#just annoyed that they're using conflicting character types

[franki-lew-yo]

Mouthwashing and fandom discourse as a whole.

So I recently explored the tag for Mouthwashing after watching two no-commentary lets plays of the entire game. I'm seeing a lot of posts pointing out how annoying it is that this game has a fandom and that this fandom is doing fandom things and stanning/"uwu-ing" characters from this incredibly nuanced, raw and not-fandom friendly piece of art. To paraphrase someone I just saw "you don't want mouthwashing; you want Among Us ocs but darker". And

for a moment I wanna talk a bit about how I absolutely agree with this statement while also talk for a moment about how and why fandom and catharsis fan fics exist and shouldn't be shamed inherently. Or, I guess, not in theory.

The "come on! Stop trying to make everything shippable/cutsey/memey/have a happy AU and face unpleasant emotions someone's trying to tell you about!" is SUCH a vibe with me. I felt this way in the 9 fandom a lot as a kid and that was just 9. Mouthwashing is like 9 on bathsalts emotions and theme-wise. It's a game where you play as both the flawed but caring captain of a doomed ship who's life becomes a Johnny Got His Gun-nightmare, and also a deplorable, hateful piece of garbage who got himself and his friend in that nightmare situation to begin with. Both characters, moreso Jimmy but Curly too, are the causes of their own misery. They're complex dealing with one of the two committing SA and doing nothing really about it/dodging the responsibility and humanity needed to support the victim whom they've wronged.

I fully admit it's groan-inducing seeing people be shipped up Anya with anyone on the ship considering what happens to her. On a pure pr level I think it would be illegal even since romance between coworkers in a workplace is considered conflict of interest/harassment as it so often is. (NOT that what Jimmy did to Anya is 'romance'. I'm talking about the shipping of Anya with the other three guys. I know there's people out there who do ship Jimmy/Anya; you don't have to tell or show me I believe you and also I already hate it.) It's ALSO groan inducing to see people ship Curly and Jimmy considering all Jimmy does to him- and just the fact that this incredibly tragic, toxic one-way-gone array friendship is reduced to "toxic yaoi teehee". It's annoying AT BEST.

I get the hostility towards fandom-tastic stanning and fandom behavior in general...the issue is it's still hostility and I wish some of you guys got that.

Like it or not (you don't have to like it) fandom culture is inevitable to some degree. You can and should complain about your hangups but that's all you can do besides avoiding tags and just not engaging with that side of the fandom at some point. Save your call-outs and rage for when you see active deplorable bs being committed that people are excusing for dumb fandom reasons, like lolicon, hatespeech or harassment. I'm sorry but you can not actively go after and try and take down the innocent people involved in your trigger that aren't directly hurting you by liking the thing that triggers you; ie. people who get all shipping and fandom-brained about Mouthwashing's characters which you find offensive to do at all.

This type of convo is the crux of most 'antifandom' v profandom discourse in general; for Antis I think there ought to be a difference between the people that set you off bcuz of fandom nonsense vs sociopathic 'got mine'-creepiness. There's a difference between someone who draws r34 v Shadbase. For profandom types you out to face the fact that yes- maybe NOT EVERYTHING is meant to be shippable/memed. Maybe try practicing that a bit. Yeah it's mostly harmless and makes you feel happy, but considering how people outside of your hyperfixation-of-a-hyperfixation is a thing. Asking to care or think about others once in awhile is not an attack on you as a person, believe it or not. The thing about the "don't like, don't read" argument is it goes both ways. If you're truly a "good fan" like you say you are than you have to realize that people will not like your problematicisms. Learn to interact with characters and stories without the possibility of shipping sometimes- or at least understand that that's the crux of what makes a story like Mouthwashing engaging, even if you also partake in the fandumb and AUs on the side. You can call Curly your babygirl and ship him or make him happy all you want but PLEASE acoknowledge that the game doesn't woobify him or excuse what he did to Anya as well. You can make some kind of AU scenario where Jimmy gets out somehow and becomes/is a slightly better person for all I care...so long as you PLEASE remember that he is canonically a r@pist and awful. Also, even if I'm okay with your fan decisions, note that myself and others are still going to be critical and be upset that you wrote it at all because of what kind of character Jimmy is. 'Critical' =/= declaring something evil.

Fandom behaviors are not souly a destructive parasocial outcome of brainrot; they're also a natural reaction to what happens canonically and the emotions you have to experiencing a story. It's normal and rational to sympathize and love Curly and despise and hate Jimmy. You can love/like/enjoy a problematic-to-DEEPLY DISTURBED-character based on their complexity in canon. They are fiction. They are not real. The reason you are so invested with them is because of that complexity and yes because they are fiction they are your 'toy' and you can doll them up in any kind of speculative AU crap you make. That's fanfiction, baby. Make yourself a fixit fic if you really want

BUT-

remember: it stays as a fixit fic. DO NOT cross the streams, or insist that your active misreading of the text is the same as the text itself. EVER. You should care about your special interest's escapism as a means of self-care. What you shouldn't do is demand that EVERYONE ELSE LOVE your coping mechanism and that any complaints by people on their own terms on their own blogs is #badfaith or an inherent attack against you. It isn't. You'll know when it is an attack against you and that's when you, the profandom-type, need to be prepared and save your call-out posts and blocklist for.

To me that's the fragility to fandom debates and fandom as a whole. You can not/should not police or control an entire group of people and how they perceive or interact with media. That's not fair and it's definitely not sporting or decent of you in a community. You have to share your community -your fandom- with people who hate ur fav and people who love your least fav. Agreeing to disagree means not tagging your nOTP as their shipname or by tagging your shipname loud and clear. It means filtering out posts with those topics but enjoying and/or reblogging the fandom takes you do share with your fellow fandom-mite that obviously posts abt those topics.

When schmit REALLY goes down and some assface reviewer/fan/SOMETHING is being an assface or doing something amoral under the guise of fandom-ing, that's where you out to put your foot down. Callouts and complaints are for people who did an egregious thing and refuse to take responsibility(lol) for it. They're not for "soandso likes the thing that triggers me, kill them"/"so and so is hating on the thing I'm kinning because it triggers them, kill them". Be an adult.

Your DNI lists should consist of "lolicon defenders" not "proshippers", as those ARE NOT one in the same. Same goes the other way around. List off "bigots, purity culture bs", not "antis and critics". These positions ARE NOT interchangeable. If you make them interchangeable than you're making things a lot harder for yourself.

-sincerely, a message from autistic ADHD/OCD woman who likes horror and media analysis as much as she loves popcorn fanfic schlock.

We don't all have to be friends and buddybuds. I just hate us hurting each other over being different kind of fandom-folk rather than for when someone sincerely mucks up and does something bad. Can't we all stick to our guns and just boycott Harry Potter like god intended?

[commsroom]

What is it you love so much about Eiffel? Asking as a fellow Eiffel Lover, I'm just interested in your response!

i've been holding onto this one for a while, in part because i know there's no complete answer to this and i could probably just talk forever, but it's almost his birthday, so... in the spirit of dougmas:

what i love about eiffel as a character is that he feels like a real person. he's full of these very human contradictions: he's a coward, he can be exceptionally brave, he's considerate and thoughtful, he's got his head up his ass, he's a mediator by nature, he's frustratingly stubborn and will dig his heels in about the pettiest things, he's very technically capable, he's a master of weaponized incompetence. he's stupid in ways only a very smart person can be, and has a certain kind of self-hating self-centeredness. he has very firmly held morals and wants to do right by people, and he struggles to reconcile those beliefs with the unforgivable things he's nonetheless done; he has very real and serious flaws that the narrative doesn't flinch away from, but neither exonerates nor condemns him for. he's so entangled with the heart of the show, its themes and relationships, that you couldn't have wolf 359 without doug eiffel, and - as a friend of mine once said - if you put eiffel in any other show, he'd turn it into something resembling wolf 359 as well. and as gabriel urbina said about pan-pan: "he's the communications officer; without him, they stop communicating." he's a compassionate portrayal of an addict, and a very real and nuanced example of a kind-hearted man who's still used to thinking of himself as the "default" kind of person, and is still learning how to deconstruct the biases that come with that.

what i love about eiffel as a person is that he's someone i'd want in my life. he's a very sincere and emotionally honest person; he doesn't have hidden agendas, and you know exactly where you stand with him. he hates authority, he hates work, and he won't suck up or pretend otherwise - in fact, he'll create more work for himself if it means he can avoid doing his job, on principle. if he has a grievance about something, oh, you'll know. at the same time, he has this infectious enthusiasm about the things he loves, and the things that excite him, and he's a geeky guy into primarily 80s/90s nostalgic media who doesn't feel the need to gatekeep. i love his voice, i love how expressive he is, i love how you can hear the same mannerisms you can see in the live show just in the very open-body-language way he emotes. he has a very distinct former class clown type of energy, and i think that goes hand in hand with an underlying loneliness. he can be pretty clueless, he speaks before he thinks and has chronic foot-in-mouth disease, but… doug eiffel is the kind of person who would notice if someone was standing alone in the corner at a party, and would go out of his way to make them feel included. he's good at getting people to open up, even if it's in spite of themselves, even if it's while they're rolling their eyes at him. he's a staunch pacifist who - even when things piss him off - doesn't react to conflict with violence or threats of violence, and he can't stand to have things stay bottled up: if there's one thing eiffel wants everyone to do, it's talk about it. whatever it is. he has a good balance of traits that make him feel genuine and warm without coming across preachy or suspiciously softened; he's also very much still a gross dirtbag with a lot of annoying flaws typical of some average guy, and that's a huge part of his appeal to me. he's good with his hands. he likes building stuff and taking things apart. he's rough around the edges in ways that reflect his life experience, and he's just… a guy who has lived a life, who has a lot of life experience, but hasn't made a lot of true friends in the process. he's gotten used to being lonely, and gotten used to telling himself he's fine with it, and something in me really aches for that.

his birthday is a good - and timely - example: he's a man in his 30s still holding onto childhood hurt, having his birthday forgotten and overshadowed by christmas. i'm also a christmas hater, so it's nice to have something else to celebrate and prioritize, and i like imagining his disgust at all of the unavoidable holiday trappings; it makes me feel less alone. i wouldn't say i relate to eiffel, more that i feel we have compatible issues, and it's not a secret that he's the type of guy i find attractive. he feels like a real person that i already know and love, and at the same time he's representative of the kind of person i'd like to know, like his life would fit comfortably into mine.

[goodoldfashionedengineer]

The more often I rewatch Season 1, the more it becomes obvious how Klaus is the Mascot of the family, the family member who diffuses tension with humor. But he also fits the criteria for the avoidant personality type.

