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fumifooms · 3 months

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Laios Touden and autism; admiring the non-human

Do you think people exaggerate when they scream about Laios being autistic? Do you feel like it’s weird that so many people including autistics are so set on Laios, the problematic (but incredible and kind) king TM, being the most autistic that has ever autisticed? Why do we cheer on autistic people wanting to be monsters?? Isn’t that weird?

Well, of course it depends on the way it’s done, it can be done quite offensively, but long story short Kui blew it out of the park. The thing is, autistic people really do like monsters and animals and robots. Nonhuman does not mean subhuman, it just means Other. Feeling a connection with them has been shown to be an extremely common autistic experience for that very reason.

Because some people don’t understand why we autistic Tumblr Laios stans cheer “autism! Autism!” whenever he talks about monsters and feeling alienated to humans so! Here’s a post about how yes even research papers are analyzing the special connection we form with animals. I’m not even joking but Laios Touden & the mass cries of relatability with autistic people he gets and all the love for him could be used as study material and evidence for future papers because the link is that strong. Oh also I think it’s notable that being autistic and undiagnosed vs diagnosed makes a huge difference. In my experience as someone who was undiagnosed up until 18, it’s even more alienating to not know that there’s a reason why you’re different, being gaslit that you’re ‘normal’ and you just need to try harder and get with the program, etc. Personally when getting diagnosed I went through the 5 stages of grief because the thought of having been fundamentally different all your life (a difference which you will never be able to change) and mistreated for it when you weren’t “wrong” all along makes you unload all the anger and sadness and loneliness and sheer trauma you’ve built up over time. Like it’s world shattering.

So! Back to seeing dogs as family. Also I implore you to value experiential evidence when it comes to autism and other neurodivergences because brains are complicated and neurotypicals not being able to understand us well even with scientific research is like, a whole thing even though we’re right there speaking about how we feel and being right every time because the topic is literally us and how we experience the world.

Disclaimer for this whole post that, of course, no group is a monolith and everyone has different experiences or can diverge from the norm of the group, and that doesn’t diminish the validity of either side! Like, I know autistic people who have trauma with dogs and hate them. But, trends do happen, and in this case... Autism is very “My experiences with humans make me feel dehumanized in a bad and lonely way so instead I’ll dehumanize myself in a good and inspiring way”.

“I was treated like a failed human my entire life and you’re surprised that my response was to become a dog.” -Patricia Taxxon

It’s literally well recorded that autistic people relate to animals more than humans globally. With this post, besides spreading autistic Laios truthism and explaining why the portrayal hits so deep for so many, I want to show in what way this is a very specific experience and not looking at his character through an autistic lense really misses a lot of why he’s everything that he is. (Tacking allegedly onto here for legal reasons, different interpretations are valid etc etc /gen). This honestly isn’t super long though.

To define an important term, anthropomorphism in the studies and in this post means to attribute human traits to the nonhuman, which not only includes anthro furry designs but also animals irl, inanimate objects, and animated media as opposed to live action, to humanize them and empathize with them.

Paper: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2019.0027

“Dogs taught me how to hunt and socialize and work in groups”, Laios having internalized body language... So real so real. I, too, make a great dog impression. And I want to emphase the part that it helps greatly develop a sense of emotions and relationships! For Laios, he didn’t get along with kids his age, it was him, Falin and the dogs against the world. Since it’s a group of dogs too, it taught him group dynamics and social hierarchies (like with Falin being considered as being below the dogs in authority according to the dogs rip), and the importance of group coordination when hunting.

For me, I cannot like, concisely explain just how much animals were important to me developmentally. I also grew up with dogs, but like I vividly remember encounters with like hamsters as well just radically shaping my understanding of boundaries, the importance of giving something space and the way you interact with them and respect their side of it. Unlike humans they don’t really mask how they feel, it’s direct cause-effect reaction and data gathering. There are no words involved, so the focus on having a perfect phrasing and tone is gone, leaving just pure interactions.

There’s also no reason to mask how you feel either, and you don’t have to feel silly over wanting to form a connection and it showing, what, is the dog gonna laugh at you because you obviously want to make friends with it? Toshiro or Kabru might, but dogs and cats will just tell you to fuck off and leave it there worst case scenario. I often say that I think one reason Marcille is special to Laios and he feels comfortable around her is because she emotes INTENSELY, she gestures, she puts her whole body into it, her facial expressions are pretty exaggerated and her ears even emote too- like with a dog’s ears!

I think there’s def also things to be said about how he gravitated towards Izutsumi at first, all excited, was eager to sleep in the same bed as her, but in the Izutsumi sleep rating chart we see they really just casual and chill so it’s not a Laios talking to Shuro deep into the night situation just a “I like sleeping besides animals” situation and that is enough to hype him up. I love how he pet her in the extra about why Chil let her sleep with him too. He’s just so transparently eager to befriend her, even if in the end they weren’t all that compatible and he accepted that.

There are honestly so many examples I could give for this. Like Grandin the famous cow lady.

