#the gang we see in the movie is just the only ones who actually live there year round lmao

[starthelostboys]

the thing is that i think all of the lost boys + star HAVE spent time with other vampires before, they were just too stupid to realize the person they were talking to was also a vampire

[thegurlwhoisntthere]

Okay, HTTYD fandom I’m coming for you.

I want an au where the gang were always friends. Like, they grew up to be just as tight-nit as they are in RTTE, but because of reasons they hide the fact that they’re friends with Hiccup from the adults. Why do I think this could work?

Well:

Hiccup by nature is very forgiving, so when all his friends come to him and say they can’t be friends in public because of one reason or another, he sympathizes, as long as they’re still friends, he doesn’t really care.

Snotlout is the first in the group to start drifting away, and they all ask him why

Spitelout doesn’t like that his son is hanging around Hiccup when he’s so unviking-like

He pressures Snotlout to cut ties with his cousin and to start putting him down for not living up to “what he should”

This backfires

Baby-lout hasn’t yet had the time to really internalize his father’s teachings, so when his friends ask, he tearfully tells them

Most of the group is furious, but Hiccup understands

If it had just been up to him the group probably would’ve disbanded then and there

Lucky for him it wasn’t

They figure that if Spitelout doesn’t want them to friends then they won’t… in public

In private is a different story

In public they treat it like a game, to taunt each other and be as sarcastic as possible

But when they’re alone they let their guard down

The next one to go, surprisingly, is Astrid

After her uncle died her family’s reputation takes a dive

At first, the fact that she’s friends with the chief’s son is a good thing, but as time goes on and he doesn’t grow, her parents start getting pressure, and Astrid, not being as young anymore, feels it, too

Astrid’s extremely conflicted, because on the one hand she doesn’t want to abandon Hiccup, let alone insult him in front of the village like Snotlout

But on the other, she needs to restore her family’s honor

So they come up with Astrid’s cover: in public she’ll distance herself from all of them, working hard to be a shield-maiden, only being a part of the group in an orbit-sort of way

She grows into ignoring Hiccup in public because if she doesn’t she’s going to take the head off the next person who insults him

For Fishlegs and the Twins, there’s no specific moment that they start to distance themselves in public

Overtime, the twins become more destructive and so does Hiccup, so being seen together is a no-go

Fishlegs is growing evermore into the scholar and is completely uninterested in fighting, to the point where, if it wasn’t for his stature, he’d be in the same boat as Hiccup (if less magnified, because he’s not the Chief’s son)

So they all “grow apart” into the roles we see in the first movie, with some noticeable differences

They sit together in the great hall, but to anyone casually observing Hiccup’s excluded from the conversation

In actuality, Hiccup and Fishlegs came up with their own little version of sign language which Astrid forced everyone to learn, though some are more fluent than others (Tuffnut is surprising good at it, but Snotlout’s lucky to understand a full sentence)

Astrid still trains extra in the forest, but usually you can find the rest of the group somewhere nearby doing their own thing, if they’re not needed elsewhere

Similarly, because they hang out around her while she trains, she manages to bully at least Hiccup and Fishlegs into being at least passable with one weapon (sword and hammer)

Snotlout still flirts with Astrid, but it’s far more joking and well timed than in canon (of course he still has a crush on her, she’s Astrid, but he also flirts with her to escape that weird fluttery feeling he gets when Fishlegs gets excited about the book he’s reading)

The twins outward behavior doesn’t change as much as their friends’ perception of them

The group is very aware that the twins are far smarter and more capable than they let on, and are aware that a lot of their chaos is carefully planned and not just violent stupidity like the rest of the village might assume

The gang even joins in a lot, the twins made them far more mischievous than they let anyone know

Due to the closeness to Astrid, Ruffnut is far more willing to be serious about training and other things, even if she still tries to downplay it

In reverse, Astrid is far more willing to chill the fuck out and have some fun, let her creativity take the lead, even if she’s very strict about keeping a mask in public

This is getting really long and repetitive so I’m just going to leave a few more thoughts

Fishlegs is far more confident and courageous because of his friends, but he’s still skittish in public

Hiccup is far less he’ll-bent on proving himself, but he’s still a sarcastic insane inventor so the results are pretty much the same he’s just happier (less lonely and lacking self-esteem)

Snotlout and Astrid are more comfortable with their emotions

Snotlout has less self-image problems (still-there though, fuck Spitelout)

When Hiccup says he shot down a Night Fury, they can tell he’s telling the truth, but they don’t have time to search with him that day, so he still meets Toothless the same

They plan to work together come dragon training, but Toothless kinda throws a wrench in that plan

Hiccup tries to keep him secret, but they know him, so when the Zippleback thing happens, he stands no chance

I have a lot more ideas but this so long

Just. Let them be friends damn it

[wherebettertoescape]

Thoughts on The Outsiders Album

Okay, as I said yesterday, I have a LOT of thoughts on the album and I decided to revive this page so I stop bothering everyone IRL with my thoughts about it 😂 I figure there must be a good amount of people on tumblr who are down to listen to my rants about the album, so here goes.

I'll put it under a cut so there aren't any spoilers for anyone who hasn't listened yet, and I know there's one or two things which I've heard about the prouction via other posts and such. But I will stress that I haven't actually seen it, I've only listened to the album and obsessed over it 😂

It's also below the cut because it's fucking LOOOOONG

Please reply to this or send in your own thoughts - I have so much I want to talk about to do with this album and I'm like... shaking with the need to talk about it with people who actually want to listen 😂

(sad times living in the UK 🥲)

I'm gonna go through the album sequentially, like track by track, because that feels like the thing to do, even though I will say right off that I definitely have more thoughts about some tracks than others. And I will also give my favourite line from each song. But for a just, like, general overview to begin with - I love the album so much?

I will fully admit that I was kinda preparing myself for it to be bad - it's a book that I love and I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie adaptation for a few key reasons, but I was so pleasantly surprised by the musical soundtrack.

I'm in love with the style of music, I love the entire cast (all of them have such different singing voices and styles and I think that they merge together so beautifully), and it has most of the things that I love in a musical - for me, it's got the right balance of the talking sections included with the singing, as well, which I know some people aren't huge fans of, but I might be biased because Soda is and always has been my favourite character and most of the talking is by him 😂 (I love Jason Schmidt, but we'll talk about that later), and as well as that the style of music and singing like gives me a good picture of what the actual choreography might look like, which I'm obsessed with, since I probably won't get to see it unless it somehow gets to the West End (🤞🏻)

Tulsa '67

Okay so this song is just like ✨exposition ✨ but it's done in a fun way, and I've decided it's worth it just for the finale reprise

I was also like stupidly emotional the first time I heard it and it opened with the opening line of the book

I was wary because of the immediate characterisation of Sodapop as being the brother "with a broken heart" (side note - does this mean Sandy broke his heart before the show rather than after it? I've goes QUESTIONS) - I'll go into it again when we get into Grease Got a Hold for obvious reasons, but I was worried that Soda was gonna be reduced into just being a womaniser again, which is something that bothered me about the movie adaptation

Favourite line: "all the girls are pretty there, and all the guys are mean"

Grease Got a Hold

right so it has no right to be as much of a bop as it is, it's been stuck in my head for the past week since it came out and I can't even be mad about it 😂

It's essentially just a typical "gang" song to introduce and characterise all the different members

Dally always saying "Little brother" got me so emotional like immediately

And I know I just said that I was upset with Soda's characterisation as a womaniser, but considering later songs, I will say I do find it really funny that he basically just goes "yeah I'm a greaser bc I love women 😊"

I LOVE TWO-BIT MATTHEWS - I would die for Daryl Tofa, just something soooooo good about the line he gives after Soda's verse

I have to admit, I was a little worried that they were gonna be pushing some anti-Darry propaganda, but I had no cause to worry, as he's an actual angel. Also it's so funny how fucking Done he is the moment he starts speaking

Something really funny about Steve not getting a verse, but something really sad about Johnny not getting one, but I don't have fully fleshed out thoughts yet so I'm gonna leave that there

But also there's just something about all of them trying to act tough, but all of them just have the voices of angels

Favourite line: "I'm a latch-key kid but they keep changing the locks" and also "you wanna be a fighter? then know just what you're fighting for"

Runs in the Family

I'm upset because this song has been such an ear-worm for me, but it's actually just so sad? There are a couple of these, but this is one of the main ones for me

It immediately makes Darry just such a sympathetic character - it's well documented that Ponyboy doesn't feel like he's enough of a greaser, but I don't think we talk enough about Darry is a reluctant greaser

Side note: but I'm really glad that they included Darry having dropped out of school to look after Soda and Pony, because that was kinda glossed over in the movie, which I felt did Darry a disservice

I just want to hug Brent Comer and tell Darry that he's doing a good job and everything will be okay 🥲

Favourite line: "I don't know what them boys would ever do without me - and what would I do on my own?"

Great Expectations

honestly this song deserves a post all of it's own, and maybe one day I'll do a full analysis of it

but in the meantime, it's fucking GORGEOUS, like Brody Grant has NO RIGHT to sound like this I'm so mad

THE FUCKING HARMONIES I WANNA SCREAM THEY'RE SO GOOD

One of the things I've loved about the soundtrack in general is how Pony in particular draws parallels and comparrisons between Johnny and the other greasers - here it's between Darry and Johnny, and I love it because Pony references in the book that he feels like he and Johnny are the outsiders in the greasers, he feels like neither of them really belong there, and they convey that so well in the musical with these constant comparisons in the songs and music

The continual return back to this idea of a self-fulfilling prophechy - trying to prove that they're not all the same just because they're greasers (like with the different verses in Grease Got a Hold), and this striving for individuality despite the overarching label they've been given

Favourite line: "It's hard to write this story, when this story's writing me"

Friday at the Drive-in

they all just sound so young - that's my main take-away from this song

I love songs in musicals like this where you're forced to be reminded how young the characters are and you have to humanise them a bit more - a bit like with "Drink with Me" in Les Mis

Also anytime that a soundtrack includes the dance-break it makes me so happy 🥲

Favourite Line: "Got no more stress, nothing to worry me - no more teacher's pet or trigonometry"

I Could Talk to You All Night

I need to say that I love this song, but the opening from Cherry is so fucking savage - like fucking hell there's no need to do that to Pony 😂

Again obsessed with Pony not feeling like enough of a Greaser

I'm a sucker for two people who feel lost in their own worlds finding each other and bonding because they can be themselves in a way that they can never be around their other friends

It's just such a pretty duet, and I want more of Brody Grant and Emma Pittman singing - we could have a million songs of the two of them and it wouldn't be enough

Favourite line: "I'd rather read then fight a rumble, but Greasers have to go along"

Runs in the Family (Reprise)

Dude it's such a serious song, and I'm obsessed that despite that there's just Soda being a little shit in the background

"I'll fold your laundry - I'LL FOLD ALL OF IT"

I love that even in this song it's like you can tell he's just so worried about Pony but it's coming out so angry and frustrated

So full of grief for the life he almost had

He's just so angry at Pony for still being able to dream, and it's like he feels like he needs to prepare Pony for real life, because he feels like he can't dream or wish for things anymore

And then just the screeching violin at the end of the song followed by DEAD FUCKING SILENCE, and then it switches to the next song where Pony starts singing acapella it's just herugighadlsiughukdhjsak, y'know?

