#and let's just say there's..../some/ amount of validity in this speculation lol

[a2zillustration]

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[team7-headquarter]

also, naruto and hashirama are special cases. one doesn't need to be a medical ninja to regenerate because medical ninjutsu is to apply to others, not to one's own body (except sakura and tsunade who have done it).

naruto can self heal because it's an ability kurama has and he benefits from it as the jinchuuriki host. otherwise kurama died too. not too sure about regenerative abilities but it does heal at least fatal injuries.

hashirama on the other hand could heal because he had an incredible amount of chakra. it's never stated he was a medic, but he got sage mode and sage mode has recuperation abilities. the reason behind his regenerative jutsu is unknown.

however it was that skill that inspired tsunade to create creation rebirth, the regeneration (not healing) technique she and sakura use. it's possible thanks to the massive amount of chakra their seals have stored inside.

At this point I'm just speculating for the fun of it, so let's see.

The first thing that caught my attention is how you said that medical ninjutsu is to be applied to others and not oneself —with few exceptions.

Again, I love how the exceptions murk the whole picture. If self-healing is possible from the medic nin point of view, then how do you categorize each action? How do you separate what is and what is not? What are the rules?

I'm not asking the manga to give me all the clues, because the story is not about medical ninjutsu. That's what fan theories are for.

Nevertheless, I'm here wondering about the history of medicine in the Narutoverse. From the mortality rate of the Warring States Period, I get that medical ninjutsu was not really a thing or it wasn't very advanced —at least not to the point of being significant against all the violence of their time. Given that Hashirama was the exception even among the Senjus, I'd dare to say that it was his status as a reincarnation of Asura which made him so powerful and gave him the crazy abilities.

Not so farfetched when you remember that in the Narutoverse, death is rarely the end of the users' abilities. I'm specifically talking about Hashirama's cells, okay? The rate of his regeneration technique could only be compared to either Naruto's kyubi jinchuriki skills or Tsunade's seal. Like you said, it is probably an effect of having such great chakra reserves. In Naruto's case, I dare to say it also has to do with being an Asura's reincarnation, since he was able to regenerate Kakashi's eye from zero after receiving his powers from the Sage of the Six Paths. With Tsunade's it seems to be a matter of mimicking the perfect chakra control of her grandfather, the same way Sakura would mimick Tsunade's later. That without accounting for the fact that Mito Uzumaki used to have a rhombus mark on her forehead too, which could be also part of the inspiration behind Tsunade's seal.

I love the mystery behind the stories of some Naruto's characters, lol. Anyway...

It reminds me of Chiyo, when she explained to Sasori that her technique to transfer life-force from oneself to a dead person to bring them back to life was not medical ninjutsu. It probably has to do with the fact you're not healing anymore. It's cool, really, how often the best medical shinobis end up using their knowledge to create a sort of battle technique.

I guess I'm just validating all your points, but I'm the type who needs to explain their thoughts while they're thinking. Sorry sjhdjdjdbdbdh

[nightswithkookmin]

So every member has been posting on weverse or Twitter lately, they've been coming on vlive. But Jk has done none of this. Do you see his social media absence as a silent rebellion against BH for them trying to hide Jikook or do you think he's probably just staying away for like mental health reasons or something.

Run that by me one more time???

Are you asking for my opinion on why JK might be absent from social media or are you asking me to choose between those two opinions as explanation as to why Jungkook might be absent from social media???

Is it for his mental health or relationship??? Lol. You are juxtaposing two extremely opposite theories so one sounds more appealing and plausible to highlight the other as outlandish and ridiculous. But that's a fallacy ma'am. Nice try though.

Also, the part about BigHit hiding Jikook...

I object. You is leading the witness sir/ma'am.

It's a little bit silly and presumptuous to assume whenever a member is absent from social media that the only possible reason I could possibly think of is that they are rebelling against their company.

Sometimes it's just a case of volition and personal interests. Sometimes you just don't wanna be social on social media. Sometimes you have work, family, chores, practice. Sometimes you've outgrown the space or lost track of why you wanted to be apart of an online community in the first place. Sometimes it's the toxicity and wanting to take a break from it for your mental health. Literally a plethora of reasons all of which could be valid depending on the context.

I try to give my theories context by sharing as much of my thought process as possible. It's asinine to strip those contexts away and present me with a skinned theory devoid of context.

About his mental health-

Let's try it this way...

Your first Ask: is there ever a moment I wonder if Jikook are just platonic brothers or something along those lines.

Yes. When they are not together romantically. I look at them and go huh... that's a very platonic hug, or interaction. I still uWu over their interactions though.

Cute. Next.

Is he rebelling against BigHit....

Why would he?? What's the context?

Do you think BigHit is making changes JK and the others might not be happy with in the company? Do you think the company or the members are interfering in his self autonomy and determination within the group or suppressing him in anyway in regards to what he says, what he does or who he does it with?

If so then him rebelling in that way would make sense to me because he wouldn't be the first idol to have used that tactic. A lot of idols do these and worse to assert themselves against their company.

If there's no such underling subtext then him rebelling makes no fucking sense to me.

Is he staying away for his mental health

Again, do you think he's been exposed to severe amounts of toxicity and hate online beyond what all the members experience on a daily such that he would need a break from the internet to rejuvenate like we saw around 2019? If so then taking a break for his mental health would make a lot of sense too.

But for someone who keeps reiterating how important connecting with his fans is to him, you gotta wonder how he strikes a balance between his mental health needs, his emotional needs and his professional deeds.

This is the last he was seen on Weverse.

Relatively recent I'd say. So when you say he's absent from social media which timeframes do you mean? They were all pretty much off the grid until recent times post PTD not just him. Are they all dealing with mental health issues or are they all rebelling against their company or something?

You have all these tiktok trends and memes he's been referring to here and there and incorporating into their freestyle dance- seems to me he's active online alright. Just not in the way we are used to them being 'active' online. He is fulfilling that need to connect with his fans just not in a way you'd expect. I can say same for Jimin.

Just gonna have to observe things for a while to form a definitive opinion. If you know what I mean.

BigHit hiding Jikook

Sigh. Sounds like shade when you put it like that honestly and so I didn't want to touch it but also I don't think anyone in Bangtan has had an out in the open romantic relationship with anyone yet💀

Show me RMs partner or Suga's girlfriend.

BTS are hiding their relationships gay or straight. If you can see it from that angle then I think the idea of Jikook hiding their relationship or Bighit aiding them or asking them to privatize their relationship isn't so outlandish and ridiculous like you make it seem. BTS are allowed to date, they are just not allowed to make those relationships public💀

If Jikook were heterosexuals and in different bands I think a lot of people would have entertained the thought. Hell people are convinced they are each dating female idols and keeping it a secret. People are convinced JK is dating Mijoo and keeping that a secret but him dating a boy in the same band and keeping it a secret is kapushkalava😌

Theories of RM married and raising a kid abounds in this fandom and people entertain the idea. However, because Jikook are in the same band and play out certain interactions in front of the cameras the thought that they may be hiding sounds funny in y'alls ears? Jokers💀

Most idols hide their relationships and are required by their companies to keep that out of the public eye. Jikook are idols ergo they are required to hide and are hiding their relationships be it with themselves or with others.

And yes BigHit does aid them in doing so when they issue statements about that "this relationship rumor is false" or when the members evade questions about their relationships in a way to insinuate they are single and not in relationships.

How Jikook feel about being required by the company to keep their relationships to themselves or their peers taking it upon themselves to enforce those company policies of private relationships is up for debate and speculation.

