#that shit isnt written

[tbh-entp]

Y'all legit sometimes I'm like why did i move here. Like i know *why* but also I'm having to speak German on the phone. I don't speak German.

[rubydubydoo122]

I’m just gonna say this, the main reason people don’t like Damian Wayne as a character is the same reason people didn’t like Jason Todd back in the 80s

People don’t like either of them because their favorite Robin (Tim Drake and Dick Grayson) got replaced by them.

Damian and Jason are both really interesting and complex character, objectively more complex than both Tim and Dick, but some people (cough, obnoxious Tim fans, cough, and Dick fans who over sexualize him, cough) don’t see that and just want their little blorbos to never grow into their own character apart from Batman.

[monicaeidolith]

it's been 8 years and she's still down bad for her neighbor (who wouldn't)

and so there she is: Step 3 Athena! 🌙✨

Step 1 & Step 2 here

(Infos about Athena in every steps except 4 below if you're interested)

(watch out it's long.)

Step 1 -

At 10, Athena is a very curious girl, somewhat nosey and a bit clumsy (main reason why she often has bandages). She likes puzzles, creepy stuff and drawing (but nothing that serious about that hobby yet). While she isn't very shy, she's still uneasy around people she doesn't know and moving to a new town isn't helping. She has trouble accepting changes, and this whole situation is a way too big change.

Athena is very close to her mom during step 1. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't really look like her that much and she's kind of bothered by that, especially because the person she obviously looks like, her "dad", isn't there. Not having a dad isn't really a huge problem for her, but Athena fears a little bit people's opinion on that subject: "Is it weird that I don't have a dad...?".

She's feeling sad and scared about moving out, as she has to get used to a completely different world (in her eyes). "At least I have my mom", she thinks. But if moving in Golden Grove was scary at first, meeting Qiu and Tamarack was a huge help for Athena to feel included.

She thinks Qiu, aka "Autumn", is funny but also a huge show-off, haha. She LOVES to tease Qiu. But Athena's also genuinely worried about Qiu sometimes, because that kid is a huge people-pleaser.

When it comes to Tamarack, man... Athena totally puts this girl on a pedestal. She thinks Tamarack is amazing and pretty. And should Tamarack say anything positive about Athena, you can be certain the latter will go crazy internally. At 10, Athena doesn't realize she actually has a huge crush on Tamarack yet, though.

Step 2 -

At 14, Athena became a sort of troublemaker, she barely cares about rules. She's not mean but she grew to be more blunt and direct than she was as a 10-year-old, this and her current appearance make her seem unapproachable. However she kept her soft side, a side that she ironically doesn't even keep that much hidden but that you still have to deserve. If at 10 she would often have bandages because of her clumsiness, at 14, it's mostly because she's reckless. Some things that remained are her love for puzzles, creepy stuff and drawing, in fact, she started to get interested in visual arts.

In fact, the tough side of her personality grew when her first group friends with Qiu and Tamarack slowly fell apart. She couldn't do anything to prevent that from happening, so she felt like she had to toughen up. But to be honest, she's becoming tired of being the sole link between them, she's barely trying to now. Maybe Qiu and Tamarack won't become friends again. She has to accept it... but maybe Athena still has troubles accepting changes, no matter how old she is, after all.

Despite all that, Athena still treats both of them nicely. She still teases Qiu whenever she can (watch out Athena, the teasing could backfire on you). Her worries about them are still present too, but for different reasons than in step 1. Even 4 years later, Athena still retrieve Qiu's lost papers because they would NOT do it themselves. No matter what, Autumn remains her dear friend and the feeling is mutual.

Tamarack, aka "Tam", is her best friend! ... and the girl she has a crush on, Athena realized it now. Athena doesn't know if Tam feels the same way or not, though. Athena still thinks Tamarack is the most amazing and most talented person out there, she wishes Tam could see it too. She's highly worried about Tamarack potentially leaving Golden Grove at any moment but she tries to hide it from Tamarack. "Tam probably has enough of people walking on eggshells with her", she thinks. Athena dislikes Tamarack's parents for not only never being there for their daughter but also for making her situation so uncertain, only for their own interests (in her eyes).

