as ‘not applicable’ full stop, I doubt it’d be a big change, but idk it’d be fun to get some weird dialogue from Jevil, or to psyche Ralsei out for a scene or two even if it amounts to little in general.

the other option I’m considering is that the number size/color is meant to visualize light/dark world effects pursuing a weird route may have. Like 2 is very big and white because the consequences of the weird route kill Berdly and traumatize Noelle, two Lightners. Maybe chapter 3’s weird route doesn’t affect any Lightners, but has huge consequences for the Dark World (or, if I want to point fingers, Ralsei/Castletown in particular). This option feels a bit horoscope-y to me, so I’m not as big of a fan. Still, can’t ignore that the numbers are following a visual dichotomy that’s been set in the game, so it may mean something.

the only thing keeping me from the size=length of chapter connection is Chapter 5. Like, is it complete enough to know how long that chapter will be? I’m not sure it’d be at a level of done to know just how much longer it is than Chapter 4, unless Toby’s a little stinker and has snuck chapter 5 into this update under all our noses.

Deltarune... Theory? WHAT IS GOING ON MAN.

The Spamton Sweepstakes have suddenly spawned a bunch of new pages and...! Frankly I can't even begin to try and crack them all, I have my sights set on a specific one. The page with the url /chapter5.

Which... Just looks like this.

Oh, but you can highlight it!

Okay so what do we got here. A tiny 1 in black text, a huge 2 in white text, a huge 3 in black text, a small 4 in white text, and a moderately sized 5 in white text. On top of that, they all have links, except 1 so that's 1 less thing to worry about.

The big white 2 links to d.ogg from the game's files (or d.mp3 on the website), which is the song that plays in the weird route right before the fight against Berdly, as soon as Noelle snaps out of her trance. So uh, already off to a concerning start!

The big black 3 links to ma.mp3, a sound effect that also plays over ooooon...

This new page, /romb. This is pretty obviously harkening back to what Seam said about our next powerful foe being impossible without the Shadow Mantle, so we can presume that's what the blank spaces here stand for. No Shadow Mantle, no Shadow Crystal cause you can't beat the third secret boss. Clicking these blank spaces plays the aforementioned ma.mp3.

The small white 4 just links back to /chapter4, which is a whole other puzzle thanking you and asking for your email? There's something about a "she" who "never smiled", really not sure what to make of this cause we know next to nothing about Chapter 4. I guess Chapter 4 wants our email?? Perhaps a tease for the new character, Spamton 2 Spamton... No nevermind.

The white 5 links to h.mp3, a very short snipper of a guitar melody, not one I think we've heard before. Could Mozart still be alive? Dess. I meant Dess.

Obviously these numbers represent the chapters somehow, but that raises so many questions. Why is Chapter 1 small and irrelevant? Why is Chapter 2 being represented by the weird route, and Chapter 3 its secret boss? What does the chapter 4 page even have to do with Chapter 4? Chapter 5 Dess Dess Chapter 5? What connects these seemingly disparate elements? Do the size of the numbers represent the size of the chapters? That would make every chapter bigger than 1, which I guess I could believe, and 2 being the biggest would make sense since Toby said it was supposed to be the biggest in the game (Although Chapter 3's long ass dev time might have brought it up to match with new ideas). That would make Chapter 4 and 5 smaller than 2, if this guess is even true, which it might not be. And why are 1 and 3 blacked out?? Toby said Chapter 3 was less story heavy and I guess you could say the same of Chapter 1.

Don't leave yet I'm still spitballing. Hey, if Chapter 2 is being represented by the weird route here, and Chapter 1, where we can't do the weird route, is blacked out... Is this telling us there won't be a weird route in Chapter 3, but will in 4 and 5? We have been guessing for a while that given Noelle won't be in Chapter 3 (UNLESS SHE JUST IS LOL HI UNUSED CHAPTER 3 MUSIC WITH HER THEME IN IT) the previous chapter's weird route events probably won't have much if any effect on Chapter 3's events, but obviously by 4 and 5 those consequences will start to manifest.

Frankly I don't think this is "solveable", the game isn't out yet. But I'm just gonna go with "The size of the numbers is the size of the chapter and the color of the number is whether there's a weird route or not" for now. That's my best guess in the moment. There's other elements here but I'm gonna let them sit cause I don't think we can do much with them.

Crazy that myhouse.wad and the Spamton Sweepstakes both got out of left field updates within like a month, huh?

[faceofpoe]

On Wilmon (and Luthen and Cassian)

I'm a little scared to muse "what are we doing with Wilmon?" but fuck it, what are we doing with Wilmon?

His journey into s2 was always most intriguing to me of the ones on that ship in Rix Road because of the echoes of Cassian's -

-sparing a moment to be emotional about how he was *almost* arrested but Brasso, Brasso got him, Brasso saved him and -

So we've got teenage boy lashing out at his father's death and attacking a garrison - but Wilmon's been spared the horrors (I mean, or more likely execution, but) of what came next for Cassian. And we don't know anything about Sipo/Mimban really except that Mimban was enough to put it into Cassian's head that fighting is useless, that 'rebellion' is a joke.

Wilmon gets a chance to breathe and recover on Mina-Rau but it was always a matter of time, of course it was, and then he's in, properly in, sometime between arcs.

And we meet him with Saw. Luthen sent him to Saw. Not going to dig into the 'wow really thought he'd still be with Saw's outfit in arc 3' until arc 4 maybe sheds some light or not on his Saw time/connections (read: I am wondering if Wilmon will be instrumental in getting Tivik's message to Cassian? or if the message was meant for Wilmon? Or Luthen more generally? Idk I can't remember if it's clear that Tivik and Cassian actually know one another or not tbh). Saw's a scary dude, Saw shoots his own guy right in front of him, Saw does his weird-ass initiation rite or *something* with the damn rhydo.

Anyway Wilmon is back with Luthen by arc 3 and he's...

Everything Luthen wanted from Cassian?

(Luthen got Wilmon in the messy break up and this is so fantastically complicated I want to fic about it forever)

Luthen is vaguely "making things happen" and whatever those things Cassian is skeptical and Wilmon is committed.

