#it's the first time i can relate to a character so much

[bonesaints]

addendum: falon'din being depicted in close association with june from origins to veilguard is very interesting and i sure wish we'd gotten an actual explanation as to why! (tamlen could always be wrong and this could be dirthamen, incidentally, but i'm inclined to believe him. admittedly, falon'din and dirthamen's imagery is both a little inconsistent.)

anyways. i spent ages datamining, poring through codexes, artbooks, and other official sources. so here's my interpetation of what's going on and my effort to clear up some common misconceptions, as reinforced with actual evidence:

to start, bellara's archdemon-evanuris association appears to be correct, june's datamined symbol is also consistent with urthemiel's symbol from origins, so it's safe to infer that the other symbols that i spent ages datamining and researching (see above) are probably correct as well. seeing people state that june's symbol "is a retcon" is incorrect, sorry. if it helps, june's symbol is also stated to have changed over time. incidentally, the exact same thing is said about the murky understanding of his role and associations as a deity, too. this is further corroborated by his symbol having literal multiple versions (see above), so i don't think there's much room for argument about that being june's symbol. it's his, yall.

from what i've been able to piece together from codexes, all the evanuris except for ghilan'nain is most likely a manifested elf, there's a reason the lore repeatedly places emphasis on citing her as "a mortal elf" in a manner that paints her as being distinct in comparison to the others, which indicates that she was most likely a physically born elf, perhaps of the first generation of elves be physically born. she was also the last to become a god and is the youngest of the pantheon. even the datamined character descriptions back this up. the confusion stems from the fact that the word "mortal" is thrown around willy-nilly in regards to spirits and the evanuris and is pretty clearly used in different contexts with different meanings. the ancient elves were quasi-immortals who did not die (or age the same way humans do) unless killed; thus, solas calls elgar'nan "mortal" once lusacan dies but what he actually should've said was "you are no longer invulnerable."

we can easily infer that none of the evanuris are biologically related. currently, elgar'nan and mythal were the only confirmed couple. june and sylaise are simply stated as "most likely having worked together" and they seem to have been pretty close friends at the very least, because sylaise builds something for june as a gift. elgar'nan calls ghilan'nain "sister" for a reason; it's meant moreso as "sister-in-godhood." falon'din and dirthamen most likely manifested and one is specifically stated to be either half or a fragment of the other. repeated instances of falon'din being associated with june since origins bear worth mentioning, though we know nothing about their relationship. given that we know that sylaise and ghilan'nain are specifically cited as being elevated to the gods for their respective talents, the evanuris were pretty clearly a meritocracy.

also, dalish legends not being entirely correct around the gods' relationships isn't a retcon in and of itself, since we know that myths are often re-interpreted and misremembered, because misremembering your own mythology is a natural consequence of having your culture genocided out of existence and erased! like all sources that pertain to historical events, dalish myths contain hints of truth but also aren't completely 100% historically accurate. even the chant of light contains some grains of historical accuracy (especially regarding the actions of the magisters) but is also incorrect about the origins of the black/golden city.

the issue here is that the dalish are always framed as stupid or wrong for daring to have a polytheistic pantheon full of gods that are dubious of character who participate in actions that are really no different than the morally abhorrent actions taken by other polytheistic pantheons in rl history (the greek pantheon) and even the abrahamic god at the end of the day. the issue is that this polytheistic pantheon is routinely demonized by the narrative and not portrayed with nearly enough nuance, and the writers responsible for doing this are white. the evanuris did both good and evil things. our understanding of them is sadly quite limited due to solas's extremely biased perspective and the devs' racism. if you can understand the greek gods as still being gods despite their morally abhorrent actions, then i think the same understanding should apply to the evanuris.

evanuris imagery masterpost including datamined content, artbook content, and my own theories on what each symbol might be.

[callizinc]

Ena in Dream BBQ and Work Culture

HELLO Dashboard!! Ever since i first played DBBQ i've found the entire game endlessly interesting (as have most people, LOL) But one of the most interesting, and in my opinion, most Potent things, is Ena's character and how she relates to the game's commentary on modern work culture.

So for anyone as much of a #SICKO as me 😭 Here's an embarrassingly long analysis of just that! There's SO much to talk about with this game, and even when I'm trying to focus on one specific idea with this post, I'm sure I'll still miss things, so just stick with me best you can OK? 😭 😭

My aim for this post is to allow you to understand Just how deep in the torment nexus Ena is, and to want to say "she should be at the club" Only to realize she can't even go to the club. She can't even go to the club. Because of Job. (Among other, hopefully more intelligently articulated things!)

SO, Let's just jump right in :D

First, to state the obvious—Ena's literal entire life is her job. The only moods she expresses under normal circumstance are "smooth talking salesperson where every line is about working or trying to sell something" and "Stops keeping up the veneer and gets frustrated and pissed because she hates her stupid job."

This permeates every aspect of her character—I don't think there's a single line in the game so far where she says like, Anything about herself. There's nothing about what she may want or what she may like. It's all about her fuckass job or the fuckass Boss.

And of course, even in gameplay aspects, you literally don't get a chance to choose whether you accept a job or not, like the thought of doing anything besides giving her time and energy for other people or her job's benefit doesn't even occur to her (Or, it can't occur to her—I doubt the Boss would want to allow her reprieve from anything at all, and I'm sure Ena would know this).

(^ Ena's reaction to being told to find a mythical figure that she maybe didn't even know existed cause Froggy sure as hell didn't to do a stupid job for Froggy's stupid ass. Like)

Maybe i'm reaching here, but I even find it interesting how her red hand has no fingers (besides a thumb). I feel like that represents a lack of individuality she has when she's in Salesperson mode, or at least, a lack of individuality she's been allowed. A lack of having a defined being cause it's all about this stupid job.

There's lots of avenues to go from here, but let's start with another big point of the game: Everybody hates her. Except for like, three characters, every NPC in the game either insults her, talks down to her, blatantly doesn't respect her, or Literally tells her nobody should be punished for being born except her. Typical day for Ena.

I'm not going to get into why I think this is—for me there's not enough evidence to speculate with surety right now—but I think this does tie strongly into her commitment to her job. Ena working her ass off in every aspect of her life and earning nothing but disrespect for it is very reminiscent of real life work environments.

Think of how almost every NPC claims they are "the Boss" in such a way that many of them seem to want to be the Boss, like he's some kind of well-known or respected figure. The description for the game on Steam even says as much: "Play as ENA as she searches for the Boss that everyone wants to be."

(eg: "I am the B-O-S-S!"):

People wish they were the Boss, they want to be some kind of rich capitalist with power and fame, but when looking at someone who actually works for him, and probably is the reason the Boss has profit and success in the first place, they insult her and demean her no matter how much she gives herself to them and the Boss. I'm sure you can see the real life parallels here.

It's even possible one of the reasons Ena works so hard in the first place is as an attempt to earn respect from these people, or to make up for whatever everyone thinks she did that made everyone hate her so much. Especially considering...

Our society is one that tells its people that Work is unequivocally Good. Committing yourself to work is what everyone, no matter who they are or what they face, is what you have to do to be a valuable member of society, and to have any respect from other people in the slightest. It tells its people that you only have value as a living human being at all if you give your life to work.

Even though this blatantly isn't true. If people think you're the Wrong type of worker, or if people think your work isn't valuable, helpful, or that it doesn't require skill, you can work as hard as you want but you'll still be treated like shit. But, hey, work is still your duty as a member of society, right? Stop bitching and whining and pull yourself up by your bootstraps, right?

Needless to say, it's easy to see how this whole idea is being represented in DBBQ. She even knows how much she's sold herself to this, she just... Seems to have extremely casually accepted it all LOL, which, I mean... What else does she have the power to do?

This very casual and nonchalant acknowledgement of her lack of autonomy connects to another big point: Ena doesn't value herself, nor does she even know how to exist without being in a constant state of working.

Let's talk about the Purge: There's a LOT to get to here in terms of Ena herself LOL, but the intrigue starts before she even enters the party. Literally Froggy just saying she's about to enter an "Event" stops her in her tracks and worries her. Not to mention the next line...

This feels like an indication that despite how much she commits herself to it, Ena does "crave freedom" from her shitty job, although she can scarcely admit this anywhere else so far. Then, if you talk to this slime guy, you get some strange text.

As far as I know, the text for interacting with things doesn't look like this anywhere else in the game. And given that it looks exactly the same as how Ena's lines do in the Purge, it's seemingly the only peek we get into her internal monologue, and it is. Quite worrying! She literally can climb up a hellish freezing floating mountain and yet this is by far the most freaked out she gets in the entire game.

And then to actually get into the Purge, an Evil eye Ball tells her that she needs to give a literal arm or a leg to get in. And she just does it. Like no hesitation no further questions she just gives it away to the evil eye ball. Presumably for Good? Because the only reason she regains the arm later is because of Genie magic? Like Ena. Girl. Are we gonna talk about this at all.

But so many real life work environments expect you to give every part of yourself in order to be allowed to exist and live in society, including your physical being and critical parts of your personhood at all.

(Let me also say I find it intentional that she gave away her white arm. Whereas her red hand literally doesn't have fingers, the sharp claws she has on her white hand represent the individuality and unique identity she Does have. However, it's also the part of herself that's in conflict with her ability to be a Good Worker, that always does exactly what she's supposed to do, and never complains, and never gets in the way of her duties.)

She was already very distressed here, but it's a clear indication of how little she values herself. It was a motion to lose a part of herself just to reach the Genie, both for her stupid job, and possibly for the possibility of "freedom" from it all. And your average job these days—no matter how important you are to your cause—will drill it into you that your ability to be a good worker is infinitely more important than your existence as a person. It's easy to see how Ena may have internalized that.

And then she goes to the club one time and this happens

I won't get too deep into her dialogue with the NPCs here because I think their intention is pretty clear; Being in a place so antithetical to a work environment, and a place where she's supposed to let loose and have fun, is so distressing and impossible to even fathom for her that This Happens.