BTS wrote a whole ass song dissing the company and calling them out for having a no dating policy yet expecting them to write love songs and yet somehow we think it's ridiculous that Jikook who are part of BTS would rebel against their company from time to time over certain mandates? Lmho.

Edit:

This ask was sent in a few days before JK's recent VLive. I started answering it and let it go to draft because I felt it was pointless to answer it. Especially since a lot of my thoughts on this were regurgitative, abstract, and based on my own subjective opinion and assumptions about the boys. I feel I keep repeating myself and repeating the same things I've been saying over and over with these kinds of shady trolling asks. Sigh.

However, due to recent events that gives more credit to my thoughts and feelings on the matter, I'll attempt to answer it again.

In JK's VLive he said he noticed it's been a while he interacted with Fans which is why he jumped on the Live to see Army- if we take his word for it and at face value then he said nothing about his mental health ergo it can't be because of that😌

Tae equally said in his VLive he noticed the others coming on VLive and so he thought he would come too.

Now, don't you think they wouldn't have come so spontaneously if they were dealing with mental health issues or trying to take care of their mental health???

There was a time Tae was constantly online interacting with Fans and I think I was one of the few people out here who speculated he was lonely and wasn't dating anyone at the time- which he confirmed in Soop by the way when he told JK he being online constantly was because he was lonely.

Do you think he staying off Social media in recent times is because of his mental or that he doesn't feel as lonely anymore??

I stay off line sometimes for my mental health, sometimes too it's because I feel there are people and things in my life I've neglected and need to spend time with and pay equal attention to them.

Sometimes it's because there's death in the family or studies, or work or a film I need to catch up on...

As to the relationship between campanies and artists- in case you can't pick up on the subtle cues some of the members leave- Suga captures it so well in his Weverse magazine interview.

We made you, as long as you follow our instructions you will be good. Idols are expected to be subservient and sycophantic. As Suga points out it's a thing in the industry and it's destroying the industry.

As to whether or not you think BTS are fully and totally exempt from this harsh reality because BigHit is different is up to you frankly. As to whether or not you think this type of attitude from companies can create friction and tensions between them and the bands is equally up to you.

As to whether you think certain members in BTS are more obsequious than others, more rebellious than others is equally up to you.

In what ways they rebel is up to you too.

That's part A.

Part B. Lol

I answered the first part of this Ask based on the assumption you were being shady. But just in case you were not then here is an alternative response.

Like I said, JK is not the only member who's been absent from SNS in recent times. They all were at one point.

It's interesting how they will promise to come on Vlive whenever they have some to sell us and only recently started showing up on Vlive consistently when Permission to Dance received such mixed reactions from the audience.

It seems their disconnect from their fanbase and its subsequent consequences is becoming much more apparent to them...

For Jungkook, I think the members discussed his rebellious phase at the beginning of the year when they talked about him not posting for the members's birthday, how they expect his post for Hobi to be a start of something new and Jimin even said he was gonna cut his head off if he didn't post for his birthday- I don't think in all the times he didn't post for the members it's because he was grappling with mental health issues. It's just a post. It doesn't take more than a minute to wish your bandmate a happy birthday on their birthdays.

Especially not when he was posting relatively regularly on SNS but would go radio silent on their birthdays... Forget mental health that's antisocial and we saw how the members felt about that from the VLive.

Also, I think it would be insensitive for the members to expect Jungkook to post on their birthdays or for Jimin to hold him to such high expectations when they know very well that he deals with mental health problems or was dealing with mental health issues in those periods he didn't post for them- whoever says Jungkook didn't post for the members because he was dealing with mental health issues is a fraud. Yea I said it. If I ever spewed that nonsense out here then I'm a fraud too chilee💀

His other forms of silent rebelliousness has been in passive aggressive backhanded remarks aimed at the company and at times certain members. In my opinion of course. He won't do what he won't do and if he has to do it he will do it huffing and puffing and later chat shit about it during pillow talks at night with his boyfriend.

So I don't know what it is he might zeffbe rebelling against now. Like I said, being asked to tone down does not mean he can't Jikook. They are Jikooking. It's just on the low low.

And when you say he is reacting to BigHit hiding Jikook, you have to take into account if Jungkook himself wants to keep things hidden and private. Why would he rebel against something if it's what he wants too?? Know what I mean?

This is why I was talking about context. Jungkook of 2018 and 2019 is not the same Jungkook now. He's pretty much the same person, has the same values but he is learning and growing and that is equally important in the way he sees the world around him.

For instance, he wasn't one to think much about the future when he made certain choices and this is something I've talked about a lot in my blogs. Carpedium, make hay while the sun shines etc used to be his values but now he places a lot of emphasis on thinking about the future, being considerate and about how his actions could impact his future.

Those two mindsets produce totally different actions. One is likely to do very childish things, one is not. One is likely to be reckless, not very ambitious, and less serious, while one is likely to be thoughtful, calculative, intentional and less impulsive. He talks a lot about growing up fast but now it seems to me he's catching up with the times.

This is not to say he is a different person but more so he is becoming. He is learning and unlearning. He is not there yet but he is getting there.

If he wants to sit with Jimin, Vlive with Jimin, post on his birthday and not the others, if he wants to stand in a line up next to him but he can't then definitely he's gonna react strongly to that. But as it stands he is not doing any of that in my opinion- not that I'm aware of. Dude is living his best life out here.

I think I've said this, he is happy with where they are at now. If he is not we will know. That's when they ghetto jumps out of him. Don't know if I'm making sense chilee. Lol.

On the part of the company, I can only speculate to the effect that they are looking for various means to optimize and leverage the bands high demand. That they are trying to monetize their platforms and so restricting access to the boys is part of their mid pandemic marketing strategy- something I have been saying from day dot since the pandemic hit.

Like Suga says, monetization is a huge problem in Kpop and the Pandemic has only exacerbated it.

Showing up on Vlive gives us free access to the boys. As often as we would like to see them through that medium it doesn't pay their bills- doesn't pay much especially if they earn money in Won or whatever currency Naver uses.

YouTube is great. However it comes with restrictions and challenges especially with censorship- videos can be demonetized easily and willy nilly, You have to comply with Coppa and YT guidelines. There's CPM- whixh I don't know if it's high for BTS...

Then there's that whole breaching into Korea/China market agenda going on with them etc

Bighit is a business. BTS is not a nonprofit organization. I think the members can understand that much should the company explain to them why they all- not just Jikook- need to limit access to them.

Bighit made them and holds a contract over their heads. There's a certain amount of control they have over them yet a certain level of autonomy they reserve within such a transaction or business relationship.

Take Tae's appearance in Peakboy's MV for example. It's indication BTS does have a ree will to embark on such out of company adventures. There's Hwarang and features and all these side hustles they do...

Yet in the same breath they were at one point prohibited from taking photos with fans on the streets and stuff like that- I guess I should say allegedly.

If they want to VLive they will- as to whether or not they can VLive outside schedule is another thing all together.

As spontaneous as their VLives can be, a lot of them are scheduled too. So it's interesting how they all went MIA for a noticeable minute without the company officially scheduling these 'compulsory' Fan interactions via Vlive or even YT.

Let's not pretend they don't post sometimes on behalf of certain members. Let's not pretend that that doesn't happen💀

Jungkook showed up on YT grumpy and passive aggressive talking about that he didn't know he was supposed to do a VLive, he wasn't prepared, his hair was messy, he didn't know how to operate things- sigh.

Then he nagged us to death about the arts and crafts thingy... but in his recent live he said singing is all he can do so he sang and thrust his hips away- we can't be mad at that.

