#<- i feel like it pertains to this side of the fandom

[smoosnoom]

hi im so sorry to bring up relatively old drama but why am i getting dragged into the entire clique stuff 😭

i talk to exactly two people on here in any sort of consistent basis, only one of which is actually a writer - please try not to make any assumptions about me, especially when i try my best to keep to myself on here, i really do not like getting involved into any sort of discourse within fandoms, and i usually consider it a waste of time

if u would like to chat abt literally anything ever, my askbox is always open :) but please don't include me in things i have no business being mentioned in

anyway ! only posting this because a few comments on my ao3 fic (which . why are u mentioning this on a fic of mine 😭😭😭) rubbed me the wrong way . if u also have no clue what the clique stuff is, just like i didn't, then pls feel free to scroll 👐

thank u

[fluri-above-all]

How come no one told me the revamped Mihile story was so fucked up?! Like holy fuck this poor kid. Mihile and Cygnus and Neinheart all looked so baby. And then their glow-ups...man I miss Maplestory. The summer showcase clips have been giving me life so I have so much maplestory in my yt feed. Saw the questline for Mihile pop up and wanted something to chill watch. OOF!!! Also I need a crossover for Mihile/Cygnus as Link/Zelda because the dedication for these people is so real...Neinheart can be Purah lol. Or Turoh? But my heart hurts, Mihile went through it, couldn't keep that to myself anymore.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey Raven! Hope you're doing well, and I hope you had a great holiday, if you celebrate, that is.

I hate to clutter your ask box with something like this, and you don’t have to answer, you can just read this with an open mind, but I feel you're the only one I could go to with this without being straight-up attacked. It's also why I'm asking anonymously.

But, what's your stance on the whole war between the JP and EN versions of the game? I'm not asking you to pick a side or anything, I just wanna know your thoughts.

Obviously, I'm an EN player, and idk if you seen, but there's some hateful things out there about us, and honestly, it's hurtful and disheartening to every time I get up here. And it's always on this we as players can't control. Mainly the dialog translations and it's changes.

I've seen people calling us dumb and weak, saying we water down everything because we can't take it, etc. I've seen people saying we don't know how to really correctly and analyze characters and that we're not even playing the same game. They say we've ruined the game, the fandom, and that they wished it was never localized. I've also seen quite horrible things, but I don’t wanna repeat the things said, but yeah.

And the kicker is, it's only the JP side I've seen post this stuff. I've seen more hate come from that side more than anything, and of course not all, like you. You're my fave btw.

So yeah, thoughts?

Hello, hello! ^^ I’m not really a super big celebration person but I’m hunkering down for a cozy hibernation this winter ❄️ I hope everyone had/will have a good 2023 holiday season~

Before I provide my response to the question posed in this ask, I want to make sure we're all on the same page for this discussion first:

Please be advised that my perspective is coming from that of someone who started off playing JP in March 2020 and then picked up EN when it came out in January 2022. I have played on both servers since their initial launches.

When I refer to TWST JP and EN fans in this post, I am only referring to the English speaking fans (as in, English speaking fans who play JP and English speaking fans who play EN).

For the sake of simplicity, I will be disregarding “hybrid” fans (English speaking fans who play both JP and EN) as a separate category and will lump them in with “JP” fans (English speaking fans who play JP). This is because I assume most mixed fans started off with JP and then adopted EN later on.

I am not talking about ALL English-speaking JP and/or EN fans here; I am only talking about the ones Anon described in their ask.

As the Anon said, I ask that you go into this post with an open mind; do not assume that I will bash JP and/or EN, take sides, defend or condone toxic attitudes, or that this post exists just to “stir the pot”. That is not the purpose of my response. The purpose is to have a meaningful and constructive discussion about TWST’s fandom culture, particularly as it pertains to English-speaking fans. I hope that in talking about this, we can better understand “the other side” (however you may personally define that) and work toward making the fandom space more welcoming for all.

Please read the entire post and think about your own choice of words before commenting and/or sending in an ask about this topic, should you choose to.

To the Anon that submitted this ask and to anyone else that plays EN and may have had similar thoughts: I’m sorry to hear about the negative experiences you’ve had in the TWST fandom. I hope that this post brings you some peace of mind, if not at least some catharsis for what you may be feeling.

Firstly, it’s important to understand the mindset of both JP and EN fans. As such, I will delve into the background and the development of each side. It is NOT meant to justify either side, but rather to inform you on how each perspective originated and grew to what it is today.

The animosity and opposition to an official English version of TWST has been present for a while. An English version of TWST has always been contentious, even long before the localization was announced. Some wanted it to happen for accessibility reasons (as some people find it tedious to hunt for translations) or were supportive of the idea because it means a larger fanbase and thus more potential to make friends or to discuss the game. Others were more apprehensive of the quality of a localization (as much tends to be cut or censored to make the content more palatable) and/or claimed that expanding the fanbase in such a way would bring in more “bad apples”.

When EN first came out, it did, in fact, expand the fanbase. However, many were quick to notice the many (and I do mean many) errors and short sightings present in it: frequent spelling and grammar mistakes in the game and on official social media posts, inconsistent phrasing, incorrect translations, game-breaking glitches, frequent censorship, half-hearted promotions, etc. EN also became infamous for its absolutely brutal pacing of content in the early days, particularly related to the limited story event schedules (including back-to-back Halloween events). This, in combination with EN’s constant pushing of paid gems (which occurs far more frequently than in the JP server) has left a bad taste in JP fans’ mouths. To them, TWST EN did not make a good first impression and continued to misstep again and again. This is especially true of the many dialogue changes to make the TWST localization more “culturally appropriate” (which is the definition of what a localization is; there is a reason why TWST is not called a translation, which would be a more accurate/“faithful” or direct translation of the dialogue).

The claim that “EN fans are weak/can’t handle the real story” likely arises from how EN has removed or altered details which may offend western audiences. This includes things like the term “master”, the mention of Azul’s weight, Kalim’s “30-40” siblings, etc. These are conscious decisions made on the part of the game localizers to make TWST more broadly appealing and appropriate for a western audience, where such topics are contentious or considered taboo. This is adapting TWST to a new culture so that it can (in a dry business sense) perform well. However, I also want to mention that some cultural changes EN made do significantly alter the story/characters (such as Jamil no longer stating his family will be on the streets if they defy the Asims; in EN he only says his parents will be mad at him), particularly if you are viewing through an EN-only lens. Unfortunately 😔 as much as I can point the nuances of localization out, there will always be fans who still oppose any sort of censorship. This is also true of the anime and manga community in general, and this post isn’t large enough in scope to tackle those issues. I only mention this here to help you, the reader, better understand the changes from Disney/Aniplex.

A lot of the original negative feelings that were there before EN was announced were then confirmed by the official release, and this strengthened the dislike of EN on the part of JP fans. These JP fans may then become hostile toward EN fans who defend the localization (whether or not they have the context of TWST JP) because, in the eyes of the JP fans, the localization is not as good as it could be. Ultimately, it seems like their intense feelings stem from passion for what they love and not wishing to see it “desecrated” rather than an actual hatred of fellow fans. JP fans are upset because they fear EN fans are not getting the full scope of the characters and a story they enjoy, and they want others to appreciate those aspects of TWST as well.

Of course 💦 the fact is that EN fans are not responsible for the localization. But EN is there and that is what is the easiest and the most time efficient for English-speaking audiences, so most people will go with that rather than alternatives (ie hunting down fan translations). The issue is that some JP fans conflate simply consuming the localization as being bad or the “wrong” thing to do, and thus, by proxy, extend this frustration to EN fans themselves (especially those those are EN only and have zero prior knowledge of JP) and not just the product. Again, this is because they tend to see JP as the “full” version, without the changes or censorship present in EN. This inevitably leads to discrepancies in understanding between JP and EN, whether due to staggered release of new content or how the characters are presented differently between the two servers. To those who say “the versions are basically the same except for minor changes”, I disagree. There are several dialogue changes that appear small in isolation, but because TWST’s narrative is told primarily via dialogue, those “small” changes are actually very large and can drastically modify how one perceives a character or situation without explicit knowledge of JP to balance it out. When Jamil is made an “employee” rather than a “servant” and worries about his parents being mad at him instead of his entire family literally being on the streets for defying the Asims, it takes away the bite from his motivations. When Cater inserts a #WOW that wasn’t there in JP while Riddle is breaking down sobbing, or makes him come off as far more insensitive than emotionally aware. These are just a few examples, but they are very prominent ones that can change how an EN only fan sees things. The idea that “we aren’t even playing the same game” can ring true to some JP players because of this.

It cannot be helped that EN fans would interpret the characters and stories differently when the localization is their only or primary source of TWST content. Not everyone has the time or the desire to look for more accurate fan translations (not all fan translations are the same quality), as some JP fans have suggested. If EN fans want to, that’s great! It’s nice to expand one’s knowledge and to be cognizant of the changes between the versions. There are many blogs out there dedicated to educating people on these matters, and many EN and JP fans alike flocking there to be informed. But that level of engagement shouldn’t be demanded of anyone. To deem those that don’t engage in “further research” as “lazy”, “dumb”, or a “fake fan” is not acceptable, not in the name of love or otherwise. The expectation to “do homework” only puts pressure on EN fans to be a certain way or else be rejected by the fandom, and that only breeds more hatred and negativity. It makes EN fans feel “not worthy” of being a fan unless they study up, when the truth of the matter is that no matter how much we like TWST, it’s… media at the end of the day. People are free to consume their choice of media however they like, and that includes casually or at their own pace. It’s not fun to be in a fandom where others are breathing down your neck and policing everything you do, especially since these spaces are meant to be a temporary escape from reality. If JP fans meant to gatekeep in an effort to make others recognize the “real” greatness of TWST, then it’s failing because this kind of attitude only serves to drive new fans away.

