#see if you can guess what is influenced by memes :)

[flockofcrowsinatornadoofcreation]

Headcanons/theories

• Lloyd's has "traffic light" eyes, starting out reddish brown until he gains his Golden Power, when they turn a golden brown color. After he is possessed by Morro, his eyes turn hazel green, slowly turning greener during the year Wu is gone (due to increased training with/using his Power). By the time the Sons of Garmadon show up, Lloyd's eyes are jade green.

• When Lloyd loses his Elemental Power after fighting Garmadon in S9, his eyes turn a dull brown color until he regains his Power.

• Lloyd's eyes are slitted like a cat's eyes and are highly reflective. When Lloyd gets really excited about something, his pupils expand (like a cat on the hunt)

• Lloyd's eyes actually glow a bit. When he uses his Elemental Power, his eyes glow brighter. If he uses his Power for too long or too much, his vision starts to "go green".

• When Lloyd gets super angry, his eyes take on a red tint.

• Lloyd has fangs! They're not as impressive as Garmadon's and are rather small, but they're sharp!

• When Lloyd gets really upset or angry, the lights start flickering due to his Power reacting to his emotions.

• One time, he got so upset that he he accidentally blew up half the power lines on the block + all the lightbulbs in the building.

• Garmadon's blood is dark purple. Similarly, Lloyd's blood is darker and slightly more purple than human blood.

• Morro cut Lloyd's wrists to keep him weak, which made him easier to control.

• Morro did this so much that it became a habit for Lloyd, even after Morro left.

• Kai found out about this habit one night when he went to the kitchen for a glass of water and found Lloyd trying to bandage himself with one hand. Kai -- freaked out by the sight of Lloyd's blood -- had frantically tried to find Lloyd's attacker before Lloyd stopped him. When Kai asked what had happened, Lloyd began to explain but got emotional. Kai helped Lloyd bandage his arm and clean up, then offered to talk about it.

• Kai told Nya (naturally), and now every time they find Lloyd even hinting at having cut/thinking about cutting, the siblings drop everything and immediately initiate a cuddle session.

• The cutting got worse after the Harumi Incident and The March of the Oni. One especially bad night, Lloyd accidentally cut too deep and just barely managed to wake up Kai before he collapsed from blood loss. Kai had called for help, waking up the entire team. Once Lloyd woke up, Kai and Nya made him tell the rest of the team what had happened.

• Now, the whole team helps support Lloyd on his bad days. Zane bakes cookies, Cole and Jay play harmless pranks to make Lloyd laugh, Nya makes sure Lloyd has taken care of himself, and Kai puts on Lloyd's favorite movies; even Pixal helps by keeping Lloyd distracted building mechs!

• Kai, Lloyd, and Nya are the RGB Siblings and nothing can change that.

• Lloyd loves it when they play with his hair. It's very soothing for him, and he sometimes falls asleep while they do this. Kai and Nya know how much Lloyd loves it, and they play with his hair whenever they can.

• Cuddle sessions with the RGB Siblings are the best. Kai and Nya put Lloyd in the middle, with them curled around him on the sides. The siblings talk about their day, playing with each other’s hair. They usually fall asleep like that, with Kai falling asleep last. Kai likes to make sure his little brother and sister are asleep and warm before letting himself fall asleep.

• Kai and Nya are fashion icons. They have taught Lloyd their ways. No one is safe.

• Cole actually looks more like his mom than his dad, but it comes across in a masculine way. Cole's dad is a tiny Italian man, so Cole must have gotten his frame and coloring from his mom.

• Cole is colorblind!

• Cole is Black/Italian, Jay is White, Zane is either very pale White or Black in his "human mode" (he's normally White, but for his Snake Jaguar disguise, he was Black), Kai and Nya are Hispanic/Filipino, and Lloyd's human side is of European descent.

• Jay and Lloyd are the Meme Team

• Cole had no idea that his mom was the previous Elemental Master of Earth until Master of the Mountain

• Zane secretly remembers his time as the Ice Emperor. He fights to keep up his cheery, innocent front, but he worries that he might slip. He fears that he could hurt someone if the Ice Emperor returned.

• After thinking long and hard, Zane gave Pixal and Lloyd a copy of his shutdown code. He told them it was "just in case", with no further explanation given.

• Nya relies more on her strength than her powers, so she's thicker and stronger. Lloyd is younger and relies more on his powers than his strength, so he's skinnier and smaller.

• Sleeping

• Lloyd: Almost always sleeps flat on his back in what Kai calls "soldier mode". This is due to his strict training at Darkley's. He stays that way until morning, even when having nightmares. As he gets older, though, he sleeps in a more relaxed position, and grows to be a more restless sleeper. Lloyd is the fastest waker, being on his feet even before Zane (also due to Darkley's training + pranks).

• Zane: Zane "sleeps" either on his side or on his stomach. He doesn't sleep like a human would, instead slowing most of his systems to conserve energy. He takes exactly 10 seconds to wake up, without fail. He likes to "sleep" near Pixal. He also "sleeps" less than a human would.

• Kai: Typically the last to fall asleep, Kai is a fairly heavy sleeper. He likes to cuddle with Lloyd and Nya. Kai sleeps however feels most comfortable at the time.

• Nya: The most restless sleeper. She wakes up at weird times and can't get back to sleep. She cuddles with Lloyd and Kai.

• Cole: Cole is the heaviest sleeper, and it often takes several tries to wake him up. Typically sleeps star-fished or on his side, and sleeps the longest.

• Jay: Always sleeps hugging a pillow, without fail. Fairly restless, sometimes sleeptalks or sleepwalks.

• Pixal: Likes to "sleep" hugging Zane. Her wake up time is slower than Zane's at 15 seconds, and she typically "sleeps" longer than Zane.

• Wu: Who knows if he sleeps, tbh

• Garmadon: He snores, and typically sleeps with his eyes open(?) Even as Sensei G, he sleeps the least compared to everyone else on the team.

• Echo is still out there, waiting for someone to find him

• Lloyd died when that part of the Monastery fell on him after the Oni attacked, but FSM let him choose to go back

• Zane is the tallest, then Cole, Kai and Nya (they're the same height), Jay, and Lloyd is the shortest.

• Aging is different for Elemental Masters, and each Master ages differently than the others. This is why Wu looks really old, Garmadon looks old but not as old as Wu (even though he's older), and Maya and Ray look the same age as they did in the memories (Maya perhaps looks younger than she used to!) This may also explain why Lloyd appears to be 13-18 years old, but Misako is like 60 with a full head of grey hair. He just ages slower (?)

• Speaking of ages, Lloyd isn't really sure when his birthday is or how old he is. It's not his fault, he just wasn't told.

• His first birthday party was a huge surprise for him (and for everyone else). It all started mid-September, when Lloyd was sent on a week-long solo mission by Wu and Misako. Once he had left, Misako asked the others what they were getting for his birthday. Everyone was so confused, having had no idea that his birthday even existed. Misako explained that Lloyd's birthday was on September 22nd, then asked if Lloyd hadn't told them. Kai said that Lloyd didn't know. Everyone rushed to buy presents, hoping to make it the best first birthday ever. When Lloyd got back, the team threw him a surprise birthday party.

• Kai made him a pocketknife -- a Smith family tradition!

• When Zane gets too emotional, he can short-circuit. One time Jay scared him and he freaked out then dropped like a stone.

• The Ninja's favorite activity to do together is laser tag. They all have equal skill at laser tag, and they can't break anything. They try to go as much as they can.

• Wu has a pic of the Ninja passed out on each other on the couch of the Bounty after the Final Battle (before Rebooted). It's a really cute picture, and Wu plans on framing it and giving it to Lloyd when he officially becomes a Master Sensei, to remind him of how far he and his team has come.

• Lloyd just really likes space. Some nights, if he can't get to sleep, he sneaks out and stargazes from the tallest thing he can climb. Others may or may not join him to talk about life.

• Zane and Cole are the "parents", Kai is the "big brother"

• Lloyd (still) calls dragons "dregons"

• Kai sometimes thinks of Lloyd as his kid. He always denies it.

• Lloyd's favorite food in any universe is dumplings!

• Lloyd purrs in his sleep sometimes. It fascinates his siblings. His purring sounds like a tiny motorbike.

• Lloyd knows how to sew. He stitched the lettering on the S8 gis himself.

• No one really knows how or when he learned how to sew. Some say he learned it at Darkley's, but he ties his knots like Zane.

• He actually taught himself by watching others for functionality, then learned how to use it for art from Cole.

• Zane is secretly a fashion icon, but he still dresses like an old man half the time. He doesn't want to overshadow the iconic RGB Siblings.

• Example of Icon Zane: "You don't need a rebreather." "Yes, I know, but I like how it completes my outfit😁"

• "Zane, you're a nindroid. You have infrared sensors. You have night vision. Why are you wearing glasses?" "I enjoy the aesthetic."

• Pixane stuff!

• They absolutely adore each other

• When Zane got back from the Never Realm, it was hard for Pixal to let Zane out of her sight for a while

• They love to go on dates, especially to cafés during rain/snow storms. They enjoy the aesthetic.

• Since Zane gave Pixal half of his heart, they sort of feel what the other is feeling. This is usually limited to extremes, and doesn't usually cross realms. This link persists even after the two get new bodies after defeating the Overlord and getting scrapped.

• Lloyd was extremely touch-starved from Darkley's. During the first few seasons, Lloyd had to learn how to react to physical affection without breaking down into a clingy mess of tears

• Remember the Uncanny Valley Effect? Yeah, people get that about Lloyd. There's just something about him that feels off. People can instinctively tell that he's not completely human, even if they don't realize that. The same goes for Wu and Garmadon.

• Fav tea flavors (cus I want to)

• Cole: Something about the man screams orange spice tea.

• Lloyd: I think the whole fandom can agree that his favorite tea is peppermint tea. Adds an excessive amount of sugar.

• Kai: Whatever that smoke-flavored one is. Jinsung? I think? He really only drinks it rarely (re: more of a coffee person).

• Nya: Black tea, if any. She drinks it without anything added, no ifs ands or buts.

• Jay: Lemon or ginger tea.

• Zane: Honestly, he feels like a chamomile tea type of guy.

