ivymeadows

she/her, I dont know what this is sorry :/

[thelaurenshippen]

I hate to always come in here comparing your characters to other characters but today I was listening back to the musical 36 questions (I don't know if you would have ever listened to it but it's incredible) and I could only think of a parallel between Mark and Damien

I love talking about all characters, even when they're not my own! and oh my god, of course, I adore 36 Questions. Chris and Ellen are the sweetest people alive and had some wonderful advice for us when we were making In Strange Woods.

and oooooh thinking of Mark and Damien in this context is very chewy. I'm picking up what you're putting down

[spacizia]

A drawing to celebrate them being canon… (the brainworm returned)

———

Bonus:

[hexthelex]

is previous...

moon-coded 🌙

sun-coded ☀️

stars-coded ✨

Voting ended onMay 4

[ivymeadowzs]

i FINALLY got around to reading a neon darkness so heres some more parallels between that and tbs :

conversation between the unusuals in AND and with mark in ep 408

Also AND and ep 408

conversation between marley and damien in AND

damiens last conversation with marley and his last letter to mark

...

alright so. the reason i pushed all these seemingly random screenshots together (and thats why the formatting is so fucked, ignore that) is because SO much of damiens behavior in AND, at first, barely to hasnt changed at all in tbs. he has circular arguments with neon and the unusuals and mark that basically mirror each other, like when the unusuals tell him he hurt them to when mark tells him the same in episode 408 (thats the first pics).

he doesnt really- or doesnt want to understand both times how he was in the wrong, and he still holds expectations toward mark like how he had expectations for the unusuals; that they were supposed to stop him and be different, that mark was supposed to understand him. and the thing that gets me here is it was marley that told him to look out for people that understand him. thats all hes trying to do in tbs. thats his entire goal and motivation behind getting mark out. subconsciously, he was always trying to follow marleys advice.

but the thing is, at the end of tbs (or some faraway place, depending on your view) damien does change. its the first anti-parallel, when marley and him have that last conversation he doesnt understand how wanting good things for others when they dont benefit him or are in his life is feasible. yet thats what he wishes mark in the end. he doesnt leave him bitter and resentful like how he left the unusuals. he wants only wonderful things for mark.

the entire time in AND we see damien trying to understand connection and love. its a bit what his last conversation with neon and indah is about, where they tell him love isnt control, that even if he loves them, love needs trust. he wants something meaningful, something that matters. thats why he makes both neon and indah (and the bartender guy too, a little) kiss him, and why he thinks about romance and love so much in the first place. but the whole time he cant separate it from control or from them being useful to him. he doesnt truly understand it. until with mark, where it does matter because he finally understands that its not all about him. thats why he can wish good things for him, thats why it destroys him so much

[jellywizard01]

i forgot i even drew these, i think i was testing a brush lol

[castingpods]

I swear to god if I see another TBS post about how Joan Bright is irredeemable or Sam Barnes is annoying I’m going to throw a fit. These posts ALWAYS come from Damien apologists and Damiark shippers and it’s so clear to me that these people are only able to deal with morally complex and flawed mentally ill characters if those characters are male.

Damien is objectively a much worse person than any of the women in The Bright Sessions. and yet Damien is constantly treated like a pathetic little meow meow while Dr. Bright is treated like she killed your dog because she made some ethically gray decisions and Sam is treated as whiny and entitled because she has panic attacks.

I’m not even saying you can’t sympathize with Damien or like him as a character. I think he’s a great character! I like his nuances! But if you are justifying his behaviors while vilifying the women I need you to take a close look at ur biases and how you engage with media.

…

anyway I’m once again thanking Atypical Artists and Ms. Shippen for continuing to write such complex and morally nuanced female characters into her shows despite the constant criticism and rampant misogyny they seem to provoke from the fans.

[jellywizard01]

i just realized i recently (not really) missed the ten year anniversary of the bright sessions......

Lauren Shippen this character you have created has tortured me for five years how do i fix that

[willgrahamscock]

don’t focus on your responsibilities you need to make gay shit for a dying fandom

[transgenderoliverritz]

Hello! Since the TBS fandom has been growing pretty steadily recently, and also since I'm bored and haven't organized anything in a while, some friends and I are thinking of running a big bang this year! I've put together a quick interest check, just three questions, to get a feel of the numbers and timeline.

Interest Check: Bright Sessions Big Bang

A quick form to gauge interest in a potential Big Bang event for the Bright Sessions podcast!

[everydaylouie]

while my mom was pregnant with me, she was delivering chinese food on bike in new orleans. i like to think that the music she heard in the streets made me the way i am now.

happy new year everyone!

[c-leadraw]

New Year's Day by @atypicalartists @thelaurenshippen

[threedollarsdotcom]

show me the law that says crime is illegal judge

[ivymeadowzs]

rest in peace jo march you would have loved anne with an e

[confessionsdiaz]

Strangers holding the door for you, people picking up something you accidentally dropped, people with a full trolly letting you go before them with your 1 item. People <3

[innerchildabortionclinic]

TRUE: many women are paranoid about their health

ALSO TRUE: this could be fixed if anyone gave a single fuck about women's health. like of course you'll be a bit scared if you search for answers on a health problem and NO ONE FUCKING KNOWS ANYTHING.

[boombox-fuckboy]

2025 is almost over, so let's celebrate another awesome year in audio fiction, and here's to more characters of colour, QPRs, audible mobility aids, incomprehensibly strange sapphic relationships, positive and thoughtful portrayals of DID and psychosis, atypical pronouns, unhingedly intense friendships, cute cat and dog noises, and as many intersex characters as possible in 2026!

[zazujoy]

happy "merry christmas, please don't call" season to the damiark girlies btw