#( and most of the things i find MORE important can be expressed regardless of their sex preferences lmao )
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I swear I write something and then wanna add something to it almost immediately. Whereas I think I almost always exclusively write top/dom characters I am open to other things as well. I tend to stick to what I know / what I've been doing in rp - although I don't write much smut at all / never get passed foreplay. BUT, I think these experiences can and should be fluid. What might not work for one ship, might work for another, what one mun headcanons vastly different for the same character... so all in all, is I am flexible and don't care at the end of the day. My writing partners just tend to have subby muses and I run with it. :) But if the day ever comes anyone shipped / written in a sexual setting with my muse(s)... y'all got full reign to dom them.
#&. ooc.#&. usfw tings.#( i just dont rigidly follow any ideas in regards to sexuality / orientation / preferences bc idc. it's not the biggest deal to me )#( and i imagine like irl ppl tend to be different with different ppl )#( and most of the things i find MORE important can be expressed regardless of their sex preferences lmao )#( me writing all this to simply say peg my dudes pls )
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le marquis et le moineau - first dance
Marquis de Gramont x f!reader
synopsis: one of several short stories, set up as a prequel to this oneshot of le marquis et le moineau. This is set in the early days, depicting the beginning of what would turn into a dangerous mutual infatuation.
more of moineau: le marquis et le moineau ▪︎ (ill)fated ▪︎ other works
themes/warnings: slow burn, mentions of violence (it's the John Wick universe ofc), language, the Marquis is a manipulative asshole (to be fair, so is the reader) so don't expect a gooey romance!
The dinner was not what you expected.
First of all, you are surprised that you are actually enjoying yourself. Of all things to find pleasure in, you did not think it would be this - sitting across the man regarded as the most stupidly imperious beanpole in your profession.
Well, no one has ever called him a beanpole, but you think it appropriate. So pompous beanpole it is. He towered over everything- the fucking giant - blocking your line of sight when you had followed him into the dining room.
Why did you follow him? It might have been fear for your head, deferrence to who is currently the most important guest in the Continental. But with how it's going now, you think that you would have agreed regardless.
Maybe it's the way simply being there feels like there's a hundred mini electric shocks going through your body, like you're on high alert the whole time. His eyes would rake over you as the two of you converse, scrutinizing, and you would return the favour.
It's strange, for someone already living in a highly demanding and dangerous world, to take particular notice of any thrill. It is constant, akin to breathing.
But this... why does this feel different?
"Do I have something on my face?" you hear him ask, the ego practically jumping out of his voice. Connard. He smirks at how you seem to have been staring at him for quite a while.
"Well, I noticed this little wrinkle you have between your eyebrows," you make a little gesture, and his expression sours a bit, but he doesn't look convinced. "It's a lot similar to what Winston has, which is strange since he is ahead in his years."
I spaced out, asshole, you wanted to say instead. Why the hell would I be looking at your face?
That's a lie. He's a sight, and he knows it. You know it. The thing, he never has to know that you know.
Or, something like that.
He prattles on, yet another probing question bubbling from his lips. "From everything you've said, it does not look to me as if you are satisfied with your position. Am I correct?"
"Not satisfied? Marquis, I am exactly where I want to be, doing what I want to do - "
"And what is that, hmm? Being an apprentice? Waiting on the guests of this fine establishment? Always at their beck and call like some... " He pauses, although he's well aware of what he means.
"Some what?" you say, keeping your tone civil through gritted teeth.
He appraises you, wondering why he is hesitant in dealing the final blow, and simply hurling the insult as he usually does. You are nothing to him, after all, are you not?
But no. If he is to use you - and this option is growing on him - he must stay on your good side. It would help in making you more pliable to his demands.
You straighten, after you're sure that he would go no further, taking a sip of your wine, "Why, Marquis, I didn't think you would be so... considerate."
He sneers, "I can be all kinds of nice to you, ma belle, if you please me well enough."
Ma belle. From any normal, warm-blooded admirer, the words can invoke amusement or gratitude. Maybe embarrassment at the other person's audacity, in your perspective. But from him? The coil in your stomach that unfurled brought forth a weird sensation of warmth, despite your job-mandated emotional regulation training.
More understandably, it raised your suspicion. What does he want? Is he just being... well, French?
"On behalf of the Continental, consider it our mission to ensure that you remain pleased throughout your stay," you recite like an AI automation, in an attempt to appear unaffected.
He titters, shaking his head, "Be that as it may, I only require you."
"M-me?" Smooth. Real smooth, super spy.
"Your services," he elucidates, basking in your surprise. "I would like to take you into my employ. I think you have immense potential."
"I don't think I understand."
He rolls his eyes, frustrated at how slow he thinks you're being. "You may just be a baby receptionist - "
You scowl at that, "Assistant to the Concierge, actually."
The prat ignores you, " - but you're a baby receptionist at the Continental New York. You have considerable training, and from your background, it is clear that you're plenty accustomed to this life."
"What do you need me for? I'm sure you have an array of specialists at your disposal. I happen to know of someone who can do anything you require. John Wick is - "
He scoffs, his eyes glinting in amusement, "I am not too inclined to assign John Wick as my date to the most important gala in Paris."
"Pardon me? Date?" you blanch.
Again, he makes his trademark insolent expression. Are you deaf, his face practically screams.
"Oui, my date," he gingerly wipes the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and you imagine stuffing his mouth with it so he stops speaking entirely. "You've heard of the Paris ball, have you not?"
"The one held in your honour, every year."
"In my honour," he repeats, disdain lacing his voice. "Around three hundred little ants who claim to respect and admire me. But the thing about ants is... they have the tendency to destroy their queen."
"I see," you exhale, understanding his implication. "So I won't be there to simply be your date."
He tilts his head, "Were you expecting any different?"
Yes.
"No."
He smirks, having pushed you into a corner as planned. "Instead of having some dolt of an heiress or model with me like I normally do, I am choosing to bring you. I thought you would be able to weave your way into the crowd, sort out which ones are the little rats and report back to me. No one would suspect you because they would think you're just there to look pretty."
He sure has a way of being flattering and demeaning at the same time.
"Why can't your men do that job?" you challenge him. Your answer is nearly fully formed in your mind, for various reasons, but if there is a way out of this, you'll take it as a sign to bow out for your own good. "I'm sure you don't need to go through all this subtlety. Pick out the bad weeds and crush them underneath your polished boot, as you do."
"My dear, we are not animals. I prefer to move with a bit more finesse than my lowly counterparts."
Finesse? Or is he just unwilling to get his hands dirty? To wade into the murky waters among the sharks?
"Besides," he stands, walking slowly until he reaches you. He casts a shadow over the table as he stops behind your chair. When he speaks again, he has stooped so low you can feel his breath on the nape of your neck. "You need me. I am offerring you an opportunity to advance quickly in our world. Do me this favour and there is no one who will dare doubt your potential."
When you twist around to look at him, he is close. Too close. There is an almost sadistic glint in his blue eyes, a mark of someone who is used to getting what he wants.
You nod, once, expecting him to back away after that. Instead, he leans even closer, his eyes never leaving yours. You clock him raising a hand to your face in your peripheral vision, "What are you doing?"
He sighs in annoyance, and his fingers graze your jaw. He makes a condescending tsk noise, before saying, "If you're going to be my date, you have to be comfortable with being close to me. I will have to touch you, you know."
Prick.
Why are his eyes so goddamn blue?
Asshole.
"Of course," is all you mumble after a while.
It is as if he decides that he's done with you after that, stepping back, and gesturing to the hall with a noncommittal "Off you go."
"Thank you for dinner," you say, but he does not even care to look at you. "Do let us know if you need anything else."
You confidently walk to the entrance of his penthouse suite, head held high as you pass by his lackeys and associates. Thinking that the Marquis stayed behind in the dining room, goosebumps erupt on your skin when he says your name, and he is right behind you.
Before you can wonder why on earth he would see you out himself, he rubs his thumb momentarily in the space between your eyebrows, smirking.
"Oh would you look at that," he teases, "you have that little wrinkle too."
You notice how his accent is more pronounced when he is relaxed, in this case when he is making fun of you.
"Mmm," you smile sarcastically, and the glee on his face deepens.
"À bientôt, petit moineau," he says in finality.
There it is again, and you're resolved to find out what that means.
"Be seeing you."
Here I thought I ran out of juice for this story, but then...
#marquis vincent de gramont x reader#marquis de gramont x reader#john wick 4#bill skarsgård x reader#bill skarsgård#marquis de gramont#marquis vincent de gramont
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𐐪𐑂Astro Observations𐐪𐑂
｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡
(Life is like a butterfly...You go through changes before you become something beautiful)
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𐐪𐑂 Despite people talking negatively about Pluto and Saturn, I find them to be the most important and beautiful planets. If you have ever felt hopeless or stuck, look into the position of these two in your chart. All of us struggle regardless, however, Saturn and Pluto bestow us with insight, lessons and knowledge we gain through that struggle and as a result we get to move on further into our journey.
𐐪𐑂 I have found people with earlier degrees on their ascendent tend to have larger frames while those later tend to have smaller ones. I am not talking specifically about weight and measurements per se but rather the general form.
𐐪𐑂 Although aspects act the same in general, it is very interesting when you look into the signs, elements and modalities involved. For example, Trine tends to bring abundance when in Water and in between inner planet but is an indication of overindulgence when it occurs from an inner planet to an outer one.
𐐪𐑂 Mercury opposite Mars "I am not angry! That is just my tone." Be mindful of how you sound and how you deliver your message. It is important to be honest, but it is also important to have tact.
𐐪𐑂 Even though people still dispute which placements determine our leaning towards extroversion and introversion, I have found that the houses and the planets falling in them suggest what are we more introverted about and what are we more extroverted in. Having multiple planets in a house could indicate a higher leaning to extroversion as the sense to express is very strong and immediate, as opposed to an empty house, one might be less inclined to share. The houses that contain only one planet tend to fall under the general energy of said planet and sign ruling over the house, indicating a higher sense of introversion as the person may desire to reflect on the themes of the house or would rather to practice them alone than with others.
𐐪𐑂 However, in case of overall introversion and extroversion, having more planets in Air houses (3rd, 7th, 11th) indicate high extroversion while in Fire houses (1st, 5th, 9th) indicate higher introversion. This may sound off as Fire signs are given the reputation of boldness, however, as the opposite of Air, Fire tend to itself. Introversion isn't anxiety and awkwardness (although it might include them), but rather it describes a person that isn't reliant on social communication, has a low need for others, desires independence, and excels on their own. Another thing, the themes of the 1st, 5th and 9th, relate to freedom, personal journey, creativity, ideologies, beliefs and the self. Meanwhile, the 3rd, 7th, and the 11th relate to unity, communication, the collective, collaboration, harmony and the "us".
𐐪𐑂 Cancer Risings give off favorite child vibes. Having Leo in the 2nd and Libra in the 4th house defiantly makes for the "golden child" trope.
𐐪𐑂 I believe that the degree of a planet has bigger affect on its core desire while the sign affects the manner that the planet translates or comes across. For example, Aries Mercury is usually is thought of as brash and abrasive or interested in things that have themes of violence and sex. However, when in an air degree this person can be much more interested in matters of communication, science, education and holds social rapport at a higher regard. The difference being that the Aries Mercury with the air degree might come across very detailed and articulate, perhaps even to the point of pretentiousness. Yet in matters of thinking they're much more thought out, factual and meticulous than the general Aries Mercury description.
𐐪𐑂 People with Chiron in the 9th house may need to leave their home country or cut off their family to begin healing.
𐐪𐑂 Every sign deep down is similar to their opposite. Aquarius desires to standout while Leo seeks to fit in and belong, Taurus enjoys today in fear of tomorrow while Scorpio wishes for a better tomorrow so they can finally enjoy their day, Capricorn works hard in hopes of creating a better home while Cancer works hard to ensure the comfort of their home, Aries seeks companionship through conflict while Libra seeks individuality through process of elimination, Virgo does practical things out of superstitious believes while Pisces engages in escapist and spiritual practices to better understand realistic demands, Gemini learns to mentor while Sagittarius mentors to learn. Granted, this is an overly simplistic form of explaining it but I hope it was able to better explain.
𐐪𐑂 Venus Aquarius not only desires but actually thrives off of creating bonds online.
𐐪𐑂 People with Jupiter in the 12th would take very long to learn life lessons. This is partly due to having to under go many cycles of self undoing and changes to finally get the lesson.
𐐪𐑂 People with Saturn in 3rd/9th may be untraditional students or enter university late or take time to graduate.
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#astrology#astro observations#astrology notes#astrology observations#astro notes#astrology houses#astro#astro placements#astrology aspects
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dating hcs !
summary: how do the atsv characters act w/ their s/o?
genre: headcanons
characters featured: miles morales, gwen stacy, hobie brown & pavitr prabhakar
warning(s): kissing, swearing, mostly none, though!
⋆·˚. . .miles morales
i can imagine miles running late for class on account of some random villain that was attempting to snatch another purse when he ran into you in the hallway.
he's obv like shook because wtf he just knocked someone over?? he's pleasantly surprised to find out you're not mad at him and that you've actually seen him around?
now he's very surprised.
you two clicked from that point on. afterwards, you were always around each other.
he trusted you with his whole heart and you trusted him as well.
miles is genuinely so smitten with you, it's adorable.
everyone who knows him also knows you. whether they'd like to or not.
i imagine him finding out about his feelings most likely happened when he was rambling to you one day about whatever crossed his mind that week. he's ranting and he just looks over at you and actually freezes.
you two are like cuddled up in his bed and your head is like rested on his shoulder as you drfit in and out of sleep.
yeah... he realizes his feelings real quick.
actually so scared by the fact he likes you.
he knows he likes you, a lot. the problem is, do you like him back? and if you don't, what would happen to your friendship?
he brings his troubles to his mother, taking her advice to just be honest with you. so, he does.
he invites you to your favorite spot in new york, offering you you a goodie bag filled with tons of things he knows you likes before then confessing to you.
"so, the reason i invited you out here is actually important."
"I like you, a lot."
heart basically STOPS when you say you like him too, a small smile decorating his face. he's overjoyed!!
after the initial awkwardness in the start of your relationship miles earns his title as the best boyfriend ever.
he's super caring and so sweet!!
calls you every single day just because he loves hearing your voice SO much
his sketchbook is literally littered with drawing of you that are extremely detailed.
he practically doodles you every chance he gets.
died the first time you caught him sketching you. you were chill about but he was super embarrassed regardless.
overall just a super sweet relationship, miles is not very experienced.
