#im gnna handle it :))

[self-shipper-snowdrop]

would you be willing to drop your key to vector sigma rant? i'm curious about your thoughts. personally i get both the in universe and out of universe reasons why op gave the key to jack but ngl it always kinda annoyed me. i do actually like him but at the same time i think he's the least interesting character they could've picked for that job

OHOHOHOHO PREPARE FOR THE RANT OF THE CENTURY BABEY I HAVE SO MANY OPINIONS;;;; I apologize in advance for the length of this complete disaster hjbvfbhjfdvbhjvfdbhjvdfjbhvdfbhjvdfbjhfvbjhdvf

I will also admit in advance I'm very Miko-biased, I absolutely ADORE Miko, she's my bestie in my soul and I've always loved her. So this will be super Miko-biased and not very organized. It's more word vomit I'm sorry bhjvfhbvfbhjdvfbj

Miko deserved the key because, full fucking stop, she had the most character development of any of the humans in S1. Full stop. Jack did NOT have as much development as Miko did in comparison to the amount of screentime, and also he HESITATES. CONSTANTLY.

In the first episodes that we see of the kids, Miko's all in, to her own detriment. She doesn't take seriously the amount of danger she's in because she's so excited to be part of something fun for once. She said that she's spent her entire childhood being "the perfect kid". Perfect grades, piano lessons, extracurriculars, etc. Girl was neck deep in her parent's expectations- she tells this to Jack when she talks about why she came to Jasper in the first episodes [and jokes that the brochure lied]. When she's persuading him to come back, by the by, when SHE never left even in the face of danger.

Miko does consistently go into danger, yeah, but she also develops from that AND show's she's willing to be brave and take risks. She's the reason they get the picture of the equations on the Nemesis when they get on it in the start of the series, and she NEVER backs down from it. She's the only one of the humans willing to face it, head-on, and try and figure out their problems. She's also the one that is the most willing to come and help- even asking what she can do in early episodes not just so she can be there and see cool things, but so she can actually contribute to them.

Jack, in those same early episodes, is turning away from everything. He tries to avoid the bots when they summon him to meet Optimus, he tries to leave once things get dicey in the first episodes, and he tries to stay out of most things. He handles things when he's forced into it most of the time, on top of Dumbass Teenage Boy Syndrome that makes me wanna slam my head into a wall repeatedly. His interactions with Sierra are indeed proper Teen Boy Behaviour and props to them for the writing but also I scream lmfao like BRO

But seriously. Jack isn't the one to usually dive in and help. Him getting the key was just because he's The Main Human Boy and it was the 2010s so. yeah. But he didn't change nearly as much as Miko did, he only started helping the bots because they became important to him- Miko was always willing to help no matter what, even before she had a deeper relationship with anyone. FFS, she was willing to fight off Soundwave's tentacle WITH AN AXE, and when that went sideways? JACK BLAMED HER FOR "GIVING IT AN AXE" WHEN SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE FIGHTING OFF SOUNDWAVE SO RAF COULD DO HIS THING. She also was COMPLETELY ready to fight off literal armed soldiers ON A MOVING TRAIN and even verbally warn them to back off.

Miko's also smart as fuck. We see that academically, she knows what's up in Deus Ex Machina, because the second she actually had to try she managed to talk to a security guard about her report on Greek history for LITERAL HOURS, and says she could repeat stuff that "she didn't know she knew". Miko also thinks on the fly on how to solve issues. When they saw the security camera in that episode? She right away took an upside-down pic to make it look like nothing was happening while they got the orb. Miko ALSO was willing to take point even when it meant security got her or that she was at risk of the Decepticons kidnapping her. She put HERSELF in the way of them getting to her friends instead. She also understands people, especially Bulkhead- like in Operation: Breakdown.

In that episode, not even OPTIMUS HIMSELF could convince Bulkhead to help them rescue Breakdown. Optimus even tried to spin it as "well, you know, he has a chance to change and also MECH sucks" which. You know. Doesn't work. She, instead, plays into what she KNOWS will convince Bulkhead- "no rescue, no rematch". And what happens? BULKHEAD SAVES BREAKDOWN. Without Miko, Breakdown would have literally died because Bulk wouldn't have gone to get him. SHE'S the reason MECH didn't get to do their full dissection and potentially go through their bastard plans even sooner than they could have!!! All because she knew Bulkhead wasn't buying the "he can change" route- instead, taking note of them being rivals, and urging him using what she KNEW would work. Miko's the entire reason he went at all.

