#more generally has a better handle on his limits? if that makes sense

[madredhattie]

One thing I’ve noticed is the Battle Subway is unique among battle facilities in being accessible early in the game - the second you reach Nimbasa you can challenge it. Other facilities are all post game - so in-universe, I feel like there’s a higher standard for challenging them. So, here’s an idea:

Ingo and Emmet have one long-standing serious argument that has never been resolved, and it’s the one of the very few times Ingo has pulled the elder brother card to ‘win’ : the debate over minimum requirements for challenging the Battle Subway. Ingo believes (and used his older twin status to implement) that there should be no restrictions on who challenges the Subway: all trainers are welcome, no matter their skill level, to come test their mettle! Pursue ever greater heights no matter where you start! 

Emmet would like there to be a minimum badge requirement. He doesn’t want to bore the Subway’s pokemon and depot agents with unfulfilling battles from trainers who aren’t serious - it means the front end agents get overwhelmed while the later teams don’t see as much work. Also, it can be pretty crushing for young trainers to be absolutely curbstomped by competitive teams. They may not wish to come back if they can’t even get past the first agent! So for that, Emmet would like trainers to have at least some experience with the gym circuit before taking on their Subway - that way he knows there’s at least some level of seriousness to their intentions.

It’s the whole Ideals vs Truth thing the twins have going on: Ideally, every trainer has the potential to reach great heights! But the truth is, not everyone is that strong - or wants to get that strong.

(This isn’t Emmet looking down on weak trainers, btw. He’s just as supportive as Ingo to people who are *serious* about getting stronger and reaching greater heights! He’s just not really interested in trainers who are only challenging them for the novelty or as a fun thing or so on. He’s way more enthusiastic about the kid with the Watchog ace who keeps coming back with new item combinations and team attempts than he is about the person who has beaten all eight gyms in Unova with their Hydreigon and has straight up shrugged off losing to the Bosses because ‘I got all the BP I needed for x item’.)

[misssmina]

Characterizing Characters

Bakugou Katsuki.

I’ll be using the source material to create a simple list of traits he has already, then based on those traits, things we can infer about him based on those behaviors.

SourceMaterial!Bakugou is a hothead, we know this. However, at UA, his anger is almost never unreasonable. He is regularly the butt of his classmates jokes and teasing, which makes him argumentative. Outside of that he is just a very competitive teen with a grumpy disposition. He is pre-irritated.

SourceMaterial!Bakugou is rarely malicious in his words. Most things he says seemingly comes from a place of indifference. (Calling people extras, taking a long time to learn names and quirks, etc.)

SM!Bakugou is a goody two-shoes, despite his mouth. He sleeps early, studies hard, has been seen yelling at his classmates about making sure to eating well.

SM!Bakugou is socially awkward. He doesn’t just struggle with being nice, he struggles with being appropriate in general.

SM!Bakugou has great deductive reasoning skills. It helps in battle as well as him learning about interpersonal relationships.

SM!Bakugou is half decent with kids, he makes a point of analyzing and understanding their behavior to relate to them.

SM!Bakugou is a tough love kind of guy, but he actively acknowledges his classmates strengths.

SM!Bakugou has mission anxiety from both times he was held hostage.

SM!Bakugo regularly pushes his physical limits, regardless of injury or wellbeing.

Now we can make some inferences based on the information we have already.

ProHero!Bakugou found better outlets for his anger. MMA, quirk ranges, general exercise, etc.

ProHero!Bakugou still hates the press, but has learned how to conduct himself professionally. His interviews give the same cold feel as Aizawa’s.

ProHero!Bakugou would hold youth self-defense classes featuring different heroes, to prevent incidents like the sludge villain from happening again.

ProHero!Bakugou would take on many mentees and sidekicks. Feeling he’d be the best person to whip them into heroes.

ProHero!Bakugou would not give lots of verbal praise to his mentees and sidekicks. He’d just give them more responsibilities as the are able to handle them.

ProHero!Bakugou would have similar scaring to ProHero!Sero. Scars from injury and muscle damage would be most prominent on his shoulders, biceps, and forearms.

ProHero!Bakugou would work very closely with ProHero!Kirishima, ProHero!Jirou, and ProHero!Uraraka. Relying on their skills in combat, reconnaissance, and rescue, respectively.

Now, some personal headcannons I have. 💥

Bakugou rolls his eyes, A LOT. Mainly to keep himself from saying something out of pocket.

He cracks his wrists a lot, and his fingers are always sore.

He is a momma’s boy, but he’s an easier child for his father.

Bakugou is a polyglot.

Bakugou wouldn’t date another hero, but not a regular civilian either. Maybe someone in the medical field?

Bakugou has cuteness aggression with animals and his friends think it’s hilarious.

He takes Yaoyorozu with him to events because, “She’s the only one with any sense around here.”

Bakugou has gotten in trouble for modifying and tinkering with his gauntlets without approval.

Let me know who I should do next. I may do a secondary post the further I get into rewatching the show.

[inbarfink]

Ever since we saw Finn and Simon’s little failed camping trip

I’ve been thinking a lot about this scene in ‘Prisoners of Love’, the very first Ice King episode in the whole show.

Because like… even this early on, long before Finn even heard the name ‘Simon Petrikov’, he already recognized that Ice King probably needs some serious help. But being a young child and a ‘simple dude’, he can’t give Ice King the help he needs - and he knows it. He just kicks his ass and rescues the princesses basically because he’s painfully aware of the limits of his emotional maturity. 

And now, Finn and Simon are genuine friends and he’s actually the first person Simon really confides with about the fact that he still needs help

And while his child self was sure he couldn’t help Ice King, he’s now honestly believes (or at least wants to believe) that he can help Simon

And he tries so earnestly to help, from the bottom of his heart, and he still fails miserably and he doesn't even realize it!

On some level because he’s still that ‘simple dude’, but he actually had a better understanding of his limitations as a child than as an adult. And on some level because he has grown more complex, but in the sense that he now has a fuck-ton of his own trauma and grief that he has no idea how to handle.

And it just says so much about how far these two have come, and how much Finn grew and matured since the start of Adventure Time and how much things changed - and also how much they’ve stayed the same. And like, even about the nature of ‘maturity’ in general. Y’know, what does it mean when Child Finn at his very childish knew his limitations so vividly - while as an adult he denies them?

But I’m also thinking about the last part of Finn’s ‘Prisoners of Love’ dialogue - the part where he suggests that the Ice King could talk to Jake. Especially when everything about Finn and Simon’s F&C interactions happens very obviously under the shadow of Jake’s death.

Now, I was never really quite sure that ‘Prisoners of Love’ Finn was right about Ice King needing to talk to Jake. I think that was more of Finn idolizing how wise and mature his big bro was. Because, like, Jake kinda alternates between genuinely giving a lot of good advice and between just saying whatever makes excuses for his many personal vices. Plus, he always had less patience and sympathy towards the Ice King compared to Finn.

Including that very scene! That’s literally shown in the next line of dialogue!

But, maybe if it was Finn and Jake together - the combination of Finn’s sympathy and genuine drive to help and Jake’s wisdom and good advice could've helped a lot more. And also... it is literally Finn’s grief over Jake that indirectly led to Finn’s attempt to help Simon to fail so spectacularly. So you can at least say that if Jake was around - as in if he was still alive, maybe this wouldn't have turned out so badly.

And also.......

It feels pretty notable to me that by the end of the Series, the person who did get Simon to the root of all of his Issues, possibly the most important singular conversation Simon had

was with Beth the Pup Princess. The Jake of the +1000 Era. Quite possibly Jake's literal reincarnation.

[orbital-inclination]

how would i go about rizzing molt/rem up.....

Another fun ask!

Molt: As reserved and wary as Molt is, it's best to take things slow and easy. Be confident but honest. Contradicting your feelings in front of him will not endear him to you. It may sound incredibly basic, but demonstrating respect for his space, and showing him how much you value him will go a long way.

In terms of actual flirting; lots of praise and compliments. Molt is not used to praise (and does not generally expect to be shown appreciation) so its a fun way to fluster him! Back up your words with thoughtful gestures, delicious pastries, and quiet dates, and you're well on your way.

Fair warning though, be prepared for a slow burn. He’ll likely become aware of your feelings before you do, but because a lot of his fears and insecurities are tied to the idea of his magic influencing others, he will initially believe he has tricked and manipulated you into liking him. In response, and as your feelings deepen, he’ll try to distance himself from you. Though it will hurt him as much as it hurts you.

Through persistence, prove to him that your feelings are sincerely your own, and you’ll stand a solid chance! Some Notes: 1) Molt is blind, so, more often than not, dates with him will involve using the other senses. Music avenues. Plays. Movies. Bakeries. Some sort of event were tasting food or drinks is involved. A petting zoo. Trying all the carnival food at the local fair, etc, etc.

Some obstacles: 1) Rem is protective of his brother. As you get closer to Molt, Rem may become suspicious of your intentions. The last thing he wants is to see his brother heartbroken. And he'll be especially furious if he believes that's what you've done. This is not a position you want to be in. Be careful. If Rem starts giving you a hard time, Molt will back you up. He is not afraid to stand up to his brother, and does not appreciate Rem's protectiveness when it starts to interfere with his personal relationships. 2) While you won't get the shovel talk from Blue, (because he believes in honest communication between adults and trusts Molt not only to handle own affairs, but also to come to him if he needs help.) you will, however, get the stink-eye from Cross, who, as Molt's self-appointed body guard, feels morally obligated to hate you. (Spoiler: you'll grow on him after a while.)

Rem: Rem is a classic romantic. He carries himself like a prince and expects to be courted like one. If you want his attention and affection, you must first impress him in some way. Present him with gifts, challenge him to a strategy game, dress up for dates to show you care. Don’t worry though, you aren’t expected to do ALL the work. Once you have his attention, he’ll be hard pressed to turn the tables. All your grand ideas will seem like child’s play compared to the strings he’ll pull to express his growing fondness for you. A note: one of the dates Rem invites you on will involve committing some sort of petty crime. (breaking and entering, theft, trespassing, etc etc.)

Some obstacles: 1) Before you can even get close to Rem, Killer is going to test you. He’s gotta make sure you’re worthy of his boss, after all, and that's a high bar! Be prepared to deal with high-jinx and shenanigans. Most of which will try your patience and test the limits of your tolerance for BS.

