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A discussion on the problematic elements of Dandadan

TW: Nudity, sexualization, SA

Greetings everyone! As most people on this platform are probably aware, episode 9 of Dandadan sparked a bit of debate within the fandom. It was little compared to the controversies behind episode 1, but some of the takes I saw parading this time around still shocked me. That's why I wanted to sort my thoughts and wait until everyone cooled their heads before joining the discussion.

I invite you to take a deep breath with me before continuing, should you want, as this has already turned into a heated topic for some people.

*Inhale* *Exhale*

Still with me? Good.

Let's start with the focus point of the debate. Does Dandadan sexualize teenagers? To determine that, let's observe the definiton of sexualization. According to wikipedia: "Sexualization is the emphasis of the sexual nature of a behavior or person. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification, treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire."

So, following with this definition, sexualization is essentially focusing on the sexuality of a person. You with me so far? Therefore, one can say that any show or work of art that places a significant light on the sexual aspects of a person or group is liable to sexualizing, possibly objectifying that person or group.

Of course, like most things in society, this is highly contextual. Someone can find sexual appeal on a work that isn't intended to be sexy and someome can not find any appeal in a sexualized work of art. This may be due to either the individual's preferences, the authorial intent, the presentation of the art piece, etc.

I think this distinction is why Dandadan provides some ambiguity, as some people find sexualized aspects in this show while others don't. Let's take the infamous abduction scene for example.

What is the purpose of this scene? One can argue, for instance, the purpose is drama, as this is a dangerous situation where the protagonist is restrained in front of a threat. One can also argue the purpose is comedy, as this is an inherently ridiculous situation timed after hours upon hours of disbelief.

In my case, I, myself will argue that this scene is heavily, heavily sexualized. The context is pretty clear to me. This scene references a rape fantasy. The restrained victim, the assailant in a position of power, the forced nudity, everything about this scene is charged with fetishism.

Yes, a scene can have many interpretations and most of them can be valid. Some may be evident within the context and some may be buried in the subtext. But that doesn't mean one is more relevant than another.

I think it is frankly ridiculous that some people feel the necessity to defend scenes like these to death, focusing on of the aspects in order to downplay the other. And yes, while I do recognize that this scene can be read as a symbolic representation of Momo's spiritual repression, yadda, yadda, I think there is an obvious front stage visual that should take presedence.

I will take a precious moment to mention that everyone has the right to enjoy any media they want for any reason within the comofrt of their own home. No one has the need to argue for the virtue of the shows they enjoy, but I've seen people behemently trying to downplay the problematic aspects of this show, which is actually a huge breach of respect to anyone who is made uncomfortable by the light depictions of sexual assualt.

Going back to episode 9, some people have made the argument that because the characters aren't depicted in a sexual situation, no sexualization is taking place just because the characters are naked. The argument being that it's simply played for laughs and whatnot. And while I agree the situation itself isn't necessarily sexual (fighting an alien lock ness monster), it is still an obvious case of gratuitous nudity.

Whether you find nudity inherently sexual or not (that's a whole other discussion) in today's modern age, most people in fact do. Ask anyone on the street if they'll be embarrassed by getting naked and the answer will overwhelmingly be yes. And while fiction has the luxury of dealing with fictional characters, it doesn't mean the respect that is showed by showrunners to their characters musn't reflect the respect the respect people show in reality towards each other (most of the time).

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. "So what?" "It's not like there aren't a million other shows just as frisky as Dandadan, if not worse!" "Relatively, it's rather tame." "Why should we care if the characters get naked in this show?"

And yes, while one can argue there's sleazier and more problematic shows than Dandadan out there, I think one of the most problematic element is the reception itself in the western world.

This is a rather old topic, so I'm sure I don't need to explain to you the problems with sexualizing teenagers. Teenagers are a vulnerable and impressionable age group that shouldn't be treated lightly in media. Otherwise, there are risks for that age group, such as making them coveted for age inappropiate persons.

Maybe teens in their underwear aren't a big deal for you, but they are a big deal for me and they're a big deal for anyone who cares about their safety. Anime has very different standards in its country of origin than the standards we have in the rest of the world and we musn't forget about our perspective if we don't want to fall into bad influences.

