#we don't even fully know their dynamic to even call it toxic

[dtaegis]

OMG the way I feel you on Eva x Iris. The way it’s been labeled toxic yuri when they’re not is criminal. THEY ARE ENEMIES TO LOVERS. And I’ve only seen ONE person besides you get that. Even if it being ‘toxic yuri’ started out as a joke, it stopped being funny a long time ago if it were ever funny to begin with. They’re enemies to lovers and the physical manifestation of the Barbie and Ken mugshot meme and I hope more people start to get that. Because I honestly might cry if I have to sit through more of people calling it toxic yuri or some variation. Because it feels like everyone is treating this ship as a punchline and others a punching bag. And it sucks so badly to see a ship get treated this way when it did nothing to deserve it

AND THE WORST PART???? THERE ARE PEOPLE HATING ON IT BC IT'S "TOXIC" WHEN IT ISN'T

my honest to God opinion on whether a ship is toxic is if there's some kind of imbalance or extreme (co)dependence. or. y'know. classic abusive things. iris and eva would be toxic if like, iris was a fan of hers and eva took that to her advantage for iris to drop investigating this criminal that's going around. THAT'D be toxic bc there's manipulation and power imbalance going on

but the cat and rat thing? just enemies to lovers! iris and eva to me read as cunty lesbians sherlock and moriarty honestly (the classic adc version), just 2 extremely intelligent people that are on opposite sides, but if it were for one small change, either of them could change sides

it has the potential to be the most interesting jd couple and we could get another queer couple, but nooo people have to label normal fucking ships as "toxic" bc Gor forbid a couple disagree on some things

also LMAO i love your interpretation of them being the manifestation of the barbie and ken mugshot meme. i need to see a drawing of it now

[theeartuaist]

Sometimes, I don't know what is worse, a yandere who's so delusional or a yandere who's so self-aware yet engages in obsessive and possessive behaviour nonetheless. Walk with me.

Like the delusional ones are terrifying because they genuinely believe they're doing the right thing. They'll lock you in a room and be like "this is for your own good my love" while you're screaming and they're serving you breakfast in bed with a smile.

They are so deep into the rabbit hole they've convinced themselves the hole doesn't exist. They're the ones who'll leave seventeen voicemails saying "I just want to make sure you're okay" while standing outside your window with a crowbar. They've rewritten reality in their minds like a twisted Choose Your Own Adventure book where every path leads to "happily ever after... or else."

BUT THE SELF-AWARE ONES

They'll deadass be like "I understand that my behavior is possessive, controlling, and violates multiple boundaries" then proceed to install 23 tracking apps on your phone. They know it's wrong. They can recite chapter and verse why their behavior would earn them a restraining order in any sane jurisdiction. But that knowledge doesn't stop them—it amplifies them.

They're out here doing full psychological analysis of their own behavior pattern while simultaneously deepening the pattern. They'll be in therapy describing their yandere tendencies in clinical detail to their therapist, nodding along to the coping mechanisms, and then walking straight out and buying 15 more security cameras for your house.

They're literally like "I know I'm toxic and you deserve better... anyway here's the 200-page dissertation I wrote about why we're soulmates based on the fact that we both like the same flavor of ice cream"

They can ratio you in an argument so hard because they'll use actual psychology textbooks to explain why their obsessive behavior is actually a totally rational response to their deep-seated attachment issues.

Like bro you can cite Jung and Freud all you want but you're still wearing my hoodie that you stole 3 months ago and sniffing it while updating your spreadsheet of my daily routines

The delusional yandere is in a horror movie. The self-aware yandere is in a psychological thriller where THEY'RE the unreliable narrator, the author, AND the reader all at once.

God help you if you try to ghost these bastards. The delusional one will keep calling until the phone lines fray from overuse. The self-aware one? They'll explain, in terms so clinical they could be published in the New England Journal of Stalking, exactly why your attempt to establish boundaries is actually detrimental to what they've determined is your "necessary codependency dynamic."

They're out here weaponizing therapy speak:

• "I need to process my abandonment trauma through this tracking device"

• "My love language is gift giving" buys your entire apartment complex

• "I'm just looking out for your mental health" hacks your DMs to delete messages from potential romantic interests

The self-aware yandere invented gaslighting yourself because they'll literally be like "I am fully cognizant of the fact that I'm gaslighting you right now", even providing footnotes explaining the exact gaslighting techniques they're employing while you be standing there like 🧍‍♀️ what do I even do with this information.

I think what fascinates me the most about self-aware type of yandere is that they exists in a state of perpetual dramatic irony. It's like they are trapped in a play where the audience (themselves) knows exactly what the character (also themselves) is doing, yet the show must go on! Scene by recursive scene.

TL;DR: Delusional yanderes are playing a game where they don't know the rules. Self-aware yanderes are speedrunning social relationships while reading the instruction manual and deliberately ignoring it.

Pick your poison I guess?

[agarafile]

shinyduo/gempearl nation we are SO BACK so it's time to overanalyze these freaks again

something about the genuine resignation and belief that gem has about how, no matter what she does or how she presents herself to be, her reputation as 'geminislay' always leads to her being perceived as dangerous and a target in the life series. so she has just kinda resigned herself to fit into the role and expects others to not like her from the beginning. i would say this is kinda character development for controlfreakazoid3000 (but also. it doesn't feel like it)

HOWEVER pearl's reaction when she heard gem say that was so important to me. it's such a little interaction but i think it speaks as how in pearl's eyes gem has always been more than geminislay and her 'all-knowing' competent nature. and it's not like grian's reaction who hears gem and accepts her words as the truth despite the skepticism. pearl hears her and she REJECTS the idea; at first, she might think it's gem just being silly and lying for the funsies, but by the end of the conversation when she quietly goes "what do you mean" before gem decides that they should be villains, i think pearl realizes that gem sorta does genuinely believe it. maybe we are finally seeing them take steps into resolving their issues and understading each other ESPECIALLY with that last conversation in pearl's episode (which is driving me up the wall the fact that it was INTERRUPTED-).

shiny duo your dynamic and storyline will never not be peak

YAY OVERANALIZING GEMPEARL!!!!

you are so right, anon!! i love how pearl takes gem serious with that small convo, bc it is a core trait of gem's character. she is paranoid over it. but also? pearl is the one that had to learn, from experience, that a previous season doesn't matter when starting anew. pearl being the one to guide gem through it? delicious food for thought, fr

i think it is really interesting how their dynamic is shifting this season. shiny duo really does graviate into each other's orbits naturally, so working together is a really rational next step for them. grian phrased it as looking for "the strongest members" but it is important how they are not only strong on their own, but how they work together. and shiny duo works so well together

their goals are aligned most of the time. they compliment each other's pvp style (gem is a sprint and crit, she shines best with close combat, while pearl is good at the long combat style, bows and timing and using resources in her favor, especially her common use of wolves). and they are loyal. omg shiny duo is a very loyal pair. obviously to their teammates, but especially to each other. even when in their "divorce era", you could see how dedicated they were

WHICH!!! BRINGS ME TO MY POSSIBLY FAVORITE DYNAMIC WE'LL GET THIS SEASON!!

shiny duo is protective of each other. pearl has already shown she heavily disagress with the way gem reputation follows ger through seasons when she hasn't done anything. gem is quick to defend pearl when it seems she is being even remotetly made fun of. all this while pearl says she is "going to take care of gem". all this while glorifying the violent impulses they have. all this while gem call her "my pearl"

i am very excited to watch them this season, really. i loved their toxic yuri, but i am so ready for the mutual support that will happen this time around. i still cannot believe they even teamed up!!!

narrativly speaking? shiny duo still has A LOT to work to do. i don't think they can fully trust each other yet. but by god, they want to. they want to so much they are willing to hold onto each other and ignore the dagger they are pointing into the other's back.

