#i want them to be the comedic dynamic duo of all time

[can-of-catastrophics]

Wait, I’m in love with her-

“He’s the only one I knew that could pound whiskey like a sailor then keep up with me on the dance floor.”

aka my take on Alastor and Mimzy back when they were still alive!

[liulith]

Sir Pentious & Alastor: an underrated dynamic

"Show yourself, Alastor! Come and face--! Oh, there you are. FACE MY WRATH!"

Sir Pentious has been in Hell for much longer than Alastor. That means he was there when the Radio Demon appeared, and he's been trying to overthrow Alastor for decades! We know what Alastor is capable of, and what he could do if he truly wanted Sir Pentious to stop. He obviously doesn't register Sir Pentious as a threat, but that doesn't mean he's not annoying (like when he interrupts his song in the pilot and destroys a wall in ep2). Yet in all those decades, Alastor always let him go with the equivalent of a slap on the wrist, considering what he's done to other sinners in his broadcasts.

And why is that? Why, he must find Sir Pentious very entertaining, of course! Even though he calls Sir Pentious forgettable (to rile him up), there's no way a narcissist like him doesn't LOVE being the main focus of Pentious' "evil plans", as pathetic as they are. Not only does he give him the attention he deserves (like Vox), he's a true "architect of evil" who constantly reinvents himself to try and get the upper hand on Alastor. To Alastor, Pentious is like a sillier, weaker, more immature version of Vox with close to ZERO survival instincts but twice the creativity. Even Vox, who made a whole diss track about Al, wouldn't dare speak to him the way Sir Pentious does if they were face to face.

"SILENCE! Now cower! For when I've ssslain you, the almighty Vees will finally acknowledge me as their equal."

He does have some "oh shit" moments when he sees he crossed a line/is about to get Team Rocket-ed, but he still gets back up and attacks him again with all the unearned confidence of a man who has no idea how easy Alastor goes on him.

Just like Alastor, Pentious is attached to the aesthetics and technology of the time period he knew when he was alive, and still manages to innovate with those limitations. I think Alastor could respect that.

"You whores have no class! In war, the side remembered is the side with the most style!"

It's also funny that to Pentious, Alastor is the young, modern one. Some phrases Alastor uses are "young people slang" to him!

Pentious asking Alastor questions on his "modern" radio technology...

Alastor is one sarcastic bastard, and Sir Pent is one of the most naive characters in the show. He takes a lot of things way too literally (#autism?). That's just PERFECT for comedic misunderstandings between these two!

Before s1 was released there were quite a lot of ace!Pentious headcanons. I think we could still make a case for closeted ace-adjacent!Pentious in canon! Possibility even aroace!Pentious, if we interpret his crush on Cherri as compulsive heteronormativity (he loves her creative genius and is fascinated by her explosive contraptions; surely that means she's the one, right?)

Ace4Ace Alastor & Pentious would be a fun duo in my opinion. They could bond over their shared experience

On the topic of bonding... ("I have feelings for you" (Narrator voice: the feeling was friendship, but he had ever experienced it before)

Seriously, imagine Sir Pentious spending more and more time around Alastor because of the hotel, taking his sarcastic and mocking remarks literally and thinking they're becoming closer... And then being like. WAIT. Do I have feelings for him?? and trying to seduce him like he does with Cherri Bomb. The absolute shenanigans... Rizzlord Pentious strikes again.

Accidental fake dating scenario that only exists in Vox's head, where Vox, being the stalker that he is, spies in the two of them bonding and reaches all the wrong conclusions

Once Sir Pentious dies for the second time and ascends to Heaven, he could meet Alastor's mom 👀

EDIT: OH and How could I forget the Egg Boiz?? Egg Boiz babysitter!Alastor is canon and he definitely babysat them multiple times in the few months Sir Pentious spent at the hotel. Joint custody :3

AND let's not forget the important information that Frank the Egg Boy reported to Sir Pentious lol. The one Charlie made a deal with Alastor for. I can imagine Alastor considering killing the Egg Boiz/ Sir Pentious after learning Frank didn't keep quiet (Imagine Sir Pentious trying to engage in a conversation w/ Alastor and telling him what Frank told him as a joke akfkkd), spending a whole afternoon trailing after them and making plans, only to realise that the Egg Boiz say insane shit all the time and Sir Pentious was in fact NOT playing 4D chess by telling him he knew (and probably already forgot all about it)

[artsy-waffle19]

Rating dynamics between characters in Dead Boy Detectives that never actually interacted that much or at all, for absolutely no reason.

- Starting off with probably the most reasonable as number one: Charles and Monty.

I absolutely adored the quiet bitchiness between these two. Not a word was said and everyone could see they can't stand each other now make them solve a case together. Bonus points if they actually bond over shitty parents or the fact that they're basically different flavours of the same person. Solid pairing I give it a 7/10 and I would love to see more of them in s2.

- Up next we got number two: Jenny and The Cat King.

I genuinely don't know why everyone is sleeping on this pairing, this is a comedic goldmine and i will not take any criticism on it. I mean...goth & slut is such a funny concept for a duo and I REALLY want the two of them to be forced into solving some kind of minor case. If we want to ramp up the chaotic energy we should absolutely add Maxine into the mix (bonus points if she's a ghost and becomes besties with CK) 9/10 i love it.

- After the strong one let's go with a chill one for number three: Tragic Mick and the dandelion sprites

Just imagine them, in their silly jar on the counter of the shop and trying to insult him and cussing out his customers. Imagine people entering the shop, trying to buy something and being forced to listen to his tragic backstory while getting roasted for their haircut at the same time. Fun concept but not my fav so I'll give it a 5/10.

- For number four we've got: Edwin and Kashi

I feel like this could actually be an incredibly funny combination. All-time-trauma-olympics-winner and Guy-who-got-swallowed-by-a-giant-fish-and-refuses-to-let-it-traumatise-him. The more thought i put into this, the madder i get that this wasn't actually in the show this could have actually had some super interesting influence on Edwins character development and it's a comedic goldmine. Confident 10/10 would love to see it.

- Next up is number five with: Monty and The Night Nurse

Either they would get along great or one of them would start crying. Generally I think they would be a team that Gets Shit Done and I, for one, would love to see it. All in all it's pretty similar to the Niko and NN dynamic tho so I give it a 7/10.

- Number six iiiiisssss (drumroll pls): Night Nurse and The Cat King

I know both of them were mentioned before but fr this is hilarious. Either he would end up dead or she would quit her job immediately, no inbetween. They don't have much conflict besides annoying each other to the death so there aren't that many possibilities to elaborate on the dynamic but it would have been a funny side dialogue in the show. I give it a 7/10 (bonus points if we throw crystal into the mix, simply because she would enjoy frustrating the shit out of the other two and I need that kind of content in my life).