⋆·˚. . .gwen stacy
the most awkward one on this list.
gwen has noticed you around the city all the time but never had any confidence to go up and talk to you at all.
literally just stares at you and your friends and hopes you'll notice her and come over to talk.
she accidentally stumbled into you when she went to her favorite coffee shop, turns out you worked there.
shit.
she pretty much visits that shop every other day from that day on and the one instance she does talk to you formerly is only a result of peter dragging her over to you. she stumbles over her words a lot but reluctantly is able to invite you to her band's concert.
so giddy when you agree to show up.
needless to say she spent way too much time practicing on the drums that week, much to her father's avail.
when the night of the concert comes she's trying her best to be better than she normally is, sneaking glances at your facial expressions in the crowd.
it eased her to see you were extremely invested in every part of the song, wonder in your eyes as you stared up at her on the drums.
you two become good friends from there and you even helped her work through her trauma with peter's death.
it takes MONTHS for the two of you to confess and even when it actually happens, gwen isn't the one to do so. you beat her to the punch, confessing that you were starting to really like her.
she was so surprised by the confession she lost her train of thought, causing you to panic slightly from her complete silence.
she's even more embarrassed by the fact she just shut down.
she admits to liking you too and you two started dating!
SUPERR protective of you.
she already lost someone dear to her -- she's not going to let it happen again.
she's also a very sweet girlfriend.
i feel like if you're the artistic type she'd ask you if you could draw her. when you do, she keeps the drawing forever, hanging it up in her room and telling everyone who didn't want to hear about the fact that you her s/o had drawn this for her!!
kind of nervous but all around a very good girlfriend.
⋆·˚. . .hobie brown
this fucking guy.
he originally got introduced to you when he invited to join the spider society.
you stood out to him for some reason. he wasn't even sure why.
all he knew was that he couldn't stop himself from looking everywhere for you whenever he had free time. attempting to learn more about you.
you rejected his advances most of the time, shutting him down with a "maybe later" or "haha, keep dreaming, hobie."
that didn't discourage him, though.
he decided on inviting you out with him one night for a few drinks with his friends and the alcohol really allowed you to loosen up a bit.
he got to know a lot about you and it sadly only made him want you even more.
you two become good friends over the course of a few months.
you poured your heart out to him and he confided in you as well. the two of you were basically dating, despite it not being declared.
when hobie did confess his feelings to you, it was in the most surprising way ever. he was spending the night at your place and you two were cooking together.
well, he couldn't cook. you were teaching him how to.
music was playing in the background as you two chatted and jokes about random things that happened that week. it was nice.
so nice that hobie felt the need to confess to you more than ever.
you were on the couch, watching a movie together when hobie paused the tv and turned to you with a genuine smile. you looked back at him in confusion, an amused look painting your face as you mumbled out a small "what?"
hobie leaned in, planting a kiss on your cheek before saying "i'm crazy about you, you know that?"
yeah..... he's so unpredictable.
you two start going steady after that, finally.
despite already being in a relationship with you, he still feels the need to flirt with you like he was trying to pick you up at a bar.
in fact, he tested your limits every single day. especially due to the fact that he didn't have a single care for any onlookers who were witness to your dynamic.
he's super cheeky but sweet either way.
he has def wrote a song about you at some point. though, he'd never play it for you or even show you the lyrics. that's something only for himself to have.
tries to act chill about the relationship but he's genuinely just so soft for you.
would rebel against any and everything if you so much as made a small comment about not being the biggest fan of it.
vv caring boyfriend!!
he makes you go to every single one of his shows and swears it's because you're his "luck charm"
good god.
⋆·˚. . .pavitr prabhakar
where do i start with this guy.
he was originally assigned to tutor you in math due to your dropping grades. you were embarrassed by the fact you needed a tutor but he reassured you anyways.
you weren't a very talkative person whenever you two did work together which only led him to be more interested in you.
he told himself the only reason you were crossing his mind was because he was gravely concerned about your math final, but, it wasn't true at all.
the truth? he had actually taken a liken to you.
you were smart, witty and extremely kind. how could he not??
at the end of your usual session, he'd chased after you, sputtering out something about a gas station nearby with good slushies as he hoped you just agree to go.
to his surprise, you did!
pavitr made it his mission to make sure you had maximum fun capable with him. he needed you to know how fun he could be, just so you'd at least reconsider hanging out with him again.
thankfully the plan works and the two of you begin to hang out regularly after every study session.
funnily enough, you two only got together because of his spidey duties.
he was watching you intently from a building to make sure you were getting home safely, texting you at the same time when you're approached by a couple of not-so friendly looking men.
they're grappling you and attempting to shake you down for money when pav springs into action, sweeping the floor with them with ease.
he consoles you on the attack, a bit too much. a relieved sigh leaving him when you confirm that you're okay. he just about to leave when you stop him, calling out a small "Spider-man?" that instantly catches his attention.
he turns to you with a confused expression, stiffening when you moved closer to him.
your hand rested against his chest as you angled your head up, inching his mask up.
he rested his hands on yours, mumbling out a "Wait." that fell on deaf ears as you pulled the mask up further, leaving it bunched up just above the start of his nose.
you analyzed his face silently and pav felt nervous under your analytical gaze.
he almost outwardly screamed when you inched closer to his face, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
he literally froze. does he do something? should he touch you somewhere? is appropriate for him to do that??
you broke the kiss, pulling back with a small smile on your face. and while pav was dazed and happy you'd kissed him, the reality that he was spider-man right now sank in.
did you like spider-man but not him?
his thoughts were cut short when you cleared your throat.
"i like you, pavitr." you paused. "and i know it's you under there."
oh shit. you didn't like spider-man, you liked..him?!
his mouth hung open as he processed what you said, his ears growing hot when it finally clicked.
he dejectedly pulled off the rest of the mask, a smile gracing his lips as he confessed you liked you as well.
when you two start dating, pav feels like he's on cloud 9.
HES SUCH A GENTLEMEN.
opens doors for you and holds your hand whenever you two go out together.
he's also super patient with you too.
he's a bit more experienced than miles and gwen but is still nervous around you regardless.
use to say thank you after you kissed him during the first few months of you dating for no reason. you had to ask him to stop doing that because it was ruining the romantic moment.
listens to every single thing you say and actively defends you no matter what. even if you're wrong.
feel like he's def gave you a tour of mumbattan via web slinging.
secretly loves the way your arms are wrapped around him. it makes his heart flutter inside his chest. though, his face would grow hot if he ever had to say it to you.
he loves you so much it's overwhelming.
a/n: woo!!! this is my first atsv fic, i hope you like it :)
masterlist
#⋆·˚. . .#miles morales#miles morales x reader#miles morales x you#miles morales x y/n#gwen stacy#gwen stacy x reader#gwen stacy x you#gwen stacy x y/n#hobie brown#hobie brown x reader#hobie brown x you#hobie brown x y/n#pavitr prabhakar#pavitr x reader#pavitr x you#pavitr x y/n#atsv x you#atsv x reader#atsv fluff#atsv headcanons#atsv hcs#across the spiderverse#x reader fluff#x reader
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You make that your home screen, you're gonna be running the Academy training course in a bomb disposal suit. I would never do that. It is now my lock screen. Listen, I wouldn't have gotten this stupid plaque if you didn't have my back today. So, you know, thanks. For what? Doing my job?
| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION
2.08 - Clean Cut
Going back to these early moments is always fascinating… To see how far they've come… How Tim was already struggling so much with keeping his wall, pretending to be annoyed with Lucy's antics, but failing miserably.
Like when she takes advantage of the situation by taking so many pictures of him, using Rachel as an excuse to get away with it. He may try to use threats as a deterrent but his tone is much softer than usual. Even his grumpiness is quickly replaced by amusement. Especially once Lucy pulls one over him, by making him her lock screen instead of her home screen, finding a loophole. A simple way of showing how comfortable she is around him at this point. His jaw clench… His little smile, so bashful… How he's trying to hide it by lowering his head - not that he's fooling anyone.
And this is a good way to get back at him for making those TShirts after he caught her sleeping during their night shift. And he knows it… Most importantly, he absolutely loves that she can give as good as she gets. That she isn't afraid of him and sees right through him. He may not be able to verbalise it but it is important to him. Just like it means a lot to him that she made sure he would get his award.
Or 'this stupid plaque' as he says… And that's truly a Tim Bradford thing, to downplay his own achievements. But this is someone who takes pride in his job, who actually probably found comfort in it when his personal life was falling apart. So for all his protests, deep down, it's clear that he is touched to receive it. Just like he is touched that Lucy fought so hard to clear his name and had his back the whole time. Again. Just like he had hers during her Plain Clothes Day for instance.
And this leads us to this sweet moment between them, with Lucy repeating his own words from Redwood back to him… 'For what? Doing my job?'… This was really the moment where Tim showed her his softer side. Where he helped ground her. That was a turning point in their relationship, which makes her choice of words so meaningful. She is a quick learner. The way her eyes twinkles when she says them… Her smug smile… She is absolutely enjoying herself.
But here's the thing : she did more than just her job. Again. She didn't hesitate to go toe to toe with a superior officer (again!), regardless of the consequences for her. As a rookie, her position is precarious but that has never stopped her. She has had Tim's back from the very beginning, looking out for him. This goes far beyond than merely doing her job.
Then again, those are the same idiots who practice kissing for 'work'… And who apparently have no understanding of the concept of personal space… In front of their colleagues.
Like I said, going back to these early moments is always fascinating… To see how far they've come… And to see how some things haven't changed at all. How they've always used 'work' as a way to express their feelings without realising it.
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Exactly one person asked me to share my thoughts on Leander so here's all the notes I've been taking and thoughts I've had since playing the demo a billion times (not all of these are polished thoughts some are simply just observations that i think might be important to understanding him)
- Leander seems to value information the most out of all the LIs
- He is the only LI that asks the MC what they think about everyone
- He asks the most questions
- He repays the MC for their information by providing them with room and board
- Leander sways the MC's opinion
- When discussing Vere, no matter what the MC says about him, Leander makes it clear that getting close to Vere is a bad idea, and that he is a very dangerous individual. Notably, he says "-but like any monster, he's dangerous." which seems to conflict with how he views Ais, despite both being monsters.
- When discussing Ais, when the MC mentions that they met him at the Seaspring, Leander chokes on his drink. If the MC states that Ais was upfront, Leander asks if the price of the Seaspring's effects seem worth it, and implies that he views Ais's "red-eyed minions" as another form of pet that Ais keeps. The topic seems to upset him so deeply that he requests a change of subject. If the MC states that Ais was intimidating, his reaction is almost the complete opposite, almost pleasant, and the subject of the Seaspring drops entirely. When asked if Leander is afraid of Ais, he says not at all, and explains that he sees the two of them as rivals. The MC worries if being rivals with a monster is smart, and Leander downplays the seriousness of it, saying that Ais isn't a bad guy. To me, when paired side-by-side, these two interactions read as Leander trying to sway the MC away from the Seaspring, or maybe even Ais himself. His reaction to knowing that the MC is intimidated by Ais is casual and amused, because he doesn't need to say anything else about it; The MC is already scared of Ais. If the MC WASN'T intimidated by Ais when choosing to say the former option, they probably would have been at least a little more apprehensive after seeing Leander's reaction to the Seaspring's effects.
- When discussing Kuras, regardless of what dialogue option the MC chooses, Leander seems to think fondly of him, with the exception of his bedside manner. If the MC chooses to say that Kuras seems like a good person, they will then ask Leander if he believes that Kuras could cure them. When asked this, Leander's face will drop*, and he will pause before responding, saying that Kuras is good, but he's "only a doctor". If the MC states that they found Kuras to be cold, Leander heartily agrees, saying that "he never warns you when something's gonna sting, and he's stingy with the pain medicine too". His response to both options is mostly the same, what caught my eye was his reaction to asking whether or not Kuras could cure us. Maybe he has some bitter experience with the limitations of Kuras's capabilities, or maybe he just doesn't want to entertain the possibility of the MC seeking assistance from someone outside of himself. Considering his response to hearing that you visited the Seaspring while meeting Ais, I'm inclined to believe the latter.
*I’m not sure how reliable the sprite expressions are re: understanding character motivation, but I’m going to use them anyway. With a grain of salt.
- When discussing Mhin, if the MC chooses to say that Mhin seems lonely, Leander states that he believes that Mhin actually prefers things that way, and goes on to say that if Mhin wanted to be our friend, we would know. If the MC chooses to say that they find Mhin to be irritable, Leander simply agrees, saying that even paying Mhin for work can be a struggle. His responses while discussing Mhin aren't as foreboding, but they don't really need to be. Leander seems to shoot down any hope the MC may have of being close to Mhin, and if they don't show interest in befriending Mhin, then there's nothing more to say.
- Leander is "friends" with everyone, but has something to say about each LI that makes them seem unpleasant or even dangerous to be around
- Leander is the only LI whose silhouette is unaltered
- "not all monsters are inhuman"
- When selecting Leander on the Choose Your Fate screen, the description reads:
Leander offers you something that should be impossible: a taste of normalcy free of your curse. As the first person to withstand your touch, he could change your life, but some things are simply too good to be true.
- When discussing the Senobium with Leander, Leander states "things that seem too good to be true are often just that". He then proceeds to offer himself as "something that should be impossible" for the MC, as the Choose Your Fate screen says.
- LEANDER is an ASSHOLE
- During the scene where Leander is asking you to show him the curse, regardless of whether or not you hold back or choose to trust him, he will grab your hand to prevent you from pulling away. IF YOU CHOOSE TO HOLD BACK, his grip is tight, his face falls, he takes a deliberate step closer, and even reaches for the MC's throat causing the player to worry that they've just ruined him and are now going to get choked out for the second time that day as a result... He then smiles and says he's just fine. I've seen a few people stating that they believed this was the curse beginning to take effect before he managed to push it away, but personally, i think he was just being an asshole. Like, some small punishment for you not trusting him like he asked you to. A silly little guy moment. I hope he chokes
- When first mentioning the Senobium to Leander, his face falls, but he doesn't immediately comment, instead he continues to drink, ignoring the fact that his Bloodhounds have begun verbally accosting you. He only speaks up and snaps at them once he notices you're looking. The first couple times I read this part, Leander's response seems uncharacteristically snide in comparison to how he acts for the rest of the demo, which is NOT me saying he's been written inconsistently, it is me saying he is fake as hell. I hate this dude
- He seems genuinely concerned when asking the MC if they're alright after their run-in with the roughneck. When he asks them if they'd like a drink, he orders the same as them regardless of what they choose. He doesn't do this when you first meet him, he orders beer regardless of your choice. I don't know if this is important to my research. Compels me though
- "Acquaintances are merely friends you haven't shared a drink with yet" -Guy That Has No Friends
Here is a small list of things I believe I could confidently conjure some bullshit out of upon further research (or with enough imagination):
- The Bloodhounds' motto (As Above, So Below)
- Leander's earring. Maybe.
- Leander's quote, "They [flowers] don't last long, but they leave an impression"
- Another quote, "There are solutions to every problem, and alternatives to every solution"
- The ouroboros on Leander's Kickstarter charm
- The fact that Leander likes masquerades and hates sleep
Here is a list of things relating to what the other four LIs think about Leander that caught my attention:
- Literally everything that Vere said
- Vere either has history with Leander that neither of them have talked about (unlikely given how "subtle" Leander was about his relations with Mhin), or Vere is able to read Leander in a way that the others either can't or don't make known to the MC. Vere clearly has sharp senses and sees through the MC like they're made of water, I'm not sure if this is just a thing for the MC but it could probably be assumed that he sees things in Leander that we can't.
