#i didn't want it to be identical to clem's

[cosmickid-inmotion]

Beyond a blank slate reader

Hello everyone! There's been some wonderful discussions about inclusivity in the PPCU recently and I highly encourage them to keep on! A lot of it how certain phrases can code a reader as white, like "you blushed" etc. It's important to try and make your reader as inclusive as possible!

But I wanted to share some stories that aren't just a blank slate reader, but are my attempt to make people not only not feel excluded, but specifically included.

A lot of this is stuff i wrote because I wanted to see myself, like jewish or transmasc readers, in fics. Others I wrote because I want others to have that same feeling. That not only can you put yourself in the story, but you can actually see it clearly there.

I'll be honest, this came after getting an anon calling me not one but two slurs (three? They repeated one with a shortened version lol) and I wanted to be EVEN MORE LOUD about writing trans characters. i figured why not highlight all sorts of things that readers might like to read that are hard to find!

I've also included anything I think is under represented, like Boston!Joel with no age gap reader, or plus sized readers.

Below will be fics with readers and OC's with different gender identities, race, ethnicity, religion, and disabilties.

Most are Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac, but there's some with the other triple frontier boys <3

And to be clear, there is NOTHING wrong with a blank slate. MOST of what I write is blank slate. But you can absolutly be descriptive as long as you are tagging properly! And you can write for more than just no descripters. I am white, but I have no desire to only ever write white characters. We can all branch out and learn.

I've asked this before, what representation specifically do YOU want to see? Drop in my inbox, and I'll consider it, as going forward I think I'm more interested in x oc rather than x reader.

Last year I tried to compile a list of explicitly non-white fics by other writers and only got two people replying so it didnt go anywhere, but I'm going to try again this weekend! That way I can highlight not just myself.

Moon Knight

Seattle (Series): Marc Spector x Jewish!fem!OC. Marc trying to help Rebecca leave an abusive relationship.

Both of Us: Marc Spector x muslism!fem!Reader. Reader and Marc expecting a baby <3

The Times, they are a-chang'n: Marc Spector x Jewish!fem!Reader

Steven With A Non-Verbal reader: Steven Grant with selectively mute reader.

Marc with a Plus Sized reader: Marc Spector x plus sized! reader. Reader

Her Hair Reminds Me of a Warm Safe Place: Marc Spector x Layla El-Faouly. I didn't add every Marc x Layla here but I wrote this one specifically for my friend Clem who is arab and curly haired like Layla and has so much joy seeing Layla and her curls on screen, so I emphasized Marc finding safety in her.

Moon Boys with an agoraphobic reader: Headcanons of a reader with agoraphobia

I wrote one with Steven with a reader with ocd but i cant fucking find it so if you see it lmk lol

Triple Frontier

If You Wanna be Wild: Javier Pena x Latina!fem!Reader/oc x Santiago Garcia. Javier gets a new partner, a young Santi, and they go after Lorea together. He does not account for both of them sleeping with the same prositute. Partway through, "reader" became more of an oc, but the description is clear. She's latina and Colombian, curly hair. When I start moving everything to my new blog I'll just edit everything as an OC.

Big Boys Don't Cry: Trans! Santiago Garcia x transmasc!reader

Santi With a Curly Haired Reader: Just what it says. Not explicitly POC but can easily imagine if you have curly hair no matter the race.

See more at the bottom about the leather and lace universe

The Last of Us

Darkness on the Edge of Town: Joel Miller x older!fem!reader. By older, I mean she's the same age as Joel in boston, post-menopause. Joel saves a woman from FEDRA guards and they are stuck together in his apartment during a lockdown.

Lights: Joel Miller x jewish!fem!reader. Jackson!Joel asks out Jewish!reader

About a Girl: Joel Miller x trans!fem!reader. Joel, a single dad of a kindergarten aged Sarah, meets Blue, and is instantly attracted, but he doesn't know she's trans yet. Heavy on themes of found family, domestic abuse to Joel, addiction, transphobia.

Joel Takes a Strap: Joel x trans!masc!reader. Is exactly what it says LOL

The River: Joel Miller x black!fem!reader. Sarah's mom reader, Joel and you lose your virginities together, Sarah is conceived.

Happy Birthday, Joel: Trans!Joel x male!reader. You and Joel pic out a new name for him.

Santa Joel-y: Joel Miller x plus sized!Fem!Reader. Joel is feeling down about his weight gain, reader cheers him up.

Narcos

If You Wanna be Wild: Javier Pena x Latina!fem!Reader/oc x Santiago Garcia. Partway through, "reader" became more of an oc, but the description is clear. She's latina and Colombian, curly hair. When I start moving everything to my new blog I'll just edit everything as an OC. Javier gets a new partner, a young Santi, and they go after Lorea together. He does not account for both of them sleeping with the same prositute.

Leather and Lace universe (Triple Frontier)

Putting this at the bottom because it's my baby and i know I promo it a lot so I wanted to give people a chance to see the other stuff.

Leather and Lace universe started with Just writing the series leather and Lace. I wasn't ready to let go of the characters i created, so I branched off with Frankie and Jana's story. now it's an anthology.

Each series can be read seperately, but are best all together because there are side arches. Each series is a different TF boy and their OC, each OC is wildly varied.

The full LaL masterlist with chronological pieces here if you want to read it all to date, OR you can look below for one that fits your tastes.

Please be mindful of warnings of each. heavy themes of domestic violence, rape, addiction, and child abuse are present.

Leather and Lace: Santiago Garcia x oc, Laci. The Tf boys find laci in Colombia, a victim of sex trafficking and they rescue her. She's deeply traumatized, but Santi is there to help her every step. Santi is coded to be autistic and is non-verbal often (more in the begining, she talks more as her anxiety eases.) and she has severe PTSD.

Take Your Time: Francisco Morales x oc, Jana. frankie is struggling to stay sober. Despite his attempts to push people away, Jana won't allow him to lose himself in addiction and depression, for his own and for their daughter's sake. Jana is a bisexual icon, and Afro-latina.

For the Longest Time: William Miller x OC, Lorelei. Lorelei and Will keep accidentally meeting. Suspicious and often judgmental, Lorelei is hesitant to let Will and his friends in. She learns she can trust them, and they learn she has a heart of gold and is the most loyal friend you could have. Lorelei is Vietnamese.

Coming soon... No Surrender: Ben Miller x oc, Cam. Join the tag list! Stuck in an abusive relationship and drinking heavily, Ben is just trying to get through this harvest and sell the family farm. Will calls in the only person he thinks can help his brother. Cam is Scottish and part Vietnamese (1/4), and has a hearing aid.

If any incorrect, outdated, or offensive langauge was used in any of these descripters, please let me know! I do my best to research and ask people in any groups I am not a part of, but I know things can slip through and I will never be above being corrected

Thank you for taking the time to read my works! If you are so inclinced, check out my event, disability visibility, to highlight disability awareness!

Follow @cosmic-kid-in-motion which will be my new blog! Im going to start moving things over there. Don't worry, ill keep things up at this blog for a long while, but if by chance you are seeing this list and links dont work, go over to that blog and i'll hopefully have this list with SO MUCH MORE I have planned, like marcus acacius x muslism!reader, and wheelchair user Santi!

