[A sad violin song plays over an image of a sad hamster]
Pac: This doesn't have anything to do with me – I wear a blue sweatshirt, you're crazy, this mouse doesn't even have a sweatshirt, this hamster! [Reading chat] Am I a depressed hamster?
[ Transcript continued ↓ ]*
–
Pac: Actually– that's fine! I embrace that idea – of course I'm going to be depressed, are you crazy? [He hits his desk, then starts counting off people on his fingers] Fit is gone, Richarlyson is gone, Ramon is gone, Bagi and Empanada who were always there when we were there are also gone, I haven't seen them! It's just me and Tubbo, and sometimes Philza shows up.
Pac: I lost Chume Labs, I lost the Favela, I lost Murder Mystery, I lost Ilha Chume Labs, it's crazy! Look at how much I've lost, and I've gained nothing! Of course I'm going to be depressed, are you crazy?! How am I supposed to be happy?!
Pac: [Reading chat] "You have us Pac," that's true, thank you. No, that's true, sorry.
* NOTE: Please note that this is an incomplete transcript, as I was primarily relying on Aypierre's translation mod at the time and if I am not confident of the translation, I do not include it. As always, please feel free to add on translations or message me corrections.
You always talk about Leo’s relationship with Donnie and Raph since there his big brothers and he has baby brother privileges but what’s his relationship with Mikey like since he’s older than Mikey
Yeah, I would say I'm more focused on the dynamics between Raph, Donnie, and Leo, so Mikey takes a hard backseat in my lore. Oops. 💀
I would say they have a very strong bond. They tend to lean on each other a lot, especially since they both know the feeling of being smothered and constantly treated like a child. It's especially hard for Leo since the huge gap in maturity between him, Raph, and Donnie came out of nowhere. Raph leaves for two years and when he comes back, he's an entirely different person on an entirely different level than Leo.
He looks up to Raph and wants to make him proud, but he feels like nothing he does could ever impress the person Raph is now. But not only is he dealing with that, he now has to come to terms with the growth of Donnie.
He's no longer Donnie's twin; he's Donnie's younger brother. He feels like he has stayed stagnant in his growth and feels left behind when dealing with his older brothers. But when it comes to Mikey, they can see eye to eye, speak to each other without the fear of being talked over, and not have the constant annoyance of being coddled. Mikey doesn't trust Usagi, but he also doesn't completely disregard Leo's opinion on the rabbit.
Umm, to cut the ramblings short, Leo feels like he lives in the shadows of his big brothers now. The constant fear of letting them down by failing as a leader is a drain on him, and he finds comfort in his younger brother. Blah blah.
Not sure if this theory makes any sense at all but I'm starting to believe that there's no time skip between Wally's phone calls and what we see/hear in the show's Media/Merchandise. If we see the Toyland call being made before the Homewarming episode then it would make sense that Wally's expecting Barnaby to come over soon. As well as the Homewarming sketch from the prior update. (I don't know, still kind of brainstorming this perspective)
that theory Does make sense and i've been considering it! the "timeline" is such a nebulous thing right now because we still... don't really know! there are too many variables and too many Maybes for any solid answer.
maybe the reality that the neighbors live in exists outside of time like you say, and like half of me suspects. there's so much reality fuckery already present, but I'm also... unsure of how much merit this holds given what we know / can infer about how time passes in Home. i'm putting this theory on a low shelf to look at but not prioritize
maybe it really has been 50 years, and Barnaby is either still around / Wally is still in contact with him, or Barnaby... isn't there. who knows, maybe Wally was just verbalizing some Wishful Thinking. i mean, Wally is a bit of an unreliable narrator, isn't he? we can't assume that everything he says is entirely accurate or truthful. and i mean, if it's been 50 years it makes sense that Wally would be pushing for connection / to revive WH. who knows how long he's been trying.
hm... i mean. it could be a mix of that and the Outside Of Time theory. who knows, maybe W is receiving calls from different points in the timeline - Wally may have started out just calling, and has just graduated to invading the WH website / getting pushy with the envelopes and media that's been sent to the WHRP. maybe Wally got tired of waiting for W to respond before W was even born. who's to say!
I keep hiding my face lahshjsdhjgfsaf HE HAS NO RIGHT. NO RIGHT AT ALL BEING THAT SEXILY INTENSE AAAAAAAAAAA
Anyway, I should probably try to make some attempt at describing the event since. If I don't I'll just be barking/crying/hiding my face for the next twelve hours.
Basically--and I'm not sure this is going to be across the board, but it held true for Napoleon and Sebastian at least--each suitor has a birthday event this year instead of a separate story. Comte's won't be released until tomorrow, but they have posted a preview.
From what I gather, he talks a little bit about himself and reveals parts of his past that haven't come to light in the game yet. There wasn't really enough to convey a coherent narrative beyond attending a party, but the line displayed here does get across the larger theme:
Comte: (I don't need momentary pleasure or ephemeral affection any longer. Now that I know love, there's nothing but you.)