Another feeling started to grow: jealousy. Athena will feel jealous of anyone who seems a bit too close to Tamarack. Does she think she's no match for Tamarack? Yes. Does that stop her from being jealous? No. She knows she has no right to be, Tamarack is a wonderful girl, it's impossible not to like her, but she can't help it.

Athena grew to be even more bothered by her lack of resemblance with her mother. Some times before turning 14, she started to dye her hair cranberry, just like her mom's hair color (let's say Opal didn't really like to see that her daughter started dyeing her hair at her young age, reaction Athena didn't appreciate, all she wanted was to look like her mom, what's the problem?). Ironically, while Athena wishes so hard to look like her mom, her relationship with her became somewhat strained. As if resembling a completely unknown guy wasn't enough. Living his best life nowhere to be found, uh? Resentment is the word here. Never towards her mom, even if their relationship is not that good at this point, but towards this guy who gave her his physical traits she never wanted and started to despise.

At least she became used to live in Golden Grove.

Step 3 -

At 18, Athena is not the rough troublemaker that she was at 14 anymore. Now she's more like a silly prankster, seemingly always up to something more stupid than before, although she remains reckless and blunt (but less on purpose and more out of habit). Of course, her interest in visual arts remained intact. Her liking for creepy stuff turned into a huge love for horror and its aesthetic.

Her relationship with her mom is getting better than it was 4 years ago. Athena grew out of the resentment she had for her "dad" during step 2 and learned to accept she may not look that much like her mom, but that it doesn't cancel the fact she's Opal's daughter no matter how she looks. Plus "some bits of [Opal] did end up in [her]" after all, right?

Athena's relationship with Autumn is what you could describe as "siblings by hearts", Athena does consider them as the sibling she never had.

Athena and Tamarack are still officially "besties for life", but little do they know that they both ended up falling in love with each other, plain and simple.

Her jealousy and resentment did tone down, but when she thinks back to her 14-year-old self, she feels bad, so bad. For being jealous of Tamarack's friends, for being resentful of a random donor and basically making many things about herself. "Man, I was such a prick. And for what?".

If when she was 14, Athena felt like she was no match for Tamarack because she put Tam on a pedestal, at 18, she now thinks she's simply not good enough as a person for Tamarack. She kind of "accepted" that if Tamarack only wants to be friends, then it's fine, she cannot force Tam to love her back. It's silly to think someone like her could be extra-special in Tam's heart anyway (girl if you knew.), it's nice enough to be her best friend.

Between step 2 and 3, Athena managed to put a label on herself: she's lesbian.

[aegoneggon]

GRRM's post since he deleted it

Back in July, I promised you some further thoughts about Blood and Cheese… and Maelor the Missing… after my commentary on the first two episodes of HotD season 2, “A Son for a Son” and “Rhaenyra the Cruel.”

Those were terrific episodes:  well written, well directed, powerfully acted.   A great way to kick off the new season.   Fans and critics alike seemed to agree.  There was only one aspect of the episodes that drew significant criticism: the handling of Blood and Cheese, and the death of Prince Jaehaerys.   From the commentary I saw on line,  opinion was split there.   The readers of FIRE & BLOOD found the sequence underwhelming, a disappointment, watered down from what they were expecting.   Viewers who had not read the book had no such problems.   Most of them found the sequence a real gut-punch, tragic, horrifying, nightmarish, etc.   Some reported being reduced to tears.

I found myself agreeing with both sides.

In my book, Aegon and Helaena have three children, not two.  The twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, are six years old.  They have a younger brother, Maelor, who is two.   When Blood and Cheese break in on Helaena and the kids, they tell her they are debt collectors come to exact revenge for the death of Prince Lucerys: a son for a son.  As Helaena has  two sons, however,  they demand that she choose which one should die.   She resists and offers her own life instead, but the killers insist it has to be a son.  If she does not  name one, they will kill all three of the children.   To save the life of the twins, Helaena names Maelor.    But Blood kills the older boy, Jaehaerys, instead, while Cheese tells little Maelor that his mother wanted him dead.    (Whether the boy is old enough to understand that is not at all certain).

