#I wanted to explore this dynamic between them... they both have similar backstories in my mind

[glossoholicc]

"Relate"

[pigidin]

OKAY. Am I the only one fascinated by how much Alastor in s1 has interacted with other demons and built a potential for considerable amount of different, broad and unique relationships? With All of them being non-romantic/sexual?

I really don't wanna dive into the discourse of shipping coz honestly, I do think that erasing Al's aroaceness is not cool at all. Personally, I don't see him wishing any romance/sex at all, and well. Considering how platonic he actually is throughout the season, it kinda seems like people forget that friendship (or basically anything non rom-sex) exists in the first place.

Coz, like, let's see what we got::

Vox -- probably one-sided (psychosexual) crush from Vox with possible past friendship between them, them hating on each other yet having (used to have) some respect as well. The ANGST, the drama (for both of sides). Insert aroace troubles (possible aphobia from Vox? Or not? He may be biggest ally as well!) and Vox's petty feelings that are insanely interesting to explore (and laugh at).

Lucifer -- immediate hate that (with a course of events) can turn into forced bonding. The potential of queerplatonic parenting of Charlie is HUGE here. Insecurities from Al? Forced care? Banters? SHENANIGANS? Luci patching up Al after battle, prolly discovering his deal and them slowly bonding on shared interests? Hey.

Rosie -- literal established queerplatonic partners, married for tax benefits, spending their evenings gossiping, hating on Susan and Al rolling his eyes on another romance-rel drama Rosie was trying to help sb with. Rosie can have insane influence on him whether it is understanding modern things or just being with him when he needs it. It also gives off mom/son to me.

Husk -- fucked up master-pet not-friendship with probable care rooted since they were closer in past. Is it toxic? Yes. Is it giving off some problematic dynamic? Sure. Yet it's fucking complex on its core considering pilot, bits and pieces of their interaction and how easily Husk used to insult Al until he overstepped. Them two are quite similar if you think about it and if Al got over his ego it could benefit him a lot.

Niffty -- daugther/father dynamic with them sharing one sadistic-psycho braincell and genuinely enjoying each other's quirks. Protective Al? I just need more Niff and them two being partners in the most outrageous crimes.

Mimzy -- friendship going since they were humans, with them having an amazing (potential) backstory of sharing evenings on two. Al enjoying her company as well as being protective and helpful to her with nothing in return.

Charlie -- manipulated into trusting you as a dad figure? Don't tell me there is nothing below Al's creepy plans or that he wouldn't grow to care for her. He already is proud of her and finds amusement in her inspiration-skills (also, performance is his thing for a reason)

Angel -- I was honestly kinda upset we didn't see any interactions between them except one sex joke, coz my past era of Hunicasts was a fuel to their duo. Them bonding over how different they are is the best description of their dynamic. Also banters and body-puns.

You can't just erase Alastor from interacting with people, but putting him inside boxes of allonormative relationships while he has such a fucking huge potential for everything beyond just that - is quite.. disappointing. People turning a blind eye to a wide variety of relationships he can have (potential to which is set in canon) for the sake of just romance/sex is low key sad.

It's AWESOME to see ppl actually understanding it and.. damn THANKS to everyone who explores Al's relationship with others without it involving final wish to stick tongues into places. Dynamics can be interesting and exciting without it.

I really don't wanna project my romance-aversion onto Al, but when romance and sex is one thing you see everywhere.. it's hard to just let it slip.

You are allowed to do whatever you want, exploring physical intimacy is fun as well, and having Al, well, there are bunch of ways to show it with respecting his orientation and the fact that IT AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS/ATTRACTIONS but please just don't make it the center of your attention, the one thing relationship revolves around, coz sadly it's just exactly how it looks like from some folks.

[frayed-at-the-seams]

Favourite Trope: meeting before canon plot starts.

BL dramas where the characters either met as children or before the show plot started. (Will include spoilers for each show).

- Time of Fever.

This drama was beautiful. It portrayed two childhood friends who were separated for two years to then reunite in their late teens.

The show explores how they struggle to adjust to the new people they have become while trying to pick up where their friendship has left off. The introduction of new feelings and the personal struggles each character goes through in relation to this was explored beautifully. There was a real sense of long pining and teen awkwardness that both the actors and the cinematography displayed with effect.

It was a beautiful show that had me clutching at my plushies at frustration over the chemistry between the main characters. You get a real sense of depth in their relationship. There are many layers and history between them that just gives the show a more poignant feel.

Available on KissKH.

- Minato’s Laundromat.

I have mentioned this drama before and I will probably do so again. This is one of my favourite comfort dramas. While a bit cliche and unrealistic and clearly based off a manga, it is still a fun and capturing watch.

This show tells the story of a jaded man in his late twenties and the peace he has found running a laundromat and the young man who is pursuing him. Their dynamic is flirty, teasing and fun. The characters going through their own growth and learning about each other before they get together.

The added reveal that the main character saved the male lead from drowning as a child adds depth to the male lead’s stubborn pursuit of the main character. What was a memorable but ultimately past moment for the main character was a life changing experience for the male lead. Their first meeting before the show really adds backstory for the show plot and adds another layer to their dynamic.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

- 4 Minutes.

This show was a whirlwind of second guessing plots. With plots layered on top of one and another the reveal that the main couple met as children, an event forgotten by both of them, served to be more of an Easter egg for the viewers rather than adding much to their story.

A Easter Egg that I and other viewers ate up. It was fun to watch their interactions as children and see them unknowingly play out similar interactions as adults. Since the majority of this drama plot involved the viewers having knowledge that the characters did not have themselves, the viewers having a omnipotent view of all the interacting events, this reveal into a bit of their childhood was a spoon of sugar to sweeten us for further angst.

Still, the scene was adorable to see and it only added another layer of ‘What if’ to the plot line.

Available on KissKH.

- We Best Love.

Instead of childhood friends to lovers, this is childhood enemies to lovers. Well, one sided enemies to lovers. That just means that their chemistry was that just bit more fiery than other dramas. And I love a good enemies to lovers dynamic. Especially one with lots of history as this one had.

Even in season 2, when they have gone from e-bikes to lovers to bitter exes back to lovers again, their chemistry has a passion to it that many dramas miss. The main couple love each other so much that it angers them. They simply cannot get over each other and even when fighting and manhandling, they are gentle and sweet. As a viewer you can really feel the history between them despite them not getting to know each other on a deeper level until university. The fact that they don’t truly learn about the other properly until they’re adults means that their relationship can develop further than it would have ever done as children. It was great fun to watch.

Available on KissKH and Bilibili.

- Mr Heart.

If you want one sided unrequited love between a silent admirer and someone who doesn’t know he exists, then Mr heart is for you. Adorable and sweet. The drama starts with Jinwon being properly introduced to Sangha and as it develops the viewer gets to see their backstory from both their points of view as the characters get tangled in their marathon careers and their backgrounds.

Well made with a sweet atmosphere despite the angsty parts, it is a wholesome drama with a lovely ending.

Available one Viki and KissKH.

- I became the main role in a BL drama.

This is a short Japanese bl, only 4 episodes. Yet it had such a funny and wholesome story. The character development between the MC and the ML is so sweet and perfectly explored despite the short run time. The side characters were fun and all of it was well acted.

The reveal that they met briefly when they were teenagers is the perfect backstory for the ML’s love and devotion to the MC. He accepted him for his differences and it left a lasting impression.

This show had me laughing.

Available on Bilibili and KissKH.

- Word of Honor.

