#i considered hijacking a previous post

[translatemunson]

cat and mouse for a month or two or three • ttfd

chapter eight of the tortured firefighters department

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

cw: fem!reader, afab!reader, no descriptions of reader, brains is recovering, idiots in love, short chapter after a huge hiatus I'M SORRY OK , no proofreading otherwise i’d never post this (lmk if i missed something)

A new routine took place. You spend most days inside your apartment, classes online since they were checking all the buildings on that side of the campus, on medical leave from your job because, on top of the broken ribs, they wanted you to recover from the burnout you got yourself into. That also meant you were taking mandatory therapy sessions, and maybe after a month they could let you work again. It was like being grounded from what kept you fueled in your late twenties.

Their first mistake was giving you way too much free time while bored. You wrote pages upon pages of your thesis in your first week. The moment you hit send and sat to wait for your professor’s notes, you found out you couldn’t reorganize your home because it was considered too much effort for your broken ribs. Your kitchen became the latest victim.

But a real victim to all your boredom was one door down the hall, who probably regretted giving you a copy of his keys — to be used just in case of an emergency.

“What the hell are you doing, Brains?” It was the third time this week that Buck arrived at his home and found out you were there, just casually chilling,

“Reading!” You were upside down on his couch, a romance book in your hands.

“I don’t think this position is good for your ribs. Can you sit like a normal person?”

“No. It’s boring. Also, I’m gonna babysit Chris tomorrow, so I’m hijacking your Xbox.”

“Why aren’t you doing that at your place?” He pointed to your silly reading position.

“Because I needed to tell you about your video game. Are you hungry? There’s some lasagna in your fridge.”

“Did you make it?”

“Yeah. Now shut up, they’re finally confessing their feelings for each other.”

Buck turned the TV on just to get some noises into the silent apartment. You were too busy with your book, he was too afraid of doing something he would have regretted later. Somewhere between his first and second plate of lasagna, you put the book aside and started to pay attention to the news.

“Big rescue, hm?”

“I don’t know why they keep building towers with paper thin structures and too many glass windows with shitty fire alarms. What happened to the good ol’ bricks and stones?” He was eating at the table, probably destroying the food in record time.

“Excellent question. I’ll look it up and give you an answer tomorrow”

“You’re really bored, aren’t you?”

“Oh, what gave it away?”

“It’s definitely not the same book from yesterday, you cooked a lasagna as big as the ones Bobby feeds us, you’re gonna babysit Chris on Eddie’s day off.”

“He needs to run some errands, and Chris hasn’t been feeling good lately, probably just the flu. So I offered my services for the day. What’s wrong with that?” You stared at him. Was he cuter upside down than the other way around?

“Nothing, it’s just… are you ok?”

“Please, don’t pull a therapist on me, I already had my mandatory session today. I swear I’m ok, I’m just bored of doing nothing. No adrenaline, no deadlines.”

“You’re really addicted, hm?”

“What can I say, Buckley, I wasn’t made to stay still.” As soon as the local news was over and football started, you moved back to your book. Buck got up and went for some beers. “I’m just gonna finish this and I’ll see myself out.”

“I’m gonna charge you rent for my couch.” He sat on the floor, right next to your face. Third time in his living room was a charm, right?

“Wasn’t the lasagna enough?”

“I thought that was for my Xbox. Want one?”

“No, thanks.”

You opened your book again, but the sudden proximity with Buck was the only thing you could focus on. The five o’clock shadow, the red birthmark on the left side of his face, the brightest eyes you’ve ever seen… Staying alone with your thoughts for too long was making you think of things you once judged impossible.

It was a split second, but he caught you red handed, staring at him. You smiled and moved your eyes to the pages of your book, not sure where you left off.

One big hand snatched the object from you. You turned to your side to complain and retrieve it, giving Buck the perfect opportunity to bring your lips close and kiss you. It barely turned into a deep kiss before you took some space to process what was happening. Your action made Buck a little confused, blinking his eyes and nervously messing with his own hair.

Your ribcage started hurting, so you moved your body carefully until you were sitting on the floor, face to face with him. Giving him enough time to change his mind, to say he actually didn’t mean it. Because how could he kiss someone like you?

You thought you’d never see a glimpse of fear on the eyes of one of the most fearless men you knew. Buck was too stunned to say anything, his full, pink lips slightly open. Your hand found the curve of his neck, your cold skin over his boiling hot veins.

You leaned in for another one. He pulled you closer carefully. However, it was nearly impossible to avoid the messier, helpless kisses. Evan Buckley was finally taking over your mind, maybe even your whole body.

Both of you had to move back a little, taking quick breaths after such intense kisses. You rested your hands on his shoulders and smiled.

“Did it really take me getting trapped in a burning building for us to have the courage to do this?” You bit your lower lip, trying to avoid him noticing your blushed cheeks.

“I don’t know about you, but I wanted to do this for a long time,” he confessed.

And it caught you by surprise. So Maddie was really telling you the truth.

“Wait, how long?” He avoided eye contact and you laughed. “No, Buck, please. Tell me.”

“Do you remember that shift I got your number with Eddie? So,” he took a deep breath, “I was planning on asking you out that day, but I just… I chickened, ok?”

“And right after that you ate all my cupcakes when I was at Maddie’s. Off to the best start, Buckley.”

“Not my best move, ok?” He laughed. “How many months ago was it?”

“No clue, to be honest.” You pecked his lips again.

Buck’s arms held you close, not willing to let you go. His lips were just inches away.

“Should I remind you of my doctor’s orders?” you whispered.

“You’re never walking into danger on my watch again.” Buck finally let you go, but it was written in his face it wasn’t what he wanted. His touch lingered a little longer, a little too deep. And you were sure you were mirroring his actions.

“I know.” You got his video game console and your book. “See you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, Brains.”

You leaned over, leaving a goodnight kiss and a promise to come back to whatever you just started.

+++

“Ok, do you want some snacks? I,” you checked your storage once again, noticing how you should’ve added “do groceries” to your list. “How are we feeling about popcorn?”

“I love popcorn!” Chris replied, his focus on the TV screen.

“Popcorn it is.” You turned the machine on and measured the serving. You heard knocks on your door. “Just a second!”

Maybe Eddie was back because Chris forgot something in the car? No, he had everything in his backpack. You opened the door, but your eyes stayed on the kid on your couch. “Really, Eddie, don’t worry. I can watch him for as long as you need and… Buck.”

“Hi.” Even if he looked like he just left the shower, his voice sounded like he ran a marathon and stopped at your door.

“Buck!” You both heard Chris from the couch. “Are you joining us?”

“Only if Brains let me.” He smiled, waiting for you to invite him in.

“How could I say ‘no’? Come in, we are playing video games and having popcorn.”

“You can play with me!”

“I’ll be there in a sec, Chris. I just need to talk to Brains first,” he pulled you aside and out of Chris’ view. Not like the kid is paying any attention to you, anyway. “Hey there.”

“Hi. Why do I have a feeling you’re here to babysit me?” You move to your kitchen, rushing to find the popcorn bucket in your cabinets.

“Can you blame me? You have two broken ribs, self diagnosed burnout syndrome,” you mumbled, “ok, your therapist said you have it, and you’re babysitting Chris on a day you’re supposed to wake up after 3.”

“It’s just for a few hours, and he’s not like Jee-Yun,” you pointed out the reality: Chris was just a little bit sick and Eddie didn’t want him to be alone. “So you’re here to see if I have plans for today.”

“Kinda.” He opened the top cabinet and gave you the bucket. “Do you?”

You elbowed him on the torso, playfully.

“Watch your step, I know his reputation.” You pointed to Chris over your shoulder. “But the answer to your question is no.”

Buck smiled, satisfied with himself. “Hey, Chris, orange or apple juice?”

“Apple, please! I’m crushing you!” The kid's voice indicated a promise to end Buck’s character.

“Ok, buddy, if you say so,” he turned to you and whispered, “so it’s a date?”

“Yes, Buckley. Now are you gonna help me with Chris or not?” You served two glasses of apple juice.

“Sure thing, but I might need to run some errands later because,” and he stopped himself. “You’ll see.”

a/n: hi is there anyone here still? i know guys, i was gone, no sign of life, but hey, i'm back (i hope so). IT FINALLY HAPPENED! i had to make this chapter shorter than usual because otherwise it would be too big. so that's it. see ya soon!

[serensama]

Favourite Sentence for this Weekday

It's Wednesday for me <3 Thank you, lovely @jenn2d2 for the lovely tag :) This is from my WIP: "Minrathous"- a follow-up to "Treviso" from my 'Onions' prompt series :)

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“No! You have just gotten us out. You started opening the doors! You cannot close this one on him, on us!”

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Cheeky tag to @thedissonantverses @hyperions-light @selunesdreams @pixiedurango if you want to play :) Please consider this an open tag as I've already tagged almost everyone I normally do in in my previous post and don't wanna hijack their notifications XD! Please tag me if you write anything, I'd love to read it <3

[damnfandomproblems]

RE: The guy who said white and Asian people should be blocked by all Black POC and that Asians are not minorities. Coming from an Asian person:

OP doesn't know about the Internment during WW2. Heck, even the phrase "Stop Asian hate" that appeared due to Asian murders during COVID got hijacked by people who claimed "Asian lives don't matter until Black Lives Matter."