So if your question is whether I think there's something up with BTS and how they are interacting with fans or not interacting with fans my answer is yes. I mean that much is obvious...

Money is the root of all evil blink blink. Lol.

Do I think there's something up with Jikook and BigHit my answer is yes still- my theory?? Well I'm still observing things and hoarding information. Can't put out half baked theories you know?

I'm a professional ship delulu theorist and I take my delusions seriously😐

I can say this though, I think BigHit has a lot to lose now that they are a publicly traded company. They have investors and stockholders they hold themselves accountable to- how the fear of a scandal or the stigma of a queer relationship plays into all that is yet to be seen.

They are trying to mitigate that risk through strategic marketing and business models- separating BigHit under Hybe is one, their partnership with Dispatch has always been one. There's just so much they are doing we don't know and can only assume or infer.

If their recent interviews and line of questioning has taught me anything, it's that they are all well aware of our theories on BTS and speculations on their sexuality and if Taemin's manager can ask him or was asked if he was dating Kai to his face then others can equally speculate, wonder and ask BigHit directly if Jikook being the sticky ones in the group are dating fueled by all the fandom theories out there.

Rumour says Jikook is gay and are dating eachother. How Bighit feels about this, how BTS feel about it, how Jikook feel about it open for discussion.

There are those who just want to nip all such rumours in the bud and those who want to lean into it and and profit off of it because negative attention is still attention.

Which brings me to your question about Jikook, because I see you sent that Ask in twice, they sure as hell are goofy and dorky. Jungkook admitted that much in his interview.

They are the ones to troll the lives out of us and feed into our delusions of them. It's why most people dismiss them as messing with fans and playful and fanservicey.

So I find it interesting that the members calling them a couple because of their outfits isn't being taken as goofy, dorky, fanservicey but as a reason to further invalidate their relationship.

If you can't take whatever Jikook says and does seriously then you certainly can't take whatever anyone says and does concerning them seriously either.

I will answer the rest of it under the Ask you sent in. This post is getting longer already.

I hope this helps.

GOLDY

[sidecharacter965]

Obey Me Shall We Date demon brothers’ Love languages!

Please note that I am not yet up to chapter 20 so there may be some content that I have not seen to help with my speculation and opinions headcanons about the boy’s love languages.

A person’s “Love language '' is the way they communicate affection, and like to receive affection. There are five love languages which are:

-Physical Touch

-Words of affirmation

-Quality time

-Gift giving

-Acts of service

As an example, I like to hug people to express my happiness to see them and how much I love and care about someone. One of my friends however, prefers to just spend time with people and build bonds by doing stuff together. These are our different love languages.

In this post, I will speculate about what each of the demon brother’s love languages are based on opinions and ways they have “Flirted” with MC and/or showed concern for her. This is pretty much opinion, and what I personally feel their main love language is. (You have more than one way to show affection y’know)

Lucifer:

Love language: Quality Time

Explanation: Ohhhh boy is Lucy protective AF so I think Quality time would fit his personality the most. In all of the events so far, he’s done everything he possibly could to spend time with MC. But still got cockblocked in the sleeping event lmao Even if he’s not with MC, he’s probably always wondering about where they are and what they’re doing. He invited MC to join him for breakfast in one chat too. If you wanna get close to ol’ Lucy over here, spend time with him. When he asks you to join him it is not a request-

Mammon:

Love language: Words of Affirmation

Explanation: All Mammon wants is validation, and while he does love his head rubs and all, I feel like words of affirmation is The Great Mammon’s Love language! He’s always putting up a front and boasting about how great he is to make up for all of the times he isn’t verbally validated by the people around him. Kind of like hugging yourself so you don’t feel scared if you get what I mean. The best way to make this boy happy is to praise him! Compliment him, tell him how amazing he is, tell him the things he’s always needed to hear but never has. In return, you’ll be getting some praise yourself. He’ll try to make it backhanded and it’s adorable.

Leviathan:

Love language: Quality Time

Explanation: Levi doesn’t have many irl friends that he physically spends time with, so it’s a big thing for him when you two spend time gaming together. Spend time doing ANYTHING together in fact. The boy really loves it and normal interaction is healthy- another reason to spend time together! He will take every opportunity to go to any kind of anime related event or place, it’ll be even better now that he has someone to share all of these things with!

 How to be friends with Levi: Binge TSL Jkjk, just spend time doing stuff with him.

Satan:

Love language: Quality time

Explanation: This may be one of the things that rubbed off onto him from Lucifer lol. He’s always inviting MC to come with him to places and recommending dramas to watch together in the chats. He likes reading, discussing books, and sharing his knowledge with everyone. If you make the effort to try and calm him down when he’s angry, and stay with him to make sure he’s okay, he’ll appreciate it. He’ll also appreciate it when you ask about his books. It can be literally any of his books it doesn't matter. If you show that you’re willing to sit there and listen to him, he’ll be really grateful. Have fun with your lil ball of anger-

Asmodeus:

Love language: pHYSICAL tOUCH

Explanation: Do I really need to explain this lol. He’s constantly snuggling up to MC and putting his arms around them and just being really in MC’s personal space. As Simeon hints at during the retreat, Asmo just wants someone to love him, and from the excessive amounts of “personal space? Who’s that?” It’s safe to assume that Asmo’s love Language is Physical Touch. Tips? Let him hug you, and hug him back. Let him know when you’re uncomfortable though, if you don’t say anything, he might not realize that he’s invading your personal space.

Beelzebub:

Love language: Acts of Service

Explanation: Beel loves eating. So he loves when you cook for him and that falls under the acts of service category. Honestly, he really appreciates you going through all of that trouble to make him something that'll be gone in a matter of seconds. Make something, ANYTHING for Beel, and he will freaking love you. He’ll also show his love for you by taking you out to eat and offering to pay for the bill. Beel is just so sweet pun intended

Belphegor:

Love language: Physical Touch

Explanation: He seems to like hugs, and he’s the avatar of Sloth so I can’t help picturing him and MC snuggling up together and napping… The boy is just so soft and once he gets over the fact that you’re a human, he’ll actually start to like you and you will receive napping buddy privileges. I just feel like that would happen. We don’t get much time to interact with Belphie other than reporting back to the attic and stuff so this is more of a headcanon than speculation but oh well. I think Belphie likes hugs and hugging so if you think you’re brave enough to snuggle up to this demon boi… there’s nothing stopping you! Literally, even if he doesn’t like it, the worst you’ll get is an annoyed Belphie noise and a weak attempt to push you away.

And of course, all of the boys love gift giving as a whole group I mean the surprise guest interactions encourage you to gIVE tHEM fOOD and pRESENTS- There’s even achievements you can get for that lol

What do you think? Feel free to add your own thoughts and opinions into the mix!

[flusteredmountainman]

Bullet-pointed predictions I have for each of the new 3 routes

For like an in-depth prediction I did of Muriel’s one a couple months back see this old thing

So a huge commonality in the first three’s arcs (as I mention in that linked post) is reconnecting with family (both found and blood) and so I first and foremost think that this will be present in each LI’s route; I’ll go into more detail on what I think this will look like for each of them individually, plus upright/reversed end speculation based on the definitions for their patron arcana.

***Spoilers for Muriel, Portia and Lucio’s routes so far and references to Nadia, Asra and Julian’s routes***

I’ll start with Muriel because I’ve already talked to his route the most and I think it’ll be the easiest place to start!

Muriel:

The role of family in his route:

Obviously as we’ve seen so far, Muriel has a lot of unresolved feelings of abandonment, shame, self-loathing and loneliness associated with his family and the fact that they’ve abandoned him. 