- Ais' comment about Leander's resolve
- I could pretend like something Mhin said re: Leander interested me, but I don't think there was any deeper context to their words other than the not-at-all-subtle feelings of forced-down affection and open annoyance. Love Mhin though
- My thoughts on what Kuras had to say are similar to Mhin's, he seems to be fond of Leander and didn't have much untoward to say, unless you count what he said about the company that Leander keeps
I have no idea what's going on with this man. I believe that he may be involved in some harmful magick-y malarky that is having unseen and horrific effects, or maybe he's simply a charismatic manipulator whose personality is just as monstrous as his peers. I have silly little theories but I would be very shrimpterested in hearing what other people have to say.
TLDR; there's something WRONG with this man and I will be spending the next two years crafting a version of him in my brain that is almost certainly dead-wrong but goodness won't it be fun
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╾━╤デ╦︻ MY LOVER OF THE UNKNOWN
dainsleif 〥 gn reader ₊ 𓂃 safe for work. angst, hurt/comfort, romantic fluff, canonical religious imagery and symbolisms, heavy descriptions of misotheism, implicit mentions of ptsd and unresolved past trauma. 936 wc .ᐟ
dainsleif doesn’t quite like the term “blessing from heaven”.
a mere thought of celestia sends him into a complete mental frenzy, and he finds it to be a roundabout way of describing its spurious nature. people often use it because it was meant to bring good luck and fortune to the mortal world. but little did they know that, celestia, never cared about them from the beginning.
he knew this. he experienced it first hand by the destruction of his own nation at the hands of these gods. and if he had to describe celestia in one word, it wouldn’t be bountiful, but preferential by nature.
this was a common thing to believe, though―if mortals didn’t trust their archons, what would make them have faith in the heavenly principles where one couldn’t discern clearly in their eyes? it was like a circumlocution, that regardless if that person is a believer or not, and if they say this child is a blessing from the gods, was it meant to bring them charitable karma, prosperity, and all that was good?
dainsleif couldn’t deny that you were all these things, especially to him―he smiles at the mere thought of your beauty and passion. but he had his own way of expressing this love to you without thinking you were a blessing from anything at all, or the supposed “heavenly principles” gift personally sent to him. he believes that it was by chance, that amongst chaos, there will always be a fault in the system.
sometimes accidents can be a good thing. but he’s not saying that your meeting was. he just dreads the day that he will outlive your mortal companionship.
he doesn’t like to think about it too much, though…the idea of challenging such a concept in his head over why you were so perfect seemed petty, right?
he just knew it―he didn’t have to believe in anything to think this, simply because he saw it in the way you lived your daily life in front of him. he saw by how benign you were to your enemies. or how you spent most of your days thinking about his health, over of yours.
if dainsleif had to admit, it was a challenge at first. getting used to this kind of intimacy and affection was foreign to him. his memories of his past life were far from fuzzy, which was why he didn’t trust the kindness you showered people with.
but alas, he couldn’t do anything about it. human nature was a fickle concept, and you made him realise how important being loved by someone like you is. he was okay with this ending.
“dain, what are you gonna do when i die?”
that callous question falling from your lips made him freeze―i’d die with you, was what he was meant to come out with, but somehow he couldn’t say it so simply.
“i’m not sure, my love.”
you hear the man hum, probably in deep thought now, across the living room couch from where he was reading a light novel―the two of you made a pit stop at sumeru city before passing on to do business in fontaine.
your muscles tense from his response, fists forming into tight balls. sudden questions like these often made him disassociate.
and then you relax when he pokes his head up from behind the paper.
“i’d visit your grave at any chance i could get. i know that lily of the valley is your favourite flowers, sweetheart.”
you crawl over to his side and sit on his lower pelvis. “hmm, better answer.” you say with a little quirk in your voice, almost sassily, a small and innocent smile forming on your face.
“so, what? you’d only bring me flowers that would most knowingly rott after a day?”
he hums again, “well…no, not exactly.” you begin to place your chin on his chest, smiling more brightly this time. dainsleif brings down his book and settles it closed onto the tea table. he then wraps his arms around your waist, squeezing you tight and pulling you in to kiss the tip of your nose.
“the day we met, was the same day this curse left my body. the day you die, will be the same day this curse wishes it could have stayed longer.”
but he knows this isn’t true. you were never the key to breaking his immortality. you were just the distraction.
“what matters is not the future, of what disasters and good it brings. but what matters now is that i got to love someone so extraordinary.” dainsleif begins to feather lightly over the small of your back, and for the first time in your life, you see him give you this knowing smile, like it was his first time feeling these kind of emotions.
“your mind, your body. and your soul.”
the man moves your head into the crook of his neck, trying to avoid the bubbling embarrassment settling in his system. you were wide-eyed after that little lecture, and it made his heart throb that, knowing all this, wasn’t actually a blessing from heaven, but a blessing from the unknown.
“you’re so full of shit, y’know?”
even though you knew that nothing could be done to save him from his suffering, but right now, that was not how he felt.
“i love you so much, y/n.”
you press your nose further into his embrace and hug him tighter. “me too, i love you more.”
writer's note ₊ 𓂃 i think its such a capricious thing outliving your lover when you're immortal. i also think this is why dain avoids intimacy with others because he is afraid of death, even though he shouldn't be. we all know he died when dahri fell. KSJDFHGDF anyways hehe just a bit of food for thought 🫶🏻 i don't see enough of dainsleif in the genshin tags, so i'm gonna be the one to change that 💪🏻
#dainsleif x reader#genshin x reader#genshin impact#dainsleif#nereids' realm#—stellaronhvnters.#dainsleif angst#genshin angst
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I saw your tags, you have challenged me!
Scary Show AU (cw for cannibalism and murder)
Ghost is a very well-known yet still semi-anonymous Voice Actor for spooky shit. There's a huge following for him because, regardless of what role he's playing, he does a phenomenal job. He's only listed in the cast list as "S.R.Ghost"
Typically he plays the role of the creatures in this super popular show called "Cryptid Season" which follows a gang of college kids desperate for extra credit in their Biology class so they hunt cryptids as evidence/to study for their papers. He does the voice over and some of the motion capture (he's a big dude) for the monsters and such, his most famous one being "Goatman" (from the demonic Goatman's bridge in I think Texas?)
Meanwhile Soap is this animator who's starting to become really popular, and he announces a new show in the work: "Consume", where he voices one of the two lead roles. It's presented as a show about a normal, if not very lonely man, being tormented by a demonic presence in his home.
Plot twist: dude's actually a cannibalistic serial killer and ends up quickly befriending the demon. The demon helps make the man harder to track by police forces in exchange for the bones and souls of his victims.
Cast:
Soap as the killer
Ghost as the demonic entity
Gaz as a detective who's new to the case but also best friends with Soap's character
Price voices the seasoned detective who's been working this case "too damn long"
Ghost and Soap ABSOLUTELY fall in love while recording scenes together. The banter, the flirting, the sexy scenario of cutting up a corpse together; it's too much not to fall in love irl
(actually such a big brain idea but I don't know how you'd write it tbh lmao. Maybe the show itself, where the boys keep their names? Idk the original idea turned into something much greater)
took a minute to figure something out i'm ngl but i did. something
(in any case i would love to see your proper takes(s) if you'd be up to it, seeing as it's your idea!! i feel like i couldn’t do it justice)
-
Just like any other actor, Ghost had to audition for the role.
His agent books it for him without consultation, knowing the project would be right up his alley—horror, monsters, no face required—and Ghost makes no argument in sending in his tape. He recognizes this process and takes no issue with it, and once out of his hands, he waits patiently for a congratulatory offer or a gentle rejection.
Just like any other movie, or show, or what have you. Consume is no different.
Supposedly. At first.
John "Soap" MacTavish is... many things. He's charming, according to most. Talented. A joy to be around. A man who wears more than several hats of a project, which certainly tells of someone trying to worm their way into the commercial industry.
He has the spirit and creativity, Ghost will allow him that. But he also doesn't know when to stop talking as soon as the important work is done.
Is Soap professional? Sure. Does Soap make sure all jobs are done with efficiency and done well? Yes, he does. Does it make him any less of a nuisance to Ghost? Absolutely not.
But Ghost would be damned if the project doesn’t find its way into his soft spots, despite its nature. He’d be damned if he doesn’t fall in love with Soap’s animations and the hard work and craft he puts into them.
Then he blinks, and the pilot is premiering. It does well (again, considering its content), and Consume is properly green-lit.
Which is when Soap proposes the idea of recording their lines in the same room. Together. Facing one another. Because banter, and chemistry, and whatever other reasons he insists upon.
Personally, Ghost wants to decline. He’s always felt somewhat awkward when recording as such with anyone, but professionally? He couldn’t really say no, could he?
And it is awkward, at first. There’s more takes than usual, and Ghost can sense Soap’s frustration, though the man never expresses it. He just plasters on a tight smile, calls for a break, and pulls Ghost aside.
Surely, surely this is where Ghost gets fired. This is where Ghost is told he’s going to be replaced, where he’s told to say goodbye to Gaz and Price and wish them luck, and move onto his next gig. This is where—
“Have I done something wrong?”
Soap’s face is so earnest. So painfully sincere.
Ghost clenches his jaw. Shakes his head.
“No, I—“ He sighs. “Just have to get used to the… face-to-face. Let’s—I’ll try again.”
Soap smiles wider, now, as he nods, something kind and warm and brilliant.
The second try goes much smoother. Ghost takes a deep breath and eases himself into scripted dialogue, into witty banter and subtle flirts like it’s any other project.
They continue to record lines as such, just the two of them, each episode at a time. At some point, Ghost worries, the line between script and show and reality gets blurred. At some point, he fears, that flirting becomes genuine.
And what would he know—the reviews only get better as that line becomes less and less clear. Natural, real-feeling dialogue, critics say. The relationship is authentic, claim viewers.
The love is actually heartfelt.
And fuck, if that doesn’t make Ghost realize a few things about himself.
About Soap.
Consume is no different, his ass. He might have to have a stern talk with his agent in the near future.
(Or not.)
#ask#john soap mactavish#simon ghost riley#ghost mw2#soap mw2#ghost x soap#ghoap#soapghost#ghostsoap#writing#alternate universe
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Is it too much to ask?
Avengers! Bucky& Reader
WC:767
A/N: I don’t normally take naps during the day but today I did and apparently I woke up feeling inspired. This is just an outburst of fluff! 😘
Gif not mine
Warnings: emotional support, Bucky being a friend—we love to see it.
[Masterlist]
You could never find Bucky Barnes intimidating. Regardless of his past, regardless of his physique you couldn’t see him as a threat.
Which is why you were quick to befriend him. No one else on the team managed to bond with him as quickly as you did. At first no one wanted to be his friend, apart from you and Steve, but they quickly got over that when they saw Bucky take a bullet for you while on a mission.
Bucky was a good man. Sure he’d been brainwashed to commit crimes but at his core he was and still is a good man.
After he took that bullet for you he became more talkative, even if it was in private just the two of you but he was talking. He became your friend. He is someone, sometimes the only one, you turn to when you’re feeling blue.
I wish I was special to someone.
Today was one of those days. It was Morgan’s birthday and while everyone was celebrating the little girl’s 7th birthday you sneaked off to the indoor greenhouse. That’s where Bucky found you, because of course he was the only one to notice your absence.
He quietly snuck into the room while you were watering the daisies. “Hey you.” He whispered when he reached your side.
“Hey.”
He could tell something was off, you were being monosyllabic. Bucky took the watering can from your hands and set it aside, then pulled you into his chest for a bear hug.
Neither of you said anything for a while, you just stood there with your face nestled into his warm chest while he rested his chin on top of your head. Occasionally pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.
“You good?” He finally asked, still not letting go of you.
You simply nodded your head.
“Then how come you’re hiding out while everyone is up there having a good time? That’s usually my thing.”
You took a deep breath, “Special days have a special way to remind me that…well, I’m just me. You know?”
“I’m not sure I get it. Tell me more.” He encouraged you by rubbing circles on your back. “You know I won’t judge.”
“Okay. You know I'm happy for Tony and Pepper. They’ve figured it out, how to keep doing what we do and still have a life, a family. And while I know I’m Morgan’s favorite avenger—yes, I know that she loves you but she told me herself I’m her favorite— I still feel…inadequate. Incomplete and sometimes just unhappy, lost and like I just don’t belong… I guess I just wish I was special to someone.”
That hit Bucky like a ton of bricks.
He very much understood now what you meant. Hell, he could relate.
“Baby, you are special to me, to the team.”
He definitely slipped by calling you baby but he needed you to understand that you make a difference in his life. You truly are special to him, in more ways that he can even explain.
You dared to look up at him and found yourself hypnotized by the sincerity in his eyes. “You think I’m special?”
“You are the most special and important person in my life. And I know what it's like to want something…to want someone, to want someone to be your special someone.”
“Uncle Buck? Y/N?” Morgan interrupted the moment, “come on! We’re gonna open presents and have cake!!”
“Well we can’t miss that now can we?” Bucky said and pulled you by the hand and followed Morgan up to the main floor.
“Bucky,” you whispered as you stood by his side on the ride up the elevator. “What did you mean by that?”
His grip on your hand tightened, “Sweetheart, I’m saying you are my special, you have my heart and it’s yours if you want it.” He smiled at you then dropped a kiss to your cheek.
You felt like bursting into tears.
He wasn’t one to express his feelings so freely or openly so you knew he was serious about this. You didn’t get a chance to say anything back because just then the elevator dinged and the doors opened.
Bucky let go of your hand and whispered, “you don’t have to say anything…just think about it.”
You followed him out, almost had to jog to keep up with his pace. Once he was within your reach you grabbed his hand and laced your fingers. That stopped him in his tracks.
“There’s nothing to think about. It’s you and I, James. You have my heart too.”
