#this isn’t pointed to one particular person this is a general statement

[carlando]

stayed out of it because i rather not spend hours looking at braincell destroying takes about such and such but generalizing and entire base of fans is a bad move, either side. i said it five years ago, i am saying it again now. stop putting people in the monochrome boxes of good and bad designated by who they are a fan of.

that being said, if you don’t think it unprofessional for charles to air his quote on quote grievances on international television and not in the team briefing, where they can sort it out and he can ask carlos himself: i genuinely can’t relate to you. if you’ve seen the tire data and the timestamps and the proof showing that what charles said happened, didn’t happen and you do not care, i know you couldn’t care less about anyone else. which is your right, as a fan.

and i can add, as a fan - you aren’t following the messiah, stop acting like you’re entitled to god’s green earth. he isn’t owed to be handed everything, you aren’t aggrieved like you feel you are and for fuck sake, he’s the one with a seat next year. i just can't understand the arrogance.

[shewolf-sinclair]

OKAY this post is gonna be long, bear with me.

Wednesday s2 is in production. here are my thoughts + what we know so far. -> anything in bold is my personal opinions and annectdotes. regular text is confirmed information. I will color code this by character and list in order of appearance in post. (percy hynes white/xavier addressed in italics. it is its own thing kinda)

Tyler

Bianca

Xavier

Yoko

Addams Family

Ajax - also listed eugene and pugsley (related information)

New Sheriff - Enid - Divina&Kent - Barry Dort - Dr. Fairburn (i am running out of colors so they don’t get one/each only has one mention/not much information.)

Capri

——————————————————————————-

New headmaster - who???

Stalker arc - so excited, is it someone old or new? (see yoko)

New mayor? -> What’s the deal with lucas? I hope to see him return as he became really interesting towards the end, in his interactions with Bianca and suggested past with tyler. His actor is not listed on any casting announcements, he (iman) is however interacting with the announcements on social media.

New Sheriff! Donovan Galpin’s actor is only listed as gueststarring, yet the deputy from last season is listed as recurring and in the cast picture with all the regulars for the season. This suggests donovan is stepping down or something and we will have a new sheriff for Wednesday to butt heads with during her investigation. however donovan isn’t entirely gone, suggesting he still has some part to play in story progression — likely involved with Tylers S2 story.

TYLER!! if you follow my blog for a while you’ll know I’m the tyler apologist ever. I wholeheartedly believe he was innocent (yes he did the crimes but like. mind control. i’ll link the thread here and bottom of post) personally I’m hoping we get a redemption arc. We know that hunter doohan is a season regular and major player based on his spot on the cast list. He broke out last season.. but how/why? I’m excited to see more of tyler. i love him sm you guys. -> thornhill is not coming back, as christina ricci is not listed and is seemingly univolved. the general consensus is thornhill died in her last few minutes of screentime though nothing on that was ever confirmed. I am looking foward to confirmation and what that means for Tyler, not having a master to force him to kill and all (again, ties into my previous point and I have evidence for why this in particular is important) (see bottom of this post)

Moving on: Bianca. Joy Sunday is listed as a series regular and a major player. After last seasons ending, I am excited to (hopefully) see the continuation of her growth and development away from being a bully and also hear more of her backstory with her mom and ‘morning song’.

That being said, nightshades. Percy Hynes White is confirmed to be not returning, neither percy nor netflix has made a statement, and we are unsure if this decision was percy’s or netfix’s. We do not know if Xavier is to be written out or was recast. -> Naomi (yoko) is also not returning. Naomi made a statement on instagram as to why. However, she was in last season’s promotional materials which suggests she was intended to be important. there were many theories she was the stalker. Here’s to hoping for a S3 return!-> the dias-watson twins (divina and kent) are not listed on any casting announcements nor have the twins posted anything regarding the production announcements. However, nothing has been confirmed regarding their return and no statements have been made. -> we don’t know what this means for the nightshades but I hope to see more of them this season, including inducting enid. maybe pugsley and eugene, who are both set to be series regulars - as is ajax. Personally ajax is one of my favorite characters and I am excited for him to play a bigger part in the story. enjax truthers unite!

Addams family members are also set to return. Morticia and Gomez are now considered series regulars according to the production announcements. Additionally, we will be seeing Grandmamma and Fester (Fred Armisen) as guest starring characters. The 90’s actor of fester is also confirmed to be making an appearance, though no character name has been announced.

STEVE BUSCEMI?! WHAT IS HE DOING HERE HELLO??? (I love him guys he’s so silly) -> Several other new cast members has been announced. Steve Buscemi is confirmed to be playing someone named Barry Dort, we have no further information on the character. Thandiwe Newton is confirmed to be playing someone named Dr. Fairburn, we have no other information on the character. Based on the gueststar status and Dr. in the name, there are many theories that they will be the new therapist, but nothing is confirmed. We also have Billie Piper as Capri. no further official information. I am so excited to meet this capri!! All I can say is that I doubt they will be the new headmaster because what headmaster has only a first name?? However, they also likely won’t be a new student because it’s Billie Piper, who is the same age as the other adult characters’ actors in the show whereas the students’ actors are in their 20’s/early 30’s. I think there’s a good chance they’re a siren as Capri is an tropical island. (please be morning song pleaseeee I’m desperate) -> three members of our new cast have no character names (Evie Templeton, Noah B. Taylor, Owen Painter) There are RUMORS (nothing confirmed) That Taylor or Painter may be Xavier recasts. -> All of these new cast members (besides Newton who is a gueststar I think probably a new therapist to replace kinbott) are listed as reoccurring, with Steve Buscemi listed directly under Jenna Ortega and above Emma Myers on the cast list, suggesting he has a major role. Earlier this year there were rumors or Buscemi’s casting, with people suggesting he may play the new headmaster. THIS IS JUST A RUMOR at this time. There was speculation that Weems (Gwendoline Christie) may still be alive, but with Christie being seemingly uninvolved it is likely to be false speculation. There are more new cast members plying unnamed characters, listed as gueststars.

AND YES, THING IS RETURNING!!!

They will not be filming in Romania again. The majority of the show was not done on soundstage. and was filmed in and around real buildings in romania. This means they have to duplicate everything as a soundstage, possibly limiting some filming capabilities. They are, instead, filming in Ireland.

Lastly, we have the title for Episode 1: Here we woe again.

This is all for now!! Please let me know if you have more CONFIRMED information (i will add it to this post and tag you!) or have questions on anything mentioned. I will be sharing more as things come out.

My sources include: Season 1 references, Netflix’s official instagram, The cast’s official instagrams, and these articles.

if you want my comments on tyler: (be prepared it is literally a thought dump and not organized and composed like this post. i may properly write it out at a later date idk yet)

[bleue-flora]

not sure what you mean by cdreams arguement and not your opinion I can't find anything in that vod stating his perspective on suicide but I do see now that it could have been about vikk. The reason I and many people assume its about his suicide specifically is because of how desensitized he is to death and how he know how painful death is. I know the ''I know how painful death is'' line could have been referring to c!tubbo taking his final life, but the way he phrases it to me sounds like he has experienced it countless times before and gone to limbo many times. And why wouldnt he test suicide revivals, it would make sense for his character to off himself for the sake of finding out knowledge that maybe killing lazar and vikk or others couldn't provide. And yeah the ''death by revival book'' i said was written at like 5 am i was not writing properly

[context]

That was more so me telling people to not misconstrued my words and take me talking about Dream’s argument where he uses the Revive Book to highlight how Tommy’s suicide would have been meaningless to mean that I personally think in any sense that suicide is meaningless (as there have been people who came for my head, taking these types of statements and using them to say that I’m unempathetic and such…) which is really besides the point.

I mean you can absolutely take his statement like that. That is entirely reasonable and I follow the logic, my designs for stages duo has them having white strands of hair for their many deaths after all [Dream & Punz]. But I will also say that that statement in particular is to highlight that Tommy isn’t unique in experiencing pain or death, since Tommy tends to have this delusion that he is the only one who can get hurt. And based on Dream’s words we know that he has died at least once before. So he really does know how painful death is, and is highlighting that Tommy knowingly causing his painful death just yesterday. But I also think Dream perhaps experienced things more painful than death so him being desensitized to it would make sense in that way as well…

Why wouldn’t he test suicide to learn more about death? Because it’s unnecessary and risky. And also though I think prison give us the impression that Dream has little self preservation, I’m starting to wonder if that’s not entirely true either. Because the way I see it is if they only tested if the book works after prison [post], then that highlights that Dream was very naive going into staged finale and prison. That the book was really truly his very last card to be spared by the server. And that naiviness I think means then that perhaps it’s not that his self-preservation is poor, but he was too trusting. Which honestly more so aligns with what we see of his behavior anyways, isn’t it? Throwing bombs from the sky, always wearing armor, using other people like Wilbur to achieve his goals… etc like he doesn’t seem to just go out and risk dying and be uncaring about getting hurt. So perhaps he does actually want to avoid pain and suffering, that he didn’t knowing or intentionally put himself in a torture box, and if that’s true then maybe killing himself over and over wouldn’t be very in character after all.