You can also see that Jack is WAY too cautious compared to the others in Shadowzone. When Raf drops his glasses and says he can't see without them, Jack [like a dumbass] says they have to leave them because it's dangerous when, you know.... Raf needs to be able to see. Hard to see where you're going when you're functionally blind. But while he still insists [also not noting how Raf won't leave without them considering he's like, 12] what does Miko do? She dives out there, gets the glasses, and heads back like a BADASS and then they keep running away from Skyquake's reanimated corpse. She doesn't hesitate, she sees the problem and solves it so they can keep moving- instead of wasting time trying to convince Raf to run blind like Jack does.

He's also a dick to her at the end of the episode, as instead of... you know... being nice to her after they all survived A ZOMBIE ATTACK, he rubs in how she admits what she did was really reckless. When Miko is showing she's clearly willing to learn from her mistakes, he rubs it in like a jackass. Again- teen boy behaviour. But it DOES show immaturity, compared to Miko actually being really mature in that moment and showing she's willing to admit she shouldn't have done that. The bots also know how important it was to her to get pictures and apologize for it- so. You know. He could very easily not be a dick.

Jack also doesn't show he's any better than her with rushing into things [like charging into places] in Rock Bottom [which I just recently re-watched] where Miko runs into the mines and Jack acts like she's ~so stupid for it~ but what does he do?

HE FUCKIN LOOKS AT ARCEE LIKE 'uwu pwease can I go in also I'll be good owo' RIGHT AFTER INSULTING MIKO FOR WANTING TO CHECK IT OUT. So, hypocrisy.

Jack's only moment of having a "key moment" was when he refused to kill Megatron because "Optimus wouldn't, not like this" and he leaves. That's it. Meanwhile, Miko is willing to try and DIG OUT A WALL WITH HER BARE HANDS TO FREE BULKHEAD WHEN THEY'RE STUCK IN THERE. She's not willing to leave him, has to be convinced to bang a rock on his foot to make noise [because she doesn't want to hurt him]. Even when Starscream walks in and tries to fuckin grab her, Miko STILL REFUSES TO LEAVE BULKHEAD. She isn't willing to leave him behind, period, or ANYONE behind at all. She only barely agrees to leave with Jack with a LOT on persuading from Bulk, and she's crying when they do because she cares so much about him. The bond she's built with Bulkhead really shines in that episode, and it shows just how loyal she is to her loved ones. She would straight up rather be buried in rock with him rather than even consider abandoning him there.

So Miko is willing to admit when she fucks up, isn't a dick to others about it, knows how to read people and what they need to keep going, won't abandon her teammates, and is unflinchingly brave. She is a fighter through and through, more so than the other humans are. She doesn't have as much screentime as Jack, yet she STILL shows all these traits and shows character growth. Jack, meanwhile... well, he's still pretty boring. He doesn't change much. When he gets the key, it doesn't feel earned at all. It just feels like it was obligatory because he's The Main Human Boy™ and that's what Main Human Boys™ get.

But imagine if Miko got the key. It would be an acknowledgement of how she's helped and how she's always willing to as well. She never needs to be persuaded, she's never afraid to face danger- everything. It also would have been an epic chance for Jack's character as well, considering- again- he's got a few moments where he's kinda a dick to Miko.

If Miko got the key, it could seriously drill in the heavy feeling of responsibility. It would have been a GREAT addition to her arc, really able to emphasize that she has a ton of good traits and how with some refinement, she'd make an amazing leader. It also would have really defied expectations at the time and given Miko the spotlight she really deserved. There's a reason people like her! So Miko would have this great responsibility, Optimus would be openly acknowledging that she's great as she is [and doesn't have to be perfect, emphasizing how she is better off as herself rather than the perfection expected of her back at home] and it could further lead into Miko maturing even more.

