#theme: THEY MAKE ME FUCKING CRAZY

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Why The Ending Sucks

Ok I figured it out. Hear me out:

The entire comic has a running theme best summed up as "who is controlling the narrative, and why are we listening to them?"

Hussie plays a caricaturized version of himself that he describes as "buffoonish" and "oafish". Caricature!Hussie is well-meaning, but a dumb idiot who's incredibly biased in favor of certain characters and in disfavor of others (the most obvious example being his "love" of Vriska, but there's also the way he constantly disparages Eridan). As a result, you have to be VERY SKEPTICAL and VERY CAREFUL when approaching Homestuck's narration, because even when the "best" narrator is at the helm, he's not 100% trustworthy and incapable of giving the readers an unbiased view of the story.

I say "best" because, importantly, Hussie isn't the story's only narrator. He and Doc Scratch explicitly fight over control of the story - Doc Scratch, the child abusing predator who engineered Alternia's fascist murder society, whose shaping of its history is explicitly described by character!Hussie as "fanfic". He is then killed by Lord English, who is described by Hussie as embodying the "toxically masculine" and by extension, the patriarchy, and Caliborn explicitly takes control of the story. John even grapples with Caliborn's version of events, calling out how sexist and misogynistic and shitty it is.

So if we're keeping score: control over the narrative is LITERALLY wrested away from Hussie (who was already struggling to be unbiased) by fascists, abusers, and the patriarchy. It's stressed multiple times that Caliborn/LE are responsible for literally everything that ever happens; the reason the Game Over timeline ends the way that it does is because the alpha timeline is, in essence, the narrative LE is telling: the forces of fascism get to claim the new universe, thereby propogating itself, while friendship dies and all hope is lost.

Who's in control of the narrative, and why are we listening to them?

There are other minor examples of this, too: Aranea is an exposition fairy, and she's biased as fuck and wrong ALL THE TIME about her own teammates. Karkat's explanations and rationalizations are constantly tinged with his own self-loathing and self-blame. Sollux and Meulin are both prophets as per their Mage class, but are both so bogged down by their own emotional issues that the futures they pick out are actively harmful. So on and so on. At nearly every turn, you have to interrogate who's telling the story, what their motivations are, and what they're overlooking or deliberately obfuscating.

So given that this theme is so prevalent, and so thoroughly weighted toward "well, actually, maybe you shouldn't take narration at face value and should interrogate it and come to your own conclusions," it would be Really Weird for the story to go "actually, you can totally trust the narrative now because everyone gets a happy ending".

So, I know that it makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist, but here's my genuine take on Homestuck's ending:

The ending is shitty on purpose because the viewer is intended to take it as a dare to refute the narration and make something better.

Why are we letting character!Hussie tell the story? He's a biased idiot. Why are we letting the various avatars of LE and Caliborn tell the story? They're fascist, misogynistic, predatory assholes.

And - because Homestuck is a story about life - why are we letting idiots, assholes, abusers, and creeps dictate the story of real life? The world is full of forces that would try to take control of the story and make everyone else play along, represented in microcosm within the text of Homestuck. We cannot let those forces win.

So please go out and do something kind and hopeful and loving in the world today. Thanks for reading.

[kylejsugarman]

walt reacting with disgust when jesse suggests they hang out together outside of the lab via the go-karting invitation vs walt desperately offering ed a giant hunk of cash just to stay with him for an hour longer when the latter comes to deliver his chemo.......ohh. the turns. and the tables..

[fagulaa]

Something I really love about the Silt Verses is how, in a world of gods and monsters, how grounded Faulkner's trauma [and relationship with his father] is. Especially as the season moves on, and the stakes amp up [and up] its so unexpectedly piercing to be presented with this exploration of childhood abandonment/negligence, inter-generational trauma, the indignities and stress that comes with unexpected elder care/early onset Alzheimer's. You're so locked in to these grander, more abstract concepts that your defenses are down! Mine were, anyway. TSV is so good at cutting its grand, complex plotlines with simpler [but not shallower] gutpunches, and it just grounds the whole thing.

[germaaaaaaaaaa]

moooore peter and norm swap stuff

I did not bring that up last post but the main idea was by @redtalics ^-^ yapping in tag. If you are curious. Hi

[sapphicdib]

from a lore and headcanon perspective it’s really cute how well spearmaster and hunter compliment each other in battle

[infizero]

i think one of the things that makes toby fox's writing so great is his ability to tell a compelling narrative AND metanarrative at the same time. undertale isn't JUST about how people play games and the need for completionism, and it isn't JUST the main story that you play through. it's both! and both are equally important.

and i think the same will be true for deltarune. some people tend to think of it as black and white when theorizing, either focusing too much on the meta aspects without taking the actual plot and character arcs into account, or doing the opposite and saying that the meta aspects aren't important and won't end up being relevant to the story. it's both! it's always been both!!!