"You act like Luthen's the enemy" / "Wouldn't that be easier" will be the subject of many hours musing these three in the week/weeks ahead I expect, anyway.

Wilmon has taken over the Ghorman... advising? role while Vel has broken up with Luthen and Cassian is... hiding. Sort of hiding. He's injured - he doesn't like that Wilmon has shared this with Luthen. Luthen wants to put him back to work and has apparently pulled Wilmon away from Ghorman to try and coax Cassian back into the circle.

(insert hilarity over 'hey here's this person it'd be very easy to kill her but we need this one (1) specific guy to pull that trigger' no one on site could possibly make it happen)

(this however does lend implication to things that Cassian perhaps got very good at under Luthen's employ)

(I have so many Thoughts about the breakdown between them in arc 2 and after the show is done I expect I will be waxing poetic about the whole playing with the negative space concept but anyway)

Wilmon and Cassian have *the most heart-wrenching scene* parting ways on Ghorman and -

Wilmon goes back, gets it done, makes it out, makes it home. Hurt, but home. And that's kind of where we leave it. He needs a doctor and Cassian takes him back to Yavin.

So where do we go from here?

We never get to see Luthen & Wilmon on screen together and this haunts me lol BUT. I daresay we use Wilmon to sort of show that Luthen has... learned something? From arc 2? We don't hear Kleya ask, and maybe she did, but that's Luthen's question upon meeting Cassian: "Wilmon?" and he looks a bit perturbed by Cassian's reply and then Kleya pops in and "hey guys there's an emergency let's focus" changes the topic.

[insert Senate drama]

Upon arriving at the safehouse and chugging some water, Cassian nods at the back and asks Kleya "Is he back there?" and Kleya nods and this felt like a really weird script crack where we just didn't see Cassian get news about Wilmon making it home but the more I turn this over I'm wondering if he meant "Is *Luthen* back there?" and if we're meant to infer Luthen's hand... somehow... in helping get them to safety.

[this might be reading way too much into my favorite problematic blorbo and I have zero concept of the passage of time between the Senate flight and the safehouse arrival but]

Anyway they have the whole 'they wanna rewrite the story' (lol) thing and Cassian's response is to challenge, "what does *Luthen* want?"

"He wants Wilmon with a doctor."

And we might read that a few ways. Mon has moved beyond Luthen's concern and how she goes from here isn't his problem.

Wilmon just really needs a doctor and Wilmon is valuable.

Wilmon is Cassian's people and he's already pushed Cassian away by being dismissive about the importance of those connections.

Or Luthen is... letting Wilmon go?

Genuinely I have no idea beyond that the ep twice draws attention to Luthen's concern for Wilmon's whereabouts/wellbeing amidst the "immediate problem." And he's talking about burning all his bridges and Cassian is very aware that the clock is ticking before Luthen is discovered.

And Wilmon has maybe sort of taken Cassian's place in some kinda way but it's Cassian who Luthen wants to extract Mon "I wasn't sure you'd come", Cassian as the guy "I know I can trust" Cassian who Luthen has his vague *destiny vibes* about.

If Rix Road was Wilmon's attacking the garrison with a stick (a really impressive stick), then Ghorman was Wilmon's Rix Road and he did the job, he went back for his person and saved who he could and made it away.

Anyway I figure arc 4 has three options:

first - zero/minimal Wilmon. He speed-ran Cassian's story from age 13-end of season 1 but without the prison trauma, he's now vaguely in the background of the Alliance somewhere probably, not part of the arc 4 story.

second - Wilmon recovers and goes back to Luthen 'til the bitter end, perhaps maintains some Saw ties in this capacity.

third - Wilmon tied in amongst the Yavin side but drawn into whatever endgame dramatics will undoubtedly bring Cassian back into Luthen and Kleya's orbit one last time.

I don't know I want any of these answers more or less than the others. I think I could be satisfied with option the first, if what we had is what we're going to get.

But I also still wonder if this final arc isn't going to sucker punch me with Wilmon in some way I haven't anticipated.

Anyway. Wilmon. Muhannad Bhaier. Damn.

[strawbiecream]

🫡Hi I'm back hihi

ok so design questions first bcuz yes, both John and Jane had to change due to the rain making them soupy, however John has exactly 1 pair of clothing and it's his normal outfit... that's currently wet... and u see, there's pros and cons about being a tall yellow man so hmm yeah, Jane manage to convince shed into giving them some of his cloth.

they'd open up to him and vise-versa, just not in the earlier times, after John slightly in a better shape (Imma explain that on the rain thingy part so) they were still wary of him and if they had a chance to get rid of him they would try in no time, hence why they brough him to a round, to see if he snapped. it clearly didnt work and what happened instead was even funnier bcuz I have a small hc that when both killer and survivor join the map each of them suffer from somekind of change (The Spectre play a bigger role as a """emotional"" support for the killers, manipulating their movement and emotions by sayin lil things on their ears which is why CK can kill 007 lol... BUT NOW HE'S GONE) be it physical strenght (Guest) or appearence (John)... so like... bro got scarier but no aggresive, just extra confuse 😔. instead of snapping, John worked as a beefier sentinel and well, after that they got to accept the idea of that MAYBE, VERYYYY MAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE they could somehow bring the killers to their side. that idea got more solid after CK joind their side via ANOTHER sad reunion between him and his father (he got locked in the basement for like... 20 whole minutes, which is unfair bcuz my man John Doe stayed there for 18 weeks.) and now to the funny bit of the trusting issue...

with The Spectre gone and his influence towards the killers too, memories of their time in the realm start to get spotty and fuzzy, that's the price they pay to have their pre-forsaken memories (not even fully intact btw) so yeah, John feels guilty but he can't recall his actions, none of them.

