#and had more. y'know. characterization.

[klysanderelias]

So I finally got around to playing slay the princess, hater alert:

It's kind of what I was afraid it would be? Which is to say, as a piece of media with Jonny Sims in it, I kind of had a certain amount of Expectations going in, which more or less were correct, and I knew it was going to be along similar lines to The Stanley Parable, which...

Not to be a dick, but I feel like there's a certain genre or style of game, like The Stanley Parable, which wants really badly to be a metacommentary, or to Say Something, in a way that really feels uncomfortable to me.

And part of that is that it's usually bound up in like, this presentation like they're the first ones to really Think About This and how they're not just making a game, but they're Making A Statement About Video Games. And maybe that's just how I feel, and not reflective at all about their intention or execution, but I always come away with this real resentment because it's so... on the face. It's so in your face. It's something that is trying SO HARD and it stops being a fun experience because it wants to be an Experience, like an indie movie that's trying to be a critical darling that's talked about in film classes for the next few decades, but in doing so is making a movie that actually kind of sucks to watch.

And in this case it's the problem of like, the game is trying so hard with the cosmic horror, and the questions of agency and destination and all that shit, that it's not fun to play through each chapter. And part of that is that it's not the sort of game I wanted - I was really hoping for something more along the lines of like, a traditional VN! Making a game like this (similarly to the Stanley Parable) where there are a lot of different routes and a ton of reactivity, basically ensures that there can't be a lot of actual content per route. You can do a route in StP in like, five minutes. I did three in 30 minutes. It's just...

I don't want to sound like I'm criticising the developers (although I am) because I understand that a) making games is hard and b) making games is expensive and the initial vision always has to give way to budget concerns, and of course c) their vision for the game might not and should not align with mine, and I can't really in good faith go 'this game sucks because it's made to someone else's tastes'-

but there is a certain point of like... slay the princess feels like the sort of game that doesn't leave the player anything to really chew over. The ideas and themes of the game are straight up dropped the table for you to turn over, and very quickly it wore out its welcome.

I dunno, my take away is 'it's not for me' but I can't help but feel like the game is trying too hard. I found myself very quickly put off by the way the game was presenting things, by the way the choices resolved, by the options I was given. It felt like they weren't confident that you'd actually keep playing, so they wanted to make sure that you KNEW it was playing with agency and whatnot from the gecko, that you KNEW it was being meta, and it just felt grating. That was my same criticism of The Stanley Parable - that it felt like I was being condescended to, that the people who wrote the game were more interested in getting their flowers for how smart they were.

And specifically it's the feeling of like, oh great, this isn't a game, it's an Experience, in the same way that going to an avant-garde high-class restaurant isn't dinner, it's a bunch of foam in mouth-shaped cups or whatever.

The thing for me is like, I have spent the last fifteen something years occasionally thinking about Song of Saya. I will probably still be thinking about Song of Saya occasionally when I'm like 50. I don't think I'm going to think about anything presented in StP a year from now. I don't think there's much TO think about.

And again, maybe I'm just a hater, I'm in a Place right now so I kind of knew it wouldn't be the best time for me to play this, but it's been in my steam library for I don't know, like a year? And I think no matter what, I was always going to be disappointed by this, because I've read a bunch of these stories before. This isn't my first rodeo with this stuff, and quite frankly I'm getting sick of rodeos. I can appreciate the technical skill, and I'm sure it's a great place to start if you've never been to a rodeo, but it's just not that interesting to me.

And also quite frankly, I've gotten into this grumpy old mindset of like, stop putting all your development time and budget into making tons of choices. I get it, it's a commentary on agency, whatever, but when you have to program and record all those lines, and of course your writing has to account for all the different options, you end up with a huge expenditure on something that really doesn't add that much to the game. You're making a VN, not a podcast, and having every single fucking line be voiced means that you can't have the traditional VN length without a AAA budget.

At the end of the day, again, it's just 'not the game I wanted', and I can't really muster a lot of criticism past that, except that I feel like the creators thought I was too stupid to understand what they were going for, so they decided to make it so clear and unambiguous that the story stops being interesting.

[clownprince]

really wish more people would capitalize on the implication that joker views jason as somewhat of a son figure in the sense that jason wouldn't be the man he is today if he wasn't killed by joker. it's such a fucked up wretched kinda hilarious dynamic you're all missing out

[snowstories]

It's pretty fun for me to play Zelda games in a manner mostly isolated from fandom opinions. Like don't get me wrong I've absorbed a lot of LOZ spoilers, headcanons, interpretations etc. via osmosis, I am not playing these games blind. But regardless of how many spoilers and fanart/fanfic I've seen going through the AO3 tag after playing BOTW was still an Experience because it made me realize that the way I interpret both Link as a character and the game as a whole is apparently completely counter to the majority fandom opinion. Something I was blissfully oblivious to while playing the game.

[welcometogrouchland]

Getting back into comics is fun. Minus the Getting Back Into Comics part of it all

[welcometohellfilm]

Congrats to everyone who has been working on W2H2! 🎉 If it's alright, I'd like to ask to ask 2 questions:

Is there by chance an official ref of colors for Debbie, or is it still up to interpretation at the moment?

Would you say that your personal, real life experiences within the 10 years moving from W2H to W2H2 shifted the tone/story of the series in some way? Something that I've always been fascinated with when I started looking more into W2H was the shift in Sock's character from the original comic -> first film -> second film, and Jonathan's character from the first film -> second film.

Thank you! ✨

I actually just made some 'official'-ish colors for Debbie! Her voice actor Kaitlyn wanted something to use on a banner for conventions haha... so here you go!

2. I'm not really sure how to answer this one, haha. I mean I've definitely changed as a person over the course of making each iteration of W2H. I started the comic while I was at community college, before I went to art school. I adapted it into an animation for my graduation project. And I started W2H2 a couple years after I graduated college. So there's a good 2-3 years between each attempt at W2H I've done, haha. I think a lot of my original ideas from the comic had to change because it needed to be condensed into a short film. I didn't even GET to Jonathan yet in the comic! Some things just didn't make sense to me anymore, like the idea of Sock already having a human body count. It'd just be absurd for him to be able to hide it for so long! Plus, if I made it so that Sock has only ever entertained the idea of murder, it makes his new job that much more appealing-- it's a chance for him to really lean in to this thing he's always had to hide. Between the first and second films though, I mean... I think there's been some tonal shift, for sure (I don't know about a character shift? We'll get to that haha) But basically, when I was first thinking about W2H2, my idea was "Sock and Jonathan hang out and attempt to figure out touch physics, also there's some drama about a journal Jonathan keeps." All of the hell stuff is something that came from bouncing ideas around with my friends, Michael and Neil. I was worried that sending Jonathan to hell would be too bonkers for a "2nd episode", but we all kinda agreed that enough time had passed that the fans would probably enjoy something higher stakes, so it would be fine. (I'll give everyone a moment to realize this conversation would've been happening in 2015-16... ha.)

We also kind of thought, y'know... I have no idea how many more of these there's even gonna' be, so why not go a little bigger with this one? W2H2 is a higher stakes story than what I set out to make in the beginning, that's for sure. It is interesting to compare all of them.. the employee handbook was actually from the comic and I cut that because it wasn't helpful for W2H... but then it became helpful for W2H2, so it came back! Haha. I'm curious to know in what ways people think the characters have changed though. (And is that a good thing or a bad thing?) Especially a character like Jonathan, no one's really even seen that much of him yet, I think most of the characterization comes from fandom, or like... art I've drawn, I guess? Haha... I'm not sure! I guess Sock's a little more confident and antagonistic in this one (though he'll have his moments of hesitation... we're only at Part 1 right now!), and Jonathan has had to become a more vocal/active character, just by nature of the kind of story it is, I suppose. But yeah, I'm not sure! Happy to hear your guys' thoughts though!

[birdsandbeetlesandmoths]

The Sonic Movie Franchise and The Found Family Trope

A personal request by my dear moot and friend @writer--in--theory, which I am entirely happy to deliver on.

Feel free to point out inconsistencies or anything you think I can improve on in my analysis.

Alright, so, the Found Family trope. Extremely popular and very well done, along with one of the tropes I find the most fulfilling to write in to fanfiction.

As I, and I believe most people in fandom, consider the Sonic movies to be an AU, I’m not going to be comparing specific relationships or characterization to any other games or media, other than that the familial aspect is more apparent in these films than in most games, and I haven’t read enough of the comics, either Archie or IDW to develop opinions as to those.

The Sonic movies do a fascinating job at truly displaying and fleshing out that found family trope that is more of a notion or behavioral quirk between characters in most games. They aren’t given as much concrete development in games as the movies have allowed, since the Sonic games focused more on the gameplay aspect rather than a more slice-of-life/slower storyline (a story that takes its time to create relationships between characters) that found families are most often found in.

I'm going to go by specific character relationships, and connect them as needed.

Sonic's Characterization

The first Sonic movie begins with Sonic losing his only parental figure, an extremely traumatic event that leaves a hole in him for the rest of the series and leaves him to fend for himself during his most formative years. He grows up alone, but retains the sassy, care-free demeanor.

