#this is literally an indirect character study

[illcitaffrs]

okay listen:

Henry’s “The View Between Villages”, “She Calls Me Back”, “Dial Drunk”, “Northen Attitude”, “Homesick” & “Orange Juice”

Charlotte’s “Call Your Mom”, “Dial Drunk” & “You’re Gonna Go Far”

Chenry as a couple are also “Call Your Mom” and “Dial Drunk”, but also “Stick Season” & “Everywhere Everything”

And then, the Danger Force kids (post-finale) are “The View Between Villages”

Bose is “She Calls Me Back” & “Homesick”

Mika is also “Call Your Mom” but she’s also “Forever” and “You’re Gonna Go Far”

and Bomika as a couple is just “Everywhere, Everything”

[enderalwitches]

Will the Cycle End? How will it end and why?

To avoid prolonging the suspense, we’ll answer the burning question right away: the Cycle will end. Will humanity — or whoever inhabits Vyn at that time — survive? That depends on many factors.

Now we’ll explain the conclusions we’ve reached. But just to emphasize: this article is based on lore assumptions. This is important to understand. Even though we’ve used a lot of obscure facts here.

Also, let us warn you that it’s quite a maze ahead. We’ll have to deal with the Sea of Eventualities, Black Stones, Red Madness, the High Ones, and connect information from all the games to attempt an analysis.

So let’s begin.

First, let’s mention the fact that the life cycle of any world in the universe is quite clearly defined and evident, judging by the lore of Nehrim. This is stated by Arkt and Sarantha, characters who have witnessed the end of at least one world — and perhaps even more, though we won’t speculate on the exact number.

Almost everything repeats itself, except that the Cleansing doesn’t happen. Any world simply dies. Its remnants end up in the dimension known as the "Shadow World" — a timeless place where no rebirths occur.

Thus died Irdor, the world from which Asatoron brought the Aeterna to Vyn. By the way, Asatoron had seen many different worlds. And only in Vyn did he sense something was wrong. He was the first, one could say, to understand the Cycle. Perhaps, however, before his madness, he didn’t have time to realize it to take any action. Or maybe it was such predestination that drove him insane? We do not know, and for this article, there is no need for us to make assumptions, at least on this topic.

Now, let's list all the necessary steps in the Cycle, so we have them in front of our eyes, and we will have to refer to this list more than once:

New inhabitants come to the empty world / life arises right on the spot.

Their civilization flourishes.

A cataclysm of undefined nature erases progress almost to zero.

After the "dark" years, a new order arises — Gods appear.

The Gods are killed by Someone.

The world is preparing to die. And dies.

Here ends the list for any world, but Vyn is not just any; it has the Cleansing. So here are a couple more steps:

The High Ones cast the Red Madness, and Emissaries appear.

The Beacon is built.

The "improper" launch triggers the Cleansing.

The quotation marks, of course, are not without reason. And also, not included in the list, but somewhere before the 5th step, an indefinite number of Black Stones is created. This is also a very important detail for the conclusions of this article.

Let’s talk about them. As is customary, the canons of the games don't quite match up. We studied everything to come to a version that combines the lore of all the games on this matter.

About the stones, we know that they appear at some stage of the Cycle, contain unhealthy magical energy, and feed it to the Beacon. According to the canon of Arktwend, the stones were created by Arkt, and according to the canon of Enderal — the Pyreans knew about this technology as well.

Let’s quote Lexil:

"In the old tablets you found in Old Dothulgrad, there is talk of "Black Embers", which are supposed to be some kind of energy supply for the Beacon. The Pyreans were talking about the Black Pearls. Old jewels, sometimes also known as "Black Stones". They appeared for the first time in the Golden Era and every self-important noble literally fought to get one in his possession. Apparently, they originated from Stormwend, the Old City in the heart of Arktwend."

That is, the developers did try to attach a hint of Arkt, whom they decided to avoid in Enderal. We do not criticize such a decision, knowing his history and powers. Such a character could very well have shattered the entire plot of the game. But at least he received an indirect mention, yay.

However, Arkt created far more stones than just three. The Pyreans’ “Black Embers” could have been more as well. From here, it’s a matter of speculation — did he use Pyrean technology or did he create everything himself? Does it really matter? No. But, judging by Lexil’s words about the homeland of the artifacts, we are indeed dealing with Arkt’s stones. So, the technology matches.

What’s important is what kind of energy is contained in them.

Let’s note that, according to the canons of Arktwend and Nehrim, at the time of the creation of the Black Stones, Arkt was far from being a positive character. And the stones drove (and continue to drive) their new owners mad. It’s hardly that the energy contained in the stones can be called light and pure. It’s either negative or chaos, which cannot be defined. And it doesn’t really matter to us which of these two is ultimately true. We only need a fragment, a sample of magical entropy, to create a “vaccine.”

Do we think we’ve managed to spark your interest? Before we explain, however, let’s reflect on some observations.

The reason for our interest and subsequent “investigation” was, strangely enough, the fauna of Nehrim. Players know, and for those who haven’t played, we’ll inform you that the local animals are afflicted by a certain disease: the beasts fall into a frenzy and attack everyone around. There is no quest to solve this issue, the lore is silent. That didn’t satisfy us, so we found the answer on our own.

Judging by the symptoms, the disease is very similar to the Red Madness. Except for the green flickering, but we’ll assume that’s a feature of Nehrim. However, with the Red Madness, there’s a “but” — according to the list above, it occurs only after the death of the Gods. This is where we started digging and drawing conclusions on completely different topics, and the answer to the current question came much, much later. And the answer was quite obvious — the Nehrim’s Lightborn perished much earlier than the rest. Thanks to Narathzul. Clearly, one Erodan was enough to destabilize the magical background of at least the lands that belonged to him. However, this destabilization wasn’t enough to affect the minds of the people.

But from this arose the next question: if both beasts and humans fall victim to the Red Madness, how do they get infected? How does it reach them?

We surely know only one thing — the Red Madness is cast by the High Ones, and that’s their only direct influence on the Cycle, affecting the world of real things in some way. They cannot do anything else, except perhaps verbally humiliate the Prophet during rare rendezvous.

But they have access to something, some common “database,” where they selectively choose victims for the disease.

What is this “something”?

Here we make an assumption, a major and fundamental one for this article. We turn to the theory of magic in Vyn, reread the books, recall Tealor’s speeches. And we come to the following conclusion: the term “Sea of Eventualities” needs to be expanded.

Not much is known about the Sea, really. People with developed magical talent can look into neighbouring eventualities, i.e., parallel universes. And they can pull the necessary things from there into our world. It is also believed that Vyn itself once emerged from the Sea. However, the book theory of magic says nothing about the origin of magical talent. What determines it? Where does it come from? How is it developed?

We know that magical predisposition is inherited. Also, some magical seed can be planted in a rural fisherman, who, in a moment of stress, suddenly finds himself able to float above the ground or summon fire from the sky. And in his late years, he will also become a mage in this way. There is no consistency to it.

We also know that after the death of the Gods, many magically gifted people began to have the same dreams. And — Tealor tells us about some common subconscious, to which all living beings are “connected.”

This is where we expand the term "Sea of Eventualities" — we assume that it is responsible for all the paranormal phenomena in the world. We stop perceiving it exclusively as a window to parallel universes and think more complexly. After all, if it allows the manifestation of magic, then let it be responsible for the process from start to finish. There is nowhere else for magical talent to come from, right? We also define the common subconscious here. If mages are more open to its manifestations, then again, this is the domain of the Sea's influence.

Thus, we will continue to consider that living beings are, to one extent or another, “connected” to the Sea of Eventualities.

Strangely enough, the fact of the Cleansing supports this theory. Its destructive power affects people but not the surrounding world. It turns out that victims need to be somehow singled out to avoid burning forests and fields along the way. This is exactly where access to some common “database” of all living beings comes in handy. And its description can be found above in this paragraph.

And then comes the fun part: we will analyse in detail why the Sea could be responsible for the death of the world or the Cleansing.

Spoiler: it's still the humans' fault, but not directly because of their corruption that the Cycle ends. As if in the era of Asatoron or the age of the Lightborns, the situation with the sinfulness of the population was somehow different? That sounds ridiculous. There have always been antagonists doing evil, there have always been prideful ones, liars, and humanity’s essence didn't make any particularly impressive sinful leap that would provoke the Cleansing when it actually happens.

Yes, the game really wants to tell us that humans are to blame, "for not outrunning their shadow," as the Father puts it. We won’t argue, but rather explain this within the framework of this theory. Because it all turns out to be not quite what we tend to think.

It’s a popular belief on the web that, had the Prophet and the others done nothing, the Cleansing wouldn’t have happened. And that’s not true. The outcome would have been the same, or different — the death of the world. Because humanity’s corruption had ALREADY accumulated to a sufficient extent, the gods were ALREADY dead, and the world was ALREADY dying. The process is irreversible. Perhaps someone else would build the Beacon and trigger the Cleansing, or perhaps they wouldn’t have time. The end is ahead, and it’s clear.

But let’s focus on the "corruption" that is supposedly responsible for the Cleansing, as it is commonly believed. As we mentioned earlier, characters wishing to do anything but good didn’t suddenly start appearing right now, triggering the mechanism. You can start with Asatoron, for example. In his madness, he did terrible things, not only in Vyn. Let’s not delve into the pleasures of local star wars. However, we’ll mention Voran — the Starlings’ “star” — kicked to Vyn by them to stop Asatoron and his army — a necessary evil that worked as intended but also caused immense harm to the world and its magical balance. Later, after the dark age and the rise of the Lightborn, Vyn is tormented by demon invasions, continents turn into icy wastelands, they get magically infected again (and this is very important), they drown, collapse, and change order. All this is due to intelligent beings who wield magic and their corruption — the thirst for power, belief in their own exceptionalism, pride, and everything else. Humans and Aeterna cause immense harm to the world for millennia on end. Not only in the physical realm.

