#And as for who I was specifically thinking of... (with varying degrees of seriousness)

[goldenteaset]

"I finally did it," mutters your F/O as they take a screenshot of you, the latest party member in their favorite RPG. Maybe there are tears in their eyes, or they're celebrating inwardly. "You're finally here...all that grinding was worth it. You're going to be my MVP.”

Maybe they go a step further and get you all the outfits--DLC, in-game, a bonus from a cafe collaboration, what have you. They unlock all your cutscenes, max out your Love Level if the RPG has dating mechanics, or just look at your various animations or poses any chance they get.

One thing's for sure: in their heart, you're the Hero more than the actual protagonist!

(An optional, slightly darker addition under the cut.

Tags: dubcon in a meta way)

The catch? You weren't part of the RPG at first. Whether through a spell, app, or something else entirely, your F/O "ported" you in for their own ends.

Was it out of petty spite? Lust? A desire to immortalize you through unconventional means? Either way, despite being the strongest and most well-dressed member of the party as you face down boss after boss, you wouldn't be trapped here if not for your F/O's love.

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

There are times I think about playing Arknights just to see if it's as gay as your posting makes it seem.

Actually it's probably better just to ask it here. How gay is Arknights?

Well. The answer depends on how willing you are to read into subtext. If you’re the type who only cares about extremely explicit gayness to the degree of them literally saying it out loud or to have their relationship with another woman described in text as a relationship, then I guess the answer would be not that gay. There’s Tomimi who professes her love to Gavial in The Great Chief Returns event, and there’s Scavenger whose operator file describes how she was in love with a woman but they got separated, and by the time she was able to return to her her partner was dead. I think that might actually be it from the “turn to the camera and say ‘I’m gay’” level of gayness.

The reality of Arknights is that, despite all the things it does well (and there are seriously a lot of those, that’s why I’ve become kind of obsessed with it for better or worse), it is still a gacha game. And when the profitability of a game is tied directly to how much you can convince your audience to spend money to get the characters they want, it unfortunately makes them make so frustrating decisions to avoid any potential loss of profits. Specifically I’m referring to how characters are not allowed to be in relationships in text, as self-shippers are a potential revenue source (despite the fact that a character having a girlfriend vs a character being single is a much smaller roadblock to dating then the fact that they’re not real). Also it suffers from the very common problem of lack of body diversity and skin colors, fanart that you see that seems otherwise is likely fanon.

But if you like queer subtext, there’s quite a lot to work with. Especially since so many characters and their relationships with each other lend really well to lesbian readings with fascinating dynamics. Women will straight up flirt with each other in text somewhat frequently depending on the characters. Some women have relationships that are really really hard to read as anything other than lesbian (but people will always find a way, usually by not reading in the first place). It very often turns into a “there is no heterosexual explanation for this” situation. And the important thing to know is that ~80% of the characters are women, a lot of whom are very real characters with stories and everything that is well written and respecting of them (with a few exceptions). The majority of their interactions are with other female characters. If you’re picky about it any only want heavy subtext with minimal reading into it, you’ll have a number of good options of characters and relationships to enjoy, like Margaret Nearl and her two very obviously girlfriends/wives (depending on your interpretation), or Skadi and Specter, or Franka and Liskarm who got an official manhua dedicated to their relationship as mercenary partners that was so gay that the scanlators who put it on mangadex tagged it “Girls’ Love” only for the official translation to make it gayer.

It really is a your mileage may vary situation. If you’re like me and can read into the potential yuri in even the slightest interaction, it’s an unending feast. But if you’re only in it for the explicit canon then you might want to look for something else. Regardless, it is a gacha game but also it is a game with a majority female cast of usually well written characters in stories where they are the focus. Seriously, the first like 6 chapters of the main story only have a few men, most of whom are nameless npcs or antagonists, and even the main antagonists get to be fascinating women a large portion of the time. I know it might sound like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel here but misogyny is an extremely present force in storytelling and the bar is really low. I can elaborate more if you want me to, but as you can probably tell I’m not good at being succinct, and any further elaboration would be as long and rambly as this

[aihoshiino]

Oshi no Ko 145: A Story Without 「アイ」

The question of how exactly Aqua and Ruby were reborn is something that floats around vaguely in the early stages of the Oshi no Ko, teased as a mystery that will exist in the background as opposed to one actively pursued for resolution. My theory is that this element of the story was likely more prominent in the version of Oshi no Ko that was originally conceptualized (i.e, the one that did not involve Ai's death) but the abrupt change to the story's dramatic tone and intensity pushed it into the background. As it stands, Aqua's wishy-washy statement that he'll figure it out once he's done enjoying Baby Mode about matches the weight this is given is the narrative, at least to begin with.

Even with the turn in tone and focus the manga takes, we do ultimately circle back to addressing and answering this question via the presence of Crow Girl/Tsukuyomi who seems to be the one responsible for facilitating their reincarnation in some way or another. Admittedly, this reveal in 145 comes a bit abruptly and the implied motivations it ascribes to Tsukuyomi don't… really line up with the things she says and does prior to the Movie Arc. But what really left me a little cold with this reveal is that it does not involve Ai whatsoever. Her name and even her image are not even once mentioned, not even in passing by GRSR.

This made me feel pretty uncomfortable for a variety of reasons I'll get into later but it wasn't until I started going through the manga to look more into how the reincarnation had been discussed before that I realized just why this felt so jarring - it simply wasn't consistent with what came beforehand. While the current explanation excludes Ai entirely, prior discussion of GRSR's reincarnation centers her to an equal and opposite degree.

Both Gorou and Sarina are thinking of Ai as they die, with both of them also (even if only symbolically) hearing her voice in their final moments. Gorou hears her singing as his ringtone plays and Ruby says Ai was "singing in [her] head" up to the very end. Ai's face is implicitly the first thing either of them see after being reborn and Aqua even speculates, as his first guess as to the nature of their rebirth, that it was this strength of feeling all focused on specifically Ai that caused it to happen.

Not only that, but Ai is even centered in the "fake" story of their rebirth that the twins sell Miyako to get her on board.

Perception of this bit in the fandom seems to vary from "it's just a joke" to "Jokes Are The Deepest Lore" and beyond. I myself don't put a massive amount of weight on it. However, in discussions where this is taken even semi-seriously as foreshadowing then it is flatly disingenuous to cherrypick the AQRB crumbs while not giving the same weight to the (imo, equally loaded) implication that Gorou and Sarina were reborn as Ai's children because she herself was favoured by the gods.

As the murder mystery elements of the story take prominence, this question is left unanswered but resurfaces towards the end of the Private arc with the arrival of Tsukuyomi. Here, too, we see Ai being centered as a key figure in Gorou and Sarina's reincarnation - the chapter is even named 'Mother and Mother', in reference to both of Aqua's mothers for each of his lives.

Most tellingly of all to me, however, is Tsukuyomi's appearance at the end of the chapter. Literally her first speaking line is commenting on how kind the gods must be to bring the Hoshinos together - describing them as (paraphrased) two motherless children and a childless mother and ascribing a great deal of weight to their togetherness.

Even if you disagree that the manga is centering Ai in this context, it is undeniable that the togetherness of the Hoshinos as a trio and specifically as a mother and children is what Tsukuyomi is highlighting as being meaningful here.

We even see a repeat of this in chapter 118 and her first on-screen conversation with Aqua.

I've seen people take this to mean, in the context of future chapter hindsight, that she is claiming the 'meaning' of his rebirth is his connection to Ruby. But if you go back and follow the thread that leads to this mic drop... it's a conversation that's about Ai. And specifically, Aqua is told to consider what it means that his soul was reborn in that body (emphasis mine): i.e, what does it mean that he was reborn specifically as Ai Hoshino's son?

With all this laid out, I really don't think it's a stretch to say that Ai, both as an idol and a person, is treated as a more or less equal part of the GRSR -> AQRB reincarnation as the two people being reborn. Which, like… she should be! She's their mother. But when we do finally get around to concretely answering this question..

Zip. Zilch. Nada. It had nothing to do with her. The closest we get to an acknowledgement that she even exists full stop is her goofy ass bunny mascot's face on (presumably) Sarina's snowman.

As I've said before, the basic beats of this as an answer to 'why reincarnation' are not inherently bad or unworkable. An animal repaying human kindness in some supernatural way is a tale as old as tales and given the ways in which Oshi no Ko plays around with mythological and folkloric ideas, making the reincarnation the result of a Tsuru no Ongaeshi-esque repayment of selfless kindness suits it quite well. The issue here is not one of an inherently broken idea, but flawed execution.

If this is the final word on the hows and whys of Gorou and Sarina's reincarnation - and I feel more or less settled that it is - then Ai has been entirely excluded from the birth of her own children. The sheer amount of weight placed on her role, specifically, as Aqua and Ruby's mother has vanished because after all the build up of why? the answer seems to be just that she happened to be pregnant.

I don't think I need to overexplain why it feels gross for Ai to be reduced to a convenient walking uterus in this regard. This was the element of this answer that made me so uncomfortable when from the get go: Ai's arc is so overwhelmingly about her being denied the right to agency over her own body and sexuality and her giving birth to Aqua and Ruby is, in part, a reclamation of it. It wasn't just an act of love performed for her children but also one for herself - she risked everything in order to give herself the family she had longed for her entire life.

If this incongruity was intentional, I think I would be interested in it as an element of Ai's tragedy - the idea that even the birth of her own children was hijacked by forces beyond her control and warped into something that existed to serve her fans. But I really don't get the sense that this was considered at all and honestly… that's kind of equally sad.

I was wordvomiting a much less articulate version of all the above in the Oshi no Brainrot Discord server and @penguinkyun said a few things that I think really nailed the heart of the issue here:

"theres barely anything of ai here when shes such a central character […] removing ai's own emotional stake in the matter and rounding it up to "crow girl felt bad for gorou and sarina because they helped her that one time and then reincarnated them" just…doesnt hold the same impact."

This is, I think, key to what made this reveal fall so flat for me and highlights this chapter's place in a much broader trend of Ai's place in the twins' lives being downplayed and favour of amping up the intensity of the GRSR relationship. To once again quote Lace because I think she sums it up quite neatly:

"[...] akasaka is absolutely ramping up the soap operaness of grsr with ai as collateral."

And that just kind of bums me out. :(

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for reporting my coworker friend to hr for harassing our other coworker friend?

(🥩🦎 to find later)

I (23nb) work at a food service place and always close with the same two people one day of the week, we'll call these people N (20m) and Red (19nb). We all met at work and being closest in age with each other compared to most of the other people there plus having similar-ish interests, we started hanging out with each other outside of work

Red is the kind of person who overshares with people right after meeting them, and N is the kind of person who rarely takes anything seriously and thinks its funny to pretend to be a jerk and bigot (hes the only cis white neurotypical guy at work while red and i are both trans and autistic and I'm black), so Red has shared a lot of their trauma and past with the both of us and N typically uses it to jokingly bully them

Now most of the time Red and I are okay with N's jokes, and we make it clear where our boundaries are and N usually respects this with the exception of a few times we've had to make it very clear where our boundaries are after he's crossed them. But lately N keeps poking at one particular thing of Red's that is especially triggering for them, and this has happened two weeks in a row now. I don't know what this thing is specifically because both times I've been just out of earshot when the topic has been brought up, Ive just been told by Red that it has to do with the worst thing that's ever happened to them.

Both times this has happened Red has, understandably, gotten really upset and angry at N, and N only apologized for it the first time it happened. This week when it happened apparently he only started to make a joke about it but then stopped before he finished it because he thought better of it, but it was still enough for Red to figure out what N was gonna say and be upset about it.

I've tried to explain to N why even if he didn't completely say the joke he was going to make it still hurt Red, but he just sort of threw a tantrum about not understanding why he was getting in trouble for something he didn't say and concluded that it would be better to say it outright if he's going to get in trouble just for thinking it anyways.

I've also tried to convince Red to either just stop joking around with N while at work or report him to our manager or hr themself, but they're standing firm on that it shouldn't even be an issue to begin with and that it wouldn't be if N could learn to think before he speaks.

I'm also convinced that Red would feel bad if they reported N because he's been reported by other coworkers in the past year and everyone we work with including our manager often pokes fun at him to varying degrees of intensity and they might feel bad if he lost his job because they reported him. (Red has a second job somewhere else while this is N's full time job)

My concern is that N is actively making Red feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and I also feel uncomfortable both in knowing that N would carelessly cross our boundaries for the bit and also because of the tense and awkward atmosphere in the workplace that has followed immediately after both times he's done it. I don't want to have to deal with that and I'm pretty sure Red doesn't want to either.

I told N right when I learned that he'd joked about Red's trauma again that he was on strike 2, and i plan on telling N and Red both that i plan to take action if it happens next time i work with both of them.

WIBTA for following through and reporting N? Am I overstepping into a situation I'm barely involved in?

What are these acronyms?

