#like am i being too cynical and seeing what isn't there or is it genuinely a cause for concern?

[coquettesamosa]

ykw kills me abt demonitisation 2.0 is that. this is probably a reach

but it is essentially cutting off a major source of funding for opposition parties just before there r three (four?) important state elections and obv the general election next yr

bc the way electoral bonds function is that bjp will get over 85% of the share from them while the rest goes to the opposition parties which is comparatively a much smaller amt so they hv to rely on cash (specifically 2000 rs notes) for campaign related expenses and if ur pulling them from the economy just before major elections r supposed to happen and forcing all parties to rely mostly on what funds they get from the electoral bonds and the bjp is getting massively more money than other parties..

[sgiandubh]

I have a question! You're a shipper. Therefore, you like both S&C, but you only post about Sam and the posts are about him not doing enough to expand his brand, how he is miscast and untapped potential. You've said you were a defender of Sam, but I did not think you came across that way, you mostly write about what Sam isn't doing to your liking. So, my question is why don't you post about Caitriona? One Belfast post some weeks ago and a paragraph about her non-existent branding. Of course, this is your blog, and you can post and say whatever you'd like, I'm just an anon so I don't have a leg to stand on here, but I'm being genuine in asking.

Dear Caitriona Anon,

Yours is an interesting, provocative question and for this reason alone it did not make the classic trek to the bin (yay?).

Oh, yes, a shipper I am. Probably not what you folks call an 'extreme shipper', but a staunch, firm shipper, whose convictions aren't just based on wishful thinking. Enough said.

May I ask (and I swear I am doing it without malice) for how long have you been following my page? I wrote about C quite a number of times, even specifically about her, in a very positive way, if you'd just care to look into the archives. For example, this post: https://www.tumblr.com/sgiandubh/724773265698062337/la-passante-de-la-place-des-vosges-the-passerby. And I have always, always ferociously defended S, against all odds, especially when the Disgruntled Tumblrettes (probably the most unkind, dishonest, cynical tribe of this fandom) went for him in a rather unsavory fashion.

Now, Anon, do not expect me to constantly fangirl over These Two, because this is not going to happen. They are my age and as such, I see things perhaps a bit differently than OL's main demographic. Cynically speaking, I can afford the luxury of being a bit irreverent, from time to time, about two people I find extremely endearing (make no mistake) and worth of my attention. Not a mommy, nor a worshipper. Just a rational shipper (we are quite a few, in here, you know), who does not think this is all about unicorns and leprechauns for ever frolicking at the end of the rainbow.

Because it's not - this is about two people who make terrible gaffes and horrendous mistakes, too. This is about a girl who sometimes shows such entitlement and wrath, that it is almost too hard to like her, at times. And about a boy whose foot in mouth syndrome is, by now, proverbial. This is about two people whose lies and coverups slowly turned them into cartoonish, PR-generated versions of themselves. And this is about two people who, almost like in a Wilde parable, unexpectedly found fame, fortune and love on their path. Will they squander part of it? All of it? Will they be wise about it and learn from their own blunders? This is something I find fascinating to observe, Anon.

My critiques of S's branding have always been, I think (or at least, I sincerely hope), respectful, motivated and constructive. Mainly because I think that (particularly) in his case, there is a deep chasm between his PR and real personas. He would have everything to gain if he stopped trying so hard to be someone he obviously isn't. And so would she.

If my thoughts are not your jam, Anon, simply stop reading me. What you do seem to conveniently forget, too, is that this blog is also, and maybe above everything else, about these two people falling for each other, for real. And it is my deepest belief that we do not help this story by turning it into a cheap cliché or behaving like a hungry mob prone on tantrums if they do not deliver what is conventionally expected. And perhaps you are right, in a way: I seldom post about them as separate entities. In my mind, they are one.

You are welcome to answer, Anon. And I hope I managed to do the same with your question.

[moodymisty]

Sorry for this 5am longpost. I just got jolted awake by a really intense nightmare and while waiting for my heartrate to chill, I had a daydream vaguely based on your tag about Sanguinius being down bad for Horus lover. I hope this doesn't get cut off by tumblr due to length.

Mortarion is my favorite right now, and of course the fungus took over. I am a sucker for a cynical bastard falling for someone who secretly has a heart of gold despite appearances.

I was thinking of Horus' lover being a princess for her foreign planet, but she's unknowingly a low level psyker or something. Somehow, someway, she can always without fail tell when a person lies. This sort of thing plagues her life terribly, everyone from the lowest servant to the most noble lord constantly lying straight to her face and she has to try and not show that she knows.

Horus is the one to conquer her planet, and a situation like Fulgrim and his wives happens where she is offered to him for marriage, as is typical on her world. She is silently a bit miserable, she is now a prop to a man's ambition(as having a wife would probably make Horus seem more human, more relatable, making him less 'other' to baseline humans and he would be very aware of that) and watching him lie to so many people's faces at big events, or even political talks, is just soul-crushing to her.

At some big Terran event different primarchs are taking turns meeting Horus' new wife, and telling plenty of fibs about how excited they are to meet her, how lovely she looks, so on. And then she meets Mortarion.

I am new to the books so far, but Mortarion seems so blunt. Like he doesn't waste the effort to lie. And I feel like that may be one of the (many) things that made him difficult to get along with, even for his brothers.

I am autistic, not entirely high functioning, and lying is difficult to me. I can't do it well at all. So I don't bother. And boy do I know that people hate when you're truthful with them. So maybe I am projecting onto him lol.

So Mortarion bluntly says some rude but truthful comment to her, like "This is a waste of time." the room gets quiet, and instead of being angry she SMILES. She thinks it is genuinely impressive he just said exactly what was on his mind despite the expectations placed on him. And in front of such a crowd, too.

At some point, a serving person does an oopsie and drops a drink, some of it getting on her, and Mortarion is just stanking it up in the corner waiting to see her berate the poor soul. Typical entitled nobility.

But she gently reassures them, and even goes so far as to help them wipe up the little mess. He's surprised, but his cynical side wins out and he just files it away as her pretending to be kind.

In the future, at another event she is sitting alone and brooding in the gardens a bit tipsy from wine. Morty has the same idea to escape the banquet and notices her. They have a heart-to-heart about how fake their lives feel, having to put on little shows and shows of force for social gatherings and parades. How the upper classes are all snakes lying to each other, and ruining the lives of regular people in their little games.

After seeing she isn't just a spoiled little girl with her head in the clouds putting on airs, that she laments the suffering of the "lower" classes, maybe he starts catching feelings.

This is as far as I got lol. My brain skipped ahead to Mortarion being uncharacteristically deferential with her at some other big gathering, like getting down on one knee to gently take her hand and greet her and his brothers all being flabbergasted. The drama would be hilarious. It'd be like an extra middle finger to Horus especially. Fulgrim would have a field day.

The extra angst of Morty finding out she is a low level psyker would also be interesting! He'd be struggling to reconcile the monstrous image he has of psykers with the gentle nature of his lover.

ANYWAY I got strangely inspired!! I've never written anything just for fun before, so I know I wouldn't be good at it, but maybe I'll try? It's like I've got this thing in my brain screeching at me to at least attempt it lol.

(By the way, I hope the crazy weather yesterday missed you! That shit was scary.)

This is fantastic, I fucking love this. I've been wanting to write more for Mortarion but I struggle to find a good idea sometimes, this is really really good. I also think that Morty wouldn't have the energy or care to lie, and that seeing someone who doesn't flaunt their stature, and even treats him kindly would make him catch feelings.

I've already gone so off the rails doing random writings that I held myself back from doing this one, but once i get a few more requests done I hope you don't mind if I come back and write this. Unless you wish to keep it only to yourself ;3

the worst of the weather missed me, but it was still pretty intense, the wind was like 60mph. i hope you were safe as well!