That’s not how it happens on the show.   There is no Maelor in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, only the twins (both of whom look younger than six, but I am no sure judge of children’s ages, so I can’t be sure how old they are supposed to be).   Blood can’t seem to tell the twins apart, so Helaena is asked to reveal which one is the boy.  (You would think a glance up his PJs would reveal that, without involving the mother).  Instead of offering her own life to save the kids, Helaena offers them a necklace.   Blood and Cheese are not tempted.  Blood saws Prince Jaehaerys’s head off.   We are spared the sight of that; a sound effect suffices.   (In the book, he lops the head off with a sword).

It is a bloody, brutal scene, no doubt.  How not?  An innocent child is being butchered in front of his mother.

I still believe the scene in the book is stronger.  The readers have the right of that.   The two killers are crueler in the book.  I thought the actors who played the killers on the show were excellent… but the characters are crueler, harder, and more frightening in FIRE & BLOOD.   In the show, Blood is a gold cloak.   In the book, he is aformer gold cloak, stripped of his office for beating a woman to death.    Book Blood is the sort of man who might think making a woman choose which of her sons should die is amusing, especially when they double down on the wanton cruelty by murdering the boy she tries to save.    Book Cheese is worse too; he does not kick a dog, true, but he does not have a dog, and he’s the one who tells Maelor that his mom wants him head.   I would also suggest that Helaena shows more courage, more strength in the book, by offering her own own life to save her son.   Offering a piece of jewelry is just not  the same.

As I saw it, the “Sophie’s Choice” aspect was the strongest part of the sequence, the darkest, the most visceral.   I hated to lose that.   And judging from the comments on line, most of the fans seemed to agree.

When Ryan Condal first told me what he meant to do, ages ago (back in 2022, might be) I argued against it, for all these reasons.    I did not argue long, or with much heat, however.   The change weakened the sequence, I felt, but only a bit.   And Ryan had what seemed to be practical reasons for it; they did not want to deal with casting another child, especially a two-year old toddler.  Kids that young will inevitably slow down production, and there would be budget implications.   Budget was already an issue on HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, it made sense to save money wherever we could.   Moreover, Ryan assured me that we were not losing Prince Maelor, simply postponing him.   Queen Helaena could still give birth to him in season three, presumably after getting with child late in season two.   That made sense to me, so I withdrew my objections and acquiesced to the change.

I still love the episode, and the Blood and Cheese sequence overall.   Losing the “Helaena’s Choice” beat did weaken the scene, but not to any great degree.  Only the book readers would even notice its absence; viewers who had never read FIRE & BLOOD would still find the scenes heart-rending.   Maelor did not actually DO anything in the scene, after all.   How could he?  He was only two years old.

There is another aspect to the removal of the young princeling, however.

Those of you who hate spoilers should STOP READING HERE.   Spoilers will follow, at least for the readers among you.  If you have never read FIRE & BLOOD, maybe it does not matter, because all I am going to “spoil” here are things that happen in the book that may NEVER happen on the series.   Starting with Maelor himself.

Sometime between the initial decision to remove Maelor, a big change was made.   The prince’s birth was no longer just going to be pushed back to season 3.  He was never going to be born at all.   The younger son of Aegon and Helaena would never appear.

Most of you know about the Butterfly Effect, I assume.

Yes, there was a movie with that title a few years back.   It’s a familiar concept in chaos theory as well.   But most science fiction fans were first exposed to the idea in Ray Bradbury’s classic time travel story, “A Sound of Thunder,” wherein a time traveler from the present panics and crushes a butterfly while hunting a T-Rex.  When he returns to his own time, he discovers that the world has changed in huge and frightening ways.  One dead butterfly has rewritten history.  The lesson being that change begets change, and even small and seemingly insignificant alterations to a timeline — or a story — can have a profound effect on all that follows.

Maelor is a two year old toddler in FIRE & BLOOD, but like our butterfly he has an impact on the story all out of proportion to his size.   The readers among you may recall that when it appears that Rhaenyra and her blacks are about to capture King’s Landing, Queen Alicent becomes concerned for the safety of Helaena’s remaining children, and takes steps to save them by smuggling them out of the city.   The task is given is two knights of the Kingsguard.   Ser Willis Fell is commanded to deliver Princess Jaehaera to the Baratheons at Storm’s End, while Maelor is given over to Ser Rickard Thorne to be escorted across the Mander to the protection of the Hightower army on its way to King’s Landing.

