#this enriched my theories so much thank you

[rootspiral]

Hey! Finished an AAA rewatch high off my rocker and got my mind blown a bit. Completely changed my perspective of what Agatha expected her prize to be at the end of the road.

Right. So. Rio bursts into her home, threatens her with a good time, blah blah blah. She resolves to get her power back then they can flirt I mean fight on a level playing field.

Gathers the coven, intent on collecting power to take on the Salem seven and Rio. Business as usual for her. She and Rio do this dance indefinitely. Others are constantly coming for her head for all kinds of reasons.

Teen makes the Road a reality. Aggie’s privately reeling while publicly posturing, gears turning over the potential.

SHE SETS AN EXPECTATION OF RESPECT FOR THE ROAD with the shoe removal. She reveres the road as it’s synonymous with Nicky. I think she was considering Teen’s power potential and the possibility that her prize at the end could be a reunion THIS IS WHERE I SCREAM HEAR ME OUT because omg everyone was so quick and willing to squawk about how she’s not interested in bringing Nicky back WTF IS THAT ASSUMPTION BASED ON.

Nicky knew the road wasn’t real, so Agatha never would’ve thought Teen was Nicky. Teen led with “take me to the road”, obvious to her from the start that he’s not Nicky.

As we progress through ep 3 and 4, Aggs is gathering evidence of Teen’s capabilities. People can die in here, people can be rescued from the brink of death in here. Can people be brought back to life in here? His mother managed as much. She admits later that she’s more impressed by Teen than she was by his mother.

Jen saves Teens life and Agatha submits to a relieved softness, with the coven around the fire and with Rio in their little moment. Now since we know for sure she never thought Teen was Nicky, Rio’s “the boy isn’t yours” begs tedious dissecting again. Did Rio know by now what/who Teen was? Idk. I don’t think so. If she did, then she was humoring Agatha and watching for funsies how Agatha was going to work this little sitch to her advantage. I think she was referring to Nicky, after witnessing how Agatha was playing along. Because why would Agatha play along? Rio knows what Agatha’s wounds are. She knows everything, and she knows that grief over Nicky has absolutely not lessened with time. I think Agatha’s emotional panic and plea (“don’t“) was her begging Rio not to take Teen before he could manifest her prize at the end of the Road: Nicky. “The boy isn’t yours”, Rio reminding Agatha that there are some things Magic cannot achieve, son of the scarlet witch or no. Deaths son or no.

(Sidebar: Vision being a special case, sentient but not organic…I wonder if that lil detail had something to do with why Wanda could bring him back into existence…)

Then we’ve got episode 5 and I’m now of the mind that Agatha’s demeanor changes MAINLY because of Nicky’s voice pleading “mama stop!”. Fuck. He’s able to witness somehow everything she’s doing! She’s halfway to the finish but now she’s plagued with the thought of reuniting with her little boy who just expressed, clear as day, he wants her to stop all the killing. But also, he’s here! On the road! His voice, after so long. The most evidence so far that she could reclaim her son at the end. Bittersweet revelation. So of course she crashes out after exiting the cabin. For all the reasons, but I think this is the main one. And I’d say this is why she has no softness for Rio anymore. “I can and I will get my prize, damn you.”

Final nail in this coffin: She gets power at the end of the road. From Billy. Then, “it’s futile. We can’t fight Death”. Power doesn’t keep Rio from claiming her mortal soul. She’d already won that battle with no power at all, when she made the deal to deliver Teen to the end of the road (she mother effing KEPT that deal by the way).

That kiss of death was her acknowledging she can’t have Nicky back in life, she doesn’t want to do this selfish dance with Rio anymore, and ghosting was of course because she can’t face that little boy who just used all his little child-of-death power he could muster to tell her to STOP doing the thing HAS to do to survive.

AH. AND BECOMING A GHOST ALLOWS HER TO HONOR HIS REQUEST, while still avoiding facing him.

The end. Jesus, I hope that all made sense.

Oooh, there's much food for thought here. It's true that whatever Agatha was doing on the Road is never spelled out clearly and is open to interpretation, but that's just how Agatha is. She tells herself she's a scheming mastermind but tbh she's flying by the seat of her pants most of the time. Like there's so much happening inside her brain and she's always censoring and rationalizing and straight up ignoring a lot of feelings, so it's difficult to pinpoint ONE reason why she's doing anything, it's usually a chaotic mix of things.

BUT. We can never forget just how big a part Nicky plays in Agatha's motives - he's her greatest love and her greatest regret, no matter whoever else comes into play. I'll admit I was going so gaga for agathario I didn't linger much on the whole Nicky aspect of it, but it's such a fantastic rabbit hole to go down, thank you for bringing it to my attention! And in this case I think the key to interpret Agatha's motives is actually to go back to WandaVision, and study whatever the hell she thought she was doing with Wanda.

I've already wrote about this I think, but here's what Agatha says about Wanda: "You’re supposed to be a myth. A being capable of spontaneous creation […] Oh yes, your children. And Vision, and this whole little life you’ve made. This is Chaos Magic, Wanda. And that makes you the Scarlet Witch." Looks like Agatha set out to investigate the Hex and Wanda's powers - she already had an inkling that Wanda was the very Scarlet Witch described in the DarkHold, and she wanted confirmation ("I have a theory, but I need more.")

What did Agatha want with Wanda, specifically? The obvious answer is: the power to go against Rio's rules and bring people back to life in new bodies. She went to see Wanda in her Agnes persona and immediately asked if she was married, and yes she was flirting a lil bit, but also she knew this was the Avengers's Wanda Maximoff whose lover, Vision, had just died, and she wanted to see if she'd actually brought him back. And what do you know, that's exactly what Wanda had done!

Next step: manipulate Wanda into creating her children, and I actually have a theory that she took two dead souls and put them into the twins, just like Billy will later do with himself and Tommy Shepherd. I mean, looks to me like Agatha had a very specific goal in mind with all her scheming, prodding and investigating, she even killed Sparky to see if Wanda would bring him back!

So yes, when she later met Billy and guessed his identity, I can totally see her continuing on that line of thought and trying to manipulate him into "accidentally" - via the Road giving witches what they want - bring Nicky back to life. And even that amazing scene in the morgue with Agatha helping Billy to save his brother's soul: isn't it suspicious that she knew exactly how to do it? Almost as if she'd researched and studied the theory before, and the piece of the puzzle she was missing was a Maximoff lending her power. If you think about it, isn't it funny that Agatha herself is now a ghost hanging out with the one person with the power to a) create new bodies and b) plop souls into them? Yeah. She's the queen of ulterior motives.

So was Agatha using the Road to bring Nicky back? She absolutely thought it was possible and was experimenting with it, and wow, that's probably why she didn't stop Billy even when he started killing people. But, and here's the crucial part: deep down, Agatha knows that Nicky is gone and she will never get him back. Her impossibly painful journey will be to learn - well, not to accept it and move on, that's impossible, but to stop fighting windmills, to forgive herself and let herself grieve, to let people back in her life and find solace with them. It's a journey that she's barely started, she took a few steps forward but there's still a long, long way to go.

[astroeleanor]

HAIR THEORY: How People Perceive You & Treat You Based on Your Hair Color (BASED ON ASTROLOGY)

Hair theory is SO accurate. People treat you & perceive you differently based on your hair color, and there’s an astrological explanation for it. Different hair colors activate specific planetary energies.

The color of your hair helps decide how you get treated when you're out and about. It's usually the first thing people notice, and it tells them a lot about you, even before you say anything. That's why some people feel a huge change in how others treat them just by dyeing their hair a different color.

How people talk to you, what they assume about you, and even the kind of attention you get are all quietly guided by this connection to the planets. Let's see how that works.

