#tbh i wanted to analyze this (I didn't have time the other day) but you gave me a fun opportunity to do it this time so thanks XD

[emryx]

When two NPCs with maybe 5 total minutes of screentime have you so obsessed you give them a child 🏃🏻

BEHOLD—my Teiago fankid, Elias de Riva (plus an info dump about him and his parents below because I’m very normal abt them but you can skip that and jus look at all the art if you want 🫣)

Realistically, it’s really hard to imagine a scenario where these two have a kid. But that’s what fanart and hcs are for 🙌 As of right now, I hc that around the time of the dialog from one of the crows abt Teia and Viago being "on again" is when he's conceived. But they don't really find out until after the ending of Veilguard. Any symptoms Teia might experience beforehand are just written off as stress or straight up ignored because of how much they have on their respective plates with the Antaam and the gods. Viago even calls her out for never going home and insists she takes a contract to “kill a vacation.” So I don't think it'd be too far fetched for her to look the other way until things are settled in Treviso again because of timeline stuff.

No clue how they react after the initial news rn but that can come later. They start being a little less childish with their back and forth break-ups at least once the seriousness of it all sinks in lol

Viago did not like the idea at first, I know that much. Mans was STRUGGLING with Elias in the early stages. Babies are loud, unpredictable, often inconsolable little heathens that he can't analyze or have a consistent system for. It would drive him nuts. A tiny human who can't yet care for itself and constantly needs to be held and directed, paired with his touch-aversion, OCD, and need for set routines? Yeahhh…Teia understands, but on one hand that woman just went through 9 months of her own hell and she's shoving that boy into his arms sometimes regardless of his bad days LMAO

It helps, in the end. Pushes him to gradually get used to it over time. Viago starts to realize there is somewhat of a system to the whole dad thing and fatherhood grows on him because I said so.

He holds a lot of resentment and hatred towards his own father. As a bastard of the king and one of his drunk mistresses, I doubt Viago’s upbringing was too great. The whole “demon teeth” comment was enough to hint as such. He wouldn't be thrilled about taking care of a baby, but the thought of entrusting his son to nannies? Strangers?? No. That's something his dad would and did do and he’s better than him. This is his kid; He doesn't care if it's gross, he'd rather feel uncomfortable sometimes for the sake of Elias’s comfort than stoop as low as the king.

On top of spite, the paranoia with poison extends to Elias in a way; one of my favorite hcs I’ve seen is Viago being exposed to assassination attempts on the king or his mistresses/servants while he was growing up before joining the crows, whether it’s via stories or witnessing first hand. The thought of entrusting Elias’s life to anyone else gives him flashbacks to being a child himself, scared to eat or drink anything prepared by anyone because of how many times others were killed that way around him. Even doing extensive checks and handpicking a trustworthy nanny is not reliable and doesn’t guarantee safety. We love a paranoid dad.

Teia on the other hand? | think she'd like a family tbh. Maybe she didn’t react well to first finding out she was pregnant, but otherwise the idea grows on her quickly compared to Viago. As an orphan, she didn't get much of a family—the crows became her family, Caterina as her "nonna" and some of the older Talons as her weird uncles. Being able to experience what she never had with a child she can ensure has a good life feels fitting for her character. Heals a bit of her own inner child too, yk? 🫠 She’s such a caring woman despite her occupation and she’d make a good mother. Scary, but good LMSKSKX

Life as a crow is harsh. Being the child of not one but two Talons?? On one hand that kid is very protected but on the other he has a huge target on his back. If Viago was worried about people thinking House de Riva and House Cantori had an alliance, I can only imagine what a wholeass child would stir up. They both would prepare him well for the future in their own ways. It’s not canon to him, but the thought of Elias being ridiculously resistant to poisons because Viago started building his immunity up so young is funny to me 😭

Anyways ramble over. Some creative liberties were taken, such as his eyes being more golden like how Teia’s are described in Tevinter Nights. I may give Elias his curls back because he looks goofy next to Teia and Viago with his emo hair JAKAMC

I love their little family…

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

responding to that last ask, i do notice that folks who take P5, and really all the games, a lot less seriously tend to not be bothered by the slapstick humor, even with the emphasis on topics such as physical abuse and societal corruption, so that could be a part of it, especially after seeing the same anime tropes coming up so often and seeing them played more or less the same (that's not meant to be a jab that's just kinda what persona games are) just something i notice since it's typically the most hardcore fans that get the most upset i realize

In all honesty, yeah I've noticed people that take a super casual approach don't really notice issues like more hardcore fans do.

P3/4 have the chibi models to disconnect from reality (as well as more obvious chatter effects and such...imo than P5), and P1/2 sprites even more so. P5 isn't exactly super realistic, but more so than prev games, plus it has the balls to actually criticize the physical/sexual/mental abuse of society.....only to use it as comedy later.

Yeah Persona is pretty anime, and that's fine (I mean I grew up on the Three Stooges so like.....I can go as far as live action slap stick too). It all comes down to framing for me.

Does it do a good job indicating it's slapstick (easier the more cartoonish you get, which is easy for cartoons and anime) ex:

2. (not really a deal breaker in a COMEDY, but if comedy's not the main genre it can be) Is it even? Like does one char always slap stick another, or does the recipient get to slap stick back? Or is it a free for all? (ex: like Angel Beats, Asobi Asobase, and MPGIS is a free for all, Yui/Hinata, Ichigo/Rukia and Ichiko/Momiji like to slap stick each other and are even, but I don't like Sakura punching Naruto bc sometimes he doesn't even deserve it and she's not exactly a great char herself TT0TT it gets tiring having it be so one sided...most of these barring Bleach and Naruto are comedies or a dramady like Angel Bleach are so.....yeah TT0TT Kinda skewed but still)

3. (this is def a big problem I have with P5, but I'm sure it's not the only one with this issue) Cake and eating it problem/tonal dissonance: They medium has a message that would....make slap stick unfortunate. Like it's a really hard line and you'll have to really land the dark comedy. Angel Beats can thread this very well.....P5 doesn't. Tbf AB is part comedy, it can be a dark comedy (I mean it's gonna have to be when it's a coming of age story about dead children). P5.....doesn't spend a lot of time on humor (which isn't bad in theory), but when it DOES it's........unfortunate. It just doesn't mesh well.

Maybe if it leaned MORE into the anime it would've lessened the blow. Wait no scratch that, I know what happens when you do that. You get P4 anime. orz

"Oh Silly, you're the only one that doesn't like it! It's beloved!" Hahahahahahaahaaaaaa oh. OH I know. But there's one scene that I KNOW people hated, cause they hated it when it airs, and NO ONE talks about it. It's the Kanji dungeon segment/episode. When you try to go full anime slap stick you get tonal whiplash instead (which is P4 anime's problem, esp with the new original humor and putting in humor where it was a more serious moment). So I'm afraid that also would happen to P5 if they went that route.....orz

But analyzing my own feelings and where my brain draws the line aside.

Yeah it's probs that the devs are just throwing anime tropes in there bc......those tropes are funny right? Haha? Not realizing the narrative disconnect it makes when it does happen. TT0TT

[scoobydoodean]

ok so forewarning, i don’t really have a question here, just lots of thoughts.

there’s so many layers to the general *badness* about the mia vallens therapy scene. like to the manipulation (for lack of a better word) that sam rewrites. like it makes such a difference that she thinks jack is their little brother instead of the son of the thing that killed dean’s best friend/loml. not to mention the fact that it’s been what like a week since *everything*

and like yes dean’s being cold towards jack and giving him orders (which, i could argue they weren’t uncalled-for), but tbh he’s only being moderately colder/more direct with him than he’s been with cas at times on hunts (thinking hunteri heroici) and even similar to how *sam* has been with like claire and even dean himself (thinking that episode dean turned into a teenager and all of MOC). like genuinely, how was sam expecting him to act like?

also (half joking) i genuinely think dean would’ve warmed up to jack even quicker than he did (we can already see it in this same episode, like that look he gives jack when he asks mia if buddy hurt her too) if he heard jack say he hates anakin skywalker lol

ok wait i do have a question. do you think jack actually was “terrified” of dean during that therapy scene?

(post linking to some context)

Okay so I rewatched 13.01-13.04 on a plane this past week so it's all extra fresh on my mind rn. The thing about 13.04 is that Dean wasn't comfortable bringing Jack on the hunt, and Jack didn't want to go, but Sam pushed insistently for all of them to go on the hunt together... primarily because Dean's feelings were thwarting Sam's plans for Jack and his own emotional coping mechanisms in a larger sense.

I think Dean's feelings compared to Sam's here are relatively more simple (and yet somehow still intensely misunderstood to a baffling degree). Dean was grieving. He was grieving Cas who died right in front of him, he was grieving Crowley (he pleads with Chuck to bring "even Crowley" back in 13.01!) and he was grieving Mary.

The thing with Dean's grief over Cas is this: instead of viewing it from Dean's perspective, we tend to analyze it as omniscient viewers who know Cas will come back, refusing see how miraculous Cas’s return truly was. We refuse to see Cas's death was different this time and appeared very permanent. There was no uncertainty like there was in season 7 or 8. His wings burned into the ground and his grace extinguished. Dean pleaded and prayed for Cas and Mary and Crowley's return to the only person who ever brought Cas back from certain death (via explosion in 5.01 and 5.22)—the person who told Dean in 11.23 he was leaving and Dean was on his own. Dean didn't hear back. The ONLY reason Cas comes back in 13.05 is that 1) Jack woke him him up unwittingly using powers no one knew he possessed and 2) Cas then annoyed a creature they didn't even know existed into letting him out of a place they 3) didn't even know existed and 4) Cas somehow came back with a body even though he had been burned to ash. All of this is completely miraculous. It was unforeseeable. It doesn’t even make complete sense as a viewer. In other words, Dean has ZERO reason to hope for Cas's return. There was ZERO reason to refuse to acknowledge that grief… but that's exactly what Sam does. He suggests Dean pray for Chuck to bring Cas back in 13.01. As soon as Sam knew Dean already tried that and Cas was DEAD dead, he treated Cas as something Dean needed to reframe and get over:

SAM: You thinking mom is gone and Cas is gone, and that Jack can’t be saved. Dean, after everything we’ve gone through… We just lost people we love, people who have been in our lives for a long time. Everything’s upside-down. I get it. But we’ve been down before. I mean, rock bottom. And we find a way. We fix it because that’s what we do.