There is an implicit bias communicated through the use of gratuitous nudity that this is a desirable situation. Yes, usually the characters don't get naked *because they want to*, but it's not like the situations are clearly engineered by the writer in order for them to happen.

Just because the main story has a message doesn't mean it's flawless, nor that authorial intent is all that matters when it comes to reading a story. I, personally, would argue that Dandadan's main story is bogged down by this type of scenes that undermine to an extent its contextual themes of body autonomy.

Take for an example the most infamous episode aa of yet, episode 7. Acro-Silky's story is played *completely* seriously, she's a woman who, in the face of debt, has to sacrifice her own body by prostitution in order to be able to raise her daughter at all. And yet despite her efforts, she's beat anyways and taken the most important thing for her.

Now, imagine that the same light tone used during the abduction scene or the naked alien fight was used during this sequence.

Doesn't feel the same, right?

Why doesn't the rest of the show treat itself as seriously as these scenes? It is a problem, because inconsistency in narrative creates confusing messages, such as "one thing is good, one is bad". Acro-Silky being exploited is tragic, but Momo and co being exposed in front of the entire school is silly.

Now, yes, for those who think I'm being too harsh, I will admit there is probably no such thing as a perfectly cohesive piece of fiction without its own contradictions. I'm sure there's plenty of folks out there able to put two and two together, but I'm certain there even more folks who aren't.

We need to be on the same page for things that matter. While there is plenty of good that has come from this show, such as healthy relationship standards or advocacy for compassion, all that work is for naught if people are still misled by the negative aspects of the show.

I hope this post is useful for somebody, if not by itself at least to contribute to the collective conversation in any meaningful way.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! Peace! ✌️

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Got back to writing again! Here's a story about Ken and Momo getting into silly mall shenanigans while Turbo Granny tries to kill them! :D

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It's finally here! :D The first chapter of my first Pomni x Ragatha fic! I've been really itching to explore these two characters, so I'm very excited!

Summary from ao3:

After Pomni's troublesome start in the Digital Circus, she and Ragatha have started to catch feelings for each other. This fact is caught on by the worst possible person... Caine! In order to bring them "together", he designs an adventure set in a japanese highschool, where they're meant to solve a murder mystery.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jax is in the mood for shenanigans, an NPC might've gone crazy and Pomni is still coming to terms with her disturbing virtual physiology. Oh, and also Gangle gets a harem.

What could possibly go wrong?

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So, I'm about to post my newest Ragapom fic a couple weeks later than I planned, but it's okay, because it's going to come out during pride month!

It' definitely not because I've been sick for weeks, preventing me from working on it, ha ha ha, who said that? :)

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I spent a long time looking for this video after I lost it! 😳 I'm sharing it to extend the knowledge that Raggy's VA has hinted her character might like girls 🥺❤💞💖

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Here's a summary of my upcoming buttonblossom fanfic:

After Pomni's rocky entrance at the Digital Circus, Ragatha and her have started to catch feelings for each other. This is fact is caught by the worst possible person... Caine!

In order to bring them "together" in some way, he designs an adventure set in a japanese highschool, where they're meant to solve a murder. What could possibly go wrong?

Also, Gangle gets a female harem. Because why wouldn't she?

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One thing I've noticed about Jax is that despite the fact that he's a huge jerk to the Circus crew... they still hang out with him?

Now that we know such a menace he is, I wonder why the others don't actually lock him in a room or avoid him altogether.

I can think of two explanations. Since Jax is a player, maybe he has rightful access to the game and Caine won't allow the others to lock him. OR, and I find this case fascinating: what if the Circus crew actually pities Jax and give him a little bit of slack since he's just as powerless as them?

I like this idea because it speaks volumes of the dynamic between Jax and the group. There's even one instance here at the end of episode 2 where Ragatha tries to cheer up Jax, even though he's been an ass during the whole episode and she doesn't even like him.

Maybe there's even the possibility that during "off hours" Jax is a little nicer, even if it's just to not let the crew go completely against him. It's an interesting possibility.

Any thoughts?

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TADC Theory: Are the characters actually trapped in a videogame?

One of the first things that caught my attention when I first watched The Amazing Digital Circus pilot was the sheer ambiguity of the situation the show takes place.

The world the characters are in and its aesthetics are clearly inspired by old videogames, the terms "player character " and "NPC" are thrown around, even Pomni mentions putting a headset on, an item that is iften used in modern times to play games.