[my-mt-heart]

Please humour me, and thanks in advance for putting up with my rant.

I recently started a rewatch of twd to help pass the time while I wait for twd:dd in September, and this question keeps coming back to me.

How long has Daryl been in love with Carol, while she has no idea? What do you think?

I think from season 1, but he didn't really know it himself till the start of season five, where they reunited in the forest, and since then has either been too scared to do anything about it, too occupied by everything that has happened to the group in the years since to allow himself to feel/pursue it, or he's genuinely felt that he doesn't deserve her/she deserves better, OR all/combination of the above.

Carol, on the other hand, I think only realised the extent of her own feelings at the end of season 11. The looks they shared while Magna's group was crying over Luke (almost like they were so grateful that the other was still alive, and it could have so easily been one of them crying over the other's death), and then the looks again later when they were waiting for Judith to wake up after surgery, really tells me that in those moments they both realised something significant about how they feel for each other, and how a future isn't promised and that they could lose each other for good at any moment.

And don't get me started on their farewell scene because it broke my heart; once again, these two did the selfless thing and put others' safety and happiness over their own. They each decided to go on a journey to help/save someone else. The way Daryl looked back at her for one last time after getting on the bike was almost like he was hoping she'd tell him to stay.

In Judith's words, "You [Daryl] deserve a happy ending too"!!! and he'll only really come to believe this once it's too late and he's stuck across an ocean, trying to get back to them.

And my queen, Carol, will cross an ocean to find him; I'm gonna cry just thinking about it. I love them so much.

Let me know what you think. Am I being delusional? I want to know how someone else sees this.

I’m overdue for a rewatch myself, I just haven’t felt motivated lately. I think there are a lot of clues pointing to Daryl and Carol developing feelings for each other early on like you said, but they *both* needed time to sort it out for themselves. Grief kept piling on over the years, insecurities deepened, and while their love only grew, they both went through periods of believing they weren’t good enough for each other. I think Daryl overcame it in the last couple seasons, hence “I know where I’m supposed to be.” Hence, why Daryl’s alleged uncertainty in the spinoff makes zero sense.

To be completely honest, I hated their last scene(s) together. I hated that one of the most anticipated moments—exchanging I loves you’s—was used to distract the audience from what was really happening i.e. Daryl leaving Carol. I don’t think it was a selfish or a selfless choice on his part because I don’t think there was any emotional realism to it at all. He had a spinoff to get to 🤷🏻‍♀️😑 I do think Carol was trying to make it easier for Daryl to go, but that just exposes a much sadder truth which is—after 11 seasons and even a time jump of one year—Carol *still* hasn’t healed from her insecurities/trauma. She *still* thinks Daryl could be happier without her. In an EW interview, Melissa chose the song “Crazy” by Patsy Cline to represent the end of Carol’s story. That speaks volumes. There were a handful of characters TWD owed honorable endings and they butchered all of them, but Carol’s was the worst.

The point I’m getting to is no, you aren’t delusional. It’s just that the spinoff has *a lot* to make up for. Do I think it can? Based on what we know about S2, yes. Am I ready to give up my cynicism? No. Not yet, but I hope to soon 😵‍💫

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Hi Sir, do you think Sebastian has a Daddy Kink. Y’ know considering his past, and the situation with his biological father. I know you have written about Sebastian calling Chris “Daddy”, but I mean it more as in, do you think he maybe has Daddy Issues, and therefore calls Chris “Daddy”?

I sent in the “Daddy Kink ask” and thinking about it more, I realize how disturbing (towards you and Sebastian) that may sound. I swear it wasn’t meant like that. I’m just a very curious person. So feel free to just delete the ask if it makes you uncomfortable!

Hey, sweets!

No, but I actually like this ask because I feel like this general idea is A Thing in both the vanilla world and the kink world, I can't and won't put words in your mouth specifically, but I have noticed generally that people tend to pair the idea of trauma and kink.

Definitely, there's the stereotype that kinks are born from trauma. Which, yes, is true in some people. However, it's not the overall rule. Then, the myth that all kinks come from trauma can then extend into the stereotype that all people with kinks are "broken" or "fucked up" in some way. Fucked up by said assumed trauma. Also, of course, this isn't true.

But, with that being said, personally, I have noticed that there's is some correlation between people who look outwardly fucked up (or, as my parents would say, "scary") in that they're tattooed, pierced, or have alternative aesthetics that stray from the "norm". My idea for that correlation is, well, hey, if you're not going to fit in with mainstream society in one way, then you might as well not fit in, in all the different ways that you feel. Why pretend? Why not just fucking go for it? (That's how I feel. I mean, I also am just... like that. Genuinely. It's not a conscious link for me a lot of the time, trauma -> aesthetic -> kink, I just see where they bleed into each other. It just so happens that I fucking love kink and I love metal music and I love body art and I love the gothic/emo/alternative/whatever you want to call it, aesthetic.)

Although, at the same time, as paradoxical as it is, it's niave to think that how you're raised and what your parents are like doesn't shape how you go into your relationships and your life. I'm paraphrasing, but as Chris once said, your parents shape how you love. They teach you how to love (x). You can absolutely outgrow that basis, but it's also a basis.

Anyway, where am I going here?

All this is to say that I have no idea if Sebastian has daddy issues. Granted, I also have no idea if Sebastian has a daddy kink. I don't know Sebastian.

Not everyone with daddy issues will have a daddy kink, and there are plenty of people with daddy kinks that don't have daddy issues. (At least, they wouldn't consider themselves to have daddy issues, looking specifically at how the Western world expects fathers to act when raising children. Personally, I think most people have issues based on that, but I also recognize that based on my life experience... I'm probably just being cynical, lmao.)

And for Sebastian, I don't think it's about trauma or issues. I think it's about power dynamics. I think it's about the general idea of daddy. The biggest, the best, the most capable, comforting, and caring yet stern, too. We've all seen how easily Seb crumbles with praise, and I think, related to that, Sebastian responds so well to having someone telling him what to do in the soft-but-still-authoritative role. That's what gets him in my mind.

Also, it's worth pointing out that I don't think it would go back to his biological father for Sebastian because he wouldn't've known his biological father as "Daddy" because it would've been the Romanian equivalent for the English affection name for a father. He might've been encouraged to call his step-father that, but, eh, he was older by that point, so it's unlikely in my mind.

All in all, I have no right to speculate, really. Seb's a real person, a real person I don't know, so I don't know, and I won't ever know either 🤷🏻‍♂️

[anneangel]

Grantaire...

Curious how Victor Hugo manages to fuse personality into the characters. Grantaire may be in coadjuvant but he's so... quick-witted, intelligent and well-spoken, with a very social demeanor, but with a bottle in hand and alcohol in his body, he becomes easily depressing, truly dejected, melancholy and downright unhappy. And I sympathize???

They are characters so different from each other, it's crazy how the same author who creates the merciful, religious and God-fearing Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel, creates Grantaire too and so many other characters with such different and profound personalities.

Grantaire has such a skeptical view of life (see everything from a negative dogmatism point of view, that is, his justice about things is always conditioned by a feeling of disbelief, do not confuse with questioning, in the skeptic there is a surly, bitter, unproductive denial – people like that are usually pessimistic). This is described in the book as: "Grantaire was a man who took good care not to believe in anything." He's not genuinely a person contrary to those around him, his cynicism isn't an act of provocation towards his peers only, but really how he views life and the world.

In the book: “He was ironical and cordial. His indifference loved. His mind could get along without belief, but his heart could not get along without friendship”.

