#very important to him to look Respectable. yknow

[bonestrouslingbones]

i fixed him.........................

i've been engaging in way too much sonic content lately bc why does he fucking look like shadow the hedgehog to me right now

[midnightshindig]

spoiler for the comic ignore this if you haven't read them. But rex grew up poor and his parents never really cared for him. Whay if we're dating and he met our parents and they welcomed him with open arms. Pookie deserves some love

Rex x Reader: Meeting the Parents hcs!

OOOooo I love this request! I don't read the comics but I have read the Atom Eve and Rex Splode special issue... mostly bc I'm bitch whipped for that man BUT NONTHELESS- here you go!!

Fic under the cut! ^^

You've been dating Rex for like six months at this point

and after the fourth month, you brought up meeting your parents

and he's SO against it

"C'mong Y/n- you know me and adults or authority figures- I'm like a lovable douchebag, parents hate me. Adults hate me- like most respectable people don't like me I'm amazed you like me-"

You have to cut him off because jesus christ

You don't know jack about his past, but you know it wasn't pleasant

Still, this is important to you

and after two months of begging and pleading and downright harassing him about it- you get Eve involved

Eve gives you the low down on his past, and you can't help but feel bad

But she also convinces Rex to give your parents a chance, they made you, and they can't be that bad.

So you set up a dinner date to introduce them to one another.

"Hi Y/n!" You open the door and there Rex is, in what looks like a slightly too big suit, and a tie he would never own

You raise an eyebrow, wordlessly looking him up and down.

He leans in and whispers "It's Zandale's he let me borrow it for twenty bucks" he beams at you, and you notice the flowers in hand

"What are those for?"

"oh! these! These are fooorrrrrr-" He walks past you, and at first you're confused, until you turn around and notice your mother standing behind you

He's presenting the flowers to her with a nervous grin, like, painfully obviously awkward and nervous

But she LOVES them, taking them from him softly and pinching his cheek

"OO! What a polite and well-groomed young man! I love the hair, it's so stylish!" She coos, fawning all over him like you knew she would

You close the door behind him, following the two into the kitchen where your mother puts the flowers into a vase.

"Y/n, Dad should be home soon, will you set the table? I made lasagna"

So you and Rex fuck off to set the table, small talk passing between the two of you quietly

"So, you got her flowers?"

"mmmhm! She's nice.... very affectionate.... and friendly..." He trails off, focusing on a neat table

You've never seen him like this, all focused and impressive and shit

You're a little flattered

When your father gets home everything just gets better

Rex gives him a firm handshake and your dad just cracks up

"Yknow- I was a volunteer firefighter in my day!"

You groan "oh Dad- not this-"

"No no! I know I'm not superhero like my little Y/n, but I'm no louse either!" He flexes a now-flabby arm, and Rex grins

"That's impressive Mr. L/n, my dad was a drunk." He means it to be funny, but the room goes quiet

"oh... dear... I'm so sorry" your mother breaks the quiet with a hand over his "Was? Is he.... is he passed on?"

Rex shrugs, not getting the gravity of the situation "naw, he and my mom sold me to the government to be experimented on for the price of a steak dinner"

Aaaand your mom is crying

AAAAND YOUR DAD IS CRYING

They're both hugging him and he's just looking at you like "wtf is going on?"

and the fact he's so confused why they're distressed for him just makes it more distressing

He's like "I'm an adult I don't even need parents"

but they're not having it

Your mom puts her number into his phone and demands she rely on them as if he were their son

Your father chimes in "I mean you're practically family, taking care of Y/n here-" he ruffles your hair with his palm as you groan

The dinner goes well, and Rex has his first real home cooked meal

which makes him tear up

and when your mom asks what the matter and he tells her

oh my god the waterworks

You're a little annoyed, but you can't bring yourself to be too upset

After all, these are the people you love most in the world, becoming family.

After dinner, he treats them to a little firework show, and they just lose it

Your parents are going to be raving about this for weeks.

On the way back to GHQ, Rex slips his hand into your

"that was.... intense." He states with a laugh

"Yeah, they really like you" You smiled fondly, remembering the night

Rex's expression suddenly turns serious "I'm glad... I didn't know what I was going to do if they hated me. Not when you're so important to me or whatever...."

You smiled, bumping him with your hip "I'm glad it didn't come to that. They love you just as much as I do."

Rex couldn't be happier

[pokegalla]

I can’t believe I did a whole series for this but did NOT do one for my small chested people- 🥲 so thank you for the idea. This one is for you!

Request by @bloodofvoidx

How Touchy Can They Be In Public With a Small Chested S/o!

Dream:

* ……Listen I know yall love Dream but he has no room to talk shit about small chests when his Ecto is just as small- then again he would never. He’ll always find you beautiful! …..but he does feel a little relieved. Maybe even less insecure…

* Shopping for your size is tough too! Especially certain outfits. Seriously you just want one outfit where your boob actually fills the area. But it’s even funnier when Dream tries on outfits with you, having the same problem as he’s trying to help you. At least you get a laugh in together!

* In private he LOVES teasing your chest. Giving it lots of butterfly kisses and praising it. He really loves how beautiful you look. Oh but if you EVER feel negative about your chest? Oh honey he’s gonna spoil you and praise you until your head spins! And oh trust me it will not change if things decided to escalate~

* In public, he respects your space but that doesn’t stop him from whispering sweet words in your ears. “Yknow I saw this adorable lacy nightgown…it’s a little see through but I’m sure you’d look adorable in it…~” Sly lil guy-

* It’s hard to resist seeing how red your face can get✨

Blue:

* He is not an innocent guy- a sweetheart. But not innocent. And hell yes he loves all types of chests. And yours will never be an exception-

* His hugs never change but his nuzzles are WAY more obvious and deliberate. God forbid you wear an outfit with a low cut down your chest. He’d sneak so many glances. And if you are comfortable with it (always important to make sure S/o is comfortable 😔✨) he’ll wrap an arm around your shoulders and let a hand stay near your chest. Just gently caressing you lovingly.

* In private he is much more comfortable to simply nuzzle into your shirt. Quite literally I mean. Bro would duck into your shirt just to be closer to you. Smooching your torso and face. He can’t help it! You are so adorable! And he thinks your chest is the epitome of adorableness✨ he does get a little carried away though….dont be surprised if he leaves a few playful marks~

* He’s a very honest guy. So much so that he’s a little too blunt. Now normally it’s not a big deal as it’s actually a little refreshing. That is until he says some shit like this “Yknow last night you looked really cute in that bra! I almost wanted to keep it on while we-“ you had to cover his mouth. You love him but man he is comfortable around you.

* Then again he makes you comfortable too. And that’s what matters most!

Ink:

* Here this lil shit goes. You already know what you signed up for with this guy- don’t get me wrong. He can be sweet. But he’s still a big gremlin (other then his height-)

* He’s not afraid to touch your chest in public. The problem is with smaller chests, it’s a bit….harder to reach. So he’d try to hug you from behind, reaching around you to the front….and he has to be on his toes just to reach. Safe to say that embarrassed him more than you. Even funnier if he misses and you tease him. He might be deterred now but he’ll keep trying!

* At least in private it’s easier. Looser clothing, laying and sitting down, he can always have free access✨ though sometimes the little shit is like “Well why don’t you just walk around without a shirt? It’s not like it would make a difference-“ please smack him. He is teasing though. He just wants an excuse to see your pretty chest✨

* Other than teases, he’s actually very silver tongued. Would give you the sweetest compliment then throw in a suggestive comment as he leans in close….just to gently flick at your chest and run. This childish little man-

* Oh well. He’s certainly your childish little man. Better run after him before he gets away!

Killer:

* You thought he was gonna change and NOT be the worse one?! This is a true man of culture here. Size truly does not matter to this man. As long as he can INDULGE✨

* His menace like ways will actually double with a small chest. Trailing his finger down the middle, not quite doing anything bad but that smirk just screaming out what he really wants. Even does a little flick at the nip if you decided to wear no bra. You are not escaping that guy’s gaze-

* In private he is just more chill and more bold- when cuddling he just squishes them like squish balls. His excuse is simply that they fit perfectly in his hands and are perfect stress relievers. You can’t complain with the science ok? 😔✨ besides I doubt you are complaining when he decides to give you a little reward right after~

* And his teasing is despicable- he’s a bold guy. He genuinely gives no fucks. The moment he’s in the mood, he’s already getting you into the mood. Even worse if you have an easy access shirt- you guys end up having to sneak away. “Heh….i knew you couldn’t resist it cutie~ now be good and stay quiet for me~” still evil-

* But at least he has his sweet moments too! He can’t help but love everything about you after all! You’re irresistible to him!

