#like it does sometimes feel like over time people gloss over the fact that this episode has SO much

[essektheylyss]

I know it's such a cliche at this point to the point of garnering eye rolls, but we really cannot lose sight of the fact that 2x97 is the Most Episode of All Time. You cannot ignore Essek in that episode, obviously, but honestly the fact that that happened only serves to highlight how buckwild everything else was. That was when Veth got her body back. That was when Caleb first directly set his sights on Ludinus. That was when Fjord tried to ask Jester on a date and instead ending up thirdwheeling Yasha and Beau, who WERE essentially on a date. That was when Jester locked Sharpe on the balcony. That was when Cad got Beau SO high and Fjord was forced to babysit. That was when Fjord and Yasha told Marius he had to kill someone to stay on the crew.

If any ONE of these things had happened on top of the Essek reveal, it would've been notable or memorable, but no, the BREADTH of unhinged happenings in that episode is actually stunning.

[pharawee]

Okay, buckle up fellow BL enjoyers and people who are at least a little bit curious about Pit Babe the novel. I'm now five (very long) chapters in, so get ready for some spoilers and details.

Only, there isn't much to tell. The chapters are long but very little happens. Well, except for the fact that Charlie and Babe are just constantly getting it on. If you thought that the Big Dragon novel was pwp then think again. Maybe the smut is the alphas we met along the way. Or something.

It starts very similar to the first ep of the series, with Babe partaking in some pre-racing fun - only it isn't very fun for him because he hates the scent of other alphas. As an alpha himself he has the whole heightened senses thing and that makes him super sensitive to all kinds of scents - omegas included, I guess (yes, they exist in this universe but that's about it). And because he himself is a power bottom that leaves him with a bit of a problem. But not too much of a problem because the novel mentions hundreds of hook-ups until Charlie comes along.

Things play out the same as in the series. Charlie wants a car, Babe is his idol and he'd do anything for a chance at racing. Cue to the first of many, many spicy scenes. Babe is delighted that Charlie has no scent. Charlie already jokes about impregnating him (I forgot that this novel has mprg, why am I doing this again?) but so far it's never mentioned again.

There's very little racing happpening. The only other character from the series that has shown up so far is Way and he's pretty much the same. Way wants Babe but he's too cowardly to make a move so they're stuck in this weird friendship where Babe is really comfortable with Way being all touchy-feely. This gets Charlie jealous because at this point Babe and him are pretty much exclusive (with Babe demanding that Charlie hide behind face masks and hats whenever they're out and about as to not taint Babe's reputation as a horndog). Cue to some angry sex. And then some more sex.

But wait, somewhere along the way Babe catches feelings. He pretty much has Charlie move in with him, does some embarrassing stuff like calling him when he's gone for one (1) day and buys him a desk so he can work from his condo. They have a routine now. And so. much. sex. On every imaginable surface (some poor dudes car after Charlie win's a race where he himself was the bet) and occasion, several times a day.

Charlie is a little bit sus, though. Nothing's outright wrong, but sometimes Babe wonders if he's really the stupid boy he's grown to trust. Because sometimes Charlie reacts in ways that Babe can't quite explain but that are glossed over almost immediately because Charlie can be very distracting. One time he secretly follows him when Babe's out to buy something. He's about to get mugged and Charlie saves him (which doesn't fit with Charlie's whole personality at all). Another time Charlie's gone for a day, supposedly staying with his parents but he comes home smelling like alcohol and a strong, unpleasant scent (clearly something alpha-related) that Babe can't explain. But whatever, Pit Babe's horny and clearly Charlie is incapable of lying anyway because he's too stupid.

Yeah. 🤡

Oh, and as for the no kissing rule? Sadly that's abolished after the second sex scene in like, half a sentence.

And that's things so far. There's really very little talk about anything omegaverse, but mostly because it's just chapter after chapter of well-written smut. Babe constantly calls Charlie "his alpha" (not to his face) - but even though he's clearly in charge, Charlie has definitely taken a hold over him (and Charlie knows and uses this to his advantage). They have a really interesting dynamic. There's no power struggle at all, just a gradual shift of what their relationship means to either of them. There's definitely something up with Charlie though, but I'm surprised they're so open about it in the series.

And where does the rest of the cast even come from? Or the whole plot? Poor Winner is so sad and pathetic, he doesn't even seem to exist in the novel (just some dudes named Billy and Six who might or might not have previously hooked up with Babe).🤣

[batztrangem]

Art the Clown Relationship Headcanons

Author's Note: You guys can judge me all you want. I've said it in the past and I'll say it again: I love clowns. I love clowns a little too much actually. I just can't explain it. Anyways here's some relationship headcanons for Art because I don't see a lot of people write about him and I have a death wish because I really, really want to hug him.

Warnings/notes: Gender Neutral Reader, mentioned canon typical violence

• First things first, I don't think that Art really cares about being in a relationship. I don't think the idea of a relationship would even gloss over his mind if you hadn't had brought it up.

• That being said, Art takes a while to come around. His feelings for you are confusing. When he first met you he couldn't decide if you were his next victim or not.

• Also, a relationship? All he can think is, "Why would they want to be in a relationship with me?"

• But alas, Art comes around. And being his partner is...interesting.

• I don't think Art really has a home. There's no indication that he does. So expect random visits from a very bloody clown at the most odd hours of the night.

• If you're even the tiniest bit squeamish over blood, Art is not the one for you. Most of time when he comes home, he's drenched in it.

• Also Art is not very understanding of personal boundaries. He will ditch the clown suit in front of you without even thinking about it. And Terrifier 2 confirmed that he, in fact, doesn't wear underwear underneath it.

• Art will attempt to respect your boundaries after a lot of explaining.

• When it comes to affection, Art is interesting to say the least.

• He's surprisingly very huggy. He's also very keen on forehead and nose kisses.

• He really likes to hug you from behind. He wraps his arms around tight and puts his head in the crook of your neck.

• Sometimes Art's way of showing affection can get out of hand though.

• "Real hearts are not acceptable Valentine's Day gifts, Art. And neither are eyeballs."

• If you're in a relationship with Art get ready for random clown nonsense happening way too often.

• The miming doesn't stop. Don't expect it to.

• And when I say you'll be dealing with clown stuff constantly, I mean it. That man will bring an air horn to bed and I'm not joking.

• I do feel like Art might do some of these things less if you've known him for a really long time though.

• Depending on how long you've been with Art, you will eventually see him without the clown makeup.

• Not many things scare Art, but anyone seeing his face is without the makeup is definitely one of them. It's one of the only times you'll see Art vulnerable.

• In the end, Art is a handful to be with. But he's surprisingly sweet to be around.

• Just remember, there is no such thing as changing Art the Clown. Good luck even trying.

[waitingforsecretsouls]

Maedhros resenting or at the least not particularly respecting Fingolfin is actually kind of important to me, for both of their characters. I feel people tend to gloss over the fact that Fingolfin basically threatened the Fëanorians (Maedhros brothers and people, much as fanon sometimes likes to ignore this-) with civil war ("No love was there in the hearts of those that followed Fingolfin for the House of Fëanor, for the agony of those that endured the crossing of the Ice had been great, and Fingolfin held the sons the accomplices of their father. Then there was peril of strife between the hosts[...]"), one the Fëanorians were ill situated to win, having given up their established encampments to the Nolofinwëan host and being lesser in number, and it was only when Maedhros abdicated his crown to Fingolfin specifically that "the feud was healed" ("FOR Maedhros begged forgiveness for the desertion at Araman (undertaken with his complete knowledge and support; he only balks at actually burning the ships) and waived his claim to kingship") NOT with Fingons rescue itself.

The first thing the Sons of Fëanor are noted for basically whenever is their pride, and before Valar intervention they were the Elder House of the Noldor, undisputed heirs to Finwë (and never disputed by Finwë himself, might I add). Maedhros is a son of Fëanor, what's more he is their LEADER. He was named and raised for his rightful place in the succession and fully sided with his father in the feud, yet it's so impossible a notion that he might take pride in his inheritance? That he might have wanted it, and seen it as rightfully his? That potential decades of torment and the risk of civil strife he was poised to lose MIGHT have played a part in his decision to surrender the crown? The first thing he does afterwards is be the final voice in the establishment of relations with Doriath (without any kind of contribution from the Nolofinwëans..."A king is he that can hold his own, or else his title is vain" as a double-edged insult not only towards Thingol but also Fingolfin? No, it couldn't be.. .) relocate to the other side of the continent to create his autonomous region and balk at Fingolfin thinking he can give him commands ("[...] ill disposed to hearken to [Fingolfin's] command, and the sons of Fëanor least of all." Since, you know, Maedhros is part of said group and not singled out in this).

I don't think it's a coincidence either that Maedhros and Maglor specifically pull up with "warriors of the eastern marches" at the Mereth Aderthad (organized by Fingolfin) later. The one specifically for having a good time together, establish friendly relations, a gathering of ambassadors, not to show off your military power, you'd think. I find it hard to not see any kind of message in that.

Which is not even mentioning his actual abdication where he posthumously clinches Fëanor the win over the conflict that was at the heart of the developing feud back in Aman, the intertwinement of Finwë's regard and heirship. Maedhros firmly established Fëanor as rightful heir to Finwë, not Fingolfin ("If there lay no grievance between us, lord, still the kingship would rightly come to you, the eldest here of the house of Finwë, and not the least wise." Fëanor canonically being older than Fingolfin (and renown for his learned spirit, adding a bit of additional bite, imo. "Fëanor was the mightiest in skill of word and of hand, more learned than his brothers[...]").).

As for Fingolfin, specifically in relation to Maedhros he often gets cast as the endlessly understanding uncle, which is already a direct contradiction to canon where he explicitly "held the sons the accomplices of their father". Which is fair enough if one agrees with his overall indignation, since the Sons of Fëanor acted in full agreement with Fëanor in the matter he's angry over, yes, even Maedhros. Maedhros was fine with Araman and even wrt Losgar, remember that the one he wanted ferried over was Fingon, the one leading the Nolofinwëan host at this point who had fought on their behalf at Alqualondë, who therefore broadly met the baseline criteria for vetting initially set by the Fëanorians as a whole: "Therefore it came into the hearts of Fëanor and his sons to seize all the ships and depart suddenly; for they had retained the mastery of the fleet since the battle of the Haven, and it was manned only by those who had fought there and were bound to Fëanor."

