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iiitsnotbase · 3 months

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Iyengar and the Portrayal of Class and Power in her Games.

Since its origin in 1974, Dungeons and Dragons has been used to tell multiple types of stories, all depending on the players at the table and the dungeon master at the head of it. Most of these games (and other Tabletop roleplaying games, of course) tend to have a central theme in common, which is the theme of power. Whether that be a power over the world, for example, a king or nobility or dragon terrorising the nation, or the gods having power, or anything in between those, power always comes into play. Especially when it is commonly argued that one person at those tables, the dungeon master, or the game master, has the majority of the power over the table (excluding dice rolls, obviously. Dice rolls are left to the whims of fate.).

There is one Game Master who portrays power in not only her games, but her characters, and she portrays it well. Though at times the way she portrays this power is often subtle and un-noticed, it is there; As intrinsic to her characters as the fact that they are alive, as threaded into the worlds she builds as the people (or even stoats!) that live in them. The way is not too heavy-handed, but it is not so subtle that you cannot see it, it is a delicate balance that she always manages to strike. I am of course talking about the Game Master of (most recently, at the very least) Candela Obscura; Tide and Bone, Aabria Iyengar. Though Candela Obscura is her most recent project (as of writing, 30/2/24), she is also known for her work on Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers, Burrows End, The Ravening War, Pirates of Leviathan, and Misfits and Magic, as well as her appearances on Critical Role and being a main cast member of World Beyond Number. She is also widely regarded in all of these fandom spaces as (jokingly) ‘One of our own’, due to her frequent appearance on fanblogs. This is also sometimes colloquially referred to as ‘getting Quiddied’. Although Iyengar’s portrayal of power is always there, it is never more obvious than in Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers.

Whatever you are imagining for A Court Of Fey and Flowers, times it by 10, add much more court drama, secrets, espionage, and one single, drugged-up, horny Grandfather who is all the worst parts of birds, and you might have something somewhat close. The table for this season of Dimension 20 includes frequently famous fliers (bird pun fully intended) such as Emily Axford (Lady Chirp Featherfowl), Brennan Lee Mulligan (Captain K.P. Hob), and Lou Willson (Lord Squak Airavis), as well as newcomers such as Surena Marie (Gwyndolin Thistle-Hop/BINX Choppley), Oscar Montoya (Delloso de la Rue), and Omar Najam (Prince Andhera), with Aabria Iyengar at the head of it, controlling all of their fae fuckery (both literal and metaphorical).

A Court of Fey and Flowers is Bridgerton on steroids, with magic and dice and eating feathers, and it is exactly as insanely wonderful as you think it would be. Interwoven with the romance inherent to the regency genre (BINX/Prince Andhera and Delloso de la Rue/K.P. Hob), there are themes of class and social standing, not only among the general population of the courts, but among their peers. This is there right from the beginning, in fact, as across the series illegitimate marriages, secret engagements, and whole secret children are revealed. Being the Game Master of this season, Iyengar portrays these struggles with a gentle touch and an ice-cold grip, never letting you forget that they are there, waiting to be shown, in the background.

In the very first scene we have with Axford and Wilson’s characters, we learn both must marry for power, which tips many off to the way this society works. Their Grandfather (portrayed by Iyengar), demands they marry for power. This move, on Iyengar’s part, is a masterful portal of class, and hints at the social standing the characters have in the show. Unlike every other character mentioned, these two do not belong to a court. The implications of needing to marry well so they are not tarnished and banished from future social events do not go unnoticed by the players or the audience. Axford and Wilson would both later go on to reveal their already secured, entirely inappropriate matches, and cause many issues for their Grandfather.

Another, darker moment of power is the power that the parents have over their children in this world. ‘Parents’ is a strong word for what some of these relationships are, ‘maternal’ being an even stronger word, so we will, for the purposes of this essay, say they are the people who watched over these characters as they grew and now hold power over them. Starting with the positive parental relationships, Marie’s character is shown to have a very unique relationship with their parents and family.

Unique in the fact that they are dead, and still holding power over her (in a somewhat positive way). Marie’s character’s grief spurs her to action on multiple occasions, at one point almost causing the end of her life through a power more powerful than grief. This is also down to Marie’s performance as BINX, her grief is interwoven with her character, holding court on her seat with her. Iyengar, several times, uses the care Marie’s character shows to her old family against her; Particularly in Episode 10, when she brandished a weapon for the first time against Najam’s Characters sister. The scene is incredibly impactful, as Iyengar cuts across to use the moment BINX (Marie) removes Andhera’s (Najam’s) shard to show Suntar (Andhera’s sister, Iyengar) losing the little power she had over Najam’s Character.

Though Suntar is not the only person who held power over Najam’s character, his Mother, the Queen of Air and Darkness (again, Iyengar) is shown to terrify them. In fact, the power The Queen holds over her son is so deeply rooted into his character, it is a part of his design, a shard shoved into his neck that rains on him when he gets upset, or any strong emotion. This allows Iyengar to offer reminders to the cast, even when Najam is portraying the emotions, that there is always someone more powerful than the main six out there, waiting. This impact is made even heavier by the fact Najam plays one of the most powerful characters at the table himself, a Prince of a court that is widely well known and highly regarded. There is a case to be made about how he might play the most powerful character at the table, because while Marie’s Character is the leader of their court, that court is diminished, and Montoya’s character still answers to other people.

Speaking of Montoya’s character answering to other people, The Chorus are some of the most prominent threats despite never being explicitly stated as villains (like characters such as Prince Apollo (Iyengar) are). They run one of the most powerful courts, The Court of Wonder, and help put together the entire event the story takes place in, The Bloom. The power they have over Montoya’s Character (Delloso de la Rue) is never unnoticed. It is integral to the character, given that they wore a glamour (a magical illusion to make them look like a green-skinned elf) every single day, to hide the fact they really are an owlbear, which are typically considered monsters. The Chorus only really exert their power once in a threatening way, but just because something is not said does not mean it is not felt. For example, Wuvvy (Iyengar) is a member of the Court of Wonder, and although she is Delloso de la Rue’s assistant, she is still a member of the Court of Wonder, which means she also answers directly to The Chorus if she is asked. Though all the examples mentioned so far are subtle in their power, one court likes people to know they have power, perhaps because the people in it are so very tiny.

Mulligan portrays Captain K.P Hob of The Goblin Court, which holds the most explicit power in the season. Before we have even learnt the name of Mulligan’s character, we learn he is a Captain, which might mean something in another, kinder universe. This ties back into the Goblin Court holding all the power, K.P is a captain of their court, and this is so important to him we don’t learn his first or second name until much later. Iyengar and Mulligan work together to portray the court gaining and losing power rapidly, and using its members with significant ranks to find and hold that power. This is shown when the Viscountess Grabalba marries the Head of the Trickster Court after her previous engagement is called off. It is shown, in a much more solemn light, when K.P Hob is promoted to Major and ordered to marry for the court, which he does.

There is also power in the way the cast chose to do their romances in this world, which Iyengar facilitates with several events throughout the ten-episode season, such as a Masquerade Ball and a Hedge Maze. There is power in the way Axford’s character has her own, secret family, in the way Wilson’s has a lover in every court, in the way Marie and Najam’s characters find each other, and in the way both Montoya and Mulligan’s leave their old lives behind for love (in Montoya’s case, in an almost direct parallel to Wuvvy). You could write an essay on the romances in A Court of Fey and Flowers, but this is an essay about power, and while love does have power, I would next like to discuss another Dimension 20 season headed by Iyengar and featuring Mulligan that heavily plays on power.

