#i love talking about and dissecting art

[emergency-vehicle]

one of my favourite things about prime is how it showcases scale. rarely do i find a piece of media that accurately depicts the sheer scale of something, especially in relation to a form we are all familiar with.

dune is a good example of media that does it right. every time dune shows one of the buildings or machines, its always on such an awe inducing scale, especially when it comes to their human counterparts. they look like sheer ants in comparison.

it's the same with prime. there are lots of shots where it's just the bots, and because our brains like familiarity, we perceive the bots on a human scale. but every now and again, there is a shot where humans are shown as tiny things compared to these massive pieces of living machinery.

i get this sense less with the kids and more with like fowler or june. they're adults, my size, and they are put in much more intimidating circumstances (dgmw the kids are too, but its different). so when you see the adults next to the bots it's just...a totally different feel.

anyway, i love the artistic direction of transformers prime. while the models leave something to be desired by today's standards, when it came out it truly was top of the line. and, even by today's standards, it's still really fucking good.

[spotlightstudios]

Ayo!!! It's been a while since I've drawn utau (utmv?) stuff in a fully rendered style, so.... when I saw @itsxroxannex had a dtiys I had to shoot my shot!

Actually, I don't think I've ever done a dtyis before 👀 so this was really fun.

(Speedpaint and More Process Rambles beneath the cut ♡)

I... actually don't think I've ever drawn Passive!NM either tbh. This entire drawing was kinda like a personal challenge to myself, since I often lack w/ backgrounds too.

I did kinda a study on the originals background, because I tend to just draw characters w/o a solid background, and when I do add a background characters usually blend into it a lil too well to discern figures, so the color choices and soft loose lines compared to the hard lines + cell shading felt really nice.

I also decided to go back to Procreate for this one too! Normally I draw w/ Medibang these days, but I learned to draw utau stuff on Procreate and so drawing them elsewhere feels wrong.

And, of course, the last note I'll add in the actual post: my sketch process is trash lmao. Literally I just wing the shapes of clothes and junk based on the vibes and resize as needed. I love looking at the og sketch tho cuz it's so... bald. No under-form, no indicator of limbs, nothing.

[hsslilly-blog]

i think it's very in character for claire to call that man babeee ❤️ but ONLY to piss him off. she does not have a pet name for him except when she wants to be weird and i think that's so beautiful.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

@musicalisotope hi im going to. make this a post instead of a reply sorry i have a lot to say on this.

aru sekai is a really. obtuse series. none of its going to make much sense on its own. if it does i need u to share ur brain with me. anyway,

i think if u want to start anywhere i'd say either aru sekai shoushitsu, marshall maximizer, or laboratory.

aru sekai shoushitsu is the very first song its really long & theres so much in it & it sounds like nonsense by itself, however its a pretty complete summary of the whole plot. if u get lost once u hit the fuu lines & after dont worry about it we dont have the context for those yet. it's a lot to take in but once u move onto the other songs it all starts to click together like oh shit thats what that meant. it IS a lot tho. its also the most objective song of all of them; the rest are very subjective to their respective characters' views

marshall maximizer is of course the most popular song but thats not why im saying it. im saying it because it's the first time the concept of losing one's self/ego is really expanded on & thats a very very big part of the narrative. the lyrics it might be harder to pick up on that but the text in the background talks about it in a more direct way. its subjective to the chara's pov but it does a good job of establishing that "person" vs "thing"(no longer a person) concept. important to note this character is only an observer of that.

laboratory is similar its that same major concept of those who are still "people" vs those who arent any more. the difference here being its her experience as she crossed the line between the two. its a lot more direct than the other songs & its pretty easy to see the whole weight of the scenario & because of that it really helps put the severity of the other songs into place.

as for the others theyre very subjective & its a little harder to figure out whats going on. but in short kyuuyaku hankagai establishes its not just a personal risk & its a very long repeating event, shuuen touhikou is mostly to answer the question "well what if they gave up & didn't face the problem", oumen mokushiroku is overall that its pointless to take huge risks to themselves beyond the obvious, unplanned apoptosis is actually showing how the "doing things for yourself will save you" concept works, kanon gets into how precise their work has to be to get anywhere among other things, kugutsu ashura is a wall of words idk why u would ever start there its also weird bc she doesnt seem to be affiliated with the rest of them? an outsider forced to endure the consequences i think. i still have to dissect this one more for sure, & the new one yamete kudasai is kind of similar to laboratory but it shows more of the reasons people are pushed to the point of losing themselves.

there are. a LOT of very small easy to overlook details across all the songs. theres no one way to progress through the story since all the songs build off each other & show off different aspects of the plot & world they live in. & u also have to take into account not all of them are reliable narrators (im staring at the unplanned apoptosis girl in particular). theres also a LOT of details we still need expanded on to get the full picture but i think we're going to get more side context songs before magu moves onto to the fuu song to continue the order in aru sekai shoushitsu. the text in the background of songs that have it is also a major part of the story u cant just skip over it if you're trying to figure out whats going on. (this includes kanon. the original tweet with the decode was taken down but i still have the text saved.... somewhere. i will get that for anyone that wants it. very brief but it gives a glimpse of what the start of a retry looks like as well as why theyre in the situation in the first place)

VERY few people keep up with it as a series most people i see just think the songs sound good & leave it at that so i dont blame u if u do the same but its a very intricate story if u have the time & patience to work it out

also small side note magu's said all the charas have names but theyre a secret until later so they have to have some relevance with whats going on. it'll be a very interesting reveal for sure. we think theres 2 names in aru sekai shoushitsu (saginuma hisame & layla) but we dont know for sure who they are or if theyre even any of the girls in the songs. (best guess is the the shoushitsu chara & kyuuyaku chara respectively). thats not super important to know rn tho. also aru sekai series is a fan given name based on the first song since magu has never once talked about the contents of the series outside of what we get in the songs. (unless directly asked but theyre vague in their answers)

[deadlydelicious]

I miss getting to be an art history nerd in real life. everyone I interact with on a daily basis now are people who use Tracy Emin as a punchline.

and like i get it

i do

art history and art criticism makes itself really elitist and inaccessible by punishing people who express even the slightest hint of 'not getting it'

but I miss being able to get drunk at 1am in my kitchen and talking random shit about artists, its my favourite thing

I need more arts friends

[conflictedkismet]

hey, don't cry. the hands that shape the clay and the fingerprints they leave behind, okay?