(Am I suggesting he would have taken it as an opportunity to separate Fingon from Fingolfin's influence, if not Fingolfin outright, by indebting him to the Fëanorians? Well, I'm not not saying it)

I'm not trying to claim Fingolfin couldn't possibly have felt any compassion for Maedhros and his condition upon rescue, but fact of the matter is that whatever amount of compassion he might have felt, he still didn't stop pressuring for the crown, since the feud (in this specific instance the Nolofinwëan indigantion at the Fëanorian "desertion") , as mentioned, was only specifically (and debatably at that, with the fresh resentment created by it in the Sons of Fëanor) "healed" with Maedhros abdication and Fingolfin getting what he'd been gunning for a long time now: "[...]and the hatred between the houses of Fingolfin and Fëanor was assuaged. For Maedhros begged forgiveness for the desertion in Araman; and he waived his claim to kingship over all the Noldor[...]."

While I already mentioned it as a small comment on the negotiations with Thingol, Fingolfin's actual accomplishment as High King also leave a lot to be desired. He tends to get somewhat lionized in fandom in this regard, probably due to an impressionable exit from the story not only in actual deed but also presentation thereof. My reason for bringing this up being that, even leaving everything mentioned prior related to the family tensions aside, I find it therefore highly doubtful Maedhros would have been overly impressed by what Fingolfin does with his much coveted reward. If one takes Maedhros' comment to Thingol as expression of a genuine sentiment (and I don't see why one shouldn't-if there's one thing the Fëanorians are not lacking it's the ability to assert themselves and competency-) then Fingolfin fails by these very same criteria. I'm not trying to claim he was a disaster, just from moderatly to vastly overrated, particularly compared to what Maedhros puts up with and puts together (the Union of Maedhros may have failed but that doesn't change that it was a feat of unity for the ages, quite literally and without exaggeration).

His only noteworthy actions that can be ascribed to him specifically were the aforementioned Mereth Aderthad and sending out a message of welcoming to the newly arriving Edain. Which are both admirable but imo not actually necessary with the rate at which guys like the Fëanorians (admittedly in the prime position to make first cotact with newcomers in the east) and Finrod were making alliances and friendships with many of these groups even beforehand/on their own, leaving more of an impression of Fingolfin asserting his position of leadership than crucial intervention. He's a complete non-entity in the initial Doriath negotiations-the closing word on the matter goes to Maedhros, while the Arafinwëans are the intermediaries. His initial following of at the least Noldor shrinks rapidly, with the Arafinwëans leaving for their own realms, with a third of his Nolofinwëan followers from Valinor leaving him for Turgon and his Hidden Realm, his suggested offensive is rejected (not singularily but chiefly by the Sons of Fëanor, likely to be related to that pressured abdication), he is beaten back in the Bragollach and then goes off to die in a glorious but nonetheless suicide that doesn't achieve much of significance (Morgoth was already trapped in physical form and constant torment by the Silmarils). Leaving Fingon to hold the line and Maedhros to mopp up the mess with his Union (and retaking of the Eastern territory, includig for a time Dorthonion). His one unambiguous triumph is the Dagor Aglareb, a victory shared in equal measure with Maedhros (also I can't help observing that Fingolfin sure doesn't hesitate with the boasting. "[...]Fingolfin boasted that save by treason among themselves Morgoth could never again burst from the leaguer of the Eldar, nor come upon them at unawares." Imagine if a Son of Fëanor said something like that, fandom would never let them live it down. But Fingolfin is ever-humble and cautious, of course). His only noteworthy alliance is with the House of Hador, but even in that regard he's overshadowed by his sons and their friendship with it.

Part of this stems (in-universe) no doubt from Fingon being the one managing his frontyard, so to speak, driving back Glaurung and the attempted invasion in F.A. 155, leaving little for Fingolfin to do in this regard. But part of it also stems from the fact that Fingolfin, at the end of the day...Just does not do that much in the story and quits early. All of which together makes the reputation he enjoys as chief-enemy of Morgoth very questionable, as well as reinforces my doubt that Maedhros would have or even had reason to hold him in high regard, much less higher regard than his own accomplishments or his father.

[mamawasatesttube]

Kon-El questions 3, 7 and 16

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

hmmm. how do i put this. it's like... the way karl kesel treated him as a self-insert for his own teenage fantasy self or whatever sometimes. obviously this comes out in the way he gets preyed on by adult women and this is played off as cool and chill, but it also comes out in the way a) kesel writes his flirting. sometimes it's very endearing and cringefail, and other times he's kissing women without consent, and that's played off as chill and fine because kesel thinks it should be and the women in question almost always are fine with that, but also b) he writes off concerns about indigenous hawaiians in kon's narrative (like silver sword or ...man i'm forgetting that kid who gets jealous of him and has powers about it for a minute, but that narrative). and like. yeah. white man in the 90s wrote this for SURE. i don't think it's like, written in the absolute poorest taste imaginable, because there's a lot of ways where it seems almost like they were trying to be respectful of native hawaiian culture, but then there's shit that's so far off the mark it's like. dude. and it's very evident that it just reflects karl kesel's own views much more than any character in-narrative.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

lmaooo that's a toughie!!!! fanon kon at large is just. straight up not my boy. however there's a subset of fandom who leans into him being genderqueer/gnc/trans a lot more than canon ever has and i looove that. trans kon truthers lets go ♥

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

LORD. tim/ber/kon is the one that makes me roll my eyes hardest, alongside the rarer but no less irksome ber/kon. it's like... this is 100% not about kon as a character. this is about tim. ber/kon is almost funny in that it's entirely about tim but with tim himself cut out of the picture. but tim/ber/kon is just "let's take tim's most popular two fanon love interests and just shove all of them together!" and i have yet to see Anything even remotely try to convince me why kon and bernard should give a shit about each other. like, MAYBE you could sell it as a loooong slow burn, but i just. i don't see it man. putting the rest under a cut bc i AM gonna ramble about why i dislike it, so if you like tim/ber/kon or tim/ber and don't wanna see that, keep scrolling here👍!!

this is also partly bc i just... man i really wanted to like bernard and tim/ber but there's nothing there. i knew i didn't like rebirth tim characterization going in when i read tdr but i was hoping i'd at least find some crumbs. it's all just ... like there's no substance to it. there's no conflict, no character flaws, no "why do they even like each other???", no particular way they seem to help each other grow. it's just tropey "told, not shown" fluff where megfitz insists they are SO in love and perfect for each other, over and over, without backing that up really at all, and it just holds absolutely no appeal to me. and when it's just tim/ber i'm like yeah ok sure it's not my thing but whatever. but when people start trying to shove kon into there i'm like NO!!!!!! sdjkfhkd like im just SO unconvinced and it feels like such a great steaming heap of Nothing.

the main reason that is is that to me a relationship needs to have an arc. it can't just be stagnant. if there's no conflict, if there's no room for growth, if there's no development, it falls apart in my eyes. it doesn't feel like a real story about actual people. and as far as the tim/ber dynamic established in tdr, there's just. nothing. even the fact that bernard apparently somehow knows that tim is robin, which should be a HUGE source of conflict, is completely glossed over. it never comes up in any way.

like, we know that tim wants to tell people, but holds back out of a sense of duty. in robin '93, he agonizes about this with steph. but when bruce tells her his identity without his consent - which steph tells him bruce did immediately - he flips the fuck out!!!! he panics and runs away and he's furious with them both!!! so you'd ostensibly think that bernard knowing, and then not telling him he knows, would be sowing the seeds for an explosive conflict later down the line. especially because bernard now knows that tim is just. lying to him. all the time. shamelessly and blatantly lying through his teeth. and sure, it's for a good cause. right? but you'd think that in a relationship that's only just been established, just for a few months, that would also be offputting!! you'd think he'd start getting more and more unhappy that tim is just constantly lying to him and he knows it!! because he knows it about the robin secret, but what else might tim be lying to him about??? he knows now that tim has no qualms just lying to his face all the goddamn time, and he's... FINE with that???? there's this giant secret they're both dancing around and it's set up that there's just. N O T H I N G done with that. it drives me up the wall. i found this absolutely infuriating to read. both of them just being so one-dimensionally "oh we're in looooove so nothing else matters" that it erodes not only tim's specific characterization but bernard's ability to react like . idk. a human being? it just feels like running into dead end after dead end.

so yeah adding kon into that mix makes me want to tear my hair out bc it just feels SO surface-level. it's like... how much of him are you gonna shave off to fit him into this soulless, conflictless mold? it's like how i get annoyed when tim/kon fics ignore kon being genuinely really upset tim didn't share his identity with the team in yj98, but worse. because identity shit REALLY matters to kon. kon has never dated anyone who didn't know he was superboy. all of his civilian friends in sb11 know he's superboy. like, he does Not get close to people if he can't share that. it would be!!! a source!!! of conflict!!! but i've never seen Any ship content for tim/ber/kon that isn't just either completely declawed fluff that's just oh hehe tim has two boyfriends, or "kon angsting over tim dating someone else uwu" bullshit, which occasionally leads into completely declawed "tim has two boyfriends" fluff. it just does such a disservice to every character involved imo.

[its-your-mind]

ya know what, I just put all of this in the tags of someone else’s post, but I have More to say about it

This is a letter to 12-year-old me, who just listened Welcome to Night Vale for the first time in 2013.

Hey, 12 year old me. There are some things I know you need to hear right now.

You are 12, and you’ve just discovered podcasts for the first time. You’re in 7th grade, and you saw screenshots of tumblr posts in nerdy Facebook groups about this super weird one called “Welcome to Night Vale” where they said weird things like “Wednesday has been cancelled, due to a scheduling error.” You think that’s pretty funny, so you check it out.

It’s fun, there’s a dog park no one goes in, and Wednesday has indeed been cancelled due to scheduling errors. The people who live there are delightfully odd - they don’t believe in mountains or angels, despite the fact that the angels sometimes change lightbulbs. When the host describes a new person in town and declares himself in love with him, you (know you’re weird but aren’t sure why - why does Cecil’s comment make you feel so seen?) write it off as equally strange as a disbelief in mountains and move on.

You, 12 years old, only just poking your head out of the hole you grew up in, don’t know who you are yet, because looking too closely at yourself is scary.

You keep listening. When Cecil and Carlos finally talk to each other, beneath those lights above the Arby’s, you start crying. You don’t know why. You don’t understand yet that you are finally being told a story where someone like you was accepted and loved, not in spite of the eccentricities, but because of them.

But that’s not a revelation you’re ready to have yet, and that’s okay. In the exact same way you had glossed over Cecil and Carlos’s relationship development for those first forty episodes, you brush past your own emotions and keep on keeping on. If you keep moving, you don’t have to stop and think harder about what caused you to feel so strongly.

You keep listening. You cheer as this strange town defeats the followers of a Smiling God, you scream into your pillow at the words “he is holding a cat,” you have legitimate nightmares about a beagle puppy, and you bounce up and down as a young disabled girl leads her family in carrying out a successful heist. In the midst of it all, you hear these characters push through the challenges they face by banding together and embracing the things that made them strange.