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes fanfiction#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky x reader#bucky barnes x female reader#bucky barnes fluff#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes x f!reader
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stray kids: mtl to take things quickly
most
hyunjin
felix
changbin
jisung
chan
jeongin
seungmin
lee know
least
hyunjin: hyunjin falls in love alarmingly hard and fast. he really is the definition of a hopeless romantic and when he feels like someone is the right one for him, naturally, he’ll go with the flow and fall deeper and deeper in love. he tends to take things quickly because he just loves being in love so much, and if it’s with someone who loves him back just as much as he loves them, he definitely won’t hold back. also the type to fantasize his entire life with someone after one date---everything about spending his life with someone he loves makes his heart feel so full. he rushes because he can’t wait to find his forever love.
felix: he’s the type to get caught up in his own daydreams, which is why I think he’d take things quickly. he has so many hopes for his relationship that he would chase after those dreams without thinking twice. if it’s love, it doesn’t need to follow a pace, right? for him, love should come naturally, and that means a love that comes quickly and without restraint. also another hopeless romantic. he loves deeply and isn’t shy with his affections; his relationships move very quickly because he makes it easy to grow comfortable and fall in love with him. how could you not love felix?
changbin: now, changbin is a man who knows what (and who) he wants. I don’t see him having a type, but rather he looks for someone he can connect with easily and someone he feels can understand him. and once he finds that right person, he’s not the type to hold back. he puts his whole heart and faith into his relationships---his sincerity in how he loves his partner is why the relationship would move fast. because it feels right to follow love as it comes, regardless of how fast or slow.
jisung: jisung’s a little more cautious when it comes to love. he’s not the most confident and the thought of falling in love can intimidate him sometimes. but at the same time, he can’t help the way he feels. if he truly loves someone, he’d be so overwhelmed with that feeling that he’d blindly follow it and see it out. he wants to be in love, so when he finds that love, he will chase after it and take things very quickly. even if it scares him, he’s willing to risk getting hurt if it means he might find the love he’s always hoped for.
chan: he’s very level-headed compared to the last four members. he’s not the type to follow his heart blindly and worries a lot about the consequences of his actions. he’s scared of hurting his partner, but he’s also just as scared of getting hurt himself in the process. I only see him taking a relationship quickly if he is 100% sure that him and his partner are end game and he just doesn’t want to waste time when he already knows they’re the one (important note though, I think chan is a hidden hopeless romantic, i.e. his undying love for ed sheeran, I just think he’s too scared to embrace that side of him because of his responsibilities).
jeongin: definitely one of the more logical members. he doesn’t see a need for taking his relationship quickly. if he’s sure of his feelings towards his partner, wouldn’t he want to express those feelings thoroughly to them? and there’s no rush, either. he has his whole life to love, he just wants to enjoy the experiences as they come and he’s not looking to rush into anything. he prefers to express his love comfortably, without feeling the pressure of having to take things quickly---it’s just how jeongin loves.
seungmin: I think seungmin takes all of his relationships quite seriously. he doesn’t make it obvious, of course, but he works hard to keep his relationships fulfilled and strong. he won’t ever take things quickly because he wants to be sure that the person he’s interested in will commit to a relationship with him. seungmin values his connections with people a lot, which is why he keeps his circle small. even with the person that’s right for him, he will be careful and take things slowly. he wants to know the person he loves completely, and that takes time---time he’s willing to take to create a love worth pursuing.
lee know: one thing about lee know---he’s not going to waste his time. if he’s interested in someone, rather than rushing into a relationship and potentially missing any red flags or things of that sort, he would want to take his time and get to know someone slowly and thoroughly. don’t get me wrong, though---the man can commit. he just won’t do it until he’s sure about someone. he’s not at all the type to date around or take chances. lee know also tends to be kind of guarded when it comes to his true emotions, so it would take him a lot of time to become vulnerable enough to show someone that side of him. he can absolutely do it with the right person---he just needs some time, understanding, and patience, which is why I don’t think he could ever take a relationship quickly.
#skz angst#skz fluff#skz fanfic#skz headcanons#skz imagines#skz reactions#stray kids#stray kids fluff#stray kids reactions#skz#skz scenarios#skz felix#skz bang chan#skz han#skz seungmin#skz changbin#skz lee know#skz hyunjin#skz chan#skz i.n#skz jisung#skz jeongin#stray kids headcanons#stray kids angst
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Zones Fashion
Obviously we all know how killjoys dress, but not everyone in the desert is a killjoy. So here's my headcanons about how non-killjoys in the desert dress. Below the cut because this is gonna get long:
Note: Edited this so rb this version please!
These forms of dress are specific to smaller, more isolated groups where people are usually at least 1st gen zoneborn, and doesn't apply to neutral towns, killjoys, those who follow more traditional city styles, etc. Also I know I said I was going to do drawings for this and I might add those later but for now just text bc the drawings aren't coming out how I like.
Younger kids (2-7):
Both girls and boys have long hair because protects them from the sun without trying to get them to keep hats or hoods on since kids can be difficult about the required amount of clothes, let alone additional stuff. It can also be hard to find children's sized clothes, so many guardians don't bother with "unnecessary" items. Hair is usually kept long enough to tie out of their face because kids also make lots of messes, but sometimes hair will be a bit shorter (usually for boys).
Younger siblings will rarely have anything that isn't a hand-me-down, so if you have an older sibling of the opposite gender then you're probably going to be dressing like the opposite gender for most of your childhood. This is rarely an issue since gender doesn't usually have the same relevance as it does in the real world.
Long skirts are common regardless of gender because they keep the legs covered to protect from sunburn. Also, you can grow significantly before an ankle-length skirt becomes too short, unlike pants where you just have to get new ones when you outgrow them. When skirts get short enough to start exposing a lot of skin, extra fabric can be sewn on, or leggings can be worn underneath. Wraparound skirts are preferred because you don't have to adjust the waist at all when the kid grows, so you don't have to worry about buying/making new clothes all the time. However, other types of skirts work just as well.
A lot of younger kids get homemade shoes. They don't need to be great quality, they just need to keep the kid from burning their feet. Once a kid is old enough to begin helping with the family business (if there is one), go on trips with their guardians, etc. they get real shoes since it becomes more important once they're working or away from home for longer periods.
Then older kids (8-12):
At this age kids are old enough to want to have more freedom of expression so styles vary a bit more.
Since they're mostly still wearing kids sized clothes which are harder to find in the Zones and outgrowing things quickly, hair is still usually kept long to protect them from the sun in place of a hat or a hood that would either be too big or outgrown too quickly to justify buying it. However, sometimes they'll get their hair cut short, especially boys. Regardless of length, there's more variations in hairstyles, since it's a form of expression that doesn't cost any money.
Skirts often come above the knees in the front for more mobility/range of motion. Kids this age are old enough to help with work or chores, so it's easier if they don't have to worry about the restrictions long skirts can bring. At this age skirts are less about practicality. Long skirts are seen as a more childish style as the main point of them is to let kids grow without needing to buy tons of new clothes all the time, and skirts of any length can be impractical. Some guardians don't see the point of the skirt if the kid is just going to be wearing pants underneath anyway and the kid transitions into just wearing pants. For those who do keep wearing it, it makes their ages and allegiances clear. Since "adulthood" is pretty much "whenever you look like an adult" or "whenever you can do the same work as an adult" it makes it clear that this is a child, and that they're not a killjoy (since some killjoys can be this young).
Again, kids this age usually aren't working actual jobs yet, so sandals are more common than closed-toe shoes that might be required for a more dangerous job. Sandals are preferred over closed-toe shoes since they take less supplies to make so they're cheaper. These sandals might be homemade or might be made more professionally.
Younger teenagers (13-15):
This is the age where you'll see a lot of actual variation in style. First short haircuts are common at this age. Some kids might have a job, so hair length is usually depending on the job they have instead of gender. A job where they're often inside or where long hair would get in the way? Short haircut. A job where they're often outside? Long hair. Of course, some people will still pick a style they like over practicality, but looks over practicality is a very killjoy-esque mentality that most of the desert does not follow.
Outfits vary a lot, again based on what's practical for work, but it's common for their clothes to be a bit oversized, since they're usually still on the smaller end even if they are wearing adult sizes by now.
Some kids still wear skirts to indicate their age if their guardians feel that they're not ready to be seen as an adult, but many wear pants only.
Most kids have close-toed shoes now, but again they might be a bit too big. Rags can be stuffed in the toes until they fit properly.
Older teenagers (16-19):
Can pretty much look like anything! Just like for younger teenagers, haircuts and forms of dress are more specific to what you're doing, since most people have some sort of job at this age. Skirts are not worn anymore.
Jobs often work like trades, where you learn to do something and make that your career, instead of switching between them a lot. A lot of jobs are making necessities like clothes, candles, and food, or services like doctors/nurses, messengers, etc. Sometimes certain professions go together, like gunsmiths (who can make or fix guns) will work with artists for killjoys or anyone who'd rather have someone else paint their raygun for them. Markets are a great place to sell their wares so a lot of vendors there are going to be people like this.
If you're interested in other types of people in the Zones/time periods and how they dress send me an ask or something bc worldbuilding my beloved <3
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cod characters alphabet: gratitude
Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John Price, Alejandro Vargas, Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra, Valeria Garza
Warnings: none
Prompt: Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?
A/N: god why do u have to make me fall in love with every boy i meet
simon "ghost" riley:
guys let's be honest you do not have to tell ghost to be grateful ever
i mean he is the poster child for not taking things for granted, like he is very aware that nothing is promised and things very much can be worse
he is always super duper grateful for anything and everything that you do for him
literally even just liking him or texting him
he's very conscious that he has a lot of flaws and so he's very appreciative that you don't let them hinder your love for him
that being said, he's not the greatest at expressing his gratefulness
he's not really good at expressing his feelings in general, but i'd say it pains him the most that he can't show his gratefulness to you as well as he would like to
he really wants you to know that he recognizes all the things you do but sometimes it can be tough to do
he'll try to mention it casually or be nonchalant about it
but inside he's positively bursting with love for you
john "soap" mactavish:
alright so soap is sorta half and half
like all of these guys he's in the military and he knows not to take things for granted
but sometimes he can just be a little clueless and so if you're doing something really subtle, don't expect him to notice it right away
now if you're doing something bigger than soap definitely notices
he's very vocal about how grateful he is for you and he'll pull you into a hug and tell you how you're "the best thing to happen to him"
he'll usually try to match your act with an act of his own
whether that be through quality time or a gift or date night
he's also just generally really grateful for you, regardless of if you've done anything specific for him recently
he's constantly telling you how lucky he is to have you and how he'll never find anyone as good to him as you are
kyle "gaz" garrick:
alright so gaz's very observant and so he recognizes all of the little things you do for him
his family raised him to show his gratitude and that's definitely something that stuck with him
so he's very vocal when it comes to thanking you
whenever you do something for him, whether it's big or small, he's quick to tell you thanks as soon as he notices
if you're with him he'll usually give you a peck on the forehead followed by a quick "thanks, love"
or if you're not there he'll text you (or send a voice message) saying thank you
like soap, he also shows his gratitude for you unprompted
he's just thankful that he can call you his and he'll let you know that all the time
whenever you guys are separated he'll do his best to call or text you
and he always finishes out his messages by telling you he loves you and that he's the luckiest person in the world because he gets to call you his
john price:
okay so don't get me wrong price is a very grateful and observant guy
he recognizes all the little things that you do for him and it makes him love you so much more
but he doesn't really express his gratitude explicitly very often
i think part of it just comes from how he was raised and another part comes from him just not really feeling the need to
in his opinion, he expresses his gratitude through his love for you
he's a strong believer that actions are more important than words and so you'll find him showing you his gratitude more than he tells you his gratitude
him lowering the volume of his alarm and only letting it ring once so it doesn't wake you up, remembering how you like your coffee or tea, helping you apply lotion or brushing through your hair after a shower
the little things
that being said, if you tell him that you want him to be more vocal than he will be
he'll always be telling you thank you, how lucky he is to have you, how he probably couldn't get through his day without you
just generally being thankful
alejandro vargas:
okay so alejandro is such a romantic that his heart explodes every time he notices the little things you do for him
again, he knows full well that tomorrow is far from promised and so he wants to do his best to make sure that you understand how thankful he is for you
he's always showing you his gratitude, verbally and through acts
whether that's rubbing your feet after a long day, running you a bath and pampering you when you're going through it, or making you lunches to bring to work when he's home
in terms of how he expresses his gratitude verbally, he does it all sorts of ways
usually in a mix of spanish and english and done so romantically it has you swooning
"you're so good to me princesa, i would buy every star in the galaxy for you"
"you bring so much light into my life, corazón, i would go blind without you"
what can i say he has a way with words
rodolfo "rudy" parra:
okay so rudy's like eternally grateful for you, like you can't even verbalize his love for you
for one he didn't even think he had a chance with someone like you and so he'll never stop being grateful that you gave him a chance
but the thing is, rudy's a little inexperienced in the relationship department and so he can be a little oblivious to the little things
he'll notice it eventually, but it might take him a little while to notice that his towels are always warmed when he gets out of the shower, or that whenever he texts you that he had a bad day there's a meal waiting for him when he gets back home
don't worry though, because he can recognize the big gestures pretty easily
when he does express his gratitude for you, he's very insistent about it (but not in a bad way)
he really wants you to know just how much he's grateful for you and he'll twist himself inside out to do so
he might not have the best way with words but he'll get his message across through sheer eagerness
he'll also do his best to show you his thankfulness through his actions
making you dinner, buying you little trinkets that remind him of you, running to the store in the middle of the night because you said you were hungry
valeria garza:
okay so valeria's very observant so she definitely notices all the little things that you do for her
but like ghost, she's not the best at vocalizing her gratitude to you
but just because she's bad at vocalizing it doesn't mean she's not grateful, because she definitely is
she knows how hard it must be to put up with her and love her, especially because of her career
but you do it anyways and that really does mean the world to her
she'll show you her gratefulness in her own little way though
it's very subtle and you might not even notice it, but she'll try and protect you from danger
she'll tell her dealers not to sell by your work, hire people to watch the streets on your commute home so you don't get attacked
very small things that you might not even notice
when you're asleep, she'll whisper how thankful she is for you while she strokes your head or your back
#bingoboingobongo.com#bingoboingobongo's january fluff alphabet#ghost cod#ghost x reader#ghost fluff#soap cod#soap fluff#soap x reader#gaz cod#gaz fluff#gaz x reader#john price cod#john price fluff#john price x reader#alejandro vargas fluff#alejandro vargas x reader#alejandro vargas cod#rodolfo parra cod#rodolfo parra fluff#rodolfo parra x reader#valeria garza cod#valeria garza x reader#valeria garza fluff#call of duty#modern warfare 2#cod#mw2
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spirit albarn has histrionic personality disorder, change my mind
i often see people ask what the hell is wrong with spirit, which is a great question. that guy's got issues. here's my take on explaining some of them!
notes: i have HPD myself so some of the evidence/examples i'll give will have personal anecdotes (although i've avoided projecting to the best of my ability for this post.) this is based mostly off the anime, as i have not finished the manga.
full post under the cut as it's ended up both very long and image heavy
one of the major traits of HPD is dramatic and exaggerated behavior/expression of emotion, which spirit displays nearly every time he's on screen. (typically in regards to either maka or his past and potential future romantic pursuits, we'll get to that later.)
this is typically played for comedy, but i don't think that discounts it as evidence at all-- kid's OCD is often used for jokes but that doesn't mean he doesn't have it.
these outbursts often involve very sudden shifts in his demeanor, and almost feel like an internal switch is being flipped on or off. this can make how he acts seem shallow at times, which is also characteristic of HPD. (emphasis on seem-- i do believe he's expressing his true emotions to the extent he feels them. the exaggerated self-expression of individuals with HPD is often tied to feeling those emotions far more intensely than the average person, at least for me.)
note how quickly he returns to a "resting" or "default" expression in the second gif here. he's kind of got a resting bitch face, honestly.
another defining trait of HPD is excessive flirtatious and sexual behavior, regardless of the person's attraction to whoever they're making advances on. i'll be using manga screenshots here since dialogue is important, but this is the symptom spirit shows most obviously by a long shot.
