#how she is misunderstood and also does a lot of bad things. two things can be true

[akkpipitphattana]

i fear the ending of agatha all along is once again making people confuse “i didn’t like the ending/the ending made me sad” with “that was bad writing”

[carrionofamurderprey]

In Defense of Nancy Wheeler,

a short collection of thoughts concocted by someone who is very used to defending a character that is shitted on and misunderstood by half the fandom and victimized by poor writing choices.

1.) In Defense of her being a bad friend

"she abandoned barb and that's why she died"

principally... a shitty thing to do, but i'd ARGUE it was a lapse of judgement that literally triggers her entire character arc. HEAR ME..

and a weaker, but still valid argument that does not excuse her decision, but is fair nonetheless.. how was she supposed to know barb was going to get swallowed up by an inter dimensional monster in the pool???… just saying. JUST SAYING.

Like I mentioned, it triggered a huge character arc for Nancy. Nancy felt awful that Barb went missing, and she recognized her faults. This guilt and confusion toward the tragedy led her to other realizations, like the state of her relationship, who Steve is as a person, and her own identity. My girl had a lot on her plate and she paid her debts in FULL solving Hawkins mysteries to not only compensate for what happened to Barb, but protect her friends and family!!!!!!

Don’t even get me started on how she felt not being able to tell Barb’s parents once she found out what really happened. Must’ve been awful.

2.) In defense of her shitty love triangle (my biggest point arguably)

everyone who hates her because of the love triangle she's subjected to are (and i’m sorry to say it but not really,) stupid. her character is obviously trying to break out of being central to a love triangle, but the writers can not for the life of them figure out what to do with steve and jonathan past s3 developmentally, which keeps her stuck in that place.

Nancy is so badass and has so much potential.

Someone also pointed out the underlying misogynistic issue of keeping women’s development “at bay,”— whether it be intentional or not!!— by having their entire importance dependent on male characters. That’s a post for another day, though.

and i'd like to point out she's not in a place like el, who is also in a canon love triangle, but also completely able to realize and explore her independence after catalysts (being friends with max, breaking up with mike).

THIS IS BECAUSE SHE HASNT HAD THE CHANCE TO BE AUTHENTICALLY ALONE AND REALIZE THE IMPACT OF HER OWN CATALYSTS (barb incident, solving hawkins mysteries)!

nancy’s character— to me and many others feels like she is given the illusion of choice by the writers. nancy in her love triangle is more like mike in his. she is not given the same opportunity to branch out, and is instead stuck choosing between two people, like mike. el's only choice is mike or herself. despite both being female characters that discover their independence, nancy isn't far enough on the receiving end to have her own arc.

Now logically, Nancy could branch out and be alone, and so could Mike. However, just like Mike is set up to be in love with Will, Nancy is set up to be in love with her male interests. Whereas this is sets a tone of freedom and accomplishment for Mike’s character, this.. to me, sets a tone of imprisonment and stillness for Nancy’s.

Final: There is still hope for Nance in s5

i would really like to see more parallels between these two friendships in season 5. like el and max, robin and nancy didn't start off being best friends!!

nancy was standoffish toward robin like el was with max, and they both reacted that way because of a boy, but then slowly realized they valued their female friendship more than romance.

this friendship helped el escape vecna and the idea that she needs approval from the males in her life.

i think it would be cool if they didsomething like that with robin and nancy instead of keeping her at such a stand still with steve and jonathan in the final season.

FIN🤌🏾

[wherevenusholdssomeofficespace]

Linda Flynn-Fletcher

I think Linda Flynn-Fletcher is potentially one of the most misunderstood characters in the show.

It think comes from a natural enough place. Her role in the show is of course, to act as the potential threat to their summers of fun. While they boys never see her as a threat, narratively she's the big bad. If she sees it, its game over.

Here's the thing though. She's a not a bad mom. Her children LOVE her. Similarly to how Phineas and Ferb absolutely adore Candace and would do nearly anything she asked, Phineas, Ferb and Candace all love and respect their mother and don't disobey her. Now a bit of this is clearly Linda being a more permissive parent, but any rules that Linda has Phineas and Ferb never do anything to disobey their mother. While I wouldn't be surprised if there were one or two instances where Candace disobeyed her mother willfully, the closest I can think off off hand is Candace not doing a bunch of chores that she was supposed to do. Really, the fact that all her kids love her, shows how much all her kids feel loved in their household. And I think that's super important. Candace wrote a song about how much she feels loved by her mom, even if her mom is dismissive of Candace. But she still goes with Candace to see what the boys are up to even if she doesn't believe it. She sets boundaries on how often Candace can bust the boys sure. But she hasn't forbidden Candace from doing it altogether. Nor does she punish Candace for presumably lying?

At MOST Linda will say something like: "let's get you out of the sun" after a failed bust. The worst of it I think is probably the time Linda made her promise not to try or suffer the Pharaohs curse. Which, was just some guy in a Pharaoh costume telling Candace curse you. Linda goes out of her way to read books to try and deal with her daughter. She and Candace still clearly hold a lot of affection for each other and do spend a decent amount of mother daughter time together. Linda gives books to her daughter, tries to direct her to other activities, and finds her sleep busting cute, and sometimes goes out of her way to do activities her daughter wants to do with her. All things considered Linda is REALLY patient about Candace's busting. Could she be doing more to get to the bottom of why Candace is presumably acting out? Sure. But Doofensmirtz could also be doing a better job of listening to his daughter and not insulting her (or do we not remember why Vanessa wears earbuds around the house) but we all call him a really good dad.

A LOT of shows have kids hiding a secret from a parent for one reason of another. But while the crux of the show rests on Linda not knowing what her sons are doing, its not because its a secret. The boys aren't hiding it from her. The boys genuinely believe she knows. Lawrence genuinely believes she knows. Candace is the only one in the family who really grasps the situation.

Linda's ignorance, her disbelief of the wild shenanigans that her children get into is easily mistakable for normality. For representing the oppressive day to day. The same thematic antagonist as school. A mom who wants whats best for her kids, and thinks that whats best for them is them being normal, without realizing what's really best for them. After all why else we saw what would happen if she found out in Quantum Boogaloo. But the fact of the matter is aside from that one future (which also featured an effectively evil leader in Doofensmirtz, and therefore implies more factors at play than just Doofensmirtz and Linda's characters), we don't really know how it would play out in the long term. Future Linda even just kinda moves on after discovering the truth.

Linda is exactly like her kids. She just does the same things on a less physics breaking scale. The woman has like 37 different hobbies. She takes a cooking class, donated an art sculpture, is part of a jazz group. She has a background in astrophysics. She was a pop star. She won a meatloaf contest. She takes french lessons. The fact that Linda has several hobbies is part of the reason the formula works at all. Linda is constantly trying new things which gets her out of the house, while her sons are trying their own new things. Her absence is what prompts Candace to have to go looking for her. Also, What Do It Do when the moment Linda gets put in Candace's position she acts the exact same way.

Also it's why she and Lawrence are so compatible. They have a lot of weird hobbies they spend together. She likes Lawrence's history references. They watch car racing together. They went spelunking together. They go bowling regularly enough to have equipment. She has played the bagpipes while Lawrence danced (which sidenote: do you think she taught Candace how to play the bagpipes?).

Not to mention her extended family. Think about it. Her mom was a competitive roller derby skater who once bit a skate and shook it like a dog with a chew toy and pulls elaborate pranks with her identical twin. Really she's a lot like Candace with her aggressive passion. Her dad apparently won a balloon race, but tells the story in the most straightforward way possible, sometimes very oblivious, but is overall a lot like Phineas. Her sister is an adrenaline junky. And back to Quantum Boogaloo for a minute: Her granddaughter is just like Candace, Grown up Candace is a lot like Linda. Do you not see the implications!!?!?!? LIKE???? DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT LINDA WAS PROBABLY A LOT LIKE CANDACE AND PHINEAS WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER?!!?! YOU THINK IT SKIPPED A GENERATION OR SOMETHING???

Do you think Linda used to complain about Tiana??? Do you think Linda thought her family was weird and was embarrassed by them??? Do you think Linda ever called herself the only mature/normal member of her family?? LIKE CANDACE DOES????

Anyway, Linda is just like her family. Sure, she is RELATIVELY more normal, but that's relative, and probably simply because the universe bends itself around to keep her from knowing. Linda literally cannot find out about the real nature of her universe. Linda is just a grown up version of her children, seeking to make the most of each day, but within the bounds the universe has set upon her, both as an adult woman and mother, but also in the laws of physics expected of her. But she still makes the most of her life. You don't have to build a roller coaster to make the most of each day and all that.

I think if Linda is representing anything its that even parents can have rich fulfilling lives. Where they make the most out of each day. Having fun with your life doesn't stop with adulthood. Even if you have more responsibilities doesn't mean you can't have fun? Sure childhood is something you can't get back but growing up isn't inherently bad either?

