#am i overanalyzing things? perhaps

[designation-zi]

Huh…

Yeah… I don’t think I actually want to know what kind of freaky shit the Solver/Cyn did to make that work

Also interesting that “Tessa” seemed fairly coordinated in episodes 6 & 7, like with the flips and swordsmanship stuff, but once it’s revealed to actually be the Solver/Cyn the gait is kinda staggering. So either the Solver did creepy flesh stuff under the spacesuit that it could control with better coordination… or it’s just being dramatic™️ and zombie shuffled on purpose. Honestly I wouldn’t put it past that last one lol.

Also, it apparently was wearing Tessa’s high heels underneath those boots too 💀

[pinazee]

And down the stretch comes murder

I wanted to take this moment to highlight the adorable child actors they got- Liam James and Carlos McCullers II. They are so perfectly cast as Shawn and Gus and they do such an amazing job! Im so impressed by them 👏👏

The whole spitball incident really highlights the differences between Shawn and Gus’ ethics. Shawn feels guilty for thinking he got the wrong spitter and ruined Jimmys life while Gus actually did it and feels no remorse at all. Perhaps it’s because Jimmy tortured Gus more, but it’s also come up a few other times i believe, that Gus is not above revenge nor is always willing to do the right thing if it interferes with his safety or his own code of justice, whereas with Shawn it’s like he can’t rest until he’s made things right. This, in addition to the ways he looks out for people (helping Lassie solve a case without him knowing, helping juliet find some kids without getting paid, standing between Gus and a gun), I think is why i tend to be more drawn to Shawn. I love tender-hearted morally just characters. Im not saying he’s always riding the high horse (pun intended), simply that at the end of the day you know he’s going to do the right thing. Don’t get me wrong, i love a morally ambiguous character too, and if I’m honest Gus’s outlook is certainly more realistic, but if i had to pick a favorite, i want the reliably good and wholesome over the self-serving. Not that im saying Gus is selfish at all, but of the two Shawns more our hero, even compared to his own cop father. I think Juliet is the only one who comes closest to matching that above and beyond heroism. I think the only reason she’s a step below is because Shawn simply notices others more. Thats all. If Juliet had Shawns abilities she’d be just as on top of it as him, probably more so. Actually she might get overwhelmed by seeing it all and not being able to help everyone. I think it’d be really hard for her to ignore sometimes. Which, okay I’m going down a tangent, but do you think Shawn had to learn to shut it off sometimes or like, learn to walk away? Cause i imagine day to day Shawn’s seeing people dealing with grief, abuse, or pain and with as kind as he is, it must be hard for him to ignore. Like if you’ve ever seen Daredevil, I’m imagining a less dramatic version of that haha

Henry will take any opportunity to point out Shawns failings or try to make him feel less than. Shawn tells him he’s there for a case and instead of asking him about it, Henry goes right back into you never could be a good handicapper because you lack the patience and follow-through it takes to put the time in and research. Also, the line “i let him talk to me” just doesn’t sit right with me even if the guy did turn out to be a skeeve. This kind of stuff makes me think Shawn either learned how to respect people from his mother or refused to treat people like his father. Probably both, though i hate to give her credit for anything haha

Look at his smile when he sees Lassie feed the horse. He’s so warmly amused by him. I wasn’t a Shassie shipper originally (as i just didn’t ship ppl in ye olden days) but i think I am now. I see it guys, I get it haha

These scenes are what makes the episode for me! I love them! We get to see both Shawns interacting and how he utilizes his vast memory, taking a peak into his mind palace so to speak. Plus he literally answered that common question of if you could go back in time what would you tell your younger self? (“Think big!”) I know they never really intended for this to be like a deep scene (nor expected certain fans to overanalyze it haha) but i like how he approaches the kid version of himself with a certain degree of amusement. Like I imagine if i was seeing my young self I’d probably be rolling my eyes at my sheer stupidity, but Shawns a lot kinder to himself haha Also little Shawns line “I thought I’d be bald by 20” was fucking gold! I wish I had better words for why this works so well but all i have is that it does and its brilliant.

Nice try Psych, your Canada is showing ;)

Heres some completely irrelevant info. The difference between a dreamcicle and a creamcicle: both are orange flavored, but dreamsicles had an ice milk center while a creamsicle was ice cream. And dreamsicles are no longer made.

I like this addition to the background. Its so cute. (Sidenote: this screenshot makes it seem like Shawn is the babyfaced assassin)

P.S This is the second episode ive seen him hold this frog. That is all.

[moonshynecybin]

please just a window into your mind palace 🙏 how does vale react when marc gets kidnapped? how does he act and what lengths does he go to save him? what kind of measures does he take to make sure marc is never harmed?

it’s really more like. okay so i think the lever that drives the purpose of the story in all of the whump fic EYE read as a young teen was. hey what if this character gets KIDNAPPED and BEFORE they got kidnapped everyone was maybe perhaps taking advantage of them/under appreciating them/not realizing they were in pain (this attitude could be extrapolated from actual observed behavior in canon towards this character orrrr ENTIRELY INVENTED. doesn’t really matter. with marc it is. unfortunately very real in many ways from vale due to their biblical level estrangement) but NOW people get to freak out and realize how much they care about them and how much they love them and nurse them back to health while whiping blood off of their bruised, pretty face as the kidnapped character sort of gazes up at them in disbelief that a WORM like them could even be cared about enough to be gently touched. in many ways this is a fun scenario to think about with ROSQUEZ. because i think marc has internalized. okay vale doesn’t care about me. and i want him to be proven WRONG ! INCORRECT BUZZER ! and this is perhaps a batshit crazy enough lever to get vale a lil stressed. like it’s one thing to see marc vaulted through the air. they do that for work. AND vale doesn’t even like THAT. but. ransom ? kidnapping ? total marquez family media freeze out? not even a cryptic liar statement from honda to overanalyze or a shirtless selfie from a hospital bed to signal he’s alive ? homie is BUGGIN. he likes INFO he’s CURIOUS he knew every detail of marc deciding to ride on that arm in 2020 he pays ATTENTION. worry despite distance. and oh boy this is the supreme worry scenario.

so anyways the wheels are off we are doing old school fandom tropes because in real life i think vale like. just stays kind of quietly scared until he’s asked about it where he has to perform the most insane feat of mental gymnastics ever put to camera. but that’s not FUN !!! so marc gets kidnapped by uh. evildoers. not important. they only really beat him up in a hot way like on teen wolf. and vale finds out through a blurry picture of marc shirt kinda half unbuttoned and mouth duct taped and on the NEWS and he looks SCARED and TIRED and BRUISED and. not very much like himself. which is thing that puts a burning pit in vale’s stomach the MOST, and he’s pretending he doesn’t care he’s pretending it’s normal he’s pretending it’s about HIMSELF (what if someone was out there kidnapping generationally talented motorsports professionals uccio ?? he HAS to be checking the news obsessively for safety THANK YOU..) but he’s really so stressed. white knuckle grip on his composure. like vale is not sleeping not eating he’s refreshing the news story obsessively because he doesn’t KNOW anything which is the scariest part. he’s calling in every contact he can he’s traveling to spain he’s getting turned away at the marquez family door. he’s still DENYING THAT HES FREAKING OUT. and he’s MIA. uccio is like vale has also been kidnapped. vale is like shut up. please. i am fine.

now in no world do i think vale actually DOES anything effective to get marc back bc at the end of the day he’s just a noodle who can ride bikes good. sorry. leave that to spy aus and the like. but he TRIES and he FREAKS and when they get marc back (bruised and pale and thin. comes into the ER like. and when can i ride my bike again. fully in tears) he arranges everything so it goes as smoothly as possible and then he stays in the hospital lobby for a full two days bundled up on an incognito hoody like a weirdo. he’s just gotta see him

[fucoochie]

Prediction for what will happen in BSD after Chapter 114.5 (SPOILERS BELOW)

HEAR ME OUT... because I'm pretty sure Verlaine is gonna debut, and I know what happens to Fukuchi. These things are related.

