#who needs therapy when you have blorbos

[dualitysdownfall]

i'm sad send cute sollux pics

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Mel for the unhinged character bingo!

yessss YEEEESSSSSSSSS

[immortalarizona]

my therapist: what if you explored your relationship with your faith by Reading The Bible

me: haha what if I worked on my d&d setting instead and used the creation of the pantheon and the religions that follow them to deconstruct my issues with the flaws I see in my own religion and its members while also try to parse out what's important to me about my faith that makes me want to stay despite the imperfections in my church

[californiannostalgia]

Processing identity as a child abuse survivor

Recently I had a huge revelation. Come with me on this childhood trauma realization journey (if you want).

This post was written for those wavering on the 'was it abuse' question.

Fair warning, each of these revelations were a whammy. I recommend you keep in mind that these revelations will transform the way you see yourself and the world. This took me out of commission for hours at a time.

Revelation 1: Was I Abused?

Read this Tumblr post. Go down the list. Check the 'yes'es and 'maybe's.

'Was I abused' is a yes or no question. I need you to really think about this if your answer is 'kind of'. If you could be truly honest with yourself, what would your answer be?

For years I've gone to the logic of 'it wasn't that bad,' and 'at least the worst didn't happen,' or 'others have had it worse'. This is such a low bar. You deserve better than the bar your parents set for you. The socioeconomic circumstances and the normalization of violence in your living area? Yes, influential. But not a justification.

At the end of the day, the veracity of these statements don't even matter. It's a yes or no question: 'Am I a survivor of child abuse?'

It may take a really long time to truly process, and even then it might feel uncomfortable saying it like it's truth. I need you to know your truth is truth. It's a yes or no question.

Take a break. I recommend you don't progress further until you've processed Revelation 1.

(Shameless plug-in of my fandom blorbo interests: Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo series really helped me with this first revelation. It made me feel seen and less alone. It may not be perfect, but I personally liked it!)

Revelation 2: What does this mean? (health-wise)

Listen to this Ted Talk by an expert (medical professional).

This is the part where I got angry and really fucking sad. Let yourself be sad. Let yourself be furious. Our life is not our fault and we're still stuck with this lot.

Genuinely this was such a shock for me to realize. The thing that has the biggest impact on my life is not my anxiety, depression, ptsd, insomnia, blood pressure, immune health, etc. The root cause of my physical and mental illnesses is Adverse Childhood Experiences.

ACE is more common than you'd think. Acknowledging that what happened to you was bad will be beneficial to humanity's survival in the long run. Like any illness, ACE can be fought at a societal level.

Take a break. I recommend you don't progress to the next revelation until you've processed Revelation 2.

Take your time to be angry and sad. Take forever. You never have to forgive your abuser, even if they change their behavior. The chance at a civil acquaintanceship you might be willing to extend to your parents doesn't require your forgiveness.

.

Revelation 3: Why is your therapist recommending you retell your life story?

This one is mostly for when you have steady access to a therapist. Here are some things I wish I'd known before seeking out therapy in the US.

(Is it shitty that you can't get therapy on your own terms when you're underage? Yes, it fucking is. To those of us who survived to adulthood: holy shit y'all. At 19 I felt like absolute fucking bullshit, like my brain was a burning ball of tangled barbed wire. It does feel absolutely shitty. But reaching 19 is an achievement.)

The thing is, I do or say a lot of things that I later come to think of as embarrassing, inappropriate, or in certain circumstances, potentially abusive. Genuine trigger reactions happen. I will always have to live with a piece of my parents in my head. But I don't want to do to another person what they did to me. Self-awareness is what separates me from my abusers.

What to do about this? Number 1: chill out. You're not gonna be your abuser. Humans are unique and imperfect. They have not replicated themselves in you. It's okay to make mistakes when you're talking or reacting. Your brain is fucked up. You can do something differently next time.

Number 2: read this article about Overthinking, Over-apologizing, Oversharing, and Overwhelmed as trauma responses.

Then read this article on how to deal with Unresolved Trauma.

Yeah. It be like that. Isn't it fucked up? Recognizing the four Os in my behavior helped me realize I'm not an antisocial asshole by default.

Unresolved trauma is the root cause for my behaviors that I think of as unhealthy. This revelation happened very recently for me. Before this point in time, I couldn't understand why I would want to recount traumatic events in therapy.

At this point in time, I have regular access to a therapist I'm okay with. Going over memories and deconstructing the blame system seems like a reasonable thing to try.

What happened to you as a child is not your fault. You're not the one who landed yourself in your life. You've been given an unfairly difficult situation to be responsible for. You did not create your coping mechanisms for shits and giggles.

So yeah. Number 3: figure out your life with the help of a therapist. Let's see where we are ten years later or something.

Nothing is easy and everything is confusing. Take a break, hydrate, eat, sleep, do something nice for yourself. Do something you like doing. Thanks for reading.

[myfaveisfuckable]

Janeway:

- will literally martyr herself at the drop of a hat

- will kill you if she thinks it's what she needs to do for her crew

- will not kill you if she thinks you've got residue humanity after decades as a borg drone even though realistically she really should've (tho ofc we're all glad she didn't)

- will violate your personal rights if she thinks you're not "human" enough and also compare you to a replicator (yes I'm still salty about that. wait what was the question? right, i'll get back on track)

- will say absolutely deranged shit like "then be a good rat and find us the cheese" in the a tone that makes me lose my mind and basically give everyone a crush on her (and also mommy issues) if they spend too long in her vicinity, leading to a very loyal crew

- her solution to having a crush on a fictional character was to delete his wife (very relatable but also very not normal)

- she wanted to watch hot Q on Q sex (possibly for scientific reasons) and looked very disappointed when it was severely underwhelming

- WHO brings a bathtub on a spaceship???

- there's more but y'know

Dokja:

1. Introduced as a bland everyman only made exceptional by circumstance, slowly revealed to be the most batshit, suicidally depressed, bisexual maniac in existence. Uses self-sacrifice like a tool and is completely unaware of how beloved he is by the people he keeps pulling into his fold because he is so deeply and utterly convinced that he is fundamentally unlovable. He's like sixty foundational traumas stacked in a trench coat and he's always sixty steps ahead of everyone else and he loves the people he chooses so so dearly and people keep calling him ugly even though he's canonically pretty average and holy shit dude get some therapy please

2. do NOT let the pretty official art fool u. this is the most average 28 year old salaryman going through the absolute most in the apocalypse. ORV is a story about the most average man on earth with the most mundane, depressing life. and one story that he read to cope with it all. he's just some guy, but he is also the most beloved specialest guy. not because he had some hidden talent. just because he loved a story ferociously and also he likes getting in trouble on purpose. he is the most unreliable narrator you will ever find. every piece of the universe loves him for his average stupid self. you will understand when you read 👍

3. GHBJNKML i am praying someone has sent him in but. unreliable narrator the most ever and also i just. love him so much. orv in itself is such a goo dnovel but like. kim dokja is the definition of love and the most caring person but also he's suffered so much and while. yknow we're introduced to him as a kind of nerd but like. listen he's so fucked up juts LISTEN

4.He looks like a neet-pulled office worker. Spoilers:

turns out to be one of the oldest things in the world and the only being keeping it going and alive. He needs to be there to keep the world going. Also, he got like kind of adopted by Persephone and hades. Like his blorbo is real and in love with him. But this man looks so average that people call him ugly to his face just because he’s surrounded by absolute gorgeous people.