[bellestrinkets]

I don’t think molly loved dutch.

you see, they had the strangest relationship to my understanding. not an ounce of love was ever really shown so that I could say, “yes these people do love each other, they’re just going through a rough patch”. i love molly’s character, i believe her to be misunderstood by many who play the game, yet the lack of love she felt for this man does not go unnoticed by me. if they were going though a rough time, they had been for a long time.

every time i look at her i think about the perks of being a wallflower’s quote; “we accept the love we think we deserve” because, i believe her to be the embodiment of those very same words. grasping at straws to simply get an ounce of whatever it is that she thought love was back; and still she got nothing if not crumbs.

personally, i believe molly was obsessed more than in love. really important distinction in my opinion. because, obsession doesn’t necessarily come with such feeling (love), but it does with a degree of care, and she did care for him, for his opinion of him on her.

it is implied through her poem that, to her very core, she feels this anger towards dutch because, “i was a girl until you call. I’ve-nothing left. I gave you all” and still, in that very same piece she does not blame him for the isolation she was feeling but the others in camp; “your parasites and lackeys crawl. mocking a love they dare not see…” it’s as if she had this constant paranoia that the rest mocks them, mocks her. to a degree, she’s right, we clearly see that she is not the most cherished person at the van der linde’s campsite. however, you can perhaps blame that to the fact she does not do any manual work around there, christ, she’s wearing white boots! (which i think is hilarious and says a whole lot more about her character).

she deflects from the truth because that hurts less. if she really left all that life behind for a man that was not showing her any fulfilling interest, then what was the point of it? why was she there? she’s also really young when compared to dutch, there’s a clear imbalance between the two. so, did this man take advantage of her? i don’t doubt it.

she was obsessed with dutch, wanting, begging for a proof of true affection from the man. she was obsessed with love, the idea of being in love and being loved. we see her take any opportunity to flaunt her love for him, when she talks to the other girls, to reinstate over and over how “i really love him, you know?”

hey, not to discredit that at any given moment she didn’t loved him, she probably did. nonetheless, the despair and dismay of being reciprocated deteriorated it all. to further the case, hosea got more proof of affection from dutch than molly ever did.

it’s was just such a blatant thing, this obsession for dutch’s approval that arthur throws a little jab at both on chapter two. I don’t remember the exact wording but it was something along the lines of, “she’d proof that this x thing was real if it meant pleasing you”. again, I don’t recall the exact wording, but come on, even to the characters saw such disparity in affection. “she did not such thing, she was in love—!” screams karen to misses grimshaw, and I had to hold my pearls.

on her final moments it is showcased the frustration she feels, the rage finally is let loose. for the first time, she’s honest with others, with herself and yet, she dies —in a cruel way may i add—; it’s one of the last spits to her face the whole story has for her. I believe the very last to be the thoughtless and nasty burial she gets, she doesn’t really get one, she’s allegedly burnt.

dutch didn’t love her, he could not even abide to her last wish, “come one, shoot me!” he doesn’t. she dies in a very similar outfit she started out in the game (on chapter 2), there is a sense of closure for that same reason. the cycle of this loveless relationship comes to an end, a bad and horribly tragic one at that.

she is the idiot with the painted face, in the corner, taking up space.

she knows (i know – fiona apple) that.

she deserved better, she didn’t get. she deserved better from those enjoying such piece of media, she didn’t get it. she died a snitch and even though in the same game it is cleared out she wasn’t, people still hold it against her.

molly was not the snitch, she lied, perhaps because she wanted such ending. she begged the man she thought loved her to finish it all and did not even get that from him.

molly did not love dutch, not because she didn’t have love to give, but because the man made her feel insecure, obsessed. she took one big step to be there, alongside him —running away from whatever life she had—, and did not even get a shuffle of feet from her lover back.

[disheveledtranquility]

A little Eddie whump character analysis deep dive.

And defending symbrock while I'm at it and why I think movie Eddie was actually well thought out as a character and not just because "the stereotypical macho blonde asshole would not have been popular."

I'm exhausted so hopefully I didn't mess up the details too bad. Been a while since I read the comics.

Sprinkle in some of my ADHD so expect a bit of rambling. I added some gifs because I do love a picture book.

It's canon that Eddie Brock was abused by his father growing up. And the abuse was mostly emotional, lack of love, and lack of concern.

And gentle reminder that not everyone handles trauma the same, no matter which kind, and I feel like the way they wrote Eddie for the movies showcases another side to that trauma versus the comics. There's so many little details that even if it's just Tom being the amazing actor that he is portraying that side and not actually having those details written for him, it's still amazing.

Because Eddie's father was cold and emotionless after he lost his wife during childbirth. And of course Eddie tried everything to gain that love, just to be constantly subpar and never good enough for even a second glance.

After an accident involving drunk driving where Eddie hit a child, their relationship only got worse. And later in the comics, he disowns Eddie completely after he loses his job.

The movie version of Eddie is the broken version of that trauma.

He tends to shy away from situations where you'd assume he'd rush in to, like saving Mrs. Chen.

Trying to help or inquiring when he notices Maria missing. Anything that involves complex emotions. He's a reporter, yes, and he's cordial when he needs to be, but he seems to stick to his job and otherwise keep to himself. They don't exactly show that he has any friends, just Anne. So he's probably introverted because of the years of abuse and having to feel like he has to do everything alone with little to no strings attached.

Even simple things like getting into Anne's emails can be misunderstood. It's not malicious, but more misguided. He loved Anne. He didn't do what he did with intent to get her in trouble. But his poor decision making is probably also a part of not actually being raised and not knowing how to handle certain situations such as actually talking to your partner before you do things on your own? So much could have been avoided. And Eddie had good intentions of getting rid of Carlton Drake, but ruined his own life and Anne's as well because he didn't think things through.

He can't handle his emotions well (might also tie into the noises issue he seems to have that are not related to Venom, a possible trigger for him).

He has a lot of nervous ticks that also tie in with someone growing up in an abusive household. Emotionally stunted ticks. Like holding eye contact when someone he cares about is upset with him and he doesn't know how to fix it (because everything he does is wrong).

Even something you might think is simple, like apologizing, have had negative consequences as a child and might be why even though he's no longer in that situation, his brain isn't used to connecting any good emotions between them. He's probably not used to apologizing sincerely because doing so never meant it would change the outcome.

His mannerisms get worse when he's particularly anxious, like when he might have thought Venom didn't want to come back just as Anne when she left and never wanted to come back.

Again, because he pushed them away, just like Anne. Again, because he messed it up. And again, because he didn't know how he was supposed to fix it.

Because Eddie cares so much even though his head is always such a mess. Makes me think his dad had a say or two about Eddie constantly groveling for his attention and the way it might have made him seem weak, and Eddie in turn stopped himself from letting himself be so open and able to talk about these issues because of it.

His inability to form and/or hold any kind of positive relationship is a good telling sign.

He grew up vying for love without success. He doesn't know what a healthy relationship is supposed to look or feel like long term, even though he tries.

He probably just looks for some level on comfortable routine in his day to day with someone, assumes that's the best he's going to get, and hopes for the best. Any change and it throws him completely off center. He's not used to communicating in a relationship when he grew up talking to a wall.

Also why I think he handles being with Venom so badly. It's not the eating heads and it's not the whole 'alien living in my body' ordeal.

If something isn't obviously positive it feels negative to him in his mind, which makes everything worse. He's selfish in needing to keep his mental state positive. It no doubt contributed to his alcoholism.

He became a people pleaser. Not in the way of gaining attention, but because he's constantly trying to avoid any negative sentiments directed his way. He's already damaged. He doesn't want to have to feel worse.

Eddie is in constant fight or flight with Venom without knowing what the symbiote will do next and how he, Eddie, will be perceived. He becomes very anxious, and later, angry. He's always walking on eggshells.

But the relationship is different with the symbiote than it is with Anne. Even if Eddie doesn't explicitly say it, he feels safe with Venom. More able to let that rage out that he couldn't before. And because he doesn't feel like the symbiote is going to actually hurt him, when his stress gets to him he tends to lash out at it. It's a lovely little cycle of abuse and Eddie really needs therapy.

Venom didn't fully understand the layers of Eddie's traumatized mind yet in LTBC, which is why I think it lashed out as well. Like Anne had with Eddie. Again, it's different though. Venom understands enough to see through that mess and see that Eddie doesn't mean anything with what he says.

It never does damage with malicious intent to Eddie, comedic acts aside. Not even with the fight between them in LTBC. It breaks Eddie's nose twice just to heal it immediately twice, and doesn't leave him with any lasting damage at all.

Because it cares about Eddie. And because it was never meant to harbor emotions, it's probably going through the damn gambit having to feel everything through Eddie and feeling just as hurt by him.

This is also why I think Eddie is constantly complaining in TLD. He's again in constant fight or flight and too comfortable with Venom, so he's just lashing out. But you can tell the symbiote takes none of it to heart, sometimes even seeming to ignore his remarks completely.

Maybe after a year with Eddie it finally understands the pain underneath all that stunted emotion, anxiety, and anger. That, and Eddie no longer drinks his negative emotions away, which means he has less ways to calm himself when he gets too stressed.

Through everything, Venom is the only one who has the ability to see the issues that are deeper. It stayed through all that mess and decided that what was under the baggage was worth holding on to, without Eddie having to try and explain why he is the way that he is.

[dutchdread]

Hi, I'm sorry if this question has been answered before, but what are your views on the whole Cloud not answering Tifa when she asks if he loves her. I'm not entirely sure where it's from, sorry.