As someone who overanalyzed Asagiri's past LN Storm Bringer, I want to bring some things to attention in light of BSD chapter 114.5 which introduces a tripolar singularity

Singularities played a huge role in Storm Bringer.

They are what gave both Chuuya and Verlaine the near-indestructible abilities to channel and even be taken over by Arahabaki and Guivre. In essence, the two of them became singularities.

IMPORTANT excerpts from SB explaining singularities, and how they relate to Chuuya and Verlaine:

There's some more in there that I left out for brevity, including a reference to an ability to amplify one's own ability, but perhaps you see where I'm going with this...

In the official reference, Fukuchi's mysterious new form is given the title 神人 (shinjin), meaning "a divine or godly person," consisting of the kanji for "god" and "man."

Both Arahabaki and the demonic beast Guivre are referred to as gods. They take control of Chuuya and Verlaine and mass destruction ensues. I believe this is what will happen with Fukuchi as "shinjin."

Where will the "god" in question come from? His sword, Ame-no-gozen.

Whatever god is dwelling in there may be Fukuchi's Arahabaki/Guivre equivalent, or perhaps it's all three of the components because:

Fukuchi, Ame no gozen, and the Holy Sword Soluz Levni each contain a consciousness that is absorbed into the tripolar singularity, represented by the 3-part symbol on Fukuchi's new form

The "holy cross sword" was made from someone unknown, which I suspect will be relevant later, as they will also be absorbed into the singularity... Note similar design elements on Fukuchi's new form (blade-like legs, torn cloth, circular symbol with spikes in it)

Regardless, I'm certain the SB parallels are no coincidence.

This happens once every blue moon!

I think this also means we'll get to see Verlaine finally appear. By god this has been a "storm" if there ever was one, and the contents of SB will only get more and more relevant. Don't forget that Agatha Christie was teased and we know Verlaine assassinated members of her Order of the Clock Tower.

TL;DR, Fukuchi's singularity makes him like Chuuya and Verlaine, that's why he's not himself and is going to wreak havoc, and also why I think Verlaine will finally show up in the main plot

As for what can stop him, we'll have to look back to SB, but I'm taking a break before I take up that task

[becauseimanicequeen]

Since I love shows that make me speculate about theories, I rewatched the first episode of 4 Minutes last night just for fun (and to spot some new clues, for example, that it looked like Tyme was shot at those abandoned buildings where the gambling headquarters were, how Tonkla reacted to the black cat, the set design in Great's room, etc.).

Two days ago, I expanded on one of my theories, the one about Great having an out-of-body experience throughout most of what we saw in the first episode, which I believe is caused by him having a cardiac arrest (the patient at the beginning of the episode).

While rewatching the episode last night, I noticed two other moments that support this theory (which I would've noticed the first watch if I hadn't watched it at 1 am due to the Olympics opening ceremony, lol).

The first moment is when Great starts to feel unwell in the elevator at the beginning of the episode, there's a moment when you hear a shot-like sound and the screen flashes... That could be linked to the defibrillator used to restart Great's heart in the present (which we see in the beginning sequence).

He also holds a hand on his chest whenever he feels unwell, which happened in the elevator (pictured above), but also when he has his second "4-minutes phenomenon" (which is what Den called it in his research).

There's definitely something going on with his heart.

The second moment that supports my theory (that most of what we saw in the first episode was Great's out-of-body experience) is what we find out about Den's research. He has three unnamed patients talking about their out-of-body experiences, and then Lukwa gives us more details.

Her heart stopped beating, she didn't know what was happening, she just lived life normally but it was like the events of her past were playing in her mind, and while it felt real, the odd thing was that she could see 4 minutes into the future.

That sounds very much like Great's experience, doesn't it?

That also explains why he saw those flashes of him and Tyme together.

Those flashes are basically his present self's memories (the person who had a cardiac arrest at the beginning of the episode). So, even though the Great we're following now (the out-of-body experience version) has these visions of himself and a man he probably hasn't met before, the present-time Great has met Tyme, which is where those memories are coming from.

Could I be wrong about this? Sure. It's a Sammon story after all.

Am I overanalyzing? Probably. I mean, my wild-ass, delulu theories during DFF have already proven that I have a tendency to do that with certain shows, lol.

But, does it also make sense? Yes. So this is definitely a possibility.

If this turns out to be the case, however, the big question for me (at this point) is what purpose this has. It's not like an out-of-body experience can alter anything, right? It can't rewrite the past, even if Great does things differently while having his out-of-body experience.

So, what's the purpose of it all? My guess is that it's about collecting information. Perhaps something that will help him (and possibly a shot/dying Tyme) when he wakes up after his cardiac arrest. Or something that has to do with his dad's illegal business. Or both. Or something entirely different.

Whatever it might be, I can't wait to find out more.

Is it Friday, yet?

[flymmsy]

do you think that gort used to like karlach at some point? or was he just always faking it to get what he wants? curious about your interpretation of their relationship

I actually wrote about that here! (TLDR: He very much admired her, but Gortash has a fucked up way of showing admiration.)

Karlach and Gortash’s relationship is fascinating. I feel strongly that it was platonic, with perhaps some wiggle room on Karlach's part only because she is really quick to say "it wasn't like that." But I do think that Karlach became one of only a handful of people that Gortash (thought he) cared about.

Gortash on a very base level would never put his security into the hands of someone he didn't trust. A lot of people really wonder "Why Karlach?" - and that's a great question to ask, what is this ~19 y/o (roughly) going to do for you? But it is because it is a bizarre pick that we should look deeper - on the one hand, she's young and impressionable and he can mold her - thats an obvious motivator. But on the other, I strongly believe Gortash saw himself in young Karlach. I also love Karlach and don't want to diminish anything that Gortash did to her, but I am a little skeptical of her "I didn't recognize evil when I saw it" line. I think that's not entirely true - I do think Karlach knew more about what he was (not a Banite, but an Arms Dealer), but she was young enough that she didn't quite understand the true ramifications of that. I think she knew her boss was bad, but didn't think too deeply into just how bad he was and the consequences of his actions. Plus, he gave her financial security she literally never had. As a person who grew up in poverty, yea I'd be willing to overlook a certain degree of shit too for that security.

[And to those who might be unhappy with that take - you're not giving Karlach enough credit. Someone who did bad things/was around bad people and ended up developing into an insanely incredible person in spite of it (and in opposition to it) is a testament to her character AND way more impressive than someone who was just blind and ignorant. She's so much more than that.]

Even more interesting is how genuinely happy Gortash is to see Karlach if you play her origin. It only comes out in this very quick origin-specific interaction - but he actually laughs and sounds different than the entire rest of the game.

"By the Black Hand, I'd recognize that voice anywhere."

Now, I'm insane and overanalyze voice actor's performances all the time, but his voice is immediately rougher and his cadence is different before it shifts back into the regular Gortash voice immediately in the next sentence - "Karlach - it's been an eternity" - as if he's caught himself slipping into something he shouldn't have. Will the real Enver Gortash please stand up?

I've also written about how I think Gortash is genuinely surprised that Karlach is angry with him/blames him for the Hells. It reveals so much about how he's so delusional about his own trauma.

So - in short - I feel that Gortash would say Karlach was one of the closest people to him ever and fully mean it. It's just that she happened to be close to someone who was a terrible, terrible person.

[legobiwan]

Okay, ever since the concept art of the Mario Brothers movie got leaked on Reddit, I've been wanting to make this post. And I think now is the time. Gird your loins friends. I am about to overanalyze the hell out of thirty seconds and one concept art of a movie.

A Room of Their Own: An (Over)Analysis

To start with, I want to justify this whole treatise by comparing the concept art of Mario and Luigi's room with what we get in the movie.

Concept Art

Movie

These match up incredibly well. There are a few poster swaps on Mario's wall, the generic baseball team versus an obvious reference to the Mets (a point I'll talk about in a moment); Beastie Boys for the fish person poster (and it's bugging the hell out of me, because the green guy is wildly jogging my memory and I can't quite place it). Luigi's side of the room also gets slightly rearranged, although the objects are mostly the same, minus the swap of the anime mecha figure for an art mannequin.