☀️BLONDE☀️: Blondes attract A LOT of attention & special treatment. They ALWAYS get noticed and approached by so many people. Blonde hair stands out in a crowd, and it's because of its association to the Sun / Leo=fame, celebrity, visibility. This also explains why this hair color is naturally eye-catching & you get so much attention with it. Having blonde hair often means you're perceived as charismatic and vibrant. You might find that doors open more easily or that people are more willing to help you out. It makes you the focal point in many situations. This visibility means you're frequently in the public eye, even if you don't actively seek it.

🥕REDHEADS & GINGERS🥕: You are seen as provocative, sensual, passionate. People tend to perceive you as such, even if you're not trying. You may also tend to attract envy & seggsual attention due to the rarity of this color/how hard it is to maintain it if dyed, and its association with Mars / Scorpio / Aries=seggs, conflict, drive. Because your hair is so bold, people might think you're someone who goes after what they want and has a lot of ambition. This intense energy can be magnetic, drawing people in. Red hair definitely has a unique cool factor, making you seem unforgettable.

🍪BROWN HAIR🍪: It makes you look approachable, laid-back, chill, down to earth, reliable. Brown hair, in all of its shades, is associated with the Earth element + earth signs=grounding, safety, stability. People may feel at ease around you, your presence can come across as comforting and stabilizing, just like the Earth. You're likely seen as someone who can offer practical advice and a steady hand, someone others can lean on without hesitation. There's a warmth to brown hair that communicates sincerity and authenticity.

🖤BLACK HAIR🖤: This hair color is more mysterious & unapproachable. You tend to be perceived as mature or intimidating with it (Saturn / Aquarius / Capricorn=boundaries, maturity, wisdom, being detached or closed off). Boundaries conceal and protect, so it can reflect why you may come off as an "authority" or project an aura of seriousness & authority. Black hair can also make you look enigmatic and self-contained, it's a color that naturally commands respect.

💖BRIGHT COLORS💖 (pink, blue, green, yellow, etc.): These colors make you seem rebellious, creative, eccentric, non-conforming. You tend to create unpredictable & love/hate reactions in people. (Uranus=unconventional, defies tradition and rules, shocking & unexpected energy). You're not afraid to stand out and challenge what's considered "normal." This can make people see you as a trendsetter, someone who isn't limited by expectations and expresses their individuality FULLY.

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Your curiosity & engagement mean the world to me. I hope you not only found it enjoyable but also enriching for your astrological knowledge. Your support & interest inspire me to continue sharing insights & information with you. I appreciate you immensely. • 🕸️ JOIN MY PATREON for exquisite & in-depth astrology content. You’ll also receive a free mini reading upon joining. :) • 🗡️ BOOK A READING with me to navigate your life with more clarity & awareness.

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

[withacapitalp]

Starry, Starry Night Pt 1

Happy birthday dear friend!!! @thefreakandthehair Lex you are a pillar of the fandom, an amazing writer, and just all around one of my most favorite human beings. I'm so so lucky to get to call you one of my best friends and I hope this fic puts a smile on your face!! @stevethehairington and @hbyrde36 thank you for betaing and for encouragement!!!!

Read it on ao3 instead here

----------------

Steve was asleep at the counter. 

Again. 

Robin placed another VHS precariously on the top of the pile surrounding him, making sure to adjust it so it wouldn’t fall. A copy of Secret Admirer had toppled down half a dozen boxes when she placed it without care earlier, and Steve had almost woken up just from the sound. She had worked her way through all of the romantic comedy returns and was halfway through the horrors already, and the pile was up to Steve’s waist. 

Her working theory was that she would be able to get all the way through the action movies before Steve was completely covered in tapes. 

Part of her wanted to feel at least a little bad for fucking with him every single time he fell asleep. After all it wasn’t like Robin hadn’t fallen asleep on the job herself once or twice, and Family Video wasn’t exactly the hardest job in the world. Now that they lived in a veritable ghost town, the store was lucky to get even a handful of patrons every day. 

Apart from her own boredom, there wasn’t really any reason to mess with him or try to wake him up. 

But there lay the crux of the problem. Robin and Steve had gotten their jobs as one so they could spend time together. Not so Robin could get stuck watching her best friend drool on the counter she would inevitably be forced to clean before they closed tonight. 

So, tape fort. 

Robin’s theories were almost immediately dashed though, because just as she placed her fourth copy of Rosemary’s Baby down, Steve stretched out his arms, knocking directly into the wall in front of him and bringing that entire cluster of VHS cases down on his head. 

“Ow! What! Why?!” Steve shouted, jerking upwards, startling as the rest of the tapes surrounding him began to tumble to the floor. 

Robin snickered to herself as she watched the melee, hopping up onto the counter next to where he had been lying his head and beginning to gather up the failed remnants of her experiment. 

“Good morning Dingus,” She sang, lightly tapping him on the top of the head with Ghostbusters, “Did you have a good rest?” 

“Robin,” Steve groaned, covering his face with his hands and heaving an absolutely ginormous sigh, “Why?” 

“Hey, this is your fault,” Robin protested, putting the stack of tapes to the side and sliding to the floor to start grabbing the rest. 

“My fault?” Steve repeated, sliding his fingers away from his eyes so he could glare at her while still hiding his face. 

“This is the fifth time you’ve fallen asleep on me this week, Dingus,” Robin said, giving him a look as she waved a VHS around her head, “Look at this place. Look at how boring it is. I need enrichment, I’m like a tiger in a zoo.”

Steve lowered his hands, raising a brow and silently judging her for a second before grumbling and joining her on the ground.  

“What? Was making paper clip crowns and hiding M&Ms in my pockets not enriching enough anymore?” Steve asked rhetorically, referencing the other things she had done this week during his impromptu naps as he collected the rest of the rom-coms. 

“Nope.” She replied, popping the p as she stood, tapes in hand, “Five times, Stevifer. Five.” 

“So?”

“So, it’s only Wednesday!” Robin shouted, walking around the counter and towards the shelves, knowing Steve would be following close behind with his own stack. “Is Eddie really still that excited about getting you in his bed every night?”

“You would be the first person to know,” Steve said, wagging his eyebrows and looking far too smug for Robin’s tastes. 

That much was true. Steve told Robin everything. What he had for breakfast, any weird customers that came in while she wasn’t scheduled, the stupid things the kids said, and, to the chagrin of both Eddie and Robin, anything and everything to do with his sex life. 

And god damn it did her best friends have a lot of sex. 

“Okay, so it’s not Eddie keeping you up,” Robin said, a small pit beginning to form in her stomach. She had hoped it was just them fucking like bunnies and Steve needing to recharge during the mornings, but now she was pretty sure it was the other thing, and that was a lot worse. 

There was no quick fix for that particular problem. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Robin asked softly, turning towards her best friend and trying to be as gentle as allowed. 

“Not really,” Steve said, keeping his eyes on the shelves and avoiding her gaze.

Okay, so not gentle. Trying to get Steve to open up was a weird careful tightrope walk between being gentle enough to lower down his guard, while also being firm enough that he didn’t feel like he was being treated like a child. So far Robin was the only one who managed to succeed most of the time, but even she stumbled on occasion. 

“You know I don’t mind covering for you, but you can’t keep this up, Dingus,” Robin tried, nudging their shoulders together as she did, hoping that a little extra physical contact would open Steve up even more, “It’s not healthy, and they’re not worth it.”  

Wrong thing to say. It was like she could physically see the walls coming back up around him. 

“I’ll be fine, Robin,” Steve said, the forced nonchalance in his tone hurting her almost as much as it was definitely hurting him. 

“You’re not sleeping again,” She stated plainly, putting it out there for both of them to see. Steve flinched at her words as if she had physically struck him. 

“I’m just…still adjusting,” He tried. 