- Last but not least with number seven, we've got Esther and Maxine

I feel like they would become best friends. They would get along ✨flawlessly✨. Not necessarily because they have much in common but simply because they match each others freak and would feel very validated. Imagine them, having a girls night and gossiping about crazy shit they did due to a relationship gone wrong. Honestly flawless I would have loved seeing Maxine as an evil goon. (Bonus points if she ends up getting a crush on Esther, who thinks it's incredibly entertaining). Can't find any minus point in this so I'll give it a 10/10.

feel free to add ur own to this

[fate-motif]

alright, i have a wishlist for prodigy s3. which is going to happen. i speak it into existence. cool, now that that’s established:

what is dal hearing about augments as an augment don’t nitpick taxonomy don’t nitpick taxonomy within the federation? has he heard that they become tyrants? that they’re power-hungry arrogant bastards? that their existence is a threat for diversity of people of all bodies and minds? what’s he picking up on? what’s affecting him and what’s not affecting him? food for thought.

jankom pog development. i am no longer asking. we have a tellarite main character, we need to talk about how he’s been displaced 400 years in time from his people and tellarite society may be alien to him, which is an excellent vantage point to talk about tellarites like we’re new to them! which we kind of are! so make it count!

i understand this is a show for children in which everyone gets carte blanche from disbelief despite their age because children like to see themselves doing adventures, not adults. but also let’s talk about rok trying to avoid gifted kid burnout. it would actually really be a nice topic to tackle if you got kids at home who burn themselves out thinking their worth is tied to their accomplishments.

i want to see conflict between maj’el and the kids who grew up as slaves. maj’el is very put together but i am sure there would be blind spots as someone who grew up in post-scarcity utopia and might be more removed from the struggles of planets who don’t have coexistence and communication figured out yet. you know, make it juicy, ds9 style!

i demand the return of pogdal because i think they’re an incredible comedic duo and the crumbs we got of their dynamic from s2 wasn’t enough to satisfy me. i miss it when they were two dumb teenagers trying to brute force the kobiyashi maru funniest character combo in the cast imo.

[tcvsfiredemon]

Platonic Narumayo and Romantic Tension

I was originally gonna post this as a twitter thread, but it started getting really long and that toxic sludgepit doesn’t deserve that kind of effort. Get yourself a snack or something, it’s gonna get rambly.

I think people who go out of their way to shut down the possibility that there could be any romantic attraction between Nick and Maya are missing out on a really cool aspect of their platonic relationship.

There’s a lot to be said about the many facets of the Narumayo friendship, from their bonding through shared trauma, to their building a found family with Pearl, to their effortless ability to trade off being the straight man of their comedic duo. But I think a lot of people miss how much of their friendship is informed by the fact that they both kinda want to kiss each other.

First off, Maya is constantly teasing Phoenix, and often in a weirdly flirty way. Just a few examples off the top of my head. She says Max is dreamy with stars on his face and immediately suggests Nick put stars on his face. She acts like a spurned lover when Phoenix is talking to Adrian, specifically in an attempt to get him flustered. She explicitly compares Phoenix rescuing her from being kidnapped to the DeLites’ love story. 

There’s quite a few moments like this throughout the games, and coupled with a lot of Maya’s actions and reactions, I get the sense that we’re supposed to believe that she has a thing for Nick. Maybe that’s just the shipping goggles talking, but it really does feel like the intended subtext. I mean, look at that what she instinctively drew when she was in 

(You’re probably wondering when the platonic part comes in. We’ll get there.)

But even if Maya does have a crush on Phoenix, does he return it? Obviously she’s very important to him, but is that really as a romantic interest? We often see him get flustered or stunned into silence whenever people assume he and Maya are dating(which happens a lot), but I feel like that can easily just be read as him being uncomfortable with people assuming he’s in a relationship with his assistant.

In general, Phoenix’s feelings for Maya are fairly ambiguous and probably not something that he’s thought through too much himself. That is, of course, until the waitress scene. That scene, in my opinion, is the single hardest thing to justify if you’re trying to deny any romantic tension within Narumayo. I’ve seen people say that it’s just Phoenix giving a compliment to his best friend/sister figure, but is that really the tone that’s being conveyed there? 

That initial comment on her voice. The pregnant pause when he sees her. The weird pick-up line that probably just came out of his mouth without any thought. That’s not the actions of a guy innocently complimenting his friend, that’s the reaction of a guy who just realized that he finds his friend hot. I’d argue that the case can’t even proceed the way it does unless Phoenix thinks Maya is attractive, because that’s what gives him the idea to try to get her to seduce information out of Kudo.

So between Maya and Phoenix we have two best friends with a lot of chemistry who are probably into each other, and whose friends definitely think are already togeyhet, but we never actually see them take that step into romance. And you know what? It fucking works!

(See, told you we’d get into the platonic stuff eventually.)

One of my favorite movies of all time is When Harry Met Sally, and while the titular couple does get together in the end, most of the film is about the two of them navigating being best friends while obviously having romantic feelings for each other. It’s a beautiful story of these two people building a wonderful platonic relationship and then very nearly ruining it when they try to turn it romantic. 

That’s the dynamic I see between Phoenix and Maya. They love each other and are probably in love with each other, but they insist on keeping things strictly platonic because to change that could mean to destroy what they’ve spent years building up. It’s an underlying tension that underscores a lot of their actions.

It’s the dynamic that the two of them still have almost a decade later in SoJ, where they find immense comfort just being in each other’s presence, investigating cases like old times. And no matter how much Phoenix gawks at Maya like a sun fish, no matter how many times Maya teases Nick while they’re investigating a wedding-based case, no matter how much they may or may not want to kiss, they’re so happy just to be friends.

(Not that I’d be mad if they did end up kissing…)

Obviously there’s nothing wrong at all with seeing Narumayo as siblings or as purely platonic friends who would never in their wildest dreams be romantically interested in each other, but I do feel like something is lost in that interpretation. 

Like, I’m not the biggest fan of romantic Narumitsu, but I don’t think you can truly appreciate their friendship while ignoring that those guys have a weird pseudo-romantic tension going on. Without it they’re just two dudes who used to be friends and don’t have a whole lot of chemistry but would still for some reason die for each other. Once you acknowledge that “oh, they’re kinda in love, aren’t they” it all makes perfect sense.

I don’t think platonic Narumayo exactly falls apart if you ignore their romantic tension. They still have all that other stuff I talked about, but their relationship loses a lot of richness if it’s reduced to just “besties” or “siblings”. Even the games themselves took a little time to explore the potential romantic tension between Phoenix and Maya, and I think that’s been pretty instrumental in making them one of the coolest male/female friendships this side of When Harry Met Sally.

[sapphic-biohazard]

The idea of azula and yue travelling constantly and surviving on the land is many things but mainly funny.

Both of these 2 are princesses, young girls who have spent their entire life in luxury and wealth, and now they have to survive living in the wilderness with no money or servants or experience. The only thing they’ve got is yue’s spiritness azula’s bending. They would complain and whine as much as they want but It’s not like anything would change because of that’s since they’re not around anyone to follow their wishes and commands, and then again azula is too prideful to act too much like a child and yue put herself in this situation so she can’t complain that much.

We already know azula is strategic and tactical so she would try to plan and micromanage every aspect of their travels, but nature isn’t like that, there are always gonna be surprises and unplanned factors playing in, I think that would help azula deal with her obsession of perfection and control.