[opia-tarot]

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aries moon

The sparklers, fireworks. Aries moons are in my top 3 fav moons signs, i adore them. These people are spontaneous and so so fun. If you wanna travel to a different country impulsively or do something really spontaneous these are your people to go to. They can have a reputation for being perhaps a bit stubborn or hot headed. But here’s the thing. These people are unbelievably passionate, so they can be reactive (within varying degrees) when they feel they aren’t being heard or taken seriously. Not every aries moon is unable to regulate their own emotions. The aries moons i’ve met personally have such a love for living and experiencing new things. It’s like the most childlike thing i’ve noticed about them is their sense of wonder. They are the explorers and wanderers. They can be slightly rebellious in terms of their curiosity. Aries moons have such an amazing way of taking you out of your head. They’re like come on let’s go. They help people live in the moment. Aries moons never take a moment for granted, they have such a untouchable appreciation for experiences. Aries moons are also very riveting to talk to. Their expressions and gestures are so fascinating. They get so lost in their words, they can’t control how they express this passion. Aries moons are accepting, the things you think make you weird, they love. They have a way of making people let loose and just be themselves. These people value authenticity, it’s extremely important to them. They can see fake so easily. They can be in the worst situation and they’ll see a way out. They can be sensitive in regards to their passions or the people they love. So if an aries moon is talking about something they love please don’t sigh or rush them. So why are aries moons expressive? Well aries moons sort of have to express themselves. The reason for this is because they can have boiling point moments if they don’t. This is usually triggered if they feel dismissed or belittled. The worst thing you can do is dismiss an aries moon. These people are LOYAL. This is specifically in terms of friendship. They will defend you in any situation. They’ll be at the rescue if you’re in danger or you need help. This is not an easy moon placement to have. But as the aries moon gets older, they usually learn to channel their (varying) explosiveness towards something they’re passionate about. They just feel so intensely. I would say aries moons are in the top 3 most intense feeling moons. Aries moons don’t hold grudges. It doesn’t mean they’ll keep you around no matter what you do. However, they move on emotionally. They don’t feel the need to wallow and pity themselves. They also don’t feel the need to waste their time being resentful, they see resentment as self destructive and a waste of time. Aries moons value independence. If you are trying to attract an aries moon, avoid being clingy or suffocating. They can’t tolerate neediness, if they feel like you are holding them back they’ll move on. I didn’t want to mention this because it feels so cliche but i will anyway. They can be competitive too, this varies from the aries moons who actually compete in every area of their existence😭, to the aries moons who need to win every board game. Try playing monopoly with them🌝. Aries moons march to the beat of their own drum, don’t bother trying to tell an aries moon what to do. A lesson some aries moons need to learn is to be perhaps a bit softer or understanding with people. If you’re a slow person this can trigger an aries moon very easily😭😭 aries moons are very meticulous about who they open up to. This doesn’t mean they’re cold, they’re far from it. But they don’t just open up to anyone. They can be very closed off with their deepest feelings.

taurus moon

The first things you’ll hear about any taurus placements is comfort, luxury, food blah blah. We’re gonna go beyond that today and really peel those layers. Taurus moons are quite parental, almost territorial. When they care about someone, they are very protective and defensive over the person. They prefer to stay balanced rather than roller coaster within emotional extremes. But they do have a temper, they really do. But it’s hidden and unleashed when necessary. These people put family and friendships first, this is extremely important to them. They can have issues with letting go. Whether it’s holding onto a person that isn’t good for them etc, they can really struggle to let go. Why? Because taurus moons need familiarity and when they feel comfortable within that familiarity, they can be hesitant to let go of it. Taurus moons are comforting. If you want someone to soothe you or make you feel comforted find a taurus moon. Seriously, they have this way of making people feel understood. These people are of course stubborn, this is within varying degrees depending on their other placements. They will not change their mind when they’ve decided something. They are strong-willed. This is an amazing trait to have, however it can work against them especially during their teens years when this is more than likely an attitude they display towards authority figures. They don’t like unpredictability or inconsistency. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. They’ll be put off instantly if you tell them something you don’t mean or intend to do. They usually have a goal in terms of financial security and material comforts. They don’t like the idea of having to live in survival mode. Taurus moons also like aesthetics. You’ll find a taurus moon interested in interior design or art etc. They have great taste in art. Yes some of the taurus moons i’ve met have been foodies😭 but please let’s avoid this stereotype. Taurus moons like quality and they appreciate the finer things, but this doesn’t mean they’re just material gworls blah blah. They also value the small humilities in life. I don’t like the stereotype of taurus moons being reckless with their money or spending it on luxury items. Honestly i would say taurus moons are very aware of their spending habits and they are actually more on the cautious side in terms of spending. However, when it’s an occasion, best believe a taurus moon will buy the best presents. They are very meticulous regarding who they open up to. They aren’t cold, they’re far from it. But they hesitate to open up about their deepest feelings. They are very protective over their feelings, because vulnerability is difficult for them. They feel like their vulnerability will be mistaken for weakness. Slow and steady wins the race. They are usually very close to a parental figure. Taurus moons are very strong people, emotionally they are very regulated and careful with their reactions. They don’t like overly exaggerated expressions of emotions. They avoid people who are overly sensitive or people who display explosive emotions. They like stability. They like interesting discussions. They like people confiding in them too or asking for advice, because it displays an authentic bond.

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gemini moon

chaos personified😭 i’m joking, i’m joking. Gemini moons never fail to surprise me. Gemini moons are known to be crackheads or bubbly people etc. But i want to dig and see what else there is beyond their exterior. These people are very mentally stimulating, their conversations are always so interesting. I never get bored talking to a gemini moon. They are fun to be around, they make people feel more childlike. They also have a reputation for being childish. But i think it’s important to establish the difference between childlike and childish. They have an uninhibited sense of wonder about anything and everyone. Their mind works on overdrive. They like to knows lots of facts about random things. They’re also intelligent, this isn’t limited to grades or academic achievement. I’m talking specifically about intelligence in terms of how much they know about different topics. These people would win at trivia 100%. They like to keep things moving. I’m not going to quote dory from nemo.

I lied🌝 Anyway this is their attitude towards difficulties or obstacles. They make people see another perspective, a more positive outlook. Gemini moons are hilarious. Some of them lack in the filter department so it’s like thoughts=🗣. I really appreciate this about them though, i find it endearing. Gemini moons are authentic, they don’t particularly care about meeting any standards and particularly not societal standards. I also noticed they’re good at figuring out how to get to places. When i travel with them, they just know where to go. I let them lead the way because directions are not my forte. They’re great with navigating public transport, i don’t know i just love this😭 emotions come and go like waves. I’ve noticed i’m using a lot of sea imagery, what’s going on here?😭 Anyway i’ll roll with it. Their emotions go just as fast as they arrive. You never have to worry about gemini moons holding a grudge. They move on because they have other things to focus on and do, grudges don’t even seem to be an option. I admire this about them. They are very spontaneous. When i travel with a gemini moon there’s no plan😭 They’re up for adventure and i love this about them. I like how they’re not always meticulous, they’re not afraid to make mistakes. They trip, get up and move on, this is their motto. They also usually have some sort of random interest. These are the people who eat the same thing for breakfast for months (if they even eat breakfast) and then they randomly switch it up. They go through phases a lot. And these phases can end just as quickly as they started, hence their moodswings. Their sarcasm is so great. They are so blunt sometimes😭 You need thick skin to handle gemini moon’s communication style. They just say it how it is and i think it’s so refreshing. They like to talk about experiences and memories, this is a bonding experience for them. They have a genuine interest in people’s stories and experiences. They are very inquisitive, so they tend to ask questions. Not necessarily detectives but more so explorers.

cancer moon

Cancer moons i’ve noticed usually take on a parental role in friendship groups (more so if they have prominent virgo placements or ceres aspects). They like to look after people and nurture people. These people are so caring, like i know this sounds cliche but honestly the cancer moons i’ve met have been such sweethearts. Cancer moons like comfort and familiarity. Similar to taurus moons in terms of stability and familiarity. Cancer moons like to keep long term connections and friendships. They usually have at least a friend they stay friends with from childhood. They like the idea of forming stable and genuine connections. Cancer moons pull through when u need them. If you ever need someone to cover for you or have your back, these are your people. They don’t have underlying motives or intentions and they don’t like this in other people. Cancer moons aren’t openly emotional, despite the ridiculous softie stereotype. However, you’ll spot a cancer moon talking about a memory and you’ll catch them in a wave of nostalgia. This is how you can see beyond their guard. Cancer moons often experience nostalgia. These people are very loyal and when they feel comfortable they’ll express their care for you, perhaps not in words. But they do express their care for people within helping people or remembering something you said years ago. They are considerate and loving. They usually have comfort movies and foods. So when they feel like they need a pick me up, they’ll watch a comfort film to cheer themselves up. Specific but true. This is a comfortable placement due to cancer being in its domicile within this moon placement. They are very understanding and they have a tendency to be able to see both sides of an argument. They aren’t neutral per say, but they allow everyone to have a turn in expressing themselves. Cancer moons feel like a safe space, they make people feel understood and comfortable. They are prone to mood swings, sometimes for no particular reason. But as they get older they learn to put less emphasis on low points. They can definitely wallow sometimes and this is okay for a very short amount of time. An important lesson to learn here is you are not your emotions and it’s important to not identify yourself with them. I just realised last night (july 1) was the cancer new moon. Anyway🌝 They can definitely be absorbed by their emotions sometimes and can feel overwhelmed. Remember detachment is sometimes important, over identifying with your emotions creates a very turbulent existence. They are very empathetic, remember to detach yourself from other people’s emotions. Cancer moon people often need time to recharge after social interactions, because they get drained very easily. A lot of these people are great at different forms of divination due to this deep awareness they have. They are great at reading people and can easily decipher body language and nuances.

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leo moon

These people are actual sweethearts! I have so much fun with leo moons. Anyway let’s talk about them. Leo moons value sentimentality. Every leo moon i’ve spoken to loves to reminisce about good times and fun memories. These are the optimists, it almost seems like nothing can get in the way of their positive attitude. Some leo moons feel like they have to upkeep their reputation of being a positive person. Some leo moons need to know it’s okay to let go of those expectations and express those other aspects of yourself. Leo moons help everyone else, they can forget to help themselves. They are such genuine people, what you see is what you get. They can sometimes be quite impulsive, which is either really fun or a bit destructive. Just make sure you are directing your impulsivity in a positive way. They know how to let loose and have fun. They have such a positive influence on other people and they usually have a great reputation. They usually have great social skills and people easily warm up to them. They are social butterflies, even if they’re introverted they are great at navigating social situations. They’re also charming. They just have this warmth about them. They make decisions confidently and they don’t care if it makes sense to other people, i love this about them. Even if they’re more timid, they have a boldness to their personality. Every leo moon i’ve spoken to has big ambitions, they have a vision for their future. They are futuristic thinkers and they have bold visualisations of what their future looks like. I admire this about them. I think something i haven’t seen people talk about is their possible addictive traits. These people can have addictive personalities and they have a tendency to overindulge in things when they’re not in a mentally good place. I won’t lecture anyone, but just watch out for this. Healthy leo moons are self assured and confident. When they feel confident, they also influence others to be. People look up to them.

virgo moon

Hi virgo moons🌝 Let’s get to the juicy details, i know you love that😭. Anyway. Virgo moons. The investigators of details and pursuers of information. These people can have a refined or goofy demeanor and yet they all have the intellect. When they’re passionate about something they will find out every detail down to the cells😭 These people are known to be self critics and perfectionists. They want to meet their own standard. Their level of self criticism varies of course depending on other placements. It stems from their need to be better, to keep progressing. They always think there’s space for improvement and this can cause burnout. But these people are so self aware, i can guarantee they already know this. Their self perception can be warped due to self criticism, but their self awareness is always on point. Some of these people grew up with a critical parental figure, who set unachievable standards against them. Hence the same self inflicted behaviour, as they get older. Virgo moons are very devoted. When they decide someone is worth it oof, they’ll die for that person. This isn’t talked about enough! Like virgo moons can be so loyal, yet they’re usually portrayed as detached. Their detached demeanor stems from their fear of being hurt. They can see vulnerability as a weapon with the capability of being used against them. But when they are vulnerable, it’s so beautiful and real. These people are authentic. Authenticity and honesty is important to them. They hate fake people. They can’t stand dishonesty. If you lie to them they won’t hesitate to cut ties. Healthy virgo moons are great at setting boundaries and this is a wonderful trait to have. Virgo moons like to feel useful in any aspect. They like to help, this is their love language. These are the people you can go to in a crisis. Virgo moons are another moon sign who are not fans of instability, especially in a partner. They like consistent people because they are themselves. Inconsistency tells them they aren't a priority. These people have morals they stick to, they don't sway from these morals and they use them as a framework to rely on when they make decisions. These people need personal space, if you overstep their boundaries they'll most likely cut you off. They also need time to recharge like cancer moons. They HATE disorganisation, especially in regard to their personal space. They need to make sure their surroundings are organised because it helps them decipher their thoughts. To them surroundings are reflection of your mental state. They are deep thinkers and I would argue they're deep feelers. They just process things differently. It's systematic. They can sometimes try to rationalise their feelings, instead of actually feeling and I think this is why they can seem more closed off. They won't allow feelings to hinder their progress. This leads to my next point, virgo moons are hard workers. They can handle the everyday routine, but they are even more hardworking in regard to things they're passionate about. They are very loving, i feel like people don't talk about this. They are extremely loving and they can take on a caretaking role in their friendships. They like to mentor and help people.

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libra moon

Libra moons. So sweet. So soft. So- hold on. ahaha I'm going to try to include every libra moon because I feel like they can have a very generalised reputation. I've seen posts here and there about libra moons being catty or 2 faced. Honestly it's ridiculous, so i'm going to debunk this. To me there are 2 categories of libra moons. The libra moons who avoid confrontation at all costs and the libra moons who face it head on ahaha. This could surprise you because whenever you search libra, diplomatic, mediators are the terms you see. People are multi faceted. Just like I wouldn't say all virgo moons are critical, I wouldn't say libra moons are all diplomats. I think the reason why libra moons have a people pleasing reputation, is because they like people to feel comfortable around them and sometimes this can come off as perhaps a bit fabricated. Libra moons are idealists, they like to imagine outcomes and scenarios. I would even say they're dreamers. They love to imagine romantic scenarios, yeah i'm exposing you ahaha. Every libra moon i've spoken to has a romantic fantasy, whether it's sexual or about a specific partner they want. Libra moons value respect. Disrespecting or being condescending towards a libra moon is probably the worst thing you could do. An unhealthy libra moon likes to cause chaos in varying degrees, i'm not judging we all have shadow sides. But libra moons are not afraid to uproot diplomacy when it's necessary, not necessarily drama for drama's sake, but more so to prove a point or to defend themselves. At one point or another, every libra moon has to prove themselves, assert themselves. They tend to get taken advantage of in their younger years, but when they get older they learn how to utilise their empathetic nature. This is a placement they have to grow into and merge with to really use it in their favour. Now this is where I talk about the balance thing you've probably read about over and over again. Libra moons have usually dealt with chaos in some form, either their childhood home environment, or a adult figure who embodied chaos, perhaps even chaotic friendships. Navigating chaos is a lesson they have to learn. Libra moons are usually artistic in some way, if not this, then they appreciate art and have great artistic taste. These people have an exquisite playlist. They like to experience art in all forms, music, decorating, dance etc. They usually have great fashion too and not always the pretty in pink sort of fashion. I've seen libra moons who really like gothic styles or darker fashion, fishnet tights, velvet, red and black etc. They express themselves artistically either literally or within how they dress, perhaps both. They also can feel very connected to a celebrity or someone who does what they want to do. They can get emotionally attached to someone who moves them emotively. There are 2 types of libra moons in regard to romantic interests. The people who like the elegant, refined, put together, soft or stern partners and the people who love the tattoos and cigarette coming out of the mouth types. I was going to say more, but i'll save it for the 18+ post. Libra moons are curious. They like to learn about the people they love. Libra moons also love to really live in the moment because they tend to get lost in their thoughts sometimes. So if you're someone who can remove them from the expansiveness of their mind, then they're all yours. They are visionaries too. They can be very creatively unique. A healthy libra moon is themselves regardless of who they're with. Libra moons are considerate and genuine. You can confide in these people without worrying about being judged or lectured.

scorpio moon

They’re intelligent. They’re slow to open up, so they usually present a more toned down aspect of themselves. They’ve probably read this too much but they’re intense. Now i love this about them, but they can have a similar affect on people as pluto-ascendant. People either revel in this intensity or they can’t handle it. Scorpio 🌑’s are detectives so if they really like you you’ll find them asking you deep questions. This is because they want to know what drives people. The majority of them hate small talk. They can see superficiality from a mile away. They hate how surface level things are nowadays. These people are the type of people to like trauma bonding. Let me explain because i don’t mean it in a negative away. They feel flattered when people open up to them. They like the idea of exposing each other’s wounds and healing them together. They like the more jagged, unfiltered aspects of existence. They want to hear about your deepest trauma rather than superficial shit. These people listen and they don’t insert their own opinions. They have this great aspect of acceptance within their personality. The underdogs, damaged, wounded, hurt, they take them in and protect them. They’ve seen the darker aspects of existence, usually within the form of a mother or something traumatic during childhood. Quite a few of these people have controlling mothers or a mother who was very intense or protective during childhood. Sometimes it can be hard for them to get to know themselves, they have to rummage and separate themselves from the external. They can get lost in their feelings. Their feelings can seem like a weapon out to get them. Most of these people have a hard exterior, you can’t see they feel so much. This is a protective mechanism, because they learned early on that exposing such parts of yourself can be used against you. So they tend to hide this part of themselves, suppressing it deeper and deeper until they completely lose themselves. Then they live in survival mode, tackling daily existence. They’ve usually dealt with an identity crisis at least once. This is because they wonder why they can’t be accepted. Why do they need a facade? They are some of the most resilient people and i really admire them. I feel so accepted by them. I’m surrounded by them so their energy is so familiar. I absolutely adore them. They are so refreshing compared to the superficiality and inauthenticity of society. Once they really like you or feel comfortable talking to you, they’ll randomly ask questions. Ranging from what you had for breakfast to what your biggest regret is ahaha. They usually have some sort of values they don’t sway from. Not necessarily religious or anything, but they have deep beliefs of some sort. They can be suspicious of people, they are not naive in any way. People can see their facade as weakness, but scorpio 🌛 are far from it. These people are investigators so they’ll dig and probe until they reach the point of discovery. They have a way of uncovering the surface. They see what’s beyond it. They are not easily revealing so if you can get close to them feel flattered! They are so loyal. If you want ride or die loyalty these are your people. They are there in any situation, you can rely on them. Also let me just say, their humour is underrated. They always make me laugh ahaha. But let me add these are the people who make jokes about their trauma. These people are authentic and raw. They’ll research anything because they love learning. They are usually drawn to more i won’t say taboo, but raw topics. They want to see the unhinged depths of existence. They can see wounds in other people. They’ll help you face them. These people have a deep understanding of society and just humans in general. They wonder how they fit. They wonder what their role is. They think about their purpose because their passions are important to them.

Of course i’m going to mention the obsessive aspect of their personality. When they really like someone, not just romantically but in general they become obsessive. Let me explain why. Their obsessive behaviour links to their abandonment issues. It’s not a i want to control you obsession, but it’s please stay obsessiveness. Control or power dynamics could have been prevalent in childhood, hence the obsession. This can overwhelm people. But it’s not anything to be ashamed of. They can be massive overthinkers, and depending on other aspects, their thoughts can overwhelm them. They have usually dealt with questioning their self worth and a sort of existential crisis. They can doubt themselves heavily. It takes time for them to realise how powerful they are. And let me tell you they’re powerful. My advice to them would be ignore people underestimating you and assert your power in any way that suits you. They should try to ignore expectation in general. I would also say, prioritise yourself, try not to become everyone’s therapist or trauma dustbin. They also are so insanely loyal, once they commit they would literally die for the person they love. These people are sexy. So sexy. They usually hide their intensity, but it’s always in their eyes. They have the sexiest eyes. They’re so intimidating ahaha. It’s either 👁👁 or 😏. I always find them so attractive. They don’t collectively look scorpionic, it depends on their other placements. They tend to love staring, especially if you intrigue them. I always find their eyes intense.

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sagittarius moon

The fun lovers and thrill seekers. oof. Being around these people is a rollar coaster ride you'll never forget. These people are sizzling and so spontaneous. Fun and fresh and refreshing to be around. Sagittarius moons are thrill seekers, and I don't necessarily mean in a reckless sense, but they like to feel euphoria, a rush of senses. They like anything to stimulate their senses, so you'll probably find a sag moon who's a candle or incense enthusiast. They are go getters. They don't wait for the moment, they are the moment. They can be futuristic thinkers, but they don't usually let the future stifle them. The unknown thrills them. A healthy sag moon has a balanced awareness of the present and future. I'm mentioning this because an unhealthy sag moon disregards the future as a faraway moment and can make reckless decisions because of this. They like to travel and I don't just mean physically, anything can be a journey to them. They like to make an experience out of anything, even mundane stuff. This is why sag moons need a change of routine and spontaneity. Without spontaneity they lose their oomph. Sag moons are experimental, i'm not going to make this 18+, not in this post. But they like to try new things. You'll find a sag moon trying all the tasters at a food market or taking a new route to work, because why not? You've probably heard every sag moon say this. You're like why? And they say, why not? They don't feel the need to have a reason to treat themselves, they just do. This is their motto, just do. Sag moons don't like the idea of possible regret. They have to try anything sparking their curiosity because they feel like time is ahead of them. leading onto my next point. Unhealthy sag moons feel like time is running out, hence why they can sometimes have a reputation for being reckless. Unhealthy sag moons also feel invincible or overly lucky. They are scared of having regrets so sometimes they feel like to need to do it now. A healthy sag moon will take it a step at a time and realise time is always passing, not leaving them, but simply moving. Sag moons like a fast paced existence, they like to surprise themselves. Some sag moons, perhaps most, have a philosophy as their morality. They possibly don't even know this themselves. But every decision a sag moon makes is based on their philosophy, such as do it or make it happen. Does this make sense? Some sag moons also like to read about different things and random topics because they are students. They like to take in different types of information to create a catalogue of random facts and ideas. If you want an honest, blunt opinion these are your people ahaha. They don't withhold their thoughts. Their bluntness is refreshing. They usually have a crazy amount of energy when they're young and could probably bounce off the walls ahaha. But sag moons are great because they express themselves, I've never seen a sag moon who doesn't just express how they feel. They are the neverending wanderers.

capricorn moon

These people are very complex if you don't actually understand them. It can almost seem like they don't feel at all from the outside in. But this is an exterior. Not every capricorn moon, but a lot of them, have dealt with a cold adult figure growing up. They could have possibly grown up in an environment where emotions were disregarded or even looked down on. So when they got older they realised emotions can be used against you and they formed this mask. Capricorn moons value tradition and loyalty. They were the kid who was mature for their age and probably got on more with adults. They can be introverted and prefer their own company. Their social battery gets drained pretty easily due to overstimulation. They prefer having a few friends as opposed to a big friendship group. This is because they really value genuine connections. These people HATE small talk. Talk to them about the weather and watch them drift off ahaha. They like to take charge of their own decisions. They hate being told what to do. They hate this because it tells them you undermine their capabilities and intelligence. Capricorn moons don't really tend to cry often and if they do it's because they've held it in and they need to let it out or because they're stressed. They tend to get stressed quite easily, this is because they overthink and their thoughts can race against them sometimes. They have very rigid values and they believe in having a strong sense of identity. They know who they are, even if they hide it, they know who they want to become. They have ideals and expectations for themselves, because a lot of them value success in some form. You'll find a lot of capricorn moons being NT or ST in the MBTI system. I won't ramble on about that, but it's something i've noticed. An unhealthy capricorn moon is scared of their own emotions or people who are outwardly emotionally expressive. But over time they can face this. They tend to be sceptical of people who are emotionally expressive because they don't understand how you can be so open and vulnerable. They value organisation and they probably keep lists or write schedules of some sort. They could also be interested in older partners, because they believe age comes with more experience and awareness of things. This is because they can feel age regressed around people their own age, specifically romantically. They have ideals and they organise these ideals in categories, romance, routine etc. They are extremely categorical. They can be blunt at times, especially if someone annoys them. They can also have a stern energy, and this intimidates people. They are stubborn and unhealthy capricorn moons are relentless with their opinions. They believe in self improvement and they are on a constant journey to success. They can attract people who need their help, or softer people. This intrigues them to an extent but after a while it drives them nuts. More disorganised people tend to be attracted to them. Remember cap 🌛’s (you know this already ahaha) prioritise yourself, you can't mentor everyone. Some of them like to read. I would heavily recommend journaling for these people.

aquarius moon

we meet again. You already know how I feel about you. I think aqua moons are the most misunderstood out of the moon signs, like ridiculously stereotyped. So being an aqua moon lover, i'm going to debunk the stupidity i've seen and i'm going to talk about them in depth. Aquarius moons are known to be, I guess, weird or detached. Here's what i'll say. I see these people as highly intelligent, they are bigger picture thinkers, hence why their ideas can seem somewhat abstract or far fetched. They think about the possibilities of reality and the multiple outcomes. Yes they can indulge in conspiracy from time to time. They have an absolutely amazing ability to link patterns, it's something i've noticed. In conversations i'll notice them mentally making links, it's so endearing. This is turning into a love letter and i'm not going to apologise for it ahaha. Anyway going on from my point. These people can take a point from one topic and draw a point from another topic and relate them. It's so specific, but does this make sense? They are so intellectually stimulating. I just can't get enough of their brain. They are iconoclasts and they never take things at face value. They will come to their own conclusions despite what anyone else is saying. They walk away from the crowd and dig their own path. They aren't afraid to disregard deep rooted structures to pursue their own belief system. To me they're simply fascinating and they are so so unique. This is why i hate them being described as weird because they are far from it. Weird is such a shallow way to describe them. Iconoclast, visionary, so on and so on. Much better. Perhaps even eclectic. They have no desire to find a way to make themselves fit in, they just don't bother because they don't need to. They don't care about how they're viewed because they know themselves and that's enough. They don't care for approval. However, i will say these people are human (contrary to popular belief) so during their teens years, being outcasted or unseen can bother them, which can result in reckless behaviour. But this placement ages so nicely. Once they accept themselves, instead of trying to fit the common narrative, they become so powerful. They can take down structures. They are so intelligent. I just love this about them so much. I can go on about this forever ahaha. My next point. The aquarius moons have a no feelings stereotype, this is frankly ridiculous. The reason why they can seem detached is because they don't see a reason to open up to you. If they want to open up, they do. And let me tell you, when they do reveal their emotions, they become even more interesting, even more complex. They can also seem detached because they see their emotions as a puzzle to solve. This can cause them to become observers of their own emotions, instead of actually feeling them. Being an observer is a great trait, but in moderation. A healthy aqua moon has a balance of both feeling and observing. What i love about these people is how they don't hold themselves to societal standards, they understand everyone has their own pace and purpose. I've never had more deep and intellectually stimulating conversations than with an aqua moon. They are simply- no complexly amazing.

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pisces moon

hi my darlings. Pisces moons, you dreamboats. I really said dreamboats, wow anyway ahaha. Pisces moons are my idealists, my romanticists. Pisces moons have a reputation of being softies or passive. Here's the thing, these people are empathetic, but they're not dumb. If you try to manipulate their empathy, they aren't afraid to cut ties. Setting boundaries is a lesson for these people to learn and it doesn't come naturally, it's usually learned the hard way. They are usually artistic is some way. If not literally, then their imagination is boundless. They can visualise and create pictures in their mind. These people are usually easily able to astral travel too, so please be careful if you attempt this. They are very receptive to people's emotions, so over time they tend to limit social interaction to conserve their energy. They, just like libra moons, like to imagine scenarios before bed. Yes i'm exposing you ahaha. They like to imagine there's more than what is. You think what is, they think what is possible? Unhealthy pisces moons live in their imagination to escape reality, or use creative vices such as reading etc as an escape. This of course isn't an issue, unless it starts to become a crutch or a hinderance within day to day existence. They are such genuine individuals and they have such positive intentions. Their rose coloured glasses can get in the way sometimes, so a balance of idealism and realism is so important for these people.

I wanted to mention timothee chalamet quickly because I recently watched Dune ahaha. He's a great example of piscean empathy being utilised to his advantage. I mean his acting is impeccable. I always wondered why until I discovered he's a pisces moon and it made so much sense. He has a delicacy about him, despite his saturian placements. This leads onto my next point. These people have a very vulnerable delicacy about them. Unhealthy pisces moons will use this to their advantage to manpiulate. But the healthy pisces moons will embrace this quality instead of seeing it as their hamartia. Their delicacy does not equate to weakness. It takes so much power to be delicate, because vulnerability is powerful. These people are also absorbed in their own bubble ahaha. You’ll be rambling on and they’re on a different planet mentally. I love this about them. I always wonder what they’re thinking about. A lot of these people need loads of sleep to be functioning optimally, but some of them have great difficulty sleeping. It’s a catch 22 sort of situation. These people can also be lucid dreamers. They have a great understanding of people and they make people feel so understood. It’s like you don’t have to explain anything, they just get it. They are very observant, more so because of their empathy. They can feel what you feel, so they often feel changes around other people. They can feel sudden changes in their emotions when they’re around people. A lot of these people have hidden psychic abilities not necessarily how people understand the definition of psychic, but i’m sure you know what i mean. Their eyes are so dreamy. It’s like you can see what they see when you look at them. There’s a whole dreamscape in their eyes. These people are so beautiful, raw, genuine and so real. People like them are hard to come by these days.

disclaimer

this post is based on single, isolated placements, so it’s possible you won’t resonate with all the information.

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hi my darlings! This took me a while to write but i had so much fun! I’ve learned more about my perceptions of you all, along the way. Let me know what you think! I appreciate any sort of feedback! If you have any suggestions for my next post, let me know!🌚🖤

[olderthannetfic]

I’d like to appeal to the advice of your followers with a question concerning the degree of realism of sex in smutty fanfic. Two questions really. I know fanfic is not reality- but if (almost) all authors describe certain things in a specific way, I start to wonder if I missed something. And since I write a bit myself, I’d like to get things right.

The first is about bruising. A tight grip on arms or hips is apparently enough to cause bruises. I have participated in enthusiastic and even rough sex and never, ever got bruised. So I decided to test it out with my husband and asked him to try and bruise my arm by gripping it. Even a very tight grip caused no bruises. I only got (mildly) bruised after asking him to apply full force, which took him some effort and was seriously painful. It really hurt and not in the sexy way. Now maybe I bruise less easy than most but encounters with table corners etcetera say otherwise. So am I missing something here, or did smut writers collectively decide that bruising is sexy and therefore bruises are easily caused by a tight grip?

The other thing is about soreness. In all or most fics, not only fanfic but also conventional straight romance novels, passionate sex means the receiving party will be sore enough to be limping the day after or even have trouble sitting down. In my personal experience, very rough, slam-in-as-hard-as-you-can fucking both vaginal and anal does not result in any observable soreness afterwards while walking or sitting. The insides may get chafed, yes, rubbed raw even, depending on the use of lube, and that will be supremely noticeable during consequent bathroom visits or the next fuck session if it follows soon after the first, but that’s it. The only soreness I ever had was muscle soreness in my thighs or other limbs if the position took some physical effort to maintain. But internal soreness, never. So again, did writers collectively decide soreness is sexy, or what’s happening?

--

I'm pretty sure they're both just Law of Horny.

Yes, probably some people do bruise more easily than you, but the way this is described in fic is as though those hands had finger paint on them. We're talking full on hand prints after a few minutes of slightly hard gripping. Nobody bruises like that unless they have a medical problem where they should be a lot more careful during sex. Haha.

TBH, the kinds of characters who end up with hip bruises are usually also the ones who have milky white/jade/etc. skin the narrative obsesses over. It's the same ones whose necks get marked up and obsessed over. It's one of those 'you're too pristine, so I'm going to come all over your face' kinks.

As for soreness... I think "sore" vs. "chafed" is just word choice. Authors may not mean muscle soreness. I've definitely managed to make the chafed feeling last for a while by using absurdly large dildos, and everybody in porn has a massive pornstar dick...

That said, while I've certainly had that sensation where something feels different the next day such that you notice it while walking around, not just in the bathroom, it's not your glutes. It's not usually deep inside either. It's more just the opening, where all the nerves are. The way people describe sitting gingerly is silly: Sure, you might be hyperaware while changing position because that area stretches a little, but it's described like the aftermath of flogging.

I think this is just the "Dick so big it rearranged your guts" style of smut writing where the body is ~forever changed~ by this particular sex even though people are made of a bunch of stretchy muscles that are going to go right back to what they were doing before. I mean, I guess you could forever fuck up the cartilage in your knee while doing something stupidly athletic, but that's not hot.

Do I believe somebody identifies with these porn tropes? Sure. Bodies vary. But there's definitely a canned porn version everybody uses, and I doubt it's because they're drawing from personal experience.

[feedthefandomfest]

I have a question because I want to comment but I feel nervous. It is very foolish but it is seriously something that prevents me from commenting-

So English is not my first language and I suffer from a disease known as 'fuck you all English leaves your brain when you tap on the comment box'. Like I'm fluent enough to write a fic but the comments break me and I can only do basic 'subject verb complement' and forget half my vocabulary because I'm so nervous, so it often ends up being broken English.

I back out of posting comments except 'i love this this is amazing thank you for writing I love it' because I'm too scared the author will take it badly ? Like, what if they find it annoying ? What if they believe I think they write bad English and I'm mocking them and they don't want me to ever read their works ever again ?

Anyways, my question is : Does it actually bother anyone to receive broken English comments? Do people find it annoying ?

I would never be annoyed by such a thing and I'm positive that's true of others as well. On the contrary, it kinda blows my mind whenever I stop to think about how members of fandom for whom English is not their first language are so often working in translation. Like the trickiest barrier I have to contend with when writing anything is sleep deprivation and your average writer's block 😅 so to imagine also rendering those words in a different language?? 🫠

To varying degrees, the tragic disease of "empty comment box = empty brain" can strike anyone, regardless of language. On the plus side, some of the tricks to break through the blankness are also broadly applicable, such as

drawing from a list of sentence starters like the ones offered here or here (the beginner bingo card also has similar tasks!!)

installing this handy script that generates a positive comment on demand, which you can modify or expand on as needed

using the floating comment box to track moments or quotes you want to compliment specifically, even with just a string of emojis 💕💕💕

I can recall a couple comments I've gotten where the person apologized or gave a sort of disclaimer that English wasn't their first language, and honestly it just made me even more appreciative of the comment? Because there are so many reasons that a reader doesn't comment, and a language barrier is the most understandable!! And yet here they are, making me smile with their words. I always want to reassure them in my reply that an apology/disclaimer isn't necessary, but I don't always know how. (And there's nothing wrong with acknowledging something you're self-conscious about, after all.)

The concept of "broken English" has also got me thinking, though... And since it turned into a bit of an essay I'll leave it under the cut. 💛

Because the term "broken English" has a lot to unpack, seeing as it's always unfairly positioned those who speak English as a second language imperfectly as lesser (broken = defective). And that strikes me as a bit ironic, considering the degree to which English is a Frankenstein's monster of a language—this conglomeration of every language it encounters and subsumes. In that sense, English itself is a broken language? Or rather the shards of numerous languages held together with duct tape and gum and a whiff of imperialism. Its usage is always in flux, always evolving as speakers adapt it to new circumstances, and those adaptations become dialects in and of themselves. There is no one English language.

I teach high schoolers, and I'm consistently struck by the growing chasm between the kinds of English I can speak and the kinds of English they can speak. And technically my job is to train them in how to use American Standard English and read literature written in American Standard English, but really I find that pretty limiting.

Take the tone of this response, for instance! The more I've leaned toward trying to articulate these complicated issues of language, the more formal my speech has become. Contrast that with the first paragraph, where I'm trying to get across this awkward earnest admiration for the extra effort required of some fans just to engage in fandom, and so I ended up using more casual phrasing and emojis in a way that (hopefully) conveys a certain warmth and self-deprecating humor and whatnot.

If I were to leave a comment on a fic that blew me away, left me in a state of awe or delight or anguish—just a puddle on the floor—I'd find American Standard English quite lacking. Downright restrictive. The unique jumbled babble of fandom-speak functions on breaking the standard rules in order to evoke an intensity of emotion that meets the demands of the moment.

Another thing about commenters who really commit to throwing the rules out the window in favor of vibes is that I get such a strong sense of personality beaming through. A distinct voice that's generated, an intense impression of there being an individual on the other side with a particular shape. And there's something delightful about that.

...I suppose this is all a very roundabout way of saying that if there's anywhere to just unleash, vocab and mechanics be damned, where it's more than okay to string together whatever words you can in service of how you're feeling, it's the AO3 comment box. 💛

[cienie-isengardu]

I feel like if Bi-Han didn't love Kuai or was abusive it would've been stated. It'd also bring into question why Kuai would care to avenge him if he was treating him like trash. It's not Bi-Han is the only person he cares for, Tomas is literally right there. Like Kuai was jumping through hoops for this man and unless Bi-Han was some master manipulator which doesn't fit Bi-Han's personality since Bi-Han makes it really apparent when he doesn't like someone.

Seriously this is the guy who told Quan Chi his plan was insane to his face and Bi-Han's social skills are kind of lacking. You cannot convince me this guy was some puppet master. I'm not saying Bi-Han is dumb but he's not this master manipulator intent of using his brother's emotions.

Also why would he even bother? Seriously Bi-Han's main priority is survival, why would he care to manipulate his brother if he didn't care for him given it's not like he benefits from Kuai being around.

Kuai Liang was introduced as the younger brother of Bi-Han in Mortal Kombat II (November 1993) and their brotherhood has been a vital part of lore for literally three decades now. After such a long time, I too think if alive Bi-Han was ever meant to be seen as the abusive or uncaring brother, the source would outright say so already. Instead Mortal Kombat gives us a conflict between younger Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot, the resurrected yet corrupted by the dark magic version of Bi-Han. A corruption acknowledged by Kuai Liang himself, like he did in Mortal Kombat Armaggeddon:

And even within that conflict between alive Kuai Liang and Wraith Bi-Han, Noob Saibot was not always written as the vile creature out there to kill or hurt his younger brother for fun, which can be especially seen in an alternative timeline[1].

Did Kuai Liang idolize his brother? Most likely yes, as Bi-Han was his closest family he had and with unnaturally advanced ice skills, the older brother rose through ranks to the point Grandmaster acknowledged him as the most cunning Lin Kuei assassins. However it is not like Kuai Liang was completely blind to human Bi-Han’s flaws - the degree may vary from one source to another, like between one of the oldest Mortal Kombat comics (“he was stubborn in many ways”) and Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (“The dreams. For a long time, I thought the worst thing that I could become was my brother. I was wrong.”). The closest example I can think of in which Kuai Liang outright calling original Sub-Zero to be evil comes from Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm TV animated series (1996) and even then it was said in context of serving the forces of Darkness, not if Bi-Han was abusive brother[2].

Yet within strictly game timelines, Kuai Liang may be angry at Noob Saibot, he may be disappointed by his brother’s (post mortem) choices but as far as I managed to check, he had never accused Noob Saibot of not loving him, or being uncaring or abusive when the man was alive. In contrast, Mortal Kombat 1 (2023) actually gives us Smoke’s accusation that MK1!Bi-Han was always cold to him and though this is not necessarily equal to being abusive, the game hints at an uneasy relationship between those two brothers. I don’t think original and alternative Kuai Liang has ever accused his Bi-Han of anything similar. Quite opposite actually, in MK11 Kuai Liang stated he thought (alive) Bi-Han shared the same values as him - while Noob Saibot noted that Kuai Liang always mimicked him. What may itself imply Kuai Liang's principles were inspired by elder brother.

The source material uses the word “corrupted” specifically to describe Noob Saibot, as to highlight that Noob is not the Bi-Han’s original self. Kuai Liang uses that word, and of all people he is the one that knew the best what kind of man Bi-Han was once. Otherwise I believe younger Sub-Zero would already remark that Bi-Han as an evil Wraith is no different from his human self and so far Kuai Liang did not say anything like that.

This is especially seen in Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) and Kuai Liang’s anger is understandable as Noob Saibot supported Kronika and Cyber Sektor that attacked and killed his clan members. However, as Sub-Zero’s ending shows, when he decided to study each second of Bi-Han’s life to understand what made his older brother the way he was, he tried to understand why Bi-Han’s embraced “Sektor’s corruption” and why "reveled in the vile power given to him by Quan Chi"

not why Bi-Han did not love him, or abused, or manipulated. Those have never been a matter of doubt, only the process of adapting into the darker side of Lin Kuei and life as Wraith . So once again, corruption by power - or even being a merciless assassin, does not necessarily mean Bi-Han was a bad brother. I know that for the majority of fandom one equals the other, however Kuai Liang has never accused Bi-Han of being on purpose cruel or uncaring toward him. If anything, the problem lies in the fact that Bi-Han embraced all the bad things that happened to him. Again, like the ending says, Kuai Liang needed to reshape Bi-Han's life (events) not Bi-Han’s whole character to get back the beloved brother he missed. So the problem did not lie in Bi-Han’s character itself, but in things that happened to him. 

And frankly, there is a lot to say about the fact that Bi-Han rarely speaks about honor in contrast to Kuai Liang, and how in general he is more aware of Lin Kuei’s dark deeds than his brother ever was. The original Sub-Zero seems to be much more disillusioned with how the world works and thus better at adapting to its cruelty. He even warned Kuai Liang in the past to never trust anyone, especially a family, and it is like the opposite act to manipulation. At the same time, Kuai Liang too was accused of having a “frozen heart”.

I think that ultimately it all comes down to what fans want - a tragedy about two brothers that by twist of cruel fate are destined to be enemies or story about a survivor of abuse/pathological system coming in terms of his trauma and realizing his brother was not a good man and building for himself a new, healthier life. Each story has a great potential on its own, however I personally feel that Mortal Kombat has never truly gone with the second scenario. Kuai Liang being blind to his brother and clan’s darkness may make sense when he does not have an outside relationship that made him rethink his own brotherhood with Bi-Han. Yet Kuai Liang, even a much older, experienced man still recognizes Noob as the corrupted version of Bi-Han, not the same man just with a different outfit. Despite all the bad blood between him and the Wraith, he has never truly abbadon hope to save his brother’s soul, so at least to me, it doesn’t sound like a man freeing himself from abuse and trauma by rejecting an evil family. 

And also, if we agree that Kuai Liang was either so indoctrinated by the clan or lacked any other support to recognize the abuse when it happened to him, then the same benefit of doubt should be given to Bi-Han, as he grew up in the same pathological environment. You can’t excuse one survivor of abuse and then condemn the other. The brothers dealt with their trauma in different ways but this is not good victim vs bad victim contest.

As for Bi-Han manipulating anyone... he was introduced in Mythologies: Sub-Zero as the most cunning Lin Kuei assassin and Noob Saibot was too hinted to be smart and biding his time while serving Shinnok, Quan Chi and Shao Kahn. So I believe he could be pretty cunning when needed. But yes, the man doesn't feel like a person bothering with manipulation for the fun of it. Sub-Zero, like all cryomancers in general(?), was a pretty straightforward man. Like I mentioned before, from source material it seems to me he rather kept warning Kuai Liang about not trusting anyone (and he did that as Noob Saibot too in MK11's intro dialogues) than playing on his younger brother’s loyalty. But to be honest, we don't have enough sources to say for sure how growing up in Lin Kuei looked for both.

SIDENOTES:

[1] Sadly, MK11 did not fully utilize the conflict between Redemption (Kuai Liang) vs. Recognition (Noob Saibot!Bi-Han) alluded by the official BIOs and intro dialogues. Frankly, the mentioned game barely did anything with their brotherhood in main story mode, however the intro dialogues paint an interesting take on brothers feelings toward each other, especially Noob’s one toward Kuai Liang, as they differ from original timeline Noob. Back then he was out there “free from compassion” [MK Deception]

and at least twice tried to murder his brother (attack on Lin Kuei/MK Armageddon and Noob-Smoke’s ending/MK Deception), while in the MK11’s intro dialogues for example, he does not side with Frost - who from story mode perspective was the logical ally, as she wanted to kill Kuai Liang. Instead Noob openly dislikes and disrespects her and even criticizes his brother for trusting her in the first place. Similar thing happens with Geras ordering Noob to bring Sub-Zero to Kronika and suddenly Noob goes with his standard “only death are my kin” 

Geras: Bring your brother to Kronika. Noob Saibot: The dead are my clan now. Geras: Do you serve or do you not? 

while he has no problem acknowledging his and Kuai Liang’s brotherhood. The intro dialogues in second timeline definitely played a different angle than Noob as Bi-Han completely stripped of his humanity. And again, sadly NRS did not dwell on it in the main story.

[2] Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm actually referred to events from the Mortal Kombat film (1995), in which Liu Kang killed Sub-Zero thanks to Kitana’s advice to use an element “that brings life”. Even the scene of original Sub-Zero’s death was similar to the one from the movie, minus of course the violence/impaling itself. Yet the film outright stated that Scorpion and Sub-Zero were slaves under Shang Tsung’s power, so in that case, “Bi-Han” wouldn’t be on Mortal Kombat Tournament on his own free will for all we know.  The full dialogue about MK:DotR!Kuai Liang’s reasons for joining the good guys side below:

Sub-Zero: It is true, I was once Lin Kuei  and fought for the forces of darkness. But that was long ago…Back when my brother was still alive…It has been many years now since Liu Kang faced my brother in Mortal Kombat. [...] Sonya: So, why’d ya turn on your clan anyway? Jax: Girl, your parents ever teach you the word "tact?" Sub-Zero: After his death, I realized that my own brother was innately evil and without honor… I could no longer fight for what my clan believed in…That was when I decided to help you. Jax: Then why the disappearing act? Sub-Zero: In spite of what I knew, I was too filled with hate to go on. So I sought seclusion to try and find inner peace. Sonya: I guess what we’re all wondering is…can you ever really forgive Liu Kang for icing your brother? Sub-Zero: What Liu Kang did, he did to save Earth. He fought with honor and great purpose.

It was cartoon intended for children so it is make sense that brutality and complexity was reduced to acceptable norms, however A) “Kuai Liang” still didn’t call “Bi-Han” and evil/abusive brother and needed time to sort out his feelings, including hate (for Liu Kang) and  and B) saying “Bi-Han” and in general Lin Kuei were evil was the easiest way to explain why he changed sides than saying anything else (this point is actually relevant to “Kuai Liang”’s feeling for Lin Kuei/Bi-Han seen in the second episode - he may consider them evil but he would fight Scorpion to avenge what he did to Lin Kuei and wondered if Liu Kang could beat “Bi-Han” without Kitana’s advice so his feelings definitely aren’t one dimensional. I think it is safe to assume he was still processing his emotions and relationship with Lin Kuei/"Bi-Han") 

I guess this cartoon may be one of the reasons why people tend to consider Bi-Han to be an evil brother while painting Smoke as the only one Kuai Liang's brother that should matter. Still, a source is a source, so I’m bringing it to the table. 

[petrichormore]

(Another ramble incoming - this one I’ve been sitting on for a bit. But it’s about Bebou & the French. And the jail incident. And also bla bla bla this is about the characters)

I might be wrong but I really think that if some of the french agree with q!bbh about the government being bad/anarchy being good thing… it’s not because Bad managed to convince them that q!forever is some horrible dictator with his wily demon cunning and manipulative silvertongue or something. it’s because. they just. agree with his views and sympathize with him. Like they just sometimes think Bad has a point, is the thing. Now I know Bad likes to spread misinformation but he rarely does it in a way that can really be taken seriously, or have any big effect (with a few… exceptions).

Bad likes to jokingly blame Forever for like anything and everything but if anyone actually presses him about it (I’m pretty sure pierre, antoine, and etoiles all have to varying degrees) he’s pretty quick to emphasize that he trusts Forever’s judgment and moral compass.

Or he used to. Until he got pushed into a cage trap. It’s clear he lost a significant amount of trust in Forever and everyone else who was involved with that. And he suspected Forever (or Cellbit) of framing him, but I’d say that’s relatively reasonable considering, from his perspective, they jumped to a conclusion with no proof. He doesn’t understand why they wouldn’t hear him out, so he’s looking for a reason. And he’s telling other people not because he’s trying to spread misinfo but because that’s just what he believes and usually, he’s telling people because they’re asking him.

Anyway, Pierre didn’t really steal the waystones because he automatically believed everything Bad said about Forever being a dictator immediately and with no hesitation. If he accepted or encouraged what Bad said, it’s because he probably already agreed to some extent. Pierre, Antoine, Etoiles - they’re smarter than blindly accepting the truth from badboyhalo the Chronic Gossiper. And at least 2/3rds of them are also convinced that Bad and Forever are dating - so they’re not taking what Bad says about Forever that seriously.

If you ask me: Pierre did it because he was probably already more politically aligned with Bad’s anarchist ideals than he ever was with Forever’s and, most importantly, because he witnessed Bad get jailed unfairly with his OWN. TWO. EYEBALLS. LIKE HE SAW THAT. HE WAS THERE.

How did he know Bad was framed? He TALKED TO HIM. He went to his base and had a conversation with him and of the two (count it with me - TWO) people that actually heard Bad out that day (Foolish and Pierre) both of them came out of the conversation believing he wasn’t the culprit. Wouldn’t you know it - communication solved that conflict pretty fast, but Bad didn’t get a chance to communicate to Forever or anyone else because they almost immediately dogpiled him. And Pierre saw that happen.

And I’m pretty sure he also saw Forever hold a vote and then accept that Bad was guilty of a crime. A crime. That isn’t illegal. That he didn’t even do in the first place.

So. I’m sure you can see why Pierre might feel the urge to defend Bad - maybe even from Forever specifically, and of his own volition. Although I can’t say stealing all the waystones and rearranging them into a pentagram above Forever’s house was a particularly reliable method of doing so, nor can I say Bad really needed the protection - Forever had no malicious intent and was fully trying to be fair. (can you tell im a q!forever apologist? because if you can’t: he did nothing wrong. Maybe one day I will make a giant post about how much of a q!forever apologist i am).

Am I making sense. At all. It’s 2am. And I’m getting the sensation that I’m missing something with this one but I’m too tired to correct it so I’ll look at it later.

[maddies-writings]

Goro Takemura x Fem!V

Author’s Note: This is pretty general, no specific background or fighting style for V, just the random Goro Headcanons I have. I’ll share my many ideas with my own personal V’s at a later date but for now, just wanna get my love for this guy out in the open. By the way, we need more gifs of this guy. People who know how to do that, get on it.

So this will all be taking place during the game. Our man is on the run and wearing that wonderful leather coat. V is one of the few things keeping him sane during his time in Night City. His hatred for this city plus the stress of everything going on may have possibly taken him down if not for the thief he pulled out of a landfill.

Speaking of, whenever he thinks back to that moment, V weakly calling for his aid only for him to viscously backhand her, he feels a deep pan of regret. If it ever gets brought up he will definitely apologize for it.

Goro is a very traditional guy and I feel like that would also extend to a romance with him. For example, it is customary to give a lady flowers, but seeing as how those are hella expensive and super difficult to get, I imagine Goro leaving V with little origami flowers.

He’d definitely be willing to teach V how to do origami. Showing her exactly how to fold a simple piece of paper in order to create beautiful figurines.

Goro would actually be willing to teach V a lot of things if she asked. He did mentor Oda and I feel like he enjoys teaching. He’d teach V how to cook (she definitely says she’s not letting him go back to Arasaka, she’s keeping him for the food alone) and some fighting moves.

All lessons are filled with varying degrees of sexual tension.

Goro is not used to being cared for. He was trained to be someone else’s protector and he did that for several years. So having someone provide for and protect him is a definite change. Not a bad one, though I could definitely see him as being easy to confuse or even overwhelm with kind gestures. He’s just not used to this.

Seriously though, he needs a hug. Several hugs.

An ideal date with him would probably be a night in where he cooks a meal he can share with V that ends with snuggling on the couch while a good movie plays. Whether V is laying on his chest as he runs his fingers through or hair or he lays on her chest as she runs her fingers through his hair, he is happy.

If Goro laying his head on V’s chest, listening to her heartbeat. He finds it the most soothing sound in the world. He just slowly sinks deeper and deeper into her embrace. If she starts stroking his hair and rubbing his back his eyes almost roll back into his skull. He’s also out like a light. He hasn’t slept that good in a long time, even before Saburo was murdered.

I could see V stealing his shirts in the morning. Once a thief, always a thief. Goro believes she looks better in his shirts than he does.

Goro snores. He firmly denies it but he does. It’s a fairly quite but deep rumble. It only happens when he’s in a deep sleep, not when he’s still alert incase the enemy comes knocking. V loves it because that noise means that he’s actually resting.

[aroacemisha]

Thought I'd make a post explaining why I don't believe Huntl0w is canon, or was even supposed to be, and the "shippy" stuff in the show was just allowed as a treat for crew members who shipped it.

The post is a little long, so it's going under read more.

--

In the storyboards, the "Huntl0w moments" were more explicitly "shippy" than in the final show. In the final version, they tend to be toned down or even removed completely, even as late as TtT.

Take a look at these comparisons:

storyboard: Hunter changes his expression and pose, drawing attention to the blush, has stronger implications of attraction

final version: no change in pose, only slight change in expression, the blush is subtle, almost unnoticeable

storyboard: a full-face blush on Hunter (similar to how Amity sometimes blushed at Luz), Willow is looking at him while he nervously looks away, the frame is also a closeup focused on them, with Gus being in the periphery

final version: lighter blush on Hunter, who also looks flustered by the embrace in general rather than Willow specifically, all three are equally focused on in the framing

This shot was completely cut, Hunter neither blushes nor puts his hand on Willow's shoulder, and he doesn't even look at her

This particular one could have possibly been a jokey thing not meant to end up in the final version, but it was included as the final shot with the storyboards that did make it to the final version, so I'm including it here:

I'm not gonna put this last one in, since Hayley doesn't want her art reposted, but I would encourage you to look at her storyboard of the Hunter haircut scene vs. the final version. You'll notice that the final version is less "shippy" and completely removes any implied reciprocation from Willow.

And here's a couple interesting captions from Hayley's Tumblr posts:

(Seeing how I've shown that the toning down continued afterwards, even up to TtT, it seems less like "not yet", and more like "it's not supposed to happen at all")

I find it noteworthy that she referred to her "shippy stuff" with Huntl0w as "highly interpretable" even as late as TtT. (And also that she acknowledged it is interpretable, unlike a good chunk of the fandom)

If the ship was truly intended to be confirmed canon, why were the "Huntl0w" scenes still being toned down and made more ambiguous and interpretable even as late as TtT, the episode right before the supposed "confirmation"? This makes me think Huntl0w isn't meant to be canon, but the crew were allowed to have a treat for all their hard work and insert some fan service.

--

The other reason why I think it's small hints allowed as a treat for the shippers on the crew, rather than an intended storyline, is because all of the "Huntl0w" in the show is very surface-level. It's either not meant to be a romantic arc at all, or it's an extremely poorly written one. There is no written storyline between them, just blushes superficially added on top.

They barely interact on screen between ASiaS (the episode where they just met for the first time) and FtF (the episode where they supposedly "got together", or at least were "confirmed as mutually in love"), and the entire "buildup" to the "romance" is a handful of small, quick blushes from Hunter. I didn't even notice the blushes/realize they were inserted as a "shippy" thing until King's Tide, and I'm not the only one, I've seen other people say they didn't notice either, some didn't even notice the one in KT.

And Willow didn't show any interest/hints of a crush at all before FtF. No blushes, no unusual behavior around Hunter, nothing.

The only arguments claiming she did show hints of a crush are varying degrees of stretches, or even outright insults to her character if you think about it. Because, for example, they imply that she would be fine with seriously injuring a friend, or letting a friend fall to their death, if they weren't secretly her crush.

You may say, "but they stayed at the Noceda house for a couple months, they probably got closer/Willow developed a crush then!", and to that I will point out that there's no change between how Willow and Hunter interacted at the end of season 2 and how they interacted in TtT, so it seems that there wasn't much off-screen development either.

(Also! If all of the important relationship development for two major characters happens off-screen, they should not end up in a romantic relationship together, that is bad writing)

Additionally, neither were shown or implied to be trying to spend more time with specifically each other, they're mainly shown interacting in a group setting with all of the Hexsquad, and the one time it's just the two of them is incidental, Willow just happens to pass by the bathroom while Hunter is cutting his hair and happens to notice it.

Even in FtF, the episode that went harder/was more in-your-face with the "Huntl0w" moments, it remains pretty surface-level. All you'd have to do to completely cut it is remove the blushes. The story/plot or the way they talk to/interact with each other wouldn't have to change at all. There's no written romance, just superficially added blushes.

(And while Willow does finally blush in this episode, it's only after Hunter gets powers and saves her life, which makes it come off as either her feeling like she "has to" reciprocate now, or her only finding him attractive now that he has powers. I'm sure neither is intentional, but just because it's unintentional doesn't shield it from criticism)

And now, let's do a comparison to Lumity and Raeda, in both development and confirmation.

Luz and Amity's relationship was developed on screen for about 10 episodes or so from the start of their friendship to them eventually becoming a couple. They ask each other out on screen, and after that point, they are referred to as girlfriends and kiss on screen several times. They're as explicit as you can get.

Raine and Eda are implied to be exes in Raine's introduction episode, and it's confirmed later, so they have an established romantic history, and after several episodes with on-screen development of their relationship, in the finale, Eda kisses Raine several times after getting them out of Belos's corruption.

As mentioned before, Hunter and Willow barely interact on-screen between ASiaS and FtF, so there's no development to speak of. And in the supposed "confirmation" scene for Huntl0w... All Willow says is that Hunter is important to her too, as a response to the earlier scene where he said "You guys mean the world to me", referring to both her and Gus, and she holds pinkies with him.

Saying someone is important to you is pretty unspecific, and it's especially so here, since she says it in reply to him saying both she AND Gus were important to him (as if to imply they're important to each other in the same way), and hand holding isn't inherently romantic. I don't know where this idea came from, and it really needs to stop.

[Side note: I've also noticed that people who insist that Willow holding hands with Hunter can only be read as romantic don't have the same energy for when Willow holds hands with Amity. It seems that either a) certain people just take whatever position suits their current argument, and take mutually exclusive positions at different times, or b) they are just being heteronormative, or c) possibly both]

As for the epilogue, they do interact again, but there's no blushing, or kisses, or anything like that. They're just hanging out. Again, hand holding is not romantic.

The one "shippy" thing in the epilogue is a single picture hidden away in a dark corner, like an easter egg, and the blush is also once again one-sided from Hunter. Willow looks like she's teasing him.

You may say "but the ending where they're all saying goodbye!!".

And to that I will point out that while it starts with just Hunter and Willow holding each other, Willow also pulls Gus in. This is an Emerald Trio hug, not a Huntl0w hug.

Additional note: the TOH Wiki acknowledges that while the ship was hinted at, it was never confirmed. And those are people who still list Hunter and Willow as each other's love interests, despite the admitted lack of confirmation. Take it from them.

[Edit: I've been informed that apparently users of the Wiki acknowledge that the ship isn't canon, and someone has actually tried to remove the "love interest" bit from the character pages, since it isn't confirmed, but it was reverted, and when they asked about it, they were told that since it was hinted at in the show, it can stay. The insistence on still listing them as love interests, despite it only being speculation/headcanon, is more of a higher staff problem than a userbase at large problem]

As a final note, Dana has done plenty of Lumity and Raeda art, but I'm still yet to see a Huntl0w drawing from her, even though she has posted drawings that feature both of them. I've only seen Huntl0w art from other crew members, but not Dana herself, and I feel like that's worth mentioning.

(She has also explicitly encouraged "death of the author", which, for those unaware or misinformed, means ignoring what the author says outside of the work, and interpreting and analyzing said work based only on what is in the work itself)

--

TL;DR: The "Huntl0w" stuff in the show is toned down compared to the storyboards, it never got confirmed, unlike Lumity and Raeda, and is likely in the show mainly as a treat for the hard work of the crew members who ship it. What we have in the show gave just enough fan service to shippers, while keeping it ambiguous enough that you don't have to read it as romantic.

[shallanigans]

So, you want to write fanfiction? Here's some advice from someone who spends too much time on ao3, Part 1:

Hey everyone! This is a bit of a deviation from my usual shitposts. I was looking at the "#writers on tumblr" tag today, and I got inspired to post this after some interesting discussions. I'm someone who has read a lot (and I mean A LOT) of fanfic, as well as written some myself... so I thought I'd make this little (no, I lied, it's Very Long) post with some writing tips that I find personally meaningful for those of you who may be getting started or want to try something new.

My qualifications? Honestly, because I said so. This is just my opinion. Feel free to ignore, disagree, hate, ask questions, whatever. I'll be discussing some common fanfic writing advice and what I think about it, as well as giving some general pointers.

Disclaimer: What is "good writing?"

Good writing is effective writing. There is no one way in which everyone should write. Effective writing compels the reader; it makes them interested in your story, keeps them turning the pages, makes them click that "next chapter" button and stay up all night to finish your 500k epic. Some people achieve this through flowery, descriptive prose. Others do so with their quick wit and snappy dialogue. Others write all their fanfictions in second person epistolary format only and make you cry harder than you ever have. The first thing to know is that 1) tastes vary and 2) confidence matters. Find your voice, and be proud of it. If you feel that what you are doing is working for you, and you love it, then keep at it. Someone has already made every "writing mistake" and made it well. Don't fall into the trap of getting bogged down with 674835 contradictory tips and being too terrified to write at all. The only real writing sin is being boring.

Furthermore, this post is for fanfiction specifically. A lot of this advice might be useful for traditional fiction, but it's not a 1:1 carryover. A lot of fanfic advice will be irrelevant for traditional fiction, and vice versa.

That's all fine and dandy, but what do I do?

Good question. First, let's break down what makes a fanfiction effective. Most people searching ao3 for a story probably want:

A compelling premise

With in-character characters

Good spelling, formatting, grammar, and syntax

Stylistically strong writing

A coherent plot

With a certain degree of wish-fulfillment sprinkled in (this is fanfic, after all)

In this series, I will be mostly discussing elements 2-6. Number 1, unfortunately, comes down to "don't be boring," and I can't tell you how to come up with an idea that's going to hook your reader. However, assuming that you already have The Coolest Idea Ever, and you only need the reader to see that, then here's what you can do:

Effective Summaries

No, seriously. Tell people what your fucking story is about. One of my favorite stories on ao3 has the worst, vaguest one-liner of a summary I've ever seen. It is a gem, and if it hadn't been for a friend's recommendation, I would have never read it. You may think that your epic out of context quote from the paragraph you spent hours perfecting will make people care, but it will probably just confuse them. This is likely to be the most controversial thing I say today, so I'm starting off strong.

When I say effective summary, I mean a summary that will tell people the basic premise of the plot while also making them want to learn more. I don't mean something fancy. I mean something like:

When Blorbo started his new tech development job at Tumblr, he never expected to have Blorbette for a boss. She is smart, cold, calculating - and, to his horror, totally irresistible. In order to win her heart, he decides to make her jealous by fake-dating his colleague and frenemy, Blorbinson. But he soon finds that there is more to his mysterious friend than meets the eye. Could it be that the real Tumblr sexyman has been next to him all along?

That's a pretty standard summary for a relatively long fic. It's nothing fancy, but it tells the reader what the story's about. Now this same summary, in the hands of someone who refuses to inform the reader about the premise of the story, would probably say something like:

His eyes are the color of spring.

You can get away with that kind of stuff more often in a one-shot, but best practice is always to tell your reader what the story is about. Say to your reader:

Blorbinson's eyes are too easy to get lost in. Blorbo cannot find his way out.

If you MUST include a quote from your story, then do it alongside your informative summary, in the much-loved format below:

"What do you mean Welcome to Nightvale is winning the contest?" --- In which things get heated at Tumblr dot com, and Blorbinson's the one making Blorbo get all sweaty.

I can already hear you arguing. You say to me, "But there are people who choose quotes that are both pretty AND informative! But writing anything is better than writing nothing in the summary!"

True. My response to the first point is this: if you had mastered that skill, you wouldn't be here. A simple, to-the-point-summary is almost never going to make the interested reader scroll past your story. You know what will? An out-of-context block of text about how much Sans Undertale loves the player from chapter 3, paragraph six.

To the second point, I say: obviously. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't seek to improve. No one is perfect. I'm certainly not. But you're doing yourself a disservice by spending so much time and effort on the content of your story and then fumbling it on the home stretch. If you take pride in your work (and I'm assuming you do, because you posted this story for a reason), then make like a chef at a five-star restaurant and start caring about presentation. It goes without saying that there shouldn't be any typos in the summary.

A note on tagging: I will make a separate post on tagging your stories appropriately. This is a writing-related rant.

Now, onto characterization:

If you're one of those people who thinks that there's no such thing as "too OOC," congratulations. May you enjoy fanfiction free from the shackles of the narrative. Tag appropriately and have fun. If you're like the rest of us haters, you probably want to keep your characters as faithful to canon as possible. Yes, even in an AU.

I've included this wonderful addition because entryn17 said it better than I ever could have. There's difference of interpretation, and then there's Severus Snape deciding that James Potter was actually just misunderstood.

Being "in-character" is an elusive ideal that we all strive for, but no one can quite tell you what it means except for "the vibes." The way I like to define it is this: If you asked yourself the question "Would He Fucking Say That/Do That/Feel That?" and the answer is "yes, absolutely," then it's in-character. If the answer is "absolutely not," then it's out of character. If the answer is "maybe?" then your goal is to move that needle firmly into the Yes camp.

To do this, you must first determine what is making you unsure. Is it the dialogue? Is your stuffy Edwardian speaking like a Gen Alpha well-versed in Cocomelonese? Is your overconfident flirt stammering and stuttering through a conversation? Often, the content of what a character is saying agrees perfectly with the source material, but the how doesn't match it. Beta readers can help with this, as can going back to the source material to study a character's speech patterns in canon. You don't have to get it perfect. Just make sure it doesn't stand out. Would Snape perhaps say "Come over here!" in a much wordier, snarkier manner? Maybe. Maybe not. But he sure as hell wouldn't say, "Yo! bring your ass over and check this out!"

Actions and feelings are a bit trickier. There's always some leeway in personal interpretation here, and most of the time your reader won't question this very much so long as the rest of the story keeps them engaged. One OOC action or thought is easy to brush off. Ten, not so much. Read up on the wiki pages for whatever you're writing, go back to the source material, and maybe get the opinion of a willing beta reader. Ultimately, if your characters start feeling like featureless puppets subject to your whims rather than people with established personalities, you might want to go back and revisit what made them stand out to you in the first place.

Keep things consistent within your story. Especially in AUs and canon divergence fics, there are certain character traits that are malleable. Maybe Draco Malfoy wouldn't have been such a dickhead if he'd had caring adult mentors in his life. So, justify that within your story. You don't necessarily need to keep the characterization faithful to the canon, but you do need to convince the reader that their beloved character has a reason for their behavior. Keep things consistent. Whenever a character deviates from their canon behavior, make sure there's a valid explanation for it in your narrative.

Don't fall for the trap of confusing canon and fanon. Fandom is like a game of telephone. Someone writes one story of Blorbo adopting a cat, and suddenly he's the biggest cat person in the universe. The poor author who posts about Blorbo's canonical love of dogs gets trashed for writing OOC. You can't prevent people getting mad at you, but you can always grin smugly and go to bed happy with the knowledge that you were right. Someone will love you for it.

SPAG

Ew! It sounds like something your dog spit up. Spelling and Grammar might be boring, but they're necessary. You shouldn't break the rules until you know the rules. One day, you will write a run-on postmodern epic to rival the worst of Wallace's page-long sentences. Today is not that day. No one wants to open a story only to be greeted by a massive block of text, a lack of punctuation, and a heretofore undiscovered form of there/they're/their.

In the modern age, we have many tools at our disposal to clarify our SPAG doubts. Dictionaries! Spellcheck! The weirdos on those Substack forums! Oh, my. If you wrote your story at 3AM directly onto the ao3 editor, perhaps take a moment to run it through some kind of spellchecker before posting. Microsoft Word has a pretty good one, but Grammarly and other such software can help you if that's not available. There's also nothing quite like a beta reader. There are people in this world who love picking apart every comma, period, and quotation mark, and they'll be happy to do it for you. I am one of them, and I volunteer. There are many of us.

Here are some SPAG mistakes common in fanfiction.

1.Your/you're, they're/their/there, "could of," and "lie" vs "lay."

"YOUR" means that something is yours. You possess that thing. YOUR story is going to be great if you fix the grammar. "YOU'RE" is a contracted form of "YOU ARE." If you fix your grammar, YOU'RE going to be a great writer.

They're: Shortened form of "they are." They're going to the beach. They're very nice people.

Their: They possess a thing. A thing belongs to them. They're going to the beach in THEIR car.

There: Related to a place. You are going to be THERE. THERE are many pretty horses in the field.

"Could of" does not exist. It is an incorrect way of writing "could've," the shortened form of "could have."

The verbs lie and lay are tricky ones. You (a person) LIE down on your bed. You LAY an object down on a surface. However, the past tense of LIE is LAY. I know! Who invented English, am I right? Blorbo LIES on his bed in the present tense. He LAY on his bed in the past.

The past tense of "lay" is "laid." Blorbo LAID down his water bottle.

2. Run-on sentences.

Sometimes, when we're writing, we get a little excited. We have so many thoughts and we never know how to end them. You might think the solution here is to just keep throwing down commas, but you'd be wrong.

Run-on sentences can be effective if used intentionally, but a lot of the time, they're not. The period isn't your enemy. In general, you want to make sure your sentences have a subject, a verb, and an object, and that they end when you've finished your thought.

Blorbo was the most beautiful of all the tumblr sexymen. He really liked to show off his sick gains at the gym. He had a hot wife and an even hotter side piece.

This writing isn't very exciting, but it's correct. Contrast that with:

Blorbo was the most beautiful of all the tumblr sexymen, he really liked to show off his sick gains at the gym, he had a hot wife and an even hotter side piece.

Finish your thoughts. There are ways to connect independent clauses (a group of words that can work on its own as a sentence) correctly, like the semicolon; the semicolon is a great piece of punctuation. There is also the em-dash. Sometimes, you really need to add clarification to a thought — you really want to emphasize the second part of what you're saying. Em-dashes also work like a cooler version of parentheses — because who uses those, am I right? — and can help you seem like a chic and seasoned writer. Don't overuse them, though. I know you want to. And no, I don't heed my own advice here.

Look, these rules aren't intuitive. I can't possibly go through all of them in a way that's easy and digestible. There are smarter people than me who have written all about it, and I use incorrect punctuation all the time. Misplacing a comma isn't going to be the end of the world for your story, but at least give it a once-over with a beta or spellchecker to fix the worst of it. At the very least, make the reader think that run-on sentence was totally on purpose.

3. Paragraphs

Make sure your paragraphs stick to a single theme or thought. Fanfiction writers love to have one-sentence paragraphs for the impact, but you don't need to do that. Just keep them coherent. For example, if you're writing about Blorbo's weekend, you might say,

Blorbo loved Saturdays. On Saturdays, the world seemed to sparkle and sing with the whole of the city's shared happiness over not having to work. He would wake up on those mornings and leap out of bed while singing a jaunty little tune. Then, he'd text Blorbinson a string of heart emojis and plan to meet up for their weekly ice cream date. But Sundays — oh, how he hated Sundays! Sundays were the day before Monday, and he'd always spend so long worrying about going back to the office that, by the time he decided to do something, it would be dark outside already.

Each of the paragraphs above, clumsy as they are, have a clear idea that starts and ends within the same paragraph. If you talk about Blorbo's Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday all within one paragraph, your reader will be confused!

On the other hand, if you make every single paragraph one line, your reader is going to resent you. You have unwittingly made them take part in a bad action thriller. One-line paragraphs are supposed to be impactful and create suspense. When writing, a good tip is to consider the word "impactful" a synonym of "sparing." See below:

Blorbo loved Saturdays. On Saturdays, the world seemed to sparkle and sing with the whole of the city's shared happiness over not having to work. He would wake up on those mornings and leap out of bed while singing a jaunty little tune. Then, he'd text Blorbinson a string of heart emojis and plan to meet up for their weekly ice cream date.

Doesn't it suck? Not to mention all that scrolling!

3. Dialogue

Right off the bat, I'll say that the best way to learn how to format dialogue is by reading books. Not fanfiction. BOOKS. They have been checked by an editor, so you know you're getting the real deal. Generally, well-formatted dialogue achieves an engaging and seamless conversation between your characters. Poorly-formatted dialogue forces your reader into a game of Who's Who?

See for, instance, the following abomination:

"I can't believe you cheated on me with Blorbette!" Blorbo had been crying about it for a week. His tears would soon erode a riverbank down his cheeks. Blorbinson sneered at him, "I can't believe you ever thought this was real." "I was only with you for the tax benefits." No! How could you? Blorbo said. Blorbinson laughed a wicked laugh and looked at him. "My heart is shattered into a million tiny pieces. Love isn't real!"

Did you follow that? Because I sure didn't. Generally, here are the rules of dialogue:

Start a new line for each character that speaks, and keep a single character's dialogue within the same paragraph.*

Use dialogue tags to CLARIFY who is speaking. Note: I said clarify. If it's redundant take it out. I will write more about good (not merely correct) dialogue in a follow-up post.

Put a period after or before an ACTION tag in dialogue, but a comma before a SPEECH tag. The reason you do this is that ["Here is an example line of dialogue," he said] is a complete sentence, but ["Here is an example line of dialogue." He looked at his watch.] is TWO sentences. The quotation marks are merely to indicate speech. Whether or not something is a sentence is determined by the content of what the writing actually says, not by any punctuation it may have.

Use quotation marks to indicate speech. If you want to quote something within quotation marks (in American English), you put it in single quotes, like so: "And then he called me 'a lost cause who's doomed to be single forever.' Can you believe that?"

By following these rules, we get the much nicer:

"I can't believe you cheated on me with Blorbette!" Blorbo had been crying about it for a week. His tears would soon erode a riverbank down his cheeks. Blorbinson sneered at him. "I can't believe you ever thought this was real. I was only with you for the tax benefits." "No! How could you?" Blorbinson only laughed a wicked laugh. "My heart is shattered into a million tiny pieces. Love isn't real!" Blorbo said.

Obviously that's still pretty bad, but now it's readable. Formatting your dialogue properly will fix a lot of problems with your story, make it clear who is talking, and make the reading experience much nicer for everyone.

* An Important addendum: sometimes, characters will speak for a long time, and you'll want to split up their dialogue into paragraphs. To do that, you start the dialogue in quotation marks, but you leave them open until the character is done speaking, like so:

"My favorite thing about Blorbinson was that he always knew just what to say. He had this magical ability to always tell when I was sad, and he showed up with ice cream every single time. It always made me feel better," Blorbo said. "I can't believe our relationship is over now. I should probably tell you all about how that happened. "I walked into my house one day to find another pair of shoes by the door, where Blorbinson's usually are. I knew Blorbinson would never wear those shoes, because his style is more boho-inspired. Anyway, my worst fear was confirmed when I walked into the bedroom and found him there with Blorbette! My two loves, betraying me so callously!"

This is common in fantasy stories where you need to impart some deep lore knowledge on the reader, or for characters who like to talk a lot.

4. Verb tenses (edited after posting, in true fanfic writer fashion)

Us writers tend to have very strong opinions about verbs. You could even say things get a little bit... tense sometimes. Ok, but seriously; whether you write in past or present doesn't matter. What matters is that you keep things consistent.

Nothing takes the reader out of a fanfic faster than abrupt tense switches in the middle of the narrative. If you are writing in a specific verb tense, stick with it.

Don't say:

Blorbo is never sure what Blorbinson is thinking. He watched him chew his pencil from across the office, that beautiful face scrunched in concentration as he stares at his computer. Blorbo knows he's in love the minute Blorbinson looks back.

DO say:

Blorbo was never sure what Blorbinson was thinking. He watched him chew his pencil from across the office, that beautiful face scrunched in concentration as he stared at his computer. Blorbo knew he was in love the minute Blorbinson looked back. or Blorbo is never sure what Blorbinson is thinking. He watches him chew his pencil from across the office, that beautiful face scrunched in concentration as he stares at his computer. Blorbo knows he's in love the minute Blorbinson looks back.

When we write in past tense and we want to talk about events that happened prior to the narrative, we use the past perfect. When we write in present, we can use either simple past or past perfect. This one's kind of iffy. As you write more, you'll get a sense of what "sounds correct."

Ultimately, your choice of verb tense is personal opinion and what you feel best fits your story. Just make sure that you keep whatever you choose consistent. A beta reader can help you with this.

And that's it for Part 1!

This post dealt with some technical, basic things about fanfic that will mostly be useful to new writers. I will be going more in depth about making your prose stronger at the sentence level in Part 2, where #4 is getting an entire post. It'll probably be even longer than this one. I hope it was able to help someone!

[sebs-studies]

Unsolicited advice from a second year uni student

Since it's now September and most people I know will be heading either back to school or gearing up for university. And if anyone did what I did they might look at Tumblr to get some studying/life ideas (I did this during my A-levels and ended up making my own blog!). So I wanted to give some general advice from my perspective to anyone who might want it - also this will be specific to the UK but some of it is just general too. Also I want to be able to look back on this since I went back through my blog recently and realised I may have needed this advice even just a year ago.

For those who are about to go to university do not panic (cliché I know) but seriously. You will survive the first year I promise! It obviously varies from person to person and between unis and degrees but the first year will generally be a massive adjustment period in your life. And that will likely impact your mental health. This is totally normal. I got major impostor syndrome the first few months of uni. It wasn't until semester 2 that I started to feel comfortable. And largely because if was an entirely new way of learning and teaching, I had to completely relearn how to study, whilst also learning how to live on my own, and living in a new city and making friends.