2) Needless to say, how you treat Molt will massively impact Rem’s opinion of you. Unlike the reverse, Molt won't give you the shovel talk. He won’t even challenge you. But he will watch you. And Rem will ask him what he thinks of you. Molt’s opinion matters a lot. You better put your best foot forward. Not getting Killer's or Molt's approval won't end your would-be relationship, but it WILL make things significantly harder.

[minecraftbookshelf]

Life Series Scarring Headcanons: Part 1

I'm going in alphabetical order by player handle, so this one is BDoubleo100, Bigbst4tz2, Ethoslab, and GoodTimesWithScar

The concept at hand is that during each game, every death leaves a scar, after the game, those are gone, replaced with scarring from their final death.

I did take some creative licence with the deaths, mostly in the sense of figuring out ways to handle Fall Damage in a slightly more RL based context, as well as figuring out approximately where final blows would fall based on the respective positioning of the players in question. (I did both a lot of video watching and also pointing at and posing myself figuring this out.)

Related to that Content Warning for general blunt but vague descriptions of varying injuries and ways to die, including but not limited to shattered bones and impaling.

Disclaimer that I did make all these diagrams in paint so they are hardly the pinnacle of artistic reference, but I think it gets the point across. Xs indicate arrow kills and i used the spray paint mode for fire/lava/explosion damage. All scars are color coded by series.

I forgot to mark it on the diagrams themselves, but light green is for scars left from the death of the Double Life soulbond partner. The soulmate who died second has phantom scars from their partners death, fainter and sometimes smaller, but still there.

Pink scars are the ones that, while not final deaths, had a significant impact on the story, the cubito, or both.

This project has also has shown some interesting patterns in how some of them tend to die.

On with the show!

BDubs

Third Life: Scar chased BDubs down and killed him with his sword before heading off with Grian to have Their Moment at the cactus ring. He turned around to fight Scar at the last minute, so the killing blow came from the front.

Last Life: BDubs was shot and killed by Grian as he fled after he betrayed the Red Pack and killed Lizzie so that Etho would give him a life.

Double Life: Pearl chased BDubs down and killed him (I believe with an axe) after Tilly died. Like in Third Life, he turned and fought at the last minute, so the killing blow came from the front.

Limited Life: Bdubs' final death was from a TNT Minecart dropped by Impulse, it landed slightly above and to the right of him, so that is where the damage is localized.

BigB

(You see what I mean about trends in the way that some of them tend to die?)

Third Life: BDubs shot him as BigB, the last surviving member of the Red Army, tried to escape from him and the Desert Duo. I placed that scar a bit lower than the others because BDubs is short.

Last Life: Cleo shot and killed him in a river. He was also poisoned from a potion she threw in the skirmish prior, so his health was very low. Reflecting that, my choice for that arrow was that it skimmed the side of his neck and he probably would have survived it had he been in better health at the time.

Double Life: Grian dropped a dripstone stalactite on Ren's head in Box, killing both Ren and BigB. His scar from this is a bit smaller and fainter than Ren's due to Ren being the one to actually receive the injury.

Limited Life: Smajor shot and killed him while he tried to escape through the woods. From what I can tell Scott came at him from the side, so I put the scar for that one reflecting it.

Etho

Believe it or not this is not the worst that it gets.

Third Life: Etho died to fire damage dealt by Impulse during the Battle of Dogwarts. I chose the location for it based of the direction the attack that initially caught him on fire came from.

Last Life: Joel killed Etho before dying himself when the later-game red lifers banded together to take out him and Grian. Etho struggled with his shield during that confrontation, which let Joel get enough hits in to kill him before being killed immediately after by Scott. I placed that injury as a glancing blow off the top rim of his shield.

Double Life: Etho and Joel died to a lava-trapped nether portal. The scars are from the lava flow. Etho died first, so his scars are a bit more prominent than Joel's.

Limited Life: Etho (like so, so many other people this season) died to fall damage. He was fighting the Mean Gills on the edge of the Bad Boy Manor and fell. The "camera angle" of the ground as he fell is pretty much how i decided where the impact probably was.

Scar

Third Life: I deviated a bit here because for everything else I really just went with "this was the final straw that broke the camels back" when picking scars, but I feel like the narrative and character significance of the Cactus Ring excuses the Death By A Thousand Cuts look. The heaviest concentration of scars from the ring are on his knuckles (from hitting), forearms (from blocking) and back and the side of his face (where he fell into the cacti).These are all small, relatively faint scars, there are just. A lot of them. EDIT: He's going to have some lasting explosion scars from the creeper Grian killed him with as soon as I have the opportunity to update the diagram.

Last Life: He was shot by Ren in a skirmish in the woods, that's genuinely all I have to say about that one, sorry. I decided it was a really good shot on Ren's part that got him right in the eye.

Double Life: So, sonic booms don't really...leave marks. They just liquidize your internal organs. I do think though that he and Grian probably have some faint mark approximating the center of their torsos. Because magic. And Lore.

Limited Life: Grian stabbed him in the back and then chased him down and killed him. The infamous "ultimate betrayal" because someone forgot that they were technically only barely endgame allies this season. Because Grian is incapable both of not killing Scar and not being dramatic about it.

-

Part 2

(There are five posts in this series in total, each of them will have links to the first one, as well as the one preceding and the one coming after)

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Last Twilight, Ep. 1 Thoughts

Full disclosure, I am very neutral about JimmySea as a pairing, and literally the only reason I am watching Last Twilight is to see how Aof Handles Disability: Round 2. While I certainly had quibbles with some stuff in Moonlight Chicken, I was generally impressed by the way Aof navigated that storyline both on and off-screen. And seeing characters with disabilities in BL has been extremely rare. 

So, I just want to share my thoughts on the first episode of Last Twilight because there was not enough going on in it for me to personally write an actual analysis. I also want to make it clear that I am not blind, and do not know how accurate an experience any of what is going on may be to blind people. 

BUT! I will say that I was desperately in love with the way they opened the entire show. And I don’t mean like the intro, I mean the “this is a fictional series///raikon dopini” announcement at the beginning because they blurred it at the beginning (and let it become clear over time). Aof and co are getting a lot of mileage with their use of Day’s level of vision, but I personally think it is important to periodically remind the audience of what Day’s working with:

OH ALSO, CONTENT WARNING FOR STROBE EFFECTS FROM TIME 0:18-0:34 IN PART ONE. 

That said, there were a few aspects of Day’s disability storyline that I found interesting. 

I loved watching everybody interview for the caretaker position, it was really fun to see the comedy and ridiculousness of some of the common sentiments (shout out to Mr. “I’m not helping him, he’s helping me”, worst anyone has ever done it, buddy: 12/10) being played for the absurdities they are.

I loved some of the set dressing, even if it feels a little obvious. The painting in Day’s house with like four or five heads being split by one giant eye in the center is a fucking brilliant choice. (and this is not related to the disability aspect, but the little bandaid Rung put on her car absolutely killed me, what an adorably tragic detail). 

3. I already said it, but I loved the way that Aof and co cuts between their normal sharpness and Day’s level of vision. Especially because Aof is using Sea, who I feel like most of the fan base knows, and has seen very much be Not Blind. I think stories that center around disability should actually be spending time showing the audience the difficulties that can stem from disability. It was extremely helpful, to me at least, to know what and how Day sees, you get a much better sense of danger when he walks in to the street, when you know how he is trying to navigate. I loved how impossible it was to differentiate the shuttlecock from the ground during the badminton game. And, I think they got the balance right, and didn’t over use that tactic in the first episode, but I will be interested to see if they continue to use it throughout the show

4. The semi-infantilization of Day by his family. This feels so similar to some aspects of Heart’s family dynamics and so different in others. Both families are very protective of their disabled child in the sense that they (in my mind) overestimate their child’s limitations. But, where Heart’s family was more detached from him: leaving him alone in the house so often, not learning sign language, etc. Day’s mother won’t even let Day stand up and walk like…30 feet in a straight line. Day’s brother, Night, yells at Day for getting out of the car and going up to the Society for the Blind so he can search for music to listen to. It is really fascinating actually, having just wrapped up Unit 2: Race, Class, and Disability from @bengiyo’s queer cinema syllabus, to compare the way Day, a grown adult man, is being treated by his family, compared to say, Leo from The Way He Looks. There are definitely intersections of concern and tighter leashes around these characters than I think either Day or Leo would like. But, because Leo has been blind his entire life, there are aspects of his blindness that are normalized and integrated in his family that are not present in Day’s because…they are new to the whole blindness thing.  __

Something I am iffy about as this progresses is the conversation around eye transplants for Day.  Of course, everyone has the right to choose how to handle their disability, but in a story that from my own interpretation feels like it is partially about accepting new realities, I am waiting to see how that particular story element shapes up. I also think there is/was an opportunity to play with sound in thai show, and I do not know if they are going to do that. But, GMMTV and sound design have never really gone hand in hand.  __

One thing I very much did not like about Day’s disability storyline: 

THE FUCKING CENTER FOR THE BLIND DOES NOT HAVE BRAILLE

ANYWHERE!

I don’t know where they shot this, if it was at an actual center or if it was a set/made to be a center for the blind but…

There is no braille on the elevator 

There is no braille on the books

There is no way to easily know what CDs are on that table. 

And like, I have no clue as of yet if braille is something that Day has learned (and I did look it up there is both Thai and Lao braille). It’s been a year since he started losing his vision, so he would have had time to learn. But this center does not revolve around Day, so either way, WHY THE FUCK IS THERE NO BRAILLE? I have to assume this is a place they just dressed as a center for the blind, and that there were limited changes they could make to the space or something to justify the fact that this society for the blind is not accessible for the blind. 

Also, everybody in the center was staring at Day trying to find the CD that he dropped, and like…y’all are staff at a center for the blind, why are you acting so surprised? 

Curious to see how this show continues. 