Not to mention, that based off Dream’s own definition of Limbo that it changes based on all of the circumstances surrounding their death, meaning that you could kill yourself with the same knife in the same spot and Limbo could change. In which case, it seems rather pointless to study in the way we have assumed because you’re never going to discover every Limbo. And why would studying Limbo help answer the questions of the world anyways. It just doesn’t seem important to me in the grand scheme of things when mind control and the End are apparently also somehow connected to the book…

But in general it’s not that I can’t see why you’d make this assumption, it’s a reasonable assumption to make. One whose strongest argument would actually probably be this line from Dream:

“But we haven't tested… is somebody being selfless and dying a hero. We don't know anything about that because… we—can't test that because we're evil, we're so bad and—murderers—bla bla bla, whatever—who cares. But… We can test that now.” [clip]

Implying that they are not heroic enough to test dying a hero themselves. And yet, that point is oddly not the one I’ve often seen people use. XD However, this is also part of his set up for the bs saw trap thing and staged duo lay on their villain roles here real thick, so can we really take his words at face value? I don’t know, you could make an argument both ways…

At the end of the day, my point isn’t to say you are wrong or that your assumption is a bad one. My point is only to highlight that there is just as fair and reasonable, maybe even more reasonable, of a case to be made that these experiments are not what we as a collective have assumed them to be this whole time, and what does that say about staged duo’s relationship? What would that look like? What are the other possible outcomes, circumstances, answers that could apply if we make a different assumption?…

[sarah-hell-pit]

well, I am back to reading the Exestential Crisis manga. Perhaps I should read it some other time that isn’t my birthday, but it’s a tradition at this point. After all, I am an artist. And not the professional kind. Which is what I went to school for.

Blue period is a very good manga. There’s a lot of research that went into it, but you can also tell how much of the author’s own feelings go into the manga. I will probably write a review on it at some point. This one is a bit harder for me to process than some others, because of the story’s subject matter. I will say that the thing I miss most about reading it is the way it describes the process of making art, and the revelations of the main character regarding the nature of art.

I have a feeling that Blue Period may play a large role in my life. I’m not sure yet. I know that it will change me, somehow. Every story changes me a little. Eventually, I think, the more one reads, even manga, the better one becomes able to understand the nature of the world around them.

What do you really want? It’s a question that many people are asked, and very few know the answer to. For the main character of Blue Period, what he wants is to satisfy his curiosity— he wants to know- what is art, really? His advantage is that it’s his sole motivator, and he has no pride in his work, only a ceaseless drive to unravel that answer.

Maybe that was my mistake, going into art school with a very set, predefined notion of what “art” meant and was, one very different from everyone around me.

There’s no one or easy answer to the question of what art is. What people consider to be art varies widely from person to person, from country to country. And yet there remains a few defining parameters consistent across cultures. Art is a human creative endeavor, one that seeks to convey an idea or meaning; not something purely decorative (which falls into the realm of design, or illustration.) Art is fundamentally a means of communication. I think this is where I first became confused in art school. For me, the meaning behind art had always been secondary to its appearance. Art was a practice in intense reproduction from my mind’s eye; a practice of generating imagery from nothing in particular, something that had many details and could provoke thought, a wide array of thought that fell mostly into the realm of fantastical. Art was about generating ideas. Art was about all of the leaping off points, not necessarily about a unified and set message.

Art has no “practical” purpose. Instead, it serves an ideological one, telling you what the author believes about the world, maybe how it is, maybe how it should be, or how it has been. But it always has a central theme that, if not immediately discernible, can be recognized through the text in the artist’s description or statement. Art is about reflecting society, and reflecting ourselves.

Maybe it’s no secret why I have had such a love hate relationship with art. Unlike Yaguchi, I was not curious about what art could be. I thought I knew. And as my fundamental drawing professor taught me, when you think that you know how something looks, you will always draw it inaccurately.

And yet, art does interest me. When I can pick the questions that it asks, on my own terms. It’s difficult to justify art to oneself. It shouldn’t be. Creating art is a fundamental tenant of human self expression. Art is who we are.

I’m rambling and it’s late. I guess my point is, you can’t understand something unless you are willing to be curious about it, and really open to receiving answers in the form of information that you really didn’t expect. You have to be openminded.

You have to be willing to see art in unexpected places; in places where it wasn’t intended, where there was no human controlling the setup. The things that you personally recognize as art, which serve no artistic purpose originally, define your perspective and define you as a person. This is what you, as an individual, can utilize to make art.

art belongs to everyone. But it can only belong to the people brave enough to reach out and grab it. It belongs to those who want it, who need it. So it belongs to those who don’t create it, too. But the only art that you can claim as your own is the art that comes from your unique perspective; something built off of self reflection and in direct communication with the world around you.

And art is not about creating something; it’s about trying to get at something else, and creating something in the process.

I guess I never understood that before.

The scene where Yatora draws himself naked, and then learns that he sees his body, and the human form in general as pathetic, made me realize that it’s really easy to not know what your perspective even is until you are in the midst of reaching towards art.

I found it hard to think of art as a language, but it very much is. Once I started thinking of art in the same way I already think of writing, I believe that my art began to improve.

I think a lot of this series is Yaguchi learning, bit by bit, that traditional art is a tricky union of skill, technique and intent, trying to combine the three in perfect balance— and often failing in one capacity or another. That’s what makes the series good; it’s realistic. Most of artwork is a failure in one way or another.

I could say so much more, I could probably sit here and type until tomorrow dawns about all of the things this anime surfaces within me. But I’ll leave it there for tonight.

Blue period is a very good series about asking oneself some very hard questions, without ever really having a guarantee of an answer— but continuing to ask regardless. And I, like so many others, admire that determination.

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 121 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: baking something with apples

This is the last episode with my favorite ambiance track :´) We haven't heard it at all in S3. All in all, the ambiance music in S3 got a lot less melodic than the one in S1 and S2. Although, S2 already used the less melodic tracks as well.

Oh right, the Patreon thanks are starting now! I haven't given all of them a listen, I think I'll do it here. 

To add something about Jon's coma: I read in a post yesterday that someone wondered how they even found out Jon was still alive. I'm kind of guessing there is something like Section 31 in medical as well. People who are somewhat trained for "weird" cases, even though they don't understand them. To fix that plot hole I'd say Elias called in, telling them this particular person is still alive even though he's neither breathing nor has a heartbeat. And considering, that Jon is dreaming, I'd headcanon his closed eyes rapidly moving.

OLIVER: "Um. Hello, Jon. Do you… mind if I call you Jon? I, I mean, you don’t actually know me. It’s just, well. 'Archivist.' It’s so formal, isn’t it?" Reasons why I love Oliver Banks, exhibition #658 xD No seriously, I think Oliver Banks is one of the most interesting Avatars out there and I'd say he's my favorite of all those Avatars we only meet tangentially. Death is such a complicated subject in itself and Oliver makes it look so... neutral. I mean, the End in itself appears relatively inactive, not having a Ritual and all. Anyway, Oliver calls Jon by his (human) name, is even unsure if he's allowed to do that, since they don’t "actually" know each other. But he respects that this is, who Jon is. Who he wishes to remain, regardless of which choice he’ll make. Oliver thinks of this although he has kind of lost touch with his name(s), since he'll just take any identity which works best for him at the moment.

OLIVER: "And I do kind of know you…? Haven’t had much choice, really. Dreams are like that, you know." I really, really wonder what that means. Did he see Jon's life hanging by a thread. Did he see nothing at all because he’s in a place where the End can’t touch him? Or does he already see a root piercing his heart? Does Jon actually have any agency in this? (He has been denied to die once before, MAG 101...)

OLIVER: "No matter how lucid you think they are, there’s always that part that just drags you along." Meta-comment about said agency?

OLIVER: "That’s how it works, right? Give you a terror; give you a dream?" Oliver in his dreams being like "Alright, I'm done checking out how person A, B and C will die, time for my Point Nemo date with Jon..."

Hmm, is there a soft crackling sound in the background?

"So. My name is Oliver Banks. In my other statements, I used the name Antonio Blake" When I was first listening I still could recall the general premise of MAG 11 quite well, including the name of the statement giver. So I already had my suspicions after all this talk about dreams, especially when talking about Gertrude. And then he says this sentence! I love those "I knew it!" moments^^

"I knew exactly what I had to do. He didn’t look anything like me, not really" Not really! Iirc, this season will have tons of not reallys. So I'll start counting! S4 Not Really #1

"There were a couple of marine biologists on board, a meteorologist, an engineer, someone who called herself a “macro-ecologist” – though at times, she looked almost as out of her depth as I did." Fake it till you make it!