Adjusting was still figuring out how the oven worked at Eddie’s new trailer, or trying to find the best routine for sharing the bathroom in the morning. Adjusting was planning work schedules, learning how to live together, becoming used to each other's rhythms. 

Whatever was happening here wasn’t adjusting. 

“Steve, It’s been almost a month since…” Robin started, trailing off as she tried to find the right words to help him. 

Steve already had them. 

“Since what, Robin? Since my parents kicked me out?” Steve interrupted, his voice hard and angry as he forced himself to meet her eyes, as if challenging her to try and find a kinder way to say it. 

That wasn’t a challenge she was planning to take on. There was no making this better. 

“Yeah, since your parents kicked you out,” She repeated, refusing to meet his level of emotion, knowing that would only make Steve even angrier. Sure enough he pushed away from her, stalking over to the counter and furiously punching returns into the computer, a storm cloud of rage swirling around him. 

“Steve-”

“God Robin, will you just drop it?!” Steve snapped. 

Robin leaned ever so slightly back at his sudden shift and Steve let his eyes slip shut, hanging his head low and taking a slow deep breath. The anger drained from his face, leaving behind only barely there frustration, and a longing that his parents didn’t fucking deserve from a son that was far too good for them.

It wasn’t exactly a shock when Richard and Diane showed up and told their son to pack his shit and leave, but that didn’t make it any less painful for Steve. Robin had never had any faith in them, but for some reason Steve did. He expected his parents to love him just as much as he loved them, and he had deluded himself into thinking that they had only ever done the things they did to try and make him better. 

Letting go of that couldn’t be easy, but it was also one of the few things about Steve that Robin felt she would probably never fully understand. 

“Please.” Steve whispered, Robin’s heart breaking at the pain in his voice, “I just don’t wanna talk about it, Bobbin.” 

Rather than answering she rounded the counter, pressing her body into his side and leaning her head against his shoulder. Steve adjusted to fit her automatically, two becoming one as she let Steve breathe into the pain instead of ignore it. 

“Were you at least having a good dream?” Robin asked, her voice slightly muffled by the soft sweater Steve was wearing, wishing she had a way to help him. 

“Oh yeah, it was great,” He said with a soft laugh, “I was lying back on a mountain of pillows while Eddie was using his massive thick-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll be forced to smother you next time you fall asleep at work,” Robin groaned, sticking her tongue out and gagging as she pushed Steve away from her. She hammed it up for extra effect, but she couldn’t hide the smile on her lips as she listened to Steve’s laughter. 

He hadn’t laughed as much in the last few weeks, and Robin hadn’t realized how much she missed the sound. It reminded her of everything good, all the stuff they hadn’t really been able to do since he moved in with Eddie. Burning breakfast together, dancing around the house in their socks, even trying to muffle their giggles in her bed so they wouldn’t wake her parents, looking through the skylight that was above her bed at the stars…

Huh. Maybe she did have an idea of how to help. 

“Now that you’re awake, I’m going to take my break,” Robin said in a faux casual tone, stretching and trying to hide the Cheshire cat grin overtaking her face. 

“You built a tape fort around me because you were annoyed I fell asleep and you were alone, so the first thing you do when I wake up is go hide in the back alone?” Steve complained, turning back to the computer and restarting the returns he had begun. 

“Love you too,” Robin said, pecking his cheek as she practically skipped towards the breakroom. She closed and locked the door, pressing her ear to it for a second just to make sure Steve wasn’t eavesdropping before almost bolting over to the phone in the corner, punching in the number for the Thatcher’s Tires and bouncing in place as she listened to the dial tone. 

This was a great idea. One of her best. 

“Hey Pete, it’s Robin. Can you put Eddie on the phone?”

Part two is coming tomorrow!! If you want to be tagged say it in a reblog!!

[punkinspice]

what r your shadow headcanons?! 👀

👀🖤 Ooooo oh my gosh!!! Thank you for asking op! A lot of them I have are kind of inspired a looot on the future AU I have, and starts from basically the beginning of his life to the potential end... so let's see where this goes...

(Disclaimers: This is written like a week before SXShG comes out so until we learn the new crazy information that I'm sure is going to rock all of our headcanons and theories for better and the worse, this is what I've got for now. Also I base this all on the two world theory, of Earth and Sonic's world being separate universes but currently are being brought together with Chaos Energy and that perhaps a lot of the Earth's magic/energy/gods have somehow been awoken with Chaos Energy, which may have caused the worlds to be open to each other... if that makes sense...😅)

ANYWAY, LETS GO

-Gerald/GUN had been messing with the possibility of interdimensional travel for a long time and were eventually able to tap into Chaos Energy, which allowed for the ability of Gerald to be able to do research on Sonic's planet, and for GUN to find and collect the chaos emeralds.

-Gerald needed dna from the (at least what he thinks) is the local chaos emerald's planet because any of the human or animal dna that they've been using back on earth isn't strong enough to withhold the energy of the emeralds and falls apart.

-Shadow is a hedgehog possibly because the part of the planet Gerald was researching was an ancient burial ground of a people who worshipped the Chaos Emeralds and figured it would be easiest to abstract ancient alien hedgehog dna from bones (Jurassic Park Style) rather than upsetting the rest of the planet because who knows what it could unleash, and the last thing GUN needs is ANOTHER alien invasion.

-Speaking of Aliens, the Black Arms were brought in as both a way to appeal Doom's promise of invading again, but also because Gerald needed something genetically stronger that would be able to withstand chaos energy.

-Shadow was supposed to be the start of an underground program of developing super soldiers for GUN but obviously due to the raid, that was shut down.

-We know that chaos is power, power enriched by the heart, and part of the reason so many experiments failed was because the energy could not properly bond without a positive influence, hence the need for Maria's pure heart and soul.

-The Black arms blood only acted as a bonding agent for the chaos energy to sustain the life form they were creating.

-Gerald incorporated the aspect of putting Maria's Soul/heart into Shadow behind Doom's back, and in so doing saving Shadow's life from being able to be completely overtaken by Doom. (Maria helped save his life too 🥺😭)

-Shadow has the same amount of Chaos Energy coursing through his body as an actual chaos emerald.

-His inhibitor rings act like both a seal and storage of his chaos power. Without them the energy would burn away to quickly to be able to regenerate and it would eventually kill him. Eggman is the only one so far known be able to rebuild perfect replicas to replace them (Heroes)

-He uses his inhibitor rings to store chaos energy to use as spears/snapping/skating etc.

-He skates using excess chaos energy that he burns off.

-Due to having so much chaos energy in him, he doesn't get as cold as easily or quickly and can go a little longer without eating. Though if he has recently done a chaos blast or gone super, he definitely notices a drain on his energy and gets really hungry.

-Shadow was only a few years conscious/old on the Ark when the raid happened.

-Shadow is currently deep in his grieving process, but doesn't even know he's grieving. All he knows is that he feel safer and more in control when he's alone and isn't really able to explain or understand why he's so angry.

-Shadow is deeply afraid of accidentally hurting those around him and self-isolates as a way to protect them.

-Sometimes he can feel the amount of energy coursing through him and it scares him. He doesn't fully understand how powerful he really is, or what the limits to his power even are.

-Despite his friends constantly telling him otherwise, Shadow thinks that he really is nothing more than a conscious weapon and doesn't deserve to be anything more.

-He deals with a looooooot of self loathing and survivors guilt, that often comes out as pride and bravado.

-He gradually gets his memories of the events of SA2 after being rescued in Heroes, and was a little hurt at first as to why Rouge hadn't told him everything initially... They had a long complicated talk about it, but soon Shadow realized that how would you even begin to tell someone the things that happened to him.

-Chaos energy eventually will heal his brain of the damage done from the brainwashing and manipulating that Gerald did.