He’s already had the very beginnings of opening up to MC in his last book (The Hermit - very fitting), and he will perhaps continue to do so

I think a central theme for his story will be reconnecting with his family and hearing their perspective on what happened for two reasons: firstly because of one of the options for MC’s response to this discusses that he actually doesn’t know his parent’s reasoning and that maybe they Did want him, and the second relates to Nadia’s route and her arc with reconnecting with her sisters

In her route, similarly she vents about how annoying and patronising her sisters were throughout her life and you can either agree or posit that maybe they were just trying to help/showing they cared about her (reversed vs upright choice)

I’m also hoping he generally creates a stronger support network - I think at least Portia, Nadia and Asra (and maaayyyybe even Morga but that might be pushing it) will end up helping him and MC in the confrontation with the devil at the end - just based on who we’ve seen interacting with him the most in positive ways so far

Upright meaning: Look inside yourself for the answers you seek. Take time for introspection in the days ahead.

He’ll recover from his trauma, recognise himself as a person who is deserving of love and support and who has Needs (including like. a bed. lol.)

Honestly I don’t have a lot else to say ‘cept that bc I said it already so kjaefjef check my aforementioned post if you want More for my favourite man

Reversed meaning: Be wary of retreating too far within your own mind. Others still have valuable things to share.

He decides that he needs to handle the confrontation with the devil alone - probably erring more on the side of self-sacrifice than anything else and/or seeing his sacrifice as just (still blaming himself for his trauma, he believes that his only way to “Redemption” is by falling on his own sword, so-to-speak)

Portia:

Oof, Portia’s a tricky one so far.

The role of family in her route:

So, obviously she has a lot of baggage with Julian. Some of this is hinted at just around her arcana’s definitions, but I’ll get to that soon.

She’s a compulsive secret-hoarder and collects information about everyone around her. I think this is probably a hang-up that she has around control - or loss of it. She doesn’t have security or wealth or even anyone to permanently look after her/mentor her (Julian left and Lilinka - her adoptive grandmother - passed away leaving her to fend largely for herself).

I think that information is the one thing she feels that she has control over, because so much of her life has been out of her hands (and also just chasing Julian around trying to clean up his messes)

She’s literally a head servant as her job -so much of her life is being told what to do and also telling others what to do. I think she fears loss of control in her life, but she’s also never been in a position where she’s been able to be an active agent and do things just because she wants to do them. 

She craves validation, safety, and support and that’s why she found herself in this employment role with Nadia - and even then in Nadia’s route (and her own), she’s terrified that Nadia will abandon her in a heartbeat - even though she literally nursed her for years and has been nothing but loyal. Girl has some Mad abandonment issues

Edit: Portia ultimately blames herself for the people around her leaving and thinks that people will only stay if she can be useful in some way - hence why she so doggedly pursues Julian's innocence because she thinks the only chance she has of him staying is if she can literally fix his mess

Largely I think her arc with her family will be about her feeling emboldened to be honest about her feelings and letting Julian know in a meaningful way how much his absence impacted her, but also realising that she Actually Can lean on Mazelinka (who she obviously loves but has made Many excuses as to why she’s too busy to see her - probably again a thing of “if I control when and where I see you, then I can’t get hurt in this relationship”), Nadia, and probably also Asra and some of the other servants even?

Upright meaning:  Believe in your inner light. You may have endured great hardship, but it only makes you shine brighter.

Idk man lol this is honestly quite vague. 

I think this will prolly be a similar thing to Muriel - just specifically confronting that Yes, she’s had a hard time of it but she shouldn’t let that impact her quality of life

Also probably a lot of stuff around her realising she’s worthy of love as a person and that the people who love her won’t abandon her

Reversed meaning:  Now is not the time to despair. Keep believing and let your star shine bright. The world needs you

Again.... aefkjfkae...... very vague.....

I think she won’t be able to let go of her fear of abandonment generically - or alternatively will perhaps? Try to bargain with the devil? I could see a similar thing happening with her that happened in Nadia’s reversed end - perhaps she believes she can save the world/MC by offering her servitude to the devil and being beholden to him? This is Fully a reach, I honestly have no idea :P

Lastly, Lucio:

Don’t worry, I’m not dunking on him lol. I don’t like him but that doesn’t mean I don’t have Thoughts about his route.

The role of family in his route:

Well. This one is clearly quite literally maybe the messiest out of these three (I mean that literally, in terms of, the amount of blood lol)

Obviously, he has a lot of baggage with both of his parents. I’ll disclaimer and say that I personally don’t see Morga as abusive - that doesn’t mean people can’t - but I’m making speculations specifically about their relationship just based on the in-game context clues we have and nothing else

As a person, Lucio is ultimately obsessed with power and attaining it. He’s clearly insecure and is desperate for any sort of validation, which is made messier by his natural sense of entitlement. This combination means that he chronically chases power, thinking that leadership means being able to do whatever you want to do with no consequences (e.g. in his route and also in Nadia’s when he briefly discusses killing people as count/countess) - and especially he thinks that if he has the power, the wealth, and the status then he’ll get the validation that he desperately craves. 

As count, he throws lavish parties and spends a lot of time with the vagabonds in the south end - trying to win petty devotion and admiration with meaningless shows of wealth meanwhile his people are starving and suffering in the flooded district. He just wants to be popular at the end of the day, he doesn’t care about actual leadership or using his power for good, unselfish reasons. He claims his people love him, but it’s hollow, ornamental love based upon flash, not substance

Morga as a parent is harsh - she’s critical and derisive at times, but it’s also clear that she does love her son (specifically how she says she spoiled him by never letting him get hurt). Lucio as a teenager grew up somewhat spoiled and expected that power would fall to him by virtue of heritage from his mother when he came of age. 

I think that Lucio didn’t get what he needed from Morga necessarily as a kid, and as a result he craved that first position of power because he saw it as a source of validation he hadn’t previously had - and when it was denied him, he became resentful and even murderous towards his parents. 

Woof, long fucking paragraph. I do think that Morga and Lucio will end up reconciling in his route somehow. I think it’s central to his character and to filling the void inside of him that he learns that you can’t buy people’s love - also just because his whole story and entry into the world was sparked by that essential conflict with his mother. I think it would feel weird narratively if that weren’t at least addressed - whether or not it ends in reconciliation

Upright meaning:  Shake off his veil: you are not trapped. There is always a way out of even the darkest places.

I think that this will be a redemption arc for Lucio. I think that in order for him to be redeemed he’ll have to relinquish the devil’s influence over him - which will involve addressing the wrong he’s done and apologising/trying to atone for it (whether or not other LIs accept his apology is another thing - as they all have very valid reasons not to)

I think the “way out of the darkness” for Lucio is in giving up his quest for power. He will learn that it’s ok to just be Lucio as a person, that he can be vulnerable and responsible for himself, and that people will love him as he is and not for the way he throws his money around

Reversed meaning:  It is time to clean house: purge the things that harm you from your life. Take back your power.

Now this literally includes the sentence “take back your power” so. whoomp there it is. Lucio can’t let go of his power-hunger and becomes even more selfish and self-righteous.

I think also unfortunately this will mean he will literally probably kill some if not all of the other LIs, and also (especially) his mother. He will see anything that challenges his power as opposition to be removed, and he will rule (alongside the devil? who knows) in chaos and blood.