While China made this a bromance, it’s still high quality gay (with all that flirting and long pining stares, how could it not be?). I love the slow burn and the mysteries that move the plot along.

Especially the mystery behind Wen Kexing’s past. That had me hooked for the majority of the show. The revelation that he and Zhou Zishu had met as children, that their lives were always meant to be tangled together was both lovely and bittersweet for me. Their lives both full of tragedy and trauma yet they still found each other. I did cry watching this show, more than once. Yet I still love it.

Available on Netflix and Viki.

- Kiseki: Dear to me.

While the main couple meet for the first time during the canon plot. The side couple are childhood friends to lover trope, but not without angst and separation and lots of drama.

In any other setting, with any other characters their dynamic would be toxic. It’s codependent and even with the separation, they are too obsessed and wrapped up in each other. They carry a history which is clear in all of their interactions and chemistry. Even though we don’t get to see know how they met, we know that their history is tangled and caught up emotions.

It’s safe to say that the second couple stole the show for me. I wish we got more of their backstory.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

- Old Fashion Cupcake.

Another excellent 4 episode drama from Japan. This show is the love story between a 39 year old office worker and his 29 year old coworker. Since the characters are adults there is a softness that is sometimes lacking in other dramas. They are independent and do not need each other. That makes the moments of vulnerability and affection between them that much sweeter.

Their shared history and the flashback of Nozue interviewing and hiring Togawa just add more history to their bond. I love their romance and their bond. One of my favourite comfort shows.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

This took far longer than I expected. Hope you like the recommendations.

Feel free to comment any trope recommendations you want next.

[bibibbon]

Characters with wasted potential : Himiko Toga

Honestly it's such a shame she really was one of my favourite villains but was done absolutely dirty by the plot.

I have a few problems with togas character which a lot of them are caused by horikoshi himself:

HER INTERACTIONS. What I mean is that her interactions with characters tends to be inconsistent for the most part I really love her relationship with the league and how she views them as a family but it made no sense to me how her relationship with Izuku is gone/non existent and how her relationship with ochako is. I get that hori made toga specifically for ochako but I don't see the appeal in togaochoa or how they're supposed to be Parallels?

HER BACKSTORY. Don't get me wrong I love the idea of toga's backstory and how it shaped her as a person but i think it could of been expanded on earlier like why did it have to be the last arc for her to shine and then get almost everything stripped away? Also there are some inconsistencies in togas backstory since it is implied that she had siblings so what happend to that?

HER SCREEN TIME. What I mean by this is as the manga continues her score time decreases a lot and it comes to a point where she almost always shares her screen time with ochako which harms both of them

THE WAY SHE IS SEXUALISED. I don't know I blame this on both hori and the fandom but why is that she has to be clothless in majority of the scenes like their definitely could of been another way to avoid that.

HYPOCRISY. A lot of the time toga can come of as a hypocrite. I mean she loved people like twice and the league yet she never tried to kill them or consume them while she does that with the people like toga. TO FIX THIS MAKE HER BE CONSISTENT and treat everyone in a similar way. ALSO THE CONCEQUENCES AND HER FEELINGS FOR TWICES DEATH ARE BAREKY EXPLORED AND ARE PUT ASIDE FOR TOGAOCHA!!! WHICH SUCKS

As you can see there really isn't many problems with toga's character and she really is one of Horikoshi's best characters and villains. This is what I would do to improve her :

Give her more of her own screen time and monologues - horikoshi can already do this very well considering her whole fight with curious and her relationship with twice focused a lot on her as a character and helped developed her.

Have her interact with more characters and give us more moments with the characters she already interacts with - what I mean is that we get more with toga and the league and her feelings about them. We can also get more about how toga views izuku and ochako well I do understand her views of ochako I would of liked to see both of their relationships develop a whole lot more.

Fix the inconsistencies in her backstory - Toga has some major inconsistencies in her backstory that could be fixed or addressed. For example, it is implied that she has siblings so show us the siblings, show us how her family felt. I used to be a fan of the monoma being related to toga theories because I feel like that would of been an interesting dynamic especially if explored in canon but I do understand if it clashes with the todoroki family plotline but I still like it and it could add more depth and complexity to both of them.

Give her and ochako more Parallels- maybe Iam stupid but I really can't see the parallels between them except of both of them having a crush on izuku and wanting to become the person they have a crush on

There are two routes you can go with Himi's character which is the original route that horikoshi took which actually is a pretty solid route or the other route which is to actually redeem her and make her someone who shows others that you can change for the better when given the chance and opportunity

Toga is a brilliant character who seems like the a redeemable villain(if she acknowledges her actions are wrong) but I like the ending she got it made sense for her character. Toga is someone who tried to love the world around her but the world never appreciated or liked the way she expressed herself. While there were definitely problems with the way she expressed herself instead of getting help with learning how to use her quirk safely and quench her thirst for blood she was just abused and beaten into putting on a mask to hide who she was. As we know that mask broke ( her mask breaking can also be something related to her canonically having a crush on ochako making her a bi character however I DO THINK THAT PLOT POINT COULD OF BEEN BETTER) and left toga insane and obsessed with the idea of love and becoming someone loveable. Hori is also smart with her character design as it can be hinted or implied that toga does self h@rm and the way she dresses tries to make herself more youthful and cuter so she can appear as someone who is easily loveable. I also love the sneaky ways hori utilises spider lilies symbolism with her character as in multiple character pages and manga panels when she is talking about blood and her quirk there is always spider lilies. Also the ending, when one of her buns is undone it symbolises her death as she sacrifices herself to become one with the one she loves.

In conclusion, Toga is a very solid character who is a symbol of those who are critiqued and discriminated for being different in society yet she lives the way she wants to and finds her own happiness in a strange place and in a unexpected way even if she ended up dying for it.

[valanvar]

━━ VALANVAR / ✷ SAURON, LORD OF THE RINGS, ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL. ANNATAR, THE LORD OF GIFTS, HALBRAND, THE NECROMANCER, THE ONE ENEMY, THE DARK LORD OF MIDDLE-EARTH.

INDEPENDENT,   MUTUAL   EXCLUSIVE   AND   SELECTIVE   BLOG   FOR   SAURON/HALBRAND/ANNATAR FROM J.R.R TOLKIEN'S THE LORD OF THE RINGS AND PRIME'S THE RINGS OF POWER. HEADCANON BASED AND UNAFFILIATED WITH THE MAYORITY OF THE TOLKIEN PURIST FANDOM.   CST + 3.   SHE/HER.   WRITTEN   BY   CALI. (#) MAIN VERSE SET ON THE RINGS OF POWER TIMELINE.

psa:   due to the nature of the show's lore and the exploration of sauron's backstory and multiple verses, this show contains adult mature material. nsft will be tagged accordingly but topics like: torture, death, body horror, the groteque, luciferian imagery, evil vs light, power play and more are at play in this interpretation. sauron is pretty much OP during most of his existance though his disguises keep him unknown.

And after what seemed endless thirst and hunger… I saw it. His servant's face. Sauron's face. And it was beautiful. He offered me wine, red as a blood moon. He offered me wine, and on that dark and nameless peak, I drank it. I drank it all.

temporary rules under the cut:

1.Cali. 25+, I run many blogs across many fandoms, mostly A Song of Ice and Fire and Cobra Kai. GMT+3 timezone. I have a job and I study so replies are sporatic.

