#like it isn't bad but it isn't anything special

[lapdogchase]

on the topic of special ed. i specifically remember in 6th grade one of my best friends was in both the gifted-and-talented program (we were in the same group for english, we did secret book club together) and the special ed program, and. you know those like. stool chairs with round bottoms that u could rock back and forth on, for like, kids with accommodations for adhd or whatever, idk if that's universal, but they were widely coveted and you could only have one in a normal classroom if you had it on ur disability accommodations plan. but if you were in g&t you got to use them in the Secret Meeting Room where you'd do secret book club, right. and i kind of assumed the special ed room was like that too, like you get a bunch of fun items and stuff and everyone treats you like the smartest kid in the world. well it is Not like that.

but i remember one day specifically where my friend was having a really bad day and was on the verge of a meltdown and she was like hey can i take my friend with me to the isolation room. (it was called something like that, maybe solitary room? either way it was something that even at age 11 i was like. bro what?) and i was like. the what? and she was like Oh that's where you go if you're having a meltdown or something and you're in special ed. so we went down to the room and it was in a corner near a janitors closet and i'd never even noticed the door before. and we went in and it was this. narrow, brick room, probably like 7 feet wide and 15, 20 feet long? and it had bright fluorescent lighting that was still somehow jarringly yellow, absolutely nothing on the walls or anything, and at the back wall. one (1) singular bean bag chair.

and i was like. this is where they bring you to CALM DOWN????? and she was like. yeah you get used to it i guess. if you have a meltdown they lock you in here and then screaming won't bother people since it's out of the way. I have forgotten most of my memories from elementary/middle school but i still remember standing in the doorway to that room feeling. so deeply horrified by the whole thing. while my friend thought of it as completely normal.

and like. that same year, or maybe the year before, my little brother was in another school, and he was having a lot of meltdowns and Problem Behaviors (as they were called). and the staff would tell my parents "he had some Behaviors but we Restrained him and he calmed down :)" and. while i was a kid at the time so my parents didn't tell me most of the story. what i know is my parents almost sued his school (and would have if we weren't poor) because when they say they "restrained" him, they meant they locked him in a tiny closet alone until he stopped screaming and crying and hitting the walls. and he was a tiny fucking kid. he was like, 8 at the time? weighed like 50 pounds. my parents found out bc he was coming home with bruises. it's evil it's inexcusable and frankly i hope every adult who turned a blind eye to it dies.

and it wasn't just him, it wasn't just that school, i've heard so many horror stories from my friends who were in special ed & stories my parents have told me about their friends' kids & stuff i've heard online from ex-sped kids etc etc etc. like the way these kids are treated is like, near-universally horrific.

like, if you were neurodivergent in the way where you were "smart" and didn't bother or upset anyone, while it was Very Traumatic (for reasons that have been Posted about by many many people, i don't need to explain them here i don't think). we were treated SO much better than the kids who were in special ed, or who had impulse control problems or meltdowns or anything like that that Bothered adults. and those facts can and do coexist. and it upset me when i was like 15, bc i had that kneejerk "are you saying my trauma isn't that bad" sort of reaction, but like.

being undiagnosed neurodivergent came with its own trauma obviously. and being in the g&t program could be stressful and isolating. but at the end of the day, like. as much as it could suck. they were treating us like we were special, throwing treats in our enclosure, telling us how Smart we are and how we definitely have an iq of 120 or whatever. we'd have little snacks and learn long division and whatever. Whereas they were straight up abusing the kids in special ed. objectively the way they were treated was horrific and cruel and inexcusable. and far worse than the g&t program was. like sorry if it upsets you to hear that. but they weren't locking us in closets they were throwing pizza parties and letting us use the fun chairs. it's just not comparable at all really

[hetalian-veteran]

America's Storage Room Cleaning: The Moment that Changed Hetalia

Hetalia: Axis Powers Episodes 17 and 20: America's Storage Room Cleaning Parts 1 and 2 are probably some of the most consequential episodes of not only Hetalia, but for the Hetalia fandom as a whole. Both for how it broke away from Hetalia's satirical mold, as well as how fans reacted to it. Or at least how I reacted to it.

This episode, which aired in 2009, has been talked about to death. So much so that almost all conversations about it have been had. However, as someone who can't seem to shut up, I'm offering my two cents.

This is the episode where we not only get a deeper look into America's character but also get to see the American Revolution. And instead of portraying this conflict in a funny or satirical light, the whole thing is played out like an emotional, character-driven tragedy.

