#Good for getting a feel of characters in general I think!

[thatsunnyalien]

The only thing I feel like I should add, because me and my doc love to go rounds on this one, is if you’re writing your trauma into characters make sure to take time for your own self care.

I had a habit of writing thousands upon thousands of words between our appointments, when I used to go once a month. I had been doing really well before I started writing. The first time I talked about it with her I was shocked that she was upset. She tried to explain that I was touching my trauma so casually without self care and how that could hurt me.

I was mad because I thought I was okay, I was able to write it and get it out in a way I could look at it. I was so excited, thinking it was finally over. So, I ignored her advice. I thought I was doing okay but it wasn’t until a few appointments had passed that she realized I had stopped eating, sleeping, or any of the general “you should be doing this for your body” things. I lapsed on my health completely, returning to things that were putting me back on the path to hospitalization. I was paranoid, anxious, and so so tired. Things I didn't want to admit to myself. When I wrote though, I felt like I was on top of the world. I was making something that made me proud! I was making so much progress! She absolutely hated it though. Trying to tell me that I should start taking breaks, at the very least, to stretch and use the bathroom. Surprise, I wasn’t doing that either.

I’m doing better now, even though I have to go to my doc more often and I still write too much because I’m hellishly stubborn, but not as much as I used to. I used to be afraid to talk about what I was writing with her because it was so vulnerable. Especially after I stopped caring for myself, worried she’d tell me to stop writing completely. Now, I’ll read her lines that I find important to share and she likes to tell me how she’s proud of me. She’ll tell me I’m saying the things that the younger version of me needed to hear. Which I find hilarious considering the plot of my last story. My experiences while writing are part of the reason why I’m no longer content with In Dreams of Blood and Water. I’ve re-read it with this new perspective, and I see how I still barely let myself touch what hurt. I want to do better.

Now, I need to do this right for myself and for them.

So be good to yourself, for yourself.

Write that trauma.

But do your self care.

And for fucks sake get up and go pee.

[angelltheninth]

Hey I got into arcane recently. The art is just so goooooood. A feast for the eyes really. And everyone is hot like… help. Anyway, sorry for this loser request, but if you haven’t already can you do arcane characters with a virgin fem partner please

Loser request? I really hope that the loser part isn't that the virgin part, because I will have you know Anon that I am no loser. I am on my way to becoming a wizard!

Pairing: Jinx, Vi, Caitlyn Kiramman, Maddie Nolen, Ekko, Vander, Silco, Sevika, Viktor, Jayce, Mel x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, kissing, virginity loss, gentle sex, praise, cunnilingus, size kink, fingering, orgasm encouragement, aftercare

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions

A/N: I'm also asexual so my chances of becoming a wizard are higher than your average persons. Only a few more years and I can be a better version of Harry Potter! Chat please tell me you know the meme I'm referencing and I don't sound like I'm crazy.

Was surprised for sure

She doesn't exactly have a ton of experience either but she has some

Can't say she's not excited about taking your virginity

Literally vibrates with excitement and anticipation of having sex with you and being the first one to make you come

At least as orgasms that are given by someone else that is, she would like to watch you fuck yourself sometime

Gets pussydrunk so easily, her grin smug and eyes literally shimmering

Really into making you ride her face, as you will learn over the course of your first night together

Has so much stamina that you can never even hope to keep up with but she never expected you to

Flattered that she could make you come just with her tongue

But wants to work on your stamina in the future

At first she thinks that she should tease you about it

Then she thinks better of it, since it's not exactly something to be ashamed of, she didn't mean anything bad by her teasing either

It's just... she knows she's not your first girlfriend, so how come you never had sex before

Nerves, well in that case she'll go slow with you, make sure you're not overwhelmed by her

Enthusiastic as she is she holds back, her fingers spreading you open slowly, only pushing them in a bit and then stopping fully

Doesn't stop talking dirty to you, grinning smugly when she feels your pussy tightening around her fingers

Likes it when you're flustered around her, not when you're uncomfortable

Cocky for sure, especially when she manages to make you come and didn't even need to touch your clit to do it

If she did she would have overstimulated you, you were already shaking so much

Keeps assuring you that you don't need to return the favor, but would love it if you do

Been a while since she slept with a virgin so she's actually a little nervous as well

Romantic dates, candle lights, relaxing baths, a massage, she pulls out every trick in the book to make it the best night ever

There's a lot of soft touching and affirmations from her

Has to battle a smile when you're blushing because she's making you feel good

Asks what makes you feel good when you're doing it by yourself and tries to do the same

Experimenting can come later, she wants to make your first time a nice experience, a memorable experience

Kisses down your body, almost like she's worshiping you

Seeing you sopping wet for her definitely helps her know she's doing a good job before she dives forward to eat you out

Tells you to pull her hair a lot, she won't mind

Keeps saying how pretty you are, how beautiful your moans sounds, how she wants to be the only one you moan for from now on

Feels really happy and excited that you'd trust her enough to be the first person to sleep with

Very touchy with you, not just as she's undressing you but in general, so it doesn't feel like it's too much when she guides you to the bed

Grinning she pulls you into a deep kiss and wraps her arms around you to press you against her, thighs sliding between each other

She guids your hips to move against her thigh, chuckling when she feels how slick you're making it

Kisses you the whole time because it's her favorite thing to do and because she knows it'll calm you

Doesn't go for penetration for your first time

But really wants you to sit on her face and to fuck you with her tongue

Subtly writes her name on your clit

Won't rush you into an orgasm, she lets you chase it on your own, her hands soothing against your trembling thighs

Post-orgasm cuddles are some of her favorite things so don't think this will be a one time thing

Before you told him you were a virgin he was a lot more relaxed

Now he feels a kind of pressure on himself to make your first time good

His first time was a quickie and not that memorable at all

So as your boyfriend he wants to give you a better experience and make sure you remember it for the rest of your life

Teases you to cover up his own nerves

He talks to you a lot, particularly when he's getting ready to push his cock into you

Before he does he does warn you that it can be painful but it won't last long

Shakes while pushing his cock into you, he really wants to fuck you but he's holding himself back, he's being considerate of you

Keeps his thrusts slow, smiling down at you before he pulls you into a gentle kiss, telling you how good you feel around him

Leaves it up to you if he pulls out or not

Genuinely surprised, so surprised he drops a glass and it breaks

Doesn't think you should be embaressed by it at all

Some people take a lot of time to feel safe and comfortable to be intimate with others

He's actually pretty flattered that you want him to be the one who took your virginity

Knows he's on the bigger size in terms of dick size so he really doesn't expect you to be able to take all of him, maybe half if you're lucky

It can be too much for your first time

You can just make up for it by giving him a really nice handjob

Pulls you onto his lap and wants to cuddle you afterwards, he was always pretty protective and caring towards you

Now that he's your lover you can expect that his protective tendencies will get even stronger

Surprised when you want to go again so soon but he won't argue with you

Had a feeling you were inexperienced but he didn't want to say anything

Then you might feel pressured into having sex with him and that's the last thing he wants

Besides if he was only after sex then he could get it easily

He wants more than just a one night stand, by now you know that he cares about you and wants this to be a serious relationship

Just because he's serious about this doesn't mean he can take the day off

Actually he thinks it might be better if happens spontaneously

His cock is rock hard when he pulls you onto his lap when you tease him in his office

You need to learn that there are consequences for your actions

Keeps his hand on your mouth as he fucks his cock into you, it would be bad if you were interrupted for your first time and you don't get that orgasm you've been so desperate for

From this moment on he expects you to be at his full disposal and he will be at yours, naturally, there's a lot you still need to learn about pleasuring a man like him

Tries to hold back her cocky smirk but she just can't, oh this is too good, a hot lady like you and no one's fucked you yet

Just means she gets to be the first one to show you how good sex can be

After she's done with you there won't ever be anyone else that'll be able to satisfy you like she could

Has to brag about her skills but won't make fun of you for your lack of skills

Offers to do it in the 69 position so you can mimic her movements

The best way to teach is a hands on method, or in this case the mouth and tongue on

Even though your own movements are a little clumsy and you can't focus all that well you still try to follow her lead the best you can and believe her she loves that hard working side of you

Smokes after sex, that's a habit at this point

But the catch is that she smokes after really good sex so you should take that as the highest of compliments

How soon can you go again because she would love to keep you going all night long

Well he doesn't have much experience to speak off either

So you can both learn new things, you don't have to be nervous around him

Gets hard for you really easily and has to focus to keep himself from coming too soon

Usually this isn't a problem for him but you've been the object of his fantasies and dreams many times before, he hopes this isn't another one of those fantasies

But the moment he pushes his finger inside of you he's convinced it's real, it feels right, to pleasure you, to love you

Keeps rubbing his cock while fingering you, he wants to show you he's just as eager and excited for this as you are

He moves really damn fast when he finally pushes his cock into your pussy, he can't help himself, he can't hold back, it's almost overwhelming

After he feels your inner walls pulsing and massaging his cock he slows down just a little

Not fully slow, but enough to get some control over himself

Doesn't want you get you pregnant on your first night together but in the future you can discuss such things

Almost comes in his pants from excitement

Now that would be embarrassing, for him not for you, he bets you'd love to see that

Someday maybe you will but for now he wants to focus on your pleasure not his

Eats you out like he's been starving for eternity

You have to push him away to get him to stop, your juices dripping from his mouth and into his beard, making it all shiny

