#channel my inner scene kid

[apathetic-microwave]

Part 3/5 of the discord emotes

[lv-iceprince]

Hello my love! Thank you so much for returning and requesting! I still really appreciate you and your everything, so again ahhhh thank you so much!

I tried to vibe match with this theme so Idk but I like how it turned out <3.

Btw you get a pass, I am an honorary member of the awkward selca club and your visuals carry you just fine lol. I am skyrocketing all the love and good vibes back to you tenfold <3 <3 <3

~Ateez~ Seonghwa

Although, I can 100% confirm that you also suit Yunho and Yeosang too, this was such a hard decision bro😩

~Seventeen~ Vernon

The hardest decision of my life, I'm just convinced that you look good with every idol that has ever existed. So I also ship you with Hoshi, Minghao, Jeonghan, Dino and Woozi

~Stray Kids~ Felix

I could never be selfish with my bias so take him and my two other biases Hyunjin and Seungmin

[vaguesxrrow]

heya! its me, once more, with a possibly oddly specific request, bc yes

i'd like to request a Dean Winchester (again, i know, he has invaded my brain) x reader, where for a case, they need a distraction, and reader ends up dancing to let Dean and Sam get away before running away themself, [oh, btw, established relationship please] and Dean is just

Dean: "they can dance too?! they're awesome"

Sam: "yeah, great, dude, but we gotta go"

thank you!!

HELLOO AGAIN !! this was so fun to write as usual. im so glad to have u as one of my 'regulars' btw it makes me feel like a rlly cool coffee shop owner :o

dancing queen - dean winchester/reader

a/n: hey look ! i've upgraded to titles !

cws: mild innuendos at the end

wc: 768

tags: humour, gender neutral reader (? they call themself feminine titles bc of the song but they/them pronouns are used)

"dude, seriously?" dean complained as the beginning notes of 'dancing queen' began from sam's phone. "abba!?"

sam rolled his eyes. "they're not bad."

"don't judge, dean," you said. "you can make an exception for dancing queen."

dean grumbled, but settled down at your reprimand. he muttered something sarcastic about this being a 'great soundtrack to kill vamps to', and you giggled at his consternation.

"you should learn to dig the dancing queen, dean," you told him, swaying to the beat and tapping his shoulder in an attempt to liven his mood.

"yeah, dean," sam parroted.

"the only thing i'll be digging is a grave," he deadpanned.

⌦ ---

you were fucked.

you were cornered by three vamps, after yelling at them to divert their attention from the boys to yourself. you felt kind of bad about raiding their nest, because you had learned that they were newly turned. but there was no use reasoning with them now. they wanted your blood.

which is why you were fucked.

sam and dean were looking at you with wide, panicked eyes from behind the three vampires, already having killed the two that were attacking them earlier. dean was still wiping blood off his face.

"uhm." you gulped nervously. “hi.”

your boyfriend and his brother skulked quietly behind, trying to avoid alerting the vamps to their presence a second time. them being them, though, it failed. dean tripped on sam's foot, and they both swore in unison. the monsters whirled around to glare at them, beginning to advance again.

"hey!" you barked at them. they half-turned towards you, as if considering who they should kill first. you needed a distraction so the boys could get away.

one problem, though: you couldn't think of a distraction.

"uhh, shit." you fumbled with your knife, as an idea popped into your mind. a ridiculous idea, but all the just dance you played as a kid had to be for something, right?

and so you began.. dancing. and singing. performing a whole show, really, because hearing sam's hippie music taste was bound to have that effect on people.

"youuu can dance, you can jiiive, having the time of your lii- shit, that's a tricky note - liiiife." you pointed at the vampires, moving your hips and swaying your arms in what you hoped was an accurate copy of the actual moves. you resolutely ignored sam's incredulous gaze and dean's loose jaw, continuing to channel your inner popstar.

"OOOH, see that girl!" you pointed to yourself and mimed an air guitar. okay, this was fun, ignoring the fact that you could die. it was like the dance competitions your parents used to enroll you in, just with judges that would rip you to shreds instead of giving you last place. maybe you should get back into dancing.

from behind the wall of confused vampires, you saw sam tugging dean's arm, murmuring to him about how they 'had to dip, right the fuck now'.

"i was already questioning how [name] agreed to date me, cause look at them, they were badass in that fight, but they can dance too? how awesome is that?" dean hissed back.

you bit back a laugh in favour of belting out the next note and doing the next move. "watch that scene, digging the dancing queen!" you freestyled that part, twirling around.

"yeah, dude, but we still gotta go." sam yanked dean's arm once more, dragging him out and forcing him into a run. you breathed a sigh of relief as they ran out the door.

"hope you enjoyed the show!" you said as you pulled your gun on the vampires, shooting them all in quick succession. you sprinted away, not bothering to check whether they were really dead or not.

when you saw the impala, you slowed to a walk, satisfied that there were no more bloodthirsty monsters chasing you.

dean and sam were engaged in what looked to be a one-sided conversation: dean rambling, and sam staring at his brother with half judgement, half love.

"sammy, i'm telling you, man. a fighter and a dancer?" dean shook his head. "i am one lucky man."

"you enjoy the show?" you asked them as you approached, a bit out of breath.

"hell yeah!" dean exclaimed, giving you a high five and a deep kiss. "that was so cool."

"does that mean you'll start digging the dancing queen?" you teased.

"only if you're the one dancing," he said.

you grinned. "oh, there is so much i could teach you. devil's tango, maybe?" you winked.

sam fake gagged. "okay, gross! i am never playing abba ever again!"

[brucewaynehater101]

Adding onto the ask I ended cuz my brain was melting and also classes

And taking inspiration from "Do Not, Under Any Circumstances, Wake Him Up" by Lulu_Rhythm

What if Jason learned all about Tim's disguise Jane Doe, what he did as Jane, the fact civilians knew and rogues knew Jane was Robin before the Bats, and the rumors flying asking where the Robin went, certain he died?

plus just why he was so precious to Gotham?

And fucking flipped?

Next thing Gotham knows, Red Hood is channelling his inner 'Batman post-Jason's death' by going ballistic on the new Batman (Dick) and cutting all ties with the Bats as a whole

His guilt definitely fuels it as well, he's reaching out to the younger Bats as much as possible to ask if they need help for anything like getting out of the Bat lifestyle of if they're unsafe

Something he wishes he could've done for Tim

He's channeling some of his guilt and rage into bettering his territory in other ways, sure, but there's still a lot of blood spilling going on

Unlike Batman though, Red Hood still (mostly) holds back against anybody who isn't complete and utter scum who has it coming

All of this goes on during BruceQuest alongside the other madness in Gotham

When Tim comes back and Gotham breathes a sigh of relief because their Robin is alive and well?

Jason's is going Full Overprotective Big Brother, much to Tim's annoyance

Doesn't help that the kid is down a spleen

If Gotham thought Red Hood's Wrath was bad before he had Red Robin safe and sound in his nest most secure safehouse in Crime Alley?

They've seen nothing compared to what's coming

What do Gotham's Rogues and civilians, people out of Gotham, The JL, YJ, Batfam individually and Tim most of all think of Jason's Rage-Guilt fueled redemption arc of sorts? Idk, my brains melting

Hell what does Tim think, going from, "I've lost everything but I got Batman back!" To being abducted by Red Hood and smothered with mother henning?

"This is Red Hood, who I'm pretty sure is a demon from actual hell trying to redeem himself, and this is his emotion support victim Red Robin, who gets mother hen'd and doted on to hell and back" —random Gothamite

Ooh? Jason becoming a full mother hen to Tim after this incident is hilarious and adorable. I also imagine, after everything that happened during the BruceQuest, Tim is a feral little bastard with extreme trust issues. He only trusts those that Jane trusts.