Being with yue, a spirit, especially an important one like the moon spirit, helps. Animals and plants are gentler with her since spirits are more in tuned with nature. They tend to find good spots for camping and more than once animals help yue and subsequently azula find food and so. If their sailing or on water, it would be even easier, since the moon controls the tides.

They still have to assign chores: yue hunts, especially for sea food. Azula uses her fire to cook. Yue can identify the non poisonous plants and read the stars, and azula plans their trips in the most efficient way so the least time and energy is wasted as possible.

They still have to cross civilisation, towns and villages, for supplies and shelter during harsh weather and so. Yue handles most of the the socialising and people handling because, number one, she’s not as socially inept during non-conflict as azula, and number two, there’s a risk of them recognising azula, the fugitive fire nation princess. They’d need an alias and coverup story, so most of the time they just say they’re wives and they’re travelling together, since they’re too different to be relatives and saying their just friends undermine the value of their companionship (neither of them faced her feeling for the other and so both are in constant denial).

They probably participate in peasant activities as to not draw too much attention. So maybe they’ll go dancing during parties, and play games during festivals, basically just having fun. If they interacted with the other villagers for more than necessary it would either be comedic as they lie about their true selves as much as they can, or fuel a jealousy dynamic between them if either one was, or had a woman be, too friendly. I imagine they’re both very possessive and territorial of each other.

They can’t stay too long though, not longer than a week, they always leave at the end.

I can’t imagine their travels as completely peaceful. Even if fire nation soldiers aren’t looking for her to put her back in prison/asylum, azula has a lot of enemies in all the nations due to her status and also her actions. What if they come across a group targeting azula specifically, so now there’s another stake in their mission (which is literally just her staying alive). Cue to azula and yue training together. Azula teaching yue what she knows to the point yue’s waterbending look and behave more like firebending, and azula begin to do the same and take waterbending inspiration in her firebending. I’m thinking of ways they can combine their respective combat styles and be more efficient in battle, like yue covering a lot of opponents in water so azula can electrify them all at once. A lot of combination like that. They’d be an epic fighting duo.

But still the majority of their travels are filled with peaceful and domestic days. Yue cuddling azula for warmth in their joined tent, them stargazing and cloudgazing while they lay atop the grass. Telling each other their deepest secrets and wishes and childhood stories under the cover of the night while no one else hears them but each other and the sky. They grow impossibly closer to each other. Yue would panic and sweat and heave breath and have her body shake and tremor all over in terror if azula is away for more than usual, and of course, vice versa. They’re so in love, and they don’t even know it yet.

[muniimyg]

heyy idk if anyone ever asked u this before so i am gonna ask lol !

which one of your works do u love the most and why :>

not in order

your universe: i rlly liked the concept. its an easy read, characters are easy to digest, but it also had that element of push and pull in terms of their romance. it’s not really meant to be specific and super detailed (again because it’s supposed to be an easy read), so when i recall little concepts like their names (ace & aki), their contact names (fermented cum), and their setting in general was really fun for me. i’ve always liked writing uni au’s but this one hit the spot. i also remember it fondly because my readers were super into it! the interactions made writing the story so fun and it’s how i got close with 2 of my favourite readers 😋

nonsense: god this jimin was so sexy to me. the idea of 2 virgins being each others fwb ,, and then add the enemies to lovers vibe because of academic rivalry?? sounds like a lot but their dynamic jus worked. it flowed so well and even tho the story has the least interactions; i had such a good time writing it. i remember writing majority of it at the airport during my trip to toronto. it felt like i was truly writing for fun and didn’t feel much in terms of the pressure to make it as good as my last fic or to update as consistently. overall so precious to me because of the process!

left on read / close to you / all at once: ok let’s get into it LOL

lor jk’s lore is so sweet to me! like wdym you’re a ppl pleaser and the only person you want to actually please hates you 😭 the sunshine boy x grumpy girl duo is elite to me. the first draft i had of them was made soooo long ago. it was supposed to be the first fic i ever posted but it turned out to be the 3rd or smt.

c2u jk is iconic. like in terms of growth as a writer, i think this fic showcases that. from the way i write smut to the actual flow and pacing for this fic—i’ve honestly never been so proud of myself. not to mention how much this fic was supported. i was literally going thru it, thinking i was done writing fanfics cos i was a) out of ideas b) didn’t think there were anymore readers for me (silly, i know) but it was so interesting to see how suddenly all eyes were on c2u jk. i’m beyond thankful for the readers i met along the way and all the laughs. i felt like i was able to explore more in terms of my freakiness but also push my content quality. it’s also one of the very few smau i have that the texts are mainly focused between jk and oc so incorporating that comedic relief was hehe haha

aao jk i feel is like if lor and c2u jk had a baby. i impulsively wrote and posted aao jk cos i felt like i had to cleanse my mind from how nasty c2u turned me. he’s so funny and comforting, i’m so glad everyone got the boyfriend feels! i also had such a fun time writing it and was impressed with myself for keeping up with the updates and flow. it was meant to be a one shot but obviously it turned out to be even more… wouldn’t have it any other way 🌟

my other faves: please love me kth, chaebol jk (it pissed so many ppl off LOL), and bbydaddy jk… paraluman is pure trauma but has to be on this list because IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW.

[lxmelle]

hi lxmelle!! I have another jp(?) and jjk related question that I'm too shy to ask anyone else again ... do you know why takaken (takaba x kenjaku) is called pinchan? 🤔

and also how are you doing? 😄

also also, I had another question, but I totally forgot what it was. I might come back to ask if that's okay 🥲

again you don't have to answer ! that's all thank you🩷

Edit: this has an update 😊 https://www.tumblr.com/lxmelle/766125746628542464/hi-lxmelle-i-have-another-jp-and-jjk-related

Hi lex!!

Thank you for sending me an ask!

Hehe, I think you’re thoroughly adorable 😆 I’m sorry this took a while - you can ask me anything, anytime! It’s nice to have something to write about on this platform - I probably get a bit too noisy on Twitter/X, so I appreciate the opportunity to do something here as well.

So about Takaba x Kenjaku… From what I understand, TakaKen being “Pinchan” is the equivalent to GojoGeto being “Harattare Honpo” - it’s their manzai name (stage name).

That’s the straightforward & simple answer to the question!

But I think… perhaps some context might be useful? I hope you don’t mind, I’ll just blab a little bit on the arc & manzai in general. If you want to skip it, that’s fine! More under the cut:

I will once again preface with that I’m not Japanese, and haven’t lived there, so my understanding is through research and from being… uh, I guess an otaku / fujoshi / someone who had an interest in Japanese culture once upon a time 😅

So if there are inaccuracies, please feel free to educate me and I hope it’ll also allow others to learn from your knowledge. The bottomline is, even if I dare to write about stuff and talk freely about what I think, I’m in no way trying to claim myself as a subject matter expert. I just like to ramble, and I’m no better than anyone else - these are just my opinions free for anyone to read and you’re all welcome to make up your own mind 😄

With that out of the way...