I believe the reason he's still so outwardly unaffected by that trauma is that he coped for much of the unseen years between Longclaw's death and formally meeting the Wachowskis through exploring the world. He finds a home in Green Hill because he sees a home in the Wachowskis. We know that he had already been "spying" on them for a while and hanging around their house without them knowing. And he feels that longing for a home, a family, for what he had with Longclaw, and he wants that back.

But he is still aware of what he is, of how they might see him, as only an alien. And that is what keeps him away, that fear of the possibility and being rejected again, being alone again. So he's content with just viewing their life, imagining himself with Tom and Maddie.

I think that's one of my favorite parts of Movie!Sonic. Despite many of his characterizations by the fandom is as an emotionally unavailable character, Movie!Sonic is emotionally intelligent, whether already or as a result of having to grow up too soon. To take care of himself early on, and as much as he may boast or pride that he is totally fine having fun and running around the world, he is, in the end, running to escape the possibility of standing still and realizing that he is still incredibly lonely. While he may not explicitly say it, much of that initial montage in his cave and at Tom and Maddie's movie night, from the outside always looking in, he is aware of what he feels. However, that fear keeps him away.

It pushes him to the baseball diamond, and him running to escape the emotions, the memories, and his imagination, creates that very first outburst of incredible energy and power that alerts the real danger (GUN).

It's only the possibility of being found out by an unknown danger, being attacked and forced out of his cave, out of his home yet again, that forces him to finally act. Not quite meet the Wachowskis yet, as that isn't his intention.

But he does knowingly go to the only other place he feels safe at. The Wachowski's home.

He realizes that he needs to run to escape this danger, doing what Longclaw's last words bade him do before she sacrificed herself for him, but is found by Tom (and promptly shot with a tranquilizer, but, y'know, it starts rocky sometimes!!).

As for the Wachowski's, as original characters we have nothing to expect of them. But they are immediately charming and unique and, while understandably wary of Sonic at first, immediately realize the danger he's in and want to help him.

Sonic and Tom Wachowski

An obvious father-son relationship within the overarching found family (which will eventually include Tails and Knuckles, but I'll get to them later). However, Tom's interactions with Sonic are written in a way that feels incredibly sincere and I think their believability together made my skepticism for humans being related to Sonic (as a character and as a story) disappear.

Tom is obviously skeptical as well at first, especially after finding out that Sonic had just been spying on them for years. But when he learns of Sonic’s past and how he’s been alone for all of the years after that, he understands. He wants to protect Sonic from whoever is hunting him, from experiencing that loneliness again, and after getting to know that little blue blur, is willing to do anything to make sure that Sonic is safe, that he has a home.

And Sonic is bracing for the inevitable rejection again, after he chooses to stay in Green Hill and not escape to a new world, near the end of the movie.

But they surprise him by showing him that they want him to stay, setting up a whole room for him, and allowing him to be a kid!! He doesn’t have to be alone anymore, because he has a family who wants to take care of him, who cares about him and would literally throw the rest of their life to the side to care for this little hedgehog who crashed into their life one day.

There isn’t enough content between Maddie and Sonic only for me to give her a section as well, but she definitely feels the same. The protectiveness she feels is just as strong.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles

Sonic and Tails

Now, for the even better found family relationship. Sorry, as much as I love Tom and Sonic, these two will forever be my heart.

Tails, in the movie, is also coming from another planet, bullied and ostracized from his village most of his life for the mutation causing his double tails. He hears news of a blue speedster and, beginning to practically idolize him, uses his capability with technology to track Sonic down. While it’s barely explained why Tails is looking for Sonic in the first place, he is clearly expecting for something to happen to Sonic, saying that he hopes he “isn’t too late.” What exactly, he’s worried about, isn’t explained either, and he and Sonic are pulled into the race to find the Master Emerald against Robotnik and Knuckles.

Tails is, thankfully, not characterized as naive or too young to be responsible, which I am glad for, as I was initially worried that they’d infantilize him as a result of him just being a younger kid. He wants to prove himself, rather, and shows his skills through his gadgetry and eagerness to help Sonic, and his initial adoration and interest in Sonic changes into something more brotherly. Tails was inspired by Sonic and saw someone who was clearly different, other. Just like him. And he thought that if Sonic could be great, then maybe he could too, and his otherness didn’t have to stop him.

My favorite scene for this is when they’re in the inn in Siberia, and both of them are finally able to see a more relaxed, actual child-like version of the other.

Sonic is told that he’s Tails’ first real friend, the first person to truly care about him, and to not judge him for his appearance or his interest in tech. And Tails is surprised by this fact, not sure at first if Sonic is being genuine, but once realizing that he is, hugs Sonic and reveals the parts of himself, the feelings and his past, that he hid and felt shame for for so long.

Sonic and Knuckles

Sonic and Knuckles have a classic rivals to friends relationship and it was probably one of my favorite parts of the movie besides Sonic and Tails being absolutely adorable.

Knuckles is another character who is alone, the last of his kind, a race of fierce warriors and protectors, who value loyalty, strength, and honor above all. He’s seemingly destined for a solitary life, much like Sonic assumed himself to be, from the beginning of the movie, and his lack of knowledge of the world he is adjusting to allows him to be taken advantage of by Robotnik so easily.

(Christ, loneliness and loss is a really reoccurring theme, and I haven’t even gotten to Shadow yet)

Knuckles is only able to truly interact with and talk with Sonic after he is betrayed by Robotnik, breaking one of his key values and shattering his worldview and who he believed was the right side. However, he fully expects Sonic to leave him behind as well after the temple battle, the flood overtaking him. But Sonic, seeing only someone who was taken advantage of and who also lost everything he loved, chooses to save him, nearly sacrificing himself in the process. Knuckles also saves Sonic as well, after realizing that Sonic didn’t swim to the surface with him.

Sonic chooses to deliberately ignore that Knuckles was apart of the tribe that killed Longclaw, letting it bring them together in grief instead of driving them apart, and doesn’t care that Knuckles has been attacking him since they met, as Sonic understands why and forgives him for that. Knuckles doesn’t understand, at first, why Sonic saved him in the first place, but when Sonic explains his hero concept and that he needs to take responsibility for others and couldn’t just let Knuckles die, Knuckles sees who Sonic is.

And a mutual respect is gained.

Knuckles, while he is incredibly blunt, deliberate, and honest, understands this. He sees a pure will that he admires in Sonic.

Altogether . .

The third movie only strengthens their bond, as both Tails and Knuckles have been accepted into the family, as the Wachowski’s are happy to adopt another couple of super powered alien kids.

Tails and Knuckles, while still sidelined due to Shadow’s storyline, are key factors in how their team functions and they work the best together. This is a result of the familial relationship formed in the time between movies 2 and 3, as they, during that time, are able to live together and learn from each other.

While they do have a 3rd act separation that I was worried about, it’s established that it’s only allowed through the trust formed between Sonic and Knuckles. Which they handled perfectly, as it wasn’t out of character and wasn’t even malicious, it was a result of the trust between all three of them. They all suffered when Tom was critically injured, they all watched the ambulance drive off with the same, devastated look. They had become so close over these few months together.

Their relationship becomes the most adorable and genuine of sibling relationships, as they are all able to bond over discovering the world, learning and playing and being allowed to be kids. I know I emphasized this before but I will do it again: What makes this found family so incredibly strong is that all of them are able to learn from each other, to build and grow alongside each other and they have all greatly affected each other’s lives in ways that changed them for the better.

Their shared experiences of otherness, of loss, of grief, brought them together into warmer emotions of family, of friendship, of trust.

That is the basis of a found family. People brought together through mutual respect, understanding, and love.

Outside of Sonic-related relationships . . .

Shadow and Maria

Shadow crashed into Earth from a meteorite and supposedly spent the first moments of his life on Earth in a lab, in a tube, isolated but for scientists who would stare and write and run tests and treat him as, honestly, less than a being with a conscience.

The time before Maria was probably extremely lonely, despite him being surrounded by people, setting a precedent that Shadow would assume that humans wouldn’t want anything to do with him, didn’t care about him aside for his powers.

But when he meets Maria, she immediately interacts with him, smiles and mocks him playfully, not for the purpose of analyzing him, but just because he was another kid in the lab, and she wanted to be friends out of pure interest for who Shadow was, not his alien blood.

The montages of their time together in the lab, spent having fun running around the halls, Maria introducing Shadow to dancing and music and sweets and movies and everything he would never have gotten to experience if not for her, only reinforce their close bond, the family he found with her. She was the only one who could understand him in the lab, probably in his whole life, as we have no clue what happened before he crashed to Earth.

The rooftop scene is my personal favorite, as Shadow feels comfortable, safe enough, to confide in Maria about his self-consciousness, his fear that his power will make him only terrifying, only a monster.

Maria comforts him, telling him that he can choose who he wants to be for himself, that he’ll know who he wants to be in his heart. She teaches him that his purpose and life doesn’t have to be dictated by what he possesses or what he appears to be, as his actions and decisions are what truly matter.

That even when a star has long since faded, their light still shines.