Sure, it might have been asked before, I know I've answered it before, but I've talked about this subject in many places so it might not have been on Tumblr. Either way, the question doesn't bother me, it's a good question since people bring it up a lot, so having a chance to reiterate the answer isn't a bad thing. The scene you're talking about is from the short story: " On the way to a smile - Episode Tifa". Like with all these supposed rebuttals to Cloti this argument fails when you look at the situation honestly for more than two seconds, and is actually Pro-Cloti. Firstly, this argument suffers from the same problem that I brought up a while back in my article concerning "the most misunderstood quote in the LTD". Namely that for this argument to make sense you already have to admit that Cloud and Tifa are in a relationship. There is not a person on earth who would walk up to random friends in the middle of the night and wake them up to ask them whether they love them. The scene is framed as Tifa being in Clouds bedroom, and since Tifa is never mentioned to go to his room and Cloud seems to not be surprised about her being there Occams razor will tell you the most likely reason she's in his room is because they're sleeping together. So even if we look at this situation in the most pro-Cleriths way possible then we still already have a situation where Cloud and Tifa are in a relationship, because only in a relationship does it make sense to talk about relationship issues. And since the very notion of stories is to have a resolution we can also surmise that by the end of the story these relationship issues are in some way fixed, either by them going their separate ways, or them working it out. And since we've discussed the nature of the issues Cloud is facing in depth on this page and have discussed how they are resolved, we know the answer to these questions. The issues are resolved by Cloud returning to Tifa and the children, as has been explicitly stated by the developers.

Inside, I felt one thing was for sure: Cloud and Tifa would be together. Everybody would be back home where they belonged. ~ Nojima - Reunion files - pg. 70

Let me stress this again, the most PRO-Clerith version of this argument has Tifa and Cloud being in a relationship and working it out by the end. And in reality it's even more pro-Cloti than that. The very fact that Tifa is concerned about Cloud not loving her implies that him loving her is in some way the standard. It's not that Tifa and Cloud are friends and it's going so well that Tifa is wondering "wait, does he maybe like me more as just friends? does he perhaps....LOVE me?" no, the implication is that the accepted state of affairs is that they were two people in love, and that she is now questioning whether that's actually the case. Now note that Tifas insecurities by themselves mean nothing. Tifa can be extremely jealous of Aerith and completely convinced that Cloud is depressed because he actually loves another woman, and yet be completely wrong about that, as is clearly the case. Whatever insecurities Tifa might reasonably have, they're pretty clearly shown to be false by the sub-sequent events of Advent Children and all the quotes surrounding it. We know the reason Cloud was depressed, we know the reason he left. As I have discussed in depth here: "why does Cloud think about Aerith if he's not in love with her" as well as on other articles. In short, Cloud is depressed because of Cherophobia, PTSD, Fear of failure, and guilt, and his ultimate reason for leaving is due to his Geostigma. Tifas romantic worries are shown to be unfounded. Concerning the scene itself, a lot of people pretend that Cloud doesn't answer Tifa, that is incorrect. Cloud is asleep when Tifa asks the quote. When this wakes him Tifa changes the question to "do you love Marlene". The reason she does this is most likely because she's scared of the answer, she chickens out and instead of repeating the question, which he missed on account of BEING ASLEEP, she changes it to something less directly threatening to her heart, "do you love Marlene". The most important thing to note is that Cloud answers in the affirmative, he DOES love Marlene. Most importantly, this answer also serves as an answer to "do you love me?", either because Cloud straight up heard Tifa (I don't think he did, but some people pretend he did) and is answering her indirectly, or because this is how you use storytelling to provide an indirect answer to the viewer. The scene illustrates, in general, that Clouds issues are not due to a lack of love. There is a different problem, what is that problem? Well, I've already provided you with a link showing just that. Let me also quickly touch on what happens later on in the short story in general:

Cloud is looking for a way to atone, which he finds through Denzel.

“So the problem was resolved?” Tifa asked. “Which problem?” Cloud responded. “Your problem.” “Oh…” Cloud thought about it. “It’s ok if you don’t want to tell me.” “I can’t really explain it well…” Cloud warned before starting to talk. “The problem isn’t resolved. Well, I never tried resolving it for a long time, I think. You can’t retrieve lost lives.” Tifa nodded silently. “But maybe we can save the lives who are in a crisis just now. Maybe even I can do it.” “You mean Denzel?” “Yeah.” “Hey, do you remember what you said when you brought Denzel here?” “What did I say?” “A lot of things. Even if I opposed it, you would bring him back with you. I could just feel it.” “That…” Cloud was making a face like a kid who thought he would get scolded. “Tell me. I’ll decide whether I’m angry or not after I listen.” Cloud nodded and continued. “Denzel had collapsed in front of Aerith’s church. That’s why I thought Aerith lead him to me.” Saying all that in one breath, Cloud looked away. “You went to the church.” “I didn’t intend to hide it from you.” “You did hide it.” “I’m sorry.” “I’m not saying you couldn’t go. But next time, I’ll go with you.” “I understand.” “And you’re wrong, Cloud.” Cloud was perplexed as he looked at Tifa. “Aerith didn’t bring Denzel to you.” “Ahh, I only thought that…..” “I didn’t mean it that way.” “Aerith brought Denzel to our home.” Cloud gazed at Tifa and finally smiled. __________________________________

This provides further evidence that the issues between Tifa and Cloud weren't due to a lack of love, but were due to Cloud suffering from the guilt of failing to protect Aerith. He doesn't know how to deal with that because this is not something he can take back: "You can’t retrieve lost lives.”. However, he is looking for a way to atone and thinks he's found one by protecting those who are still alive, in this case Denzel. Subsequently his situation with Tifa seemingly improves. But then the story ends with Clouds sudden disappearance, and Tifa wondering if the improvement, and the accompanying smiles, were a lie. The story lets that question linger, it is a cliff hanger, the set-up for Advent Children, advent children is supposed to answer the question, and it does. The answer to the mystery of why Cloud suddenly disappeared when things appeared to be improving, is that he contracted Geostigma.

Cloud never had a candid personality to begin with, and although he started living with Tifa and even started working, he obtained a peaceful living he’s never experienced before, and this conversely made him anxious. And in the midst of this he contracts Geostigma himself, and rather than being able to protect the people dear to him, he instead was forced to face his own death, and so ran away.”-Nojima in AC prologue.

Case closed, Cloti wins again. Like always, whenever you look at any scene in the larger context you come to the conclusion that it perfectly fits the overall story and concepts proposed by Clotis. It's the remarkable coherency of this interpretation that in my opinion is it's best proof. Cleriths propose a very shallow story, they never look deeper than "Clouds actions revolve around romantic love, therefore, every action has to either directly prove romance, or disprove it, there can be no unrelated issues". There is no nuance there, no understanding of deeper concepts. There can't be, because as soon as you try to add those the interpretation falls apart at the seams, you run into a hundred conflicting quotes and a thousand themes that don't fit together or are downright bad. You get stories about a man abandoning sick kids because he wants to die to be with a dead girl, for no other reason than that he knew her for one week and now is obsessed with her. There is no story here, no beauty, no lessons, no morality, just a weird shallow death cult, and the biggest proof that it is a cult is how they can look at a scene like the one you proposed, and delude themselves into actually believing their shallow misrepresentations constitute "a good argument".

[storkmuffin]

Kpop Dance Class #5

I recently learned something important from an expert dancer mutual I was fortunate enough to befriend (tumblr PLEASE DON'T DIE) about what is actually happening for the dancers in footage like this taken at the Millennium Dance Complex Studio 8 years ago, featuring baby Yunho who does so well he does a whole hats-off-to-myself ceremony in the middle of it:

I'd seen stuff like this before, and I'd assumed that the 'teacher' or director picked people to be filmed like this, and only after at least a few classes. But no! Apparently that is wrong! This amount of choreo can be learned by an advanced dancer in the course of ONE CLASS, and then you volunteer YOURSELF to be filmed, to be put on youtube or wherever in a compilation.

Pushing yourself into the center, like Yunho did, is collaborative and also aggresssive - the other dancers have to halfway acknowledge you as being good enough to push yourself there, but also you have to believe you have enough of a hold of the choreography to perform it, not just get it correct. The risk you run is, of course, that you mess up or you're not good, and then you're the fool that ruined the video for everyone else and in front of an audience of only dancers, who will know exactly how much of a failure you really were.

It gave me food for thought. I had a not good time my first month in Kpop dance class because everything was so confusing. But I was also increasingly aware that ALL the other students in my particular class go to at least one other class with this same teacher at a different studio. She teaches the dance of the month several times a week in at least two different locations. I'm the only one that can only go once a week.

I decided to change my approach. I was participating in this in too naive a way, taking it like an exercise class or like a theory class - that is, I was the only student coming to actually learn the choreography, when the clothing and accessories and attitudes of everyone else in the class indicated that this was A PERFORMANCE opportunity. The whole 'beginner' label was just a marketing ploy and a blatant lie.

At minimum, dance class is was more analogous to a private piano lesson than I expected, and much less like a tennis or ski lesson. You go to piano lesson to demonstrate what you've mastered during the past week of practice, and to get pointers for the next week's worth of practice. You're not going in there to just fuck around on the piano, figuring shit out. That's what practice is for.

Fine, I thought. I am a Korean going to Kpop class, so I shall take a very Korean approach to this, I thought, AND STUDY AHEAD. I wish everything we ever did for any reason didn't have to be so superfucking intense and require prep, but complaining about things being hard defeats the point of challenging myself by taking this class to begin with.

I was already told we'd be doing the Like Jennie dance (the one that uhh Wooyoung will kick me out of Atiny for learning it if he could, BUT HE CAN'T BECAUSE NOBODY CAN BAN SOMEONE FROM FANDOM HAHAAA) so I looked up six or seven videos purporting to teach the steps. With grim determination, I watched these videos and my grimness dissipated because I realized, Oh there's a LOT of different ways of doing pedagogy of kpop dance, and some are much clearer than others. And my teacher isn't bad. I just misunderstood the point of the class.