Here's my analysis on this:

1.Sensitive to Rejection

People with an avoidant personality try to steer clear of rejection or criticism, because it leaves them emotionally vulnerable. We can see this very well with Klaus. To name a few examples: When Allison points out the rehab wrist band in the first episode of the show, he says “Oh, no, I’m done with all that.” He tries to deny it. We can see this exact same behavior later when he tries to talk himself out of conjuring Reginald. Allison is the one to interrupt, asking if he’s high. When everyone just looks annoyed at that, he springs up, defending himself “How are you not?”.

He knows his addiction is disapproved of by the family, that it will earn him a lecture. In the show we can see this when he tells Luther “Save the lecture” when he leaves Reginald’s office. And when he tries to conjure Reginald, he also says “big angry ghost lecture.” When he smokes in the living room, Luther says “You know dad didn't allow smoking in here.” All of this showcases how he is used to criticism and also his ways in avoiding it.

So, how does he handle actual rejection? Let’s have a look at his and Diego’s dynamic. We have seen multiple times how Diego is on his way to leave, when Klaus says “I’ll come with you.” And even though Diego says no, Klaus doesn't treat it seriously, knowing Diego won’t kick him out. They're siblings.

But later, when he is in the van with Luther and Five, he DOES get kicked out by them. And he MENTIONS this later when they vote on turning off Mom. The reason he is on Diego’s side, at least from what he is saying, is because he’s mad at Luther. “I’m with Diego, because screw you!” And “Get out of the van, Klaus. Well, welcome back to the van, Klaus!” While it is a funny scene, it is proof that rejection sticks with him.

2. Difficulty in creating meaningful relationships

There is a lot of evidence for this one. His prior relationships all seem to have been surface level. He can't remember how he lost his virginity. The longest relationship he had prior to Dave lasted three weeks and even that was only because he was tired of searching for a place to sleep. When he is grieving over Dave with Diego in the car he says that he lost the only person he loved more than himself (Which is not actually the case, there are a lot of points that could disprove that line, but Klaus feels this way and that's what’s important).

Dave was the first push towards his healing journey. He values him so highly, even after years. He places Dave’s well-being over his own with him trying to stop Dave from enlisting into the military in S2, even if it means they’ll never meet. And it is Dave who goes into the kiss.

3. Running away

The stereotypical avoidant character is gruff, pessimistic and oftentimes nihilistic. But Klaus uses humor as a mask. He seems like a flirt, extroverted, light and funny and while this isn’t necessarily false or all a lie, it is still an exaggeration. This is a good example of him being the Mascot of the family.

It is when they are stressed it really shines through. It’s when Dave dies, he decides to go back to 2019. He almost gave up on finding Luther if Ben hadn't said anything.

The drugs are a way to run away from the past, from the pain, from himself, to make everything go numb.

And while he’s not really nihilistic, he can be a bit, for the lack of a better word, pessimistic. He believes that the future can only be bad, evidenced by Five coming back and saying “[The future] is shit, by the way” to which he responds with “Called it!”.

He also dislikes the whole notion of “eternal peace”, saying it’s overrated when he tries to summon Reginald and in S3 saying so to his birth mother in the afterlife.

Also, the whole cult storyline.

4. Conflict Avoidant

While he does cheer on Diego and Luther during their fight at Reginald's funeral, this fight does not involve him. In all other cases, it is really clear once you notice it.

Him being the Mascot of the family already makes this obvious. The tone gets heated? An argument may arise? Throw in a quick joke, draw the attention towards himself. For example, when Luther says how they should bury Reginald by the oak tree because he spent time there sometimes and he says “None of you ever did that?”, the others gave him strange looks. Klaus immediately says something completely unrelated “Will there be any refreshments?”.

He is the only one to suggest “I vote for running!” when the portal through which Five falls through appears.

5. Not sharing problems

He rarely ever shares the trauma he goes through and if ever, he downplays it. This is seen when he comes back from Vietnam and Five points it out, he deflects and says “long night”. He does not say where to, when he answers Five’s questions it is followed with something funny like when he asks for how long “almost a year. [...] which means I’m 10 months older.” Or when he finds out he’s immortal, he says it in a way easily mistaken for a joke and then never brings it up again.

Even when he is vulnerable he shares minimal information. Like when he had a breakdown at the VFW, he tells Diego that he “lost someone” but does not expand. The most open he was was during The Day That Wasn't. Here he talks about Dave, what he was like, that Klaus followed him to the front lines. And Diego doesn't pester him with a lot of questions, which is important here. Klaus is in his thoughts and shares this willingly. It is such a good step towards healing, because talking about stuff actually can help.

6. Fear of failure/low self-worth

Here you have to look past the surface. Because sure, Klaus says Dave was the only person he loved more than himself, but other scenes say otherwise.

He does not believe it at first that Viktor is capable of destroying the earth, he argues that he’s their brother and they shouldn't just lock him away, they’re family. They can just ask him! When in S2 Viktor leaves for Sissy, he is the first to join him. He goes after Diego when Diego almost gets killed by Hazel and Cha-Cha, despite Diego having told him to stay in the car.

He is extremely sympathetic towards Luther when he finds out that Reginald didn't care, even though the rest figured that out so long ago. He tries to stop Luther from taking drugs, he goes after him even after Luther hurts him, doesn't even hesitate. He seems really affectionate with Allison, giving her hugs, letting her play with his hair, coming to her in S2 when he feels lost.

He tries to comfort Five in his own way when trying to find out who the owner of the glass eye is didn't work. He feels obvious guilt because he thinks he’s the reason why Ben can't move on.

So yeah, I’m calling bullshit on that “only person he loved more than himself.”

Then there's his “Yeah, me neither” line in response to God saying “I don't really like you all that much.”

Ben is the one who gives him support and says that he can do better, that he is better than what he thinks. (And that Dave knew it too). Because Klaus can't tell this to himself, another point in his low opinion of himself.

He calls his own powers “pretty much useless” and is very surprised to hear when Reginald told him he never reached his full potential. What potential? He can do more?

When he is appointed look-out for the Apocalypse Concert/The S1 Finale, he looks disappointed, like he isn't doing enough. He was always the look out when they were kids. And he clearly wants to do more, that's why he tried to make Ben corporeal at the bowling alley, to prove that he can.

He has struggles with becoming and staying clean. He is constantly judged for it, yet doesn't receive any support in return from his living siblings so his answer? More drugs.

After Vietnam, he almost relapses and the reason he gives is that sobriety didn't improve anything, everything’s still the same, still nobody takes him seriously. If everyone sees you as a failure? Why bother being anything else? And after a long enough time, it is hard not to internalize that.

His fear of failure is tightly knit to his fear of rejection.

Even when he finds out about making ghosts corporeal, he doesn't train his powers, doesn't try to do more, doesn't try to advance despite having the knowledge that his powers could allow more.

It’s the classic “Can't fail if you don't try”.

And it’s really stemming from being Reginald’s “greatest disappointment”. Because that is absolutely not the first time he told Klaus this.

With kids, if your expectations are too high and they can't meet them, often you need to lower the bar, instead of raising it.

Reginald kept throwing him into a mausoleum, expecting a certain result, then got angry when he got the exact opposite and just continued the punishment, because it IS a punishment by this point. It’s like “you’ll study three hours a day now and don't you dare fail that next test again”.

Origins: So, where does this avoidant personality come from? In Klaus’s case I’d assume it comes from emotional neglect. From being let down and not having his needs met. By a father leaving him alone in the dark with the ghosts instead of showing him love.

He wants to be loved, he wants to be trusted, but his early life experiences have given him the opposite.

[nervouswhizkid]

alright, u know what time it is. i've finished season 3 of voltron, so here's a whole dump of all my thoughts :o]

it was so weird starting out this season with no shiro. i felt so bad for keith, he was struggling so much without him and you could tell. it did throw me off that everyone was acting semi-normal even though shiro was missing?? like lance was so Lance (especially in the first episode) if that makes sense (which, like, if i think about it that's pretty on brand for him. i feel like he's the type to hide behind that flirty easygoing attitude when shit's going down.) i was freaking out when the lion swap happened ohmygod. i still have mixed feelings about it?? like i can kinda get used to keith in the black lion, but lance being in the red is so strange to me. they're just so red & blue coded, it's weird to put them in lions that don't match that. my heart was breaking when lance was begging black to let him be the new leader, you can tell he wants to prove himself so bad. and when blue wouldn't let lance in and he was having a mental crisis over it, i was genuinely in tears. he's got so much insecurity hidden behind that carefree mask and it makes me so sad i just wanna hug him😭 even though i'm not entirely on board with the lion swap, i did like the way it was executed. everyone gets in their lions to go fight, except oh wait! lance isn't following, where is he?? his lion is refusing him?? what! (i'll be completely honest though, i feel like i've read fics that have had something like this play out and they STILL did it better than the show did LMAO)

i also loved that it was LANCE out of all the paladins that became the new red pilot. he was worthy enough to be keith's right hand🥹 i feel like there was such a big emphasis on klance this season, there were so many important moments for their development.

key moment one:

the way EVERYONE was looking at lance to comfort keith??? and lance wasn't even thrown by it, didn't even seem to notice them staring at him. he was only focused on keith. he doubts himself in so many other areas, but when it comes to being there for keith there was no hesitation. he would have done it whether the others were there or not.

key moment two:

when keith came out of the black lion clearly upset and tried turning down the leadership position. again, everyone is chiming in and telling him that black has chosen him, he's their new leader, he has to do this. but he brushes them off, he's adamant in his decison. only when lance steps forward and tells him that he accepts his new authority, keith was willing to give it a shot. what if i scream

key moment THREE:

when lotor lured team voltron to planet thayserix and keith went a little cuckoo trying to catch him, he and lance end up having a moment where keith admits he's taken it too far, putting the team in jeopardy in his rush to capture lotor. and in perfect lance fashion, he agrees with keith. and then he supports him and says let's go fix it together.

this doesn't mean anything, he's just so prettyboy in this scene i had to add

moving on. lotor's character has me conflicted. his introduction had me thinking he was different from his father, and then it swaps to him talking shit with this inner group and sounding like he IS just like his father, he just presents a different front to the general public. but then a few episodes later, his plans are conflicting with what the witch (sorry i literally cannot ever remember her name) wants, and she's supposedly zarkon's right hand, so by that logic lotor is going against his father's plans?? and i think it's in episode 5 where he says "i am the leader! but i am not my father." so what is it really huh. i can't figure this guy out, i don't know whether to root for him or not

i'll tell you who i'm not rooting for though. lotor's group of misfits, that's who. i literally cannot stand them for some reason. that creepy blind person with the cat ANNOYS ME. they're so op it's actually crazy. i definitely dislike the lot of them because they're capable adversaries, which i know is the whole point, but also i just love these characters so much and i want them to be happy and win 😾 is that too much to ask???