• Wu: Team chamomile as well. Definitely an herbal type.

• Garmadon: Black tea with tons of sugar. Doesn't even make it into a drink, just swallows the tea bag whole and dumps a few tablespoons of sugar down his throat for good measure. Mostly does it to get a reaction out of Kai others and to make Lloyd laugh.

• Pixal: Tea? What is this tea? She only knows the bitter truth of cold black coffee.

[mbat]

before i pass out for the night. since my brain is back on dan and phil as if its 2016 or something i need to put this out into the world. this isnt some sort of important life changing post, just a personal funny thing

so when i was 13 and fixating on dan and phil, i read a lot of fanfics. like, i guarantee that even after all these years that, if i had the statistics, that fandom was the one i read the most fanfics for and constantly. i couldnt tell you what nearly any of them were about, and i have a feeling that many of them are probably lost to time by now. i also dont know if i need to mention that yeah, a lot of them were shipping, and yes ive long grown out of that. (the dnp fandom is actually what made me grow out of that)

anyway all this to say that over the last 6 years after i stopped fixating on dan and phil, one fanfic stuck with me and i just. i think about it every once in a while. its been over half a decade. it wasnt a groundbreaking fic, i dont remember any quotes or specifics, just the premise as of at least the first few chapters. idk why it stuck with me

it was literally a fic about. if the world had gotten to a point where almost every child was born as like, a science baby instead of a natural baby, and phil was a science baby, but dan was a natural baby. and there was somehow this like, thing where the science babies would bully the natural babies for some reason idek, and this was a highschool setting and i think dan was a new kid in school. and what gets me about the fic is that dan was some small shy scared kid and phil was some mean jerk bully. and how wild that is compared to how they are in real life

this isnt me trying to find the fic or the person who wrote it or any of that, this is literally just. i remember this fic at least once every few months and i needed to get it out of my brain somewhere

[bibliophilesince2003]

The Bad Batch

Here's a little theory for you to mull over; I sincerely wonder whether I am alone in thinking this. I could also be heavily exhausted over and influenced by the papers I had to polish off for some of my college courses, or perhaps motivated by the fact that I am re-watching The Bad Batch because most modern shows these days, in my opinion, disappoint. At any rate, here it is.

Why do we like the Bad Batch so much? What makes them relatable and/or realistic?

Upon meeting Omega, most of the Bad Batch behave in a very dad-like manner. This is not surprising, no. Plenty of memes and incorrect quotes have stemmed from this simple observation. They don't have all the answers and they don't know what to do with Omega half the time. That's the thing about dads... usually, they're just "winging it" and trying to do their best. Moms come with a built-in instinct to nurture. Dads come with a built-in instinct to protect and lead. Sometimes, dads aren't quite sure what to do with a crying infant or a struggling teenager.

Let's not forget... Hunter and the others are soldiers. That isn't to say they can't be kind or gentle; even the toughest men have their weak points. As a military brat, though, I have noticed that such a profession can mold a man, and at times they forget to "turn off" their seriousness when at home after having dealt with extremely hard situations. I really appreciate that the producers of this show didn't change Hunter and the others just to make them more approachable from Omega's standpoint. If they do change, it's gradual.

Do Hunter and the others think about the consequences of bringing Omega into their lives? *eyeballs toothpick man* With exceptions, of course. Well, until season three. The answer? Absolutely not. They believe they have the strength and ability to keep her safe, as most dads would. They believe they will always have that strength and ability. Let me break it down for you and give you a look into the brain of a dad:

Dad: *involved in a dangerous situation*

Dad: I can do that.

Dad: *remembers their child is with them*

Dad: Oh. Well, I guess becomes a life lesson. I've got you, kid. Just... don't tell your mom.

Dad: *keeps an eye out for anything suspicious*

Kid: *perfectly content*

I've heard it said that dads don't say "I love you" but show they love you. I personally have experienced both, but given the seriousness of most dads... I can see how that would be the case. At the very least, their actions speak louder than words. The Bad Batch are very much this way towards Omega. They put their lives on the line. They want to make her happy. Wrecker assembles a spot for Omega to call her own on the Marauder. Tech grabs her before an explosion can reach them. Echo has hugged Omega the most. Hunter is usually within three feet of Omega at all times.

The subtle gestures of kindness captivated all our hearts, I know.

Why?

It's Star Wars, a fictional universe. It's not complete fiction, though. Hunter and the others represent a specific kind of love. Fathers may be cautious and unsure at first, but eventually they want the kid by their side for everything. We've all seen the videos of dads using infants as pretend machine guns or making them dance, the kid's neck rolling lazily. Gently, of course. If they can't protect the kid from everything, they use themselves as a shield, which extends to good mothers, too, though that's not what this post is about.

Hunter and the others may be soldiers, but they embody the very spirit of fatherhood. This was such a wonderful theme to see develop despite the grittiness and action.

Phew, I feel like there was more I wanted to say, but I'm tired, so you're spared from more rambling.

[steveharrington]

can you elaborate more on steve being abandoned by the narrative?

yes <3 so i think there are two very unfortunate circumstances surrounding steve's character that have led to the current state of his plotline: 1. after not killing him in s1 like they originally planned, the duffers have never really had a plan for steve and 2. they are extremely influenced by audiences. when they were conceptualizing steve to fit in among the ensemble cast, the duffers were picturing him as a douchey boyfriend who unceremoniously dies. lonnie was originally going to come back to the byers house to save jonathan and nancy. there was no need to picture where he'd be 4 seasons down the road, so they just didn't account for that. then joe keery charmed them so hard that they literally couldn't bear to kill him, so steve ends season one still somehow alive.

but we've already established the nancy/jonathan plotline, because jonathan was once the duffers' self-insert who must defeat the evil jock and win over the girl. they couldn't just backpedal on that right away, so they needed to give nancy and jonathan a plotline alone, away from steve. but steve only ever functioned as an extension of nancy until this point, so what do we do with steve now? in an accidental stroke of genius that the duffers have admitted was a last second decision, they pair him with the children and make him into a babysitter. it almost instantly boosts steve into being tied with hopper and el for most popular character from the show, potentially even beats them both out. in 2017 when s2 aired, you could not escape mom steve jokes. it was everywhere, steve was everywhere, joe was everywhere, it was arguably the second coming of #justice for barb, which, in netflix business-y terms, was the exact viral meme type situation that the show wanted and needed to sell merch and remain relevant and say "see we still got it!!!"

you know who has the 2nd most lines in the entirety of season three? directly behind hopper? ahead of winona ryder? steve. think for a second about how absolutely insane that is. the character who was written specifically to die in season one. joe keery's name wasn't even in the season one credits, because he wasn't considered a series regular. and now he has the 2nd most spoken lines in the big blockbuster season because he rocketed up in popularity so intensely. season three marketing features the mall so heavily, creates a literal physical shrine to 80s nostalgia, and when the very first promo is released an entire year before the season airs, who's the star of that teaser trailer? and who, pray tell, is featured in the main brand sponsorship ad that plays in movie theaters worldwide? thats right its america's little darling steve harrington.

but here is the issue. the duffers look at what made steve popular and they see: funny exasperated babysitter, heartthrob action hero. they're like oh okay so we should keep putting him directly in the center of the action, bang him up every season to give him his classic bloodied aesthetic, but. he still needs to be funny. we can almost kill him, but we can't actually kill him because he's profitable. we can let him get horrifically injured because it's badass, but we still gotta let him crack jokes. it creates this very weird tone to steve's role in the story starting in season 3 because he's both the action hero and the comedic relief and protected by plot armor, so we get scenes where he's being literally tortured until he's begging for his life and gasping for breath but the tone is still.......fun? comedic? light and goofy? i think the duffers also forgot he's supposed to be a teenager.

now this is partially me making educated guesses but i feel pretty confident about this: once again, like gollum, joe keery uses his big shiny eyes and manages to evade death again in season four by being so likable and charming and marketable that netflix execs or shawn levy or maybe even the duffers themselves were like oh fuck we just can't do it. they were obviously tossing around the idea of taking mom steve all the way by letting him die sacrificially for dustin, so in season four they make eddie, transfer steve's relationship with dustin directly onto him, ctrl f steve's name in the death scene and just type in eddie instead, and once again steve is alive but he's directionless.

so what does he have now, in season four? i think the duffers have a whiteboard somewhere with steve's name and around it are little circles that say "funny" "cool" "DO NOT KILL" and steve is now stuck in this endless cycle of getting beaten up, popping back up somehow unharmed like a looney tune, saying something cute and oblivious, rinse and repeat. because that's what worked, that's what made him popular all the way back in season two. that's what the duffers are obviously keeping in mind when they're writing steve: popularity. not realism, not depth, not growth, just literally how to continue making him popular. meanwhile, other characters get to be part of the actual story. other characters get to serve a purpose other than selling merch. when el is bitten by a monster, she gets to actually feel pain and need help because that's realistically what any human would need. when hopper is tortured, he gets to suffer and ponder his existence and reflect on the relationships in his life. steve never gets any of that, because the writers just don't see steve as the 19 year old boy on his 4th straight year of traumatic events that he actually is.

they literally just see him as a money maker, there for cool viral moments and witty lines and maybe the occasional emotion experienced but only if it's about his romantic prospects. and the narrative that other characters get to have and be apart of just kinda runs parallel to steve. he's there, technically, but he's not really in the story. and it's like actually crazy because you'd think after all the funko pops he sold, he'd have earned an actual storyline!!!

[shotanzz]

hello I hope you are having a great day ☺️, i really like your readings hehe, please do Anton as your boyfriend reading soon, I am looking forward on your other readings of the other groups as well.

rest well and take care 💕💕

you are sooo sweet omg but here we go !!

Anton as your boyfriend based on Astrology

(reminder that this for fun and astrology is something I study for a hobby, these are all inferences based off of observations and not exact fact unless I knew him myself !!)

warnings: small mention of suggestive innuendo but nothing extremely graphic I'll only do NSFW asks if requested.