It's fandom. If you want to block people based on their favorite ship being your NOTP or because their headcanon isn't your thing, then go for it. More power to you.

To block someone because their skin is too light? That's racism. And don't spew that "reverse racism doesn't exist/black people can't be racist" nonsense with us, because you're evidence that it does.

It pisses me off, because I want to think this is a troll who got mad that [insert dark-skinned character] isn't black. But I've also seen people who truly think this, and that's scary considering it's so many steps backwards from the equality that our ancestors fought for.

Posting as a response to a previous ask.

[orangepeetals]

OVER THE INFLUENCE

(pt5 of ‘playlist for a star’)

PEETA MELLARK X AFAB!READER

previous part - next part soon

summary: You were rescued from the capitol and you were taken to the 13th district but your reunion with Peeta Mellark was different from what he wanted.

a/n: Hi guys!! i expected post this in the week but a stupid coward guy stole my phone while i returned to my home after work >:( fortunately i’m fine now and at least i recovered my stuff and buy a fucking new phone, definitely peeta mellark never treat me like this -.- happy xmas !!

(y/n’s pov)

Every cell in my body hurt, I was so drowsy that I had already lost count of how many times I had been lucid or unconscious, I have lost my idea of time and my life more than anything else. My last lucid memory was me about Peeta, hitting him until everything went black, my biggest fear was not to have killed him, Peeta Mellark should not be here free as if he had not hurt me, as if he had not destroyed everything around us. The light (of what I suppose was the hospital) felt too blinding to allow me to open my eyes suddenly, so I fought to open them for a few minutes, the voices were clearer and I felt my head hurt once again, I was already getting used to the feeling.

I tried to move, anxiety took hold of my body when I felt my limbs tied to the bed, this couldn’t be happening to me again, was this a Mellark’s plan? Did you want to rescue me to finish killing me here? My desire to be dead increased every second, I no longer remembered what it was like to be without that desire. Possibly they will have seen me fight, because it took a few minutes for Haymitch to enter the cold room, I didn’t know how to feel, for a moment I felt happy to have someone who maybe didn’t want me dead but my fear and distrust couldn’t disappear so easily.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered with weakness, I felt that I would burst into tears, it was the only thing I had been able to do without restrictions in recent weeks. “I came to see you, apparently if it was as terrible as they told me... do you know what happened?” I wanted to laugh at his words but it was more like a grimace, I shook my head, I knew that I had tried to kill Peeta Mellark but beyond that, I didn’t know anything, I didn’t know if he had died, I didn’t know where I was, I also knew that Peeta Mellark was being the face of the revolution and I was suffering the consequences, of the rest of the winners I didn’t know anything, I just know that they rescued us from the capitol.

“This is Peeta Mellark’s fault, you know? He was stupid, he got into this revolution and thanks to that I’m tied up here, I’m not even sure what they did to me or where I am! I hope I killed him!” The beeps of the monitor indicated that my heart was racing, I was shaking and my voice was barely audible, I felt helpless, full of anger and anguish, I just wanted to feel safe, I wanted someone to protect me, I no longer had anyone to trust.

“Don’t worry, y/n, they subjected you to a type of torture called hijacking, they give you tracker jacker’s venom while they alter your memorices so that you feel fear or danger with things related to that, that’s why you attacked Peeta and that’s why you want to kill him, I need you to remember who he is and what it is for you, I assure you that Peeta has never wanted to harm you, he didn’t know about the plan of the revolution” Haymitch’s voice sounded honest, I wanted to believe him, I needed to believe him but my fear was bigger, what if Peeta came in and I was unarmed? What could I do? I’m not really the strongest person and I’m a little shorter than him, considering that I’m malnourished, doped and weak, although I remember that when I attacked him, he didn’t do anything to defend himself, he simply allowed me to hit him even knowing that I was at a clear disadvantage.

“Is Mellark still alive?” I didn’t even want to say his name, I had to feel far from him, far from where he could hurt me, I wanted the answer to be negative. “He has some bruises but he’s fine, he’s been seeing you all these days, he’s like crazy for not being able to do anything... when you recover and you can return to normal, you’ll appreciate not having killed him, y/n” Why was he seeing me? I knew it, he’s waiting for the moment to kill me.

“He’s going to kill me as soon as he sees me, Haymitch, you need to stop him, you need to kill him before he kills everyone!” I twisted in bed while I cried and screamed, I felt again how my head was filled with voices and memories without stopping, I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t fight my fear, I fought against the ties until my wrists bled, the sound of the door made me out of the trance.

Haymitch had left the room, instead, I found the presence of Peeta Mellark, watching me astonished and with sadness, he looked bad, his dark circles quite marked, his hair was messy and some bruises of the beating I had given him a couple of days ago were still visible, my heart shuddered, I didn’t know what I was feeling but he looked vulnerable, I wanted to throw myself into his arms and be in his chest while caressing my hair, the memories attacked my mind, some were beautiful and others horrible, I wanted to move those thoughts away but he couldn’t, he He had hurt me, it was all his fault. “You look terrible, Mellark,” I spat, trying to settle in bed, thinking of some way to defend myself if he approached me.

He sketched a sad smile and just as he expected, he approached a little but he did it slowly, he knew that I was alert. “You look as beautiful as ever, y/n, I am happy to know that you are here, safe, I will do my best so that you can be calm again, I will never forgive myself for this” His voice was so sweet that I felt that I would fall into his game, it was what he wanted and he was not going to give in.

“You should have thought about it before letting them take me, your role as a loverboy is over and it wasn’t with me who you should play it with, so you don’t need to come and tell me nice things because I don’t believe you, you’re a liar!” I could barely speak, crying and anguish had opposed my position of being hard, I was being vulnerable again and worse, I was being vulnerable in front of the person for whom I had become like this.

“Y/n, this is not a game, I love you from the first time I saw you and you know it, look at your hand, you still have the ring, you and I are secretly married, don’t you remember?” I looked at my hand, the damn ring was still there, it didn’t even seem to have any scratches, it was intact even after everything that had happened. I remembered that night, I remembered the warmth of his arms and the honey taste of his soft lips, I missed that feeling, inside me awoke that feeling of protecting him and loving him madly.

“Peeta Mellark, I will regret offering myself for the quarter quell until the end of my days, I should have let you enter there alone, I would have saved myself a lot of pain if I had not offered to enter with you, ‘cause you were going to enter as it was, you should have died there” It was the last thing I said before seeing the blond burst into tears and almost running out of the room.

————————

I did not see Peeta Mellark again the rest of that week, luckily I had already been allowed to leave the room accompanied by people or handcuffed in case I was alone, with a lot of therapy and a lot of crying, I could remember some things and I learned ways to discern the real from the false, although of course I had days when I did not know who I was or where I was, I was still unstable despite the fact that it was no longer as terrible as it had been at first, I began to realize that therapies and all those things were working when I could Having good memories with Peeta Mellark, I was enjoying those memories in the meadow and our sunsets together but all that was part of my mind, I didn’t know how I would react if I saw him again.

I would have liked to have enjoyed my calm and being taken care of all the time but apparently Coin decided that it was a good idea to send me to the battlefield along with the rest, they mentioned some propos.

My arrival at the squadron was not particularly pleasant, what did you intend to send me there? Right now I was only a malnourished and traumatized little girl, if I didn’t have my daggers it would be of no use and the only thing they gave me was an unloaded weapon, so the confusion was even greater, I was received with Katniss and Gale pointing at me while Peeta Mellark watched me with a look that this time I could not decipher, I assumed that for him my income was as spontaneous as it was for me.

“President Coin has sent to y/n to help us with the propos, she will be given an unloaded weapon and we will have turns to watch her, is that okay? He’s here to let you know that he’s on our side” The boy named Boggs or something like that spoke, everyone nodded to the orders without saying anything except Peeta, who offered to take care of me, the alarms went off in my head, maybe this was his time to kill me, I tried to think rationally and think that I wouldn’t be able to do something like that.

Or maybe yes.

————

taglist: @mellaurks

[valle-de-sombra-de-muerte]

Homestuck Reread: Act 4, Part 1/4 (p. 1358-1522)

Read the previous post here.

After a brief diversion with the Midnight Crew and Felt, it's time to go back to the story proper.

Oh fucking yuck it's that other walkaround flash that uses the story sprites. This one has jank ass combat mechanics in addition to having the same clunky controls as the one in Act 2. Just like that one, this one is also a waste of time. There's no point traversing this and its big ass map.

Wait, is this a Shoop da Whoop reference? God I feel old.

And finally we see Jade's "patron black celebrity": Charles Dutton. Look, I have no clue what Hussie means by any of this. It's just a pattern that I've noticed and nobody else has talked about it before.

Unlike the other kids, Jade always has a somewhat repulsed look on her face whenever she sees her black celebrity. I think she might just be racist, which would explain why she's so xenophobic toward the trolls.

Okay, okay, I'm just joking. Look, Jade is in desperate need of some character traits. At this point, even a negative one would be preferable to nothing at all. Anything to give her modicum of depth.

I wonder what kinds of conversations Vriska or Gamzee would have with Jade. These are things we will never know!

