#look i am a wreck

[i-am-kind-of-lost]

[stealingyourbones]

Out of all of the people The Ghost King Phantom expected to relate to, it definitely wasn’t the scrawny red headed photographer of the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen has gotten so many temporary superpowers over his time being Superman’s friend. Hell, he once gained a 4th dimensional being’s reality warping abilities when he was given said dimensional being’s powers during a fight. Sure there’s a dozen or so heroes with the same amount of powers he has, but none as suddenly granted to them as a all powerful god that can relate to a teenager.

[eposiemc]

sooooo saying that gem is still stuck in the murder camel is tecnically canon right because wl!gem is VERY clearly not over anything that happened in the secret life finale

[sentientstump]

goodbye waynehouse, i have a job now

[helicidal]

let's watch her die together, shall we?

[arcadebandit]

you should totally draw 80s boyfriends haha,,,

ah yes, my favorite ship dynamic: trash goblin man x sunshine bf

HC: Felix is very, very supportive when it comes to Turbo's races. Even if he wins every lap and likes to be a snob about it, Turbo actually gets super flustered at Felix's compliments because he's so genuine about it.

I love 8-bit yaoi.

[front-facing-pokemon]

[konohamaru-sensei]

ah. it hurts

[giddlygoat]

this needs polishing up but i’ve been listening to it for hours and need to give my ears a rest. in the meantime, here’s a turbo-inspired song WIP! the brainrot is terminal i fear

[a-memory-a-distant-echo]

fuck, ok, i'm watching episode forty again because i am nothing if not supportive when someone i know needs to devastate themself, but it does mean that i have once again watched the 'i'm a little hungry now. go make me a meal,' exchange.

i have noted before that this scene kills me, because it's the one time that fang duobing doesn't let li lianhua distract him. he sees the attempt at the distraction, he thinks he knows what's happening, and he says 'actually, no, not this time,' and he brushes it off.

li lianhua hands over the 'recipe book' knowing full well that if fang duobing opens it, he'll see what it is. he'll see what it is and he'll know what it means, because how could he not?

you have to wonder if part of li lianhua hoped he would. if he hoped that fang duobing would open it and realise what it was, because that would change things. it would have to change things. it's a quiet, miserable bet that he makes with himself: he knows fang duobing well enough to know that he won't look.

and he wins. fang duobing runs off, hoping against hope that he can still fix this, that he can still save li lianhua. he won't realise until he comes back and finds li lianhua gone and opens the book on the table to realise what he's been left.

you have to assume that fang duobing spends the next three months, if not longer, playing this back with a lot of what ifs in his head. what if he'd listened. what if he'd waited. what if he'd looked. it's the last thing that li lianhua ever asked of him, and he brushed it off.

li lianhua, on the other hand. fang duobing brushes him off, sets the book on the table and runs off to find guan hemeng. li lianhua wins his bet with himself: he knows fang xiaobao just as well as he thought he did. he knows him well enough that he can tell himself that he'll be fine.

he's known all along that it would end this way. he's known all along that he was dying and he would leave. he knew fang duobing wouldn't open that book, and he didn't; he freezes li lianhua and he leaves. and li lianhua watches him go, protesting, and when he thinks fang duobing is out of earshot, he goes quiet. he sighs. it worked just like he knew it would. he slumps a little bit. (maybe it worked just liked he hoped it wouldn't.)

and then

he fucking

smiles.

[abnomi]

PSYCHOANALYSIS ON CHARACTER PASTS IN WRECK IT RALPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!

ok... so you know how some characters were never given a backstory to play off of? (like Turbo for example)

i dont know for certain the psychological impact that not having a past could have on video game characters (or if they would even care), but what i do know is that it is objectively damaging to not have anything that came beforehand to work with.

imagine being tossed into a world, have whatever code implanted into your brain tell you specifically what you need to do, not have any choice in the matter, and then be forced to go from there. whether or not the individual believes they need a past is irrelevant; they lack one, regardless.

the psychological differences between video game characters with a past and those without come into question... are those who have a solidified memory of who they were before more or less susceptible to growth over time? or are they both intrinsically equal? maybe it depends on who it is, what game theyre from. some could thrive off of the idea of not being latched onto a past that was chosen for them, while others could long for at least some semblance of an in-between.

all things considered, it would be significantly more difficult to have a broad understanding of emotions when you aren't granted access to the same grace that those with a "before" may have. without any memories, you'd have to rely on your external surroundings to achieve any kind of development; a noticeable contrast to those who already have at least some internal understanding of themselves that came with their programming.

characters who begin their life with a clean slate may be bound to being more actively involved with the world around them because it's how they have to learn. if they don't, they're going to get stuck in the same mindset for an indiscernible amount of time until some kind of external force pulls them out of it. they don't have knowledge of their initial life; all they have is the current moment.

a big factor that correlates with all of this is the psychology of nature vs nurture. in short, "nature" is the deterministic aspect of genetics (or in this case, code) influencing who one may be, while "nurture" is how one's development is influenced by the role that one's surroundings might play. in humans, we experience both of these; they go hand-in-hand. in the WiR universe, however, it's not always guaranteed that a character will have a chance at having both at once.