This barely concealed metaphor for the effect your life can have on the people you know is beautifully poetic, and reminds Shadow, near the end, of what his true goal should’ve been.

That Maria would have never wanted him to hurt others, to destroy the world, in order to avenge her. Because she loved the world. And Shadow would never want to destroy what she loved.

They make me hurt in the best way. Maria’s line about a star’s light still shining even after it’s long since faded breaks me every time.

Agent Stone and Ivo Robotnik

I know that this isn’t necessarily found family in the familial sense, but if you don’t ship them or believe them to be romantic, don’t worry, this further analysis is purely from a non-shipping perspective.

While the power dynamic is clearly tilted towards Ivo, and I think this acknowledgement of the relationship is very one-sided in the way that Stone is very aware of how he feels towards Ivo, with his devotion and willingness to do whatever it takes for Ivo, while Ivo does not outwardly admit how attached he’d become to his agent, his presence and intelligence, and that he appreciates and needs Stone’s company. Ivo has never spoken his feelings aloud while Stone has practically worn them on his sleeve.

My point is that the third movie, in terms of Ivo’s plot, outlines the choice between blood relations and your chosen family.

Ivo has a chosen family, which consists of only Stone. He’s never had a true family before, no blood relatives, no parents to speak of, and when he discovers Gerald, who may be the first blood family he’s ever had, he begins to value blood over chosen, leaving Stone to pursue a life with his grandpappy over him.

However, when it’s revealed that Gerald never cared about Ivo in the first place, only needing him to be able to achieve his goal of destroying the world in order to avenge Maria, even going far enough to say that Ivo could never be Maria. Could never be what Maria was to Gerald. Ivo realizes the mistake he’s made.

Ivo has his hero moment, to attempt to redirect the Eclipse Cannon’s impending explosion, that “if he can’t rule the world, he might as well save it.” He is still, as much as he may say he hates it, affected by his humanity.

And when giving his final livestream, he finally speaks aloud the feelings, the effect Stone has had on him, in his own words that he knew Stone would know the true, sincere meaning of. That he truly did value him and care about him (“I love the way you make them”), which wasn’t even just about the work Stone did for him, but also what Stone brought to his life, that consolation and trust.

Ivo said that Stone was the only person in his life he could trust. That he was the only person who truly cared about him. As tragic as that sentiment is, he’s right. Stone loved Ivo unconditionally, and Ivo didn’t realize this, didn’t realize that he also cared for Stone, until it was too late for him, but not too late for him to make sure that Stone lived.

——————————————————————————

All in all, the Found Family dynamic, in all of its forms, from parental to siblings to a weird boss-employee relationship, is practically perfect.

These relationships are well-built, developed by shared experiences that characters bond and heal over, mutual respect for each other, a strong trust, and an unconditional love between them.

Oh, the unconditional love is the most important part. Because that is what brings so many people into the found family trope.

Those who are experienced with not getting that constant trust and unbreakable bond from blood, seek that love from others. Build their own family. And the families crafted in these films are beautiful.

[bamsara]

Howdy! I just want to take a moment (or two…or three..yeah this is longer than I thought it would be) to talk about your characterization of Narinder in your TRoD fanfic, specifically his grievance over what he perceived the lamb to be and betrayel.

I like to think Narinder repeatedly calling Lambert a traitor (I think at least once a chapter actually lmaoo) over and over, is trying not so subtly to avoid thinking about the why behind the betrayel and the pain that comes with it. Especially since he'd already spent an eternity wondering about the previous betrayal of his siblings. How emotionally torturous it must feel to be in this cycle of rejection, from the people he depended on, even now from his own followers who don't recognize him. And then, when he and Lambert finally appear to be on the same page about something, Lambert goes and spares Leshy, reminding Narinder once again that his divine commands hold as much weight on the Lamb as they will decide to hold.

It isn't up to Narinder to decide how the lamb will act, as much as he wants to. It's one thing for Narinder to have people listening to him, but it's another to actually be heard, and after an eternity of silence during his imprisonment he's absolutely desperate for some form of control and impact. For someone to truly hear him. Which is a shame, because Lambert does, but Narinder cannot recognize it since they don't always give Narinder what he wants (since being a God is all about what you want), and instead are more interested in giving him what he needs.

I assume at this point, after being revived into a mortal form, he's actively given up on trying to understand why everyone just keeps "betraying/rejecting him" and would rather use his own inferences of their behavior as explanation, once again, for that feeling of control, since he's utterly mortified of hearing those words come from their mouths instead of his own (doesn't help that he can actually read minds either). He'd rather kill his siblings than hear the why (not saying the siblings were justified ofc, but understanding one's motivations is, y'know, important to effectively communicating with them in a way that's healthy) Despite needing to be heard, he's internalized that many won't bother listening unless he has control over them in some way, like he did before when he was powerful. When he mutilated his siblings, had Lambert create a cult in his name, being heard isn't just an emotional or mental aspect to his wellbeing, but is literally part of his power as well.

He was/is a God, he's used to followers prostrating themselves just to hear the time of day, giving their all to listen, hear, and follow him. It's why he struggles to separate the aspects that are ingrained in a follower, from those who are a friend. Unless they're also God he can't comprehend much of a difference, and expects them to be of the same or similar standing. He was friends with Lambert when he was Godly, yes, but he still saw himself as above Lambert, and expected them to lay down their life to him like a follower would. Yes, Narinder didn't want to cut them out of his own life in their death, but still expected them to just..die for him. He didn't ***just*** see Lambert as a friend, he saw them as a friend that was also his follower. An exceptional follower he loved, but not an exception. There was a power imbalance that Lambert now sees.

It's why Narinder's utterly baffled and offended, fearful even, at Lambert, someone he deemed as "traitorous", investing their time into still trying to talk to him..listen to him.. for virtually no gain…at his lowest point...when he himself is now "lesser".

Narinder tries so hard to not become invested in those he deems as "lesser" or "traitors" but its near fucking impossible, because like it or not, his desires and needs are so inherently mortal and genuine (desire for power, companionship, love, understanding, control, etc) that if he doesn't close himself off, he may have to face falling into the same pit of disappointment and failed expectations he fell in with Lambert/his siblings once again. So he doesn't, and hides away in his shack until Lambert comes knocking.

And now, as the cherry on top of this emotionally constipated bundle of angsty cat woes, he has to live and breathe as the very thing he deemed as "lesser". Being forced to invest in these mortal needs, now that they're a necessary component to his survival. This is also why I believe he goes on these little crusades with Lambert in the first place as well. Not only because they return to him a sense of routine and normalcy (also pining, coughocoughghhrbogh who said that?), but also because it allows Narinder to forget about investing in his own wellbeing for a while.

He was a God, he didn't have to go through the work it took to just do your laundry, eat, brush your teeth, or take care of yourself since he never had to. The thrill of adventure and battle, the adrenaline rush of near-death experiences, can't hold a candle to the mundanity of work. So when he's not crusading, he just..sleeps..wanders around..the fact he's not socially accepted by his own followers doesn't encourage him either. I mean fuck, he such a complete wreck after Lambert spared Leshy, he crusaded and neglected his health for so long he passed out.

His life is all work now, investing in himself, in others, being forced to have his ego get knocked down a few pegs, and care again despite how much it hurts. None of these things are "given", Lambert's love is not just given (as in, blindly follow) and that's what I believe will be an eventual "eureka" moment for him.

Living is work, but it's worth working for

He ain't hot shit anymore, but that's ok.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded ramble this was all actually just a very roundabout and ineffective ploy for me to talk about how I relate the song "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, to your Narinder's character. Happy belated New Year, hope you're doing well. :]

LKSDHGKLSDHGD HELLO. This is such a well articulated analyzation of Narinder holy moly, I hope you don't mind me answering this with not much to add on because WOW I'm really vibing with your takes on him and I wanted the world to read this too slkdghlksdhgs. I have a lot of my own takes on Narinder and how he'll progress to be as the story comes along, and eventaully some of this will be talked about in TROD either with the lamb and/or with other characters, particularly Ratau, as he comes to an understanding that others are understanding.

I have not had coffee yet this morning but I could go on for a day and a half about Narinder being used to getting what he wants as a god and the entire process of how actaully lonley and isolating it can be to be continously pedastaled and worshipped verses being on equal, human level with other beings and how long it takes for him to realize that.

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR

[my-great-big-book-of-fan-fiction]

I absolutely ADORE your characterization of L like you write him so well!!!! How do you do it I'm so jealous 😭

Also, a request... L with a very transparent reader! Like, blunt and honest and will basically spill her life story to a stranger, no secrets, completely the opposite of him. Also a bit gullible, even if she knows he's a liar she can't tell when he's lying.

Love you love this let's kiss

This is just a short thing, so if this ends up being something a lot of you love, I'll definitely write more!

"O. M. G. Hey! It's been so long since we've talked!"

You sat on the couch, facing the window and twirling your hair as you chatted on the phone with an old friend.

L sat beside you, absorbed in his work as usual.