Dimension 20: Burrows End is Chernobyl (the TV show) meets Chicken Run (but replace the chickens with stoats) meets Peter Rabbit (but they are stoats) meets 1984 (but with stoats). There are a lot of stoats in this season. Almost every character is a stoat, with exception of the two named humans (one of whom is secretly a stoat). Again, this cast includes some frequent flyers, such as Brennan Lee Mulligan (Tula), Isabella Rolland (Lila), Siobhan Thompson (Jayshon), and Erika Ishii (Ava), as well as the transition of Rashawn Nadine Scott (Viola) from Play It By Ear to Dimension 20, and 3 Black Halflings’ Jasper William Cartwright (Thorn Vale). All in all, this cast is best described as a powerhouse.

Iyengar portrays class and power in this season in a subtler, more intimidating way. It is not so obvious at the beginning, as all the power seems to be in the hands of Cartwright’s Thorn Vale, the leader of an exclusive cult that worships The Blue. There is an argument to be made here that The Blue is the one with the power, despite not being a technical character in the season, it holds its place by being constant, whether that be through Cartwright and Scott’s character’s cult, or whether that is through forcing the beating of Mulligan’s character’s (Tula) heart. In this, the force which holds all the power is not a character at all; It is similar to what holds all the power in our world, which is simply nature.

When the main six reach a location known as Last Bast, or The Last Bastion of The Light, or Warren Peace Nuclear Power Plant (we’ll continue to refer to it as Last Bast), some of the first characters there that they meet have the least power. They meet the working-class of stoats first, before anyone else, and thus begin to see Last Bast from their perspective. They meet these working class stoats when they are dying, when it is implied they are expendable because they have no power. In reality, they have all the power, being the ones to provide the food for the rest of Last Bast, and being the ones to provide the food, which keeps the area going. In reality, as much as the ruling class don’t think the working class have any power here, they have all the power.

One of these working class stoats (as a reminder, these are all stoats) is an outspoken adolescent named Sybil, who loses her brother in the first meeting with the main six. Though initially she is portrayed as weak and powerless (literally being dead in her first appearance), we learn that she is resourceful, and if she is not strong in the literal sense, she is strong in the mental sense. She is also used to show the power that the leader, The First Stoats, have over their people, when they kill her in front of the Main Six to prove a point. Her death is explicitly described as being “The price of treason,” (Iyengar). Though Sybil is often argued as just simply being ‘a narrative device’, could the same not be said for all the characters in this story?

Sybil is also used to portray the idea of love conquering all, an overused trope but a trope for a reason. One of the most popular phrases in Last Bast, and a phrase used to guide other stoats towards it is “Follow your instincts towards the light.” Sybil takes this extremely literally, following her brother and breaking rules for her family, such as saying Curtis’s name even after he died (an act forbidden by The First Stoats).

Which brings me nicely onto the next point, the way The First Stoats attempt to hold power over death. The first way this is shown is through the disallowance of names for the dead, for the people who don’t technically exist anymore. This furthur shows their dictatorship and need for power and control; The way they cannot control death so they outlaw the names, taking away the family’s process of mourning and grief. The second way they do this is through Sybil’s aforementioned execution by them. They capture and kill her, showing again how they have the level of power and control that other stoats in Last Bast do not have.

Candela Obscura; Tide & Bone is not only a masterclass in relationships and trust between players at the table, but a masterclass in power. The cast includes Sam Riegel (Oscar Grimm), Noshir Dalal (Professor Rajan Savrimuthu), Gina Darling (Madam Cordelia Glask), Ashly Burch (Dr Elsie Roberts), and Liam O’Brian (Professor Cosmo Grimm). This cast includes Critical Role old and new friends, all voice acting powerhouses in their own right, and is headed, as all these tables are, by Aabria Iyengar.

Tide & Bone does not only choose to focus on the power of human emotions, but on the power of nature, and the freakish things we cannot control even when trying our best. To understand the portrayal of power in this game, we first need to understand the characters and their relationships to each other, since one of the long-standing themes across the circle is what power, and how much power, do our emotions have over us?

This theme is most obviously portrayed through Burch’s performance as Dr Elsie Roberts, a young Doctor with Cullet and a panic disorder that materialises as a terrible monster when she gets too stressed (take it literally), and Dalal’s performance as Professor Rajan Savrimuthu, a professor with a hive in his chest. I highlight these two not because they are the only people to portray the theme of emotions holding more power than they are worth, but because they are the most obvious. It is well stated that the professor and the doctor were together (romantically), “For a time.” (Burch).

The scene that highlights this the most is the opening scene to Episode 3, Candles in The Dark, where it is revealed to the audience that, for an unknown reason, Professor Rajan Savrimuthu spent the whole night outside Dr Elsie Robert’s bedroom door, after him leaving in the previous episode. This scene, or the opening to it, shows how people are easily manipulated by their emotions, especially people such as Professor Savrimuthu and Dr Roberts.

This theme is further explored later in the scene with the line “(Oscar) is interesting. He has certainly earned your trust.” Said by Dalal as Professor Savrimuthu. Oscar Grimm is one of Dr Robert’s best friends, and the only person to have ever seen her transform into the beast outside of herself (“I would have seen it before, right? So I know.” (Reigel as Oscar Grimm, narrating his internal monologue.)). This is further questioned by Dr Roberts, when she wonders why exactly ‘Raj’ is choosing to bring up this moment now, when they are about to go on the run, saying Elsie’s internal monologue is asking “Is this an inopportune moment of jealousy? What’s going on here?”.

However, romantic emotions are not the only emotions shown to have power over people. When Dr Roberts transforms into The Beast for the first time on-screen in Episode 1, it is not Professor Savrimuthu who comforts her through it, it is (one of) her best (and only) friends, Oscar Grimm. ‘Comforts her through it’ is a generous term to say ‘he is the one who takes the fall, not only for Elsie but for the rest of their circle, as she kills him’. Oscar Grimm cannot die, but he can still be killed, and he is. As he is being killed, though knowing she cannot hear him, he whispers, “It’s ok. I’ll be fine.” and then promptly dies and comes back.

This is another way that Iyengar portray’s power in this story; The power of death, and those who defy it, through Oscar Grimm, Empress Iomene, and Cosmo Grimm. While many other themes are ran rampant throughout their story, the main one is death and mourning, and finding power over those things.

For Oscar, the man who never dies, death is not something to fear. He cannot comprehend or remember what happens when he dies, and though he is often not alone, he dies far more than any one person should. Both him and his son, Cosmo Grimm, have power over death in separate ways. Whilst Oscar does not actively seek death, it seeks him, and he keeps coming back, whereas Cosmo actually seeks death and does not find it. The constant death for the elder member and the constant undeath for the younger one make this duo interesting and give them some of the most power in this circle.

The last character to explore power in a unique way in this circle is Gina Darling’s Madam Cordelia Glask. She shows us the power of the gods, who took her entire family from her. Darling also, during her portrayal of Glask, holds a necklace like a rosary, showing how she still has faith in the gods that raised her and ripped her family from her. This point also further proves the power that our childhoods hold over us, even when we are in a different location, as Glask is.

There are then the themes of communal power that are portrayed in the story, most obviously the power of names and titles. In Newfaire, there is a literal divide between the Eaves and the rest of the city, the literal divide being the staircase into the Eaves. This is evidenced in the circle by the fact that only one of them is not titled in any way shape or form; That person also being the eldest in the circle, Oscar Grimm. Whilst all the other characters are titled somehow, with either Professor or Doctor, offering academic achievements, or Madam, offering social achievements. This creates a divide in the circle, which is particularly emphasised when you realise that Oscar works for Madam Glask.

