#so I'll be back with that another day

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Observations on ep 2

This is actually a comedy.

Mew is the most perfect and still must be protected at all costs.

Ray, on the other hand, is the most poor little meow meow to ever meow.

Neo is going for douze points from every country's jury AND the public votes for his commitment to *ahem* well, you know.

Someone asked this series how many locations it could reuse from every other series and it just said "yes".

Nick is down bad already...and competing for Ray's meow meow crown.

And I'm sad the show didn't continue with a random GMM cameo for Boston to have sex with this ep.

[necrotic-nephilim]

as much as I love the common "Tim worships/stalks Jason" trope in TimJay fanfiction because it's Good and making Tim a weird little freak is Fun, I think the underutilized dynamic is where Jason is the one weirdly obsessed with Tim and makes it Tim's problem.

Like, the moment Jason is confronted with the information that a third Robin exists, the first thing he does is cover his wall with pictures of Tim so he can just obsess and torture himself over it. That is the behavior of a man who is Unwell over Tim's existence and I love it.

red hood: lost days #4

And as much as a shitshow as The Titans Tower Incident™ is characterization-wise (though I think it has far more merit in depicting Jason's character than people give it credit for but I digress-) there's something very fun about the fact that even after kicking his ass, Jason respects Tim and is impressed by him.

teen titans (2003) #29

And on top of that, Jason can't seem to stop trying to ask Jason to Tim to work with him in some capacity.

robin (1993) #177

batman: battle for the cowl #2

While Battle for the Cowl is an exceptionally bad comic, especially for its characterization of Jason and the "be my Robin" bit is taken deeply out of context, I do think it's interesting how obsessed Jason is with believing that Tim is extremely competent, only held back by being "brainwashed by Bruce". (hence him leaving Tim for dead later on in the comic.) Jason seeing a darker side of Tim and wanting to bring that out of Tim, wanting to see what Tim could be if he let go of his loyalty to Bruce is so fun to me, tbh.

And in Robin #177, Jason seems genuinely upset Tim doesn't want to work with him. Jason sees such a raw potential in Tim and is obsessed with it, constantly wanting Tim to work for him and see Tim be the type of person Jason is. And despite Tim rejecting him, Jason doesn't shoot to kill Tim. I just cannot get over the fanfic potential of Jason obsessing over Tim, tracking him and seeing what he's capable of and what he could be capable of. Wanting to make Tim see things the way he does. To Tim it's corruption, to Jason it's freedom. Tim trying to 'save' Jason is fun and all, but Jason trying to corrupt Tim? That's even more fun to me. Watching that power struggle between them, Tim unable to get Jason off his heels as Jason gets more and more possessive and bold with each attempt.

And when Jason sees Tim successfully get Gotham back under control after a gang war, he's impressed. He praises Tim, even. And then Tim just. Breaks him out of prison.

robin (1993) #182

The way they're constantly trying to see something in the other that isn't there, hoping the other will come around? That is the most fucked up hate/love dynamic ever. Jason keeps coming back to Tim, keeps trying to find ways to get Tim onto his side. They're always chasing each other. And I think Jason would be the one to confess love first, the one to do anything to make Tim his. And when you consider after all of this, Tim has his Red Robin arc and is at his lowest, getting the closest he ever gets to considering murder? I think it'd be so fun to see Jason take advantage of that and worm his way back into Tim's life and finally push Tim over the edge.

[14dayswithyou]

💖 Day 3.5 is now available! 💖

For the last couple of months, only Server Boosters had access to the 3.5 update... Buuuuut now it's available for everyone to play in the 14DWY Discord — and soon itch.io once I'm happy with the QA and state of the game — so please don't feel pressured to join unless you want to!!

The full devlog + even more screenshots are under the cut ^^

What's been added to the 3.5 version?

📺 Streamer Mode!

I've been told that it's difficult to stream and monetise age-restricted videos on YouTube and Twitch, so I added an option to remove the sexual content and strong language used in the demo.

Now y'all can invite Ren into your bed for cuddles without putting your streamer career on the line /silly /lh

This won't affect the 18+ rating or dark themes/elements of the game, however! Although Streamer Mode will prevent you from seeing any "gruesome" CGs in the future, most of the core elements of the game will still be tied to the choices and decisions you make. So you won't miss out on the overall experience by using streamer mode!!