This is the "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps" speech in 13.02—like a day after they burned Cas's body. Sam's wording here is cruel too—saying Dean is "thinking" Cas is gone as if he didn't die right in front of him? He refuses to acknowledge Cas's death as something Dean was actively and rightfully mourning. This becomes a major point of contention between the brothers at the end of 13.03.

DEAN: Look, I know you think that you can use [Jack] as some sort of an interdimensional can-opener and that’s fine, but don’t act like you care about him! Because you only care about what he can do for you! So if you want to pretend, that’s fine! But me? I can hardly look at the kid! Because when I do all I see is everybody we’ve lost! SAM: Mom chose to take that shot at Lucifer. That is not on Jack!

Sam will only name Mary—the one person whose death they can’t 100% confirm (the same thing happens in front of Mia in 13.04). The absence of Cas’s name here is pointed. So Dean says:

DEAN: And what about Cas?

And how does Sam respond?

SAM: What about Cas?

Uh... wow. That's what really sets Dean off to full on shouting:

DEAN: [Jack] manipulated him, he made him promises, said, ‘paradise on earth’ and Cas bought it and you know what that got him? It got him dead! Now you might be able to forget about that, but I can’t!

Sam's denial of what Dean literally SAW (Cas died) and how that hurts—his insistence that Dean also halt grieving to hope for the impossible—it's a major sticking point and very revealing of Sam's own coping mechanisms. Sam's chief response to grief is to disassociate himself from it. We see a textbook case in season 8 (see: 8.08), but in most of the series, what this actually looks like for Sam is to keep moving and hunting (ex: 1.02, 2.02, 2.10, 2.11, 2.18 3.11, 4.09, 9.01) which is also why he insists on bringing Dean and Jack on the hunt in 13.04. Sam tries not to think about what they've lost and focuses on what he CAN do. He focuses on hoping Mary can be saved because she's the one person he didn't SEE die.

The thing about Dean’s grief over Mary is this: he convinces himself Lucifer had to have killed her. She's the one person whose death Dean can't be certain of, but he absolutely cannot bear the thought of hoping she’s alive and it turning out he’s wrong. He knows he wouldn’t psychologically survive hoping in that and his beliefs being crushed. It would be like losing his mom all over again (a THIRD time). So he sticks to what is most likely: Lucifer killed her. He can't contend with the hope Sam is clinging to desperately, and that's what makes them such poor companions in grief. Sam feels off balance when Dean won't keep moving and hoping like him—when Dean can't keep up the pace Sam wants to run at in his own grief—and in doing so, Sam keeps pushing Dean to contend with hopes that open Dean up to a WORLD of pain Sam can psychologically convince himself not to feel. Grieving together just really just doesn't work for them because they're never on the same page and deal in such different ways—and this has been hurting them from as early as 2.02!!!

Now to bring Jack into this more fully: Jack represents Sam and Dean's different perspectives on grief and on Mary. Just like Dean despairs over Mary's demise, Dean despairs over the possibility of Jack being good. He can't bear the idea of hoping in that and being wrong. The psychologically safest option for him is to assume the worst and not hope or believe in anything turning out okay.

Sam, on the other hand, pretty much immediately sees a way to use Jack to get Mary back. This is clear when he and Jack get locked up together in the jail cell in 13.01. After establishing that Jack isn't hearing things and (probably) isn't going to murder him imminently, Sam immediately starts down a line of questioning establishing how well Jack understands his powers, and then asks him outright:

SAM: Jack, look, um... before you were born, you -- you opened up a door to another world. Do you remember that? JACK: Yes. SAM: Okay, um, could you do that again?

Shortly after, when Sam arrives, he tells Dean (who is convinced after everything that happened in 12.23 that 12.19 that Jack is evil or will turn evil):

We need him.

Sam repeats this sentiment multiple times with clear meaning, and later in 13.04, he admits to Jack that he wants to use him to open the portal. This doesn't mean he doesn't also grow to see himself in Jack quickly and genuinely believe in his capacity for good, but he isn't fully honest with Jack about his motives until 13.04 where he finally comes clean, and this poisons the well with Jack a little.

@shallowseeker has pointed out before that in 13.03, while trying to figure out how to get Jack's powers to work (and spying on Jack through cameras from another room) Sam is seen reading "The Drama Of The Gifted Child". I wish I could find the post because Shal probably brought it up too, but when I was rewatching this episode, I noticed the chapter Sam had just settled into read before being interrupted was titled,

"Depression and Grandiosity: Two Related Forms of Denial"

Given the accusations flying from Sam toward Dean then from Dean toward Sam about denial in the following episode (13.04), this feels amusingly pointed. Dean is depressed (and about to attempt suicide in 13.05), Sam is depressed and has "grandiose" ideas of using Jack to pop open a portal to another reality while hiding behind the guise of being the most rational person in the room when he... isn't necessarily? And it's easy to argue "Well, Sam turns out to be right even if he didn't ultimately have much of a reason to think he was" but the core problem here is how his beliefs effect how he treats other people's grief. He isn't honest with Jack about his motives (while Dean is somewhat brutally honest) and pushes and watches even while claiming he's giving Jack space (13.03), he refuses to give Dean space to grieve even the family member they know is dead, he inserts a therapist into the situation and criticizes Dean's grief when Dean won't play his game, and in 13.05, after Dean says that he can't believe in anything right now, Sam's clumsy attempts at help involve plying Dean with alcohol he says he doesn't even want and trying to send him off to strip clubs—believing that Dean performing being okay will somehow address his mental state because Sam's idea of coping himself is simply "going through the motions".

As for Jack, I don't think he's scared of Dean. I think he's scared of what Dean believes. He's scared that Dean is right. From 13.01-13.06, Jack is contending with the question of whether he's destined for evil or good, and in his depressed state, Dean believes Jack is destined for evil because hoping in anything is completely beyond him at that moment. Sam tells Jack that he can be good, but he hides ulterior motives as to why he's being nice, and when those ulterior motives are revealed, it leaves Jack thinking Sam is the kind of person who will lie to Jack and tell him he's good just to get what he wants. Meanwhile, Jack knows Dean is being completely honest with him about what he believes. 13.03 and 13.04 clearly demonstrate that Jack understands the difference between beliefs and facts: Dean could be right or he could be wrong. What Jack holds onto like an anchor is that he can trust Dean to tell him the truth about what he believes—even if it hurts.

It's also just so obvious that Jack immediately wants Dean—specifically—to like him (see: Jack mimicking Dean's mannerisms while eating in 13.02, and his clumsy attempts to earn his favor in 13.04). Sam also picks up on this, and encourages Jack to seek Dean's approval in 13.04 to try and change Dean's beliefs. Sam (and to some extent Jack) are thinking in 13.04, that if Jack can prove to Dean that he can be good, and if Dean tells him he did a good job (which Dean does in the end), Jack can believe that. Sam sees that Jack wants Dean's approval and the impression that Dean's beliefs have had on Jack and thinks by pushing them together as soon as possible (when neither of them want to go on the hunt) and treating them as a family and forcing Dean to accept Jack when Dean just isn't ready (including by paralleling Jack with himself in a way that becomes an accusation), he can "fix" Jack so he isn't scared of his powers anymore (13.03) and then he can teach Jack to use his powers and Jack can open a portal to save their mom.

Jack's attempts to earn Dean's favor in 13.04 are clumsy. His first attempt is directly ignoring Dean telling him to wait in the car and sneaking into the crime scene, potentially contaminating it. At Mia's office, Jack's outburst about losing a mother is what allows Sam to set up the whole family therapy trap to begin with, and because Dean knows Sam is going to use that to hurt him, he warns Jack not to make outbursts like that. Dean is not being nice. Point blank. And I do think his tone is a little different than with Cas which in the past felt more like exasperation. I also don’t think it makes him the devil. I think that's understandable when putting in even a tiny amount of effort and it's kind of laughable to me how few people seem to even try because they're so caught up in Sam's happy family narrative and the idea that someone wanting Dean's approval presents an obligation that Dean give it no matter how emotionally impossible—and in a situation where asking him to lie would actually destroy that much more of Jack's trust.

[dootznbootz]

As someone who is also really uncomfortable with the Zeus/Odysseus art trend, I completely understand where your coming from!

People’s treatment of Odysseus’s assaults in general makes me really upset. Just the other day I saw a comment on a post saying that “Odysseus wasn’t loyal to his wife yet expects her to be loyal to him” and not once in the replies did I see someone mention that he was literally assaulted. It’s absolutely gross and makes me hesitant to go deeper into the fandom.

I remember being so frustrated when the snippets of “There are Other Ways” came out because so many people were making Hamilton jokes and talking about how he always talks about his wife yet cheated. When in the song it was so clear he was being coerced which is yknow, not a form of consent. I couldn’t even listen to it because it made me so uncomfortable, and even now with the full version out the fandoms reaction to it overall have soured me to it. Which sucks, because I do think it’s a great song.

Also I don’t even think Epic completely erases Calypso’s assault? At least, I think it’s left ambiguous enough during the time jump that people can come to their own conclusions. Specifically when Calypso says “Soon into bed we’ll climb and spend our time” just really gives me the impression that something else happened.

I suppose in the snippets we’ve seen of “I’m Not Sorry For Loving You” it seems like Odysseus and Calypso are on slightly friendlier terms, but I don’t think that negates the fact she could’ve assaulted him. And I’ve always took that song as pretty manipulative on Calypso’s side, with Odysseus more so trying to placate her. But that’s going into theory territory.