In conclusion, although power has multiple meanings, somehow Iyengar is able to portray all of them across the games she leads. This essay only covers the elements of her games, it mentions nothing of her characters, the ones who destroy themselves for power (Suvi and Laerryn) and the ones who let power destroy them (Karna). Power, as most things are, is a storytelling device that can often be overused. Iyengar does not do that. Iyengar’s take on power is refreshing, and in so many words (3410 to be exact), oddly comforting.

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zapreportsblog · 1 year

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yandere(ish?) aro x whimsical (and probably fucking crazy) gn reader !

so gn reader has the power to induce hallucinations that can sometimes cause physical pain ! They can be used as distractions, cause the target to go insane from the wild sensations, or even cause the target’s mind to collapse permanently ! gn reader is kind of like mad hatter (idk what im saying as well) LIKE— they're whimsical, may or may not be crazy, spontaneous, creative, nd eccentric ! (just searched this on google😭😭) gn reader REALLY likes bullying teasing Caius a lot ! and they're kinda scary when provoked !

hope you have a great day mwa mwa chup chup ;p

❝here for a good time not a long time❞

✭ pairing : yandere aro x reader

✭ fandom : twilight

✭ summary : (y/n) just happened to be a batshit crazy human turnt vampire, who also happened to be the mate of aro. Now if you thought he was bad get a load of her, she definitely gives this man a run for his money

✭ authors note : Ayo get a load of that picture of my man aro 👁️👅👁️ he looking real cute ain’t he ayyyyyye

✭ twilight masterlist 2

In the heart of Volterra, where shadows clung to ancient stone and the night whispered secrets, Aro ruled as the immortal leader of the Volturi. The centuries had molded him into a creature of unparalleled power and intrigue. Yet, even among vampires, there were mysteries that still eluded him.

Aro's existence had become a monotonous cycle of enforcing laws, observing the immortal world from the shadows, and seeking out gifted individuals to join his coven. While his life was filled with grandeur and luxury, there was an underlying sense of restlessness. Aro craved something more, something elusive that had remained beyond his grasp for centuries.

That elusive something came in a form he least expected—a whirlwind of whimsy and chaos that descended upon Volterra one fateful night.

(Y/N), a gender-neutral individual with a personality as unpredictable as a storm, had always been considered eccentric by human standards. They reveled in the absurd, relishing in the madcap dance of life, and were known to perform bizarre acts on a whim. To say they were 'bat shit crazy' was an understatement, for they seemed to have an uncanny ability to turn even the dullest moments into a carnival of chaos.

Aro first encountered (Y/N) during a late-night stroll through the dimly lit streets of Volterra. Their laughter echoed through the cobblestone alleys, drawing his attention like a moth to a flame. (Y/N) twirled in the moonlight, their laughter infectious and their movements as graceful as they were wild.

Aro watched in fascination as (Y/N) performed acrobatic feats, juggling fruit with astounding precision, and turning ordinary objects into whimsical props. The absurdity of it all left Aro intrigued and utterly captivated. He had seen many things in his long life, but nothing quite like this.

It wasn't until (Y/N) crashed headlong into Aro's path that the whirlwind finally subsided. They looked up at him, their eyes wide with surprise, and grinned from ear to ear. "Well, hello there, mysterious stranger! Fancy a dance with chaos?"

Aro, usually composed and reserved, found himself at a loss for words. His cold, calculating demeanor momentarily shattered by the sheer audacity of this stranger. In that chaotic moment, as (Y/N) continued to babble and prance about, Aro's senses were flooded with an overwhelming revelation—a connection so profound that it sent shivers down his immortal spine.

(Y/N) was their mate.

Unable to contain his newfound excitement, Aro wasted no time in turning them. He leaned in, his eyes locked onto theirs, and sank his teeth into (Y/N)'s flesh. As darkness enveloped them, Aro couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictability of fate.

When (Y/N) woke as a vampire, they retained their whimsical personality, which now took on an otherworldly charm. Their laughter echoed through the Volturi castle, enchanting those who heard it. But it was their unique gift that truly set them apart.

With a mere thought, (Y/N) could induce hallucinations that ranged from delightful illusions to nightmarish phantasms. Their powers could cause physical pain, plunge a victim into madness, or even shatter a mind permanently. Aro saw immense potential in (Y/N)'s abilities, especially when Jane or Alec were unavailable to handle delicate situations.

Despite their penchant for calling Aro mean names in their peculiar brand of love language and engaging in a cruel form of teasing, (Y/N) had an undeniable affection for their mate. Their love was expressed through a blend of mockery and tender physical touches that left Aro both bewildered and strangely enchanted.

The bond between Aro and (Y/N) was a dance of opposites, an immortal saga that defied logic and embraced the whimsy of eternity. Little did they know that their union would soon become a cornerstone of the Volturi's power, adding a touch of chaos to the immortality that had grown all too predictable.

The sunless day in Volterra began as any other, with the members of the Volturi going about their immortal routines. Aro and his mate, (Y/N), had been inseparable since their transformation. Their whimsical nature continued to perplex and amuse the ancient vampire coven, but none more so than Caius.

Caius, the stoic and severe leader of the Volturi, had always been known for his impeccable fashion sense, stern countenance, and an icy demeanor that could chill the fieriest of tempers. Yet, his refined sensibilities were the perfect target for (Y/N)'s relentless teasing.

(Y/N) had taken it upon themselves to follow Caius around that particular day, a mischievous glint in their eye. They commented on his fashion choices with unrestrained glee. "Oh, Caius," they exclaimed, "I must say, that cloak does absolutely nothing for your complexion. Have you considered trying a different color?"

Caius, his patience wearing thin, merely gave (Y/N) a withering glare and continued on his way. But they weren't finished. They moved on to his hair, commenting, "Your hair, darling, it's positively stuck in the last century. Have you ever heard of a haircut?"

Caius clenched his jaw, determined not to let (Y/N)'s words get under his skin. They persisted, directing their whimsical torment at his face. "You know," they mused, "I can't decide if your expression is perpetually grumpy or if you've just forgotten how to smile."

His patience was wearing thin, but Caius endured. (Y/N), however, was far from done. They dropped their gaze to Caius's shoes, which were, in their opinion, the pinnacle of mockery material. "(Y/N)" they declared, "I wouldn't be caught dead in those things."

Caius finally reached his breaking point. He turned on (Y/N), his eyes blazing with an anger that rarely saw the light of day. "Enough!" he thundered, his voice echoing through the stone corridors of the Volturi castle. "Aro, come and get your insufferable mate!"

Aro, ever the picture of calm and intrigue, appeared in a flash, his crimson eyes locking onto Caius's furious gaze. "What seems to be the matter, dear Caius?" he inquired, his tone dripping with amusement.

Caius seethed, pointing a finger at (Y/N). "Your mate," he practically hissed, "has been tormenting me all day! I can't take it anymore."

Aro's lips curled into a knowing smile, and he turned his attention to (Y/N). "My love," he said, his voice laced with faux sympathy, "have you been bothering Caius?"

(Y/N) looked positively delighted, as if their mission had been accomplished. They nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, Aro! But don't worry, it was all in good fun."

Aro chuckled, then turned to Caius. "There you have it, dear Caius. (Y/N) was just having a bit of fun. You shouldn't take it so seriously."