Vriska in particular should've had some meaningful interactions with Jade considering she's the one responsible for her narcolepsy. I'm dumbfounded we never got to see her act more outwardly malicious and cruel toward Jade, or even take a more active role in fucking with her beyond simply putting her to sleep. Vriska isn't exactly known for her subtlety, after all. If she really wanted to put her name on the kids' session and be responsible for all the key events in it, she should've went whole hog.

Perhaps if Hussie had actually planned all this out from the onset, we could've gotten something with more payoff. Recall my earlier post when I said Jade had the makings of a twist villain in these early stages of the story? I'd like to alter and expand upon that with this scenario that I would've implemented in Hussie's place.

Picture this: what if the reason Jade is such a shallow character is due to no fault of her own? What if Vriska had been the one manipulating this human like a meat puppet as her means to infiltrate the kids' session? Pushing the kids to play Sburb in the first place? Her reluctance to give away useful information? All of her intents and motives being masked with overbearing cheerfulness? The fact that she needs "reminders" to keep track of her litany of superficial interests? All Vriska, baby. She has hijacked this kid's brain and is using her as a vehicle to drive the plot forward.

This is back from Act 3, but let's look at how Jade initially reacts to each of her friends and then filter this through Vriska's perspective. John's utter incompetence and Dave's crush on Jade would make them useful idiots in Vriska's scheme. So naturally she reacts positively to both of them.

But she perceives Rose with a single, terse sentence. Rose is the only one who is actively curious about Jade's knowledge of things she shouldn't reasonably know about. This makes her a threat. Vriska would have to put a lot of distance between them in order to keep Rose from uncovering the truth.

And then there are the other trolls. Unbeknownst to them, their efforts to stop Jade would've actually been an internal struggle against one of their own. Vriska would shut them out entirely, not wanting to risk getting them involved with this. All the while, the "real" Jade never gets a chance to express herself because she has been constantly suppressed by an outside agent. Her shallowness would be by design, rather than a consequence of poor writing.

... But I think I'm getting carried away with this tangent. At this point I'm talking about an entirely different comic when this is supposed to be focused on Homestuck. Let's just move on.

So Jade knew about Sburb the whole time, okay. I don't know why it was presented like she didn't at first, but fine whatever. She still continues to be smarmy and coy while John continues to have rocks for brains. Every conversation between these two gives me new insights to the amount of bullshit I'm willing to endure to finish this comic.

I love this line from Dave. Can I get a so true oomfie?

Jade fumbles the SBaHJ reference when someone like Rose could probably recite the entirety of SBaHJ verbatim. In fact, if Rose had fudged up a quote like that, Dave would've shown her no mercy. He holds Jade's hand through it, though, because he's a dumb teenage boy thinking with his dick.

"i got served like a dude on butler island" is a great line. Also, Jade is dismissing Dave getting beat up by Bro as "drama" which, if we're meant to take Dave's domestic situation as legitimate abuse and not a joke, is pretty fucked up.

Dave repeating the whole meteor bit is shut down swiftly because Jade is incapable of keeping up with his patter. Not that I wanted the joke to be repeated anyway, but it's a telling example of how their dynamic works.

Even though Jade and John pesterlogs might be the worst combination out there, Jade and Dave conversations are also pretty damn bad. Dave is normally an entertaining character, but he's squandered in these instances. Jade offers no fun chemistry with him in the same way Rose, or even John sometimes, does. Instead of bouncing his jokes and sarcasm back at him, her obliviousness and naivete causes them to fall flat. She's less a springboard and more of a foam mattress (or smuppet ass, to use a more appropriate metaphor).

And since Dave has a crush on her and wants to appease, he rolls with it and moves along to the next subject without comment. It's like a painfully embarrassing comedy routine where one partner is letting the other flounder on stage.

The trolls act as if certain behaviors like laughing and sarcasm are exclusive to humans, despite us later seeing that such things are normal in their society. It's such a silly bit and I do like it a lot.

Karkat's trolling scheme really is the dumbest plan ever. Also some unfortunate foreshadowing for when he does eventually make shitty diagrams later on.

We needed more moments with the Exiles hanging out and getting to know each other, instead of being pawns to fulfill stupid plot contrivances. It'd make this side-plot infinitely more enjoyable to read.

Note how it's nighttime here when the previous panels with the Exiles were all during the day. This means they must have spent several off-screen hours together by this point. What were they talking about to reach a point where they're all chill with each other? Eh, Hussie deems it unimportant, so we move on!

This is actually a funny moment where Dave allows himself to be a bit of a jerk. I guess even his patience with Jade is wearing thin at this point.

Oh? Rose sounds a little jealous it seems. Dave and Jade get to have a relatively stress-free time playing server and client together. But Rose didn't get to have any of that quality time with Dave because he didn't install his disc until it reached a point where they had only seconds to save her life.

I'm once again thinking about how nice it would've been if Dave had connected to Rose earlier and we could've gotten a lot of banter between them as they navigated the game. Instead we get a lot of toothless slop with Dave and Jade. We were robbed.

Oh shit and Dave snipes right back. He has been getting ignored a lot by both Rose and John, so it's easy to see why he's frustrated. He's mad that Rose isn't putting him as her first priority? God, get a room already.

The last time we saw a conversation between John and Dave was 1,108 pages ago, back in Act 2. John has been ignoring Dave's messages since then. I don't buy the friendship these two supposedly share. If anything, it's extremely one-sided on Dave's end.

This series of pages where PM takes control of the console shows us all the key stuff from the walkaround. This makes it even more unnecessary to actually play it.

This love triangle between the Exiles gets no further attention beyond this moment. Personally I'd have solved it by making all three of them form a polycule, but unfortunately I'm not the one writing this story.

You know, I never gave it much thought before, but why is Grandpa Harley suddenly alive? He doesn't have a dreamself or anything. Nobody revived his corpse. He's just inexplicably wandering the Medium now. If this is ever explained later, I don't remember it.

I know this isn't Mom Lalonde saying this but man... I think it would've had more of an impact if she did say it. Rose never gets to see her mother again, so all she's really left with is this sobering moment of insight that, wherever it is Mom sailed off to, she's doing it for her benefit. That perhaps she's not the cold-hearted, drunken shrew Rose thought she was for her whole life and instead, was just a heavily troubled woman trying her best to be a parent. You never truly know the kind of people your parents are until it's too late, I guess.

None of the kids ever get any closure with their guardians and that's a shame. We never get to view things from their perspectives and they're just glorified NPCs. Bro in particular definitely needed some insight into his inscrutable mind, but Mom also continues to fascinate me. This woman is so full of mystique and contradictions, yet all we ever see of her is fragmented shots from Rose's (heavily biased) point of view.

I wonder what exactly Mom thinks is "best for her child," though. Helping her win the game, surely. She had to have been planning for this moment for most of her life, having known about the countdown in the lab. I wonder if she knew the full extent of what Sburb was going to do, where to go once she got there, and how to help the kids win the game.

Anyway, this panel is definitely a top 10 Rose moment. Or perhaps a top 10 general Homestuck moment, since it has to do with both Rose and Mom. I should be keeping track every time I say this line.

It's very cute how AR contributes to WV's model city. "Begrudgingly" oh come on dude, we all know you're loving this.

These imps must be weak as shit if they're getting bodied by a teenage girl with a pair of blunt knitting needles.

These are some awkward steps transitioning back into the main story, but I remember liking Act 4 the most out of these early Acts. It always stuck out in my mind as what "peak Homestuck" really is, so I can only hope things will get better as we move along. I will say that if we're devoting as much time to Dave and Jade fucking around with the Sburb mechanics as we did with John and Rose, we're in trouble.

Read the next post here.

[hervygervy]

Alright, so, in a previous post I talked about "plot differences," and well, I was massively overselling it. Obviously there aren't any real plot differences considering the scenarios are the exact same, but there are a couple instances of events being framed in a slightly different way. I already addressed one of them, that being that the tidbit of Dark Pit being unconscious while Pit was a ring is completely absent in the Japanese version. If you would like to read about that (and about Dark Pit's characterization between game versions in general), you can do so through the following link: https://www.tumblr.com/hervygervy/778851442755829760/hello-i-saw-your-pyrrhon-localisation-comparison

In yet another previous post, I mentioned that there's something interesting about chapter 18. That's what we're going to be talking about today! For whatever reason, the English version attempts to delay the reveal that Palutena's army is attacking humans, whereas the Japanese versions makes it apparent right out the gate. I know that sounds really basic, but I promise there's more to it. We know the deal by now! More below!

We already know how the level begins: all too conveniently, even though Pit's consciousness is trapped in a ring, said ring happens to be lying around the ruined overworld right where a little girl also just so happens to be to pick it up. And as it turns out, Pit can control the body of whoever's wearing the ring. Dandy. This allows us to briefly play as the best character in the game: the random little girl walking around a war zone unattended. Oh, there's dialogue I gotta talk about. Er, monologue in this case.

After some waddling forth we see some centurions descend upon a smoking town:

Hmm, yes, what a good idea. Let's force the small, helpless child to charge into a potential fight. I suppose he's not much better in the Japanese version...

I shall translate:

"Are those... Icarus?! So that means... the ones attacking the town are Palutena's army?! Why would Lady Palutena do such a thing?! At any rate, I have to hurry!"

