#which like. gets complicated because he definitely knows very well that he is gay and he is in love w black tom

[phopollo]

Could we also get back stories for Electra and the components and their families?

Love your art❣️❣️❣️

Hoo boy, okay, time to avoid putting off this answer akdbskdje

None of them have like.... "simple" backstories, but talking about the electrics and their backstories in the cartooniverse is definitely the most complicated, because they all tie back to Electra and/or Purse and Krupp. So! I'll start with them!

Another big long post, im so sorry akfnskd

Purse & Krupp

Even though I'm talking about them together, Purse & Krupp didn't know each other or even about each other's existences before being hired to work together. Purse had participated in some shadier money management activities, most of which was under the table work. Trying to get out of that, he applied for a job with a large and well known company and production line, seeking a personal money manager/accountant, legal advisor, and PR rep. Not all the same job for the same person, for the new face of the company. But Purse, feeling cheeky, applied for all three job positions. And then proceeded to land all three of them. Krupp, meanwhile, wasn't anything or anyone special or of note. As an armaments truck, he'd worked part time with public security and part time shuttling things said public security needed back and forth. He was simply looking for a raise, and seeing that this big large company was looking for personal security for the new face of the company, applied, not expecting to get the job. Purse and Krupp met perhaps a week before they met Electra and were given an opportunity to bsck out, as they were still in production when they were hired. Neither Purse or Krupp really processed what their new boss not even being fully built yet meant outside of "Oh, they might be a little naive." (Welcome to fatherhood you two!)

Electra

Electra was factory built specifically for and by the mentioned company that Purse and Krupp were hired by. They had been powered on for perhaps three hours before immediately being shoved in to Purse and Krupp's arms, and then in to their new job. Their entire purpose was to be a pretty face and be convincing for people to want to do business with their company. They didn't work on a line, and they didn't race. Occasionally, they did something more akin to shows, but... never anything that gave them that thrill they'd been seeking. After about 2 years, they made a convincing enough argument to their company to be allowed to participate in a single race-- a decision that the company would later regret, because they'd continue to make arguements to keep entering in races, which they'd always win. Another two years later (so roughly 4 years old total), Electra decided to break off from their parent company to go out on their own in a solo career for racing, having felt so drawn to and called by it. They took Purse and Krupp with them when they did, leaving their company to have to scramble for a new face and employees all over again. Here's some bonus babylectra & their gay dads loyal employees content (both while company owned and on their own)

Wrench

I say this so affectionately, Wrench was a freaky little girl. She was surrogate built for her demolition truck parents, and grew up literally right next to a scrap yard, where she would very happily go play as a kid. She really really liked to take things apart and try to figure out how they worked. Her parents, being demolition trucks who's jobs were also to take things apart, were supportive if not a little concerned by how methodical she was by it, but hey, they guess she's taking an interest in the fsmily business? But one day, while doing her thing and taking scraps apart, she broke her finger and needed to be taken to see a repair truck. And that totally blew her mind. Being able to put things back together?? Oh she NEEDED to be able to do that. She HAD to know how things worked AND be able to make them work. So! Wrench started doing her research to become a repair truck immediately (much to her parents concerned support), despite being far too young to actually begin training. By the time she actually got to her repair training, she was extremely knowledgeable (and morbid-) about diesel and steam engines, as there was so much information out in the world about them. But she was fascinated by the lack of information she could find on electric engines-- so new, constantly changing.... there weren't any experts in her or any of her neighboring yards. So of course, she decided that thats what she wanted to specialize in for repairs, despite not many electric engines passing through her station. (The scrap yard became her best friend during this time.) It was difficult after she became a fully certified repair truck though, due to that lack of electrics passing through her yard and not having the heart to apply for a transfer. She wasn't taken seriously, and frequently wasn't fetched for the few electrics that did need repairs, as the other repair trucks frequently just went ahead and fixed whatever little problem it was-- screw needing tightening, plating reaplications, etc etc. One day, she was called out to one of her neighboring stations though, as there had been a crash on the tracks involving an electric engine-- Electra. When she arrived, rather than just fixing whatever problem was caused by the crash, she also identified and fixed long standing problems they didn't even know they'd had, most of which caused by non electric specialized repair trucks assuming they could fix something minor. She was offered a job as their personal repair truck before she even finished her work that day. Here's a little baby Wrench just starting her repair training & Wrench the day she was hired. She became the first component they'd actually chosen for themself.

Volta

Volta grew up in a bit of a smaller, more conservative yard. The old school traditional freight and coach roles and presentations were more prevelant. So of course, when Volta, as a freight car, started expressing and experimenting with self expression that was viewed as traditionally "more coach-like," caring more for his hair and getting interested in makeup and fashion, he wasn't exactly popular with his peers. Considered too coach-like to get on with the freight, and the coaches unable to see past him being freight and get along. It was rough for the little dude, turning him a bit jaded and snarky at a young age, just out of tje need tor a defense mechanism. It never stopped him, but the constant isolation and judgement did beat him down quite a bit as he made it to adulthood. Meeting Electra, Purse, Krupp, and Wrench was pure coincidence. They were simply passing through a station that was part of his work route at the same time that he was. And he was absolutely enamored with them. They were the first rolling stock he'd seen who's expression of self was so similar to his, how could be not stare? Purse was the one to approach Volta. He wanted to know what shade and brand he used for his eye makeup, and if he thought it would work for Electra. Volta, trying desperately to be more interesting and keep these people talking to him, cracked a joke that they'd have to pay him for a consultation. To his shock, Purse agreed and asked him about prices and appointment times. When Electra & co actually showed up for the consultation, he absolutely faked it until he made it and they were happy with the result. He felt so normal for the first time ever talking to them, that when Electra & co went to leave, he extremely impulsively asked for a job. It was mortifying-- the most embarassing desperate moment of his entire life. Especially when Electra said no. But a moment of weakness and desperation, because several months later Electra returned to offer him a job, looking for a stylist and knowing he was interested. Bonus of of course, baby Volta & Volta the day he was hired

Joule

You know the saying "it takes a village?" Replace "village" eith "circus," and say hello to literally Joule. She wae built as an animal car in a circus train, and while even though not everyone was technically her family, that didn't matter because they all behaved like her family. It was generally an extremely positive environment to grow up in. The obvious downsides to being a performer from a young age and having such a large family of course reared their heads, but generally speaking, she wouldn't say she had a bad childhood. She was working and participating in acts before she hit double digits, but... well there wasn't exactly a lack of animal cars, and in her early teen years began to feel like it wouldn't really matter of she were there or not. She isn't really sure what sparked her interest-- perhaps it was just being different from what she was used to-- but she eventually took interest in the art of fire eating. Researching in to that took her down the road of pyrotechnics, and before she knew it, Joule was converting in to a dynamite truck and switching acts. And she loved it. She loved it for a really long time. She still does, actually, but... well. After awhile, it just made her... tired. Being in front of an audience like that was tiring. After shows, she'd always immediately go check and lock and undo everything that if anything went wrong could make everything brust into flames, and by the time she was done, most of the guests who'd stay to chat were already gone or on their way out. Never talking to anyone but her family and doing the same things every day was just... exhausting. Which is why when she returned from her checks after a show one day and found some massihe blue freak and their entourage waiting to talk to her specifically, who hadn't spoken to anyone else, it was extreme pleasantly surprising. More so when they'd ask her challenging questions about her job and hypotheticals about how she'd do something. And even more so when they'd keep coming back. She'd begun to find the most exciting part about performing was trying to spot them in the crowd and speaking with them afterwards, even if the conversations quickly derailed. It hadn't taken long for her to learn that this massive blue freak was a racer-- Electra-- but it took quite awhile for her schedule to line up to go watch them the way they'd kept coming to see her. It was only fair, wasn't it? But when Joule showed up, the atmosphere was so.... familiar, and yet.... different. It was exciting. And the race was exciting. The idea of going that fast was so alluring. She knew she'd want to get more involved in the racing scene. And watching Electra race? They were so cool and hot and powerful, and-- just-- woah. They lived like this? They just went to different places, and they didn't have a set routine when they performed? Extremely enticing. And when Electra saw her in the crowd and waved to her? And then immediately approached her after winning? Insane. It made Joule feel more seen than she had in her entire life. She didn't hesitate in the slightest when they offered her a job. And as per usual, bonus baby Joule & Joule the day she was hired

