let's make trouble in the dream world, we'll hijack heaven with another memory now; i make the most of the turning tide, it just split what's left of the burning silence

In the grand scheme of things, a month is not enough time to really get to know someone, especially if said person is clearly still going through a lot of shit and clinging to his brother like an octopus. They have been spending more and more afternoons with each other, always with Joel in the middle, and he likes to think they're on a good path to being friends.

Tommy might not know Ellie well, but he does know her, and it's easy to see that she is currently incredibly uncomfortable and Joel nowhere to be seen. The dining hall is loud during meal times on the best of days, but today it is outright chaotic, and Tommy remembers how overwhelming it had been during his first few months in Jackson. On top of that, Ellie is so small she can probably barely see through the crowd, just a piece of driftwood caught in the current and pulled along in whatever direction people are moving, and without Joel there to enforce her personal space, she is drowning.

His body is moving toward her before he even notices what he is doing, stopping himself once he does; there's a chance Ellie would be quite upset if he tried to swoop in and "save" her, well aware how much she dislikes being close to anyone who isn't Joel. But then Martin starts talking to her, good guy, usually very friendly, and all color drains from her face, and Tommy decides he'd rather have Ellie elbow him in the stomach than face his brother's wrath over not stepping in.

The crowd parts around him when he moves through it, the distance between him and Ellie closed within seconds, and he stops on her right, keeping himself in her field of vision so he doesn't startle her (he did that once on accident, never again). He nods at Martin, though his feelings are far from his priority right now.

"Hey Ellie, have you seen Joel somewhere?"

Trying to keep his tone light, he has one eye on the people surrounding them and one on her, still trying to figure out where the hell his brother disappeared to, he never leaves her alone if he can help it. He's not quite sure what he expects Ellie to do, but it's definitely not her hands snapping up to grab his arm so tightly it's almost painful, nails digging into his skin. She is shaking, trying so hard to be aware of the room around her that her eyes are almost fluttering, and it takes him a few beats to react.

"Gonna go 'n find my brother with this one, Martin."

It's not a question but he nods, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before merging back into the crowd, and Tommy is incredibly thankful for that. The second he is gone, Ellie deflates, falling against his side, and Tommy brings up his other arm around her and gently places his palm on her back, relieved when she doesn't flinch. Asking if she is okay seems unnecessary, she clearly isn't, so he just tries his best to provide her with as much space as possible as he navigates them to an empty table in one of the quieter corners near the back exit, casually pushing people away when necessary.

Ellie sinks into a chair and doesn't let go of him, knuckles white, and he settles next to her, keeping an eye out for Joel while talking to her.

"Anything you need, sweetheart?"

The endearment slips out, force of habit, and her gaze is suddenly glued to his face, pupils blown so wide her eyes seem black.

"Don't leave."

"I won't, promise. Do you know where Joel went?"

She shakes her head, fingers around his wrist loosening a tiny bit.

"Alright, I'm sure he'll be back soon, someone probably just distracted him."

They both lean back, the relative silence between them oddly comforting, and Ellie nudges her chair across the floor until their armrests are pressed together, her breaths coming a bit slower and deeper now. The affection curling around his heart is familiar, warmth blooming in his chest, and it's easy to understand why Joel fell for her so quickly and completely it almost killed him. She relaxes while they wait, head tipping to rest against his biceps, eyes closed, and the open display of trust is so sweet it makes him ache. Despite not spending a lot of time together, she clearly thinks of him as someone safe, probably due to his relationship with Joel, and Tommy finds himself hoping that maybe they can build something on that foundation. Ellie is Joel's kid, which makes her family, and Tommy looks out for his people.

It takes Joel about fifteen minutes to finally return to them with a panicked look on his face, clearly out of breath, and he stops dead in his tracks when he sees Ellie half draped over him.

"I'm sorry, baby, someone was asking about some construction work I did yesterday, and-"

"It's okay," she interrupts, blinking up at him and stretching out one hand in a clear demand, "Tommy got me."

Joel stills, eyes flicking between the two of them, and he simply shrugs his unoccupied shoulder, it's not like it's his kid, after all. He takes Ellie's hand and falls into the chair next to her, leaning over to press a kiss to her hair, and Tommy doesn't even try to hide his smile. To everyone's surprise, Ellie stays right where she is, holding Joel's hand with a death grip but still using him as a pillow, and the look he shares with Joel is one of mutual confusion and resignation. She starts talking to him about some space book she's been reading, ignoring the last twenty minutes of her life, and they silently agree to wait out the masses before getting their own food, Ellie seemingly content to force both of them to listen to her ramble about an astronaut he has no idea about.

Yeah, she got them both wrapped around her finger, and Tommy finds he doesn't mind it one bit, hoping that maybe this is not only a second chance for Joel, but for him, too.

