#I feel like I should tag analysis posts somehow

[dangerous-advantage]

(yagi-no-eda here~)

Totally would circle back /pos. I’m also pretty new to the fandom!

My wife has liked Usagi Yojimbo and associated stuff for years but it’s only this summer that my brain has allowed me to really get into it, and make it past the first 2-3 comics. Not for lack of trying - it was just never the right time in an ADHD way*. Something always would distract me. I’ve inhaled all the comics I can in just the last couple of months and yeah, Stan came at me with a steel chair too. I did not expect …this whole situation. I’ve been a fandom lurker since 1999 and yet suddenly I have blog I use near daily, a sketchbook, and bunch of fic WIPS...

Mainly because I am Unwell over UY.

I have accepted my fate. This is always going to be a Thing now.

Though I did admittedly also inhale TMNT 2003 and Rise.

Travels with Jotaro is one of my favourite volumes, but I’m also weirdly into Bridge of Death rn and just….in general having a moment over Usagi’s time with Mifune. To the point I’m doodling intros for a fake show called The Mifune Years. He had this whole expected future and friends - denied.

* to be fair this is also the summer I found out its def ADHD driving this media analysis machine I call a brain

Hope this was an okay way to get back to you! /lil anxious

Feel free to network (or share thoughts) in my tags anytime, I love hearing what other people think. Also happy to chat anytime. Or feel free to tell me to back off and that's chill too :)

(been waiting to answer this for when i had more time but gave in; should be working on my fic(s) but you know how it is lmao. stay tuned for a very long post, because i love talking about things with people, especially things i like haha

very cool to see another person very passionate about this series! i grew up on 2003 (and the 90's movies-- my parents had the third one on cassette and i remember i wore that fucker out lmao) but it was always more of a "scattered interest" rather than something i was fully pulled into

i started getting into rise (read: The Algorithm came for me) probably mid-July of last year, but didn't fully fall into it until after the movie came out. it renewed my interest in tmnt overall, and i've been here ever since!

i did attempt to watch the usagi chronicles a couple of times, and i remember thinking they were fun but not really my thing. (i definitely want to revisit it, even though i know it won't hold a candle to usagi yojimbo. it does look fun in a silly way, which i can get behind.)

i knew vaguely about how big usagi yojimbo was, and that it was a commitment, but i'm surprised how quickly it sucked me in. i've never been super interested in stuff within the genre, but damn if it doesn't satisfy the autism. entire chapters devoted to infodumping about the edo period of japan? sign me the fuck up!

i especially did not expect how much it would make me feel. like. wow. ouch. usagi is just Some Guy but he is also so well characterized and you really feel for his internal conflict, 10/10.

i've been looking for series with older protagonists, especially those more focused on the familial/platonic aspect rather than romantic (i am just an nd queer on the interweb, can you blame me for yearning for found family?), but hadn't found any i really liked other than the tarot sequence by kd edwards (very good read, would highly recommend.)

also not to be a nerd but ohhhh my god i am so obsessed with the plot with mifune.

like i know the series takes place after that, and after the fallout of that, but just. wow. imagine devoting your entire being to another, to the point where you would readily die for them and their word, and then they die. they die, and you did everything you could to honor them in that death, but they're still gone.

like... that emptiness stays with you. you don't just get over that. maybe it's the "being raised in a cult" but wow, do i empathize with that.

idk if we explore more about the fallout/exact history with mifune/immediately following mifune's death but there is so much writing potential there. if i was not embroiled within turtle hell and 50,000 words deep in a multi-chapter fic already, i would absolutely write something for it.

like. this is adjacent to your interest in the topic, but can you just imagine (/rhetorical /general you.) as far as we know, he spent five days on the battlefield before he made it out to the tangled skein.

(which is one of my favorite additions like good god holy shit. that is so cool and angsty. your lord, days after dying, appears as a fucking ghost and saves you. like, if i were to be silly and funky, i would absolutely headcanon that as the reason that he was able to stand up and continue on. because i mean... what else? what else could motivate you to stand up once more after something like that?)

(well. honor. but mifune is the physical manifestation of honor in the narrative, so same difference? it's like both thematically significant and emotionally significant and-- ok im shutting up now. but i could talk for days, istg.)

but like. how do you reconstruct yourself from that? we see him holding tight to this sense of honor, even after his lord is gone, sent reeling (adrift in the waves) with only his soul and moral compass to hold to.

which makes it hurt so much more when we see these ideals of honor-- this ghost of a man, of a life, still haunting him years after the event-- still woven through the narrative, made to specifically conflict his deepest wants.

i joke about it a lot on my fic discord (i have a whole channel called 'father-material' devoted to just pictures of him hanging out with/taking care of kids), but something that seems very important to him is wanting to be a father figure, and wanting these connections to family and friends.

but that is contrasted against these ideas of honor, the very thing he built and rebuilt his foundation off of after it was torn away from him. and it's just so incredibly painful but also it makes sense, because he can't just give up the side of himself that is a samurai. too much of his person, his characterization, is built off of this.

to see it constantly clash with this want to settle down and finally rest, devote himself to his relationships/family rather than the code of bushido-- the very essence of honor itself-- ourgh ourgh ourgh its so good

(put aside the fact that he once said he could never serve another lord, and we know from the story that the idea of a "lord" can be more than just a person... he never stopped serving mifune, not truly. he still upholds the ideas of honor that mifune stood for/represented. as if his lord never truly left him.)

...i was going to say more, but then i realized this turned into a whole-ass mini-analysis, so i'm forcing myself to stfu. but basically: i have feelings about this series, man (/gender neutral).

anyway. if you ever do put something together, i would love to read/follow it! if i ever wrote something, it would probably be exploring the direct fallout of losing mifune, so hey, different niches but similar (:

also: never be anxious about talking to me ever in any way possible. i will probably be even more annoying than you in tags/asks/everything under the sun, and i do genuinely love talking to people who share my interests (typically about those interests.) i like to pretend i am an internet Cool Guy, however, it is a flimsy veneer to hide all the cringefail swaglessness and unending mental illness about my blorbos

(...i am so tempted to just invite you to my og turtle discord server so i can annoy you about usagi on the regular. also about what my reimagining of yuichi would be, because i have so, so many ideas.

i will refrain, but if you would be interested, it has been kinda dead as of late, so it would be nice to enrich the ecosystem a little by slowly collecting other usagi-interested individuals and slowly taking it over, one by one (/j /lh).)

anyway, same thing goes for me with my posts/asks/reblogs/messages/whatever. i am so very earnest, so if that puts you off, that's very chill and fine. however, as long as you're down to vibe, i am similarly down to vibe >:D

i once more apologize for this monstrosity of a reply. i would say it won't happen again, but my reading comprehension apparently does not extend to the "all things in moderation" maxim. instead i choose maximalism (to the max)

(sorry for that joke. yeah that will also happen again. sorry. /lh /pos)

[femsolid]

Fuuny how TERFs will claim they support all women, but I've noticed that the French side of TERF tumblr has been oddly silent about the Pelicot case. Not muh moids? YOUR pwecious moids would never do something like that, right?

lol you really picked the worst feminist to say that to...

For starters, I'm not a "terf", I'm just a feminist. And secondly, men are the same worldwide, I don't see the point of pointing out nationalities. Thirdly, I am a feminist separatist and one of the few who posts about misogyny in France. I don't have any "pwecious moids" because, as I said, I'm a separatist ("4B" as the youngsters call it.) If you don't know what that is, you can check my #separatism tag.