He talks about how the aristocracy have thrown parties and extravagant celebrations for his birthday for most of his life. But none of it has ever really made him happy, largely because he knows that they are attempts to strengthen and broadcast power relations within high society. While I don't think he means it's entirely devoid of well wishes, I do think he sees it as a nexus of influence--and thus, by nature, impersonal. And honestly, I don't think he's wrong about that; the higher the echelon in social standing, the more it requires performance to maintain the position.
That being said, there is a fascinating flashback where he remembers a pureblood telling him about how falling in love with a human is an experience of another caliber entirely. My understanding is that Comte was still a fairly young vampire at the time, so he didn't really understand what the person was getting at. It seems like the other pureblood was trying to convey the difference in feeling, perhaps the fact that humans are more grounded in accordance with how they live--the reality and necessity of change.
After reading this--and the recent 5th bday story--I can absolutely see how change is something Comte has a complicated relationship with. He's known a certain way of life for so long, has constructed a sensibility of distant, rational maturity. After all the heartbreak of his youth, and two very acute traumatic events in his life, I can see why he'd be so afraid of broaching any kind of proximity with another person. Because on some level it's so much easier not to put your feelings on the line, to never have to fear devastating loss. And that's to say nothing of the worry of being unable to measure up on behalf of another person, of letting them down.
I'm so excited to see the rest of the contents, but something about the preview made me equal parts giddy and enamored (all I do is kick my feet with excitement LOL). I think what gets to me with Comte is that he truly does love companionship as a place to rest, a place where he can be honest about himself and his feelings without fear of ridicule (and the same goes for MC). In a world increasingly obsessed with surface level performances of power, status, and emotion, it's hard not to feel his exhaustion to the core.
Also, because these lines at the end more or less destroyed me in the best possible way:
MC: ...The you who had nowhere to belong no longer exists. In much the same way...Abel, I belong to you.
Comte: ...
Comte: I wish I could say to myself all those years ago, the me who kept indulging in such paltry things.
Comte: Until you meet MC, you will never know love...
The warmth of MC in my arms filled me with such joy I was near tears.
(I don't need momentary pleasure or ephemeral affection any longer. Now that I know love, there's nothing but you.)
The moment my lips found hers, the sweetness lit a fire deep in my body.
Comte: These cute lips that melt against mine, the heat of your skin, the love that envelops me in your embrace--always leaves me so deeply in love with you.
by the way the most annoyingly pedantic thing i've wanted to say all day is "antigone wasn't written by an old dead white guy it's actually very relevant that sophocles was fairly young when he wrote it"
Alright, the jack in the box is wound, and the coherence is coming to me. Halsin and the dryad, I was talking about his response if the PC indicates that he is most comfortable after a supper large enough to induce hibernation:
"Mindless gorging...? No, that is not right. I did not realize you thought that of me."
And why this keeps catching in my mind is not necessarily what he says, but how he says it (so I am commending Dave Jones' voice acting here). The rest of Halsin's responses to incorrect answers are generally even toned and corrective; firm, usually, but not inherently overly emotional. Much like a teacher correcting a student. But this one...he sounds genuinely surprised and taken aback that the PC would even suggest that. The "no, that is not right" is even firmer on its heels. And the last part...the last part, his voice is smaller. Less forward. I would not go so far as to suggest hurt, but it is approaching that territory. It comes so fast after his firm no, that it almost sounds like something that slipped by accident. Like something that was meant to be muttered under the breath, but it slipped from him because the surprise was so organic.
Alone, it doesn't mean too much. It's a slight offense to an obviously nonfactual statement. And that's likely all it is. I'm about to read too deep into this, I am aware.
But combined with the other things spread throughout Halsin's dialogue, particularly the implication that he is otherwise used to people making commentary on his physical appearance or the physicality of his being, it suggests an extra layer of hurt. An extra layer of: "I did not expect this from you, of all people." Not quite a betrayal, but approaching one.
What makes it particularly catching, is that one of the things you are able to wrench (and I say wrench because getting Halsin to share mundane personal details about himself is a production - and it makes *sense* it's a production if a. We keep in mind that Halsin himself doesn't seem all too sure who he is beyond his preoccupation - which elves are prone to but Halsin also just has...a lot on his plate that have evidently stunted his identity formation - to the point where he even claims he was forgetting who he was, and b. If he is used to questions concerning himself and his experience leading into questions regarding his sex life or his physical activities, see: the companion banter with Wyll and Karlach, he likely...doesn't really keep ready details about himself personally on tap anymore. He's so unused to people being interested in Halsin, that he's taken aback when they are. It becomes the "In the moment, I forget everything and anything I like to do for fun" mentality - no one really cares about what I like to do anyway - if you will. He even goes so far as to joking that the PC may be a doppelganger because *why else would they want to know these things*) out of Halsin when you ask him about himself is that he has a sweet tooth. That he likes honey, and people find that amusing. He chuckles, but his face falls, evidently prepping for the PC to make a similar comment (and he attempts to beat you to the joke about that, though a PC can still call that "on the nose" to which he responds that there is little point in denying oneself if it doesn't hurt anybody - indulging isn't a bad thing). If the PC instead chooses that he should pay little attention to what others think, he gives that infamous: "sometimes I think people look at me and imagine my feelings can't be hurt" line. Which implies - regardless of whether he verbalizes it or not - things in this thread hurt his feelings. Comments or assumptions about his body and his person hurt his feelings. He won't say it, but they do. The PC is likely aware of this by this point in the relationship.