Meanwhile, Jack NOT getting the key and instead knowing SHE got it could be a serious kick in the ass. He'd have to grapple with his feelings about that, confront how he responded to her and the times he'd belittled her attempts to help [ex; fighting off Soundwave with the axe] and such. He'd have to see and acknowledge her good traits [especially her incredible bravery] and how critical that's been to them. He'd have to acknowledge that she DOES help, and everyone would have to take her more seriously. Jack would have to step the fuck up and proactively choose to do more, meanwhile Miko- getting that responsibility- could learn to reel in her reckless tendencies and instead refine her bravery and leadership skills. It'd be better for them both as characters, and it also means Miko gets to go into space LIKE SHE FUCKING DESERVES.

Basically, Miko had so much going for her even with less screentime than Jack, meanwhile Jack didn't develop much at all and pretty much had to be yeeted into most situations- meanwhile Miko was proactive. Is she reckless at times? Yes, for sure, but this would have been the PERFECT way to help her curb that. Optimus telling her about this key, how important it is, and how she needs to guard it could really show how well Miko does under pressure... as she consistently has! It'd also feel pretty natural for Optimus to acknowledge her efforts and reward it, but Jack? It didn't feel like he earned it at all. Miko it would have felt earned and opened the doors to even MORE development for her, rather than Jack being more of the damn same.

Also. Again. Homegirl fucking rules. Even just from a simple standpoint, she's a far more interesting character and would have been more engaging for her to get the key [a less predictable outcome] instead of Jack [a very predictable outcome]. Especially when she has more consistently shown a willingness to face danger head-on, willingly, rather than handle it only when tossed into it like a sack of bleached potatoes. Miko would just have been SUCH a good choice, both for her personally and for everyone around her.

We also KNOW Miko can kick ass when she gets that armour later in the series, so on top of all the other epic stuff about homegirl, she is 1000% able to fuckin DESTROY the enemies if given the right tools. She has battle prowess.

Jack's just;;;; legit too cautious. He doesn't have the willingness to get in the weeds like Miko does, it's SO bullshit that he got the key. And Megatron's "I never forget a face" line is SUPER WASTED on him. Especially because, again, Miko gets that armour later. That line would have been SO much better with Miko, especially if she actually got to battle him in that armour later- because then he'd have a reason not to forget the human who's actually willing to stand against him. Because we ALL know she would.

[darktetras]

Hi guys I'm still alive don't worry how's it going

[truckstoptigers]

i should've known it'd come back

[poobit]

i have many thoughts on how Mouthwashing handles the themes of abuse and the symbolism around it especially as a survivor ... im not gnna hold back so -

first of all i think since its clear the point Jimmy is dismissive of Anya´s personhood and his perception is warped towards what he does as a Captain rather than what he does as a man, it makes sense she doesnt get her own labyrinth or such , i cant argue around that because its realistic he´s so male focused he cant even bother to truly think about what he did to her, i would love it if Wrong Organ decides to do a side story vignette of her own perspective and view in the future if the game proves its successful enough for side content like that.

Assault is something usually not handled with subtlety in games, i think what struck me the most was how real the dialogue of her coping and suicidal ideations and how Curly responded to it felt , the dancing around the subject, the deflection, the "whats next" of the ever impending consequence of pregnancy, how Anya pleads for help from the person she trusts but nonetheless a man unequipped and too emotionally attached to the abuser to be able to confront him, its so real, Curly´s lack of initiative is something Jimmy fully takes advantage of the moment things dont go his way, he turns everyone against him even as a helpless body on a bed because he needed to be in control of the situation, thats what abusers do.

A more sensationalistic game would have easily played Anya´s helplessness and assault for shock for sure, because it would be easy, she is the archetypical victim trope, shes modeled in Wendy Torrance likeness from The Shining, shes meek and unsure of herself and Jimmy shoots her down from the very beginning to make her feel unqualified and cornered, but the furthest the games goes is making Jimmy terror towards the pregnancy and the baby as a boogeyman that crawls and tramples over him. No sights of bleeding legs or her crying or screaming and much less present objectification of her body (which is something that i always think the horror genre has such a struggle not grabbing onto, sexuality is mostly always played up in assault stories especially if the victim is an adult woman), she remains a fully clothed figure and maintains the agency to her own demise, away from Jimmy and beside Curly, which is tragic and obviously still a symptom of horror´s proclivity to back female characters into corners of self inflicted punishment, but the alternative would have been that sooner or later, Jimmy would have killed her.