[jynmelshian]

one of my main andor headcanons that i dont think is discussed much and might be controversial is that cassian chose to change his name from kassa, or at least he chose cassian. i started writing a fic about this back in 2023 that i need to finish but i think that as a kid on ferrix getting used to the change in culture and language, cassian had already developed survival skills sharp enough to recognise when he needed to change or hide or defend himself, and i like to imagine he deliberately took the step himself because he knew he was different and he knew he was unsafe - maybe this was consciously or unconsciously signalled to him by maarva and clem, maybe he knew that they wanted him to hide his kenari identity, i don't know exactly. but either way, cassian living on ferrix was smart enough to know he was out of place, and it didn't take long for him to realise he needed to fit in more to keep himself and the andors safe... that doesn't make it any better, it just gives him a touch more autonomy in his life and also fits his character, because i know for a fact that from a young age cassian was good at hiding. and living on ferrix just exacerbated those skills, whether maarva conditioned him to be that way or not. just my two cents.

[elizmanderson]

queerness in The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher

book description

when you’re an old woman armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles, stopping a sorcerer from wiping out an entire dragon-fighting organization is a tall order. no one understands why 83-year-old Edna Fisher is the Chosen One, destined to save the Knights from a dragon-riding sorcerer bent on their destruction. after all, Edna has never handled a magical weapon, faced down a dragon, or cast a spell. and everyone knows the Council of Wizards always chooses a teenager—like the vengeful girl ready to snatch Edna’s destiny from under her nose.

still, Edna leaps at the chance to leave the nursing home. with a son long dead in the Knights’ service, she’s determined to save dragon-fighters like him & ensure other mothers don’t suffer the same loss she did. but as Edna learns about the abuse in the ranks & the sorcerer’s history, she questions if it’s really the sorcerer that needs stopping—or the Knights she’s trying to save.

find it here

okay let's talk about queerness in this book

did a thread on twitter in which I said "cishet" five hundred thousand times so will probably get banned lmao but anyway I wanted to share it here too

especially since it's late in Pride Month and I have yet to post anything anywhere about it BEING Pride Month and me being queer and my books being queer, bc I've been burnt out af. so what energy I've had has gone toward planning and writing

anyway

I say "queerness in" rather than "queer characters in" because I want to talk about queerness in the book more broadly, not least bc I'm a queer creator & this is a queer book, but I've had a lot of impostor syndrome about both those things.

I figured out I was queer later in life & am a woman-presenting person w/a male-presenting partner. I've questioned my gender & sexuality repeatedly & ID'd differently over time, which is why I like "queer." I don't have to re-explain myself a dozen times. I'm queer. that's that.

but having figured out my queerness later, and having a relationship that presents as cishet, it took a long time for me to overcome feelings of ~not being queer enough~ (and sometimes I still struggle with them).

similarly, my MC is an apparently* cishet woman, unlike the MCs of many books that appear on queer book lists at this time of year. just like I took a long time to start really engaging with my community bc I worried I wasn't ~queer enough,~ for a long time, I didn't call this a queer book bc I worried it wasn't ~queer enough~. if people asked if the book was queer, I'd reply with a laundry list of explicitly queer characters rather than saying yes

fuck that though lmao. this is a queer book. let me count the ways

1. found family

as found family is so important to many queer people - by connecting us to our community, by welcoming us when bio family casts us off - found family is central to REMARKABLE RETIREMENT. while there are queer romantic arcs, the found family is the most important relationship in the book.

2. queer labels

some characters get explicit labels. Benjamin is gay. Clem is ace. queer labels are important bc they give us the ability to describe our identities and experiences! however...

3. undefined queerness

while labels are important, queerness isn't about fitting into new boxes. it's about smashing the boxes apart.

even if characters don't have specific labels applied on-page, they're queer. they don't need to claim a specific label for that to be true.*

*caveat that some media avoids using labels to pander to queer audiences w/implied queerness without ~alienating~ cishets by stating "this character is Not Cishet"**

that's not what I mean

I mean e.g. in OFMD queerness is inherent even if WORDS like queer/ace/etc aren't used. OMitB is another example (specifically Mabel) and Good Omens is yet another.

**caveat to my caveat that some media is queer-coded & avoids queer labels rather than being explicitly queer because network execs or whoever won't allow explicit queerness.

this is not the fault of the creators. sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.

but anyway.

in REMARKABLE RETIREMENT, several queer characters are queer without using specific labels.

in some cases this is bc it doesn't come up or isn't important to them to express in the moment. like Clem is bi, but she's not worried about being bi. she's worried about being ace, because she's still kind of questioning that about herself, and she's worried it might cause problems down the road if her crush is >:[ about her not wanting to have sex. so she uses the word "ace" to describe herself in this scene but not "bi," even though she's both.

in other cases it's bc they don't have the language. Kiernan's sense of attraction and desire is described in a way that seems graysexual or demisexual (or both), and Red's sense of desire is described in a way that seems ace-spec, but neither of them use those terms, because neither of them know those terms. despite the lack of terminology, many ace readers have identified multiple ace characters based on description or experience. the lack of a specific label doesn't make those characters less queer.

similarly, some characters have not yet had this realization about themselves. which leads us to...

4. questioning

okay, back to my first asterisk of the post.

Edna is by all appearances an old cishet woman.

for most of the story, that's how she seems. that's what SHE thinks, even. she's a cishet old grandma adopting every queer young person she can find.

BUT THEN

Clem explains aceness to her

and Edna has a brief crisis bc wait a minute this sounds like her??

ultimately, Edna has too much to worry about right now to spend time questioning whether, at the age of 83, she might be somewhere on the ace spectrum

so it doesn't come up again

but that moment of crisis is THERE, & that too is queer

5. queernormativity*

I write queernorm worlds, largely bc I viscerally hate coming out lmao

it doesn't mean everyone's a queer scholar

like Clem has to explain "ace" to Edna, bc Edna thinks blankly of a deck of cards & doesn't understand what that has to do with sex

but it DOES mean queer folks get to just be and do

*caveat that this is not remotely to imply that a story is less queer if its world ISN'T queernorm

it's just a way in which MY story is queer

6. all the queer characters

not gonna do a list (even though my original idea for Pride Month when I was young and optimistic and thought I'd have energy to do it way back when was a list of queer characters), but virtually every character in this book is queer in one way or another

on twitter this is where I ended because 6 seemed like a good number for Pride since June is the sixth month, but tumblr gets a bonus

7. the author is queer

happy pride, buy my queer book

[mrwoeful]

some Augustine x Henri headcanons

errrm at some point there will be NSFW but dw there will be a warning <3 mentions of homophobia and how horrid it was for gay ppl to live at the time :( also these are general headcanons too

Feel free to discuss!!

I see a bunch of people complaining about this ship about it being cheating cheating but let's take period typical homophobia into consideration. What if Augustine simply married a woman and had a child to keep his sexual identity safe?

Now I don't think Augustine did this on a whim. Cause in my mind, his wife knows about Augustine's situation, and she may be queer as well.

I know this is far fetched but hey.

They both clarified that they could have relations with others, because the sole purpose of their fake marriage was to keep suspicion away from Augustine or from the both of them. Even if it meant having a child.

Now In the game Augustine never mentions his wife, only his son. And the toy he bought for him.

While he does have a photo of both of them, it's possible that he has it so no suspicion can be pointed at him for being a homosexual. (Because being a homo at their time was not a good one

like "no, he cannot be gay. Let's point the finger at someone else." Type of deal. He's an imposter to the straights lmaooo

While Henri isn't a married man, we think, he's just vulnerable to "accusations" of being a man kisser.

Augustine would hang out with Henri as much as possible. They might have been friends before the war. Dare i say even when they where children?

Honestly with how these guys act I think henri lived with his mother and Augustine loved his father. If frictional games won't give them a past, I fucking will!

"But woeful!" You cry, "why would Henri trick Augustine if they where lovers??" Ah, I believe it is a few simple things. Trust, and a basic set of skills that he knows Augustine has. In the beginning of the game, Augustine has managed to stay stealthy the entire time, even going as far to sneak up on germans that where shooting at Henri.