Among EN fans, there is this idea that “JP fans are stuck-up”. I can understand where this thinking comes from, as I have witnessed hatred for EN myself which comes unprompted and has killed many conversations. Admittedly, some points are geared toward the company themselves (and those are valid), such as rushed and/or inaccurate translations or the pushing of paid gems, but I’ve also seen my fair share of nastier, invalid comments directed at EN fans. There are JP fans who actively hope that EN will shut down or who outright dismiss EN fans because of the version they play, thinking of their thoughts and opinions as “lesser” or doubting their media literacy skills. It’s true that this behavior is out there in the fandom, and that is unfortunately a sad reality.

That being said, JP on EN hate is not the only form I see, and nor is it the majority. It goes both ways (and I would say about equally for all, although this is just based on anecdotes and not objective data). There is plenty of JP on JP hate (particularly when someone spreads mistranslations around as though it were the truth) and EN on EN hate (arguments over what is and is not appropriate to ship, differences in headcanons, harassing fans that fall outside an “acceptable” age range, etc). There is also EN on JP hate which feeds into a dangerous back-and-forth with JP on EN hate. I briefly mentioned before that EN fans tend to believe JP fans are elitist, and this leads to assumptions being made about anyone that critiques EN and sometimes lashing out about it. I myself have previously been accused of “hating” EN because I often make posts commenting on the changes made between EN and JP (which ones I think work and which I think don’t). This preemptively defensive behavior drives another wedge between JP and EN fans, making JP fans reluctant to engage with EN fans, which then fuels the belief that JP fans think they’re “better” than EN fans (when really, some JP fans may be intentionally distancing themselves for their own wellbeing). Additionally, a lot of behavior deemed more acceptable in western oriented fandom spaces (such as moral justifications, taking pictures without crediting, callouts of other fans, and incorrect use of fandom tags) are not so for JP spaces (or those familiar with JP spaces). There have also been times when EN fans harass the actual Japanese-speaking side of the fandom (be it Japanese fans or the devs themselves) and demand (not ask, but demand) content that caters to them or free translations of fan comics they make. When EN fans fail to observe such “basic fandom etiquette”, it leads to JP fans thinking them rude or entitled, which makes JP fans reluctant to interact with EN fans and, again, feeds into confirmation bias. It’s a viscous system.

What is “ruining” the fandom is not just one side. There has always been turmoil present in fandom spaces. It just appears more visible now that TWST’s popularity has grown to this scale. Right now, both sides (JP and EN) are antagonizing each other because of a loud minority that’s attacking the other side. That minority then gets extrapolated and assumed to be behavior of the entirety of the other side, and that is what keeps the hate going.

If I’m being entirely honest 😔 I don’t think these tensions will realistically ever die out; the fandom is too large to “stomp out” what has already been established in its culture. When both sides are fueled by something so strong—a passion for TWST—it’s hard to seek out and/or to consider alternative perspectives. We become fixated on their own negative experiences and fail to think about where the “others” maybe be coming from, and then close ourselves off from discussion. That promotes isolation and contempt rather than friendliness and cooperation.

If we want change, then it starts at an individual level and in smaller TWST communities. We shouldn’t assume the worst of “JP” or “EN” fans; we are all TWST fans. Let’s keep open-minded and welcome other fans and their diverse schools of thought. And if you don’t feel comfortable with that, that’s also fine! You’re allow to keep a distance and curate your online space as you like; just please don’t go out of your way to disparage others, you have your own lane and others have theirs. Don’t encroach on other lanes.

Maybe we don’t necessarily agree with each other or we think may hold different opinions—but that’s good, isn’t it? The freedom of thought and the open exchange of ideas promotes flexible thinking and can lead you to see things from a new angle, or perhaps develop a new idea of your own. If we all thought the same way, then life becomes boring or it can cultivate an “us versus them” narrative that sparks online wars.

Let me put it this way to close off the post: isn’t this the message that Twisted Wonderland itself is trying to teach us? The true value of attending Night Raven College isn’t just about receiving a good education. Countless times it has been stressed to us (and often by Lilia, the oldest and wisest of the core cast, someone who used to be resistant to opening up to outsiders) that it is vital to understand other people in spite of how different we may be. Let’s take a page out of the students’ book and try to live up to that ^^

[rivalswrites]

Introduction/information!

Hello, hello! First let's start off with an introduction.

You can call me Hoffman, I'm autistic & dyslexic, They/Them pronouns, a highschool senior, and am currently going INSANE over Marvel Rivals (Iron Fist main)! I'm an avid self-insert fan, and so I obviously look for what I can. I think it's mostly because the game's still fairly new, but there's barely any so I decided to do it myself!

Please keep in mind that my attention flips rather quickly from one fandom to the next, but I will eventually come back.

This account is half actual fanfiction and half me posting about my experience w the game/shit posting (this is a side blog)

Masterlist (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Now that you know a little about me, let's go over some rules and boundaries (under the cut!)

Interaction is pretty simple, basic DNI rules apply to my account (such as proshippers, child likers, ect.)

This is an open and safe space for queer, neurodivergent, and disabled people, and if any request pertaining to anything of the sorts do get priority in my writing queue. But do keep in mind that if you request something super specific to a disability (physical or mental) I might not get to it right away due to doing research, or not doing it at all because I don't feel like I could properly portray it properly!! I want everyone to be included, but I worry that I'll accidentally mis-write someone's disability and I don't want to do that to any of you!

I'm comfortable with/will be writing:

-x readers (duh)

-fluff, angst, semi-suggestive (but nothing extremely explicit.)

-platonic (friends, parent & kid, siblings, etc.)

-poly ships (character x reader x character)

-headcanons, scenarios/preferences, oneshots (probably the main one) and maybe series if I get into it enough

-canon typical violence

-specific reader descriptions (fashion style, personality, gender, etc.)(No extreme physical descriptions to keep it x readers and not some OC)

-All Rivals characters (will only write platonically for Rocket, Jeff, Groot, and possibly teens of the game (Peni, Cloak & Dagger, Peter, etc.)

I will NOT write:

-basics (p€do things, any form of discrimination towards minorities, proships, ect.)

-ship fics (character x character is not what I wrote here!)

-extremely explicit stuff (semi-suggestive fine, but nothing more)

-proposals, I'm just not that good at it

-extreme descriptions of the Reader, as I want to keep this as self-insert as possible

-religion. I'm not comfortable writing for any religions, as I'm not super knowledgeable about any.

-bringing other fandoms into the request (ex: reader who acts like/is (insert anime character))

-yandere/dark fics!! I'm not at all interested in such things.

I think that covers all of it!

[vamphorica]

mattmello week vi: daily rituals

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandom: Death Note (Anime & Manga)

Relationship: Matt | Mail Jeevas/Mello | Mihael Keehl

Characters: Matt | Mail Jeevas, Mello | Mihael Keehl

Additional Tags: Diary/Journal, Routine, Surveillance, Childhood Memories, Rituals, POV Mello | Mihael Keehl, Unhappy Ending, Canon Compliant, Religion

Word Count: 3,127

Series: Part 6 of MattMello Week 2024 | @mattmelloweek

Summary: A day in the life of Matt and Mello, towards the end.

────────────────────────────

But I always knew that in the end no one was coming to save me / So I just prayed and I keep praying and praying and praying – ‘Sun Bleached Flies’, Ethel Cain

────────────────────────────

5.49am

I wake up.

Since arriving in Japan, I haven’t been sleeping particularly well. I have always been an early riser, but as I rub the sleep from my eyes I cannot deny the crushing fatigue that a four hour sleep has cursed unto me. My mind is restless as what I assume to be dreams are instead insistent thoughts that will eventually force me back to the reality of the world before I am ready. I cannot imagine that I will be heading back to the States any time soon, but the reminder of those deep sleeps that would leave me feeling refreshed seem distant and strange, now that I often find myself rising before the sun.

I struggle out of Matt’s tight embrace, carelessly throwing his arms away as I shift out of bed. When we were younger, and had taken to the habit of sleeping in the same bed, I used to lie awake for hours in the morning, worried that I would wake him up, but it didn’t take long before I realised that he remains dead to the world once he does fall asleep, and no amount of movement on my part would return him to consciousness. He did complain about waking up to an empty bed several times, but as it became clear that he would have to sacrifice his general habit to arise at noon, we came to the conclusion that I will never be lying next to him when he does wake up. Sitting up, I turn around to look at him, and notice the twat has slept in his goggles, again. I pull them off his head, prompting a small – but oblivious – grunt.