Willis Fell delivers Jaehaera safely to the Baratheons at Storm’s End, but Ser Rickard fares less well.   He and Maelor get as far as Bitterbridge, where he is revealed as a Kingsuard in a tavern called the Hogs Head.   Once discovered, Ser Rickard fights bravely to protect his young charge and bring him to safety, but he does not even make it across the bridge before some crossbows bring him down,  Prince Maelor is torn from his arms.. and then, sadly, ripped to pieces by the mob fighting over the boy and the huge reward that Rhaenyra has offered for his capture and return.

Will any of that appear on the show?   Maybe… but I don’t see how.   The butterflies would seem to prohibit it.  You could perhaps make Ser Rickard’s ward be Jaehaera instead of Maelor, but Jaehaera can’t be killed, she has a huge role to play as Aegon’s next heir.   Could maybe make  Maelor a newborn instead of a two year old, but that would scramble up the timeline, which is a bit of a mess already.   I have no idea what Ryan has planned — if indeed he has planned anything — but given Maelor’s absence from episode 2, the simplest way to proceed would be just to drop him entirely, lose the bit where Alicent tries to send the kids to safety, drop Rickard Thorne or send him with Willis Fell so Jaehaera has two guards.

From what I know, that seems to be what Ryan is doing here.   It’s simplest, yes, and may make sense in terms of budgets and shooting schedules.  But simpler is not better.   The Bitterbridge scene has tension, suspense, action, bloodshed, a bit of heroism and a lot of tragedy.  Rickard Thorne  is a tertiary character at best, most viewers (as opposed to readers) will never know he is gone, since they never knew him at all… but I rather liked giving him his brief moment of heroism, a taste of the courage and loyalty of the Kingsguard, regardless of whether they are black or green.

The butterflies are not done with us yet, however.  In the book, when word of Prince Maelor’s death and the grisly manner of his passing (pp. 505) reaches the Red Keep, that proves to be the thing that drives Queen Helaena to suicide.   She could barely stand to look at Maelor, knowing that she chose him to die in the “Sophie’s Choice” scene… and now he is dead in truth, her words having come true.   The grief and guilt are too much for her to bear.

In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason.   There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen.

And the final butterfly follows soon thereafter.

Queen Helaena, a sweet and gentle soul, is much beloved by the smallfolk of King’s Landing.  Rhaenyra was not, so when rumors began to arise that Helaena did not kill herself, but rather was murdered at Rhaenyra’s command, the commons are quick to believe them.   “That night King’s Landing rose in bloody riot,” I wrote on p. 506 of FIRE & BLOOD.   It is the beginning of the end for Rhaenyra’s rule over the city, ultimately leading to the Storming of the Dragonpit and the rise of the Shepherd’s mob that drives Rhaenyra to flee the city and return to Dragonstone… and her death.

Maelor by himself means little.   He is a small child, does not have a line of dialogue, does nothing of consequence but die… but where and when and how, that does matter.   Losing Maelor weakened the end of the Blood and Cheese sequence, but it also cost us the Bitterbridge scene with all its horror and heroism, it undercut the motivation for Helaena’s suicide, and that in turn sent thousands into the streets and alleys, screaming for justice for their “murdered” queen.   None of that is essential, I suppose… but all of it does serve a purpose, it all helps to tie the story lines together, so one thing follows another in a logical and convincing manner.

What will we offer the fans instead, once we’ve killed these butterflies?   I have no idea.   I do not recall that Ryan and I ever discussed this, back when he first told me they were pushing back on Aegon’s second son.   Maelor himself is not essential… but if losing him means we also lose Bitterbridge, Helaena’s suicide, and the riots, well… that’s a considerable loss.

And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…

GRRM

[sugoi-writes]

(No one requested this; just sweet fluff and pining. Also, music, because I'm a former music major LOL. This was LIGHTLY proofread).