Favourite line: "Whats the use in dreaming, about a life I'll never know? That ship sailed long ago"

Far Away from Tulsa

okay so I've already said that I'm obsessed with it beginning with Brody Grant acapella, and I know that the songs probably don't flow straight from one to the other in the actual production, but for the sake of the cast recording the effect is incredible

But also, there was absolutely no need to make this song so gay 😂 - Ponyboy, the bisexual icon we all need

It's very reminiscent of Santa Fe, with just kids dreaming for a life that they could have outside of their big city. Especially with the line "this place is real, it's not just in my head", which is VERY similar to "just be real is all I'm asking, not some painting in my head", but I'm okay with it because Brody Grant is incredible

But that line, as well as the one "'Ponyboy you're just a dreamer', that's what both my brothers say" are also really great links back to the previous song with the references of him being a dreamer, and that being what sets him apart from the other Greasers

I also just wanna say that I think it's criminal that there weren't more Pony/Johnny duets. Sky Lakota-Lynch and Brody Grant own my soul

Also catch me being emotional over Johnny's dream being wanting a family - he doesn't realise that he's already got one in the gang 🥺 (I could write an essay about this and Dally's continued use of 'little brother')

OKAY ALSO OBSESSED WITH THE CIRCLE BACK TO GREAT EXPECTATIONS, AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE LYRICS CHANGE FROM

"Torn between what is and what could be. It's hard to write this story when this story's writing me"

TO

"It's all becoming clear, there's no way we're gonna find that here"

GOTTA ESCAPE TULSA TO ESCAPE THEIR FATE, SOMETHING AGAIN ABOUT SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES, I JUST CAN'T

Favourite line: "I'm tired of blindly watching as we're inching towards the ground"

Run Run Brother

There's so much to say about this song, but I literally can't formulate the words, so it's probably gonna be one that I come back to and properly analyse later. so in the meantime, here are my key take-aways

right from the beginning, it gives just an "oh-shit" feeling, just so much urgency and desperation

All three of them have such different singing voices and styles and the combination of the three just makes me so happy and I don't even know how to like express what I'm feeling

Back to the thing about Dally always calling Johnny (and Pony, but we're emotional about Johnny here) "brother"

the music is just so fitting - I feel like I need to be up and moving every time I hear it, like if I ran ever this would be on the playlist 😂

And I'm going insane over the echoes of what has been previously been said - the "grease isn't given it's something you earn", and "let's leave this behind, let's just get up and go" like you're FORCED to face that they are being given what they want but in a really terrible way

Favourite line: "I hate to make you go, but there ain't no other way"

Justice for Tulsa

okay so I know that this is a really important song and everything, but I will admit this is the one I tend to skip most

I will say I think this song would hit harder if they kept with the themes of police brutality that there are in the novel and movie with regards to Dally's death (going off what I've heard about the script changes from people who have seen it, I can't verify myself)

The song feels very claustrophobic, with everyone just trying to blame everyone else, which I think is really well done. Especially with the multiple voices coming in with "you know just what you did"

And it does show the bias of the world trying to blame the Greasers just by reputation alone, which is thematically nice

and also just the kinda mob mentality of the whole thing, especially at the end, with a declaration of war

Favourite line: "or we could send them back a message, take an eye for an eye"

Death's at My Door

I think I've seen somewhere that this is the opening song for the second act and I just - fucking hell, what an opener 😂 they really just wanna destroy all of us, huh?

EDIT: I've been corrected, and it's Justice for Tulsa that starts act 2 - my bad guys, I don't know where I saw otherwise. JfT starting act 2 makes soo much more sense 😂

I wanted to like reach through my headphones somehow and hug Brody Grant, like holy shit

The first time I heard it all I could think about was how much he's going to blame himself when Johnny (and Dally) do die - especially with Johnny having comforted Pony about it

And I'm just emotional about the exploration of Pony thinking of himself as a burden on everyone he loves, especially going back to what Darry says to him in Runs in the Family reprise, just confirming everything that Pony already worries about himself

Favourite line: "I don't believe in the death that you're bringing - the reason I'm living is you"

Throwing in the Towel

I just love brothers okay? This song made me want to like message all my siblings and tell them I love them

I loved that we see Pony's inner thoughts and fears about being a burden on his brothers, immediately followed by seeing Darry's own thoughts and feelings - the two of them being so similar in how they blame themselves for everything

All three of the Curtis brothers being terrified of losing anyone else

AND THIS IS THE SODA CHARACTER REDEPTION I NEEDED - he becomes more than just the womaniser, you can see him having like actual thought and feelings, and the amount of emotion in Jason Schmidt's voice as he's trying to reassure Darry, like this song and Soda's letter gets across everything that makes Soda my favourite character

And there's something to be said about how they're finally like communicating their emotions 😂

Favourite line: "I know your head is full of doubt, but brother that's what love is all about"

Soda's Letter

Musical letters my beloved ❤️

I love songs like these - they're always just so vulnerable

It links to Tulsa '67 Reprise with the reference to how Soda kinda keeps the family all together. This song you can like see the strain that it has on him, trying to keep the brothers who he loves so much together, by trying to tell Pony that Darry does love him even though he shows it in a very different way

also anyone who has seen it and made it this far in the post can you tell me whether they keep in the bit about Pony reading this really heartfelt letter only to go "Soda's so dumb he can't fucking spell" because it's all I could think about when I listened to it for the first time

Favourite line: "Your brother needs you just as much as you need him, and brother we ain't doing to good alone"

Hoods Turned Heroes

The triumphant return of my beloved Two-Bit, and he's doing some king shit

I love him, okay?

This is another song where I know it's really important, but I actually don't have much to say about it, other than I do really enjoy it

Favourite line: "It's time to celebrate Greasers, take pride in the Greaser name"

Hopeless War

I love that it's just Cherry begging Pony not to change, and hoping that he's still an outsider of the Greasers like she is for the Socs, a hope that the two of them are still kindred spirits even after everything that happened

She knows that the rumble is gonna be where Pony loses that last bit of dreamer in him because he's holding just so much anger at the world - I dunno, there's something there I'm sure 😂

it's such a smooth transition into "Trouble" and I wanna SCREAM it's so good

Favourite line: "even if you win, it doesn't change a thing"

Trouble

It feels like a war chant or something

The music is just so agitated

It's like Run Run Brother where I feel the need to be up and moving

Favourite line: "Do it for Johnny, even the scores, time to rally the crew"

Little Brother

I get chills every time I listen to it

Something about Joshua Boone's voice guys, I don't even know like how someone goes about beginning to talk about it, but whoever takes over as Dally has got some big shoes to fill

It's a lament to Johnny, and I feel like I listen to it and I feel the same anger and indignation that Dally feels

It's a song where I listen to it and I know, even without having seen the production, how I'd stage it and that always makes me excited

The longer the song goes on, the more uneasy you feel listening to it

It links him and Darry together again, with how he blames himself for everything that happened to his little brother, he feels like he should have been able to protect Johnny, the way that Darry always tries to protect Ponyboy

The final tempo increase and the discordant violin at the end, and it feels like even just listening to it you're watching him fall into a grief-led madness, and his certainty that there's only one way that his story can end

Favourite line: "They can't take anymore from me - if I ain't got you, then I ain't got nothing else"

Stay Gold

It feels somehow criminal to put these songs next to each other, but I mean obviously they have to be - that's how they want you to feel, but it doesn't mean that I'm not mad about it

I've listened to it like a million times and it still brings me to tears every now and then

There's something about having the hopelessness of "Little Brother", with Dally bring so apologetic at having failed Johny, followed by Johnny asking Pony to tell him that there's still good in the world

Just how much everyone in this story needs each other and they don't realise that the others need them too, yknow?

Johnny being Dally's "gold" - a lot to say about that but yknow, this is already long as fuck

The simplicity of the music itself (same as with Soda's letter - makes them thematically the same blah blah blah with them both being letters and all that), but it makes the song much more vulnerable than some of the others - nothing for Sky Lakota-Lynch to hide behind

Also that line: "I have looked into a thankful father's eyes, telling me I've saved his daughters life", and how that links to what Johnny says in the book about the little girl's life being worth more than his - I dunno, it just got me emotional, okay?

Favourite line: "I hold on to the good 'cause I've made my peace with all the bad" and also "It's easy to forget when you're trying just to make it through"

Tulsa '67 Reprise

WE MADE IT BOYS (seriously though, for real, if you made it this far, thanks for reading through my descent into madness 😂 and please send your own thoughts and such, bc I'm desperate to hear other people's thoughts)

I said it at the beginning, but I think the reprise of this song makes the exposition at the beginning worth it

At the beginning we hear Ponyboy as a dreamer, and at the end he still has that, but rather than idolising and making everything spectacular, he sees beauty in the mundane - he sees it in his brothers, his friends, all of that

The call backs to the original song as well, which allow us to go back to the theme of looking at individuality - the Greasers wanting to be seen as more than just characatures, and by the end they are like fully-fleshed out people rather than just the basic stock figures we initially get them introduced as in Grease Got a Hold

The clearest examples are, of course, Darry and Soda

Darry goes from being "could have been a football star, people say he had a ticket out" to instead being "the toughest guy I've ever known"

Soda goes from "suffers from a broken heart" to "this family's life and soul"

and then it goes from "got no parents, we fend for ourselves" to "can you imagine how proud mum and dad would be"

just something so beautiful about that, I dunno

There's more I could say about the themes of brotherhood and individuality ("grease as their disguise", for example), but I'll spare it for now

Favourite line: "Just too damn good for growing old, and in his memory I stay gold"

(finally - if you've stuck around to the end, I've also recently set up an instagram account, just for me, so please also check that out if you wanna hear more about my thoughts about random musicals and stuff!)