[majycka]

Hello!! I just wanna drop by and say i enjoyed your Utahime thoughts! And i wanna share s couple of my cents if that's alright? Here we gooo

So I'll start by saying that i have nothing against anyone that ships gjhm, that's the beauty of fandom and aus and stories. however, i have tried to see the appeal in a realistically speaking sense within the context of the actual story and i just cannot. for the life of me. Like it's pretty evident that Utahime does not like Gojo, and that he's very disrespectful towards her, however, there is the trust they share because of their roles as teachers and their ideology. it's not that Utahime is an unreasonable person that would turn down an offer that would put her students in harms way right? but the thing is, I don't think the story ever set up any sublots for them to like each other you know? And I don't wanna be a killjoy when i say this altho i probably am, but rather that it's just not something author has envisioned for them?

i do think Gojo likes Utahime, but just not in a romantic sense, and this sort of dynamic is really reminiscent of that i would find in siblings, where one is endlessly annoying and the other wants to strangle the younger. i think if the story went the other way instead of the one it went now, Utahime and Gojo should cooperate and be understanding of one another as in good colleagues/friends? but given how Utahime was written and her limited appears in the story, luckluster and underwhelming sometimes, it's nearly impossible, and it's mostly on gege because all these characters have so much potential yet he only utilizes them as plot devices, in short it's not about the characters unfortunately.

and frankly i can't blame people for creating aus, in fact go ahead, it's what makes shipping so great! like i love to ship gojo too, mostly with geto or sometimes shoko heck i even like to pair him with ocs or readers too! but idk why i just can't picture him and Utahime ever being in a relationship at least within the story like context. again i don't wanna undermine anyone who loves this ship, i am all supporting but i just wanted to get out how i see it. Hope this wasn't confusing!

I see what you're coming from, Anon! People have varying preferences/opinions, and that's the beauty of it! I know Gege wouldn't draw out a romance plot line because he stated he ONLY sees it for mutamiwa. I can be delusional with gjhm BUT realistically, I’d never trust Gege EVER to handle a romance plot line cuz it will probably end tragically lol.

Imma try to speak from gojohime pov and give some insight why I personally love the ship.

I think the gjhm fans that I've seen doesn't ship them just because its ability to be canon but instead the dynamic that gjhm offers. Like you said Utahime does hate him while Gojo seems to like her, and the most funny part for me is that Gojo genuinely believes her "annoyance" is a joke between them. The way I see it, it offers this a slowburn romantic comedy potential with Gojo learning to get over himself, step up, and have this massive realization of falling for Utahime. I had this convo with my moot ola and moot said how basically Gojo just went “shit, she CAN fix me!” with Utahime (Because ya know how Utahime is everything Gojo isn’t) thus he continues to bug her xD

There's just so much to "play" with their dynamics honestly if you take them out of the canon story. You'd think that a slow burn romance would be two people earning each other's trust then doing all the slowly loving/liking part, but since the story already has set up that gjhm have each other trust because they share the goal of teachers fostering the new generation of sorcerers plus their decade of familiarity with each other, it makes you think what's more to this slowburn romcom?

Well, the way I see it, their opposing teaching beliefs can help them learn from each other and be better teachers. Gojo will be forced out of his emotionally constipated ways. Utahime's strength in her patience and ability to connect with other will be highlighted. They can be such a fun colleagues to lovers slowburn romcom type of story ya know which I honestly find hilarious xD So yehhh thats basically why I ship these two fuckers :^)

[miirshroom]

Farseer and Tawny Man Trilogies

Thinking about the Magics

Finished re-reading Fool's Fate and appreciating how the chain of cause and effect is handled in this series. FitzChivalry is a mess of a person who swings wildly between making pragmatic decisions and irrational decisions as a consequence of everything that was done to him, and his clashing poorly-trained mental magical abilities. He's self aware enough to be introspective about agonizing over the choices made or not made and the sum of life experience and mistakes that make up the whole of a person. But since the accounting is written from his own perspective it's hard to tell sometimes if his bias is giving himself more or less grace than he deserves.

It's also interesting how the Tawny Man trilogy brings into sharper focus that mind magic is a kind of neuro-divergency. Like, because of these magical senses Fitz literally sees the world in different ways from other people, ways which he is constantly having to mask and which makes him unpredictable and distant even from most of his friends and allies because they can't follow his internal logic. And this is another layer on top of all the other physical and mental trauma.

The Effect of the Skill on the Mind

How could the Skill not be tied to mental reasoning, considering that it allows the user to rummage around inside the minds of other people? The Skill can be used to know a person on an impossible level that is beyond such imprecise things as words. It can be used to walk outside of a person's own body and step into the life of another person with the sensitivity, as a passive rider or active force. However that is only of practical use between Skill users, who are still just as fallible when interpreting the experience into words that non-Skill users can understand. The Skill has many fantastical and horrifying uses, but for practicality the choice of the Skill coterie through Fool's Fate is to generally limit its use to a private and long-distance communication channel - using the skill like a magical phone line in favour of exploring the abstract connectivity of the Skill current, Thick's music, or Nettle's dreamscapes.

The friendship and frustration between Fitz and Thick throughout Golden Fool and Fool's Fate is part of developing this theme - in some ways Thick is a more extreme version of Fitz. Thick has powerful mental abilities, but what non-magical people see first are the differences in his outwards appearance and his power with the Skill is linked to a fundamental difference in how his mind works. He is an inconvenience and would have been more easily disposed of similar to the way that Queen Desire wanted Fitz the Bastard killed as a visible reminder of the abdicated Prince Chivalry. Instead, Thick is won over with patience and gentle encouragement, despite Fitz struggling over his internalized cultural biases against people with physical and mental disabilities, and the way that other less tolerant people disparage him by proxy of his caring for Thick. He's not perfect, but it's a conscious effort to do better than the previous generation.

Chade mentions early in Assassin's Apprentice that Fitz has some strange blind spots, and deep into Fool's Fate Chade is still frequently perplexed by how the boy that he trained can have such disagreeing opinions. Their minds just don't work the same way. On one level it's that Chade doesn't have the same trauma - he learned and used his assassin's trade in a time of relative peace and his own status was as illegitimate brother to a King-in-Waiting close in age to himself, compared to Fitz being brought at a younger age and to a more volatile court. And on the other level, Chade has no experience with the Wit and his desire for the Skill blinds him to the drawbacks. Chade thinks of the Skill as a tool for use of the King and struggles to understand it as a thing that can become an addictive obsession or break a mind in other ways. He tolerates the Wit, but doesn't really understand that it is the supernatural sense of connection between people that keeps Fitz loyal to the Farseers, despite Fitz having different opinions about what specific actions would be best for the collective survival.

Overall the use of the Skill has done MORE damage to Fitz than the Wit, as it was through the Skill that he partially forged away some of his emotions.

Regal, Why are you Like This?

And then there is Regal. In counterpoint to the characters who are born with magical abilities and learn to handle both advantages and drawbacks, Regal was not educated in his weak Skill ability. He was handed a Skill coterie formed of members who had great potential once, but were mentally abused and weakened until they would accept being used by a parasite with no trained ability of his own.

Regal is a product of his environment as much as Fitz - his name means "suitable to be a king" and he was influenced by his mother "Desire" to believe that his claim to being king was better than either of his older brothers. He had the mentorship of his King father "Shrewd" who employed spies and assassins and underhanded techniques in general to achieve political goals. And so Regal learned paranoia when his mother died and also endeavored to be shrewd and use subterfuge to undermine his older brothers. He clung to the idea that his mother was poisoned in a denial of the truth that led to him falling into the same recreational drug habits that had damaged her brain and judgement.

Regal's lack of self control combined with egotistical need to be in control of other people and accumulate power and luxury by any means necessary is stronger than his bonds to family or duty to the people of his country. He is as arrogant as the stone dragons that he covets and the real dragons that are presently absent from the world - all products of the Skill and associated with ideas of immortality. Regal despises users of the Wit magic who are much maligned but essentially just have supernatural awareness of what it is to be a living, reproducing, and dying organism.

Also the irony: last time the Farseer line went seeking the aid of the Elderlings against Raiders was in the time of King Wisdom. Who obviously had the Wit magic, or had someone loyal to him that had it. The stone dragons are awoken by combined use of the Skill and the Wit and Blood. King Shrewd asked Regal once what he would make of Fitz, and Regal made Fitz his enemy. The one living Farseer who has the Wit magic and could have woken the dragons in the service of any King who treated him kindly.

The Piebalds and the Wit Magic

The Old Blood have a fairly codified set of traditions in their sub-society, and both Burrich and Fitz are outsiders to them. The traditions were designed to keep them as invisible as possible for fear of persecution, but no matter how well-intentioned the idea it only takes a few rogue agents to set off fear of the Witted again. Burrich's grandmother was a former slave in Chalced - how likely that the Old Blood comes from her part of the family but her knowledge of how to use it responsibly was lost upon being disconnected from her culture and enslaved? Burrich had no community to teach him and re-created from tales the Witted magic that can heal a body and bring a person back from the dead - the exact kind of thing that the Old Blood's don't practice because it's the part of the magic that drives people to such fear that they hang, quarter, and burn the bodies of the Witted.

The Piebalds are inspired by the Witted Bastard because he does with the Wit the things that they were taught not to do. Through Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest Nighteyes learns too much of being human, fights alongside his partner for human causes, and does not live as a wild creature should. Fitz bonds far too closely with his wolf - close enough to hold his mind while his body is dead. Fitz breaks the rules of the Old Blood society, and it keeps him alive. The Old Blood folk experienced new rounds of persecution started by Regal and continuing in the years after as a consequence of Fitz breaking those rules. And so in response the Piebalds use the same techniques as Fitz - most notably with Peladine and Laudwine escaping into their Wit beasts when their human bodies die.

The persecution of the Wit Magic seems to combine ethnic discrimination with the traditions of witchcraft and werewolf stories. Fitz points out to hedge witch Jinna that it could just as easily be her craft that is seen as dangerous and evil. To say that just because a man is bonded to a beast means that he must have nefarious purpose is little different from accusing anyone with an extensive knowledge of herbs of being a poisoner. Fitz just happens to be both Witted and poisoner, and even when it is the assassin training that makes him an effective killer his acts are blamed on being Witted just because that's the part of his identity that is more openly known.

The Relationship between Fitz and Beloved

And the last of my hot takes* is that the expression of Fitz's Wit magic puts a wrench in the subtext reading of a sexual relationship between Fitz and the Fool. It is constantly emphasized by Nighteyes that the Fool is the "Scentless One" and no Wit presence - meaning that Fitz gets no pheromones and thus no attraction that way. The women who sleep with Fitz are described by scent to varying degrees depending on his attraction. Even the Pale Woman is described as having a scent (although an artificial one) when she is trying seduction. Instead, Fitz and the Fool have a Skill link and it is through the Skill that their relationship is expressed. This kindof seems to be the deal with all Skill Coteries - close groups of comrades who become dragons together forever. Overall, Fitz and Beloved have an aesthetic and intellectual attachment to each other, which seems like the ideal of philia love friendship - different from erotic love.