And being locked alone in the basement doesnt help at all, if anything, reminds him the time he lost control of his own mind and stayed locked inside his mind for so long. (BUT HE TOUGH IT LIKE THE BOSS HE IS.)

and now the raining bit, the problem isnt the rain, the whole thing is the implications of that event. I think their realm doesnt have seasons and stuff like that so it's either hot and idk... considerable cold/humid. and again, with The Spectre gone and not here to deepen the killers onto their minds and limbos, they start to get more aware. like yeah they know wha they we're doing lmao, at first it was fun but after sometime they kinda got trapped into a weird loop of "finish the round, get out of the map, stay on somekind of trance, repeat" BOOoo routine been getting their ahh. With that awareness back, their body start to function again, they feel hunger, they get tired etc, no adrenaline here to snuff their senses down now 👌 and slowly, it gets to each of the killers with John being the first to suffer from that bcuz he'S A PEEPAW AND PRE HISTORIC MARRIED MAN. I'm totally drawing the CK arc bcuz ooorrghh, I want John and CK to bond and 007n being a father and John to get out of the basement and INTERACT with everyone else aooorrghhh, imma be prob posting it on my art blog tho so like, want me to tag u when I do??? @grey-washere

HI HELLO!!!! WELcom back :3c always happy to see u jumpscaring me while im eating breakfast /vpos

spoon yapping below

Okay first image im holding ur hand very tight and shaking u rn because we have the same john and 1x height headcanon hell euah, PROS AND CONS OF BEING A TALL YELLOW MAN genuinely made me cackle LMFAO 😭😭😭 john being stinky is kinda real tbh he got that stinky fart binary aura shit around 😢😢😢 /silly

the killers only have their own personal limbos iirc,, they cant have a cabin cause beef is gonna happen and the killers become the killed. I like to think they have their own room of sorts which the spectre modifies each one to fit with the respective killer and to keep them under its influence type shit

Oh yeah i really love the way u draw johns expression he just looks so kind, kind old man despite the appearance he possesses. He probably looked scary when he was out of it tho

IS RHAT TWO TIME WITH THE DAGGER please do not the john doe look at how nervous he is 💔

Wait the spectre is gone? WE ALL CHEERED WOOOOO GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE 😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏 get microwaved stupid guiltripping manipulative thing with 57 crimes

Poor guy :( he has probably felt fear too when even him cant recognize himself ughhhhh AGGHHHH

VERY MAYBE.. BECAUSE jasun and 1x might not gaf because 1x just wanna beat shedletksy and everyone in her way while jason.. i didnt watch friday the 13th series so idk 💔 also for beefier sentinel do u mean that he literally support the time against the other killers like that would be so damn cool with the scary spikes blocking the way and slowing them down with traps.. ughhh im tweaking /pos

YES C00LKIDD HOLY SHIT, i can see where the survivors point are coming from cuz hes just a kid thats unaware and John is potentially unstable and he can wipe the entire cabin if they slipped

Chat.. is this.. redemption arc.. omg. oh wait no it isnt my bad. If anything i wish to know how the spectre even KABOOMED and EVAPORATED from forsaken, whag would happen to the realm now without it being in charge. The rounds seem to be going on like usual but they get a bit more freedom now from how they could bring john to the cabin and back to the rounds,, im very much intrigued

Im giving him a big fat hug rn holy shit because allat got so much of an influence on john and hes completely different from the man that he was. Everything is gone, not even the memories of his own actions but just a hollow feeling of something very very wrong that u did in the past. That shit is gonna haunt him till he dies

Hes fighting everyday 😞 whens he gonna be let out oguhgutghj

I love this image he looks so fucking sad and traumatized 😭 baby

OHHH!! That sounds like the weather where i live, sometimes it gets uncomfortably hot and the rain doesnt make it better, THE HEAT GETS WORSE like holy shit i wanted rain for the coolness of it but it only makes the hot weather even hotter like okay man

Oh my god its redemption arc ITS REDEMPTION ARC WE ARE SAVED WE ARE SAVED thank u hell they finally feel the sense of being normal again although slowly

Pre historic married man and peepaw in a sentence describing john doe. I like your words.

PLEASE DRAW COOLIIDD BONDING i wish to see their father and son bond :( and yes communication is key, locking john up wont do anything GET HIM OUT NOWW NOWWWW draw johnjane cuddling trust me /nf

abt the tagging idk if ur asking me but i dont mind being tagged btw just to let u know

[yarrowleef]

I am actually (tentatively) intrigued by moonpaw's mind ghost. the idea of an entity that can make themselves look identical to you and appear to other cats (sometimes?) and maybe do nefarious things with your face is a fun spooky concept.

I don't know how long my intrigue will last, but it exists for the moment

[datasoong47]

No, I get the concept of scalar implicature, it's just that for me it's *not* just a matter of implication. For me this is actually a definitional issue. "All", for me, specifically means "every member of a set of three or more", not a set of two or a set of one

And, yes, certainly that definition arose from what is apparently to other people an implicature. So, like, the example you gave at the end of your post, I would consider "I like both the chocolate and vanilla" to actually be a correction of the other person's apparent mistaken belief that there were at least three options, but apparently for other people the question wouldn't indicate a mistaken belief about the number of options

And actually, your sometimes example doesn't really work very well for me either

Surveyor: We're trying to learn about people's eating habits. Would you say you sometimes eat take-out? Participant: Yes, I would. In fact, I always eat take out.

For me, that response does actually sound a bit weird to me. I'd probably say "Actually, I always eat take out", though it doesn't sound contradictory the way "Yes, I would. In fact, I never eat take out" does (though if the question had been "do you ever eat take-out?" then it wouldn't be odd to say "yes, in fact, I always eat take-out"). However, "I sometimes eat take-out. In fact, I always do" does sound contradictory (whereas "I sometimes eat take out. In fact, I almost always do" would be merely cancelling an implication about frequency). I think it's because when it's used in a question, it simply means "with non-zero frequency" whereas when used in a declarative context it means "more than zero but less than all" (with the implication - but only an implication - that the frequency is less than 50%), similar to the way that "how many?" doesn't require the answer to be a large number, whereas "many" as an adjective does. "How many people are coming?" "Two people". Valid. "Are there many people coming?" "Yes, two people". Contradictory (although it would obviously work as a joke, but there the contradiction is part of the joke)

Okay, I saw a recent post on the Book of Faces about some conservative complaining about a restroom sign saying "all gender", the conservative in question being like "there's only two"

Some of the commenters were like "all includes two". To me though, that's not correct. All means more than two. For example, suppose someone has two children and they say "All my children are coming home for the holidays", for me that would sound not just odd, but incorrect, just as incorrect as if they'd had only one child and said that, or if they had three children and said "both"

[Edit: I'm also not counting grammaticalized uses in certain dialects like y'all or what all]

Am I in the minority here?