Its clear to me that the game used Curly´s state as a way to put a barrier between Jimmy and Anya, we dont objectify Anya, but we objectify Curly, Anya doesnt just feel pained and unable to handle Curly´s medication because shes in a sensitive state, her comments about his noises and such draws a line between her trauma and her perception of things as Her fault, she cant handle hearing his struggles and cries trying to swallow a pill because it reminds her of her own helplessness, so she leaves the task to Jimmy, someone who has no qualms in forcing someone down, the emphasis of every treatment as a repetitive process and the sound design is all very poignant and for me, a great way to handle assault as a metaphor, Curly did not consent to being in this position, it is very much still Jimmy´s fault and the fact that Jimmy is basically keeping him alive against his will even to the last moment of the game says everything, Jimmy doesnt love Curly the same way he doesnt love Anya.

The horses are not lost on me, i think horses as animals are often seen as "viril" symbols, strong and often volatile, they can be often hard to mount but when one does the rider and animal are seen as this one all powerful entity, like centaurs, which also carry symbolism of assaulters mind you, so while maybe not intentional on the dev´s part i think it still points to the Horse as a symbol still important in the game, the only spoken audio lines of dialog come from the Pony Express mascot Polle itself, and they are the first to actually confront Jimmy´s self centered line of thought and over-focusing on Curly, if the Tulpar is akin to a beast of a burden then Jimmy beat the dead horse way long ago.

All in this to say that Mouthwashing was a really good experience and i really hope the dev team is interested on expanding a bit more on it because i trust their vision.

[tomboyyyaoi]

also im gnna get a bit of shit here but i think if we ignore knives' slightly incestuous obsession with vash its a bit of a detriment to his character.

knives is far gone. hes disconnected from reality due to his extreme and messy emotions. and on the topic of his extreme and messy emotions and his disconnect from reality (and rejection of humanity) i can absolutely come to the conclusion his obsession with making the perfect society for him and his brother is a bit unhealthy if im being nice about it!!!

but i think we should all just grow up and realise that reading him this way isnt bad at all and is just another thing about knives that stresses his motives and mental state and how deeply he objectifies vash and im not even saying this as a shipper, this is purely from an analytical standpoint

knives' two extremities of hate and love are so visceral and i think very well handled, he functions purely from his fear of what humans do to plants (and what they do to his brother) and that for him developed into this ugly feeling that pities, objectifies, minimises and victimises vash but not in the ways we (the fans) do but in the way abusive, toxic lovers do. knives insists himself as vashs saviour and protector and even though i cant say that his obsession with vash is romantic or sexual its still an unhealthy, ugly, messy obsession and i dont blame people for reading him as a having incestuous... feelings

as long as theyr not reading it and claiming it as something that ruins his character because for me it really deepens it

[dykexenomorph]

Minsc :D

MINSC MY BEST FRIEND MINSC!!!

HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM: he was one of those charas tht made me SOO pissed when i first saw him bc i was like "oh im gnna be soo insufferable about liking him." and then i WAS (mostly on call w my poor sibling [hello theo.] but also on here for a bit as well)

PEOPLE I SHIP W HIM: im sorry ik its so basic but it genuinely could only ever be dynaheir for me....they're EVERYTHING to me aughhhhhh

NON-ROMANTIC OTPS W HIM: ASIDE from the obvious answer of jaheira, im also fond of him and khalid :3 (im sure ill also enjoy whatever he's got going on w aerie as well whenever i finally finish bg1 and get around to playing bg2)

UNPOP OPINION: i honestly dont think i have one? i love him a lot and never rlly see anyone saying anything negative about him LOL

SOMETHING I WISH WOULD HAPPEN IN CANON: i dont really have a solid answer for this YET!! like i said, im still playing through the og baldurs gates, so im still forming my opinions on how his chara/story is handled throughout the games

CHARACTER ASKS

[puphoods]

⚠️⚔️🌍 Claire...

oc ask game... :)

⚠️ - If this oc came with a warning sign, what would it be?