So, Red Hood is trying his hardest to domesticate Tim, feed him, and make sure he's protected/has support. While doing this, RH is also turning the streets bloody in an attempt to make them safer. Basically, pure chaos as their conflicting personalities mesh.

I'd also like a cute scene where Jason starts using all pronouns for Tim since they seem comfortable with that. Jason checks Tim's reactions to ensure that's okay while Tim is pleasantly surprised.

[hazelfoureyes]

You are so much more patient than me because if some kid sent me that shit (or anything, really) on my explicitly MDNI blog I'd have some very adult words to say about that

Oh anon, FELT! I originally typed something in my drafts that was… so annoyed and honestly spoke down to him. 😅 I am unfortunately mostly human, even if the goblin in me grows daily. But OOOH I was ready to goooooooooo every part of it ruffled my feathers! A minor so rudely breaking the DNI, a rhetorical question implying I was doing something malicious, a viewpoint that hurts the community he is in. HuuuUUUUUUUH????

But when I checked his profile to see if I was speaking to someone who was aroace, I saw his age and the list of identifying labels and realized …. Oooh this is a baby queer who probably sincerely believes he is standing up for himself and his community. Which is probably why he wasn’t on anon, he was proud to fight for his position.

Tried my best to channel my inner Patient Elder Queer. He is still learning about the communities he can find acceptance in and he is full of misdirected passion to protect what’s important to him. I get it.

He deserves grace, if I can muster it. 👀

Just like he should offer grace to those who are AroAce and Ace that do have sexual lives.

And grace for the members of our wider community who are exploring the spectrum still trying to find where they land with who they are now.

Oooor maybe he was a troll or didn’t anticipate I’d see it in my sea of notifications 😂 But I’d rather be kind to an asshole than miss an opportunity to be kind to someone who needs it. 👌🏼

(That being said — minors please. Just—- I’m a fucking stranger on the internet who writes graphic sex scenes. I really cannot be your friend on here and chat about my writing if you’re under 18. It’s a whole big thing I can’t tack on here.)

(Referencing why smut with an ace character?)

[infaria]

So, so, so, SO many people miss the point of the walten files and it's genuinely saddening, because it is such a delicate story hidden behind horror. What makes the walten files stand out from the rest of the big analog webseries out there is the fact that it's so far the only one that is both horror and drama in genre. The only other online indie horror projects that I've seen put focus on placing actual depth into characters so far is welcome home and the tanji virus/oracle project duology (a duology that I highly recommend people to watch, it deserves more recognition).

Martin has said that there's more to the characters than meets the eye, with bunnyfarm specifically noting that "this is a story about broken people, beautiful people"

This is probably why most theories people make are doomed to fail from my point of view. Martin doesn't seem to be particularly interested in creating an epic horror that ends in a thrilling battle or to create the "most SHOCKING, SCARY analog horror ever?!?!" as random reaction channels title their videos as. Maybe this is why Martin deviated from the original format. The walten files 4, despite being 36 minutes long, did not add too many answers to the mystery. Instead, there was a perfect balance of giving more context as well as well as giving more character to pre-existing characters, such as suzan, ed and molly, the antagonist (whoever he is), felix, jack and charles. All that through dialogue and actual cinematographic scenes. The story wants you to take personality and psychology into account when theorizing as well.

I won't post all my theories, but now that we have 4 out, I'll give my two cents on the "who or what is bon" mystery, based on a mix of character analysis and hints given throughout the episodes, site, hidden media and martin's statements.

I never believed the "felix killed and placed jack into bon" theory as someone who discovered the series after bunnyfarm's release. Felix is a coward, self centered, is irresponsible and refuses to acknowledge his issues. And people mistakenly interpret that as "evil capitalist who only cares about his hide". I won't analyze felix (at least not today), because so far he is the one character who we have the most context about his inner psychology and woo boi, there's a LOT of issues this guy has, but point I am trying to make is that he doesn't seem like the type to kill jack because, believe it or not, from what I can gather, he'd never kill a person on purpose.

The only possible scenario I can see the "felix put jack in bon" theory being true is if jack attacked felix after learning of the kids, so felix accidentally killed him in self defense.

Felix is shown to be alive in 1981, so it's unlikely it is him being bon either. (funnily enough, if that wasn't revealed, I'd think him being bon as a good theory, something that, yet again, I'll probably touch upon a future dissection of his character)

The only two scenarios I can think of is a) either jack put himself, either on purpose, or accidentally in bon, b) bon is a third party or c) jack is bon, but someone else placed him in

Out of these three theories, I believe a) is the least probable, with c) being second in place. It is possible jack got depressed to the point of doing something this intense, however it was implied in the Relocation project and the findjackwalten site that he is very likely alive. Here I am mostly going on hunch, but I don't think martin would choose the "Man loses family, ends up depressed and then a vengeful insane spirit" route. I did say above that I believe felix to more more likely to fit that role of "person going mad from mental stress", but I actually believe that he'd be more likely to snap, considering his mental stability after the crash. Also I don't see how jack could accidentally get into bon.

I honestly think both were red herrings from the very start of the series. In fact, walten files 4 pretty much added the possibility that they have nothing to do with the murders (excluding ed and molly*), aside from felix being heavily hinted to have tried covering up the bon incidents instead of reporting them like a normal, law abiding, responsible citizen.

Cyberfun Tech episode pretty much revealed to us that the "bon is just a malfunctioning animatronic" theory is not true, as bon clearly has something controlling it. So I can only see the above theories being correct.

This places the c) theory as most believable. The issue is who is the third party. People have speculated it is the original ceo of cyberfun tech or a demon. I'd personally lean towards the ceo, a demon would be too random for a story that focuses so much on personal strife. And since I am part of the "jack is alive" theorizers, I also don't believe the "manifestation of jack's anger" theory. Something that keeps bugging me also is why did the person who honked at felix during the car crash didn't report anything, it's weird, as if someone saw the perfect opportunity to use felix as a scapegoat for the murders. Maybe bon has an accomplice?

I'm stepping into tinfoil shadow government territory here though lmao

*I know I am being nitpicky here, call me a law nerd all you know, but I especially get frustrated when people throw around heavy words without knowing their terminology, as that can have pretty bad consequences when applicable to real people. Another small fun fact just for extra trivia knowledge: Age of consent doesn't always mean legal, if you're a minor, please protect yourself. Back on topic, no, what felix did was not murder. It's a shitty, also fairly common douchy behavior in my country called "causing death through driving under the influence of alcohol". Here's the difference:

(The first picture says California, but the same exact thing applies to law articles from multiple countries)

This post probably ended up on a passive aggressive tone, I apologize ToT

[3000-200-grains-of-salt]

.......sooooooo, i saw @stiffyck (and friends)s mermaid au.......

According to the contract i signed, every art piece has to come with 6 paragraphs of rambling, so here ya go. 

8 year old me (obsessed with mermaids, would play 'mermaids' in our pool with other kids, huge huge fan of every 'protag. of childrens animated show gets special necklace that lets them turn into a mermaid' show) would absolutely love where i am now. Mermaids were a big part of my childhood! I loved 'em! And i guess i never grew out of that, lmao.

Jake and the neverland pirates, barbie, dora the explorer, sofia the first... they all did it. they all had the 'human girl turns into mermaid for an episode and meets a mermaid bff'. I always loved the Dora one, i got it on DvD from my local library... good times :)

Anyways, if this was a special episode of a looking-back-the-graphics-were-terrible-but-the-music-kinda-slaps 2010's 3d animated disney channel show, Scar would 1000% have a misunderstood-villain-esque song where he maneuvers Grian (about to pass out from terror) into a dance and mourns his lack of company, complete with fish themed puns every other line, a big finish, and effects made of bubbles and sea creatures. Like, poor unfortunate souls from the little mermaid meets shiny from moana meets be our guest type beat.