-He is a naturally quiet, reserved and introverted person, but unfortunately the trauma he's suffered kicked it all into overdrive and now socializing is exhausting and awkward.

-Being in cities for too long overwhelms him.

-He is incredibly intelligent and a brilliant strategist, but technology and computers often stump him and it frustrates him (bless)

-Babies and chao are strangely drawn to him. I think they're able to instinctually sense the inherently calming and healing aura he has, and was originally intended to have. This does confuse and fluster him greatly. 😂

-As Shadow heals and moves on he gradually gets more of a sense of humor. It is a dry sense of humor though, and he can get very very sarcastic.

-Rouge was the first person he really allowed himself to get close to or trust himself to be safe around.

-He eventually goes back to live in Sonic's dimension and to suddenly be in a world where everything fits him was a weird adjustment to get used to.

-Shadow sleeps on his back, and only starts to snore when he feels safe and calm.

-Shadow does age, but he ages very very slowly. (think Logan/Wolverine) There will eventually come a time where he notices that he's stopped aging alongside his friends.

-Sometime in the future, Shadow will discover that his powers also have the ability to heal. And he eventually is known to be as great a healer as much as he is a warrior.

-Due to his healing abilities it will lead him to the Master Emerald where Knuckles helps teach him how to meditate and be able to connect with that deeper spiritual aspect that there is to chaos energy.

-He guards the Master Emerald for a time after Knuckles and everyone else is eventually gone... both as a sense of respect and purpose but for solitude and space to grieve again.

-He will have to watch all of his current friends die... but he does become a guardian and a stable rock of guidance and wisdom that the future generations can depend on.

-Shadow is Silver's great great great (idk how many greats) grandfather, and got to see him be born, but due to a calamity threatening the planet was unable to be there for him to help him grow up.

-Shadow and Omega both go out in a blaze of glory together as companions and dear friends as they save the world together to give it a second chance to survive...

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW... I'm sure I'm forgetting some and will have more come to me later, but I'll start with these.

G o s h so much of Shadow's story is just... so sad. There's so much healing, hope, love and purpose in there too... but at the cost of great sadness... and I think a lot of us can relate to that in deep personal ways. And I think that's what makes Shadow so important and special to us as a character.

[finisnihil]

Do you have any jingluo rambles or headcanons :3

I'd like to know more ☺️

Oh hi thanks for the ask! I don't typically talk about my more fanon ideas because I usually like to do analysis/theories of the canon material, so most of the time I write my headcanons and stuff into my fics or whatnot but! I'm totally happy to talk about some of them!

-More so a theory I'll die on the hill of but I do think Luocha is an Emanator, I have a post explaining my evidence here! It's not the most fleshed out because it was one of my first posts on here but yeah!

-One of my big Luocha headcanons is the flowers blooming out of his hair according to his emotions. He's considered an Abomination of Yaoshi, a term only really used for Mara-struck, and the Mara-struck typically have mutations of like ginkgo brances/leaves growing from their bodies. I think it'd make sense if Luocha also displayed Mara symptoms in his own weird way!

-I like to think Luocha can kinda "eat/digest" Mara. To me, Mara reads like a weird combination of rabies and chronic wasting disease. Vultures are a favorite bird of mine and they have extremely strong stomach acid, strong enough to digest rabies. They help manage the spread of rabies because of this and I can see Luocha's body functioning a similar way with Mara. Something percieved as scary or gross (Emanator of the Abundance/a scavenger that eats predominantly dead animals) but being essential to the managing of a healthy ecosystem because they perform a thankless task.

-Jing Yuan has crows feet. Even though the Xianzhou people don't really age past a certain point and their bodies stay that way no matter what (see: Dan Shu and her explanation of disabilities on the Xianzhou which is incredibly interesting) he is 721-ish years old and he smiles a lot. I think it'd be sweet to see evidence of that, that despite everything he still can smile so much it leaves little lines of joys in his face.

-Jing Yuan to me is more of an acts of service guy (His being General shows his love for the Luofu because taking care of its people is the ultimate act of service). I think Jingliu was also more of an acts of service person because to her fighting was all she lived for, for a while, so her showing love is wielding her sword for somebody (like wielding it against Baiheng to free her). I think that's a way Jing Yuan kinda embodies her yaknow? As for Luocha, he's more a quality time person. He's a traveler who doesn't really have anywhere permanent to call home so he likes to soak up as much time with the people he loves as he can before he's forced to move on again. He also likes receiving gifts because they're momentos of those people he can carry with him.

-I think Luocha would like to garden but he's never had a permanent place to do so, so when they get together he just takes over Jing Yuan's garden (which is suffering due to Jing Yuan's busy schedule) and rules it with an iron fist. The neighbors are jealous.

-I saw this post propose that Jing Yuan might be half Foxian and I really love that idea so that's something I like to chew on

-Both Luocha and Jing Yuan are strategic people and Luocha is one of the few people who have successfully outsmarted Jing Yuan so I imagine their enrichment is playing strategic games together. Western chess (my beloved), General's chess, Go, etc. I imagine Luocha is better at western chess and Jing Yuan at Go and General's chess, simply bc those were the games they were raised with.

-Luocha runs cold and Jing Yuan runs hot. Adding to that, if Luocha is an Emanator, he's probably stuck in this pseudo-death limbo so I imagine he's cooler to the touch. Meanwhile, Jing Yuan is very alive and pretty active, therefore warmer to the touch. Jing Yuan likes to nap resting on Luocha because it's like having a cool pillow and Luocha likes it because Warm. He would also like to tease Jing Yuan by putting his cold hands on the back of his neck or something and make Jing Yuan jump due to not expecting it.

-Being General is a demanding and exhausting job. I can imagine Jing Yuan doesn't really spend a lot of time on self-care in that aspect. He has a planet-ship to run after all so he probably doesn't care too much about what shampoo or soap he uses. Luocha is appalled and uses his connections as a merchant to acquire quality stuff (some of which is better for foxian hair types) to systematically switch out when Jing Yuan isn't paying attention. Jing Yuan obviously notices but he doesn't particularly care, later noticing his skin is less dry and his hair is way softer and healthier.

-Jing Yuan can cook but it's a 50/50 on if it actually ends up eatable. His job can be tiring and I imagine sometimes he's just too dead tired to stay awake and the food burns or whatever. After him and Luocha get together, Luocha will cook or he'll check on the food for him.

-I've been pinging around the idea of Jing Yuan having narcolepsy

[baronessvonglitter]

Get to know your moots

(I know I'm late to this one, so no judging looks, okay? 👀)

thanks to the beauties who tagged me in theirs: @probablyreadinsmut @itwasntimethatdidit40 @joelmillerisapunk @milla-frenchy @myownwholewildworld

what's the origin of your blog title?: it's the title of an album by Fatboy Slim (maybe I'll change it monthly? i dunno yet)

favorite fandoms: the PPCU, baby 🫡 but honestly any show I binge on the regular has a fandom I love

OTP(s) + shipname: Joana (Joel + Adriana) 😊 Joeliana? It's a work in progress.

favorite color: i know it's kind of a cop-out but i love all colors. except burnt orange and brown. i'm on the fence about gray.

favorite game: i'm old so i immediately thought 'board game' and i can rock Clue all day all night. I've never lost at Clue. I don't really do video games anymore because i get addicted really easily and will literally block everything out during gaming. But! I used to love the old-school Resident Evil series and the Tomb Raider series. Also fucked with some GTA in my time.

song stuck in your head: "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" by Tame Impala.

weirdest habit/trait?: randomly speaking in a (terrible) English accent, saying 'tanks' instead of 'thanks', spouting off random facts about things i believe to possess vast knowledge of, and oversharing. I also like to randomly sing out, even though i hate when other people do it.