this isnt a warning sign. i have to be truthful though. anxious dog do not pet

⚔️ - How does this oc handle conflict? avoids at all cost if he can... hes both emotionally stunted and fearful of conflict with those close to him because hes afraid of it causing long term problems in the relationship. less "interpersonal" and more "fighting" conflict though is sort of the same- fighting was his job for a long time so he will do it when and where necessary but if he has any emotional ties to the situation he becomes extremely avoidant to the point where it makes things exponentially worse

🌍 - What are this oc’s religious views? this is a good question i never thought about that... im gnna slap a big "its complicated" on that one. he probably has some level of religious views from his upbringing but in general hes very (cant think of another word) "practical" when it comes to stuff, very what i can see is whats real sort of guy. so i will proobably have to think about this one some more

[5eraphim]

im a waitress nd  i had the most surreal experience cleaning the men’s bathroom closing today,

so im finishing up; yknow finished wiping down the counters, faucets nd handles on the urinals nd toilets. im about to leave and this guy comes in and hes giggling and asks me "oh are you here to help?" and im like ?????? what the fuck does that mean? does he want me to help him pee??? like milk the pee out of his dick like a cow's utters??? is he asking to pee on me??? im like no?? and hes still laughing to himself standing in front of the urinals like "ahahaha ok ill be a gentleman and wait for you to leave before i start" and i'm like- cool thanks! am i hauled ass out of there.

 i still have no idea what "have you come to help” could mean, but i do appreciate waiting for me to leave b4 he started pissing. like ok i get it, your facing the other way, im not gnna see your dick or anything but idk still weird :/

man i am paid 6 dollars an hour to be here, i am NOT paid enough to get pissed on by strangers

also so funny its negative 10 degrees out and everyone has to go to work up here, meanwhile i’m talking to my friend from Texas and he’s like, “yeah it’s 34 degrees out and everything is shut down here lol” ... you hate to see it.

[ogeeitsme]

I hope Kris is doing well,, -🐢

DDGSHJGSSJ SIM NOT,,,,, b I rlly appreci8 the sentimnt

[gumdecay]

.

[meistoshia]

HEY I LOVE YOU SO MUCHCHHHH H& YOU AHVE NO IDEA HOW ECSTATIC I WAS WHEN YOU GOT INTO THE POKEANI & I LOVE YOUU SO MUCH!!!! YOU MAY THINK YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE, BUT GUESS WHAT LOSER!!!! YOU BRING JOY TO SO MANY PEOPLE'S DASH WITH YOUR UTTER LOVE & APPRECIATION FOR ANY OBSCURE MUSE YOU DECIDE TO GO WITH & YOU ARE SHAPED LIKE A FRIEND & I HOPE 2020 TREATS YOU WELL

air out the old decade.   //   accepting.

[karkats-longsleeves]

[seraphimsinful]

Fucking. Whatever. I guess. It doesnt matter .

[atticfish]

"it's not like you'll be doing anything else in july" yes but. consider this: i am afraid

[tomboyyyaoi]

tiny miniscule gripe with livio and wolfwood in stampede was the decision to push their relationship as brothers.... coz like. theyr actually really cute together coz the idea of livio being utterly in love with wolfwood since they were kids is so... oh god i love it but with the constant brotherly language used for them its a bit like. yeah theyr not brothers but u know damn well someones gnna be like "Um Ew They Are Brothers U Sick Fuck" like oh my god please no i just think theyr cute i just think thats a nice way to read them bc of how they are in stampede

like allow me this hold on

livio being such a clingy sensitive child is cute already like (hot take) as much as i love big himbo liv in the manga im also utterly in love with gentle giant shy yet derermined prettyboy livio in stampede and how he clung so hard to wolfwood and followed him into the eye of michael in an attempt to stay by his side and "catch up" but only pulled them farther apart. when wolfwood snapped him out of. Whatever that was. and he just completely softens. he never stopped calling him "nico" like. oh god it was so sweet

i cant help but feel the way they keep being pushed into this role of "brothers" despite them making their relationship arguably closer and softer and (fuck it ill say it) queer coded than it was in the manga is a bit intentional? not necessarily from the perspective of pandering to the pseudo-incest fetish but so they can build up to some tragic brotherzoning sub plot? maybe

idk but i like them as a really complicated relationship but some people take the "brother" title a little too literally for me to feel confident enough to openly say i like them romantically a lot bc of how theyr being handled in stampede

[ahkmen]

i feel ........ Ass