I like to imagine the bubbles are the tail end of a transition to a comedic scene where grian is distracting the guards with terrible lies while scar tries to sneak into the castle where grian plans to hide him. and then the guards would almost turn and see scar and grian would have to yell 'WAIT' and come up with more bs while scar is struggling with various Shenanigans that get in his way.

i have very,, very specific thoughts about this au (if it were a kids tv show, lmao) Can You Tell :D

Idk man, i just love mermaids, this AU, kids TV nostalgia, and satisfying my inner child even though i am Way off from what this AU was originally intended as. Anyways see yall ✌️

(Non-bubbly version under the cut)

[poly-lights]

PART 2 TO MY II PREDICTIONS/WISHES/QUESTIONS (technically) SINCE YALL ACTUALLY KINDA LIKED THOSE?? and i have more!

please note btw that most, if not all, of this is not gonna happen bc they can't pack EVERYTHING into a 30 minute or so episode and not gonna lie some of these are my fixation talking and me being delusional. it's good to theorize though!!

lots of bias. let's get into it

i told my gf this BUT it'd be cool if there was a scene of trees changing, to represent seasons passing because it has to have been a year at most right

more lightbulb using her electrokinesis scenes plspls?????? like. she can just casually DO THAT....maybe have her use it for evil/J IM KIDDING. don't have her kill anyone

............................yet

another knife and suitcase scene, elaborating on the "making your presence known", how suitcase took it a different way, just a conversation if that makes sense

yknow. what was that roboarm in the gemory cave. and is it Still working after lightbulb powered it on.

unrelated but still.more so a question have we or will we ever get the full roommate list drop?? unless they're gonna wait for when s2 is done to not spoil anything

baseball and lightbulb friendship scene :] team captain style!

i think it's gonna release on OR near the anniversary, if the iii finale is so soon early into 2024 it gives slight time

can we get parent lore drop??? like hello?????? they cant just said what they said in iii ep 14 and never expand on it, so i have a heavy feeling its gonna get mentioned in s2 if not ep 15 specifically

im just hoping for lb centric, even if her lore doesn't match up well with the slams. pls im so autism abt her at this point its anything BUT funny

now here's some iii 18 predictions!! for fun :] and also me just rambling abt it (spoilers for iii 17!!!!)

those who left to the hotel come back for jury voting!! more importantly fan and pb please💥

bot and springy and gonna be near each other again next episode. springy may still try to pull some shit with bot, and, assuming so, if TEST TUBE IS BY BOT'S SIDE......

springy made that suitcase bot, so clearly he knows about season 2

we may just get ii 14 tt again. which i am HOPING for. idk i love seeing test tube ENRAGED for the people she cares about she's so fun and unique bc MAN that girl is angry. she's holding grudges against Two People

also. fan meeting bot? he is going to have such a big and hopefully impactful reaction!! pls he has his patterns and the sudden changes make him uncomfortable they need to mention this

if he knows about season 2......could he make, or has he made, toys of the other final four? again im just gripping at straws for an iis2 final four appearance

think abt it though. it's the iii finale. you think they won't do something big? considering mephone knows he has to go back? springy could easily torment him w that considering the whole "facing your past" theming

also walkie talkie is Totally associated with meeple. ik we've all figured that out but i just had to say something. very heavily focused on using electronics to better the future? implying robots taking over others positions?

also??? past contestants coming back SEEING the toys?? maybe. Maybe.

the entire episode could also just be a discussion and play on the ethics of ai and how it's affecting the writing industry by putting people out of jobs due to its advancement and im reading way too much into it but hey im putting my hard hat on and channeling my inner matpat for this stupid show about objects with limbs (/pos btw)

also. are they gonna leave floor behind??? or will they scoop him into a terrarium, then plant him into inanimate island?

can he teleport that far?? how far is paradise?????????? ae drop the map pls/silly

ALSO ALSO. WHAT ARE THE INANI-MATES?? IS N/A THE LAST OF THEIR KIND??????? i doubt it but STILL everyone else in that group died

hey. why is the background of the recap song the background used when the gemories formed the silhouette of cobs. hey now.

[skrunksthatwunk]

HI IT'S SQUISHY fic ask game time:

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

:3

YAHOO HI SQUISHY TY FOR THE ASK >:33

ok uhhhh uh uh

F: i think if i had to choose anything, it'd probably be the cat petting circle scene from and who do you think i'll be (without you)?, because i am. really really bad at juggling more than like 3 characters in a scene and this has FIVE and it's still really fun to read, at least for me. it's dynamic, though admittedly the attention still mostly falls on kuwabara and yusuke (sorry keiko </3 i wish you were more prominent in this one but alas) everyone carries some weight. i'm also not great at understanding (and thus writing) anger, so yusuke's bubbling frustration through the scene is like.. kinda cool to me. (a/n: eikichi is kuwabara's cat lol)

i'm also including another two from this same fic bc i think they're neat as well :)

(i'll put a transcript of the screenshots at the end under the read more)

honestly, i love writing yusuke's dialogue no matter what he's saying, so this fic's got a few moments i'm very fond of, but didn't include. anyway it's the only good thing i've ever written (<- exaggerating, but it's probably my favorite fic i've written, and maybe favorite prose piece)

i also remember enjoying some of the dialogue between sagawa and majima in tough love for loveless things, and i assume i liked a lot of the stuff for i long for you and your expert hands, but i... haven't revisited that one in a long time (idk why but i'm a little afraid to?? i haven't forgotten it though), so i couldn't point to anything specific really ^ ^'

I: hm... i think i overindulge in characters just talking about nothing, at least when it comes to my writing. if i like them, i like hearing them talk about nothing, and it tends to bloat scenes and drag on, i figure. i also tend to gravitate towards really specific intensely described points of imagery that barely come up again and totally break the flow of the scene (oops). in terms of guilty pleasures in reading, uh...? i'm kind of a sucker for werewolf stuff because i got that dog in me. im drawing a blank ig sorry <3 OH i've always been hopelessly fond of whump / hurt/comfort / sickfic STUFF. legit since i was a child. i like it when they're out of it i like it when they're woozy. and anything with dumb hijinks and/or slapstick is good to me. comedy's hard and i like seeing idiots be idiots. and really introspective/inner monologue heavy pieces are mmmmwah for writing and reading

R: oh man. whatever i'm currently reading often ends up influencing my writing in noticeable (to me) ways. one time i was writing smth for my fiction writing class and i typed out a sentence that felt at once like smth dr seuss would write (you'll never guess what unit my children's lit class was on) and a line from lolita (because that's what i was reading at the time). it's a mashup that worked weirdly well. ANYWAY to actually answer the question, the little prince ruined me as a kid, and a lot of the way i express sadness and emptiness is channeling saint-exupery there. currently, arkady martine and andzrej sapkowski have been influencing my scenery descriptions in particular, because that's what i was most recently reading, but earlier this year i remember cormac mccarthy's the road finding its way under my pen a lot. for really flowery stuff (i don't think you see it much in my fics, but it's not Never), i think of alfred tennyson's maud quite often. this is not a conclusive list im just empty brained :P

X: ohhohohohohhh. god help me but i love making all of them suffer. to love something is to vivi/dissect it. currently kuwabara is the one i'm putting through the most though (<- channeling personal issues into this orange guy), but majima and kiryu were always lots of fun to break down >:). perhaps that's the real answer to the guilty pleasure section

[SCREENSHOT 1]:

“Hey, why’s she goin’ to Kurama and you and not me?” Yusuke complained, pouting at Keiko.