(not pictured: many, many more examples of this...)
he tends to flirt or otherwise get involved with women regardless of if the situation calls for it, and often to the detriment of his relationship with others.
the most blatant example of this detriment is his divorce with maka's mother and maka's subsequent dislike of him. no images provided since i presume you're familiar with that if you've gotten this far.
notably, he appears to feel guilty about this trait, yet does not or cannot curb it. one could easily read this as spirit needing the attention and approval from these women. excessive desire for these things (along with a more general need to feel liked or loved) is a major driving force behind other HPD-influenced behaviors and is a symptom in and of itself. while there is no concrete evidence behind this explanation for his provocative behavior, there is one person we know he desperately seeks approval from-- maka.
while nearly any parent would want for their child to love them, spirit wants for maka to merely pay any attention to him to a degree far beyond average.
in all of these examples, he's upset by her not even acknowledging him (or the thought of it) as opposed to hating him. the thought of her loving or admiring him appears to be a far-off fantasy to spirit, to the point of barely being able to handle it when she interacts with him positively:
...to the point of vomiting after this, which i won't show because that's gross.
maka is by far the person spirit's most shown to value the attention and approval of, but he still likely seeks it from others in more subtle ways. inversely, he reacts very strongly to both perceived and actual rejection, which is another HPD symptom. he assumes the worst when lord death calls for a meeting of all the death scythes, and is shocked when he finds out he assumed wrong.
people with HPD also tend to be gullible and easily influenced, which is most obvious in spirit's interactions with stein. he allegedly didn't catch on to the fact that stein was experimenting on him until his ex-wife pointed it out, as well many examples of stein just sort of fucking with him over the course of the series.
this could also just be that spirit's a dumbass, so take this part with a grain of salt.
that's everything that i can directly tie to HPD symptoms, but i'd also like to note that alcoholism is common in histrionics and they're at higher risk of divorce. as well as these manga screenshots of spirit being Just Like Me Fr as someone with HPD that i couldn't find anywhere else to put.
i hope this wasn't too clunky of a read and possibly gave the 5 spirit fans something to consider in their characterization of him! thank you for your time ^_^
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what's happening in gaza?
i know first hand that it's very difficult to fully understand what's going on in the world right now, especially coming from somewhere that is so different culturally, geographically, and historically as palestine. being online recently and seeing that people are being called zionists for simply asking questions about what's going on or not fully understanding bc, for the most part, it isn't your fault that you are so ignorant to the issue at hand. news sources based around the world and misinterpreting the situation in order to put palestine in bad lighting, so it's important that you all take some time and do your own individual research to look into what's going on, what your stance is, and what you can do to help. no one is asking you to donate your last $100 if you cannot afford to do so, but the acts of declaring your side and participating in boycotts are enough support to at least show the people of gaza that THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
below i've put together a few articles from different sources with different backgrounds, if you're interested, please read a few of these sources and educate yourselves on the situation. i've included sources to explain what's going on now, what's happened between israel and palestine in the past, the kinds of things that are happening in gaza, and why this is being treated as a genocide instead of a war. this is what i've been able to find, but if you discover some more pls feel free to reach out and i'll add them to my list!! everyone be safe and be kind to one another <3
What is Hamas and why is it fighting with Israel in Gaza (BBC)
Israel and Palestine: a complete guide to the crisis (The Guardian)
Timeline: A look into the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (ABC)
The history of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza (CBC)
A 'cultural genocide': Which of Gaza's heritage sites have been destroyed? (Al Jazeera)
Key takeaways from UN court's ruling on Israel's war in Gaza (AP News)
Israel-Palestine conflict: what is the two-state solution and what are the obstacles? (Reuters)
'Chilling effect': People expressing pro-Palestinian views censured, suspended from work and school (CBC) (this one is not directly about gaza, but shows the way that people are being punished just for supporting the people of palestine against this genocide)
ALSO PLS KEEP IN MIND THAT any acts of violence being committed by the hamas group is NOT a representation of the people of palestine, and the inhumane and monstrous treatment of these people absolutely is not deserved in return for the things being done by the hamas. regardless of your political stance, if you believe that the way that israel has treated palestinians in the past and continue to treat them in the present in deserved or justified in ANY WAY, pls unfollow and block me bc i want nothing to do with you.
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The interpersonal conflicts between the two Membrane siblings is an incredibly important part of Invader Zim’s comedy, and also its emotional core and the characterization of these two kids. With Gaz, this tends to be, like, the primary way she interacts with episode plots. For Dib, his interactions with Gaz tend to bring out his more Zim-like traits and are the main refutation for his Terminal Case of Main Character Syndrome.
But, also, I see a lot of assertions about their dynamic in the show that are often… kinda not very accurate? Anything from ‘Gaz beats up Dib on a regular basis’, to ‘all of Gaz’s actions are Perfectly Reasonable' to 'Gaz used to be Perfectly Reasonable and then Season 2 Flanderized her'. So, I think I want to do something a bit more… comprehensive for them.
So here is...
My Big Overview of Dib and Gaz!!
I’m going to try and go over each and every one of their conflicts in the show, go over who was most likely (the most) in the wrong, how the other reacted to it, if there’s an escalation, if it feels consistent with other episodes, how I personally see their motivations… obviously like every analysis of a piece of media it’s going to be at least kinda subjective, so I would love to hear how your view of The Siblings differ from my own - but I’m going to try and be as comprehensive and well-reasoned and balanced as I can be.
"The Nightmare Begins"
Gaz doesn’t get a lot in the first IZ episode, but she does get this!
Gaz: Dib drank the last soda. He will pay!
So, okay, it’s not entirely clear if Gaz has a good reason to be mad at Dib or not. Like, yeah, as we’re going to get to with other episodes - Dib might have a Problem of eating things that belong to Gaz. But the implication here is that this was everyone’s Soda, and she’s just mad that Dib finished it. But like, someone had to drink that last soda at some point, right?
Gaz’s anger could be justified, if, for example, she explicitly asked Dib to leave one last soda for her or if Dib already drank the majority of it… but that's all speculation. From what actually exists in canon (which is just this one line), it seems rather unfair.
But also it doesn’t matter that much, because while Gaz expresses frustration and, like, a desire for horrible vengeance - she (as far as we know, at least) doesn’t really do anything about it. She just gets herself a juice and once Dib comes home she’s just talking to him like normal (that is to say, somewhat derisively, but not openly hostile).
So really, regardless of whether drinking the last soda is a legitimate grievance or not - all Gaz did was express a minor and petty frustration in a kinda melodramatic way without doing anything about it. She didn't even do it to Dib's face!
"Nanozim"
The first proper Gaz episode! And with it, a lot more Dib-Gaz interactions! And the introduction of one of Gaz’s major grievances with her brother… that she finds him annoying.
Dib: Maybe they'll let me host the show. My own episode!
Gaz: I'm only 13 levels away from finishing this game so I either finish the game or make you wish I was never born.
Now, Dib should have the right to be as Weird as he damn pleases. Buuut… Gaz also should have the right to be left alone and Not be Bothered by people she finds grating. So while getting mad at Dib for just existing and doing his thing near her would be unfair, Dib is explicitly trying to talk to her - and she’s got the right to not want to participate in the conversation. Especially if she’s also trying to do her own Thing at the same time.
Note that she only really speaks out when the conversation really turns into stroking Dib’s own ego, that’s when she decides that talking to him is not worth risking her Gamer Time. And, much like with ‘the Nightmare Begins’, despite the harshness of her words - she doesn’t really do anything and Dib doesn’t really react. Making it seem like Gaz is prone to over-dramatic proclamations of vengeance but she doesn’t have much bite.
Hell, when Dib starts shoving his hands in her face while she plays. She’s not aware, or at least she doesn't acknowledge, that his behavior is legitimately out of his control. But all that leads too is… another empty threat and her leaving the living room to get away from him.
Gaz: I'm letting you live this time, Dib, but only because I'm still getting through this last level.
And when she shows up again, we have a bit of a Turnabout! This time, Gaz is the one trying to initiate a conversation and Dib is the one brushing her off so he can focus.
Gaz: Is that Zim? Is this an online game?
Dib: Gaz, please. I need to concentrate.
And actually, in that case, both of them were more ‘justified’. In the sense that at least Gaz was trying to talk to Dib on what she thought was a shared interest - a game he likes and she thinks looks interesting. In contrast to Dib only wanting to talk about something only he is interested in and how great he is and all the praise he’s going to get. And Dib obviously had very good reasons to take the ‘game’ very seriously and choosing to focus over small-talk with his sister.
The problem being that Dib's pride blinds him to the obvious solution of letting his über-gamer sister who can’t be hurt from the inside by Zim take the wheel. From Gaz’s perspective he is actually more reasonable than reality, because she thinks he’s not sharing a cool game he found with her because he want to play it, rather than risking his own life because he feels the need to be the one who best Zim.
And she’s being a bit of a pushy backseat gamer herself, but not really, like, more than standards for lil gaming kids. And she doesn’t actually do anything but ask to play up until Dib is literally unable too. Although she does push him aside.
Then she unknowingly saved his life, and knowingly helped him humiliate Zim. And… should we count Gaz calling the game ‘stupid’ when she thought it was actually very important to Dib as another example of her insulting him? I dunno, all-in-all both Membrane Siblings acted relatively grounded and reasonable in IZ Character Standards. Like, this is pretty standard Mildly Jerkish Sibling Behavior from both of them.
"Parent Teacher Night"
Gaz laughed at Dib when Zim splashed him with punch
Although she also laughed at Dib splashing Zim with punch.
So really, this isn’t really specific antagonism against Dib - she just really finds petty minor acts of assholery funny regardless of who's doing them. Although I guess you can argue that she should 'side' with her brother.
"Dark Harvest"
Yet another classic example of ‘Dib bothers Gaz by ranting about something she doesn’t care about, and Gaz retaliate by being uninterested’
Dib: Incredible! You see Gaz, to defeat my enemy I must study my enemy, then become my enemy, then move in with my enemy, then wear my enemy's clothes then-
Gaz: You're in my light.
There’s not even, like a toothless violent threat here this time, she’s just making it clear that she’s not interested in a way that's kinda rude.
"The Wettening"
Since I am here to discuss the antagonism between Gaz and Dib, I won’t go into much detail into this iconic scene
Outside of it being yet another demonstration of how often Gaz’s threats of physical violence usually seem more like toothless edgelordism than anything you should take seriously.
Gaz: If you wanna keep all your limbs, Zim, you will put me down, you will put me down NOW!
Our actual main focus here (outside of some mild snark from Gaz that Dib didn’t even pay much mind to)
Gaz: I'm leaving with or without you, Dib. Preferably without you.
Is what happens right after that Zim Umbrella Situation - Gaz is all set to actually make her threat a bit more than just talk
And then Dib splashes Zim and Gaz is caught in the ‘crossfire’.
And, y’know, Gaz doesn’t give a shit about Zim and Dib’s rivalry - she doesn’t see Zim as a threat and just sees Dib’s ‘fate of the world’ work as a selfish way to stroke his own ego. So while being splashed by a puddle is a relatively small slight (at least if you’re not Zim), it’s the reasoning and the fact that Dib shows no remorse or even really acknowledges what he did to Gaz that, I think, is what really sets her off.
Gaz: THAT was your fate of the world work!?! Jumping in a puddle!?! You do realize I'm gonna have to destroy you now.
Dib: It was worth it. Score one for the human race! Score nothing for the Zim... thingy race.
Gaz: I will destroy you.
So after this little threat, we don't really see much more antagonism from her outside of the usual snarky comments and general hostility to Dib trying to share his interests with her.
Until after Zim has delivered his ultimate defeat. That is when Gaz also unleashes her revenge.
Throwing a single water balloon at Dib.
This is really one of my favorite Gaz Revenge Moments of the entire show, because on one hand her anger is understandable and her way of getting back at Dib is technically perfectly proportional. He splashed her, she splashed him back. But the timing of when she does it just adds this angle of rubbing salt on Dib’s wounds that just makes it hurts so much more without her actually having to do anything extra.
"Battle-Dib"
Now, this is actually where you can say that there was a shift in Gaz’s character. Because while Dib eating her pizza right out of her hands was undeniably a Dick Move. I think that he clearly knew what he was doing since he did guess at that was what Gaz was upset about (he just couldn’t remember the food right)
Dib: Gaz! Help me! I'm sorry about your tacos or whatever, just help me...
It just feels like Dib thinks that being a ‘hero saving the world from the alien menace’ entitles him to his sister’s pizza, and Gaz - who refuses to see Zim as a legitimate threat to Earth’s existence and/or humanity's freedom - would obviously be enraged by this mindset.
And like, if you frame it as “Dib stole Gaz’s pizza, so she ruined his chances to get a permission slip from their dad”, it wouldn’t actually be all that bad. Again, Gaz doesn’t see Zim as a meaningful threat, and thus she sees Dib’s battles against him not as a heroic duty but a self-indulgent hobby. So she’s just screwing with the stupid thing he does for fun (and his own ego), not anything actually important.
But… the problem is that ‘ruining Dib’s permission slip’ wasn’t a one-and-done thing. In the process of ruining Dib’s attempt to get his permission slip signed, Gaz also got him tasered
And beat up in a variety of interesting ways
And dragged off forcibly by security.
So, like, even from Gaz’s perspective where Dib’s conflicts with Zim just Do Not Matter, this is way past the point that Pizza Vengeance can justify any of this. This is the first time we’ve got not just angry and snarky Gaz who makes a lot of threats but generally acts mean but proportionally so - but legit a ‘will destroy you over the slightest provocation’ Gaz.
Since this is still pretty early in the show's run, I wonder if this shift is just, like, what was always intended for Gaz’s characterization. Like, that from the get-go they wanted her to be this disproportionally vengeful and they just couldn't incorporate her actually fulfilling any of her threats into an episode's plot until then. OR if was an attempt to just make her more involved in episode plots and ‘wackier’ and more flawed (especially since this is a very rare occasion where Gaz doesn’t just deliver a Karmic Punishment, but also suffers one).
Especially, since this ‘change’ doesn’t necessarily stick to all, or even most, or her subsequent appearances.
"Planet Jackers"
Dib: Gaz, there's an alien in the house!
Gaz: You mean besides you?
Really just a tiny and pretty standard interaction, between these two. A snarky and mean-spirited comment against Dib when he bothers her about something she doesn’t see as important and doesn’t want to get involved in. Pretty much the baseline for these two.
"Rise of the Zitboy"
With this one it’s really clear that we’re back to the ‘classic’ Dib-Gaz dynamic despite the 'shift' in 'Battle-Dib'. Like, Gaz is trying to do her own thing, Dib is trying to initiate a conversation about the Thing She Doesn’t Care About (Zim) and she’s just trying her best to Not Engage. Only now, instead of her usual Game Slave, it’s a book!