More about autism & empathy:

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/double-empathy-explained/ (Also mentions a study in which groups of autistic, allistic then a mixed group played a game of telephone and both singular groups had similar levels of information retention, but the mixed group was significantly worse. As an autistic person yeah duh, obviously autistic people are different from one another and can have plenty of interpersonal issues, but communicating with other neurodivergent people feels pretty intuitive and straightforward and comfortable. One of the reasons why neurodivergent people tend to naturally gravitate towards each other I suppose.)

^ Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5932358/ For good, extensive summary of why we relate to animals so much you can go to the “anthromorphizing and asd” section of the paper. This paper extends to our widespread liking of cartoons and robots as well. Ok so this is a whole thing I won’t get into here but this is a big reason why a lot of autistic people are agender leaning as well. Genders and queerness in general is a lot about social constructs, and being queer is being marginal to these, not fitting into boxes or challenging those social norms and conventions. Queerplatonic relationships are a great example of this, where the framework of the relationship is platonic but the intangible nature of what it is exactly is the point, not familial not anything but everything at once too, just adoration, I like to say having pets is a bit like it as well, bc obvi it’s not romantic and often not fully familial, very platonic but also sooo much cuddling and adoration and kissing and whatnot that you wouldn’t typically do with a friend or family member. I’ll talk about qpr and labels another day though.

I got carried away but queerness in Dunmeshi is something I 100% want to make a big post on one day. Experiencing the world with different guidelines and not registering things to have the same boxes, sigh. Personally I also relate to Laios on a gender level, “cis by default because I don’t care all that much but if I were to dig deeper I’m probably otherkin and I want to be socially associated with traits of monsters and animalistic rather than man/woman” sighh hard to be a cryptid in this day and age. I wish we had a term like furry but for monsters, I want to be in the fantasy or folk tale genre ty, like changelings. Goshh changelings... You know, the irl myth where people said their neurodivergent kids were fairies’ children instead of human. Diminished physical sense of self means I see myself as some unknowable black void aesthetic wise, but like in a way that simultaneously makes me feel seen. Like becoming a monster, losing your sense of self but also somehow just being simplified and seen for what you are, it’s weird to try and explain. This post is more about relating to the nonhuman than about seeing yourself as such, but like connect the dots right, that IS an important point of Laios’ character. It’s because our brains literally work different than allistics which makes us feel as other, but also because of social ostracization and functioning in a different way than society at large, living in the margin of society, being weird and non-conforming.

Meanwhile, animals and social norms... Like ok, showing your neck and rolling on the ground to show that you’re friendly and harmless and play biting might not be proper. But have you considered that it’s also fun and feels very intuitive. Play with a dog in the dog’s way I promise it is so nice and freeing. Play tug of war and growl back when they growl. Hiss at your cat to tell them they do something wrong, engage with them on their level.

Autism made social life hard, but it made animals easy. Do you have anyyy idea how good it feels to mask all day every day and feel constantly misunderstood or like you’re doing a performance but then you can just, drop all of that in the company of animals and they understand you. They understand you. You form an understanding and rapport so easily.

And this whole thing with Laios is so explicit too, with the Winged Lion saying “You’re sick and tired of the human world”. Notice the choice of words. Sick and tired of the human world. Exhausted from the constraints, sick of the mind games. It really isn’t as much about loving monsters as it is about loving the nonhuman. Relating to them because you feel that you can actually understand how they work and think, and feeling like they could understand you back as well. Animals are safe.

Like I could go on about how Laios admiring even just demi-humans like orcs is because they’re socially seen as non-humans more than any true physical thing, that they’re not bound by human society and its rules and live with their own lifestyle. But it would deal myself 1000 points of psychic damage and I am not ready to cry today. It’s idealization 100%, and like, Laios DOES want to be treated as human, to be valued, but it feels like an unreachable thing meanwhile becoming a monster is instant gratification and freedom and a sense that now no one will be able to hurt you in a way that reaches you, never again shall you be defenseless, and then if people dehumanize you then that only strengthens your sense of identity as a monster and UGHH ugh ugh.

And like. This post is a mess at this point but if you want to kinda delve into the more “why” then I recommend this Patricia Taxxon video essay. It starts out on a very different topic, but it’s all about autism and finding comfort in the inhuman. Long story short is othering made us like this also animals are just simpler to intuitively get along with.

So when I post this

I mean it. I really mean it when I say he’s me. I have never felt so seen. So many conflicting emotions all wrapped so concisely yet so intangibly woven into the whole storyline so subtly.

Not being depicted as a monster of an human being for feeling/having felt that way?? The manga understands you. The world can understand you. Other humans can understand you. You can bond with them. You can. And I think that’s a big part of Dungeon Meshi too- Laios opening up to others about how he really is and his interests, and all the bumps on the way but how it was the only way to truly get to know each other and bond. With the climax being Laios confronting head on his complex with monsters and humans, and his monster-loving side and animalistic side being exactly what saves the whole world, what saves humanity. Because Laios does value his friends, does think humanity has beautiful sides to it, he wants to help it thrive and eat and become more accepting, carving out a kingdom for misfits and demi-humans. At the end of it, transforming into a monster and being free is a daydream fantasy, and the reality of it is that Laios does belong in the world as he is, and does receive and give out love.