So I’ll take the opportunity to offer a little bit of what I’ve come to understand… there are comedic duos (combi / コンビ) who do manzai / skits with set roles of the boke and tsukkomi, and also solo comedians (pin-geinin / ピン芸人). Sometimes duos & solos alike will partner up for shows and variety programmes, making it a nice mix of characters and dynamics. Some of these are quite popular internationally.

Kenjaku making it up on the spot on the grand stage in the “finale” of his battle with Takaba is likely a nod / reference to this manzai culture, where the “pin” in “pinchan” is from “pin-geinin” (solo comedic act), which makes it humorously ironic because they’re a “combi” / duo.

To add to the irony, they’re a manzai duo / combi comprised of enemies… They are on opposing sides but get along? It’s funny!

The more I think about it, the more it appears to me that pinchan represents some kind of dark irony.

For example, Kenny appeared to have worked solo (“pin”) for decades doing his brain-hopping thing with his research & awful experiments and Takaba has always wanted a suitable partner to be a “combi” in his manzai career. They stumbled upon their amazing chemistry by accident, that it was fun, and discovered these feelings within the battle - it’s quite bittersweet and sadly ironic to enjoy something together but ultimately have to mean to harm the other until there is just one.

And as light-hearted as comedy is, what they’re doing is also ironic because it’s totally not light-hearted to want to kill the other. So it’s like proclaiming “we are a solo!” They’re a combi/soulmates! …but they have to kill each other.

The “cute” nature of the honorific -chan also makes it more ironic because, in actuality, the skit itself that brought them together is a battle to the death. It’s so dark. There is irony and duality intermingled in the entire scene. It’s a bit sad, too - which I guess is also shown in how there were mixed feelings between the duo with Takaba crying and Kenjaku appearing rather stoic.

Someone joked on X that with chan gone there can only be pin left. And who knows who is meant to be pin or chan, lol. So I guess it’s quite well understood that the term “pinchan” has some reference to a pin-geinin / solo comedic performance.

I hope my thoughts made sense 🤔 it sounded ok (well, better) in my head, so I never really know how it’s received.

Ah and honestly, lately my brain like Swiss cheese, so I forget a lot of stuff… there are times where I can’t remember what I’ve written, or where 😂 please forgive me if I sound like a broken record.

As for how I am, I’m constantly shifting gears in my head at the moment as I juggle this and that. But! I’m doing good, thanks for asking~!! 🫶 How are you doing? And btw, everyone else is welcome to also post a comment 😃 and tell us how you are!

Comments and thoughts welcomed! Repost, comment, do what you like 😄

[bhnsby]

🔥

Gonna use this to drop off one of my hottest takes;

I think you all take Sierra and Cody, and the way people portray and think of these characters way too seriously

WAIT WAIT BARE WITH ME DONT SHOOT I CAN DEFEND MYSELF HERE

Sierra and Cody…

Sighs. I like sierra. And I thought she was funny. Let me explain before you get your pitchforks out

Sierra and Cody, while being a story about a stalker meeting their tv crush, is a PARODY of real obsessive fans and is meant to be COMEDIC.

Firstly, it is okay to like sierra and Cody’s dynamic;

Shipping them is eh to me it doesn’t make sense but if you can truly justify it without being a freak I’ll let you have it I guess, but Sierra and Cody as a duo not romantic relationship but as a stalker and her crush is different. Sierra and Cody were intended to be comedic. Whether that’s your sense of humour or not isn’t my issue, but claiming its Misery levels of stalker story is insane. Yeah she breached his privacy, yeah she was a bit of a freak, yeah she fucking sucked in world tour what the fuck was that, but she was still intended to be a PARODY. Quick little lesson chat what is a parody?

Well I’m glad you asked a parody is an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.

A really obvious example of a parody I can compare to sierra is caricature art. (Yes some is genuinely offensive and straight up racist but I’m talking about the innocent ones here). Caricature art isn’t funny to everyone, not everyone is going to want to get a caricature done, due to either not wanting their feelings hurt or them just finding the concept a bit rude or a bit offensive. But some people like caricature art and find it funny. They see the satire and parody here and can look at it from an unbiased perspective and appreciate the humour. Sierra isn’t funny to everyone, not everyone is going to like sierra, due to having maybe a personal experience that hits a bit close to home or finding the stalker concept a bit much and more serious than comedic. It some people do find sierra funny. They see the satire and parody here and can look at it from an unbiased perspective and appreciate the humour.

Next I wanted to touch on the whole concept of the Sierra Cody situation to be taken more seriously;

If you want to take Sierra and Cody and look at it from a perspective of a stalker and victim in a more serious lense, and want to include in your fics, fan art and over all interpretations of these characters and situations as something more serious, then that is great. That is wonderful even I’m glad you are able to do that. But if someone wants to just look at Sierra and Cody as comedic relief, and only see them as comedic relief, and want to include this in their fics, fan art and over all interpretations of the characters, then that is also okay. The wonderful thing about people is that we look at, react to and interpret things in different ways. Maybe we should all hold hands and realise that it’s okay to take the Sierra Cody thing seriously, and that it’s okay not to.

Finally , you do need to understand that the Sierra and Cody situation can be serious, and that it can be comedic, but you kind of need to acknowledge both;

So. Yeah Sierra and Cody is a story about a stalker meeting her favourite tv star and getting way too into it. That is a serious situation. But it is also a comedy. Like ive said multiple times throughout this post. But listening to one and ignoring the other is kind of stupid. The fact is that what happens to Cody is pretty serious and not okay at all like some of that stuff what the fuck, and to try and say “uh well it’s a joke so sierra is completely okay and did nothing wrong” is ridiculous, and it is a comedic part of the show. It’s a joke, it’s a huge part of the humour in world tour, so saying “well what happened to Cody was pretty serious so you can’t laugh at it and anyone that does is evil” is also stupid. Now ready for my bombshell of a take

Fiction does affect reality and fiction is different from reality are two statements that can coexist.

This can apply to multiple things, shipping, characters, topics and in this case Sierra and Cody.

In regards to sierra and Cody, this means that while what happened to Cody was awful and a serious matter (mainly in real life as the show doesn’t really take it seriously), it is still a joke and a bit of humour, and that while it is funny to laugh with Sierra and at Cody, there is a level of tragedy to this and what happens to him

Uh to wrap up because I’ve just been repeating myself over and over

TL;DR : Sierra and Cody is ultimately a comedic part of the show, but has a level of seriousness to it, and it’s best to acknowledge both

[pocketscribbs]

I've always wondered, what made you start to ship Tangle and Espio in the first place? It's cute but what's the reasoning?

Saved this question for Valentine’s Day, grab a seat folks, bc it’s a bit of a story.

So, rewind back to the summer of 2023. I was writing down potential comic ideas, specifically unlikely characters interactions (think IDW Sonic 2022 Annual).

TMOSTH had recently dropped at that time, Espio having a prominent role in it, so naturally I wanted to write him interact with my favorite character.

