#quite possibly one of The Most fucked up Stans there is

[hirokiyuu]

if i might ask--would you like, recommend twst?

HMMMMM not as like a Blanket rec but like........

ok so the thing abt twst is that like. its the Disney Villain Game right. and like. the charas really are villains LOL they do shitty things and they fuck up adn theyre mean adn petty a lot and like......... theyre still presented as full round characters who have dreams and ambitions and worth? which is smth i really like wwwwww

i do genuinely think its v well written but i also just love love love fucked up guys trying their best so that might be influencing me LMAO id say...... give it a try? i think the prologue has the shakiest/weakest writing but i still enjoyed it and if you enjoyed the charas in it at all then youll prolly like the whole thing wwwww

[jellyskink]

Did you know? One of the possible timelines for Domesticated Ford is actually GOOD! Have a look at Good Ending D!Ford! Him getting here involves him being kidnapped to an alien compound and receiving years of mental and physical therapy, supported by Dr. Oleander, Stan and, later on, Pet Guy. And H!Ford, but he’s in his own separate category of fucked up, and needs his own mountain of support. Features of good ending D include:

- Free from Bill! Bill is dead. D helped kill him

- Good health! Through extensive PT (and some alien medicine,) D rarely experiences the sort of constant aches/pains he did before. They still flare up occasionally, but it’s worlds better. He also has some muscle tone now!

- Delusions are gone! This HAS made room for depression, and he has bad days, but he’s able to see the world (and people) clearly now

- Dramatic reduction in symptoms of anxiety, self-loathing and food insecurity! All are still present in one way or another, but again, it’s night and day

- Increased instances of aggressive behavior! This one’s less good, but now that he’s not so disassociated and/or terrified all the time, it sometimes shines through just how desensitized to violence he is. At least the random, uncontrolled breaking of objects is gone! For the most part

- Bill tattoo on his back is blacked out! The black made a coverup too difficult to attempt, so he got the shapes of the tattoos added to and changed. Most of them are moth motifs, and he has a large moth silhouette on his chest, surrounded by smaller ones. He got similar designs on his wrists and ankles, to cover his scars

- Clothes he actually likes! He still has a hard time picking out outfits he likes, or that look good, but with H’s help, he’s put together a wardrobe he’s quite fond of

- Increased executive function skills! They’re still pretty bad, but he’s been working on them, and they’re better than before

- Increased grooming/self care! These are still areas he needs help with, mostly in the form of reminders from Pet Guy, but it’s A LOT better

[fenrysmoonbeamswife]

rhysand stans/nesta haters wonder why I'm aggressive with them when they come out with this absolute drivel

but I actually want to unpack this comment because this is the pathetic narrative that so many people try to push

pink is for my commentary

the comment is from nyxess_mea on instagram if anyone else wants to block them asap

"so, a brutally abused, traumatized man, whose greatest fear was losing his loved ones, learns his family is going to die, – Feyre was going to die because Rhysand endangered her, she didn't have fully informed consensual sex. He didn't magically learn she would die, he knew it was a risk and just didn't care until it came back to bite him in the ass – and he desperately tries to find solution to save them all, – um where? People love to say this but show me one single instance of him actively looking for a solution – without stressing his wife (who would never choose abortion, be for real), – without informing Feyre about her body, who should have had the choice no matter what that choice would be that's the fucking point – his terror has him in choke hold, – literally who fucking cares this is not about him stop babying this 500 year old man, terror does not have you in a chokehold for months so this is a weak excuse – and he cannot bear to shatter his mate's happiness – the very essence of Feyres personality, wants, and requests of other people since the very first book have been to be informed and to have a choice, she wouldn't give a shit about being happy she would want to know and you know what? Even if she wouldn't, she has the right to – because stress can trigger premature labour (as it did!) – and that's a problem why? If the pregnancy was already at risk why would a premature labour even matter? If anything a preemie baby would have made the delivery easier and inducing the labour early should have been considered as a potential solution. "Oh we can't stress Feyre out stress is bad for the pregnancy", um the literal pregnancy is bad for Feyre so?? Again, weak ass excuse me –

And that is worse than a narcissist – Nesta, apparently – who abused an innocent child for years, – she was also a child but go off – mentally, emotionally, financially and physically (trying to force one to work for hours when exhausted and frozen is physical abuse) – please, what extra chapters did these psychos get that shows Nesta dragging Feyre out to the woods and "forcing" her to work because how else is it possible that so many people are so very wrong?? their little headcanons make me picture little Nesta out whipping Feyre around the woods and it kind of cracks me up I won't lie – Who enjoyed hurting and dehumanizing her sister at every chance – you mean... like Feyre did? Or do you mean when Nesta ran her baths? Or had her dinner ready after she napped? Or when she went to look for Feyre? – who tried to kick Feyre out of the house Tamlin provided, who then exploited money of Rhys. – "exploited" yes I'm sure she really abused this poor, penniless saint of a man. That's like saying someone exploited Elon Musk, it's quite literally impossible –

A vile abhorrent ungrateful abuser is worse than a man with brutal trauma with the most understandable reaction considering what he had been through, who tried to save his wife. – The vile, abhorrent abuser is Rhysand I'm sorry to tell you (not really). Keeping a woman's bodily autonomy from her is absolutely not the most understandable reaction. "Considering what he has been through" if anything that should have made him more responsible and more concerned for Feyres consent and autonomy but he wasn't. He endangered her and didn't inform her of the dangers of the sex they were having and then kept life threatening information and bodily autonomy from her for months. And he didn't try to save his wife, he tried to save himself and his heir. If he had tried to save his wife there are these magical things called ✨abortions✨. Nesta saved his wife, and his ungrateful ass – Nesta never cared for Feyre (and no, looking for her breadwinner slave to feed her after being taken to the wall is not caring) Rhys cares too much. He did not mean no harm, unlike Nesta, who enjoyed hurting Feyre at every turn – I honestly just have 0 words for this last bit other than get help and a sprinkle of reading comprehension wouldn't go astray either. Then again he did not mean no harm is actually absolutely correct, congratulations👏🏻

[storkmuffin]

Unwarranted Thoughts about Mingi (3/n)

The Yungi Of It All part 2

Not a Yungi shipper, but also not anti. Just not involved in that. Most of what I say below, however, fiction and RPF of the non sexual variety, and what is not fiction is opinion. Overall, you are right and I am wrong.

Yunho is Bad for Mingi, Actually

[Yungi fans I am going somewhere with this, just don't kill me.]

Mingi's problem in life is that he's unlikable.

[ducking for cover, please don't kill me, omg Mingtis! I like Mingi *I didn't at first *PLEASE DON'T DOXX ME PLS DON'T KILL MY CAT* but I like him now! I do!]

Being unlikable (wincing) costs Mingi, constantly, even in something as trivial and silly as his fortune telling in that one Wanteez episode, and his unlikability keeps being highlighted because of his proximity to Yunho. Mingi got the meanest possible reading by the fortune teller, by the way.

But if you actually set out what the fortune teller said, word for word? Mingi and Yunho are literally the same person. They are identical in orientation. This is why they're not particularly good for each other. Yet, they are treated completely differently, because Mingi either doesn't mind being unlikable or can't help it (due to autism spectrum, possibly) and Yunho is obsessed with making sure nobody dislikes him & quite often succeeds.

They are both ambitious, rebellious, dominant personalities that find it chafing to be under anybody's command. They are both (along with Jongho) a danger to HongJoong. Yunho doesn't deny it by the way. He jokingly (heehee haha) acts out slicing HongJoong into pieces with a sword as soon as he hears it, smiling cutely with his cute face. And Mingi backs up Yunho - specifically says, Yunho has leadership qualities. (We are going to talk about this problem that Mingi has, of saying things that harm him and only him in service of Yunho, because think about how TONE DEAF THIS IS to say this in front of everyone INCLUDING THE ACTUAL TEAM LEADER). Mingi then says truthfully, about himself, that he's not interested in this leader role, which is both extremely arrogant but also politically suicidal to say if HongJoong was the type to take this sort of thing to heart - Mingi signals that he too can do the slicing and dicing that Yunho just acted out, but he can't be bothered to. The Fortune Teller bitchily tells Mingi it's because he (along with Jongho) are too timid. But he didn't have to choose that word. Timid (소심) is the derogatory way to describe someone that if you liked that person, you might choose to call sensitive or soft hearted or kind.

When it's his turn, Mingi is slammed down as having Delusions of Grandeur, and subjected to derisive laughter, despite the many excellent traits that he has that Yunho lacks. The thing is, the way Yunho is described basically is Delusions of Grandeur: he "doesn't know that the sky is high" and continually seeks to get bigger and larger, with endless greed (욕심). HOW IS THIS NOT A DELUSION OF GRANDEUR? Yunho is also prideful, disobedient, with a huge drive to win at all costs. In other words, he's an arrogant, ruthless mofo with a capacity for cruelty. HELLO?

[Yunho stans pls don't kill me! Omg this is going all wrong. SOS SOS]

The traits that Mingi has that Yunho doesn't are actually pretty fucking damning to Yunho if you want to believe this fortune teller is telling the truth: creativity, analytical intellect, perfectionism, a transformative imagination that will take anger and pain from being ignored or compared to others into something unambiguous and clear (do you mean like, the ability take a complicated and painful personal experience - because the pain of being compared to others and ignored are UNIVERSAL - and crystallize it into a song lyric that millions of people will love, Mr bitchy fortune teller??).

The Fortune teller also says that Yunho's appearance is fundamentally deceptive - he looks kind and gentle (BUT HE ISN'T) and he looks mild and sweet (BUT HE ISN'T). If he wanted to give this reading to Mingi, he would've said, You are a sneaky fuck whose face is a lie. The Fortune Teller also refuses to say what Mingi looks like from the previous era - if it doesn't help that person to hear, he forebears. Given the general rules of 관상 Mingi looks criminal by the way. To a Korean person he actually does have a very scary face - which is the other way he's exactly like Yunho - the face does not match the heart.

OK now I'm going to go off on a bit of a lecture about how Korean fortune telling (maybe all fortune telling?) is supposed to work.

Korean fortune telling doesn't involve laying it all out like a readout sheet from an MRI or XRay machine. The Fortune Teller is supposed to exercise discretion, and be the wise counselor. And from that point of view, you can see the things this fortune teller said to Mingi as being advice to Mingi for himself, and what he said to Yunho as warnings about Yunho to the other members including Mingi.

My conclusion at the end of the Wanteez episode was that Yunho is bad for Mingi, which is why the Fortune Teller steadfastly just doesn't say anything about what they are to each other. He's reading the room. He's reading Mingi. Mingi was already so upset (WHEREAS YUNHO WAS NOT) that Mingi wasn't Yunho's special someone, so being told in the way I'm telling it, This friend you adore so much is actually not great for you, would not be something Mingi could digest in the moment. Yunho is bad for Mingi because he consistently shows up the ways Mingi is unlikable, or less likable, than Yunho is, to Mingi's disadvantage.

Do I have an axe to grind about the norms that govern Korean fortune telling? I do. Ask me about it and I will go off but it's not relevant to this present discussion.

Mingi's Devotion to Yunho Is the Ultimate Luxury in Korean Idoldom and I don't Know WTF Yunho Did to Deserve It (and I suspect He doesn't in fact deserve it)

Whether from being autism spectrum, being in love, or just being a very open person with a lot of confidence (untrammeled Mingi that just feels his feelings without avoidance is a favorite doll for me to consider and mull over), Mingi just really fucking super likes Yunho.

He likes Yunho, admires Yunho, relied on Yunho as a child and is eternally grateful, and thinks he still needs Yunho, and doesn't really bother to moderate his feelings or his expression of those feelings. It was so excessive when he was younger that his mother felt the need to tell him to cool it, to like his friend just a normal amount. Mingi's mom sounds a bit like my mom actually - well meaning, kind, but also merciless and cutting in her phrasing of her kind, well-meant thoughts .

In his relationship with Yunho, Mingi embodies this 사자성어 (Four-Syllable Idiom): 일편단심 (in Chinese script: 一片丹心) : Single minded devotion, but literally it reads The Singular Red Piece From The Heart.

And see, I see now why certain of my mutuals clock Mingi as being autistic. Autists often get very devoted, obsessed with, and go all in on just the one friend. This is both because hyperfixation is how Autists are, but also because it takes a specific kind of tolerant neuro-normal person to get past the irritating, unlikable, unmoderated parts of an autist's behavior to actually appreciate what's really there. Yunho's great talent is finding out what itch people need scratched, and fulfilling it to a certain extent. (This is different from Wooyoung's need to be Loved & Never Alone, or San's need to be Good & Helpful). He saw the huge need that Mingi had, what that need required, and fulfilled it, and is reaping lifelong dividends.

Case in point:

In the December 2024 issue of Dazed Korea, the interviewer asked Yunho and Mingi, "You seem so extremely different. How are you so close?" and this is what MIngi said:

민기 윤호는 제가 본 친구 중에서도 가장 열정적이에요. 예를 들어 뭐 하나 하자고 하면 “오케이, 그래 하자!” 이런 스타일이죠. Go 아니면 No. 또 제가 애매한 걸 싫어해서요. 그래서 잘 맞는 것 같아요

Yunho, among everyone I've ever met, is the most passionate. For example, when I say, Let's do something, he's the type to say, OK let's do that! It's Go or No. And I dislike ambiguity. I think that's why we're a good fit.

It starts out with a compliment about Yunho. It makes him look like such a kind, cooperative friend. (Rather than maybe an inert person without a lot of ideas or motivation of his own.) It ends with a self criticism of Mingi.

Yunho gave what looks to me like a pretty dark answer:

윤호 민기는 제가 말하는 걸 잘 이해하고 따라주거든요. 저도 그걸 느끼고, 민기도 마찬가지고요.

Mingi is great at understanding what I say, and comes along. I feel that, and so does he.

My devoted hound is devoted to me, is what Yunho basically says. My devoted hound and I know how devoted he is. To me.

SERIOUSLY?