That's some husband material amirite?

so Henri had all the right to believe Augustine would return safely. But when that wasnt the case, you knew henri felt horrible and throwing up from nausea almost at any minute. Eating repulsed him, even.

Now we have to deal with the monster Henri (accidentally) created.

Now! Let's get into more romantic settings!

So these two would find any breaks they could have in a war just to hang out.

I believe these two where definitely in love with eachother just way to fucking scared to admit it.

Like?? It's possible to be thrown into jail, killed, tortured, etc. Just for having feelings for the same sex.

It was worse for other countries I bet.

Enough history lessons! I just get so hyperfixated on the history of WW1 and amnesia the bunker's setting in history.

However they trusted eachother very much, and they have confessed their love to eachother at some point. Which is why I am to believe that Augustine was so adamant that they'd survive the war together. Introduce Henri to his wife as his new lover.

But. Y'know. That never happened. But atleast it did in my upcoming au :]

Mitski songs for these mfs (especially I bet on losing dogs. Please it fits them so well)

These two would lovingly prank eachother. Alot. Pissing in your partners flask is a weird sign of affection but we know that Henri still loves him after that.

they would tease eachother a lot, others in the bunker would shrug it off as boys being boys. Bros being bros. Doing it w the homies yk

Henri calls Lambert lamby or lamb, and Augustine calls him clem! But only when they where in a private and safe area.

they would sneak kisses sooo often <3 they didn't want to get too affectionate in the bunker or they'd get caught. They'd give eachother those come-hither eyes, flirting with nothing but body language and looks they give eachother.

you know that one mlm cover of Mr sandman oh my god,,,

Oh yeah I headcanon that Augustine's a himbo. Like. Look at him. If henris a twink then Augustine is a hunk.

SMUT WARNING!!! LEAVE RN IF YOUR UNCOMFY 👿👿👿

Man these two make me go feral ok hold on.

Shenji's NSFW headcanons of these goobers made me go insane it made my mind go wild I???

Henri is definitely a crier in bed. Dacryphilia is making me write this. I'm sorry. But he's so whiny and vocal it drives both me and Augustine insane.

These two definitely are muscular. But c'mon. Henri's a twink through and through. Doesn't mean bro is weak cause reminder, he can carry a man 😭

Augustine is more built though, henri definitely stares when they are in the locker rooms changing. I'm drooling thinking about it. Augustine knows though.

Stop staring Henri! You twink! God,,,

These two sneak out at night, and go do some wild things.

i just searched that condoms where made in 1916. The military would be insane not to make use of these since condoms can carry a literal gallon of water. Anyways yea these two do it safe 👍

Henri is a solid 7 inches, but Augustine is a monstrous 10 inches. He laughed at Henri's reaction cause it was definitely a lot like his wife seeing it for the first time.

That thing is a fucking ass stretcher oh my god. Henri had to stay with the doctor for a bit cause he ached so hard after the first time. Augustine felt guilty.

Wall sex. Alot of wall sex at night. Messily making out as Augustine plowed that twink.

henri has to keep his mouth shut. Since he's so vocal and whiny teehee

Wanna know where Augustine gets those hickies? Yeah most of that is Henri biting into his neck to muffle himself. Henri does apology lick though, tbh Augustine doesn't mind at all.

But Augustine sure loves teasing Henri any time he can, and Henri lightly scolding him for making him moan so loud. Henri makes toe curling noises though??

If it was possible Augustine would listen to nothing but henri's filthy moans.

These two are very sweet to eachother though, but they do talk about getting. Rougher with eachother.

Dude at some point henri thought about being nothing but having his mouth as Augustine's cum dump. This came to reality so everyone's happy.

Dude Augustine would be such a dom. Maybe more of a soft dom?

Please the idea of Henri in some sort of shibari or bondage. Drools.

Augustine is lucky he gets to pound this twink.

Henri is lucky to get pounded BY this himbo.

But erm yeah

Thats all I can think of for these guys aughh pleaseeee can we talk about these guys more.

[thewolfruns]

001, a convenience store past midnight. (clementine & your choice!) @waywordhearts

clementine should've known better. or done better. what would her mama've said if she'd heard that little tiny palmer had swindled that nice movie actress like that? only she hadn't called home in awhile anyway, maybe a couple of weeks, because she was getting sick of operating as more of a celebrity gossip column than a daughter. and then she felt guilty about that, worried she was getting above her raising, so she put it off even further. until her daily calls were every other day. then one or twice a week. then not at all.

she couldn't even call now if she wanted to. mama thought she'd finally become somethin' and even though that was a double edged straight razor at her old salon station, she didn't dare be the one to break the news. not when the palmers now had a champagne appetite on a kool-aid budget. perhaps that was more craven than stealing, but clementine was a coward as well as a crook now thanks to billy. the cops would let mama know soon enough anyhow.

and fucking billy, whom she'd betrayed her favorite client for--a woman who was vapid and boring and did way less philanthropic work than was advertised by her reputation yet still gave clem a leg up--he'd left her on the side of the road. she didn't even have her purse, her salon tools, phone, none of that shit. he'd shoved her out of the car before she could even get her seatbelt on after they'd stopped for a roadside piss. he'd even been driving a few miles an hour when he'd done it. probably figured she'd die or get caught.

instead, she rubbed the arms of her leather jackets and was grateful she'd stashed a few thousand in hundreds in her pockets (just for the thrill of it) before they'd cut out of louisiana. it was after midnight and colder than she was used to when she finally found the convenience store/gas station, like an oasis in an old looney tunes. there was only a couple of cars in the parking lot, and she figured she didn't have to worry much since her former benefactor wouldn't realize she'd been swindled 'til she got back from ibiza next month. maybe she could find a new identity by then. man, she really was a crook.

nobody was outside, so she went in the store, announced with a sing-song bell, and grabbed a bag of gardettos, a stick of jerky, a gatorade, and a beer before heading up to the counter to wait behind the only other customer she could see. any town was a lot farther than she had any mind to walk and she really had nothing to lose. "'scuse me," she cleared her throat and gave the stranger a tap on the shoulder. she tried her best to smile and not look desperate, but any fool would know she was on hard times. "i'm sorry to bother you, but i'm not from here--" she wasn't even sure what state she was in, if she was to be honest. "d'you think you could give me a lift into town? my boyfriend and i got in a fight and he left me a few miles down the road." no sense in mincing words.

[sister-claire-critical]

While I empathize with Yamino for not wanting to drag this comic out for her own health (I ended up dropping a project that was important to me for similar reasons; still hurts me to this day) - it really feels like this story, after spending YEARS fleshing out every detail of its world, is just going to beeline towards the end.

I actually liked the story's slower, more meandering pace. Character moments interspersed with worldbuilding details and little crumbs of a plot. But Sister Claire, largely, didn't feel like it had a throughline you could follow (what even was the main goal of the entire story? Is it just curing Thronum Mare? Was that ever established? Is this Clem's goal or Claire's?*), so now that it's heading for the end, it's like tripping down a hill and hitting your head on every stone along the way.

While it is probably quicker from a production side to put all this Rosalie stuff in the MiMos... once again, if you're just reading the comic, all this feels like it's coming out of nowhere. Rosalie's stuff should never have been relegated to MiMos. They could've written this in a way where Rosie's stuff could've been better integrated into the main story - because this IS main story stuff! SO much is happening in this MiMo, and it feels like they're really rushing through the idea of Rosie deprogramming the Helsings - something that takes TIME and EFFORT and PAIN to do.