And slowly but surely, you begin to learn to embrace the things that make you strange, too.

Let’s jump forward a few years. You’re in high school now. You’ve been made fully aware of how people in your life see people like you like Cecil and Carlos, but you also feel nothing but giddy, pure joy each time they talk to each other over the radio. You don’t know how to reconcile those two things.

So you don’t. You slot yourself into the crowd of weirdos at school, and all of you pretend you’re not all going through the same struggle. (Over half of those weirdos turned out to be queer, by the way. Funny how that works out.)

(But that’s another story.)

For now, you’re a sophomore in high school, and you’re feeling lost, and overwhelmed, and alone. And like you always do when you feel overwhelmed, you put in your earbuds and listen to someone else’s story for a bit.

This episode is called Toast. It’s just a bunch of speeches from the characters that have welcomed you into their community. At first, it’s not clear what the toast is to, and so you focus on trying to figure it out. Your mind cycles through possibilities. Is it a funeral? Commemorating a special Night Vale holiday? Someone’s birthday?

It slowly dawns on you. This is the toast at a wedding. Everyone giving the toast can’t help but talk about what a happy occasion this is. But you are still so small, and so so scared, and it doesn’t occur to you whose wedding it might be until Old Woman Josie comes up and mentions them by name.

Without understanding quite why, you start to sob. You cry through the rest of the episode, so much that you have to pause and rewind to hear the entirety of Carlos and Cecil’s speeches to each other. Carlos talks about love as a continuous series of choices, as the turning of a story about “you” and a story about “me” into a story about “us.” Cecil shares how his love for his community and his partner has gotten him through the hardest times, not because it overpowered the difficulties, but because it allowed him to keep going in spite of them.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can see why those things brought up the emotions they did. We want to be loved, but more than that, we want the chance to choose to love, and we want someone to choose to love us. What we crave, at our very core, is acceptance. We just want to be seen and welcomed, no matter who we happen to be, and no matter the person we have chosen to love.

You won’t be able to label yourself as queer for another three years. You’ll meet people who will tell you that something in you is broken, but you’ll meet even more people who build on the foundation that Night Vale began. You will learn that being different, in whatever way you are different, is something to be celebrated, not hidden.

There will come a day when you are safe, and happy, and loved, just as you are. You can let all of yourself shine - your loves, your fears, your odd fashion sense, your passion for weird radio-broadcast podcasts - and the people around you won’t just tolerate it, they’ll admire it.

The road to get there won’t be easy, but I am so excited for you to walk it. You’ve got this. And on every step on that journey, just remember: The moon is still beautiful, mysterious lights still pass overheard, and you are loved.

Sincerely, 23 year old you

[whiisps]

X-Men New Episode Spoilers

No hate to anyone who feels differently than me!! This is just me expressing my opinion. I'm very open to other people's input. This is all solely based on the animated series as a separate entity from what occurs in the comics.

I love and hate the Rogue and Magneto relationship plotline. I feel that it was forced in, but I felt at the same time it could've been AMAZING. It could've been a fantastic opportunity to show how Magneto is still very much a villain. Maybe that's what they were going for and people are just glossing over that because they like Magneto so much?

Because his love for Rogue was definitely predatory. Rogue was so young when they met and had (abusive) father issues. Mags was that kind of figure to her at first and it seems like he took advantage of that as well as using the fact he was one of the only people that could physically touch her.

It's honestly such a very real thing that happens to victims of abuse-> Finding themselves trying to heal that wound through unhealthy means. Trying to fill that void, etc...

Again that was likely the writer's intentions, but I keep seeing so many people that are ride or die for Magneto and violently defending his relationship to Rogue- it's wild. It's okay to like him and it's okay to criticize him.

People are complicated creatures with so much substance and inner turmoil and I think X-Men does a good job of showing that sometimes.

On the other hand I think what could be great storylines and character development gets lost in the tension they try to manufacture. Sometimes it feels like it's put there just to be there-like filler or a soap opera.

Again no hate. If you completely disagree with me- or think I'm just pointing out the obvious that's okay. I just had feelings I wanted to get out because I have nobody to talk to about these new episodes.

[hotmessmaxpress]

Mate pleaseeee dont stop writing ever about marc and marco like they areee sososo ughh idk!!!! like it just works so good yk

so thats why i say pretty please with a cherry onntop to give me another snippet of them interacting in anyway🤞🙏

Here is my Bezz x Marc friendship thesis! Which is maybe not what you're looking for but I don't have the brainpower to write an entire scene. I did have the brainpower to dump all of my thoughts about them though!

Okay so in this au there are two main things that I think change Bezz’s view of Marc from enemy to bestie. One is that Bezz has a meltdown about the whole thing and Vale puts him in his place. (I wrote more of this that I might post when I like it!)

The more compelling part to me that I sort of glossed over in the first part of this au is that Bezz has a moment of realization that he and Marc are both omegas. As Marc has noticed, Bezz really doesn’t think too hard about his role as the pack omega. He just is. When Luca first tells Bezz about Marc’s bite and just how badly Vale fucked it up, it sends Bezz into a bit of a crisis that takes him a long time to really confront head on. He sort of just shoves it aside until he has had time to adjust to Marc being in the pack.

Bezz then realizes that no matter what happens, he will always understand Marc better than any other member of the pack because they share the unique experience of being an omega and everything that comes with that. While Bezz’s pack don’t treat him really any differently (at least not in a bad way– if anything they spoil him) than they would if he was an alpha, that doesn’t change the fact that they could. They could take advantage of him, especially during his heats. They could treat him like he’s lesser-than. And none of that ever really occurred to him until he found out about what happened to Marc. And at first, that scared him. The idea that his pack would ever do that to him was terrifying. Pretty quickly, though, he realized that they wouldn’t actually ever do that. Still, that knowledge remained. He and Marc are the only two people in their pack that have to cope with everything that comes with being an omega.

So when it comes to welcoming Marc to the pack (even though it takes Bezz the longest of any of the other pack members) once Bezz decides to love him he loves him. Marc is already a pro at codependent relationships (lol love you Alex) and he and Bezz pretty much latch onto each other.

Marc is who Bezz goes to when he doesn’t feel well. He goes to Marc when he’s tired. He goes to Marc when he needs attention. And on the flip side, Marc goes to Bezz as well. When he needs someone to help him be calm and clear his thoughts, he goes to Bezz.

Marc loves Vale’s room, and he loves that it becomes their room together (he even loves that Vale has a bike in there, a fact which has changed my brain chemistry). He loves the way that Vale has his little pack who all love him and listen to him and look to him for advice. But sometimes he still isn’t sure where he fits into that– he’s closer in age to most of the pack members than he is to Vale, and he really doesn’t feel comfortable giving them unsolicited advice in the way Vale does. He goes to Bezz for reassurance, and he finds himself in Bezz’s room often. There’s something comforting about having a room to go to that doesn’t smell like alpha. Bezz is always happy to have him, too. He lets Marc join him in whatever he’s doing, even if it means Marc silently pressing up against him in bed while Bezz plays video games. Bezz doesn’t even question it. Marc is always allowed in his nests or in his arms.

Maybe they’ve just had a long day of training at the ranch, and Marc’s nerves are frayed because training at the ranch always brings up weird emotions about his first breakup with Vale. And Marc could go to Vale but he doesn’t really want to talk about it and he knows that if he goes to Vale, his mate is going to get all sad-eyed and feel guilty and Marc doesn’t want that! So instead he showers and goes to Bezz’s room, where it smells comfortingly of omega and safety and calm. And Bezz has just showered and his hair is sort of fluffy the way it gets when he allows it to air dry.

Maybe Bezz is even expecting it because he knows Marc gets weird about training at the ranch sometimes (maybe this is even their routine!). So he’s ready and is happy to let Marc curl up next to him in bed. Marc is wearing a sweatshirt that belongs to Vale and he just watches, silently, as Bezz plays video games. He doesn’t join in because he’s tired and emotionally wiped out, but he keeps his chin planted firmly on Bezz’s shoulder. He feels Bezz tense every time he struggles with a battle and feels him relax when he wins. There’s no pressure to talk or explain himself or entertain the other man. They sit in comfortable silence, cuddled together.

Vale comes to check on him usually, and bring them snacks, sometimes, but Marc always stays with the other omega until he feels okay again.

[cookinguptales]

badgerswake said: How does Guillermo let Freddie mistreat him?

-----------

THIS GOT LONG, SORRY.

But yeah, lots of ways, really, which mostly boil down to Freddie trampling boundaries, ignoring Guillermo's preferences/ideas in favor of his own, and/or hurting Guillermo's feelings. Freddie never acknowledges any of this as a problem, and Guillermo never forces him to.

(Which... seems to be a running pattern with the people that Guillermo loves, really, both romantically and otherwise.)

Like from the very first time we see Freddie, he's violating a serious boundary. Freddie presents his showing up at the house as something romantic, but it's... not? I would be very upset if a person came to visit the city I was living in and used a Christmas card or something so they could use my address in a way that I never intended and show up at a house that they were not invited to. Let me be super clear here -- Freddie was staying in a hotel and Guillermo purposefully never told him where he was living. He used the return address on one of his letters to track down where he was living and just... showed up.

Best case scenario, in a normal relationship, you show up at someone's house uninvited and they probably haven't cleaned, haven't taken their shower yet, may not even be there, etc. It's presented as romantic, but it's actually deeply rude, boundary-pushing, and frankly rather selfish. It's also... honestly, kind of a creep move! Don't show up at people's homes for the first time completely uninvited!

And it's made even worse here because this is not a normal relationship. The two of them regularly lie to each other, Guillermo more than Freddie, and there's an element of danger here that usually isn't present.

We see that this does upset Guillermo quite a bit, mostly because Guillermo realizes that this will force him to talk about his personal life in a way that he never intended to (boundaries!) but also because it will put Freddie in danger. Guillermo immediately loses control of the situation, and his very stressed out why are you here, dodging the kiss hello, etc. are just glossed over by Freddie, much like every negative emotion that Guillermo will proceed to show throughout the weekend.

(Side note, I seriously believe that Freddie just likes Guillermo because dating him is "easy", he never actually asks anything of him, and Freddie just blithely ignores any negative emotion or personal need of Guillermo's that comes up during this weekend and afterward because that aspect of Guillermo is no longer "easy".)

Anyway, sometimes Freddie's desire to push boundaries and Guillermo's comfort zones can lead to things Guillermo likes, like Freddie pushing him to dance in public. But it can also lead to dangerous, uncomfortable situations that Guillermo really, really doesn't like. Freddie does not acknowledge Guillermo's discomfort or any potential consequences that Guillermo might face for his actions, and Guillermo, for his part, never asks him to.