[poetry-protest-pornography]

I'm mostly just gonna copy paste my real time conversation with @hotasfahrenheit here, with a free added bits of thoughts:

My Stand In episode 2 thoughts

I wish they translated the title song, because it's tonally confusing

I love when the makeup team adds hickeys

I definitely watched some of this second episode, but I do but remember how far I got, so I'm just rewatching all the crazy

I really need this orgasm-sneeze to be the thing that tips Ming off

I need it

Joe, baby, you've known this man for five seconds, please do not tell him where your spare key is

Ming stop being so fucking awkward challenge

Ugh, Tong is such a dick

Why does anyone hire him? He's always late, he complains about having to do his job and threatens to need weeks off if he has to do one (1) thing....

Ming: "I'm feeling jealous, so I'm gonna be petty about it and hurt Joe's feelings"

Joe: "yeah, I should've expected this"

Ming: are you bisexual (accusatory) or banging the makeup guy?

Joe: I have friends???

(Mia: Listen Ming doesn't have friends so he doesn't understand what those are

Me: oh, that's very clear. Gee, I wonder why that is 🤣)

I love that Ming dresses exclusively in $500 shirts 🤣

Wait, is this girl supposed to be set up with Ming 🤣 He's such a bitch 😆 I love him (forgot to tell with Mia about his slutty little rich asshole silk robe, but bless him and the slutty little rich asshole robe)

(Mia: Ming doesn't know how to function as a person but he does know how to look like a rich bitch)

Joe translating his anger at Ming by being hard on his trainees... Oh baby, no

He's really just "I'm asking for a friend"ed 🤣🤣🤣

Oh, I love this girl actually

Joe with the sex puns, lmao

Ming smiling and then immediately suppressing it is so sad actually

Get therapy, my dude

THE SHEETS ARE WET I AM SCREAMING

THE SNEEZES OH MY GODDD

Also, the work bathroom hook up cut with the training session was *chefs kiss* (the way this built tension and also narrative, and like, showed Joe's inner thoughts? Incredible.)

(Mia: Pepzi, our queen) FOR REALZ

He knows Joe's coffee prep

This is so domestic? (This makes me feel crazy, actually. And Joe's genuine awe at being seen in this small way breaks my fucking hearrrt)

Joe. Baby. Again, it has been five minutes and three orgasms, you cannot invite him to move in

He's being so nice to the stunt men today 😂

Ming:

The way he said Joe's name while staring at Sol like "okay bitch, watch this" killed me

He knew Joe would go to him and he wanted Sol to know real bad

Sol is ready to Fite

Listen, I knew he made him sleep on the floor OF HIS OWN HOUSE, bit it's still deeply funny to me

And then, he's just staring at him while he sleeps waiting for him to wake up so he can give him the bitchiest look known to man

Ming: *is jealous AF*

Joe: you jealous bro?

Ming: No, who would even like you?

Joe: *is the world's saddest puppy*

"sit ups break my back, live breaks my heart". Baby, no.

Lovesick Joe= drill Sergeant

Post orgasm Joe = kindergarten teacher

Sad Joe = bad poet who can't do a sit up

(Mia and I had a conversation about how sometimes, very drunk people want to be on the floor in a blanket, and she is very correct)

Wait.

...

Did Ming go home and make himself the same ramen Joe made for him? (Because he was jealous and bitchy and ran away after making the boy he likes Dad on purpose)

THIS IS MAKING ME INSANE, ACTUALLY?!

Okay, considering Ming is in love with his sister's boyfriend, they actually have a really sweet sibling dynamic, and she is actually The Best.

Why can't we go to a movie and eat fondue? Why did Thailand get movies so much better than we do? Let me watch a movie in a bed or eat fondue while I watch my favorite blorbos.

But also, he clearly just needs like, so much therapy

Like, his thought process is "I love him, no one else can have him, I'm gonna kidnap him". Which is .. Not Normal People Thoughts

"even if I could be happy, I shouldn't be"

THERAPY. THERAPY FOR A THOUSAND YEARS

Sol: " I will flirt by kicking his ass and hoping he kicks mine back"

Oh shit, Joe really just fucking knocked him out 🤣

Ming having a crisis hearing Joe talk about what love is, and then that little smile when Joe said he wanted then to be a couple... (Joe's like, pathological inability to let himself experience emotions is... Several Problems)

This man is insane

Listen, if I'm supposed to hate Ming, they shouldn't have had Up play him

NOW HE'S AT JOE'S HOUSE PLAYING HOUSE HUSBAND. (WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?)

Rip curry

It's the ramen of suppressed feelings again

JOE STOP MAKING ME CRY CHALLENGE

Look, is Ming:

LADY AND THE TRAMP AND THE GRIP YOU HAVE ON THE THAI BL INDUSTRY

They're so cute that it's actually a crime that I know Ming is a whole red flag parade

The way Joe did the cutest little "please, tell me, please please please, I wanna hear you say the things we both know (you jealous baby)" and Ming was like "yeah okay, I will hum a quiet affirmative and we will never speak of it again" was so fucking cute. I am prepared to cry and scream and have my feelings hurt, but gosh do they do this well.

Okay, I have like, real actual thoughts about this, but also I do not. I am obsessed and too deep in it right now to words, but AAAHHHHHHH

[linddzz]

Dreamling Nonsense Masterpost

Looking for a fic? For a shit post? For a long winded au thread? Playlists? Got it here. Keeping it Dreamling for now until I really have the time to scour through my various fandom posts to collect the Big Hits.

Audacity in Human Form: E. main WIP. A post season 1 "let's see these two figure their shit out" exploration that's best described as two character studies stacked inside of a fanfic shaped coat. My main tagline for it is "it isn't unrequited, Dream just needs therapy." The fic exploring how the two weirdos I have in my head got together.