Kuwabara piped up. “Maybe it’s ‘cuz they have manners, unlike some of us.”

“Or patience,” Botan offered.

Yusuke stuck out his leg and prodded Kuwabara’s arm. “Yeah, and how’re your manners workin’ out for ya? You still look like someone’s been playin’ tic-tac-toe on your hands or did she become a saint overnight?”

“Shut up, Urameshi.”

Keiko spoke up from her spot on the floor. “Aw, I think she’s just sweet. Right?” She put her chin on her folded arms and gently rubbed at Eikichi’s cheek. With a warm smile, Keiko turned her head into her arms further, squishing her face, openly endeared. “Even if she bites sometimes.”

“Finally, someone gets it,” Kuwabara moaned. “Keiko, tell Urameshi that for me, will ya?”

Yusuke didn’t buy it. “If she was sweet she’d be sweet to me, too.”

“Benevolence is nearly always conditional,” Kurama said, leaning over to rub Eikichi’s ears. “Perhaps she senses your standoffishness and simply chooses not to engage with someone who does not seem to want her.” Kurama’s brilliant green eyes swept back to Yusuke for emphasis. “You two may have that in common.”

“Wh—?!” Yusuke spluttered a bit, before settling on, “Watch it, fox boy.”

“Aw,” Botan giggled, “Yusuke, it’s alright, you know. Some of us just have an animal-like charm. Meow meow!” She hooked her hands like paws.

“Right, and I’m saying Eikichi’s not so charming. I mean, she’s been ignoring you, too, Botan, whaddyou think?”

“Oh, she’s just lovely! Simply adorable,” Botan cooed.

“Heheh, looks like you’re outnumbered, Urameshi!”

[SCREENSHOT 2]:

Rocking his chair back lazily, Yusuke noticed Kuwabara’s scratch-laced hands and whistled. “Damn, Kuwabara. It’s kinda beating you up, huh? That cat o’ yours. You look like you just fought me, only smaller.”

“For the last time, Urameshi, Eikichi’s a she! Quit it with the it crap or I’ll knock you into next Sunday brunch.” He jabbed his chopsticks at Yusuke pointedly. “And I don’t think you could get any smaller.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. She’s beating the shit outta you. But what’s with that? I thought kittens were s’posed to be all cute n’ cuddly.” Yusuke swirled his drink thoughtfully before taking a swig.

“You’ve never had a kitten, have you, Urameshi?” Kuwabara deadpanned. He had the right to do that now that he was a cat-rearing expert, as if he hadn't learned it very recently himself.

“No. ’M not really crazy about animals. Neither's my mom.” Under his breath, Yusuke added, “Knowing her, that’s probably for the best.”

“Wh—? How?!” 

Yusuke shrugged.

Kuwabara huffed. “Ugh, she’s teething right now, okay? And I haven’t got her a scratching post yet. She’ll grow out of it, you’ll see.”

“Whatever you say, man. Just try not to lose any limbs waiting for her to get manners, arright? Don’t wanna make our fights even more one-sided. That’d just be sad.”

“Yeah, right, Urameshi.” Kuwabara puffed out his chest. “Eikichi could take two o’ my limbs and I’d still wipe the street with ya.”

“Hey, try beating me with four limbs first, tough guy.”

The conversation devolved into threats and bickering from there, culminating in little more than wrinkled uniforms and mussed hair-dos, and one final exchange.

“You haven’t even met her, Urameshi, so how could you know what she’s like?”

“‘Cuz you’re carryin’ the proof right there, stupid! Look, don’t take it so personal. I just don’t feel like spending all day roughhousing with someone that far beneath my weight class, even if she is the precious little angel you say she is."

[SCREENSHOT 3]:

Yusuke lounged on the floor, Eikichi sitting on his chest and staring down at him.

“What’re you starin’ at, Stinkass?”

Kuwabara scoffed loudly, fluffing out the pillow Yusuke would use.

Yusuke smirked at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, your highness, I left my manners at home.” He cleared his throat. “What are you staring at, Her Royal Majesty the Queen Stinkass?”

“Man, why'dya only pick mean pet names to give ‘er?” It came out a bit harsher than he meant.

“What?” Yusuke began to sit up, but stopped when he remembered Eikichi’s place on him. He dropped back down and shut his eyes lazily. “These aren’t pet names, they’re, like, insults. That I don’t mean.”

“So ‘Stinkass’ is your idea of an affectionate nickname?”

“Gee, you don’t have to make it sound so damn girly. I’m just callin’ her that ‘cause I like her.”

“Ooh~ so you like her, huh?” Kuwabara sat up on his knees and—once Eikichi got the hint and clambered off—smacked Yusuke’s face with his pillow, holding it over his face. “Whatever happened to not bein’ mushy, tough guy?”

Yusuke wrenched the pillow from his grip and lazily swung it at him, not bothering to get up. “Hey, you told me she doesn’t judge about that sorta thing, right? And I’m learnin’ there’s benefits to bein’ mushy, like kicking ass better.” He shifted to crack his back, then sighed, relaxing into the floor. “I’m just sticking to my way, and sometimes that means calling her Kuwabara’s Favorite Little Shitblaster or whatever.”

[sirfrogsworth]

I thought the new Shazam movie was... okay.

Not as bad as some of the reviews I've seen. I enjoyed turning my brain off and watching the action and whatnot.

And I really like the director, David Sandberg. I think he did his best. Pairing him with a better writer might have allowed him to make something truly great. But with the material he had, there just wasn't a spectacular movie in potentia.

I do love his behind the scenes video of trying to put this movie together. I might have actually enjoyed this video about directing the movie more than the actual movie itself.

But the one complaint I had about the first Shazam movie is now the huge complaint EVERYONE seems to have now. And on the one hand, I feel validated. But on the other, I feel like I was the only one mentioning this issue when the first movie came out. WHY DID NO ONE LISTEN TO MEEEE??

And that issue... Zach Levi made no attempt to match the performance of the young actor playing Billy Batson. He just wanted to do the super goofball, "Hey, I'm a little kid in a big body" antics and didn't seem to care that the other actor was taking his role seriously.

Instead of trying to play a teenager, Zach seemed to be channeling his inner 5 year old or something. It was just really jarring. It's like he saw Tom Hanks in Big and hit copy/paste.

I guess the idea is that Billy never got to be a kid and the Shazam persona allowed him to explore that part of himself. But Zach totally missed the mark and his entire performance felt more like...

[soul-music-is-life]

PLL: Summer School Random Recap Ep 1 & 2

*read at your own risk: THIS HAS SPOILERS*

Tag spoilers if you're going to share.

Just a few of my favorite moments from the first two episodes of PLL: Summer School (PLL: Original Sin, Season 2):

Faran being right all the time:

Ripped out of the headlines. Faran...PREACH, girl. (side note: Sullivan really annoys me. I'm salty AF that she still has a license to practice psychology after not being an adult for the girls in PLL. I get it...A apparently threatened her kid, but woman...YOU ARE THE ADULT!). Also I don't trust her. And I don't like her.

Noa also being right, but in a more blunt manner:

Ah, Noa. Still my favorite. Perhaps it's her characterization or perhaps it's the way Maia portrays her...but I feel like she steals the screen when sharing it and when alone. No surprise given she was my favorite in the first season (still get chills watching that scene with her running through her complex to the roof with A chasing her). But she's upped the game this season. She comes across as so natural in her delivery. Nothing against the others. But sometimes I can tell I'm watching an actor play a character with them, but Maia is Noa. A+. No notes.