[moe-broey]

Sequence of Events AKA how one seemingly innocuous youtube vid awakened something dormant in me and. Ohh god. Oooohhh. Oh god. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck rapid descent into madness THREE TWO ONE GO

> Video is "What happened to Ball Jointed Dolls?" by user MaryLoveMew. Don't come here often but am intrigued by the notion

> Very compelling very sweet and heartwarming and I love information. Eventually there's Discourse. In the Community. About ball jointed dolls. Posing the question "CAN these blind box dolls REALLY be considered BJDs when the standard is like extremely extravagant custom made very expensive high barrier to entry BJDs and THESE BJDs are One: From Blind Boxes and Two: About Twenty Dollars " -- and hold on. H. Hey. Hey hold on. Are you. Are uou telling me I can purchase a fully strung ball jointed doll for TWENTY BUCKS????????? The creator of the vid def explained it better highly recommend watching if you're interested, BUT. I'm already fucking gone. I mean I watched the whole thing but I am Feverish. I need. To Know More.

> I've never really been a doll kid actually. Always preferred plushies. But one thing about me is somewhere along the way I became DEEPLY obsessed w doll custom vids. Dollightful DEF a fave example, here. Taking a Monster High doll, stripping it of its factory paint, maybe even doing some INSANE body mods to the thing (depends on what kind of character she's doing, anywhere from changing up the body type w clay or sawing off limbs and reconstructing them to be more animal-like OR EVEN constructing fucking Wings. Out of fucking popsicle sticks.), rerooting painting a new face designing a whole outfit. Creating an entirely New character. It's SOOOOOO. FASCINATING to watch AND LIKE. A DREAM HOBBY OF MINE. TBH. But the barrier to entry. The Materials. It's an extremely expensive hobby, like there are ways to be savvy about it, but. Just not worth it, for me.

> So Not Worth It. Right. Plus always been iffy about committing to fashion dolls. I understand, the face molds work as guidelines, but... the proportions... the face molds...... the permanence, in a way, as well. Esp if you're doing full customs like might as well be a figurine. Like I'd maybe prefer to work with something that gives me free reign on the face and I'm picky about how the body looks and ultimately I'd love to have more flexibility in what I can do. So. Not Worth It. Right.

> I am on kikagoods dot com.

> Flashing back to the video, the creator talked about doll customs too. How maybe starting w a more affordable BJD like those blind box ones could be a good entry point.

> Cut to me on kikagoods dot com again. I have been Obsessing. I have been Agonizing. I have been Debating and Yearning. Because, I have been Struck with A Vision. I am mapping out a whole ass detailed Plan. I am going INSANE. I HAVE BEEN OBSESSING. ALL DAY. FOR HOURS. ALL DAY. CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH. THE WAY THIS GRABBED ME.

Okay well I am getting sleepy so sorry but. The

Like I was gonna go insane and ramble about the Whole Process of Deciding. Mani Things. Esppp how the dolls come w dif customization options, switchable plates, one being for bust size. AND MAN. THE. THE AGONIZING I DID. Biblically accurate Mani would have a larger bust size. This does immense damage to my psyche (and Mani's psyche, try as it might "convince" itself otherwise), but it WOULD be accurate. However the dolls I went w all have the smaller/flatter builds and like. What a position to be in. Do I psychologically torture myself and my homunculus by being lore accurate OR do I give the divine blessing of what could effectively be top surgery. THE TIMELINES. YOU'RE FUCKING W THE TIMELINES....... ultimately it's cheaper to just not bother w the extra parts. And given how chibi these guys are, AND esp wondering if the dresses might not fit right if I fuck shit up too much. Mani gets this one mercy. From me.

Was ALSO gonna ramble about like. Do I just get one? Two? I have a brief thought about Moe. But No. I have an epiphany. Espppp how I'm planning on/have the groundworks for making a Moe plushie, anyway. Like... for the Askr siblings and Moe, to exist as plushies. And for Mani, to exist as a doll. Mani does not exist in the same way that they do. Mani is fundamentally Something Else.