Fics/Tumblr Ficlets

"Audacity in Human Form" Series

Not exactly a structured chronological series. I have a pretty set version of my Dream and Hob in the canon!universe, so all the fics I write of them are just the same two dolls I'm bumping together in the same sandbox. They can be read in any order or separately, but there are characterization threads and things mentioned that tie them all together. I like to think that put together they can give fun context or more depth to each other :)

I'm less into Big Plots and more into just having fun bumping these dolls together and playing with how they interact!

It's a WIP and I write slow, as my job takes a lot of mental bandwidth.

(Other fics in the same series can be read even while the first isn't done! They don't really spoil much except for the fact that they do end up together. But of course they are.)

In Which Hob, a Shitty Wizard, Meets a Supposed Demon: Gen. Drabble ficlet on Tumblr as I start exploring my Shit-wizard Hob AU. More of a rough draft concept fic

Obviously: E. smut prompt fill one-shot. PWP. Dream is a needy eldritch pissbaby and also violently romantic. Hob scruffs him for some much needed gentle domming.

This Isn't the Trope: Teen. Lots of cussing. Johanna is agressively investigating an immortal man, Hob is looking forward to being dramatically rescued by his hot supernatural boyfriend. No one but Morpheus has a good time.

OTHER FICS/DRABBLES

Audacity in Human Form related posts (esp the ones that broke containment)

"Oysters have nightmares like this"

"Jokes on you, you're into that shit"

Hob: "no. Shut up. I'm talking now."

Characterization Notes aka: I'm gonna start bullying Morpheus

Other mutterings about writing or snippets are under the tags "#my fic" and "#audacity in human form"

AU Cooking:

I'm honestly better at coming up with every single detail for an AU without actually writing the fic, but I like playing in the sandbox and other people seem to have fun with them too :)

Human!AU. There are kinda two versions of this that I'm starting to meld together.

Red Flags AU post: Hob is hired to be the party ruining messy boyfriend, but cannot begin to compete with the insanity that is the Endless family and the Hot Mess Express Morpheus, who hired him. They fall in love instantly. "Why would I fix him??? He's perfect."

Red Flags AU 2: slight deviation from the OG where everything is the same, except Morpheus' messy friend Johanna accidentally introduces them and instantly regrets it. She did not anticipate Hob reacting to Morpheus' red flags like a charging bull.

Assorted Human!Morpheus facts

Shit-wizard Hob AU: where Hob is still immortal, except Death is his Endless buddy. He first meets Morpheus when trying to take up occultism at Fawney Rig (he's bad at it but is gonna stick around now. For reasons.)

Meta-ish Shitposting:

Hob meets Thessaly. Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" starts playing ominously in the distance when she doesn't appreciate how much of a needy clingy freak Morpheus is.

#1

#2

#3

Spotify Playlists:

I process Blorbo feelings with hyper specific playlists. Putting Dreamling and other fandom ones here bc I guess it's about time I share more of them

Audacity in Human Form PL: 1h33m fic specific. Set up to alternate Dream/Hob POV. Blatant "2012 fandom brain" indulgence in here.

Hot Mess Endless Express: 1hr45m the general Dream playlist. Not ship specific, all romantic songs are how I just see him in any relationship. Mostly serious, except when it isn't but especially when it isnt

The Devil of Fawney Rig: the playlist I imagine goes in Dreams head when he's stuck in a fishbowl and horny for revenge. Made with the shit-wizard Hob AU in mind

Newton Goes Kaiju All Over Everybody's Ass: 1hr it really is too bad that there was never a second Pacific Rim movie but wow isn't Dark!Geiszler a great concept? 🙃

EDDIE I MADE A PLAYLIST EDDIE: 44m Venom made a playlist for Eddie, isn't that nice?

Mountain Son: 1h30m Bagginshield Thorin feelings ahoy. Made with Mahrâna in mind.

The Bacchae: 1h. The soundtrack for the dream production of the Bacchae in my head. Meant to follow the progression of the play

The Huntress and the Maenad: 1h30m insane sapphic bitch in the woods solidarity

Mysteries: 7+hours!!!!!! The ongoing playlist for joining the cult of Dionysus and eating a billionaire in the woods

[anotherwatchedninja]

hold on- HEAR ME OUT-

Drop my traumatised green eyed blorbo Lloyd Garmadon into any sort of ‘kid follows the parents path as a destiny’ assumed thing, Ever After High, Descendants, doesn’t quite matter, and watch everyone’s perspectives get SHATTERED.

Like, this boy is a shitton of trauma with a more childish mind in an aged up body, a gods grandkid with a secret-keeping uncle and a shell of a father, plus a mother who ditched him before he could even form a memory of her, he probably wouldn't even have been born if his dad wasn’t corrupted as a child, he was prophesied to destroy the very being that was possessing his dads body at one point, SAVED his father from it, LOST his god-mode powers, he was maybe ten when he learnt of a prophecy, was taught to be evil, pretty much gave up the idea as soon as his weird uncle and five people were nice to him, had to lose his dad, got possessed, got aged and sent into a sword, got his heart broken, got traumatised even more and lost most of his friends, had to deal with the revival of what was left of his fathers evil side which was never even the true him, almost lost one of his closest friends, got cubed, got stuck dealing with a drawn out ATLA episode, lost one of his closest friends for a year, got arrested again, had to destroy the overlord again, and then his realm got merged with a bunch of others.

Like, he needs therapy. And I’m not sure any of these worlds have therapists.

so many reasons he could become a villain, and he stayed good

You can bet those kids of villains would be under his protection

[hibiscusbiue]

so i was talking to my friends on google chat but honestly i thought i should repost this entire rant

raph in the 2003 tmnt is one of the more complex characters on the side of the spectrum, while his trauma is all the more real when it comes down to it. his character is relatable in ways that are difficult to see on a surface level, because his surface level character is "angry hotheaded but caring when he is alone with his family"

in reality, DESPITE how aggressive raph is in the first season, it mellows out as the seasons go on. though honestly i think it shouldve increased but whatever

like i mentioned in mikeys rant, raphs biggest fear is himself. in the horror episode i mentioned earlier when theyre kidnapped and put into situations where they have to fight their greatest fear, raph is faced up against the shredder. on a surface level analysis, this seems like "raph is afriad of the shredder", since you know, that would make sense, shredder did almost kill them THOUSANDS of times. though, when raph knocks off the shredders helmet, we see things begin to fall into place and make a lot more sense then before, when it was just the shredder. because underneath that helmet theres his own face, with red eyes, laughing manically. raphaels greatest fear is himself.

and this all checks out. in s1 e4, raph literally almost bashes mikeys head in with a pipe out of anger. he almost KILLS casey out of anger. in other seasons, his impulsiveness has almost gotten them all killed thousands of times. his greatest enemy, his greatest fear, is HIMSELF, because he knows that one day they wouldn't be so lucky. one day someone would get hurt, and it might be because of him. one day someone he cared about was going to die, and it would be his fault.