[asexualbookbird]

Ah, I read some books in 2024, huh? And eight rereads? Who am I. Tried a lot of new things this year which yay! Go me! Branching out! Not all of those were successes, but I did it and therefore no one can criticise me. But we all know what's important here. So here you go, THE BEST AND WORST OF 2024 (in no particular order)!

THE BEST BOOKS OF 2024

The Adventure of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - yes, I am still thinking about this, thank you for asking! A full entire adult of a person, a mother even, going on adventures? Fighting and killing and fucking and living? Hell yeah! More of this, please! I would also love to see a prequel of Amina's adventures before the book timeline. Everything about this was so great, I look forward to rereading it.

The City We Became by NK Jemisin - I was wary about this because it was so polarizing to readers. On one hand, even my least favorite Jemisin was still fun, on the other hand, I know nothing about New York. HOWEVER. The audiobook was FABULOUS. I wholeheartedly believe the audio is why I enjoyed this so much. This was FUN this is what reading should feel like all the time.

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb -FRIEND TO MY SOUL. Again, beautiful audio performance. Beautiful story. I need my own copy so I can reread this to my hearts content. It's cute, it deals with heavy topics, it's gay, it's the friend to my soul.

WORST BOOKS OF 2024

The Novice by Taran Matharu - Ugh. Bought when released, knowing nothing, which seems to be a Theme with books sitting on my shelf I end up not enjoying. Learning about the history of this book made me more angry than the book itself. What do you mean his entire series was bought and published without an editor? It shows, but. Come on. Wattpad born and it shows.

Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox- this was only for a summer reading bingo challenge, but come on. There are ways to pull the memory loss, or altered memory plot line and have it work. This did not do that. Wish a library would eat my memories of this book so I never had to think of it again.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - Mark Lawrence is one of those authors who writes long books because he thinks it makes him a Good Writer. Mark Lawrence is one of those writers who is afraid to write adult characters because he thinks they won't sell, but continuously puts them in adult situations to show how Hard their lives are and Isn't This Dark And Gritty And Sad without doing the work to actually get there. It toes the line between fantasy in scifi, but not well. It feels more indecisive than anything else.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace -more like fireBROKE MY HEART!!!! It was on my tbr list for years, and I finally found a copy and I'm glad I own it so I can reread it at my leisure. It's what Ready Player One could have been if it was actually good.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner - Okay honestly, this and City were fighting for a spot in the main top three. Either could be there. I do honorable mentions for this very reason. I was surprised to learn this was a tiktok book, because yknow. It's actually Good. Witcher vibes, but with more respect towards women. Why isn't book three in my possession right this second.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell - I Am Normal About This Book. It was fun to read and annotate it for a friend. It was fun to be around as two friends read it and I loved seeing their reactions to it. Loved cheering on Shesheshen, still think she deserves to eat more people. Friends and I will still share biting goop memes with the caption "Shex3 posting". It's safe to say this has rewritten my brain.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward - I was hyped about this book before release. I bought book two before even reading this because I was that sure I'd enjoy it. What a fool. This did NOT have to be 800 pages. It was another example of someone writing many words because they think that's what Good Writers Do, and not stopping to think about what those words even SAY. Which, in this case, was ~Absolutely Nothing~

Ghost Station by SA Barnes - crying sobbing this book was so fucking stupid. Best thing to come out of it was seeing a friend read it and confirming that yes, it was That Fucking Stupid. Learning the author mainly writes YA Paranormal explained why everyone had Too Stupid To Live disease.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle - Admittedly only here to make things even and because it's still pretty fresh in my mind. I was soooo excited when this was announced, and now I'm soooo happy I didn't preorder it. More boring than anything else, but I don't wish it was longer because it already felt Too Long.

Once again, ignored rereads because I feel like that's cheating somehow. Let these be for highlighting new and fun books I discovered! I feel like the last few Bricks I've read have been Very Bad so I hope a couple of the bricks I have planned for 2025 are actually good. Considering one of those is Labyrinth's Heart, I think we're okay.

[invinciblerodent]

While I'm on the topic of being hopelessly in my feelings about these characters, I just finished the last part of the Gloom Howler quest, and I'm thinking about Davrin and names at the moment.

I really, really love how, once we learn the truth about her, Davrin seems to make a point of always referring to Isseya by her name (mostly on its own, but sometimes in conjunction with calling her "The Gloom Howler" when necessary), and even correcting others who would refer to her only by the latter name. (Which, honestly, both Solas and the Inquisitor could also talk at length about a title that all but replaces your name- it definitely feels significant that Davrin would pointedly reject the thought of doing that to someone, but I digress.)

And that reminded me of how I previously made an idle, kind of shitposty little post about how nice I found that during his recruitment mission, Davrin calls out the specific names of each griffon if you interact with their cages, and he attempts to comfort them like that- by reminding them who they are, that he's there, and promising that he'll be back for them.

In retrospect, I think that's so interesting, how his core story seems to boil in part down to... well, in part to the burden of duty, the questioning of tradition and authority (he questions both Dalish- and Warden traditions from very early on, one by joining the Wardens and the other by joining Rook) and, yes, living past what one thought to be their purpose, but also... to these moments, that invite some contrasting of his elven-, and his Grey Warden identities.

Isseya being an elven Warden is a very direct parallel, and a very clear image- it, I think, is meant to show what happens when authority goes unquestioned, and one side (the Warden) triumphs over the other (the person). His uncle then acts as a counterpoint and a thread of connection to the past- he shows what happens when tradition goes unquestioned, and while peaceful, how that existence is not one Davrin wishes for himself.

This all comes to a head in the final choice concerning the griffons... which, I can't say what a "correct" choice is, but I find it really cool how one option embraces a more rigid tradition and acts as a vow for reforms within them, honoring them, while the other embraces a different tradition, one born of fluidity, choice, and change- a more personal freedom.

Purpose and nature, respect for the past and hope for the future, all strain against each other sometimes (in multiple companions' stories, I feel), and it's often a name that represents the complicated harmony between two halves.

Be that Assan, noble descendant of a hero Warden's griffon wearing an Elvish name, Isseya, the monster and mage brought to peace, the idea of "turlum", harmony and understanding forged between vastly different minds, or just... Davrin, the Dalish Grey Warden, who is not more one than the other.

Maybe that's why calling people (and animals, and feelings) by their proper names seems so casually important to him. Because if you give something complex, messy, and muddled up a name, it's easier to just live it.

(.......... and yeah, that makes it a bit ironic how so far he's been calling Rook, "Rook", but, yknow, technological limitations. I've a feeling I've at least one important scene to go still, but honestly, the name "Rook" does also kind of represent a similarly complex matrix of ideas condensed into a person. It could be that "Rook" feels more accurate than any "friend", or "love", or "boss", or even "vhenan", for what they are to him, or it could be that he's still looking for the right name, but either way, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.)

[iatrophilosophos]

Ok so here's an anecdote I like to describe a pretty core tenant of what I call medical nihilism. Pls read this one ok it's long but it's good.

Tommie Bass (b. 1908 d. 1996) was a folk herbalist in Alabama who gained significant respect in his life and, despite never writing a book of his own, is a highly influential figure in southern usamerican and appalachian eclectic-western folk medicine. References to him can be found across contemporary herbalist writers like Matthew Wood and Michael Moore; but the easiest source of Bass' work and opinions can be found in A Reference Guide to Medicinal Plants by John crellin and Jane Philpott, two medical anthropologists who interviewed Bass extensively about his knolwege of local plants & presented his words in historical and contemporary scientific context. The fact they gave an extremely generic title to a book preserving the direct words of a notable figure towards the end of his life is a fascinatingly bad choice.

Bass believed (though, not exclusively) in putrification theory; this is the idea that diseases are caused by matter (usually food in the digestive tract) getting stuck in the body, rotting, and going rogue to cause infection. If you have a lot of exposure to alt health fads, you've probably seen this idea still floating around the world--or if you have grandparents who really care about regular bowl movements as major factor in health (beyond perhaps their own personal troubles that come with age), it might be related to this idea.

(Proponents of putrification theory--or any theory of disease, really--typically do not believe in it EXCLUSIVELY; just like industrial western medicine doesn't believe bacteria causes, like, scurvy. I haven't encountered a medical system that believes in one unifying cause of all ailments beyond rlly big picture like, Christian science god causes/does all; and it takes some pretty intense games of power and oppression for systems to arise in which people do not believe in communicable disease because, yknow, it's kinda. Obvious. Humans are good at pattern recognition. Anyway. Give people more credit than ur knee jerk you will learn way more interesting stuff & can always decide its stupid later).