Caius gritted his teeth, feeling thoroughly defeated. "This is insufferable," he muttered before turning and stalking away.

As Aro and (Y/N) watched Caius's retreating form, (Y/N) couldn't resist one final taunt. "Bye-bye, Caius, you old bitch!" they called after him, and Aro burst into laughter.

Caius's furious footsteps echoed down the hall as he disappeared from sight, leaving Aro and (Y/N) to revel in their whimsical torment. Their love was a peculiar one, built on mockery and affection, but it was a love that brought a touch of madness and laughter to the immortality of the Volturi.

As Bella and Alice found themselves in the intimidating presence of the Volturi kings, Aro, Marcus, and Caius, they couldn't help but feel a shiver of apprehension. The grandeur and power exuded by the ancient vampires was overwhelming, and they stood there hesitantly, unsure of what to expect.

The atmosphere was tense, and the kings regarded the newcomers with a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny. Just as the silence threatened to become unbearable, an unexpected figure sauntered into the room, breaking the ice in the most unconventional way.

It was (Y/N), Aro's unpredictable mate. They entered the room with an exaggerated sigh and a dramatic eye roll, clearly unimpressed. "Felix and Demetri are no fun at all," they declared, their voice carrying a petulant tone. "I tried to play Uno with those two boomers, and they couldn't keep up!"

Aro, his expression a mixture of amusement and affection, couldn't help but smile as he watched (Y/N) complain about the lack of entertainment. He opened his arms, welcoming them with a warm embrace.

(Y/N), never one to resist the embrace of their beloved mate, crawled into Aro's lap, pouting exaggeratedly. "Nobody's fun around here," they mumbled, as if the weight of the world rested on their shoulders.

(Y/N) couldn't help but chime in, a mischievous glint in their eye. "Oh, I didn’t know we had guest! Pleasure to meet you. Don't mind Caius; he's just a grumpy old vampire."

Caius raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by (Y/N)'s brazenness. "I beg your pardon?"

(Y/N) simply shrugged and continued to pout in Aro's lap. "Well, it's true. Your face looks perpetually grumpy. No offense. Actually no, take great offense to that you old hag!”

Aro couldn't suppress a snort of laughter at the unexpected turn of events. He patted (Y/N)'s head fondly, knowing that their unpredictable nature was one of the many things he cherished about them.

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real-total-drama-takes · 9 months

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chase sucks, yeah, but honestly he is one of the most complicated guys out there. his dependency on other people to be happy, especially. and honestly, i blame that on both his potential upbringing and, mostly, him being a youtuber. with the reboot being set in 2023 and it being confirmed that he makes an insane amount of money, for simplicities sake i'd say he's about as famous as some like mrbeast(who has. over 200 million subscribers), this wouldn't really matter if not for the fact he's SIXTEEN I'm not going to lie and say people treat famous people normally, because they don't. With how famous he is, I'd assume he's been doing this for a while (again, simplicities sake, I'm saying he started when he was like... 13 making cringey streams but got into the whole beach house thing when he was around 14-15) and with that, he'd be getting a . Lot of attention(especially attention that, given hes a famous youtuber, wouldn't follow any Normal Boundaries you should have when talking to a real person, let alone a highschooler) His treatment of Emma would be heavily based on the near obsessive love he'd get from fans, and like i've said, the lack of boundaries he'd have with said fans. Naming a star(and intending to name Emma) ''Chase's Girlfriend'' is... Weird, but with how people treat famous guys, I'm going to say that's something he picked up from people's fantasies. If he's constantly being told that people want to date him, and name themselves after the fact(something people say to famous people a lot, actually.), he'd naturally assume that's.. just what people want from a relationship. Now, with his parents. I'm going to assume it's similar to Ripper, he had distant and neglectful parents(and found the love he needed through YouTube and the guys in the beach house.) With his only positive attention coming from people who Aren't Normal, he'd just pick up on that being love. If he's not insanely obsessive, he doesn't love them. If someone isn't obsessed with him, they don't love him. Next off, I think he has a personality disorder. Specifically HPD( I have HPD, I'm not diagnosing him with/talking about something I don't know about dw), I've seen people diagnosing him with NPD, but I don't think it fits when considering his relationships with other people. I'm not going to focus on this a lot, but just including that. I don't consider him fundamentally unloveable like a. lot of people in the fandom do. I think that's just stupid. Does he need to learn to respect other people's (and his own) boundaries? Yes. He absolutely does. In a dream world, he stops doing youtube videos. I feel like that's one of the biggest problems for him. Constantly getting obsessive attention, especially if he has no other source of it(from his parents, a partner ectect), is awful for him. He's a teenager being exploited on youtube, of course that isn't good for him. But, if he learns people need boundaries and codependancy isn't a good form of love(and, best case scenario he goes to therapy), I think he can be in a healthy relationship. Hell, I'll even go off on a whim and say that with the right support and a lot of apologies, he could be in a healthy relationship with Emma. I'm gonna leave it off there, I just like overanalysing total drama characters

#td chase #total drama 2023 #total drama spoilers

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distort-opia · 5 months

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Hey what's up. Huge fan of your blog and like your thoughts. I gotta lot of respect for your analysis, your writing, and how you work with the material for batman in general. You've mentioned a couple times or atleast hinted at possible diagnosis for Bruce and Joker, and while I do subscribe to the idea that due to the nature of comics, thier respective mental health issues are more symbolic than literal, I do, however, find it interesting and fun to try to identify them, especially since writers seem keen to slap stuff onto them on a whim. Also, I'm a psych graduate, but unlike you I'm getting my PhD in Communication research but I still work in neuro and psych spaces. Anyway this is my long winded way of asking if you have a general set of conditions that the two have. I personally think that they both have CPTSD and both display traits from both ASPD and BPD but to differing extents. Additionally, for Joker dissociative amnesia is a given, however like most things it's doesn't fit most descriptions for it.

Thank you for the kinds words, I'm glad you like my blog! And hey, another Psych graduate... somehow I know of at least 5 of us in this fandom, it's quite funny.

Indeed, it's tough to ascribe any kind of diagnosis to comic book characters, both because of how inconsistent characterization can be and because of how bad DC's approach to mental health has been. For Joker it's especially difficult, because "insanity" has been written as almost his superpower. Oooh he's so random and crazy! No one can understand his twisted mind! But well, I agree it's still interesting to try and parse the sheer knot of trauma these two characters are tangled in.

For Bruce, CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is almost a given, since it's not just that he suffers from PTSD as a consequence of his parents' death, but that he also re-traumatizes himself pretty much every day, by being Batman. And even leaving that aside, there's such a long list of traumatic events Bruce has experienced since then, including almost committing murder or the death of his Robins on multiple occasions. Though I don't know if he matches the ASPD (antisocial personality disorder) criteria that well. Sure, by being Batman he fails to conform to social norms, uses violence and lies to people and does things worthy of arrest-- but it's by no means impulsive, or a consequence of an incapacity to control his actions. Bruce is much too capable of planning in advance, that's his whole schtick. And he's not doing these things with a selfish purpose, to benefit himself; he does them to help others. As to BPD (borderline personality disorder), I do see it more, though not to a large degree as I do for Joker. Bruce is terrified of abandonment, he's got unstable relationships, but that speaks to me more towards him having a disorganized type of attachment and not full blown BPD. When it comes to personality disorders, Bruce is much more on axis A-- closest to schizoid, I'd say (prefers to be alone, appears cold/disinterested in human interaction, limited expression of emotion, seems not to enjoy many activities, trouble with social cues, disinterest in the pursuit of sexual relations). With a dash of C when it comes to obsessive-compulsive traits (overly focused on details, order and rules, needs to be in control at all times, ignores personal relationships for work/the Mission/the Vow, cannot throw things away, rigid and stubborn, inflexible over values or morality).