This exchange had such the vibe of Mingi assuming that Yunho would be the one to actually pick him for their 'Please Pick Me" Wanteez content, but of course - OF COURSE - Yunho doesn't, leading to this:

Mingi screams, despairs, FALLS TO HIS KNEES, beats the earth, then points and hollers, YOU BETRAYER. Then this big boy toddles over -and he really toddles - to his betrayer Judas with the sweet face to scream out his distress. And Yunho folds in half, laughing.

sorry about the terrible gif - I don't know how to make these better, it's been on my to do list for a couple years to learn and I just haven't had time

Yunho is laughing because it's very funny - Mingi is playing a bit as much as telling the truth - but he's also pleased as fuck that Mingi wants his friendship/love/attention with such single-mindedness. Someone openly absolutely devoted to you is very, very seductive in any situation, but it's got to be especially true in Kpop Idoldom. A terrifying, heartbreaking number of these people, in this field, end up self-murdering in utter despair in the bloom of their youth, even as their careers are going well. Having someone wear his heart (whether for best friendship or sexual love or something in between) on his sleeve for you and only you in this extremely competitive, cold, cut throat world of being Idols? Priceless. Does anyone have this in any other group in Idoldom? I've only studied Ateez and Stray Kids - and this doesn't exist in Stray Kids. Please let me know if they had this in BTS or Shinee or whatever.

The open hearted courage it takes to tell someone, in front of an audience you know is going to be in the millions, "I want you to treat me as someone more special to you than anyone else" as Mingi does in the above bit? (Sorry again for the terrible gif). It's amazing.

To have someone constantly, consistently declare, You are the most important one to me?

What a fucking ego boost for Yunho.

The only other person who gets this sort of thing is Hongjoong from Seonghwa, but I've already gone into why this serves Seonghwa as much as it does HongJoong, and moreover, Seonghwa cajoles, manipulates and dominates Hongjoong in very subtle, intense ways. (ahem, Lego Dom Dungeon ahem). It's not clear to me what Mingi gets, careerwise, out of this open heart surgery he does on himself to express his love for Yunho on the daily.

What Yunho gets out of it is LEGION. Massive. The title of the above clip says, Jung Yunho, How Did You Survive Without Song Mingi?

HE COULDN'T.

With Mingi being how he is, Yunho gets to be the role he likes playing because it's familiar from childhood - the bossy, sensible, smart big sister. He has a dance partner in the way that ballerinas who get matched with a compatible male partner talk about what they're given- the male partner provides a frame, which both highlights their own dance and gives them a safe haven in the vastness of the stage, as well as scaffolding that allows them to climb the heights of the art - which in ballet means literally a body to climb on and gets them lifted off the ground etc. The fact that Mingi provides the 'frame' and Yunho leans into it during the start of the bit they're doing is not a coincidence. Without this 'framing device' that Mingi is willing to provide, Yunho doesn't really have a part to play, because being "the nice one everyone likes" can be played just as well by Yeosang or San, and it's a pretty boring role besides without something extra. Yeosang has this extra thing - he has a spectacularly unusual face AND he's very muscular for some reason underneath the delicate angel eyes AND he's willing to get naked. San has this extra thing too - he's Marilyn Monroe. Does Yunho have this extra thing? Maybe? Hmm??

In the relationship that's visible to me, Mingi is the giver, and Yunho is the taker. The giver may seem like the one that's losing, but actually, the taker is in a more precarious situation, when he is as reliant on the Giver as Yunho is on Mingi. And that might be why, being the clever, ambitious, greedy strategist that he is, Yunho tries to withhold something from Mingi at all times.

The K-Atiny below said, by the way, that Yunho was a whole new person, back to himself, as soon as Mingi came back from sick leave.

@ Yulmuel, in the middle of the page, says "I got into Ateez before Mingi's return, and I just thought of Yunho as being a really calm and quiet guy, but I see now that it isn't true."

Mingi's presence is what allows Yunho to be more interesting, or maybe, closer to his real self.

Tying it all the way back though - you know how the Fortune Teller identified being ignored/ disrespected and being unfairly/unfavorably compared to others as being a major source of artistic provocation for Mingi?

BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH YUNHO SUBJECTS HIM TO DISRESPECT AND UNFAVORABLE COMPARISON NONSTOP.

It also aggravates him, makes him think too much, and worsens his perfectionist tendencies.

But see, whlie Mingi is more obviously the artist and performer - louder (just, sheer decibel-wise as well as being a lyricist and rapper), flashier (as a dancer and a stage presence) - Yunho is actually an artist and performer too, and the thing he wants to do is actually subversive. And that's a fascinating urge that I am not sure Mingi has, quite.

But that's another post.

[minijenn]

That feel when you spend the past several days drawing for a forgotten niche AU you created years ago that you've just been having severe brainrot for lately and you have to get it out of your system somehow so you just... draw.

Anyway, Thorn in the Gut AU! Perhaps the most angsty little AU my brain ever did create back in the old UF days, I'm still quite fond of it. Its just chock full of drama, conflict, existential crisises, all that good stuff! And so, for those of you not in the know, here's a whole dump of info about it to go along with the art! (copied most of this from Discord so excuse any wierd formatting)

The basic gist of Thorn in the Gut spawns out of RMD (Rifts/Memories/Dimensions) and basically starts when Bill lands a practically fatal blow on Stepper (instead of cracking his Gem) and Steven, realizing both he and Dipper won't survive this, essentially "poofs" (lets his physical body disappear) and sacrifices his gem over to Dipper to keep him alive. Anyway, Dipper winds up back in Gravity Falls alone, much to the alarm and anger of the Crystal Gems especially when they realize Steven is basically dead (not them blaming a literal child who had no say in any of this). From there, the following ensues:

The Gems are A Wreck but they are still deeply attached to that gemstone (because of Steven and because of Rose) and they really don't know how to interact with Dipper now as a result; eventually, they force him to move up to the temple because he very quickly starts showing he has Steven's powers now but he can't control them because he is also A Wreck with survivor's guilt and grief over losing his boyfriend (did I mention this AU is Stedip? Well its Stedip) and his heavy emotions are making them wonky

They also watch him like a hawk because they think Steven could somehow return at any moment; they're also just like, hella impersonal with him; basically any sort of warmth or goodwill they had toward him has completely evaporated and they just view him as "the reason why steven is gone"

Garnet probably just... never talks to him like ever. Pearl is a sobbing wreck but is also surprisingly the most sympathetic towards Dipper out of the Gems (bc she knows about Rose and Bill's history to a certain extent and also knows thats at least in part why Bill attacked Stepper so viciously and why all this happened in the first place). Amethyst is just mad and probably prone to verbally lashing out at Dipper in frustration the most.

Stan and Ford are Fighting obvs bc Ford thinks Dipper staying with the Gems is for the best (also not Ford also kind of lowkey starting to negate his own nephew as a "fascinating breakthrough discovery" because of how scientifically impossible what's happened to him should be; Stan, meanwhile, is furious at how both Ford and the gems are acting, he's one of the few people still entirely in Dipper's coner, along with...

Mabel, who while mourning Steven herself wants to be there for her brother so badly but can't be because the Gems and Ford won't let her be, claiming that its for her own safety when really its just to keep her out of the way of a very delicate situation; even so, the twins still try to see each other as much as they can and comfort each other however possible (potential eventual fusion between the two?? maybe)

Connie is fucking mad, mad that Steven would sacrifice himself like this, mad that he'd sacrifice himself for Dipper, mad that Steven is gone and she can't do a damn thing about it. As a result, she distances herself from both the Pines and the Gems for a good long time to grieve on her own (but even after she comes back around, things remain hella tense between her and Dipper)

Other characters: Lapis is fuckin squicked the fuck out by what's happened here, because something something its comparable to permenant fusion, but even so she tries her best to support Dipper even though its difficult for her; Peridot is kind of lost in the shuffle of all this, like Mabel, so I feel like that's where she's lending most of her support; Pacifica? ehhh I mean this AU works under the assumption that Stedip is kind of the only currently canon MK ship so she probs wouldn't have much to do here 😛

Fucking forgot to talk about Dipper himself you know like he aint the damn focus character; so he's in Shambles, emotionally distraught for a number of reasons; his boyfriend is gone and he can only speak to him in his dreams (and those dreams are usually sweet… until one certain triangle starts showing up in them); amidst still reeling from losing Steven, the way the others are all treating him leads him into an existential crisis, because to the Gems, he's Steven, he's Rose, to Ford, he's an experiment, to Bill, he's an obstacle in the way of a prize, to the diamonds (if this continued on into UF2 which it could), he's Pink, and with all that in mind he truly starts to wonder if there's anything really left of Dipper at all

And the bad guys; Bill is furious, obvs. it doesn't take him long to start showing up during Steven and Dipper's little dream chats, causing all sorts of chaos and being just a general bastard all around; but he wants that gem, he has a deal with White to make good on after all, and he's determined to do whatever it takes to get it, even if he has to guilt trip Dipper into ripping it out of his stomach himself (which may or may not happen); as for the Diamonds I mean they'd probably just think this is "Pink" playing another one of their silly games, like they think about Steven so not a ton changes on that front? (even still, I summed up that this boy is in Danger in the span of time that would be UF2 in that one art)

Oh and of course, Steven's status. He is… aliveish? Of course, he doesn't have a physical body anymore, kind of gave that up entirely when he "poofed" bc he's half human. At first he's only able to communicate solely to Dipper through his dreams (and like Stan and Mabel, Steven is completely in Dipper's corner and is fucking mad as hell about how the Gems are acting towards him). And eventually, he makes that frustration known by using his possion powers to take control of Dipper (which Dipper allows, god who cares about past trauma, anything to make the Gems see reason) to tell the Gems off, but he isn't able to do that for very long or very frequently. I'd like to think Dipper can also sometimes "hear" Steven speaking to him through his thoughts when he's awake too. Basically, Steven is always with him ^_^

After getting steven's gem, Dipper maintains Stepper's hair color and skin hue :3 and he also starts wearing Steven's shirts bc fuckin gay grief compells him to wear his BF's clothes and then the Gems, fucking freaks that they are are like "nah you should keep wearing them" even when he doesn't want to anymore. Oh! and another thing, Dipper doesn't see himself when he sees his reflection in the mirror, he sees Stepper (represented in the art).

Since Dipper has to stay in Gravity Falls (because how the hell is he able to leave with all of these newfound manifesting magical powers), Mabel ends up going back home alone with a spare memory gun Ford gives her in tow. She remorsefully uses it to erase Aaron and Allison's memories of Dipper so they won't ask questions she isn't able to give answers to :3 Also, Dipper is unaware that this happens until some point in UF2 when Mabel breaks down and tells him. Suffice to say it basically ruins whatever is left of his relationship with Ford (not that it was good at that point anyway because well, Ford is basically using him as a lab rat)

Basically, without Steven around, most of the cast is just... fucking not acting right bc steven was basically their moral compass so they figure why even try anymore without him around (the gems and hell even dipper included, he makes some pretty questionable decisions in this AU himself)

Just, its all about identity, really, about how the way others around you treat you can impact how you view yourself for better or worse (in this case, worse); it's about loss of agency and how grief can drive people to act in some... pretty terrible ways.

Anyway yeah that's a Lot but its my current obsession in the In Between time of S1 and S2 and I figured I need to chase my bliss (bc how else will I cope with The Horrors if I don't put my favorite blorbos through Horrors of their own. Expect something to be written from this AU... eventually idk man probs not anytime in the immediate future tho lol it's just a silly fun little side thing. Anyway enjoy the Pain! ^_^

[kaythefloppa]

Wild Kratts - Bumblezzzz - Thoughts

This episode airs on TV tomorrow, but was released online in the PBS Kids Video App. So if you're planning on watching it on television, or unable to access the videp app, you may want to scroll off for spoilers

I was aware some bees come in blue (hi Martin). But GREEN???? The fuck?

The epitome of "waking up and choosing chaos."

I envy Chris's organized manner.

Bros went from Salamander Streaming to a Salamander Snack ☠️

This raises - so many questions and thoughts.

Apparently there is a "Villain Weekly" magazine that is sold in copies? I mean there's a Finding Your Inner Villain Seminar so I guess that tracks but... just how many people are stanning, supporting, and funding these villains who, I should specify, NEARLY FLATTENED THE AMAZON. You can't just... walk backwards from that without a serious career-and-possibly-life-ending PR disaster.

(Actually I just remembered that Elon Musk exists and has his share of supporters despite how awful he is to the point where it borders on cartoonish, which I guess kinda tracks here)

2. The magazine has a picture of Donita on it, which implies that it's about her. Why would Donita have a COPY of a magazine featuring her? Why would she have to buy it. Do I not know enough about advertisements in the magazine industry?

3. Why would Donita trust Zach with anything? ANYTHING? He regularly gets his inventory mangled by the enemy every week as a result of his own ineptitude and often steals whenever said inventory is too shitty for his own good. She really shouldn't be surprised that he forgot to give it back.

4. Donita canonically lives in New Hampshire. Zach lives in Massachusets. That is an hour and a half away just by driving. Even if Zach isn't by his mansion, still he could've just flown his plane over to Donita's mansion. Or if he was too lazy, he could've hired his bots to do so. Inversely, Donita could've just come and have the manequins collect.

5. DONITA THREATENING ZACH WITH MOB VIOLENCE BY SICCING DABIO ON HIM IF HE DOESN'T RETURN THE BOOK WHAT THE HELL???

I feel like I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, this is the same person who quite possibly forced Martin to undress and into new clothing whilst he was in suspended animation in her debut appearance (and also sicced Dabio onto him when he resisted), nearly drove lemurs to extinction all over a dress in the Season 3 finale, attempted to skin salamanders alive for a fire-proof suit in S5, and oh yeah, was instrumental in the attempted destruction of the Amazon Rainforest. But still, this was so out of nowhere, and the fact that Dabio smiles; (and remember, according to Season 3, his ancestors have been working with the Donatas for generations, so this shit was a family business) This one scene, if all others haven't, single handedly manage to show Donita and Dabio as arguably the most brutal, nasty, and vile villains. It's just one scene, but I see these guys in a pretty different light now.

Also, I mentioned this before. If she's willing to do all that previous stuff mentioned above for her own gain, if she's willing to do this to Zach over a petty book loan, what the heck is she gonna do to Paisley when she finds out about her betrayal? What's she gonna do to Rex if he eventually redeems himself?