Freddie 🐸 (Instagram)

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

It’s Sonic Gang Disney Movie Night! And it’s the Unstoppable Forces vs Immovable Objects! Let’s meet our competitors:

Knuckles “the last of his kind on a noble quest to protect a gem with trust issues, badass fighting skills, and a water-based spirit most of his lost culture was based around who wants to live out his fantasy of his people coming back and enemies turning into friends via continued applied trust” the Echidna who wants to watch Raya and the Last Dragon

Tikal “the curious and empathetic chief’s daughter who was really close with her now-dead grandma who yearns to return to a culture her people once had but have now abandoned and works to make peace with the dieties of her culture while being best friends with sentient water who wants to live out her fantasy of resolving her daddy issues and bringing her people and gods to peace” the Echidna who wants to watch Moana

Blaze “the heir to an entire kingdom with a lot of huge expectations placed on her by her deceased parents desperately trying to keep her deadly and dangerous powers under control which is an issue because they burst out when she’s emotional and she’s been repressing quite a bit of emotions only for an energetic, bubbly person to bring her out of her shell and prove that she can be herself without hurting anyone else” the Cat who wants to watch Frozen

Elise also wants to watch Frozen so two points for Blaze

Shadow “an alien scientifically created to be a living weapon meant to destroy who ends up befriending a little girl who teaches him to have humanity, after which he begins to appreciate life on Earth and fights to protect both it and the found family he’s pieced together for himself” the Hedgehog who wants to watch Lilo & Stitch

Sonic who wants to watch Wreck-It Ralph because he’s in it and things go fast

Amy Rose who wants to watch Sleeping Beauty because it’s “romantic” and “beautiful” but also so she can wait until the dragon scene and then start blasting “What I’m Made Of” and scare the shit out of everyone

Silver “was left alone in a barren wasteland for far longer than he wants to admit and honestly probably longer than he can remember who ends up finding one last bit of hope and who wants to live out his fantasy of bringing life back to his planet and seeing society grow around him as he finds a family of his own” the Hedgehog who wants to watch WALL-E. he’ll also settle for Lightyear he guesses

Cream who wants to watch Snow White because pretty princess sing to animals and spin around

Sally “the heir to an entire kingdom with some severe dead dad issues who ends up on the run as a child only to return and find her kingdom decimated by someone she once trusted who now has to raise a rebellion with her childhood sweetheart to dethrone the usurper and retake the land before he can destroy the entire environment” Acorn who wants to watch The Lion King

Vector who wants to watch The Great Mouse Detective and say “that’s what we do. we do that”

Shahra who wants to watch Aladdin. do i even have to

oh and Jet wants to watch Aladdin too but that’s just because he thinks stealing things is funny

Merlina actually does not want to watch Sword in the Stone it makes her uncomfortable however she will BITE someone if they don’t watch Coco next

Marine who wants to watch Finding Nemo because oooh water ooh australia oooh look at the fishies go. no she doesn’t have abandonment issues why do you ask

alternatively, Marine will make everyone watch The Pirate Fairy

Tekno who wants to watch Big Hero 6 because look at those robots go

Omega who wants to watch The Black Cauldron cause it has the most death in it

Rouge who would rather watch everyone argue than see any movie

Mighty and Ray just wanna watch Bambi guys

Big who wants to watch Fantasia because it calms him down. Omega does a quick ecosia search of Night on Bald Mountain and immediately likes this plan

Belle who wants to watch Pinocchio for obvious reasons

Charmy who wants to watch Peter Pan just to point at the tv when Tink is onscreen and look Belle dead in the eye and say “that’s you”

Espio who wants to die

Miles “Tails” Prower who can’t decide if he wants to watch Dumbo or Meet the Robinsons or if both will just bring up a lot of traumatic memories

and finally, Sticks the Badger, who wants to beat the TV to death with a wooden club and then burn Disney HQ to the ground

who will win!! vote now on your phones

[meteor752]

What I would have done

If you have been keeping up with my posts for the last week, you may have noticed that I fucking despise the new Descendants movie

There’s a lot of reasons behind this. One, nostalgia, I love the original ones (Harry Hook is one of my all time favorite characters lol I think he’s fun). Two, I expected more of the franchise, because it’s fucking Disney, and while I know Kenny Ortega wasn’t the director this time, there would at least be people who worked on the original movies involved in the process, so I thought they at least knew what they were doing. Three, nothing in the movie makes any fucking sense, and I’m not usually a person who gets hung up on nitpicks, like if you entertain me then do whatever you want, but my god it’s impossible to ignore.

But most of all, the story they were trying to tell just isn’t interesting.

Like, if I would tell someone what the best part of Descendants is, it’s not the songs, or the cast, or the costumes, or even really the characters. Don’t get me wrong I love all of those parts, and I doubt the movies would be even close to as good as they are if you removed one of these things. But the best and most interesting part to me, and to a lot of people in the fandom as well, is the concept of The Isle Of The Lost.

The concept of taking all of these classic Disney Villains with wildly different aesthetics, motives, ideologies, and overall moralities and placing them all on an island and make them build up a society, that shit’s fascinating, but the core movies do next to nothing with it cause they spend all their time on Auradon. The second one focuses the most on it, and guess what, that one’s the best one!

(I know the books exist, I read them, but they just weren’t that good, like it felt like I was reading bad fan fiction)

So what would I do for Descendants four?

Well, I’d set in on the fucking Isle.

Actually, I think this would genuinely work better as a series. Not that long of a series tho, maybe like eight episodes, each episode like 40 minutes long.

Each episode would focus on a different VK, set a few years before the first movie, and have a short composed story about their general life.

I don’t know which VKs exactly, but I think Harriet Hook could be interesting, her episode being like four or five years before the first movie so we can see preteen C3, I think that would be cute, also a young CJ.

Possibly the Gaston twins, though Lefou Deux could work too. Whichever it would be, the other would feature.

Jade, Jay’s cousin, could be a lot of fun, maybe have like a rivalry between the two.

Freddie and Celia, I think it’s insane that they never mention Freddie in D3, but like I wanna know what their relationship is like.

And of course, Red! Queen of Hearts is a villain, she should be on the Isle. And if any of you dare tell me that she’s from wonderland and they couldn’t like, capture her or whatever, they got fucking Hades on the Isle, they resurrected some guys to place them there, Queen of Hearts is not a problem.

(Also like, Morgie could be there, but this time as a real VK)

But yeah, lot of options lol.

Every episode would show just the grim reality of what these kids would have to live through their whole lives, the complicated relationships they would have with their parents, and really emphasize that fact. D1 was the only one that really focused on how the Isle kids were kids who were all victims of insane abuse their whole lives. I mean, in D3 they all like happily run to meet them once the barrier is down, which is crazy.

Also, the show would be rated PG-13. Like, I’m not asking for graphic scenes of abuse, but I do want it to be kinda gritty and grim, with some more psychological and mental abuse taking place. Also, we’re told multiple times about gang wars, but we aren’t really shown any. Maybe one episode could focus on that, like idk Clay Clayton (insane name btw) and his gang.

But most importantly, we’d have all the Disney villains in cool new leather outfits, which is what I think everyone wants tbh. I have gotten that one part of ‘Life Is Sweeter’ where the villain comes up more than any part of the movie, like people like the villains more than anything. And yeah I know they wouldn’t be young and hot anymore, but like we can have some extreme Milf and Dilf looks, it will even out.

Descendants is one of, if not the most popular franchise Disney Channel has made, it deserves a better continuation than Rise of Red.

Also, if the show is popular then we could have a season two/sister series, about the kids of Auradon, that could be interesting too, and also have some dark shit in it, idk. The way that Queen Leah spoke to Audrey in D3 had some dark undertones, so I think her episode could be interesting. Could also feature the political implications of The Isle, potential protests and propaganda, idk.

Also, Chloe can get an episode, so boom we got them both!

So what I’m trying to say here is this:

Disney hire me

[socialjusticeinamerica]

*Spoilers in the linked article.*

I caught an early screening last night. It wasn’t well attended. The film is more like a Blumhouse horror movie on steroids than anything you may have conceived ahead of time. It is very dark, gritty, and oppressive. It reminds me of of seeing Platoon and leaving the theater tired as if I had been in the battle.

The film doesn’t really play off of current politics but rather fictional plot lines so as not to offend the current right and left wings in America. Despite this it is an intensely realistic war film and edge of your seat thriller. The main characters are war correspondents and their personal detachment from the frightening scenes of violence, near indifference in some scenes, becomes a subplot.

Civil War depicts the chaos, fear, violence, deprivation, depravity, and sheer terror one can only experience by having been in a war zone. Nick Offerman, as the President, is only in a few brief scenes and though the film stays away from real life connections his character is in his “third term” and has disbanded the FBI. Clearly this is Trumpian but subtle enough to fly over the heads of MAGAts. Rogue militia men, not much different than we see in Red States, armed with AR-15’s are present throughout the film and generate tension and sheer terror at some points. The acts of graphically realistic barbarity are hard to process.

The film is a cautionary tale of an America plunged into an utterly chaotic and brutal Civil War where no prisoners are taken, literally on the screen. There are no good guys or bad guys and very little context or background is given. The closing photo on screen during the end credits speaks volumes. This is not just what is highly likely to happen if the right-wing doesn’t get their way but what the cost will be to society. Chaos, disruption, breakdown in the supply chain, the resulting lack of food and fuel, breakdown of the power grid, collapse of law and order, domestic terrorism, anarchy, devaluation of currency, humanitarian crises, destruction of infrastructure, and a constant state of fear.

Ok, begin rant here:

Sadly about a third of the country wants this to happen and has not only been preparing for it but actually trying to provoke it. In the eighties and nineties we saw hopeless young marginalized people in rural join gangs and be willing to toss their lives away because their situation was near hopeless. They expected to die young and didn’t care if they did or what harm they caused along the way. They lacked educational opportunities or any meaningful employment. Now in the two thousands we see rural southern and western white youth with the same mindset. Red state Republican governance and corporate plundering has left them poorly educated with no chance at socio-economic advancement. The difference between the two groups being that the poor rural whites have been brainwashed into supporting their oppressors. Further they are armed with military assault rifles and own a plethora of combat tactical gear.

This stems in part from the unholy alliance of the NRA and the GOP (Republicans). However more to the point it stems from the desensitization that two decades of forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused. This was courtesy of grifter war criminals Bush/Cheney. Our streets are now flooded with hundreds of thousands of traumatized, disillusioned, and disgruntled veterans and their tales fascinate MAGAs to the point where they form militias. The Republicans, who vote against veterans aid consistently, have claimed the military and falsely profess admiration for it with empty lip service. Poor and poorly educated Republicans now worship the military like they are warriors on the Klingon home world. Nothing against active or retired military just the Republican pretenders. While Joe MAGA himself doesn’t serve, he feels the need to play pretend soldier and would in a heartbeat turn his life inside out and our nation inside out for a sense of belonging, ie the MAGA cult mentality. They want that post apocalyptic gun slinger world where they believe life is simple as long as you are carrying a gun. They have been conditioned not to think things through and see no other escape from a society that has become too complicated for them to navigate.