Kisses your thighs, covers them with kisses and bites actually, same with your pussy

His eyes roll back when he bottoms out inside of you, he honestly didn't think you'd want all of him for your first time but you were very determined

That determination should be rewarded

He has always been the giver, he loves making his lover feel pleasure, especially if he's the first one to do that for her

You won't escape his arms when he wraps them around you from behind, pampering the back of your neck and shoulders with lazy, appreciative kisses after sex

You should have told her this information sooner, then she wouldn't have flirted with you so hard

Not that she regrets having you naked in her bed or anything like that, the opposite is true, she thinks she should have given you more time to fall into her bed

But if you're still sure you want to do this with her tonight then she will be more than happy to give you pleasure until the Sun rises

Always had a way with words and praise is no different

She might be three fingers deep in your pussy and making you squirt but she'll be damned if she'll stop talking about how sexy you are or how lucky she feels tonight

Never been much of a cuddler, she was always very guarded, but this is a special occasion

Of course she'll let you return the favor

Don't worry about clumsiness or anything like that, just do what feels right, do what makes you feel good

Trust that she'll tell you if it doesn't feel good

She doesn't really do one night stands but she also doesn't sleep over at other people's places a lot, so if you want to do this again you're gonna have to make your intentions clear next time

[bi-writes]

Wait can you share how you spot AI fic? 😭 I am trying to get better at spotting them. I don’t believe the em dash thing but what else can I look for?

great question. it takes a lot of practice, honestly—most of my skills i gained while grading reports. i had some students copy straight from chatgpt and didn't even change the formatting (cmd+shift+v, dumbass).

i guess an em-dash could be an indicator, but it has to be coupled with other things. i am a frequent user of the em-dash (and know a lot of writers that love it), so alarm bells for me don't immediately go off when i see an em-dash.

ai writing is flowery. ai models love using a lot of words to say literally nothing when it comes to writing. the models will literally use a million different words like a thesaurus to describe how a cow jumped over the moon. now, this isn't an immediate indicator—i have a lot of writer mutuals who use beautifully complex vocabulary, but they use it in a way that has an edge. their word choices have meaning, i can tell and feel what they were trying to do when they chose those words.

ai models are not very good at analysis and complexity—they will describe things at face-value or tell a story at what seems like a 1st grade level. ai would never take a few paragraphs to talk about how a visceral past might be affecting a character—it'll just say it in one sentence and move on. ai also loves lots of dialogue. since it isn't very good at telling a story beyond the basic details, it tries to fill the gaps with talking, so large chunks of dialogue that read like a bot are also a red flag for me.

these are just a few things i can note right now. i think we as a society need to get better at media literacy. we need to be able to pick out the images that are ai-generated and the writing that is ai-generated as well, or else it is gonna be a slippery slope of what is real and what is not. spotting ai-generated content is a skill however, and that skill gets better as you keep doing it.

you should look up some things and keep asking questions and familiarize yourself more :)

[elodieunderglass]

Hi, hello, I'm sending you a weird not quite ask that you can feel free to tuck deep into the recesses of your inbox and never look at if it's too weird.

But I've been thinking about Killie. Again. Which is odd, because I'm not the blorbo rotating type. I'm happy enough to watch other people play in their sandboxes, but I just...don't. Fandom. The way people normally do on this site. So, I was wondering why your horrible horseboy is so beloved and such an infohazard to anyone who comes across him, and I think I hit on it. At least for me.

You don't shy away from two things in your telling of him: that he's kinda awful in some ways, and that he's deeply loved. He's a horrible little gremlin with bad lungs and worse social skills who bites, and he's LOVED.

As kind of an awful person myself (*this isn't self deprecating, gimme a sec), who's not at all okay with the idea of dying alone and unloved, Killie and your depiction of him is soothing.

*I'm not awful because I choose to be, and I know I have a lot of good qualities even if it takes my therapist bullying me into recognizing that I do, but due to both disability and just life in general, I'm sometimes not a pleasant person to be around. I'm irritable quite often, and I'm flaky even when I'm doing my absolute best not to be, and I'm overly sensitive sometimes, and don't know how to talk to people without talking about myself and trying to relate it back to them, and I'm messy...it's hard to imagine anyone loving me.

But even though Killie is a fictional character, there's enough 'loved in spite of and also for his flaws as much as his virtues' that helps me reroute the worst of those thoughts into something a little healthier.

So thank you? I think? Yeah. Thank you for your horrible horseboy and his long-suffering but steadfast partner.

(in reference to killie the horrible horseboy OC)

thank you so much for this. far from not looking at it, I have looked at it a lot. It made me think very hard and (hopefully very well) about what I'd like Throw Your Heart Over to be about, and what I'd like it to achieve for people. You remind me that, while it's all fun, what's most important is to be brave and true.

You are so very brave and true. I admire you very much for being so brave and true. I am humbled by it. It is a big, big thing and I don't quite know what to say. I think it is reductive and unhelpful to say things like there's someone for everyone! everyone deserves to be loved! when we live in a world where that doesn't happen, nor does everyone want to be partnered, nor does everyone want to be given to someone else as a partner. it's an automatic reflex when someone says "I don't feel lovable for these reasons," for other people to be dismissive of the reasons - as if that's helpful - or to instantly say "someone will love you!", as if there has simply been a administrative mistake in the assignation of one's soulmate. But that reflex doesn't do much good. Firstly, it's true that there are reasons that make love less easy for people, and pretending that love isn't work just makes people who don't get enough love feel rubbish. Secondly, there is no mechanism in the universe by which people are assigned their very own partner (and believing that there is can make people crunched-up and hurtful, if they're having trouble finding one.) So yeah! It probably IS hard to imagine finding someone! And that's okay! It means making your imagination stronger! Beefing up your imagination! getting your imagination buff and built! (insert montage of Killie attempting to lift weights with his mind.)

so I made this with you in mind, though I'm not sure it's all that I wanted to say. it was something about your fears might be true, but your hopes might be too; and in the event of someone loving you, you'll know that you will have something tremendously special, because you'll both have to be VERY brave and true with each other. and because of this, you will have a lot of evidence to show yourself how loved you are. You might be hard work, but to someone who loves you, it will be good work. and no weird ghosty worries, with or without antlers, or even your own self-doubts, will be able to take away how real that work will be.

I think you sound tremendously lovable. I think you make a great difference to the world. Thank you for making me more brave and true.

[halogenwarrior]

I know this poll finished a while ago, but now that I feel more confident about my ability to write analyses of these things I wanted to have a go at breaking down how the series treats female characters arc by arc - I think it would be interesting if they had arc specific polls for these because it is so long-running that the reblog didn't really have the analysis of individual characters that you get for shorter fiction. Individual characters' treatment didn't really get mentioned here just because there is so many of them, the way you see in media with just a few women that comes up here. I wish I would have felt confident enough to do this while the poll is still running but at least I can see what people who follow me for Warriors think. So:

The whole series: There are quite a few misogynistic patterns all the arcs fall into when taken as a whole. The creation of a society that is intended to have gender equality but winds up having women (she-cats) typically fall and be pressured into roles and expectations of women in the author's society anyway, leading to things like Clan leaders being only 1/4 female for no real in-universe reason; this comes off as a lot more sexist than if the society was written as flawed in this manner on purpose because it shows the authors think women just inherently are like that. And then creating the Sisters as an "obvious bad example" of "look here is a real intentionally sexist society the narrative acknowledges and it's men they discriminate against, our society isn't that bad then see?" The coding of "dainty beautiful woman" and "tough muscular man" on nearly all the characters (lots of male characters described as small but nary a big female character to be seen except the most prominent female villain and aforementioned straw misandry faction). This goes down even to the names, where despite the unisex warrior society, "pretty" suffixes like flower are female only and ones like "claw" are almost male-only. Villains being disproportionately male and when a rare female one appears, they are motivated by stereotypical woman things like love for a man and children. And how they handle the she-cats having or not having children (with the exception of Twigbranch who still was open for maybe having children in the future, every female character who expresses wanting to not have children ends up mentally breaking down (Hollyleaf, Bluestar), making things worse with the power they choose instead of children and being somewhat of a villain (Leopardstar) or straight-up being a straw evil stereotype (Lizardstripe), while characters who say women's purpose is to have children and they have to be happy about it are portrayed by the narrative as right and paragons of virtue). And tendency (except for Berryheart) for abusive mothers to be one-dimensional while abusive fathers are forgiven and made excuses for by the narrative. Also the tendency to, while the overall death tolls are about the same for male and female characters, fridge female love interests way more often than male ones, and killing a female member of the main cast almost every arc while the male deaths are all supporting characters.