Bass *also* believed that a major failure in public health/the personal health upkeep of people in his culture in community was that, despite vegetables being good and an important part of a healthy diet, people ate them too raw, were unable to digest them, and they caused a lot of disease.

Now, even though this fell off as the "reformer" campaign to "recover the lost whites" of appalachia and exterminate folk medical practices while expanding government services finished up its goals around, very loosely, 1940-1960, ish, (old people and superstition notwithstanding as a notable push to record medical traditions from the elderly happened around the 70s and 80s, including crellin & phillpott as well as Judith bolyard as notable academics here); bass grew up in & spent a good chunk of his adulthood in a cultural context where tooth-pulling was a very, very common response for tooth ache; and our understanding of the time absolutely reflects a lot of GI issues associated with people who are not able to sufficiently chew their foods (especially considering were looking at staple foods like salt pork and dark leafy greens!). Source: folk medicine in southern appalachia by Anthony Cavender.

We are primed to look at "boil the shit out of your vegetables or they'll rot in your body and make you sick" as ridiculous and possibly even unhealthy (some may be aware that some micronutrients are destroyed by high temperatures; though others, like minerals, are actually made significantly more bioavailable). But when we take a holistic look at this idea from Bass in context, it is both 1) internally consistent with his view of the world and 2) consistent with the evidence available to him. It is, actually, a piece of knowledge that WORKS in context.

So, what does nihilism have to do with it? This anecdote shows us a piece of medical knowledge that is effective and desirable in a given context, squared with reality-as-percieved; but is inappropriate and ineffective when transported to other contexts (where people have things like, teeth). This shows us a situation where "objective truth", if it does exist, is not particularly relevant and individual/small group results are.

Which brings us to the need for: locally-feasible, bioregionally-appropriate (e.g. can be carried out sustainably using the resources of a given ecosystem without being reliant on global trade or sacrifice-zone exteacfion), EFFECTIVE medical knowledge; and poses the question, how the fuck do we do that?

It is imperative that we, at least practically, reject the idea that western science has all the answers/will come across all the answers if we just wait for the white coats to figure it out. It doesn't really matter if you choose to have faith in the core tenant that the universe & thus human bodies function via consistent and knowable natural laws; because the apparatus that says it exists to bring you the benefits of that faith is failing and will die; and frankly, even if it were true a lot of us (hi) have chronic illnesses and disabilities where we're not exactly inclined to wait around for statistician-satisfying treatments that might not work for ppl in different socioeconomic-cultural positions than the test groups anyway. Also, uh, COVID! Novel mass diseases! We aint got time for the slow march of progress

Ok talk to me about this one i got schizo diagrams of knowledge cycles and shiiit but mostly i just wanna pose the question.

[quitefair]

Anyway. Aro and Ace Resources upon ye.

Since we're almost at 2024, and coming out of all this horrendous aphobic discourse, I thought I'd put together a bunch of aromantic + asexual resources for people who are maybe questioning themselves, or want to know more (heck yes for learning!) Most of these are long form (Youtube videos/articles) because that's how I feel is best for learning, compared to shorter form content like TikTok.

Long post, resources under the cut!

Yasmin Benoit (she/her, aromantic asexual)

The first asexual activist I stumbled across all those years ago. She was infamously the reason for a lot of aphobic comments on twitter, because hey, she's also a lingerie model, and lord forbid somebody who identifies as asexual present... yknow. Sexy.

She's also a researcher, who's putting in the effort to depathologise asexuality and aromanticism, especially within psychiatry and mental health.

Youtube

Instagram

Website

Ace Dad Advice (they/them, asexual/agender/queer)

AceDad is one of my favourite a-spec activists. Their simple, easily digestible posts on Instagram outlining the various aspects of asexuality, aromanticism and agender (the triple As lmao) are a comfort to read. There's also lots of affirming stuff on there that's helped me with my own spiraling thoughts.

They've also written a book about asexuality! Which is one that I've yet to read, but am looking forward to.

Youtube

Instagram

Website

Spacey Aces

A collective of neurodivergent a-spec humans making videos on asexuality, aromanticism, queer platonic relationships, neurodivergence... a whole lotta fun stuff! Their videos are soft and comforting and very affirming.

Youtube

Instagram

Nik Hampshire (he/him, aromantic)

So Nik doesn't make Youtube videos anymore, but he's done a series on what it means to be aromantic but not asexual, which I feel is super important to add to the online conversation! This one's for all the allo/aros out there, he's chill and confident and talks about things in a very enthusiastic way. Love him!

