#i need people to love on our boy!

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

I know it may take a while to get there, but I need Wine to baby the hell out of Faifa. I need Fai to feel like he is the most seen, loved, and appreciated man alive.

He talks about being lonely, but no one bothers to wonder about why a man with all the friends might be feeling lonely, or why he's still single when he meets people so easily and could have dates lined up around the block.

He's always taking care of the feelings of everyone else. And literally NO ONE is paying attention to him.

His brothers are reaching acceptance and catharsis over their relationship with their mother, while Faifa, who has just gotten confirmation his mother didn't really want to bring him with her in the first place, is so clearly not okay.

He plays off his feelings with a side of humor, so people don't take them seriously, even though if his friends had any sensitivity, they should be able to pick up on things like this.

But no, they are so used to Faifa being the helper, the one who takes care of them, the one who will put his feelings last, and so they just keep taking him for granted.

I see you Faifa, I love you, and I want you to get everything you want and need!

[klanced]

when adam met 11yo keith he immediately knew that keith was gay and was like i have GOT to support this kid!! (runs into traffic) meanwhile shiro spent years operating under the assumption that keith had like a gender thing going on

[kristalijah]

HE'S CHECKING OUT GARY!!!! I REPEAT, HE'S CHECKING OUT GARY!!!!

[pali-and-proud]

Would Buddy hurt anyone? Why was Buddy shocked when he hurt Chase with the spear? AND WHY THE COMPLETE DIFFERENCE WITH THE SPEAR AND DEACON WITH THE WOLVES?!?

I GET TO TALK ABOUT BUDDY AND DEACON. AHAHA.

Thank you for the Q <3 I love and respect you, but I am going to bypass the first two questions because I am filled with thoughts on Buddy and Deacon's dynamic. Because I don't know if more people noticed (I'm 100% sure others have noticed) but Buddy and Deacon absolutely parallel each other.

What's Buddy's big motivator, as established by the Dreams By Night episode? To escape Ex Libris. To be free, essentially.

What's Deacon's big motivator, as established by The Book of Deacon? To lead his own story, without his parents controlling everything. To be free, essentially.

Buddy, from the beginning, harps on Chase's lack of preparation. Deacon, from the beginning, gripes about Chase's lack of preparation. Deacon over-prepares, to the point where Chase asks him what different scenes mean and what happens in the story. Something he used to do with Buddy, because both Deacon and Buddy indulge Chase in their explanations.

Deacon gets caught off-guard by Chase's perceptiveness, and Buddy gets caught off-guard by Chase's personality. And Chase might gripe about both, sure, but often about superficial, irrelevant details. Complaining about Deacon always being busy, or complaining about Buddy being pretentious. (Not about things of substance, like Deacon having enough money to attend college AND disliking the experience, or about not even knowing Buddy's name.)

We all laugh about Buddy being paranoid, but Deacon matches him pretty well. Deacon isn't spilling any names. Deacon, like Buddy, understands the necessity for secrets. Who makes the plans to hide Prunella? Who keeps telling Chase not to talk to Buddy about her?

(A thought for another time, but--something about kids of strict parents being sneakier, and something about Deacon always convincing Chase into keeping secrets.)

Deacon's being reasonable, and we know that, because we're listening to his reasoning, and his reasoning is nothing like Buddy's. (Buddy's all "EVERYONE is out for themself," while Deacon is a lot more subtly judging the shirtless Hot Topic wanna-be.) But their ACTIONS match each other.

Are they the same character? lmao absolutely not. They have different experiences, different mentalities, different perspectives. Deacon has a support system, whether financial (parents) or emotional (Bronze) or even social (Chase). Buddy has a bright eyed, stubborn kid who sees a vampire and somehow therapizes him, and sees someone covered in thorns and reciprocates their hug because he knows it was needed.