However, it's true that I haven't posted about the Pelicot case. I've stopped sharing or posting upsetting and voyeuristic things for the sake of it a long time ago. I don't want women (me included) to be bombarded with news of male violence, on top of the male violence we already endure. What do I get from posting about men raping a woman? What do you get? It has to come with some sort of analysis that can help women free themselves. Otherwise it just leads to feelings of despair. I felt like the Pelicot case was already widely talked about, and that I had nothing to contribute. Typically, when I make a post about misogyny in France, it's because I feel like it contributes to women's understanding of misogyny and the need for separatism. But you will not see me post about the latest femicide or horrific rape, because my followers don't need to see any more of that shit than they already do. Just because it happened in France doesn't mean french women should talk about it any more than other crimes happening elsewhere. Women's oppression is global. I don't know if other french feminists have talked about it on tumblr, but I suspect they have and that your criticism is unfair.

But as someone who has frequented domestic abuse support groups quite a lot, I know that madame Pelicot's experience is far from marginal. Men routinely rape their wives as they sleep and men routinely pimp their girlfriends. I don't want to present what madame Pelicot experienced as somehow unique and shocking, when men of all nationalities do it all the time. So I've talked and shared posts about madame Pelicot before, only it's not madame Pelicot per say who is talked about, it's all women, because she's like any of us and her rapists are like any men, the very men I talk about when I discuss our need for separatism.

[curmemini]

thing is. i am so afraid of putting posts in main tags. i know i should get over that fear but somehow it's scarier on tumblr where ppl can search your posts and not like on twt where your posts kinda drown out after a while even if it got like 15k views or more.

in general, friction against others is so, so scary help. I feel like there is such a pressure in fandom to avoid anyone you disagree with, lest you spark drama that gets out of hand. I'm always worried about upsetting someone else. I know i can't make myself likable to everyone but i still like to try.

That and i somehow always end up disagreeing with mhyk accounts on twt that have a big follower acc and that's SCARY sorry i know i am repeating myself here

Lifts you up and spins you around and puts you back on the ground so gently. Honestly, yes, it is scary to put your thoughts out there, I get it. It took me a pretty long while to get comfortable with it and even then, quite a few times I'll try to get around my discomfort with knowing it's going to be seen by others by tagging the character with the series (so owen mahoyaku), because then I'm not /really/ main-main tagging, but it will still show up if someone plain searched mahoyaku.

I've typed and retyped this like three times today, because I have a lot of thoughts about it, so my apologies if I lost track of a sentence or two someplace. But I think it is exactly because it is scary and uncomfortable that we should try to push through it, not even in a "it's good for the fandom to have people speak" way but that it is a challenge to yourself.

Friction is scary, yes, but friction gets less scary the more you've had run-ins with people you've disagreed with and engaged in discussion with them. I don't think anyone who is posting theories in any fandom at the moment would be upset if someone disagreed with them and told them that as long as they were respectful and explained why - that opens it into a discussion, it allows alternative viewpoints in and possibly helps the OP strengthen their theory.

There's kind of like two sides of fandom to me for active participants - the transformative fanworks (fanart, fanfics, headcanons) and the "canonical" fanworks - fanworks that are more meta-based; the theories, the character analysis', the small details that people notice. And I think there's been a kind of blending between the etiquette of these two categories that has led to this feeling of being in a powder keg. It'd be rude to engage with a transformative fanwork you disagree with/dislike - that's not what they're there for - but canonical fanworks are meant to be discussed and thought about. I personally would rather get disagreement than get no response at all on a piece of meta I wrote. I think there are more people who would say the same than the reverse.

Even still, I know a lot of fandom has been kind of built off of the shackles of twitter fandom - and twitter isn't a place that encourages discussion. It is algorithmically built to show you things you hate, because it knows that rage is a powerful emotion to elicit to get people to keep earning the corporation $$ - things are just, different here on tumblr. There's more tools to facilitate discussion (here, you're on anon! i have no clue who you are! hi stranger! - maybe you would have still sent this ask without that option of anonymity, but likely not, right?), tags allow for better blocking of things people don't like, we're not character-limited so we can be precise in what we say, rather than chop it down into a chunk of text that can be misinterpreted. Tumblr is, for all we've been irony poisoned, a platform that is meant to be more sincere; the algorithm is a relatively new feature, and it is optional. Here, you can only see what you seek out.

because of that, too, even though I don't know a lot of the mhyk fandom on tumblr personally (or even very well?) I don't think there will be the same kind of wide-spread drama that could occur on twitter - or the same wide-spread drama that has occurred in the biggest of big fandoms here. imo, fandoms are bridges between people, and while some will always seek to burn them down, others will still seek to build them - but there has to be some foundation, some direction, for them to start building in the first place. Otherwise we just remain islands, far apart.

I don't think I've ever been as hard in on a fandom as I am now with our dear wizards, I mean, I changed a url I've had for a near decade to make it owen themed. So I want to help foster that bridge-building, however I can.

Stepping away from fandom-talk for a second - I do sincerely think it is to your benefit to put yourself out there. Your posts aren't going to cause a schism; your thoughts, your love that goes into articulating a post - those are all valuable things. And the more you find yourself having friction with others, the easier it is navigate when it is something offline where friction is completely unavoidable. The more comfortable you get with being uncomfortable, with doing something you're afraid to do, the better off you wind up being, because the world begins to open up. As to upsetting people... just as you can't make yourself likable to everyone (and believe me, I tried for a very long time - sometimes, I find myself falling back into those habits again still), that will happen regardless of our intentions. Even when it sucks, even when you know you didn't mean to; it happens. Although, I do think most people's reactions would be to just scroll on by if they didn't like a post. Maybe they'll remember the take, but they won't remember you specifically. (is that better or worse..? I find the pseudo-anonmity of the tumblr space soothing... and I only remember the takes that I've talked about because they were particularly mind-boggling to me; but I couldn't even tell you the account that had posted them on twt ) Learning how to apologize, how to disengage when you get upset - these are important skills that can only really be learned by doing, you know? in the wise words of @ / soracities "do it scared do it stupid do it badly whatever it is that’s worth doing, that’s worth anything at all, we do it. be it scared be it stupid be it badly. the sincerity remains the same."

[darklinaforever]

We need to talk more about how people in TROP fandom love to spew raging misogyny while trying to pass it off as feminism. I just saw some Celeryporn stan post that somehow made it into the Haladriel tag, which was ranting the usual bullshit about how people ship Galadriel with Sauron because we’re all horny for Charlie and using Galadriel as a self-insert. If you claim to be “defending” a female character (who is not real, btw) while policing sexuality and spreading seething contempt for a huge group of women in fandom (not that all Haladriel shippers are women, but a significant amount are), then you may want to consider the idea that you don’t like women as much as you think you do.

Side note, I think it’s also funny how these kinds of takes involve being totally blind about Galadriel’s pov. “Galadriel’s feelings for Halbrand were never confirmed to be romantic” — Charlotte B (another real woman in a senior position on the show) said multiple times that Galadriel fell in love with Halbrand. The only reason for people to be so staunchly in denial about this is because they need Galadriel to be an eternally monogamous bride. (Shocking news, a female character can be attracted to more than one man throughout her life…) Some people on that side need to unpack A LOT of patriarchal puritanical bullshit from their system before they speak on Galadriel.