And even if he isn’t SA’d in Epic it’s pretty clear he doesn’t want to be there!! Same with Homer’s Odyssey. It’s so infuriating to see the cheating narrative be so widely spread when that is just not what happened.

Anyway’s sorry for the long rant, but I wanted to say that it’s nice to see you take Odysseus’s SA seriously. It’s not something the fandom does enough.

It's okay for the long rant. Sorry I took a bit to get to it but I wanted some "soft chatters" for a bit before I tackled this one :)

"Just the other day I saw a comment on a post saying that “Odysseus wasn’t loyal to his wife yet expects her to be loyal to him” and not once in the replies did I see someone mention that he was literally assaulted. It’s absolutely gross and makes me hesitant to go deeper into the fandom."

I completely understand you with this stuff. ;~; I used to go through Odyssey tags often as I LOVE possibly finding new people to follow and fun things but too many times I would see shit that pissed me off. ;~; I've honestly kind of just stuck to my mutuals that I trust tbh. And honestly, there's soooo much shit of people just straight up not understanding the context/culture/meaning/etc. of the Epics and just taking it at face value and not understanding the meanings. :/ I'm no expert, but I also have analyzed and researched quite a bit on my own to try and get the full picture. I think in order to truly enjoy the Odyssey, you need to just... really soak shit in, you know?

When Calypso, that lovely goddess,  tried                           to keep me with her in her hollow cave, longing for me to become her husband,                                  or when, in the same way, the cunning witch Aeaean Circe held me in her home filled with a keen desire I’d marry her, they never won the heart here in my chest.

(Book 9, Johnston)

Odysseus tells this to the Phaecians. They are strangers that he will likely never see again and who are isolationists. Therefore his story that he told probably won't be "spread" to others so he can probably say whatever. So he doesn't have to worry about "Penelope hearing a different story than the one he told to her" if people wanna argue about how "Oh well, he didn't tell Penelope about the 'affairs'"(He tells her everything as well btw.)

He could literally say "Oh yeah, I had the time of my life!" but he doesn't because that's not true. Odysseus has no listed concubines, I just literally don't see him as the type of guy who's really into that.

And while yes, he would be devastated if she didn't "stay loyal", he does sound like he'd be understanding. He asks his mother in the Underworld if Penelope had gotten remarried to "the finest of Achaeans". And we all know of Odysseus' words of "when Telemachus has a beard, feel free to remarry". Even when first "rejected" by Penelope in that she didn't hug him when he sat across from her, he was incredibly hurt but asked for a separate bed. He literally could have had it where Penelope takes a different bed and he takes their luxurious/fancy one because he has the rest of the household on his side.

But he DOESN'T!

Because he adores her for fuck's sake!

Funny enough? I have the weird reaction of like, weirdly searching out "Good" animatics as it was a weird reassurance of "yes, people see that it's wrong." as while holy fuck. so many stupid, awful jokes about "Say No to This" in the comments (I have learned to just stay the fuck away from youtube comments on Odysseus shit. :') ) but like, seeing and HEARING how yes, this was fucked, was weirdly really nice for me. yeah, it took a lot of digging but there's a few "There Are Other Ways" that I love. Literally, both are unfinished wips and they're still my favorites. If you can, please give these two a watch and some love for the creator.

This was back before we heard the full song and it's still very good. How he's on guard until she "magics" him and the colors change. After that he kind of moves like a "puppet" but he's still resisting as best he can.

This one is literally still sketches but it's my absolute favorite. Oh my word. The body language, PENELOPE FLASHBACKS!!! Showing cute bits of Penelope's character and how awful this is for him. (Penelope is so cute. She puffs up her cheeks to make him laugh!) How he really is scared that he'll have to go through with this in order to save his friends until all his past trauma floods back and he just can't. It's lovely.

And yeah Idk how to feel about "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You" :/ I don't know how it'll be yet, maybe there's something in another song that shows Odysseus' real feelings or whatever.

And with just the whole cheating thing, yeah, it's really upsetting to call what is blatant assault "cheating". As wild as it sounds, Odysseus' story has been more relatable for me than any other stories like this, even modern ones. I've spoken a bit about it before but yeh, victim blaming at its finest. I find him and his story and his love for Penelope slkdfj very relatable. It's honestly really nice to write about in a sense..

(I'm pasting this from an old post of mine but yeh)

I have never had a story that felt like how it actually FEELS. The "aftermath" and "regaining life". It's hopeful and feels really good. It's been years since "everything" but it just felt nice to see "Everybody has the chance to get better." Even Nestor, Helen, and Menelaus, while still dealing with their traumas, are doing a lot better now. And after literal hell, Odysseus got to be with his family and loved ones again. He can start living again. It's why I'm just...idk passionate about this? I'm not a murderer or a war veteran but I see myself in him. Hopefully, y'all see me as nicer though!😂(plus, let's be honest, the Odyssey is romantic af and OdyPen is right up my alley as well >:D )

I really hate the whole "he's a guy so therefore ____" whether it's used as a "Boys will be boys. they can't help themselves" usually aimed at female victims or a "Men always want sex. they cannot be victims.". It's fucked up and used against ALL of us. :( Doesn't matter if it was history. People, no matter the era, should never be put through "Are you Victim™ enough?". He is one.

Idk the Odyssey means a lot to me. I hope it's okay I take some liberties with my fanfics as it's nice healing through him :D I AM kind of using my own experiences and ideas and it feels nice. I don't think Homer necessarily meant for this but eh, anything that helps is good :D He's a war criminal that I relate to.

[velvetvexations]

As a nonbinary person my biggest problem with enby has always been the fact that it's not ever felt like a word. It's quite literally just saying nb out loud but written out. It's never felt like a real identifier. For as much as the shitty I'm just a girl jokes or saturdays are for the boys sayings are like. Scuffed and bad. The words actually sound like they fit and flow in the sentences. Saying I'm gonna go hang out with the enbies later doesn't sound like a word. It sounds like I'm saying an abbreviation in place of a word. Because that's what it is at the end of the day. It never stopped being just an abbreviation of nonbinary but longer this time and it kinda pisses me off that it's treated like a really Good word. It isn't infantilising or anything bc tbh. It's not any more or less mature than someone just saying the damn letters out loud, but it sure as fuck lacks any sense of formality. People can say they're an enby all they want but it doesn't feel like an identifier if I called myself one, it feels like a descriptor. I think nonbinary people deserve a word for themselves that isn't just. The term for their identity but shortened and then made long again. Especially considering that we don't exactly refer to men and women as ems and doubleyous do we. It's petty, but it keeps me from liking it all the same. If a term that took absolutely Zero Effort to come up with is something that a Big group of who it was supposed to describe really don't fucking like, I dont think it's that big of a deal to put in a little more legwork to make something different

That's an interesting perspective. I guess every word needs an origin?

Idk maybe it would be easier if we made some distinction between internal/personal gender (how you conceptualize yourself) and external/social gender (how you are gendered and treated by others) cis people and post transition trans people usually have an internal gender and an External gender that somewhat match. Pre transition trans people have mismatched internal and external genders, which can produce dysphoria. I personally don't have much of an internal gender at all, but my external gender is "woman" based on presentation and socialization. When i say "trans women are seen as men" what I actually mean is "non-passing trans women are perceived and treated as men by transphobes, a role which has a very narrow set expectations and requirements in order to fully access its privileges, otherwise they get the same treatment as all queer/"failed" men, which is different from the experiences of people gendered externally as women in a lot of complex ways." there's no universal experience of gender and no such thing as a "real" man or woman, that's what "gender is a social construct" MEANS. But still! Our society treats men/boys different than women/girls. And the way people are treated affects how they behave! It's not misgendering anyone to point out and analyze those differences, it's just sociology and gender theory. It can be trans inclusive if you're not an idiot.

Post-transition trans people still generally risk discovery even if they're completely stealth. Besides that, I think it's too close to saying one is that gender also if we split it between the two, since why would one take precedence over the other when gender is fake either way? Identity is personal and people who tell you you're wrong about your identity are just incorrect, it's really simple.

someone i see often in transmisogyny discourse (not gonna drop the user) liked a post saying "intersexism isn't real and it's transmisogyny to say it is", unliked it and denied it when it was brought up to them, and is now pretending it didn't happen. what do you even do about that

I have no idea who you're talking about, but that's bad, I guess?

The ‘transmasc headcannons are all self indulgent, illogical and antifeminist. but transfem headcannons are all intelectual, narratively complex, feminist praxis’ thing reminds me of the ‘yaoi is all self indulgent, illogical and antifeminist. but yuri is all intelectual, narratively complex, feminist praxis’ thing (idk how common it is in fandoms that aren’t homestuck (cus istg that fucking fandom))

it's so deeply annoying

ngl I've been repeating "fellas, is it transphobic to admit that transphobes are transphobic?" ever since you said it (or at least something close to it? I don't remember if this is a direct quote or paraphrase because I was very tired that day) in one of the ask compilations because it sums up the whole thing so succinctly and also just feels good to say

Sorry about all the assclowns who are so eager to assert their bone-deep conviction that yes it totally is -__-;;

we live in a bad timeline

For the "trans-inclusive" cis girls who still insist "transmascs are BETRAYING WOMANHOOD" -

Riiiight...so, COMPLETELY irrelevant question, but how did you and your friends feel about the weird girl in middle and high school? You know, the anime fan with the punk clothes and dyed hair? Started hanging out more with boys than girls around the middle of the year? You DID extend the "bonds of sisterhood" to her too, didn't you?

No? You called her a traitor and a freak too? Even before she started hanging out more with the boys, you thought she was just being a holier-than-thou snob because she wasn't interested in the topics usually considered "girl talk"?