If you enjoyed this you’ll probably like some of my other Laios analysis! Here’s an analysis of his succubus and what it says about his relationships with other humans. And here’s an analysis about his relationship with Shuro from his perspective.

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #laios touden #character analysis #i guess #dungeon meshi manga spoilers #spoilers #autistic laios touden #asd #autism representation #meta #draft so old it uses the old Tumblr post editor #it would be much better if i could put them side to side rip #i also wanna do an analysis trying to pin down his level of social awareness #i love that the monster story epic saga about misfits and your place in the world on an ecosystem level is just sooo autistic so perfect #this post has a weird structure but hopefully it can showcase some things and make ppl understand and others relate! I know we're out there #hiii therians how we feeling today. Brain chemistry is weird but ours is just wired different not broken #feeling self-conscious bc even with studies this is the equivalent of going 'trust me bro I get it' which usually doesn't go well with us #Humanity is beautiful <3333 Humans are social animals broski love yourself!!!

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sysig · 8 months

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He deserves a bit of everything, as a treat (Patreon)

#Doodles #Wander Over Yonder #Commander Peepers #Up front - that first one was very inspired by one of Kurole's sketches of him - absolutely spectacular use of shapes ahhh <3 <3 #His iris dripping directly into his tears?? Excuse me I die immediately #I did a full study later since as noted that one was from memory lol - not quite! Kurole's shapes are so pretty ♪#Peeps' shapes are some of the funnest to move around! He's so stretchy and squishy lol #He's so fun to pose #At first I was just going to doodle Peeps in the outfit the Watchdogs drew him in for The Cartoon because cute!#But I figured it'd be easier if started with the actual shapes they used - dissect how they lay on each other and all that #Turns out the bean form is also very cute hehe <3 They can try to make him as stereotypically dorky as they want! He's still the cutest!#He is quite handsome in the same outfit at his usual proportions tho #Not me always enjoying characters in glasses/putting characters in glasses #Of all the features I myself have that'd be the last one I would expect to be So about lol #Plus the little heels on his boots?? I can't believe the Watchdogs were Completely making a mockery of him hehe ♪#Maybe mocking him a little bit for being short but he loves heels! He loves feeling tall!#And they match his shirt? Fashionable all the way around ✨#Last one of him on Ziziks and trying(? maybe?? Lol maybe not) to relax #Open tourist-y shirt over loose swim trunks >>>#Gotta dork it up with the visor gloves and boots tho lol hopefully he put on sunscreen too #What would burnt Watchdog skin look like anyhow :0 Redder?#You just know he's still on call even if he managed to get some time off - and if he was forced off he's on call by choice lol #Little workaholic

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midnightrings · 28 days

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Siena and her opera performances - a short character study

So, I thought I might share a short little analysis of the operas Siena performed, as I’ve not seen anything like this on here before and I’ve spent some time digging into those operas for my fanfics.

I want to post a whole character analysis of Siena at some point, but the operas play an important part in highlighting Siena’s character and her relationship with Anthony, so I thought it might be interesting to dig a bit deeper into those performances. Especially when it comes to a character like her (who barely got any screentime), those few seconds of her performing make a nice addition and add some depth to her character and storyline.

I won't focus much on the opera Siena performs in episode 1 – Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride – as it's not as interesting as the other two, because there doesn’t seem to be much of a connection to Siena’s character or her relationship with Anthony per se. Unlike the other operas, the focus in this scene is clearly not on her – she’s mostly just in the background, with two very short closeups, so we see that it’s her that is performing on stage. There is a deleted scene between her and Anthony according to the published script of that episode:

However, while I think that deleted scenes and such can make for interesting footnotes during an analysis/interpretation, I don’t like taking them too much into consideration – after all, there might be a good reason why this was deleted.

So the actual scene we see doesn’t really highlight anything in regards to Siena’s characters besides the fact that she’s an opera singer and that this is one of the only times we see her wear some brighter colors – while she’s on stage, playing a character. The other two operas she performs in episode 3 and 4 are much more focused on her character and storyline, especially her performance of I Capuleti e i Montecchi in 1.03 – this is the only time we see her perform without any of the other cast members present.

However, that’s not the only difference between Iphigénie en Tauride and the other operas. I Capuleti e i Montecchi and Les contes d'Hoffmann are also anachronistic. Iphigénie en Tauride premiered 1779, while I Capuleti e i Montecchi premiered in 1830 and Les contes d'Hoffmann in 1881.

People tend to make fun of historical inaccuracies or dismiss them as mistakes, but most times, anachronism is on purpose. I think it’s safe to assume that everyone working on this has been aware that those operas would not premiere until decades after season 1. The operas were clearly chosen for a reason.

Les contes d'Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach (1881)

Les contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) tells the story of Hoffmann, who choses to give up on love and devotes his life to art and poetry instead. It's based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, and some are probably familiar with the movie, but just to roughly summarize (also because there’s some important differences): At the beginning of the story, a prima donna named Stella invites Hoffmann to a meeting in her dressing room after her performance. Before the meeting, Hoffmann recounts his past great loves to his students. The opera consists of three acts, each telling the story of one of Hoffmann’s previous loves. After recollecting his stories of heartbreak, The Muse can convince Hoffmann to give his love to her (poetry) instead of visiting Stella.