⚙️ Custom Pronouns!

It only took me one entire year to get around to it, but you can finally choose your own preferred pronouns (or use a set of pronouns instead)... At the cost of being able to change them mid-game ^^;

Since the original pronoun screen wouldn't update until a new scene was displayed, I temporarily disabled the feature. But once I find a workaround, I'll bring it back!

💗 Choose how others perceive you!

You can now choose how the cast and narration perceive you! Originally, the narration was kept strictly gender-neutral (outside of pronouns and genitalia picked by the player), but this will soon change in future updates.

For more clarity: you don't get to choose the words specifically, but you can choose between masculine, feminine, and androgynous terms!

📋 Separate top and bottom genitalia!

You can now choose your tatas and pps separately! >:3

Alongside that, you can also choose your preferred body type!

I removed the "both" genitalia option because a few players still assumed it was an obscure version of "intersex". That wasn't my intention and I don't want to mislead anyone, so I took it out for now ^^;

I also didn't want to include a screenshot of the new genitalia choices in action (because it's NSFW), so y'all get the same character menu screen for the nth time instead lmao

📱 Relationship Screen Overhaul!

You can now change your own status for more immersion, and long-term Server Boosters will eventually be able to submit and use their own icon within the game as well!

Stalking finding your friends has now become easier by using "Buddy Maps"; a new app that allows you to see the location of all the cast members!

I want to offer players more incentive to check the relationship screen since they tend to miss the status updates, so hopefully this might help ;v;

It also says it "updates every few hours" so folks don't go overboard and check every 5 seconds to see where Ren is gdsghf (also keep in mind that he's a hacker lol)

🖤 Additional Scenes Update!

Day 2 received a brand new CG!!!!! Originally, I planned on only adding a few CGs sporadically throughout the game, but it didn't feel right to leave Day 2 so... empty... so I added a brand new CG to (hopefully) make things feel more balanced and natural!

If you decline Teo's offer on Day 3, Leon will now call and try to convince you to reconsider. However, players are still allowed to decline, and if they do, they'll reach a dead end.

After listening to feedback on itch, I changed some of the dialogue during Days 1-3 to make it seem more consistent! They're only small changes though, so it's honestly not worth looking for sdgjssga

🎶 Updated BGM and SFX!

I wanted to try out a different style of music to see if it fits the vibe of 14DWY more! The BGM features more acoustics to suit the "beachy" theme of Corland Bay, though I made a conscious effort to include piano elements as well to stay true to the original!!

I figured it'd be better to give players a live example before I make a poll (to see if they prefer the change or not) and publish it to Itch.

Some new SFX have also been added, though it's very minimal and honestly not that noticeable.

How to download and play the update?

(warning: clicking on the following links will open Discord!!) To download the Day 3.5 update, simply join the 14DWY Discord server, verify your age, and visit the "14dwy-updates" channel!

Alternatively, you can also wait until the update is publicly released on Itch to play it as well!! (It normally gets released shortly after a round of QA testing/getting feedback from the server, though I may release it earlier if I feel like it hehe ^^)

Enjoy!!

[deoidesign]

when your main characters start dating after years of writing so they finally get to be like this

[ruporas]

studies from the finale

[nipuni]

Quick poll! Which of these David Tennant characters that I haven't drawn before should I doodle next

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

things we learn about scully in s1

she has a godson (and she told his mother that she thinks mulder is cute)

she did her residency in forensic medicine

she's good with dogs and is naturally drawn to all kinds of animals (even evil-looking monkeys)

she wants to keep her christmas tree up all year because her father always made her take it down as soon as the holiday was over

(and she was never positive that her father, who was in the navy and involved in the cuban blockade, was truly proud of her, because she joined the FBI instead of becoming a full-time doctor like he had wanted)

((and he didn't say "i love you" the last time he spoke to her. ouch))

when she was 14, she stole one of her mother's cigarettes, which she thought was disgusting, but she wanted to do something Forbidden for once

she once forgot her own birthday (which is february 23rd) when she was studying for her exams

she has a little cat sign on her apartment door <3

when challenged by the preacher's kid, she refused to deny the power of God; she was raised catholic, and remembers that "God never lets the devil steal the show"