Aries Sun: Many people are "surprised" that Anton is an aries since the stereotype is that they're hyper and aggressive but aries men can be pretty shy + to themselves initially and don't expose their extroverted behavior till they're comfortable. Aries is cardinal, they enjoy starting things and once they master it will move on to the next task (Anton went from swimming to instruments, to producing, to being an idol what bigger example do you need 😭) before the relationship actually starts he'd try to approach but wouldn't just straight up flirt he'd want to begin a friendship or some form of banter/rapport with you. Since there's no water supporting his sun in his big six it shows he wouldn't be a super sappy "my heart bleeds for you" type of boyfriend but would still be passionate and serious when it comes to you as his partner. If you had a rocky past he'd try to have you focus on the "now" of everything and help you not loath. Has his random moments of boldness but they go as fast as they came LMAOO so savor them when you can.

Aries Moon: Many people view Anton as very timid and though he is on a surface level he is most definitely capable of boldness and quickly acting on his wants, yes he is a contained individual but when he wants something he'll shamelessly go after it. So yes ! he is 100% capable of initiating things whether its physical affection or if he wants to see you. If he wants you he wants you, plus, in a video he claimed that if it was just him and the person of his affection one on one he'd express himself more freely. Which makes me think if it were you two one on one he'd be super real about his feelings and his guard wouldn't be as far up.

Aries Mercury: Yes. the headcanons that anton would spam your phone with tiktoks and memes are true. He wouldn't be afraid of hitting you up frequently and seeming "needy" like he loves you duh ofc he's gonna text you literally at any given opportunity. Would probably have your post notifs on and would be the FIRSTTT person to like your post and story. He'd be very honest and straightforward when communicating so you wouldn't have to worry about reading in between the lines or having to guess about what's going on between you two.

Taurus Venus: He could have short lived phases of being possessive and literally viewing you as "his person". He wouldn't want the relationship to continuously rush into new bases he'd want it to have a natural flow and wouldn't rush you into anything but would still want to know where you stood on certain things and be in the know (his aries stellium influence, he welcomes change and newness but, as said before, wants it to come naturally and at a certain pace). He'd be sure to be someone you could rely and depend on and would be as patient as possible with you. Would express his love through physical touch such as cuddling, resting his head on your shoulder, napping together and through spoiling you like paying for your meal, sending/bringing food and random valuable gifts at whatever time. HE JUST WANTS TO TREAT YOU RIGHHTT. Also would be very sentimental like he'd have photos, songs, posts and things saved or kept from when you two first met or started dating. He'd make the relationship so domestic oml. Ngl due to taurus venuses need for natural build up and the childish friendly nature of his aries placements he's probably a sucker for the friends to lover trope me thinks 😭

Gemini Mars: Oh he'd just love having one on one talks with you about anything interesting under the sun none of the convos would be surface level or shallow. He'd also flirt SM THROUGH TEXT every gemini mars dude I've known gets so flirty otp. Plus you wouldn't have to worry about the relationship having an air of monotony either. People claim that gemini mars people can be hot and cold but I don't think that's the case I think they're just aware that sometimes for a healthy relationship space is properly needed, so he'd let you have time to yourself/himself but with his taurus venus during these periods you wouldn't feel alone or abandoned because he'd still be there for you. Similar to Wonbin he could find your voice very attractive or a turn on. Gemini rules the hands, arms and shoulders so he may kiss you there or like to have some physical contact with them. Gemini also rules the lungs and nervous system so he might try to 'take your breath away'...take that as you will LOL.

Other Aspects:

Moon/Neptune Sextile: He is hyperaware of the feelings and emotions of those around him no matter how subtle they seem and also uses music as a vice so he'd use it to connect with you.

Venus trine Jupiter: He's naturally a giver and wouldn't be overly forceful, He honestly would nurture the relationship as much as he possibly could.

Potential Toxicity: (reminder that any/everyone is capable of having toxic or negative traits, these could be POTENTIALLY true)

Venus/Square Neptune: Is willing to go LENGTHS for a partner/people he loves but may take things a bit too far or do "too much" and once you try to explain that though you appreciate his efforts it's a bit much he may take it the wrong way and feel unappreciated or used.

[straycalamities]

here's my marble hornets theory: i know like tim, for instance, fully believes its his medicine that keeps the operator and its influence away. and lots of people bring it up and/or meme on it but what if that's just like just his guess but its not actually true. like what if thats like a red herring i guess what if the true way to fight off the operator's influence is the power of friendship and im being so serious

because marble hornets is very much a story that is heavy on the themes of loneliness and isolation and you see the characters only truly succeed on anything against the operator when they've teamed up and are fully on the same page

anytime you see someone being targeted by the operator they're usually alone. and thus you see them suffering from the effects and even losing themselves to it

the times you see it go against 2 or more people it doesn't usually end with one or more of them succumbing to it UNLESS they're not fulling simpatico with each other. yes it can give them a debuff regardless, but you can see like when tim and jay actually team up with each other and are becoming closer, that's when tim is able to stand up to the operator and come out relatively okay

and then you have jay waking up from whatever out-of-it state the operator put him in being relatively okay than the seven months it took from him before

i think the whole shtick of the operator is of course: paranoia and isolation. that's the way it gets what it wants. its a slow operator (ha) and works bit by bit isolating you from your loved ones and acquaintances until it can fully take you and either consume you or manipulate you to work for it to either spread its influence or claim victims for it

and that's where you see namely Jay and Alex fall. they both end up so sick and stuck in the mistrust and isolation. Alex ends up believing he's on a crusade where the ends justify the means for the greater good. jay believes he's uncovering some great mystery that actually benefits other people to know. but the unfortunate truth is they were both fully just fulfilling the operator's intent the entire time

i think for Jay this comes from the fact he's hinted multiple times that his life before marble hornets was boring, uneventful, unremarkable. i think he was used to always being the invisible guy in the room, the second or even third choice, the guy who's just there but has nothing really going for him. this was finally something bigger that he was apart of. that he was the voice of, even. he was the guy unraveling this big supernatural mystery and slowly putting all the pieces together. i don't think he had ANY idea where it was going to lead, but he couldn't pull himself away from it. he was always destined (doomed) to see it through

he was trapped because he was looking at this as his purpose in life. he calls alex a friend and mentions another off-screen friend i think? but otherwise he doesn't really talk about anyone else from his life. i don't think he had very strong bonds with anyone even his own family. (my headcanon is he's the middle child of a bunch of siblings that "outperformed" him, so he was always just there. either that or the only child of parent/s that had a lot of their own shit going on so he was mostly fending for himself for emotional connection)

you can see it even in the way jay interacts with them during marble hornets shooting. he's kinda awkward and out of place OR tries to impose his presence "i've been supervising that. because i'm the script supervisor." and of course alex seems to be the one he's closest to but also?? especially knowing how close troy and joseph were at the time, jay himself doesn't seem to be that close to alex. especially because he seems oblivious to a lot of things going on with him and the ways they interact

then you have alex who i still need to marinate on, but my take right now is he's always been a guy of big ideas and big ambitions. especially as writer and director of marble hornets himself. i think him and jay are similar in that regard in that their being, their soul, is hungry for something greater than they are. it's just alex is more about finding it and taking it vs jay who seems to need to find it accidentally or have it given to him.

alex's strength is being a leader and making decisions, even the tough ones people dont want to make. i think that's probably always been a part of him it just didn't become so...dire until the operator influence. i think alex might've even seen himself as always a little better than his peers in some way. maybe that he was better at figuring things out or coming to those conclusions that helped him make his decisions and lead the crew. and so he too saw himself or just yearned for being someone special and more than he is. cinematic parallels lol

(i also love the headcanon alex has religious trauma that leads into some sort of messiah complex tbqh)

and so that's exactly what the operator's influence fed on in the both of them. like targeted their yearning/insecurities and that's how it was able to wrap them up

and see compare this to tim, who also has his own insecurities and yearning and weak points, but i think tim's ultimate strength in this is his determination. he has a special kind of stubborn resilience to him that you can even see in just his interactions with other characters. he knows what he's about and what he does and doesn't want to happen in the moment. he can be chill and easygoing, but once you hit that limit he won't budge.

it also helps him that he's been dealing with the operator since childhood, he's kinda built up defenses (masky) and a sort of diminishing returns from the operator's impact. i largely think his initial main strength is masky, though. but masky does only as much as not letting his entire self be consumed by the operator. i think where tim finds his strength to not only resist but even slightly overcome the operator, is finding a person to really bond with. (which i think extends to masky as well. which i'll get to in a sec)

tim himself tells us as much as as he's never had a real friend until brian. and then we end up seeing through their dynamic, brian is like that classic extrovert who adopted an introvert kinda friend. (except i dont think brian is an extrovert, he's extrovert-passing, but that's beside the point. you get what i mean.)

and you could say the fact tim is clearly struggling with the operator during marble hornets filming when we know he's still close with brian goes against my point but! i also said they have to be working towards the same goal. and this is why i said that.