I dunno if I've mentioned it before, but the centurions are called "Icarus" in the Japanese version. No, this doesn't make the game's English title make any more sense.

Anyway, that's the big difference between the versions here--in the Japanese version, Pit pretty much immediately deduces that humans are being attacked by Palutena's army. In the English version, Pit seems to be aware that something's amiss but takes the most optimistic assumptions one could possibly have in this kind of situation. Take the scene where we see Pit's body fly overhead, for instance:

It only takes looking right at another you to get the sense that things aren't right. Which is funny, because seeing another Pit walking around is really just a normal Tuesday. But in any case, he still hasn't picked up on the fact that his body is slaughtering humans. Of course, the opposite is true in the Japanese version:

And I translate:

"That's...! Crap, I think I'm gonna cry. What is he doing?! Me, I mean! Why am I attacking the humans?! Ahh, what should I do? What can I do...?? In any case, it seems I have to look for him. There's no other choice."

You get the point. Oh, and naturally, Japanese Pit never questions why Magnus is fighting centurions.

Okay, now let's get to some actual dialogue because it's relevant to the next thing I want to talk about. I'll share with you the conversation Pit and Magnus have the moment the level begins in proper. Even though the interaction goes somewhat differently, there honestly isn't much to really discuss concerning it. But I'll get there, so please bear with me:

And the Japanese version. We need it for reference for my next talking point:

Here's how I'd translate it:

Pit: Huh? We can talk to each other?!

Magnus: You're hijacking my body, so what do you have the nerve to talk about?!

Pit: It's okay! I won't do anything bad. I'll return it as unharmed as possible.

Magnus: Oh really?

Pit: But, you really saved me. Thank you so much.

Magnus: You... are the real Pit, right?

Pit: There are so many things I want to ask you! But I wonder where I should begin...

Magnus: Well let's start here. You've become the enemy of mankind.

Pit: No way!

Magnus: So you really don't know, huh? While the Underworld army and Forces of Nature were fighting, Palutena's army disappeared. That was three years ago.

Pit: Three years?! Three years, as in, a thousand days?!

Magnus: It doesn't matter either way. Things happen as they do all the same, after all. But, at that time, Palutena's army began to attack the overworld. Out of nowhere. The gods were supposed full of compassion for humans. Say, did the goddess Palutena go mad? What happened?

Pit: I don't know myself... I was turned into a ring. But, we have to do something. This is Lady Palutena we're talking about. Surely there has to be something we can think of!

Magnus: There's also the possibility that another army took over.

Pit: At any rate, we have to do something about that body. That's not me!

Magnus: So, you're saying your will is right here and your body is attacking separately? It's convenient in a way, Pit.

Pit: Don't tease me!

Magnus: In any case, there's nothing I can do. I lent you my body, so for now, go try to fight him yourself. I too planned on bringing your body down from the beginning.

Pit: It doesn't look like there's any other way so I'll try!

Magnus: Be careful that you don't beat him beyond recovery!

Magnus is still really hard for me to understand but I think I conveyed what he said the best I could. He just speaks in such a crude way for lack of a better word.

Anyway, you see what I mean, right? Sure, it's different, but what could I really commentate on? I'll tell you: at some point in the game's development, the English script for these scenes originally more closely matched how everything is framed in the Japanese version. In other words, English Pit was just as perceptive. There are even some leftover audio files for it! Here's one unused file that was for when we first see the centurions swoop into that town:

Oh, and they're janky af. Forgot to mention! And there's no echo filter. Fortunately this next clip has no talking over:

Everything's gone off the rails indeed. And now for the big one--the conversation between Pit and Magnus at one point followed the Japanese version more closely:

"As you can imagine, this was a shock to the humans." ...lmao, okay. Nobody talks like this.

It's still really janky... they keep pausing or talking over each other... or over themselves... takes talent to do that! Perhaps that's just the nature of being unused...

The script was constantly being rewritten and changed (apparently writers were in the room with the VAs to rewrite things on the fly as needed), so it's interesting that this iteration of this scene was able to make it as far as being left in the game's files. To be honest, I would have liked if some parts of this conversation made it to the final script. I like how "three years?! That's... over a thousand days!" is delivered. Very cute. The addition of "thanks for the math lesson" from Magnus is also funny and very characteristic of the English version. They really do like adding in jokes in areas where they were nonexistent in the Japanese version.

That kind of thing seems to be the trend with the English version. It's a lot more hammed up and goofy overall. The Japanese version is very blunt by comparison. Now, I'm not trying to dog on them, nor am I trying to say one is better than the other. With these posts, I only wish to talk about the regional differences because I personally find them interesting and want to share them.

There's also the fact that both scripts were written concurrently, hence why I never say "original" when referring to the Japanese version. It's also why I never declare something said in one version as canon over the other. Considering they were written at the same time, and how the game's director always emphasizes the mixed staff that was in constant disagreement when talking about the game's development, it's entirely possible that they influenced each other.

This is just my opinion, but given the fact that the Japanese script was written entirely by the game's director (the English script had a lead writer and a cowriter if my facts are correct), it's probably in the most accordance to his vision for the game, so in terms of determining characterization and canon, I'm a little more partial to the Japanese version. But as I just said, it's totally possible that the English staff had some influence on even the Japanese script, hence why I never want to make any hasty assumptions. These posts are just meant to be fun and informational at the end of the day.

Thanks for sticking with me even when I write a lot and am slow to post. I'm still hoping to make more (they'll probably be smaller posts since I'm running out of big things to talk about lol), even at this snail's pace. Once again, feel free to leave me an ask if there's something specific you'd like me to take a look at.

[ordinaryschmuck]

I saw a post about how Carmen Santiego has great character designs and diversity through race and body types. I considered it a good post and one that makes a good point...And then below it was a reblog about how a person went "If Carmen Santiego can have a diverse cast of HUMANS, then what the hell is up with Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss?"

First of all...What the hell do either of those two things have in common? They sure are animated shows, I'll give you that. Except that one's a children's animated spy thriller and the other two are adult musical comedy dramas in Hell. Stylistically and tonally, neither of them have anything to do with each other and you just randomly made a point because...you hate Hazbin and Helluva? Cool. Congratulations. Now get a new personality and just fucking watch something else if these two shows made your hatred this obsessed when you randomly attack a show through a post that has NOTHING to do with it. The OP wasn't attacking Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss. Unless they constantly attack it and they made that post to prove a previous point, something that does NOT come across in that original post, there's no reason to go "Hey, why didn't these completely different shows with their own styles take notes of this kids show with ITS unique style?"

And here's the thing: I like Carmen Santiego. I like the way that it looks, and I think its style really is unique compared to other animated series that have come out around the same time. And I do agree that it has a great diverse cast that shows off a lot of body diversity where every single character looks unique in their own way. But here's the thing: I would not go out of my way to attack other shows, to the point where I'd hijack someone else's post to say, "Yeah, this show is WAY better than this other one I hate." And if I had in the past...I'm sorry. I really am sorry. I hate that I acted that way and I will try to do better. Because that's what I do with media criticism or talking about stuff I don't like. I try to act BETTER than I have in the past because that's not how you talk about media. Whether you like it or hate it, it's never a good thing to talk about something you hate when the discussion is about something someone else loves. Sometimes it makes sense, as there are often two products that are similar to each other. Like Marve/DC, Star Wars/Star Trek, and The Owl House/Amphibia. Those are media where there's a lot to compare and contrast, with people being unaware that the main reason why they like the other basically boils down to personal preferences when it comes to consuming media. But with Hazbin/Helluva and Carmen Santiego, there's really NOTHING to compare and you're just going out of your way to talk about something you hate when it's not relevant to the conversation. It's like people who hyped up Puss in Boots: The Last Wish just to shit on Velma. Yeah, The Last Wish is a thousand times better than Velma, but there's nothing similar about both products that make the discussion worth it. You're just using something you love as a weapon towards something you hate.

I get it, people like some things and hate others. It's how we're wired as human beings and I can't stop that. Nor do I think I CAN stop it. But just feel like this is making media discussion worse when all we can think of to do when discussing something we love and bringing in something we hate into the conversation. It's not necessary, and you're feeding the creators that thing you hate by still talking about it. You want to know the best possible way to react to "objectively bad" media? Stop talking about it. Stop watching it. STOP ENGAGING.

If you don't fucking like it, stop consuming this piece of media and go watch something you enjoy instead. Give THAT your time. Show how THAT does everything right and sing its praises. Raise up this one thing that you believe is "objectively good" so it can effectively overshadow this thing you consider "objectively bad." There's a way to discuss media without shitting on something you don't like.

[crydentialzz]

PART 2 HERE hi hii hello!! twiddlefinger has been rolling around in my nbrain like marblses soo have my take on the disease :3 - oh also if u like this consider taking a peek at my fan species i made for the nuggets of the max design pro universe here - idrk what warnings specifically would fit this since this is more like a breakdown of the virus itself, but just be warned there are itty bitty mentions of blood. lmk some suggestions for the warnings tho, would b very helpful ^w^ - (i based this off of being a opposite (kindof) to hanahaki disease since they r both emotion related and hanahaki is probably one of the most popular forms of "illness-due-to-feelings" which i thought was cool. oh also b aware that this is all copy-pasted from a doc i wrote up at infrequent times at night when motivation was high. i went through the entire thing and made sure it was coherent, but i doubt i caught all of it so apologies in advance for any parts that may be weirdly written or phrased, feel free to ask questions to clear stuff up. if u guys like it ill probably post more. this in parts since its so long, this 1 is the introduction and first 2 stages of the illness. aaaaanyways enjoy!!!!)