[kittykatninja321]

I went “I’m not into this but let’s hear them out” on one too many omegaverse fics and now I have thoughts and opinions and headcanons and shit. Horrifying. Please be careful it could happen to you

[thousandyearphantombunker]

Guess who designed her own version of Peridot?

Me! I do like her finale design and whatever but I also just really love character design and based on the alternative limb enhancers you can tell this is very AU

[kooki914]

Spadesgorudy shipper has returned! (I got this idea from the incorrect quote person)

Rudy, watching Asgore and Spade from afar: Two Bros, Chillin in a hot tub. Five feet apart because they think they’re not gay, BUT THEY REALLY ARE-

-

Rudy: And now for a gay update with Asgore and Spade.

Asgore: Getting gayer.

Rudy: Thank you, Asgore.

-

Asgore: Hi, sorry I’m late. I was doing a couple of things and got distracted.

Rudy: I’m “a couple of things”.

Spade: I’m “got distracted”.

(They actually did him-)

-

Rudy: Who do we know that has handcuffs?

Spade: Well Asgore and I-

Asgore: *elbows Spade*

Spade: ...wouldn't know.

-

Asgore: Why do you let me win when we race up the stairs? You’re the faster one.

Rudy: Erm... it’s nice see your smile when you win!

*later*

Asgore: He’s probably just staring at my ass, isn’t he?

Spade: Yeah, probably.

-

Asgore, laying between spade and Rudy: I have found the meaning of life

-

— ♠️🌸❄️

I'm sorry it took 12 billion years for me to get back to answering asks please accept my humble spadesgorudy donations

[lord-squiggletits]

Okay another instance of "fuck canon" that's not just Pharma-related, but Ambulon related. I keep thinking of Luna-1 where Ambulon called Pharma "Doctor DJD" and I feel like that's such a total "he would not fucking say that" moment. Obv JRO controls the characterization so what's in the comics is canon/right, I just think that it doesn't make sense for someone in Ambulon's position with his backstory to be that petty towards Pharma?

Ambulon's a Decepticon traitor, he's on the DJD's List. Moreover, he's stationed on Messatine which is the DJD's home planet and is (was?) still an active battle front until very recently.

Proof that Messatine being the DJD's territory is common knowledge: not only First Aid, who's stationed at Delphi, but also at least three Autobots on the Lost Light, know that the DJD make Messatine their home. And this is long before Pharma does his monologue to Ratchet about his t-cog blackmail with Tarn.

Proof that Delphi/the nucleon mines were in an active warzone at least until Pharma started his plague: Pharma wouldn't have had any t-cogs to harvest if there wasn't a continuous stream of soldiers/war-dead coming in to use as his supply.

So then, Ambulon knew fully well that he and all of the rest of them were right next to the DJD's home base, and as an ex-Decepticon he knows he would be on the list. Probably not very high on the list, since Ambulon was a mere MTO who got turned into a failed combiner experiment, but he IS on the list; just because the DJD only proceed through the list in order of importance, doesn't mean that Ambulon wouldn't know that they'd come for him eventually.

And this is a really fucking neat idea to play around with! We don't ever get a canon/explicit explanation for why Prowl decided to station those three medics on Delphi, especially one who's an ex-Con on an execution list. Did Ambulon have a choice? Or was he told to go there with no argument? Either way, I think Ambulon deserves some major kudos, because he must have ball (bearings) of steel to be an ex-Con in DJD territory without constantly being on the verge of a mental breakdown or panic attack. I could honestly write a whole post on the question of "why were these three stationed on Messatine" in itself, but that's for another time.

The point I'm trying to make here is basically that Ambulon of all people should've been sympathetic to the circumstances that drove Pharma to do what he did: they were ALL stationed in the DJD's territory and they knew it, they ALL knew that the DJD's playbook is horrific torturous murder, they ALL knew that Ambulon was a former Decepticon. It wouldn't take a genius for everyone at Delphi to piece together the fact that the DJD would come for Ambulon eventually if either he wasn't evacuated or Delphi as a whole wasn't evacuated. But I mean, this is wartime, right? Every soldier is risking their life, everyone could die at any moment. They can't close down Delphi or evacuate all of the personnel in an active war front battling over a mine just because a medic or three might feel unsafe. Nowhere in war is safe. If High Command let everyone abandon their posts who was afraid of being killed, nothing would ever get done because war comes with inherent risk of death that all soldiers accept by participating, as well as accepting the obligation to follow orders on threat of punishment. (Almost as if Pharma couldn't have just evacuated or run away like Ratchet suggested, but JRO clearly isn't a military expert so I'll digress/chalk it up to "wasn't plot relevant to bring up".)

We got all of like, two pages that showed Pharma and Ambulon's working relationship, and the best we have besides that is JRO's word of god that Pharma and Ambulon had 'mutual reluctant respect' for each other. It's highly unlikely that the two were best buddies regardless, but I don't think you need to be friends with someone like Pharma, while sharing the same situation as him, to be a little more sympathetic to him? Like I get that Ambulon would be offended by the idea of his boss trying to frame him for murder to cover up his own murders, but the "Doctor DJD" line always seemed weirdly callous and petty to me. "Doctor DJD" implies that Pharma was some sort of willing collaborator or servant to the DJD which clearly wasn't the case. And I find it hard to believe that Ambulon, who knows exactly what kind of people the DJD are, would have an opinion of Pharma that was just "oh he should've tried harder/been less of a coward and resisted." Hell, Ambulon's reaction to Sonic and Boom showing up at Delphi asking for refuge was to instantly take pity on them and offer them shelter immediately; if he feels protective/sympathetic towards literal random nobody Decepticon soldiers, shouldn't he have at least as much feeling (if not more) for another Autobot who he worked with and supposedly had respect for?

