#not real at all but related to toads!]

[mayo-is-an-instrument]

I made a boo oc!! I'll make more drawings to use them for when I start making "serious" YouTube videos :3

[bluesthebest]

Palpitoad

PokemonHistory | Closed

"Howdy Clay, curious about your little pal here, huh? They got some interesting, albeit, disgusting factoids on some of our past discoveries down the murky lakes with some culture relevance. I’ll let Rotomdex give you the breakdown."

He taps on his pokedex with the pokemon in question showing it on screen and it’s robotic cheery voice comes up.

"Number 536, Palpitoad, the Vibration Pokémon. Semi aquatic, often plays a crucial role in its pokemon ecosystem by controlling insect populations, often seen in Unova located around large swamps. Areas within: Moor of Icirrus, Icirrus city, Route 8 waters, and Pinwheel Forest. They have also been spotted in areas throughout Galar but only in stormy weather, overcast, foggy, or sandstorms. With the exception of Bridge Field and in Kalos through the Friend Safary as of recent date. Their primary source of foods are bug pokemon, including but not limited to: Sewaddles, Karrablast, Shelmet, and many other small insects that dwell in wetlands.

Palpitode has the ability to sense vibrations through its skin and remove debilitating effects when it rains thanks to it’s sticky and webbed layer of mucus that coats it’s entire body. Previously it was discovered that it would actually absorb it into it’s skin and form welts rather than reject it completely, it was a way for it’s body to use as a defense mechanism if it were to be bitten or eaten. Demographical and environmental factors point to this creature being fully water/ poison type once. (product of being exposed to bug types like Venomoth or Spinarak) but was reclassified to water/ ground when it was determined that it had grown into this evolutionary advantage to not only make transport easier through a highly conductive terrain but also counter the large influx of Joltiks and Galvantula giving it’s resistance to electric types and paralyzing slime. Humans have used it's slime for it's effects that had helped create medicine for anti-inflammatory,antivirus, anti-infection, and analgesic or harmful poisons. Be advised not to kiss or lick Palpitode’s or any of it’s evolutionary line, toxins are debilitating and life threatening if consumed in high dosage even if it has significantly reduced over the century.[1] A discovery in Unova region on the outskirts of Mistralton City very close to Moor of icurrus,fossils showing a part of the Palpitode evolutionary line. Akin to many of it’s kind linking back to one predecessor that lived before humans, having an enormous skeleton and completely terapod, with a large mouth and eyes on top of it’s head to see through the murky depths. It could barely see around itself but it’s mouth was large enough to break many shields and swallow most things whole, that was unfortunate enough to step into it’s muddy home. The bones show that it too had welts, or curvature showing traces of it so this trait has been passed down through many of it’s generations. Despite this creatures size has significantly reduced even Seismitoad being only a half of what it used to be.[2]"

"Also doesn't have the giant sharp teeth or stubby legs " Blue interjects.

"It's pre-evolution, Tympole older counterpart had developed unique sound to it’s advantage to navigate and help keep itself withing it's own circle but it also had a rather strange defense mechanism. It's eyes. Mainly the warts around them. Speculation arises that it's warts grew close to it’s face causing them to leak through looking like they're crying when a predator showed up, it's speculated to turn most of them away. Evidence from what could be seen as tissue scars on the mummified specimen, that was fossilized but almost perfectly preserved Tympoles cluster with Palpitoad near them. The Palpitoad itself had curves in areas behind it's eyes but seemed to be able to preform the same action. [3] It’s modern iteration warts grown on the side of it's head with not nearly as much warts, it used its vibration and sounds to help navigate the dark trenches of mud it safely guides itself and many other Tympoles rarely ever found alone, always following a much larger Palpitoad. Method of transport, some would be stuck on Palpitoads' skin as another form of travel. Or inside Seismitoads mouth." [press continue to resume] "

"Alright I'll give it a pause here before it goes on forever. Hope that was informative"

The Rotom hid itself away again.

[bogleech]

Hey about your cartoon vs Real life Animals post, can you elaborate on the lenght of frog tongues? This is the one that shocked me, i study in a Field closely related to zoology and never heard that their tongues are human-like short, unless you were trying to make a point about their shape and not lenght, then Please disregard my inquiry :p

When I say their tongues are "more human-like" than chameleon-like, I mean, this is a chameleon's tongue:

And this is a frog's tongue:

A chameleon has an astonishingly long, thin tongue that launches like a grappling hook, and almost all media thinks this is also true of frogs and toads.

The tongues of frogs and toads DO come out farther than ours, especially because they attach at the front of their mouth, rather than the back, and "flip" outward to grab prey:

But yes, between the two, their tongues are nowhere near like those of chameleons, but broad and flat like ours. The very farthest they can stretch is like this:

When you google frog or toad tongues, unfortunately, you get many more fakes than the real thing, to the point that even science articles have been known to use them

And, the first time I ever posted about this subject, someone retrieved exactly this fake photo to try and prove that I was making all this up. Frogs have never done this! Cartoons simply exaggerated it for fun at first, and then I guess confusion with chameleon tongues lead people to believe they worked similarly!

It's such a pervasive misunderstanding that I didn't know about until my teens, and I was a biology nerd well before that too. It felt like a betrayal. I was never made to believe in Santa Claus but finding out frogs Don't Do That felt how I imagine that feels. Frog tongues were my Santa Isn't Real moment.

But, frog tongues are in my opinion just as interesting as chameleon tongues. Besides the weird flip-out structure they are extremely adhesive and also so soft and membranous that they practically "shrink wrap" to the prey! Terrifying!!! Getting got by a giant frog would be like getting wrapped up in a giant stretchy sheet of cellophane covered in glue!

[delightfullyquirkydoodles]

Okay, buckle up, friends and neighbours, because it's time for:

THE DOOPLISS DISSERTATION

(Obviously, you should take all of this with a HUGE chunk of salt, since I'm not only an internet-poisoned fandom blogger, but also a former English major with a penchant for over-reading.

Still, I spent a long time writing this, so I'd appreciate it if you gave it a read.)

So before we talk about Doopliss himself, I feel like we should talk about Creepy Steeple, since a lot of the topics I'm going to be touching on relate to the actual building.

Neither the original Gamecube version nor the Switch remake really bothers to explain what Creepy Steeple actually is.

None of Goombella's tattles say anything about the building's intended purpose. The name vaguely implies that it's a church of some kind -- in Japanese, it's called Odoron Jiin, or "Astonishing Temple" -- but that's still not very helpful.

Still, for the purposes of this analysis, I'm going to assume that it's meant to be a church.

This brings me to the Steeple's stained glass window, which shows a scary-looking Doopliss standing over some piranha plants.

From a design standpoint, I'm guessing that this detail was added to give the location a spooky vibe, but from an in-universe perspective, the implications are wild.

Like, who designed this? How long ago? And why? What the heck is it supposed to represent?

Unsurprisingly, the game offers no real answers, but I have a couple of theories.

The first is that the people of Twilight Town (or their ancestors, or something) created the window in Doopliss's honor.

Stained glass windows often depict saints or angels, so maybe the Twilighters used to worship him? Like, maybe Creepy Steeple was once dedicated to him and then, for whatever reason, the worshippers decided to leave?

It's not super likely, but I didn't want to rule out any possibilities. This is a weird freaking temple. Literally anything is possible, as far as I'm concerned.

My second theory is that Doopliss designed the window himself. He seems like a guy with a lot of spare time, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that he came up with the idea and then spent weeks building it by hand.

He could have also bullied the Boos into constructing it for him. I dunno. I just have this mental image of him pulling pranks on them and generally being a nuisance until they caved.

The bottom line is someone wanted to Doopliss's face to be front and center. And if that someone is Doopliss himself, then hoo boy, there is a lot to unpack here.

Maybe I'm projecting, but it feels like Doopliss is wrestling with some major self-esteem issues.

Despite being an incredibly powerful shapeshifter who somehow cursed an entire town, he seems very childish. He spends all his time watching TV and coming up with new jokes. He throws tantrums when he loses. He wears a party hat, of all things.

Based on that, I'd say that he's probably starved for attention. He's probably pretty lonely living in Creepy Steeple all by himself (doubly so if my theory about the Twilighters is correct).

I'd even go so far as to say that his scheme to turn the Twilighters into pigs is motivated by this need for attention. I mean, what better way to get people to notice you than to cause a town-wide panic?

I feel like the disguises he uses over the course of the main story also support this theory.

Though Mario, Zip Toad and Professor Frankly are quite different from one another, they all have one important thing in common: they're famous. Mario's a world-renowned adventurer, Zip Toad is a well-known actor and Frankly is a tenured professor whose students love him.