“This too shall pass.” If I had a nickel for every podcast with a troubled, with eye imagery associated Eldritch character named Jo(h)n who owns a mysterious lighter and had a life altering experience while in a coma I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice...

"The rest of the crew didn’t seem to notice, walking through the immense, grasping tendrils like they weren’t there at all" Wasn't there something about "TMA will not have tentacles!"? xD

"But I barely got the first word out before the falling satellite debris hit the ship at 200 miles an hour, killing us instantly." So, did Oliver just walk on the ocean floor back to London?

OLIVER: "Honestly, I’m still not exactly sure why I’m here. But you know better than anyone how the spiders can get into your head. Easier to just do what she asks." More of the Web shenanigans to make sure Jon stays on the right path...

OLIVER: "Oh, I, I’m a friend. Of Jon’s." GEORGIE: "Are you, now." OLIVER: "Uh, y-yes." I mean, Oliver seemed to be a kind of hesitant type there at the beginning of the episode. But this seems like he's a bit intimidated? Considering this is no-fear-because-touched-by-the-End Georgie, it would fit.

OLIVER: “…have I upset you, miss –” GEORGIE: “No, you just remind me of someone.” OLIVER: “Ahhh, I’m sorry! Were they –” GEORGIE: “Evil. Yes.” Hm, another throwback to MAG 101,“Is a thing evil when it simply obeys its own nature?” What makes someone evil? It sounds like Georgie is implying that she considers Oliver evil as well? But if we going by that definition, Jon would be evil as well.. I think Oliver and Jon are quite similar. Neither of them asked for this but here they are.

GEORGIE: [sigh] "Sorry about that, but you really don’t need friends like tha…" Arg, this makes me so angry again! This constant patronizing... Georgie knew this was an End avatar, I mean she said he reminded her of someone evil - the corpse who took her fear. What was she thinking Oliver was doing here? That he had come and finally claim Jon? And she shooed him away because she didn't want that? Because she's not too happy about him waking up either, so was that the reason she wanted Oliver nowhere near Jon? Status quo can’t remain forever. So what's it gonna be? A dead human friend? Or an alive something-else friend?

@a-mag-a-day

[stevensaus]

Dear Associated Press: Trans People Are More Than Just A Procedure

It wasn't the headline of the Associated Press article -- "Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case likely headed to Supreme Court" -- that startled me. It was the caption underneath the otherwise routine photo of people at a podium. "A federal appeals court is considering cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia that could have broad-ranging implications on whether individual states are constitutionally required to cover healthcare for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance." I was shocked. I'd not heard of any Medicaid or Medicare provider or state employee plan flat-out refusing to cover transgender folx. Was some insurance company actually being so openly bigoted? I read on; the first paragraph of the story repeated the same statement: "A federal appeals court is considering cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia that could have significant implications on whether individual states are required to cover health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance." It isn't until the next paragraph that you learn that the cases are just about state employee plans, Medicaid, and Medicare covering gender-affirming care.

The terms "transgender healthcare" and "gender-affirming care" are not interchangeable. I don't think I'm (just) being pedantic here.Because I remember Robert Eads.

I never met Robert; I did not know he existed until more than a decade after he died. I learned of Robert from the 2001 documentary "Southern Comfort" (YouTube, Wikipedia), which documents the his life... particularly its end. "Eads was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1996, but due to the social stigma faced by transgender individuals, more than twenty doctors refused to medically treat him on the grounds that taking him on as a patient might harm their practice. When he was finally accepted for treatment in 1997, the cancer had 'already metastasized to other parts of the body, rendering any further treatments futile.'" Robert was denied healthcare because he was trans. Robert was not denied gender-affirming healthcare. Robert was denied healthcare, and died as a result. It's hard to express exactly how strange this is to have to point out, because everywhere else in medicine, a particular type of procedure is not confused with healthcare for that entire group. For example, Henry County Medical Center in Tennessee is closing its OB-GYN unit and birthing center. That's bad, but you'd be surprised if that was reported as "Hospital stops providing pediatric care." "Pediatric care" and "elder care" refer to any healthcare provided to people of a particular age, not just conditions that occur when one is young or old. Likewise, "transgender healthcare" is healthcare administered to a person who is trans -- not just gender-affirming care. We live in a country where fellow American citizens are facing their rights being taken away on a nearly-daily basis. We live in a country where even Homeland Security says the threats AGAINST American LGTBQIA+ citizens BY Americans are rising and intensifying. We live in a country where Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), a sitting US Congressperson, openly wished for a "better society" where "quislings like the strange sodomy-promoting General Milley would be hung.” We live in a country where bigots are actively working to make LGBTQIA+ people count as less than human. And I am not fucking having it. It is not just a grammar thing. It is not a pedantic thing. It is the lives and health of Americans. The least the Associated Press -- and other news outlets -- can do is to recognize that trans folx are people, not just a type of medical procedure. Featured Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash Read the full article

[blazinginferno626]

Trigger warning for people who don’t want to read about any Hazbin, Helluva or Vivziepop controversy or any of those subjects in general ........

I really wanna get this off my chest i don’t think Hazbin Hotel should get as much hate as it does. First off, I will say I am a fan of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss I will admit that. Second, I am not here to call out anyone in particular this is just general things that I really want to say. I have noticed a lot on twitter that there are a lot of antis that aren’t found of viv or her work. That’s completely fine you don’t have to like her or her shows. But from what I see is that a lot of these people are minors who don’t even get past things they’ve heard about viv on the internet. And the things that they criticize doesn’t really have any ground to stand on because they really know nothing about the show or any of the characters believing they are stereotypes and not even seeing past the surface traits of these characters. One of these characters in particular is Mimzy for being a Jewish antisemitic stereotype, so first and for most Mimzy isn’t canonically Jewish and has never been implied to be. And the only leg to stand on for that is her nose Mimzy doesn’t have personality traits for a Jewish stereotype she’s very materialistic and likes to spend money according to viv in a livestream and is a total diva like Angel Dust they both are divas who like to buy very expensive things. And a lot of people just assumed she was Jewish because of her design which says a lot more about them than her. 

Another thing this isn’t a really big thing honestly just something I wanted to mention. Viv has shown to like the Cuphead Show and fans weren’t happy about that saying they needed to keep their show away from her. Like WTF do you mean “your show” The Cuphead show is literally for anybody who’d watch it and that statement is unfair and sounds so fucking entitled. Also, you’re telling everybody to watch the show for it to get renewed but then telling someone else not to. Like how does that make any sense at all. You don’t get to decide who does and doesn’t watch the show, it’s not yours it’s for anybody. That has less to do with Hazbin it’s just something I really wanted to say. Also, if somebody who has a lot of fans recommends something and they hadn’t seen it they would probably try it. Just saying.

Last thing is the character designs and leaks. A lot of people are critizing viv’s character designs for Hazbin, which again no one needs to like. But as some people have pointed out that It’s not just her a whole team helps design and shape characters. So you wanna dunk on viv whatever just no you’re also insulting that character designers that helped her with her characters and show and nobody who’s just doing their job deserves that. And those leaks that were critizing the writing on Hazbin, first off, I heard a storyboarder on the show got fired because those leaks were going around. Second, it probably didn’t help that people retweeted it about the writing. Like leaving Hazbin out of the pictue for a sec. people shouldn’t post leaks weither they like the show or not it hurts the people making the show and the people who did that should feel ashamed. 

Lastly, IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE SHOW DON’T FUCKING RETWEET IT. LIKE SERIOUSLY DON’T MAKE A POST ABOUT HATING IT OR SAYING FANS OF THE SHOW ARE HORRIBLE PEOPLE FOR LIKING IT. JUST FUCKING IGNORE IT, IT’S NOT THAT HARD!!! And this isn’t just Viv’s work you know this is a whole team of storyboard artists, animators, and character designers that are putting blood sweat and tears into the show. 

That’s all I wanna say on the matter sorry if this brings anybody down this is just something I really wanted to get off my chest and i made this for that exact reason only. 

[wirewitchviolet]

Can we talk about this sniveling little worm for a moment?

So I’m still locked out of my twitter account (and consequently bleeding followers on Patreon and probably going to freeze or starve to death soon) but people keep posting fresh examples of the new CEO finding new and innovative ways to run the whole thing into the ground, and while I’d love to check the actual ratio, of what I see, something like 80% of the statements people are pointing and laughing at come not just from standard out there posts, but stuff he’s saying in the replies of this particular little worm here. Which is odd for a number of reasons, but the thing is I have a pretty involved history with this particular random nazi loser that makes it feel extra surreal.

Once upon a time, starting around the summer of 2014, there was a big ol’ nazi uprising on the internet. Which came weirdly close to coinciding with when I started this blog, especially after I nuked some of the earliest posts for safety reasons, and as I certainly hope everyone knows I got pretty heavily involved in countering nazi BS, both independently and networking with other people fighting that particular good fight.