I've been trying to think recently why I find the age gap with V and Kerry to be endearing, when normally I feel an age gap over 10 years is problematic. Here's what I think:

(Long rambling ahead along with minor spoilers maybe)

There is a power imbalance between V and Kerry, in multiple ways. Kerry is much older, yes, but he also makes a lot more money. Like shit tons of money. The first time I romanced Kerry, I thought the romance arch was lacking because of the way Kerry never initiated. However, taking into account that V is 23, Kerry's tendency to wait for V to make the first move actually feels very appropriate.

Kerry's dealing with a lot of mixed emotions about Johnny being back. The fact that he never processed his inferiority complex while Johnny was alive, then as soon as Johnny died he jumped right into an ego-driven, spite-fueled solo career that took him straight to the top, and now Johnny's back as a digital parasite? And Kerry has a crush on his host?? Wild.

I think that's ONE of the reasons Kerry doesn't flirt with V outright: he's super confused about the way he feels about V, and whether or not those feelings are overlapping with the way he feels about Johnny. Is he so excited to see Johnny that he could just smooch him (platonic)? Is he simply grateful to V for pulling him out of a depressive episode? Is he still a little horny for Johnny like when they first formed Samurai? Is being attracted to someone 70 years younger than him the first sign of a life crisis starting? Maybe Kerry would rather be safe than sorry, and not act on his feelings for V while he's processing all that other stuff.

This shifts the power back into V's hands, who really doesn't have a lot of control over how the media will interpret their relationship, even if it remains platonic (vs. Kerry who has lawyers, and past experience with the media and dating while in the spotlight). This gives V the opportunity to decide if there are any romantic feelings there, instead of falling for the advances of someone very influential and rich. Those two facts could very easily convince someone that their starstruck reaction was actually love. This way, if V is in control of initiation, Kerry can be sure that he's not coercing V into starting anything they may not fully want; a relationship with ramifications V may not be fully aware of. He can be sure V's decision was not inadvertently rushed by anything Kerry may have said/done.

In our world, age gaps in gay relationships are not treated the same as they are in straight relationships, especially when it comes to gay men. I am not saying this is good or bad. But, it is a "trope", one could say, that younger gay men sometimes gravitate toward men many years older than them. I personally feel this is two fold: older gay men who are out publicly may find it hard to find others in their age range who are unashamed of their queerness, due to internalized social pressure. And younger gay men may find it difficult to navigate their sexuality on their own as it applies to daily life (specifically in American culture) and seek the guidance of veteran gays. If we translate that trend into the Cyberpunk world, where life expectancy is DECADES longer than ours, then perhaps Night Citizens wouldn't bat an eye at someone in their 20s dating someone in their 80s. (I'm sure that gap is stretching things a bit even for Cyberpunk standards, but maybe 30s dating 60s isn't uncommon.)

Another aspect of this is something they mention out right during Boat Drinks: Kerry doesn't act his age. He's getting there, but he's got the maturity of someone around V's age. I truly believe his stunted growth as a person is due to being constantly discredited and invalidated by Johnny. I mean, Kerry doesn't seem to have much in common with his former band mates, who have all moved on with their lives and found their versions of success (except maybe Henry). The people he gets along with best are a group of 20-something pop stars from a different part of the world, and V, also in their 20s. Kerry has been trying to prove himself for so long that his personality got stuck somewhere between starting Samurai and Johnny dying.

Lastly, I just wanna point out that V and Kerry's relationship as presented to us in game, with no outside context or deliberation, is inherently problematic. The age gap, the power imbalance, the wealth disparity, V possibly being a symptom of Kerry's three-quarter life crisis or a rebound or the second best thing to Johnny; Johnny being in the picture at all. A relationship doesn't have to be perfect for someone to like it, and it certainly doesn't reflect what they find acceptable in their own relationships. It's all fiction, it's all fantasy. If you want to theorize about how Kerry and V actually have a super healthy relationship, that's awesome! If you love the idea that they just kind of wound up together and this isn't a permanent situation for either of them, that's great! If you believe the relationship is completely toxic and you're loving the drama of it all, that's cool too!

With what the game has given us, and the fact that Kerry's writers' work could be interpreted in endless ways, I think the age gap was handled in such a way that it can be excused (or even played into) if you feel it works with your headcanon, or used as a catalyst for drama if that suits your imagination better. What's important is that it never feels predatory. And to me, that's good writing.

With my personal headcanon for my oc of V, I've decided his relationship with Kerry is perfectly passable. They're not a perfect couple, they lack communication skills and often butt heads over the other's tendency to put work over their relationship (both of them stubbornly insisting only the other one has a problem), but I like them that way.

Little but Fierce IV

Of course, you can't talk about Meryl without talking about Roberto. He's only there because of her. He's easy to dismiss - oh, drunk old dude who condescends to his female protégé - but he shouldn't be, no more than than Meryl herself should be dismissed.

Roberto is a teacher. He's there to impart lessons. He's also a journalist, so he's there to tell stories. Put them together, and you have the local critical thinker, as well as a good excuse for Meryl to back out if she decides it's too dangerous. He exists to give her choices and to shield her from the consequences of her mistakes, until she's firm enough on her feet to have learned.