There are many parallels to Siena and her relationship with Anthony here. The most obvious one is the prima donna part – Stella represents Siena. While there might not be direct similarities within the story or between Anthony and Hoffmann, the ending to Hoffmann’s story is still in some parts similar to Anthony’s. The opera ends with Hoffmann declaring that he doesn’t want to love anymore – which sounds quite similar to what Anthony says at the end of season 1.

Siena is obviously not performing the entire opera – we only see her sing “Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour” as the courtesan Giulietta – who tries to fool Hoffmann into falling in love with her.

Storytelling-wise, it obviously does not fit Siena’s story at this point – she is not trying to fool Anthony into falling in love with her, quite the opposite. Though it does work well as a juxtaposition, especially when we see Siena noticing Anthony’s stares and she slips out of her role. There’s a clear contrast here between her performing as a devious courtesan and looking almost flustered as a result of Anthony’s gaze.

And although Siena at that point doesn’t want to seduce Anthony in any way, the piece still beautifully represents the actual scene that takes places here: Anthony longingly staring at her the very moment he recognizes her voice – almost as if under a spell (a very horny spell). Even when Violet tries to distract him, he cannot help but look in Siena’s direction. He’s completely enthralled by her here – similarly to how Hoffmann was enthralled by Giulietta. And similarly, both relationships are doomed to end unhappily.

Adding onto that, this is also the only time that we see Siena on stage where she represents exactly who she is: a courtesan. During the other two performances, she’s wearing bright, pastel gowns – very different from her usual style. The costume she wears here is also different from her usual style, which is fairly plain otherwise – but it does highlight the role she plays within society.

I find it quite interesting that this is the only time we see Anthony and Siena interact with one another during one of her performances – and one of the only times we see them interact in public altogether. This scene clearly shows the class difference between them: Anthony attending a ball as the lord he is, while Siena performs for everyone else’s entertainment, playing a seductive courtesan. They are present at the same place, yet they can’t talk to one another – there is an invisible wall between them which is highlighted by the positions they take within that scene as well as the clothes they wear. Had Siena performed any other part of that opera, she would probably have worn a pretty gown and those differences would not nearly be as noticeable. But she’s performing as a courtesan and as a result, this might be the most visible representation of her and Anthony’s differences and main conflict.

Returning to the actual story of the opera: At the end, Hoffmann explains how his three previous loves – Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta – all represent Stella. They show different aspects of the prima donna: the musician, the young girl and the courtesan. As I said, Stella represents Siena, and so do all of the other characters. In this scene, we see her visually represented as the courtesan. The show highlights this several times, especially during episode 3 when she talks to Genevieve and then later visits the gentlemen’s club and is inviting Simon to join her the next evening. Her need to find a keeper that can protect her and provide for her plays an essential role within her storyline.

Then, she’s obviously also a musician – a good amount of her scenes consist of her performances, and her character is defined by those performances. And, in the end, she’s also a young girl – and the show ensures to highlight that part as well. Through showcasing her vulnerability and emotions, we can see that she is not that different from the other young women in the show, like Daphne and Marina. They are all young, dealing with heartbreak and making decisions to secure their future. And this is in my opinion what sets Bridgerton apart from other stories of its genre. Usually, a character like Siena would only be the musician and courtesan – either sidelined or vilified. The show humanizes her, however, by granting her screentime to show her pain and struggles and even, to some extent, her innocence – which is especially well done during her performance in 1.03.

I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Vincenzo Bellini (1830)

As you can probably guess by the title, I Capuleti e i Montecchi tells the story of Romeo and Juliet. I don’t think there’s a need to summarize the story, and I also think it’s pretty clear why this particular opera was chosen: Romeo and Juliet originated the star-crossed lovers trope – which is the exact trope Siena and Anthony would fall under.

There are many things I love about that scene – it’s just all around a brilliant scene, not just in relation to Siena’s character. Though I will obviously only focus on how it relates to her character here.

The aria Siena performs is “Oh! quante volte” – Juliet waiting for Romeo, begging for him to come for her. It’s quite emotional and allows for Siena’s character to express her own emotions throughout her performance.

First, I adore how beautifully this ties in with the next scene. For one, because it sets up the atmosphere and essence of Siena and Anthony’s relationship – the tragedy of it all. The scene with Anthony in Siena’s dressing room underlines how this is not meant to be a love story with a happy ending, and the performance right before that amplifies this. Their story is doomed to end unhappily. And, similar to Romeo and Juliet, it is not merely a tragic story about love – it’s a story about the dangers of defying societal norms and duties and your own identities within that society.

But the dressing room scene also shows the clear differences between both stories. When Anthony visits her, Siena choses to reject him. She might have been emotional during her performance, but when Anthony showed his face, Siena did not act based on emotions but was very much rational in her words and actions. Because Anthony is not Romeo, and Siena is also not Juliet.

I also love how this performance builds a beautiful contrast to Les contes d'Hoffmann. Instead of a courtesan, Siena is playing an ingenue, wearing a pretty gown and looking all around sweet and innocent.