But how similar they are really shines in the Requiem arc. Deacon and Buddy match the other's barbs seemlessly, and they call out the other with ease. Deacon insults Buddy's fashion sense + teeth, Buddy tricks Deacon into nearly getting mauled by wolves, which is probably an escalation, and Deacon immediately starts plotting a revenge. "When I get my hands on him," he outright says, implying some retaliation, and yet he sees Buddy and Chase wrestling a vampire to the ground and immediately asks "What're we doing?"

He immediately joins them. He has no idea what they're doing or why they're doing it, but they're doing it, so he alas has to ascribe to it. And then you remember that Chase is the one who jumped Vamp, and Buddy ALSO has no idea what they're doing or why they're doing it, but Chase's doing it, so he alas has to ascribe.

They get each other, is what I'm saying. They're foils in methods (Deacon annoys Buddy verbally, Buddy annoys Deacon physically////Deacon chooses to maintain peace via secrecy, Buddy prefers honest communication despite the impacts/////etc etc etc) but they're mirroring the other. They're two beams of light, coming from the same source, going in completely opposite directions.

Buddy hurting Chase risked everything Buddy had gained, all the trust and the companionship and the grossly genuine friendship he gained. The physical pain risked ripping the emotional connection between them. Buddy hurting Deacon DOESN'T rip open anything, because however far Buddy takes things, Deacon's prepared to follow out of annoyance and spite alone. They have the same priorities: keep themselves (+ Chase/others) safe, and humble the other when necessary.

And Buddy has an embarrassing crush or something. everyone point at the idiot and laugh

[bitchslapblastoids]

sun hasn’t even risen yet and I’m feeling so emotional about how Dan is living proof that growth takes time but is so worth it and sometimes you don’t work through the hard stuff until you’re well into adulthood bc just getting by took enough energy and you simply didnt have the tools yet and we now know that things got so dark for him and im sure the darkness will come again bc that’s how these things go but now he’s smiling with his crows feet and laugh lines and silly clothes bc now he can love his body enough to put it in silly outfits before going out into the world and he’s goofy and playful and in love and idk guys life can be so defeating and it sure was for him at times but here he is this gleaming imperfect beautiful example of work and growth and acceptance and self love

[itzrafee]

A thing on Uran and Helena in Pluto

Okay a short little thing on Pluto. Uran and Helena are my absolute favourite characters in Pluto. Urasawa has always had amazing side characters, from Mr. Rosso in Monster to Lee Harvey Oswald and Jackie in Billy Bat to God in 20th Century Boys, but very few have tied off the emotional ends of the story like Uran and Helena.

Maybe I'm projecting here but much like myself I feel like Urasawa is absolutely obsessed with Frankenstein. And he recognizes the influence Frankenstein has on Dr. Umataro Tenma. Or at the very least, the similarities between the two. And so when he made the protagonist of one of his most popular works Monster, Dr Kenzo Tenma, he solidified that connection. Kenzo Tenma calls back to Victor Frankenstein needing to end his creation while also calling back to Japan's other famous Tenma, thus making the connection explicit. Another throughline between the three of them is that all three are father figures to their creations and have obligations to their children, though all three have varying levels of success with them.

I've only read what I like to call Urasawa's "Core Four", conspiracy minded thrillers that are essentially road trips featuring usually two main protagonists that we see the world through, Monster, 20th Century Boys, Pluto and Billy Bat. Though I still haven't caught up to Asadora and that could still possibly fit this mold, Urasawa's Core Four share a lot of themes and ideas. One of the most important being the responsibility for one's creations, whether it was Kenji Endo and the Book of Prophecy or Kevin Yamagata and Billy Bat or Dr. Kenzo Tenma and Johan, all of his protagonists could arguably be seen as someone with the need to take up the responsibility of their creations. So where do the protagonists of Pluto fit in there? That's where Uran and Helena come in.

But first, we should take a look at Pluto's themes. While I could be wrong, at a cursory glance, I feel like the general consensus towards it's themes is that it's about hatred. I don't really think that's what it is as I feel like Urasawa is more trying to show us what it is to be human and what it is to be alive. And in that, he has a hidden protagonist in Pluto. Someone who's influence snakes through the plot and isn't seen much, but without who the story's themes would remain incomplete. Pluto tackles what it is to be alive through many things, such as memory, sadness, grief, hatred, love and parenthood. But none of that works without the realization by Tenma of his own mistakes. And Uran and Helena bookend these revelations and are absolutley key to understanding that.