(see: "H-How can I leave this stupid event? M-my lame schedule is full,")

Like, everything at the Purge is insane, but this is a particularly heartbreaking line for me. One because of her job's shitty environment that's broken her down so much—do you think she EVER gets a break, because I sure don't—but also because of how it's conditioned her to not even believe she can "afford another minute of joy." Ena :[

Note how she's covered in these branches that started growing during Froggy's phone call, which look very similar to how she looks in this gag with the Shaman—it's literally her nervous system. In her scene with Mitu she even says she's feeling "sick," She's literally freaked out of her flipping Gourd with her goddamn Nerves On The Outside

Hell, even though Meanie's speaking (which, I mean, no shit, in another line she literally describes her job as "deplorable" 😭), these sprites in the files are actually labelled "Anxiety", suggesting that she's SO freaked out by being somewhere supposed to be so opposite to her work she's become another variant of herself, a la Drunk Ena from Season 1.

I won't get much more into this, because @cube-cumb3r has a PHENOMENAL post I'll link in the notes that goes deeper into this stuff from the Purge and the "Anxiety" thing, And also gets more into theory territory than I do here! Please please go read that post, it is so damn good.

In any case, I think the scenes with the Purge NPCs are the biggest examples in the whole game of how much she hates her fuckass job, yet she can't be allowed to be anything besides a wage slave to it. And just as she's internalized everybody in her world's dislike of her, she hates herself for it.

So:

We've established that Ena's shitty job parallels the real life work conditions that plague our world, and that these conditions have caused her to devalue herself and believe she can't have any reprieve from them... but, what even is her job?

Apparently she's a salesperson, but what is she even selling? She tries to offer a "divestment opportunity", and tells the Witches she can show them how to "grow [their] own [boss]" which definitely falls in line with the Sales thing, but besides that it's still not clear, even when she talks to Froggy.

I suppose the "grow their own boss" line does sound a lot like the phrasing used in MLM schemes, with how they lure people in by telling them they can "be their own boss." The Receptionist also calls Ena a scammer and a conman, so maybe she is a sort of scammer, but, I also don't exactly think the Receptionist think she has the most reliable opinions of Ena LOL

She also calls her a "pink-collar slug", pink collar meaning a job traditionally associated with women, which. ??? I don't fully know where to go with that.. like ...Nothing she does harkens to... Any kind of job expected to be done by women, imo?? Um. Yeah idk i just thought that may be significant??/ 😭😭😭😭 Listen man I can't know it all

Anyway. Maybe I'll be proven embarrassingly wrong when we receive more information in future chapters, but I think the lack of clarity on what she's supposed to be is representative of the games themes. The constant disrespect Ena receives makes her seem likely to be a low-tier worker, someone at the bottom of the ladder that people have no problems walking all over.

Because these types of jobs will treat you the same no matter who you are or what you're supposed to be doing. She's doing what the world tells her she needs to do in order to be a respected member of society, and yet she's also someone people feel comfortable treating poorly because she's at the bottom—because has no power of her own. It doesn't matter what she's supposed to be doing, it matters that she's the Wrong type of worker.

And how is she supposed to ever say anything for herself? It seems virtually baked into her Salesperson side to completely ignore past all the rude things these assholes say to her. After all, not only would that probably just make most people ruder to her (and impede her ability to complete jobs for them) isn't the customer always right?

...OK I will say her whole "Understood! Aim for the target!" line DOES seem like her overall job here is to fucking kill the Boss, but this is long enough already and the likely theme of Ena having a violent streak and whatnot is another beast entirely that I am NOT getting into here 😭😭

Besides, maybe she has no clearly defined job because we've already seen exactly what it is. To sell her life, time, and emotions to whatever all these clowns ask of her, and to receive no reward besides another goddamn job to do.

I think future chapters may delve more into Ena's true feelings on her situation, and possibly even how she'll get freedom from it. Allow me to mention the scenes with Theodora, wherein if you try to "aspire to receive a blissful life" Theodora just tells Ena "You can't aspire for more than what you are capable of." (LIKE OKAYYYY.... RUDE MUCH????)

Until, finally:

How is her mind—containing a desire for freedom—supposed to be in harmony with the letters it spits out, when she's been so conditioned that the only thing she's allowed to be is a worker?

Now, even I still have a lot of questions after this. Like: What has happened in Ena's past that made her this way? How and why did she take this job in the first place? What is up with the "Guys wait, I'm not doing what you say I'm doing" scene I literally didn't even mention that once here. Why should nobody be punished for being born except poor damn Ena, and does it relate to any of the themes I just talked about?

I... don't know. Like I actually truly have no idea. But I have confidence, even if it's in a delightfully vague and abstract Ena-typical way, that we'll find out eventually.

[waggtoon]

Why Maud Pie is Autistic

In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, I wanted to write a piece about one of my favorite autistic characters, Maud Pie.

For those of you who don't know, Maud Pie is Pinkie Pie's older sister from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Now while there hasn't been any official confirmation that this character is autistic, there's actually a lot of hints that she is throughout her time on the show. Heck, in her first episode there's a ton of hints this is the case.

First off is that Maud tends to take a lot of things literally, not getting certain phrases and metaphors. Which is a trait common amongst autistic people (trust me, I know).

Maud is also shown having certain behaviors or reactions to things that others perceive as a joke, much to her confusion (again, something I'm familiar with).

There are also a few scenes in the show where Maud is seen fidgeting with her pet rock Boulder (or other rocks she finds). Often Autistic people fidget as a way to deal with strong emotions like stress, anxiety, or just boredom.

Probably the biggest hint towards Maud being autistic is that she has a special interest. Autistic people have special interests that they will hyper focus on. In Maud Pie's case, it's obviously rocks. She knows nearly every single fact about rocks, she writes poetry about rocks (they're all about rocks), and would go on to college to study geology, where she would, in the show's terms; "get a rocktorate in rock science."

There's also the fact that Maud is stated by Pinkie and shown to be very honest, like many autistic people she tells the truth even when saying said truth can be seen as rude.

I should note that while the rest of the mane six had a bit of trouble clicking with Maud the first time they met her they eventually got a better understanding of her and Maud herself would become more sociable as the series continued forming friendships with various other characters.

Personally I think one of the biggest hints that Maud is autistic comes from Issue 29 of My Little Pony: Friends Forever comic series from IDW. Now I know some people will probably interject "Hey! The comics aren't canon!" and to that I'm gonna reply to that with what official MLP artist Andy Price once stated "[the comics] are considered continuity until the show contradicts them." I don't recall anything from the show stating that this story didn't happen, so it's still part of the canon!

Anyways, in this story Rarity meets up with Maud at a "Geological and Gemological" convention where they find out that a large cave system with gems has recently been discovered under the Crystal Mountain Range and that the first pony to explore the caves will receive full credit for the discovery. Rarity brings up the idea of Maud going to the caverns, though it doesn't appear that Maud is that excited.

It is at this point another pony named Buried Treasure who is Maud's rival enters the picture, claiming she will get to the cave first to claim the credit for the discovery.

As Rarity and Maud go on their journey to get to the caverns, Rarity tries to get Maud to be more emotive and passionate, but it doesn't appear to be working.

Later on just as they're about to get close to the caves, Buried Treasure ends up burning a bridge they need to cross (torch and all) which appears to put a stop to their adventure. Rarity states how this doesn't seem to be a big loss as Maud doesn't appear to be upset, and is about to write in her diary, only to accidentally open Maud's diary instead. Maud insists that Rarity should read it, which leads us to the big reveal.

It turns out that Maud does have feelings, she gets emotional about a ton of stuff, she just isn't able to show it physically, but she's able to via writing. This is something I relate to big time. I don't have as much trouble expressing my emotions as Maud does, but at the same time, I often have difficulty expressing my full thoughts and more complex feelings via talking, though in my own head or when I write them out, I suddenly feel a whole lot more comfortable and I'm more easily able to get them out (it's one reason why this essay is a blog post and not a video).

(By the way, in case you're wondering, they do end up getting to the gem caverns first. Maud does this by breaking a hole in the wall. She's very strong.)

Going onto another subject, in 2023 Lauren Faust (the creator of Friendship is Magic) confirmed on Twitter that she created Pinkie Pie with the idea that she would be neurodivergent (more specifically ADHD).

Now while ADHD isn't the same as Autism, the two are often linked, as many people who are diagnosed with one will often be diagnosed with the other. So it's very likely that Pinkie Pie has autism as well. She does have several autistic traits, like misunderstanding more complex things, having a special interest in parties to where she can memorize everyone's birthday amongst several other party related facts, heck, even her occasional bouncing and wiggling around could be seen as a kind of stimming (possible essay for later: "Is Pinkie Sense a form of stimming that can predict the future").

Now there may be a few of you that may say, "But WaggToon, Maud and Pinkie can't both have autism, they're completely different. It doesn't make sense!" To which I say, "Yes it does" because there's more than just one kind of autism. Autism can effect people differently, some people might have difficulty with loud noises, others don't, some people like to follow a specific routine, others like to be more unpredictable, some people are more introverted and quiet, other's are a lot more extroverted and love to be loud and crazy (do those last two sound familiar?).

Maud and Pinkie might not be the only autistic representation here, over the years I've seen several arguments from fans stating that certain characters could be part of the spectrum. Twilight Sparkle because she likes to follow the rules, Starlight Glimmer because she has a special interest in kites, Rainbow Dash because she has trouble paying attention, amongst several others! I could be here all day going over why multiple characters could be considered to be autistic. That's one reason why My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has such a huge autistic following, because we see ourselves in these characters.

I'm probably closer to a Pinkie Pie than I am a Maud Pie, but I still remember when I first saw Maud in her debut episode, there was just something about her that made me go "Ah yes, this is me. I feel seen."

Happy Autism Acceptance Month everybody. Remember to be like Maud and rock on.

[vividdreamer]

For a character with so much depth, Lae'zel sure is criminally underrated both in fandom spaces and in-game. I feel like if bg3 had to have one playable character only, Lae'zel would be GROUNDBREAKING — and I know that's an unpopular opinion. But her story could end in so many ways, each challenging your beliefs and leaving you with profound questions about yourself and the world.

Lae'zel wants to care about people but her compassion was beat out of her as a part of her training. Her life was all "kill or be killed" and despite talking about her "kin" with respect and idolation, they're the same people who would have killed her as a child — if she couldn't get to them first. She doesn't have a real family; she never speaks of any best friends, siblings or parental figures. But despite the fact that her life is so void of any warmth, safety, or comfort, she believes it'll be worth it in the end when Vlakith ascends her. That shit feels oddly relatable to me, someone who was raised in an abusive religious environment.