As the opera is in Italian, Juliet is obviously called Giulietta – just like the courtesan from Les contes d'Hoffmann. I have no idea whether this has been an accident or was done on purpose, but it’s a wonderful parallel. In both operas, she’s playing two very different women who happen to share the same name.

It underlines the differences between both roles but also draws a connection – which is Siena’s character.

By society, Siena is seen as the Giulietta from Les contes d'Hoffmann: the courtesan whose intentions are dubious and malicious. When Siena performs as I Capuleti e i Montecchi’s Giulietta, we can see a more vulnerable side of her as she openly cries on stage. We see her heartbroken and emotional, letting her guard down completely for a moment. In the end, it’s merely a performance. But Siena uses this performance to allow herself vulnerability – a vulnerability she is not usually allowed.

Those different performances do an excellent job at showcasing Siena’s character and also her main conflict and the different roles she plays. The chosen operas add some wonderful depth and insight into her character and I absolutely love how the shows has implemented them.

#bridgerton #siena rosso #anthony x siena #i have so many notes for analyses saved especially about siena #one day i will hopefully post that whole character study #also really want to do an analysis of the parallels between her and daphne and marina during season one #and i kinda want to dig a bit deeper into those operas too #there's definitely a lot more to focus on here #but i always need some time to actually write meta posts because I'm honestly fine just thinking about that stuff for myself #but sharing is fun too and makes for great discussions so i'm trying to post more #meta

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cyberdragoninfinity · 6 months

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I totally agree with your points about Primo and bees, because they do make a lot of sense and are more canonically accurate to him (although I personally have to confess i like the idea of him liking bees just because I like bees-)

I think however one point that could argue in favour of him at least having an interest in bees is the fact that he outright describes how bees dance, if I recall correctly. Literally no one just remembers while riding a motorbike in a life or death scenario which formation bees make when dancing, and also there's the fact that he knows bees dance. He's an android from a post apocalyptic world; just why does he knows about bees, specifically bees, of all things? Considering the state of that world, bees shouldn't exist.

Anyway, what's your take on why Primo just happens to know about bees? i mean one possibility is that he deliberately studied things to compare lester to

That's a good question! Definitely worth examining. Primo does indeed bring up this concept of bees dancing in the sub, and though he doesn't describe the specific formation, he does shares the fact about how they do it to indicate to each other where to find things (though irl it's pollen actually, not honey lol)

To me though, I think Primo having this knowledge is less out of a driven interest in bees themselves, and moreso an interest in what the bees represent to him. Primo is... a not a terribly subtle person, and he is Very Vocal about his interest (fixation, almost) in determinism and destiny. Bees are a social animal, just like humans, and to him the bees' dance is all but the beautiful instinct of a small and insignificant creature, an act they perform not out of free will but out of inevitability--just like the inevitability he believes befalls humanity in their eternal Synchro-driven self destruction.

imo with him knowing this bit of Bee Knowledge, he doesn't actually care about the bee part--he cares about the dancing. I really like his Duel Links taunt that ties into this, actually, I think it's a great little flicker of insight on this topic.

god LOOK at that fucked up toothy grin!!!! what you lookin crazy for!!!! he says it in such a gnarly mean snarly way too. And it's clear here he is Not talking about the "bees dancing to show each other where to find food" tidbit he shares in show, he could not care LESS about that part right now; he's comparing his opponent's implied struggling to the predetermined helpless act of an amusing little insect. Because that's the part he's most interested in. There's no way you can win this, destiny's already determined that. All you can do is repeat your own mistakes, Do the same dance over and over.

So why's he got this bee knowledge in the first place? Personally, I think it's probably something he's tripped over in his own pursuits of examining humanity's inevitabilities (and trying to figure out how to circumvent them and save the world) He's an android, it's not super farfetched to think that he could have just downloaded a swatch of topics related to potentially predetermined instincts of social animals into his synthetic brain, and then later gave pause to bees in particular while mid-working on the Diablo and having a Commanded By External Forces "swarm" of his own. Or, considering that. ah. well. Z-one is quick to compare those he deems insignificant to insects ( 8,) ), Primo might have picked that up as learned behavior and was already inclined to pick bees as his preferred metaphor for unimportant cogs in the destiny's great machine.

Hell, maybe even Z-one himself is the one who preprogrammed the knowledge of creatures great and small into Primo's robo-brain. 5D's is very nebulous about just how long the Emperors have been around, but I'm very firmly in the camp of "a long fucking time, and they have probably been through several time loops and alternate timelines and rebuildings," so i think there's been ample opportunity for Primo to make contact with that knowledge one way or another, not necessarily because he actively sought it out. The post apocalypse Iliaster crawled out of may have been devoid of much life at all, let alone bees, but these guys very literally have all the time in the world to become acquainted with past ecology. (also Z-one is a NERD!!!! i KNOW he would have been preserving knowledge of things like animals. something something the repressed unspoken hope that things will get better, etc. etc.)

anyway, tl;dr I think Primo's more interested in what bees and their little dance symbolize in the grand scheme of what Iliaster is working towards than in the bugaboos themselves, and I think a combination of his active efforts building a particularly bee swarm-like robot army, his own personal belief system, and also the fact he's an android himself (with no doubt an inclination towards gathering data relevant to his God's command) just made him more inclined to pick up some Fun Bee Trivia and keep it fresh in his mind. 🐝