hobbies: writing! reading, cooking, discovering new bars/restaurants, finding enrichment time in my enclosure, convincing myself i'm normal.

if you work, what's your profession? i'm a jill of all trades. i've done everything from working in a library to teaching cpr.

if you could have any job you wish what would it be? i would love a job where i solely get to travel and enjoy other cultures. i also think it'd be awesome to get paid to be an urban explorer, or one of those ghost hunters who stay the night in haunted hotels. I'd be a less douchey Zak Bagans.

something you're good at: i like to think i'm good at writing, or else i wouldn't be so happy on this platform 😊 I also like to think I can see both sides of a situation, really play devil's advocate (it's a Libra thing 💅🏽) and in that vein i'm also good at spending money, not always wisely. Another negative is I'm good at giving the cold shoulder. Fire signs absolutely hate it.

something you're bad at: managing time (it always seems to outrun me) and explaining my true feelings. growing up, we weren't encouraged to express anger or sadness, so at times it's still a battle just to tell people how i feel.

something you love: all of you! Really! Imagine being a DM away from your favorite writer and you exchange snippets about your day or any little random thing, and you discover the person behind that beautiful collection of words you love so much.. that's what this platform is for me ❤️This time last year I was reading fics by many of the same people i now get to interact with and it's such an incredible feeling! I also love anything with white chocolate. I'm a sucker for it.

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: the Pedro boys obviously, astrology, conspiracy theories, The Office, horror stories, past lives, movies and what they mean to us, food.. you name it. I can talk to Aquarius people forever, they are the best to talk with about anything 💗

something you hate: snobbery and entitlement, violence towards kids, racism, bigotry, rude manners, the standard usual. i also hate that i don't possess teleportation powers or super strength.

something you collect: nail polish and lip products. i can't go anywhere without picking up a a lil something.

something you forget: i sometimes forget people's ages. i still sometimes think my parents are fifty. they ain't. 😔

what's your love language?: i'm not sure what it is officially, but something i love to be on the giving and receiving end is "i saw this and i thought of you" whether it's a song, a small gift, or a meme.

favorite movie/show: literally too many to name.

favorite food: i like a little of everything, but honestly nothing quite hits the spot like Mexican food 😋

favorite animal: armadillos are my favorite! also possums, raccoons.. i guess anything that ends up roadkill lol 🥲i'm also becoming quite fond of the axolotl.

what were you like as a child? i was a weird kid. i was usually pretty quiet but i had my super-hyper moments. also i got bullied in my younger days, but my knee jerk instinct was to fight back. i had a mean streak when provoked lol.

favorite subject at school? English of course, and French because my teachers were amazing. but as a whole, i didn't really enjoy school.

least favorite subject? math, and physics because my teacher was a prick. why the hell are math teachers so mean? I didn't have a good math teacher until college, and she was amazing because she was so patient.

what's your best character trait? i like to think i'm good at listening. use me as a sounding board or ask my opinion, i'll be happy to help.

what's your worst character trait? procrastination. my fear of rejection has kept me from many things, but i just tell myself they weren't meant for me. also i noticed a lot of people saying they feel like others hate them and... hello?? is this a universal experience or what? i feel like people probably groan when they see me in their inbox or emails🥲like i said before, i hurt my own feelings worse than anyone else actually can.

if you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? that my allergies weren't attacking me right before bed.

if you could travel in time who would you like to meet? i've always had a crush on Edgar Allan Poe, so maybe i'd go meet him.

recommend one of your favorite fanfics (spread the love!): i can't! i've read so many special fics by wonderful people, and everyone has their own style and voice. anything that i've ever reblogged is an automatic fic rec, and i'll start doing them monthly (or every other month) this year. i really need to gussie up my masterlist and add a link for my recs. and THAT'S the project i'll be doing this weekend!

this is crazy late, so i won't tag anyone specifically. if you see this on your dash and you're interested, consider this your invite ❤️

[la-chacha-gris]

Hi. I read the comments you exchanged with the girl blogger you recommend in the post you shared. Can you explain the context and what links you to @la-parenthese-d-an-ghi? P.S. Thanks for finally telling us what the word in the blog title means.

Hi, I wanted to remind you of the conversation you're referring to. We've barely spoken, and it must have been when we were commenting on a post of yours that I shared. But I guess it's not important to leave a link so third parties can read what you're referring to. What connects us? Practically nothing, but that little bit, that shared essence, weighs like a million pounds...

She's a girl blogger focused on self-photography and has the courage to do it outdoors. I'm another woman who, I think, would never dare to do something like that, and I represent myself here taking on the image of a celebrity I admire for not conforming to what masculinity and the capitalist market expect of her. We're both united by mutual respect, and we came to blog because we have something to express about ourselves.

I, too, am pursuing a path, and not just by studying or sharing my writings and theories… It has to do with getting closer to my admirer, trying to embrace her courage and freshness (but I won't bore you with things that are already being said in the pinned post links). As strange as it may seem, this consistency of a personal daily blog helps me, but there are other women who do things completely different from mine, and I appreciate feeling they're there, regardless of whether I speak to them or not. I find them valuable to me and to the world just for existing, as an alternative to the standard male blog that limits itself to collecting photos of their sexual taste.

She walks naked through natural landscapes, and I wonder how much the simpletons who ask me, like Anon, about my panties or the temperature of my vagina will understand how that's self-expression, and that's always art when it focuses on beauty and awakens emotions. It doesn't have to be recognized by critics or exhibited in a gallery to be groundbreaking art; its purpose is fulfilled when she makes art that expresses herself. Similarly, my friend @knifeprincesss works in another field, showing off with weapons in close-up shots and studying how the mechanisms and myths (phantasmagoria) that make women special when they show off their weapons, and another mutual friend of ours could be joking and making memes, but she'd dedicate the answer to a very long ask to talk about forgotten humanity and the inner pain of InCels.

What connects me to them has been said, and I don't want to call these alternatives we are "diversity" because it's a word practically hijacked by hegemonic or institutional Spanish feminism, imported from the US, and often guilty of being white college girls and anti-porn. Diversity isn't imposed; there's no conspiracy to force it onto your Tumblr feed or into your movies or TV shows. That we're not all the same or want the same thing is a fact. And it's only fair that we can make and appreciate art that some only appreciate for its nudity or sexuality. Neither women nor women's blogs have a single voice or say the same thing, and the fact that we can have blogs that are different from the majority, I think, enriches the entire Tumblr ecosystem. So I'm grateful for their existence because I feel less weird and alone here, and when I find an excuse, I promote them.

I'll sign off by emphasizing something already said, but which WE NEED to be clear about: I have no problem with porn blogs per se. Making alternatives and diversity visible isn't about taking anything away from anyone, but rather about sharing a space and offering a different option to anyone who might be interested. That's what we do, as the simpletons allow us to misunderstand in their own way, harassing us in their belief that we're looking for something other than self-expression, truth-finding through research, or beauty through creation. Thank you for your question, which has allowed me to write this love letter, which is chaste in its own way.

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Things that I hope DO NOT happen on S3

As I writer, and I'm not just talking about FF, I was a formal editor once... etc, I can recognize a crumb when I see it. And especially now that I have a pretty good idea, as we all do I guess, of how Storer's mind works.

Nat's aching shoulder was a crumb that Storer may pick up and run with eventually or not. I'm hoping not because that would imply a health scare I don't wanna watch.