Somewhere in there, I wound up as part of a sort of combination support group/think tank/resource center for major victims of nazi crap, and that’s where I first encountered this particular little worm... and if it wasn’t clear I’m going to continue to refer to him as such for purposes of not coming up if he goes vanity searching. Among other things he has a history of stalking me which I’d like to keep as just history, you know? Anyway, the hell of a thing with it is he DIDN’T first come to my attention as a gross little nazi, but as an anti-fascist activist beyond reproach.

So that angle makes this tricky to talk about because it makes someone else look real real bad and I don’t want to go starting THAT fight, but there was an individual who was a major early target people were aware of and had a lot of faith in, and who frankly was an absolutely terrible judge of character and particularly vulnerable to flattery. So this little worm wrote some messages to that major target, who proceeded to present him to everyone else working to do anything about the whole mess as “one of the few good reporters out there on this” and later because of course this came up, talked him up as a “former nazi” when in reality there was nothing former about it, and he was just using this person’s susceptibility to boot-licking as a way to undermine anti-nazi things and/or make himself feel important by proximity to people who were in headlines.

Anyway, I’d never say anything this cruel about someone who isn’t a literal, wrote a high school essay about how much he loves Hitler nazi, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who was as generally worthless and oblivious as this little worm. Like, in the brief period where I interacted with him, I remember him coming to me for advice because he’d boot-licked his way to editor at a very minor game review website (I’ve held such a position) and a woman was complaining about being harassed by a coworker. Totally taken off guard by the only sensible advice anyone could give there, fire the creep. He instead wanted some magical trick to make this woman just somehow be OK with it. Shortly thereafter, there was basically no staff left, he’s trying to hire someone new to write for the site, and is deeply confused that nobody’s interested in committing to writing... I want to say it was 8 thousand-word articles per day, 7 days a week, for a grand total of 80 dollars a month. He was also thoroughly thoroughly convinced that all political unrest in the country would just stop completely the day a video game he was looking forward to was released.

I’d speculate on how he managed basic tasks to get through the day like meals and hygiene, but he’s highly infamous for ranting about his bed, keyboard, and various other things being covered at all times in ants and being at a complete loss as to what to do about it besides just crush them by sleeping/typing right on them. So, there’s that. Look him up and you’ll find plenty of other stories of just how jaw-droppingly bad at just existing and having thoughts this guy is.

This guy who the rich idiot running Twitter into the ground is discussing every single move he makes with. It’s just weird, right? He’s still this generally clueless, still an outright self-applies the term even nazi, still in deep last I checked with outright child sexual exploitation sites, and here he is playing evil vizier. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say he’s playing Brainy Smurf. So far as I can tell he’s just repeating all his bad ideas back to him and trying to rephrase them into something sensible enough to get a “yes, exactly!” back. I’d say bootlicking is the one thing this guy is good at but... no. People who are actually good at that sort of thing get something out of it, materially. This weird little clown just stays in the spotlight with no real benefit.

But the important thing is that yeah, the current head of what’s left of Twitter is actively palling around with a notorious neo--nazi and is enthusiastic about all his feedback. Heck of a thing to see.

[aceduchessdragoness]

[id: 1st picture is a fact taken from Wikipedia that says, “Sharks can have cancer. The misconception that sharks do not get cancer was spread by the 1992 book Sharks Don’t Get Cancer,”

2nd picture is a 1 panel comic. It’s a drawing of a teacher looking at her laptop and saying, “Okay, middle school students, it’s the first Tuesday in February. This means that by law and custom, we must spend the morning reading through the Wikipedia article List of Common Misconceptions, so you can spend the rest of your lives being a little less wrong. The guests at every party you’ll ever attend thank us in advance.”

Pictures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are more facts from the Wikipedia article: “Urine is not sterile, even in the bladder.” / “Female praying mantises rarely eat the males during reproduction, especially in their natural environment. In a study in a laboratory at the University of Central Akransas, it was observed that 1 out of 45 times the female ate the male before mating, and the male ate the female with the same frequency.” / “Sugar does not cause hyperactivity in children. Double-blind trials have shown no difference in behavior between children given sugar-full or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or those considered sensitive to sugar. A 2019 meta-analysis found no positive effect of sugar consumption on mood but did find an association with lower alertness and increased fatigue within an hour of consumption, known as a sugar crash.” / “All humans learn in fundamentally similar ways. In particular, there is no evidence that people have different learning styles, or that catering teaching styles to purported learning styles improves retention.” / ““420” did not originate from the Los Angeles police or penal code for marijuana use. California Penal Code section 420 prohibits the obstruction of access to public land. The use of “420” started in 1971 at San Rafael High School, where it indicated the time, 4:20 pm, when a group of students would go to smoke.”

Picture 8 is another fact: “Infants can and do feel pain.”

Picture 9 is a fact and picture 10 is a reaction: “People do not swallow large amounts of spiders during sleep. A sleeping person makes noises that warn spiders of danger.” And the next image is of a person pointing in confusion.

Pictures 11 and 12 are comments regarding the “learning styles” fact:

11:

micheghost02: I’ll have to look into the misconception about learning styles. As someone who has an auditory processing disorder, i benefit from more with a visual and hands on process (if available, can’t do hands on with history).

dementedmk, @micheghost02: I could be wrong here, but my guess is that this probably doesn’t take processing disorders or similar learning challenges into account, which makes it less true as a universal statement but might be more specifically helpful for the general population? Idk

tinbells: Yea. the learning styles one, has like… ignores the existence of people with disabilities? Also doesn’t make is obvious the kind of ways we teach doesn’t line up with how people learn.

chlora-boii: the learning styles one is super suspect

12:

gay-4-space, @chlora-boii @tinbells: the learning styles one has quite a bit of scientific literature to back it up, not just the ones linked in the article. And yes, it does ignore people with disabilities as its focusing of the idea of the general public, while most papers and reviews of the topic acknowledge that people have preferences in how information is presented, the retention of that information is

gay-4-space: is not affected by those different types. I have a learning disability myself so I was also skeptical but the science to back it up in the general populace just isn’t there /id]

wikipedia is a gem

[mediapoliticsandcitizenship]

BLOG POST 1: DAVID SEYMOUR

BLOG POST 1: 

The first post is highlighting the leader of ACT Party, David Seymour, openly talking about removing benefits of drug addicts if they refuse to partake in any treatment. There seems to be a neutral stance on Seymour’s attitude towards drug addicts within the tone of the post.

My stance on this particular social media post is a more negative stance; I do not agree with the way that this story was framed in the news article, nor do I agree with the particular viewpoint this post was taking.

My first point I would like to make is that David Seymour has made a rather selfish and misjudged generalization about drug addicts in the overall public sense, and this stance has seemingly been guided by his outlook on a small number of the population within that group. The article frames his statement as being so - “ACT wants “drug addicts” to lose their benefit if they refuse treatment.” It begs to question, are they referring to the entire community of drug addicts, or those who simply refuse treatment? It hence comes to feel as if both Seymour’s statement and the post are generalizing the entire community of drug addicts as if they all consecutively refuse to take themselves to rehabilitation.

According to this survey, taken by State of the Mind, back in 2022, showed the demographics of those who were in drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centers, and the numbers usually ranged from the thousands, with Auckland having around 10,000, Taranaki with the lowest around 2000, and Whanganui with the highest at over 18,000 attendees at their rehabilitation center. One of those who were interviewed in this particular survey stated, “The process of finding services online is challenging, even via specific search engines such as health navigator and the Ministry of Health ... Once services are found it is then difficult to understand the information around what they offer and how to best access them. The eligibility criteria are often not mentioned or are vague.” On the same note within the same article, another facilitator at a AOD service center outside of Auckland stated that during the “lockdown” which occurred around early 2020, that “most [of our clients] reported this time that they were more ready and it helped them with their journey to quit or cut down.” 

I would like to point out that it seems David Seymour has not seemingly talked to a single person who has or is experiencing drug addiction, nor do I feel like he had taken the initiative alongside his party to talk to the facilitators who are more in depth with the knowledge of this experience.

From a personal and rather unbiased viewpoint, I would like to briefly conclude and point out my own personal biases against many of ACT Party’s values and why it inherently is why I have taken a rather cynical stance on this post.

The first point is that one; the ACT party seems to strive in an egotistical manner that by eliminating the access towards benefits of drug addicts it will solve the problem. There is currently a crisis of homelessness in Auckland as we speak; Auckland has been found according to a 2018 survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, to accommodate at least the highest number of people experiencing homelessness at precisely 43.9%. I would like to point out why many people turn to drugs in the first place; as stated by State of the Nation,  “People use alcohol and other drugs for many reasons – recreation, spiritual discovery, performance enhancement, peer pressure, or to medicate physical or emotional pain.” It is already established, especially in this country, that much of the stress of mental and emotional pain that is being experienced in Auckland alone is the living cost; again going back to the stats of Auckland having one of the highest numbers of homelessness in New Zealand. Isn’t that the discussion that we as a nation should be having? Those who are addicts who are experiencing these symptoms of emotional pain, wouldn’t have to turn to these substances if it weren’t for the state of this country’s living cost in the first place.