Killerwatt

Killerwatt's story doesn't actually begin with him-- he doesn't actually show up until late. It actually starts about 2 years before he's built, when Purse and Krupp start to disagree with some of the choices Electra had been making. At first, they kept their mouths shut. It wasn't frequent. They weren't decisions that were big deals. But the more time went on, the bigger deals they were, and eventually, they couldn't keep their mouths shut about it. It started to get bad, with frequent argurments and disagreements, and tension hanging over everyone. Now, with Electra as their own company, their own business, they began to wonder if they really needed Purse and Krupp. They had long since learned to mange their own bank accounts and the legalities of things, and Volta and Joule had honestly taken up most of the social media managing that Purse was supposed to be doing. And fans were respectful-- there hadn't been any threats made other than with fellow racers, of which, Electra could easily handle themself. What was Krupp even doing? But-- sentimentality kept them from firing them. About five months prior to Killerwatt's building, Electra finally decided and told Purse and Krupp that they wouldn't be renewing their contracts. And when asked if they were being replaced, grew extremely concerned that Electra didn't plan to at least replace Krupp. The only reason Electra thought he wasn't doing anything was because he was good enough at his job that the security details never reached them. Purse and Krupp were so undeniably attached to Electra after almost 10 years together, and they were extremely nervous about leaving them with no protection. So the two of them formed a plan. About two weeks before their contracts ended, having waited and timed things as last second as they could so Electra wouldn't notice until after they were gone and it was too late, and while it was still legal due to some fun loopholes Purse found, the two of them pushed through a commission order to a factory. A commission... specifically for a security truck for a Electra. And their plan worked. Electra got the email two weeks after Purse and Krupp left that their security truck would be ready in about a week, and did they want to come choose from the batch themself, or have one randomly selected and sent out to them? (They learned a very hard lesson to check their bank account more frequently that day.) So Electra, after tweaking out over Purse and Krupp spending their money, and on a security truck that they did not want, decided that-- well they wouldn't let this all be a total waste. And it wouldn't be fair for someone to be built to do something and not even have the chance to, they'd offer the smallest timedrame contract they could. So they showed up about two days after the batch had been finished and had time to be told what to expect, as almost all factory built rolling stock get. And... well, none of them really stood out. They were all so well trained in security already that there really wasn't anything that made any of them stand out, and, honestly, Electra was on the verge of just hiring whichever one they thought would clean up best and look good next to the rest of the components. But-- hold on, I actually have a visual for this moment

And I fear then both of their faces were sealed in that moment. Electra had to have this one. He was the only one looking at and following them. And-- well even if he wouldn't be doing much of anything, how could they possibly hire a security truck who wouldn't keep their eyes on them and their safety?? It's now been 3 years, and Electra has since learned his name is Killerwatt, and this was the best hiring decision they could have ever made. Bonus Babywatt doodle, of course, just to show off his pretty curls better

[themilkiestbread]

I'm not sure how I didn't realize the gay lawyers in your bio were THE gay lawyers. Got any headcanons?

yep, Penis Wrong and Angsty McCravat themselves!!! as for headcanons, I'm still pretty new to the fandom, but I do have a few!!

they definitely give me the "idiot since birth/idiot in progress" vibes. like, at first miles is annoyed at phoenix's dumb 2am shower thought ramblings, but eventually it just develops into "if cows ruled the world would they drink human milk" "shut the fuck up wright I'm trying to--OH MY GOD WOULD THEY"

phoenix drags miles to theme parks. miles has a goal of making the most deadpan face at the camera right when the roller coaster drops. however, this has never worked because miles has never been on a roller coaster and screams like a small child every single time

on a similar note, phoenix is Really Fucking Good at those rigged carnival games. he wins a shit ton of stuffed animals, which he and miles set up on a special shelf in their living room, each with its own name and very complicated backstory

"who's the most scared watching horror movies?" both. they're both clutching each other under the blanket the moment the family enters the house. it's an endless cycle of "we can stop watching if you're scared, Edgeworth" "you're just saying that because YOU'RE scared" "well, are you scared?" "are YOU?" and then neither of them get any sleep that night

they go to Europe on a trip once for something idk. while there, phoenix will only call miles 'kilometers'

on that same trip, they swing by the von karma house in Germany to pick up one of miles' childhood things or something. while searching for it, they discover that manfred has a toupee by finding it in a drawer. they both lock eyes and agree to never discuss this Again.

phoenix and maya have a weekly "I'm dating a von karma sibling" support group where they gossip about all the 'lower class' things miles and franziska have no idea how to do, like "miles didn't know you were supposed to put water in ramen to boil it and blew up our microwave" and "franziska asked for valet parking when we went to the burger place and then almost took out her whip when the staff worker laughed at her"

the judge set them up because he was sick of all the pining

[erumai-maadu]

genin era team gai

assuming this is the reply to the previous ask about if i have headcanons, hell yeah I do!

Tenten also really Did Not like Neji when he was in his ‘fate is immutable everything sucks i’m a genius but i’m a caged bird’ era but put up with him because he was the only other one to train with when Lee and Gai were having their training together

Speaking of which, I hate when people say Gai ignored Tenten and Neji in favor of Lee because we se SO MANY scenes where Gai has the whole team training together. This is less of a headcanon but Gai knows his primary skill set is in general taijutsu techniques, so he makes all of his students drill those until they’re second nature, and then leaves Neji and Tenten to learn their respective specialties on their own with a bit of input or advice from him. Neji’s specialized Hyuuga techniques or Tenten’s weapon mastery aren’t something he has direct knowledge on, but his taijutsu mastery does allow him to be able to give them help in whatever small ways he can. he has an easier time with Lee who directly learns all of Gai’s techniques, but he does not neglect his other students’ training when he’s helping Lee.

Tenten is the first one to learn about Neji’s blind spot, through pure accident. I’ve spoken about this in a previous post but Tenten is very exacting and has a good eye for detail. She canonically loves being a “detective” of sorts, figuring things out and cracking puzzles. I think she starts noticing patterns as Neji dodges her weapon barrages; there are certain spots where he always gets nicked because he dodges late, almost as if he can’t see them in time to get out of the way. She manages to figure out he has some kind of blind spot, and knowing how blunt she is, she probably just goes right up to him and asks.

Tenten figuring out his blind spot is probably what gets Neji to open up to her about his seal, and asking her to help him train his Rotation. He knows she managed to figure out one clan secret already, and she’s been fairly helpful so far in his training, he supposes knowing one more won’t really make a huge difference

Tenten is a great secret keeper. Unless Lee is the one asking. Something about his face and her bond with him just has her spilling every secret to him whether she intended to or not

Lee started training with Gai while he was still in the Academy. They definitely wouldn’t have let him graduate if his none of his skills were good, so I think at a certain point, Gai took notice of him as an Academy student and started helping him. Lee just suddenly started getting Really Fucking Good at taijutsu and all the other Academy kids were like “what the hell” when they realized they’re suddenly losing to the class’ former dead-last

These three could not work together for shit when they first started out. Gai literally had them taking out extra D-ranks on purpose during their first year as genin simply because they couldn’t stop fighting long enough to work together effectively. Their bond that they built is due to several long LONG hours of running punishment laps for fighting.

All of them see Gai as a father figure. Of course we all know this about them but still. for Tenten, Gai is the first major male role model in her life, of course he very quickly becomes a father figure to her. For Lee, Gai is everything he wants to live up to, and they look so alike that of course Lee sees him like a father. With Neji, it’s a bit more complicated, but after losing his father, he hasn’t really had many other good familial relationships within his clan. It’s probably almost comforting to him how different Gai is from Hiashi and the Hyuuga Elders. I think he ends up confiding in Gai a lot and relying on him emotionally.

I’ve written a snippet of this too but Tenten is the first one to kill someone on a mission and Gai helps her through it. She gets through it the quickest of the three as well, but it does fuck her up for a bit because of how soon it is.

it became a tradition that whoever won the three-way sparring match that day to pick what they get for lunch. the winner also gets their food paid for. the longer this goes on the more frequent the visits to spicy curry shops get.

[goodluckclove]

Some Loose Thoughts on Queer Rep (Specifically Aspec Rep)

(Just in advance I'm going to dunk on Alastor from Hazbin Hotel like a lil' bit, as a treat. Mainly the team that made him and what he represents, but still. If that's rage bait for you, I suggest maybe dipping out now)

I have a theory that queer media needs both queer characters and queer genre characters. The difference is very important.

I think a queer character would be a character in a story about their queerness. For some reason the only two characters I could think of are the guy from Love, Simon (What was his name again?) and the protagonist from Rubyfruit Jungle, which should express the weird and complicated relationship I have with this particular archetype.