She could continue her death march on the path she was born into, ending her story as a complete tragedy and a gut-twisting lesson: No, actually, there is no point to sufferring. There is no promised good to come after it. No reward for having a "heart of stone," as she puts it. You only lose. Because the thing about powerful beings like Vlakith is that... why would they care about you? How do you think they came to be so powerful in the first place? By being charitable? Ha. You can't have power over people, and remain benevolent and honest at the same time. People won't immediately bend over backwards for you if you aren't at least lying, manipulating, or cheating them in the bargains that you make.

In this case, Vlakith is a lich. She's not interested in giving. She can't become a god without taking her power from somewhere or something. That's the paradox of gods. They have to take, not give, to sustain themselves. Even when they do offer "blessings," it comes in exchange for something that benefits them as a net gain. In the long run, you will lose far more than you gain.

However, Lae'zel's story can also be one of hope — when it doesn't end with her soul consumed. Through small, consistent choices, she can break down the walls obstructing her from vulnerability, compassion, and self-identity. She can choose courage over faith, and question the ways and behaviors she had to take up in order to survive. It's so depressing trying to come to terms with the idea that you might have been cheated your whole life. I wish this theme was explored more in the game. Lae'zel retreating into her tent, withering away in spirit and health as she wonders what her childhood could have been if the circumstances of her birth were any different. Until, one morning, she walks out and goes back to sharpening her sword.

It would be beautiful, moving, and tearful to see it in action! But even with what we've got in the game as it is, you see her gradually start to sympathize for her camp companions as they challenge their own ordeals. She says it pains her to see Shadowheart suffer Shar's wrath after refusing to kill Aylin. She is proud of Astarion for killing Cazador.

And there are so many other moments like that where her inner compassion slips through the cracks, and I think in those moments you see the real Lae'zel. The Lae'zel when she's choosing her own path, taking back her agency, and molding her own identity. A story that could end with her rejecting both Vlakith and Orpheus, because (and she says it herself) her destiny is hers to decide. It's a bittersweet beginning to the rest of her days.

[misscammiedawn]

TAGGING LIST CONTINUED (because Tumblr only allows 100 links per post)

Fandom Tags:

Rush (the band) - Our favorite band. The First Constant. London (the city) - Our hometown. The Second Constant. Coffee (the drink) - Our favorite drink. The Third Constant.

Ace Attorney - Meme factory. Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul - Meme factory. Castlevania - We like Vania. We just don't post about it often. Celeste - Trans folx can double jump. Plural folx can triple jump. Control - Jesse is such a great character. Faden/Pope forever. DBZ - Mostly shitposting but I often defend that Z is well written. DC Comics - I guess DC are okay. They're not Marvel though. Disco Elysium - Socioeconomic theory through the lens of a human disaster. Discworld - Best fantasy author. Dropout/Game Changer - I love silly improv fools and their dumb torture gameshow Dungeon Meshi - Autistic representation and Italian wlw monsterfuckers. Final Fantasy - We played Seven through to Ten (2025 update: and are now so hopelessly addicted to fourteen that it has its own tag) Final Fantasy XIV - Mostly WoL OC stuff (her name is Honoria and she is a Fae, DK main) but I use this tag for all FFXIV stuff specifically. We are on Crystal-Zalera Server. The Good Place - The best mainstream philosophy show. Heaven Will Be Mine - Chicks dig giant robots. Mechs and queer theory. (Worst Girls Games like We Know The Devil are also in this tag) House of Leaves - That damned maze that my mind is trapped in forever. Hulk - Hulk is our favorite. DID sad boi and angry fail system forever. In Stars and Time - Trauma, time loops and coins with two sides. Kingdom Hearts - How many kids can fit in that heart anyway? Leverage - Meme factory. Parker is best thief. Marvel Comics - We are an unabashed Marvel fangirl. Metal Gear Solid - Used to be one of our faves. It's beautifully stupid. Mr. Robot - Our favorite TV show. It has its flaws but it heals. Neon Genesis Evangelion - We love this series more than we have words for. Pathologic - Existentialism and prickly pricks. We like Clara a lot. Penlight - VN that educates on the dangers of hypnokink and the joys when done right. Persona - Used to be big into this franchise but not so much these days. Phantom of the Opera - The musical is kinda hypnohorny, okay? Of The Devil - Ace Attorney/Death Note hybrid with toxic yuri and fascinating sociopolitical themes in a cyberpunk dystopia. Sailor Moon - Don't post here much but the aesthetic and vibes are peak. Scott Pilgrim - Canadian boy who is the worst and manic pixie trans girlfriend. sense8 - Queer joy and plurality. Severance - Plurality and the cult of corporate. She-Ra - Catra is our BPD cat wife. We love her. Signalis - Sapphic existential horror with robots, time loops and SYMBOLISM! Slay The Princess - Relationships shape us. Razor is best girl. Sonic - You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum that raised me. Sonic fandom forever. Spider-Man - Spidey is also a sad boi. Ben Reilly is our favorite. Star Wars/Star Trek - As an in-joke to ourselves we tag both franchises as "Star Stuff" Superman - Mostly My Adventures With... but tag works for comics and other forms too. Tabletop RPG - General tag for all tabletop and roleplay related stuff. Tamora Pierce - Second best fantasy author. Ted Lasso - Mental health and footie mens. Saccharine show. Tsukutabe - Adorable yuri manga about asexual women finding love and themselves. It's Madison/Belladonna if you replaced the hypnosis with meals. Tumblr :) - I love it here! Tumblr :( - I hate it here =/ Twin Peaks - Best TV show. Umineko - Meme factory and earnest story about generational trauma. X-Men - Marginalized communities fight for their rights in the best soap opera. Zelda - Link. HE COME TO TOWN!

Post Highlights:

Time Loops and Dissociation - A 5 act breakdown of how In Stars and Time exemplifies the allegory of time loops while depicting a protagonist with Complex PTSD.

Dissociative Disorders and Hypnosis - At Charmed 2024 a 101 class taught not to hypnotize people with mental illnesses that include dissociation. I FIRMLY disagree and explain how to safely work with dissociative partners.

Ethical Personality Play - A post about how hypnosis personality play is edge play and though I discourage anyone doing it, if you must, I will teach you how to do it safely. I have a lot of experience.

Recontextualized Memory and Unprocessed Trauma in Umineko - A rundown of how the murder mystery visual novel Umineko handles the topics of PTSD, complicated grief and unprocessed trauma memories with an explanation of distorted Core Beliefs and how the mind recontextualizes memories as they are retrieved throughout a person's life.

Mr. Robot DID Representation - Why I think Mr. Robot has the best representation of DID in popular fiction and why the ending was a complete fumble of the ball.

Mr. Robot Back to the Future & Brainwashing - How Whiterose brainwashed Angela, focused on psychological principles being abused and how the show's reliance on pop culture references influences in and out of universe.

For editing purposes: (Link to first post)

Miss Cammie Dawn Masterpost

Introduction:

Hi all! Welcome to my combination psychology, fandom, hypnokink, fandom and personal blog!

We're a middle-aged trans woman in our 40s. We're diagnosed with DID and type about it sometimes. We are American but have a British accent and we simply type too dang much.

People seem to like us, I guess? We're a system of 5 and have a huge draw to writing about dissociative disorder representation in fiction. If that's something that interests you then check out our Media Essays tag.

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Our Tagging System:

Last updated: 4/17/2025

I am addicted to tags. If you ever want to find my original content or my fandom posts you will be able to easily here. Just click on the links below and all shall be neatly organized.

Also there are secret tags which are not advertised. Those ones are for me. A little personal treat.

General Tags:

Cammie Posting - tag for a soft and playful girl. Camden Posting - tag for a traumaqueer. Dawn Posting - tag for a flirty and extravagant Fae. Craig Posting - tag for the boy that lives in the heart of a girl. Utility Tag - Wynn's tag for a survival part who is learning to live. Cammie Core - tag of posts that exude Cammie energy Camden Core - tag of posts that exude Cammie energy Dawn Core - tag of posts that exude Cammie energy Craig Core - tag of posts that exude Cammie energy Wynn Core - tag of posts that exude Cammie energy

Original Content:

Artwork Commissions - Any time I pay a lovely creator to do some art for me <3 Cammie Photos - Photos which feature this beautiful ginger in all her glory. Cammie Stories - My hypnosis related short stories. Fictional ones this time, though sometimes inspired by reality. Hypnokink Original Content - My little submissions of audio, visual or written hypnosis stuff. Hypnokink Writings - My personal opinions, info and resources on Hypnokink. Madison and Belladonna - Our series of hypnokink stories slightly based on reality going over a pair falling in love while one navigates their dissociative disorder Media Essays - A tag for my own big lengthy posts breaking down media (sometimes includes reblogs of other people's commentary) Media, Myself and I - Dawn's essays on DID representation in media. Photos We Took - We don't often share our proper photography work on Tumblr but sometimes we do and tag them here. Camden and Craig tend to share credit for photos. ReadOnlyMind - External link to my full length stories shared on ReadOnlyMind Scene Stories - Posts where we describe a scene that we did IRL. If I use this tag it is a recounting of real events. Story Time - Wynn's tag for telling stories about our life and experiences. We typically voice act them. Suggestion Suggestions - Ideas for hypnotic scenes. Video Posts - Posts where we are on video. Voiced Posts - Posts where we record stuff and say it with our mouth words.

Personal Topics:

Asexuality - We are a kinky ace. We don't do sex or orgasms but sometimes do horny. BPD Specific - BPD is difficult to live with and impacts our relationships with others. DID specific - DID is difficult to live with and impacts our relationships with ourselves. We try to educate on the topic. Mental Health/DID/BPD Topics - Watch Me Post My Trauma In Public. Mental Health Memes - We have to meme or we'll cry. Personal Posts - Ones which are just me venting or talking specifically about my life and experiences. Plural Posting - Plurality memes. Trans specific - This Is My Gender and I am Proud of It.