The second, and final point I would like to make here is that ACT PARTY is a political affiliation whose values stand against issues I deeply care about. They have openly advocated for the bombing of the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, and are against the incorporation of co-governance within the parliament of New Zealand. It is feased for me to say that I believe ACT is rather using the emotional labor and mental health well-being of drug addicts as a talking point to articulate a sense of attraction for people to vote for his party. Again I often feel and strongly believe that many of David Seymour’s talking points are directed towards communities and groups of people that he knows nothing about.

It is merely another chance for him to speak on issues that he clearly has no idea what he is speaking on behalf of anyways. I have heard about instances of people who had been addicts themselves who managed to get the proper care they needed, and make it through. In doing do I would like to add on with my own personal anecdote; as someone who personally was addicted to alcoholic substances for a period of time, and affecting my studies at high school, I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for the mental health services and access to resources available. I can’t speak on behalf of any other person who has gone through addiction, as mine wasn’t to that extent, yet I guess I empathize with the plight of those who have gone through addiction and lived to tell the tale, as it seems that addicts don’t get or are not allowed to be given any sense of understanding and empathy. It’s always the discussion of “we can’t help you anymore” or the quotes of “YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN NOW”. Within this post it seems Seymour wants to create a negative narrative that in doing so will make it harder to fully enable ourselves to understand and be able to work through giving access and rehabilitation services for addicts. It’s almost as if addicts do actually and actively offer to get help, and yet what David Seymour doesn’t realize is that for some people, many are not able to get that access.

[girl4music]

“and her cis dude romantic partner knows and he’s just desperately, hopelessly in love with her and wants everything for her” you’re getting mixed up with Miss Messini here which is the woman that only did the pageant because she thought it would mean a lot to her boyfriend - who is her sponsor - but when she decides to quit just before being crowned as Miss Known World, he supports her decision completely.

There is nobody in the episode that vouches for Miss Artiphys except Xena - which was entirely the point.

A beautiful woman in solidarity with beautiful women - letting them know that their beauty isn’t skin deep:

That because beauty is beauty it matters not how a person is perceived or treated because of their appearance, all that matters is how they feel inside. Despite the kiss and the sentiment of transgender representation, the episode isn’t about that at all. It’s actually about something far more Universally significant. Which is that society mistakenly puts far too much emphasis on a woman’s eternal beauty when what really matters is the beauty that is within because a person’s character is more important than how they look or how successful they can be for it.

The fact Miss Artiphys would be dead last place for winning Miss Known World is supposed to make the statement that she never won for her appearance as a beautiful woman. She won because it made her feel like she mattered for being who she desperately wanted to be over who society told her that she should be. That’s the point to the whole episode.

So as @vaspider put it: it doesn’t matter whatsoever whether Miss Artiphys is transgender or drag/GNC. Making that clear is pointless because it doesn’t matter in the bigger story or theme of the episode.

Putting emphasis on what Miss Artiphys is misses the finer point that appearance isn’t everything anyway.

GABRIELLE: “So Miss Known World is a man?”

XENA: “Yep.”

GABRIELLE: “It’s kind of funny, huh?”

XENA: “Why? Beauty is beauty.”

GABRIELLE: “And peace is peace.”

The moral is that it doesn’t matter whether a man or a woman won the pageant. Only that they were worthy to. It doesn’t matter that they were last place to win and only won because the other contestants chose to quit. Only that they got to have their most deserved moment in the spotlight for who they truly are and that everyone celebrated it instead of disputed it.

Therefore keeping Miss Artiphys ambiguous was the real genius in this storyline. You don’t know for sure. And it doesn’t even matter anyway that you don’t because her/his/their worthiness is felt regardless.

Xena makes the very wise decision to keep most of their storylines, themes, ideas down to interpretation. And it’s honestly one of the greatest things about it because on the one hand, yes, it made it easier for them to avoid controversy in choosing not to confirm many of their ideas, but on the other, there is the thought that does it really matter anyway that they don’t? It doesn’t ‘cause it’s up to YOU to decide what things mean to you. And so it will mean more to you.

‘Here She Comes… Miss Amphipolis’ is not an episode that’s particularly all that relevant to the show itself - meaning it’s a filler episode, absolutely. However, in terms of what it can provide subjectively to every person that watches it, it can be very substantial.

And that’s what they were aiming for. That substance. You’ll find that a lot of Xena episodes that stand out in the fandom or just in general viewing are the episodes that aren’t really about anything specific in particular. They’re the episodes that are left to the imagination and aren’t labelled or defined in any permanent way.

This is one of them. This episode is so damn brilliant because it doesn’t ever get into too much detail as to what it is meant to be or what it should be. And I say that’s brilliant because character itself never is either. There’s always the urge to put a stamp on character because we inherently believe it should be separated and differentiated from everything else. It doesn’t.

Miss Artiphys simply won because she deserved to regardless whether she was a she or a he or a they. They never make that explicitly clear. And I’m glad because it doesn’t have to be. Worthy is worthy. Just the same as all the other contestants were worth more than their appearance as a beautiful woman, Artiphys was worth their win in being one even if they weren’t the first or second or third choice in winning. A lot of people who watch the episode seem to dislike this about the inclusion of Artiphys because it makes it seem to them as if Artiphys is not ‘woman enough’ to genuinely win first place but I love it because I think a stronger statement is made by it:

It doesn’t matter if they’re not ‘woman enough’ or even a woman at all. They won because it made them feel like they mattered for being who they truly are and therefore it puts them on the same wavelength as the other contestants who decided to quit instead.

It simply tells you that all are worthy just as they are.

That’s it. That’s all that matters.

That’s all that should ever matter.

Making it more than that undermines the beautiful simplicity of the ambiguity used to tell the story.

It doesn’t ever have to be anymore complicated than that of: beautiful person = worthy of their beauty.

Xena doing solidarity right. 

Here She Comes…Miss Amphipolis.

[thekinkyleopard]

A lot of people don’t make any money off of their art, and just spend their free time pouring into it. That doesn’t make it okay. I also disagree that people rightfully being upset about their work being used and stolen without permission isn’t “hate.” It’s simply criticism of a very valid emotion.

I’ll address this to clarify my previous statement made because it seems some of you are twisting my words and opinion on this particular subject.

My friend made a mistake, it was indeed a bad mistake. We ALL agree what she did, wasn’t excusable. The point of my post wasn’t to excuse or minimize what she did. The point of my post was THE FACT my friend made a mistake, one that hadn’t inflicted any real damages upon the original artist (if they’d like to come forth and express it did, now there I couldn’t speak, but I don’t think all of snzblr wants to contact two artists that are most likely vanillas and would find this whole thing fucking weird in the first place and bring attention to a small community just tryna vibe.) garnished so much hate in her inbox, and amongst the tags, I found it absolutely REPULSIVE. People were attacking her PERSONALLY. Not just gently expressing what she did wrong. You can be mad, upset, disappointed, cheated, whatever big feeling you have, you are entitled to it. But you’re not entitled to lash out and attack someone personally who is WILLING to fix their mistakes, because you’re unhealed. My point was also to state that ANYONE who has ISSUES with Geez, is NOT welcome to bully, harass or be an all around cock-sandwich to me or my friend because of your own feelings. Did you know suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death amongst people 10-34? Did you know that cyber bullying increases attempts by 8%? Or Sewerslidal thoughts by 15%? No one considers those things when they’re up in arms over something so small compared to an entire life in their hands. There’s a way to approach situations like these where everyone can properly learn from their mistakes and move forward.

That’s my FRIEND. I do not CARE how mad you are at her she doesn’t deserve to have people bash her and pick at her mental health. She also doesn’t need a bunch of chronically online people telling her to “get help” as if we all aren’t aware of how shitty not only the insurance system is but the mental health system in general. It’s classist and ableist.

As for the crime discussed;

Intentionally stealing or copying someone’s work without credit and source is illegal and downright gross. However, IN MY OPINION, if someone makes a post and clearly points out “hey this is just a remake of my OCs of this OG person’s post, please go show them love and follow them and support their original piece it’s awesome! Here’s my redesign!” Posts it, I don’t see anything wrong with that. That’s the risk you run when you share your content online. You can be mad, but it’s still Fair Use and was properly credited and sourced. I DO NOT DRAW. I CAN NOT DRAW. I can vote. And I will always vote to protect people’s rights to their original ideas and concepts. My opinion on this general example, can be taken with a grain of salt because I’m not a visual artist or apart of the drawing/painting communities. I can not even point out a traced piece unless I’ve already seen the original. But as the example given previously, I do not see it as theft if you do credit and source the original and bring attention to the original piece that you’re tracing in the first place. Especially if the post does wind up bringing them more traffic.