I completely agree. It's basically shaming specifically female fans at this point, trying to reduce them to unthinking hormones on legs. While ironically, it is this side of fandom that is most steeped in reflection and analysis (something which also requires a lot of work and which some dare to call a demonstration of obsession and madness. You have to know the antis after a while ! Either we don't think or we think too much !). This way of doing and thinking by some is always specific to romances with "bad boys" (because ironically, some are not really bad boys, yes, it's you I'm talking about Zuko). Literally, I've seen this stupid argument of "self insert" for so many ships beyond Haladriel / Saurondriel. Zutara. Reylo. Darklina. Oshamir. Dramione. And so so many others ! At this point, it gets worrying. We are clearly on a puritanical morality encroaching on fiction. The worst thing is that it is more and more common to bring up this argument. Particularly in many long YouTube videos that pathetically try to appear thoughtful and intellectual when talking about the excesses of loving bad guys with heroines and why it absolutely must stop. Or even just making bad handsome guys supposedly becomes immoral and should be stopped too ! And the worst ? Most of the time, it's women that I see making these kinds of video reviews. The worst ball against his camp ever. Girls, you're basically giving points to the patriarcha on this level... In any case, either it is the excuse of the self insert used to defend a fictional female character that ironically they demean by trying to this point to portray her as a virgin husband eternally faithful and in love with her husband with whom she is at hardly in the original text... While degrading women in real life, so basically, they spit on all sides in this feminist believer but by spreading mysogynistic remarks, all to try to make people believe that they, they really know what this story is about, that they really understand it and that we, poor women blinded by hormones that we are, no. And even if some ship ships for self insert... SO WHAT ? Don't women have the right to fantasize ? We're actually pissing you off. Or else, we are on the classic excuse of trying to protect poor women who will see this fictional relationship with a lord of darkness and a lady of light in a fantasy universe as a relational example to follow in real life. Mysogynism at its height, because no, we need to be protected from fiction that we would be too stupid not to differentiate from reality. You know... the excuse that most men started giving when women started reading more than them and that according to them it could have perverted them and made them think bad things ? Yes, I totally compare the puritan morality on the romance with bad guys to that which criticized women for reading a time ago. Because ultimately, it's not that far away. Anyway, it hasn't really changed. Just look at how books with predominantly female successes are treated / viewed by the general public. The criticism of women's love for villains and romance with villains is only one of countless aspects.

Oh, and side note, not only can a woman love several men in her life, and even more so when this woman happens to be an immortal elf with a very, very long life.

[theeio]

HIHI I AM ANON WHO SENT you that ask and oh my gosh like ur art is just. it's so good. it's so good. my friend and i were having a conversation about fanarts that just live in our minds rent-free but i didn't know how i was supposed to tell her that just your art style alone has me screaming kicking hurling and so i was like can we change the question to fanartist and just your blog and the posts that made me AUUHCSSUEUEUEUGH and of course this isn't to put more pressure on you at all omg!! your art is incredible regardless of the fandom or what is portrayed or whatever like it's so incredible because you made it like woah human creation moment?? anyways i hope you are in very good health!!! i think about douxie depression art and your analysis on how good toa handles writing/portraying emotions and that one about hero with many faces or something anyways yeah that. ohuagh. and the jlaire but also hammerhunter involved and the Heavy metal >:[) thing with toby andjust i yeah that OAAUEUGH oh so good SO GOOD like if i got a found family i would prob want it to feel like how ur art makes me feel. like. ur art makes me feel. that is so freaking cool. such a big fan of when that happens. you should be insanely proud of yourself RAHHH!! sending all of the love your way and just yeah AAUUEUEUEGH I LOVE YOUR OCs TOO ARE YOU SERIOUS THEY'RE SO THEY'RE SO AUAUAUGHE???? like alejandro DUDE. NOT ONLy. IS THAT SICK CONCEPT (get it sick like Woah Cool but also like healer >:[)) but also just the art OEUEGH it captures that dilemma SO SO GOOD AND I LOVE THE OTHER CHARACTERS THEY ARE SO EASY ON THE EYE AND ALSO VERY COOL AND I LOVE RHEA RIPLEY AND

this was insanely long but there is just so much to say abt you as a person and as an artist. ur absolutely killing it.!!! i hope life is kind to you and this year is as well :D take care!!

HI ANON!!! AAAH thank you so much again for your very kind words omg T-T yall toa fans are really the sweetest im so grateful for you!!

i'm so glad that the ToA posts ive made over the years have really resonated with you!!! i feel like its only a few years later that i could really talk about ToA, maybe ive just been able to articulate things better which has been nice ;v;

the ToA community is just so cool bc we just run off with each others HCs and create even more art that just becomes A Thing in the fandom, like Charlie Saxton and other crew members retweeting someones cosplay of Punk!Toby! it's all just so incredibly fun and over the years im so grateful for how receptive and kind this fandom has been to me, it was the most confident in art ive ever felt because of how generous everybody is with their love and appreciation of each others works. i think its why this fandom is still really vibrant even after the series finished ..... four years ago omg. while im not as invested in the fandom anymore, i just wanna say that yall r doing good and i hope yall keep this giving spirit up <3!! its a rare and precious thing <3

and thank you SO MUCH for the OC love!! ive been thinking about that story, Hellfire a lot again and GUHHH i have so many feelings about it.

i have so many doubts about it, but a part deep down of me know it comes from my soul and it makes me know its why i have to go through with it all the more. i will make sure to finish it and tell this story, somehow.

my doubts aside, i've been growing to love the characters ive been creating more and more. every time i talk about Hellfire with someone, the story is told so differently depending on which character i introduce first. it is so, so fascinating, and I really think I have something going good with what i made. but because all these characters and their stories are a part of a huge puzzle and are so interwoven, it is IMPOSSIBLE to untangle and so difficult to communicate my ideas HAHA

but i will figure it out somehow!!! one day!!! in the meantime feel free to check out my tag for Hellfire here, and i'm always open to asks if anyone is curious about them!!

again, ty so much for the love!!! i hope u have been well and have a lovely day <3333

[killjoysmonth]

To commemorate five years since the finale of our beloved Killjoys, this September we'll be celebrating Killjoys month!!!!! Official post with prompts coming out at the end of June, but I thought I'd give a quick update to share the current plans so people know what's up :) (and to let people know this blog exists now so you know where to check for updates <3)

The majority of the votes went to 'month' over 'week', but since the difference was very small I have decided to go for the best of both worlds and have two lists of prompts:

One set of prompts will be the ones you'll probably be familiar with if you've seen appreciation weeks come by before (think: 'favourite character(s)', 'favourite episode(s)', etc.) There will be 7 of these total, so feel free to use that to simulate a Killjoys week within September if that's your preference :)

The other set will be a broader list of words/concepts/lines from the show that can be used for inspiration (more along the lines of 'endings' or 'memory' or 'the warrant is all')

The idea is that people can choose which prompts they want to use and when-- mixing & matching absolutely welcome. And of course: no pressure, joining for one prompt only is totally cool!

I'd love some more input on the second prompt list especially! There's a google form you can fill out if you'd like to vote on the current list I have and also suggest your own.

Other guidelines:

Anything posted throughout the month with the hashtag #killjoysmonth will go on this blog :) Gifsets/edits/art/fic/fanvideos/analysis/playlists/whatever post types I'm not thinking of right now! You're also welcome to @ this blog in the post, and message me a link if I somehow miss it.

I'll keep a list of content warnings in the about page of this blog so people know what will be tagged-- I'll definitely include a warning for flashing lights, but if you have anything else you'd like to see tagged, just message me, anon is on! -> this should also give people an easy list to work from if they want to add content warnings to their own posts for the event.

If you have any questions / suggestions, feel free to reach out to me here or on my main @asalesbian :)

@swallowedabug, @aflawedfashion

@kdramamilfs, @asaraphale, @crimsonscloud

@brunnismemorybank, @starry-mist, @ashortstoryaboutlove, @taniushka12

I'm tagging people who interacted with the initial poll so none of you miss it but just let me know if you want to be taken off this post, I think some of you may have just been trying to show emotional support :') (very much appreciated) For future updates I won't be @ing anyone unless specifically asked to.