Meme Tags:

Bites You Bites You Bites You - Cammie has a tag entirely for biting people <3 Camus Posting - One must imagine Sisyphus memeing Fae Posting - Our loyalty lies with the Seelie Court and we must meme about it Puns - Craig likes puns and we put up with it. Shitposting - tag for when we're being silly. We Have To Meme or We'll Cry- Mental health/plurality jokes

Hypnokink Tags:

50 Days of Fetish Masterpost - Easy links to all 50 posts about why I love hypnokink with examples, audios, photos and videos. 50 Days of Fetish - Tag list of 50 different scenes and suggestions in hypnosis that gets me going and reblogs of other folx who participated in the challenge. Community Resources - Educational resources in hypnokink. Community Safety - Topics discussing dangerous topics and predators Con Recaps - Convention recaps for Charmed! and Beguiled Hypnokink conventions General hypnosis tag - General tag for all hypnosis topics. Hypnokink -General tag for all hypnokink posts. Hypnokink Art - Artwork featuring hypnosis. Hypnokink OC - Our hypnokink content Hypnokink Writings - Our posts and essays on hypnokink Hypnosis on Display - Audios, videos, demos and photos of hypnosis. Hypnosis Events - Convention information Hypnosis Fiction - Stories featuring hypnokink.

Thirst Tags:

Hypnokink Art - Did I mention we have a hypnokink? Redheads - We like redheads. We are redheads. Sapphic Art - Speaks for itself <3 Stage Magicians - Stage magic is hot. Do not @ me. Sword Lady Thirst - I just want my chin lifted by a sword so I have to meet their gaze... Vampire Thirst - Cammie Likes Vampires

Friends and Loved Ones:

Daja - Beloved. Double Grinch - Absolute sweetheart. Fellow Secret Mod. EllaEnchanting - Inspiration for asexual hypnokink, cool person and opinion haver. Lady Ru'etha - Goddess, Beloved. Linny Bee - Sweetheart. Hypnokink craft lady. Nath - Incredible writer. Good opinion haver. Metamour. Paperboy64 - Absolute sweetheart. Puppet - Counterpart. Metamour. Fellow Sleepyhead enjoyer. Skaetlett - Inspiration for plurality based hypnofiction. Superb person. Secret Subject - Boss. VTuber extraordinaire and good friend. Sleepyhead - Beloved. TennFan - An inspiration in asexual hypnokink content

Ask Tags:

Cammie Asks - Asks answered while Cammie is fronting. Camden Asks - Asks answered while Camden is fronting. Dawn Asks - Asks answered while Dawn is fronting. Craig Asks - Asks answered while Craig is fronting. Wynn Asks - Asks answered while Wynn is fronting. Ask Memes - Ask based games. We try to link the source but sometimes forget. Hypno Themed Asks - Asks about hypnosis.

[wordsmeetwbb]

Feels Like

Word count: 833

Content: angst

Pairing: Pazzi mentioned, but really none

Notes: Inspired by “Feels Like” by Gracie Abrams! (and all the depressing as hell edits to that song). I usually hate writing angst because I can't stand making people/characters sad when I have the power to just make them be happy all the time but here we are. This ended up longer than I meant for it to be but oh well. This is my first time posting angst so lmk your thoughts!

________

Paige can’t remember the last time she had been on a flight alone. Throughout the season, all game-related flights were spent surrounded by her teammates, talking or laughing or just sleeping. Every flight for her “world tour” had been with Azzi or a random trainer or some manager that she was going to a meeting with. Those flights were calm. With managers, Paige usually just slipped her headphones on and let herself drift into a peaceful abyss until they reached their destination. With Azzi, they talked in soft tones or slept with bodies curled into each other or just sat, existing in each other’s company.

But Paige isn’t with a manager or trainer or Azzi or her teammates. Former teammates, a voice in the back of her head whispers. They’ll always be her girls, but Paige is on her way to Dallas. By herself. To play with entirely new teammates for the first time since she’d started college. She’s navigating to Spotify and clicking on a playlist before the sadness can truly set in.

It’s a playlist Azzi had sent her a few days ago. She’d said something about how Paige would miss her “immaculate skills on aux.” If she’s honest, Paige hasn’t even looked at the songs. The whole idea of Azzi making her a playlist felt a little bit too much like giving her something to remember her by, which felt way too much like a goodbye, and Paige wasn’t ready for that. Never mind that it had already happened.

Music filters into her ears from her headphones, the volume drowning out the sound of the plane’s engines and the muted chatter from other passengers on the flight. The dimmed screen of her phone shows a green album cover, something by Gracie Abrams, but it’s not a song Paige recognizes. The piano is nice, though, soothing her nerves just slightly. She’s not really paying attention to the lyrics, content to stare out the window at the sunset as the plane rises higher above the clouds. She gets all the way through the first chorus before the singer’s voice catches her attention.

“The train was cold, you left Connecticut.” Paige is suddenly more alert, something pulling in her chest. It feels like the music is trying to drag her right out of her first-class seat and into the freezing cold sky. It’s not a train, but her limbs are plenty cold in the stale plane air, and she’s definitely leaving Connecticut. It’s a fact she’s been trying very hard not to face.

“And I miss you sometimes, we’ll be alright.” The bridge takes hold of that thing in her chest and squeezes painfully. Paige blinks, suddenly fighting tears as she listens to the emotion in the singer’s voice. Azzi must want her to suffer, she thinks. Why else would she put this horrible, painful, way too relatable song on this playlist? Paige thinks that it might hurt less for her to just drop through the clouds to the ground, rather than sit here and think about the miles increasing between her and Azzi by the second.

A hot tear slips down Paige’s cheek. She swipes it away quickly. Angrily. She’s the number one draft pick, going to play for a great organization with fantastic players that she knows she’ll love. Her childhood dreams are coming true, and all she can feel is the gaping hole in her chest where Azzi should be. It’s barely been an hour since they said goodbye in front of the airport security checkpoint, and Paige already feels like the younger girl’s absence might rip her in half before she even makes it to Dallas.

She opens her phone quickly as the song continues playing. The piano chords are starting to sound like the life she’s leaving back in Storrs. All the people she’s leaving in Storrs. She opens her texts with Azzi.

“This playlist is making me think you want me to suffer. Don’t tell me you hate me already,” Paige types out. She hits send and turns her phone off again. As soon as Azzi responds, it’ll hit her for real. Not just in the sense of some song lyrics resonating a little too deeply. She can’t think about her and Azzi. How they’re back to texts and FaceTimes now, just like they were when they were fifteen. It almost makes Paige laugh. It’s been eight years, and they’re definitely not the same Paige and Azzi they were in 2017, but somehow they’re right back where they started.

And yeah, they’ll be okay. But god, Paige just wishes Azzi were with her on this plane, cuddling into her side, resting her head in the curve of Paige’s neck as she settles in for a nap. Azzi’s not there though, and Paige feels that absence harder than anything else that’s still back in Connecticut. The song finally ends, the singer’s voice fading out on a final “So this is what it feels like.” Paige stares out at the sky as the sun disappears behind the horizon. The next song starts.

[gingersnaptaff]

Gwalchy/Geraint comparison

Shwmae! Back on my bullshit once again!! Gonna be talking about Gwalchmai, and Geraint, while also comparing them, cuz it's fun and I read an essay that made me freak out.

Firstly, some background:

What is a Penteulu?

‘The medieval household surrounding a Welsh lord,’ writes Sean Davies, ‘was one of the key Welsh institutions throughout the Middle Ages.’ A teulu - or family - was essentially a household army attached to a lord, or king. Not all members of the Teuluoedd were of high status, and they were entitled to any booty won on campaign. The Penteulu, or ‘head of the family’, was the commander of said force. It was his job to ‘maintain discipline and harmonious relations within the teulu to ensure its effectiveness,’ as well as ‘mustering and organising the teulu for any given campaign or raid.’ Furthermore, the laws demeaned specific duties from him: he was to accompany the king or prince at all times - sort of like a proto-bodyguard - and be ready to do his bidding, only leaving his monarch’s side when performing an errand for him.

The position of Penteulu was held in high esteem as it allowed unfettered access to the king or lord. This meant that the position was highly coveted as he was ‘one of the king's chief ministers,’ equal to a distain, or steward. (Distain’s could sometimes be like a proto-prime minister, like in the case of Ednyfed Fychan!) The role of Penteulu, therefore, went to a kinsman of the lord or king. (Owain Gwynedd made his son, Hywel, Penteulu of his forces in 1157 when Henry II led an ill-fated expedition on Anglesey.’)

So, with that out of the way, onto Gwalchy and Geraint!

First off, Gwalchmai is, I would argue, a main character within the three Arthurian Romances included in The Mab. With this in mind, I'll try and only refer to him just in his appearance in ‘Geraint ac Enid,’ but, if they're relevant, I'll chuck in refs to Owain and Peredur. Also, pls note, I am biased in my opinion towards Geraint, so bear that in mind. I'll try to be as objective as possible, but yeah.

Now, at the start of G+E, Geraint is a ‘junior knight.’ He holds no office of import unlike say Cai, Gwalchmai, or even Peredur. As the Knight of the Sparrowhawk's dwarf notes: ‘your status is not high enough to entitle you to speak to my lord.’ This puts him on a lower pedestal than Edern - and his retinue - as well as Gwenhwyfar. This can be seen in the blatantly deferential tone that he takes up when speaking to Gwen at the start of the tale, and the fact that it is she who enquires of him why he did not hunt with ‘his lord.’

Much is also made of Geraint's lands and holdings within the first half of the tale and, when he fucks off back to Cornwall in order to take them up from his father, you could say that this is when the real problems begin for him. Geraint is easily insulted as can be seen from his reactions to the dwarf, Edern, and, most importantly, his own wife.

This stands in sharp contrast to Gwalchmai. Much is made of his ‘golden-tongue’ and courteous nature within all three Arthurian Romances within The Mabinogion, and ‘Geraint ac Enid’ is no exception.

He is immediately concerned by Geraint and, presumably, Enid's appearances when they reunite in the forest where Arthur's pavilion is situated, as well as when Cai brings news of there being ‘a wounded knight’ who has been ‘seen in the forest there wearing armour that's in poor condition.’ Upon hearing this - as well as the fact that said knight beat Cai shitless - Gwalchmai goes to meet with him and address the slight that Cai committed.

It is Gwalchmai then who ensures that Geraint and Enid receive care - medical or otherwise - from Arthur’s court, as well as, perhaps more pertinently, smoothing over Cai and Geraint’s spat. In this he would be doing his duty as his lord's Penteulu in smoothing over disputes that erupted within the court/within the ranks of his teulu. It is not much of a stretch to assume that Geraint is - at this point - still in service to his lord, and, therefore, bound to his will – which has been carried out by Gwalchmai.