"Yeah, I was just at the gyno last week, and she was like "omg you're so fertile," and I was like "omg thank you so much," but it's not like I can do anything with it 'cause my boyfriend- I have a boyfriend by the way- doesn't want any kids, but it still kind of works because when I'm ovulating I'm ovulating, y'know? So the sex is super good...but yeah, it sucks your husband needs those pills. Where have you been, anyway?"

He sighs. You were very distracting.

"Ohhhh a cruise, that's so cool! I'm actually going to spain this weekend."

L turns to look at you.

"It's for my man's work..."

He speaks your name, softly.

"He's doing some important investigation-"

His hand finds your knee as he says your name again, this time with more urgency.

You smile, put your hand on his, and keep talking. "Yeah, it's to meet some fancy politicians about this whole Kir-"

"Darling."

You turn to look at him. He never calls you pet names.

He plucks the phone from your hand, and snaps it shut. "You can't talk about things like that," he chides gently.

You put your hand to your forehead, and pout. "Oh, I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry, I just...wasn't thinking."

"It's alright."

"No, I'm such a ditz, this is just like that time you got me that dress," you whine.

He remembers that day.

You were walking through the To-Oh campus, at his side. A girl had stopped you to compliment your brand new dress.

"Thank you! It's Versace," you beamed. The conversation should have ended there, but you couldn't help yourself.

"My boyfriend got it for me, he's got a real important job, like super important, as a-"

L grabbed your waist, and tugged you closer. "I work as a financing partner for V and C law," he explained cooly.

"What? Since when did you-"

"I've told you numerous times, my love."

The girl sort of awkwardly excused herself, and walked away.

"I didn't know you worked in finance, too."

L shakes his head at the memory. "You got carried away. It's nothing I cannot handle."

You lean back, and press your cheek to the couch. "I make such a mess for you."

He smooths a piece of your hair back. "I...appreciate your respect for me. You only need to contain it."

He's right, it's really just that you love to gush about him. Your boyfriend was the greatest detective in the entire world, all three of them. How could you not talk all about him?

"Maybe you should stop telling me things."

That wasn't a bad idea. "If...you'd like me to stop-"

"Well no, I like knowing things about you."

"...then, I'll continue to keep you updated on the progress of-"

"But I reallyyyyy don't want to screw it up again!"

Your vacilation was endearing, in a way. He patted your thigh. "How about any time you feel the need talk about me, you talk about...kittens. You like kittens."

"You and kittens aren't the same."

He shrugs. "It may assist you. Whenever I feel the need to talk about you, I talk about sweets instead. It has helped on many occasions."

[coddda]

Hiiiiiii. Episode 25/26 lawlight analysis rant thingy here. I don't know how to write an intro for this so let's just get to it LOL

I think one of the reasons that the rain/foot scenes stick out so much (the. Sheer insanity of a Foot Massage Scene in an anime revolving around two guys trying to kill each other aside 💀) is the fact that the anime specifically suffers a bit in terms of adapting a few of the "emotional" moments in death note.

And I don't mean "emotionally impactful" exactly. For example I think the adaptations of scenes like Raye and Naomi's deaths were very impactful and the atmospheres of their final scenes were great, but I mean more from a characterization standpoint (if that makes sense). Being more focused on mind and logic games, Death Note as a whole isn't as invested in individual characters' deeper feelings as it is in its action (which isn't necessarily a criticism per say, it's simply part of the nature of a mystery thriller series). But just because they're fewer and farther between doesn't mean there are none at all. In the manga we do get to see, for example, how much Light actually cared for his family and especially Sayu, and how he actually felt more conflicted and suffered lack of sleep/appetite when he first used the Death Note.

The anime specifically as an adaptation is pretty good at adapting the main mind fuckery and action of Death Note, but its lacking in properly adapting scenes like the ones I mentioned above is a criticism I see somewhat often, and it's pretty fair imo. Compared to all the other adaptations, it certainly seems to fall short on an emotional level: the musical has entire songs going in depth about the characters feelings and relationships, the 2015 jdrama is. Insane and has its emotional moments in spades (because it's a TV drama, which are more focused on portraying emotional conflict and the like), even the 2006 movies has its emotional beats and L Change the WorLd is. Well. Oh Man.

Anime Light to a lot of people is like. Light but he's "already evil" (which I have my own thoughts on but I digress). Light but after using the Death Note for like 2 minutes he's already like "fuck yeah time to kill criminals". Basically the anime doesn't take as much time to delve into his less cynical sides or really delve into his already vague and harder to decipher feelings in general, he is noticeably colder from the get-go here, etc.

But that's part of why I think episode 25 manages to stand out so much tonally (apart from it being, y'know, the episode L literally Dies). I love the episode so much and could probably rant for hours about how much I love the artistic choices made in it but what I'm trying to get at here is that it's one of the very few moments where the show tries to go deeper into specific character's emotions, and one of the very few moments where the show Attempts (emphasis on "attempts" because, well, you'll see in a bit) to get more in-depth into Light's feelings apart from his cynicism/apathy/justice. ness.

L in these two scenes in episode 25 is, well, pretty damn open about how he feels. It's usually interpreted as him knowing that he's going to die, and you can see it. He visibly looks/sounds lost, somber, etc. He never really had much to hide around Light to begin with (since he doesn't really care about hiding himself the same way Light does) but especially not now and it Shows, and I personally thought it was pretty cool to delve into his thoughts/show how he feels this way. The somberness can be felt throughout the entire scene, even people who don't already know the plot of Death Note from the manga could probably tell that he's about to die.

In the manga, once L starts suspecting Misa again and Rem realizes what Light is trying to do, it goes straight to Watari and L's deaths, but the anime instead gives a distinct and unexpected pause in the middle of this where L contemplates his own death. It's fucking great, and the shift from straight action to slower emotional weight makes these scenes stand out a lot, since, like I said, the show usually focuses more on the former. But it's kind of ironic, too.

Not only does the anime open up L's feelings more in these scenes, but it also tries to dig deeper into Light's feelings as well through L. And it's really funny honestly because while, yes, these are the more "emotionally open" scenes of the anime Light still manages to be Incredibly avoidant and contribute almost nothing to the entire ordeal.

L is visibly upset -> "Yeah Ryuzaki, you're not making any sense at all" (Not addressing the obvious conflict from L)

"Tell me, Light. From the moment you were born, has there ever been a point where you've actually told the truth?" -> "[The most stale, over-explained, avoidant answer to a "yes/no" question that you could ever hear + blatant attempts to reframe the question]"

(L's half-smile here kills me) "I had a feeling you'd say something like that" -> [Nothing]

"I'm sorry" -> [Nothing]

"It'll be lonely won't it? You and I will be parting ways soon" -> [Nothing]

^ From this point Light continues to say literally Nothing for the rest of the scene. I'm not even joking, from then on the rest of Light's voicelines are reduced to nothing but vague noises of confusion.

Everytime L calls Light out as a person ("Has there ever been a point where you've actually told the truth?" / "I had a feeling you'd say something like that." / "Won't it be lonely?") he doesn't actually acknowledge anything. Out of those three lines, he only answers verbally to if he's ever told the truth, and even then it's the most blatantly people-pleasing answer ever, as it usually is with Light. And I don't think it's because Light just. Doesn't care about any of what L's saying at all, or that he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about (questioning Light's authenticity as a person, saying it would be lonely when they part), instead he's choosing not to acknowledge any of what this means about himself or him and L at all. He's like a fucking wall.

And like, for the truth question in particular, the show makes sure that you know it's not something that Light just. Doesn't care enough about to answer. The hard cuts to silence are a very rare but extremely effective way that the show conveys an extremely important moment (see: Light regaining his memories, Matsuda noticing Light opening the warehouse door before he escapes (not as much of a "direct" cut to silence but still)), and cuts to multiple angles/framings/zooms of the exact same shot are also used for the same purpose (see: Light hugging Misa when she was crying, Matsuda aiming his gun to shoot Light, Light regaining his memories Again). Just like the scene where Light gets his memories back, the moment L's question finishes the show utilizes both. That question cut Deep. There's is a solid Almost 5 seconds of silence before the sound of the rain gradually starts fading back in, and honestly that should be telling enough as is (but of course Light doesn't actually admit that. Or anything at all really, so). Oh also another fun detail! We do not see Light's face At All (except for the shot where you can see his mouth moving but not his eyes), for the Entire time that he's going on his spiel to L. We Will Be Revisiting This Later, by the way. This is not, in fact, the first time you're going to see this detail from Light.