Let's start by talking about America. We all know how he is. Loud, obnoxious, optimistic, in your face, ambitious, light-hearted---he's more or less portrayed as a giant kid. Seeing as he's still a relatively young nation regarding his history, it makes sense. Especially since most of the other countries in Hetalia are much, much older. In fact, his physical age is stated to be about nineteen years old. Pointing to him being an adult but still being quite young and inexperienced.

As a result, you don't expect to have many serious moments with this character. Not only because of the way he's portrayed, but because of Hetalia's genre being comedy. Up until this episode, you're given numerous laugh-out-loud scenes, funny one-liners, and even a few problematic jokes along the way. Overall, Hetalia is not a series meant to be taken seriously. Still isn't, even in 2025.

But this is what made America's Storage Room Cleaning so jarring.

This is an episode that nearly drops everything Hetalia is known for. There are no laughs. Hardly any jokes. No silly one-liners. No slapstick. No problematic moments that make you cringe and think, "Ooooh, this hasn't aged well." If anything, I'd say this is an episode that has aged like a fine wine. (And no, I'm not just saying that because I'm American).

While going through an old storage room in his house, America mentions that he often has a hard time cleaning it out, as its contents manage to dredge up all kinds of bad memories. Mentioning that it's not always easy looking at one's own history.

And it's here where we get our first look into the history between Britain and America. We've gotten little glimpses of it before in prior episodes when the Hetalia crew was trying to hype us up for this one. But here is where we get to see the pieces put together.

America goes through a few different items, each one detailing a different part of his and Britain's history together.

We see a set of handmade toy soldiers that Britain made for America when he was a young child. One that Britain put a lot of work into, seeing as he nearly broke his hand. America even mentions that Britain painted each soldier with a different face, further showing just how much time and effort he put into the gift.

We see an old suit. One that Britain got for America as he got older. Britain emphasizes the importance of dressing nicely in public. Even though America isn't a fan of the suit, he agrees to keep it and only wears it for special occasions.

These scenes give you the impression that Britain and America have, or at least had, a close relationship in the past.

And then we get to the bayonet. The one with a deep scratch in the side.

Upon seeing it, America is quickly reminded of a confrontation he had with Britain during the American Revolution. Standing in the rain and backed up by an army, America declares his independence from Britain. The latter of whom is deliberately shown to be alone, with no army at his side.

And then America says this:

"Britain! I am no longer a child, nor am I your little brother."

This establishes the nature of their relationship. While not related by blood, they're family. Growing angry, Britain charges at him. America blocks him with his bayonet. The gun flies out of America's hands, and Britain is given a clear opening to shoot him. But he can't bring himself to do it.

Falling to the ground, Britain begins sobbing. As America looks on, we get flashbacks to Britain and America when the latter was a child. Britain holds out his hand with an offer to go home. An offer that a happy, smiling little America cheerfully accepts.

Then the scene flashes back to the war, with Britain continuing to break down in front of his little brother, questioning why and how everything got this way. To which America tells Britain that he knows why. Watching the disheartening scene unfold, America sadly says:

"What happened? I remember when you were great."

The whole episode gives you such an insane, in-depth look at America's character, and even Britain's to an extent. The story is portrayed as a tragedy of two brothers torn apart by conflict. Brothers who love and care about one another but no longer see eye to eye. One desires control, and the other desires freedom and independence.

By depicting America and Britain as family, this episode gives you a vivid window into how this could be seen as a tragedy, but one you know is necessary for one of the characters to grow. It almost plays out like a soap opera.

The reason this episode is, in my opinion, the one that changed Hetalia and its fandom is because this is the episode where we truly got to see the sheer brilliance of Hetalia's potential.

World history is hardly a pretty picture to look at. History, real history, is often violent. Ugly. Controversial. Unsettling. Complicated. And in some instances, downright horrifying.

And yet, on the other side of the coin, history can be incredible. Inspiring. Powerful. Though-provoking. Intellectually stimulating. Beautiful. And at times, even hopeful.

America's Storage Room Cleaning is an amazing episode because of how they portray such an incredible moment in history. It's treated like it's a serious and intense drama. Because, for America and Britain, it is. It's an episode that prompts the audience to think, "If this is how the American Revolution is portrayed using these characters, then how can other conflicts be depicted?"

And I believe it was this episode of the anime/chapter of the comic that led to the creation of the historical side of the Hetalia fandom. Now, I have no doubt that side of the fandom would've formed eventually, regardless of whether or not Hetalia tried to play it straight. But this episode absolutely fueled it, as evidenced by the copious amount of fanart, fanfiction, fanon, headcanons, and cosplays this episode has inspired.

I know there are other moments where Hetalia delves into serious territory. Joan of Arc, the battle of Grunwald, the protests in Russia, etc.