However, I think a lot of this could also be due to him being on the autistic spectrum. His troubles with social cues, his inflexibility and need for order and categorization... and how successful he is at "masking", which is pretty much what the Bruce Wayne persona is. Besides, the thing is, Bruce is empathetic (though it's complicated). Individuals on the autistic spectrum tend to display intact or even excessive emotional empathy and lower cognitive empathy, with research showing that this can be overwhelming; they might have trouble regulating how much they empathize (potentially due to less self-other distinction) and thus end up avoiding it (like avoiding eye contact, for example). Look at Bruce's Family alone: so many of the people he took in were people he strongly related to, one way or another... this isn't something someone with ASPD would do, for instance.

Meanwhile, Joker's definitely much more on axis B. CPTSD for sure, as well as BPD, ASPD... I'd agree there's a lot of ground for both of the latter, including potentally NPD (narcissistic personality disorder). Joker is suffering through the consequences of trauma too, and he is impulsive, grandiose, reckless, uses violence, deceives and cons people, has an unstable sense of self, etc. Hell, I'd say he has traits that fit histrionic personality disorder too. His need for attention, overly dramatic behavior... I mean, the man nearly got himself killed in Devil's Advocate because he was enjoying the attention he was getting from Gotham so much. And if Bruce is potentially more on the autistic spectrum, Joker's on the psychopathy one, which -- again -- could account for many of the traits described above. I mean, just the first result Google puts out is incredibly fitting (glibness/superficial charm, grandiose sense of self-worth, need for stimulation/proneness to boredom, pathological lying, conning/manipulative, lack of remorse or guilt, shallow affect/reduced emotional responses, callous/lack of empathy). Coupled with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) traits out the wazoo, which was an official diagnosis we got in comics for him. Although personally, I think Joker isn't a primary psychopath, but a secondary one. As in, while there's surely a genetic component, childhood trauma is what tipped the scales and led to him displaying these traits. I also definitely agree with the dissociative amnesia, though I'd group it together with the CPTSD, and also tie it to the unstable sense of self characteristic of BPD.

Got a bit too long, but yeah! To differing degrees, one could argue for a multitude of disorders... we haven't even touched depression (though I think Bruce and Joker are more likely to be diagnosed with recurrent major depressive disorder; they have episodes of depression, but don't always display the symptoms). Sorry for how long this took, but hope you found this interesting, Anon. And God, best of luck with that PhD, I hope it's going well!

#asks #long post #bruce wayne meta #joker meta #batman #bruce wayne #joker #my meta

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no6secretsanta · 2 years

Text

The Sun and Moon’s Embrace

To @prometheanastronaut, please enjoy! (From @whims-of-insane-fandoms)

Nezumi woke up feeling the distant memory of a kiss on his lips, reaching out for someone that wasn’t there. He sat up, sighing and running a hand through his hair. It was a bit tangled which he found annoying but merely detangled his hair with his fingers carefully. At least the pain of pulling his hair returned him to reality and away from that. . . from that dream.

“. . .Is that a goodbye kiss?”

White hair that he can sometimes still feel like a phantom touch. Red eyes, unnatural in its hue, that stared at him with desperation and sadness at their parting. The snake-like scar that was a reminder of how close to death he had been. . .

Shion.

The sun wasn’t even rising yet. It was too damn early in the morning for this. Too damn early or too damn late. Who knows what time it was?

Either way, feeling this way was not what he wanted to feel just after waking up.

Nezumi laid his head down on top of his jacket, his makeshift pillow, and looked up at the stars. Thanks to being away from the glittering lights of the city, he could see them so clearly. There was no moon in the night sky. It made everything feel so much lonelier in that night sky. He outstretched a hand to the sky, wondering if Shion could see these stars too back in No. 6.

Are you looking at this same night sky?

What kind of musing is that? He wondered to himself, letting his arm fall back and turning to the side to avoid looking at the stars more than he had to. Shion wasn’t looking at these stars, how absurd. He was in a comfortable bed, fast asleep and living a better life now that the oppressive government of No. 6 was gone. He was with his mother again and living in comfort and-

And living peacefully because you’re not there to ruin his happiness.

Stupid thoughts.

Nezumi found it hard to fall back asleep after that, haunted by the memory of their kiss and of the moonless night sky.

Shion opened the curtains of his window and was greeted by the warmth of the morning sun. It was so nice outside and the view from his window was amazing. He smiled, opening the window to feel that wonderful breeze move through his hair.

Today marked the fourth year since the fall of No. 6 and its oppressive government. Today was a day of celebration for everyone as they greeted each other warmly. From a distance, Shion could see children running around excitedly past beautiful flowers and trees, parents carefully watching over them. It was a lovely day, as it often was on the anniversary of No. 6’s fall.

However. . . however, today also marked the fourth year since Nezumi left. . . and he missed him so much.

The pain didn’t hurt him as much as it had those few months where he’d cry about losing Safu and not having Nezumi next to him. Had he been okay with Nezumi’s decision to leave? Of course he had been. Nezumi had left and he had been okay with that.

No one needed to know how much he cried once he was able to process everything, keeping himself grounded by the memory of that promise.

“Reunion will come.”

Reunion will come, Shion had whispered to his ailing heart to avoid falling further into grief and despair. Nezumi had come back to him already. He could do that again. He’d promised to come back.

That didn’t stop Shion from using the anniversary of No. 6’s fall to mourn the death of his best friend and the loss of the boy he loved.

He hadn’t heard from the wandering Nezumi during all these years. Not even Inukashi or Rikigia with all their contacts had heard anything from their numerous new contacts. Nonetheless, he had never stopped hoping and waiting. His waiting just didn’t look like the waiting romance novels had female leads go through while waiting for their beloved to come home.

Life didn’t stop just because it felt like something integral was missing.

No matter how tempted he was sometimes to stop his life for just a little moment, he couldn’t. There were too many people that would miss him if he just retreated into himself for a long while.

“Good morning, Nezumi, wherever you are.”

The wind moved his hair around, dancing around him like an old friend. Shion closed his eyes and he thought he felt someone placing a gentle hand on his cheek. He leaned his cheek to them, saying a gentle hello to his old friend before Safu’s presence vanished. He opened his eyes to see that the sun began to be covered by the cloud, obscuring the bright sunlight of the morning.

Shion sighed, deciding that he might as well start the long day ahead.

Nezumi stared at the outline of No. 6 from his perch. On a whim less than a month ago, he’d decided to return to this old place that had so many unpleasant and pleasant memories.

Memories of death, blood and bullets mixed with memories of gentle kisses, a sweet waltz, and the warmth of someone kind and alive. Yes, No. 6 was the source of so much of his pain, but it was also the place where Shion lived and, somehow, the memories of Shion were slowly becoming stronger than the memories of his pain.

“‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ huh?”

He wondered what he was going to see when he went there to look for Shion. What would Shion look like? It had been about four years since they’d seen each other. There had been a significant difference when Shion had been twelve to when he was sixteen. How different would the twenty-year-old Shion of the present look compared to the sixteen-year-old Shion from his memories?