Inquies cupidinem or it's nickname “Twiddlefinger” is a parasitic disease that hijacks the dopamine system in the brain that activates when in love, causing an intense obsessive drive to keep their partner with them by any means.

Instead of illness being borne of unrequited feelings / love, Inquies cupidinem is from requited feelings and its connections to obsession, greed and or desire for a partner (these all vary in intensity). It can also be created from requited yet repressed feelings yet to be expressed to an established partner (or partners), or even from an intense fear of their partner leaving.

The disease manifests itself as a type of parasite, often located in the Jugular Vein or hidden in the arteries and veins in the lungs, and appear as black, oily growths. Its placement in veins and blood vessels is due to the disease hiding in blood cells to travel around the body and infect their host fully.

Stage 1 The disease will start out small. Little things like a temporary sore throat, cough, lower / higher body temperature, and will last a few days (3-5 days). Slowly as the illness grows, the host’s physical appearance may begin to change in a variety of ways, most notably being thinning fur around a certain region or fur patterns changing color to become muddier / darker; for those with dark fur this will be the opposite, patterns will become lighter in color / washed out. This begins about 2-5 weeks into having the previous infrequent symptoms, mental health is stable, but the patient may experience moments of memory loss, fuzziness / brain fog or deja-vu. The infected may also start to have odd behavior around their partner such as stealing / hoarding items owned by their partner or asking excessive questions about things their partner likes (these actions all act towards getting closer to their lover which temporarily satiates any need for their partner the patient may experience early on). Stage 2

Thus begins the second stage in which the internal decay rapidly increases. The body is stuck in an internal fight, the physical constantly decaying and losing mass while the infection wants to keep growing, increasing mass and keeping the body alive with its growth and amplification of muscles (this overall leads to odd looking body variations, oftentimes looking somewhat muscular and dangerously thin at the same time). The host will get strong instincts / urges to keep their partner close, even escalating into violent overreactions when said partner interacts with others. This is controllable for the most part, but the feelings will only grow stronger the longer they are unaddressed or ignored. The sickness increases, now comparable to an elevated high fever; constant shaking, occasional dry heaving / throwing up large amounts of infected blood, high irritability and intense muscle spasms most commonly occurring in the hands and fingers (the brain will send signals to grab their partner and keep them close, think something similar to alien hand syndrome but a little more controllable as this command can be averted with other stimuli). In terms of physical symptoms, the thinning fur will have targeted one area at this point, covering it in the oily substance of the infection. The muscle and tissue underneath may begin to rot away as well, leaving exposed bone (if it doesnt rot immediately, it at least is very loose, barely connected to the host and has high chances of simply tearing away if injured or touched too much). This stage is usually where contact with the patient will be limited as, against their instinct and drive to be around their partner, they will most likely try and lock themselves away from the public in fear of harming loved ones, or depending on the patient's situation will spend less time around family / their partner often opting to cover the area temporarily and distract themself. At this point mentally, brain fog has increased; the patient will find it difficult to get their mind off of their partner as they slowly grow more obsessive, even revealing some OCD symptoms (notably “Pure-O”, “Real Events OCD” and “Relationship OCD” mix). Symptoms such as repetitive rituals, replaying events over and over / flashbacks, intense overwhelming feelings of shame / guilt / fear / embarrassment, worrying that actions have caused others harm, thinking they dont deserve their partner (or idolizing / putting their partner on a pedestal), and much more. The infected will also often experience Hyperthyroidism + Polyphagia symptoms as the obsession grows from just a want to a physical (carnal) need. This will occur directly after or in the middle of the 2-5 week time-frame for the second stage is up as the disease quickens its spread.

[misfitwashere]

ROBERT REICH

MAR 2

Friends,

A brief word today at the end of the sixth horrific week of Trump 2.0 (before I post my weekly cartoon).

After Trump and Vance’s disgraceful treatment of President Zelensky on Friday, some of you might feel ashamed of America. You might even feel ashamed to be an American.

The proper locus of shame is Trump and Vance. I’m ashamed that they, along with Elon Musk, are now leading our nation. I’m also ashamed that their Republican lackeys in Congress are enabling and encouraging them. I’m ashamed that Democrats in Congress are so supine. 

Yet I urge you not to give in to the sort of resignation or cynicism that believes nothing can be done — that we are powerless and have no choice but to watch our nation and everything it has stood for be hijacked by Trump, Vance, and Musk. 

We have enormous power and many choices. When the American people understand what is happening — as they are beginning to — no Republican in Congress will be safe. Even now, majorities of independents and Democrats, and even some 30 percent of Republican voters, believe we must stand with Ukraine. 

The fundamental choice has not been as stark since World War II: democracy and freedom, or dictatorship and tyranny. 

Trump and his sycophants are siding with the latter. The rest of us must loudly, proudly, and boldly proclaim our allegiance to the former. 

Trump is emboldening the dark forces of dictatorship everywhere. Taiwan is reporting more Chinese military drills around the island. 

Europe and all free people around the world must rally at this time of American emergency. If the United States won’t seize Russia’s frozen assets and put them into an account for Ukraine to pay for further arms, Europeans must do this and let Ukraine buy from European defense contractors. 

If you yourself want to help Ukrainians, you might consider United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations, including many important projects); RAZOM (an American NGO, tax-deductible for U.S. citizens, that cooperates with Ukrainian NGOs to support civilians); Documenting Ukraine (an initiative that helps give Ukrainians a voice, also tax-deductible for Americans); and Come Back Alive (a Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers on the battlefield and veterans).

A final thought. What we are witnessing from Trump and Vance and Musk — their bellicose bullying, their outright lies, their fear-mongering, their disrespect and disdain for others, their emboldening of dictators around the world — is not all bad if it awakens America.

The more Americans see and absorb the horrors of this regime, the greater the likelihood we will mobilize against it. Not all of us, of course, but the great majority.

As bad as this regime gets, it will clarify for Americans what is happening to this country, and what we must do to get it back on the track toward social justice, democracy, and widespread prosperity.

Yes, the regime is harming many innocent people. Its lawless cruelty is sickening. But there will be a reckoning.

I have always believed America is not a nation of bullies. We have protected the vulnerable, comforted the afflicted, granted refuge to those fleeing violence and persecution, and given voice to those who otherwise would not be heard. 

These ideals are found in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, Emma Lazarus’s poem affixed to the Statue of Liberty, FDR’s second inaugural address, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” sermon at the 1963 March on Washington. 

They connect us with previous generations of Americans who risked everything —some of whom sacrificed their lives — to preserve democracy and achieve a greater good. 

Do not feel shame in America. Feel pride in the ideals we share. Feel honored that you are an activist warrior on the right side of history. Feel strength in our conviction. Feel power in our cause. 

We will prevail against Trump — against his bullying, his brutality, and his barbarity. 

[alarrytale]

I’m ashamed to say it but I’m on Twitter quite often over the years and the homophobia allegations haven’t been a thing on there for a while now. Even with the denials, the comments were that they knew he was gay anyways. So many people commented that he didn’t actually deny it lol. His efforts just created more Larries from what I’ve seen there.

Harries hijack his articles or posts and say all kinds of things but that’s expected from them. There’s this breed of Zarries that are also particularly nasty. How people genuinely believe H & Z were and are currently in a relationship is mind boggling. But they’re there posting their “proof” under Larries comments every chance they get. It’s very odd.

The general public was very much involved in the grey hair debate & the Glastonbury articles but I didn’t see homophobia remarks about him, just that they didn’t know him or didn’t know that he was a soloist now. I think that is his biggest struggle, people don’t know him or they don’t know he’s still singing on his own. But you’re absolutely correct also when you say how he’s torn with this 1/2 indie & 1/2 pop music. And unfortunately the stigma of being a previous boy band member doesn’t exactly fit that type of indie audience, no matter how good his music is. Unfortunately, it’a going to be an uphill battle if he chooses the indie route.

Hi, anon!

I'm on twitter too, and i see it from time to time. It's always worse after the "denials" and i agree that most of the people who pull the homophobia card are people who don't like him for one reason or another. Having said that, i read the comment section on a Buzzfeed article after his last "denial" and the categories of comments from people (that i considered to not be in fandom) were;

"He's still on about larry? That's so 2013"

"Wait, there are still larries? Hahaha"

"He's so jealous of Harry’s success and he's namedropping him for clout, meanwhile Harry probably hates him because he's homophobic"

"Why can't people leave him alone about this already, he's obviously uncomfortable with it".

"Why is he so bothered? Someone explain"

"They obviously must have broken up, move on already"

I think most people do recognise that his "denials", straight confirmations and lashing out at fans is overcompensation, most likely from insecurity or from being closeted. I think the number of people who thinks L is actually homophobic is not a lot of people. Most of them are members of the queer community or have it out for him already because he's connected to H. Also, even if people don't talk about it as much anymore, doesn’t mean that they're not of that opinion. His past comments and denials is homophobic, even if he's gay and closeted.