[freakinator]

commissions

any/mirror pronouns, no need to switch idrc

i tend to get a little aggressive, rest assured it isnt personal and idrc that much, tell me to stop if you dont like that or be aggressive back if it makes you feel better idm

send asks if you want

huge analysis fan, i think all lifesteal watchers should do analysis forever

im learning to be pickier with who i follow so if if i keep following and unfollowing you its cause i still need to kick the habit of following ppl on a whim lol

if youre below 16 i wont be following you even if i think youre really cool sorry

i tend to block ppl who give me weird psychological distress -- this doesnt necessarily mean anything, someone could just type in a way that freaks me out for some reason or show up in a tag i follow too much

blood, gore, shipping, and salt abundant here

i trigger tag using #[trigger] cw and tag shipping with either #lsshipping or #mcytshipping so block those if you want

i dont tag salt tho sorry but id be tagging 90% of my posts if i did and i dont wanna do all that

i liveblog a lot, block #watchblogging if you dont wanna see all that

if youre a lifestealer who found my blog somehow for the love of god block #lifesteal spoilers, #watchblogging, and #fandom wanking thanks!

(but if you wanna see liveblogging without spoilers still you can just block #vodwatching and #liveblogging instead of #watchblogging)

(also download xkit rewritten and select the option that removes hidden posts, looking at you bacon and zam)

players apologist banner

[inventedfangirling]

bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

ah finally after a gazillion years i've been able to get around to doing this after being tagged by the ever sweet @fiercynn , so lemme straightaway get down to it.

note: i consider "fanworks" to pretty much everything people create related to a fandom, including but not limited to meta/analysis/discussion, gifs, fanvids/edits/fancams, filk, fanart, fanfic, fan food, fan crafts, etc.

name and whatever you want to share about yourself

hello there, i'm a 24 year old gray-ace panromantic desi on the romance positive end of the arospec (im still undergoing the wonderful but also often difficult and long journey of discovering myself so this is subject to change :3), i prefer going by my username so i'm not sharing my name.

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom?

i watched bad buddy exactly 3 months ago on the 15th of May, 2023. i watched all the episodes all on the same day and i know the date because after finishing the show i sent a 7 minute long audio note gushing about the show to my best friend. i ADORED it that much. and that's where all of this started. i loved the show so much and the lack of people i knew irl who were interested meant i had to find other people in the fandom to freak out with. i kept posting one after another favourite bad buddy edit of mine on my twitter page, gushing about it, but i got barely any response and that's when i reminded myself that tumblr exists and i should get back on here. and that's how i made this account 2 weeks after i watched the show and voila here i am surrounded by people who are as crazy about the show as i am and i couldn't be more delighted about it :')

favorite ship(s)

patpran and inkpa ofc

favorite character(s)

i love pat with all my heart, the man he ends up becoming along the course of the show is one of my most favorite portrayals of any man ever BUT pran is my actual favorite, he is my baby, (somehow both) my elder and younger brother and my best friend and he has my whole heart. his love, his hesitance, his anxiety, his bravery, his dimples, his FOREHEAD, his striped shirts, his precious heart i would DIE for him no questions asked.

favorite episode(s)

episode 11. each segment had something for the heart, i adored every single second of it...the sheer volume of beaut quotes from this episode is mind blowing! ("being with you already feels like freedom", "i can be anywhere as long as i have you", "we have been happier a lot too", "thankyou for trying to make a silly guy like me happy..." "i wrote this song for him", "one man can't change the world, but this world can't change me too"), and the soft loving looks of adoration making me clutch my chest, but also there was the quintessential patpran banter and bad buddy humour and wisdom i LOVE this episode with all my heart.

episode 5 is perfection. it comes second for me, but that kiss will always be number 1 <3

favorite scene(s)

rooftop kiss, balcony phone call, episode 7 ending when pat comes to save the day and the play, episode 11 red shirts commitment expression scene, and the final credits and post credits scene

one thing you would change about the show if you could

i wished the gangs didnt bully eo or anybody else even in the beginning, i get it shows growth but still i wished that was shown differently. also i wish we got a conversation where they talk about the guitar. and while we're here i wish it was somehow longer, i could have watched ohmnanon be patpran for HOOOURS.

what are your some of your favorite fanworks made by other people?

traffic was slow for the crash years by @fiercynn aka the creator of this meme. i absolutely adored every single second of the fic. despite it giving me a WORLD of pain. all the pain made it more beautiful and everything was worth it in the end. like i said before you took a great thing and made it even better <3

every piece of art that @hereforlou comes up with. you are a GEM!

all of nanons gorgeous gifsets!!

same page video edit that even p'aof tweeted about. SO good.

enchanted (aka patpran's official song) and other patpran edits by this same SO very talented editor

mudhal nee mudivum nee - another beautiful edit but desi so its even better <3

this super clever edit of patpran to message in a bottle. it's an instant serotonin booster for me.

(if you create fanworks) what are your favorite fanworks that you’ve made?

you can hear it in the silence - bad buddy bet era fic (the only one i've written till now)

my bad buddy textposts collection

my pran and pat's growth posts

this post that took me 20 mins to write but is one of my fav things ive written about the show

my long treatise of bet era patpran that took me a week!

list of accounts (hopefully i haven't forgotten any) whose meta and analysis and brainrot i absolutely adore- @miscellar , @telomeke-bbs , @grapejuicegay , @aroceu, @dudeyuri, @dribs-and-drabbles, @dimplesandfierceeyes, @sharingfandoms, @waitmyturtles, @ranchthoughts, @lurkingteapot, @lurkingshan, @thegayneurodivergentagenda, @kenmakaashi, @absolutebl, @charthanry, @bengiyo, @mahuhumaling, @panickedbisexualwatchesbl, @jemmo, @patspran, @fiercynn, @midnightfreeway, @fierceeyesanddimples and a couple more im sure ive missed. it was {and continues to be} a pleasure reading their thoughts about the show (or any other show that we've mutually watched).

a song that makes you think of bbs (the ones in the show don’t count lol)

message in a bottle because of this edit

daylight cos of this edit

enchanted, because of the infinite edits we've got from it and if im not wrong pat ohm has acknowledged it too

and basically all other romantic songs in the history of romance i guess :3

alrighty then i think i'm done with this tag. this was a LOT of fun to compile <3

[bylerween]

BYLERWEEN FAQ

Themes | Rules & Guidelines | Submissions & Posting

Note: this post may be edited and added to as we get closer to Bylerween and receive more questions. Up-to-date as of 09/29/2023.

Question: Where are the themes? Where are the prompts? Answer: Here. The more detailed prompts are under the read-more cut.

Q: How do I submit an entry to this event? A: It’s as simple as making a tumblr post and tagging us! Please see this post for more info.

Q: What counts as a "fanwork"? A: We are accepting more than just fanart and fanfiction. We invite you to be creative with your Bylerween entries! You can post artwork, fanfics, video edits, gifsets, moodboards, memes, analysis, playlists, whatever you can come up with—if it's creative, fits the themes, and follows the rules, it's fair game.

Q: Can I post one piece of fanwork that includes multiple prompts/themes? A: Yes. Feel free to use inspiration from just one, two, or all three themes for each day! When trying to determine which Day theme fits best for posting a fanwork that touches on multiple themes across multiple days, feel free to just use your best judgment and post on the day/theme that has a bigger part in the fic, or is the closest match.

Q: Do I need to use any of the themes? A: This answer is a "yes, but"! We tried to be thorough with all of our Bylerween themes to cover all things Halloween + Autumn, but if you think there's a theme that we missed, please let us know! You also have the freedom to stretch the themes a little bit. Theoretically, as long as it features Byler and Halloween, autumn, or horror/supernatural themes, you're good to go.