(she's almost always wearing a cross necklace, even while declaring that she considers science sacred)

((and yes, her favorite movie is the exorcist))

she took some biology courses on bugs and is now going to tell you some bug facts

she has two brothers, one younger and one older

her dad- with whom she did not have the greatest of relationships- nicknamed her "starbuck"

(he called her this after the steady and rational first mate character from moby dick; all the more cruel when you consider he pushed her aside for joining the FBI rather than doing the "logical" thing, becoming a doctor. to cast her in a role of the dutiful daughter without her permission and then create a conditional sense of love is just. so mean. it's a miracle she didn't turn out as emotionally repressed as he did)

[blusherbaker]

TWST Kink Headcanons: Savanaclaw Edition

Minors/ageless blogs DNI; all characters are 18+ for these scenarios

Each character is given a short write-up of one of their main kinks, as well as a list of other kinks they may like (with a little more info added in some cases), and a list of things they would dislike.

Warnings: Smut, discussion/mention of multiple kinks of different varieties, including those related to D/s dynamics, marking, breeding, etc.

<——« Heartslabyul | Octavinelle »——>

Leona: Marking

This kink of Leona's interests him for a few reasons. First, he's a bit possessive, so leaving marks on you, and getting marks from you is almost a claim of sorts. Each mark is a clear reminder for you, him, and anybody else who sees it that you're his. He's the one who marked you up so pretty. And in return, any marks you leave on him show that he's yours, too. To Leona, the bites, scratches, hickeys, and everything else are a visual symbol of your relationship and of him on your body... and vice-versa.  And he really enjoys being left with marks on his skin, too; not only is it a claim, it's a sign that you're enjoying yourself when you're with him. If you leave him with scratches along the skin of his back or chest, or a bite on his shoulder? He'll be admiring your work with pride until the day it finally fades. (BTW, he will mention the marks to you as often as he can. Be prepared for him to make you blush, because he will be relentless about it.)

Other possible kinks: 

Domination

Cockwarming

Biting

Body worship (receiving)

Degradation (giving)

Corruption

Somnophilia / sleep sex (receiving)

Orgasm control

Dislikes: 

Pet play

Breeding (There's not a chance in hell he even wants to think about having a baby, even if his partner isn't even able to get pregnant.)

Brat play 

Ruggie: Belly kink

Ruggie likes bellies. He really likes them. And not just one specific kind, either! A tummy with an innie belly button, an outie belly button, stretch marks, rolls of fat, hair, toned muscles… he adores every possibility. A lean middle with a nipped-in, grabbable waist? He loves it. Ripped, muscular abs? He wants to run his hands over every inch. A skinny, flat tummy? He thinks it's adorable, and can't wait to kiss it. A strong, bulky waistline? He can't stop staring. A big, soft belly with rolls?  He's drooling.  No matter your body, Ruggie will practically worship your tummy. His caresses and kisses will be soft, but so very hungry as his hands and lips brush over the skin. He'll get so turned on, just from touching - or even merely seeing - your bare belly… it's actually adorable. Chances are, he'll end up looking up at you with a desperate, pleading expression and a little whimper after just a couple moments of feeling that smooth skin around your middle. It wouldn't take much at all for him to be practically begging you for more. 

Other possible kinks: 

Praise

Food play

Submission

Face sitting?

Domesticity

Exhibitionism

Dislikes: 

Pet play

Degradation

Domination (he’s pretty much only a sub in my mind. I can't see him wanting to be dominant at all) 

Jack: Scent kink

I don't think Jack would be the kinkiest of the bunch; in fact, he's probably pretty vanilla in most aspects. But something about his partner's scent would really appeal to him. Along with having a better sense of smell than many of the others, there's something so intimate about him being able to smell his partner - that's what would really appeal to him. Knowing that it's the scent of your perfume, your skin, your hair, your sweat, your sex... that's what excites Jack the most. And if your smell lingered on his clothes or sheets? He wouldn't be able to think of anything else. Hopefully it wasn't his jacket or shirt you borrowed, because you'll have him worked up all day if he can smell you on it.  However, he wouldn’t just find it arousing, he’d find it incredibly comforting as well. There are many times he’d hold you close, burying his nose into the crook of your neck, onto your scalp, or into your chest, just letting your scent envelop him and remind him you’re there. Yes, smelling your scent(s) may turn him on, but it also makes him feel safe, and connected to you in a way not even he can fully describe.