And boy howdy, does she need to learn. Meryl got a lot of raw confidence, but it's punctured when she encounters situations she doesn't know how to navigate, mostly the trappings of adulthood - planning ahead, economic hardship, encounters with the law. But also partnership and teamwork.

I pointed it out before but Meryl doesn't have a poker face. Everything she feels or thinks tends to show clear as day. Roberto's more controlled - especially considering he doesn't like or trust the MPs. He uses the slight authority he has to get some information out of these guys, and then Meryl misdirects them. Without ever really discussing it, they form a partnership to protect Vash, and they had to do it together. Roberto wanted to leave him tied up, Meryl was too startled over his identity to talk. And Vash is happy to see it! It's stuff like this that he loves most about humans. (Though he's also playing up the gosh-I'm-just-a-silly-little-guy bit.)

Also, consider the other definition of adult you might know. Check this out.

Meryl goes from marching in like the sheriff to peeking over the edge of the counter like a kitten. Why? Well, apart from the place falling silent and someone yelling that this isn't a place for kids, what did she see?

Sex work probably hasn't played a big part in her life so far. Every character up until these two has worn quite modest clothes, and look at the way these women look back at Meryl. They're not ashamed, they're almost... endeared. They think she's sweet. Girl's just a wee bit intimidated. And Rosa's disinterested hostility probably isn't making it easier.

Meryl's prone to raising her voice and going on lectures, but Rosa tells her to speak up, and that's when Vash and Roberto find her. Specifically, Vash suspected she'd head to the diner and guided Roberto to it, and Roberto sighs that Meryl's a lot of trouble/needs a shorter leash - they formed a partnership to protect Meryl.

(I wonder if these ladies will appear again.)

Roberto's purpose is threefold. 1) Protect Meryl 2) help her achieve what she wants 3) teach by information and by example. He almost never acts outside of those parameters.

I could probably write a whole other series of meta posts about the English dub (and don't think I'm not tempted, but also trapped in meta factory somebody help) but for now, here's one of my favourite exchanges in the first episode. Never mind the exposition.

Meryl: Any day now I'll get my big scoop! Roberto: Any minute now, I'm sure. Meryl: I'll be running the entire bureau before you know it! Roberto: Then could you give me a raise, boss? Meryl: I'm being serious! Roberto: So am I.

What's he being serious about? Money? Nope. (Or only a little.)

He agrees. Meryl's the boss.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

serizawa hcs pt. 2

okay elaborating on the concept of Low Light Vision and just general night time serizawa bc i'm stuck on a longer fic rn and i keep getting distracted by the potential for soft domestic moments like-

you're never sure if he's home yet or if he's asleep or what, so you always call out that you're home in the quietest voice you can manage. sometimes he really isn't home and you get to take your shoes off in peace, but more often than not it's a guessing game of how bad he'll scare you by responding from WAY closer than you expected

serizawa taking your hand to lead you through your own apartment bc it's absolutely pitch black. if you had to you could probably navigate through sheer familiarity but he can actually see where he's going and it's just so much faster this way (especially if you're just looking for an object. he thinks it's so silly to turn on a light just to grab something when he can just tell you where it is. won't admit that he likes the way it makes him feel useful)

having to learn to navigate his apartment by feeling along the wall because half his lightbulbs blew out a while ago and he never thought to replace them because he just stopped turning the lights on. the one time he actually remembers to turn the light on because you're there and you literally don't know where you're going, you've never actually had the light on, so you end up moving along the wall anyway. (don't worry, he thinks it's endearing. he keeps the lights off from then on.)

he's used to not making a lot of noise for a couple different reasons, but mostly because he's up at all sorts of ungodly hours and never wants to wake anybody else up. also he just… doesn't move a whole lot? like obviously he moves around while he's doing stuff but if he's focused on a task he sits pretty still and doesn't realize he hasn't moved until his legs are asleep when he tries to get up or walk away.

he uses this to his advantage in order to surprise you in the morning with lots of different things. he folded all the laundry without having to turn on the light, so now your whole closet is sorted and nice and your outfit for the day is ironed and laid out. he stood perfectly still while making breakfast so that you didn't hear him shuffling around, and now he's presenting you with breakfast in bed.

of course, he also uses this ability to stay up late and play video games because, well, old habits die hard, but the benefits far outweigh the few times that he's sworn at the tv a little too loudly and actually managed to wake you up

i also just love the idea of you naturally starting to wake up around the same time every night because you know he'll probably be awake out in the living room. you used to try to coax him back into bed, and he would go willingly, but it was pretty obvious he was having a hard time actually falling back asleep. he would just… lie stiff as a board and stare at the ceiling.

so now if you wake up to an empty bed, instead of making him awkwardly lie there bored out of his mind for hours, you just grab an extra blanket and shuffle out to the living room to join him on the couch. if you say anything, it's usually only a sentence - maybe asking what game he's playing if it's one you haven't seen before or commenting that he finally made it past a part that was giving him trouble. most of the time, though, he just wordlessly lifts an arm up so you can curl up against his side and fall back asleep.