The only sort of reciprocation that we see from Light during Any of these two scenes is when Light dries L's hair while L dries his feet. Biblical meanings/references aside it's interesting because it's the only time he directly does anything "for" L in these scenes, but even then he doesn't try to pass it off as anything meaningful really the same way L does ("You're still soaked", a purely neutral and factual statement. It doesn't Add Anything compared to L's. Sin atonement loneliness grieving stuff. While Light is showing his own reciprocation to this more personal moment he also tries to keep it impersonal enough that it doesn't actually have to mean anything deep). And when L says "I'm sorry" after he once again gets no response from Light. It's also after this that L gets that pained look on his face, like he knows that at this point he's not actually going to get anything meaningful from Light (again, very significant and rare from L in the show. We've seen him in distress (see: when Ukita died, hell, when Watari dies), but even then he mostly manages to keep his usually neutral expression), we never see him "look sad" like he does here):

I just think it's interesting that this is one of the few scenes in this particular adaptation of Death Note where they try to open up the character's thoughts/feeling (especially considering the fact that they. lowkey blunder in adaptations of original scenes from the manga), and L himself is being rather open (not that he ever really tries to hide what he thinks nearly as much as Light), and yet all Light contributes to it in return is like. Actually nothing. Bro fumbled it. There is no resolution to any of this, to any of what L asks at all, to any of the many opportunities for a meaningful conversation, and the only thing even relatively close to an answer that you can get from Light is what you can infer from how he acts in the episode after L dies, where he's just going through the motions, but hardly acting as if he's actually living at all.

(Honestly I think the transition from this scene with the taskforce to the subsequent scene with Misa says enough on its own. Light's expressions and tone says everything:)

(Oh sidenote but. This shit again:

"Light, this is our first date in forever. can't you enjoy yourself a little more?" ('Why don't you seem happy? We can finally be together since L is dead') -> No response, Light instead changing the topic to him wanting to move in with Misa without changing his mannerisms at all

Also there's that one detail again. You pretty much don't see Light's expression when he speaks here at all, except for one shot of his eyes, which is quite literally the exact same shot they used when he "saw" L, just altered for the new setting. You have No idea what he looks like when he's responding to Misa, although it's probably fair to assume that it's the same empty stare he has for the whole Two Shots where you can clearly see his whole expression in the entire scene.

Something something Light Yagami bad at feelings I think you get the point though)

I guess Light's Kind of showing what he's feeling now? He'll admit to himself that it's boring without L, but no more than that. Light never actually admits to anything "significant", and L's dead already anyway, so what would that even do?

And then we get, uh. Basically nothing from Light. For the next 5 Years. Except that he joined the NPA, so, uh, yay? Good job, Light you totally nailed it! Thank you for allowing us as an audience to delve deeper into your inner thoughts and feelings as a character so we can find out more about you as a person! Very helpful! Thank you for not sabotaging one of your few dedicated opportunities to look into yourself as a person and reflect on your relationships with others and being 100% honest with yourself! We stay winning guys.

Anyway, this got way too long for a scene that's over a decade old, and I've probably just said everything that everyone else has already said in this fandom before. But unfortunately this has been living in my head for way too long and I must scream. I just think this episode's neat is all :)

tl;dr Part of the reason why the rain/foot scene (tbh episode 25 in General) stands out so much is because the Death Note anime specifically was a bit robbed in terms of its more emotional character moments compared to the other medias, which makes more somber/introspective scenes like the ones in episode 25 stand out a Lot in comparison. But it's also incredibly ironic because it's one of the few moments where the show (or specifically L) tries to look deeper into Light's character, but because he is so avoidant for the entire duration of these two scenes he adds basically nothing at all. It's almost funny. Mostly sad. It's also very gay. Aand post

Okay actually nevermind one more thing I talked about how the jdrama is supposed to be more emotionally in-depth because it is a TV Drama and just for the record, same thing happens there! I could probably do an entire analysis of the Blue Scene in this context like I did with episode 25 but I'd literally be here forever, so uh, just take this iconic line as my main example:

Same Thing. L's statement "I wish we could have met some other way" is personal. It's his own wish, his own regret that he is expressing to Light. While Light's reply obviously has that same regret implied it's also phrased in a specifically impersonal way. It's closed off. "This is the only way we could have met" it closes off the topic and simply renders L's wish as ultimately futile. Light does not say that he Also wishes he could have met L a different way even if it was likely impossible, instead it's a cold statement of cynical fact.

Idk just. Something something L being able and Willing to be more openly sentimental/emotionally open towards Light/about Light vs. Light's inability to be honest with anyone including himself and his own nature preventing any form of meaningful reciprocation. Something something self-sabotage, y'know the drill. God don't even get me Started on how sincere L's tone is when he says "It'll be lonely won't it?"(at least in the eng dub) in the anime I could talk about his tone in that scene for ages. Also yes all of this relates to L Change the WorLd too by the way. Don't ask how it just does okay.

I do think that scenes like these (rain/foot scene, The Blue Scene. Uh. L Change the WorLd The Novel Adaptation) show, at least in those adaptations, that L does genuinely care for Light, and show that he values him as a friend not just in the mindgame-equal sense but also just like, a more sincere sense you know. Idk if that made any sense and that's a whole other topic for another day but you guys just have to believe me on this one alright please please believe me buries head in hands. Okay post over finally thanks for coming to my tedtalk hope you enjoyed my very-unnecessarily long analysis of the week

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

"It's so unfair to the Rat Grinders that they are killed instantly and the Bad Kids get to roll death saves." SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP

THIS IS LONG, AND HONESTLY FOR MYSELF, SO YEAH READ IF YOU WANT

I swear to god, this discourse is going to fucking be the end of me. Idk what kind of mind boggling spell Brennan Lee Mulligan wove into the fabric of the universe that spread through the data center of Dropout in order to absolutely hijack y'all's brains when it comes to Cocklord Assgape and her ragtag of character foils but whatever it was has made you Rat Grinder stans INSUFFERABLE in this site.

The levels of treating fictional characters as if they were real people have reached a level I honestly have never anticipated, to the point of y'all actually being mad AT THE CAST for "mistreating" them and ACTUALLY QUESTION BRENNAN'S CAPACITY TO DM. Do you not get how fucking insane that is?

We can't make fun of Copperkettle, one of the most pathetic, petty and incompetent villains in D20 history anymore (even though she is masterfully written and developed to generate this reaction from us) anymore because it's bullying apparently. I saw an account flip the fuck out because someone compared her rivalry with Kristen to Drake and Kendrick's beef. KIPPERLILY IS NOT A REAL GIRL. SHE IS A MAKE BELIEVE CHARACTER IN AN IMPROV SHOW SPAWNED FROM THE BRAIN OF A 36 YEAR OLD MAN

And then what truly pissed me off the MOST about this whole hell is the fact that, being chronically online avid consumers of this goddamn show, I would think you would have but a grasp of the main cast of characters' characterization.

Why the uproar about Riz saying they should chop Oisin's head off? The same Riz who tortured that pixie from Freshman year by shooting off their finger one by one? The same Riz who murked a disarmed and unconscious Coach Daybreak without battin an eye? The same Riz who ATE THE CORPSE OF KALVAXUS?

And the whole Fabian vs Ivy debacle MY GOD, THE GIRL WAS RACIST TO HIS GIRLFRIEND AND USED HER LAST BREATH TO CALL MAZEY "OBJECTIVELY UGLY". And the funniest thing is that is not even the most unhinged shit he has ever said.

And finally, Death Save Gate: THE RAT GRINDERS ARE NOT PLAYER CHARACTERS. THEY ARE NPCS! THE RULES FOR EACH WORK DIFFERENTLY, ESPECIALLY THEM BEING BOSS ENCOUNTERS. Imagine having to still hit Ivy or Oisin 2 more times to kill them when there is 14 foot tall Porter throwing legendary actions left and right, with Jace, and other 3 spell casters + Mary Ann and KLCK up and running. It's called balancing the fucking game. Also, game masters are entitled to break, mold and make up any rules they want if they find necessary in order to service themselves and their players. IF YOU PLAY WITH ALL THESE RULES AS THEY COME, GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR TABLE. THIS IS NOT YOUR TABLE.

Not only is Brennan DMing for his CLOSEST FRIENDS EVER, he is also shooting and producing an ENTIRE TV SHOW. So yeah, i think he knows wtf he is doing.

"But the Ratgrinders had no real development": True. But it wasn't for lack of trying from the players. Everytime they tried to know more, the dice didn't let them, so they decided to focus on the mystery. It simply do be like that sometimes.

"But they are just kids!": And so were Penelope, Dayne, Ragh, Zayn, the Bloodrush Players, Aelwyn and Biz. Why wasn't it a problem then? Because most of them were evil to some extent and were about to bring the fucking apocalypse to the world? Yeah, sounds familiar right? And the ones who were manipulated or had any sort of redemption worked their way into earning it, right? Yeah.

In conclusion, I fucking love the Rat Grinders, I truly do, and not unlike 90% of this website, i'm still holding on to hope that they have any sort of development and redemption in the last episode, because I agree, they ARE children and they WERE manipulated by Porter and Jace, but like, can we also agree that they are fucking assholes and had it fucking coming? Also, the BKs are children too y'know. SO STOP BEING FUCKING ANNOYING.

[ckret2]

I know that in the end, tbob and your fic ended up being extremelly compliant, and you just had to make a few changes here and there for canon compliance. But would anything significantly change if you started your fic now instead of when you did

It's hard to tell since I was so steeped in show-accurate lore when originally constructing the plot that it's hard to imagine what I would've done if steeped in show-and-book-accurate lore. Absolutely, I would have incorporated the Theraprism from the get go—but I've figured out how to do that on the fic as I'm writing it now, so would the fic I would've written in this alternate timeline differed much from what I'm currently writing? I would've incorporated the fact that the Oracle invited the Henchmaniacs to the "real" world—but I already have plans for how I'm incorporating that into my current version of the fic, so would it have changed much or would I just have mentioned it a little earlier? The book portrays his parents as well-intended but misguided; as it is, my characterization of his parents started on the crueler end and then I slid it toward a mix of cruel/kind with a surface level veneer of kindness, but if I'd read the book first I might've started from the other direction (make them kind, add on some cruelty) but ultimately land about the same place.