(I mean, seriously! Even if Guillermo were telling the truth about the whole carer thing, Freddie showing up at that house could have gotten him fired or something. Even if there were no lies or vampires, it was not an okay thing to do.)

Things really only get worse once the clone thing is figured out. (And wow, AGAIN Guillermo asked him to wait outside and AGAIN he barged right into the house anyway.) Freddie, I have to emphasize here, was not brainwashed into his subsequent behavior by Nandor. He was hypnotized into not freaking out over having a clone, but that's it.

So the fact of the matter is that for the rest of the night, Guillermo is visibly upset and uncomfortable and Freddie straight-up ignores that in favor of bonding with another man. We never, in the entire episode, see Freddie attempt to comfort Guillermo in any way, even after the blow-up between Guillermo and Nandor. Neither Freddie does, really, which is kind of shocking. For a person who has Freddie's personality and clearly has his memories as well, Freddie #2 is also astoundingly okay with hurting Guillermo's feelings on a regular basis.

(Like... it's one thing to break up with and/or not date a guy, depending on how you look at it. Quite another to make him clean up after you and engage in physical intimacy in front of him as he clearly tries not to cry.)

And then, after Freddie #1 goes home to the UK, he's totally okay with ditching his boyfriend mid-conversation to talk to himself instead. Like if I were talking to a person who -- hell, not even a person I cared about, but a human I respected as a person at all, I wouldn't put up with someone just physically pulling me away from them. It's rude to even do that to an acquaintance, much less your literal boyfriend.

And Guillermo just... takes it. He doesn't complain that Freddie constantly chooses to spend time with others over him. (His own Freddie, I mean, though I think he'd have a right to be upset with Freddie #2 to some degree as well.) He doesn't complain that Freddie constantly ignores his boundaries to do what he thinks is a "better" option instead. He doesn't complain that Freddie doesn't defend him, or protect him, or comfort him. He doesn't complain that Freddie largely does whatever he wants to do and ignores Guillermo's interests and comfort levels. He doesn't complain when Freddie is openly rude and disrespectful to him, even.

He never complains that Freddie never puts him first.

In fact, if anything, Guillermo seems to double down on his own displays of affection in some weird attempt to get Freddie's attention back. Like it's his fault that his boyfriend's attention is straying, not Freddie's. He tells Freddie he loves him multiple times, though we never hear Freddie do the same. He tries to get Freddie alone, a thing that Freddie doesn't seem to be interested in. He even goes to visit him in the UK, a direct mirror of Freddie's "surprise" visit to the Staten Island house, and discovers the hard way why, yeah, surprisingly people where they live might actually end in tears.

I feel like Freddie blatantly cheating on Guillermo (and being far more physically/emotionally affectionate, respectful, and loving towards his own clone) is really the culmination of a lot of small hurts, not just something that's coming out of nowhere. Freddie never prioritized Guillermo's feelings, and Guillermo never forced him to.

The fact that it was even possible for Guillermo to lie to him so thoroughly and for so long with such terrible fucking lies kind of tells us that Freddie never paid that much attention to Guillermo's personal life, just like he never paid attention to his feelings, desires, or boundaries. Guillermo knows a lot of small details about Freddie, but... Freddie really knows almost nothing about Guillermo, does he? And he seems to be totally fine with that.

So while it's still a shitty thing to do, is it really a shock to find out that Freddie's shacked up with his clone without even bothering to break up with his boyfriend?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

not really!

Guillermo has put up with a total lack of respect and mutual honesty from his loved ones (both Nandor, the other vampires, and his human family, really) for years and years and years, and while he's starting to repair his relationship with Nandor, the other vampires, and his family... Wow did he not make it there with Freddie.

It kind of feels like a healthy romance is still a thing that he doesn't feel like he deserves, even as he finally starts to coax happiness and fulfillment from the other relationships in his life. He's just so desperate to be loved (and yes, I do think this is partially Nandor's fault, as well as the end result of him being so desperately closeted) that he's willing to put up with absolute crumbs.

I'm not sure if he believes that anyone will ever love him for all of him, which is why he doesn't tell anyone the full truth and accepts it when they don't put him first. He desperately wants to be someone's top priority, but I don't think he really believes that it'll ever happen, either. He accepts these shallow versions of real relationships because he thinks no one would want a real relationship with the real him. He's probably closer to allowing himself to be known by Nandor than any other person, but even there, there are major portions of his life that he purposefully keeps from him.

idk man. Guillermo is improving, but... slowly. : /

I'm glad at the very least, he seems to acknowledge that Freddie did him dirty by leaving him the way he did. Like damn, just break up with a guy properly. Don't make out with your own clone in front of god and everyone. Yikes.

[nothorses]

hm i know this is a simplification but i have less letters so. i feel like the transandro discussion is a little too eager to gloss over truscum? like if fem/nonpassing transmascs talk abt the hurt they've experienced from the rest of the transmasc community we're "dividing the community" or "generalizing masc transmascs as truscum" & i don't know. it feels rough to hear constant calls for solidarity when we haven't received solidarity for decades

I have... a few thoughts here. and my brain is pudding because I've been doing grad school and teaching 8 hours a day for the last two weeks, so I apologize for any tonal issues, but please know I am trying to convey compassion and a desire for connection above all else.

okay.

First: "masc transmascs" are also targets of transmedicalism if and when we do not experience the Right Amount Of Dysphoria, the right "symptoms", etc. It's a complex issue, and I do think truscum often assume I'm likely to be On Their Side based exclusively on the fact that I sometimes say, on the internet, on a fully anonymous platform and blog, that I am generally masc.

I also could not identify dysphoria in myself at all for years, and I don't really try or care to pass now. I make my decisions based on how I want to look. That happens to align with things that make me pass a lot of the time, but it's certainly not always- particularly among people who know what trans men are.

Point being that I was a direct target of truscum ideology for a long time, and I still am any time I openly talk about my feelings around dysphoria, passing, and what gender actually is.

Second: Truscum are not even entirely masc transmascs; there are transfem folks in that group (Blaire White??), and there are far more cis people feeding into that ideology than there are trans people. Ultimately, truscum ideology is not for masc transmascs; it's not even for dysphoric trans people. It doesn't benefit any of us. It only serves systemic transphobia and cissexism.

Not to mention- "masc transmasc" does not necessarily mean "dysphoric". Gender euphoria is an extremely important part of the conversation, and it's something all kinds of trans people experience!

Third: calling for solidarity is not the same as calling for universal forgiveness and acceptance of every single person within a demographic. Solidarity means recognizing that you are, at the end of the day, on the same team.

Masc transmascs are not your enemy. Masc transmascs, as a group, are not at fault for what has been done to you. Truscum are; and many of the victims suffering alongside you are masc transmascs.

When you tell those people that they are part of the problem too, that they are at fault too, and that they must repent for the crimes of the people who victimized them like they victimized you, you aren't doing anything but hurting and isolating more victims.

Fourth: "Transandrophobia" is for you, too. The word is yours. The oppression you face for being a fem and/or non-passing transmascs is a form of transandrophobia; as is the oppression masc transmascs face for being masc transmascs. It's the same system. It's a word for all of us.

Here's what it comes down to:

Masc transmascs are not victimizing you- truscum are.

Truscum are not oppressed for being truscum- but transmascs are oppressed for being transmasc.

You are oppressed for being transmasc.

The word is for you.

We can deal with the issue of truscum, recognize the harm that has been done by them, and work to repair our community- and all of that is solidarity. None of it stands in the way of recognizing the oppression all of us face, or the experiences all of us share.

But if you want to dig your heels in and wait for truscum to stop existing and for every single masc transmasc- regardless of their participation in or victimization by that group- to repent for the existence of truscum (a group who is also not entirely transmasc to begin with), before you ever recognize the oppression we all suffer, that's your prerogative.

But it's not the way forward.

[antares-8]

hello! i recently finished rereading the pilgrim's progress and honestly, it's some of (if not the) best beast!wirt fic i've ever read! there's a lot of stuff that i've realized makes it so good, especially after giving it more than one read through.

first of all, beatrice's characterization throughout the whole series is AMAZING and feels really accurate to the show. she's angry and almost always ready and willing to punch a man, but that's only part of her character. like, i've seen a decent bit of otgw fic where she just gets reduced down to "the angry one" but in tpp, her other emotions get the spotlight too sometimes and it makes her feels so real and human. she's determined and stubborn and willing to go to the ends of the earth for the people she cares about and you can really feel it!! she's her own person with her own stuff to deal with and it makes her so interesting in this series. i think she's possibly my favorite character.

(also, in writing that paragraph about beatrice i realized that tpp, or at least the arc with the witches, has a lot to do with grief and anger. this is more of a half-formed thought, but the way they're fairly consistent elements throughout and fit in perfectly with its other themes. i'm not exactly sure what else to say about this since i haven't put much thought into it until just now, but it's definitely something i like about it, although it's more of a personal preference.)

characters in general are one of tpp's strong suits, i think! the ocs created for this series are amazing without detracting from the main cast. felicity sticks out to me in particular, likely because we get to see things from her perspective. her motives manage to be understandable without detracting from the sense that she's in the wrong. also, shoutout to peg-leg polly, whose character description is amazingly evocative, as well as literally everything else about her. 10/10, no notes.

i think something else tpp does amazingly is all the "side" stuff. not "side" as in, like, subplots (this is all pretty much main plot, which is part of why it's so great), but as in "not the first thing you think of when you think of a beast!wirt au." "weren't you someone's son" is possibly the best example of this. we get to see how wirt's family is affected personally, something that's so often ignored. and it's a *whole main plot thing*--they never get fully shoved off to the side. the same goes with the unknown's reactions to wirt as the "new beast"--it's not glossed over. in fact, it's one the things the story is based around. tpp is BUILT around the stuff that's not immediately obvious, and it really makes it stand out in the best way possible.

and somewhat relatedly, wirt's character arc, about CHOOSING to stay in the unknown, is so good! it takes 30 works and tens of thousands of words until he fully admits it to himself but the payoff is so, so worth it. the line at the end of "to wind thy soul" where wirt says he *wants* to stay is built up so beautifully. it's another one of those things that makes tpp so unique and amazing.