That’s the crux of my story, rural Republicans feel hopeless and have been radicalized by demagogues to the point they will wage war on the rest of the country. Republican politicians and their corporate/oligarch masters want to gorge themselves off of a civil war they believe they will win. See the movie Civil War and see what the ordinary MAGAt is hoping to do to the rest of us.

The movie, although brutal and not for the faint of heart, is a cautionary tale that we need to be aware of.

[wxnheart]

𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞, 𝟏𝟒𝟏 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

You quickly realized that as efficient and goddamn dangerous 141 is, the gang, uh... they could be better when it comes to the holidays.

You had to literally draw straws to see who would decorate the tree. Ghost eliminated himself because according to him, he "picked the very fucking best" tree and it "took more time than it was worth". Gaz was kind enough to volunteer.

The theme was Secret Santa and everyone was damn near strategizing trying to see what their person wanted as a gift. ("Guys, it's just a damn gift.")

No one wanted to watch Christmas movies or listen to Christmas music but fuck if you don't know all the lines in Skyfall like the back of your fucking hand.

You somehow convince Price to dress up as Santa Claus/Father Christmas and make the fam take a group photo. Price has his cigar dangling out his mouth and couldn't give two shits, Ghost is glaring staring at the camera, Soap is making bunny ears behind his head because why the hell not, and Gaz, Laswell, and Alejandro are the only ones smiling.

Ugly sweaters were canceled before you could even say the words.

Mistletoe Madness is a thing and it usually involves trying to get fucking Ghost of all people under the mistletoe. Just doing so nets you about 50 pounds. Kissing him (his cheek) and living to tell the tale nets you a whole 100. So far, Price has been the only one to actually get him under the mistletoe. Instead of a kiss, he gave him a hearty pat on the back.

Alejandro brought with him some good ass tequila and the boys poured the majority of it into the egg nog. The egg nog that was for... Santa. ("Eh, don't worry about it. We got him.") The egg nog they practically devoured.

You used Ghost and Soap as your personal shield to get through the hustle and bustle that was Christmas shopping. And also may or may not have used them to get that last Christmas cake that everyone was fighting over.

Instead of eggnog and cookies for Santa/Father Christmas, the 141 set out a bottle of tequila and a cigar. That was nowhere to be seen the next day. Price had said fuck that noise and took his cigar back because the bastard could get his own and he refused to waste a good cigar. You later found out that Soap, Gaz, and Ghost drank the tequila as soon as you went to bed.

Christmas was a hot-ass, hilarious mess. Everyone's Secret Santa got gifts that pretty much gave their identity away. And of course, Simon was Johnny's Secret Santa. Of. Fucking. Course. ("A mask, Lt.?" "So you won't ruin eyes, Johnny." "Fuck. Off.")

No one wanted to cook so take-out, beer, cake, and tequila it was for Christmas dinner!

You all also played Uno which resulted in fucking Gaz of all people flipping the table. Alejandro was busy watching sports and Laswell and Price were enjoying the spectacle. Oh, and Soap and Ghost damn near got into a wrestling match because goddamn it, Johnny, you pulled another fucking Draw 4?!

All in all, it was an absolute disaster but you wouldn't have it any other way. Happy fucking Christmas.

Oh, and who the fuck sent Graves some coal and dildos as a Christmas gift? ("Coal and cocks." "Simon, what the fuck?")

[popironrye]

Michael is a Great character and Star Deserves more than she gets.

While the 4 main vamp bois in 1987 'The Lost Boys' get plenty of pretty equal love from the fandom (and many also love Michael) but I don't see the same love extended to Star and many people criticize the both of them. So I just want to set the record straight. I don't trust people who hate on Michael and Star. There I said it!

Let's start with Star since she's the easier one to talk about.

o The biggest criticism I see for Star is people say she's forgettable, one note, and reduced to Michael's love interest. (This is especially bad in shipping spaces for people who ship Michael with the male members of the lost boys) While it's true Star doesn't get a lot to do in the film, she has about as much if not more screentime and speaking roles as the other lost boys like Marko, Paul, and especially Dwayne. Her biggest crime is being in a story that isn't solely about her, but that's ok! She works in the role she has, which is the main reason why Michael goes through everything he does in the movie. Would it have been better if she had a bigger impact in the climax? Sure but with Michael, Sam, and the Frog brothers having that many characters fighting back against the vampires would get pretty cluttered. Also, having Star not vamp out is criminal. I wanted to see Star with the vamp eyes and fangs.

Speaking of playing a role aside Michael! o Michael gets a lot of flack for making stupid decisions and never asking questions or communicating. God forbid characters have flaws and a movie have conflict to get the plot moving. I love Michael's character. It's something I relate to honestly. People seem to forget that Michael is only 18. Moving several hours away from his home state, leaving behind any friends, coworkers, and family behind to live in a new place with his recently divorced mother. A broken family on top of having to adjust to a new place to live. Yes, he's horny for Star the minute he sees her but it goes beyond her when David and the boys show up. Michael is desperate to be a part of a group. He has no friends and the only family he's hanging out with is his significantly younger brother. I personally don't see Michael going through everything he did just for a chance to hook up with Star. Hell, after he (admittedly stupidly) decks David in the face and gets invited back to the hotel, Star is standing in the distance while Michael is being persuaded by David. If this was truly about competing with David for Star's affection, why is Michael chilling with them. Eating dinner with them, and then accepting the bottle. David drives the point home to the audience and to Michael. "Be one of us." We of course know he's referring to being a vampire but to Michael he's being offered a spot in the gang. He's being peer pressured into being apart of their group, and he doesn't say no because he wants that. Speaking of, people also point the blood drinking scene as Michael not listening to Star and making a stupid decision. He doesn't even ask what's in the bottle before he swigs it. I've already said that characters having flaws is not an issue but really think about it. Yeah, the group is weird but say you were in Michael's shoes. Someone hands you a bottle to drink and another person says it's blood. Would you believe them? Michael knows at this point that David is messing with him. What with the maggots instead of rice and worms instead of noodles, proven to be something Michael saw but then seeing what he saw wasn't real. So you got an 18 year old with no friends surrounded by a group chanting his name, of course he drinks the blood. He had no reason to believe David gave him actual blood to drink.

And I think that about covers it. You can say I'm biased, but idc. Let me know your thoughts!

[tangledbea]

As heartwarming as the epilogue is, It does encapsulate a problem I have with the show: it’s that it has these big payoffs that are usually satisfactory in the moment, but had very little build up

Rapunzel becoming a good queen?: On paper that is extremely fitting. But here’s the thing: other than other characters mentioning that she was gonna become queen, we never actually got to see Rapunzel realizing just how big of a responsibility that is, and the process of her learning what it means to be a good ruler. There’s bits and pieces of it (Great Tree, the painting episode, etc) but it never really sticks

Eugene becoming captain of the guards?: Where did that even come from?! Honestly, it felt like the writers didn’t really know what to do with him. The closest we got to an arc for him was the Dark Kingdom, but that gets kinda forgotten about, and doesn’t affect his character all that much.

Cassandra going off to find a path that’ll make her truly happy?: Again, conceptually fitting, but it wasn’t properly fleshed out or set up because for 99% of the season Cass whined about Gothel and like 5 other things that barely related

Varian reconciling with and feeling validated his dad?: Well Qurin wrote this letter back in “Queen for a Day”, shortly before getting trapped in the amber, and it was stated to have been something very important. But come season 3 it turns out the letter just says “I proud of U :)” , and all the baggage is instantly resolved, Varian is a okay now, yipeeeeee-. Like nice sentiment but we were promised more.

To be fair, I'm not at all positive that Rapunzel is supposed to be the queen at the end of the series. Her accepting the crown means she's officially ready to officially have the responsibility she's been carrying out for the entire season.

But when you look at the finale scene, Frederic and Arianna are still wearing their crowns.

But when you see them being casual (not "on the clock" as it were) they don't wear them. So, I don't think Rapunzel is meant to be queen in the epilogue, just officially ready to take on all responsibilities of Crown Princess.

I was never too fond of Eugene becoming Captain. It's sort of... the "natural" conclusion of "Fitzherbert P.I.," where he's shown not being a fit for the guard. Over the course of the series, he becomes more responsible, more reliable, and moreover, he's Rapunzel's #1 defender. I still don't like him as Captain, though, and I personally headcanon that he only keeps it up for a couple years, tops, before turning the guard over to Maximus. After all, the movie's epilogue implies that Max is the one who keeps the kingdom crime-free, and that Eugene has nothing to do with it.

Cassandra actually spent most of the series dissatisfied with her lot in life, and "Beginnings" even shows that she's not happy in Corona and would rather be somewhere else. Besides, I headcanon that she was soft-banished for taking Corona over. That's why she wasn't expected to help clean up the mess she made; because Rapunzel very lovingly told her she had to go and wasn't welcome there anymore.

As for Varian, his plot resolved at the beginning of S2. I know a lot of people really would have liked to see more with him and Quirin, but that wasn't a loose end for me. What little we saw of them showed that they were getting along better and making an effort to be a part of each other's lives. But while Varian achieved main character status, in actually, he's physically in 15 of 60 episodes (including the pilot), and two of those episodes ("Not In the Mood" and "King and Queen of Hearts") he's barely in them, so it's more like 13 episodes, which is less than 22% (21.66666666 etc%) of the series. Then he has his imaginary cameo in "Happiness Is..." So as much as people love him, he's not actually a major part of the overall series plot, in general, and his presence in S3 is more about how he now gets along with the gang than his dad. That's not really a flaw of the series, IMO.

[the-sage-libriomancer]

i try not to overthink the worldbuilding in Scoob and Shag because it's a thin premise that can't withstand much scrutiny (especially stuff relating to Toone), but i did have some thoughts that don't blow up the story's logic, so.

-first of all, the concept of "cartoon characters = actors" is inherently fascinating. especially since a lot of the actors seem to be government workers as well, implying the government used their own staff along with professional actors (like Yoge). what was the criteria? did they just have to look human? did Toone write show premises around whatever "characters" they had available? maybe that would explain some illogical plots and clunky lines in saturday morning cartoons - the actors didn't have much acting experience, and for all we know the writers were entry-level accountants.

-ballyhoo is also fascinating. it's basically a living metaphor for how an audience can influence their media: a toon's ballyhoo is directly empowered by how much love the human population gives them, just like how enough love of a fictional character makes them popular enough to keep appearing in media. it increases their strength (bc they have influence over the world) and extends their lifespan (bc they don't "die" until people stop caring about them), and all the ballyhoos are named after tv/movie terms like Picture in Picture or Jump Cut, implying that using tv/movie screens as a medium influences what sort of abilities they can get.