he knows you would gladly cuddle with him in the actual bed where it's probably way more comfortable, but something about the lack of pressure to fall asleep makes it so that he can trick his brain into actually making it happen. not long after you doze back off, he'll get hit with a sudden wave of sleepiness, and he'll just pause the game and set the controller on the table, leaning his head on top of yours and letting himself relax. he never sleeps for very long that way, considering it's a pretty painful angle on his neck, but he doesn't really wanna give it up either.

sometimes, though, you'll stay up with him and the two of you will end up in one of those conversations you can only have in the pitch black in-between of early morning. existential questions about your futures or pointless hypotheticals or arguments about which character in his game would be most likely to do something or laughing fits over bad dialogue and buggy movements.

these are the only times you really get to hear about his time at claw. it's not like he doesn't want you to know about it, but it's not something he can bring up in casual conversation either. he'll always hold you a little tighter while he talks, and you do your best not to interrupt and listen for him while he drags his thumb along the back of your hand, squeezing just on the wrong side of too tight, voice stiff with something you'd have a hard time labeling as anything other than dread.

he never asks "what if?" but the question always lingers in the air between you. you never answer. you don't see a need to when you have him here in your arms, breath shallow but steady, shoulders shaking but strong and solid as ever. instead you tell him what is in the form of your fingers lacing through his hair, pressing closer against his side, light kisses to his cheek, and the fact that the first thing he sees when he drifts back awake - no memory of falling asleep in the first place - is you.

symbol scenarios so send :: s'open

send an emoticon for my muse to find yours...

@runefactorynonsense sent: ✮- Stargazing 👀 (Lynguna)

Mt. Gigant serves as a fantastic place to gather items related to the wind element. For forging and other crafting, you couldn't want for more outside of the monsters simply handing the things to you instead of having to send them back to the Forest of Beginnings. But Raguna can't exactly talk himself out of every scenario, and it's too late for that kind of thing anyway. But the walk back to town would be good nonetheless.

Gather a few flowers on the way back that had been growing wild.

The unexpected find was... Lynette? A frequent traveller around town to be sure but Raguna doesn't often expect to find her near the caves or up in the wilderness. They aren't exactly her element. But then, was her element even something that could be found in Kardia? In Norad? It had yet to be seen. The townspeople have worked to make accommodations but political subjugation and frozen temperatures are best not put on the table.

"Lynette? Are you... stargazing?" Sightseeing was out of the question, given her gaze was up oh wait she snapped around oh crap she's-- "Wait! It's just me! Raguna!" Hands shoot up defensively as her instincts whirl into focus. A shade of darkness masking her features before she relents and with a huff sheathes the daggers and turns away.

"You surprised me. Don't skulk around it's hardly fitting for you. Nor are you good at it. Just lucky." Again. Raguna frowns at her chastising, but at least he's able to relax again.

"And you scared me. I wasn't expecting to find anyone up here this late at night. But if you're looking to see the stars, I can't think of a much better place. Must be something, huh?" Raguna offers the fighter a comforting smile, egging her on to some discussion as he steps next to her near the ridge.

"...there's differences of course. What you can see. And what you can't. More of the former really. But this view is..." Raguna lifts a brow as her voice trails, seeking descriptors that would be neutral rather than overly saccharine or endearing. "...interesting. I'm sure you have silly meanings for the arrangements. Names and what have you rather than navigational assistants."

"You mean constellations. We sure do. When I spent that time in Trampoli I learned a lot about it. There was a wizard from the city that was visiting with her grandparents. That star over there, for example." Raguna points up. "If you follow it up like this. And then there. That's the hairpin constellation."

Raguna looks to Lynette with a smile, but she seems hardly convinced beyond it being just a cluster of lights in the sky. Scientific anomalies and distant lands that would remain safe from whatever chaos their people, or Earthmates might wrought upon them.

"Hm. So. Why the flowers?"

"What?! Uh-- I was just gathering em since I was up here. No real reason I just like picking stuff up, you know?!"

"Picking stuff up..."

"Geh-"

Whatever situation was starting to develop, consider it summarily defused- another scenario the Earthmate isn't talking themselves out of...

Ah..... I'm terrible at this game. How about whatever au floats your boat? Also, you need an option for me to say I want you to do whatever is best for you on your two for joy posting schedule poll. ;)

nkjgnern Katia pls the point of ask games is I! dont know what I wanna talk about! Giving a prompt is half the fun of it!

(and ty about the posting schedule, the thing is any of them would be fun! I like the serotonin of posting more chapters, but also want that feel good Soon so posting sooner but only one a week has its perks too!)

Hmmm let's do more kitten AU / Cat's Cradle!

Trinket is going to absolutely adore the kittens. A) because it's Trinket <3 B) because I grew up with a sweetheart lab/golden mix, Griffon, who would dote on kittens. Lick them top to bottom, nuzzle them, the kittens' opinions of this varied.