And too, he says :

“Gentlemen, my father always hated me because I could never be a mathematician. And here, too, I don't understand your love of freedom and the republic! I'm just Grantaire, the good guy! As I never had money, I never got used it, and therefore I never lacked it; however, if I were rich, there would be no poor people, you would see! Oh, if good hearts were the ones with good fortunes, it would be different and things would go along a different path! Why, imagine Jesus Christ, with the Rothschild fortune! What good would he do!(…)”

“In fact, this circumstance has just confirmed my conjectures about the situation of God's fortune, and judging by so many poverties that already exist up there and down here, in view of so much misery in everything, I suspect that God does not it's very rich there. There is appearance, it is true, but one knows the poverty that is hidden. Oh, by all the saints on Olympus and by all the gods in Heaven, I wasn't born to be a Parisian, I was born for the easy life, but that's not how anyone's life is. In view of this I will drink more. The earth is absurd. Oh, old world, old world! You are the vile vessel of demoralization, deprivation, prostitution, ambition, ineptitude!” And Grantaire, after this burst of eloquence, had a burst of coughing, which he deserved.

“My friends, I hate the human species! (...) I think it is time to clarify the human being. But here comes sadness to take possession of me again!"

"Oh my God! Morality is something that does not exist in this world! Oh, what in this world goes birds of prey! Almost all are bad eagles! So many that I am afraid of them. So, don't believe in anything. The only reality is drinking. Whatever your opinion, it doesn't matter, it's all about drinking!". This was his axiom: "There is but one certainty, my full glass."

Grantaire, completely intoxicated, stunned the ears of those around him, in one of the corners, disagreeing in a thunderous voice and shouting: “I am thirsty. Mortals, here is my desire: I wanted to drink, because I want to forget life. Life is a hideous invention by I don't know who. Something that lasts nothing and is worth nothing; and we kill each other to live. Life is a frame about to come crashing down. Happiness, a panel painted only on one side. Ecclesiastes says that all is vanity. It is a pity that I am ignorant, otherwise I would quote you an immensity of things; but I don't know anything. I used to be gifted when I was in art class, but there are so many vices in virtue…” Bossuet tried to shut him up and Joly said “don't give Grantaire any more wine, he ends up this penniless and a little mad”, but R kept going at the top of his lungs “Who gave you such a right without my permission? And too much, I'm sad. What do you want you to say? Man is bad, man is deformed, miserable, infamous, melancholic... and I am angry, enraged, bored, I can only open my mouth, I feel dead, I feel stupid (...)”

"wine, mediocre source of dreams. Grantaire was an adventurous drinker of dreams. In the first glasses Grantaire, his prodigious joy appeared; then he reached this dismal (macabre) phase, a fearful intoxication, half-opened in front of him, instead of making him stop, it attracted him. He had left education aside and had left the cup, drinking from the bottle. The measure is the abyss. Having no opium at hand (used as a narcotic, taking the person into a stupor rather than anesthesia), nor hashish (cannabis extract used as a narcotic), and wanting to fill his brain with twilight, he had resorted to the dreadful mixture of brandy, beer and absinthe, which produces terrible lethargy (unconsciousness). It is from the three vapours, beer, brandy, absinthe, that the lead of his soul is composed. And his darkness is three: Nightmare, Night, Death, fluttering over his sleeping psyche".

“However, this sceptic had one fanaticism. This fanaticism was neither a dogma, nor an idea, nor an art, nor a science; it was a man: Enjolras. Grantaire admired, loved, and venerated Enjolras. To whom did this anarchical scoffer unite himself in this phalanx of absolute minds? To the most absolute. In what manner had Enjolras subjugated him? By his ideas? No. By his character. A phenomenon which is often observable. A sceptic who adheres to a believer is as simple as the law of complementary colors. That which we lack attracts us. No one loves the light like the blind man. Grantaire, in whom writhed doubt, loved to watch faith soar in Enjolras. He had need of Enjolras. That chaste, healthy, firm, upright, hard, candid nature charmed him, without his being clearly aware of it, and without the idea of explaining it to himself having occurred to him.”

One might almost say that affinities begin with the letters of the alphabet. In that sequence, O and P are inseparable. You might just as well say O and P as Orestes and Pylades.

"A true satellite of Enjolras, Grantaire lived within this circle of young men (les amis de l'ABC). He dwelt among them, only with them was he happy, he followed them everywhere. His pleasure was to watch these figures come and go in a wine-induced haze. They put up with him because of his good humour. In his belief, Enjolras looked down on this sceptic; and in his sobriety, on this drunkard. He spared him a little lordly pity. Grantaire was an unwanted Pylades. Always snubbed by Enjolras, spurned, rebuffed and back again for more, he said of Enjolras, ‘What marmoreal magnificence'."

"There are men who seem to be born to be the reverse, the obverse, the other side. They are Pollux, Patrocles, Nisus, Eudamidas, Ephestion, Pechmeja. They only exist on condition that they are backed up with another man; their name is a sequel, and is only written preceded by the conjunction and; and their existence is not their own; it is the other side of an existence which is not theirs. Grantaire was one of these men. He was the obverse of Enjolras".

[deadbeandrop]

how is ur lumpus different from canon? sincere curiosity, he’s easy to boil down to insanity in the show LOL

thank you for the ask so early!!! weeeee! haven't even gotten started over here yet but off the top of my head...

a bit tighter characterization through organizing, balancing, and prioritizing

i understand that it's easy to say that, but you'd be surprised at how much is actually going on with him and what characterization is there to string together already — i like to look at him as sort of a bundle of contradictions that is both hypocritical of him but also just a matter of state of mind and something that makes unquestionable and inherent sense to me already.

he's authoritarian but cowardly and overly dependent on slinkman, he's apathetic and very grumpy yet emotional and whimsically playful and romantic, he's cynical and paranoid yet gullible and impulsive, he's selfish and egomaniacal yet very insecure, he's playing the adult, the boss man, and yet is awfully immature. he'll demand order, of peace and quiet, but not think twice about producing his own variety of chaos for everyone else when he's bored of it, too. he is never really satisfied for long, as something is always an issue. and a lot of that isn't actually so contradicting, either, nor does it somehow feel inconsistent or hard to figure out when to play with what! i already like pretty much all of traits the show gives me to work with...

and, in fact, if anything, the "insanity" is sort of at the bottom of my list — at most, there's room to work the paranoia, but at the end of the day, the approach to me is far from orientating on that, i don't find it particularly interesting, and i think he's a lot more than that in the majority of the show... well, i guess it's a Little funny to say that, because he's still very evidently unstable and i am interested in exploring the lows there, but... i think there's a difference between actually delving into playing with the issues there and Generic Cartoon Insanity. i'd rather skip coming off as ableist and just be sincere about it, like how by the end of things we're like, "oh, edward is like... in an abusive family situation."

that being said, "the battle of pimpleback mountain" is in my top 5 episodes anyway LOL (the "full-moon frying pan" joke is admittedly SO CLEVER. y'know... Lunacy)

and i've been wanting to work along a spectrum of health over the summer, right, but to also keep it... not... annoying to watch. at the start of the show, when they're still trying to get things going, both lumpus and slinkman are characterized a bit differently... which is clearly on purpose, since they are already trying to have slinkman get some character development and for lumpus to regress further and further. i want to do that too, just... a little better. a little different? (when it comes to lumpus, i feel like any redeeming qualities he has — the few and far between... — kind of gets left in the wayside a lot more, and when i have a lot of interest in thinking about the past, well. that's something i'd had to think about, because i'm not just starting from the beginning of the summer, i'm going alllll the way back...)