Q: Does [X] fit this theme day, or this theme day? Which day should I post? A: Use your discretion on which theme your fanwork best fits, and you can tag multiple themes. Post on the day that corresponds best to the most prominent theme in your fanwork (use your discretion)!

Q: Can I use an old fanwork I've already posted somewhere else as an entry for Bylerween? A: No. The point is to inspire a wave of new fanworks. We will be highlighting pre-Bylerween fics/artwork in the weeks leading up to Byler Halloween Week, and have a daily queue of older Byler posts running until the event.

Q: What is a Bylerween Rec, and how do I submit one? A: We want to highlight older fanfics before Bylerween officially starts! Beginning October 1st, you can send us asks recommending fics published before Bylerween that are relevant to our themes! Please see our post here for more information. We will tag these submissions #Bylerween Rec

Q: Can the fic I post be a prequel/sequel to/in the same universe as another one I've already posted? A: Yes! As long as it is a new work, fits one of our themes/prompts, and follows our rules and guidelines, you can post it for Bylerween.

Q: Can I post my Bylerween fanwork to other platforms (outside of Tumblr and AO3)? A: Yes.

Q: How do I post to the AO3 collection? A: See this article for a generic, step-by-step how-to. Our AO3 collection is here. Please wait until your fic's best-fit theme day to post!

Q: Do chaptered fics need to be posted all at once? A: No! Just make sure chapter one is posted on the designated theme day, feel free to update as you are able (take your time, or schedule posts, and there's no real obligation to finish).

Q: What if I don't finish my work in time? A: We will accept late entries until November 22nd, which is 3 weeks after bylerween ends. However, after the event ends on Nov 1st, we will not be updating the blog as frequently.

Q: Can our fanwork feature other non-Byler ships or other characters?/Can we post genfic? A: Yes, and please do! If you feature other ships, the work must be Byler-centric. If you're writing genfic, it does not need to be Byler-centric, but Byler must be in there somehow!

Q: Some of your trigger tags seem like they might be NSFW. Does this mean you'll accept NSFW fanworks? A: No. We will not be sharing any sexually explicit fanworks to this blog. It is not lost on us that horror themes are often intertwined with sensuality, and that sometimes sexual themes are subjectively interpreted. In such cases where the sexual nature of a fanwork is ambiguous, we (the Bylerween mods) will use our discretion to determine whether or not the work will be featured. If you want to be extra safe, you can send us a DM (if you prefer not to DM this blog, you can message either Ayla @howtobecomeadragon or Jo @wheelersboy privately) with specific details ahead of time. TL;DR no porn.

Q: Who made your graphics? Who designed your desktop theme? A: That would be Angel @light-lanterne :)

Q: Who made your icon? A: It's a bylerween exclusive made by the lovely Elz @bylrndgm <3

Q: Can I use AI to help create my fanwork? A: No, not at all. Absolutely not. Do not do this. Do not do this outside of Bylerween, either. :)

[gunnerkriggcritical]

"You've been flooding the tag" is a weird way to say "you're the only one posting about this comic because everyone else gave up."

I just checked out of curiosity and, while a lot of the posts I saw (about 40-50%?) were from this blog, most of the others were from like... character poll tournaments. I even went back a few months and saw almost nobody else actually posting about the comic itself.

For the record: I found this blog by searching the tag to see if anyone else was discontent with the way the comic was going!

Yeah, exactly! I actually go silent for days/weeks at a time because there's nothing to say about the comic and/or I'm not getting asks during that time. I really don't post that much at all. It only looks like I'm "flooding the tag" because nobody else has anything to say about the comic. This person complaining about me "flooding the tag" was actually, in a roundabout way, complaining that the GKC fandom on Tumblr is dead and that everyone has either jumped ship or is deeply unsatisfied with how things are going.

I love the mention of people on Reddit and the official forums being positive about the comic, as if that should somehow make me feel bad or feel like I'm wrong. Go hang out there, then?? Or make some content of your own on Tumblr and help bring the fandom back to life? Draw a picture, write an analysis post, work on some fanfic, anything but complaining about someone else! It's not my fault people on Tumblr are uninterested at best in GKC. I'm just the messenger.

[janmusija]

why is general eduction such a thing.

seriously, I was forced through a bunch of this stuff in high school already. I'm really tired of having to learn a bunch of random trivia when I'm already dead set on going into mathematics academia. I mean, like, one of my gen eds was on roman culture and it's nice and all that I know some half-remembered trivia about ancient rome now but I would have preferred to have spent that time learning some model theory or something

I mean seriously [most american colleges] what purpose does making every single one of your students have to bRoAdEn ThEiR hOrIzOnS serve? I get that a lot of students might not know what they want to do and might want to shop around but it really sucks to be someone who knows what you want to do dragged around through all this random stuff you don't care about, and there should really be a process by which students like this can, like, opt out somehow if they demonstrate they have good reason.

Nota bene: I'm taking a literary analysis course to satisfy a writing requirement. I'm not going to write literary analysis papers when I do the things I had to satisfy this requirement to be allowed into (ie, trying to get a master's); it's literally irrelevant to what I'm doing. Do you know how much I, a mathematics student, need to be able to analyze poetry in order to do mathematics??? I've read Winning Ways, and even THAT doesn't require you to bust out your tinfoil hat to synthesize complete bs extract subtly hidden metaphor from deep in the subtext.

tl;dr I feel like my time is being wasted by general education etcetera

no idea what to tag this post with tbh, I dunno tumblr etiquette

[b4ts1e]

Okay- hi guys! It's been a bit since my last update about Everything Before Us- so I figured it's better now than never.

SO! I sort of hit a road block, in the middle of doing my analysis of the actual show- realizing the designs were...not something I particularly enjoyed all too much.

If you've been on my Cara- you'll have seen my updated Allura design, and I'll be posting the updated armor designs there soon. I am currently working on Pidge's design, and I will most likely leave the rest of the redesigns as flat colors (for now at least) to preserve time.

NOW BEFORE PEOPLE GET CONCERNED! The characters will remain similar to their original designs, I swear! I just feel like there are a few headcanons that I have for their designs that I need to be able to properly visualize myself, and I know providing those visuals can help readers who can't create images in their mind see what I'm envisioning.

I have my visions- simple changes like Pidge and Keith having dog tag necklaces to represent their family member(s) on the Kerberos Mission; or even just simply creating a proper height chart for the characters (there is literally no accurate one in the fanbase somehow- there was one saying Pidge was 4'3 and I simply don't believe that.) or adding some extra similarities between the paladins and their parents (for the one's we've seen at least).

So- I apologize for the delay, but I'm doing my best to bring the best quality content that I can. I appreciate your patience, genuinely.

If you guys have ANY questions, feel free to ask them- I'd be happy to answer! I'll turn on anonymous asks again, purely for those with questions, but I will be taking no anonymous requests at this time. Thank you <3 /p

edit: I really should make like- a tag for this book huh...maybe even like a link filled post for the stuff related to it....y'know, like an organized human being.

[mangobubbletea7]

I was going to put this in the tags, but to hell with it I’m just going to write here as a little tribute to this video. I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately.

When I came across this video, I was in my senior year of high school, it was of course the pandemic. I was immediately enraptured by it, I replayed it dozens probably hundreds of times. I had this walking class that I had signed up for as one of my electives that I was still supposed to do even when we were reduced to online school, so I put this video on and walked in big circles in my backyard for hours, trodding over the thick fall leaves (I found it about 2 weeks after it had been out). It immediately reminded me of those Jenna Marbles videos where someone would edit her crafting or playing with her dogs into a horror movie trailer, playing with the unintentionally dramatic source material. I thought it was so… epic. Enthralling. I just really liked it.