Imogen Emison reference?

Wait...wait WAIT...was this an EMISON reference? Am I the ONLY one who saw this?! "Pip gets Estelle in the end." Plus it was an LGBTQ couple who adopted her baby!!

Mouse is coming into her own and I love it:

Mouse and Ash are my OTP. And they play well off of each other.

Calling out the OG PLL:

Was this a shot at PLL and how easily Mona and Charlotte just cruised out when they wanted? Because I love it.

Greg is so not here for this shit:

The first time I laughed so hard I had to pause. Greg is an asshole, but I feel his frustration on the cult shit. And Kelly's "Quiet!" afterwards...peak comedy.

Kelly channeling her inner Alison DiLaurentis:

Oh my GAWD. This was some straight up Dark Alison DiLaurentis on crack shit (or Mona, since..ya know...she ran her best friend over with a car). I'm developing this theory that perhaps Kelly is in on Bloody Mary (goddamn, am I blanking on the Big Bad's name? I think I am). I'm fairly certain her mother and the pastor are evil. I paused when Mouse was reading something on the Spaghetti site and it was word for word worship talking about Bloody Mary being the second coming of Jesus. Also, I just hate religion as a whole. Like Greg, I too, am an atheist.

Mouse's Grandma being the "fun" Grandma:

Okay, so I was super excited that we might have been getting a semi-Grandma Marin character, but after watching I have this awful feeling that this might be a dementia story in the works (I don't know if I believe the "sleepwalking" bit). But she seems like she's going to be a wonderful addition.

Tabby's very pointed reference within a reference:

Tabby out there breaking the 4th wall. And I'm here for it. Given that the writers retconned/rewrote the Ezria adoption due to backlash, I'm kind of glad they read the criticism of Tabby making too many references that piss the viewers off and basically flipped a middle finger at the people who will find positively anything to bitch about. I think it's funny writing. Trolling AF, but still funny.

I hate it when writers cave to the viewers. And as much as I hated the idea of Ezra getting Imogen's baby...I thought it was so dumb to cave to the viewers whining about Ezria getting the kid. People harped on that so much. Ezra can die in a fire for all I care, but I'll go to my grave thinking that the people who complained about Marlene caving to fan service in PLL with the couples in the end are the same people praising the fan service here. And I hate hypocrisy more than I hate fictional characters. I'm a cynic.

Noa being real:

Noa complaining about the fitted sheet was ironic given I was trying to do laundry while watching. Accurate. Side note: I don't know how I feel about this Jen character. I feel like Shawn (Sean? How is it spelled?) is one of the few non-toxic partners in the show (Ash is still bae). I'm all here for bi-representation, but I don't like love triangles and I don't want them fucking with Noa and Shawn/Sean.

And speaking of love interests:

I love this kid and want to protect him:

I've seen buzz of people not trusting Christian...and I get it. First of all...this is PLL. And second of all Christian is a very...themed name for a show that is most likely going to have the faith-based cult be psychopaths.

But I am going to be pissed AF if they make him a bad guy after everything Tabby went through. Also, let's not make the first prominent black male a problem please (not counting the Dollar Store fake Eddie Lamb or Faran's dad, who hasn't really been villainy).

Final thoughts: Goddamn, Sandy ate it hard, bruh. I was kind of excited to see that rivalry between her and Kelly.

Loved seeing the power of speaking up about the sexual assault. HATED Wes still being a character and also telling Tabby to have sympathy for her rapist's mother? No. Sorry. She raised a rapist...who raped TWO girls. And she was victim-shaming Tabby. Where is that Bloody woman with the knife when you need one?

Speaking about someone I hated seeing: Sean's mother is a raging thundercunt.

Also: I've seen mixed thoughts about the couple setting a firm tone with Imogen about the baby, but I'm not going to lie...I get it. Most likely they know the shit going on in their town (move, MOVE NOW WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE!). I do think they were kind of snappy with her, but as viewers we have no idea how often she shows up after having signed a legally binding document about the adoption.

Love interest wise: Don't know how I feel about Ash following the girls to that cabin, but also...why TF would they even GO there?! I like this Christian guy for Tabby. Henry kind of annoyed me crossing Faran's boundaries, but Faran punching Greg out was *chef's kiss*. And Shawn(Sean)/Noa are adorable.

Parents: I'm shifting to Tabby's mom being a favorite just because I think she's going to have the most screen time. It was nice seeing Lea Salonga again though. I still hate Faran's mom and I hate that they are all buddy-buddy after everything she did to her child.

New characters: Please don't let this swim coach turn into a creep, please don't let this swim coach turn into a creep. Also curious about the guy Imogen met at the Ice Cream place. And well...I'm already in love with Christian (but then again I love Noah Alexander Gerry). Jen is a bit wooden. Can't tell if it's the character or actress.

Curious about everyone's thoughts.

Honorable mention I forgot to screenshot and caption:

Mouse: "You're like Linda Hamilton from the Terminator movie. Don't ask me which one, I'm not Tabby. And you (Noa) are basically the Flash." Faran: "Fair." Noa: *shrugs* "Okay."

[kinocomix]

devlog 18: doo dads, inventories and recycling like responsible authors.

The script for TSTW is 17 scenes long so far, still in progress. I estimate it will be around 30 to 40, which is a welcome change given that my last comic was around 110. with that in mind…

would you believe me if i said i spent an entire day looking for an extremely specific book that i used to own- well two actually now that i think about it. I didn’t find them. One of them was a book with a bunch of electronic crafts for kids, the other was this book where you’re supposed to tear the pages to make everything from a chessboard to a cup. Not important, the point is Brandon Sanderson said something very insightful about writing characters that are smarter than you: being smart, often, is a matter of how much time you have to solve a problem. We consider someone as being smart when they very quickly have a good answer to a given question. The reason I was looking for two random ass books I owned as a kid is because I have the time to figure out how the kids are going to channel their inner bear grylls to improvise, adapt, overcome. they do not.

today, we’re going to be figuring out what we can realistically get away with as far as child inventions go, as well as talking about how as artists, reusing work is normal and shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of.

So first things first: what do the kids in our story have access to? this was the easiest to figure out because I know what living situations most of them experience, so here’s a list:

killouette: stationary and a camera. I’m still unsure which time period the story takes place in, so it’s unsure whether or not the camera is digital. It's objectively more fun if it’s a polaroid camera, because then all her pictures are physical. This is a plus because the only person with a computer in the group is talbas. On the other hand, setting the story in the mid 2000s means she probably has a small digital camera that she could connect to a bigger screen. alternatively, if i choose to set the story in the present, she could have both. unwanted old cameras left in a drawer somewhere.

bata tete: fun craft tools (paint, glue, string, ribbons, a big pile of magazines), a basket and a printer. you can’t go wrong with paint and pictures if you’re writing a story about kids, and this is also helpful because it introduces additional things to bata tete’s character: a more artsy side to complement the mission impossible stuff. instinctively i’m thinking the strings are definitely going to serve as trip wires at some point or another, and paper mache is definitely going to be involved in some way.

falefil: a po box, a piano and an electronic voice recorder. My current headcanon for falefil is that he doesn’t really like toys, so minus getting aluminum foil from his mom’s kitchen, he can probably lend his electronic voice recorder to accomplish something. maybe a makeshift MP3 player?

zmik: toys and objects intended to be used with other kids. all unused. I’ll admit this the saddest one by a longshot but it hits home a bit too hard to not include. I remember the piles of old board games, slingshots, marbles, even -the irony- a pair of walkie talkies I had that just… sat there. I like to imagine Zmik is finally in a place where he can share these things with people he likes.