Yeah, I can't imagine why she would have felt more comfortable with the boys either...truly a mystery...yeah she really did totally betray you...yep...

women throw around "pickme" like it's the worst possible thing to be but most pickmes have a pretty good reason for being pickmes and women who complain about them should do some introspection

I think Androhomophobia is the word for MLMs speaking on their unique oppression!

noted!

"Why do trans men need a special word" why do trans women need a special word 🎤 do you just consider mens experiences the default 🤔

for transfem TRFs: because men is what trans women are transitioning away from so it literally was the default for them and they have a hard time understanding the idea that some people want the thing they don't want and don't want the thing they want

for transmasc TRFs: because of course they want to think they're the alpha dogs society revolves around they're all misogynists

As someone who wasn’t on tumblr when that “kill all transmascs” post was going around, what was that about?

I reeeeally hope there’s some context that I’m missing and it wasn’t just one of those “kill all men” jokes from 2012 with “trans” inserted into it.

Also, it’s really disheartening to see this kind of behavior from people who you would otherwise trust.

if it's older than this past March I wasn't around either but there was a post going around just a couple weeks ago

As a nonbinary person: the entire enby thing could be fixed if we just could have terminology without it being relentlessly mocked.

Some people are going to be uncomfortable with enby because it sounds similar to baby and that can feel infantilizing. Some people will not think it’s infantilizing. Some people will not care. This is normal. I think enban is a good term even if enby wasn’t made to be used similarly to boy and girl. I think more explicitly nonbinary terms are good. I want to have more terms to describe myself. Only having enby is annoying.

Yeah like...not having the infrastructure of entrenched and codified language is difficult.

I think there's a degree to which this sort of thing is "spreading", insofar as I see an uptick in random cis people making flippant transandrophobic jokes and then acting like it's antifeminist to disagree. HOWEVER, I also think the hardcore TRFs' views are escalating over time to the point that when their posts break containment they often sound so obviously fucked up that people who aren't as discourse-poisoned are noticing it, rather than just blindly boosting like "Trans rights, I guess!".

the legacy of trans radical feminism: making cis people a little more transphobic

did that one op imply trans men can all just girlmode like its no big deal and takes no effort. like i do girlmode at work but that entails shaving daily and trying to keep my voice high despite having dropped like two octaves.

i feel like all that saves the façade is that my coworkers have known me since pre-T plus my tits are gigantic

he did imply that!

I think all the transmascs on here talking about how being seen as a girl is a privilege should try being a girl not wearing a bra. Or binding. Just letting them hang out. It's amazing how poorly you'll get treated. Bonus points if you're also obviously autistic and generally GNC at the same time

(On that note I think there should be more of a movement for people with boobs to not have to wear a bra because they are so uncomfortable for me and make me extremely dysphoric and I'm sure I can't be the only one-)

That used to be a feminist thing but it seems like everyone retreated from that issue.

What are your thoughts on the idea that TERFs genuinely do hate men the most and the only reason they specifically target trans women is because they see them as men that are "trying to sneak into womens spaces"? I think it makes sense on the basis that they treat trans women badly but sometimes ally with cis men who also hate us because those men aren't "explicitly trying to trick them"

I mean yeah exactly lol TERFs see trans women as men in the middle of actively doing a misogyny or trying to perform a fetish in front of them

[lucianalight]

“Sometimes a rage builds up and you just gotta let it out. Do you remember that time I was so angry with my father and my brother, I went down to Earth and I held the whole of New York city hostage with an alien army? Tried to use the mind stone on Tony Stark? It didn’t work so I threw him off the building. It wasn’t tactical. I lost it. Sometimes our emotions get the better of us.”

Is this a retcon? Is Loki saying he wasn't tortured or mind controlled and he attacked Earth because he was angry at his family?

Well, let's analyze the situation.

They went to interrogate X-5 who according to Mobius is an asshole that knows them and their tactics. Mobius tells others to not let X-5 get under their skin with a emphasis on Loki, thinking he is the one who most probably is going to lose his temper. But that's not what happens.

Loki does not lose his cool. On the contrary he plays the role of a villain(which is not really convincing tbh) and tries to intimidate X-5. Mobius is the one who gets so angry and hits Brad within a minute after X-5 turns his attention to him. Mobius storms off trying to convince Loki that it was a tactical action and he could play the heavy keys. But when he calms down he confesses that wasn't the case. Then Loki says those lines.

Now let's remember some similar situations we've seen Loki doing sth like this. Before the coronation when Thor was nervous, Loki makes jokes, gives him confidence, tries to calm him down. And after that when Thor is angry, Loki again tries to calm him down, agreeing with Thor saying he is on his side. When Odin saves them from Jotunheim and is furious with Thor, Loki tries to intervene and stop the situation from escalating. In TDW after their argument on the boat, Loki again tries to light the mood with a joke. So this is a typical and in character behavior for Loki.

Should Loki's words be accepted at face value? MCU Loki lies sometimes but he is not the god of lies like comics. He mostly speaks the truth, but not the complete truth. Half-truth is what he mostly uses. He shapes the sentences in a way that people interpret them how they want based on how they think. Especially when it comes to the things that he doesn't want others to know. Things that he was taught were weakness.

Moreover there are undeniable proof in canon that Loki was tortured (his physical state in Avengers, threats of pain by the Other…etc), and his mind was influenced by the mind stone(confirmed by Marvel). There are even moments in S1 that confirm Loki didn't want or enjoy to hurt people. He's had to. And Miss Minutes offered Loki to kill Thanos, which affected Loki more than any of her offers.

"Unbeknownst to him, the scepter was also influencing him, fueling his hatred over his brother Thor and the inhabitants of Earth."

Unbeknownst to him

Remember in S1 Sylvie tried to enchant him but couldn't? Loki said it's because his mind's too strong. For other magic users? Yes. For mind stone? Maybe. Since we know he wasn't mind control like Selvig and Clint. But the Other had a connection through the scepter to his mind and his negative emotions was being amplified. Which Loki didn't know. His memories were clearly tampered with too as he remembered Thor tossing him into an abyss which didn't happen.

In the main timeline Loki spends a year and half in a cell, where he had access to his magic. Being away from the scepter, having the use of his magic and nothing but time, Loki sooner or later have realized what happened. We don't know when exactly Loki realized that the mind stone was influencing him. But we've seen in other MCU movies/shows that removing mind related magic in most cases also needs magic.

TV Loki on the other hand, right after his escape got arrested in a place that he couldn't use his magic, spending his days either running from or after somebody and trying to fix a disaster. He probably hasn't that realization yet. And even if he had, do you think Loki would talk about it? I don't think so. Just like he never talks or wants to talk about his torture.

There are more than enough clues in canon to confirm that Loki was tortured and his mind was influenced and nothing can retcon all of that.

Back to the scene in 2x02, Loki is trying to calm down Mobius through sympathizing with him. He can't say "Hey remember that time I fell into Thanos clutches after I committed suicide, then he tortured and brainwashed me through my hatred and anger, and sent me to take over the Earth and when I got away you found me and tortured me and now you can't handle one minute taste of your own medicine?" That would have been counterproductive. So instead Loki is telling the truth but not all of it. He was angry at Thor and Odin and his emotions got the better of him. But those emotions, those thoughts and words were influenced. That's what Loki's not telling because he wants to sympathize with Mobius through a similar experience.

Could the topic of New York invasion handled better? Certainly. Otherwise there wasn't a need for this meta. But Loki's behavior can be explained in-universe and through his canon characterization without retconning any other proof and clues.

[kingkat12]

i’m so obsessed with your work and how you write roman is amazing 🩷

do you have any tips for someone that also wants to start writing and sharing things on here ?

aww thank you anon!!🥹

I have a few tips, yeah!! (I've been waiting for this one tihi)

WRITE!! that's the only thing that'll really help u lol. I also re-read my writing all the time, and that's why I mostly started-- I wanted to read something perfectly suited for my tastes! but tbh I've been writing on and off since about 2015 and that has helped a LOT. I also had a writing spurt where I'd write about 1k every day for about a year from 2021-2022, so pls remember that this shit takes time! and you need to give yourself the grace to give yourself time, if that makes sense?

I used to follow many accounts on instagram that talked about grammar, how to paragraph, how to add tension, how to fill the space between tight dialogues, and so forth. that really helped to immerse me in getting better, as I'd be served information when I wasn't actively looking for it, and therefore I quickly absorbed it!

I didn't read a lot of fanfiction, and I still never really do, but when I found a gem, I really looked into what made me like that particular piece; was it the use of words? the way they built the chapter? how did they open the chapter? how did it catch my attention? WHAT is catching my attention here? I hate ppl that suggest you read more, so I'm just gonna say pick one book/fanfiction that you like and analyze it!<3

and as for posting here, all I gotta say is be consistent! update often enough, make your page clear, make your masterlist clear, and find a thing that makes your account yours! it's cool to have a denominator that sets you off from other people, or just have a schtick that is yours!

OH, and lastly, please, for the love of god, be confident about what you put out!! this is your heart and your soul, and no matter what, your work matters. your work really really matters.

I loved this question, so pls, if you have any more, feel free to send anything in!🥹🌸

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

My thoughts on Obsolete Meat.

You know what? After watching videos analyzing Obsolete Meat I find it funny that I avoided this song for a month because it sounded so much like Mesmerizer. I don't know why, but it kind of gave me an aversion to it? Like I love Mesmerizer, but I wanted something new. Which makes the fact that supposedly a lot of people think the song is about how pressured the artist feels that people might be expecting more "Mesmerizer-like" songs so funny to me. Because I was like: Oh not me. That's the last thing I want.