If you still don’t understand, idk what to tell you except maybe read it until you do. Or unfollow me and call it a day. I do not hold my own personal value in myself or my craft, based off how many people interact with my fics or followers I have. It doesn’t hurt my feelings if you no longer wish to support my blog or my writings, or even my friend Geez. Do what you need to, and I will do the same.

[squarespaceadacompliance]

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[yukidragon]

SDJ Headcanons 3

Took a little break from writing Sunshine in Hell or Sunshine in Another World for the past couple weeks to recharge the ole mental batteries, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t musing about the world of Sunny Day Jack. In fact, I had a theory hit me recently that demanded I make a new headcanon post for it.

As always these thoughts are likely to be spoilers for Sunshine in Hell. There are absolutely spoilers for the demo. These theories/headcanons also might change later on as I get new ideas. This post talks about changes I’ve had in my thoughts towards the series compared to my previous headcanon posts after all.

We’ll mostly be focusing on one particular theory today, and boy is it a doozy. I’ll be giving evidence that points me to it, as well as the implications that come from it and narrative parallels that appear elsewhere.

As always, I’m going to use my specific name for the main character, Alice, unless I need to point out general details about the MC that apply across the board. My headcanons mainly reference my personal version of sunshine, but many details can be applied to others pretty easily.

Oh, and a heads up about the theory I tossed onto my twitter the other day, it was a joke theory. I don’t actually think Jack cheated on his partner like Ian did and was murdered because of it. I just like causing chaos sometimes with random funny cursed thoughts and images. 😼

As always an important reminder - Something’s Wrong With Sunny Day Jack is for Adults Only! No one under 18 is permitted in this fandom. Some themes of the game go to very dark and sexual places, and I will be touching on those mature themes, such as dubious consent and emotional manipulation, so no minors permitted past the cut.

Obligatory tag for @channydraws and @earthgirlaesthetic. If you want to be tagged the next time I make a headcanon post, please let me know. Enjoy!

The Tragedy of [Redacted]

This theory all started from a single line of dialogue in the Sleepy Time Jack virtual body pillow.

“I-I’ve never been like this with someone like you before…”

It’s a sweet comment, isn’t it? Jack only says this after he’s stripped nude. It’s an adorable amount of fluster on his part from being so exposed to his sunshine, but happy at the same time because they’re so special...

But the key words here are “with someone like you.” It implies, to me, that Jack has been in bed with at least one other person before, naked, but it wasn’t in a relationship with someone who, in his words to his sunshine (when they cuddled on the sofa in the “hug” route) makes him “feel love.” It implies that he has engaged in sexual activities with at least one other person, though not in a romantic context.

This makes sense though, right? Jack clearly knows what he’s doing sexually. In both the “yes” and “no” routes, he has no hesitation towards what he’s doing. He can strip his sunshine quickly, he knows how to use his fingers well on a lover’s body regardless of equipment involved, and he knows how to hold back to edge his sexual partner at the brink of orgasm.

Not to say that there isn’t some level of uncertainty involved given things he says in both routes. However, those are not towards the physical act but rather their emotional connection. It shows up too in another nude Sleepy Time Jack quote.

“This is fine…Right? I love you…And you love me, don’t you? So this is okay~”

In the “yes” route he seems almost amazed by his sunshine’s arousal towards him. “You were really ready for me weren’t you...” It’s almost a question, like he can’t really believe that he really is loved and desired, but he fumbles to recover from a statement that could be taken wrong.

In the “no” route, there’s a lot more desperation overall. Things like, “This feels good right...? Tell me it feels good...” and, “Our feelings are special right…?” It’s still the same theme of Jack feeling insecure that he is loved and desired. After what happened earlier, he has good reason to be especially insecure.

Overall, it’s pretty clear that Jack is a yandere because he is so insecure and desperate for love. That’s even without adding in his precarious state of existence in the present that is entirely dependent on his sunshine needing him.

In his past, even that psychologist could tell Joseph “wanted attention” and “to be seen and heard and felt and loved.” If someone could make such such assessments about Joseph so quickly, it indicates that it was easy to notice... at least for someone who knows what to look for. This meant that he was very vulnerable to anyone who saw those signs too and had a mind to exploit them for their own gain.

I think that’s exactly what happened to Joseph after he ran away from home and changed his last name from Cullman to Haberdae.

Let’s face it, runaways put themselves in a dangerous, desperate position, even if they’re teenagers with a troubled past, an attitude, and possibly a knife. Joseph made himself homeless at the age of (possibly) 14. He ran away in the middle of a school day, so this wasn’t a preplanned thing. He left with only whatever he was carrying at the time. Needless to say, he would have been ill prepared for making a whole new life elsewhere and would be in desperate need of money and shelter. In this period of his life, he is alone, barely scraping by, and no doubt still just as lonely and aching for love.

It would be so easy for someone to come across Joseph, maybe even picking him up while hitchhiking. He’s got a good build, a handsome face, and a gorgeous smile. He stands out in a crowd and he’s very attractive. Add in his vulnerable state, and if someone showed him kindness, even attraction, well... it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that he might be swept up in it the positive attention that he never got back at home.

It’s no secret that there is a dark underbelly to the entertainment industry. We hear stories all the time of producers, directors, agents, etc. offering desperate actors roles or connections in exchange for sexual favors. These actors are ignorant of the industry, and people with money and power can make or break their budding careers. This puts them in positions where it’s woefully easy to take advantage of them.

I think that’s what happened to Joseph. I think someone in a position of money and power with the studio that owned the SunnyTime Crew show dangled the promise of the starring role and adoration of the masses as a carrot in front of him. All he had to do was a few... “favors” in return... Maybe they even feigned as though they genuinely cared about him. They certainly desired his body and that did show they were interested in him...

Joseph, being in such a delicate position and so desperate could be willing to ignore the red flags, to convince himself past his doubts that they really do care about him. Sure, they expect him to provide things for them in return - sex, obedience, act like the perfect Jack for the public and not break character, work hard hours, etc... but they’re doing it because they care about him... right? What they have is special, right? They might be doing some shifty things and controlling his life, but it’s for the best, right?

Someday, Joseph will understand why they’re doing this. They’re only doing it because they care about him.

Abusive and manipulative behaviors can be a cycle. It’s entirely possible that Jack was once on the receiving end.

Jack’s comments about Ian further hint to me that he knows about relationships that aren’t built off real love, but lies of love and false promises that you wish were real, even though it’s so painful...

“He’s really fooled you, hasn’t he? He promised you the moon and all the stars…And I bet he did it so well… …But what did it all amount to in the end? He doesn’t love you… He can’t love you… Nobody who can do what he’s done to you knows what love even is.”

Jack really sounds like he’s speaking from experience there. What did all his efforts as Joseph amount to in the end? His death... and then the complete burial of his memory at the hands of the studio. As he mentioned in the hug route, the world is so busy and will forget all about someone like sunshine... like him... as what happened to him thanks to the company erasing his memory and silencing those who remembered with those iron clad NDAs.

It’s hard to blame Joseph’s co-stars for their silence after his death. They were likely in similar desperate situations that he was in. They couldn’t risk people in such powerful positions destroying their careers and suing them to bankruptcy. Those lower on the food chain in the entertainment industry are beholden to those in power and can be crushed and erased so easily, as the erasure of the show and even Joseph’s name showed.

So what I think happened was that Joseph was in a toxic relationship with someone of power. He was nothing but a good looking toy and a useful prop for the show once it got popular. He was was being overworked, likely both on and off set.

What if Joseph had moments similar to the “no” route where he felt pressured to perform and please this person holding his life in their hands?

Then of course there’s the aspect of addiction. Joseph had a nicotine addiction, but possibly also one for alcohol or hard drugs as well. The rum flavoring in the “bad choice” yogurt mini-game hints at the alcohol, while the pill imagery in the title screen hints at the drugs. Vices often serve as a bandage over the real problems a person suffers, but just make them addicted so that they sink deeper and deeper into depending on them, as well as draining their money in order to get more and more of them.

These things could be scandals enough all on their own to cause damage to the studio if word got out, but it could be worse if, say, Joseph was exposed for sleeping with one (or more) of the higher ups.

Why I say Joseph might have been having sex with more than just the person sponsoring him is because Jack had said in an interview that he wouldn’t mind joining a poly relationship. If we assume he’s in character during the interview, that could indicate that the person who “cared” for him had others they also “cared” for as well... and sometimes cruel people can treat those they have power over like toys to be passed around or pimped out for favors...

But, it’s okay, right? The person who discovered him cares about him, right? Joseph can take this all on with a smile and make it through. After all... love is about what a person can provide. He never had it before, but he has it now because he provides them with reasons to give him what he needs, the pleasure of sex, drugs, attention, and everything else he has now, when before he had nothing.