Assuming that Ambulon got the full details of Pharma's blackmail deal. I mean, there's no reason to assume that Ratchet would've lied to First Aid and Ambulon about what Pharma told him (unless??? conspiracy theory!!!!) , so Ambulon should've heard about the t-cog deal and how it was the only reason the DJD didn't raze Delphi to the ground so long ago. Then again, maybe Pharma's story got explained to him and First Aid via Ratchet's extremely judgemental take on events, so who knows how much of Pharma's side of the story Ambulon would've actually known.

But wouldn't it be so much more interesting if, instead of sneering at Pharma as "Doctor DJD", Ambulon had a more conflicted perspective of Pharma's face-heel turn? Would he wonder how it is that someone who he had such respect for could've been so despicable? Or, more sympathetically, would Ambulon ever wonder if Tarn threatening Delphi was his fault for being there? Would Ambulon wonder what he would've done in Pharma's position, being forced to bargain to postpone his own horrific execution? Would he be angry at Prowl or the higher-ups for stationing them all in such a dangerous post to begin with?

I mean, the answer is that Ambulon was a tertiary cast member at best, to the point that half of his appearances on the Lost Light literally are shown in retrospect after he died, so there would've been no room to explore this in the plot, and Ambulon and Pharma were way lower priority compared to other, more important protagonists. I just think it would be interesting to explore these questions in other metas and fan works.

And yes, I do think Ambulon would not fucking say that ("Doctor DJD") regardless of what canon actually says lmao.

[attila-werther]

instagram stop putting shitty ai fashion nonsense in my explore feed I do not have the emotional bandwidth for this, bring back the suit fetish posts immediately

[prismatoxic]

aaaaalright well. i've been sitting on this for a while

profic/proship people? you really, really need to stop fucking dipping into anti rhetoric to defend the things you personally like/deride the things you personally dislike

i get it, i do. fandom is so saturated with these arguments and all we want to do is say "well, THIS is the real problematic thing, actually!"

but it isn't. it never is. it's still fiction. do not fight fire with fire, i am begging you. you can call out hypocrisy without just weaponizing their shitty arguments in your favor. and for the love of god, swinging hard into dead dove territory and shunning all "wholesome"/fluffy content is not making you look better. like what you like without shitting on the other stuff. please.

basically, if you find yourself implying that something antis usually like in their fiction is morally reprehensible in some way, stop. that is not the argument to make. focus on their harassment of people who like X, not the fact that they like Y.

"soulmate AUs are so gross if you think about it! giving people no choice in who they love..."

"antis always like gore, which is so much worse than typical dead dove topics."

"coffee shop AUs just promote harassing food service workers!"

"can you believe there are south park antis when south park is such a disgusting show?"

all of the above can be said in ways that don't cast moral judgement on the topics at hand. you're just repackaging their arguments, otherwise. remember: fandom puritan discourse is about the damage antis do to real people, not how they interpret their fiction.

[springcatalyst]

i was gonna go on a huge tangent in the post i just rbbed but it ended up being way long so i'm doing it here instead. still going in tags tho

[therevengeoffrankenstein]

just finished season 2 of arcane :(

[nikovraskol]

crack baby ; three

wc ; 3745 masterlist after dying, you expected to be greeted with the open arms of the void swallowing your body, mind and soul. what you didn't anticipate is waking up sixteen once more with a chance to change your fate -- but something strange is happening, why are the locks changing and why are all eyes suddenly on you ?

tw ; brief mention of death, cursing, neglect

prologue, one, two, three, tbc..

Sometimes it feels like there is someone puppeteering you into the worst scenarios possible.

It started when finally, after days of contacting every single landlord in Gotham and Bludhaven, one kind old man reached back. The house he was willing to rent you wasn’t half bad either, certainly no Wayne Manor but a small apartment about a convenience store would suffice.

After regressing, you were stuck in a loop of tears and anger and whatever strange, uncomfortable feeling you got whenever you were reminded of your weird interaction with Dick.

But finally, light at the end of the rainbow! You could cry (of joy this time), but you’ve no time for tears. Not when you’re faced with a big, overpowering problem. Leaving the Manor.

Now, in the past, you could just get up and leave, however after your run-in with Damian and Dick, you’re apprehensive to leave your room. What if you’re ambushed again? By Tim? Or Jason? Or heaven forbid, Dick again? Terrifying! You don’t have time to dilly dally, not when Mr. Kim is waiting in your future home.

So, you’re very on edge, looking around every corner with apprehension, bracing yourself for anything and everything. When you finally reach the door, unharmed, you let out a deep sigh, only to hear a voice behind you.

“Master (Name).”

What now? You whip your head around, a sense of deja vu hitting you, oh, it’s just Alfred. You let out a sigh, glad it’s not Dick with his strange shenanigans. “Alfred, is everything alright?” You smile, out of everyone, Alfred is the one you love most, the one who cradled you close in those agonizingly lonely nights, when you’d call out for your mother, for your father, for anyone.

He was there.

“You’re heading out?” He asks, assessing you with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. A few days ago, Dick had informed him that you were acting strange, you had run away from your older brother. His mind raced, the implications of what that might mean has been weighing on the butler’s mind for days. It was uncharacteristic of you, up until about a week ago you would jump for joy if any of your family would glance at you.

But after that day, that day where you had skipped breakfast .. What changed? Why are you suddenly so uninterested in your family? It’s unnatural. Your whole life had always been dedicated to them, you’d do anything to be apart of them, to be seen. So why? When you finally had the chance to be centre stage, were you walking away? Something about your demeanour was off and he didn’t like it.

“Yes, I’ve–” You pause, should you tell Alfred? I’m going to move out and never speak to anyone from this house again! No, you’ll wait until you’ve secured a place before letting him know. You’re not prepared for that conversation. “I’m going to– for a walk.” The lie is stale on your tongue, you’ve never lied to Alfred, not besides petty ones to get out of trouble. But this feels different, a heavy knot tying in your shoulders as you watch the butler’s confused expression.

“Is that so? Because a few days ago, Master Dick–” You were out the door before he could finish his damn sentence. You are not in the mood to discuss Dick right now! It’s going to ruin your chipper mood.

The click of the door had Alfred’s eyes narrowing, his eyes trained on where you once stood. He believed that the small push he gave Bruce would be enough, but it’s just driving you further away. How troublesome, he doesn’t want for you to end up hurt.