Tangle’s the kind of character who’s seems to have a fun dynamic with just about everyone, but up until that point, I didn’t have more than a basic understanding of Espio’s character. My understanding of his at the time was that he was just a calmer, ninja version of Knuckles. Then Tmosth happened and he was becoming my one of my favs.

I don’t remember how I initially came up with the story idea, but it’s since then been scrapped bc I don’t have time to draw it all, but the story I had in mind was that Tangle wanted to train with Espio after seeing the Chaotix helping Jewel with some missing person cases at the Restoration.

As I tried to plan out little bits of their training session, I started to feel like they’d really get along well and be a fun duo. And then a split second thought occurred: “Lol what if I shipped them?” So I started to play with that concept, and what I got I thought was genuinely really sweet.

It only got better as I learned more about Espio. Like how he’s a pretty awkward with hugs, and while he can be reassuring and wise, his serious behaviors will sometimes be unintentionally comedic, he tries to be the levelheaded one, but he’s still a Chaotix, can’t deny he is also silly XD.

I thought he and Tangle balanced really well. Flash-forward to now, and Tangle and Espio are my two favorite characters, my rarepair, but more importantly just a duo I’d love to see in the comics💜🩶

[skeletonpunching]

Buddy Daddies animation director interview

Interview with Sako Soichiro (character design and chief animation director)

Interviewer: Enami Katsumi-san was in charge of the original character drafts for "Buddy Daddies", but they had to be redesigned for the purposes of animation. What did you pay particular attention to at that time?

Sako: Enami-san is a prolific illustrator, and I was familiar with his style; I wanted to bring out that stylish dynamism which is both cool and endearing. And on top of that, the series has a strong comedic element, so I aimed to maintain the original coolness and charm while simplifying the designs for a comedy anime, and creating room to play around with them as much as possible. I focused on having the expressions not be stiff - and of course, I was aware that the designs had to be very mobile and fluid, in preparation for the action scenes.

Interviewer: What did you focus on when creating the "buddy vibe" and sense of visual balance between Kurusu Kazuki and Suwa Rei?

Sako: Director Asai gave instructions that there should be a clear "contrast" between Kazuki and Rei when they were side by side, but I myself also wanted to emphasise the differences between the two. It’s not just their personalities that differ - Kazuki is a bit stocky, while Rei looks lanky and has awful posture. I aimed to bring out that disparity in their appearances. And when adding (Unasaka) Miri to the mix, if we had been true to the real proportions of a four-year-old child, her face should really have been bigger. But if so, whenever Kazuki and Rei were carrying her or holding hands with her, she would just look like she had an enormous face. (laugh) In order to avoid that, we had to tweak Miri's height and bodily proportions every episode.

Interviewer: Did Director Asai have any specific requests apart from that?

Sako: Yes, about the facial expressions. Rei's facial expressions hardly vary at all, but Miri is a carefree character whose expressions change all the time, and Kazuki, who's always fussing, also has quite dramatic reactions to things. The director told me to ensure that breadth of variation. So the series fleshed things out from the original designs, and we came up with all sorts of new expressions. Especially with Miri - basically, I just wanted to make her cute. A kid who just can't sit still and is always running around causing trouble... that's how you could describe her, but in the end, her expressions are the saving grace. "She's so cute, I'll let it slide" - that's what I was going for.

Interviewer: Was there anything you were especially mindful of throughout this process?

Sako: Naturally, I felt like I had a duty to "draw Miri cutely", but as for the buddy duo, I wanted a clear contrast between their coolness and their total hopelessness. I was very careful to keep a distinction between how I portrayed their work mode and their regular mode. That contrast is especially pronounced for Rei. He's usually slouching, which brings out a height difference between him and Kazuki, but when he's on the job, he stands up smartly, with his back perfectly straight. With such a drastic change in his appearance and bearing, even though he's still the same character, I basically drew him like a different character entirely. In the second half of the series, there are some scenes where he has his hair down in regular mode, but he's carrying around some of those work-mode feelings; in those scenes, I paid close attention to his emotional state in order to depict those fine differences.

Interviewer: This is also an action-heavy series; how did you approach the characters' motions?

Sako: There are action setpieces pretty much every episode, and of course I was determined to make those cool, but the scenes of daily life also took a surprising amount of effort. Especially for Miri - she has very few stationary cuts, or still frames where only her mouth is moving. There are lots of scenes where she's constantly in motion, or delivering lines with her entire body. Just that alone was a lot of work to animate. I guess that's what happens when you prioritise making her cute - not in a "doll-like" way, but in a way where she's free to frolic and move around, and gets away with anything because she's cute... Come to think of it, Miri was probably the one we spent the most time on. (laughs)

Interviewer: From the episodes that have aired so far, which scenes left an impression on you?

Sako: Episode 3. Rei, who doesn't emote much, becomes conscious of his role as "papa to a child" for the first time, and he displays expressions and emotional upheaval that we've never seen from him before. I had a lot of fun depicting that. Rei hadn't exactly closed off his heart, but that's the point where he starts to gradually accept Miri as family. I'm very attached to the scene where you can sense that change. The main subject of this series is "buddies parenting", and I think this is where it all really begins in earnest.

Interviewer: What do you think is the appeal of the characters in "Buddy Daddies"?

Sako: Kazuki and Rei both have rather heavy backstories, but through the process of parenting, their feelings towards Miri and the ways they treat each other change, bit by bit. And because of that growth, your impression of the characters also evolves over time, and you rapidly find yourself charmed by them. I think it's interesting to see how things build up across the episodes. In the second half, some of their emotional changes and development call for expressions that weren't included in the original character designs; I personally enjoyed drawing those.

Interviewer: And what are your thoughts on Kazuki and Rei respectively?

Sako: It's just plain fun drawing Rei in action. Even apart from his facial expressions, there's so much you can convey from his movements. Rei's personal drama is a key ingredient in the last part of the show, so I wanted to portray his coolness in an appealing way. I think Kazuki is essentially a forward-looking character, but he's also a little aloof; I like how he's caring but not naive. He's not just a character with big exaggerated reactions - there are some darker shadows in his past, and that sense of loneliness you get from him is very compelling. I wanted to depict those subtle nuances in his expressions.

Interviewer: So, do you have a personal favourite character?

Sako: If we count the minor characters - there are some characters I got to design myself, but they're all the mean-looking old men in the assassin trade. (laughs) I had quite a lot of fun designing them. I really love Enami-san's more understated characters, so I wanted to incorporate some of that sensibility into my work... I figured that the protagonists are always flailing around in a slapstick way, so what happens if we cram in a whole bunch of serious old men too? There are some vicious characters, but I think their inclusion in a comedy-flavoured series increases the tension and raises the stakes in a good way. In that sense, I really feel like this is a remarkable series where the characters cover a whole spectrum of tones.

Interviewer: Please tell us what you think are the selling points of this series "Buddy Daddies".

Sako: Enami-san's characters are very charming, but as an animator, I'd also like to give a shoutout to the wonderful colour design and background artwork. The colourists produced all sorts of palettes, and the art department created incredibly stylish and tasteful backgrounds; it really enhances the overall appeal of the series. Also, it's a minor detail, but I think the fact that Kazuki's meals look so delicious is all thanks to the production staff's hard work.