those with a past get both nature and nurture, bundled into one package. however, those without are only presented with nurture, tossed into a world and expected to move on from there (maybe with a faint sprinkle of nature, but not anything that goes beyond an implication of what their life was like before spawning in). they have limited options compared to the ones who don't have to start off on a blank slate.

something else to keep in mind is how without the presence of a past, there will be far more variations between the same character across different locations. without any code telling them who they used to be, they will learn about who they are through their environment and go from there. of course, no single character will be the exact same, but code largely determines the mindset of a character and how they process the world around them.

in Turbo's case, i personally think it wouldn't matter a whole lot to him because of its irrelevance to his main concerns, but it undeniably had a strong hold over his behavioral development as an individual; he is very immature. he had no foundation to start off with... well, other than the message that was branded into his mind, dictating every decision that he has ever made: he has to win.

he acted like a child when he first came around because, in a sense, he was one (not literally HAHA, i think of him as in his late 30s). his game was plugged in for about five years before he had the biggest tantrum of his life, and keeping in mind how game characters are technically immortal until the moment they're unplugged (unless they die in another game before then), this really wasn't that much time in the grand scheme of things. it was hardly anything at all.

without a healthy outlet to process his feelings, coupled with an unnerving lack of life experience beforehand, of course he'd lash out a lot! of course he'd be overwhelmed by his own emotions to the point of not knowing what to do with himself!

that doesn't excuse his behavior at all, as he did have opportunities to change for the better or learn from his mistakes, but he chose not to. he was too stubborn for his own good.

maybe part of the reason he's so hellbent on being the best is not only because it's lodged into his code to feel that way, but also because it would feel like betraying what little personality he was coded with to go against it. yes, he's never been too keen on the idea of having anything or anyone tell him what to do, but consider this: he's clinging to his own identity, protecting what small fragments he was given and holding onto them for dear life. he doesnt have a past; he has goals, and losing said goals would be losing himself and the footing he has on his own identity. he's defined by succeeding, and he refuses to let this go. this is more headcanon-territory but it is fun to explore concepts like these!!! bro is internally empty.......

Felix has a past, yes, but it's vague and uncertain. he had a father, but does he even know what the man looked like? who he was beyond a name and an heirloom?

notice how it took thirty years for the handyman to shift his perspective on who Ralph was as a person. this could likely both be a product of the nicelanders and himself all being programmed with the belief that "Ralph is a bad guy," thus internalizing it, combined with the external influence and pressure Felix upheld being the good guy. (EDIT (LOL!!!!!): i know felix doesnt hate ralph but constantly being surrounded by everyones fear of him would have at least made him cautious about interacting with him)

his younger years have no hold on how he makes decisions, especially considering how absent said years are. his code only hints at the idea of a father, alongside the foundational belief that he is good.

his lack of a clear upbringing contributed even more to his sheltered persona, oblivious to the hardships that everyone else might face. combine this with how every NPC he surrounded himself with never dared to criticize him, he was prone to experience stunted empathetic development. he was never a bad guy by any means, but his lack of exposure to difficult situations did not fare well for his psyche.

that isn't to say he hadn't ever been in any difficult situations before. the roadblasters incident absolutely shook him to his core and likely cut deep into him, as he hadn't ever experienced anything similar to it before. without a fleshed-out past, he didn't have a bright idea of what hardships might linger just beneath the surface.

to his credit, he has changed for the better, now having more awareness of how others feel and function outside of himself. he makes sure to treat everyone with equal amounts of dignity, regardless of any preconceived notions he might have. :-]

when it comes to Calhoun, her experiences shape her significantly, directly being the cause of her hypervigilant and instinctual nature. it can't be ignored that she suffers from PTSD due to how her character's life was mapped. this demonstrates that having knowledge of who one was before isn't always necessarily a wholly good thing. not to say that her condition makes her broken in any way! it just brings difficulty into her life that wouldn't have been present otherwise.

there is some goodness that can be brought to the surface from this; just as it isn't completely good, it isn't completely bad, either. on the opposite end of the coin, she knows how to keep herself and others safe. if it weren't for her predetermined past, she'd potentially face more struggles on the battlefield.

not only that, but it helps us, as the audience, empathize with her character, along with Felix. we learn that she isn't simply intense and nothing beyond that; she's just been through a lot. on top of all of this, she is very emotionally mature and understands how to push through horrific situations, especially when necessary. it is her job to do so, after all!