By the time of the events in Nehrim (the game), we are presented with the canonical fact that magical stability in Vyn must be artificially maintained. Otherwise, anomalies will spread across regions without human intervention.

The conclusion here is simple: if we have already decided to categorize all magical matters within the sphere of influence of the Sea of Eventualities, then — it "wears out." So much so that it allows the High Ones to reach the "connection point" with living beings, that very shared subconscious, and cause the Red Madness. This is a step in the Cycle, right after the death of the Lightborns.

The Gods, as well as the magical sanctuaries that are explained to us in Nehrim, can be classified as stabilizers of the Sea. Upon the death of one Erodan, the Red Madness reaches the weakest minds — animals. After the death of all the Gods, access to humans is also opened.

Here, we’d like to make a small remark and recall the Pyrean remedy for the Red Madness. As we were able to understand from the notes of the apothecary who was searching for the recipe — yes, the Pyreans were able to find a solution. But it didn’t just cure the disease, it literally wiped everything out from the patient’s head. The memories of a Pyrean child, which appeared to the apothecary as visions, made it absolutely clear: the poor soul had fallen into a very painful madness. We make the assumption that this potion severed his connection to the Sea. Which, it turns out, is necessary for humans to live and maintain their sanity. In other words, this kind of solution is definitely not the way out.

But what’s the way out?

Right, to launch the Beacon. It’s time to gather the puzzle pieces.

Earlier, we mentioned that the Beacon works as a kind of vaccine. It’s twice as complicated — a double vaccination.

In the case of being fed by the Black Stones, it will understand, absorbing their chaotic energy, that it needs to remove the same chaos from the Sea of Eventualities. This is necessary to return the Sea to a stable state and start a new Cycle. With or without humans — it’s all the same. Otherwise — the death of the world. The Cleansing is necessary and must happen.

So, how can we avoid the destruction of humanity? Yes, the solution must be the Numinos. The essence and selfhood of one of the High Ones, in order to destroy the rest.

But the High Ones aren’t directly responsible for the Cleansing, you might say? However, the goal is precisely to destroy them. They have access to the “database” of the living, and they could easily open the door to the “server room” for the Cleansing. In terms of immaterial things, there is no data about their powers and possibilities, so we came to this logic.

But if you make the "vaccine" double and mix in the essence of the High One, it will burn them along with the magical filth of the Sea of Eventualities, which is responsible for the death of worlds.

Is it that simple...?

Let’s assume it is, and we’ve decided on it. We can exhale.

But the main questions of the article are completely different. For now, we’ve only figured out the mechanism.

Let’s assume the Cleansing happens with the Numinos, as planned. Let’s assume that Tealor’s mission is a success. The High Ones are defeated, and the Sea of Eventualities is stabilized. Magical anomalies leave the long-forgotten islands and hefty chunks of continents. The Cycle is interrupted.

What do we have left, and where have we ended up?

Essentially, we are at the start of the Cycle. Only civilization is already formed, even though wars are ravaging the countries. The world is fine, it’s not planning to die again.

But there’s a “but.” The world remains stable only as long as civilization doesn’t pollute the Sea with magic again. Life in worlds without the Cycle is one-time and predictable. The death of the world is the final point for each of them.

Is there a solution...?

This is the area for even bolder guesses, but we’re not left entirely without logic. Let’s suppose that, without the High Ones looming above our heads, ready to “correct and expand” the direction of the Cleansing, humans could launch the Beacon without Numinos, in order to cleanse the Sea of chaotic magic. They would have to find the Black Stones or create new ones, but this is a small price to pay.

In that case — yes, both the Cycle and the death of the world are simply cancelled. The Cleansing would become a mandatory ritual, and the fate of immortal Vyn could serve as an example for other worlds. Perhaps it would be possible to share technologies. A beautiful and distant future couldn’t look better, agree? And with that, we think we can conclude this “branch.” Because there are others.

Let’s assume, for a moment, that the Cleansing is launched according to the “correct” plan, with Numinos, but humanity still perishes, just like every Cycle. What happens next? If we decide that Numinos will still help destroy the High Ones, the next Cycle won’t fear any Cleansing. It will simply be the last for Vyn, unless the new inhabitants figure out how to cleanse the Sea of their magic pollution and thus avoid the death of the world.

But what if we do nothing?

Yes, this is a very valid question to ask. By “nothing,” we mean leaving the ideas about the “successful” Cleansing. Let the Cycle repeat an endless number of times without change. What should we expect? We believe the Cycle will be interrupted even in that case. How? Let’s return to the question of the Sea of Eventualities.

We have material for observations, though it is very limited. We can compare at most two and a half — maximum — Cycles. The most obvious comparison would be between Pyra and “us.” So, the Pyreans achieved much more in the realm of magic. A simple example: they could transfer human souls into temples, massive structures. Our civilization has only reached… paintings. And simulacra. One might mention Kurmai with his Apotheosis, but the Starlings — the inhabitants of another world — have nothing to do with Vyn. The “half,” mentioned earlier, is the Black Guardian. The contraption he made for himself could also be considered an advanced technology compared to the achievements of our Cycle.

What conclusion can we draw?

The Sea of Eventualities is getting “shallower.” People have less magical talent, they achieve less, and progress in the realm of magic from Cycle to Cycle becomes increasingly scarce.

Why is this happening?

Because the Sea was originally designed to be one-time only. But it isn’t allowed to die naturally — it’s patched up and repaired with the Cleansing and made to work again. As we mentioned above, it wears out over time. And after X Cycles, we could very well find ourselves somewhere where magical progress won’t reach the formation of new Lightborn or their death. A civilization incapable of magic simply won’t be able to bring what remains of the Sea to its limit. The Cycle will freeze. And if the Lightborn are killed, but for some reason the incompetent civilization in terms of magic fails to set up and launch the Beacon, the world will die as it was originally designed. It turns out that, in this branch, Vyn’s fate is determined by a specific moment of weakness in its population.

We think it’s time to wrap this up. We’ve considered all the perspectives, excluding interference from the outside. If we were to also speculate about them, the logic of predictability would be thrown out the window.

For now — let’s remind you once again that all of the above is based on lore assumptions. But what kind of analysis would be possible without them in our fandom?

We thank you for your attention!

[thetreehousechronicles]

Wallabee Beetles/Numbuh 4 Headcanons

Here are some of my quick headcanons about Wally Beetles (Numbuh 4) based on his canon character, with a little extra focus on how his ADHD and autism traits could shape his interests. These are just my interpretations, so feel free to take them with a grain of salt—after all, headcanons are all about fun ideas and personal takes!

Impulsivity & Risk-Taking: Wally often rushes into situations without thinking (like jumping into battle headfirst). He struggles with impulse control, which leads to reckless but brave actions.

Forgetfulness & Disorganization: He often forgets important things (like secret codes or plans), misplaces his belongings, and gets distracted easily.

Trouble with Instructions: Wally tends to misunderstand or ignore long-winded explanations, preferring hands-on learning rather than verbal instruction.

Fidgeting & Restlessness: He struggles to sit still and constantly moves, whether it's bouncing his leg, cracking his knuckles, or shadowboxing.

Blurting Out Thoughts: Wally speaks before thinking, leading to moments of brutal honesty, unintentional insults, or blurting out his feelings for Kuki at the worst times.

Struggles with Emotional Expression: He has difficulty verbalizing complex emotions, often masking them with bravado or aggression. His way of showing he cares is through action rather than words.

Difficulty Understanding Social Cues: Wally often misinterprets sarcasm, jokes, or indirect communication. He struggles to pick up on subtle social signals, which sometimes makes him seem clueless.

Sensitive to Touch (Unless It’s on His Terms): He dislikes unexpected physical contact but is okay with roughhousing, fighting, or hugs from people he trusts (like Kuki amd Hoagie).

Literal Thinking: He takes things at face value and sometimes doesn’t get metaphors or jokes, leading to comedic misunderstandings.

Talks Fast When Excited: If he's rambling about something he loves (fighting, action heroes, a battle plan he came up with), his speech speeds up, and he forgets to breathe between words.

Easily Bored & Always Seeking Stimulation: If there’s nothing fun happening, Wally will make something happen—by fidgeting, annoying his teammates, or finding a random challenge to entertain himself.

Accident-Prone but Doesn’t Learn from It: He gets injured a lot because he doesn’t think before acting. But instead of learning caution, he just shrugs it off and keeps going.

Intensely Protective of Friends: Wally doesn’t always know how to say he cares, but he’ll throw himself into danger for his friends without hesitation.

Fighting & Martial Arts (His Biggest Passion): Wally is deeply fascinated by martial arts and fighting techniques. He’s constantly watching action movies, studying fight scenes, and practicing moves in his spare time. He learns best through action, often teaching himself new techniques by observing others.

Superheroes & Action Movies: Wally is a big fan of superheroes and action movies. He idolizes larger-than-life heroes, possibly looking up to figures like Batman, Spider-Man, or any action stars who embody strength and independence.

Skateboarding and Extreme Sports: Wally loves high-energy, adrenaline-pumping activities like skateboarding and other extreme sports. His love for speed and risk-taking manifests through these activities. He’s often seen zipping around on his skateboard, showing off his stunts and sometimes getting into trouble.

Video Games (Action and Fighting Games): Wally is an avid gamer—he’s particularly drawn to action games, fighting games, and anything that involves competition or strategy. He loves games where the goal is clear: defeat the opponent. He could spend hours trying to perfect his skills, often challenging his teammates to matches and getting incredibly competitive.

Fiercely Protective: Wally has a big, tough exterior, but underneath, he’s incredibly protective of the people he cares about—especially his younger brother, Joey. He’d fight anyone who even thinks about hurting someone in his circle. It’s not just about physical protection; he’s also the first to defend his friends from emotional or mental stress, even if it means putting himself in the line of fire.