“Wow! This is a really great place? And I get the first month free?” You are convinced whatever deity sent you back in time is responsible for the saint before you. The small, chubby old man who speaks to you in such a paternal voice it makes you want to cry.

“Of course, it’s no problem, I just need to speak to your guardian to agree on your emancipation, plus they’ll need to sign some consent forms.”

“What?” You blink dumbly, your heart momentarily stopping before the damn organ speeds up so quickly it could power a small village, you try to convey your thoughts but all you can manage is a few dumb noises. “Are– Are you sure?”

“Apologies, since you’re only sixteen – you must have a guardian’s consent, this is a legal rental after all,” he smiles apologetically, before adding, “if you want to live somewhere without your parent’s consent, it’ll have to be illegally – which can be dangerous, ‘specially for a youngling such as yourself.”

Oh, right. You’re sixteen. The fact slipped your mind once more, you’re so foolish. So damn foolish, nothing will ever be so easy, nothing in your life will ever be handed to you like this. “Right, I’ll– let you know.” You smile, your eyes scanning over the small apartment once more. It reminds you of the place you stayed with your mother, the small space encapsulating those memories you hold dear so perfectly that if you light a few ciggerattes and close your eyes, you'll go back in time.

“I’ll keep this off-sale for you, please let me know as soon as possible.” Mr. Kim, so nicely adds, his small face – wrinkled with age, softening at your disheartened expression. You so desperately want to beg for him to rethink, to make an exception, but you don't want to get him in trouble, not since he’s been so kind.

And so, with a heavy heart, you walk out, walking with effort since your feet don’t want to leave. Don’t want to leave a future that could be, that should’ve been. Ugh, how disgustingly sentimental.

You don’t feel like returning to the Manor, not yet. The air outside is nice, it’s nice to breathe in a taste of something other than the suffocating walls around you, even if it’s just some dingy back alley. It’s nice to see what could’ve been, that is until a large hand clamps down on your shoulder.

Oh, great. So the one time you leave the Manor you die again. Maybe you’ll regress to when you’re eleven next, you muse.

“What the hell are you doing around here?” You recognise that voice and immediately you don’t want to turn around. What is he doing out? During the day? You thought vigilantes only patrol during the lunar hours, so why? Your heart squeezes in your throat, desperate to claw its way out, to escape your pitiful body.

After a tense moment of silence, you turn around, there he stands. Red Hood, your older brother. Well, older brother is a stretch, you’ve never really interacted with him – much like the rest of your family. You were brought in when he was still Robin, but he died shortly after. A small, vengeful part of you blamed him for your neglect. That was until Bruce brought in Tim, and you watched bitterly how Tim was embraced immediately, he didn’t have to fight for any attention, he was accepted by everyone and you were forced to swallow the thought that it wasn't Jason's fault -- but your own.

When Jason was somehow brought back, you selfishly hoped you would be able to bond with him, that he’d be the one to look back at you, to get to your level and hold you close.

No such thing happened, the only time you saw him was when he was walking through the Manor to the Batcave, and even then, he gave you a bone-chilling glare. You didn’t think of him so optimistically after that. Now, with his hand clutching your shoulder, his expression covered by his menacing red helmet..

You’re ready to be shot 5 times again.

“I asked you a question.” He says, his hand tightening on your shoulder, you snap out of your stupor immediately, your fear morphing into frustration. You shove his hand off of you with more effort than you’re comfortable with, and even then you’re sure he’s the one who dropped his hand to not embarrass you any further.

“I’m allowed to go outside.” You huff, your nerves practically fighting against the restraints of your skin, a cold, overbearing feeling rushing over you. This was..– Everything was wrong, this is not how this is supposed to go, not at all.

“You were talking to Mr. Kim, why?” He asks bluntly, your heart stops beating for a moment, the only thing you can hear is the ringing in your ears, your brain trying to block this all out, trying to block out everything. “Actually, nevermind, I think I know why.”

You want to cry, why was this happening? You were so happy, so content. Why do you bump into them every time you leave your room, can’t you have one good day? Will you need to become a hermit? Will that get them off your back?

“I can drive you back to the Manor–”

“No, I’m fine.” You cut him off, your voice not masking any of your fear, it has Jason blinking under his mask. Why were you so on edge? What’s going on with you?

“I insist– Gotham isn’t safe for you to just be–..” He watches the downright terrified expression on your face before sighing and signalling for you to go, his stomach churns in an unfamiliar way as you scurry away.

Why were you so nervous? Could it be that you're scared of him?

That’s understandable, you’re not a vigilante, you’re just some average kid. But when he saw you walking alone, he detests himself for the way his heart swelled with happiness. In his Robin days, he loved watching the normalcy of your life, the way you would live free of any strings to the ghastly occupation he had.

He was scared to get closer, scared to shatter that illusion you had.

The fear amplified when he came back to life, he was relieved to see that you were still unaffiliated with Batman, but fuck, he was too cowardly to reach out, that day when you looked at him with gladness, he was hit with a paralysing fear of you getting too close, of you getting hurt. He replays the crushed expression that dawned your face like a damn broken stereo.

So when he saw you sulking about a few moments ago, he saw his chance to reach out, to get a taste of your normalcy, he took it, however selfish it may be.

“Whatever.” He grits, climbing up the roof to tail you, he’s content with watching from afar, for now.

The whole way back to the Manor felt like a fever dream, you can’t brush these oddities off as coincidences, why the hell did Red Hood approach you. Was he trying to pull a Damian? Was that a simple reminder of how pathetic you are? Why did he do that?!

Why was everyone acting so strangely?

The Manor offered you no comfort, it’s looming walls did nothing but remind you of your own shortcomings, you were afraid, you were perplexed but above all you were furious. Why now? When you’ve finally accepted your position in this family, why are they all turning their heads. Well damn them! You’re sick of this whole stupid charade, you won’t be that small child anymore, a child who knew only loneliness. You’re going to become your own person outside of the surname which has held you back for so long.

“We need to talk.” A voice calls out as you reach your room, what now? You’re sick of these damn conversations. You just want to move out, why is it so damn hard?