and last, but definitely not least, is the WORLDBUILDING. there's a lot to say about it, but i love your version of the unknown!! it feels so real and alive, and the people in it do too. it really manages to capture the feeling of the original show--there's darkness, but it's not ALL sad times and eldritch horror, and some things are even a bit silly. and the way the unknown keeps on feeling mysterious even as we learn more and more about it is impressive. the fact that some things are mentioned but never expanded upon (like the beast-cult or the wars against nature) is far from a flaw here--they make the unknown feel like a real place, and help keep up the sense of mystery, magic, and a long history by sounding so interesting while being left mostly up-in-the-air. and the idea of using edelwood to cleanse corruption is also so good. like, if i force myself to look at it from a doylist perspective, i can say that it might exist to avoid a moral quandary which would seriously hurt everything that tpp is trying to say (although honestly, i don't think that it's a bad thing if that's the case; i love worldbuilding but making sure it plays nice with story and message is important, often moreso than making it feel "good"), but i have to force myself to think like that. while reading, it's foreshadowed well and feels so natural that i sometimes forget it was created for this series. and that's just one part of the worldbuilding! so much of this version of the unknown feels so in line with everything the show gives us, and there's so much attention to detail. it's so fantastic and i love it!!

also, a couple small details i noticed (and are appreciated):

in "all that was lost," enoch says that he can tell beatrice + greg where wirt is if they stay the night, and in "wish i was a shadow" it's mentioned that enoch vists the queen of the clouds a lot. did. did enoch ask the queen of the clouds where wirt was for beatrice and greg?

in "only one thing" greg mentions that he's sure that the cloak wirt gave him is enchanted, and in "gone to the tree" wirt mentions that he'd only tried to imbue something with his protection once before. did wirt enchant greg's cloak?? if so that's ADORABLE. wirt really loves greg huh?

anyway, yeah, the pilgrim's progress is amazing!! i didn't realize that i had this much to say about it, but it honestly deserves all the praise i can throw at it. there are some other small things that i love, but this is getting pretty long as it is. i can't wait for the next update, and i hope that you're doing well!! <3

First off, thank you for making my day! (And hopefully inspiring me finally finish the next installment. One can hope, right?) I always love to hear from readers, especially readers who enjoy my work.

Beatrice is a lot of fun to write. She accepts no nonsense (except when she doles it out to get something), her first impulse is violence, and she's fiercely loyal to all those she loves. Plus, some of her reactions to Wirt are just hilarious. She knows enough to realize how weird--or perhaps extraordinary--he really is.

I wanted to say something about how family was important in the show (the bluebirds, the brothers), but the truth is that I really like outsider POV and the parents gave me a good opportunity to play with that. That can remain our secret.

Sometimes, I feel like this entire series is just one big exercise in worldbuilding. Because the Beast is so well-known (and feared), I have to think about how the new Beast interacts with the world in general and how the world's reactions reflect back onto the character. That being said, I've still got a few headcanons that I'd like to explore.

Both of your theories regarding small details are correct. Enoch asked the Queen of the Clouds where to find Wirt waaaay back in the beginning, and Wirt added a few enchantments to the cloak before giving it to Greg. The enchantments... well, let's just say that no one will ever try to bully Greg while he's wearing it.

Unfortunately, I can't say for certain when the next update will be out. The next one is a new arc (or maybe it will be the one after that, because I've got another WIP that could become part 31 instead), so I've been obsessively tweaking it to get everything set up correctly.

As Wirt says to the people who try to drive him out of their town with torches and pitchforks, have a nice day!

[bakujho]

Another rant about another eel

It’s been a while since my last eels rant, but here I am again to rant about good ol’ Jade Leech and how the fandom seems to uhhh… gloss over the canon information we’re given and give him whatever personality they feel like. As always, if you don’t care about canon lore, or the blatant information we’ve been given and prefer house husband uwu soft Jade, carry on and do what you will. I’ll put the rest of this under a cut because it’s likely to get long because I am salty and so so so so so sick of takes that completely ignore his canon characteristics to replace it with uwu baby he’s so soooofft instead. At this point I am BEGGING the EN twst fandom to read more than bad youtube translations of the main story only, and read the card stories and events since the characters get their own spotlight and time to actually dig into their personalities because the uwuification of Jade is the *worst*

*ahem*

So, one of the VERY FIRST THINGS we learn about Jade, is that he enjoys playing with people, and using them to best suit whatever plans he’s aiming to achieve. For example, the conversation in Jade’s robes story spells out REALLY QUICKLY what kind of person he is

Jade: Frightening students so quickly after they entered school….. 

Jade: Don’t you think there’ll be plenty of chances to do that later?

Floyd: Eeh~. If you want to tell people something, isn’t it best to say it straight away? That’s way faster! 

Jade: Of course, that’s one way to do it….. But it’s not preferable. 

Jade: The thing I desire the most is not fear, but chess pieces that can be moved for the sake of Octavinelle 

Jade: And in order to get that, one of the most important things is “public confidence”. And to obtain that, first impressions are crucial

Jade: In addition to the country of origin, hobbies, preferences, the food they dislike and subjects they are bad at…

Jade: I also listed all their MagiCam accounts. I just happened to come to know about those too.

Azul: Oh….. And the ID’s listed under “private”?

Azul: Incredible, could it be that you managed to obtain everyone’s private accounts despite their attempts to hide them? 

Jade: Ah, oopsie. It was so incredibly easy to find, I may have accidentally gone and written all of those down too.

Azul: Oh, how terrible. If this list were leaked, everybody would be oh so troubled. 

Jade: In that case, you should make sure to properly manage the list so that it does not get leaked. 

This isn’t some misunderstanding, or fear of Azul to act, or some other misplaced garbage softboy bullshit the fandom sometimes spouts, he knows exactly what he’s doing, and it’s something that he ENJOYS. It's why he and Floyd work so well together cause Jade will happily fuck with their head before Floyd breaks their bones (standby for the ‘stop uwufying Floyd’ rant cause you know I have one of those too). And Azul knows and takes advantage of that exact fact. None of them are soft uwu babies, they all know what they’re doing, and are exceptionally good at it. 

I’m not sure if this is at large just a “we didn’t read that card or the translation was bad (like the Floyd fish nicknames for affection when it just says nicknames) or read at surface level or inability to understand what’s NOT being said” etc, but I see it a lot. A lot of things about Jade aren’t said outright, because that’s EXACTLY the game he plays to fly under the radar. He’s Monsieur Mastermind for a reason, Rook knows that every single one of his actions and mannerisms is thought out and pre-planned so I don’t understand why some folks out here are refusing to see it, especially when even in universe the characters regularly comment on this exact thing. There’s MULTIPLE instances of Jade using people and being facetious to keep up the facade of Azul’s lackey without much else going for him at all. His magic is understated, he fades into the background and lets Azul/Floyd be the standout Octa students, but he always seems to know *exactly* what is going on and where, and how to manipulate the situation to suit what it is he’s after. 

In his own dorm card he pretends to leave Octavinelle in order to manipulate Vil into doing some free promo work for the lounge, and no one is sure of his intentions the entire time he’s there. Rook and Vil know that he’s using them but can’t quite put their finger on what he’s up to, BUT because he’s so good at his job they let their inhibitions go and let him get on with whatever he’s up to. Jade knows how to act and what to do to get people to trust him, and part of his charm is that he keeps to himself so that there isn’t any negative correlations with him like there are Floyd. It seems everyone is afraid of Floyd’s mood swings, but no one suspects Jade of having any ulterior motive because he’s always so well behaved and kind to people. Even when Kalim is making him tea and he’s thinking to himself that his teeth are going to rot out of his mouth, he keeps up the kind demeanor and drinks the tea, because Kalim could always be a powerful pawn (which he then becomes in ep 4). During beans day 2 Azul mentions that between the twins, Jade is the more dangerous of the two, and who better than the one that knows them best to make the observation. I think it’s pretty obvious that Jade’s favourite type of game is playing chess with those he’s around (he even mentions he likes terrariums because he controls everything inside of them), but I think the focus on mushrooms and mountains sometimes detracts from that. Even sociopaths have hobbies, friends!

And that I think is where it gets confusing for some people, there’s the sociopathic tendencies, but he has friends and likes mushrooms and mountain climbing and smiles genuinely sometimes, so he can’t be all that bad! Except, having things you enjoy isn’t reserved for good people. Plus,  look at the people he’s closest to. Floyd is what I would personally call a psychopath (I know there’s a lot of takes on this, but that’s an essay for another day), and Azul is a few screws loose of being normal himself. They’re all brilliant, but that doesn’t mean they’re good people. Some of the examples I’ve seen for how Jade is ‘misunderstood’ as ‘evil’ are easily debunked by canon, because he almost always says something facetious and creepy afterwards to undermine the ‘sweetness’ of it. Not to mention that good and bad isn’t black and white. You can do good things while still being a bad person and vice versa, and doing good things while being a bad person is Jade’s bread and butter. Twisted wonderland in general is very much about morally grey characters where none are implicitly good or evil, and I think we’ve yet to see anyone *actually* evil, BUT the Octavinelle trio are the closest to classic disney villain bad guy we’ve gotten to see so far. 

To go off topic here a bit, I do wonder if the uwu-fication of the Octavinelle trio as a whole is due to the whole weird purity push that makes it so you can’t enjoy morally grey characters unless you can find the redeeming and good qualities in them. Hmmm. I understand wanting to find the good in people and so on and so forth, but the whole redemption of the villain to be able to like them without getting cancelled or whatever it is is really stupid. Let the shitty characters be shitty, because that’s what makes them interesting. It’s like with Crowley, he’s not a good role model but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad character because he’s a teacher and should be a good role model (or whatever mental gymnastics are there). The point of having a colourful cast is that not everyone is static or good and the characters grow, though sometimes that growth isn’t in a positive way, and that’s okay because it’s fiction. 

Okay back on topic, and back to Jade. 

So if we’re operating on the assumption that not every character needs to be a good person to be a good character, Jade is an EXCELLENT example. He is very multifaceted and if you look at him just on the surface he seems like a really decent dude. He IS very helpful, and he CAN be very kind, and he DOES enjoy wholesome things wholeheartedly, BUT i think boiling it down to those points and ignoring the sea of red flags is the entire point of his character. He wants to fly under the radar and not stand out as a bad-guy. That’s how he gets things done. Even in canon it’s commented on by Trey and Riddle, with Trey being taken in by the good guy act and Riddle mentioning he needs to look beyond the surface because Jade never does anything without reason. I think one of the best examples of how Jade thinks is in Silvers FG card. He immediately changes his tactic when dealing with Silver when the latter balks at Jade mentioning “forcing” the fairies to do anything for them. He immediately sees the change in atmosphere and as such changes the way he interacts with him and takes control of the situation with the fairy to get the results he desires. Silver, being the goodest of boys, doesn’t seem to see the point of Jades plan and words to manipulate both of them into doing the work he needs done. Afterwards, Jade seems amused by Silver’s words that he ‘spoke from the heart’ as if it’s something he himself had never tried. 

Jade: I didn't expect you to flatter them to receive it. You are quite the negotiator, aren't you?

Silver: Negotiator…? I only spoke from the heart.