i'm also a little bit of an allura hater...i'm still unaware of how that opinion is received in the fandom, so pls don't crucify me. i still have a bad taste in my mouth from her treatment of keith when the team found out he was galra, okay? i'm sure someday i'll get over it. or maybe i won't. we'll see. it was also frustrating to watch her try and pilot the blue lion. you're telling me this girl's dad is the creator of voltron, she was the one who instructed the paladins on how to connect with their lions, stressed the importance of teamwork, and she STILL thought she could boss blue around?? i'm sure it was purely to provide conflict for the story and deliver that payoff when she finally figures out how to work with her lion, but imo it was a little unrealistic for her character. yes, she's royalty and most people defer to her authority, but i just feel like she would have known better, especially considering most of the time she seems uncomfortable by people worshipping her. and episode 4?? her weak spot seems to be anything connecting back to her altean heritage, because she almost let the totalitarian alternate universe versions of her people into their universe simply because they were altean. yes, she quickly realized what was going on and switched sides, but i can't get over how easily she trusts anything altean, meanwhile she's skeptical of everything else. i know that's how bias works, but i can't standdddd hypocrisy it gets on my nerves like nothing else!!

episode 5 was wild. i don't know what they did to shiro, but it's got me so nervous for him and the team. the galra clearly let him escape, it was just too easy. him waking up alone, no guards or anyone to intercept him leaving his chambers? walking around, no sentries anywhere? he witnesses ANOTHER(?) shiro being experimented on before making his way to a pod and zipping away?? and most notably, the "notify command headquarters. operation kuron stage three is underway." to me, there's only one reason why a prisoner would be allowed to return to their group. sabotage. is he some kind of sleeper agent? but like, unknowingly?? and what about the memory that popped up while he was looking at the other shiro? and HOW is there another shiro? this is so fucking confusing. but, and this could also just be a change in artstyle, he looks different to me? why does his face look so weird🧍‍♀️

LOOK AT THIS MAN. THAT IS NOT SHIRO

not to mention, shiro's return causes some issues within the team. for one, there's not enough lions for everyone. i didn't think that was a huge deal, but obviously it's a little strange for someone like shiro to not be doing anything. and if he did get black back, what does that mean for keith? or lance? or allura? they've all been displaced. on top of that, there's now a conflicting power dynamic between shiro and keith since shiro is used to doling out orders, even though keith is the one leading them now.

special mention for another klance moment:

even with all the leadership confusion, i think it's important that lance chose keith to talk to about his concerns for the team. he views keith as their leader, which is insane(!) given that shiro is his personal hero/idol. also the fact that keith has been his rival up to this point, and here lance is offering to step down from the team (which he's obviously fought so hard to be a part of and holds a lot of pride for!!) and better yet, keith thinks this is CRAZY. "what are you talking about?" the inflection in his voice?? he literally can't believe lance would step down. voltron without lance? it's unthinkable. i think it's obvious that lance is still doubtful, so keith connects with him the only way he knows how: by getting on lance's level. "leave the math to pidge."

AND THEN THEY BOTH SMILE AT EACH OTHERBKANJKCLFJLWA

for cohesiveness sake, i'll be referring to honerva as haggar, considering that's what she goes by now.

the finale for this season really surprised me! i wasn't expecting to get a comprehensive history on alfor's era, but i'm not complaining. i can't believe that zarkon and haggar (the witch, that's her name!!) are MARRIED?? that's freaking crazy. and they didn't even remember???

what i found interesting is how their experimentation with quintessence affected them, both after they "died" and came back to life, and even before that. by the second half of the episode, the toll haggar's work had on her was obvious. she was clearly going crazy, suffering from malnutrition, and passed out after alfor argued with them and left. i could be looking into it too much, but i'm wondering if it had been affecting haggar for longer than that. when zarkon first met her, she seemed kind, almost sweet. definitely capable and incredibly smart, but she had a soft disposition. years later, when alfor has allura and zarkon and haggar are married, she's lost any sign of a smile and doesn't seem to care for pleasantries or idle chitchat. her responses are clipped and noncommittal, unless it's pertaining to her work. i think that was the first sign. the whole situation is just so horrific.

i'm also just realizing, does this mean lotor is the son of haggar and zarkon?? IS HE HALF ALTEAN???

another small detail i wanted to mention before i finish this off:

is this the same cat?? it's either the same species or it's the actual same cat from alfor's era. i just thought it was interesting that he was included and, if it is the same cat, he's really fucking old LMFAO

[petrichor-idyllic]

I would like to request headcanons for the maze runner boys for how would they react when they're jealous of you.

Luv you <3

Wooo, I love writing headcanons, they're a hell of a lot easier than full stories. I'm assuming you mean when they're jealous over you, so that's what I'm going with.

Gender neutral reader because the pronouns are unspecified.

Also I have seen your request for a part 2 to "warmth in cold places" and I will do that after I've finished your headcanon requests because it'll be simpler lol, hope that's okay.

ENVY IS A SIN

MASTERLIST | MULTI-CHARACTER MASTERLIST

SUMMERY: See above. Gender-neutral!Reader x All boys. Not established relationships, just long-term crushes from some jealous boys. You're close with the boys, and despite them not knowing how you feel- they just can't help but be jealous.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, some possessiveness, violence and suggestive themes. Alby is based more on the book to add some variety.

What happens when your favourite Glader boys get jealous over you?

Let's find out.

THOMAS

Thomas is definitely a... controversial character amongst the Glade.

Which means that the Gladers (especially Gally and the other's that don't hold his favour), would often flirt with you just to get a rise out of him.

It's not like you two are dating or anything, but he'd clearly have a thing for you.

And he's not exactly the most self-assured person around. Yanno- with the identity crisis, no memories of his life, people accusing him of everything under the sun- you get the picture.

The boy already has enough insecurities on his plate- nevermind watching the person he has feelings for get hit on.

He's not exactly one to start physical altercations, but it wouldn't be rare to feel his 500-yard death stare from across the Glade.

"Gally's talking to them again."

Newt would get to hear the worst of Thomas's internal conflicts.

He'd find it funny, but kind of annoying.

"They're just talkin', mate- it ain't a crime."

"He's doing it to get to me. I know he is."

"Seems to be workin'."

"Shut up."

Despite not wanting to get into a fight, Thomas would occasionally butt into conversations.

He can be sarcastic, something he's picked up off of Minho (but not nearly as good at), and he would be snappy and condescending when diving face first into trying to steal your attention.

Which would leave you concerned as you'd have to blankly watch Thomas bicker with someone in a way you can't quite understand.

Thomas isn't stupid.

He'd be fully aware he has no right to be so jealous or meddling, but until he actually gains the courage to say something about his feelings, you better get used to it.

NEWT

Newt is far more level-headed than Thomas.

He is respectful and busy, remaining calm in the majority of situations he has to face.

Though, like Thomas, he would absolutely be the type to stand with a tense jaw, staring while you interact with some poor, unknowing boy as Newt plots murder in his head.

Newt is confident in his skills, and doesn't have much time to focus on romantic endeavours. But there would be the creeping feeling of possessiveness as he'd watch you talk to the other boys.

He'd prefer to talk to the culprit in private, giving them a warning nod to keep their distance.

"I'm telling you to stay away from them."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

It wouldn't go much further than that.

The boys heed Newt's warnings- despite his reputation, he isn't exactly someone people want to upset.

Alby and Minho would find it very funny that the only time Newt chooses to actually use the power he has is when it comes to scaring people away from you.

"You're literally the Second in Command, and the only time you actually tell people what to do is when you get all shuckin' possessive over a crush? Ha! That's the best thing I've ever heard."

"Shut up, Minho."

When you'd bring it up to him that less and less people are talking to you, he would just shrug it off.

Of course, Minho would absolutely tell you what's actually going on because he can't keep his mouth shut, but you can only knowingly smile until Newt is willing to finally tell you himself.

MINHO

Minho is a reckless and unsubtle man.

He lives with his life on the line permanently, and is pretty blunt about most things.

He would absolutely tell you to your face that he doesn't like someone, or how they're acting around you.

"I just don't like what Zart said earlier- he's gettin' too shuckin' friendly."

He'd also go out of his way to be physically intimidating and make himself look better than whoever his competitor is.

That includes but is not exclusive to:

- Knocking shoulders with people who are talking to you.

- Loud (and obnoxious) insults aimed at anyone who dares get too close.

- The more than once he'd almost get into a physical fight.

- Casually throwing an arm over your shoulder to assert dominance.

He'd also be a sulky bitch.

Minho doesn't seem like the type to be good with his feelings, so apart from the initial rage, confrontation, and warnings- he would strop.

He'd have no grounds to, and Newt would remind him of that since you guys aren't dating.

But that wouldn't stop him.

"Dude, if you keep pouting like a shank, they're never gonna like you back."

"I'm not pouting."

He'd get over it, eventually.

Minho isn't an insecure person. He'd know there were something more between you both. The problem would lie in whether he'd be the only person you had that something with.

That is why he would sulk.

Because deep down, you'd be almost like a weak spot for him.

Though, it would kind of become a sort of unspoken rule not to flirt with you- after all, no one wants an angry Minho after them.

GALLY

Gally is like Minho, only ten times worse and borderline homicidal.

There would be many Gladers who would show up with broken noses and a nervous disposition after they'd be seen talking to you.

(And Gally with broken knuckles.)

He's terrible at controlling his feelings and expressing them in a healthy way.

He would be especially harsh if he saw someone making you uncomfortable.

"I'm going to shucking kill that bastard!"

Frypan would make comical commentary.

"Y'all still aren't together then, huh?"

"Shut up, Fry."

"Ah- figures."

He would also be incredibly insecure.

Sure, he's not the most liked guy around, but he thought you guys were close. That he might have a chance with you.

So, instead of having a healthy conversation with you about maybe establishing a relationship, he would react in a rash way.

Which would definitely not be a good way to show he cares about you.

But the boy has issues.

Alby would absolutely get mad at him and tell him to stop.

He'd then start insulting people instead.

FRYPAN

Frypan would probably...

Do nothing.

Nope.

He doesn't like conflict and despite being a jokester, he doesn't actually want to cause any problems.

And he's not about to go around bashing people when he doesn't even know if the feeling is mutual (*cough* something the other boys can learn from *cough*).

He'd probably keep his mouth shut and try to judge things from spending time with you.

He might talk to Gally about it.

"You could just ask them?"

"Would you ask them if you were me?"

"Fair point."

He'd definitely just silently simmer in his own emotions whilst staring off into space.

Though, when he'd be with you- you'd have absolutely no idea he was jealous or possessive at all.

He would never do anything to upset you.

He'd definitely lie awake at night thinking about it and how you might like someone else and what would he even do with himself?

But he'd never tell you.

Or show you.

Your happiness always comes first.

ALBY

Alby would throw them in the Slammer.

Wouldn't even hesitate.

Looked at you for too long?

Slammer.

Made a flirty comment?

Slammer.

Bad and slightly inappropriate joke?

Slammer.

He is a very busy man. He doesn't have the time to keep an eye on you all the time, so, putting anyone who crosses a line in the Slammer would definitely make that easier.

"Why's Ben in the Slammer again, Alby?"

"Why do you think, Newt?"