I do yoga videos and exercise videos when I can't get to the gym, but hoo boy, doing a dance step learning video in my home feels incredibly stupid for some reason. I forced myself to get over it. I followed along to a few explanatory videos, settled on one teacher's video I liked, and gave it maybe three tries during the week. I did this on blind faith, recalling that very strange advice Mingi gave in that Live about how knowledge 'accumulates' in your body as long as you keep doing it even if you can't see progress.

Today was the class, and like I thought they might, everyone else in my class came knowing the choreo on day 1.

Well bitches, SO DID I, it turned out. Heyyy Mingi was right!

It was actually fun to be in the class this time. I could look at myself and make decisions about what looked a little less awkward and more like what the dance was 'supposed' to be like. I could add details like - how to describe this - you show the outside of your right foot to the mirror when you lift it, but as your foot comes back down you need to point the toes of that same foot to the right so the left side of your foot is mirror-facing. It makes the whole move more dance-y.

I don't have a set up where I can look at the dance instruction and myself at the same time, and so that was the point of going to class for me - to see myself do it.

Also this dance, the Like Jennie thing, has at least two moves that I've seen San and Wooyoung do for Ateez choreography. We haven't gotten to those yet, but I'm very interested in seeing how it feels to do them. I also wondered afresh at San finding the time to make all the uh, remarkable faces he makes while doing all this other stuff.

And after class 5, I'm finding that all these little discrete details of what Yunho is doing in that clip become more and more visible, like sense emerging out of a string of foreign words when you move from A1 to A2 levels of fluency. That's very thrilling.

[i-love-invincible]

Let's Talk About Atom Eve

Invincible Spoilers and Gore CW Abound! Please watch this incredible series... So who is ATOM EVE?

I would love to talk about this, but first we have to talk about character design in Invincible. The costumes, personalities, and heroes of Invincible are all self-referential. Take the Guardians of the Globe for instance, the first heroes we see on-screen.

We see these people, and IMMEDIATELY we get what they're about... even if these characters are new to us, we KNOW who they are. Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Green Lantern, all obvious parodies and fun little characters.

I'm sure your eyes will start glazing over once I go "blah blah subverting tropes blah blah absolute genius." but one thing that Invincible does very well is destroying the audience's connections with established superhero tropes (See the one million white boy video essayists talking about why Evil Superman is awesome.) The reason why the slaughter of the Guardians of the Globe in that fucking THREE MINUTE LONG SCENE is so surprising is because THEY ARE THE FUCKING JUSTICE LEAGUE (while the fight scene also conveniently tosses some casual shade to DC Comics.) Not only is it stunning since we have some frame of reference for how powerful they are, but also stunning because we have ALREADY become attached to these characters.

What follows are a couple real quotes from people I've shown the first episode to: "Oh Batman + Silver Surfer that's awesome!" "OH DUDE! FISH AQUAMAN" "Wonder Woman but she's a lesbian.. as she should be..." .. and all these people, the ones with the most superhero experience, were the ones all most taken aback by the ending.

So let's look at Eve.

At first glance, we get the same impression as a lot of the heroes we meet in Invincible: knockoff. In the same way Omniman and the entirety of the Guardians of the Globe are made to resemble the Superman and the Justice League so to does Atom Eve's costume and powers SCREAM token. She is the first female hero we meet that is Mark's age and perhaps more importantly (and more evident to a first-time viewer) she has some very clear themes of femininity. Such as her costume, which Doc Seismic callously points out in Episode 3 (neglecting the fact she designed her own costume)...

... as well as her name. "Atom Eve" is a combination of her ability to influence atoms and her middle name, but it is also a reference to Adam and Eve (see the bible.) She even has a female symbol with two revolving electrons around it emblazoned right on her damn shirt. So just like the Guardians of the Globe, her design is meant to carry a lot of weight and immediacy to the viewer, you see them and you understand who they are and what they stand for (or at least you think you do.)

So we've seen the way that the Guardians subvert our expectations so how does Eve diverge from the audience's first-impressions? Well for the first couple episodes she doesn't. You might even suspect her of being some one-dimensional, neglected and under-characterized female character (and to be honest if you were reading the comics you wouldn't be too far off...) until you start to see her dissatisfied with being a superhero. Her boyfriend cheats on her, the Teen Team breaks up, her parents consistently disrespect and talk down to her, she's misunderstood by the naive and silly Mark Grayson, and she struggles to find connection with anyone outside of when she's "beating up bad guys." She even goes as far as to reject a position in the Guardians of the Globe just to avoid her ex-boyfriend, despite her killer tryout.

She's frustrated by the frame that's been left for her, and realizes her powers enable her to do much more than beat up random villains. Her powers BY THE WAY, which up until now anyone could have mistaken for "shooting pink stuff," is actually atomic manipulation. She can just fucking rearrange matter to make anything she wants. So instead of being a superhero she fucks off to do things that ACTUALLY help people. Like idk she could be irrigating rivers and feeding the starving or like manufacturing free medicine or something. Atom Eve is a hero who is chronically misunderstood by literally everyone around her, even in the final episode Mark is under the impression Eve just stopped being a superhero to get away from her ex, parents, and school. However with the earth-shattering familial trauma that Mark goes through in the Season 1 finale, maybe they will have more in-common than either of them think.

and NOW there's a surprise ATOM EVE SPECIAL EPISODE! it shows off her origin story which goes even more in-depth into her trauma, and her loss of the only people who even WOULD be capable of understanding her. It also has my FAVORITE FIGHT SCENE OF ALL TIME!!! It was absolutely incredible

ps: omg why tf did they make her far-shot model have an x over the female symbol instead of the detailed electrons (crying emoji) cool i didnt proofread this okay i might do more of these okay bye, i love this show okay

[submarinefleet]

Relationships, Freelancers, Part 2

How Agents York, North, South, and Connecticut behave in committed relationships.

York: Bad jokes bad pick-up lines bad puns. His partner gets the worst of the worst at all hours of the day. No place, and no time is sacred. They’d be filthy rich if they got a penny for every time he ruined the moment. Has a latent possessiveness that doesn’t come into play very often, but still very much exists. Means well, but takes a lot of things at face value, and has misunderstood his partner’s actions and feelings plenty in the past. Otherwise, he’s very accepting, and very rarely judges (if ever). He’s the type to feel loved when spending quality time with you, and he rarely if ever turns down an opportunity to do just that. In fact, it doesn’t even matter what you do together-- just that it’s together.

North Dakota: Ridiculously lovey-dovey, ESPECIALLY in public. Doesn’t stop no matter how long you’ve been together, even decades down the line. Gives you all the attention you could possibly need, and then some. To say he’s a bit of a nag is an understatement. Worries like a momma bird, and will go into disapproving big brother mode whenever you’re doing something he deems unhealthy or dangerous. Likes picking you up and carrying you, and is strong enough to bench-press you no matter how big you are. He’s the one in the relationship who remembers all the important dates, including all your friends’ and relatives’ birthdays. Definitely remembers anything and everything that has to do with you: allergies, what you like and dislike, and that one offhand comment you made once about needing to get a new wallet soon. Overprotective, and gets jealous easily.

South Dakota: Also strong enough to bench-press you, and often does so. Again, doesn’t matter how big you are. If you thought her temper would decline--or even vanish--around a romantic partner, you’d be wrong. It’s still as explosive and unmanageable as ever, but if you’re visibly cowed by her yelling and hitting things, she starts being more conscientious of it-- and at the very least, puts physical distance between the two of you when she’s in one of her moods. As your relationship progresses and her feelings deepen, you become her rock. The person she trusts to hear her out and help her come back down. When she’s calm, she’s a total showoff with the biggest smirks and grins, and says the dirtiest things. Making you blush is one of her absolute favorite pastimes. Like North, she’s prone to jealousy, but even more so. Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s pretty clingy too...

Connie / CT: Connie is a complicated woman. She has many, many secrets, and you know barely a third of them. According to her, you’re safer that way. The secrecy can put a strain on your relationship, but she does her best to make up for it in other ways. She’s not only a great listener, but she's the person who gets angry on your behalf, and raises the standard for how people are allowed to treat you. If someone’s giving you trouble and she finds out about it... well, she deals with it, but once again you’re safer not knowing how. Just as it’s important to her that she have your back, it’s important she knows that you have hers, too. You’re the only person who’s still allowed to call her Connie. She makes you keep a single bag packed with essentials at all times just in case she needs to spirit you away in the middle of the night without explanation.

[writing-for-life]

So, you mentioned something about Thessaly in a 90s context in one of your responses to another post, and I was wondering if you could expand on that. Because yeah, I have no problem with her *existing* as a character, because obviously she has a role in the narrative, but I highly suspect that her perceived role has changed a LOT in the intervening years since the initial writing.

As someone who first read Sandman in 2022, I figured that her character role was to get us to question what we think we know about Morpheus. Can we really trust that he's changed or improved, or that he's even all that likeable, if he's literally jumping into bed with this thoroughly unpleasant woman who likes violent murder *way* too much and also seems to be transphobic to boot?