Alastor x GN! Reader - Reader walks in on Al playing the piano late at night... 🎙❤️

You yawned as you practically waddled down the hall. Your feet ached to be relieved. Specifically: you wanted nothing more to be asleep and horizontal, watching the back of your eyelids.

As you continued to trudge forward, you hear the sound of a piano bellowing from a cracked door. This door, surely Alastor's, had rarely been open. You were perplexed; why would it be open to enter, especially this late night? You glanced at your phone, knowing that you had an early morning tomorrow with Charlie and Vaggie. Against your better judgment, you started to creep towards the open door. As you did your best to move silently, you were torn between two possible outcomes. It was either a friendly invitation or a deadly mistake.

When you closed the distance, you peaked through the crack, taking in the sight of the red, charismatic hotelier's performance. The melody was a soothing, digestible tune that was easy to get lost in. You couldn't help but keep watching, even as Alastor glanced your way. Alastor simply closed his eyes and sighed, hands still creating the melody you absorbed.

"You know, it's never kind to stare, darling," Alastor nearly purred, his hands moving gracefully and methodically. You swallowed the lump forming in your throat, pushing the door open more. You allowed your head to cross the barrier, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry... I was finding it hard to sleep. I... y-You play pretty well," you replied, feeling his eyes on you again. The hairs on your neck stood at attention as Alastor chuckled, not taking his eyes off of you.

" 'ppreciated, my dear. It was commonplace to be well versed in the Arts in my time." You pushed the door wide open before leaning on the doorframe," So Music is your favorite, I take it?"

Alastor's smile widens as his gaze returns to the ebony and ivory keys," A fair guess~"

You continued to watch Alastor at work, rubbing your arms nervously as you hugged yourself. Even without his gaze on you, you felt yourself shrinking. Was it always this calming yet intimidating to be around him???

"Do you, uhh... would you mind if I kept listening? I could make you some tea or something, if you--"

"I'm afraid I cannot find much sleep myself. But I do appreciate the offer, nonetheless." Wordlessly, Alastor scoots over on the piano bench, making you freeze in place. You almost took a step back towards the hallway, but instead, you relented. This was what you had asked for, anyhow!

You make your way over to the piano bench, noticing that it was an antique but well-cared for instrument. One that seemed even older than Alastor himself... As you took your seat next to the demon, your eyes settled onto his hands. Due to his elongated, thin fingers, his movements were very graceful, as if playing piano were an easy as breathing. You were practically mesmerized, astonished that Alastor had a knack for something other than murder and sarcasm. Your eyelids drooped slighty, head nodding before you were startled by the voice of the radio demon.

"Have you played before, dear?" You blinked, surprised as you took note of the lack of static in Alastor's voice. His tone was much softer than you were accustomed to, almost as if he were relaxed. You shook your head, scratching the back of your neck.

"I-Ive kinda messed with them whenever I had the chance, but... mostly simple stuff like Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Alastor chuckled, his nose creasing upward," Hah, even then, better than most... you attempt to make music. That's a step in the right direction." You can't help the heat rising in your cheeks as Alastor continued, before looking your way again.

"Would you like to hear anything in particular? 'Maybe learn a thing or two?" You blinked, intrigued by the question," Well, I mean-- you've probably never heard of it before, but-- ahh, don't you usually need music sheets or something? To read the music??"

Alastor coyly taps his ear, his left hand taking over the melody temporarily. He makes a show of flicking his wrist to adjust his sleeve's cuff, before he returns to playing with both hands.

"I've been told I have a pretty good ear... humor me." Caving in, you take out your phone. Luckily, you had the song downloaded, so Vox-related interference was limited. You set the phone on the piano as your song started to play, Alastor's brows raising. ...Something he hadnt heard?

You smiled and shrugged sheepishly," I-Its a little modern... I hope that's alright." Alastor doesn't seem to mind, nearly forgetting to reply as his fingers ghost over the keys.

"No worries. I can always put a little spin on it, darling..." You nodded, as Alastor's hands jumped about and 'played', his fingers not fully pressing down the different keys. He then figured out the starting pitch of the song, a triumphant smile pushing his cheeks higher up his face. His movements now are more deliberate, poking and plucking through the melody and chorus. He did have a good ear, after all!