I feel like what made me fall in love with Vocaloid songs was that just by typing in "Vocaloid" in the search bar you could get SO many different songs that sounded nothing alike. Which... I kind of became less excited with Vocaloid when it went through it's "following popular music trends" phase. Like, not every song followed this there were still some artists old and new who did what they wanted. But they were so hard to find and felt drowned out by everything else (to me at least). All the new songs YouTube and Spotify were recommending all sounded the same. So when unique songs like "Dizzy Paranoia Girl" "Magical Cure Love Shot" and then "Mesmerizer" were showing up in my feed and gaining popularity- I was STOKED. But my worry was that rather than going back to "everyone does their own thing and makes unique and interesting songs unlike anything you have ever heard before" it was just going to change to a new trend. Which it didn't and I'm so happy that Vocaloid is making a comeback in the public eye (at least it seems that way).

That said, I still added Obsolete Meat to my Spotify with the intent to listen to it fully eventually. Which I did the other day and then today looked into the lyrics. It was a good song and I had a feeling it would be. Honestly, every time I want to listen to a new vocaloid song I for some reason always avoid it for the LONGEST time before listening to it for some reason. Idk why I do that tbh. I mean, even if 32ki continued to make Mesmerizer-themed songs I'd still enjoy them. I was just worried that with Mesmerizer's success we'd be going from one style of music used by most artists to another.

The point I wanted to dive into with this post is I am so happy someone made a song about this. Omg. Because the past couple months I've been feeling something very similar. (As in, the pressure to continue doing what people like to see vs what you enjoy). You see, when Amanda the Adventurer 2 came out um... I was obsessed. As I've always been in this series and as one does I made a bunch of fan-content. Fanart, an animatic, gaming livestreams, I even got into writing fanfic. And... between tumblr and my YouTube channel... um my Amanda the Adventurer content did way way better than anything else I ever did. And while I've been enjoying making this stuff during the hyperfixation... as it dies down I myself wondering what I was to do next. Especially on YouTube where my mascot horror gaming content got quite a bit of attention between Amanda and Indigo Park and I wondered: Is this just going to have to be my brand now? Which... other than Amanda the Adventurer, Error this save file is abandoned, and Indigo Park I have NO interest in indie horror so um... that would be a little oopsie.

This anxiety is further pushed when I posted some OC content that I worked REALLY hard on to get... very little reception. Which really disheartened me. I loved that people loved my fanworks but... my original stuff was getting so little attention in comparison and I know original stuff always gets less attention but like it was hard to shake that feeling that people didn't care about my work. My work that I genuinely love with all my heart more than any piece of media I enjoy. And for a bit of time I felt kind of selfish for thinking that. Then two things happened. One: My rough animatic I made recently has been doing REALLY well on my channel. Two: Reading into the meaning of this song and realizing that someone else felt this way too (even if on a MUCH larger scale).

At the end of the day I knew deep down that even if no one cared about the things I loved to make, I would continue making them anyway. *shrugs* But like, I guess it just felt nice to see I wasn't alone in feeling like no one would care about the other stuff I make.

In the end, I think this song might just place higher in my heart then Mesmerizer. Just because it encapsulates everything I love about Vocaloid. The uniqueness in every artists style and the topics they cover in their songs. And how it always manages to touch your heart.

I'd apologize for the long rant post but if I was actually sorry I simply wouldn't post it so I won't.

IDK the main reason I wrote this is just in case someone else felt this way too ig? And it really does need to be talked about more.

[dividingcosmos]

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

My partner sent me "Starscream" in DMs so :DD

First impression

Honestly, just a funny guy AHAHAH I came across him in TFP back when I was younger. Didn't remember much tbh and then I saw him in the bayverse movies growing up and didn't remember him much either so- Just a dude I came across apparently

Impression now

ONE OF MY FAVOURITES !! I can't tell where he is in my list of favourites cause I don't have a list of favourites- they just sort of add on in a single room lmao But I love his complexities and his silliness sometimes- I like how he can come off as a joke but there are times where it shows he's capable of a lot and he does a lot depending on the continuity and it's cool !

Favorite moment

(In TFP) When he kills off one of his clones and the screen goes black. I found that interesting like.. this dude knew that his clones getting hurt would reflect ON HIM, and still proceeded to do that because he found the clones to restrain and no to what he wanted and he was willing to feel that pain to get them out of his way?? My dude... That's dark and insane but an interesting part of his character (In g1) The "I'm stupid, I'm stupid" scene; Whenever he tries to usurp Megatron; When he replies about who Jetfire is

Idea for a story

Idk,, I just like seeing his relationship and how he interacts with others- Anything regarding that, I'd like to debunk and know more of!

Unpopular opinion

I don't... really know what popular or unpopular opinions there are but uhh I guess how Starscream has a dependent relationship (not inherently romantic) with Megatron in some continuities and its interesting to see the difference of that and times where it's not there and he goes his separate way

Favorite relationship

The dynamic he has with Megatron (I need to analyze that) / Him and Bumblebee in IDW / Him in Combiner Wars and the Council

All of these, solely cause I like thinking about interesting dynamics and how he interacts with others

Favorite headcanon

He yaps a lot, but I hc he has quite days. Just days where he's like not talking and watching everyone do things. He plans stuff, sure, and doesn't stop doing what he does, but just quiet days after stuff happen

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I pretty much had two obligatory choices for this title for reasons that will become obvious later. For best effect, you can go ahead and pop open this link in a new tab. Wow is this a cool chapter. So let's start where it starts and that's this little giant boy Collon. Who we've seen before. It's cute and he's scooting off to the banquet after checking in with Giant Makino. In spirit. Giant Makino for real would be too much to handle.

What I find most interesting though is how this little segment frames the rest of the chapter. Particularly with Shanks here. It's not just the first of three times we have a character giving a reminder like this. It's how it builds off of the rest of the scene too. Time matters, and we'll get to the really big way it does. But it starts with the barmaid mentioning Dorry & Broggy would stay here drinking for days if they stopped by. That's an interesting concept and one that makes sense based on what we know of the giants. Their lifespan is so much longer it makes everything they do take longer. That's our introduction to them; a century-long duel after all. I want you to think about that with the much more grave warning we'll leave off on. How it builds off of a previous arc where we were in a rush to leave events that didn't have much to do with our main crew and the one before it we spent a rare prolonged stay on. The world is moving fast and we really don't have any point for the Straw Hats to stay on Elbaf. That matters.

But forget all that nerd shit and look at the fun whimsical pirate adventure moment! Instant favorite panel, immediately on par with the other cool ones like the Knock-Up Stream and climbing Wano's waterfall. This is a part of Norse mythology by the way...though probably not the type your cosplay tough guy Viking enthusiasts obsess over. Called Bifrost, the rainbow road from our world to the realm of the gods. For what it's worth, as much as I dig Miss Goldenweek and her Rainbow of Dreams...another interesting parallel since we meet her around the giants too.

I just love it. It's wonderful and fun and cool and makes me so happy to finally see Elbaf. Same with the village. Nothing much to analyze, just want to note that this is something so long awaited as much for me as it is the crew. I've mentioned it before, but reaching Elbaf holds special significance for me given I originally caught up to the manga on Oimo & Kashi. Just a cool, iconic moment that I know is gonna stick with me forever. I even got a little misty eyed. I fuckin' love One Piece y'all.

Okay, so back to the plot. Who's next? Goldberg, Gerd, and Luffy meet up! We also saw Hajrudin on the rainbow and everyone comes together pretty quickly tbh. I thought the stuff with Gerd cooing over Luffy was adorable. Gerd is adorable. Sanji simping over such a sizeable woman was neat too. Also liked them beating up creepy Road.

But this bit with Loki? That's intriguing. Especially when it's framed the same way as Collon's little flashback to Shanks. Though not the same concept as that and what we'll get to...the point is not dwelling too long here right? Well Loki is probably what the threat of doing that hinges on. And this is a potentially bad outcome for Luffy here. Quite dangerous he's keeping the secret and there's apparently some kind of promise. Sure it'll be interesting to see what comes of it.

But this is what we're all really here for. I mean, the rainbow road is great and all but it's just a pretty scene using Norse mythos for inspiration. This though? Ohhh mama is it right up my alley. Do you remember the last time we saw Louis Arnot? He's the author of Brag Men, the book Nami read from to recognize Little Garden. Cool callback. But the content is what matters here. First of all because he's taking the place of our usual narrator. Which is a concept I've been high on since Wano. Because this narration is an in-universe character it opens up questions of reliability. Arnot hasn't steered us wrong before, but it's there.

"Do not linger in this land for long." Why!? That's gotta mean something. It makes me wonder about Shanks taking off as quickly as he did. It makes me think about getting sucked into some Loki plot a lot more. But simply...why? Could it be some time screw thing? That could be bad if you have some kind of Narnia Time aspect when the world's on fire. Or maybe there's some aspect of the geography that's hazardous. Or it's just really easy to run afoul of giant politics.

We'll have to see. But hidden here is something else intriguing. The silhouette. Is that the guy saying "come" a few chapters ago? He's normal sized. I definitely agree with the common theory that he looks oddly reminiscent of the figure we saw drinking with Crocus long ago in a cover page. I also like the idea of Scopper Gaban for who that could be. A former Roger Pirate could be interesting. With Elbaf being the last real foreshadowed island and Luffy being about as high as he can climb before reaching the Pirate King level...probably gonna end up with at least a lead on the final road poneglyph. Or at least finding a poneglyph. They tend to show up with nonhuman races. We'll have to see there too but it all makes sense for a purpose of being here.

[thelunarfairy]

what r ur opinions on teru minamoto as a character :33 I love the way you “analyze” and/or talk about characters so I’m curious what you think about him unless you’ve already done one on him  ( ^ᴗ^ ) him and akane’s (boy) interactions are so interesting to me tbh

I love reading that you all love my words, it's like a warm hug >,<

Thanks S2

Teru is a painting painted in watercolors and with a little magic paint. At first glance, we find a beautiful painting, full of smiles and joy, surrounded by a beauty unique to him.

But when the hidden paint is revealed, the art mixed with watercolor, we see dark colors, and the painting transforms into something frightening.