At some point while the kittens are young but not Too Young, both Vex and Percy will have a full day ahead of them. So Percy will bring the kittens to work with him in a glorified purse and stuff them into his pockets when feeding. That coat has a lot of pockets. (Not sure what his job is exactly - is his workshop stuff a hobby? Is he a freelancer? No clue! But whatever it is it's got more leeway/is safer than what Vex is doing as far as carting a litter of kittens around goes).

Young kittens require round the clock care - this sets the stage for very tired Percy and Vex (when available) leaning against eachother each bottle feeding a kitten and doing their best not to pass out. Also a few slipups while exhausted - say, Percy gets to used to smacking a kiss on the kittens' forehead ('they're tactile animals! their mother would groom them! I want them to be well socialized and set up for success, and people kiss their cats!') he accidentally pecks Vex's crown at one point. They each scold the kittens by saying things like 'don't make me get your mother/father'.

My choice for the number of kittens was Very Specific: both tied to the siblings Percy lost as well as to the canon de Rolo kids*. Part of why Percy latches on to helping out with the kittens is because in the moment he's reminded of himself, orphaned, and how dearly he misses his siblings. He couldn't save them, so he can save these little scraps.

Percy is experienced with humans and machines. His experience with animals is restricted to Trinket (a well-trained and sophisticated gentleman of a dog) and Simon (a corn snake). So he's a little at a loss about navigating his relationship to these kittens, to Vex's chagrin. He keeps flip-flopping between trying to be detached and practical about them (trying to be efficient about scheduling feedings, planning careful socialization for them, initially not wanting to name them bc they'll have to find homes for them) to his anxieties/trauma getting poked and him becoming very involved with them (see: theme naming plans, letting the kittens climb his legs, feeding them cat-safe people food when Vex isn't looking, encouraging them to play with his fingers). Vex is both very endeared by how sweet he is with them and extremely exasperated he's this close to raising complete terrors.

Can I ask your opinion? So, I feel like everyone into 3H is in love with Dimitri, but I can't connect with him. I don't dislike him, but I feel like there isn't much to his personality without all his various mental health issues. It's hard to get a feel on what he's really like, so I end up just seeing him as a walking ball of trauma and not a three-dimensional character. Do you have any thoughts on Dimitri himself and how to separate him as a person from his psychological issues? Thanks!

Hmm, I guess my first thought is that everyone resonates with characters differently and so if you don’t particularly feel connected to him, that’s not wrong. Fictional parasocial relationships are very similar to real-life relationships, so it follows that nobody is going to like every character. I can’t say that a portion of my love for his character doesn’t come from his mental issues because that’s something I personally relate to and feel drawn to in others. That’s just who I am and how I build relationships. There is also something to be said for the unavoidable way mental illness informs a person’s behavior and character, it’s as much an aspect of them as being born with blond hair or losing an eye.

That said, I will do my best to explain why I think Dimitri is wonderful. Not in spite of his mental illness, but because I don’t think that’s all he is.

So, Dimitri is, as he says, a very clumsy person. This unfortunately extends to his social skills. He has a lot of very socially awkward tendencies and a general lack of self-awareness. This contrasts with his innate desire to please people, or at least avoid upsetting anyone. The thing is, Dimitri doesn’t always completely understand what upsets people or how exactly they might feel. His childhood isolation left him rather emotionally unaware and desperate for the acceptance and approval of others. That’s not to say he doesn’t try to understand other people’s feelings, but it’s not an intuitive process. He has a habit of saying kind of dumb or uncomfortable things out of nowhere, which is most likely his real feelings coming out in rather inept ways. He means well, but he’s just so dang clumsy.

The desperation to be included and validated I mentioned, I think, can be seen in the way he tries so hard to make the other Blue Lions see him as a peer and equal all the while keeping himself rather closed off from them. Dimitri approaches conversations as a means of focusing on the other person, trying to make an appeal to them rather than as an interaction where both parties could be seen as vulnerable. Of course, just like most other socially awkward introverts, he opens up when he feels closer to the person, but that takes a while. Gotta unlock the supports, you know? Although it’s not necessarily obvious, his incredibly stiff behavior (especially pre-timeskip) and the way he switches between overly formal and awkwardly friendly in his interactions with people as he tries to figure out how to socially and emotionally navigate relationships really gives me the impression of someone trying desperately to fit in without even the faintest clue of how to actually manage that. He also does his best to avoid social situations, which, mood. Basically, Dimitri’s a big dumb massive introvert trying to act like he’s not.