Youtube

Instagram

~~~~~~~

Misc videos (I'm sure you've seen these around before)

Jayden Animation's coming out video

Being AroAce Doesn't Ruin Your Life | Alice Oseman's Loveless by shaggyjebus

Rowan Ellis' interview with Alice Oseman (author of Heartstopper, who is herself aroace)

Anthony Padilla

I spent a day with asexual people

I spent a day with aromantic people

(the titles are a little clickbaity, but trust me the conversation is honest and respectful. anthony is honestly such a good interviewer.)

The Sci Guys

Science of Asexuality

Science of Aromantics

bmudangel

My experience being Aromantic Asexual (AROACE)

I’m Happy To Be Aromantic Asexual

How being aromantic asexual affects my daily life

Questions Aromantic Asexuals Get Asked (Part 1)

[oldmanfuckerbrigade]

please tell me you're going to expand on why the newsies movie is perfection and the musical is ass, I'd love to see it

(because you are right)

yknow, i was gonna save my rant for my imaginary video essay but it’s too in my head now so i might as well do the deep dive here. you asked so i shall deliver! (Be forewarned this is long as fuck i didnt know how much i needed to say until i started writing this)

Newsies is a (Gay) Love Story and That’s Why The Musical Fails™️

Ok. So. First and foremost, let’s talk about Newsies 1992. To be fair to my own biases, I have a very strong personal connection to 92sies, it was the first musical I ever saw on screen - one of the first movies I ever watched PERIOD - and some of my first memories are of listening to the soundtrack. So you could, on a certain level, chalk up my vehemence about its quality to my fondness for it, and I will gladly admit to that.

BUT. I have now been on this earth for 20 years, and in those 20 years I’ve watched a lot of movies, and a LOT of musicals (and am now studying film full time yippee for me). So I think I can say confidently, with my broadened tastes, that Newsies (1992) is a goddamn masterpiece of a movie musical.

It succeeds spectacularly in both regards, as a film and a musical. It had a stacked deck going in honestly, with directing and choreo both done by Kenny Ortega of High School Musical fame, as well as music by the inimitable Alan Menken. You know this shit was boutta pop off. From a filmmaking standpoint, it’s beautiful. Gorgeous matte paintings in the wide shots, fantastic set work and costume design, as well as the lighting and cinematography being on. fucking. point. every damn time it’s so good it makes me sick. You don’t even need me to say anything about the acting, cause we already know it’s phenomenal.

As a musical, it’s also right on the money. Every tenet of musical theater is respected, we have our intro ensemble number, introducing us to the world, the people within it, and the stakes of the story that we’ll follow. We have our absolute fucking BANGER of an “i want” song which Christian Bale puts his whole Baleussy into. And ofc we have some fantastic call-to-action, come-together, and uplifting songs and dance numbers.

But most importantly, every song does the one of two things any musical theater number should do: advance the story or give us insight into a characters thoughts and feelings. Let’s talk about them all in order (i promise this is gonna tie in to the stage show in a second just bare with me):

The Music

Carrying the Banner is ofc our opening theme, introducing us to the world and characters. Where and when are we, who are the heroes of our story? This is the “known” part of our hero’s journey, the home base and the place to which we will return. This is our Normal Time.

Santa Fe is, as we all know, Jack’s “I want” song, the song that tells the audience the hopes and dreams of our main character, so we can understand, well, what he wants. We can discover through this song what Jack’s character is all about. Through both what he has, what he lacks (or perceives he does) and what he hopes to gain. Jack has no family, he’s alone, but he has seemingly given up on ever being NOT alone, so he pins all his hopes for a better life on the mirage of Santa Fe. If he can pave his own way in the world, leave the city which has done nothing but take from him, maybe he can feel whole again. He’s a dreamer, despite his rough exterior, and he dreams of a life of freedom, beyond what he can find in New York. So there we get, all wrapped in a tidy bow, the essence of Jack Kelly’s character. a deeper look beyond what we have seen up until this point. Ok moving on.

In between Santa Fe and The World Will Know we have a small song which Medda sings. While that song in and of itself isn’t terribly important (it’s just part of her show), the scene that it’s in is VERY important. This is where we have an introduction to one of the few people we could consider part of Jack’s family, as a sort of mother/aunt figure. Overall it serves to give Jack more humanity, therefore giving our audience surrogate David (and hey i’m gonna go off about Davey just gimme a minute) more reason to trust Jack, and thereby the audience can trust him as well. We also get a little interaction between Jack and Davey that was pretty much ripped wholecloth from the movie and supplanted on Jack and Katherine in the show. It’s literally the same shit, Dave and Katherine are mistrustful of Jack and his intentions, they argue, it’s homoerotic as fuck, and it all takes place at the theater. (And also we get the one scene in the movie that does a weak ass attempt to un-gay David by having him drool over a pretty lady. It does not work lmfao).

The World Will Know is a standard call-to-action, but it by no means is mid-tier in any way. This shit slaps. HARD. We have Jack as the voice of the people convincing the gang of erstwhile children to band together with him on this, and stand up for their rights. This is also the first real time we get Jack and David teaming up to achieve a goal. Jack may be the voice of the people, but it’s David who’s the brains behind the operation, knowing what to say and do, while Jack has the respect and tenacity to put it forward. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. BECAUSE THE STAGE SHOW ALL BUT BRUSHES OFF DAVID’S INVOLVEMENT IN THIS SCENE, SO IT NO LONGER SERVES IT ENTIRE PURPOSE. A big secondary point of this scene is to illustrate that while Jack and David are strong boys independently, they work so much better together, and are able to achieve what they wouldn’t normally, alone. And the musical does not understand this. But i’ll get to that later.

Seize the Day is David’s first step towards standing in his own power. The newsies are losing steam on the strike train after Brooklyn refuses to join so David is the one to raise everyone’s morale and bring back their fighting spirit, getting all the other boys to take up the call, preaching brotherhood and community, the strength of standing together. Here is your come-together song. But this is the important thing: It’s David who does it. The song becomes an ensemble number as it goes on but HE is the one who STARTS it. David was hesitant to really rally behind the strike at first, but now he’s all in, he’s connected with the boys and he believes in the cause (thanks to the spirit that Jack brought to it, and how much Jack believe in it cough cough). He does start it in the musical as well, but the tone is very different, it’s only after Jack’s urging that he says anything. Bro didn’t even have to say shit in the movie. But whatever moving on.

King of New York is a hard song to mess up. It’s just good. and fun. and I like it. It probably has the least to do with moving the plot forward or giving us an internal look on any specific characters. It’s an ensemble and dance number. I do like it better in the movie rather than onstage, though that’s mostly personal preference. The stage show kind of beats it to death, like why is it 10 minutes long I swear to god. They know it’s a good song and they wanna capitalize on it, which makes it all seem kind of transparently cynical to me. it’s still like, good and the dancers are on top of it but….its too much y'know. The movie just has a good time with it. Because it’s a good time. Also Jack is there in the movie and he’s not in the stage show for some reason, I forget why. Probably because of some plot contrivance they got from trying to shove new elements into an already lock tight story. sorry ok back to actual critique.

Once and For All is like maybe my favorite song of the whole soundtrack. It just eats. Every time. This is the song we should play while smashing in the heads of the capitalist pigs that run our stupid fucking country. It’s a banger. AND it moves the plot forward, which is always a slay. Let’s make that underground pape and radicalize all the child workers being abused across the city!! yeah!!!

And then we got our TWWK and CtB reprises to tie up the ending in a neat little bow, bringing us back around the our beginning, a la the hero’s journey. We’ve completed our circle and are back to the beginning, changed but better for it, with our characters at transformed equilibrium, the evil vanquished, and bright days ahead. Jack realizes that he doesn’t need to chase the illusion of Santa Fe when what he really wants and needs is to be with the people who love him, the family that was right under his nose the whole time. David is a full fledged newsie, has come out of his shell, become more confident in himself, and his relationship with Jack is assured. So. Let’s talk about Jack and David.

Jack and David

Historians would call them “good friends”. This whole section is gonna be me preaching to the choir, so to speak, so I’ll try and keep this concise. We all know they’re gay, everyone and their mother knows they’re gay, so why is it important? It’s not like that shit is actually baked into the story right? WRONG. Jack and David are at the heart of the story of Newsies. Jack may be the “““main character”””, but David is the impetus for the events of the story, the driving force behind the plot. He is, in essence, the call to adventure that our hero Jack receives at the start of his arc.

He is also the audience surrogate. It’s through him that we learn the ways of the newsies, the ins and outs of the newsboy life, the trials and tribulations. It’s through him that we come to know Jack’s character on a deeper level. We only get Santa Fe after Jack has met Dave’s family (talk about U-Haul lesbians like my god he knew the guy for a DAY and he was already meeting the parents), and we get to see how seeing David’s loving family is painful for Jack, how he grieves that lack of connection but copes by pinning his hopes on Santa Fe. Most everywhere we see Jack go, we see it because David goes too. (MOST. There are exceptions, like his talk with Pulitzer. But of course, David is still RELEVANT in that scene). We see the story through David’s eyes.

Which is why the musical fails.

Because in the musical, David is so far removed from the narrative you could replace him with any guy and it would still work. He is an after thought, all but scrubbed from the script, and for why???

This I don’t have an answer for, which is really frustrating. My best guess is that it was a well-intentioned but misguided attempt to tighten up the script by placing Jack as the main character. And to make room for Katherine.