In my favourite chapter of the series, Chapter 37, Uran goes from person to person as she finds a way to deal with her grief and eventually comes across Tobio's grave, Tenma having left recently. It's an absolutely beautiful chapter that shows Uran's humanity and Urasawa's love for sharing these kind and soft moments. But it also sheds a light on Tenma as Uran realizes someone who was grieving has just left. Without saying much at all we realize that Tenma has finally realized his mistakes. In the process of grieving one son, he lost the other. While remembering Tobio, he let Atom go. His grief towards Tobio is clear in the following chapter, Chapter 38. All of the things he wanted Atom to be; Tobio come back to life, Tobio's ghost punishing him, Atom rejected. And Tenma could only see that rejection, and not what he had, another son.

Uran shows us very clearly what Pluto, the story, is. It's a chapter in their lives. And we've come into a story nearing the end for Tenma. And it's through the humanity of two absolutely amazing characters in their own right, Uran and Helena, that we are able to so fully understand Tenma. Despite being robots, these two characters are the most alive of everyone. They love fully and freely and are catalysts of change. Uran's vibrant and full of life in a way that really sticks out. And Helena has such depth that it's evident in every scene she's in. She's not pointed out to be made by any famous scientist so all the life she has is her own. These two represent the life of robot's more than any other characters in the series.

So it's that much more poignant when Helena finally breaks down after putting on such a strong front of everybody. Grief intersects and she brings out Tenma's sadness as well. They've both been putting up such strong fronts that it's heartbreaking to see them collapse. It completes Tenma's growth and strikes a heartbreaking contrast between the two. Tenma became the way he is through the loss of his son whereas Helena doesn't even get to remember her own loss. It makes you wonder if the grief for her and Geischt's child compounds her sorrow too.

Without these two and their grief, a large part of Pluto becomes inaccessible. Pluto is largely about death so when two characters come in who've never had a hand in the grim work of taking life, you see the world through a lens that's absolutely crucial in order to fully connect with all of the character's and their situations. Death and Grief has scarred the characters in Pluto. Time and time again they've chosen the worst path. They've chosen revenge and hatred. But Uran and Helena are different. Without them, the story is incomplete. They provide an alternative. They provide the path towards healing.

im sorry for this one:

[multifanbrainrot]

ah dead boy detectives and the idea/theme of being good, of choosing to do good regardless who you are or were and despite what you've been through

[theprinceandthewitch]

The biphobia coolaide never fails to smooth out peoples brains...

[moiraimyths]

Before we call anon rude because let’s see it from their perspective, imagine getting an entire feast to eat. That can be pretty hard to start with so much that’s going on, but if they start with one thing they know they’ll like (aka one character they like) that can be the start for them leaping to other characters to finish the story and the bigger story. I struggle the same way to start book series if I don’t have at least one character that drives me to read it, it’s all about what can be the hook to push them through. Sounds like the anon is neurodivergent (just a guess) so they might genuinely not see it as rude and see it as a solution to even play the game to start with.

Btw absolutely adore the game, the complex and rich characters making them all so unique is amazing. The art is so pleasing to the eyes I love it!! I’m waiting for it all to get out at once so I don’t get too impatient. Shae however interests me the most, which routes will have the most lore for them? Will there be routes that give more lore in general based on decisions you make or do they all share the same amount? (I mean general lore not just Shae lore)

Apologies; we are not trying to accuse any asker of being rude! We are simply explaining our perspective as the developers / are trying to broadly encourage folks to dip their toes into other areas of the story outside of the main route(s) they're interested in, especially considering some routes will be made available sooner than others, and these other routes will likely contain additional scenes/lore of everyone's fave(s) regardless! We want to give each main cast member an equal amount of love (and lore) regardless of their overall popularity, so our goal is not to tut-tut anyone for having strong preferences for one character over the others, but rather to explain that you may be surprised by how much *more* you learn about your preferred characters in the other routes. That's all!