motsik: broken knick knacks, pieces of mirror, detergents, bent spoons, a lot of wooden kabab skewers. It should come as no surprise that most of what Motsik has to offer is broken to some capacity, because of his violent household. the things he brings are broken because he effectively fishes them out of the trash, figuring his friends might have something they could do with them. note: motsik could also try to make stuff himself, but given his character this would be infrequent.

talbas: her uncle has an electronic equipment store, he teaches her stuff and low key is in on some of the shenanigans the kids do. despite the neglect from her parents, talbas loves spending time with her uncle whose store is nearby. he loves the fact that she’s interested in soldering and making fun doodads, so he has a budget set aside just for her. it’s pretty obvious that talbas’ uncle is the only person tethering her to a sense of purpose and a feeling of love. 

claude: a lot of organic things and the knowledge thereof. Claude has little in the way of possessions, but she has a lot of street smarts. Claude keeps track of inventory across the 6 kids’s houses and frequently is the first to suggest solutions to problems.

with that being figured out, all we need to do to try to combine what they have with what the problem is and we see what comes out the other end. for example:

let’s say they need all hands on deck for something but that means ignoring a hallway where someone could come see what they’re doing. we know they would have access to stuff like strings, empty spools, simple electrical components and tin foil, so they could for example make a small trip wire using one of several methods i thought up:

this one is a pressure pad you can hide under a carpet that sets off a small light or beeper.

this one is a single use tripwire that would not require miles of electrical wire lol.

two things to note: the actual schematics in the book are going to look much nicer but also i’m approaching writing this book with publishing in mind, so I’m steering clear of actually dangerous things like blades and anything stronger than a small battery. which is a shame- i have a very funny story about how i personally once nearly set my building on fire trying to make a lamp when i was like 11, but that’s not the kind of stuff that will get published for middle grade/early young adult readers. I hate having to squash my book into a category like this, but if i’m to have any hope of doing what i love for the rest of my life, this feels like a necessary sacrifice. 

now, as an aside, let’s talk about something I personally do that I think might be helpful to others and I’m going to illustrate my point by sharing spoilers for a project I won't get to for another couple of years. 

Around 2014 was my very first attempt at writing something. it was a story called “Last of the Predators”, a very angsty attempt at something serious written by a version of me with no connection to the subject matter whatsoever. it had no plot outline, end in mind or clearly defined characters. Everyone spoke in the same monotone calm way and every paragraph had way too much description of the person’s emotional state. I eventually lost interest and dropped it, even deleting the blog I had been using to document the updates on. 

shortly after I started making comics, i came up with the ice cream men: a story that follows two aliens kicked off their planet who arrive on earth. In their boredom, they decide to follow the recipe for something called ice cream, inevitably bringing up a million other topics along the way. This might sound fun, but when I came up with it at the time it didn’t feel enough to justify the commitment it would require. it initially focused too much on jokes and really didn’t have much to offer in the way of depth. so i shelved the idea for a while and this is the piece of advice i have:

don’t throw ideas away, just shelve them. 

around this time is where my studies got in the way. When you’re just starting out trying to make art, everything stops you dead in your tracks. It wasn't until I started working on illustrating almost home that the creative gears started turning again. I came up with a whole bunch of things, but some of what I did is revisit my folder of abandoned projects. Sometimes when a project feels dull, it can be helpful to merge it with another one. This doesn’t always work but when it does it can lead to very interesting results.  This is what I did with the ice cream men. I took the philosophical premise of the ice cream men which suffered from an underdeveloped plot and bad setting that didn’t suit the theme, and I combined it with the idea that survived after I cut all the slack out of Last of the predators which is the following:

The world LOTP is set in suffered a cataclysmic event that killed all the animals. Humans being how they are, they quickly built a religion around this and decided that some people have “predator souls” while others have “prey souls”, even going as far as to genetically engineer the way people look to introduce animalistic features to faces and bodies. The story is very political in nature and revolves around this role reversal that happens many many years after the cataclysm… and that’s where all the bullshit comes into play that I cut out. 

As a side note, what I just told you is the polished version of the lore I rewrote for this devlog- it’s not the one I decided to settle on for the ice cream men but I'm sharing it regardless for the sake of documentation. point is: the reason this felt relevant to me is because combining this with the ice cream men added a layer of intrigue to the story which i really liked:

two aliens are kicked off their planet and arrive on a deserted planet which the reader knows is earth. In their boredom, they decide to follow the recipe for something called ice cream, inevitably discovering more about this strange planet and its past… 

That past is the yet untold story of LOTP, with a less shitty name and more consideration given to the themes and mechanics of the things at play. so effectively we have several narrative layers at play:

the ice cream thing which could be a commentary on purpose or the creative process in addition to being a fun jumping off point for comedic relief

the past of the planet which could offer some mystery to the story, and maybe encourage some more serious topics to be brought up

and a third secret one, that i’m not willing to share just yet.

which i think is a story more worth telling. Here's another example more immediately relevant to our devlog. two years ago, I was thinking about how funny it would be to have unnecessarily complicated contraptions in the kitchen. the type of stuff you see unemployed engineers do for social media instead of benefiting mankind. I asked myself how would you go about making those contraptions useful: maybe someone could benefit from them if they were for example disabled, cool. too straightforward for my liking. What if they were small? like… as small as a bug? a very small chef. 

how to cook when you’re 2 inches tall. that sounds fun i like it. What if it was a cookbook where part of the instructions were these complicated instructions on how to build and solder electronics? fun! I need a chef and an engineer to do that. I am neither. 

don’t throw ideas away, just shelve them. 

I kept thinking about that for a while. I imagined our protagonist Claude, a small hercules beetle who loves to cook. I wrote three versions of the script of a comic and even discussed making it a short animation at some point, but it didn’t feel right. it’s not the vision. It needs to be a cookbook.

queue Killouette and the fact that I’m really annoyed at how the camera can see everything. I remembered the idea I had with the cookbook, so I thought why not borrow some of that and make it a diary?  Let’s add Claude in there as well for good measure. Maybe then how to cook when you’re 2 inches tall can be the one that comes after Killouette if I’m lucky enough to get funding. A grown Claude who made it big as a cook. By combining the two projects into two parts of the same series, I fixed the problem I had with the camera and added continuity to two otherwise one off projects. 

So maybe that’s something to keep in mind. don’t throw away ideas, shelve them instead. 

Next week we’ll be looking into the supplementary children’s book attached to killouette.

devlog updates on tuesdays. 

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 54

Chapter 54: “B06-32, Part 4”

Yuugo gives Ray an impossible choice: to give up the pen and leave the shelter, or die, with Emma being the first casualty. He knows abandoning the shelter would be far too dangerous, as it would leave the children no where to go and obviously deny them of valuable resources and safety. Not that I wanna remember it, but the situation would be very similar to what happened in season two when the shelter blew up way too early for our liking and the kids were forced to evacuate. They had a super hard time surviving during that time skip, with always being on guard and not making much progress with their goals.

And without the pen, the kids wouldn’t be able to connect with WM or learn more about the world. If they lose this, they’ll also lose their chances at a better life and future for themselves and the children left back at GF.

So, the fact that the safety and future of all the children is on par with Emma’s life in Ray’s mind is amazing for both sides. Obviously, it shows how much she means to him above all else, with one life being just as valuable as so many others, but it also shows how important everyone else became to Ray as well, which says a lot for a boy who once only cared about Emma & Norman. This is just a major improvement on Ray’s part and I’m so proud how deeply he values his entire family now.

Thankfully Emma’s quick thinking spares Ray from making any sort of decision and everyone’s various reactions are simply priceless! Also giving our girl some more credit for staying relatively calm the entire time she was held at gunpoint.