[mirrorcatcreditcard]

Take I haven't seen in the fandom yet:

Luka doesn't want to be freed.

"Now, MirrorCatCreditcard," you may say, "that's nonsense. Any human would want freedom from that system."

If you're thinking I'm gonna convince you that Luka doesn't know he wants freedom yet, you're wrong. I'm here to talk about indoctrination/conditioning, grooming/emotional manipulation, my own experience with those topics, and how all of the above connects with Luka as a character. If a deep dive like this is too much for you, please tap out for your own sake.

Luka's life was planned before he even existed. There has never ever been an alternative option. There is no life for Luka as anything but what Herperu chose. Everything in his life has been planned to have him be the perfect pet human idol. That is what he must be.

Fandom, I don't think most of you actually understand this and have dissected what this means (shout-out to the Luka stans who are getting there/have guessed similar things). These words we know have alternatives and are not set in stone are Luka's "gravity makes rain fall to the earth" and "water makes things wet." They are facts so deeply ingrained within him that even if shown the contrary he remarks that the person showing them is just disillusioned.

Take his commentary on Mizi and Hyun-A in the art book. He looks down on Mizi for not being able to control any of her emotions. How does he talk about Hyun-A? He has her at 70% affection yet shows a patronizing attitude—she's the one in denial at reality.

Now, how did we get here? How is a human so "delusional" and set in the control?

He's been conditioned.

Some of you don't know what I mean by this from experience and/or research, and count yourself fortunate that you don't. I pray you never experience such things firsthand. Don't worry about ignorance. Familiar or not, I will explain.

When you are surrounded by only one truth and reality, that is the way you interpret life. If a parent tells a child "the moon goes to sleep during the day," until the child learns otherwise, that's what they believe. Now take that child-like belief and add some toxic environments to the mix. With time, any other kid would learn that the earth rotates from their peers or adults around them. But if the creatures around them all say and believe the same thing "the moon goes to sleep during the day," then that is what the child continues to believe. Years of that same thing being the only truth make that false knowledge into a fact in the person's head, and everything that supports that fact is taken as truth or on the right path to truth.

"This is kinda silly though," you guys are no doubt murmuring, "All of this is a hypothetical. Give us something that makes sense or that someone could actually see happen in our society."

I'll give you my own experience then. My parents taught me that God is real. My parents taught me that I will be damned I do not follow the commandments of the scriptures. I didn't need to worry though. As long as I was obedient to the God who loved me and wanted what was best, I would be saved despite being born an awful sinful human. I was homeschooled, only interacted with people of similar beliefs, and taught that people too different from me in ideology or with radical beliefs against my own were trying to harm me and my family. I believed the people who raised me because why would people who love me lie to me? My task was simple. I needed to obey God and love everyone, especially them. Love meant giving up my entire being and living only as servant and sacrifice. After all, being selfless to the utmost was the greatest form of love.

Let's go back to Luka. His guardian, Herperu, when questioned about any surprises while training Luka, stated not only that he was the one who endured the "tough moments" but also that "(Luka) owes his success to me, and naturally, he should be grateful." This sentiment is echoed by Luka in his interview (shown on Patreon). My god, it's giving parents with disabled kids who brag on social media about how much trouble their kid is and how much they do for them. Sickening. This shows exactly what environment Luka has lived in though.

When you are manipulated into having something as your reality, everything else is fiction and delusion.

Let's review what exactly is Luka's reality.

Heperu is the one suffering if Luka has any difficulties being obedient.

Gratitude is what Herperu is owed because he goes through so much trouble to make Luka a star.

Love/care is shown by owning another's autonomy.

Emotions and bodily reactions exist, sure, but someone should be able to control them; and if they can't, someone should control those reactions for them.

Segyein are superior and the good ones for dealing with humans. Humans must be disciplined and shaped to how an segyein wants it to act to be considered deserving of this goodness.

(Luka)'s perfection is defined by his guardian.

Luka's life is directly connected to being the perfect performer. His guardian praises his abilities with the statement that no other pet human will ever be as perfect as him yet leaves an underlying threat saying that it will be no good if a pet is not trained properly. This has probably been mentally (if not physically) beaten into Luka's mind: his greatness doesn't stop him from being able to be disposed of. The human instinct to want to live has been explained to him as Heperu's wish for him to live and that has been further distorted as a duty to live for the stage he has been placed on.

Luka believes fully that there is a debt in play here. In his interview, he mentions repaying love. He thinks the relationship between fan and idol is completely normal, encouraged, and healthy. Performance is the most important thing. Being where he is is a privilege.

There's a chain here:

Heperu indoctrinated Luka into believing what he says is all true.

The guardian manipulated him easily to do what he wanted with his body and mind.

The years have been spent constantly conditioning Luka to be the god who encapsulated fantasies for the audience.

He is continually being groomed to exist for the entertainment and enjoyment of segyein.

Circle back to my first point of this post. Luka does not want to be freed. He doesn't know what freedom actually is. He sees freedom as either foolish denials of reality (and doesn't consider that actual freedom) or as controlling the song and stage when he performs (something he learned from Hyuna). He cannot want something he cannot understand. He cannot want freedom in the sense the fandom keeps speaking about.

It's funny. From the moment Luka was revealed to be hated by the fandom, I wanted to know why. Instead of digging and finding horrific deeds, I instead found a character who portrayed my own traumas and experiences. I instantly attached and delved deeply into learning about this thirty year old singer. Why does he express himself in a certain way? Where do we first see mention of him? Who does he have emotions towards? How was he trained? What makes Luka himself? I have past essays/replies to other's theories if you're interested, but in this one I got personal and didn't sugarcoat the facts. If the fandom can't handle deep thought, we shouldn't be discussing this incredibly profound and depth-filled web series.