Neither Fitz or the Fool are faultless for the way that their relationship deteriorated in Golden Fool. Fitz being uncomfortable with the social stigma of homosexuality does have an impact, but the greater problem is the breakdown of communication.

The Fool struggles with speaking plainly. This has always been the cases since his fondness for riddles in Assassin's Apprentice. Like, the nature of being a prophet is to know that certain things will be true in the future, so he is disconnected from humans who would prefer to have information laid out clearly for them in the present so that they can react and make informed decisions. And Fitz is both slow to pick up on social cues, and then views it as a betrayal of trust that his friend would lead people to make assumptions about the nature of their relationship without his knowledge or consent. He wants to put words to abstract concepts like the exact kind of relationship shared by two people. He did 3 books worth of writing in an attempt to put his thoughts about himself into words. What Fitz struggles with is the idea that words will be misinterpreted no matter how plainly or poetically they are said - people fill in gaps in understanding with their own beliefs and/or prejudices.

Fool's Errand begins with the Fool reading all of Fitz's accounts and thoughts that he put on paper, which I assume to be effectively an in-universe version of the text of the first trilogy. And then in further conversation Fitz opens up about everything that he has done for the past 15 years. But the Fool doesn't similarly discuss being Amber or carving the Liveship Paragon or the whole story of the dragons until forced by circumstance. It was an unbalanced relationship that was going to come to a breaking point sooner or later. But after airing out all the hurt and betrayal and secrets they did manage to mend things by the end of Fool's Fate.

*I haven't read the Fitz and the Fool trilogy other than some summaries. So, this is like 90% my impression as of the end of the Tawny Man Trilogy.

[angelicyoongie]

hi ^^

I'm finally more concretely baaaack!! & I finally found time to properly dedicate to your amazing work!!

how are u doing? summer basically finishing so I hope you'll enter last days of summer/early autumn well rested, healthy & w/ no regrets <333

I finally caught up to Abundance & i'm soooo happyyy, i've missed this fic soo much xd

every ch left me w/ so many thoughts, sooo much excitement & just an overall sense of satisfaction at how smooth & rewarding your writing style & narration style are!

so i may ramble a lil bit abt it now if u don't mind XD (u don't have to read all of it or reply btw, no pressure ;D )

1st of all i wanna recognise how usually it's harder to keep tabs on multiple characters, even more if they are all important & heavily involved in the plot (esp in ff that are poly or w/ multiple different kinds of relationships & relations between characters ) but you've done nothing but a great job at handling this! each character gets their time, their moments, their own space & pace for development & involvement in the plot & it all feels very balanced!

definetely not in order '^^

i also wanna scream at the idea of the pack-mark?? i thought i loved already the hybrid concept but this just elevated it o the next level! & the difference in the mark being platonic or romantic & it being also different from the concept of mate-mark?? i can't wait to see how this puzzle piece fits into the canines arrangement in the future

returning to the 1st point, to strenghten my love w/ your writing style there's also the way u write the mc!! istg i'm this close to start crushing on her instead lmaoo. no but the way u wrote her feels way more natural & genuine than an air-head type or a perfect-never-makes-mistakes literal angel type, she feels like an actual proper developed character that is human & obvi makes mistakes but that is also a good person that has a pretty strong sense of responsability/duty, is very mature & level headed (finally an mc that doesn't behave/think like a 12 y.o lmao). i love how even tho she still learning & doesn't know everything already, she always tries to take the better choice either based on her judgement or by seeking to learn more abt the hybrids by asking them directly, w/out shame or fear to ask them abt themselves & hybrids in general.

wrds cannot emphasize enough how grateful i am that she’s not simply just flustered all the time & getting ping-ponged by the guys, she is her own person 1st & takes srsly her own responsibilities & actually wants to treat them as just any other human person while also accommodating & recognising their diff hybrid needs instead of just being all a condescending “omg, they’r so hot, omg their so cute” all the time. she wants to learn & respect their natural instincts & doesn’t fault them 4 having them but also wants them to wrk through the ones that may be harmful to others around them.

onto the last point above, i can't help but appreciate the constant in the story of hybrids not being able to simply wish away their strongest instincts or miraculously gain control over them simply bc of their love 4 mc’s .NO, there is an actual learning curve & episodes of dealing w/ shame,guilt & sense of helplessness, of predators feeling uncomfortable at feeling or having felt certain instincts as their relations w/ the preys change & evolve( as an example)

but at the same time in the build up of the story, the hybrids instincts are never used as plot device to excuse/justify actions that cross the limit (incidents/hybrid on hybrid crimes, agression, violence & the fact that even tho jin & jk were in rut/pre-rut, they were still adamant abt respecting mc boundaries & consent & not " get their way" & simply blame it on “instinct”bs .-. that was refreshing to see lmao)

in your wrld building, i really love how u handled the characterisation of the roles of prey & predator in hybrids & didn't go w/ just usual/easier expected stereotypical depictions. even tho there’s a difference between predators & prey, they still clearly have a consciousness & an important inner emotional reaction at seeing 1st person the reality of prey hybrids, they’s not just animals & they’s not just jerks/assholes, they are actual ppl that had each their own struggles, traumas & lessons & that up until now where only used to relying on their pack to survive or themselves (case of rogues etc) & drive off anybody else to stay safe but not all of them would go out of their way to hurt prey hybrids, it depends on the personal level & not all of them will be swayed off their feet & fall head over heels for the 1st prey hybrid they interact w/, w/out even getting to know them & later trust them & develop normally a closeness to them.

talking abt trust...

after the nth hurt, esp the predators(namjoon,jimin) have learned to surround themselves w/ walls & to not get attached easily & it’s very interesting to see their different inner fights in trying to let go of that while also struggling w/ the need to still feel safe & in control, 2 things that ‘till now they got by keeping to themselves & to their packs.

& although there have been multiple instances in which nj starting doubting mc or started feeling that safety slip away & started pulling back, or jimin & the others were in denial to their own feelings & pull to get closer to other hybrids outside of the pack & lower their guard, after a pretty difficult process & many mistakes it’s slowly starting to happen!! at a pace that i’m sooooo glad u actually took time & effort to develop in a way that feels very natural & curated! i’m sure that it’s not easy to write like this at all & every ch is different & sometimes the wrds don’t feel right or they don’t come etc but i’m just so incredibly happy that u continued to persevere through that in this fic bc the results are a damn masterpiece!!

ALSO,TESTIMONY TO YOUR SHARP & AMAZING WRITING SKILLS:

i nearly lost my mind at your description of nj inner turmoil w/ primary colours(blue & yellow) that clash & then merge into his confused uncomfortable state (murky green) . i literally kept re-reading that part bc it was just sooo pretty 😭

...tumblr doesn't have yellow so let's just pretend XD

& the subtle hints & nj fear of repeated rejection? i’m not sure if maybe i’m interpreting it wrong & it’s not smth that he already had to deal in the past but i’m looking forward regardless.

& the way no part of the plot gets neglected?? hello? bc while all of this is going on w/ the hybrids, mc’s life outside of this bubble is taking turn after turn w/ her wrk & it’s getting sooo interesting,soo intriguing w/ all the dots connecting & the mystery getting bigger & more rabbit-holey😍😍😍

& can i just say that i never trusted hajoon from the beginning?!!! his reaction to mc saying they don’t investigate money laundering bc it’s more of a “officer/investigator” job & him finding it amusing almost like he knows she’s technically already doing that w/ the other company but she just confirmed that the law firm can’t find the necessary info by themselves so other ppl get involved like investigators & informants …. & then the overlap of the 2 cases?? the cliffhanger?? the 3 names popping up again?? & she might have fallen into a trap & just fed hajoon the ones that might have worked w/ her to testimony against the shady company involved in hybrid trafficking... or actually hajoon found a way to frame those 3 to make it harder 4 their testimony to be believable in case they get involved to help mc w/ her case against Lim's. or maybe it's smth else entirely & i'm off my rails XD

we still don't know that much abt hajoon or mc's informant & there's always the possibility of a mole being at the law firm, maybe even somebody that knows mc closely, doesn't attract much attention & regularly looks through files,appointments & schedules😳 now i'm just freely speculating off my head XD

lastly bc i don't wanna exaggerate w/ the walls of rambling (might be too late tho so srry abt that😅), i'm absolutely knees deep infatuated w/ the little details/quirks/facets of personality u give each hybrid:

namjoon's intimidating edge being softened thanks to his clumsiness & puppy-like moments, jin's softer & more attentive way of subtly asserting his role as alpha/hyung, tae's simple often straightforward natural sweetness & inclination of being curious & playful, hobi's unexpected strenght & comforting sweet personality that often acts as a damper in intense moments, jk's perseverance towards more indipendency & his struggles w/ self-worth, jimin's stark contrast between how he carries himself in front of others & his own inner insecurities & fears of abandonment, yoongi's new perspective on love & it simply adding up not substracting at admitting his crush on jin & helping jimin accept his own changes in his emotions & feelings toward the other hybrids.

i have soooo many more but i don't wanna push it😫

in the end i just hope u had lots of fun & feel proud of how this series is turning out! obvi as always no pressure & make sure to take your time & continue writing when & as long as it feels right^^

hello!! thank you so much, i'm doing well 🥺 i hope the beginning of autumn is treating you well too! i'm sorry it took me so long to reply to this ask but the truth was that i didn't want to share it just yet, lol 😭 this ask arrived in my inbox just as i was trying (and failing) to begin writing for abundance again. i kept psyching myself out, thinking that my break had been too long and i wouldn't be able to capture the essence of the characters anymore – so what was even the use of trying if i was only going to fail? but then this popped into my inbox and it just made me feel so.. seen. you pointed out and acknowledged so many aspects of the story that i love and feel proud of, and it was truly the boost i needed. i've been coming back to this almost every day as i've been writing, so i just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart 💖💖

i will say that having eight main characters is a puzzle that doesn't always line up, but i do try my best to make up for it whenever i can! if a character isn't very prominent in one ch, it's likely that they'll get more attention in the next or that i'm "saving" them for a bigger scene that needs more build up. but i'm glad you think i'm going a good job at juggling all of them, tysm :')

i always try to think of ways to add a little something extra to my stories, something that makes it feel like it's not just a direct copy of every other fic in that trope. dividing the boys into predator/prey packs and giving them different marks (platonic/romantic) was such a 'simple' but effective way of introducing a lot of drama and conflict into the story. i'm a slow burn girlie at the end of the day and i knew that the pay off of all of the packs becoming one would be that much sweeter if they actually started off truly disliking each other and not just becoming lovey dovey after two chapters.