It took me til November to actually really get into DSMP, Techno’s November 16th livestream is what really did it for me as I’ve mentioned before. I was taking a break from my after school homework, sat on my beanbag chair with my comforter over me as always when I got the notification that Techno had gone live. “Huh I should see what this whole Dream SMP thing is about I guess.” I never finished my homework that night. After, I went out to dinner with my parents and I felt legitimately shell shocked, I had just been introduced to this whole other world, this form of media I’d never seen before.

This whole thing is unimportant, I don’t know if anyone will ever even get this far in what I’m writing, I’ve just been reminiscing on it all recently. How I used to wake up, log into the zoom call for my first class in bed, angle the camera at my forehead like everyone else did to hide their faces, and scroll through the tags ignoring AP Human Geo and whatever else my other first period class was. I can’t remember that now (I think it was walking oops), but I can remember reading the liveblogs and the analysis posts and the memes that had been posted while I slept. What lore had happened while I was asleep? What chill hangout VODs should I add to my watch later list? Who popped up on who’s stream?

In the hour or two stretch between 2nd and 3rd period that was supposed to be lunch and class work time, I’d stroll down to my kitchen in the empty house (my parents and my step sister had been deemed essential workers) and put on Ponk or whatever fun VOD I’d slept through while I absentmindedly ate my breakfast. I’d space out during math class and put on Jazz music, ignoring one class to get work done for AP Psych (I paid attention to the classes I was interested in I swear, somehow I did get out of that year with good grades). Ignore sewing class (really? We had to do 2 months on laundry???) to watch whoever I’d missed. And then juggle tuning into Tommy’s streams with getting my homework done, snuggled on that beanbag chair watching the leaves turn red and then die from my window. In the late evenings, I’d watch Puffy, of course, on the couch cross stitching while my parents watched Netflix. Later in the school year mornings and afternoons were Foolish, always with the Foolish stream, tuning in to see how far he’d gotten with the build. Whenever Hannah was on in the early evening I’d be tuning in, walking through stores with my mask and headphones on if Sam was with her, I couldn’t afford to miss a second of that duo. And I’d just always be keeping up with the tags, with the liveblogs, with my dash. When I woke up, after dinner, before I went to sleep. I just lived and breathed it. And I was happy being so invested and part of a community.

I had been kinda crumbling before I found the DSMP, of course I had friends—but my friend group had severely diminished before Junior year—so I just had the 3 closest people, who I loved dearly but still I was lonely. Mainly bored. On weekends I started to think that I should just get an early start on my homework, I had nothing else to do, nothing else that really interested me.

But DSMP and the tumblr community,,, idk for all of its faults, for all of its cringe, it gave me something to love and it loved me right back. At a time when I needed it.

I don’t care what anyone else says, I can never regret it. There were worse things to spend two years on.

Happy two year anniversary to the OG, you deserve every bit of success Sad-ist!

[timeloop-observer]

welcome to my hyperfixation hell.

~ about me ~

> name's ari, you might know me better as @the-timewatcher though (or @timewatchertunes on youtube if you're weird)

> 20-something nonbinary (they/them) with brain worms for meta stuff and good game design

> timezone's cet/gmt+1 (or cest/gmt+2 in the warmer seasons, CURSE YOU DAYLIGHT SAVINGS)

> this blog started bc my Sheer Blinding Normalcy about these games is too much by now

> i'm not above swearing and write in lowercase unless it's for emphasis or for Proper Essay Purposes, get adjusted quick

~ about the game(s) ~

> the blog is centered on In Stars And Time, but will also feature content from/about START AGAIN: a prologue, its prototype/better demo than the actual demo don't @ me

> they're both rpgs by the ever-wonderous INSERTDISC5 (not gonna @ her on this thing) about a fella getting stuck in a time loop at the tail end of an unseen jrpg adventure (i don't think i need to specify, but the time loop also Stands For Some Things)

> the art is striking, the music is bopping, the gameplay has some of the best ludonarrative harmony ever and the story/writing/characters are immaculate, especially with how they can seamlessly give you fun comedy, the warm fuzzies, The Horrors and intense gutpunches of raw emotion in rapid succession!

> that being said, it has a content warning page for a reason - it's not for the faint of heart, though there's not any cheap jumpscares

> also the ludonarrative harmony i mentioned often comes at the expense of gameplay being all that riveting later on, so don't expect to rpg the daylights out of this rpg,

> othewise, if you're still interested and somehow haven't played it yet, go check it out! in particular i would recommend getting a taste of it online though - the one thing i will criticize about it is the first 45 mins of the game as is (or just start again, which you should check out regardless of it being a prototype) would work far better as a demo than the actual demo

~ about the blog ~

> like my main, probably skewing towards rapid fire reblogs

> sometimes i'll even reblog things that aren't explicitly about isat if i feel like they fit here

> will spoiler tag the following:

#isat spoilers - anything from act 2 onwards that would give away the game's main plot

#start again spoilers - mostly about the game's main endings, since it's so brief spoilertagging the middle would be like giving a sandwich a halfway break

#isat achievement spoilers - for sidequests that aren't required for the main plot, with the exception of

#twohat spoilers - without specifying what this means exactly, if you only saw one hat at the game's credits, filter this tag out

> #usual day in siffrin's torment nexus is for anything with canon typical content warnings. on reblogs, this will be the only tag specifying these things, unless there's also canon-atypical cws to worry about (ex. you won't see it next to #cw children in peril on a reblog, but you might on an original post, or on a reblog next to #cw gore)

> will only tag in greater specificity (canon typical content warnings, character specific tags, etc.) on original content, since the algorithm side of things on tumblr doesn't bother much with rbs

> will tag my ships (different strokes for different folks in the fanbase, i understand), but i'm not here to start discourse. if i catch you clowning about what pairings feature on here, i'll tell you to touch grass and block.

> for original posts, expect shitposts, analysis/gushing, some original writery and maybe a smidgen of art or music if inspiration strikes

> feel free to shoot asks, submissions and dms at me, but i apologize if i'm slow to respond...

[hazbincalifornia]

Yeah, yeah, more Stolas/Blitzo analysis. I want as comprehensive an understanding of their relationship as possible as I write the fic so the growth comes out of where they actually are in canon at the moment. This time it’s about the phone call in the pilot because Blitz is in a less freaked out place there than he was in Murder Family and thus it’s a better sort of ‘ground zero’, but there’s also a comparison of the two calls to see what may have changed (or stayed the same) in the transition between pilot and show. It’s capped off with how they might get to somewhere better in the future, since it’s pretty clear that they’re going to be A Thing.

Note that this isn’t in any way ship-bashing, I personally hope that they do get some development on-show and think that they’re a compelling ship.

His expression combined with ‘So, what can I do you for this time, Stolas?’ (on top of Loona’s comment about Stolas being clingy and sounding DTF-y and Blitzo snapping at her) heavily implies that this kind of call happens fairly often. (On insta, both Stolas and Blitzo have mentioned calls like it being regular, to the point of being incorporated into Blitzo’s schedule.) The strained smile and the fact that he was putting it off... even if he may play a bit dumb, he 100% knows the power Stolas’s got over him and probably the potential consequences if he isn’t at least somewhat pleasant.

With the first comment about the political candidate on Earth, I’m guessing (I don’t know if this is still a thing carried over to the main series) sometimes Stolas just sends IMP to do dirty work that he’s supposed to be doing because they have the book and it was part of the initial deal to let them keep it. 