2.  My  interpretation  is based on Prime's Rings of Power and what I know of the Tolkien lore through the movies and the wikia. I am not that knowlagable on the lore besides the movies and trilogy book and the hobbit. What I know of his backstory is from reading entries and forums and my own interpretation. Do not come after me if I get something wrong because it might as well be my own interpretation of the lore.  I follow mainly the Rings of Power continuity and the movies and the lore I know, which I am aware the main fandom might not like, but bare in mind, the show is approved by the Tolkien state and things are simple, if this does not appeal to you, do not follow. And if I ever bore you, please softblock me.

3.  Best way to interact with me is through memes or discord talk. I am a middle ground roleplayer meaning too much plotting puts me off but also I enjoy having a base of what we will do together. This blog will be crossover friendly, specially with ASOIAF fandom and similar high fantasy shows.

4.  I usually format my things with a post divider, icon and then the reply, with a few words highlighted or cursived and double spaced. If you need me to stop doing this, let me know, as I am aware it can be hard to read to some people.

5. Galadriel  x  Sauron  is the main ship on this blog and it does involve topics like power play, toxic behavior and dark vs light. The attraction between them is obvious and might have some evidence in the text itself and it is obvious on the show, favoured by both actors who play them. Other ships will be accepted but do know that they have to be discussed prior to being written as Sauron is prone to manipulate those around him to gain favor and what he desires, and this will include making someone fall for him if he must.

6.  Softblock  if  you  unfollow.  Reblog  from  the  source.  Don't send anon hate and if you have a suggestion, do send it with kindness. As well, remember, I am not Sauron. I am not evil, at least my therapist tells me. I'm a english as a secondary language teacher, not a man who wants to conquer middle-earth. Separate writer from muse please.

7. Heavely affiliated with Mari's Galadriel as well Saint's muses on this fandom and others. They are my friends and we built together. Do not come at me for having friends. I practice mains and affiliated but not exclusives except for certain dynamics so I am always open for plots.

[psychewritesbs]

Hello, I wonder what do you think of Megumi, Hana and Noritoshi as a trio? I know they're a weird team but tbh I've always wanted Gege to explore Megumi's parallels with these two. Hana representing the childish naivety of Megumi's tendency to put 'good' people like Tsumiki and Yuji on a pedestal (I'm not sure if it was linkspooky or you who pointed this out, or maybe both) and Noritoshi Kamo mirroring Megumi's circumstances as someone whose origins tie him to the big clans (like Naobito tying Megumi down to the Zenin by making him a clown head). And while they both went about this particular circumstance differently, I still believe there's so much similarities to explore between them.

I think if Gege plans on showing us Megumi's progress of growing out of his initially flawed and childish mindset, that seeing him grow alongside Hana and Noritoshi would be really interesting. And personally I just want some love shown to Noritoshi and esp. Hana. Like the hate on her in this fandom is so disheartening to see. The way people mock her for falling to Sukuna's obvious honeytrap and comparing her to Nobara. Like I get it jjk fans like strong, no-nonsense, I don't need no man female personalities, but I feel like it's being over-glorified to the point of absurdity y'know. Like anyone who falls short of that category is immediately a bad character. And in Hana's case it's almost as if character backstory doesn't matter.

Nonetheless, I hope Hana and Noritoshi's continued existence in the manga means Gege still has something planned for them. And I hope Gege will finally explore Megumi's dynamic with other characters more upon his return.

Anon! Love the thoughts! Thanks for sharing them.

To be honest I had never given much thought to them as a trio, but I love what you've written about them as if they existed on a continuum with Nori on one end (responsibility), Megumi in the middle, and Hana at the opposing end (naivety).

I have to say that one of the things I did like about Sakurajima was getting to see Nori more deeply as a character. Especially after he had been kicked out of the clan and how that had affected his sense of self.

As for Hana... le sigh. Tell me about it anon. I think I posted about it before but to me hating on Hana looks like hating on one's own naivety and vulnerability.

I just get the sense that Hana sees herself as a magical girl and was naive enough to think her power of love and friendship had managed to save Megumi. So it's almost like she felt like she had been able to do for him what she had done for her.

That's not to mention that Sukuna fully intended to fool her, so this literally shows why Sukuna thinks love is useless.

As per usual, I think this might be a case of "people can only see things as deeply as they see themselves".

Also, I so love your comment on how a character that doesn't fit that specific mold (strong, no-nonsense, I don't need no man female personalities) is considered bad writing.

The "bad writing" allegations in this fandom often come back to "I didn't like it or it didn't live up to my expectations, so therefore it's objectively bad".

I can see why the execution might feel sloppy, and why people are tired of the "girl pines for boy" trope in animanga, and she does suffer from side af character syndrome, but Hana is by no means a bad character for having a crush on Megumi.

Anyways! Here's to seeing other characters support Megumi in the future anon! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

[burningdarkfire]

dear critter (wildflowers 2024)

Hi! I’m burningdarkfire on both AO3 and tumblr.

The prompts below are in order of preference, although of course I would be excited about anything listed (which is why I listed them!). If you want reference points, I’ve written 50+ critrole fics on my main AO3 account that you are welcome to peruse. 

I read widely and am hard to shock or dismay. In general, I would prefer for you to write something you are comfortable with than tie yourself into knots trying to fulfill my vision. Confident writing is fun to read!

I am not active in discord servers but you can always reach me on tumblr if you have questions. Here is last year's Dear Critter letter if you'd like it for reference.

Details below!

DNWs:

I love reading and writing about trans characters, but I do not want to put the pressure of conforming to my complex preferences onto a gifter. Please avoid any unrequested genderfuckery—there are two exceptions that I will detail in the next section.

I do not want any included or implied character backstory for Essek Thelyss that whumps him to explain or excuse his actions—this includes abuse from his family members, abuse from members of the Cerberus Assembly, etc. Additionally, I strongly prefer that Essek returns to the Dynasty post-campaign and tries to build a home there.

I do not want sprinklings of other languages in the fic—this includes snippets of dialogue, recurring jokes, nicknames, pet names, etc. I know it’s a canon characteristic for some but I prefer not to read it. It’s fine for the narration to indicate that characters are speaking in other languages or if there is a specific purpose to the change in language (e.g., familial titles that don’t translate if they are strictly necessary for the world-building).

Likes:

Explicit fic, including both smut and darkfic

Power dynamics, complicated relationships, codependency, devotion, strong platonic bonds, relationships that defy labels, polyamory, having casual sex or sex between people who are not in a romantic relationship, waking up together, laughing together, descriptions of food and other small aspects of domestic life, found family

Stories that explore the role gender plays in character—the two exceptions to the above "no genderfuckery" are a/b/o and Rule 63

I absolutely adore aromantic Caleb Widogast with my whole heart

Request #1: Campaign 2 Wizard Soups

Astrid/Eadwulf/Essek/Caleb, Astrid/Essek, Astrid/Eadwulf/Essek, Eadwulf/Essek

Definitely my flavour of the year! They're so similar and yet so different—I love to imagine how they might fit (or not fit!) with each other. There's a lot of potential post-canon for complicated feelings—jealousy, nostalgia, missing someone even though they're right there, staking claims on Caleb's past/present/future, budding and re-budding relationships. I don't need Caleb to be present in a fic where he isn't included in the central pairing, but I think his presence or absence is exactly what makes A/E/W contending with each other interesting. I love it when no one knows the answer to "what are we?"  Divergent canons, such as Volstrucker!Bren, are also totally okay and encouraged. I particularly enjoy explorations of the canon where Astrid kills Trent and/or the existence of the Volstrucker continue under her hand. I think there's a lot of opportunity to explore how A/E/W are much closer to the dirty details of running a nation versus an idealistic Caleb—how might they collaborate or antagonize? 