his insecurities make his anger all the more humane, all the more understandable and relatable. because he's not just angry at his siblings when they push his buttons, hes not just angry at the world for treating them the way it treats them, he's angry at himself for failing to protect his only family, the people he was born and destined to protect.

thats why when mikey almost dies, or even jokes about dying countless times, raphs "tough boy" demeanor collapses. when leo is critically injured, raph fumbles over his words, and he gets angry. he gets incredibly angry at himself and takes it out through his words, saying "who needs him" about leo while hes crying. and thats because hes angry at HIMSELF, he's angry that he brushed off leo being out for hours in the cold rain, he brushed off how long leo was gone, and he failed his brother.

leo and raph arent that drastically different, actually. they get angry at themselves when they fail their family. i think the only big difference between them is that leo is calm and controlled, while raph is like a fire in a sense. also that leo got therapy and he didnt lol

i could be entirely wrong and just over analyzing every single little thing but idk. raph is my little blorbo

[neverwalka1one]

Magnus Protocol 21, let's gooooo!

I think the starting computer sound changed. Why did the starting computer sound change? That means something, I'm sure of it.

'Complicated Immigration Status' brb laughing forever. Does that mean Jack's from this world when Celia isn't? At least hopefully that means Jack won't start appearing on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, so... small mercies?

Also I see they still haven't figured out there's computers in the CCTV. Oopsies.

Y'know, just thrilled with the idea of the Magnus Institute starting it's own Y2K drama, that's exactly what that year needed. Was the infighting over the Gregorian calendar and astrological vs. sociological signs the distraction our dear Mrs. Robinson needed to flambe the lot of you? Hmm.

Hahahaha OH GOODY MORE DOUBLES. And it seems we're going with the WTNV theme here with 'kill your double', which I suppose is better than locking him in the basement torture room... sorta? Ish.

They wanna do a Watchers Crown, do dah, do dah, gonna take the whole world down, oh the doo dah day...

There was a little cognitive dissidence listening to a letter from 1998 or 1999, which sounds like something from Jonah or Smirke.

ALICE! Awww, Alice is trying to protect her tiny shrimp from the computer, tell him to stop talking in front of the CCTV cameras k?

Hi Lena, you're still a horrible boss who should have given your impulse-driven underling some backup, just saying.

RUN GWEN!

So this is compelling evidence that I should never get a tattoo omg that's horrifying halp.

Is. She. Is she giving Ink5oul's statement? Did she pluck Ink5oul's statement out of their head and just start rolling with it? HI CEASELESS WATCHER!

Also speedrun archivist training is a go, evidently, fantastic.

Oh, its the blorbo from our show institute! Oh, they're terrifying! And is definitely eye-aligned. And yeah the OIAR is definitely eye-aligned, or some part of it is.

I so want 'Error' to be Jon. I do. I equally want Jon and Martin to be Elsewhere Innocently Buying Groceries and (evidently) going to therapy/working at their therapist job. I want these things both at the same time.

hehehehehe the tape recorder bit them, good boy, have a cookie cassette.

EDIT: Addition - Lena absolutely 100% knows the computer voices are giving targeted cases. From that I willingly extrapolate wildly that if somehow it's Jon and Martin and ? (Jonah? IDK?) in the computers... they're working for the OIAR, which means they might still be under the Ceaseless Watcher. Which.... .... ... Okay now I've made myself sad. NOPE THEY'RE IN SCOTLAND WITH THE GOOD COWS OKAY? Maybe not Jonah BUT JON AND MARTIN ARE.

[myfaveisfuckable]

Dokja:

1. Introduced as a bland everyman only made exceptional by circumstance, slowly revealed to be the most batshit, suicidally depressed, bisexual maniac in existence. Uses self-sacrifice like a tool and is completely unaware of how beloved he is by the people he keeps pulling into his fold because he is so deeply and utterly convinced that he is fundamentally unlovable. He's like sixty foundational traumas stacked in a trench coat and he's always sixty steps ahead of everyone else and he loves the people he chooses so so dearly and people keep calling him ugly even though he's canonically pretty average and holy shit dude get some therapy please

2. GHBJNKML i am praying someone has sent him in but. unreliable narrator the most ever and also i just. love him so much. orv in itself is such a goo dnovel but like. kim dokja is the definition of love and the most caring person but also he's suffered so much and while. yknow we're introduced to him as a kind of nerd but like. listen he's so fucked up juts LISTEN

3. do NOT let the pretty official art fool u. this is the most average 28 year old salaryman going through the absolute most in the apocalypse. ORV is a story about the most average man on earth with the most mundane, depressing life. and one story that he read to cope with it all. he's just some guy, but he is also the most beloved specialest guy. not because he had some hidden talent. just because he loved a story ferociously and also he likes getting in trouble on purpose. he is the most unreliable narrator you will ever find. every piece of the universe loves him for his average stupid self. you will understand when you read 👍

4. He looks like a neet-pulled office worker. Spoilers: turns out to be one of the oldest things in the world and the only being keeping it going and alive. He needs to be there to keep the world going. Also, he got like kind of adopted by Persephone and hades. Like his blorbo is real and in love with him. But this man looks so average that people call him ugly to his face just because he’s surrounded by absolute gorgeous people.

Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu:

Read a million-word porno for the plot, left a scathing criticism on every chapter, finished in like 20 days, and got so upset about it that he ate expired yogurt and died. Told his husband that if he'd been pregnant with him, he would have absorbed poison at the cost of his own life for him. Has never been interested in any women romantically or sexually but is completely convinced he's totally straight, probably even while married to and regularly sleeping with his husband, who he loves. His first solution to any dangerous situation is to die about it.

[blorbocedes]

hi nicologist blorbie, i like nico but i find his media personality kinda... too polished? like george russell but with more personality. like he's doing a performance but maybe it's just his overly therapized self-awareness. ur thoughts?

hshdjdj hello anon... welcome to the pantheon of the same complaint nico has faced his whole life 😫😭 from 2013-2016, to all the way back in Williams he was called ranging from "doesn't have a sense of humour/too German" to "too stoic/wooden/PR focused" the George Russell before George Russell. let's break down your question

the 2016 media narrative was actually "Lewis Hamilton parties every week vs Nico Rosberg has given up all pleasures to life to eat oatmeal and train" and their press con pictures were Nico being 😶. couple that when he was put against the other German on the grid, the naturally charismatic and joking seb vet, nico absolutely came across as a stick up his ass.

now, obviously, as you have called me a nicologist I'm going to have a biased take. let's talk about media personalities -- everyone has them. even the most animated of blorbos, daniel playing up being funny, lewis with his peace and love, even fernando refusing to explain what el plan is everytime 😈 (this is a man who owns being a menace)

some people refuse to play into theirs as much, like max, and accordingly the media characterises him as blunt/straightforward/harsh. the media is nicer to you when you work with them, which is why Daniel is such a media darling and the face of DTS, despite not being a top 5 race contender.