[johannesviii]

Two months ago I wanted to comment on trauma-express' excellent post about the more or less one-way emotional support dynamic between Grace and Simon, but then I realised that it wasn't polite to hijack a post, and that I had far too much to say about these two idiots. And by the time I decided to make my own post, the thing had turned into a fucking essay. Then the essay developed branches and turned into a mini-thesis on the main characters of Book 3. At this point the thing is like 20 pages long, so I’m going to divide it between several posts because it’s going to be unreadable otherwise. I don't know when I'll post the other parts. but yeah

So here's a part I'd like to call

On the nature of leadership

Grace and Simon have fundamentally different ways of seeing what it means to "be the leader", and each is, in my opinion, a direct consequence of their stubbornness in developing their toxic traits and defining themselves by their problems rather than solving them. And each is also visible very early on in Book 3, way before everything starts going completely awry

Grace obviously cares about all these lost children. But given her behaviour in Book 2 and throughout the first episode of Book 3, I think her central problem, this lack of affection and recognition that makes her do anything to get attention, has led her to conflate "attention" with "affection". For her, being the leader means being admired, being the centre of attention, having total control over other people, and never, ever being neglected.

To be admired, and therefore in her logic, loved, she quickly discovered that the easiest way was to lie, consciously or not, so as to appear to always know what she was doing, and to always look like the one who is right and who knows how things work. She built an entire cult out of it, and it seems to be almost by accident! It was simply the most effective way to get attention, to be surrounded by a lot of people, and to have total control over them.

It clearly puts a massive amount of pressure on her. It’s no coincidence if that golden mask is a recurring motif with her - she’s constantly trying to keep the illusion intact, and in turn, it prevents her from examining her own issues too closely. We literally know her by that mask before we even know her face or her name in Book 2. It defines her, and it defines her vision of what she has to do as a leader.

And we see in episode 4 that it makes it really hard for her to talk about how she really feels, because she’s afraid people won’t see her as the leader anymore, and by her own logic, neglect her. She's genuinely scared to show any kind of vulnerability, even for only a couple of minutes, and even if it's only to her best friend. It breaks my heart

By contrast, among the Apex, Simon is clearly less popular than Grace, judging by Lucy's attitude in episode 1. I'm under the impression they go to Grace first when they have a question or need something, and don't interact directly with Simon that much. He's not interested in being admired or popular, it seems.

Instead, he clearly has an interest in anything resembling rule systems (he quotes protocols regularly and episode 2 implies that he writes a lot of them) and pseudo-militaristic structures - he too wants to feel like he's in control of everything, but in a very different way. He wants to follow the rules, and he wants to be right because he's following them.

My guess is that his central problem, this need to be right all the time, was fully validated when Grace was the leader, so he didn't actively want to take her place. For him, the leader is the one who is always right, and who doesn't break the rules. And she was exactly that person for him, so he didn’t mind her being the boss – if anything, he liked it because he didn’t have to make choices, something that clearly stresses him out.

When you're insecure and under the impression (regardless of it being correct or not) that you're in perpetual survival mode, following strict rules and having someone else who calls the shots for you according to the same rules feels really safe. It feels validating, too. I've been there. I mean just look at his stupid smirk whenever Grace confirms he's right about something

So basically in one corner we have someone who thinks being a leader is being admired, and who does that by pretending she knows how everything works and that she's always right - and in the other corner, we have someone who thinks being a leader is, in fact, being always right, and who admires anyone who he perceives to be like that.

The thing is, because they both seek validation in these two completely complementary ways, they created another negative feedback loop (I’ve talked about the cycle of abuse they both perpetuate in this other post) that was slowly but surely turning them into the worst possible versions of themselves

[identityua]

Haha... hi... slides in so cooly and normal-y... I hope you're doing well!! :D

I always find it so so interesting seeing people's relationship headcanons?? So if you're down for it, could we potentially see headcanons regarding a relationship with Richard Sterling and a gender neutral reader? If not that is so chill 🫡 I just think he's so neat & even with the little bit we've been given lore-wise, he's genuinely really interesting.

Anyways, thank you if you do, and no hard feelings if ya don't!! 🫶 :3

I don’t know what you guys see in him… but who am I to judge? Let me know If I messed up his character, I went purely off the canon knowledge here. (Also omg I finally finished my midterms, we can start the finals prep now!)

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R. STERLING HCS

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PAIRINGS: Richard Sterling x GN! Reader

WARNINGS: Sensitive content. Richard being Richard, abusive/toxic relationship dynamics, mentions of intentional harm. Read at your own discretion...

Not proofread!

Source: ianrkives

Let’s start with a little analysis!

You can rely on Mariyka to never sugarcoat someone’s personality or flaws. Maybe, some like to portray this “Knight” as a lovesick, obsessive, manipulative romantic. A dark fantasy, so to say. A term that is often applied to this character archetype is “yandere” — an individual willing to do anything for their love.

Here’s the big kicker. Richard cannot love.

One thorough glance at your partner’s mind under a microscope can tell us a lot about his mental health. Let me put my nerd glasses on as I diagnose Mr. Sterling. Psychopathy and narcissism, textbook examples. While of course not everyone with the diagnostic criteria will push their "sister" down a flight of stairs, the shoe fits unfortunately. This one is villainous and the diagnosis does not help.

So, how does he fit the shoe? Richard does not display empathy or remorse towards his actions, he conceals his true intentions, he is a pathological liar and has delusions of grandiose. He wants to pose as the “Knight”, the ultimate savior for his royal highness. In this case, that is you (condolences).

At first, in pursuit of your heart Richard will come off as charming and dreamy. It may seem like a fairytale! You are the delicate rose and he is the nurturing florist, attending to your every beck and call. In fact, he may proclaim undying love for you as soon as there are hints of reciprocation from your side.

He will use the gentlest words of affirmation to coax you out of your shell and learn what makes you tick. People you value, places you like, your deepest fears... All will be used to keep you glued to his side without a chance of leaving. Richard is fully committed to fostering an illusion of a perfect relationship where his beloved can hide behind his back at any sign of danger. But what to do If he is the danger? Who to call for help now?

All escape routes will be gradually cut off, leaving you to solely rely on your partner. Sterling will step-by-step isolate you away from any support net you have had before, entirely submerging your being underwater, trapped in a fishing net of his unyielding devotion. At least he tries to write it off as devotion. The kisses he showers you with are sickly-sweet honey, ignore the bitter aftertaste.

In reality, the intense feelings hammering in the "Knight's" ribcage are a twisted concoction of preoccupation with the ideal love and a sense of entitlement. He deserves to be your only one, he is the only one who can provide his lover with the best conditions. Your opinion on the matter is irrelevant, Richard knows what is best for you.

Granting you with the ability to be beside him should be an honor you flaunt akin to a precious trophy. After all, the public exclusively sees his affectionate glances towards you and self-sacrificial gestures. The local aunties are in awe at this gentlemanly socialite! Play your role, whether you like it or not. If you are a disobedient actor... well, let's just say he might take some heavier measures to keep you in line.

As a mere boy, your partner was capable of manipulating servants to put them in sticky positions that endangered their well-being. Taking ladders down and leaving maids stranded on roofs, tripping up servants carrying heavy pots. Those little pranks were just a child's play (quite literally). Richard's been off his rollers for a while now, his sadistic creativity sky-rocketing with the flow of time. Tread on eggshells around this one. He may be patient, but pushing it is a bad idea.

A misstep previously cost him everything, forcing his hand at erasing the memories in the flames. He cannot mess up again. No matter how much you analyze the little twitches of your partner's face, Richard can never expose his true self. Can’t you see? He is just the perfect man catered to your desires.

Jealousy is not the right term to describe the sheer amount of hatred he has for any advances towards you. Remember, his sense of identity is built around an illusion. If someone tries to interfere with it? Richard takes it as a personal attack and responds accordingly. Quietly, not to seed any doubt that would compromise his image.