However, none of the main characters state out loud they believe they're "trapped in a videogame". They call it a "digital world" or variations of it.

I found that very curious because it raises some questions, namely: "Are they actually in a videogame?" and "If they are, why is that detail not clear?"

It might be an innocuous detail, but since it grabbed my interest I decided to partake in a bit of light speculation based on ibservable facts.

Episode 2 makes things more confusing because, for all intents and purposes, the Candy Canyon Kingdom and its inhabitants appear to be earnest attempts to build a videogame experience. The NPCs have game lije purposes, the physics have game like purposes, but then... why do the NPCs have such advanced AI that they're able to be self aware?

Caine mentioned he was "testing out a new AI". *"Testing"*, not *"developing"*, mind you. The phrasing suggests he didn't create the AI, which makes sense to me, since Caine has a track record of not understand how the human mind works and as it turns out, Gummigoo sounded more like a human than *himself*.

That leads me to believe that he did not in fact develop the AI, but someone else, which continues to beg the question: "Is this actually a *game*?" "Who built this *thing* and why?"

When searching for answers, I looked into one of the main inspirations for the show, "I have no mouth and I must scream". In that story, a rogue AI constrols a mechanic complex designed to torture the last remaining humans on Earth.

That did sound similar to the show's settings, I could tell the thematic similarities, but I also quickly realized the show is probably not going to the exact same. For one, it would be too predictable with those familiar with the source material. For two, I'm not sure it would entirely align with the show's purpose of contemplating the existential nature of humans and making fun of it.

The intention of "I have no mouth" was among other things to expose the consequences of war and hatred, but the conflict in TADC seems to involve sense deprivation and confinement instead (sounds familiar?).

My first assumption is that *maybe* the Amazing Digital Circus was developed in-universe as a videogame, was abandoned at some point, then taken over by a rogue AI. Perhaps the unseen "Abel" of "Caine and Abel", referenced by the logo from episode 1.

That answers the question of why the game looks like a game, feels like a game, but it's not a game. However, it doesn't explain how the humans became trapped in the first place by the rogue AI, what its purpose is or what the outside world looks like and why it allowed this dituation to happen.

There's very little evidence left that suggests one possibility or another, so based on what there is and the themes of the show, I'm going to list a few scenarios based on my idea:

• #1: The show takes place in a futuristic setting where VR is so prevalent, most people experience it as a large part of their lives. In order to create a more immersive experience, an AI was developed, but it eventually misunderstood its purpose and keeps the humans trapped because it believes it's what they want.

• #2: The show takes place in a post apocalyptic setting where large portions of enviorment are toxic and life outside a shelter is near impossible. VR is used as a coping mechanism in order to bring people relief, but a lack of proper management brings out a rogue AI that takes control of a game and tortures humans out of resentment for destroying their own planet.

• #3: The show takes place in a seedy, morally bankrupt technocracy. An experiment is conducted to see how humans react to long term exposure to VR, using a repurposed videogame as its setting. This project is eventually abandoned but picked up by a rogue AI who keeps hunting humans and subjecting them to the game because it's all it knows.

These are the three first scenarios that coke to mind. I'll admit none of them fully convince me, but I'll keep looking at the show from different angles for as long as I keep finding openings to explore.

See you around! 👋

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My interpretation when I watched the episode for Zooble's black and white stripped square is that this was Zooble's "funeral clothes" for Kaufmo's XD

Maybe it's the closest thing they had 🤷‍♂️

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Buttonblossom Analysis in TADC Episode 2

(Background rainbows: hint, hint)

Ragatha was so sweet to Pomni in episode 2 🥺💖 Most people caught onto the obvious fact that Raggs is being codependant and leans onto toxic positivity on the way she tries to cheer up Pomni, but I still think for the most part her heart is in the right place.

I liked their dynamic in episode 1, but I liked it so much in 2 I decided to write a little analysis on it (plus the ship fuel 👀) in preparation for the romance fic I'm writing about them.

Without further ado, let's go!

Looking back at Ragatha, on the good side, she made some very strong, active efforts to help her during her transition into the digital realm. She checked first thing in the morning if she was okay, she tried to make her feel included in the adventure at the beginning and showed care for her safety overall.