(i heavily headcanon that tim is the reason why brian is a psychology major. i think, while tim wasn't fully open with everything (and/or just couldn't remember) he did tell brian some of the struggles of being a very mentally ill kid in the 90s trying to get help. and i think brian was the kind of guy who'd take the shirt off his back for a friend and so of course he wants to help tim and even wants to give a better experience to others like him)

anyways that's relevant because while brian knew tim was struggling and i believe he even helped him through some of those struggles (i love the headcanon that brian knew masky even before shit hit the fan) he didn't fully understand the entirety of what was going on or even fathomed it could extend beyond just tim. which...makes sense. its not like you expect some time/space-warping monster to suddenly be real.

but i also think that alex and tim being in close proximity to each other is why things went as bad as they did. we don't know if alex struggled with the same stuff tim did before college. but it's clear that alex was marked when he was a child regardless. and tim clearly was too. and i think the two meeting each other was like kindling and a lighter to the entire thing and why it went further than just the both of them despite no hint prior that this happened to either one of them before now (as in it spreading to other ppl)

but yeah i still think, despite maybe not being as strong as later, brian's influence on tim kept him whole enough where he COULD become a major player towards the partial success of their group

i think the main thing that pokes holes in my theory is how tim was "doing better" before jay involved him again but at the same time...who can truly say. clearly tim's had breaks before since he was able to make it through school and get into a college. i doubt he'd be able to do that if he was still as bad off as he was

maybe he wasn't really doing better he was just...back to the same as ever. the baseline. which wasn't good but for tim? it was good. comparatively.

i also think it wasn't solely jay being in tim's life again that reverted it to the horrors, it was also alex. because like i said before i believe that they're like...two big beacons of operator energy/influence and when they get close its like a bomb going off of glitchy time/space warpy bullshit

it just happened that alex and jay were linked together at this point. tied up in their destiny you could say. so if you got jay, you got alex. even if they weren't directly around each other

and yeah, i think that if jay hadn't succumbed to the darkness dusting up all the things he was insecure and even afraid of to the point it turned him against tim, i think they coulda done more than just defeated alex. and i think that's exactly what the operator didnt want. that's why it behaves as it does. that's the reason for its modus operandi

further section to return back to masky. and hoody. hoody's impact ALSO to me proves my theory. because while he keeps his distance from the others, what he does is for the same end goals: stop alex and stop the operator. (or at least die trying) and we find out that even if he does it in a mocking and kinda anti-hero passive-aggressive kinda way. he IS on their side. he doesn't ever do anything against them. even when he lashes out like with the pipe or a punch, its just so he can get away. its defensive rather than aggressive

i do NOT buy into the fanon/headcanon that hoody is some nefarious secret mastermind pulling all the strings and everythings orchestrated in the exact way he envisioned it. nor that he hates tim near the end of the season. or that he hates anyone, really. other than alex. (also thank you issue 3.5 for making me feel correct and sexy because i had this theory even before i read it)

my big headcanon is, obviously the operator fucks with your brain, its his whole thing. so its scrambling everyone up constantly. and i think when alex hit brian in the head, it did damage even beyond that. i think hoody has a really warped way of thinking/processing things. like he can't just do it clearly. it cant be a-to-b anymore. so i think him being cryptic isnt even entirely a conscious choice all the time, but i also think he figured that for jay and tim to be at their strongest, they had to find all this stuff out on their own and not have it given to them as far as just tell them outright what hoody's figured out while he's been living in ppl's walls

i think hoody only went so far as to lay out the pieces and leave it to jay (and tim) to put them together. and we clearly see sometimes he misjudges jay or tim's reactions and they do things that don't seem to be the way he planned. this is harder to explain without me going all...grabbing clips and directly comparing them and this is already more time than i thought i was gonna put into this post but yea. JUST TRUST ME. hoody didnt know every move they were gonna make before they did, he was doing the equivalent of just throwing darts at a board and seeing what stuck

i also have the headcanon that it wasnt hoody that led masky. it was the other way around. masky might be a more impulsive, throw yourself bodily at the problem (literally) but masky's been here in this shit a lot longer than hoody. i think totheark was largely masky's design before hoody took over. hoody just gave it a vision (because remember he had a film minor :P)

brian kept tim/masky safe from alex (and if you buy into my headcanon, masky was already fond of him from prior episodes) so masky kinda takes hoody under his wing per se. and that's why they end up so similar in how they act and even the whole obscured face thing idk its part of being in the club

they literally react in sync. they work around each other with no signals or words. they're a package deal, a well-oiled machine, and when tim starts to get "better" then obviously masky disappears

i think the masky/hoody duo reinstates my theory because they've both been already damaged prior, but they don't get worse while they're together. they've been doing this for years id assume. and you only see hoody get visibly affected by the operator when he's become a one-man band. he's become isolated. and i think he understands that that's why. and i think that's why (amongst loneliness in general, missing his partner) he pressures tim into reverting to masky even to the point of selfish cruelty and watching tim struggle with it

because it's not ONLY selfish (but i won't say that's not a big part of it) it's also for the good of the mission overall. masky knows what to do. masky has plans. masky knows how hoody works and thinks and can just pick it up and work with him no problem

vs the whole...conundrum it'd be for hoody to try and explain everything to tim and jay directly. which i don't believe he can. i believe there's a reason he's mute and only leaves very simple sentences/messages. (not simple as in i'm ignoring they're in fkn code as in...the sentences themselves aren't that complex and are largely just a few words.) (back to my headcanon: its literally neurological)

anyways i think the reason jay and tim get as far as they do is having hoody's help, but even hoody realizes it comes down to jay and tim working together which is why he pushes that. (i think hoody continues taking tims pills at first because he believes it too, but i think they end up actually helping with his own symptoms (not the staving away operator sickness just like. his own seizures and stuff from his head injury) and so he keeps it up. either that or he's just like...taking advantage of the placebo-effect)

and it works out well...until it doesn't

jay fails because he falls to the influence unfortunately. he turns on tim. stops working with him. and tim has enough resilience to carry on and succeed in at least one way: stop alex, but i think that's why nothing more happens with or against the operator itself: he literally can't on his own

and i think the comics are gonna either straight up prove my theory right or at least give me more fuel to believe that i'm right

and if you read this whole thing bless your damn heart it was an accident it got this long. i just have a lot of thoughts. i have even more than this but it's all not super related and i wanted to at least stay MOSTLY on point lol

[randomnameless]

Do you think Edelgard perceives herself as a victim? I’ve been thinking and I can’t decide myself, on one hand she clearly hates the idea of people being victims or helpless, and constantly reframes the victims of the war as “necessary sacrifices” instead of, y’know, tragic causalities of a war she started. She plays up her sad backstory to try to get Byleth to join with her in WC, but then she does all these things to concentrate as much power as possible on herself. On the other (other) hand, she pushes the culpability of the war on everyone except herself, and has trouble taking accountability. She’s obsessed with controlling everything but she doesn’t want to be blamed for the problems she’s created. What do you think?

Oh!

(sorry for replying one literal month later lol)

I find Supreme Leader hard to write because of this, but in a way, I believe that yes, she does.

However, for all the flak Faerghus gets for "ToXiC mAsCuLiNiTy" and "Chivalry BaD", there's something very toxic with the way some Adrestian victims (often women... blame the writers I guess?) deal with their abuse.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on Doro because I already typed a lot about her, but while she still sees herself as a victim from what she endured and suffered in her childhood, she adopted the toxic mindset of "this suffering is a thing of the past and I grew from that/beyond that to become the person I am now" - which we can also see in Manu who suffered from, roughly, the same traumas.

Petra also follows this pattern, being a hostage and treated like shit, but she grow "beyond" her status of a victim to become the strong person she projects and believes she is - it's only out of House that she realises more accutely her status within the Empire, the reality of her situation and, in Houses, refuses vassalage to Adrestia to make her country independent without having to "ask the Emperor".

It's the same pattern : "I was a victim" but "I became strong" so "I am not a victim anymore, this is something of the past".

Applied to Supreme Leader...

Well, trying to ignore the Agarthans and her dad's own infuence on her character (which is kind of hard, since the games try their hardest to make Agarthans responsible for everything BaD and we're not clear on how much they had an influence on her), I think Supreme Leader believes she was a "victim" of abuse.

But - through further abuse and surviving said abuse - she became strong* enough to "not be a victim anymore".

Which is why her line of "if the weak remain weak it's their fault" feels like it echoes part of her mindset : she was a victim but became strong enough, maybe by hardening her own feelings to become "strong", so she is not the same helpless "victim" she once was.

If she managed to do that, then everyone can do the same.

As for the "necessary sacrifices", since early 2019 someone theorised that "the people" she pretends the fight for as seen as some general "concept", much like the "greater good". So if some people are sacrificed, it's for her ideals - the goal and aim of her newfound strength - , and it piles on her drive, she must realise them otherwise those people would have died (and she would have suffered) for nothing.

However, despite acknowledging her past self as a victim, and because she's now "strong", she's not above using her past trauma (but actually, still present! Remember the rat scene?) to reach her goals, because, at her core, Supreme Leader is soemone who is very determined. Maybe it's her only drive to grow beyond the trauma, or her own illusions, or a mix of everything, but AM made it clear, Supreme Leader is not above, well, using herself if it means seeing her goals come to fruition : unlike Lobotogard from AG, AM!Supreme Leader willingly transforms in Hegemongard.

This is the cost she's willing to pay, so while the memes about Lord Farqaad were on spot, I still think that Supreme Leader is ultimately willing to sacrifice** herself for her goal (but only when there's no other way to ensure her future will come to fruition, and in a way, I guess she thought she would survive the Hegemon transformation, jury's out on what she meant to do in AM's finale, but imo, she still tried, even beaten and battered as she was, to claim Dimi's head).

Ultimately I think everything's a bit muddled by the fact that, as @fantasyinvader pointed out, Supreme Leader is a liar and knows the importance of maintening good PR.

She lies and manipulates the truth to reach her goals (which again, is a red flag when CF claims to want to restore the "distorted history" of Fodlan!) and for all the flak I give them, the devs managed to scrap enough material to give us a peek in Adrestia's mindset (or at least its top nobles), they're not people who self reflect, they are salty because they aren't ruling the world anymore, and they feel like they are better than the rest of Fodlan.

Put everything in the mixer, and you indeed have Supreme Leader (but also her court, especially Ferdie in SB who dares to say, as he is invading and trouncing people who don't really like and accept the idea of being invaded, that the fear those people feel are only in their mind, or something like that? Like, dude, you're rolling over their people and country, of course they'll fear and hate you!) giving her weird rhetoric lines (why are people opposing me if they are going to die?), victim blaming (something Treehouse swallowed like honey, if their lolcalisation is anything to go by, remember, it's Rhea's fault for not offering her head on a platter that is the reason why the War continues in CF!) and so on.

IDK if the devs wanted to bank that much on the Dany parallel with her "if I look back i am lost", but again, I don't know if her drive to make a "better Fodlan" is motivated by her trauma, Adrestian revanchism, Ionius telling her dumb things or Agarthans agarthaning, but her goal and vision are everything to Supreme Leader.

So she will do anythign to see them realised, even if it means sacrificing her people, starting a war, tweaking "the truth" or using her own trauma to motivate and recruit powerful people who might assist her with her goals.

To reply to your question, IMO she sees herself as someone who had once been a victim, but won't let that stop her from reaching her goals, even if it means creating thousands of "hers" in the process, because, in her mind, reaching her goal is more important than anything else.

*I know, she refutes Dimitri's claim that she is "strong" or laughs at it, but imo, it was more in the sense of "I was weak and became strong" so everyone can "become" strong.

