#while also delving deeper into everything and everyone i have now

[noxtivagus]

it's 1:40 am n i'll sleep soon but

[museofthepyre]

CAMP HERE & THERE SWAP! AU!!!

EVERYONE GATHER ROUND I NEED TO INFODUMP. This is going to be a long post, bear with me.

In this AU (constructed alongside the lovely @cecilsrandomeverything) is a protag/ antag swap AU, wherein Sydney and Elijah swap narrative roles, and so do Jedidiah and Adam. The rest of the cast are just swapped with their obvious counterparts (Joshua/ Yvonne, Rowan/ Juniper, Fennell/ Soren, etc)… though, there is also the less obvious swapping of Warren/ Matthew, and Lucille/ the Gravediggeress.

Titles:

Elijah, "The Angel"

Sydney, "The Miracle"/ "the Black Cat Man"

Adam, "The Vivisector"

Jedidiah, "The Horologist"

Ms. Graves, "The Sentinel"

And Lucille, "The Puppeteeress"

General Plot:

Everything pre-limn is almost exactly the same. Jedidiah and Sydney live their messy little lives, until Sydney starts wilting— Jedidiah delves into dangerous unknowable ‘magic’ in attempts to save him, but it’s not working. It’s only making him worse, and his time is running out. In a desperate Hail Mary effort, Jedidiah kills and resurrects Sydney… successfully*.

Sydney wakes up in hospital, having emerged from a long coma. The first thing he sees is a figure standing over him, haloed by the bright white lights of a hospital ceiling. Sydney saw an angel… tending to him with caring and dutiful hands, guiding him back to the realm of the living. He could feel a bruise-like ache throughout his body from where death itself had gripped him. He… had died. He knew he died, and that’s all he was certain of in that moment. He’d kissed heavens gates, and still retracted his lips from the cold metal… It left the taste of copper in his mouth. But now, somehow… he was alive again. He was alive enough to look up, all milky-eyed and dreary, at the angel who awoke him. He who preformed a miracle… divinity caged within a human vessel. Sydney felt he owed this angel a debt… he knew it would only be a matter of time before his body began to fail again. A good long life was just never in the cards for him. As he stayed in hospital, barely conscious or coherent, he came to believe that his saviour would only suffer the same fate. The body is a prison, its betrayal is inevitable and indiscriminate… even the most beautiful and holy creatures are not exempt. The body is a curse, and so, Sydney knew what he had to do with his new fleeting life.

Jedidiah must have messed up the ritual. Sydney came back, yes, but he came back wrong. So, so terribly wrong… he still… looked… dead. He was clueless to his situation, all spacey and confused… his memories were scrambled and blurry, and Jedidiah saw no spark of recognition when their eyes met. Seemingly, like a newborn fawn, Sydney had imprinted onto the first thing he saw (Elijah, who in this AU is a normal nurse). Jedidiah couldn’t accept this ending. He left Sydney there in the hospital, entrusting his care to the nurses while he isolated himself to research. He threw himself deeper and deeper down the rabbithole of forbidden magic, until he was in so deep that he could no longer see the sky above. He became lost within the unknowable… he let it consume him. He’d let it transform him. Whatever the Conductor was: some spector of the astral plane, visiting dreams to share unknowable knowledge with those who sometimes recognize his form… that’s what Jedidiah became. Jedidiah A A Martin is missing, with no body to be found. His childhood room (which he had been staying in during all this) was found in-tact, showing no sign that Jedidiah had packed up to leave. On his desk were journals filled with unintelligible writing, which slowly devolved into frantic scribbles with each passing page. Soon after… Sydney went missing too! What odd timing… he seems to have up and vanished from his hospital bed at the same time that two nurses left the job.

Elijah and Adam, who’d been college roommates a few years prior— with Elijah studying nursing, and Adam studying psychiatry. They were friends in all respects… which Elijah found himself feeling lucky for. He’d always struggled to keep friends, so when someone as sociable and charming as Adam took an interest in him… he felt indebted to the kindness. Elijah (as he does in normal CHNT) struggles with mental health… he really clung to Adam, and Adam was just as eager to be there! There to listen to him vent, help him stay grounded to reality, offer up advice, and to ask questions… lots of questions. So so many questions. After a few years, Elijah found himself feeling like Adam’s personal case study rather than a friend. As if the most interesting thing he could offer was a mind so profoundly broken that it was a spectacle to observe- something to be poked and prodded at, to see how it’ll react… but that’s impossible, Adam was his friend! He’d confided so much in this person, how could he not be? Adam told him not to seek therapy elsewhere, since Adam would help him for free! And, yknow, you can trust him, he has a psych degree. When the stress of working in hospital got to be too much for Elijah, and he began to think about staying with family for a bit… Adam was quick to provide an alternative. Adam was a social guy with many strange and unusual connections, and he just so happened to have the perfect suggestion! A much less stressful nursing position, at a summer camp run by a “Ms. Graves”, whom he raved about with high regards. They could go together! Take a little break, get away from it all… and so they did.

At Time of Series:

Adam and Elijah are co-nurses at Camp Here & There, or well… Adam is more of an assistant nurse at this point. He seems utterly distracted by Elijah’s condition, poking and prodding his way into the man’s head with words like cold, sterile medical tools. Pinning him down to an inescapable sort of “friendship”, even though their relationship feels like nothing more than an artificially preserved husk. Adam is still always nice, but Elijah can never tell if it’s genuine or not. He misses when their conversations felt warm, he misses when he felt like a friend rather than a case study… or a paranoid asshole for doubting Adam’s sincerity. He puts on a cheerful face for the kids, and while some find him to be a bit *too* cheerful, they can tell he really does care. He’s well-spoken and delivers the morning announcements with a theatrical flare! Sometimes he’s a little too eager to share his feelings, but he does mean well. The kids really like him overall, they think he’s nice!

Adam is like an illusive celebrity around the camp, he’ll show up and be very energetic and engaged for a short period of time, winning the favour of all the kids with his fun fun chaos-enabling… and then he’ll disappear! Back to his office, leaving Elijah to clean up the mess he made. Nobody knows what he’s up to in that office. Last time Elijah got a peek, he saw the walls COVERED in framed pinned insects and taxidermy… and stacks of notebooks, the ones he’s always scribbling into after speaking with Elijah. Adam seems to know a lot more than he’s letting on.

Jedidiah is missing. It’s actually his college that made report of this, after he ghosted all his classes and no professors could reach him. Nobody could track down his mother either, and his father… his father had already passed. Elijah sees someone in his dreams sometimes, a dishevelled man wearing a lab coat and too many watches. His presence is accompanied by cacophonous rhythmic ticking, like multiple clocks all overlapping at different paces. He tells Elijah things he can’t know… he speaks like a frantic and incoherent madman, it’s all so bizarre. And yet, Elijah can’t help but think he looks oddly familiar.

Then there’s Sydney, who… just up and vanished from his hospital bed. Who knows where that guy is. Although there has been a mysterious figure spotted lurking around the campgrounds… draped in layers of tattered black fabric, covered in moss and mushrooms, and wearing a strange black cat mask. They’ve been caught leaving random things outside of Elijah’s bedroom in the nurses cabin… little shiny rocks, bones, pinecones… one time an entire fairy ring grew around the cabin overnight. Nobody knows what he wants, but it’s been reported that those who see him are overcome with an overwhelming existential awe… dread and wonder in equal amounts, makes you want to sob your eyes out for the universality of pain, and dance for the love of the sunlight. The only exception to this is Elijah, who upon seeing the ‘Black Cat Man’, feels a strange sense of obligation— of care and concern, for a reason he can’t pinpoint. His guard lowers and all sense of danger melts away… he feels compelled to care for this stranger, like he would a patient. A patient who can do him no harm, still and quiet in their hospital bed. Of course, the questions and red flags all come back once the Black Cat Man is out of sight... but which reality is he to trust?

Running the camp is Ms. Graves, a mysterious lady who is rarely seen or heard from. She only seems to communicate through written letters or using Adam as a proxy. She’s just a busy lady… she really is lovely to her staff!

There are also rumours floating around regarding the crawling fields beyond camp. A desolate span of colourless grasslands infested by bugs of all sorts, wherein the fabled “puppeteeress” dwells. Nobody has ever seen her, but they have seen those handsome wooden mannequins she enchants to do her bidding! They show up on the outskirts of camp quite often… their eyes may look inanimate, but you can still feel them watching!

Ok ramble over for now. I may be back with character doodles later. Also if you’ve read a suspiciously similar fic on AO3 with this exact setup, but it’s the au’s version of “the ceremony”… yes that is me :3 hello :3

[kaeyachi]

I could barely sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about them. MY BRAIN IS SO LOUD AND I NEED AN OUTLET

so here is me somehow speed typing this cynonari analysis

Cyno ch 2 story quest spoilers below

Cyno is notably the type to run off and do things on his own. All of his friends have commented on it. Even the people of Sumeru have commented on it before. His friends and family have aired their frustrations or worries about this.

This is honestly to be expected because Cyno spent his youth basically as a social outcast. Even now, as an adult with friends he can count on, he seems to forget to ask for help or naturally chooses to handle his battles alone. Everyone seems to respect this, even with them constantly reminding him that he could ask for help...

...but not Tighnari.

Even before this update, we knew that Tighnari was different for Cyno. Tighnari is quite visibly his closest companion since they met in the Akademiya. Cyno treats Tighnari differently from the rest. Odds are, he was also the first person that Cyno invited to his secret base. We see them traveling large distances just to visit each other AND traveling large distances together. We see Cyno rushing to Tighnari in worry while in a competition in the desert. Tighnari is the one person that Cyno trusts when it comes to taking care of a traumatized child. Tighnari is also the one person he rushes to when he wants a companion. His anger upon hearing the fact that Tighnari was harmed is practically etched in my brain since I saw it.

In this quest, we see even more on how immensely this is reciprocated by Tighnari.

Tighnari doesn't ask if Cyno needs help. He also doesn't remind Cyno. Tighnari, unlike the rest, just goes for it- just goes to him. He just does it for Cyno without hesitation. He was quick to say that he should chase after Cyno TO THE DESERT. Despite everyone's worries for him, he still insisted and even stopped others (except us, the traveler) from following (he knows Cyno wouldn't want others to be there for something so personal). Had we, the traveler, not have been there, he still would have gone alone.

I mentioned it in a previous post, but Tighnari seems to suddenly have a one-track mind when it comes to Cyno's safety. Candace and Dehya were there, but Cyno was the one he mentioned. Cyno planned on talking to the "merchants," but Tighnari stopped him before he could finish the thought and approached them instead. Everything he did moving forward was to support Cyno.

And the best part? Cyno seems to expect this from Tighnari as if he's used to this. He lets Tighnari do the talking. He listens to Tighnari's solutions. He lets Tighnari protect him. Cyno, who is used to protecting and defending himself, lets Tighnari do anything for him without a fight.

For Tighnari's ancestry to be related to the lore of Hermanubis basically implied that Cyno and Tighnari meeting and being side by side is fated. Cyno's headpiece is quite literally a representation of Tighnarian ears. He will always have something of Tighnari with him wherever he goes.

Throughout this entire quest, we see how frequent it is that they both stuck together from the start. From eating fruits together while waiting for the sunset or sunrise at Cyno's secret base, to having codes to give each other secret messages on where to meet up, to having camping trips together, to finally sharing all of this with Collei, and now calling all of it a "family tradition". Whether you ship cynonari together or not, you have to admit that this is one of the most wonderful representations of unconditional love between two characters in the game.

Cynonari was already a powerful partnership before this quest, with scenes of them having what seems to be blind trust to each other from an outsider's perspective. This quest delved deeper as to how perfect the idea of Cyno and Tighnari being side by side really is.