At the same time, though, I got the uncomfortable sense that we were supposed to *like* Thessaly. In a sort of, "You go girl, be a #girlboss, let's show these boys we can be JUST as good at killing as them!" sort of way. Which I rationalized as "well, that probably was progressive in the 90s, but the idea of cold blooded violence and emphasis on the possession of a womb being feminist ideals has aged poorly."

So, yeah, I'm wondering if that is anywhere close to how she seemed in the "intended" context.

[As always: Send me asks about everything Sandman-related!]

This is such a good ask, and I feel there are a lot of bases to cover here. Not sure if I’ll do it justice, but here goes…

Disclaimer straightaway: I absolutely detest Thessaly and everything she’s done narratively, and I’m neither a Thessaly-apologist, nor someone who loves her as a character. But I think we need to discuss her with a bit more nuance than I see in lot of fandom spaces.

I think first of all, we need to look at:

Thessaly as a fictional character

As you already pointed out, she naturally has a role in the narrative. I also think parts of her role in said narrative are sometimes a bit misunderstood. One prime example would be the idea she never loved Morpheus. And yes, she absolutely always put herself and her own interests first, so from that angle, she loved herself more than she loved him. That doesn’t mean she never loved him at any point though. Many people quote her saying that she never did as proof that she didn’t. But what people say doesn’t always align with what they feel or do: She says at his wake she swore she’ll never cry over him again—and cries while she’s saying it. That tells us two things: She *did* cry because of him before. And she *does* cry now.

Again, she is a selfish, utterly horrid bitch, but she loved him at some point, and she was mad at him for neglecting her and not paying her enough attention. That’s when it turned sour (and we know how absolutely shit at communicating with women Morpheus is, so they’re both as bad as each other in that regard).

I see her as someone who is totally disconnected/dissociated from her emotions, to the extent that she probably really believes what she says, out of some deep-rooted fear of any kind of vulnerability. Why that is—we can only speculate, because Neil never went into it, hence nothing we assume will ever be canon.

What can be considered canon, however, is that Neil has confirmed the fact that she *did* love him at some point—most notably in the Sandman Companion:

Hy Bender: […] Of course, she’s lying when she says she never loved the Sandman.

Neil Gaiman: Of course; I think that’s made explicit by the final panel, where she says, `I swore I would never shed another tear for him’ while crying. But after he’s won her and then returned to his duties, he wasn’t enough for her anymore. She wanted attention; and when she wasn’t getting it, she said, “Right. We’re done,” and walked out on him.”

I’d also like to point out that the most trans-exclusionary prick in the whole of AGoY is actually George, just that he’s not a woman, and hence, no one ever seems to mention it (he’s actually the one egging Wanda on, not Thessaly). Plus, walking the moon road is maiden, mother and crone to a T, and consciously so. Foxglove is the maiden, Hazel is pregnant, and Thessaly is ancient. So Thessaly’s choice was also based on that, and the only one who Wanda really could have *potentially* replaced would have been Foxglove; she presumably never had penetrative sex, unlike Hazel (in the archaic definition of what penetration means, so we don’t need to argue about lesbian sex practices now). We don’t know that about Wanda, no matter if someone sees her as a man or a woman. I didn’t mean to get that explicit about maiden status, but I guess it *is* important in this context (although yes, of course Thessaly said Wanda is a man, and I’m not arguing that either, but I still think it was grounded in her belief how moon magic works).

Which brings me to a very important point: Thessaly is ancient. Culturally, we can’t compare her to someone who grew up in the 20th century, also with regard to her violent inclinations. She is thousands of years old. She’s seen it all. She has a fierce sense of self-preservation, maybe even rooted in some fears or trauma of her own. All not very nice character traits, no, but that’s not the yardstick, and probably was never supposed to be. I also remember Neil saying he consciously wanted to oppose neopaganism and the watered down, new wave witchcraft of the time (late 1980s/early 1990s, and that, I really remember), which was all about the “divine feminine”, female empowerment, tarot cards and incense sticks. I’m being a bit flippant now, but it isn’t far off. It was more of a trend than anything. He wanted to consciously oppose it with someone who would still act according to ancient, rather violent codes and rules. And Morpheus will have known those, and probably found them less surprising than we do (doesn’t necessarily mean he’d condone them either).

The fact whether Thessaly should make us question Morpheus in the comics is a tricky one. What she definitely *should* make us question is: Morpheus could have quite easily broken some rules in the Kindly Ones when Thessaly had set up the protection circle for Lyta, and the consequences probably would have been less disastrous than playing by said rules. And we can safely presume he knew. We are also supposed to question the same when he lets Nuala call in her boon and doesn’t just say: “This isn’t really a good time, can we do this later?” (and he absolutely COULD have done that), but actually follows through with going ,“Well, what gives, I basically grant you your boon now and leave the Dreaming, even though I know the potential consequences.” So yes, Thessaly is supposed to make us question Dream’s choices, but probably not the way we think. And for that, we perhaps should look deeper into…

Thessaly the TERF and Feminism in the late 1980s/early 1990s

This might get a bit longwinded, and I am showing my age here. I grew up at the intersection of second wave and third wave feminism, and as a bisexual woman, I made a lot of experiences during the early 90s that feel wholly aligned with the plot of AGoY (which was written during that time). I don’t want to write a whole essay about feminism here, but second wave feminism was on its way out in the late 80s. A lot of the bad associations some people have with feminism today stem from that time (not always justified, because a lot of good was achieved during that period. But parts of it in specific sub-communities—definitely problematic). Equality vs equity discussions within the feminist movement were dominating everything, and the divide between radfems and libfems was getting deeper. People like Audre Lorde IMHO rightly criticised that failing to understand that not all women start on equal footing, that not all women are the same, is problematic (so you could easily see how this is incorporated into the narrative of AGoY).

Second wave feminism wasn’t just about making sure women had rights. It was very much about “all of us can do everything men do, and we want the same a man gets”. It was all about the workspace (so often very white, CIS, middle class), not being at home with the kids etc (of course there were also other topics, but this one was really quite dominant). You could even see it fashion (massive shoulder pads etc). All the while, actually *being* a man was vilified (again, just in certain quarters).

So I feel you’re on to something with your #girlboss comment, only that I don’t think it was intentionally set up to like her, but rather as a criticism of what certain quarters of the feminist movement were like at the time.

Personal anecdote: I got that type of schtick from WITHIN the LGBT community at the time. Bi-erasure was big. And there were radfem lesbians that would actually tell you that being bi doesn’t exist, that you are basically a traitor to your “sisters” and just a lesbian who isn’t fully out. The same shite they used to criticise about men who would say you’re only a lesbian because you haven’t found the right guy yet. And here they went, telling you that you can’t be attracted to men if you’re also attracted to women.

Third wave feminism has a much stronger focus on the individual woman and what it means to be a woman to HER. This also included trans women, much more than during the second wave. Judith Butler’s work is actually exemplary for this (in essence, there is no such woman as “the” woman—we’re all different despite sharing common traits and problems. Trying to make us all the same will only harm us in the long run).

And with AGoY and Thessaly, we are exactly at the moment in time (in the comics) where that shift happens. I think Neil got it right for the time, and understood a lot of what was going on. Many people in queer communities felt really understood and seen, myself included. I absolutely see how that translates differently today. But it always saddens me when the historical context gets completely stripped away, and people don’t take the time a work of fiction was written into consideration and only measure it from today’s viewpoint. We can, and absolutely have to be critical if the TV shows fails to address these points and just translates everything 1-2-1. Which I am fairly certain won’t happen, because Thessaly has already been stripped off a lot of her obvious TERFiness in the Audible. I’m not even sure if we’ll get her in the show—we’ll hopefully find out.

Phew, that was long, I’m gonna lie down 😂

[yellow-dejavu]

MARek TannHAus = MARTHA nielsen

SONJA tannhaus = JONAS kahnwald

There is this interpretation that i really like that says that Jonas and Martha are like a reflection of Marek and Sonja. Jonas and Martha only exist because of Marek and Sonja. Even their names create them, Martha can be formed with Marek's full name and Jonas is basically an anagram of Sonja.

I like to think of it as the origin world splitting what was already there and mixing in the pain and vision of the creator (H.G. Tannhaus) to create this anomaly. It's like an exaggeration. It made two worlds that depend on each other to ever happen and erase itself in just a moment of time.

Nielsen Siblings and Marek Tannhaus

The three Nielsen siblings start with an M because of Ulrich's brother (Mads). However, I think that each of them can represent a way in which H.G. Tannhaus saw his son.

Magnus: Something I always noticed about Magnus in season 1 is how protective he is of his mother. He is constantly trying to help her with everything that is going on and trying to be on her side. We get to see that side of Magnus again in Season 3 when we see a different version of the characters at the beginning of the chaos for them. When Ulrich comes to visit, he doesn't want him there the moment Katharina gets home. He also thought Martha was talking nonsense about the end of the world, and he just didn't wanted her bothering their mother with it. When we meet Marek, one of the things he says to his father is, "No wonder Mom couldn't stand it here." Marek is someone who understands his mother's point of view and seems to be on her side most of the time. Just like Magnus.

Martha: I think Martha represents the most misunderstood side. Something we see about Martha is that she stands up for herself when she thinks her parents are being unfair. She usually does this when her parents are too focused on their things and don't pay attention to her wants and needs as their child. In one way or another, it can be seen in both worlds as her father abandoning the family. We also see her more than once having problems with Katharina because she feels ignored by her. It is the same with Marek when he says that his father never saw him. Still, we see that their parents really want to try to connect with them, even if they don't know how. I think the best way to describe it is something Katharina said to Martha in 3x06: "I'm sure i'm the last person you want to talk to, but If you do I'm here. Your dad and I… A lot of things might be different now. But that's not necessarily all bad."