so, i actually do quite enjoy and can work with whatever's thrown at me here, and my deal is just about organizing, balancing and prioritizing it all, especially with the slightly different tone i think of stuff with... take "lights out" for example — lumpus is still the demanding and grumpy character that we see for the rest of the show, but his voice acting isn't as exaggerated, he tries to appeal to the scouts and get them to behave by getting them what they need, and at the end of the episode, even with as fed up as he is, he ends up genuinely trying to explain to them why all of this was so important to him in hope that they'll understand. even the crutch of the episode — the comet being so important to him because it's a memento — is very sweet! i think he's really cute in this episode! in "dosey doe" he's feeling so nervous over seeing jane that he's hiding under the desk and talking about how he's gonna be sick, and there's even this scene that is so funny to me in the same episode, like... i don't know, it's just sort of... wholesome? and funny at the same time! I WISH WE GOT MORE OF THAT! i like the tone of these scenes and these episodes and i think it's really fitting and that the show deserves to be on that level more often. i don't think stuff like that really happens as much later on, and i don't think the writing necessarily has to be pushed as far as it does, to also become more ungrounded, in order to be entertaining, since those early episodes are all very good on their own — the first two seasons are the best ones!

so, there's certain aspects i lean into a bit more than in canon (i like highlighting the anxiety he has and insecurity he shares with jane, they are both disasters) and certain aspects i lean out of (i think the extent of immaturity gets a little frustrating/hard to watch by the end of the show, which, at that point in general, there's some... weird... decisions going on...?), but overall i'm still working from the same basic concept of "slinkman gets some character development while lumpus regresses further and further".

and if i'm limiting my scope and really planning it all out, playing in my little sandbox, then that's a lot easier and more controlled of an environment than working for cartoon network on a deadline in the mid-2000s. it's just math! camp lazlo is actually lucky in this regard because we've got a designated set of time to work with here — the course of a summer, which, for my purposes, is a better approach than several. gravity falls is seeing some revived popularity rn, and that's a great show that i admire for its silly and serious tonal mix that also takes place over the summer... i like these characters and i wanna explore how they grow and... do the opposite of grow... and a summer is a good time for both lighthearted/humorous shenanigans And doing (gestures) This

adjusting the timeline

since it's an episodic show, there's like... i don't know, like 3 different retcons regarding lumpus's history? 4? there's the beginnings of lumpus and slinkman meeting in "slugfest", a new past of shared history in "dead bean drop", whatever the hell is going on with "the bean tree" (still a funny episode though), and the finale... maybe more. once again, not all contradictory, just sort of weird taken together all at once, and the show in general is non-linear. because of this, though, slinkman and lumpus' ages are just like... whateverrr at any given moment, they don't really give a fuck

i choose to prioritize the history in "dead bean drop" (over them meeting in the "slugfest" flashback) partially because i'm a sucker for thinking about all the stuff you could DO with lumpus and slinkman attending camp, and also because that's just what made the most sense to me, because... that's... pretty much slinkman's backstory episode... and if there's one thing i would prefer they didn't retcon, it would be something as important as that LMFAOOOO

so i hinge the timeline somewhere pretty much because i have to in order for anything to make sense, so any other history element is completely optional... the slugfest scene i'd probably fully adjust somehow, but i do reuse parts of the designs they have elsewhere...

orienting on the core of the character

so a Focus and Expansion are sort of my main assets here — if you're like me and you don't like the finale, and even if you DO, then what stands out to ask about him is "why is he here at camp kidney in the first place? why did he start working there, and is still working there, and/or [did all the shit that happens in the finale in the first place] if he hates it so much?" and "what the FUCK is his problem?"

and that's actually Where i string everything along, taking cues that are actually in the show — he was a scout himself ("beans and pranks" & "dead bean drop"), he had a bad relationship with his parents and feels unloved in general ("parents day"), he's very dependent on slinkman, he's emotionally unstable, he's a control freak and "where's lazlo" explores how things were a lot more structured before lazlo arrived, and most importantly, to me, the idea that he's "not ready for the real world" and doesn't consider camp kidney to be such ("handy helper").

i think it's a lot more interesting to see lumpus' lazy-ness as not Just that, as Unwillingness to Work (although that's the other half of it!) but also as this... absolutely pathetic sort of helplessness he has? and there's several episodes focusing around this sort of anxiety about facing those responsibilities and stuff, and in like the sense of actual anxiety, full-on-freak-outs about being left to "fend for himself" about it, too... i was laughing the other day watching "nursemaster" because all of the little lumpus cells or whatever could only say "SLINKMAN!!! :(" which is both so funny and so accurate, because he literally does get slinkman to do everything for him, not even just the hard stuff. if anything at all happens his instinct is usually to look to slinkman to handle it, whether that be as something as mundane as "who do i assign as edward's big boy mentor :(" (and that's not even something Difficult but it's enough for him to compulsively be unsure about it... so i'm like alright, i'll bite)

so, what i get out of all of it is this:

as a kid, camp kidney was the "place to get away from it all". he enjoys the outdoors, the structure (see: predictability) the summer camp gives him, the escape it provides from everything else in his life as a fun little summer getaway where he doesn't have to worry about all that, and his best friend slinkman. lumpus has always had trouble "handling" it all — people, emotions, responsibilities. life. a lot of this is part of why he picked up slinkman along the way, who is not only loyal (if someone never seems to leave no matter what you do, you can treat them however you want), but provides that assistance he needs in terms of responsibilities and emotional support, is mild-mannered, and doesn't get in the way of what he wants. both of these things — the camp and slinkman, which i sort of ground it all around — have something in common: a point of security. and that's because, fundamentally, lumpus is afraid of the "real world". he doesn't want to be alone or to have to go out there and be an adult — at heart, he's a kid that just wants to bunker down away from the world, to do and demand and to have anything what he wants, because he never really got that.

so what do you do, then? you go to what's familiar, what you know, and maybe even try to recapture and hold onto those little glimpses of joy you once had. you get your best friend to abandon the things that he wants to do with his life and you run camp together.

but when you've got so many issues, the stress keeps piling up, and it's not as easy as you thought, you also start to Hate the place. your "sanctuary" begins to crumble, your best friend — your only friend — starts to resent you. what happens now? the things he fantasizes about is more of the same to me: a comfy little role as grand legume where all you do is have gay little brunches in a position of even more power, fame and fortune where he'd be pampered and have all his needs attended to first and foremost, a retirement home where work is out of the question as part of the equation, or even a wife in jane, that with her own personality (the episode where she takes care of the dungs...) inevitably would slip into a similar role that slinkman would if he managed to actually hold on to her. (it was so sick and twisted that they had them get married even with the finale, like, can someone please END HIS LIFE?) and i think its very easy to tie all of that back to a similar point there, rather than, say, for attention and validation, like edward might want those things for. (well, he wants those things too, but it's not the priority)

but when you can't have all that, what else do you do? where else do you go? what's actually out there that you can handle, let alone without slinkman? so you stay, where it's "safe", and it just gets worse and worse.

ruling over his kingdom of preteens with his best friend Assistant with an iron fist so he can sit back and relax for a living isn't the "real world" to him — it was supposed to be the easy way out, and now it's not, and he's pissed off about it, and yet doesn't have anywhere else to go because slinkman is quite literally the only person left in his life. and not only that, but he also thinks its everyone else's fault, too. yahoo!

(i've been really into enneagram for character writing purposes lately, and lumpus is a very a fun intersection between type 6 and 7 — to put it all simply, he does whatever he needs to do to try to maintain a sense of security in order to do whatever the hell he wants.)

changing the ending of the show and therefore his character's path

and all of that leaves me with a path forward, where i don't think the canon ending is satiafying with everything i just wrote. i've only just recently figured out what i want to do "in the future" of it all, because originally, i was just sort of like... i don't know. dump his ass, slinkman? but i wanna play around with something more sympathetic in the end even if he is awful. unfortunately, i care about the fictional asshole moose too much and have outgrown what they were going for.

at the moment, i've been envisioning the ending of the Summer of Lazlo as like defeating the Final Boss over there, or something — i haven't put a lot of thought into it yet, i just want a better conclusion in General for this whole show, it deserves more than what we got.

and i also i want slinkman to pretty much get fed up and be on the brink of leaving him to fend for himself until he starts trying to get better — and that's no fun to actually happen, so i arrange a situation where slinkman is still around, but not all of the time. lumpus has got to learn how to manage things by himself — so i still throw him to the wolves and have him run a shitty little business. he's got to want to be good for and to someone else, too — so i strengthen his connection to slinkman and have him start to try and impose on someone else in like a father-ish way. it's still in the earliest stage of everything else i have going on, but definitely i wanna talk about it more soon cus it's fun to balance "lumpus tries to get better" through "it's still a rocky road that should be just as entertaining and what matters is that he's Trying."