Doopliss even alludes to this after stealing Mario's body, telling him, "You're so popular around here! I just love being you!"

By transforming into beloved figures, Doopliss can get the attention he craves.

I also think that this is why he joined the Shadow Sirens. Sure, Beldam abuses him almost as badly as she abused Vivian, but at least she notices him. That's better than nothing.

The most conclusive piece of textual evidence is found in the epilogue. In her letter to Mario, Goombella explains that Doopliss has joined Flurrie on-stage in her production of "Paper Mario".

Obviously his shapeshifting abilities make the play a lot more realistic, but why would he bother participating in it at all? This guy was a villain for most of the game. Why would he suddenly decide to join up with one of his enemies?

Because, as far as I can tell, he's not a villain. Just a guy who's sick of being ignored.

I dunno. Doopliss's motivations have never been super clear, but I feel like there's more to him than meets the eye.

If you have any thoughts or ideas of your own, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

[m4rs-ex3]

so naturally i was up at 1am the other night watching tdp related youtube videos and i figured i'd watch the 2020 comic con panel since it'd been a while and oh my god some of this shit

(also just me talking about how much i love this cast)

"IT IS I, DARK_MAGE_DAD420" i cannot believe that is real

aaravos: "if i want to do a screen call, i must perform a cosmic blood ritual. with a mortar and pestle. AND FLOATING KNIVES" you are fucking kidding me (edit: i realize that pertains to what he did in s2 but still like "cosmic" "ritual" "knives"? cmon)

jason simpson playing the ukulele. that's all.

jack: *talking about how he had a baby in quarantine* eric: i've been doing a lot of gardening... uh i haven't had a baby, but you never know! i mean if it's possible through social distancing aaron: if anybody can make that happen through social distancing it's aaravos you are F U C K I N G KIDDING ME

racquel: some fun things i did- i uhh died my own hair and burned my scalp and i would like to inform you all it's finally healed and we're good to go, i'm ready to do it again! i'm obsessed with the fact that racquel is quite literally claudia irl

the ttm read is awesome. jack came with the Rayla Voice fucking PREPARED oh my god

i don't think i've ever actually talked about the dnd sketch but it is one of my favorite things in the entire world

rayllum in this sketch is amazing particularly callum he is SO down bad like "my character is a mysterious elf assassin with two beautiful blades to match my two beautiful eyes~~ ✨" like hello that's canon idc if it's a sketch that is canon

"my character cannot help but look at her. he locks eyes with rayla's mage" "....there will be time for roleplaying later" HELLO THATS GOLD

viren in this skit is genuinely one of the funniest things i've ever seen. i cannot emphasize enough this is comedy

necromancer ezran. i think about him daily.

s: "i start swinging my sword at, uhh, idk, rayla's mage" r: "WAIT WHAT" c: "uh wait wait i take it back MY SWORDS GLEAM INTO THE LIGHT AS I LEAP TO THE DEFENCE OF THE BEAUTIFUL MAGE!" s: "hey no takebacks!" sibling ass fight i love them

"LIKE WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY DO?"

i rolled a 1 😐

i loot their corpses for blood >:D

"do elves have four toes?" "i always assumed that they would have 6 so they could learn how to count to 20" paula my love

someone get sasha some hamantaschen

i don't need arc 3 actually i just need the beta script including as many guns n roses references as possible

racquel: ok call me crazy, call me crazy... jesse: you're crazy, racquel racquel: THANK YOU FINALLY they are literally just them

"I WILL NOT BE POSTING A SINGLE THING ABOUT ICE, FOR I AM JULIA" (okay but.... venous frigoris anyone?)

paula: ugh, no one likes soren jesse: well no one likes rayla racquel: you two should fight 😈

long hard sigh

bonus: jason: literally no one likes viren so let's move on

"how old is bait?" "sasha, how old do you think bait is?" "3."

"is-is a glow toad kinda like a toad?" "................kind of"

i fucking love sasha have i ever mentioned that i fucking love sasha

"i think that he's 56." "either 3 or 56 only, apparently"

the saga announcement is great i love how everyone's is so excited they don't even know all of their characters are about to be destroyed physically and emotionally

the way aaron says it so fucking funny "is there gonna be a season 4?" "uh so i think it's really important to emphasize: yes-"

"i too want to cry" "just cry, just-" "IT'S A PANDEMIC. NO TEARS. THERE'S NO CRYING IN A PANDEMIC." "...where is this rule coming from?"

and finally there were a handful of moments that i could not do justice by transcribing in a post so here is a masterfully edited compilation i made

[janmisali]

[NOT APRIL FOOL’S RELATED]

As the only supermariologist I follow, I wanted to know your opinion on a shower thought I had regarding the Mario franchise, specifically, what might be considered the “Main Cast” of the super Mario franchise.

I’m mostly curious about:

A) is there an official or semi-official set of characters defined in this way?

B) if not, what is your personal opinion (if any) on who that might be and what criteria that would require

Considering Mario, Peach and Bowser are almost certainly part of that cast (though Bowser is an antagonist…) I would say characters that appear or are playable in most if not all of the games who’s plot revolves around Bowser kidnapping Peach should be counted. That leaves me with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad (but is he a single character?), Yoshi, and Bowser.

I imagine that this is one of those things like “what is a mainline super Mario game” that has multiple ambiguous answers, but simply interested to know your way of approaching it!

this is a great question!

so there actually is a semi-official list of "main characters" for Mario in the same way there's an official list of mainline Super Mario games. over on mario dot nintendo dot com slash characters we can see that the main characters are:

Mario

Luigi

Princess Peach

Toad

Bowser

Yoshi

Daisy

Wario

Waluigi

Rosalina

Bowser Jr.

Boo

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

whether or not this list is an actual satisfactory answer to "who are the main characters in Mario" is another question altogether of course. besides the obvious questionable things here, I'd like to point out the odd inconsistency of referring to "Princess Peach" by her full title while being on a first-name-only basis with Bowser, Daisy, and Rosalina. fun!

personally, I'd say there are a few different "tiers" of main character status in the Mario games. the main main characters are Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Peach. like, literally only those four. those are the four characters where it is always remarkable when a Mario game doesn't include one of them in a major role.

tertiary main characters would include all the recurring playable characters in ensemble multiplayer games, like Waluigi and Diddy Kong. (Diddy Kong would count as a main character if we were talking about Donkey Kong characters, but the question is about Mario characters, and Diddy Kong is definitely a tertiary main character in Mario games specifically) the real interesting question is who counts as being a "main character" at the layer between these two tiers.

I think Yoshi, Toad, Wario, and Donkey Kong are all a given for secondary main characters, but beyond that I'm really not sure! should Toadette count? what about Nabbit? Daisy? Kamek? Bowser Jr.? the Koopalings? Toadsworth? who knows! it's all very debatable, and there's no definitive answer here. nintendo's official list certainly isn't helping!

[maxwell-grant]

Playing Princess Peach: Showtime got me the Mario brainvurms again so I wanna ramble a bit: As much as I adore and put a lot of stock into Wario and Waluigi's dynamic (and as much as Waluigi's my favorite character), I actually don't think Waluigi should be in the Wario games. Particularly Ware, but that also goes for Land in case that ever comes back from the grave. And it's not because of anything wrong or lacking with Waluigi as a character, quite the opposite: I think a lot of what defines him, what makes him interesting in different ways than Wario, actually makes him a terrible fit for Wario's narrative real state. Not an issue when they're together filling in a necessary dynamic in Mario territory, but it gets trickier when Wario's supposed to be the lead in an actual story.

In regards to Land, the central appeal of Wario Land is in the fact that you can play as Wario. I'd said as much before that, generally speaking, where as Mario is altered to fit his games, Wario's games are built to fit him. As much as WL did to flesh out Wario as a character, the core concept for Wario Land 1, and every subsequent game, comes back to the idea that you are playing a bigger, nastier Mario, who can't run as fast or jump as high, but is stronger and full of stranger surprises, so he engages with different kinds of obstacle courses and yyou have to figure out what he can and can't do to solve them. Every alteration made to the Wario Land series over the years, not just in relation to the Super Mario Land platformers it spun out of, was built around turning Wario's existing traits into gameplay mechanics.

He is a bully and a brute and thus you shoulder bash your way through problems, his propensity for comedic slapstick turned into full blown immortality and the source of his power-ups, he is far more interested in sniffing for gold than actually saving anyone so his adventures are less linear, your endgoal is to get the biggest treasures possible, his thieving bastard explorer nature eventually allowed for a timed Indiana Jones boulder escape at every level, Shake It lets you literally shake down enemies for cash, etc. The one time they took the opposite route and really altered Wario to fit a pre-ordained gimmick was in Master of Disguise, and soundtrack aside there's some good reasons why that one's so unpopular it's not even considered a Wario Land game.