But this is the moment where the audience caught a glimpse of what Hetalia could be. The potential to portray history in such a unique and different way, the likes of which you don't see everywhere else.

[symurgist]

i really like that black and white beta wild battle theme i wish they had done something with it

[screwpinecaprice]

Oh oof I slipped and hit them with dark and serious beam. 😣

[noxious-fennec]

It's pomegranate season :)

A redraw of this piece from around a year ago

[some-pers0n]

I'm really sorry for Hazbin posting again but godddd because this one clip of Alastor and Bill Cipher has been going around late on Twitter reminds me so much of how utterly lame it is when Alastor swears. Like the whole thing that makes him unnerving is how well-spoken he is. I don't even like him saying "fuck you" to Lucifer. Him saying "I'm about to end your fucking life" sounds so lameeeeee he sounds like an elementary schooler who just learned the fuck word

The part that makes him fun and interesting is how well-spoken he is. It kinda plays on the gimmick of radio hosters being kind, chipper fellows and how they don't swear or do anything. It acts as a contrast. I literally don't understand why Viv is allergic to making characters not swear. Him not even swearing would probably be better when it comes to threatening Adam. Like I don't get it. Why is this show's writing like this. He's so uncool and unthreatening when he swears

[anyoldfandom]

The problem with starting to think about the Pack more is the fact that now I want to grab Skalamander the same way I grabbed Bobo like. My house now. I want to use your character potential.

[lord-squiggletits]

"Rodimus is a better Prime because it didn't hurt for him to bond with the Matrix while for Optimus it did" headcanon/theory my beloathed.

One day I'm literally gonna snap and make a whole post addressing why what's wrong bc I'm tired of the inaccuracy and tired of ppl not understanding the Point TM of IDW and its version of the Matrix/Primacy and even more tired of people putting down Optimus in favor of Rodimus by essentially arguing that being unworthy means you deserve to be punished/put in pain bc you just weren't good enough to hold the Symbol of Ultimate Authority

[mars-ipan]

I found the bit of fanfiction you wrote there about the Priest AU..... I like it a lot, wow.. I love Hina breaking down and crying and becoming an absolute mess over these things, poor man. Pats his head. Suffer more. It's so good, jeez....

hehehehe THANK YOU NIVVVV..... i'm not used to doing like . anything creative writing based... but it was fun and i'm happy to see so many people liked it

[reel-fear]

people who still make Joey the ink demon despite canon steering far away from that being the case this is for you I am sending u kisses XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO <3

People who make Joey well-meaning, sympathetic, a lighter shade of morally grey than canon I am also sending u lots of love <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3!!

And people who generally steer wildly from the direction Bendy takes with its characters and has fun with it I hope to see more from all of ur aus and rewrites!!

[ragnar0c]

Yggdrasil is HATER FR...........

[kittlyns]

A hard pill for me to swallow lately has been that, despite everything, I'm probably the best version of myself that could've existed. And that's not really a comforting thought.

[teamhawkeye]

one of the biggest things i will never forgive RE8 for is how dirty they did Mia

in 7, she is partly a damsel in distress, yes - but that’s semi-subverted in her playable segment where she has to rescue Ethan from Eveline and proves she’s competent and a badass. in 8...she gets sidelined before the game even starts and then plays an entirely passive role in the fate of her husband and child in the like 15 minutes she’s actually involved in the game

she also spends all of 7 telling Ethan she’s going to tell him the truth about everything: all the secrets she’s been hiding from him since they met and married, her role in Eveline’s life and how she came to be in Louisiana and doomed the Baker family...to then in 8, being shown to have told the BSAA to conceal all that information from Ethan and never sharing anything with him like she promised to

such a disservice to her character, it genuinely makes me mad still

[bookdork1]

its like, the last time brian was ridiculously romantic, justin almost died so there's something to be said about him not doing that because it all went so wrong before. lindsay asks him doesnt he just want to celebrate that justin is alive and around for another birthday, shouldnt that be reason enough. which is one of the first times since the beginning of season 2 someone besides justin or brian has mentioned what happened, further driving home the point. but then on the other side of it. justin doesn't even remember how devastatingly sappy brian was at prom, let alone that the man sat up watching him sleep for two months in a hospital. so he doesn't have all the information when he lets himself fall for the brian kinney doesn't give a shit act. he knows that brian says in sometimes hard to decipher actions how he feels but sometimes he'd just like a bouquet of roses and. brian is so, so, so close to buying him some. and then he doesnt. sigh.

[lynxgirlpaws]

[m0e-ru]

i have got to keep on looking at pictures of soujiseta for my health I have to see my boy son friend brother boyfriend uncle love of my life best friend cousin grandpa or so help me