‘Okay, well, yeah, that makes sense.‘ He’s semi-bored but again is affirming Stolas. He’s probably used to hearing Stolas mentioning stuff like being lonely.

Realization when Stolas mentions ‘You know what happens when i’m lonely?’

‘Oh, God fucking dammit.‘ Yep, this is definitely going where he hoped it wouldn’t- if he was lucky, today’s call would just be Stolas asking him for a murder-favor or something, but nope, the guy’s going to just be really, really horny at him again. This isn’t an unusual occurrence but he’s got to put up with it.

This was what really sealed it for me as not just irritation- he makes this expression for a full ten seconds. I counted. And with how he feeds the phone-smoothie to Loona, he’s trying to get out his aggression at the situation in any way that he can.

I get that snapping the phone in half and blending it up is a comic exaggeration, but let’s take this whole exchange as flatly as possible:

There’s a person who owes his livelihood to being able to borrow a magic book from someone much richer and more powerful than he is. He has to repeatedly take calls from that powerful person that sometimes asks him to complete jobs that are already in his line of work, in exchange for the book since it’s needed to complete them. That can be considered somewhat of a fair trade. However, sometimes the calls devolve into sudden and extremely graphic sexual talk, something that clearly upsets the person a fair amount. He has to deal with this on a fairly regular basis in order to keep both his business afloat and himself from getting squashed like a bug if the word gets out to the wrong people that this whole affair is illegal and I doubt Hell plays nice with second chances when it comes to something like this.

Blitzo definitely knows he’s between a rock and a hard place here. He knows he’s got some wiggle room- he did end the call in the middle of Stolas ranting after all- but he can’t pull away entirely without risking everything and the sexual harassment is just par for the course when it comes to dealing with Stolas.

The call in Murder Family brought a new layer to this. It’s possible that Blitzo generally tries to be polite to Stolas but he was just really, really stressed- and even then, the worst he says is that this is a really bad time and he’s trying to not get fucked up at the moment. He snaps back ‘what did you call me?’ and that’s fairly accusatory, but consider how he talks to Moxxie vs how he’s talking to Stolas.

Stolas’s little cooed ‘When isn’t it a bad time, Blitzy?’ does some work of its own- it’s got that air of this being a thing that happens regularly enough that Stolas feels comfortable teasing Blitzo on the fact that he’s heard his excuses for not answering a call from him, and uses a nickname to show familiarity right off the bat. He expects Blitzo, to some degree, to drop everything for him. The point is, obviously, to establish this relationship to anyone who didn’t see the pilot, and Blitzo’s annoyance the whole call has the same feeling of ‘this is a regular occurrence and I just have to put up with it’. There’s the leveraging of the book for sex made even more explicit, and Blitzo just kind of agrees, probably only half-listening because he’s heard this all before and he’s got other concerns at the moment. The line delivery cements this.

‘Fine, whatever!’

His expression is definitely still uncomfortable when Stolas slips to the horny talk, even though it’s a little subtler this time, and his breathing is animated in a way that shows he’s still in panic mode.

He still actively grimaces and briefly glances at the phone before telling himself to shake it off and focus on the problem. I note that he doesn’t mute the call despite there being way more reason to here- maybe something shifted between pilot and episode 1 that he’s not supposed to do that?

There’s also the fact that Stolas is apparently willing to go on his horny rant completely undeterred by the fact that Blitzo isn’t responding at all. He isn’t even near the phone after the first minute or so, but he’s still clearly talking when Moxxie heads back to the house later. It can’t have been less than ten to fifteen minutes of radio silence from Blitzo and he’s still going. Blitzo’s participation isn’t necessarily needed here, and I don’t doubt there’s times where Blitzo just leaves the phone on and does other work in his office until Stolas burns himself out. 

There’s a lot of subtle ways they used to make it clear that this is noooooot something Blitzo’s really that comfortable with.

Of course he was the one to start it by sleeping with the guy in the first place to get access to the book, which was a colossally stupid move (the hell did he think was going to happen when Stolas found it missing?) but it’s evolved into something beyond his control. He’s not great at conceptualizing consequences, I don’t think, and this is one he’s stuck with.

From how the instagram accounts behave, it seems pretty likely that they’re endgame, and I’m fascinated to keep watching and see how the relationship develops both of them as characters. It seems the biggest barriers here are both communication (Stolas seems to talk at Blitzo more than with him) and the fact that Blitzo doesn’t have much of a choice in having this relationship with Stolas.

If they were given a chance to bond on more even ground... well, Blitzo chases after Millie and Moxxie and their healthy relationship, he clearly wants something like that, but what Stolas is offering right now is leaned way too heavily on sex and seeing him as a singularly sexual object. Stolas clearly loves his daughter and can have a healthy relationship based off of that, it’s just a matter of actually listening to what Blitzo says and not forcing himself on him.

I don’t doubt that at some point, Stolas is going to have to confront that when Blitzo ends up having enough and blowing up at him.

I know, this is a lot of words for a comedy series, but the fact that in both calls, Blitzo is clearly and viscerally uncomfortable makes me pretty certain that they’re going to do something with this. If it was just ‘haha that dude’s horny’ they wouldn’t have played it the way that they did, Blitzo would have just been more annoyed and it would have ended at the ‘god fucking dammit’ in the pilot and Stolas wouldn’t have made Blitzo agree to full-moon meetings. That’s, again, specific, and one episode will probably address it again.

[transfemlogan]

Think I could ask what you think of Logan’s character and where you think his character arc will go (or at least, where you’d like to see it go in the series)? Honestly I’m just interested in hearing you talk about him

I found this rlly far down my drafts. Somehow. Idk how it got there. But at least I don't have to rewrite the entire beginning 🧡

NOTE: I have Aphasia. It's a language disorder that affects my ability to understand and use language and it affects me both within writing and speaking. This is going to be a little incomprehensible and all over the place, but be nicies to me and feel free to ask for clarification.

This is more of a ramble, than a nice and neat analysis.

Everyone is allowed to add on :3c

ALSO SORRY TO ANYONE TAGGED</3 You're most likely tagged because I was quoting/linking a post by you.

OK. LET'S TALK ABT LOGAN (FT MY BAD SCREENSHOTS):

[ID: a screenshot of Logan Sanders from the Sanders Sides episode "My True Identity!" He is smiling at the camera and making finger guns. /end ID]

This might be incomprehensible I love logan sanders. So much. Its so hard to put into words i jsut love him OK. He is perfect in every day & also a little nerd. & Beautiful. & handsome. & my babygirl.

I feel like a lot of fans treat him as if he is... like any other glasses wearing character in fiction. Byakuya Togami is the first to pop into my mind, same with Kusuo Saiki from The Disasterous Life of Saiki K, Freddy Riley from Identity V, Charles Offdensen from Metalocalypse, Kyoya Ootori from Ouran Highschool Hostclub, ETC. THERE'S A LOT OF GLASSES GUYS. (Note: these characters do not completely fit each other, but you get the point.)

The trope of "smart, unemotionless, rude/blunt character wears glasses" is something fans will shove Logan into, but the thing is Logan's character takes this trope and completely snaps it in half and throws it in the trash.

Logan is smart. He is blunt and can be the biggest asshole at times. He is """unemotional""" (stated by him).

[ID: a screenshot of Logan Sanders from the Sanders Sides episode "Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts". The captions reas, "Everything is okay." /end ID]

But he's also compassionate. He is hopeful. He cares so much for the people around him and he holds so much love in his heart.