Queer stories centered around queerness are definitely needed, but at the same time I feel like we're just starting to come to terms with the desperate need for the alternative, which are queer characters in genre media that contain overarching plots larger than their sexuality. Not separate, necessarily (Their queerness certainly influences things), but just beyond. This is more accessible for a variety of artists, which is also the reason why it can be a flop or a massive success.

We get more of this than ever for gay and sapphic characters, as well as some trans folks and occasionally non-binary. It's definitely way less seen in aspec characters, and even less respected. I started thinking this way because the internet is flooded with references to fucking Alastor from Hazbin Hotel as an aroace character and - like - god, I don't get it.

Like you can have your serial killer comfort character, that's fine. But latching onto him as representation for the entire aspec community when he was only confirmed to be aroace through a reference in a livestream and the weakest joke onscreen is pretty disheartening. It definitely reads like this part of his identity was added pretty late in his character development, and by a team of people that didn't seem to consider what the response and reaction would be and how they'd handle it.

I also wish the newest aspec icon in media wasn't created by a team so adamant on encouraging shipping culture above actually respecting the identity they've decided to provide representation for. Like I see it means a lot to people to have an aroace character doing something cool in a fun TV show that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their identity. Then there's like four other people right behind that person who really wants that person to be romantic and fuck.

And like, yeah, aroace people can do that sometimes. It's a spectrum, I know. But can't we start with a baseline representation before providing proof of fluidity?

I just think we deserve better. Like a character who in the media is established to be aspec, and people are like "great" and move on to fight robots or do magic or whatever. And the person can be morally grey, or even a total dick, but like I'd personally prefer something with a little more depth than Hot Topic genericism.

Like don't get me wrong, I'll take some sort of eldritch horror as my representation, but...make him at all horrifying? Like everyone talks about how he has Eldritch powers, which I know to mean unfathomable and maddening. But I've seen everything he does in the canon of the show and it is both incredibly fathomable and makes me feel normal and sane. Yog-Sothoth this man is not.

But yeah, I don't think there's a solution here besides more aspec artists creating aspec characters in their work. That way people can still like Alastor if they want, but he's not like the only viable option in terms of representation in the media. Let me see lovingly-crafted cool guys and dipshits and chaos goblins and little babies and True Horrors, all of whom have varying degrees of distaste or indifference towards sex and romance.

Do it. We need it. Please.

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Hello!!

The crack post saga continues... =D

Warning: long, long post 😊😅

To be very honest though, for today's ep I will be getting serious more than usual, because it was quite significant in the flow of the plot, and also had moments of communication (this emotional constipation is what makes me yearn for Cherry Magic ah) that need to be studied a little closely.

HOWEVER, there will most definitely be crack because this group of friends is (unapologetically) batshit crazy and my brain refuses to not make comments at the most inappropriate times.

Peem: NO ONE SAW ME CUDDLING MY CRUSH TO SLEEP RIGHT?!

The sheer panic in his movements, oh my gods. It should not be as hilarious as it is 😭😂

To be very honest though, I would've panicked a bit in his place too, with friends like those, they'd never let him live it down

Peem is so cute 😭

Nothing to see here, just a guy getting shy over how his prince charming hom-ed him, and they kissed through his hand and cuddled all night hehe

Phum: here he comes again :) *eye twitch*

Peem's expression, how he's still holding his hands as if he has the cup, Kluen's disbelief, and Phum's smug af face-

I'm wheezing 😭🤣

Kluen, I'm kinda starting to like you, but no.

You don't stand half a chance against them and their situationship.

Hope you find another boyfriend to fall in love at first sight with (and leave my boys alone please, they don't need any more complications) <3

Oh, Fang knows too. Of course he does, that's his little brother right there

We all know how protective of his brother he is, there's no way he'd let anybody else take care of him... unless, he knew Phum liked that person

les voila

Poor Tan, his theerak just ignoring him T-T

*looks between them* yeah, pretty much the same pic 👀

And here it is. The root of all his fears.

See, in this camp, almost all of them are paired up in the sense that they usually stick to that person. Even Beer has MIck. But then comes wild card Kluen, who's hogging all of Peem's attention as much as he can and that leaves Phum. Alone.

I will be getting back to this running motif of Phum being alone and how it changes through the ep in later scenes as well

Also, after they went back, both Mick and Beer asked if he really was okay, which made me smile, because maybe, Phum isn't as alone as he thinks himself to be. There are people who care for him, who are concerned, who'll support him, and of course, he always has Fang, his beloved phi

My poor babie Tan 🥺🥺

Also, notice how the shot is taken in such a way that they're the only ones in the frame, and are also standing within one specific part of the wall? (Ignore Kluen's head and hands please). It reflects how they're in their own world with each other, especially Tan

The nosy peeps gang strikes again!

Jokes aside, the synchronised strides, the background music together set the perfect levels of suspense and comedy

Peem, smug: yes! that emotionally constipated dumbass is finally getting out of De Nile

Pun: wait... is my plan actually working? Ah, of course it is

Toey: head empty, no thoughts, but... DOES P'Q ACTUALLY LIKE ME OMG I'LL DIE

Oh gods, FINALLY. I wish them a happily ever after. Sadhu 😌🙏🏼

Pun forgetting all about being quiet when Toey finally confesses is so on character 😭👍🏼

Also... what's even the point of being quiet? Q and Chain have been friends with these idiots since high school, of course they know they're peeking

Toey: *shooketh*

Gays in thai bl and staring off into the distance 😭

This scene was so, so beautiful and also quite important for both Q and Toey

Q knew what was up, more or less, but his confusion stemmed from his knowledge of Toey

Would Toey really go to these lengths? For him?

"Why? Are you the only one who can tease me?" <- Q says this to tell Toey that he might have been angry, but now he understands that Toey didn't really have any bad intentions

Hugs always get bonus points from me, and this was pretty up there

Pun hiding behind Chain is so on point

His friends: you're an idiot so we had no choice but to intervene 😭😭

Matt's (JJ) comedic timing is >>>>>>

Toey and Matt's friendship is also given weight in the series, and I'm happier for it.

Also revenge is sweet ehehe *coughs*

Moving on.

If there's no live singing dedicated to your One True Love, is it even Thai BL??

We Are making generous use of MSP songs 😭👍🏼

This scene.

The apology. It is at this point that they're leaving all the past pain, grief and anger in the past

Q makes sure to tell Toey that yes, he may have loved Milk Frappe Boy, but now, in the present, all his love was for Toey, his lovable annoying mentee

This apology is not only to Toey, or Milk Frappe Boy, but to himself as well, because by causing pain to a person he loves twice, he'd caused himself pain too

The perfect sweet and romantic moment, but also with a teeny bit of teasing, because that's who they are

No joke, I gasped and nearly stopped breathing when he said this

Peem's reply, his soft but kind of hurt voice were just so painful to hear

But it's also this moment that Peem gives Phum a reality check – if he really didn't want to, he wouldn't be doing any of this, and Phum had no business trying to control his life

The conversation outside with Q was significant, but also a diluted reflection of Peem's earlier (in ep. 7) talk with Q

Even a few episodes earlier, Q would have gone ballistic on Phum for treating his bestie like this, but now, he asks Peem how he feels for Phum, tries to understand exactly what their relationship is

It was at this point that he knew, he fucked up

Beer is a godsent. I love him <3

I think Toey says "I asked hia Tan to blow it up for me."

Also, Tiw and his rubber duck floater from MSP anyone? 👀

And, we are back to square one where Phum is left alone again

As I'd said before, this a repeating motif throughout the series, but especially the last two episodes

This is how it has always been in Phum's life: he has been left behind. He does have Fang, but now even Fang has a boyfriend. And while this does not affect his brother's affection towards him in anyway, it does introduce a new strand of lonliness for Phum because 1. no matter what, he loves his brother a lot, and knows how much he loves Tan, so he definitely will try to stay out of their way at least sometimes and 2. he wants a boyfriend too. Further, he wants Peem, but there's a push and pull there, and after what he said, in his mind he had pretty much ruined his chances with his crush

This is the moment Phum starts to hope that maybe, just maybe, his feelings aren't as unrequited as he'd thought.

On the other hand, Peem is the one afraid here. What if the deal is all that's holding them together? What if without it, Phum will have no reason to be as close to him?