(in comparison, slinkman is easy on this front because he's already perfect and literally already has a bit of an arc and evident character development over the show. go slinky!)

so yeah! those are the basics! help me!

[expt12144]

(   michael malarkey.  135.  vampire.   )   LORENZO "ENZO" ST. JOHN,  you’ve been haunting mystic falls’ streets with your desire to GET EVEN.  it’s only a matter of time before your CYNICAL & VIOLENT tendencies prove to be your own undoing; unless your CHARISMATIC & HOPEFUL nature helps you obtain allies before it’s too late. 

what are your character’s goals? do they have any present allegiances? baseline goal is always keep out from under the knife and stay off the table. that isn't always so easy though, so he fantasizes ways that would release all the tension that's built up. he trusts no one and will likely never, but he has a parasitic allegiance to wes maxfield; wearing many hats like errand boy, attack dog, petri dish, among others. enzo has been infected with a blood disease that needs treatment every week, or his veins clog and he cannot function. insurance policy! as long as he behaves and shows up for his treatments, he's allowed on his merry way. if there isn't a new virus to test, of course—but that can easily be remedied by bringing his doctor a new subject to play with instead.

what has your character been up to before/during the start of our group, at the beginning of tvd season 3? only recently has this latest insurance policy been implemented. stalking whitmore was boring but it was better than cold concrete & steel, he still enjoyed the handful of nights; few sprinkled over the last 6 months. they were purely to test the speed in which his polycythemia vera would progress, and how willing he would be to play. with the commotion in mystic falls, it is the perfect opportunity to do a longer field test, stretch his legs and wet his fangs. what he doesn't know is how intimately he's going to know the residents of the town, or how he'll manage his anger going forward.

what song(s) do you associate with your character? hide and seek by imogen heap

have you altered anything about your character’s canon? maggie doesn't exist as she was. i would love for another character (canon or oc) to have had a maggie-similar relationship with enzo. whether they were with augustine for benign research or what, they treated him with respect and then had to leave / chose to. open to all kinds of ideas! the main thing is i wanted to open up the timeframe in which this could have occured. enzo has been in captivity since 1943 and the whole damon thing happened '53-58. for reference. :)

do you have any other random headcanons worth mentioning? IT'S GAY, BABEY. enzo trauma bonded with damon and had it down down baD. he would have, and had, done anything for that man and when he needed him most, HE VANISHED. so all those really gay ass things he said in season 5? he was being fr fr they was pookies and damon up and ruined it.

is there anything you’re potentially interested in exploring romantically for your character / what do you, or could you, ship? i am here for anything, my bisexual disaster has shitty taste in men obviously and let's be real, he needs an outlet. soft? hard? evil or good, i don't matter, if anyone can get that close to him without him snapping his fangs at them, let's gooooo. i just wouldn't expect a lot of genuine emotional vulnerability, at least not EASY. he will pour his heart out to anyone willing to listen but it isn't necessarily an invite for you to scoop it up in your hands, you feel?

what sort of current or future connections/plots are you looking for? honestly, nothing specific. the main connections are obviously people will some sort of ties with augustine: elena gilbert, for example. daddy absolutely had to have done a lil zappity zap to enzo so he's going to struggle with that. i have zero idea how he's going to fit in these growing empires, so seeing where that goes and who scoops up and helps (or hurts??) enzo is going to be good. i would love the maggie-esque character. maybe other old cellmates?? how did they get out, idk.

[2af-afterdark]

What are your opinions on all the Nu:Carnival characters? Eiden, the familiars, the clan members and Rin

This is not a coherent list. Mostly just my rambling thoughts on them. In introduction order!

Eiden: How could you not love our sweet little switch? He's such a joy to experience the story thorough and his pure and honest care for everyone makes it easy to see how they've all fallen for him. Kinky and caring, rolls with the punches, gets passionate on his loved one's behalf, easy to empathize with; I adore him (which is why I bothered to pull for him enough times to have his only unit be at 3*)

Aster: I love a dominate twink. I do find it hilarious that he got kinks people usually balk at in his few sex scenes (foot job and sounding). I love how he is the businessman of the team. What I learned about his past when Huey was still around made me want to cry. Support his desire to collect and spoil cute monsters. Hate that the devs refuse to give him more cards because he isn't a clan member. WHY GIVE HIM ANY CARDS IF YOU WILL NEVER RELEASE NEW ONES???? HE HAS FANS TOO!!!

Morvay: I love this big idiot (affectionate). He is always trying his best, even if he thinks with his stomach/asshole. I only want good things for him and am upset at the current story making me wait to see if he is alright! Give my succubus back! Same critique as with Aster: HE HAS FANS! WHY REFUSE TO GIVE HIM NEW CARDS??? It's such a dumb rule.

Yakumo: Someone please get this boy some confidence and self-worth. I cannot stand to watch him be so insecure when all I want to do is kiss his adorable face and tell him he is wonderful and perfect. His protective nature despite his belief he is not good enough moves me to fucking tears. Someone... This boy needs way more love.

Edmond: Cannot comment. I have no interest in him. He's just not my thing. He is very pretty though.

Olivine: Slutty priest makes brain go brrrrrr. I am just... the way his parents pushed him but he honestly tries so hard for everyone! I love him! He's not my favorite, but every time I read his cards I feel like I fall in love with him for the first time all over again and I do not know how to explain it.

Quincy: Okay, stop. Listen. I just... He's old. He's so old that he has seen people be born and die and leave him behind and he's tired physically, emotionally, and mentally. He has this barrier set up to protect himself, but to see Eiden break down that barrier and get Quincy wanting to be close to another person with a finite lifespan again? FUCK ME! Plus, you know, big and buff and hot. Size diff kink go brrrr.

Topper: Clearly the best character in the game. All power to Master Twilight Star-Show Max Lucifer Topper III!!!! I love how he gets his own outfit to match Quincy's during events.

Kuya: Much the same I said about Quincy, but in a more spicy flavor. He has the added bonus of being a yokai, creatures that have... questionable relationships with humans. He has lived so long that life has lost it's appeal to him as there is nothing worth living for; not knowledge, not power, not people. He's reached ennui and literally cannot see the point of his own life (we see a past version of him debating killing himself in one card). Eiden though? Eiden has brought that small spark of joy back into his life. He fucks with Eiden and can often take it in a direction that seems too far from a human perspective, but he never genuinely allows Eiden to come to harm. He is genuinely excited (in a subtle way) when he learns something new, and seems to be happy when his cynical view of the world is disproven (though he tries not to show it). Eiden has allowed him to open up to the world again, especially because Eiden doesn't forcibly bash his lived experience but also doesn't roll over and accept Kuya's bad traits. I love Kuya. He is my favorite. Also, he somehow got a shit ton of my kinks and I... yeah...

Garu: Cute puppy boy. He gets head scratches and wags his tail. I love how genuine he is. Garu is exactly who he says he is in every way and it is very refreshing. I just want to love and spoil him.

Karu: I admit... Karu is not my cup of tea. It may be because I'm not actually a fan of bratty tsunderes. It can be cute sometimes, but most of the time I find myself rolling my eyes and missing Garu. A shame because I usually like characters that have two conflicting personalities.

