Loopimay

A couple of months ago, I hosted a poll on Twitter asking what people believed Glisten valued more, perfection or attention. Which would he sacrifice to achieve the other?

With 180 participants, the votes were pretty evenly split, with perfection winning at only 55.6%.

But I believe saying perfection matters more to Glisten is falling for his facade, which goes to show how good he is at maintaining it. This isn't to say being perfect doesn't matter to him, but rather that it stems from a deep desire for attention, and not the other way around.

Looking at Glisten's bio, we're given the key components of his show character. 

He's a charming, attention-seeking, and egotistical yet loyal toon. Never is his perfectionism brought up; rather, his egotism is, and there is a critical distinction to make between the two.

Perfectionism stems from a fear of failure, often tied to low self-esteem, which leads people to strive for unattainable goals and feel ashamed when they can't achieve them. Perfectionists internally struggle with the belief that they are not good enough if they aren't the best.

From Dr. Esmarilda Darkaert, quote:

Egotism, on the other hand, stems from a harmfully inflated sense of self,  which leads people to believe they are inherently better than others in everything they do. Their thoughts, speech, and actions are all largely dictated by what is most self-beneficial, even at the detriment of others.

From William Van Gordon, quote:

Perfectionism is a hatred of oneself, while egotism is an infatuation (not love, infatuation) of oneself. 

Glisten, the cartoon character, suffered from egotism. "Standing up for his friends and what's right" is likely a lesson he repeatedly learned in episodes of the show.

Glisten, the toon in Gardenview, suffers from perfectionism. He still has his ego, but it manifests differently in the real world than in the cartoon. No longer can he rely on being as good as the show demands he be. He has to push himself to be perfect. From Dr. Esmarilda Darkaert, quote:

His attention remains on himself, but he has now become self-critical. Every compliment he gives himself must be backed up by real skills and achievements he's desperate to accomplish. Glisten is still infatuated with himself, but that infatuation has become heavily conditional. From William Van Gordon, quote:

Why else would he brush aside any concerns toons might have about his well-being? If they break Glisten's illusion of his perfection, he'll have to confront his flaws, and that deeply terrifies him.

But how does this prove Glisten cares more about attention than perfection? 

To understand that, we have to understand where Glisten's perfectionism comes from, and I think our answer lies with another toon: Vee.

Don't let Razzle's letters, Boxten's praise, or Ginger's binge sessions of her quiz shows fool you. Glisten is Vee's biggest fan.

He idolizes her to an immense degree, copying her mannerisms and yearning to have a game show just like hers. He even decorates his room with a poster of her face that he keeps on top of his own. Qwel herself has stated that Glisten "takes some inspiration" from Vee.

And why wouldn't he? Vee has everything someone who wants the spotlight could ask for. She's a main character: recognizable and adored by toons and audiences alike. She's perfect.

Except her perfection is a farce too. Not to compensate for a low ego, but to survive.

Glisten wants to be perfect, but Vee NEEDS to be perfect, otherwise she's obsolete and in need of an "upgrade." Even when she was "almost as recognizable as Dandy," Arthur and Delilah still wanted to make a version two.

Imagine what they'd do if she started falling behind? She's also guarded, not wanting others to be aware of her problems. If even Astro-

-and Sprout- 

-have to pull teeth just to have Vee admit she needs help, then it's clear she isn't letting anyone in on it, especially not Glisten. He truly believes Vee is as flawless as she presents.

And what does that tell him? To gain the attention Vee receives, he must be as perfect as she is, no matter the cost.

Despite that, I don't think Glisten is as alike to Vee as he strives to be. He also shares similarities with someone far less desirable to mirror. Attention-seeking, self-centered, mask-wearing, and constantly compares himself to Vee... that describes Glisten, but you know who else it sounds just like?

Dandy!

It's a comparison I don't see being made nearly enough, but Glisten and Dandy are extremely alike.

Dandy, as the star of the show, demands attention from others. 

He has an ego-

-and lives in denial about his flaws. 

He's also obsessed with Vee, albeit more negatively than Glisten, desperate to make sure she doesn't outdo him (perhaps because he knows she can.)

They are both flamboyant and theatrical, sharing a love of the arts. 

They even share a sweet tooth, with Glisten's room being littered with candy wrappers and donut boxes, and Dandy having a habit of going out for late-night snacks. It's enough not to be coincidental.

So then, I ask: what pushes Dandy to his breaking point, ultimately making him twist? Yes, it's not being given tapes, but it's also not being given attention. If Dandy were solely after tapes, buying gumballs for ten of them wouldn't calm him down. He'd demand more.

And Glisten, the only other toon able to be kept from twisting for a period of time, what does he demand? Not compliments or praise, but attention. To keep Twisted Glisten calm, you need to stay by his side. If he valued perfection over attention, would it not be the opposite?

He's at his lowest: disfigured and desolate, yet when his sturdy ego is shattered, all he can do is beg for company. If perfection was his main concern, he wouldn't want the other toons to see him like this.