How would Shion react to seeing him again? Would he jump into his arms and cry? Would he laugh and kiss him? Or. . . or would he scream at him and tell him to leave?

That was a fear he had of their reunion. What if absence had made Shion resent him? What if their separation and the years after had made Shion hate the memory of him? Of Nezumi, the one who had ruined his perfect life because he forgot to shut the windows behind him?

Would Shion shut the window this time and would he have to keep walking, searching for shelter from a storm?

The wind whirled all around him, whipping his hair around, as if trying to spurn him into a decision. He dug his nails into his palm to try to get rid of that fear that was paralyzing him.

He could do this. He’d see Shion. If Shion was happy without him, he’d leave to not disturb his joy. If Shion looked lonely or sad, he’d stay. But if Shion didn’t react well to seeing him, well, he’d just leave.

Did that make him a coward? Yes. But that didn’t matter.

Whatever the case, he was going to see Shion and rid himself of the memories that haunted his dreams.

Shion finished the call with his mom, entering a room in his house that had been designated as a library. He let out a long breath, plopping down on the couch he had there. This was his favorite place to go to when it was the day that it was. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that he was elsewhere.

He could imagine that small but cozy home he and Nezumi lived in for so long. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine he was resting while waiting for Nezumi to come back from shopping. That he’d be back soon and then the two of them could sleep in the warm bed or talk to each other about anything or reading to each other. . .

Well, doing anything with Nezumi was fun and he missed those simple days.

Shortly after he’d gotten this home, he’d brought everything from Nezumi’s home here. All the books, the various things Nezumi had accumulated. Some stuff was thrown away because it was unsalvageable and Rikigia refused to let that into a nice home like his.

This library was like a shrine dedicated to Nezumi’s memory. It reminded him of that amazing boy with the most beautiful eyes and most wonderful voice. He liked to spend time here, remembering all the good times he spent with Nezumi.

All the bad memories and time seemed to be erased every time he stayed here. Time froze in this place. The memories of dead bodies piling up, the memories of his near death experience and Nezumi saving him by cutting out the bug from his neck, the memories of the man that he had killed for daring to hurt Nezumi, the pain of the bullet, the loss of Safu. . . all of those memories were nothing compared to the memories of goodnight and goodbye kisses, of Nezumi’s acting in the theater, of their dance, of how warm Nezumi was, of Nezumi’s singing, Nezumi being so kind and gentle but also gruff and cynical.

Shion wiped away the traitorous tears that wanted to fall down his cheeks. He shouldn’t be mourning those memories as if Nezumi was dead. Unlike Safu, Nezumi was alive, traveling the world.

Nezumi was like the wind, traveling all around with nothing anchoring him down to one place. Shion hoped that he would be his anchor but who knows if Nezumi would ever be willing to admit that or if he would like to be anchored to a place that had hurt him so much.

Why was he being so nostalgic and emotional right now?

Shion opened a book that had one of his old bookmarks on it already. He smiled, looking at the familiar words. It had become one of his favorites of Shakespeare’s, often one he would return to whenever he was feeling nostalgic.

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date-.”

The bracelet in his arm beeped and Shion turned to see an incoming call on the screen. Ah, Inukashi was calling.

With a smile, Shion stopped reading and answered the call.

It took him all day to find Shion’s home and it was an almost isolated but simple, beautiful house that was a thousand times better than Nezumi’s old place. At least Shion was doing well and not living in the streets like a street rat. Shion didn’t have the heart to survive those conditions. He was too kind, only ruthless when his loved ones had been hurt. Even then, his kind heart remained.

Nezumi stared at the open living room window, wondering why Shion was always so forgetful and forgot to close windows. Just as he was about to snark, he saw Shion for the first time in four years and all other thoughts vanished.

The years had definitely aged Shion well. He was taller, maybe taller than he was. His physique was still one where he was very lean and thin and with hardly any muscle. His white hair had grown to shoulder length and was tied back by a black ribbon. His eyes, the scarlet-red eyes that seemed as bright as precious rubies, were glued to a book in his hands. He looked like he jumped out of the pages of a novel, a main lead of a romance novel that had been stuck into their bleak world.

Shion was so handsome, and it was making his heart race. Shion was popular before, when he was sixteen, but now he must have double the suitors that wanted to woo him. Nezumi could not blame the suitors that would want Shion’s attention because he certainly wanted it.

Shion was talking to someone, a silver bracelet on his wrist that displayed someone on the screen. Was it his mother? Inukashi? It had to be someone precious and close to Shion because he was smiling so brightly, in a way that made Nezumi’s heart race.

Or. . . or what if he was talking to a significant other?

Nezumi couldn’t blame him if he did have a partner. Who could realistically wait for someone for four years? He ignored the voice in his head that muttered that he had waited because what if it was nothing? But what if he wasn’t wrong and Shion had moved on?

If Shion moved on, would it be fair if he came back to his life?

What had he done for Shion? He’d turned his entire life upside down. For harboring him eight years ago, Shion and his mother had gone from living a luxurious life for the elite to becoming commoners with less opportunities. Shion had died for him and Safu had died too. Shion had lived in poverty and suffered so much because of him, of saving his life eight years ago.

Maybe Shion didn’t really need him to come back.

Dare he break his promise?

Nezumi’s traitorous arm reached out to Shion who’s back was turned. He didn’t want to ruin Shion anymore than he had. Shion looked so happy and relaxed and returning to his life would end his peace. He’d rather not do that Shion.

Was it selfish that he wasn’t giving Shion the chance to say whether or not he wanted to stay?

Yes, but Nezumi was scared of Shion’s choice either way.

“Goodbye, Shion.”

Shion turned, ending the call with Inukashi who was spending the day with little Shion and the dogs, just as he saw a figure turn to walk away. He saw that familiar scarf and that long slate hair, and his heart stopped beating. The book he’d been carrying fell from his hands as he ran outside.

Can it be? It had to be! It had to be.

“Nezumi?” He asked, opening the door, and seeing no one around.

No, no, no, he wasn’t dreaming, he was awake. He wasn’t suffering a breakdown, he’d seen Nezumi! He looked around, panicked. What if his grief and loss had manifested the haunting figure? Was his own mind mocking his pain, painfully dangling a joy he was afraid he’d never have?

Shion was about to start crying when he saw the figure walking by the trees that grew at the outskirts of his property. He rushed, feeling his heartbeat race. He launched himself at the figure, making them give out a small cry of pain and surprise as they both feel down.

“Nezumi!” Shion cried out.

“Shion?!” The figure, Nezumi, cried out, turning to look at him in shock.

He was here. . . he really was here! Nezumi, it really was Nezumi! Shion squeezed Nezumi tightly and yes, it wasn’t an illusion. He could hear Nezumi asking for breath, to lessen his death grip, but he was just so happy because this was real, Nezumi was here!

The pale moonlight illuminated the young man before him. Nezumi looked older with his long hair reaching mid back that was down instead of up on a ponytail. He looked more mature, there was a small gash on his left cheek, and he’d gained a bit of muscle. His eyes, his eyes had remained the same. The same eyes that Shion fondly remembered, the eyes he thought he’d only be able to see in his dreams.

“It is you, Nezumi!”

“Shion, I can’t breathe!”

Shion finally let go of Nezumi and helped him sit up. Nezumi barely looked like he had regained his breath when Shion held him tightly in his arm again. Nezumi hugged him back just as tightly. This was real. This was not a dream.

“Nezumi. . . Nezumi, I’ve missed you. Where were you going?”

“I was going to leave-.”