Now that we've established continuity, let's talk about why we're exploring this in the first place.

I love analyzing people's living spaces in media. They tell such an intimate story about who a person is, what they value, what they're hiding, and so on. And the snippets we get of Mario and Luigi's room, both through the movie and the concept art, say so much about them and (arguably) connect in some measure back to the games and even the cartoons of my youth. So, let's dive in, shall we?

Mario

In both the concept art and the movie, a couple of themes emerge from Mario's side of the room.

Plumbing

It's obvious that Mario's passion is plumbing. There are pipes sticking out from under his bed, pipes stacked in the corner, books on plumbing stacked on his desk, along with all kinds of other related paraphernalia. Regardless of Spike or his father, Mario seems genuinely into plumbing as his vocation (remember, he was the one who was the driving force behind that commercial). Keep this in mind for when we talk about Luigi, because there's a divergence there.

Sports

We know from the movie and general lore that Mario is quite athletic, and seems to enjoys sports. Here, we see posters for baseball and what is presumably the New York City marathon (at least in the movie still); we see a football helmet and some small trophies that one might assume are related to his own sports activities. Is he the absolute, number one winner in all of Brooklyn? Unlikely, given his insecurities about always being "small," about wanting to amount to something. This being said, it's obvious he has some prowess and accomplishment in the world of sporting, perhaps on a high school level. And the whole parkour scene shows that he trains, keeps himself in shape for this type of thing. (As an aside, can you blame Luigi for not being able to keep up? Forget the knees, he's hauling a 15-20 pound bag of plumbing equipment with him! Give the guy a break).

Anyway, this is all unsurprising for our hero archetype. The marathon poster - grit and determination. Baseball and football - all-American sports. Central casting, call one wannabe hero. (Remember, what people showcase in their rooms is generally what is important to them, what they value).

There is a small wrench thrown in here, however (ha! a pun!) And that would be the foam finger featured in the concept art which is a very familiar orange and blue. And that along with the baseball figurine and posters - which have similar coloring and iconography of the intersecting "NY" - lead me to believe that Mario is a Mets fan.

Now, I need make a small digression here to explain why this is important to his character.

The Mets are the long-suffering little brother to the perennially-successful New York Yankees (booooooo). They still hold the modern era record for most losses in a season (their inaugural year, 1962, where they went 40-120). Over the decades, they have been plagued by inept ownership, catastrophic end-of-season collapses, and bizarre events that can only be categorized as "LOLMets." (This Reddit thread is a particularly entertaining history of the franchise's tragi-comic moments).

And aside from being a lifelong masochist fan of this team, I think it's important to bring this up in terms of Mario's character because he sees himself as the underdog while in Brooklyn; as little, as constantly underachieving. It's extremely fitting for Mario's movie depiction that he roots for the eternal underperformer, for a team that has historically been supported by the more blue-collar areas of New York, a fanbase which suffers year after year and yet always comes back for more.

Mess

This is actually my favorite part of Mario's section. Canonically, Mario is a kind of a slob. In both the concept art and movie stills, we see plumbing bits and parts strewn all over the place, pipes shoved underneath the bed, pipes stacked in the corner, half-finished projects and tools running amok his desk. (Note, he's not dirty, just disorganized).

And the thing, this isn't the first time we've seen evidence of this. Luigi, on two separate occasions, either complains about or encounters his brother's habits in the Luigi's Mansion series. (Although the first quote below could be more of a commentary on Luigi's persnickety-ness rather than Mario's laundry habits).

(seriously, Mario. Just how many pizzas did you need?)

There's something...I don't know, endearing or somehow fitting that the titular hero of the Mushroom Kingdom is a domestic disaster. Almost as if whatever energies he can muster are focused solely on hero-ing and plumbing and anything else just...falls by the wayside. (Understandable. There's only so much all of us in our lives have energy for. You have to prioritize). Still, it sets up this contrast between the front Mario puts up and how he's received by the Mushroom Kingdom and who he really is, which he definitely reserves for a select few closest to him, the prime candidate being his brother.

And speaking of that brother...

Luigi

It's unfortunate that we don't get as many quality shots of Luigi's side of the room in the movie, but from what can see, the concept art is pretty consistent with the film.

And I'm being adamant about the consistency of the concept art and the movie, due to the fact we get so little Luigi screen time and yet his room tells us so much about him.

Science

We've got a tech-mech boy here, my friends. Note the somewhat advanced microscope perched on the headboard, the calendar of the motorcycle, the schematic of the racing car, the little jet-rocket ship. Note, in the concept art, the mecha sat prominently on top shelf.

Now, what does this tell us? (Aside from the fact Luigi is a total nerd, which we knew already).

Firstly, Luigi is very into motor vehicles, science (fiction), and possibly robots. That he possibly has some interest in engineering and robotics. This may sound familiar.

Yes, the Super Mario Brothers movie, by intent or not, kept Luigi's mechanical engineering interests intact. (There's a whole other post in here where I could provide further proof of this outside of SPM. I suggest watching the SMB 3 cartoon episode, "Mind Your Mummy" which not only wildly showcases Luigi's engineering skills, but is pretty hilarious).

But I digress.

Here's the interesting contrast. Mario is obvious about his passion for plumbing. Luigi, although canonically more reserved, does take the effort to highlight what is important to him in his room - namely his interest in science and engineering (and photography, which we'll talk about in a minute).

It makes you wonder...Luigi is not a confrontational sort. He goes along with what Mario does because he loves his brother and perhaps he either doesn't know what he wants or is afraid to express it. I personally doubt Luigi's true passion lies in plumbing, from what we see here. It's a means to end.

Now, whether Luigi disavowed engineering due to finances, low self-esteem, family pressures, or if he just wasn't ready to declare who he was...we don't know (I would posit it's some tasty combination of all of the above). But I do feel like it's fair to say Luigi is along for the ride at this point. He loves his brother, is possibly a little too dependent on him. It's not like he's bitter about it (well, on the surface. The Mr. L persona raises some interesting questions) - he's just doing what Mario does because...that's what he's always done. Luigi hasn't found his true footing yet. (You can even look at the fact he carries the toolbag throughout the movie as a kind of metaphorical weight of Mario's interests and goals over his - which, I realize, for a Mario property, is a reeeeeaaaaal stretch. But since I'm overanalyzing three stills from an animated movie about video game plumbers, I might as well go for the gold).

The other aspect of Luigi's interest in fast cars, fast bikes, and fast rockets is how that contrasts with his reserved nature. Luigi is, supposedly, the scaredy cat, the one who won't take risks. And yet what we see fascinating him the most are chunks of metal being hurled through time and space at ridiculous speeds. Wish fulfillment? Or maybe another side of Luigi that even Mario doesn't always get to see.

We also see two ribbons pinned to the wall near the sciency/tech items. Most likely, this had to do with academic achievement I would bet good coins that these achievements were in STEM. Again, Luigi is showcasing this, meaning it's important to him.

In this context, him gravitating towards E. Gadd and his experiments is wholly in-character, despite Luigi's (understandable) anxiety about dealing with undead (but does he say no? Much like his rocket cars, there's a kind hidden recklessness to his character). Mr. L and his robot obsession (and skill) make perfect sense. Luigi's probably been looking for that kind of outlet for quite some time. I can pretty firmly state that the engineering aspect of Mr. L was not brainwashing and it makes you wonder if the other facets of Luigi's personality that rise to surface during that whole episode were planted or there already, just suppressed.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Luigi is just a bit of a neat freak. We see this in the hat-cleaning episode referenced above, in the way his side of the room is somewhat meticulous in its organization (in contrast to his brother). He also has a few hilarious quotes in the original Luigi's Mansion that are worth including here that really highlight this side of his personality:

Now that I look at it-- it's full of moth holes! Yecch!" "So much dust! This will never pass the white-glove test!" "Well, they sure did pile odds and ends everywhere… Filthy." "I should probably give that a quick vacuuming…" "Oh, what's this?! Just how I like it… Nice and clean!" "Do Boos wash their faces?"