Halsin does not otherwise bring up eating or food to any level of significance or directness - the sweet tooth comment was the only time (you could assume outside of canon interactions that they've had other conversations between them and that perhaps this was brought up, but we are going to base this solely in what Halsin reveals in canon). He brings up hibernation, but specifically the sleeping part of it. Nothing else.
So, the PC then potentially goes ahead and makes an assumption of him during the dryad. How'd they arrive at this conclusion, as it obviously surprises Halsin that they did? It reads, very much, that the PC is making this assumption based on the comment about his sweet tooth, his comment on indulgence, and his physicality (note: the ha ha bear and hibernation thing almost seems like an afterthought - Halsin latches *very* quickly onto the "mindless gorging" part). All things that he has shown very evident discomfort (which is ironic because the question is when he feels most comfortable) or hesitance towards (he claims there is nothing wrong with indulgence, but never seems to indulge himself beyond sex, if that. Gee, what does that remind you of?)
Halsin entrusted this individual with this information, as frivolous as it was, potentially revealed that it hurts his feelings when people make assumptions of him, and this individual then went used that information and made the assuming connection: "So, this is a big man. He said he liked sugar, so he must like to eat and indulge. It must be his favourite thing to do because look at him." I am going to essentially ignore everything else I could have possibly heard, and make a bear hibernation joke that has nothing to do with sleeping being a comfort, but emphasize the eating part.
So, yeah, he's a little taken aback - incredulous, you might say. A little hurt. Resigned, almost. Because at that point, you can make a very logical assumption that Halsin came to a very quick snap realization that perhaps this person was not so different from the others as he thought. That it always eventually comes back to that. What else was he expecting? When has it ever been any different for him?
the empty frame in bobbys castle tower is a metaphor for jaiden and roiers family. they shared a house a bed items son, roier showed her his basement, melissa, his betrayal scars, and his home that was meant to be a community house. and jaiden couldnt fully believe she wasnt taking too much when it was her house! it was her base too! she moved out of the home she was building to move in with roier but she still felt like an intruder to her own home! she saw it as a temporary home for until she could move out and build her own base. but she still cared for and accepted every part of roier. and roier loved jaiden back too! when they died in that airship, he cleared out the dungeon and gave jaiden armor and spirit orbs and when jaiden accepted his anger and blame it just fizzled out. jaiden understands. so then roier left a empty frame at the bottom of the tower for jaiden to fill whenever she came back and they laughed and joked while tucking bobby in and jaiden said i bet you a hundred million dollars we'll see bobby tomorrow and roier said are you sure and it was a joke and then tomorrow came and jaiden was an hour too late. and then roier joked and laughed and when jaiden came and he had to break the news he couldn't anymore. because with jaiden roier can let down the jokes and with roier jaiden can be sure he has her back and support and when jaiden fell off the edge roier jumped down to join her before she could even say anything and they had pvp lessons together and a heart to heart as the sun rised and in the end the community house lays abandoned and bobby fields is filled with copies of the best day they had together and the attic is never looked at again and the top floor of bobbys tower isnt either.
My phone did a factory reset out of nowhere and I lost ALL of my drawings. So fuck it, here are the sketches I've managed to recover by screenshotting and sending them to my friends.
It's a tradition in flying circles that after a student's first solo flight, the back of their shirt is cut off. The date, their name, and the plane's identification number are then written on the removed fabric, which is usually pinned up on a wall with the shirt backs from other students. The first solo is a significant milestone in learning to fly, as it displays enough control and knowledge to fly as Pilot In Command.
TLDR: I think Donnie should get to fly planes.
Bonus: the plane (without Donnie or the slight lens blur)
i was not gonna spend a bunch of time figuring out how to draw a plane though so i just traced a picture lol (with a few alterations)
always think about being in a relationship w johnny around the pflugerville era... johnny leaving for a night or a weekend is common place and he always returns with open arms. but this time its different. you hear his truck pull into the garage. he sits there for an hour. theres no charming smile. no small gift in the palm of his hand. no 'i missed ya darl' muttered onto your lips. you leave the shack and make your way to the car. the gasp falls out of your mouth when he finally turns his body to yours. he's had scratches before but nothing this deep. he locks up the car and walks right past you. he's already in bed when you finally follow. you cant help but be scared as if you were about to startle a wounded dog. you dont sleep. he doesnt either. you feel like you cant breathe. neither can he. its a long silent night. a night that shouldve been full of soft moans and tender compliments. nancy's scalding the next morning echoes through the garden. it makes him broodier. you think you've lost him, subtly packing up your things to make it easier, waiting for him to say the words. it takes him a week to meet your eye. he's not the best with speaking his emotions but you understand. you can see it in his eyes. he's lost control and he needs it back. you're so desperate for his touch that you let him. the cuts on his arms have scabbed over but you can tell that's not what hurts. you never got the full story. all you know is that your johnny has changed.