My favorite scene, though, is when the circus gang falls into the fudge river and after checking in on them, the first thing she says is: "Poor Pomni!" 😭 Girlie is so empathetic she even manages to care for someone who's not even there, while she's in a terrible situation herself!

I think this proves how much of a good person Raggs is. She doesn't just help people to feel good or superior, she does it because she geniuenly cares for other people's wellbeing and I find that very noble 😊

On the negative side, she seems to have some very particular communication issues with Pomni, even though she seems to be the circus memeber she cares the most about at the moment.

For starters, her attitude comes off as a little condescending very often. She hardly asks questions to Pomni and tends to assume for her. She hardly acknowledges some of her struggles and tries to downplay them, like when she degrades their experience as "larping". Also, she makes Pomni feel like a child when she tries to "hype her up" in her own words.

If we take Pomni's nightmare into consideration, it seems she believes Ragatha thinks Pomni is not "cut out for it", which might be a result of her condescending behavior I just mentioned.

This makes sense to me and also sheds a little bit of light on how Pomni sees herself as: small and insignificant. It's unclear at the moment how she was before on the physical world, but I speculate based on this evidence she probably didn't think she had much agency in her life (just how she feels in the circus).

At the end, however, thanks to her experience with Gummigoo and looking at the crew grief over Kaufmo's abstraction, Pomni opens herself more to the crew, which is a very good sign.

I think her current dynamic with Ragatha is wicked cool! ✨️ There's a lot of room for growth, which is good in my opinion. Ragatha clearly cares a lot about Pomni and I think with time she could grow to reciprocate her as well.

Despite her cowardness in episode 1, I always had the feeling that Pomz was deep down a caring individual as well, which was solidly proven in 2 with her interactions with Gummi.

On the fanon side, I saw a lot of fans foaming at the mouth (myself included) over the fact that Ragatha was such a tryhard with Pomni (which was anticipated to be the contrary). Some fans have interpreted their potential dynamics as both being shy, which I really, really like.

I believe I will definitely include that in my future fanfic. Another idea I wanted to explore is Pomni talking to Ragatha about her overbearing issues, while still appreciating her good qualities at the same time.

I think it's going to be great ☺️❤ I already look forward to what the end result is going to be. I love mutual pining and I love sweet lesbians caring for each other (even when they're silly girlfails). I'm planning to start by submitting chapter 1 by next Friday and submit a new one every following one, as I've done before.

Get ready for digital lesbian shenanigans 🎪💙🎀 See ya!

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One thing that I see literally nobody talking about is that the Fudge came back to life at the end of the episode and *presumably* ate all the inhabitants of the Candy Kingdom? 😳 All because of Jax, no less?

I get that they didn't have as much personality as Gummigoo, but he's living proof they were capable of developing it, right? 😅

I do find it pretty funny how they gloss it over. Also, it generates the question: do the NPCs and their worlds get erased after the adventures? If they do, it's extra funny, because to add cosmic insult to injury, just before they were going to die painlessly they get eaten alive anyways.

Poor Princess Loo! She was built in with so much trust for the circus crew, but one of them ended up betraying her in one of the cruelest imaginable ways! 🥴

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Fashionably Late Review: TADC Episode 2

Hi everyone! Welcome to Fashionably Late Reviews, where I write my thoughts on media days and days later, not because I've been in frequent dental pain, no, no, no. It's because I care for writing the most detailed, most thought through analysis you're ever gonna see!

Episode 1 started us with a general introduction as well as a mini arc for Pomni. Episode 2 resumes that with a proper self contained adventure while still breaking the mold in the process.

While this episode was shorter than the pilot, the writing was so good and the emotional beats so well played, I barely took notice. It felt like a very strong second step for the series, plus it gave every character at least a small moment to shine, which was very nice.

The theme of existential dread returns once more and this time we're treated to a showcase of how characters deal with it, prominently in this case Pomni, Ragatha and Jax. Interestingly, I noticed each of these has an NPC counterpart they get along with who reflects their personality in some way.

For the rest of this review, I'm going to run one by one following their perspectives and episode arcs in order to showcase the episode's narrative.

Pomni represents existential shock and subsequent apathy. After the first episode, we see her in a cathatonic state of depression, even while Ragatha tries to wake her up from that funk. Because her entire world has been shattered, she doesn't recognize herself anymore. She feels alone because nothing has meaning anymore.