Other possible kinks: 

Breeding

Size kink

Praise

Dislikes: 

Pet play

Sadomasochism

Degradation

Similar to Deuce, he wouldn't like most things that could really harm you or himself. He's just a sweet guy ♥︎

And there are the Savanaclaw boys' kinks! I feel a little less confident about these ones than the Heartslabyul ones, mainly because I don't think about these guys quite as much ^^;

If you have any additional thoughts or opinions on these headcanons, I'd love to hear them!

You can read some extra ideas about these kinks here!

[maritessa]

HAPPY PRIDE EVERYBODY!!!

[starry-bi-sky]

ive been hesitating to ask this bc youve been on a roll with the clone^2au (which i am frothing over) but could i poke you for some childhood friend au? bc GOD i wanna see how danny reacts to reuniting w jason or how the rest of the batfam react to learning jason never told danny of his resurrection or wondering if dannys gonna put jokers dead body on a display/offering to jasons grave. i havent been normal about this since i first read it and was wondering. thank you for your writing.

RAAAAHHHH DON'T BE HESITANT I AM JUST AS FERAL OVER MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AU AS I AM WITH CLONE^2 I AM DELIGHTED BY THIS. Like.,,,, i literally love them,,, so much. I can't listen to The Crane Wives without thinking of them.

(which is my fault - the ao3 fic of them has literally only crane wives lyrics for each chapter title and summary (posted AND the ones not written) so of course im gonna associate with them.)

(if you wanna listen to some of their songs while thinking of cfau here are my recommendations: "Once & for All", "Here I Am", "Hollow Moon" is a Danny AND Jason song to me, this would be my go-to song for an animatic of CFAU if i had the skills for it. "Tongues and Teeth", "Curses" and "take me to war" is a heavy cfau danny song to me, and of course, "the moon will sing")

Like they're BEST friends dude, they're two sides of the same coin and when they were kids they would do this thing where their 'fingers crossed'/'double-crossed' was them hooking their index fingers in the fingers crossed gesture.

and i'm actually currently rewriting my original post into a more fic-like format, and when I'm done I'll post it on here under the cfau tag - with the original post still in tact. But its,,, gonna be so long dude,,,, the original behemoth was just over 9000 words,,, and I've written 3k words already of the new one and we haven't even reached Jason and Danny reuniting at the gala yet,,, i need to get back to that,,,

and then to answer your questions!! god im almost hesitant to answer because i dont wanna spoil the little fic i had planned for it but also like,, its not like im gonna spoil everything, right? and answering the questions isnt the same as writing the scene down so!!

i love danny and jason's reuniting, like i've thought about it SO much and I've thought about it happening after Danny kills the Joker. I know the reveal could have been before that, and it could have been equally just as dramatic but like??? Thematically, doing it after danny kills the joker is SO good. To me at least.

Because like?? Jason's been in somewhat denial about danny's plan to kill the joker for months. ever since danny told him that he wanted to at the gala. And from Jason's pov its not even technically a plan. He sees his best friend for the first time after five years and his best friend still isn't over his death. He hasn't stepped foot in Gotham since his funeral and now suddenly he's here.

And he's still so full of grief over his death that he tells a masked vigilante that he's going to kill the guy that did it, who lives in said masked vigilante's city. And danny's got that look in his eyes that Jason knows so well that means he's being serious. And yet he still doesn't know if he should believe him or not.

And then he does. Danny kills him. And Jason can't fucking believe it. And when he goes and sees Danny, Danny's hands are still covered in blood. And that reunion? God like a fucking firework show. Danny's so fucking angry, and pissed, and hurt, and so goddamn overjoyed that he's alive and here that he sends them both to the ground, and if he doesn't calm down he's gonna take out the power in a five block radius.

there's just so, so much yelling on Danny's end. And then so much crying, first from Danny and then them both. because god, you're alive. you're here. i've missed you so much. i'm never letting you out of my sights again.

and Joker's death! God I don't want to actually say too much about that, but the way I have it set up thematically makes me actually not want danny to take any part of the joker with him as an offering. and he may actually forego that particular ghost etiquette and offer something else as an offering to Jason in substitute to not bringing him the Joker's heart/head/ritualistic body part.