As always, thank you for your time, and I hope my thoughts allowed you to open your mind to new things. Mostly, I hope you enjoyed them 🫶

[trupie]

I totally agree on a lot of these points!

In retrospect, I wish I'd made it clearer that I also REALLY like Making Money. Mavolio Bent is a fantastic character, I like the asides at Unseen University, Moist's confession is absolute GENIUS, I love that Adora gets to be more of an active character in proceedings, and I love love love how more much interactive the book feels with Ankh-Morpork. I love the appearances of CMOT Dibbler, Harry King, and Vimes, it makes AM feel much more like a real city with consistent power players.

I also agree that while GP is a book about personal growth, MM is more about Moist coming to terms with himself. He reconciles his, as Vetinari puts it, Criminal Mind with his Honest Heart. The first book confronted him with the cost of his previous con artist way of life, this book helps him reconcile that his adrenaline seeking, people charming, game running ways are an inseparable part of him that he ultimately finds a way to rehabilitate and channel for the good of the city. It's also the beginning of an arc that seems to imply Vetinari is grooming is favorite chew toy to become Patrician after him.

You've honestly given me a new perspective on the first third of the book. One of the reasons I preferred GP was that things seemed a bit too easy for Moist at first in MM. He never really felt threatened until they discovered the fake gold in the vaults. I never had considered that that may have been entirely on purpose, let alone the point!

Making Money is absolutely a good book on its own merits. All I was trying to do is explain why I liked Going Postal better. I'm a sucker for a story with a good narrative foil, and Reacher Gilt is a GREAT foil for Moist. Definitely in the top five Pratchett antagonists, if not the top three.

I've read Going Postal approximately a zillion times because its my favorite Discworld novel, and by extension I've read Making Money a fair few times because it is What Is Done after reading GP. But I've never liked it as much.

Making Money is lacking the drive that Moist gets from a foil as fantastic as Reacher Gilt. He was a perfect antagonist because he was Moist writ large. Reacher is the logical endpoint of the road that Moist was walking down when his angel came for him.

I just don't get what Cosmo Lavish and Cribbins are supposed to say about Moist. Like, the difference between Moist and Cribbins is that Cribbins has no respect for people, no style, and is willing to get violent. But I don't think this really reveals any truths about Moist as a character. We already know that Moist has style, that he cares about people in his way, that he is sickened by violence. Revealing Cribbins as his mentor is interesting, but he doesn't really push Moist to grow or change.

Ditto Cosmo. He's a cunning adversary to be sure. But the only real point of contention he has with Moist is that Cosmo wants to be the Patrician, whereas Moist gets uncomfortable thinking Vetinari's way. Otherwise, Cosmo is a very self-deluded Quixotic egotist, while Moist is much more of a realist with a huge ego and a small self-esteem.

Reacher showed us all of the talents and skills Moist valued, raised to excellence, but it revealed Moist's morality. He saw the absolute apex of what he wanted to be and was horrified. Reacher made Moist into a better person just as much as Adora or Vetinari by showing him everything he didn't want to be. To not be a hammer.

I dunno. The story just lacks that strong character glue that makes Going Postal such an effective read.

[burningred1989]

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

A/N: Final part of “A Budding Connection”

“Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you.”

PART 1: A Budding Connection

PART 2: The Shift

P ART 3: Bridges to Mend

PART 4: Cracks in the Wall

PART 5: The Contract Ends

MASTERLIST

<<<<<

Years after their heart-wrenching breakup, Y/N and Harry lived their lives apart, both navigating stardom with aching hearts. Though the world saw them as two separate entities, fans knew better. Their music told the story of a love that refused to die, lingering in the silences between the notes and the longing woven into their lyrics.

<<<<<

"Every breath you take, every move you make..."

The applause echoed throughout the room as Y/N’s name was announced as the winner of Album of the Year. Dressed in an elegant gown, she gracefully made her way to the stage, clutching her award tightly. The cameras panned to Harry, seated in the audience, clapping harder than anyone else. His green eyes sparkled with pride, but there was something deeper—a longing, an ache that hadn’t faded over the years.

"Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you."

As Y/N delivered her speech, she thanked her team, her fans, and her family. Her voice was steady, but her hands trembled slightly. Then, as she concluded, her gaze scanned the room until it landed on Harry. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Her lips curled into a small, shy smile—her nose scrunching in that way Harry used to adore.

Harry’s heart clenched. He returned the smile, his pride unmistakable, though his eyes revealed the silent pain of knowing he could never be part of her life again.

<<<<<

"Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace”

A year later, Harry’s name boomed through the speakers as he was awarded *Album of the Year*. The audience erupted in applause, but it was Y/N’s reaction that captured everyone’s attention. She rose to her feet immediately, clapping enthusiastically, her face glowing with pride.

“I dream at night, I can only see your face..."

As Harry walked to the stage, his eyes darted toward Y/N. She stood in the front row, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. Her gaze was locked on him, her expression soft and warm, as though she was silently cheering him on.

“I look around, but it's you I can't replace..."

When Harry began his speech, his voice was steady, but his emotions were barely contained. He spoke about the importance of connection and love in his music, his voice faltering slightly when he mentioned how loss shapes the art we create. Y/N’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she nodded gently, understanding his words on a level no one else could.

As the cameras panned back to Y/N, her proud expression lit up the room. But for Harry, her look was more than that. It was a quiet acknowledgment of everything they’d shared, everything that still lingered between them.

<<<<<

“Oh can’t you see, you belong to me. How my poor heart aches, every step you take”

The internet exploded. Fans dissected every moment from both Grammy nights, piecing together the silent story unfolding between Harry and Y/N. Edits began circulating, their interactions paired with the hauntingly fitting lyrics of "Every Breath You Take" by The Police.

The first scene showed Harry clapping with longing eyes as Y/N walked to the stage, her radiant smile lighting up the room. The second scene cut to Y/N standing proudly, her hands clasped in front of her, watching Harry accept his award. With the text in front—“I’ll be watching you”

<<<<<

"Every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I'll be watching you."