And what I find interesting about this tendency toward order is how it relates to Luigi's anxiety. I would argue that part of his clean streak is an attempt at controlling his environment, a way to counter that ever-present anxiety. It also seems fitting for the engineer to be far more fastidious about things being just so. Yes, it's a bit of a stereotype - a trope, if you will - but one that might have some teeth in this situation. After all, if you're building race cars that go ridiculous miles per hour, there's no room for error. I think the contrast between the two brothers - Mario's outside world is consistently on the edge of chaos while Luigi's inside world is the one on the precipice - is fascinating.

Sports

Now, it's not like Luigi has zero athletic ability (despite his complaints). We see a tennis racket in his room and a dartboard. He helped Mario beat up Bowser with zero training montage. It's just that Luigi seems to gravitate towards athletic endeavors that require more pinpoint accuracy (not that baseball and football don't, but it's a little different in my mind) and that avoid almost all risk of physical collision. Again, those interests are not what we think of as "stereotypical" of the big hero. And Luigi is a hero, but in a very different way than his brother.

Camera

I don't have too much to say about this one, but I think it's delightful that Luigi owns and uses an old-school camera. We can actually see two black-and-white photos pinned to his wall in the concept art, showing us Luigi's more artistic side, which is kind of neat (and let's not forget the movie subs in an art mannequin for the mecha, which only strengthens this notion of art interest. Maybe he's into the notion cybernetics? It's possible). I suppose I could read into camera thing as an observer vs. participant dynamic (Luigi behind the lens observing while Mario is always in the action), but I wouldn't make an argument any more in-depth, and even that statement is a bit of a leap in a document chock-full of leaps.

Conclusion

If you're expecting a thesis out of this, I'm sorry to disappoint - I don't really have one. I suppose this whole rundown is more of a literature review than anything else, but what I do want to stress is what can be read from the objects in the room and their placement. I can't and won't pretend to know the intentions of the artists here. It's very possible there was far less thought put into the design and layout of these rooms than the long treatise I have just given over to it. This being said, because there is a fair amount of consistency between the concept art and the movie and because there is a fair amount of subtle character moments throughout the film (which have been broken down by other intrepid Tumblr friends), I might lean towards the notion that these design choices do have some degree of intent in subconsciously shaping how we, the viewer, read the brothers.

(And yeah, maybe I just wanted an excuse to pin more evidence onto my "Luigi wanted to be a mechanical engineer and is actually really skilled at robotics and other science" conspiracy thread bulletin board :D

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Okay, I just need to tell this to another Duel Links lore enthusiast like me. I am probably overanalyzing this cutscene in Spectre's event where he makes everyone duel him. Spectre mentions that he wants everyone (except Soulburner) to remember the event of the Tower of Hanoi (a great tower of mass network destruction basically, don't want to give full details to accidentally spoil things-). Because there are 7 people present with memories of the event, the Tower was created thanks to Memory System.

So my theory is, does Spectre (and to an extent, Revolver, since he is Spectre's boss) want to use the Tower o Hanoi as a sort of bait to grab Kaiba's attention? Because IF the Tower can destroy Duel Links, then Kaiba needs to do something about it, right??

Sorry for my rambling, I am just very insane about Duel Links lore ajsbkxkcdn

GODDDDDD . SITS DOWN.

yeah i may not go to VRAINS yet but this shit did have me like *bugs me eyes at the screen like a cartoon character*

even though it looks like the Tower disappeared again in Spectre's second story cutscene, the concept of "oh well if this causes irreversible harm to Duel Links then perhaps the man behind it will make himself known to us" is FUCKIN CRAAAYAYAAAZAAYYYY. DEEPLY SCARED OF WHAT THE EPILOGUE CUTSCENE ON THIS EVENT IS GOING TO BE

[multifunctionalnitroglycerin]

Leona and Diana Old Lore / New Lore. My take on it

Okay so, I am relatively new to the League community, with barely three years under my belt, but lore is one of the things that interest me the most about it. And well, the dynamic between Sun and Moon coded characters is one I never pass up in exploring. Leodia is arguably my favorite ship from League, but it's mostly the idea of it, with recent executions leaving me feel kinda... meh.

So apart from probably having read every single half decent fic under the Leona/Diana tag on Ao3, I have scourged the internet for their lore and have come across quite a few references of their old one. Never found the complete thing though. And possibly unpopular opinion, I like it better than their current one.

That is not to say that the old lore is any sort of masterpiece, and people could argue that it doesn't set them up to be lovers, but I think with a little bit of tweeking it can become really good. Many of my ideas are inspired from a fic I probably read like 2 years ago, also features an OC named Helena and has a side of Riven's inner struggle, Riven and Diana friendship and Rivelia. (I cannot for the life of me remember the name, I apologise)

My problem with the New Lore mostly, is that it's vanilla for a mountain of warriors and *cultists* it feels almost like High School AU but try to fit it into League, and yeah it's not it for me. Also the co-dependence of their ascension, and just Leona's whole thing kinda sucks. Like I can see how people might see it as romantic and poetic and whatever, that they ascended at the same time and Leona followed Diana up the mountain to keep her safe etc. etc. but that's kinda glossing over some issues especially with Leona's character.

Now the new take on Leona's character is really interesting, and a complete 180 from the old lore and actually the idea isn't so bad, if they ACTUALLY DID ANYTHING WITH IT. Now as a person that definitely doesn't overanalyze literature and fictional characters for fun, Leona's new lore is such an interesting take and could be taken many directions if someone chose to explore it and go a bit deeper that "genocidal close-minded bigot".

At first read Leona is really just that. She does what she is told no hesitation, no questions asked and turns on Diana also no questions asked. But let's take it a bit deeper shall we?

I have no intention to make it as though Leona holds no blame for her actions or that she is a paragon of virtue, cause she is not. But if we dive in her story a bit more we could perhaps understand how she came to be what she is. Because under no circumstance do I think she is that daft. Especially if she was with Diana for years. Some of that curiosity must have rubbed off on her. Then again she could have just ignored everything Diana said about the Moon and her research. I guess we'll never know.

I do not intent to ramble about Leona in this post. But I'll give you some clues as to why her backstory and the whole Targonian premise is important. She is born practically into a cult, or well a religion with really strict and particular disciplines. So already an environment with very particular ideas and particular ways to enforce them. She is the daughter of two really strict and proud parents in said cult, who seem to care more abt her achievements and punishments than anything (Grade A parenting), - She doesn't even send them that letter in the end - and she is the golden child of the Solari. So what do we have in our hands? An affection starved perfectionist suffering from gifted child expectations. NOw take that and put it in the Solari premise of religious fanatism and voila!

(I will probably at some point make a separate post abt this, because I really took a deep dive in Leona's character when writing my Ruination fic - that I wont ever post anywhere probably - and I have a LOT to say)

So in the old Lore the Rakkori are the warriors and defenders of the mountain, a bit heavy on the bloodthirsty side though, hence the right of Kor. A coming of age ritual battle to the death. (What else could it be). Leona being the only one that refuses to kill her opponent and friend, is sentenced to be executed, but before the execution could be carried out, she is claimed by the Golden Sister as the Sun aspect with a beam of golden light.

I feel that Leona's ascension in particular is really important in the old Lore, because in such a warlike culture she was rewarded for showing mercy. She was chosen because she chose mercy over mindless slaughter. Something that could potentially be really important later on, in a mountain where half its indigenous people have slaughtered the other half??

Point 1 I like from the old lore: The Sun chose Leona because she was merciful. (Or had a semblance of a moral compass)

Moving forward the lines kinda blur for Diana, mostly cause I am not sure what I remember is actual lore and what is related to that magnificent fic.

Her curious truth-searching nature is ever present. She discovers hidden texts, burned pages and embarks on a journey of knowledge that leads her to climb the mountain. Only she is in the company of an elderly woman I think? Anyhow, she finds - is lead to - an alcove, an old temple and the relics of the Moon Aspect. Overjoyed at her findings she dons the armor takes it all down to the elders, they call her a heretic, brand her, and intent to kill her, when she begs the Moon for help and ascends. Either her or the moon blast kills every elder in the room she gets blamed either way, and the chase begins.