Oh, it’s Bruce again. Your lips press into a thin line as he stands before you, you can hear the soft humming running through the Manor walls. When you were younger, that sound brought you so much comfort, yet now it’s different. Like a warning.

“Talk? About what?” You try to smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace. You’re distinctly aware of the way his brows furrow at your pitiful expression. Oh hell, you hope this won’t be another walk down the Manor where you awkwardly fumble in silence.

You don’t say anything as he leads you away from your room, a sullen quilt draped over the Manor, a strange foreboding sense that something’s going to happen. Something bad. You’re utterly perplexed as your father guides you to a part of the Manor you’re somewhat familiar with.

As a child, you used to lurk around the corners of these very walls, watching your family, itching to reach out and join in but fearing ruining the delicate painting they created. Fearing rejection, the cold glares and sneers as they pushed you away. So you trailed silently, waiting, hoping that someone would look back, smile at you and maybe hold out their hand. But it only ever happened in your dreams, a pale illusion of a reality that should've been true.

“Where did you go?” He asks, his eyes boring onto you with such intensity you can distinctly feel the way your blood begins furiously to pump through your veins, why did he care? “Alfred said you went out.”

“I just wanted some fresh air.” You’re not sure why you’re lying, it’d be easier to tell Bruce that you went to go see a house, the consent forms are folded in your pocket, waiting for his signature. It’d be so simple, so easy. Just a dip of pen on paper and you’ll be out.

So why do you feel such dread? A dread unlike anything you’ve ever felt. When you were in that alley, bleeding out helplessly, even then this oppressive feeling, which tightens your ribcage, forcing your organs into a tight space until you couldn’t breathe, until you couldn’t comprehend if it was your heart pounding so heavily or your lungs, wasn't as scary.

“You’re only sixteen, you need to let someone know where you’re going.” His voice is so unbelievably despotic that it made your very core tremble with anxiety, with a looming sense of doom.

“It’s never been a problem before.” You mumble, your voice a lot quieter than you would’ve liked, your vocal chords burning with each word passing through it, your nerves invading each of your senses, as if warning you to stay quiet.

Bruce says nothing, and the moment the air grows stale you wish you could take your words back. You can see the way his brows crease, the way he looks at you as though you’re some sort of criminal and not his own flesh and blood, the soft humming in the walls has disappeared, left behind in your area of the Manor. Though it’s odd, when you would lurk around the Manor as a youthling, there was always some sort of background noise in this area, where everyone hung out. The silence unnerved you, another thing that’s changed, another thing you couldn’t have predicted.

“If you’re going out, make sure to let me know.” He sighs, his expression softening as he looks down at you with what you interpret as belittlement, a burning hot rage boils in your stomach, and once more, you’re hit with the knowledge this isn’t how things are supposed to go, Bruce isn’t supposed to care that you go out without telling anyone, he’s not supposed to care about you.

‘You don’t get to tell me what to do!’ you want to say, you want to scream, to ask what rights he has to treat you like a child? How dare he? It makes your very being tremble with frustration, your hands clenching with barely contained anger.

But you don’t. Why? Is it the natural response from your mind? The fear of disappointing him? The fear that if you speak up, you’ll be kicked out and left to rot? Or perhaps it’s the fear of confrontation you gained through his negligence, the weakness he moulded. But still, you’re not sixteen anymore, not really. Mentally, you’re twenty-one, you’ve been through each stage of your life, and maybe, sure, the day you died, you were content for them to walk all over you in exchange for a single glance at your direction.

But you’ve died and come back (in time)! You shouldn’t let them walk all over you anymore, shouldn’t be content as an afterthought. So– you open your mouth and–

“What’s going on?” Another voice speaks out, great, because this is exactly what you needed, another clown to join the circus. Oh.

Is this a joke? Is the person responsible for your misfortune giggling at your despair, is it amusing to see you suffer?

Damian, Dick, Jason and now Tim.

Why is Tim walking up to you? Why is he looking at you? A rush of dread, a sensation you’ve grown familiar with in the past few days, washes over you. You’ve never had his eyes on you, never for so long. It’s unnerving. You thought the calculating look in Bruce and Damian’s eyes was scary, but the way Tim looks at you now? His eyes zeroed in on you? It has your insides melting into liquid, the urge to cover your face, to hide in the corner and bury your face in your knees is overwhelming.

You don’t want his eyes on you, you decide. Years of clawing at your own shortcomings, of desperately trying to appeal to him, to have him look back – you would do anything at that time for him to look at you the way he is now.

But now? You don’t like it, he wears a neutral expression, but the look in his eyes makes you feel vulnerable, like he’s picking you apart one by one, each twitch, each mannerism.

“It’s about what we talked about.” Bruce says, his tone completely natural, like he’s discussing the weather, you don’t know the specifics but you have a nagging feeling that you know what he’s speaking of.

“Ah. Really? You’re still on that?” Tim tuts, his head tilting ever so slightly as he studies you. Just as you’re about to ask what the fuck does he mean by that, he turns his attention to Bruce. “I told you, they can’t do anything without your consent, they’re 16.”

How dare they? How dare they talk as though you’re not here? This is disgusting, what loathsome, egotistical dickheads! Your hands itch, the anxiety in you speeding all over your body like a livewire, mixing with your anger to create an overwhelming feeling of terror.

What was the point of Bruce bringing you here? To mock you? Show you how great they have it? What you’ve been missing out on? Well, screw him. You need to get away before you lash out, you’re better than that. Better than this.

The pair watches as you walk away, your whole body tense. For a moment, there’s a prolonged silence which is broken by Tim. “Did we do something wrong?” He asks, genuinely confused by your little display.

When he came back from a particularly tough mission, the last thing he was expecting was everybody collectively freaking out. Bruce, Damian, even Dick were all tense, looking around each corner – searching for something, someone. 

It was weird for a multitude of reasons, firstly – Dick was supposed to be gone by now, his stay at the Manor was for a few days only. Why is he here? And secondly, nothing particularly stressful was happening in Gotham, so what was with the gloom and doom?

When Bruce sighed, telling him about your plans to move out, well, to say Tim was confused was an understatement. That did not deserve such a reaction, but then he really thought about it, and, if this is how they react to you threatening to leave..