Blade: SOMEONE GET HIM A HUG!!!! He was alone for so long in that forest and he deserves better. I'm so glad he found Eiden and came out of there, away from that loneliness and waiting. Every time he defaults back into droid mode I get sad because I want him to enjoy being alive and being in love. Every time he says "Darling" my brain turns off and I wake up hours later with no memories.

Dante: It is hilarious how he innocent he really is while trying to act like the king. Eiden plays him like a fiddle. Hearing his past can make me sad though. I mean... Why does this game keep hurting our boys like this????

Rin: Why hot if evil? He has an eye mask and a tongue piercing... I am a weak person. I have things I like and he has them. I also want to slap him though because he hurt the boys I love! Also... yeah... I need the story here...

Rei: POWER BOTTOM! WE FINALLY GOT A POWER BOTTOM!!! And I love that he's not immediately all over Eiden but treats their relationship more casually. It's a refreshing dynamic. Also, he's a scientist doing questionable research in his house which is just 😳😳😳 Go on, Sir.

Father: Why is he named that? Is there secret lore or..??? Another animal companion to get cute event outfits. And apparently he's an animal that people have entire legends/wives tales about? I NEED THE LORE!!!

Huey: Fuck that guy.

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

am i the only one that finds that common people can be a love letter to doncaster, it also has the vibes of 'love club' or 'come as you are'? like the 'Just how far you're willing to go/If you act like you're one of us/Just act like you're one of us', ig it can be seen as bitter-sweet as change is but idk i cant help but see it in a darker light

do you mean it's more cynical, like more negative "just act like you're one of us", pretend you're someone else in order to fit in and be accepted? if you want to go far, you have to act like you're one of us? bc yeah i def see that as a layer too. the song overall is a positive, like an ode to one of the main things that anchors him, keeps him humble, reminds him of who he is. but that's a bit double for everyone, isn't it, our childhood and the place we grew up in, filled with ideologies and traditions we might not line up with as adults? especially a place like doncaster, or any smaller town, it can be a place where it's safer to fit in, or you get judged/excluded. louis has never expressed these sentiments from his childhood, but i think that's partly because he was the confident ring leader a lot of the times, and bc he fit in too. football lad, proud of being from donny, etc. in my own case, most of my childhood i also had friends and thrived at school, but i was also repressing a lot of my instincts, especially in high school, just to fit in more and be accepted. idk how far that went for louis, hard to say. i do feel like the love for donny is genuine, the way it's an homage to how the people right there next to you, the people you meet in the street and at the pub, are full of acceptance and love. that that childhood home is a symbol for his core self, something he's lost and had to find back a few times over his life already.

so damn. come as you are in the mix with louis? yeah i mean. yeah. i can't help but see darkness in a lot of what he does, whether he literally mentions it or not. there's so much hope and strength there, which can only be highlighted by the dark that's underneath. he literally sings "when i get lost", and he's made it very clear he struggles/struggled with what to do, where to go, who to believe. in that way, i think common people expresses the same sentiment as love of my life's "you don't know it's lost till you find it". come as you are is one of those where i think about real true deep darkness, as in. yeah i don't need to spell it out. i don't think common people directly holds those sentiments, but it has hints of that sadness, of that voice you need to hear when you've lost your way. "come, as you are". but THEN come as you are holds that irony of still being told what to do, and that's something that common people has, as well? "just act like you're one of us".

the song really is conflicting, i've thought this since the first listen. bc what kind of message is that? i think it is supposed to be this layered feeling that comes with thinking about your hometown, the good and the bad, about fitting in bc you grew up there but not fitting in anymore bc you left/grew up. of the urge to fit in even though you don't really want to

anon you sent me down a spiral

[littlecello]

Lazarus responses all in one place for better readability wahoo

belphegor1982 Holy cow, we really dodged a bullet there. Thank you for the write-up! I hadn't heard of Lazarus at all before. And now I'm very thankful that the fandom still exists and thrives! 💜

WE REALLY DID LOL. You're very welcome, glad to have been of service! And omg I feel the same ahhh! It's made me really appreciate the little space we built for ourselves over all these years 🥹

-

bisexualroger Was lovely to meet you and fern too! 😊 I definitely agree with this. I’m really glad I went for the experience, I’d have been gutted to have missed it, but ultimately yeah the shortcomings (especially with regard to how they handled the politics of the police 😬) mean it’s for the best we never got Lazarus the show. 

AHHH YES!! Seriously you all made my entire day 🥹🥹🥹 And god yeah, I am also genuinely glad to have been there, because the questions and forever-wondering would have killed my fandom-mojo I think. But now it's done the opposite and I am ENERGISED! I want to re-establish the best parts of the fandom as opposed to what we witnessed in that room! Seriously, all those cis-het men laughing so hard at all the bad jokes made me feel so uncomfortable.

-

youstupidplonkIt was so wonderful to meet you!! You’ve put this into words so much more eloquently than I have managed so far. I really do agree that the way they joked about current politics, both in the police and around the climate felt very out of touch. As you’ve said especially because the main demographic keeping this fandom active is young (from what I can tell) liberal people Thank you again for saying hi to us and taking the time to write this wonderful analysis ❤️❤️

LIKEWISE AHHH!! Your outfit was fantastic btw!! And I'm glad you feel my analysis hit the spot - hearing all the laughter around us and stuff made both Fern and me feel really lonely and out of place at times ghfkjgs. We're both really glad we aren't alone with our sentiments 🥹

-

fleurdeneuf oh wow, thank you for sharing all of this! i'm relieved the show won't be happening.

You're welcome!! It would've felt wrong not to do a little report on this, seeing as the event wasn't well advertised and tickets sold out so quickly. We've got to include the whole fandom in this! 💪

-

partywithponies I think it was very shallow as well in that it was almost entirely Life on Mars with barely any Ashes to Ashes to it at all, and coincidentally, Ashes to Ashes isn't as well known overseas. It didn’t feel for the fans, it just felt like what they thought would sell better. Poor Shaz didn't even get a single vague reference the entire event, and Alex, the literal third main character of the franchise, got one passing moment in the entire pilot.

I agree to some extent - they definitely went for what they felt would have the most recognition value. I do however think that they at least set up quite a bit of Alex involvement, seeing as she's the one who hits Sam and Gene in 2024 (or at least it's heavily implied that it's her). As for Shaz, I have to be cynical and say that with Matt and Ashley being old white men... they've probably forgotten about her and/or don't think she's important. Unfortunately.

Either way, I guess we can both agree that it's a good thing Lazarus isn't getting made as a TV show haha!

-

On a personal note, thank you all for your warm reactions to my little report :') I have to admit I was a bit trepidatious about posting it because of my (and our) negative feelings about it, as contrasted to what Fern and I perceived as a really enthusiastic response from the audience that was present... But I see now I needn't have worried. The fandom I remember and love is still here, and I can't thank you all enough for that. 💚

[james-carslut]

Barbie Review ⚠️Spoilers Ahead⚠️

Greta did such an amazing job depicting what growing up and self-actualisation into womanhood feels to a girl as soon as Barbie enters the Real World. I just Felt So Much and I wanted to say my piece cause yes growing up- the tragedy to be congratulated for, how do we see it, what is it, how to represent it, the multi-facets of it, etc etc. But I mostly just wanted to talk about the part where Barbie just enters the Real World because-

1. The Male Gaze

sorry not sorry but the gaze is the first thing that Barbie feels is seriously off. Her literal reaction is 'i am conscious of myself because I am subjected to something that is violent' and as soon as i heard those words I knew I'm in for a cathartic montage of empathy towards my kid self cause now what i felt is in actual words and it's so nice to have a description from a child's vocabulary. I know what the gaze is and it's definition and all the terms but to have someone going through that same uncomfortable actualisation and trying to put it into words while my adult self just looks on at the screen, riveted and sad, yes.