[rotdistressxox]

DARLINGGGGG GUESS WHOS BACK FROM THE PYSCHE WARD!!

im currently brainrotting over agito as you can see..can you write how you think he would meet reader and how their relationship would develop into romance with him? like actually i sat at work for like 15 minutes trying to think how but i actually cannot cook anything up.

(Also I'm seeing the ghost stuff and I'm interested...gonna have to do research for dis one☝️)

sorry if i keep sending you silly asks😞

—🪡 anon

JOIN US WE HAVE SEXY POPES WHO DOUBLE AS FRONTMEN AND FREAKY GHOULS. Listen to them, I highly recommend listening to the meliora and prequelle album before delving any deeper. Watch some YouTube videos abt the lore. PLUS THEY HAVE LITTLE EPISODES <3

Time for some more Cakemaster 9000

Phew, this took a while

Kanoh Agito: How does he fall for you?

• Like what I mentioned in one of the headcanons, you work for Katahara. While Agito doesn't directly work for him apart from beint his representative fighter, he's technically his family AND The Fang.

• However, you two hardly see eachother when on the job. BUT-

• You two visit the same coffee shop. He loves his morning Latte, and you love (insert your favorite Cafe drink here)

• When you first started working, you were surprised to see the Kanoh Agito at a small coffee shop.

• He usually greets and addresses you formally, not interested in any small talk.

• "Sheesh, what a stick in the mud" It's not that he was trying to be rude, but he did come off a little condescending when he greeted you. (He has tone issues)

• One day you woke up late and didn't have time to stop and get your usual.

• He notices your absence. "They can't be sick, they showed no signs of it two days ago"

• Long story short, he picks up your order and goes looking for you. Once he finds you, he stiffly hands it to you. "You were late I presume. I picked this up for you"

• Everyone in the room was shocked. The cold hearted Fang buying someone a drink? You smiled warmly and looked into his eyes "Thank you, this was very kind of you"

• His breathing hitched, and he felt speechless. Was he....flustered? "Don't let it happen again, you work for the Chairman afterall"

• You obviously didn't let it happen again....buuuttt it was super sweet how he seemed to care about you enough to get you something.

• To return the favor, you arrived earlier and got him his Latte. Listen, he was speechless before, now he was in shock. He didn't show it though. In his lifetime no one had ever bought him anything or returned a favor. There was a first time for everything.

• You saw through his attempt to hide the baffled expression on his face. It was kinda- cute.

• "Why have you done this?" "Why not? I'm just repaying you" "I-" "Shush, just take the drink, it's burning my hand"

• He has to get there before you now to ensure that he sees you. He's a bit friendlier with the greetings, too. Don't expect a smile though, just a softer glance in your direction.

• When he was around you, he didn't feel like he needed to be The Fang of Metsudo. You didn't hold him to any higher standard when you chatted, you didn't bother holding back a few curses. He felt as if his soul was on Earth instead of hanging in the balance.

• On one of your off days, the two of you get coffee and sit down for once. Finally having a slower paced discussion. It lasted a few hours, you did most of the talking while he had a response to almost anything. There was a lot he didn't know about pop culture.

• Coffee dates became your thing, even though it wasn't technically a date. More like two friends hanging out. Discussions got into deeper topics like pasts and whatnot.

• Agito decided that he could trust you, so he opened up about the Human Gu Ritual. He didn't know what trauma was, so you explained to him that his feelings and memories about that time in his life would be very traumatic.

• "I'm glad you could tell me that, but are you okay? If I had something like that on my chest I'd cry" "I'm quite alright, I'm not fazed in the slightest but I had no idea the caliber of the topic. I hope I didn't ruin the conversation"

• You tapped your cheek and sighed. "Have you ever been hugged before?" Agito thought for a second. The embracing gesture? The only physical contact he's hand was a pat on the shoulder or when he's fighting.

• "No, I don't think I have" "Well today's your lucky day, bring it in"

• He froze as you wrapped your arms around his waist, pulling him into you. His heartbeat raced as he thought of what to do. "Just tell me if you don't like it" you squeezed him gently. He awkwardly put his hand behind your back and rested it there.

• You let go after a few seconds, but he didn't want you to. "How was it?" You smiled.

• "I'm not sure" He smoothed out his suit, trying to relax himself after what just happened.

• A few days passed and you haven't seen him anywhere. He wasn't at work or at the coffee shop. You start to worry. Did you drive him away? Was the hug too much? Oh god was he dead?

• All the while Agito was keeping an eye on you from afar. Not letting you see him, but he could see you. He felt very fragile after that day, he almost felt ashamed. He wasn't good at managing his emotions. And what happened moved him in a way that frightened him.

• He summons the courage to talk to Katahara Metsudo about how he felt. He was the only parental figure he had in a sense.

• "You are a grown man. Is this really a difficult concept to grasp?" Katahara looked out the window of his office. "I'm inexperienced, these feelings are foreign to me"

• 'He's not referring to himself as we and us anymore, this must be serious' Katahara turned around. "To put it simply" he laughed "Tell (Reader) everything you told me"

• "I have a strong regard for you" Agito came clean. You know how I said there was a first time for everything? Well he had a hint of red on his cheeks. This beast of a man, blushing? Utterly adorable

• "So you're saying you love me?" That's the word. Love. He nodded. "Well. Say it then. There's nothing holding you back"

• He pauses for a moment, he's not exactly fond of eye contact. But this was for (Reader)

• "I love you"

• You wrap your arms around his waist again. "That's all I needed to hear"

• His lips curled into a smile as he looked down at you. You parted from the hug and tilted your head to the side. "Wanna go out to a restaurant sometime?"

• "Are you asking me out on...what is it that they call it...a date?" "Yes" you stated bluntly. Beating around the bush or teasing wouldn't get far in this situation.

• "We can talk about plans later, I have important matters to attend to" he look your hand and grazed his lips on you knuckles. Planting a small kiss on it.

• "Now where did you learn that?" "It's a romantic gesture they do on television" you bite your lip from calling him a dork.

• "I'll meet with you later about this date. Until we see eachother again" He leaves, and you're alone again.

• Man, you're already falling for him. It's not like you'd hate dating him. But you didn't want to be head over heels just yet. You looked at your knuckles and sighed "Ah what the hell, being love isn't that bad"

[within-your-eyes-if]

A Few Updates

Hello everyone!

I have some exciting news and a few thoughts I want to share. Another long update, I'm sorry!

Codex Update: As you know, I've been working on updating the Codex. I've put a lot of thought into each entry, balancing new ideas with existing lore. While a lot of elements were already established, delving deeper into some topics has inspired some new ideas, and I want to ensure everything fits seamlessly. With this in mind, I'm considering releasing what I have so far while I continue to ponder over some of these newer concepts and refine older ones. In the next few days, I'll be going through more feedback to address some issues found before I plan to release the update.

New Story: I'm excited to share I've released a prologue and first chapter for From Here to Again! Writing something different is meant to help me grow as a writer and expand upon things I might not have considered before, especially when writing Twine.

I will not be making a Tumblr for this story right now, sorry!

I know I've shared other stories that I planned, and here are some updates on those:

Nautical Lost would definitely benefit from a later release as Within Your Eyes grows, as this story will expand upon the world lore and some events that will happen.

The Innkeeper (a working title), I decided to hold off on because I'm terrible at management games, it seems. It was meant to be a fun little story with shenanigans. However, I do want to revisit the idea later.

Short Stories: I've expressed I want to make some short stories, but I feel like there's a point in WYE I want to pass first before getting into them. But I do have one I'm working on that I want to release alongside Part Two that delves into the past.

Worries About Burnout: I know some of you are/might be worried about burnout, but I feel like I have a good system for myself. Writing is a journey I haven't explored much before. I did write, but it's something I didn't think I was good at because, honestly, I was told I wasn't. I know I'm not the greatest, but I want to grow and learn as a writer. I've been taking breaks to focus on other things I enjoy, even if it's still writing out ideas for other stories.

I appreciate all of the concern in this regard, not just for my well-being, but also for the love of my story. To see it abandoned would be heartbreaking not just for my readers, but for me as well. 'Within Your Eyes' has been an idea long in the making, shifting and growing. It's something I've always wanted to share, and I'm so happy I have!

Time for Questions: I'm ready to start answering some of your questions regarding Part One. Enough time has passed, I believe, to start delving into these. To respect those who haven't caught up yet, I'll include any spoilers under a 'Read More' tag. However, be mindful that some questions themselves might contain spoilers.

Regarding certain asks/scenarios, I think that discovering the answers through the story rather than in a post might be more rewarding. While I may still respond to these, I'll be thoughtful about placing them under a 'Read More' tag as well.

Regardless, I've been thinking more about how I should approach questions, not only in a way that's satisfying to you, but also benefits the story.

Closing Thoughts: Sorry again for the long update. I've been very reflective after releasing a second story, and I hope no one sees this as me diverting from WYE. I'm grateful for every one of you and for all of your words of encouragement and love. I hope you enjoy From Here to Again (if you decide to check it out) and continue to look forward to our Warden's journey.

Thank you!

[charlidos]

I keep thinking of everything Orlando said about Viggo in this interview from 2013, since it's so heartfelt. And I feel I need to delve a little deeper into his words. VERY deep.

"That's a very easy question for me to answer. VIGGO MORTENSEN."

Viggo is definitely in a category of his own, in Orlando's mind (and I think most would agree!). He answers Viggo so quickly, without any hesitation. He's without question the one who influenced him the most, despite working with all those other wonderful people. And I bet O would do anything to have a reunion on screen with Viggo. (As would I.)

"I sat next to Viggo Mortensen [...] every day for TWO YEARS nearly."

Viggo started filming mid-October 1999 and the original shoot ended at the end of December 2020. That's 14 months, not 24 months... (They didn't do any reshoots together, O only came over to see Viggo at those final reshoots and waded across a beautiful, moonlit river and O said he was in love with V... sort of). So O added a significant amount of time spent with V. Why? Because it felt like a lifetime? O himself spent 18 months in NZ, including those months of preparation, when Viggo definitely wasn't there, since we all know he arrived at the very last minute. I wonder if, in retrospect, it feels like Viggo was there the whole time? Or if O still remembers, for real, that there was a Stuart-phase too? (But that's a topic for a whole other post.)

"Viggo Mortensen had the biggest impact on me in terms of approach, dedication, intention and artistic outlook."

It feels like O would count basically everything included in life here... It feels like Viggo was his entirely world, for a while. It's actually weird how they ended up in quite different places in life, fame and work. Viggo lives mostly far away from Hollywood while O lives more or less in the middle of it. And I always wonder in what way O brought Viggo's role model with him to his work. Hopefully at the very least by being a good person, treating everyone with respect.

"I'm nowhere CLOSE to how gen.. how good he is as an artist. I wouldn't even put myself in the same category as an actor."

There really is no limit to O's admiration of Viggo. It's like he's a god. And maybe that also means a little unattainable, perhaps? There is something wistful about the way he speaks about Viggo, even when he's idolizing him to the max. Maybe because he fervently wishes to be near this genius artist again? To absorb his greatness again. Maybe because O feels he can't live up to his ideal/his idol? Because he lifts Viggo to the skies, but talks himself down, a bit.

"As a human being he had a very big influence on me. He's a very generous soul, a very dedicated soul."

It's obvious that Viggo's influence on him isn't at all limited to work, but also includes how to be as a human, how to live your life. O may be a buddhist, but really, V is his spiritual guide, his sensei, his god. His Viggod. (Let us worship.)

"He was like a mentor, without me even knowing that's what he was doing because I was probably too young to really understand and appreciate it at the time."