Oh Katherine….I used to really vehemently hate Katherine, and her addition to the story. I’ve obviously grown since then, I can recognize her importance as a woman within the story, and how that is important for young people to see in media. But also. She is unnecessary. TO THE PLOT. I won’t speak to her necessity from a larger, misogyny-on-the-world-stage level, but to the actual plot itself she is completely unnecessary. And you know how I know? Because they took movie David’s whole personality and just copy and pasted it onto her.

Ok now hear me out, I KNOW that it is not 1:1, but it really doesn’t have to be. If you step back and look at the bare essentials, it is the same shit. Jack and Katherine have the same enemies to lovers type dynamic that was Davey and Jack’s in the movie. There’s the initial mistrust, the dislike, she’s very professional, and kind of a know-it-all. Jack is the charming street rat, all dry wit and golden retriever energy. They tease and bicker and snap at each other. Exactly like Dave and Jack did in 92. Watching both versions back to back made this almost glaringly obvious to me. Like it was actually kind of shocking how obvious it was.

And the thing is, I understand why they did it! Sarah was such a nothingburger character in the movie (sorry Sarah, love you in fics, hate your actress with a burning passion) that they knew they had to add SOMETHING more to any potential romance subplot, and if they were conveniently sidelining David’s character anyway, why not take some cues from the most powerful relationship in the film? I understand the logic behind it, I really do.

But. That still leaves David, flopping around the script like a severed limb, with nowhere to go and nothing to do to help the plot. Cause here’s the thing, his and Jack's relationship is what makes the movie. I don’t care if I'm fandom-goggling this my tin hat is ON I have a MASTERS in FUJOSHI STUDIES. The movie is at its core, about brotherhood and community. It’s about boyhood and friendship and banding together with your peers to achieve great things. They give us this theme through Jack and Dave.

Dave is an outsider, unfamiliar to the ways of the street kids and working within a community like that. Jack is old hat to it, born and bred in it, it’s his home and his family. They come together through a twist of fate, Jack initially thinking only about what’ll earn him the most money at the end of the day, and Davey rightfully mistrustful of him. But they end up forming an organic bond through the strike, finding common ground with one another, and realizing if they team up they can accomplish great things. We see them struggle together, and break apart for a bit. We see Jack realize he’s gotten too close to this boy, brought him into something dangerous and now he genuinely cares for him which is even worse. David goes so far as to break Jack out of jail, but not before Pulitzer can get to him and threaten him with the one thing Jack will take seriously: David. Jack is forced to destroy David's and the rest of the newsies' trust just to keep them safe.

But through all this, facing incredible adversity, dangerous circumstances, gaining and losing a close friend, David is forced to come into his own, take on a role of leadership and stand up for what he believes in. In this way, his own character arc is fulfilled, by the end of the movie. And the one thing that gets Jack back to the newsies? Why David being in trouble, of course. The one thing he hoped to avoid by agreeing to Pulitzers terms. That’s all it takes for him to take it all back, the prospect of David being in danger.

BRO. WHEN I SAY. THAT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS WHAT DRIVES THE PLOT. I FUCKING MEAN IT.

And y'know they make their own paper and radicalize all the kids in the city, they go to Pulitzer TOGETHER. BY THE WAY. TOGETHER. Which the musical cannot seem to understand. It’s only as a united front that they are able to beat Pulitzer and win fair terms for the newsies. And then jacks like ahhh yeah im goin to santa fe so long fuckers and then is like never mind actually i wanna come back and kiss Dav- I mean Sarah.

Which is also a hilarious fucking scene to me like that whole last interaction between Dave and Jack is so damn romantic in tone that the only way for the tension to break was with a kiss, so they had to have Sarah come in out of nowhere to kiss Jack 💀 like they knew that shit was leading to something but they couldn’t have the boys kiss obviously so they had to throw a woman in there real quick.

-

So. tldr. I meant this to be a lot more organized and make a lot more sense than it did but oh well. The reason the musical fails is because it fails to recognize that Dave and Jack are EQUALLY both the main characters, you can’t have one without the other, their partnership is the core force of the plot and story, without both of them you are left with something resembling the story you once knew, but with none of the heart and spirit of the original.

Other Technical Things That Are Bad

i wanted to take a second and just touch on some smaller details that also stood out to me, but are less connected to my central thesis.

//

Costumes. Oh boy did they fuck that one up on stage. Now to be fair, I’ve only seen the 2017 pro shot and one (1) local children’s production. Not any of the other runs or anything. So I'm only talking about what I’ve seen here. But what I’ve seen is Not Good. There’s already a lot of names and faces flying around in the movie which are hard to keep track of as it is, but everyone looks different enough from the person next to them that you know who your main players are. Each kid has his own way of dressing, unique color palette, accessories, and other styling choices that make them stand out. If you know who you're looking for, you can pick out any named newsie from any of the major ensemble scenes. You can't do that with the show. Everyone is wearing a variation of the same bland shirts and pants, and the color palette is dull gray-brown across the board. I'm not saying you have to go crazy with colors and shit, the costumes in the movie are believably period accurate, but I can still tell Racetrack from Mush without having to squint. (Also hey shout out to whoever decided to do that little red/blue color palette motif on movie Jack and Dave. I see you, and I appreciate you.)

//

The new songs suck but what can you do :/. Sorry to Alan Menken you ate with the movie my guy but you were just not on your A-game with this one. I didn’t even know it was still Menken doing the music in the stage show honestly, with how different and sucky the new songs were. Personal taste on this one I guess. But I don’t like them. Why does Pulitzer need a song. Literally why. If they had to give any pre-existing character their own song it should've been David! Like literally no question about it, it should have been David. Also why are we doing Santa Fe at the opening?? Did we forget how musicals work?? We never open with the "I want" song! ESPECIALLY if it's a ballad!!

//

The set. Yeah I’m really here to tear everything down ig, I didn’t know I had this many gripes until I started writing this sorry guys 😭 But yeah it’s not as gooood. And I'm like. ok. I know they were never gonna be able to do anything close to the movie. It’s onstage. They had to make sacrifices. But tell me why it all had to be cool toned?? The movie's color palette is so nice and warm, it feels antiquated but also real, it’s homey and nice. But also unforgiving and rough when it needs to be. They could’ve done that with lighting and shit onstage, changing the tone when it needs to, but instead they opted to throw out the warm tones for mostly cool gray steel backdrops. Whatever. I’m not a set tech. They know better than me.

//

THAT KID. IS SO MOTHERFUCKING ANNOYING. I AM SO SORRY. BUT IT IS HOW I FEEL. No hate at all to the kid playing Les in the 2017 pro shot, he was just a child he was doing his best not his fault at all. I’m choosing to blame the writing. But also goddamn if that kid's choices for delivery did not grate on my ears. His voice. just. did not sit right with me idk. Les in the movie is such a cute and endearing kid, I always adored him as he reminded me a lot of my own younger brothers. But this kidddd. is so unlikeable it’s like, going PAST annoying unfunny comic relief character straight into “how the fuck did anyone think this was a good idea”.

//

The ending suuuuuucks boooooo it’s bad I don’t like it I'm kinda running outta steam here but I still got shit to say so fuck it we ball. it’s so over explained that it’s just. just dumb. It just becomes dumb at a certain point. Jack going to do cartoons for Pulitzer??? What??? Don’t get me wrong I actually really love them giving him artistic talent I think that really adds some actually GOOD dimension to his character, but this????? Really????? Everything is just so like *perfectly* wrapped up that it totally destroys my suspension of disbelief. In the movie it’s definitely very wish-fulfilling and unrealistic, but it’s from the perspective of kids. It’s exactly as a kid would perceive it. And we don’t see exactly how the conceding of Pulitzer goes down and we SHOULDN’T!! Because then it gets all bogged down with the logistics of it all which is exactly what happened to the play! We don’t need all the details, we just need to know they won.

//

This one isn’t a gripe actually because I apparently DO have love in my heart: I love musical Crutchie. I love him, I love him so much my sweet boy. I love him being Jack’s little brother I love them having that deeper connection. I love Crutchie in the movie so to see him getting more screen time (so to speak) is just lovely. The one change I agree with. I love you forever Crutchie.

ok i’ve been writing for hours and my hands gonna fall off so im done now. if i think of anything else…well, you’ll just have to wait for my video essay i guess.

[beemochi-art]

as for his past and how he knows Star, i wanna say that shuttle mechs were in some cases closely associated with the seekers (transportation of troops/supplies/military equipment) and Sky happened to be one of these mecha

as a military transportation unit Sky would have to have gone through combat training. i doubt that he would have been lined up for execution like the seekers since transportation of goods is a very important task for any economy and would have been transferred to a civilian shipment occupation if not for the rebellion

being assigned to Starscreams unit or under the same battalion they would have met or spoken a few times, not really knowing each other all that well

hes rightfully pissed at what the gov tried to pull with the seekers and is all for the Decepticons when that becomes an option

personality wise hes not anywhere near as reluctant towards combat as in most continuities but i cant see Sky being Sky without some semblance of remorse or compassion, yknow? however, after some years of fighting and after offlining so many mecha he had forced himself to become numb to the killing because he fully believes that the cause he is fighting for is ultimately good, that this will pave the way to a brighter more free Cybertron, a real ends justify the means kinda guy

but that unshakable foundation cracks after witnessing Megatron mercilessly beat and then torture Starscream in front of his own daughter, offlining the enemy was one thing but this just felt.. wrong, especially after seeing what became of Star afterwards