Diana is at her core an academic and a researcher, that researches. She has her Indiana Jones moment in the mountain and there is a process a ritual to it, instead of I just climbed up saw unimaginable terrors and now I am the aspect of the Moon (over-simplified I know. The climb judges worthiness). There is something about her checking old dusty books, and deciding to brave the climb looking for answers. About her choosing to be helpful -kinda as a mirror to Leona sparing her opponent, Diana, the one that keeps to herself - apart from when arguing abt academics and scriptures consciously engages with and helps a stranger, guiding them up the mountain and helping them along the way when the trip became too arduous.

Point 2 I like from the old lore: The ritual of the process in Diana's research and ascension and the mirroring with Leona, minor though it is, that they ascended - sooner or later - after an act of kindness that contradicted what would have been expected of them.

Point 3 I like from the old lore: The brand. Like it just adds another layer to Diana's character. And is a much better explanation for its presence than Moon magic. Also the amount of complications this act has, its just delicious. I mean THE DRAMA. and ofc THE TRAUMA. I don't think she'd go near a fire for months.

Point 3 I like from the old lore: The independence of the ascensions. It gives us the chance to see them grow and evolve as their own people before the thread of fate that binds them together appears. We get to see one without the other, and that would later make their dynamic more interesting.

But How are Leona and Diana connected?

In the old lore they aren't. I think. Leona is like a blood hound that needs to kill the heretic.

In the fic, Leona's dad was one of the guards in the room when Diana ascended and was killed, which in the context of the story adds a layer of betrayal between them, as up to that point they were lovers. And you know what, I really like that idea. And I was thinking that perhaps we could try to get the best of both worlds. Though it might be difficult to fully develop the idea.

Lore Idea:

So the Rakkor ans the Solari are different factions. Solari = priesthood, Rakkor = Warriors. Leona's family are Rakkori, and they are simple people, her father works as a guard for the Solari Temple, something that is considered a bit of an honor despite that fact that the factions don't rly see eye to eye about everything. Right of Kor happens when they are around 15 (Yes I want to traumatize a bunch of teenagers that train to fight, kill and defend since they could walk) and Leona's story proceeds as we know it. She then gets taken to the Solari temple to be educated in their way and train to become the figurehead of their faith. (Like that Leona has already had the chance to develop some critical thinking, and to experience sth different.)

She gets there and all the acolytes younger and older look at her starry eyed, because the elders told them so and because they see her like a bit of a Messiah. (Plus I doubt a bunch of scrawny academics and priests to be have seen anyone their age with that musculature). All of them apart from Diana, who as always isn't particularly impressed by the paragon in training of the Solari faith.

Leona is relieved to get some normal person treatment, even if it is from the broody girl with her nose in a book half the time, and like the cocky 15year old meathead she is, she wants to show off a bit and perhaps win her favor. Shenanigans ensue and Diana unlike the other people that desperately want to befriend Leona, is not impressed.

Another point of similarity is that Leona - that has ascended already mind you - would have a few questions and oppositions to all that mumbo jumbo the Solari say about the Sun and the Moon. So after she flops exceptionally in one oration or sth class, with saying something positive about the Moon that has the students look at her with horror, and the priest fuming and screaming punishments - light ones, because the Sun chose that clueless miscreant, and he doesn't want to fall out of her favor - Leona manages unknowingly to win inquisitive Diana's intrigue - and favor, (but don't tell anyone about the last part).

A tentative bond forms. It gets solidified when Leona stops a few bullies from beating Diana to a pulp, and the dark haired girl in return helps her pass a class she was having an exceptionally hard time with. Diana - who in my head is a year younger - does eventually get charmed by the surprisingly goofy and sunny disposition of the Sun Aspect in training. (Don't get this wrong Leona will still act like a 15 yo that has had to train and fight every day of her life) Diana asks her countless questions about life outside the temple and they discuss theology together, either trying to help Leona understand, or trying to make sense of Diana's findings. (The Rakkori in my head are far more neutral abt Sun and Moon, more like if there is light and I can see I am happy, whether its the Sun or the Moon. "There was even that one traveler from some big city, Pilt - something was it, that even said that the Sun and Moon are like orbs in the night sky, one is a star rly close to us and the other is like a smaller planet or something, can you imagine?")

The become friends, the Nightless Eve happens, and then they become lovers. Leona starts suffering from all those expectations and the charade she needs to put up, she has more hours with classes and training she gets tutored by the priests, punished more severely when se speaks out of line or says something borderline heretical, yada yada. More people like her and she likes the attention. She doesn't abandon Diana though, and she always defends her. Things get difficult as the years go by but still they persist. (We could include some homophobic sentiment in the Solari, or even sth downright misogynistic, which would add complications with Leona's state as the Radiant Dawn, and the wlw relationships as they would not be seen as real substantial relationships - add asshole trying to flirt with Leona bc her relationship with Diana isn't real cause they are both women- DRAMA)

Leona is 18 passes her final exams, and Diana is 17 when Diana's arc happens. They have a huge fight about faith and contradicting it and if it is worth it. (No one wants to bandage their lover's whipped back that is practically a mosaic of scars at this point, or nurse them to health after sever dehydration - cause yes apparently standing naked in the sun for three days can do that). Diana storms off angrily. Finds an elderly woman in the base of the mountain that needs help going up (Silver sister in disguise). She helps her up, and when they are like 3/4 up and rest cause Diana's everything hurts the woman disappears. She looks around, finds the temple, sees carved proof that the Solari and Lunari co-existed gets the relics and climbs back down excited to show everyone her findings.

Meanwhile Leona has left for an emergency Solari mission or sth, and hasn't told Diana. Diana goes to the priests, they don't believe her, she invokes her right to be judged by the Aspect or sth, the priests pretend that Leona is still around and doesn't want to see or help Diana (Strike 1 of betrayal). Diana feels betrayed and hurt and fears for her life. The priests give the order for her to be branded and executed on the spot. Leona's dad who had been in the room and had met Diana, tries to plead her case from an outsider's perspective. One of the elders reprimands him and threatens him with death.

They brand Diana with the moon Symbol on the forehead, and are about to place her face down in the flames and / or slit her throat, and Iasur can't have her dying thinking that Leona betrayed her (A bit of family honor and afterlife beliefs - honor is a huge deal-, and a bit of a soft spot for his daughter's closest companion). He tries to fight his way to her, and gets killed in the process. Diana witnessing Iasur's murder prays to the moon for help, and seconds before breathing her last breath, she ascends. Pillar of Moonlight and heavenly fire burns everything to a crisp, and Diana remains alone in the middle of the room, barely breathing and clad in the garb of he Moon aspect. She takes one look around her and speeds away from the temple.

Leona returns three days after to find the council and her father dead, the council room in ruins and apparently Diana to blame. On top of that Diana is missing. Leona is presented with the case and believes Diana to be her father's killer. She vows to avenge him and kill the Scorn of the Moon, because her Diana wouldn't do that. It must be the moon spirit. and yes apparently Moon is bad because dad and Diana are gone bc of it. Leona is determined to save her lover from the Moon's clutches and set her free the only way she knows how, with killing her.

And thus their journey begins. Leona becomes more and more of a puppet from here and on driven by anger and betrayal and Diana feels abandoned and betrayed, with nothing left in the world but the glow of the branding mark on her forehead and the knowledge that her lover wanted her dead.

And as for their path to reunite again and achieve peace? Well Leona needs to be merciful, and Diana needs to guide and support someone through the right path.

Thanks for reading this huge ass post. Again MANY credits to that amazing writer on Ao3, if I find that fic I'll put a link here, cause its phenomenal.

Take care and see ya next time!