You were once again surprised as Alastor plays earnestly, perfectly mirroring the song as it played. You felt the tension leaving your shoulders, slumping forward in your seat as you let yourself absorb the song. It was one of your favorites... admittedly, one that you fell asleep to often. You felt the weight of your eyelids winning, head bobbing as you struggled to stay awake. You start to hum along, in attempts to remain conscious. The only thing you had managed to do was win over Alastor's gaze again, his smile softening.

When he felt your head hit his shoulder, his hands hesitated for just a moment. He didn't have the heart to push you away... He resolved himself to being your pillow, finishing the rest of the song with a quieter, fluttering finish. His hands hung over the keyboard for a few moments, before he looked to you again. In your state, it would be difficult to wake you, quiet snores filling his bedroom. He did his best not to chuckle, looping his arms behind your back and under your knees.

With confidence, Alastor lifted you from your seat effortlessly, closing his eyes as he transported the both of you. He was now in your room, taking in his surroundings as he carried you towards your bed. With the care akin to his mother, he set you on the bed, pulling your comforter up and over your sleeping form. He was relieved you were already dressed for bed. Funny... it almost seemed planned.

As he let go of your sheets, his hands hesitated, as if he just finished another song. His hand went to the top of your head, jerking back slightly before settling in. You were very soft, your hair tickling his hand as he brushed it away from your face. Sometimes, he enjoyed the quiet that the night could bring... and he seemed to enjoy it more while watching you catch up on your rest.

He sighed, offering you a gentle pat atop your crown before standing up. He jumped with a start as he heard you stir, rolling onto your side. He watched to see if you would wake, but was relieved to see you did not. With a smile, he turns away, walking towards your door.

"Sweet dreams, dear... mayhaps I'll see you tomorrow, too."

[oceanwithouthermoon]

ive come to realise that i dont actually hate kubokai, i just hate the way people write them

[angellic-critique]

Reminder that this is the level of drag 'representation' angel dust gives :/

This is bottom of the barrel feminization towards drag performing arts :/

And since helluva boss fans are only do passive as to read everything at surface level only here is the Spitting definition of drag queens/kings

At no point is it intrinsically all about just sexual performance or sexual drive, it can be a factor or a small portion but it is not just a large generalization as much as people are trying to make drag performing seem to be.

Drag is an art form. It is a statement. It is a person of beauty and the love and appreciation of fashion and expression!

Angel Dust is the complete opposite of sex workers or drag performers at all! If AD is supposed to resemble the theme of abuse in industry [something she already failed to portray with fizzerolli] and the toll that sex workers and addicts within the industry for that matter, we have no clue how he will act in Hazbin but the sneak peek of him in leather gives me no hope if the implication is that he will purely be centered around valentinos abuse. Considering someone on the team ship's and actively adores the ship that is Angel x Valentino

How can you claim to support sex workers while actively seeing them as purely fetishism gay yaoi bait THAT YOU ACTIVELY MERCHANDISE AS """SEXY""":/

There is nothing to angel dust besides the appeal of a feminine man being sexually abused.

[monstersandgirls-webtoons]

Is it okay to write fanfics of your OCs? I've wanted to write one for a while now but on your twitter I saw you didn't like that someone wrote a fic of your OC, but I couldn't tell if you were adverse to fanfics in general or if it was because it was a male self-insert with your lesbian OC or if I missed something entirely. (I can't find the tweet now to check for some reason). Sorry if this ask is invasive or weird, love your work!

oh absolutely! i'm okay with fanfiction in fact I encourage it.

my issue wasn't with the fic being a fic, it was someone giving Sera and Lili boyfriends when the two of them are lesbians. I can't control what people draw or write, but I was still pretty disappointed regardless.

