#i'm just so.......... about all these theories about the ending

[astrolook]

Moon in the houses

Moon in the 1st House: Emotions? Yeah, I’m wearing them like a neon sign.

Mood Swings? Who Needs a Weather App? – One minute, you're on cloud nine, ready to conquer the world, and everyone around you is like, "Wow, you're so inspiring!" . The next minute, you're in a full-on emotional hurricane, and people are like, “Uh, is everything okay?” Yep, they can literally see the storm clouds forming.

You’re basically an emotional X-ray for anyone who needs to know how you're feeling. Super helpful in knowing exactly where you stand.

You have the perfect built-in therapist, your mom, who never asks for a copay and always responds with “I love you, sweetie.”

Moon in 1st gives you a youthful young face. If a man, could be a mama boy. On the flip side, mommy could be overbearing.

When you're happy, you radiate positivity like the sun itself. You make everyone around you feel like they’ve just had a shot of espresso… without the jitters. But when you're in a mood, watch out. It’s like the ocean’s about to swallow up the entire coast. You can go from zero to “I’m emotionally drowning, help!” in 0.3 seconds.

Moon in the 2nd House: The Emotional Shopping Spree - You feel things, and you buy things. Repeat.

When you're feeling happy, it’s like “treat yo' self” day, and suddenly you’ve got 14 new pairs of socks that totally spoke to you in the store. Feeling stressed? Well, it's probably time for a little retail therapy... because nothing says “I’m handling my feelings” like buying a $50 scented candle you’ll never use.

Impulsive purchases. When your emotions take a dive, so does your bank account. "I'm sad, I need a new purse."

When someone asks how you're feeling, your response might just be, "Well, I bought a new jacket, so I’m feeling fabulous."

Your Emotions Are Always on Sale. You're like, “You know what would make me feel even better? A cute new scarf!” Because nothing says “I’m emotionally balanced” like a $15 markdown.

You love investing in things that make you feel good—whether it’s a cozy home, a nice meal, or that perfectly curated playlist you bought (yep, it’s a thing). Your finances are tied to your emotional health like a carefully organized spreadsheet.

Moon in the 3rd House: The Over thinker's Hotline - You think, you feel, you text… then you overthink it all.

Your emotions are running wild and they need to talk. A LOT. Like, you’ll have a deep emotional moment and then immediately text your bestie about it, but also text your mom for a second opinion, and then maybe send a message to a group chat for a third—just to make sure everyone’s on the same emotional page.

You’re the Emotional Wi-Fi of your social circles—always transmitting and receiving feelings, whether anyone asked or not.

You overanalyze everything. Sent a text at 11:30 PM? Now you’re wondering if that emoji you used in your response was “too much.” Did they think you were crying in that voice message, or just, like, “really emotionally engaged”? You end up spiral-commenting under your own messages. "Wait, I wasn’t mad, I swear!" Cue overthinking every single word.

You’re emotionally open, but also maybe one text away from sending an entire novel about your mood swings. If you have a Moon in Aquarius in 3rd house, you are very much into conspiracy theories.

The overthinking is so strong, even Siri gets nervous. “Did I say that correctly? Does it sound too emotional? Let me try that again, Siri, do you think they’ll understand?"

Moon in the 4th House: Home is Where the Feelings Are - Your emotions? Oh, they're all cozy in your emotional fortress… with snacks.

If you're ever feeling down, you know exactly where to retreat: the couch, surrounded by blankets, a mountain of snacks, and probably a weirdly specific playlist of “emotional” songs you know no one else understands.

Your vibe says, "Come on in, let me feed you, and here’s a blanket!" You’re basically the human version of a warm cup of tea.

On the flip side, you can get way too attached to your personal space. Don’t even think about messing with your “comfort zone,” because that zone is sacred. You might find yourself overly attached to places, people, and objects in your home that just... feel right.

If someone says something you don’t like, you might retreat into your home and pretend to reorganize your kitchen for the next four hours. Not because it’s necessary... but because it’s emotionally satisfying.

If there’s food involved and your loved ones nearby, you’re ready for some serious heart-to-hearts.

Moon in the 5th House: The Drama Queen of Feelings - Life’s a stage, and you're always in the mood for a performance.

Your feelings take center stage like you’re auditioning for a Broadway show every single day. You’re all about self-expression, fun, and creating joy—because, let’s face it, life’s too short to not have an emotional karaoke session on a Tuesday night.

Moon in 5th bestows with a girl child. Of course, we need to check whether it is associated with any other planets.

Professions like actor or any artistic professions fits you. You can turn any situation into a joyous celebration and make even the most mundane things feel like a special event.

The flip side? When you're down, it's like the curtains close on the show, and you’re the star in a drama you didn’t sign up for. You may exaggerate your emotions a little (okay, a lot)—an offhand comment from a friend turns into a full-blown emotional musical number. Cue the tears, dramatic exits, and possibly a solo performance on why no one understands your very deep feelings.

You’re basically the person who gets emotionally invested in every movie, reality show, and Instagram post you see and also celebrities.

Moon in the 6th House: The Emotional Overachiever - Feelings? I’ll just organize them into a to-do list.

With the Moon in the 6th House, you take your emotions very seriously—like, spreadsheet-level seriously. You're not just feeling your feelings, you're tracking them, analyzing them, and organizing them with the same precision of a perfectly color-coded calendar.

Your home? Probably a Zen-like temple of organization. You could be a productivity guru and an emotional support animal all rolled into one.

You’re probably the person who compulsively checks your horoscope, wellness app, and to-do list while also making sure you're drinking enough water—because, yes, your emotional health must be on track.

Service - oriented professions.

Probably keeps a journal. Your motto - "Productivity meets therapy!"

Moon in the 7th House: Emotional Rollercoaster + Relationship Drama

You Have a PhD in Relationships – You analyze, you nurture, you feel. Basically, you’re the emotional therapist of every relationship/partnership you’re in.

Emotional Dependency? Yup, It's Real – Your partner's mood? It's now your mood. If they’re happy, you're on cloud nine. If they're sad, well, buckle up, emotional crash ahead!

You Can’t Just "Date" Someone—You Feel Them – It's never just a date night. It's a journey. You’ll be emotionally invested before the appetizers even arrive.

If your partner says, “I’m fine,” but their voice cracks, you’re immediately putting on your emotional detective hat. Something’s definitely wrong.

Your partner's mood shifts and you’re already planning a 5-step plan to emotionally heal them. Just call you “Dr. Love.”

Moon in the 8th House: The Emotional Detective with a Dark Twist

If emotions were a rollercoaster, you’d be the one flipping the safety bar off and screaming, "Let’s go faster!"

Family gatherings? More like family mysteries. You can feel the unspoken tension, and you’re practically Sherlock Holmes, trying to figure out what’s being left out. Every holiday dinner has a side of “What aren’t they telling me?"

When you lose your virginity, you could even hide it from your family.

Being vulnerable with you is like peeling an onion—layer after emotional layer until someone’s crying. Sometimes you overshare, sometimes you say, “I’m fine,” but everyone knows you’re not. You can’t help it.

You can turn pain into growth like a magical wizard. Hurt feelings? Great, now you’re ready for transformation. You take all that emotional mess and somehow turn it into deep wisdom—or a really great, tear-filled diary entry. Either way, it’s epic.

Moon in the 9th House: The Emotional Philosopher on a Soul-Searching Road Trip

Your emotions don’t stay local. You feel them on an international level, like, “Why am I feeling so deep right now? Is this about my past life in a distant land or because I watched a documentary on the Amazon?” Your emotions are basically the United Nations of your soul.

Family & Friends Talks Are Like TED Talks – When you try to explain your feelings to family/friends, it’s less “Hey, I’m upset” and more “Here’s a 45-minute monologue on the meaning of life, and also I read a book on existentialism last week.”

One minute you’re high on life, quoting philosophy, and the next, you’re googling “Why does everything feel so overwhelming?” You’ll go from thinking you’re a wise sage to wanting to crawl into bed and watch Netflix documentaries. Your moods are basically a journey, so pack your bags.

You can't just feel something—you need to analyze, interpret, and probably give it a name. "I feel anxious. Is this anxiety or is it just me tapping into the collective consciousness of humanity?

You’re an Emotional Nomad – You can’t sit still. Emotionally, you need to keep moving, exploring, learning, and growing. "Home? Well, I feel emotionally connected to 17 different places.

Moon in the 10th House: The Emotional CEO of Life

Your emotions are always on display like you’re giving a TED Talk about your deepest feelings.