-the fact that too much ballyhoo causes you to instinctively, uncontrollably break the fourth wall is super fun and super fascinating and (as Bugs demonstrates) super horrifying. too much energy from meta sources causes the confines of your narrative to break down, leaving you in a weird spot in-between your world and a world you can't see.

-i can't stop thinking about The Inspector's backstory. it's just so tragic. born an android, given a literal soulmate shortly after creation, constantly looked down upon for not having a ballyhoo, losing his soulmate to old age, then losing his home to a war caused by the very thing you were devalued for not having. Bugs said that a toon's ballyhoo can extend their lifespan (likely bc a character who's beloved by fans doesn't really die), so the fact that Penny got old and died means she wasn't popular enough with the humans, which makes sense - Inspector Gadget is the iconic one after all. he's the one who everyone loved and remembered, and it was completely useless to him because he didn't have ballyhoo. no wonder he never smiles.

-i just realized that the Inspector was forced to leave Penny's grave behind when he escaped Toone. he can never visit her again :(

-speaking of screen partners, i love thinking about how the dynamics in cartoon series translate into real life and vice versa. it's a chicken and egg question: did certain characters land roles together because they were friends, or did they become friends because they worked together as actors? were Spongebob and Patrick actually buddies? did Felix the Cat work with Mick back in the beginning days of sending broadcasts? what's Scooby's professional opinion on Scrappy-Doo?

-(i wonder if you could justify the short period in Scooby-Doo history where Shaggy and Scooby were the only members of the gang regularly appearing in shows as "the government needed a way to keep the dangerous terrorists busy so they literally Could Not let those two stop appearing in things" asjhshbjahsjahsja)

-i I love that all the commanders are cartoon characters who were so popular/beloved that they seeped into (usamerican) popular culture: Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson, Bugs Bunny, etc. They were the most powerful because their cartoons became the powerhouses of their respective eras - you can't get more loved than them.

-i wonder if the Simpsons were basically an ageless family back on Toone because they're still popular even after 40+ years, halting their aging. actually, i bet a lot of toons stopped aging after ballyhoo became commonplace. if your lifespan was defined by how loved you were by a fickle human audience, how do you think that affected relationships? it must've been hard if you had a tangible, literally life-affecting gauge of how popular you are according to alien beings you've never met.

-i was thinking about why Kermit is included as an mc when he's a muppet and the other toons are strictly western animation characters. the doylist explanation is that the author hadn't decided to limit the media used (similar to how Mario and Goku appear in early episodes), but i have a watsonian theory. i think Kermit is from the old Muppet Babies saturday morning cartoon, all grown up. he might've been a child actor who stayed with the government even after aging out, possibly explaining why there aren't any other muppets: they left the business and probably didn't escape Toone as a result.

-relatedly: my headcanon is that traditional (i.e. not toon-led) animation IS possible in this universe, and any animated project not usamerican is created that way. so anime is to the toons as a cg character is to humans, and the Goku pic is the equivalent of...i dunno, a photo of Avatarized Jake Sully lol.

-the fact that anime characters apparently didn't exist on Toone is probably for the best. can you imagine how powerful characters like Sasuke and Bakugo would be lmao.

-lastly, i was thinking about the old gods (or whatever they are). i'm pretty sure they're beings who exist behind the fourth wall. when Dee is pulled into the purple one's domain, she at first sees it as a wide open area in space, but then she starts processing it as more of a glass cube, with one huge window screen, large tubes, and wires running through the floating spheres - not unlike being held inside a tv. the purple god even says that staying too long will cause her mind to "shatter under the weight of reality" which...i think discovering you're actually a fictional character in a webcomic would do that to you. so the gods "interfering" is them going against the story's narrative to give the characters a boost. (this might tie into who Bugs is talking to when he/she addresses the camera - it's not technically us, it's the gods behind the wall.)

i have other thoughts but uh. this post is probably long enough.

[kojikanokangaetano]

Across the Spiderverse, Perpetual victimhood and the possibility of youth as shown by Miles and Miguel (+ Hobie)

Tldr because this might be long: Movie good; Miguel is stuck in a state of being the perpetual victim and has dragged down other spideys with him, while Miles is fighting against being ever put in this position, which is why they compliment each other perfectly as foils

So, rambling incoming- I have a lot of thoughts regarding Miguel and have only seen the movie once so far so please forgive me if I got something wrong- only based on the movie(s)

I believe that Miguel O´hara, as well as Miles, are supposed to showcase the approaches of being victimized and how they deal with their experiences, respectively.

Point one: Parent -teacher talk:

In the first scene predominantly featuring Miles, the teacher and his parents are supposed to talk about his academic future, in which the teacher specifically points out Miles supposed "struggles"- however, his parents, as well as Miles himself, are quick to point out that they had a lot of opportunities and are living a good life in Brooklyn, which is shown by the community + family participating in a rooftop party for Jeffersons promotion (+ the "we have a car statement"). However, the teacher reiterates her point of how "They always struggle" somehow and urges to make that point about himself the anchor of his, still blank, "universe".

Point two: Miles´ future aspirations

During the talk, it is shown how Miles sees his parting with the spider-gang from itsv as a mere temporary hindrance, something that can be overcome if he just tries himself at overcoming the wall that is the existence of multiple universes. Even though in the first film it was clearly established that he enjoys his art primarily, he is willing to put that on the backburner and reevaluate his priorities to reach certain goals (seeing Gwen, Peter B., Peni, Noir and Ham) BEFORE pursuing his other passions.- Miles is shown to articulate this actually pretty well to his parents- sure, his dream of meeting them again might be spurred on by a childlike will to belong, but he is clearly able to reason with his parents who are objecting to princeton university at first.

Point three: Dealing with his uncles death

During the whole runtime, it is shown again and again how, instead of letting the death of his uncle drag him down, he is uplifted by his memory and his last words. They are defining for him and what he has achieved since then. It is even shown during the flashback-scene in Miguels lab (?) that even peter B. is not able to keep his eyes on his respective uncles´´ death, but Miles is shown to aknowledge not only his OWN pain, but moreso try to empathize with other spideys in attendance.(will touch upon this later)

How does Miguel play into all of this?

Contrary to Miles, Miguel is shown to be standoffish and unempathizing unless pressed into being soft (taking Gwen reluctantly while she is held at gunpoint with her identity exposed btw). He is shown in his first unmasked scene to be reminisicing about his family, replaying the few happy memories he had with them most likely over and over. Unlike Miles, he reminds himself not only of the positive aspects of what his family stands for, but the MISTAKE they represent to him specifically. This ties into the straight up spiteful way he deals with Miles.

Point one: Miguel uses Miles as a scapegoat

He hates Miles because he blames him. While he talks about the fact that he messed up, it becomes clear during the following talk -and chase- that he, in actuality, blames Miles for everything that happened. Miles is the "orginal Anomaly" and as such the reason why Miguel was compelled to build the universe-hopping-watches. This, subsequently, made him (want to?) find a family. Without Miles getting bitten, he would have never committed the mistake in the first place- As such, Miguel is pushing all the blame on Miles- Miles forced him to act, so the family he had and lost were all because of Miles becoming a spiderman when he wasnt supposed to- easy, right? This is an integral way of thought that also is reflected in the plot.

Point two: Victim-mentality and being "a vicitim of the narrative"

Not only is it most likely used to ctritique the state of the current spidey-comics, of which there has been a huge stir recently(that I dont know that much about, sadly), but it also ties into the mindset of Miguel. He has become jaded (by age and lived experience) and is lost in his perspective of being a victim. Because of this, it has become a necessity to blame anything and anyone to push away his own guilt- in the end, Miles never actively pressured him to find a family and mess up a whole universe while doing so. But even if this shouldnt apply, Miguel has a backdoor for his poor rationalization: It was always unavoidable- the game was never meant to be won, especially as a spider-person. Its freeing and gives him the possibility to atone and distract himself from his wrongdoings, while channeling his anger towards his "true" enemy- Miles.

This is even moreso shown to the audience as to how he has made every other spidey think the same way he does (exceptions made for Hobie and others later on). It is freeing for these peters, too,to know that they werent at fault- if everyone but them is at fault, how are they supposed to feel any guilt? Miguel essentially made the majority of spideys vicitms in their own stories. They have become mere pawns in their narratives and, in turn, entered a "victim mentality". In essence a self-fulfilling prophecy.Only characters like Miles and Hobie see through such a narrow way of thinking.

Spiderpunk - and why he is the most important new player for Miles (and across the spiderverse)

Hobie, my man, number one instigator- spiderpunk, right from his entrance, is shown to be just different from most other spideys. he, right after meeting Miles for the first time (and knowing about his special status as an "anomaly" already), is seen helping him out. He straight up even tries to prevent him from going to HQ, sensing something is up. While on their way to Miguel, he questions Gwen regarding what she must have NOT told Miles and starts stealing parts for a makeshift watch later on.

He even tries to talk sense into Miles and the fact that he is living a good life (even with the likely knowledge of Uncle Aarons death). Which Miles, like everything else, pushes aside because of his need for "true" companionship in form of the spidey-society. Also, the line "knowing about which war you enlist in"- wow, like damn

Uncle Ben

When shown the flashbacks of everyones Uncle Ben, Miles sees Peter B.s and others Uncles in their last moments as a "canon event",playing out before him. At one point, he turns to Hobie and asks specifically if he also went trough this, him having been the outlier up until now. Hobie only turns away, seemingly uncomfortable with the comment "What about it"- Hobie rejects Miguels notion of one laid out event pushing his identity into a specific direction. He detests the idea of being a victim and actively tries to show this mutliple times in his demeanor. He may have suffered loss, but who doesnt? How is this an indicator of being spiderman? He is himself because he wants to be himself, loss be damned. Aknowledging the fact that there might be things that make him a mere player in a narrative, to be written into scenarios already thought out, makes him obviously unhappy- and maybe even feel like he is being instrumentalized-.

Hobie and Miles

Hobie sees the way Miles, akin to Pavtir/Spider-Man India, says "I can do both", a.k.a- "doing whats right" being put BEFORE what the rules would tell you. In conjunction with his mere existence as a sign of "rebellion" and "anomaly" it becomes only natural for him to be the one to stick up for him (telling spiderwoman "good" when told he isnt helping her.) and being the one that effectively breaks out Miles from his electric cage. Hobie sees the spark of freedom and possbility in Miles, something that he must have missed while being at HQ. When things escalate and he sees that Miguel will stick to his guns and toxic mindset, he just, dips. He even leaves his watch, refusing to profit from anything given to him by an organization that doesnt align with his moral code.