If anything this is toned-down from her baseline, since she doesn’t even say anything mean or threatening, she just tries as hard as possible to ignore him and hopes he gets the hint (he does not).
"Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy"
Gaz is shown exacerbated by her brother’s actions during the first flashback, but outside of a light snarky comment to herself she doesn’t really do anything.
Gaz: Not again.
Now back in the present, we see a sort of inversion of the Dib-Gaz conflicts of “the Nightmare Begins” and “Battle-Dib” by having Dib complain to Gaz about her eating something he wanted to eat!
Dib: Hey Gaz, did you eat all the cereal? I was gonna have this for breakfast tomorrow, you know!
Gaz: You think you own all the cereal. Well, you know what Dib? You don't. You just don't.
Dib: Look, all I'm saying is if you're going to--
If the implication in these two previous episodes is that Dib eating Gaz’s food is a regular occurrence - then she is pretty justified by acting so appalled by his comment. It’s just plain selfish hypocrisy! Or… maybe this scene implies that the Membrane Siblings ‘stealing’ food from each other and getting angry at the other for doing this is something that they both do regularly. Which, like…okay, finishing a shared box of cereal before the second person could is still not anywhere near snatching a pizza a person was planning to eat right out of their fucking hand. But at the very least it makes both her reaction to Dib finishing the soda and her defensiveness here feel a lot less justified.
And then when the time-shift happened…Well, I’ve seen some people suggest that Gaz’s non-hostile and even, like, kinda-audibly-concerned reaction to Dib’s questions about his past accidents suggest that in this timeline Gaz is a lot kinder to her poor injured brother.
Gaz: Tricycle accident when you were 3, don't you remember?
And while this is a plausible explanation. (It’s especially consistent with her ‘Enter the Florpus’ characterization. She says she’s Mean to her brother because she knows he’s strong enough to take it, but obviously Piggy Timeline Dib is not strong enough to take it).
But I don’t actually think it’s a needed explanation. Like, even at her most extreme and petty - Gaz has always been mean in reaction to Dib. Whatever it’s just being Annoying at her or stealing her food right off her hands, and whatever this reaction is proportional to the slight or totally vengeful and unreasonable - Gaz’s meanness is almost always directed at Dib as a reaction to something. So I don’t think it’s that unthinkable for Prime Timeline Gaz to also react so amiably to Dib asking her a question that she doesn’t find horribly obnoxious.
Especially since even in the Piggy timeline, Gaz is still not beyond wanting to ignore Dib
Gaz: Dib, shhh. They're gonna show the bats eating a cow!
Or go for a snarky comment when he offers her an obvious opening.
Dib: And have my plans always been this lame?
Gaz: Ooooh yeah.
Although it is maybe notable that the second Past Sequence where she is present
Is actually the closest we see of Gaz express, like, genuine concern when her brother is bodily harmed. Which is notable compared to other episodes, including…
"Bloaty's Pizza Hog"
Now, here’s a Real Proper Gaz Focus Episode, and as such, it’s naturally very important to her characterization.
First things first, it’s the one to explicitly establish the fact that Gaz does not see Zim as a threat and therefore she sees Dib’s obsession with defeating him not as a serious world-saving undertaking, but as a frivolous hobby on kinda the same level as Dib sees her video-game obsession.
Dib: Don't you care that Zim's trying to destroy all mankind? Huh?
Gaz: But he's so bad at it.
And that perspective, of course, informs a lot of my analysis of Gaz’s behavior through the post even before we got to this episode. I think it’s actually pretty interesting because you can totally see the internal logic that justifies that perspective - Zim is often the main person throwing a wrench into his own plans, and Dib’s motivations for positioning himself as a hero standing against his evil are partially self-serving (something that’s very easy for Gaz to see since she’s lived with him trying to play out self-aggrandizing fantasies all of her life).
But from our wider perspective as the audience, we know that sometimes Zim can be a genuine threat to the people of Earth (if not legitimately dangerously close to destroying/conquering it, at least causing a lot of localized havoc and mayhem with his schemes) and that Dib’s efforts of stopping him are not entirely in-vain, and that his reasons are… not entirely just fueled by his own ego. And from Dib’s own biased perspective Zim is always a threat just one step from destroying all mankind if not for Dib's intervention which is obviously Altruistic and Heroic. So it’s very much a matter of their different perspectives and views of the Zim-Dib rivalry causing further conflicts between the two siblings.
I mean, on a smaller scale that is why Gaz is so upset whenever Dib is bothering her when she’s trying to do something for fun. You know, kinda like here-
Both of these activities, fighting aliens and drawing little piggies, are equally frivolous in her eyes. But by constantly distracting her with talks about the Stupid Shit He Does for Fun Dib is kinda putting his silly hobbies as more important than her silly hobbies and thus his own needs above her own - which is what always gets her so upset. (But again, upset, but not doing anything but be a Bit Creepy About It).
But of course, the interesting thing about this episode is that this time, Dib’s Frivolous Hobby isn’t just interrupting Gaz’s Frivolous Hobby - it’s actually interrupting something a lot more important and with much more urgent stakes. Family Dinner Night.
Gaz: You know Dad's taking us out tonight. I picked Bloaty's.
Dib: This is bigger than pizza, Gaz! This is the fate of all mankind!
Gaz: You and your mankind...
Dib: Uh-huh. Whatever. Look, if I'm not home in time, call this number and tell them the Mothman is caught in the spider's web.
Dib: They'll know what you mean. But, like I said, I'll probably be back before the Mysteries theme song starts.
Even after being told that dad is taking them to dinner… I think Gaz is very much trying to imply “this is important to me, don’t mess it up” without being directly, emotionally honest about it. And Dib’s just totally not even considering it. Like yeah, from his perspective he is going on an Important Heroic Mission that must be worth anything else he could be doing with his time, but... he is also primarily worried about not missing his favorite TV Show and reduces the idea of Family Dinner Night to just 'pizza'.
And like, this is a very complicated family situation, isn’t it? It is understandable if Dib isn’t gang-ho about having dinner with his dad, considering what their relationship is like. And maybe the fact that he couldn’t take Gaz’s hint about this being Very Important to Her isn’t, like, entirely up to his sense of self-absorption but also to his general social inaptitude (and his Autistic Swag). But I can also understand why this is so important to Gaz and why she would still read Dib’s behavior as just pure selfishness and part of a pattern of disregarding her feelings.
(There's certainly some sort of Funky Neverending Loop of, like, Dib disregards Gaz's feelings, Gaz expresses her feelings about it in the most repressed, abrasive and/or mean way possible, Dib continues to Not Get It and disregard Gaz's feelings. Like, how much is Dib Not Getting It the fault of Gaz always letting out her feelings in exclusively in the form of snarky comments and edgy threats and how much has Gaz learned to express herself in this way as a coping mechanism due to Dib always walking over her wants and needs? It's hard to say)
So when Dib ignores (from her POV of the situation. Again, maybe Dib just legit missed the subtext) her honest desire to spend time with their dad for a change, she first reacts by… trying to abandon Dib. Instead of calling the Swollen Eyeballs as backup for him, she just destroys the number and tries to go to dinner without him.
Which… okay, this can be a dick move which is kinda way out of proportions of what Dib actually did. But remember that Gaz’s perspective refuses to see Zim as a threat. So she doesn’t see it necessarily as abandoning Dib to death, but just as an inconvenience. He’ll get out eventually on his own, he’s ‘strong enough to take it’, and that means she doesn’t need to bother with lending him a hand. “Well, if he doesn’t care about Family Night Out then he doesn’t get to go. And also he doesn’t get to watch his stupid ass show!”. Like she was thinking about it as wasting his time and not necessarily leaving him to die.
But also, like, this episode goes to great lengths to establish that Gaz is only saving Dib for the sake of her getting to eat dinner with her dad for once, and not out of concern for him. And while she might not believe Zim is actually capable of killing him, she is also pretty blasé about the idea that he’ll be harmed or tortured… unless it interferes with Bloaty’s with dad, of course.
Look at her big ol’ eyes, it’s not just an ‘eh, he can get himself out on his own’ mindset - she was looking forward to seeing him suffer horribly!
Dib himself is still being kind of a Jerk throughout the episode, even in an emergency he’s still thinking about how his little sneak-in plan will affect him in the most superficial ways.
Dib: There you are, Gaz! Looks like you'll have to tape the show for me, I made it in!
Dib: Gaz, make sure you don't record over any old episodes.
Like, this isn't even a 'Dib thinks saving the world is more important than Family Dinner Night. But Gaz doesn't think the world is actually in danger so think this is just frivolous ego stroking even though we know Zim can be a genuine danger and Dib's goals are at least kinda genuinely heroic' thing when you consider these lines. Even in a dangerous situation where the world is at stake, Dib can still find the brainspace to worry about his silly TV show but not about the possibility he'd deny his sister the precious little time they have to spend with their dad.
You can argue that trying to stop Zim is actually more important than Family Dinner Night and Dib is in the right. But Dib's dialogue also puts Mysterious Mysteries as being more important than Family Dinner Night. Because that at least gets some sort of acknowledgement from him. Gaz's only chance to go to her favorite restaurant with her favorite person in the world doesn't even get a "sorry, Gaz, but I have an Important Duty to do!", he just totally ignores it.
And generally through the episode he's ignoring and understating Gaz’s desires - even after she did actually told him right to his face what she wants.
Gaz: Come home now, Dib! Your weird obsessions are not gonna mess today up for me. I just want to go out and eat with Dad, that's all! Stop playing with Zim and get back here.
Gaz: All I want is to have some pizza...hang out with Dad, and not have your weirdness mess up my day.
So at this point this stops being some sort of misunderstanding and really starts seeming more like Dib not even trying to understand his sister’s motivations.
Dib: Come on, Gaz! You'd sacrifice the entire planet just for some pizza!?!
Which… makes sense as something that will aggravate her, especially in regards to something as emotionally important as getting to hang out with her father for once. But still, letting him get tortured is, like, maybe a tad disproportionate as an outlet for these frustrations?
But I think it's still notable that while the angle of disproportionate response to technically-legitimate-grievances is similar, in contrast to her very active acts of sabotage back in “Battle-Dib”, she only really ‘gets back’ at Dib here through inaction when Zim is hurting him (and maybe being a bit abrasive to Dib during her rescue, but Dib was also a very annoying rescuee so that one I think does kinda balances out.)
"Bolognius Maximus"
Okay, back to the simpler and shorter interactions now. We once again see Dib initiate ‘conversations’ with Gaz about subjects she finds annoying and uninteresting.
Dib: They try and say it's just a regular mountain range on the Martian surface, and it's just a trick of the light, but come on! It is so a monkey face.
And this time all Gaz does is casually ignore him.
When things start getting odd with the dogs and all, she only reacts with a snarky comment. But at this point it’s not even entirely clear to Dib that something very very wrong is happening. So I dunno who would expect Gaz to be worried about this?
Now, later in the episode, when Dib is very obviously turning into a bologna, Gaz still doesn’t give a shit.
Which I think actually matches up very well with her ‘Zim is not a threat, none of the things he’s doing/planning to do will actually pan out’ outlook. Like, lowkey she is pretty sure that this new Wacky Zim Scheme is gonna go up in flames and return everything to normal so there’s no need for her concern or interest and she can just casually enjoy the free bologna. Which is actually a fun character beat because usually the show leans toward Gaz’s attitude being kinda right - but this time she was very much in the wrong.
And like, if 'Bloaty's Pizza Hog' gave me a chance to talk about how Dib's tendency to see the Inherent Importance of everything he is interested in over any of Gaz's needs and desires might not just be a difference in perspective or miscommunication but also has an element of trying to rationalize his own selfishness - I think it's only fair for me to note this can also go the other way around.
It's easy to see Gaz's total dismissal of Zim's threat potential as just her being... you know, grounded and rational enough to see things as they are. But there might be her own emotional bias in play in here motivated by her own resentment with her brother and her own selfish desire to totally ignore and disregard him. Maybe on some level, she just can't allow anything that Dib cares about to be actually worth paying attention to, even when it seems to be literally life-threatening?
"Game Slave 2"
Obviously this episode has a lot of Gaz content, some that can invite a lot of discussion about how proportionate or disproportionate her reactions are - but we are going to focus specifically on her interactions with Dib, of course. Starting with…
Dib: Come on! Bigfoot would never say that!
Gaz: Why do you have to read that in here? I'm trying to play a game!
Dib: Mysterious Mysteries is on in five minutes!
This is actually really the first time where Gaz is directly, explicitly annoyed by Dib just sort of being around here. Usually her exasperation is fueled by him trying to talk to her about all kinds of Alien Stuff she just doesn’t care about, or trying to drag her into his world-saving adventures against her will, or stealing her food - but here is just doing His Own Thing in her vicinity. Like, the living room is a Shared Space, he has just as much of a right to hang out there as Gaz does.
If anything, he has more of a right to be there since he’s waiting for his show to come on while Gaz is playing her handheld video game. So if Dib reading his magazine and complaining that Bigfoot Would Not Fucking Say That is bothering her so much - then she should probably just go to her room. Then again, she doesn’t do much other than verbally complain once and it was probably more about venting out her frustrations about the game than Dib himself.
But then…
Dib: I've been waiting all night to see this! She can wait to get her stupid game!
Prof. Membrane: Son, video games develop hand eye coordination, and make kids into better human beings!
Dib: Okay... But only after the show is over.
Gaz: You stink!
So on some level this is just the same sort cycle of conflict that is always going around these two. Both of them prioritize their own hobbies (and this time it IS Dib’s hobby, there’s not much subjectivity around this. This isn’t about saving the human race from anyone’s point of view, just about a show he wants to watch) and thinks the other one is frivolous and selfish for caring about their hobbies more. But also… in this specific context Dib is the One Being a Dick.
Just like before I sided with Dib because Gaz can play the game in her room…. We know the Membranes have a way to record shows on their TV. That came up in literally the previous episode! Dib could’ve just set his VCR to record and ‘Mysterious Mysteries’ will be waiting for him when he gets back from the mall - but Gaz’s console launch is an actual time sensitive matter. (Plus ‘Mysterious Mysteries’ is aired on, like, a weekly basis. Consoles do not release in this frequency).
So Gaz had every reason to be upset with Dib when they did get to the mall and see, like Gaz and any Gamer watching could’ve predicted, that a-half-an-hour delay in getting to the big launch event can screw up a lot.
Dib: It was a… really good episode…
And maybe I’m reading too much into it, but Dib’s reaction also feels pretty telling. You know, instead of giving Gaz any sort of apology, he’s being defensive by saying that hey, at least the MM episode was worth it? Like it is still kinda centering his interests and desires over Gaz’s.
And Gaz’s retaliation for it is…honestly relatively mild?
Gaz: Hey, Dib. I think I saw a Chupacabra or something going into that parking garage.