Peem, baby, for one, your groups are already merged, and secondly, this guy is head over heels for you, no way he'd stop following you like a lost puppy

(Apparently, it's not Peem's turn with the communal braincell this week 😭)

Here, Phum is technically alone, but he's surrounded with friends, and he's smiling

He isn't left behind here, for once, he's sitting there by choice (to shamelessly ogle his crush, but shh we don't talk about that) with the comforting knowledge that when/if he jumps in, he won't be left out, Kluen be damned

Once the floodgates of affection have been opened to Q, there's no going back <3

(Also, notice how Tan is already asleep on Fang's shoulder? 👀)

FINALLY

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT SINCE PEEM KICKED PHUM'S BALLS

Jokes apart, this moment is so, so beautiful. The kiss, the soft question "are you ready for my answer now?" (maybe Peem isn't, but hell if he denies this man his kissies).

Everything leading up to this point is also so very delightful

Phum helping them out in the cafe, despite probably having never worked a day in his life, discovering how Peem still kept the roses and finally, finally, the completed painting. This sight, above all, is what convinces Phum that Peem might have feelings for him after all; because which fool would lie about not having completed something that would free them from being a slave to someone? A fool in love, that's who

ALSO,

if they don't get together and have the fluffiest moments in the next ep, I swear to god, hands will be thrown *grumbles* they're already making me wait a whole damn week

Anyways, that's all for this week, see you next ep! (I cannot promise I won't be jumping around and screaming, but then again, this is supposed to be a crack post so-)

And if you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have a bubble tea and a sandwich 🧋🥪

[If you'd like, here are my previous posts: Ep 8 and Ep 9.]

[hollow-lime-green]

okay! for the director's cut:

anything you want to share about string theory? 👀 i can definitely ask about specific sections, but i'm more excited to know which ones are important to you

ask me about specific sections after this, because string theory has a lot going on!

ok so first, the title - string theory. this one is not as clean lmao. so, something something, theory of the multiverse - string theory slightly relates to that, but also there's a lot of multiverse theories that reject string theory. but that is the basis of this piece - alternate universes.

string theory is a bit outside of my domain of engineering, and it's not something i pretend to understand particularly well. baby mode: in quantum physics, we treat things as both particles (solid ball thing) and waves (just energy). these two things are fundamentally different, and one thing should not be able to be both at once. but based on science, we know that they are both at once (light, electrons, etc.).

string theory is another 'unifying theory', which essentially means that it's trying to take a lot of things we know separately about physics and smush them together into one model. string theory specifically is a contender for the theory of everything, meaning that it unifies not just a few things (like wave/particle behavior), but everything. houston, we have a literary theme.

i suppose string theory is mostly about smushing everything together into my characterization of gojo satoru, especially his contradictions.

some of those contradictions/self-delusions:

1. Very very smart and very very dumb

satoru is thinking about a lot of complicated, poetic shit all the time, and what comes out of his mouth is the worst 2010s memery you can imagine

this is one of my favorite things about writing satoru. there's a lot of moments in FIYM when satoru's dialogue can give you whiplash, like the period joke in suguru's bloody curse recovery scene. he's thinking about so much all the time, but his brain is filtering his words into whatever will keep it light and funny, because he's spent so long repressing the deep, intense thoughts that he just instinctually dodges around saying anything real out loud (most of the time).

this happens to work well with suguru. with suguru's traumatic past, internally, he needs someone to tell him 'hey, it's not a big deal. you're okay, you're normal, you're fine, you are not crazy'. and satoru instinctively does that by being chronically unserious.

2. Moving goalposts at light speed

satoru knows suguru isn't homophobic, but is convinced that suguru would make an exception and hate him if he knew satoru was gay. bonus: satoru would give up anything for suguru, but doesn't think suguru should give up anything for him.

this is one of my favorite bits of string theory, actually. it's a very concise encapsulation of that. we've all heard one of our friends go "no, that's different" and been like, "no, my guy, it really isn't". and that's what shoko gets to deal with here.

3. Balls-deep internalized homophobia

he is a boy, and he is desperately trying to fit himself into the girl box for suguru

ohhhhh boy okay so obviously this one is my favorite. we're doing a lot with girl-boy satoru. i've already mentioned that this is why satoru keeps on trying to throw himself at suguru (sexually). he feels like he needs to fit the role of hot, physically-available girlfriend. and, as you see with relativity, this is also why he is determined to make himself bottom. we are not done with that arc, by the way.

that's also why he says shit like this:

which - the stutter here is a very slight signal that he's not actually 100% ready for that. he's not prepared for anything (no one is), but he's trying to convince himself that he is, because in his mind, he has to be, or suguru will leave. (stupidcore)

and this (one of my fave bits of FIYM period):

and it's why he has such an intense reaction to be called pretty, rather than handsome:

(and that's also why suguru immediately backpedals and thinks he's fucked up. satoru wants suguru to see him as a pseudo girl because he's internally homophobic. suguru wants to reassure satoru that he's not a girl because he's internally antihomophobic. boys. please.)

and (i won't put a bunch of pics in), you'll notice that he's always assigning himself the girl role in his AU fantasies (including most recently with his my immortal self-insert).

behaviorally, this can look like it overlaps with his sub role in the dom/sub dynamic they have, but it's actually not the main driver of that. if you take out all of the internalized homophobia, satoru is still a sub (in this verse) for other reasons related to jujutsu, status, and power. he's an internalized homophobe, not an internalized misogynist lmfao. we'll get into that more later, probably.

anyway, those are just some of my thoughts on the themes of string theory and some of satoru's characterization. definitely send me more specific sections if you want to hear more @detta-pica, I'd love to continue yapping :)

one other thing i could talk about is some of the writing style/syntax i use for satoru. i feel like that's something i've mentioned here and there but haven't necessarily covered explicitly. i'd have to narrow in on a section for that, though, probably. and maybe it would be interesting to compare string theory to fellas stylistically. (string theory is Intense Satoru, whereas I know I can't realistically write all of fellas with the same level of atmosphere/detail and keep the plot moving at a reasonable pace, so fellas is a bit lighter).

anyway, i hope this was a fun read! i'm always happy to talk more about characterization, too. i hope the text always gets across what i am trying to say implicitly, but it's nice to talk about it explicitly too.

[lune-moon-nuit]

I personally dont think it is realistic for will to sit his friends down in the middle of the apocalypse and b like hey guys im gay. Idk is that just me? I def think they might find out or if they do get into a fist fight with the bullies like some people think maybe lucas ans dustin will kinda tell will its okay and realize. I def think will can have a coming out scene to his mom, but i rlly see it all like how the jonathan scene went, where he noticed and went to will first, but of course will takes the support.

I definitely don’t think they’ll have a big coming-out scene where all the characters are present for the ultimate revelation. The Duffer Brothers are far more subtle than that. It would be such a cliché, empty of meaning due to the lack of intimacy, realism, and logical coherence with the storyline.

I don’t think Will is going to have a coming-out scene with his mother because, technically, he already had one with Jonathan. We also know very well that Joyce is a safe mother for Will—she would never abandon or reject him for this. She even said so herself in Season 2 when she shared a memory to bring Will back while he was possessed. She talked about the rainbow spaceship and told him how proud she was of that drawing and of him. That message was not only a subtle nod to Will’s yet-to-be-confirmed homosexuality at the time but, more importantly, a way to show that Joyce loves and accepts him as he is—that she will always be proud of him, no matter what others say.

If there were to be a real coming-out scene with a parent, it would be far more interesting on Mike’s side. We know that Karen is a loving mother who does everything she can to be there for her children, but it’s obvious that she is emotionally distant from both Nancy and Mike (I can’t say for Holly), even if it’s not intentional. The Wheeler family dynamic is… complicated.

That being said, despite her love for her son and despite telling Mike in Season 1 that she wants him to feel safe enough to never hide anything from her (which, by the way, didn’t work, since Mike spends most of the series hiding everything from his parents), can Mike actually feel safe coming out to a mother who supports Reagan and follows the mold of conservative society, with the ideal of the “nuclear family”?

Let’s not forget that being "queer" and "gay" in that era were synonyms for death, danger, disease, vice, sin, etc., for the vast majority of Americans. People literally washed their hands after shaking hands with someone perceived to be gay. So I’d be really curious to see whether Karen and Ted would be comfortable with the idea of their son—the only son in the family, the next "man of the house" after Ted, who is expected to carry on the Wheeler lineage—being gay.

Ted isn’t even a question. Even without being overtly hateful, his line in Season 1 speaks volumes about the ingrained homophobia he holds, even if it’s nonviolent (at least physically and unintentionally, unlike Lonnie). But Karen… would she take it well? I truly can’t say, and I don’t think Mike knows either. That’s what could make the tension in such a scene interesting.