"Ah, (Y/N)? Again?"

It's not like Alby is insecure or even possessive.

He has much more important things that he needs to worry about.

But, watching people try and flirt with you would make him uncomfortable, and Alby has no time to process this discomfort.

So it obviously means that they're doing something wrong, right?

So, Slammer.

It is the simplist answer.

You'd have to ask him to stop because he'd keep locking your friends up.

He would begrudgingly agree.

Though, people definitely would not dare hit on you once they started to understand that Alby liked you.

That'd be an easy way to a fast grave.

In reality, Alby wouldn't have any reason to be jealous- he is the Leader for a reason.

He probably could've just told people to back off with no context, and they would've, instead of the immediate jailing.

I have some more headcanons coming up next.

It would be a very odd phase for the Glade.

Yoo, back with more headcanons. I try not to take these too seriously because I feel like they're just a bit of fun instead of the usual one-shots.

I hope you enjoyed :))

[monarch-of-jack]

I might be the only one here. But the reason I feel conflicted when I see people shipping and sexualizing Aspec characters, is because I don't trust most of you to be respectful about it. Not to mention some of you straight up arent.

Yes, Aspecs are an incredibly diverse group of people. I KNOW. I've been in their circles for well over 10 years. But do you all really care about that?

If you don't, then you're really just using it as an excuse to ignore their identities.

Let me make it very clear that I support exploring ALL the nuanced ways that someone can be Aspec. We are so much more varied than just sex-repulsed Aces and romance-repulsed Aros. (Though those are still valid experiences, don't shit on them!)

There are Allosexual Aromantics. There are Alloromantic Asexuals. Aspecs in Queerplatonic Relationships. Grey-Aspecs, Demi-Aspecs, Oriented AroAces, Cupio-, Flux-, Lith-, Fray-, Recipro- Aego-, and a million other types of Aspecs. It's a huge spectrum.

And orientation doesn't equal action. There are sex/romance favorable Aspecs. There are kinky & kink favorable Aspecs. Aces that have and have had sex for whatever reason. Aros that are and have been in romantic relationships for whatever reason. Maybe they felt pressured. Maybe they were experimenting. Maybe they were still finding themselves. Maybe they were forced. Maybe they do it for their partner. Maybe they do it for money or their image. Maybe they just like it despite lacking attraction. Aspecs are people. They are all different and all equally valid in how they live their lives.

A character being Aspec literally just means they're lacking attraction in one way or another. So there's still endless possibilities in creating canon and fanon for them.

But are most of you really shipping characters like Alastor, Peridot, Jughead and co. as Aspecs, or are you looking for excuses to disregard their identity?

Have you actually educated yourself about their identities so you can portrait them accurately and respectfully? Are you infantilizing and patronizing them or make them act stupid? Do you make them pitiful, antisocial, or 'difficult to deal with'? Are you arguing with Aspec people when they point out something is problematic? Are you accepting input from Aspec people? Do you explain that you're shipping/sexualizing that Aspec character because of your specific headcanon or AU? Do you get angry if you have to clarify that after the fact? If you as an Allo, ship or sexualize Aspec characters, do you really do it with them still being Aspec?

The thing is, you can. But a lot of you don't. And that's why Aspec people react defensifely.

We have little to no representation in the media as it is. And yet you're annoyed when we ask you not to diminish or erase their identities.

I want to see Aspecs in all kinds of situations and with all sorts of preferences. But way too many of you are ready to shit on Aspec identities to get your fanon out.

I could go on for days about this. But the fact that some of you will get angy that I even made this post is exactly what I'm talking about.

[protect-namine]

Hello! So excited to see your list of favorites. This is my first time, saw someone who love Shen Yuan, also Cheng Xiaoshi, Lelouch, and Emma, too! Diversity is beautiful....

Can you believe, that I think about Orpheus and Eurydice when I saw last episode of Link Click s2?

As Link Click fan, can I ask, your top 5 fav moments from the series (until now)? Also, why do you love Link Click (what made this special for you)?

for any link click fans reading this, the emma being referred to here is emma woodhouse from jane austen's novel, emma. this is not the emma from link click XD (although I do love her).

anon you've got to check out hadestown if you haven't already. it's orpheus and eurydice in a time loop (take into account that this is a theater production, and imagine every play is one loop). that's as shiguang as you can get. I have sooo many thoughts on link click and theater metaphors ever since they gave us those theater posters but that is a post for another time.

anyway. hi, yes, I love link click!! I'm gonna apologize in advance because I can already tell as I'm writing this that this is gonna be a long post. you've given me an excuse to write essays on this topic.

I will mostly talk about S1/S2 but there will be yingdu spoilers below.

why do I love link click? I think I just really love their motto: "past or future, let it be." be forgiving of the past, act with intention in the present, because both of those make up the future. when cheng xiaoshi dives into the past to resolve a client's regrets, he is not changing the past. he is changing their future. I really like that. although this mostly counts for S1 and S2; clearly this direction may potentially change with yingdu, which is fine with me. but this is the theme that first drew me in, and I hold "past and future, let it be" dear to my heart.

it's also just the kind of story that fires the neurons in my brain. I love stories where a late revelation re-contextualizes earlier scenes. I enjoy puzzling out the plot, regardless if we're overthinking continuity errors or not. yeah sometimes the fakeout cliffhangers in S2 are annoying. and yeah sometimes I can tell when the show is trying to make me cry, but I'm gonna let it, because the experience of watching it is enjoyable to me.

I also just love the time travel aspects of it? like, sure, some people will say link click is a story about love told through time travel. but to me, the time travel itself is a major element of the story. it's the meat of it. it runs through its themes, its conflicts, its character arcs, and even the way the show itself engages with the audience.

like, to compare with other media (and note, I absolutely love every media I'm gonna list here) (this part might be contentious, I'm sure others will disagree with me on this). erased has time travel elements, but I would say that that is a character-driven story where time travel is a story device, but not the main subject. pmmm has time loops, but to me, that show is about magical girls. the time loops are a result of homura's wish when she became a magical girl. it's a vehicle for her love for madoka, but the story itself examines the magical girl aspect of the show more than the time travel aspect. life is strange is a video game where the main character pretty much has the same abilities as cheng xiaoshi, and it's probably the closest to the type of story link click is. loved that game to bits, but making branching narratives in video games is understandably hard. it kinda sucks that, in the end, the butterfly effect only really converged to two different endings, so I feel like the concept of it didn't reach its full potential.

and again, I love each media I've listed here btw. I am not saying they're lesser or worse than link click. they're just different, and the way they treat the time travel aspects of their story is just different. like, pmmm itself is a masterpiece on its own. but anyway, I digress.

I like that link click has a character establish time travel rules, and then breaks them. I like that the show commits to closed time loops, and then doesn't. I like that it closely examines the mechanics of time travel in its world. I like that the studio is pushing how much they can do with the concept of "time travel" that it extends to how they communicate with the audience. like how, recently, we just learned that the PVs for yingdu arc actually took place in a different timeline from the yingdu we're watching now in the show. that's bananas to me. personally, I love them for doing that.

my brain loves these kinds of stories. my favorite danganronpa game is V3, and if you're familiar with this series, this should tell you how much I personally enjoy stories that try to trick me with its concepts, and stories that go meta on itself. I like svsss for the same reason. I love unreliable narrators. link click is just right up my alley.

I can go on and on about what I love about how link click uses time travel in the story. how the stories are about intimate, personal connections and personal regrets. the weight of a small action in the grand scheme of things and how it ties to the emotional core of our characters. but then this post will never end, and I would probably just rehash what this video is talking about. so go watch that instead.

also, the soundtrack is immaculate.

as for my top five favorite moments... it's funny, because I vastly prefer S1 over S2. that's just my personal preference. and yet, when I reviewed the episodes, it turns out all my favorite moments are in S2? go figure. I think it's because S2 establishes a lot of character moments that have been building up since S1, which I deeply appreciate.

here's the tl;dr of my favorite moments thus far (in chronological order). you asked why, and I will explain why under the cut.

S1E10: "the game is over."

S2E5: "after you get the doll, remember to show an appropriate... look of happiness."

S2E8: "you know what? I have a younger brother."

S2E12: "if you don't have the guts for that, how can you be my friend?"

S2E12: "time is a hypocritical construct"

I did not include yingdu moments in this yet because with a show like link click, some scenes become more interesting in retrospect than while watching in the moment. so I'll let yingdu finish what it's doing first and let it marinate in my brain for a bit.

gonna put the reasons under a read more cut because oh boy it's gonna be long. it turned into several character analyses along the way. I am so so sorry about this. I can't turn my brain off and I can't shut up about this show.

top five favorite moments: (in chronological order)

S1E10 - "the game is over." this is quite literally the coolest scene in all of link click. no scene has surpassed this scene imo. it accomplishes several things exceptionally well, all condensed in one single moment.

one, it shows that despite lu guang's own fears, he decided to trust cheng xiaoshi with leading the operation. perhaps you could say he didn't really have a choice, since he couldn't forcefully exit cheng xiaoshi out of xu shanshan's body, and so he couldn't do anything but help cheng xiaoshi trap liu min in the darkroom. but either way, this is still a monumental moment for him. it doesn't seem that way at first in S1, but with the context of S2E12 and YE1, it's surprising he'd let cheng xiaoshi do this at all. that he'd let cheng xiaoshi lead, or that he'd even trap him alone with a serial killer in the darkroom. you know, where he previously died? that's a massive amount of trust to give. he could have just as easily trap himself with cheng xiaoshi and liu min in that room. but he couldn't, because he had to contact the police while cheng xiaoshi distracted liu min and got a confession out of him. and if he wants the plan to work, lu guang had to (whether he's forced to or not) trust that cheng xiaoshi can handle himself in that room. that cheng xiaoshi won't die.

maybe cheng xiaoshi isn't the only one who has grown in this timeline? it's a very... optimistic interpretation of this scene, I admit. but lu guang's actions in this scene is fascinating to me in retrospect.

two, it shows that cheng xiaoshi can be a tricky and clever planner — in fact, this is a defining character trait for him. lu guang is the meticulously analytical one, the one who plans out every detail to the last minute. cheng xiaoshi is the one who thinks outside the box and sees the loopholes. and mind you, this was planned. cheng xiaoshi was working on this plan even before he told lu guang what he wanted to do. there's a scene earlier before the dive where we see cheng xiaoshi setting up pictures in the darkroom. he only told lu guang about the plan once he was possessing xu shanshan.

director li describes cheng xiaoshi similarly: (I love how he's defensive over cheng xiaoshi's intelligence)

"the thing is, cheng xiaoshi seems flippant, but you saw him at the end of the first season. he can be pretty clever when it's crunch time. I had a lot of classmates who performed badly in class, but they got their scores up from 60 to 90 in just two months, right before the national college entrance examinations. these kinds of people do exist. that sort of cleverness is incredible. it's something you're born with."

three, this scene perfectly makes use of the time travel rules this show has established thus far. the closed timeloop (the call liu min made in the morning can only happen because cheng xiaoshi provoked him into playing a game, which only happened because cheng xiaoshi already got the call). the clever use of photos to "teleport" but also to resolve regrets, because cheng xiaoshi used photos of the victims.