Request #2: Campaign 2 Blumendrei

Astrid/Eadwulf/Caleb, Astrid&Eadwulf&Caleb, Astrid/Eadwulf, Astrid/Caleb, Eadwulf/Caleb

It's my fucking bread and butter and I'll take pretty much anything. Academy days, post-campaign reunion, the most nebulous of timelines or the most obscure of AUs. I'm happy to read about assassination missions, eating lunch together, or an AU with nonsensical white collar office jobs. How did their relationship start—how did it fall apart—how did they reconnect? It can be nostalgic, happy, or toxic. It's fine if not all the characters involved are queer, as long as they're together. The sky's really the limit here!

Request #3: Campaign 2 Wizard Shenanigans

Astrid/Jester, Astrid&Jester, Astrid/Beauregard, Astrid&Beauregard, Astrid/Marion, Eadwulf/Fjord/Jester, Caleb/Lucien, Caleb/Nott, Caleb/Essek/Jester, Caleb/Essek/Fjord, Caleb/Marion

Basically this is the catch-all category for "happy to read more about the wizards"! Again, pretty much anything goes—flirty and fun, serious parallel character studies, "what if" moments in canon that might have turned another way. Non-canonical pairings in the background are okay and even encouraged. If Fjord and/or Jester are involved, I've always held an immense soft spot for Pirate AUs (set in Exandria or elsewhere). My only preference is that Astrid, Wulf, and Caleb remain on good (or just unknown) terms if the fic is focused on them with other partners.

Request #4: Campaign 2 Polynein

M9/M9, Fjord/Beauregard, Caleb/Beauregard

I believe deeply that relationships don't have to all look the same—I would love to explore what Polynein looks like, in the canon world or another! What does it look like with children involved, with marriages, with differing or changing primary partners, when the Nein are scattered across the globe?  Including the Beauregard pairs here as I feel like they're natural fits in this category, but I would also be interested in how you can make them work otherwise!

Request #5: EXU Calamity

Asmodeus the Lord of the Nine Hells/Zerxus Ilerez

I just think there should be more fic about how they're fucked up together and what it looks like for them to be bonded to each other post-game. I'm not particularly caught up on Campaign 3 but would be interested to read what they might be up to in the "current day" of canon (spoilers totally fine) or at any other point in the past or future. Please don't soften the sharp edges of this one.

[giantchasm]

Character Ask Game:

Susie 1, 7, 8, 23, and 26 (free question is, who would she hate the most out of the other dream friends?)

Taranza 2, 5, 7, 8, and 23

Marx 22, 26 (free question is, who would be his favorite prank target?)

Apologies if this is too many in one ask.

SUSIE:

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Why WOULDN'T I like Susie? She's my special girl. Honestly, the story of how I really fell for her is kind of funny TBH. When I first got into the fandom, even after playing Robobot, I didn't pay her TOO much mind. I gave her some thought, especially in the context of my Underworld Friends AU and her father's history with her, but it was nowhere near the levels of brainrot I have now.

But then one day something just kind of... clicked for me. I was like "Hey! Taranza (Who I was also not that invested in at the time) and Susie have pretty similar stories. I bet they'd make really good friends. I should write something about that!"

And so I did. (Although I never technically finished it). And I got super invested in those two, both as individuals and as a duo. It's interesting just how intertwined my love for them is. They're characters I got invested in simultaneously. I was a Taranza & Susie fan before I was a Taranza or Susie fan, and I think that's fun.

But of course, with time, I've come to actually love both characters more in an individualized context. That was just the thing that initially instigated the madness for me.

I love the tragedy to Susie's story. I love her complicated backstory and her even more complicated relationship with her father. I love all of the weird body horror cybernetics stuff I can explore with her and just how easy it is to depict her brain as like... exceptionally weird. I love the fact that she retains some whimsy even despite the horrors. I love the fact that she's one of the only Kirby characters with a gun.

I tend to have a soft spot for morally gray female characters who a lot of people have a weird distaste for, so I was always probably going to love her TBH. It's just in my nature.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I answered this one in another ask, so have this GIF of Susie posing cutely over the word "Fatherless" instead of an actual answer.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I could give the obvious answer of "people are way too hard on her and while I understand some discomfort considering the themes of Robobot people definitely interpret her as way more evil and irredeemable than the relatively lighthearted, ultimately hopeful children's' game series ever intended," but that feels like too much of a copout, so let me talk about something else people to.

Or... don't do, I guess?

I hate hate hate when people like... make Wave 3 friend group content and leave her out then slot like... Marx or whoever in instead. Like I know there's no technical canonical friendship between pretty much any Kirby characters, and therefore there's not an actual dynamic between her, Magolor and Taranza people are Ignoring, but all the same it feels like there can be a deliberate attempt from people to avoid wanting to include Susie in their content.

And I think I'd feel differently if these people were portraying the Super Popular Male Characters as hanging out with other girls like the Mage Sisters or whoever instead (They're also technically a part of Wave 3, you know!), but they don't. It's not overwhelmingly common, to be clear, but there's definitely still a Thing where people will exclusively focus on male characters and making them interact with each other instead of bothering to incorporate female characters into any of their group dynamics. And I guess that's more of a complaint about wider fandom sexism as a whole than just Susie herself, but... idk, man.

I guess I'm just saying that if the only Kirby characters you're invested in and make content of interacting is the guys because the girls are either all "too evil" like Susie (Is she that evil compared to her peers?) or "too underwritten" like the Mage Sisters and pretty much the rest of the female cast (It's Kirby. Everyone is underwritten), then you probably have some unconscious biases to address and maybe try to rectify. Because I don't like it and it annoys me.

Putting the rest of this under a cut because it became a long post. I am a wordy person.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

I have quite a few, but here are some of my favorites

The BESTIES

#Women

What remains the funniest image on the planet (Susie & Taranza grieving feat. Kirby and the cake a rat stole from him once)

26. Who would she hate the most out of the other Dream Friends?

Mark. His obnoxious whimsy drives her mad.

(Obvious answer aside, I think she also doesn't get along with DMK. And I think she has a very contentious relationship with both the Mage Sisters and Elfilin at first, although she eventually gets over both. (I know Elfilin isn't technically a Dream Friend, but to me he is. He's like... a part of the group, y'know? The only reason why he's not a Dream Friend is Forgotten Land didn't exist at the time Star Allies came out. He's a Dream Friend in all but name.))

TARANZA:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Taranza has approximately two traits in canon, however, I love them both. This guy is INSUFFERABLY pompous, dramatic and prideful, and this guy LOVES HIS EVIL WIFE. He even has a tragic backstory. What more could one possibly ask for?

Also he's just... like, really cute. He has maybe my favorite design in Kirby. That helps too.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

As much as I bitched about how some people don't do it earlier in this post, there are just as many people who do utilize the Wave 3 group dynamic to its full potential and it's always some of my absolute favorite Taranza content. Buddy's at his best when he's with his pals.

Also, call me a basic bitch, but I still think the divorce/dead wife jokes are funny. Like... not if overdone/made into all that he is, but in a vacuum? Yeah, that shit's hilarious, sorry.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Sanding him down to make him a palpable softboy. I think Taranza is ultimately a good person, but I think he can have an ego sometimes (Yes, even despite his trauma and any insecurities said trauma may have left him with) and can get caught up in things. He's willing to do anything for the people he loves to a dangerous degree, regardless of the harm it causes anyone else. If I see one more person portray him as an innocent victim in Triple Deluxe as opposed to a nuanced, morally gray character I'm going to go outside with a hammer and start smashing tomatoes with a rock. He DESERVES to have flaws.