Because you know what the last thing a man whose been spending the last two decades of his life building himself up to be larger than life would want? A death that's unremarkable. :) and that's all i'll put on the matter for now.

and the batfam!! they technically already know that jason hasn't told danny he was resurrected, and plenty of them have mixed feelings on them. largely bruce and dick i think, considering they saw firsthand how close jason and danny were when they were kids.

Dick was honestly surprised at first when he found out that Jason hadn't told Danny he was alive - and on one hand he understands the reasoning for it, and on the other hand he isn't sure if it was such a good idea. Especially after he sees Danny again after he arrives back in Gotham and sees just how badly Jason's death was still affecting him. But it's not like he's going to try and convince Jason to tell him - he can make his own choices, even if Dick has questions about them.

Bruce has much the same thoughts as Dick, so there's not really much to add here other than he might bring it up once or twice to Jason like, vaguely. And then immediately drops it when Jason shuts him down. He might actually somewhat...?? prefer that Jason hasn't told Danny because that raises a lot of questions and could jeopardize their identities. However, again, Jason can make his own choices and there's not much Bruce can do about it other than disapprove from afar.

Tim who knew of Danny from stalking the Wayne family shares similars sentiments of being surprised that Jason didn't tell Danny, but again, yeah, understands the thought process to some extent. Doesn't bring it up ever.

Everyone else who hadn't seen firsthand how close Danny and Jason are don't really have much opinion on it -- Jason didn't tell his best friend he was alive, great, he also didn't tell them either so it's not like its that much of a surprise. It would've been more of a surprise to them if Jason had told Danny before he told Bruce and co. Damian may make a comment or two about Jason not telling Danny, but its not about how he can't believe he didn't tell him or anything like it.

[cinematicnomad]

ughhhh i'm about to head to the airport for the first of THREE flights to get back home. i was on a later flight originally but i switched to an earlier one bc i was worried my layover in beijing would be too tight but now i have an extra long layover bc there just weren't any better options. this means from the point i leave my hotel to when i, probably, arrive back at my apartment i will have been traveling...~36ish hours? kill me!!

[kyouka-supremacy]

I think we should just bring back Wungo Wednesday and start a fandom collective anime rewatch

[nu-carniviva]

I really wanted a more lighthearted return to this blog but... I really need to talk about this new event

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE CURRENT EVENT AND TRIGGER WARNING FOR AB//SE AND R//PE

LONG POST AHEAD

Wow. I just. Wow. They really went all out with serious subject matter for this event. Um, I guess I'll talk about this is order of the characters' memories that were presented

Edit: made some minor mistakes but I'll fix that later

Blade: Blade was a lot from the get-go. I never really enjoy seeing him as his assassin bot self but this was a whole new level of depressing. Blade's memories make it clear that Saia is not a pleasant place. The technology is advanced, but the people are primitive. I believe Blade's story so far isn't exactly about when he was made, but when he became alive.

Blade was designed to behave more human-like in order to infiltrate Klein and assassinate Huey so the continent would crumble. While he was originally just supposed to pass as human enough to mask himself as a trustworthy being, the scientists failed to remember just how complicated human emotions are, and that Blade would be in a continent surrounded by humans away from other automatons/e-droids.

To be a human is to be complex. We are not simple minded creatures with strictly black-and-white thinking. Blade has learned this right away now that observing and mimicking humans is in his programming. His biggest sign of showing his evolution into becoming more human is when he saves the other automaton from dying out on the battlefield. He's seen other humans care for each other and nurse each other back to health when wounded, so he assumed the same would happen for his own kind. Yet, when he brought the automaton to the scientists, they killed him right in front of Blade with no hesitation or remorse. Blade seems to get a moment of realization in that moment. The realization that his kind were made solely to serve and please humans. They truly do not care for him or the other automatons. The humans, or the Saians in particular, see them as disposable things rather than sentient beings.

While in Klein, it's noted that Huey played a massive role in changing Blade to who he is now, but I'm sure he was already starting to rebel against his programming because he had more opportunity to experience a kind version of humanity. The humans in Klein, overall, treat each other kindly and respectfully. Blade has never seen such treatment before, and since that behavior is a part of human nature, he has to observe and mimic it as part of his programming.