It is also he who sends a squire to ‘tell Arthur that Geraint was there,’ and to ‘ask Arthur if he will move his tent closer to the road for [Geraint] won't come to see him of his own free will.’ In doing this Gwalchmai upholds the harmony of the Penteulu as well as his lord's will, while also enabling Geraint’s wounds to heal.

This system of redress and addressing conflict is one of the key tenets of Cyfraith Hywel - or The Laws of Hywel Dda. Three copies of said laws are extant - the Cyfnerth, Blegywryd, and Iorwerth and all have their own redactions within the texts. These are ‘the principal… Codifications of Welsh Law.’ All set down ‘a series of tractates’ that deal with the Laws of Court, Laws of the Country, and also include the Justices’ Test Book, although no text is similar to another. It is no accident then that the Mab as a whole deals with conflict and the ways it can both destroy and be soothed. Each of the Arthurian texts deals with an insult done towards somebody, be it queen, knight, lady, or lord, and ‘Geraint’ is perhaps the clearest in bringing that to the fore.

Geraint's receival of a blow from the dwarf after Gwenhwyfar's maid has been similarly struck is the first to address this. Geraint reflects that ‘it would be no vengeance for him to slay the dwarf and have the armed horseman take him cheaply and without arms.’ Therefore he must avenge the wrong done to both him and the queen by the Knight of the Sparrowhawk through other means - a tournament.

Like Cai, Geraint is rash. He changes into most of his adventures with nary a care, and also takes immense satisfaction from them. He seeks to increase his own glory by winning tournaments and booty - for example, the horses he gathers from the slain knights - while also both grievously wounding Edern, and, although the text does not state it, inflicting serious psychological damage on Enid. It is he who allows her to be treated so cruelly by himself and other men, and in doing so exposes the complex views Welsh men had about women.

I have talked about this before but in Welsh society ‘an insult to a woman was an insult against her husband and male relatives.’ It ‘called into question their ability to defend their women,’ and cast serious doubt upon their family honour. Not being able to protect their women was, arguably, seen as the worst thing a man could do. Michael Cichon has even suggested that that is why Welsh Arthuriana has no affair angle. It was unnecessary. An audience would've been just as aware of Arthur's failures because of his inability to retaliate against the affronts done to his wife - and him - for it suggests a ‘similar impotence’ to a Welsh audience the way the act of cuckoldry would to an Norman one. It's no accident that in all three Romances Gwenhwyfar is the main target for dishonour. Her honour is paramount for both the King and the kingdom's wellbeing.

In dragging Enid with him - ostensibly in recompense for her supposedly ‘contemplating love for another man instead of him’ - Geraint has, in fact, insulted not just her, but her family, and, furthermore, the queen herself. In abusing one of the queen's ladies, Geraint himself has committed an offence equal to that of the dwarf’s, and so would’ve been made to pay a sarhâd (a fine) for this.

As Jacob Michaud Black notes, ‘women are an unimpeachable excuse for a feud, whenever it can be held that a woman's reputation has been compromised.’ Geraint - in his own way - has created a feud in his mind and it is both the court and Gwalchmai’s task to set him right. They must ‘repair’ the bond between him and his wife. (Repairing in sarcasm quotes because GERAINT, THERE'S NO EXCUSE! I’m eating him alive. May he dessicate from the inside out and rats feast on his bloated corpse.) Furthermore, this is my own interpretation, but nothing much is made of his apparent reconciliation with his wife. The text does not treat it with as much gravity as it ought. Geraint sees that ‘Enid had lost her colour and appearance’ and acknowledges that she ‘was in the right’ but - although he does avenge the insult done by the lord who ‘clouted her on the ear’ - he does not fully strive for forgiveness from her. After all, he has committed a greater fault than said lord in abusing his queen's lady and his own wife.

Now, Gwalchmai is the one who advises both Geraint and Arthur on how exactly to redress and harmonise their courts. ‘It is best for you to satisfy the suitors today, and receive the homage of your men today,’ he says to Geraint once they have arrived in Cornwall. Geraint, for once, wisely follows this advice. Moreover, he is positioned as an advisor to the other members of the teulu within ‘Owain’ suggesting that they break Owain out of jail or avenge him if he's been slain. This fits within the realm of a penteulu’s job description, and much is made of said prudent council within the Welsh poetical tradition.

The Triads, for example, position him as one of the Three men who were ‘Most Courteous to Guests and Strangers’ while, in all three Welsh Romances, it is he who reconciled hero and court through words where others (Cai, my beloved) have failed. As O.J. Padel states in ‘Arthur in Medieval Welsh Literature,’ Gwalchmai was ‘used as an honourable comparison’ in a poem by the poet Cynddelw for his patron Owain Gwynedd, in the twelfth century. ‘Taerualch ual Gwalchmai’ or fervently strong like Gwalchmai, while his reputation for courtesy is further alluded to by his epithet ‘tafod aur’ or golden-tongue.

Geraint too is also mentioned within Welsh poetry- although the elegy written for him is for the historical Geraint. ‘Yn Llongborth llas y Arthur, gwyrdewr kymynynt a dur,’ or in Longborth they were killed, Arthur's loss, brave men, they struck down with steel. ‘This poem,’ Padel states 'is of interest … since a later section dwells on horses which took part in the battle.’ In his romance, Geraint gathers a collection of horses from the knights he has killed on his and Enid's journey and it is this intertwining or alluding that is so fascinating. Evidently whoever wrote or transcribed G+E had some inkling of this poem. Perhaps it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to it?

This interlinking of ‘history’ and poetry is intriguing as it allows us a glimpse into how the melting pot of Welsh Arthuriana came into being. Mythological figures - like Arthur, Gwalchmai, Cai, and Gwenhwyfar - enmesh with historical figures, or at least give basis to their mythological counterparts. Perhaps they used these stories as a way to remember facets of great leaders or venerate them in some way.

I've mentioned before that bards were the keepers of history as well as the primary sources for stories. Could it be a similar case to The Iliad where fact and fiction mixed? There are traces of fact and fiction mixed into Geraint and Gwalchmai. Gwalchmai is seen as a figure to emulate within the corpus of Welsh Arthuriana, so much so that he's a shorthand for honour well into the twelfth century. Geraint, meanwhile, offers a look into both the complexity of Welsh laws and how Ards could - and maybe did - certain aspects of story and history things together. (Not to say that I think any Arthurian character or tale is historical. I merely mean in terms of the Arthurian sandbox certain historical personages were drawn upon. As Sioned Davies notes in her intro to The Mabinogion ‘they have been completely adapted to the native culture, and remain stylistically and structurally within the Welsh narrative tradition.’) These tales are ‘not merely written versions of oral narratives, but rather the works of authors using and shaping traditional material for their own purposes,’ and are vitally important in our understanding about Welsh culture.

Sources

Sioned Davies - The Mabinogion'

Michael Cichton - Insult and Redress in Cyfraith Hywel Dda and The Mabinogion

Sean Davies - War and Society in Medieval Wales (633 - 1283)

Natalia I. Petrovskaia - Edling or Penteulu? Ambiguities in the Status of Gwalchmai, Nephew of Arthur

Cyfraith Hywel Dda

O.J. Padel - Arthur in Medieval Welsh Literature

Jacob Michaud Black - Cohesive Force: Feud in the Mediterranean and the Middle East

[in-starlit-nights]

What bothers me the most is that, logically, there’s no time to explore Elucien in a satisfying way. Lucien has lost so much space in the story, and his personality has basically disappeared too (the Lucien from the first book hasn’t been seen since). The only plot I can see that actually makes sense for developing his character is the one related to Vassa. Meanwhile, on the other side, we have four books of buildup for Elriel. It wasn’t just one book, like Feyre and Tamlin. It was four books—years of seeing little moments between Elain and Azriel in every single one. I just can’t see the point in throwing all of that away, especially with all the discussion around how some bonds aren’t always ideal...

Anyway, I’m going to keep trusting SJM. I really hope she loves a story about freedom of choice and forbidden love as much as I do LOL

[theresatzu]

Wait what about Nagi with a girlfriend who’s just as much of a sloth as him, hates getting up and spends all her time on screens

Ooohh that's a nice concept! I'd imagine that they're actually both unwilling to do anything, ranging from doing the dishes or even cleaning, resulting in the both of them just doing... nothing.

Or letting Reo's butler handle it ;)

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Hearth

Pairings. Nagi Seishiro x reader.

Characters. Nagi Seishiro, reader insert.

Tropes: Fluff, lazy ahh, domestic life.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°●°●°

Nagi Seishiro was a certified slug.

He dragged his feet all day, could hardly muster up the motivation to go to school, and took more breaks than work periods.

His mindset consisted of just getting through the day with either sleeping or playing video games.

It was a stark contrast to the countless of razing parties and intense sport events that his classmates were more inclined to initiate.

When Nagi looked at them, he thought about competitive spirits and venturesome blazes that burned brightly in his fellow peers.

But Nagi Seishiro was something more akin to a hearth: His fire burned comfortably and short, needing only a little bit of nurture to be kept alive.

Others raised skeptical and questioning eyebrows at this way of living, not at all being able to relate to Nagi's sluggish lifestyle.

So then imagine how surprised Nagi was, when he met a hearth with an engine burning as sparse as his.

L/n Y/n, a girl who was as passive and leisure as he was.

Considering both of you weren't really that enterprising, it took a long while for you to actually progress in your relationship.

However, the moment you did meet up and hang out, (courtesy of one Reo Mikage) you hit it off instantly.

Lazing around all day, playing videogames, and napping sporadically throughout the daytime.

Those were pastimes Nagi dabbled in alone, but now he had a companion who actually seemed to take up that laid-back lifestyle, too.

And so, Nagi Seishiro gained another friend aside from Choki and Reo.

It was just another average Sunday, which meant sleeping in was the norm.

The daylight filtered through the half-drawn blinds, casting the room in a pleasant blanket of warm rays, and hitting your face.

It must've been around 10.

You sluggishly blinked, as your consciousness slowly went active, sitting up and allowing your face to get warmed up by the sun.

"Y/n?" Nagi yawned, having been woken up by your sudden movements.

He blearily rubbed his eyes, arms tightening around your middle as he placed his face against your stomach.

Seeking the warm of a hearth.

"What are you doing?" Nagi dragged. "Come back, you're warm."

"I'm tired." You settled back against Nagi's body, tucking your chin against your boyfriend's fluffy white locks.

"Mhm... this is nice..." Nagi mumbled, voice thickened with sleep.