All of these are traits that are built to fit Wario, and mainly Wario, and you could argue that these by extension apply to Waluigi because of his traits that overlap with Wario's, and for sure the spin-offs demonstrate that Waluigi does tag along on Wario's treasure hunts sometimes, but if we concede this and add Waluigi as a Player 2, then: A: What is so great and unique about Wario, if other characters can also do all the absurd things he does? And B: What is so great and weird about Waluigi, if all he's doing is just the stuff Wario already does?

The Mario platformers don't really have this issue with Luigi not just because Luigi as the Player 2 is grandfathered in, but because mechanically speaking Luigi isn't very different from Mario, and because the gameplay mechanics for Mario platformers are nowhere near as specialized as Wario's is. Everybody runs and jumps and collects power-ups and does the same things Mario does, that's why the Toads and the princesses can jump in on it just fine. Wario sharing the glory of being Wario is just not what Wario does, and it's Waluigi's thing even less. With everyman all-ages Mario, everyone's invited to join in the fun, but when the whole point is you reveling in "you get to play as Wario!", WHERE BEING BAD IS GOOD AND GREED IS GOOD HEHEHEHEHEH, you really lose a lot of the appeal turning it into "you get to play as Wario, and another guy (or even more) who can also do the things Wario does, turns out Wario's willing to share I guess". Even working in a different set of paths and solutions per level so Wario and Waluigi could solve problems differently would just be splitting levels by half of the work and half of the fun.

For comparison's sake, Pizza Tower has a second playable character in the form of The Noise, a rival who is opposite to Peppino personality-wise. Despite having more or less the same proportions (and in prior builds playing identically to Peppino), in order to accomodate his personality that is also his main selling point, he plays in a different manner through levels that weren't designed around him (not different enough that it excludes co-op though), and so he actually breaks the game, and that is in fact worked into everything he does: Pretty much the main running gag through The Noise Update is that he is brazenly cheating and easily clearing through the things Peppino worked so hard to beat "fairly", and that he is a piece of shit with no emotional stakes in what he's doing, turning every hardship or battle into a joke.

Pizza Tower is just as much built around Peppino's character as Wario Land is (which is part of why the game became faster and more stressful, and thus played increasingly less and less like Wario Land over every subsequent build up until release), and it was only ever going to accomodate the Noise's personality by either designing new levels (and thus a new game) around him, or going all the way on him breaking the existing ones and occupying an opposite role to Peppino's, which fits him. Again, you could argue this dirty cheater angle fits Waluigi. The problem is, again, redundancy, and it not fitting Wario Land. Gameplay-wise, Wario is already breaking and even cheating through levels to clear them, he is already flipping the middle finger to traditional Mario-style platforming the way The Noise is doing to Peppino's playstyle. And story-wise, Wario doesn't let himself be outdone, he is not getting upstaged from his own adventures. Peppino doesn't WANT to be in his own adventures, that's why the game plays him for pathos and The Noise gets played for pure satire. They get to do completely different things in a way I'm not sure you could do with Wario and Waluigi without significantly overhauling the way Wario Land works, and at that point, why bother.

That being said, I definitely do want there to be a way Wario and Waluigi could star in a platformer together, it would be a dream for me. But I don't think that's going to work for Wario Land, and not doing Wario Land runs the risk of doing Master of Disguise again so, it'd take a lot of work. I want to say there is at least a possibility of making it work, which is definitely not an argument I'd make for Waluigi joining the WarioWare cast.

The thing about how WarioWare's cast works, and how it manages to keep Wario recognizably Wario even in a drastically different role than the one he occupies in Mario spin-offs and Wario Land alike, is a very simple but effective dynamic: Wario is the boss, and everyone else is your friend/co-worker. Wario is the ringmaster, and the circus freaks need your help to keep the show afloat. Wario is Michael Scott/J Jonah Jameson, and you're in the Dunder Mifflin/Daily Bugle trenches with everyone else.

All of the WarioWare characters are lovable weirdos, it comes with the question of "what kind of person would not just be friends with, but willingly work for Wario?". They are weird, they are dorks, they are (mostly) nice, they (mostly) get along, but above all, they are accomodating. Of their weirdness, of your weirdness, even of their boss' weirdness. Their goal is to guide you through the challenges and fun and encourage you to succeed. They do all the hard work in making these games fun to play. They are directly, proportionately opposite to how much of an dynamic jerk Wario is, and that's why Wario gets to keep on doing Wario things.

He gets to cause problems and lead the gang into trouble, he gets be mean, he gets to hijack proceedings and directly insult and mess with the player, he gets to be the villain, he gets to be the butt of the joke, he gets to crash and fail. The Ware crew gets to be people you come to know and relate to and love, while he gets to be the GOTTA WIIIIN guy. It's a fine balance and a very good deal on their end.

It also has no room whatsoever for Waluigi, anti-social party crasher conniving drama queen extraordinaire, in anything other than a cameo or a one-off antagonistic competition with them. He isn't going to take Wario, or anyone's place, and his dynamic with Wario in the spin-offs just doesn't translate to Wario's role in WarioWare. And he belongs even less in the WarioWare crew (especially with characters like Jimmy T and Crygor, who have significant overlapping traits with Waluigi already), he is just not made for playing nice with others like that. It's not that he can't, his player interactions can be remarkably non-antagonistic and chill even, but it's not his thing.

He is Waluigi, as they reiterate in every bio, he is dastardly and mean and also a tryhard loser who "thinks" he's Luigi's rival more so than he actually is, and who doesn't seem to get along with anyone other than Wario, in fact he barely plays nice with Wario a lot of the time, they're partners in crime first and foremost and are depicting bickering over spoils when they work together. He'd just break the balance that makes this cast dynamic work so well without offering anything in return, and would be worse off for it. If anything Waluigi should be the last person to work for WarioWare, it has nothing to do with what he's about and the dude knows firsthand how little Wario intends to pay anyone ever. You could get stuff out of playing him as a rival trying to muscle in their gigs, or beat Jimmy T on the dance floor, and even that's stretching a bit.

I think the biggest problem comes down to the fact that the main thing with Waluigi, much like Wario, IS his outsized personality and the role it offers him, and with how Wario's games are precision-built around him and him alone as the center, putting Waluigi in those is dooming him to get sucked into Wario's orbit in roles that just don't work for him and dillute the chief appeal of putting Waluigi in stuff. Even if he's already secondary to Wario in the spin-offs, in there they fill in a niche together, two halves of one idiot, Camelot's favorite boys and all that, that you can't carry over when Wario has bigger things to do than just play along and be a nuisance to Mario.

I was very happy with Princess Peach: Showtime in part because of how committed it was to the idea of putting Peach and Peach alone in the spotlight, with NO Mario elements whatsoever tagging along for the ride. There is not a single trace of Mario or Bowser anywhere, the Toads leave at the opening cutscene and don't come back until the post-credits when their only role is to give her crown back. The game is just Peach going on adventures, righting wrongs and trying new personas and putting on a show with the people she's saving.

It's short, sweet, it's kind of a baby game and it has to be for the target audience, and it doesn't seem to be super popular in general but I'm glad it sold well, I'd like for Nintendo to make more games like it. It got me to like Peach more than I ever have before, and it got me feeling very good about the fact that this exists at all. Seems like there really has been a creative renaissance for Mario over the past years. Not that I ever expect it to happen anymore, but I always dreamed of Waluigi getting to have something like this, although I'll say that Peach's was a very long time coming (especially given the failure of Super Princess Peach) and I'm glad this premise was made with her. I never thought it'd happen and that makes the former dream seem, y'know, a little less impossible. Maybe.

Semi-unrelated but I am also extremely glad that Madame Grape exists, definitely a character I'd like to see return to occupy a position akin to King Boo or just go-karting with the others. And by no means was this intentional, but I definitely get a kick out of the fact that the villain in Showtime is an overlooked purple-clad drama queen who creates and leads a group literally called "Sour Grapes", who wants to claim her role in a world of happy shining people who don't APPRECIATE her work unless she makes them, who wants to plaster her face and name and colors everywhere, and who is incredibly invested in making Peach her nemesis and foil, even though this story was supposed to be about Peach taking a break for a change and Grape is very far from being the worst thing Peach has to deal with on a regular basis. Just reminded me of another guy who tried to hypnotize "the rhythmless masses" with sweet dance moves once.