6.11am

I have a quick shower and shave my face, a slight sprinkling of stubble I had never expected to arrive now emerging in a lazy, useless way. With half my face burnt to fuck, any possible desire I may have had to grow it out is now rendered impossible, and it feels like a chore to run the razor over my chin.

Matt’s energy drinks are waiting for me in the fridge, and I decide one will be sufficient for breakfast this morning. I take a can with me to what can only be described as our living room, although we haven’t exactly gone all out with the furnishings. A sofa and an armchair sit jauntily before a small coffee table piled with wires and laptops in a mess that if I didn’t have five thousand things higher on my list of priorities, I would sort out immediately. Matt has more time than I do, but seems perfectly content with this pile of shit now spilling over the floor, so I guess I too will work around it. I retrieve my laptop and set it on my lap, popping open the tab of the drink and taking an indulgent swig. I feel more awake now than I will for the rest of the day, so I need to take advantage of my heightened energy to analyse the transcripts from Yagami and Takada’s conversation in the hotel that I typed up last night, and try to follow up the lead Halle provided to me pertaining to Near’s progress with the investigation. She is never explicit with what the SPK is up to, reminding me that she’s not on either of our sides, but she lets enough slip that I am relatively confident she is putting more faith in me than her supposed boss.

I put on my headphones and get to work.

10.17am

I take a break. There is only so much I can put myself through of Yagami’s nauseating sweet talk and Takada’s conservative, yet highly flattered, responses. Initially, I thought she was genuinely impressed by his charisma, believing the son of a bitch in his oozing compliments and flirtations, but I now have reason to believe she is putting on just as much of a performance, noting how perfect their dialogue appears to be. It is like listening to an episode from one of those romance shows that middle aged women seem to flock to as a means to escape the dull mundanity of their loveless marriages. The conversations have to be scripted and, on one occasion when Matt edited the audio to isolate the background noise, it became clear that the sound of a pen against paper could be heard faintly as they threw words like ‘darling’ and ‘sweetheart’ at each other for hours on end.

I think of Matt and I, the way we talk to each other. Maybe there is something to be said with gay relationships being more complex, but even with all his ‘babe’s and softly whispered ‘Mihael’s, I believe there is something more intentional and less gratuitous about the whole affair. Light speaks to women as if they are only a gentle word away from falling at his feet to kiss them, and maybe it is the arrogance that pisses me off more so than the language itself. It has never been that simple between myself and Matt, we have exchanged as many cruel insults at one another as we have terms of endearment, but I prefer the challenge of reality to this smarmy expectation of loyalty that he possesses.

Chocolate is always within reach, and I idly slide a hand beneath the surface of the table to retrieve a bar from the large box I had shipped over. I haven’t exactly had the time to go taste testing what Japan has to offer, and while I don’t doubt it has a myriad of decent options, I need the reassurance of familiarity in my habits, so I threw money at a website that imported Cadbury’s. I believe it is a necessary expense.

I hear the bed creaking in the other room, and feel an urge to go stare at Matt, which I promptly find myself doing. As I expected, he is still asleep, the pillow I used now a substitute in his clingy arms. I flip open my phone and take a picture, cursing the shutter sound that Japanese phones have built in to avoid perverts taking photos beneath schoolgirls’ skirts. I should really be given the right to take pictures of my conked out boyfriend whenever I damn please, but other than a slight twitch in his fingers, there is no reason to think that I disturbed him, so I leave him be, reminding myself that I hardly have another moment to spare fucking about anyway. There is more work to be done.

12.02pm

I am graced by Matt’s presence. He appears in the doorway wearing nothing but a large t-shirt and underwear, adopting the mannerisms of a small child ready to inform me that he has thrown up. It will take him about an hour before he can hold an intelligible conversation with me, but I nod at him nevertheless to indicate I am aware he has made it through the night, and the entire morning as well.

I let him wander around the flat, my headphones doing very little to muffle his heavy footing as he roots for something edible in the cupboards. I have been trying to get past the SPK firewall with Halle’s cryptic prompts but with Matt now awake, I will get him to sort it out this afternoon.

“We have no food.” Matt announces from the kitchen, knowing that I’m not going to give him any chocolate. He would have to be on the brink of starvation before I even considered being so generous. Did I mention how expensive it was getting it flown over here from the UK? It alerts me to my own hunger, however, and I close my laptop and tell him to go out and grab us sandwiches, or something. He comes back into view, looking lost.

Fine. I will come with him.

1.07pm

The nearest convenience store is just short of ten minutes from the apartment, and once Matt has dressed himself and had a go at brushing his teeth for all of ten seconds, we are out of the door and walking down the street. The neighbourhood we are currently residing in is practically empty during the day, and as useful as that can be, it makes me feel distant and secluded in comparison to the places I have lived before. I have done well in the company of others, more so than many in the House can attest to. While I think Matt is happy enough to hang by my side without much fuss, I do yearn for the crowds, the business of human beings going about their lives. This small residential strip feels almost unused, too pristine to deal with people in any genuine manner. I suppose most people feel the need to perform now; one mistake can cost you your life. Some don’t have the luxury of opting for innocence in a Kira dominated world, and I feel confronted by the discomfort of privilege here.

The cashier at the store recognises us – of course she does, we are two foreigners and the fuck-off scar is not my most discreet feature. Then again, I fear Matt and I have never cared much for subtlety. We return the greeting she enthusiastically ejects and stare at rows of freshly made sandwiches that look slightly artificial in their packaging. Matt picks up a couple, staring at them before returning them to the shelf. I ask him what he wants, and he grunts unhelpfully. I can hardly chastise him for being picky. The House failed us in many ways but was compellingly successful in its ability to make each and every one of us exceptionally picky eaters. I tell Matt to hurry up and choose something, because my hunger is beginning to manifest into irritation and I want to return to the flat as soon as possible.

I grab a salad, and after about a minute, Matt settles on an egg sandwich. Brilliant. I snatch it out of his hand and go pay for them, before shoving him back out into the bright winter day.

2.29pm

Back at the flat, we have picked at our lunch to an extent with which we feel satisfied and Matt is chatting away about nothing in particular, but I don’t mind because I like hearing him talk, even if it is bullshit that I am not remotely interested in. I have managed to gauge that he is explaining some technical aspect of one of his new DS games, which allows me to hum in response every so often to indicate that I do care and that I just so happen to be working at the same time. I don’t know how he believes I am focusing on what he is saying when he knows I can only concentrate in absolute silence, but the morning was lonely without him so I seem able to forgo work for the sake of his rambling explanations.

2.34pm

It is time to get back to work.

I direct Matt to the extent of my attempt in breaching the SPK security system myself, and he gives it a look over before telling me he can get it done within the hour. What this really means is that he will get it done in about three hours, not because he isn’t exceptionally quick at what he does, but his ability to maintain attention is nonexistent. His gaming consoles sit on the table like a tempting siren, and as much as I would like to chuck them in the bedroom so he can dedicate his full concentration to the task at hand, I have a sense that he will strop, which will only make him work slower to spite me. It is far better to let him get distracted every fifteen minutes and make progress than to have him actively slow us down.

Relationships are about compromise, I remind myself diligently, and God only knows that I compromise with Matt more often than not.

In the meantime, I begin writing out a detailed summary of my findings so far in my notebook. I have taken to using it to try and make sense of the information I have collected so I can begin creating some sort of plan. Although I know it is part of the job, I have grown increasingly tired of sitting around taking notes and my need to do something more substantial is gnawing at me incessantly. I can lay low to gather intelligence, or to speculate about certain circumstances that I have high reason to believe are occurring, but without taking action, it feels like yet another House assignment, all theory and no initiative. I don’t think Near has some kind of bombshell on his system that I would need in order to advance my own investigation, but if I can get an insight into what conclusions he is coming to, I can begin making the appropriate moves to get ahead of him. Being in Japan while he is still in the States is certainly advantageous.

7.56pm

Matt tells me that the breach is taking him longer than he expected, and that he is going out for a smoke break. I have reason to believe him if only because he has reached for his DS just twice in the past few hours. I hear the front door close behind him and underline ‘fake notebook’ twice before sitting back and letting my focus drift momentarily as the tiredness once again catches up to me. I know realistically I won’t be in bed until the early hours again, but the thoughts that swim around my mind feel, at times, overwhelming. I know that without a solid lead, I am still condemned to these days of running through plans again and again while we are continuously losing time.

My phone rings. It is Halle. I imagine she is calling to mention that they have been alerted to an attempted security breach, so I pick up without thinking much about it at all.

8.04pm

I don’t notice Matt immediately. Instead I hold my head in my hands, staring at the floor. There is no point detailing the specificities of what Halle explained to me on the phone, because I suppose I had always suspected that I might receive such a call. In a sense, it was what I had been wanting to hear, really, an invitation to action. Just enough information to let me know that I need to do something now, because I will never have the chance to do so again. Even she sounded concerned, and quite honestly, I have never heard her tone waver when she so effortlessly manages to convey calmness, even with a gun barrel against the back of her head.

The question is not whether I will intervene – that is a given – but rather, how I will. Oddly, a sense of clarity silences my mind in consideration of the conclusiveness of what the next, and final, act is for me to pursue. There is no way I will manage to conduct a plan that is as flawless as I would like it to be, and I will have to put a lot of faith in these theories I have constructed. I only have a matter of days to make my move, after all.