About the indie/pop topic. I wonder how his next era will be in terms of picking a side or keep trying to be both at the same time. Do they have a goal, a plan and a strategy? We'll have to wait and see.

[whythehellnaut]

Why's Furiosa review

Not to be negative, but I do want to give my thoughts on Furiosa as well. It's another movie that sounds great on paper- a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road focusing on the deuteragonist, possibly making her just as iconic as Max himself, but where Fury Road was masterful in its execution, Furiosa is lacking nearly everything that made it's predecessor the success it was.

It starts out pretty well, with a prologue involving Furiosa's mother hunting her down when she's kidnapped as a child, resulting in plenty of gratuitous bloodshed, but once that chapter is over, I expected to see Furiosa as an adult, played by the cover girl, Anya Taylor-Joy. To my horror, we spend nearly an hour with Furiosa as a child, watching her do next to nothing, saying maybe 3 lines in total, and being far from the feminist hero I wanted to see, if not the stark opposite. Instead, we see Chris Hemsworth ham it up as the villain, who's charismatic and gives an entertaining performance, but feels no more despicable than any other villain from a similar post-apocalyptic movie. The plot is nearly an hour of Hemsworth playing politics with the villains of Fury Road, with little action or humor. It's borderline unbearable when you preemptively know what you want to see in this movie. This 45 minute chapter in the story could have easily been summed up in a minute long narration, which the movie doesn't shy away from, so it wouldn't be out of place. Think of how fast-paced Fury Road was, how the action was nearly nonstop through the whole film, and put that side by side with this, and it's a jarring difference.

I'll give it that the movie has great camera work and cinematography for the most part. Action scenes are greatly enhanced by the way drone cameras are used, especially in what is arguably the best scene: a raid on a moving big rig in the middle of the movie. But this scene, as cool as it is, illustrates traits that I dislike about the movie as well- in particular, it's hard to follow. It's not easy to identify who the viewer should be rooting for. I would have assumed we want Furiosa and her pale-faced crew to win, but I could have sworn I saw the white faces fighting on both sides of the battle. Furiosa spends the first half of the fight on the underside of the vehicle seemingly doing repairs, but she doesn't speak to anyone until the end, so I couldn't tell if she was helping the driver or hijacking him. How does the titular character get sidelined so hard in her own movie by characters whose names and personalities are a mystery?

This brings me to what I think is my biggest complaint, and that's the lack of characterization. I don't remember a single new character's name besides Hemsworth's. Furiosa hardly has any lines and remains stone-faced throughout. Taylor-Joy is a good actress who does a good impression of Charlize Theron for the few times she speaks, so she's being wasted here. She has a comrade, whose relation to her is beyond me. Is he her friend, boyfriend, acquaintance, blackmail victim? I have no idea, because nothing about their relationship is fleshed out. Furiosa herself is so bland throughout, compared to her previous iteration, and so lacking in her namesake fury, that I'm not even concerned for her. How do you take such a great character and waste her this badly? It frustrates me that she could have become an iconic character with her own series if they nailed this, but after all this time, it seems there are still no men in Hollywood that understand how to write female characters.

It boggles my mind that this movie cost $168 million to make and is considered a failure for making about $32 mil in its opening weekend. It was shot in a desert and has only two big names attached, besides the director, who is long past his prime. The visual effects are of noticeably poor quality, which might have been funny if it was an intentional choice like George Miller's earlier works, but it seems like they're actually trying to make the effects work instead of aiming for campy charm. I can only imagine that they padded the story with so much dull political drama that they dumped their budget into useless background effects for the extra hour of footage unnecessary for the film to work. This is something I'm concerned about in both movies and in gaming: companies are too concerned with making their products "big" instead of simply good. In their attempt to make an epic saga, they lazily came up with a big waste of time that I can't recommend.

[mayedays]

I keep trying to figure out why I’m still so irked by (a) what Tamsyn Muir is doing with John and (b) the fandom reaction to John (despite the fact that I’ve accepted, at least intellectually, that she means for him to represent both the Father and the Son and therefore he is not simply meant to be: a Christian projection of Christianity’s flaws onto the “God of the Old Testament” that needs to be fixed by Jesus (supersessionism FTW!)).

Warning for me spending a lot of time hand-wringing about something that probably isn’t that important and possibly me putting my whole foot in my mouth and sticking my nose where it probably doesn’t belong. Simultaneously! And possibly incoherently! [In case someone unexpected stumbles across this (and the previous paragraphs weren't clear enough) I feel the need to clarify: this isn't a callout post for Tamsyn Muir, this is me trying to work through and analyze my complex feelings about her work and the fandom response to it. As such, it may contain statements that are presumptuous and you shouldn’t read this post if that’s likely to upset you.]

I think there are a disparate things going on that continue to grate. I think one of them is that, as a Jewish Atheist, I don’t consider God to be real and therefore I don’t consider him responsible for Christianity’s sins (e.g. imperialism/colonialism, child sexual abuse, etc). I consider *Christians* to be responsible for it, so to have Jod be simultaneously a “Christian” Emperor, Space-Pope, and a diagetically unambiguously real God all at once...it feels kinda weird that they are all being conflated/merged into one character, since I only consider two of those three to be real and therefore accountable for the violence of Christianity (obviously there have been many popes and Christian emperors, I’m treating them as one for simplicity). I also wouldn’t want to blame Jesus for this, like, yes! let’s blame the Jewish man murdered by the Roman Empire for the Roman Empire hijacking the religion he inspired and using it as a tool of Imperialism, and then the British Empire also using it as a justification for Imperialism, etc!! And since John is also a Jesus figure, this is another angle where the choices seem weird, because I keep going “is she trying to blame Jesus for it?!” even though I know that that’s stupid and simplistic. Of course, if she genuinely believes/believed in God-as-told-by-Catholicism, then it makes sense that she would blame him (and Jesus) for Christianity’s sins--he’s an all-powerful figure! If he’s real and he didn’t want Christians to commit evil, why didn’t he intercede? But for me it just feels a little like absolving individual Christians of their choices

So: I don’t much like seeing a Christian author hang the responsibility for Christian violence on the Christian God/Jesus because it feels like its absolving the Christian masses of how they interpreted God and used God to justify violence. And I’m not entirely sure that this is what she’s trying to do...but it does seem that this is how its being received by the fandom, many of whom hate Jod with maximum vitriol (I am still bitter about the fact that the first time I dared venture into the John Gaius tag, I only made it to the third page before I  found a long character-hate screed that end with the writer hoping he would be tortured forever. I will always be bitter.) but often don’t hate the other Ninth-house characters with near as much passion. Abigail, and Magnus, and Harrow, and Gideon, etc. are typrically all approached with a degree of sympathy despite being implicated in the Nine Houses’ colonialism--they are not the people at whom the buck stops, and they are actively being prevented from understanding their world accurately by Jod, who is lying to the entire Empire.

Additionally, because I am a Jew and therefore a member of a group that has historically been one of European Christianity’s primary victims, I feel some amount of...idk, resonance? kinship? (is it presumptuous to say this? god, probably, but I hope any readers will bear with me while I try to explain further) with aspects of the Māori experience as victims of Christianity. Like, obviously there is a lot of difference between the experience of being Māori and subject to colonization and being Jewish and subject to Christian persecution, perhaps there is more different than there is similar, but both communities are still in the “screwed over by white Christian society” camp.

This in turn means that it feels kinda upsetting to see someone who is probably white (or Pākehā, more specifically--caveats on this in the next paragraph) creating a Māori man as a symbol of the moral transgressions of Catholicism and Imperialism. To put it another way, I probably would have rage-quit the series if John was revealed to be a Jewish character (who converted to Catholicism) instead of a Māori one. Maybe that means I have hopelessly plebeian (or pedestrian) tastes, but I would not be okay with a Christian writer doing with a once-Jewish character what Muir is doing with this Māori one (although, I suppose “Jewish person dies and becomes Christian God” is literally Jesus’s arc, so). So I’m kinda in a constant state of “what! the fuck! does everybody else know! that I don’t! that makes them comfortable with this!” and “maybe I’m just being absurdly rigid and dogmatic?!?”.

But to be fair, It is entirely possible that Muir could actually be Māori, and that she is simply private about her ethnicity/ancestry, which is her right. I agree that she has a right to privacy! And yet, this means I can’t put my anxiety to rest, because it puts Muir in a state analogous to a quantum superposition--because I can’t make the measurement, she is both Māori and not Māori at the same time. I could just cut the Gordian knot by saying “anyone can write what they want, but how they handle it is open to criticism, and one’s ability to handle fraught material is not solely determined by ones identity markers” thereby making her identify irrelevant (which I suspect is her view on the matter) but I can’t simply say that because while its true that anyone has that right and that perhaps identify should be irrelevant...that doesn’t mean they are entitled to me as audience and there are certain narratives I don’t want to read (if the makes my tastes hopelessly plebeian/pedestrian, so be it!), and I have to decide if I’m willing to risk reading Alecto the Ninth without knowing if Alecto the Ninth is going to confirm that this is the narrative she is writing. I think my best bet is to walk away from the Gordian knot by saying ‘I don’t want to read Alecto the Ninth’ (or ‘I won’t read it until someone with my same intuitions about this says they think its fine’). And yet, I just kinda keep spinning...somehow this doesn’t lay to rest this issue. I suppose its because I really do want to read it, and I keep trying to bargain for an outcome I can tolerate by reiterating the argument about why she would never write my worst-case (or adjacent) scenario. But I can’t control what Muir writes, so there isn’t any point in endlessly mentally bargaining with the universe. Its also likely that I don’t really believe “I don’t have to read this, I don’t owe her anything”. Because she’s right in that interview, marginalized authors really ARE put under greater scrutiny...and therefore I feel bad about refusing to read something because “it might offend me”. Obviously the loss of my single purchase for AtN won’t make or break anything, but I still have the sense that I’m being part of a problem.