Your "lover" does not shy away from rather unconventional and at times disturbing methods of manipulation. Forget raising a hand at you, no, that would bruise his illusion of a perfect bond. Why not slip an herb you are allergic to into your tea instead? Or "coincidentally" leave you locked out of the residence for the night? A perfect opportunity to have you helplessly rely on your knight-in-shining-armor, chipping away at your self-efficacy.

"My dearest angel, I will cure thy illness.", wiping away the sweat from your feverish forehead, Sterling will grasp at your jaw just tightly enough to cause a stinging sensation. His smile is loving, yet his constricted pupils tell a different story. You write off the threat in Richard's tone alongside a chilling promise as side-effects of the brain fog. You must be seeing things. And he will go to great lengths to keep you in this vulnerable position.

Now, for the million dollar question – does Richard ever develop an attachment to you? The answer is surprisingly yes! However, there are some complications.

Within the first stages of your relationship the "Knight" sees no further than your usefulness in his ideal play. A resource to be discarded If it loses value. Gradually, that fixation begins to make a tiny space for you as a person. Richard finds himself genuinely intrigued by your personality traits and interests, which confuses him to no end. How did he come around to purchase your favorite novel, not because it caresses his ego... but because he wants you to enjoy it? Conflicting and unprocessed emotions will simmer in his mind, resulting in irritation. Then, wariness. Finally, acceptance.

Perhaps, for the first time in his emotionally bland life, there is a sense other than morbid curiosity. Should this realization excuse your partner's malicious actions? Absolutely not! The manipulation will not subside at any point, his delusional goals will keep you on your toes no matter what.

Yet, there will be flowers every morning by your bedside, their fragrance thoughtfully matching your preferences. Richard finds it amusing to scratch this unexplored itch of placing importance onto another person. Don't even think about leaving him. It was never an option the moment you've interlocked your hands in a promise of an eternal love. As the "Knight" he is forever loyal to your bond and the same sentiment is expected in return.

[nqueso-lies]

https://www.tumblr.com/nquesoxlies/780567152604463104/let-people-be-upset-about-their-favorite?source=share

tbh there's also something a loooot of ppl need to learn calling "setting realistic expectations." i personally wouldn't want eddie back without an on-screen conversation between him and CHRIS about what CHRIS wants, otherwise his entire plot in texas would feel kinda moot with a throwaway "yeah chris is fine with coming back to LA :)" since this plot was big enough for eddie to drop everything to go finally make things right with his son. i didn't expect for him to show up for the two-parter. meanwhile, everyone i saw who was momentarily disappointed bc no tommy was like "ah well, we know we're almost definitely getting him next episode bc of leaks" and went on to enjoy the episode as a whole

its genuinely fine to go "aw no eddie? :(" its Not fine to review bomb an episode and repeatedly bitch about the director not putting ur favorite man in the episode when it makes 0 sense for him to come back so quickly and without showing us that he IS still working on being a better dad to chris. hell, go write fanfic about it where eddie IS back instead of review bombing!!! that's probably a way more fun use of time than review bombing!!!

honestly, these fans make me dislike eddie more and more ngl which isn't even the actor or the writers faults at all. if he leaves the show then it's not going to impact me that much unless his ending is fully unsatisfying, and that'll be more of a "cmon, writers, you knew this was where this was going, do better." i have never watched the show only for eddie like these people have. came into the show expecting to love madney + henren and ended up very emotionally invested in bathena while enjoying buck and eddie as well. i'm on the same page as a lot of ppl who have been here longer than i have been: we love the entire show rather than just eddie. honestly, i think half of these people don't even like buck. i already know most of them don't give a shit about the rest of the show from insulting ravi over him distracting buck with tommy to turning josh into the "number 1 b*ddie cheerleader" to ignoring henren unless they can use them as a "gotcha!!! you don't actually care about queer rep!!!" like.

@ BoBs: do YOU? because every time there's queer rep that threatens ur fanon ship, u actively get homophobic about it down to, what, 600? of you PROUDLY admitting you would commit a hate crime to make your stupid ship canon--including both real men and fictional characters like josh and tommy in your "i'd hate crime for them teehee!" bullshit.

idk queso its just wild to me how often i also see the "eddie diaz pretty pretty princess who wants to paint his nails!!!" like. painting ur nails isnt gendered, the fuck? BoBs see anyone gender non-conforming and goes "wow, inherent sign of queerness, i am very smart :)" while feeding directly into toxic masculinity with the idea that if you don't adhere strictly to what's deemed masculine, then clearly you're queer. even if you say you're straight and know you're attracted to women and only women, you're gay because you (checks notes) have emotions and cry over your friends and did ballroom dancing when you were younger.

anyway if im being petty then i kinda hope that eddie leaves to focus fully on chris and making a life for the two of them in el paso and ravi takes his place on the team so that we get indian rep permanently on the show for a bit! i think he could bring some new life into the team (regardless of whether the show goes on for one season or more) and it'd be nice to see buck in a mentor position to him. plus i'd love to see his dynamic with the rest of the team <3 i am still available to play his love interest who is there for a single episode before being relegated to one-off mentions <3 /hj

Yes to alllllll of this, Annie!!!

What's ironic to me, based on something you mentioned, is the nail painting. They want sooooo hard for RG to actually be gay yet an actor who does paint his nails (for self-harm reasons) they call a slur and tell him to die.

Like???? Wtf are we doing???

(I know your ask is about the characters but that shit will always rub me the wrong way about Ryan stans)

[wrwinters]

Rambling about Zolilanette Dynamics

I really don't know what specifically sent me on this...I don't even know if I could call it a rabbit hole, but it has been taking over my thoughts all day.

So, I ship Lilanette (don't judge me) and Zoenette (they're adorable okay!), do I think either can/should be canon? Nope, the my feelings for the Love Square may have changed since I first picked up the show, but I'm not gonna throw a riot that it's canon after all these years.b Besides, shipping relationships that have no chance of ever being canon? That's the point of fanfiction!

Anyway, since Marinette has two hands, my brain got to thinking if I could make an OT3 out of this, so here we are. So I guess by association I kinda ship Zolila/Zoelila as well?

This is just gonna be me rambling so don't expect me to make a lot of sense here (or for what I say to fully align with canon), I'm just getting all my thoughts out on the potential here.

So consider this my (and probably the very first) Zolilanette Headcanon?

All three of them have habits/self images that are built from expectations and how others see them

Zoe’s natural instinct is to be a people pleaser. Both for better and for worse and usually at the sacrifice of her own self identity. She is a good person, but that can get overshadowed by her desire to be accepted.

Lila’s a chameleon that uses people’s perception of her to make herself seem more interesting than she actually is, leading her to wear lots of masks/faces, with no one ever knowing who she truly is (possibly including maybe herself). Fueled by a need/desire to be someone special, someone important. Yeah it’s selfish, but its really all she has

Marinette doesn’t want to disappoint people, there’s always that need for things to be perfect, leading to her to always put others before herself. Add on top of that that she’s a hero and that just compounds. Doing things for selfish reasons is a foreign subject to her

Each of those behaviors are probably exhausting in several aspects. So that leads me to Zolilanette and what their dynamic could be, relief/sanctuary from those images, expectations, performances and just being able to…just be

Let's break down each side of this love triangle

Zolila - With Zoe and Lila there’s an almost unspoken understanding/respect between the two of them, they’re both performers with complicated relationships with their families so in that sense they know what it’s like for the other. They see through the acts the other puts on, and give each other a break from needing to do it. Like a pair of actors in between takes on a set just vibing.

Lilanette - Lila and Marinette butt heads are at each other’s throats most of the time, but at the same time that dynamic really invigorates them. There’s a passion between them they can’t have with anyone else. It keeps things exciting between them and it's totally not toxic yuri what are you talking about And going deeper that connection also somewhat ‘infects’ each other. Being around Marinette eases Lila to the idea of honestly doing things for others, while being around Lila helps ease Marinette to the idea of being selfish once in a while and doing things purely for herself.