You don’t just work; your career is an emotional journey. “Am I feeling fulfilled at work? If not, should I change my entire career path? Do I need a promotion to feel better about myself?!” Your job? Basically your emotional therapist, but with more PowerPoint presentations.

Public approval is your emotional fuel, and you’re like, “Did I mention I’m emotionally attached to other’s opinion of me?”

Your mood? It directly impacts your work ethic. When you’re emotionally stable, you’re like, “Let’s take over the world.” But when you're upset? You’re still working, but you’re crying in the break room, making dramatic phone calls to your loved ones.

You’re emotionally invested in how the world sees you. You need to be the best at everything, but emotionally—"Did I look too emotional during my presentation? Was my inner turmoil apparent?" It’s a lot of pressure to keep it all together, but hey, it’s worth the “likes”.

Moon in the 11th House: The Emotional Social Butterfly Who Forgets Why They Came to the Party!

People love your warm, nurturing energy, and your squad is basically a second family. Just be careful—you might adopt every stray friend like a lost puppy. You could even get in trouble for helping your friend.

One day, you're the life of the party, the next, you’re ghosting everyone because feelings. People around you should have learned to just roll with it.

If you are feeling bad, you might turn to strangers online for some emotional support.

You’re energized by like-minded people and might thrive in large social circles, community work, or even fan clubs (yes, you might cry over your favorite celebrity’s life updates).

You might bend over backward to fit into a group, even if it means suppressing your own needs. That’s right—you RSVP to events you know you don’t want to go to, then regret it immediately.

Moon in the 12th House: The Emotional Mystic Who Feels Everything & Nothing at Once

congratulations—you’ve unlocked "Feelings: Hardcore Mode." Your emotions live in the deep, mysterious waters of the subconscious, making you an intuitive, dreamy, and sometimes tragically misunderstood soul. You might love solitude but also feel unbearably lonely, sense energies others miss, and randomly cry for no reason (or is there always a reason?).

Your intuition is next-level. You pick up on vibes, unspoken emotions, and even spiritual messages like a human radio antenna. Your relationship with your mother could feel distant, mysterious, or full of unspoken emotions. Either she was deeply spiritual and nurturing or emotionally unavailable and hard to read.

Unlike most, you actually enjoy being alone. Your inner world is rich, and isolation helps you recharge from the chaos of life.

Even in a crowded room, you might feel disconnected. You crave deep emotional bonds but struggle to express your own feelings.

Emotional stress can manifest physically—sleep issues, mysterious body aches, or just always feeling tired for no reason.

You might secretly love someone from afar rather than openly express your feelings. (Just confess already!). You crave deep, spiritual connections but may self-sabotage by isolating yourself. You love soulmate vibes, but fear vulnerability.

[wellshitcaitlin]

I'm an archaeologist.

We all feral, have ADHD or autism, and hyperfixate on various hobbies that translate to our careers. Do you know how many of us do fiber crafts? Wood working? You think we don't know what a drop spindle looks like? On the site I'm currently working on, which is majority non-male and queer, whenever someone finds something new (for the site) or something weird literally everyone stops working to look at it and posit theories on what it could be if we can't immediately tell. We all have niche interests and weird hobbies and historical fixations, very rarely does someone say "maybe it's a ritual object/prayer item" and have it meant to be taken seriously.

Posts like this just add to the rampant anti-intellectualism on this site. "Haha, the silly academics couldn't tell what this item was until they asked a blue collar worker who obviously knew what it was immediately because clearly the comman man is superior and no academic could be a common person like us!" Bud I promise you academics are just like you. We struggle to pay our bill and buy groceries and geek out over weird shit we discover. Anthropology (and thus archaeology) is one of those field where people think they can walk in knowing nothing and can just do whatever, and end up bringing up theories we hashed out and discarded back in the fucking 1940s (looking at you Yuval Noah Harris and Jared Diamond). It leads to a fundamental disinterest on how we do things (because we have methodology! It's not just digging holes in the dirt!) and then rampant honest disrespect of our field: jokes about us getting cursed for our jobs, us plungeing the world into despair because we unearth something the rest of you don't understand and connect to horror movies while I guarantee the excavators were losing their shit when they were unearthing it. Y'all so busy trying to find some way to take these workers down a notch for some imagined slight because you still assume we're stuck in the Franz Boas era instead of taking a second to stop and listen to what we're saying and get excited with us.

Something I find incredibly cool is that they’ve found neandertal bone tools made from polished rib bones, and they couldn’t figure out what they were for for the life of them. 

Until, of course, they showed it to a traditional leatherworker and she took one look at it and said “Oh yeah sure that’s a leather burnisher, you use it to close the pores of leather and work oil into the hide to make it waterproof. Mine looks just the same.” 

“Wait you’re still using the exact same fucking thing 50,000 years later???”

“Well, yeah. We’ve tried other things. Metal scratches up and damages the hide. Wood splinters and wears out. Bone lasts forever and gives the best polish. There are new, cheaper plastic ones, but they crack and break after a couple years. A bone polisher is nearly indestructible, and only gets better with age. The more you use a bone polisher the better it works.”

It’s just. 

50,000 years. 50,000. And over that huge arc of time, we’ve been quietly using the exact same thing, unchanged, because we simply haven’t found anything better to do the job. 

[lover-of-mine]

alright costume oracle, if the black Eddie outfit isn't a flashback to the coma, what do we think that all black ensemble means??

Okay everyone, please only address me as costume oracle from now on when asking about this oskaoskaoksaosk (I'm kidding, this just made me laugh so sincerely, thank you). So, the black. First, the 611 comparison, I think the biggest giveaway that is not meant to be a flashback is his hair lol. But while they do look similar, the shirts are different, with different fabrics, different buttons, different pockets, so not the same.

Honestly, Eddie was in a lot of black in s7 and 2 out of 3 non-uniform outfits we saw from him include black tops, which is interesting considering his arc. And this isn't considering the fact that he has been wearing the black lafd top more than the navy one and the black jacket he was also in a lot.

It could 100% be the lighting but something that drew my attention right away is that black isn't all that vibrant. He was in black during most of Buck's bi arc and he meets Kim in black, but those are a lot more intense. I have a running theory that Eddie is chasing color, and at first, I thought that they were gonna put him in lighter colors during said chase. And I think I was partially right. Obviously with Eddie allowing himself joy being my biggest thing here, that baby pink color. So in my head, when he is playing in those lighting tones, he's closer.

So putting him in black, something that absorbs color and doesn't allow him to reflect anything back, a color that was very attached to him last season while he was in a relationship wasn't fully sure of or the thing with Kim is interesting. Talking about actual color theory, black is very commonly used as a color of mourning, so it could be Eddie mourning the life he doesn't want to leave behind. Black is also a color of mystery or concealment, so it could be Eddie hiding things, like the way he doesn't really want to move or be in Texas. Mostly I think that that outfit could be about a scene where Eddie is trying to resign himself to doing what he thinks is right even though he hates it, or hiding his true feelings somehow, trying to keep the peace, accept the criticism, end up back in a mind space where the belives he needs to be punished for hurting Chris. This is my safe bet. But let's say we want to be a bit more daring in our spec.

I have multiple theories about what color Eddie could be while he confronts his parents about basically stealing Chris. For instance what I nicknamed the "let's talk about if I trust you with my kid" light wash denim, since they put him in that white undershirt, light wash denim button-down combo when we first see Shannon and he doesn't want to let her see Chris, when his parents are trying to convince him to give Chris to them in 315, and for the there's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you scene.

Other theories include a yellow color if the scene ends up attached to his queer awakening somehow, of him accepting more of who he is in a similar way they used blue with Buck throughout his coming out arc, but I'm a lot less confident on that one.

And well, some cultures have black as a color attached to rebellion, and black is also at times used to indicate power. And Eddie was in black the last time he was in Texas and he was confronting the damage his father did to him. So it could also be used as he confronts his mother, the precedent is there.

He's also in black during the dinner he tries to ask Shannon to be a family again and she asks for a divorce, so the road to acceptance there could end with black since their relationship ends and "restarts" with black, since he's also in black talking to Kim the first time. And that's interesting since he doesn't really mourn Shannon in black, the scene we have when he's confronting those feelings head-on, are not exactly black, yes, we have the black shirt in 217, but the green jacket ends up being the focus there. And as much as they seem to be trying to distance themselves from the Kim of it all, this arc also has to include letting Shannon's ghost go, so also something to think about there.

So, to recap, safe bet is Eddie in mourning for the life he left behind or hiding how much it hurts him to leave LA. Getting a bit daring, maybe Eddie having some hard conversations with his parents or finally letting go of Shannon for real.