FURTHERMORE, he is a dork. An absolute goof of a person. Dimitri canonically thinks so-bad-its-good puns and jokes are hilarious. His own style of telling jokes is saying things that may or may not have contextual humor in a normal voice and then claiming after the fact that he intended it as such. Now, his supports with Alois are absolute factual proof of the so-bad-its-good humor, but might I also direct your attention to the scene before the battle against Miklan in Conand Tower (the event name is “Tower in a Storm (Blue Lions)”). Basically, Gilbert is explaining the history behind Conand Tower and Dimitri says, in an incredibly earnest voice, “You’re very well informed, Gilbert. Please, tell us more.” This is a joke. Supposed to be, at least. The delivery is somewhat emphasized, but not in a recognizably sarcastic way. Gilbert, who knew Dimitri very well when he was young, realizes it’s a joke after a second. But there are other things Dimitri says that I believe are his bad “jokes” and since nobody knows him well enough to tell, they don’t call him on it. There’s no proof, but his line in the Lord’s intro where he says, “And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all.” to Claude has to be an attempt at sarcasm. Dimitri is oblivious, but not stupid. In his Goddess Tower conversation with Byleth, when discussing the topic of wishes, he says, “Perhaps it would make more sense for me to wish that we’ll be together forever. What do you think?” In a completely normal voice. Following are two speech bubbles of “...” before he laughs and proclaims that it’s just a joke and that he’s getting better at telling them. Now, this is a two-parter because I see this as both his horribly awkward tendency to say things he feels without thinking too hard beforehand as well as his silly deadpan style of “jokes”. Granted, he does apologize. Dimitri’s got socially awkward zoomer humor. It’s endearing.

Here is a video of Dimitri hitting on Byleth pre-timeskip. I’m not sure how far it goes to endear someone to him, but the mostly awkward and occasionally smooth attempts of Dimitri’s flirtations are absolutely a highlight of his character. 

Now, this isn’t quite as cute as all that, but I think character arc and change do a lot for making a character feel more three-dimensional. Dimitri is hypocritically selfish. Although those are both negative terms, I don’t necessarily mean them as such, at least not in their totality. Both are things to overcome, which he does. And that’s why I feel like they’re a valid point of discussion when trying to explain the allure of his character.

The hypocritical part comes from the way he easily allows and forgives the flaws of others while constantly castigating himself for the same reasons. He says things that show an absurd amount of a lack of self-awareness. For example, he tells Edelgard, “Hm. You will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on.” All the while straight-up lying to and emotionally avoiding his friends. Dimitri also tells Marianne, when she is punishing herself for putting other people at risk, “What matters is that they came back safely in the end. You shouldn’t blame yourself for that.” Really, his C and B with Marianne is an exercise in hypocrisy. The standards Dimitri has for himself are incredibly, unattainably high. He’s setting himself up for failure in that way and, to an extent, knows what he’s doing because he knows that those same standards are too much for his friends and allies to meet. He wishes to take on everything himself. But, what I find so beautiful about this, is that Dimitri eventually realizes that he can’t do that. He is not strong enough to take on the weight of the world on himself, he comes to understand that it’s something he must allow himself to share with the people who care about him. He comes to realize that, as difficult as it is to accept, he is a weak person. Despite all of his introversion and inability to emotionally open up, he figures out that having a support system and allowing yourself to rely on people who love you is a necessity. Personally, I think this message is incredibly important in real life. Watching Dimitri come to that conclusion and argue it’s importance really rounded out his arc and journey as a person. Now, the relatability of this conclusion will differ, but I don’t think it has to do with his mental illness as much as it is a fundamental aspect of growth.

The selfishness is basically outlined above. Dimitri is selfish about his pain and secrets, purposefully and selfishly driving people away because he wants to keep the burden to himself. His vice is guilt and he indulges in the pain of it like an addiction. Hatred, too, is a drug. He thinks he needs it to keep going, even though all it does is bring agony to himself and others around him. Learning to accept and let go of these feelings is, again, something I think is important and a character arc that I really love, especially when you see him suffer as much as he does. Now, the execution of this is lacking, I admit. But that’s an issue for another time I think.

I am not quite sure if I did much to change your opinion, but this is all I can think of for now. There is probably a lot more than I’ve left out because I think about Dimitri far too much to be healthy. So, I’ll leave you off with some honorable mention aspects of his character that I think are super fun:

Pre-timeskip Dimitri has his hair tucked behind his ear. He can lift a wagon by himself. In the DLC, when faced with an impossible-to-open gate, it was not muscle man Balthus who said he couldn’t open it, but twinkish teen Dimitri. He’s not really smooth with one-liners. Like, at all. Notably, when attacking Manuela post-timeskip, he says, “Perhaps I should have appeared before you holding a bouquet of flowers, rather than the weapon that will end your life.” Adding to this, at one point, Dimitri fucked up a pick-up line so badly the girl came after him. Areadbhar has a mitten on it in the Azure Moon final picture. He breaks everything. His Crest activation ability even supports this, using twice the durability of any given Combat Art. One of his post-timeskip counselor messages is, “I lived in the slums for a long time, and I saw how the people there suffered from poverty and the ravages of war. There must be something I can do to save them." His room in the academy is right next to Sylvain’s, meaning that for almost an entire year Dimitri was a single wall away from hearing whatever nonsense Sylvain was getting up to. Dimitri is the only Lord that takes the throne and doesn’t abandon his people in some form or another.

And, finally, he is pretty sexy. And that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?