Zoenette - Marinette and Zoe just support each other no questions asked and can just tell when something is up with the other and will reach out to the other to help. Pure acceptance with no chance of disappointment. They have each other, they’re trying their best, and know the other will always have their back is relaxing.

And then when you put them all together

Lila is someone important/special to Zoe and Marinette without a single lie required Zoe can effortlessly please Marinette and Lila by just being herself Marinette will never disappoint Lila and Zoe and being with them is perfect by itself

Alright, ramblings over, if you made it to this point then maybe there's something here? at least enough that you were willing to hear me out? I don't know, maybe I'm trying to shove round pegs into square holes

Thanks for coming to my ted talk I guess?

[magical-girl-coral]

I did the mistake of entering a blog that unironically reblogs confessional discourse posts and read a lot of stupid takes so here's me debunking them, I guess:

Why didn't the Bad Kids reach out to the Rat Grinders? - They did. Multiple times. The Rat Grinders were mean to them back so the Bad Kids dropped that plan. Ivy was racist about Mazey to hurt Fabian's feelings. Adaine called Oisin cool in one episode and then saw him murder Buddy the next. Fig and Kristen tried to recruit Mary Ann several times and she didn't give a fuck. Ruben fully tried to antagonize Fig when he first saw her because he could. They don't owe them to stick to people who were sucky to them.

From a mechanical standpoint, Brennan did this so they players won't waste time on them and move on to solve the mystery. From a story perspective, it was because the Rat Grinders refused to be saved. They were too brainwashed by rage and they refused to let it go. Even in the last fucking battle Fig tried to reach out as Wanda Childa and Ruben almost killed her with a ninth level spell. I'd say they were pretty fucking patient if you ask me.

The Bad Kids were too mean to the Rat Grinders in the final battle! - No, they were not. Oisin taunted Adaine about her greatest fears before trying to murder the entire student body. Ivy was racist in her last moments and called Mazey "objectively ugly." Ruben was an asshole to everyone he meets. Kipperlilly tried to get them all expelled since episode three. The Rat Grinders sucked as people when they were villains and the Bad Kids had every right to lose their shit.

Fig was too cruel to Ruben. Getting into his dreams was insane - One, Ruben was a villain NPC that won't stop threatening her party. She entered his dreams after he tried getting them kicked out of school by offering them drugs. Pete entered Kingston's dream palace after he threatened to take Pete if he gets out of line again. When PCs get threatened, they act out. Secondly, this is how the team finds out about devil's honey, one of the more important discoveries they've had yet. Her entering his dreams worked.

Thirdly, shatter star Ruben was a creep that dated his fans (an extremely uneven power dynamic) and then made songs out of being toxic in those relationships. Sandra Lynn, Fig's mother, had her life ruined by a man that tricked her into a toxic relationship with an uneven power dynamic. Insane that no one made this connection yet.

How could the Bad Kids kill them when they were forced into being Shatter Starred? - This one pisses me off the most because of how much this is based on hindsight. The Bad Kids didn't know the Rat Grinders were forced into the ritual. They canonically knew few things:

The Rat Grinders joined a rage ritual after their sophomore year spring break adventure

They almost definitely killed their cleric Lucy Frostblade

They famously hated the Bad Kids since forever.

They never went on real adventures and instead grind rats for their first year and then were power leveled by two teachers

Not once was it hinted none of them wanted to commit to the ritual. It was a popular fan theory but that's it. The only one who evidently didn't was Lucy and Yolanda and they found their bodies in the forest with runes written on their bones so they couldn't be brought back.

Isn't it weird how the Bad Kids did a 180 and asked the Rat Grinders to be brought back once the battle was done? - No. They only found out at the very last minute that the only one who did the ritual willingly was Kipperlilly after she died and her lack of a scar was revealed. This was at at the very end of the season finale. Of course the Bad Kids felt bad after they put 2 and 2 together and asked them to be brought back, they were the same way about Ragh and Awelyn when they found out more about their backstories.

It's so shitty of Brennan to not delve into any of the Rat Grinders' backstories - We still don't know if Jawbone is Tracker's biological uncle or not. We don't know if Sandra Lynn's family supported her after the scandal or not. We don't know the name of Ragh's father or any of the mothers' maiden names. A lot of NPCs in Fantasy High have a shit of information missing because only the plot relevant stuff comes up. Some NPCs are more relevant than others, that's just how it is.

I remember when people used to make forums to theorize about a character's past. We made OCs and new cities out of fun when the creators didn't. Where's the fucking joy, man? Where is the fucking whimsy?

I bid you all adieu with this:

Get in the fucking transcripts, for the love of god.

[34saveme34]

A Hitshow/Gunshow/whatever you call WPNZxPuzzles rant

Okay so, I just wanted to say a few words and I'll try not to get off topic, considering how there's another rant in me that is tangentially related to this.

First of all: I love all the silly fanart so much! It's really fun to see it, I mean there's a reason it's all over my blog currently.

I love all the ways we discuss them, how they could maybe even flourish together, half jokingly saying "they could fix each other" or "they could make each other worse" for the sillies, drawing them making out is also so real. People telling you off for drawing them can go suck on a particularly sour lemon.

Now. That is of course not the thing I want to in any way go against because like, I love the different interpretations on how people want to make them work and all that. But. But but but.

THE REAL first of all of this: saying they're canon or confirmed is wrong. It was in no way confirmed to happen, didn't nearly have enough interaction to be considered canon and of course- Sometimes scenes can be misleading.

Because I've been thinking about their one single scene together, something that was hyped up but definitely only because of Puzzles's comeback. I didn't want to like, fully admit it for a bit as an overly emotional person, but the tease and such were way more about his comeback than them teaming up, the team up was secondary.

AND I don't know a lot about bladerunners, I'm actually not well versed in movies and shows in general so it shouldn't be a surprise but as far as I know and how I've seen this scene interpreted before, it's NOT inherently romantic! And I feel like it was way way more so for the nature of the well- recruit I guess. It just so happens that well- Puzzles can relate very very well in a way that I'm pretty sure couldn't be said about the bladerunners original scene? I think? I gen don't know sorry. I'm saying this after reading people talk about it.

Like what it IS about VERY inherently is loneliness. And I feel like the scene implies romance less but perhaps.... future dependence? Like, I cannot tell you what the dynamic will actually look like between the 2, you and I, we can spin many many many many different ways on it could go, but in the end we will only know when they show us. Like Puzzles could absolutely control the hell out of him, they could develop a very bickery relationship that makes them look like an old married couple, maybe they genuinely end up depending on each other in a very toxic yet gratifying way like YES at last there is CARE in the world and they CARE LIKE NO ONE ELSE and stuff like that Idk. Probably not the 3rd because I don't think they'd ACTUALLY make them canon.

And as I thought about it, if they don't become canon, which they won't, it wasn't really queerbait. The scene just CAN have romantic vibes is all.

And now, before I get any bullshit, I will explain to you what queerbait is. Queerbait is about promising us LGBTQ representation and then either not following through with it or it being so quick you miss it. I don't think it is queerbait here, as I've talked about how the scene can be talked about in a non romantic way too. Also 34 not being canon outright isn't queerbait, they're just so bad at pulling they can't even outright pull each other, they have to skirt around it and act like we don't actually know. Like 4 being pretty much confirmed bisexual and not being with 3 doesn't mean that we're being queerbaited, actually what we have here is bitcless bisexual, an equally important asset to our dear community, just like the meme "Get a girfriend son" "Or a boyfriend, he's bi" "Damn nobody want you fr". Besides I think his queerness isn't really blink and you'll miss it if I'm being real. Neither is SMG3's being blink and you'll miss it. People are just in denial. So yeah, stop saying that SMG4 is queerbaiting us please <3 leave that kinda stuff for actually problematic instances of it, like how disney handles it.