I would also like to say, for anyone out there aspiring to tell a story - learn from Yamino and Ash. You can have big worlds, but you don't have to let your worlds spiral out of control. You don't need to explain every little detail. You can have romance, but you don't need to pair off every character that's ever breathed in the same room. Plan your beginnings and your ends (and some of your middles), but let things happen naturally. Let them breathe!

*I'd like to slide in here that I liked the idea of Claire struggling with the weight of Clem's identity and accomplishments and expectations. I like the idea of her wanting to do this, but her way. But it kinda feels like this struggle has been lost, and that this is Rosie's story now.

I totally agree about learning from this! That's largely why I engage in this discourse—I think analyzing what went wrong and why is not only interesting but useful. If we're going to sit around and complain about this thing, we may as well learn something in the process.

I try to steer asks in a constructive direction with my responses on this blog. I hope it is not too disruptive to the discourse and of course anyone is free to disagree with my conclusions. But I'm not very interested in negativity for negativity's sake—although venting serves its own purpose.

Sorry for digressing. Thank you for your submission!

—Mod Marie 🌸

[mightymelancholy]

Disclaimer 🛑: The story of "Meadowlark" isn't complete yet, I'm simply analyzing the current songs. Also if you're gonna be a part of the fandom don't be demanding of Keath or weird, especially with the four child characters.

These were some of my starting theories for the two songs. Plus the one by amanda-519 which I think was more on point lol I know now that "Harpy Hare" at least is probably about a mother who's overly protective of her children that others begin to tell her that sheltering will only hurt them. My initial thoughts on the past songs:

"Hartebeest" trying to eat a rabbit

"Harpy Hare" a bird keeping secrets from the hare.

My analysis from a few days ago for the two new "Songs of Origin":

"My Farewells to The Fields"

Yarrow a white corymbose Eurasian flower. First Cole then Clēm, Perrine, Kingsley and all together they “Where the yarrow grows”. They all seem fond of the flower, like they're re-remembering wonderful memories together. Next Vole sings “Find me beneath the Grove”. With less gentleness and saying home almost in desperation to remember the Grove they used to reside.

This chorus of the song is where we see the potential trauma of Cole or the tradgey of the in-universe tale. “The hills were left quiet and I am in hiding. They've forgotten, they've forgotten. I do not want to see”. The hills usually filled with chatter and laughs were now quiet. Cole presumably hid when they entered the Grove and noticed the silence or was already there and there was sudden silence. Either way they hid and what ever happened that day ended, everyone forgot. Maybe due to the distressing event being one the people rather forget. However, Cole didn't want people to forget they didn't to be the only one to remember.

“I could hear and that's enough. The clashing of the hoards. Hoof by hoof, horn by horn. Raging song and an encore.” Now left to their thoughts and with no one to confide in, Cole is being tormented by the horrible clashing and enraged song (shouts and violence maybe).

Then both Cole and Clēmentine sing “I could barely speak. I could only hum a tune And with that I am with a chorus I am soon”. The two or the characters they're singing about both experienced similar shock to whatever tradgey. Shutting down they only hummed. And once hearing of chorus of the raging song again or of something else they're again surprised by how soon their time has come. This could be in line with “Bird Cage Blue and Yellow” with how the future is inevitable and scary. However, sounds more calm or else expectant of this outcome while Cole wanted to practice caution to avoid it.

“Sought and safe behind a wing. My farewells to the fields. To the man made of straws. To my name”. The character searched for someone, either a literal bird or just a symbol of freedom that guided them. The person or thing that helped Cole probably protected them for some time or once they left the hills then entity was already gone. Cole says goodbye to the fields, and to their name. Their identity of the past. I don't know much about “the man made of straws”. I believe this could be the one who brought harm to Cole and the Grove or possibly a friend they left behind.

"Bird Cage Blue and Yellow"

This song focuses on Clēmentine wanting to be free from the baroness (lowest ranked peerage: holding a honorary title). The baroness seems to have some wealth considering how Clem is dressed along with keeping the bird in gold cage.

Finndu mig i framtidinni is Icelandic for “Find me in the future.” Clēmentine wants to be found by someone who won't cage them again. Who won't puppet them. Hoping in the future someone will understand and listen to them.

And Rōdd eins oh bjalla heldur okkur öruggum frá framtidinni Icelandic meaning “A voice like a bell keeps us safe from the future.” Bells are meant to alert people, this is a warning to what may come. And the bellringer which Clēmentine’s goat mask and themselves represents. The goat wants to keep them safe.

While Clēmentine wants to be found, Clem and Cole are cautious probably due to how scared and nervous Cole was when recounting their or the Harkers origin in “My farewells to the fields”. Clēm: In search for freedom while both them and Cole are cautious of the future.

Malayang Maya Filipino meaning “free sparrow”. And malayo-layo means “far away”. When Kingsley and Perrine sing this part Cole and Clēm chime in to say Rōdd eins oh bjalla heldur okkur öruggum frá framtidinni. It's a response to Kingsley and Perrine. Yes, a sparrow is free but the world is dangerous. Even if you go far away the past (baroness and the raging hoards) will come haunting.

Summary:

The past (Cole/Storyteller) shows fear and anxiety in “My Farewells to The Fields”. Probably because they already experienced the past events and wanted to warn people with its stories. Clēm seems more passive in its warnings of the future. Maybe knowing the audience has been warned in the past by Cole, so whatever happens in the future is no fault but the listeners.

Clementine's song in Songs of Origin is so interesting to me!! I had to theorize about what it means. Do spoilers for the song!! I'm going to analyze each and every lyric to understand what Clementine's childhood was like.

Starting off with the lyrics:

"Bird cage blue and yellow"

The lyrics start off with a bird cage, something that traps which is supposed to be free. I think in this song the bird cage is Clem's old home, and bird, in a sense, is them. I think the entrapment is more emotional than physical, but I'll get into that soon.

As for "blue and yellow" I think it symbolizes opposing emotions, like blue for sadness and happiness for yellow. Maybe it describes how sometimes Clemie was happy in the house (but still trapped) and sometimes sad.

"Candles warm and windows bare" continue on his dual nature. The candles bring warmth, but the bare windows suggest that Clem felt vulnerable, or isolated. It represents warmth but also exposure/emptiness.

"Tracing upturned smiles of portraits/drawn to disappear" the first line could be read in two ways I think. The first is that Clemie is tracing the smiles on portraits because they don't feel happy/feel that it's fake. Like, that the smiles are fake or forced, and that outside of the portraits they disappear.

And my other interpretation is Clemie's family used to be happy, but maybe something happened (like a death) and the smiles that once existed in the photos are now gone, ans Clemie is reminiscing on them.

"Flowers never talk, they never want/they never need" this line suggests to me that Clemie was seen as a flower. Pretty, but neglected (which is more clear in the next verse).

"In a cradle gilded, they are left/to rot yet never bleed" again I think in the song Clemie is the flowers. They were treated as something precious but neglected. I think the neglect is mainly emotional, since the sing also has themes of isolation. Like Clemie was left alone or maybe even isolated from other people.

I also think the "never bleed" line is about how Clemie wasn't supposed to show their pain. Like they're been "left to rot" yet they're expected to "never bleed" (show pain)

"Eyes of silver, mirror, mirror/Thread on wood and steel" These lines actually threw me a bit. Clemie has silver eyes, and this is a shot in the dark, but maybe Clemie's parent(s) also have silver eyes, and the "mirror, mirror" part is the parent seeing themselves in Clemie, and thus thinking they are beautiful, but neglecting them or keeping them away from their peers?

I'm not quite sure what "Thread on wood and steel" is supposed to mean. Maybe something mechanical that contrasts with Clemie's natural association with flowers?