Loyal to a Fault: Once Wally forms a bond with someone, it’s unbreakable. He’s extremely loyal, sometimes to his own detriment. He will go to great lengths for his friends and family—even if it puts him in dangerous or uncomfortable situations. However, his blind loyalty to the wrong people or causes can sometimes lead to trouble, especially when he doesn't realize he's being used or manipulated.

Conflicted Humor: Wally’s humor is often dry and sarcastic, and it’s how he deflects emotional pain. When things get tough or awkward, he’s likely to crack a joke or make a snarky comment, even if it’s in bad taste. He hides behind humor as a defense mechanism, especially when dealing with tough emotions like guilt or vulnerability. The deeper the situation, the more likely Wally is to throw out a joke to lighten the mood (or distract himself).

[onbearfeet]

Queerwolf By Night: Queercoding, Media Literacy, and Werewolf By Night

Okay, @bluemoonperegrine got me thinking about a thing, so it's time for Media Studies And Writing Hacks With Kat. Grab your beverage of choice, and let's talk about queercoding in Werewolf By Night.

Let's start with a definition, because queercoding can sound like a conspiracy theory if you don't understand the context. In media studies, "coding" means using indirect means (usually details) to imply a state of being without explicitly stating that such a state exists. For example, if you're watching a TV show about a group of high-school friends, and one of the characters is consistently dressed in more expensive-looking clothes than the others, is more familiar with elite cultural signifiers like designer brands, and casually drops statements like, "Oh, yeah, I met him in the Hamptons last summer," then that character is being coded as wealthier than the others. Now, if a knowledgeable character SAYS, "Oh, that's Amelia, her family's rich," then it's not coding anymore. Amelia isn't wealthy-coded; she's just wealthy. Coding is only coding if the state of being is IMPLIED.

Now, why would anyone use coding when explicit statements are an option? Why can't people just say Amelia is rich? There are a number of reasons. First, maybe there isn't time or space to establish every single detail of a character through dialogue. Maybe Amelia's wealth is important to the story, but less important than the fact that she's dying of cancer, or in unrequited love with another character, or obsessed with rubber ducks. Or, second, maybe the coding is a setup for some kind of surprise or reversal. Maybe Amelia wears fancy clothes and has summered in the Hamptons, but surprise! Her parents just went to federal prison for fraud, and she's now penniless and sleeping on another character's couch, with no one mentioning it at first because it's painful for her.

And finally, there's arguably the most famous reason for using coding in media: because you literally can't be explicit about it. Let's talk about the Hays code.

The Motion Picture Production Code, widely known as the Hays code, was a set of mostly self-imposed rules restricting the content of Hollywood movies between the 1930s and the 1960s. There was effectively a censorship board in charge of approving, disapproving, and demanding changes to films. The Code arose in response to a moral panic about sex and violence in movies; studios instituted the censorship board as a preemptive measure to head off possible censorship legislation. At the time, movies were such a new art form that there were serious concerns that First Amendment free-speech protections might not apply to them, so studios came up with this self-censorship system to avoid dealing with external censorship.

And what guidelines did they choose, you may ask?

Essentially, the guidelines were the conservative Catholic values of the 1930s. Yes, Catholic specifically; the man in charge was Catholic and talked a lot about how he applied his personal values to the task. So the Code included rules like a ban on insulting or denigrating religion or its institutions, among other things. There were also restrictions on what kind of crime and violence could be displayed, sex rules so strict that even married couples couldn't be shown in the same bed (if they even sat on a bed together, they had to keep at least one foot on the floor), and you KNOW there was a ban on anything gay. It was called "perversion" in the text of the code, but it meant gay stuff. Or trans stuff. Or kink. Or women being interested in sex. You get the idea.

But there was an exception to all these rules, and it was that more "objectionable" traits were allowed for villains. After all, a film isn't endorsing murder if the murderer goes to jail at the end and everyone stands around saying, "Wow, murder sure is terrible!" Right?

Yeah, what happened in practice was that filmmakers started giving villains and monsters traits that were stereotypically associated with queerness, supposedly to heighten how eeeeeevil these characters were, but actually for any number of other reasons. Apropos of absolutely nothing, here's Peter Lorre being extremely heterosexual with a cane in The Maltese Falcon.

Now, how does this relate to WBN? Well, we all know WBN is an explicit love letter to 1930s and 1940s horror movies. If you don't believe me, here's Lon Chaney Jr. in 1940:

And here's Gael Garcia Bernal in 2022:

So let's talk about queercoding in classic Hollywood horror movies.

Obviously, confining queer material to villainous characters meant that monsters and their movies could be MUCH queerer than the rest of Hollywood's output. It also helped that horror filmmaking was full of extremely queer artists like James Whale, the openly gay director of Frankenstein. He's often brought up as an example of really obvious queercoding in horror cinema, especially in regard to his film Bride of Frankenstein, in which a young scientist is literally lured away from his impending marriage to a woman in order to create life with a VERY queercoded older man.

Look at these proud new dads.

And lest you think this is an outlier, let me introduce you to Dracula's Daughter, aka the Carmilla adaptation with no lesbian overtones, no sirree:

Yeah, queercoding is absolutely A Thing in classic Hollywood horror. It's part of why horror movies are as much of A Thing in gay culture as they are.

The Hays Code went away in the 1960s, partly due to the fact that Code compliance was SUPPOSED to be the one true path to wide distribution and profit, and yet the genderbending comedy Some Like It Hot made piles of money despite not being even CLOSE to Code-approved.

But 30 years is long enough to develop an entire cinematic language, and the legacy of the Hays Code lives on in things like queercoded Disney villains.

Now, let's talk about Werewolf By Night. A movie made under conditions not dissimilar to those of the Hays code in that Disney, for all its vaunting of First Gay Characters, absolutely refuses to put those characters in anything with wide distribution in such a way that they can't be edited out for Singapore.

So if your choices are 1) No Gay Stuff, 2) Easily Deleted Gay Stuff, and 3) Gobs and Gobs of Queercoding That Can't Be Removed, and you're making a retro black-and-white horror movie, you may find that option three makes the best, and queerest, movie. The cinematic language is all there for you, and you know at least some of your audience will pick up what you're putting down. And at this point, it's practically a genre expectation.

Now, I want to be clear about something: coding of any kind is, by its very nature, subject to interpretation. If we say something is queercoded, we are NOT saying that it's explicitly queer or that no heterosexual explanation exists or whatever. That's not how coding works. Queer theory and queercoding are a lens through which to look at a work. Sometimes queercoding is even unintentional; it's baked into so much American media by now that tropes like queer-coded villains sometimes happen not for particularly queer reasons but because an actor decided he wanted to sound like the villain in his favorite black-and-white movie. When I say WBN has queercoding, that is ALL I'm saying--that the coding is there. (And yes, I do realize this is the piss-on-the-poor website. Sigh.)

Queercoding is also not queerbaiting; the latter is where a piece of media deliberately builds up the expectation of expressly queer content and then refuses to deliver, often while mocking queer fans who fell for it. (Looking at you, Sherlock and Supernatural.) Queercoding may be used for queerbaiting, but the terms are not synonymous. Because WBN makes no queer promises (no romantic promises at all, really), it cannot be said to be queerbaiting.

So with all that in mind, let's look at coding in Werewolf By Night. And because he's the protagonist and everyone's favorite woobie, we'll start with Jack.

Look at this man. Enjoy him.

He will be the subject of Part Two.

[lord-squiggletits]

Thinking about IDW Optimus again and the fandom's aversion to even acknowledging he exists bc he's a cop or whatever and like. Most of the time people literally just replace him in fic with some white bread knockoff archivist/librarian, not even bothering to keep in IDW OP's personality (which just bolsters my theory that the problem isn't him being a cop the problem is that he's too multifaceted but I digress).

And it's annoying because you could totally write IDW Optimus as not a cop while still keeping his canon personality. You just have to realize that the reason IDW OP became a cop in the first place is because his formative experiences when he was young shaped him to basically have two priorities: 1. To help people and 2. To do it by being on the ground actively doing something about the bad things happening to people.

IDW OP would not be a fucking librarian or archivist because even though those are noble pursuits that can help people and change the world, and Optimus is educated/smart enough for the profession, he wouldn't be satisfied just teaching people or spreading information about activism or social-historical studies or whatever. He's a mech of action: he needs to be doing things right now, in front of him, to people he sees/interacts with in his own eyes, improving society with concrete actions rather than indirect action or abstract inspiration.

So basically the alternate job ideas I can think of for IDW Optimus are something like being a firefighter (or any first responder really) or even whatever the equivalent would be to international charity organizations, those ones that send volunteers across the world to do stuff like build housing/infrastructure or distribute food or whatnot. I mean I can't imagine that the equivalents to these things would be exactly the same in IDW Cybertron, so you'd have to get a little creative with it, but these are just some ideas of jobs that would fit IDW Optimus' personality while still filling the niche of "not a cop" for people who are just that opposed to it.

Though I think the revulsion against coptimus is annoying in general tbh because IDW is already a continuity that rejects the idea of easily defined good/evil people or groups. It feels like people really want Optimus to be a good person in a very sanitized and academically approved way, so he has to be nice and squeaky clean but also like, a perfect leftist who knows theory and holds the most progressive opinions on every single issue....

There is no room for the idea that good people join bad institutions, there's no room for the idea that the reason people think cops are good guys who help people is bc of the government propaganda everything is saturated with. Hell there's even later issues of the Optimus Prime series by John Barber where Optimus like, MULTIPLE FUCKING TIMES, is shown in flashbacks grappling with the fact that he as a cop/Zeta's regime that he works for might not actually be improving society like they say they are, and dealing with the fact that he feels more like a lesser evil compared to the Decepticons (perhaps not "lesser" at all).