[burgerlabs]

"we need more morally grey women in fiction" mfs couldnt even handle abigail remeltindtdrinc

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

everybody stay with me im shifting back into speculation & analyzing mode, this time about everybody's favorite pair of besties. ill put this under the cut for everyone's sakes

and please, take all of this with a Hefty grain of salt.

so ive been... thinking about a thing. a maybe-possibility. which if this has some merit, the part of me that loves characters having a good time and feeling good feels is screaming in fear. but the louder part of me that loves angst and hurting characters is rubbing its little fly hands together.

short version: i think Barnaby is going to emotionally distance from Wally, if not outright grow to resent him. maybe temporarily, maybe not.

full version: *cracks knuckles* strap in folks. so.

first of all, an entire chunk of Barnaby's bio is dedicated to his character relation to Wally. everyone else only has one-off lines dedicated to their relationships to other neighbors - even Frank & Julie just have single sentences about each other (note that they're described as "partnered with" and "depicted with" respectively. more on that soon). even Wally's bio has his Barnaby mention tacked onto the end of his first paragraph instead of being its own dedicated section

and then there's their character designs - their bios explicitly point out that they share characteristics; color schemes, hearts on their soles, similar outfits.

they were made to be best friends. literally. this quote is what made me start turning this theory over in my mind (sourced from @ /theneighborhoodwatch's collected & absolutely fascinating livestream trivia)

it appears that Barnaby literally did not have a say in whether or not he and Wally are friends. their bios even say "illustrated pages note that they were best friends multiple times." they have to be best friends.

which brings us back to Frank & Julie. they briefly reference each other in their bios, but they aren't described as best friends. it's incredibly likely that they were meant to be a romantic couple - i briefly covered that theory in this post (dont read the first one i was going insane) but they managed to avoid that. Frank and Julie defied the script and chose to be best friends instead.

and then in the trivia document a few more character relationships are briefly touched on, like how Howdy considers Barnaby a close friend, and Sally considers either Barnaby or Poppy as her closest friend, etc.

everyone else seems to be choosing who they're close with. they're forming their own opinions and dynamics and relationships. & its interesting that Barnaby is stated for both of these - as if implying that he may return the friendship feelings, or at the very least he's developed enough of a relationship with them to earn their affection

Barnaby and Wally... i doubt they ever got that. they were best friends from the start, no development, no choice. it's written into them.

and then there's how their relationship has been portrayed so far. i believe i saw an ask where Clown stated that Barnaby is very polite to Wally, which struck me as odd. have you ever had a polite relationship to your best friend? have you ever seen best friends be polite? i'd be surprised!

best friends mess with each other! they tease and rib and roast! what is a best friend for if not mutual tomfuckery?! jesting around? playfully pushing boundaries? a Polite best friendship... that's a straight up oxymoron. no such thing. that sounds boring and exhausting.

not only that, but the fact that Barnaby is often used for Wally's painting segments, and is the go-to guy for teaching Wally something new, is kind of concerning. it gives me the vibe that a big part of Barnaby's literal reason for existing is to be Wally's friend & guide.

which would make the fact of him being described as polite to Wally make sense. of course he's not going to push their relationship or try to deepen it - he's forming his own dynamics with the other neighbors. with Wally... it's already established. that is how they are with each other. that is what they are to each other.

and it's not like Wally can be the one to introduce nuances. i don't mean that as a slight or anything - he's just the way he's been described and the things stated about him that make me think that he wouldn't really... know how to? it just wouldn't occur to him. he probably thinks his and Barnaby's relationship is what a best friendship is and is how it should be.

but they have to hang out. they have to refer to each other as best friends. and while i believe that Wally does wholeheartedly think that they're best friends, close as can be... i doubt Barnaby feels the same. like - yes, he probably does care about Wally. everybody likes Wally.

but it's gotta be frustrating for Barnaby, especially as time goes on and he becomes more himself as a person over just being a character playing a part. it probably stunts his relationship growth with others, since his ~best friend spot~ is already taken and who would want to encroach on that? especially since its taken by Wally mcfuckin Darling?

their friendship might become less of a role and more of a responsibility. Barnaby might grow to feel obligated to stick with Wally as his "best friend". someone invites Barnaby to hang out and/or help with something? sorry, he has to pose for Wally's painting. Barnaby is trying to do his own thing? sorry, Wally is knocking on the door and asking for help with something.

i wonder if Barnaby ever hopes that Wally will go to someone else, or feels relief when he does. and then does he feel irritation/guilt over that denied hope or that granted relief? then does he get angry at himself for those emotions?

how would this effect how he treats Wally and acts around him? this confusing muddle of emotions and this strange growing resentment for his painfully earnest friend who only ever means well, if he means at all.

it makes me curious whether or not this theory has merit. and how this could come to a head. what would Barnaby, in this situation, do if/when he discovers that they're puppets on a set, and he's literally written to be Wally's bestie while everyone else changed their scripts and chose their own relationships.

personally, i don't think he'd be happy, and i doubt he'd handle it well.