Rei: Rei... Experienced a lot. From the very start, Rei shows that he has no issue seducing men to gather information from them. His life is dedicated to research, and he's willing to do anything to gather as much information as he can.

Yet, he clearly wasn't the same type of dedicated researcher he is now. That is shown by the end when he enters his home. His home is a mess, and Rei is surprised to see it in that state, meaning he wasn't always messy. He used to be organized and lived in more of a home than a laboratory that he happens to sleep in. Research was his motivation in life, but it wasn't his life.

While nothing is explicitly stated, it's very very clear that Rei was raped by the man he was talking to at the bar and broke into his house. As he lies there, powerless and corrupted, he snaps. In order to cope, his mind blanks about the events that just happened, and he forces himself to think about his research, hence why he mentions that Saians really do have essence.

Since then, Rei has spiraled into his research. His research became his life. It became his only reason to live. His only reason to keep going. He views life as an experiment to research on. He views his body as destroyed, and now its only purpose is to be a test subject in his research. His house is a mess now too. Papers and products for experiments are scattered throughout the place, and he's protective over each of them. In Rei's mind, his research is all he has control over. It's the only part of him he can protect and see value in. He has no self worth anymore, and I hope we can see that self worth come back as the game progresses.

Kuya: First of all, it's insane how Rei's part ended by dropping a bombshell and then Kuya's immediately opens with dropping a bombshell. This is the absolute closest we have ever seen to Huey's identity. He's masked so we can't see his face, but it appears that his body is very similar to Eiden's. So that alone makes sense why the remaining OG clan members have said he looks like Huey as well as having the same essence.

It's clear from the start that Kuya was Huey's right hand man. He seems to have gone on the most adventures with Huey, and it's most likely from the power that he holds. Under Huey's influence, Kuya was a lot more cynical and apathetic, so it's likely that he viewed Kuya as someone to help him get his way. Kuya also shows to have had a deep loyalty to Huey — a type of loyalty he hasn't shown anyone else. Whatever Huey wanted, Kuya made sure it happened.

The scene at the bar was insane too, and it further proves my claims of Kuya being more apathetic and cruel when Huey was around. While life has always seemed to be a game to him, he played the game with little regard to other lives. The men in the bar were ogling him, and while that certainly is gross and Kuya had every right to be disgusted, he punished them in such an extreme way that we haven't seen him do before. The current Kuya prefers to torment others with mind games and illusions, while this past Kuya preferred to be more physical and violent.

It's also important to note how much Kuya has mellowed out since meeting Eiden. Don't get me wrong, Kuya is still a total sadist, but he has shown to be mindful of the lives of others. He doesn't kill or maim on a whim. Instead, like stated earlier, he's developed a preference for mind games and teasing. His mind games now serve as lessons to those around him too. He pushes others to their limits, but he does it so they can come back stronger. Ever since meeting Eiden, he's found a family. He's found people worth keeping around. It's similar to Blade, in a sense. After being around people who treat him with kindness and respect, he started to change.

This event has been a roller coaster so far and it literally just started. The devs seem to be handling these heavy topics with care as of now and I hope it remains that way.

I think overall the theme of this event is a commentary on humanity, especially in our current day. Saia is technologically advanced, yet the people are heartless and have lost compassion for one another. They're so focused on advancing their technology and destroying people or places lesser than them that they've forgotten their part of human nature to love. If you were to look at any news source right now, you would see very similar themes. Technology is constantly advancing and pushing forward, yet people are going backwards and losing their kindness.

Then again, I suppose humans have always been cruel. History is stained with the blood of others both human and animal. Humans have shown time and time again that they can be just as heartless and violent as more simple minded animals, so it's possible this event is a commentary on humanity as a whole rather than just current humanity.

It's crazy, really, how this game started as something lighthearted and fun and is now full of angst and disturbing topics. That being said, there's still plenty of wholesome and sweet moments. I suppose that's just like real life, huh?

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ON THE TOPIC OF BARNABY. as well as his relationship with Wally.