As someone who has made it my legal obligation to analyze the timeline in Wild Kratts, I will definitely say that this episode takes place on June 20th, the first day of the summer season. That means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I don't even think I should explain how terrible of an idea this is.

This is plain biology and a fact of life, but since they missed the opportunity to make a Bee Movie reference, I will take this as such as compensation.

Because I didn't say it earlier, I'll say it now: Bumblebees are so. Fucking. Cute.

AAAAAH!!!!!!!!!

Not enough screengrabs to convey this but the brothers are obviously trolling Zach here and I love it.

For all of you angst writers, here's some new ammo. Because I'm fairly certain that this can unoequivically KILL a human being if bumblebees were as big as us. In fact between this episode, and the next episode, Chimpanzee and Me, I'm convinced that the only reason Zach's robots are henchmen is so that the brothers can get away with being as violent as fuck towards them in so many beautifully creative ways without any actual bloodshed.

The fuck even is this episode 😭😭

CONCLUSION:

PROS:

The humor, once again, is amazing. It didn't get in as much laughs as the previous one, but still.

The Bumblebee Suit. It's such a breath of fresh air from the more uncanny looking Creature Power Suits in the modern seasons

Bumblebees are indeed highly endangered. It's good that this episode brings light on that and how important it is to protect them

CONS:

This entire episode's plot goes by... way too damn fast. Seeing the bros immediately get themselves into the jam, and then also immediately seeing Zach, and even the brothers quickly explaining bee features to Aviva. It all feels like this episode is just on fast-forward, even though it's a regular-length episode. It really could've been paced better.

Zach's motivations are stupid as ever, and he is at his peak bitchiness here. But again, the fact that such cartoonishly bullshit evil like this happens in the real world (which WK cleverly delivers a giant middle finger towards), and the fact that Zach gets his ass kicked for his genuinely awful plan mitigates a LOT of damage.

Final Ranking: 7/10. Still pretty good. I've been anticipating a Bumblebee episode for the past year after seeing leaks of a magazine featuring the Creature Power Suit, and it did not disappoint.

[princess-glassred]

⚡️STOZIER FREAKY FRIDAY AU ⚡️

Freaky Friday is one of my fav movies and bodyswaps in general are one of my fav story tropes ever, so I decided why not make a Stozier bodyswap since I'd already done one for Eddie and Henry. :>

I was going to make this a fic but i don't have the energy for this so here's just the entire plot of this au told through bullet points. *shrug*

This au is dedicated to @cwcthzl because they are literally the god of stozier and the only reason i'm into this ship at all. I hope you like it :).

•This AU starts with the Losers as teenagers just living their lives, they've all got big things going on and it's made the losers feel a little strained lately, but no two losers are more at odds than Stan and Richie.

•Richie and Stan have been at each others throats a lot lately, with Stan being so high strung from recent events that he's found Richie usual annoyingly endearing demeanor just plain annoying and Richie finding Stan's straight laced no funness like a roadblock.

•It's hard to say that Richie and Stan dislike each other now, they are still very much friends, but it's more like... they don't understand each other. Stan knows Richie can be so bright and insightful but for some reason he prefers to come off as a lazy dumbass, while Richie knows Stan can be so fun but he's oddly deadset on coming off as Mr. Perfect all the time. It's not ideal.

•As said before everyone is very busy with their personal lives, Richie is not only dating Connor Bowers and very intent on making the relationship as perfect as possible, but he's also scheduled to have his first real comedy act televised on tv as a line up of other comics. Stan's got a scholarship interview that he HAS to get or else he'll be fucked cause his parents are broke. He also absolutely needs this jamboree to go off with out a hitch because his poor troop has literally never won a jamboree before and if he doesn't win this year his parents are going to make him quit and start focusing on other stuff. Of course Stan would rather die than let that happen, especially since he's the oldest in the troop and the newbies are relying on him to teach them everything.

•These events, however, cause a major divide between Stanley, Richie, and the rest of the losers club when they turn out to be happening at the same exact time. It wouldn't be so bad if Stan and Rich could just be adults about this but they insist they need their friends support for their big day and refuse ro cooperate otherwise. Stan thinks he needs the lucky seven to give him the extra boosts to win while Richie thinks he needs the lucky seven to ease his anxiety while he's on stage. When the rest of the club outright refuse to pick sides in this petty arguement it makes both Stan and Rich unbelievably pissed with each other. They argue in circles over who's event is more important, who has a better chance of actually succeeding, and most importantly of all- who's fault it is that now none of their friends are going to show up.

•The losers try to have a little celebratory dinner for Richie at the jade of the orient but it goes south very quickly. Stanley cannot stand how richie drools over his boyfriend connor and richie can't stan stanley's passive agressive nature. That's when one of the hostesses takes notice of them and swaps out their fortune cookies on the table for two special ones.

•The conversation gets so heated that Stanley awkwardly shuffles off to the bathroom and Richie follows to continue their argument.

•"Seriously Stanley!? What's wrong with you? You're whining about a boy scout jamboree?" "It's not about that! It's the fact you're being selfish!" "I'm being selfish!?" "You're always seflish Richie! All day every day is always about you and what you want! You don't even do anything to deserve it!" "You're right Stanley, i'm sorry i'm so lazy and annoying that i'm the one thing about your life that isn't perfect!" "Perfect? You think my life is perfect!? Oh buddy you need a serious reality check!" "Well It's not my fault whatever i have going on is always more interesting." "You know what richie? I wish you could spend just ONE DAY in my shoes and see how "interesting" it was. Maybe then you could learn a thing or two about responsibilty!" "I'd love to be you Stanley, all i'd have to do is just sit around and complain about everything 24/7. Lord knows I could use a break." "A break? From what? Making goo goo eyes at connor and shouting unfunny quips into a microphone! I'd love it if that was my biggest problem!" "I wish you'd change!" "I wish YOU'D change!".

•Richie and Stan march out of the restaurant and on their seperate ways, only making the rest of the losers even more concerned. On their respective walks home they realize they still have their unopened fortune cookies and crack them open. It simply says "It'd pay you well to walk a mile in someone else's shoes". Suddenly Richie and stan both feel a little tingle, but they don't notice it enough to freak out over it. They stuff their fortunes into their pockets and keep walking.

•The next morning Richie wakes up in Stan's bedroom. He doesn't fully understand why he's there yet but when he looks in the mirror he shrieks. Staring back at him is Stan plain as day, which could only mean he is Stan now.

•It's fairly early in the morning, so he has time to go check on Stan at his house before the day gets really started. He politely knocks on the front door.

•"Oh hi Stanley." Maggie says with a smile. Her look of vague recognition and pleasantness deeply hurts richie. She's  looking at him the same way you'd look at a friendly stranger, not her son.

•"Hello mo- Mrs. Tozier. Is Richie up?" "He should be, I heard him banging around up stairs like he always does. Why do you ask?". "Well we had a fight at the Jade of the orient last night and I was worried." "That's sweet of you, i'll let you two talk it out.".

•Richie, or rather Stanley, walks upstairs to his bedroom and politely enters. Poor Stan is curled up in the corner of the room covered in bruises and crying. He couldn't see when he woke up, and what little he could see in his blurry vision was unfamiliar in color and size. He kept running into things all around the room and accidentally hurting himself, he's very clearly upset and confused.

•Richie picks up his glasses from his bed side table, briefly considering that it's lucky stan didn't accidentally break them when he was fumbling around, and carefully puts them on Stan so he can see.

•Stan shrieks when he sees himself standing in front of him and immediately scrambles to the other side of the room.

•"Stan it's me, Richie-" "-No-" "i'm richie!" "-NO! You're some freaky demon thing that's come to steal my face" "pffft. You just said cum." "Holy fuck you are Richie."

•Stan and Rich run over to Richie's mirror and begin to mess around with it.

•"Jeez stan, why is your hair so curly and floppy- if i were you- i mean like, if every day i were you, i'd wear hair net 24/7" "Richie your tongue is so long, my tongue isn't that long!" "Heh, that's what she said." "....who's "she"?".

•They start freaking out and wondering how this even happened, and it's only until Stan points out they both have really important things going on that they understand just how fucked they are.

•Just then, Maggie knocks on the door. "Stan?"

•"Yes?" They both ask.

•"Your parents are here to take you to the synagogue."

•Fuuuuuuuuuuckkk.

•"Richie, we have to open the door." "Actually I think we can just live in here-" "Richie, open the door." "We can hide under the bed-" "I'm opening the door." "STAN WAIT NO I HAVE NAIL POLISH WE CAN PAINT EACH OTHERS NAILS- Hiiii.... mom and dad.".

•Donald and Andrea are not very happy to see their son flee their house early in the morning, and when they ask for an explanation richie is frozen still, so stan has to explain for him.

•Stan nudges Richie so he'll have to say something, but the best richie can come up with is "Can you guys let us chill for a sec?", which makes Stan cringe so fuckin hard.

•They're allowed some privacy which is when Richie finally realizes he and Stan are in a freaky friday situation, at which point stan points out that it's actually Sunday and he's never seen that movie. Richie has the very natural reaction of almost screaming his head off when he finds out Stan's never seen freaky friday.

•They realize they have to pretend to be each other because they have too much important shit going on, Richie has to practice for the show tonight, Stan has to speak at the synagogue, Richie's got a date with Connor he CAN'T cancel (connor gets really mad when richie cancels), Stan has to have lunch with a college admissions guy to get his scholarship, Richie has to do his stand up on tv, and Stan's got the jamboree at sundown. They only have a few hours when they're not busy so they have to commit or they're both screwed.

•Richie brags that this will be a breeze since acting like Stan can't be that hard. Just act like you have a stick up your ass 24/7 and nitpick your surroundings. Stan in turn says that acting like richie will be totally easy because "at least i don't have to worry about being funny".

•The day is, unsurprisingly, a total nightmare.

•Richie's speech at the synagogue is total shit, he gets so flustered he just takes the plot of The Goonies and retells it as if that's some inspirational story he thought up and everyone miraculously buys it.

•Stan nervously waits outside the synagogue for his parents and Richie. He asks him how he did and richies all "great!... i think i accidentally said you had a weed addiction at some point but the congregation thought you were stronger for it so it all worked out.".

•Connor swings by to pick up Richie for their date. Richie had to act like he's not into it at all and poor stan has to act like he's very into it. It does not go well.

•Stan also hates the outfit he has to wear to the date, who the fuck wears a hawaiin shirt and jorts to a restaurant? Also holding onto richie's stupid coke bottle glasses is way harder than he though, no wonder he always breaks them.

•The actual date is surprisingly easy to navigate because Connor doesn't ask stan a lot of questions about richie. In fact... he doesn't ask any questions about Richie. Almost like he'd be happy asking questions to anything and it didn't matter if richie was here or not.

•"Uhm, excuse me- Connor darling- you've been talking for a while." "Yes? And?" "Well it's just that I figured you'd wanna hear about what i've got going on." "Later Rich." "You say later, but i fear that's just a fancy way of saying never." "Well it's not my fault whatever i've got going on is a lot more interesting than what you do".

•Stanley winces. Was that why Richie said what he did at the restaurant? He was internalizing was this asshole said to him? That's horrible.

•"My life is interesting, I work hard and I have a big gig coming up, don't you care about that?" "Yeah yeah yeah, it's cute." "Cute? It's a major milestone for me and that's all you can say?" "Jesus Richie, you sound so insufferable today. You've got a real mouth on you, what happened to the guy who hung on my every word and worshipped my feet? You used to he so easy and now you're pulling out these big words." "I'm actually kind of smart connor, i'm not stupid just because i listen to you. I'm a straight A student!" "Yeah but... that's not the same as being ACTUALLY smart." "But I am smart" "Yeah, you sure dress and act like it.".

•Stan bites his tongue and clenches his fists, seething.

•He never knew someone could feel so dismissed just based on how they dressed and behaved. It felt deeply wrong to sit here and have every smart thing you say be dismisses because you were wearing a hawaiian shirt and dared to do silly voiced every once in a while. Why didn't anyone wanna take Stan seriously like this, not even his supposed boyfriend? Is this how Richie feels every day?

•Connor moves into kiss him.

•Stan punches him square in the jaw.

•Meanwhile Richie gets ready for a fancy pants lunch to discuss his potential scholarship, a lunch he is late for because he cannot figure out how to tie a bowtie.

•The dinner is obscenely awkward, the college admissions guy is asking Richie all these questions about finance and he doesn't know how to actually answer him which is crazy because his school record shows he's very good at all of this. His parents insists it's just nerves though, their little Stanley is perfect.

•Richie does his usual of trying to use humor to deflect from his pain, but it just kinda annoys his parents who can't stand it.

•Richie feels absolutely heart broken that there's all this serious adult talk going on around him that he's just supposed to accept and understand. His parents don't pause to explain anything to him, they just accept that he's a mini adult that doesn't require any extra attention, even though he's clearly terrified and struggling. Dear god, does Stan feel like this every day?

•He ends up acting kind of crazy, it's not really Richie's fault though. It's more Stan's parents fault for insisting he tell stories he was never there for, basically forcing him to make up stuff on the fly. Richie's natural mannerisms also don't help things at all, he talks totally different to Stan- a lot of accidental curse words and rambles and nervous laughs in between words. Stan talks with purpose, like every word he says counts and if he doesn't have a reason to talk he'll stay in his own head. Richie talks without thinking a lot, so unfortunately the lunch consists of a lot of word vomit.

•Ultimately, Richie walks away from the lunch with his "parents" feeling like he failed Stan and embarrassed both of them.

•When Stan head's off for rehearsal he's extremely early to the building, as per Richie's request. Maggie and Wentworth are there to help him rehearse but that proves to be less than helpful for poor Stan. Richie is very dedicated to being a comedian, to the point he practices for much longer than your average stand up act, and he takes way less breaks. Maggie and Went have been told multiple times by Richie that they have to push him to the limit so in their vye to be supportive they accidentally don't allow Stanley breaks or time outs between sets.