Also my kind of crack thing but I have a curse where I only like pairings that don't become canon, and since I'm clinging on this one for dear life, the chance is anything BUT big.

[ferremc3]

(sending this off anon cause i don't think it matters) hi sorry for taking so long to reply i finally watched through your unstableverse timestamps and i do like uu!clownferre a lot! sure their dynamic doesn't get that much screentime (understandable), but them being actual long-term teammates is so good. especially when ferre shows up alone and people immediately wonder where clown is like you guys are not beating the allegations.... also re: joining the discord i'm already in it oops. sorry i didn't say anything i'm not the best with talking online outside of anon asks. also hey i didn't know about them joining random smps to massacre the players, that's going to be living in my brain for a while too i think. clownferre and their tendency towards concerning amounts of bloodshed.... it's such a good concept whether they go on a good old-fashioned murder spree or it goes completely wrong for them. lastly: some yap abt the wemmbu finale episode cause that was my favourite one ->

- the way ferre's first appearance is him wordlessly walking up to clown to splash strength for both of them is so. that might be the most romantic gesture you can do in minecraft. (sort of reminds me of that twitter clip of them testing out the mace where he splashes up clown before letting him mace him. very cute honestly)

- were they just having a normal conversation when wemmbu snuck in. hello. that whole section is so fun though i need to watch them fight together more often (except there's no fucking content of course). it's funny how much more talkative ferre is than clown during fights. uhh him basically lighting tnt on clown and telling him "it's fine, it won't kill you" was a good moment too. ferre fighting wemmbu and egg later on was also peak they are so unserious!!!

- clownferre crashout yayyyy. really love the part where ferre offers an olive branch/shows concern ("don't die today") and clown fully rejects it and makes sure to make things worse before he leaves. these guys know how to end off an argument properly <3. kinda reminded me of why it's so common to frame mcrp teammate situations as toxic failmarriages? like the living together/sharing everything/knowing each other too well for your own good of course. and also making your major life decisions together and then regretting them. etc!! (i don't actually think clownferre have that unhealthy of a relationship. but they've got potential)

YOU!!! BELOVED ANON. i totally get not talking even i get shy in the discord imma be honest i do not mind if you keep sending anons instead! i fucking love reading your anons all the time

fuck yes my autistic record of timestamps has a target audience this is our freak circus. fr clown and ferre come as a pair they match each other’s freak to a degree that is harmful to everyone around them. If you see one the other will be coming next. they sure are Not beating the allegations.

omg you are also obsessed with the strength pot literally @.peru and i yapped about that as well it’s just. peak. here’s some of my yap on that too

NEED to see them fight together more you are so real for that. i think there are some in the list of vods where they are on the same team but. there’s not enough. it’s so date night coded. ferre sure is more talkative than clown fr. obsessed with that like we know ferre is the better pvper so he probably calls out more in fights. once again married husbands energy. it’s probably a thing where ferre will call out instructions during fights like the tnt and clown will follow im insane about that.

GODDD the wemmbu and egg fight. i love and hate that so much. help im too pvppilled for this. He Would Not Fucking Pvp Like That. like how did they decide that was a plot point. “Yeah wemmbu and egg needs to win this one how do we debuff ferre” “just schedule it for 5pm that’s when the ping is worst for him” man. but anyways u are so right they are so unserious. worst hostage ever this guy is so unserious. he’s somehow the most chill guy in the hostage situation.

I LOVE the crashout. like it has the energy of a serious fight but also u know they will fuck and make up later. it’s so goood. i sure have so much thoughts of how toxic they can still be that’s my fav lol i was raised on the ao3 dead dove tag

anyways my nsfw blog @queereldritchmischief if you want e rated yaps go harass me there<3

i will block minors saying it rn.

[y---control]

Motherhood in HOTD-

Alicent/Rhaenerya as boy mom's

One thing I would love to see in HOTD is Alicent and Rhaenyra as mothers, and how their actions and views on the world, especially regarding patriarchy and women's roles, are passed on to their kids.

Alicent tells her sons they deserve the throne just because they're male. Helaena is somewhat shunned by their family, first because she's a bit strange, and second because she's a woman. She's not seen as providing anything more to the family aside from having babies, which she has already done.

Aegon and Aemond both feel entitled to the throne and think Rhaenyra took it from them. Aegon doesn't really want the throne, but he also hasn't been shown much love or affection, and he has no real purpose or power. To fill that hole (non pun intended), he drinks excessively, will fuck anything that moves both consenually and not. He needs to feel power over someone so he goes for powerless women who can't do anything to him.

Aemond also felt inadequate when he was bullied for not having a dragon. Being the only male in the family without a dragon, he probably saw this as a hit to his masculinity. Dragons represent power and violence, traits tied to masculinity in their world. Once Aemond finally gets a dragon, he reacts with violence and vitriol toward the other kids. In the books, both Aegon and Aemond are very misogynistic toward Rhaenyra, calling her a "whore." In the show, they are seen smiling when Vaemond calls her a whore.

Olivia mentioned that in season two, Alicent's power is slowly fading because she's no longer the Queen. Her role is diminishing, and her sons ignore her, which is inevitable because that's how she raised them. Alicent has been a servant to the patriarchy and imposed those ideas on her children. This also shows how deeply ingrained patriarchal values can undermine even those who enforce them.

In contrast, Rhaenyra's sons see the world and women differently. Jace and Luke fully believe in their mother, defer to her, and listen to her. They know she is the rightful heir and will fight for her to have the throne. They are more respectful toward women and do not view them as inferior. They are immediately upset and angry when Vaemond calls Rhaenyra a "whore." At the dinner, Jace tells Aegon not to disrespect Baela when he gets vulgar. When he notices that Helaena is alone and "ignored" after she makes a comment, he dances with her (he probably did it to piss off Aegon too, but still). There's not much about Luke, but he is obviously kind, sweet, and respectful. Baela and Rhaena are also brought in by Rhaenyra to have a place at the council table and be part of the conversation, like Viserys did with her. In the second season, we've seen how Jace really respects Baela and sees her as a warrior.

Additionally, the contrast in the way these two sets of children are raised reflects broader themes of nature versus nurture. Alicent's sons embody the toxic aspects of their upbringing, whereas Rhaenyra's children, raised in an environment that values respect and equality, show these traits in their actions.

I don't know if this will be flat out acknowledged in the show, but I feel we will see bits and pieces of it. It's interesting how this "feud," for lack of a better word, was passed on to their children as well. This dynamic adds depth to the characters and highlights how generational values and conflicts shape the next generation.

I'm rambling and have been thinking about this for a while. IDK if it makes sense.

[sandrayofsun]

Gagged with a capital G - EP. 8

Holy mother of God I don't even know what happened to me when this episode ended. I think I ascended to heaven and back. This is going to be a long post filled with thoughts and feelings (and I have no one else to talk about this to) so buckle up!

Starting off with this first scene... not even 2 mins in and I was already tearing up. This entire conversation was so interesting to me because BOTH of them are fully aware of their feelings, yet neither one is willing to speak up. Ray is "happy" to be with Mew, and Sand is "happy" that Ray finally got who he wanted (supposedly🙁).

Major props to sand for standing his ground during this conversation even though you could see unshed tears in his eyes (go First!!!!🤞). You can feel the love he has for Ray simmering beneath but also the dejection that he feels towards seeing that Ray picked Mew.

This is not the face of someone who is happy with the decision they made. Khaotung really stepped up his acting in this scene because I swear I saw like 18 emotions go through him all at once (slay my king!!🤌). He has formed such a strong attachment to Sand and is now realizing what it means to have chosen someone else (and I don't think he feels too good about it).