Interviewer: Finally, please give a message to everyone who is looking forward to the rest of this series.

Sako: It's probably being watched both by actual parents and by people who have never parented, and my guess is that each person is finding something different to relate to. I think it might be fun to rewatch the series from that perspective - imagining what it would be like if you were a parent. The story goes through ups and downs, and I hope you're excited to find out how it all wraps up. Please do watch to the very end.

[mdhwrites]

Do you agree with the basic statement "more dramatic works handle smaller casts better, more comedic works handle larger casts better?" Just curious; this is an axiom I thought up during a shower.

The Emperor's New Groove essentially has 9 characters. Not 8 main characters. 8 CHARACTERS. Maybe two or three more if you want to include a palace guard and the waitress at the diner and others like that who get maybe like five lines. Meanwhile, the movie 12 Angry Men may not actually have 12 main characters, it does use an ensemble of 12 VERY effectively and is still considered one of the best dramas of all time.

Cast size is just a tool in a writer's toolbox. In dramas, it allows for more angles on a situation, more opinions on the problem. In comedies, it allows for more dynamics between characters and ways for them to bounce off of each other comedically. For action stories, it allows for a wide variety of different ways people may fight as each as their own style. In slice of life, it brings in different backgrounds and troubles to allow for further exploration of different parts of life. A large cast can be a boon to a lot of genres.

However, a large cast can also be incredibly cumbersome. There's a reason we have terms like main characters and side characters. A good writer will know either how to create good spaces for multiple characters to interact or they'll know who to keep the story focused on for what they're trying to get across.

Like I said, Emperor's New Groove has essentially 8 characters. Pacha, Kuzco, Izma, Kronk, Pacha's wife and kids as three, and the vengeful squirrel. That's already including one reoccurring gag character because the movie knows that it's essentially a road trip movie mixed with a buddy cop dynamic. As such, it's best for them to keep focus on Kuzco and Pacha. Heck, making Izma and Kronk essentially another duo allows for the villains to parallel and contrast our two leads in fun, interesting ways but that also means you don't really need more than four characters for this story, let alone main characters.

It all comes down to the needs of your story and just like how many words to take to tell that story, trying to put even a guideline for how many to use is close to impossible. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[alloveydovey]

Hellooooo, dramas from this past month :) I had a lot of fun watching most of these, which hadn't been happening lately.

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract, 2023 (kdrama) 7.5/8

A woman from the past travels to the future where she meets a man who resembles her deceased husband. In need of a wife, he strikes a contract with her, and blah blah blah, you know what happens next.

The chemistry was there 100%, the comedy too, but overall, I think it was just a mid watch for me. I was three episodes away from finishing but was struggling big time because I was getting bored.

The Romance of Tiger and Rose, 2020 (cdrama) 8

A scriptwriter ends up inside her own creation as a side character who dies early on in the drama and has a really bad reputation.

This was hilarious. Laughing out loud alone type of hilarious. It didn't make any sense at all, and it was extremely silly and sometimes even frustrating, but both actors were so great with the comedy (Zhao Lusi the actress that you are), so everything was just fun and romantic and cute... and weird enough, emotional af as well. I love these types of dramas where, after watching, you kinda feel empty inside lol. Comfort drama material? 100%

My Demon, 2023/24 (kdrama) 8

A demon becomes powerless after crossing paths with a cold heiress (who he obviously knew in their, guess what? Yes, past lives)

Kim Yoo Jung and Song Kang (his character is everything) were so cute in this! Their chemistry was definitely chemistring. I loved the concept and all, but for some reason, I couldn’t put my whole heart into this drama, which resulted in me being a bit disappointed. I’d get bored sometimes. I still don’t know if it’s my problem though. Maybe it wasn't the right time to watch it since I had been watching so many dramas with similar storylines. I’ll give them this, though, these two were truly a comedic duo™️

My Man is Cupid, 2023/24 (kdrama) 8

A love fairy accidentally shoots himself with an arrow and ends up in love with a human, condemning him and his group of cupids to 500 years on Earth. In modern day, he gets entangled with a veterinarian who might be connected to what happened in the past. Also! Murder mystery.

This one just goes to prove that liking a drama is all about vibes for me. Is this different from what I’ve been watching? Nope. It’s not better than the other ones above with similar premises. Yet somehow, unlike the others, it got my attention way more, and I totally binged it. Even when this particular one had some very confusing, probably so-so writing, moments. Granted, it has Nana in it. Nana makes everything worth it (Jang Dong Yoon was cute as well lol).

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, 2010 (kdrama) (rewatch!) 7.5 ⭐️

A cute gumiho saves an irresponsible rich kid who wants to become an action star by giving him her bead. Both of them gotta stick together while he heals.

Like I said back when I first saw this, COMFORT!! And I was in the mood for something silly and sweet after the same themes over and over again. I can't get over how cute Shin Min A and Lee Seung Gi are in this.

Falling Into You, 2022 (cdrama) 9

A student-athlete wants to do high jump but doesn't have the required height for the sport, so a postgraduate student-coach decides to take him under her wing and train him. Noona love story ensues.

So... I have a lot of mixed feelings about it because, all in all, I think this is one of the best cdramas I've watched. It's beautifully shot, the music is incredible, and the pacing, story, characters, and acting are all impeccable. Aside from Meet Yourself (fav ever) it's truly one of the most naturally acted cdramas I've seen so far as well. Even outside the romance part, everything was really good.

Now, was it inappropriate? For me, at least, I think it was. This young student is supposed to be 20, and his coach is said to be about to turn 28. They are both consenting adults (let's put it that way), but the power dynamics thing is still there. Overall, it was a nice surprise, and I completely binged it.

Welcome to Samdal-ri, 2023/24 (kdrama) 9

After a scandal, a famous photographer runs back to her hometown. Her ex, with whom she had an intense fallout (childhood friends to lovers), is there, and it seems like neither of them has moved on. (Also about family, and grief)

From the moment I saw Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang Wook's pictures next to one another on a tweet saying they were going to be in a new drama together, I knew this was going to be a 10/10 in my books. Maximized joint slay. Add the hometown cha cha cha vibes, and you have an amazing tear-jerker drama. The rest of the cast is a great complement as well; their acting and their stories just make everything really emotional (I cried a lot lol), but it is 100% worth the watch. I'll be honest about one thing, though. As much as I loved it, it took me a while to finish the last two episodes cause I feel like they dragged the story a bit.

Princess Hours/Goong, 2006 (kdrama) 8

In a reimagined modern SK, a girl from an ordinary family gets hitched to the crown prince because of a promise both of their grandparents made in the past. A Diana x Charles x Camilla drama ensues (but like, with a happy ending).