I hear Matt say my name. He is standing in the doorway, again. He holds the cigarette carton in one hand, and the other supports him as he leans on the doorframe. I don’t know how long he has been standing there.

“Are you alright?”

I can’t tell him tonight. Maybe I can figure out a way of not telling him at all, to try and keep him in the dark about what is to come. I am concerned that as I make these plans, he will work out what I am doing, or worse yet, I will realise that I require his assistance in some capacity, meaning that I will have to drag him into this shitshow.

I smile, and tell him I’m just tired. He doesn’t appear to believe me, and I don’t expect him to, but he knows better than to try to get me to confess how I am really feeling. He trusts that I will tell him eventually. Sometimes I do.

11.39pm

Matt admits that he is struggling to break into the system, and I say that it is late, so he can try again tomorrow. Honestly, it is not that important anymore. An hour ago, he crawled from his armchair, dragging his laptop over to lean against me as he worked, awkwardly forcing my body to accommodate for his. I snap my notebook shut before he has a chance to glance at my notes. The notes I have written are vague and incoherent, an unhappy mess of ideas for pulling off a final victory that has no real guarantee of success no matter how hard I try to develop it. I instead watch as he types furiously on his keyboard, green text shooting across the black screen, and error messages popping up every few seconds in response. He doesn’t seem as defeated or frustrated as I imagine I would be, but the small sighs indicate that the intrigue of the challenge no longer compels him.

He sets aside his laptop, before twisting his body so that he lies on top of me. It is not long before we are fucking, a familiar night time routine that we often engage in at a much later hour than this, but we have both accepted that the day has come to an end and we are all over one another, resorting to those same techniques we employ every night to hit that pinnacle of pleasure that only we can trust ourselves to deliver. I allow my mind to drift away, focusing only on the intensity of our love for one another, giving myself over to it like a man possessed. We fall into each other’s arms, and it is only through Matt’s weak suggestion that we manage to drag ourselves to the bedroom.

2.00am

I wake up, terrified.

I scramble out of bed, dropping to the floor and grab my rosary from the pile of clothes tossed in the corner. Weaving it around my fingers, I clasp my hands together and prop my elbows up on the mattress, hardly able to see beyond my pale hands in the darkness.

I begin to pray.

[thaidakar-is-hot]

So...People have been asking for my Kelsier Essay.

I'll publish it in several posts that are qued apart.

Kelsier Essay

This is not a formal, academic essay. It’s a loose one but I feel it drives home the point well enough and brings forth good evidence.

 I hope the dear reader will forgive my use of a proper noun as I write this essay; it removes somewhat of a formal aspect from its words but I must admit, it does come from a personal place of my heart. While this essay is meant to be persuasive, it’s also meant to be constructive and to drive a point home that I have been musing on for quite a while. This essay has major spoilers for the entirety of the Cosmere. If you haven’t read all of Mistborn, SH, and all of SL, please refrain from reading this.

In the endless expanses of the Cosmere, there are hundreds of characters whom many hold dear and just as many whom people hate. You could say this is due to the brilliance of the author, who, despite his busy schedules and near constant time spent behind a keyboard, finds time to sign sheets and answer questions. Why is signing sheets and answering questions relevant to beloved and reviled characters? Read on.

Brandon Sanderson answers hundreds of questions, many of which are inane, innocuous, or silly. Some are deeper, others delve into the basis behind some of his choices while writing. Still others pertain to characters. We get to the meat of it. This particular character is known, through the writing, as a brutal man, who let nothing stand in the way of his goal, who, while cleaving the noble class of his society in twain, uplifted the peasants and upended the thousand-year reign of his deity and ruler. Yes, we’re talking of Kelsier, the Survivor of Hathsin, hero of the Final Empire, and a character that leaves many people puzzled.

Reddit forums are frequented by questions about him. r/Mistborn and r/Cosmere alike have had their fair share of debates, and there was one thing I noticed in many of these: they take the words of Sanderson very, very seriously. Why shouldn’t they? He’s the author, is he not? Back in 2013, Sanderson had a Q&A session where someone asked him who his most disturbing character was. The WoB is as follows:

I_are_pant

1.Which of your protagonist characters do you dislike the most as a person? Taking in account that you know all of their inner secrets and motivations. 2. On the flip side, which of your antagonists do you connect with the most? The Lord Ruler seems an obvious choice as he was misunderstood by everyone for so long. But still, I’m curious.

Brandon Sanderson  This is a tough one, as while I’m writing, I HAVE to like everyone. However, the most disturbing of them is probably Kelsier. He’s a psychopath—meaning the actual, technical term. Lack of empathy, egotism, lack of fear. If his life had gone differently, he could have been a very, very evil dude.

 This Word of Brandon has had a decided effect on the fandom, namely in the fact that critical thought surrounding Kelsier, his motives, his struggles, and his successes, has all but been erased. He has been branded a psychopath, and there is nothing anyone can say against it.

The word “psychopath” is a very negatively charged word. To preface things, I want to be clear that this essay is going to refer to “psychopathy” as Antisocial-Personality Disorder. The term psychopath is very old, and largely refers to individuals with this particular disorder. The traditional definition of psychopath is someone who both lacks a conscience and lacks empathy.

Through this essay, I plan to painstakingly showcase that Kelsier fits neither the outdated term nor the criteria for the actual disorder, through canon book citations. I will break down each diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (Henceforth shortened to ASPD) and Kelsier’s character traits at large. I wish to not only prove Brandon wrong (It is a very old WoB and I doubt very much he still believes this.) but to prove to the fandom at large that Kelsier is a good man. A flawed man, but a good man. I will also note specific character traits that I feel are of note in discussing him, his motives, and his current ideologies.

(Please note that there are plenty of individuals with ASPD that are not bad people. Your actions make you bad, not your mental health. I will be using terms such as “bad” and “wrong”, but this is in regards to a fictional character, NOT a real life human being.)

Antisocial Personality Disorder is a disorder characterized by the DSM-V as a Cluster-B personality disorder. It shares its family with Narcissistic, Borderline, and Histrionic disorders, and is characterized by a “continuing disregard and violation of the rights of others, occurring since the age of fifteen. To be diagnosed with ASPD, you must show a pattern of three or more of the following characteristics:

·         Failure to Conform with Laws and Social Norms

·         Deceitfulness (Repeated lying or conning of others for personal profit or pleasure.

·         Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.

·         Irritability or Aggressiveness (Repeated physical fights or assaults.)

·         Reckless disregard for the safety of others.

·         Consistent irresponsibility. (Failure to keep a job or honor financial obligations.)

·         Lack of remorse.

Psychopathy is a term that was coined before this disorder was identified and refers specifically to a person lacking in both empathy and a conscience. The term is still widely used today, along with the term Sociopath, often interchangeably. For this essay, I’ll be largely relying on the psychiatric standards set in the DSM-V.

[thehollowprince]

I've already said before how much I can't stand Screenrant, and yet I fall for this clickbaiting rage bait every time I see it among my Google recommendations. Seriously... every time.

And I don't make posts like this because I think it's going to change the minds of anyone who irrationally hates the Jedi because someone in the fandom convinced them too by using guiding terminology. No, I make posts like this so that when someone goes looking, they'll find opinions that differ from what's popular, as well as using facts from the source material to back up those opinions.

So we're just going to go through this, point by point, and highlight the flaws in this "argument."

The only question I have for this is Why?

Why would an organization dedicated to defending peace and justice throughout the galaxy not have a base of operations? This is a question I'll repeat later on for one of these other "points," but it just bears repeating. How is the populace of the galaxy supposed to reach out to these new Jedi for help if they can't find them?

And while it sounds nice on the surface to travel the galaxy and train padawans as she goes, it's totally impractical, considering she's the ONLY Jedi doing this. Like, do you have any idea how long it would take to train new Jedi this way?

Like, I'm all for Jedi traveling the galaxy to bring peace and all that, but to do that, you have to have Jedi to travel.

I know this point has been talked about repeatedly, but let's once again hash this out.

The Jedi did not forbid relationships!

Relationships happen all the time, from romantic to familial to friendship. The Jedi frowned upon attachment. And before anyone hops on this post or jumps into my inbox, please look up the philosophy of nonattachment as it pertains to Buddhism and Eastern Philosophy.

Also, look up the difference between an attachment and a connection.

A Jedi's whole purpose was to put the needs of others first. That's their whole schtick. And if a Jedi couldn't put their commitment to the Order and the Republic above their own wants and desires, they were always free to leave. There are plenty of other Force-based groups in the Galaxy that didn't frown upon attachment or relationships. I don't understand why so many people think that the Jedi should have to change their entire philosophy to account for a few selfish individuals.

Go back and read the books and comics from over the years. With very few exceptions, every time a Jedi tried to have their cake and eat it too, they fell to the Dark Side. So Rey's Order actively encouraging relationships (because that's what Fandom is about anymore) is just going to continue the cycle of the Jedi Order falling because "how dare this ancient organization follow its rules and not throw out their entire philosophy" and thus starting the cycle all over again.

Yes, because having multitude of voices with differing opinions and viewpoints is bad. They should all just do their own thing, Lone Ranger style, regardless of how such chaos defeats the entire purpose of the Jedi.