ANYWAYS. LOOK AT THESE GUYS LOOK LOOK LOOOOK

They're from the UF DOLL Fruit Series! I also ordered a blank face, and am planning on using air dry clay for the hair (probably from scratch, once I got one in my hands so I figure out how the molds/hair connects). But also. If I do get insanely lucky and get the rare Papaya. All bets are off, BUT she's adorable so it's fine LMFAOOO 😅 I would say Snow Pear's dress is the most Mani-coded of the bunch, but all the general shapes fit well. Both Papaya and Snow are the hard to get ones, though! Realistically MAYBE I could hope for Coconut (who seems to be a recolor of Snow anyway, w dif dress details but same shapes), BUT. TO BE SO REAL. I thuink once I got one of them in my hands regardless of who I'm gonna cry and thrup....... they're sooooooooooooooo cutes.........

ALSO. A VERY SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO THESE DEMON ELF GIRLIES

Same brand (UF DOLL), DoReMi Band Series. Also have the exact proportions I really really like (perfect size!). Overall the character designs are soooooo good here BUT. I am limiting myself to One. And I'm On A Mission. Were I not On A Specific Ass Mission, I would go for one of these girlies in a heartbeat though! They're soooo cutes.... such pretty eyes.......

I. Have no greater point here. Except. Ball jointed mini dolls go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[arcane-vagabond]

.

[crescentfool]

i love ryomina

no but seriously. even when i’m thinking about other things that captivate my interest, i find myself coming back to them and feeling like i fell down three whole flights of staircases every time i do. they are one of my favorite pairs in media and are very special to me.

it’s the way that ryoji and minato’s lives are inevitably intertwined with each other due to the circumstances 10 years ago on the moonlight bridge. without no minato, there is no ryoji. minato as he is today is because of ryoji. they have irreparably affected each other’s lives that you cannot discuss one without bringing up the other one.

ryoji mochizuki, who is death, pharos, thanatos, nyx avatar, the man of many names and identities, is the perfect summation of p3′s messages and themes.

minato arisato, the wildcard and protagonist, who has boundless kindness in his actions despite the unfortunate cards handed to him.

the two of them complement each other and tell a beautiful story from start to finish.

minato’s personas capture this perfectly. he awakens to orpheus, who’s flames burns bright, is snuffed out by thanatos during the encounter against the arcana magician. a visual precursor of the idea that ryoji stole from the life that minato could have had.

it’s the way that over the course of the game as minato interacts with pharos, talking throughout the dark hour, forging a bond that cannot be broken, that allows ryoji to exist. minato humanizes death.

november. the bells toll, calling the appriser. and yet, it’s peaceful... quiet, and full of life. ryoji, who breaks free from death’s chains, refusing his role, is given the chance to live for a month. to make the most of the humanity that minato has given him over those ten years. and what a life he lived. ryoji’s life is a reflection of what minato’s life could have been like in another universe.

it is the way the two of them are reflections of each other. ryoji with his hair down is just like minato. they are both stubbornly committed to choosing to be kind, to love life, yet are chained down by the cards the narrative dealt them with. they finish each other’s sentences, knowing each other intimately in a way no one else does.

how is that, a boy who lived for only one month, profoundly changes the course of the narrative? he is simultaneously relevant and irrelevant. blink, and you miss it, the beautiful life that he led.

ryoji is horrified at the revelations of being the appriser. he who so desperately wished to forget that his existence was meant to bring the end to all life, was unable to escape the inevitability of death. in a non-human way, of course. he becomes remorseful. a shadow of his brief time as a human who was enamored by the small beautiful things that life had to offer.

he is swallowed by grief. grief knowing that his very existence will take away not only minato’s life, but everyone else’s. the very thing that ryoji loved- life, fundamentally went against the role he was born for- to be the harbinger of death. and unable to grapple with this sadness he believes that the best thing for minato to do is to kill him, so that SEES can live in bliss not knowing about their inevitable end.

SEES is left rattled, calling into question what the meaning of life is and what they do when faced against the inevitability of death.

and!!! minato chooses!! for ryoji to live!! even in spite of what ryoji is MEANT to embody, minato still stubbornly chooses to defy death itself! and if that’s not cool i don’t know what is!! minato wants everyone to have the chance to live!!

so he climbs. he ascends tartarus, to meet ryoji, again, who is now the nyx avatar. and i just think there’s something so so beautiful about being able to use messiah, minato’s ultimate persona, against nyx avatar.

messiah, being the fusion of orpheus and thanatos is peak ryomina to me. because ryoji and minato have established an unbreakable bond from having been entwined for 10 years, minato still has a piece of death with him, and by proxy!! ryoji is able to defy and rebel against nyx trying to bring the fall! and i think that’s fucking cool shit if you ask me!