[xjulixred45x]

Can i request the hexsquad with a reader like stolas from helluva boss?without all his creepy attitudes obviosly,a young noble that goes to hexside with an terrible parent and a very young fiance that is scared of,just some comfort to the reader with real friends(i cant imagine what would happen if stolas reader comes out as teenage parent💀but sure a loving one if u ask me)

Howdy! My límit is 4 characters, so i'm gonna pick up the ones i find more acurrante for this situation. Thanks for the Request ❤️(You didn't specify so i go for a Platonic one)

Hunter/Willow/ Amity x Stolas! Reader

Genre: headcanons

Reader: male

Warnings: Bad parents, Bad parenting, High espectetions, low self esteem, arranged marriege, i didn't use the case of the baby bc the guys have like 14 so no☠️, Reader has a Bad relationship with his "fiancee", Fluff.

Hunter Noceda

Hunter probably knew Stolas! reader when he joined the Hexquad or through Willow, because I don't see it as very likely that he had friends in the emperor's coven (I'll do a drabble about that one day).

to try new things (and be away from his fiancée) Stolas! reader decided to join the Flyer Derby team, which was a surprise in itself because he seemed like someone...very...weak, at least in Hunter's eyes.

but the demon quickly became almost the opposite, summoning monstrous specters with his haunted items and his book (grimoire?) and honestly left him in disrepair.

although Stolas!lector was definitely "weak" in other ways, mostly because he was so SOFT.

He had great destructive potential, yes, but when I got to talk to him, he was so damn nice that it was suspicious (to him).

At first Hunter pretended to be angry at the constant reader talk, but little by little he lets down his walls and joins in a little in their talks, especially if they have to do with magic.

Hunter has a LOT of questions about how Oracle magic works ESPECIALLY from Stolas' family! Reader, how do you see the future with such precision? How do you control so many monsters at the same time? they might even compare research notes :D

When Hunter comes into trust with the reader, it is quite easy for him to see through him and how things affect him. like the thing with his fiancée for example.

Now, Hunter, unlike the following cases, firmly believes that THE FIANCE is the problem of everything and is willing to go for blood (he's like, how dare you make my friend cry?)

Hunter PERSONALLY doesn't think it's appropriate for Stolas! Reader and his fiancée try to be friends, make things happen? Sure, but being friends after all the bad times they've been through? titan no...

As for the terrible father thing...he can relate...A LOT.

Similar to what he did with Gus, he would share his experience with the reader and try to make him feel better.

but MOST OF ALL he goes into big brother mode when the reader is around his father (Hunter would have an inhuman amount of BEEF on the man)

Hunter knows what it's like to be manipulated by the person who's SUPPOSED to take care of you and someone you ADMIRE on top of it, so if necessary he gives the reader a reality shock when they need it.

Does being like Stolas include being fluffy and like an Owl? If so, there is no WAY Hunter doesn't end up sleeping (whether on purpose or accidentally) on the reader's soft fur (he gets very embarrassed later)

I imagine Stolas! reader tends to be very VERY dense and Hunter would definitely make some harmless jokes about it (like when someone is BLATANTLY flirting with him and he's just like "do you know what the differences are between frogs and toads? :D")

Reader's gardening hobby definitely helps him serve as a matchmaker between Hunter and Willow, whether leaving them alone on purpose or leaving a nice atmosphere ;)

Despite this, Hunter definitely thinks that reader plants are a bit too nippy for his good 😅

Hunter doesn't understand much about Astronomy or how it relates to the Oracle, but he will happily listen to the reader talking about it and tries to listen and understand as best he can. instead the reader hears about his fixation on Lobos :D

When Hunter and Willow are together, Stolas! The reader becomes his third wheel, or rather, his "practice son" is quite funny.

In general you could say that Hunter is slightly more protective of Stolas! reader for his naivety and gullibility, but he does not believe that he is any less capable for that.

He is still a great friend to him :3

Willow Park

Willow knew a little about Stolas reader, precisely because of how relevant his family was and that apparently the boy would be in her same year.

low key, Willow was nervous about this news at first, she was afraid of running into Stolas! reader for fear that he would become a Bully on her similar to Amity and her group in the first season.

but one day she ended up drinking with Stolas! reader as he ran to class, both dropping several things.

To Willow's surprise, Reader was really friendly and apologized A LOT for bumping into her, helping her pick up the books while talking about how he was new and got lost easily and how his locker tried to eat his hand.

In addition, he was completely amazed when he saw the copies of Erbology books that Willow had for her plant class, and he began to ask her MANY questions.

What were the types of plants like? Do they have carnivorous plants? Can you see them? Can you feed them? Do they have species from all the islands? and the list goes on..

Willow was so stunned by all the questions and the fact that who she thought would be her worst nightmare turned out to be a super innocent kid that she almost forgot she had class.

After that, Stolas reader would spend his time looking for Willow to talk about plants, to his joy and Willow's dismay, who on the one hand couldn't say that he disliked reader, on the contrary, he was very sweet and friendly, but he feared this. It would end in him being swallowed.

But when he met his "fiancee" with certain frustration problems...

At first Willow tries to help Stolas reader hide, but eventually tries to get them on good terms at least.

If it works, great!

If it doesn't work and you still hate each other, well, you can try that plant that reader has been studying so much--

reader is very supportive of Willow with her grubgy Flyer career! He is going to encourage her with his carnivorous plants with signs to encourage her🤣

Willow helps with Stolas Reader Gardening Hobbies!, whether it's reminding him when to water the plants, helping him get rid of the weed that bites him, or even growing plants he wants when he's feeling especially down.

Stolas reader has even tried to use his Oracle magic to make Willow get better grades, sometimes it works and other times they spoil half their lives, at least they know they will be friends in 20 years!

Willow is very emotionally supportive of EVERYONE, this does not exclude Stolas! reader, not only with his complicated fiancée, but also with the fact that his father is a TERRIBLE role model and treats him TERRIBLE.

Willow has tried to suggest that the reader take two classes, both Oracle and Plants, but the reader is TOO afraid of her father to tell her that she doesn't want to study what he says, which leaves Willow quite sad.

One thing's for sure, there are sleepovers at the Park house! and definitely try to include the reader in plans with friends as much as possible.

just like Willow is a safe place for Reader, Reader is a safe place for Willow, they are each other's shoulders to cry on, in a way.

Reader is definitely the ultimate shipper Hunlow (although he threatened Hunter that if he did anything to Willow he would put a curse on her, tear her to pieces and feed it to his plants. Hunter understood).

Both can be terrifying when angry or using all their power, although they are usually rays of sunshine.

In short, two rays of sunshine that help each other to relate to the group (don't mess with them, they are much more dangerous than they look)💚

Amity Blight

ohhhhh boy, she understands ☠️

She probably know Stolas! reader thanks to his parents being friends and/or business colleagues, similar to Boscha's parents.

Odalia insisted that Amity try to be her friend so that she could improve her relationship with her family (a very important one among the covens, especially the Oracle's).

So Amity took note and prepared herself for a capricious and pedantic prince, similar to Boscha.

Imagine his surprise when Stolas! reader ended up being the complete opposite, someone very reserved, shy and wanting to make REAL friends.

If we talk about Amity from the first season, at first she had difficulty accepting Lector, precisely because of his reputation, but they found that they had several things in common.

books for example.

Amity ended up running into Reader several times in the library while working, mainly in the reptile and botany areas, which seemed strange since he was in Oracle classes.

They would end up having conversations about frogs and what they were like outside of the boiling islands, it turns out that the reader's family could use Oracle magic even in the human world, but he loves to see the "rare" specimens they had, like the opossums or giraffes.

Being the least mean to him, Reader spent his time stuck next to Amity, and she eventually warmed up to him and she would keep him company, even open up to him.

He definitely knows about her arranged marriage, and he didn't like how it scared him, he can bet that on a couple of occasions Amity threw her away with her abobinable.

(although I think it is not impossible for him to accept her as a friend of himself and the reader if he shows he really wants to change or at least try not to take out his frustration on the reader)

defends him when someone tries to take away from his abilities as a member of the Oracle, he's like "do you think you know more than HIM??" and it definitely gets into hands sometimes😅

Amity HATES the reader's father, she considers him to be even worse than ODALIA. What kind of father commits his 14-year-old son?? (she hopes he finds out that they have been engaged since they were 11😬) and can't stand the way he talks about his son . If I could, I would send you the Alador abobinables.

✨bonding through shitty parents ✨

She highly encourages reading hobbies, especially plants and reading, you can even read to the kids together!

she defends Stolas a lot! reader from her family when she has to see them, especially from her father, if she and the reader's fiancée get along at this point, they will most likely make an alliance to protect Reader.

Amity even tells him about Azura's books that she reads! and compare notes and drawings they make of the characters

Listen to any babbling or rant that the reader has to give, whether it be frogs, plants or prophecies he saw on his own in the stars, astronomy, etc. Even if she doesn't understand shit, she just nods and won't let anyone take away that beautiful moment from the reader.