It's like there's this idea in fandom of like, fictional media and opinions on media having to strictly adhere to progressive ideals at all times. So people just go "cops bad, this character is a cop, therefore they suck" without being willing to engage with the idea of like. IDW OP is born wanting to fight injustice and protect people -> a good way to protect people is to fight the people who are hurting them and committing crimes -> surely following the law is a reliable moral code to guide him in this -> becomes a cop because he's been indoctrinated into a society (much like our own) where he was told that the state/the law exist to protect the people and being a cop means you get to fight bad guys that hurt people. There's really so many interesting concepts there that could be (and CANONICALLY IS) explored about how good, well-intentioned people can be led to harmful actions simply because they have been fed the idea that the things they're doing are good/helpful/noble. Which is especially important for a character like Optimus, I think, who has a cultural icon status as The Irrefutable and Perfect Good, so it's really important actually to use IDW Optimus as an example of how even the most noble people you know have held problematic beliefs or done bad things at some point in their life. You know, because no one is born perfect and ideologically pure, and in fact society is constructed in exactly a manner to make people drink the kool-aid and believe that the systems designed to hurt them/others are just a normal, if flawed, society.

I mean the writing in IDW literally has Optimus deal directly and indirectly with the harm he's done as a cop and how people don't/didn't trust him because of that. I don't know what the fuck else this fandom wants if the source material literally saying "OP realizes that cops suck and he hurt people and earned their disdain by doing the things he did" doesn't stop them from going EW cop bastard sucks and is the worst Optimus. Like the narrative barely stops short of outright saying ACAB and Optimus himself would agree with this sentiment.

At that point, the collective fandom beef with IDW OP isn't because he's a cop and the narrative didn't do enough to condemn that. The problem is literally just that people don't read and don't care

TLDR: Consider the fact that good people can do bad things sometimes especially when living from birth in a corrupt society that thoroughly disguises its vices/oppressive structures as completely normal parts of existence

[spacedlexi]

Seeing your art literally makes my day and inspires me to draw violentine art 🫂

Also, any useful resources for artists? Your coloring is so good!

abubububu aaa that makes me so happy to hear!!! thank you,,

coloring tips specifically? hmm here are a couple links to some videos on light and color and shadow stuff that does a good job explaining the way i approach those things. i dont always get super detailed with it but knowing how it all works will help you make your own creative choices

ive gotten kinda lazy with my coloring the last year or so. i started using blending modes to shade with instead of trying to do all the color logistics myself so now i can just throw down the true color flats and go. but the layer modes do a good job simulating light and shadow so it works enough for me aha

i use overlay layers for light and multiply layers for shadow pretty much, with the occasional glow layer for harder lights. plus sometimes either an overlay (day) or multiply (night) layer fill with the BG color to bring the flats into harmony with the BG before shading if it needs it. used a pin light layer for a night piece recently and i like how it looks (more saturated night look). just mess around with the layer modes until you like it honestly aha. but i try to use as few layers as possible since i dont want it to look over done or anything. intersecting overlay and multiply layers helps to give that saturated effect around where light meets shadow. you can see it pretty easily here (flats > multiply/shadow > overlay/light (+glow in the eyes))

its just the overlay layer painted on part of the multiply layer. warm light cool shadow (or cool light warm shadow depending on the scene). i keep the ambient light thats in the shadow cool (no overlay) to imply it as indirect from the primary light source

UHH thats really it honestly for my coloring process. i also try to use a limited palette. i look for all the colors characters share and try to pull them from the same swatch as much as i can. it helps to keep things feeling in harmony. same with using colors for light and shadow that already exist in the BG

other random tips always include DOING STUDIES AND USING REFERENCES!!!! i know studies can be sooo boring but they really do help. and even just doing a few of them can help tremendously. make it fun draw your faves instead but at least do it using some references youll improve so fast. style is all about how you interpret the world, so look at the world and try to learn from it :)

[peninkwrites]

1, 2, 50, 51, and 79 for the ask game! If that's not too many 😭

No such thing as too many questions!! I love this stuff!

1 - Do you daydream a lot before you write, or go for it as soon as the ideas strike?

My memory is a very large sieve if I do not write something down the moment I think of it, it is gone forever. So. I tend to start jotting down notes and outlining the moment I have A Thought and then it just grows from there. I’m not a heavy outliner though sometimes it’s just like, one sentence of a Thing Happens and then once I can get my hands on a keyboard I’m ready to go. I’d argue I’m constantly daydreaming as well which is what my notes app is for. If I cannot be in front of my computer, I’m still writing stuff in there.

2 - Where do you get your fic ideas?

“Would that be fucked up or what?” Ok but actually I tend to look for things I wanted resolved in canon, things that explore the characters, “what ifs”, stuff like that. Mafia AU is an experiment for me in character motivations and at this point I forgot what got me thinking of the mafia premise.

50 - How would you describe your writing style?

If I’m being generous, cinematic? I love love love dialogue. Dialogue is my bread and butter and everything else is just awkwardly built around it. My writing skills seem to be set up like dialogue > action > inner monologue > descriptions. I want to get better at figurative language and I guess indirect character exploration? Yeah. Right now, I write like a screenplay with extra detailed notes on character feelings.

51 - Does what you like to write differ from what you like to read?

Um. Yes and no. I fucking love super introspective character-study type fics where the exploration of the character is Shown to us, not simply told via dialogue, which is what I tend to use as a crutch. I mean, my character study type fics are literally therapy fics bc the characters are forced to talk about their feelings. Stories where half the meaning is shown through what is UNSAID are everything to me. I read what I feel like I can’t write. But also. I reread my own fics perhaps more often than I should because it is literally exactly what I’d like to read. So. I don’t often seek out fics like my own because I’ve got my own inventory covered lmao.

79 - Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

Just basic shit. Write daily if you can, read when you can and try to read lots of different things and try to read critically! That’s something I’ve been slacking on, I’ve been reading a ton of books lately but I’m not gaining anything from them as a writer bc I’m not consuming them as a writer, y’know? So, I’m trying to get better at that!

Ty for the ask! this was lots of fun and got me thinkin ^-^

[halofaxu]

ranting about ezra and thrawn’s costume design and dubious visual storytelling before whatever the finale might bring but my first thought seeing ezra onscreen again was how his outer robes resembled the nightsisters and their traditional red garments. ahsoka is a show that likes to be vague, yet ezra and thrawn’s personal unconscious can be clearly expressed through their current costumes.

Thrawn still wears his imperial uniform, discoloured and weathered, but there is no attempt to hide his current faults and damage — just as the chimera is. the repair is literally illuminated through the gold cracks of his nighttroopers. the vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than in the breaks and finer than the original art.

Ezra on the other hand wears clothing comprised of earthy colours — a complete deviation from his saturated rebels uniform — evoking the silhouette of Jedi robes instead. judging by his personality, he doesn’t appear to be a wounded thing, yet his clothing and fighting style suggest a difference in approach to the force. he’s conformed to the landscape of peridea, and perhaps the dreams and madness associated with it.

aside from a possible nightsister connection, ezra’s red and beige robes also resemble the family colours of the mitth, burgundy and yellow. “he’s not using people in a bad way. He’s using their creativity to reach his goals.” because why would thrawn need the help of dark jedi mercenaries when he already has integrated a jedi like ezra at his immediate disposal?

Although red is associated with the dark in Star Wars, it’s also considered to be the colour that emanated from Buddha when he achieved enlightenment and a colour worn by messianic figures such as Jesus — cloaked in the dwelling of God. the positive and negative connotations regarding the colour red can symbolize ezra’s own imbalance between the light and dark. based on these observations, you could argue that ezra and thrawn are the messianic figures of their respective homeworlds; their return to the galaxy signifying salvation. the threads of fate do, indeed, have a plan for them.

“for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord."

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Enoch is another character who wears red, along with the binding threads wrapped around the bodies of the rest of the nighttroopers—perhaps symbolizing ezra and thrawn’s bond, a red thread of marriage, a magical cord that shall never break. It could be indirect, but their biblical namesakes suggest that enoch may act as a foil to ezra, his current replacement. I have so many questions… when/why did ezra separate from thrawn? has he been patrolling that forsaken planet for the threat on ground as thrawn patrols the skies? why do their fates continue to be intertwined so closely?

[vennys-stuff]

Reviewer in Creative Writing

Connotation refers to the additional meaning or emotion that a word carries beyond its literal definition. It includes the associations, feelings, or implications that people may have about a word based on their cultural, social, or personal experiences.

Positive connotations generally evoke favorable or desirable qualities.

-Full Figure

-Amazing

-Innovative

-Original

-Playful

Negative connotations typically convey unfavorable or undesirable traits.

-Childish

-Arrogance

-Lie

-Radical

-Prison

INTERTEXTUALITY is...

A text's meaning is shaped by another text.

It is about the interrelationship between related works or similar works of literature that mirror and influence how the audience interpret the text.

It also refers to the author's borrowing and modification of a prior text or to a reader's referencing of one text in reading another.

Technically speaking, intertextuality is a combination of a Latin prefix Inter which means "between", "among", "in the midst of", "mutually", "together", and "reciprocally" and Textuality which refers to all attributes that determine the communicative content under analysis as an object of study. It is not a literary or rhetorical device, but rather a fact about literary texts - the fact that they are all intimately interconnected. This is applicable to all texts such as, works of philosophy, novels, films, newspaper articles, songs, and the like. In order to further understand intertextuality, it's important to understand the broad definition of the word "text" itself. Each text is greatly affected by all the texts that came before it, since those texts have influenced the author's thinking and exquisite choices. Remember that every text, on its broadest sense is intertextual.

Julia Kristeva was the inventor of the term "intertextuality." She was influenced by both Ferdinand de Saussure and Mikhail Bakhtinian through their models and attempts to combine their major theories toward the origin of language.