That said, I don’t think there will be any explicit coming out scenes. If anything, it will likely be subtle, with each character reacting through a single line or gesture. We’ll have to wait and see.

It’s really time for Season 5 to arrive.

[dropthedemiurge]

So I went to see the Korean version of Angels in America today, and Taevin was amazing, as expected!

I don't feel too good to leave a full review (seriously, going outside in 35 degrees heat should give me a sick leave for work) and it was only Part 1 (3 Acts) so I'll just talk about Taevin briefly, and if anyone's interested in hearing more, I can come up with another post comparing original and Korean versions later...

Anyway, LEE TAEVIN. I was so right to fall into him (the way he acts, but also I'm in love with his voice who knows why). He was very emotional, very bold, captured original Louis so well (and delivered such fast and complicated rants nicely xD) and also - yes, we had gay kiss and implied fucking on stage as well 👀 In Asian country, talking and showing AIDS stories - it felt very unusual but as an outsider to both cultures and histories, I don't have much ground to speak on.

Also of course, some wordplays were lost but some were added, but mostly the translation was sticking to the original almost perfectly (if only I was more fluent in Korean, I could tall about it even better but I'm really glad I watched the original play first so I knew the story and what they were supposed to say (huge thanks to @dragonsareawesome123 for providing me links!). But I could tell the difference where jokes in English were supposed to land and which comedic moments in Korean striked the best instead xD It was fun noticing. But the loudest laugh (twice at that) was during Louis x Guy hookup on street lol (yes I still can't believe I watched Taevin getting "fucked" on stage the guy really chooses the most queer and bold and interesting roles in the beginning of his acting career)

And there were slight changes in decorations and costumes, and I liked some things more than original, but some original moments got lost.

There are two actors for Prior and tbh I went to see the more popular one because everyone said he's been acting in dramas and other cast worked for me but... I didn't get enough tbh x) Like, Yoo Seungho was good and he was also emotional and delivered lines well - but I guess, I just didn't get the Sick Gay Drag Queen vibes as much as in the original xD I mean, man was so toned and had abs! But the actor himself is thin so it can't be helped Ig, Koreans aren't pale :D

Plus, he was supposed to be contrasting to Louis and Joe but he was less flamboyant so I guess that's the only flaw I can point out. I'll go watch second actor in the second part of the play to compare acting between Korean versions and not with western one, it's going to be interesting.

But still, Seungho himself did a good job with acting with his body and emotional delivery, I'm merely comparing to the original play. He was also very sweet when he came out to the fans after the play ^^

Anyway, the rest of the cast was great as well, the explicity from original - in both language and portrayed things - stayed there and only details ended up more smoothed iut (more Asian style?)

The Art hall was almost full on Sunday, which I was surprised to see for such story, and I saw a lot of couples and people in their 30-40s and nobody left mid-break which to me is a good sign xD

That was a nice experience, it was my first time seeing or knowing about Angels in America too, I'm definitely gonna go for Part 2 because that's where the most of the fun is :D

Tagging @doyou000me @non-binarypal7 who were interested in my review (if you watched the original, I can share more about the actual lines and moments xD)

[omgeddon]

300,000 Kisses by Sean Hewitt & Luke Edward Hall

I keep this as short as possible (because I'm trying to dissociate for the rest of the year tbh)

👍 I love gay shit and I love old shit and I love humanising the great lost generastions of the past, so this couldn't really lose for me.

🦅 I thought starting with Ganymede was brave and smart for these two, refusing to shrink away from the classical legacy of pederasty to a broad audience is bold. Gotta respect that. It's a feature of classical literature that becomes more complicated over time, not less - and rightly so, as every generation piles condemnation or defence on top of the last so it's easy to get lost in it.

🌈 There are a lot of lovely little lessons from the classical period about identity and acceptance (and the lack of it obviously) which I enjoy. I think that's worth reflecting on [Now More Than Ever] because while the great global fash movement is obviously dedicated to deminishing the fruit brigade, I think even within the "progressive movement" (not a thing) things can so quickly become about policing, and correction, and definition, which is counter-productive. [IMO]. Just being is enough you know, the anatomisation of experience is an Enlightenment impulse, and I think the Classical Mind (and medieval actually) has us beat on that, in many respects. This is a conversation I'm not particularly interested in having to be honest because it bores me and it's irreconcilable anyway, but I can pull out a pin and throw. I don't care.

📚 Further Reading:

✅ If you liked this book: The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller

No brainer. Very period, very charming, very of this reimagining of the classics moment that's been happening since, well, since 9/11 i guess. Weird that this book, 300, and HBO's Rome are all part of the same movement, but they are I guess?

❌ If you didn't like this book: Gay Life Stories by Robert Aldrich

If you're not into the classical revivalism thing, but like feeling a part of a larger historical continuum of queerness, this might be more your bag. It's an anthology of queer biographies from across history and cultures, the majority are Western and Male, but effort has clearly been made to cover other cultures and experiences. It's a lovely little book, I can recommend it.

❔Other Stuff That Might Interest You ...

Tales from Metamorphosis by Ted Hughes

Blank verse retellings of some of Ovid's Metamorphosis. I am a big Ted Hughes fan, I get that not everyone is because of, you know, the suicidal wives thing. Not interested in getting into that, human relationships aren't team sports, you know? That's my take. But, of all the billion million Ovids that are out there, this is a fave. Really accessible, really tender, and yeah, probably there's a note of misogyny there. Hughes not gay, very hetero, and clearly a great lover and idoliser of women and femininity, as many male artists are, to perhaps the point of objectification. Which considering the nature of Metamorphosis, is not inappropriate maybe? Hughes also has an Oresteia, which is the best thing ever written in any language, tbh.

Frogs by Aristophanes (and Stephen Sondheim)

If you can bare to read classical drama, this is a cute one. It's not gay, but it is short, and it is "funny" to a modern reader (if you try to find it funny anyway). It's nice a low brow, plenty of dick and fart jokes. Taking the piss out of prominent Athenians of whom history leaves absolutely nothing else. The plot is an fruity actor from the Festivals is sick of plays being so shit since Aeschylus died, so he decends into the underworld to bring him back and save The Theatre. Sondheim did a flop musical version in the 70s, which Nathan Lane (and Whoopi Goldberg I think???) revived in the 00s. Also flopped. But the public has no idea what art is or whatevs. Check it out, if you can be at all bothered.

tl;dr:

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander

4.25/5. Releases 3/11/25.

—"you must marry to inherit"

—trans hero

—"oh no my new employee is hot"

—slow burn to passion

Heat Index: 6/10

The Basics:

Lord Christopher Eden prefers to keep his distance from society, both because he's somewhat eccentric in general, and because he doesn't want anyone to know his secrets. The trouble is, Christopher is going to lose his estate—and his earldom—if he doesn't marry before his next birthday. On his quest to find a wife, he hires the prickly (some might stay STARCHY) valet James Harding, whose stern attitude is both annoying and, let's be real, super hot. As they become friends, however, Christopher's burgeoning longing for James does pose a complication for the whole "finding a wife" thing...

The Review:

TJ Alexander has become an author I can reliably recommend—you'll almost definitely like or love the book if they wrote it, and this is no exception. I am SO happy to see them hitting the historical romance space when it needs a voice like theirs so desperately. Historical romance is not dead! But damn, if you want to keep it alive you need not only diverse writers, but writers who write unabashedly what they want. That is TJ. They are fearless and they are determined and it's just a joy to read their stories.

While A Gentleman's Gentleman does touch on some very difficult topics—transphobia and homophobia are never confronted directly on the page, exactly, but they're forces that obviously shape the world and the circumstances in which Christopher lives—it has a really breezy, wryly humorous tone infused with some classic Historical Romance Pining. I don't know that any romance subgenre does Pining as well as historical romance, and you get the whole nine yards here.

This is entirely from Christopher's third person POV. While I do admittedly prefer dual POV, TJ does a great job of giving us a very clear picture of who James is, what he longs for, his quirks. Christopher is fairly smitten fairly quickly, but in a "This is so embarrassing and also inconvenient, I can't believe myself" kind of way. (There's also a really good beat wherein he discusses whether or not being attracted to a man makes him LESS of a man—something that was refreshing to see touched upon.) It's as the story goes on and he and James become friends that their feelings deepen. It's gradual, it's natural, but it never feels meandering. This is, inheritance plot aside, overall what I would call a character study romance.