Ookey!! kajefnkae glad I got that out of my system. If I missed anything/if people have their own ideas/thoughts I’d love to hear them! Have this giant essay lol, we’ll see if anything I predicted comes true in the next several dozen updates eh? B)

[ngame989]

once I saw a speculation that when Marco and Star were dancing at the bloody moon ball Star expected to be Tom and not Marco what do you think of that? happy 2019 for you and for seddm

OK so usually I try to be nice to good faith askers, and at most I get sarcastic with my response. I’m not gonna do that here. @transparentzinewagoneclipse, I’m sorry in advance, because most of the harsh things I’m going to say aren’t directly directed at you… but in a way, they are, and I hope you can try to assess what I have to say for yourself and consider taking it to heart.

Let’s take literally 1 sentence to answer this question, starting… now. She asked “how did you know my name”, and if she was expecting Tom (or anyone specific she knew) there is NO reason for her to say that, so NO she was not expecting Tom. Solved with literally one line of surface-level analysis of the direct dialogue, no subtext or deeper looks needed.

Or if you wanted me to go further for some reason, I could quote the passage in the Book of Spells about it that implies that if she realized it was someone she know subconsciously, it was Marco.

I think I’ve already answered your questions with pleas to actually think about the random word vomit you read online, so I’ll do it again, a bit firmer, a bit meaner, a bit bolder, because these are the biggest issues that plague the fandom as a whole and make it completely pointless to try actually having fun and engaging conversations about the show with 97% of people. There are absolutely a huge amount of questions and unknowns to discuss and speculate on, and that’s all well and good, but THERE ARE ALSO A FUCKTON OF THINGS THAT ARE (AS MUCH AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE) COMPLETELY SOLVABLE, TOTALLY KNOWN, OR 100% INFERABLE WITH NO LEGITIMATE COUNTER TO THEIR VERACITY. If you see “speculation” about something in the show, I do not advise you to discard it entirely if you don’t agree with it or if it supports something you don’t like. That is far from the point here, and something resembling that attitude is what led a lot of Starcos to their peril before Season 3. However, all I ask is that you actually weigh these statements against the facts. In this case it didn’t even require complex media analysis of any kind: I solved this question with a cursory glance at a direct quote available to anyone with a simple wiki search. I provided additional supporting evidence, too, but even if you yourself don’t have access to the Book, you can solve the issue.

And this attitude, that EVERY bit of “speculation” uttered by anyone must be treated as valid, that NOTHING can be any more probable (or, god forbid, more certain) than anything else, is what makes this fandom intolerable for any sort of reasonable discussion. There are so many interesting topics to talk about, nuances to analyze, futures to speculate on, and no one is talking about any of it because everyone still feels that the basic facts of what happened are somehow up for debate. And I thank some of my frequent askers, particularly @starcoiskillingmebutidontcare, for actually positing a lot of interesting ideas about Season 4 for me to think about because I don’t get any of it anywhere but my immediate, very small circle of friends, because most of it is spent on this type of thing instead. Now I am not accusing you, dear asker, of being the cause of any of this, but I think you’re at the very least a victim to this mentality, unable or unwilling to actually put these basic yes-or-no questions to the test yourself. And in general I’m more than willing to tackle a lot of questions people have about this type of thing because there are a lot of elements to the show that have a generally correct answer but can always use a deeper look under the surface which most people might not do, but this specific type of question posed in this ask even being a question indicates a fundamental problem with how fans treat the show.

Open-mindedness means you are open to listening to statements and assessing their worth, not that you must treat every word that enters your brain as an equally plausible with no regard for their specific merits. I’m a scientist and this shit pisses me off outside of the fandom too. Just because your local news station put one scientist and one random guy together on a segment to debate climate change does NOT mean each side has 50% of the evidence behind it. Just because some people say vaccines are good and some people say they’re bad doesn’t mean the objective consensus on the topic is doubtful or mixed. These false dichotomies sew doubt where there shouldn’t be any and create genuinely harmful paranoia around the world. And of COURSE the topic of analyzing a princess cartoon doesn’t even begin to compare to the impact of these other things, but the same principles are at play in both cases. I would not be open-minded if I laughed at you for asking this question without giving any reason for my refutation beyond “lol no me no likey Tomstar u stoopid”, but that is not the case. I took this supposed speculation, listened to it, and analyzed it. The analysis determined that it is patently, 100%, without a doubt false, but I still gave it a fair shake. Am I perfect in this regard? No. I still feel a compulsive need to swat away a lot of things I see, and for the most part a lot of them are just repetitive word slurry that don’t need any further analysis beyond what I’ve already given it (e.g. Starco is cliche/forced) but it’s still worth my while (and yours, too) to at least do a sanity check every now and then, to make sure that you understand why the wrong things are wrong and why the right things are right.

So once again, @transparentzinewagoneclipse, I’m not going to refuse your asks or anything in the future, but I implore you to simply think, when you read or hear things online. Think, even with what I’m saying: I’d feel even worse if my words about treating what others say as neither void of knowable meaning or as unquestionable gospel were used as unquestionable gospel by their readers. I can hope to build a rock-solid enough case that even a pretty casual assessment of them is convincing for most, but that’s it. Anyway, rant over. Live long and prosper and Starco and all that jazz.

[im-basically-logan]

me yelling abt the new sander sides episode because i have no chill

under the cut, friendos!

i’m typing this as i listen/watch the video btw so it’s all in order! also this is very long

that’s... an intro.

i love joan so much hghfhgjfdhjk

new channel news yay

Tweet Tunes blz come back

“give me my shirt back!”

i still love the intro to sander sides so much

thomas what the fuck. i’m so confused

“Cast: Thomas Sanders” that’s sander sides in a nutshell

also thats a big fuckin wine glass

dont eat bad chicken wraps blz

“yeah but what’s your actual job?” oof

the beginning is very slow paced imo blehh. a good reflection on thomas’ mood in the video tbh

“i feel bad about feeling bad” me all the time

i cant believe roman got slapped in the face

roman x katana otp uwu

“Logan!!! It’s Patton!!” that was both cute and kinda odd? did he think logan would be suspicious of him being deceit? probably not

logan really goin for those claps and syllables

“Although I am overcome by a titillating, tingly sensation whenever deadlines are met” l-logan? what??? did you just say?? i agree with roman’s reaction on this one.

the poor 4th wall. also i’m not belittled

patton called himself, roman, and logan daddy

VIRGIL!!!!

virgil flapping as he’s like “Are you serious??”

the countless amount of beeps as roman and logan argue.

bestest duo

god the stretching shit

ROMAN GOT CALLED THE FUCK OUT

i mean we been knew he’s insecure but still

“do you know how dangerous that is?”

“I’m shooting straight, even though I’m gay”

dfkghdfkjhdskj patton knows what everyone calms down with hghghgfh

i love how logan just immediately starts solving the cube lol

it was 25 seconds jfc logan

tfw you’re just so good at being creativity that you color the mona lisa with shitty colors

are.. are they making a vine reference?? with the loop thing??

F r o o t

S am e  s i  es  logan s w ea t y B L Z

“get naked??” ROMAN PL E A SE

he was ready to strip what the  F UCK

intact and wet?

hfgjkhdjk logan’s trying his best

Sometime’s we don’t know that there’s a question to be asked: clarified

LOGAN COMPLIMENT PATTON FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE

i want a cogitating cap but it’s $25 sobs

textbooks, m I S T A KES (roman jfc), PUPPETS!!

yes virgil defend pat

tbh i had the same thoughts as logan at first abt the adult thing..

roman you over did the chin, buddy

“you are unbelievably extra any time you get” “put a sOCK IN IT!”

and then virgil becomes a sock puppet

I LOVE HIM I’LL TAKE 5

sweet coraline!!! BA BA BAAAAA

“if by up you mean the opposite of down to do this” that was very convoluted

what is with roman not liking the word figuratively??? are you ok?? is there some secret angst behind the meaning of that word?

patton cursed again

is... 5 by 5 a thing???

jfc logan, you wear light wash jeans?? i thought they would be dark

oh and you hit roman in the eye

ngl i laughed because he’s a puppet and couldn’t blink

oh my god logan looks so regretful w h a t?

also L is a new nickname

“Maybe I should go” “NO”

o shit

slight throwback to when Logan left in moving on part 1??? :3c

hfdjkhfkjd like mAR IA

ew feelings

“i’d rather go live in a garbage can” same

thomas we love you so much feelings are weird

jfc patton.