"Mh." Your eyes fluttered shut, arms slung around Nagi's frame.

Sleeping was just energising when you did it alone.

But when done together, it was much more. Like sharing your most vulnerable side to each other, or trusting the other enough to be the first thing to see upon waking.

And maybe, that wasn't a hassle at all.

What actually was a hassle, was having to provide for yourself, when neither of you had enough energy to do so.

You opened the fridge, peeking inside. But frowned when you noticed there was nothing left, aside from some some rotting vegetables bought months prior.

"Sei," You spoke simply, because pronouncing his whole name equated to having to put in more effort, "We've nothing left."

"Huh?" Nagi answered from the couch, the faint sounds of his videogame originating from his phone.

"Can you go to the store?" He spoke without looking up from his phone.

You pursed your lips. "I don't want to."

"I don't want to either."

"..."

"..."

"I'm still hungry."

"..."

"..."

"Order take-out?" Nagi suggested.

"Yeah."

After having dragged yourself to the quaint table, you both dug into your take-out meal.

There weren't many words exchanged, except for a few comments about the food, nevertheless, the air was pleasant and comfortable.

Nagi sneezed then. "Oh. The house's stuffy."

You looked up from your meal. "Do we have to clean?"

Nagi shrugged. "We can ask Reo's butler."

"...okay."

And then you both returned to your meal.

After having eaten your fill, the both of you went back upstairs, curling up in the messy bed.

You draped the blanket over both of you, before leaning back against Nagi, his warmth enveloping you.

Nagi sighed, burying his head in your hair, as you both shifted to get comfortable to turn in for the night, despite it only being 8.

To many, this short day that started at 12 and ended at 8, was perceived as tedious and devoid of anything exciting.

However, for the both of you, this was actually a much more preferred way of spending your time.

Because who would ever dislike curling up by the warm hearth?

[niyoriix]

Hiii it’s me again! :,) but I was wondering if I can request reed Richard’s and sue storm with a teenage daughter? Headcanons please and thank you! ( ˘ ³˘)

Hi Nice seeing you again! Hopefully this is what you wanted🫡 feel free to req again if I missed it!

Reed & Susan with teen!Daughter

(SideNote: I got carried away..it's pretty long.)

Warnings: Characters probably act OOC and Ig just fluff

⋆.˚ ★—Sue and Reed have always wanted children of their own, they always saw how their long time friends had children and a beautiful family. Now they have one, and they couldn't be happier. Ever since you were born you've been the star of the family.

⋆.˚ ★—Johnny absolutely loves you! Instead of chasing girls and going on those awful interviews, he's with you. Always spending his precious time with you, Spoiling you with gifts(Much to sues dismay since she already spoils you too much..) Ben adores you, the moment he saw you he was in tears, it reminded him of the day his own child was born. He treasured you, always a good person to depend on. Reed, he couldn't help but cry. You were his blood, his child whom he'll love and care for no matter what. He held you with care and love. Sue was full of joy. she had always Wondered what a mix of her and reed would look like, and now she's got her answer. The team loves you more than anything.

⋆.˚ ★—And now you're a teen. Your family was quite sad to see their babygirl slowly growing. It was a mourning moment for them, But they soon got over it and accepted it(Fairly quick lol)

⋆.˚ ★—Reed and sue still sometimes baby you, not often but still a little annoying since you're a teen and don't want to be babied. They've definitely tried to stop those habits though.

⋆.˚ ★—Since you're a teen and probably very extroverted since y'know, your parents are Susan storm and Reed Richards. You're probably very popular and go to A LOT of parties. Johnny supports it but the others don't, they know you can protect yourself but they can't help it, they Don't want you getting hurt.

⋆.˚ ★—In a rare case you DO get hurt. Reed gave you a specially made gadget to diffuse the situation. Once the person tries to threaten you or touch you with ill intent, the gadget will instantly alert nearby officers and alert the fantastic 4 tower. They take your safety very seriously as any other parent would for their child. If you have powers(you probably do) and you have full control or somewhat, their a little more lenient but still somewhat cousious.

⋆.˚ ★—moving on to the more cute stuff! You and sue have very often mommy-daughter dates, going to spas,going to the beach, pottery dates and all sorts of girly things. If you're not very girly then that's fine too! Doesn't matter as she'll accept every part of you.

⋆.˚ ★—You and Reed have a lot of science related daddy-daughter dates. He mostly works with you on your school projects and such, not all of it is science related though. You go on movies dates and building Legos(mostly coming up with your own designs/buildings instead of following instructions.) dates too.

⋆.˚ ★—Since Reed and sue are often busy. So they like to send you little holographic messages through the telecom watch, reed gifted you.

Mom: Hi honey, hope everything's going alright. I'm almost done with work, hopefully In time for Dinner! Lots of love💕

Dad: Hope you're doing good squirt. me and your mom have been thinking about a family vacation this month. Just so we can have some more time together as a family.

⋆.˚ ★—If you were ever interested in anyone, I think although reed is pretty chill I still think he'd be pretty protective. Sue would be delighted though. The person you're seeing needs to prove themselves first, by showing him your safe and being taken care of, also by telling him shitty dad jokes.

⋆.˚ ★—moving on to power related things! If you have sue's power to be invisible, make shields and heal then she'll definitely be the one training you(obviously) or maybe reeds power, OR maybe you have your own separate power. then they'd probably both teach you things, probably doing research on your powers and testing it. They hope your powers are not TOO destructive or will harm you in any way.

⋆.˚ ★—Most likely if you become really good with your powers and able to fight better, then you'd probably be added into the team. unless that's not what you want! They are perfectly fine with you not wanting to join the team and just being a normal human.

Hope you enjoyed¡★have an amazing day or night! Reqs are always open!

[lemotmo]

I still hate it. I get it from a business standpoint and this makes perfect sense. But he's dad and I'm devastated.

Q. He just signed the death certificate of his own show.

A. I'm going to preface this entire reply by saying I don't think he's really dead but I'm going to answer this way too dramatic ask from a pragmatic standpoint. So for the sake of this reply he is dead. AGAIN I DO NOT REALLY THINK HE'S DEAD BUT SOME OF THESE TAKES ARE INSANELY OVER DRAMATIC SO IM GOING TO REPLY TO THIS AS IF HE IS TRULY DEAD.

Instant reaction being raw and angry is understandable and relatable but the argument that no television show has ever done anything like this and survived is a frankly absurd argument. This is not new for television. It's definitely not new for ABC. In fact if he is truly dead I believe it was an ABC decision and not a Tim decision. There is a legitimate argument to me made for the long term benefit of killing a character like this off. Lots of shows that have run as long as 911 has need a reset at some point. This is an insanely expensive show to make. It will be going into its 3rd season on a new network which means there were probably several cast members who were due for new contracts and given the show's current status on the network those new contracts most likely came with pay increases. If you're a suit in the financial position at ABC it makes sense that something would need to give. Angela and Peter are the two most expensive cast members. And if the choice was between Peter Krause and Angela Bassett you're keeping the movie star every time. That's business. We can all hate it but it is.

As for the people yelling at me that I willed his death into existence by saying he was overused, I cannot help you. There is a drastic difference in saying a character desperately needs a rest and killing the character off. If you don't understand that, I don't know what to tell you. Tommy did not serve any kind of major role in this event. Stop that now. He is a helicopter pilot. They brought him in to fly a helicopter as a distraction, which is what his character was for his entire run of this plot, hello! and to allow Buck to verbally state the EX part out loud. I do think we will get a scene between him and Eddie next week, which I still think was the real reason he was brought back in the first place. Being pissed off at him getting a reaction to the death over Eddie is legitimate, understandable rage. That was inexcusable on every level. And I'm glad even the media is pointing that out. For one the man cannot act. He is incapable of emoting and looked constipated more than anything else. It was bad all the way around. The other problem was it was legitimately not a great episode in general. The plot was absurd with even the slightest bit of critical thinking applied. But moving characters and plotlines along with the use of grief is a media staple. That is common practice so people acting like the show basically has to start over from scratch because Bobby died is ridiculous. I cried hard last night. The dialogue was moving and did its job but the plot overall was absurd and does not feel real in any way. In conclusion I don't think it's real BUT if it is there are legitimate arguments to me made for doing it. We don't have to like it but that doesn't make them less true. I do think hell be alive and back by the season finale though. 🩷🩷

Thank you Nonny!

All right, this is the last ask I'm answering tonight. I'm tired and I need a break. 🥱

I thought this one was fitting to end on for today. 😋

I still hate how they went about this and I'm also still very much in camp 'HE ISN'T DEAD', but yeah... if he is we will have to deal with it in some way.🤷‍♀️ It'll hurt, but I'll get passed it because I still love this show too much to give up on it. ❤️

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[sebadztian]

Okay, so I just read chapter 214 and I have thoughts...

SPOILER ALERT

Right, we started off with Sebastian being highly affronted at the implication that some 'experts' are better than him in serving Ciel. I can basically hear him screaming internally, "WHAT EXPERTS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! NOBODY CAN SERVE BOCCHAN BETTER THAN ME!"

In all seriousness tho...

We've been given many new information, but we still don't know enough to draw any conclusion.

Sure the Monopoly guy is important, but how is he related to UT? Is he one of UT's benefactors? A founder of Aurora? Or someone who's in it just for the money?

And then there's the creepy bellboy who paid too much attention to Ciel's sparkling clothes and shoes? I mean, Yana wouldn't have drawn two panels about that if it weren't important. And he looks somewhat similar to Seba (at certain angle)? Now I'm very scared that @castleartsebaciel theory would become a reality 😭😱

Most especially with the appearance of Polaris, who seemed to have been waiting for them.

Now, without any colour and looking at how much Yana's artstyle has changed over the years, it is difficult to guess exactly who Polaris was.

He knew that Seba is a demon and that means they've met before. We haven't seen Ciel's reaction yet, but since Doll had made her reappearance and both Joker & Doll would know about Seba's true nature (because he was the one who killed them), my first thought was Polaris was reanimated Joker. But they have different hairstyle and when I compared them, they don't look alike? But again, like I said, Yana's artstyle has changed so much since the Circus arc.

This is Joker from chapter 210 (Snake's flashback)

And this is Polaris

Now, Joker's eyebrows are much shorter. I've checked and yes, they were alao much shorter in the earlier chapters. But Polaris has, uh, 'normal' eyebrows.