I might have also sighed and whined and come up with a reason to make talking about the third dimension outright illegal in his home dimension, which I'd initially deliberately leaned away from because I was trying to avoid it being like Flatland, but the book makes it a bit harder to avoid that. As it is what I'm gonna do is say that Bill is greatly exaggerating its illegality, but that feels like a cheat and I probably wouldn't have cheated if I'd read the book first. That would've been a very small change though.

I think the biggest change is that I would've found a way to incorporate the book TBOB itself. As it is, I worked in mentions like oh yeah they saw the book briefly last fall; but I could've done a lot more to have that shape everyone's initial reactions to Bill (since they'd KNOW Bill's "alive" and have even sort of interacted with him one-sidedly since his death), and I could've done more with him using the book to try to escape before he resorts to reincarnation. I probably would have made the canonical reader an actual character in the fic, possibly Gus the ranger too.

I think I also would have done more with Bill attempting to reach out to the mirror dimension. As it is I slid in him attempting to contact them in chapter 7 and it just doesn't go through, and I'm gonna have him make some contact with them later in the fic; if I was starting the fic from scratch, I might've devoted a whole episode to him trying to reach them and either discovering he can't or getting totally shot down by them and getting an emotional gutpunch from realizing they aren't really on his side.

There might've been more changes, but it's hard to imagine them from this timeline, y'know? Hard to imagine what random neurons might've fired in my brain if I'd read the book when I didn't have the whole fic inside of my head already.

[bonefall]

Mapleshade Discourse O'Clock

It's that time again!!! SO I just kinda want to jot down all of my various thoughts about it as a story and just generally weigh in about Mapleshade.

I like the idea of Mapleshade more than the actual Mapleshade that is used throughout the books.

She has a really good gimmick-- to haunt Applekin though the generations. I don't like how they turn her into a generic "cat satan" for Tigerclaw's Fury and keep making her appear as a vain lackey demon.

I like her characterization in Mapleshade's Vengeance the most, of all her appearances.

But, I don't think my reading of the character depicted in MV is what the author intended.

See, I like MV as a story with no hero. The only blameless characters are the kittens who drowned and Perchpaw, while everyone else is some flavor of selfish, cruel, or vengeful. Everyone thinks they're in the right, but no one truly wins in the end.

Nothing about it was noble. Every tragedy that happened was utterly avoidable. In the end, everyone bears some responsibility for the pain and suffering that happened the day those children drowned.

BUT I'm pretty certain that the intended reading was that Mapleshade would be the one clearly in the wrong the whole time, as she justifies her own actions like a villain does.

Especially knowing how poorly the writers thought of similar female characters like Squilf and Leafp lying about the three, or Nightcloud being jealous her crummy husband is acting strange around another woman.

I feel justified in assuming that when Mapleshade is not happy she's being cheated on, or when she refuses to correct Frecklewish's record knowing it's unsafe if her kits are revealed as half clan, the writer really does think you're not supposed to take her side.

Because women should just not have emotions about being cheated on or something, and lying is unspeakably bad even if the truth puts you and your children in danger.

But. Y'know. We can all use the braincell for a moment and see that this is fucking stupid

SO when the book goes on to have Mapleshade ignore all the warnings about the swollen river, show both ThunderClan and RiverClan being obscenely cruel to her, and then walk across that bridge while insisting in her head that the deaths weren't her fault, I think the implication is obvious AND SHITTY.

Ergo I reject it completely. I can see what the book wants to say, and I think it says something trashy.

In spite of how badly the writer wants it to be Mapleshade's fault the kittens died, I say it was the asshole who threw a bunch of kittens out into the rain for being mixed race, actually.

Oakstar had the power here. Ravenwing had some power as well, but he makes it clear it wasn't his suggestion to throw the babies out into the woods.

And when it comes to Bridge Discourse, it was at least the afternoon, raining heavily, and Mapleshade was trying to get to RiverClan Camp. A straight shot across the stepping stones.

I think it is ridiculous to imagine an extremely emotional parent managing three very scared children, attempting to get out of the rain and dangerous wilderness before nightfall, would be rational enough to realize a large detour would be safer.

MAYBE the distance from ThunderClan Camp to the Bridge is equal to the distance to the Stones. But the distance between the bridge and RIVERCLAN Camp is longer.

I hope this goes without saying; but Frecklewish didn't deserve the Dark Forest.

Even in Banana World logic where she was sitting on the bank watching those kids doggy-paddle. Do not fucking jump in to save drowning people if you are not trained to do that.

I'm dead serious, this is the first thing you learn in any kind of water safety course. They WILL panic, you WILL get dragged down, you WILL become another liability someone else has to save instead of helping your initial target.

And that isn't even mentioning this being a flooded river. That's POOL safety.

In spite of how I think Mapleshade was right to lie, I do think Frecklewish being that upset and angry was understandable.

You're entitled to your feelings, but not how you treat people. She still attacked Mapleshade and called the kittens a slur.

That's what makes her interesting, though.

I don't think she deserves the Dark Forest, but Frecklewish's anger is an interesting trait. I don't like how a lot of defensive interpretations of her character end up downplaying how she acted at the exile

why does a woman being rightfully angry suddenly strike people as "unsympathetic." Girls can also say things in fury they don't fully mean. OR girls can rationalize their unjustified, ballistic response post-hoc out of pride.

Idk let girls be mad. Admit they were wrong without deserving HELL. I don't like the woobification impulse.

It's not really a hot take anymore I think, but Frecklewish is definitely only in the DF because the writing team judges women characters more harshly. Oakstar threw babies out in the rain in fury, and Ravenwing didn't stop it. But somehow only Frecklewish, a normal warrior, gets DF'd.

But what really rattles around in my head about the whole story is the way that the in-universe culture is able to suddenly value ethics like peace, forgiveness, and tolerance when MAPLESHADE is ready to throw those things out, but BEFORE then, it's well established that Clan culture is violent, vengeful, and intolerant.

One of our earliest scenes is Rainfall snarling at Mapleshade that he loves the way Birchface and Flowerpaw drowned. He's threatening that he'll kill even more ThunderClan warriors.

Over in ThunderClan, everyone is itching for revenge against Appledusk for those deaths, even though it seems to have been an accident. Oakstar even hates RiverClan well into sequel books for this.

But then later on, everyone acts Shocked Pikachu that Mapleshade actually went and GOT revenge.

And like, let's be real. This is a battle culture. Yes, by OUR standards Revenge Is Bad.

But in these books, so full of war and clan conflict...?

What I'm saying is that I wish the books let Mapleshade be a little more "controversial" in-universe. Like some cats actually frame the story very differently, and you can learn a lot about a person by who they think the hero is.

And how RiverClan responds to the drowned kids bugs me a lot tbh

We just established over in ThunderClan that there are people who think the babies were born filthy for being HalfClan.

We know everyone there stood by and watched as Oakstar threw them out into the rain-- only Ravenwing even seemed uncomfortable.

AND we know very well that in a few generations, TigerClan will rise. Which openly executed a HalfClan cat and wanted to kill 2 apprentices.

We KNOW the bigotry in Clan culture is deadly and unfair.

But then they go over to RiverClan and Darkstar is sad these three kids are dead? And RC is furious with Mapleshade for that?

Again, YES, you and me with OUR morals know that this bigotry is insane and spiteful. What I'm getting at is that IN-UNIVERSE half clan kittens and their parents face extreme discrimination. Even within this book.

It's odd to me that Darkstar refuses to let Mapleshade bury their bodies, sends her away for the death of the kids while saying it's "not the season for losing warriors" to Appledusk, and it's meant to come across as delusional that Maple thinks her babies were buried dishonorably

I wish more women in WC got so pissed off at the absolute injustice of it all that they went on a girl rampage. Perhaps it's my own taste, but I like it a lot more when the villain isn't entirely wrong and there's several angles you can read the story from. If she didn't do what she did, she would have been the only one who saw any consequences for anything that happened.

Anyway in conclusion uhhh idk murder is wrong. But Mapleshade's allowed to do it because she's a silly billy. Her greatest crime was not killing Oakstar also

[etherealily]

do you have any headcanons for your birds of a feather part 2? like just a snippet or smth bc u said u were wrking on it for the other anon

Yes, I do! I can safely say that it's as canon-compliant as possible in terms of the Quarter Quell. Finnick survives, District 13, etc, etc.

However, happy ending incoming. I've done this guy way too dirty recently.

Snippet about my characterization of Finnick? Sure. I need some reviews anyway. If it's trash, please tell me.

My other Finnick fics, if you have the time.