maybe he tries to reach out, help a little, just talk to the guy, but Star aint having it so soon after it all, but over time? a mutual respect could be born, and even further, rebellion

as for Skystar, i see it going either way, i personally like it but theyr dynamic is too uncertain in this au rn for me to be fully on board with it, all up to you chief :P

Did a doodle! I think he’s got a calm look but can also be considered to be cold. I also can’t imagine star without a little bit of calm empathy and compassion.

Ooh I like that ! A lot of the cons were attach to Slipstream and by proxy, Starscream too. Star used his carrier status to cozy up with a lot of high ranking cons so they got to know him a little better. But I think him and Star go way back. I also think Sky is wise to his antics. I think he was one of the few people Star actually trusted. But that trust has been severely broken.

Star is actually hurt. Especially because Skyfire now has his job. Sky still tries to talk to him but Starscream avoids him.

Skyfire seeing Star get mercilessly beaten has definitely shaken up how he sees Megatron. But seeing Slipstream get between them and almost take a hit made him sick. He’s know Slipstream when she was so little and loves her like family. Luckily Megatron stopped, but the horrible thought lingers that, what if he didn’t?

He’d hate himself for not jumping in. Helping Star, helping slipstream. He regrets it and attempts to reach out.

As for a relationship. Idk we’ll see how it goes.

[funnywormz]

I think this shitshow with Toshiro stems from the trend of people INSISTING that interpersonal conflict must be a moral failing. Like I think there's something to be said about how people afford so much less patience to people who are autistic in the "wrong" ways, but also Laios and Toshiro just clash on a fundamental level that has nothing to do with that. Hell, you could read Toshiro as autistic as well. People related to Laios' side of the argument but instead of getting any nuance out of it they started projecting their experiences with ableist people onto Toshiro.

AGREE AGREE AGREE. i think that Fandom Brain gets people very used to thinking of conflicts in terms of "who is the bad guy and who is the good guy", so when they encounter a more nuanced conflict they don't really know what to do. i don't think toshiro is a bad person at all, in his conflict with laios he's just exhausted and starving and has been pushed to the limit and from his perspective, laios doesn't even seem that emotionally affected by the situation. i don't think what he said was right and it was pretty cruel, but i don't think he's a villain or deserves to be permanently hated as a character just bc he fucked up this time lol

also yeah you could definitely read him as autistic, and i think that highlights an issue in the autistic community in general bc like....... a lot of autistic people have conflicting needs which can lead to conflict between them/make them unable to stand being around each other. and it's not because either of them are neurotypical or bad people, they're just incompatible. like autistic people who loudly stim vocally and autistic people who meltdown when they have to be around loud noises, for example. it doesn't mean either of them is bad or not autistic, just that they have conflicting needs

i 100% agree with the last part too. i disliked toshiro at first myself bc i had been (and still do ngl) projecting onto laios hard and the conflict they had reminded me of times when people have been mean or angry at me irl for social blunders i've made unintentionally, or when someone i thought liked me/was my friend turned out to actually hate me. it's a common experience for autistic people and that scene resonates with that! but i think it also helps to take a step back from projecting our own traumatic experiences onto the scene and just look at it objectively. laios isn't perfect either and he's the one who actually starts the physical fight by slapping toshiro (i feel like i don't see many people mention this lol). i feel super bad for him in that scene but he's not a perfect victim and has done things wrong himself too

as an autistic person i've also been in situations where i can relate to toshiro too lol, like where someone is overly physically and emotionally familiar with me when we don't know each other well and i've wanted them to back off but haven't been sure how to say it without hurting their feelings. this kind of conflict is far from just being a "neurotypical vs neurodivergent" thing as a lot of people portray it in the fandom

idk i just wish people would think a little more deeply about the scene and put their own emotions and experiences aside to instead consider the conflict with the added context of the individual characters and their respective cultures + the situation they're in. people don't have to like toshiro but i wish they wouldn't paint him as a villain or make up awful shit about him just to justify their feelings when he isn't even that bad of a dude in canon yknow 😑. also we literally see him at rock bottom struggling and freaking out and i think that's important to remember. in a different context i doubt he would have ever said those things to laios

[ultimategenshintournament]

Ultimate Ship Tournament: Round 2

Propaganda below cut

Ayatitto (submitted 3 times):

ok so I'm kinda coming at this from a queerplatonic angle but hear me out. They're Bros. they hang out together regularly and play games. now Ayato is a very busy, stifled, emotionally repressed, and kind of sadistic person. so why on EARTH would be hang out with Itto to just play games? he doesn't even like, torment him or anything. HENCE!! this is where I posit that Ayato ENJOYS spending time with itto because he ENVIES him, he envies how carefree and happy and playful and ignorant he is, he envies how he can just...be. and when Ayato is with Itto, he gets to feel a bit of that too. he's not the head of the kamisato clan, he's not an important figure in the tri-commission, he's just My Bro Ayato. it gives him the relief to just exist. itto on the other hand experiences so many hardships, people harass and attack him just for existing in a way that is obviously queer (in race, in neurotype, in orientation....(though i HC him aroace)). he's relieved just to have a non-child companion who seems to respect him and play with him and hang around him for who he is, not for who the law wants him to be. i posit that, similar to how Ayato feels accepted in a way that lets him shed his family crest and weight of responsibility by Itto, itto feels accepted in a way that lets him wear his horns with pride. because itto's unabashed ADHD and oni heritage and love for his hobbies is exactly what is ATTRACTIVE about him to Ayato in the first place. there are only like 200 fics for these guys on AO3 the last time I checked. i feel so strongly about them. does anyone see my vision. please

i just think their dynamic is neat! rather than balancing each other out, they just feed into each other's personal form of chaos and yknow what. Good For Them

Xiaoven (submitted 3 times):

THE YEARNING. Xiao's true dream is to find freedom but he still feels bound to his contract with Rex Lapis because technically he Did free him from his previous master so therefore his current duties are technically a form of freedom so to look for another form would be a betrayal and then we have the god of freedom who would probably never initiate for fear of issues with consent but probably also just wants to be seen as himself and not just a god and. yeah

It's sunshine x grumpy character I rest my case.

[dr-wurm]

Because Beejhawk is sooo popular I’ve been kinda trying to work out why I don’t ship them or view them as romantic or sexual. I’m absolutely not sharing this to shit on Beejhawk shippers, I respect your analysis 100% (so pls just scroll on if you don’t want to read a differing opinion). I’d just like to share my opinion on it because I’m sure some people feel similarly to me, and I sometimes feel like the odd one out for not shipping them.

Here are my thoughts:

Firstly, I just really struggle to view BJ as queer. If you set his relationship with Hawkeye to the side, there was nothing about him that I saw as evidence of him being queer. There’s not much more I can say on that.

Secondly, if I DO look at his relationship with Hawkeye, I can obviously see why other people view that as romantic. They are very close and often quite intimate with each other. They really care about one another. They LOVE each other. With this in mind, I can totally understand why people ship them. But…For me it’s actually MORE important that they’re NOT romantic. I absolutely love seeing intimate platonic relationships, and representation of friendships like that between men is even more important to me. I would put some of my friendships on a similar level, so to me it’s really refreshing, especially for a 70s show. Like, men do not have to be gay together to do any of that stuff. I think it’s beautiful that MASH broke down toxic masculinity and said ‘yknow what!! It’s okay to hug your buddies!! It’s okay to tell another man you love him!!! It’s okay to be open with one another!!!!’ That’s super cool.

Thirdly, BJ being a loving wife guy is also really cool to me. That’s the thing I’ve always liked the most about his character tbh. In a decade when shows were full of ‘I hate my wife!!!’ jokes, he stands apart. (Potter does too ofc, but it coming from a younger guy who is more likely to be seen as a role model by young male viewers is worth noting.)

So, like, I DO get it…but him and Hawk being platonic besties is way cooler to me and way more meaningful. Maybe I’ll change my mind some day, but for now this is how I feel.

[nightcolorz]

HI CUTIE PIE ARMANDTOLOGIST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE I have a question and it’s really important

Does Armand like Dr Pepper yes or no

(But also actually thoughts on the way they changed up Armand’s backstory in the show? Cuz now he’s kinda like musical Armand and ik you love that guy real, I JUST WANT UR THOUGHTS)

HI BELOVED HUSBAND LOML SECOND IN COMMAND ARMANDOLOGIST 😍😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

thus is an amazing question….Armand loves doctor pepper and he has a crippling addiction to it (I know this bcus he told me). The fizzy texture makes him tweak out like cats do when they go crazy randomly and his eyes go huge and dilated and he rolls around wildly for like ten minutes straight 🥰

My thoughts on how they changed up Armand’s backstory in the show is that I LOVE IT!! 🙏🙏so so true so true I love musical Armand he is so funny and real, that is such a good comparison. What I love about musical armand is that in making armand a very visible explicit adult while keeping his backstory relatively the same they kind of lean into this alternate reality where by growing up Armand sort of experienced living “past his prime” and was turned in less of a preservation of his beauty and youth (🤢) and more of in a panicked, pathetic last ditch move, which rlly kind of hammers home the sad kicked dog vibe he has ❤️. Like, I love the thematic value of Armand being an eternal child so much. It’s just so so sad and effective, picturing him as this visible child who is yknow, torturing and killing ppl and leading cults, and even owning property and running businesses, but no matter what he is doing he is always displaying this very apparent physical reminder of his stunted growth and his trauma, that will always be anyone’s first impression of him, that causes him active inconveniences and insecurities. He’s a physical embodiment of the most vulnerable time in his life, trying despite it to gain respect and instill fear. He’s like a child ghost!! I love how his stunted growth manifests as a disability, I love how he is often perceived as a girl bcus of his appearance which adds a trans layer, i love how when Armand’s sad he appears for a moment like the child who was abused, I love love love it.