When compared to Alexis Hall's Something series (which I love) I'd say this is sort of between that and a "traditional" historical romance vibe. It's set firmly in a more realistic, if optimistic, historical setting. Christopher does have a close queer friend, but he doesn't have a circle, as Hall's characters often do. And part of that is also necessity, right? Christopher is hiding, and I wouldn't say that the urge to hide is ONLY due to his transness (he has a great backstory that DID feel very classic old school historical romance in a lot of ways). But you're in that middle space, where Christopher isn't ashamed, exactly, but also feels pretty alone because while he has a friend that is gay, he doesn't have any friends who are trans.

By rooting this story in a more grounded world, TJ also gets to highlight the reality of trans history: that it is, in fact, a history. That there were and have always been trans people. And there will always be trans people. Regardless of whatever various corrupt regimes try to tell you. It's not that Christopher is truly alone; it's that he feels alone, and once he realizes he isn't, you can truly feel this weight lift a little.

All while he's falling head over heels in love with a very uptight hot man who's all about dressing him.

The Sex:

Although there is explicit sex in this novel, you do have to wait a good while for it. I'd definitely categorize this as a slow burn; but because the emotions are big and the longing is LONGING, I didn't feel undermined or whatever. Plus, what you do get is truly excellent and really unique to the characters. I don't know if I've read a sex scene before that had the exact same kind of... framing, I guess? In terms of where the characters were coming from emotionally speaking.

Also, Christopher is totally inexperienced, so.... a win for the lovers of virgin heroes (there are dozens of us! Dozens!).

I will say, though—if you're a fan of the stretched out tension? Yeah. There's a scene in this book that does tension SO. RIDICULOUSLY. WELL. I may have pearl-clutched a little.

Look, I'm not gonna ignore the elephant in the room: Trans people are under attack in my country. They always have been, but the loud part is very loud right now. Reading and buying and promoting trans romances should always be a priority. People NEED to be exposed to these love stories. It's political. It's emotional.

And, oh look, you also get to read a really great love story. You're winning on every level. Give yourself that win. Buy this book.

Thanks to Vintage and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[eri-pl]

@ 2 posts I reblogged on the side (well mostly one of them)

The whole thing about "you can't claim that someone deserves to die, bc it's not your job to judge it" and the idea that this applies to fictional characters too. (Sidenote: in the context of real people I wholly agree with the thought, only the blorbos are the question.)

On one hand, yes, it makes sense, because if we say "General von Evil deserves to die because he murdered civilians" it sort of implies "[insert a politician of choice] deserves to die because he murdered civilians" and that's a problem.

On the other hand, well, general von Evil is a fictional guy and I feel like I am on the position to judge him because of that. Because I am more real. And I made him up.

On the secret third hand, the whole Tolkienian philosophy about sub-creation… Tolkien himself never did that (let's not hairsplit, we'll get there later). Even about Gollum. And I respect that a lot.

But also, maybe let's not get crazy over the rights of fictional blorbos. It seems easy to get into absurd levels here.

Also, does it change when you are writing the character?

It's complicated. Thoughts? (@tzarina-alexandra I know we are not moots, but this post is very much inspired by things you said, so I felt like tagging you may be a good idea. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it but no pressure)

---

Also I am now having an internal debate about "but what about Morgoth specifically and saying that he deserves to die/whatever" (assuming that we have agreed that generally, "don't judge fictional people" is a good rule).

And.

On one hand, I do not want to question my beloved mutual's right to say that, mostly (solely?) because, well, context. (does she even say that? Probably. I'm not sure.) And other people's right to say it either. Especially because I like him, so I very much feel like I'm not in the position to comment on that. I am biased.

On the other hand, by saying that this one character is so evil that he deserves to [insert whatever nasty thing] opens a gate for more. Because. Why does he deserve it exactly? Can we pick anything (other than "because he is not real") that he did to deserve it and no real people did?

Because the author said so? I suppose some authors say similar things about various characters, some of which are quite relatable. Or at least human. And i don't read the worst books, I'm sure some authors enthusiastically throw characters to Hell for being gay / Catholic / any other thing common on tumblr / any other thing some humans do. (Also, what about the grey area of "throwing characters to hell for doing things that are not possible IRL, like being a nazgul"?)

Because the author said he is literally the devil? Again, leaning on the author doesn't seem like a safe heuristics. Also I'm quite certain that "he's literally the Antichrist" had been used as a political argument during religious conflicts, so— it's tricky.

And so often fantasy evils are seen as a metaphor of real-world stuff. Not Morgoth, but I'm sure someone did the math of "if Mordor is Russia, than Sauron is Stalin / whoever". Even though Mordor is not Russia and Tolkien hated allegory.

Because he's not human? Well, what does human even mean? Some people say psychopaths aren't human. Some people say Trump voters are not human. some people say some ethnicities are not human. Even if we agree to a reasonable definition of human, with fantasy characters it gets messy, because again, what is a human? Who is human? Elves, vampires, whatever— it gets messy. And also if we even entertain the concept of "you can stop being human"… ugh.

OK, maybe if we agree to a reasonable definition of human. This could work. Maybe. It feels slippery.

I am probably overthinking it and should put the line just on "is not real". (But also, what about fictionalized versions of real people, where's the line there?)

Or maybe I should stop worrying of infringing on people's right to do something I never even saw them do.

Thoughts?

[herbariumua]

So, I have recently read Simpsons Comics Issue 30, where Burns made about a hundred clones of Smithers and replaced every worker on the powerplant with him.

I liked it so much, that I want to make a post about it, there would be no deep analysis, just things that I especially adore in this story.

And, of course, spoilers?..

So, the short plot is: workers of the powerplant are demanding to add 5 cents to their salary - and Mr Burns wouldn't be himself if he just agreed to it. So he created a really complicated scheme to make a hundred clones of Smithers to replace every worker with him. And it was working well...

..until it blows up right in his face.

But at the end of the day, Smithers actually saved the whole situation and Mr Burns's life (of course he did).

Also, look how adorkable Waylon looks in his cute Hawaiian shirt that matches Monty's costume by colors.

So, yes, the story plot about clones going crazy and trying to murder everyone was pretty predictable, but no one even tried to hide it. The best part of the comics - how totally gay is it.

Really, I feel like it is one of the gayest burnsmithers story I have read so far, and, surprisely, it comes from the Burns's side.

Like, look at this man here, he said himself that he's "never been happier" while literally surrounded by Smithers's caring and affection towards him.

Or how he is walking among Smithers's clones, because he is like the way they are so happy and excited to see him. In this story I feel like he knows very well about Waylon's feelings toward him - and he not only enjoys it, but also encourages it in every way.

(Original Smithers being kinda jealous (?) and suspicious toward his own clones is hilarious. This man knows himself too well).

I mean, he gave them a "reward" to serve him 24/7. This old fox definitely knows that Smithers would actually die to have the opportunity to be around him 24/7. It might sound like a funny joke to the reader, but inside the story, it IS an actual reward.

("there can't be enough of me to go around" - oh my god, Monty, we all know what you are)

Also how he started to miss Smitherses the moment they ran away (even if they were trying to cut him into pieces).

Just admit you are in love with him and get married already!

Also a cute moment that I noticed - while he is surrounded by absolutely identical clones, he still wants to the actual Smithers to take care of his needs. How sweet.

But of course, there are also a ton of gay moments from Smithers's side. I mean, where Smithers' clones went a little bit crazy about Burns...

...and I like how the original one is literally his guard dog.

The ending is very sweet and satisfying too. And I adore the last picture, where Waylon's joke made Monty laugh. These two is an excellent couple for sure.

And who else headcanon that all of these Waylon's clones will find their happiness with Monty's clones, who escaped during "The Princess Guide"? Let my boys be happy, please, they totally deserve it.

PS Also I am so happy to see that Burns actually enjoys Smithers's company so much, he is totally ok with surrounding himself only with his clones and keeping them around to serve him 24/7.

In the newest episodes of the show we barely see them interacting this friendly as they used to be, it almost feels like Burns is constantly annoyed with his presence, which is so uncanon for him.

[takemebacktowheniwassane]

I would kill to have you overanalyze everything about Falsettos. Hope that didn't sound too threatening, I was joking, I'm just really into your analysis of the chess game :3

omg! I would love to analyze anything for you, man! 💗 I've pretty much picked everything out of a lot of the songs─ lil surprised I don't have my own corkboard with red twine commemorating my insanity on this musical lol

Looking through the album, the first option that came to mind might've been The Thrill of First Love but I think I'll take a break from toxic gays for just one moment and give you a strangely written analysis on Marvin at the Psychiatrist: A Three-Part Mini Opera, because of the different character pov's (i.e., Mendel, Jason, somewhat Whizzer, and of course, Marvin─ and I know Whizzer only announces each section of the song but hear me out, the theories are crazy and I'm obsessed with them and this song definitely factors into them aswell).