**I don't think she wanted to throw away her life, but more something in the lines of "putting my life on the line" or sacrificing her precious (and to see how precious it is, just play CF lol) humanity.

[loafthecat]

Now I don’t have any drawing or anything planned for the anniversary-

But I do wanna express how much this game means to me personally-

Honestly, I don’t even remember what drew me into ctm, lol- I just remembered the series from some old play throughs and thought to give it a watch but- something about the game just made my brain want more of it-

So- I watched more playthroughs and comic dubs and animation memes, (even vine comps too-) I just- loved it- and from there it’s led me a lot of places-

Thsc was how I joined discord and met some of my best friends and some of greatest people I know! All my mutuals are really creative and nice- idk what I’d be doing without @emperorcandy or @rubianarosevine or @toxsradioactivelocks and ESPECIALLY without @randomgasleak because Leaky is one of the bestest, nicest friends I have- and I would seriously miss out on every fun lil conversation and infodump we have with eachother, getting to share my ocs with him is some of the most FUN I’ve had in my life- and i am seriously thankful to EVRYONE in Tox’s server for just- existing lol-

Also no I didn’t forget about- @kean-thebean or @savagepotat or @cybercypress24 or @lynplaque or stormy love yall too-))

Thsc led to me learning about more lgbtq+ identities that I didn’t even know of- in fact it helped me figure out my own identity and realise I was AroAce! So thanks for that-!

Thsc also helped and inspired me to improve my art!!!! Seeing the talent in this fandom made me wanna improve and develop an art style I truly love to draw with- and well- I did it!!!! I finally have an art style I LOVE to use and which actually looks good!!!! I can finally draw necks!!!! And no that was not something I could do before thsc- hm, funny because sticks don’t have necks technically so who would’ve thought-???

Continuing on from that, thsc is directly responsible for the creation of some of my FAVOURITE ocs!!!! Ollie, mitzy, mavy, Kapper, Tulip etc. heck- even ocs that while they ain’t sticcs or direct thsc ocs were INSPIRED by and influenced BY the game!!! (Lookin at you, Opal and Angus-) I especially have to gush about Ollie because I just LOVE him so much- who would’ve thought a BACKGROUND oc for a rp would become one of my main ocs today-? Not me that’s for sure-, I especially didn’t expect that I’d cry over how invested I am in him lol- I just love my lil gae sticc so much!!!!! He’s brought me so much joy, he’s helped me to vent out my problems- I just- I just- LOVE Ollie- lol- and I’m sure I’ll continue to do so even in future-

Thsc also introduced me to Dave panpa’s existence so everything is 100% worth it. I would die for this man, I want to platonically hug him and him and Rupert kiss kiss, I should know- I am the loaf of bread on their countertop!

And I guess last of all- I wouldn’t be on tumblr if it wasn’t for thsc. Thsc gave me the confidence to branch out and actually start using over websites aside from YouTube- it’s also how I joined discord and as I’ve said meet all my closest friends- sure- tumblr hasn’t always been the best at times but- I enjoy being here and while yes I’m not the most popular person here or even of note to some people- I’m still here right-? And I gotta thank thsc for that-

So in conclusion-

It is 23:24 pm at night- and my WiFi really didn’t like me finishing this- (it f^cked up THREE drafts of this that I had like wtf WiFi-????)

Now. Is this normal-? No, it probably isn’t normal to have a extreme obsession over a silli game about a sticc figure stealing shi- but shush I’m weird- and autistic it’s fine-

So yeah. Thanks thsc, and thank you puff for making the game.

You changed my life- for worse or for better take your pick-

[t00thpasteface]

Glad to see someone who appreciates Adam West's Batman, its one my all time favorite Batman's besides the "Brave and the Bold" and it has the best Joker.

as with most things, you can blame my mom's influence. she's ALL about the campy comedy and she's been bugging me to watch the show for YEARS!! it's kind of a btas situation for me where i've seen countless random snippets and scenes and memes but rarely if ever have i sat down and watched it On TV, On Purpose. my dorky uncle also loves it and he's liked a lot of the same nerd stuff as me since before it was cool.

but i've loved every bit i've seen and now i'm kind of in that state of "i really want to watch full eps of this show but i can't until i'm actually sitting down to watch it with that person who really wants to watch it With Me" :P i'm sure you've been there...

still, it definitely colored the shows i actually watched, so the cultural osmosis is real. basically every cartoon i loved as a kid had some incredibly campy over-the-top batman spoof at some point or another (mermaid man and barnacle boy, radioactive man and fallout boy, ultra lord, catman, the list goes on) and even some actual adam west guest star episodes (like fairly oddparents and the simpsons) so like. that's what i've associated batman with from day one. even the things that aren't about batman still do pastiches of 60s batman. i guess that's what happens when you grow up in the 00s, aka the 60s revival, when everything was peace signs and miniskirts.

plus i've gotten a taste for dorky 60s and 70s tv since being in quarantine with no cable or streaming services, with star trek tos being an obvious fave, but i'm also insane about starsky and hutch. may as well throw another one on the pile (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

[short-black-diamond]

Do you still do tokyo revengers?

sadly not. i am mostly on webtoon now. if you don't read webtoons, then that's fine too, but here are a few webtoons i'd recommend for you!

Lookism -(1. webtoon i read. I HAVE TO CATCH UP FJFEJIFWJOIE)

Get schooled -(season two when???)

Auto Hunting with my Clones -(I will either catch up or drop it) -(i will probably reread it it has been so long irfjojfiwejofewj)

The greatest Estate Developer -(Funny story) -(Interesting and meme potential) Tomato can -(season two when???) -(prolly has daily pass now)

The apothecary prince -(linked to the greatest estate developer, catching up soon) -(must also reread)

Ranker -(gotta catch up)

I am the Queen in this Life -(i think i had a request about this once.)

I was the final boss -(gotta catch up)

Marionetta -(gotta catch upppp)

Absolute sword sense -(one of my fav)

A martial Master wakes up as a concubine -(Today, 16.11.2024 i will let that comic rest so that i can catch up to it later and read the interesting part in peace. i don't want to spoil anything, but it is a funny yet intriguing story, and i would love for everyone who sees this post to have a read on this.)

We are 101 -(MC is a pretty boy) -(very short chapters, best to wait a few weeks and then read)

The Interpretation of shadows -(slow updates, but storyline is interesting, give it a read!)

Sisters at war -(very..uh, well, generational trauma)

A spell for a smith -(catching up soon, hopefully)

Iseop's Romance -(drama i guess? more like office romance and stuff, read for yourself i am not good at describing things :,{ )

Vampire family -(meme potential)

Why i quit being the demon king -(gotta catch up)

Return of the runebound Professor -(soul in other person's body, soul was teacher in past life and is professor in this life, too. relatively new webtoon, so this is all i will be saying about it.)

The bad son -(dayum, art is cool and story is slowly forming, but i don't wanna spoil anything so see for yourself.)

The last passage -(interesting concept, very philosophical regarding death and afterlife or returning back to earth and how, give it a read!)

Red Spine -(MC is a traumatized cutie patootie) -("weak", has red spine sometimes to scare off genderwo's or what they are called oijrijigrejoje that's all i am telling you about)

The genius Murim Fitness Trainer -(Covid influencer gaining weight, gets isekai'd into the last webtoon he read after falling asleep) -(now is protag of said webtoon and throws hands or teaches the other monks, must catch up)

Boss return -(dark themes, but also well mixed with love) -(boy just wants his wifey :{ )

Absolute Regression -(MC is hella fine)

The masters have subscribed -(new webtoon) -(funny)

A knight with a time limit -(saw today, giving it a chance)

[09lover]

@mulberriesandtea vs @burstvoid

propagandas under the cut!!

MULBERRIESANDTEA / 04DISSECTION

PROPAGANDA FOR KRIS MULBERRIESANDTEA also known as 04dissection

Do you want to see somrjing beautiful? Do you want to rest your eyes a bit after scrolling throufh this dull tumblr dash filled with all sorts of unhinged things. Or mayhaps you jsut opened your tumvlr app after a long day of seeing enough in the real world. I got you.

Look at this pretty blog. Warm, welcoming, soothing color palette. They have a very aeathetically pleasant tagging system on top of that. Okay but this is only the mobile version.

Look at this SICK desktop version. It can be warm and tender but it can be absolutely FUNKY. The decoration of this blog perfectly captures the personality of this multifaceted individual. As you see their blog is also surrounded with muu which may influence your decision in different ways however it's undoubted that their dedication is truly impressive and inspiring for the whole fandom. Stare at it for long enough snd you can feel the growing urge to decorate your entire blog around your fsvorite character.

They also have CAT(!) and can send us cat pixtures. A splendid example that will render you speechless:

their other talents include, but are not limited to:

🔥 DRAWING

✏️ MAKING MILGRAM ANALYSIS

❣️ BEING DEDICATED TO MILGRAM WOMEN

🔎 CREATING THEIR OCGRAM

📍 MAKING THE PHONEGRAM DRAWING THAT LED TO THE MILGRAM SMART FRIDGE MEME. Can you imagine? If not for Kris' art achievements we might jave never had that ezxtrmeely impoetant part of the milgramblr daily life. Their input to our culture is inseparable and incomparable.

Takr this all in mind and vote for kris mulberriesandtea 04dissection ONLY TOMORROW! (or today i guess depending on when this will be posyed)

— PROPAGANDA BY TSUMI!!

+ https://youtu.be/WhtpH3BciDY?si=7y1m7EZxt0s4Vxqw

————

BURSTVOID

PROPAGANDA FOR PUPA BURSTVOID

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their size is PERFECT to be put in a blender (80x60 cm). Their texture is suitable to get soaked in milk and only becomes better with it if applied in moderste amoubts (recommended to soak rhem 1 liter of milk per day). they make a splendid thump sound once thrown at a wall.

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— PROPAGANDA ALSO BY TSUMI!!

and that is all, enjoy your voting for round 1.