Coneheads (1993)

Another Entry from 1993. I'm leaning towards the thought that 1993 was a booming year for moviegoers. Unlike my previous review (Demolition Man), Coneheads is a movie that I am not visiting for the first time. I have fugue like toddler memories of the unforgettable silhouettes of these characters but I also have much more vivid memories of seeing reruns of this film on Comedy Central throughout my school years. Of Course, I can not hear Soft Cell's Tainted Love without thinking about this film.

The Message

Coneheads is a Sci-Fi Comedy exploring the American immigrant experience of a family of illegal aliens, but these aliens are of the extraterrestrial variety. All joking aside, that is how the plot presents it's central conflict as the INS is hot on their trail. The Coneheads are a nuclear family of aliens from the planet Remulak. Dan Aykroyd plays the father Beldar, he is employed most comically as a Taxi Driver and also by his home planet as the Time Keeper, whose job it is to inform the invading force of the most opportune time to conquer the earth. Beldar's mate and lifelong companion is Prymaat, played by Jane Curtin. Together they have a daughter, born of Earth, named Connie.

The first act of the film tells of the Coneheads arrival and stranding on Earth and how they are treated as foreigners and second class citizens by the people of Earth. However, they are never assumed to be aliens, just kinda freaky looking. Much of the humor comes from no matter how strange and unappealing they act the Coneheads kindness, hard work, and diligent behavior earns them the admiration and love of their neighbors and coworkers everywhere they go. Eventually Prymaat becomes pregnant and they give birth to Connie.

After a time jump, Connie has entered her teenage years and the generation gap and the culture gap between the Coneheads and their rebellious daughter begins to manifest. The Coneheads are loving parents and Connie a loving daughter and it's just so heartwarming to see such a functional relationship played out as they navigate these difficulties.

Unfortunately, the INS director who had once been on the Coneheads case early in their years finds that the unresolved investigation into these aliens has left a dark mark on his record and could be used to foil his political aspirations. Due to this realization his ambition towards these goals turns his apathy about the case to a dogged pursuit that would put Wile E. Coyote to shame.

Eventually the Coneheads are brought back in touch with the Remulak people and Beldar is forced to choose between his devotion to his culture and his people, and the life he has built for his beloved family as a citizen of Earth. Through some trickery and a decision to spare the Earth, Beldar becomes the anonymous savior of the Earth and the Coneheads are granted U.S. Citizenship.

With our Invader Zim's and Solar Opposites on our plates, does the Coneheads hold up as a satisfactory offering to the Cult of Cult?

Let's get to the Benediction.

Best Gag: 10 fingers, 10 toes, 10 inch cone

The Coneheads is sort of a one trick pony when it comes to humor. No one particular gag sticks out more than any other as most of the comedy tends to be, a Conehead does a weird thing and then people react either shocked or strangely unfazed. However, one seen has both reactions and a ton of that weirdness in rapid fire succession and that would be the birth of Connie Conehead.

Best Effect: Narfle the Garthok

At the climax of the film Beldar is set in colosseum battle against a creature known as the Garthok. The effect is a simple stop motion beast, and it certainly looks corny by todays standards. Even next to an old Ray Harryhausen film the creature looks cartoony. I think that's more than forgivable considering Coneheads is basically a cartoon. I want to take a moment to give props to the makeup department, at no point do i feel like the Coneheads do not look like aliens, they completely sell the very mild alien features that set the Remulaks apart from Earthlings, but these effects are just that, mild. I'm a monster loving boy and I gotta get my monster love out. I love the Garthok, and I may have to admit I've watched Coneheads a few times just to see the Garthok.

Worst Aspect: Just a Dash of Implied Racism

Racism is just an aspect of our culture. There's no pretending that isn't the case, and for that reason for generations racial stereotypes and observations have made it into our films. That is not to say that observations about race being made are automatically racist, however, I think there are some jokes about how the Coneheads are treated in the film, or the things they do that only work if you are familiar enough with racist caricature that the gag makes sense. Unfortunately, these few moments do not go so far as to subvert the gag. For instance, in a film where a black character is implied to be in danger because the police show up, would be an example of a racial issue that is implied because the audience recognizes the implications of how race is a part of American culture, but an implication that the hallways of a building where aliens live in smells funny or that aliens behaving like freaks is accepted implies that the audience thinks that foreigners smell strange or behave in freaky ways, and does not do enough to subvert these stereotypes. Do I think this was intentional or malicious? NO. But it is important to talk about. The filmmakers swim in the same cultural water as I, and the implied biases that you must understand to get some of the jokes are the same biases that are implanted in me. It's just important to note.

Best Aspect: It's All Love Baby

There is a lot of love on display in Coneheads. Beldar and Prymaat are supportive to one another and to their daughter. There is conflict and misunderstandings in the plot, but it shows that a loving family is not measured by a lack of conflict but by how they deal with their issues. Connie is a loving daughter. The friends and neighbors of the Coneheads are also incredibly kind and supportive of the young alien family. Ronnie, played by the ever endearing Chris Farley is so enamored with Connie that he openly accepts all of the weirdness and well intentioned abuse he suffers as a human trying to find an in to a Remulak family with open arms. It's a shame that so much humor in todays film comes from characters being awful to one another. It's refreshing to turn back the clock and enjoy a comedy that runs on such a warm hearted engine.