Teru is stained art, a stain we cannot fully see. The way he treats other people, the way he despises supernaturals, how he hates them and wants them to disappear.

We can list the reasons, well, a full-time job is not exactly something that anyone in the universe will want, is it?

A boy who didn't know what it was like to be a child.

That he had no choices, that he was not allowed. He was the oldest, he would have to take care of his younger brother and sister, and at the same time he would have to protect people he doesn't even know.

He offered the time of his life for other people, he lost his mother and took his father's place. He takes care of everything, but who takes care of him?

Every now and then I catch myself thinking about the hatred rooted in Teru's chest. How his tiring work provided him with this, how he put himself in front of his brother so that he wouldn't go through the same thing as him. Even though Kou wanted to be an exorcist.

So, maybe the hatred was also born because the supernaturals took everything from him, including his mother, can I consider that a hypothesis?

He lost his mother, his father is away because of work, he gained the responsibility of a father and a hero early on. Kou is inspired by him, Teru, in theory, is a hero who saves people from supernaturals, but at what cost?

Teru hides a secret, a melancholy that reflects in those eyes. Almost so obvious that we could hear him calling for help. He is also caught up in responsibilities.

The first time he was free, he had fun, he became a child again, he allowed himself. Even though he knew it would only be for a short time.

He is a teenager with adult responsibilities and a child's soul. Not literally, but the desire to be free, to do what he never can.

Of course, Teru has his flaws, but I like to be impartial, to be fair. He is ruthless towards supernaturals, and he will want to kill them no matter what.

This reflects on his relationship with Akane, how the simple fact that he works on the side of the supernatural irritates Teru to the point that he is always punishing Akane, that he doesn't show that he cares about him as much.

Teru and Akane have a partnership-based, do-for-me, I'll-do-for-you type of relationship. Nothing beyond that. If Teru cared about him, he would have faced Tsukasa.

If it were Kou instead of Akane, he would risk his life, like he did when number six appeared.

Teru's hatred and contempt for supernaturals is something that borders on the deeply personal, it's not just a job, something happened.

No one feels hatred for something for no reason. Therefore, sometimes I think that he lost someone very important or had a great trauma because of the supernaturals. Besides, of course, it was because of them that the father is absent, that he himself dedicates his life to destroying them.

There was no choice here. His blood determined his own destiny, which he hates.

But he knows, yes, he knows that even seemingly good supernaturals can do something bad. We don't know if one day in the past, Teru got involved with some supernatural and had to exorcise him for doing something bad.

It must have been painful, the same pain that Kou would feel if it was necessary to exorcise Mitsuba because he lost control. So, in order not to suffer again, he wouldn't want to get involved with the supernaturals, just get rid of them, it's easier.

Teru's hatred is what intrigues me, I see him and I want more and more to find out why he was born and where he will take him.

Teru is a canvas full of secrets, little by little the painting is completed, and we increasingly see his truer side.

[inquebrar]

QSMP was one of the projects that had one of the biggest personal impacts on me. since i was younger, i have always been fascinated by getting to know different cultures and learning new languages ​​has always been something that captivated me. although for years i have "been part" of many fandoms and followed different projects, series, groups and things like that for years sometimes, but i just had my interests without having no one to talk with and share it. so this was the first time that i really participated actively and was so engaged in the "fandoms" i'm part of, to talk about it, share my theories and analyzes and stuff like that. so at the beginning (and tbh i still feel a little) i was always very nervous to talk about it or talk with other people in general (especially in a language that is not my mother tongue) because it was something so out of my comfort zone, but through qsmp i learned more about cultures and languages ​​that before i didn't even thought about learning, i felt the desire to continue learning languages ​​that i had left aside, i felt more proud of my nationality, i met very kind people from different countries, it brought me a lot of joy seeing many people starting to learn my language too and see so many people who like the same things as me who share opinions and interests and even people who speak my language who are also very engaging it's so cool to see and the whole feeling of unity, comfort and cultural mix between different people made me extremely passionate about this project and the things it provided.

but unfortunately, recently it has been very difficult to deal with the excess of negativity and heavy topics and serious matters that came to the surface and started to accumulate with disappointments and overwhelming things that i had been feeling for a while. having hyperfixation on qsmp stopped being something that motivated me and brought me happiness, it started to affect my mental health in a bad and unhealthy way, which already hasn't been so good in the last few days. so i thought i'd just vent a little so that maybe someone who is in a similar situation and having similar feelings to mine will feel less alone or a little more understood.

i heard Quackity's recent statement and i was relieved to see that he handled the situation responsibly and addressed the matters without taking away the importance also genuinely apologizing, it was a difficult and sad situation to witness in general but with the server closed on a temporary break, i really hope that he now stays informed and aware of how his team is working and how things are happening behind the scenes. i hope that this brings more organization, communication, correct and respectful treatment to all those who work to maintain the project with care and commitment, and i hope things get an extremely significant change and that everything improves from now on. i still have a lot of love for this project and i want to believe things will be more positive again, but in the meantime i hope that everyone who was affected by everything that has been happening takes care of themselves and always remember that you are important, your feelings are valid and you're not alone. speak up when you feel the need, when you feel disrespected, when you need help. also don't forget to be kind (to yourself too) and i'm waiting for better days.

[darkpoisonouslove]

I can't wait to read your reaction for the last episodes!!

Now I feel some pressure 😅

Tbh this is a "head full, many thoughts, no ability to articulate" kind of situation (which I have been feeling a lot these last few days with all the stuff I've watched).

Okay, so first of all, I don't really have anything to say about Agathario because I have seen so many posts on tumblr analyzing their scenes and I've got nothing to add.

I did have a feeling that Agatha was lying about The Road and that Billy created it. Though, tbh at one point I wasn't even sure the rest of the gang was there at all (when he threw Jen and Lilia off).

Which leads me to how glad I am that despite The Road being Billy's creation, everything that happened on it was real. I did see a statement (?) from the creators that they were thinking of just having the coven all alive and well at the end but they felt it was reductive and would have cheated the audience and I absolutely agree!

I hate the fact that some of them (okay, most of them) died but it would have undermined the whole point of the show if they just undid everything they went through in the end. The central themes of grief and finding yourself and letting go just would have meant nothing if what happened on The Road wasn't real.

I think that there is something very poignant and tragic about Alice's death. The way that grief was preventing her from seeing not just herself but also her mother for who they were and realizing her mother's whole career, her whole life was about protecting her by making her musical legacy a protective spell is so *clenches fist*. And then she dies to protect Agatha? Forget whether or not Agatha deserves this, the fact is that in a way you could say it was pointless since Agatha died too! But Agatha died protecting Billy and he's still alive! He even brought Tommy back! So Alice's actions were anything but pointless. Despite their curse, her mother managed to protect her and then Alice passed it down to Agatha who passed it down to Billy. And you could say that they "tricked" death since Billy and Tommy should not be alive but the truth is that they didn't really. That's just the natural order. People give life to other people and then die, rinse and repeat. And despite how trivial I made it sound, it is, in fact, beautiful - that we would care so much for others we would accept our own doom if it means we can save them. And yes, all roads lead to death but on the way there we find it in ourselves to help each other and give each other life. Even Agatha, who has killed so many over the centuries, is a part of that cycle of life and death.

I really wish I knew how to formulate my thoughts on Lilia's death (which may have been the most emotional moment for me (though Nicky's death and the aftermath is also up there)) but that's not happening right now.

Agatha imbuing her grief and rage and vengeance into the Ballad that her son came up with? Now that's so juicy! Not only was she using it as a con, but she also - still - insists that the song means nothing. Her rage at Rio for not giving her more time with Nicky coupled with how she speaks of the song that the two of them came up with together almost makes it sound like she's failing to see the value in the time that she did get. Ultimately, I think that's why she can't face him yet. Because after he died, what defined the rest of her days was ungratefulness and greed for more rather than appreciation of the fact that she did get to spend time with him at all. He was supposed to die at birth. She got six years of memories, six years of holding him and loving him and him loving her back. And instead of being grateful for that, she's almost saying that it's not enough, that it was worthless compared to, say, living a full life with him. It is because she loved him so much that she couldn't bear his absence but because of that she turned to hate and rage instead and a part of her cannot make peace with that, does not want her son to see her like that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go cry in a corner. *sobs*

That said, I am so glad that we do get more of the bombastic duo that Billy and Agatha are! If she's not ready to face her family, she can help him find his. And you know, Billy being resentful of Wanda for choosing to save the people of Westview over keeping him alive is probably similar to what Agatha fears Nicky will feel towards her, though reversed since she was killing people instead of allowing herself to be with him again. I do want to see where this will go!

Finally, for a "heartless" witch that's been killing others of her kind for centuries, Agatha is so extremely human and I loved seeing that!