Connor getting in the way of my Sydcarmy goals. Actually, I didn't sense any tension or any of the sorts that here on Tumblr everyone pointed out, I didn't think Carmy was jelly or anything, but maybe I'm biassed as Carmy and I share several character traits I won't get into and that may very well jeopardize my full objectivity on him. That being said, I did pick up on the fact that Connor may have the looks of a younger version of Carmy, the untainted version he once was when he was still green and staging in different kitchens all around the world. Personally, for me, THAT was the crumb and I thought that that was the sole purpose of that character, to be Carmen's mirror that reflected a reflection from the past, which made Carm uncomfortable and eventually triggered a change in him because Carmy somehow realizes he misses that old unspoiled version of himself and Connor gives him the chance to NOT treat him in the same way his nightmare EC <AKA: Joel McHale's character> treated him. That was my bet when I first saw Connor and THAT is what I expect Storer to dive into next season. I don't want Connor to have anything to do with Syd, at all. As a matter of fact, a lot of fans have been requesting a gay character in that kitchen, so I'm thinking why not Connor?

Fak getting married to Kelly, because that crumb they planted of Fak's smitten (by Kelly) face at the soft opening, may enable a Carmy / Claire reunion I have 0 interest in. Fuck Kelly! And yes, I do think Claire deserves an apology but I wish a phone call would do, I don't even think it should be in person because it will break Carmy's heart to see Claire cry. And if it's in person, it shouldn't be at a wedding, just a quick face-to-face over a cuppa coffee would suffice, and moving on... Carmy has a restaurant to run with Syd and has already dedicated WAY TOO MUCH TIME TO CLAIRE, thank you very much. Luckily Carm rocks at not showing up, deflecting, and sucks at apologies, so yay!

Mr. Berzatto making a reappearance. The crumb they planted by raising the question of whether the man is still alive or not could fully lead to Mr. Berzatto showing up and wanting a piece of his restaurant or just wreaking havoc in any other way. That is a plot twist that is waiting to happen because otherwise the character would have been officially dead by now and I want nothing to do with that. A good way to neutralize that crumb would be that Mr. Berzatto does show up eventually, they reconcile and his redemption arc proves to be beneficial for the entire family, which I don't think will be the case. I'm betting my ass on Donna's redemption arc because what she did on the soft-opening night, as twisted as it was, was an act of love, so THAT is a crumb I want Storer to pick up and run with, but not Mr. Berzatto's.

I could go on, but those are the main ones.

If you have more, I'd love to know about them, please share. I'm not like those babies around here who totally freak out the moment you disagree with or question their theories, or just mention that you happen to have a different take on them. As I matter of fact I fully enjoy that and I joined this platform to exchange different POVs. I love it! I actually find it enriching and amusing. And I'm all about amusement and enjoyment. Bring it on!

[delicatelystrangepolice]

Simon is my favorite character from young royals so I didn’t really care if wille ended a monarch as long as Simon could stay away from that. A better ending for me is for Simon never taking Wille back again. He didn’t deserve all that bullshit. For me monarchy was not the problem but Wille never understanding Simon he never did in any season.

Hi Anon, thanks for the message! I'm the worst person to discuss YR with because I have a complicated relationship with that story and my opinion about it has changed a lot since I first watched it. But let me use this moment to blab about my thoughts...

I agree that whatever s3 did to wilmon's relationship didn't inspire me to imagine a happy future for them. For first two seasons I cheered for them because they seemed like such a tragic set up; conflicts always thrown at them and they desperately wanting to just be together. I understood their motivations from both sides.

However, I was always a little critical of the amount of conflicts. At some points, it felt like the characters were just being tortured. I excused that with 'oh it's such a complex story, it packages a lot with the little screentime it has and some things are left for the imagination!'

For me it has always been Wilmon relationship that was more 'you just need to read between the lines' which isn't bad in itself but looking at things that actually happened on screen - they never had a proper conversation. There were fights and there were sweet moments but s3 proved that they just don't know each other.

I've seen fans speculating: surely they do talk to each other much more off-screen. Wille saying Simon is the only person he can talk to was one of the reasons for that theory.

Well, how much did they talk if by the end of the story they became... that?

My overall hope came from my own delusions - because I do think it's very interesting to meet people from different backgrounds when you are able to learn from each other, enrich your point of view through their experiences. It happens easily and all the time when people are willing to listen and understand each other. It's what keeps this world fascinating and beautiful.

There were choices made to always keep Wille and Simon apart - creative choices that I first thought were very good but in s3 they became irritating. Instead of showing the potential of what Simon and Wille could be together, the show decided they needed to be tortured all the way through and quickly threw a 'happy ending' that seemed completely nonsensical.

And it pulled me out of the story so much that I was not even judging any of the characters - I only judged the creator. Which... I guess says something about how realistic that story felt to me.

So yeah...

[theforlorne]

🐑 ♡ Here's one letter fresh from Sup-port, addressed to one rabid Vox fan ♡ 🐑

Dear @startissuu,

You've kept many people well fed with your delicious artwork, and you've served up plenty of smiles to those you interact with! Time for you to know how beloved you are!

From Vox in an apron, to the most beautiful replication of emotion in a facial expression ever, your art knows no bounds! Who knows what you'll make next? Whatever it is though, it's guaranteed to be a hit!

That's why you're getting a letter so that all the lovelies that see this can see just how wonderful you are too! Thank you for sharing your art with us, and thank you for being such a sweetheart in the fandom!

Wishing all the best, and sending all of our love,

The Sup-port Team xo

Let's see what other letters arrived for you!

From @tarokitsu ♡

"i think chef is one of the most genuine, kind and talented people i know, shes so funny and im so grateful to be able to call her my friend!! her creativity is inspiring and i love how her art is always so full of life i could print it out and eat it. i have so many good memories associated with her already, i dont have enough words to explain how much i appreciate her but I LUV CHEF !!"

From @lumikello24 ♡

"Chef is one of the nicest, most supportive people I know! Hanging out with her is always fun and she's the first person I'd trust to watch over my drink at a party! I am regularly steam rolled into the floor by their art skills. Their ability to make things look 3d and expressive is absolutely mind-blowing! Her art could be straight out of a disney movie and her newest artwork has some of the most stunning lighting to have ever graced my eyeballs!"

From @fraugwinska ♡

"Chef quickly grew from being a goofy, lil ball of talent to be one of my most trusted, closest friends I've made since entering the Hazbin fandom. It's rare that you get the whole package - A nice, funny, sassy, chaotic, wonderful person that also draws like possessed by the gods of creativity, an amazing artists that even dabbles in writing and kills it there, too. She is the whole 360° threat. I will forever be proud to say that she was the first one to draw Alastor with Gem, my MC from my biggest fic and that she brought those two, who were and still are so dear and close to my heart fills me with so much gratitude and happiness. I swore to her one day that I'd be paying her accordingly for all the wonderful things she gave me. Now, knowing her, being her friend, commissioner and confidant... I know that no lottery win would ever be enough to truly show her my appreciation."

Chef's Advice To You

"I would say the best advice I have for artists is a couple things I gradually came to learn over the course of last year and that would be no matter how much experience you have never be afraid to sit down and re-learn the fundamentals if you feel stuck, it can be easy to brush it off as something you already know but sometimes your creativity can feel like it’s become stagnant and a quick refresher on perspective, composition, or colour theory etc can be all it takes to give you another creative BOOM

And also, (at least to me) your art is an expression of the soul, base its success on how it’s enriched you and made YOU feel, never on how many hits it may get/not get on social media. when you create something that’s an extension of yourself, the right people will appreciate it for that, which feels so much better than just churning things out that you think other people will enjoy"

Want To Write A Personal Letter?

Chef's official Sup-port tag is #fromsup-port2startissuu

[therosettasun]

hello hello hello, unsure if you ever use tumblr, but i wanted to say that your tiktok content really changed my view on fandoms and is genuinely helping me be so much more accepting, and I'm already feeling way more comfortable interacting with fandoms!!

i also LOVE your theories and character analyses SO MUCH- may i ask- how do you come up with all of that?? like how are you able to understand their characters so well?

i really enjoy studying characters, but i miss SO many things and i can barely put it into words, so I'm just very curious!! also as a writer I think it'd be an important skill to have lol

much love!!