Clips of their stolen glances and subtle smiles were seamlessly paired with the lyrics. Fans couldn’t stop talking:

- *"The way he looks at her—he’s still in love."*

- *"Y/N’s smile when she saw him on stage… my heart!"*

- *"This edit with ‘Every Breath You Take’ is so hauntingly beautiful. It’s like they’re still watching over each other."*

<<<<<

“Every single day, every word you say..."

Harry and Y/N returned to their separate lives, but the echoes of their love remained. Fans scoured their music for hints of each other, piecing together lyrics that spoke of heartbreak, longing, and quiet admiration. Their love, though lost, was immortalized in their art.

"I'll be watching you."

Neither Harry nor Y/N ever acknowledged the Grammy interactions or the viral edits, but they didn’t need to. The connection was still there, unspoken yet undeniable, like a melody that never fades. And as the years went by, the world continued to watch their story unfold—two hearts forever linked, even in their distance.

A/N: Thank you for reading!! <33

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

I've been reading your Erikar posts and I think that they work really well with the idea that moirallegiance really doesn't work the way it's "supposed" to. It's framed in-universe as a very one-sided "stable person pacifies dangerous person" deal, but both Erifef and Gamkar, which are basically platonic ideals of that concept, failed independently because of how unstable that dynamic is -- one person is worn out doing all the emotional labor and the other is not interested in being pacified. Whereas the meowrails, despite also being framed as a "classical" moirallegiance, are much more clearly two-sided, as both parties consistently help, listen to, and advise each other, and the relationship is consequently much stabler and more enduring. I love the way you frame Erikar because it works really well with this by showing both parties taking and giving "pacification" and support in turn, instead of one shouldering all the work.

Yeah! I think this is a good way to talk about something Hussie likes to do that I'm a huge fan of, which is: unreliable narration. This unreliable narration has garnered Hussie the reputation of being a "troll" or even flat-out "wrong" about HS, and I find both of these to be very unfair because the use of unreliable narrator is both deliberate AND thematically fitting.

As part of Homestuck's post-modern stylings (and I mean post-modern in the literature sense, not vis. art, though it has shades of that too), it plays heavily on the ideas of narrator-as-character, author-as-character, metafiction, and we-all-know-it's-a-story-itis. Hussie himself, even in his external commentaries (Formspring, Tumblr, Books, etc.), is fully aware that his additions add to the metatextual texture of the work and change how it's interpreted - that, although his additions technically lie external to the "story" Homestuck is telling, they are also paradoxically part and parcel of that very story.

As a result, they deliberately play a character WRT Homestuck, both in- and out-of-universe, and this character is, by their own admission, buffoonish and oafish. It's really apparent in their book commentary, where they'll sometimes even drop the act, or "realize" they've dropped the act and hurry to put it back on (a standout moment is when he provides a very genuine, honest analysis of Vriska, before going "oh, wait, I forgot, she's literally my wife and has never done anything wrong ever in her life ever"). They also mention how their narrative voice sometimes works antagonistically to the characters, such as when it assures Vriska that she has no choice but to kill Aradia, subtly pushing Vriska towards that option.

Functionally, neither the narrator nor the author (and by that, I mean the caricaturized character of "the author" that Hussie plays) of Homestuck are entities that you can take fully at face value; they need to be challenged and interrogated as much as any other character, have their motives dissected, have their blind spots pointed out.

And why would this need to be the case? Because that's literally one of the main thrusts of Homestuck: malicious entities (in HS's case, LE, Doc Scratch, and Caliborn, who at various times struggle with Hussie for control of the story, before killing him and wresting it away entirely) will attempt to write the narrative. They'll push their version of events, their politics, their biases, their philosophies. They'll try to change the story to suit them and perpetuate their own power and ability to enforce that power. And you can't let them win.

Hussie-as-a-character/narrator himself is not particularly malicious, and, as the narrative prompt serving as Caliborn's guide, is even ultimately sympathetic, expressing that kids need to grow up and mature, achieve self-actualization, emotional catharsis, etc.

However, as a result of his oafishness, he has a tendency to play to the characters' worst instincts, to pick favorites among the cast. The most blatant example of this is his "love" of Vriska, which - contrary to popular opinion - isn't "real". Hussie is not actually in love with Vriska; the whole thing started because - due to misogyny - people accused Hussie of only giving Vriska so much plot relevance because he was literally in love with her. Why else would a female character with an unpleasant personality be allowed to be important, amirite? And Hussie clearly thought that this whole thing was so ridiculous that he 100% leaned into it as a joke. I'm not here to litigate whether or not it was appropriate to do so, just to point out that Hussie's "love" of Vriska was always an artifice - an aspect of Hussie-as-character that he played up to highlight the fact that Hussie-as-character is an unreliable buffoon, and, by extension, that Vriska is not blameless and perfect.

Since this is the Eridan blog, I'd be remiss not to talk about him. Hussie's commentary towards Eridan is especially fascinating to me, because Eridan is one of he characters Hussie-as-character is biased against, in a similar way as he's biased in Vriska's favor. Thus, his attitude towards Eridan is very dismissive, both in the book commentary AND in the comic itself. "Gamzee: Indulge emotional theatrics" and "Jade: Answer this douche bag" come to mind. He also spends the vast majority of the Act 5 Act 2 book mocking Eridan for being sad and alone, with nobody to care about him and nobody who listens to his problems.

Now, the reason I call this fascinating is twofold: the first is that his commentary in the Act 5 Act 1 book has a WILDLY different tone: while he's still biased in Eridan's disfavor, he outright calls Eridan a "good character" alongside Nepeta, and offers genuine insight into his characterization and the powers of Hope - comparing him at one point to Dave if Dave took a much darker path.

So when his attitude changes from "he's a shithead, but fairly complex, I guess" to "he's a loser idiot that nobody likes LMAOOOO", you're supposed to notice that! You're supposed to question that, to wonder why he has a change of heart, why he's suddenly so dismissive of a character he was genuinely writing whole paragraphs about before.