If you look at all the 2947294 times he's said how much he admires Viggo, how he was a mentor, how he wanted to BE Viggo, even back in 2001-2003, it's a little difficult to see that he didn't appreciate it at the time... I think he DID appreciate it, it's just now he's being sentimental about it. I think he just misses those days with Viggo, he wants to go back. Don't we all feel like that about a happy past memory? Like why didn't I see then how extremely good that was? Even though you did, since you were indeed happy. It's just that you want to go back to those moments, and truly savour them, since you don't know exactly how much they'll matter until they're gone.

"As I'm older now and I look back, I always think wow! Just the person that he was, the actor and how he was, with me, was so wonderful."

I kind of want to add O's own words "it makes me sound like I'm in love with the guy". Because yes, that is indeed what this sounds like. The way he says "so wonderful" just has this very "sigh! Viggo is such a dream!" tone. But again, it also sounds so very wistful. It's a cherished memory, but it's also something lost, I feel.

"We trade emails. We were out of touch for quite a while."

It really is no wonder he's feeling so very sentimental about those days with Viggo. They lost touch for "quite a while" (since around 2008 - since they both met new people...). In my ears, it sounds quite sad. From being a part of Viggo's every day life, to losing touch and trading a few emails (which neither of them seem to be that fond of). I wonder if Viggo got in touch to congratulate Orlando on becoming a dad? And that's why they started communicating again?

"But you know, Viggo's an artist. He's not just an actor, he's actually an artist."

To me, it sounds like he's explaining why they were out of touch for a longish period of time. Otherwise I don't understand the segue from saying they're trading emails. In my view, he's saying they lost touch because of this trait, because of Viggo's artist personality. Or perhaps just that he's very busy, having so many arts to pursue, so many talents to hone. Like Viggo is someone who is a little hard to hold on to. He had him daily, to himself sometimes even, for all that time in NZ, that the contrast must have seem huge. O was extremely busy after filming LotR, but I think what he's talking about is the period from around 2008 until a while before this interview. O wasn't quite as busy then, I believe, work-wise at least. Except for having a kid... But I sense that for O this smarted a bit, this absence. Of course, if you add the dimension of them possibly having a love affair before, then perhaps this distance happened because of a break-up. Which might have been painful. And would explain that trace of sadness in how he says this.

"He can paint, he can write, he can sing, he can dance, he can play music. He can do it all. He can take you fishing, he can take you into the wild. He's the guy who does it all."

I can't get over how much of a fanboy O really is. His admiration for Viggo is through the roof! The sky is the limit here, Viggo really is godly, the one you can't quite reach, the perfect man, the unattainable goal. O spent every day with him for so long, and yet he can't find fault with him. The only problem is that he's out of reach for O now. But perhaps O thinks that's his own fault, never Viggo's? Also, we know Viggo took O into the wild - and got lost. O doesn't blame him for that either. I guess that just turned into a magical adventure, particularly with time, Now he probably thinks of it as a perfect night, spent with the perfect man, forgetting the mosquite bites, being thirsty, being scared. I do wonder if O has a little shrine dedicated for Viggo at home. Incense and photos and all. And if they once were in love, O is definitely not over him. And will never be, I guess.

"Most men WISH they were Viggo Mortensen."

Again, Viggo has no bigger fanboy. He already said this once before, back in 2001. But then he said he himself wanted to be Viggo. So that never changed. Still hasn't changed, I imagine. When you see him press himself into Viggo at the LotR premieres, it's like O wanted to melt into him, become part of Viggo. Maybe that's what he meant by being Viggo? :)

"He's devastatingly handsome and cool."

O says this a little off-handedly, somehow. A little quietly. I love that he adds that extra adjective, he's not just handsome, he's devastatingly so. Nothing is ever normal with Viggo as far as O is concerned. Viggo is the perfect man, after all.

"He would hate me. Viggo, I apologise, I apologise, please don't hate me. It's all love. He would hate the fact that I've sad any of that, but he's that kind of guy too."

O knows Viggo pretty darn well. He spent such a long time with him, seeing his every day mood, seeing him under stress, working, on holiday, out in the wild. Really most aspects of life (except, I guess, normal life outside NZ - but then, what do I know? Maybe he did that too?). So he knows how self-effacing Viggo is, how humble and not prone to any narcissism. But it also implies that Viggo perhaps isn't that good at accepting compliments? He probably doesn't like being fawned over; maybe one reason he prefers to live outside of the rather narcissistic Hollywood bubble. O seems to regard this as another amazing trait Viggo has. Not only can he do anything, he also never brags about it. For some reason, this statement seems a little sad as well. The way he speaks to an imaginary Viggo - whom he hasn't seen in a long while, afraid (maybe not 100% seriously, but still, a little) of ruining their maybe frail rebuilt friendship.

All in all, as lovely and loving as O is about Viggo here, it's also so rife with melancholy. O adores Viggo so much, I definitely feel he misses him terribly. That maybe he feels he lost him along the way, regardless of whose "fault" it is, if anyone's. And regardless of what kind of relationship they used to have. There's a Viggo-shaped hole in O's life. I get the feeling this is still true for O. I hope they did rekindled at least their friendship at one point.

I would love to hear Viggo speak of O one day too.

[sillygeesedogaystuff]

I wanted to delve deeper into my last post so here I go:

Adaine- twilight sparkle

The element of magic herself, this one is pretty obvious and self explanatory so I’ll be brief. Adaine being a wizard obviously links to twilight being a unicorn and then an alicorn (which can represent Adaine being the elvin orical.) Twilight found the true magic of friendship when moving to ponyville which translates to when Adaine met the bad kids on her first day at the Aguefort adventuring academy. Adaine and Twilight were both pitted against their older siblings (although twilight and Shining armour’s was much more light hearted) both have a pet, Owlowiscious being twilights (although I guess you could also count spike) and Boggy being Adaine’s. Both characters are the top of their respective classes and have to work hard throughout the series to gain more magical abilities. To sneak my favourite character from MLP in here too, starlight glimmer can be seen as a few different characters in fantasy high. One consideration is Kipperlily if they reformed her instead of well murdering her. Adaine HATED kettlechip Crispycream but I have no doubt they could have gotten along if the bad kids didn’t already have a track list of killing their enemies, and Adaine has strongly proven no matter what she has been put through by someone she will try her hardest to help them. Which bring me onto our favourite older sister Aelwyn. I couldn’t not mention her okay… clearly starlight is not twilights sister but she is one of the greatest unicorns in Equestria and Aelwyn is incredible at magic specifically curses (I think.) I think about that scene with Adaine and Aelwyn in the forest of the nightmare king at least twice a week and it has similar aspects to when twilight stopped trying to fight starlight and instead showed her the reality of everything and succeeded in reforming her. I won’t get into the similarities now however. After everything her sister has done to her, Adaine always knew it wasn’t all Aelwyn fault and it was her parents who were the evil ones. But back to the point at hand.  both twilight and Adaine get the most joy in being with their friends and helping them as much as they can.

Fig- Rainbow dash

As the element of loyalty this deserves a bit more consideration. Scared of what people may really think of her, Fig contains a lot of rainbow’s qualities. Let’s talk about the element of loyalty. Fig shows many times that she is loyal to her friends. I cannot give any specific examples currently (at 1am while I am writing this) but from memory fig proves countless times that her friends mean everything to her and loyalty is a massive part of her personality. NOT ONLY THIS. But fig is described multiple times as a german shepherd who are one of the most loyal and courageous dogs out there. Rainbow dash also is clearly seen to be a German shepherd often offering to go first when confronting the villains or guarding places for the other pony’s to explore. Rainbow may not have magic like fig but she is one of the strongest flyers in equestria. Fig obviously doesn’t have wings so that causes a slight bump in the road. HOWEVER. If I may bring in this little thing called equestria girls, rainbow dash plays guitar and is the lead of the band she created. Sound familiar? Fig plays bass guitar and is in the band Fig and the cig figs which she created and is the lead singer for. Now I know equestria girls isn’t cannon in the friendship is magic show however I’m counting it and I don’t care what you say <3. Rainbow and fig are both confident and outgoing however both are afraid of what their friends and everyone else thinks about them. Both have a lot hidden deep down inside of them which only their friends can help with. Fig is an only child (excluding Fabian being nearly her stepbrother) like rainbow dash. Rainbow does take scootaloo under her wing as almost an honorary sister. Although there isn’t anything cannon about fig having a similar relationship with someone (I don’t think) I see many head cannons about fig having a sisterly like relationship with a younger tiefling. These two characters have the most important thing in common though… they are both super cool.

Kristen- pinky pie

The element of laughter. Well we can know one thing for sure, Ally Beardsley is definitely the element of making all of us laugh. But seriously pinky and Kristen are very similar personality wise. Character relationships wise all I can really say is that they both have siblings. I guess a rock farm isn’t a cult buuuutttt it definitely wasn’t where pinky was meant to be just like his Kristen wasn’t meant to worship hello. The element of laughter plays a big part in why Kristen is still seen as a positive protagonist. In junior year Kristen turned slightly bitchy towards the ratgrinders but her positivity while being bitchy made the interactions very funny. Now Ally has a MASSIVE aid to why Kristen is the element of laughter. Any Nat20 rolled by them is gonna be either the funniest thing in the series or the most insane (often both) and often it’s a tricky time working out what’s Ally being Ally and what’s Kristen. It’s not hard to consider insanity throughout junior year, one example of this being spontaneously running for president and giving speeches to anyone even if they weren’t even voting AS WELL as the shrimp jump which she got fig to do in disguise. Obviously pinky pie hasn’t done these exact things however a shrimp jump doesn’t seem highly implausible for pinky to do (secretly rainbow would do it) IT ALL FITS. Annnndddd if I may remind you of the MLP episode where pinky pie duplicated herself so there were A LOT of pinky pies running around. Possibly a little bit of a stretch but K2 is a clone of Kristen. Being british and all also means she isn’t an exact replica of Kristen herself. Pinky pie is also the only character (at least out of the main six) that is self aware of being in a show by making predictions or statements only the audience know or breaking the forth wall and directly talking to the viewers. coming back once again to Equestria girls where she predicts multiple times the events in the pony world basically proving she is a psychic.

Fabian- rarity

The element of generosity is in my opinion one of the most interesting to discuss. Now I have to admit my main reasoning for this pairing is that they are both posh!!! I mean come on… Fabian is an only child (not counting unborn half baby sibling) with a pirate as a father and a mother from Fallinel and the greatest fencer in the world. While we know sweetie Belle is rarity’s younger sister and we really don’t have much information about rarity’s parents although from the clip I rewatched I got the sense that they aren’t too similar to their daughters. Fabians passion is dance whole rarity is all about the fashion. However, there is something to be said for how Fabian is around his friends. I find generosity to be much more complex than the other elements so since this is SUPPOSED to be an overview I will only touch the tip of the iceberg. Fabian represents generosity at many points throughout all three years with the bad kids.A less straightforward example is when all of the bad kids were offered a place on the owlbears even though Fabian tried extremely hard to get on the team only to fail on his first day. Now there are many instances where Fabian is generous however it’s reaching 2am and my mind is drawing a blank to specific situations. Fabian is a proud and outgoing young man looking to leave his name in the history books, Fabian is very concerned with appearances and social status, and can sometimes be very snobby. SOUND LIKE ANYONE TO YOU? rarity is proud and outgoing and if she hasn’t made a mark with her fashion brand I don’t know what could!! She admires looks but will sacrifice her perfect features for someone else buuuuttt in certainly some circumstances she can be a tad snobby.