This got long as fuck and I'm sure how much sense it makes if you're not seeing the visions in my head, but if you read this, I love you 🫶

[lilyrayaya]

Hi I'm lilyray and this is my podcast and I'm gonna talk a small amount because I have no idea where else to talk about smilk

personal hc I had as to what smilk looked like before corruption before the official look was revealed

I think shadow milk with all his grandiose facade and mischief is really just driven by sheer hatred. For what ? Mortal cookies probably. Crk has given us hints on what he was like before but never a definite answer and from what I know he had followers and at some point started lying to those followers because he realised they'll just eat it up and accept it as their truth because ooohhh, Shadow Milk Cookie said so! Shadow Milk Cookie is the fount of knowledge! Oooohhh! And I don't think smilk was a big fan of that. Or rather the fact that they didn't seek out knowledge as he did but moreso just a fun story they can retell to others.

I think Shadow Milk is once a yapper always a yapper and he was always talking about the things he learned and while he found all the knowledge exciting and fun most of the things he would talk about bored his followers. So. Most never listened. Because his stories were just never enough for anyone to actually engage. So he started giving cookies what they want and making things up. At first those were subtle lies, where he'd just talk about unconfirmed theories as factual knowledge, but the more he saw that his cookies listened the more he made things up and that's what started his spiral into madness.

He blames mortal cookies for his imprisonment because he gave them what they wanted and this is how they repaid him. He sacrificed so much only for them to end up hating him in the end? That really isn't doing it for him.

Because of that he's also really envious of Pure Vanilla I feel because. Huh ? You're telling them the truth? And they still like you and want you around? He half pities half extremely envies him. Smilk both wants to ruin pv and make pv like himself so pv can see how lies are so much more entertaining. That loneliness bs isn't cutting it for me I'm sorry, like, yeah, sure, he would get a little lonely sometimes but for that to be the reason he turns pure vanilla into another being of deceit? Hell no.

Anyway. Hi thanks for watching remember to hit that like and subscribe button and click on the bell for more notifications

[starrylayle]

women in severance

an incoherent rambling about the female characters in severance, specifically focusing on Gemma and Helly. Mostly Gemma. A bit of Alexa too. Spoilers under the cut.

Ok so to start off, I absolutely adore all the women characters in severance they're all soo spectacularly written.

I remember when I first started the show, I thought that Helly was going to be the stereotypical, fiery and the only female protagonist whose story started off interesting but in the end her only character purpose was to be Mark's love interest. Boy, was I wrong. First the elevator suicide scene and then the Helena reveal, I knew this show knew how to write women.

Similarly, when Ms. Casey was first revealed, I remember rolling my eyes, thinking, oh look another stereotypical robot-like Asian lady who has no greater character purpose. Then, it was revealed that Ms Casey was (partially?) severed and not a part of the staff like I'd initially assumed. Of course, then the Ms Casey = Gemma reveal happened and I was SHOOK. Like,, you mean to tell me that she is actually an important character with narrative purpose? And Mark's wife -- I had assumed she was a -- white woman -- who would never actually have a character arc and would only be shown in dead-wife-john-wick-style flashbacks to further the plot.

I became so hyped. Two characters, the 'dead' wife and wellness lady, were actually one which meant they (she) would actually have character arcs!! And she's a woman of color!! Woohoo!!

But now that season 2 is progressing, as much as i absolutely adore it, I'm just worried that Gemma/Ms Casey will not have the caharcter arcs I wanted. Especially the theory that Casey is secretly a clone and not actually Gemma,,, or that she's brain dead,, or that she'll die again,, or whatever else. I know that it narratively works, but I just wish there was some way that Gemma/Ms Casey could have a proper character/character arc, even if it resulted in death at the end. I hear a lot of Mark/Gemma and Orpheus/Eurydice parallels which gives me hope because Eurydice is still a fully formed character (at least in the musical Hadestown llolol). I've seen some people theorise that Mark may have romantacised his marriage with Gemma and maybe they weren't as happy as they seemed?? Which I highly doubt, considering the info we were given in 'The You You Are'. Or maybe she secretly worked for Lumon beforehand?? I dunno how I feel about these theories but they would definitely make for an interesting plotline and character arc.

I guess what I've realised is that the show writes white women very well (Helly/helena, Ms Cobelvig and Devon) and their woc counterparts,,, not so much. Still holding out hope for Miss Huang, Reghabi (what is her deal btw?? I must know!!), Natalie and Gemma/Ms Casey, and that they will have fleshed out characters by the end, but who knows.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but Alexa, the woman mark went on a date with, was actually a favourite of mine. I was convinced she was gonna be relevant to the plot lmao. but eh she feels more of the 'disposable Black gf trope' :( tbh I'm still delusional enough to believe she will come back. Maybe if Ricken beomes a sell-out Devon will leave him date Alexa?? Yes I sound like a delusional lesbian but cmon Devon clearly liked her enough to recommend her to Mark?? maybee?/ Anyways this was a tangent. Maybe if they decide to go the Helly got pregnant route (which I hope they don't unless it ends in miscarriage) Alexa will be there coz she's a midwife (or doula?? I hear different ppl say different things??)

Anyways, I know this is all very far from the main narrative so I don't mind too much, I'm just hoping that they fully flesh out Gemma because she, along with Mark and Helly, are at the core of the story.

[hopeless-eccentric]

dick mullen, hard-boiled detectives, and cultural occupation

hi all. im back with more disco elysium meta. knowing me, this'll be long, so bear with me--

i'm really interested in thinking about the dick mullen series's role in revacholian culture, particularly by reflecting and creating a patriarchal and destructive police culture. taking it one step farther, i'm interested in their potential role in vesper's occupation

before we begin, i want to clarify that i'm taking the approach that art and culture influence each other constantly (art isn't just reflecting culture/history, it's also creating it). it's an idea that comes out of the school of new historicism if you want to look more into it! anyway, my argument is guided by the assumption that the world of disco elysium operates this way

with that out of the way, let's talk detectives! I want to zero in on this passage:

[Image ID: White text on a black background from the game Disco Elysium reading "Spillane needs Mullen to drive him in from Vesper to a small town along the Insulindian coast. Despite his friend's apparent agitation, Mullen does as he's asked, then returns home where he passes out drunk, as he does most nights..." Below the text is a red bar with the word "continue" on it, and an arrow pointing right. End image ID]

Right off the bat, there are two really interesting explicit references: Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer.

First, the opening of this novel is borrowed from Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye, where detective Philip Marlowe's old friend (/homoerotic, depending on whose work you read) shows up out of the blue and asks to be covertly taken across the border from Los Angeles to Tijuana. The next day, the friend's wife is found dead, and Marlowe is arrested as an accesory to murder. He spends the rest of the book proving his (and his friend's) innocence. You're probably seeing a few parallels to Mullen already.

A few other things to know about Marlowe and the series he stars in--some of these might ring a bell:

Marlowe is depressed, at-times suicidal, and a likely alcoholic, though the books are deeply concerned with normative masculinity and try to minimize these

Adapted into a 1973 movie where Marlowe is recast as a "man out of time," (AKA sopping wet disco detective) awkwardly split between the 50s and the 70s

Generally tout conservative USAmerican values circa ~1940-1955, especially pushing white, cishet male individualism, fear of marginalized identity, and promoting the idea that government punishment and surveillance are the best, most desirable solutions to social issues

You're probably already seeing some interesting parallels (or places Disco Elysium adapts/interrogates some of these ideas). Hang onto the conservatism and government stuff--we'll get back into it.

(Quick caveat that basically ALL detective fiction pushes the bolded ideas above to some extent or another, but that Chandler's stuff gets especially highlighted in literature because he wrote a very famous essay about American detective fiction and the essay and his body of work were very popular and influential)

The next reference is a general one to Mickey Spillane, author of the Mike Hammer series. This is a pretty interesting pull, because

they're a bit niche!

2. they have some of the most explicitly sexualized violence against women in the entire hard-boiled detective genre (Mitzi Brunsdale has some great work on this). a few scholars i've read discuss them as outliers, but most consider them "the quiet part out loud" of a genre largely about controlling and punishing women

(if you're curious, this is a really interesting reading of some of them guided by queer/feminist theory and a focus on the post-WWII era).