You will make friends, it might not be immediately but you will find someone before the end of your first year. I got blessed by chance in making friends, but I know lots of people who it took the entire year to find their people. The unfortunate part of this advice is to make friends you do have to go outside and meet them (and I don't always mean going out drinking although this is definitely an option). Look for societies and clubs at your uni this will be 100% an easy way to meet people. And especially especially in the first few weeks of uni go to the welcome/fresher/first year events. I avoided them because I was anxious but turns out they're an amazing way to meet people because guess what? Everyone else is just as anxious as you are!

Expect your grades to go down at first and don't be discouraged, you can and will get those grades back up. And even if you don't (given that you are passing) it doesn't matter. Grades, especially at grad level are kind of inconsequential for most people. Two things to be mindful of are if you are going for a work placement or study abroad year (if you live in the UK) as first year grades do matter for those. Something no one will probably tell you till it's too late. But even then for most study programs you only need a 60% in your first year. And to just progress you only need a 40% (at most unis double check yours). Point being if there's ever a time for your grades to go down it's now, don't panic, your degree isn't over, you're not an impostor, you deserve to be here.

Everyone is struggling just as much as you are. Don't be fooled by Instagram or whatever. Even though I am guilty of it, we only show the nice parts of our lives online. When I get most stressed I step back from this blog, and you guys don't see the tears, sleepless nights, frustrating, and also kind of gross parts of being a student. So don't be fooled if Amanda from your seminar seems to have a perfect life on her Instagram, chances are she hasn't got it as together as you think, and you are no less better than anyone else in the room.

Save money anyway you can!!! I cannot stress this enough but one of the students biggest issues is spending. I'm guilty too but do your best especially in the first year to not overspend too much. Still enjoy yourself 100%, but do you really need to take out five times a week? Or the new shoes? Trust me by the time you get to your second year and your savings or your loan is gone you'll be wishing you held back a little.

If you are struggling. Talk to someone. For uni students, go to your mentor, academic lead, or look up the mental health service at your uni. Every uni (in the UK) has a mental health team. I know many of us are disillusioned with student support networks but I mean this when I say uni support systems are better funded, more rigorous and it serves them to support you. You are not just a student at the university, you are a customer paying a lot of money to be there. It's important that you are happy and you are progressing, otherwise both you and the uni lose! Don't be afraid to speak up when you need it, there will be someone there.

For UK students look up student groups for your university of Facebook. I'm being 100% serious when I say there is a gold mine of info on Facebook for unis. I never ever post on Facebook but it is so useful for staying in the know on events, stuff currently happening, and lots of student groups are pretty funny/gossipy. Some unis even have pages giving away free stuff from previous students, i.e. crockery, kitchen stuff, speakers etc. I managed to save some decent money on these groups. Also if you're into clubbing this is a pretty good way to learn where the good spots are in your city ;)

Romanticism will only go so far. Don't exhaust yourself on how you look. At the end of the day if you are getting the job done who cares if you did it hunched over a bag of cold McDonalds at 3 am? It's no better than someone with a green smoothie at a coffee shop.

I say a lot of this because my first semester was an emotional rollercoaster. During my GCSEs to A-Levels I thrived academically and then coming to Uni I felt like I was so out of my depth. And it wasn't until the second year I realised that this is, a) normal, and b) not that deep! So you scored a little low on an essay? Take the advice and work on the next one. You had some awkward conversation at a uni event? Everyone has forgotten about it already, give a different event a go. One of my favourite things about university is that it is surprisingly low consequence (in the grand scheme of things). Making mistakes won't end you it's okay. I know everyone on studyblr is a perfectionist but give yourself some leniency please. Anyway that's enough of my ranting. To be honest I expect no one to read this. But I am curious how I'll update it in a year's time once I'm going into third year.

If anyone has any questions about university my DMs are open. (I actually am now a paid guide for welcoming first years so it is literally my job lol).

[calandrinon]

ok there was a poll about national anthems and I have what I think is one of my best ideas yet, thanks to Aotearoa for the inspiration.

For those who don't know, the national anthem of Aotearoa has a verse in te reo Māori and a verse in English, which is an excellent idea for a titchy little country with one unified indigenous language but is not so easy in a vast expanse where there are thousands.

So do we all know I Am Australian by the Seekers?

It's been proposed with varying degrees of seriousness as an alternative national anthem, but my proposal goes one step further (ok, many steps):

I suggest that the Australian national anthem should be the chorus to I Am Australian, in English and in every available indigenous Australian language.

"but cal that would make the anthem 1000 minutes long" yes but obviously we wouldn't sing every verse every time! In practice the version of the anthem sung would include those languages that are appropriate. So everyone would get to learn the anthem in the language of the Aboriginal nation where they live, and at events in that nation you might sing the anthem in English (usually) and in that language. If you move to a different area you learn the anthem in the language of that area. If you are not great with languages that's fine, as long as you have a go, and if all you can do is belt out "I am you are we are Australian" at the right time and on roughly the right notes then at least you have the right spirit.

Here's how it might work:

If you're at a sporting event where the anthem is sung, like the Anzac Day match at the MCG, they'd sing the anthem in English and the Woiwurrung language (covers both teams and the ground itself).

If the world turned even more upside down and Freo played GWS in the grand final, you might hear English (native language of most players and the competition), Woiwurrung (the holy MCG), Nyoongar (Fremantle) and Dharug (GWS).

In practice there should be a cap on the number of verses because otherwise someone would definitely take the piss, but this should not be legislated because sometimes you need someone to take the piss.

If the anthem is sung to highlight the achievements of one person, it might include the verse(s) most appropriate to that person - where they were born or grew up, where they live and work, where their ancestors are from. This is an occasion where I can imagine the English verse could legitimately be omitted.

A sporting team or other group representing many languages could choose to nominate one or more verses to be played. Maybe if it's Alex's 50th match then they sing Alex's verse that game, then at the next game they sing Pat's verse because Pat had to leave the tour for the birth of their child, and of course opinion will be split between "aww that's really sweet" and "stop messing with it".

Most importantly, there should be no single official version. Any definition should not specifically include or exclude any single verse, not even the original English verse. Preferably the definition should be broad enough that we could all sing a verse in te reo Māori for Barnaby Joyce and it would be legit.

Anyway please feel free to expand on this and/or tell me I'm an idiot genius, I have a dog who requires attention

[manofmanymons]

survive hcs of any kind. Hand em over 🔫

I have so many where do I even start

First I'll talk about truthful route specific hcs then transition to more general ones

Miu handles big scary rides way better than Takuma does so she becomes Minoru's go-to amusement park buddy

Shuuji sleeps holding Lopmon like a teddy bear

Akiharu goes from being the crazy eccentric at his university to being THE guy everyone goes to for answers. He gets a raise and a published textbook which is good because he accidentally became a single father of four (someone's gotta raise Miyuki, and Shuuji, Miu, and Kaito's parents don't deserve them) and could use the funds.

He, Miyuki, and Renamon teach the other kids and mons the piano with varying degrees of success. Dracmon, as it happens, does the best. Please imagine him for whatever reason coming across an organ someday and playing dramatic vampire music. That is all.

Saki finally learns to stop caring what people think of her because any friend worth having is one that'll love her for her real self. She loses a lot of her old friends that way but good riddance.

Ryo and Kaito are both actually quite book smart but stopped trying in school after Certain Traumatic Life Events. After getting back to the real world, Ryo finally starts trying again bc he remembers what it's like to care about his future again. Miu more or less forces Kaito to do better because she'll be damned if he can't graduate and she's stuck going to the same school as him forever.

Aoi is the only member of the group who can pass off her partner as a support animal and bring her everywhere and anywhere.

All the mons with at least one evo that has a more humanoid form have a human disguise they can use in the real world. That being said, please imagine Ceresmon Medium or Beelzemon working retail. Like how freaking funny would that be.

Minoru and Takuma were falsely led to believe that Kaito is bad at video games because Miu said she always beats him. He then proceeded to destroy them at every game they own. He's not a bad gamer, just a good brother.

Speaking of games, Minoru and Kaito are banned from board game night with The Squad after they nearly killed each other over Uno.

Third game related hc in a row but Floramon and Dracmon are the best at poker while Falcomon, Lopmon and Agumon suck. Kunemon, Labramon, and Syakomon unfortunately do not have hands to play without everyone seeing their cards. Sometimes their partners will help with this, but card cames aren't exactly Ryo's or Miu's idea of a good time.

Ryo is afraid of spiders. I wonder why.

Dracmon hates keeping to a diurnal schedule. As soon as they're all in the real world, he's up all night and asleep for as much of the day as he can get away with (usually when Kaito's at school). He's a bad influence on the kid's sleep schedule, but it's not like it's on purpose.

Getting into the more general stuff

Dracmon would absolutely leave eyes in random places as a prank

Aoi also likes romcoms so she and Takuma give each other manga and movie recs. They have an unspoken agreement not to let Minoru or Saki find out because that's too embarrassing.

Neither of the Shinonome siblings are cis or het and this is the hill I die on.

Minoru snores. Loudly. At least one night in the Other World, Takuma had to stop Kaito from smothering him in his sleep over it.

Aoi is a fitfull sleeper and Miu gets nightterrors. Rip Saki's sleep.

Minoru's fashion sense bothers Saki more than she will ever say to his face. She really likes Miu's, tho, which made Miu extremely happy to hear.

The mystery of how Aoi's hair works plagues everyone's thoughts. Seriously how does it do that?

Speaking of hair, Kaito is really pretty with his down. It is for this exact reason that it is ALWAYS up, even when he sleeps.

Most of these kids can't cook to save their lives. Shuuji is particularly skilled at accidentally lighting fires. If Miu wants to experiment with spices, RUN.

Takuma's goggles are prescription. His eyesight isn't that bad, but they help his depth perception when he's playing sports. I don't wanna accuse him of being a soccer player like certain other goggle heads...so I'm gonna come in with another hc and say he's good at tennis.

Miu is the kind of kid who would write fanfic in an open notebook in the middle of class with 0 shits given. In the Moral and Truthful Routes (and yknow what fuck it why not Wrathful, too) I like to think she would start posting shit online and Minoru would be her beta reader. If Kaito's jealous that she didn't ask him instead, he doesn't say it.

Takuma is bad at math. I have no real reason for believing this, he just feels like a guy who's bad at math. Maybe it's just because he reminds me too much of Sora from Kingdom Hearts.

You really opened a can of worms buddy jfc this post is long.

[mashounen1945]

About the recent Eggman's voice actor controversy (namely, some Sonic fans' reaction to it)

I'm not gonna go into details on the controversy itself. The tags for this post will probably give it away, and those who still occasionally visit Twitter will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Out of this whole fiasco, something that still gets me is the way some Sonic fans reacted, not by merely taking it too seriously (which is barely a surprise anymore) but specifically by trying to "reclaim" Eggman, to turn that character into some sort of icon of a real-life noble cause for social justice, to divorce the character from something those fans criticize.

In this case, they're pretending to separate Eggman from Mike Pollock and his personal political ideas; there's even a tweet where someone drew Eggman carrying a certain four-colour black-white-green-red flag with... *ahem* some particular relevance in the world's current political climate, and I've already seen similar stuff here on Tumblr. But I've already seen Sonic fans trying to do the same with other real-life issues in the last few years, and just like during the current controversy surrounding Mike Pollock, it was very apparent not only that these fans took it too seriously, but also that they did not properly think it through... at all.

Someone posted a comic strip a few years ago, back when Sonic Boom was still relevant. I can't find it right now, but I do remember it went a little like this: Eggman shows he got a degree in villainy, Sonic makes a crappy joke about that meaning Eggman is a business major, and Eggman is like "I said villainy, not sucking the life-force out of poor people".

And, like… Have those so-called "Sonic fans" ever played a Sonic game? Okay, no, that sounded a little gatekeep-y, let's rephrase it: have they ever consumed literally any piece of official Sonic content? Do they have any idea of what Eggman canonically does in multiple branches of the franchise? Have they really never wondered what exactly is the energy source for many of his machines? Because if those obsessive fans did know, then they'd realize trying to turn Eggman into an anti-capitalist and/or anti-oppression symbol is not the smart move they think it is.

The same goes for turning him into an anti-corporate symbol, or something I've actually seen some Sonic fans do: positing that "Eggman may be evil but he's still better than Elon Musk". The way the character usually behaves in official Sonic content shows that Eggman is pretty much the Elon Musk of the Sonic universe, perhaps even worse because the Muskrat fortunately doesn't have his own private army (yet).

-------------------------

Post-Scriptum:

Purist Sonic fans of the Japanese videogame canon will most likely start pointing at this controversy and laughing. Since this mess only involves Eggman's voice actor for English-language Sonic content as far as I know, and Sonic material made in the USA has already gotten a bad reputation due to several other screw-ups of varying magnitude both recently and during the entire history of the franchise, this will seemingly prove once again that all the people working on English-language Sonic media are a bunch of smug and unprofessional dumbasses prone to ridiculously stupid blunders caused by their complete inability to hold back their cringe urges and their insistence that they can do better than their Japanese counterparts, and that any non-Japanese author should be permanently banned from working on this franchise in any official capacity.

As if original Japanese media was always some kind of unproblematic sanctuary of compliance with the source material and the people working on it had the wisdom to avoid getting into bullcrap like this and Japanese society & culture didn't have their own prejudices & complexes to overcome or their own colonial & imperial past that they're still trying to sweep under the rug.