If you were to actually step out that door, to alienate away from them, to discard your last name. His head begins to throb at the implications, he’s acutely aware of how selfish it is for him to wish to keep you around, to keep you in this Manor all to keep himself happy.

But then the thought that, really, he’s doing this for you! If you thought it was so easy to just get up and leave, that at sixteen you’d just be able to pack up and go. Well, with that stupidity, you wouldn’t survive outside, in Gotham no less. He was able to placate Bruce’s stressing, thankfully, because the man looked three minutes away from a heart attack.

You wouldn’t be able to go without Bruce’s permission, so long as they had that – you’d stay with them. But that’s what led him to seeking you out now, if you had ideas about leaving that meant you were unhappy.

He was hoping to talk to you, to ask if you wanted to hang out – that’s what you want, right? When he thinks of you, his mind conjures up the slightly annoying, slightly endearing child that you were. He’ll hang out with you, destroy those silly notions and everything will go back to how it was.

So why did you stomp off? That’s not how you’re supposed to act. That’s not how you are.

“I don’t think so.” Bruce replies to his earlier question, his eyes still trained on the spot in which you were. How could you walk off?

Why were you so off during that conversation? He couldn’t…– This belies everything Alfred had told him about you, it's left Bruce conflicted. He had hoped that by bringing you here, he could ask which room you liked best. But you walked off, why? Why do you deny his affection? He was worried when he heard you left, a small, vulnerable part of him was afraid that you wouldn’t come back, that you had left for good, slipped through his fingers before he could hold you close.

So, when he saw you walk in – oh, he was elated. He just wanted to convey his worries, but you seemed to have gotten the wrong idea. He really doesn’t want that, you don't need anymore reasons to leave.

He doesn’t want the terrified expression on your face, he wants that dazzled look you used to carry around, he wants you – not this restless part of you, but the real you.

He'll get it back, he's sure he will.

ugh i hate the misunderstanding trope i say as i write the misunderstanding trope

tag list (open, ask to be added) ;

@estreiiuh @beyondblissxoxo @jjsmeowthie @vanessa-boo @delias-stuff @d3nnji @wizzerreblogs s @lilyalone @strawbrysapphic @regulus-things s @iimichie @buckturd @eloriis @wassupbroski55555 @eyeless-kun @anakilusmos @peehall @bigeyedbaby @chaeugwi @snailpebbles @fandomly-obsessed @kitkatkitmeow @the-holy-pigeon @sheep-from-rad @mei-simp

[drchucktingle]

how are you human?

so many interesting comments and thoughts on my post saying buds should consider not coming up to strangers in marginalized groups and saying 'how are you a real person that actually exists?'. i will point out this: despite my VERY gentle tone a few buds said i was having a 'meltdown' for even mentioning it

others said i was being too serious for someone who is ‘not a real person’. so if you would any more evidence of what it is like to be a buckaroo like myself there it is. every day, autistic folks who may seem ‘weird’ are bombarded with messages and comments and implications that they are fundamentally not human beings

sometimes it is outright and blatant like the comments on last post saying ‘well why are you getting mad? you are not even real’ and sometimes it is in the very subtle ways that folks use language when they talk to us. there is huge difference between ‘how do you exist?’ and ‘i am glad you exist.’

anyway, something that i think many people who have not lived this experience dont seem to understand is i KNOW the poster who said ‘how are you a real person that actually exists’ probably meant it as a compliment. that is THE POINT of why i am taking a moment out of my trot to gently and anonymously let them know how it might feel to be on other end of something like this as a queer or autistic or otherwise marginalized buckaroo. it is obviously not their intent to actually hurt someone, so i am letting them know

maybe because queerness and autism are not physically apparent it is hard to explain, but imagine going up to very tall or very short person and saying ‘cant BELIEVE you are real’ as a compliment. not a great way to treat others. on my original post, an indigenous author chimed in with their own experience and feelings similar to my own. a woman who said she was very tall told her story. point is, while i do not have their experience, what i am saying has a universal thread for 'othered' folks

point is: i UNDERSTAND there is this sort of exaggerated or ironic (or maybe even sometimes very literal) language around fandom to say things like ‘how are you a human?’ to creators, but since it is not your intent to hurt, i think you might want to know how that feels to marginalized buckaroos sometimes.

obviously you can say anything you want. i do not hold it against you. also, if you think ‘oh no, did i say something like this to chuck at a convention? i am so embarrassed' then DO NOT WORRY i promise you buckaroo you are just fine. i present myself in a way that is unusual by definition, so i have pretty thick skin about this type of thing and a lot of patience. MANY buds start off thinking i am ‘a joke’ and then become fans over time and i am glad to trot beside them and prove love is real.

however there are other autistic or queer or marginalized buckaroos with smaller platforms who hear this just as much as me, so i think it is important to say it loudly and maybe together we can work on making a very slight shift in the way we speak to the ‘others’ in our lives

we do not NEED to let subtle dehumanization slip into our language. in some cases it has been called ‘micro aggressions’ but i think buds dont often consider what that means for COMPLIMENTS. ultimately, telling marginalized people YOU ARE SO AMAZING YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY EXIST may seem very fun and silly on the surface and for some folks it probably feels that way, but for others it can feel like a reminder of the broader doubt about their humanity. you can just say ‘YOU ARE AMAZING’ without the reminder of the many times autistic or queer or marginalized folks are told in a very serious and pointed way (like comments on the last post) ‘YOU ARE SO WEIRD THAT I HAVE DECIDED YOU ARE NOT REAL’

buckaroos can take this information and apply it to their interactions, or they can ignore it, that is totally fine. we are all trotting our own trots and proving love in our own way and thats okay bud, HOWEVER i feel like it is important to at least let folks know, even if that means getting told i am having a ‘meltdown’. i think it is important to have complex or difficult conversations if it will prove a little more love in the long run. THANK YOU FOR READING BUCKAROOS. i am honored to trot forward with you can tackle this kind of thing with you, and honored you buckaroos have created such an amazing space with me to pull apart these kind of feelings. THIS IS PROOF THAT LOVE IS REAL LETS TROT

[thelaughingmerman]

I have so many conflicted feelings about disenchantm3nt finale...