Most WTF Guy: Dan Aykroyd is a fucking Weirdo

Between Ghostbusters, Nothing But Trouble, and Coneheads I'm coming to realize just how freaking weird Dan Aykroyd is and I love it. This guys mind must be like an Adult Swim bump marathon.

Ambiguous Aspect: An American Tale

The humor of Coneheads is a fish out of water tale, and as such relies heavily on the cultural context of the American Dream and it's relevance for immigrants. In a way Coneheads can be seen as in dialogue with movies like An American Tale, Scarface, and many others. I was born in America, as a military brat, and I have lived in other countries but always on American military bases and where my status as an American was more of a benefit than a hindrance in my day to day interactions with citizens of whatever country I was living in. I have no personal context for these struggles or how the humor of Coneheads is in anyway relevant.

From where I'm sitting I really enjoy how the themes of the film explore the exploitation of immigrants. How Beldar has a genius level IQ and an absurd work ethic yet he is payed in peanuts and happily overproduces for his bosses. I appreciate the exploration of the cultural gap between immigrant parents and their bicultural children. I'd like to think, because I quite enjoy Coneheads, that this movie is sensitive and is presenting these issues in a sympathetic light instead of just using prejudices of "wacky foreigners" as fodder for cheap jokes, but I'm not really sure I'm the position to determine that.

At the very least it's something to chew on. If any of you in the congregation have read any articles pertaining to the subject of how the immigrant experience was portrayed in Coneheads please shoot me a link. I'm sure it would be illuminating to read. Perhaps I am over thinking things and maybe the film makers did not wish to have the movie picked apart, however, immigration is currently and has always been a sensitive and complex category of interrelated issues in our country and if Dan Aykroyd and the other writers did not want to dig into the subject maybe they should have steered clear of the topic in the script.

Summary

Coneheads will not likely be the funniest film you'll ever see. It's certainly a product of it's time and I'm not sure that even then it was for everyone. This is a heartfelt family story but it is also what happens when an SNL skit by a very strange and very high Dan Aykroyd is successful enough to receive a Hollywood budget and a feature length claim to your time. It's by no means amazing, but it is easy viewing. Good luck getting Soft Cell out of your head this week.

Overall Grade: C

hi dawn!!! minha linda!! ♡ ✨💌 self promo time: reply with five of your favorite creations and pass this on to some of your favorite creators! Thank you for making such lovely things 💌 (this is so u can promo all the pangwave content bc even if i don't go here yet!!! THEY NEED ALL THE LOVE BC THEY MAKE ME FEEL THINGS FOR A SHIP I DON'T KNOW!) ily!!

nuriaaaa!!! meu anjo 💓💓 thank you soso much! i saw this going around on my dash and everybody talking about their beautiful gifsets and now....... what do i have to offer help BUT I SHALL PROMOTE PANGWAVE YES im more than glad they already have your heart, im sure once you watch it you will Understand why we go absolutely insane over them hsjdhsjdjsk

thai actors as greek deities moodboards :: ok i started this a while ago and ive been really slow in keeping it up but i blame that on uni applications since they consume all my time :(( i lovelove loooove doing those and i had this idea while searching greek mythology for fun and realising bright is literally apollo so he was the first one!! i linked tay's tho because that one is my fave (but i love gun's too!!)

khaotung boyfriend material b&w ver. :: tbh i love everything i do for khao because it's always done with care and i feel happy while doing so!!! and..... look at him like.............. he Is the most Beautiful ever im just doing the minimum!!! (and i posted that a day before we got to know about tcts and i literally said in the tags i wanted him to get a main I WAS MANIFESTING IT)

pangwave + words :: i can't choose between them which one i like better because they complement each other. ive said this countless times before but....... wave just found in pang something he never thought he would, especially after all he went through and all the walls he built around himself to stay safe, but know he feels this..... comfort, this safety within pang and he doesn't know how to deal with it, so he tries his best to show he cares through gestures and looks instead of words, since can't quite explain what he feels to himself. wave probably struggled a lot while navigating this relationship with pang but...... pang knows. he knows wave cares for and loves him because even if wave doesn't speak, his eyes tell. and they tell a lot.

earnpear + watine double date headcanons :: the LOVE i have for this post man. it's like my comfort post, everytime im sad i read it and i make myself laugh with my own dumb ideas and just how endearing this whole scenario could be if we were to ever have it :(

earn's "let's say i like girls" word parallels :: i'll limit myself to say that what that scene meant to me was....... yeah... a lot. because i Know what that is like and i wish i could just hug earn and tell her it's okay. she can take her time. she's fine. she's safe and she has wat there with her. and i hope she can overcome that fear, even tho is hard, and one day be out, proud and about with her girlfriend pear!!!!

that's it!!!! it isn't much, most of it is pretty simple but, u kno, made with love so i hope that counts for something!!! i love you and thank you once again, my dear 💞