Arc 1: Definitely suffers from "male defaultism" where just about every character is male unless there is a reason for them to be female, so not a huge focus on women. The main love interest character Sandstorm gets to be generically cool and sassy but doesn't really have much going for her, her arc is all about her romance and coming to see beyond her prejudices that her love interest is a good guy while the male equivalents who have arcs about breaking free from Clan racist (Dustpelt and Longtail) have more to those arcs than just being driven by a love interest, what with Dustpelt's relationship with his mentor and epic call-out of Tigerstar or Longtail and his apprentice Swiftpaw. So I'd hardly call her good representation. To its credit, it does have two female mentor figures, Bluestar and Yellowfang, who are given complexity and compelling stories (Bluestar's breakdown doesn't ever feel like a "women shouldn't be given power" but written in the same way as tragic male leaders despite the aspect about her children). But when you compare these two to the background characters it shows a nasty pattern - male characters can be fathers and also respected, honorable warriors to look up to, a female character who's a mother is just "mom" and nothing else. Goldenflower gets completely neglected even in her son's POV because she's just a vessel to have Tigerstar's kid, Speckletail is treated as hysterical for believing in her son and gets punished by him dying. The two mentor figures, meanwhile, are only allowed that position of respect due to giving up their children, and that forms the core of why their arcs are so tragic. So the message seems to be "be a mother and you are a faceless nothing, don't and you get to be important but it's not worth it because it will make your life miserable, while men get to have it all".

The New Prophecy: Mostly fixes the male default thing with about an evenly gender split main cast, but then the female characters mostly fall into being oh so wise and dainty and put together compared to the male ones, while snarking at nonsensical toms. This leads to them getting less interesting arcs, like Brambleclaw struggling with his heritage while his sister Tawnypelt has it all put together so she has less focus and no arc. The one who doesn't fit that mold and is immature and messy, Squirrelflight, gets treated by the narrative (or by Brambleclaw, but the narrative never calls him out for it) much more harshly than male equivalents like Crowfeather because men are expected to be tormented and flawed while it's unusual and thus annoying for a woman. Of the POV characters, the two female ones' arcs are largely about romance while the male one is about his heritage and ambition and insecurities. To be fair, Mothwing is actually a well-written and not misogynistic character who has struggles that while they do relate to her relationship with her brother are also about her outsider identity and relationship with religion, she gets written as one-note in later arcs but not in a sexist way - though definitely in an anti-atheist way. This arc also introduces regular main characters Squirrelstar and Leafpool. A lot of people have said the narrative hates them in a sexist way, and I feel that's not quite true - the narrative quite likes them (or at least Squirrelstar, Leafpool gets shafted in SqH) and is interested in their struggles and moments of strength, but it likes then in the way you like deeply flawed, tragic antiheroes and it's misogyny that makes it see them that way when they objectively haven't done that much wrong, while letting morally worse equivalents like Crowfeather suffer less in their tragic anti-hero redemption arc.

Power of Three: Does have the typical 2 boys 1 girl structure but Hollyleaf, while she could have easily fallen into the "boring straight woman above it all" archetype, actually is given complexity and love by the narrative and it quickly becomes clear that she is the type A straight man only in the sense of the messy tragic hero who is just as prideful and sometimes ridiculous as her male counterparts, and ultimately ends up falling apart in a way that fits with her character rather than being because she is a she-cat (though as mentioned it still falls into patterns of how women who don't want children are treated, and she falls into the pattern of female main who gets killed off). However, the supporting cast... we have Nightcloud (one-dimensional "other woman" stereotype until CT who's demonized for getting in the way even though she hasn't really done much wrong), Heathertail who only exists as a love interest to further Lionblaze and later Breezepelt's arcs and gets dropped when she's not needed for that, Cinderheart whose arc is nonsensical and ableist but I guess isn't anything offensive from a sexism perspective...

Omen of the Stars: Has two female leads, but then their plot line is a rather cliche thing to do with female characters (sibling jealousy and fighting over who's more special). Dovewing does fall into the trope of female protagonist who is in the plot for what she innately is (her powers and the prophecy) rather than what she does, but does get some rather interesting characterization around what she feels about her sensory experience of the world and the pressure put on her. But the way the authors talk about her in things like the ultimate guide make this all feel unintentional, with her real purpose to be a satellite love interest for Tigerstar II whose arc revolves around him even though she's the one who's an arc protagonist. Ivypool does get an arc after getting past the jealousy stuff which isn't particularly sexist, but she also doesn't get to have any positive effect on the plot as a spy for fear of breaking the narrative. And points off for the authors having the memory of a goldfish and thus dropping the bit about her husband being the primary caretaker of her children.

Dawn of the Clans: Ok leaving this out because I haven't read it, but I've heard it's the worst of the lot...

A Vision of Shadows: Actually the only one that, if it was put alone, I would vote yes on, but with some reservations. It is driven by the female protagonists Violetshine and Twigbranch with Alderheart fading mostly into the background, as well as Needletail despite her not having a POV. Violetshine is a "strong character", a little bland for me but not in a sexist way, but Twigbranch and Needletail in particular are allowed to be "human" and break typical warriors gender stereotypes. Needletail could have easily been from the first book the "rebellious manic pixie dream girl who teaches the awkward relatable male protagonist to live but doesn't have interiority", but seeing her through Violetshine's perspective later instead allows her to become more than that, and be a flawed and complex character who doesn't get hated by the narrative for it, as well as having a complicated relationship with her young charge that doesn't just get boiled down into "one dimensional bad mother figure". Of course it's filtered through the general conservative boomer tendencies of the narrative towards rebellious youth, but that isn't gendered. Likewise Twigbranch (although not my favorite character personally) is definitely given a personality and arc that isn't about men, allowed to drive the SkyClan plot, and is allowed to be a bad caretaker figure as mentor and stand her ground about not wanting to have children without being demonized for it, and even without fitting into the stereotypical "stoic ambitious career woman one of the guys" archetype that is usually the only way the authors can imagine a woman who doesn't want children. Instead she's hardworking but doesn't always fit into the ambitions of the Clan career trap and passionately emotional, and she also at least for now doesn't want children. As for the misgivings... well there's Sleekwhisker not being given much development for her villainy besides stereotypical "girl motives" like love for her male boss and jealousy towards other women, and of course Sparkpelt, which is the most remembered part of the arc by fans in terms of treating women and why you often hear it said that the new author arcs are worse. The way she's punished for being successful and outgoing, combined with the much better treatment of the other woman, does give the sense that this arc really likes women who are rebels and misfits, but despises the idea of a woman who does fit in and is traditionally successful, seeing them as inherently taking a rightful place away from men.

And I haven't actually read TBC or ASC so I will leave them here, just wanted to say my thoughts.

warrior cats (yes i know its about cats but trust me on this one)

Warriors (AKA Warrior Cats) (Novel Series, 2003)

Explain your reasoning in the tags!

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 28/04

@worldweary-walker asked: Dad Egbert's genre friction with Homestuck is fun. He is about Serious Business… but he can take a joke! He has the very efficient Wallet Modus, but used a safe to store the note. A man of contrasts. A man of mystery…

Genuinely, the fact that he legitimately was a prankster despite his normie aesthetic is one of my favourite things about the man. Let's hope Dad Crocker is the same.

Anonymous asked: now that you've met her, the final Namco High character is Jane. you still can't play Namco High yet (I think the collection will automatically inform you when it's no longer spoilers) but soon. soon.

The fact that Namco High might actually include plot spoilers for Homestuck is hilarious.

In lieu of evidence to the contrary, I'm going to assume it's the only piece of Homestuck-adjacent media which actually explains the Aspects.

@honestlyvan asked: I hope whatever is going on with you is easygoing, and you don't feel too pressed about this side-project, tbh. I would also rather you take your time with it and enjoy yourself. @marineofthestars asked: 13/04? @gl1tchypyr0 asked: Are you planning anything for 4/13 because Homestuck day? Anonymous asked: so happy you're back! @ramdomartkid asked: Happy 4/13!!!!!!

Thank you - happy to be back!

Don't worry too much about the recent hiatuses - none of them have been prompted by anything serious. Sometimes, I'm just excessively busy, and need to catch my breath a little!

Anonymous asked: rereading your archive, dropping in a couple of my personal miscellaneous voice hc's while im here! John: Abed Nadir (Community) Feferi: Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls) Doc Scratch: The Narrator (The Stanley Parable)

Doc Scratch as the Narrator is inspired, and Mabel fits Feferi surprisingly well.

I've still never seen Community - and, in fact, I'm not sure I even know what it's about. I know about the pizza meme, of course, and I think they play Dungeons and Dragons at one point?

Anonymous asked: Is Sally being introduced to in-fandom memes at the point in the comic where they would have been popular, or are we just going off when they stop being spoilers?

(More the latter. If people want to spread the memes around, then as long as it isn't a spoiler, it gets a pass. And frankly, the two are usually pretty close together. - Vamp)

Yeah, what usually happens with Homestuck's major memes - Pantskat, for example - is that I'll get several asks referencing it immediately after it stops being a spoiler. My spoiler policy being what it is, I'm generally made aware of them during my next ask session after the fact!

@semaphoricwave asked: Hypothetically, if somebody wanted to write a fic about your trollsona's dancestor, would that spark joy or would you rather the hypothetical somebody didn't? The story you've laid out is fascinating and I (I mean, the hypothetical somebody) would really enjoy digging into it, but I also understand if that's not something you'd be interested in people doing with your trollsonas. Also follow-up in case it does spark joy: any other facts about Sahlee Senior that would be of interest to that hypothetical somebody? Either way hope you have a good week!

Absolutely! I'd be thrilled to read any fics involving my OCs. I've DMed you a short character profile on the Hostess that you can use for reference - and if you have any specific questions, feel free to ping me!

Anonymous asked: Just r3ad thr0ugh y0ur liv3bl0g, and I want3d t0 say h0w much I l0v3d r3ading it. Sup3r happy y0u d3cid3d t0 try 0ut th3 3pil0gu3s as well!¡! @heattth asked: I just wanted to say, I've been rereading the whole liveblog and it is a very fun experience. Thank you for having written it.