Types of Intertextuality

a. Deliberate Intertextuality forging a relationship between the old text and the new one.

b. Latent Intertextuality pertains to everything you've ever seen or read that sticks somewhere in your memory and affects your understanding of the world which contribute to building your specific worldview which, in turn, determines how you write or create art.

Intertextual Figures

Allusion - a figure of speech where an object from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly with another. It is left to the audience to do or make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated by the author, it is instead usually termed a reference.

Ex. You don't have to be William Shakespeare to write poetry. (William Shakespeare was used here to explain ones prowess in writing poetry.)

Quotation- is a written form of the oral echo. It can be in tagged and untagged form. It can also be direct and indirect.

Ex. According to violin player Itzhak Perlman, "The most important thing to do is really listen."

Calque - is a loanword from the French noun calque which means tracing; imitation; close copy. It means to borrow a word or phrase from another language while translating its components, so as to create a new lexeme in the target language.

Plagiarism - When using intertextuality, it is usually a small excerpt of a hypotext that assists in the understanding of the new hypertext's original themes, characters or contexts. While this does seem to include intertextuality, the intention and purpose of using of another's work, this is now what allows intertextuality to be excluded from this definition.

Translation-means to transfer in a stable meaning. It is the process of translating words or text from one language into another.

Pastiche- imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists.

Parody-any cultural practice which provides a relatively polemical or comical allusive imitation of another cultural production or practice

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

1. Setting this refers to the time and the place in which the events occur in the story.

2. Characters the people in the play and thus considered the principal material in drama.

Character Aspects:

a. Physical this considers the age, sexual category, size, race and color of the character as well as the external attributes which may be taken from the description of the playwright.

b. Social involves all aspects that can be imagined from the character's world or environment as exemplified by the his/her status, occupation, job or trade, creed and affiliation

c. Psychological this refers to the inner mechanism of the mind of the character as exemplified by his physical and emotional responses

d. Moral-the decisions of the characters, either socially acceptable or not, exposing intentions projecting what's just or not.

3. Plot lays down the series of events that form the entirety of the play. It's theframework that unites the events to a cohesive form and sense.

4. Dialogue the exchange of words between the characters in a play

Monologue - words meant to be spoken by one actor

Soliloquies speeches spoken by a character alone on the stage

5. Staging the physical spectacle a play presents to the audience in a performance by the actors

Elements: (1) the stage set; (2) the different props and costumes used by the actors; (3) their movement onstage; and (4) the lighting and sound effects Blocking the actors' movement onstage during their delivery of the dialogue

Stage Business - the actors' nonverbal gestures

6. Theme considered as the unifying element that defines the dramatized idea of the play. It is the over-all implication of the action.

7. Style refers to the mode of expression or presentation of the play which points out the playwright's position or viewpoint in life.

Setting -A literary element of literature used in novels, short stories, plays, films, etc., and usually introduces the when and where of the story during the exposition (beginning).

Dialogue -An interchange of conversation of the characters whether in a movie or a play.

Foreshadowing -It is where the author suggests future events in a story, or outcome, before they happen or take place.

Rising action-This is when the main character is in crisis and the conflict begins to unfold.

Foreshadowing -A literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.

1st person Point of View -A type of Point of View (POV) that is usually identifiable using the pronoun "I".

Protagonist -The main character, who creates the action of the plot and is often a hero or heroine of the story

Personification-When inanimate objects or abstract concepts are given or provided with human self-awareness' or characteristics.

Setting-example (One morning, from a bushy forest, a wounded came out and was seen by Ella)

Conflict - Example (Her father was killed in an accident, and she was left with her evil stepmother. antagonist - Example (Her stepmother was a wicked witch, and she always makes her life miserable.

Theme Example: The story is about the importance of self-love and adventure

Confidante-Example Benedict was his best friend. He tells him even his deepest secrets.

Alliteration -The repetition of consonant sounds in succeeding words within the same sentence or line.

Hyperbole -An exaggerated description of an idea or action.

Metaphor -Applying a direct relationship to an object or idea as a substitute for another.

Oxymoron- An idea of contradicting terms

Parallelism -It is the use of identical language, events, structures, or ideas in different parts of a text.

Symbolism -It's when objects or images are used to represent abstract ideas. It could be something tangible or visible, while the idea it'strying to symbolize is something abstract or universal.

Irony - An absurd or mocking opposition to what is expected or appropriate.

Translation -It is the process of translating words or text from one language to another.

Textuality - This refers to all attributes that distinguish the communicative content under analysis as an object of study.

Parody -It is usually a small excerpt of a hypotext that assists in the understanding of the new hypertext's original themes, characters or contexts.

Julia Kristeva - originated the theory of intertextuality

Latent Intertextuality -It pertains to everything you've ever seen or read that sticks somewhere in your memory and affects your understanding of the world

Intertextuality -It is the author's borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader's referencing of one text in reading another.

Pastiche -It imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists.

Quotation -A written form of the oral echo. It can be in tagged or untagged form.

Calque -It means to borrow a word or phrase from another language while translating it components so as to create a new lexeme.

[rollercoasterwords]

okay this is about the book ask but i wanna be different.

are there any books that have inspired your works? if so which parts? (like character, message, ideology, small details)

this is such a fun question!! set it aside 4 later then almost forgot 2 answer but now...here i am xx

i have definitely been very inspired by various books, sometimes in v direct ways (like...2 of my fics are literally me rewriting a story from another character's perspective, so obviously inspired lol) and sometimes in less direct ways!

i reread 'the last unicorn' while i was writing the hand that feeds + thinking about the ending, and i was definitely inspired by some of the themes from that book to the point that i included a quote from it in the notes. the animorphs series has also like. heavily inspired my writing generally when it comes to the war aspect of any of my marauders fics. those books just do such an excellent job of illustrating the utter devastation of war + like....the way that there are no Good Guys and even "winning" is not gonna feel like winning.

the politics in my writing has also definitely been inspired by like. the nonfiction i've read. like when i wrote abt sirius going to prison, my take on that whole situation was v much influenced by my own personal beliefs re: prison abolition. and everything i write is influenced be lee edelman's theory abt reproductive futurity--this is especially the case with like. the ending of thtf. my jegulus cowboy fic was influenced by the time i spent studying the usamerican west in the late 19th century....stuff like that.

anyway i am sure there are many other books that have like. inspired my writing in terms of me absorbing things i like from writing style, remembering a trope or character archetype i love + wanna try writing, etc etc. i definitely feel like reading is a huge inspiration for my writing, whether it's direct or indirect, and for me personally i also feel like reading a lot + reading a variety of books w different subject matter + writing styles + narrative structures etc etc makes me a better writer!

[poeticlark]

My main criticism is that indirect characterisation is completely absent from the show. The only way that the audience can learn about characters is "character says thing about themselves" or "character says thing about other character". Instead of watching character behave and inferring/drawing a conclusion about the character ("oh she is really uncomfortable around her father and he isnt present in her life. Hmmm daddy issues"), the show holds up cue cards to tell us what the character is ("she has daddy issues" "this is the 3 min mark of episode 1...")

I have 2 theories for why this is the case

one, vivziepop isnt a good character writer. Thats a solid one. Vivziepop doesn’t know how to make characters with arcs and complexity and growth for a TV show, theyre just her self indulgent ocs. She hasn’t studied writing, she doesn’t care for it, and just wants her little fun oc time. Thats fine ig whatever?? I actually dont mind people with their self indulgent skrunkle blorbeauxs and having fun with it, everyone has the right to write/draw trash (/aff)

Two, that vivziepop believes that there is a “right way” and a “wrong way” to interpret characters. That vivziepop literally hasnt grown up from petty fandom drama, "he wouldnt fucking say that", and "critical thinking" discourse on 2010s tumblr and twitter and basically cant handle the idea that someone might have different opinions from her about her characters. to think about a character in any way different to her is wrong and mean, so she’ll tell u directly what they are which is BORING and CHILDISH for an audience for an adult tv show. If a creator is so scared of audiences drawing conclusions about their characters that they might disagree with, the creator isn't ready to let their work out into the world to be critiqued. People are going to have different headcanons and ideas about ur blorbeauxs than u and ur goin to have to get over it.

*edit because i missed a point i wanted to make

Im not a practising Catholic/Christian or dedicated to the faith and worship of God, but Vivzie's disregard of Christian canon is absolutely egregious and really rubs me the wrong way. She's not making any significant social commentary on Christian theology, she's not analysing the nature of good vs evil that Christian culture teaches, she's not interrogating punishment vs rehabilitation, and she's not using Christianity to challenge it's beliefs. It's just edgy backdrop for her Blorbeaux Skrunkle Meow Meow Fanfiction and it makes her total twisting and reinterpreting of its faith come across as callous and ignorant.

Wait back up you're a hazbin hater? I dont care if people like or dislike it but I honestly am surprised LOL I assumed that due to the animation and hand drawn stuff you would like it!

I am a hazbin hotater yes…. I dislike Viv I think the story is shoddy and I feel bad for the people working on that show. Hotel Purgatorium is my “spite turned fuck it I’ll do it myself my ocs now oh wait this is fun” project

[sunasjellyfruit]

Haikyuu boys love language

Fukurodani Edition

Karasuno, Aoba Johsai, Nekoma.

This parts is not going to be as detailed as the other ones because there's not much information about Fukurodani's members (except from Akaashi and Bo)

Characters: Haruki, Konoha, Washio, Yamamoto, Akaashi and Bokuto.

As always, english is not my first language so feel free to correct me.

Haruki

He's energetic and loud, basically a mini-Bokuto, but when i look at him i can only think of gift giving as his love language. You're his nº1 priority, you're always running on his mind, and it's a casual thing for him to get you presents from time to time. A small bucket of flowers one day, a stone painted by himself, some instant ramen for two (indirect message of "you wanna have a date? heh :)") And he's so grateful whenever you do something for him, even if it's just sending him a message reminding him to wear a scarf because the weather is cold.