#and hey well if it gives him some more wonderfully maddening pests to compare lester to #well that's just a bonus now isn't it <3 #placido #primo 5ds #asks #ygo posting #angel-of-sweet-revenge #dana's ygo bible study #apologies for 700 words of primo analysis. i like him a normal amount. HOPEFULLY. THIS IS COHERENT.#AND AGAIN THIS IS JUST MY HCS/MY READ ON THE CHARACTER IN-TEXT there's definitely other explanations you could posit #vis a vis where he got that knowledge from. and of course whatever hcs you could conjure. but this is my personal take!#i was sooo well behaved and good and didnt go into a 500 word tangent about primo's androidhood and his dynamic with zone and gods vs angel #and humans vs computers and machine. I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. BUT I DIDNT. yarns to weave another day #iliasterliker9000 #yugioh 5ds #long post /

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pine-needle-shuffle · 4 months

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lets see how concisely I can describe my Woud feelings after 3 glasses of prosseco, lets GO (disclaimer, i'm pulling from both og and remake, k? k.)

What had really caught my attention, was the ease in which they saw past the walls they'd both set up around others.

Cloud plays himself off as aloof, uncaring, and kind of a dick. And part of him is really like that, he's always been distant, but he really plays it up. He really does care, and we see that come out more and more as he loses reasons to stay disconnected(think of him towards the kids in sector 5, ultimately giving in, albeit under that tough guise). He's pushing others away to keep himself safe, whether he knows that or not at this point, I don't know.

While Wedge doesn't hide himself so completely, in fact he wears much of himself on his sleeve, relies on the same amplification of specific traits. He's outgoing, friendly; the funny one. He doesn't treat himself too seriously, at least not outwardly. There's this sense of safety to this act, that it gives him a reason to why he's still around.

This defense they both share is also a severe draw back. The reputation they hold because of this self they present pigeon-holes them into roles that either reinforce their own anxieties, or if the mask were to slip, unravel their self entirely.

And once they're alone, there's this understanding. When Cloud goes back to Avalanche for the second mission, he says he doesn't care, it just the money, right? If Wedge is spoken to on the way out, he observes that cloud must care on some level, why else would he take the time to talk to him? Cloud seemed unnerved by this glaring hole in his facade.

Even beyond this, they both feel the pressure of feeling of not enough in their own eyes. Wedge voices it outright, he doesn't think he's truly enough for Avalanche, what weight does he pull? He doesn't see what he brings. Not that Cloud knows it now, but in the infantry? He was no one. A failure by his own standards. He thought he let everyone else down because of his own idea of who he should be, not who he is. It's self sabotage. And I think he recognizes it in how Wedge views his shortcomings.

And there's just something so appealing to the idea that someone can see something in you that you yourself haven't even seen. Neither truly see the full scope of good they do. Wedge sees how strong and capable Cloud is, with strength like that, who couldn't you help? Cloud sees how Wedge's compassion and attentiveness to those around him, the trust given to him seems to do a great good, doesn't it? They see in each other what they feel they lack, but that understanding has the potential to bring them so close together.

They mirror each other in a way I feel is really compelling.

#Behold my weird mix of character study and fictional face smushing. it makes me happy #and that's not even getting into how outside of Cloud's past Wedge is. He's a whole other avenue; untethered from the baggage of the Crisis #but that's for not inebriated Rusty to explain #hopefully this makes some sense #is this a bit melodramatic? yes of course it is i know no other way #im not great with words to begin with #so take my ramblings with a grain of salt #Its about being SEEN. and making each other better for it #im so in it rn #woud #cloud strife #wedge #ffvii #pine.log

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hundredowls · 4 months

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silly oc doodle..... ballroom yuri

#ocs #ok so im gonna ramble/complain in the tags for a bit bc i love to complain its mostly not even gonna be relevant to the ocs but anyway ok #yknow that diagram abt art skills thats like ability to see/ability to draw #im at the BAD PART OF IT RN #i wanna draw fanart so bad but then i get annoyed bc the fanart doesnt look as good as the source material GHRG which is a totally #unreasonable thing to think bc source material is drawn by Professionals but you know how it is. Art Hard etc etc complain etc etc #need to do more studies etc etc #i wanna be able to draw really good so i can draw the things i love!!!!! even if its hard and tedious i wanna practise!!!! i love art!!!!!!#dont think about whats easy think about whats fun - bokuto koutarou etc #anyway everyday i am sad i have to sit in front of a desk for 8 hours instead of practising drawing :( i wanna table at a con this year....#but is there even time.....#ANYWAY this is somewhat relevant bc in an effort to be less hard on myself mayhaps i will try draw more oc things so i dont feel pressure #(self imposed)#to make it perfect kjskjkd #or at least not as much #and hopefully get over my brain's tendency to Compare Everything #i have like 3 vague sets of ocs (one less vague than the others ive posted one of the characters from that on my main art blog before sjdks #these two are from the next less vague set there is a plot premise and some side characters too. shdks #i thought abt them a couple months ago but then i watched strictly ballroom w sophie n i was reminded of them again #anyway im not good at coming up w fully fleshed out stories i just like to doodle ppl n think of random connected scenarios sometimes sdjk #i did a mini free online life drawing course in the break n i tried to apply what i learnt here.... i will keep practising when i can.....#well. if u read all the way to the end. hello :) KJASKA #im going to shower....