I'll admit Hammer's a little bit more outside of my research niche than Marlowe, but I've read enough to know he's also very much in the "individualist straight white guy who represents the government has to fix uppity women" school of fifties detective fiction

Both of these references affirm and contextualize what we can tell about Dick Mullen from reading the book: he's the white macho-individualist picture of repressed trauma and masculine anxiety, while also constituting the popular fictional idea of policing

keeping that in mind, i want to return to the beginning of The Long Goodbye/Dick Mullen and the Case of the Stolen Identity, where Mexico and Insulinde both occupy an imperialist fantasy role as "lawless" places Americans/Vespertines can flee in order to avoid consequence for their actions. It's not a one-to-one cultural comparison (very little in this world is), but it gives us a little context for why it's weird and interesting to me that the Mullen books are so popular in Revachol

considering all of this, i think it's interesting to consider that the police culture of the RCM (intensely sexist, homophobic, racist/xenophobic, and generally supportive of an occupying government) might have been partially created, or at least reinforced through the popular notions of fictional policing produced and popularized within an occupying nation. given the RCM's roots as the ICM, i think there might have been a potential incentive to mass publish and produce these books in an occupied, formerly-communist region to normalize and entrench ideas of individualism, patriarchy, and government surveillance, especially among the only revacholians with any government power or representation

that being said, I think it's a little limiting to act like people will not naturally turn against a failed rebellion, especially given the ensuing mass destruction. despite being an ostensibly individualist and capitalist genre, hard-boiled detective fiction was born and popularized out of the Great Depression. its work to romanticize a return sociopolitical "normalcy" and to speak to the experience of the working class are what kept it popular in moments of social and economic upheaval in the US, even if, ultimately, it puts the pill of pro-capitalist/individualist sentiment in the cheese of working class appeal and bitter suspicion towards government bigwigs. granted, interpellation by the art of one's own culture has a different connotation from interpellation into the desired culture of an occupier, though i think it's important not to romanticize revachol as a place with 0 conservative sentiment before its occupation by the moralintern

i think there are a few possible and interesting arguments here--that there was an incentive for vespertine governments and businesses to promote vespertine individualism to help quell rebel sentiment within the RCM and revachol in general, that people naturally turned to the comfort and "normalcy" of conservative fictions in periods of turmoil despite their ideas being actively harmful (in neo-marxist theory, this is called interpellation, which, for the record, is all over the game), maybe some of column A, some of column B

regardless, i think it's interesting to view the dick mullen books as something which have created culture, rather than just reflecting it. it's definitely a lens that helps to explain part of the radical cultural shift between the idealized heyday of the ICM and the RCM (though i think the cracks in that shift are equally interesting and worth exploring another time)

(if you can't access any of the articles, please shoot me a dm! i'm happy to share wherever i can. i believe i have some pdf scans of pages from the linked books, but those are unfortunately limited)

[hkthatgffan]

What are your thoughts on the Pines parents? Particularly since the reveal of them having marital issues in TBOB?

I'm pretty conflicted tbh. Part me finds the revelation interesting and a pretty insane new layer to add on to the show's established canon, but I also feel like it could be another case of Gravity Falls fans taking flour and trying to predict what kind of buffet Alex is cooking.

In the case for the assumption this is hinting at the twin's parents having marriage issues and going towards say, a divorce, we have small hints in series that could be assumed as that, from Dipper's initial worry of leaving Mabel alone in Cali without him, Mabel's own fears of growing up without Dipper and the future itself, the abruptness as it sounds of them being sent to Gravity Falls, etc.

Of course, we also have the fact that Alex Hirsch's parents themselves are divorced IRL and him and Ariel grew up with their mom. And as they both are the inspiration for Dipper and Mabel, this can be a case of Alex hinting at that and adding another element of his life to them.

It course also somewhat goes counter to his past statements about how we never really are gonna learn anything about the twin's parents, because he doesn't see them as characters we need to know about as the story is focused on the twin's in Summer with Stan and Ford (I mean, all we initially knew was that their dad worked with computers and got Mabel's night shirt at a Windows 95 event, lol). So, adding this to the pot does feel like a pretty major change in direction.

That said, on the other hand, it could just be that...marriage issues the two of them are working to fix. Perhaps they sent the twins away while they sought couples therapy or something to mend things before the kids got back. We can also make the assumption Dipper may have overheard something that he mistook as being more serious than it was.

I say this from personal experience. I've often overheard arguments or pretty heated stuff my parents were yelling about that I probably was not supposed to hear or assumed the wrong thing about and it left me worried about if well...you know. Thankfully that never was the case and as I've gotten older I've come to better understand that sometimes parents fight but they can resolve things on their own in time. Though as kids, that shit can scare you, especially someone at Dipper's age. And while not all parents probably can resolve those matters the same way, it's always a possibility worth assuming here, especially with the little info we know. I mean, Bill said "Why do you think they were in such a rush to get the kids out the door for the summer?" It sounds like he's asking us fans to make our own guess on that.

And speaking of Bill...there's the Bill factor to consider too. Remember, who wrote this?

BILL CIPHER! And Bill is about as reliable a source for accurate info as the US government or Doug Ford is when it comes to Line 5 or why he REALLY closed the Science Centre (IYKYK).

Many fans doubt the truthfulness of what Bill said in the book. So, he could just be making this up and Dipper may never have had that dream to begin with. Of course, it would be weird for Alex to make a book full of lies about the show, but then...this is Alex Hirsch we're talking about.

Personally, I believe Dipper did have this nightmare and he overheard something intense. But as to what it's alluding to...I'm not sure.

I think this is another case of Alex Hirsch leaving the question open ended. What's up with the twin's parents? That's for us fans to decide.

If you believe they're divorcing, you can. If you think it's nothing and Dipper is over-worrying about an argument his parents had, you can. And if you think it's BS and Bill made it up, you can too.

That's again the beauty of Gravity Falls leaving itself open ended. Every headcanon and theory is possible. I mean, fans believed for years Bill was in Stan's mind till this very book killed that theory off for good.

Maybe in several years if Alex decides to, he'll expand on this plot point and answer the question once and for all. But for now, what the deal with Dipper and Mabel's parents is, will remain...

[mirroredmemoriez]

Amanda Young's physical pain and more pain

Not saying anything new here once again, but the shit Amanda goes through throughout the entire franchise is depressing. Right now, I'm mainly looking at the physical aspect than the mental? But I'll probably mention that too as I always do. What brought this thought on was when I was doing some reference work for her and Lynn's deleted fight! We as a fandom always joke about how she's enjoying it because she at some points smirks and giggles... But the ending shot of that sequence is what I want to hone in on.

This is a defeated woman. She's just been attacked and cut up- There is as much terror as adrenaline in a humans body in a scenario like this. But this isn't even the first time whilst working under Jigsaw that Amanda has had someone harm or even attempt to kill her.

The first one I've shown is of course Cecilia Pederson backhanding Amanda to the floor- Which honestly, this scene is overall horrible as Amanda also during this period has to watch Gabriela get her neck stomped! But it could've been worse in theory... When putting John into the blood-board trap, Parker suggests putting her on the other end. If Carlos never was there, it's very likely that Amanda would've been blood boarded alongside John. We then have the very famous needle pit. There was no way to predict how anyone in the nerve gas house would react to their circumstances and due to that? Amanda inherently to me was always in danger. This is displayed quite well when she's tossed into a test not meant for her... I think it's the somewhat carelessness of this which is the most upsetting aspect? John had her in there to monitor Daniel and subdue him once the game was done. But what actual protection did Amanda have from anyone in there? We even see her try and take the gun from the magnum eyehole trap unsuccessfully.

Like imagine the guy who's like 6 foot and muscle that just tossed you into a PIT OF NEEDLES... IS CHASING YOU WITH A KNIFE. You're also quite aware that this man certainly killed the other guy you just saw with a spiked bat in his head. I'd be bricking it. Anyway, that same kid you had to insure stayed safe? Yeah his father who wrongfully imprisoned you is gonna beat you till one half of your face is just blood. OH HE'S ALSO GOING TO BITE YOU AND ATTEMPT TO STAB YOU TO DEATH.

The only reason you survive? Because he's already previously injured and you use that to your advantage. We're not done though! Amanda's mentor slash father figure is dying and she is getting basically blackmailed but that's not the only thing she needs to have on the mind- Because we have Lynn running up on her with a blade, supposedly to have a nice chat.