i'm honestly so ecstatic that you love the MC so much, that makes me so happy!! it's taken some trial and error, but i've tried my best to create a MC/reader that makes realistic choices and is someone that the majority might be able to see themselves in. she's not perfect, she makes mistakes and she feels horrible when she does, but she also tries to fix things when she messes up and doesn't just expect them to work out on their own. it just doesn't make sense to have an MC that knows everything about hybrids when she's never owned one before (or really had any interest in them) so part of the challenge for her is to actually learn about their needs in relation to who they are as people and not just assume that she knows best because she's fully human.

thank you!! i've really tried to balance the human and animal part of them as much as possible in this fic. they may have instincts and knee-jerk reactions to situations that are fueled by their animal DNA but that doesn't mean that their human brain completely checks out. it was important to me to show that much like the MC, hybrids can have prejudice too, and that they can learn & grow over time. i'm so happy that you pointed out the fact that their instincts are never used to excuse their actions – that was one thing i didn't want to happen. like i said, they're just as much human as they are animal, so it's not a valid reason for them to ignore morals or boundaries.

yes! i didn't just want to slap a predator label on some of them and go "okay, you guys are scary and mean" and make the preys meek and docile for the entire story. they still have individuality and personality regardless of if they're classified as predator or prey. they have all had different experiences that have shaped them into who they are but that doesn't make them heartless or incapable of change. the predators have never noticed how much their biology affects prey hybrids until they met jinkook, so it makes sense that their guilt would eventually catch up with them when they stop thinking of the preys as competition that needs to be eliminated.

trust is a big part of this fic and it manifests in so many different ways! they're all finally beginning to open up and understand that they're safe, and i think it's especially satifisfying to see namjoon and jimin finally let their walls down :') there were times that i was worried i was going to slow but i really do think that this pace was necessary - there was just too much that needed to be unpacked and adressed for it to happen any sooner. and no, it has definitely not been easy, but it does feel more than worth it when i get such a lovely review as this 😭

i'm so happy you pointed out that scene with joon, bc i really liked using the colours to represent his emotions!! and you're not interpreting it wrong, it's definitely a big fear for him!

i know that most readers are only here for the boys and not so much the mc's work, but i really do think it adds to the story! there are some connections coming up that have been slowly been hinted at throughout the story so far, so i'm excited for that to come together soon. hajoon is very sus and you're right in not trusting him 🙈 i'm not going to say what it is exactly, but you are indeed on to something regarding the case 👀

i can't have my babies be one-dimensional! i put a lot of thought into making sure that each character had its own strengths and weaknesses and how that would affect them in different ways. truly, thank you so much for recognizing all of the hard work i've put into developing the story and the characters, it means more than you know 😭

i cannot thank you enough for leaving me such an incredible review/comment, it has made me cry (happy tears!) every time i've looked at it and it has helped me remember all of the things i loved about writing the story. i'm truly so so grateful 💖💖💖

[divinatorydoll]

how mars in capricorn will affect us: 📝

mars has just moved into the ambitious, intelligent sign of capricorn !! because of it's determined and goal-driven nature, mars finds his exaltation in capricorn; the sign tempers his insatiable passion and channels his zeal into useful results.

the exaltation of a planet is the sign where a planet functions efficiently and faces little struggle. in capricorn, mars deals with few distractions and can patiently endure delays on the journey to achieving what he wants

mars will impact you differently based off the house(s) it transits while moving through capricorn. read more below !!

MARS IN CAPRICORN THROUGHOUT THE HOUSES:

mars in the 1H: this can be a healing and clarifying time for people struggling with their identity or feeling lost in their sense of self. perhaps if you're looking for more direction, a clearer sense of purpose, or even just a sign that you're on the right path, mars in capricorn will provide it to you !! tune into your inner wisdom and focus on yourself first

mars in the 2H: this is a wonderful time to develop more financial freedom through saving your money and investing in things that grow over time. but there can also be frustration with managing too many new investments. try learning more about big financial commitments before putting too much on your plate at one time

mars in the 3H: you'll find that mars' energy in your 3H can make you much more opinionated and ready to share your thoughts about things. while wisened by experience, mars in capricorn can be inflexible with its perspective. try not to be so readily defensive about your ideas and allow people to have their own viewpoints on things. make an effort to learn from your elders right now as well

mars in the 4H: during this transit, try having a more minimalistic attitude when it comes to your home decor. generally speaking, a planet in capricorn moving into your 4H is great for slimming down on unnecessary domestic possessions. aside from that, carve out some time to organize your living space and figure out your 'priority items'

mars in the 5H: mars moving throughout the 5H always lives up one's sex life, but in capricorn, you may find yourself deepening your relationships with people you have sexual encounters with !! this may be less of a hookup time for you and more of an emotional friends with benefits time !! this is also a helpful transit for detaching yourself from old, limiting traditions and creating new, exciting ones

mars in the 6H: with mars rejoicing in the 6H, it tends to be a lot easier to get along with business partners and authority figures at your workplace. in the house of health and everyday rituals, it'll be important to develop a more solid daily routine that benefits your wellbeing. try out a new low-impact exercise if you can, such as tai chi, yoga, jogging, or swimming !!

mars in the 7H: this a great time for resolving conflict in your intimate relationships. with capricorn as the sign of maturity, mars' movement here will help you handle disagreement patiently and productively. this ingress can also help people become less sensitive to public opinion and more self-reliant !!

mars in the 8H: this is perfect for absolving debt and effectively managing important monetary contracts. inheritance and loan disputes will be easily handled, as well as any confusion surrounding joint bank accounts, taxes, interest rates, and payment plans. this will also be a good time to broaden your understanding of the occult and new ritual practices !!

mars in the 9H: those in collegiate environments will have a much better time completing schoolwork, meeting deadlines, and handling academic pressure. this can be a fulfilling period of cultural exploration and travel. but with mars (frustration) in the 9H, you may have to prepare yourself for some annoyances on your vacations

mars in the 10H: an excellent transit for career building and elevating your professional impact. mars represents business management and competitive work. so while exalted, this can bring you more entrepreneurial opportunities and better status in a saturated business market !! this can also be a fun period of learning more about history, engineering, or athletics !!

mars in the 11H: this is a prosperous time for making business connections with people in your social circles !! working collaboratively with your friends will be highly rewarding, and the fruits of your labor will be long-lasting (♑︎). right now it's good to observe your friends and see which ones are truly protective of you vs. the ones that say they care and won't act on it

mars in the 12H: understanding your dreams is usually much easier during this transit, but mars here can make your dreams more violent or aggressive — try to express your anger in your waking life so it doesn't end up in your dreams when you're trying to rest !! if you've been having any off feelings about someone, mars in capricorn (reality) will confirm these suspicions clearly

book a reading !!

my linktree

[blorbocedes]

perhaps this is me being shallow and i’m not trying to insinuate that every driver on the grid has to be gunning for a wdc but i don’t understand why anyone would turn down a rb contract at this stage? i mean if the rumours about alex refusing the seat are true i just… idk i know he’s been personally victimised by helmut marko before and been through the rb ringer but he’s a much better much more skilled and experienced driver right now and if it were me i’d personally want to test my skills against max. rb is the most coveted seat right now, it’s an opportunity to get regular podiums and even wins if max messes up or you’re simply faster. i don’t enjoy this “running from a fight” mentality (not saying that’s what alex is doing rn cause ofc there are other things at play) and it is in fact one of the reasons ****** sorta fell out of my favour. anyway i hope this makes sense haha not a native speaker, and not trying to be rude i just… don’t get it. i had similar thoughts about lando before, when horner said they’d talk to lando and then he’d only use that as leverage in his mclaren contracts. but baffling to me to come all the way to f1 after dedicating your life to it and then just going “nah” when you have the chance to be in the best car cause the other might be better than you. i mean when max got to rb daniel was the guy who had just pulverised 4-time wdc vettel, and you didn’t see him hesitte to jump in the car mid-season

when you sign a redbull contract now, you know you're effectively going to play second driver until 2028. yes Alex is a more complete driver now and would prob fare much better vs Max now, but he's also been through the RBR ringer like you said. going back would mean adjusting to an entirely new car while Max has only driven redbulls, AND getting scrutinised 2x because of his prev performance. anything below p2 is considered underperforming in the best car, and that's a lot of pressure and ofc your ego having to handle being "Max's bitch." pulling a rosberg against a generational talent is not easy. at Williams alex is personally more involved and treated as team leader and the car has improved from being the worst back marker to a solid midfielder, with Alex outdriving it.

also. job security in f1 is notoriously limited with 20 seats and rookies from f2 vying to get in. let's say alex goes to RBR. he either has to hope they let him drive until 2028 and finally get a shot at the championship (if 2026 regulations don't turn it into a junk box) and no second driver is getting a 5 year contract. Valtteri went from the best car to a backmark/midfielder. He's not even in question when silly season rolls around for the Ferraris and Bulls, despite being a solid second driver who picked off wins when Lewis dnf'd. they might scout him for Audi because they need an experienced driver for development. your career moving from the best car can only go Down. Alex already had a year off from f1 as a reserve driver when RB booted him, whatever choices he makes -- it'll be with a long term goal in mind.

Alex has said recently that if the Williams doesn't improve, he will look at other options -- as he should! He's being scouted by multiple teams. The improvements of the Aston Martin and even Mclaren have shown absolute backmarkers can become podium contending cars within a season! you'd prefer to succeed with a team that knows you and will accommodate to you than a top team where you're expected to play someone else's defense. Which brings me to lando. Lando is in the curious case Max was in 2017/18, where all the top teams were courting him. He had offers from Ferrari and Merc, while nobody knew if the RB Honda deal would work, and the RB was DNFing every other race. redbull convinced max to stay, that they'll develop the car around him and they will become a top team. I'm sure mclaren is doing the same to lando, that's the only team he's driven for and he's getting paid Very Well, the team principal is literally invested in his business, and they started this season around p19/p20, and finished it on podium. the results are there, why would he move to rbr to pick off max's crumbs?

do you know who absolutely did run from a fight? daniel. bc RB had no outright driver hierarchy in 2018, they literally stated they wanted to win a championship with daniel -- but max was too much of a rising star and daniel dipped, leaving the only team his career had anything notable from.

[fanfic-lover-girl]

I Finally Watched Encanto

And it was very underwhelming. I don't get what the hype was about. It was mid at best. The best thing about it was probably the visuals. Oh, I loved the variety of skin tones! Usually, I don't care about skin colour in movies but for some reason, it stood out to me in this one. The intro and outro scenes were good too.