So. To kick this off - Riv (@funonion) and I were Speculating, and they introduced me to the johari window:

They put Barnaby in the “facade” section, and I entirely agree. To quote them;

“So he’s Wally’s guide, right? He’s the “knowledgeable” one of the two and is always the one teaching him new things. And you know, it’s one thing if you’re just teaching him how to laugh or how to tell a joke. But.

Clown has given us two doors. One says that Barnaby understands Wally in a way the rest of the neighborhood doesn’t, and is willing to do his dirty work so to speak. The other says that their friendship was not a natural occurring thing and had to be enforced repeatedly within the show. HOW THAT’S BEING ENFORCED IS ANOTHER THING ENTIRELY but it is worth it to note.

What is Barnaby willing to keep? What is he willing to bury for his little buddy? I can’t say anything definitively yet, but the fact that I even have to ask is telling. The class clown archetype is usually used as a way to cover up for something else a character might be experiencing”

And my response, (I won’t directly quote because I have little things in the phrasing & elaboration to add / tweak );

Barnaby being a Comic Relief Character immediately raised so many alarms in my head. I love comic relief characters. They’re always so fucked up in one way or another, and Barnaby is almost certainly SO inauthentic. He’s wearing a comedy mask just as opaque as Wally’s own mask. In everything we’ve seen about him so far he’s either Teaching Wally, wisecracking/joking, or… pretty much nothing else. We got that moment of concern in audio 14-14, but that doesn’t reveal anything beyond genuine care for Wally.

Comedic characters have the best disguises. Their poker faces & ability to deflect is always top tier [and practiced], and just look at comedy-focused actors and entertainers - so many of them have severe issues, either with their mental health or life. From what i’ve observed both in that aspect & with fictional characters, they play it off & work hard to entertain/deflect [one in the same] right up until the end. Sometimes it’s a coping mechanism. Usually it’s both. If they laugh loud enough and make people think they’re lighthearted fools w/ nothing underneath, no one will look any deeper and thus they’re “safe”. 

& I’m a little suspicious that Barnaby’s red/orange/yellow spots aren’t naturally those colors. While yes, he could be (in-universe) designed that way to echo Ms. Beagle, there’s a strong possibility that that’s not it. What if he paints them to feel a connection to her, or it’s a physical manifestation of Barnaby covering up his insecurities/issues - what if it’s part of him striving to convince the world that he is what he paints himself as. 

The laidback funnyguy with a loving mom and not a problem in the world. 

And I mean, Barnaby claims to be a natural blue and I believe him! But the other colors? I’m doubtful

(I was going to include the Cast As Lil Kids Designs in this since Barnaby has all blue spots, but given how early in 2021 it was posted and how there seem to be little discrepancies from the ~official~ designs, I don’t want to provide it as evidence.)

& on the topic of Wally and Barnaby’s relationship being both real and not - disclaimer, this conversation happened before my Updated Thoughts On Them post, so there may be some minor rephrasing here from what I originally said - I’m sure that the relationship started out as inauthentic. Wally was assigned Barnaby as a best friend and technically vice versa, but I don’t doubt for a second that it became real to some extent. Clown wouldn’t treat their relationship outside of “canon” WH stuff the way that he does if they weren’t actually friends. They’ve said that Wally & Barnaby would be friends in every universe (which melts my heart <3 platonic soulmates my beloved <3), so then I have to agree with Riv. what WILL Barnaby do for Wally? I touched on this in the Milk Theory, but especially if Barnaby prides himself on “knowing Wally better than anything else”, what would Barn do to preserve that?

This relates to another conversation we had - Barnaby possibly having abandonment issues. It’s such a choice to have him of all characters be explicitly stated as an orphan. That and while every other Neighbor with a mentioned family have a somewhat large one (Howdy and his gajillion relatives, Julie and her three siblings, Poppy and her crowded tree [note: Eddie has a mentioned mother, but that info is tenuous and who knows if there are other Dears]), Barnaby has also explicitly stated that Ms. Beagle is his only family. That’s it. And farm life can’t be a sociable way to grow up, not with all the chores he must have had and how rural he might have grown up. Barnaby jokes that Home is the “Big Apple”, which could just be a joke - but jokes often come from a place of truth, and Home might be the most populated area Barnaby has lived in. Who’s to say!