“oh i’m sorry, EXCEPT I’M NOT!”

big oof at roman being called out

“oh my gosh, what is up your butt?” “... an  ARM”

i mean he’s not wrong but i feel like he could’ve thought about that phrase a little more carefully

i really liked the text stuff when logan was talking about “Why?”

solid electric company reference yeet

SHSHDHGHSHSHDHHSHSHH

logan flailing his arms is a mood

“i could list off several factors that very well could be contributing to your doubts” someone let him sp e a k

and it’s virgil.

lmao that was a big “I’ll take what I can get” bit for logan ngl rip

hfgkdhjdkfs virgil as the count i’m

logan’s looks he’s giving virgil are m o o d s

“three depressing speculations, ah ah ah...”

“four uncomfortable characters in this room”

“jeez you slobbily eat some jam and accidentally make a jew puns and now you’re suddenly sensitive about being taken seriously?” “I’m not a joke!”

YI K E S

the logan angst i’ve been craving

logan blz hhhhhh

headcanon: adjusting his tie is a big stim

you can see virgil’s expression in the puppet when patton calls him a cute muffin wowie puppeteering is neat!

roman ur being an ass

“it’s too bad your brain isnt as big as your chin” “well you smell like FOOT” hfdjhgjfkdhs

there’s so many more logan screenshots i gottttttt yessss

“what? no-” too late, it’s musical time

“another song, really?” logan, you literally sang last episode

this patton angst return

“Did that work?” “Nope!” logan’s face at that. b o i did you not pay attention? to moving on pt 2? he was kinda there as thomas right?? maybe?? oh no

“I knew you’d listen to me as too scary to ignore” hello @asofterfan got that thing down to a T.

logan just looks so shook like “oh shit”

“but when you lo-care for someone...” virgil, we all heard it.

logan breaking down the musical into just the keyboard was p cool

hghgnhghfhsg THE ONE SHOT SLAM

ahdsdshjkdfsk i love this part with logan and thomas so MU CH

ALSO! I think there was a key change to something minor? sounded much more overlooming/scary as they ended their verses

“You’re lost” “I’m right here” “It’s okay. I was lost once too...” i’m just shook.

roman just hangs his actual dirty socks jfkdkfdh

that trumpet thoooooo

virgil just callin everyone out today

logince angst content yeet

“logic always has a part to play, logan” ye  s s s s ss  validate him, virgil

virgil is callin out and validatin everybody today

dont hug me i’m scared ref, nice

moxiety hug!!

“that god i can move my arms again”

i can’t say i was surprised with logan becoming a robot sorta puppet

“iron giant nerd!” yeah

“I’ve never felt anything in my life” no patton squeal?

oh my god logan just said beep boop what a nerd

virgil telling patton about the innocent talks thing was something i really liked and was expecting eventually tbh

logan giving roman a high five!!!

“you did the stretchy arm!” “it’s not as gross when a robot does it” i need to see the arm thing jfc

“Can you tell me how to get-” “How to get to sesame street!” they just all... left him. rip

logan can’t summon well or control his shapeshifting powers that well?? hmm?

i love that ending with the sesame street throwback again aaaaaa

the way roman and patton laughed in the end card?? what the hell lmao

thomas throwing shade at himself with his own characters is a mood

Thanks to everyone who works on Sander Sides!! This was the longest episode yet, I think. The team grew so much

[getoffthesoapbox]

VK Science I - Vmpr & Prbd Gene

Soo… I don’t feel like creating a temporary email just for this discussion, so yeah… This is already a “fake email” that I use for my beyond dead account and my currently abandoned fanfic. Not sure if my email is noticeable to everyone, but if it is, I don’t really care which name you decide to call me by lol. And if you’re wondering, I’m trying to quickly reply because there were a lot of concepts that were misunderstood and I don’t want to give misinformation or a theory that makes no sense (Plus, I have the longest break before my class). 

And ah, I love @imaginarylights! Their edits are always pretty :) Anyway, I just figured life caught with you up, and yes, I did resend my ask, but I guess tumblr didn’t like it *side-eyes*.

*Note: I tried to make things easier to understand by writing them as points, so hopefully this helps. Let me know, I guess?

Humans carrying Vmpr gene: So what I actually meant was that your original theory from our first discussion assumes that all humans (past & current) naturally contain a genetic sequence that codes for vampires except the gene is normally turned off. I do NOT agree with this because if you actually try to map out the transfer of alleles or even create a punnet square (granted, it’s already difficult with the lack of evidence like I stated earlier), you would expect humans to birth vampires, including Purebloods, more frequently regardless of the time period in VK. Obviously, this isn’t the case, so no, humans do not carry this gene at all.

The Prbd gene: like I said in past msgs, this would be developed in the Progenitors during human development in the womb where a mutation likely occurred during replication, repair, or even crossing over during meiosis. This just means that, technically, a “misarrangement” of DNA ended up coding for the traits we see in Purebloods. Since there are so few Purebloods, you would expect this gene to be recessive or “rare.”

Arguments: You could argue that it’s also the nature of Purebloods in VK and how they do not reproduce often and many of them were killed off early on in wars. Considering the different levels of vampires and even Senri’s rank, though, I think it just comes down to a gene that is rarely passed on. Although, you could also look at it as that Hino wanted Purebloods to be rare to emphasize the Kuran family’s prestige and nobility, ultimately making Yuuki and Kaname “special” characters in comparison to others.

The environment: I’m not taking back what I said from earlier msgs - I still think it played a role in the ways I stated earlier.

“Failed” or “incomplete” Purebloods (I don’t know how you would want to word that): In short, these people expressed partial traits of what we would now in VK consider the Prbd gene. Because they didn’t express the full gene, their fitness was lower, so they did not have a good chance of surviving and passing on their genes. Therefore, these people would not encompass the Progenitors, thus, lowering the Progenitors numbers.

Your questions: Hopefully my point about humans helped clarify some things. As far as humans duration of pregnancy for Purebloods and “teething,” I can’t answer these questions because I am not the author, sorry. This would all be speculation that has no basis because there doesn’t appear to be any evidence to support any claims.

The Vmpr gene: Basically Levels A through C (Pureblood to Average) vampires would express this (dominant) gene as it encompasses the very nature and expression of vampires. As such, this would mean the Progenitors underwent several mutations prior to birth as this gene would be at a different loci (location on the chromosome). Although, considering how the two are related, I would expect the genes to be relatively close to each other in terms of distance.

Charisma: I’ve seen it mentioned in the manga, but I don’t recall seeing it shown. However, I would presume that vampires have more pheromones to attract humans or that humans are just more attracted to vampires for some psychological reason that I can’t answer.

Blood satisfaction: To me, this is more of a plot device, similarly to the argument of why Purebloods are rare. I think it’s something Hino added for the sake of the love triangle as a way to add drama and romance. To argue that there’s some sort of genetic or scientific basis for this is like saying that there are predestined soulmates that people are fated to fall in love with, which is determined by their DNA… Which just seems odd… There might be a psychological reason, but that’s not my major.