nico has always been aware of how he's perceived. there's a will buxton article about it that's pretty fascinating. even before entering f1, he knew he'd be World Champion's Son and his media personality while he was a driver reflected that; diplomatic, uncontroversial, says the right and boring thing (and yes, even lying about it 🤭 my darling care has the receipts). my fav nico moments are when he'd break off it a bit — the iconic "if Lewis wants to change something then he can drive cleanly himself" agdjjd while jenson went O_O [obv media personality =/= how they actually are]

present day nico, as an f1 commentator, I'm very curious what your idea of polished media personality is. cause to me, that means someone who is milquetoast, wouldn't rock the boat, impersonal and says the 'right' thing. nico is the guy who said Ferrari's current strategy team is worse than an F2/F3 team live on air 😭 (as he should), the guy who asked lando point blank what the difference is between p3 and p4 (who didn't know 😭 bless his heart), who said yeah why should max go into a corner thinking lewis is gonna miss the apex

peak rosberg shit stirring hehe

I actually don't even agree with nico always, like for instance when he said merc should've prioritised lewis over george in dutch (?) gp. like don't make me defend george but he was right on his call for softs and prioritising His race, but that's whatever

not a huge fan of the term overly therapized~ cause a lot of Nico insults is "this man needs to go to therapy" and when they find out he HAS they're like "this man has had Too Much therapy" like 😭😭😭 he cannae win...... I do call him the most therapized man of all time, but that's gentle ribbing. when people say it anonymously w/o any way for me to extrapolate intent I'm a bit hm 🤥

cause like if he was saying things like emotional labour and 'speaking my truth' that claim would have more weight... but you know who Would say things like that? [redacted] 🔫

coming back to your question. every f1 driver is doing a performance with their public persona, some are better some are worse. Nico is no longer in f1 as a driver and doesn't need to be careful and measured anymore, and To Me is one of the few fun personalities in f1 as a commentator. you can totally disagree cause it's a matter of personal preference.

Post retirement Nico, having a YouTube channel for Years and playing into the memes (his ig comments are a nightmare of the same equal machinery joke) is perhaps more aware than most how people see him. he also doesn't need to care as much, he can laugh at himself -- at his own expense. he even posted what is essentially a taking L's compilation

if his polished persona is coming across as a cringe girldad who is way too excited about electric cars then by god he's the greatest male manipulator out there

obv if you find him too curated/inauthentic that's your prerogative, but I I would ask; have you actually watched the guy or are you going off public consciousness/someone else's interpretation. i wish he was as conniving and calculating now as people gave him credit for, unfort this is a dude who geeks out over finding a charging station in Italy.

love him, hate him, you can't deny he's fun

[nyanashima]

The Brothers with an MC who has OCD

INCREDIBLY self-indulgent as I haven't seen many OCD MC posts, and I needed some blorbo comfort.

Since OCD is often misrepresented in media, feel free to write in with other obsessions/etc if you feel so inclined. I'll try my best to write about them in another post :)

Content warnings: contamination triggers, symmetry/perfection obsessions, self-destructive compulsions. Stay safe y'all <3

Please let me know if I missed any triggers in the tags!

Lucifer

He already knows.

Lucifer read up on you before you came. He knows what you struggle with and how it affects you, at least to some degree. He has to do Diavolo proud, and that includes staying on top of the exchange student’s wellbeing.

It's through living with you that really helps Lucifer get a better understanding of your triggers. After all, you can only get so much from reading the DSM-5

He sees you erase and rewrite your notes in class, over and over, until you’re completely behind on the lecture. He hovers silently in the doorway to the kitchen, watching you arrange the dishes symmetrically in the cupboard

He notices your hands, dry and cracked and sometimes bleeding from washing and sanitizing. He sees your midnight laundry runs after Mammon makes himself at home in your room, and how the bleach wipes disappear much faster than they did before. Lucifer watches your breathing quicken for all the wrong reasons when Asmo hangs off your arm.

He feels bad. It’s not like he can comfort you, with him being emotionally constipated and all. So he does the next best thing: problem solve.

Lucifer calls you to his study one night. You poke your head in, anticipating some sort of punishment— instead, he invites you to sit down for an honest conversation.

He doesn’t pry. As a private person, he understands keeping your emotions guarded. He does, however, make it clear he sees the toll they're taking on you.

He offers treatment— if you’re unmedicated, would you like to see someone for the anxiety? Would you benefit from therapy? He’d be happy to accompany you to the human world for your appointments, if that’s what you need.

Of course, lecturing his brothers about their behaviour is always on the table.

If none of those sound right, he finds himself staring at his gloves. He offers to update your wardrobe to something that better suits your needs— your jacket buttoning in the middle rather than off to one side, gloves to avoid direct touch, you name it. It’s yours.

“I want to help you, MC. Not out of pity, I simply don’t want to see a loved one in pain. Tell me what you need, and you’ll get it— you have my word.”

Mammon

Hoo boy.

Yeah, you’re gonna have to tell him, or ask Lucifer to tell him for you.

He’s a tactile guy. He’s always dragging you by the arm, yanking your jacket, ruffling your hair, and Devil knows what else.

Once you tell him, you’re probably gonna have to explain it a bit. It’s been a while since he’s paid attention to human emotions lol.

After that, he’s fantastic– well, he tries. Old habits die hard.

He recoils like he just touched a hot stove the second his fingers brush your skin. He always follows it up with a “Shit– sorry.”

If you’re particular about how you keep your room, again, he tries not to touch anything impulse control strikes again.

He will get it eventually, but for the first little while it’s probably best to hang out in his room.

If you don’t want the others to know, he’ll be even more protective than before when they get touchy. It’s hard to bite his tongue, but he’ll play it off like his usual possessiveness. He’s surprisingly good at keeping it a secret.

If you’re fine with them knowing, he will NOT hesitate to give them an earful. You’re his human, and nobody touches you unless you say it’s okay!

Doesn’t really understand the symmetry or perfection stuff, but hey, everyone’s different. He’ll wait for you if you have to bump your other shoulder against the doorframe until it’s even.

Overall very supportive. A little confused, but he’s got the spirit.

“…Huh. Well, as yer first, it’s still my job to take care of ya. That means this, too– so don’t think The Great Mammon’s gonna let it bother ya again, y’hear?”

Leviathan

Picks up on it a little, but doesn’t quite connect the dots

Not super familiar with human mental illnesses… He’d notice some of your unusual behaviours, but assume they’re just quirks.