Either way, Barnaby was orphaned one way or another, and I don’t doubt that it weighs on him. Especially if  his birth parents really did abandon him. That added to a possible life of loneliness… I wonder if he’s latched onto Wally emotionally, which would hit all the painful places if it turns out that my “Barnaby is more attached to Wally than Wally is to Barnaby” theory has merit. Abandonment issues could also strongly back the apparent walls he’s plastered over with circus tent fabric

Back to Barnaby & Wally: the fact that, at present, Barnaby and Wally seem to have the best disguises / strongest masks. That. looking at 14-14, i suspect that Barnaby is excellent at keeping his up, but as soon as Wally’s mask cracks, so does Barnaby’s. 

And then there’s the side of their dynamic that we could look at - it seems to be a very multifaceted relationship. The way that Barnaby genuinely cares yet in the 00 Halloween audio Wally was left off to the side and Barnaby was just “checking on him” while socializing (then again, this could be part of Barnaby understanding Wally & respecting his space / Wally wanting a break from that socialization). Barnaby is patient with Wally and yet he seems to sometimes treat Wally as his sidekick / let him fade into the background and yet Barnaby kept checking in on Wally during the 14 bug audios (this last one I could tie into the abandonment issues theory). 

Then there’s how Barnaby calls Wally kid & can tend to treat him like one despite both of them being in the same age group. The way that all of this could, in a way, relate to the infantilization of autistic people (no matter how well-meaning or unintentional) & internalized ableism. 

Note: Riv pointed out that Barnaby does seem to be doing the best with what he has, and that this can connect to the Johari Window’s blind spot / unknown. 

I do agree with this wholeheartedly! And I have to mention that - and making a Very educated guess here - the interactions we’ve seen take place in the very late 60s / very early 70s, so Barnaby’s behavior towards Wally is actually pretty fucking stellar given the time period. We can’t expect him to be perfect or do everything / say everything right. That would be boring I think! And one thing I deeply appreciate about the Neighbors & their dynamics is that they feel like real layered people, not cardboard cutouts being perfect caricatures of what people are “supposed” to be like.

Riv also presented this:

We likely are going to reach a point where Wally asks Barnaby something that he can’t / doesn’t want to / won’t answer. And like.. Ok. This is a slight tangent but I swear it’s related! When I first discovered WH and learned the Wally basics, I wondered two things.

Are we going to watch Wally “discover” new emotions? Because he certainly has them. Clown has said that Wally only ever feels happy, and a lot of people took that to mean that Wally can’t feel anything else. I don’t think we should take that answer at face value, because. I mean. Look at the project & creator we’re talking about. Layers, guys. Indirect direct answers. I think that Clown meant that Wally only ever feels happy in the Neighborhood because he has no reason to feel any negative emotion. Everything is as it should be. Until it isn’t - and I think that’s where he’s going to have to struggle with new emotions as he encounters them through new situations/events unfolding as the “story” starts to deteriorate. We’ve actually seen this a little bit - in Wally’s record audios (i believe the chronological second to last?), the way he says “Let Me In” so insistently. That’s definitely not a positive emotion being expressed. 

How will the topic of death be handled - because it will be handled, it’s stated in the project warnings. I was wondering this even before I read the list, because I was presented with a blank slate puppet character and so went “oh fuck, this dude doesn’t know about death, does he?” Obviously I wanted to know how that would go. I want to know how it Will go! 

How would Barnaby explain emotions that Wally doesn’t know how to convey? How would Barnaby explain death in a way that Wally would understand - given that Barnaby (& all the Neighbors sans Wally) knows what death is  - and would Barnaby be willing to explain such a thing? I have a feeling we may find out.

And in a way, I suspect that if none of them know, Wally will find out himself and have to process it without help. But then again, how can something die if it was never really alive in the first place? Unless the death warning relates to human characters… I’m currently assuming it relates to both humans and puppets. 

In conclusion: Barnaby has a carefully fabricated facade, he's doing the best with what he has but it likely won't be enough, and uh. shits fucked!

[defeateddetectives]

what if i was glad you were obscured from my view because even if i cant bridge the distance between us the thought that i might understand you better than i'd expected to hurts far too much to think about

vs.

what if i tried in a small secret moment while you were sleeping and couldnt see me to see the world through your eyes in hopes it could help me understand you and maybe even bridge the distance between us

[ruporas]

revisiting a memory