This is what I like to call DRAMA™️. The type you hate everyone's behaviors, and you laugh, and you hate the ML, but you also want him to get with the FL, and you start hate watching, and then you giggle when they share moments and completely forget ML is a really shitty person lol. I started this cause I got sick, and I got way into it. ML being a major asshole and the FL having no self-respect (like the good old dramas and telenovelas) aside, I enjoyed binging this, and I can see why it was so popular. Their romance, though deeply flawed and a product of the time the drama was made, had some great moments, slow burn and natural as well. I was lowkey hoping for a happier ending, tho, but it was cute enough. Also, music bro, that main song is never getting out of my head. Comfort drama material: 100%

Playful Kiss, 2010 (kdrama) 5

FL confesses to ML, and he rejects her harshly. When her house collapses, her father moves them in with an old friend, who ends up being ML's father.

So after Goong, I thought I'd probably be able to watch this. Wrong. Shin's got nothing wrong in comparison so Seung Jo. Seung Jo is probably my most disliked ML ever lol. I binged this, hoping it'd get better, or just like Shin in Goong, he'd change a bit after getting together with FL. But nope, he remained an asshole throughout the whole thing. Gotta love that consistency. Comfort drama material: 1% (I saw the comments on Viki, and I don't know how people rewatched this, lol.)

[imminent-danger-came]

Unhinged Anon here with a more lighthearted ask because that Macaque post reminded me how much I love thinking about his dynamic with MK. Of course, part of the reason for that is because there are numerous layers and intricacies that make it absolutely fascinating. But it’s also because, if I start thinking about it too long, they become one of the funniest duos in the show to me. 

And when I say funniest, I don’t mean they get the best jokes, or that their interactions get the biggest laughs. I mean it's hilarious to look at where they started vs where they are now, because it really makes you realize how spectacularly Macaque failed at not getting attached to MK.

Like… Macaque was not only prepared, but planning to manipulate, betray, and potentially kill MK in S1E9. He came into this series not caring about that kid, and his initial plan hinged on him staying that way.

And he did! Sure he liked MK fine, but he still went through with the power stealing thing. And he even threw in some cruel mockery. Which miiiiiiight have also been Macaque projecting on MK a little bit, but regardless! There was no hesitation, even when trying to kill MK, because Macaque’s hatred and bitterness towards Wukong far, far outweighed anything else. MK was just a means to an end for Macaque. A piece in a game MK didn’t comprehend, shall we say.

But then Shadow Play happens, and it becomes immediately clear that Macaque has already failed to stay completely unattached. Yes, he’s still clearly an antagonist here. He kidnaps MK's friends, forces them to attack him, and messes with MK’s head to what was probably an even greater extent then Macaque initially intended thanks to all those abandonment issues and LBD trauma.

But here’s the thing. There was NO REVENGE-RELATED REASON for Macaque to get involved here! Wukong was gone, and had been for at least a month or two by this point, and Macaque knew it. But he still decided to reach out because he accidentally went from ‘you can never have too many teachers, right? Haha aren’t I so nice, you can totally trust me :)’ to ‘you can never have too many teachers, and like it or not I’m one of yours’. He legitimately wanted to help MK realize some things about himself and gain some perspective. To keep MK from inadvertently becoming more like Wukong in ways MK would never want to be.

And then S3 happens. LBD basically turns Macaque into her bloodhound, and he goes from antagonistic but legitimately trying to make MK do some self reflection to antagonistic and willing to commit child murder. Only this time he is not having fun, and is partially rooting for MK’s team because LBD dying is a win in his book. He even tries keeping MK out of his way so he can free himself without having to hurt him in S2E9 (I’m still occasionally haunted by the genuine anger in Macaque’s ‘What? Make things worse for MK?’ to Wukong), even if it doesn’t work.

And then he finally regains his freedom just in time to hear MK’s samadhi fire speech. And that is the exact point where Macaque is completely and utterly screwed. There is no going back from that speech. From seeing MK say ‘Who cares about mortality, that’s my best friend!’ and refusing to abandon Mei even though it could cost him his life. He is now physically incapable of not caring about this kid, and he was already caring way more than he probably wanted to.

Which brings me to the moment that drives me most insane about these two because of its serious, but also comedic, implications. And no, I’m not talking about ‘be a warrior’, though that is one of my favorite MK speeches topped off with some great Dramatic Theater Bitch energy from Macaque. I’m talking about Macaque shadow portaling MK away from Possessed Wukong in S3E12. And I don’t mean that in an ‘aw, he saved MK, he really does care’ way.

Like, sure. We could focus on how this is the first time we see Macaque go out of his way to save someone *looks at his ‘look out for number 1’ speech in S3E8*. And we could talk about how portaling MK away was a pretty risky move for someone who’s normally very cautious, considering LBD could undoubtedly recognize his powers. And I could drive myself insane thinking about how the first thing Macaque did upon regaining his freedom was leave MK when he needed (or at least wanted) him, but the second thing he did was save MK when he seemed totally alone. Not to mention the fact that it was specifically Wukong (and LBD) that he was protecting MK from. (Don't think about how Macaque always seems to show up when Wukong has or is about to hurt MK, Don't think about how-)

But why do that when we could focus on how funny Macaque’s inner monologue probably was during that whole mess? I mean, Macaque’s bird form is already at the Wukong vs LBD fight when MK and Nezha get there, so he saw the whole thing. He could have stepped in to help Wukong fight at any time, and he just… didn’t. Now, we can all speculate why he chose not to, but that’s not what’s relevant here. What is relevant is that trying to imagine Macaque’s thought process during the whole thing is hilarious, because all I can imagine is that ‘X happens? I sleep. Y happens? Real Shit’ meme.

Like… Macaque is the patience and caution to Wukong’s impulsiveness. He watched that entire 2v1 without making a move. He saw LBD possess Wukong, and did nothing but observe and wait. He watched Nezha get absolutely obliterated, and didn’t do anything that would give himself away. But when MK’s thrust into the line of fire? It’s shadow portal time, baby!

It’s a legitimately selfless act on Macaque's part, and I do enjoy seeing the subtle ways he shows that he cares about MK contrasting with Wukong’s grand gestures of protection and concern. But it’s also really funny thinking about this powerful, super cautious, centuries-old loner with a history of betrayal and abandonment issues who came into this series ready to do whatever it took to destroy his best friend-turned-nemesis… and it’s the kid he accidentally became a legit mentor figure to while manipulating him as part of his plot to kill said kid’s other mentor that makes him start acting recklessly.

A kid who has been manipulated and nearly murdered by Macaque about as many times as he’s kicked Macaque’s ass, is the first person in… possibly ever to notice and call Macaque out for trying to be a ‘bad guy’ when his heart isn't in it, because he is not as dense as people think, is the student/fanboy of the guy who killed Macaque, and occasionally gives Macaque the wildest bouts of deja vu imaginable because he is sooo like his mentor but also just different enough to give Macaque hope that he can be better than both of them. Oh, and also he's a monkey now. Neat.

Their dynamic is hilarious. It’s sweet! It's full of so many layers, intricacies and parallels (ugh, the Parallels) that I tried not to get into, along with everything from MK’s perspective, because I really wanted this to just focus on how funny their dynamic is from a meta perspective. Truly, nobody is doing it quite like the soy sauce duo. Sorry for the absurdly long ask once again, and have a lovely day/night/whatever time it is where you are. waves from the precipice of madness*

I got you

My thoughts are going under a read more since the ask itself is so long (which thank you for giving me such an in-depth and delightful read EVERYONE GO READ WHAT UNHINGED ANON WROTE), so here we go!