Riz- applejack

So here we go with the element of honesty. Ironic because I have to be honest here, I already fit the others to everyone else that Riz was left with applejack BUT WE CAN MAKE THIS WORK. firstly and a pretty on the nose point: both their dads are dead!! At least we can infer applejacks dad is dead along with her mother and I KNOW Riz still has his mother. Riz is an only child while applejack has two siblings and in general a large family. Okay okay, so character relationships don’t have my back! Let’s have a look at the actual element. Honesty is a difficult trait to compare when a character isn’t specifically created with the soul idea of honesty and even then you have to find a way to create a character who follows their own morality while not sounding incredibly mean, still applejack is one of the best characters. Now Riz Is not on the same level of honesty as applejack (he lied about being in a relationship so much he lied it into existence) but he has proven he cares about his friends just as much as applejack. Riz is often concerned about fig and Kirsten’s academics since he is very academically strong like Adaine. And yet again I know applejack is on the physically stronger side but she commonly takes notice of details the others miss out on liiikkkeeee Riz being a rogue. I honestly don’t have that much to talk about for Riz without going back over all three years of fantasy high and all MLP content but i promise you it… it fits better in my head

Gorgug- Fluttershy

The element of kindness. Well this one I feel like is pretty on the nose. In many many episodes fluttershy is shown to get ANGRY when her animals or friends are treated badly. This is best shown in the pier pony episode. Her literally superpower is like the hulk, she turns into a massive strong angry… monster when angry. This couldn’t be more barbarian of her. Gorgug on the first day of freshman year, gave a flower to Fabian immediately sharing his kindness. And obviously when he get less quiet he goes into his barbarian state which he struggles do sometimes. These are very obvious points and there are hundreds of examples I could probably use. Gorgug is generally quite shy, often not speaking as much as the other bad kids especially round new people. As far as we are aware, gorgug is an only child, he doesn’t even have adopted siblings but that just gives his adoptive parents all their love and support. Fluttershy has a brother who is… well… full of him self to say the least. Her parents seem sweet and like they care very much for their children even if they can be pushed around by their son. Fluttershy will prove herself when her friends need it. There is one instant at the start of junior year where gorgug is led to believe by his friends that he was the one to trap the nightyorb to make him feel more confident proud of himself when in reality Fig secretly did it instead. Although I can’t get up an example currently, I am very sure there have been one or two times something similar to this has happened in the MPL friendship Is magic show.

I know a lot of this is just me contradicting myself and I’m sure I got plenty of things mildly incorrect but this took me quite a while to finish and If this somehow reaches anyone who has worked on fantasy high I will silently cry with happiness.

Also if anyone actually found this interesting or enjoyable to read I will happily make an even longer essay but with clips and proof going into more details about all the characters.

[arkus-rhapsode]

So... What is a Cartoon Network Show? (A Discussion)

Hey everyone, Arkus back again and I'm doing something that I alluded to a while ago, but I was working on a project involving Cartoon Network. Now for those unaware, I don't consider myself to be a part of the larger animation community like say a Cartoonshi or an Alpha Jay Show. I approach this topic as simply someone who grew up on Cartoon Network and has always had a level of reverence for the channel and undoubtedly had an impact on my formative opinions on the value of animation that I still have to this day.

So when I heard the announcement for Jellystone's Crisis on Infinite Mirths special it got me wondering-wait what is a Cartoon Network show? Now that might seem like an easy answer: "Its a show that was on Cartoon Network," but as I delved deeper into the question there appeared a great amount of context that seemed to go all over the map. I'm sure that there are people more versed in the content that may see this as common sense knowledge. So this is post for people like me-the average enjoyers of animation who want to understand more and have greater context about a channel they may have a soft spot for and want to be better informed when the question is asked, "what is a Cartoon Network show?"

(Yes I did make a spreadsheet on this one. This wasn't a task I took lightly)

So before we really get into the weeds of everything, I do want to make sure we're all on the same page: Cartoon Network is a television channel which is aired in multiple countries around the world which is overseen by the parent company of The Cartoon Network Inc. Which itself is owned by the mega conglomerate that is Warner Bros Discovery. The Cartoon Network Inc. Owns various production companies to make original content the primary ones being Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Europe, and Williams Street. The network itself is broken up into several blocks such as Cartoonito (An early morning block aimed at pre school children) and Adult Swim (An evening block aimed at 18+ individuals). With (At the time I am writing this) the 6 AM to 5PM being aimed at kids 6-12 years old and being considered "Cartoon Network" hours.

So with all the terminology out of the way, lets address the obvious answer of "a Cartoon Network show is a show that aired on Cartoon Network" I would say that interpretation is a bit reductive. Sorta like calling every game that's been on a Nintendo console a "Nintendo game." While not necessarily wrong, it does conflate the idea that the third party games are the same as the first party ones, which also makes a lot of misinformation very possible. Cartoon Network like Nickelodeon, Disney and many other channels can have original programming and acquired programming. Original programming being shows made for and existing solely on this network while acquired programming may be shows or movies that a company is pay broadcasting rights for. You see this a lot in foreign programming. Obviously the various anime that air on Toonami are not creations for Cartoon Network nor produced by them.

However, I think there is some interesting things that would be considered acquired programming on Cartoon Network. Because now we have to talk about why Cartoon Network exists in the first place and that's Hanna-Barbera.

Without Hanna-Barbera there would be no Cartoon Network. Plain and simple. The channel was founded with the intent of housing the animated library of Hanna-Barbera (Along with classic Luney Toons shorts from the 40s) when Ted Turner successfully acquired the studio. Now the thing to remember is Cartoon Network was made in the early 90s, while Hanna-Barbera shorts had existed since the 50s in various forms of syndication. Usually on ABC.

As such these shows like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry etc. Wouldn't be considered original programming for the network. But it would be a division of Hanna-Barbera that would become what we know today as Cartoon Network Studios, which would begin creating shorts for "What a Cartoon!" Which would in turn become the seeds for Cartoon Network's first original programming.

Speaking of acquired programming, I'm sure if you're of a certain age group you probably remember Warner Bros other network that contained original animation-The WB. And probably more famous its animation block, Kids WB.

Now the reason for the creation of The WB is itself a massive business interests and experiments in network television and policies of the Federal Communications Commission, so I simply want to get into its well known kids programming block, Kids WB that actually served as an outlet for shows created by Warner Bros Animation. Such as

Animaniacs

Pinky and the Brain

Freakazoid!

The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

Superman: The Animated Series

Road Rovers

Waynehead

The New Batman Adventures

Histeria

Batman Beyond

Detention

¡Mucha Lucha!

What's New, Scooby-Doo?

Ozzy & Drix

Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island

Loonatics Unleashed

Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!

Now, you may be seeing some of those names and wondering, "Wait wasn't that on Cartoon Network though?" Which yes, many of these shows would come to Cartoon Network especially in the wake of the WB's own tumultuous history that would eventually see it become one half of what we know todays as The CW. However, many of these shows weren't made to be aired on Cartoon Network, but rather to air on the The WB, which while both were owned by the greater Warner Media parent company, these were acquired programming. I can personally attest to reruns on the Cartoon Network being my exposure to shows like Freakazoid and Superman the animated series and The WB in turn actually had aired some programming from Cartoon Network such as Samurai Jack and Powerpuff Girls. And because these properties are all owned by the same parent company it actually makes the water more muddy on what is "Cartoon Network show." Made even more complicated by the fact that Hanna-Barbera the production company as we know it would be absorbed into Warner Bros Animation in 2001.

We are not talking simply about getting Pokemon because some broadcasting money was exchanged to air in America, we're actually talking about programming that the channel itself was founded on rerunning and playing reruns made by a sister network in the bigger Warner Television umbrella.

As such, while I don't think the "If it aired on Cartoon Network, its a cartoon Network show" is an interpretation I agree with, I can see where there's a shared level of DNA in some of the programs that makes it harder to separate the two.

This actually leads us to another potential answer for what is a Cartoon Network show, "Its a show made by Cartoon Network Studios."

Now as previously mentioned, Turner would acquire Hanna-Barbera and at the time Hanna-Barbera was still making new shows by the time Cartoon Network was started. Such as The New Adventures of Captain Planet, 2 Stupid Dogs, and SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron. But these shows would actually end up debuting and airing on TBS, another Turner/Warner Television Arm. But now we return to that newly formed division in Hanna-Barbera studios known as Cartoon Network Studios. This studio was primarily made for making original programing for What a Cartoon! which would lead to the creation of some of the earliest Cartoon Cartoons.

Johnny Bravo

Cow and Chicken

I Am Weasel

Power Puff Girls

And of course the big one, Dexter's Laboratory.

In fact, when you look back on it, Dexter's Lab is structured similarly to an old school Hanna-Barbera show. Where you'd have say the Huckleberry Hound Show, but you'd have various segments one being the Huckleberry Hound segment, but then having a segment focusing on Hockey Wolf, and a segment with Pixie, Dixie and Mr Jinks. In the case of Dexter's Lab, an episode could contain a Dexter segment then go into Dial M for Monkey or The Justice Friends.

However, these weren't really considered "Cartoon Network Studios" as we in the early 2000s probably remember it. As these productions were still made by Hanna-Barbera for the first few seasons with Cartoon Network Studios being a studio in name only at the time. Probably why you may remember older Dexter episodes ending with the Hanna-Barbera logo then followed up by the Cartoon Network Studios logo in later seasons.

Now if we went strictly by Cartoon Network Studios being what makes a Cartoon Network show (Including the previous five shows mentioned) and originally aired on Cartoon Network then that leaves us with:

Now some eagle eyed viewers may have noticed that this list has some noticeable absences. Such as Courage the Cowardly Dog, Codename Kids Next Door, The Amazing World of Gumball, Teen Titans, and one of my favorite Cartoons of all time, Ed Edd n Eddy. And well the simple answer is that they weren't made by Cartoon Network Studios. Ed Edd n Eddy was made by a.k.a Cartoon and Funbag Animation Studios. Kids Next Door like Sheep in the Big City was made by Curious Pictures. And Courage the Cowardly Dog was made by Stretch Films (Though both Courage and Kids Next Door would have their pilots developed in Hanna-Barbera).

Gumball was made by Hanna-Barbera Europe which is a production company under the Cartoon Network Inc parent, but is again technically not made by CN Studios. Teen Titans is another product of Warner Bros Animation same with Teen Titans Go. Kinda funny that a show that for a time basically controlled the channel wasn't even made by CN Studios. Even the first ever original exclusive show made for the Cartoon Network, The Moxy Show, wouldn't count under this definition as it was made by Colossal Pictures.

There's also the fact that some shows made by Cartoon Network Studios are exclusive to Adult Swim such as Primal and some to the pre-school block of Cartoonito. Now these may actually be more rare than you would first think as really only Jessica's Big Little World was made by CN Studios for Cartoonito, while Adult swim actually has its own interesting background.

You see, Cartoon Network's earliest adult animation was the animated parody talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Which utilized the classic Hanna-Barbera character as a surrealist spoof of late night talk shows. These would be produced not under the banner of Hanna-Barbera or Cartoon Network Studios, but actually under the name Ghost Planet Industries. This production arm would eventually become The Cartoon Network Inc in house production company for adult animation known as Williams Street. So most shows you might watch on Adult Swim these days are by Williams Street. However, with the fifth season of Samurai Jack, you being to notice that Cartoon Network Studios became more comfortable producing shows that would air in the evening time slot of Adult Swim.

(Also this is a complete side tangent, I didn't want to include failed pilots within this list as it would feel like unnecessary bloat, but I wanted to highlight Korgoth of Barbaria made by Aaron Springer with animation made by Genndy Tartakovsky, which was sadly never picked due to the production cost, would be repackaged as a special on Adult Swim. And this was a co production with Cartoon Network. Like wow. Like wow! I know we have Primal on the list, but its kinda just a bit of trivia I like)

So while they're made by CN Studios, they were not shows accessible to CN's usual demographic time slot.