Also I hate how many people either make his entire personality Sectonia or neglect her importance to him entirely. The latter annoys me more thought because I am famously a #womanhead. It makes me so fucking angry when I see people like... completely ignore his history with her and one-dimensionally reduce her to either his evil abuser or a perfect angel of a love interest he needs to Get Over so he can mash faces with another character they like more. I'm not saying I hate the idea of Taranza moving on, because I don't, but the sheer disrespect most people show Sectonia with the way they write it is like. Staggering. Do better.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

All Taranza images are good Taranza images, but here are some particularly charming ones

This one, which really highlights whatever the hell is wrong with him

World's most precious Muppet creature

And capable of so much unrestrained joy

MARX:

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

I don't actually really read fanfic (I'm more of just a writer), but when it comes to Marx depictions in general, I don't like how most people tend to take him too far in one direction or the other. I feel like people either make him some kind of #lolrandom complete sociopath who only lives to like... exist as a plot device to torture other characters in a way that's exceptionally unfunny or as a sweet, just kind of goofy guy who's not actually that bad, both of which are boring. My favorite Marx depictions portray him as someone who presents himself as a deliberately provocative edgelord but cares deep down and really just wants attention.

26. Who would be his favorite prank target?

Dedede, Bandee, Coo, Susie, Elfilin, and, of course, Kirby, all make excellent targets depending on what exactly he's planning to do.

[chronoxtreme]

The Cage: Chapter 19 Author's Notes

Chapter Link CW: Discussions of Astarion's backstory, sexual abuse

So, honestly, this chapter was both difficult and easy to write. Easy to write in terms of "this is what the characters were always going to do" and difficult to write in terms of subject matter.

While the game is never explicit about what Astarion went through and a particular EA scene that really makes it obvious got cut, there is still the strong implication that Cazador personally assaulted Astarion. I'm not going to go into detail about what he did, but to make the situation clear as to what was going on in this fic's interpretation: every single spawn suffered sexual abuse from Cazador by proxy (being forced to be entertainment at balls, honey trapping to lure victims back to the palace), but Astarion was the only one who Cazador sexually abused directly. This, naturally, put a wedge between him and his siblings, who otherwise shared a mostly similar experience. I very briefly explore Cazador's reasons for this in future chapters, but suffice it to say that there's no sudden shocking twist or sympathetic reveal. Cazador is an abuser, and he does what he does to control, humiliate, degrade, and terrorize his spawn so that he can feel powerful. That's it. His insistence that Astarion and his siblings are "family" is both another way to feel in charge as their "patriarch" and a means to control them. As you can see with Astarion's thought process, it did work to an extent.

Astarion's relationship with his siblings also fascinates me. The conversation he has with Nanne includes lines from an actual conversation you can have with him in game (I don't know how to trigger it yet, but I'll figure that out). All indications are there that this is a very fucked up family, with extremely fucked up dynamics. It's not the core of this fic, and if you want an excellent portrayal of just how hellish being Cazador's spawn would be, I always encourage people to read Perfect Slaughter (please do heed the content warnings, though, it gets very dark). But needless to say, while Astarion does pity them, there's enough bad blood and hatred that compared to Nanne, his siblings are immediately expendable.

Which brings us to the final part of the chapter: Astarion deciding to go through with the ritual immediately.

In game, the first time Astarion really talks about hijacking Cazador is at the start of act 3. However, I've changed around events, so that changes Astarion's thought process significantly. Usually Astarion finds out about the ritual before he has his "true love" confession (what I call the not Araj Act 2 romance scene), so he's also trying to process what's going on with his SO while unpacking that he's a ritual implement. But in this case, the relationship with Nanne has been established. Astarion knows the stakes now, and in his mind, the ritual promises a solution to every problem he's ever had. No more sex hangups, no more fear of Cazador, the ability to walk in the sunlight, AND if Nanne finds out the truth of what he did, he's going to be one of the richest men in Baldur's Gate who can give them everything they want. There's no reason, in Astarion's mind, for them to leave him, because he will be the perfect partner. He just has to murder his siblings. Which is... yikes lmao. Again, this was easy to write because the second I asked "Why, in this context, is Astarion going to be hellbent on taking over the ritual" the dots connected and I was like "Well shit, this hurts but it's logical." At the same time, I am rattling the bars of my enclosure going "THIS IS A BAD IDEA, ASTARION, YOU'RE FINE THE WAY YOU ARE LOVE IS A GIFT FREELY GIVEN AND NOT EARNED." I fully believe that characters are allowed to make stupid ass decisions if it fits with their characterization, and well... Astarion has started his character development, but it certainly ain't over yet.

While Astarion's made great strides in terms of being more positive about himself, his hangups are still there. This is why I say that even if he knew that Nanne knows about the past, he'd still make the same decision to immediately go all in with the ritual. In a way, I think it would make it even worse - now he has to prove to Nanne that he's worth it. The ritual is both his chance to prove that he's stronger better than what he was, AND his chance to cover it all up and wipe the slate clean.

Also, the normal reasons for him wanting to take over the ritual still apply. He wants revenge on Cazador. He wants to be safe. He wants power. The main difference here is that Nanne gives him stronger motivation to go all in. The stakes are higher. Astarion now has someone he can lose and he did almost lose them. Not only does he have reason to be terrified for himself, Nanne scares him, and he can't go through that again.

Which means that next chapter is going to be hell for Astarion lmao.

[dopepoisonivyoncrack]

@ashadowfaerie Tagging you in hopes dumblr lets you see at least the @. Unfortunately I had to screenshot the mail because it didn't appear in my inbox, nor I could answer it by pressing the button in the mail.

2 ...my three favorite characters and why I love them so much.

Filia - This one ain’t a surprise. Even though she is in anime only, I love Filia. I love her whole character, the concept, the backstory, how she handles it, her being a dragon, everything. I like how her personality is full of contrasts. She is relatable. When I decided to role-play her, one of the things that I wanted to explore was her relationship with faith and religion after having her whole world, her only known world, shaken like it was in TRY, and leaving the priesthood. I think she is well written, with depth, and has much to offer. Also I love her dynamic with Xellos, but also with Lina and co. Xellos - I answered once my favorite thing about him so I’ll copy that - “I love his modus operandi, his refined darkness. How he has his own set of work ethics and what it consists of. E.g. never lying but rather omitting to say parts of the truth, outright saying “it’s a secret” as an elegant and diplomatic way to “I simply can’t/won’t tell you cuz it doesn’t benefit me or my master”; or using manipulations instead of violence as a preferred mode of reaching a goal. I also like his curiosity”. I could add I like his character concept, aesthetics, dynamics with Filia and the team but also with his own Master and kind. He is anything but boring. Lina - The female lead to EVER. I love that she isn’t supposed to be a hero or some high moral symbol. I like her character concept, with the whole spiel of “strong, independent woman” contrasting traditional japanese women and the usual anime girls but also done differently than any other representation of “strong, independent woman” I’ve seen. I guess I could say I love her for her flaws. She is fun and unique.

12 ...what attracted me into checking it out.

I can’t remember exactly. I think the series just played on TV on Animax - the anime program used to start past 8 P.M, after the daily cartoon TV program ended. I started watching out of nothing better to do and I liked it. Then in High School I decided to search out and watch every season and movie in order. If I were to pinpoint why I liked it, I guess Lina, the humor and it being a fun and uplifting show that made me feel good. 

17 ...the world-building aspect of the story I have the greatest admiration for.