Calhoun's heavy experiences may be part of her character's mold, but they do not define who she is. a past only steers a character in an approximate direction; it does not 100% determine how they grow from there. we directly see evidence of this when she moves forward and marries Felix :-]

and then there's Vanellope :-] she did have a past, but it was ripped away from her. how does she cope with this? by defining herself and becoming her own person, unrestricted by her code. she didn't start off as a princess, she started off as Vanellope.

even when she had the chance to reclaim her status as princess, she didn't, instead choosing to stick with the version of herself that she passionately created. there's a great chance that she wouldn't be the silly little booger we all know and love if it weren't for her time to think about who she was and who she wanted to be; the omission of her past was a significant contributor in how she now presents herself, unconfined to how she is apparently "supposed" to be. she has more room to choose for herself.

she doesn't let anyone else tell her who she is, holding her handcrafted identity with pride. her eccentricity is nowhere near a flaw, making itself known as a strength. her perspective of the world is unique to her and allows her to emotionally connect on a deep level with Ralph.

one doesn't need to be tied to a past to be a person. it doesnt put any more or less weight on anyone's worth, and we see this as clear as day with her character! starting off with nothing, she grew into her own skin and found her sense of self all by herself without the guidance of anyone else. i am so proud of her. i love my baby ok

above all else, having a past isn't a surefire way to predict how one may develop; it is only an aspect of who someone is. an important aspect, yes, but there are many other things to consider in the sea of personalities and experiences...

the biggest difference between having one and lacking one is ultimately how an individual character might go about how they change over time and how long said progression might take. the past is only a starting point; a pre-written map without a marked destination created in order to provide a basic concept of who exactly one was earlier on. being left without one leaves some with a need for more effort to figure life out, and this distinction will affect everyone in many different ways. at the end of the day, though, a map is just a map. the road itself is what matters most 👍

[king-crawler]

King Candy's Trans Coding (hear me out)

The fact Turbo could've coded any look for himself, and yet he went with King Candy, an identity that embraces aspects of femininity. Gender nonconformity probably wasn't the intention- his design has more of a focus on being royal. Aka. "I'm superior to everyone." But even those outfits are more feminine-leaning, with the tights and frilly-lace fabric y'know. Not to mention his mannerisms. Being a silly clown guy is Not in fact a part of the gender binary

Also Turbo never seemed uncomfortable with his new identity as King Candy, and not only did he embrace it- He was OBSESSED with it. He put his FACE on EVERYTHING.

like what the fuck even is this.

But one thing for sure is that King Candy doesn't resemble anything like his old self. That might've been out of necessity to stay hidden, but the "hiding old self and presenting in a new way" theme is Still There. And that new presentation happens to incorporate aspects of gender expression his previous identity did Not have. (am i looking too deep into this? perhaps.)

OH BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.

I find it interesting King Candy was never appalled by his new Cybug form. Cuz when encountering Ralph it was never: LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME...

It was: LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME :)

it was EUPHORIC for him. Because he IS a monster. "BECAUSE OF YOU RALPH, I'M NOW THE MOST POWERUL VIRUS IN THE ARCADE!!" This form finally reflects his true self and what brings him the most joy. and that just so happens to mean being parasitic, powerful, and sadistic. which. well he should work on that

But what matters is he's in a drastically different body now and he LOVES IT. this is literally the HAPPIEST he's been ALL MOVIE. Is That Not a form of Identity/Gender Euphoria.... ? ??

turbo is evil trans coded you can't convince me otherwise. also i wish i was him

[yours-truly-henry-jekyll]

A bit about just how stupid I can be. So when Fifteenth Doctor casting was first announced, I went like "Ok, I liked Eric. And Ncuti is genuinely a cool actor. But, like, that's a child, your honour. Like didn't he play a literal freaking schoolboy just a couple years ago. And that isn't even like in case with Buffy. He's probably about twenty at best". And then, behold people, for I was absolutely shooketh. People, please, never believe teen dramas. And don't believe Derry Girls. Especially don't believe Derry Girls. I am still surprised about Nicola Coughlan

[skitterjitter]

Ratio/Aventurine can go two ways:

1. Ratio viewing Aventurine as…not a science experiment, but something interesting pull apart and study, enabling his worst behaviors just to see the consequences, whatever they may be

2. Ratio refusing to let Aventurine burn himself out, treating him with care because no one else will (including himself and excluded Topaz)

In either case, Ratio’s attention is firmly fixed on Aventurine because he’s smart and can actually hold an intelligent conversation with Ratio. He may not be able to explain in minute detail how something works like Ratio can, but he knows how to get the results he wants and practical knowledge is still knowledge. A gambling fool Aventurine might be, but never an idiot or stupid

Also, Ratio realizing he likes Aventurine and being Mad about it is so funny. Aventurine may realize he cares about Ratio, but it would be hard for him to accept and admit his own feelings because he feels guilty for any comfort he finds and doesn’t think he deserves it unless there’s an edge to it

I like to think they had a…relationship of sorts going into Penacony, because it makes things a whole lot more painful. It balances out afterwards though, because we don’t know if he’s entirely free of the IPC, but the less Aventurine is attached to the IPC, the less he has to keep up his facade and the more Ratio gets to see the man underneath, whether he goes by Aventurine, Kakavasha or a different name entirely

[dr-mothman]

I think not a lot of people talk about AM's self-esteem issues and self-destructive tendencies and it makes me sad.

[wildsaltair]

now that the seven busiest days of the year are FINALLY over, I can get back to my Maximus insanity. here have a close-up of the hands and arms that make guest appearances in every daydream I have ever had