And that's not even beginning to scratch co-productions Cartoon Network Studios has been involved with over the years. Such as the Star Wars Clone Wars series made by Genndy Tartakovsky or transformers Animated which obviously the Star Wars and Transformers IP isn't owned by Warner Bros. Same with Mixels. But then there's shows such as Villainous and Jorel's Brothers which are actually originally properties made with the Latin American Branches of Cartoon Network. Villainous itself relishes in so many Cartoon Network cameos.

And then there's the CN Real shows which... Yeah I think its not Gatekeeping of me to say they don't count.

And of course there are shows that while made by Cartoon Network Studios would actually end up either being web exclusive or go straight to HBO Max like Get' Em Tommy, Tig n' Seek, and The Fungies! There's also the many, many shorts, pilots, and pilot movies produced by Cartoon Network Studios like Welcome to My Life, Party Wagon, and Fire Breather.

It's a lot. And I get why some people really want to simply it. But it's also why I think simply saying a "Cartoon Network show is a show made by the Studio" you're leaving out several shows, some of which icons of the network. And some CN Studios shows just never had a chance to be part of the Network in the same way. This isn't a question that can be easily simplified like that.

So maybe the answer is "A Cartoon Network shows is a Cartoon Cartoon?" Yeah, afterall Ed, Edd n Eddy are considered Cartoon Cartoons even if they weren't made by CN Studios. Heck, look at competitor Nickelodeon who dubs all their various animated works produced "Nicktoons." Surely, Cartoon Network can do the same, right? Well you see, unlike Nicktoons which became an overall term for all their original programming (and honestly much easier to do research on), Cartoon Cartoons specifically referred to a programming block which then became the collective brand name of the shows that aired between 1996-2009 (Ending with Ed Edd n Eddy). But even then some CN Originals made during that time weren't recognized as Cartoon Cartoons like Samurai Jack. Nor were shows like The Moxy Show recognized retroactively.

The Cartoon Cartoons were:

Dexter's Laboratory

Johnny Bravo

Cow and Chicken

I Am Weasel

The Powerpuff Girls

Ed, Edd n Eddy

Mike, Lu & Og

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Sheep in the Big City

Time Squad

Grim & Evil (Eventually Split into The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Evil Con Carne)

Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?

Codename: Kids Next Door

So really the term Cartoon Cartoons is honestly an exclusive club for a specific set of shows on a specific programming block. That even itself doesn't cover every Cartoon Network show even for a specific era as there are absences from even that. So while Cartoon Cartoons are Cartoon Network shows, not every Cartoon Network Show is a Cartoon Cartoon.

Well then maybe a Cartoon Network show is a show that had to originally aired on Cartoon Network and was exclusive to only it?

With this definition we're abled to include many of the CN Studios shows everyone is popularly aware of while being able to include shows made outside of CN Studios like various Cartoon Cartoons, Warner Bros Animation shows and Hanna-Barbera Europe.

That said, this would exclude things like the shows from The WB and Hanna-Barbera back catalogue, and the Looney Tunes shorts. While Boomerang has become the home for all the classic Hanna-Barbera programing, you can still see the reverence that CN has for its roots from cameos in CN Originals and CN City to new iterations of these shows airing on Cartoon Network like the Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, The Looney Tunes Show, and Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated.

Speaking of Boomerang, while also another channel owned by WBD Television, many of the Cartoon Network shows have migrated over to. Thus not really making them all that exclusive anymore As well, this definition would also include CN Real programs which... yeah umm not sure about that. No matter what Cartoon Network is for Cartoons.

So even this isn't quite a perfect definition. Neither would be using the HBO Max section labeled Cartoon Network because its obviously and incomplete record that has erased so many shows from its catalogue.

So if all these don't work, then what does? What is a Cartoon Network show? Well... Maybe it's not something that fits in with an objective empirical definition. It may sound corny, but Cartoon Network shows always felt like a family to me. In a way that made this sort of recognizable brand between many of its shows even if all of them were very different in their themes, styles, and humor. I think that's why CN City is so in the minds of people, because you took all these varying characters and made a world where none feel out of place. And it wasn't just Cartoon Network characters, you had the classic Looney Tunes and even goddamn Captain Planet roaming around with all these younger shows.

There's even been recent efforts to enforce this cohesion. As the CMYK/Redraw Your World era. Mixing together this color coding with all these various characters and designs to make them all "fit" together so to speak.

Obviously, Im being a bit flowery here. Im sure Cartoon Network and Warner Bros legal team could probably give you an extensive copyright list which they hold and what can be used, but I still think there is value in this being an answer that you can come up with yourself.

And to me, Cartoon Network represents one of the most important channels in animated television. At its highest and even at its lowest. Cartoon Network was the place of creating cartoons, a place where in the short existence of creator driven network television animation, so many legends were born. This was a channel that really brought out so much creativity from talented people that were inspired by the classic animated shows of the golden age who are inspiring new creators even to this day. That shouldn't be forgotten. That shouldn't be erased. Whether unfitted or seasonal rot, this family of cartoons deserves to be remembered.

This is just me, but this is what I would consider Cartoon Network shows. Shows that were made for CN regardless of being CN Studios, Hanna-Barbera Europe, or Warner Bros Animation. The WB, TBS, Adult Swim stuff? That's more off in its own little corner. Cousins of CN almost.

And I guess I turn the question to you, So... What is A Cartoon Network show?

Well that got a bit heavier at the end. But I hope you enjoyed this. I didn't want it to be a big think piece like some of my more recent discussion post. And I didn't just want it to be me making a list without some thoughtful context. If you enjoyed this please give a like or a reblog, I've been trying to do more fun projects on Tumblr recently that go out of my usual postings.

[sapientiiae]

@guideoftime continued from x

This was an unexpected turn of events. 

Or perhaps it shouldn’t have been unexpected. Living their lives the first time around had been challenging — the destinies they were meant to prepare for (hers never spoken of as openly as Sheik’s), having to stay one step ahead of Ganondorf, the training (hers delayed and delved deeper into once she was already in hiding), and the ultimate fight against the Gerudo King. 

The second time around had been equally as challenging, though for many different reasons. They’d already fulfilled their destinies, and now they were forced to relive their lives as if none of it had happened. Their memories had remained intact — though she hadn’t been able to anticipate Sheik’s would — and they were forced to go through the motions of an average daily life, always remembering how close Hyrule was to ruin while everyone else went about their lives completely oblivious.

The princess firmly believed she had it easier between the two of them. In that first life, she’d lost almost everything that had ever been remotely familiar to her — her mother, her father, her tutors, and her home. Loss had become a normal, albeit morbid, part of her life. Once they were launched back into their past to do it over again, she’d lost Impa, which was tragic and a hard pill to swallow, but she’d regained the majority of what was once lost. And, technically speaking, Impa wasn’t gone, she just wasn’t around to fulfill the same duties she’d once sworn to. 

Sheik, on the other hand, had lost two of the three constants in his life. The hero had been important to them both, but Sheik had been much more involved with him (he was the hero’s guide, after all) than she herself had. Impa had raised them both, but at least she’d still had a parent to look after her after the Sheikah tribe leader was gone; technically, Sheik had too, but that was a detail unbeknownst to him that she still hadn’t been allowed to reveal.

She also had a destiny still, a duty to one day rule Hyrule and lead them to unification. Sheik’s destiny, however, wasn’t as clearly outlined. He was to….protect her. Remain loyal to the Royal Family and continue to serve as her shadow. 

All this to say the second round was hard, but they’d learned to lean on each other and find comfort in one another along the way. Even then, their relationship almost seemed to come with unspoken rules; there were certain details about their new lives that they just didn’t talk about. 

Getting Sheik to open up about his emotions had always been difficult, even if they had made tremendous strides in the years that had passed. She’d known losing Impa had come with challenges (there were small clues that alluded to this), which was why she’d always attempted to find ways to support him, though she’d wanted to do so without overstepping any boundaries. 

When she’d learned of Sheik’s offerings at the Shadow Temple, she’d struggled to decide if this was another aspect of Sheikah tradition that was unfamiliar to her or perhaps a sign that Impa’s absence was affecting him more than she’d realized. Regardless, she’d offered to join him in an attempt to show her support, as she’d always done, but she hadn’t anticipated this particular question when she’d awoken that morning. 

But maybe it was time they talked about it. Maybe they needed to be a bit more open with one another instead of selectively choosing which topics they acknowledged. 

“'Whenever I want' may be an exaggeration. There are times when the other Sages are more difficult to reach. If they fall deeper into their prayers, communicating with one another becomes less clear — similar to when a person gets so wrapped up in a task they do not realize someone has entered a room or is speaking to them,” she explained, wondering if she was making any sense. “Also, while communication between Sages is encouraged for obvious reasons, the Sages still have free will.” Perhaps referring to it as free will was a poor choice of words, but she assumed he would understand what she meant. “They can choose to not respond when called upon. It…is most common between Ruto and Nabooru.” Ruto did have a large personality that was a bit of an acquired taste for some.

The Hylian woman plucked a bit anxiously at the oversized sleep shirt that seemed to swallow her up. She’d known when she’d crawled out of bed after him that she was anything but the well-polished portrait that was expected of someone from the Royal Family. She’d had no intention of walking out of the Kakariko house in such a state, though now she was uncertain if she should be walking out at all. 

“And this is me saying that I do not have to come.” She was finally putting her thoughts into words, the stare she leveled at him resolute despite how disheveled the rest of her might have looked. “I came here with you because I want to support you, Sheik. Always. But if this is more private — if visiting the Shadow Temple and leaving these offerings is something you wish to do alone — then tell me as much.” 

[thelunarfairy]

Genuinely no jshk ch has ever made me this puzzled that the new 27 After school hanako kun made me!?!

That was so creepy wth

What do you think that was all about??

Hanako definitely knows something we don't about that "other" world

I think it's like the Picture perfect arc ?? You get what I'm saying??

Is this the continuation or spin off of Pilot??

But honestly I would love to see that AU where all the supernaturals like mei , sumire , mitsuba etc etc are all in school

Like this chapter

And why the hell nene didn't realise all the normal kids and supernaturals were here together until the last panel?? That would be like the first thing to notic damm 😭

Yes, i agree with you! This one made me create several crazy theories in my head XD

It felt like Aidairo was telling us a secret

"Pay attention, the secret is between the lines…"

Now, I didn't focus on it too deeply because it's a spinoff, but it's still directly related to the pilot. Nene coming back to consciousness in the classroom doesn't seem like she was woken up from a dream, you usually wake up in the sleeping position, she was already sitting up as if she had been suddenly pulled from there.

It happened to Kou in the red house.

That seemed to be a doppelganger, as Mitsuba mentioned

Hanako pulled her just as Nene was going to look at the other Yashiro on the other side of the door, then she would disappear, in fact, Nene returned to reality, while the doppelganger stayed there.

Supposedly, if the real Nene looked she would die and the doppelganger would take her place.

All of this is intriguing, especially the "new student" part reminded me of that mysterious hand.

This all seems to show us that there are several timelines in JSHK, in one of these lines (multiverse) everyone was friends and the supernaturals were ordinary students, Nene was the one who was out of place, she was the "new student", as if she had left the her timeline and gone to another one she doesn't know.

You know, JSHK likes to play with time, and playing with time is including temporal paradox, timelines, multiverse, butterfly effect. It appears that JSHK included the multiverse in the paradox. There are stories in which there is only one timeline, if you change the past, the future changes, and there are other stories in which if you go back in time and change something, the future remains the same because a new timeline was created, and the timeline in which the character lives has not changed.