Side note: what movies was this author watching where they came up with the idea that the Jedi Council thought they owned the Force?

The ranking system was there for a reason.

Can you imagine a new initiate coming to Rey and saying, "Hey, I know I've only been training here for two weeks, but I deserve to look at that Sith holocron because I'm a Jedi and we're all equal members with no rank."

You want them to be vigilantes.

Just say you want them to be vigilantes.

The entire point of the Jedi being such a prominent part of the Republic was to avoid bias in justice. We've seen how Senators and politicians and law enforcement could be bought off, but that wasn't the case for the Jedi. They were impartial peacekeepers and their place within the Republic was a vital part of that.

To me, this feels like the author wanted the Jedi to say, "Since you're mean to us, we're not going to help you," which is the complete antithesis of what the Jedi stand for.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I know your toddler is Force-sensitive, and your house falls apart every time they have a temper tantrum, but I can't help you. We don't offer training until they're older and have already caused massive damage. Best of luck."

Yes, absolutely. Because the defenders of peace and justice throughout the galaxy who should strive to remain calm and keep a level head in the heat of the moment should have LESS training. We just want cops with lightsabers, right?

The Jedi did not join the Republic as a military unit. All the times they acted as military commanders throughout their history was at the insistence of the Republic. Hell, they were drafted to lead the clone armies during the Clone Wars.

The Clone Wars, which I'd like to remind everyone, were orchestrated by several Sith Lords over the span of a decade, after decades more of destabilizing the galaxy. The Jedi specifically tried to stop the Clone Wars from happening, but the deck was stacked against them.

All of this blame on the Jedi for the failures of the Senate and the direct machinations of a Sith Lord who chested his way to the highest office of the Republic.

I highly recommend these people look up what George Lucas has to say about the Jedi and the Force. He specifically says that the Dark-Side is unbalance.

I'd also like to point out that the first mention of "the Light Side" was in The Force Awakens. There is no mention of "the Light" in the Original Trilogy or the Prequels. The "Light" is the balance.

This has been discussed multiple times by multiple people, but apparently it bears repeating.

When did they not "pay attention" to Force visions?

Because in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, when Anakin has dreams about his mother and Padme, respectively, he doesn't tell Obi-Wan or Yoda the full extent of them. If he had told Obi-Wan what his dreams were about, they probably would have gone to save Shmi. And it was Anakin's own actions that led to Padme's death, the very thing he'd been dreaming about.

Hell, even when Luke had his Force vision in Empire Strikes back, if he'd heeded Yoda and been more cautious, he wouldn't have lost his hand. I want to remind people that when Luke showed up, Han Solo was already frozen in Carbonite, and Lando was able to save the others without the Jedi. All Luke being there accomplished was him receiving an ass-whoopin' and the revelation that he was Darth Vadar's son.

I don't know why people are so dedicated to trying to smear the Jedi at any and every opportunity, but it's getting boring. Especially when all one needs to do to refute these claims is to just watch the movies.

Like I said in my earlier post, this author wants Rey to create an entirely new organization and just slap the name Jedi on it for branding rights.

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

Im gonna be honest i think we need to understand how oswald's and fanny's relationship REALLY was, because its clear that they both describe it with still personal very very strong feelings and they do run head first into that Unreliable narrator territory often enough to make me belive theres something big missing a invisible elephant in the room if you will

Fanny says oswald betrayed her

While oswald says she was extremly toxic and wants her away (yet he still pulled all that shit at the dance like bro she was litellary just having fun at an even that you just so happened to be at Then you walked up to her asked her for a dance and acted like she was the devil and started accusing her)

And while both these things could be true in sense we need to know HOW, how was fanny toxic? How did oswald betray her? We have a silloute of a picture but not the frame or the pieces

Also I do seriously wonder how was fanny toxic to oswald? It all was very very long ago and while fanny's personality could be mirroring her now but She didnt have all the experience she has now she had to be diffrent from how she's now

(Also I truly belive oswald definitley fucked up in some way too and we don't know it yet like she had multiple boyfriends but oswald stucks out and not only that but even the thought of him angers her, it could be because if we look at the timeline he could be her first boyfriend or alternativley her ticked out of bad home life like you said but I do think there has to be more to it especialy since again we don't know that much about how he was all that time ago...but we do know fanny likes to ignore neon red flags)

Sorry for the long ask oh my i didnt mean to write it so long I hope you don't mind my mid analisis in your ask box but you did say you wanna talk more about fanny so

ヾ (‘∀ `*)

Honestly I don't mind people hitting my askbox up with analyses or their own takes on certain parts of IM I live for this and I WOULD like to interact with the Inky Mystery fandom more on tumblr cause most of the time I'm hanging out with everyone on discord, but it's nice to talk on here too lol

I'm gonna guess you're asking for my opinion on this?

I don't know if I would describe them as both being unreliable narrators, because from my knowledge Oswald has never divulged to anyone about his relationship with Fanny so we don't really know what his whole perspective on the matter actually is. We don't know if he thinks he was innocent throughout the relationship or if he acknowledges that they were both toxic and bad for each other. What we know is that Oswald was the one who dumped Fanny not the other way around and that means something to me at least.

Fanny on the other hand...I would definitely call her an unreliable narrator when this is how she's describing the breakup:

If you were to only hear from Fanny's side of things you could be convinced that Oz was having an affair with Ortensia on the side during his relationship with Fanny. But this isn't the case, and there's nothing from Fanny's side to provide evidence that this was the case. Not to mention that she's implying that Ortensia seduced Oz into breaking up with her so she could replace her. Calling her an unreliable narrator here doesn't even cut it she's just outright lying about two people who haven't really done her wrong.

But this isn't the first time either. In another chapter she makes a bunch of accusations against Oswald again.

Accusations, that again, are not proven to be true. We got Oswald's perspective during the Far Far West arc and anything pertaining to Fanny never came up. He never talked to anyone about it. He never talked to Cuphead about it. Hell, he didn't even talk to Cuphead at the group date either.

We've only had Oswald make one real accusation against Fanny from when they were together and it was in response to an accusation that Fanny made about him. We have no idea whether Oz is telling the truth or not, but I also have no reason to see why he'd lie. I don't think Fanny is lying to cover up anything, I think she's so bitter about the break up it doesn't occur to her that Oz breaking up with her wasn't to spite her or anything. Yes it hurt and it sucks the way her life turned out after the break, but that's not Oz's fault. He's not responsible for that.

All in all, I think it's good to have an open mind about their relationship, but we also have to look at the facts and the facts show that it's not on equal ground. One person is spreading rumors or fabrications and the other hasn't said a word about the situation to anyone.

Hell, even at the group date situation, Oz approached Fanny to call her out on her behavior but he could have just as easily gone straight to Cuphead and warned him about Fanny and her past. Oswald keeps what happened between them to himself and those he knows best. Fanny has openly talked shit about both Ortensia and Ozzy in front of other people casually without consideration for privacy.

The whole thing regarding why Oswald angers her so much whenever she thinks about him. I have ideas, and I feel like I'm right on the money but I want to wait and see before making a big meta post about their relationship. M shared something juicy on the discord and I am very excited when we get to see it!!!

Also THANK YOU for the ask!! This was nice I'm glad I got to gush about these two some more because I often don't lol

[adrianlikesdinos]

while it is funny to think and joke about, i think the genuine belief that Erik's wife and daughter were used for the main purpose of trying to erase Cherik is just such a truly awful take. there is no contextual evidence to even back up the claim, by the end of the movie Erik still choses Charles yet again.

so I'm here to present my succinct, evidence-based claim: Erik's wife and daughter only worked to further cement his and Charles shared narrative.

in the film, these two girls act as flat characters; very little information is given about them, no character development takes place, and they take up very little screentime. what they add to the films story however is a point emotional attachment outside the world of mutant vs. humans for Erik to settle into, heal, and escape from his previous life as a literal terrorist. unfortunately for die hard Cherik truthers, this means an emotional attachment out side the world Erik shares with Charles. this is a genuine attempt by Erik to remove himself from the cycle of fear and rage he has been a slave to since his childhood, and it really did all work out for him. he had a job, a community, and he was able to create a life perfectly for himself. despite needing to hide his powers, this was probably the best outcome he was ever going to achieve.

but, now that the franchises main antagonist has settled into a life of warmth and comfort, its time for the narrative to get moving again. you cant tell a story without its antagonist. yes, Apocalypse is the main antagonist for this specific movie as he is the source for the majority of the films tension and conflict, but this movie is a part of the over arching narrative primarily concerning Professor X, his X Men, and their arch-nemesis, Magneto. being each others narrative foils and their decades old disputes they are quite literally a package deal, there will never be a Professor X without his Magneto. So, what better way to pull our protagonist his literal other half into the mix than a good old fashioned fridging?