2. The Conditioning

The normalisation of catcalling and general invasive genital questioning, public assault, punishment of self defense, realisation that systems of public protection are sources of further private attack (the cops further harassing Barbie), being broke whoops and being punished again (cough cough homelessness as a crime cough I see what you did there with the feminist agenda Greta cough), further sexualisation, all of it. A girls eyes opening to the Real World. For many of us, this was a moment when we tried to help an adult by saying "let's call the police" or "i can just ask the man to give it to me- money? I don't have money?" and then got Informed.

3. The Cynic Shakedown

Barbie talking to the schoolgirl was the moment when I took my painting to the teacher and she dismissed it saying the sky isn't pink. It was the moment when you turn to friends and they say "do you even care". It was the moment when you want to say 'I like that' and you don't (literally what happens in the movie). It's getting your heart broken by the cynic and it's the loss of innocence, it's a rite of passage and it's the beginning of how people curl into themselves in that moment and become the cynic so they don't feel it like that again. It's when you start being cruel to your mother and you start wanting to be right over being kind. It's inevitable. And it's also :(

4. The Negotiation

Finally some form of authority that can take accountability for this wrongness- wait this is off too- where are the women, what's your agenda- I'm sorry Mr. Man Dude what did you say you specialise in??- I'm so sorry that you feel I wronged you I swear that what not what I intended- no I genuinely didn't try to wrong you I'm sorry- okay I can fit in the box, i remember the box, it was okay- wow this box is very nostalgic haha except hold on, something's off and I really can't shake it off this time Mr. Man Dude- no wait please this box is claustrophobic- hold on a second you're all surrounding me and I just took a step back, i didn't step into the box willingly- wait wait why aren't you listening- can you please stop talking over me- wait please no I don't want to be in the box-

......... -hey hi haha let me just fix my hair please at least allow me to do that oh no I can't think of escaping because I can't think yes you're right I can't think at all except about my hair sometimes and I can't escape anyway because you see I know that I'm meant to be the damsel in distress and yes of course it's perfectly alright if you distress me just please allow me to step out for a second to fix my hair and: Mad Dash To Survival.

5. What is it for What am I for Why What does it all mean Why Why Just why

Despair as a level of puberty. And then being offered kindness, company, solace, empathy, comradry, being seen, being comforted. The oh, this is what it's all for, the in-betweens. These things don't just make it possible to rest before getting up to fight again, they are the reason why we fight. Why we get up everyday and outperform and then wonder if we're capable and do the same old same old Every. Single. Day. On repeat. And still feeling so alone but at least having carved out something resembling a purpose. A wish. A desire. Something to take a step for.

(and here, when Barbie meets Ruth for the first time do I understand the opening credits. The kitchen table to a woman that is the monolith the the ape. A space to rest, love, create, live, make, care and care and care.)

6. Communism

Comradry. "Get in Barbie!" And the Opening Up and The Bond and the i-know-what-you-meant looks and the hand-in-hand and the 'i'll do it for you even if I can't do it for me' and the 'you feel this too!!' and the reason why the death of friendships hurt in a place where lovers can never reach. Women. Solidarity. The helping hand. The divine Other but she is not the other, she is you, she is her, she is irrevocably human and faulted and yet she's here and she's lonely too, she's Barbie. She's me.

(ugh I'm tearing up and yeah I cried in the movie, the trees, the old lady, the mom's monologue, the final talk with Ruth, it all just got to me okay. The movie was exactly what I expected it to be and what I wanted it to be and it was perfect like Barbie)

I'm not complaining because everything I'm describing is just what growing up felt like. It felt like a hit after hit after hit of alienation from the world and from oneself and from security. And then there's the other side of tunnel, the perks of adulthood and having fun being a woman in a post-Barbie era. The falling in love with pink again, adult sleepovers, feeling like a Barbie when you rearrange the first house you rent, pretty stuff, strong stuff, kind stuff. And making boundaries with all the Ken's in a way that's fair to both you and the Ken and doing the work to be happy. Yeah. Thank you Greta.

[a-student-out-of-time]

I’m seeing 4 major reactions to this episode

Fwendship for Arei :3

WHAT ARE YOU HIDING STARMAN

Desperately inhaling “Switch theory is wrong copium” and Cynicism hopium

Being 100% convinced Mod is right

I am three of those and I'm 100% convinced you're right

//I know a lot of people are increasingly doubting my theory, and I can understand that, but I promise you that this isn't coming from a place of denial or copium because I want my favorite character to survive.

//This is me asking "Why are there so many unanswered questions this chapter?" Very oddly specific questions to ask and to bring attention to, and here's the biggest one for me:

//If this conversation wasn't in this chapter, my theory would not exist. But its inclusion here feels far too deliberate for me to simply brush it off as an odd quirk.

//Genuine question: if my theory isn't true, why else would it be here? What else could its inclusion be in relation to?

//It can't be about someone framing Nico, not only because they admitted they tried to kill Ace, but because when we saw Nico, Teruko was with Eden and Nico wasn't even wearing their hood. All the exact same details were there.

//This also wasn't included just for the funsies. This was foreshadowed back in Chapter 1, as others have pointed out.

//So, what else could it be referring to? Having it here just to set up future chapter details honestly feels like a waste. DT has had such a tight means of storytelling, where all the small details matter, and when they draw attention to small moments, we shouldn't overlook them.

//Remember how they had a whole conversation about the difference between a DVD and a CD? That proved to be important. Remember how they talked about the air circulation in the playground? That's also proved to be important.

//So why would a conversation about Teruko having prosopagnosia not matter to the outcome of this trial? Why would a hypothetical question posed by Veronika, which Teruko didn't even answer, not matter?

//This is really the crux of my theory. What else could this possibly be referring to if not someone switching places with someone else? And the only two people I can really see actually pulling that off are Arei and J

//And with every passing episode, that idea just becomes more and more plausible to me. Nothing J has said is stuff Arei couldn't also have known from either being there or from hearing from J directly, which she'd have to if they were going to pull this off

//Until we get an actual answer to this, one that explains Teruko's prosopagnosia and firmly establishes why they couldn't have pulled off a switch, I'm going to stick to my theory

//If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But I haven't seen any reasons to believe I'm wrong just yet

[ihopethisendswell]

I've been thinking about dnd a lot. I miss it, and right now I'm rotating my hand elf paladin Moss and my unnamed Tiefling warlock in my head.

Moss is already in a game but we haven't played in a long while. I miss her. I like her character - amnesiac who is confused but got spirit. Genuinely a sweet and kind person that wants to see the best in others, but knows when to pick up a sword - and while the paladin class has A Lot, it's sooo fun and is honestly kinda my perfect balance of what I like? I like doing big close up damage but also having some spells on the side( I tried multi classing once. Not for me, too much information to keep track of-). I have to get used to the fact that I am, in fact, not a squishy bard but rather a tank that will most likely be taking hits for everyone lol.

My Tiefling warlock oc was pretty much made bc I was missing Moss and I wanted her to have a foil. Warlock is pretty much Moss' opposite? Kinda? Paladin vs Warlock, Moss is pretty optimistic all things considered, Warlock is much more cynical. Moss is more than willing to help those in need, Warlock is often out for herself. Moss doesn't really know her purpose ( amnesia), Warlock knows what she wants and is willing to do anything to get it. Basically sunshine and storm clouds lol. I don't see Warlock as evil per say, just someone who is headstrong and believes she has to only look out for herself.

Whenever I think of the two, it's usually in tandem with each other? Despite me not even knowing Moss' deal ( I left it in the hands of my DM) and I. Can't really play Warlock now can I? But I still end up thinking of them as like. Childhood friends that got separated by circumstances or something. Warlock has always had a kill or be killed mentality ( thanks to her family) but has a big ol soft spot for Moss despite Moss not exactly fitting into her own plans. No, it does not hurt when Moss doesn't recognize who she is, thank you very much.