Silver: If you speak with sincerity, it does not matter if they are human or fae, they will understand.

Jade: From the heart… I see. Well now, that is a wonderful vision.

“Sounds fake but okay” - Jade Leech, probably. This point in the story could be where we see more character development in that Jade learns that maybe shady and underhanded isn’t the best way to go about things, BUUUUUUUT, since the event is an “IF” version of a side event, I wouldn’t count on it happening anytime soon (if at all). Jade is definitely one of the most nuanced characters in TWST (imo) so I think it is easy to miss all of the hints and things that have been scattered between the main story, character stories, voice lines, and events, but once you put everything together I think it it paints a very clear picture what kind of person he is, and unfortunately it’s not the uwu soft boy house husband pushover that most of the EN fandom stuff I see seems to take him for. Again, if that’s your personal preference you do you, but I find it very hard to ignore the information that is SUCH a big part of his character. (Speaking of, I did see a complaint that most of the fandom is with me on the ‘Jade is a sociopath’ front, so like… can someone tell me where to find it cause I always find the opposite) To throw it all out the window to focus on the much smaller parts of his personality I think are doing him and his character a huge disservice by just … missing the point. Jade is a good character BECAUSE he’s a bad person, and because he doesn’t seem to want to be a good person at all. He (and Floyd) enjoy causing problems, and watching chaos unfold, and ignoring it for the less often seen softer points is lame. 

Moving onto how he cares for people. Of course he’s able to genuinely interact and appreciate those that he cares about. His relationship with Floyd and Azul of course is different in nature than it is with anyone else at the school. He’s known Floyd since birth and been friends with Azul since middle school, that being said… that doesn’t mean that there’s no tension there at all. During beans day, Jade mentions he’s glad to be on the opposite side as Azul so that he can challenge him, and can’t wait to see the look on Azul’s face when he loses (rip tho lol). He does provoke Floyd occasionally as well when he’s in a shitty mood, so it’s not as if he’s all sunshine and rainbows with them either. He does after all, fully agree with Azul to wringing the eel slime out of Floyd despite knowing that it’ll be really painful for him, laugh at him when he gets blasted by Riddle at their entrance ceremony and tease Azul after his overblot. In regards to the overblot, of course he’s worried afterwards. Azul is his friend, whereas the same can’t be said for most other people in the cast. Azul is more than a pawn, and though he would likely not hesitate to use Azul if necessary, Azul knows him well enough to help with his schemes openly knowing about any shady reasoning behind it so there would be no reason to. I think as far as friendship goes for him, the only ones he truly opens up to are people like himself (like Azul and Floyd) not because he’s worried that he’d frighten them, but because he wants people that will help him and enjoy the same things as him. His hobbies are his own personal interests so Azul and Floyd not sharing them with him is fine, but when he has the more malicious intentions, as is shown SO many times, he wants to have friends that will increase the chaos rather than trying to diffuse it. Even in his official profile it says that he dislikes being bored. 

One of the other arguments that I had seen about Jade was that he was “canonically shy” and doesn’t like showing his teeth because he’s embarrassed. I think it’s important in these situations to consider the context in which the information is presented. Jade has already said in several places that he doesn’t like when people watch him, and that he doesn’t like when people watch him eat (because he’s got such a big appetite) so taking a conversation such as this:

Ruggie: So in this school, doesn’t that mean Jade-kun and Floyd-kun would have a big advantage?

Ruggie: Cause they’ve got big bodies. And their teeth are sharp.

Jade: Fufufu, I wonder. I would be embarrassed to open my mouth so wide while everyone watches…

Jade: Contrary to everyone’s expectations, I may dawdle too long and be unable to grab an apple.

As facts he’s embarrassed needs to be looked into deeper. There absolutely could be a hint of embarrassment for someone that’s put on such a refined persona to open his mouth that widely since the row (or rows if you’re a pharyngeal jaw believer) of serrated teeth is a frightening view that could completely ruin the image he’s worked so hard to maintain. He does mention in his voice lines that he doesn’t like when people look at him too closely, and I think instead of that being shy/embarrassed or whatever else, it’s more that he prefers watching to being watched. This I think becomes especially clear in his PE story where he feels Rook watching him and seems to be uncomfortable about how much Rook may have learned from watching, though remarks that he probably had gotten nothing from it at all. He spends the rest of the card fufufu-ing with Rook because they’re the same sort of people. They both have their secrets, and they’re both hunters, though of a different type. (Also, Rook is great, Rook haters u suck). The idea that Jade is insecure etc about himself at this far in the game is absolutely absurd. He knows his strengths and weaknesses (are there really any?) and knows exactly how to progress and overcome any obstacle. In fact, when he confronts the Heartslabuyl team/yuu/grim in episode 2 with Floyd, he demands to know why they were spying and challenges them to a fight (then of course proceeds to chase them down with Floyd afterwards) These aren’t the movements of someone that isn’t sure of themselves, and is quite the opposite. 

I think I’ve rambled enough here at this point (we’re at over 2500 words weeeew), but I do think a lot of people overlook the shady and instead focus on the very clear parts of Jade that are present but DON’T make up the core of his character, because again, when characters are nuanced they’re not just one trait. Jade isn’t just a mushroom lover. Not just a mountains lover. Not just a poisoning his classmates for fun enjoyer. Not just a blackmailing his fellow students just because kinda guy. Not the knocking his classmate off his feet with a pie throw guy. Not just a making his close friends dance for his amusement while under his control guy.  Not just a shady mf that has LITERALLY SAID he would tie someone up and drag them to the bottom of the ocean never to be found again if they double crossed him. He’s all of those, and I think putting more weight on the “positive” and “good” traits is doing him a great disservice since those are just the cherries on top of his entire fucked up personality, because lets be real, the shady GREATLY outweighs the cute or soft things he does. And if anyone has read this far and for some reason still thinks he’s soft uwu boy (unironically), I’ll leave you with one of my favourite Jade quotes proving that he’s much shittier than he is soft, which is exactly what makes him such a good character. I could probably talk more about this, but this I guess covers the majority of what I’m salty about.

Indeed. If I were ever to be betrayed like that…I would drive them into a corner, destroy them emotionally, and then tie them up and drown them deep into the sea…Seeing you blame yourself and acting like such a martyr is, pardon my words, truly disgusting- main story ep 4

But no, tell me more about how he’s soft and sweet and misunderstood.

(Translations taken from a combo of the inactive @/twstarchives @/mysteryshoptls and kanadesmusingsblog)

[miekasa]

NO LET'S TALK ABT HIM WHTVR U SAY I WILL LISTEN IT CAN JUST ME U AND ME LOL

PLEASE!! LETS!! HE’S VERY SPECIAL TO ME!!! Here are some very unorganize thoughts I have about him. (Spoiler: he’s my honey pie and I love him alot </3333)

Satoru is annoying. Genuinely. Not in an endearing way, truly… but it’s also extremely admirable. Someone like him doesn’t have to give the time of day to anybody he feels is undeserving, someone like him doesn’t have to try to get to know people and force himself to such close proximity (literally) to people, but he does anyway. Satoru is annoying, but he’s annoying on purpose and somehow that’s way more comforting than someone who’s just plain old terrible to be around; everything he does has a purpose—even hanging off of your shoulder like deadweight. 

He’d be a terrible friend with benefits. The… benefits would be great, of course, but he’d completely throw the whole “no strings attached” part of the arrangement out the window. His strings are very attached, in fact all of them are attached. He’s waiting for all of yours to be attached too. 

He’s supposed to be a lightweight supreme, but hear me out… Satoru loves brunch lmfaoooooo. It’s the atmosphere of a Saturday morning brunch… nice pastries… fries for breakfast, eggs for lunch…. and champagne with it at that. How could he turn that down? He’s absolutely tipsy halfway into his first mimosa but who fucking CARESSSS not him!!!! He’s having the time of his life. 

He… likes seeing people eat. Not in a weird way or a sexual way, he just likes to know that he people he cares about are well fed and have good food. There’s a sense of pride that washes over him when he takes his students out for lunch, when Megumi comes over for dinner, when he can convince you to share an extra appetizer with him.

He does this thing where he sort of… hovers? around you. He’s like a little worker bee when he’s talking your ear off about something, unable to keep still. You could be walking, and Satoru will still flutter from your right to your left side, even has room to circle around you sometimes even while you’re walking because his legs are just that long and he’s just that excited about what he’s sharing with you. He’s gotta make sure you’re listening though, so sometimes he stops you in your tracks, right in front of you to bend down slightly and inquire, “Hey? You’re listening, right? This is important!” 

He has a concerning amount of Miffy merchandise. Plush pillows, blankets, trinkets, a keychain, even an apron—Satoru is strangely obsessed with that little bunny. Megumi can confirm this addiction, and while he thinks it’s strange, he still holds on to the Miffy blanket Satoru gave him when he was 10. 

Speaking of Megumi, getting him dogs was definitely Satoru’s grand plan to Make This Grumbly Child Love And Respect Me when he first took the kid in. Satoru thought he’d arranged to pick up two little black and white poodles from the shelter—and yeah the dogs weren’t very curly-haired when he’d brought them home, but they were only a few weeks old, who was he to judge. It’s when the dogs are damn near Megumi’s size one year later that Satoru realizes they are not poodles, and that he’s gonna be cleaning up after a lot of dog shit until Megumi gets big enough to do it himself. 

The Fenty chapstick AND gloss bomb stays on him!!! AT ALL TIMES!!!! 

Jewelry aficionado. For himself, but also for you. Satoru’s got a few pieces of jewelry he wears himself; a couple of nice watches, a slew of cuff links one of which you swear has diamonds on it, some rings, a few pairs of earrings, silver tie clips, even a necklace when he’s feeling fancy. He claims to be very particular about his jewelry—“Gotta look for the finer things in life, my love!”—and very particular about the jewelry he buys you, too. Say the word and it’s yours—solid gold, diamonds, pearls—actually, you don’t even have to say anything, just look at it for long enough and he’s on it. Plus, he likes seeing you wear things he bought you. You’re his baby, he’s gotta take care of you. (You will get matching pinky rings). 

It’s almost cute the way he always has candy on him. Almost. It’s not so cute when he gets patted down going through security at the airport and he’s told to empty his pockets and it’s a bunch of wrapped candies and lollipop and it’s six in the morning. He screams your name way too loudly trying to catch up with you when you turn and leave him to head to your gate. 

Terms of endearment come easy to him. It’s easy to say he’s a flirt, but something that makes Satoru’s words extra sweet is the way he says my. “Come here, my love”; “How are you today, my dear? Have anything good for lunch?”; “Aren’t the kiddies so cute—ah my cute little students, even when they’re upset with me, don’t you think?”; “You’re my baby you know that? My sweet girl.” 