And I even made a poll asking people on this site... Do you think Lynn would've killed Amanda? Yes was the majority answer. We know that at least one of these slashes actually catches Amanda because she is bleeding by the end of this. Not to mention, Lynn was not messing around whatsoever? She throws what I think is an axe at Amanda at one point and also tries to kick her head in against the locker things... Which she did after failing to get a swing with said axe to Amanda's head. With all of this, it kinda pushes me to think that Amanda attempts to physically intimidate and scare Lynn a lot because she is aware being attacked is quite possible. For example, the scene that is kept in where Amanda literally hands Lynn the axe, ''I'd go for the neck- But I'm not the brain surgeon.'' She is clearly letting Lynn know during this that if you try and fight with me, you're screwed! All of these factors are against you. Then coming back to the deleted scene? None of these warnings have dissuaded Lynn from going, ''I'LL FUCKING YOU!'' Whatsoever really. So rounding it back up to the first image I presented.... I think Amanda is just fucking tired. How are you meant to have been healed and helped if you're getting the smackdown special every other some weeks to months. In literally every game she's been physically present for- She has been harmed physically too. It's traumatic, it's draining and it well... HURTS. I know the healing process from when Eric smashed her head into a wall multiple times wasn't nice either. AND AND AND AND AND AND!!!! Amanda doesn't even get peace with death, seeing as she dies in a very violet manner too. We watch her choke on her own blood after being shot in the throat..... Reaching out for the same man who put her through all of this really. Anyway.... HAPPY MANDY MONDAY FROM MAL!

[dragkbluire]

Thanks for the tag!! :DDDD

Ok, literally read all of that end everything was a stair for you xDXD Step by step to become more and more obsessed with loz (perfecto)

Ok so. For me the story isn't that happy but it's something I greatly appreciate.

When I was a teen I was having one of the worst moments of my life at the point I had a plan to end all. My only and last request was playing one last game, Pokemon Moon. I went to the store with my brother and while I directly went and bought Pokemon he looked the other games that were there and he noticed a game with the "Nintendo Selects" seal so he bought it. After a while and at almost the end of the story of Pokemon my brother finished the other game and he went to me saying that he knew I would love that game. At first I doubt him but he insisted so much that I had to yield. I had to play on his 3ds because multiple problems (a little cousin breaking my 3ds in half). And then... wow. At first it was hard for me and I had to use guides but I remember the genuine sadness of seeing the Deku Tree dying, the hope when seeing the Master Sword and the pain of seeing the castle all destroyed. But when I entered to the Forest Temple I swear something changed inside of me. I really felt in other world, far from everything I hated. So I wanted more and more and more and then I finished the game and I felt empty. But after searching on the internet I found that it was an entire saga, and an old one. So I went and bought A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. I fell in love with both but Marin's story in LA made me mourn genuinely and I wondered how a game could make me feel so much. After that, the Breath of the Wild trailer launched and I wanted to explore that world so much. And I forgot about the plan I had before and just wanted to keep playing. I bought the first two games and though AoL made me so angry I deleted it, I have to say that it gave me fun. I played WW and TP on Dolphin emulator and with TP it gave me the same feeling that I felt with the Forest Temple but it lasted longer and it became my favourite game of all time. After a while I got a switch and my grandpa gave me BotW as a birthday gift. It felt like a dream. I got another 3ds and hacked it and played MM, and I cried so much and it became my second favourite game of all time. Bought SSHD and played like a crazy, played ALBW and it became my favourite 2d game along with LA. I played, I bought the mangas and the story felt more real though a little less personal. Played TotK and gave me what I felt BotW lacked. A lot of internet, theories, everything the internet and the community could give me. And without noticing, 7 years passed. With a game being my comfort and always playing it when I felt down always repeating to myself "Just hang there a little more and a little more and a little more". I met friends, and lot of more games and even series that became my favourites. LoZ literally came to change my life for good.

That's it. That's how I got into LoZ xD

As for LU. One day I woke up at the middle of the night because of a really strong nightmare. I didn't want to check Twitter so I checked Tumblr and saw a LU update and I thought "I've been postponing to read this comic for a while, why not reading it now?" I finished it when it was 5 a.m. Needless to say that I loved it xD

And now pls don't ask me anything about loz/lu if you don't want a 1000 words yap. I have a doc with my theories and hc and I'm not normal and and...

Also now when I'm upset I'm like "SILENCIOOO ESTOY PENSANDO EN MIS BLORBOS"

Specially Time xD

He's the one I love the most though I love all of them.

A question!! Maybe a chain?

When did you get into LoZ, and how?

For me, I played BotW years ago and really enjoyed it but couldn’t get really into any of the other games. About a year and a half ago (I think?) I happened upon Linked Universe. I didn’t know who half the cast was but I was SMITTEN. After that I started ALBW and it was all over for me.

No pressure tags

@starwolfie @kilgoreontralfamadore @chibinur @raven8224

[cherry-flavoured-thot]

Cock warming the bachelors? :)

so i got an ask before this talking about the stardew bachelors so i'm gonna assume that who this ask is referring to

☽ ◦ ◦ ◦ ✩ ❤ ✩ ◦ ◦ ◦ ☾

Alex has plenty of self control in this situation, despite looking like he might break the moment you lowered yourself on his dick. But he thinks of it like endurance training and challenging himself to hold out as long as possible. Even if you start to whimper and whine for him to move. He'll tell you to hold out just a bit longer.

Elliot, who has you cockwarming him while he's writing paragraphs of his adoration for you. Yes, his face is flushed and voice shaking as he reads aloud what he writes down, but no matter how heavenly or tempting you feel around him, he won't give in until he's satisfied that all of his phrases have been put to paper.

Harvey would be a mess holding on together by a thread. He'd try and pretend to focus on the papers in front of him to force his attention away from you squeezing around his cock. But it isn't working very well, his breath is caught in his throat, and every slight shift in your body is enough to almost send him over the edge. If you don't break first, he absolutely will.

Sebastian could go one of two ways, he could be whining into your skin while burying his flushed face into your neck, murmuring how you're driving him absolutely crazy. Or he's being mean and brushing his fingers over the sensitive spots of your body to have you shudder and squirm in his lap reminding you about being patient so he can finish his work.

Sam has you cockwarming him while cuddling together in bed. Which is a good idea in theory but it takes everything he has to not thrust up into you to finally get some friction. He manages to hold himself together long enough, but he's whining about how much longer until he can move the whole time.

Shane is generally impatient, but this might be one of the few circumstances he'll hold out as watching you squirm away in his lap is a pretty sight. He might even try and tease you a bit by groping your chest or ass, but would be cursing through clenched teeth if it back fired and made you tighten around him. It wouldn't take too much teasing on your end to get him to snap and have you back first on the nearest surface.

☽ ◦ ◦ ◦ ✩ ❤ ✩ ◦ ◦ ◦ ☾

[descendant-of-truth]

Actually I think we need to be talking about Darkside more. Why have we as a fandom (as well as myself specifically) been neglecting Darkside when it's the most consistently recurring boss in the whole franchise

Literally the first boss we fight and it's this thing that rises up out of Sora's shadow in his dreams, and that still looks like Sora for a few seconds before it transforms into the version we fight:

This is Sora's dark side, quite literally. And what just so happens to be there at the destruction of Destiny Islands?

Man, with a thing that big and powerful, it's probably responsible for most of the damage to the islands all by itself.

Hey, what was that thing Zexion said to Riku, again? "It was you who destroyed your home"? Boy I sure am glad that the truth is what we hear and not what we see with our eyes--

Oh. Hm. That's a rather pointed dream sequence for you to be having, Xion.

Guys, I don't know why it took me so long to put these specific pieces together, but I'm pretty sure Sora's darkness was what actually destroyed the Destiny Islands. Whoever opened the door to darkness is still responsible for letting it out - it seemed otherwise occupied in Sora's dreams - and that's an interesting puzzle, too, because we're told that Riku did that even though Kairi was the one closest to the door, but that's not a mystery this post is here to solve.

My question is, what the HECK was going on with Sora for him to have a darkness so potent that it manifested outside of him before he had even been on any adventures? The guy's got insecurities for sure, but at this point in the series, they're kinda... normal ones. Feeling overshadowed and jealous of his best friend who's always better at everything than him, always stronger and cooler, it's not nothing but it doesn't make sense for it to be that. If Sora was going to have a darkness that strong, I'd expect it to come from a later point in the series, maybe around KH3 when the number of Terrible Things that have happened to or around him has reached truly insane levels.

But... the Darkside comes from the Realm of Darkness, right? Where time doesn't exist, and if you walk through it, you can be hit with people's emotions from the future?

So, I dunno, maybe it's a conglomeration of Sora's darkness from various points in time, though it still doesn't explain why his in particular gets to become something so giant. But it's definitely a Sora thing, because in Coded, the record of Sora's Heartless develops into a Darkside, as well.

But how can it be Sora-exclusive when there's so many of them down there??

Well, it might not be... but I'm not ruling out the possibility of time loop shenanigans, either. If Sora can live through the Keyblade Graveyard stuff at least four times (five if you consider the theory of KH3 in its entirety being a second loop from the get-go), then who's to say that doesn't double up on the number of Darksides in the Realm of Darkness?