Conclusion

Spiderverse never fails to impress. Like, wow- Miles mere existence, that "anybody could wear the mask", even someone that was supposed to become the damn Prowler, is merely dismissed by Miguel and others, them entirely caught in their own sorrow and perpetual state of self-assigned victimhood. Spiderverse shows that actively struggling and trying to break molds and systems that you dont agree with (Miles just trying his best and being uplifted by positive influences, putting his all into his aspirations, even with the outcome being unclear, Spiderpunks whole existence) is the only real way out of being a victim of your own story. He is doing his own thing, and just trusting the leap of faith he has commited himself to again and again, something that Miguel has rejected entirely by now. He in turn finds comfort in the role of a self-appointed martyr and self-sacrifizing head of the spidey-society („I have been the one holding it all together“, etc.). Him realizing that maybe, just maybe, Miles wasnt the one who made the choice for him and that Miguel decided to live his life, with all of his consequences, is so horrifiying, so earth-shattering, that he has made Miles, a teenager, public threat number one in not just his, but everyones eyes. If miles isn’t a victim like him, he has to be the perpetrator.

——————-

The presented message does not only apply to fiction, but also real-life- you are the only one to make choices -and specifically adjustments- to your own life (and story), because hey, "there is no playbook" at the end of the day. :)

I know I could have touched upon Gwen and other characters but it would have been even longer and its late so

[im-s0rry]

Random Chapter Three Secret Boss Ideas I Threw Together For No Reason.

Hi Y'all! It's been a good bit since I've made a new secret boss. Actually, now that I think about it, it hasn't. The latest one was. . .MIKE-MAYHEM TWENTY-THREE DAYS AGO??? I must of lost track of time. In that case, why don't I show off a collection of designs based on some ideas I had, some theories I enjoy, and some horror movies that I find interesting.

Up first we have Shioreta! Shioreta is my take on what I'd like to call Dragon Theory. It's basically just that the Secret Boss of Chapter Three will be the How To Draw Dragons Book and may explore the themes of Asriel's True Nature. For Shioreta's Design, I based it off of the description of the dragon, Susie, stereotypical Japanese school girl attire, and a bit of inspiration from Sailor Moon. My idea for her lore is that she was abandoned by Asriel and has become a bit of an psycho who desperately wants a friend. She lives in a singular grayscale room with filled with flowers and a cherry Blossom tree, the petals of which would be blood red.

The next design on the choppin' block is Mirrorscare! This design is based on the one and only Scream franchise and is based on the "faker" trope that I've seen quite a bit in Secret Boss circles. Mirrorscare pretends to be Asriel or Ralsei or one of the goat people and eventually tries to attack the Fun Gang. That is honestly all of the lore I have for them.

And now we have the one and only RIPley! Listen, I freakin' love Evil Dead. It is stupid gorey fun that can get REALLY dark and messed up. My idea for RIPley came from the bouquet given to Toriel. I'd say that the flowers eventually wilted which gave rise to something sinister. . .something evil and dead. . .RIPley's design is based on flowey (specifically one of his creepy faces), Ash Williams, the Deadites, and their arm is suppost to be made of lost assets. I guess you could say that they were assets that died in production, ayy? AYY???

Also, yes. They have the Necronomicon.

Finally for this batch of designs, we have an idea that was brought to my attention by my lovely friend Glitch! So, without further adieu, please welcome Saudade!

Saudade is supposed to be an old family recording of a happy memory of the Dreemurr Family. This now acts as her hitlist, as she stalks the land searching to find the 4 Remaining. . . She's inspired by The Ring and all of the creepy VHS tape goodness that comes with it! Her fight would probably have her come out of a TV to fight the Fun Gang.

And that, my friends, wraps up this collection of designs. I hope you found at least a few of them enjoyable and that you had just as much fun as I did designin' these freaks. To be totally honest with y'all, Mari absolutely popped off with RIPley. I may never recover from how sick they were able to make that freak. If you made it this far, you my friend get to have some bonus content featuring Buddy Bloomy!

Buddy Bloomy was made by @glitch-the-artist , who also gave me the idea for Saudade!

Have a wonderful day and I hope to see y'all some time in the future!

[3mcwriting]

Any Fan's Dream, Part 7

Any Fan's Dream Masterlist

Synopsis:

When you look around and see Avengers Tower in front of you and Peter Parker beside you, you wonder how the hell you managed to get into the MCU.

Taglist: @secretly-sirens, @zeeader, @imdoingathingmom, @x-theolivia, @ainsley-official, @huntress-artemiss, @hoohoohope, @ourgoddessathena, @wiintaersoldier

Sorry if I missed anyone, please just message me again and I'll add you.

Rhodey stood across from Sam, gesturing as he talked, "Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have."

Sam's arms were crossed as they debated. "So let's say we agree to this thing, how long is it gonna be until they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, 'Nah, it's cool. We got it'."

"How long are you gonna play both sides?" Sam asked.

Your eye darted back and forth between the two of them, feeling panic begin to build in your chest as it played out exactly like in the movie. 

You tore your gaze away from the arguing men and looked at the woman was seated beside you on the couch. After the Secretary had left, everyone had moved to a living room in the Compound, you were on the couch, seated next to Tony who was laying down with his hand on his face. Nat had moved to sit next to you in the unoccupied space.

"You sure weren't afraid to speak your mind." Natasha said, "And your opinions seem clear as to what side you're on."

You shook your head, "I'm not on any side. I just want you guys to stick together and get the respect you deserve."

Vision's voice grabbed everyone's attention. "I have an equation." 

Sam turned to look at him. "Oh, this will clear it up."

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially." Vision continued. "During the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

Steve, who had the Accords opened in his hands, spoke up, "Are you saying it's our fault?"

Vision looked around, "I'm saying there may be a causality."

You wrapped your arms around yourself, listening as he went on. 

"Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict...breeds catastrophe. Oversight...Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom." Rhodey said, feeling that his point had been proven.

Natasha looked past you to the man laying down, "Tony, you're being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve and you said, simultaneously.

You knew that line. Of course you knew that line.

If you didn't find a way to change Tony's mind, then they would split. 

Tony glance at you, then directed his gaze toward Steve. "Boy, you know me so well." Tony got up from the couch, and began to walk to the kitchen which was only a few short paces from the living room. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain," he grabbed a coffee mug, "discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

He tapped a tablet on the counter, and you winced when you saw the image projected. 

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid, computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig planned at Intel for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world."

You could see the haunted look on Tony's face, one that told you, 'people are dead. And it's because of us.'

"Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia."

You watched as Wanda looked down, the way multiple of them ducked their head in guilt.

"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." Tony took a drink from his coffee, "There's no decision making process here." Raising his voice, he said, "We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."

"You are nothing like the bad guys." Heads turned to face you, eyes directed on you. It was a bit intimidating, having the Avengers stare at you, but you didn't regret your words. "There will always be someone who needs saving, but nobody can save everyone. The deaths are not your fault. Please," you looked at Tony. "You've saved the world. Multiple times. Yes, people died, and yes, that is horrible. But that doesn't mean you give up, you keep fighting for a better tomorrow and one day there will be one. You are heroes."

Steve nodded his agreement, "Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up."

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony questioned.

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame." Steve asserted.

"I'm sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant." Rhodey interjected, "This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Panel,  it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not Hydra-"

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change."

To your dismay, the debate took a far-too-similar path as it did in the movies. Even with you trying to keep them together, trying to make them see all the ways they helped the world, you weren't sure that you had managed to make any difference at all. 

At the end, Tony had told you that he would be driving you back to the Tower. The drive back was awkward, filled with unspoken words and lingering questions. You found yourself looking out the window the entire drive back, unable to look at Tony lest he see the water beginning to pool in your eyes. To distract yourself, you watched in the rear-view mirror as the self-driving car you had taken earlier, followed the two of you as the ride went on.

It was hard, knowing that your insignificance in your previous world had still managed to wind up in this world. You were lost, how were you supposed to keep the team together when everything was trying to pull them apart?

Tony dropped you off at your apartment, and when you bid each other goodbye, you couldn't help but notice the tension between you two. You hated it because only days earlier you were hanging out with him while the two of you enjoyed music and each other's company. You entered the apartment, grateful for the key "your" mom had given you, glad that you wouldn't be seen breaking down in tears in the hallway. 

After locking the door closed behind you, you ran to your room. You shut that door too, happy that "your" parents were working so they couldn't question your actions.

You collapsed on your bed, curling into the blankets in a search to find some form of comfort. You lip trembled, thoughts spiraling.

How were you going to keep them together? Was the team supposed to stay together? What happens if you you're just as useless in this world as you were in yours? What happened if you changed Civil War and they stay together and you end up screwing up Endgame? Actually, you probably didn't have to worry about that based on how little your choices seemed to affect anyone. You were insignificant. Everyone was going to hate each other because you couldn't do fucking anything.

Your eyes had begun to well up, but they finally spilled over, cascading down your face. The trails of water left paths showing your sadness, your frustration. Your body shook with sobs, your breath quickening. 

"(Y/N)?! (N/N) ARE YOU OK? (Y/N)!"

Peter's voice interrupted your sobbing, sometime while you shifted around on the bed, you had butt-dialed Peter.

You tried to calm your breathing so you could respond, but that just ended up choking you up more as more cries spilled out of you. 

"I'll be right over."

You didn't even hear him, had no clue he was coming over until Peter had burst into your room. 

He hurried over to you, forehead creased in concern, "(y/n), what can I do?"

You tried to say something, anything, but your breathing had only gotten faster and your sobs were choking you and you needed air you needed to breath-

Peter's concern of making you uncomfortable was shoved aside when he saw you descend into panic. He grasped your hands in his, causing you to look at him through wet eyelashes, vision blurred. 

"(y/n)," Peter tried to keep his voice calm and even, even as his worry began to spiral. "I'm right here. You're ok. Try to relax. Slow down your breathing."

You tried to follow his directions, but his words weren't able to penetrate the poisonous words you had thought to yourself earlier. 

Peter began to panic as your sobs only got worse, he didn't know how to help you. Was he supposed to hug you? Give you space? Ask how you were doing? Distract you? Questions swirled within him and he could feel his own breathing quicken, but he forced himself to relax because you needed him.

He wrapped his arms around you, holding your shaking body. Your arms draped loosely at your sides as you cried. He rubbed your back, knowing that that helps him relax so he hoped that it would work for you too. 

