#So why not ... play with that while you're in the astral plane? because I certainly would

[ellenchain]

Oh! OH!!! WAIT, is Viktor hiding that he's trans in your Playground comic? Because it certainly vibes that way!!

Ohhhh that's actually an interesting interpretation that I didn't have on my radar! Now that I think about it, it really does come across a bit like that! But I have to disappoint you, that won't be the subject of the comic 😶

One of the reasons for this is that the comic is actually about… well… porn… and even though there's a bit more story in part 3, I wouldn't really be doing justice to the subject by putting it in a porn comic. It's a sensitive subject, and if Viktor were to come out to Jayce, I'd want to treat it accordingly.

If you're wondering why I'm portraying Viktor as trans at all, I really wanted to leave it up to the reader to decide for themselves whether Viktor is cis or trans. Since the story takes place in the astral plane and we will only see Viktor briefly in the real world again, it won't be 'resolved' at the end what his real body looks like. I thought that way I could do justice to any headcanon (including my own).

I hope that Playground has not lost its appeal for you now! Viktor isn't hiding anything bad, it's just his own insecurities and a little (big?) misunderstanding. But I don't want to tell too much now!

[salarta]

I Saw The TV Glow Thoughts

So I saw the movie, and I wanna talk about several things within it. I'm gonna put it under a cut because spoilers are involved.

I thought it was a great movie, though I don't think it'll have the same impact on streaming.

The whole scene of Mr Melancholy speaking to Owen is a prime example. It feels very encompassing when it's on a huge screen taking up your attention, vs on a smaller screen when you can easily just look at your phone or get distracted. I LOVED the effect on his face. But yeah, "you won't even know you're dying" hits hard.

By the end, it very much feels like one of those popular 90s episodes where the main characters are tormented by a monster of the week that tries to convince them their actual reality is pure fiction and they're just "crazy." Except, in this case the movie all takes place from the perspective of the characters inside the fake reality.

I've seen mostly comparisons between Pink Opaque and BtVS. I can see that, both due to the director's comments and certain elements. But honestly, I feel Charmed is a better comparison point. The Pink Opaque focuses on two young girls who use the astral plane to communicate, and involves fighting demons, both of which do apply to both shows. But it's the implied sisterhood aspect, paired with the astral plane, that feels very Charmed in nature. The power of the pink opaque feels very much like it fits power of three.

More importantly, Owen's dad refers to Pink Opaque as a "show for girls." That attitude more closely mirrors Charmed because of its protagonists all being female, and very strong girl power emphasis of the show.

Then there's the fact Pink Opaque comes on during a "young adult" block even though it's talked about as being "for kids," yet the show comes on too late for kids to actually watch. And somehow lasts 5 seasons like that. That was the first indication to me something wasn't quite right.

I think just how different Pink Opaque is on streaming makes very clear that Owen's in the midnight realm. Aside from simply how cheesy it is by that point, if it was really that cheesy originally, why would it be on at 10:30 PM instead of during the day like with Power Rangers. The Mr Melancholy game at the arcade goes further into this matter by suddenly making it more "childish."

Now, within this whole framework, with Pink Opaque being the real world and Owen being one of its characters, Owen's midnight realm circumstances work perfectly both to keep the character trapped in the realm and to show division with Maddy. Maddy's two years older and a white lesbian, while Owen's trapped in the realm presenting as a black man. You get the effect of this on their relationship when Maddy starts out calling him a "baby" for being two years younger than her, and later with Maddy feeling she needed to make clear she's a lesbian.

Along with this, it helps get across to the audience how difficult it can be to "escape" the pressures of masculinity. How Owen feels the need to sneak around with "girly" interests and connections. Never considers asking to stay over at Maddy's. Also Owen cleaning off the pink ghost drawn on his neck. We know he loves the show, so that decision must come from fear of public stigma if people saw it on him. It's very much a "I'm wiping away this power of mine, this thing that gives me life, from public view so I can fit in" case.

Fred Durst is also someone I would not have expected starring in this. Yet he was a perfect choice for the character he played. He's one of several people who had a pop culture masculine image out there in the 90s, so it fits for Owen to have that affecting him.

Oh, and I very much saw the AYAOTD reference for what it was.

Wrapping up, I can understand the point of the ending after seeing commentary by the director. It's a very valuable ending and I certainly wouldn't say it should "change" in any way from the director's vision. However, I will say that I didn't get the impression the director intended while viewing. "This is gonna be a process Owen needs to go through, it's gonna take time" is something that makes sense once explained. Taken as-is, it ended up feeling like Owen saw the truth but then decided to run away from it again, like Owen has no hope of breaking free of the midnight realm. It felt like a very "if that's not enough for Owen to change, nothing will make it happen" situation.

That's all I have at the moment. Again, good movie!