Did you understand?

Nene has this ability to float through the flow of time, we saw it happen several times and none of it was intentional, it just happened….

Maybe Aidairo is trying to say that the one who is the cause of all the chaos, destruction, death of the twins, etc., is Nene, for some reason I keep thinking about that too.

You know, it would be surprising if the culprit of everything was Nene, there is another version of her out there causing chaos and she doesn't know hahaha but I don't know if I should delve deeper into this XD

I think about it all the time but I don't have enough evidence to talk about it, but sometimes I think that Nene is to blame for all this, that she is a special type who somehow controls some events. I've thought about the possibility that somehow she could also be used by the creature under the house or that…… there is a Nene from another timeline…. I'm rambling too much….

Ahem, can there be a creature that takes the form of other people?

Is there another Yashiro who is causing chaos in the timeline?

There are so many possibilities…. 😵‍💫

Maybe they are trapped in the red house and live under the illusion that they managed to get out of there and live a normal life.

OK I stop.

[zukosdualdao]

Im glad to read the takes of a fellow zuko stan :)

Honestly, it feels like people just hate on him way too much lately. The posts ive seen on twitter, on tik tok, on tumblr... Do people just not like him anymore? Why did everyone turn against him so suddenly? I've been hoping it's something temporary, just a trend, but. I don't know anymore. People mock his disability, spit on his trauma, wish death on him and interpret everything he says or does in the worst possible way. I saw someone crying about how entitled he was because he took aang's seat when watching the play just the other day lmao. Another person wrote about how mysoginistic he was because he didn't remember katara's name when asking about kya's death to sokka? There are those who even call him a colonizer on the same level as iroh lmao. It seems their justifications for all the salt they throw his way are along the lines of "he's been loved for too long, aang stans have suffered way more, people just watched the show again and realized how bad he actually was, he's catching strays since his fans keep setting him up, his fans paint him as perfect and erase every bad thing he's done" etc etc. I'm all for criticism and deeper character analysis, but this is just said in bad faith. I also think it has a bit to do with how different engagement has become in fandom spaces recently (things people support in fiction need to be morally correct) and well, zuko was the perfect target. He's done bad things, sides with the villains for a good portion of the series, redeems himself but there are things he still has to work on... I don't know, it's been getting to me. There are many other harsh things ive read said about him (like implying how every single member of the gaang hates even after redeeming himself), but i honestly don't have the energy to delve into each and every one. His arc was poorly executed and his development was badly written now, apparently. I kind of just ranted here, i apologize. Im very happy to read the posts of someone who genuinely likes him and doesnt throw him under the bus to defend or elevate other characters...

hi! i'm glad you're enjoying my blog <3 and no need to apologize for the rant, i'm always happy to talk about zuko!

about to theorize a bit as to why it seems like maybe zuko has become a more contentious character, but it should be noted i have not been exceptionally, actively involved in the fandom very long. i loved atla as a kid, have retained fond memories, have witnessed some discourse from the fringes over the years, but only recently has it overtaken my brain to the point of making a whole blog about it. lol. so, like, grain of salt, etc.

i think a big part of it is what you said - in the last few years of fandom in particular, it feels like there has been a huge upswing in purity culture, moralizing liking/not liking certain ships or characters, and an overall increase in very black-and-white thinking. there's also an emphasis on "holding people accountable" (good in theory), often without specifying what, exactly, that looks like (less good). the idea then becomes that if you've done harmful things, there's no way you can ever make up for them and should just, like, hate yourself for all eternity and also die, probably, which is not actually helpful to anyone.

so, i think for those who ascribe to that mindset, zuko is a prime candidate for them to criticize. and while there's nothing wrong with criticizing a character or their arc or writing if you truly have a problem with it, as you've said, a lot of the time, criticisms against zuko don't seem to be made in very good faith. after all, a big part of zuko's arc is having to unlearn some very black-and-white thinking. also, zuko is not a real person. he is a character, and therefore a narrative tool, and if we want him to be 'held accountable', we need look no further than the story itself, in which he is probably the character the narrative holds the most accountable for his actions due to his prior status as a villain.

(it reminds me a bit, actually, of another favorite character of mine: alec in the tv series shadowhunters. he starts out the story already in a heroic role, unlike zuko, but a big part of his narrative is unlearning some prejudiced cultural mindsets and challenging not only his previous ideologies, but his conception of himself and the people in his life as well. as a result, alec can look sometimes more obviously flawed than the other main cast, but the point is that the narrative asks him to examine those flaws and change and introspect and grow in a way that it doesn't always ask of other characters when they are showcasing their own flaws. which does make me thing about zuko vs. aang in the atla narrative.)

the other thing i think is contributing to zuko's more contentious status in the fandom is how long atla's been in the cultural consciousness, and how common it is for things that used to be popular to cycle through to people starting to criticize or actively hate it to people saying "no, actually, it's still pretty good, you just don't want to like a popular thing" (this is me rn), to maybe eventually getting popular again/at least in certain subsects of the audience. zuko was probably one of the most talked-about aspects of atla for a long time, and while i can understand how that could get frustrating (because there are some other really great characters and aspects of the story!), that's not, like, for no reason. people connected with and admired his story for a reason, and many still do, and (in my humble opinion) that is because it is one of the most thought-out, intentional, and nuanced character arcs of the show.

the ableism, i think, really gets to me because like... even if every criticism from the people who hate him were 100% accurate and said in good faith (they're not, but let's pretend for a minute)... that still wouldn't be an excuse for ableism against a character with a prominent facial difference (or making fun of abuse survivors for the permanent injuries they sustain from abuse.) if zuko had never redeemed himself and stayed a villain, it would still be wrong to talk about his scar and abuse the way some of his detractors do. and the show agrees with me! you know how i know? the only two characters to ever make fun of zuko's scar are villains in the narrative: zhao and azula. ("make fun of" might not be quite right for zhao, since what he said - "you have the scar to prove it" - is far more matter-of-fact than azula imitating him by covering her eye or "make sure they get your good side", but he's absolutely being a huge jerk about it.) other characters react to zuko's scar in all sorts of different ways, even when he's still in a villain/antagonist/anti-hero role: zuko's crew is horrified to learn how he got the scar, song sees a point of connection and tries to reach out to him, but, while i think well-intentioned, she breaks a major boundary by trying to touch his scar when he hasn't conveyed he's okay with that, jet makes assumptions about his background because of it, lee, the kid from zuko alone, asks with curious, childish naivete how he got it, only for his father to reprimand him for asking, aang reacts with annoyance/boredom to azula's ableist joke, and katara trips over her words to correct him when zuko thinks she's essentially calling him "scary to look at". not all of these interactions are positive, but the characters (all of whom are written as pretty sympathetic, even if also flawed) aren't outright trying to make fun of him for it, and the narrative never implies he deserves to be treated as less than because of it, even before his redemption.

anyway. if people don't believe in characters' (and, hell, irl people's) capacity for growth and change and don't want to have nuanced discussions about how trauma can impact these things, i mean... that's their prerogative, but i don't understand why they enjoy the show, because those are big parts of it (and not just wrt zuko.)

i know it can be frustrating, anon— trust me, i get very frustrated. but i promise you, there are plenty of people out there who a) still love zuko and his story and b) are capable of and willing to talk about things with nuance and in good faith. i'm happy to be part of that corner of fandom, and i bet you can manage to carve out a space where more people like that exist, too! <3

[yume127]

Roxas & Ven:

🌑 Fears — how open are they about their fears? who's the bravest? do they ever help one another conquer their fears?

How open are they about their fears?

Ventus is generally more open about his fears compared to Roxas. Roxas has a hard time talking about his fears, because of the many times his emotions had been invalidated in the past, and because of that he feels he has to put up a cool front and deal with them on his own.

Ventus opens up with Roxas about his fears first. He talks to him about his fear of sleeping; he’s afraid he won’t be able to wake up anymore, or that when he wakes up everything around him has changed. Another big fear of Ven is losing his friends, or that something bad may happen to them and he’d be unable to protect them.

Roxas can relate to Ventus’ fears, and hearing Ventus talk about them with him makes him feel comfortable to open up with Ven, too. Losing his friends was one of his biggest fears when he was in the Organization, and it has only gotten worse after seeing his best friends disappear in front of him. And, while he doesn’t fear sleep like Ven does, he can relate to him in the sense that Roxas, too, has to deal with the scars from what happened to him in the past.

Now, this may change when Ven’s past memories start resurfacing, because what happened was so scarring, I think it may be hard for him to open up about it. Those memories scare him a lot, and he struggles to talk about them out of fear that Roxas would see him differently. Roxas notices that something is bothering Ven and, even if Ventus refuses to talk about it, Roxas makes sure Ventus knows he’ll always be there for him when he needs him (and he will keep his word when Ven will eventually open up with him).

Who's the bravest?

I’d say they’re both pretty brave.

Roxas faces his fears. Not necessarily because he wants to, but because he doesn’t think he has any other option. His fears follow him during his everyday life, especially when he’s in Twilight Town. Memories from Data Twilight Town constantly creep into his mind, and sometimes he gets really scared that the life he is experiencing may turn out to be all a lie again. Especially with him struggling to speak about it with his friends, he forces himself to tag along even when his friends want to do something that makes him uncomfortable (like investigating the seven wonders, or playing struggle).

As I said before, Ventus struggles the most with memories from his past and what they may entail for him, so for a long time he tries to hide them from everyone, because too scared to face them. He needs time before he’s able to talk about them and accept them, but, after that, he’ll try to delve deeper into them and do everything he can to make things right for Strelitzia, Lauriam and everyone else. I see him as the type of person who’s able to push aside his own fears and worries if he believes it can help his friends and, even if Ven himself was a victim of the situation, he still feels guilty and responsible for what happened to Strelitzia, so he wants to help as much as he can.

Do they ever help one another conquer their fears?

Yes! Roxas helps Ventus find ways that make it easier for him to sleep at night, reassuring him that he won’t allow him to stay asleep for too long. If Ven is having a hard time sleeping or is having nightmares, Roxas will stay up with him on the gummiphone and, sometimes, even sneak into the Land of Departure late at night just to keep Ven company and reassure him until he eventually falls asleep. He's also by Ven's side and supports him when Ven finally decided he's ready to face his past.

Ventus is always very supportive, and helps Roxas feel more comfortable sharing his fears with him, because he doesn’t want him to have to face them alone. Every time Roxas struggles to understand if what’s around him is real or not, Ventus is ready to ground him back to reality, reminding him that his life is real and what he experienced in Data Twilight Town won’t happen again. He’s also the one who reminds Roxas that he doesn’t have to do things that remind him too much of data Twilight Town if he doesn’t feel ready, and reassures him there’s no shame in having these fears after what he went through.

[yepperoniro]

Yandere Senjuro Rengoku Gemstone Prompts.

[Romatic! Aged Up AU!]

Art not mine...

Alexandrite- what brings the yandere the most joy?

It depends on if it's their earlier days Pre-Kyojuro's death or post. If it is before his death, Senjuro's favorite thing was to spend his time watching you train, eat, and goof off with him and/or his big brother. His favorite thing is your smile. If it is post Mugen Train Arc... His favorite thing is you playing along with his delusions. Aka, call him Kyojuro, tell him you're proud that he gave up on being a Demon Slayer so he could spend time with his wife and father. Never ever ever bring up the reality that he isn't Kyojuro and Kyojuro is dead, Ever.

Angelite- how calm is the yandere and what aggravates them?

Senjuro is a worshiper type yandere and very calm due to this.

However, after Kyojuro Dies he spirls down into a slew of delusions. He changes from your calm and very manageable yandere to an overly protective and possessive yandere solely due to his delusions. As everyone is trying to yank him from his created happy world.