He talked to you softly, hoping to get you to calm down your breathing. "Ned and I built a new Lego today," he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, but continued to ramble. While he did, he kept on rubbing your back with one hand while the other hand grasped your limp hand and squeezed it reassuringly. 

The two of you stayed like that for a while, time lost to both of you. At some point, he had moved the two of you. He was sitting up against the headboard, you beside him. Your arms were wrapped around yourself in a desperate search for comfort and he pulled you closer and wrapped his arms around you in a hug, arms encircling you to shield you from the world.

Your breathing had slowed, but your sobs were still pouring out of you frequently. There were just too many things you had to think about, so much you had to change. Your thoughts drifted to Infinity War, when Peter would disappear in front of Tony's eyes, crying that he didn't want to go. That only made you cry harder.

"It's okay, I'm right here." Peter said. He continued to try to calm you, to try to make you feel better because it was breaking his heart to see someone so amazing break into pieces.

He's right here. You repeated in your mind, right now, everything is fine. I need to make sure it stays that way.

You forced yourself to calm down, telling yourself that you were strong and you could make a change. That, along with Peter's continued rambling helped center you, thoughts not falling to hell but managing to stay anchored to Earth.

It took you a while, but eventually you were able to stop your crying, the occasional hiccup was the only thing remaining. 

"Thank you, Peter," you managed, voice raspy. You wiped your face, trying to dry it with the soft blanket beside you. 

"Anytime," Peter told you honestly. "Do you...do you want to talk about it?"

You were ready to refuse but...

Telling him about the Avengers splitting up wouldn't reveal any otherworldly knowledge. You could ask for help, couldn't you?

You worried what the unforeseen consequences could be, but in the moment, you needed to talk to someone about it and you just prayed that your choices wouldn't come back to haunt Peter.

"The Avengers-" you stopped, hiccupping. "They're fighting. And I'm worried that they're going to break up."

Peter's eyes softened. He knew how much you cared about the people on that team, how much you idolized them and adored them. It was clear now why you had broken down, he knew a little about your home life. Your parents worked often, and while they loved you and praised you, they're jobs kept them away from you. In high school, you had a large group of friends. You had surrounded yourself with good people, and they had filled in that loneliness in your home-life. 

But when you graduated and a vast majority of your friends left to explore the world before college, pursuing their dreams, you had stayed behind for your internship with Tony Stark. You had won the internship after winning a contest at your school. That internship included schooling and at the end of it you would receive a degree. You had been undeniably proud of your friends, but that pride didn't dissuade the loneliness from creeping back within you when they had left. 

Peter had met you when you were a senior and he was a freshman, you had tutored him through a couple of classes. He had always been intelligent, but you were smart on a whole other level. The way you looked up to the Avengers, he looked up to you. After his tutoring was done, the two of you had kept in contact and he was happy to say that you were a good friend of his. 

The Avengers were like family to you, and with the possibility of that family splitting up, of course you were upset. 

"What can I do to help?" Peter asked. 

You thought about it, wondering if maybe, just maybe he could help you think of a solution.

"I have to keep them together," you stated. "But I don't know how."

Peter nodded. "I'll help you in any way I can."

And then he smiled at you and it was real, and kind, and determined.

You just couldn't stop the faint smile that rose to your face as he asked you questions, brainstorming with you. The two of you stayed there for hours, tossing ideas back and forth and although you were stressed about the upcoming events, you were happy for the person who had been thrown your way to help.

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

Heyyyy so I was wondering if u could do a Aaron hotchner x male reader where the reader is pennys brother (and maybe autistic if your comfortable writing that 😅 if not it’s fine) and reader is on the team and the team doesn’t know about reader and hotch but one day penny sees them together in public? If not it’s fine! Love your work ❤️❤️❤️

Warnings: kissing, (super) brief mention of meltdown and sensory overload, that's all I believe

Word count: 766

A/N: Hey, I tried to best to add an autistic reader, I'm not sure how it turned out? I struggled quite a bit with it, I'm not very good with getting characters to have their own voice if that makes sense, they're all just kind of projects of me? Aha, but please please please let me know if there's anything I can edit or change and let me know if anything's harmful or offensive and I will immediately change it. Thank you for sending this request though, I thought it was super cute :)

"Everyone go home, get some rest," Aaron says, his eyes lingering on yours for a moment before he looks away. You fight the grin from your face, instead you subtly tap your fingers against each other. Index finger to thumb, middle finger to thumb, ring finger to thumb, little finger to thumb, and repeat. "I want you all back bright and early Monday morning," 

It was Friday evening, you had all just gotten back from a case. A relatively simple one, as far as serial killers go. Nothing too difficult, especially because the local authorities had already interviewed the unsub - twice. But anyways, it was Friday. Aka, Date Night with Aaron. He caught your eyes for a minute and gave a small smile before he retreated to his office. 

“Hey, (Y/N),” You look up, giving your sister a lopsided grin. “The gang and I are all going to the bar, wanna come too?”

You shake your head, “No thanks, I’m going to stay here and finish this report and head home,” You answer, guilt gnawing at your stomach from lying to Penelope. “Next time?”

“Alright, baby brother, but I expect you to live up to that,” You don’t reply but find yourself smiling at Penelope as she pats your shoulder as she walked past. You weren’t a fan of a lot of physical contact. There were only three exceptions to this: your mum, Penelope, and now, Aaron. They were also the only ones who were able to calm you down during a sensory overload or meltdown. You didn’t mind small amount of physical contact from the other members of the team if you had some warning, but you weren’t as comfortable when they did it as you were with Penelope and Aaron - and the team understood, so it wasn’t often that they’d pat your shoulder, nudge your arm, and such. They made sure to respect your boundaries but make it known they were there for you should you need them. 

It’s not long before Aaron’s ready and you’re heading to your usual restaurant - nothing too fancy, but modest. Two hours later and you’ve both finished and decide to go on a small walk before heading back to Aaron’s to watch a movie. After half an hour of walking, you both sit on a bench, watching the night life, content and peaceful. 

“I’m so glad we’re together,” You muse, head resting on Aaron’s shoulder.

“I’ve never been happier,” Aaron responds. Lifting your head, you look at him with a small smile.

“Can I kiss you?”

“You never need to ask,” And with that, lean up, gently connecting your lips to his, the pair of you smiling into the kiss. 

“(Y/N)?!” You pull away from Aaron immediately, turning towards the sound of Penelope’s voice. “Hotch?!”

You feel Hotch tense beside you, “Penelope,” You say, keeping your voice level. “We can explain…”

“We’ve been…” Aaron began, sensing that you were unsure of how to actually start.

“Seeing each other,” You jump in, giving Aaron a small smile.

“For a few months now,” Aaron finishes. Penelope continues to gawk at the pair of you. Aaron clears his throat slightly, an anxious habit of his that only you seemed to notice. “I should probably let you two talk, I’ll be in the bar if you need me,” He says softly, placing a delicate kiss to your temple as he stands. 

With Aaron now gone, Penelope turns back to you. “How? How could you not tell your favourite big sister penelope?!” You shift anxiously as she stares at you, the large smile on her face telling you she was clearly happy, but it did little to relieve your anxieties.  

“We work together, Penny, more than that, he’s our boss. If Strauss were to find out-”

“No!” Penelope exclaims, “We will make sure she never ever finds out!” You chuckle slightly.

“Good, because Aaron might actually kill me if she does-”

“She will never find out!” Penelope declares.

“Penny, I hate to be the bearer of bad news - but you can’t keep a secret to save your life.” You joke, Penelope holds her hand on her chest as she gasps dramatically in mock offence. 

“How dare you-”

“What? I’m not lying, it’s true!” You laughed.

“Doesn’t mean you need to say it out loud,” She teases before she links your arms together, “Come on, let’s go join them in the bar, maybe try and convince Hotch - or my future brother in law - to reveal the secret to the rest of the team,”

“I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet,”

[hamartiologic]

Let's Play Perfect Love: Pandora Edition [#1]

No, this isn't a Pandora mod (yet). This post is to document my thoughts as to how Pandora would approach the scenario in Perfect Love as I replay it. I've broached these topics before, namely the batting cages/party option, but I'd like to go more in-depth as a sort of challenge to really delve into Pandora's character! And maybe this really will help out the Pandora mod getting started, who knows.

I hope you enjoy this approach to the game & my accompanying commentary. I encourage others to do the same, as I find it an interesting way to engage in character study!

This post covers the prologue of Perfect Love, so it's mainly Pre-Milo and the beginnings of a new version of him, but not quite fully-made into what he could be.

Without further ado... Let's get started!

Some first parts of the playthrough were documented in the Perfect Love Fan Server. By all means, do join us if you haven't yet! We're a pretty active community engaging in all types of creativity.

Typos will be corrected through brackets, [like so]. C4, hope you're reading this well. Messages will be indented and signified with a timestamp so as to not be confused with the large blocks of quotes that are also indented.

First off, Eris and Pandora are largely, largely different from the get go.

Eris' perspective:

For a while, you were obsessed with the idea of a specific love. Not the type that was advertised in romance books or romantic movies. Not the type that grows together, that supports each other, the type that others envy. You wanted the type [that] corrodes and suffocates. The type that held onto you, clinging, begging to be loved. Who could only think about you, to only have you, whatever [the cost]. You had dated countless people to find that love, all failures. It was never enough, and it would never be enough. You discarded them all aside and decided… If no one could give you the love you craved… Then you would create someone who could. Wouldn't that be fun?

In Pandora's case, the type of love he desires is... what I'd call a 'backstage' love. Someone who doesn't need to see the act he puts on to decide he's worth their time. Someone who sees the person behind the mask and loves all of her regardless.

Pandora's thoughts on obsession are... interesting. She likes the attention she gets, and she wouldn't be averse to having someone's attention solely on her, but the issue is that she always feels like all the obsession she's been subject to so far is a result of expectations and an imposed image upon her—in other words, the love is reserved for someone who looks and acts like Pandora, but isn't actually Pandora. Just an ideal that the person created in their head based off of Pandora's act. It's suffocating for him. If someone really loved him, the real him, he would accept the obsession.

Pandora's dating history is null as a result of this: she believes that the person that all her suitors loved was someone else, and that she couldn't live up to what they asked her to be, whether or not they actually thought of the situation that way. He likes being himself way too much to concede to another person's image of him, but he also doesn't believe he could be seen for who he really is. This also brings up the fact that she has moral OCD, so she doesn't think she'll be accepted if she isn't wholly upright.

The beginning narration and we're already starting off with paragraphs. Hope some of you are still here with me!