[juni-ravenhall]

sso loading screen text "remember that knowledge is power".... imagine the power if the writers knew the lore of the game

[moonlitlex]

thinking about it again. 73 yards did NOTHING for me. it's such a nothing episode. you keeping thinking something interesting MIGHT happen and then it never does. there's no payoff but not even in an interesting or satisfying way where that's the point. it has no impact on ruby because it's an erased timeline. it doesn't have any impact on the doctor because he vanishes first thing.

do we learn anything about ruby? no, not really. she doesn't really do anything. she just becomes sort of listless and accepting of her new life, which is probably what most people would do in her position. and then she decides she's there to take down roger ap gwilliam. and then she does. and then the episode just fucking ends. and there aren't really any answers to anything.

that part where kate said the doctor is gone was so ridiculous too. girl no he's not. he lives in donna's house. just go and check. knock on his door. like are we supposed to believe 13.5 and all the other versions of the doctor disappeared too or that he's an asshole and prioritizing his vacation over everything else?

and like, ruby took down roger ap gwilliam and also got like revenge or whatever for that other intern girl who he assaulted but like... that entire timeline was erased. it never happened. and what are we supposed to do with that? in the regular timeline roger ap gwilliam still does nuclear war because ruby isn't there to stop him with her creepy eldritch horror self. yay?

and like. rtd has been hyping this up as the best thing he's ever written? it's quite literally not even fucking close. it's not even close to the best doctor who episode he's ever written, let alone everything else.

but we're promised a welsh folk horror and/or a political drama because of the premise and it literally doesn't deliver on either of them. it abandons the horror premise partway through and it never even gets started on the political drama aspects of the story. it could have just been a character study but this is easily the most boring and flat episode for ruby so far.

and like also i'm sooooooo fucking sorry but everyone talking this episode up for how deep and complex it is and sucking rtd's dick about it is fucking ridiculous. if moffat wrote this episode yall would have rightly called him out for it being all setup and no payoff. but when russell does it its fine? russell is allowed to do all setup and absolutely 0 fucking payoff?? because he's rtd? i swear to god if this episode was written by ANYONE ELSE yall would have torn it to shreds but if nothing happens in an rtd episode it's ok? give me a break

[dimonds456]

can someone just take Mike's twitter account away from him already. i'm so fucking tired.

like dude just shut the fuck up.

Anyway. I vote we just ignore him forever actually and we do whatever we want with canon now. These two don't deserve it. And no I'm not just talking about this incident.

There's more. [x]

LOTS MORE. [x]

[milliesnotes]

I think some of y'all need to realize that Ellie is a bad person and it's okay to still like her despite it lmao

[stealingpotatoes]

Illiterate

yeah not gonna lie after yesterday, big agree

[daiwild]

Its fun and easy to characterize the gang as dumbasses (and I love it) but !!! theyre also so smart !!! like, dumbass smart. Smart enough to get into princeton but also dumb enough to get a b in your own language (looking at you miles). Smart enough to make your own multiverse watch from scratch but also dumb enough to say "take a crap on the establishment i salute you" to a toddler (not that Hobie was wrong for saying bc he's right) Smart enough to be practically flawless and not even need to study but also dumb enough...just dumb enough. Pavitr is so dumb (in a good way).

Spidermen are kind of like jesters. They put on this goofy idiot persona but their minds are always a few steps ahead. I know it doesn't matter much but I see people portray the spider gang as academically unintelligent and like...that's just not them! Spiderman has always been that nerdy character who could and would ramble about advanced science bullshit if prompted!

Lots of dumbass bonding content but not as much "oh these little shits are also child geniuses" bonding content.