"women in refrigerator's" is a literary trope originally coined in 1999 by comic book fan Gail Simone. this term is used to refer to the trope in which a female loved one is killed, injured, or otherwise hurt in order to further the plot. the trope is one in which women are used as disposable. (there is so much more i could say about the sexism rooted in this fairly common trope but its fairly self explanatory and doesn't pertain to directly to the topic at hand.) once you actually learn about this you cant stop noticing it (ever seen a Disney movie?). it is particularly common in comic books as a heavily male dominated field of media. it is an easy, fast way to get emotion and anger out of a character and gives them the motive to fulfill whatever is needed for the story to continue. in this case, the rage born from Erik's grief lead him to join Apocalypse as one of his horse men. ultimately pushing him towards yet another fated conflict with Charles, the climax of almost any X Men film.

if the writers were truly conscious and concerned with fans perception of Erik and Charles questionably platonic relationship, they wouldn't have used a trope to sling shot the man directly back into his fandom assigned love interest. its incredibly unreasonable to claim a device clearly intended to send him closer to his other half was in an attempt to separate them.

and, claiming that his family was just an attempt to erase Cherik feels like completely ignoring Erik's past experiences with fridging that truly work to build the complexities and tragedy of their strictly canon relationship. this is the second time he has had his whole world ripped away from him. the second time he has turned to rage and violence to protect what little of himself he has left. this is the first time however that he realizes he has more than just a little broken piece of himself left. this is the first time he is able to realize there is another soul out there who can see past the rage he is blinded by. the first time he has had someone who continues to see the good in him.

and this is me looking at this from as unbiased a perspective as i can. this is hardly even subtext. Erik's flashback wasn't stuck in there just because they needed more screen time, everything holds significance. it was blatantly telling us that in that very moment Erik realized he still had Charles, the one person who can actually claim to know someone, the one person who genuinely knows HIM.

[chaifootsteps]

non-viv-fandom annoyance. a few months ago, someone in my fandom crunched data for ships pertaining to certain characters. one side character i like had a ship that accounted for 68% of the fics featuring that character. more than every other ship combined. and yet there are so fucking many people in that big ship who are still so insecure about the rest of us in our little rowboats that they spend almost as much time firing their guns on us as they do actually making stuff for their ship. like goddamn, you technically already won the war, leave us alone already.

I feel like fandoms don't even care about the actual ships anymore, it's just one big pissing match and an excuse to bully anyone who isn't "winning." It sucks.

[analyzinggames]

Queerness in Ace Attorney

SPOILERS FOR THE ACE ATTORNEY TRILOGY (I literally just finished it)

inspired by the lgbtq game archive: https://lgbtqgamearchive.com/2016/05/25/jean-armstrong-in-phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-trials-and-tribulations/

This blog post will examine and critically analyze Ace Attorney's depiction of gender and sexuality.

Jean Armstrong is portrayed as an effeminate man who flirts with every man around him. He exaggerates his movements and mannerisms, using a fake french accent in his daily life. He owns a restaurant that is decorated in a “girlish” way, filled with roses and accents of pink. He sells perfume on the side, adding to the “girly” things he does.

Throughout the game, characters question his gender identity. It is not explicitly mentioned, but it is implied that Jean is a cisgender gay man who likes to dress in drag.

Ace Attorney is not a game where the designer was trying to express a message pertaining to gender and sexuality, rather it was to make fun of gender expressions outside the norm. The characters outright asking him if he’s a woman is meant to be humorous, although it just shows that in the game and the culture surrounding it, acting feminine equates to being a woman. The game perpetuates gender stereotypes in this way.

It is important to note that Max Galactica, a magician in a circus, is not criticized for his feminine appearance like Armstrong. With his long flowing pink hair, shiny pink clothes, and flamboyant accents on those clothes, one could argue that Max also dresses in drag.

When looking at Armstrong, the characters call him a woman due to his feminine appearance. It could also be because he flirts with men, as "something a woman would do." Perhaps Max does not receive the same jokes as Armstrong because he is straight (and in love with a 16-year old who acts like a child but let's not talk about that right now), has his chest exposed (which only a man is allowed to do), and works at a circus (where it's expected for people to act strangely).

Moving onto sexuality, the Ace Attorney fandom ships two main characters, Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth.

Here is the main reason.

Here is another reason.

...enough said.

okay, one more

oh and proof that phoenix is bi

he was in love with and dated a woman

see image below

In a game where queerness is laughed at, the game "accidentally" (?) created characters with serious feelings for each other that no one in the game acknowledges or makes jokes out of.

AA is the embodiment of queer players unraveling the clear queer undertones in the game. Playing queerly, a term Bo Ruberg mentions in their article, "Video games have always been queer" (NYU Press, 2019), "imagine alternative ways of being and to make space within structures of power for resistance through play". Setting aside Jean Armstrong, Max Galactica, and WrightWorth for a moment, AA is a game where Phoenix Wright explores the world through a queer lens. He finds unconventional methods to prove his clients innocent in court, thinking outside the box while never straying from his morals (except for straight up lying to a witness to make them admit that they knew what the bottle of poison looked like but that was valid okay? not legal tho lol). Phoenix Wright plays queerly, encouraging the player to play queerly as well.

Getting back to the queer characters in a game, one can laugh at the fact that in attempting to make a laughable queer character (Jean Armstrong), the joke was ultimately on the creators as they created one of the queerest games ever.

Ace Attorney, while a highly enjoyable game, is not exempt from critiques on its handling of sexism, gender, and sexuality. 

[ruiniel]

Remember

Fandom: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Pairing: Kokushibō x fem!Reader

Count: 1.9K (ongoing)

Rating: 🔞

On AO3

Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V - Part VI - Part VII - Part VIII - Part X

AN: A lot of talking in this chapter, all from her POV. Who knows what he's thinking.

IX.

Before you realize it, you’re calling after him. “Where are you going?”

He stops after a few steps. “Where?... I’m heeding one of your conditions.”

“My…” So, he’s leaving? “But… it’s the middle of the day.”

You can’t see his expression, but he shakes his head. His shoulders are stiff. “Why are you stalling me?”

Heat rises through your skin at the direct question. Why, indeed? “I’ve been thinking.” You have. You remembered the cult leader’s demeanor and his words, and more: the possibility that what happened last night could happen again. What then? “I wanted to ask you of… of the other one. You said you had nothing to do with it, but it’s strange that I was attacked that way, and this has never happened before.”

A beat of silence. Diffused light bleeds at his feet through the closed shoji screens. “I fail to see how that is any of my concern.”

“Do you?” Maybe it’s the daylight, but the menacing aura surrounding him seems diminished, invoking none of the usual dread. “I’m a nobody, but this all began when you appeared in my life.”

He turns to face you then—with the most peculiar expression. His eyes are closed, all but one, and he tilts his head to the side. If you didn’t know better, you’d say he’s assessing you.

“I came to you for aid, which you offered. I am merely keeping to my word.” He looks at you as though wanting to add something, but thinks better of it. “Farewell.”

“You also said you were grateful!” The words escaped you in a mindless burst, but it's done now. 

They seem to have no effect, however. “Go about your life, as you always have,” he says, his back turned once more. “The things you fear exist alongside you, and have been there for ages. Running into one—or not—pertains to matters of chance.”

You near him, the cup of tea still in hand. “... what will I do if this happens again?”

“Run.”

A wretched shiver causes your muscles to spasm. You set the tea aside. “You were right about the priest.”

He stays silent at that, moreso all sound seems to have been wrenched out of your surroundings. “You returned to that place.”

“I did. Can you blame me, after ...” you trail off. What use is there mentioning it? ... after your treatment that night. “He said… that he cannot intervene. Then pointed at my neck, saying this prohibits his involvement. What did that mean? How do you know him?”

“All these questions…” Saying this, he nears you, steps measured and slow. 

You resist the overwhelming urge to back away.

“Is it your desire to keep courting danger?” he asks as an afterthought, standing before you and raising a hand.

You feel trapped, body flinching at the movement. His hand pauses, then reaches for the bandage covering the wound he’d so carelessly inflicted nights before. “What… are you…” but words fail you as he slowly reveals the injury, gazing at the exposed area of skin. “What is it?”

“Does it still hurt?” The question accompanies the graze of his thumb over the bite. 

Like the weak strum of a stringed instrument, the contact has you biting back a sigh, of… confusion—no, anticipation. Why? Why can’t you shed this enslaving sensation whenever he nears you, touches you? And you realize the answer to his question is no, it does not hurt, though you couldn’t tell when the constant discomfort subsided. You shake your head. 

“I see.” His gaze is intent on the bruise.

“What did the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith mean?” Stubbornly, you repeat your question, hoping to at least obtain some sense out of him. 

His eyes are still on your wound, his expression unreadable as he withdraws his hand, then takes you by the shoulders and leads you towards a mirror. 

Your hand covers your mouth, stifling your gasp. His hands clamp down on your shoulders.

The torn flesh has healed completely, but the bruising has only deepened, coiling down your neck to your collarbone like—in the mirror, your eyes catch the eerily similar mark adorning his jaw, trailing serpents of flame dancing down his skin. “What… did you do to me?”

“In all honesty… it was not a conscious intention. But you made a willing offering of blood, and therein lies a pact.”

“What exactly does that mean?” You’re angry—but powerless. Marked like an object, then.

His jaw is working, as though struggling with the words. He sighs. “No high ranking demon is allowed to harm you, now.” 

“...none except you, is that right, Michikatsu-san?” You’re seething as you wriggle away and turn from the mirror. His hands fall off your shoulders. 