“Leave? Why?”

Nezumi looked away looking guilty. Shion’s eyes widened because Nezumi had been about to break their promise to reunite. Shion punched Nezumi’s shoulder and Nezumi hissed in pain, rubbing it.

“You promised!”

“I did, I know-.”

“Then why were you going to break it?” Shion asked and his cheeks felt wet for some reason, “You came back, and you were just going to leave? You’d leave without-without saying anything to me? You would’ve seen me and just left, and you’d have been happy keeping me thinking this would be the fourth year without you? What the hell is your problem?!”

“I. . . Shion, I thought that. . . you were happy just now and now you’re not and I caused this-.”

“Damn right you made me upset!” Shion yelled, startling Nezumi, “You were breaking your promise! You promised we’d reunite, and you-you were leaving instead, and you weren’t going to come back, were you? You damn liar!”

Shion’s voice cracked and the dam that had been held back for four years burst. He started crying despite himself. He thought he’d be able to greet Nezumi back with a smile if he’d ever come back. Instead, here he was, crying uncontrollably.

“I’ve waited for you for four years! I-I’ve been here, living da-day by day, wondering when you’ll-when you’ll come back! How could you try to leave without at least letting me see you? You selfish bastard! You’re so cruel!”

“Shion. . .”

Shion hiccupped, looking up and seeing that Nezumi was crying too. He didn’t dwell on it too much as Nezumi kissed his forehead so gently that Shion was sure he was dreaming.

“I’m sorry,” Nezumi whispered against Shion’s temple.

“Nezumi-.”

“I thought that. . . I thought that you would be happier without me. Every-every time your life is going okay. . . I- well I fucking ruin it. You’re happy right now, I don’t. . . I don’t want you to be miserable.”

“But you don’t make me miserable.”

“I ruined your life-.”

“No, no you didn’t. Do you not realize how happy I’ve been thanks to you?” Shion whispered, trying to quell his sobs but being unable to.

“But what about-?”

“Nezumi, you’ve never ruined my life. I love you and I missed you.”

“I’m sorry, Shion. . .”

The two held each other with Shion pressing his head against Nezumi’s chest. Nezumi’s heart was racing. He couldn’t hear Nezumi, but he was crying too. Shion cried, Nezumi cried, the two of them forgetting the world around them as they held each other and cried together.

Shion wasn’t sure how long they stayed in that position or how long they cried. They just cried until the tears would not come out anymore. Shion just remembered Nezumi kissing his forehead again one moment and, the next, the two of them woke up at dawn, their limbs tangled and pressed so tightly against each other.

“When did we fall asleep?”

“Your neighbors are going to gossip,” Nezumi replied instead with a slight smile, “Sleeping outside tangled in the arms of a man. What will they say?”

“That the man is a good for nothing,” Shion replied, “that made their reclusive but generally kind neighbor cry because he was an idiot.”

Nezumi stared at him with so much warmth and love and Shion’s heart soared. Nezumi was here and he still loved him, and they were together, and it was like the four years had never happened.

“I missed you too, Shion,” Nezumi admitted, moving his arm to cup Shion’s cheek, “I was scared you had moved on, you know?”

“Me? Never,” Shion replied, with a smile of his own, “I, unfortunately, have a type. I only like men that can sing, have long hair, that have the most beautiful eyes in the world, that can be an idiot and a sap-”

“Hey-”

“And who saved my life so many times.” Shion ended.

Nezumi let out a small laugh, “That is a high standard. Do I meet it? I don’t think I do, I’m not an idiot or a sap.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Shion, your claws are sharp,” Nezumi complimented, leaning closer to Shion, “When did you become so snappy?”

“Oh, shut it,” Shion laughed, “I just matured.”

“No doubt about it,” Nezumi replied, “You got hotter.”

Shion spluttered, “Wha-?”

“You heard me. Very attractive, my type for sure.” Nezumi said with a wink and Shion hated how much hearing that from Nezumi meant. He huffed, trying to cover his face but failing miserably.

“Aw, you’re still so shy!” Nezumi teased, “You don’t change too much, do you, Shion?”

“You don’t either, jerk,” Shion huffed.

Nezumi kissed his cheek, “Don’t be mad at me, you already made me cry.”

“You did too.”

Nezumi sighed, “I did. Sorry about that.”

“We both made each other cry. We’re even.”

Shion fixed his awkward position to look into Nezumi’s eyes while Nezumi stared into his. Shion smiled and he leaned forward just as Nezumi did. The kiss was the best “welcome home” either one was bound to get.

Nezumi stared up at the sky, watching the way the colors mixed as the sun rose. The moon no longer shined, and the stars were hard to see as the first rays of the sun became brighter and brighter. It was a beautiful sight with hues of pink, purple, orange, and other beautiful colors mixed in the night sky.

This time, Nezumi did not have to wonder if Shion was looking up at the same sky.

“Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it”

Happy holidays! I hope you loved your gift because I had a blast writing this! This is the fourth reunion fic I’ve written and, while challenging, it was so fun to write that I went over my so-called limit of 2k words (I reached at least 3k)! Nezumi and Shion get sun/moon dynamics with Shion as Nezumi’s moon and Nezumi as Shion’s sun because my head is stuck on that dynamic. Also shout out to Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 and Thomas Overbuy’s work Characters for the ending quote. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed! – whims

#no.6 #no. 6 #no6 #no 6 #nezushi #nezumi #shion #no6secretsanta2022 #prometheanastronaut #whims of insane fandoms #whims-of-insane-fandoms

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gacha-incels · 7 months

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Been boycotting limbus but it's a bit disheartening seeing everyone continue around me with this passing intl women's day. I don't know how to convince my friends to stop without getting into an argument because they're all knee deep into these games. But my real question was.. why? These people are boycotting other products for other things, why are they so adamant with sticking on this when it's proven to have harmed so many people in the small team that made it?

Had a discussion with one who is boycotting and I feel like that "political correctness" seeps into the themes of the game, actually, despite how people tout it as the ultimate anti capitalist game; The City is suffering, workers gruel and die at the whims of corporate overlords, people struggle to find housing, and whatever the fuck Carmen's doing in the light, while it could help people survive longer, is just giving everyone guns ignoring the power structures underneath. It's very strange to me now there's.. no suggestion of uprooting the system at all in the games. No true strikes or protests or even any mentions of unions as far as I know. There's no effort to change what is given

[outside of the seed of light project, which 1. famously Didn't Work and 2. having everyone manifest ego is still just giving everyone guns and going "now don't shoot each other!"],

which is very strange and kind of sad? Like sure maybe an arbiter or something would come and tear it down but surely people would come up with countermeasures? People are really good at adapting around things out of desperation, and surely at least an effort would be mentioned

And then my friend, she suggested something; without project moon's suffering, there would be no project moon. Without the city, project moon can't make games. To end the hell that the characters are in and truly resolve the city's hypercapitalist dystopia, they must stop making money off of them. But they don't want to. They definitely DO want to make more games, noted by the interviews which mention future game concepts such as the distortion detective visual novel. But in order to do so, they must keep the current games "clean" and consistent in their suffering to perpetuate conflict. There is some commentary about capitalism to be had; but it feels more like a "oh, look, people are dying, this is so sad" layer of paint on it at this point rather than something more in depth and meaningful. And I think in enforcing this sort of "we can't fix the system in any meaningful way, let's just live our lives instead and hope something better happens" mindset, it reflects into the players. Kind of ironic how the anti capitalism game must sustain its own horrible systems internally so the owners of the series can: make more money through a very predatory money making system, no less!