Why I was salty: It’s hard to determine the offspring of mixed classes of vampires and even with humans because we are not shown any examples. Based on her lore, the simple answer is that based on the level of vampire parent(s), the children will fall somewhere in between as seen by (my love lol) Senri’s rank as an Aristocrat. In the case of Ren, I have no idea. Of course that’s not how genetics works and is confusing when considering the children between Average vampires and humans since some may be human (-.-)

Zero: I didn’t use Zero as evidence for vampires reactions to sunlight because Zero was not born as a vampire. My whole theory only encompassed Level A to C and I thought he was a Level D. Regardless, he wouldn’t carry the Vmpr gene and as such, he falls under my next theory that I hope to present, which is how Purebloods turn humans into “vampires” and how Level D and E are different (genetically and otherwise) from the other classes of vampires.

Hunter genes: I know it’s a possible counterargument and my answer is that I still have no idea how Hino’s “pseudo-science” works with hunters, so… Imma side-eye that. Maybe I’ll eventually come up with a theory that can explain her lore and hunters, but until then, I’m not going to address it.

So I don’t know how long this ended up being since I no longer have a limit LOL, but I hope it wasn’t too long. Nonetheless, I hope this helped clarify everything! Let me know if you have any more questions before I move on to my next theory.

Until next time!

I figured your poor ask had been gobbled by the tumblr gremlins again; this new submission post system seems to work much better (and it allows you to have more freedom to outline your points, which I’m sure everyone following our crazy discussion will appreciate). =) Plus it’s easier to respond to, fufu!

@Humans carrying Vmpr gene: Thanks for clarifying this one for me. So you’re saying if humans naturally carried the vmpr gene, we’d see it more frequently across time (even if it was still rare on the whole) rather than all at once in a clump like what Hino implies, which makes it unlikely as a possible explanation. I can definitely get behind that. 

@The Prbd gene: It’s fairly undeniable there was an environmental component to the development of the gene, so we’re in agreement there. (That’s the one thing Hino pretty much directly implies in the story.) And lol @ the Purebloods needing to be rare in order to make the Kurans “special”. (I would not be surprised about this one.) And my questions regarding vampire pregnancy and teething were more speculative in nature anyway; just wanted to know if you had any thoughts on how a human giving birth to a Pureblood would go, given how long it takes Purebloods to develop within fellow Purebloods (though perhaps this is more due to the fact that Pureblood female wombs have other toxins that slow natural development that a human’s wouldn’t, who knows–again, just speculating). Admittedly the whole teething business was a recent addition on Hino’s part, but it’s a bit of a horrifying process to contemplate given the progenitors arrived with human parents who knew nothing of the process.

@The Vmpr gene: Oh that’s quite interesting that there’d be several mutations prior to birth . So of course for Levels A through C you’d expect some kind of vampiric gene dominance. What would your thoughts be on Level Ds like Zero and the other turned humans? Would they pass on human genetics or vampiric ones if paired with, say, a human, rather than a vampire? (Obviously Zero’s kids would be partially vampiric due to Yuuki being his partner.) 

@Charisma: You see this pop up in the story at various points–Rido uses it against Aidou during the Rido battle back in arc 1 (Aidou’s eyes go glassy and he becomes mesmerized until Yuuki has to snap him out of it) and Yuuki when he takes over that kid at the vampire ball where she mopes about Kaname and Sara, and also during the Sara arc everyone’s always commenting on how Yuuki doesn’t have any charisma and Sara’s busy mesmerizing nobles and humans alike. It appears to be from what Hino establishes a sort of “aura” around the Purebloods that draws the eye (she usually uses sparkles or some other screentone to show it). Anyway, my thought was increased pheromones of some kind myself, though admittedly it doesn’t particularly matter and could just be a natural part of the “whole package” of the gene and more of a social side effect rather than an intentional one.

@Blood satisfaction: Okay, I just wanted to confirm you didn’t think this whole bit was scientifically valid from a genetic perspective, as I’m personally also of the opinion that this is just a romantic plot device. ;) I can definitely get behind the idea that it’s potentially just psychological on the part of the Purebloods and has no actual basis on whether or not they should be satisfied with X or Y amount of blood taken from random or less loved parties.

@Mixed Children: That’s really interesting that average/human mixes might have human genetic dominance (at least if this was genetically sound fufu). So do you think it’s possible for Purebloods (or a Pureblood/Noble mix, or Pureblood/Average) to have a throwback human child? Come to think of it, you know, the Hunters having a small amount of the Vmpr gene creates humans with some of the genetic traits–such as Kaien’s long life and youthful appearance, despite his lack of fangs. How interesting would it have been for Hino to have a human or more human expressing Pureblood or Noble character? *ahem* But yeah, it’s a shame Hino was so focused on the top of the hierarchy we never got to see any characters from the lower ends, where the struggles would be more common. 

@Zero: Oh great you’re going to dig into the Level Ds/Es in your next theory. Then I’ll wait to badger you about Zero’s specialness until after you’ve had a chance to dive in. =) (And lol, yes, it’s kinda…bizarre how the Hunters ended up being able to pass down certain vampire genes by just…eating?…the Hooded Woman. Like…pretty sure that’s not how that works lol. But hey, whaddoo I know? XD)

Anyway, don’t you worry a thing about how long your posts are! You have plenty of space now, and if my own responses get too lengthy, I can just put them under a cut now. =) 

Looking forward to your theory on how turning works!

[voyageviolet]

Just for the hell of it, I’m going to post the responses I’ve been writing for the Great Homestuck Reread.

DAY 1

I could have sworn I wrote something for this day, but apparently no??? Weird.

DAY 2, PAGES 127-247

Favorite Panel: John: Scold TT

This one's just cute to me.

Favorite Pesterlog: John: Answer chums.

Rose is being high-and-mighty about the FAQs while John panics about impending doom; meanwhile Dave is talking to himself about planet fucking Jupiter. These kids are a disaster.

Favorite Flash: S: John: Take a bite of the apple.

There's not a lot of competition for "favorite flash" in these pages, but I do think it's a great way for the story to really get started with a sense of urgency.

Missed Moments: Not much, but is that oil on Rose's wall? And I've never noticed John's shirt changing color.

Today's Question - Is Act 1 actually bad or are people just not giving it a chance?

I think Act 1 is great, but I didn't the first time I read it. It takes a while to get past the initial "What the fuck am I reading" response, what with the captchaloging and the cruxtruding and the other fake words. I started reading and gave up twice before I finally buckled down and decided, "I am going to find out what the deal is with the candy corn horns I'm seeing everywhere if it kills me." But if you decide to just relax and enjoy the ride, Act 1 is a lot of fun. It's just frustrating for the people who've been sold on Homestuck being this great epic adventure to have to get through the kids screwing around in the beginning.

DAY 3, PAGES 248-384

Favorite Panel: Dave's little gasp here. ~SO COOL~

Favorite Pesterlog: And here we have the first example of two of the gayest kids in Homestuck calling each other gay. These two are so much alike in their mostly-playfully-adversarial ways; they crack me up.

Favorite Flash: [S] YOU THERE. BOY. I'm the kind of RPG gamer that walks around and talks to every NPC and checks every little corner for items or info, so the walkaround flashes are always especially fun for me.

Missed Moments: -In the [S] YOU THERE. BOY. flash, WV knows who John Cusack is, as if he's some kind of universal constant.