I love how danny motta describes it in his reaction:

"[lu guang] literally trapped this guy inside of [cheng xiaoshi's] boss arena. I never considered how much fucking power and authority [cheng xiaoshi] has in this room specifically."

and finally, how awesome is it to hear the beeping of overthink at the end of the episode, and instead of being filled with dread because of a cliffhanger that could potentially put our favorite characters in danger, you're instead hyped because you just know cheng xiaoshi is gonna fuck up the main bad guy of the season. it's such a great reversal of how they have been using overthink for the past episodes.

it's like the show saying, "remember how worried you felt at the end of each episode before this? that's how liu min should feel right now, because cheng xiaoshi is absolutely gonna fuck him up next episode."

it's just so many great elements of the story condensed into one, single badass moment. this is link click at its peak for me.

S2E5 - "after you get the doll, remember to show an appropriate... look of happiness"

when I watched this scene, I thought, "oh. so li tianxi is the mirror to cheng xiaoshi." and of course S2 continues with this mirroring with the running scenes, the film strips, and so on.

but I love the look of surprise from lu guang in this scene. cheng xiaoshi, as li tianxi, was already looking happy before lu guang even finished his sentence. because cheng xiaoshi was happy. and why wouldn't he be? he gets to spend a morning with a loving mother.

in this moment, cheng xiaoshi and li tianxi were in sync.

it highlights cheng xiaoshi's empathy and how sometimes that empathy can be something so personal to him. it highlights his sincerity and naivete, and even li tianxi's too. it's a great character moment for both of them.

S2E8 - "you know what? I have a younger brother."

this is great character moment for qiao ling. I love her relationship with cheng xiaoshi, but the way she communicated with li tianxi also deserves praise. I've already talked about qiao ling extensively here, and I feel like I'll just rehash everything I said before, so I won't repeat them here. I'll just highlight the parts that are relevant to this scene:

she's the one who truly connected with tianxi and knew how to communicate with her — even better than cheng xiaoshi could, and cheng xiaoshi was the one who actually got to live as tianxi. [qiao ling] is the person that gained tianxi's trust and knew how to meet her where she's at.

I love any moment that qiao ling gets to shine, but especially the ones where she is defined and forms connections outside of shiguang. and actually, that's her job in the supernatural business of the photo studio! she's the one who seeks out and communicates with clients! so of course she's the one who'd be able to communicate with li tianxi.

S2E12 - "if you don't have the guts for that, how can you be my friend?"

liu xiao doesn't do much in S2, but I've come to really like his character. this is also an important character moment for li tianchen.

I will admit, the reason this entered my top five scenes is rooted in half canon, half headcanon. but I think this scene says a lot about xiaochen's relationship. notice how liu xiao reached out to li tianchen with bare hands. li tianchen went from living with a clown villain who always wears gloves (sorry, but qian jin was a joke) to partnering with someone who will let him touch his hand despite knowing li tianchen can possess people through touch.

but! you also have to read this in the context of all of liu xiao's interactions with li tianchen thus far, and all the warnings studio lan has given us about not trusting the guy. he's a mastermind. he's a manipulator.

so, here's the headcanon territory. liu xiao is probably manipulating him, and I think li tianchen is a little bit aware of it too tbh. but even if he knows, he lets him, because what else does he have? he always looked up to liu xiao anyway. li tianchen is probably doomed, even more than cheng xiaoshi. but then again, have you seen the lyrics to prometheus? does li tianchen even care at this point? he lost his sister. he left his phone behind; he's leaving the past behind. liu xiao is the only one he can trust.

li tianchen is the actual most doomed character in link click, for me. like, I can imagine a happy ending for shiguang, but it's really hard at this point not to think of li tianchen getting the Bad Ending™

liu xiao, the mastermind, being the one to first reach out, unafraid that li tianchen can possess him at any time, is such a great introduction to their partnership. he is li tianchen's light the way lu guang is cheng xiaoshi's.

I'm really hoping for xiaochen to be the foil to shiguang in S3. like, li tianchen knows he's being strung along. turn that into a foil for S3!cxs who discovers that lu guang has been hiding something from him all this time, that perhaps he even made up the time travel rules to control the timeline and avoid cheng xiaoshi's death. there's a lot of potential for liu xiao and lu guang foiling too, especially with themes of "control" over the timelines.

again, this is mostly speculation, but idk. I think xiaochen just has a lot of potential.

S2E12 - "time is a hypocritical construct"

link click knows how to do a finale. even when you know from episode 1 (from the brief showing of dead cheng xiaoshi in lu guang's mind, or the XƎTЯOVerthink mv) that this was gonna be the reveal, it doesn't dampen the execution of the scene.

like I said earlier, I love when a late revelation re-contextualizes the whole story, and this is THE prime example for that. this scene instantly gives lu guang's character sooooo much depth, and all his interactions with cheng xiaoshi in S1 and S2 has extra layers in them when you rewatch the episodes. when he calls cheng xiaoshi an idiot for joking about hanging himself in S1. when he gets mad that cheng xiaoshi dived into security footage to tail liu min without lu guang to guide him. when he loses his shit when qian jin shot cheng xiaoshi. even the chibi short where qiao ling does tarot and lu guang hides his card from cheng xiaoshi becomes more and more interesting (qiao ling notices him hiding it too).

love a guy that dooms himself.

the weight of his tragedy also makes me appreciate the small moments of peace he gets as well, especially in the chibi shorts. I am incredibly fond of the elizabeth episode for this reason. lu guang is timelooping; how can he think of treating each timeline as "home" when he could potentially fail again and again? at first he didn't want to keep elizabeth, but he clearly does, and he was sad when she had to leave. I like to think that in a happy ending, shiguang gets to keep a pet cat. it's a commitment to this particular timeline. it's to say, "this is home."

what really elevates the scene is the use of mastermind as the insert song. lu guang reveals that he's been breaking his own time travel rules since the beginning, and then we hear "time is a hypocritcal construct" in the background? 11/10, no notes.

but beyond that, there's something else I love about mastermind being the finale song. I'll just copy my tags from this post. I love that the lyrics of mastermind uses the same metaphors we associate with liu xiao:

“destiny is just my game but it's all you're counting on right now”

“the hunter when a prey lies / it's just what the world's like”

“mastermind stays in the dark”

“can't you see it's checkmate?”

I just think it's so cool that liu xiao doesn't really... do anything (that we see) in S2. but he still gets the last word through this song. like that's such a mastemind thing to do. idk, idk, that's just so cool to me.

okay, that's it. I don't expect everyone to read my word vomit but if you reached this point, thanks for reading lol. and again, sorry anon for answering with an essay. like I said, I cannot shut up about this show.

[ladyloveandjustice]

i really wish people on that "does it like women" blog would only vote on polls for media they're actually familiar with instead of just basing their opinions on what others are saying in the notes... like if you haven't watched/played/read something isn't that what the see results button is for? personally i only ever vote on a poll i know nothing about if it's like "who's the best video cat: fluffy from jrpg #1 vs skrunkly from jrpg #2" and my mutual is strongly campaigning for skrunkly on my dash, because i figure that's just a silly fun thing. and even some of the does it like women polls for media i am familiar with i end up not voting in because i feel too conflicted about it. the soul eater poll is a good example actually, i want to say yes because imo maka is an awesome protagonist who's pretty unique for the genre she's in but like you said in your tags, there are also a lot of reasons to vote no! and this is coming from someone who loves soul eater and has both watched the anime and read the manga!

Yeah...it's weird to me. I don't see why that gives anyone more of a high to click yes or no rather than the see results button, like yeah it feels good to vote on this type of thing, but only when I have an informed opinion that comes from my own heart. And if you really want to vote, that seems like a good opportunity to uh, just check out whatever the media is. Even watching or reading for fifteen minutes will give some kind of impression that's better than just vibes or someone else saying something. It'll still probably be inaccurate in a lot of cases, but at least it'll be based off something.

I am fortunate in that I've watched and read a lot of stuff though, and I did instinctively click yes on like, Billy and Mandy based soley off the vague childhood memory that Mandy was straight up evil and I support women's wrongs, but there was actually probably a bunch of shit in that show I don't remember, so it's not like i can say I'm ALWAYS fully informed. And sometimes I use tags to refresh my memory. "I can't remember what this did bad...okay from the tags I now remember" I am by no means a purist, I just think the point of the poll is opinions from people who actually interacted with the media or at the very least know so much about it against your will through internet osmosis that you might as well have watched ten episodes (me and Supernatural) (I have seen plenty of clips along with fastidious episode summaries and story breakdowns and so many goddamn tumblr posts so that counts for me. I'll be damned if I don't have a right to an opinion after living through the indundation of 2013 tumblr. I didn't vote on Doctor Who though despite basically the same, that seemed like more of a tossup for whatever generation it was and I didn't feel even the massive amount of knowledge i've somehow accrued was enough to make a blanket assessment).

Anyway, even if it's not that serious, it's an earnest question that you're supposed to put actual thought into, and that's why I enjoy it so much.

I don't want to get too annoyed with it, just like I try not to with the results. At the end of the day it's the internet and just a difference in approach that I won't ever understand.

I like Soul Eater too, don't get me wrong! I have fond memories. The manga definitely fell off for me at the end (and I skipped over a lot of the early chapters because I'd seen the anime, knew it had cut out quite a few pantyshots, and I wasn't dealing with those), I actually prefer the anime original ending, despite how basic it was (especially in Crona's case god why did the manga never give them a break). Just nice to see my girl win the day by punching someone really hard.

But I enjoyed it and I still adore Maka. There's still no enough action shonen out there that have a female main character for it not to be kinda special. But god. imagine a world where it cared about its female supporting cast's development more than boobs. or storytelling more than boobs, in a lot of cases.

[chaosmagetwin]

I decided to watch RWBY Ice queendom

I ranted about it in discord for a little while, and decided to move the rant here.

Overall

I think, ultimately, the entire anime was pretty decent. A good 7/10, to RWBY's 9/10 for me.

I think it's considered "Canon adjacent", which seems like a decent way to put that. I honestly wouldn't recommend watching it until you've watched at least Volume 5, I think? Which is a weird thing to say, when it's set in the early episodes of volume 2. It uses a lot of characters that show up later, though, and I think it's better to get an idea of how things shake out first, before visiting the anime.

I think you can consider it "Canon enough", because it doesn't hurt anything, tbh. The story is entirely contained, Shion is not expected to return, and it doesn't change any of the characters (Except through mischaracterizations / Ruby's attempted character assassination), but it does help explain a few things and gives Weiss and Blake some much needed time to shine in a critical part of their stories that was a little too glossed over.