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

WHATISUPEVERYBODY you know it wasn’t my intention to watch literally one episode every two weeks but here we are i guess ITS TIME FOR ANOTHER KNOX REACTS TODAY ITS MONKIE KID SEASON 5 EPISODE 4 LESGET IIIIIT

The ssssstorm within, alright, alright, something to do with Mk and blowing up maybe? who knows, perhaps we shall find out MWAHAHA! Well, i mean obviously we’ll find out we’re watching the episode—listen i just woke up i can’t be held responsible for my incoherent ramblings LETS MOVE ON

Face in hands bro i miss flying Bark. BRUTAL DUDE (gotta say it at least once every episode sorry bois :pensive_emoji:)

Sniffs, just plow straight through the underbrush its fine—

Monkey King and Mei face down… okay…. this is…. a very fun frame i will admit…. who wants matching icons—/j/jj/

PREGUFFINGLKJA;DSF WE’RE REALLY RIDING THOSE MCGUFFIN JOKESLKGMSDF

sniffs

scratches head. okay so we’re just using sandy yelling as a gag now… cool cool cool okay sure sure, not like Sandy never raising his voice made the emotional beat of him yelling when contention happened devastating and startling. I guess the whole overwhelming Mk with WE GOT THIS!! talk would be an inevitable one, it always worked before. I mean, except for during the season 2 special. And… any other time hype up hasn’t really… worked… Listen I’m just overanalyzing probably but some of the choices in this season with the characters just feels off to me. Ngl with every episode I watch, the less it feels like monkie kid to me. The last one wasn’t so bad, and hey, we’re only a minute 25 into this one so that might change but that’s my gut reaction right now. Makes me a bit sad! I’ve been watching Dragons Rising (ninjago) with my buddy and been having the time of my life, the animation is gorgeous and it feels like the new peeps really understand the characters and its honestly so much fun, and then I’m kinda sitting here with monkie kid and puzzle pieces that don’t really fit and I’m not sure what to do with it! I know like, it’s the same writers but it just does not feel like it to me. Could be how rushed they always are, they’re doing their best, like—oNCE AGAIN TO BE CLEAR, when I criticize anything or say it feels off, this is NOT me saying bad writers bad people bad bad bad, I’m just saying how it feels to me! It feels almost like they’re trying to bring the comedic lightness of season 1 back but like… it feels kinda plastic and wrong! WORDS FAIL ME, PLS DON’T QOUTE ME I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT LETS MOVE ON

the kneeling down is kinda cute good for them

Sandy hype man!

…..

Is he just trying to get them all out of there so Mk can have some breathing roomGML;SMADF Cause otherwise splitting up is a terrible idea

Special Sandy training!!!

Mk smashing rocks together, okay that was cute h;LGKAJWOEF

Sandy so excited about meditation

sniffs

I FEEL LIKE MK COMPLAINS A LOT MORE THAN USUAL. Why is he so whiny?? Was he this whiny before? Am i losing my mind???? I’ve never wanted Mk to talk less before what is going on

Mystic Monkey meditatiNGN;LAKSDF WHY IS HIS FAKE BEARD ORANGELKMGSDF oh he’s impersonating sandy. SANDY AND WUKONG HAVE SIMILAR COLOURED HAIR I THOUGHT HE WAS USING MONKEY KINGS HAIR COLOUR DON’T LOOK AT ME HGLKAJSDF

The crackity cracks are backity back

“I see you” WELL THATS METAL DOPE

I WILLL ADMIT, THIS IS GREAT, BRO REALLY NEEDS THIS BIG ITME

….me fr pretend to meditate so true==

Storm within that’s funny

SANDY’S A GREAT PERSON TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS

LIL SNEK

I GOT SOMEONE TO FIGHT TAT’S NOT JUST MY THOUGHTSLKMGOWIEFMSDF

MK PLS

ooop next—SECRET TUNNELLLL SECRET TUNNEELLLLL THROUGH THE MOUNTAINNNNNNNNNNN

Just got led to it np that’s funny

Mk’s opening secret access swishy gold thing is fun

Bro’s really assaulting a rock

Owaaaa big ol turtle…. with cracks!

HELPGLKAM;WOEF

Classic

Ah yes meditation, who could have seen this coming

gGKASDF BRAVADO KILLED

I know he’s complaining as a deflection but :T man Mk whining so much is getting old really fast. Like its for the gag and you could say its for the deflection but MAN. Every four seconds he’s got his whiny voice on, bro?? I’m hoping they get all the humour they want out of that gag in this episode :(

I SWEAR I’M NOT TRYING TO BE NEGATIVE THIS IS JUST DOING A NUMBER ON ME OUGH

HEY GET OFF MY SANDY OI

RELEASE MY MAN

COME ON TURTLE

Bro literally has to face his trauma to save his friend what the heck turtle that’s so rude—

OKAY WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO WATCH THIS? I’ve tried two separate types of headphones (one stolen from my brother) a friend’s tv and just my computer’s speakers and the audio volume difference in the voices vs the music is STILL jarring. Like???? I have it turned up so much just to HEAR the voices and TRY to understand them and then the music kicks in and its bLARING and AGGRESSIVE and NOT IN A CINEMATIC WAY. dear gods its like they made monkie kid as unfriendly to watch as possible for me what is going on I’M TRYING TO ENJOY MY MONKIE SHOW STOP JARRING ME OUT OF IT [SHAKES LEGO UNTIL THEY FALL TO PIECES] I’M TRYING TO ENJOY MK HAVING TO FACE HIS TRAUMA SOMETHING I’VE HIGH KEY WANTED TO WATCH SINCE SEASON 1 WAILS

Acknowledging the “okay, i want to push that away, but i’m not going to” is really neat i like that

Hello disembodied voice

Okay, i may not be vibin with the audio, the animation, or the jokes in this ep, but my GODS does Ashe know how to write brutal dialogue. The reason Mk being so afraid of his monkey powers is because he likes it?? Oh yeah, I’m down with that i am SO down for that, I have been clawing at that concept for AGES, I am SO DOWN

So who’s going to be trying to control mk this season? Snake guy?? Newbie?? The choosing yourself and making your own path is really heavy handed so far hL;GJKASDF

Sandy’s advice?? GOD TIER. We love that. I love actual good advice in cartoons thank you

Conversations with self!!! OHHH OHH I LIKE THE EXHALE

TAT WAS NICE

OKAY SO THE HWOLE MIND SEQUENCE I’M A HUGE FAN OF

TERES MY BOY

Sandy’s trigger word is Worthy huh he dont’ like thatLKGMA;OWEFWHEEZE

nah we are so glad Mk has Sandy here actually that is so good I’VE BEEN WANTING SANDY MOMENTS FOR SO LONG AND WE GOTTEM THANK YOUUUUUUUUUU like, the rest of what i said still stands but the emotional beats still hit really nicely and I’m very grateful we still have that!

Yeah that car is gonna get smashed by mei or pigsy and tang yeah yup there we go

oH WOW-oh nvm there it goes

well ! Wonder what mei found! That felt like a little bit of a clunky ending bit for some reason i can’t explain but! Big fan of the Sandy and Mk content I love them, totally deserved, been wanting Sandy talk like that for AAAAGES BLESS

Okayokay, always ending on positive note so lets go over one more time: Mk’s talk with himself? BANGER. Once he got talking, I really liked the dialogue and I really liked the vibe of the whole thing, Loved his exhale, loved the admittance of that all being part of him and that he chooses to work on other parts of him that is AWESOME and super cool to see depicted the way it was all cinematic and cool we love that. Love diving into a little bit of the complexities of our man Sandy! Love him opening up a bit to Mk so he can see he’s not alone in his struggles! That Sandy’s got something like that too and he’s still one of the most wonderful kind people Mk knows! The people who Mk has surrounding him are all exactly what he needs and that’s really cool!!! Ough okay welp, maybe I will be thinking about Sandy and Mk’s dyname for the rest of all time RAAAAAAA I REALLY enjoyed how they wrote them there.

Thanks for reading! Sorry I’m still a bit all over the place with my reactions, i feel like I keep repeating the same things but by GOSH the audio is THROWING ME. But yeah that was a nice way of addressing some of Mk’s trauma, even if it was only for like three minutes, its well done and I enjoyed it! very excited to see they can still nail those emotional bits. HOPE Y’ALL HAVE A SPECTACULAR DAY AND GOOD VIBES HUNT YOU DOWN RELENTLESSLY. KNOX OUT

[kuregure]

For the first time, I'm not going to talk about Seraph of the end, but about Choujin X.