Basically, we'll start off with a quick look over Jason's lines, as he is the first character to speak/sing in the song. Right off the bat, we have him showing a HUGE disdain for love because of his father pretty much ruining his home life with the illusion of it. Well, maybe disdain is strong, but you get what I mean─ he's very reluctant to accept romance as an option for himself at all at this point because the wound is still very fresh from Marvin blowing up their family life, but yeah, also, he's a little preteen boy so it also makes sense for him to object to liking anyone just because of immaturity.

As we progress, Jason does a joint-therapy session with Marvin and they talk about outings and father/son bonding time gone badly wrong. He lets us in on his hyper-observance with his reaction to Marvin saying the pitcher they saw at a baseball game was handsome, and makes sure the audience is well aware he has some pretty conflicting emotions about his dad and his dad's sexuality. Especially given My Father's a Homo comes directly after this song, and in turn, also directly after this moment, so we know his feelings over Marvin and Whizzer (being that he enjoys Whizzer's company, seeing as Whizzer is the only adult who actually treats him like a kid and not like a victim or a baby or an average adult, like- but still) and their messy relationship.

It really makes me wonder on how it is when he's meant to go over to their apartment, since it's canonical that they live together and that Jason sees him regularly. And if they act terribly in front of him still. I assume Whizzer wouldn't allow that, another trait that gives Jason reason to side with him, because he seems like he really just doesn't want to completely, for lack of better words, fuck up Jason's whole childhood experience by being a part of it.

Now! Mendel isn't a complicated perspective, per say, just very eccentric. Especially assuming he asks MANY intrusive questions to a man who just openly came out as gay about his ex-wife and her sexual habits and such. This is where we tell him to go to horny jail.

(That's not the whole analysation, I swear─)

Mendel to me seems like he probably takes the initiative to not relay any of his clients actual info to other family members, but this song pretty much just proves he's incapable of brain-thought when he's horny. Which, yeah, that's hilarious that the only straight man is just thirsting over a woman to this gay guy. William Finn, you've done it again.

Anyhow, Mendel is pretty vital in this song. We get to see his psychiatry techniques, and with that, understand exactly what kind of situation Marvin's been, in taking therapy from him this whole time. The first part of the song is probably the best way of analyzing, since he's actually intelligible and giving Marvin advice. Well, that advice consists of telling him to ignore Whizzer's flaws and love him regardless, you can actually sorta see that at work in some aspects of the musical, even if he's constantly condescending to Whizzer throughout act one.

But generally, Marvin tends to take the exact opposite path that Mendel gives him, and basically just uses him as a venting device. Then again, Mendel is not to great at giving advice, as a neurotic little man who has like four mental breakdowns in the course of act one and two.

Next, Whizzer, of course. Short but sweet, or.. angsty? I've heard a few people theorize that Whizzer narrates the story ("Marvin at the psychiatrist, a three part mini opera, part one." "Part two." "Part three." "Psychiatrist, returning, returning! Five sessions later..." "A day in Falsettoland─ Doctor Mendel at work.") because after he dies, it sort of becomes his story of finding a true family and lover and son and being actually happy and knowing he lived well before he died really, tragically young, at least.

I'd like to take it a different direction, because I hate angst, and only sometimes tolerate it.

I've realized that Whizzer only actually narrates Mendel's shenanigans, which makes me think, especially with how he still does in act two, he gets to HEAR about the sessions. Whether it be from Marvin, or Jason, or Trina. Or even Mendel himself (this one's more act two based). It may introduce a new side because Whizzer doesn't go to therapy (shocker), but the people he's around all see this one guy so maybe he hears about the sessions and can relay them because he knows this one person's aspect of the story each time.

It wouldn't make a lot of sense for him to hear anything from Mendel in act one assuming they weren't close (at least not in the revival), and he doesn't marry Trina until Marvin and Whizzer are broken up, basically. But it would make more sense for him to get it from his boyfriend who absolutely loves to complain about any minor inconvenience in his life. I just think this could be an interesting perspective, because I've only ever seen that first theory and although somewhat fitting, I need less angst and more cool little headcanons in this fanbase please and thank you.

Finally, we go to Marvin. The star of the show, our princess with several disorders (we all know who our real queens are *stares directly at Trina and Whizzer*).

Throughout the entirety of this song, we see him barely entertaining Mendel with information. He's very vague, which probably stems from a life of secrecy and sneaking around. Although I presume he told Mendel about the affair while it was happening, or a few months in? Or Mendel just knew? Just by the general air of it, and how it seemed well-known by that point even though him and Trina only just divorced.

Marvin definitely keeps to himself, and waits for Mendel to butt in with something. Not so he can take his advice, but moreso so that he can kinda just. Have it, on hand? Or maybe so he can prove to himself that therapy is a hoax, because that certainly sounds like a Marvin thing to do.

Even while going through events with his son, he only states that eventually their interactions just go back to being stale and that they SHOULD be closer, without ever trying to actually make an effort (he assumes making an effort is taking Jason on outings even though they both prefer to stay inside, on their own. This definitely comes from his parents not doing anything with him as a kid, it's internalized so he pushes going out in public and doing what would be father/son outings onto Jason. It's something he never got to have, so he thinks that means he's fathering Jason better than average).

Not much to be said about that middle factor, besides the point of Marvin not knowing Trina was withholding love from him, which is interesting. Her character and lines definitely prevail that she was fed up with Marvin, but it could have just come out as indifference during their marriage. In I'm Breaking Down, she does make a point to state that she only wants a man to love her, so that could've been an overwhelming point in their marriage that Marvin remembers more vividly then her drifting away.

He did seem genuinely surprised when Mendel brought it up, so there is something there for sure.

But now, my dear silly, it's time for me to say adieu, because it's semi-late and I gotta update a fic draft :) but thank you sm for asking! made my day, it was so sweet. my inbox is always open for any suggestions, I'm really glad you like these little rants lol.

I'll try to post more soon 🫶

Goodnight!

[ceaseless-watchers-special-girl]

you guys. you guys you guys. i think i know what i want from the final season of the penumbra podcast. i have spent the past ten minutes pacing around my room. yesterday i read up to chapter 17 of prydon's fic separate but syncopated (https://archiveofourown.org/works/30943430/chapters/76417991) which let's be honest, you've probably read already. it's phenomenal. if you haven't, you should.

so i've been thinking. i just really want to go back to brahma. i want to go back to brahma and take down the guardian angel system.

the thing is, the junoverse is a very character driven storyline, and i love that about it. the second citadel is more event driven i think, and it was more difficult for me to get into that storyline and stick with it (i'm weak i'm sorry). for example, although the first season focuses a lot on juno solving the whole martian artefact doodah, back then the penumbra crew were still finding their feet.

then junoverse season 2 happened, and the entire point of that season was basically "get juno over his trauma" (that's why it was so long oh my god). sure, there was a whole plot with ramses and the theia souls, but i think we can all agree that was secondary to juno's character development.

next, season 3. season 3 is definitely character driven, you literally can't deny it. it focuses on each member of the carte blanche in turn, and it uses the plot, finding the curemother prime, as a secondary tool to further the true point of the season: getting to know the characters.

season 4 i'm a little less certain about because i'm typing this post straight into tumblr fresh out of my brain (if anyone wants to help out with the analysis i'd love that). but i think the point of season 4 is to test and showcase the bonds of the carte blanche with each other, and juno rescuing them all is not only a good story, but also a good way to show off the relationships they built in season 3. his relationship with nureyev is shown through periodic reading of the journal, and juno's copious inner monologues (i say like i'm one to talk when all of these thoughts are swirling around in my own head).

then, season 5. the point of this season mirrors that of season 2, but this time, we need to get nureyev over his trauma. this is way trickier, because we're not inside nureyev's head, we're still in juno's. it's still character driven because the aim is to help nureyev, but the plot is given by juno having to chase him across the galaxy. hence, juno's hesitation when he finally finds nureyev.

well, steel, you've caught him. now what the hell are you going to do with him?

there is no plot to drive the character study anymore. our goal was to help nureyev, and juno (poor juno) has done all he can. the ball falls squarely into nureyev's court now, and juno has no say in the plot of the rest of the story. this is why i have been chewing myself alive since the last episode — we know what's next for the characters emotionally, but we have absolutely zero idea what's happening next plot-wise. it's killing me.