Mikkel: He is the little boy. That's how his parents would always remember him, and they would do anything for him. No matter how much time passes, they would still try to save him even if they can't save themselves. It doesn't matter if they lose their freedom or their lives. Even damning the whole world is an option. Ulrich tried to kill someone and got locked up because he thought he could find his son. Katharina fought until her last breath to reunite her family, while in other world she died holding Mikkel during the apocalypse. Tannhaus split the world in two because he couldn't let go the pain of losing Marek, Sonja and Charlotte. He couldn't accept a world without his family. Like Ulrich and Katharina, Tannhaus also did everything he could to bring his little boy back.

[bluegekk0]

How does the Vyrm family deal with the effects of sleep deprivation? Whether involuntary, from nightmares or just not being able to sleep for some reason, or from doing an all-nighter for one reason or another.

Ok I promise I'm not obsessively refreshing my inbox, it's just that this ask appeared at a perfect moment (in a pretty bad mood so I really needed a distraction). Plus it's just a really fun question. Also, I might have slightly misunderstood it at first, so this might be longer than it probably needed to since I went more in detail about how they deal with not being able to sleep instead hahah (though I tried to answer the actual question as well)

I'll start with Vyrm. He does have a lot of trouble with sleeping, and unfortunately not just because of nightmares (unfortunately, since Grimm's presence can calm him down and help him sleep if he's experiencing nightmares; he can't do much if the issue lies elsewhere). The most common cause is anxiety, even despite being in a better mental state, he still suffers from a lot of stress and that often keeps him up at night, though occasionally he pulls all-nighters if he's hyper focused on something in the workshop. But assuming the cause was involuntary, then if Grimm is still awake at the time, they usually just talk about whatever comes to mind until Vyrm falls asleep. If Grimm is asleep, Vyrm will usually try to tire himself out elsewhere. They always have a book or two by their bed, so he first tries that, though he struggles a bit with reading books that aren't about technical subjects, so most of the time he has to find another way. What usually works best is going to the workshop and finding something small he can bring back to the bedroom and tinker with. Something like a watch or a similar small mechanism. Then he usually puts a pillow on the floor next to the bed and works there, trying not to disturb Grimm's sleep. Next to the bed is also where Grimm usually finds him in the morning, if that was enough to get Vyrm to sleep and he doesn't manage to crawl back on the bed in time. And to get this back on the topic you asked about, to deal with the effects, he'll usually try to nap during the day to get enough sleep, and attempt to stick to a more consistent sleep routine.

Grimm has a much better time sleeping, he doesn't experience nightmares, not in the usual sense at least. Instead, if he deals with insomnia, it's usually because he has a lot of things on his mind. His work at the Troupe, the wellbeing of his family, the memories of his banishment, or any combination of these. To deal with the lack of sleep, he'll talk to Vyrm like I mentioned before, but if Vyrm is asleep, then usually reading a book will do the trick. Though if that doesn't work, then another thing he does is get up from bed and go outside for a bit to get some fresh air, or just stand by an open window. Since he rarely experiences insomnia, he also doesn't suffer from sleep deprivation that often. I'm not sure if they'd have coffee, but perhaps he'd have a type of tea in his collection that has similar effects, so he'll usually get by through sipping on it throughout the day.

Hornet pulls all-nighters quite frequently and has a notoriously terrible sleep schedule. Similarly to her father, she experiences a lot of anxiety, and many nightmares about the possibility of being left all alone again. To deal with them, she grabs her cloak and goes on a walk around Dirtmouth to get her mind off of the things bothering her. If the family has any kind of football (or whatever their equivalent would be), then she plays with it for a bit to get some exercise. It's not rare for her to just simply spend the whole night outside and only return very early in the morning, just in time to pack her things and go on a quick patrol. So as you can expect, she struggles with sleep deprivation probably the most out of the whole family. She'll often fall asleep on the couch or even on one of the Dirtmouth benches, and even struggles to stand up without her eyes involuntary closing. She doesn't like asking others for help, but to get a little energy boost she joins Grimm in drinking the tea I mentioned. Definitely not a healthy way of coping with it.

It's no surprise that Holly also experiences insomnia rather frequently. The memories of The Radiance and all those years of pain and loneliness didn't go anywhere, and they usually hit the strongest at night. What they found to be rather effective is getting up and writing down their fears and worries in their journal. It helps them get those thoughts off of their mind, and as a result, fall asleep far more easily. Cleaning their room also serves as a good distraction that tires them out mentally and physically, so if the journal doesn't work, they go for that. They love keeping things tidy, so it also helps them feel better overall. As for combating sleep deprivation, just like Vyrm, they tend to go for naps throughout the day.

I quite like the idea of Zote getting the best sleep out of the whole family. He's definitely not without his share of trauma, but him having a very effective sleep routine that actually helps him sleep properly would be weirdly fitting. Actually, to quote his precepts: "Don't eat immediately before sleeping. This can cause restlessness and indigestion. It's just common sense". So if anyone has it figured out, it would be him.

Lewk and the twins generally get enough sleep during the day to not have problems with sleep deprivation. Out of the three, I imagine Milo is the most susceptible to sleep problems, since he gets sick the most often. A runny nose or a cough would keep the little pup awake during the night, causing him to lose sleep and feel bad during the day. His dads usually help him by treating his symptoms to their best ability, and staying close to him so he feels safer. The same applies to Lewk and Asta, of course, it's just that Milo unfortunately catches colds all the time. Naps throughout the day help him fight off the effects of sleep deprivation, though it is worth pointing out that the twins do sleep for the most of the day, so generally it wouldn't be that different (with the exception of him being more grumpy between each nap).

I hope you don't mind the answer being slightly off-topic from your original question! Thanks for the ask, either way. It definitely helped me feel better, writing the response was really fun!

[aew-regression-cove]

caregiver egon spengler headcannons

𓉸ྀི regressor reader

He's a very neutral individual overall, he can easily be misunderstood and seen as rude or uninterested but he does care a lot.

I feel like the most likely situation for him finding out about your regression is if you didn't tell him yourself is that he found out during a particularly long night in the lab. You being tired had regressed and he had his suspicions from there.

Him becoming your Caregiver was never something actually verbalised, more just a responsibility he was happy to take on and the two of you went from there.

Egon is big on praise, he knows he's not always the most affectionate (although that's not to say never) however he doesn't want you to believe he doesn't care, he makes sure you know how proud of you he is and how amazing you are doing!!!

I think he'd have a tangle toy in his desk (if you guys are at the fire station) or in his pocket if elsewhere for you (and himself)

Watching TV (movies or shows) are a fun activity for the two of you as it doesn't require talking but you guys can if you want to. - he also enjoys reading be that him reading to you, you reading to him or the two of you individually reading in the same area <333

Egon really enjoys being your Caregiver. It allows for him to de-stress from his very chaotic job/life.

As I previously said he really enjoys reading, his voice is very calming and it isn't out of the ordinary for you to fall asleep listening to him read or just talk about something he's currently analysing.

He got the two of you small matching rabbit plushies. You absolutely love yours, keeping it with you always. (Egon also always has his own on him, it's in his pocket. It got slimed once whilst he was on the job.. he was not happy in the process of it being cleaned, no one knew why you were the only one he wasn't being subtly (not subtle at all) grumpy towards)

He often lets you sit with him whilst he works on experiments, he has a box of crayons for you to use - or you can watch him work on his experiments.

No touching anything to do with an experiment. A joke that Peter came up with was "if you can't pronounce it, don't touch it" ..that motto ended up sticking around for everyone in the end. It became a rule for all of them, it not surprisingly stopped quite a few accidents.

He has let you use his jacket as a blanket.

He really likes doing little things for you such as tying your shoe laces or brushing your hair.

With how popular the Ghostbusters became lots of merchandise was made by different people. Egon ends up surprising you with a little Ghostbusters badge.

You gained the nickname of "Mini Ghostbuster"

He is terrible at going to sleep, he is normally quite good at making sure you're okay and getting the stuff you need to thrive (an actual healthy amount of hours of sleep.)

Speaking of making sure you're safe he is very protective over you, even if people don't realise. He's extremely aware of how dangerous his job is and is not willing to let anything happen to you.

He would have a reward chart for you!!!

He does have a habit of sometimes over complicating things. If he ends up confusing you he will try to explain in a better way for you to understand.

He likes telling jokes but he has quite a dry sense of humour. He tries- He's not at all offended though if you don't understand or find those jokes funny. He ends up making it into a sort of game to see who has the best jokes. You win. Everytime.

His go to for a babysitter is Janine. He trusts the others but Janine is typically away from well, most of the ghost danger and so when Egon is out busting ghosts you get to stay with her which is always fun. She would so spoil you!!!

^ She would make a sensory bin that's under her desk, it has a bunch of fidget toys, and other little toys to keep you entertained. It also has a sensory cube that she made you.

I think that he'd actually be pretty bad with keeping you from eating too many sweets. He has a sweet tooth- 😂 marshmallows though.. they are funnily enough off the table.. along with jelly/jello...😬

He would enjoy doing those kids science kits with you!!!

^ Enjoys learning related games for you. Think like numbered or lettered wooden blocks.