And the answer is multifaceted:

He's playing up his buffoonish character, to let you know that he's about to be wrong as hell. Every time Hussie starts really amping up the Hussie-as-character persona, you're about to be in for an opinion that SHOULD NOT be taken at face value.

He's reflecting a common fandom opinion, because one of his favorite things to do as an unreliable narrator is to speak on behalf of another character or entity, highlighting the biases and blind spots in play - in this case, the audience's. Again, he's about to be wrong as hell, so he's doing this specifically to indicate that the audience members who believe this are also wrong as hell.

Act 5 Act 2 is when we get the one conversation in all of Homestuck where somebody (Karkat) cares about Eridan and takes his problems seriously. During this part of the story, Hussie goes COMPLETELY silent. This is incredibly out of character, as he usually can't shut up, and the commentary is usually dense, packed with words, without pause. Compare:

In those blocks of silence are contained the conversation Eridan has with Karkat where Karkat literally tells him "I know it's hard being you" and that Nepeta's rejection of him wasn't a negative reflection of him. In other words, Karkat cares about Eridan and takes him seriously, COMPLETELY contradicting Hussie-as-character's assertions that nobody does, so utterly that Hussie-as-character has to completely shut up during that entire sequence because he has no way of reconciling his stance with the evidence presented.

Now, Hussie-as-an-actual-person is completely aware of what they're doing, or else they couldn't do stuff like this so consistently and so precisely. So I want to be very, very clear that this is not Hussie "not understanding his own story" or whatever BS the fandom likes to say in order to cast Hussie as the villain. This is masterful usage of unreliable narrator, like, I'm genuinely impressed.

By acting a clown and insisting that nobody likes or cares about Eridan, the audience is MEANT to glean from the text:

That Karkat is clearly an exception, and he quite likes and cares about Eridan,

That those who are dismissive towards Eridan and treat him purely as an object of ridicule are Wrong as Hell,

That maybe it's not a good thing for us - both audience, author, and characters - to be so quick to judge and dismiss others just because they're annoying and nasty - that doing so can have dire consequences, as we see with how Eridan's story plays out.

And I'm not kidding when I say that we have to be constantly fucking vigilant, that there's very, very little that can be purely taken at face value. Not long after this is one of Karkat's memos, where he attempts to warn his past friends about all the murders, only to dismiss past!Gamzee by saying that current!Gamzee going crazy murderclown "barely even concerns [him]." Hussie then notes in the commentary - and not for the first time - that Karkat has a Problem(TM) with not seeing past/future versions of people as contiguous with their current selves, which he does as a defense mechanism so as not to confront his own feelings of shame and self-loathing. Hussie then proceeds not to comment on the following:

CCG: YOU ARE DEAD TO ME CCG: PAST YOU, PRESENT YOU, FUTURE YOU CCG: AND ABOVE ALL, UGLY SCARFNECKED DOUCHEBAG HIPSTER YOU CCG: WAIT I FORGOT, ALL OF THE YOUS ARE THAT YOU

Hmmm... interesting. I wonder why Hussie points out one of Karkat's running character traits, just to "forget" to notice when an exception happens directly after? I'll let this one be an exercise for the class.

So to tie it all back to your ask: why is the exposition on troll romance done the way it is? What are the narrator's motives? Hussie even outright states in the commentary that Kanaya/Tavros/Vriska, which is used as an example of an auspicetism, isn't even a real auspicetism, as Kanaya feels no need to commit to it, and at most is putting out mixed signals - it's just used as an example because it's the closest thing we've seen.

Well, the answer I've arrived at, personally, is that the troll romance explanation is as flawed as it is because the narrator is taking on Karkat's point of view. A movie poster on Karkat's wall, the troll version of Serendipity, is used and namedropped as the ultimate expression of meeting your soul mate in every quadrant - as well as the assertion that "every" troll believes that there ARE destined soul mates for every quadrant, which Karkat definitely believes, but isn't a sentiment necessarily shared by everybody else. Moreover, the explanation ends with a tirade about how Karkat tried to explain quadrants to John, who didn't get it because "he's an idiot".

I'm not saying that Karkat is literally narrating here, just to be clear - I'm saying that the narrator (Hussie-as-character) is relaying factual information as processed through the lens of Karkat's biases, and, as a result, we can't take the explanation at 100% face value (though we can't discount it as entirely untrue, either). It's not so much that "real" moirail pairs work because they're doing moirallegiance "wrong," but that Karkat's view of moirallegiance is simplistic, idealized, and flawed, and we see this play out when he's bitter about his breakup with Gamzee because Gamzee stops "needing" him to keep him calm, even after Karkat has failed to be kept calm by Gamzee in return.

The more I look into Homestuck, the more that I'm genuinely impressed by the way it handles its writing. I hope this was interesting to everyone, too. I feel a little like I'm peeling back a curtain, or opening up a clock to reveal all the little cogs and wheels.

No, you can't trust Hussie as the narrator, but that's on purpose, and it's on purpose because why do we trust narrators? Why do we assume people telling a story are unbiased, benevolent, and have no ulterior motives? Why do we let idiots, assholes, predators, and monsters get away with their version of the truth, when a little scrutiny will have the whole ruse fall apart? Why do we let people tell us not to care about other people, why do we let them tell us that it's okay to be cruel to acceptible targets, why do we let them go unexamined?

And how about the stories we tell ourselves?

[venomous-qwille]

A NOTE REGARDING WIKIS AND LORE DOCS

I've mentioned this in Misutamojis before, but just realised there was nothing about it here so:

Please don't create public lore docs or wikis for GITM.

I totally understand that the story is already sprawling and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but here is my reasoning behind this request:

GITM is still in its very early stages, there is so little that you concretely know about any of the characters/story that it is likely that any character bios people write will be fundamentally incorrect. Same goes for lore about the worldbuilding and the Sight. It's much easier to spread misinfo than fact, and certain stuff in fic is kept deliberately misleading/vague for fun story purposes.