And that version of Armand will always be my favorite, but I still LOVE the way in the show (and musical before her) is doing it. Back on the topic of the musical, while I don’t think it can carry the same layer of tragedy and depth as the books, the musical frames Armand in a way that’s very upsetting in a different way. He’s like, very pathetic 😭. This grown ass man still stuck in time as a “beautiful youth”, longing for the man who sexually abused him when he was fifteen, stuck in the mindset of the child he was, looking for his past in everything he does and everyone he meets. It’s different, but still carry’s that tragic weight 😭. But the musical wasn’t interested (or maybe didn’t have the time) in exploring that tragedy in any depth, so Armand’s pathetic past his prime vibe is framed more as almost comedically embarrassing then sad. And on the note of the show!!!!! What I love so so much about show Armand’s backstory changes is that they take what the musical was putting down but didn’t have time for and explore it with all the weight it needs, and it’s SO GOOD!!!

Armand as not of a literal external youth but instead a metaphorical one, a technical adult who was kept as a slave and treated as a child for his entire adulthood until he was eventually thrust into vampirism and subsequently abandoned, so he carry’s this internal stunting, is AMAZING. He was raised in a way that instilled in him and prevented him from ever being a functioning, independent person, and then forced into roles of dire leadership and horrible loneliness. In one of my fics I compare him to a pampered lap dog who’s been abandoned on the streets. Amc Armand reminds me of the song memory from cats, which has always reminded me of Armand but hits harder in this version. He’s so 😭😭 abandoned elderly cat who is longing for his past (which for Armand was super shitty, but remains the only time he was loved) and just looking to experience that love and comfort again 😭. The “love and comfort” that was sexual and physical abuse and literal enslavement 😭. It’s so sad.

I love that amc iwtv doesn’t necessarily change Armand’s backstory of being sold into slavery, but rlly hammers home in the details that he was and continued to be a slave. The racial element is just, ugh, omg, so mf good. They take Armand’s trauma in the books of being deprived of his cultural background by being sold into slavery and bought by Marius, and basically cut off from his religious beliefs and made to feel alienated from religion bcus of his sexual trauma, and by making Armand a person of color rlly elevate that in a super sad super meaningful way. I also love how they add little horrific traumas to rlly instill that Armand was a slave to Marius, that he was his property. Rlly sad!!! 😭 I love it.

the only thing that I don’t like about the changes in Armand’s backstory (which r not a lot, and r mostly based in Assad zaman’s casting whom I love as Armand, they stay surprisingly faithful to the books) Is the thing where Armand’s parents (apparently) willingly sold him into slavery. Part of the huge tragedy with Armand being sold and loosing himself to that is that his parents were not perfect, and not especially good to him, but they loved him so so much, and he looses his memory and connection to two parents who love and miss him, and are devastated by loosing him. Which even tho it’s technically a better reality for Armand then, he had parents who betrayed him, it hits sm harder imo. But, I don’t resent the writers for that bcus I have a theory that I think it’s very likely that the reality of the books is true, and Armand believes that his parents sold him bcus that was a lie Marius fed him to ease his own guilt about keeping Armand from his family so that he can sexually abuse him. If my theory is wrong, and Armand’s parents rlly did sell him, I will be disappointed and wish they stayed more faithful to the books, but I won’t be super mad cuz I love everything else they r doing so much, and it doesn’t retract from that too much.

On the subject of amc and musical Armand comparisons, I hope the show adapts/ takes inspo from a change that the musical made that I love a lot and think could rlly rlly work in the show. In the musical, during the scene where Armand throws Lestat off the tower, Lestat pushes Armand into doing this by mockingly telling him that Marius is alive and has not only chosen to not reconnect with armand bcus he’s not as important to him as Armand perceives, but also he has told Lestat how Armand was a mistake and he should have never made him bcus Marius thinks he’s crazy and beyond hope. And musical armand screams at Lestat that he’s lying, shouts HE LOVED ME!!! And pushes lestat off the tower, bcus he refuses to accept the reality of his fucked up relationship with Marius. Which, dude, I literally love that change in the musical sm and almost wish it was in the books. I sometimes forget that in the books Armand finds out Marius is alive from Lestats book offscreen and we don’t see his immediate reaction at all, just his reaction to reuniting with Marius after already processing that he’s alive. I RLLY HOPE that amc iwtv takes this change the musical made and elevates it, bcus I am the only guy who talks about it and I need everyone else to care 😭. It would translate so perfectly in the show amc pls hire me.

THWNK U SM FOR THE ASK BBY I LOVE THESE QUESTIONS I LOVE YAPPING!!! ILY

[smoothbrainstuff]

Hunter got the least amount of votes for my Slugcat design poll, so they're actually up first!! Because I'm a sneaky guy like that

I didn't really go into the design with many ideas, I kinda just started drawing shit and hoping I'd like something. One thing I know I wanted for sure was a leg brace equivalent!! So I made them out of king vulture spears and pole plants, the pole plant naturally clings to the skin and keeps the "brace" part tight

Character thoughts under the cut

I interpret the Hunter as sort of a mixed figure. They don't just kill stuff for survival, that'd make them too similar to.. yknow.. Survivor. So instead I see them sorta doing it for fun, while still somewhat respecting nature and not overdoing it (unlike Artificer). They do it in a way to prove themselves, or to try and prove themself to No Significant Harassment, since we can see by their ascension ending they care deeply about him in some way. Beyond their skill of hunting I imagine them being very reserved and distant, they aren't a wild figure, they're very sick with a very important mission, in truth it takes a toll on them. They don't want to die and they don't have enough time to see the beauty of nature, because delivering the key to Looks to the Moon is their directive. The Hunter to me is the most tragic of the Slugcats because they never had a choice in anything. Their only endings include giving into the void forever, or becoming a monster for someone else to slay

[phopollo]

*getting on my hands and knees* Please I would love to know more about your fairytail rewrite, I have also just decided to do a rewatch of it and I am dying for more content/more people to talk about it with (also i love your designs so far and especially the focus on my girl Juvia... would love to know your ideas for both ex phantom lord guys actually)

AKFNWKG OMG HI YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME

GAJEEL & JUVIA MEAN SO MUCH TO ME, BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A DUO, AND I WAS SO SAD ABOUT HOW THEYRE TREATED IN CANON (especially Juvia,,, she was my favorite, but she got done so dirty when they stopped allowing her to he her own character outside of loving Gray,,,) SO IM ELATED YOU WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM, BECAUSE I THINK ABOUT THEM SO MUCH

So!!

I'll start with them as a duo

While members of Phantom Lord, none of the Element 4 were really like.... friends per say, but Gajeel and Juvia had the closest thing to being like........ friendly coworkers of all the relationships among them. Juvia was kind of the only one Gajeel really respected, and Juvia recognized thar Gajeel treated her with as much respect as he could, so she reciprocated (think like,,, verbally acknowledging each other as they passed in the halls, but calling each other by last name)

After joining Fairy Tail, in the immediate aftermath, everyone was still a little cautious of them for understandable reasons. So they kind if unintentionally cling to each other, because..... yknow. They're the only ones not giving each other the side eye, so it doesn't feel like they have to claw through a wall of tension to just hold a simple conversation

The turning point for them into actual friendship is when people start to give them more of a chance! In particular, on a day that Fairy Tail is getting A Bit Rowdy(tm) in the guild hall, and Gajeel turns around, expecting Juvia to have his back, and shes.... she's not there........... and now that he thinks about it, it's been a bit rainy today............... so he gets a little worried and goes looking for her, only to find her hiding in the bathroom because she got a bit overwhelmed and overstimulated because she's never had so many people approach and try to talk to her all at once and never been involved in a brawl like that that wasn't an actual like, fight, and she just...... she needs a minute. So. Gajeel sits with her a bit, because. Yknow. It wouldn't be worth it to go out there and pick fights with everyone and have fun if she's not also going to. It's just not as fun

They get a little awkward sitting there in silence and Gajeel gets antsy. He looks at himself in the mirror, and then down at Juvia and her perfectly styled hair. He goes "Hey wanna help me wash my hair?" And she kind of. Stares at him for a few seconds.

(Bonus doodles of when I was initially thinking about this but never planned to post bc my hand writing is ILLEGIBLE)

So Gajeel takes care of his hair now (very important about him and his character and the change in his hair style between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail)

And after that, they accidentally become Natsu-And-Lucy-But-Cool-Tones

And they're very silly, and I love them very much

Whoops, that on its own was a little longer than I intended, but I'll still go into them individually too

Gajeel;

His insecurity about falling behind the other dragon slayers is a little more prevelant-- he just kind of always feels like he has something to prove

An important part of the Rewrite to me is thst there's the opportunity for characters who didn't really seem to interact as much get the opportunity to, so I'll also put out there thst Gajeel forms pretty tight bonds with Wendy, Erza, team Shadow Gear as a whole not just Levy, and the Strauss siblings