I am not a film expert so I can't convey what made the film fall flat for me. But here are some things that I found lacking:

The music is not memorable and I found it hard to immerse myself in it. I absolutely hated Surface Pressure. Some parts of We Don't Talk About Bruno were nice to listen to but it still wouldn't make the top 10 of my Disney songs list. It's not a song I would sing to myself. I can't even remember any of the lyrics besides the title namesake. I think my favourite piece was the Caterpillar song that played for Abuela Alma and Pedro. Maybe partly because it's in Spanish so I have lower expectations for it lol. Since I barely speak Spanish and all.

The family members kind of felt like plot devices? That just appeared when the plot called for it? I am not sure how to explain it but the main culprit for me was Isabela. She was basically a nothing character who was just there in the background being a prima donna and rolling her eyes. Then once Mirabel supposedly has to confront her, she has all this major development in like 2 mins and finally cracks? Luisa was way better because I saw her insecurities and how weakness made her feel worthless throughout the movie. I don't understand why Cousin Camilo was needed in the movie. His dad was good enough comic relief. I loved Antonio at the start and his relationship with Mirabel. I wanted to see that relationship more in the movie so much. But then even he began to feel like a cheap plot device.

How Bruno was handled was unsatisfying. The whole plot about Bruno just felt contrived. Bruno is supposed to be the family undesirable who no one talks about...but Dolores knew about him the entire time? The ending with Abuela and Bruno felt so rushed too. I thought the climax would have involved Bruno more but he just showed up at the end and now everything is ok? Bruno was just a way to show Mirabel how special she was and once that happened, everything about Bruno was wrapped up in a neat tidy bow.

The plot development was poor and felt like a plot in an adventure game. Gave me similar vibes to the plot in The Rise of Skywalker. How Luisa just happens to know Mirabel's starting point. How Mirabel just happens to find Bruno when the dude has been living unnoticed for how long. Even the ending with the butterfly almost made me roll my eyes.

The powers felt underdeveloped. I don't understand the limits of them and why only the Madrigals have them. Well, I guess it makes sense for the family to have the miracle to themselves as a kind of comfort for Pedro dying...like men don't sacrifice themselves for their families nobly all the time. How much weight can Luisa lift? What is the range of Pepa's powers? Mirabel said in her song that her mood affects the weather but the movie mainly shows the weather just affects her individual space. How do they control them? What if someone abuses their powers?

Anyway, its not a bad movie but I wouldn't watch it again. I preferred Coco over Encanto. The family relationship felt more developed and the focus was just on the family members relevant to the plot. The Abuela in Coco was more sympathetic and the generational trauma was way more justified there. Plus the music was better and the plot development felt more organic. I would watch Coco again. Encanto is just meh and seems a tad overrated.

[rainywritesx]

Headcanons: Chan with an autistic S/O

Headcanons of bang chan with an autistic s/o because I’m in a delulu mood <3 I also want to preface this by saying that autism presents itself differently in people across the spectrum, so I apologize if you cannot completely relate to this! Regardless, I hope you will enjoy it ^^ (I might make a part 2 bc there’s so much else I could mention lol)

Warnings; none, reader is gender neutral!

— I feel like Chan would be such a sweetheart with this topic

— As much as he comes across as the type to want to be educated on these kinds of things (i.e marginalized groups i guess?), I can imagine he still has a picture in his head of autism that isn’t completely accurate, especially if you’re afab (assigned female at birth)

— Not his fault, moreso a result of a bias against autistic women lol

— Anyway

— he’s more than willing to learn

— I personally am really sensitive to food textures, and as a result my diet can be a bit limited

— I can just imagine Chan trying to learn as much as he can about your safe foods as well as foods that you can handle in general

— Whenever you two go out to eat somewhere he makes sure the restaurant has something you can eat on the menu!

— Will definitely not judge you if you end up opting for the classic; chicken nuggets

— Will also be very attentive to you especially when you’re in public

— If you’re like me and good at masking your traits, I feel like he can still tell when you’re feeling a bit tired or maybe even overstimulated

— He will immediately try to find a way to get you to feel better, whether that be going to a seperate room with you, leaving you alone for a bit, giving you his headphones, whatever solution is available to him in that moment will be used

— And gosh, when you talk about your special interests

— Mans is whipped

— Will buy anything related to it just to see your face light up whenever he surprises you

—He also admires your strong sense of justice and how you stick to your principles

— AlsO

— If he finds out you actually find eye contact unbearable yet still do it since you are masking

— I can totally see him avoiding your gaze instead since he knows it makes you feel better

— AHHHHH

— Or maybe he will remind you it’s okay not to make eye contact, but he won’t get upset if you still do it either ofc

— Also, if you’re like me and struggle with your routines being messed up

— Baby will try so hard to make sure nothing unexpected comes up, or if it does, he won’t force you to join him

— I can imagine chan may have to work unexpectedly at times

— Especially when a comeback is coming up

— During these periods it can be harder for him to keep his promises with things like dates

— He will try to be as clear as possible in this

— But also, life still happens as annoying at it may be

— But this cutie will make it up to you in any way you want

— Another thing, he really admires your directness and way of communicating

— Not to toot my own horn here, but i prefer being direct way more over giving hints and having the other person guess what you are trying to say

— I can see chan as someone who values good communicator in in general, and this trait of yours definitely helps a lot in that

— Even if the way you word it may come across as a bit too blunt, Chan is aware that there is no malicious intent when it happens

— Overall he just loves you so much, and I don’t think he views you being autistic as particularly good or bad, it’s just a neutral descriptor if that makes sense

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Guinan

By Ames

Guinan gives The Next Generation the closest thing the show gets to a wizard: just some kind of supernatural being whose unquestioned wisdom gets the heroes out of scrape after scrape but whose true powers are never entirely explained. Oh, and she wears baller hats.

Sure, she may play into that “bartender, here to listen to your problems and guide you on your path” trope (which frankly Deanna should be doing but rarely does), but Guinan is so much more than that. We’re going to get into the good number of moments this week on A Star to Steer Her By, so get ready for your personal epiphany as you read on below and listen to our chatter on the podcast (pull up a stool at 1:02:25). El-Aurians are always listening.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

Whole generations of disposable people Simultaneously one of Picard’s best scenes, the peptalk Guinan gives to Jean-Luc when he’s being thoroughly whooped by Riker’s prosecution in “The Measure of a Man” feels like a turning point in the show. Whoopi Goldberg’s calm presence as a Black woman in a scene about creating androids as slaves imbues their discussion with meaning, weight, and stakes that are both personal and universal.

Every time you feel love it’ll will be different The perpetual sounding board, Guinan helps Wesley parse his feelings at the end of “The Dauphin” in a scene we really give the both of them credit for. Guinan doesn’t speak down to the kid or just tell him everything will be okay while he’s broken hearted after watching Salia leave. She tells it like it is: love is deeply subjective and his feelings are valid.

A warrior’s drink Guinan introducing Worf to prune juice in “Yesterday’s Enterprise” is such a perfect microcosmic scene depicting her character in a lot of ways. She just knows people. Worf is a tough nut to crack, but she reads people in such a way that she figures out just what he’d like in a drink, just as she does later in the episode on a much greater scale…

I look at things, I look at people, and they just don’t feel right …when she figures out the parallel dimension problem at the heart of “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” In that slightly fantastical wizard way she has, Guinan can feel that something is wrong with the timeline when the Enterprise-C shows up out of some rift or other and suddenly her once familiar crewmates are denizens of a warship. And even better, she gets Picard to believe her.

You have to let go of Picard Whenever anyone on the crew needs a little guidance, that seems to come from a really great scene with the ship’s bartender, and who could possibly need it more than Riker at the top of “The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2”? She gives him the confidence he needs to keep going in the absence of Picard, whom she insists she’s super close to for reasons we don’t know yet.

Job opening in the Empath field Another crisis, another peptalk from Guinan. We all know Troi handles losing her empath powers in “The Loss” pretty terribly, but you know who handled it great? This El-Aurian bartender I know who swoops in and reverse psychologizes Troi with such stealth that even if she had all her senses at the time, Deanna wouldn’t have known what hit her!

You saw exactly what you wanted to see in the holodeck It is downright glorious how Guinan puts Geordi in his place in “Galaxy’s Child” when he’s unironically whining about how Leah Brahms is nothing like the hologram he created of her (vom!). “She's probably done the most horrific thing one person can do to another,” she says, “not live up to your expectations,” and I can’t help but stand up and applaud.

I’ve heard some Klingon belly laughs that would curl your hair Guinan’s advice to crewmembers isn’t limited to the human ones! In “Redemption,” she not only schools Worf in holodeck target practice (and left-landed, to boot!), but she also makes him consider what it means to be Klingon, as his experiences are atypical from most of his people. We have no doubt that her chat with him inspired him to get involved in Kurn’s war.

You ain’t never had a friend like me When Guinan sees other officers like La Forge pointedly avoiding Ro Laren, she makes it a point to befriend her in “Ensign Ro.” That in and of itself is very Guinan-like behavior, but it also comes with some of her copyrighted motivational chats when she is able to convince Ro to come clean to Picard about the secret mission she was tasked with for Admiral Kennelly.

I tell you, that razorbeast was a good friend All throughout “Imaginary Friend,” while the other officers not only infantilize Clara Sutter for having an imaginary friend, but they entirely ignore the signs that something isn’t right. Everyone except Guinan. Guinan talks to Clara as an equal, even if she’s a child, and imparts the story of her own imaginary friend: a Tarkassian razor beast, which somehow seems fitting.

We are also lonely Despite being conflicted about Hugh being on board in “I, Borg,” Guinan goes and meets with him and it’s such a cute little scene. You forget that someone as old and wizened as Guinan still has things to learn, and to find some common ground with a Borg was unexpected for her. And she even convinces Picard to see him too, giving us yet another great scene from this great episode.

Why are you still sitting here? Let’s see, is there a single member of the crew Guinan hasn’t peptalked yet… ah right, Dr. Crusher. Now we have a full BINGO card! Our final tete-a-tete from Guinan comes in “Suspicions” when Bev is doubting her decisions to look into Dr. Reyga’s murder and Guinan cheers her on until the good doctor solves the mystery, kills the baddy, and flies in a sun like a badass! Truly so many of our Best Moments from other character spotlights are initiated by Guinan!