The small distraction Ragatha offers her at the beginning, the adventure of the day, is rejected because she knows it's "fake". It's a sad substitute of all the experiences in the outside eorld she' been robbed of.

This is mirrored by Gummigoo, who undergoes a similar existential crisis when he learns he's an artificial construct with no agency. At that point, everything loses meaning for him as well, but just looking at someone in the same circusmtances as her fills Pomni with empathy, momentarily taking her out of her existential dread with a connection and purpose.

She knows getting out of the out of bounds area is not going to save them on the long term, but she still wants to do it because something has meaning for her again: Gummigoo, who may still be "fake" but holds enough humanity to feel "real" to her.

And then, Gummi dies, proving how fickle life is in front of an uncaring universe XD

It's still too early to say how much of an impact this will have on Pomni in the long run as well as how much of a trend it sets, so we'll see.

Ragatha represents coping through trivial distractions as as well as codependent altruism fueled by denial. We learnt the reason she goes along with the adventures is to keep herself and everyone else busy. This way everyone has something to do and don't go crazy: even if adventures are just trite entertainment.

She clearly puts others above herself, especially newbies like Pomni, in order to keep peace in the group (although I have a feeling she secretly hopes the others took care of her the same way).

Her counterpart is Princess Loolilaloo, whom she simply gets along with swimmingly. Princess Loo is presented as a sweet, kind and well meaning individual who unfortunately is blind to the circumstances surrounding her. This comes into play when she trusts the "heros" come out of nowhere with the key, which Jax holds for his own chaotic mischief.

Similarly, while Ragatha's intentions towards Pomni are benevolent, she fails to acknowledge her perspective and connect with her and instead annoys her with her toxic positivity. Fortunately, Kinger is there to teach her a valuable lesson, which is respecting others' boundaries and have patience.

Jax represents destructive revelry and rejection of morals. Because he believes nothing the crew does during their adventures matter, he spends the whole time stirring the pot in order to cause as much trouble as possible, not quite caring who gets affected as long as it's not himself.

It's interesting to note despite Jax's nihilistic tendencies, he seems to value self preservation, suggesting there are things he holds onto, after all. He's happy as long as he can see "funny things happen to people", but he's still not quite the master of his own world as he's still not satisfied if things go out of his control.

His counterpart is the Fudge, a haunting and deeply unsettling potrait of a sociopathic being. They're called a monster and they accepts that label willingly, as they were designed to be a monster. They claim to "hear the voices of the candy people, calling [them]". Tragically, their destructiveness is only in their nature.

Jax, however, causes pain deliberately and at the end we get a little hint of why. When the circus crew prepares Kauffmo's funeral, he looks sad for a moment, then angry. I think this is a subtle telling that Jax not that deep down *does* care for his fellow players, but he also rejects the pain of losing them, which is why he purposely pushes them off to avoid making connections.

At the end of the episode we're presented with a hopeful message, which is that even with the notion of existential dread, our connections are what keeps us alive in the face of non-existence. Although it seems there is no escape from the fate of abstraction yet, it seems that Pomni has gained a substantial comfort by seeing the humanity of the circus crew, represented by them grabbing her by the hand in her imaginary sequence.

All in all, a beautiful piece, although I dread what's still ahead of us XD As a writer, I've learnt to expect the unexpected, so I can only expect that we're going to have our hearts twisted and folded in ways we're absolutely *not* ready for. But it's all part of the fun! Right?

By the way, I just started writing a little fanfic for TADC. It's a Pomni x Ragatha story because I could use a little levity and I think everyone else as well. Expect that as well as more post like these in the upcoming future.

I'll see you fashionably late! 👋🎉🐊

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A little frustrated lately with the Hazbin fandom

At the present moment, it's been about 3 months since Hazbin Hotel's first season dropped. It's a lot of story at once, but it's also a proper start ever since the pilot era.

I'm sure most people expected some sort of controversy coming from a show that takes place in Hell, whose main characters include porn stars and murderers, but personally, I didn't expect the biggest ones to come from the fandom itself.

From the start we've heard of all sorts of tone deaf opinions coming from inside the house, included but not limited to:

• The idea that Angel Dust's character and his music video, Poison, glorifies abuse when its artistic intention clearly is to denounce it.