(what was the point of this post again?)

OH WAIT I'VE GOT IT. so. since our whole thing for this season is helping nureyev, and we all want him to go batshit fucking insane, i really want nureyev to go back to brahma, and finish what he started two decades ago. i think it's the perfect circular story arc to keep them occupied while nureyev heals emotionally from the fallout from everything going on with slip.

also, sorry to get real for a second, but i've just been tearing myself apart being morally outraged at the world we live in, and the fact that i'm barely able to do anything about it. maybe one day i could, but until then, it would be nice to see my favourite space gays set an example.

now, i know there's complications with this. nureyev refused to take the guardian angel system down in the first place because of the damage it would cause, and i'm willing to bet he hasn't excised that moral core just yet, no matter how hard he's trying. but i'm sure they can find a way to make it work. they have rita, after all!!

they're definitely hinting at a homecoming arc for juno. i think nureyev needs one too, is all.

[sugarywishes]

Could you go a bit more into your plans and the role of Elizabeth & Even in the future of your AU? I'm curious to learn a bit more about how their respective roles change things, as well as how it will end up playing out with Micheal & William also involved on the whole...

Of course! Answers below as usual.

So I'm trying really hard to not fully expose every detail of the Security Breach portion of this rewrite, but the gist of it is Glitchtrap/William, and the Afton kids return for a grand finale! And unfortunately Gregory, Vanessa, and GlamFred have to be in the middle of it all. (Which means HW 2, Secret of the Mimic or whatever games they'll be making in the future will likely not be added to this thing, unless I really like it but it's likely I won't lmao) (RUIN-ED is in a complicated situation in this rewrite, it's technically now an AU spinoff, that's not canon to the security breach section but is still related to it, but I'm over complicating things here, I'll explain it in other post!)

And as some of you know in this section of the rewrite/AU, Glitchtrap will use Gregory as a replacement body for Evan to inhabit to come back to Earth, and boy are they BOTH upset about this! (My Security Breach portion will include Gregory's family, the Casas, and they'll get a chance to interact with Evan a lot too, since they don't know that Gregory's kind of being possessed rn)

Speaking of the Casas, EVERYONE in that family serves as a 'mirror' to the Aftons (that does not mean they share the same personalities or anything, they're just the counterparts for story telling purposes, and I mean VERY important story telling purposes!) Julian is the 'William', Rebecca is the 'Clara', Gregory is the 'Evan', and Monica is the 'Michael'. You may notice that Elizabeth wasn't included in the line up (originally, before RUIN-ED came out, there were many theories that Cassie could be Gregory's twin sister and I was ALL for it because then I could finally have Lizzie have her own Casas counterpart, and then turns out she wasn't related to him, so I had to rewrite things unfortunately 😔) So now, VANESSA is the Elizabeth counterpart.

Going back to Evan, he HATED coming back, when he did originally wake up in Gregory's body, he had a full blown panic attack and was horrified by his surroundings, cause yk he was freaked out by Glitchtrap, an 8 foot tall gay ass bear, a white woman and a teenage girl who looked too similar to his brother whom he only remembers MURDERED HIM, that can really overwhelm someone! (Btw, Mike had been fully anticipating his father's return, but he didn't think Evan and Elizabeth would come back because he thought they moved on, they definitely did not!)

After a whole rescue operation (and losing someone during it, not a death though.) Gregory/Evan will go through a lot of trials and tribulations through family matters and trauma. Again, I'm trying not to spoil a lot about this section since it's pretty crazy, but they do become friends! They will be each other's first ever friends, actually, since Cassie won't be in this rewrite. SORRY ☹️ she will be important in the RUIN-ED AU/spinoff though! (Yk the one with the stupid ass kids/ocs)

For Elizabeth, she will end up attempting to possess Vanessa (although it was not part of William's original plan, and who knows? It could work.) I really want to say more details but I must restrain myself from doing so. She will be an antagonist along with Will, she's gonna cause some evil shit, and she'll get a redemption arc because it's what she deserves! (Yk after she learns her lesson) And there is actually a reason why she and Evan even have relationships with the MCI/KCI kids, even if Liz didn't actually meet them when she was still Baby. Let's just say, the afterlife prison for her was not cool! Thank goodness she managed to escape too.

And yeah, tons of Afton family drama is relevant in this too, it intertwines with the Casas family own trauma.

I'd really like to discuss more about what exactly will happen, believe me. But I'm saving all that for when I get to it! (And also because, I'm still working on it!)

[hollow-lime-green]

I was reading the last chapter of domains (again) and I think there’s a really interesting juxtaposition between Suguru realizing in the spur of the moment that he would let Satoru do anything to him and being completely genuine about it, vs Satoru (who obsesses over their relationship constantly) saying that Suguru could do anything to him, but stuttering while saying because it isn’t exactly 100% true (I think I remember you saying something about it but I can’t find the post anywhere)

yes! their certainties about boundaries/consent and the drivers behind that claimed blanket consent (emotional vs physical) foil each other!

suguru - genuinely certain, justified physically

satoru - falsely certain, justified emotionally

these always get so long since i yap, and i love talking about stuff like this. i want the writing to speak for itself and convey all this stuff in an organic way, but it is nice to open up the hood and talk about what i am intentionally trying to get at too. so here we go, under the cut:

Satoru

satoru's piece of this is from the girlification section of @detta-pica's ask on string theory.

satoru would let suguru do anything to him - definitely true, but also very ill-conceived, and on very shaky ground. the way they both interpret satoru's statement also differs:

satoru [stuttering, lie, psyching himself up]: yeah i'd let suguru do anything to me. yeah i'm totally game, i can take it. i could totally set a boundary, but like, i don't need to. (and oh my god what if that makes suguru sad what if it makes him leave what if-) i'm good. i'm so good. i'm so fucking good bro. satoru: [is not good] suguru [immediate, truth, divine revelation]: oh, satoru would let me do anything to him. he's not capable of setting boundaries. this is bad. (but shit it's kind of hot and turns me on but wait shit fuck am i a bad person am i literally unredeemable am i the actual incarnation of evil-

satoru's driving motivation is almost entirely emotional (he wants to fulfill this role), whereas his complications are all physical. he does like sex at a baseline, though. but that's not why he's doing this.

Suguru

from ch 6 domains -

suguru would let satoru do anything to him - also true, also ill-conceived, but it's on solid ground, in a way.

suguru has a different understanding of boundaries and consent because he's already had his broken. he knows where his lines are, and he is 100% certain that satoru is not going to cross them. i think i may have mentioned this before, but the original way the sex scene in 2sorcs ch 14 played out in rough drafts was essentially:

satoru: "please fuck me" suguru: "uhhh what? i thought you were going to want to fuck me, since you're still pretending you're straight and all. and i was gonna be cool with that. but okay. shit, okay. i guess we're doing this now."

their interpretation of suguru's consent also differs because they're both insane.

satoru [insane]: he can't actually consent to this. oh my god i'm abusing him. i'm taking advantage of him because i'm a gojo (he doesn't care) and a special grade (he is too) and he's straight and doesn't realize i'm actually gay and into him (girl...) suguru [insane plus plus plus]: yeah, i mean, it's whatever. he's a cute, inexperienced little stick man with extreme anxiety. i'm fine letting him experiment. he's way too timid to actually push anything. and even if he did, i don't care, actually, if people do things to my body that i don't like. it's just a body, who cares. it won't hurt me. it's just a physical thing. no connection whatsoever to my mental health. (also no connection to my cursed technique) well, yes, satoru's physical comfort is extremely, viscerally important to me and i am hypervigilant about it. but that's different.

suguru's driving motivation is physical. he is willing to do this because he is so dissociated from his own body that he doesn't clock harm to it or feel ownership over it. which is bad, obviously, but he does have a genuine internal certainty about it. emotionally, it's complicated because he hasn't unpacked why he implicitly supertrusts satoru (and it takes him about 150k words to get there).

we will get more into this in fellas, actually. because in order to unpack suguru's relationship with his body, we kind of need to see the outside perspective (satoru's), since suguru is dead set on Not Thinking About It. and, in his spiral, we will be talking a lot about his CT and the importance of The Body (not the TLT one) in jujutsu.

also, one more thing - it makes me so happy when you/any commenters mention you are rereading FIYM. i reread comfort fics all the time and yet i'm still like "t-they liked it enough to reread?? 🥺🥺🥺"

💜