Sora's already got a narrative history of reliving his past, after all. CoM has him going through his memories of his first adventure (albeit altered), Coded has another version of Sora going through his first adventure (altered again), even DDD has him revisiting Traverse Town and re-meeting his friends (in different ways than he originally did but it still counts).

I'm just saying, the heart remembers what the mind doesn't, and that can surface in a lot of ways. A Sora that's been time-looping a bunch but doesn't remember it probably would be having weird prophetic nightmares and thoughts about whether any of this is "for real" or not.

But honestly, even with the time loop theory I ended up going with in this post, the main thing I wanted to get at is that the Darkside is weird and unexplained but suspiciously tied to Sora in the narrative. These are just the connections I've put together on my own, but there could be a lot that I'm missing! I want to know what this thing's deal is, and I welcome anyone who wants to share their take on the matter.

[felikatze]

follow up to this post i am wearing holes into the carpet.

this current arc on the TL FASCINATES ME because it just taps so much into what The Process is for Kim Soleum and what he loves about horror. Because yknow in that previous post I talked at length about how he loves to Figure Out And Understand The Monster.

so like. yeah. yeah of course he loves Braun's Late-Night Talk Show.

He gets to choose which guest appears, i.e. he gets to pick his favorite stories. And, as part of the crew, he gets to pick them apart and just hear them talk from a safe distance. Just the goddamn horror monster on a talk show talking about itself to the delight of the audience, and also to the delight of himself. This is The Perfect Fanservice for him.

It's like, yknow, a creator confirming all your theories about their work on a podcast. It's getting a good grade in media analysis.

And i'm also thinking about how he actually befriended Braun by appealing to Braun as a creator.

Because where Kim Soleum loves to read and understand stories, Braun loves to create stories. But Braun was trapped in that cycle of attention. He loved his Quiz Show format, but it was getting stale. The views were dropping, and that was depressing him. So he brings on a big flashy guest he doesn't even really like to keep the audience engaged.

And there's like, meta to that as well. Because the new format was just Horror and Gore up the wazoo, people getting killed left and right. There weren't rules on how to survive, you were just dead from the start. It was cheaper horror.

Cuz the knowledge that everyone dies in the end kneecaps tension just as much as knowing that everyone's gonna survive. Hell, knowing everyone dies has less tension than everyone living, because survival at least means excitement about what they might lose along the way.

So, Braun, as a down in the dumps creator, went with cheap thrills for audience engagement at the cost of his integrity. But Kim Soleum reminded him of why he loves to create shows in the first place. Braun wants thrill and laughter and showmanship. And, Braun wants his shows to be his.

The talk show format is a fascinating evolution of that, because talk shows are also about guests. But unlike the choir before it, a talk show lives and dies by its host. Instead of being superceded by his guest, Braun is collaborating with them.

In that sense, it's incredibly sweet that Braun wants to share this with Kim Soleum. Bringing back my old (2 days old) point about how our dear Roe also likes to write, writing as a form of understanding, as a form of analysis and respect, it's self-evident how Braun might consider him a kindred spirit! Wanting to share the joy of creating something fulfilling, from the heart!

where am I going with this. Right. There's still a lot of absurdity to Braun's existence, of course. What TV channel is this even running on? Who are the higher ups, where are the ratings coming from? But it's abundantly clear that all a lot of the horror monsters are sentient.

They have their own values and their own logic. And this logic is alien to humans, but it can be understood. And Soleum does a great job of that. Like bartering in an otherworldy botique to avoid paying with human lives.

And. paces in a circle. Braun did the inverse? Because, when Braun convinces Kim Soleum to go on the talk show, it is made explicitly clear that it is not coercion, or hypnosis, or brainwashing, or any sort of mental contamination. It's all arguments tailored to Kim Soleum. It's all information Braun only knows from spending so much time with and trying to understand his friend.

(...Jury is still entirely out on how much that Silver Ring is actually good for and there was at least some mind-reading involved. Doesn't change that the argumentation was sound and grounded, though.)

It's pretty wild to me, that this all started with the Smiley Stickers and the Good Friend, but when all that's gone, Braun still adores Soleum. Still calls himself friend.

Like all that just gave him a nudge in trying to Get It. By tagging along all this time, Braun's been getting the front row seat to the intricacies of human office drama, to trouble with roommates, to beefing with your superiors. Mundane drama that is either utterly alien to him or all too relatable.

I love the miscommunication of, Kim Soleum thought that the Good Friend was like, just a sliver of the original. But it was Braun, entirely, choosing to answer that call and stick around. Because he must've also been curious, about that strange human that changed him so.

I just. Love how much this flips the tables. From Kim Soleum as the one trying to understand to the one terrified to be understood so thoroughly, mortified that he's actually shared so much of himself with another person. That someone just fully gets his fears and his desires. And how it's not truly about going home, it's about getting out of here.

This relationship isn't going to end well. But it is deeply compelling.

[the-kreizler-institute]

Pausing my Star Trek ramblings to post something a lot more serious, but with the way things are going, I feel like I have to.

The other day I had a conversation with a family member, and while it was all very civil and respectful, it shook loose some shit I'm still trying to gather.

They vote politically right, and while I don't, I'm in theory chill with it for two reasons. First, the political system in my country is more like a gradient than a binary; there's things like progressive right and center-right, so voting right does not necessarily mean far right. Second, I firmly believe that for a successful society, you need political influences of both left (community focused) and right (economy focused), so in theory I understand the current trend of voting right (concerning historic patterns aside).

Thing is, though, they also know I'm trans, and that I have every intention to start transitioning in the next few years. And as we talked, they said that they worry for me and my safety-- they can recognize that with the way our political situation seems to be going (which is more and more towards the far right), my safety may come at risk further down the line. They then asked me if it is wise to transition, if it's not safer not to and to stay as I am. And while I understand and appreciate their concern for my safety, let me make one thing very clear:

In this manner of thinking, the responsibility of my safety in this society is placed on me. If I would just stay in hiding, if I would just disguise myself and suppress who I am, I will not be at risk. This is not fair.

First and foremost, I shouldn't have to think about my safety, I should just be safe. But second of all, I should be able to rely on this society, on my government, to keep me safe-- for there to be consequences and justice if someone does try to harm me simply because I exist.

If the only way for our economy to thrive is by sacrificing people's lives and safety, then our system is fundamentally flawed. If one can "fix" our society by getting rid of certain people, it is fundamentally flawed. This rhetoric has a name: fascism. Call the beast by its name.

If the people you gave power will build your perfect future on the suffering and erasure and corpses of other people, it makes you complicit.

What did you think to accomplish by telling me you're worried for my safety when our political system makes a massive swing to the right-- which you voted for? When the government you voted for comes for my right to transition, my access to proper medical care, and then my right and access to public spaces in the name of "public safety", when they take my passport and my right and ability to go where I please, do you think you're absolved from any responsibility because you told me you were worried for my safety?

Do you really think I'll ease your conscience and assure your soul because you tell me you care about my safety while you give power to the very people who put my safety at risk?

Let me tell you something. When you give power to a government, to people, who will put my life in danger because of their own bigotry; who will take away my access to medical care, who will force me to out myself and make myself vulnerable and who will do nothing to protect me from people who will try to hurt me-- when my body ends up beaten to a pulp in the streets, my blood will be on your hands.

You handed these people the axe. You don't get to act like you weren't part of it when they behead me with it.

[wormedrabidnerd]

Theories:

- I know for sure they'll make Prismo snap at my boy Scarab cuz he's still grieving his crush's (Jake) death for angst sake lol

- Why I think the Lich will come back? Well, bro's inevitable, he's everywhere around multiple universes including my boy Sweet P who's STILL The Lich so ik he'll be there somewhat, somehow (maybe they'll give us another "good"/morally grey Lich like Sweet P? I hope so, that'll be real interesting)

- There's gonna be some new villain cuz AT specializes in them mfs, but idk what kinda villain it'd be cuz, again, no one can top Glob or The Lich

- Ofc my boy Finn will appear that's like not even a theory atp it's just futile but like, not TOO much cuz he's still fighting his demons alone

- I think they won't let us hanging about FarmWorld Finn and he'll just appear at some point again, what will they do with him? No idea

- They do silly media jokes all the time so count that in

- Gumlee 100% appearing obviously (praying for them to become Prince Gumball and Vampire King again...)

- Ofc Orbo's appearing 😒

- What's Adventure Time without wacky cosmic creatures

- Bet they'll give my babygirl Scarab some sad ass backstory, trust 🙏! (Maybe our wing theory could be canon who knows...)