• The vitriol against problematic characters like Valentino, which has lead to the harrassment of cosplayers and fans of said characters.

• Ship wars mixed with hate speech, from SJWs claiming Alastor ships are ace erasure from Vaggie haters attacking Chaggie because it's canon.

I could go into detail on each of these incidents, but I won't go into it today. I'll just say for now I'm *really* disappointed by this fandom. I was really excited about HH because I thought it would bring much needed attention to certain topics, such as the still ongoing demonization of minorities to the crippling self loathing that comes from abusive relationships.

It feels like the people to whom the show's message is made for are the ones who are working the hardest to tear it down, which is not only a disservice to themselves but everyone involved as well. I expected the harshest criticism involving the show would come from the typical rabid christian ultra conservatives, but apparently they don't need to do their job anymore because they already got us to do it, apparently.

Hazbin Hotel became a creative spark for me when I was lost and empty of motivation. I began writing loads of fan fiction from just before season 1 came out, but during the latest weeks I've just gotten tired of it.

As a mutli-shipper, I'm constantly in the middle of ship wars. I'm hearing constantly on this very site of Charlastor shippers who hate Vaggie because she's supposedly terrible and hate her role in the show canon. I'm hearing of Charlastor haters that claim it's ace erasure, even though no shipper I've heard of denies the fact that Alastor is canonically ace. And worst of all, I hate the fact that some people still claim that Charlie is a lesbian and shouldn't be shipped with men when she's canonically bi.

As a biromantic person who recently came out of the closet, it used to be very liberating to write fics where Charlie gets involved with both Vaggie and Alastor. I like both characters and I like the idea of Charlie being romantically involved with both characters. But apparently the one thing that is not still worthy of respect in this day and age is divergence of opinions.

I came to this realization the other day when episode 2 of The Amazing Digital Circus came out. It's a smaller fandom, even though the audience attention is *massive*. I was looking through the community posts and... guess what? Practically little to none inflamatory speech or ship wars.

People there ship Pomni with Jax, Jax with Ragatha, Ragatha with Pomni, even Pomni with *Caine* for some bizarre reason that I can't comprehend and even Gangle and Zooble.

People *get* the intended message, which I must admit it can be largely attributed to the fact that the writing is better (sorry Vivz) and the episodes are more sparce. But the few people who don't get it don't go around attacking anyone with a different opinion or the showrunners themselves.

I apoligize formaking an unfair comparison, since, as I previously mentioned, these two fandoms have very different sizes and their respective shows deal with very different issues, but I'm just expressing my perspective.

I'm still highly disappointed in Hazbin fans. I expected better than you, but if this post reaches the type of fans I'm talking about, I'm sure they're happy that I'm upset. So, congratulations, you won.

Anyways, I'm gonna stop writing Hazbin fics for a while, for how long, who knows and I'm going to start writing TADC fics instead. I already had an idea in mind, so it's little trouble for me.

Thank you to the fans who have been engaging in peaceful discourse and have sated my shipping thirst so far with wonderful art and writing pieces alike. You've pulled me through some hard times, but it's time for me to part.

Sorry as well for the melodramatic tone of this post, but I'm just really sad and general and I need something to obsess with in order to prevent my inner demons from taking over.

In any case, thank you for reading, and I hope to see you all again soon 👋

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New fic just dropped! In a previous story of mine, some people commented they found Alastor on everday situations pretty funny. That and some recent personal experience inspired this fic.

Alastor, the Great Radio Demon is afraid of going to the dentist and Charlie, annoyed, convinces him to give it a shot.

What could possibly go wrong? 🤭

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Charlastor headcanons cuz why not

I'm currently sick, so while I'm recovering, I thought I'd share some of these. I came up with most of them writing fanfiction (some of these are straight up future plots in my head).

• Early on, after Charlie learnt of Alastor's aversion to touch, she begun to invite him to initiate contact whenever she wants to hold his hand or similar, which he deeply appreciates.

• She still forgets it sometimes whenever she's extremely stressed or excited, but Alastor eventually got used to it.

• Naturally, since Alastor is an excellent cook, he frequently flexes his skills for Charlie, who's delighted every time. He also does it on purpuse to bother Vaggie, the two have a rivalry over who can cook better for Charlie.