For Shae... Well, they were a foot soldier for one of the worst periods of the War. Lore wise, any other story that touches on the War will likely have content relevant to them and their experiences. ^^

[vaspider]

Please forgive my extremely messy and hasty wrap; I haven't regularly wrapped my hair in almost 20 years, since I stopped selling roses at Faire, BUT

We got a sample of a scarf that I think might be a good option for tichel wear. The big issue has been that a lot of the scarves we've been able to get over the last few years have been too slippery, too translucent, too itchy, or some combination of the above.

This is a poly weave, 27" × 73'', and it has enough grip to it and is soft enough that I could wear this and not get the sensory heebie jeebies.

We've been looking for options literally since we started NK in 2017, and I'm really hopeful about this. I was able to keep it on my head without it moving around just from twisting and tucking it, no pins or anything, and i bent over and shook my head around and so on. It felt pretty secure.

I'm going to try it again after it's washed and dried and see how it feels.

Oh - the print here isn't very well featured bc you can't see much of it in the wrap but it's the trans pride Braille print, which will drop April 15th. :)

[petrichoraline]

you guys would blorbo-fy the fuck out of these characters, i'm telling you go watch this show now im going crazy

[charliespringverse]

i think it should be possible to scream without making any noise or disturbing anyone or inviting any questions . just sometimes . as a treat .

[angelmichelangelo]

i have woodyangelo fever (when don’t i tbh) and quickly compiled my favourite moments og Them *clutches big folder full* HERE YA GO

“mikey talks about you… a lot.” yeah no shit the guy is smitten pretty much as soon as he lays eyes on him lol

“sorry mikey, no woody.” *mike proceeds to act like an actual kicked puppy* this whole side plot was very very sad. the woodyangelo divorce was painful yall!

“he only wishes to love… and be loved.” mikey is crying im also crying. we’re all crying here

“woody, of course” he says because duh! yeah the idea of them being exposed to humans is scary but woody of course has to know. how else would they be able to be each others boyfriends ??

[swiftfootedachilles]

im just gonna be honest gang obviously its gonna be easy for you to say youre in love with a character and theyre an angel when anytime they do something you don't like you brush it off as out of character

[sapphic-luthor]

Honestly mon-el is hardly the worst instance of bland white hetero male character from the cw, but when you consider the circumstances of his character being introduced (abusive misogynistic showrunner self inserting) and the show he was introduced to (a show supposedly centered around a woman, with the ostensible purpose of her breaking free of the shadow of her more popular male counterpart) it does shoot his utter unlikeability through the roof past his more onerous peers.

see i wasn’t around in s2 so i didn’t/don’t know any of the behind the scenes stuff about the character choices or anything. i popped in right around the end of s4 i think and even then, years on, there was a lot of hatred toward mon-el that imo had the bang of a specific type of terminally online tumblr-callout-post off it. like just weeklong threads fighting with karamels and big huge posts about how problematic he was etc etc when honestly he’s like… fine, in the context of what he is, which is a cw character.

i honestly believe mon-el (and winn to an extent) both were victims (in this fanbase) of the modern online thing where we strive to equate unlikeability with moral failings to prove our own points; like it’s not “i hate this guy” it’s often “i hate this guy and he is problematic and here’s a callout post listing why.” and i totally fell for it because i went into this rewatch waiting for him to be this horrific unlikeable scumbag and he was pretty much fine.

obviously i don’t like the guy because straight men annoy me and we all know kara’s rightful place on earth is on her knees between lena’s legs, but all in all the ire that this fandom had for mon-el really does feel quite pearl-clutchy and overblown in retrospect lol

[emry-stars-art]

Next person to apologize for adding to my posts/ranting in the tags gets left in the stocks ‼️ stg! Tag rants and additions and asks are the only things that have been motivating me to keep creating like this!! Please never stop yourself if you have thoughts!!!