-When I first read Homestuck, I didn't expect this quote to be referenced again: "You wonder if this rain will ever let up. It's driven since the month began, perhaps long enough to forget its purpose. It no longer even knows to assuage fire. Somewhere a zealous god threads these strings between the clouds and the earth, preparing for a symphony it fears impossible to play. And so it threads on, and on, delaying the raise of the conductor's baton. "

-And for something I missed this time around: Does anyone know what songs used to be on the [S] on page 338? There's still "Harlequin" and "John do the windy thing," but some have been removed, probably for copyright reasons. (If you're not sure what I mean, click the four corner buttons on that page.)

Today's Question - Who was truly at fault in the Rose/Mom pseudo-imaginary feud?

I talked a bit about this yesterday, but to simplify: It's Mom's fault, simply due to the fact that she's the parent. It's the parent's responsibility to engage with their child in a way that the child can understand and appreciate. Mom reacted to Rose in an overbearing way that had more to do with her own feelings than her child's feelings. For example, when young Rose asked her mom to have a funeral for her cat, she wasn't asking for an elaborate permanent monument; she was asking for help saying goodbye to a friend and coping with that loss. In spite of what I assume to be her best intentions, Mom failed to provide that. Their house is filled with this sort of elaborate expression of affection that completely fails to provide any real emotional connection.

Let me state for the record that Roxy is one of my favorite characters in Homestuck, but she's the version of the character who managed to pull herself together and support the people she cares about. For whatever reason, Mom is the version who didn't.

DAY 4, 385-509

Favorite Panel: ==> I forgot about this one, but John flying around the room with the pogo and the shaving cream is still hilarious.

Favorite Pesterlog: Dave: Pester Rose. The first crack in the cool kid's facade.

Favorite Flash: [S] Rose: Youth roll right out the front door. This is SO dramatic, what with the "empty suicide threat" and the "ironic negligence," and yet it's presented in such a cartoonish "lol whatever" manner. I wish we got more detail about their relationship at some point in the story - something like Dave's introspection and his interaction with Dirk - because this flash presents a pretty bleak picture.

Missed Moments: -From page 404's commentary: "Also, I like how WV is now helping out with the Con Air references through his terminal commands. He shows a striking ability to adapt to and participate in running gags. He is the type of guy who just "gets it", you know?" I definitely didn't pick up on this before. It's hard to pinpoint the places where the commands stop being authorial input and start being characters' input.

-424's commentary: "Judging by the commands, WV is just as caught up in the story as John is. Let's agree this is adorable." Definitely adorable, but I wonder, does WV know at this point that this is the story he was already caught up in?

-447: "There's the PUPPET CHEST he stores LIL' CAL in when he takes him out on gigs." BRO TAKES LIL CAL ON GIGS. LIKE GIGS IN PUBLIC? THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE WHO'S NOT A TRAPPED 13 YEAR OLD WOULD EVER ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT VENTRILOQUIST RAPPING COULD BE COOL. BRO WOULD GET DESTROYED ONSTAGE.

I always assumed that the puppet thing was exclusively online, but it sounds like Bro's life may be weirder than I ever realized - which is pretty fucking weird to begin with.

Today's Question - Is WV really just a one note joke character? No, I don't think he is. Every character in Homestuck is a joke to some degree, but that doesn't make them flat. WV has an emotional journey and narrative development that starts with his his silly obsession with eating green things, evolves through flashbacks of his rebellion against a corrupt monarchy and his friendship with PM&co, and ends with him starting (what seems to be) an egalitarian democracy on new Earth. He also serves to explain to the audience what happened to the old, now abandoned Earth without resorting to boring exposition.

Plus he's adorable and everyone loves him, so there's that.

Bonus Question - WHAT'S YOUR POGO MINIGAME HIGH SCORE???? Yeah I can't say I spent much time on that, but I did enjoy the song.

DAY 5, PAGES 510-644

Didn't get time to respond to this yesterday, oops. I'll make this quick.

Favorite Panel: Vaulthalla, baby.

Favorite Pesterlog: Rose: Answer Dave. Still love these kids, and the fact that Rose makes up a poem on the spot is pretty impressive.

Favorite Flash: Well, there's only the one, so...

Missed Moments: None this time.

Today's Question - Which of the items in your house would you combine to make a cool weapon? I'm gonna be a dumb nerd and admit that I'd like to see what I could make with some anime figures. I've always thought that umbrellakind was kind of fun, so why not mix animu figures with that. Like, a Sailor Moon figma with an umbrella could make a cute cheesy magical girl wand. I also have an old biting pear statue that I'm sure could make some interesting things.

DAY 6, PAGES 645-759

Favorite Panel: Democracy. The deadpan faux-seriousness combined with WV's cuteness is just delightful.

*Favorite Pesterlog: * There really weren't any of note in this section. This day's all about WV.

Favorite Flash: WV: Ascend. I've always found the longer flash videos a bit confusing; there are so many things happening at once. Damn if they aren't fascinating, though.

Missed Moments: -Page 721: "All of the chess moves were copied exactly from a famous game played by Bobby Fischer. I forget which one exactly, but it was super famous among dudes who bone tight up on their chess." Never would've guessed that. For some reason, it never even occurred to me that these would be valid chess moves rather than WV just throwing things around. -"The station's terminal is meant to "control" the client player of the kid whose house once existed where that station is. So WV's station, which was in Rose's location, gives commands to John, because John is Rose's client player, and she commands his game similarly. And the apple station commands Jade, because she'll be John's client player, etc. Did you realize this?" NOPE

Today's Question - What would WV's classpect be? Mayor of Can? I dunno, I've never spent much time on classpect theorizing. It's too complicated and too heavily based on speculation for me.

DAY 7, PAGES 760-885

Favorite Panel: Jade's holographic computer. Her life is ridiculous and otherworldly. Seeing the crazy things that are a mundane part of her reality is pretty great.

Favorite Pesterlog: A rare Jade-Rose pesterlog. Best appreciate these when you can.

Favorite Flash: [S] Rose: Ascend. There are a lot of fight scenes in this section, but this one is the most fun, and the one involving the least amount of child abuse.

Missed Moments: -"I wonder which troll named her Farmstink? Do trolls even have farms? Maybe they call them musclebeast pastures." It never even occurred to me that it was the trolls typing in names. I just thought of it as reader input.

-"With the (playable!) FRESHJAMZ playlist, we are provided with the implication that these are all songs produced by the kids collaboratively. Their icons indicate who was involved with the songs. Just another sign earlier in the story that these kids have some musical talent and this is the sort of thing they do with their spare time." I don't think I ever noticed everyone's icons next to songs, or if I did I didn't put it together that they were the ones making this music.

-"It's almost as if Bro is training him to face the last boss. Or it would be if last boss had the slightest thing to do with this creepy puppet, which of course is preposterous." Never connected those dots.

Today's Question - Is early Jade a good character? Why or why not?

Yes, on the grounds that she is precious and delightful.

More seriously, though, I think she's as good of a character as any of the kids, but she doesn't get as much narrative attention or development as I'd like towards the end of the comic. Early Jade, though, is arguably in the most fucked up situation out of all of the kids: Her grandfather took her to a deserted island and died when she was very young, leading Jade to assume he committed suicide, and leaving her with the responsibility of emptying out his innards to taxidermy his body (?!?). Ok, there's no way that last part ever could have been played straight, but the point remains that Jade has had to grow up in a pretty bleak and lonely situation, but she remains unfailingly positive and friendly. She's never had any hope of leaving her island and interacting with the rest of her planet before the game destroys it, but by watching the clouds on Prospit and by enjoying her friendships, she stays happy and hopeful. I can't see that as anything but impressive.