He doesn't share food with anyone that isn't you by the way- :D

I think he'd be really good at getting you to settle down for bed.

He got you some chewalry. He makes sure you have it on you always. (If you end up forgetting it's okay because he didn't and he's got it in his pocket for you!!!)

I cannot see him being able to cook - at least not well 💀

When he does act affectionately it's normally away from anyone else. He gives amazing hugs 🫂 — His cuddles are so comforting!!! <333

^ In public/around others he doesn't show as much physical affection, although he isn't against it if you'd like it. He typically sticks to linking pinky fingers!!!

^ He likes ruffling your hair, if you end up huffing at him because he "ruined your hair" he will find it even more amusing.

Forehead kisses <333

He's good at comforting you when it comes to nightmares.

Documentaries are often left playing in the background.

You could so convince him to have a tea party with you!!!

He'd be so patient with you!!!

I don't think he'd be overly strict. He'd be strict enough to keep you safe but other than that- pretty sure Peter and Ray get told off by him (a lot) more than you would- 😂

ⓘ if you want to reblog, let me know and I'll decide to temporarily unlock the post or not <3

@aew-kun

[draystersden]

On a Carmine kick currently, and on the topic of the Alysa v Carmine throwdown, something I think that would be very interesting to explore is while at a glance the two could not seem more different, upon a closer look they are actually pretty similar in certain specific ways.

Most notably their temper. Though Alysa has a much longer fuse, most women aren't allowed to have explosive tempers like theirs at all. People constantly expect Alysa and Carmine to be palatable as the STANDARD and likely recoil when the two act outside of how they are expected. With Carmine, she's all too often considered to be way too intense, a bitch, you could say. I don't doubt people say it behind her back and to her face. Alysa on the other hand, is never expected to lash out. People can walk all over her and it's okay because it's *Alysa*. Somehow this converges into this strange overlap where both girls are wildly misunderstood by the people around them.

Both of their demeanors are not formed because of people's expectations, their demeanors are formed out of loyalty for the people they love. Alysa doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, especially her friends, so she holds her tongue and only blows up in their defense. Carmine is insanely protective of the few people that she holds close and is distrusting of anyone new as a defense mechanism for their sake. Carmine of course gets upset on her own behalf, but I'd venture to say that Carmine gets that DEEP rage from getting upset on someone else's behalf. Something Alysa I'm sure relates to.

I do completely get the misunderstanding between them in all honesty, both of them reacting very harshly to negative treatment of someone they love. I think the aftermath could produce a very interesting arc between the two in which Carmine is upset and confused because she *did* consider Alysa a friend and as we've seen with Kieran, the biggest hits on Carmine's pride are when she fucks up one of her few relationships. She doesn't know if she's supposed to be mad or cry and it's all a lot. I think in this instance it's not Alysa's job to act first and Carmine even comes out and SAYS that.

"It hurts a lot, yeah, but it's not your responsibility to own up for my attitude. I'm your friend, I'm supposed to act like it, and I wasn't. I'm really, really sorry."

Her apology is really choked up, mostly because friendship is super important to Carmine, and she knows she messed up.

I honestly fullheartedly believe that both girls can come out the other end of this learning from each other. Carmine can learn a *lot* from Alysa's patience and self-awareness, and I think Alysa can also learn from Carmine. Carmine knows people think she's a bitch, but she doesn't care. She is who she is and it's too damn bad if people have a problem with her taking up space. Carmine, throughout the events of the canon story as well, has been unlearning codependency subtly throughout her arc. I really love Alysa though I have noticed that she has a character flaw (which isn't a bad thing! well written characters have flaws :) in which she prioritizes Drayton way more than anything else, which isn't necessarily bad, but Alysa ATTACKING Carmine over Carmine being a hater, while she has a reason, is still a pretty extreme way to act towards someone that you're friends with (if they are still friends, I'm actually super behind on CiaDS. so if they've fallen out that's mb gang).

I firmly believe that it's important for friends to have healthy relationships with other friends, maintained even when one of them starts dating someone. It helps avoid things like codependency and helps everyone involved to be well rounded individuals. I also think that the misunderstanding trope is best written when looking at each character's stance and how they came to that conclusion, the misunderstanding trope is normally only hated because one character acts out of character in order for the misunderstanding to happen.

While Carmine does talk shit and is generally THE number one hater, I can't picture her saying something genuinely really hurtful- UNLESS we are ascribing to the hc that she and Drayton dated. In that case, Carmine is likely not over what happened and holds a grudge plus other complicated feelings. It also explains WHY she so vehemently warns Alysa. I can see Drayton mentioning something in passing that sets Carmine off and Carmine actually drudges up shit from when they were dating for once, which she normally avoids. I can see Carmine getting reaaaally emotional and raw and angry since the break-up likely DESTROYED her self-esteem, and losing her temper and projecting that nasty onto Drayton because it still hurts to have been left, especially cuz Carmine is really adamant on working things out and in the case that they broke up and she's still bitter, it's very likely she never worked things out with him and she figured it was because it must be her fault internally- but Carmine will never admit that. Carmine's self-loathing externalizes as loathing for Drayton in that moment, then of course Alysa, his current partner that knows Carmine is saying things with the intention to ACTUALLY hurt, is not going to take that lying down.

Both of them have good reasons but they both went about it in a way where their temper spoke more than how they actually felt- Carmine was hurting and Alysa was fed up, but neither party ever clearly expressed that because of how uncomfortable those feelings are to air.

To be real, I haven't taken much time to think about Carmine in depth like this, so I appreciate you getting me to do so!

This entire scenario is VERY cool! And it is interesting, seeing as tbh? Alysa (by default/in the beginning) doesn't really feel driven to get to know Carmine for a few reasons...some more obvious than others. I'll touch upon the most obvious one: Carmine intimidates her. The psychology behind that goes a little deeper than you'd think, but that's the gist of it.

A less obvious reason is that Alysa, long story short, finds it extremely challenging to connect with other people because she herself doesn't have a full grasp on her own humanity. She feels like she can't fit in with other people. Additionally, she's the type to overthink and fear that she's being too weird or the like. Spotlight effect to the max with this one.

Alysa is frankly a little anti-social as well, in that she's by nature disinterested in connecting with others because of how much social situations can stress her out. It's by luck that she stumbled into friendships with the BB E4, and that's mainly thanks to how she joined the club.

But make no mistake, she still is very open to making friends! Because she feels a perpetual loneliness and has always wanted to experience a sense of belonging somewhere. So, if Carmine were to take the first steps, Alysa would at least be receptive. I don't show this off in the fic much, but they do become acquaintances in that they occasionally talk during downtime in homeroom. They're not friends yet though. The plotline you laid out would be a great beginning stage for them!

The thing with her vs Carmine I mentioned comes from a scene that happens in a chapter, so I guess I'll dive into that more for funsies:

To give context because the story is centered on Alysa's perspective: Carmine's reasons there for attacking Drayton's character is because she heavily distrusts him and there IS a lingering sense of bitterness because she does have a small crush on him, but it results in frustration over how he's an aloof shitlord who she struggles to read. She wants to at least try to be friends with him, but he makes it hard. Then we can stack on the beef between Drayton and Kieran, which Carmine hates because she still does want to protect Kiki.

She comes off as hating Drayton, however she doesn't really. Carmine definitely didn't intend on harming Alysa. She was a bit blind to the fact that of course Alysa would probably get pissed off by her boyfriend getting insulted right to her face, so the situation was messy all around. Doesn't help that Drayton learned about how Carmine (unintentionally) harassed Alysa and got back at her in a very petty way. These teens and their dramas...

Alysa and Carmine haven't had a moment together so far since that, but I do have plans for them + Drayton down the line, after the story's ultimate climax which effects all major players in the story especially the Area Zero team coughcough. All of the plotlines and context clues will come together for what I hope will be a satisfying pay off, and everyone will learn their own lessons - including Alysa.

Anyhoo, I'm glad you brought up her character flaw regarding Drayton! Because yeah, while her love for him is pure....she lacks the emotional maturity needed to "channel" it better. Plus, her sense of self-esteem is dogwater, so she instinctively prioritizes Drayton (virtually everyone ngl) over herself. Not a healthy quality, it's self-directed toxicity in fact, but that will get called to attention in the fic!

As always, thank you for sending this ask Skelly! You've given me new ideas and some fresh inspiration 👀

[just-a-little-unionoid]

hello can you please elaborate on your nimona post about movie ballister vs book ballister? would love to hear more if possible !

Yeah sure!