—

Worst moments

Give yourself permission to be selfish Guinan’s first significant scene in the series is in “The Child,” and of course she’s doing better counseling than Troi. However, your hosts here at SSHB can’t help but cringe because, while the show got rid of Beverly Crusher for a season, it means we were still stuck with Wesley because Guinan convinced him to stay, especially after a season in which we were so annoyed by his character all the time! Guinan, how could you?

You’re a ‘droid and I'm a ‘noid You saw above all the times Guinan helped all the other characters with a little self introspection to find their way through a problem, and the one character whom I’d say she fails with is Data in “The Outrageous Okona.” It’s probably because encouraging Data to consult Joe Pesci on how to do comedy led to the events of my least favorite TNG episode, and it’s all Guinan’s fault!

Tell me more about my eyes While the scene in which Riker flirts with Guinan when Wesley asks for dating advice in “The Dauphin” is hot as hell and inspired a little bit of shipping, we’ve got to admit that it’s not at all helpful to Wesley. Usually Guinan scenes are much more beneficial to the crewmember who is struggling, and in this one, none of this is what Wes asked for. I’m still totally into it though.

Let me introduce you to the Borg We learn in “Q Who?” that the El-Aurians were almost wiped out by Borg… because apparently Guinan and her people never told Starfleet this before? Think about it: she clues Picard in after Q has flung them into the Delta Quadrant about who the Borg are, and it is news to him! Starfleet spends every other interaction with Borg playing catch up because they don’t have any info on them!

That’s what you get, Charlie! You get fork stabbed! Pardon the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia quote, but I couldn’t help myself. And Guinan seems to me no better than a McPoyle when she stabs the suddenly human Q with a fork in “Déjà Q” and generally mocks him. It just seems petty and violent for a character who is usually so stoic and reserved. So much for the tolerant Alpha Quadrant.

But I know it was an empty death, a death without purpose While Guinan had a lot of instances from our Best Moments list above from “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” we’re still troubled by her nudging Tasha Yar to go sacrifice herself on the Enterprise-C to make up for her waste of a death in “Skin of Evil.” Even if you consider it a better death than a tarpit, then you get freakin’ Sela in “Redemption,” which Guinan somehow blames Picard for when she’s the one who compelled Yar to go!

That was setting number one While some might give credit to Guinan for quelling a riot before it could get out of control when everyone was on edge due to sleep deprivation in “Night Terrors,” I’m not one of them. As I said in “Déjà Q,” violence doesn’t seem the answer for Guinan, and this scene escalated so quickly (partly because the bar scenes in this episode feel like afterthoughts), it makes me wonder how she let things get that bad.

A Yankee in Captain Picard’s Court Oh boy, I’ve got to question some of Guinan’s standards when we see her hanging out with Samuel Clemens in “Time’s Arrow” (and a terribly acted Sam Clemens at that!) after Picard had claimed in “Ensign Ro” that she’s very picky about her friends. Her cohorting with the author led to some of the most obnoxious scenes from The Next Generation that I’ve ever seen.

Our relationship is beyond friendship, beyond family There are several instances of Guinan hinting at her and Picard’s established kinship before we get to the story of the bald man who was kind to her in “Time’s Arrow” and my reaction was… that’s it? We say sometimes that leaving something unexplained is better than giving it a stupid explanation, and oh boy, Picard just sitting with Guinan in a cave once was totally fizzled what had been built up for so long.

Were you this much fun when you were a kid? Some of this is the overall child acting being bad in “Rascals” and Guinan’s child actor had it especially stacked against her since her voice had to get dubbed (resulting in her just sounding super smug all the time), but boy was she insufferable as a child! It was cute for adult Guinan to befriend adult Ro in “Ensign Ro,” but we felt bad that little Laren had to put up with this! Let this girl mope by herself, lady!

Forty to love Though Guinan helps boost Beverly’s confidence in “Suspicions,” she does it by tricking her with this lie about playing tennis that just seemed unnecessary. Guinan always finds ways to converse with people who need it, but this whole tacked-on frame story had some weirdness to it because it forced both Guinan and the episode to be indirect when it really didn’t have to.

Think of me as an echo of the person you know I’ll take every opportunity I get to shit on the Nexus in Generations. It’s just such a confusing device they used to get Picard and Kirk together that really makes no sense if you think about it for more time that it’s actually onscreen, which isn’t a lot. And there’s an echo of Guinan in there, feeding Picard exposition and generally complicating what this place is supposed to be, and I’m just done with it.

—

That’s enough from Guinan’s advice column this week! We’ve got a really special DOUBLE spotlight next week, in which Tasha Yar and Ro Laren are going to go head to head for the title of Baddest Bitch on the Enterprise-D. Place your bets now and be sure to come back for that! Also keep coming back for more of our series watch of Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts, order a drink with us over on Facebook and Twitter, and enjoy your prune juice.

[mx-piggy]

I've decided that I'm going to be reviewing every episode from the new season of Futurama. No one asked, but, hey, it's my blog and I like to think people may have mild interest in my opinion. So, here are my thoughts on 'Children of a Lesser Bog'.

Once again, if you wanna chat about the episode in the notes (comments, rbs) or via DMs, feel free!

I really enjoyed this episode, I think more than I enjoyed the Impossible Stream. With the Impossible Stream, you had the novelty of 'hey, new Futurama!', with an okay story and some good jokes. But, I feel like this episode worked better for me because I adore when Futurama allows itself to examine its characters in stories that have a genuine sense of emotion. Plus, I'm biased because I love Amy and it was really great to see a rare moment of her explored in so much depth. I feel like there are only a handful of episodes that focus on Amy, and even fewer that are so genuinely touching.

The plot was actually really good, in my opinion. I assumed the writers were just going to do something a little sitcom-y with Kif and Amy becoming parents and struggling to balance everything, so I liked the way the story went with Kif being away from his family and trying his best to get home to them, and Amy struggling to cope with motherhood as well as experiencing insecurity. I like how the plot was resolved in a genuinely heart-warming way, with the conclusion of Amy's love for her kids being more important than any biological link to them she lacks. Also, I'm interested to see how they handle this idea of Kif and Amy being parents going forward. In the Comedy Central years, they preferred to maintain the status quo of the show (hence Fry and Leela's muddled relationship), so I'm wondering if being on Hulu will mean that the show will be less afraid of shifting the status quo.

So, I want to get my more negative thoughts out the way before moving onto things that I liked/loved, since I'd rather emphasise the positives of the episodes considering I had a very positive opinion of the episode overall.

I only really noticed it in this episode, but a lot of my issues with the animation/writing from the Comedy Central era of the show, and probably before then, too, is how the show has a tendency to have very limited animation when a group of characters are gathered together but only a few of them are actually talking. It always feels clumsy and odd because there'll be so many characters just standing there, not reacting to what's going on, which is out of character for most of them. I understand that it's not really the fault of the animators and that it's a tough industry. It only really registered in this episode because of how it was strange to see Zapp just standing there in the background expressionlessly, without having said anything in the episode (or even this season, to my recollection) prior. Also, it was odd to see the Planet Express crew just watching on with unchanging expressions and without saying anything as the Grand Midwife threatened to take Amy's kids away in a genuinely heart-wrenching scene. I just wish there was more reactivity to the characters in the background, to make the characters feel more fully realised and as though they have meaningful relationships to one another. Otherwise, it has the same lifeless quality to most of Family Guy and its various knockoffs.

A problem I had with this episode specifically is that I found it a little contrived that Leela would forget that she knocked up Kif because the writers needed an excuse to exposition dump information that a lot of the audience would remember. It felt very out of character for her. In general, not a lot of this ‘reminder’ dialogue felt natural. I'm worried that this will happen in the show going forward when it continues plotlines from previous episodes (e.g. Parasites Regained). I feel like it's kind of a time-waster to have them spend almost five minutes of a 24-minute-long episode reminding the audience of information they could easily access from rewatching Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch if they don't remember it. I feel like they would have cut this part of the episode out if it was airing on TV rather than on a streaming service, because of the differences in time-strictness.

That said, Sex Across the Universe and drunk Leela were pretty funny to me, so I guess I can somewhat get over this issue.

This is a very personal issue for me, and it's that I feel like Zapp didn't have as much of a presence in this episode compared to previously in the show. Don't get me wrong, I think it's fine for there to be an episode that has Kif and Zapp in it but has Kif be the focus rather than Zapp. What I mean is that Zapp is this larger-than-life character who has some of the funniest lines in the show even when he's a minor character in an episode, and I just didn't get that from him in this episode.

The show feels very different just vibe-wise compared to the original run and the Comedy Central run, but I feel like, at times, the CC run could also feel a little lifeless, if that makes sense. I don't know how to describe it, really. With the original run, there was always a sense of life to it, without any moment feeling like 'dead air'; maybe it was because of the animation had more of a human touch- or feels that way, anyway- than the more recent instalments of the show. But, the style and delivery of jokes at times have felt increasingly slow and empty to the point of feeling clumsy. It's something I've always felt about Futurama as well as the Simpsons, but I have no idea if I've effectively articulated it.

Now, onto the more positive things!

I'm so happy that they've finally figured out how to handle Amy and Leela in a way that doesn't feel irritating and at least mildly sexist. In the past, I've really hated how they've had the two main female characters of the show be so unpleasant to each other, whilst the male characters can get along just fine and have close, meaningful bonds. Like, it just felt like a bunch of male writers saying 'we think women are two-faced and catty so Leela and Amy will just be like that'. I'm in the process of writing a fic that explores Amy's harsh treatment of Leela as a result of the envy Leela causes her, because I'm so unhappy with their canon relationship and I wanted to see them to have a kind of meaningful relationship. Actually, I found it interesting that the conflict between Leela and Amy in the episode is sparked by Amy's jealousy.

After this episode where they have some of the most pleasant interactions between them out of the whole show, I'm actually optimistic that the show will make Amy and Leela have a pleasant relationship after this episode, though I can only hope they can have a somewhat meaningful relationship going forward, in the same way Fry and Bender have one.

I actually think the conflict between Leela and Amy in the episode is perfectly understandable and logical, more so than the random catty comments Amy would make at Leela's expense in the prior seasons. This time, Amy's actually really hurt and insecure about her kids favouring Leela over her. I feel like it was a good, compelling storyline, not only looking at Leela and Amy's relationship to one another but also examining the broader theme of motherhood or parenthood as a whole, and how Amy may not be the kids' biological mother, but she is their mom and she loves them. And, I really like how they didn't go down the route of Leela trying to take the kids away from Amy. I feel like it's a plot line you could kind of justify because of Leela's own issues with being an orphan and whatnot, but it wouldn't have been in character for her, at least in my opinion. I really liked how they positioned Leela as the kids' aunt, rather than her being jealous of Amy for having kids.