Konoha

HE'S TOO SEXY TO BE A SIDE-CHARACTER OH MY GOSH. Okey so, he's a teasing boy, physical touch matches his personality (kinda? ikd bro) Oh he loves to mock you, tease you until you can't hold it anymore and ask him if you can kiss him. One of his hobbies now is having you between his arms, hugging you, holding you, grabbing your hand and playing with your fingers, etc. Oh and he's in love with your laugh, so expect a lot of tickle fights in which you'll probably end up loosing. And after it when you finally accept your defeat he'll hold you near his body to nuzzle his nose in the crook of your neck.

Washio

He scares me. But he's part of the big gentle boys club, so acts of service has to be his love language. It can't be no other, don't try to change my mind. He's the type of boy who doesn't know how to express his feelings through words, so he does it with actions, and he probably melts when you thank him with a smile and a little kiss on his cheeks. That's why he's always asking you if you need something, he makes sure that you know that he's by your side. He literally is, or at least you're always on his sight, because he feels the need to be your guardian, the one you can trust with your entire heart in everything you need.

Sarukui.

He is so cute woah. He's and observant person, he knows when things are going wrong and, with Bo on his team, he has developed an habit of cheering up people, so i would say that words of affirmation can be his love language. He wants you to be happy by his side, he wants you to see the most incredible part of life, he wants to talk to you and know about how you see the world, and most importantly he wants to share his love with you. So whenever you stop seeing the bright side of life, he's gonna be there for you, cheering you up and repeating you that you're important.

Akaashi.

My boy, my love. His. Love. Language. Is. Quality. Time. It's logical, his entire time is dedicated to you (and to study, school and practice lol) at this point. He's a romantic, of course he adores to spend time together, go to dates together, cherish you as the love of his life, his s/o, his everything. You're the reason he gets excited every Saturday afternoon (when you two meet together), you're the reason he has experienced so many new emotions in the last months. And now he works hard every week to think for places to take you, one saturday he chooses the date and the next the decission is yours. His favourite ones are the ones which involve classical things, like going to a library, visiting a museum, visiting antique shops... But when you take him to unusual places like a botanic garden? Oh hes astonished. And the most important detail: he is with you.

Bokuto

Actually, every love language suits him, but if I had to choose i would say that physical touch and acts of service. He's conscient about his passion for touching you in some way, holding your hand, holding you by your waist, back-hug you... He wants to shout to the world that you're his partner, that his love for you is inmense, and that might be impossible, but at least he can show that he cares for you by always being near your pressence. And for acts of service, he does it unconsciously, when he sees you struggling with something he just comes from behind and tries to help, sometimes asking and sometimes not. He doesn't even notice when he grabs your bags to carry them, or when he arranges the books on your desk because he knows that you hate to see them all over the place. And it was because of those little details that you fell in love with him.

[i-am-a-scholar-of-magic]

Barcus: Biped or Beast? - My Thoughts

“The Owl House” is rightfully known for its long list of great characters, many of which have made a strong impression with little overall screen time. One group of these characters that premiered in mid-season one was the Troublemakers, Hexside students placed in the Detention track for mixing magic and causing property damage. After defeating a Greater Basilisk and saving the school, Viney, Jerbo, and Barcus are granted permission to study multiple magic tracks. 

While Viney and Jerbo are clearly witchlings, Barcus is just as clearly some kind of demon. But out of the three broad categories introduced in “Knock, Knock, Knocking on Hooty’s Door” … which is he? The three categories are Bug - which we can easily assume he does not fall under - Biped, or Beast. 

To examine his appearance, Barcus is a demon resembling a dog with a more humanoid face. His body is covered with chestnut hair that is light tan on his belly and under his neck, as well as tufts of dark orange on his head and dark eyebrows. He has long pointed ears like a dog rather than a witch, and paws instead of hands. 

Barcus’s most defining trait, though, is that he does not speak English - or whatever the common language of the Boiling Isles is that seems to be identical to English. He speaks with barks, whimpers, sneezes, and growls that seem to be their own language, as his friends, Principal Bump, and perhaps Hunter can understand him. 

Biped demons are described by Hooty as “walking on two legs” - the literal definition of bipedal - and having bile sacs just like witches. Several examples are shown to be animalistic in appearance, such as Tibbles. Beast demons seem to largely be composed of the non-sapient fauna of the Isles, such as slitherbeasts, sekliedamuses, echo mice, trash slugs, rat worms, and so on. Given that Barcus is intelligent and enrolled in Hexside, it would give credence to him being a very animalistic Biped … except for two points of evidence. 

One is that we have encountered at least two Beast demons that are intelligent: the snaggleback. And basilisks. 

The other point, which I can't recall anyone else pointing out, is that we have never once seen Barcus trace a spell circle. Viney and Jerbo very clearly did so in the fight against the Greater Basilisk, while Barcus instead used an oracle potion. Furthermore, Barcus is double-enrolled in Potions and Oracle tracks … neither of which use circle spells! Potions are brewed and can be used with little to no magic as seen when Eda and Lilith can brew then with their powers severely crippled. And most if not all Oracle magic has been used on-screen with some form of tool, from crystal balls to paper fortune tellers. 

This focus on “indirect” magic is a strong implication that Barcus has no bile sac … which would likely classify him as a Beast type demon. Hooty does claim that only a blood sample can definitely confirm Beast type status, and as we will probably never get that, the answer is up in the air unless a member of the crew makes a public choice. 

So until then, it’s up to each fan’s choice in what they think!

Thanks for reading! More to come …!

[quaranmine]

we, for one, would love to hear your thoughts on jimmy

OKAY! essay time >:)

I'm not really sure where to start with this, but I guess I'll start with my observations about him. Note that most of this will pertain directly to Evo and 3rd Life/Last Life. I've seen his Empires pov but I separate Empires!Jimmy and Evo/3L/LL!Jimmy as characters due to the different backstories in Empires. I'm...im gonna put a cut here because this gets. so long

Jimmy's just...nice. He's a friendly person. He's good natured and kind and a bit goofy. Somehow he manages to pretty quickly endear himself to people, even when they're making fun of him. He likes being in the middle of things and making people laugh--even if it's at him. While I don't think he necessarily always intends to be the butt of people's jokes, I think he is willing to be sometimes, which is honestly a really strong thing for someone. He's a very fun person, and has a big mischievous streak and a tendency to prank people, but his pranks are normally pretty harmless and non-destructive. That ties into something I'm going to talk about further on--Jimmy does not want to hurt people.

He's also not very assertive, and tends to get walked over in situations. Jimmy is normally not on top. Nobody views him as a threat, but they're kind of right because he normally isn't a threat anyway. He's a bit too trusting of people, and wants to see the good in them, to the point where it can turn back and hurt him.

He can be hesitant on taking action, which sometimes leads to him being stuck in a bad situation with no time left to leave, at which point he normally tries to surrender instead of fight. Vice versa, he also frequently obliviously walks straight into situations without thinking them through, when if he'd studied the situation longer he might have seen the danger. It's almost a little baffling. He doesn't really have a good ability to gauge situations--Martyn, however, is very good at this.

I think he's pretty strongly motivated to protect his friends/people he loves. Just like Martyn. He cares a lot about them, and wants to keep them safe. But Jimmy struggles with his ability to do this. He's not particularly powerful or a good fighter. He also doesn't want to hurt anyone. AFAIK, the only kill he's ever gotten in either 3rd Life or Last Life was his Boogeyman kill on Lizzie, and even that was an indirect trap kill. He's just not a fighter. Which is a problem when you need to fight to protect people, or to win the game. He also strikes me as someone who needs to be around people, and doesn't do well with loneliness (which is...honestly backed up by his post-dragon fight Evo lore.)

Getting more into headcanon territory instead of characterization/observations, but I like Listener!Jimmy a lot. cc!Martyn said in his lore vod that the Listeners chose Jimmy as their "confidant" and someone who could carry out action on their behalf. Which indeed was true, because they literally took Jimmy, sent him to the future and dropped him alone in old spawn to carry out a mission for them. I wish he'd expanded more on the Evo Listener lore and how he and Jimmy were connected to it in his vod, but we got so much more than I'd ever dreamed of.

For my fanfic (although I normally carry across headcanons to all my writing) I've spent a lot of time setting up up Jimmy and Grian as...foils, perhaps? I could probably draw a chart comparing and contrasting them and their subsequent powers as Listener/Watcher and their backstories. cc!Martyn implies that the Listeners are a sect that broke off from the Watchers, but in my headcanon if that happened it was long enough ago for them to develop different appearances and powers. However, I still believe them to be counterparts and they share some commonality.

Anyway, one of the major contrasts between Jimmy and Grian is how they came to join the Listeners/Watchers. It's very common fanon, but I'm fond of the Watchers having kidnapped Grian (and, I may be pedantic, but the wording they used in the post-dragon fight end screen was specifically that he was "taken," and Martyn described it using the same word on his lore explaining stream. to me, that word carries "not willingly" connotations, so I chose to interpret it this way.) Jimmy, however...I think Jimmy joined willingly. Remember how I said he wants to protect his friends? That includes from the Watchers. Jimmy says in Evo that he thinks they're evil. He seems scared of them, and very aware of their ability to punish the players. He's even a bit paranoid, honestly--there's a whole thing towards the end of the series where he's convinced that every cow on the server is a vessel for the Watchers to be spying on them. Which...doesn't seem like the behavior of someone who isn't afraid.

Anyway, the Listeners are against the Watchers. Based on their canon actions on Evo, they seek to undermine the Watchers and protect the players. The derision that the Watchers have for the Listeners is also apparent in Martyn's LLSMP finale lore. Additionally, in his lore vod, Martyn says that Listeners were trying (and were successful) to get the players away from the Watchers and that the server basically fled with the Listeners. So basically, I think the Watchers offered Jimmy--who is not powerful and not a fighter and is always walked over but wants to keep people safe--an opportunity to finally have a little power and do something about the Watchers. And he accepted.