Imagine Amity introducing Luz to the reader! she would be SO happy to see that they would both get along because they are "nerdy" in different ways, but that they complement each other well.

I think Amity is definitely rooting for Stolas! reader to confess directly if he has a crush, after all, he is cute, comes from a good family and has a big heart, who wouldn't want to be with him? It even helps you make a note!

She wants the reader to find REAL love and not be forced to have a partner for something like status.

She supports the reader all the way when she decides to reveal herself to her family, she knows how scary it is, so she even offers him not only a shoulder to cry on, but also to stay with her for a while.

She tells him how brave he was and how happy she is for him.

Overall, rich, misunderstood best friends who stick together 💜

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

Thanks for the Request ❤️

[jessythebunny]

🚂Duck the great western engine🦆

💚Duck is the first great western engine who came to the island, and he was the number 8 engine in Tidmouth sheds before Emily

💚Duck doesn't like his real name "Montague" and he prefers to be called "Duck" instead, because the other engines in the great western railway were saying he waddles like a duck

💚Duck is a really hard worker and takes everything too seriously and he does the things in the great western way

💚Duck was working in a station in London called "Paddington" before he came to Sodor, so that's why he has a big pride on his work

💚Duck wears that olive green tie on his left knee because he got shot at it one night, which cause a dammage that makes him waddle

💚Duck hates when someone's telling him that he does things the wrong way, like Oliver when he said this to him, he's almost going to kill him If Toad wasn't there

💚he's enjoying listening to the electro swing and dancing with it, Even though he has a disabled leg, he is one of the best dancers

💚He loves anything related to the sea, and spends all his time there relaxing and looking at the waves and relaxing himself. He also loves sailing, swimming, and diving, he also wears that shell necklace because he loves the sea

💚Duck has very rare hair and it has been like this since he was born. This means that over time his appearance has not changed at all, but it is very difficult to tie or comb it. Even James tried a lot with him until he lost his temper because, it is truly a mystery that has no solution.

💚Duck loves to drink british green tea, Sometimes he makes it by himself, sometimes Mia or Oliver makes it for him

💚he has a huge crush on Oliver and he's his husband, Even if they are cousins, they love each other, and a little crush on Donald too

💚He speaks with that west country accent that sometimes makes the ladies swoon (Especially Daisy)

💚Duck collects plastic ducklings

💚he loves singing and humming while he's working

💚Very close with Oliver and Toad, the scottish twins, Skiff, Boco,Edward, Marina(oc), Emily, Percy, Toby, Gina, @lovable-chica's oc Abby

💚good friends with Thomas, James, Henry, Daisy, Rosie, Gordon, Mia(oc), Jenny(oc), Rebecca, Nia, Lady, Molly, Bill and Ben, and very nice to everyone

💚He still feels sad and angry at Diesel after what he did to him and he told the three big engines those lies about him

[sco07ut]

ok one person asked about the reasonings behind my furry au so here’s (almost) every character in the show (sorry)

tubbs + edward: weird inbred pug adjacent dogs, i don’t even need to explain this one but the noses, the breed’s reputation for interbreeding, the viciousness untrained dogs can exhibit

val: deer, aside from the obvious visual link (mark gatiss’s lankiness and grace when playing val has undeniable deer-like qualities) deer are also surprisingly brutal at times despite being herbivores. they’ve been known to eat small birds to supplement nutrients & i feel like this ties into her matching harvey’s freak even though he usually seems to be weirder than her at first glance

harvey: toad, for obvious reasons

benjamin: frog, because despite being in the same (animal) family, he’s too different + wrong to ever be accepted by harvey. there’s this fundament divide between them that’ll never come together. (val being a deer could also be seen as her being more accepting of benjamin since she also isn’t a toad and doesn’t have those standards)

chloe + radclyffe: frog tadpoles (in that life stage where they still have a tail but have grown all four legs), doing an excellent job at pretending to be toads

geoff: pig, pig mask from apocalypse + him being the ‘fat one’. there are probably better choices but honestly idk i’m just feeling pig vibes for geoff. perchance for violence when you least expect it but also strangely endearing

mike: boar, the slightly better version of the pig, bigger and tusk-ier. also with a violent streak (asking geoff to kill his wife in the anniversary specials). they’ve got a sort of sturdy feel about them which for some reason i relate to mike

brian: mouse, pathetic and cowardly, he never stands up for himself against geoff + just endures what’s going on, though perhaps with a bit of snark (adjacent to a mouse biting you with their tiny little mouths)

pauline: fox, animal associated with a tricky & cunning nature and in fables is almost always the crow’s opposition. fated to be enemies etc. foxes in folklore are known to use deception for their own gain or to get where they need to be (the burger thing, going behind mickey’s back as part of the deal to be released from prison, pulling off the entire dementia life insurance scam)

ross: crow, animal associated with a tricky & cunning nature and in fables is almost always the crow’s opposition. basically same as pauline, they’re both tricky and manipulate the other into doing what they need to do. also, when it comes down to physical prowess, the fox is always going to win

mickey: capuchin monkey, s3e1. on a more serious note, monkeys are associated with being creative + cheeky which i feel just work with mickey’s personality. the capuchin part comes from the fact that they have adorable sweet faces and aren’t anywhere near as terrifying as your more well known species (chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, whatevs)

cathy: weasel, also often considered a tricky, cunning character in fables + in my mind a weasel would be like the fox’s enemy. idk if that’s a thing in real life

hilary: cow, his dvd extras bio having his fav animal be moo cow + the cow mask in apocalypse + his wife being a literal cow

maurice + his wife: llama and goat respectively. maurice being a llama is mostly just to contrast against his wife since they’re more reluctant to just eat what they’re given, compared to goats who’ll devour whatever they can get their trotters on (linking to cutting the special stuff into her own meat, making something subpar but still edible)

sam: politicians are often associated with snakes & snakes also have a reputation for eating whatever they can fit their mouths around (sam still eating the special stuff despite acknowledging that it ‘isnt right’ or whatever he said)

farmer jed tinsel: collie, hard working farm dogs but liable to going absolutely insane if left to their own devices (see, andrew)

chinnery: giraffe, linked to the giraffe from apocalypse + just as a personal aside, melman from madagascar 2 (who becomes a shoddy doctor). also visual similarities, being tall and blonde. this one is more of a stretch but you could argue that the way giraffes give birth (standing up to allow their newborn baby to fall six feet upon entering this world) could be analogous to chinnery’s veterinary practices - swift and brutal

charlie + stella: swans, someone accurately pointed out the whole ‘mated for life’ thing, which (if we ignore the specials) is what charlie n stella are pulling off. swans are also vicious little cunts which links to their personalities quite nicely. & another stretch but swans can be fiercely protective of their offspring, which in a way could parallel the way stella copes with julie’s death, she’s fiercely protective of her memories of julie

les: songbird, but like specifically one in captivity alone, doomed to sing forever but never find their calling (sorry)

babs: peacock, much to her displeasure, visibly amab but still undeniably beautiful + eye catching

iris: rabbit, we have all heard the phrase breeding like rabbits. also, does can start procreating at 4 months old which parallels iris having judee at 14 (sorry if this is how you found out about that). i think there’s also something to say regarding iris’ like neverending supply of energy to work as many jobs as she does + also (sort of) look after 11? kids vs rabbits/hares in folklore being swift + energetic

judee: pedigree cat, the very image of wealth and luxury, her entire existence came at a high cost. these cats are also very high maintenance, between properly looking after their fur + dealing with the medical issues that can stem from dodgy breeding. stereotypically quite bitchy animals too

bernice: sheepdog, i did have a brief debate with the gf over what sort of animal would best represent a religious leader. particularly in christianity, parishioners are referred to by their pastor as a flock (& it also ties into the biblical stories of shepherds travelling to see angels or the birth of jesus or whatever), so it would stand that their leader would thematically mirror an animal that could lead a flock. i did consider a ram (especially because the horns would be a fun nod to bernice’s utter demonic personality) but ultimately i settled on an english sheepdog since they also have a bit of a rough side + have cute little fringes like bernice

pop, richie + al: wolves, distinct hierarchy in their family, reflected by how wolves will generally always submit to pack members with more authority than them

ollie: chihuahua, ne’er before have i seen an individual so clearly afflicted with little man syndrome. yappy + annoying + prone to picking fights with everyone sorry i mean the wrong people

phil: cheetah, for cheating his way to the top by sleeping with that one guy. only half joking. also partially appearance based

dave: capybara, very tolerant, reflects him putting up with ollie for so long. genuinely struggled with this so that’s the only explanation i have aside from they both also have brown fair

tish: koala, also purely vibe based. she seems like she would have stds SORRY

lance: bearded dragon, a lizard species that can regrow their limbs (lol)