- What's there in FionnaWorld left to explore even? ofc they're hoping universes again and I just hope they can organize that a little better cuz I don't want another Winter King incident to happen

- They'll at least show Simon once more on a session, living his best life, having a girlfriend/boyfriend (doubt it lol) but in general living a peaceful new live maybe even looking older!

- They're probs revisiting FarmWorld if they do so yeah

- We ARE getting that old man toxic cosmic yaoi ong

- My girl Minerva will appear for sure

- If they were hinting at 1000+ years in the future lore in S1, they will do it again in S2 I'm very confident in it

- Prismo was glitching at the end of S1 so I'm sure they'll give us some lore about that in S2

- I have a weird hunch that Martin will appear somehow

- I know that they will expand on Pupcorn lore by either giving kids to one of Jake's kids that don't have any yet, giving Gibbon or Brownyn kids or just having Beth explain her species lore

- They're def mentioning The Boss cuz he's for some reason a big theme in this series

- Adventure Time without songs ain't Adventure Time

- duh...

[joejhang]

theories + predictions before tgr comes out

not in any particular order. spoilers for tsc and obv aftg. if any of these happen individually i will be insufferable. bonus if more than one of these ends up being true. feeding my god complex fr.

jeremy killed a sibling. either accidentally or on purpose both works for me. tho it would be a million times more interesting if it was intentional. obv there are a million and one jeremy theories floating around but something about jeremy being a repented murderer endears me to him the most. like THAT'S the nora sakavic kinda character i know and love. anyway yeah there is definitely something weird about jer and his siblings tho. cat mentions two brothers, but so far we've only heard about annalise and bryson. cat also hesitates before saying "two brothers" so we can safely assume something happened with one of the brothers. my bet is that one of them is dead, that's why she hesitated to say. jer probably (definitely) had something to do with it. annalise also says that he ruined the family. and references the fall banquet of his freshman year. but idk if the siblings stuff and the banquet stuff is actually connected.

bryson tried to kill jer/they had a huge ugly fight/bryson was just abusive in general. i get these vibes. jer was desperate to avoid him and mentions him like once the whole book. cat mentions that he's a "tool" and a "jerk" and jer's convo with lucas about grayson is also notable, but that last part might just be bc jer's a nice guy, not to do with his own sibling issues. but yeah i think this is pretty likely, like they always had tension between them, then after mystery brother died, all of it came to a head and they had a really bad fight and someone was badly injured/nearly died.

annalise dies. this isn't very likely but i think this would be a PERFECT book two plot point. just imagine how it would WRECK jeremy. all of jer's carefully constructed masks and facades and fake smiles and pretending everything's fine would all come crashing down and it would essentially force my long-awaited jeremy crash out into action. it would force him to confront family issues, his older brother, his parents/step-parents??? and also the fact that he is deeply Not Ok™. also it would be a neat parallel that both jean and jer would now have dead younger sisters. bonus points if she dies in a car accident. if this happens i'm actually god.

kevjean interview goes horribly wrong somehow. my delusional ahh NEEDS neil to crash it but i can admit that that isn't likely and that i just miss my shayla. whatever. i'm pretty sure it's confirmed that kevjean IS having an interview together???? and since kevin is confirmed showing up in tgr i guess this will be it??? ok listen. i know nora said in the ec that kevin and jean would never be friends again, but i still have HOPE for them ok. kevjean you INVENTED one-sided homoerotic yearning. anyway i have no real thoughts about how it would go wrong probably just an interviewer stepping out of line and either jean or kevin crashing out during it. if someone attacks jean, i honestly honestly believe kevin would defend him. kevin is NOT a coward, and especially now that riko's dead and tetsuji is out of the picture, and after the whole "i've never been skiing" thing i doubt kevin is gonna be living in fear and paranoia and secrets anymore. and if he's gonna defend anyone to the press, it's obviously gonna be jean. and jean would do the same for kevin. guys i'm holding out so much hope for kevjean it's gonna ruin my life.

grayson death. is this not like, confirmed??? whatever i just need to see it happen. or hear of it happening. and i'll smile contentedly knowing that neil ordered the hit on a napkin at a thai restaurant. GOD i love that man like nobody can. it would also be very interesting to see jean, lucas and the other trojans' reactions to his death.

gameplay!!! i will admit, neil made me somewhat of an exy junkie asw. i'm so interested to see how jean narrates exy games and how the trojans play in their comps. unfortunately i doubt we'll see any championship games in book 2 but i'm hoping for book 3 and we get to see the trojans become champions for the first time!!! i have mixed feelings about the trojan red card thing but i wouldn't be mad if it happened. i kind of think it seems unrealistic tho tbh. but it WOULD be fun. yeah ummmm and i need to see like a scene where jeremy gets hurt and jean realises he cares IDC i am a SIMPLE simple girl. also i'm curious to see how the exy storyline plays out w jean. it's confirmed he never makes court, but i'm interested to see if he ends up actually enjoying the game, bc i think it wouldn't be a fitting end to the trilogy if he continues to play but resents it. i do think it is possible for the trojans to teach him how to actually love the game, but we'll see.

someone in jer's life/past committed or tried to commit. maybe it was even jeremy himself. idk i definitely think jer has some dark past, whether it includes like drugs or violence or gangs or murder idk, there's just SOMETHING there i can smell it. something that makes jeremy "captain sunshine" knox the black sheep of his rich political family. also jeremy being "unexpectedly ferocious" when jean made a quip about suicide. noted.

jeremy family drama. idk this is just a general note for uncovering more info about jeremy's complicated family. i need to know like, what's up with his dad. his dad is either dead or out of his life, because he only refers to his mother and stepfather. also why jer doesn't like being referred to by his last name and what he did to tear their family apart. contrary to popular opinion, i actually don't think it has anything to do with him being gay. i acc don't think his family knows he's gay. i feel like otherwise they would've just cut him off completely. like why is he still involved in campaigns and shit???

jerejean almost-kiss. this is just me manifesting tbh.

jeremy crash out. duh.

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

THE ART THE ART THE ATT THS ATGTXDYFOR OH MY GODDD THEYRE BEAUTIFUL THEYRE BEAUTIFUULLL- the tower???? Holy shit that design is amazing, the leaning and precariousness of it and how Cale is perched on that edge without a care is EXACTLY what we were describing!!!! He looks so wistful, and the wind blowing in his hair? Rstdjoogyuh I CANT it's so good- then the braid oohhhh the braid- we can agree that Raon On and Hong braided his hair right? And they played with him all through the city? It has to be- but his silhouette is drawn so beautifully I love it, he looks delicate like a flower raised in a greenhouse, and the red hair fits that feeling so well too. AND THEN ALBERU?? HOLY SHIT THAT IS AN ANIMAL, he is a Tiger and he's HUGEEE, look at those paws!!! And the wind(?) patting him? Tdtdinihieaefojnjv I love him, and then his dark elf form is amazing too he's got that scammer smile and the uniform, for his position that Cale gives him? Maybe? And the stripes on his face and hair from his tiger form I can't it's so amazing YOU are amazing.

Okay I'm calm, I'm calm.

Kim Rok Soo offering no excuse when he finally gets out and reaches Cale hurts so good. Cale has been waiting and waiting, alone and desperate, while Kim Rok Soo has been tearing and biting his way through hell to get back to him. Kim Rok Soo and Cale have been terribly worried about each other the entire time, and when they finally meet, they get a brief reprieve. Krs tells Cale the facts, Cale tells Krs about Brother's latest activity, and they don't mention how worried they were.

They don't ask, "are you okay?" Because they know already. They hadn't been okay- but now that they're together, it feels better. They don't ask because they both know they won't get a straightforward response, too. They know each other too well. Krs speaks little of the Tower, just that it appeared and, a few hours later, Krs found himself in a new world.

I think krs would be used to giving Cale a report on things that have happened. Cale, when he possesses krs's body, can't always rely on krs to fill him in on the latest events in the middle of a conversation.

Say, if krs met an old woman and got to know her, when Cale possesses his body later and meets her as well, he should be able to at least know her name, and how they came to meet each other.

So Krs draws up the faces of the people he got to know in the Tower, gives him a run down on their names and circumstances, and a few events that may come up in conversation.

Cale, on the other hand, hasn't been up to much. Sleeping most of the day, talking with Brother and then being alone again, and reading to pass the time. Cale managed to preserve part of his psyche by essentially being comatose while waiting for krs to let him in. His hair, luckily, prevents his body from deteriorating. Kind of like Vitality of the Heart. This will, ofc, end up being abused by Krs!Cale.