Maybe it's about how Clemie was woven into a harsh, unfeeling life?? Like, wood and steel being harsh materials, and how the rest of the song is about how Clemie was controlled in their previous environment.

"Keep what can be kept" this ties to into my (mostly unfounded) theory that Clemie is the child of a dead parent, and their other parent, in a effort to preserve the dead parent, is "keeping" them, maybe even putting them in a glided cage, something pretty but still a cage, in a effort to protect them?

"And heave to see which one will kneel" this line suggests some kind of fight for control. Maybe Clemie eventually got sick of living in a glided cage and tried to fight back?

"I've been told to wait/but why should there be silence" finally! A less ambiguous line. Maybe Clemie, after getting tried of living in a glided cage, rebelled, and was told to wait/be slient. I'm not quite sure what they're being told to wait for, though. Maybe it's more of a general dismissal, like "ask me about this later" when "later" being "never".

"Dawning pretty laces/Weaving capes of gold/and framing muffled faces" these lines tie into the rest of the songs themes, with beauty, weaving, gold, and being silenced.

I think Clemie's parent(s) had a lot of money, and thus they lived a life of "luxury". They were seen as something pretty, like a flower, and wore pretty laces and gold, but their issues were silenced (muffled).

"I can be different" this line suggests a breaking of a cycle. Maybe, since Clemie's family was rich, they were expected to act a certain way, and this is them claiming that they're allowed to be different from their family.

"I can't be puppeted!" (Funnily, I actually missed this line the first time I wrote this out because I was going off the description lyrics, and the description is missing this lyric).

Pretty self explanatory. Clemie is saying that they can't be controlled. This is they fully fighting against their "gilded cage".

"Garden evergreen/was what I thought I would see" garden symbolism, which ties into Clemie's nature/flower symbolism. Maybe when Clemie was young they liked their home, but as they were controlled more and more, and isolated, it became both "yellow" and "blue". But they once saw it as a place of peace/growth.

"Branches meet my steps/their kisses open up ravines" As Clemie walks through their home, now feeling controlled, they find branches. Maybe the "garden evergreen" they once pictured has died, and all that is left are branches.

"Their kisses" could represent their family or parent(s). How they might try to comfort Clemie, but all it does it create a bigger wedge (ravine) between them.

"Fences frozen in a dance/they're yet to perform" this could symbolize how rigid Clemie's old life was. I was pretty stuck on what "fences" could represent.

A wall between them and the outside world? A boundary? A barrier?

And how that ties into the rest of the line/song.

Like did Clemie feel like they had barriers in their previous life that made them frozen? What about "in a dance"?

I eventually settled on the idea that this line implies tension between freedom and restriction. A fence is a boundary, but it's ready to move/dance, but it's frozen. It's yet to preform, but it wants to.

"I leave the house and the Baroness/buried in before" this all but confirms that Clemie came from a house with money, maybe they're the child of a baroness?

Or, it might not be so literal, with the baroness simply being Clemie's mother that is strict on them, playing the part of a baroness.

The "buried in before" line represents Clemie leaving behind their old life.

The line "Finndu mig í framtíðinni", according to Google translate, means "find me in tbe future". This could be Clemie saying that they have completely abandoned their previous life, that you will only find them in the "future".

"Rödd eins og bjalla/heldur okkur öruggum/ frá framtíðinni" means "A voice like a bell/keeps us safe/from the future" this line is really interesting to me.

The "voice like a bell" represents, to me at least, the Bellringer, someone Clemie feels a connection to and looks up to. Though I'm not sure "keeps us safe/from the future" in this context means, why would Clemie need to be kept safe from the future? If what they're left buried is the past? Maybe Clemie just feels anxious about the future.

--

In conclusion, to me Clemie's song tells the story in which they grew up in a rich house (maybe even as a child of a baroness). They were seen as pretty, but emotional neglected by their family and isolated.

At first Clemie liked their life, but as they grew up and their family became more controlling, they found that their life wasn't "evergreen". They started having conflicting emotions about their life, feeling trapped inside a glided cage, but still warm.

Until it becomes too much and they start rebelling against their family, until they finally run away.

What do you think? If you have any ideas/thoughts, please send me an ask or reblog with your thoughts!! I loved the new songs so much!! Who knows, I might even do something similar for Cole's song!

[nihilismtrcit]

teen marnie likes: thrift store finds, comfortable footwear, layering, long ass skirts, and a good oversized tee

[northern-passage]

do you mind if i ask why the language for various sexualities/genders doesn't exist in the tnp world? i'm curious about the authorial/worldbuilding choice - not trying to make any argument - and i'm just wondering if it's because it's meant to emulate medieval fantasy, or is a commentary on the world itself, or because the words we use are very rooted in historical context that wouldn't match up with the history of the tnp world? thank you!

when i started planning stuff for tnp, i knew i didn't want to have any transphobia or homophobia in the game (or racism or sexism for that matter) because i wasn't interested in writing anything "historically accurate", or whatever it is they're calling it these days; while i wanted the game to focus on realistic heavy topics, i still wanted it to be a bit of escapism, and to not have that kind of bigotry present. instead, i knew i wanted to focus more on classism and how that would affect the characters who have all lived at the bottom of the ladder for the entirety of their lives, and how the conflict with Gael, as well as the plague, would more directly affect them due to the actions (or inaction) of the rich.

so i had to think about how this society would look - would it be genderless? would there be a binary like we know it? to be honest, i don't know. i decided to keep the gender binary in tnp because that's what i was comfortable writing, and it's easier to relate it to our world and the identities that we know. i tend to avoid the "genderless" thing because it's difficult to conceptualize - i always see people struggling to fit in real world sexualities in these settings, with characters often described as having "masculine" or "feminine" features, which is something i don't particularly like, considering what that kind of language can imply about real people.

so i chose to stick with something familiar, though the binary in tnp is nowhere near as rigid as ours; there are a lot of people that exist outside of it (like Noel, Clem, and some versions of Lea) and i imagine there are far more identities than just "man," "woman," or "nonbinary." that's why i don't get too specific in those choices in game; nonbinary is not a unified "third gender", and not everyone who exists outside of the binary technically calls themself nonbinary, especially outside of western white society.

these identities in the tnp world are widely accepted, and always have been. children are encouraged to explore and challenge their identities as a sort of coming-of-age milestone - this is briefly mentioned with Lea, but it's the same for everyone. it's a discussion the hunter would have had with Jorah and Rodrick at some point, too. and i debated about not having gender assigned at birth, but again, i ultimately decided to keep it for the sake of being able to relate it to our world. while someone may be assigned male at birth, they will still be encouraged to challenge that when they get older (and just like real life some people will know at a very young age what their identity really is) and that realization and change is, again, accepted and encouraged.

the tnp world doesn't really use trans as an adjective, you are just a man or a woman or a person. the word transitioning is used, but never as a descriptor. body diversity is normalized & it's just... common for women to have a penis, or men to have vaginas, and it's just as common for them to get bottom or top surgery as well. it's not something the people in this world even think about. i don't know how realistic this really would be, if this were real - like i said, it's difficult to conceptualize what it would really be like, especially when trying to include real world identities that have been so shaped by history and our society. but basically trans and gay people have always existed within the tnp world, and unlike a majority of our history, they've always just been accepted.