Jack himself talks as though love can be transactional, that what a person provides the other is what defines real love. He has proven in the past that he can provide so much, and his sunshine is giving him life when before he had nothing. Unlike before, however, because of the agreement between him and Alice, he can actually feel that she cares about him.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be.” That phrase has a more disturbing implication if Jack felt that was what he had to do as Joseph to be loved...

Both in the past as Joseph, and in the present as Jack, he is suffering from desperation. He is dependent on a partner choosing to provide him with a way to live and for someone who actually cares about him. He must do all he can to make he provides for their needs so that he won’t lose everything.

Speaking of providing, let’s talk about the scalpels. Plastic surgeries are not uncommon in the entertainment industry, even with stars who are already conventionally attractive. People pick apart each little perceived “flaw” and can sensationalize it. It could be worse if the person toying with Joseph started to get bored or wanted more and more over time because he proved he will do whatever they ask. What if they felt he needed a little tweak or tuck here and there? Could he really be in a position to argue against it if they insist, or even if they pay for it? He wants to keep everything they’ve provided him, doesn’t he? Then he needs to stay pretty for them and for his fans.

As for the murder itself... What might have happened was that someone connected to his “partner” had an axe to grind. They could have been another toy they used, one just as desperate for that person’s “love” that they viewed Joseph as the enemy. That other lover could have snapped and exposed all of Joseph’s dirty secrets on camera in front of a huge audience... as well as the secrets of the big important person in this squeaky clean children’s entertainment industry and so much dirty laundry hidden behind the scenes of this wholesome children’s TV show... They could have exposed so much that coupled with Joseph’s murder and so many witnesses, it forever tainted the show.

So the studio buried it. The people with connections and deep pockets resorted to bribes, gag orders, burning records, and just removing every trace that might get them in trouble. There never was a SunnyTime Crew Show. There never any murder. There was never anyone by the name of Joseph Haberdae.

Joseph became [redacted] when he and all his hard work were so easily erased.

The murder, no doubt, was a traumatic event for everyone involved, especially Joseph. Being publicly raked through the coals in front of so many who meant so much to him must have been horrible. He wanted to do right by the children who looked up to him. He clearly made friends with his co-stars and probably others who worked on the set. In one horrible moment, all of that was irreparably stained before everything he ever worked for and even the fact that he existed at all was completely erased...

The incident was likely so traumatic that his soul might have remained stuck in that moment, obsessing over how everything went wrong... and what he should have done to make it right...

I still stick with the headcanon that a recording of the incident was kept by some sick person who enjoyed snuff films. Specifically, the person who toyed with Joseph’s life kept it as a twisted little souvenir after everything was said and done, a last piece of someone whose life - and now even his death - belonged to them. They and the murderer might not have magically cursed Joseph to remain in the tape, but he would have every reason to haunt them. His death and that person could become an obsession, as he finally learned that their love for him wasn’t real and he saw how easily he was erased and replaced.

With this being the case, the reason why the tape wound up in the thrift store was because that person killed themselves in a horrible fashion. Think what happened with Nick, only far worse, and far more personal. They babbled about “him” in the end as they mutilated themselves and died in a horrible, tormented manner... Their possessions were then distributed among relatives, some stuff sold for quick cash if they seemed as worthless as old VHS tapes.

Joseph being Jack now is part of him abandoning his imperfect past, someone who was never loved. He’s “clean” now with a new start, new name... and a new love. He’s not addicted to drugs. He is handsome and whole. He’s always cheerful and friendly and helpful. He provides his sunshine so, so much now. And... obviously they love him. It’s why he’s there. It must be.

Alice was drawn to the tape because her heart was in a similar state of broken disillusionment and desperation for real love. It’s what allowed Jack to manifest as he does. It’s like finding just the right frequency where things just... fit.

Alice wants love. Jack wants love. Alice saved Jack from hell and cares about him. Jack can’t help but love his sunshine for everything she provides him. Eventually, Alice will show him that her love doesn’t require such strings attached.

Tragedy Repeats

What’s sad is that with this new theory, I’ve also gained a new theory about why Ian cheated. Ian was trying to make it as an actor. If someone at his fancy new college convinced him that the way to “play the game” as it were was to flirt with people and be friendly... it could have led to his mistake.

Hell, it could even be as dark as Ian being offered favors in exchange for sex. He could’ve gotten connections, a better grade, or even a part or modeling contact. With his low self-esteem he could have easily been swayed into thinking that it was the only way he was going to make it.

It doesn’t excuse Ian cheating, of course. He still chose his career, personal pleasure, and/or even just not being lonely in the moment over his relationship. He might have felt guilty in the aftermath, but, in the end, he chose himself before he chose his love for Alice.

It’s not surprising though. In that one teaser image of the past between Ian and his partner, he drunkenly once said that if his acting carrier didn’t work out, then maybe they could just “be together.” While this isn’t technically canon to the story, I’m still looking at it for my headcanon.

Just being with Alice was Ian’s fall back plan. She was convenient because she was always there supporting him when others sneered at and bullied him. She was defending him when people, particularly his mother, were awful to him. Her presence was sweet, addicting nostalgia. With Alice not around him all the time to protect him and keep him company in a new and unfamiliar place facing down an uncertain future that he desperately wants, well... he might have made some pretty selfish decisions.

That’s why Alice doesn’t want to love Ian anymore. He might say he loves her, he might want her back and to be with her, and he might even believe that she really is the most important thing in his life now... but when push came to shove, he proved that his wants are more important than her.

Ian getting back together with his ex is something he might be able to accomplish with some sunshines. After all, it is a route in the game. In that case it would be a redemption story on his end, where he made one bad mistake and learned from it the hard way.

It could be a sweet story, but I’m not going that route with Alice. She no longer believes that Ian’s love for her is real.

In a way, Ian’s desire to change is similar to how Jack learned from his mistakes as Joseph and changed himself in the present.

Jack and Ian have a lot of things in common... and I bet that would drive Jack pretty crazy.

Conventional Attractiveness is Everything

Getting back to the entertainment industry preying on actors, especially the pretty ones... Let’s go into a new idea that bloomed from the theory about Joseph.

Sunshine was mentioned to be degree hopping in college. Given the heavy emphasis of the entertainment industry in the game, and the Phantom of the Opera inspiration, this gave me the image that, initially, Alice was trying to make it as an actor alongside Ian at the start of college.

Sure, it was scary. Sure Alice was intimidated by it... but she was doing it alongside the man she loved. She helped him practice so often that she had gotten good at memorizing lines and acting out scenes right alongside him. They were both shy and nervous about it, but they supported each other to keep going. And wouldn’t it be romantic if they became stars together?

As you might expect, that didn’t work out.

One day, the acting professor had Alice stay behind after class. They informed her that she was “too fat” to make it as an actress. They weren’t even necessarily going out of their way to be cruel about it, but giving her a “harsh truth” before she developed an eating disorder to lose weight or something. At best, someone chubby like her would get parts that would make her the butt of cruel jokes for the audience to mock. Not to mention that the entertainment industry would eat someone as shy and insecure as her alive...

This was a huge blow to Alice’s already low self-esteem, as you might expect. It served as the tipping point along with other factors that made her decide to try for a different degree.

This incident did make Ian struggle as well. Suddenly his partner wasn’t working alongside him anymore, and suddenly there was added emphasis on looks, which he was always insecure about. However, in stark contrast with Alice, the same teacher encouraged him to continue.

Alice encouraged Ian as well, so he kept going to follow his dream. Unlike her, he had a chance. He was praised for his looks once he got to college by multiple people. He had a glow up. He was no longer that awkward kid anymore. He also wasn’t chubby like her, and besides, men can be forgiven a few extra pounds in acting roles...

And she was right. Ian made it as a model and actor. He even got into that fancy acting college abroad. Alice was so proud of him. She would miss him and felt so lonely without him, but she was sure that when he graduated and he finally started the career of his dreams that everything would work out in the end... They could both be happy. Together.

Conclusion

As you can see, this new theory about Jack’s death has pretty big implications, and has a lot of narrative reflections in other events in the story, including with other characters. It goes to show how much the entertainment industry can very badly negatively affect peoples’ lives, especially the characters in this story.

Sadly, we don’t know enough about what the entertainment industry is going to do to Shaun to know where this theory might reflect with him and his particular narrative arc, but he was shown as being overworked in a piece of teaser art... so I’m pretty sure that he’s not going to escape its painful stranglehold.

I hope you all enjoyed the theory and headcanons in this post. Honestly, there’s not enough clues yet about the actual murder and Joseph’s life to have anywhere close to a clear picture of how and why he died. For all we know, my joke theory was closer to the truth. Still, I find this idea appealing and I’m inclined to explore it further in Sunshine in Hell.

Speaking of, if you feel inclined to read the fanfic and like it, please let me know what you think. I absolutely adore all your feedback and it really encourages me to keep writing and coming up with headcanon posts and theories like this one. Thanks for reading!