My second thought was Ryan Stoker. But he couldn't have known that Sebas is a demon and he was in no way, a butler. We know that Polaris used to be a butler and especially loyal to r!Ciel and Stoker was neither a butler nor did he know about r!Ciel (probably).

Now... Here's a crazy theory about Polaris... what if Sebastian was somehow involved in the Phantomhive fire? He might've been in contact with Vincent before the fire and this guy used to work at for the Phantomhive as one of their butlers? But he got killed in the fire and UT reanimated him. But he knew that Sebas was a demon from that time before the fire.

And lastly, he might be someone related to Sebastian's past, before he formed a contract with Ciel. He could also be Sebastian's ex-lover, in which case Ciel will get extremely jealous.

In this case, things are looking very, very bleak for the boys. If Ciel recognized him and he told Ciel that Sebas was somehow incolved in the fire, it will drive a huge wedge between them, something that they cannot afford right now.

But it will be in line with Seba's character development.

Well, I guess, there's no way to know the answer until next chapter. Here's hoping for the best for the boys...

In the meantime, let's just enjoy what we have...

[missconchshell]

Wow, Adrien's struggle this episode really hit home for me! What a rare thing from Miraculous!

I love this show so much, but its messages are often a bit harder to relate to since I am a lot older than these characters. And that's fine, I know I'm not the target audience, but it's so nice to have this piece of media that I care about connects with me on a deeper level. Cause if poor, sweet Adrien can (hopefully) make it through this, then so can I.

While I didn't have my dad die as a Ladybug-proclaimed martyr, nor have I finally gained control over myself for the first time in my entire existence, I am going through a transitional period in my life where I am trying to figure out what I actually want after running on autopilot for so long. So, it was really cool getting to see a character going through a similar struggle, and to hear that it's okay that it might take a while for me to find what I'm truly passionate about.

Thank you Miraculous, for this surprisingly well-written and thoughtful message. It got to me just when I needed it! And, I suppose on that note, I have to thank the terrible, stupid release schedule! Cause I don't think this would have hit nearly as hard two months ago!

[kickedin17]

Okay hear me out (other people have basically already said this but hold on this is my post)

We're getting very clear messages that indicate something might be... wrong with Clancy. During the US leg via the FPE letters we heard a lot about how Clancy was inspiring the masses, and now it kind of seems to be the opposite. Torch explicitly saying we destroyed them so we didn't become them.

Plus Tyler now wearing black shirts, with imagery that seems to relate to Blurryface songs. The occasions last tour where his "Clancy" shirt was black text instead of red. The Blurryface account tweeting again this tour. The bishops taking over the Judge that one time, trying to hijack a moment that celebrates the clique (irl banditos). Paladin Strait, which apparently is not supposed to sound like an ending, which concludes with Clancy being named explicitly by Nico, and which shows a version of Tyler in the mv literally sitting above it all & seemingly mirroring people's movements from other shots.

I see your "Clancy becomes a bishop" theories (I love bishop!clancy to be clear I think it's awesome) but I think that might be too esoteric to end up being the explicit canon (I could also be wrong and it will be, but functionally the rest of the point here is the same). The thing is, Clancy is pretty simply intended to be a version of Tyler that extracts and represents certain traits, just like Blurryface. We know Blurryface to be insecurity. Clancy has never been said explicitly afaik but I think it's clear he represents Tyler's drive to create things that inspire people (despite crushing obstacles like mental illness - Dema and the bishops, and especially with the help and inspiration of others - Torchbearers and the banditos (us)). Which we know can be incredible, but can also become self-destructive. We were introduced to Clancy at first cryptically through his personal writings, and only explicitly after a long time (and after being told he'd "died" by the characters that represent Tyler's mental health struggles, which, depressed creatives iykyk) because I think owning your creativity and ability to inspire others is a much more arduous journey than being controlled by your insecurity. But Clancy was never intended to be a different type of character despite all that. He is a version of Tyler.

And just like Blurryface he gets his own namesake album. A lot of people have pointed out how the Clancy and Blurryface tracklists can actually be read to mirror each other. As the lore progressed Blurryface became Nico (and the other 8 bishops) battling against Clancy, but they're all abstractions from Tyler's mind. Both literally, in the sense that he is literally the one coming up with the story, but we're also reminded of this on both Bandito and Overcompensate with the "created this world" bridge. I believe this is also what we're seeing represented in those shots in the Paladin Strait mv. There's also the fact that the Clancy era is extremely extremely red - this in lore represents Clancy's process of reclamation as well as his (violent) uprising, but in tøp's wider context it is kinda just The Blurryface Color along with black.

Blurryface turns 10 immediately after the Clancy tour ends. We know the Clancy tour to be the reflection of "someone's life flashing before their eyes" and that this album was supposedly meant to wrap up the Dema storyline. I do not think this means Clancy dies. Because he is Tyler, and he cannot die, because for that to happen I think Tyler would have to never write or make anything again. And we also know this to be a cycle. I think what's happening is what's always been kind of obvious, and inevitable. I think Clancy is going to become Blurryface. I think he's already been Blurryface this entire time. They're the same person at different parts of the cycle, and I think we're going back to the start of it.

[remidyal]

Intrepid Heroes PCs ranked least favorite to favorite

Some quick rules for this very arbitrarily created ranking: Only characters from IH seasons, not sidequests, and it's purely based on my vibes and feelings towards the characters. It also doesn't take into account Quangle-related material. There's spoilers here, particularly for Unsleeping City and Crown of Candy, so reader beware

34. Gunthrie Miggles-Rashbax (ASO) It can be very funny in a disaster sort of way and certainly Gunnie's not a bad performance from Lou or anything, but man he puts my teeth and my soul on edge when he's at work. Someone's got to be at the bottom of this list, and this was one of two characters I considered!

33. Cumulous Rocks (ACoC) The other consideration for the bottom, because while Gunnie makes me actively uncomfortable at all times Cumulous gives me nothing. As close as any D20 PC comes to being a non-presence. He's in almost twice as many episodes as Lapin and there's only one character of Zac's anyone ever talks about from Crown of Candy.

32. Theobald Gumbar (ACoC) For both Murph and Zac, I have a strong preference for what we might call their scummier characters, and Theo is basically Murph at his most paladin-y even though Theo is a fighter. I still like him alright - only the first two entries on this list are even remotely negative, if I was doing letter grades we'd already be into like B- territory - but this side of Murph is him at his least entertaining for me.

31. Mother Timothy Goose (NA) Already getting difficult! Timothy is a kind guy and I hope he has a lot of non-stolen apples in his future but he's definitely the weakest of the Never After cast for me. I admire the hell out of Ally for trying a pretty wide variety of characters; this one just didn't quite land for me.

30. Liam Wilhemina (ACoC) A VERY different Ally character, there's just a lot of whiplash with Liam from scene to scene that's part of the full Beardsley experience. Obviously this list would look very different if I were building out based on combat effectiveness. Honestly probably dropped five spots from that last Wish and resurrection of the villains alone.

29. Ricky Matsui (TUC) I'm going to get yelled at for this one being this low, and Ricky's got some incredibly funny moments obviously, but it's very much a Zac as comedy assassin sort of performance and I don't find him THAT interesting on a scene to scene basis. The TUC2 version of him's the better of the two, though. Even more than Murph, I prefer Zac playing assholes.

28. Sundry Sidney (ASO) So here's the thing: I'm southern USian and Emily's accent here drives me up the wall. Similar sort of situation with Moonshine being my least favorite of her NADDPOD PCs by a mile. Everything about the concept and character aside from that is great; the character voice docks it for me.

27. Kugrash (TUC) There's a lot to love in this performance, obviously, and I think it's actually an extremely interesting thing to come in on someone who has been working as a better person (rat) for a long time. I just don't necessarily need that many juicy cockroaches in my life. I think maybe suffers a little bit by only getting one season, because the players have definitely gotten better over time to me.

26. Lapin Cadbury (ACoC) I know, I know, but there's only six episodes with this dude in them as a primary PC and I'm not giving that many points for potential. Could have should have would have been a lot higher, but he makes it this far off what we did get.

25. Misty Moore/Rowan Berry/Holly Branch/Probably a bunch of other names (TUC) Similar to Kugrash she might have improved if she'd stuck though she does reappear in TUC2 more. Honestly if I was counting Quangle material she might jump higher because her appearances in those have been great, but she's relatively one-note even if it is a very funny note. Technically the first PC to really attempt romancing another PC unless we count Kristen kissing everyone freshman year.

24. Jet Rocks (ACoC) Another character cut short, though nine episodes is a significant amount more than six. A lot of people have extremely strong preferences between Emily's ACoC characters. EXTREMELY strong. I do not, which is why...

23. Saccharina Frostwhip (ACoC) ...they're ranked back to back. I think they're both pretty fun characters, but with some significantly flawed choices probably made worse by the filming circumstances of ACoC. I also think this was always the backup character (other than hilariously maybe Lou's) that was most likely to come into play, because Jet fought as though she was invincible from episode one. I will take this spot to note that I don't think Saccharina herself upped the power level of the party upon coming in as much as simply them getting to higher levels did, though she didn't hurt.

22. Ruby Rocks (ACoC) Honestly this is almost two characters too - there's the Ruby from the first half of the season and the Ruby from the second half. I think it's a bold choice to have gone into anger and fury so much in mourning, and also that neither she nor Saccharina are totally in the wrong in their fights throughout, but I do get where it wore on some people and it did for me a bit too.

21. Big Barry Syx (ASO) DEFINITELY my favorite of Murph's non-weirdo type, he honestly plays incredibly well off of everyone else in the season; I think there's individual interactions that are just stellar with every member of the cast here. There's another step up here into B+ territory; the list from here is so hard.

20. Fabian Arimaris Seacaster (FH) Yes that is the canonical spelling of his middle name for some reason, and yes this is my lowest Bad Kid. There's a lot I love about him, obviously, but I find his Junior Year arc in particular not all that interesting and Kristen and Gorgug jumped him there. I'm still looking forward to more of him, presuming Chungledown Bimothy doesn't murder him in a liveshow.

19. Pinocchio (NA) Speaking of character voices, it's been years now and I still can't believe Lou stuck to this voice the whole season even knowing he doesn't let things go. Honestly a very similar situation to Fabian, lots of things I like here and in this case maybe let down by just how disjointed all of Never After can be. This part isn't Lou's fault but I've never once spelled Pinocchio right the first time - I always want there to be two Ns.