ernest (ableist guy): labrador, generally well-meaning but far more likely to mess something up than actually be of benefit to anyone

mick (cave guy): mole, underground vibes

sorry can you tell i don’t have many thoughts about some of the bg characters

ally + henry: hyenas, known to be violent animals + the obvious ‘laughing’ parallels to them being cunts in the cinema and also their appreciation for killingths

vinnie + reenie: two old hens, always clucking and tutting about something. slightly scratchy personalities vs chickens being known for scratching up the ground (it’s a stretch i knoww i’m running out of ideas)

pam, pamela, whatever: elk, the bugle. that or those baby seals you see on tiktok making stupid, weirdly human noises

herr lipp: donkey, ass jokes

frau lipp: bat, vampire jokes

i wish there was more to these but it’s literally what it boils down to

papa lazarou: some sort of freakish chimera, primarily a lion (ringleader of the circus and plays into the idea of there being one lion in the pride + a bunch of lionesses, him and his wives) but with other bits and bobs of other animals like a chimpanzee (evil) and a crocodile + elephant (representing the animals he stuffed wives into). my girlfriend was also like ‘what if his extra parts were bits he took from his wives’ which i thought was hilarious and am stealing

alvin: sheep(?), thematically used to represent people who follow the crowd + are quite mainstream, in this case this refers to his sexual practices. also considered to need someone else to be the decision maker, this could apply to both sunny and judith

sunny: dolphin(?), known to seek pleasure + highs by snorting sponges or whatever. sexual freaks

judith: praying mantis. pure vibes

@dangerliesbeforeyou @sleepysuburb (hope you guys don’t mind the tag, just saw u were interested in seeing more the tags :])

[transbeeduo]

Hey! Welcome to my Blog! Call me Crunch! I'm fine with whatever pronouns, but I mostly alternate between He/She/They! I identify as Asexual, Ambiamorous, and Panromantic! Also I’m an adult 👍

Alt Tumblr: DM TO ASK FOR IT TIMES I HAVE HIT POST LIMIT: 31 🎉

https://linktr.ee/transbeeduo (I also have a Discord, which Mutuals are free to ask/dm for!)

I'm primarily a MCYTBLR blogger! I mostly tend to stick to the DSMP side of things, although I'll often post about OSMP and QSMP, and occasionally dabble in other MCYT related fandoms! Along with that I post about Five Nights At Freddy's, Pokémon, or whatever else I'm interested in at the time!

SYSTEM TAGS (Not used super often due to mostly just being me here)

⛏️ : Posts from C!Crunch (NOT Crunch Transbeeduo!! Two different people!)

🎸: Posts from Monty (Montgomery Gator Fictive)

📼: Posts from Cassette/Cass/Ran/Ranboo (Generation Loss/CC!Ranboo Factive. DON'T FUCKING NOTIFY RANBOOLIVE ABOUT THEM BTW DON'T DO THAT SHIT)

🪓: Posts from Ares/Techno (DSMP/OSMP Technoblade fictive)

📺: Posts from Lolbit (Lolbit Fictive)

🎁: Posts from Ophelia/Oleander/FMAN (FMAN122 Fictive)

🔥: Posts from Pyro/Sapnap/Saps (C!Sapnap Fictive)

🌋: Posts from Groudon (C!Tubbo/Groudon/Q!Tubbo fictive)

☁️: Posts from Bo (Pine AU Q!Tubbo fictive)

⚓️: Posts from Bucky (Bucky Beaver Shipwrecked 64 Fictive)

🐺: Posts from Artemis (Fox Furry Joker P5 Fictive, Black Fox Therian)

🐾 - Posts from Ranboo (C!Ranboo Fictive)

🌴 - Posts from Sal (Flygon + Other Stuff You’d Have To Ask Privately About Fictive)

♥️ - Posts from Shadow (Shadow the Hedgehog Fictive)

Anything not tagged: Almost always Crunch Transbeeduo! Just assume it's them!

(LINKS TO A PRONOUNS.CC PAGE WITH MORE INFORMATION COMING EVENTUALLY)

I quite like every DSMP character, so they'll all tend to show up on this blog, but the most discussed here are C!Beeduo (if it wasn't obvious), along with Michael + my Fankids for them! (Found under "#Bug Posts" and "#Wizard Posts") but I also quite like The Eggpire/Badlands, The Syndicate, and Las Nevadas!

For OSMP I'm usually going to stick to O!Beeduo, while for QSMP I'm quite a fan of Q!Tubbo and Q!BBH! (I don't watch QSMP, only really absorb it through the dash! I do have plans to watch it soon though!)

(Credits for these!)

CC Banner: @////tmmyhug (X added by me)

Beeduo Banner: @////cannosoup

Loves Beeduo: @////thedialup

Technoblade, Sootings, and Parasocial Blinkies: @////block-toad

Michael Feed: @////doodlebloo

Genloss Banner @////Pathtrick

Tommy/Tubbo/Phil: @////Offishly

QSMP Eggs + Theory/Analysis Blinkie: @////etoilesbienne

Alliumduo/Peerpressureduo Banners: @////theenderwalker

Koraidon Banner:@///sweetpeauserboxes

Quackcicle/Ranboo Banners: ???? (Couldn't find the OP, if anyone knows please tell me!)

All other banners: Mine!

BOUNDARIES/BYF UNDER CUT (please read!!):

If it's not incredibly obvious, I do NOT want you here if you support the CC! DTeam or William Gold/Wilbur Soot. Get outta here go. Scram

I AM NOT A CC SHIPPER, I AM NOT SHIPPING REAL PEOPLE NOR DO I CARE FOR SHIPPING REAL PEOPLE IN A SERIOUS MANNER. Everything I say shipping/headcanon wise is about FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.

I block somewhat liberally!!!!! Please do not follow me if ur under 15, I post suggestive things on here sometimes!

PLEASE ask if something I discuss needs Content/Trigger warnings!

I'm not the best with words, or articulating the things I'm thinking about really well. If I say something that doesn't make sense or is confusing I'm sorry.

Please do not be weird in my Inbox. Don't ask me about discourse, don't spam me or ask me to follow you or promote your things, don't like be weird to ME. (Also please don’t ask me anything personal, I am uncomfortable sharing that kind of information online)

I AM NOT A DISCOURSE BLOG!!!!!!! I'll discuss it sometimes but that's just because I like being a hater sometimes. Don't treat me as a discourse blog

PLEASE don't send me C!Beeduo /neg shit unprompted, or if you do at least tell me it is.

[blorbologist]

Okay so - as a blorbologist, I would like your assistance. I thought I knew the difference between a blorbo and a babygirl but I am questioning my precious understanding.

I always thought blorbo was a morally grey loveable cranky character and babygirl is a cinnamon roll. Basically blorbo was the “could kill you” end of the “cinnamon roll to could kill you” spectrum.

Please enlighten me- am I correct? What is the different between babygirl and blorbo. Thanks.

(Imagine, if you will, a little toad in a labcoat)

Before I say anything, I need to make it clear that all tumblr-related classification is constantly evolving with trends and time, like some antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So a lot of the definitions tend to be malleable! For the sake of simplicity, I'm using Urban Dictionary as my definitions, informed by my own time in fandom, though it can lag behind fandom trends and lack nuance. So take the following with a grain of salt:

A blorbo is your favorite character; it is a definition free of any connotations in regards to their morality, attractiveness, or how pathetic they are. Blorbos are usually from fictional media, but I've rarely seen it apply to celebrities. Your blorbo could be literally any character ever, regardless of screentime or role in the story - or even the actors portraying them!

Meanwhile, babygirl is a far more restrictive term that generally is intended somewhat ironically; the babygirl is, in fact, not a baby nor a girl, but an adult man*. The babygirl is usually also attractive to the poster (but might not fit media standards of what's attractive). Babygirl is more universally given to both characters and real people (e.g. Pedro Pascale), and can apply to men* anywhere in terms of morality (though you will find some communities lean toward babygirl being as ironic as possible and applied to only morally grey or evil male characters, vs others that mean it a bit more genuinely).

(I say men* because, at least from my observation, more and more babygirls are breaking the gender binary and are not actually characters/people who ID as men. But it's 'historically' been a fandom term predominantly given to men.)

Now, you'll notice that neither blorbo nor babygirl matches up really well with the 'could kill you' <--> 'cinnamon roll that could kill you' scale you presented in your ask! I think the definitions you might be looking for are 'poor little meow meow' (awful/morally grey character/person who is absolutely not a poor little anything) and a 'cinnamon roll' (firmly good, often infantilized character/person).

This graph by @luulapants helps get the distinction across well (though I've seen people's blorbos be cinnamon rolls and poor little meow meow, so I would quibble with blorbo being implied to be the middle ground between the extremes).