I just finished catching up on the manga scans and from the beginning, so far, my heart has chosen Ichiro Sato as my favorite.

But, is it just me who finds him weird now??😭

Like, idk, before he spoke with little hearts at the end of certain sentences and he smiled. But since he came back from Iwato with Tokio, there are no more little hearts and he doesn't really smile anymore 😔

I have the impression that he is hiding something, a goal. He's strange, every time he appears I find him weird! Maybe he's on Zora's side? on the enemy side at Yamato Mori and just infiltrated Yamato Mori. Maybe he's looking for "the beast" to bear the mark of Zora. When he trained Azuma for his choujin power, perhaps he wanted to see if he could also be a candidate to bear the mark.

I think he said something like "there are two people capable of carrying the mark, if there was a third it would be three" with the images of Tokio, Ely and Azuma. In addition, in one of the last chapters, he clearly tells Tokio to wear the mark of Zora so that his words have power and therefore reach to rally allies and enemies. And when Tokio said no, he was surprised or something.

And Arthur mentioned that he didn't think Ichiro's methods were good regarding Tokio's training. Additionally, Tokio told Michael and Michelangelo that Ichiro was the type to put them in danger.

On the other hand, I tell myself that perhaps I have become too overanalyzed, because I am used to finding double meanings and hidden truths with Guren, so I have the impression of seeing the same thing with Ichiro lmao idk

There you go, I find it very suspicious, although it remains my favorite despite everything!

I can't wait to know more about him, he has potential~ ❤ and also to perhaps discover his story/backstory! we don't know anything at the moment I think, or maybe I forgot!

[tododeku-or-bust]

Re: The noise in public transit posts

I had no clue that it being "polite" to wear headphones/not play loud music on public transit was a white supremacy thing. I've gotten really annoyed at people (though usually just ignored it) cause I see things from a disabled person's POV. Super loud music Hurts especially if it has lots of bass. (Which now that I am actively thinking about it's either a POC or some white dude in a sports car and I don't know if that means anything or I'm overanalyzing again...) I've been in the car with my dad before when someone was playing music loud enough we could feel it and he had to stop the car cause it triggered a severe vertigo wave.

There are Loads of things that make public transit inaccessible and so I tend to get annoyed when there is something that people can do to make it easier and they either don't think about it or they actively ignore it. I definitely understand now that as a whole, politics of noise is in favor of white people (like So many other things.) But this does bring up the questions of, where is the line drawn between letting people live their lives, and making for an accessible city? How do we define what is and isn't ok when playing music on a speaker? And the biggest question, how do we avoid being racist in the endeavor to be accessible?

Thanks for the new outlook! I would love to hear some thoughts on this.

Well first, please don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that being polite to wear headphones is a "white supremacy thing". I said that the Right to Comfort was a "white supremacy thing". The idea that you are so entitled to public space and your comfort in it that state violence should be enacted to maintain that comfort (even if it means detrimental and biased effects on other groups of people) is a white supremacy thing.

There are Black and Brown disabled people too! And they have to consider that yes, those things are annoying, but they are ALSO in danger of increased policing bc their disabilities and discomforts will not be treated on par with a white person's! So in this solution...who is it for? What is it really accomplishing? Who is really safer, in the long run? Because based on the interaction I just had, there's plenty of racism involved in the decision.

I addressed some of your question here. What I believe to be the core, racist issue revealed is here.

If everyone wants everyone to wear headphones, maybe we need to start having stations to buy cheap headphones! Lobbying to get phone jacks put back in phones. Maybe having specific train cars meant for silence only, for those who have sensitivity issues. I don't have all the answers.

To be honest, you're going to have to do your own research on this, if it means so much to you. Perhaps looking into disabled activists of color that discuss these things without utilizing policing. I guarantee there are people who have talked about this far more patiently and eloquently than I! But at the end of the day, if we don't come up with something that won't put my entire community in danger for the comfort of a few, no I'm not supporting it. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[moondirti]

hi the newest chapter of animalic makes me feel insane and i have no idea if this was intentional at all but there’s one bit in particular that’s making me lose my mind. the line “even in your wildest fantasies Miguel does not stoop to kiss you” already made me put my phone down and stare at the wall for a while but Then. when wraith is hanging from the balcony. and she and miguel are probably the closest they’ve been to kissing distance since this mentorship thing has started. and their faces are at completely equal levels. and Miguel Is Not Stooping. and i am almost certainly overanalyzing this but i think it’s a neat parallel

YOU PICKED UP ONNNNNN ITTTTTT AHHHHH SHIT! I DIDNT THINK ANYONE WOULD!

the thing about wraith is her self esteem is usually so low its in hell. she cannot see herself in any kind of fond light, so when she says ‘miguel would not stoop to kiss’ her, she means that she cannot imagine he’d debase himself by lowering to her level.

but at the end of the chapter, she finally has a moment where she’s proud of herself while hanging upside down in front of him. and it’s significant that their faces are at the same level, that they’re equal in that moment and she’s seeing him in a new light, ‘loopy off her bloodrush because she wouldn’t have been so animated on ground’, because it really zeroes in how internal her insecurities are. the only thing really holding her back is herself and if she’d just force herself to see things in a different perspective more often, then perhaps things’ll improve for her. If that makes sense

& the foreshadowing it brings to a kiss.. well. We’ll just have to see abt that 🫣

[real-godzekiel]

i DONT know if you still do spookys hcs but if you have any for specimen 12 or its host........

YES OF COURSE but just keep in mind i am a little rusty when it comes to spooky lore right now. too many new games are filling up the storage space in my brain but i think i can contribute some stuff. i'll start off with the host before moving on to the Specimen itselfI must admit that when I first heard the pretty-much-canon idea of the old man being the vlogger in endless I shat myself. But then I remembered geriatric1927 and how my grandma used to play Fruit Ninja and realized my shitting of myself is probably just ageism. Old man used to film abandoned buildings and it's fucking awesome until it isn't. I think from what you can read of the vloggers' notes, he seems to have a certain attachment to having an audience. Bro really starts a note off with "Hey everybody" and "Ok guys". I don't know why he stops after Specimen 12. I guess the mansion-in-mansion has something that bears off people's coping mechanisms.

Just to somewhat build upon the previous point, I want to spectulate on the old man's past a bit. The mansion controls the host to "attack with various means depending on the host's characteristics." I absolute do NOT think Protag ended up as anything near a new host instead of their own specimen, I think that theory is a bit poo poo. However, I do find it fun to compare these two ex-"typical humans" a bit. Specimen 14 is angry and stiff, at least in what most people picture them and what the Bad Ending somewhat suggests to me. Of course, most protagonists are just Like That, but from all that shit about Specimen 7 and "It Was Never A Mask" achivement name for the bad ending. Specimen 14's violence, to me at least, stems from rage and fear and the need to survive and tell these monsters who's boss based on a more stoic past personality. Old man's not like that. Maybe staying way too long in painted walls and floors fucked him up a little, but I still think that, with his vlogger persona and the way he talks, that he values his relationships with other people a hell lot. An extrovert, perhaps. I can't be sure. In any respect, this further explains how the mansion fucked him up.

Overanalyzing time, but I also find it interesting how in his Specimen 12 notes when he hears movements and voices downstairs he immediately goes: "Finally, other survivors. Ah yes. This is definitely some other survivors and it will be a Good Thing." He also acts like he's finally something to do whenever he first appears. It would be even funnier if he knows when and where you're hiding at times but just doesn't do anything about it because he deliriously thinks it's against the "rules" of the game he wants to play with you. I mean. There's this:

Old man has probably been reading "fake" books and eating "fake" food for at least half a decade. The food has probably permanently distorted his taste buds. Not sure about his speech, however. He probably tries to play pretend and conversewith the wall. or this thing. but still. the lack of another human intelligence articulating complete sentences to his face has likely signficantly deterioriated his ability to hold long conversations.