even when all of the arcanas have been gone through, it’s still not enough to stop the fall. and yet. minato knows. in the way that ryoji was sealed in minato 10 years ago by aigis... minato becomes the great seal so that everyone can live. it comes full circle.

march rolls around. he fulfills his promise to SEES on graduation day. minato dies from exhaustion. but goddamn does his sacrifice make me weep- he’s had such, such a tiring journey. he’s been through so many things because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. but at the end of it all, he’s reunited with ryoji in death.

and i think this is why ryomina continues to evoke so much emotions for me, to this day. the relationship that they have embodies so much of persona 3′s messages and themes that it makes me feel like a microwave with nothing running in it.

p3′s message is very hopeful, for me. my favorite takeaway from it is that even if death is inevitable, appreciating the life that we were given and choosing to live as best as we can with kindness (even if we can’t feasibly do everything), is just? really nice? and you see this manifest in both ryoji and minato’s personalities and what they do for the other characters.

ryomina just feels so distinct to me, the flavor that their relationship ties back to my favorite takeaways from this game and im just!!  god!! i love you minato arisato! i love you ryoji mochizuki! im so glad that i could meet them! i’m happy that they changed my life! they made me want to appreciate the connections in life even if they were fleeting! they made me!! want to pay attention to the good moments in life and cherish them!

i love ryomina so much!!! i’m so glad that these two could bring so much joy into my life! and i hope that others can have this joy too! 💛💙

[fourteenfifteen]

i do have thoughts abt clara’s arc and ending i feel like part of her deal is that she seemingly wants to Be the doctor like she loves him but she also loves his life and what he represents and she wants that. she wants to be special she wants to help people she wants to be the smartest person in the room she wants to travel time and space and be free of boring normal life the two of them are so similar but she wants to be even more similar she wants to live his life. and in the end she gets to! she gets to fly around and adventure and she can do it. but she also gets the flipside which is being the one who remembers. being left behind. it means having to carry it all like if she wants to be him she has to do both

[kideternity]

My wrap up review of Super 1 is honestly kind of just the same as my main feelings about Amazon (Has a really strong and well written first arc, with a lot of really interesting ideas that end up in the second half of the series being abandoned for the most part which ends up with a series that feels aimless and even arguably unfinished by the end of it), with an additional comment about how I think killing off Genkai and Benkai / heavily distancing Kazuya from the martial artist themes of the show to focus instead on the new villains and rider squad was a really bad narrative decision. I wish it was a better show. It definitely could have been a better show. But goddamn do I love Kazuya. Kazuya's character writing is so like legitimately compelling to me at least from the first half and I really wish they had kept the focus on him and his mental state + how it relates to him Being Super 1/A Cyborg. Oh well. Just gonna dedicate my time now to being the number 1 super 1 guy forever

[blueskittlesart]

your blog has made me so much more competent with zelda lore

my greatest accomplishments with this blog have been making people play the games and making people Understand the games. i want more crazy people in the world so i dont look as insane

[toastytrusty]

the character/story building tool of want vs need except it's roman roy's want for security and emotional repression and toxcity and to be controlled by someone else because he doesn't know how to be his own person formed into a character as mencken vs his need to be understood and seen and affirmed and allowed to be emotional and the freedom to be his unapologetic self without his family and company and legacy strangling him formed into a character as lukas. If u even care

[sunlightfeeling]

I genuinely feel like I dont have a right at all to complain or talk negative about Japanese fans but like……..the evident cliqueish-ness of honestly what looks like a very unfortunate larger chunk of them ……😮‍💨

like i gotta be honest the concert was a lot more isolating than it actually already was in itself because of the vibes at least a couple of clusters of fans gave me

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

late Carlo and Moretti (during vinci-moretti war) are like Luca and Clemente to me. Moretti will never raise his hand on Carlo but! will he drive him into guilt in ways that are not direct? insult him in passing? convince Carlo that he's doing everything wrong, when in fact it's the opposite? of course such a painful kick to Carlo's ego, it's unfair, he doesn't deserve it. and it's not a father-son relationship, it's a professional relationship and he can't say anything back & defense himself in any way maybe Moretti's more favorable to Eddie in this period because he's more blindly loyal and Carlo feels he's about to explode

[moodlesmain]

What I'm Made Of (Sonic Heroes OST) 🤝 With Me (Sonic and the Black Knight OST): Final boss songs who's lyrics apply almost just as much to Sonic as they do to the villain he's facing