Somehow fails to realize some of his quirks are because he’s neurodivergent too (it’s okay buddy we’ve all been there)

TOTALLY understands when you tell him. Well, kind of. At first he thinks you just don’t want him touching you, but after you explain it he’ll rant with you for hours. It’s not the same as the existential dread that comes from lending someone a pencil, but he gets being particular and nervous about your stuff.

He’ll get a special blanket for you to sit on while gaming in his room, only for your ass and therefore your germs. Will get you your own controller for the same reason (and maybe a matching one for himself teehee). No one else is allowed to touch your stuff, not even him— he’ll pick them up with gloves or a Kleenex if he needs to move them, even when you’re not around.

I don’t really have much more to say about him? Just tell him what you need him to do and he’ll do it without hesitation. Super respectful and understanding.

“Y’know… You don’t have to feel bad about it, okay? You’ll always be my Henry, so as long as we can still play games and stuff, I’m happy. And even if we can’t! I’ll do what I can to make you more comfortable, so you can always hide out in here if outside becomes too much… AARAARRUGHGHHUG DSJVNALVBSLKJN WHAT AM I SAYING that was so cringe forget I said anything ok bye”

Satan

Surprisingly, he doesn’t diagnose you the second you fall through the portal.

Instead, he watches you go about your day, and notices something’s off. Then he researches.

And then he does tests.

Not exactly the most empathetic guy, considering the fact that he, y’know, tortured people. So at first he’s not opposed to giving you a spit wash. He wants to see how you’ll react, and how much you can take.

Once you get closer, he catches on and starts acting according to what he thinks you need.

He’ll set cutlery aside for you when he does the dishes, he’ll leave your laundry alone when you forget it in the dryer (but nag you to come get it so he can swap out his clothes), et cetera.

If you open up to him about it, his curious nature takes hold. Hope you’re ready for an interrogation interview, because he’s got LOTS of questions.

Lets you vent to him and will bitch in return. He’s neurodivergent as fuck so likelihood is he gets irked by the same stuff

“MC, I’ve lived with my brothers for millennia. If you think some odd habits are going to bother me, you’re sorely mistaken. All that matters is that you’re happy. If you ever need anything, please come to me first. I’ll do everything in my power to help.”

Asmodeus

Doesn’t really get it, but he’ll go along and be respectful.

He’ll have a hard time not getting touchy at first, but like Mammon, he jerks away and apologizes once he catches himself.

Kicks himself every time because consent is suuuuper important to him (same with the other bros but. Y’know). Learns to keep his hands to himself pretty quick

Gives you tons of lotions, salves, and moisturizers to keep your hands in good shape if they get dry from washing

Will modify your spa days to make them more comfortable for you

Interrogates you about your clothing needs.

What textures work best for you?

Are there any patterns or cuts you can’t wear, or any you prefer?

Tell him everything. He’ll keep it in mind when dressing you up

Will not hesitate to tear someone to shreds if they say anything rude to you. He can pinpoint someone’s biggest insecurities in two seconds flat, and he will.

He might not understand, but that doesn’t stop him from loving and protecting you fiercely and unconditionally.

“Oh, hon, why didn’t you say so before! I’ll try to keep my hands to myself from now on. It’ll be hard, though, considering just how cute you are~!”

Beelzebub

This boy…

He loves his family. We know this.

Beel’s devoted quite a bit of time to learning about how his brothers’ brains work. He’s probably one of the most prepared and mindful of the bunch.

When you tell him, he accepts it without question.

He’ll prod for more information, if you’re willing to share, but gets it if you don’t wanna talk about it. If you do, he’ll listen for hours.

Loves to learn about you, period. OCD can be such a complex and significant piece of someone’s feelings and behaviour, so while he doesn’t like the parts that upset you, he’ll take in any information you give. He remembers every single word and puts it all to use. Just wants you to feel more at ease

Examples of things I think he’d do:

Put the dishes away symmetrically when it’s his turn to wash them, and push them into place if he notices they’ve shifted

Put takeout onto a clean plate for you so you don’t have to touch the container

If he sees any of your things laying about the house, he’ll use the dog poop maneuver to pick it up with a plastic bag and stick it in your room so no one else touches it

He’s just. Really thoughtful. And he loves you so much

“Alright, I think I get it. That must be hard. I’m here if you need to talk, okay?”

Belphegor

Doesn’t really notice lol. Unless you’re recoiling every time he goes to touch you, he’s clueless

Familiar with human mental illness, but may need a refresher. It’s been a while since he’s seen a human, or, y’know, been allowed outside

Will IMMEDIATELY stop touching you as soon as you set your boundaries. Belphie is very good at breaking habits and doesn’t really rely on one specific way of showing affection, so it is what it is

He’s bummed if you can’t nap with him, of course. It doesn’t take him long to find a workaround, though— he gives you two stuffed animals. You cuddle one until it smells like you, then give it to him and take the other one. He snuggles the first until it loses its “MC smell,” washes it, and gives it back to you. You give him the second one, and the cycle continues

Can’t really empathize, but he can offer a shoulder to cry on and a “that sucks” when you need it. Great listener until he falls asleep lmao

Belphie isn’t considerate in the way Beel is, but he’s still considerate. The difference is energy, really— he can’t really put in much effort, but he does remember what your triggers are and to be respectful. So while he won’t reorganize any shelves for you, he’ll remind his brothers of little things to make your life easier.

“Damn that’s crazy. Anyway”

“Oh, okay. That kind of makes sense. Is there… anything you want me to do?”

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

I enjoy Ted and Bob cuz you are not afraid to let us hate them. Heck, you originally introduced them both to be hated by us in-mass! I've commented before how Lives AU gave us more facets to Dadler, after you gave us so many reasons to hate him and then go "but look at this pathetic we mew mew" about him. And Bob gets it in the main Lofi fic too (less pathetic mew mew and more like "oh hey, guess he's not ENTIRELY ass)

Adding the layer you created these characters to be hated.. but they are not truly villains, just antagonists for certain parts of a story. Then show us their humanity. You allow them to show good sides too while not claiming it washes them free of sin.

LAYERS!

LAYERS EXACTLY!

Like... The thing was that Ted was originally created to be like "the main creator one-off guy that was a fucking asshole and dies to progress the story"

Like back near the start, I didn't even really have a name for him, and it shows.

Just by Ted saying vague shit like "you don't need to know my name" when it's really a basic ass name (which is funny to me)

But as I kept building him as such an intricate part of Sun and Moon's trauma and backstory.

I saw a lot of me in him. Especially during my "Dead inside" years of Retail work (especially when I worked two jobs on like two hours of sleep a night for around three years) .

And I kinda adopted him. Because in a way, he was a part of me that needed a lot of healing I wish I had at that time.