Gilda has a fair concern and Emma’s lucky it didn’t play out that way. Also, we now get Ray calling Emma a “blockhead.” My, how the tables have turned since ch34.

The way she doesn’t even flinch when Yuugo shoots at her and the bullet grazes her cheek. That shot would’ve probably hit her ear there if she still had it. Seeing Emma taunt him right back is such an awesome moment for her too. Another one of my favorites for her.

Pfftt, dead or alive, 15 kids are just a nuisance.

Yeeaaahhh girl, you tell him! Speak that heartfelt truth! AAhh damn it y’all, I know I’m not usually fond of protagonists, but she’s certainly a rare exception for me. Emma’s just too good.

When the talk-no-jutsu is so strong it sends a geezer spiraling into a full out breakdown. (I truly do feel so bad for this man though).

Kinda sweet how they’re sorta concerned for this man despite him threatening their lives minutes earlier, but their worries for him are very brief as they tie up him shortly after this though.

Ray wasting no time getting down to business. We’ve see his left eye countless times by now, but I dunno why he looks so off here? Maybe it’s the hair too? I dunno, it’s a weird panel of him, but on the flip side I adore Emma’s face. Look at her, channeling her inner Phil.

Still so ticked off that a simple change of replacing “poachers” with “help” effectively removed Goldy Pond from the anime’s story. That scene had such dark lighting in the episode that we couldn’t even see the names on the left wall, no matter how much you try and brighten it. I doubt they were even there.

Favorite panel/moment:

While Emma’s reaction to the bullet is indeed my favorite, I wanna put this here. A pretty perfect reaction image I say.

[aspoonofsugar]

there was an error in the ask i just sent im not sure if it went through, but please write something about Belle? 🥺 i loved it so much, its so underrated it doesnt get talked about enough

Hello!

Sorry for the late response and do not worry, this is the only ask I have received from you!

I love Belle as well. It is a really original rewriting and a wonderful story in its own right.

It has been a while since I have watched it, so I am not sure my meta will be as deep or as spot on as I would like, but here are my thoughts :D

THE WORLD OF U

"U" means you. The choice of this name for the virtual world the characters enter conveys the double level of reading the story has.

The movie is about the web, social networks, virtual reality and how all these technologies influence one's relationships and behaviours. Tendencies that are already present in real life are extremized because of the web, both in positive and in negative ways. A person can become an idol, while another can become a monster, just as easily.

The movie is about people's interiority. Specifically, U is symbolically Suzu's own self and her journey in the virtual world is a journey through herself.

This is why the story is full of Jungian archetypes aka universal ideas that can be used to describe the human mind.

In order we have:

AS = the persona aka the mask we wear when interacting with others. In Suzu's case, Belle is her ideal self. She is how she would like to appear, in a sense. This is why symbolically she looks like Ruka, a person she envies and admires.

THE BEAST = the shadow. The idea of an inner beast hidden in everyone is a very famous jungian idea that has been used many many many times in movies and literature. Think about Turning Red, for example. In this case, the beast represents Kei's aggressivity that is born from his father's abuse. The Dragon lets Kei convey all the negative feelings and violence he usually represses.

ORIGIN = the self, who you are as a whole, both how you appear and your hidden parts.

U is the inner world, so in it people can either present a perfect persona or show their inner darkness. Suzu wears a beautiful mask, while Kei lashes out violently. They are the Persona and the Shadow, the Beauty and the Beast.

SUZU'S INNER JOURNEY: BEAUTY AND BEAST

Suzu and Kei have experienced similar traumas. They both lost their mother and are grieving because of it. However, they channel their feelings differently and this is why they have opposite AS. On the one hand Suzu becomes Bell, who is U's idol, while Key becomes the Dragon, who is U's monster.

This difference can be found also in the opposite relationship they have with 2 key figures. Suzu has a protector in Shinobu, who tries to get through her and is worried for her. Key instead has Tomo, who needs his protection from their father. Suzu is protected, while Key protects. Their story, then, is simply Suzu growing into an adult that can protect, while Key can finally be recognized as the kid he is and be protected.

At the same time, the whole movie can be seen as Suzu's struggle to grow into herself by overcoming her mother's death. At the root of Suzu's trauma, there is her mother leaving Suzu behind to save another child. Metaphorically, this is Suzu's inner child being left behind by a parent. This makes Suzu closed off, shy and unable to interact with others or to express herself (aka singing).

However, through her relationship with Key, Suzu becomes able to face her own shadow, her own beast, if you want. Consider this scene:

Here, Suzu is writing a song for the Dragon, but the inspiration comes from her own behavior towards Shinobu. She wishes to have a normal relationship with the boy, but she always pushes him away because she doesn't wanna show her own pain. She understands the Dragon is similar to her in this aspect and this is specifically why she wants to get through to him. By doing so she is also getting through to herself, as well.

And this is Beauty and the Beast in a nutshell. Symbolically, the fairy tale can be seen as the Persona (the beauty, the light) and the Shadow (the beast, the darkness) integrating and becoming One (the Self). This is what happens to Suzu thanks to Key. She is able to overcome her own shortcomings, by trying to reach him.

By the end, Suzu is able to finally rescue her inner child. She symbolically overcomes her mother's death and abandonement by understanding her reasons and growing to be like her. Suzu's mom loses her life to save a child, even if it means leaving Suzu behind. Suzu risks hers for Key and Tomo. Firstly, she does so in U and then in the real world. She grows into an adult and by rescuing Key and Tomo she becomes able to metaphorically save and take care of her inner child, of herself as well. This is why in the end Shinobu comments how he does not need to take care of Suzu anymore. She is strong enough to take care of her most vulnerable parts on her own. She needs no guardian anymore.

All of this leads to Suzu self-actualizing. This symbolically happens in the climax, when she chooses to reveal her origin (her true self) to the world. By doing so, she truly becomes her ideal self. This is why her Belle-form is restored by the end of the song. Belle is not a mask anymore, but who Suzu truly is inside. Bell (Suzu). Belle (Beautiful).

THE WORLD OF U: THE POWER OF CONNECTION

Everyone is both the Beauty and the Beast and the internet is where these opposite tendencies emerge. People either try to appear perfect or they feel free to let out all their repressed stress. The web means freedom to reinvent oneself or to let one's own feelings out. This has both positive and negative aspects, obviously. However, what the story emphasizes is that behind the avatars there are still real people. The world of U is beautiful because deep down it remains a human place. In there people's negative tendencies are extremized, but the same goes for the positive traits.

This is conveyed with the motif of the "voice", that keeps coming out here and there. "Lend me your voice", Belle singing and finding her own voice again, the Voices of U that maintain the system, Suzu's classmates' rumor etc...

Rumors and malicious voices are present even in the aftermath of Suzu's mother's death. People keep talking behind Suzu's back on how her mother was selfish to save a child, leaving Suzu behind. Something that clearly hurts Suzu even more.

However, voices and networks also have a positive impact, especially in the climax.

On the one hand it is because of the web and of Suzu's group of friends that Key and Tomo are found and saved. Suzu's community stands beside her the moment she needs them. They were always there for her, but she refused to open up to them. So, it is just fitting that it is ultimately thanks to them and specifically their passions (Ruka's love for music, Kamishin's kayak, Hiroka's computer expertise, etc.), that Suzu is able to locate Tomo and Key and to complete her arc. Even more in general, the 2 kids would never have been saved if it were not for the internet.