Perfection was only a tool he used to gain attention.

In the end, Glisten's biggest fear is loneliness. He can't live in a world that does not shine a spotlight on him. He craves an audience that loves him because he cannot love himself otherwise. And who could love someone imperfect?

DISCLAIMER:

This post does NOT insist that Veestro is canon, nor does it insist you have to ship it. It exists solely as an appreciation and explanation post. Also, Astro and Vee are both canonically NON-RELATED ADULTS as confirmed by Qwel. Thank you.

PART 1: Interactions

Despite only sharing two elevator interactions, we are given extensive information about Vee and Astro's relationship. More specifically, we gain insight into how they bring out sides of each other that we don't see them displaying anywhere else.

Starting with Vee, these conversations show us a far more protective and vulnerable side than we're used to seeing from her. Looking at the first one, one might ask: when has Vee ever been so overprotective and pushy before?

That doesn't sound like her. That sounds like Sprout!

A key part of his character is how he's always looking out for others, yet his dialogue with Astro implies the opposite.

He's noticeably blunt and accusatory towards him, and though Sprout has a habit of being short with toons, he's normally not this undiplomatic. The reason for this? Astro's relationship with Dandy. We know that neither Sprout nor Vee trust Dandy's intentions. They're insistent on pulling answers out of him, sharing a disdain for his avoidance. Where they differ is how they feel about the one toon who can talk to Dandy.

Sprout is untrusting of Astro, shown by his interactions with him and Razzle & Dazzle...

...but Vee acts the opposite. She's desperate to gain Astro's trust, promising to aid him with a multitude of things at his word. As well, she's quick to confront Rodger about his incessant questions.

But Astro sees through it. He knows Vee, and he knows she isn't being herself here. She's emulating Sprout. Her intentions are genuine, but the way she's going about it isn't. Especially with how this heavily contrasts the way she speaks to Astro in their second interaction.

This conversation has Astro offering to aid this time, with him checking in to see if Vee's mic cord is untangled. It's here that Vee tells Astro to "worry about himself more," a far more in-character reply than how she's acted previously. But Astro persists, and Vee accepts. Outside of an instance of Vee talking to herself, there's no other mention of her mic cord tangling. This suggests Astro is the only toon who has untangled it before, supported by Vee's reaction when Connie says she's "out of tune." She's deeply embarrassed by her malfunctions.

But with Astro, all it takes is a bit of probing for Vee to accept his offer. It's a level of vulnerability we don't see out of her anywhere else. Compare this to when Cosmo asks Vee how she's doing: she's suspicious off the bat and chastises Sprout for not coming to her himself.

PART TWO: Implications

So, why exactly does Vee want to gain Astro's trust when she's already so close with him?

I believe this is because there's one toon closer with Astro that she wishes wasn't: Dandy. We've already established that she's untrusting of him, but why is that?

To get our answer, let's take a look at Dandy's twisted description:

This implies Dandy is responsible for the twisteds inhabiting Gardenview, which would explain why the other toons act so distant towards their star of the show.

Vee, already having a history of butting heads with Dandy, wouldn't have any reason to believe he has good intentions. So, being as narrow-minded as she is, she'd assume it wouldn't be safe for any toon to be around Dandy. And who's the one toon who remains by his side?

In hopes of protecting Astro from Dandy, Vee makes sure he knows she's somebody he can rely on for anything. It's no coincidence she starts the conversation with: "If anyone gives you issues, come to me," because Vee would assume the worst of Dandy and the best of Astro.

But Vee is wrong.

Dandy isn't holding Astro hostage; he chooses to stay in touch with him, and no amount of beating around the bush is going to make him stop. She wants to provide Astro the safety he provides her, but what she doesn't get is that Astro doesn't need any saving, because Dandy isn't as nefarious as she makes him out to be.

PART THREE: Potential

This part will mainly consist of how I interpret Astro and Vee's relationship. It will focus less on canon itself and more on the fun ways you can build off of it.

I've talked about a lot of the sadder sides of this ship, so let's delve into the positives!

What Astro and Vee have is special: they share a close bond that gets them out of their comfort zones, and evidenced by the merchandise and drawings including them together in Gardenview, they've been this way for a while. They clearly mean a lot to each other.

Untangling a mic cord may be a small gesture of kindness, but it proves that Astro is non-judgmental of the technological issues Vee is shown to be ashamed of. He's reliable and considerate enough that Vee feels safe to let down her guard around him. Vee is the same way with Astro. Though she comes off strong when listing off all the ways she's there for him, she clearly means it. She sticks up for him and believes in him when others don't. Sprout may not trust Astro anymore, but Vee knows better and sticks by his side.

The faith so many toons lost in Astro means the true bonds he shares are all the more important. Vee has shown she isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Sure, she still needs to come to terms with Astro and Dandy's friendship, but that doesn't negate all she's done for him already.

Vee and Astro have been one of my favorite pairings since forever. It's a shame I haven't made this post sooner, because it was so much fun to write! Hopefully you enjoyed and maybe even got a new perspective! Have a lovely day!