[brendaonao3]

5, 16, 17 and 19 for Maverick (the character asks)? Thanks :D

Hi there, Nonnie!!! <3

For the Send Me A Character And A Number And I'll Tell You Ask Game

5. a headcanon that's all but canon, and that's a hill I will die on

Oh, totally that Pete went into the foster care system after his mom died - it explains so much about his loner, rely-on-no-one mentality, and why he has so many issues forming attachments, and why he clings to tightly to the few people he does let in past his walls.

16. favorite canon relationship

This one's tough, because there are so many that I adore (Mav & Goose, Mav & Ice, Mav & Hondo, Mav & Carole, Mav & Viper, Mav & Penny, to name a few) -

But, if I'm being honest, one of the biggest reasons TG:M works so well for me is the Bradley & Mav relationship. It's so messy and so raw and filled with so much history, and the film never tries to dumb it down or gloss over any of the cracks or suggest that one party is right & the other is wrong. It's a very ADULT relationship - and by that, I mean, it treats both characters and the audience with respect, and the film gives them each space to breathe and also allows them to feel that weight and that history, and for each interaction to build on each other.

Because there aren't too many films that show that loving someone and hating someone and being angry and remorseful and impressed and awed, sometimes all at once, is SO normal. And I loved seeing it.

(Look, I could go on & on & on about these two and that history and that complexity and all of the ways their love and anger and grief is so brilliantly portrayed, but I'll spare you :D)

17. favorite fanon relationship

I mean, Ice/Mav obviously - those two are a God Tier level, your faves could never, transcends time & space, could & does move mountains, you complete me, OMG THEY WERE WINGMEN ship. They are OG, the realest of the real, and I will love them forever.

19. [blank] / dealer's choice

Okay, since you left it up to me, I'm going to go on a very slight rant (everyone try not to act so shocked :D)

I know it's fun to joke about Mav as some dumbass, feral, bottom-brat agent of chaos, but it ignores the fact that Mav is - in canon - RIDICULOUSLY smart.

He's not just winging it & hoping for the best - he is legit THE best pilot the Navy has ever produced, able to make complex calculations in a split second, able to analyze flight patterns at a glance, able to READ people & how they'll react & use that to his advantage. Yes, he's cocky & takes risks, but he's cocky because he knows these planes inside & out and what they're capable of better than anyone, and every risk he takes is one where he's already analyzed every possible outcome in his head.

(Not sure if anyone's ever delved into this in fic, but if anyone feels like writing one that goes into what a brilliant chess player Mav is, I'd read the hell out of it :D)

In fact, I'd say that's most of the reason why he pisses off so many Admirals - and you can see it in the mission test run scene - he just makes paper-pushing Admirals look stupid as fuck, and men in command don't typically take that too kindly. Ice doesn't bail Mav out of these jams solely because of loyalty - he does it because (as he said) the Navy NEEDS Mav & the way he flies & all of that intelligence & experience.

Anyway, the point is, not enough attention gets paid to the fact that Mav is crazy-intelligent.

[kitkat404]

I’ve seen a lot of Percy Jackson fanfics where they go to high school and Annabeth is in all AP classes, and I want to point some things out.

Annabeth is extremely intelligent, there’s no debating that. She’s a fast learner who soaks up information like a sponge. I might give her the math because she’s an architect and canonically very good at fast calculations, but that’s about it. If Annabeth were to go to school after HoO, she would be at the worst disadvantage.

Think about it; she dropped out of school when she was 7 years old, has ADHD and dyslexia, and canonically has both anxiety and PTSD. American school systems are super ableist, combine that with 2 learning disabilities, psychological trauma, and an almost 10-year absence, and Annabeth would probably be taking classes BELOW her grade level.

I might even go so far as to say that Percy is at an advantage over her. Yes, they both have ADHD and dyslexia, and yes they both have anxiety and PTSD, and while Percy may have been kicked out of every school he’s ever been to, notice how it was always because of monster attacks, never his grades. And now, his stepdad is one of his teachers and will be able to help him and keep peace with the school so Percy can stay for more than one year.

But more important than that is the fact that while Percy did lose his memory and miss most of his sophomore year of high school, he got those memories back, and an 8 month gap is way smaller than the DECADE Annabeth has to make up for. Was Percy barely passing his classes? Yes, but he WAS passing. He never flunked out, he wasn’t held back. Annabeth, however, likely would be held back.

No matter how smart you are, nobody gets accepted into AP classes after missing 10 years of school.

I also want to make it clear that this isn’t against Annabeth in any way, she’s always been one of my favorite characters. But sometimes, it feels like people gloss over a lot of the less shiny aspects of her story and just paint her as the genius know-it-all who has to tutor Percy in all his subjects to help him graduate. In reality, she’s a lot more complicated than that, and I feel like it’s a disservice to who she is as a character to ignore the bits that make her so.

Annabeth has had a very difficult life, and a lot of the things that have happened to her weren’t her fault, or her choice. We need to recognize that and actually make it a part of how she’s portrayed rather than trying to make everything perfectly fit into the “genius girl” narrative. That’s not her story; maybe it was at one point, but we’re well past it now.

It would be incredibly interesting and gratifying from a story-telling standpoint to see Annabeth struggle with this. Her intelligence has always been a defining factor in how she identifies herself, but we also know that Annabeth does have her moments of doubt. To see her struggling in school and having to reconcile the fact that she’s still a very smart person with the fact that she got very behind and has to be the one to ask for help this time instead of having the answer, could give her a lot of growth.

[seavenwaves]

101 fun fact about Ibara Saegusa

1. He would ghost people's call and text especially at work

2. He doesn't start conversations if he doesn't think you are worth it

3. He'd reply in automatic reply and would gloss over the convo if he isn't interested

4. The sociable business man trait is just persona, he actually always drained from socialising, he prefers to be alone and work alone

5. When he escaped from eden, he does miss the noise eden made in his life but actually excited to be alone too

6. He tends to avoid potential problems because he wouldn't be able to gloss over it if he perceives it

7. He doesn't always think about taking advantage of everything, especially things that would lead to his emotional problems. But when it won't take risk for him then he would always aim for the best.

8. He doesn't feel comfortable being perceived as kind, caring or good person likely because he has heard it way too much as surface lie

9. Ibara takes producing very seriously, he designs everything from outfit stage to merchandise and would even do his own research for it. Ibara would also write lyric for Eden songs

10. Ibara would text or call people at midnight hours for work 🤣 even Hiyori.

11. Despite seeming to always work late and come to work early, Ibara maintains his rest properly, meaning that he doesn't waste his time after work that much if he already comes home late

12. Likely to be multilingual [ not just JP and EN, He also seems to read global news often ]

13. Ibara more used to eating something tasteless or without seasoning his whole life, this is due to his life in the facility but also becomes his diet until now

14. Only recently he learned to use more seasoning for his food because he was cooking for Nagisa too [ Nagisa said his cooking is not losing to Niki's ]

15. When cooking for himself, Ibara tends to cook something very simple and basic with less intense seasoning

16. If he has free time he actually doesn't mind accompanying Hiyori to shopping or Nagisa to anywhere he goes. Although he definitely prefers to stay alone and do his things

17. Ibara pay a lot of attention to maintain his mental health, he counts it as something important to let himself function properly [ same with physical health ]

18. Ibara usually does exercise when he is stressed [ but he is aelf aware not do overdone it to avoid more problem for himself ] sometimes he also would even put his talent in dungeon for variety show so he can have fun

19. Ibara can drive, he learned to drive before his 3rd year of High school and he said he learned to drive on a private road. but he prefers to use a driver from the company instead. It's more practical but also avoid him getting in trouble

20. Surprisingly Ibara does read manga and play games mostly as a source of inspiration for his production work too but he enjoys reading when he has time.

21. Nagisa and Jun said that Ibara really enjoys fighting wars and the like, he also seems to like pro wrestling.. duel? Like fight

22. Ibara is excellent with most of the subjects at school. He taught Midori and Mitsuru in the dorm and even checked their homework. Ibara is also the leader of one of ES learning circle.

23. When he comes to shuuetsu he mostly just... Working. He barely went there to study.

24. Yes ibara manage both Shuuetsu and Reimei but he didn't pay that much attention to Reimei

25. Ibara is left-handed!

26. He is also very good with calculating aim based on the tools he is using. He still can maintain precise aim even with toy

27. Unsurprisingly can assemble and disassemble weapons easily especially gun

28. Even if he seems all perfect know-all and calculated, there are still a lot of things that Ibara doesn't know yet especially on the field that was not something related to him. He would take proper course and research for it if its a need for his work

29. Ibara develops many spying tools which include a mousedroid. A robot that records conversation around ES www its the "culprit" behind some of the ghost stories in ES

30. Ibara tends to overthink things way too logically based on fact he read on book and research

31. His way of teaching is very flexible. Depending on the people he teaches, he'd match the way of teaching to make sure it's easier to understand

32. According to Yuzuru, Ibara used to never be at ease state that the only time he smiled at Yuzuru was when Yuzuru made him some sweets back in the facility and Ibara's smile was so pure there.

33. Ibara dislike being reminded on his soft side wwww

34. Ibara is very wary of many things. The type of person who would first check the emergency route and check if there is anyone tapping the room or not when he first entered the building

35. He is very self aware of his job and position so he always check if there is any camera following

36. Ibara is the number one sponsor for Information Department in ES but outside that he also set up his own unfortunately security around ES that cant be accessed by people in ES that is not "his people"

37. Gathering information is his hobby after all 🤣

38. When he is angry or shaken, usually he would prefer to take time to be away from people and stay alone rather than regretting what he might say when he is angry

39. Eden used to Ibara taking his time alone when he needs to focus so sometimes they'd protect him from all disturbance to avoid Ibara's concentrations being broken

40. Despite Eden being aware of Ibara's side in number 38 www sometimes they'd still worried if Ibara were to hate them because Ibara would be very silent and won't contact them at all until he reached his answer/conclusion [ unless there is emergency ]

41. Ibara is very very blunt to the people he cares about. He would even curse the fuck out of them if necessary ^^

42. He can tell apart the twins easily and can even tell if the twins are going to prank him before they even try to www

43. Despite looking strict and all, Ibara is very open for consultation with his talents and very supportive to them. But its not blinded support, he evaluated them thoroughly, the more they did him good the more he wouldn't think twice to invest on them

44. He once set up a manager and nutritionist to Mika because mika.... Looks like he might collapse anytime soon but Mika can't get used to it at all.