This was hard because I haven’t given much thought to world-building itself. I like that it's quite straight-forward, simple to understand if you bother to check it out like game instructions. But it’s also complex enough and leaves room to play, to come up with your own ideas. I like the power system and how it is divided (like the map with the different worlds).  Greatest admiration though? I love one aspect presented in TRY, which idk how much is a thing of the rest of the story since TRY isn’t considered canon? or so I heard. It’s the aspect brought up by Valgaav, when he said he wanted to purify the world, to reset it by bringing it to its original form and end the eternal conflict between the 2 major forces (Gods and Monsters) because that is ultimately the wish of both leaders. The conflict was created by a higher force, and ironically the conflict of Gods and Monsters is what maintains the balance of the world but contrary to appearances, it lacks the aspect of morality. They battle each other out of inertia, because they were set in motion like that, but they forgot why they do it and if they stop to think about it they will realize there is no actual reason to, beside keeping the world as it is. This is very similar to Bleach’s world building, explored in TYBW arcs and novels, with Yhwach having pretty much the same goal as Valgaav. 

[teamgolore]

As someone who is rewriting a Team Go origin story, I must make my first post on how I’ve seen some Team Go origin stories (as well as their characters) written, a guide if you will:

GoParents:

Most superhero stories have some sort of tragedy in it, so it is vital that Team Go cannot have a happy backstory. Absolutely not. Their parents are either dead or terrible, or both. Go as far as you want with the awfulness. Seriously - they are not to be from a stable family background. That is forbidden. Also you’re not allowed to go into depth about the consequences about them being dead, terrible, or both. You’re not allowed to see how this affects Team Go’s psyches for each of them, and how that impacts the choices these characters make, because such character development is unacceptable. You just state that they’re dead, terrible, or both - and that’s it, because that should be enough.

Hego:

Must be the oldest. This is an absolute must. This is because he is seen as the leader of Team Go and is a very large man. Never-mind that siblings can be different sizes. He must be the oldest. He is also a mother hen, because remember, Team Go’s parents are either dead or terrible, or both. So he is likely in charge of raising his siblings. Also, it is important that you either write him as a goody-goody, overly cartoonish and dumb... or you can go the complete opposite route and make him downright menacing, usually homophobic and crazily evangelical. Yes, this is something that I’ve seen. Because Shego is queer-coded - and we need to create “conflict” on why they broke up Team Go, so homophobia could be the only possible answer. Never mind that Shego directly states that it’s because her brothers are a pain-in-the-butt. Also don’t make Hego a nuanced character that makes mistakes every now and then - other than the homophobia, of course - because he is the leader of Team Go, therefore he is perfect. He is raising his siblings because of his terrible-dead parents that isn’t explored, so he’s obviously going to be a great person and not make any mistakes whatsoever despite the fact that he’s barely an adult. You cannot explore his internal struggles of raising his siblings due to his terrible-dead parents, because Hego doesn’t have any in Team Go origin stories - he is perfect and mentally well.

Mego:

Now when it comes to the ages of Team Go, you can go either route of making him older or younger than Shego, or make them twins. Though the twins route is not recommended, as it takes away from the Wegos which we will get to in a minute. He will either be very close with Shego or despise her pre-Team Go - either route is fine. Completely ignore the fact that they have similar personas and team up against Hego, despite the fact that siblings do that. Actually, completely ignore sibling dynamics altogether, that’s not important in Team Go origin stories. Now, we know that Mego is seen as the selfish one of Team Go, but don’t bother exploring why that is - it’s unimportant in Team Go origin stories, because god-forbid we get a nuanced Team Go brother. In fact, just make him selfish right from the get-go and make that his entire personality. It’ll be easier for everyone. The way you can do this is italicizing every time he says “I” or “Me” or “Mine”. You can do it, such as: “I”,  “Me”, or “Mine.” Notice the italicization. You are also absolutely forbidden to have him have little moments of selflessness, because remember, him being selfish is his entire personality. He has no other personality other than that and being whiny. Don’t bother exploring that, because that’s just how it is. You can make him mean, but not too mean, because obviously that role of being the meanest goes to Shego - and speaking of Shego...

Shego:

Here’s where things get interesting. When you’re writing Shego pre-comet, it is absolutely vital - vital, I say - that you either make her full of rage or the sweetest child on the planet. There is no in-between. Writing her as the sweetest child builds “character” and shows “Look how awful, the comet changed her!” despite the fact that her brothers state in canon that she’s always been this cranky. Completely disregard that. If you are going down the “full of rage” route, it is important that you make her be mean to her brothers all the time. Ignore the fact that Shego went to help her brothers then purposely lost her brothers’ powers because she couldn’t betray them. She hates her brothers, absolutely hates them - as you must repeat at least three times per chapter. Hego the most, especially. She doesn’t just hate Hego, she despises him straight from the beginning. She will have to say that Hego is bossy, Mego is selfish, and the Wegos are annoying at least twice per paragraph. Just keep her as the Shego you see in canon, it’s simple that way. You must describe her as a bitch if you go this route, though. In fact, that’s highly encouraged - especially when writing her as a mean “popular” girl. Disregard that pre-comet she is a child/teenager - and teenagers have other emotions other than rage. Even Shego. She is not allowed to cry or be upset about silly things - even though when she is a child/teen those “silly” things are actually big things to her. Ignore the psychology around it all - it is unimportant. Because Shego is the only woman in Team Go, therefore she is a bitch. Never explain why - she just is.

Wego(s):

The youngest members of Team Go, which is canon. Okay so... I don’t know if you know this, but writing the Wegos as separate characters when they get older is not allowed. They are twins, and that is their entire personality - because, remember, nuanced Team Go brothers don’t exist. In fact, don’t even give them names and refer to them as Wego One and Wego Two. You have to have them finish each other’s sentences and speak at the same time, because that’s what twins do. The way you can do this is:  “Hi...” said Wego One.  “...Shego...” finished Wego Two. Or: ”Hi Shego!” said Wego. Notice that “Wego One” and “Wego Two” are incorporated, and how when speaking simultaneously they are just referred to as “Wego”. Because the Wegos are not allowed to be different from each other. They are twins, and individuality is not allowed when writing twins. Do not, I repeat do not, give them separate storylines. Wego One and Wego Two are total cinnamon rolls, and they’re not allowed to have moments of being sassy, snippy, or mean. They are the sweetest little angels to ever walk the earth, even though little brothers can be annoying troublemakers (a la Jim and Tim). You can never have them be mean, not once. Ignore that they were probably raised by their siblings that have the teensiest bit of personality to them, which is sass and snark - as that couldn’t possibly have an influence to them whatsoever. They are naive and gullible, happy-go-lucky. 

I hope this guide helped! Don’t get me wrong, I love Team Go stories (and I even implement some of this obviously sarcastic stuff into my story) but often times I see Team Go brothers written in a purely one-dimensional way and I despise it. 

[dungeons-are-too-cold]

Criminal Minds and Their God Damn Plot Holes

Criminal minds would be a wildly different show if they ever actually tied up the loose ends of literally any single characters' backstory. I feel like their backstories remain so incredibly intangible throughout the whole show because most of them are just a mess of loose ends that get thrown in episodes when they are convenient and then completely ignored two episodes later. Thats not to say I don't love this show, I do, I just wonder about the universe where they actually care that Hotch was abused by his father, or actually explored Reid needing support for addiction, or what Gideon's relationship with his son Stephen was like, or literally like anything about Elle, etc. etc. I feel like y'all get the point lmao.