It seems Dandy's World is starting to lean into what many in the fandom have already been exploring: the differences between the cartoon characters and the living toons in Gardenview.

Some of the gossip Dandy spills has given some insight into this, specifically Blot and Looey's.

We can discern that toons are seemingly given their personality from the show during creation and set off into the real world without a second thought. Sometimes this means they act differently from their cartoon counterparts because they aren't following a script. Looey may have low self-esteem in the TV series, but he was living in a scripted world with a pre-determined happy ending there. Whatever happened, he'd always HAVE to make it out okay because it's a children's show.

That's not something they could translate into reality.

This also means that Gardenview could not make artificial relationships. Whether or not toons had chemistry with each other was entirely dependent on them and them alone.

Why would anyone be "so glad" Dandy and Astro got along if they were programmed to from the start?

So, what's my point?

I want to focus on what Dandy says about Brusha during his gossip.

She and Tisha used to be close, Brusha had a significant change in personality since her introductory episode, and she's now noticeably more ill-tempered. The wording here is important:

"Brusha really has changed since the show debuted her!"

Not Gardenview, the show. Brusha was written and planned to be significantly more easygoing than she turned out to be. So, what changed?

She came to life and was given free will.

We know Brusha has problems with her attitude and ego, as seen in her elevator interactions. This may be something that could be resolved quickly in a cartoon episode, but Brusha isn't in a cartoon anymore. She's stuck having to improve organically, which she doesn't. I believe Brusha became more irritable because she was inclined to double down on herself rather than change. She isn't subtle about it; it's clear that she thinks she's better than most of the toons she talks to, so why would she take their criticism if she isn't scripted to?

We don't know much about what happened between Brusha's debut and now, but she specifically tells Tisha to "get over" the "years" old show...

...which seems to imply that the cartoon is the biggest (maybe even the only) reason why Tisha tries with Brusha anymore.

On Brusha's end, the only time she seems to want Tisha around is to benefit herself. She doesn't want Tisha looking at her...

...but she DOES want her to look at all the cool art she holds in such high regard!

Presumably, this was something Tisha did often in the TV series.

The last of the interactions solidifies this show vs reality disconnect.

When Brusha compliments her and Tisha's teamwork, Tisha doesn't give her the approval she was looking for, causing her to get upset. In the context of their cartoon origins, this reaction makes more sense. Brusha carries herself as an independent. She rejects help and perceives herself as better than others. As such, teamwork would be something her character would realistically learn in the show.

When she "learns her lesson," Tisha should appreciate it like her cartoon self had... but she doesn't, because Brusha isn't owed Tisha's approval anymore.

We know that the toons' memories are tied to the TV series. Take, for instance, Vee and Scraps' elevator dialogue that directly references the "Winning Big" episode as though it really happened.

So it isn't a case of Brusha's ego assuming Tisha would acknowledge her; it's her remembering the Tisha from the show who always would.

And let's face it: the messy artist and the neat freak do not make for a good combination. We know how Tisha feels about unclean toons and we know how Brusha feels about toons who don't get her art. They're opposites in the most uncomplimentary way possible. Without a script to keep them in check, they're bound to fight and argue.

Finally, I want to address something I haven't seen anyone else talk about, but I think is integral to understanding Brusha and Tisha's relationship and eventual fallout.

Brusha is the Anti-Shelly. Let me explain:

We've established that Brusha is independent, so much so that she takes offense to Tisha asking if she needs help with something as small as tying her hair back.

Meanwhile, Shelly not only actively seeks Tisha out for help but also shows immense graditude for her efforts.

When Brusha tries to appeal to Tisha's tastes, she points out how well they work together.

We know Tisha values teamwork based on how much she tries to reach out for help when it comes to her cleaning.

Now, who's always encouraging others and being a good teammate? Shelly! Her active ability dialogue is proof of that.

Even their abilities reflect this contrast.

Brusha's Artistic Inspiration boosts skill checks.

While Shelly's Inspiration boosts extraction speed.

They're both tied to machines, but they're most useful to entirely different stat spreads. (They also have very similar names) Brusha's ability is best paired with toons that have a high extraction speed and a low skill check. Shelly's ability is best paired with toons that have a low extraction speed and a high skill check.

Guess which one Tisha falls under?

Brusha's ability synergizes poorly with Tisha, while Shelly's pushes her four-star skill check to its full potential.

But it doesn't end with Tisha. Even outside of her, their personalities are extremely opposing:

Brusha is prideful, Shelly is insecure.

Brusha caters her interests around herself, Shelly tries to involve everyone in hers.

Brusha's talents are revered, Shelly's are forgotten.

Brusha is a common, Shelly is a main.

Brusha is tall and slender, Shelly is short and stubby.

Gardenview created two opposing toons and Tisha was expected to be best friends with them both. As well as that could've worked in the show, it just wasn't going to work in the real world. In the end, Tisha clicked with Shelly, not Brusha.