And the stupidest part is, intellectually I can’t really bring myself to believe that Muir would be so crass as to make a Māori character as a scapegoat/symbol of Chrisitianity’s sins (or the British Empire’s sins) so he can be brutally punished for the catharsis of the (probably mostly white) audience. But I have Anxiety! The Condition and I also don’t really trust my own intuitions about this. Maybe its my judgment that’s borked, or there is an angle I’m overlooking.

And then of course there is the problem that I find some of (what I presume are) John’s emotional/self-esteem problems painfully relatable (which may be a sign that I’m just projecting) and therefore am doing a bad job of maintaining separation and so taking everyone’s hatred of him as judgment of myself (despite the fact that I have never done anything nearly as bad as John). So...that part is fun.

[slotumn]

How to you think the Ashen Wolves works?

I assume this is in context of my "Ashen Wolves as the Church's black ops team" so

A black ops squadron for Church/Knights (or any other faction for that matter) is not new, but it's not a single continuous organization because they were basically formed/assigned and dissolved or even abandoned as needed, and obviously there aren't public records left about them (not above ground, at least). Operations like those have always been associated with the Abyss however, for obvious reasons

Ashen Wolves are the latest iteration, formed after the latest assassination threat on Rhea from a few years pre-canon. More specifically, the Ashen Wolves as an institution in the Abyss was already there, but around 1178~79 it became the latest black ops force when Yuri agreed to work for Rhea to keep an eye on Aelfric

I say Church but in reality Rhea is the only one who has full knowledge of who/what the Ashen Wolves are and contacts them personally. That's always been the case for secret operations and operatives— only very few and very high up figures know about them

Both before the Ashen Wolves and now, the primary target of the Church's black ops are the Central Church's own members, other regional churches, or anyone with suspected Agarthan connections, but if nobles/officials of the three nations get involved with church affairs/Agarthans, then they can become targets too. In practice this means they do kill more than a few nobles/officials and do end up effecting national politics directly or indirectly because this is not a world that has separation of church and state + the Agarthans have been going around contacting power hungry nobles for a while

Their (both Ashen Wolves' and previous black ops squadrons') main method is to track and kill individual targets before they cause problems and make it look like an unrelated accident; Yuri's criminal connections and Hapi's sigh are very useful here, ex: oops they died in a bandit/monster attack

The caveat is that all this covert operation isn't effective if the problem is bigger than just a few individuals independently plotting nefarious things, ex: not only is Western Church hijacked by Agarthans/extremist on an institutional level, the rulers and even chunks of civilian population are sympathetic to the extremist rhetoric they peddle

Speaking of Western Church, their accusation of Central Church/Knights being behind the Tragedy of Duscur is related to the intra-church black ops and is semi-based on the truth. At the time, there were agents from the Central Church spying on the Western Church + Kingdom nobles involved with the Western Church, who found out about the Duscur conspiracy as a result. However said agents were 1. not behind the Duscur conspiracy itself and 2. got sniffed out and killed by Western Church first before they could do anything about it (but whatever they tried wouldn't have been that effective anyway, because again the problem ran much further and deeper)

Another caveat is that while the black ops are, again, black ops and never officially acknowledged by the Central Church, after 1000 years of it some particularly observant people do Notice™ some Patterns™, and will prepare countermeasures. But hey that's how all this intelligence/counterintelligence stuff goes

In my Garreg Mach Militaverse, the direct command and info about Ashen Wolves are handed to Byleth by Rhea before the battle of Garreg Mach; and considering that Byleth's army post-ts grow their forces through underhanded means, the Ashen Wolves come in exceptionally handy here

[randomclam24]

ESL

Update - Paul Joseph Watson is known as the zeitgeist of our alt-Right that's "really wonderful" for forward compatability In reality some middle eastern leader is quoted claiming that the European definition of democracy is a country run by jews In reality Europe is known politically as the society that could not survive American culture In reality these people who are coming out saying you're not democracy *are* the jews Update - I found the source of the projection https://www.smashjt.com/post/crazed-sweet-baby-inc-employee-says-their-goal-is-burning-the-games-industry-to-the-ground They conspicuously changed archive.is (Technically if these were tweets, which seems to be the basic unit That last sentence would be an update Update - an alternative was Stillio, it is impossible to share direct links, they must be downloaded and uploaded Update - The truth is, they're not crazed, the source for the leftists needing to deliberate

https://files.catbox.moe/v4tql8.png In summer 2021, it was probably surreal entertainment that released, basically, "do you want Mark Zuckerberg's Sweet Baby Ray's

Update - oh yeah this is the source of the welfare queen worship (hence we're living under a military firmament

(Not just SOAD - "We're all living in America" vibe is truly bad if about the people and not the military This is the country where the current is backed up after being deleted

Update - It's not just one time, and bravery doesn't exclude smarts, either: If you want to pick on a normie, consider pic related, which I titled "this doob" like the meme

Get the full page and zoom in

It really would be categorically Members Only

Update - So we're getting closer to Germ Theory being the ultimate cause for the Corona virus (fiasco

Some guys posted about whole milk being "triggering" read the fine print - it leaves those with weak immune systems vulnerable Update much later - not sure how I got roped into this, but black people on shoes All I have to do is mow the lawn - otherwise I wear sandals I actually chose recently All Star Converse update - tennis shoes Also, while the iron remains hot - I got my mom to get me a dinner SANDWICH for doing it having drawn it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnEQbKbNWEw on the previous topic. Update - I won't be here for immediate responses, but I used to keep Smarties cut with my thumbnail like a Pez dispenser to equate the sense of bile Update after mow - I'm starting to get the sense that the old game Acno's Energizer's BALLs has the Google Chrome logo appeal Update later - current pasta The Decline of "Oldfag Culture" and the Dark Influence of Zoomers on 4chan

In the digital underworld of the internet, there exists a realm that once stood as a bastion of unfiltered chaos, sharp wit, and unapologetic subversion—4chan. It was the birthplace of memes, the launchpad for subcultures, and a refuge for those who sought to operate outside the strictures of society. But in recent years, a new generation—Zoomers, or those born roughly between 1997 and 2012—have begun to infiltrate this once-pristine territory, altering the very fabric of its culture. What was once an unrestrained haven for the "oldfags"—those who navigated the site's darker, unpolished corners—has, over time, been slowly but surely hijacked by this younger, more easily offended generation.

This shift has not just been a change in membership demographics; it has been a profound erosion of 4chan’s ethos, from an anarchic, unrelenting force of online rebellion to something less recognizable, more curated, and dangerously fragile. The digital pulse of "oldfag culture" has been dulled, replaced by a new order that is often perplexing, disorienting, and—worst of all—predictable. The Rise of the Zoomer Infiltrators

For those who lived through the early years of 4chan, it was a place governed by an ironic distance from mainstream society. Humor was cynical, self-deprecating, and dark. Offensive content was common, but it was often wielded with a knowing wink—an acknowledgment that nothing was sacred, and everything was fair game. 4chan wasn't a space for niceties. It was a sandbox for chaos, where anonymity allowed the true, untamed nature of its users to thrive. "Oldfags," the veterans of 4chan, prided themselves on their immersion in the site's unique culture. They were the gatekeepers, those who could decode the endless layers of inside jokes, trolling, and subversive commentary.

But with the arrival of the Zoomers—those who came of age in the age of social justice, oversaturation of memes, and hyper-commercialized online spaces—the foundations of this culture began to crack. The new wave was accustomed to a very different internet: one that catered to their social awareness, political correctness, and easily consumable viral content. To them, 4chan was not the home of unfettered freedom, but a place to argue over boundaries and ideology, where "safe spaces" were suddenly in demand and "cancel culture" wasn't just a buzzword—it was a weapon. The Death of Anonymity and the Rise of "Performative Radicalism"

Anonymity was the lifeblood of 4chan's culture. It allowed users to engage in unfettered expression, explore taboo subjects, and embrace the most absurd forms of self-representation. The oldfags who built this subculture were proud of their facelessness. In a world of curated Instagram photos and endless Facebook profiles, they reveled in the freedom to exist without identity, where every post was a cipher, a throwaway fragment that could be made, broken, and remade anew.

But for the Zoomers, anonymity was a concept that didn’t resonate in the same way. Their lives were defined by the constant curation of their online personas across social media platforms. They were children of the algorithm, trained to post with purpose and with awareness of consequences. The anonymity that was once sacred on 4chan became increasingly irrelevant to them, as they began to reveal parts of their identities even within this most chaotic space. Whether it was their gender, their political leanings, or their unyielding need to prove how "woke" they were, the new generation began to reshape the culture of 4chan into something unrecognizable.