THIS WHOLE SEQUENCE!!!!! Sand asking for Ray to let him go, and RAY LOOKING AT HIM LIKE THAT!!!! This had me seriously gagged to the core, I didn't even know what to do. Looking at it simply, they are both just sad. Sad at the fact that they know they can't be friends, but also won't admit their feelings, but it bothers them that they don't have each other😭. Seeing what unfolded afterwards with Yo and Plug was even a bigger eye opener for them because it was a direct parallel.

~~~MOVING ON!~~~

I think all of us got a little excited we we're going to get the "now that you've walked into my life..." scene, however, I actually really enjoyed this scene in between everything else that was happening because it shows Ray's dynamic with Sand during a regular time, right after showing his dynamic with Mew (pre-halloween). It gives us insight into the fact that despite Ray being with Mew, it still isn't enough for him. He is still wondering why Sand won't answer his messages, and still wants to spend time with him, even though they had that conversation at the bar and Sand asked to be let go. Ray can't/won't let go of Sand. *Bonus cute Ray pouty face*

What's funny to me is that Ray doesn't even realize what it means that he craves Sand's company. He has no problem verbalizing that being with Sand makes him happy (also in their bar conversation🧐) and isn't shy about asking to spend time with him. Yet, Sand still calls out the fact that Ray can spend time with Mew, but Ray doesn't even acknowledge it. Even using the excuse of Mew not being able to play instruments as a justification for seeking out Sand.

^^^^ I mean seriously look at that cute little face rn. I don't even blame Sand for folding like a wet tissue because I too would fold.

~~~MOVING ON PT.2~~~

The entire SandRay Halloween party sequence was BONKERS. I must applaud FirstKhao because they are mopping the floor with the other couples as far as chemistry goes (no shade to the other couples!!! I'll touch on them in a separate post).

POSSESSIVE RAY STANS STAND UPPPPP😩!!!!

Finally we have Ray witnessing the consequences of his actions. Literally seeing him looming behind Sand and the other guy, pushing him away, questioning Sand about what he's doing, saying he wants to sleep with him, then kissing him to establish dominance over the other guy. CHEF'S KISS😮‍💨. Now, obviously anyone with eyes can tell this behavior is toxic, but I simply have not seen this possessive side of Ray with anyone, not even Mew. It was nice to see Sand getting a little bit of attention in that regard. Was it healthy? No. Does Sand deserve better? Yes. But was it hot as hell and real as fuck? 100%.

FIRST KANAPHAN THE MAN THAT YOU ARE😩

He looked good enough to eat in his costume (I'm sorry I had to say it or I was gonna scream lol). I don't blame Ray for seeing his (boy)friend flirting with someone else while looking like that😭. Anyways, Sand standing his ground ONCE AGAIN was so elite of him, he refuses to be number 2 and I am here for it.