You are too sweet😭💜This put such a smile on my face, thank you!

When it comes to analysis, I’ve always been an English/Literature type of person (as opposed to math.)

Learning about literary devices and figurative language, recognizing tropes and patterns, and most importantly reading books REALLY helps enrich your ability to analyze a piece of text or media! Literature/English courses in school or online are a great place to start :3

Thanks again for your loving words💜💜💜You are so kind!

Much Love🔮💜

[aquaquadrant]

I recently found yours Hels to Pay AU and I love it so much that I'm going to rant about things that I find really neat in no particular order

Helsmits names:

Dr. Clear - MumboJumbo. It took me a while to get it but wow it makes sense seeing as the phrase "mumbo-jumbo" means nonsense and clear is the opposite of that. Also funny considering the coherentness of each one

BadTimesWithScar - GoodTimesWithScar. Classic

AnimosityGaming/Timmy - SolidarityGaming/Jimmy. Wonderful. Animosity and Solidarity are opposites as well so that's cool

bXMiner - XbCrafted. It's the two halves of MineCraft. Also reverses the letters of his name

Bravo - Tango. Derived off the phonetic alphabet I would assume

Dbubs - Bdubs. Reverses the letters of his name

Patho(s? I'm not sure) Lair - Etho's Lab. Ethos and Pathos are Greek words meaning character and emotions respectively. Lair and Lab are similar to each other. And they have similar nickames taken from misreading their names (Etho Slab and Patho Stair). Genuinely my favourite name of yours.

You have other helsmits but I can’t think of more words for them so moving on

Dr. Clear is Alister's spy. He told Bravo about Tango indirectly just before they opened the portal, and also managed to get Atlas to slap him in front of Bravo. He's also incoherent enough (faking?) that Atlas wouldn't consider it

Dbubs pathologic lying? How sometimes he doesn't even realise it? How when he did and said something he didn't mean (I hate your stupid face) he felt bad?

Pathos feeling at home in the crimson jungle. Feeling absolutely horrible for ignoring Dbubs whispers whenever he leaves.

Pathbubs is my new favourite ship but god they're about as healthy as that Panera Lemonade

I'm not saying Tango's theory about confusing the universe is wrong, but where was Tango's Portal meant to go if that was the case? It was an actual Universe Portal, so it's not like someone figured out how to make one and then left it there. I think the Universe made the id display to Bravo as Hermitcraft so he would enter it, because Hels just sounds like a bad place. In my head this means the Universe looked at Tango and Bravo and said, "my bad, you need to switch places"

Now that Tango and Jimmy are in Hels, once the Portal is broken, they will be unable to escape back to Double Life by themselves, as their coordinates will still send them to Hels. They will need to meet up with someone else's doppelganger to get back to Double Life.

Thank you for writing an amazing AU

thank you, i’m glad u like my hels names! it’s something i always spend a lot of time thinking abt, deciding where i wanna pull the name from, whether it’s an opposite thing, helsification, name scramble, or some other significance. clear’s full name is actually clear cut, which is even more of a contrast to mumbo jumbo, and it is technically pathoslair but he goes by patho the same way ethoslab goes by etho, dropping the ‘s’.

ah, pathbubs… i love them sm… man i really need to write more of them sometime 😂 absolutely unhealthy but DAMN they compel me…

as for your questions about the universe portals… i’ll just say that no player has figured out the real explanation for the swap yet. they’re working off what they know and certain assumptions they’ve made; in tango’s case, the assumption that he’s an evil creature who would never have purposefully been brought to hermitcraft. in bravo’s case, the assumption that tango’s mere existence resulted in a massive mistake (even tho plenty of other players have joined hermitcraft without being swapped with their hels counterparts…). they’re silly gooses <3

anyway thanks so much for sharing ur thoughts, i LOVE to hear what y’all are thinking and theorizing about with regards to the fic. it’s like enrichment for me.

[bathroomtrapped]

ohmygod i literally just made an account on letterboxd bc i watched saw (2004) and loved it so much and ur interview was so inspiring to me and ive been on an absolute craze trying to reblog like every single saw post on tumblr and i somehow found your account what the heck?!!?!?! ur art is AMAZING and i absolutely love ur takes on saw as a franchise and its significance to the queer community. i hope to be as knowledgeable of this franchise as you are one day despite me only being a baby saw fan!!

i had a quick question; i found on the saw heritage post blog that they thought leigh/james/someone else confirmed that saw (2004) did not actually occur the day before 9/11 despite the phone given to them being set to that date. however, when i asked them if they knew where this source was from (bc im so curious!!! i want to know everything!!!!!!) but neither they nor i could find the actual source for that so i was wondering if maybe u knew??? just curious :3

regardless ty for taking the time to read this and dedicating so much time to this fandom!! i love that horror fans like you exist in a fandom that i previously thought would be weird and slightly disturbed film bros (i had a lot of incorrect preconceived notions about saw that have been quickly resolved i promise)

thank you!! im glad that people feel the same way about it as i do but even if people thought i was some crazy transexual making everyone else woke and pronouns, i wouldnt care. the story, especially lawrences but adams as well, really resonates with me as a trans person for so so many reasons, more than i listed in the interview. to me, i cant read his character without filling in the gaps with trans subtext. it not only explains but also enriches the personal experiences of these characters as well as their dynamics with each other. theyre both characters that are defined primarily by how theyre seen by other people, themselves, and eventually each other. the narrative is soooo focused on perception and masks and who u truly are, i find it hard to separate any kind of queer theory from that.

as for the 9/11 question thats such a dumbass pet peeve of mine. its one of the things that makes me shout UMMMM ACTUALLY at the top of my lungs. my blood pressure sours to inhuman levels when someone confidently says the movie takes place not just in 2001 but the day before 9/11. not because of some interview or confirmation from any of the crew because my knowledge of old fandom history is incredibly spotty. old sites and interviews r a mystery to me for the most part BUT! the reason it is for sure not before 9/11 is because during the flashback of pauls trap (during lawrences monologue about jigsaw) kerry tapp and sing are all at the scene with other officers and i believe its kerry who holds up an evidence bag thats labeled 2004. the scene takes place 5 months before the events of saw 1 so its not possible that it takes place 3 years before that. it just seemed like a funny (but insanely bold considering how 9/11 was only 3 years before) joke and easter egg for people to catch on to, not actual lore meant to be taken seriously.

if u want to look for the interview, i would honestly just listen to the commentary tracks bc it mightve been said there. i know in the one with leigh, james, and cary they discuss plot holes fans complained about, questions fans had online, the fanfic they read (briefly LOL). ive only seen that one (and once) but theres at least 2 other commentary tracks with different people that i havent gotten around to for fear of like. completing saw? idk i cant bring myself to watch all of the commentary tracks but theres a chance they discuss it there! i can only speculate on the reason, all i know is that saw 2004 takes place in 2004 based on actual evidence from the media itself

if u have any other questions let me know. i still have the original draft of the interview which had more questions and longer responses bc i couldve gone on for days abt the lore and saw queer theory and ill never shut up about it

[incomingalbatross]

Hello! Suzanne Collins said that Prim dying is the "whole point" of the HG series (l recently read that somewhere but it was part of a webweave and lacked all other context). Why do you think that is? Why is Prim being doomed by the narrative actually essential? I was curious about your insights because l enjoy hearing your thoughts about other books.

Thank you for the ask! I'm glad you enjoy my thoughts. (But also, all my THG understanding is very much enriched by @fictionadventurer's discussions of it, and has been since before I read the books, so if you like whatever I have to say you should definitely check out her posts.)