In this happy little fantasy world he created. He is Kyojuro, and he fell in love with his tsugoku Y/N. However after realizing that while they're in the Demon Slayer Corp they couldn't be together the two of them decided to retire early get married and begin there own family while watching over his alcoholic father. Where is Senjuro in his own little delusions? Good question! Bringing up Senjuro usually will cause him to spiral into aggression and confusion.

Aventurine- does the yandere's plans run smoothly or are there obstacles that get in the way?

Hahaha hahaha yeah no. His entire plan was completely uprooted and completely altered/removed once Kyojuro died. His whole plan was to watch from the side-lines as his brother, whom he put on this god level pedestal, marry and have children with a woman he also put on that same level of pedestal. So once his brother died, his psych was afraid of losing two gods instead of just one. It began with him being consciously aware that he wasn't actually Kyojuro and only acting like him to keep you from leaving him. But it delved deeper. Until where it is now...

Black Tourmaline- does the yandere want to protect darling or harm them?

Senjuro wants more than anything to protect you but he knows he isn't going to be able to with him not being able to do Flame Breathing nor wield a sword like his brother could. 'Kyojuro' is the same wanting to protect you from everything in the world. But the difference is that 'Kyojuro' is strong enough to do so. [How is this possible physically? Well it was inside him all along. The real Kyojuro would almost be proud.] 'Kyojuro' isn't above corporal punishments. Keep bring up Senjuro or keep trying to pull him from his delusions and expect to be bent over his lap and spanked with his belt.

Blue Lace Agate- how truthful is the yandere?

To a man who doesn't even know where the real world begins and his fantasies end I don't know if he is able to be truthful. Simply because he doesn't know what is truthful. However 'Kyojuro' will always tell you how he feels about every little microscopic thing. The scary bits of his identity crisis is that he swears up and down to having memories he physically can't have [because the didnt exist]. Such as remembering when his mother went through Kankagari and she had problems with bloody noeses.

Carnelian- how does the yandere deal with their darlings strong will?

Which ones is stronger his delusions or her will? If it's the later he might not know what to do and go to his father for advice. Who honestly has no idea what his son is talking about and blow him off. He might try to reach out to the 'other' Hashira's for advice but none of them humor the crazy ramblings of the young man. After no one offering him advice he might whip out his hidden trump card drugs. When 'Kyojuro' was Senjuro he took care of any wounds his brother would get as well as taking care of his own. He also took multiple months of Kakushi/EMT training courses. In a drugged out state Y/N definitely won't put up as much of a fight about 'Kyojuro''s presence.

Charoite- how does the yandere learn more about darling?

Senjuro just asks. "Y/N, I am going to begin cooking lunch for you and brother what is your favorite foods?" "Hey, Y/N, What Is your favorite color? I'm just curious is all... no reason!" "Y/N-san, do you have any siblings? I'm just curious I'm sorry!"

The worst part of it is that before Kyojuro's Death he was very blind to his brothers strangeness/noesiness. "Senjuro is annoying you with questions you say? I apologize my brother is a naturally curious boy I'm sure he ment no harm."

How does 'Kyojuro' know so much about you? "A husband should know his wife like the back of his hand." Honsetly he doesn't even know...

Chrysoprase- how does the yandere deal with heartbreak?

He is delusional! De-lu-sion-allll!!! You can't reject him because your rejection won't sink in, and he will probably spank you for attempts to reject his reality. "A wife shouldn't speak like that to her husband." If you run away from him... he'll blanket burrito and scream for hours until his vocal cords are destroyed. Then he'll hit the bottle... but he is doinging because in his delusional reality, you were killed by a demon... he would say he is ashamed he a former Hashira allowed a Demon to take his darling wife from him. So no, he isn't going back to being Senjuro just because you're gone... if he saw you after he had already come to the conclusion you were dead. He would just start screaming and holding his head as he was trying to contemplate how this would have happened. He would either come to the conclusion that you are a ghost and he had to join you in the afterlife. Or the conclusion that you are a Demon, he would report it to the Slayer Corps, then commit Seppuku because as a hashira, he let his wife become a demon. who wouldn't even come out to investigate because they see Senjuro as the boy who cried wolf. If you got sick and died... and he watched you die he would just like the other scenario to become an alcoholic. If you two have children... you might notice that he is reliving his life through his son...

Diamond- what does the yandere want from their ideal darling?

Her Obedience. Her Love. Her Loyalty. Her Devotion. Her Smile.

Emerald- how does the yandere show their love?

His love language is physical affection and verbal affection. He also is big into gift giving but he doesn't have the former Hashira pension that his father has or brother would have. He doesn't really question why he doesn't have the money he thinks he should have because he assumes that due to his early retirement dequalified him for it.

Garnet- what is the yandere's ideal future with darling?

He wants the American Dream. He believes he is a retired hero who deserves an obedience and beautiful loving wife and two children.

Kunzite- is the yandere's motivations love, lust or something else?

Love and Delusions.

Lapis Lazuli- is the yandere controling or manipulative?

He is as controlling as one would expect from a man from the 1912/1920's. He doesn't mean to be manipulative... he's too Delusional for that...

Moonstone- are there things that the yandere will hide from darling at all costs?

So... don't judge him, but... when Kyojuro first died, Senjuro began eating and feeding you his ashes... also, the gem in your wedding ring is actually him.... oh, and that glass Olisbos he uses on you when you're being sexually punished. Yeah, that's actually.... /he even made a tasteless joke about it. While spanking you he puts the Olisbos in your womanhood while saying, "No no no y/n Kyojuro isn't gone. Actually he's closer to you than he's ever been."

Opal- what makes the yandere tick?

Calling him Senjuro. Telling him he isn't Kyojuro. That Kyojuro is gone. You don't love him. He'd get angry and spank you.

Sapphire- does the yandere believe that they are the one that darling should praise or do the believe that darling deserves theirs?

Senjuro is a worshiper. But 'Kyojuro' wants to be praised not worshipped. But like head pats and snuggles. He wants you to thank him for giving up his position as Hashira to br with you.

Rhodonite- does the yandere want kids and would they force darling into having them?

Absolutely! At least Two. Would upsettedly settle with one but wants two or more. As for force... that's complicated. Because it is the 1912/1920's. And common idea is that a wife is the property of her husband. So yeah he does force himself on you but no he doesn't see it as a bad thing because it's what wife's do for their husband's. Also he is naming his son Senjuro. No matter if you give birth to a Male or a Female...

Unakite- does the yandere have a point of no return or will they eventually realize how dire the consequences of their actions?

See the heartbroken response.

[breaniebree]

SNEAK PEEK!

Chapter 20 -- The One With the Interrogation

When Harry hesitated near the door, McCraight raised an eyebrow.

“Is something the matter?”

“Are you going to clear me to work?”

McCraight gave him a pointed look and gestured to the chair.  “Unless there’s a reason that you think I shouldn’t, I can’t imagine not doing so.  Have a seat, Harry.”

Harry reluctantly moved to the chair to take a seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

McCraight stared at him for moment, eyeing his rather negative stance before he spoke.  “I’ve been kept informed on the case by Robards and I understand that you’ve had quite an eventful week.”

“You could say that,” he admitted.

McCraight pursed his lips.  “All right, Harry, why don’t you give me your report of what’s happened?”

Giving it in a report seemed easier and he was grateful to McCraight for opening the door that way.  He started from the meeting with the Arcanums and filled him in on everything that had happened from working with the Department of Mysteries, to partnering with a Reaper, to meeting Sirius and fighting him, to giving him back his soul, and to everything that had happened since.  At one point, he found tears running down his cheeks, but he didn’t stop speaking.  When he finally finished, McCraight gave him a small smile.

“I’m proud of you.”

“What?”  Harry exclaimed, baffled.  “Why?”

“Because you finally let it go,” McCraight said.  “That day in the living room with the two men who raised you, you finally let it all go, Harry.  You let all of your emotions out in one of the healthiest ways possible: Crying; not only talking about it, but really feeling.  Not everyone is capable of doing that and I have to say, the fact that you finally did is a huge accomplishment.  I was beginning to wonder if you were going to crack.”

“Crack?”

“Yes.  Go round the bend.  It’s a lot that you’ve been dealing with.  More than anyone should have to.”

Harry swallowed.  “I feel… better.  I mean, I’m still worried about Zee and terrified that I’m going to lose her, but I feel… I don’t know.  I just feel less stressed over it all.  Having Uncle Sirius back and having him and Uncle Remus by my side is just… I feel lighter.”

“That’s good,” McCraight said.  “It’s a good sign, but it also goes to show that you have a lot of healing left to do.  I hope that now that you’ve finally come down from that mountain you were hiding behind, we can delve deeper into that healing.”

“How do we do that?”  Harry asked.

McCraight smiled.  “We keep talking.  But in the meantime, I see no reason why you can’t keep working.  You’ve a strong mind, Harry, and I personally think that you will benefit from staying busy.  I believe that working the case is the best thing for you.  I think we can both agree that taking away this investigation wouldn’t help you heal, but most likely hinder the progress you’ve already made.  However, I would like to see you every other day for the next little while just to keep checking in.”

“But I can go back to work?”

“Yes,” McCraight said, his lips curving.  “You can go back to work.”

Harry grinned and jumped to his feet.  “Great!  Thank you!”

McCraight chuckled.  “Hold your hippogriffs, we’re not done today just yet.”

Harry bit his lip and sat back down.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean… thank you.”

“I know you’re anxious to get back to the case and start the interrogation of Brambilla and I can’t say I blame you, but there is one thing I would like to tackle with you today if we can.”

Harry only stared at him, not sure what McCraight wanted to focus on.

“I want to talk about the fact that Sirius Black attempted to strangle you.  According the report, you lost consciousness and your heart stopped beating in that moment until he performed a life saving measure on you to bring you back.”

Harry shrugged.  “It was fine.  I mean, it was barely a minute.  It’s not the first time.”

“That is exactly what I want to discuss,” he said.  “Most people cannot claim to have died more than once, Harry.”

He sighed.  “I know it’s not something to talk light about, but to me it’s just… I don’t know, normal?”

“Normal how?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted.  “All my life I’ve been working on trying to stay off of Voldemort’s radar.  I knew he was… hunting me in some capacity and I guess knowing that I was the only known survivor of the killing curse made it easier to believe that I’m invincible in some way.”

“No one is invincible, Harry.  Even Voldemort with all of his attempts at chasing immortality was ultimately killed by your hand.  Death comes for us all one way or another.”

“It’s not that I think I’m invincible, not really,” Harry said, trying to make sense of his thoughts.  “It’s just… I know what’s important and if giving my life to save someone else’s helps…”

McCraight nodded.  “Noble.  It’s one of your strongest characteristics and one of your weakest traits, is it not?”

“Yeah,” he admitted.  

“How many times have you died, Harry?”

Harry frowned.  “Like officially or…?”

McCraight lifted an eyebrow.  “We’ll get back to the fact that that’s even a question.  Let’s talk officially.”

Harry let out a long sigh.  “Well, I guess the first time was when Uncle Sirius figured out how to remove the Horcrux that was stuck in my scar.”

“How did they do that?”

“I went to Greece,” Harry began.  “An old friend of Uncle Sirius’ married this really smart neuro-healer and he studied scans of my brain and figured out how to remove the soul piece.  It was really difficult magic and it took hours.  It was risky, too.  I remember Xander explained it to me.  He said the Horcrux had attached itself to the threads of my brain, like a parasite or something and it was feeding off of me in some way.  It was an extremely difficult procedure as they had to not threaten the Horcrux or cause it to wake up and lash out at them.  They had to slowly unstitch each piece like a knot that had to be untied.”