[maya-matlin]

hiiiii ashton <333 I know we've talked about it before but I recently was on a video and saw some comments that angered me and you know I ship leyton and brulian too but I just wanna hear your thoughts because you always give the best ones!! why do you personally prefer brucas over leyton? why don't you ship leyton? and what do you think about the comments from people saying how leyton were always supposed to be endgame even though s2&3 it certainly didn't feel that way!! and about the comments saying that chopia breaking up had nothing to do with it even though they broke up before brucas actually got back together and they could've very easily not put them together after chopia broke up if they wanted to lol I'm just very curious about your thoughts and don't really wanna discuss it in messenger tbh this is easier so I get all your opinions lol I love you so much and you always give the best responses and answers when I ask you things!! 💞💞💞

I literally don't, but thank you for saying that 💙💙 First things first, I did ship Lucas and Peyton in the past. So on some level, I understand the appeal because I also fell for them when I started watching One Tree Hill. Truth be told, one day I just snapped out of it. Before season 6 even premiered, I was watching my season 5 DVD and finding myself frustrated with the LP story line while appreciating the dynamic between Brucas. Anyways, since then I've watched every episode multiple times and analyzed both by myself and sometimes with others why exactly I don't root for Leyton and prefer Brucas. To me, they're representative of a lot of tropes that will never be my favorite. Meant to be from the pilot couples are always going to be a hard sell. The chemistry had better be something special and the ongoing story needs to be more than, "I immediately know you better than everyone else in your life after having a handful of conversations." There are always exceptions to this rule. Sometimes I fall for the ship fast (Stelena, sorry). Other times it takes until nearly the entire first season or until the second (Ephram/Amy from Everwood, Max/Liz from OG Roswell, Spelivia) for me to get past the beginning and appreciate what the couple is at the heart of it. Needless to say, this sums up Leyton (derogatory). So much of their connection is told to the audience rather than shown. From day one, it's automatically clear that this is the couple to root for. Their only real obstacle, Nathan, is a comically terrible, borderline abusive boyfriend, so the fact Lucas in early season 1 is the anti Nathan pushes him incredibly hard as Peyton's ideal match. Once Brucas starts up, there's an immediate difference in energy and chemistry. Both Lucas and Peyton take themselves so seriously. It's always deep feelings and angst and brooding and "oh, we want to be together, but the circumstances are just too hard." And meanwhile, it's only like episode 9. Brooke has deep feelings and her own insecurities, but on the outside she doesn't take life super seriously and is someone who acts rather than internalizing everything. Brooke's influence on Lucas's life feels like a breath of fresh air. Lucas begins to loosen up and see that there can be more to life than his preconceived ideas of how the world works and how everyone should be acting. On Lucas's end, he encourages Brooke to develop her intellectual side and see that she has so much more to offer than being the life of the party and someone who gets validation from sleeping with a lot of guys. Lucas is the first person Brooke wants to get serious with. Even better, this is a story line we actually get to see play out. When Lucas and Brooke talk about what they like about each other, it all tracks because we've been watching their attraction bloom and seeing how in a lot of ways, they're at their best together. Sorry, this is getting long. This is all solely based on season 1. By the end of the season, Lucas and Peyton cheat for the first time. This sadly becomes a pattern for them. Brooke is emotionally devastated. And though Lucas immediately seems to feel guilt over hurting Brooke, it takes him time to see how far he's strayed from the type of person he wants to be.

Season 2 is a massive gamechanger for Brucas. This is the first time they're truly able to be friends. Without the expectation of a relationship, Brooke and Lucas are able to connect on a deeper level. Yet again, this is something shown to us rather than told. This is the kind of relationship both took the time to develop. Much like in season 1, Lucas encourages Brooke to invest in her more intellectual, soulful side. Lucas himself works on being more selfless, taking the time to improve as a person. Unlike when Lucas pined for Peyton while she was dating Nathan and embarked on an affair during his first relationship with Brooke, this time Lucas allows Brooke's relationship with Felix to play out without any interference while still being a friend. Lucas is aware of his own feelings, but he also knows how badly he hurt Brooke in the past and has no reason to think a second chance is even a possibility. When Lucas kisses Brooke after months of close friendship and opening up to each other emotionally (albeit with Brooke understandably on guard post cheating and Lucas hiding his rediscovered feelings), it feels earned. The third season is a mixed bag. At its best, season 3 Brucas is a perfect mix of seasons 1 and 2 Brucas. Both seem to be equally emotionally invested in the relationship working out and view each other as basically their endgame. But the fun and the lightheartedness exist, as well. Brooke is still someone who brings light and fun to Lucas's life. On Lucas's end, it starts to get murky as the show gets closer and closer to the shooting episode. After spending so much time veering away from the possibility of Lucas and Peyton together with emphasis on Lucas's love for Brooke, the strength of the Brooke/Peyton friendship and even how Lucas and Peyton are actually able to be platonic, healthy friends themselves, everything gets destroyed so that the show can return to Leyton. On the one hand, it's not as though it's totally out of nowhere or implausible because again, the narrative went so hard in Leyton's favor during the first season. But at the same time, it doesn't feel believable to me when it finally happens. Lucas seems to flip flop from getting past his breakup with Brooke to declaring Peyton is the one he wants next to him when his dreams come true in mere seconds. The writers LOVE to make Lucas in denial about his feelings for Peyton. Past the first season, we don't get Lucas pining for Peyton. We just don't. We got Lucas pining for Brooke during season 2 and part of 3 and even Lucas wanting Lindsey back after she leaves him at the altar, but for the lion's share of LP's history, it's Peyton desperately wanting Lucas and somewhat being willing to sacrifice everything just for the chance of being with him. So because of this, Lucas becomes an almost passive love interest where he's told over and over again what he should want and what his true feelings are until he just kind of.. says fine, choosing Peyton. That alone is why I prefer Brucas. It's the more compelling story line and relationship. Plus, the chemistry.

And I hate to do it, but this vs this:

Chemistry is unpredictable, always up for debate, and shouldn't always be the deciding factor in what a person ships. My shipping preferences have been all over the place in this area. But when the writing is lacking and the chemistry isn't really selling the story either, these moments that are supposed to be powerful and come across as passionate somehow come across as phony and put on. In my opinion, Chad and Hilarie had buddy chemistry while Chad and Sophia had the passionate, in love type of chemistry due in large part to literally being in love and married in real life.

As a viewer, I really resent being told that Lucas was simply denying his true feelings for no other reason I can think of except maliciousness when he spent basically two and a half seasons wanting Brooke over Peyton. The romantic relationship with Lucas and Peyton during seasons 4 and 6 seems like the healthier option on the surface, but it comes back to how I feel about Lucas as a passive love interest and Peyton's arc being so wrapped up in whether or not she gets the guy. This is pretty much spelled out towards the end of season 3. During a conversation between Brooke and Peyton, Brooke confides in Peyton that during Lucas's absence she realized that she wasn't as reliant on his physical presence as she thought she'd be. From Brooke's perspective, all this means is that Brooke is somehow capable of loving and being happy independently of the man she loves. But on One Tree Hill, this is supposed to imply Brooke either doesn't truly love Lucas, is falling out of love with Lucas, or that Peyton loves Lucas more because she doesn't desire independence outside of him. It's a gross message to say the least. This brings me full circle, back to season 5. Between seasons, Lucas proposed to Peyton and broke off the relationship when she didn't accept his proposal. Objectively speaking, not the worst thing in the world and a valid thing to do if this is a deal breaker. But this causes the Lucas/Peyton relationship to be heavily imbalanced and in Lucas's favor over Peyton's. Lucas stops feeling like the kind of person who follows his heart and more this desperate guy who wants to marry someone to the point the bride doesn't actually matter. If I go along with the idea that Lucas was in love with Peyton throughout the intervening years, throughout season 5 and for the entirety of his romance with Lindsey, what does that say about Lucas? One, he's the kind of guy who is so out of touch with his own emotions that nothing he says should ever be trusted. Or two, he's an asshole and will willingly commit himself to another woman under false pretenses just because he didn't get what he wanted from his first choice on his terms. Peyton's love for Lucas is meant to be undying and unconditional, causing her to behave in such selfish, desperate ways. Lucas, on the other hand, proves that his affection for Peyton is very conditional. He's not willing to compromise. He doesn't want to wait around for Peyton to catch up with where he is.

And in the mean time, Lucas bouncing between Peyton and Lindsey actually means season 5 Brucas is a very good alternative for Lucas. It's all very unspoken, but the chemistry and the connection between Lucas and Brooke never goes away. Much like in season 2, the possibility of romance is very much off the table. Brooke returns to Tree Hill not to win Lucas back, but because she misses her hometown and sees herself settling down there. Because nothing is being pushed on either end, it's much easier for adult Lucas and adult Brooke to be friends in a way that's impossible for Lucas and Peyton. They're able to relate to each other outside of high school and their past romance. A flashback reveals that Lucas was the first person Brooke told that she wanted to have a baby. During the time Brooke is taking care of Angie, Lucas becomes the kind of person Brooke can depend on and lean on for emotional support. Even outside of season 5, there's a consistent theme of Lucas being the best, most selfless version of himself with Brooke. It's as though Brooke's influence in Lucas's life mixed with their season 1 history almost demands that Lucas be better when they're together. Both Brooke and Lucas are in the place where they're looking to settle down. In a moment that's kind of a contrast to season 3

Unlike in season 3 when Lucas was trying to fight for Brooke but kind of clueless when it came to working out what she wanted from him, this time Lucas realizes that no matter how strong Brooke seems to be, she needs him to show up for her. There will always be endless potential for season 5+ Brucas, in my opinion. Their strong bond and complementary desires for a future shine through even as the narrative reminds us over and over again that Peyton is the one who loves Lucas most and that anything that isn't about Peyton is merely "denial" or Lucas "hiding his heart." Anyways, Lucas literally fantasizes about marrying all of his major love interests, Brooke included. The dream sequence wants us to believe Brooke and Lucas want very different things, making them fundamentally incompatible. The entirety of seasons 5-9 disagrees with this, but Lucas still ends up with Peyton.

When it comes down to it, I don't like the people Lucas and Peyton are around each other. As friends, it's mostly okay. They certainly share common interests and Peyton lacks the trust issues Lucas's other girlfriends have considering she's always the other woman. But.. so much of their love story comes across as incredibly forced with so many holes in it. Their arc throughout the first six seasons does NOT hold water. Peyton isn't allowed to be a fully fleshed out person with goals that don't perfectly align with becoming Mrs. Lucas Scott. Lucas holds all the cards, resulting in him becoming far more selfish and almost childish in the way he acts like season 1 Lucas who is still butthurt his crush didn't want to commit to him after one make out session. Even in the final season, I don't see much if any growth. It's the final season for both characters and the show played out the beats of broken up Leyton, so they're put back together. So much of what happens between Lucas and Peyton is heavily reliant on the idea of everything coming full circle without any regard for how one or both have changed since then. Brucas doesn't have this problem. If nothing else, Brooke and Lucas's relationship goes through multiple changes, with each phase feeling much more mature and deeper than the one before. Even though their past and Brooke's trust issues are recurring problems, their actual dynamic always remains in the present.