Thanks a bunch - it's always nice to get messages like this.

Seeing a post's note counter go up is a very abstract way to get feedback. Like, I'm aware that a ton of people are reading (and hopefully, enjoying) the posts, but it's still hard to conceptualize - so asks like this are a great way to make it feel real. I can see irrefutable evidence that people really are having a good time on TheWertsearch dot com, which is all I really ask for.

@mhafanlol2000 asked: Do you think about how Dave and Rose’s prophesied hero’s journeys both ended in suicide. What do you think that says about them? If I have to constantly think about this then so do you.

I think what it says the most is that Sburb loves suicide. It's the default way to achieve the God Tier, after all, and according to Terezi, the game actively wants the children who play it to wrestle with their own mortality.

This, to me, is one of the most explicitly malicious aspects of the game. It's really not necessary to achieve Skaia's stated goals, and I'm unconvinced that traumatizing these children makes them more effective custodians of a universe.

@caliquill asked: dropping in to say - jane is maybe my favourite homestuck character so it brings me great joy to see you cracking at her flaws in a genuine manner. thank you :]

Jane's great so far. She's not a carbon copy of John - and, honestly, she feels like the most unique of the B2 kids so far.

Hussie already had a framework to build on with Dirk, Roxy and Jake, but Nannasprite's main traits were 'grandma', 'ghost', and 'clown', none of which should logically transfer to Jane. She had to be mostly original.

@spiddermen asked: bowman just released a new track for the 16th anniversary! it's awesome and doesnt have any spoilies, it's called on the thirteenth day

Ooh, I'd love to give it a listen!

If anyone can link me a non-spoilery upload of the song, I'd appreciate it. YouTube and Bandcamp are both danger zones, and I'm not sure where else you might find it.

@faggoatquixote asked: “GT: Right o! If a man believes hard enough in imaginary things then i dare say that makes them slightly less fake!” Sounds a lot like talk from another Page boy I know… Rufio anyone?

Which is kind of weird, right?

I assumed Jake's 'belief' schtick was due to him being a Hope Player - but Tavros has said some similar things, and he shares Jake's class, rather than his aspect.

I suppose not every character trait has to be informed by a Player's Title. After all, Jade used to be defined by her clairvoyance, and she's no Seer.

@bellcarved asked: In defense of Jake, he lives alone on an island and has literally run out of people to talk to about this (unless he were to do something like ask Jane to hand her phone to her father and got advice from him)

Oh, for sure. Everything these kids are doing wrong is totally understandable, due to their frankly bizarre home lives - and Jake, in particular, appears to have been living completely alone on that island for some time, which is bound to stunt the guy's social development.

In retrospect, I'm kind of surprised that Jade turned out as well as she did.

@bladekindeyewear asked: And as expected, Kid Bro's hair is ALSO a bird, just a different one than Dave's.

Dirk's just trying to blend in with the local fauna, like his brother before him.

@elkian asked: A fun fandom trend is to give the ectogroups portmanteau names. "Strilondes" was pretty easy, but the Prospit quartet presents some difficulties and is usually an unholy amalgamation along the lines of "Crockerberts" "Harlenglishes" and the ambitious combination of all four like "Harlegbercrockerenglishes" and so on. (I feel like there was a particular one with a lot of staying power but can't recall it exactly.) There's still Reddit threads of the debates around here and there.

This is why I just call 'em the Prospit squad.

I tried to make something that's at least pronounceable, and came up with the Harkersherts. Not a lot of English in there, though.

Anonymous asked: "and I’d bet Boondollars to donuts that Jake and Roxy have 'em too." Come on, 'boondollars to bronuts' was right there.

Damn it! I really do need to step up my bro-punning now that our second Strider has entered the story.

@ben-guy asked: (in regards to your theory about B2 Dave having memory leaks possibly making him interested in Con Air) "something about an old friend" Emphasis on the "old" in this timeline lmao

Oh, good point. It is possible that Dave could have met Poppop Crocker at some point, especially if he was in contact with his Seer sister.

Maybe it wasn't his pre-Scratch memories. Maybe he learned about Con Air directly from the source, after all. <3

Anonymous asked: ”Kneel before Cal” Lil’ dude even if you don’t Know. That’s hella ominous yo

Dirk feels like the kind of guy who doesn't realize how foreboding some of his sentences actually are. He'd do numbers on Tumblr, and you know it.

...I guess, technically, he has done numbers on Tumblr. lmao

@elkian asked: Jane-Dirk is genuinely one of my favorite character dynamics in the entire comic so I'm delighted that they're resonating with you, too! Their conversations are so fun.

Yup! As I said, I'm really happy that Jane, in particular, is not just a remix of John. The way she relates to her friends is quite different from anything we've seen from Egbert - or anyone else, for that matter.

I really hope that this friend group doesn't collapse into some sort of nightmare love quadrangle, because I really am enjoying these dynamics, and I want to see more.

Anonymous asked: Do you think that when you are done for the day you could note that? Maybe as a tag or something? Then people would know to stop checking to see if you add another post?

I would, but the problem is that I never really know if I'm actually done for the day - not until the day is already over. See, I usually just liveblog until I get distracted, and often return later in the evening for a second round - that is, if I haven't fallen asleep before I've had the chance. Perils of ADHD, I guess.

I suppose I could add such a tag the day after a liveblogging session, but that sounds like it'd be too late to be useful for your use case. :/

Anonymous asked: Okay, so Lil' Bro gave both Jake the Brobot, and Jane Sebastian. What do you think Roxy's inevitable robo-buddy will be like?

There is absolutely no universe in which it isn't a cat.

Anonymous asked: Sorry about the spoiler! A while ago, I did some testing on YouTube and incognito mode because I was curious, and I found that, unfortunately, Google isn't fooled by it. YouTube's algorithm definitely prioritizes things you watch in normal mode, presumably to be subtle about this, but it also definitely knows what you watch in incognito. The effect becomes more obvious with an account that watches zero or very few videos in normal mode. (I tested this 3-4 years ago, so I can't say for certain that the specifics haven't changed, but I don't see why they'd have stopped doing this since then.)

Targeting algorithms are just too damn good these days. All I can really do is avoid watching Homestuck videos on my main account, employ a VPN, and hope for the best.

Anonymous asked: More like DORK strider

Fuckin' get him!

@mrjocrafter asked: I mean, you did get this three months ago

Those names were listed in order of likelihood - so yes, I expected it to be Dick. I really did.

Dick Strider seemed like exactly the kind of move Hussie would pull...

@library-seraph asked: Fun fact: when Dirk's name hit the comic, people were upset it wasn't Dick. Hussie still used tumblr back then, so they made a post saying that, as a small dagger, dirk is still a dick joke, and they're annoyed people would want them to go for the lowest hanging dick joke Anonymous asked: You're not alone. A significant majority of the fandom at the time also expected "Dick", enough that Hussie actually addressed it by saying that would have been too on-the-nose. IIRC, Hussie also described "Dirk Strider" as sounding more like a male porn star's stage name, while clearly implying that this is a major upside.

...but I suppose that's exactly why they didn't.

Low-hanging fruit is all well and good, but you can't always choose the path of least resistance, or your story will just keep getting flatter.

@shelbybunny asked: remember this post you made when you liveblogged jack: ascend, and how you wished they had a poster of that sburb shot? well good news PS: i’m pretty sure you can take a look at the full store now, but i’d have someone double-check just in case

(The store is, in fact, spoiler-free now. - V)

Oh, hell yeah!

I'm not going to pretend I'm not tempted - and not just by the poster, either. Those captchalogue boards look great, too.

In order to preserve just a little bit of hope for myself, I'm not going to look up the shipping costs to Europe until tomorrow.

@clueless-rarito asked: While Dave rambles fells a lot like a stream of consciousness that just spills out randomly in the middle of conversations, Dirk's fell extremely intentional and precisely deployed, make you fell he meticulously choose each word to be as full of complete bullshit as humanly possible.

Turns out, Rose and Dave's vibes blend together almost seamlessly. I could probably have told you they would beforehand, but it's still great to see it in action!

@sanctferum asked: Heiress Sans Parent could just refer to Jane's ectobiological origins as a true paradox rather than the beta kids who have ectobiological parents. (The alpha kids are clones of themselves, after all.) Well, either a reference to that or a hint that Dad Crocker is secretly a funny skeleton man.

It better be something like that. If Dad dies again, I'm ragequitting.

@aceotaku asked: when it comes to Jane's scepticism, while being a product of the Condesce's subliminal messaging IS a possibility, Dirk raises another one: that Jane simply only believes things if she's seen them with her own eyes directly, if she has direct proof of them. She's seen prospit in her dreams, she has no reason to think anything anyone says about it is wrong. The things she dismisses are things she hasn't seen directly and thus just thinks it's not true for reasons. or maybe I'm wrong XP

Nah, that's a good take. Jane's a bit of a cautionary tale, then, about how stubborn empiricism can severely limit your understanding of a concept or situation.

Sometimes, you really do have to take a leap of faith.

@liliflower137 asked: Hello!! I only just started reading your liveblog and I just want to say I love your commentary SO much, I read it pretty late (just between it ending and it being sold to viz media so the old website was still around) so my FAVORITE part of homestuck was always the mechanics of sburb, the alchemy stuff is just so cool!! So seeing you theorize about things and talk about how data structures work makes me so so happy, I hope you're having lots of fun!!!

Thank you! I really hope we get some post-Scratch alchemy binges - but sadly, I don't think it's guaranteed, as we're unlikely to be rehashing everything we've seen before.

Even so, there's got to be more we can learn about Homestuck's alchemy system... right?

Anonymous asked: congrats on finally reaching the end of one of Homestuck's Biggest Jokes. The Gift Of Gab.

I'm still hyped over those Dialoglogs - not least because it removes the main metabarrier which was preventing these kids from hanging out in person.

Let's fucking go! It's time!

@sashonya asked: Oh yeah, just a small aside as I'm sure you're going to realize in a bit. It's better to say the full "Act 6 Act 1" instead of "Act 6.1" since the intermissions also count as "Act 6.1"

Hmm. Well, it's pretty easy for me to edit my organizational tags retroactively, so I'll see what format works the best for me, going forward.

Generally, I prefer for these tags to be shorter, though - so if Act 6.1 Intermission needs its own tag, I might write it as Act 6.1.I, or something.

@jack-off-valentine asked: When, exactly, did AH pull an Aradiabot?

I initially asked myself the same question - but by now, I've learned to treat Hussie interludes as the breaks from canon they are.

We're probably never going to be told what's up with robo-Hussie, the same way that we'll never learn why Falkor the Luck Dragon has Lord English's cueball eyes. It's just Hussie being Hussie.

@pineapple-temporarily-moving asked: "By now, Jade should know why she arranged for herself to grab the Wall - but she's acting like she only did it because Karkat told her to. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting what she's saying." future jade told karkat to tell past jade to captchalogue the window because she remembered being told that by karkat (and karkat telling her that she told him to tell her that). it is simply one of homestuck's ubiquitous causal loops and it ultimately technically was only because karkat told her to LOL

Oh, god damn it, you're probably right.

Damn stable loops and their originless information. As much as I love time travel stories, this still has to be one of the least satisfying ways you could possibly resolve a plot thread.

@sanctferum asked: So, Jade, who just became a god tier Witch with striped leggings and ruby red shoes, levels up to Sayonara Kansas as she and John embark upon the Yellow Ruler Yard. Her god-tier self was formed from her living self and Jadesprite, a version of herself too cowardly to do anything despite her incredible power. Jadesprite used to be Dream Jade, whose physical counterpart on Earth was, thanks to Grandpa's inventions, a robotic version of Jade rather than Jade herself. A tin woman, one might say. Dream Jade herself was, prior to her death, notably absent-minded in a way no other dream self has shown themselves to be. It seems likely Hussie originally intended all dream selves to be this way while "asleep", but in the end only Jade acted like her brain was sleeping along with her body. And said dream self ended up being stuffed, of course. Do I need to elaborate on who Toto is in this analogy? No, I don't think I do. Original waking Jade is Dorothy. Jade's all of the Oz cast at once!

Even better:

The climax of Dorothy's story is her learning to teleport!

[kingdoms-and-empires]

Hello there! I want to say, I LOVE your story! Fantastic world, fantastic characters, and plot. I can't wait for more (please, give us plebs some food! I mean more chapters and updates.) And by the way, I am happy to hear you are back on your feet. I noticed something in the RO options: Why does the M!MC have 1 Gay romance and the F!MC 1 Lesbian and 1 Bi? Don't you think that is a bit limiting? Is there a narrative reason? Thank you, and I wish you the best. :D Good Day!

It's supposed to be a surprise, but since im close to releasing the public update... in the Great Rewrite, all the ROs are playersexual now. They're open to be romanced no matter what!

Im telling you since your words made me smile <3 and cause i cant hold it in anymore!

I'm aiming for a more grounded romantasy feeling for KaE since romance will be very important to the story. Especially the whole potential-

-problems that'll happen once a certain point is reached.

(I recently rewatched the Revenge of the Sith in the recent rerun lmao)

I've always thought of my work as being inspired by

Homeric Epics (i was always a fan of Greek and Roman myths and stuff since i was young.)

Nordic Sagas but mostly Beowulf (only got into them cause of Vikings the show lololol, but I found myself increasingly engrossed by the Sagas)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires on the Xbox 360 introduced me to the series and ive been in love since lol)

And because of the above, the game series Nobunaga's Ambition.

Plus isekai and reincarnation manga/anime in general!

I feel like what makes worlds and stories interesting isn't the worldbuilding (though that helps alot, and is without a doubt my crutch atm) but the human emotions that can cause characters to act out, crash out, and do the things they do that can throw a wrench in any well-laid plan.

The new version is far more character driven than before as a result, and I love it. And what's more emotional than love?

The geopolitics, intrigue, war, kingdom building, and the rest of what makes KaE KaE is remaining, of course! Hell, I'd say there's even MORE now, as some of my Patreons would most likely agree with.

It's just that romance is being elevated to be more important to me.

I made this decision a while back because I felt the narrative and restrictive reasons of before no longer hold up with the rewrite changes I made to the world and story.

Cause I changed ALOT.

And we never really even met a majority of the ROs in previous versions so... it's not like im doing something like changing characters yall know and romanced lol, which btw, is ironically a bonus with all the rewrites and time ive taken to find my bearings with this story ;-;

Who helped me reach this decision a while back?

Why...

@when-life-gives-you-lemons-if thank you for putting up with me!!!!!

@leiatalon also helped me reach this decision (also thanks for putting up with me)!!!!!

Both are published authors with multiple titles below their belt that focus on romance, so they definitely had my rapt attention. They were especially kind enough to share their experiences and some advice when it comes to that area with me, and its thanks to their encouragement that I felt this was the right decision.

Please, check out their Tumblr blogs and look at the games they've released! They might interest you!!

What may also interest you?

You can actually see all the progress reports ive given on Patreon! They're free, and you can start from oldest to newest. Plus other articles that detail what im adding to the new version that's soon to release to the public. After all, this upcoming update is the last one that ends our childhood! And it'll be the one that finally makes it so everyone of you can read what I've worked on.

Once my Patreons test out the epilogue for the arc and give me the all clear, the public will get it!

That's all from me for now. Im still busy at work with the epilogue!

[olderthannetfic]

Hey, so I know this is probably something that not many can relate, but I wanted to ask here anyways:

How do you guys do to not feel alone or lonely in fandoms? I'm not mostly active in a small one and almost all of us know each other, but yet seems like I'm an outcast. When I hear that most of the members are DMing one another or creating little creative groups and yet somehow no one tries to dm me and brainstorm ideas... or when some of them have called me their friends yet I try to keep contat and the friendship going and it feels like I'm just being pushy or stupid for trying.

Is funny, because in a way it was some of my fics that rebuilt the community around this fandom, and still it feels like I'm here to churn out fics and that's it. All the fandom interaction I get is minimal and seems like a chore to the others. I haven't felt this alone in fandom communities in the past.

Maybe it's how modern fandom is and I'm being nostalgic for the fandom experience of a decade ago, or maybe it's my brain being stupid. But yeah, just, what do you guys do if you ever feel lonely in fandom spaces? Could use the help. Also, love the blog. Have a nice day :)

--

Okay, first, one hundred percent, your brain is being stupid. I'm having a bad brain day today myself. There could also be some other stuff going on, but let's be real: your brain is being stupid. Not feeling lonely is at least half about general mental health management.

I don't think fandom is necessarily always lonely now. I do find that I've done a bad job of cultivating close friendships lately. I'm trying to finish up some projects, and my kid is entering a phase where it's hard to go to events. I think it's very easy to not have enough energy to make social things happen. It's also easy to not remember how much effort one put in in the past or to not have noticed at the time since one was in a more energetic, excited phase or happened to be in some situation where one ran into potential friends without trying (school or the like).

Now, it sounds like you're already putting in some work trying to connect with people. That's good. That's a necessary, though not always sufficient, step. It's hard to tell from the outside whether other people find it a chore. I'd guess that's more your brain sabotaging you than reality.

I think there's a strong possibility that these DMs you aren't privy to are less awesome than you think. People tend to assume everyone around them is doing better—better than those other people actually are and better than themselves. They seem okay on the surface! They must have their shit together, unlike me! (Spoiler: they probably don't.)

It's certainly possible that you're great at fic but much less good at conversation. If the things you want to chat about just don't mesh well with these other people's style, a DM conversation will grind to a halt. I can give the usual advice about being genuinely interested in others and remembering to ask about them, but it's totally possible there's just a natural mismatch that can't be fixed. It's also possible they all hang out on some discord together that sparks the DM conversations, but you don't like discord and thus aren't there when the conversations break off like that. Substitute twitter or zoom or whatever other divisive format as applicable.

I suppose the times I've really had a good connection discussing meta thoughts on some character or canon have been when I had a beta or someone I was brainstorming with. When you post fics, perhaps you could add a note that you're looking for someone like that, or you could offer to beta for others.

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

I mean I actually do read more than just danmei. I only started reading danmei within the past year and have been consuming queer fantasy religiously for years now. I was an English Major. I work in a bookstore. This post was very much informed by my experience reading a shitload of queer fantasy. Lowkey a little offended by the implication that this opinion comes from just not reading enough. That’s kind of a rude assumption to make? Anyway, I’ll elaborate on my feelings, because I have a lot of Thoughts on the topic and I like to yap.