Limbus fans don't give a fuck about feminism in kr, they think its a system they cant help fixing so they just play the game as they please and any attempt to disuade them is met with a "stop ruining my fun!!" And "who cares?" The worst ones are the ones who KNOW their money is being funneled into stupid misogynistic shit but don't care! It's insane! I've never seen this level of apathy towards a serious issue before!

Sigh. I hope this ramble is coherent. If I missed talking about something or if you want me to talk more I'm game. Project moon's characters are some of my favorites but you have to admit the themes are surface level shit at some point, especially in later installments of their games. So tired but I'd figure I'd share my thoughts somehow. Take care account admin, youre doing gods work

yeah regarding your first point about fans that keep playing, back in August there was a discussion on this blog here regarding contemporary fandom “culture”- how it makes dropping a piece of media hard for some people and why they feel so quick to defend it. the nature of gacha is also that it gets you into the habit of doing “dailies” which makes them harder to drop, this is not even mentioning sunk cost fallacy. I’ve seen a recent post on the FGO subreddit asking why people still play the game and the top posts by a longshot were ones saying only because they spent so much time and money on it. For a lot of people (even people who think themselves progressives) misogyny is a non-issue as well so they will not take the situation in South Korea that seriously to begin with. This is in addition to it happening to “other” or “foreign” women in the eyes of the western fan. There is also an aggressive “fuck you, I’ve got mine” attitude some of the fans who want to keep playing have in regards to these women. It’s disturbing to watch happen but unfortunately not uncommon. I find some of the worst of it, in this situation specifically, is when westerners try to tell Korean women (who are boycotting and spreading information) that they are the ones spreading misinfo, or there’s no reason for them to boycott, how it’s not that bad for them, how PM actually didn’t do anything wrong, “both sides” are crazy and wrong, “let people enjoy things”, shit like that. like doesn’t it raise any flags for you that the people most affected by PM’s actions, Korean women, deleted entire accounts of fanart, took back fanmade items from PM’s cafe, started a boycott of LC and made posts in english to try and get the word out to international fans? you must think they’re idiots if you believe this is all some misunderstanding and vellmori quit of her own free will. Come on. imo it’s impossible to make any meaningful statement critiquing capitalism when you’re writing it in a game that uses one of the most exploitive types of gambling mechanics. I hope I don’t have to explain to anyone why this is absurd. You don’t need to expose young people to gambling addictions in order to fund new games. At the same time, things an author writes (or things that the reader infers from the writing) do not always reflect their ideologies or actions in real life and they can sometimes seemingly be at odds with one another. This is something fans have to reckon with, and not just by saying “actually hatsune miku made limbus company” or whatever. Personally, I can’t take PM’s “anti capitalist” or “feminist” or “revolutionary” work seriously when in reality they have mistreated employees, sued labor unions, acquiesced to incel demands and then later added a meme into the game from that incel community. On the other hand people struggle to believe Project Moon could do anything wrong like this because of the stories in their games so they vehemently defend PM, which at some point just feels naïve. well hopefully this is the type of answer/discussion you were looking for lol thanks for writing 👍

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kelocitta · 5 months

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PM Seymour covered your post in his most recent video "The Touch Starved Tumblr User"

just wanna congratulate you for that!

Yeah someone else shared it w/ me. Kinda insane to see a post I made on whim go basically... everywhere like that. Especially given that I made it from my mildly-popular-in-one-fandom position surrounded by a lot of friends of various levels of popularity, seeing it get posted by accounts with 50k, 80, 150k is like damn. Really highlighting the difference in what 'popular' can mean to someone. I hope people at least take home the message about how to approach creating and posting online to heart and pace themselves. Its remarkably easy to slip into the ditch with such an interaction driven system, so i hope that those reposts and discussions at least mean more people see & talk & internalize it

#ask #admittedly 'congrats' feels a little strange since i didnt really do much #and the video itself is sorta just a compilation of various posts vs. like #discussion of the topic i guess? at least from what i saw of it #but i cant complain since like i said its a message i think basically any type of creator should keep in mind

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beautifulpersonpeach · 8 months

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You know what I love so much about BTS's music is when you've not listened to a song or album for a while and when you do not only are you reminded of how good it is, but also sometimes songs you already like and have heard countless times before you suddenly latch onto unexpectedly. It happens to me often with their music, the latest song for me being Let me know. It just got it's claws into me on my Dark and Wild revisit and I've had it on repeatedly the past few days. I don't know what it is about them or their music that manages to just keep grabbing at you the way it does, maybe it's because their discography is so large and varied, but whatever it is I'm very grateful.

***

That’s the thing about excellent quality: it’s timeless. It doesn’t matter how old their songs are, how much you replay them, or whatever. When you listen to BTS’s music, you know it’s good because it feels incredible.

Your experience with Let Me Know is one I relate to so hard. That song was released in 2014 you know. BTS were really dropping bangers right out the gate. Like, it’s no surprise they blew up the way they did because they just had the best music point blank period.

They still do.

The songs I’ve revisited recently that made me feel similarly to you are:

- Mikrokosmos: Not a bad song at all, but one I usually skip and don’t add to my playlists because it’s not exactly my taste and it often reminds me of BTS concerts and that’s a sore topic for me recently. But I was traveling this past weekend and browsing music on the plane, and saw it then played it on a whim. And man, it hit me again just how good that song is. BTS knows how to make good music and execute it perfectly every time.

- I NEED U (Remix): There’s this view in the fandom that BTS only recently started putting out several remixes, but while they’ve certainly put out more in recent years to match pace with Western practices, they’ve also always kinda been into remixes. And back in my day, the fandom actually made it a point to enjoy the remixes. I Need U remix is one such remix I used to jam out to back then, and while playing some of my older lists recently to prepare for Hobi’s birthday, this song played and the nostalgia hit me like a truck.

- Lost: This is the most underrated song in BTS’s discography. It’s one of the songs where you just have to watch the live performance and see the choreography. It’s just too good. In fact, Lost > The Truth Untold. By a mile. Jungkook’s voice and insane runs in that song are something you just have to experience for yourself.

They dropped that banger 3 years after their debut.

- Go Go: This song is what solidified BTS’s success in 2017. Not DNA imo. Just listen to their voices in this song. Listen to how they sing, how unrefined and passionate it is. They sound like they’re having fun. I forgot about Go Go until a few weeks ago and it’s in my rotation again.

- Fly to my Room: Songs like this is why BTS is on top of the k-pop food chain. Nobody in the entire industry can arrange and pull off a song like this: choir/gospel with a fuckass organ + gutter trap + Hoseok’s verse… like, god. Those whispered harmonies in the final chorus before the crescendo outro. Jimin’s high notes…. It’s just such a serve of a song. They killed it.

- Spinebreaker: Someone asked me recently how the rapline became my bias, if I started with one rapline member then the rest followed, or if it was all at once. I didn’t answer that ask but anon if you’re reading this, the answer is all at once. I’d liked the rapline since debut but I think it was this song that did it for me. All of them on this track are insane. From the moment I heard Joon’s voice at the start I just accepted my fate.

Anyway, thanks for this ask Anon. BTS are so loved because they put their heart and soul into the music they make and it shows. It’s why streaming their stuff has never felt like a chore for me. I look forward to listening to their music every day I wake up. It makes my life better. I’m happy it seems to be at least a bit similar for you too.

#BTS #kpop #BTS army #BTS fandom #rapline bias #bts rapline

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