There were a lot of funny jokes in the episode, and I've compiled them into a bullet point list:

Bender coming third in Masterchef Junior.

The noise the Professor makes when his mouth is stuck together by the honey.

‘Buy A Church’ and ‘reassure Kif’ on Amy's schedule

Axl (the biggest of the three kids) in the stroller was a funny visual gag.

Kif being one of those wine moms with his mineral water.

Zapp's pleading cries as he is dragged into cave- it reminded me of Love's Labours Lost in Space, with Billy West's hilarious delivery of 'oh, God, no!'

“AND STAY AWAY FROM MY SCROTUMS!!”

"Daddy’s coming to tuck you in. To your graves.”

“Scruffy’s stuff gets around.”

Visual gag of Kif ripping off his shirt and proceeding to fold up his skirt.

“I did what a daddy had to do.”

Other little things I liked, compiled into a bullet point list:

I'm happy that they replaced Billy West as Mr. Wong’s voice actor. Sort of unrelated, I'm hoping that the King of the Hill revival does the same for Kahn.

I really liked how the kids kept going over to Leela. The first time especially, it was really funny.

Also, the kids were really cute! I like how they were different ages (physically/developmentally, anyway), because I feel like it'd feel too cliché if they were all babies. I don't know why; I think it'd just make it feel too sitcom-y having Amy and Kif take care of babies.

I loved Aunt Leela; it was nice seeing her interact with them.

I really liked seeing Zapp and Kif in action together. I feel like it's something surprisingly rare on the show to have Zapp and Kif doing something that doesn't directly involve the Planet Express crew, so it was interesting to see them together on a DOOP mission.

[yukidragon]

How far do you think Jack is willing to go for his S/O? What lines wouldn’t he cross?

Fortunately we know for sure from word of Sauce that Jack isn’t going to force himself sexually on the MC or anyone else, and the next update of the demo will make that clearer. Since the game isn’t intended to depict non-consent and dubious consent, I think we can safely assume that SA in any form is a line he won’t cross.

Another thing they stated was that Jack has never killed a child and that it’s not going to happen in the story. So I think it’s safe to assume that harming a child is another line he won’t cross.

We have a good sense of Jack’s physical limitations due to his mysterious nature as a ghost(?) but let’s stick with things he likely would or wouldn’t do if he had the option.

One thing that limits Jack’s options is the character of Sunny Day Jack, rather staying in character as much as possible. For example, it’s been said that Jack is unable to swear, which makes sense, since no doubt that would be forbidden for any children’s TV host to do. This could be a supernatural limitation due to the nature of what he turned into, but I believe this is more of a psychological limitation. As such, I think it might be possible for him to overcome it, though I think he would suffer from breaking character too much.

Yes, this probably means one of the lines Jack would (at least try) not to cross is swearing. I find that thought pretty hilarious, not going to lie.

Allow me to show a picture Sauce drew that I think really demonstrates the psychological (and potentially supernatural) limitations Jack has in place to stay in character as Sunny Day Jack. While the canon of this picture must be taken with a grain of salt at this point in time, I do think it’s good insight to Jack’s thought process in general.

As always whenever I share some of the lovely artwork Sauce publicly posted, I want to make sure to credit them. I also want to remind everyone to please not repost anything privately posted over on the SnaccPop Studios Patreon. Let’s support Sauce and the team as best we can, okay?

Also, this is a good time to remind everyone that this game is for Adults Only and it deals with some dark topics, like self-harm, verbal abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, murder, suicide, yandere tendencies, and the like.

I strongly suspect that direct violence against someone is also a line Jack won’t cross. He’ll just scare them, and if that doesn’t work, he’ll break their mind until they commit self harm. It’s a loophole in a sense, since characters for young kids programming like him are written to never actually do harm to anyone. In order to stay in character, Jack would have to adhere to this strict trope.

Heck, even anger seems to be something that Jack would have as a limitation. After all, mentor characters in edutainment shows are meant to be showing good lessons by example, so lashing out verbally is a big no no. I did do a post about my thoughts on how Jack might snap if pushed to his limit though.

I think Jack works around these limitations in the character of Sunny Day Jack via loopholes, at least ones he justifies to himself. A character like his wouldn’t do anything above a G rating. However, if he frames it as showing MC love, then having NC-17 rated adults only fun times would be totally in character! After all, adults make babies with love, and MC certainly is just as much as an adult as Jack.

I believe that convincing someone to hurt themselves is the loophole Jack has when he wants to commit violence but can’t justify it in character. If his hand is on the handle of the knife at their throat, why, he’s just helping them do what they’re choosing to do, and it’s much more merciful if they finish it quickly, right? He’s not the one hurting them. In fact, he’s making it hurt less by being helpful. Isn’t that so kind of him?

Jack is a teacher, so it’s his job to teach others and guide them into making good decisions. What better decision would there be than to stop interfering with MC and Jack’s happiness?

Words can do just as much harm as a physical wound, sometimes even more so. However, if Jack frames it in his mind as him teaching and guiding someone to do the right thing, well, then obviously it’s not violence!

It’s also more in character for a teacher to say if Jack heard it from his own teachers while growing up...

Giving people nightmares, breaking them down mentally and emotionally with his words and supernatural powers... These are lines Jack can justify himself into crossing. Of course, I don’t think it’s without consequence, since I think it might cause some damage to Jack’s psyche as well for crossing these lines and driving someone to self harm.

But, like anyone with cognitive dissonance, Jack would do his best to justify his actions. It’s for the best. It’s all for MC’s sake...

Possession may or may not be among Jack’s abilities as a ghost(?) but I imagine he would cross that line if he was capable. Jack was an actor after all, and he’s very, very good at fully embracing whatever role he plays. I think if pushed hard enough, he could take someone else’s place and assume their identity if it means keeping his sunshine. This is a potential bad end route for the other love interests, but it’s purely my own speculation and there’s no real evidence that’s a possible outcome.

Manipulation of course is a line Jack readily crosses. He does it in big and small ways to everyone, including MC. He either can’t or won’t lie to them directly (or at least he implies he’s never lied to them), but he lies by omission. He’s careful about redirecting subjects and getting MC’s mind focused elsewhere when it’s inconvenient for him.

Gaslighting is another line Jack would cross. He blatantly did so in the demo when he claimed that MC mentioned Ian. This is technically the truth due to his mind reading powers, or even if he simply overheard them talking on the phone. He heard them mention Ian’s name. He just never said they directly told him Ian’s name, letting them fill in the blanks of the implication.

Jack might not directly lie to MC, but he does lead them into doubting their reality with his words.

Manipulation, doing things behind MC’s back, pressuring them, keeping secrets that he probably knows full well they won’t like... I think these are all things Jack is willing to do “for their sake.”

However, even this has a limitation. Jack has been called a softcore yandere, and Sauce confirmed that he doesn’t want to dim his sunshine’s warm and happy light. He’s not going to do anything that would harm MC. He wants them to be healthy and happy.

This means that Jack isn’t going to chop off limbs so MC can’t run away from him. He’s not going to break their mind like in the above picture. Even if the person is doing harm to themselves, they are still being hurt, and Jack doesn’t want any harm to come to MC.

So even though Jack is going to be manipulative with MC, he’s not going to, say, break down their self-confidence so that they believe that he’s the only person who could ever love someone like them. Rather, he’ll likely elevate their self-confidence instead while presenting himself as the superior option to all others. Here’s a couple pictures that demonstrate what I mean.

MC doesn’t need anyone but Jack. He can provide his sunshine with everything they need, better than anyone else ever could...

Anything that the world provides, no matter how nice it is, it’s not as good as what Jack can give. He won’t forget MC. He loves MC more than anyone else ever could. The world is so big and cold and cruel... it’ll forget all about even the brightest of stars like Jack or MC, but Jack never will. He promised his sunshine forever, didn’t he? And has he ever lied to them? That’s why he wants them to promise to do the same for him...

Rather, Jack is going to use positive reinforcement to lure MC in. He makes them feel good, improves their life, elevates their self-confidence, makes them laugh and shine bright. How can they possibly resist everything he provides for them so willingly and readily? Everyone else is clearly inferior compared to him and the love he has to offer his dear sunshine.

So... suffice to say, I think a hard limit Jack won’t cross is anything that would do any real harm to MC. Sure he might have some loopholes here as well, but only if the result is going to make them happier in the long run. Sometimes kids need to learn lessons that can be a little harsh on kids shows after all. Sometimes kids need to see that their reckless actions can have consequences on those around them.

But never anything too bad of course! There’s a big difference between a hard lesson and trauma after all. A good lesson, even a more firm one, never leaves lasting damage.

No, anything that might cause nightmares are better left for other people to suffer, not his precious sunshine. Jack only wants to make MC happy and make sure no one takes them away from him...

If other people get hurt? Well... sometimes these things happen. It’s better not to focus too much on other people too much. It’s not good for you, sunshine. You need to care about yourself more... and Jack will certainly love to take care of you in every way possible.

Of course, breaking other laws aren’t necessarily off the table as long as Jack can justify it while keeping in character. For example, Sunny Day Jack would never steal money, but if MC was in desperate need of money, well... I’m sure Barry wouldn’t mind the finances of Yogurtopia to get tweaked a little so that they have a raise in their check. That meanie pants of a boss really works them too hard, and Barry owes them for all that overtime! Plus, there’s other ways an invisible entity like Jack could get things for MC to take care of them...

Painting other people in a more negative light is another thing Jack has done in the demo. Or rather one person. Then again, given Ian’s behavior, it would be easy to argue that he’s justified in these accusations. It might be less a manipulation tactic and more projection and coming to a conclusion based off of how hurt MC is. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not this becomes a pattern with other people, though we do know he does view them as inferior to him and what he provides.

Though in the picture where MC is spending time with someone else, Jack does say the person they’re with is nice when he could have pointed out why the person wasn’t nice. It’s not technically canon, but it does make me wonder...

Sharing is another thing Jack just doesn’t want to do, at least when it comes to his sunshine, so this could count as another of his limits. That means it’s probably unlikely that there’s going to be a harem ending in Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack. Heartbreaking, I know, but Jack just can’t risk anyone taking his sunshine away.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur