#(they are probably not creative enough to come up with a conclusion to it)

[cowboyinternist]

idk how familiar u are with him but kareem nazari for wtnv art requests? I Think He’s Neat :3

i’m actually very passionate about kareem and i don’t think ppl talk enough about how he was ALSO done dirty in the uowii arc :c

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

The Telling Truth: When 'Show, Don't Tell' Doesn't Apply (You Don't Always Have To Show, Don't Tell.)

Hey there, fellow writers and beloved members of the writeblr community! 📝✨

Today, I want to talk about something that's been on my mind lately, and I have a feeling it might resonate with many of you too. It's about that age-old writing advice we've all heard a million times: "Show, don't tell." Now, don't get me wrong – it's great advice, and it has its place in our writing toolbox. But here's the thing: it's not the be-all and end-all of good writing. In fact, I'd argue that sometimes, it's perfectly okay – even necessary – to tell rather than show.

First things first, let's address the elephant in the room. The "show, don't tell" rule has been drilled into our heads since we first picked up a pen (or opened a Word document) with the intention of writing creatively. It's been repeated in writing workshops, creative writing classes, and countless craft books. And for good reason! Showing can create vivid, immersive experiences for readers, allowing them to feel like they're right there in the story.

But here's where things get a bit tricky: like any rule in writing (or in life, for that matter), it's not absolute. There are times when telling is not just acceptable, but actually preferable. And that's what you all will explore today in this hopefully understandable blog post.

Let's start by breaking down why "show, don't tell" is so popular. When we show instead of tell, we're engaging the reader's senses and emotions. We're painting a picture with words, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions based on the details we provide. It's a powerful technique that can make our writing more engaging and memorable.

For example, instead of saying "Sarah was angry," we might write, "Sarah's fists clenched at her sides, her jaw tight as she glared at the broken vase." This gives the reader a clearer image and allows them to infer Sarah's emotional state.

But here's the thing: sometimes, we don't need or want that level of detail. Sometimes, efficiency in storytelling is more important than painting an elaborate picture. And that's where telling comes in handy.

Imagine if every single emotion, action, or piece of information in your story was shown rather than told. Your novel would probably be thousands of pages long, and your readers might get lost in the sea of details, losing sight of the main plot or character arcs.

So, when might telling be more appropriate? Let's explore some scenarios:

Summarizing less important events: If you're writing a story that spans a long period, you don't need to show every single day or event. Telling can help you summarize periods of time or less crucial events quickly, allowing you to focus on the more important parts of your story.

For instance: "The next few weeks passed in a blur of exams and late-night study sessions." This sentence tells us what happened without going into unnecessary detail about each day.

Providing necessary background information: Sometimes, you need to give your readers some context or backstory. While you can certainly weave this information into scenes, there are times when a straightforward telling of facts is more efficient.

Example: "The war had been raging for three years before Sarah's village was attacked." This quickly gives us important context without needing to show the entire history of the war.

Establishing pace and rhythm: Alternating between showing and telling can help you control the pace of your story. Showing tends to slow things down, allowing readers to immerse themselves in a moment. Telling can speed things up, moving the story along more quickly when needed.

Clarifying complex ideas or emotions: Some concepts or feelings are abstract or complex enough that showing alone might not suffice. In these cases, a bit of telling can help ensure your readers understand what's happening.

For example: "The quantum entanglement theory had always fascinated John, but explaining it to others often left him feeling frustrated and misunderstood." Here, we're telling the reader about John's relationship with this complex scientific concept, which might be difficult to show effectively.

Maintaining your narrative voice: Sometimes, telling is simply more in line with your narrative voice or the tone of your story. This is especially true if you're writing in a more direct or conversational style.

Now, I can almost hear some of you saying, "But wait! I've always been told that showing is always better!" And I completely get it. I'm a writer myself and prioritize "Show, Don't tell." in my writing all the time. We've been conditioned to believe that showing is superior in all cases. But we can take a moment to challenge that notion.

Think about some of your favorite books. Chances are, they use a mix of showing and telling. Even the most critically acclaimed authors don't adhere strictly to "show, don't tell" all the time. They understand that good writing is about balance and knowing when to use each technique effectively.

Take, for instance, the opening line of George Orwell's "1984": "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." This is a perfect blend of showing and telling. Orwell shows us it's a bright, cold day (we can imagine the crisp air and clear sky), but he tells us about the clocks striking thirteen. This immediate telling gives us crucial information about the world we're entering – it's not quite like our own.

Or consider this passage from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice": "Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character." Here, Austen is clearly telling us about Mr. Bennet's character rather than showing it through his actions. And yet, it works beautifully, giving us a quick, clear insight into both Mr. Bennet and his wife.

The key is to use both techniques strategically. So, how can you decide when to show and when to tell? Here are some tips:

Consider the importance of the information: Is this a crucial moment in your story, a pivotal emotion, or a key piece of character development? If so, it might be worth showing. If it's more of a transitional moment or background information, telling might be more appropriate.

Think about pacing: If you want to slow down and really immerse your reader in a moment, show it. If you need to move things along more quickly, tell it.

Evaluate the complexity: If you're dealing with a complex emotion or concept, consider whether showing alone will be enough to convey it clearly. Sometimes, a combination of showing and telling works best for complex ideas.

Consider your word count: If you're working with strict word count limitations (like in short stories or flash fiction), telling can help you convey necessary information more concisely.

Trust your instincts (Important): As you write more, you'll develop a feel for when showing or telling works better. Trust your gut, and don't be afraid to experiment.

Now, let's talk about how to tell effectively when you do choose to use it. Because here's the thing: telling doesn't have to be boring or flat. It can be just as engaging and stylish as showing when done well. Here are some tips for effective telling:

Use strong, specific language: Instead of using vague or generic words, opt for more specific, evocative language. For example, instead of "She was sad," you might write, "A profound melancholy settled over her."

Incorporate sensory details: Even when telling, you can include sensory information to make it more vivid. "The room was cold" becomes more engaging as "A bone-chilling cold permeated the room."

Use metaphors and similes: These can help make your telling more colorful and memorable. "His anger was like a volcano ready to erupt" paints a vivid picture without showing the anger in action.

Keep it concise: One of the advantages of telling is its efficiency. Don't negate that by being overly wordy. Get to the point, but do it with style.

Vary your sentence structure: Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more flowing ones to create rhythm and maintain interest.

Remember, the goal is to create a seamless narrative that engages your reader. Sometimes that means showing, sometimes it means telling, and often it means a artful blend of both.

It's also worth noting that different genres and styles of writing may lean more heavily on one technique or the other. Literary fiction often employs more showing, delving deep into characters' psyches and painting elaborate scenes. Genre fiction, on the other hand, might use more telling to keep the plot moving at a brisker pace. Neither approach is inherently better – it all depends on what works best for your story and your style.

Now, I want to address something that I think many of us struggle with: the guilt or anxiety we might feel when we catch ourselves telling instead of showing. It's easy to fall into the trap of second-guessing every sentence, wondering if we should be showing more. But here's the truth: that kind of constant self-doubt can be paralyzing and ultimately detrimental to your writing process.

So, I want you to understand and think: It's okay to tell sometimes. You're not a bad writer for using telling in your work. In fact, knowing when and how to use telling effectively is a sign of a skilled writer.

Here's some practical ways to incorporate this mindset into your writing process:

First Draft Freedom: When you're writing your first draft, give yourself permission to write however it comes out. If that means more telling than showing, that's absolutely fine. The important thing is to get the story down. You can always revise and add more "showing" elements later if needed.

Revision with Purpose: When you're revising, don't automatically change every instance of telling to showing. Instead, ask yourself: Does this serve the story better as telling or showing? Consider the pacing, the importance of the information, and how it fits into the overall narrative.

Beta Readers and Feedback: When you're getting feedback on your work, pay attention to how readers respond to different sections. If they're engaged and understanding the story, then your balance of showing and telling is probably working well, regardless of which technique you're using more.

Study Your Favorite Authors: Take some time to analyze how your favorite writers use showing and telling. You might be surprised to find more instances of effective telling than you expected.

Practice Both Techniques (Important): Set aside some time to practice both showing and telling. Write the same scene twice, once focusing on showing and once on telling. This can help you develop a feel for when each technique is most effective.

Now, let's address another important point: the evolution of writing styles and reader preferences. The "show, don't tell" rule gained popularity in the early 20th century with the rise of modernist literature. But writing styles and reader tastes have continued to evolve since then.

In our current fast-paced world, where people are often reading on devices and in shorter bursts, there's sometimes a preference for more direct, efficient storytelling. This doesn't mean that showing is out of style, but it does mean that there's often room for more telling than strict adherence to "show, don't tell" would allow.

Moreover, diverse voices in literature are challenging traditional Western writing norms, including the emphasis on showing over telling. Some cultures have strong storytelling traditions that lean more heavily on telling, and as the literary world becomes more inclusive, we're seeing a beautiful variety of styles that blend showing and telling in new and exciting ways.

This brings me to an important point: your voice matters. Your unique way of telling stories is valuable. Don't let rigid adherence to any writing rule, including "show, don't tell," stifle your natural voice or the story you want to tell.

Remember, rules in writing are more like guidelines. They're tools to help us improve our craft, not unbreakable laws. The most important rule is to engage your reader and tell your story effectively. If that means more telling than the conventional wisdom suggests, then so be it.

As I wrap up this discussion, I want to leave you with a challenge: In your next writing session, consciously use both showing and telling. Pay attention to how each technique feels, how it serves your story, and how it affects the rhythm of your writing. You might discover new ways to blend these techniques that work perfectly for your unique style.

Writing is an art, not a science. There's no perfect formula, no one-size-fits-all approach. It's about finding what works for you, your story, and your readers. So embrace both showing and telling. Use them as the powerful tools they are, and don't be afraid to break the "rules" when your instincts tell you to.

Remember, every great writer started where you are now, learning the rules and then figuring out when and how to break them effectively. You're part of a long, proud tradition of storytellers, each finding their own path through the winding forest of words.

Keep writing, keep growing, and keep believing in yourself. You've got this!

Happy writing! 💖✍️ - Rin T.

Before you go, why not join us at The Write Right Society? We're a supportive Tumblr community where writers lift each other up. Whether you're a newbie or a pro, we'd love to have you! Share your work, get feedback, and connect with fellow wordsmiths, writers and aspiring authors. 

[markantonys]

i'm pretty sure the real reasons for a viewership drop between WOT s1 and s2 were:

it was almost 2 full years between seasons

s2's entire promo timeframe & release were during the strikes, so not much promo could happen (on top of prime not being great at promo even at the best of times)

so there were likely plenty of people who enjoyed s1 and would've happily tuned in for s2, but had forgotten or lost interest after 2 years or didn't hear that it had returned due to lack of promo

and also, it's natural for a show's pilot season to have artificially inflated viewership numbers and then settle into the true viewership in subsequent seasons (and sure enough, i think s3's numbers were pretty similar to s2). how many of us have checked out the first season of something just to try it out and then never continued? it's not necessarily a mark against the quality of a show, just an effect of it finding its real viewerbase over time, especially these days when there are one million shows to choose from and viewers do a lot more shopping around and dipping their toe into first seasons without committing to the rest.

readers harping on about "maybe s2-3 viewership would've been better if s1 didn't suck so much" just feels like another example of readers mistakenly assuming both that their opinions of the show are universal and that readers make up a larger portion of the show's audience than they actually do. in all my time on the internet, pretty much every single piece of outright dislike i've seen for s1 has come from a reader; the worst i've seen the general audience say is that s1 was somewhat slow or felt like generic fantasy (which is true of EOTW as well). i vividly remember the day 1x08 aired, and as a show-only myself i loved it and felt so hyped for s2 and i went on the show-only reddit discussion thread and all the other show-onlys felt similarly, and then i turned a corner and was baffled to see readers acting like 1x08 had personally murdered their entire families. while every viewer readily acknowledges that each season was a step up from the prior one, i don't think the majority of viewers had NEARLY as much of an issue with s1 as readers believe they did. the portion of viewership dropoff that was due to people going "s1 sucked so much, i'm not coming back for s2!" is probably pretty small compared to the above factors. in conclusion, we should be putting the blame for the cancellation where it belongs (shitty corporations) and not at the feet of the creatives who did their best to beef up a fairly bland coming-of-age fantasy quest book while having a ton of real-world factors and unforeseen circumstances hampering them.

[physalian]

7 Misused Tropes (And How to Improve Them)

Tropes in isolation aren’t inherently bad, but a lot of them are prone to poor execution. Each one of these probably could have a whole post by themselves. A few of these used to be good but have since fallen by the wayside as their original meaning has been lost.

7. Dramatic Miscommunication

You know the ones. I think it’s worse when the story is otherwise good, the writers just could not come up with a better way to get X alone or send Y off on the necessary side quest than the lowest of low hanging fruit.

Two essential ingredients for fixing this trope: Precedent and consequences

Precedent–have the character doing the missassuming already be prone to jumping to conclusions, already suspicious or insecure, or misled by a third party so this looks inevitable, instead of pulled out of your ass.

Consequences–usually these are big blow up fights that fizzle out without any impact on the plot once they fulfill their purpose, but if it’s a nasty enough fight, characters shouldn’t just forgive and forget. While they might not completely ruin relationships, it should have characters taking a step back and either second guessing where they stand, or using this blowup to fix an underlying issue in said relationship.

6. Love Triangles

Good Love Triangle for the first 3 seasons: Elena/Stefan/Damon (TVD).

Bad Love Triangle for the entire series: Bella/Edward/Jacob (Twilight).

The difference between them (besides time to flesh out both candidates) is that both brothers brought valid pros and cons to Elena’s life, both got the chance to be with her, and Elena’s whole arc wasn’t solely focused on the agonizing choice of which brother she should pick. Regardless of which camp you’re in, Stefan brought stability, that classic cliché high school romance, mostly all good vibes. He never challenged her or talked down to her or got aggressive with her. Damon did the opposite, for better or for worse, and we know which direction the show went.

On the other hand, Jacob never for one second stood a chance with Bella and the narrative wasn’t kidding anyone. They never so much as went on one date (unless you count the motorcycle ride) and it seemed like Bella was only letting him hang on for pity’s sake. Theoretically he brought pros to the table that Edward couldn’t (like, idk, being alive), but the narrative never explored what could be done with him. He just ended up being the Nice Guy friend who then decided it’d be hot to lust after an infant.

5. Agency-less Chosen Ones

These tend to be wish fulfillment characters that bring nothing to the story and have no discernible skills, yet are constantly in the middle of the action, have all the love interests fawning over them, and are Important and Critical to saving the world… because the narrative said so. They don’t make a single choice the entire plot except to move forward or stagnate, chosen by the gods or a prophecy or fate and destiny.

The problem: These characters walk with the crutch of “I’m the chosen one thus I don’t need a reason to exist in the story” and that’s just not a satisfying narrative shortcut. So? Give them agency. Even if they’re chosen by some ancient prophecy, you still have to convince the reader why the Universe wasn’t just talking out of its ass.

Good example: Emmet from Lego Movie literally says he’s useless and has no skills and cannot think outside the Lego box. He’s supposed to be as generic as painfully possible and when he does have creative ideas, they’re supposed to be asinine and stupid. And yet. He might be physically dragged around by the other characters, but he has plenty of choices, plenty of opposition to what’s happening, plenty to say about the state of his world, and his ideas do matter and his intimate knowledge of the instructions and playing by the rules is how they win.

4. Bad Boy Love Interests

These guys were supposed to be counter-culture icons, standing up to The Man for the little guy because he knows the system is broken and rigged. He’s an affront to the stereotypical nuclear lifestyle, he resents a robotic and soulless office job and wants to create art or music or in some way benefit his world and isn’t going to play nice just to get his way. He exists in contrast to the nuclear female protagonist: Conservative, demure, rule-following caged bird who falls in love with him because he shows her that life isn’t meant to be lived in The Man’s cage. He respects the authority that deserves respect, the teachers who actually give a shit, the janitors, the librarians, but probably not the principal or the police or the local politicians, because he knows they don’t respect him and respect is a two-way street. He’s probably a mama’s boy or at the very least loves his parents (if they’re alive) and while he might engage in a little property damage like graffiti, it’s for a good cause.

This dude is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE: Abusive, controlling, aggressive, or condescending to his love interest. He’s not supposed to be an overprotective stalker or plagued by insecure jealousy over any other man in his love interest’s life. He’s not rude to his friends or arrogant about his own smarts and doesn’t think he knows best about every little thing in the world. He’s not sexist or racist just to make himself feel better and he doesn’t pressure his love interest into sex because she owes him or whatever.

Ahem.

Please bring back classic bad boys. That is all.

3. Major Character Death (for shock value)

I remember the implosion of the Walking Dead fandom after they killed Carl, one of the very few characters who was supposed to make it to the end, for… various sketchy reasons and I could never figure out what was true. Some theorized that his actor was aging out of the ‘child actor’ payscale and they didn’t want to pay him as an adult and while I have no proof, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Carl died after getting bit in just one of those hectic moments where he got unlucky, while doing something noble and stupid. In isolation, it fits the nature of the “anyone can die” show but man did it just come across in poor taste.

Obviously “for shock value” shouldn’t be the reason you do anything in your story but there is still a way to pull it off without it causing a riot: Make sure they get killed in a non-contrived way. If you plan on killing off one of your heroes suddenly, either make it bitterly ironic, or make it a situation that this character would absolutely get themselves into. The more it “fits” the less likely audiences will see the hand of the author coming in just to break the character’s fictional contract.

2. The Power Inside You All Along

This trope is usually disappointing because it tends to melt a character’s whole arc down into something pointless—this whole adventure was apparently useless if they didn’t actually need to grow or change or challenge their conceptions of the world. They could have got up off the couch as joe shmoe and beat the villain day one.

While that’s probably not what their creator intends, ‘it was inside you all along *wink*’ tends to feel that way, as it discourages internal conflict. Usually, their creator is likely trying to convey the message that one need not change, that it’s what’s inside them already that makes them special.

I present to you once again Kung Fu Panda’s “there is no secret ingredient” i.e. “the power inside you”. The difference is. Po still has plenty of internal conflict: his own self-confidence. He begins the movie eager but inexperienced and a bit oblivious, fanboying it up around his heroes. He and Shifu both insult his weight and his lacking kung fu skills, and his arc is learning self-confidence, learning how to use his weight and the body he has to fight in a way that the villain isn’t prepared for, to where Po can shit-talk him to his face during the final fight.

Most failures of this trope don’t bother exercising their protagonist. They’re pissy and resistant for the entire story and only win when the narrative agrees they were right all along. Therefore, no change, no conflict, no resolution.

1. Strong Female Characters

So many of these read like "slapped boops on a male character". They don’t work for many reasons (usually being very preachy with their agendas), but they especially don’t work when by trying to be pro-feminist, they’re still reinforcing masculine standards. A lot of people, when Captain Marvel came out, said “you didn’t have any issues with Tony Stark being an asshole but now you do when he’s a woman” which. No.

Tony was an asshole, but being an asshole was the whole point of his character, and he got humbled right quick by getting blown up and held hostage. “Proof that Tony Stark Has a Heart” and all that.

Carol was an asshole with nothing to substantiate it, and never got a reality check. She had amnesia so we didn’t get insight into who she was before to understand this transition into dickishness and was so OP, she wasn’t ever physically or emotionally challenged like Tony was.

But the other thing is this: Slapping boobs on a male character with a slew of toxic masculine traits also says that to be a successful woman, you must behave like a man. It swings so far from the femme fatale sexy leg lamp that it comes around and eats its own tail. These characters are just mean and insecure and build themselves up by tearing down the men around them.

So. Calhoun from Wreck it Ralph is this exact trope done extremely well. She’s aggressive, arrogant, loud, rude, and cynical. For about 10% of her arc. The movie immediately throws her into a situation where her strengths are basically useless—she’s stuck in Candy Land and has to rely on someone who is the antithesis of her game and character to make it out. The movie also shows you why she’s cynical via her tragic backstory.

Not only that, she’s more than just a heap of toxic masculinity in a pixie cut. She laughs, she cries, she admits when she’s wrong, she has a soft side, a gentle side, a caring side, and remains a badass through and through.

Or, once again rolling out Tigress from Kung Fu Panda: Proud, aggressive, the snubbed chosen one, cynical, mean, and overconfident in her abilities. Tigress nearly gets her entire team killed in her arrogance. She’s allowed to be wrong, very wrong. She also has her soft moments and, like Calhoun, has a very valid reason for being jaded, and is still shown to be capable of softness and nurturing during the evacuation.

Third example to hammer home that I don’t hate badass women: Andromache. Jaded, overconfident, short-tempered, aggressive, and a little mean-spirited. Tragic explanatory backstory? Check. She is also caring and loyal to her team, allowed to get emotional, allowed to be wrong and fail and lose, and kind of the surrogate mom of the team, who can also laugh and joke around and have light-hearted moments.

Whether the character is a man or a woman, being an arrogant asshole who takes zero accountability and refuses to admit when they’re wrong and never loses, audiences aren’t going to like them.

[katsus-mistress]

We don't have enough of Katsuki in a qpr, so I'm gonna pop off and make my own contributions

Bakugou Katsuki QPR hcs

TW: aroace!Katsuki OR aroace!reader idgaf. Either ways they're in a qpr. They're bestie for life I love this dynamics. This is based on my experience with my qpps. 1.1k

• Okay so. I need to fangirl and mention that I LOVE the fact that Katsuki is a versatile fucking mf. Like you can interpret him romantic or aromantic, loud or quiet, cocky or shy, and he fits all of those hcs. We love a multifaceted king in this house.

• Getting into the real thing, Katsuki SCREAMS "uninterested in romantic relationships" to me. Like, he's way too obsessed with becoming the no.1 and competing with Izuku to even think about having a serious relationship, romantic or otherwise.

• I can't decide on how reader and Katsuki met, but it feels like a 'strangers to qpp' or 'childhood friends to qpp' situation. Either ways I think the first step was always catching his eye.

• Hey. Why not write for both.

✨️Strangers to QPP💗

First meet

• Lmao okay I always imagine reader not being from UA. Maybe an artistic reader who's pursuing Designing or Philosophy (haha mad self insert here). They have their creative hobbies, maybe a painting class or ceramics making.

• This is during the beginning of Katsuki's Pro Hero years. Let's say 25-ish. He's had some time to explore his feelings and has come to the conclusion that they're complicated. He likes the idea of being in a relationship but doesn't really want to, ykwim?

• Like sure having a romantic partner sounds pretty cool and he'd love to have someone like that but the whole thought of meeting someone and having to date gives him the ick. He'd much rather stay at home and make himself a 5-star michelin-level spicy dish. Plus he has friends who love to badger him a bit too much so he's never lonely.

• So him being active in the dating pool seems unlikely. He's just... there. Just doing his own thing. Like a "if The One walks into my life I'll pursue them but I'm not putting any efforts to find them."

• I imagine him and reader meeting during a ceramics class. Shouto forced him and Izuku to try it out for once. He could only say no so many times.

• Barely gives your face one glance before forgetting about it. Focuses on making the perfect mug. Gets mad when he can barely shape it well.

• You probably notice him first. Like everyone else in the room, you recognise the three Pros but decide to give them their space. They deserve to feel like normal people, after all.

• Post-class, when everyone's going around admiring each other's mugs, you observe Dynamight's mug. It's decent, for a first-timer. You compliment him, and his only response is a 'tch.'

Becoming friends

• I think he'd end up enjoying ceramics. The meditative lull of focusing on the clay, pinching it, shaping it, giving it a wonderful form. He ends up signing up full-time.

• You end up making conversations here and there. It's short and polite. You've understood he's not a very talkative person during class.

• Post class he may be upto talking, but it's only limited to actual conversations. The second someone tries to make small talk with him, he's out of the building.

• I feel like the main thing that helps bonding with him is having a similar sense of humor. Like, one day your pot falls apart mid-session, and you mutter, "fucking– wonky pigeon-looking ass" and hear the loudest snort from behind you.

• You whip your head around and see him still focusing on his pot, just with a smirk on his face. Congrats, you just earned friendship points.

• From then on, things get easier. His mouth loosens up. At first, it's just cursing things together. That shitty convenience store downstairs, stupid Pro Heroes, nerve-grating traffic, anything and everything. The shared exhilaration of raging, and the feral grins help him open up more and more.

Getting together

• All the chatting turns into exchanged phone numbers, into meet ups. You genuinely look forward to seeing him in class, as does he. Everybody around him notices LMAO. It pisses him off but he can't help the flutters his stomach gives just thinking about you.

• I think you give him a small existential crisis. 25 years of thinking he's just not interested in people like that, and you turn it around in a couple months? And the annoying part is he can't figure out if his feelings are romantic or platonic. He doesn't want a relationship with you, but this feeling in his chest is way too intense for a friendship, right??

• I think he only confides in Izuku and his parents. They encourage him to confide in you, so he does. While correcting and rephrasing himself like a thousand times. He's clearly confused and unsure, but you accept it gracefully, and the two of you begin to do some research.

• Queer Platonic Relationships, the search engine says.

• Hmm. You look at each other. Worth a try.

QPPs

• Treats it like a mission. He absolutely HAS to see your face and hear your voice at least thrice a week, or he's making a sour face during hero work. Video calls are a norm now.

• Looooooves yapping. I feel like, now that he considers you his best friend (half a point ahead of Kirishima) (debatable if Izuku is in competition), he feels it's his birthright to call you at any time of the day and start complaining about things. Stupid villain was too weak for his tastes? You'll hear it about before seeing it on the news.

• Hates your other best friends. He met them, and was sporting a constant frown after one of them decided to flex their seniority over him. Doesn't like that someone known his partner better than him, even if it's irrational.

• Secretly, doesn't hate them so much. He gets formal advice on how to treat you right (and some blackmail pics, if they hit it off well).

• You absolutely have to meet his friends too. They all love you, tho not all of them understand the nature of your relationship.

• [A/N: This is honestly making me want to write bkdk qpr. Or a bkdk x reader throuple qpr]

• I hc him as a physical touch and quality time person, so best believe he knows your address and spends his free days in your house. If you have a roommate or your parents around, he doesn't care and will shamelessly make himself at home. (he'll help your parents cook)

• Loves your presence. He's his own person, and admires and appreciates that you're your own. Loves when y'all do your own thing while sitting in the same room.

• Genuinely loves your relationship. He loves not being tied down by romance, but also have someone he can call 'his person.' Would die for you.

Ugh Bakugou Katsuki the man that you are. He's so perfect no matter what trope. This itself got very long, lemme know if yall wanna see the childhood friends to qpp part too!💕

[theoreticalfishsticks]

Hey, so I'm admittedly not all that knowledgeable on the finer points of Astartes husbandry, and I really need some advice about what to do about the issues that have arisen between my Angels; like, right now!

Background: I have one Dark Angel and one Blood Angel. The Dark Angel, Marius, was actually originally adopted by my parents before I was even born. He's your typical Dark Angel, extremely reserved and somewhat moody, but he's a real softy at heart! He's been looking out for me since I was a baby and so when it came time for me to move out on my own, Marius was super insistent on coming with me. Which I was grateful for because I probably would've gone crazy without him. Really, Marius might as well be a part of me at this point.

It was just us for about the first year and a half or so, until a friend of mine who fosters Astartes started caring for this absolutely beautiful Blood Angel named Vitorio. She introduced me to him and I pretty much immediately fell in love with him! I'm a writer by trade and just way into the arts in general, so we had a blast talking about our favorite artists and specific pieces and poems we loved. Marius appreciates the arts as well but he's not one for lengthy conversation, so it was a breath of fresh air to have someone I could completely nerd out with.

My friend started inviting me over more to spend time with Vitorio since he also seemed to really enjoy having someone to talk to about these things, and over time my visits to her house transitioned into her bringing Vitorio over to my house instead, so I could show him my own studio and Marius and I's art/book collection. And awhile after that, we all just kinda agreed that it felt like the natural conclusion to things for me to oficially adopt Vitorio.

I know housing Astartes from different Legions can be a challenge in a lot of ways, but integrating Vitorio into the household was actually a surprisingly painless process! Since he'd already been coming over for short visits for months, he and Marius were already pretty well acquainted and used to eachother's presence. And though their temperments are near polar opposites of eachother, their Legions seem to have enough shared values and interests to help bridge that gap! I'd say they were well on their way to becoming as deeply bonded as any pair of Astartes could be. With Vitorio having managed to bring out some of Marius' own more creative side and Marius providing guidance and support for Vitorio as the older of the two, they both seemed to really enjoy eachother's companionship.

At this point, Vitorio has been with us for just over a year. He and Marius got along well, and he and I continued to grow closer and closer! Now, obviously, I did know that other people have romantic and sexual relationships with their Astartes all the time, but, like I said, before Vitorio, the only other Astartes I have ever lived with is Marius and we're like family to eachother. So, when I started developing some definitely-not-platonic feelings for Vitorio it was very new territory for me. But, he was too sweet to not fall for. He's always been very friendly and affectionate, but after awhile it was like his affectionate nature had gotten dialed up to 100, you would've thought he'd been glued to my side! And on the rare occasions when he wasn't with me, when he inevitably returned to my side he would always have some kind of little gift for me, like a snack or a pretty rock that he had found. Which, based on my research on Blood Angels' temperment, made me pretty sure that whatever romantic feelings I had for him, he reciprocated. But he actually confirmed it for sure about a month ago in a very flowery confession! Even topped off with an adorably formal request to 'court' me! Which I, of course, accepted.

Now, as one can expect, Marius got very a bit upset about this. He's always been really overprotective but he and Vitorio seemed to work it out pretty quickly.

See, I live in the middle of a heavily forested area where my nearest neighbor is still miles away, so Marius and Vitorio like to patrol about at night to make sure everything is safe and what have you. (Not that there's really much out there to cause a ruckus, except for the deer that frequently pass through the property… though, I haven't seen any in while, so I wonder if Marius and Vitorio's scent might have scared them off?) I think they spend the much of that time separately, but what time they do spend together seems to be really great bonding time for them, and I think it's a huge part of why they had been able to become close relatively quickly, despite Marius' suspicious nature!

So, when Marius had first rankled at the idea of Vitorio and I becoming intimate, the two of them spent a good few weeks hashing things out between themselves during that time spent together at night away from me. When Marius had finally settled, he, only slightly begrudgingly, gave us his blessing.

And things were great for awhile after that! All three of us were just feeling out this new chapter in our lives together. Marius decided on his own to move into the guest house that had previously only been used by my parents when they visit about once a year, in order to give Vitorio and I more privacy. And though Vitorio and I were both a little hesitant about Marius moving out of the main house at first, we were definitely grateful for it after awhile, as we began to... shall we say, explore the opportunities afforded to us by that privacy...

But then, literally over night, it was like a switch flipped in Marius! One night he and V are getting along like they'd known each other their entire lives, and then the very next morning — this morning — I wake up at the ass crack of dawn to Marius barricading a blood covered Vitorio out of the house!

It's been hours now and my poor Vitorio is still locked outside, crying out to us, but Marius won't budge. He won't let him in or me out, no matter how much I beg. The asshole won't even tell me what the hell prompted this or confirm whether he attacked Vitorio or not. (I know it certainly seems like the obvious conclusion, given his sudden hostility towards him, but for all his overprotectivness, Marius has never done anything even remotely like this before! He's always been so even keeled… I guess I just don't want to believe he'd lash out like that, y'know? And besides the blood, Vitorio doesn't seem injured? ) He just keeps saying that Vitorio is dangerous and something about how it's "only a matter of time?" Which is absolutely ridiculous. Vitorio is as gentle as they come! I mean, sure there's a slight edge to him — the feeling like there's something simmering just beneath the surface — but he's an Astartes! They're all like that to some extent, right?

And Vitorio's shouting hasn't shed any more light on the issue either. The poor thing's hardly coherent anymore, just tearfully begging for forgiveness for some undisclosed transgression and to be allowed to explain himself. I've tried slipping out to get to him a couple times but Marius has been keeping a sharp eye on me (so much so that I'm currently typing this from the bathroom because I fear he'd take away my phone if he knew I was looking for advice to circumvent him).

Please, please, I can't stand being forced to sit idly by and listen to my love cry out for me while my lifelong companion pretends he can't hear it for a second longer. If anyone has ANY information as to what Vitorio could have possibly done to set Marius off so badly and how I might even start with trying to fix this I would be eternally grateful for it. Please!

[padawan-snack-packer]

Hi OP!! I absolutely love your answers and your sense of humor, they always make my day!!!! So here's a totally normal and not at all chaotic question:

If you could live anywhere in the Star Wars universe (any planet, any era, zero consequences) where would you be and what would you be doing?? 👀

OH ANON YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A CHAOTIC CAN OF SPACE WORMS. I’m so glad you asked. Let’s go!!!!

Okay, listen. Seven-year-old me would’ve said, with full chest, “I WANNA BE A JEDI!!! 😤” Because I thought lightsabers were neat and I wanted to jump really high and maybe also dramatically stare off balconies like Obi-Wan does when he's having his fifth crisis before breakfast. But current me, who has PTSD, ADHD, AND over-achiever tendencies ? Yeah. No.

I would last two and a half business days in the Jedi Order at BEST. I’d be crying in the Temple cafeteria trying to mind-trick my therapist into giving me a third emotional support baked good. ("You will let me have another muffin. It's for the Force.")

So here's the REAL dream:

📍 Location: Some GAR base in the Outer Rim, probably one of those gloomy ones with bad lighting and worse morale.

👩‍🍳 Job: Mysterious but beloved base cook who showed up one day with no paperwork and just never left. I’m in the back kitchen cooking Real Food™️ with spice and love and probably a questionable amount of butter. Clones wander in looking exhausted and leave with warm flatbread, something that isn’t grey, and enough unsolicited emotional validation to make a droid short-circuit.

Like, me in an apron with “#1 War Mom” on it, force-feeding ARC Troopers soup with vegetables and yelling, “YOU NEED PROTEIN, FIVES, GET BACK HERE.” Someone calls me “chief” or “boss” and I throw a dishrag at them. I do not rank anybody but I’ve grounded four captains and a general.

Also I have a side hustle: keeping a small menagerie of weird half-feral Outer Rim animals that I “accidentally adopted.” Like. “Oh this? This is Murderbean. He’s a loth-cat I raised from a kitten. He hates everyone but me. He bites regs who don’t eat their greens. No that is not a lie, Wolffe don't look at me like that.”

Or... I would LOVE to be a Mandalorian!!!!

I'm not a fighter though. I know my limits. Mandos are built like refrigerators with trauma. I’m 5’2 and sure I can open very hard pickle jars but I can't even reach one of the snacks shelves at home without climbing on the counter with a spatula to grab a pack. I am not doing hand-to-hand combat with anyone taller than my emotional tolerance for conflict (which is very low). I would, however, THRIVE as the weird Mando auntie who runs the local nerf-petting zoo, bakes pastries with names like “jetpack puffs” and “krayt krunchies,” and teaches small foundlings how to swear creatively in Mando’a.

My armor wouldn’t even have weapons—it would have extra oven mitts and treats in the compartments. I’d be like, “You want to come to war?? NO. Sit down. You’re twelve. Here’s a cookie and a safe space.”

In conclusion: ✨ Jedi? Absolutely not. ✨ Sith? Tempting but no, I would cry the second I got a paper cut. ✨ Clone Wars cook/chaotic found family aunt? ABSOLUTELY. ✨ Mandalorian who wears armor exclusively for the look and the pockets? Yes. Yes forever.

Would also want a caf stand????? I feel like I’d end up running a totally illegal caf stand near the barracks at 0500 and giving emotional advice with every cup.

ANYWAY- Thank you so much for asking Anon, this was fun to do!!!

[hinamie]

wanted 2 make a bit of an update post to get a few things off my chest bc i feel like i've been a bit quiet on here compared 2 normal and for that i apologize gsdhjgfdsj I promise I will do better at being chronically online

in all seriousness though, ever since the jjk manga ended, I've started experiencing th dilemma where I am feeling less inspired but also twice as pressured to continue living up to the standard I set for myself by being so active while the manga was ongoing. i'm finding it's taking longer than it should to finish pieces that are not challenging enough to warrant the extra hours, it's harder to come up with what I think are original concepts, and overall i'm just anxious that the high i've been riding since april has finally begun its descent.

I know logically tht these expectations i'm worried about being unable to meet are entirely self-imposed. I /know/ that not every piece needs to be a profound character tribute packed with symbolism and hidden meanings, but tht doesn't change the fact that it still feels really disappointing when I try to dig for that emotional component that I was really loving in the art that was inspired by later manga chapters, only to come up short. I'm feeling myself defaulting back to drawing My Ship Posed Cutely, or Character Lineup In Cute Outfits, whereas before I was really feeling like my art was touching something beyond just surface-level aesthetic. This isn't to say that I don't think I can ever get back to creating those harder-hitting pieces, or that I /dislike/ my more lighthearted aesthetically-driven work, I'm just frustrated at myself for feeling like I have to now dig for what used to be so readily available.

there's no conclusion to this story gfhjsgd this is rly just a vent post. i've been doing this long enough to know that this is just part of what happens with any creative hobby. periods of feeling uninspired unfortunately come with the territory, n it makes sense that those feelings wld be exacerbated now that the series i take my main inspiration from has come to a standstill for the time being. but I don't feel burnt out on jjk yet, which is reassuring in that it means I know I still Want to draw the characters, no matter how boring or overdone all of my current ideas feel. i'm in no rush to move on from jjk as my main fandom either, although I do see myself sprinkling in more art for other series to pass the time n keep me Inspired while I wait for s3. so for those of you who found me through my art (probably most of u), i guess also pls take this as both warning and reassurance that you most likely Will see me start drawing for other fandoms in the coming months, but don't take it as meaning I've abandoned drawing for jjk

and as always, thank u all for sticking with me and for all the support and lovely words on my art, it rly does make my days brighter <3

[hervygervy]

So Kid Icarus Uprising has been out for 10+ years and yet we're still reusing the same two jokes, huh... Well, recycling is a beautiful thing so why don't we talk about them today!

You guys know 'em, right? Of course you do! "Floor ice cream gives you health!" "I never learned how to read!" Ha! What knee-slappers. Now what if I told y'all that those lines were actually creative deviations from the localization team?

Let's go in order. First is the floor ice cream bit, which occurs in chapter 16 right after a hot spring:

That was probably the millionth time you had to listen to that conversation, so I hope you can forgive me. But hey, now you get to hear the Japanese version:

The punchline is entirely different. Here's how I'd translate it:

Palutena: There's a Float Ring.

Viridi: I wonder if this is also an Aurum copy.

Pit: Whether it's a hot spring or a vehicle, I'll use whatever I can! This is what it is to be an angel! This is the angel's way of life!!

Viridi: What are you getting all psyched for? Palutena, are you giving him enough pocket money?

Palutena: Ah, that's... I haven't thought about that.

Pit: I'm not crying or anything, I'm not!

Aww. Poor Pit doesn't get any allowance. That's to be expected, I think.

A couple notes: the "Float Ring" is just the Japanese name for the Aether Ring, although you probably figured that out. All the vehicles have different names, actually. The Exo Tank is called the Beetle, the Cherubot is called the Gigas, the Lightning Chariot is called the Chariot of Light, and the Great Sacred Treasure is called the True Three Sacred Treasures. So on and so forth.

Additionally, something I personally find interesting is Viridi's word choice in one of her lines. Japanese is a very grammatically complex language, and one of these complexities comes in the form of talking about giving and receiving. There are a bunch of words for "to give" that are used depending on the giver and receiver's social status. As an English speaker, it's a real headache. I guess this is what you call pragmatics. When talking about giving allowance to Pit, Viridi uses やっておる (yatteoru) which is a progressive form of やる (yaru). やる can mean a billion different things, but in this context, it means "to give." And this is the kind of "give" you say when talking about giving something to a dog or plant or the like. Make of that what you will!

Wow, I really got sidetracked. Anyway, I can't say I know the logic behind this change, because both versions evidently have the intention of being funny. But lately I've been coming to the conclusion that the English version tries to make an effort to be more blatantly funny for lack of a better word. Like, instances where there is no joke in the Japanese version will see a joke inserted in the English version, or in cases like these, they try to ham up the funny factor. The localizers pretty much had free reign over the English script per Sakurai's blessing, so I suppose such random changes are an inevitability. In future posts, I'll talk about plot changes and characterization differences so please stay tuned for those! Back to the topic at hand, personally I'd say I prefer the Japanese version of this conversation, it's funny and cute.

Moving on! Reading. You're doing it right now. Thank you for that, by the way. But poor Pit, he never learned how to read. We learn this near the end of the flight segment of chapter 17:

People seem to be really fixated on what was honestly meant to just be a totally unserious and funny line. Like there's a whole lotta fanart out there depicting Pit learning to read or whole essays on literacy headcanons. But who am I to talk, I'm also someone who would take all of this game's lines at face value.

And now, the Japanese:

And my translation:

Pit: M-my wings are getting hot!

Palutena: It's no good! We're already at the flight limit! I'll cut the miracle of flight!

Pit: Wahh!

Palutena: Pit! Pit!!

Pit: Mayday! Mayday!! All systems down! It's already come to this! Before I die, I wanted to eat until I was full!

Viridi: Is this the time to be saying such corny things? You should ride this!

Pit: N-Nachure!

Viridi: Carefully line yourself up with the floating island. If you land poorly, you understand what'll happen, right?!

Oh, right, Viridi is called Nachure in the Japanese version. As in "nature." Surprised that never came up until now. But yeah! As you can see, the Japanese version uses a more clichéd punchline. Something you'd expect in a shounen anime. Again, the localizers had free reign and they simply changed the line to be something funnier. I have to say, I think the English version wins. There is no better punchline than illiteracy. It's a terribly overdone joke at this point, but maybe for good reason. It got added into Super Smash Bros Ultimate, after all. Did you know Antony Del Rio had to rerecord that line just for that game? They didn't just reuse it!

...I can make this post longer, if you want. We can like, really dive into this literacy thing if you want. There are a couple more conversations to pick apart, in that case. Just take a gander below the cutoff if that's your fancy.

Alright, so there's this part in chapter 5 where you have to jump across a bunch of rotating floating platforms, right? One of these rings of platforms is fashioned into letters spelling "Pandora," if you remember.

A thoroughly enlightening spelling lesson. The way this conversation plays out implies that Pit couldn't read the platforms. It makes me wonder if the English script writers already had the "never learned how to read" joke locked in, thus making it a genuine piece of characterization the writers were going for, or if this is purely a coincidence and it just so happens to work out perfectly.

To be honest, this conversation is a little less interesting than I hoped it to be. I'll translate:

Palutena: Those yellow floors ahead look like letters, don't they?

Pit: Let's see...

Palutena: PA-N-DO-O-RA... is this place some kind of self-introduction?

Pit: How embarrassing.

Pandora: Hmph. What, can't manage it? This taste.

Palutena: Yeah. It's impossible. In every sense.

First of all, I like how the English version calls the platforms orange rather than yellow. Yeah girl... those are indeed orange. Second, when Palutena is spelling out the platforms, she spells it out as if it were written in Japanese. The game's subtitles use Roman letters to transcribe her spelling, but it has furigana above it for a Japanese reading. Here, I'll show you and hope Tumblr doesn't ruin the compression:

Quick Japanese lesson, writing is split into three scripts: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Hiragana is like the foundation of it all and each character represents a single syllable of sound. Every hiragana has a katakana equivalent, and their purpose is just to transcribe foreign words into the Japanese sound system. Kanji are more logographic, considering they're derived from Chinese characters. They make up most of the "content" of the language while hiragana makes up the "function." Every kanji can be converted back to hiragana, since that's how all the sounds are written, but since there are no spaces in Japanese, it'd be a mighty pain to read if everything was hiragana. And Japanese is already hard to read. All of that word salad just to tell you that "furigana" are hiragana or katakana characters written above kanji or other characters to indicate how to read them.

Now, the Roman letters can actually be written out in katakana. Spelling "Pandora" would look like ピー・エー・エヌ・ディー・オー・アール・エー (pii, ee, enu, dii, oo, aaru, ee). But instead Palutena pronounces it and spells it out in a Japanese way, which seems odd to me. Am I making sense?

All in all, it's pretty obvious the Japanese version doesn't really contain any of the implications the English version potentially has.

There's one more conversation I want to take a look at. It's one of those elusive random conversations:

That's right, we're starting with Japanese first this time! This one's gonna be interesting to translate:

Pit: There are various gods around the world, huh?

Palutena: That's right.

Pit: Does each god come with their own respective angel, I wonder?

Palutena: No, that's not necessarily the case.

Viridi: "Angel" is written from "heaven uses," you know.

Pit: What? Isn't it "heavenly messenger?"

Viridi: I pity you. Don't you even understand that it means you're just being pushed around?

Pit: Lady Palutena, please say something!

Palutena: ...huh?

Pit: Hey, wait, Lady Palutena!

Mmm that probably didn't make much sense. Alright, so the Japanese word for "angel" is 天使 (tenshi) which is made up of 天, meaning "heaven," and 使, which means "use." So, literally "heaven's tool." I'm going to come to the conclusion that the Japanese seem to understand what an angel is better than the average westerner. Anyway, Viridi's making the argument that the word is derived from 天が使う (ten ga tsukau) which would mean "heaven uses." Pit protests that the word comes from 天の使い (ten no tsukai) which is also just... another way to say "angel." It literally means "heaven's messenger." A Japanese dictionary will define "angel" as "a messenger from God" so Pit's probably more correct here. As you probably gathered, 使 was read differently depending on how it was used. This is par for the course for kanji. Since kanji are derived from Chinese characters, and Chinese as a language has changed over time (as languages do) and different regions of China have different ways of saying things (dialects and all that), Japanese naturally picked up on all these different pronunciations. Thus, any one kanji could have a dozen different readings.

So what does this all mean? It means we've got a case for literacy, ladies and gents. You'd have to be able to read at least a little bit to understand that "shi" and "tsuka" are derived from the same morpheme.

The Japanese version of the Pandora convo doesn't really tell us anything, so to tally it up, we're at two points for illiteracy and one point for literacy. I have one more trick up my sleeve... but we're going to have to venture outside of Kid Icarus Uprising.

In Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Super Smash Bros Ultimate, if you play as Pit on the Palutena's Temple stage, mashing down taunt will trigger a special conversation between some of the Kid Icarus Uprising cast. It's like an evolution of Snake's codec calls from Brawl. Anyway, I want to direct your attention to this part of Villager's conversation. I don't have any audio so I hope some screenshots will do:

"By the way, that name has an interesting secret."

"Oh oh! What is it?"

"The truth is, this is the first name in Smash to use hiragana!"

"W-what! I didn't realize!"

I dunno, this has gotta indicate some literacy, right? Gotta have some conception of hiragana for this to mean anything, right? Can we get half a point for team literacy at least?

...I guess we really didn't get anywhere in the end. Is Pit literate? Up to you, I suppose. What a thrilling conclusion. Let's close this off with the English version of the above convo because I like it lots. It's got a stupidly rare random chance of occurring in like, chapter 11 exclusively so perhaps you haven't even heard it.

Probably one of my favorite interactions in the game. "Errand spirit." Chef's kiss. Perfect. Sublime. Perhaps westerners understand angels after all. Secretary Pit is also awesome.

The English version evidently takes the angle of playing with the definition of the word, rather than the etymology. This is fair enough because the average English speaker probably knows jack about the etymology of "angel." Oh, and the type of joke the Japanese version wishes to convey wouldn't really work in English. For fun, "angel" comes from Greek "angelos" which means "messenger." ...I guess we've come full circle.

This post has gone on for way too long. This cutoff part is probably longer than the main point of this post. Maybe I'm the one who needs a coffee.

[seasonal-writes]

Hey there! So, it’s been a while. I have done a lot of thinking, some writing, some attempts—but I have come to the conclusion that I do not think I will be writing out the continuation and end of When Fate Finds Golden Rings. It took me a while to get to this point, and I'm so sorry to anyone who was hoping or expecting me to eventually come back to posting it on ao3. You know, you just.. don’t write on a fic for over a year-ish and surprise! Maybe you really lost the energy and passion for this piece after all. Which is okay. 

BUT. Instead,

Welcome to: Ro gives away the plans for the ending, rambles about that process, and gives other weird notes about their first big boy AU. Because I saw a post about bullet point-ing fic and realized I am, in fact, allowed to do that. 

Strap in because this is going to be a Big Post. Sorry in advance. And if it wasn't very obvious, um. Spoilers for When Fate Finds Golden Rings below the cut. <3

It’ll probably be starting at chapter 14. 

So, I want to disclose, before we begin: the ending is not totally up to my current standards as a writer. And this isn’t going to be me bashing my own creative process or my burnout or anything like that. I just feel like noting that… had I thought about the ending in more detail instead of flying by the seat of my pants, I think that it would be more put-together and interesting. I think that applies to the entire story, honestly. So. Yeah. If the ending falls a little flat, that is why. I was too busy daydreaming over my epilogue—which I will be talking about as well!! It's honestly my favorite aspect that came from continually thinking about the fic rather than writing it. LMAO.

Interestingly enough, I originally wrote that there were going to be at most like, 7-8 chapters left. realistically, that would probably not have happened. Considering this outline was in SHAMBLES, I can safely say it would’ve been a whirlwind last few chapters. sincerely, future Ro after writing out the mess you’re about to see.

The place where Joel, Lizzie, and Etho live was going to be the place where the ending took place. All the chapters in this “arc” as I'd call them—even though that’s not really what they are—were going to be here and were originally intended to be a deeper dive into Tango’s background. Since the first half of the story is really steeped in Jimmy’s world, it had only felt right to give Tango his own section and exposition as a character.

This was going to become the part of the story where it’s like, Jimmy and tango are in a more stable place for a moment so it gives them more time to reflect. It also would’ve given them time to be away from each other, which I thought was important for two guys who had been subjected to good ol’ forced proximity and were finally given little outs to be apart; i.e. Etho taking tango away for a day, Jimmy spending time with Lizzie and/or Joel. That was a chapter idea I had: both basically kinda being like: yeah! no! I can be alone. I don't miss him at all. not even a little. it feels weird without him here though, right- and just dealing with that. Plus the fear of getting caught, the fear of the OTHER one getting caught and not knowing. yeah. <3

Something I had planned on happening between Tango and Jimmy was that Jimmy was basically going to very much avoid his own feelings all around. He’s so attached to this guy, very much falling for him, and convinced that he is in the way despite it all. He’s kinda… under the impression that maybe he’s in the wrong for not wanting to stay, because OBVIOUSLY Jimmy knows better than to stay in one place like this after the whole journey thus far, when Tango seems so happy. So Jimmy, flawed as this idea is, just assumes Tango will be better off if he stays close to his home and Jimmy doesn’t want to make Tango feel like he has to keep running. The best way i can describe this is like

Jimmy: Man. Tango seems really happy here. I don't think he needs me. I bet he wants to stay. No, I'm not gonna ask him, that’s crazy. What I WILL do, however, is leave without telling him. 

and then he did. :) 

That was basically going to lead into a chapter where Jimmy is ~kidnapped~ on his way out of town by ANOTHER set of characters I was excited about: the mercenaries, Ren, Martyn, and BigB! Golden Rings!Ren is fun to me because he keeps the Red King aesthetic. For some context of why they exist: the three stooges mercenaries heard through the grapevine that if the two princes were captured and returned alive, there would be a big reward. I never actually decided if they’d been tracking Jimmy and Tango for a while, or if it was a coincidence that the reward went out and they happened to stumble into town. but all that matters is that Ren ‘n Gang are in fact successful, and smuggle Jimmy off to a camp somewhere along the road headed back to the palace with full intentions of bringing him home, with or without tango. 

behind the scenes, tango is actively losing his mind. so, fun fact here: I never actually…wrote down how this next bit happens. please forgive me i haven’t touched this outline in like a year and a lot has happened since then- but OoOoh wow! Tango manages to find him!! at the camp!! at night. please note here that golden rings!tango has reflective animal eyes. like cats at night when light shines on them? that’s tango. 

I had this whole scene planned where I would riff off the Tango Rage and make him go nuts on these guys. The funny thing is that Tango can’t really fight, but I think he would do an effective job on scaring the shit out of them and chasing them out of camp. Like, spooky story level shit—crackling twigs, snapping branches, etc.. At the end, Tango manages to untie Jimmy and they make a quick getaway back to town. 

When I tell you this was gonna be one exciting chapter after exciting chapter, I mean it. The next big part, dear rancher enjoyers, was going to be the confession scene. 

Basically, imagine. Tango and Jimmy are walking home. tango is really quiet, won’t look at jimmy except to make sure he’s still right there. There is a storm brewing in the sky, and they’re trying to get back as soon as possible. but suddenly, tango freezes in place. Jimmy gets a few feet ahead, but stops and turns when he notices tango isn’t in pace with him. tango looks hurt. more hurt than jimmy’s ever seen him. which makes Jimmy feel awful. and it’s like:

T: If you wanted to leave, you should have told me.  J: …Tango. T: If you wanted to leave, you should have come and told me. We are friends— a team, you've said it yourself. I would’ve been ready to go.  J: I wasn’t…I was hoping you wouldn’t follow me.  T: Why wouldn’t I follow you? J: I just thought it’d be easier on both of us if I left you to your devices here. I’m sorry.  T: You’re sorry? You think that’s gonna just- just make this better for me? After you just up and left me there, worried that you’d been taken back to your family? T: And- And you almost were, too! You were this close, Jimmy! If you were that scared of staying then- J: You know, there was nothing forcing you to come get me, I could’ve just gone and you could’ve stayed and lived the life you wanted back in the palace! I thought that was the plan! Freedom for both of us! T: ….You really just don’t get it, huh? Are you that dense? J: What? What don’t I understand? T: I am in love with you, you idiot! J: …You.. you what? [dialogue taken from the scene i started writing but never finished<3]

And then more things happen and then they KISSSSSSSS !!! 

Realistically, I want to note that the transition between here and the ending was very finicky and not written down. so, instead, i will be giving you a general run down of what the ending was supposed to be. 

With tango and jimmy now having confessed and acting upon those feelings, they think they’re safe for the moment. However, soon after, etho finds them and basically alerts them of an uptick of Nether Guard, having heard that the mercenaries reported their sighting and now, rather rapidly because ~portal transport~, the kings were sending search parties out once more. etho suggests they get out of the city, and the two agree, prepping quickly to leave what became a very good few allies and safe place for the roads once more. 

The day they are supposed to flee, the overworld’s royal party arrives; Grian heading the way, seeming to be the one sent to find his little brother. 

This part got really fuzzy for me because I don't think I ever actually plotted out the transitionary period between "you two need to run" and "we're running, it's bad."

What I do know, though, is that the final scene would’ve been a confrontation with Grian, who attempts to convince them to come home. but when Jimmy explains, begs his brother to try and understand (i also think he uses his secret relationship with Scar as a bit of an example. leverage, even); Grian eventually wishes his brother goodbye, and turns a blind eye to let them run. 

Epilogue: Tango and Jimmy, fittingly, escape to the countryside. When they eventually outrun search parties and the call for their return dies down, they settle on a tiny cottage out on a tiny farm with wishes to expand it and make it their own. Jimmy tends to the animals. Occasionally, he sends a letter under a false name, and he gets one in response; a brother, far away, still keeping him in on happenings in the kingdom and in his life. Tango dives into his redstone, creating and building and making things he never would’ve had much time to while being a king. He thinks of a guard, long left behind, and wonders if he thinks of him too. 

The two never marry, as marriage doesn’t leave a very sweet taste in their mouths—but they do make vows, whispered promises to stay together forever. A prophecy haunts them; but they were never really the type to obey any plan laid out for them, anyway. 

Some years later, a quiet life has been established—but one day, someone arrives. Tango has gone out to gather supplies, so when there’s a knock, Jimmy answers the door. 

Before him, there is a tall figure with a familiar set of eyes. Impulse, knight and ex-personal guard of the Nether Court, stands before him. When Tango returns to find him, a beautiful reunion is had; one with tears and relief and all the love in the world so present in one moment. 

GUESS WHAT !!! TANGO/JIMMY/IMPULSE CANON IN GOLDEN RINGS EPILOGUE!! IMPULSE COMES BACK TO HIS BOY AFTER ESSENTIALLY GIVING UP HIS GUARD POSITION BECAUSE IT’S NOT THE SAME!! THEY CAN BE SO SILLY TOGETHER NOW!! AAAAAAAAA I’VE BEEN WAITING TO SHARE THIS GOD-

please god someone ask me about this dynamic i’m not okay

And, yeah! That was kind of it for the story. As I said, it falls flat to an extent. It’s not the ending that I would give it today. I still wanted to share it, even if it wasn’t the best or most detailed. I love this story, I love this universe and its characters and all the work I did on it. I still want to think about it, talk about it, etc. I’m not letting it go completely, just.. the fic won’t be finished. I am of the firm belief that I could’ve done a lot of things differently, that the story could be even better if I rewrote it entirely. But that’s not a project for right now. :) Because holy shit this fic is at 65k and that would be… hoooo.. a lot of work. Just like picking it back up and finishing it would also be quite a bit of work. It’s hard—I’ve had people tell me just to do it, just to finish the damn thing for the sake of finishing it and not quitting. So, this is my version of that, even if it isn’t the same. I don’t feel like I’m quitting, I'm only a little sad about how it's ending for now, but it feels right. I’m just like 99% sure I won’t enjoy writing the rest out. And, like I said at the start, that’s okay. Passion and motivation changes. People grow.

Anyway, that’s all! Thanks for listening to my silly little ramble about this AU that is old but still lovely. If you guys have questions or wanna chat about the AU at all, my ask box is always open even if I am terrible at answering them. If I find anything else or think up anything, maybe I’ll post about it! But, for now, I hope you all enjoyed my sillies. I love everyone who set foot in this space and read what is still my most favorite fanfiction I've ever written. :)

[nihilnovisubsole]

something i've been thinking about as GDC comes around again: it's amazing to sit in the same room with Real Industry People and hear the truth of why certain story decisions happened the way they did. studio games are odd group projects that take a really long time to make, and there are many irons in the fire and many interests at play. sometimes the stars align and a team gets a laser vision, creative freedom, and the budget they need, and they ship the thing they meant to ship.

but not always. if a character you love got killed off, it's entirely possible that their original writer left or they couldn't bring the voice actor back. or leadership wanted to close down old story arcs and tie up loose ends, or someone felt new characters would bring in a new audience. if a series seemed to drop a plot thread in a sequel, it's possible that the narrative team wanted to include it and it got cut for scope. or shareholders wanted to appeal to a different part of the playerbase. or the team had internal creative conflict, or any number of reasons as simple as "it got lost in the shuffle because we did so many rewrites". [important disclosure: i'm not vagueposting about specific games here. i'm just rattling possibilities off. resemblance, unintentional, etc.]

and of course that's not a phenomenon unique to video games. tv shows make snap decisions when they get canceled before the planned end of the story or a cast member wants to leave. movies' plots can change when a new director comes on board, or they bring in a script doctor, or an actor's problems interfere with the shoot. even louisa may alcott changed little women's ending over concerns that if jo remained unmarried, the book wouldn't sell. i'm not sure whether it was her publisher or she worried about it herself, but the point is, something got altered, and it can happen anywhere.

as a fan, i found these developers' stories both comforting and vindicating. for a long time, i've felt like someone riding two horses at once: the fanfic-and-OC girl playing on other writers' playgrounds, and now also the staff writer who sees how the sausage gets made. i've been affected - probably overmuch - by a character's sad end, only to learn that some third party or outside motive influenced it. i've met writers who also didn't like where a plot was going, but didn't have enough seniority on the team to protest it. i've heard stories along the lines of, "we were trying to make lemonade, man," and what shocked me more than the revelation is the peace i gained from it. it's a miracle the games shipped at all. the things that got made, got made. between professionals, it's neither heretical nor some wild flight of irrationality to ask, "what if things had gone a different way?"

and, i mean, it would be both cynical and incorrect to wave it all off and say that no storytelling motives are ever wholesome. some characters die because it's the logical conclusion to their arc. some universes with complicated worldbuilding benefit from narrowing their focus and shaving off a few subplots. i'm just saying many things are possible. when you only sit on the fan side, it's easy to feel like Canon™ looms above you, inviolable, when you're really in conversation with it. there's a lot of power in saying "i respect the team's accomplishments, but i would've made different choices." you'd be surprised how often the team agrees with you.

[jetra4ivor]

The many different ways you can animate a Minecraft movie.

Vanilla Minecraft doesn’t really allow expressive features for characters, so over the years animators have gotten creative with how they use the blocky bodies to convey emotion and movement. Here’s a list of different ways this has been achieved in the past 15 years.

The Captain Sparklez way:

In “Revenge” we see an early attempt at lip synching with these strange mouth shapes that cycle through the animation. This style of animating lip synch would become the basis for how Minecraft Story Mode operated, where there are base shapes for mouth expressions that sometimes defy the boundaries of their blocky faces in weird ways.

What I like about Captain Sparklez is that he’s been around long enough that his animations have evolved with him, and he’s got a whole new way of animating.

The feature I dislike the most about his newer style of animation is that they treat the face as soft and stretchable. This allows greater expression, but at the cost of bending the pixelated shapes in ways that pixels do not bend.

On the other hand (literally) one of the things I like about this style is the slightly rounded edges of the bodies that give everything a real sense of volume. I also like how hands are treated. Normally they are blocky fists, but they can open up into individual fingers when needed. A subtle trick that allows for greater animation movement without betraying the blocky aesthetic of Minecraft.

The Minecraft Story Mode way:

This method was inspired by Captain Sparklez but they take it in a different more defined direction.

As mentioned before, mouth shapes are pre-defined and are cycled through. For a video game, this has the advantage of needing only a few shapes that can be swapped in and out whenever needed to save on space and resources.

It does have the disadvantage however of occasionally looking stiff and sometimes the mouth shapes can’t quite convey the exact emotion needed. “Oh” shapes are are also weird as they extend beyond the boundaries of the blocky face and use smaller pixels to generate the shape. This can sometimes look off-putting or feel odd.

MCSM also treats the bodies more stiffly. The arms and legs have bends at the elbows and knees, but that’s about it. The toros can bend slightly but for the most part everything is kept pretty stiff. Again this has advantages and disadvantages. Broader movement is easy to do, but more subtle movement is tricky. There are no fingers either so when a character needs to hold something it just clips through the fingerless stump.

The Villager News way:

This method is even more limiting. One of the fun aspects about it is that they use their limitation to their advantage for comedic effects. The legs and arms for example are perfectly stiff and do not bend. This is hilarious with the villagers who have to gesture with their arms stuck in this folded pose, and when they dance their large stumpy legs clop around almost like a horse.

There’s still a tiny bit of flexibility though. The eyebrow bend and the mouth can push the bottom jaw down for big mouth shapes.

The Official Way:

In the official Minecraft update videos we have the last interesting way to animate characters… and that is to be completely stiff. Arms and legs do not bend. Faces are pixel art painted on the front. There is no dimensionality at all to their features.

Like the Villager News method, this has fun restrictions. Arms and legs sway in one motion just like in the game itself, and getting certain gestures can be extremely tricky. It also doesn’t allow a great range of expressions as most of the acting now needs to be done entirely through the eyes.

Conclusion:

Each method described above have advantages and disadvantages. If you’re looking for a smooth Pixar look, the Captain Sparklez way is probably the best, but it comes at the cost of abandoning Minecraft’s blocky norms. The stiff nature of the official style fits better with the conventions of Minecraft, but can come at the cost of being able to express the characters movements more fluidly.

I just find these various methods fascinating. How many different animators have tackled the challenger of animating blocky characters in such vastly different ways is neat in my opinion!

Which way is your favorite?

[hollow-lime-green]

thank you for being so levelheaded with your t/b take!

I'm sorry if I'll come off as feeding the beast in your inbox and you're free to delete this but I think there's a lot to be said also how authors too choose to engage with the t/b discourse.

Authors find more and more creative ways of saying "my t/b ways are better than yours."

The "switching is the morally correct option because they are equals crowd" is especially annoying to me because real life gay people have strict t/b preferences!

I am one who has real life top bottom preferences and when these people go on their rampage around the fandom to say "actually me and my real life partners are equals so we switch and writing strict t/b is just bad writing" it makes me feel weird.

Not to mention the "heteronormativity" allegations around top/bottom preferences when there is a long history in real life-land again of queer people being accused by well meaning progressives of recreating heteronormativity because of their preferences.

I am simply tired of feeling bullied by some of these authors that. I don't care about the tags don't like don't read reign supreme. What I care about is people coming in and starting to make an environment where "correct and progressive smut" is the best smut.

I simply don't have patience for it anymore.

Sorry for the rant :/

nah, I think this is Good Discussion, and not Directionless Ragecycling. like you say, even the take of 'everyone is switches and that is Equality' is, in itself, imposing values on sexual preferences, which is never a good end game.

i think it's a good time to bring up how women/afab people get lost in this conversation, and how a lot of this is probably related to the yaoi/mlm dominated lens fandom. but consider - putting the yaoi aside for a moment - there are women who will never like penetration. physically, it's just not it, fam. around 30% of women can orgasm from only penetration/intercourse, i.e. bottoming in this context. in the 70%, there will be women who still like penetration even if it's not enough, and ones who dislike and do not want it. all good, homeslices. bodies are bodies, and a good partner is one who figures yours out and does what it needs. (that's true love sexual compatibility, dawg)

so, if we accept the premise that there are women who will have hard and fast preferences on penetration, that this is a fact of our bodies, that this is not strictly related to power or patriarchy - why are we unwilling to accept the same of gay/bi men? why do we impose politics on dick in ass?

[trump voice] because of woke

the answer is probably: it's complicated

first, a lot of people entangle sex and romance - in fandom and in life - and that is the big thing. sure, they are often connected, but by definition, not inseparable. which is why allo people can have a real empathy gap with aroace people. i am aro, but not ace, so that is my context of interpreting sex and sexuality, and i think it becomes pretty obvious when i talk about this stuff. not all of us are shackled to the idea that letting someone put something in you means you have to get married. sometimes it's just for funsies. and not letting them do that doesn't mean you don't want to get married.

second, people have implicit biases, they turn into stated politics/righteous beliefs, and they apply it to the Thing They are Into, which is fandom gayboys. they feel good about Being Right and it becomes a thing, a part of their Political Identity. but really all it is is just more sexual repression. and again i say, more people need to get freaky with it.

once you start reading and writing monsterfucking, vore, bloodplay, real D/S, etc., exploring tags that people look at and go "oh, hm. uh.", you can realize how small and tame t/b actually is.

conclusions:

t/b discourse is a result of a sexually repressed culture

future work:

once you read enough nonhuman nonpenetrative sex, you can let it go and have fun (sources cited: hades fandom)

[sweetcloverheart]

You know sweetcloverheart,

I am wondering about this,

But if Deku form My Hero Academia and Marinette swap places (Like an AU where Deku's born in the Miraculous Universe and Marinette's born in the MHA Universe) where they take the Other's Role (EG: Deku getting the Ladybug Miraculous and dealing with Chloe for a bully while Marinette becomes All Might's Successor but forced to deal with Bakugo as her Bully)

How different do you think they'll be in the other's Position?

(Deku looks up to superheroes so even in a Universe where Super Heroes aren't the Norm, He should be more willing to be a Hero unlike Marinette (Though I'm not sure if Deku can tolerate Chloe like Bakugo however) but the latter I don't think would even want to accept being All Might Successor yet alone able to handle Bakugo as well but what do you think?)

Thanks, Take Care and See Ya! ;)

While I don't personally like how this question is worded (Izuku and Marinette both have their virtues and vices that both help and hinder them in their respective roles), it's interesting enough to actually make me want to answer

Now for starters, it has to to acknowledged these two shows are from different cultures (France and Japan respectively), and as such, how the protags handled their respective bully character is reflective of that, as well as how they act and how their universes operate. However, for the sake of this question, I'm going to treat this as if both worlds are culture blind.

On Izuku's end, I'm going to be frank and say that he probably would not have handled Chloe situation better nor worse than Marinette did. Despite everything Bakugou did to him (including the infamous "Swandive" scene), Izuku never hated/resented him (had complicated feelings, yes, but none of them were resentful as far as I remember) and still held a lot of admiration for him at the end of the day - but that's mostly because Bakugou is also his rival and they're childhood friends, as well as being highly empathetic and stubborn. He'd likely try his damnedest to understand while Chloe hates him, and he would have tried like Marinette to help Chloe reconcile with Audrey because has no clue what's going on behind the scene (though I think once it was clear Audrey obviously held no love for her own child, he'd probably do similar as with Todoroki during the sports festival and try getting Chloe to be her own person/stop focusing on her mom). How effective all this would be really depends on how close the two are and how strong a rebar bar was used to keep TA locked in whatever closet you stuff him in for this AU because Izuku and Chloe really don't have any crossover in terms of interests/hobbies (outside of maybe heroes). I think he'd probably be okay with the Miraclass, but only have like, two or three people he was close to (Likely Juleka and Nathaniel due to having similar temperaments), and he and Adrien could be good friends if effort was put forth and they talked (I imagine he wouldn't have jumped to conclusions about the gum thing), and might have some success in turning Lila because he'd be smarter about confronting her on the lying. He and Alya would be such good nerd buddies. I can genuinely see them sitting in each others rooms trading comics and having "who's stronger" debates

As for the Ladybug...Yeah, no. Izuku would do poorly with Tikki. Kid's smart as they come and adaptive, but he lack the functional creativity that the Ladybug Miraculous needs from its holders regarding the Lucky Charms (though he'd be a lot better at interpreting the more abstract ones), especially if it works similarly to Marinette in that they're seemingly random (maybe if it was like Mister Bug in that he could whichever one he wants, it'd be a different story). In addition, Tikki would not mesh well with him, (particularly if we're talking pre-character development!Izuku) because the kid needs someone willing to be harsh/upfront with him like All Might was during the beach training, and Tikki I think would just be much too willing to baby him. Izuku is also a pretty direct person when it comes to combat and the Ladybug requires being more indirect/handsoff. While he wouldn't end up returning it on that first day/trading it off to Alya like Marinette did, he'd likely have a horrible time of it. Honestly, if I was going to give Izuku a Miraculous, I'd go for either the Ox (very direct/powerhouse and would stop the canon bone-breaking), Tiger (Similar reasoning as Ox+Roarr would be very similar to AM for him), or Dragon (requires actually considering what element works best with battle, and I think he'd be pretty strategic with it).

On Marinette's end...I actually think she'd do better in the BNHA world, but also poorer.

In regards to Bakugou, I think any bullying would get cut off at the knee because unlike with "Derision" and because we've reinforced the rebar, Tom and Sabine would be able actually go to Mitsuki and Masaru after hearing about stuff like the playground and remove Marinette from his presence if things didn't improve. I imagine unlike with Izuku, Marinette would take all of Bakugou's behavior/threats at face value and just...stop talking to him. No reconciling or understanding, just bitter/petty remarks and open mockery like she does with Chloe in canon (She'd also likely air-out their dirtylaundry first day of class, would would have consequences™ for both of them she isn't considering). She'd get along well with the 1A girls, but not enough to say they'd be a girl squad. I think she and Mina would be similar to her and Alya in canon because the latter would notice how withdraw she is and immediately work her magic to help her out. I also think she and Yuuga would be good friends since he knows french and they'd likely share interests in fashion (would make his betrayal hurt a lot too). She'd likely develop a celebrity crush on Todoroki like she did with Adrien, but he'd be less nicer about it since this is EarlyRoki and the subsequent fallout would both end the crush outright and make her reevaluate her behavior.

I also doubt her parents would care that much that Mari is quirkless (Headcanon that Tom would have a wolf-body quirk and Sabine would be able to temporarily turn her skin metal, or quirks that help with baking), but Marinette herself would likely be self-conscious about it, especially when she spent her childhood mocked for it by someone she considered a friend. It'd likely make her more willing to take OFA TBH, especially since unlike MLB, Marinette not only would be given time to adjust and actually learn about what she's getting into, she'd also have her mentor readily available to actually ask things of (and who would admit when he's lacking in resources/information for her and direct her to ore experience people). Also, unlike with the LB miraculous, Marinette misusing OFA would have actual physical consequences on her, so she'd learn that lesson a lot quicker.

[merelyafigment]

Oh! What about 17 - and upside down Spiderman kiss

Or

33 - a kiss to a scar

Whatever ship you want! Whenever you feel like it!

Thank you!

Thank you for the fun prompts! :D It ended up #17 Miguel/Chico, because apparently when I lock in and fixate on a pairing there is no hope for me. Hope that's okay.

This is another "I may clean it up a bit more at some point" because I may have still had a fever while finishing this. It's a bit long.

Also, I cheated, because I was not creative enough to come up with a reason for Miguel to be literally hanging upside down. So, I just laid him down and put Chico by his head for an upside down kiss.

*

They'd talked about it, sure.

Was going to come out, couldn't keep it under wraps forever in this shithole that gossiped like a high school.

Only thing they could control was– they could get ahead of it.

(Okay, could've controlled it by just, you know, fucking stopping. Keeping their hands off each other. Their mouths, all the– all the damn parts they'd been mingling lately. Wasn't just parts though, were like feelings –Jesus, feelings– involved.)

Hadn't discussed the hows and the when, exactly, just… no longer hiding. Figure it out.

Today probably?

Maybe?

Was coming, so might as well get it over with.

Miguel didn't show that bit of jumpiness in his veins over it, but gym time was fucking helping with that. Let him zone out into just feeling his body, pushing the limits he knew. Chico sticking closer than usual, spotting him at the bench press. Did sometimes, not always. Chico kept in decent shape, too, just cared less about looks and more about being capable of throwing a punch, throwing himself into a fight. Miguel, admittedly, cared about both.

Today, after their little discussions and conclusions over the last week or so, Chico was definitely spotting him. Above him, fingertips in a hovering dance under the bar without touching, following his every move.

Running his mouth, but in the way that got Miguel's pumping for good reasons, not fucking frustrating ones. Counting him off, spurring him on, a constant stream of confidence boosts, playfully goading him further, and praise.

“Nice job, Miguel, knew you could knock it out easy.” Pointing down at him as Miguel set the bar back himself with a rattle, Chico stayed by his head, beaming down at him.

“What, you just going to hype me up? No prize for adding reps? That's kind of lame, baby.” Miguel smirked up at upside-down Chico. Was keeping his ass flat on the bench for a moment, catching a breath and fucking with his– yeah, Chico was his guy or whatever, right? If they were going to expose their shit, it had to be shit worth the risk of exposing, no hiding behind some handies out of horniness excuse.

Miguel liked this idiot. (And one way this idiot was smart, was being fucking gone for him.)

Had been a long, brutal road to get to the ground they were on with each other now. Would be disrespectful or something to pretend they weren't anything that mattered.

Chico's hands wrapped around the bar, not so he could fucking lift it or anything, but for the drama and leverage, leaning over, peering down between his outspread arms at Miguel. “Oh, you want a kiss, honey?”

Felt the instinctive twitch, but tamped down on it. (Body tensed but… he didn't let the twitch out.) Weird as fuck– but no, it actually wasn't weird saying things like that to each other these days. Did it all the time.

Just. In private.

Not with the itch under his skin of eyes on him, tightening his throat around any immediate response.

Had said they were just going to– no hiding, right? Would be worse, someone else blasting out the intel, spinning it however. Controlling it themselves was better.

And this was the way fucking Carmen tended to open doors – just got straight to it, throwing ‘em open, slamming and everything. (Metaphorically, since as far as actual doors went, they mostly dealt with those private ones they sure as hell weren't slamming, only sneaking into, and the fishbowl doors in Em City, which were all slowly moving, pressurizing whooshing.)

This time, Miguel was going to fucking let him. (Already been discussed, what was dragging his feet going to do?) Let his smirk stay curling his mouth, aimed right up at Chico. (His, yeah.) “Here I was thinking you'd slip me some of your nuggets at dinner ‘cause I need the extra protein after this–”

Chico's scoff looked different upside down, the casualness of it not matching the nervous taps of his fingers on the bar.

(Maybe he thought Miguel was chickening out? Fuck that.)

“–but you want to kiss me so badly, baby, you can.” Even with the tension riding across his shoulders in a new way that had nothing to do with lifting, his grin didn't dim.

Was the added wink that broke the short laugh out of Chico. But then, Chico was easy to make break. Not just with bad shit like his anger, but anything good, anything fun, any bit of joy or ease to be scraped up in their days – Chico gave himself over to it just as readily.

Kind of liked that about him. Kind of dragged Miguel along sometimes, way easier than on his own.

Chico's hands stayed on the damn bar while he bent farther forward, leaned even lower between his outstretched arms until his face was right above Miguel's. “Nah, I still think it's you who wants it.” Yeah, his fake-ass pondering expression was right there in Miguel's face. Teasing, trying to make Miguel make the move.

Miguel just raised his fucking eyebrows in challenge and didn't move a muscle towards Chico, stayed flat on his back, only movement shaking out his arms at his sides a little.