TLDR; blorbos are favorite characters, babygirls are usually attractive adults, poor little meow meows could and likely would kill you, and cinnamon rolls are good (and would probably be sad if they killed you). Your blorbo can be a babygirl, or a poor little meow meow and a babygirl and a blorbo at once!

Hope it helped! 🐸

[peaches2217]

Ask and you shall receive and ask lmao 🤭🤭Ok, but gimmie some of your best Mario headcanons or favorite moments of his from games/ other media 👀

Yay! Thank you!! Have some assorted Mario headcanons (mostly related to my own take wherein he marries Peach and becomes royalty because I am, if nothing else, predictable).

✨ Who was it that came up with the theory that the bros' last name is a shortening of Marionetti, which itself is a variation of Marianetti? Because it's brilliant and I've adopted it.

✨ Hopeless Romantic Mario is REAL, God bless. Boy's believed in true love and soulmates all his life; he was popular(ish) in high school, but he never dated (or even went on a date) because he never felt That Spark with anyone, and he decided at an early age that he wanted to wait for The One™. "True love is love worth waiting for, Weegee!" he'd lecture as Luigi rolled his eyes behind his back.

✨He and Luigi speak exclusively in Italian at home and when talking amongst themselves. If they're both telling a story to their friends in tandem, they'll sometimes lapse into Italian without even realizing it.

✨ He's granted a knighthood at some point, and he gains the title of King Consort when he marries Peach. King Consort is rarely used IRL; here, it's used to denote that he has more political influence and say-so than a Prince Consort would typically have, thanks to his extensive history of heroism and the sheer level of trust he's gained with both the government and the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. So he's like... halfway between a Prince Consort and King Regent.

✨ He's trained to be able to do everything Peach does so he can step in for her if need be (temporarily, and with assistance), but at the end of the day, she still holds significantly more power than he does (which he's more than happy with; ruling is overwhelming, and his wife is awesome.)

✨ His full title is His Royal Highness Sir Mario Marionetti the Honorary Second, King Consort of the Mushroom Kingdom. The "Honorary Second" part was supposed to be a joke; Mario, bewildered at how unnecessarily long the original title felt, snarked that they could make it longer by acknowledging him as the "honorary second" Mario in his family (as Mario was his father's nickname, though it was in reference to his last name rather than his first). Unfortunately for him, the Toad recording the meeting didn't quite grasp the sarcasm, and it stuck.

✨ Even after becoming king, he heavily prefers blue-collar work to sitting in committees and meetings and doing paperwork and all that fun royal stuff. More often than not, he's either assisting with practical tasks around the castle or is in town helping people fix plumbing and repair roofs and such.

[stars-of-my-eyes]

Intro Post ✨

Hi I’m Betelguese- call me whatever you’d like, though.

This is my side blog- my main blog is @eye-of-toad which is where I will be reblogging and following people. I also have a blog called @sages-thinkies for all real posts that are not starkin related

I use xe/bug/star pronouns but am always looking for more neopronouns

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[scooby-review]

The Scooby Doo Show S1 E5-8

5. The Headless Horseman of Halloween

Once again, the Scooby–Doo show provides a great episode! This time we follow the gang at a Halloween party in Sleepy Hollow, when their celebration is crashed by the Headless Horseman. 

There is so much to discuss with this one. 

To start, this episode sees the gang in Halloween costumes, and I will always love a costume change for the gang! I adore all of them, but I’ll go through them from my least favourite to favourite. Starting with Scooby Doo and Dums horse costume. Scooby Dum returning is great, and it’s such a fun idea to place them both in a horse costume, both in context of this episode, and generally it’s a fun idea! I enjoy how crude the design is, with the large stitching across the front and almost giraffe like colours. Having it feel so home made works in favour of giving the costume a more endearing design. 

Fred’s pirate costume is great too, I love the way all the characters' costumes still maintain their palettes, with Fred’s costume mimicking his regular outfit, his long jacket a dark blue, his trousers I believe are the same bright blue shade, and his hat and bandanna are a highlight, having the hat sit at a slightly awkward angle, and having his bandanna be a bright orange, matching his missing ascot. 

Shaggy dresses as a vampire, most evidently inspired by Dracula, this specific version appears to be taken from the 1931 movie which popularised this style of dress for the count. He’s the only case where they don’t attempt to match the colour palette of the character to the costume, which makes sense given a green interpretation of Dracula would likely look a little clunky. I adore his fangs that can be seen in close ups. 

Daphne is dressed as a fairy princess in a costume that is just delightful, it matches her character perfectly. I love the blends of purples and pinks in the design, and her large wings are great too! 

Finally, there’s Velma, who dresses as a witch. The bright crimson blends so well with her usual amber colours, which crafts a very autumnal looking design. I love how every character relates in some way to their costume, they all simply feel like they’re the correct choices! What I don’t love is that the gang changes out of these costumes when the mystery starts. 

The mystery in this one is pretty good, built in with a fun array of culprits and a handful of clues! The third act slows down a little, but overall it's still great. 

What truly elevates this episode is both the first act party, in which we simply get to see the characters party and have fun, it builds a nice relationship between the gang that makes me personally happy, and also the villain. 

The Headless Horseman is a classic villain, based on the character of the same name in Irving's novella The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. However, the character has grown into a pop culture icon, with this design in particular taking inspiration from Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, which switched the regular pumpkin worn by the horseman in the novella, into a Jack O’ Lantern, which is a great change. This is typically the vision most have of the character now. Although this head is later swapped out for that of a human, who we learn is in fact the man behind the entire mystery, it’s a fun subversion to have him remove his mask to use his real face as a mask, even if the pumpkin is undeniably cooler. Beyond just this, his blue coat and jacket compliment one another perfectly, crafting a near perfect Scooby villain. 

Despite this design being the most iconic design for the Headless Horseman across all Scooby media, with the first appearance of him being in The Spooky Fog of Juneberry. With a few further appearances including the TV Movies Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers and Scooby Doo and the Goblin King. 

However, this design in particular is reused a few times. Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed had intended on including him, and I wish he was because the design is so good. It reminds me of Sam’s unmasked head from Trick r Treat. 

This design was also used in both a playmobil short, and both a Lego set and movie. The set is based on this episode in particular, it contains a biplane, although one designed to mimic the mystery machine, and contains a pilot Scooby, Shaggy and the Headless Horseman. I will always wish they made more waves of the series, every set here is great! As for the movie, LEGO Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood, it was created as a tie-in for the five sets, only two of which weren’t based on Where are You. I really wish they included Scooby Dum in here, given his importance in the episode! 

This episode is great, it’s brimming with atmosphere which makes it a delight to watch even when the story starts to wear itself thin with plane shenanigans. Love it!

6. Scared a Lot in Camelot

When I was a child, I was obsessed with this show’s intro. Episodes would occasionally re-air on Boomerang in the UK, and I have a series of hazy memories of seeing a handful. However one very distinct memory I carried, was of the intro, namely, the wizard depicted. 

I think the stylistic choices in this specific shot is what made it stand out to me, having the character looming above the main gang was so alluring, I loved it! And as such, finally watching his episode was joy! (Although there is an obvious difference in colouring here).

The episode itself follows the gang travelling to New England as Shaggy’s uncle has inherited a castle, but when they arrive, they find the castle haunted. 

Rather than bring back the classic character of Uncle Nathaniel, they instead craft a new uncle for Shaggy - Uncle Shagworthy. Many will recognise the character now given his recent role in Multiverses, where the character acts as a skin for Shaggy. Personally, I don’t love the portrayal of Shaggy within the game (which for me, leans very heavily into the meme from six years ago now) however I do appreciate this as a skin for the character, it’s not like Shagworthy is the most interesting nor popular character, so dragging a character like him up is great! Especially in contrast to the other more bland skins for both him and Velma. 

I enjoy watching Shagworthy in this episode! He’s a fun character to follow, his parallels to Shaggy are fun, although I think Great Uncle Nathaniel is a far funnier character overall. This does bring up a recurring theme we will see of Shaggy coming from old money, a concept often overlooked or disregarded when looking at who he is as a character. I think when most think of the gang's families, their minds naturally drift to Mystery Incorporated, which uses their parents as characters, and there, Daphne is more evidently a rich girl archetype, which overshadows the previous iteration fixation on Shaggy’s wealth. 

However, for me, the stand out character in this episode is Clarence! I don’t have much to say about him besides the fact he’s funny, and his costume is incredibly similar to Miner Forty-Niners, which is a peculiar phenomenon in the scooby series, because there have been a large volume of characters that wear his outfit for some reason. He’s the disguise of a magician who appears in a silly opening sequence that feels so disjointed that I forgot it happened until the ending, where of course he’s the villain. Although, I was not expecting the plot twist that he was also disguised as a person too. I love this weird little man. 