I do think a lot of people in the danmei community could stand to read more genres and generally diversify their shelves (heavy on DIVERSIFY), and I’m sure that was the point you were making, but that’s not really what I was talking about? Like my point wasn’t “Western books Bad, that’s why I only read danmei,” it was “I want to see This in MORE books!” Does that make sense?

This is my opinion of course, but when I’ve read Western fantasy books with queer romance, I often either felt like authors have to choose to either prioritize the romance or the fantasy. It’s either all romance with little high-stakes angst and worldbuilding (you don’t see enough characters getting brutally stabbed and their love interests wailing over their body in Western romantasy and THAT’S A SHAME), or all fantasy politics interspersed with enemies-to-lovers ~yearning~ and ~sexual tension~ every hundred or so pages (and it takes a good writer to keep my attention through all that). Romantasy doesn’t have enough angst and gore, fantasy with a romantic subplot doesn’t have enough kissing and cuddling. So far, most of the danmei I’ve read is able to strike that balance.

And not to mention that romantasy usually comes in the form of standalone books. It’s a lot harder to do high-stakes worldbuilding with those limitations. Or it’ll be technically a series, but every book follows a different couple in the same world, so you don’t get much time to spend with a single pairing. In danmei, it’s a lot more common to see five, eight, thirteen book-long series with lots of adaptations and additional content, which is generally just more engaging. And it’s all centered around a romance! A queer romance, at that!!

I’m familiar with both your recommendations, though I personally haven’t picked up Godkiller. Funnily enough though, A Marvellous Light was actually one of the Western queer romantasy books I was thinking about when I wrote this post, because as you said, it’s very popular, and I personally didn’t like it. The worldbuilding was too…generically British for my specific tastes, and overall I found it pretty boring. A lot of hanging out and fucking in mansions on the English countryside, not enough stabbing and bleeding out and dying in front of your love interest to keep me interested. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION! Read what you want. Regency romance is a thing people like and that’s chill. But that’s something that I really like in romance that danmei is just more likely to deliver. So as an example of a Western book that embodies the traits I was talking about in my original post? Not really.

Like I wasn't just talking about books that happen to have gay people and body horror. If that were the case I'd never have picked up another book after reading The Locked Tomb series, because there's no topping perfection. I elaborated a bit more in my tags, which I recognize wouldn't be kept in a reblog, but I meant it more in the sense of an intersection between the two? The intersection between romance and body horror that I was specifically talking about involves like. Melodrama. The agony of the romance is so intense it must be expressed with blood, and that physical, gory pain then goes on to inspire angst between the romantic leads.

So you get characters cradling their lover’s bloody body; holding onto their corpse for years, unable to accept their death; being forced to watch them be stabbed over and over again; mourning for years, devoted to them and only them; etc etc, and any number of new ways authors conceive to torment us. And all the while, the characters are still in proximity to each other. They flirt, they hold hands, they kiss, they cuddle, they get protective of each other, they keep bridal-carrying each other, and on and on.

There’s a level of physical intimacy that goes beyond just sexual tension and an eventual climactic kiss, and danmei authors seem to understand that it won’t detract from the intense violence that also exists in their stories. The gore and violence and body horror goes hand in hand with the romance, it’s not just tangential to it. Intense emotion that both drives the plot and brings a kind of cathartic pain to the audience, who remain secure in the knowledge that it will still work out in the end. Like Aristotelian tragedy for people who get a bit too emotionally attached to fictional characters.

And like, there are Western books that I think danmei fans would enjoy. They don't always hit all the marks I was talking about, but they exist. Danmei fans tend to really like Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, for instance. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows and Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell are fantasy/sci-fi romances with higher stakes and more complex worldbuilding. On the f/f and baihe side of things, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan and the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri are political fantasies with dense worldbuilding, but the romances are prominent enough, and they’re really good. And though it's not for everyone, I'll always preach the good word of Gideon the Ninth, which has tons of agonizing homoerotic angst that scratches a particular itch in my brain. I wouldn’t say any of these fit exactly the bill of what I’m going for (Dark Rise probably comes closest, though Gideon the Ninth would beat it if I thought griddlehark was ever gonna kiss for real) but not all danmei fits my specific standards either, so…¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But yeah. Like obviously there are fantastic books that aren’t danmei, but danmei has certain conventions and tropes that I feel we don’t often get from Western media. For some reason, our media is just…weirdly averse to sincerity and melodrama. Too much romance is considered trite and has no place in, like, a gritty war story. There are exceptions, but it is a trend in our culture that I find disappointing. And it’s a problem Chinese media like danmei doesn’t seem to have as much.

GOD I wish more Western books would take cues from danmei for how to write fantasy romance, danmei is like the only genre I’ve encountered that understands my ideal ratio of fluffy romance to body horror

[chaifootsteps]

kept thinking about vivs transphobia screenshots and how stupid her apology excuse of drawing "controversial ladies" was when she said, "well, bigoted white women who do black face make me feel empowered in this unsure political landscape of america!" even though she made fanart of them either prior or after trump won in 2016, and it made me wonder - why would she feel empowered by those beliefs?

but then i thought about how she's had at least so far, three shitty experiences with trans men for the past decade of her life; dollcreep, ken, and salem.

and i guess i just wish people would acknowledge that. like, at all.

because it's so easy to claim that the screenshots just came out of nowhere to make her look bad, when, no, it's a repeated pattern of behavior based on her, like many other people of privilege incapable of self reflection, being unable to separate oppressed identities from how she views people that are apart of said group. (unless of course, they rename themselves after one of her character, change their appearance to look like that character, start doing sex work like that character, and pretend to be raped and abused like said character.)

she already went through the trouble of making fully colored comics (not just one, but multiple which is embarrassing,) of jojo in her mid to early 20s, who ive heard is a wojak of dollcreep. (maybe in response of a wojak dollcreep made of her which i know exists, although i don't know who created what first or threw the first stone, but low-key that drawing of his version of viv being like "*starts slutshaming*" has truly not changed at all,)

salem also said that creepzo in mammon's magnificent special was also a wojak of him, so that might mean she's just upgraded to spending actual industry bucks on making fun of people she doesn't like. (i even remember her misgendering him in a 2020 or 2021 helluva boss stream by accident before calling salem they, and although it happens for allies, hearing him speak about repeated misgendering after he left is not a good sign,) and i haven't even mentioned she's just straight up claimed ken is an abuser, when ive yet to see even one victim of his speak up, not even an anonymous one, wheres viv has a list of people she's hurt somehow.

idk. i wish in general, the critical community cared more about the people she's burned and the continuous behavior that shows she's been doing it for awhile and hasn't truly grown or learned from it, instead of hating her just her writing something they find icky for merely existing.. in two shows about demons in hell. (rather then the execution of it, which is what pisses me off the most about the hellaverse.)

like, i get why kiwifarms wouldn't give a shit most of the time, but sometimes it feels like they do more then the critical community even does, just a little bit. seriously, i had no clue viv had made a wholeass tumblr dedicated to call-out dollcreep, which just consisted of her complaining he wouldn't text her back fast enough and acting like a victim when it seems like they were both just immature asshole kids to each other from what ive seen of their convos, and even refused to take it down for a bit when he confronted her on fb when his harassment started until i started lurking on the viv thread there.

God, you and me both, Anon. If the critical community put even a quarter of the energy they put into criticizing the writing and transferred that over to the way Viv treats other human beings (especially transmasc human beings), and the pattern of behavior that shows she's always been like this, I would sleep a little more soundly at night.

[otsukare-katsukare]

The AEW Wrestling Tarot

unfortunately im back on my wrestling tarot bullshit again (aew only edition this time). my supercard pack never arrived :( so i have to make my own fun. and even worse ive started drawing recreationally again which means theres a chance i may actually try to make this oh dear. anyway. i think i finally, finally have a major arcana im satisfied with and im ready for this to be another 0 note classic but truly if anybody has thoughts and opinions, i wanna hear them:

The Fool: Harley Cameron. I feel like I was waiting so long for a perfect Fool wrestler to appear and no one had quite the right combination of wide-eyed innocent glee, creativity and clear stonking potential. Harley has Jester Qualities, she basically annoyed her way into a TNT title match, she is a woman of many talents most of them creative and entertaining, she's funny, she's original and most importantly she's only just getting started. Godspeed dear Fool.

The Magician: The only reason it's not Kenny is because he's needed elsewhere but really, Will Ospreay is a good fit for this. again, aesthetically it works cause he's got that Assassins Creed overcoat and when he puts his hands out idk it's giving wizard a bit. and then there's the way he's mastered the craft, and is able to produce acts of what look like pure witchcraft with scientific precision. pure confidence, skill and the right amount of hubris to make this very Magician-coded.

The High Priestess: Hear me Out. Renee Paquette. This was the hardest one, even when I was doing this for WWE, AEW and any other active wrestlers I could think of. it's just not a wrestling personality profile, "divine feminine" and inner wisdom and truth and clarity and detachment. clearly there's a gap in the market for this kind of character in wrestling, but so far and at least in aew, all I've seen from the wrestlers themselves are action-oriented hot heads who do very little if any introspection. and it's not quite that Renee does that introspection herself, but she is the conduit for it, right? she is the closest they have to an unbiased truth seeker. despite being literally married to one of the most violent and unhinged members of the roster! whenever revelations are had, parts of the inner worlds of these people that they may have otherwise never shown, either she coaxes it out of them or it happens in her presence. i need to unravel it a bit more but I like this for her I think. and again if anyone has a better high priestess i am all ears.