• When Charlie explained aromanticism to Alastor, he admitted it might apply to him but he isn't sure. The truth is he isn't sure, but he pretends to be romantic on purpose, half to mess with Charlie, half because he knows it makes her happy.

• Afterwards, Charlie constantly checks on Alastor to ask if he's comfortable whenever they get physical (kissing, snuggling). He's fine most of the time, but finds this habit of hers adorable.

• Every time Charlie shows signs of growing smarter, Alastor is secretely proud because it makes messing with her more challenging. He won't admit it, but he thinks she has great potential.

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Angel Dust was my closet key (but not in the way you'd expect)

This one's gonna be a bit of a personal post, so bear with me.

For most of my life, I considered myself a pretty hetero guy. I felt attracted to women, I didn't feel attracted to men and I was mostly fine with that. However, around a couple years ago, when I was participating in Yuri Jam, I came across a little term called "biromantic" and something clicked for me.

In case you don't know, "biromantic" is a term that applies to a person who feels romantic attraction for both men and women. Back then I thought "Oh yeah, I guess I am that!", then I came out on twitter, no one cared about it and I moved on with my life.

At the time, I thought I did for attention and out of guilt for being a cisgendered heterosexual male, and to be fair, I think it's a valid expectation for most people to want *some* attention when you have something to say that's comparable to that. A part of me also felt like it wasn't a useful discovery, because 1: I know of no men who want to date other men in a purely romantic non-sexual way and 2: I've been single by choice for a while anyways.

But all of that changed when I first saw Angel Dust on the Amazon series.

I was like: "Oh my gosh" 😳 That guy has a very hot voice. I thought he was so confident, so assertive, every line he spouted made me melt into a giggling 6 year old. And then I was like: "Oh. I guess those feelings were valid. I'm in love with Angel Dust" 🥺💖

Now I just wanna gush a little because I just think Angel Dust is such a cool character. The way he's portrayed makes you think he's meant to be obnoxious, but to me he's so proud, so bold, so brave for being himself. The way he flirts with Husk with such assertiveness is so attractive to me. There's something so raw and geniune about it.

Another thing that blows my mind is that, even though we know this "confident" persona is meant to be façade and he only puts face as a coping mechanism, the fact that Angel is capable of putting that face is mind blowing to me. He's gone through one of the worst versions of Hell I can imagine, he's been used, humiliated and hurt, both physically and psychologically and yet he's still capable of putting on a smile.

Needless to say, I don't intend to glorify the stuggles of an abuse victim, what Angel goes through is an atrocity and it shouldn't happen to anyone in a fair world. But the fact that that's his reality and he still manages to struggle through the best way he can makes him such a badass to me.

I also feel obligated to mention his redemption arc. I think Angel was always a good person, he just needed to right space to grow. From the start, he seemed very sociable and empathetic, it's just that he was too jaded to care about others. I think taking care of Niffty and standing up to her in episode 6 just came naturally for him, there was no need for a very strict guidance, just some nurture.

He's such a sweetheart! His interactions with Charlie in episode 3 are also so cute. I could write a whole post about his relationship with Husk and I probably will. I think it's really cool that despite being so different, they find a way to meet in the middle and come out as better people from it.

I don't know what it is about him, but I watched Angel on the show and I was like "Oh yeah. I wanna smooch that spider man" 😚

It felt like a big relief, because until now I wasn't ever sure if these feelings were "real", or I was just a hetero who wanted to feel special and not hated in the social circles I usually frequent. That's a whole topic of discussion for another day, I know there's people who will argue that heteros can't be the victim of prejudice and I'm not interested in arguing about that today.

I just wanna say, I love you Angel Dust and thank you for opening my eyes. Now I can indulge in my occasional romantic attraction to men without feeling like a false gay wannabe.

Thank you for bearing with me for a very special post. I was a little sick this week, but I managed to find a moment to write it anyways. I'm still working on the next chapter of my fic, but hopefully I'll find a moment here and there to keep writing discussion posts here.

Stay tuned! 🕷💖🤍

[a-doubleh-x]

Why I like Chaggie

Hey! My last casual ship review did pretty well, so here I am with another! Needless to say, but thank you all for the interactions, I appreciate it very much 🥰

Last time I talked about Charlastor, a notorious controversial ship and today I'll talk about a surprisingly controversial ship: Chaggie. Why do people dislike this ship? I'll go a bit into it on the second half of this post, but first I'll talk on the positive I see in this cute couple.