and because of this i chose not to use modern language simply because i feel like it doesn't fit. again, im not aiming to be historically accurate, but why would any of them call themselves queer when that slur would never have even existed for them to reclaim in the first place? why would f!Lea call herself gender non-conforming when there are no expectations of gender presentation in this world? i'm not going to pretend like it's perfect worldbuilding - my main goal was just making it relatable & understandable to the real people that will be reading it. f!Lea being butch/gnc is emphasized because while it's accepted in the society of tnp, it's not accepted in ours, so it was important to me to point it out, even if it's not something that makes sense within the setting. and obviously i do think there would still be language specifically for the gay community - it's still a community, and they still have unique experiences that only other people that are part of this community would understand, even if they are accepted elsewhere. but creating an entire new vocabulary wasn't really something i wanted to do, to be honest. in general, i imagine people just saying "i prefer men/i prefer women/i have no preference" and that being the extent of it. i also think the discussion around being trans would be extremely casual.

like i said, i don't think i'll ever directly use the word bisexual in game, i don't even think i'll use gay - but that's why i've made certain deliberate choices, like giving Merry a same-sex partner from the beginning. before i genderlocked her, i made a specific variable that would flip with whatever the player chose, because i wanted to make it clear that these characters are not "playersexual" and that gay relationships are normalized. Lea, too, has a.... "relationship" with Shoshana, that varies depending on player choice. Rafe and Harper have a romantic relationship as well. Rodrick is trans, and that is something that is potentially important to a trans hunter - that they had a shared experience, with Rodrick helping them through the process. Rafe and Jackal are both nonbinary main characters that exist outside of just the romance options. Merry casually brings up hormone potions in front of everyone, and i also deliberately made the hormone potion be one of the items the hunter recognizes in the alchemy shop. and the real diversity win is Lord Duncan also being gay. lmfao. i despise when people refuse to "label" their characters, so doing it this way i knew i wanted it to be painfully obvious and undeniable, and not something people could ignore, even if i don't ever directly use the word "trans" or "gay" or "bisexual"

and all of that to say that i don't want it to come across that i think the lgbt community, in real life, only exists due to oppression - i'd like to think we'd always find each other either way, and i imagine the tnp world has a vibrant gay community. but i also think it would be inauthentic to not even consider how the setting of the tnp world would affect the language or experience of these characters, if that makes sense. so i try to walk a fine line somewhere in the middle, even if that results in some of it being inconsistent.

[noddytheornithopod]

it ends now

Gentlemen Prefer Fronds

oh hey it's the hank green episode

"Sign these adoption papers!" Good thing Tobor wasn't there

Not too much to say, was alright. Kind of a slow start but it turned out decent enough. Also lol, the orchid figured out Hamster and Gretel's identities.

Sock It To Me, Bailey!

wait the lunch lady does lunch at elementary school too?

wait lunch lady is wearing the new totally not sus headphones too???

hiromi continuing to have it rough, now she has an angry mob on her because people need their totally not sus headphones because trends

Earworm is getting revenge on Taco Crunchies with... an army of children. At least use teenagers, they could do way more physically. :P Amazing for being such a creepy villain (targeting kids certainly doesn't help there :v), he is awfully pathetic. His family's right, he is a loser.

wait did the remix one of the fireside girls action motifs

also fuckin earworm on his throne, what a guy

That was a good one, Bailey got to show everyone what she's made of and save the day with her own nerdiness and being unable to mindlessly follow trends. Hooray for dirty laundry... I guess.

No Powers Day

Some interesting ideas, like subverting how the lesson is conveyed with Gretel thinking Kevin set everything up, but in practice it was just kinda eh.

Everybody Loves Main Computer

Also kinda eh. Didn't really care about the whole thing here, and while there were one or two decent gags (Hamster's theme song gag and the dog disguised as a human), overall I was just like "whatever".

Gretel Keeps It Reel

I mean I think Vikings did make their presence known in Scotland at some point so maaaaybe you can live out your Viking heritage fantasy, Kevin.

Fish was on Kevin's head for three days? How is this guy alive?

there's freshwater sharks, fake dan

Another one that isn't much to write home about. The swan guy being the villain was honestly pretty obvious. Also some pretty cringe gags, definitely flashing back to the MML days.

Squeaky Friday

what's with bolgyvanian products, bolgylvanian this, bolgylvanian that

also, steroids

Alright ep, a couple neat moments and a new move revealed for Gretel, but otherwise not too much else to talk about.

Gran Slam

Abelita's back, and what do you know, this episode was actually good. We got to see the Grant grandma and how different she is, but hey despite being bitter towards each other, they got along in the end so they can do the vow renewal for their kids. Also hey, even Clem Clam can find love... well, that lady will hopefully keep her word to him.

The Art of Deception

You know, Hiromi not wanting to be an artist while having artist parents is kind of a neat twist on this idea.

the school has a doomsday club, and fred is the only member, k

Wait Hiromi's parents are Amy Sedaris and... Alan from Sesame Street? Huh.

Well, that was interesting. Some truth gas shenanigans is fun, and there was some actual funny moments to come from it (also Hamster and Kevin being sweet to each other). The Tanakas are interesting, because as said usually the kid wants to defy the "boring" job the parents want from them and do art, but instead the parents are artists. But then, they're also clearly into "high" art, so they probably look down on the stuff Hiromi actually did like doing. They did have some resolution at least, though I do feel like the whole "Hiromi was held to a high standard and criticised constantly" doesn't come up at the end. It is kind of bittersweet if you account for this fact, which I'm not sure the episode actually does. Also makes you wonder if all the other stuff she did was more out of obligation than any real passion. But hey, they're open to her pursuing journalism, cool. Also, Hiromi is SERIOUSLY obsessed with the superhero stuff. We're gonna have problems... this will be interesting.

Miss Direct

yeah take that tree to jail gretel

yeah the journalist lady definitely has an agenda since she's trying to make hamster and gretel sound bad lol

Well shit, things sure escalated. The journalist has disguises, Hiromi gets Hamster and Gretel but they say nothing, only for the journalist to get DNA samples anyway, Hiromi puts on Fred of all people to try the disguises and Kevin accidentally reveals everything. Shit, things are escalating.

Trading Faces

Shit, that was a close one. The identities were protected, but Hiromi now knows for sure. Gretel doesn't trust her now, and understandably so. Impostor is defeated, but that was surprisingly tense and a close call, huh? Anyway, Mordros is here.

Who's Afraid of Mordros the Annihilator?

wait gravity boots, are we ripping off ratchet and clank again???

well shit that was pretty epic, why did this show suddenly decide to be actually good at the end