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stergeon · 6 months

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Rating: Mature (Graphic depictions of violence. See tags and chapter end notes for content warnings)

Category: Gen, F/F

Fandoms: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Characters: Edelgard von Hresvelg

Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg/F!Byleth

Words: 4.2k (20k completed)

Chapters: 2/8 (Updates M-W-F with 2 chapters per update)

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It is the summer of Imperial Year 1183. It has been two years since the war with the Church of Seiros began, two years since Byleth Eisner disappeared in the Battle of Garreg Mach, and one year since the death of Emperor Emeritus Ionius IX.

For the first time since her father's death, Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg has returned to the palace in the Adrestian capital of Enbarr. In the aftermath of a nightmare, Edelgard reflects on her homecoming, her identity, and the people and events that have shaped the course of her life.

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please read the tags and check the content warnings in the chapter end notes. this story extensively discusses the traumatic events that have influenced edelgard's character and, as such, deals with very heavy topics. feel free to reach out if there are additional tags or content warnings i should add (comments/critique are also welcome!).

this story would not exist without @arrow44 who very kindly beta read it. check out their work on ao3!

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #edelgard von hresvelg #edelgard #edeleth #fe3h fanfic #fe16 #nervous about this one lol #i wrote it in a different style to challenge myself and i have indeed been challenged.#it's a character study that is almost more of a series of essays than a proper narrative #might also be the most pretentious thing i've ever written so hopefully it does not loop around into being stupid #i just really love my girl and want to pick her brain apart into teeny tiny pieces #*extremely lesbian sigh* she's so interesting.#and sooooo sick. but we can't all be mentally well can we #story is complete btw #the update schedule is just to force me to do some more editing :0(

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benevolenterrancy · 1 year

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Your Hogan's Heroes fan art is soooo Awesome! I either loled or d'awwwed at all of them! And there's Lucky Luke and Asterix and Sherlock Holmes, too! *happysigh*

aww thank you!! i love supplying support to fellow Old Fandom Sufferers xD

(i just tried lucky luke for the first time like two weeks ago? and it is absolutely charming I need to watch more of it. or pick up a volume of its BD... if anyone has a volume they'd recommend starting with hmu)

if life is going to be hard at the very least I can draw art for my ultimate comfort fandoms, darn it!

#also i saw your comment about arsene lupin #do NOT worry i anticipate liking it VERY much #i didn't like what leblanc did with holmes and watson but i loved the bits that focused on lupin he is SUCH a cool character #i actually ordered an Pretty Special Illustrated copy of a study in scarlet and it comes with a Pretty Special Illustrated copy of #lupin's first volume of stories (i think that's what it is?)#so i should be getting that and hopefully reading it in the spring i am VERY excited to read some Proper lupin stories #bene speaks

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outeremissary · 1 year

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Comfort Character Tag Game

Tagged by @bearvanhelsing. Thanks for thinking of me!

Tristian from Pathfinder: Kingmaker. I feel like I can put that down and just call it a day on the whole list. I’m dying here. At this point the serotonin hit I get from playing Kingmaker and interacting with this guy is fucking incomparable. Help.

Henry from Fire Emblem: Awakening

Goro Akechi from Persona 5

Harrowhark Nonagesimus from The Locked Tomb. This is really the peak “never known a day of comfort in her life” character here.

Suzuya Juzo from Tokyo Ghoul

I think the list of folks I regularly interact with and see do these has been swept and I’m a little sleepy and not very courageous tonight, so I won’t be passing this one forward... Sorry about that, I swear I am working on putting more effort into trying to do the social obligation thing.

#I think it was supposed to be five? hopefully I did this right #there's some kind of theme here. best not to analyze that.#strong recency bias as usual but I'm not fast at generating lists so these just tend to go that way ^^;;#similarly causes a strong bias towards visual media #'why's the name order of characters different on one from the other' I'm just used to seeing them rendered certain ways ^^;;#characters who almost made the list but didn't: Lio Fotia (Promare) Oz Vessalius (Pandora Hearts) Vanitas (The Case Study of Vanitas)#I think Mochizuki's work was incredibly formative for me. lol.#I read pandora hearts and crimson shell right at the end of middle school/start of high school. very impressionable age.#tag game

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weldfists · 6 months

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Sett tries really hard a lot of the time to mostly remain stoic and 85% of the time his ears and tail give him away. Having his ears pinned back is always something that betrays him and as much as he's tried to train himself to NOT do that when he's having big feelings it's never really stuck. Been like that since he was a kid.

#Chin check! - HEADCANON & CHARACTER STUDY;#i'll be around today i think to write hopefully #have to run some errands....

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enby-mori · 7 months

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I can never understand anorexic!dazai because that man is eating kunikida out of house and home!!