Unfortunately I'm thinking too hard about all the stuff you told me not to, because Macaque being there when Wukong isn't is. Wooo boy.

I can only imagine what it was like watching this person who abandoned you do the same thing to his "beloved" student, and then watching said beloved student do a similar thing to his own friends.

Like, Wukong always going off for more power and immortality was out of paranoia right? Out of a fear of not being strong enough to protect the people he cared about? Out of a fear of mortality? And then MK not spending time with his friends and blowing off game night and distancing himself was ALSO out of paranoia for the imminent threat LBD posed. A fear of putting the people he cared about in danger (this is why 4x08 fucks so hard. SERIES LONG CHARACTER TRAIT. Anyways).

And then I just imagine Macaque watching all of that go down (he's bored and it's tuesday and it's time to go spy on/bully MK again) and seeing MK start to make the same mistakes Wukong did, and he's like "hold my bear" and has to step in and force MK to see what he's doing. Macaque was right, MK really is "that bit too much like him" but he's also still different from Wukong in key ways you know.

Which, it makes it so funny to me that Macaque is all like "MK you really are dense" about MK thinking of himself as the warrior, because it's like...Macaque. Is that not why you're here, because Wukong left MK like he did to you. MACAQUE YOU KNOW HE'S ALSO THE WARRIOR IN THIS SCENARIO. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE. WE ALL KNOW HE'S THE WARRIOR.

But MK is ALSO the Hero, and he completely redefined what a Hero is for Macaque! Seriously, look at his face here:

(Right when MK says "We're heroes it's what we do!" is when this shot pops up. Screaming)

Macaque is DUMBFOUNDED that MK is so willing to risk his life for Mei in what seems like a completely hopeless situation. The fire is going to destroy Mei, right? Why reason with her, why try to save her, you can't do any of those things.

But MK does. And he does it despite what everyone else is telling him, what even Macaque himself is telling MK, and MK's refusal to leave Mei (which the hero is SUPPOSED to do to the warrior) shatters Macaque's world view to it's CORE. TO IT'S CORE.

Because, like, I think about 4x11 and how Macaque tried to reason with Wukong in his own completely hopeless situation, and how that didn't work—that was one of the inciting reasons Macaque started to believe "Look out for number one—because if you don't no one else will" right? But then MK said "hold my beer" and disproved something Macaque thought was an unchangeable fact, and then Macaque left before even watching MK go through with saving Mei.

And it's so funny how all that happened, and then MK gives his "then be a warrior speech:

Macaque: “Nice speech kid, but it’s not gonna-” MK: “Ugh, STOP! You keep playing at being this bad guy, acting like you’re just in it for you! But I know, deep deep down you’re not that guy. Help us. Make it right.” Macaque: “I’m not a hero bud-” MK: “Then be a warrior.”

(3x13 Time to be Warriors)

And here MK basically tells Macaque that "you don't have to be a hero or a villain you just have to help", getting us a little bit out of that "good guy" and "bad guy" false dichotomy, and then after all is said and done and Macaque tried to actually be a half-decent mentor in 4x10, he said this:

Macaque: "Point is, it’s time to start making your own choices—something I wish I would have learned a lot sooner than I did. You don’t want to fight Azure because people might get hurt, you don’t want to not fight him because people might get hurt--so do something else! Only you get to decide who you are kiddo.”

AND HE'S BASICALLY THROWING MK'S WORDS BACK AT HIM, OR AT LEAST THE IDEOLOGY BEHIND THEM, TELLING MK TO NOT FALL FOR THE FALSE DICHOTOMY, THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO CHOICES. HE'S SAYING LOOK FOR THE THIRD CHOICE.

(yes this is all from my hero and warrior meta! I think I've definitely gotten better at writing stuff like this but I still think it's a good read)

4x09 also parallels 2x07 in a very unique way, where Macaque steps in while MK is being that bit too much like Wukong again, except this time it's because MK is isolating himself on flower fruit mountain.

And that interaction only get's even funnier the more you think about it, like one: Macaque was totally drinking Wukong's milk while he wasn't there and spying on MK again, two: Macaque revealed himself at the perfect time to insult Wukong being "a lazy peach eating idiot, ignoring all the worlds problems" and three: he immediately back tracks on his whole "snarky edgy monkey" persona the moment MK starts glitching. Look at his face here:

And then he's all like "play my video game!" which doesn't initially help MK, and oh my god. No one is doing it like them you're right. Macaque sucks at being a teacher just as much as Wukong. Like he didn't plan on being a mentor either. It's so funny.

[lnkedmyheart]

"They don't fit neatly into any ship dynamic despite being so heavy with the subtext but somehow they also fit into every single dynamic." what does this mean? sorry I am very dumb

They don't fit into any ship dynamic/trope

They were never actually rivals outside of video games. Mori thought they were rivals for the executive spot cause Dazai might "mess with Chuuya's documents" but Dazai's intention with the documents was to get them to Chuuya.

They are not the divorced couple/exes duo because Dazai refuses to acknowledge the end of their partnership.

They are not enemies to lovers because they don't fit the necessary tropes.

They are not best friends to lovers because they do not fit the necessary tropes.

They claim to hate each other but they are also obsessed with each other. And they insist they want the other dead but Lord help you if you actually hurt the other.

They also fit all the ship tropes because- they don't fit any of the above tropes but at the same time can infact be nudged into any of the above tropes on a surface level.

And they have heavy subtext because there is a lot of pseudo romantic subtext going on in the series with them from how much they value each other's opinion, how much they care for each other, how they go out of their way for each other. The obsession, even though it is comedic is canon, they have been blatantly linked to a romantic fairy tale as the prince and the princess, they are directly paralleled to an mlm duo in the novel.

Skk has a lot of canon subtext. They fit a lot of ship tropes on the surface but they don't actually fall into any properly. They are the poster child for the secret third thing.

[drawthething]

002 - Andy & Ollie? (can Not separate them)

How I feel about this character

My babies! My sweetpeas! Lights of my life!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Huh, I don't really have one for them 🤔 All I can think about is their little innocent weird brains just being all weird and baby~

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Louise! They're her little henchmen 😭 Their dynamic is so fricking funny we need more

My unpopular opinion about this character

I think it's nice that some wants them to have more distinct personalities when they grow up so they'd be more of individuals and have more character BUT I'm not too fond of that idea? Them being a singular braincell duo (who love each other so much 😭) is why they work so well comedically and I don't want to lose that touch for them as characters

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

I want an episode where they're accidentally separated during a shenanigan half of the time to see how they'd react and drive other kids around them crazyyyyy (criminal, I know)

my OTP

Mmm, none :P

a headcanon fact

They want snails as pets someday (thanks, Babs) so they make clay snails that only look kinda mutated and name them after each other. "Andy, can you say 'i love you' to Andy for me :D?" - "Okay :D"