So, the post was something like "movie!Ballister who only saw Nimona as a monster for a second ,which almost killed her VS. book!Ballister who refused to ever saw Nimona as a monster, which almost killed her"

I turned the sentence that way to accentuate the "mirror" effect but the situations are actually very different

I'm gonna assume you (or anyone else reading the post) have both seen the movie and read the graphic novel, so of course this post will contain spoilers for both, which will be under the cut

Also if it doesn't answer your question please ask for precisions ^^

So, let's start with the movie, since I think it's the first one most people saw first and because it's the easiest to explain

It's pretty transparent I think, in the movie everyone see Nimona as a monster, they don't even know her but still believe she's evil and should die just for existing. "Monster" is a deshumanizing term, it's violent, and she rightfully hate being called one. Ballister, as everyone does, start by being frightened by her, but he get over his bias and end up seeing her as she is: just Nimona

But then Ambrosius bring him the scroll, and he doubt for a second, for a second he think she's really a monster and she really killed all those people (which she didn't, obviously) and Nimona see it, and she think that AGAIN her best friend only see her as a monster, she think that's all everyone will ever see in her, that she will ever be misunderstood and wished dead, and she tries to kill herself over it

The graphic novel is... less explicit about why exactly she tries to kill herself, and it's been a few months since I've read it last time, but I'll try to remember

In this version everything is much darker, every character is at least a little less of a good person, and for Nimona it means that she kills people. A lot. Nimona in the graphic novel fully start as a bad person and embrace this role. She likes killing and causing chaos, and is absolutely unapologetic about it. She still befriends Ballister who is also a little less of a good person, and doesn't care too much about people dying (he doesn't like it either, but it won't stop him from working with Nimona). They become close, they become friends, and along with Ballister we learn bits of Nimona's backstory, we learn about her traumas, we learn why she's like this and we also see that she can refrain her murder tendancy when asked to

The conflict between Ballister and Nimona start at maybe half the book, but it doesn't escalate into the whole... disaster that it does until the Institution captures her and try to experiment on her. To escape she splits in two, one part being her traumatized inner child, and the other being a violent manifestation of her pain, anger, sadness and rage. And the thing Ballister fail to understand, that he refuses to acknowledge at all, is that this dragon, this monster, IS Nimona. Sure it's not all that she is (which is what she pretend), but it is very much a part of herself, it's an inherent part of herself. She was made this way by years of abuse and trauma she never really tried to heal, she's violent because she's hurt. And while I think Ballister is partially right for refusing to believe her when she says it's her true self, that it always have, it doesn't really matter here because that's what she believes, that's how she see herself, and anyway it is a part of herself

And he refuses to accept it, and even ends up killing the dragon, partially because he didn't have much choice and, I think, partially because he still didn't saw it as a necessary part of Nimona

And then the inner child refused to go with him and prefers to stay alongside the dragon, even if it means dying with it

[fun-k-board]

Some extra information on my universe's Sinister Six members.

First post here

I'm tempted to do entire fics on them but- I need to stop before I start overwhelming myself and getting too excited.

Doctor Olivia Odell

Likes - She's always had a strange fascination with ballet, always adores any dances that include sea themes, or long flowy silk.

Dislikes - Any vehicles, cars, helicopters, even bicycles make her nervous and uncomfortable because she has no control. Olivia used to walk everywhere, now, her tentacle situation can help with that.

Favourite food - Fruits, specifically strawberries and blueberries, she loves salads because they can be so diverse with what foods are included.

Least favourite food - Anything spicy, she's always preferred colder foods, and so something hot in temperature let alone flavour is just not her thing.

How does she text? - Usually her texts have very good grammar, even in crisis, she doesn't text often and prefers to use emails in which they're very professional and well structured.

Nationality - English.

What does she think of her fellow Sinister Six members? -

I... Have mixed feelings on the Green Goblin, I believe that his obsession with perfecting... Whatever he was trying to do, was rather immature, and not well thought out, but, I can understand his need for scientific discovery.

Frederick? His connections are useful, and his dedication to his family is admirable, but it gets in the way. He has a soft spot for those younger than him, which, to be fair, is a lot of people.

Marlene is far too bright, my eyes sting just looking at them. They're also very young and unsure. Their powers, however? Now, that's interesting.

Miguel, much like Frederick, has family issues that are too distracting, but, at least he's much more willing to be a firm leader and get the job done.

Mysterio... What do I say about Mysterio?... He's... His illusions are definitely useful...

Norman Osborn

Likes - He likes shiny objects, anything that can spin, and screams. They're loud, they drown out the voices.

Dislikes - Those two boys... He can't remember how he knows them, but he knows it's painful to see them.

Favourite food - Steak.

Least favourite food - Anything with too much grease.

How does he text? - Doesn't bother to check for spelling errors, punctuation, or grammar, and he's barely coherent. Yet, he insists on texting the Sinister Six group chat regularly.

Nationality - American.

What does he think of his fellow Sinister Six members?

Pretty hair, like little tentacles.

Sand is irritating, all over my skin... He does it on purpose, I know it.

Bright, loud... Perfect to listen to... Not fun to talk to.

Too quiet... He reminds me of... Of...

Shiny, I like the helmet, it spins.

Frederick Miller

Likes - Playing dolls with his daughter, he can't afford much, but his wife passed down a dollhouse with some cute little wooden peg dolls that they play with after school.

Dislikes - Soft beds, he's always preferred a hard surface to sleep on, maybe that's why his back is so horrible.

Favourite food - He likes cereal. It's cheap, the most important meal of the day, they give you a lot of what you need, plus, you can add anything to it.

Least favourite food - Honestly? Anything with an expensive price tag, the cheaper, the better it tastes.

How does he text? - He can't actually write too well and so uses the speech to text feature, it makes his texts get misunderstood regularly.

Nationality - American.

What does he think of his fellow Sinister Six members?

Olivia is strange, she's not a bad co-worker but she's intense. I don't know if she likes me, and I don't know if I like her. At the end of the day, she's just another criminal I gotta work with.

Uh... That guy...? Green Goblin, was it? He's... He's definitely a... Uhm... Person...?

Marlene reminds me of my kid, they're bright, fun, and honestly? I feel bad for them, they shouldn't be in this business, at all, from what they've told me, it was a complete accident.

Miguel, he's strict, commanding, but that's until you share a beer with the guy. He's damaged, I feel for him. Although, that doesn't make me like waking up at five AM any more.

I don't like how Mysterio acts around Marlene. He's just... Weird... At least his technology is useful.

Marlene Diegel

Likes - Ballet and classical music, they're very important to the history of theatre and the entertainment industry in general.

Dislikes - Dull colours and costumes that aren't flashy, in their opinion, if you're going to be a villain you may as well dress the part.

Favourite food - Cake, the ones with heavy icing and cherries on top.

Least favourite food - Chicken, especially with bones in it.

How do they text? - Lots of emoticons and exclamation / quotation marks, they're never professional texting even when it's about a serious mission.

Nationality - German.

What do they think of their fellow Sinister Six members?

I wish I was as smart as Olivia, I admire her, really, but she's honestly not very fun to be around. She's quiet, and kinda boring, but at least her tentacles can hold stuff for me.

Green Goblin gives me the creeps, he's literally green, I thought he was some kind of alien at first. I can't imagine purposefully doing that to yourself.

Frederick is nice to me, I don't know why, but he feels like my dad, or my brother, or just my friend, even if we never get to sit down and talk much, I always enjoy when we do.

Miguel also reminds me of my dad, but how he actually was, and not the feeling of a dad. He's very strict and he kinda scares me sometimes, but he's not doing it in a bad way, or at least I don't think he is?

Mysterio's got a fish bowl for a head, I admire the flair, especially the cape, but it is a little ridiculous, and that's coming from somebody with lighting patterns all over their clothes. There's something about him though, I can't place my finger on it!

Miguel Dominguez

Likes - Taking videos and photos, he originally wanted to be a photographer before joining the army, and he's never managed to get back into the hobby professionally.

Dislikes - Watching sports, he despises how boring it is and how you aren't even doing anything while watching.

Favourite food - Pizza, specifically with jalapenos, barbeque sauce and pineapple, it adds a spicy kick and an interesting flavour combination, which boosts his energy.

Least favourite food - Spaghetti, it was his wife's favourite, even the smell makes him sick to his stomach.

How does he text? - He uses emojis a lot and isn't well versed in how people typically use them, so tends to come off as strange. Very good grammar, but occasionally he will sacrifice a bullet point or capital letter once and a while.

Nationality - Mexican.

What does he think of his fellow Sinister Six members?

Olivia's smart, she put this scorpion tail on me, but, I know what it looks like when someone is being told to do something. That's all I'm sharing.

Green Goblin's more like a pet than a human, why would a man reduce himself to such an animalistic state of mind is beyond me. At least he follows orders, I suppose.

Frederick is a good, hardworking, man. Despite how he acts at first, he is very family centered, and I feel as if we both have an understanding of our relationship as co-workers.

I don't think Marlene's cut out for this line of work.

I appreciate Mysterio and his illusions, the technology is impressive, and he's even added advancements to my tail on more than one occasion. But, he's a bit too... Eccentric, for our missions.

Quinlan Blanchfield

Likes - Baking, specifically after a long day of working behind the stage, the lights, the music, it all gives him a rush, and baking cools him down.

Dislikes - The colour blue, it's always just annoyed him, it's too soft.

Favourite food - Cokie dough, and cookies, but, he's working on trying to convince Olivia to help him find a way to safely consume cookie dough, so far she's uninterested.

Least favourite food - Anything that's salty, he never adds salt to his baking, no matter how much it'll improve it.

How does he text? - Uses words that any regular person would need a dictionary to decipher, he's never had a spelling error or incorrect grammar, yet he also uses emojis occasionally.

Nationality - French.

What does he think of his fellow Sinister Six members?

Olivia is impressive, her advancements are far beyond any others, and I'm not just saying that because her boss funds us and our living situations.

Green Goblin interests me, his state of mind, or lack thereof, his costume, everything is such a point of intrigue, I can't wait to learn more when he starts to regain his memories.

The sand guy? He's annoying, I'm starting to think he's spilling sand into my costume on purpose.

Marlene...? No comment.

Miguel is a great leader, he's strong, strict, everything about him is intense, I admire him, I really do, but his schedules and god, the diet? Don't get me started.