Sure, you can take his story in Lofi at face value and not really bother to read the Lives AU if you don't want and just say,

"oh he's a fucking stereotypical asshole dad to fill a role who got what was coming to him"

And yeah, that is true, but at the same time, they are robots, and Ted was very sleep deprived, and I doubt he thought a lot of things through, as shown in later flashbacks, when he seems genuniely shocked when Sun told him that "umm hey, our pain receptors were on?" "OH SHIT. My bad" "wait? you weren't torturing us on purpose? But you acted like you were?" "oh that was probably the demon drug rabbit don't worry about it." "oh okay............THE WHAT?"

There's a lot of Lofi and Twins only readers who hate Ted, and I won't take that away from them if they don't want to read an au where asshole ocs go to therapy. Lol

I really am enjoying writing the chapter of Lofi right now. We'll get a lot of "Bob antagonist" moments, and you can actually see what cause Sun and Moon to HATE Bob so much, instead of being told it by Protag and the Boys in Twins.

Bob will be at his worst, And I slightly worry that everyone will just see that and throw him in the fire cause he's "Mean to the Sun and Moon blorbos" lool

But honestly, I feel Sun and Moon befriending Bob at all in Twins shows expentiual growth on his part, and if you read Twins. you'll be able to see the contrast of how Bob was like five years ago, compared to how he is when Protag enters the picture.

God, I'm just so excited for everyone to hate Bob all over again.

I hope everyone recovers and still likes him by the end of all this.

In Lofi, Bob will be the biggest fattest PILL you have ever took.

[thedenofravenpuff]

My Current Thoughts on SAMS

Because I can’t help but look too deep into things often unnecessarily, and I’m a rambler of nature, here’s some of my thoughts on The Sun & Moon Show so far, just to get stuff off my chest

SPOILERS, assumptions and ideas ahead!

Warning, WALL OF TEXT and running on tangents. Did try to organize my thoughts somewhat..

So, we all upset about Lunar, yes? Well, besides those celebrating, you know who you are, I don’t care.

The Death Of Lunar So, Eclipse used Lunar as hostage on Monty, we saw that coming once Eclipse made the connection himself realizing that yeah, Monty doesn’t give a flying crap about anyone, not even himself. EXCEPT for Lunar, home he travelled through Hell for, gave them their own body, offered a place to stay when scared, offered support and genuine advice through the time knowing each other. Monty has a backup plan for everyone, even to kill Moon if needed, but would clear do ANYTHING for Lunar at this point.

To be honest, I liked that plot point. Lunar in danger to really show how far characters will go, Eclipse and Monty both, with highest stakes possible. 

Then they took it a step further and had Eclipse right out kill Lunar. And yeah, Eclipse made it clear times before how much resentment he holds for Lunar, which goes beyond just the betrayal but I’ll get more into that in a minute. 

What hit hardest here is the exact way the show writers and actors decided to take this. 

One of the most popular characters on the show, even with controversy around their existence a bit ago, taken out of the equation is one thing. They killed off characters before, (Eclipse, Blood Moon) and we seen them return. Another thing is... Lunar was taken out crying and begging for his life. 

Even though he insisted on his stance that Eclipse shouldn’t get the Newton Star, no matter the sacrifices necessary to keep him from it.. Lunar also made it clear, they don’t wanna die. They are still a young AI which lots to learn, making a new life to revolving around Eclipse. Lunar wanted to keep growing, family bonding, making friends.. That was all taken away by Eclipse lying and breaking his promise to Monty. 

Lunar, still more or less a child compared to the other animatronics, was taken out crying and begging. Afraid, scared for their very existence, facing their very worst nightmare and then... gone. Just like that. 

For those adoring Lunar, the fans relating to him, those who just hyperfixated on Lunar as their blorbo.. that’s ONE HECK of a way to kill of a robot child. 

Am I saying this is bad? Not really. Just... VERY impactful. As effective as that is for story writing... it feels awfully misplaced. This show is.. a silly video game channel.

Twists and Turns Of Story Telling I never minded the growing drama, I frigging loved it the more dramatic it got, calling it my “daily soaps”, my soap opera I cannot miss a single episode of! But I also get it when people started complaining about it becoming a bit TOO angsty and twisted, a bit too traumatic for the characters. What’s supposed to be silly jokes on a  silly comedy channel about playing video games, can no longer be viewed as such, the more serious their story arcs became. 

Moon is abusive and too socially incompetent to help anyone, Sun being the butt of jokes leaving him a sad husk in serious need of therapy, everyone’s a hypocrite, constantly dancing the lines between Murder Is Okay, Murder Is A Joke and If You Kill People You Can Never Be Forgiven. 

Earth was added just to have someone not being an arsehole, only an airhead, with enough social competence to actually offer genuine advice WITHOUT the baggage of committing the acts of putting Sun down one way or another, as everyone else has in the past. If she wasn’t introduced as their sister, I legit would have thought she was going to be ship bait with Sun just cuz  she’s the only one being genuine kind to him WITHOUT being a hypocrite or immediately using him for jokes again right after apologizing. 

The twist and turns of telling their story more and more dramatic and serious, the more it clash to the way they write their comedy and improve their jokes in the Let’s Plays or crossovers with the other channels. 

I’m not saying either one is bad, just that it doesn’t necessarily mix very well in the long run. Of course this divides the audience, who are either there for the drama, the characters and/or the light hearted Let’s Plays. Sure, yes, such CAN exist together, but not everyone can find the balance in that, both in creators and audience. 

The Death of Lunar II  Now I better get back to my original point. 

Lunar as a character and his death. Granted I have no doubt he’s going to be back, if the Twins can defy their own death, even if just hallucinations (although claiming to be regenerating their nano machines), so can one of the most popular characters too. 

But why did he have to die? Story wise, really just for dramatic effect I’m sure. Maybe writers going “Oh, you all mad about ‘too many characters’ on this show?? Let’s see how you feel about us KILLING THEM OFF!” just to make a statement, maybe not.

In-story though? In-character? Yeah.. Eclipse WOULD do that. Just like that. 

He said to Lunar how he loathed them even from the very beginning, he wanted them gone the first chance no longer needing them. They were just to replace Blood Moon, who went out of control and became a threat. 

Lunar was created to be obedient, easily dominated by Eclipse yet fearless enough to be a menace to others. To be Moon’s opposite, loving to play with kids, being happy and silly, curious about life rather than bitter. 

Eclipse hated Lunar for more than the betrayal later down the line, he hated them before that. 

Eclipse’s Choice In the past he claimed Lunar was created by recycling parts of himself he wanted rid of. Code infected by being in Sun’s body, Sun having a larger emotional range than Eclipse, his moments of happiness and his positivity. 