[likeadevils]

I trust your opinion. If you were making bets about what TS11's themes, concepts and sound would be like.. What would you like& prefer? and what would you think Taylor would do?

thank you for trusting my opinion but i am god awful at predicting what taylor is going to do next. that being said:

i think something taylor learned with all too well, anti-hero, and cruel summer is to… trust her instincts, i guess? not that she hasn’t in the past, but she’s mentioned that those songs were her favorites of their respective albums, and she didn’t expect that the general public would enjoy them as much— at least, not to the degree that they have been. but they’ve all been #1s, and more impressively to me, they’ve all broken through into wider pop culture in a way that’s super hard to do nowadays. like can you tell me what’s #1 right now because i can’t. but anyways i think she’ll be following what she wants to hear a little bit more, and trusting that her and the general public’s taste is pretty aligned at the moment. so like, to boil it down into a bingo card prediction, the lead single is going to be taylor’s favorite song on the album

also, bingo square, the color will be white. no evidence just vibes

i think another thing taylor recently learned is trusting that not only her fanbase, but the wider pop landscape would accept complex ideas delivered with a complex vocabulary. in some ways i think she was really burned by me!— she had been taught that it’s the we are never ever getting back together and shake it offs that you send to pop radio, not the all too wells. and then me! got torn apart (deservedly or not), and then the world shut down and it’s not like she needs to find a tour off her next album so what the hell, let’s take out the immediate hooks and replace it with flowery language. and it was a massive hit! twice! but it’s not the kind of music she wants to make forever. so midnights was an added gamble— can you marry the hooks with the collegiate vocabulary? and you can! anti-hero was her biggest chart success ever! so i expect more dictionary/thesaurus starter pack memes in our future, no matter what genre it’ll end up in

that being said, i think she’ll be staying in pop. i maaaaybe could see a kind of pop rock thing happening— think like, the electric guitar she adds to don’t blame me when it’s preformed live.

regardless i do think she’ll be pulling in more rep influences— i’m not super in the buisness of trying to track down when exactly she’s been re-recording, so this is coming from swiftie brain rot not timeline brain rot, but if i had to guess i would say she was mostly recording rep over the summer and with the occasional ts11 track thrown in as well. but i could be wrong maybe she has three albums recorded. idk. i am very interested in what the rep sounds like though, i think that’ll be the biggest clue to what ts11 will sound like

i’m curious how auto-biographical it’ll be. honestly, i could see taylor creating a single character to inhabit and tracking their story throughout an album, which would parallel the emotions she’s going through, but not the exact situations. but that’s me projecting what i would need to do to process the fucking year she’s been through, and taylor has consistently been saying how much she gets from having people sing back the words thought she must be alone in thinking, so like maybe it’ll be intensely About Her, who knows

as for release, i’m a big post eras tour believer. like i know it’s been said a million times but god how impossible would it be to add another set to that thing. like we might get the announcement and lead single while still on tour, but not a full album

i’m also expecting a more talk-y rollout. i would bet we’re getting a couple of print interviews— not anywhere near 1989 or lover levels, but like, you know. rolling stone, vogue, maybe another time, that kind of thing. and in front of camera stuff too— zane lowe, a bbc live longe, some late night appearances, maybe going on kelly clarkson’s show. and maaaaybe a hot wings episode. maybe. i think taylor got a bit burned by the long roll out for lover, and regardless she had other priorities when it came to the midnights release, but it’s been a while and she does like to surprise people by doing something completely predictable. but also this is totally me being like pleaseeeee give interviews they help me with timeline research so much

i predict this every time but visual album!!! if i keep saying it one day it’ll be true!!! it just makes sense she’s been getting so into directing!!!

while we’re in the realm of things that would make me specifically go insane i just think it would be funny if she got paul mccartney to feature on a song. just to be petty. imagine your ex is releasing an album and she gets one of your favorite musicians to play on it. and after the sweet nothing debacle too. oh. so ouchie. also she would have paul fucking mccartney on an album that’s insane in its own right

while we’re throwing spaghetti at the wall. two word title. let’s get crazy maybe 3+ words why not (this is by far the least serious prediction if the title is more than one word i’ll lose my mind)

maybe some religious imagery for the visuals? i’m trying to think of aesthetics taylor hasn’t thoroughly explored. what’s coming to mind is stained glass windows and like, the wild west. this is not at all influenced by me being raised catholic in the american southwest what are you talking about

so to sum up i think i want a pop rock opera with a title along the lines of “the blank of firstname lastname” about a woman in the wild west that has climatic scenes in a cathedral?? i guess that’s the shape i want?? i was not aware that’s what i wanted when i started writing this post okay

[christian-oc-tournament]

(Propaganda time!)

An interview with Jasper Clearwater, explaining her powers:

Every soul has a song, unique to it. The song can change as a person does, over time or over the course of a few seconds or minutes. Just the everyday emotional roller coaster a person experiences changes it temporarily, and major events can alter it permanently.

Every soul emits wavelengths. I call them soulwaves. The soulwaves make up the soulsong. Soulwaves can change, but typically follow a pattern, regardless of the situation. If I alter my own soulwaves to fit their pattern, I can achieve a soulsync with anyone. If they're willing, it's usually a very smooth, painless process, and then we're linked up–unless our soulsongs just don't mesh well, then it's harder. Like trying to mash up a slow classical song with something upbeat and modern.

Surface-level thoughts and emotions are extremely easy to access and even influence between the synchronized souls. Memories can be accessed, sometimes accidentally. The soul is who you are, so I see what makes a person them. If a memory is accessed that one person doesn't want the other to access, a soulsync can be broken off abruptly--it's jarring, because it breaks the harmony. It's like if you're listening to a beautifully composed song and all the sudden the mics squeal and the speakers blow out.

What if they aren't willing?

If they aren't willing, it's a battle. Their soulwaves will be triggered by the fight or flight response, and become…what's the word? Haphazard? There's still a pattern in there somewhere, but it's more difficult to sort out. Like two songs by the same artist playing at the exact same time and trying to find an instrument in one. And of course, it's easier if my natural soulwaves already are close to theirs. The more I have to alter mine, while also listening for the pattern, the harder it is.

How do you alter your own pattern?

As I'm trying to identify theirs, I get glimpses of inside their soul. What makes them tick, I guess. And I…it's kind of hard to explain, but I try to put myself in their shoes.

What if multiple soulsongs are playing at once? Like in a crowd?

It's overwhelming, all the noise. I usually have to wear headphones to block out all that. But I'm also learning how to tune my soul like a radio and only hear certain frequencies.

Are some frequencies more common than others?

In a high school full of teenagers who have endured the trauma of being turned into Otherlings? You do the math.

Two idiots in love

And two out of context memes

.

[los-ninos-tortugas]

I’d love your thoughts on…Bayverse tmnt.

This has languished in my inbox for far too long. Quite honestly I was gonna try to come up with some sort of funny meme answer to this and drew up completely blank so instead I'm gonna do sincerity,

It's... it's bad but I still kinda love it? In a weird way? These movies give me weird emotions because I did genuinely enjoy watching them but I'm also very aware that there's... Stuff going on. I've definitely taken my fair share of pot shots at these movies in the past because it's funny, But after seeing this behind the scenes video I do think there's something kind of interesting to talk about; how much thought went into this... for it to still come out pretty mid. Which probably sounds a little mean, and not for nothing I do commend the crews insistence on using a practical set and effects where they could because honestly yeah, it does look awesome. And overall I do think the movies have pretty impressive visuals and the action sequences are a lot of fun but I don't think those things can really save these movies from the weaknesses that just come out of the script itself.

Now I'm not gonna lie it's been a hot minute since I watched these movies so I'm kinda going off my memory here. Could I have taken the time to rewatch them before answering this? Probably. But I didn't so here we go.

The Turtles:

I actually don't really hate their designs? I have a very vivid memory of people making a big stink about how they looked when the first movie came out back in 2014, although back then I wasn't a fan so it all just kinda went over my head. I'm still not a fan of them having lips as opposed to beaks but that's really the only part where I kinda draw the line. I weirdly kinda liked that they tower over all the humans and that their physicality matches just how strong they are in this movie. Their first fight scene is so chaotic because you can't see them yet (again, their ability to sneak around so effectively in spite of their size also adds to the impression they make) but enemies are just flying. Karai is quickly losing control of the situation, Foot Clan grunts are getting thrown into the walls and cracking the subway tile with the force with which they're thrown. The way the scene builds the anticipation for the reveal is really well done in my opinion. Do the turtles look like teenagers? No. Absolutely not. And admittedly this did give me a little bit of cognitive dissonance because I kinda kept forgetting that they are kids with the exception of a few scenes. But they do look like mutants so points for that I guess. And it's pretty cool to see what elements from these turtles seemed to end up carrying over to Rise and Mutant Mayhem. Stuff like the tech on Donnie's shell and his glasses. Raph's bandana, and the turtles wearing more clothes overall. The fact that they're purpose made science experiments this time rather than the result of an accident. Like as much as Bayverse gets kinda treated like the black sheep of the turtle iterations it would be unfair to say it had zero influence on what came after.

These turtles in particular are also really riding the coattails of the superhero movie genre back before we all got tired of it. I feel like unlike a lot of the other iterations-- and while TMNT does kinda fall under the superhero umbrella from their comic origins they also kind of originated their own specific subgenre within that that has a very specific... TMNT-ness to it if you know what I mean (i.e. street sharks, battle toads, gargoyles if you really squint)-- these versions of the turtles are more like straight up superheroes than any other version. They're literally bulletproof, they have super strength, speed, and agility. They can survive in hostile environments that would otherwise kill normal humans- really they might as well have slapped capes on them. There's also this weird cartoony-ness to them. Like they specifically operate on cartoon logic while the rest of the world still operates on regular real world logic. It does take me out of it a bit when it does happen.

As far as personalities go (and this is where my memory gets a bit foggy so bear with me here) Raph and Donnie stand out to me the most and I think that's because they both end up being really empathetic characters. The first movie actually kinda becomes Raph's movie and he gets a lot of screentime and character development. The second movie is definitely a bit more Leo focused but I think it's split a little more evenly overall between all of them. But Raph and Donnie are definitely my favorites in this version. Leo is a bit bland in my opinion. At least compared with other versions I've seen. Maybe on another rewatch I would reassess that but for now he just seems like he's kinda there. He's the leader and that's his job. (Again, the BTS video does more to explore his personality than I think the movies really do, so it's like, how did all this thought go into this for it to still not show through?) I feel like the writers just didn't know what to do with Mikey. He gets a bit more development and character in the second movie (the line delivery on the "we aren't monsters" scene comes to mind. Real gut punch every time) but in the first one he's unfortunately just kind of annoying.