Spoilers for RWBY Ice Queendom, and RWBY (original) below the cut!

Okay, I'm going to break this into a couple sections, so, bear with me here. First up, I'm going to talk about the plot.

Plot

Plot-wise, the first three episodes are just "Volume 1 on fast forward, just the bare essentials to catch people up to speed", with episodes 4-12 being in volume 2, between episode 1 and 2. Like, literally, everything in the anime happens within a couple days. if not outright hours. It's unclear, but w/e. A lot of focus is put on Weiss, and more specifically, a lot of Weiss's WORST character traits. Most especially, her racism, her haughty heiress attitude, and her entitlement. In the original series, these character traits are lessened, and eventually glossed over. By the time we reach volume 3, they're sort of gone. This series takes the time to address that, and actually makes Weiss work for the character development we see in the original series.

Episodes 4-12 are all about this new type of grimm; the Nightmare. It possesses people, and they go to sleep, and whoever is most familiar with them has to go into the dream to go fight the grimm in there. It stays hidden, and most of it has to do with the victim's internal dream world, and how they subconsciously define everyone and everything around them.

For Weiss, who is the person who gets possessed, it means carefully segmented life, high walls, a mandate from on high to be responsible and care for the family name. It means locking away her feelings, the "Sillies" in a jail where they can be protected, and kept pure and innocent. It means categorizing her teammates as people she both loves and fears, who are locked in a tower and never allowed out. Her brother becomes an annoying bat who flies around and watches everything and snickers at her, and whispers about all the things he's seen and about how he'll snitch on her if she betrays the family name. Her father is a statue who stares at her from every angle and tells her "This is your responsibility!" Her sister, who NEVER TALKS, is a bible she refers to, in order to pass judgement. Her mother is a shadow on the wall who drinks wine and laughs at her.

And it also means categorizing Blake as an outsider. The racism really plays in full here, and you can see the conflict in Weiss's mind, because she clearly has Blake defined, not just as a shadow or a monster, but as a person with half a bow and one cat ear. She keeps the idea of blake locked away, outside the city, in a section where things are kept that she doesn't know how to cope with; things that she avoids thinking about entirely.

Weiss's dream isn't just about how she categorizes others, it's about how she categorizes herself, and the responsibilities she has to bear, and the way she feels completely and utterly isolated. She longs for contact, but in her dream she can't contact anyone, because she has to keep them away from herself to protect them FROM HER.

As an important note, Weiss also has Absolute power within the dream, to the point of controlling weather when she wants to, outright changing environments, and is "Stronger Than You" in every scene. Which is great, that's the way she should be.

This is as far as I'll go into the plot, because it's all that really matters and caught my attention. It's really just setting Weiss up for the future, and giving her a chance to go through a character arc that was too glossed over in the original.

Characters and Character Design

There are certain things that it did really really well. Anything to do with Weiss, they got perfect. They really understood the assignment; for an anime that is 75% about how Weiss sees the world, how she defines it and herself, it's no wonder they did as well as they did. She's flawed, and horrible, but understandable and empathetic. It really does not forgive Weiss for her flaws, but makes her actually confront them. Her character designs within the dream were.... GORGEOUS. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. I am not immune to the fascistic dommy mommy aesthetic, and they really made her look good. A 10/10 design all around, with the overcoat, the sunglasses, the hat, the floating hands to take the coat and hat off for her, the way she speaks UGH. Fantastic stuff. I could rave about it all day.

Ruby felt pretty good, too, and they actually set some of the stuff up for later volumes pretty well, especially the pressure on Ruby, and her depression. However, I think they mischaracterized her in a few sections, especially the parts where she is meaner? For unknown reasons? And also imply she has a hero complex who think's she's all alone? Which wasn't really addressed at any point, and was sort of weird. IDK, it felt like there were points where they were really trying to assassinate her character in some regard. Most of it can be explained away by the nightmare, but, frankly, it does push some weird choices onto Ruby that I was not fond of. Weiss calling Ruby out for being childish was handled well, however, and Ruby does do some growing up. An overall net neutral, in my opinion. Ruby's design within the dream is Good! Very cute! I like the snowboarder aesthetic. They did not do a good job of explaining why Ruby's scythe's gun was pointed backwards (I understand it was to shoot Shadows, but also.... she turned around... to shoot it...) but I appreciate the look. She feels like a very warm character, and gives a sort of soft, warm vibe that contrasts Weiss's design very well, perhaps even intentionally. As a Tower Silly (as opposed to outer silly or outside the castle silly), it really does show how Weiss see's ruby; as a warm, soft character who is a little bit punk.

Blake was fantastic. No mischaracterizations, and some better explanations for who she is, as well as a good set up for the Blake x Yang romance in later volumes. It also really showcases her fear of who she was, and who she was becoming before leaving the white fang, and it gives some excellent depth to her character. Her dream design is... okay! It's not particularly great, but not bad. The half bow and single ear was kind of cute, but, they could've showcased that better. Meanwhile, her nightmare design was FANFUCKINGTASTIC. 10/10 again. The way she took Adam's clothes, his power, and even the lines he speaks are really good. It really showcases how much of a hold she fears he had on her, to the point that she felt possessed by him. The way she was using his weapons, his semblance, not even using her own powers was filthy good.

Yang was... flat. I can't really say they mischaracterized her, but I do think they did not utilize her very well. She was a power house, but she really lacked the humor and charm that makes her who she is, her brand of silliness. She had the care for others that is important to her character, but, without the comedic balance, she feels a little empty. She had no major redesigns. She's just kind of flat.

Jaune was.... I mean, I never liked Jaune in the early volumes. Anything they did with him was better than the original. I honestly do not understand why they included him? But he was there, and he did some plot relevant stuff, and the rest of team JNPR was really sidelined for... unclear reasons. Pyrhha almost quite literally became an actual cheerleader for him, which feels like a deep mischaracterization. I can't even give her her own section, she was that little of a character. She gets, like, maybe 4 lines in the entire anime, and one singing scene.

Shion, as an OC for the anime, was.... out of place. Like, on an aesthetic level, at the minimum. Ultimately, they were more of a macguffin than a character, which makes them kind of just.... there. They're real cool, though. In japanese, they refer to them with masculine pronouns, and in the english dub, nonbinary pronouns. IDK. To say they were a character of importance kind of overstates them, though. You could replace the character with an object that does their power, and it wouldn't change the story a whit. They explained little, did little, and had no real character moments. Although their design does not really fit into the world of RWBY very well, it is very interesting, and pretty. I like the soft tones and witchy aesthetic, and the androgyny.

Sound

I watched in English dub, by the way. I prefer the original voice actors, who reprised their roles here. They do an excellent job, for the most part. I also prefer the word choices they used, compared to the sub, most especially when it comes to Shion. In the original Japanese, Shion has masculine pronouns, while in the English, they are referred to with They / Them, which is very nice.

There's some weird dub moments, but that mostly has to do with Lip Syncs, I think. It does still have a tinge of "This was translated to English", but only a tinge, which makes it bearable. Some of the mischaracterizations could potentially be attributed to this, but I don't think that is the case for at least my problems with Ruby. I'm not displeased with any of the voice actors, but the standouts for me are Weiss and Ruby, who did phenomenal.

Sound design was …. weird? IDK, they had a lot more magicky / lasery sounds to the weapons. I'm fond of the way that original RWBY uses the sound effects from Halo weapons. In the original, the sounds feel impactful and weighty, and really picks up a lot of the slack that the animation gives up in terms of weight. In this version, guns across the board sound worse, and the melee aspects are also diminished. There's just less crunch and dirt in them.

Ruby's scythe, especially, suffers in this version. The halo crunchy sniper sound effect gets replaced by this more…. idk, wet star wars blaster sound effect when it's shooting, and the scythe slashes are greatly diminished.

Weiss's everything sounds better, in comparison, with the exception of the Glyphs, which lost their signature sound, and got a different one that sounds less like magical ice, and more mystical? IDK how to explain that.

Music was also not as good. Casey Lee Williams, you are a genius, and the way your music backdrops original RWBY gives it a lot of the vibe and characterization that makes it what it is. That's not to say Ice Queendom did badly, it just seemed kind of generic to me. There was some flavor lost that they tried to capture, but just couldn't, with the exception of Weiss and Pyrrha singing.

Animation

The animation team really liked Weiss, and gave her a lot of character, and a lot of love. She's the only real standout, here. Design wise, everything looks good, but once it gets into motion, it just feels really stiff. There's a lot more weight to the motion in a bad way, a lot more movement, a lot less over-the-top action. In the original, the animation is zippy, and full of character. Things aren't just done, they're overdone. A character won't just spin once, they'll spin twice. They won't just jump somewhere, they'll use bullshit physics to get there. The scene that sticks out the most to me is a 1:1 scene in the first 3 episodes where RWBY is facing the Nevermore, and JNPR is facing the Death Stalker. Instead of the teams being mixed up at the start, and using their movement skills to get to their proper teams, they just start there. Those movement skills never really come into play. It's a lot more grounded, which feels out of place in RWBY.

A lot of RWBY's vibe really does depend the animation going "Physics? That shit is a myth," and then going wild with making the characters defy it. Ruby should be constantly using her scythe as a way to boost herself, but she does it maybe 4 times in the entire anime. In the original, that would be the minimum for a single FIGHT. In some ways, it suddenly feels like a weight on the characters, like their weapons suddenly have way less power than they do. Their enemies seem.... more impossible to beat.

I'd honestly say the animation, although it has more details in it, is just not as good as it is in the original. Especially these early scenes, when Monty Oum had his hand in it.

[bbgliker-teehee]

This might sound like an unpopular opinion of mine but... Is it just me or is Fizzarolli becoming an annoying character to me now. Like before season 2, I used to like him and I found the conflict between Blitzo and him really interesting and I wanted to learn more about it despite me not liking the show at the time (I mean I still do, but you know what I mean)

But when season 2 came along, I was left with a sour mouth when it comes to Fizz, and his conflict with Blitzo. Fizzarolli became from what season 1 gave us, he gained the most success and he felt proud of it, didn't care of the others feelings when insulting them, and was basically an asshole that rubs the success and Blitzos face and was the first one to genuinely get on Blitzos nerves (even have implications of Blitzo being jealous towards Fizz because he hoggled the spotlight more than him) but when season 2 came along, he just now resorted to being a huge scared puppy that shakes in his boots when someone insults him/threatens him. Like what happened to season 1 Fizz? What happened to the overly cocky and sassy asshole of a gremlin he was, can we bring that one and Season 1 Asmodeus back please?

And his conflict with blitzo and how it was executed, OH BOY. He gave him the most guilt-tripping ass apology, downplayed his disability just because HE REALLY MISSES MOM SO MUUCH, FEEL BAD FOR HIM HE'S JUST A MISUNDERSTOOD LIL BABY DEMON, like fuck off man. That episode didn't make me feel bad for the guy, it made me hate him even more.