As for the monsters, this episode plays on the myth of Merlin and the knights of the round table, bringing us the ghost of the aforementioned wizard and one of the knights. 

Merlin as a character originates from stories about King Arthur, he’s a magician and one of the clearest examples of the ‘Sage’ archetype. He’s a character who has expanded and been readapted countless times until he appears as the figure we often imagine now, a man in a long cloak with a pointed hat and long grey beard. His age and wiseness are intertwined, and there is no single depiction of Merlin. 

The Ghost of Merlin is a familiar look at the character in design, although the twist of his villainy is far more unique if not unheard of. His often blue robes are inverted into a striking red which divides the character between his usual appearances with a simple dichotomy of colours to represent good vs evil. His long pointed hat matches this colour, although it's decorated with stars and moons, tying in themes of astrology to the character. It’s a great and easily memorable design, he crafts such a menace from the harsh positioning and shading of his eyebrows, this familiar character is twisted in such a perfect way. 

As with many characters from this era, Scooby Doo 2: Monster’s Unleashed does have this costume as a background prop in the museum! I’ll make a full list when I get to the film! 

The Black Knight is a fun character to play off of Merlin, and I do love the character’s inclusion as a henchman even if it means seeing our second character under this name. His design is different to the character from What a Night for a Knight, this design is far darker, separate from the grey of the original. On top of this, the helmet shape is different, even if they carry the same scarlet feather atop it. This design is fine, and I appreciate them not taking the easy route and using a recolour here! 

The characters and atmosphere are perfect in this episode, I adore the castle setting which feels like a callback to Where are You? which was filled with haunted castles. I think if anything, it highlights the power this iteration of the show has, given how stylistically different this location feels despite the over saturation of haunted castles in the first series. 

This is an incredibly strong episode! I especially enjoy the very cartoony art direction in this one, with little details like halos appearing over Shaggy’s and Scooby’s heads that manage to create such a fun atmosphere. Also Shagworthy is a funny character, he’s not perfect, but I can’t pretend I didn’t have a chuckle over him. 

In fact, the art in this episode generally stood out to me, with these backgrounds feeling even more lavish than usual. They stand out against a flurry of beautiful paintings. 

7. The Harum-Scarum Sanitarium

This episode sees the gang stumble across a mental asylum, where they stop off after noticing ambulances coming and going from the building without any patients. 

This episode brings another great villain in the Ghost of Dr. Coffin. His design is that of a ghoulish doctor, he’s clad in a white hat and gown, with dark grey gloves and trousers, his eyes are hunter green and oversized in contrast to his skinny yellowing skin. 

Many a list of “scariest Scooby villains” will include him, which I think is for good reason. This season of The Scooby Doo Show has such an eerie aesthetic, it's even darker feeling than Where are You, and as such, characters like this feel scarier, not to mention his design is generally a great display of twisting a humanoid design until it's just off enough to become creepy. The character is unsettling, and I personally adore the glow that radiates from him. 

Once again the background art does wonders in creating a creepy atmosphere too, it casts a gothic feeling across the entire episode. Besides the backgrounds, the atmosphere is also aided by the organ being played, which at times can suddenly cut into the soundscape, almost as a jumpscare, it's great!

But I think what makes me like this episode the most is the way the characters interact, the scene of Scooby and Daphne dancing at the end especially brings out a level of character from the pair that isn’t always common to see! 

8. The No-Face Zombie Chase Case

This episode marks the halfway point for the season, and also shows just how strong this season is! It’s so curious to me that this season, which prior to being labelled as The Scooby Doo Show was simply an episode of The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, which was how they aired the episodes, has such a dark tone.

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, as it would later be rebranded, was a Hanna Barbera action cartoon about The Blue Falcon, a superhero, and his dog sidekick. It’s a wacky show with a wacky tone, and it feels completely alien to the tone of this season of The Scooby Doo Show, which feels darker than even Where are You? Of course, when I refer to these seasons as dark, it's Scooby Doo, but more so, the atmosphere and world it builds is steeped in a horror inspired flavour, in contrast to other series that fixate instead on the series as being solely a mystery series. I think this dichotomy is clearest when looking at Where are You vs What’s New. 

Regardless, this season is, so far, my favourite piece of Scooby media I’ve watched for this blog (I know there are some later projects that I enjoy a little more). 

This episode follows Scooby witnessing a burglary, and subsequently, they attempt to find the culprit. 

On a side note, this era of Scooby as a character is maybe my favourite. He’s, of course, comedic relief, but he isn’t overplayed yet, he’s funny and I love the way he transforms and morphs his body for gags, but he’s not overbearing, never feeling like he’s given too much focus for pointless things. 

Two villains are featured in this episode, one is incredibly cool and is crafted expertly that it’s incredibly strange to me he’s not discussed more! The other is a gorilla. 

The Gorilla is just a man in a gorilla suit, there’s not much more to it. He has brown fur! This is the second ape we see in the series as a villain, with the first appearing in Never Ape an ApeMan (Where are You Episode Seven). 

The No-Face Zombie on the other hand, is a no-faced zombie! The titular monster wears a magenta cloak enveloped around his tan body, which is of course faceless. It’s simple, sure, but the magenta is instantly striking, meanwhile the lack of any facial features drains this monster of any humanity despite the humanoid body. All of this is made even cooler when it’s revealed that the zombie has been a robot the entire time, in one of my favourite stills from the show. 

The details are just immaculate, I adore this character design. 

The episode itself follows the gang meddling in detective work, although the police never really do anything in regards to the burglary. Initially, this makes total sense - their sole witness is a dog. However, quickly, it grows evident they never intended on following this case up properly at all. As such, I have to assume that behind the scenes, Mr Dally, the villain, was paying them off. Either this or they are just simply incompetent, and either would make sense. 

I love the episodes in this season that draw the city into question, because it opens this world up so much more. Although there are a handful of episodes of Where are You that delved into cities, to me it always felt like the gang came from a small town and had to travel to found mysteries, meanwhile, this series draws them back to the city, where crime is abundant and therefore, they don’t have to search for mysteries. In this episode in particular, Scooby is just trying to have dinner when he catches the criminal. 

Alongside the city, I also love this episode's toy factory, even if I think that aspect could have been played up slightly. Although a certain sequence of the gang trapped inside a room and being forced to escape using toys is genuinely great and incredibly well written, it reminds me a lot of how resourceful the gang feels in Go Away Ghost Ship.  Another amazing episode here! I am having so much fun watching through The Scooby Doo Show! 

Next Review: The Scooby Doo Show Season 1 Episodes 9-12

Previous Review: The Scooby Doo Show Season 1 Episodes 1-4

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Happy New Year to all! :) On a side note, I will hopefully make some time at the end of this season to cover the Dynomutt crossover episodes, of which I believe there are three! Ideally I will go on to cover every crossover episode (as I work my way through the franchise chronologically, but we will see :)

[elitadream]

I was just wondering, what impact do you think the Power Ups have on the culture and storytelling around the Mushroom Kingdom? Like, are there any folklore about them? Are people afraid of what they can do? Are they just another casual part of the absurd world they live in, or are they somewhat isolated from normal life?

Personally, I like to imagine that there are lots of folktales and ancient myths surrounding the Power Ups, some good, some bad, and some are rather unsettling. They aren't- and often can't be -portrayed as good or evil, but just existing in their own ways.

Oh, absolutely. 🙏💯 Whenever I think of the Power-Ups, I always have this image in my mind of a very old manuscript carefully preserved inside a glass box in a guarded room at the Castle's librairy. One dating all the way back to the Kindgom's very origins, and which would contain every legend, myth, prophecy and folktale related to the Land's many items and artefacts; Some well known and others completely shrouded in mystery. 🎇

There would be many ancient beliefs surrounding those, as even the most 'common' ones (such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower) would possess a cryptic sort of magic that is hard to explain or fully comprehend. It would be said that certain Power-Ups can bring good fortune, heal illness or grant wishes, and that other capabilities - such as the power to glide through the air or throw fire - can also occur; though no Toad had ever truly witnessed or experienced an effect this extraordinary before Mario came along.

What used to merely give warmth to a citizen and a few ones the ability to generate sparks would now manifest as bright and lively flames through this man. What used to make one's steps lighter and their fall less abrupt would make this man able to fly. It would be both unprecedented and incredibly exciting for the people, as it would not only be very clear to everyone that Mario is special, but this would also incidently give significant weight and veracity to these legends.

And, of course, it would also beg the question: "What if?" 👀 ...What if the 1-Up Mushroom and Power Star are indeed real also?