“You were unconscious?”

“Yeah,” Harry said.  “At first.  The more he worked, I woke up a little, struggled against the hold and well… I don’t remember much, but I started seizing and my heart stopped.  It was only for a minute or something and then I was okay and in a coma for a bit while my body rested from the operation.”

“And how did you feel when you’d come to and realized that you died?”

“Fine,” Harry said.  “Honestly the whole dying thing was barely a blip to me because I was so happy that the Horcrux was gone.  Everyone else was more concerned over my heart stopping than I was.”

“Flippant.”

“Huh?”

“You're rather flippant over your death.”

“I don’t mean to be,” Harry said.  “It’s just that removing the piece of Voldemort that he left in my scar when he murdered my parents was all that mattered to me.  I finally felt… free in a way that I hadn’t realized I wasn’t before.  Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, Zee, Tonks, and I… we spoke a lot about it in detail before the procedure.  I knew there was a possibility of me dying and as scared as I was, I knew that another part of Voldemort would be destroyed and that was all that really mattered, you know?  I didn’t want to die, but if I’m honest, I think part of me knew that I wouldn’t.  I just… I knew that my dads would make sure that I came through it, no matter what.  Maybe it’s because I was barely fifteen at the time, I don’t know.  I just… I didn’t really believe I was going to die even if I was terrified I would.  Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” McCraight said.  “You courted death a second time less than a week ago.  You let yourself die with intention in order to track down Sirius Black’s soul.”

“Yes,” Harry said.  “I knew that wasn’t permanent though.  I mean, I knew it wouldn’t be a real death.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t real?  Your heart stopped beating that qualifies as a death, Harry.”

“Well, yeah,” Harry admitted.  “But I knew that I wouldn’t stay dead.  I had people qualified to make sure I didn’t die on standby.”

McCraight pursed his lips.  “But you were aware that there was still a very strong possibility that you couldn’t be brought back once your heart stopped beating?  Just because it was possible didn’t make it a guarantee.”

Harry shrugged.  “I tried to stay positive, ergo, I’d survive.”

“That’s not how it works, Harry.”

“Maybe not.  But it works for me.  I knew that I had to come back with Sirius’ soul and I wasn’t willing to come back without it.  I’m stubborn when I want to be, Auden, and therefore I knew it was going to be all right.”

“And when you did give him back his soul and he had his hands wrapped around your throat?”

Harry hesitated before he spoke.  “I thought he was going to die.  I thought returning him his soul would end his life which meant that he couldn’t hurt me.  When I blacked out, I thought I’d just lost consciousness.  I didn’t know I had actually died until after.  I thought I just stopped breathing for a minute.”

“Not breathing is usually considered a sign of death, Harry.”

“I’m still here,” he said.  “Maybe it’s a state of mind; maybe it is that some part of me does think I’m invincible because I grew up with the ridiculous moniker of The Boy Who Lived.  I don’t honestly know.  What I do know is that I don’t want to die.  I want to live a long life with the woman I love and have a family.  I want my dads to be around as long as I can have them and I want Zee to be there too.  I’m tired of losing people I love just because they love me.”

McCraight nodded.  “And that’s something that I want to talk about next time I see you.  Those you lose aren’t dying because they love you, Harry.  The love they have for you has nothing to do with their own mortality.”

“No,” Harry agreed.  “It just makes their mortality all the more clear.  I’ll see you in two days.”

McCraight called his name when he reached the door.  “Keep your mind clear, Harry.  We have a lot to discuss.”

Harry thanked him again and hurried out of his office feeling a bit more focused, even if a little off after that deep discussion.  Putting it into perspective like that, he realized he had died three times.  Sirius had brought him back at the end bringing it full circle.  Harry had saved Sirius for Sirius to save Harry.  It was oddly poetic in a way.  He shook the thoughts from his mind, remembering the mind healer’s words about keeping his mind clear.  If McCraight had cleared him to work, he wanted a chance to talk to Brambilla and he needed a clear mind to do so.  He needed to know what the hell was going on inside that woman’s head and he needed to know about the spell she used on Zee.  If people who loved him tended to die, he was going to do everything he could to make sure that his mother wasn’t another name on that list.  

After all, if Slughorn and Borage’s calculations were correct, they only had a handful of weeks left before they were out of time.

Harry wasn’t about to let that time run out.

[notmoreflippingelves]

I'm biased as heck and I'm gonna go with one of my faves - how about 18, 22 and 25 for Francisco from EoA and a freebie question - thoughts on his relationship with Esteban pre and post series?

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

It gets much less screen time/focus than his relationship with the other characters, but Francisco's relationship with Isabel is very underrated and one of my favorites to watch. It's especially poignant and striking as Francisco is the oldest of the main characters, and Isabel is the youngest--but there is still so much understanding and affection between them. And the two of them have such similar personalities.

I feel like they are probably the most alike of all the Flores family members. Both are quieter and relatively even tempered (or at least compared to the rest of the family who are much more talkative and hot-headed), sensitive, creative/artistic. I'd also say that they are the two "wisest" members of the family and the most open-minded. (Though of course, they do have their very stubborn moments as well!)

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

Honestly, I don't think I've read a ton of Francisco fic, but not really sure that there's a ton out there. But I do enjoy the little I see of him as a background character in other fics. In terms of an aspect that I like (and would love to see more of), I really enjoy seeing focus on his relationships with Isabel and Esteban. Much of the Francisco content that we see in the show itself is understandably focused on his relationships with Luisa and Elena, so it's always nice to see fanwork delve deeper into his dynamics with the other members of his family. I've already talked a bit about his relationship with Isabel and I will talk more in another question about his relationship with Esteban. But yeah, these are really rich, underrated dynamics that have so much wonderful potential to be explored.

As for something I don't like, I read a fic once where Francisco died the day after "Coronation Day," and he sort of knew that it was going to be his last day, which gave him a bit of an extra vitality on the day itself. And just...it made me too sad. Plus, like Esteban was just finally reintegrated into the family again, Elena just ascended the throne. There's so much going on in Francisco's life at the end of the series that he should be there for. Yeah, I get that he's older and he might not be in the best of health (especially given his sweet tooth). But no, in my mind, all the characters (except Shuriki, lol) are functionally immortal for the foreseeable future.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I liked Francisco reasonably well from the start, and I like him even better now. I find him a nice, calming presence for the Flores family. He gets a long reasonably well with everyone and is able to provide some very sweet moments as well as a little bit of humor.

26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!-- thoughts on his relationship with Esteban pre and post series?

While we really don't get to see all that much of it, I feel that Francisco's relationship with Esteban was very, very good-- pre-series, during the main timeline of the show, and post-series alike. In fact, I feel like I would go so far as to say that it's probably one of (if not THE) most positive relationship in Esteban's life. Esteban was around 8-9, when he was orphaned, so he likely remembers very little about his actual father. Instead, Francisco was the fatherly presence guiding Esteban through the struggles of adolescence.

He would've been the one who taught Esteban everything he knows about being a man. He would have been the one to teach him how to tie his cravat and how to shave. (My headcanon is that adult!Esteban decided to grow out his beard and mustache during the Dark Times specifically as a way of honoring his absent abuelo who has his own impressive facial hair). He was probably also the one to teach Esteban how to play the guitar and the one we see in "Secret of Avalor" may even have been a gift from him. (Shame that Shuriki probably had it destroyed at the end of the scene).

And the little hints that we see of their relationship in the main series suggest that the relationship continues to be strong. During Esteban's trial, Francisco is the only one to vote in his favor. His line about judging Esteban not for the mistakes of his past but the man he has become in the present--suggest that in Francisco's view, Esteban has become a man that he is proud of and one that is already worthy of forgiveness/a second chance. As a lonely, love-starved, fatherless boy, Esteban probably worshipped Francisco when he was a child, and so to hear that --even knowing Esteban's greatest mistake--Francisco is still proud of what he's become must have been so validating for Esteban as an adult. That's all he's ever wanted: to be a great man, a true son of Avalor just like his abuelo. Too bad Luisa then totally crushes Esteban's heart immediately afterwards.

I am also very struck by the throne room scene with Francisco, Luisa, and Cahu in "Coronation Day." While Luisa has the flashier role in the scene and the more powerful lines, I'd argue that Francisco is actually the one who ultimately inspires Esteban's decision to sacrifice himself for Elena.

Esteban watches Francisco call for a sword to defend Luisa from Cahu, hears Francisco ask him "why are you doing this, Esteban?" because Francisco still cares enough about him to want to understand. Esteban knows that Francisco is the kind of man that he himself has always wanted to be, the man that he should be. The man that maybe he still could be if only he had just one more chance. And then he does get that chance, and he's finally able to do exactly what Francisco would do--sacrifice himself to save his family.

I also have a lot of feelings about how the last interaction we see between the two of them on the show is at the end of Esteban's sacrifice-redemption-and-resurrection scene. We see Francisco place a hand on Esteban's shoulder as the scene fades to black.

[acourtofthought]

I recently saw an Elriel post where, I guess the person was trying to have a gochta moment because they were saying things like, "If Eluciens and Gwynriels are SO confident in their ship, why do they bother trying to argue with us? It makes them look REALLY insecure."

There's arguing on both sides.

I've seen Gwynriels and Eluciens make convincing post, defending their ships and providing evidence on why they hope they're right. I've also seen Elriels come onto those posts and start arguments.

I've also seen some valid Elriel posts defending the ship and some evidence supporting it. Only for some Elucien or Gwynriel to come into the post and begin arguing.

No side in this ship war is guiltless of engaging in debates and arguments or just straight-up insulting others. Now, does everyone in this fandom do that? No, but it does happen, and it's clearly happening on all sides, so why even try acting like your side is spotless when none of us can claim that?

And honestly, from everything I've seen recently, EVERYONE is getting a little insecure in their ships, but that's kinda what happens when we're all anxiously waiting for a new book announcement. We want new content, and we're not getting it, so we're delving deeper into the fandom, and tensions are rising. That's normal when you have a large, divided fandom with nothing for us to focus on.

I agree with everything you've said. To your first points, it does go both ways. If they were so confident in their ship the other side wouldn't be sending threats to the author or Bloomsbury. They wouldn't need to theorize that Gwyn was evil, that Lucien's character will be killed off, that he's harassing Elain, etc. They wouldn't need to twist canon until it's unrecognizable if they were so confident in their ship. And they wouldn't need to send hate anons to Eluciens and Gwynriels Elucien's and Gwynriels often engage because they see certain E/riels making things up in an effort to claim their ship is happening, they see them distorting facts and spreading misinformation. To this day I still see the argument that Elain's scent is Jasmine, proof that she'll end up staying in the NC because it's a NC flower, while completely ignoring that Jasmine was first mentioned in book 1 while Feyre was in Spring. They ignore that the author said her scent was Jasmine and HONEY, a "promise of Spring". If E/riels were so confident in their ship why do they have to eliminate canon text? Why do they pick and choose and pretend the rest didn't happen? To this day I still see that Az is Elain's choice despite the fact that she returned his necklace and didn't interact with him on page for months and months after. Maybe it would be easy for Gwynriels and Eluciens to ignore some of that until the other side begins to write posts like "Elucien's and Gwynriels are delusional for thinking their ship will happen". E/riels shouldn't be calling names and throwing down challenges then act surprised when we engage. To your second point, you're 100% right on that too. I think most are not as confident as they pretend to be and I include myself in that. I debate, I present my arguments and I think I do a well enough job but I am not certain of anything. We have very little to go on and are at the mercy of SJM which means only she knows what's actually going to happen. We've all spent years writing posts and creating content and the closer we get to knowing whether we've been right or wrong all this time is creating more stress than usual.