Dib: A Chupacabra? But there isn't a goat to feed on for miles!
She just gets him out of her way so she can be left alone in line in peace, and probably hoping to waste his time on the fake Chupacabra - a tit-for-tat revenge for getting her time wasted. Which… okay, it’s unclear if she knew about how large and labyrinthine the mall’s parking lot actually was and about, you know, the colony of horrible rat people. But still, Dib was already out of the building by the time Gaz finished Murdering a Fellow Child.
At worst, he wasted like a couple of hours that he didn’t have any specific plans for anyways.
Really, since this episode gives us a glimpse into how Gaz deals with People She Finds Annoying Who Are Not Dib... it actually kinda gives the impression that Gaz... like, not just that she doesn't hate Dib specifically and will aim a similar amount of ire at any random person who annoys her in a similar way. But also maybe that she goes easy on Dib, compared to how she delt with Iggins. Which is... probably the closest we'll get in this entire journey to an indication that Gaz has any level of care towards Dib.
"Battle of the Planets"
Dib: DAD! Gaz! Come see this!
Professor Membrane: Please! No more foolishness, son!
Gaz: Your voice is stupid!
Dib tries to get Gaz involved in something she doesn’t care about, she insults him. Pretty standard.
"Mysterious Mysteries"
Okay, so, the first thing I want to note is the lil’ babies scene.
It seems like a really inconsequential gag but this is actually, like, an extremely rare occurrence of Gaz being mean to Dib without anything even resembling a provocation. Like, at least in that little scene at the start of ‘Game Slave 2’ she was venting because of her frustrations with the game and it was just a light grumble. This is really like the most classic inarguable example of Gaz bullying Dib.
Especially when compared to both her version of the Story and her general behavior in the ‘present day’ of the episode. Like, is portraying Dib in her version of the story as a barely coherent moron kind of Mean? Yeah, sure it was. But is it any more insulting to the actual person that it’s depicting than Dib depicting Gaz as his helpless adoring sidekick? Especially as her interview implies that she did find Dib’s version of events legitimately insulting in it's inaccuracy?
Gaz: My stupid brother did drag me out to look for stupid Zim. He didn't make that part up.
Maybe Gaz deliberately exaggerated Dib’s (and Zim’s) stupidity in her version of the story out of spite of how Dib framed her on national TV. Maybe just like Dib seemed to be genuinely under the belief that his version of Gaz is a decent reflection of reality, Gaz literally just thinks of Dib as this stupid and annoying. Either way, it’s a really an equally-matched kind of sibling assholery.
Also, speaking of Gaz’s version of events... obviously it’s not entirely clear what really happened - but I do think, when it comes to like characterization and the general tone of Invader Zim, Gaz's retelling is at least pretty reliable on two fronts; why she was there-
And why did the video cut out when it did.
So while Dib’s interactions with Gaz had that undercurrent of, like, him always putting his own interests above her own for a long time - this really is the most obvious example. Literally forcibly dragging her out of whatever she was doing for the sake of getting an extra ‘eyewitness’ to his video. And so she responded with a little force of her own.
Again, this is all from Gaz’s story, and she does tend to give out exaggerated threats of violence that she doesn’t always carry out - so I don’t think it’s out of the question for her to also retroactively make up/exaggerate the acts of violence she commits. But since this kick in the shins is by far the most probable cause for the video cutting out that we have, I am going to assume that it did happen in reality on some level. And it is a very notable example of Gaz actually inflicting direct physical violence on Dib - until now, her preferred methods of inflicting pain on him were a lot less direct.
And while kicking people in the shins is wrong, it was still in reaction to Dib forcibly dragging her along - which was probably a lot less painful, but also took a lot more time. You can argue this still follows a sort of tit-for-tat logic that a lot of Gaz's retaliations do... but also, with Gaz's second scene in this episode literally being the most Unambiguous Case of her being Mean to Dib for Now Reason
In this episode more than anything, it might be fair to assume Gaz just wanted to hurt Dib and humiliate him on National TV and there's nothing more to it.
(Also, of course, Gaz refusing to corroborate Dib’s story is one of the main reasons why he failed in that episode. But as I mentioned many times before, Gaz refuses to see that rivalry as anything serious or with more stakes than her video games. In her mind, this is about as bad, or maybe even less bad, then dragging her out to waste time by participating in this stupid show in the first place.)
"Future Dib"
Okay, so most of the other Gaz and “Dib” interactions in this episode kinda follow a unified-if-winding thread of thought so I want to start with the one that I have kind of a separate Point about:
While Gaz’s reaction was very disproportionate and unnecessarily violent, I think it’s also interesting to note that the thing that set her off was “Dib” putting his hand around her. It’s actually part of a recurring implied piece of characterization that Gaz hates being touched.
Dib: Everyone, hold hands again.
Gaz: Yeah! Your lives depend on it!
Poonchy: Okay! Hold my hand.
Gaz: No way! Be serious!
Since Dib very very rarely ever touches Gaz, and, y’know, has known her all of her life - avoiding physical touch is probably an established boundary between them. So while that doesn’t fully justify the intensity of Gaz’s reaction, that does explain both why that set her off so much and why that’s really the moment where she starts to notice “Dib” is really acting strangely. He was really violating a boundary that he should’ve known by now.
(Going back for a sec, actually, her ‘dramatic re-enactment’ in Mysterious Mysteries also has the Dib Actor dragging the Gaz Actor by the arm. So that’s probably another reason why Gaz reacted kinda violently then as well)
So Gaz giving out more edgelordy threats to (who she thinks is) Dib is pretty standard at this point, but there is something very unique about it in this episode. This is the first time since ‘Battle-Dib’ where she actively acts on these threats to such a literal degree. And this is also combined with the ‘Mysterious Mysteries’ trend of being much more directly violent.
Like, Gaz explicitly only realized she was dealing with a Dib Robot Replica after choking it out so hard it’s eye popped out. All of this violence and pain, she was intending to inflict it on the real Dib. This is about as bad or maybe worse than everything she put Dib through back in ‘Battle-Dib’. And she's doing it with her own two hands this time.
Plus, the reason that she’s reacting like this isn’t because Dib was stealing her Pizza or being generally inconsiderate to her - it’s really just for being weird and annoying (which, in this context, means ‘start to scream randomly and freak out’). So that feels a lot less justified.
Then, of course, her reaction to finding out that she has been beating up a robot half-to-death is to use it as a replacement for her brother. Which has several different implications going on here about Gaz’s relationship to Dib:
First things first, I want to note that this episode ends with the implication that Gaz left Dib to be stuck in that cell for, like, the rest of his life until he died of old age or something?
I mean, yeah, obviously it is a ‘non canon’ jokey ending that gets totally ignored by the next episode. But the way I always took these snapback ending is as, like, obviously they probably didn’t actually happen in whatever passes for ‘canon’ in Invader Zim - but the events are still indicative of what would’ve happened in terms of worldbuilding and character actions. So while this episode isn’t telling us that Dib has literally died of old age after spending his entire life being beat up by a monkey for Zim’s amusement. This episode is telling us that if that did happen, Gaz would make no effort to save him, ever.
This is notable because of how it contrasts with the previous episodes, or at least my interpretation of them. Like I said, my assumption has always been that Gaz doesn’t care about the Zim-Dib rivalry and sees it as frivolous nonsense because she doesn’t see Zim as a threat. And thus, her general refusal to help her brother was less about outright hatred of him and waiting to see him gone/hurt, and more about just thinking he can handle that walking joke on his own and there’s no need for her to waste her Precious Gaming Time on this.
This is very much supported by ‘Enter the Florpus’, both in what Gaz literally tells Dib right to his face and in the sense that when Zim does prove to be a credible threat to her world and to her family - she joins forces with her brother with minimal complaints. But of course, ETF Characterization don’t always apply to 2001 Series Characterization so while I prefer this reading partially because it allows ETF Gaz to feel more consistent with Main Show Gaz - I also I feel that Main Show has enough implications to point to this characterization and motivations on it’s own and I want to draw attention to it.
But here… this is Gaz theoretically ignoring Dib’s plight for literal decades. At this point this isn’t something that can be explained as ‘she doesn’t think she needs to bother with it’. Like, at some point it should’ve been clear to her that even if Zim isn’t a threat to Earth, he is certainly torturing Dib somewhere. This really seems to be direct evidence toward the idea that Gaz just doesn’t not like her brother at all and wishes that he was gone.
And also I want to discuss what exactly Gaz turned the Robot Dib into - an abusable servant. Something that fulfills her needs while passively enduring her random acts of cruelty.
So… is this what she would like Dib to be? Like, maybe I’m just looking at it from the totally wrong angle. Maybe it’s just a matter of ‘well, if you have a Robot Servant, you’d obviously want it to serve you. And if you’re an angsty preteen with anger issues, you’d like to have something vaguely human-shaped but non-sapient to take your frustrations on’. Maybe it’s got nothing to do with Dib. But… like, this Robot is still Dib-Shaped. So I feel like the implication is that she’s using Robot Dib as a proxy of what she would also do with Dib if he was, like, mind-controlled or something?
And that’s… not really the vibe I’ve gotten from Gaz’s interactions with Dib so far? I mean, maybe I won’t go as far as to say that she actually likes him - but I thought about it more in the sense that she just wanted Dib to leave her alone most of the time. That for her an ideal situation would be more if he did his own thing and she did her own thing without his ‘weirdness’ barging in and bothering her all the time.
This is just really… I think that might be the ‘Meanest’ Gaz has ever been in my book. Like I know that there’s Another Certain Episode that people often put up as “The One Where Gaz is Really Mean to Dib” but I think that it's more Complicated than some people give it credit for. So, like, I’ll get there when I get there. But here we actually have the Gaz who physically attacks Dib over the slightest provocation and, like, actively hates him.
It’s really one of those things that make me, like, kinda question my analysis so far. I mean, is this meant to be another attempt to shift Gaz’s character because meaner and more violent characters are more fun and wacky to write? Is it just a matter of the IZ writers prioritizing wacky escalation and cartoon violence and Dib suffering over giving Gaz consistent motivations? Or have I been just totally overly generous in my analysis so far? Like, maybe I was totally off the mark trying to look at which of Dib's actions seem to set Gaz off?Maybe we were supposed to understand that Gaz was always beating Dib to a pulp off-screen since the start?
But... I dwelled on these thoughts for a while and I think that my usual read of Gaz’s character is maybe not consistent with this episode, but it is consistent with a majority of the episodes she was featured in. Which is not something I can necessarily say for a reading that just centers ‘Future-Dib’ above all else. This level of physical violence here is still very unusual for her, even in episodes where she is more cruel to Dib.
(And the idea that she just legit hates her brother and wishes he was gone… honestly, yeah, that can go either way...)
"Abducted"
Especially considering this is the very next episode with any sort of Dib-Gaz interaction!
Gaz just walking off while Dib is being, well, abducted can work pretty well if you assume that Gazthinks that obviously whatever is flying this thing
Is some sort of incompetent idiot and she doesn’t need to bother with the annoyance of saving Dib because he can handle it on his own (and she would probably be right).
But… it can also work just as well if you assume she doesn’t give a shit about Dib and would be happy if he’s gone forever.
"Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom"
Dib: How I am I still the only one who sees Zim's an alien? I mean, come on! Come on! COME ON!
Gaz: Why do you have to have a head?
Dib: Gaz! I want you to see this. Today, things are gonna change. I'm gonna do… something! I'm not just gonna sit back and watch Zim get away with his… his… things he do!
Dib: I mean—
Gaz: "Things he "DO"? What's your problem?
And we’re back to Gaz not being directly violent or even threatening violence, but just being snarky in a kinda mean way. Still, there’s maybe less of the justification for her exacerbation with Dib this time. Because this time he wasn't technically bothering her at all! Dib was lecturing another kid before she started insulting him. I think the implication was that she felt he was embarrassing her, but I still feel like that's a lot less justified.
Still, it’s not like her words seem to significantly hurt Dib, and she is at least able to share a laugh about Zim’s ridiculous behavior with him. (although with ‘Parent-Teacher Night’, there is also the implication that she would’ve also laughed at Dib in any sort of inverted scenario).
"Tak: The Hideous New Girl"
So for Dib and Gaz’s first interaction in this episode, we have this:
And well, kinda like the ‘Wonderful Life of Doom’ interaction, what Gaz does here is pretty mild in the grand scheme of things- but her reasoning also feels not very justified.
I mean, yeah, she was annoyed by the sound of them yelling, that sucks. But Dib has a right to yell in the shared living space of his own house. But… also, I suspect that she sprayed him with the soda less as a punishment for being annoying and more as a direct result of what he said just before.
Dib: Thanks, Gaz. He was really…
She wanted to make it clear that she was not shooing Zim out to help him. She did it for her own sake. Because Dib keeps making this mistake of thinking of Gaz as his sidekick and that her goals and wants align with his and obviously that causes her a lot of exasperation and wasted time. So I think she was more lashing out at this hypothetical future scenario than just Dib annoying her in the present.
Next up, we have the scene by the Evil Weenie Stand.
Gaz: Be quiet. I wanted to let you know that my brother is trying to break into this building through some secret entrance.
Weenie Clerk: We... we have chili beans.
Gaz: I just though it'd be funny to see him get beaten up by security.
So, Gaz actively trying to get Dib grievously injured just because it’s funny is actually... kind of an unusual thing for her. Like, as I’ve said previously, she’s usually a very reactive character. Even when her actions are at their most disproportionate and least justifiable, they are usually at least somewhat motivated by Dib’s actions… unless the implication is that the reason why she’s here in the first place is because Dib dragged her out here to be his lookout and she's looking at a way to get back at him for that.
That scenario feels most likely to me, and obviously that wouldn't justify ratting out Dib and enjoying his pain - to me it's kinda on the same level as getting Dib tasered and dragged off by security for stealing her Pizza... But also it's notable that this time, she actually gives up on the idea pretty quickly. If you wanna be charitable to Gaz, you can say she wasn't really serious about the security thing and was just making an edgelordy joke and honestly... with her characterization, I think it could go either way...
Interestingly, once she gets a decent look at Tak and her plans, Gaz becomes a lot more cooperative. I mean, she still grumbles about the idea of saving the Earth. But, like, she doesn’t argue when Dib says the disk is ‘theirs’ when she was the one who found it and she doesn't put up any resistance about joining Dib in seeing Zim’s base. Compared to how previously she’d at best be really abrasive about it and at worst would have tried to actively sabotage Dib and/or cause him physical pain as revenge for prioritizing himself and wasting her time.
That works very well with the idea that Gaz’s whole problem with Dib’s obsession is that she just doesn’t see Zim as a threat. Obviously after coming face-to-face with Tak, she can see she is much more of a Legitimate Threat to Earth than Zim is. So even if she’s not necessarily emotionally invested in saving the world, she can tolerate it a lot better if she can see that it is indeed something more than Dib’s extremely self-indulgent ego-stroking hobby.
"Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars"
Gaz finds Dib annoying, Gaz goes to vent to her dad about it, Gaz is told to give her brother another chance, Gaz finds Dib annoying again and just leaves. This is a very Mild Gaz compared to what we had in the previous few episodes, closer to my initial read of her. Like, she doesn’t even insult Dib to his face this time. She finds him annoying, so she leaves!
"Dibship Rising"
Well, I… have made the decision to not discuss Gaz’s attempt to destroy all mankind in length, even though Dib is, in fact, technically part of ‘all mankind’. I just think this scene is more about her relationship with her dad then it is about Dib.
Gaz: That didn't wipe out all life as we know it! YOU LIED TO ME, DAD!!
The actual crux of Dib and Gaz’s interactions in this episode are once again - Dib’s obsession with halting the Irken Invasion of Earth has led him to also inconvenience Gaz (this time, by causing a lot of noise and being late to dinner), and Gaz is, like, mildly abrasive as a result and ignores him a lot.
"The Voting of the Doomed"
Dib: Willy's a drooling moron! As sole defender of Earth, I've got to do something!
Gaz: I wish Willy was my brother.
Yet another case of Gaz insulting Dib unprompted (since he was talking to himself rather than to her. She just happened to be within listening range.) And also another implication that her problem with her brother is that he’s embarrassing? I think that’s how we’re supposed to read that line? "Willy would be a better brother than you cause he's less embarrassing!"
"Gaz, Taster of Pork"
Okay, now this is the big one. This is the episode that I’ve seen a lot of people in the fandom cite as being, like, the One Where Gaz is Really Cruel to Dib. And, like, I’m not gonna pretend like Dib doesn’t suffer a Lot in this episode (maybe even past the point that I find it particularly funny to rewatch) - but also the dynamic going on is a bit more complicated than just ‘cruelty’?
Because this is also probably also the episode where Dib is at his most asshole to Gaz as well. I mean, he literally used her as a guinea pig (... pun not intended) to experiment with a spell he thought might be beneficial but was worried about the consequences for himself if it wasn’t… but apparently did not extend that worry to his sister - and thus, the entire conflict of this episode. Like Gaz is entirely in the right to be mad about being ‘blessed’ with Pig-Sense without her consent. Both with Dib’s false narrative about wanting to give her superpowers for her own sake
Dib: No! I only did it to give you super powers because you're the greatest sister ever!
And when she does actually learn the truth.
Dib: cast the spell on her because I wanted to see what it would do before trying it on myself!
Like, maybe that doesn’t perfectly justify taking and destroying Dib’s personal property, or potentially shoving mashed potatoes into his eyes, or repeatedly threatening him with her man-eating plushies, or encouraging a Pig Demon to punish him in some terrible supernatural Pig Demon way...
(While it would certainly be too much to ask Gaz to forgive Dib on the spot and advocate for him when she just found out he’s been lying about his motivations all along and used her as a guinea pig. The dialogue implications of this scene is that the Shadow Hog wouldn’t have done anything to Dib without Gaz’s encouragement.)
It's still important to remember that what Dib did to her was pretty terrible on it's own and was entirely unprovoked!
Then there are a few other factors to consider here, like Gaz’s constant violent threats towards Dib. Which I usually just chalk up to being edgelordy venting unless there is a clear indication of Gaz acting or considering acting on them (like with the mashed potatoes example above) because in most episodes Gaz is mostly all-talk and Dib usually does not take them seriously. But here… although we don’t see Gaz do even like a quarter of what she threatened to do to Dib - we do see Dib acting as if the threats are 100% real and serious.
Zim: I'm going to destroy you all, Dib! Today! I've got it all set up.
Dib: Uh huh, that's nice, Zim. It can't be worse than what my sister's gonna do.
Which does make them feel a lot more 'concrete’ than in most episodes. Like maybe she would’ve beaten him up if they did fail to cure her or if the Shadow Hog wasn’t there to offer an Alternative Punishment Method for him?
But like… I think it’s closer to a proportional response than getting him tasered for stealing pizza or literally beating (a robot she thought was) him with her own two hands because he yelled in an annoying way? Like, what Dib did was really shitty and Gaz has a right to be upset about that on some level!
Then there is the other complicating factor - Membrane. Like, while Dib was Not Having a Good Time in that episode - up until that last sequence with the Shadow Hog, Gaz was suffering a lot more for a much longer period of time. The ‘Pig Mouth’ curse has cost her not just her ability to eat most foods but also most of her hobbies, her freedom, her privacy, her dignity. And it’s clear that she blames Dib - the catalyst of this whole event - for everything that has stemmed from it.
Gaz: You will pay, Dib! You will pay!
But even though what Dib did was certainly a Dick Move… like, it is Membrane and his scientist team that really did the worst by Gaz. Dib only turned to his dad out of a sincere belief he could help, Membrane was the one who decided to announce Gaz’s condition to the world and quarantined her for life and sold the rights to make a goddam movie out of her.
So if Gaz is lashing out at the mistreatment she suffered throughout this episode, she should be at least just as mad at her father as she is with her brother, right? But instead she seems to be totally chill with him, just eating pizza together. Even though his apology for her is honestly as shitty and self-justifying as anything Dib would’ve come up with.
Professor Membrane: Sorry about imprisoning you and turning you into a media freak, honey! It was in the name of science and... hey, where's your brother?
So I think that might imply that Gaz has a massive bias against her brother, causing her to channel a lot of unrelated frustrations just at him.
…Or maybe more likely a massive bias in favor of her dad. You know, she does love him a lot - to the point that ‘getting to actually spend time with him’ is like one of the few things that can get her motivated to get Involved in an episode’s plot. And she also has some serious reasons to be frustrated with him (in this episode especially, but also outside of it). And instead of trying to, like, untangle the complicated contrasting emotions she feels about her dad (a process which would be complicated and hard for anyone, but especially for an extremely emotionally repressed 11 years old), she just channels all of the negative ones unto Dib whenever possible.
Which, like, doesn’t make blaming Dib for things he didn’t actually do more justifiable, but it does make her motivations for doing so more complex than just “idk she hates Dib like everyone else does”
"The Most Horrible X-mas Ever"
And our very last Dib-Gaz conflict for the post! (I didn’t expect it to run this long I swear) Starring Bitey the Vampire!
Dib: You stare at that dog every Christmas, Gaz! Come on, already! It's creepy.
Gaz: Three Christmases ago, that dog ate the head off Bitey the Vampire! You said so yourself! I haven't forgotten.
Dib: Well, fixing an alien spaceship is hard enough without you distracting me.
The interesting thing about this conflict is how similar it is to ‘Gaz, Taster of Pork’. We once again have Dib being an inconsiderate dick to Gaz for the sake of an experiment and then lying about it to try and avoid her ire, knowing that her reaction would be both violent and extreme. Just this time instead of Gaz herself, it’s her treasured sentimental possession.
Dib: Okay, Gaz. I think it's time I told you. The dog's innocent! I used Bitey the Vampire for a teleporter experiment and switched his head onto a fly's body!
Which, you know, at least he isn't overriding Gaz's bodily anatomy this time but... like... Dib must've had so many other options for his 'Teleporter Experiment'! I guess that without specific details we can't know for sure, but I really can't think of any real justification why he would have to use his sister's doll for this experiment and not one of his own toys or even, like, buy something cheapo from the dollar store or something? Maybe you can come up with some explanation of why it had to be Bitey, but it really feels like another demonstration of Dib's thoughtlessness and inconsideration.
I almost wonder, if, y’know, the show wasn’t cut so short - if this was a deliberate attempt to emphasize this aspect of the Dib-Gaz dynamic for the episodes going forwards. You know, give some more justification and context to Gaz’s anger at Dib - even as her responses to it continue to escalate.
Although I guess beating Dib up like that in retaliation to ruining one of her beloved childhood toys and then lying about it for years isn’t like… the most disproportionate thing Gaz has done? I mean it is kinda bad, but also she has certainly done worse during the course of this list!
Also a quick shout-out to Dib complaining about Gaz distracting him by just like… standing in his vicinity quietly - when Gaz’s most common problem with Dib is him distracting her by talking at her constantly and generally being actually disruptive to her concentration.
(Some more general points in this episode are Gaz once again trying to abandon Dib at what he feels is mortal danger. Which, like most of these interactions could be read as her just underestimating Zim and thus not thinking he is in actual danger... or just legitimately not caring if her brother lives or dies. And Dib trying to take credit for Gaz repairing the ship, and threatening him with More Violence over it. First one is a pretty common sight at this point and the letter is a pretty quick interaction when they're both pretty jerky to each other.)
So… what is the main thing that I feel like I’ve learned from making such an extensive analysis? Well, I think in a way, all of those General Fandom Conceptions of Gaz that I talked about at the start… none of them were fully accurate, but also none of them are, like, entirely inaccurate either.
You know, sometimes Gaz’s reactions come off as mostly harmless edgelordisms, and sometimes they’re totally disproportionate and/or violent, sometimes her behavior comes off as reasonable or at least understandable, and sometimes she’s just another person in Dib’s life who wants to punish him for being weird. And there was an escalation in her actions over time, but it wasn’t really just in Season 2 - and it coincides with a whole lot of factors that make it more complicated than just ‘Flanderization’; the increased focus on both Dib’s negative traits and the comedy of his suffering, a general need for escalation with newer plots, and a need for her to be more involved in narratives - especially as her initial role as Someone Dib Can Talk To has become kind redundant as the writers have become more comfortable with the idea that Dib can just talk to himself like a weirdo.
The most… uncharitable reading is that Gaz’s characterization is just plain inconsistent. The writers didn’t have as clear of a vision of who she is compared to Zim or Dib, or maybe they just didn’t care enough to keep her in-line with the vision of what she was supposed to be - so her level of meanness, violence and hatred towards her brother just kinda fluctuate depending on the needs of the narrative or the joke, or what aspect of Dib's character they wanted to highlight.
Y’know, even though this was always meant to be an analysis of both Dib and Gaz’s relationship with each other - it also became a bit of a Gaz Character Analysis along the way. Because Dib’s slights against Gaz can fluctuate on levels of intensity, but they are very consistent in terms of reasoning and motivation. It is pretty much always a result of Dib’s Terminal Case of Main Character Syndrome … but also about his social isolation and general inability to communicate with others and the fact that Gaz, even at her meanest, is still more likely to tolerate him talking about his interests than basically anyone else in the world
You know, I do want to emphasize that Dib’s inconsiderate attitude can also be understandable and relatable in his own way, just like Gaz’s reactions to him. I ended up focusing on Gaz more and more as I was writing this post because I kinda assumed Dib’s motivations were more self-evident in the fandom both because he’s more of a main character and because he’s more open about his emotions compared to Gaz. And also… because it would’ve been too repetitive to go over “Yeah, Dib has a problem remembering other people have needs and interiority but he is also deeply lonely and desperate for positive attention” for basically every episode. Meanwhile, Gaz’s reasonings seem to… fluctuate a lot more.
I think my reading of the situation is a bit more positive than just ‘Gaz was written in a careless and inconsistent way’, because inconsistency… can also be a deliberate character trait. You know, a lot of people are kinda inconsistent in their reactions to things. There’s no reason why Gaz can’t just be characterized by her capriciousness. Especially when you consider the angle that she’s misdirecting some of her anger at her father or the world in general at Dib - so you’ve got maybe like a baseline of mild annoyance which is what she actually feels towards her brother in a vacuum. But every so often she is so much crueler because she is using him as a vector for a bunch of other frustrations and stress, some vaguely related to him, some not at all.
I think even the kinder Gaz we see in ‘Enter the Florpus’ can fit into that, if you take her words here not as just a statement of how she’s been all this time…
Gaz: Oh, uh, normally, you crying on the floor is hilarious, but come on.
Dib: It's all my fault, Gaz. Why aren't you saying I told you so?
Gaz: 'Cause making fun of you is no fun when you're this sad. You're my brother, man. I only torment you because I know you can handle it. I've done way worse than throwing you in a space prison. This is nothing. Get up!
And more of her, now seeing her obnoxious brother at his lowest point, suddenly coming to a realization that she doesn’t hate him as much as she thought she did.
And… okay, another challenge in analyzing all of these interactions is… I’ve been trying to look at all of the Membrane Sibling’s faults and flaws from as balanced a perspective as I can muster - but it’s also important to remember the context in which they exist. When I call out Dib or Gaz for being assholes, this is not necessarily a condemnation of their character. ‘Invader Zim’ is a show all about Flawed Messed-Up Assholes. And it’s also fundamentally a comedy show about the entertainment value in cruelty. If Dib wasn’t sometimes a selfish little egomaniac and Gaz wasn’t an asshole prone to violent acts of ‘revenge’... they just wouldn’t be good ‘Invader Zim’ characters, you know?
Really, between all the different episodes and all the times Gaz was more or less justified, more or less cruel… I think the overall picture that is painted of two very imperfect kids having understandable-but-also-shitty-reactions to the bad hand they were dealt by the world. Dib’s sometimes selfish disregard for Gaz’s interests and wants is maybe understandable considering how basically no one cares about him so… he might as well care about himself, right? And Gaz’s frustration with this disregard and constant egoism is also understandable… but also at some point it becomes kinda disproportionate. And sometimes it becomes really disproportionate.
And that’s just like… that’s just what the Membrane siblings are.
#invader zim#iz#iz analysis#dib membrane#iz dib#dib iz#dib invader zim#iz dib membrane#invader zim dib#gaz membrane#gaz iz#gaz invader zim#iz gaz#iz gaz membrane#invader zim gaz
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I don't much care for Hazbin Hotel, but I'll admit, I can absolutely respect the power play of putting the most blatant tumblr sexyman character imaginable in a show, and then confirming that the character is aroace. If I can give the show credit for one thing, it's Alastor. I always appreciate ace rep. Ace rep is important, regardless of how I feel about the source.
If you're in this fandom, please heed the wise words of this humble outsider - a lot of you are gonna be writing smut of this aroace character who has expressed repulsion towards sex on more than one occasion, canonically. I'd like to very timidly say that disregarding a character's asexuality because you just find it unimportant enough to disregard is kind of not cool.
I am asexual, and I can confirm that we are *starving* for rep. I'm not aromantic, but I'm very confident that they're even hungrier. A lot of people don't understand us, we're a mystery to a world that craves romance and offers tax breaks for marriage and has 90% of its pop songs be about sex, in horrifying detail.
So any time a mainstream ace character comes along, it's an absolute blessing. Acknowledgement. Because romance/intimacy is so often the "final goal" for characters in media. And hell, I love a good romance story. But aces and aros have completely different arcs to go through which are just as important and interesting and fascinating, but so often not prioritised.
So when you're engaging in The Fandom Activity and seeing people writing fanfiction of a sex repulsed character having sex, do spare a thought for us asexuals, many of whom will also be in your fandom, many of whom will see this fanfiction and think "damn, is my experience not interesting enough for you?"
#alastor#asexual#aromantic#aroace#asexual meme#this is the only post i will make about this show#i am not a fan#but you guys have fun ^^
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