Master Splinter:

Oh is Splinter here? Coulda fooled me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, his one purpose is to provide exposition and then exit the plot as quickly as possible when he is no longer useful. Yes he gets critically injured in the first movie and I feel like it's supposed to raise the stakes- it does not. I do not care about him even a little.

April O'Neil:

Okay I'm conflicted because I love Megan Fox and I really think she tried her best with what she was given to work with. The movie almost did a good- there was kind of a weird but self aware joke about April wanting to be a real journalist and pursue more hard hitting stories but the news network very obviously hired her to put her on television to objectify her and have her do puff pieces and boost their ratings because she's attractive. And I'm like "wow that's actually some really self aware commentary on how Megan Fox has been treated by the industry and by Michael Bay in particular it's really cool that they put that in a movie produced by him- oh nevermind there it is they're objectifying her for the rest of the movie." Which is really unfortunate because the way she plays this kind of more manic and slightly unhinged version of April who is maybe not super socially aware is very funny (cue April slapping a conspiracy board and presenting it as serious evidence to her boss). I think her having a connection to the turtles pre-mutation is a pretty cool play on their origin since usually after being dropped in the sewer they cease to have any connection to the kid that bought them from the pet store. But having April and the turtles remember each other is honestly kinda sweet. (Along with the fact that she gave them their names.)

Casey Jones;

Fuck that guy. That's not Casey Jones because Casey Jones is not a goddamn cop.

Vern:

Exists.

The Bad Guys:

Eric Sacks: Okay I haven't seen anyone else point this out but it's driving me nuts. Has anyone else noticed that this guy's origin story is just The Karate Kid but if he turned out evil? Like he tells the story and I literally had to pause the movie because it blew my mind that they just Did That. I was just going "that's just the plot of The Karate Kid. He just explained the plot of The Karate Kid in this movie as his origin story, they just stole it. AND IT"S THE FUCKING JAIDEN SMITH VERSION NO LESS WTF???" Like is it just me? Am I crazy? They fucking did this earnestly and it's driving me up the goddamn wall.

The Shredder: Motivations, what are those? Crime? Money? I guess? If someone could tell me what the hell this man's actual motivations and goals were in this movie I'd appreciate it because I have no idea. This character has zero personality, I can remember zero of his lines, his costume is dope as hell. I don't understand why he's here except that maybe the writers were contractually obligated to put him in the movie. He's literally The bad guy in all the turtleverse how is he so goddamn unmemorable in this movie??? And in the second one? Sir I feel like you should have more of a reaction to finding out extradimensional aliens are real than going "Okay we work for this guy now." and then proceed to tear apart the fabric of reality for him based on like a two minute conversation. What were you hoping to get out of this arrangement, I know the movie probably said it but like everything else that has to do with the antagonists I cannot remember.

Karai: Is here. I guess. Also just way too cool with learning that mutants and aliens are a thing, never reacts to anything. I'm sure she has lines in these movies, could I tell you anything she said or anything she did that would be indicitave of her having a character or a personality? Nope. She exists to be a henchwoman and that's about it.

Bebop and Rocksteady: Probably the only memorable villains in all of these movies, and that's only because they're funny.

General Krang: Why did they even bother dude. Disappointment.

Honestly after writing this I might go rewatch these movies, because this has just reminded me that their whole deal is kind of wild to be honest. And I probably could go on even more but this has already gotten pretty long. Thanks for the ask and I'm sorry it took so so long. But it was fun to do this kind of break down, and I kinda wanna do more in the future with other tmnt stuff, idk I'll see where that goes or not.

Thanks for reading <3

[sonicjustbecause]

Shadow and the hive mind

This doesn't apply to the original Shadow (Sa2/Heroes in particular, when Black Doom and the Black Arms weren't a thing). The original Shadow experienced a full range of feelings and emotions, was flawed and not overpowered, that made him felt 'real'.

And it doesn't apply to the edgelord, nor any version of the past, although in some versions is hinted that Shadow is sugestible.

But the very recent interpretation of this year, especially the spin off on Shadow, suggested me otherwise.

Now, some of the bare bone traits of Shadow personality (where people usually work on) are:

Quiet - All version but Chousoku Shadow Melancholic - Doesn't apply to Chousoku Shadow, Edgelord Shadow and Prime Shadow Stubborn - All versions (this is the one including laser focus, any means necessary etc etc...) Mischievous - Applies to original Shadow, Chousoku Shadow and Prime Shadow. Playful - Applies to the original Shadow, Chousoku Shadow and Prime Shadow Compassionate - Applies on the original Shadow, Archie Shadow and Prime Shadow. Clever - Applies to the original Shadow.

If all taken in account and cocked carefully the result may come...

After Sonic Prime (and possibly Prime Shadow was included in the overhaul), it seems that Shadow went under a quick revisal, with his personality that sifted dramatically from appearance to appearance.

When the year of Shadow started, we had about the most jarring experiment, he seemed cheerful, positive and proactive, too much. I believe the proactive part was the one I had problems with, it was like a flood.

And indeed...

He was smiling a little bit too often. Shadow can and should smile, just not too often. I've read that fans feedmack is very influential on Sonic characterization (and unfortunately the same applies for the meme - see Tails always getting beaten by Shadow lately. Before it was only a specific scene in Sonic X, in a specific context, after Sonic Boom it has became mandatory, although most of the time and in most media Shadow and Tails get along well).

Then, shorts like Dark Beginnings came:

I don't know is this is the next overhaul, but Shadow seems just apathetic, even depressed. He lets the other do everything to him, they can drag him around, hug him and he just does nothing. His normal expression is rather blank, you feel low energy coming from him. Unlike the original Shadow he can't 'Live and learn'. He has little sparkles of free will but if everything is fine and he is not needed, I would guess he would let himself wither.

And here the hive mind theory comes.

Shadow's original wariness has become straigt out passiveness. He is part Black Arms and this might have eavily influenced certain personality traits. The passiveness and restlessness is due of lacking a connection to the hive mind. He just follows the stream.

The other part of his mind is, you can call it Mobian/Earthling, the way you want. Is the one who allow him to tell what's wrong and what's right, to take decisions (including going to missions), to feel and even to rebel to the hive mind. Still he is always lost. He is not supposed to have a free will.

Because of his black arms side, Black Doom can easily do whathever he wants with his mind. He can make all his suppressed memories resurface and can even control his dreams and nightmare. I think that BD doesn't actually give Shadow new powers. He just awakes them, fully waking his BA side and get a better control on him later, when he will fully embrace his black arms side.

I still favour the Original Shadow, but i'm curious on what Shadow Generation will show.

(Sorry for stupid mistakes, my keyboard is dying)

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR Rambles 12 times Vaati got his ass kicked

Insanity, Vaati being pathetic.

What's new?

Ooop. Zelda showing off how she'll kill you within 2 seconds of being in HER castle.

Link's letter was smth addressed earlier: He warned her with a letter he was going to pull the sword.

Which implies a certain amount of impersonal-ness to the action. He didn't want her talking him out of it lmfao. He was already struggling with defying Vio's persistence so it makes sense he didn't want Zelda to try and logic his ass either.

Her outfit being the sneaky armor in botw, presumably so she could sneak attack, whoever ended up attacking her.

I thought it'd also be a fun throwback to Sheik and spoiler:

Zelda's gender identity is pretty open. Link referred to her with "They" pronouns earlier in the comic but I didn't feel it was very relevant to bring up at the time lmfao. Zelda's all sorts of gender in this comic to say the least.

The reason why Vaati knows she's around is smth I'll get into later when it's more relevant.

"Damn would you have preferred Gannon???" - Vaati probably.

Zelda isn't playing around she wants to know where her blonde twink is at.

Vaati is a bitch about it of course.

Oh she mad.

She real mad.

"PATRICK THATS NOT A HOOKER!!!"

"It's not?"

"ITS A BOMB 💣!!!!"

Vaatis stupid as hell expression before she goes boom is hilarious to me.

Smth people seem to be CONFUSED about fsr is Vaati's not so subtle Zelda simping.

Vaati is a Zelda simp, that's really all there is too it. The extent of that simping is smth I've joked about a lot.

So he got his ass handed to him.

Shadow himself noted vaati must be weak as hell earlier so. Guess he was right.

Smth of note: vaati is struggling to keep his form in the "wind mage" form. As his body keeps trying to revert to the "wind demon" design

Those titles are used interchangeably in the manga but I call his Hylian disguise his "wind mage" form and the demon form his "wind demon" form personally.

Zelda casually drops the fact she was trying to murder Vaati with that blast. She isn't playing around. Makes sense this asshole held her prisoner for who knows how long before and did something to her best friend.

Haha vaatis pathetic and also in pain.

Good.

His suffering is all the direct cause of his own actions so...hard to feel TOO bad for him rn.

Zelda certainly doesn't.

Link’s shitty state outright made her a more cold hearted person it seems.

Not that'd I'd blame her for that lmfao.

Vaati struggling to get back to being handsome lmfao.

Vaati, my bro, when are you going to do a single thing for yourself????

Okay but the implication Dark Link let Vaati get his ass kicked and only jumped in to help when Vaati called for help is very funny.

Dark links comedically large sword is just interesting. It's not a four sword replica like Shadow’s.

Zelda is in shock at the weird Link coming out of nowhere.

Darks immediate reaction of being flustered at seeing Zelda is so funny to me.

"HYLIA'S MASSIVE TITS, IT'S A WOMAN!!!"

And fun note: This is the first time Dark's actually for reals appeared in the physical world and not just in the "Headspace".

Subtly creepy he isn't just a mental problem but a physical danger as well.

His attack was very calculated, as he didn't hurt Zelda and just slammed his sword in front of her...

...Haven't we seen smth...SIMILAR TO THIS?

Huh well, look at that...

Sweaty weirdo Dark Link enters the chat.

No it was not just for the memes he's actually just like that lmfao.

So from what we know about Dark so far there's some things to note:

Our buddy boy can see the memories of others and "live" through their experiences.

Yall see what it is getting at right?