Listen guys... Say what you want but Ray ate this little bit up lmao. I chose to take this as progress in a way because Ray is finally bringing up the feelings between the two, and Sand made himself clear that he will not settle for less than first *no pun intended*. I must also state that I found Ray's possessiveness funny lmao because he had literally JUST kissed Mew (love of his life or whatever🙄) and then goes and get's pissed at Sand for even looking at someone else. And also kisses him?? Did he really need to get rid of Mew's kiss that badly🤨??

~~~Last scene hehe~~~

Sorry this post ran a little long but if you made it this far you're Sexy.

Sand throwing literally any beef he had with Ray out the window and into the rubbish bin to help him made my heart ache a little. No matter what Ray does, Sand will always be his emergency staff, no complaints, no conditions, no questions asked. Going as far as to lie to a police officer and coming up with excuses to help him shows how far Sand is willing to go for Ray. I hope this is something the Ray takes note of and appreciates.

This whole part honestly was pretty hard to watch, especially with the police brutality that a lot of people face around the world. I think the show did a good job of showing what this can look like on a smaller scale, and calling attention to it.

It once again showed Sand's loyalty to Ray, trying to hold on to him when the cops grabbed him, and telling him to stay still. Putting myself in his shoes, idk if I could bare the visual of the person I love getting handled that way.

Overall, this may be my favorite episode of the entire series. and I will say that it finally felt like FirstKhao were getting the screen time they deserved.

I physically gasped when I saw the preview for next week's episode because we're getting communication, and uninterrupted SandRay road trip (yeehaw😎).

Sorry again for this long post

See you guys next week!!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not breaking up a friendship?

Hi. So me (27F) and my partner (36M) have been together for over 3 years now. Relationship is great and I love him so much, and he loves me back. We start to actually make a living together.

But recently there has been a little conflict. I have a friend (30M, let's call him V) who I have known since I was 13 and him 16, so that's half of my life, and vast majority of my "conscious" life. And my relationship with him is.. well. I know, it will look and sound badly and I don't blame my boyfriend for feeling insecure but also I am not willing to cut V out of my life entirely.

Like I said we've known each other for so long I can't imagine my life without him. We've been saving each other from depression and SA. He used to have problem with d*ugs, I've been there for him and help him get clean and he's free of addiction for almost a decade now. And whenever I had my mental breakdowns he was also always there for me, he knows ways to calm me down when I have panic attacks. We've seen each other at our lowest and pulled ourselves up. We can almost read each other's minds at this point.

V has lived through all of my relationships too, he himself having his own. But our dynamic wasn't fully platonic, we did get close to each other inbetween the relationships and even thought and tried to be together. But we both have very explosive temperaments and felt like it wouldn't work cuz we would eventually hurt each other being this close so we decided not to be together in the awe of it ruining our friendship forever. Nevertheless we do have a history of going back and forth.

For the past couple of years V has lived in Canada, I live in Europe (I'd like not to disclose where exactly). He is also married to a man. (He's bi and so am I so that was one of the things that brought us close) So we rarely actually see each other in person, he does come to visit his son from previous relationship who lives with his mom, once or more a year. V does music for living so that allows him to be more mobile. And everytime he visits it's like no time has passed. We could not see e/o for a full year and then it's like he never left.

Like I mentioned, there has always been some mutual attraction between us, I admit he is a very handsome man but the thought of being with him gives me an ick. I just couldn't handle some of his lifestyle decisions and my current partner with his calmness, caring and purest heart is a true blessing for me. For the first time of my life I feel life this is "it". And V has quite different personality, he's not a bad person or anything but his dynamic is just not what I need from a life partner.

Couple of years back when he was abroad I was in a relationship that turned out to be abusive. I was with this crazy jelaous, controlling, toxic person and we fought almost daily to the point where I wouldn't leave my bed for hours because of anxiety and depressive states. One time the ex went too far with his hands and the tension between us was over the top. We lived together at the time. When I told V what happened he came over once ex was off to work, helped me pack my bags and leave the house and then he stayed with me in his family house for couple of weeks making sure I was ok. He even almost beat up that guy.

My partner was aware of this friendship and even met V once. My past with V wasn't the preffered subject at the dinner table so we didn't speak much about it but he never told me directly I should cut V off or that he doesn't want me to meet him. I'd say he was rather cool, as in cold, about the whole thing.

But recently V told me he is coming back to Europe for longer, claiming he wants to spend more time with his son and try to be a more present dad. I also know that him and his husband have been going through a crisis lately, but V hasn't said anything about separation or divorce.

When I told my partner about V staying in the country for some indefinite amount of time we had an argument. He said he doesn't feel comfortable when V is around me, that he has a very good reason to be mad and that he's hurt I didn't come up with the idea of limiting the friendship. I admit, I got a little carried away and angry. I said he is not the one to decide who can be in my life and who cannot and that I will not allow anyone to control my friendships. As in the mentioned abusive ex-relationship, that was very much the case and I developed some sort of PTSD. My ex was jelaous of me meeting with my family or beeing in the uni classroom and doing project with male friends and wanted me to not have anyone in my life beside him.

My partner then said he feels like he's some sort of a backup in case the relationship fails and that he fears we will end up together either way and that to move forward he needs to be sure he is the number one for me. I love him with all my heart and regarding the thing he said of me and V getting together... I wouldn't want it that way, V and I were very clear about it and talk about it if needed. But I understand my partner feels... abandoned in a way. I love him so much, he means the world to me but I also don't want to lose a friendship so dear and long whom I've been through almost everything together. I've known V for 14 years, my partner and I are together for over 3 and I have had a relationship longer than that already.

Am I the asshole for not pushing V away when my partner asked me to? Would it be the right thing to do?

What are these acronyms?

[thousandyearphantombunker]

how the fuck was Steven supposed to kill the diamonds? With the crystal gems a team consisting of like 8 people? One is a human girl with a sword, another is a random technician and another is a disabled soldier? With the breaking point? The diamonds are huge and have insane powers they could use to protect themselves with ease so...and if somehow he did find a way to kill them- what would the aftermath be? What would happen to the corrupted gems? The system on homeworld wouldn't have changed, they'd still kill the off colors, they'd still be colonizing planets etc. would spinel still be waiting never knowing anything about what happened to her friend? Like what would have happened- 'oh the diamonds will probably go right back to killing people if Steven let them live and therefore Steven will be responsible for all the blood on their handa when that eventually happens, it's also unjust and toxic that Steven forgives other peoples abusers on their behalf we always let the colonizers have redemption arcs and portray the people they hurt as villains for fighting back' yeah okay, you cop Steven is a moral failure who is guilty of colonization and hes an abuse apologist who ignore the victims and demonizes them(where we watching the same show? Did we not see Steven try to help centipetle? Did we not see him break down over the cluster- could Steven had forgiven the diamonds for the sake of the victims? I do give some shit to Steven for how he acts about rose but even then he's a teenage with PTSD)-The situation also changed from 'homeworld gems are coming back to earth after the war to create a geo-weapon, they thought they won the war and didn't care about colonizing the earth anymore' to 'now they want rose quartz to hang for as justice for what happened to pink diamond' to 'pink diamond faked her death and her attempt to escape the abuse and evils of her home ended up turning her friends into monsters and her deciding to die to create Steven has led her sisters trying to drag her back to homeworld to uphold the horrible caste system' no more going after earth the way they used too, now the conflict was personal.

su's ending was bad- it felt hollow rushed and like so much happened but also like not enough was happening- it was a mess but also, su is about restorative justice and changing unhealthy family dynamics, and that's actually great. I get pissy about Steven Universe's ending-lapis, peridot, lars and bismuth were completely irrelevant the complaints i have about white diamond are the exact same ones i have about the collector (i hate them both) the movie piled more shit onto rose's bad rep sheet when it was really unnecessary and the show only portrays the perspective she was a brat which was great at the start but once you see how internalized she was and that shes an abuse victim the show should have portrayed her more empathetically, and if we wanna talk about the show as a whole- i hate that shattering can be reversed fully now and that jasper didn't stay dead as much as i love her, i hate that the show never acknowledged how toxic sadie was toward lars (kidnapping him and steven the donut prank- lars was a dick but sadie was a psycho) or how its hard to defend pearl after they made her a total creep (even if you don't read fusion as sexual its still super uncomfortable to see pearl lie to garnet like that and take advantage of something that meant so much to garnet) and i dislike that peridot lost her edge and the episode "too far" pissed me off (amethyst you encouraged peridot to be mean and call garnet a slur, pearl a braindead slave and Steven an affront to nature but when she made an accidentally ableist remark while trying to compliment you that's when it became a problem?). Su botched a fuckton of its messages and the filler was hit or miss in terms of quality and a lot the hate was Deserved (it did get uncomfortably sexual when it came to certain fusions- and rebecca sugar being Jewish bi, nonbinary etc doesn't exempt them from criticism- it felt perverted in several parts and rocknaldo was a worthless episode though if I hear another anti-Semitic take on this show im gonna flip- y'all don't know what Nazism is please stop using that word without understanding it) but I while I have my complaints about the ending I think Steven changing the diamonds minds was the only appropriate way for the show to end, the show always was about making amends or living life after the carnage had settled without focusing on vengeance/perpetuating the cycle of violence it was always about seeing nuance and not seeing you people you come into conflict with as enemies. I'm not angry at the diamonds being redeemed, I hate how it was handled, I'm not angry at the show for saying bismuth was wrong I hate how it was handled she deserved better but Jesus christ can we stop acting like the only appropriate way the show could have ended is with Steven 'realizing pacifism is bad and killing the abusers/colonizers is the only answer' because fuck diplomacy and systemic change-