This is also maybe the point to say that Martyn confirmed that there's a dark-light theme between the Watchers and Listeners, with the Watchers representing the shadows and the Listeners the light. Personally, though, I prefer to view them as more neutral-evil and neutral-good. I definitely think the Watchers are more malicious (which...is canon) and that the Listeners do more good. But I also think they're both these mysterious supernatural beings that are probably extremely disconnected from humans, and operate on a different moral code. The Watchers think of Martyn as having a feeble mind, and clearly feel above the players. The Listeners don't seem to have much lore about this, but they are also quite mysterious and communicate with the players (via books and mazes/underground rooms and things) in a similar way to the Watchers. Essentially, I think it adds a good depth to Jimmy if perhaps the Listeners aren't 100% good in the traditional sense--he made the choice to join them, in exchange for more power, and that means he has to live with/be complicit in whatever else happens.

Also, I view the Listeners as...less strict than the Watchers? I also like the headcanon that Grian ran away from the Watchers (although Martyn contradicts this in his lore vod, but I don't have to listen to him always so). I feel like he was expected to stay with them, and didn't come to Hermitcraft until he was already free of them (which means in this headcanon, the Watchers would have come back for him before 3rd Life. do with this as you will.)

Jimmy, on the other hand, I feel like has the privilege of being the Listeners' field agent, so to speak. He's free to join other servers and be with his friends, as long as he reports to them as necessary and is available to carry out whatever they need. After all--both Grian and Jimmy were technically taken after the dragon fight on Evo, but only one of them actually came back and could see his friends again. Also, I feel like Martyn absolutely knows Jimmy is a Listener (Martyn was the other person the Listeners were planning on giving a mission too, although he never sees them.) cc!Martyn said in his lore vod that c!Martyn wasn't intended to be a Listener, just one of the ones who fled with them. I like to think he's just human and is like "well my best friend is a god now so I guess I'll help him" lol. However, the Listeners are pretty private and frequently tell their chosen ones to not tell anyone else about their missions, so I feel like it maaaaybe isn't common knowledge to other people. (Unlike Grian, where the entire server of Evo was told that he had joined the Watchers.)

Anyway, I think I'm going to end this here, but tbh I uh. I actually have more. I didn't even get to my headcanons on Watcher powers/Listener powers. I also talked about Evo more than 3L/LL here, but that's because I don't really want to give away anything about my fanfic plans. I also haven't spent nearly as much time yet analyzing all this lore into the final, finished version of LLSMP compared to the amount of time I've spent coming up with headcanons for my canon-divergent AU haha. thank u for asking me about this <333333 i have so much brainrot <3

[brehaaorgana]

Lordy, it's literally so simple to differentiate between persuasion and intimidation if your system uses both.

Persuasion is selling someone on something/to achieve a result you want. You want them to want whatever it is your character also wants. You are convincing them of something. You are "selling" the actions you want taken as something they want to do, would be willing to do, or wouldn't be troublesome for them to do/say. It doesn't have to directly benefit them (like a bribe), it can be a moral appeal, an appeal to doing whatever just being "nice", an appeal to something being hardly any trouble, etc.

Intimidation is threatening someone to achieve a result you want, and it doesn't matter if they are convinced or not.

Again this is very simple.

Is it—

A sales pitch? — Persuasion

A threat? — Intimidation

"You have one last chance to tell me what I want to know." is a THREAT. It's always going to be intimidation. You are intimidating someone.

This is so easy, look:

"I can make it worthwhile if you tell me what I want to know." Persuasion.

"tell me, or I'll cut you down." Intimidation.

"it's not like your boss cares about you. Aren't you fed up of how you're treated by (the villain)? Tell me, and you can bring them down. No one will know it was you. You can be free of this." Persuasion.

"if you don't tell me what I need to know now, I'm going to have to get very convincing." (Brandishes a dagger) Intimidation.

"no one will find out you told me. I swear on my oath/God/whatever." Persuasion.

"please tell me. Lives are at stake, and every moment counts." Persuasion.

"lives are at stake here. If you do not tell me what I need to know, will your Gods forgive it? Every moment we delay could lead to greater destruction of the very city you are sworn to protect." Intimidation — but like, theological.

"look I happen to know (relevant connection), and if you tell me I can get you in touch with them to further your study of (thing) under a master." Persuasion.

Easy.

Language that is both a sales pitch and a threat can use either skill:

"You could just tell me now, or I could get the city guard/police and let them sort out how to get the information we need."

The sales pitch is "it's easy to just tell me what I want to know, and preferable for you." The threat is the city guard and whatever they might do.

Another one you can maybe argue:

"look, my friend over there—," (gestures to someone clearly ready to fight) "—wants to just clobber you until you tell us what we need to know. But I told them where I come from, we try to be civilized first. Between you and me, I don't actually want to get my hands dirty. Things can go wrong so quickly, and I hate getting blood on my robes. And you seem like a reasonable sort of person. Tell me what I need to know, and I can make sure the rest of them leave you alone, maybe even give you a few coin for your trouble. I don't have to fight, you don't have to get clobbered... Works out for everyone! There's a good chap."

It's clearly a threat, but it's indirect. the sales pitch is doing things the easy way, maybe benefit from it, and thereby avoid the threat. The speaker sells themselves as what stands between the listener and a bigger threat.

You could potentially convincingly roll either persuasion or intimidation in that case.

So the Player MADE A THREAT, which is always a straight intimidation roll, unless you partner it with a sales pitch, and then it is up to the GM to make the call.

This rule of thumb can be true across systems because the words persuasion and intimidation have specific meanings.

Edit to add: this is also why some systems use "diplomacy," rather than "persuasion." Because diplomacy is about negotiations, mutual benefit/accord between parties, or more generally describes "handling affairs without arousing hostility."

That is, without intimidation. The above still applies even in systems that use diplomacy rather than intimidation.

TTRPG pet peeve: players trying to sell using their best skill for a roll. I just heard a player describe his character’s actions in such a way that the GM called for a roll with Intimidate to be made. Upon looking at his character sheet, which does not have points in Intimidate, the player then argued that the character thinks of it more as Persuasion.

Don’t do this. Have conviction and live with the consequences.

[aeempress]

Apritello Express Evidences, part 2

Khem-khem, ladies and gentlemen, we shall continue out praising Apritello's episodes. And yeah, this part will be dedicated, in entirety just one episode.

Purple jacket. April and Donnie's episode.

I really love this piece of masterpiece, because it show April and Dee relationship, better reveals them as characters, and demonstrates their connection. (My previous points at this whole situation)

The episode begins with Donnie sneaking into April's school under the pretext of helping her. Soon, April stated the reason why she called D - her science computer project. Actually, she could take a photo of the code and sent it to Donatello, and I'm sure, he would send her the correct one right away, he's coder, he's prodigy, no probbles.

But still, April just asked him to come over and help her without stating any reasons. And he, indeed, came at speed of the light.

I want you to understand what exactly does that mean.

First: April is aware how much Donnie is into human culture. He wants to study in normal human school, do some average teen stuff. Especially, he is loving school and science-related stuff, all these science school projects, visits to botanical gardens, experiments and laboratory work. Because it's his field. It's exactly his domain, where he's good at. His family does not share his interest in science, and April is only one who can understand him. Probably.

Also, April know, how badly Donnie wants to go to school, which gives him an excuse, even if not the most solid one, but an excuse, nevertheless, to visit her school again.

Why again?

Because he has no problem navigating there. Donnie went directly to April's computer class.

He loves this place. And he'd already helped April with her projects.

Even so, knowing that every time she asked guys, especially Don, for help, it turned into a cataclysm, April still called him to help.

It's just a weird, indirect way to say, " Let's hang out, I know how much you like this whole situation with science, school and etc. Here ya go, buddy"

It seems like April did that to make something pleasant to him, something small, but nice to make him feel better. Because, as I state before - he likes to help April (praise, doing something useful for April - still counts as a motivation) and he likes school.

Second: khem-khem, D came at her school, as it seems, right away she called/texted. He didn't even know the proper reason, but c'mon: April ask for help, plus, her school. Sounds legit, don't you think?

Anyway, April has always been being the reason and excuse for teetles, but especially for Donnie. Clear? Clear. Good.

Donnie also tends to not think things through when he is excited. Because he went at the daylight in place, full of people just to help April.

ROTTMNT shows us how turtles were really afraid of human reaction and possible consequences. They have plan "H" to pretend they are going to Galaxy Con, brothers have explanation why they look weird and it's definitely not because boys are mutants, uh-huh, no, plus, guys go on surface at evening or night hours, when there are not so many people, and it's dark, obviously, to cover them and keep unseen.

Yeah, of course, Donnie seems more capable then his brothers to handle the surface (he has cash, D's dressed up as old ladies more than once, according to Leo, he was in April's school before, so yeah, no big deal) and I suspect that his friendship with April is one of the reasons.

Third: do you remember how April worried about looking "normal" when she was finally invited to a school party? She even forbade Mayham to appear nearby, just not to look like the lizard boy. Because cool kids don't bring pets to school. April doesn't have many friends, or rather, there are none at school, and she's been trying to solve this problem by getting close to Taylor Martin, the coolest girl in school.

And April O'Neil just calls Donatello, an objectively strange guy (since when is it normal to be a fan of school? Pretty questionable) in place, where her reputation is hanging in a balance. Our girl does not try to hide Dee, as it usually shown in shows for kids, and April do not pretend that she sees him for the first time in her life because, you know, Donnie will catch everyone's attention being himself and may embarrass her in front of her classmates. But no - April says with all her actions: "Yes, I know him. Yes, that dork is with me. And I don't give a damn about your opinion. Your problems, not mine. And yeah, I'm fine with him being here."