GITM is not a TV show and I am not a showrunner. I am just another DCA fan on the internet who wants to chat about their OCs, I should be allowed to do that without having my every word indexed. To be clear, as I have said many many many many times in the past: people quoting what I say in discord, analysing my casual art/magmas/drabbles, or screencapping casual convos and jokes to pull them apart to dissect details from it makes me really really uncomfortable. If people started screencapping what I say to stick it on a doc for proof of XYZ thing about a character you guys haven't even met yet... I would probably stop interacting on this server point blank. Please imagine how you would feel if people were screenshotting your desktop background to read your filenames so they could theorycraft. That has happened in this server. More than once. Please stop. Your FOMO is not more important than my boundaries.

The intended reading experience for GITM is... reading GITM. Yes sometimes I share my personal headcanons and tidbits for characters, but I promise that all of this stuff will be discovered in fic. I don't want people to learn about Fool's favourite songs from a google doc. I want you to learn about it from GITM. That is why I am writing GITM: to tell you about these characters.

I would like the opportunity to make a GITM wiki myself at some point in the future.

I understand this might be frustrating, I know the lore is overwhelming as it stands. As always, if you have questions about the characters, you are welcome to ask in one of the discussion channels- I don't mind people @ ing me for that- I love talking about GITM! I am always happy to answer new FAQs at length.

[xamiipholia]

Since it’s been a year since Burning Shores came out, some thoughts on Seyka:

TL;DR: Great character, really happy with her as a love interest for Aloy. They do some really interesting things with her that I never really see addressed so I wanted to talk about them.

She is tangibly shown to be much more of a match for Aloy through gameplay. Compared to other npcs, she solves things faster, does more damage, is a much more formidable melee combatant, faster climber - she even has a fucking Valor Surge using her Focus that does pretty significant tear damage to large machines like Slaughterspines. Environmental storytelling- Seyka’s skiff has at least 2-3 Tiderippers’ worth of parts, meaning she’s been out on her own killing the things to build boat motors, and she has some ambient dialogue that strongly suggests she’s fought and killed Slaugterspines before. Is some of this npc tech advancements in Burning Shores? Maybe, but it feels intentional. 

Seyka has a natural probing curiosity about the old world that for the most part Aloy’s other companions didn’t have without some significant hand-holding from Aloy to get them started, and some of her close friend (but not base team) characters just don’t have at all. I don’t mean this as a moral judgement, everyone is different and has different strengths and priorities , but it’s absolutely critical that a partner for Aloy have that kind of curiosity - it’s such a big part of her character. While she lives in this new world, she’s never going to be entirely a part of it. Like she says, she finds belonging in individuals, and not really the tribes. I don’t really see Aloy settling down in Meridian or Mother’s Heart. She needs to have a life of exploration and discovery and Seyka seems cut from that cloth too, whether she was always that way or being marooned gave her a fresh perspective.

Seyka did risk death using the focus and decided to do it anyway- in Rheng’s notes he calls for capital punishment for her. The threat is never *too* present but honestly I think that’s a broader critique of the series and pretty consistent with the writing of conflicts in Horizon. I agree they could have played up the dramatic tension a bit, but this is a person who weighed the risk of a military execution by a totalitarian state and immediately decided it was worth it to save her sister and others. I think Aloy can intimately relate, given what she went through for Beta.

Even though it’s a DLC, she has a TON of screen time, probably comparable to Kotallo in HFW, and Horizon does SO much storytelling through gameplay and ambient dialogue. I think she’s given a LOT of narrative space to breathe. She’s also has her own musical cues and leitmotifs that do a ton of foreshadowing work through the DLC - in terms of musical cues and framing she’s very associated with the acoustic guitar, and the flute melody in ‘Her Sky, Her Sea’ has for Aloy and Seyka the same function that ‘It Can’t Last’ does for Ellie and Dina in TLOU2 - next time you play Burning Shores, listen for it. That and the guitar cues from ‘The Idea of Home’ and ‘For His Entertainment’ do a lot of emotional work. It’s great stuff.

Okay and lastly- YMMV on this one - I’ve def talked about it with friends before but I don’t think I’ve said it on Tumblr. I’m a firm believer that meta narratives and the way that stories are situated and created in our own world matter and that art deserves to be taken seriously and dissected. I love Horizon, but it, and Aloy as a protagonist, are absolutely drenched in white savior and colonial storytelling tropes. Every time I play Frozen Wilds, all I can think of is Jack Sparrow going “and then they made me their chief”. There’s a lot of iffy stuff in the games, as much as I absolutely love them. We’ll have to see how H3 goes, but Burning Shores is MUCH better about this and honestly Seyka is a huge part of it. The story centers itself on a queer woman of color who is pretty tangibly presented as Aloy’s equal with her own strengths and weaknesses throughout the story and takes the lead just as often if not more than Aloy does, which I find really refreshing. It doesn’t entirely fix Aloy’s white savior issues but I think it’s a really good move for the narrative that continues the themes found in HFW about community and connection.

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (2017)

[jin-jamm-desu]

aroace sukuna aroace sukuna aroace sukuna aroace sukuna aroace sukuna aroace sukuna aroace sukuna aroace sukuna Guys this is the culmination of a bunch of headcanons running amuck in my brain and also the character analysis' from @thepersonperson (give them some love for their big, juicy, brain <333)

So now, here are my hc's for AroAce!Sukuna:

Legitimately prefers to not be touched and appreciates respect for personal space (round of applause for Uraume*)

Hobbies,:

1. Fighting - self explanatory: he hates being bored, he also uses fighting as a way to bond and learn about others

2. Eating - confirmed in the official fanbook(iirc): it doesn't matter if it's people or Oreos, he enjoys food

3. Analysing literature/opponents fighting habits - It's explained better and in more detail by @thepersonperson, but the main take-away is that Sukuna is like a shark; using exploratory 'bites' in order to gain knowledge about things- his opponents. He uses used dismantle to take apart, to dissect his opponents, to learn how they'll react and if they can match his freak, so to speak.

3.5. Going back to the literature point - seeing as in history, the Heian era is considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court, it's noted for it's refinement in art, poetry and literature.

He gets annoyed, disgusted, bored, and all of the above when someone hits on him, seeks him out romantically or tries to use/touch him physically.