What emerged was the rise of "performative radicalism"—the idea that to be truly radical or countercultural, one had to display the most extreme and outlandish views for the sake of online clout. In this environment, the subtlety of humor, once a hallmark of 4chan, began to fade. What replaced it were shallow, shallow takes on complex subjects—posts that lacked the nuanced edge of the oldfags’ biting irony. Instead, the focus became louder, more abrasive opinions, curated outrage, and an obsessive need to fit into an ever-shifting set of cultural codes that often contradicted the very spirit of anarchic expression 4chan was built on. The Erosion of Humor and the Death of the Meme

Memes, as they are understood today, are far removed from the visceral, raw energy of the memes of old. A few years ago, when a new meme emerged on 4chan, it was a bizarre, underground creation—an inside joke built from a pool of shared knowledge and a rich history of in-jokes. It was a meme for the initiated, a symbol of belonging in a space that was intentionally exclusionary. The humor was dark, often nihilistic, but it was always self-aware. It was the kind of humor that only those who truly understood the absurdity of life could appreciate.

But the Zoomers—the children of viral social media and mainstream meme culture—are not interested in these kinds of memes. Their humor is louder, faster, and more surface-level. TikTok-driven memes are less about subtlety and more about virality, often driven by trends and challenges that lose their meaning as quickly as they gain popularity. The edge is gone. The crude and rebellious nature of old meme culture is diluted, watered down into easily digestible content for the masses.

The result is a twofold tragedy: on one hand, the humor itself has become less inventive, leaning into worn-out formats and cliches. On the other, 4chan’s original function as an incubator for subversive creativity has been extinguished in favor of increasingly bland, corporate-friendly meme aesthetics. The Fragmentation of 4chan and the Oldfag Exodus

The death of oldfag culture on 4chan is not merely an ideological shift—it has caused a mass exodus of the site’s original denizens. The users who once defined the tone of the platform have migrated to smaller, more niche communities, seeking refuge from the encroaching tide of new blood. They no longer feel at home in a place that has become dominated by the values of the very mainstream they sought to escape.

It is impossible to ignore the dissonance between the platform’s past and its present. Once a wild west of internet freedom, 4chan has now become a space where moderation, censorship, and groupthink creep in under the guise of "keeping the peace" and "protecting the community." The oldfags have largely disappeared, and in their place stands a fragmented collection of subcultures, each vying for attention in an increasingly crowded and sanitized ecosystem. Conclusion: The End of an Era

As the Zoomers continue to dominate the conversation on 4chan, the once unassailable fortress of oldfag culture fades into memory. The site is no longer the chaotic, creative powerhouse it once was, and what remains is a hollow shell, curated for a generation that, while tech-savvy and hyper-aware, lacks the irreverence and anarchic spirit that made 4chan a true online force.

The decline of 4chan's culture is not just a simple generational shift. It is a death—a slow, painful unraveling of a community that once thrived on the ability to speak freely, without fear of judgment or consequence. The Zoomer invasion has taken this freedom and turned it into something… less. Less raw, less daring, less dangerous.

And so, the oldfags—those who once stood at the vanguard of internet rebellion—retreat into the shadows, as the Zoomers take over the ruins of what was once their home. The internet, like all things, has moved on—but for those who remember the golden age of 4chan, the change is not just disappointing. It is chilling. The soul of the site, and with it the heart of online irreverence, has been suffocated by the very generation that claims to embrace the chaos.

In the end, perhaps it is only fitting that the decline of "oldfag culture" mirrors the rise of the sanitized, bite-sized internet we see today—shiny, quick, and ultimately forgettable. Update after above Temp Spawned from Stuart K Reilly's review claim of GBA Duke Nukem, I actually considered gauging the uncanniness of each port of Doom by how they rendered Deimos Lab Update - here's why I said it temp SNES won out Update - Apparently, the take on the sharty is that millenials are listing the trauma they are because they're in the mentality of just paying off their student loan Update - If you just sit there, the most active thing ever since daytime television is porn

[fallingintheforest]

'cuse me for hijacking this post, but this is my Thunderdome, and I have opinions....

While I think the Spring Court tends to favour fiddle and Celtic-style music, the Autumn Court is all about the classics.

re: previous tags - I def agree the Autumn sibs all are trained in an instrument or two. I do think they are all classically trained in piano, which serves as a gateway into other instruments. Although their skill level in piano may vary, they are all at least proficient.

I like to think Autumn is a very musically inclined court. They hold competitive music festivals that are as snobbish as they are prestigious, full of tradition and elegance. Nervously sweating in your finest clothing before performing is a rite of passage for most young Autumn fae.

I think most of the Vanserra siblings branch out into instruments like the viola, double bass, or lute. I 100% hc that LoA plays the harp, and Beron is an organist. I unfortunately also think Beron has a lovely singing voice (imagine the Captain from The Sound of Music).

Eris and Lucien, however, primarily focused on piano. Eris is good enough to be considered a concert pianist, and likely dominated at the music festivals in his youth. He probably gets invited back as a guest adjudicator. RIP the students in his class. Lucien, on the other hand, I think very quickly became sick of the "boring classical" stuff and loved to play blues/jazz and ragtime. Lucien just loves to jam out and has amazing natural rhythm.

HC that when they were younger, Lucien would constantly pester Eris to play four-hand piano pieces with him.

Honestly, the few good memories the brothers have are from playing music together. However, that doesn't negate that some of their most vicious fights were sparked from one of them consistently playing out of time. Let’s just say, each of them has had a tuning fork thrown at them at least once.

Lastly, I like to think the Autumn Court has its own symphony. Beron def has royal box seats. Attending a symphony performance is a major cultural event, and everyone dresses in their finest. The annual performance of the Second Waltz, complete with a complement of trained dancers, totally captures the refined elegance of Autumn society, and I go freaking feral for it

So you're telling me that Lucien lived with Fiddle-master Tamlin of the Spring Court for HOW LONG and he isn't proficient in pianoforte or lute or the goddamned harp or something and they didn't have drunken jam sessions into the wee hours of morning here and there?

[maxladcomics]

Deviantart || Ew who uses this || bluesky  || Overpriced Commissions (They are overpriced because I don’t want to do them btw)

ABOUT MAX

I am a Papyrus-focused artist, don't ask me about his brother.

I draw Papyrus-focused comics, and make Papyrus-focused lore/theories, if you ask or comment about an AU version of his brother there is a very good chance I'll kill him. 

- All my content will be free forever

- You can turn it into memes*

- You can make comic dubs*

- You can make a translation*

- You can reference it for your own art*

- You can make content based off of mine*

* Please @ me or msg me because I want to see it or link to it, unless it makes Papyrus stupid, then I don't. But I won't stop you from making it.

COMICS

Story comics - Comics that follow the lore/worlds/multiverse I have, foreshadowing heavy, generally. Watch out for the foreshadowing tag and see if you can find it. 

Shenanigans and Shitposts - FULL - Generally short comics about dumb things that SHOULD be funny, shouldn’t be any surprise angst, and rare foreshadowing.

Random comics and MTT Legs - Mostly short pages, extras to the story comics, creepy/horror type comics and angst, some foreshadowing, probably.

More recent comic pages - New storage page, will have descriptions on all the pages to let you know if they contain angst, swearing, etc

MAXTAGS

Maxart || Fanart || Friend art ||

Maxask || Maxramble || Maxstop - Asks with varying degrees of length, Maxask is my normal ask tag, Maxramble has at least 2 paragraphs and Maxstop is probably an essay if I knew anything about writing.

Reference - Undertale AU infodumps, designs, etc, the tag is Character reference because the reference tag has bots stalking it

Tutorial - Self explanatory

Undertale Theory - Generally essay level theory posts that gives the maxstop tag shame. Unhinged rambling and unimaginable stretches ahead, beware.

Undertale Bookmark - Important Posts that I want to be able to find later

MAX AU’S

I made my own versions of Underfell, Underswap and Outertale but there’s others I have blogs, or actual character references for: SwapfellMax - My version of Swapfell

Fellswap Purple - My version of Fellswap, some roles are swapped, mostly chaotic AU I threw all my ideas I couldn’t use, into. Undercurrent - AU where the monsters are pirates but not really GraveMistake - Horror themed AU, neglected to death [I lied, here’s a reference sheet] Gravel - Murder AU where the monsters eat dust for some reason..

FAVOURITE MYSTERIOUS PAPYRUS CONTENT

17

17 - unreasonable version

Papyrus being suspicious around light/fire

Papyrus is a liar || Papyrus is a liar full version

Papyrus has vaguely implied (with diversion tactics/LYING) that he has been inside the lab

Papyrus is the only one to change your entire GUI during the hangout/date

Papyrus repeating sentences intentionally -super vague implying he knows he’s in a game, which wouldn’t mean anything if he didn’t also imply knowledge of how events and characters also work in a game

Papyrus seems aware of the cameras around snowdin

Papyrus and Riverperson

Papyrus tells heaps of puns in the game

Papyrus’s battle body?

The number Three

Most important Papyrus meme

TO DO LIST

Fellswap comics/profiles That Child

Previous contest - Papyrus likes puns

Next contest - Unknown when, but it’ll be about Undertale Papyrus as usual