#he has tabs racked up at nearly every cafe in yokohama #he paws at his apprentice(s) for scraps of their meals #he steals off kunikida and chuuya's plates #he just hates cooking #im pretty sure if anyone could get away with it he would be hand fed #eating disorder #disordered eating #<- hopefully one of those catches it #im not saying it isn't possible or that the character studies arent “good”#its some of the best writing ive ever seen #it just #doesn't click in my head #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bungo sd #my archive

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audiio · 1 year

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Honestly Austin had such an interesting concept going with Mordicai and Atia: Twin Soul Apostates. As far as I know, the only character(s) to use they/them (plural). Using "we" and "us" instead of "I." I've said this before but character study.....

#didn't follow through with my karl character study which i meant to be writing him #but i guess i am studying the source material so that's something #and spoilers ahead for the terra arc!!! ———————#we really didn't get much of atia in the end anyway 😞 i still have so many questions about how their connection worked #hopefully some will be answered with his connection to jemdoggron #man it would be so much faster to do all of this if there were transcripts i could read instead of listening to the podcast and combing #through every episode looking for the stuff I'm searching for #but hey that's how it is #ty talks #a3ma

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andthebeanstalk · 1 year

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Thank you, younger me, for drawing so many things in which the lines were never quite right. It is quite literally the only reason I ever figured out how to get them right.

#And I imagine future me will have a very similar thing to say when I am them and they are no longer me.#original #something about zyr improved composition and speed hopefully #i keep wanting to use she pronouns for future me. probably bc that is what i do for past me sometimes.#but i really don't think I'm ever going to want she her pronouns again #I still don't get my lines exactly how I want them a lot of the time but I am at a point where I'm fairly confident I can #produce nearly anything I see in my head and capture the spirit of it in a way that makes me proud.#even if it takes a really really long time sometimes.#and although I don't think the art I made growing up was bad i love the phrase #' the road to good art is paved with bad art.' I think I saw it in a video by Bobby Chiu? idk.#and I like it because whenever I'm not sure about what I'm making and I get to insecure or perfectionist about it #*too insecure #I remember that if I want to get good at the thing I'm struggling with I'm going to have to do it poorly or just okay a bunch of times #and that doing this is my ticket to this skill I'm placing value on. also doesn't hurt that Im drawing things I love and I enjoy doing it #although at this point I really really should just sit down and study leg muscles for like a hundred years #it's one of the more longstanding blindspots of mine. that and literally everything that is not people.#as in locations animals objects scenery... did you know that most graphic novels have some or all of those things???#how homophobic that in order to show my characters experiencing such luxuries as plot action and context I couldn't just #drop them on a gradient and be done with it!#I've been drawing for like 20 years and only a couple years ago was i like... OH MY GOD I CAN'T DRAW A FUCKING TREE

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opens-up-4-nobody · 2 years

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dead tobirama anon again. its tobirama time. i enjoy tobirama being mistaken for a kaguya because of his coloration, and that being a main reason why people feared him before he became well-known. i also like the concept of tobirama going batshit insane after losing both of his younger brothers. i enjoy him having Sensed his brothers dying. i enjoy him having memorized the chakra signatures of everyone who was there, and making it his life goal to Kill them All. he denies that its for revenge. he says its because child killers dont deserve to live, which is true. but his main justification is that they killed HIS brothers. anyway hashirama has to witness his brother becoming darker and darker as the years pass until one day he catches him REANIMATING CORPSES and forbids him from EVER continuing to research edo tensei. he and tobirama have a HUGE argument over morals, because tobirama doesnt understand why he shouldnt bring kawarama and itama back, and hashirama cant explain it beyond that "its bad" and "its evil". on a different note, that thing you said about his god chakra is true. but i personally headcanon that hes just slowly turning into a tree, and it stops him from being able to meditate safely. if he meditates too long, he starts to merge with the ground. tobirama is the only one who can bring him back once the process starts. the reason he "dies" (post madara death, in konoha) is because tobirama was sent off on a mission and hashirama decided to meditate alone. he just.. stopped talking, and his chakra slowly merged with the ground. he turned into a tree and only tobirama knows that. everyone else, including mito, thinks it was an illness.

I like the idea that Tobirama doesn't quite process kawarama's death but after Itama dies it hits him all at once. It just breaks him clean open and all he can do is cling to Hashirama like a small child. From there I am unhinged, amoral Tobirama all the way. Doubling down on his already existing intensity. Making himself distant and hard to love and endlessly worrying his last remaining brother.

And I also like the idea that Tobirama has to watch his brother drift further and further away before he dies. A gradual decent that no one can do anything to stop in contrast to the sudden brutal deaths of their brothers. In the village he created he was able to live to his body's natural limit. Longer than either of them expected.

#i do like the idea of meditation becoming dangerous and tobi coming home to be like oh fuck. hes a tree now #but im a mito stan so i like her being in the loop on this stuff. not letting her husband drift too far from humanity #edo tensei drama is so good tho. delicious.#i started writing a Tobirama character study. hopefully i can focus enough to finish it at some point #but i just have too many Tobirama feelings. he is vicious but hes got a lotta love to give #naruto ramblings #unrelated

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