Okay so uh... that was actually pretty good? IDK if the rumours of them having to redo the ending because they might not make anymore are true, but they certainly made it feel like a series and not just season finale. Like, Gretel's song at the end when fighting Mordros felt reminiscent of Curtain Call from PnF (look I'm not a fan of how Milo Murphy's Law turned out, but now I feel kind of bad they never got their own ending song/montage), and they outright called back to the intro with Kevin's van. Oh, the aliens mention an even bigger threat but that's either just a joke or a reference to storylines we may never see because the show has presumably ended because it's easier for Dan to focus on just PnF now. So Mordros... Alfred Molina managed to do well in the role, even getting a song. Not surprised he turned out to be wackier than intended, he did remind me of Mitch from PnF, big suit for little guy, British accent, you get it. So he's just a chinchilla who was part of a space project who got sucked into a wormhole, grew sapient and super powerful, and is now just throwing a temper tantrum across the universe by destroying planets. But because he's mad at humans specifically, he wants to just turn everyone into chinchillas as revenge. 8 billion extra chinchillas suddenly appear, IDK what the heck that's gonna do to the world. We see Fred, Bailey and Kevin as chinchillas, but Gretel thankfully gets to the device before anyone embarrasses themselves (okay, eating the plot relevant photograph is pretty embarrassing, hope that's still not in your digestive systems) and he turns everyone else into them. Okay, the twist with Kevin actually being important in the aliens' plans was neat. Like, with all the previous failures, they needed a strong ally that would be able to help Hamster and Gretel succeed and make it out alive to properly stop Mordros, so Kevin not getting powers was intentional. Sometimes the biggest superpower is being an overprotective big brother. Also, Fistpuncher coming to help Destructress was a nice beat. So the old lady living at the apartment complex being Mordros' owner was a cool twist... to a degree. I feel like I actually would've liked it more if she actually was able to redeem him, so it would feel like less of a gag where he just fakes out and freezes her. Dan, I know you're a comedy guy, but you don't need to bathos your way out of everything. :P Also, we're not really sure what the concerns the aliens had about Hiromi amounted to. If I were to guess, they probably thought she would draw Kevin's focus away from Hamster and Gretel, meaning he wouldn't be there to protect and save them when they needed him most... or something. Look, the aliens are weirdos, they even explained why we never see them (because our heads would explode if we did). I'm still saying it's an unresolved plot thread because they were clearly setting something up but never properly resolved it. But yeah, besides a few small hiccups, this was surprisingly good, especially as a season and possibly series finale. Surprisingly epic and tense, and resolved all the major players in this season in a mostly satisfying way. The show as a whole was mostly just okay, with episodes ranging from mid to somewhat decent most of the time, but there were occasional standout ones and some characters did end up being likeable and interesting enough to be worth seeing in this show. These final few episodes with Hiromi trying to learn of Hamster and Gretel's identities and then fighting Mordros was definitely the best the show got. They probably just put in more work because it's the finale, if they did another season one day I'd expect it would go back to the same stuff for the most part, lol. But hey, was at least worth seeing for a few moments like these. Oh, and Kevin and Hiromi never kissed in the end. Boo.

Time to watch Season 2 of Gretel and Hamster. Unfortunately, Disney+ doesn't have it up yet, so I'm gonna have to watch it in other ways.🏴‍☠️

Hakuna Ma Kevin

"I'm still single." Good to know, Veronica.

hey it's richard ayoade, wait didn't he defend graham linehan or some shit, is nobody safe

Fine start. By the end it was decent enough, though I do like the premise being set up that all this stuff for Kevin made him snap. Would've been nice if we got to see more of that. Villain was appropriately goofy yet creative. Highlight was probably Veronica desperately looking for love.

The Great American Telenovela

Not too much to say, pretty normal HaG fare, nice to use the telenovela setting. La Cebolla also actually using onions for combat too.

Lair Necessities

kevin u can say bullshit it's ok, maybe u need the lair for that in case the parents hear tho

Okay making the lair and stuff was neat but honestly didn't care much for the villains, it's like we just stopped to attend a less interesting plot before they could tie it back into the superhero lair thing. Hamster also makes lairs singlehandedly now I guess. :P

Tobor or Not Tobor

nordle drunk on milkshakes, lol

Alright ep. Tobor was good. Nothing too extraordinary but it was interesting to see Nordle after the S1 finale. Were those combat maneuvers Kevin told Gretel when Tobot lost it properly set up? IDK.

Evil Upheaval

"Dr Heinz" did people lose their shit over this even if this Heinz is a brain transplant guy apparently

adult ball pit

oh yeah the therapist is bailey's mum right, also huh she's voiced by debra wilson, cool

Well, status quo shift for Destructress and Fistpuncher. Was neat to see that development, but again, no too strong feelings here.

Ay, Ay, A.I.

Heh I thought that voice was familiar, the crossing lady is voiced by Carol Kane aka Nana Shapiro

Okay ep didn't seem like it was gonna be much but the whole robot crossing guard taking its job too seriously angle was pretty amusing. Pretty obvious commentary on AI and automation and stuff with the cliche "human touch is missed" stuff, but the silliness of the premise made it worth it.

Stress Brawl

was that a hamilton reference, also yeah makes sense it would be expensive as fuck

wow kevin is doing the fake date to try and make it look like he's moved on, rip, also wait pamela i thought you ran off with some other guy earlier

also funny that pamela is voiced by hiromi's va

wait is the lunch lady bolgylvanian

Okay this is the best ep so far this season. I did notice before Hiromi seemed to have a lot on her plate, being involved in a lot of school related stuff, but it's more than even I expected. The stress ball monster was a great addition, weird monster of the week but also represents Hiromi bottling up her feelings and being a people pleaser. And even if they didn't really get to say anything to each other, Kevin at least knows Hiromi's been struggling. Also accidentally fake dating someone who screwed her over in kindergarten, RIP.

I Love Luchie

dave x luchador?

Honestly not too bad! Was nice to see Luchador showing signs of reforming, or at least him being nicer out of the ring, and also the twist that the actual villain was his new partner.

The More The Meteor

So they introduced the new big bad. Cool, I guess. Neat space set pieces. Not much else to say TBH.

My Hammie Vice

did the ostrich make a chicken noise

Okay ep I guess, I did find the conflict of Hamster not being taken seriously kinda contrived tho, cuz it never really seemed to be an issue before. Like I guess he's never the one really suggesting anything, but he never really said much. Eh, whatever, shows like this always do this. Hamster's mob pal was aight I guess. The outsmarting each other at the end was also kinda amusing I guess.

Last Fred Standing

lol the calendar says it's april 2024... in the flashback... so hamster and gretel is in the 2030s... except it isn't... because it's clearly just a mistake...

why are fred's glasses purple in some shots now

OH IT WAS INTENTIONAL, THEY WERE SWAPPED OUT, FUCK

fredrick sucks, hiromi's right, fuck this shit

Ep was decent. Different side to Fred here. The things she'll do for impossible bottles (inside impossible bottles), huh? I know it was kinda the point but the rivalry was kinda dumb. Might've been better if Fred just ditched his ass (and maybe stealing her bottle anyway). The subplot with the main characters was amusing enough.

From Dust Till Dawn

little abuelita is actually... cute? rare case of this for the kids here

she's right, piranhas actually aren't bloodthirsty swarm hunters lol

hamster x dust might otp

also huh kimberly brooks voices her, hey jasper/allura/many other roles

oh so this is also in spring lol

Heh, that was nice. Abuelita episodes always seem to be hits it seems. Hidden family trauma discovered that's then resolved. Kevin does point out why her own abuelita didn't just tell her directly, but if it was a note like that, I guess this was a realisation late in life. Also weirdly works as something discovered only now because of how everyone refuses to touch them. But yeah, this was a nice story, and a surprisingly enjoyable villain (which Hamster seems surprisingly smitten by, or at least her capoeira moves).

I Think, Therefore I Slam

why is the credits text orange

fred cannot resist the cuteness of her cousin and her cousin's bestie

wait have we seen bailey without glasses

That was neat. Another appropriately silly villain, and while the message was pretty cliche and standard kids show fare, it was at least nice to see the "cool kids" were acting just as much as Gretel and Bailey were trying to.

Thanks, But No Pranks

wow not one but two different additional animation styles this ep, someone's feeling experimental

Buildingcraft????

This was neat enough. Pretty predictable, though the final act where they had to stop the prank guy was cool. Hooray for Bailey using structural knowledge to save the day, lol.

[trans-ylvania]

I posted 2,102 times in 2022

That's 1,045 more posts than 2021! (whoops)

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#& then 1/2 of the lotr drum instrumental (i have a band concert tonight + we're playing movie scores i dont listen to this regularly afjgk)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

HE STICKS HIS TOUNGE OUT WHEN HE SIGNS AUTOGRAPHS KILL ME NOW

178 notes - Posted October 29, 2022

#4

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#3

WAIT A FUCKING SECOND

241 notes - Posted November 30, 2022

#2

MY BABY (OUR LADY OF SORROWS: A ZINE ABOUT GERARD WAY AND QUEER IDENTITY) IS OUT NOW!