•Stan also finds saying Richie's material very humiliating, he has to try to do voices he's never attempted before, recite cringey dialouge, and pretend like he finds hid own really stupid jokes comedy gold. Stan knows he has a strange sense of humor no one else understands, and that seems to have leaked into his delivery of richie's monolouges. He appearently lacks the ability to just deliver words like they're funnt.

•Maggie and Went lie though and say he's doing great, which makes Stan with his own parents, despite his love for them, would have the same unconditional support for him.

•Richie and Stan meet up at around 2 o' clock to discuss how everything went and their conversation doesn't go great.

•Richie feels awful for screwing up Stan's future and Stan feels tired and drained from the endless practice. When Stanley reveals that he punched Connor in the face Richie loses it. "You punched him!? And he dumped me!? Stanley are you crazy!?" "Really Richie!? You're mad right now abour losing your boyfriend!? I might not get to go to college at all because of you now!" "Don't you think I know that!? Oh what am I saying? Of course you don't! You think i'm stupid just like everyone else!".

•Richie defeatedly sits down on the side of the robe and unties his shittily done tie with tears in his eyes. He pulls his legs up to his chest.

•"I'm sorry Stanley. I tried my best. I really tried. I guess even when i'm you i'm a total mess..."

•Stanley sits down beside him and sighs. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blame you for that. This is is a scary time for both of us...".

•"...Connor didn't really care about me, did he?" "no, Richie, he didn't".

•"I guess that's one little silver lining to all of this. Lord knows i wouldn't have been able to stand up to him myself..." "Why were you even with him at all?" "Because- I liked knowing somebody loved me, even if it was all fake." "Oh Richie, you deserve a lot better than that.".

•Stan and Richie wanna sulk on the side of the road some more but then they see Bill run down the street after them like it was urgent and they have to see what his deal is.

•"Stan! Rich! B-boy, am i glad I found you. There's s-something happening at school! You have to sssseee it!"

•They race to the school but when they get there everything's fine.

•"What gives you guys? What's the problem?"

•all of the losers point at a sign in front of the school that usually says "CURFEW 7 PM" but now says "OPEN GUIDANCE COUNSELING SUN 1 PM-4 PM".

•"YOU SAID THERE WAS A CRISIS!" "YOUR FRIENDSHIP IS IN CRISIS!"

•Richie and Stan plead with their friends that they're fine but their insistance is not heard, so they are practically shoved into the guidance counselors office.

•It might have been a decent idea if the guidance counselor didn't allow a bunch of their teachers to sit in on their conversation.

•Stan and Richie start out by jokingly insulting each other and making it so like they're confessing. Richie even said he's got ultra violent tendencies then whispered "I punched my friends boyfriend in the face" to the counselor.

•The counselor suggests they try roleplaying as one another to work out their issues and ofc Stan and Richie just look at him like -_- "no.".

•Slowly the talk gets more and more serious though, and when the teachers start psychoanalyzing the boys they quickly swap from insulting each other to standing up for one another. When the teachers say that Richie is unfocused and brash and idiotic, Stan stands up for ""himself"" and says he's just got a different way of communicating his feelings. And when the teachers say Stan is a worrisome sad sack in class Richie stands up and says "I have a lot going on to be upset about! I'm sorry I'm not happy all the time! Some people don't feel the need to lie when they're unhappy, and I think that's a wonderful quality!"

•Stan and Richie leave the counselors office arm and arm, feeling confident and happy with one another, happier with each othe

•Rich assumes the boyscout jamboree will probably be a cake walk for him and Stan's dedication to it is more of Stan just being Stan. He is very wrong.

•Stan's troop are a lot like the losers club themselves, a bunch of rejects that nobody wants to look out for and somehow manage to make straightlaced Stan look like the cool badass leader. They can't accomplish a god damn thing, and Richie nearly tears stan's hair out over it.

•The Jamboree judge and organizer is literally insane. He is a grown ass man who absolutely peaked in high school and has decided to take out all his roid rage on unsuspecting scouts. He makes Bev's dad look tame and Henry's father look sane. He's a fucker, plain and simple.

•The jamboree is also not what Richie expected at all. When he heard the words "jamboree" he expected people sitting around a campfire singing songs and having a good time. Not VIOLENTLY INTENSE ATHLETIC COMPETITION. Maybe it would be like the latter if it wasn't ran by a a fucking crazy person, but evidently it isn't. So suck it up, play the impossible trivia, make a mona lisa out of macaroni and glue, and run a military grade obstacle course in five minutes, bitch.

•Eventually, Richie is tasked with doing a bird call and he can't even whistle in his normal body so.... yeah.

•He is also asked to tie a scoutmans knot. Richie didn't even learn how to tie his shoes until he was 10, so again... yeah.

•He's absolutely exhausted from the obstacle course, his legs straight up feel like they are going to combust and when Richie dares to stop running for a second he gets a scream through megaphone into his ear.

•He does not end up winning the jamboree for Stan BUT he does end up getting the event cancelled when he does the unthinkable and stands up to that jerkwad judge. He goes full trashmouth and roasts the crap out of him, igniting a chain reaction of kids and troop leaders stand up and realizing this shit is not normal and leaving midway through the event.

•Richie rushes through town to get to the location he's supposed to be preforming at and manages to sneak in by pretending to be a tech guy. He runs into the backstage area and sees Stan utterly paralyzed by cameras and audience members, terrified to even make a noise.

•He notices Richie standing off to the side and bolts off stage to talk to him, prompting the audience to laugh like it was an elaborate bit.

•"Richie I can't do this! That was horrifying!" "No no no! What about practice!?" "I think I blocked that out due to trauma" "Fuck- oh! I know!". Richie takes a spare ear piece off the table and puts it on stan.

•"I've been practicing that stand up for weeks, i can feed it through to you and you can just repeat it in a funny way!" "No no! I can't even do that!" "Oh my god stan, don't tell me you've never seen a stand up special before!" "Uhhh I saw Eddie Murphey on tv once?" "Great! Just go out there and act like Eddie!" "Right... Murphy, not Kaspbrak right?" "Oh my god yes! Now go before the audience thinks there's something wrong with you!".

•Stan does it and it surprisngly gets easier and easier the more jokes he tells. It helps that the crowd is fairly drunk, but he's got the cadence down pat. When the set is over he proudly takes a bow and runs back to Richie for a high five.

•"That was awesome Stan!" "And a cool inverse of tropes cause... ya know, most comedy writers are jewish." "Was that an attempt at an original joke?" "...yeah." "...i love it, no notes.".

•after a little while stan and richie determine that this all started from those fuckin fortune cookies and they rush home to get their fortunes they didn't throw away yet. They stand in the exact spots they were in when they wished the other would change, holding onto their fortunes.

•but... nothing happens.

•They don't understand. They did everything right, they saw the world through one anothers eyes. They walked a mile in their shoes. They learned important stuff. Why aren't they changing back.

•"Oh god. Stanley... what if this means.. we CAN'T switch back. What if one day is now every day, and we're stuck like this forever?" "Please no..." "Stanley if I had known that I swear i would have never wished for this." "We both wished for this Richie, it's not just your fault. We both fucked up. We both ruined each other's lives." "Stanley I'm scared." "I know... I'm scared to.".

•They determine that if they're really stuck like this then they have to tell the losers, which is going to be extremely hard but at least they can comfort each other while it happens.

•Richie prefaces what he's about to say by saying he's been an over dramatic asshole, mostly because he had his own issues he wasn't properly dealing with. He just wants to say that he's sorry and that he loves all of them no matter what.

•Suddenly, Stanley and Richie both feel a tingle, oddly similar to what they felt when they first opened their fortune cookies.

•"Richie, can you say that again?" "I love you and I'm sorry?"

•Another tingle

•Stanley knows what they have to do now, they had learned but they'd never apologized. They never admitted how they felt, and that was what this was all about, so of course they didn't switch back.

•"Richie, listen to me. I love you more than anything, I love your messy hair, I love your stupid glasses, i love your ugly shirts and silly jokes and every dumb thing that comes out of your mouth. You're one of my bestfriends and I treated you like you weren't. I'm saying this now though, I love you no matter what and whatever makes you happy is what I want for you. You're worth more than I could ever properly say, and I'm sorry I lost sight of that.".

•Richie starts crying.

•"I'm sorry I didn't listen Stanley, i'm sorry i projected onto you and tried to make your problems seem insignificant. I was such an asshole and you don't deserve that, you're fun and wonderful and interesting in your own way. I know because I think you're fun and interesting. I love you, and I wished I never hurt you".

•TINGLE TINGLE TINGLE

•BOOM

•Stan looks down at his hands, Richie looks down at his legs. Yep. They're back.

•They hug each other tightly, tears in their eyes.

•"Stanley, i'm so sorry." "You should never, don't be sorry" "if you thought I didn't care about you-" "Don't say that. I know you do. I know you do and I love it.".

•The losers watch this unfold in confusion. When bill asks if they missed anything stan and richie just tell them not to worry about it.

•Funnily enough, everything turned out just fine in the end, and it was ironically because of the body swap fiasco. The crowd LOVED Stanley's awkwardly relatable stand up, and the beginning gag where he ran off the stage was simply divine. And the college admissions? Richie's curt attitude and spontaneity made him stand out in a good way! He got a full ride, appearently they thought he was one of those mad genius types. Woohoo! And Connor? Richie dumped his ass all thanks to Stan's encouragement. And the boy scouts? They held another jamboree a week later that was fair and actually fun, and guess what? All the losers showed up to support him! And he won! Fuck yeah!

•And they all lived happily ever after... or at least until Bill and Eddie got into an argument at jade of the orient in their 20's, but that's a story for another time ;).

•The end.

[fortunatelyannoyingcrown]

R*pesand/Feyrat Stans roast time!!!

We all know Rapesand and Feyfoo's Stans are some of the most stupid people in the acotar fandom, lacking basic common sense and hypocrisy that can't be rivalled, but I have to make a special mention of this dumbass in particular, I found on reddit....

(I'm feeling especially mean today, and this is going to be a hypocrisy exposé so bear with me, when I give it to users like this one and others who exist to give a poor name to fans online and make me facepalm so hard)

You can clearly tell from responses like these that Feyrat Stans have the common sense and brain capacity of a fucking furniture, but just for dumbasses like Koalafied Captain, let me break down a couple of things:

a)Tamlin, as the high lord of an entire kingdom has the goddamn right to stop any civilian in his kingdom, who poses a threat to his soldiers, fighting his battle for him.Your bitch of a fave, Feyre, was doing exactly that, threatening to run into a fucking military operation, where she can't protect herself and also would be a bloody danger to everyone else.The fact that the bitch thought, she could just easily disobey the orders of a lord and endanger the lives of everyone else because she was whining about wanting to go out is quite possibly the most selfish thing anyone can ever do.It was trauma induced, but it was fucking selfish and Feyre, being unable to think about anyone else other than herself was peak selfishness full fucking stop.

And Tamlin only locked her up, after she repeatedly refused to heed his no, several times because, yes sweetie, it was dangerous AF for her to be involved in a military operation without any training of her powers.Even before that, Tamlin was perfectly okay with Feyre going out and doing whatever TF she wanted, all he needed was for her to take an escort with her, because guess what?SC was haunted by Amarantha's monsters, and it was bloody fucking dangerous for Feyre to be out on her own, especially as an untrained Fae.This basic concession being impossible for Feyre to accept, shows how immature, inconsiderate and frankly, stupid she is.And that is, along with the fact that, the bitch is unable to respect boundaries, as clear from how she can't accept a no, no matter what.Fuck her, a million times, just for that🖕🏾

And yes, Feyre stans, let's get back to your favorite master saviour, the one y'all claimed "freed Feyre"(Even though he r*ped her to make that happen).The only reason why R*pesand was able to "free her", was because he was literally keeping her in a fucking hidden city that no one knows about, and also, it was not being haunted therefore making it a safe place for Feyre to be.Lol,.that's not even on him, Velaris has been hidden for centuries, because of the work, his ancestors did, R*pesand as the high lord does fuck all for his court.He doesnt work, therefore having time to be all up in Feyre's business lol

So yeah, Feyre was trapped in Velaris, which is slightly bigger than Tamlin's mansion.Congrats Feyre, you officially moved from one place, you claimed was such a "prison" into a bigger one.🥴.

Let's not get into the whole abusive AF situation that was the pregnancy.

As for, the abuse "apologies" that we give that you keep whining about, babes, you need to look at your own responses.Whining about Tamlin losing control, when your fave did it twice, injuring the LoA, R*pesand does it constantly, with Nesta and everyone else, even going so far as to threaten to kill her, Feyfoo, being a disgusting murderous, genocidal c*nt, just like Amarantha, sexually abusing Lucien and destroying Tamlin's life out of spite, and guess what's even funnier?She did the exact same things to Nesta that she was crying about Tamlin doing to her, two books prior.Lol, what a sorry little hypocrite.

And guys, it is especially funny,.to read all of Koalafied Captain's responses, justifying Rhysand's abuse:

a)"Oh but, he was behaving like a Fae, whose mate was pregnant"- Oh so that justifies his abuse of Feyre and Nesta?

b)"Oh Rhys was so tortured and sexually abused wah wah"- well well well, look at how the abuse apologist is abuse apologizing right now🤣🤣🤣

Can everyone in the NC, do something, a magic ritual maybe, to grow a few brain cells in their High lady's head?Her critical thinking levels are not even zero, they are in the negatives at this point, and that doesn't bode well for the citizens of that court.

Because bitch, how are you going to claim, you were abused in a previous relationship, and move onto an even worse abuser.Feyre's such a stupid buffoon, I tell you🤣🤣🤣

As for the stans like the one in the ss, how much else, are you going to do and how much more are you going to embarass yourself, because you are so busy dickriding, a rapist like Rhysand.Do me a favour, and please fuck all the way off, and keep Tamlin's,name out of your bloody mouths

So yeah,to all the Feyre stans, who excuse that bitch's crimes against humanity.Spare me all the BS.Y'all don't have a leg to stand on here, not when your faves have committed much worse crimes, and have behaved even worse than Tamlin has ever done.Guess what bitches?Feyre was abusive towards Tamlin, Nesta and Lucien.