The Emperess: Emi Sakura. Not a whole lot to this choice other than Emi being the nurturer of the roster, the closest to both a "mom" and someone who actively helps bring the next generation of wrestlers to fruition, like the Empress tending her garden and many children.

The Emperor: Christian Cage, again this is a pretty open and shut book I think, he's literally called the Patriarch. Don Callis also came to mind for this, but Cage has a much more explicit Obey Your Father thing going on, Don is quite openly much more of a blatant opportunist.

The Hierophant: One of my revelations after much soul searching today. It's Bryan Danielson, and the BCC as a whole, as it was originally meant to be, an ideology of wrestling that was supposed to bring it back to its simple, glorious roots. Bryan, like some of these nurturers before him, has focused much more on the future of wrestling than himself, eager to leave a mark on it by virtue of creating the next generation in his image. He also carries this reverance around him, particularly from a subset of the fandom with quite pointed views about what wrestling is/should be - but he himself is sort of painfully human, emphatically not the god of wrestling but a vessel for divine teaching. or something.

The Lovers: Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi do I really have to explain myself here. I don't but if you're even reading this post I bet you scrolled to this point just to check I made them the lovers so you'll want something. There are no soulmates in wrestling like these two. No two who, while having completely distinct and phenomenal careers of their own, have told such a long, aching story of love transcending time and space and circumstance, of waiting for each other and holding onto that love, and of having been transformed by each other, inspired to be their best selves. all that could be their story without it also being an explicitly queer love story by the way, but that's also what it is. i cant go on anymore my feelings are getting mushy

The Chariot: Mercedes Mone. FOUR BELTS MONE BABY! RIDE the mone train. Etc. The Chariot is a triumphant victory lap, rubbing it in the faces of your enemies that you made it suckaahs. is one of those cards that could sort of be any wrestler who's "made it" really, and Mercedes hasnt even won the Women's World Championship yet, but she so perfectly exemplifies the spirit of this card, the sheer domineering ego and bombastic success of it. Truly a Girlboss Card. And her chariot's still a-rolling!

Strength: Eddie Kingston. Strength is about heart above all. Also very hard to pin down to one passionate babyface, one underdog who forges a deep emotional connection with the audience that carries them through their fight, one wrestler who just emanates that inspiring strength of body and mind and soul, but Eddie feels right here. hardened on the outside by a cruel world, but the beating heart of the whole place underneath that. grounded, relatable, honest and good in his soul. Specifically, his journey to winning the Continental Classic is on my mind here as a classic Strength story in wrestling.

The Hermit: Darby Allin. A late switchup here, as I had Darby as Death for a long time, mostly for aesthetic reasons. but really, he is the quiet loner who hangs back, who only ever found kinship with another loner like him. The Hermit is a card about solitude and reflection and, respectfully, Darby is currently literally away on a months-long journey of self-improvement up Mount Everest. Only a Hermit Wrestler could do that. Don't know if he's going to have gotten any wiser by the time he comes back and if he'll stop throwing himself off genuinely dangerous apparatus, but we will see!

The Wheel of Fortune: Moving from just wrestlers to more conceptual cards, this is The Elite but it's also specifically them as the catalyst for AEW. Wheel of Fortune is about the winds of change and upheaval, exciting new fortunate things on the horizon, luck that may just be on your side. The Elite, quite famously, made a bet, on themselves. It's paid off. But if not the Elite as a whole, this feels particulalry like the Young Bucks' card, those defiant agents of chaos who changed the whole industry by taking risks.

Justice: It's Aubrey Edwards. Justice is fairness, law and order, cause and effect and action and consequence. Vengeance doesn't count, it's gotta be objective. Sorry wrestlers, none of you fit this at all, it has to go to a referee, and why not the top referee of the company?

The Hanged Man: Wheeler Yuta. Look. LOOK. Do you think I wanted it this way either. The Hanged Man is my favourite card, Hangman is my favourite wrestler, he look so pretty hanging upside down with his long blond hair all floating by his face but I'm sorry he's not the hanged man at all, Yuta is. It's a card of stasis, sacrifice, uncertainty, imprisonment - where is Yuta right now! He is completely wrapped up in those ropes, unable to move forward or backwards, made the sacrificial lamb again and again, told every time that the sacrifice is worth it, that all his bridges being burned is worth it, and yet never managing to win anything for himself. His arc will ultimately need him to break out of his prison.

Death: Jon Moxley. Another guy who has floated all around this arcana until, after moving Darby up to hermit status, I realised yeah this fits Mox way more actually. He is, I think, the wrestler whose resurrection in AEW after his previous life is most like a death, first of all. Danielson is the same as Daniel Bryan, Kenny's Kenny wherever he goes, but Dean Ambrose is dead. And Jon Moxley is haunted. He also seems to see himself like a kind of memento mori, especially now, taking a grim sort of pleasure in reminding his foes who get to big for their boots of their mortality. Starting with the aforementioned Danielson. More than any other, he is furious for change. Either change, adapt, or fall at his hands. That is Death if ever I saw it.

Temperance: Similar potential problems with this card as with the High Priestess, but fortunately, Orange Cassidy exists. The rock-solid calm of him, the sheer incongruousness of his blue-shaded serenity as he sidles up to the ring. He's not a perfect paragon of temeprance by any means, he summons fire when he needs it in almost every match, but moving him to real anger felt like like an accomplishment from Mox when it happened. A bad accomplishment. He's as temperate as wrestlers get, I think, and he seems to spread that even keel to the people he spends time with, like the wrestling version of a capybara.

The Devil: MJF. Next.

The Tower: This one's also more of an event than a single wrestler (mostly cause making any one wrestler The Tower feels like a dig, like your thing is crashing and burning spectacularly. Owch) but it belongs mostly to Swerve Strickland and the visual of his house going up in flames, with everything in that hellishly destructive feud that represents. It's really what they did to each other more than just what Hangman did to Swerve that night, and the imagery of houses and homes (invaded, immolated, claimed) running through their feud really fits the Tower aesthetically as well.

The Star: Toni Storm! There's once again an aesthetic bonus because she is a starlet of course. I've historically found The Star a little difficult to differentiate from Strength when applying it to wrestling, both seem to invite those hope-inspiring underdog stories. But having it be represented by Toni I think brings out the more artistic, inspirational aspect of the Star, and the sense that it's really about faith. There's the faith Toni has in herself, in the story she tells about herself, that ultimately becomes true in a strange way only possible in wrestling, and then there's the faith she ultimately inspires in all of us. May she shine on forever.

The Moon: when i first was putting this together, it was Malakai Black and the House of Black, but now it's Julia Hart. The Moon is mystery, the unknown that lies in the shadows, as well as lunar insanity, giving into your darker, hidden self. The black mist is very moon-ish, and Julia seems to embody the witchy, unnerving demonic quality of this card the most. *

The Sun: Willow Nightingale. Sun's all about optimism and celebrating life. This is a vibes card, and I just needed to think who is the sunniest wrestler on the roster? and it was quite an easy pick, really. Whoever's smile is the most radiant is a good hint.

Judgement: Here's Adam Page. Judgement is revelation, a calling, rising up to meet your destiny and embrace the change, redemption, forgiveness. In other words, it's main character shit. And it's exactly the story that Hangman has been telling since he got here. He basically did complete it at Full Gear 2021 when he won the AEW title, and that's the image that this card would draw on, but he's just now embarking on what might be an even greater redemption arc, one that sees him rediscover himself having gone down a far darker parth than he ever did before.

The World: EITHER this is the AEW World Championship or it's Sting's retirement match. I'm kind of leaning towards the latter for something more heartfelt and specific that really communicates this card's meaning of completion, accomplishment and endings.

*there's another very different route one could go down for the Moon, which also means deception, false identity and betrayal - in which case this is Adam Cole lmao. He's not very Moon-ish in his aesthetic though, and aesthetic is quite important in these matters.

[beansmakesthings]

I'm a basic bitch and it's the off-Broadway production. There are details I like and details I'd change about every production, but in general I find the off-Broadway version to be the strongest show overall

I have indeed read Legoland! I like it, but honestly I'm waiting for Majestic Rep to do it live cause you can tell it's one of those things they'll hit different live as opposed to reading it

Misha and Jane are my favourites. I find that overall Misha consistently gets the biggest laughs out of me, and Jane is my lil autism creature that I'd like to put in my pocket

I'm not sure. I like to think I'd be the most authentic person in town, just because I've had a lot of people including family try to change me and tell me I'm too this or that and I have never once changed myself to fit what they think I should be. But hey feel free to give me a better one if you wish cause generalizing myself like that is hard lol

If we're talking any song in any production, probably Waiting for The Drop. Danceable, catchy, and I just think it captures the juxtaposition between the happy atmosphere of the carnival and the sheer horror and tragedy of their deaths really well. We don't talk enough about how good that song is and I desperately wish we had an official cast recording.

My favourite ship is perfectdolls and my least favourite is anything romantic with Noel and the girls cause what even man

Jawbreaker. I'm sure this is not a hot take at all or a unique answer but honestly Constance's character exposes my soul in ways that aren't entirely comfortable for me but in a way that I think is important and very special and Jawbreaker is the culmination of that.