On the other hand the "Voices of U" are none, but the users and in the climax they appear as golden spheres restoring Suzu's Belle-form and taking away Justin's sponsors. The message is clear... the people have recognized that Suzu is indeed Belle (beautiful), while Justin is no justice. The web has seen Belle's real self and has realized it is not a mask anymore, hence the final transformation. Justin instead did not let go of his Persona and is consumed by it. The "voices" recognize it and take away all his power, which in the end came simply by people granting it to him.

These are my main thoughts on the movie! In short, it is Beauty and the Beast... with the main theme being about exploring the masks people wear and the shadows they hide... and how the internet brings to an extreme both tendencies.

Thank you very much for the ask!

[prosperdemeter2]

Just love all the emotional growth and care Eddie is doing for himself in this chapter!

Allowing Maddie in emotionally a teensy, weensy, bit and letting him take a : PROGRESS!

Coming to the slow realization that it’s easy for him to be critical of Maddie for things in Buck’s past and wnating Buck to be upfront because he wasn’t experiencing it , and(as you perfectly said) Buck doesn’t know HOW to be mad at Maddie because they have and probably will never have a “normal” sibling relationship: Good, soft pats on the head for you Eddie!

Standing his ground with Shannon and expressing his feelings: YOU TAKE THAT CUSTODY EDDIE. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

The Christopher scene killed me “I’m glad Mommy cancelled” and I don’t think Mommy loves me” 💔💔😩😩 and the fact that he was afraid that Eddie would think Chris calling Buck ‘Dad’ meant he wanted to replace Eddie: DEATH. I AM DEAD. Which is so little kid logic, but also 😭😭

The end was so sweet. But I don’t know if I feel comfortable with your ending line of “Eddie wasn't in any rush, he was pretty sure they didn’t have an expiration date” and the other line of “and that, too, would be something they’d have to talk about later because Buck’s quick jump into taking the blame for everything was as heartbreaking as it was growing old” I got my eyes on you. I am channelling my inner Admiral Akbar and sensing “This is a trap!”

Also, can I become an OC in this so I can just plug in the loose wires that make up Harvey’s brain and maybe just shake him a little?

Anyways, loved this chapter. Can’t wait to be destroyed next week

You're so sweet omg 😭 comments on AO3 AND here???? I'm so soft, I am but a puddle.

Eddie has grown so much!!!! It's slow progress but it's progress all the same! He's realizing that his family deserves to be cared about just because they're his family! He's starting to let Maddie in and maybe not be so harsh towards her (but always, ALWAYS, will choose Buck first. If she hurts him, for example, he might like her but she's not the one he's going to protect, so to speak).

The Shannon of it all!!!! I've been planning that little confrontation for a while now, and it was so nice to get to write it all down for once.

The little kid logic in Chris 😭 I have a lot of feelings about how the general fandom tends to write him as much younger than he actually is and!!! Eddie opening up that communication with him and trying *so hard* to create a space where Christopher feels heard is everything to me.

But omg lmao no this is not a trap. I am a big fan of happy endings and I promise that last line (when it comes to Buddie) was meant to be a nice, peaceful repreve from the general angst 😂

[fictionfixations]

Aphmau. uhh... Thoughts?

So I've just. I remembered that I kinda wanted to know about what happened with aphmau from give-grian-rights' (no @ because i dont wanna bother em lol) profile thing cause i think in their pinned post there was something about aphmau

and like

so then i went back and searched 'aphmau' and like. so there was a document (< this is not mine)

so i read it. and just

bro wtf

no but why do like almost all the youtubers from peoples childhood just turn out really shitty?

and then uh. yknow i didnt know there was fuckin.. sib on sib?? i mightve missed it because its been awhile since then but like. what??

i mean okay, so I watched Aphmau when I was young, don't ask me how old I don't remember, but like.. so I joined around Season 1 or 2 of PDH, or Phoenix Drop High if I remember that right, I think maybe probably either towards the end of Season 1 or in the middle of Season 2? I can't remember but I remember waiting to watch it (I remember seeing that theres a new episode and clicking and then im not allowed to watch it because its not approved or whatever cause i had the i think restricted mode on lol ??) HAHA SPOILER WARNING FOR THE SERIES IG? its all from the memory of me though, who is really forgetful and watched it like years ago \/

uh. so. uhh i really dont remember what series is which -- the fuckin, that one season where they're like.. isolated. in the snow. in like a cabin (and theres that one ghost girl thing i think she was a ghost that fuckin kissed zane or something idk why that was so memorable?)

and like.. so ein is there and like. so yknow, children exposure to aphmau being like drugged or some shit (add on to this: I roleplayed with people on like Hypixel housing cause I found Aphmau fans and like.. i dont know man, the drugging was certainly a part of it with the whole green eyes and stuff)

bro i dont know why i thought that was normal?? i mean no one goes up to a child and says 'drugging people is bad' so i mean how was i to know??? and i was just like 'AWEE <3 <3 <3' I DONT KNOW MAN I LIKED BOTH SHIPS??? I WAS WEIRD I WANNA SAY I DIDNT KNOW ANY BETTER BUT LIKE ?????/ i mean the whole thing made me cry a lot because it was sad and shit but like.. thinking back on the plot now, idk man it was kinda weird

bro the only controversy i knew she was in was like when she for some reason fired all the i think VAs of the characters?? she fired someone and it was all really controversial but i was like 'uh.. this is fine-? idk man i just wanted to watch minecraft roleplay'

and she just like kept dragging it out and i dont think it ever happened (but her content nowadays isnt something i like watching)

also i like.. i rewatched one of her series, one of her newer ones i think with hte demons and shit

My Inner Demons

okay so like.

that show had a lot of adult jokes?????/ idk man maybe it was just me but there was like an amount of sexual-ish stuff and its just ???????????? and i dont remember that when i was a kid but i was oblivious to everything but like.. why put adult jokes in kid show i mean i think it was a kid series i dont really know but her whole channel is like some family friendly show to watch?

i cant name any specific scenes because its been too long but like srsly i feel like it was one of those storylines from a fanfiction that is probably offensive no but like

its y/n x demon boys basically

so that show never really hit hard and wasnt all that memorable, but i am sticking to my claim of adult jokes, and i might be wrong but i swear there was like at least one thing also while we're on the topic of her shows, can I mention like.. the entirety of Mystreet and the fuckin.. WAF??? When Angels Fall or something (the only reason i remember that name is cause WAF.) i like half dont remember what was going on but like

okay so i think so Aaron was like this special type of werewolf thing that I can't actually remember and when he looked at people -

i cant remember

did they die?? IDKK

BUT SO LIke it was like some fairytale thing BUT IT WAS REAL-- wait no i think he got rid of peoples hybrid features cause i think in like.. the series with Ein and the cabin he like went all 'D:<' and then ein lost his fuckin ears and shit /?

I THINK

but so like people were hunting em down because so they were wanted because of that and i dont know why. NO I THINK THEY WERE MIND CONTROLED WIHT THE THE emerald potion? forever potion?? IDK THEY MADE PEOPLES EYES GREEN AND MIND CONTROLLED THEM THEY WERE DRUGS (but the potion is like.. illegal? forbidden?? WELL NOT ANYMORE actually i think travis who i ThiNk is the white haired dude with like green eyes?? ' dad had like the book or something-- i really dont remember)

i ermember that they were probably mind controlled because katelyn or something, the blue haired girl had like green eyes i think and she was attacking aaron

uh

and then i think everyone was fuckin.. dying? i dont know what the fuck happened but then like blah blah blah adn then aphmau fuckin i think goes white eyed and like. irene from MCD or Minecraft Diaries.

with wings

and then i think it ended there wtf im so lost.

its like one of those stories where youre the protagonist so then you end up going a little overboard with crazy ideas that make zero sense when you look at the full picture or some shit idk

aghhh