Derek is the most fully formed in terms of like backstory and consistency in my opinion. I think thats why he has the most consistent growth over his time on the show. You see how his father affected him, and how that informs the way that Morgan does his job in the FBI. His upbringing and his hometown are both crucial in the way he approaches cases and interacts with his coworkers. When he opens up about what he went through with Carl Buford, his entire demeanor and approach changes when he has kids on cases who went through what he went through. It also opens him up more to his team members, allowing him to be more vulnerable and intimate when offering and receiving help. Its cohesive and consistent. Its what all of the characters really deserved but I don't think they ever got.

Imagine how different Hotch's storyline would have been with Hayley and Jack if they continued to allow his father's abuse to inform his actions. You would have seen more introspection, more deliberation. He would have fought harder to stay in Jack's life. He could have wrestled with the thoughts of what it means to be a good father, considering he never had the best example. You never hear about Hotch's mom, what their relationship was like, what his mother and father's relationship was with each other. There is so much story potential there, especially considering how it relates to Gideon and his son and ex wife.

Imagine how different the story would have been if Gideon's story was explored with Stephen or his ex wife. Gideon has reconnecting with his son on the list of 25 things to do before he dies, like that is incredibly serious and it's the last thing he needed to cross off his list. Its insinuated that Gideon and his ex split due to his involvement with his job. Excuse me, so exactly what happened to Aaron? Maybe the situation could have opened a line of communication between Hotch and Gideon about family, what it means to be a father and still do this job properly, the way they both want to. Clearly Gideon would have ample wisdom to share, and the relationship between the two of them would have grown so much exploring how similar they are and how different their situations could turn out.

Instead, these points of their backstories are relegated to a few throwaway lines in a season one that the writers never revisit.

There were so many characters in the show, and so much plot to cover in each episode for the crimes to make sense and feel fully realized, that so much of the personal development of these characters got swept to the side in the early seasons. There was such little precedent for the way personal story lines were explored, so in the later seasons, you see an exaggeration of the personal stakes each character has in the crimes in order to explore their team dynamics and personal lives. I think that's where things started to get out of hand and devolve in many viewers eyes, especially in the last few seasons.

[silveryinkystar]

17, 18, and 19 for the book asks!

17. Top five books of the year

skdfjskj this is ABSURD to try to narrow down BUT. in no particular order:

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi This book basically unravels the mystery of how Vivek Oji died, and explores the lives of a group of queer youths in Nigeria - and the core of the story is the dual experience of wanting to "truly" express oneself while also not being out for the sake of safety, which as someone in a relatively similar situation made me want to scream because the experience is captured so WELL UGH

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste This is such EXCELLENT historical fiction - it talks about the involvement of women in the Italian invasion on Ethiopia as soldiers, spies, etc. and examines the dynamics between them on levels of station, power, allyship, etc. It's so SO SO well written and researched, I finished the entire thing in one sitting

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller I'll be honest I was putting this one off for a WHILE now and finally got to it after seeing your posts about it skfdjsk, the spirit of greek tragedies is alive and well in this one T_T

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Another one I've kind of been putting off, and haven't watched the show for - the entire book is naturally fantastic and then there's the EPILOGUE which breaks the narrative style into like an academic conference at least a century or two in the future which. HOLY SHIT

The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman This is technically a six-issue comic run but ssshhh they're good they're so good!!! Not going into this too much bc Sandman spoilers but it's basically a prequel of sorts to the first issue of the Sandman original run (which should absolutely be read before Overture btw, because Overture contains major spoilers from the final Sandman issues) which messes with such concepts of time, reality etc.. Also Dream reveals a bit of a backstory where he was damselled in a tower while a cool lady came to save him from the dangers lurking outside, which is fascinating from a meta perspective of storytelling.

18. Least favourite books of the year

Heart of Darkness by Joseph fucking Conrad. it's both tedious and fucking AWFUL and i hate that i had to read it not once but TWICE this year for two separate classes. if i have my way i'll never touch this book again in my LIFE

Also The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing. I had such high hopes for this one because the premise sounded interesting as hell but the protagonist is just awful. She's the LEAST compelling person to have written an entire epistolary novel about and her character is the flattest thing on the planet. I've gone on SEVERAL ranting sessions (and even ranted in my essay for the class I had to read it for lol) and suffice to say it's just not my thing

19. Best non-fiction book(s) you read this year

OKAY so there are a few that my professors wrote/recommended that were just incredible but those also involve giving away my location which I really don't wan't to do, but I did read A Feminist Theory of Violence by Francoise Verges and was utterly THRILLED with it!

The book talks through various salient issues (ex. racism, the prison system, sexual violence, capitalism & neoliberalism etc.) and why they don't cross each other out but actually intersect in ways that enrich conversations around these topics individually - furthermore also talks about how the sources of these institutional problems is often very much the SAME thing, meaning they're all interconnected enough that approaching one should, in fact, involve approaching these other structural problems also

Fair trigger warnings for discussion of state violence, racism, rape etc. but it's a genuinely poignant book that I highly recommend!

End of the year book asks

[cadybear420]

Definitely agreed with both of these!

I'd love to see more Emma and Sakura interactions or just Sakura in general. Honestly Sakura and Nishan are some of the few Prime characters I found not well-utilized in Choices HSS because aside from the Emma/Luis subplot, nothing important would really change if you removed them. And it's especially a shame because I do like Choices's take on Sakura- she's still very competitive and agressive, but there's a hint of "all in good fun" to it (whereas in Prime, she could get a bit over-aggressive from what I remember).

While it might have been tricky to incorporate gaming as a 4th extracurricular option, it'd definitely have been cool if they made it something you could have your MC do alongside the main extracurricular if you wanted. We could get more moments between MC or Emma with Sakura, and more moments like Emma introducing Sakura to more non-competitive video games.

I definitely always found it neat that Mia and Skye are both sapphics who are ashamed of an older brother that goes to Hearst. I like to imagine that Mia, Sydney, and Katherine would quickly take Skye under their wing. Sydney makes goth outfits for Skye, Mia and Skye have the best understanding of each other, Katherine and Skye bond over goth/emo type stuff.

Some more friendships we should have seen more of:

Caleb and Ezra: I liked ChoicesHSS!Ezra but we did not get enough sibling moments between him and Caleb. Especially considering, IIRC Ezra was also betrayed/manipulated by a former girlfriend in Prime (that one quest where the group forms a band, they meet Ezra for the first time, that drama with Jack Carver and Lena).

Though earlier today I did see screenshots of this one moment in Caleb's romance route where Ezra was all like "You're such a good boyfriend/girlfriend to my bro. You better keep being good or else there's gonna be trouble" which I really liked. But still, there aren't a lot of brother moments for them. One of the few things OG HSS was definitely lacking in was family dynamics.

Emma and Ajay is also a pair I like. HSS:CA book 2 where Emma is hosting this discussion group for kids with divorced/divorcing parents is probably like... one out of two times that an OG HSS character wasn't useless in HSS:CA. I kinda wanna explore that a bit more.

Aiden and Ajay. They're the LIs I had my MCs romance. And they refer to themselves as renaissance men when they pair up in the go karting premium scene. Naturally I wanna see more of that.

Michael and Skye. Two rebellious techies who also have close familiarity with Brian. I actually have this backstory for Michael where he was in a similar situation to Skye's (specifically, a conservative verbally/emotionally abusive father who gave him conditional love). In my WIP rewrite of HSS:CA, Michael does tech work with Skye and he sort of takes on a big brother role for her that Brian didn't.

Aiden and Skye. The other moment in HSS:CA where an OG character wasn't useless was, although it was very brief, was when they team up put together a music trailer for that scholarship at the last minute. Something about these two just seems right. Also, goth-edition cunt era outfits for Aiden.

Honorable mentions: Maria and Ajay, Caleb and Skye, Caleb and Twin.

Some underrated friendships of OG: HSS and HSS:CA that I want to mention

1. Sakura and Emma

If we take the diamond scene in bk 1 to get Emma and Luis together, Sakura is really impressed by Emma's skill and invites her to be a part of Team Tigers. And in book 2, at Payton's party, we can see that Emma hooks Sakura onto The Limbs computer game. I wished we could have seen more of their friendship throughout the series.

2. Mia and Skye

I know it sounds more farfetched, but Mia and Skye can both relate to having shitty brothers, as seen in their conversation during the homecoming dance in CA bk 1. Just felt that this also an underrated friendship to point out

Tagging @cadybear420 @somerandomjewelleryonthefloor and other HSS fans who think I can add something else.

[newmoonjuno]

Is it probably bad to think of another potential WIP and talk about it? Maybe, but hey! I am doing it anyway. In another example of, "the characters came first, what will their plot be later". So let me talk and lemme here your thoughts!

We're calling this one "Right Where You Left Me" because that is actually a very core song.

So, meet the two characters who kind of sit at the forefront!

The black haired gal is Dolores Menendez, or Doll for short. The orange hair girl is Cressida Hawthorne, who goes by Crest.

Doll has a sense of justice to her; though part of it is in her fear of being forgotten. Crest is meant to be to kind of cold yet eccentric vibe to her, her mind absorbed in weaving stories and ideas.

In their original story (and this is when they were apart of a fandom), they both grew up as child stars and went through a similar trauma by the same person. Doll had to leave her work, while Crest continues to be a star.

So what was their relationship like? I had it a few ways.

The focus is kind of of Dolores' perspective; she felt drawn to Crest because of their experiences and thought of her and tried to be a supportive friend - almost to the point that it's very likely she had a crush on her at the same time.

When it comes to Crest, my mind always leans to the relationship between one-sided and she kept Doll around because she liked that Doll doted on her. Doll leaving certainly was an eye-opener for her, and she was upset about it. Whether she regrets it and misses Doll's company or detests her and likes to mess with her- it's hard to say.

A lot of my ideas were centered on the idea of Doll feeling frozen in time, the world moving around her and the kind of lonliness it brings. Doll realizing she idealized Crest as well was a fun topic to explore versus them ever having an actual romantic relationship.

I pulled them out the fandom they were so I'm kind of wondering how I want to write them. I might rewrite the backstories a little but keep some of the same beats.

I have either mentioned it here or told at least one or two people of a superhero WIP - this was the original setup. Dolores was leaving her old acting career to join her city's superhero team; Crest meanwhile ends up associating with villains and kind of leaned towards not liking Doll much anymore (and since I kind of treated this as a potential trilogy, Crest would have tried to do better and despite Doll realizing how Crest treated was messed up and not forgiving her, she still tried to be good. Doll would have invisibility based powers if I remember, and she called herself Memento (and she had a future girlfriend). Crest had more illusionary powers.

(This one I know is the strongest in terms of premise ideas, but I'm not confident enough at the same time to make the psychic powers from Halos and Poppies WIP and the superpower heroes here different feeling enough and I don't want to feel like I'm stale, if that makes sense.)

Taking the dynamic of their relationship and carrying alot of the same beats, perhaps have a lot of fairy tale motifs going on? Kind of meant to explore the girls a lot more as a whole, and carries the gravitas of Crest not being good for Doll and Doll overcoming her stuff.

Something magicky? Perhaps a magic school or something? This is kind of the weakest idea, but part of me can imagine them as like having them to be rivals too? Perhaps mix up the fairy tale stuff in the mix as well?

--

Picrews Used:

[bunkernine]

Do you have more to say about your seven of the prophecy in your recent post? Like dynamics between each member?

yeah sure let's go!!!!!! so the seven is: drew, travis, malcolm, clovis, dakota, gwen, lavinia

they're an older group, leaning on that 17/18 age. they're just chilling most of the time, any time they argue it's over dumb things getting blown out of proportion because of drama queens drew and dakota 🙄

anyway this is how it goes:

drew: she mostly thinks about the war she was in and how she's being thrown in another when all she wants to do is just go to school and bitch. she and the rest of the chb kids have been going to camp together for years, so she's familiar with them but isnt really that close. malcolm is apart of her friend group tho and they just whine and snark everyone together. she hates dakota's attitude and respects gwen

travis: he was supposed to be going to college, but after years at being in chb, he found it very hard to adjust. most of his arc is trying to figure out that he needs to grow up, but also he's struggling without his brother. i think siblings in pjo should've been explored more, and the stolls are excellent cause they're so tied together and share both parents. so that separation after years is a huge impact... also he did grow up with luke, so that must be explored too!!!! knowing luke vs drew's knowing silena is very touchy and causes a lot of internal/external anger between those two

malcolm: my dude doesn't even care about athena, he thinks annabeth should've been here instead, and he just thought everyone would die in 5 minutes. that said, he's building more physical skills and just growing more confident. despite him and drew bitching together, they still butt heads a bunch. people tend to think he's serious but he just has an annoyed looking face and he's used to navigating the hectic-ness of the athena cabin by ignoring it

clovis: idk i think he def has the potential to be one of the most powerful characters, hypnos is so sick. his cabin is the ones who's been communicating with the romans via dreams to bring them together. after that he didn't care but his cabin pushed him into the prophecy and so he sighed and went. pretty okay guy, but pisses off people when he wanders into their dreams. his apathy actually makes them dislike him more, but one-on-one he gives vry good advice

dakota: literally always just trying to have fun, camp jupiter is so bad that this world-ending quest is the biggest vacation for him LMAOOO. he feels a bit free but his too lax attitude can be both good and bad. he and gwen hook up all the time 🙄 they're so obvious it's embarassing. but like ultimately, he has so much baggage from cj that he just doesn't know how to handle it. gets along fairly well with everyone

gwen: similar to dakota. both were supposed to go to college this year too, like travis, but to new rome. she literally said "i am NOT missing a semester' and brought all her work with her, but then travis used it in a prank so now she just bickers with him and keeps referencing it. she and lavinia get along very well, but she doesn't like drew or malcolm much. she's the most hesitant about this quest. i toyed with her having like, villain backstory or family. there's no reason, i just think it's funny

lavinia: she's the newest demigod around, and shes always running away to flirt with her gf on iris message or sending messages via the trees. being jewish seems like a big part of her character as well so seeing how that intertwines with being a demigod is interesting. drew is picky about her hair and always shows up with colors to redye. other than that, she and travis gets along well and she finds clovis funny because he helps her talk to poison oak. malcolm bores her, and gwen babies her. dakota is a bad influence

actually it's kinda interesting cause i just chose side characters who amuse me, but like almost all of them were in leader positions when they didn't want to be. they've all experienced the war from different viewpoints except for lavinia, and that most impacts them despite them pretending it doesn't. dakota acts like he's chill but he essentially has military training behind him and it comes out at bad times. i think for the most part they just bicker or mess around, but there are moments when they need to make a serious decision and they're too stubborn and pissed off to treat each other nicely.

ultimately what they have is that the seven do not, is history and deep knowledge of their world. drew knows travis is weird and has been victim to his nonsense before, but also she hasn't seen him operate alone. that kind of thing. they all could have memories from way back, and that sort of thing matters