Penny Lamb gets really into heavy metal after the Cyclone. Girl has some crazy emotions that she isn't sure how to process aside through aggressive headbanging and crying listening to Nemo by Nightwish

Hot_Smoky_Cowboy has a great series (although unfinished) on Ao3 called 'Everbody has a crush on Penny Lamb - Except Noel' and it's not only hilarious and a fun exploration of ship dynamics, but is also a great character study of each of the RTC cast

I LOVE everybody comes back AUs. I also love ones where they don't! I have different hcs for both versions! Do whatever you want with the story after the events of the musical man, the world is your oyster and there are no wrong answers no matter what anyone says

I don't know a lot about cut characters, but the little details I do know absolutely make me love them. I wish I could have known you, Corey Ross

Excluding the songs cause that makes it wayyy too difficult to pick, I think my favourite scene is probably in the off-Broadway version when Ocean starts asking everyone's favourite stories. Hilarious, has great character details and actual lines for Ricky to say, and I was crushed when they cut it.

I love rides so much, anything that throws me around and treats me like a punching bag gives me the happy stimmies. I'm not really that picky about rides and I like pretty much all of them, but my two favourite rides at my own local traveling carnival are Crazy Mouse and the Ring of Fire.

Yes I do think Talya is real and she's also a YouTube rapper and she's got an anarchy tattoo on her hip and Misha's name in Ukrainian Cyrillic tattooed on her knuckles

Sugar Cloud. If you don't tear up during Sugar Cloud I don't trust you (/j)

I certainly do have ocs! Dragon Jones, Zach Matthias-Blackwood, Conner LaPointe, and Moose Morrison. All of them can be found @the-uraniumverse !

I personally think Jane Doe is mostly just what Penny is like when she's not masking her autism. I also think that, when she comes back, Penny has a certain gratitude for Jane Doe finding her a group of friends and helping her realize she is worthy of love just as she is and cuts and bleaches her hair as an homage to Jane. So I don't think she quite keeps Jane Doe character traits so much as Jane Doe's character is Penny's hidden traits, but she does adopt some physical traits because it wasn't ALL bad being Jane.

Ocean would have gone into political sciences and eventually become Prime Minister. Noel would have moved to France and probably worked a mundane job while doing drag on the side. Misha would have moved to Ukraine, married Talya, and used his big brain to become a doctor specializing in rare genetic conditions like his best friend Ricky's. Ricky would have become a best selling author and a big name in furry art commissions. Constance would have taken over the cafe and been HAPPY ABOUT IT. Penny would have become a sheep farmer. I will not elaborate on that one

Ocean is teal, Noel is red, Misha is lime green, Ricky is magenta, Constance is purple, Jane is grey, Virgil is yellow, Karnak is royal blue

Fall Fair. No shade to Uranium Suite, but you've got nothing on "Algebra 12, kiss my ass"

ride the cyclone ask game!!

(I’ve never actually made/done one of these before so if I somehow manage to do this wrong pls tell me ^^)

1. What’s your favourite production?

2. Have you seen/read the script for Legoland? If so, what do you think?

3. Favourite character and why?

4. If you were in the choir, what would your “the most x person in town” be?

5. Favourite song/songs?

6. Do you engage in shipping, and if so, what is your favourite and least favourite ship?

7. Favourite monologue?

8. What’s your favourite headcanon?

9. Do you have any fic recommendations?

10. Do you enjoy the ‘everybody comes back to life’ aus?

11. Do you know much about the cut characters? If so, do you enjoy them?

12. Favourite scene?

13. Do you like rollercoasters? If so, what type of rides do you like?

14. Do you think Talia is real?

15. What moment/scene in the show makes you the most emotional?

16. Do you have any ocs?

17. Do you think penny retained any ‘jane doe-ish’ features after coming back to life?

18. What do you think the choir would have done after high school if they didn’t ride the cyclone?

19. What colour do you associate with each character?

20. Fall Fair or Uranium Suite?

[lurkingshan]

If it's something you're interested in talking about, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about the ways Heesu succeeded in expanding a BL to a more mainstream category vs. some of the shows like Spare Me Your Mercy and I Hear the Sunspot etc. that I know you felt missed the mark

Hey anon, thanks for the ask. This is a good question, because there is important nuance in discussions of how to expand the reach of queer art (and as I have written about before, confusing commercial success with artistic merit). I think for me this idea of what is a successful version of taking queer stories more mainstream is about two primary things: 1) does the story stay authentic to queer truth even as it speaks to a broader audience and 2) does the story stay honest to the genre it's working in and give the queer characters the same full spectrum of humanity that it would hets in the same story. Note that all of these shows have source material that differs from the screen adaptation, so I am only talking about the shows here.

For me, SMYM missed the mark on this by setting its story in a genre that would normally have a more mature and sexually explicit depiction of an adult couple and intentionally removing much of that material for a queer pairing to cater to het sensibilities, along with generally de-emphasizing the romantic development to the point where the main pair's relationship trajectory was confusing to follow. I Hear the Sunspot missed the mark by artificially interrupting and regressing the main relationship to put off letting them get together and switch focus to a side character. Neither of these shows felt like they were depicting an honest relationship progression, and the creators spoke openly about making those choices to disrupt the queer narrative intentionally in seeking broader appeal. Essentially, these shows betrayed their own genre conventions and de-emphasized aspects of the characters' queer experiences to try to appeal to a broader (and homophobic) audience.

In seeking to speak to a more mainstream audience, Heesu took a different approach. It set its story within the high school romance kdrama framework, and it followed the conventions of that genre to a tee (including all the romances, het or queer, staying chaste). And despite not seeing sexual content for the characters, the entire narrative was about Heesu's experiences as a queer person, his journey to coming out to his loved ones, and his pursuit of a queer romantic relationship that made him feel fulfilled and content. It called to mind Japanese queer programming that is specifically created to depict "alternative lifestyles" to a mainstream audience to promote tolerance and understanding (think Koisenu Futari or Oppan). The intent behind this show was to help a broader audience understand and empathize with the reality of life as a queer teenager in Korea, not to obfuscate it. It sought to make the audience care about queer people by showing us who they are instead of hiding who they are. That, for me, is the crucial difference.

[nogooddeetz]

yeah, as expected, i hate the ending of hey melissa. her as an unhinged villain is good! and mariah is so good as this version of melissa! but the stockholm syndrome or whatever you want to call it of it all when it comes to paul just rubs me the wrong way. nightmare time doing dark twists on known characters is generally fun but the storyline in hey melissa reads as abuse more than anything else so the fact that paul stays in that situation just feels iffy to me. i mean i think ted dying at her hands is less upsetting than paul’s fate. i think they made the right call leaving it out of nightmare time. i would be down for this version of melissa to be involved in the canon, i’d just rather it didn’t involve that specific aspect. her abuse can still exist as the horror element, but i’d be more comfortable if her victims didn’t get brainwashed to choose said abuse.

[k-rainyy]

Agreed, a lot of the appearance-related comments feel not good!! He's definitely supposed to be a little oily (I believe to be in keeping with the Bane possession bit of DnD lore, and his general activities of inventing), but I can't help but think that if he was white-coded more people would be like "damn such a hot mess" and think of him more as the hot messy mechanic type (as it should be).

He also gets the "smelly" comments a lot when he canonically smells very good :( Dr. Ally Louks come save us.

I also feel like more people would be sympathetic towards his backstory as a slave in literal Hell if he was white-coded. Low key feel like other villains/problematic characters are just allowed to be crazy murderers for no reason, but Gort (repeating the cycle of abuse, a theme of the game) gets looked over when he does have a reason. He maybe shouldn't murder or enslave people but hopefully you get what I mean lmfao.

sometimes i think about how people often call Gortash “ugly” or “dirty” and i think maybe why it bothers me is.., he has facial features that don’t read as stereotypically white

Even with the people who do love gortash, i’ve seen a lot of art where his skin is lighter and his jaw is sharper and his nose is smaller

and maybe i’m completely misreading the situation or am being too sensitive but something about him being called dirty feels a little uncomfortable. i mean ketheric is basically a corpse and orin bathes in blood but i don’t see that stuff being said about them.

again, maybe i’m completely wrong. sorry for ranting love y’all drink water eat good food listen to cool music etc etc

[mariacallous]

Should I finally watch Andor? If so, why? What do you like about it?

Yes, because it's the kind of Star Wars that's meant for grownups and is trying to do things that both the franchise and Disney in general usually avoid, which is take risks and make statements but in a thoughtful, developed, nuanced way. It's an investment in storytelling as well as the usual special effects. The actors are all really good, the characters are complex and interesting, and it resonates. If you're a Star Wars fan, you'll like it (and be mad that this approach hasn't been taken more often). If you're not a Star Wars fan, you can still appreciate both the story and the setting without needing to feel like you have to know about Star Wars. A lot of what makes it so good is what makes any drama series good, with a scifi setting.

It's also fun - it has silly moments and cringe moments (because it can't always be heavy and dramatic weighty) to keep things balanced.

If you are a Star Wars fan, you'll appreciate how much it looks at the GFFA and what living under the Empire was like and the choices made to get to A New Hope and beyond.

The acting, by and large, is really good, and I think Genevieve O'Reilly should be booked more, plus I'm glad she got to flesh out Mon Mothma and build off of the portrayal that was largely cut (to the film's detriment imo) from Revenge of the Sith.