See: Yorozu when she's withing a 1 mile radius of Sukuna, Mahito after touching his soul, Kenjaku's weird obsession with him that led to him jumping his twins bones for some reason

Again, as dutifully (<3) explained by the aforementioned Tumblr User, Sukuna expressed affection through violence. This is the only way he is able to connect with anyone he seems worth his time to fight.

Being a curse that is legitimately perfect when it comes to CE and CTs, he reaches out from the top to grasp some sort of worthy interaction:

an entire half year of prep to fight Gojo,

'playing' with Jogo and making an effort to fight with him on his terms,

finding interest and potential in Megumi,

a yap fest of unwarranted appraisal to Maki

and he was basically all grins and smiles when he fought each of these sorcerers.

*Star next to Uraume because I hc that they're Ace-spec as well.

Cuz who else is better at telling people you don't want to be bothered, touched or talked to other than you fanatic worshipper who understands your boundaries clear and concisely?

Tirade over, I'm going to sleep.

[senawashere]

about those TGM requests

me with fanboy... that's it.

First rule...

Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia x Female!Girlfriend!reader

Summary: Movie date night turns into a little lecture with Mickey.

A/n: Thank you sweetheart for requesting this!! Love you!!💋💋

Warnings: None just pure fluff,just kissing!

°•°•°•°•☆♡☆°•°•°•°

"What is the first rule of fight club sweetheart?" Mickey asked looking at you with a grin,soon to be a disappeard.

"What?" You ask. There is 50 second eye contact with Mickey and he looks at you with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“How have you never seen Fight Club before? How babe?”

Mickey’s shocked expression made laugh hard while he was still looking at you like you have 3 heads. That’s how you end up watching Fight Club for the first time

The night was crisp and chilly, the kind that made you want to curl up with someone you love under a thick blanket. And your boyfriend who freshly returned from a long deployment was looking good for this.

Mickey and you had settled into the couch, your legs tangled together under layers of soft, cozy throws. The dim light from the screen of your TV flickered across the room as the opening credits of "Fight Club" rolled.

Mickey had insisted on movie night after a long time, and you had eagerly agreed. He loved "Fight Club"—its gritty realism, the intense performances, and its provocative themes. It was the perfect escape. Mickey, however, had a tendency to dive into the details, dissecting every scene with an intensity he usually reserved for his flights.

"Did you know that David Fincher wanted the audience to feel the subconscious presence of Tyler Durden from the start?" Mickey's voice was animated, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "They actually spliced frames of Brad Pitt into scenes before his character was even introduced. It’s so subtle that you barely notice it."

You nodded, smiling at his enthusiasm. It was only 10 minutes and he was telling every fact he knew.

"That's pretty impressive," you said, trying to keep the conversation light. The last thing you wanted was to dampen his spirits, but you really just wanted to enjoy the movie without the running commentary. And with the movie being a hard one to understand you were struggling.

As the film progressed, Mickey continued his enthusiastic ramblings. "Right here!The chemical burn scene? They used vinegar and baking soda to create the smoke effect on Norton’s hand. And Fincher actually used footage of real skin-burning reactions for authenticity."

You nodded again, more absently this time. Your eyes were fixed on the screen, trying to lose yourself in the gritty visuals and dark humor, but Mickey's voice kept pulling you back. What the hell was going on in this movie? As you thought while Mickey gave you every single fact for every shot.

"For the scenes where they destroy the corporate art, they used a combination of practical effects and CGI. They really wanted it to look and feel anarchistic, like a real middle finger to consumer culture," Mickey continued, his voice unwavering in its excitement.

"Mickey," you said softly, hoping to gently steer him back to just watching. "I am really trying to understand it and it is very hard while you talk like this baby.”

He glanced at you, his smile apologetic but still eager. "Sorry, I just find all these little details fascinating. Like, did you know when Marla and Tyler were fucki—"

You leaned over and kissed him, cutting off his words mid-sentence. His lips were warm and soft, a stark contrast to the cool night air that seeped through the windows. For a moment, he was startled, but then he relaxed into the kiss, his hands finding their way to your waist.

When you finally pulled back, you looked into his eyes and saw a mixture of surprise and amusement. "I just really want to enjoy the movie," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the yelling from the narator.

He chuckled softly, his hand coming up to brush a stray lock of hair from your face. "Got it," he said, his voice a gentle murmur. "I'll try to keep the commentary to a minimum."

"Thank you,my love" you said, snuggling closer to him. "But I do love your passion for it."

Mickey smiled and wrapped his arm around you, pulling you into his chest. You lay there together, the movie playing on, and for a while, he managed to stay quiet. You lost yourself in the dark narrative, the twisted philosophy, and the raw performances.

But it wasn't long before Mickey couldn't help himself. "They filmed this scene in an actual abandoned building. Can you imagine how creepy that must have been?" Mickey continued, his voice unwavering in its excitement. You turned your head slightly to look at him, your expression a mix of exasperation and fondness. He caught your look and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry," he said, kissing your forehead. "I just got carried away."

"I know you do," you said with a sigh, though you couldn't keep the smile off your face. "It's one of the things I love about you."

You settled back into silence, and you tried to focus on the movie again. Mickey's arm was around you, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on your shoulder. The warmth of his body next to yours, combined with the soothing rhythm of the film, was enough to make you forget the world outside.

But true to form, Mickey couldn't resist one last comment. "The ending... the whole twist with Tyler Durden being the Narrator's alter ego. Fincher hinted at it throughout the film with subliminal flashes of Tyler before he actually appears."

You didn't respond this time, just leaned your head against his shoulder and let the movie's final scenes wash over you. When the credits finally rolled, you felt a tear slip down your cheek, moved by the powerful conclusion. Mickey wiped the tear away with his thumb, his expression soft and tender. "Told you," he whispered.

You nodded, unable to speak for a moment. Then you looked up at him and smiled. "You were right," you said. "It was brilliant."

He leaned down and kissed you again, and this time, you didn't stop him. The movie was over, but the night was still young, and there was no place you'd rather be than here, wrapped in Mickey's arms, sharing these quiet moments together.