Shadow link, Vio, and Vaati's emotions and memories are influencing Darks inability to harm Zelda here.

And perhaps he formed feeling a certain kind of way about her.

He associates her with positive feelings lmfao.

Their influence aside, he still chooses not to hurt her on his own.

Vaati’s reaction is priceless.

Zelda seems to grant Dark some mercy, assumably because he outright denied Vaati here lol.

For his sparing of Zelda he gets squished like a dog toy. Poor Dark Link.

Vaati leaves with his dumbass lackey.

When you casualy blow a hole in your castle lmfao.

She's overwhelmed.

She need break.

She need hug.

She need...Link.

Pff.

Guys, he has self-awareness...fuck.

Vaati, that was just unnecessarily mean to your lackey.

Also Dark Link appearance wise:

His hair color has changed. It's purple toned now when it was grey blue toned earlier....

Okay I'll stop being coy it's because he's mimicking Vio's appearance.

Oh. Well, that's a face, alright...

Is he ANGRY? Is he HAPPY?

Did he make that face because he knows it'd freak Vaati out?

Vaati’s abusive bullshit doesn't seem to damper his mood at least as he's smiling in the 3rd panel.

Dark link and Shadow link are very different people, ESPECIALY when it comes to how they cope with Vaati's abuse.

It left a mark on Shadow where as as of right now at least, Dark acts MOSTLY unbothered by it.

Let's face it rn his idea of normal relationships are Shadow and vio lmfaoooooooo-

The dudes who both almost murdered each other.

Pff

His "I want kisses too" line will never not get a laugh out of me.

It's so indicative of how he actually feels.

He wants kisses.

He drops that Shadow is the demon king and for a second you gotta wonder if Vaati was like

"...Why is Gannon smooching Vio?????"

Dark Link also wants to dance. Both are things he saw Vio and Shadow do, mind you...

Vaati has no idea wtf is going on lmfao.

Dark has eclipsed him as the true villain of this comic-

I say in jest.

Dark casually recaps stuff we already kinda know.

While trying to dance with Vaati pff.

Funny enough, taking the lead in said dance, which reflects how he's the one doing all the work rn.

So, Dark link is interpreting peoples feelings, not 100% understanding them. 🤔

He has to actually think about Blue's emotional state hah and even seems surprised.

It's funny to think that even Green picked up on blue being jealous, and basically everyone did, but Dark had to think about it...

Kinda shows he doesn't really understand people much. Like TRUELY.

Or he's just not as interested in blue vs Vio and Shadow.

Dark stutters again like he did when he was face to face with Zelda.

Vaatis so mean mocking his stutter and continues to berate him.

Well that was an outburst.

And I finally get to talk in detail about Dark Link’s "mechanics" for a lack of a better term will expand on the next page.

Design/art wise:

Dark's teeth are all sharp here when normally, despite being a demon his teeth are flat/human looking teeth.

The background is a more red version of the head-space Vio and Green have been dragged to when Dark talks to them/at them.

Immediately he's back to being himself.

Weirdly happy, which settles in the true horror of the previous outbirst:

He didn't mean, a single word of what he just said.

He said that, PURELY to hurt Vaati because it's something that Vaati already feels about himself. He wasn't actually MAD at Vaati and snapping in response to Vaati's abuse. He was just reflecting Vaati's anger right back at him.

So smth about Dark:

He often reflects DIRECTLY how others behave.

Instances of such:

The madder Vaati got in this talk, the "angrier" Dark Link got right back at him.

He shouted at Dark to "Do something" and he responded angrily back that he didn't want to hurt Zelda.

He shouted and berated Dark Link causing Dark to shout that nobody loves Vaati.

Dark Link's nature is to be calm, quiet, pretty "Happy" and kinda hopelessly romantic lmao. He wants to have his idea of "Fun" with people.

He MIMICS people.

Dark has no identity of his own (At least he doesn't seem to realize he does) so often he just bounces off people. He only takes joy in hurting others atm.

Not even in an outright malicious way. At least not the kind of malicious that's "haha I broke the hero because I hate him". This is just what his idea of "Fun" is. What his idea of normal interactions are. This is just what he's suposed to be doing rn.

He isn't acting much outside of his direct reason for creation. What he even deems as fun is indicative of his creation as well.

Engaging with their range of emotions and characters and memories he deems interesting is FUN to him.

If his dialogue from page 121 is anything to go off of, bro really doesn't give a shit about his job. He just wants to have fun:

He finds it amusing Shadow can ALSO manipulate people's feelings, outright kind of complimenting him for it.

And then gets hopelessly distracted and starts talking about what he'd "Rather do" right now.

Which involves hugging Vio and reading oop.

He didn't get SUPER involved/invested in Shadow's memories until Vio and Shadow were doing more "interesting" things, at least in Dark's opinion of what is "interesting."

Dark wants to engage in relationships lmfao. But he's stuck engaging with memories living though them vicariously and hurting people he supposedly "Likes".

He wants to dance with someone and kiss them and in general have "happy" moments with someone. But is stuck being a curse that's only purpose is to break the hero apart and reflect negativity.

It's kinda sad.

But he clearly hasn't reflected on his own life/situation outside of Vaati's feelings towards him.

Also: Dark has no desire to kill any of the Link or Link himself...keep this in mind.

Again: He reflects Vaati's mood of annoyance with that face in the second panel. Which kills me. You just know Vaati's making the same face off screen lmfao.

Symbolism symbolism

Dark plucks the violet but leaves the silent princess alone outside of petting it. Call back to how he left Zelda alone.

He says more stuff we kinda already know, but recapping is good. Actually, we spent like 100 pages in flashbacks, hah.

It also shows what Dark learned/his takeaway from watching their interactions.

Haha oh Dark why are you ripping petals out?

There's smth to be said about him ripping the petals out as the game "She loves me, she loves me not" is a vibe that's being invoked here.

With the odd amount of petals (Being 5) it'd land on "She loves me" by the way.

A relatively innocent game turned into something sinister as he rips petals out in accordance with how many heroes there are.

Dark's behavior continues to be ODD, as he claims Shadow's predicament is "Sad". Which is true.

But...does his expression REALLY scream that he's ACTUALLY sad about it to you?

His chest eyeball just stares blankly forward, his body language implies he's just kinda pretending or acting sad.

Which makes sense, Dark hasn't been shown to clearly understand sorrow properly as even when he cried he was still smiling.

He compares Vio and Shadow's struggles with their identities directly as they're both struggling with who they're SUPOSED to be compared to who they are.

Again: he's ripping a petal out as he talks about each member of the Link squad.

Notes notes notes my favorite:

For whatever reason Vio is not in his present day look here. He's how he looked 7 years ago.

You could make a lot of different assumptions as to why:

Is this how Dark sees Vio? Vio visually represented to be stuck in the past. Vio just feeling more childishly scared in the face of what's happening.

Dark's comforting Vio here in a similar manor to how Shadow did though.

Also super weird: Dark actually in a round about way compliments Vio here.

"He's so blinded by his self hatred he can't see just how much everyone adores him because of his calm cool nature..."

Dark can feel how others feel about Vio and repeated those opinions.

This is smth to note because so far the only things he's really repeated out loud have been negative things people feel about THEMSELVES.

Outside of when he complimented Shadow.

But this shows he can actually recognize positive feelings people have towards others and repeat those too...

And outright stating: He "likes" Vio.

Because of his strong reaction to Zelda, we can assume that he likes people depending on how others feel about them. Because the team likes Vio: So does Dark Link.

Another petal falls while he dips into Green's problems. Who's the only other one we've seen him play around with so far outside of Vio and Shadow And not even really with Shadow...

Weirdly enough Green feels empty inside because he's diet link lmfao.

I told yall I'd give him a personality.

Harbors guilt for lazing around when everyone else was doing stuff. Ouch.

He felt the need to promise Link he'd keep shit okay but he doesn't even know if he CAN.

Blue and his ptsd.

Dark continues to hug people while utterly obliterating them as people lmao.

Blue can't express his emotions arounv Vio which is a theme we'll see as we go into the comic more.

Vio looking back at Blue tho is, a thing.

To be fair to Dark's assesment of Red: red hasn't done anything in the comic yet.

Him chucking the flower the second it's not pretty anymore and, eating the petal is just funny in a morbid way.

Creepy thing: He ate the petal that "Symbolized" Red. The sweet optimistic character. Kinda just shows Dark consumes everything around him in a pit of despair lmfao. Also it's hilarious that he ate smth that he shouldn't have.

Vaati's disgusted reaction to said petal eating is very funny and Dark's monologue about HIMSELF is very telling I feel.

He thinks he's a hero, because he's saving someone. Removed from context that Vaati is a villain and the fac to "Save" Vaati he needed to hurt the REAL hero of Hyrule...

His actions are preventative at the moment: he's making so Link can't reform and the pieces can't seal Vaati back into the sword.

Dark's actions all make sense to Dark Link. XD

Nobody is cheering him, so he just blatantly says "YAY DARK LINK!!!" Which is honestly the funniest lines Dark has said purely because it shows his childish outlook on this entire situation.

He's just the hero saving Vaati.

Dark's clearly annoyed to some degree nothing he does is bringing Vaati any amount of satisfaction.

He did what he was supposed to do. The sword is drawn. Vaati is free.

Dark even mocks Vaati's impatience and his need to control someone else to do his work for him. Hitting Vaati right where it hurts with Vaati's insecurity about being a pawn.

Instantly also going for the throat with "Master Elzo and Link would be disgusted with you"

Obviously: He's talking about Minish Cap Link NOT "our" Link.

This use of their names offends Vaati to no end.

The fight scene is fun, enough said. XD

Okay fine: Ramble thoughts.

Dark manages to mauver his way into not getting properly hit.

Dark's fascination with strangling people is not missed as he does it to Vaati here.

As he repeats things he knows will hurt Vaati's feelings.

Vaati is being unreasonable and stupid in Dark's eyes so him bringing up Vaati's insecurities to make a point is just his attempt to get Vaati to listen to him.

Despite his actions seeming to go against it: He IS on Vaati's side and IS trying to "save" Vaati.

He isn't even saying/acting out of spite, he's just kinda lowkey annoyed and exasperated at Vaati at best. XD

We hit the image count so I'll pick up later.