He swallows, his voice chilly through his teeth. “Do not call me that.” 

And why not? Does he resent his past so much? 

“I said no higher rank can harm you, but… that does not account for the feral ones, who have no logic and are merely driven by hunger.”

High ranking demon… since the cult leader recognized the mark immediately even without seeing it, it must mean he, too, is one of them.

Cold sweat prickles up your spine at the deviousness of it. All those people…

You gaze into his eyes. “If you’re… rank one, as I assume, that would make you the strongest of them, wouldn’t it?”

The demon meets your inquisitive stare. You can't tell what he’s thinking, as usual, and his appearance is distracting enough that you struggle to maintain your focus. Sclerae of scarlet, eyes of gold. His hair is still down, long and black, falling down his shoulders in tints of dark red. 

“Will you lock yourself in here, now?” he asks instead.

You rub at your arm, staring at your feet. “... no. I have… I actually work for a living, and…”

When you look up, he is gone. Of course.

Having no other choice, you head down to the silk mill, unable to miss a day’s work no matter your personal woes. 

The day passes like muddy waters under a bridge, slow and painfully uncomfortable. Maybe due to your recent, horrific encounter, you find yourself looking over your shoulder more than ever before, and you make many mistakes. Your focus is frayed, thoughts returning to the hidden world running its course along yours. His world.

As evening falls, so does your composure shed, and you reach your house with a constant trepidation in your bones and a knot of expectant fear in your belly.

What will you find? Will there be another monster lurking, waiting in the shadows to tear you apart, to consume your worthless life as it had countless others?

All you can do is carry on. You light a few lamps, then set to wash and change. Despite it being useless in your hands, you retrieve your blade and keep it close. As you stare in the old mirror, gently running fingers over the mark on your neck, thoughts of its source return. Because of this you were forced to wear a silk band wrapped around your neck when among your peers. It looks disgraceful in its intensity, but the corners are exceedingly neat and regular as though they were penned onto your skin. To think he did this to…

You catch yourself in the mirror, biting on your lip. 

No, no, no.  That is wrong, so very wrong. Your face heats with shame along with the fast beating of your heart. He was right indeed, back then, to call you foolish for your ignorant desires at the time. Now, you see why. 

And still, as you step into your garden, you sense the presence of another, added to the slight heated sensation in the mark at your neck as blood rushes through you. You’re barely surprised to see him: again leaning with his shoulder against a tree in that careless manner, staring at the sky. 

“You’ve returned,” you state, unsure what to say. Perhaps deep down, you hoped he would. 

“The Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow this night,” he says in lieu of an answer. “Completely.”

How does he know that? One doubts he’s the kind to read the papers on current events. The childish imagining nearly has you chuckling. “Which means... ”

His head is still tilted up to the skies. His expression is strange; if you didn’t know better, you’d liken it to melancholy. “There is a Blood Moon out.”

The dread surrounding him is subdued once again, and so is your fear. Or, maybe, in a twisted way, you’ve become accustomed to his presence. 

He steps into the garden proper, the light of the celestial body gleaming on the crimson tips of his hair. “Do you remember... the tale of the great woman of the Sun, and her sibling?”

You rack your mind for that particular tale. Of course. “Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.”

He nods.

You also glance upward, biting the inside of your cheek before speaking. “Tsukuyomi slew the food goddess, an act that angered his sister. Thus Amaterasu split away, and refused to even glance at her sibling, moving to another part of the sky so they would never meet. Night and day, forever separated.”

“Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto made a foolish mistake, did he not?” His voice is low and rich as always, but laced with no threat. Pensive. 

His mood is beyond you, but it costs nothing to indulge it, and so you do. “He did. It stands to reason that our actions have ripple effects.”

He glances your way, eyes aglow like flaming garnet, as though absorbing the reddish light of the ever-brighter moon. “And he upset the great balance. Once would think a divine being knew better.”

“Forgive me, is there something you’re trying to tell me with this?”

He raises his left hand, slowly turning it palm-upward. “Light,” he raises his other hand, “and Shadow. Good and Evil. Life and Death.”

You’d stepped closer, staring at his upturned palms as though there’s something there to find, to help glean the meaning behind his words—if there is any.

“But if the Moon god hadn’t acted that way...” you look up at him. “Humanity wouldn’t have night and day, or reaped the benefits from their existence, or made the progress it has.”

“That is true.” His hands fall at his sides. “But ill choices... most often than not, yield barren results.”

A smile tugs at your lips, a carefree state settling like a shroud despite who stands before you. A dangerous path. “We can’t all be gods in symbolic narratives, can we, Michikatsu-san?”

He says nothing to that, that intense gaze slipping away. You breathe a little easier.

“The Moon only ever reflects the Sun’s light,” he murmurs after a time. His voice gains a bitter edge. “... and would be nothing without it.”

“I—” before you can say more, his body goes taut, and he turns his head towards the house. “...?”

“Indeed?...” he mutters as to himself, then looks at you standing there with your arms crossed. His voice is the epitome of calm as he speaks. “If you wish to stay alive, you will learn.”

Learn? Learn what?! There is no malice or threat to his tone, but your limbs refuse to cooperate when you discern unknown noises and the creaking of wood from inside the house.

He reaches out his hand, palm upturned. “Come.”

AN:

A funny thing (to me). I wanted to use the parallel of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu regarding Michikatsu and Yoriichi in this story from the get-go. Then I randomly checked the KNY wiki and on the trivia section of Kokushibo’s page this is actually a mentioned parallel.

‘The relationship between Yoriichi and Michikatsu parallels the mythology of the Shinto deities Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, respectively. Amaterasu is the most sacred of Shinto deities, the sun goddess. Tsukuyomi, the moon god, is her former husband and brother. After Tsukuyomi killed Uke Mochi, another shinto deity, Amaterasu refused to ever look upon him again, moving to another part of the sky and beginning the cycle of day and night. Like the deities, the siblings also feud and have chosen different paths (that of the Demon Slayer and the Demon), developing their respective breathings of the sun and moon.’

(Technically in KNY it's rather one-sided for most of the time so wouldn't call it a feud but ah, good)

Part X

[cheffe-cool]

There’s another person on here who’s recording a bunch of reread details on Aouv rn (you probably know who you are, hi lol) so I thought I’d also draft some of my own thoughts up about it 👌

So here’s some All of Us Villains details :)

I like how in chapter 12 of Aood when Finley and Briony visit the Blair’s, and Finley says that their family uses their code to justify slaughtering people they care about, Abigail immediately assumes Finley is talking about Briony, because she doesn’t even consider sending her OWN son off to a death tournament as slaughter. To her, it really is an honor to go and die for your family, even though it’s taken the lives of countless of her ancestors and likely would have Finley, if the tournament had played out as usual- most certainly Gracie or Ava if one of them had been the volunteer.

But instead she’s just like “dude kill your girlfriend it’s not that big of a deal”

But seriously she’s so delusional- the Lowe’s win every 2 out of 3 tournaments and it seems like the second most likely winners have historically been Thorburns. Like Finley had such a small chance of survival, but when he volunteered, her reaction was probably just to be proud of him.

These seven families are so mf delicious.

This one’s a bit obvious, but the Full Moon Child story that Alistair commandeers from ML.Jr in chapter 11 of Aood is literally just about himself lmao. You can go back and read it and it’s like “Don’t deny who you are because then your brothers gonna die ooooo 👻”

I love when these books do foreshadowing lol- there’s this moment in the first book where a succulent plant or something casts a spiky shadow in Reid’s face 😭

In Aood- the little blurb from the news at beginning of each chapter usually pertains to whichever pov you’re on, but the news covers Gavin so little, that his blurbs are usually about Alistair or the Lowe’s, because the average person probably just thinks of Gavin as an ad on to that crew. He’s just the Lowe’s sidekick lmao.

Hendry likes sweets but he’s bad at baking :,)

Isobel and Alistair have remarkably similar thoughts, feelings and circumstances in aood. One example is how they are both the most loved AND hated member of their respective alliances. Isobel is sent a trick spellstone that paints the world ‘cunt’ in sores on her arm (holy shit you guys she’s a fucking seventeen year old get a grip oh my god) while Gavin sights the curse stones they receive along side the fan mail as “usually targeting Alistair.” Whilst on the flip side, Isobel is the most famous champion and covered the most in the news, while Alistair has a dedicated fan club, who asks him to record sexy voice messages for them and draw him shirtless.

Man, fame sucks.

(holy shit you guys he’s a fucking sixteen year old get a grip oh my god)

Okay Gavin only says Alistair’s name once in the entire duo-logy. Like???? In his head he says Alistair’s name all the time (pretty much constantly) and in book two calls him “Al” all the time. But the ONLY time he says the word “Alistair” EVER is after he goads Alistair into burying the lamb’s sacrifice, calling out to him to apologize.

He literally doesn’t say the guys name the entire second (and longer) book lmao.

I wish there was a bigger fandom so that I could make a TikTok slideshow with that audio “how about I dance the black swan for you?” Accompanied by depictions of Briony cutting off Innes’s finger and get a billion likes.

Y’all WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LOWE SPOUSES? I know Alistair makes a joke that his mom ate his dad like a praying mantis, but fr- what happened to Moira’s husband and Rowan’s wife??? They were totally probably murdered right??? Rowan’s wife is actually never mentioned, but I’m assuming sombody gave birth to Marianne jr.