So, yeah cry me a river about us Tamlin Stans being "abuse apologists", lol when people like you exist, who are genocide/abuser/rape apologists to the fucking extreme.Also, I wish Tamlin had slapped the shit out of Feyre, atleast then the abuser tag on him would have been deserved, and I could happily watch bitches like you, whine about it for ages🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾...

Spare me all of the fake righteous indignation about us "excusing abuse" when you sit there and excuse, every single one of R*pesand's abuse of Feyre, SA, medical abuse, physical abuse(he literally checks every single box lol, what a POS, SJM just kill him already), and Feyfoo's own abusive and controlling behaviour towards other people.I know I'm(and people like me are ) on the right side, when I am not defending war criminals, rapists and manipulative liars. Y'all should worry about yourself

[junabuggy]

✸- 𝐅𝐍𝐀𝐅: 𝐒𝖾𝖼υ𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗒 𝐁𝗋𝖾α𝖼ɦ ɦ𝖼𝗌 -✸

A/n: Fnaf SB in 2025? More likely than you'd think since my new years goal/resolution thingy was to let myself be as autistic as possible LMFAOO (I am OBSESSED with this game again AHHHSBAJANAN!!!!)

Also I fear you can tell who my favourites are reaaalllyyy easily ┓(;´_｀)┏

Warnings: None !!

──★ ˙ ̟ 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨?

𝐒υ𐓣ᑯ𝗋ⱺρ -- ❝ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ғɪɴɢᴇʀ-ᴘᴀɪɴᴛ, ᴛᴇʟʟ sᴛᴏʀɪᴇs, ᴅʀɪɴᴋ ғɪᴢᴢʏ-ғᴀᴢ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅs ᴇx-ᴘʟᴏᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ sᴛᴀʏ ᴜᴘ ᴀʟʟ ɴɪɢʜᴛ !! ❞

☀︎✹ He smells like oranges for some reason... nobody really knows why. Not even the people who created him know (◎_◎;)

☀︎✹ It adds to his charm though !!

☀︎✹ He's unhinged as FUCK man

☀︎✹ Stressed daycare worker™

☀︎✹ Just watch this and you'll see 😭 (but tbh how he acts in the game is a good indicator of it anyways)

☀︎✹ Both him and moon are sassy 'n stubborn asf

☀︎✹ He's gentler with the children, though, genuinely does care for them all and keeps all the lil gifts they give him

☀︎✹ Speaking of Moon, I think Sun is just a taaad bit scared of him (hehe ADHD vs Autism)

☀︎✹ Stimstims STIMS!! They're mostly full body ones or the hand flaps

☀︎✹ His rays spin when he's happy !!

☀︎✹ He has a diary that he writes and doodles in with glittery gel pens =^◕⩊◕^=

☀︎✹ Orange cat coded !

☀︎✹ Theatre kid energy......

𝐌ⱺⱺ𐓣ᑯ𝗋ⱺρ -- ❝ ɴɪɢʜᴛʏ ɴɪɢʜᴛ.~ ❞

☾༄ He smells like lavender! This however, unlike Sunny, was 100% intentional. Lavender has a calming affect :-3

☾༄ Don't believe me? Well.....: "Its calming scent can help reduce stress and improve sleep" - © 2024 Cleveland Clinic

☾༄ He enjoys mood lighting a LOT

☾༄ Idgaf he has sensory ISSUES 💜

☾༄ "How can a robot have sensory issues?" SHHH.... SHH. Let me be silly. Let me be full of whimsy and joy and project on my fave

☾༄ Mischevious..... he likes to sneak up on security guards after hours and spook them

☾༄ They're still trying to figure out how to keep him in the daycare as his midnight rendezvous have resulted in a lawsuit or two "( – ⌓ – )

☾༄ He lowkey highkey likes it when people are scared of him

☾༄ He's the silliest to ever silly btw, the inventor of shit eating grins and mischievous giggles

☾༄ Veeeerryy black cat coded

☾༄ He can purr (𓁹 𓁹)

𝐆ᥣα𝚖𝗋ⱺ𝖼𝗄 𝐅𝗋𝖾ᑯᑯ𝗒 -- ❝ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ sᴜᴘᴇʀsᴛᴀʀ !! ❞

☆⚡︎ He smells like cinnamon and sandalwood, very comforting (。-ω-)zzz

☆⚡︎ The dad friend, always making sure his bandmates and the kiddies who visit the Mega PizzaPlex are alright.

☆⚡︎ Like, to the point it gets annoying (I lobe him sm)

☆⚡︎ Monty and Roxy WORRY the FUCK outta him by the way since they're kinda reckless <(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>

☆⚡︎ Genuinely just a really sweet bear who yearns to help and perform on stage for all his fans .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.

☆⚡︎ The song "Everyone adores you (at least I do)" is soooooo unbelievably him coded

☆⚡︎ He's literally your biggest and proudest supporter AHHHAJnnqjqjqoak

☆⚡︎ Tells the MOST terrible dad jokes ever. YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERIWSE

☆⚡︎ Him and Glam Bonnie were NOT causal 😭

☆⚡︎ "You & me forever and ever ! -Love, Freddy" ....right. 🏳️‍🌈👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨🫵🫵.

𝐆ᥣα𝚖𝗋ⱺ𝖼𝗄 𝐂ɦ𝗂𝖼α -- ❝ ɪ sᴍᴇʟʟ ᴘɪᴢᴢᴀ !! ❞

❀༅ She wears Pizza Perfume/J

❀༅ Nah but fr, she probably wears something sweet but subtle

❀༅ Literally the BEST at rollerskating??? HELLO??

❀༅ Even though she eats literal trash I feel like she's kind of particular with how she likes her pizza 😭

❀༅ Pizza is pizza, she'll eat it !! But like.. it needs to be a certain way for her to enjoy it.

❀༅ Girl has standards and PRIORITIES... just odd ones??

❀༅ If she had Twitter, she would have a stan account of some kind... I haven't quite decided of who yet (。「´-ω・)ﾝ？

𝐑ⱺ𝗑α𐓣𐓣𝖾 𝐖ⱺᥣ𝖿 -- ❝ ɪ ʙᴇᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ? ❞

⚠︎✮ She smells like the gold Billie Eilish perfume 10000% (It's what I wear, actually !! It kinda reminds me of her)

⚠︎✮ Do NOT touch her hair it is her pride and joy and she spends hoooours on it

⚠︎✮ perfectionist in every sense of the word... but I think that's obvious ┓(;´_｀)┏

⚠︎✮ I KNOW what she is......

⚠︎✮ Lesbian..... LESBIAN WOLF!!!!! JUST LOOK AT HER!!! She does NOT like men bffr 😭😭

𝐌ⱺ𐓣𝗍𝗀ⱺ𝚖𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝐆α𝗍ⱺ𝗋 -- ❝ ʀᴏᴄᴋ 'ɴ ʀᴏʟʟ ! ❞

⚠︎⚙︎ I don't even know what this guy would smell like

⚠︎⚙︎ Axe body spray, probably 😭

⚠︎⚙︎ I feel like him and Roxy are buddies (I think it's hinted at in the games)

⚠︎⚙︎ Very aggressively supportive of you and 100% defends you if people talk shit behind your back

⚠︎⚙︎ I don't have much to say about him, I think he's cool, very rock 'n roll, but that's it sorry Monty Lovers 😓

[utilitycaster]

I'm a little confused. A lot of critters say that the gods have it out for Laudna specifically, and I can't find where that idea comes from? Like the closest thing I found is that she's a Hollow One and things that affect undead are usually holy/divine. But that doesn't mean that the gods hate Laudna or that Laudna's suffering is because of the gods, right? (I'm a little scared of those Laudna stans tbh)

If I had to guess where it comes from, it, like the similarly inaccurate statements people make about Ruidusborn, comes from the longstanding tendency by the uncreative, dull, and whiny to make their blorbo the most wronged little lamb who ever lived.

Clerics mechanically get Turn Undead as an ability, which affects Laudna, because she is undead. I do want to point out that Marisha specifically chose to make Laudna more undead than Hollow Ones typically are mechanically, ie, our boy Jumanji Costco would be fine in the face of Turn Undead; and that area of effect abilities such as turn undead are not what I'd consider "targeted", ie, if Imogen were to cast Reverse Gravity in an area containing other members of Bells Hells, and they became affected by the spell, I would not say this was Predathos having it out for Bells Hells specifically. I'd also note that a spell that literally creates undead, Animate Dead, is a general cleric spell. A loyal level 5 cleric of the Dawnfather has the capacity to have a pet zombie. Is this the greatest use of their abilities, probably not, and will their god provide them with consequences, possibly, but it sure is a thing they can do, so I think the gods on the whole are really up in the air re the whole undead thing. I also think that we need to acknowledge that within the text, at this point Laudna's met four divine champions, two of them have quite literally contributed to her continued undeath in significant ways, and the other two of whom have been like "yeah we are on the same side, politics, strange bedfellows, etc, etc, I'm frankly way more interested in Fearne."

One can argue Laudna's suffering is because of the god Vecna, though as a point of order the main portions of her initial suffering occurred prior to him achieving godhood, so really, it was the lich (undead) Vecna and the necromancer (currently undead) Delilah Briarwood who seem to be largely at fault. Undead are merely a classification of entity. Just as using Turn Undead against a horde of undead may result in Laudna being turned as well, if one were to cast Moonbeam on some hostile shapeshifter, Chetney would also be affected. As Gilmore as played by Aabria said, power is simply power; intent comes from the wielder. Someone could use Turn Undead specifically against Laudna; someone could also use powers from the gods to heal, buff, or resurrect her. I doubt the Raven Queen is like, jazzed and hype about Laudna, but her specific tenet is "Undeath is an atrocity. Death is too good a punishment for those who pervert the rightful transition of the soul" and Delilah seems to be the one causing the soul transition perversions.

I suppose one could argue Laudna's suffering is the result of the gods in the same way that if I were injured by a window box air conditioner falling five stories onto my foot, while both gravity and the fact my parents decided to have children contributed significantly to this moment, no one who was not embarrassingly unserious and extremely fucking stupid would put these things forth as the culprit in this hypothetical.

Do not be afraid of the Laudna stans. Either they're lovely people who just really like Laudna and are talking about her character arc or making art or something and agree this is a terrible take, or they are, as said, embarassingly unserious, extremely fucking stupid, uncreative, dull, and whiny. I can provide tips to avoid them or to annoy them as you wish but like, is it even worth bothering with the latter.

[mybrainisslowlyboiling]

Harker headcanons 👹👹

And my own words come back to haunt me once again.

But here you go!

Yaelokre • Harker Headcannons

I believe The Croon and The Bellringer would be the best at caring for children (in that the Croon would theoretically be good at it but wouldn't really care enough about anyone who wasn't Perrine).

The Bellringer would be very caring and loving and gentle but would 100% pull a Rose from Steven Universe and let a baby climb a ferris wheel "because they wanted to".

The Croon, on the other hand, is very apathetic and abrasive, but believe it or not, a good listener. They would definitely sit and listen to a child's ramblings with rapt attention.

They would also probably be the only Harker to ya know, know well enough to not let a child die. (In my mind the Harkers fall into the foolish god trope where they know NOTHING of mortality and humans and it's very funny).

TLDR: Need a babysitter? Don't call the Harkers. Your child is NOT surviving.

Call the Lark, they'd probably also let your baby climb a ferris wheel but they have the plot armor to get away with it.

The Harkers will just randomly show up at the Lark's home and just hang around for the day, and I mean that quite literally. They'll just show up and follow around their specific ward for a while.

(In all honesty, they love them so much they have to refrain from showing up too often, as they are convinced being around too much will cause the Lark to grow reliant and branch off from one another and disrupt The Order.)

Cole and Clém are always very excited when Story and Yarrow show up. They'll play games with them whilst showing them cool things they've found and relaying stories of their recent adventures.

Perrine views The Croons arrival as some sort of doomsday warning and will start freaking out internally. (cue Grunkle Stan stocking up on canned food and telling everyone to bury their gold).

Most of the time The Croon will visit its really just to see what Perrine's up to, but it's not really Perrine's fault for being scared either. As instead of just showing up in their house one morning to say hello like Story and Yarrow, Perrine will just wake up one morning and look out their window to find The Croon just staring at them from across a field, or poking their head out from in-between trees.

Bro is NOT here for social interaction. They just wanna see how their little scrumbly is doing.

Everytime Kingsley wakes up to find the fucking Storyteller standing in their kitchen or something they get a little salty.

"Bro, what are you even DOING here?"

(This one is mostly a joke in actuality, Kingsley loves each Harker equally and swears that they are here to bless Kingsley themselves personally every time one visits even if it has NOTHING to do with them)

The only time the Enkindled really comes by is during group efforts when even The Croon is forced to socialize (much to their dismay, the croon doesn't care about any of these other mistakes they call children), that or if Kingsley was in some kind of distress or impending danger.

Kindle is the most protective over their ward (in terms of honor anyway)

"You CANNOT speak of my ward like that!"

"When's the last time you've even SEEN THEM?!"

The Croon isn't as juvenilely defensive of Perrine in conversation but will kill every other organism in the galaxy and lay them at Perrine's feet without even being prompted.

Kindle and The Croon believe they are each the most normal of the Harkers respectively. Cause how could it possibly be The Storyteller or The Bellringer? Those disgusting lovebirds going on picnic dates in fields of flowers and collecting little rocks and trinkets to give to the children. It's an abomination.

I dont quite know how this would work or why, but I believe the Harkers have some kind of spiritual connection with each of their respective Larks. They can sense when they're in danger or scared or in pain, or even when they're overwhelmingly happy.

I imagine any time any of them feel some type of emotion from their lark, all they want to do is go to them. But, oh no, the nonexistent Order.

"They'll work it out themselves and become stronger for it"

*Cue Cole fucking drowning in quicksand or something*

The Croon does not abide by The Order, they are overly attached and won't admit it.

Kindle has the opposite problem.

Croon: Aren't you going to check on your ward?

Kindle: Nah, they're tough, they'll figure it out.

Yarrow: With all due respect we all have an overwhelming sense of dread and death, you should see to that they're alright.

Kindle: Hey, I said they'll be- *gets knocked out and dragged*

As much as The Croon does not care about Kingsley, they hate the idea of the Enkindled not doing their job even more.