also Steven is fully willing to use violence, Steven would pick up a gun and shoot to before batman or aang would ever if it meant saving his world (this isn't me shitting on those characters just pointing out Steven isn't that extreme of a pacifist) and Steven carries a lot of anger as we see in su future (whether or not you think it's a hot mess it's canon) while i don't think he hates the diamonds he definitely resents them and is afraid of then but holds back (until he ya now gats... Way worse mentally), he wants to fix the system not get justice or vengeance or make huge moral judgements where he is in the right when he hurts others- steven isn't an abuse apologist who believes him self morally superior (he actually kind of is afraid of that) he isn't afraid to use violence if he seems it necessary (he's a diplomat and his skills lie in talking things out- of course he'd go to that first) he cares a lot of about the victims of the diamonds and people who have been hurt- even if they hurt him. Steven is deeply flawed his martyr complex reveals him to be incredibly entitled and desperate to be in control and for others to be hurt or bad so he can fix their problems so he can feel good about himself and deals with a lot of guilt and by future he has developed anger issues- but he always cared about others that's why he did what he did and does what he does

[zorkaya-moved]

me @ tumblr rpc: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO PLOT WITH OCs and it shows.

And you know what? That happens. Plotting is hard. Honestly? Hate plotting so much if I don't know a person these days because I just feel overly anxious and ramble. So yeah, anyhow... Let me share some personal thoughts! THIS DOES NOT TOUCH ON PEOPLE WHO TAKE THEIR TIME, PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME IN PLOTTING AND PLEASE DO EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN PACE! THIS IS A HOBBY AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE DO FOR FUN! This is based solely on some of my own experiences with SOME plotting (not all ofc!) as a woman oc writer in 2022-2023. I've had fantabulous experience with plotting and not so much. Please know you're valid, Ily, thank you for bearing with my burnt out ass in plottings. Mwah. Stay winning.

We all suffer from the collective dead brain cell syndrome when it comes to plotting any interaction, but do you know what kind of sucks and makes little ol' me tinsy bit bitter at the end of 2023 after going through countless people who just ignored my plotting proposals when I gave a ton of ideas? And what I'm going to call out just a tiny bit as a woman oc writer?

You can get into wikipedia and seek out information about a canon character to figure out some ideas on plots if you don't know the fandom, but do you do the same for OCs? 'Cuz OCs are sure as hell the very same 'canons from fandoms I don't know' type of situation.

Do you reach out to the CREATOR who can answer all your questions no matter how miniscule they can be? We, OC writers, are ready to give you the deep lore if you ask.

Do you check out about pages or headcanon pages? Hell, some of us have DETAILED NAVIGATION PAGES FOR VERSES! Is your OC or Canon from there? Check it out! Read! Find what interests YOU or if you didn't find something? Just ask the WRITER! Simple, innit? God, Imma be real, some of y'all gonna get my DMs like 'Listen, I can't find if you have this hc, could you please link it to me?' because I want info for plot ideas and if you do the same to me? I kiss u platonically.

Lemme give you a Done For You plotting thoughts you can use on how to plot with OCs, ladies and gents and nonbinary folks!

Do you have a specific dynamic you WANT for your character? Perhaps, you see a villain OC and want smth toxic to try out - ASK. Or you see an OC that might be a fun friend or neighbor or any other more positive dynamic - ASK. Inquire each other about what DYNAMICS you're open to. Oh you open to all? Sick. PUT DOWN YOUR BOUNDARIES FIRST. BOTH SIDES. SPEAK YOUR BOUNDARIES.

Do you have verses both of your characters are in? Be it OC & OC or Canon & OC? Noice, discuss all possible connections your characters might have! Offer ideas! Offer thoughts! The worst thing another can say is 'no'. And if so? COUNTLESS POSSIBILITIES. Yummy possibilities. Friends, childhood friends, childhood rivals, exes, rivals, co-workers, fight on sight, live next to each other, see each other in the same fucking cafe your muse goes at 2 pm specifically and ALWAYS sees another muse there... Countless. I'm telling you.

JUST DO THE FIRST STEP TOO WHEN YOU INTERACT WITH OCS, I'M ON MY KNEES BEGGING.

OFFER. IDEAS. The vaguest ones will do ok too. I cannot stress this enough but as an OC writer, I've had instances where I just... Gave 5 ideas only to have someone just drop me. Fully and completely. Not the 'I'll reach out to you later I need to think about this' but just full on 'wow this is too much plotting and I don't want to invest that much time' like it sucks. It sucks being the only person offering possible dynamics, ideas, even funny ones in some cases! I'm so burnt out from plotting dynamics because I keep. Offering. Ideas. But I don't have the same feedback loop. More like I have 0 feedback in the instances I dive into possibilities which burnt me out from plotting altogether, closing plotting possibilities with those who may actually be the same kind of insane as I am. And it sucks. Bless you all who give vague ideas or not vague ideas. Love you. You're fucking champions.

BE OPEN TO ASKING QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS, HOLY SHIT, PLEASE. Please never forget to ask "Hey, how would you feel about this scenario?" or "Would your character be in this kind of situation? Maybe that's how they met and started hanging out?" or "Oh, how about us trying out this type of dynamic and see where it goes?" or anything, really.

Anyways, this is just my 2 am psa because yeah why not. December sucks ass so why not speak out my thoughts at the end of 2023 to enter 2024 with sunglasses and cool Women OCs Propaganda I will continue preaching. You're all welcome to reblog this.

[emeraldhypothesis]

I noticed a severe lack of my favorite Arc V kids and Arc V rep in general here so I'm gonna go for the double decker and ask for Yugo and Rin OvO

Yugo:

Why I like them/why I don’t

YUGO MY FRIEND MY BUDDY THEY CAN NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU. Sometimes God just makes you fall for a silly little guy, a funny little man, an absolute wifeguy. Get a guy so fiercely dedicated to you that he travels across dimensions on a rampage to get you back, with no limitations to how far he'll go. That's true love, that's the good shit right there.

It helps that when he's not actively locked in and being a menace with his Speedroids, he's just a very fun guy. Super charming, very easy to hang out with, just a chill dude! We should all try to be more like Yugo!

What I like about their appearance

I like the usage of blue and red to make his white jumpsuit pop, and how it helps make his hair stand out. Silly hair. I like the hair.

The bike also is very cool!

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

Same in both languages, I don't respect the spellings in Pendulum Beat.

Vocally, I have to give it to the Japanese. Michael Liscio is very fun as Yugo, but Shinpei Takagi just brings the heat better when Yugo locks in and is pissed off, while still being able to have fun as the character.

Japanese also gets the YUGOO JA NE, YUGO DA bit, which I fully respect 4Kids for managing to localize as much as they did.

OTP

It's Apple! Of course it's Apple! They're adorable together.

NOTP

I don't hate it. But I don't really get the hype for Yugo/Yuri even with the whole "Yugo is inside me" thing. Yuri has like three other characters where he gets much more toxic yaoi that's also just more fun.

OT3

That said, Yugo/Rin/Yuri where they force him to socialize and domesticate him like a feral alley cat is kinda funny. I support that specific take on Yugo/Yuri where Rin's in the back with a spray bottle.

(also shout out to that one fanart of Yugo/Rin/Yuri where Rin and Yuri are Dark Signers tempting Yugo, good shit)

Favourite card they use

I love so many of Yugo's cards, I've built Speedroid in like four different formats and I always have a blast with it. Crystal Wing probably takes it though, just such a gorgeous design and powerful effect! Terrortop is also my buddy!

Favourite moment they were in

In general, that Yugo is just so dedicated to Rin that he goes on a rampage to save her is peak, but that because he's not the main character, it's basically a side-quest for the story that barely intersects is so funny. Yugo legit never learns about Zarc until Yuri absorbs him and that's so funny.

Otherwise, I'm really fond of his duel with Serena and that his silly antics manage to let Serena have probably the first fun duel of her life.

Least favourite moment

I feel like "The entire ending" is cheating, but...

No for real, fuck the ending. You know even they thought it sucked when half of the Arc-V Duel Links events have been undoing it to give the Lancers a better ending. Yugo and the other fragments deserved better than being stuck in two soul jars for the rest of their lives! Yugo especially deserved a happy ending after everything he and Rin went through in his rescue mission!

Rin:

Why I like them/why I don’t

So the Rin in my head (as opposed to the Rin in Yuzu's head) is really cool... And that's all I got, Rin got nothing in canon beyond that she looks cool, has a neat deck and a fun dynamic with Yugo

Fortunately Duel Links affirmed that I'm right and she is really cool, and a bit of a shit. I like it when the Yugioh Girls are allowed to be a bit of a jerk sometimes. It's equality~

But yeah, I said with Kotori that I call "Liking a Yugioh character more for the version of them in my head over the canon take" as "The RinRin Effect," for a reason. Rin has basically no screentime so it's all vibes as to her character, but the vibes have told me she's fun.

What I like about their appearance

She does look really cool though. That shade of green in her hair is so good and I am very fond of her overall outfit.

And that it has the trans flag! You can't go wrong with blue-pink-white as a palette.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?

Same in both languages.

Vocally, I'm a bit torn. I think I overall like Sarah Emi Bridcutt's take the best, followed by Samantha Cooper's slightly more raspy/husky dub performance in Duel Links. Emily Jenness's Rin in the original dub never really landed for me, but to be fair Emily had maybe two episodes to try and give Rin a unique voice so I can't hold it against it too hard that her Rin wasn't as memorable.

OTP

I'm gonna be boring and just say "I don't like separating Yugo and RinRin," but I read a fanfic once where she dates Reiji and... yeah I kinda like it in a vaccum!

I've also seen this one person who ships her with Rio and that works!

NOTP

I know for a godforsaken fact that there's too much fanart of the Bracelet Girls and the Doktor. I don't like it. I wish he suffered more.

OT3

I've seen some fanart of Masumi being in a poly relationship with all of the Bracelet Girls at once that's pretty cool. Otherwise I guess I like the idea of the Bracelet Girls themselves staying close post-ending and it's readable in a lot of different ways.

Favourite card they use

I like that Duel Links has Rin casually note that Clear Wing likes her more than Yugo. That's just kinda mean but so funny.

Otherwise, Winter Bell.

Favourite moment they were in

Brainwashed as she was, Rin was kinda serving during her duel with Yugo and I have to respect the commitment to the bit of riding Winter Bell. Her and Yugo's duel happening as they fly back down the tower is pretty sick.

Honorable mention to her Duel Links conversation with Dennis where she bluntly says she refuses to let Yuri have a W on her so she's getting her rematch. Queen shit.

Least favourite moment

Do I need to say it? Of course it's everything involving the Fusion Parasite. I hate that stupid fetish-dream bug and what it does to the writing of Arc-V and how it ruins all four of the Bracelet Girls. There is one time I've praised its existence and that was some cool body horror fanart I saw one time.

Dishonorable mention to the entire ending because, no, seriously, for real, what the hell was that? It's been eleven years and I'm still pissed!

god I love these two little brats. I hope they're happy right now.