READ HERE!!!

thank you so so so much to everyone who contributed i love you all so much:

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252 notes - Posted October 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

our lady of sorrows: how has gerard way helped you with your queer identity?

hey queer ppl!!!! would anyone want to be a part of a gerard way zine!!!! (collage/writing/poetry/artwork/literally any and everything???)

786 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

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[werewolfnoir]

What's the symbolism for the tooth for your OC?

Thank you for being kind and indulging the request I put in the tags LOL but now I realize that I need to explain the context behind it and it's complicated! So I wrote a short version and a long version.

Short Version: The tooth isn't actually Manuel's, it's Clement Moses' (@holo-tape's character). It's representative of when Manuel betrayed Clem and also of the hurt that he caused him. It's also a vow and a reminder that he never wants to hurt Clem in that way again.

Long Version

Manuel is besties (and lovers) with Clement, but this wasn't always the case. When the two of them first met, Clem introduced himself under a nickname, Hoss. He had every reason to do so--Manuel had just tried to raid his caravan with his bandit gang, and Clement Moses was wanted by the NCR with a bounty of ten thousand caps.

The raid was intercepted by Legion, and Manuel and Clem were captured and in transport to the fort. Manuel escaped with Clem in tow, and they were forced to work together to free themselves from their chains. Shenanigans happened over the next few days where they slowly grew fonder of each other, they eventually freed themselves and parted their separate ways.

Jump forward in time a bit. Manuel has been looking for his posse for a few months, as they seem to have fled the area. He didn't know that after he was captured, they were all hunted down and killed by the NCR. He'd been trying to save up caps for a while to make the journey out east, believing that they may have fled to the mountains to escape the NCR. He and Clem encounter each other again, and decide to travel together to Freeside.

They visited a fight club, where Clement Moses is a top-billed contender. Clement Moses has a notorious reputation as being a big, mean, tough-as-nails-bastard, with tall tales to match. If someone defeated Clement Moses in the ring, they'd get to collect on the 10,000 cap bounty. It's here that Manuel learned about his companion's real name and identity, to his shock and surprise.

Manuel then debated whether to turn Clem in for the bounty and use the funds for his journey to rejoin his posse. His posse had been his surrogate family for 15 years, but he felt himself becoming more and more fond of Clem with each passing day. But he didn't like having to contend with these feelings. The Clement Moses he knew was nothing like the legends spoke about, and he could take advantage of this.

Ultimately, he made the uneasy decision to pick his posse over Clem--after all, he told himself, it was foolish to believe that he could be anything other than a bandit. As soon as he made his move, though, he regretted it. He ended up knocked out one of Clem's teeth in the fight. As Clem was dragged away, Manuel saw him brutalized and made a spectacle, and he realized that he wouldn't be able to live with the betrayal and hurt he had caused.

The next day, Manuel went on an ill-planned rescue mission, completely upsetting order in Freeside (and the betting pool that had been constructed around the fight club). He didn't care if Clem forgave him--all he cared about was Clem being free. He was successful, and managed his way to talk his way into an agreement, but paid with his own freedom and one of his ears.

You made it all the way to the end, have a drawing for your troubles!

[ryelasreviews]

Watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

"Eternal sunshine" is a metaphor for ongoing peace, happiness and carefree life. So in full "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" is describing the happiness and joy one can experience once the negative experiences (or "spots") have been removed from the mind.

SPOILER ALERT DISCLAIMER: May contain scenes and references from the movie.

Let's be clear. Watching this movie even when you're not "broken hearted" can make you tear up.

I've watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind about three times (and I will watch it more if time permits to do so). Everytime I watch it, the more confused, sad, angry, and happy I get. This is a movie that will make you cry and laugh and make you think of the possibilities of erasing someone from your memory.

This movie was made on 2004, and knowing what kind of technology we have during that time, it's not surprising why this movie was a hit. Seldom we see these movies that have some type of 'sci-fi tech laced with love' subject. Joel and Clementine begin a relationship post a train journey together, unaware that they had previously been in a relationship, the memories of which were clinically erased.

Let's talk about the cast... Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, I never would've thought that they would have this chemistry (for me). Their roles on the movie is far fetched from their usual. Jim Carrey being the ever being happy-no-worry-guy, and Kate Winslet always being Ms. Beautiful and Graceful. But in this film, Jim Carrey was somehow the shy, submissive, (sometimes pathetic) guy, while Kate is a carefree, impulsive girl with a strong personality. Both are completely opposite. But somehow on the film, it didn't feel too 'cliche' of how they met and made each other fall in love.

Like all couples, nothing is perfect.

(It's kinda tricky to write the summary since the movie goes back and forth from past to present, but here's a clear order of how it went)

It all starts when Joel goes to a beach party with his friends Rob and Carrie and meets this green-haired, orange-sweatshirted girl named Clementine. That night, Clem breaks into a house with Joel, but Joel gets scared and leaves. Still, he's drawn back to Clem, and he goes to see her at Barnes & Noble, where she works and where they officially start a relationship.

We only know a little about the next two years, but they're mostly happy. There's a hike through the woods in the fall, a trip to a drive-in theater, a parade of elephants.

But eventually things stop working out so well. Joel and Clem lie in bed arguing about communication, and when the two eat out, Joel thinks they are the "dining dead." They argue about having a child, and they argue even more when Clem comes home late, having dented Joel's car. Clem leaves and shortly thereafter goes to Lacuna, a medical business specializing in erasing memories—and, well, she has Joel erased from her memory.

Joel buys her an early Valentine's Day present to make up for what he said to Clem, but when he goes to her work, he sees her kissing some random guy and acting like she doesn't know him. Confused, Joel goes to Rob and Carrie, who tell him about Lacuna.

Joel goes to Lacuna himself, finds out the truth, and returns determined to do to Clem what she did to him. He collects (almost) everything that he has associated with Clem, and the Lacuna professionals, Dr. Mierzwiak and Stan, map his Clem memories using these objects. That night, he takes a pill and crashes on his floor. Patrick (another Lacuna technician) and Stan come in and get to work erasing Joel's memories.

At the middle of erasing his memory, Joel changed his mind and wanted everything to stop. But it's too late so he wanders throgh his memories even on the most humiliating and some unrelated to Clementine.

FAST FORWARD

After having the procedure, Joel wakes up and takes a trip to Montauk. He meets Clem, and they bond as if it were their first encounter. They end up at her house for drinks and go and lie on the ice together again the following night.

Mary, one of the assistants at Lacuna, was also one of those people who has her memory erased. Side story: she had a relationship with Mierzwiak (the doctor) and on the day the Joel's memories were bing erased, Hollis, Mierzwiak's wife, pulls up and shares the news that Mary and Mierzwiak already had a thing, but Mary has had her memory erased. Disturbed by the experience, Mary decides to send all of the previous Lacuna patients' records back to them, essentially giving them a part of their lives back.

On the way back to Joel's place, Clem plays the tape of herself erasing Joel that Mary sent her. Joel thinks this is a sick joke and kicks her out of his car. Of course, Joel finds his own tape when he gets home, and when Clem comes over, she is equally upset by the mean things he says about her on his tape.

But as Clem leaves, Joel catches up to her and asks her to wait. They know that if they try a second time at a relationship, it might end up the same way, but they decide they don't care.

They'll go for it, anyway.

It's odd how fate and love find ways to make two people meet again. It could be statistics or chance or God knows what.

One thing we know is that our memories is what makes us, US. Memory and identity are inseparable. Our accumulated experiences are how we form a conception of what it means to be yourself. If you suddenly forgot everything about someone or what you've done, you lose a part of who you are.