I also imagine this as The Harker's just going about their day. Yarrow and Story will be on a nice walk and then all of a sudden Story just fucking collapses to the ground. Yarrow is so confused and only mildy worried meanwhile Cole's having a panic attack and is convinced the world is ending.

Like Clémentine, Yarrow can be quite affectionate.

When they come by, they'll pull Clém into their lap as they talk to them and kiss the top of their head.

This would be very sweet, if only Story hadn't seen and decided they wanted to do the same.

Story is just a silly little guy who loves all these silly little children, and is oblivious to their silly little acts, not quite having the desired effect.

To put it simply... an act once perceived as so sweet is actually rather jarring coming from the silly little hay man.

Story: *picks each child up whilst squeezing them aggressively and placing kisses on the crowns of their heads.*

Cole: *bewildered and dazed*

Kingsley: *now has hay stuck in their hair*

Perrine: ....thanks..

Bonus from the last headcannons post: The Storyteller with children:

[aquaquadrant]

thoughts on the new character bios/interviews that the dreamworks twitter posted below the cut, as promised

so right off the bat, i’m trying to figure out when these interviews took place. it seems to be along the lines of a ‘where are they now?’ for the nublar six, so it’d be long enough after their rescue for them to be settled back in their lives. in terms of exact timing, my guess would be it’s 2-3 years before the time frame of chaos theory, and here’s why.

ben’s part mentions him starting college. if he was 14 during JWCC, he would be around 17 at the time of JW fallen kingdom (ie. during the epilogue scene) cuz it’s 3 years after JW. this would make him roughly 21 during chaos theory cuz it’s supposed to be around the same time as JW dominion (i think so, anyway, could be misremembering), which is 4 years after fallen kingdom. while it’s possible ben delayed his start at college bc of the whole ‘was stranded on dinosaur island for a while’ thing, starting at 21 seems pretty late. so this would most likely indicate the interviews were closer to the timing of the epilogue scene, maybe a year or two after (putting ben at 17-19).

more evidence: darius’s part portrays him as fairly well-adjusted and mentions him traveling to give talks, as we saw in the epilogue. we know that at the start of chaos theory, darius has been isolating himself for an unknown amount of time following brooklynn’s supposed death. i doubt ‘the dino times’ would’ve been able to get ahold of him for an interview.

final point: kenji’s part mentions his relationship with brooklynn and that “all is good in casa de kenji.” so like, it’s very unlikely brooklynn is ‘dead’ yet LMAO

the only thing that snags at me is sammy’s part saying she has her own ranch now. if this interview took place a couple years before chaos theory, she wouldn’t be older than 20. that’s a pretty damn young age to own and operate your own ranch- but since she comes from a family of ranchers, it wouldn’t be impossible. perhaps her family purchased some additional land for her to manage a smaller herd and they stay in close business with each other (providing surplus calves as replacement heifers for sammy’s herd, for example). either way, we stan a strong independent businesswoman.

also there’s the fact that they didn’t make one for brooklynn, when theoretically she would’ve still been alive at the time these interviews were done. but i think the dreamworks team might’ve just been concerned that ppl would confuse the timeline and use it as proof brooklynn is alive (full disclosure: i fully believe brooklynn is alive but ofc the show wants us to still think she’s dead) so i could see them leaving her out just for that reason.

now that the timeline junk is of the way, here’s more random thoughts.

yaz doesn’t seem to have returned to her career as an aspiring pro athlete (seems like something the interviewer would’ve mentioned if she had). this feeds my headcanon of her retaining permanent damage to her ankle quite well. also, the trauma. sammy’s part says they “don’t have time to keep worrying about all that running for our lives stuff.” maybe that’s part of it: yaz decided to just settle down and enjoy the quiet life on the ranch. good for her!!

kenji opened up a climbing school?? that’s random as fuck but i’m here for it. on the surface, it seems like the kinda thing rich tourists would sign up for- y’know, the ppl who travel to exotic places around the world to climb shit. but it’s actually a super useful skill to have in a post-dinosaur world, and kenji knows all too well how important these kinds of skills are for survival. so for me, it’s a choice that reflects the maturing he did during his character arc.

i’ve seen some ppl speculating that yasammy might’ve had a breakup/relationship issues. i sincerely hope that’s not the case- at the time of the interviews, they seemed to be in a very committed relationship, but since that was prob a couple years ago i guess there’s a chance something could’ve happened after. fingers crossed i’m wrong and we’ll just get loads of wonderful yasammy content in the show🤞

i’m curious what ben went/was going to college for. considering the epilogue slated him as researching with mae on mantah corp island, i wonder if he’d pursue some kind of neuro/psych/animal behavior thing.

yaz anxiety mention! god please let the show delve into all the PTSD these kids must’ve brought back from the island.

every new bit of info we get has me so excited like can the show just drop already 😩⚰️

[1moreff-creator]

Trying to figure out the DRDT chapter 2 murder method, with evidence! (Theory)

CW: Murder, mentions of suicide, hanging, general brutality.

So, I’ve noticed a lot of people have given their predictions for the second case murderer, the motives and all that. This is obviously what most people care about, and I love reading predictions for it!

However, I am not most people. I also am really curious about the exact murder method.

You see, DRDT has consumed my brain mercilessly, and thus I have decided I can’t wait for the hiatus to end, and want to see if I can figure out the murder mystery with the clues we have. As a warning, this doesn’t actually help much with the culprit, but I will give my thoughts on that at the end.

I think a decent job! It’s not perfect, and I’m fully expecting to get a lot if not most of this wrong. I will be happy regardless of whether I’m right or wrong, so what matters is that I had fun thinking about it! Right? :D

This took me hours.

Spoilers up until Chapter 2 ep 11, and… further? Maybe? It’s just a prediction, but with evidence, so, you decide if you wanna read it.

Where we left off

The cliffhanger currently consuming me, as you may recall, happened just after David started his Tumblr sexyman arc, with Charles cutting in with just a fantastic line (“You’re out of your element!”). He says that, while trying to prove David’s innocence, he realized something bigger, before proclaiming he and Teruko fucked up.

As many have pointed out, Charles cuts in when David mentions the time of death, meaning he’s likely realized something about that.

What Charles has probably noticed is that the note Arei received never mentioned if she was supposed to go to the playground at 7:30 PM, as the characters had assumed because of the fish and the nighttime rule for the Relaxation Room, or AM. The fish could have easily been kept in the water jugs found outside in a trash can, so it’s pretty feasible that the murder actually happened at 7:30 AM. Unfortunately, Nico, the only one keeping track of the fish, likely fed them before David went there, and thus before 7:30 PM, so we can’t tell for sure when they were taken.

(This is because Nico mentions they fed the fish after dinner, and they likely ate before David. Whit mentions having a ‘late dinner’ when he and the gang meet with Suspenders Man in the kitchen and send him to the fish, David even mentioning he wasn’t expecting anyone else to be there. Assuming Nico ate dinner with most of the class, they would have eaten before David went to the Relaxation Room, which we know was around 7:30 PM)

However, if Charles is only bringing the possibility up now, it’s likely the right answer. Also, as you’re gonna see, the murder method I believe was used requires quite a bit of setup that would have been easier to do at nighttime, without potential witnesses showing up out of nowhere.

Now, this is where I’ve seen most people stop. Content with knowing what the cliffhanger itself is about, they don’t think further into the murder method. But I will, because my life is extremely empty.

Let’s get to the evidence!

“Truth Bullets” (let’s pretend)

-First, the layout of the scene.

(Ultimate Artist coming through-)

The exact position of things doesn’t matter, but it helps to visualize. The seesaw, to the dismay of Korekiyo stans, is unimportant and can be disregarded. Here are the takeaways:

•The ground near the entrance is scuffed. This heavily implies something went down in the playground, and we probably aren’t dealing with a crime scene switch.

•The fish, you should be acquainted with.

•The spinny thing will be important.

•Not pictured is a sand pit without sand. This isn’t important, but I do find it funny.

•Then, the swing set. I’d like to point out that the rope attached on one end to Arei has nothing on the other end, and rather remains there via a knot at the top of the swing set. This is important because of:

-Broken Neck: Arei’s neck is broken, alongside:

-Veronika’s Account: Although a hanging can cause someone’s neck to break, it wouldn’t happen to Arei if she were to be hung from that height. She would either need to weigh more, or fall from higher. Because the rope Arei’s corpse hangs from is tied with a knot, it can’t extend further than what we see, meaning she was likely hung from somewhere else (if that’s even her cause of death).

-Bound Wrists: Arei’s wrists were bound with duct tape at some point.

-Duct Tape on Spinny Thing: There is duct tape covering every handlebar the spinny thing has.

-Longer Rope: There was a longer piece of rope bundled up below the spinny thing. Teruko claims it’s a couple yards long. I don’t use that unit of measurement, but it sounds like it’s large.

-Flickering Lights: According to MonoTV, one of the lights in the playground was flickering. The way he acts when inquired implies this had something to do with the murder.

Going away from the playground now, we have the trash can.

-The note: You know this one.

-Eating utensils, food, painting tools. Unimportant.

-Water Jugs: Likely where the fish were kept overnight. Notably, the handles are snapped in the middle.

-Needle and thread?: I’ve seen some people mention there’s a needle with a bit of black thread that none of the characters address when dealing with the trash. Personally, I think this isn’t going to be important, but I do have a place for it if it ends up coming up. That is:

-Ball of clothes: Charles takes this from the dress-up room. It’s apparently held together with starch (not an adhesive, just sticky, but sure), though I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually created with the needle and thread. Again, I don’t think it’s important, but you can choose to believe it was used here if you want. It’ll make sense later.

-The gym. I’ll be honest, this is the one thing I don’t know how to fit in. During the investigation, Teruko makes memory to how the gym looked before and after the Nico incident. I’m not great at Spot the Difference, but for the life of me the only thing I could see change was the missing fan and the missing ‘grippy thing’ on the pull-up bar. I don’t know how that would fit with the mystery, so I’ll be glad if anyone can figure something out.

-The motives: Not important for the method, obviously important for other reasons.

So, with the evidence laid out, what can we figure out?

Theory Time

When I said I spent hours thinking about this, I mostly meant running through several theories at once, trying to see which one made the most sense. I went to some weird places: from a crime of passion disguised as a suicide, to drowning her in the Relaxation Room, to somehow getting from the Movie Screening Room to the Playground (MonoTV had mentioned punching through the wall would get you there), to Arei herself being the one originally trying to murder…

But in the end, it was simpler. There are three important facts which help narrow down the options.

-Arei’s neck was broken. This eliminates simpler killing methods such as strangulation. Something happened which broke her neck, yet:

-Her wrists were bound. A broken neck is instant death, but Arei’s bound wrists imply the killer feared she would struggle. This eliminates a crime of passion. This thing was premeditated.

-The murder happened in the playground. The scuffed floor, broken light, duct tape on spinny thing and the other rope all make it clear. There’s no crime scene switching here. This eliminates stuff like the drowning in the Relaxation Room I mentioned.

All of this makes me believe that Arei was hung from somewhere in the playground, likely after the killer bound her wrists to stop her from struggling. The scuffed ground serves as evidence of an initial struggle. It doesn’t quite look like that, but frankly I just don’t know what could have caused the exact shape in the ground, so a struggle it is.

However, how? If Arei’s neck broke from her hanging, as per Veronika’s Account, she would need to be hung from somewhere else first, in a way that she either weighed more or fell from higher. Now, at first, you might assume that she had to be simply hung from higher, since it’s impossible to make Arei weigh more than she does. But what if I told you, there is a way to achieve that?

Enter: the water jugs.

I don’t know about you, but the way those handles are broken looks to me like they were snapped too cleanly for human hands. It almost looks… like someone tied a knot around them, then exerted a bunch of force on the rope.

(WARNING: Geometric depiction of a hanging a bit below)

We know for a fact there are at least two pieces of rope: one longer, one shorter. It would be possible to tie the two ends of the shorter one around the handles of the water jugs, then tie the middle around Arei. Water’s pretty heavy, so the extra pull of the water jugs would exert an additional force to her body once she stopped falling, one which could serve as one of the reasons her neck broke.

…Now’s probably a good time to mention, I have no idea why the killer did half the shit they did. I cannot explain to you why they would do this with water jugs. I’m just telling you how my brain’s interpreting this evidence.

However, this doesn’t exactly solve the height problem. You still can’t hang Arei from the swing set directly, as the jugs would hit the ground. It’s still necessary to hang her from higher up, although thankfully it’s easy to see where that would happen.

Yeah, the railings of the playground. The problem, naturally, is how to get there. Or rather, how to get the rope there.

Well, here’s a question. How would you do something like that if it was lower down, but still unreachable? One answer is to try to throw the rope over the railing, so that one end stays near you, and the other, on the other side of the railing. Of course, that’s impossible with a rope of this length and a railing of this height, but the concept can still be used in conjunction with something else. Thinking about the other pieces of evidence we have, there is one that stands out as particularly strange, doesn’t it?

Exactly. The ball of clothes. Because throwing a ball, especially one as light as this one would be, is much easier than throwing a rope, you can set up the hanging spot by tying one end of the rope to the ball, and throwing that over the railing.

You might think it’s still too far up, but think of it like this. How far can you throw a basketball straight up? Probably enough to clear two floors, at least given enough attempts. The ball of clothes would have more drag, yes, but it would be lighter. Keep in mind the killer had all night to get this right, and they could have even climbed on the swing set if they needed a bit more height. It’d be awkward, but possible.

There is one more piece of evidence that makes me think this is the case. That is, the flickering lights.

The lights weren’t broken, but they did get fucked up. This is by far the clue which gave me the most trouble when thinking about this, since it just seemed so impossible to achieve. However, this ‘ball of clothes’ theory gives us a solid answer. On the way up, the ball of clothes may have hit the lights:

This wouldn’t break the light, but it could displace it, causing it to flicker… or something like that. I’m sorta banking on J giving a proper explanation with her pre-established expertise, since I’m no electrical engineer. However, I see no other way this could have happened, so it’s the answer I’m giving for now.

So now we have the long rope on both ends, all that’s left is actually pulling Arei up. Except, that’s still quite complicated, isn’t it? Already pulling her up would take quite a bit of strength, but the main problem is the ‘going down’ part.