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You pick up the phone and he swears the universe paused. "Hey." Discomfort. Not because of him, thank god, but discomfort was present in your voice nevertheless. "How are you?" It's Reaping Day, you absolute fuckass, she's losing her mind. "Okay. I mean, it's Reaping Day, so I guess as good as can be." He smiles. He can work with that. "You receive any more blobcakes?" He's pretty sure he'd added them in, special request, to your monthly Victor-loot since he'd met you. He'd made it a priority. "No. Why, you wanted some?" What the fuck? You hadn't? Oh, a couple ex-District 1 Avoxes were going to get a talking-to. He shrugs. "Yeah." Whoo, there he was, Finnick Odair, king of nonchalance. He's glad Finnick, normal old District 4 Finnick isn't showing up. He's the kind that would have an aneurysm if he'd known a pretty girl like you had picked up voluntarily. Finnick Odair, Capitol Darling, his suaver persona, was active when the two of you were in the Capitol, and he's pretty sure that's the only reason you tolerated him. "Well, y'know. Surviving Reaping Day was kinda higher on my bucket list." "Right, right. Well, relax, you'll be fine. The odds are, like, astronomical." "Weren't they astronomical for you, too?" Fuck. "Yeah, but I'm me." "Meaning? I can't win?" WHOA. Whoa, Finnick Odair, king of nonchalance needed to be a bit more 'chalant'. "No, I mean, like, bad luck kinda follows me around. So." "Oh. But, um, on- on the off chance that I..." "Whoa, no. You won't get picked." You can't. Finnick would genuinely pass out.

"Okay, but if I do, you- uh, honestly, as a mentor. Do I have a chance?" Finnick was at a loss here and so was Finnick Odair, Capitol Darling. He genuinely had no clue. "I haven't seen you figh—" "No, like, I mean, do I have the ability to be a favourite?" Oh. "Yeah. You do. You have a good personality, you look good, so I don't think you'll have trouble with sponsors so long as your physical prowess is alright." "I hate the Capitol.", he hears you say. "Shh. These lines are tapped." "Right, like Snow doesn't know that we hate the Capitol." Valid point. "You're fine. Can I just... I just feel like you..." "I'm overreacting? Is that what you're going to say, Finnick?" He was about to say 'I feel like you're the only reason I'm not hanging from the fucking ceiling right about now', but that might have just been a tad too dramatic.

XOXO, Vega!

[ulteri0rm0tives]

You know. My headcanon for trans Kerry doesn't even change his character, events, or how he is in canon, etc. It's literally just him but if he happened to be trans. It's literally him, but if he was pulling up putting people at gunpoint, burning down yachts, singing, shredding, talking to V, kissing, dating.. but if he happened to be trans while doing it.

Him being trans isn't this big thing to me, it's just something he happens to be. Like. We need more characters where being trans isn't their whole characterization, but just a passive piece of info that doesn't impact the events in canon or canon revolves around, info that people can go "Oh! Cool! Alright :)!!' and move on. Where they're just another person, not something to be tokenized. Like. Hopefully that's makes sense, y'know?

Like I don't change anything about canon to mold to him being trans. He's just some guy who happens to be. That's it. That's all. The MOST I make him being trans have a bigger impact on his story is LITERALLY only during his young adulthood transitioning with Johnny around. And that's still me just playing around with headcanons 😭 There's no in game events that show us what pre 2013 Kerry was like, or how 2008 samurai was like. Like yes, there's the few scraps from ttrpg books I've seen and even concept books, but those just showcase his characterization more than solidify huge events for him in canon.

Like. I don't have this big, grand, idea on why he's trans, he's just is, and low-key it's just me projecting half the time 😭 (t4t EuroV <3). Like. I guess if I HAD to come up with more poetic reasons or point to subtle/unintentional coding, it'd be something like. Kerry's storyline in game having themes of transformation and change.

Rising from the ashes of an old life you weren't sure was ever yours, or was what you really wanted, labels constantly micromanaging who you should be, having preconceptions instilled in you about the face and identity you should project out into the world, that constant demand of *who* you should be rather than who you want to be, an unhappiness in that life that led you to a rock bottom, ashes that transform into a life you're more comfortable in, something you found you wanted, found drive for life and found worth in again. That made you happier for it, motivated, passionate about life even.

And there's also obviously his cyberware, and how his gold seams coincidentally, suspiciously, run along JUST under his pec line to the sides right under his arms. Like.. ykno... top surgery scars.

Kerry's just some trans dude, just adds a little more depth to his character for me, but it's not all he is to me. That it plays an important part of him, but at the end of the day. He's still just some dude. I want him to be just some dude. I want others to see him as some dude even if he's trans, not the one piece of information others see of his character for my headcanons and decide that's the sole reason they don't like the headcanon, don't like my interpretation of him.

Something that's reflected in society too often, people finding someone to be trans and using that as the sole purpose they don't like them, nothing at all to do with their character, just that they happen to be trans.

[pioussoup]

ILLITERATE MINERS?!!?!!

heyyyyy so y'know in the opening scene isn't it INTERESTING that Orion Pax ONLY takes the audiovisual chips??? Like he barely looked at the datapads and even then it didn't seemed like he was reading titles just looking between for the chips. EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS HE HAS TO BE SNEAKY AND QUIET???? sure maybe MAYBE the flying droid is like a new addition but STILL.

Why go for the ONE material that would be so harddd to be stealthy in? He also has watched like apparently 90% of the fucking chips already.

If you say it's because hes in low light. Hes a miner bot that can spot the lasers. Yes he uses a headlight but like c'mon he got to have SOME stronger nightvision-thats-not-outright-nightvision. (just realised; he knows to be sneaky enough to NOT activate his headlight even when it could help look around. So he's not being stupid he KNOWS what hes doing.)

'Maybe he's read all of them?' in the history section? with a 50 cycles timeframe (however the fuck long is that supposed to be LMAO)? thats he quite most likely is online for a fraction of. Even if he was one of the first generations of cogless bots to be miners (doubt) there would STILL need to be time taken for him to be 'fuck it im just gonna break in the archives.' plus he also had to find the section in the first place. Sentinel definitelyyy placed/moved it in a hard to find & reach area even for bots with legal access and cogs. Orion Pax is many things but for TFO he aint clearing that section in time (TFP might though lol).

'It's to set a fast paced opening and provide a suitable setting for exposition without having to resort to narration. Also avoids overwhelming the possible new fans audience with walls of Cybetronian of the bat' Correct

'He chose the fastest option' Well I mean he could just ctrl + F 'Matrix of Leadership'. No but really he could try to speed read as best he could. Or like. steal 'em. I mean just look at the state of it. WHY is some chips just stacked besides horizontally stacked datapads (when every other shelf has the vertically placed). No separate holder?? that can clearly indicate what the chips are + what they include neatly?? Alpha Trion weeps from beneath the boulders and its not for his fellow Primes I tell ya'. But yeah if he can be sneak in & sneak out (again hes not dumb dumb just reckless BUT get him locked in and he can totally do it. He didn't cause the intial cave-in after all) he could totally steal a couple pads and have some time to go through (he does it all in times in fanfics!) before getting caught. Actually they (& by extension Senti) probably wouldn't care, its ALL heavily edited and curated after all.

'He could navigate the map' as a miner he definitely needs some good practical skills, navigation being one of 'em. Also like as I far as I saw there were hardly words; just coordinates and stuff (okay i am negative in geography and tech so this section might sound stupid but STILL HEAR ME OUT). They kinda NEED to be number literate but do they really need to be reading?

I have thoughts on TFO caste system (specifically uh how the fuck could it come to be, what exactly are the cogged doing for those not in on it because there were definitely more of those in the know [its not Darkwing], where the fuck are the new cogless coming from, how did a cogless become a DOCTOR FOR COGGEDS???) but wouldn't it make sense for Sentinel to take even their ability to read while he's at it? It's trouble enough to keep the cogged in belief while keeping up the Archive no need for snoopy miners to get a chance to spot any discrepancies.

'Doctor Ratchet' He's usually characterized as an older mech so maybe the earlier cogless gens still could read shrugs. I mean Sentinel could very be going through a learning process lmao a fraction being able to read is probably small fry especially considering the no doubt short lifecycle cogless miners can have. Hell its likely that most of the older gens are kapoosh (possible character motivation for Ratchet to go doctor nyeah? nnyeahh?).

And yeah I fully believe Orion to be more a recent cogless gen. Not NEW NEW and while I hc'ed it is so, he doesn't have to be the youngest. He knows his way through Iacon (from sneaking in to the archives to the hidden pathways), has a sure enough skill and confidence to mining, knows the protocol just doesn't follow it lmao. But he also has the energy to strive for something more, something better. I'm not saying old peeps cant be active but not once does Pax ever seem defeated by the system or relents at ALL, even when it would save his hide. If he WAS an older gen his opposition would be tinged with just a bit spite of exaperation I feel like. Like it would be 'I'm too old for this, they deserve better than this' kind of rebel while movie I see more as 'WE can be more than this, there IS more to US' which I feel like is an energy more to younger gens ya get me?