This post (link) by @intrulogical probably phrases it way better than I ever could + this post (link) by @nesushii

I think that's what makes Logan such a compelling character. He's not someone who needs to "learn how to feel" (which is an idea in fiction I dislike) (it can become a little ableist), he is someone who does feel and know he feels and feels so much all the time, but he can't express it well due to both the environment around him and how he shows his emotions.

A lot of Logan's asshole actions, I think, are less him actively trying to be rude and more him just struggling really bad.

In Moving On, he is "rude" but it's because he realises his actions were Wrong and he's trying to Fix It. He recognises Virgil's panic attack, how this room is affecting Thomas, and realises that he should have listened to Patton. But because of the affects of Patton's room and Logan's tone and phrasing, he comes off as Mean. He becomes defensive as everyone blows him off and it affects how he's trying to help everyone.

In LNTAO, Logan is confused about the entire situation. He doesn't understand why singing or puppets would help Thomas and, as Logic, it is terrifying to not Know when it's his entire job to know. His confusion turns into defensiveness, and because he already struggles to express his emotions in a way that the other sides like/understand, his confusion (& defensiveness) comes off as anger and purposeful ignorance. Which is why the sides and Thomas treat him the way they do— they're assuming he doesn't want to know. Which is entirely untrue!

I know I've talked so much already about how Logan is unintentionally autistic coded (I'm even writing an entire essay about it), but like... HE IS SO AUTISTIC CODED!!

This character that struggles with expressing himself. Who lives in an environment where he feels like he has to exist a certain way, or else he won't be accepted. Who doesn't understand tone or sarcasm or the "big picture". Who struggles with other people viewing him as some sort of unemotionless ""monster"", bexause they don't understand him. Who wants to be heard and understood.

In DWIT, he feels like he's finally doing something right. That he's on the right path. And then it immediately get snatched away in POF and then again in WTIT. And that's such an inherently autistic experience. You feel like you're masking right, you're fitting in, people are accepting and loving you— only to act "too autistic" and the false comfort you wanted is snatched away (a little more complex and nuanced than that, but you know).

He is... So Autistic and it HURTS. (He could also be viewed as neurodivergent in general— I can relate to him outside of autism, with my schizophrenia and speech impediment.)

I also relate to him heavily as a child abuse victim. I've brought it up a few times, but I haven't been able to express entirely what I mean by calling him "child abuse coded" (WHICH IS A PHRASE I KEEP GIGGLING AT).

Logan's entire situation with anger feels so... similar to my own anger issues and trauma. The way he will get so angry and explode only to calm down and realise his actions.

[ID: two screenshots of Logan Sanders from the Sanders Sides episode "Working Through Intrusive Thoughts". In image one, he is pointing at someone out of frame and looking down at the floor with a confused expression. In image two, he has a hand on his tie and looks upset. /end ID]

Hurting those around you because you're hurting is something I feel like most, if not all, abuse victims struggle with. And especially with child abuse victims, I personally always feel on edge. Like I have to defend my actions 24/7 and I need to express myself perfectly or else no one will understand and I will "get in trouble" and "punished".

It reminds me so much of Logan. After he gets angry and explodes (partially due to the Orange Side, based on how the series is being shown), he immediately is confused and shameful and scared.

Logan is scared and ashamed of his own actions and is trying so hard to fix himself and not be that, not be an angry aggressive person. But it's not as simple and apologising and moving on and it's definitely much harder when those around you will not let you / don't understand fully.

ANYWAY Logan's character means so much to me as an autistic, abused guy. //slaps Logan// this guy can hold SO much trauma!

This post (link) by @orbmanson7 I think puts some of my thoughts into better words about Logan's anger and boundaries and everything (which also helps us segway into talking about his arc)

The thing with Logan's arc is that it's a little more complex than just "Logan wants to be listened to". All of the sides want to be listened to, that's the entire point of them. They all want to help Thomas.

It's not only that Logan wants to be listened to and isn't, it's also that Logan is actively listening to critiques and trying to fix and change. He is hearing and seeing that something he is doing is not helpful and is upsetting people. He wants to fix it and change and improve. But no matter what he does, nothing seems to "fix the issue"— Thomas still will not listen to him.

Logan has to unlearn this idea that he needs to constantly be improving himself, that he has to act a certain way, in order for someone to listen and understand him (AGAIN. WHY I RELATE TO HIM AS A ABUSE VICTIM). AND, the sides need to be actively changing how they are treating him. Because him unlearning this won't immediately fix the issue if the sides aren't working too.

The situation can't be fixed with a simple promise of "we will listen to you, Logan", because they've been doing that the entire series.

[ID: a screenshot of Logan Sanders from the Sanders Sides episode "Working Through Intrusive Thoughts". He is holding a notebook near his chest and looks dejected. The captions read, "Another day, Logan, I promise." /end ID]

ALSO, this doesn't fall completely on the other sides. Logan still needs to work on letting himself express things and learning how to cope with his strong, intense emotions like his anger. He's lashing out at the other sides and that's not okay. He can't hurt the people he cares about because he's angry and upset (see the ending of POF before Janus reveals his name).

Which... is one of the reasons I really do not want his anger to be "caused by" the orange side. I want this to be something he is experiencing and going through, because if it's "oooh a dark side is controlling him!!" then it won't be a "Logan issue", it'll be a "dark side issue". Which is not what he OR the viewers need.

Logan needs to overcome and cope with his issues without someone inserting themselves into his arc. The more people are thrown into the mix, the more the attention is drawn away from Logan, and I think his arc is something that desperately needs to be told and focused on.

And NO . I am not a fan of "Logan is the Orange Side" theories. There's a million reasons why that's not true if you actually watch and pay attention to the series (it's a very fun AU, but falls apart in context of the actual series). (Plus I don't want him to stop being indigo.......)

I also don't want Logan's arc to end up with him "turning into a dark side" for a MULTITUDE of reasons:

The "dark sides" aren't like... an actual, genuine thing...? It's not something you can ""become"", it's something you are forced into. It is a term created by Roman to describe sides that Thomas views as inherently bad or evil. The only way for Logan to ""become"" a "dark side" is if someone, in an episode, verbally, called Logan a "dark side".

Obviously, Logan can be treated like a "dark" side. In fact, how he is being treated in the series is very similar to how Virgil was treated in seasonn 1 or how Janus is being treated, ETC. BUT I don't want him to be called a "dark side", because I feel like that brings up an entirely new conflict? Now it's not focused on them ignoring Logan, it's focused on "Logic is evil?" "Thomas views Logic as bad?".

I'm struggling really hard to explain, but I feel like it just layers the conflict and I don't want that. I don't want Logan's arc to include the dark sides in any way. I want it to be focused on him.

(HOWEVER, I don't mind the connection between Logan and the dark sides through their similarities and finding comfort each other because of it. In fact, I love it. But I am not sure how to elaborate on that and how I want their relationships to be, so I skipped over it. If someone asks later, I can try to put it in words. In short, less of the "dark sides" affecting Logan, more Logan affecting the "dark sides"? I don't know if that makes sense.)

Also, I don't trust real-life Thomas to write it well! While he is very good at writing conflict, he sucks at resolving conflict (see: Virgil's reveal as a dark side at the end of DWIT and how it's handled in ATHD). Logan becoming a "dark side" already adds more to his already conflict-filled arc, I don't want to then see it be swept under the rug or handled really badly. Logan deserves a good arc. Don't bite off more than you can chew, or whatever, leave his arc alone. Stop it. Please.

I think that's all I wanted to say?

In short: Logan is full of hope and love and compassion and is so, so autistic coded and has so much trauma. I think his arc is more complex than "not being listened to" and he has to unlearn a lot. I don't want his arc to involve the orange side/him being the orange side, or any of the dark sides, because that brings the attention away from him.