For Arei’s neck to break, she needs to enter free fall, then abruptly stop halfway. That would mean you need to stop the rope from moving on the way down, but how? Just using your hands is impossible, because you’d get burnt.

Enter: spinny thing.

The duct tape tipped me off that this thing was important, and once the use of rope is factored in, my first instinct was to use it for a sort of pulley system.

Weave the rope through a few of the handlebars, then tie a knot around one of them. That way, if you make the thing spin, it will drag the rope with it, sort of like a roll of film in reverse.

Then, once Arei reaches an appropriate height, you spin the thing the other way, letting her fall at full speed for a bit. When you want to stop her, you would just need to stop the carousel from spinning, which may take a bit of strength, but it’s perfectly doable.

Now, this explains how the murder could have been done, but where does the duct tape come into play?

…

Yeah, good question. My best answer is that the rope somehow burnt a friction mark into the spinny thing, which the killer feared would give away their trick. After all, even if the duct tape is more noticeable, it’s harder to make a connection between that and the murder than a friction burn, which while harder to notice, would point more directly to the pulley idea.

Yeah, it’s not a great answer, and it’s frankly the part which still puzzles me the most, but it’s an answer, so I’m going with it for now. Open to change, though.

Notably, this is also the part of the crime where I feel the gym may come into play. Again, I have no idea what the relevance is, but if it has something to do with this crime and not just the Ace - Nico incident, perhaps the grippy strap of the pull up bar was somehow used to better grip the spinny thing’s handlebars for the pulley trick? Again, this is one piece of evidence where I could use the help.

And so, we’re done! Practically all of the important evidence was used, and I can’t find any contradictions in the reasoning!

Closing Argument

The killer first put water from the Relaxation Room, fish and all, in some water jugs before nighttime.

At nighttime, they stuck together Teruko’s and Hu’s old clothes with either starch or the black string. Going to the playground, they tied a long rope they got from storage around the ball of clothes. They repeatedly threw it up, until they managed to get the rope over one of the railings in the playground. However, on the way up, the ball of clothes hit a light and displaced it, causing it to flicker. MonoTV would later remove this light.

After that, they tied one of the ends of the rope to one of the carousel’s handlebars, possibly looping it around some of the other handlebars to make sure it would work as a pulley. The killer left the water jugs in the room, first tying a shorter piece of rope around their handles, and took the ball of clothes back to the dressing room.

After that, the killer wrote a note. They had overheard the Eden-Arturo-Arei situation, and used that to lure Arei out to the playground at 7:30 AM. She potentially arrived just before the killer, based on the scuffed ground being a bit far from the door, but the killer got there just a moment after, before Arei could understand the situation.

The killer overpowered Arei, scuffing the ground near the seesaw in the process. They eventually bound her wrists together, and wrapped the middle of the rope attached to the water jugs to Arei’s lower body. Possibly around her waist, as to prevent rope burn injuries from giving the trick away.

After that, they tied the unused end of the longer rope around Arei’s neck, and moved to the spinny thing. Using the grippy strap they got from the gym (maybe), they grabbed one of the handlebars and spun the spinny thing so that the rope was pulled in and around its handlebars. This also had the effect of pulling Arei up towards the ceiling.

Once Arei was high enough, the killer quickly spun the carousel the opposite way, then abruptly stopped it just a few moments later. This caused Arei to free fall shortly, before suddenly stopping. The force of that stopping broke both Arei’s neck and the handles of the water jugs. Arei died here, if she hadn’t already asphyxiated beforehand.

All that was left for the killer to do was cleanup. Retrieve the longer rope and hide it under the spinny thing; set up Arei’s body to look vaguely like a suicide; empty the water jugs on the ground; throw them away, alongside the duct tape and the note. The killer’s trick had also left marks on the carousel, which they decided to cover up with duct tape. Finally, the killer reconvened with everyone at around 8 AM for the motive announcement.

And with that, all questions are answered. Well, except for:

What the fuck

Like, why would the killer do this? It’s so unnecessary cruel, when they could have just hung her. I was honestly worried, as I thought about the method, that the killer would end up being Veronika, just because it’s so fucked I genuinely can’t see anyone else doing this. But Veronika doesn’t have a motive to do this: she’s talked about wanting to enjoy the trials for as long as possible, and it’s been set up if she murders, it would be of boredom. Doing that before a motive announcement which would make things interesting doesn’t fit her at all. Or maybe I’m coping.

The answer to the question of why the killer chose this method is only part of a larger question, though. So, knowing the method, how does that change the final question?

Who did it?

EDIT: DISCLAIMER: The following part of this blog is outdated. Go here to read a revised version of the method, with a different culprit. It's a reblog of thebadjoe's reblog of this post, as they pointed out a lot of flaws in my original theory (adult content warning for Arei's corpse). I'm leaving the rest of my original post up, but just know I now believe the killer to be Eden, with an accomplice.

Let me start by saying that I can’t definitively say anything about anyone, even knowing the murder method. However, this *does* paint some of the theories in a different light.

Smaller theories

I’ve seen a few people suggest everyone from Charles to J or even Arturo. A lot of these theories are decent, but some rely too much on certain assumptions which may or may not be disproven if this method is accurate.

Charles is ruled out. The murder required moving the corpse around postmortem, and while there wasn’t any blood around, Charles’ necrophobia would make it impossible for him.

A theory I saw was that J may have used her remote to open secret trapdoors and move around rooms, taking advantage of the placement of the playground in relation to the Movie Screening Room. However, while that theory is interesting, the murder is perfectly possible without these trapdoors, so the main argument kinda goes out the window. Although I guess it’s possible her remote could be used to make the carousel go spin, but that’s kinda ridiculous if you ask me.

Arturo was ruled out from the beginning because the handwriting in the note is too pretty to be a doctor’s. That’s a joke, and Arturo would actually be quite capable of the crime. In fact, he’s sort of become my second most likely culprit, even if he was accused early in the trial.

Hu / David manipulation, in shambles

A popular theory states that the killer was manipulated by David to do the deed. The most common victim of this manipulation theory seems to be Hu Jing. However, in my opinion, the sheer brutality of the method pretty much rules this out. David may be a good enough manipulator to get somehow to kill Arei, but I really doubt he’d be able to convince them to do… all this.

Especially since he has no reason to order the specific method, which would imply it was born from the killer’s own mind. So, even if David actually told them to kill Arei, they decided to use this insanely elaborate method all on their own. And, listen, I don’t care how you feel about Hu, she wouldn’t do this.

Is it still possible? Sure, I guess. Does it look a lot weaker under this method? Absolutely.

The surprisingly strong Whit/Eden allegations

I didn’t make this theory considering these two the killer, I really didn’t. I still don’t think they are. And yet, they are the only ones who could benefit from this method. How? The BDA.

You see that loophole, right? I noticed the moment I saw the rule. The way it’s written seems to imply the BDA only plays when three ‘spotless’ see the body, ruling them out as the murderer. Except, that’s not how it’s worded. It doesn’t say ‘three non-murderers’, it says ‘three people who didn’t witness the murder’.

So, pray tell, what happens if the culprit has their back to the victim when they die? Simple; they didn’t witness the murder, so their eyes count for the BDA.

How does this help? Well, imagine if Teruko had been the one to kill Arei. By making a contraption where she can be sure Arei dies instantly upon something happening (in this case, abruptly stopping the spin of the carousel), she can make sure her back is turned the moment Arei dies. Of course, the moment she turns around, the count for the BDA goes up to one, but it doesn’t trigger, since you need three.

Then, when Teruko ‘discovers’ the body alongside Eden and Whit, the BDA plays; one person (Teruko) had already ‘discovered the body’, so Eden and Whit seeing it would increase the BDA count by two. That makes three, BDA plays.

And yet, during the trial, if the murder method hasn’t been found out, Teruko could claim she isn’t the murderer because of the trickily worded BDA rule.

Now, we obviously know Teruko didn’t do it, but Eden and especially Whit are common theories. This could be used as evidence, except…

There’s a pretty obvious problem there. It’s not them, but Teruko who asks to team up in a group of three for the BDA, and it’s also her who suggests going to the second floor. Then, the playground is the last place they check, and Whit even questions Teruko when she suggests going there (the infamous ‘hanging out there’ line).

I wouldn’t rule out Teruko’s bad luck making her pick the absolute worst possible partner possible, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that neither Eden nor Whit were proactive in the search method, which goes against this potential ‘BDA alibi’ plan.

As for the rest of the theories, I don’t quite believe them. Yes, Whit definitely has more issues than he lets on, but he has no motive to do this (remember; he asked an entire group of people to reveal his secret if they had it, so the only reason his secret lasted until the trial was Rose throwing it away). Eden even less so.

And in the end, it really is the motives which points us to what I believe to be the killer.

Yeah, it’s Levi

As does what I believe is most of the fandom by this point, I think Levi is probably the killer.

Many have already theorized about the remaining motives, so I’ll spare you the ordeal and tell you: Just with the information all the characters have access to, it’s possible to narrow down Levi’s secret to ‘murdered someone’, ‘poisoned competition’ and ‘dead family’ (I know the last one’s Xander’s, but the characters don’t really have access to the Bonus Episode).

However, Eden can eliminate the ‘dead family’ one, as Levi has talked about his family with her, and they’re not dead (He also mentioned having brothers in the present tense during the trial, but just in case).

Min’s Bonus Episode makes it likely her secret is the ‘poison competition’ one, though how the characters are gonna figure that one out is beyond me. The point is, Levi’s secret is the ‘murdered someone’ one, the one Arei had. And, listen, in-game logic aside, you don’t just give that secret to the victim of the case and then have it mean nothing for the murder.

Other suspicious behavior has been noted, such as him wanting to start voting time quickly when David did his thing, him quickly checking the motives when they became public (keep in mind, as some characters mentioned, it’s possible the killer thought just killing someone before the motive reveal would be enough to prevent it), etc. Also possible foreshadowing such as Ace claiming Levi could ‘snap [his] neck with his bare hands’ and Levi promising to protect Eden in the trial, which is exactly what Arei did before dying.

However, something I feel people overlook is that not only did Arei get Levi’s secret, but it was also Levi who got Arei’s secret. A secret which, keep in mind, wasn’t public knowledge until the trial, when Levi finally revealed it. Sure, David and Teruko knew, maybe Eden at best, but other than that, only Levi knew of that secret.

And this is where the murder method may come in. I’m still unsure. Because the only reason I can find for this amount of elaborate planning and brutality, beyond the BDA thing which I mentioned likely isn’t important, is the killer having a deep grudge against Arei.

Levi is a guy who cares about his family. Sure, he was disowned, but he claims it was good, because he and his family were ‘bad influences on each other’. He seems like he genuinely wants the best for his brothers, it just so happened that the best thing was going their separate ways.

So, how do you think he feels when he learns that Arei, someone who had already insulted and belittled him, calling him a pushover and stuff, did horrible things to her sisters? If he doesn’t have the full picture, it’s not impossible to see how that may make him angry at her, especially with his already established anger issues.

Not to mention, keep in mind the setup for the crime was done one night after the Nico - Ace incident, one which ends with Levi grumbling ‘why do I even bother?’ as he locks himself in his room. This could imply a complete loss of faith in the group in general, which could lead to him deciding to kill.

Of course, that theory has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. Levi’s outbursts of anger don’t really last long enough for it to explain such a long and elaborate murder scheme. Not to mention, if he really did react negatively to the motive, he’d have done it the moment he received it, not several days later. He has murdered without remorse before, if his secret is to be believed, but until we get the specifics, we can’t know for sure how okay he’d be doing something like this.

However, the important question Levi as the culprit answers isn’t the ‘why?’, but the ‘how?’.

I’ve sorta glossed over it until now, but it would take quite a bit of strength to stop the spinny thing in the trick. I don’t think Levi’s the only one capable of it, but he’s certainly the most capable, if that makes sense. Not to mention, actually overpowering Arei in the first place wouldn’t exactly be easy. Plus, the ball of clothes being involved implicates him in a meta-sense, as it could technically count as his talent being involved in the murder.

The problem, of course, is that I have no definitive evidence. His custom weapon, brass knuckles, wasn’t involved at all, and there’s no way to place him at any of the important scenes. No one has an alibi for nighttime, no one has an alibi for 7:30 AM, and pretty much no one has an alibi for the Eden - Arturo - Arei incident (afternoon of the day of Nico’s attempted murder, when for now we only know Hu, David, Nico and Teruko where talking in the Relaxation Room. Though of course, the exact time is impossible to know).

I suspect he’s going to be suspected for the motive and the strength thing, and either someone will come up with something incriminating, or he’ll make a slip-up a la Mondo. I have no idea.

So… what did we learn?

Kinda nothing. As you can see, the murder method doesn’t really point to a killer in any definitive way, so we’re just back where we started, basically. But hey! It was fun! I guess.

Now, back to crying over the hiatus. See you!

[wulfums]

i dont just think abt Klaus like that its just like. the whole show

like. sometimes i think abt how Francine probably isnt gonna do well once all her kids have moved out of the house. She enjoys people being around. Even though none of them have moved far, its still hard for her to cope with. TBH even Stan is having trouble with it. He thought it'd be great- him and his hot wife have the house all to themselves now (well. Roger and Rogu are there too. But they're not people.) but he finds himself finding the dinner table very empty with just them </3 I think they kind of fall into a depression. Until everyone pitches in to get them a long cruise vacation so they can redisover who they are, what they want, etc. and it helps a lot.

you ever wonder if the bits of alien dna still left in jeff have rendered him functionally immortal. how fucked up would that be. i feel like itd be something he discovers but keeps to himself. his first priority always is hayley (and their kids once they have them). to be fair, he has no idea if this applies to their kids too ??? like it might. But it absolutely does not for Hayley who will have a Normal Lifespan. but he copes with it, surprisingly, with advice from roger. he said "well, it sucks to outlive the ones you love, but at least you can make sure hayley ages with dignity. she'll never have to go to a nursing home. she'll never be alone. :so its kinda cool if you think about it. also, you can make sure she leaves all her cool shit to you in her will." and that actually helps jeff a lot.