I mean it, guys. The devil is always in the tiny details.

The way they behave around each other.

Donatello is way more, MORE relaxed and just being himself: dramatic dorky nerdy ninja with current obsessions. The way he sneaked in school and April's classroom, the way he behaves alone with her is contrasting the way of his attitude while his brothers are near.

Don has a specific way to shown up. Instead of texting her, Donnie used shurekens. Yes, he almost fell off the lamp, but still, that's... quite an entrance he makes there.

April worries about him, when he fell from ceiling.

Our girl feel relaxed enough around Donnie, so she winks at him.

A wink is a fairly casual gesture that shows some expression of sympathy, trust, and togetherness. It's both good for saying "We're in same boat, we're team" and show the playful attitude towards someone. Isn't that an indicator?

Ironically, that being the best friends April and Donnie do not have any secret handshake/brofist/special greeting, as it usually the besties have at kid's series. Like Kendra and Jeremy have.

I can do only one possible logical conclusion: their relationship is far beyond "friends," "best friends," and "family".

Btw, about this certain phrase about secret five.

- Nay, fair April. A secret five[...].

Once again, nice wording, Donatello. Fair April? Maybe I'm too critical, but often when someone wants to convince their interlocutor and at the same time show one's condescension to them, it's usually uses "my dear ..." or something like that. I understand that semantically the difference is not very big, but in the first case, you can feel Donnie's personal attitude, even though he uses a book word. The second is just formal politeness, which emphasizes the difference between the rightness of the disputants.

This phrase were interpreted on official Russian dub as (okay, it's really hard to choose the correct word, because there's a lot of synonyms in English that sits quite well, while on Russian it's just one word, damn) "Нет, милая (No, honey/sweetheart )". Actually, a strange choice of wording, 'cause this is not what usually friends use to say to each other. We prefer use words like " my darling", "my dear", to demonstrate leniency. And again, most often this prerogative belongs to the older generation. Russians rarely throw around such words as "honey", "dear", "sunshine", because this deprives these endearments of any meaning, and a person using them, as a rule, is familiar. Of course, there are people who use them on a regular basis, but I HIGHLY doubt that Donatello is one of them. It's not his style.

But still, maybe I just too critical at this point.

April, as it is shown, have some kind of power to cool and calm him down and bring Donnie back to life reality.

1. Don awakes from his daze while heard April's voice

2. He's literally coming back to life, when April said about his broken jetpack.

3. Dee obediently interrupts his touching farewell to the jacket when April yells at him.

Oh, and his face. I remind you, fellas, we're talking about Donatello, "I really do not like to express emotions"-guy and "I will die if someone broke my bAbEyS"-guy.

And what do we see? Donnie's emoting. And feels free to do that. He's even drooling. (What seems kinda interesting without context, if you're understand what I'm talking about ;))

Dee doesn't seem angry about broken jetpack. And his wide smile, while he's assuring April he can fix it? A few minutes ago, he was steamed when his stuff was stolen, but when the jetpack was broken, he doesn't even raise an eyebrow. Very eloquent.

April is his support

April also supports Donnie whatever he's up to. Yes, she hadn't been excited when Othello had expressed a desire to join the club. However, she also introduced him to Kendra and company. Yes, she showed by her whole appearance that she did not share his joy, but nevertheless, our loyal captain O'Neil was there for him, by his side all this time.

And her sweet facial expression. From "Srsly? Join this jerks?" to "If you dare to even think about to hurt him, I'll smash you".

And one more cute detail about Dee. Even if he does whatever he wanted so badly, Don constantly looks around at April, looking for her approval.

- Be honest, April, do I look fantastic, or SUPERBLY fantastic?

- You look like you drop a juice box in a laundry. (Play nice, April, don't be mean)

He cherishes her opinion.

April had even called him late at night just to, technically speaking, say that his tech were stolen. And what's the big deal with all his outfit? It's late night, they can just sneak out into Nakamura in their usual form. But noooo, April give a special ride on her bicycle. Just. You know. Our girl carried her own weight and his all the way without stopping. And then she went up 53 + floors running non-stop because Donnie's equipment was stolen. And then she had to chase the her classmates, dodge and jump out of the window. Because Purple dragons stole Dee's tech. Like shooting fish in a barrel, no big deal at all.

And it's definitely not because he will be totally crashed or he'll do stupid things during his anger, which will then come out sideways.

And April comes along with him to very end.

By the way, their phone conversations.

Donnie is the very case when "Call at any time of the day or night and I will pick up the phone".

When April called him when he needs D's help with Albearto, when something is definitely going on behind.

As it says in transcript of the episode:

[April takes out her phone, scrolls to Donnie’s listing and calls him. Donatello appears on screen. Behind him a flying microwave wearing boxing gloves shoots lasers at his brothers.]

Don: "You are conversing with Donatello."

April

[Crouched on floor in hiding.]

Dude, I need your help."

Don: "For you, anything. As long as it does not involve bees, or spiders, or beach balls.

[There’s an explosion behind him and his brothers cry out, which he ignores.]

And yeah, he took her incoming immediately, he ignores absolutely and totally everything around him, because... April? Expositions, bloody flying microwave bot turned to destroy mode, his brothers screaming and being in life-threatening situation? Naaah, it can wait.

Donatello was at Todd's, building "the puppiest place on Earth" and was very enthusiastic about to finish this thing. But he paused anyway to answer April.

We already know how obsessive with work Don can be: if something interesting gets into his field of view, he begins to do it all day long. Remember "The Purple Game" - a very revealing case. Yeah, we weren't shown how much Donnie is into engineering, but I can guess that point remains the same.

April called him at late night and Donnie picked up the phone.

April, unlike Donatello, is a teenager who is burdened with social relationship such as family, school, and work periodically, which implies a more or less strict schedule to follow and some conventions, such as " April, you can't go out late at night to catch robbers, you are underage and you have to go to school/work tomorrow). However, she was watching the news late at night, so she called Dee. ( I have a lot of questions, but I'll never get answers, as it seems)

D, in turn, doesn't have so many contacts with the outside world. I highly doubt that anyone else outside of the family and April has his number. And yet, when he hears the call late at night he takes it. Yes, he had awaken from the nightmare, but still.

And what's up with his usual "You're conversing with Donatello"? He didn't even understand what's going on, as it seems, he's too sleepy to play his usual image and playfully attitude as we could see in "Hypno Part Deux" and "War and Pizza".

Adorable couple-like D&A arguing

April very rarely uses "I told you so" against anybody, or rather, this is almost the only case. This phrase is more suitable for Leo or Donnie, and you know," I told you so! " we usually use on people we know well, and we want to tease 'em about them being wrong. Which, in fact, once again highlights and proves how close D&A are. And I don't even get started about the fact that this is more like a couple's quarrel, not a friend's.

And one more time - in the end, when April suggests using the jacket to stop Kendra.

Their teamwork

I stated that before, I'll tell it one more and more times. The chemistry of their team interaction is incredible. It's as if they can feel each other, and each knows what the other is capable of doing in the next moment. April easily adapts to Donnie's attack, realizing his plan.

Donnie also throws them both out of the window in order to continue the pursuiting Kendra on the jetpack. Don is one hundred percent sure of April, that she will understand what he wants to do, Dee trusts her with his life without hesitation, and she has never used his jetpack. He just puts her before the fact: April will be using the tech.

Up for Donnie!

I really like how this scene was made. Donatello struggles with his own tech, somewhat he made by himself, having invested almost whole himself and his soul, but what "betrayed" him in end. When Dee finally managed to shake one of his battleshell, which almost choked him, Donnie feel so scared and unsecured. We can see his anxiety - Dee's coaching position with covering his head with his hands and tucking his knees.

Defenseless, helpless, and mostly lost, and then, just in time - hero comes to save his life. She uses Donnie's name as battlecry, look how furious she is.

Funny fact: on Russian dub April yells "Don't touch Donnie! (how dare you, madafaka)

April fits in Donnie's type of girls. She's cute (obvious) and mean (not so obvious).

I can't say that meanness is the main feature of April's character, as we can say about Kendra. But this personality trait is still present in her and sometimes it does not manifest itself so widely. April's meanness is not so pronounced, it is much softer and smoother, and it is not exposed.

But April becomes really mean when someone messes up with Donnie.

She's his support and prop. Literally. Just look at first frame, okay-okay, jokes aside

She's genuinely enjoying of kicking bad guys ' asses, even letting go of witticisms and barbs.

Last scenes

Don survived a rough night: he was used, his tech was stolen, so he and April had to chase the satin robed punks. Donnie was hit in the head with a hammer, he fell from a bird's-eye view, passed out and then his battleshell tried to strangle him. And April is here to comfort him, to cheer him up.

Yes, we don't get any hugs (because it's kids show, bleh), the tactility is kept to a minimum, except for April's comforting hand on his shoulder, but they don't even look at each other. But the softness of her voice, the intonation with which she utters a phrase (that is usually sent to the friend zone, but "pal" is really neutral word, and the most important how she said that) turn the scene upside down. It is not what April did to comfort him matter, it's how she did this.

I said "yes" to you way too often

April mirrors Donnie with his "Anything for you". Yes, of course, she said this with a certain amount of grumbling, but her voice and her demeanor suggest otherwise - she is not at all averse to going to giving in him.

And the way they're look at each other.

This one

And one more detail

It's really tiny, it's hard to catch from the first watching the episode, but still, it's possible. I'm talking about graffiti on the walls of the alley where April and Don had landed.

This one

Yeah, if we speak about reality it's quite normal to see graffiti like this. But we talking about TV-series, where everything has its own place and meaning. And if there something, it must be there, it's not just whim of artist who put it in there. But this little graffiti changes the mood of scene.