“Okay baby,spill all the facts now.” You said watching him forming a big grin on his face.

“"The guy who plays the Narrator—Edward Norton—he actually punched Brad Pitt in one of the scenes. They wanted it to look as real as possible and also did you know that they used CGI to create some of these opening credits? That's so cool and you see the way the camera moves during this fight scene? It's a single take. No cuts. That takes incredible skill from both the actors and the crew and listen you know the scene where they blow up the buildings? We saw it right now. They used a combination of miniatures and CGI to get the perfect shot. It’s so realistic that people thought they actually demolished a skyscraper. And this is so funny, did you know that Brad Pitt and Edward Norton actually learned how to make soap for their roles in 'Fight Club'? They attended soap-making classes to prepare for their characters' underground soap business,isn’t so funny. And als-”

“Okay that’s enough baby please!!”

°•°•°•°☆♡☆°•°•°•°

Need a man like this🤭

I'm tagging people who might be interested: @ohtobeleah @sebsxphia @callsign-fox @greenorangevioletgrass @roosterforme @teacupsandtopgun @floydsglasses @lyn-js @its-dee-lovely @its-the-pilot @friedchips94 @hardballoonlove @topguncortez @bradshawsbaddie @shanimallina87 @djs8891 @themusingofagothicsoul @promisingyounglady @the-romanian-is-bae @mamachasesmayhem @jessicab1991 @iefitzgerald-blog @charcole-grey @waterriseslew @desert-fern @eternalsams @callsigns-haze @promisingyounglady @els-marvelvsp @cevansbaby-dove @atarmychick007 if you are not comfortable please tell me!!

[cinnibelle]

I’m sorry, the complaining about all the elriel content during Elain week is grating because it feels exactly like people complaining an artist is focusing too much on their *interest* and not providing enough of the content *you* wanted. If you want a specific art done, I must implore you find someone to commission or you learn to draw yourself. Do not nag and whine that there’s not enough of the content that you wanted to see, that this isn’t portrayed how you see it- go create it, nobody is stopping you. Ok that’s a lie, this fandom has many limitations and judgements. Still, **You have the power to do what you want and see what you want to see**. You have not only the ability to block people but the ability to create and be the source of your own interests.

Stop depending on others to provide for you, ESPECIALLY commissioners and artists you spend the rest of the year outside of the event making fun of and slandering. The commissioners you speak so poorly of really get the beat down the rest of the year and they have provided so much “non ship” content, we are truly blessed they spent their time, money, creativity bringing it forward. Enough of this entitled behavior, go create. It’s really that simple. This event was doomed from the start with the sabotage campaign and still people poured their soul into it regardless. Just because YOU have a skewed idea of “elriels” doesn’t mean everybody who participated is actually the way you perceive them. These are truly lovely people and you are held back by your bias and hatred of a ship instead of either ignoring or uplifting what they created (obviously outside the ship art). No one is forcing you to dissect their captions (which they have a right to make, we all are encouraged to make artist statements and say what the source of inspiration was).

And it’s hypocritical to say only elriels are doing this, that’s never true. Nearly everyone makes some statement, sometimes no statement IS a statement even. I really do not like speaking to this fandom but I cannot get over how EXHAUSTIVE it is to exist in this space with such negative people. I have to think twice when working on a piece because it’s going to offend someone, I don’t need that. I’m not out to harm people, neither are those who participated in Elain week the way they did. It’s hilarious seeing the people who ATTACKED ME during elriel month talk from some moral high ground about how things should be done and what should be embraced when they were spitting at me in May and destroyed my drive to create anything for this special week. I’m going to talk because I am a creative that has tried my best not to step on toes but enough is enough, you guys make fandom such a miserable experience when it doesn’t have to be like that. Seriously, you will feel better if you create from your heart and make the content you want to see.

[chiara-hotel]

Helping teen!Reader with their homework Characters: Dazai, Silver Wolf & Arlecchino

Dazai can only help in subjects hes good in-otherwise he looks at the paper and states "yeah nope, can't do this-ask Kunikida"

Some Subjects he will teach include:

English/literature + Writing

Japanese

Geography

History

Whenever he helps you, he puts full effort into it though

Even more effort than work and if anyone says anything he just stares at them and goes like "do you really want one of our youngest members to fail the most important exam of their life? No? Thats what I thought so let me keep helping them"

Silver wolf is your main caretaker in the Stellaron hunters-I mean would you trust Blade to watch a kid every day? Or Kafka? So Silver Wolf has been there through everything with you

If she's not gaming then she's free to help you with any questions you need, she might not have the answer but she can always take your notes and quiz you

Even so-she's a fast learner and can memorize it even faster than you

Some Subjects shes good at include:

Computer Science

Anything related to games

English/Chinese/Japanese

Math

Subjects she doesn't like teaching you:

Science

History

- Silver finds those both boring-but if needed she will teach them

As he is one of the oldest members of the house of the hearth, he is used to helping the younger kids out

Even with their homework!

Lyney was definitely a A+ student in school so he could easily teach you some of the concepts you need help on

Whatever way you learn best, he tries to take that into consideration when deciding how to tutor you

If he needs extra help then sometimes Lynette helps you out aswell

Lyney also manages to use magic to aid in his teaching abilities (for example addition or such)

Some subjects hes good at:

English/Chinese/Japanese

Math

Drama/Dance

Art

Music

Some subjects he doesn't like:

Science

History

Aside from her harbinger duties, when she finally has the time to visit the house of the hearth she often helps the kids with their homework

If some of the kids need assistance, she is happy to help them

She is very direct with her teaching skills, but loves to use examples with learning

For example if you're studying for an important biology test on the human system she could get you a real life system to dissect

If you don't like those kind of things then she's also fine with sticking with diagrams

Some subjects she likes:

English/Japanese/Chinese/French

Art

Music

Science

Subjects she doesn't like:

Geography

History

- Now Arlecchino is amazing at teaching Geography and History-but they aren't her favorite subjects since she doesn't like talking about the past