Also, and this is very important, they're both sword fighters! Cause of course they are, what type of doomed(????) yuri wouldn't have sword fights. Moss, as a paladin, generally carries and sword and shield of reasonable bulk. Warlock on the other hand I imagine carrying a saber, I think it's called? Those things swords that look elegant and good for fast movements. Think Weiss from RWBY ( heh. I think if I just said that before, I wouldn't have to explain Warlock huh lmaoooo. I think even her design in my head is pretty much akin to Weiss in some ways). Warlock is a spell caster first and foremost but I imagine she grew up in a family that made sure she knew how to wield a sword before anything else. I've always seen Warlock as more nimble in comparison to Moss. I know I say multi classing isn't for me, but I can see her at least being a rogue too.

So. Basically. Moss is a Redemption Paladin ( this might change but I felt it fits her character) and Warlock is a Hexblade warlock ( and maybe rogue but I'm not 100% sure)

Also to be clear: I haven't played Warlock at all. She's just an oc in my head right now. And I don't even know if she'll be able to be connected to Moss, since Moss themself has a lot going on. But I still adore them, and I should really give Warlock a name. Also Moss isn't Moss' real name, it's just the first thing she saw upon waking up in the campaign she was in and she couldn't remember her real name ( which honestly doesn't feel like her name anymore anyway so.). Her name is Moss.

[saxandviolins77]

Hey I'd love to hear more headcanons about your structies! Like their relationship with each other (I especially love your dynamic between Scrapper, Long Haul, Hook and Bonecrusher), what they like, their hobbies, best qualities or worst traits or anything you'd like to talk about!

Yes! A question about my most special guys! Life is worth living!

I have so many headcanons for them it's hard to choose what to talk about. I am, in fact, planning to make one of those relationship charts where the characters express what they think about the other-I do like them to have unique dynamics between them (I feel there's enough wiggle room for that). Maybe this month I'll have a sudden inspiration burst and finally do it lol.

So let's do best and worst traits of each one, shall we?

Scrapper

Best trait: He is genuinely a good leader. He cares about each team member and their opinion, considers their stand when making a decision that affects them all, and takes care of them all the time (even to the point of smothering, lovingly smothering ofc). He also does not in any circumstance, put himself above them - even going as far as asking them to not call him 'boss', mostly because he sees his position as leader being to guide them and help them reach their full potential.

If you asked him, he'd say something generic, like: "My best trait? Oh, people say I'm a good listener!"

Worst trait: Aside from the serial killer tendencies(that's pretty obvious), he's a fucking manipulator and he doesn't feel sorry about it. The Constructicons as a whole are REALLY insular, (us vs them type of thing), this isn't different with Scrapper, but instead of isolating himself, he uses other people as tools to get them further. Aside from that he can be pretty aloof, even with his gestalt, something he thinks only he should carry all of the team's burdens, which, in turn, makes him grow detached. (But Long Haul snaps him back more often than not.)

If you asked him, he'd say his worst trait is caring too much, not humble brag, he genuinely thinks that (little freak).

Long Haul

Best trait: He's the only person in this gestalt with common sense, I'm not joking. He is down-to-earth and no-bullshit which makes him a perfect second to Scrapper's more unorthodox leadership style PLUS he's the only person who is willing to put Hook in his place.

If you asked him, he's say something like: "I'm the only normal mech in this function, not necessarily a good trait, but have you seen the others?!"

Worst trait: His stoicism sometimes turns into cynicism. He works in a career he hates and doesn't see an escape from it, so the bad vibes more often than not get to him. Of course, he combats this with that sweet apathy, "Oh, it doesn't matter what I want, at least the team is functioning".

If you asked him he'd say his worst trait is that his too damn independent.

Hook (<3)

Best trait: He is good at his job, like REALLY good. Mostly because if he takes on a task or an area of study, he'll not rest until he's the best at it and there is no more room for improvement (for a perfectionist like him? There is ALWAYS room for improvement.) So aside from also being a handsome fella, he's also extremely smart.

If you asked him he'd give you a comprehensible list of all of his traits, in no particular order, they're all his best.

Worst trait: Aside from being a perfectionist and the biggest enemy of deadlines; his ego knows no bounds, he NEEDS to have the last say in everything, he's never wrong no matter what, and he'll bring this hyper-logical approach to any discussion or problem even emotional ones (since his emotional intelligence is... extremely low, don't tell him I said that!)

If you asked him... I think you can guess what he'd do.

Bonecrusher

Good trait: He's an ace at most things(demolitions, fighting, etc...), but unlike his BFF he isn't a braggart. Though I would argue his best trait is that he is fiercely loyal, he hates being talked down to or controlled, but Scrapper earned his respect, so he does anything he says without question.

If you asked him he'd say his focus and discipline are his best traits. (with a small smirk after, because this mofo is LYING.)

Worst trait: He's overprotective. If you mess with his gestalt, consider yourself dead. He really does think only he can fend for his gestalt and take their pains for himself; sometimes he escalates the situation so badly he may even admit he fucked up.

If you asked him, he'd say that sometimes he lets his emotions get the better of him. (Visualize Hook, sneering at him while he says that (because he's SO much better/s))

Scavenger

Good trait: He has the highest emotional intelligence of the team; more often than not serving as the voice of reason between them (not that he is heard by the other 4). Being the oldest also makes him the wisest among the Constructicons (and the faction in general TBH), so I'd think he can see the problems between them from a mile away.

If you asked him, he'd say there's nothing that noteworthy about him.

Worst trait: The constant need for approval(duh!). The older he gets the more his body breaks down, and the less he can work, and since most of his self-worth comes from his usefulness, you can already picture how it affects his mental health.

If you asked him, he'd pass the question.

Mixmaster

Good trait: The most resourceful Constructicon. If being a genius chemist is not enough he can make any type of material or alternative from basically nothing; he also thinks outside the box, which makes him able to solve complex problems in record time using the least amount of resources.

If you asked him, he'd say his best trait is his sense of humor. (NOT TRUE BTW.)

Worst trait: He's the most annoying guy you'll ever meet in your life, like no exaggeration, he simply loves getting on people's nerves (Hook has been his main victim for millions of years, but he isn't picky.)

If you asked him he'd say something like: "Yeah, people say I'm loony, but I do-do-don't see it."

.

Oof long post! If anyone has any specific headcanon questions I am always happy to answer in excruciating detail. <- insane

(Sorry for any typos, feel free to beat me up if you find any)

[dumber-alek]

I was thinking about House MD and women and while the show itself seems to be very sexist - we see the main character saying all king of messed up bigoted shit that isn't being contested, but surprisingly, more often than not, House's biases don't really seem to be thematically confirmed. I'd go as far as to say that ideally an insightful viewer should see that House says these things because he's cynical, emotionally immature, and all sorts of fucked up, but the narrative itself doesn't confirm them, as far as I've noticed.

Usually his comments are sleazy and awful and he questions the female characters' intellect, professionalism, or implies they're too soft for idk. Caring about basic morals and practicing ethical medicine.

And rewatching it around 15 years later and actually paying more attention to the characters themselves I was really struck with how interesting they are.

The female characters in this show genuinely are the most fascinating, gripping and real I've seen in a WHILE. Like I am genuinely in love with Cameron (as annoying as she can be sometimes), Cuddy, Amber, Thirteen...

I was always puzzled by the fact that I find real life men way less interesting than fictional ones and real life women way more interesting than fictional ones and I have NO idea what it is about the way they're written but they're just so REAL to me and I love them 😭

And I find it even more puzzling that a show that sometimes treats these characters so unfairly (at least in terms of the abuse they get from house) also makes them like. So vibrant.