And when in the end when they reconciled and shit, I was over here asking "Why bother building this rivalry up, when you're jist make them reconcile faster than the flash himself then?" Like, they should've just enemies imho, because that was more interesting than them being friends again.

I'm suprised that noone even brought this up too, but... This one piece of dialogue of Mammons shitty special I had to restrain myself from yelling at my screen. My god did I wanted to choke him to death when he says this:

OKAAAY, so not only did Blitzo give a guilt-tripping ass apology ever and they became friends again because of that shitty apology, instead of him comforting Fizz in this very moment, he resorts to saying THIS to Fizz when it's clearly shown that Fizz does not feel okay right now and looked he needed some comforting, and then Blitzo going back to square one and bullying someone when they're not feeling in the mood for it. Yeah good friend Blitzo, am i right? Fuck you Blitzo, genuinely like go die in a hole along with Loona & Stolas....

I'll probably be the only to say that BlitzFizz sucks, not a big fan of it because it felt like they just made Blitzo have a crush on Fizz to make him more sympathetic, yet they should've made them more like brotherly type of dynamic, to me that is idk about you.

Sorry for this essay like ask btw, just really wanted to get this out of my chest somehow. God watching these characters exist is hard man...

SAMMMEEEEE like- I think Fizz was a cool character, but since we can't have anything nice...Viv made him 'baby uwu'...

And Blitz whole ass apology was literally:

"Hey, I know you lost your legs and arms and you got all deformed and shit...BUT MY MOMMY DIED SO PWEASE FORGIVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And yeah...I want my super swag sigma Ozzie who gets bitches back...not this loser beta dripless Ozzie that gets 0 bitches....

[ticktockmyclockworkhart]

Wuh oh!! I've been based and trollpilled

I was one of the people who scoffed at trolls and thought it was dumb. I take the L. I admit I was wrong... at least about the other movies lol, I still think the first movie was kinda weak but damn did they go from kinda weak to kinda peak. They're nothing groundbreaking but they are fun and a lot less annoying than I anticipated them being.

SO bc I love redesigning things I redesigned some characters and will be redesigning more. Below the cut is my thoughts on the designs~

So for the pop trolls as a whole I think their aesthetic is cute, but kinda conflicts with the worldbuilding in the later movies because all the troll tribes EXCEPT for pop have a very cohesive aesthetic related to their music. I like the smurf-y, crafted aesthetic but it doesn't really scream "pop" yknow? But pop is a kinda unique genre in that it can literally be anything as long as it's very popular and mainstream and any genre can become pop so I decided to theme the pop trolls around different kinds of pop.

Also!! Literally so many people give the trolls tails. And I AGREE. Honestly, I'll take as many degrees of seperation from the good luck trolls as possible bc they're scary as hell. No amount of nostalgia is going to change the fact that good luck trolls unsettled me as a kid and unsettle me now. I'm all for embracing more critter-type looks to them since trolls are in a way like fae so let's get quirky w it!!

For Poppy I wanted to commit and go full ham, bubblegum jojo siwa girlypop girly. It fits her existing aesthetic but also generally when we think pop music that kinda upbeat, colorful "girly" music tends to come to mind. She's got full-time legwarmers because YES I agree with her wearing those in the third movie she should wear them literally always. I initially wanted to give her plaid stuff, that sort of 2000s black and pink plaid that was huge but decided against it because black doesn't really fit her vibe. Rock zombie Poppy however...

She's also got a sparkly vest and SO. MANY. BOWS. Her bowtie is actually more of a smaller choker than a tie but I realize I didn't convey that lol. Her crown is also a pearly kind of clear plastic, like the old Disney princess shoes, remember those?

(I love how the third movie really leaned into the toy inspiration aspect of it so fuck yeah I'll lean even harder!!)

And this time she's the one with frosted tips because as Branch said, IT WAS AN ERA!! And I really wanted to stick to the vaguely Y2K theme with her.

For Branch, he doesn't have as much of a committed aesthetic reflecting his complicated relationship with music, but I pushed him into a soft pop-punk aesthetic with what he does have, and maybe a tiny sprinkling, just a hint of grunge... which he kind of did on his own in the og design. And again, I'm all for leaping into as far of a departure from good luck trolls as possible so I ditched his troll hair and gave him long, droopy, probably greasy emo boy hair. Has the added benefit of any time he uses his hair as a tool or weapon it becomes the sickest headbang hair flip. I buy into the theory that due to his trauma and probably depression, Branch only shows his "true colors" when excessively happy and his normal state is kind of permanently muted, but I gave him a streak of the blue as well. Whether it's dyed or not is up to yall lol.

I originally was going to change his clothes, but because the third movie establishes his vest was a gift from Floyd I decided against it. He does wear suspenders under it though, but they can't be seen. Probably has a chain wallet too, the hot topic goblin he is... I did change the color of his pants to black though, and to show how much of a bedraggled recluse he is, I made sure the patches matched colors with his vest to show he's been slowly taking the least visible parts of the vest apart to patch his pants. Poppy, get your man some skinny jeans.

Let me know what yall think!! This is such an EMBARRASSING interest to have lol I'm really putting myself out here with this one... not as bad as my danganronpa days though

[ca-suffit]

I've always had this weird impression that in this fandom it's seen as intellectually superior to be for polyam relationships.I know about the poly nature of Rice's vampires.

but the show made it clear from the start that they are jealous and possessive, Sam himself said that Lestat is monogamous at heart.

Why the poly discourse is so pushed because from what I was able to gather from other fans who have read the books even in the Chronicles it's not so much the polycule paradise as some try to make it believe?

Obviously everyone is free to their preferences but I have the impression that it is almost become shameful to prefer one particular pairing for each characters.

There's a lot of layers to this answer tbh. I'll try to go in order of what I've noticed are the most prominent reasons for this of what I've observed over the years.

a) It's another stand in for "it's gothic romance," "they're all monsters" type logic. It gives the illusion of being deep while rly just removing any real attempt at conversations ppl don't want to have (or don't have the range to have). This can also tie into fandom racism bcuz it smooths over discussions of *why* ppl might prefer certain pairings.

b) Shipping wars *are* annoying, so that is a legit reason. Usually the real reason is part a but this is still in there a tiny bit.

c) It *does* make ppl feel special. This and BDSM topics are some ppl's whole fandom personality bcuz fsr ppl think this is all unique in fandom spaces idk. This goes back again to how a lot of ppl read the VC books as children and still think it's brand new information when they're 45 years old in 2024.

The books do *not* get into polyam relationships well at all. The only thing that makes it vaguely polyam is that there's a sentence here and there of ppl kissing each other, living together, traveling together, whatever. She never explores any deep dynamics of anything. Nothing is ever laid out in full. They don't speak about these relationships with each other. The show did more to talk about it on any level than the books did. Even for any monogamous relationships, she doesn't explore much of anything as the books go on. That's a lot of what makes everything feel so unsatisfying. There's no substance to anything. She places characters around each other and uses words to force a depth of relationship that the readers don't feel otherwise bcuz she didn't write it lol. Whether it's conflict or romance, it all falls flat the more it goes.

[lightvsdark18]

Twst Actor Au (The cast members)

(They do have different names, but I don't want to rename them all ;-;)

Twisted Wonderland is a TV series. Each book is a season (Prologue & Book 1 was combined together) and the length of episodes for each season is always increasing like in game. Every season has a new Yuu like the manga.

The events are TV specials and the Yuu for that certain special depends on what season they are working on at the moment.

Riddle is a quiet and sweet teenager. He took the role to sharpen his skills by acting the opposite of his usual self and enjoys the compliments he gets from how well he's doing it. (Some people get confused when meeting him)

Trey isn't that from his character beside burning a bowl of cereal on accident one time. He doesn't know how he did that. He also made the "Trey's hobby is teeth" from an off-hand joke.

Cater is calm and laid back guy, very different from his character. When he's acting, it's like you flipped a switch from how well he can get energetic.

Ace is not that different from his character. He's blunt and clever that he sometimes ad-libs his lines.

Deuce normally plays bad boys, so taking a role of a bad boy trying to redeem himself, he got excited for this role. Although his common role is being bad, his true self is often seen in Deuce.

Leona is a pleasant guy to be around that you're conflicted if you want to punch him or compliment him after filming. Also, he's actually Cheka's uncle and loves the little brat so much he's often stalked by the cast and crew when the two are together.

Ruggie is a big brother to four siblings and understands his character on taking care of those younger. He's not diligent as Ruggie, but gives his character mad respect.

Jack is a new to the world of acting and put a lot of his energy in bettering his skills. He's often babied by the more skilled actors, but it's playful teasing.

Azul has done a few small roles, but this is his second big role and playing as a vacuum salesman like Azul. It takes some time for him to get into the role from how different it is from his previous roles.

Jade is in the same boat like Azul's actor, first time playing as a character like Jade. He often asks questions to the actors who have done gentlemen type characters before to better understand Jade.

Floyd is a jack of all traits, he has done a handful of different types of characters and Floyd isn't any different. However, he has stated in an interview he likes the more of unhinged characters since they're more fun.

Jamil is also new to the world of acting, only has done one role before Twst. And just like in the show, he's annoyed by Kalim's actor often in a sibling type way and can't help but laugh everytime.

Kalim isn't that different from his character, just he's less energetic. He often gets roles like Kalim's character from how free it feels and how thrilling it is when a scene gets serious.

Vil isn't that different from his character and gives good advice when you ask. He often moms the younger/newer actors without realizing it.

Rook understands his character's love for everything beautiful and how poetic he is, but he's even creeped out by the huntsman and is glad he's not real.

Epel is a gremlin like his character. He loves unhinged/rough characters and goes all out if he's allowed to. However, him taking the role has been a bad idea because he has been using his cutesy looks like his character.

Idia is friendly guy you could chill with on your days off. Meeting him in person is a sight to see from how bubbly he is vs his character. However, there's times you see Idia in the actor and think, "yup, that's idia."

Ortho is actually 17 years old and plays both Orthos. He has done small roles before and is excited to do a big role like this, especially with how mischievous Ortho is. Him and Epel have tag teamed the crew a lot with their adorable appearance.

Lilia is 15-16 years old and has his voice dubbed over. He enjoys the role very much and likes acting like a dotting father while being a rascal. He even continues to pretend to be the honorary dad behind the camera as a running joke. Doesn't like hanging upside down though.

The voice actor for Lilia is in his mid 30s and a father of two. He also enjoys his job and ad-libs dad jokes. There is a photo of the both Lilias posing together in Hawaii shirts.

Silver has t-posing energy, he's a goofball. If you watch him behind the scenes you will often go, "that's not Silver, how is he Silver?" from how funny and fun loving he is. But that's only after the scene is over. When he flips the switch, he will not break character until he hears cut.

Sebek got the role because of how loud his voice can get. He loves the role and how excited fans get to hear his Sebek voice. He's Ortho and Epel's get away driver aka picks them up and runs.