Also Alistair and Hendrys dad doesn’t have a canonical name- just thought that was interesting. Probably because it was a little…. “On theme” with the other Lowe names of you catch my drift 😬

I would’ve been in full support of Alistair and Hendry having long faces and genetic defects- but oh welll, I suppose they had to be hot.

That theory’s not even canon anyway- but how does your whole family line have dark curly hair, widows peaks and gray eyes for 400 years straight lmao. Besides they can’t exactly invite many outsiders inside with all that child sacrifice and oh my god that’s why they killed Alistair’s dad and Marianne’s mom isn’t it. Shit.

Marianne Sr. IS quite the fan of cover ups 😭

That’s probably it for now, but I’ve definitely got some more thoughts that I had a long time ago and have half forgotten now- so I’ll write em down if I remember :)

[encanto-extended-edition]

✨️Bienvenido, everyone! Thank you all for your patience with this event, we are so excited to share this with you! ✨️

To start, we are your lovely hosts for the Encanto OC Appreciation Event:

Amanda @overly-dramatic-artist & Pena @dororoxpenana!

You may recognize us in the Encanto OC community already with our OCs Angela Morales Estrada (Amanda) and María Madrigal (Pena), but you’ll find out more about them during the event! 💖

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

♡ The main goal and drive of this event is to spread some much needed love and appreciation to our fellow OC creators! You are all such a gift to this fandom, and it’s more than time to recognize each other! While we will be reblogging everyone’s creations on to this blog, this event will only work as intended if you all interact with each other! We can speak for almost everyone when we say that it is entirely welcome for you to go feral in the tags and comments. Share your enthusiasm. Go wild. If someone says something kind to you, you are legally required to pass that on ten-fold (Just kidding, but please please interact with each other!). ♡

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

✨️The Prompts!✨️

👋🏼 Week One (October 1-7) : Introduction. Time to share the lore of your OC! For this week, we are looking for your OC’s backstory, what connects them to canon, and who they are as a person! This can include detailed character sheets, a written backstory, drawings of them through stages of life, how you developed this character, even a ‘slide show’ of their background; literally anything pertaining to who they are.

❤️ Week Two (October 8-14) : Relationships. Let’s take a deep dive into the interpersonal relationships of your OC! Family, friends, lovers…enemies? For this week, share any works that give us a look into who your OC is connected to; it can be a family tree, drawings of them with friends, their wedding; as long as there is some form of connection, you’re golden!

🌟 Week Three (October 15-21) : Extras and Add-Ons. Have an AU? Or two? Or ten? All you full of bits of information and side stories? Share it all! This week is for you to share anything and everything you want. Any sort of obscure alternate timeline, a detailed overview of their sense of fashion, pieces of trivia like their favorite food or weather, what their handwriting looks like, comics you’ve been wanting to share. Anything and everything is game!

🫂 Week Four and a Half (October 22-31) : Share the Love. Spread around the appreciation for your fellow artists and writers! Send head-canons or thoughts about someone else’s OC, or maybe some artwork or a one-shot! Or even express your delight for another person’s creativity. We highly encourage you to engage with people you may not be super familiar with.

You are more than welcome to use older material for this event, especially for the first three weeks, but we just ask that you make a new post with this blog tagged so we know to reblog it! New creations are greatly encouraged, but we understand that making art and writing is time consuming 💖 You can also make multiple posts for each week if you have a lot to share, don’t feel pressured to cram everything into one post!

‼️Rules regarding the event:‼️

🔴Please refrain from comparing OCs against each other or to canon characters in a negative manner. This event is meant to appreciate everyone’s efforts, we’ve all dealt with enough negativity already. Be kind.

🔴We want to keep this event friendly for all ages in the fandom, so we will not be reblogging any blatant NSFW content on to the blog. You are welcome to share things of adult-theme, but just know we won’t be sharing it from our platform (we’ll drop a like though).

🔴Any content of incestuous nature will not be allowed whatsoever. This is a one strike policy. Don’t do it.

🔴No tracing or stealing works from other artists/writers. If you have commissions or artwork made by other people for you, that is more than welcome, but do not steal someone else’s work.

🔴No content made using AI

🔴Keep in mind this is not a contest or a competition; please be kind to other artists and writers. We are all on equal ground here.

✨️Please tag our event blog (this one!) as well as using the hashtag ‘encanto oc appreciation’ & 'encanto oc event' as we want everyone’s work to be shared on our blog like an archive of love!✨️

💖If you have any questions, please feel more than welcome to reach out! We want this event to be as fun as possible! 💖

[eponastory]

Okay... this is ridiculous.

I am in no way dissing kataang. I understand it's a ship that is Canon (I'm not denying this) and have nothing against it other than the way it was handled in the OG series. To me, it was shoehorned in and very awkward. Personally, I like the direction the Netflix show is going where there is no hint of any kind of pairing other than Sokka's crucial romances. I also don't care for teenage relationships to begin with because it's tricky. Especially when it involves a 12 year old boy with a girl that is older. It's very... controversial. That is the eew part. Nothing wrong with them being adults later on, as I've stated in my previous post. But again, underage relationships are not my thing. Mainly because I am in my MID 30S and I mostly read stories that pertain to over 18 relationships. That is what I have to say.

But Jesus christ... yall gotta stop with the shipping wars. I've seen my fair share of them in my years of being in several Fandoms. Guys, gals, and those in between... people gonna do what they want! They are going to like what they want and love what makes them feel good. I happen to love several different things that don't always align with everyone else.

You've got both sides calling each other toxic when the majority just wants to live in harmony with their favorite ship. There is nothing wrong with that. This goes for all ships. I have my preferences and they aren't going to match up with everyone else's. That's fine. It makes me feel nostalgic.

But don't tell me what to do. Don't tell anyone what they should feel or say. That's toxic.

Thank goodness I can say and feel what I want because Godzilla help yall if things don't go the way yall want.

Sorry, that's just my no nonsense done with everyone's bullshit side coming out because I've seen some shit from different Fandoms over the years. It left me shaking my head and wondering if any of it is really that important.

Oh well, I'm just preaching to the choir here.

[thana-topsy]

The Neloth Post Nobody Asked For but now I'm making it everyone's problem

I guess I'll start out by saying: all of this pertains to my very specific version of Neloth who can be found alive and well (for now) in my fic series "Legends Never Die". It's a big wide fandom, I do not claim to be an authority on Anything, and I think everyone's little pocket universes and OC-ification of NPCs are all equally valid. These are just some of the ways I write and characterize him. So if you have any Neloth headcannons of your own, please sound off!

The Basics:

I estimate this old crusty bastard is in his 700s, or thereabouts, probably on the later end. He stopped counting at a certain point and can't be arsed to keep a talley. There are more important things that occupy his brainspace. He maintains his spry and youthful visage [cough] through his rigorous magical practices, (and his not-so-subtle interest in necromancy and discovering the secrets to immortality).

He was exiled decided to retire from the Telvanni Council a good fifty or sixty years before the eruption of Red Mountain, retreating to Solstheim to continue his experiments in seclusion. Due to severing his mainland ties and House loyalties, his power and influence are significantly weakened, though he continues to expand his studies and has a relatively well-functioning settlement of workers, as well as his current apprentice, Talvas Fathryon, under his tutelage.

And of course, the question on everyone's mind: do he fuck? In terms of his sexuality, he's finicky and if I had to slap a label on him, he's definitely in the realm of Aro-Ace, but on the gray side of things (pun intended???). Here, have an Ace Neloth Pride Flag because why not:

Personal Interests, Likes, and Dislikes:

The list of dislikes could probably rival the "color of the sky" post, so let's try to condense that into the main point: he dislikes inefficiency. The definition of what he finds "inefficient" can and does vary greatly, even in his own work. I would say one of his driving motivators is IncreasE Efficiency, above all else.

His likes are few and far between. As it stands, I could probably list three off-hand. He likes well-made tea (preferably dark, bitter, and stimulating), he likes an organized bookshelf, and he likes Teldryn Sero (who is also dark, bitter, and.... stimulating).

Morality:

Huh? What's that? Never heard of it.

I kid (kind of). Neloth has a complicated psychology. I characterize him to have underdeveloped empathy, but he is not entirely devoid of it. I suppose I'll let him explain it, (from chapter 5 of "Breathing Water"):

“I do…” Neloth began, [...] “I do… feel.” He twisted the stiff bedroll between his fingers. “I do.” [...]  “It’s just…” He didn’t know where he was going with this, but the words were clawing their way out of him like some kind of sick, emaciated animal emerging from a cave. “I don’t think I… feel… correctly.” He exhaled sharply, letting his head roll from side to side, neck popping. “I’ve always been this way. It’s not just the result of graying morals from a prolonged life. I’ve always had this,” he gestured to his chest with trembling fingers, “hole. Like something’s missing.” He pulled the bedroll tighter around him, curling in on himself. A small laugh. “It’s been useful, if I’m honest.” 

He does try, at a certain point, to understand this side of himself a little bit better. Though, honey, he's got a big storm coming.

Anyways, that's my Neloth post for now, maybe I'll add more another time. :) Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.