[tartagilicious]

vyn richter and why it’s important to understand his motivations (a character analysis) 🍋

-> that’s a fancy title LMAO but i just wanted to collect all my thoughts about this character in one place!! it’s not anyone’s obligation to like him or otherwise, but i do feel bad seeing people base their perceptions of him off of a few scenes/thoughts in particular. it’s okay for his personality to put you off a bit, and honestly, it should — but that’s what i’m here to talk about :D if you’re not in love with vyn by the end of this post then i’ve done my job wrong

-> this might be added to in the future, but it should generally hit all points at the time i’m posting this. if you have any extra thoughts, please don’t hesitate to say so!

!! this post contains major spoilers from vyn’s personal story chapters! (3&4)

1. vyn’s chapter two call to artem

-> our first impression of vyn as players is that he’s scheming, and possibly dangerous to be around based off of artem's reaction to us being with vyn for so long. this isn’t denied in any way at first, and in-game, we barely acknowledge artem's concern after the fact. but, in reality, this introduces a very large part of vyn’s character (albeit in a slightly misleading way). over the phone, he tells artem,

“she is like a rare rose, and if kept in a petri dish in your laboratory, under good conditions, she may bloom brightly and beautifully. but without the baptism of wind and rain, she would never have a fresh and tough soul, and would be closer to an artificial flower made of silk. don’t forget, you are lawyers."

let’s pick this apart real quick 😰 he reveals his tendency for control point blank, and references “keeping” the mc so that she blooms “brightly and beautifully”. but this is less about manipulation and keeping her to himself and rather more about a want to help her succeed. he directs her through her meeting with the PUA member in his personal story, and during chapter two of the main story, lets her do everything she can handle on her own that relates to the case. he will constantly involve the mc in dangerous and/or difficult parts of the investigations as to help her grow, hence the “don’t forget, you are lawyers.” part of his statement. though, it does also go to show that he will have her back closely in these situations as well. this happenstance also seems like it holds a certain significance, as during the scene, it mentions that he tends to the roses on his windowsill as he talks, and coincidentally also tends to call the mc “my rose”.

but this raises the question, if he likes to be in control, will he ever manipulate you?

2. vyn’s SR thought, “fake tears"

-> i’ve actually never read this date personally, but i skimmed through it when i was farming s-chips so i think that counts for something LMAO. i’ve seen this as the main reason people say that vyn is creepy and/or manipulative, but i get this one, honestly. during the date, vyn supposedly admits something traumatic, and leans to the mc for comfort, saying something similar to “all i need right now is you.”. now, the final evolved version of this card also features him in the mc’s arms, slightly smiling as he looks at the “camera” through half-lidded eyes. from a basic understanding, the thought is titled this way because he didn’t actually need comfort, he just wanted to be close to the mc in a way that seemed genuine. but, with outside knowledge, this is less of the case — vyn is completely capable of initiating intimacy, as seen throughout his story and in just the way he teases the mc in general. but, this is largely viewable as a form of trauma response. it’s hinted in his personal story that he was part of a dysfunctional family as a child, and received less attention than he should've, hence his tendency to plan his way into big displays of affection from her. but, no matter how you look at it, this is still manipulation, as he’s taking the mc’s concern and essentially monopolising on it without realising how genuine she actually feels. so, totally valid to feel weird abt this one <3 the one thing i can give him though, is that he will never force the mc to comply to his wishes, whether in this scenario or in the future. if something he’s “planned” doesn’t work out, he may express his displeasure later, but will not subject the mc to it.

3. chapter three of vyn’s personal story (3-12)

-> if i’m remembering correctly, the global server only has two chapters up atm, so i’ll try my best to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers! so, when the two are confronting the culprit of the PUA case (separate point but i actually feel so bad for the culprit, omg), it’s revealed that this person is a longtime colleague of vyn’s —making their argument a bit more personal:

"heh… then you, vyn. the lawyer may not understand, but to you and i, in our eyes, we are obviously looking at the same landscape. we are the same kind of person… don’t you believe it? don’t you believe that the human heart can be manipulated?"

“i do not deny this statement, but (culprit), this does not mean that what you did is correct. whether the human heart can be manipulated by psychology is a subject that has to be studied intensely, but it is definitely not a subject for people like you."

he directly says that manipulation of the heart isn’t right, and essentially is beneath him. but, if you’d like to look at it in a certain way, vyn even suggests that manipulation of the heart isn't for him either, as he didn't deny that they are similar.

4. chapter three of vyn’s personal story (3-12)

-> in a jab towards vyn, the culprit deliberately reveals something to the mc that ends up explaining vyn’s tendencies perfectly:

v: “you are just a kid who keeps asking, 'why can’t i get the recognition and care from others?’ because of your childhood experiences. you are afraid of being ignored, afraid of being betrayed, afraid.. of being lonely."

(culprit) sneers and suddenly turns towards me.

c: “lawyer, did you know? in fact, vyn also has things to fear."

c: don’t you know? come on, let me tell you, he hates everything that is imperfect--

the culprit was only halfway through his words before vyn instructed the police to rush in and block his mouth.

-> vyn is afraid of his flaws being revealed to her, this is seen in his face, and especially in the way he handles it. so, while what the culprit says makes sense, that’s not the only instance where he is insecure about the way he goes about things. in a later episode (3-15), he and the mc have this conversation:

v: "if one day, the person you love most reveals the most unbearable and ugly side of his life, will you be like (victim)?"

mc: “um, maybe a little similar, but not exactly the same?"

v: “what?"

mc:”i think i will do my best to try to save him, but instead of sacrificing my own life, i am more than wiling to face it with him. i will be with him until the day the storm passes."

v: “..your answer is always so unexpected.”

-> these two instances compiled show just exactly what he thinks of himself and his tendency to want control. it shows that he knows it’s not right, and how he is uncomfortable subjecting the mc to these parts of him that could potentially hurt her.

5. chapter four of vyn’s personal story (3-15 + 4-15) (also, just a warning, pure romantic plot spoilers ahead to prove this point LMAO)

-> vyn my beloved!! a common theme throughout the fourth chapter is how both of our main characters define love. in the last episode of chapter three, vyn is asked by a student what his version of love is, and he says this:

“it is a unique miracle. it makes you want to explore, touch and find out everything uncontrollably. even at one point, i can’t distinguish between rational and irrational for a short while because the boundaries are blurred. there are too many people in this world who have lost their lives, but there will always be such a person. she makes you better, makes you believe that everything is good; and makes you look forward to it.. the future.”

-> this is even more sad when you realise that this entire response is a patchwork statement of previous words they’ve both said. he uses her to define his standard of love, and he complies his own conclusions of what she’s said to him. it’s as if she is the one who’s taught him what the meaning of love really is, and goes to show just how important the mc has become to him.

now, the most important part of this section: vyn, in the beginning of chapter four, made it clear that he would somehow get her to confess to him by the end of a trip they took. because the mc was either in self-denial or otherwise, she didn’t understand what her feelings for him meant. but as a psychologist, vyn could see the signs loud and clear. yet, he’s still shocked to see her care so much about him.

mc: "just now, if we hadn’t got here in time…"

i gradually become incoherent. the sight of him even cast a layer of water on my vision. i couldn’t help but cry.

mc: "vyn, i’m so scared.” (most context is redacted for plot spoilers)

v: “you… are you crying? are you crying for me?”

his voice trembles with a rare tone. a few seconds, he rushes to hug me, not sparing a moment.

v: “don’t be afraid, i’m fine, i’m still here."

-> he sees all of these signs so clearly, but does not force her or manipulate her to reciprocate the love he feels for her even now. as he helps her to realise her feelings, he is gentle.

v: “in truth.. i am very happy."

mc: “why?"

v: “well, because you were crying for me just now. you were worried, weren’t you?"

mc: “…of course, it was dangerous just now."

v: “but don’t you think that your emotions just got out of control? what is it about me being in danger that makes you lose control so easily?"

mc: “!!!”

mc: “…"

why, why is my behaviour so abnormal? am i scared? scared of what? losing vyn? but why should i be afraid of losing vyn? is there something i haven’t noticed yet?

v: “why are you at this point and you still don’t understand… but, i have no patience to wait any longer."

he approached me gently, and brushed my cheek with his right hand.

mc: “v-vyn-"

v: “i asked you before, would you ever fall in love with someone? but, you say you don’t know, because you’ve never considered this issue. later, you asked me again, how do you know you’ve fallen for someone?"

v: “do you remember my answer at the time?"

mc: “you… you said that when you fall in love with someone, your sensibility beats your reason. you will miss him all the time, be happy because of his joy, and sad because of his sorrow."

v: “so, is there such a person in your heart?"

mc: “wha-"

v: “don’t avoid my question. ask your heart if there’s an answer, i don’t want anything but that."

in short, vyn is a very complicated character but he’s so so worth understanding. i do believe that in upcoming chapters, the mc will understand his need to have control and stand with him “until the storm ends”. happy tot playing, everyone ~