As for your last question, I'll never know for sure what discussions were like behind the scenes circa seasons 2 and 3. But based on how season 2 played out, I think there's a very good chance the endgame shifted. The underlying tension and romantic affection between Lucas and Peyton was completely gone. Lucas realized he wanted to be with Brooke and never seemed to consider Peyton. Even Peyton, who has ambiguous moments that refer to possible feelings for Lucas even before the shooting, doesn't have this during the second season. She spends far more time pining for and loving Jake. When Peyton expresses displeasure over her relationship with Lucas, it's that he hasn't been the kind of friend that shows up for her emotionally. Lucas's response to this is to bring Jake back to town LOL. In terms of season 3, it gets confusing. Chad and Sophia didn't separate until multiple episodes into the first half of season 3. Meaning, the groundwork was already being laid for Brucas's failed friends with benefits/casual relationship to become a deeper romantic one even before Chad and Sophia split up. But at the same time, Lucas's friendship with Peyton was also being prioritized again with more references to their romantic past coming up outside of Brooke's insecurities. So with that in mind, it seems like LP was a possibility even as Brucas was rebuilding their relationship. However, I think the Chad/Sophia split permanently closed the door on any legitimate Brucas once their season 3 arc was completed. Personally, I don't think Peyton ending up with Lucas was set in stone until the end of season 3. Had Chad and Sophia never split up, I definitely think we would have seen another round of Brucas at some point because the chemistry alone would have demanded it. Plus, the gross producers capitalizing on the real life Chad/Sophia romance. In a universe where Chad and Sophia never broke up, my gut says Lucas ends up with Brooke. But nothing is 100%. To sum up my thoughts, I think there was a plan in place during season 1. I think another plan emerged during season 2. In season 3, the endgame was literally up for grabs. But Chad and Sophia's breakup sealed the deal.

I love you, too! I'm so sorry for making you read all this.

[cl4ss1ba33]

CAN ANYONE GIVE ME SOME GUIDANCE ON THE VOID? I think I entered it but I didn't receive my manifestations

so i found out about the void 10 days ago, and much like your journey I found that meditating was harder for me. It didn't matter to me, because I was going to keep persisting anyways since we are the gods of our realities. Around four days ago though, I discovered that we could go into the void through lucid dreaming. I was delighted, because I used to lucid dream everyday(not anymore, but i pretended i still did so i could get back back into it faster). Today I finally entered the void!!! but... I didn't wake up with my desires manifested (I wanted to wake up in my desired room and a lot of other things). I wholeheartedly believe in the void and when I woke up I was shocked ngl cuz I truly believed it would work, and I still do. I am still going to persist because I truly believe it would work, so I wanted your opinion on why you think it didn't work and what I should do next time. Here's what I did: I simply affirmed for four days that I always lucid dream and get into the void easily. I had already created my void list and I also created a void board on pinterest. For the first two days of trying lucid dreaming, I didn't lucid dream but I kept persisting because I knew I would make it. On the third day, I lucid dreamt but I didn't go into the void because I was busy trying not to get killed 💀(ik i should've just made them vanish or sum). Today was the fourth day, and I made it. So I was doing something in a pink room, and suddenly I remembered I was dreaming. It just hit me and I was like LETS GOOO. So then I made a door appear. It was the same door I've been visualizing except there was no knob. I opened the door anyway and I could see the other side of the room. So i thought, maybe I have to affirm this door will be the portal to the void but before I could do that my brother appeared out of nowhere and put a purple knob on the door (I visualized a pink knob, but I was happy so i didn't care). When I opened the door I could see the void, it was black (I visualized a pink void but again I was oki with it just happy I made it, although I always knew I would make it). I didn't affirm it would lead me to the void so not sure if that's the reason the things didn't manifest, but it felt like the void. I felt like I didn't have a body and there was nothing. It was so peaceful. After that I didn't affirm "i am pure consciousness" or "i am in the void" because I thought I was already in the void.

I started affirming right away, "I have everything on void list, void board, and more" "I woke up with everything on my void list, void board, and more" "I shifted to a reality where I have everything on my void list, void board, and more" "I have everything I want and more" (do you think these affirmations were confusing or were they good?) Once I felt like it was enough, I stopped and I was like alright I'll go to sleep now LMAOO. Then I exited the void and I had a wierd dream where people came out of my current room and were like "yeah we lied to you the void isn't real." and I was like wtf who are these negative people trynna put their negative beliefs on me. so I woke myself up cuz I wasn't abt to put up with them 🙄. When I woke up I was shocked, because I really believed that I would wake up in my desired reality with all of the thing on my list and board. After that I started analyzing things and tbh I don't know why it didn't work because I believe with my whole heart and soul. Maybe my subconscious or sum didn't? Please guide me and give me your advice, I would really appreciate 🫶. either way, Imma keep going for right now and try tweaking things a bit and see if that works. I won't give up !!! (btw sorry for this super long post 😭)

[maymeowmoo]

New episode of Smg4?!?!?!? Well I'm inna writing mood soooooo.... Imma review/analysis and share my thoughts on the new episode >:) ["SMG4:SMG3's BOMB CAFE"] If you're bored feel free to read this overly detailed analysis of a 12:01 minute video! (Actually ~10:30ish)

Analyzing time! ^w^/

Smg3 being so happy abt his lil cafe is very cute. I did not expect Smg4 to be so goddam sassy in this episode but I like that they didn't get rid of their rivalry completely since u know, after so many years it would be odd for it to just disappear even if they have recently been bonding so much u<u

Still I couldn't help but feel a bit odd? Like idk if Four just desperately wanted Three to ask him for help w the coffee or what but DANG was he super into making Smg3's life harder. At 4:49 Smg4 basically goes screw it lets make Three more miserable and invites everyone. Like let bro learn overtime we don't need a Kirby Lunch Rush but with Smg3! Also Four's expressions? Dude is being SILLY on purpose u_u He continues his nuisance charade with 6:22 ("How can you not even have the unicorn frappucino?"). Like dang bro how abt u calm ur sass down and stop provoking Three even more? He does get a clear indication of Smg3's annoyance (8:51-8:52 Smg3 says "Shut up." to Four also stopping him from making another sassy remark) yet still continues. At 9:14 (Smg4:"So you admit you can't run a shop yet?") Four gives his snarky comment and all I can think of is how he intentionally made it harder for Three to run the dang shop. [Note: Tbh even someone who owned a shop would have a hard time with Smg4's Crew lets be fr.] Just like I said at the beginning of this paragraph I am starting to really believe Four wanted to be involved with Three somehow and the only way he knew how is by forcing conflict.

Characterization wise what surprised me is how even after two instances of Three yelling for the others to stop fighting they still continue on. Idk I just feel like they would've listened tbh. They were very... hyperactive I guess? The characters do act kinda like they should but it still felt odd to me for some reason. Eggdog as always has the best characterization tho, man do I like that silly egg thing. Anywho this wasn't the only thing that felt odd continuity wise. I would've thought Smg3 learnt to make proper coffee before he started up a cafe? Especially since he literally lived in a STARBUCKS??? Like I just think he would've idk tried making coffee before opening a cafe even if he didn't make any during his time in the Internet Graveyard. I did make up two explanations for this tho! One is that the dead memes (Specifically the funny lil knuckles) made the coffee during his time in the Internet Graveyard and the other is that he was just too anxiety/adrenaline ridden to make proper coffee. At the end of the day these things aren't huge issues for me but as I said before it did make me feel odd.

Smg4 getting called out for his sass was necessary for me to like this video so imma glad it happened and he doesn't just get away with his behavior. At 9:23 the realization of his silly shenanigans finally catch up to him and that means..... THE SMG34 PART OF THE EPISODE STARTS YEEHAW! Even though Smg4's and 3's confrontation felt just the tiny bit forced to me (probably Four's fault) it was so nice to see them being softer. I also really like how Three doesn't agree to Four's proposal without making some convoluted reasoning as to why this isn't just two pals helping each other out and is actually TOTALLY just a transactional thing. It feels really in character! Oh yeah since I need to put this somewhere at 9:47 Four is like "I want to help" and like... you made it harder and now you want to help? Better now then never tbh ^w^/

Jokes -> The joke at 2:27-2:34 made me chuckle ._. and that makes me somewhat disappointed in myself (You want it? Issa urs my friend is so real). 3:00 is also a joke I liked, it felt very relatable (I struggle with basic human stuff like buttons on a coffee machine also u_u aww man). 3:28-3:32 Decent joke! 4:12 having a Gmod Three bang the coffee machine was good but the sudden Pomni/Smg4 reaction wasn't for me :v (It is good for Au art tho, I've seen the Smg4 as Pomni art hehe ;P ). 5:55-6:05 Nice joke ^v^/ (Smg3 writing '1 jar of poison for Mario' was the cherry on top tbh). 6:29-6:35 just like the joke at three minutes the whole 'operating a coffee machine being like dark magic' is still funny to me. 7:35-7:38 7:45-7:46 the music that plays when the rainbow (acid) coffee is shown is cool. 8:34-8:49 The whole Tari going coo coo joke is honestly pretty unfunny ._. I did not like it :v. 10:44-10:45 'Cleaned up everything!' is such a funny pop up to put here. Joke APPROVED!

Joke wise I think this episode is actually quite solid. The one joke I really didn't like kinda puts it down but ignoring that issa cool ig :D (6,8/10)

Closing statement -> Dude Four on roller skates working at a cafe for Three? THIS IS JUST A FANFIC AT THIS POINT... and I am all for it ;D

[Note: I have no idea why I wrote this but I felt like it sooooo... YEAH! >:3 If you have any thoughts abt this ep I'd love to hear em ;o]