I don't think he really knows what he actually likes to do in his free time. He kind of just tags along with other people doing things they like to do

He's roughly very similar to how he was in canon. A lot of the work I've done on him has been more just smoothing out the edges and adjusting his behavior to reflect the people I've declared him the closest to

Juvia;

It's so important to me that she gets to be a character outside of being in love with Gray. She does still have a crush on him, and she's not super subtle about it, but she's also like.... she's capable of being a normal person around and about him. They are genuinely friends above anything else

She had no idea how to talk to anyone. Cana and Mirajane were lowkey her saviors when it came to learning how to interact with other people and not be a complete freak, so she's super tight with them in particular

In canon, we were shown both thst she made her own Teru Teru Bozus, and that she knit Gray a scarf once. There's also a couple other things we're shown that its never explicitly state she made them, but I feel like the implication is there. So I'm taking those and running with them-- I'm making her a really crafty person, and she loves and takes a lot of comfort in doing things like sewing, knitting, and crocheting, and that's something she notably does in her free time-- especially since she doesn't just do them for the sake of doing them, she almost always makes something for someone (got a little drawing about this incoming actually)

We only really got to know the bare minimum of Juvia's backstory-- that her parents are dead, she was taken in by her uncle who did his best to help her and her rain problem by seeking out water and ice wizards, and then he also died while seeking help for her-- so I've expanded on it a little and made some minor changes! Longest story short; her father died in a workplace accident before she was born, and her mother died during child birth, which is what lead to her being taken in by her uncle. As much as he loved her and was doing his best with her, he also kind of always resented her and blamed her for the death of his sister (her mom) even though it really was not her fault. Juvia sort of always recognized this, but also as a traumatized child, blamed herself, which lead to the intensifying of the rain around her as she got older and understood things better. That's when her uncle started looking for other water wizards and ice wizards to try and help stop the rain. He went out one day to meet with one, and he never came back. Juvia doesn't know if something happened or if the resentment finally built of too much and he just up and left, and that's something she's never going to get closure on. It definitely still plagues the back of her mind and affects the way she acts now, even if she thinks she's moved past that point in her life.

Woah

That was a lot, sorry akfbskd

I hope this was at least some of what you wanted to hear about them!!

[arbitrarycategories]

Hey would you mind sharing what the real point of jekyll and hyde is that Hollywood missed? I have never read the book

You just made my night actually THANK YOU

Long so it’s under a cut :)

(you should totally read the book, it’s not super long and it’s actually really good)

okay tw murder and suicide and like. Violence I guess. It’s a psychological thriller from the Victorian era idk what y’all expect

Alright here’s the part where I admit I’ve never seen a Jekyll and Hyde movie but I HAVE seen various iterations of him in pop culture monster movies where he’s some quirky background character yknow?? The pop culture idea of this guy is kind of wild

First things first!!! Pop culture would have you believe that Dr. Jekyll has a wife or a girlfriend or some shit that Mr. Hyde wants to ravage or cheat on or whatever!! This is false because the only female characters in the entire book are a little girl who gets trampled to establish how Evil Hyde Is and a woman who calls the cops after witnessing a murder as she took a smoke break on a balcony. Neither one of them even has a name :) this is a book with NO BITCHES okay??? There’s barely even any men

Important Character round up!

Mr. Utterson the Lawyer (most of the book is from his viewpoint)

Dr. Lanyon (a friend to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson)

Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (respected Chemist/criminal)

Poole the butler <3

And that’s IT.

Okay there’s also some parliament guy who gets murdered but like whatever. He’s just there to get killed. Bye.

So a very basic plot synopsis is that Mr. Utterson is the guy in charge of Dr. Jekyll’s Will. Because of this he happens to be sort-of-friends with Jekyll because neither of them really have many friends. They’re also both friends with Dr. Lanyon.

Mr. Utterson first becomes aware of Mr. Hyde as a person who exists when a friend (unimportant) of his tells him about this guy who trampled a little girl. Obviously this is fucked up, but the friend has more to the story. Bystanders didn’t let this guy just trample a little girl, they demanded compensation so that she could pay a doctor to help her. Hyde went to a door (which the friend points out bc he and Utterson are on a walk) and makes out a check under the name of Jekyll. And so Utterson is like. Huh what

He goes home and looks at Jekyll’s Will, and Hyde is the guy set to get all his stuff if Jekyll disappears!! And so Utterson is like well that doesn’t make sense for MY friend the Extremely Respected Chemist. So naturally he’s curious and goes poking in that polite Victorian way.

It turns out Hyde lives in Soho but is a FREQUENT visitor to Jekyll’s house, has a key and all the servants know him etc. nobody knows how he and Jekyll met and they’re all a little afraid to ask.

And then there’s a year long timeskip actually. Utterson asked and Jekyll said “yeah don’t worry about it :)” and then we just skip a year.

We come back because Mr parliament gets MURDERED in what seems to be a crime of passion by a certain Mr. Hyde. Like the fact that the guy killed was in parliament was a complete coincidence. I keep meaning to look up the guys name to see if he was a real guy who was just really hated or something but I never get around to it. Anyway. Hyde beats him to death with his cane.

OH YEAH. Break hang on.

HERES THE OTHER THING HOLLYWOOD FUCKS UP THAT I ALMOST FORGOT!!! Hyde is not Hulk!!! He’s not big he has no muscles he’s literally an itty bitty guy!! He’s described as “particularly small”, “little man”, “of small stature”. He’s tiny!!! Truly exemplifying that short people are closer to the devil etc whatever he’s itty bitty and super fucking mean like the worlds worst chihuahua given human form.

Alright back to PLOT

The police recognize Hyde pretty much from the witness description of him, and Utterson is like “well that’s easy I Know Where He Lives” but they can’t find him even though his neighbors all sell him out and they literally go to his place in Soho.

So Utterson goes to ask his good friend Jekyll, who he knows is close with Hyde, where the fuck his buddy is!!! And Jekyll is having like a full on nervous breakdown at this point. Jekyll swears that he’s “done with” Hyde and “he will never more be heard of”. He’s sweating and shaking and generally looking like he’s on drugs or something.

Hyde conveniently left a letter to Jekyll (wow!!) that basically said he had fled the country and thanks for being his friend this whole time :) Utterson has a lil convo with Jekyll where he becomes convinced that since all of Jekyll’s stuff went to Hyde if he disappeared that Hyde was planning to murder Jekyll but the heat from killing a member of parliament had scared him off so Jekyll is safe now. If what Utterson thought was happening was what was ACTUALLY happening this would probably be where the story ends. But NO. First bc Utterson hired a guy to analyze the handwriting on the letter from Hyde to Jekyll and the guy (literally named Mr. Guest) was like “yeah this is Jekyll writing with a different slant idk who he’s fooling” and so Utterson is now convinced that Jekyll is covering for Hyde for some reason

And SECOND because jekyll starts acting like a crazy person. Poole the butler shows up at Utterson’s house one day like “hey my boss is freaking me out and also his voice changed?? I think Hyde is living in his room and pretending to be jekyll”

So naturally they bust into his locked room with an axe. Like you do. It’s not his bedroom it’s like his chemistry room idk they just call it his cabinet but it’s Clearly Some Kind of Lab. Anyway they find Hyde’s dead body on the floor <3 he has pretty explicitly killed himself with cyanide.

They also find a couple letters, which make up the rest of the book.

The first one is from Dr. Lanyon (remember Lanyon?). Lanyon writes all about how Jekyll started acting like a crazy person and had him deliver a drawer (like, pulled out of a dresser and full of chemicals) from Jekyll’s cabinet to Hyde, who Lanyon has never met. The description is this part is actually really good, you can tell it’s Hyde who shows up to meet Lanyon even though it never says his name. This is the part where he mixes the chemicals like the worlds worst smoothie and then fucking Shapeshifts back into Jekyll right in front of Lanyon :) why did he Do this. At this point in the story we are hearing this from Lanyon’s letter instead of Lanyon himself because Lanyon fucking Died when it was still Uttersons pov and didn’t tell anyone what he had learned?? He thought nobody would believe him ig but he tells Utterson he has had a shock and will die within a few weeks and then he literally Does. Like what the fuck man.

The next letter is from Jekyll!! It is a confession of how exactly Hyde came to be AND WHY.

Look me in the eyes. THIS IS THE PART POP CULTURE GETS COMPLETELY WRONG!!!!!!

Jekyll, being a well respected Member of Society, wanted to expunge himself of all evil desires by splitting himself into two people, one who is good and one who is evil. He manages to make a chemical potion of some kind that lets him shift between two bodies. Here’s where the text will get you: Jekyll is an unreliable narrator.

IT DOESNT WORK!!!!! He claims that Hyde immediately felt more evil but was shocked when he switched back to Jekyll and didn’t feel any different than before. Jekyll is still just as good and JUST AS EVIL as before he downed his magic shapeshifting potion!! Jekyll didn’t invent a second, more evil form, he invented a mask he could hide behind that let him escape all accountability for his actions.

And you know the most damning proof?? The switch has started happening without him drinking the potion. He will go to sleep as Jekyll and wake up as Hyde, and it’s taking more and more doses to turn back into Jekyll. At the time he writes the letter, he is permanently stuck as Hyde, but the letter is from JEKYLL and laments the guilt he feels for actions done as Hyde. He condemns Hyde as if that IS a separate person!! But Hyde has the same mind and should that Jekyll does, just a different face, and Jekyll is lying to himself.

Anyway that’s what happens in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s all about this lawyer dealing with the most Batshit series of events a client has ever made him deal with <3