Stays in his area most of the time, but not because he likes it. He subconsciously thinks it to be a safer area than other parts of the mansion.

He is not friends with any of the Specimens. This includes Specimen 12 itself, as his possessed mind blocks out information regarding the mansion being the entity that is using him. He has no idea what has happened to him.

Old Man has never had a wife nor did he have kids. His parents died of natural causes a while after he went into the mansion. This is perfect for Specimen 12 because that means its host does not have to think too much. Yup!

Ok onto the Specimen itself

Not a spirit. Not an individual. Not a hivemind. Certainly an entity and not a natural force. Like Whiskers in Growing Your Grandpa, I believe Specimen 12 is something that grows depending on what happened in and around it. A tragedy canonically has taken place in it, and I think the vengeful souls that were lost during the massacre made it their duties to continue a cycle of violence and madness.

It has regretted the decision to move here. There are too little people and they always only come by themselves. There are not enough hosts to manipulate. To use so it can explain how they are planning to leave. Things are getting too slow and yes I am suggesting that the old man has the highest life expectancy a Specimen 12 host ever had. I think Specimen 12 used to be somewhere else, and bloodbaths were more often back then. A huge group of people would often come to investigate past atrocities or to challenge their friends, and crowds would come to be driven to paranoia and murder. After the entire area became restricted to anybody, there was no one. Specimen 12 moved to Spooky's after that, but kills are slow and scarce. It is currently stockpiling murdered souls for a trip around the world.

Flexible, but not very smart itself. Cannot quite find a balance to unnerve visitors while also compelling them to stay. It does chores. It does what it does to maintain its host and trap new victims. (UNNATURALLY GENERATED FOOD! eat it my bald middle-aged child) Not that smart about what to clean and what to keep. Sickle man's notes have been left for years and it did not ever think of cleaning them up. I think it is probably powerful enough to clean it up, but it doesn't. When you're trying to pretend to be a normal mansion so people would stay and get killed, you probably would think of cleaning that up. I think Specimen 12 a just a bit stupid, although that is partly due to it probably not having an actual mind of its own. kind of House of Leaves type shit, but nerfed (coconot make a horror-related post without mentioning house of leaves challenge)

Old Man's dislike of most other Specimens is put onto by Specimen 12, somewhat. Specimen 12 has a filter system of some kind, only letting in creatures that can either be killed by the host or become a new host. It does it by making other Specimens forget what they were visiting Specimen 12 for, if there are any possible reasons, however minute. It has to do this to protect its host, mainly. Also, some Specimens leave dirty prints and marks on the floor. There is not much it can do about what Old Man does outside the mansion, although Old Man is stuck connected with Specimen 12 until he dies. (Spooky can come, though. She does her monthly inspections and hangs up decorations sometimes. These decorations disappear about a week after they are put up, for some reason. )

Most Specimens don't want to find out what happens if they try to kill Specimen 12's host. They don't even know if it really gets angry, or just generates out consequences to further its own purposes. Nevertheless, interferring with Specimen 12 is an one-way ticket to a month of zero kills for themselves, as it will grow to lead visitors away from the offending Specimen.

The 12th key on the piano plays an unpleasant screeching sound.

So this took a few hours and I am not even close to being certain that most of this can fit the actual lore of spooky's. honestly, take it as it is. i wished i had more funny ideas, but "if Specimen 12 has no bathroom where does Old Man excrete" is not really appropriate. Not something I would want to write about. I have no more clue what to write.

Here's some silly comments in Specimen 12's Fandom Wiki page:

that's it. feel free to leave a comment if you notice anything not matching up in this list of headcanons. i am going to sleep now. yes

[poetry-protest-pornography]

A Thought (tm) about Playboyy's possible bad guy:

Am I overthinking this? Almost definitely, but also I love overanalyzing media, so *shrug emoji*

This shit right here? Bonkers.

We see everyone's hands except Porsche's, which at first seems to make him the most suspicious, but the other 3 all have their hands reflected in that shiny table, perhaps indicating they've each got some kind of double dealing happening?

Porsche's secrets come out this episode, his dirty laundry and the ugliness he hides is put on display for everyone to see against his will -- and, when it's his choice, in the moment of vulnerability and honesty/self reflection he has with Jump (and that betrayal is going to hurt, oof).

We see a very dangerous side of First, which could be a sign of deeper secrets, but I don't think it's going that way-- though Soong being beholden to Jason Lee is certainly a very interesting development and possible avenue for First's more violent tendencies to come into play.

And Zouey. Ooh boy is there a lot of potential there. Zouey was the narrator for this one, talking about masks that we all wear, and he even says to Teena (right before being very sexually dominant) that he hasn't changed, he just stopped wearing his mask. And our softest boy of the Twink Squad isn't so soft, and he shows that by making some very questionable choices in this episode, and in the ep 11 preview re: everyone's least favorite sugar daddy.

Starting with this:

after they already know that there's some dirt on this man from the message from Tutor. Speaking of, this was a very strange reaction to that message, Zouey. What's up with that face?

I want to believe that Zouey has some kind of plan in mind, that he's not involved in Nant's disappearance/murder, because he seems genuinely upset and guilty for not doing more to help Nant. But he also seems like he knows more than he's let on with the ways he's directing Nont's investigation... (But he also seems very concerned in the preview that Jason is a bad guy, which seems like he's gotten involved somehow??)

Anywhoodle! Can't wait to watch 11 later and see all the things I'm wrong about!

[ethicallysourcedhumanmeat]

I think a thing I've never really considered, as an ND person, when it comes to masking and maintaining close friendships is like there's sometimes a selfishness to being completely myself.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, we all deserve the safety and freedom to be ourselves! I think that there is maybe still like a level of conderation that, for myself at least, I need to be aware of.

I've been sort of overanalyzing a friendship after a kind of situation arose because I noticed a pattern. I always like to address situations and be aware of what is causing an issue and like how to correct it from either end.

It's a really dear friendship and we have struggled a few times in different but similar ways and I think in the end it comes down to me and being totally unmasked and as a result there’s a sort of selfishness that happens that I need to be more accountable for.

I don't know really if I have exact words for it but I think like, yes masking is self preservation but I know when I mask there’s a level of awareness I dont possess otherwise and I started thinking that rather than thinking of it like putting on a mask its more layering for cold weather.

So perhaps instead of removing all my layers just because I am safe with someone I think maybe I should consider that person and if it's respectful of Them or their situation to remover all my outside layers.

like I vocal stim, but I mask that with most people. If I'm with a safe person who may have a sensory issue with a sound I should leave that layer on because thats respectful.

I think in a childish way, and without intending to, I've left responsibility on friends I'm comfortable to be with unmasked that's unfair to them. Like an unconscious expectation to be reminded of plans. With work or school or other things I'm more likely to immediately set reminders but I think with close friends i relax/don't rush because 'they'll remind me if i forget the reminder' and that's not super fair if forgetting is happening 50% of the time.

I guess the catalyst to this thought process was thinking about the 'mental load' conversion around wives and husbands and weaponized incompetence bc sometimes the symptoms of my adhd will mirror that and I think there is a bearing of a mental load associated with caring for someone with executive dysfunction at the very least and like what's the solution to that.

because its seems unfair to just expect that from a person you care about but the reverse seems unfair also so what's the happy medium and I think personally its less thinking of my ND as 1 mask i put on and take off and rather each trait is a separate layer, and paybe something things come in pairs like boots and gloves.

So I started to think, if I'm safe with this person and I can take off all those layers with them, they've even said so. Maybe they've even offered to turn the heat up if Im cold so i can take my sweater off.

But maybe I notice they're uncomfortable with the heat turned up, even tho they offered so next time i just keep my sweater on and maybe some days i make an excuse to keep my hat on you know?

Because yeah it's nice to pull all the layers off but it's not always respectful or necessary (or even fair) to expect people to take on that version of me 100% of the time. Even if they say its ok.

I guess all that to say I think as a neurodivergent person that the key to maintaining friendships is the ability to be completely yourself with someone but being respectful of the middle ground and trying to find the balance between them.