(ALSO COUGH I KNOW I KNOW ITS A BLUNDER AND COST SAVING BUT! BUT!! D-16 BEING LIKE IDK TIER 6 OR WHATEVER WHEN HE FIRST MET ORION!! IM JUST SAYING HE WOULD JUST BE DUMB AND SAY "WHATS A MINING". NOT EVEN FOR DPAX REASONS HE'S A FANBOYY. A FANBOYYYYY THATS PASTING A WHOLE ASS POSTER WHEN AS A COGLESS MINER HE DOESNT HAVE MUCH!!!!! ON THE ONE AND ONLY BERTH THAT HE EVER COULD HAVE!!THAT MECH IS FUMBLING ALL HIS SOCIAL INTERACTIONS!! ACTUALLY JUST THE FACT THAT HE HAS A WHOLE ASS POSTER OF MEGATRONUS PRIME KINDA INDICATES THAT HE'S PROBABLYY OLDER THAN ORION PAX BY HOWEVER MUCH.EVEN IF NOT ALL COGLESS IMMEDIATELY GO INTO MINING GETTING A POSTER! IS VERY HARD! EVEN FOR PEEPS WITH NON-SLAVE WAGES & HOURS. LIKE ORION PAX IS ALREADY HANDLING EQUIPMENT HE MIGHT NOT HAVE MUCH SHIT FOR HIS SLAB LMAO ALREADY DONE MOVING IN.)

So anyways this was a long way to say that the Autobot government is run by a mech who can't read. OR if the matrix literates the guy well he just made someone who maybbee at best might have some lower grade level reading skill as COMMANDER. AND ALSO HAS TO DEAL WITH A NATIONWIDE LITERACY CRISIS. I guess he could just make a literacy package file and Apple Drop it or some shit lolololol.

On the flipside the Decepticons are lead by someone who can't read and DOESN'T have a deus ex machina to give him literacy sooo. Soundwave is going to be in a loooongggg ride LMAO.

Edit: "I've read all about you [Elite High Guard] in the Archives" OKAY OKAY OKAY I MIGHT BE SPITBALLING BUT MAYBE MAYBEEEE HE STILL MEANT 'went through every audiobook with & without visuals' or like he read all the baby books about the HG. I mean despite them being possibly the second next famous celebrities after the Primes; Sentinel makes sure to AVOID MENTIONING them AT ALL. Iacon 5000 only commemorated the Primes but the HG? Pshawww who gives a shit except that yellow one who's conveniently already in the literal dumps.

Okay but really they were definitelyyy worth a mention. (cough especially since Skyfire exists cough unless this is a TFA sorta instance where it's a completely different fucking mech cough oohh noo guess we will never know unless TF2 happens wink wink winkwonkwiwkhwkiwsjsk)

I've mentioned Sentinel absolutely curating the Archives and I'm just saying maybee out of spite and because unlike the Primes he can totally go with it; the only thing left/accessible about the HG is baby books. I mean sure the only hate we've seen him directly channel is towards the Primes BUT THAT'S IT!! Though he spouts making the truth as he wishes of it he STILL has to praise the Primes and shit even after the Betrayal. Not even he can erase or even twist their influence.

But the HG? Oh maybe he doesn't particularly hate them beyond being a nuisance to his plans but it's still an outlet. Of course he still can't demean even them in any public away but he can certainly diminishes them. Besides it would definitely grind Screamer's gears when he realises his only legacy in Iacon is fucking sparkling stories that still focuses more on the Primes LMAO.

Plus B-127 is DEFINITELY the kind of mech to go crazy about these cool ass warriors from a kids book. I'm not super into infantalizing TFO Bee but he is still a mech of whimsy & fantasy. Also sneeze maybe it was someone's gift to him whether out of mockery or genuine generosity but however it was the stories were the one of the few things if not the only thing that followed him down in the dumpsters. Or salvageable trashed datapads happened to be of the HG greatest stories and shit that too.

(also yes I am a 'B-127 is one of the older generation of cogless if not the first' truther and I will DIE ON THAT HILL)

Oreon Pix also managing to read all the baby stories on the HG can still work; even his entire generation was illiterate he would definitely try his darnedest to read SOMETHING and would at least achieve youngling level lol. I know I know I've been using his case for this entirety but bear with me. Ori is probably self aware of his low skill or at the very least had taken a peek at the datapads and realise he don't understand a goddamn thing (it's the history section). Knowing he don't got much time per intrusion he bit the bullet and risked it with the chips since he was going to get caught at some point might as well have gotten some progress.

[lacrimosathedark]

THAT'S IT! This is a Janet Drake Defense Post

As may be obvious, I spend a lot of time reading fanfic. And there's this trend that drives me nuts, and it's villainizing Janet Drake.

I'm not gonna say she's an A+ mother. She's not. She chose her career and adventures over spending time with her child much of the time. But fandom portrays her as some rich pompous ice queen, which is never shown.

Janet Drake mostly appears in the story Tim's introduced, and in the story she dies.

So, let's start from the top: Haly's Circus.

This event is the only time we see her really interacting with Tim before her death, but it shows that at least when he was young, she was an active part of his life. She was worried about bringing Tim because it might scare him. And then rightfully scolds her husband for being sexist because Jack Drake actually IS a jerk.

...I don't like the art in this comic. Or that the writer doesn't know how kids speak.

But Janet is being supportive of Tim's clear interest in Dick's performance.

And then tragedy strikes and she acts like, y'know, a mother.

Her priority is getting her son and herself out of there.

Also worth noting that the Drakes sent a copy of that final photo of the Graysons TO Dick, which is how he has it at all. If both of them were stuck up pricks, would they even bother sending a photo to a grieving child performer they hardly know? I can't imagine Jack really bothering, but I don't see why Janet wouldn't.

And then, by the time she's dying, we know that Tim's parents have been away for a very long time, he never knows where they are, but they've communicated enough that he knows that they've been fighting.

They're passive aggressive to say the least. This marriage is clearly not working anymore.

EDIT CUZ I REMEMBERED A THING:

It's worth noting that this is a time before smartphones. This comic was released in 1990, which was when pre-paid mobile phones had just started existing. Coverage isn't universal NOW, so back then it was even less, and Jack and Janet are archeologists (or archeologist adjacent?) so they're going to be in less developed and populated areas most of the time. It's unlikely they'd have consistent access to a functional phone that could call the states to talk to Tim regularly.

This isn't to defend their absence, because fuck that, but it's to give it some context. I don't think they were trying to ignore or abandon Tim. Communication was just not readily available and Janet seems to get wrapped up in work...and Jack's an asshole.

Also for note, Janet is probably the one sending Tim postcards in the first place. It being signed "Mom and Dad" is what makes me think that. Jack would have put himself first if he wrote it, it woulda said "Dad and Mom". That's admittedly pure speculation, BUT IT FITS SOOOOOO

My thought is if this were made modern, Janet would be sending extremely scattered texts and Tim would get next to nothing from Jack unless Janet prompted him.

END EDIT

(Fair warning, this story is a few levels of Yikes, but I'm gonna stay on topic)

Bad guy Obeah Man does...something? to the pilot, and they crash, and he has a group of people kidnap the Drakes and their assistant Jeremy.

Danger really puts some things in perspective, for Janet, at least. And that continues for her. Jack is a bit delusional and in denial, thinking he has any control of the situation.

They are tied up and filmed for ransom, their assistant killed right in front of them.

Jack just keeps raging, but Janet is having regrets. Notice how she doesn't cry until Tim is brought up. Could be nothing, could be something.

And then she dies.

Her only other major appearance is when Tim is having a fever dream from the Clench and everything is kind of okay for a minute.

Tim very clearly loves his mom. And we may not get a lot of characterization for her, but she's not cold or callous like people write her constantly.

And now, we finally have a little more about her as of Batman 134.

I haven't really been keeping up since the Gotham War stuff because What The Fuck Was That My Guy, but I recently saw this specific comic.

The multiverse is fucked up again, some way some how, and Bruce is lost (again) and Tim has to get him back (again). This time, Tim is going in after him. But he doesn't end up going straight to Bruce.

He goes to see an alt of his mom.

Tim missed her so much that he ended up going to her before Bruce.

And her immediate reaction is to run up and hug him. Does that look like a mother who doesn't love her son?

"Do you have anyone to take care of you?"

"I don't know how this happened, this miracle...but I just know, in my heart of hearts, it was to show me...that every version of my son is a good one."

Tell me again that this woman is heartless and didn't want her son, I fucking dare you.

And we get more meaning to the name "Robin" and a little crumb about Tim's grandmother. As a treat.

This is all to say, please stop writing Janet Drake as a cold, heartless bitch.

Small final note though: Jack Drake is, in fact, a shitty person and a shitty father. He does still love Tim and Tim loves him AND THAT IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE, but the relationship is a mess. If either parent is actively abusive, it's 1000% Jack "smashed a TV because my son wasn't listening to me and threatened Bruce Wayne at gunpoint" Drake. Probably part of why the marriage was falling apart.

Anyway, yeah, let's retire the "Jack and Janet Drake are Bad Parents" tag and replace it with "Jack Drake is a Bad Parent" and "Janet Drake's C+ Parenting" or something.