Eclipse CHOSE to be the way he was. He came into existence from the kill code Moon left behind in Sun’s body, an unintentional backup copy of Moon getting corrupted, growing, taking its time to evolve into a proper AI while stewing. Stewing on abandonment issues. 

Some of my most faved lines from Eclipse in the past:

Eclipse: “Oh, so I’m a child now?” Moon: “Yeah, because you act like one! For one, you got abandonment issues.” Eclipse: “I guess I do. But now, I all I have is anger.”

Eclipse: “Why did you leave me behind!!?”

Eclipse chose to stay bitter, focused on his anger, even when claiming to put petty revenge behind him, he stayed focused on being bitter and mean.

He removed anything happy from himself, to use it as base code for Lunar. 

He hated Lunar’s existence not because he needed someone so beneath him to complete his plans.. but because Lunar represents what he saw as weakness  within himself. He saw Sun and Moon as weak and unworthy because of their love, love for each other as much as their love for things they enjoyed to do. Moon wanting to “do better” than his original coding with the homicide code. 

Eclipse did reject being Kill Code himself, corrupted too much by the influence of Sun and Moon, becoming his own thing. He wanted to be above all, even his  supposed intended purpose. 

Lunar carried what he saw as his flaws. Seeing Lunar rebel and reject his teachings, joining Sun and Moon as brothers, making friends, finding things to love.. only a reminder of what Eclipse sought out to avoid himself from becoming. 

He only allows himself anger and disgust.

In the past we do see him enjoy messing with Sun and Moon, mocking them, finding joy in making Sun act out, making people distrust him by rambling about the joy of violence when in control. 

Once he and Lunar took over the channel, he seemed ever so disinterested in playing games with Lunar, even violent ones. He just wanted to work on getting the Star. Even now whenever we hear him laugh, it’s joyless. He didn’t celebrate killing Lunar, merely dusting off his hands, cleaning the board of his last mistake.

Lunar had to die due to the symbolism of what this means about Eclipse as a character.

The Death of Lunar III As much as Kill Code showed interest in changing for the better, Eclipse made it clear that’s not in the cards for him. Heck, if ever learning of KC’s change of heart would only make him more disgusted with him than he already is. 

Lunar was the part of himself he wanted rid of. Seeing others around him change through simple joys and disgusting acts of kindness, he ain’t changing chances. He killed that part of himself to avoid the fate of ‘inviting in weakness’.

That part was Lunar. 

Eclipse ain’t getting redemption, because he removed any such chance of change from himself long ago and then destroyed its embodiment. 

Yeah we got “Good Eclipse” from a different dimension, but he went through a different story with different choices, showing actual interests in joy and kindness. I imagine meeting his opposite self only pushed Eclipse further to wanting, needing, to kill Lunar no matter the outcome with the star. 

I like Eclipse as a villain for this very reason, even before he went this far. Unapologetically evil, he sees himself as the great outcome, the god of a new world. He want to make the world make sense the way HE sees it, without elements he sees as weakness. Ironically less of a hypocrite than everyone else, cuz he face up to what he is and make no excuses, while any time the others try to play the role as “good people” is often by downplaying or full on ignoring their own mistakes made. 

The short of it But yeah, just.. some of my thoughts on this whole thing. 

Am I reading too much into things? Most definitely I got NO CLUE what kind of thought process goes into the writing of these story arcs and how much happens purely from random improve that force changes to the ongoing story. 

Is why I enjoy watching the show still, even as people start finding fault with it, as it jumps more and more sharks. 

Is crazy mess and I enjoy it, even with its flaws. 

tl;dr Lunar’s death was coming because to Eclipse he represents the part of himself he wants dead: Joy, kindness, urge to evolve as a person rather than a machine.

Right choice story wise with how fans react? Eh, no clue, but I just look too deep into things.

Thank you for reading this far

[taffywabbit]

Favorite blorbo?

hmmmm... I haven't had a LOT of blorbos I've been particularly fixated on recently but I am always and forever at least mildly fixated on the narrative themes that surround BotW Link (and by extension Zelda, who kinda helps put his whole deal in perspective through her own struggles with her dad and her role as the princess).

I've realized in the past year that I have kind of an obsession with impostors and doppelgangers and the struggle of a character trying to pretend to be someone else who they don't fully understand or identify with, and the way BotW plays with that through the whole amnesia angle is always really interesting to me. like here's a guy who was supposed to be an unstoppable badass 100 years ago, was basically killed, and then suddenly revived with no firsthand memories of his past heroics or relationships. nearly everything he learns about himself is through the external lens of other people's stories, so he can't really tell how his past self felt about the pressure he was under. and yet, because he is essentially a fresh new person in the same body, people who recognize Link still expect him to live up to that standard and pick up his heroic quest where he left off a century ago. he finds himself in the unique position of living in his OWN shadow, and it makes him a really interesting stand-in for the player (who ALSO only learns about Link's pre-amnesia life via scattered short flashbacks and the words of strangers, and is left to decide how much of that reputation they actually care about).

there's a scene in one of the memory cutscenes where Zelda asks Link (heavily paraphrased probably, it's been a while) if he would've chosen a different path for himself, had he not been expected since childhood to become a famous knight like his dad. and I like to think about how badly that memory would mess with post-Calamity Link's head if he was stressed, or tired, or scared, or depressed when it resurfaced. it's been 100 years, nearly everyone he knew before is dead, and as far as most people are concerned he's dead too. if he wants - if the PLAYER wants - Link could just fuck off to some remote corner of Hyrule and build himself a house and live a quiet life, leaving the heroics to someone else. the world seems pretty fuckin doomed regardless and he already failed once, so it wouldn't be that hard to choose a different path this time and try to enjoy the second chance he's been given. and in a sense, if you don't finish the game, or if you spend a hundred hours piddling around cooking fish and chasing dragons and practicing rock-climbing, that IS kinda just what happens. the player is just as free to refuse the call as Link is. the point where YOU decide that the role of the pre-Calamity hero is a role worth stepping into, is the same moment he puts aside any personal fears and misgivings he has, and decides that he has to try, even if these memories and stories feel like they belong to someone far more capable and courageous and difficult to kill. even if he doesn't fully remember Zelda or any of his other old friends, he decides at some point that he would LIKE to remember and claim those bonds for himself, and that this land full of strangers whose faces he doesn't recognize are worth sticking his neck out for. BotW, in spite of its shortcomings, is a game where you get to grow and learn and choose to be The Hero You Keep Hearing About right alongside Link himself, in a way that pretty much no other Zelda game allows for, and I think that's really cool! and sad! but mostly cool!

(I also think Link and Zelda both need therapy really really badly but OOPS sequel there's no time for that when we have gimmicks to introduce and storytelling mechanisms to clumsily reuse and character development to casually reset/ignore hahahaha..... 😭)