Ooh, the Soos meeting up before the apocalypse? I like that, especially bc it gives them the opportunity to get to know krs and his tendencies. I want Cale to admit to not being Krs, with Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo specifically, and getting their help in contacting krs in Cale's body. Three brains are better than one- maybe Lee Soo Hyuk comes up with the theory that krs is in Cale's body, now that Cale has completely taken over Krs's.

Choi Jung Soo knowing both krs and Cale and thinking that he's just a little weird, vs Lee Soo Hyuk and only knowing krs and being taken aback by the sudden personality switch. It would definitely help convince them that krs has become a different person.

Ooh, maybe the reason why Lee Soo Hyuk never got to meet Cale is the fact that he's so smart. Krs met him and realized that he would definitely realize that something is different the next time they meet. He discusses this with Cale, who agrees that it'd be best to not let Lee Soo Hyuk meet Cale. So Krs would kick Cale out of his body when they meet in order to keep Lee Soo Hyuk in the dark. Oh, then we could reason that Choi Jung Soo is the exception to this because he actually meets Cale first!

Since he meets Cale first and they can't erase that from his memory, and Cale is only sometimes in KRS's body and they can't control when they meet Choi Jung Soo, they simply allow CJS to have the misconception that krs is a little strange. It doesn't stop CJS from latching onto them both.

So when CJS and LSH meet Krs, they compile their knowledge of him together. CJS knows that Krs has a sort of alter ego, and LSH knows that something is intrinsically different about the person he knew. So they confront Krs and Cale decides to trust them. He tells them the bare minimum about his circumstances- and how he can't get in contact with krs. He also mentions that krs might be in danger. This gives the push that CJS and LSH need in order to help in contacting KRS- whether he's in Cale's body or somewhere else.

But I do think that, if they don't figure out that krs is a different person, that they'd be very concerned for him as you said. That's definitely the angst route where everyone starts to pamper this poor young man that twisted himself in order to survive, and hangs out around ledges with drops that could injure/kill him. Although, well, everyone's a little broken now so who can always spare the effort for him- it lets Cale!krs get away with acting 'crazy' bc all it gets him is pity.

Ooh a cintamani for his stubbornness? The holy sword could work too. It could be an item in a Tower that Cale!krs gets dragged into unwillingly, that allows him to communicate for short periods of time with krs!Cale, but it only works in Towers. This ends up dragging Cale!krs back into the towers and he ends up being a good leader, having had experience in working with bare minimum knowledge of a situation and working around issues with krs. Team work is natural to him.

Though he still avoids the towers as needed. They are towers after all.

The imagery of blood pouring over the tower is amazing. Choi Han would look at krs!Cale, with his apathetic eyes and frail body, followed by the cascading red hair, and can't decide which one is more bewitching. Then Cale loops his hair over the pulley and steps off the platform. Choi Han panics and runs up hurriedly when Cale's descent grows out of control and he catches him- which could have been an emotionally stirring moment if it weren't for the pile of red hair that covers the two of them immediately.

A lovely first meeting!

Rapunzel AU!

Cale has been inside of the tower for his entire life. His hair is long, much longer than his brother's. His brother doesn't have a name. Cale knows they're brothers though- because they both have red hair, even if Brother has short hair and Cale does not.

Ever since Cale was 12, he'd been dreaming of a different world. He went to sleep and woke up as someone named Kim Roksu. This Kim Roksu was not in a similar situation as he was- Kim Roksu wandered the streets and ate food from the floor and hid in the small cabinet in his uncle's house. Kim Roksu was weak and strong.

Kim Roksu is a friend to Cale. When Cale wants to see the outside, he sleeps, and he dreams.

Kim Roksu figured out how to communicate with Cale after several years of simple body swapping.

Somehow, they are similar! They both agree that being trash is the best. Kim Roksu because it's easier being a bad person than a good person, and Cale because Brother won't let him be trashy and he wishes he could throw a fit without Brother punishing him.

"Your brother keeps you in a tower?" Roksu asks when he learns.

"Yeah. Is that weird?"

"Well, I don't know anyone who stays in a tower." Cale kicks a rock on the sidewalk with his barefoot, sending it skidding across the dirt road. "Ow, my toe." Roksu complains blandly.

Sharing a body, they also share the same sensations.

"You barely felt that and you know it."

"Shut up."

"You shut up." Cale retorts. He wants to say more, but he swallows those words and tucks them into his chest.

'The bruise over your eye hurts more but you don't complain about that.'

He bites his lip and looks down.

"Do you think," he asks quietly, "if I asked Brother to let me out, he would?"

Roksu, disembodied and floating over his body, frowns. "You haven't asked before?"

Cale smiles bitterly in Roksu's body. "... I did, once." After, Brother said he was going to be leaving for two weeks, and told Cale to ration his food well. Cale knew better than to think it was a coincidence. He didn't have Roksu yet. It was very lonely for a long time.

Roksu doesn't say anything.

"If," his voice trembles, "If I got out. If I left..."

"Cale." Roksu stops him. Cale winces, expecting to be reprimanded.

"You are trash. Trash does whatever they want, no matter what anyone says. If you want to leave, then leave." Roksu's translucent body floats over to stand in front of Cale. Sternly, he says, "Don't worry about useless things. Worry about making a plan and executing it."

Then, abruptly, Roksu turns and ignores him. Cale laughs and folds in half, a childish grin splitting his malnourished cheeks. How can someone be so blunt but so shy? Kim Roksu frowns, but it looks like a pout. Cale rubs away a tear and looks up at the back of his friend. No, the person who sometimes feels more like a brother to him than his real brother.

"And will you help me?"

Roksu rolls his eyes. "Don't ask something so obvious."

Cale smiles and looks down. "Right. Obvious, isn't it?"

Something like receiving help wasn't obvious to either of them. Yet, when it came to the two of them together, it was the most obvious thing in the world. It wasn't obvious with Brother, who he shared blood with. But Kim Roksu, who was abused and beaten down at every turn, chose to welcome a wandering soul into his body and share everything with him.

'You're the one who shouldn't want to be here,' Kim Roksu said when they first started talking and Cale asked why he didn't try to force Cale out. 'When you're in control, I can relax. Why would I want you to leave? That's so difficult.'

They learned that Kim Roksu really could force Cale out when his uncle kicked Cale, sending Kim Roksu's body sprawling onto the floor, then stomped on his arm so hard they heard a clear snap. For Cale it only hurt for a short moment. Roksu threw him out so fast you could imagine that he had practiced beforehand.

Every day and night, Cale slept to try and enter Roksu's body, check on him, share the pain, but Roksu kicked him out every time. It wasn't until four weeks later that Roksu let Cale back in.

Even that much pain was a lot for being four weeks after the incident, but while Cale was struggling to keep his cool, Roksu floated around him and spoke as if nothing was wrong. When Cale started sweating a few hours later Roksu kicked him out again.

'Don't be stubborn,' he said when Cale returned the next night. 'Just say that it hurts. If you still want to stay after you admit that it hurts then I won't kick you out.'

It was a very Kim Roksu thing to do.

"Brother," Cale asks one day at 15, impatiently brushing his hair. He gets scolded lightly, and Brother takes the brush from him. "I read in a book about something called a phone. Do you have one?"

Brother gives him a blank look. Then, as if it had been a lie, his expression changes into something kind and gentle. "Fone? Can you show me the book?"

Cale and Brother roughly root around in every book for anything like the so-called 'Fone,' coming up short.

"Maybe it was a dream," Cale excuses it like that, rubbing his neck. Brother looks at him, worried.

"It must have been. Get some rest, Cale." A kiss to the top of Cale's head, Brother hugs him and promises to bring him more paint. "I'll be gone for a few days this time. Do you want something?"

"Ah," Cale smiles, pressing his face into his Brothers neck to hide his face. "Could you bring me -------?" Brother freezes.

"... you-"

"I learned it from the books! This time I really did, Brother. Please?"

Slowly, Brother releases the tension in his body. "... If that's what you want. But you have to close the window if you're going to mess around with alcohol."

"Yes!" Cale jumps with joy. Then he suddenly runs to a bookshelf, changing the topic by talking about a book Brother brought to him last time. "-and I'd like to know if the sequel is out yet."

"I'll do that." Brother smiles. "You've been asking for more things recently, Cale." Brother settles a hand on his head, stroking his hair.

"It's because of my reliable older brother!" He grabs onto that hand, keeping it there, resembling a naive little brother who only has his role model in his eyes.

He sends his brother down the tower using his hair, and watches that spot of red disappear in the distance.

His face drops.

"... Bastard."

Cale turns on his foot. It's time to see Roksu.