I have seen the same webweave and also have no further context. :P I' don't know'm not sure if she meant it was the whole point of the series, or the whole point of Prim, or what exactly...

But I did read an interview with her, somewhere, where she said something like "Everything I've ever written is about just war theory." Which is fascinating. And I think she said that's why it's such a big theme in the Hunger Games that having a just cause doesn't automatically ensure the justice of your methods.

And the thing about Prim is... the world they live in at the start, the world of the Games, is a world that kills its Prims. It almost killed her in the reaping. It did kill Rue. That's why Katniss won't have kids, why she and everyone else eventually rebels - because this is a world that won't allow Prim and children like her to live, and that's unendurable.

But the methods of Gale and District 13, the lengths they will go to in order to pursue the inarguably just cause of fighting this structure, end up actually killing Prim. The bombs, followed by the proposed new Games, are the blatant and undeniable evidence that they've adopted the very evils that they were fighting to destroy.

So I think Prim's death is crucial to Collins' point about just war, in its ends and means, because there's no better way to drive that home than to have the same innocent victim threatened by the enemy side and then killed by her own.

[zedecksiew]

BLOGGIES 2023 THEORY WINNERS

A week of voting has passed, and the results of the final round are in. We have our winners for the BLOGGIES 2023 Theory category.

And now: winner announcements, medals, acceptance texts!

(I asked the winners to say a few words about their winning work---where they were at when they wrote the posts; whether they have additional insights; how they feel about winning.)

+++

BRONZE BLOGGIE FOR THEORY POST:

🥉 being a problem - playable orcs at the limits of humanity 🥉

from A Most Majestic Fly Whisk

Ènziramire:

Wrote this while putting my nieces to sleep (exhausted by the Pete the Cat incident mentioned in the post) and they helped me pick the Marshall painting so it's only fitting that I name Ms. Amaya and Ms. Malia as my co-authors. Race / orcs talk will probably be bad forever, or at least as long as the hobby is structured this way, but a benefit of The Discourse's remarkable ability to trivialize and misinterpret is that it illustrates the flaws of liberal incorporationism in a manner seldom achieved by other critical traditions. I'd like to thank Sylvia Wynter and white guilt for this bronze medal.

+++

SILVER BLOGGIE FOR THEORY POST:

🥈 Critical GLOG: Base Resolution Mechanics 🥈

from Goblin Punch

Arnold K:

I see no reason why tabletop RPG systems shouldn't be as customizable as the characters; the hobby would very much be enriched if they were.

Certainly there is interest--DMs are continually generating their own small hacks, but only the most adventurous are writing their own systems. The largest obstacle is a lack of familiarity with system design. People may know what they are trading when they sacrifice Dex in favor of Con, but the pains and joys of trading d20 resolution for a highest-in-a-dice-pool are still clouded.

If I have been able to empower even one person to design their own system--the last push that they needed--then the blog post has been a success.

Thank you everyone who voted for me. You guys fucking rock.

+++

(In lieu of a medal, Gold winners will get a linocut print; here's the plate inspired by Marcia's post: a dragon intertwined in / strangled by a banyan's branches and roots.)

GOLD BLOGGIE FOR THEORY POST:

🥇 OSR Rules Families 🥇

from Traverse Fantasy

Marcia B:

Zedeck asked me to say a couple words about this post, so I figured I'd say that (although I'm not sure how many people voted one way or another) I haven't been satisfied with its reception in general. It's been read as a neutral feat of statistics, a basis for taxonomic discourse, or a celebration of the OSR.

As the author I'm obviously dead, but as a fellow reader I'd like to suggest an alternative interpretation: there is so much collective effort spent on making books of rules that are ultimately formal and predictable permutations of each other. Only a few of the books originated rules that would then be incorporated into many of the other books.

Maybe it's that game designers aren't that creative; maybe it's that authors prefer to write systems over adventures; maybe it's that hobbyists feel pressured to systematize and christen their house rules. You can argue for one or more of these angles, each one representing a lens through which to criticize and re-envision the hobby. Whichever lens you prefer, though, I think they are all preferable to seeing no problem at all.

That being said, I am glad that for some people it helped them find a ruleset that works for them, or to just know what's out there. I hope this spurs us to find new ways to (literally, i.e., mathematically) break the norm.

+++

Congratulations everybody!

(Special thanks to Martin / Sharkbomb for his assistance tidying up the medal graphics; I dunno how to photograph art properly ...)

[catty-words]

i was tagged by @winterlovesong1 nearly a month ago - thank you!! - to "shuffle [my] repeat playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people."

as i am an album girlie but also someone incapable of not pouncing on any opportunity to talk music, i'm posting my ten most on repeat albums of the moment and tagging no one. ✨

1. going grey (2017) by the front bottoms - a front bottoms' album topping the list? groundbreaking.

going grey was one of the first tfb albums i connected with, and then it kinda fell from grace in my rotation. i'd be drawn to it only infrequently while surveying my complete tbf collection and deciding for what i was in the mood. the last couple months, though, it's every other album i play, period.

i recently read an interview brian sella did while promoting the album/tour (found via my browsing of google image results for 'the front bottoms'. leave me alone.) and he mentions that the ocean noises at the start and finish make it so you can put the album on perfect loop. well. i'm here to report to you that doing so is immensely satisfying.

2. the balance (2019) by catfish and the bottlemen - i periodically pick through the 'you might also like' section itunes provides at the bottom of every album page these days, so i found this particular album via beautiful people will ruin your life (2018). i like the toucan on the cover, and i like the opening track "longshot" even more!

3. all hell (2024) by los campesinos! - the first time i listened to this album, i had the audacity to be a little bored. i thought it dragged. pshaw!

i'm actually in love with every track. fifty full minutes of jams, and i count myself blessed. i think "clown blood; or, orpheus' bobbing head" is my favorite, though.

4. the horror and the wild (2020) by the amazing devil - okay, this one hasn't actually been in rotation, but i did play it on my recent drive to ohio and "battle cries" moved me to tears. again.

i worship music that rips into your chest and demands you love your monotonous life. speaking of...

5. talon of the hawk (2013) by the front bottoms - i mean. this one is pretty much always on repeat. i wanna contribute to the chaos, i don't wanna watch and then complain.

in related news, "backflip" has always been a glossed-over track in my listening experience, but my latest run through the album had me connecting with it. art revealing itself to you slowly, haltingly is one of my favorite things about being alive.

6. the loveliest time (2023) by carly rae jepsen - this was another one i put on for my drive, but i was compelled to come back a few subsequent times. every crj album is like a seed planted inside me. as long as i'm nurturing joy, it will burst into bloom.

7. collide with the sky (2012) by pierce the veil - i was having mild success writing for betty and jughead while this played in the background idk

8. and everyone else smiled back (2021) by bears in trees - in theory, they described themselves in a way so perfectly tailored to me!! i have not decided how i feel about their music in practice. guess i gotta listen one more time...

9. sobermore (2025) by cj the x - not a full album but what if i derive all my present-day musical enrichment from it anyway?

10. back on top (2015) by the front bottoms - this album turns ten this year!!! i have not had it in my life for nearly that long, but i find myself wondering how i will feel about it ten years into knowing it. certain moments (when my mind is uncertain, my body decides) are now knotted messily into my understanding of my own history, so i'll certainly never be neutral. but will i have listened so much, i never reach for it unless sparingly? will this album be foundational but firmly of my past? will i be sick of it?

i've loved things this hard before and grown indifferent. but the fact of the matter is, as i've tried to sum up this looking forward to an ending while living in a meaningful present, no fewer than three tfb songs have flitted through my head ("swimming pool", "everything i own", "leaf pile"). they have me by the throat now, and i am enjoying it while it lasts.