I hc that the CIA mind swap experiments cause much, much longer lifespans than normal. This actually makes Rick and Klaus so happy bcuz theyll get to spend so much time together. Since they're not immortal immortal like anyone w alien dna, things liek accidents can kill them. So theyre like "oh we got the BEST kind of immortality- we get to live as long as we want and then decide when we want out." So not everyones sad.

Steve and his freinds are never officially in a polycule but like.......they basically are. Steve and Snot are an official couple, but they cannot see their lives without toshi and barry too. they also co-parent like cats do. the kids in the house (which is Huge. toshi got it as a graduation gift. hideki may fuck people over for a living but he makes money.) are Steve and Snot's adopted kid, and then Barrys kid (Its technically his younger sibling. Absolute surprise pregnancy that his parents were not prepared for and didnt' really like...want. So hes like hey, I always wanted to be a dad. Guess im a dad now and this is my kid. Cool.). The kids genuinely just grow up thinking all four of the guys are with each other and just refer to them all as dads.

Snot is the one who being a dad means the most to I think. He vows to be the best dad ever. So good of a dad it makes up for his dead dad. Steve loves the determination and vows the same. Which leads to the other two as well. These kids quite possibly have the best 4 dads possible.

So its like. some angst bur also a lot of joy.

[pianostarinwonderland]

I'm curious do you think that it's possible to have a healthy relationship with Azul??

I've been reading a lot of Azul x reader fanfics and they're all Nice and all, but it also got me thinking of an actual healthy relationship with Azul Coul be possible? since you know he has a lot of issues and since your a Azul Stan and you seem to know him quite well, do you think it's possible??

OOOOOOH rubs hands gleefully I love this ask holy shit

So I'm going to start this by saying that a lot of this is my opinion, and it's one that's formed by not just how I read Azul but also by experiences I've gone through with relationships, both romantic and platonic. I'll try to give an essay that's as close to his character as possible, but this is already written with biases.

So anyway, the short answer to this is: Yes. I believe you can have a healthy relationship with Azul. But it's going to take a fucking long time till you even get there, and you really have to prove that you're not only a good friend to begin with, but someone trustworthy and someone with a dash of Fucked Up to understand him.

The long answer?

One of the first things about Azul that must be understood when you write him in a romantic setting is that his view on relationships is damaged. And I mean that with italics. It's not exactly a secret with his transactional mindset. He follows the give and take policy, contract or no contract. The best example you'll see of this is his PE Uniform story, with how he didn't want Jamil to give him flying lessons, not until Jamil asked for a price. He's not into gifts either, because he'd give something back to you anyway, which you see in his first Valentine's letter.

But if we dig deeper, this also may stem from his home environment and past bullying.

Starting with the home environment, his parents divorced. It must have left an impression on him, all the more if there were arguments in the household. First impressions last, and there may always be that little reminder in his head that many relationships can fall apart, even with an official contract in place.

Then the nature of Coral Sea and his past with bullying. Jade in his Platinum Jacket story (TL by mysteryshoptls) narrates a time when some sharks didn't fulfill their promises to him.

Jade: I wouldn’t say that… Back in the ocean, there were a few sharks that had refused to honor their promises. As I was entreating them to fulfill their duty, they all decided to bilk their promise altogether.

Coral Sea doesn't seem to be a very friendly environment, at least in the perspectives of the Octavinelle trio. They also seem to be discriminated against, with Azul's being pretty obvious and the tweels more on the speculation side. Thus, Azul was prone to that sort of unfriendliness and even betrayal. It wouldn't be surprising if some merfolk or animals did the same thing that the sharks did to Jade.

Overall, Azul's relationship with... relationships is not exactly healthy due to the circumstances he grew up with, and that has to be taken note of.

However, I do believe that Azul wants to connect with someone deeply. And it's probably one of his biggest yearnings. It seems ironic that he being so guarded and transactional with people would yearn for such a connection. But honestly, it's the very guarded people who desire that kind of relationship the most. It's tiring to carry your guard up all the time. Wouldn't it be great for once to have a relationship where you just don't have to keep it up anymore?

I think there's reason to believe that Azul is hopeful for such a connection to enter his life too. His mom found a second man, and from the few stories that he shared of his family, she and her new partner seem to be doing really well. Azul calls him 'father', and has described him to be kind and sensitive. And their relationship is likely to have started when Azul was still very young, if we assume that the restaurant boomed in business during his mom's second relationship. So Azul may have witnessed his mom's divorce really young, but he also saw early on that there can be a relationship that thrives with the right person.

To a big extent, you'll see this desire he has to have a deep connection with people in canon. An obvious but still notable one is Azul and his relationship with Jade and Floyd. A big part of his OB had to do with the two of them not following him and Floyd calling him lame. The Octavinelle CM exhibits this attachment he has to them as well. In Jade's Platinum story, Jade says he occasionally gives Azul coins. In Floyd's Lab card lines, he states that he'd give Azul shiny things on occasion. They both give Azul these gifts, and there's no hint that Azul gives them something in return, which is unlike his usual principle of give and exchange.

Outside of the twins, you also can see that it is possible to get Azul to be comfortable with someone. Book 6 showcases this at the end of the Riddle-Azul tower, when Azul fell asleep on Riddle's shoulder. This is after clearing their huge misunderstanding about why Riddle is often shielding Azul. Azul thought Riddle was underestimating his strength, but his reason for shielding Azul is just so he wouldn't have to treat a mer without a license or he'd be breaking the law. And it's so Riddle coded that Azul easily took it as the truth and saw that Riddle was really looking out for him. The progression of trust being built in this case seems pretty quick, sure, but it has to be noted too that Azul knew Riddle for more than a year at this point. They're both some of the top scorers in their year level, and they're fellow dorm leaders who have worked together. And Azul definitely knows Riddle's honesty and strict adherence with all kinds of rules, so it helps him trust Riddle more.

Honesty is not the only thing that Azul needs, though. He likely wants to connect with someone who's got that brand of fucked up like him. And this is where I bring up his dynamic with Jamil.

For this part, I'd like to link this wonderful thread made by @/kennae_bae because it highlights a few things I want to discuss here. This thread is mainly in the light of Azul/Jamil, but it goes into the need for connection that they both have as individuals. Of course, for the purposes of this essay, we mainly focus on Azul.

To an extent, Azul's view on Jamil gives us an idea of what he does when he wants to connect with certain folks. Firstly, it's seen in how he likes to approach Jamil a lot more so than other characters. He's offered on more than one occasion for Jamil to transfer to Octavinelle, which the thread has elaborated on. Even though he sees benefit in getting closer to other characters like Malleus (which has been shown in both Halloween Azul and Lab Sebek vignettes), he gives this offer to Jamil because he knows his potential. Azul is the type to see the strengths and potential of most people, and usually, he'd either see use for it or simply comment and do nothing with it if there's no benefit. But Jamil is different; it's true that if Azul just wants him to work at the lounge, he'd be much more forward with it and name a price. However, by wanting Jamil to join Octavinelle, and thus work together with him, Azul is also implying that he wants Jamil in a closer circle of friends.

But that's just one small part of it. I think the part that really shows his yearning to connect with someone like Jamil is in Book 4-34, when Azul gives his own thoughts about the situation between Kalim and Jamil:

Azul: The things you say out of unwavering faith in others will rub people like Jamil or I the wrong way. Rather, to those who live their lives on a budget, it sounds like condescending sarcasm. (TL by shel_bb)

Notice how Azul mentions himself along with Jamil in that one sentence. In that line alone, it sounds like he's connecting himself with Jamil because he feels that they are similar. And that acts as reassurance to Azul, that there's someone else (outside of Jade and Floyd) that could understand his pains.

However, having similar traumas and everything isn't a huge requirement to get to connect with Azul. If it was, he definitely would have let Jamil teach him flying in his PE story. But if he can at least see that you can understand the things he goes through (and maybe even empathize just slightly), it definitely opens up gates to having a deeper relationship with him.

Now okay, we really just covered one half and a bit of the question: is a relationship with Azul possible? Yes. But now we have to address the other half: the healthy relationship part.

To which case, I would say yes. I think the longevity of his relationship with Jade and Floyd is already a testament to this in some way, and all three of them have stayed together in spite of his overblot.

Now this is definitely biased, but I believe a glimpse of a possible healthy relationship with Azul can be found in Book 3-38. After everything that had transpired, Azul goes to return the photo to the Atlantica museum. And I believe most of you reading this will know this conversation.

Azul: I thought that if I could erase all the photos from my past, my time spent being bullied as a "dumb clumsy octopus" would vanish with them. The Sea Witch never hid her dark past but faced it and worked to overwrite her reputation. I kept saying I wanted to be like her, but... in the end, I couldn't accept who I was and tried to act like it never happened. (TL by shel_bb)

In this segment, we have Azul becoming vulnerable to us about his feelings. And I think this is important to bring up because (1) most of the OB characters do not get this vulnerable about their feelings post-OB (aside from Vil, who even then had a professional front when he apologized to the NRC Tribe), and (2) you just don't get Azul sharing something so vulnerable very often. He usually keeps his feelings unsaid so that people don't potentially use them against him. Yet there he is, admitting to you the reason why he wanted the photo he made you steal. And then Yuu reassures him and compliments him, to which Azul responds with:

Azul: My... hard work? Pfft. There is no need for you to flatter me. I only wanted to get back at those who had made fun of me for so long.

And that's all said with a smile. He's happy to get those compliments. =w=

But to cap it off, a healthy relationship with Azul means that it's a relationship where he can let himself be vulnerable to the other person. It is definitely huge bonus points if the other is not only trustworthy but also someone that can understand him somehow.

However, it definitely still takes him a lot of time, especially with how much he goes through. I think that's why you really have to prioritize friendship in order to have a healthy relationship with him. Being able to have a good lasting friendship with Azul would let him trust that you'd be a great partner in life. It definitely will take years, but when you can connect and be open and honest together, a healthy relationship with Azul is possible.

[loonarii]

MADE IN KOREA: EP. 1 (my thoughts on the tv show for that british kpop bg sm decided to do for some unknown reason)

So if you didn't hear, SM Entertainment is the latest kpop company to dip their toes into the concept of a western kpop group - we had VCHA from JYP and their show A2K, KATSEYE from HYBE with their show Dream Academy (and I believe upcoming Netflix docu-series?), and now we have 'Dear Alice' from SM with the show 'Made In Korea: The K-Pop Experience'. Unlike the previous two groups, Dear Alice is a boy group, and are specifically all British, whereas the girls of VCHA and KATSEYE are from all over the world. As your local british kpop stan with access to BBC iPlayer (where this show is streaming) I decided to watch and drop my thoughts on the show and see if its any good, basically.

Right off the bat, the pitch to SM was clearly: 'we will make you a new One Direction' - like you can easily pick out of the lineup who is supposed to be Harry and Zayn and so on. It's not a stupid idea because after South Korea, the UK is probably the biggest exporter of music groups beloved internationally, but I doubt whether kpop stans will take to this well. At least they are promoting this on the BBC, directly to the UK, which is presumably their target audience.

They keep calling this whole thing an 'experiment' which it obviously is, but the higher ups at SM seems to be very on edge about the whole thing - after the groups first performance to Heejun (the director basically) she called a fucking emergency meeting with the SM team and the british producers - there generally seems to be a lack of confidence in the success of the group.

In the beginning of the episode they briefly mention (but for the most part gloss over) the audition process for this show, claiming they chose the five boys for their talents in singing and dance. Throughout the episode though it becomes apparently clear though that they (in the nicest way possible) don't really hold a candle to the debuted idols from SM. The whole show is based on this 'make a british kpop group in 100 days' gimmick, but the truth of the matter is you need a lot more than 100 days to become idol level good at dancing and singing - most idols train for 2 years minimum, some upwards of 6. I have no idea why they didn't choose boys with more preexisting skill in the audition process, or just give them longer to train - perhaps there could've been a bootcamp for a month before the going to korea bit to build basic skills - none of the 5 seem to be overly familiar with the kpop industry and it seems that pretty much all of their context as to what is expected of an idol is drawn from the SMTOWN concert they attended before their training began. They came off as quite unprepared, and Heejun's harsh comments to them in their evaluation clearly came as bit of a surprise to them. It is only episode one though, so i think if anything, now they know the level they are supposed to be at.

All of them apparently have a background in theatre or dance in some capacity (one of them is a tiktoker... ok) but only Dexter and maybe Reese struck me as having much aptitude for kpop dancing, but again it is only episode one so I'll cut them a little bit of slack. They struggled a lot with coordination and accuracy, but from my perspective as a dancer myself and kpop stan, the dance they learned to their song 'Feel the Vibe' (we will get to that don't worry lol) was not what I would call hugely difficult?? the members other than Dexter lacked a lot of fluidity but none of them were awful and I think with a lot more training they could be quite good. Olly seemed to struggle a lot with the dance, and there was some chatter from the producers that members could be cut, and if I had to guess anyone right now to be dropped (momentarily, I'm assuming anyone they kick is going to pull a Momo and be brought back) it would be him.

The song 'feel the vibe' is like.. what you would get if you asked an AI to spit out a 'boy group song' - it has a little bit of RIIZE energy so I wouldn't be surprised if this was an abandoned demo of theirs, but it also feels a little kidz bop? lmao? It's fine basically, not very exciting but not totally unlistenable. My main concern is that its quite a high song especially in the chorus, and the boys seem to struggle to hit the notes. Giving them a song that is out of almost all of their ranges is kind of setting them up to fail especially when they had a week only to learn it. Their poor vocal performance also explains why Heejun was so unconfident in this groups success - SM is is the kpop company known for its vocalists, being able to sing like Ningning or Taeyeon may not be necessary to succeed and debut in other big companies, but in SM vocals are crucial. Again they did only have a week, so at the very least potential is there.

They did a lot of b-roll content of them seeing the sights of Seoul, they did a gangnam style bit (god help me) met with Shindong (...), met RIIZE and TEN of WayV etc etc which was cool i guess - i hope this is a mainstay in the series and not just an introductory element.

Overall the show is not boring by any means, if a little cringey at times, my only concern is that the group that will emerge on the other side will not be up to par? I guess we will see.