45. Ibara is very calm in an emergency situation especially when it's mostly just him in danger

46. Ibara's reflex move in logical order when emergency situation happen that he once left Nagisa in basement when Madara and Gatekeeper trying to trap them both -- he believe Gatekeeper unlikely to hurt Nagisa but also he prefer to call back up than to get hurt there 🤣

47. He might not be going to offer Anzu a ride home (directly to her home) but he'd surely call another driver for that 😏 avoiding scandal is important but also he can't let her walk home alone at night. If i wasn't wrong he even called the driver from his security company

48. Ibara counts Anzu as his rival in the Produce side

49. Ibara doesn't mind wearing feminine outfits, or like outfits for "girl characters" but he doesn't like people bothering him about that. Well he even dance with that 5-7cm heels with no problem

50. Ibara portrayed to be very sensitive about possible scandal and problem so he'd warn his talent to speak carefully and not let out very stupid old school prejudice about many things

51. Ibara read edenP's discourse and fights on SNS a lot that it gives him headache

52. When he is at ease, he'd make stupid jokes around "his people" to fool around too

53. Definitely has that mischievous yet soft side, if not Ariadne won't happen.

54. Jun said his workspace is so "busy" there are lots of papers, files, his own design of stage and merch there

55. Jun also said that Ibara tends to write things on a mini note so his workspace is also filled with a lot of notes... I guess he means something like sticky notes 🤔

56. Ibara dislike to be seen when he is working hard to exercise or do lesson ☺️ because he doesn't like the process to be seen.

57. Ibara pretty much can sense if someone is hiding problem, especially his people... but if the problem is him he wouldn't really know how to approach that and tend to just not perceive it 🤣 until it bothering the work then something must be done

The contrast of these two CG

58. Ibara's ! Era profile said he has parents but he never once mentioned anything about his parents or possible adopting parents. The closest thing to a family for Ibara is Gatekeeper who took him in the same family registry and counts as Ibara's Great Uncle. But the blood relation between them remains ambiguous.

59. Ibara refused Yuzuru's offer back in the facility to find his parents, because he thought he'd likely be going to kill them if they met.

60. Ibara once sent a fake bombing threat to yumenosaki so he can bring his security team to steal information in yumenosaki

61. The military facility Ibara belongs to before was actually owned by Tori Himemiya's parents but Tori knows nothing about it

62. There are two people Ibara call as "Friends of Heart" - basically a soul mate in an exaggerated manner. Its Jun and Yuzuru

63. There are two people Ibara cursed with "Son of a Bitch" www. Its Yuzuru and Nagisa🤣

64. Ibara knows all eden's preferences so he often buys snacks that eden likes in their meeting. Hiyori's of course the quiche ☺️

65. Ibara himself has not much preference on it. He write his fav food is basically supplements but that also bcs he often cheat food with protein jelly

66. Another way of releasing stress that Ibara would do, WHICH UNTIL NOW WE HAVEN'T HEARD MORE ABT IT AGAIN, Is that he would play with Nagisa's hair and braid it with very little braid, so much that Nagisa's hair become even wavier than usual

67. Ibara bought back the rights to use Kaname's solo song after it was lost due to CosPro clean up purged [ which also affecting the staff who took care of Rinne and most related to Reimei ]

68. Ibara originally want to give Kaname's song to Crazy:B as HiMERU's dungeon reward.

69. When HiMERU and Niki fail to obtain the song, Ibara offered HiMERU to use him as villain so Crazy:B can "steal" the song and perform it anyway

70. in the end Ibara ordered new song that is similar to Kaname's solo song for Crazy:B since HiMERU refuse to make Ibara the villain

71. when Ibara first met Jun in Reimei, he almost ran over Jun with his car ^^; that time, Jun was about to eat with Kaname's father [ Jun didn't know that person was Kaname's father ] Ibara only left Jun with his business card after he apologised for his driver's recklessness

72. Similar things also happened when Ibara met Hiyori and Nagisa for the first time. In the night when Nagisa and Hiyori just leaving yumenosaki after the fight of fine and Wataru, Ibara's car immediately stopped In Front of them 🤣 he offered them to join Cospro from his car

73. Ibara use two different 1st person pronoun, its 自分 [ jibun ] and 俺 [ ore ]

Jibun is the one he commonly uses, as far as I understand the meaning is leaning to "oneself" so it makes the speaker sound more respectful and humble. But it is also used mostly in social status where hierarchy is strong like the military, in Ibara's case he said that this is a habit from the facility.

Ore on the other hand is a more masculine pronoun, he has used this since childhood in no formal situation 🤔 for now Ibara only talks using it when speaking as "his true self" or like making it precise that he means his word as himself, not his businessman persona.

74. Ibara often use 俺 with Yuzuru because Yuzuru also would switch to 俺 when speaking to him wwww

75. Ibara is actually very patient www thats why if his impatience is leaking that means the person really irked him too much. Usually Ibara would only leak out his "true self" in this condition when its with "his people"

Yes that's how you see him cursing on Nagisa's face

And even getting mad and outright supper blunt to Jun in exceed 🤣

76. Ibara once changed their entire comeback concept and rewrote lyrics of their A-side song because Jun lost his confidence as a worthy member in Eden -- [ that only after he scold Jun so much ]

77. Ibara is born with that hair colour www he is also the only character so far who get visual from baby, around elementary school age, 1st year High school, 2nd year high school 3rd year highschool 🤣

Ah don't forget his crossdressing by anzu that is just so chefkiss. I think because of this his fanbase is very varied....

78. Ibara only becomes an idol bcs assets left by Godfather are mostly related to idol industry, so being in one will make it the easiest for him to make use of the business

79. Ibara hates people who throw him away. His parents... Also Godfather who never care about his bloodline

80. Ibara was the one who initially "commissioned" Kohaku to investigate GFK -- man who was misusing Godfather's heir title -- which led to how Double Face was created.

81. Ibara once asked Seiya to request a commission from Double Face so Double Face can investigate Ibara. 🤣 He did that to make sure that Double Face won't be seen as his subordinate and also to clean off the "untouchable" image of him that seems to surface after GFK gone

82. Ibara tends to hide himself from the spotlight, be it as an idol or even in management. In management it benefits him more so he can just avoid all the risk and blame things on the executives if there is something happened www

83. Ibara is actually a very talented idol, he got in shuuetsu from 1st year and according to Jun, he was known as the genius special student. But he was too busy focusing to developing the management of all the schools so he wasn't even active as idol You can see it yourself, he is portrayed as a very great dancer who can do some break dance, he both sings very well and even does rap as well, he also writes lyrics to their songs.. Almost too perfect but well... At least we know that..

84. Ibara is sucks at playing piano 🤣

85. Ibara doesn't like being touched. Or precisely suddenly being touched. He used to have reflexes where he would throw people who suddenly showed behind him or touched him. That's why he always froze when someone did it, to avoid his body just move in reflex and hurt them

86. Ibara is very indifferent about "Love". He'd use it for promotion and such but when he kept being pestered about it, he'd lashed out and rather leave the conversation. For him, Love is something incomprehensible and he rather not perceive it nor be reminded about it.

87. Back in the facility, Ibara said he doesn't wish to die young. At least not before he finds something he'd be able to treasure to his grave. He wishes to find the purpose of why he was born. Well if he cant find it, he'd make it ☺️

88. On ibara schedule!

If he work late :

+ Cook for himself in the cafeteria because usually it's already closed if its too late

+ Definitely work out in ES

+ Go home even more later

If he back on time :

+ Work out in ES

+ Back to dorm to cook for Nagisa and eat together

This one is not an official schedule but made with canon facts!

89. Ibara tends to hold back from playing around/having fun and usually would rather sit back when he has to monitor the events or even some outdoor activities with his circle.

90. It's quite difficult to pull him though, you need to provoke him or ask him to teach you ☺ ️ If you are lucky he would answer the provocation, or teach you. But if you are not lucky well... He will just likely to ignore you

91. Ibara and Pudding is actually only something that is "canon" to BKUB. He wasn't being associated to love pudding in canon story. He didn't even seem to at least spare time to eat dessert as he only eats and drinks something simple and efficient. But when the anime profile with food they like released, the chibi artist for enstars merch drew fanart of Ibara enjoying protein jelly so this led to lots of fans thinking that Ibara enjoy food with jelly-like texture. But yeah unfortunately both jelly and pudding are not in canon

92. His likes are something that he collected. Be it data or just something simple. he always treasure each of it. You can see him being extra protective to his laptop in the WG's rooftop scene. Towards ahem [ eden ] that he created and collected by himself. Even something as simple as the time water that he got from Kanata's aquarium after he was so immersed in the bigger mechanism of it in the aquarium itself

93. Ibara thought that Yuzuru has complicated feelings about dogs because they are used to being treated even lower than dogs in the facility so he really likes teasing Yuzuru with dogs. He didn't know that Yuzuru has trauma with dog because of King — Himemiya's dog

94. Ibara jokingly told Jun that he would make a documentary movie of Jun, painted even more dramatic than the saga [ where Ibara made Jun seem like Jin's fan ] but he promised Jun he won't do that since Jun is so reluctant about it. Also he promised he won't let Jun feel down. As long as he would be here in Cospro

95. Ibara used to be very strict about Nagisa's characteristic on stage but he end up being more supportive to Nagisa to search his own "self" more even if he still need to behave for Eden's image

96. When stressed he would say a very dark joke nonchalantly. Something like he wants to "off myself with a gun" then seconds later realising that he no longer carries that thing around.

97. As shadow of Eden, Ibara used to not think too much of being in the spotlight. This kinda makes his blocking in the genesis very much... Bad because he barely gets the spotlight. But the more he grow up, his fellow "shadow"--Jun start gaining more recognition so he desire it too

98. Ibara is enstars' first rapper where his full rap line was finally formed in Awakening Myth -- which was written by enstars music production basically as their "debut song" since then he often gets assigned to be rapper too but in the same time he is also …

99. The current highest note holder 🤣 in enstars 🤣 Definitely thanks to his seiyuu, but Ibara's vocal range has always been *something* it's just very powerful. Since enstars' vocal guide to the seiyuu is very strict. I guess he just meant to be that talented

100. Ibara might not say that he loves eden. But with all the passion, patience, sacrifices and protection he did for Eden, it's fair to think that he held Eden so dear to himself that he became very protective of them. He is reluctant to let anyone else, even Anzu, touch Eden. Eden is his, the unit he created with his own hands. He will never let anyone touch them... Fufu even said that he has "attachment" to eden that's why he reject Anzu's offer to help him back in conquest ❤️ The success of Rouge and Ruby was result of Ibara's love to Eden and EdenP

101. Ibara said that he wished Eden would be able to smile and laugh genuinely like trickstar. To shine as crystal clear as them. Ibara believes that from talent and quality Eden is definitely not losing from trickstar, but to have that much fun on stage, to show that genuine smile.. One day. He wishes Eden to be able to do it too.