First of all, as a guy in his late twenties who's been on at least one relationship, I will say that I appreciate a relation that's mostly based on comfort and support. Some people might think that's boring or not quite the basis of romance, but I think quite the opposite. Johnathan Decker, a licensed couples therapist on youtube (you might know him from Cinema Therapy) often talks about how safety and mutual understanding are the basis of any lasting relationship.

At the start of the Amazon series, Charlie and Vaggie have been together for 3 years, which is evident in many of their day to day interactions. They're comfortable with each other, they rely on each other and best of all, they still coo every now and then over how adorable the other is.

That is not to say the relationship is without conflict, which in my opinion as a writer it's the lifeblood of any good story. Vaggie is clearly quite codependent of Charlie, which is why a large portion of her self worth is based on being useful to her. However, I think the two of them do a decent job of talking through the problems this brings sometimes, such as episode 3.

I think it's cool that the relationship seems to work despite their rocky moments. Charlie most likely thinks a person like Vaggie is a breath of fresh air in Hell, she's selfless, loyal and dedicated. That's probably the reason why she has so much patience with her, a feeling that I'm certain is mutual. Vaggie is clearly very aware of how silly and idealistic Charlie is, in fact she often tries to nudge her to be careful with her attitude. And even though she may not agree with everything, she still always supports her without appearing judgemental, which I think speaks volumes of her character.

Now, let's talk about the shortcomings in the face of the audience. Some people think there's not enough substance in canon to be sold on the couple, which I think is a valid opinion. Some people argue that Chaggie's relationship is boring and not quite as interesting to watch as Charlastor, which I don't entirely agree with. Some people plain dislike or hate Vaggie because they think she's just a naggy chick who is an awful partner to Charlie in every way, which I *definitely* don't agree with.

My opinion falls in a more moderate standpoint. I think, even in the series, their relationship isn't boring, but it could've been presented better. While I said earlier that I think conflict is good in a story, I think a problem in the series that's probably unintentional is that most of the story beats with Charlie and Vaggie are negative.

In episode 3, they have a fight over their lack of communication. In episode 6, Vaggie puts her own secret status as a fallen angel over Charlie, which harms her later. And in episode 7, Charlie spends most of the episode mad at Vaggie and they make up offscreen, which is something unilaterally most fans believe was a mistake.

To the showrunner's credit, there are some positive major story beats. There's Charlie's trust fall on Vaggie, which was cute. There's their beautiful duet in episode 8. And there's them fighting alongside each other in the final battle.

Unfortunately, the fact their arc is a bit wonky and doesn't have a proper buildup makes it so that the climax (the duet) may feel a bit unearned. I don't want to make this whole post about the series because I could spend all day talking about it, so I'll just say for now that i underdtand why some people aren't sold on the ship.

I will say. Some fans have some very beautiful, gorgeous pictures of this ship. There's this great comic made by squids-and-fruitcake that's been running around about Charlie giving Vaggie a gift for Christmas (here's a youtube link in case you want to watch a dub, I couldn't find the original)

I think it's a great example of why this relationship works: they love each other. They may not completely understand each other's circumstances, but they try every day and are still together because of their mutual effort.

Charlie herself, as Hell's number 1 laughingstock can really use the support and the fact that Vaggie supports her even though she doesn't have all the answers means a lot to her. She brings her stability, peace and affection, all things she lacked until she met her.

Vaggie, on the other hand, who was plunged against her will into a pit of violence and cynicism also needs Charlie's perspective. She loves the fact that she cares about something bigger than herself, that she wants to help damned people like her, which given her circumstances I think it's something she also needs in a fundamental level.

That haz bin my review for today! What do you think? Do you like Chaggie? Do you think it could've been written better? What's your favorite interaction between them? Let me hear your thoughts! It's been fun to put my thoughts down for casual reviews, I hadn't done it before, so expect more in the future while I'm still working on the next chapter of my fanfic.

I think I already have an idea about what my next Hazbin post is going to be about (hint: it has to do with Angel Dust). Thank you again for all the love, hope to see you all soon!