Would have to get up soon. Couldn't hog the bench all day. Him and Chico, they had enough juice these days to keep fuckers off them. But they didn't have the weight to monopolize the equipment for the whole of gym time, couldn't swing their dicks around like that. Just enough, they figured, if they backed it up, to survive this shit coming out. Hell, Beecher didn't even have his crazy ass loverboy anymore and he was still kicking.

Miguel had his, though.

And yeah, his broke easy. Impatient, with the good stuff more than anything.

Had been cute how he'd tried to make Miguel give in and do it, but yeah – was Chico.

Little buzz of triumph like knocking out his reps at Chico closing those last inches, all upside grin not looking anything like a frown. The crinkling corners of his eyes, his smile lines strange from this angle, scrambling up his familiar face some.

Still looked like joy, the kind Miguel knew now.

Felt like it, too, brushing against his lips.

Chico's mouth grown familiar in the best way felt different like this, too, and it was still fucking good, even upside down and on display. Focused on the curve of the lips against his, the rest of the room only registering in his periphery out of necessity.

Carmen's kiss dropping down on him from above was where it was at for him, situational awareness aside. Finding their way, shapes all topsy turvy and still fitting– was Chico's warmth, Chico's smile, meeting his, and they made it work, because that wasn't different at all. Wasn't hot as fuck or anything. Kind of awkward and… sweet? Yeah, sweet. Nose bumping Chico's chin, Chico bumping him, still slotting together to share something nice, half-open mouthed heat. Not something that got him hard, but clung for a minute anyway, worth clinging to.

Wasn't all that dirty, not about them fucking.

Not putting ownership or power over each other on display.

Wasn't anything commonly spotted or understood by those eyes he could still feel watching.

Nah, sweet, definitely. Intimacy, connection, just a check in. Like they had something.

And that's what showed. (Not one motherfucker in this room would be able to tell who was taking it from whom or name one of them as the bitch.)

That was back of the mind, practical shit, but yeah… they were in public, so it mattered. Were being careful about what they showed for a reason. (Miguel was all polite, didn't hook a hand around the back of Chico's neck and drag him back into something dirtier when he stood back up straight or anything.)

Hadn't discussed the details, no. Hadn't discussed the sweet of it all. Was just how it had happened, what their teasing had led to. And they had let it, where everyone could see. (Well, the like ten guys in the gym with them. But it would spread quickly.)

But that brief kiss, turned on its head, still eased Miguel's tension a notch, or at least, felt like he wasn't shouldering it alone.

Because he hadn't been entirely lost in deep tonguing Chico, nope. Just a cute little kiss and all. Heard the reactions to the news they were broadcasting, clocked the expressions when he sat up. Just like he knew without looking that Carmen was doing the same behind him.

The last thing Miguel may have seen from Chico was his easy grin, tasted it even, along with the huff of amused joy as they'd parted.

But Carmen was fiercely fucking protective more than he was chill. (Despite being pretty chill lately.) Wasn't about to let any dangerous insult slide when it came to them.

They'd discussed that, too, and the fact that these days Miguel trusted him to listen is why they were even in this like they were, coming out of the damn closet or whatever. (Fucking hell.)

Chico had agreed to be smart about any actions they took to shut down threats, so as to not leave the other alone and out in the shit while one was rotting in Ad-Seg for going after somebody recklessly. And Miguel had agreed to actually take really fucking firm, even permanent action in turn. (Just with planning, so their asses didn't get caught.)

So, the only action right now with a Hack glaring at them, but too lazy to move since they'd stopped, would be that little peck of declaration between them and all. (Of shared, playful joy.)

But they were both taking mental notes of the reactions, Miguel giving Chico's pec a backhanded slap of solidarity as they moved together to the hand weights he wanted to use.

(Not like a display of strength would hurt. Maybe Miguel would start hitting the bag a bit more forcefully for a while.)

Yeah, in this together.

With a weird little comforting buzz on his lips, something warm settled underneath his tension, even now.

[moments-on-film]

Carmy doesn’t know who he is yet

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’ve come to the conclusion that Carmen doesn’t really know who he is. He doesn’t know himself enough to know what actually makes him happy. This impacts how he views himself, how he sees himself in relation to other people, and it also helps explain why his life feels so empty, why he has no answer when asked questions, including “what is fun for you?”

In the group session in S2E3, Carmy shares,

“I think when I was a kid, anything that would give me any sort of excitement or amusement or enjoyment, it always got kind of f-d.”

What I took from this is that he used to have things that he was passionate and excited about, maybe even things he found fun, made him laugh, brought him joy, and they got ruined, by his family. He likely didn’t start out in life with the outlook he has now. Life, and the abuse and trauma he has survived taught him to repress his true feelings, not express himself, and not communicate his needs and desires, for fear of what would happen if he did.

We know that Carmy is an artist, in more ways than one. Carmy is an artist through the food he creates. In S1E8, he describes how he felt that by cooking he could “communicate through creativity”, which must have been an incredible self discovery for him. Unfortunately, it appears that is the only creative discovery about himself he has been able to act on. His latent artistic talents include a connection to clothing and the ability to draw beautiful, realistic sketches of food and people (from what we have been shown so far). I believe art was Carmy’s first, true passion but it has been beaten out of him.

In S2E6, in the first scene between him and his mom, Carmy is helping in the kitchen and his mother brings up Steven. She says to Carmy, “Is cousin Michelle’s friend Steven, is he gay? Steven, is he gay? I mean he seems kind of gay. You know, he’s arty.”

This raised a HUGE red flag for me upon first viewing. Donna is equating being arty with being gay, and with negative connotations. Now at this point in S2, we don’t yet know that Carmy used to draw Claire, or that he drew the framed sketch that he gives to Michael as a Christmas present of their dream restaurant, The Bear, (we find out both later in this episode), or that he drew the chaos menu he shows to Sydney in S2E8. All we know so far is that he used to draw (pants) in high school. In S2E5, Carmy tells Claire that after meeting who we now know was Thom Browne at his restaurant in New York, he said he felt like he “wanted to start drawing again.” Claire says, “the dream returned”, and Carmy looks down and looks so sad.

Maybe his initial dream really was to be an artist, but his mom, brother, and Richie all “giving him a hard time” about drawing, and probably being made fun of ruined it for him, so he repressed that side of himself, tamped it down, and denied what he was actually passionate about. What could have been a great source of joy and happiness is now associated with suppression and shame.

Carmy didn’t go to college. He didn’t get to try new things, take classes and discover new passions, meet new people, or expose himself to possibilities that life could offer. He didn’t have friends or girlfriends growing up. The only people (historically) he’s ever been around are family, who see him a certain way, and his various staff, which he manages and leads. Claire sees him a certain way because she knows his past and understands his (past) behavior. She tells him “you’re really shy”, not you were really shy or you used to be shy—no, she is speaking about his past in the present tense. All of this boxes Carmy in, behaviorally.

Carmy tells Claire he always wanted to have friends, so wistfully. At the party Claire takes him to in S2E5, he gets mistaken for someone else, Logan Fernello, but doesn’t correct the situation. He escapes into this alter ego and literally pretends to be someone else so he can have a conversation with a group of would be friends. The group of guys he’s talking to don’t know who he is and he uses this as an opportunity to reinvent himself. This scene really threw me the first time I saw it, not just because he’s telling a story to a rapt audience, but because in 13 episodes, he has never been this animated. It’s as if he’s channeling the best parts of what he loved about Michael in this moment. He’s never really allowed himself to make friends with new people and explore and expand certain aspects of his personality. Is he shy is this scene? Absolutely not. The moment ends when Claire comes over and steers him out of the situation, which made me think—How is Carmy supposed to explore new parts of himself around people from his past who have already made up their minds about who he is and how he’s supposed to behave?

Instead of going to college, where, among other things, he would have had new experiences and met new people, Carmy threw himself into work. He saw colleagues as competition and worked himself to the bone. He’s been a chef in Malibu, California, Napa Valley, California, Copenhagen, Denmark, and New York, New York, but Carmy never talks about his experiences in these locations unless it’s tied to work. Did he ever explore in these cities and locations and allow himself to have a good time?

Carmy’s empty apartment is also indicative of his suppressed emotions and personality. We know he has a great eye and talent for creativity and beauty, yet his apartment reflects none of this. There’s barely anything on the walls, apart from a few things in his room. There is no personality to be found. Everything is his apartment is to serve a function, but there is nothing sentimental, nostalgic, creative or reflective of his life experiences or travels on display.

In S2E1, Carmy has a moment alone in his empty apartment. It’s a quiet moment, but one of extreme unease. He simply does not know how to relax, how to just be. He plays with his pocket knife and opens his phone. This moment is notable because he essentially has no apps on his phone apart from the preloaded ones. No entertainment, no games, nothing personal. It’s as devoid of his personality as his apartment.

Carmy tells his sister in S1E6 that he feels trapped because he can’t describe how he’s feeling. I believe Carmy senses and feels things deeply, but he has a very hard time putting his emotions into words. I think this is why Carmy has such a talent for giving such sweet and thoughtful gifts. He listens, he pays attention, and he really considers what people need and want. A gift can say so much, and express deep emotion, without the need for words.

Carmy knows his knife will give Tina confidence at culinary school, and so, in the subtlest way possible, he gifts it to her. Sending Richie to stage with chef Terry was life changing. Carmy must have put a lot of thought into what Richie needs, and he gave him that experience from his heart. Even in S1E3, the small act of Carmy bringing Sydney a plate of food to eat because he thought she might be hungry, spoke volumes. His gift to her of the chef coat was a declaration of love because not only did he listen to her when she expressed interest in his, he customized it for her perfectly, down to the smallest detail.

When Carmy tells Sydney, “you’re not alone”, as he gives her this beautiful gift, there is an ocean of emotion, care, thought, consideration, respect, and yes, love, in those three words. It’s as if he can sense and feel exactly what her deepest fear is and he comforts her by essentially letting her know, “I see you, please don’t worry. You’re safe with me. I’ll watch over you. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Even if I wasn’t before, I’m here for you now and I’m not leaving.” He might have to tamp down his feelings, needs and desires, and not put them into words, but he does not want Sydney to experience that same type of pain. This makes his “say more, please” line to get her to speak all the more sweet, tender, and poignant.

From what we have seen so far, Carmy has never been nurtured and never really been loved, unconditionally. To discover who you are, what moves, motivates, excites and enamours you, you have to have experiences, you have to be able to leap into the unknown. I don’t think he’s ever felt safe enough emotionally to explore and express parts of himself with freedom to discover who he is and what actually makes him happy.

I think so many of Carmy’s self identity struggles and mental health issues arise from the abuse he’s had to survive and the trauma he’s endured. It has made him shut down, close off, repress and stifle his urges, emotions, and passions. I also must add that what brings me hope for him is how he is able to express himself with honestly, vulnerability, care and tenderness with the new people in his life, but most importantly, with Sydney. She is not connected to his past, and I think together they could have a beautiful future. That future might not always be in the kitchen, but that is ok.

I really hope Carmy is on a journey of self discovery and into who he is and what brings him joy, peace and happiness. I hope he gets the professional help he needs and is able to untangle his suppressed, confused, internalized emotions, put words to feelings, and finally live life to the fullest. Most importantly, I hope he allows himself the grace to know himself, express himself, and truly love himself. When he does, I know his love for others will take on a whole new dimension of creativity and beauty, just like his art.

©️moments-on-film 2023