10:10 PM - [img attached below] There he is. we did it gang

10:12 PM - Eris is so bitey it's kinda shocking seeing their dialogue w/ Pandora's name. Pandora would not say that she'd think it at most 10:12 PM - and then jump into a lake about it

Incidentally, I already actually wrote how the confrontation between Pandora and Ryan would end up. It's by no means complete, but here it is for the curious:

10:15 PM - [img attached below] Man equating this w/ Pandora is kinda hard… he'd date someone if he knew they could accept all of him which is so hard for her because of his constant distrust in others (but also Pandora's not going to be as fast as Eris in asking Milo out lolgsdjdjs)

10:16 PM - [img attached below] I think… this is what Pandora would want…? Not sure? <- he's ur oc bro?????

Haven, as in a place where Pandora can rest and simply be. I think this is fitting!

10:17 PM - [img attached below] panon (canon but Pandorafied)

10:21 PM - [img attached below] Let's see. If I'm remembering Pandora mythos right Pandora's reason for choosing batting cages would be to let off some steam in a physical manner, acting on her really violent impulses Pandora's reason for choosing party would be because that's usually what she defaults to--easily moving past difficult emotions by drowning them out. Repressing her anger in favor of enjoying herself instead. Canonically, Pandora would probably tend towards the party option…

10:22 PM - And also because I imagine the crew would be understanding of Pandora's frustration, so he trusts them to an extent regarding this. Actually what if I saved this all for a tumblr post yeah

From conception, I always thought of Pandora to tend toward manipulation route more due to how he already navigates his social life. The only thing stopping him from already being manipulation-pilled is his morality. I echo the sentiment that Pandora is Eris but with a massive guilt complex, lol.

Here we are at the party! Valli, if only I had enough energy to run a blog for you like people have done with Desmond, Seph, and Iya. Alas, I cannot be that. Anyhow.

The Holly-Valli conflict is interesting. Though I've joked about how manipulation Pandomilo come to be their manipulation forms, I understand that this is the inciting incident for that transformation. I think Pandora would note that Holly was here, emphasizing that she's on Valli's side. Leaving out her disagreement with Valli's lack of integrity, she'll end up stoking the fires of the lingering resentment. Pandora understands, more than anyone, the feeling of being the underdog, of punishment. She knows how frustrating it is, even moreso in the state that she'd be in to make the batting cages/party decision. She doesn't outright encourage something so destructive that Valli would get hurt, but if Valli were to express her frustration, Pandora would accept it and say she has the right to do so.

It's because of this lack of decisive action that I have the inkling that leading Milo down to his manipulation form would be a longer journey. Or maybe not—if he's been observing Pandora all this time, surely he would catch onto how the latter carries himself in social spaces and connect the dots. I wonder if Milo would see Pandora's ability to metaphorically dance around like this as a strength that answers his question of being able to stand up for himself. Pandora's confident voice ringing out, his well-honed charisma, his beeline for the proverbial prize, whatever that may be—Milo would certainly understand that these are prized weapons that Pandora has become an expert in.

Taking that for himself, what do we get? A Manipulation Milo that sweettalks and identifies his conversational partner's preferred way of communication in order to build a network of connections as Pandora has.

Also, I imagine the scene of Eris introducing Valli to Milo as their future husband would instead be Pandora introducing Milo as someone new she found that seemed cool to hang out with. Valli would probably say something like, "your collection of people is neverending, huh," referencing Pandora's elaborate web of connections, I suppose.

Eris:

You are supposed to agree with me. Remember what you promised?

In Pandora's case, the text would be something like...

You have to accept people, even at their lowest. Relationships are a one-way mirror.

Though... that's off the top of my head. It's not to say Pandora doesn't trust Valli for their relationship to be a two-way street, it's more that Pandora doesn't think his baggage should be anyone's to deal with, but he likes digging into other people's own out of curiosity and to earn rapport with them?

Holly-Valli would more or less be the screaming match that it is in canon. Probably.

I feel like Pandora would be actually pissed on Valli's behalf regarding Holly's behavior. Acting out Valli's anger when she makes excuses. Being wronged is just too frustrating to deal with. Pandora would know.

Eris manipulating Milo to be more spiteful towards Ryan and actively plan his downfall is interesting. Yet again, this is where Eris and Pandora diverge. Remember what I said about Pandora moving past difficult emotions by drowning them out? The solution in her mind is to simply live a better life than Ryan would wish for Milo. That, in itself, is the best revenge. And it's not like anyone would know, but that's part of the reason why Pandora is the way she is: being the best she can be is her revenge against all who said otherwise.

But then again, that lack of expressing her spite is... mainly for herself. She would probably empathize with Milo's resentment the same way she did with Valli. 'You don't have to do anything to get back at that person, but if you did, I'd understand.'

If you reached this point, thank you so much for reading all of my ramblings thus far! I hope I was coherent and consistent enough in my reasoning and characterization of Pandora despite my candidness. I'll probably refine the more difficult parts of this and elaborate on stark differences in writing soon enough, should that be a point of interest to anyone.

See you in the next part of Perfect Love: Pandora Edition! [Edit: Here it is!]

[spookiifi]

Wrath and Fear (Alt!Gabriel/Reader)

After spinning out of control, you and your friend abandon the car to seek shelter in an abandoned house. What’s the worst that could happen when you’re stuck between Mandela and Bythorne County?

A fair warning that this fic contains gore, body horror, religious themes, manipulation, victim guilt, angst, gaslighting, susbriel being...sus, m.a.d.

I do not condone any relationships in this fic as most of them are incredibly toxic.

I tried to make it as gender neutral as I could

Enjoy the madness and remember, nothing is worth the risk~

ao3 link!

One of the best locations for you and your friends to get stranded was on the highway between Mandela and Bythorne County; Both cities crawling with alternates. Your car’s tires finally gave out and you were lucky to be alive on that icy road.

“It’s two in the fucking morning.” You could hear your friend punch the hood of the car, swearing loudly.

“Causing more damage isn’t going to solve our problem. On my car as well, thanks.” Tugging your heavy coat closer around your body, you joined them in front of the headlights. “We may as well freeze to death since no one’s coming.”

“I mean, I did see a house a few blocks back. It looked pretty vacant. Dry, too.” They glanced at you, then at the ruined vehicle that had a new dent in the hood. “It’s worth a shot.”

“Oh? I thought nothing was worth the risk!” You narrowed your eyes as a blistering wind bit at your face. “I don’t know what’s worse. Freezing to death or being torn apart by alternates.”

“Shut up and start walking.”

So began your journey for shelter.

“It looks decent enough.” A dilapidated house with broken in windows, missing shingles, and a second story. “Minus the windows…and caution tape.”

Oh no. You’d seen this happen way too many times in horror movies. You didn’t get a say in the matter as they dragged you towards the door.

The next thing you know they’ll be saying, “Hey gang, let’s split up!”

“You take the stairs, I take the living room?”

Oh, fuck me sideways.

“Don’t give me that look. Every mirror’s broken, and the tv’s were banned weeks ago. I doubt a musky old house is going to kill us.”

You deadpanned them before sighing loudly. “Fine. But you are so paying for the snacks and drinks during our next 7-11 run.” Snatching the second flashlight from their hand, you marched up the wooden stairs.

This was too cliché. You hated it.

An air conditioning panel caught your eye.

‘Hello, beautiful. Heat, sweet heat.’

The heat could still be working, only one way to find out. Carefully, you reached out one gloved hand to the electric box, only to feel the sting of electricity travel through your hand.

Your flashlight clunked across the floor as you skittered back.

“Bro, you good?! One of the lights just popped!”

“Power surge. I’m fine but my flashlight’s broken.” You hissed in pain, getting to your feet again. “There’s no heat or lighting.”

A shadow moving out of the corner of your eye caught you off guard. Just relax. It’s just your exhausted mind. Yeah, that’s all.

A clap of thunder made you drop to your knees.

“Bro, you good?”

“I said I’m fine! Are you deaf?!”

Laughter that sounded similar to your friend is what you got in response.

You wanted to kick yourself for believing this was actually a good idea. Cursing yourself out wouldn’t help at all, so you high tailed it for the door. Tripping over the shadow that you previously saw earlier, you went plummeting to the floor, splitting your lip open in the process.

“What’s wrong? Scared of the dark?” The dark creature with many eyes spoke in your friend’s voice. Who knew if they were still alive. “Aw, how sad. So tiny and weak.” It reached for your throat, elongated broken fingers inches away from your face.

Alternate food. What a way to go.

By now, you were a sobbing mess. Your ears rang from the static the alternate produced, resorting to tucking your head between your legs like a scared animal. “Just fucking do it, man!” You waited for your demise. “Do it! I don’t care!”

Everything stood still. The static whispering stopped, being replaced with warmth and a bright light.

“There, there. The monster’s gone.” A softer voice broke the silence, resting their hand on your shoulder. “You’re okay, dear.”

What stood in front of you looked like something out of a religious painting. A man with flowing blonde hair knelt down in front of you.

“Am I dead? Did that thing murder me?” You looked around the room for it, only to find a clump of black gel and limbs lying in the corner. Family guy pose His elegant wings covered your view from most of the wreck.

“No, my sweet lamb. I’m sorry you had to endure that...mess.” He gently wiped your tears away. “Thank goodness I reached you in time.” This so-called angel knew your name, and it felt strangely nice to hear it on his tongue. It was as if he were talking to an old friend.

“But this is impossible. I’m not religious in any way.” You glanced up at his towering frame. “You’re…Gabriel? Correct?”

“Quite the scholar, I see.” The one true savior nodded in acknowledgment. “One doesn’t have to be religious to be visited by angels, or archangels.” He chuckled. “All will be explained in time, lamb. I just need one thing from you.”

Gabriel squished your confused face with two fingers. “Simply join me, and you won’t ever live in fear again. I can protect you.”

Your eyes widened. “But my friend downstairs. I have to!-” But Gabriel stopped you from getting up.

“Are they really your friend? They left you to die all alone. In the dark.” His wings practically shielded you from the world. “Think it over. Would a friend treat someone so cruelly? I can save you from this torment, dear.”

“What if the alternates kill them?! Can’t we save them, too?!” You tried to move out of Gabriel’s grip. He glared at you sternly, then his eyes softened.

“It’s too late, lamb. They’re already gone.” He sighed. “I’m sorry it had to be this way.”

“No. It can’t be. I still have time!” You went pale in the face and felt yourself grow light headed. Tears welled up in your eyes again. “I did this. This is all my fault.”

“Do not blame yourself. They brought you here in the first place. Come, now. This is no place for a kind soul like yours.” Gabriel held his arms out, embracing your trembling form. “Don’t cry for the wicked.”

On the inside, the alternate grinned. “I would say they’re in a better place but that’s really not for me to decide. Now, we’re finally together, and that’s all that matters.”

--

Enjoy being his new favorite obsession