Malleus isn't different from his character with how calm and elegant he is. He's known for his theater performances and musicals. He likes how smug and adorable his character can get and often teases every Yuu that comes on.

Crewel is actually the actor from Obey Me, he played Lucifer (because you guys say they look the same).

Crowley is the world's okayest dad. He became a father during Book 1 and slowly started became the younger actors' dad on set. He often sees everyone watching him when his child shows up.

Trein is the honorary grandpa. He feels a connection with the professor and has the lecture the rascals a few times that they see Trein and not the actor.

Vargas is the uncle of the cast. If you fall sleep on set, he's the one covering you with a blanket, or giving you a piggyback to a more comfortable spot.

Sam is their local dealer... of snacks. He makes the best treats and feeds everyone between scenes. He's just like his character from how he can sudden pull out anything you need from his bag.

Grim is known for his voice on popular and beloved shows. And he really dedicated to his roles: if the character is sad, he's sad. If the character is angry, he's angry. He asked the director to gift him the Grim plushie when the show ends, just for a fan to gift him one during a panel. "My son," he whispered.

[bardinthezone]

Watching Making myself sit through Moffat's Who, trying to give it a decent chance and I can't stand it already. Y'know why?

The stupid fucking love triangle.

Because not only is it just generally annoying as a trope, but it is so poorly written here. It takes over the show in a really obnoxious way and completely flanderizes characters who, in the first episode, were decent people.

Rory is portrayed as a fool for being... concerned that his fiance is cheating on him with the not-actually-imaginary friend she's been obsessed with since childhood, who she ran off with and kissed (A normal thing to be concerned about!!). And just generally, he's portrayed as a bumbling idiot. As the one who just gets confused and makes one-liners about being insecure. And both Amy and the Doctor just brush him off, leave him behind! Mocked by the woman who's supposed to be there for him and abandoned by the Doctor who's meant to keep him safe. He's being reduced to basically just comic relief here, and it sucks.

The Doctor is so.. aloof. More so than 10 and DEFINTELY moreso than 9. He's a silly, childish man who often fails to recognize the emotional consequences of his actions. He has his emotional moments, yes, but a lot of his writing falls victim to what I call "Sherlock Syndrome." When Moffat just writes an aloof super genius and expects the audience to fawn over him because he has good outfits and witty one-liners. Matt Smith is a fantastic actor and he carries a lot of his run, but putting glitter on a turd doesn't stop it being a turd.

Amy is yet another victim of the "every woman falls madly in love with the Doctor" pitfall. Worked with Rose, got old with Martha and after that almost every one-off woman who flirted with him just made me roll my eyes. Her obsession and anger with the Doctor didn't have to be romantic, but Moffat just couldn't resist writing a "strong female protagonist" who's sexy and she knows it, who loves having all the boys fawn over her and flirts without a care in the world. Who's a brash girlboss in charge of her boys, but who also turns into a sobbing damsel in distress at the slightest sign of danger.

All three of these characters are so blatantly characatures of themselves right now that it takes me out of it. They're all just quippy one-liners of their smartness or their brashness or their insecure foolishness. Can these types of people exist in real life? Yeah. But the way they're written about here is just obnoxious. I'm willing to accept that later Moffat seasons might be better than this (at least on the interpersonal conflict side of things), but it's season 1 and he's already dropping the ball so hard.

We could've gotten something truly marvelous, with a PLATONIC conflict based on the Raggedy Man from her childhood finally coming back and offering her freedom from a boring adult life. She's enamored with him, but doesn't entirely trust him because hey, he massively fucked up once already. Maybe Rory is concerned about his place in Amy's life, and Amy tries to be comforting. Maybe she messes up, maybe she says the wrong thing. Maybe she says the wrong thing right before losing Rory to the crack in space and time. But she has to try, because why should I care about a relationship where one person doesn't care about the other's happiness, at least a little? And right now it just feels like she doesn't.

I'm not saying shows shouldn't have interpersonal conflicts and flawed protagonists. They should! But to pull that off well, you have to make us want to see these characters grow. You have to give us a reason to enjoy watching these characters interact, even at their low points. And revisting Moffat's run as an adult, I don't feel enjoyment. I just feel annoyed.

[touchingmadness]

Help me choose a Nano project?

I am by no means promising to heed the results to this, but I could use some opinions. I have a few ideas for what to work on for Nano but can't make a final decision which is... a problem, since these all need some more planning before I actually start writing them.

Descriptions and pros/cons below the cut.

Reblogs allowed and appreciated.

That Which Remains (post-apoc sci-fantasy)

In a post-apocalyptic world where the passage to the afterlife has been mysteriously cut off, the streets are oversaturated with the spirits of the dead. Trained Quellers take to the streets with their spirit-sensitive subordinates to channel and extinguish these spirits. Aereas is an unsanctioned Queller who is secretly spirit-sensitive. When they're called in to investigate the apparent suicide of a Queller-in-training, they get pulled into the mystery of why the spirits of the dead are lingering and what the Quellers are - or aren't - doing about it.

Pros:

Most developed plot

Main and secondary character decently developed

I know DEFINITIVELY how this ends, down to the scene

Cons:

Might be derivative -- formulated as a dream while I was binging stories about body-hopping and talking to the dead

Most of the other characters don't even have names

Unsure if this is a single book

Wither and Woe (high fantasy, political drama)

Five nations are on the cusp of deadly conflict. Tensions are rising, and plans are being pushed into motion under the veneer of civility. A young princess married off as a glorified hostage barters with the demon Wither for a child that will earn her nation's protection. She bears her husband an heir that is not his own amidst the political machinations of the inner court and begins to suspect that she is not the only one who Wither has helped.

Pros:

WITHER!!! I love Wither so much!!!

Most of these characters are well-planned

Wrote a bit for this a few months back

Cons:

Still unsure is this should be one POV or like six

Worldbuilding needs some work

Heavy subject material with little room for levity -- usually prefer to write these types at the same time as a lighter project

Casey Draper's Big (Gay) Alien Road Trip (contemp sci-fi)

Casey Draper is stuck in a rut since graduation, faced with the harsh realities that her dreams may never come true and her friends might not want to see her again. Life isn't like the books, and that sucks. So who can blame her when she lets herself be kidnapped away from her dead-end job by an angry alien who seems to think she's a missing alien prince? Casey's in for the adventure she always craved as they flee secret government agencies, stumble upon strange towns, and eventually have to stop the actual runaway prince from getting himself killed with his party boy attitude.

Pros:

Main cast is completely planned

Incredibly dissimilar to anything I've watched/read lately, so less likely to accidentally draw from things half-remembered

Almost episodic, can afford to be rambly and unfocused

Cons:

It's the type of contemp where the worldbuilding is basically just our world, which is difficult and often boring for me

Literally no existing outline AT ALL

Annoyed with my own job in a way I wasn't when this was first planned -- risks getting too pessimistic or just frustrating

Project Evergreen (post-apoc sci-fi)

Arden thinks his life is over when he leaves behind his family's stronghold to take his sister's place at the Eternal One's estate. But instead of being imprisoned for Fern's habitual impulsiveness, he is given a new name and instructed to work on a mysterious device alongside others in similar situations. And he would truly prefer it if the Eternal One would simply lurk. Instead, the mystical woman infamous for somehow surviving long past the Before Times visits him and speaks as though he is someone else.

Pros:

Relatively developed cast drawing from discarded projects

Basically a fucked up and nonromantic sci-fi Beauty and the Beast story, so most of the big story beats are planned for me

Strong thematic center - easier to make story decisions

Cons:

No clue what happens between the big story beats ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Worldbuilding is slapdash at best

I have no clue how this ends

[cvbullshit]

Simulacra Headcanons + Simulacra AU headcanons

(Be prepared, as some headcanons will conflict with each other since I believe in multiple possibilities for the things in these games. Not to mention, the AU I want to mention is more of a "for fun" AU-type thing that's mainly made for possible content such as videos and what not, you'll see what I mean.) Simulacra Headcanons: -The Simulacra in the first game is the same as the other two shown simulacra, which is funny to me because that mean that thing can now be known as possibly genderfluid. -The Simulacra in the first game is not one of the other Simulacras, possibly both, and that there are possibly way more somehow. -The Simulacra in Pipe Dreams is somehow based on either Maya or Ashley, possibly both. -The MC in the first game is female, partly female(She/he, Demigirl, ect.), or was a female(ftm, non-binary, ect.) -The MC in Pipe Dreams is a male. -The MC in the third game is either male, non-binary, or a Demiboy(He/they) -The MC from the first game could have possibly been the one to tip off Murilo after their encounter with the simulacra. -Taylor(if an ending where he's alive is canon) and the MC from the first game totally keeps in touch. -Anna(if an ending where she's alive is canon) and the MC are sort of semi-friends but only through Taylor(only possible if they're both alive). -Anna and Ashley totally got at least one date in, even if they didn't last as a couple, they totally went somewhere for a date. -Taylor(if he's alive) and Ashley(if Anna is alive) get along as friends sort of, Ashley going along with his humor and singing whenever she's drunk. -Teddy def had feelings for the Pipe Dream's MC at least once in his life. Simulacra YT/Tumblr Content AU Headcanons: -The three Simulacras mess with the 3 main characters, 2/3 of them do it for fun. -The three Simulacras are their own beings. -The Pipe Dreams Simulacra(will refer to her as PD, Gamey, or Flappee) is def more energetic than her "co-workers", upbeat, cheery, though can act sort of overdramatic and annoying at times. -The 1st Simulacra(will refer to him as Phoney, Pretender, or Spark) totally is not in tune with his "co-workers" and finds them somewhat overly goofy and annoying. -The Ripple Man's personality changes between Maya's, Rex's, Mina's, and Arya's. -Phoney goes by he/him/it, Flappee goes by she/her/it, and Ripple Man goes by they/them/it. -Flappee flirts with both the Pipe Dreams MC and Phoney to annoy both of them. -Ripple Man isn't goofy like Flappee but just follows along with her bs because they can. -Phoney will for real just rather sit and somehow drink coffee with the first game's MC if it means not having to deal with Ripple Man and Flappee. -If Flappee and Taylor met, she'd date him. Not for love, just for fun, to mess with him, and bonus it may make it easier to convince him to play her game. -Phoney is AroAce, Flappee is Pansexual-Aromantic, and Ripple Man is Asexual-Biromantic. -Ripple Man is both great at conversations, introductions, making social plans, but is somehow ultimately also socially awkward. -If she could drink, Flappee would become an energetic crazywoman/child if she drank coffee or anything with high caffeine. -If he could drink, coffee would be Phoney's breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. It could even be counted as his alcohol. -If they could drink, Ripple Man would use coffee in place of tea so they can have a reason to set up "tea(coffee) parties" and just to use as a way to invite people to hang for a bit. -Phoney is great when it comes to love advice, just has no reason to share that to anyone and barely tries it himself.