18. Pete Conlan (TUC) Another tale of two seasons character, TUC2 Pete is much better than TUC Pete for me, and enough so that he rises up to here. (Season 1 Pete would be floating around 30). Love the arc and character development, love the connection to Dream, love the tweaks to Wild Magic that Brennan and Ally made to make it matter more because that subclasses is dull as hell as written.

17. Gerard of Greenleigh (NA) He's just so perfectly an asshole in the right amounts to be a hilarious performance, and yet isn't always in the wrong or at fault. The sword form names making fun of Wheel of Time are VERY fun for me as someone with a love/hate relationship with those books. Of all the cast, I'm pretty sure Murph has the closest match to me in media consumed.

16. Rosamund du Prix (NA) I still like the ace interpretation over the lesbian one but both are a lot of fun. Probably has the most complete story of any of the NA characters, which isn't saying much. Love the concept, love the curse, love the third mini.

15. Sofia Lee (TUC) I wouldn't visit Staten Island to meet Sofia Lee, but I would at least think about it and make a promise to maybe try the ferry sometime if I was in New York and had nothing better to do.

14. Gorgug Thistlespring (FH) A BIG riser for me in JY, because I genuinely didn't enjoy him all that much in FY or SY and he would have been around Ricky territory. Love the entire Barbarian/Artificer thing. The Mary Anne epilogue is probably the funniest single thing in all of Junior Year to me.

13. Puss in Boots (NA) Definitely has the MOST fragmented mess of a character arc of anybody in Never After and still is this high because Zac was born to play the role of a con artist cat.

12. Ylfa Snorgelsson (NA) It may have taken me two episodes to realize Emily was doing that voice intentionally and they didn't film while she had a cold. If the Bad Kids are teens from a John Hughes movie, Ylfa is the actual preteen who's throwing up in the backseat of your car on a road trip, aside from the wolf parts.

11. Kristen Chili's Applebees (FH) Not only is the middle name canon, so is the apostrophe. I love her junior year arc, and the moment in the woods where she releases Lucy and Yolanda's souls is absolutely incredible. Is she a lot sometimes? Oh, for sure, but she's still a lot of fun to have on my screen.

10. Being Deep Underwater and Finding a Current That Leads You Swiftly and Perfectly to Where You Need to Go (Riva for short) (ASO) Remember, at the end of the season they're the most cynical person their race has ever had and also have killed a whole lot of people! Just an absolute delight at every moment, even in a pretty purely supporting role.

9. Iga Lisowski (TUC) Yes, both TUC2 specific characters are in my top ten, for very different reasons. I love Iga, I love her family, I love her dragon, I just love everything about her, even if her art makes her look decrepit instead of like, 45.

8. Amethar Rocks (ACoC) I need to find the clip, which is either from ACoC or TUC2 adventuring party, of Lou talking about this but to paraphrase he mentions that Amethar has exaggerated versions of what he considers his own flaws, and he certainly does have plenty of flaws, but I think he's the pillar that keeps ACoC rolling and I think the season would have been a lot worse if Brennan had succeeded in murdering the shit out of him early as he wanted to.

7. Riz Gukgak (FH) Riz is a combo platter of Murph's offerings, being both a dogged story-character and a weird-ass little guy. Shout out to our canonical ace shrimp king, may his reign last a solid ten or fifteen minutes until he has to get to his next club meeting.

6. Normal "Skip" Takamori (ASO) I'm not splitting up the man and the slug but both would be high on this list independently. DEFINITELY the biggest jerk Zac's played, even over the con artist cat, and just so very much fun. He's my top Zac character, but he's not my top ASO character, because...

5. Margaret Encino (ASO) EASILY my favorite Ally character. Spends so much time in online banking during battle and is right to do so. An anachronism to the setting in the best ways, instead of being purely disruptive as it sometimes can be.

4. Fig Faeth (FH) If we've truly seen the last of Fig for a potential Senior Year, I'm okay with that, but everything we've gotten is so good. Pure heart and funny and unpredictable and just so much torture of NPCs who probably didn't deserve it but it's fine, they're not real people.

3. Cody Walsh (TUC) Definitely the D20 character whose player hates him the most, for me Cody's easily the funniest character D20's ever had, start to finish. I actually strained a muscle laughing at the bad turn. You know the one, if you've seen it.

2. Adaine Abernant (FH) Ow, right in the feelings. Solidly number 2 in spite of her Junior Year arc being also a little on the flat side, because she deserved a year with some breaks after the first two. Hopefully she and Aelwyn are having ice cream for a good long time.

1. Kingston Brown (from downtown, TUC) In the same clip mentioned above for Amethar, Lou described Kingston as being an exaggerated version of the things that he liked about himself, and I fully agree there. Kingston's an aspirational character in a lot of ways, someone I would love to be more like, and not in the whole having magic thing. And on top of that he's very funny! So Lou manages to take both extremes here, first and last, and I think that's appropriate.

[blueikeproductions]

Some cleaner packaging art for CyberWorld appeared for upcoming Amazon listings.

The character designs are definitely inspired by super robot anime of the past, giving the characters a fun throw back to Car Robots and the Unicron Trilogy. Megatron in his bull form is not out of place in stuff like Energon and RiD01.

On a related note, Sky-Byte takes his inspiration primarily from the Generations toy but his head evokes his old RiD01 head to me.

Curiously his Anchor Arm is detachable and can be equipped to his Beast … uh… Vehicle Mode head. I’m assuming it can be a new attack, but a lot of people say it evokes a crown. Others have lovingly nicknamed him “Land-Byte” because of his Hot Wheels monster car design.

Snarl definitely has a Junkion vibe, but whether he’s supposed to BE one we dunno yet. I don’t really see it being addressed either way, but a lot of veteran fans are content with the very idea of a Dinobot Junkion. I’m still impressed it’s Snarl of all guys, because he tends to be the forgotten one in favor of Slag or Swoop if Grimlock has another G1 style dino buddy in modern toys.

These toys, as mentioned before, emphasize a quick transformation on the packaging, a continued carry over from complaints from the Bayformers toy lines where several toys were becoming too complex to Transform.

These seem to strike a decent balance of the simplistic G1 era toys and the early one step toys of Beast Wars, which I’m fine with. The RotB toys were of a similar ilk and I like fiddling with my figures from it.

One thing I find funny is how the packaging on these guys refer to "Quick Change" or "Armor Up" based on what type of toy it is...

While Grimlock's toy instead says "CHANGES TO DINO!" with its own unique logo with Grimlock biting the words. It's so delightfully absurd, and exclusive to Grimlock, I adore it for that. Why Snarl didn't get any such logo for himself, I dunno, since he too CHANGES TO DINO!

Still not really sure I get the Armored Changers idea, as the accessories they come with are just flip out gun thingies rather than clip on armor like the Cyberverse Spark Armor or the Beast Armor from ROTB. The idea of a separate Transforming partner does evoke the Action Masters, which I kinda dig also.

The packaging seems to emphasize elemental typing more than expected, as besides referencing the biomes mentioned in earlier press, the same elemental logos are used for individual Transformers. Bumblebee and Optimus represent the city zone, Galvatron represents the desert zone, the Dinobots and Megatron represent the jungle zone and Sky-Byte represents the water zone.

I might be reading too much into it, but I wonder if this is meant to be analogous to Bakugan's elemental factions (and where they had Transformers style Clan factions that one time). It wouldn't be the first time Transformers referenced Bakugan, considering the RiD15 Cyclone Mini-Cons (and frankly most of their Mini-Cons were analogous to Pokemon and Bakugan, with Pucks and Torpedoes also evoking Trap Bakugan, Nanogan and Geogan).

As of typing we still don't have the full context on how the rules fully work in this universe, but Hasbro and Takara clearly are experimenting with an elemental idea going by this and Wild King, ESPECIALLY Wild King. CyberWorld doing something similar makes it clear other Transformers will also be categorized based on elemental affiliation too.

So we can assume the following:

Chop Shop (Insect Beast Mode): Jungle

Elita -1 (Boat Vehicle Mode): Water

Starscream (Jet Vehicle Mode): City

Mirage (Also Jet Vehicle Mode): City

Scorponok (Scorpion Beast Mode): Jungle or Desert. He's kind of a toss up, but leaning towards Desert being his affiliation. Maybe Galvatron and Scorponok dominate the desert zone in a nod to the Bay films.

Off Road Optimus Prime & Off Road Bumblebee (Off Road Vehicle Mode) City, Jungle and/or Desert. The toys were shown associated with the city zone at Toy Fair, but the Off Road theme would suggest they'd be used heavily outside of the urban jungle.

G2 style Megatron (Tank Vehicle Mode): City, Desert or Jungle

If the line is successful, or if they already had some additional characters in the can, I think it's safe to assume any additional Autobots and Decepticons we weren't privy to yet would follow this typing system.

And frankly both the Autobots and Decepticons could use more Water guys, as we only have Elita and Sky-Byte as the Water rep. Maybe they're rivals in this context? Hopefully it's a better developed rivalry than Sky-Byte and Jetfire was in Cyberverse... I could see Scorponok involved with the Water battles, Sea Scorpions are a thing, but it leaves the Autobots at too much of a disadvantage and Elita-1 is good, but she's not THAT good. I'm not expecting someone like Broadside or High Tide here, heck maybe they'll bring back Hammerbyte as a Sky-Byte retool, who's to say. Same goes for the Desert, since Galvatron is the only one of that typing for the moment.

Another curious thing is there seems to be a tagline: "More to Unlock". It clearly refers to other toys available in the line so far on the packaging, but the idea of Unlocking is curious. Perhaps it refers to what the Autobots and Decepticons need to do in story? What little we know so far says there's video game like challenges, so perhaps each elemental area is akin to a video game level, and they have to progress through? That would make the most sense.

Either way, the first wave of toys come out June 15th, 2025, with the second wave on October. The first wave is said to be Optimus, Bee and Skybyte, with Starscream as the only named one for the second atm. When the other guys and gals come out we don't know yet as of typing. Perhaps the first and second waves will have more characters? Only having Bee, Prime and Sky-Byte to start out is strange, at least strange in that they're not going in with the new Megatron, but maybe after the failure of EarthSpark Megatron, maybe they want to hold off a smidge on Megatron this time toy wise...