#I also like how they interact with their fans quite often from what it seems

[tariah23]

I really do like that the mangaka for WHA, uses their platform all of the time to speak up on important things, too. Like, they could get dropped from whatever company they publish under at any given point but I’ve seen them speak up about the genocide repeatedly already and it’s just. Yeah, man.

[please-read-the-manga]

Hm, been contemplating these panels lately and thinking about which character is constantly demonized within the fandom/fan works involving them and which is frequently viewed as the ultimate loving and moral person...

And:

One is a man bearing the supposed 'Curse of Hatred' who loves his children so much that he is continuing to parent and offer unconditional love to his son even after said son has already participated in the brutal state-sanctioned genocide of their people/culture and is about to end his (and his wife's - who, btw, is on the same page as him) life.

The other is a man from the supposed 'Clan of Love' who boldly holds the conviction that he would cease his compassion towards even his own child if they stood against him and his dream (the village), regardless of the fact his dream (the village) is a corruptible entity that does not maintain personhood.

Interestingly, I think there is something to be said for the fact both Fugaku and Hashirama are also shown struggling to understand Itachi and Madara (respectively).

Fugaku is actually quite honest regarding his issues in relating to Itachi and while we're not always privy to all the conversations they've had about the state of the clan/sentiment of the Leaf village towards their people, it's clear that those discussions have been had. While the panels where we do see more explicit conversations taking place show Fugaku reiterating to Itachi that his role in ANBU is to serve as a pipeline between the clan/village (which could be argued as an unfair burden foisted onto a child, in my opinion) there are also moments that indicate Fugaku is willing to defer to Itachi (at least on some topics) when his son offers a contradictory viewpoint (like attendance at Sasuke's entrance ceremony, for example).

Side note... this also reminds me of the very short (unfortunately) interactions we see between Madara and his father, Tajima. Tajima clearly respects his son as well and defers to him when Madara insists that they not fight Hashirama and his family on the river - Tajima accepts this from his son without pause.

Alternatively, we also see Madara trying to explain his perspective to a skeptical Hashirama before he commits to taking more drastic actions. Madara is trying to articulate his frustrations with what is happening in the village/how it is progressing with regards to his clan and (even though we never really get Madara's own unfiltered perspective on this time period) we are shown instances of Madara's grievances holding water (ie. Tobirama advocating for Madara not to be made Hokage, but instead pushing randomly for a democratic system that never seems to actually be cemented or made precedent within the village afterwards but absolutely benefits Hashirama/the Senju in the short-run, Madara 'overhearing' Tobirama's continued bias against the Uchiha in private conversations between the brothers, Hashirama continuing to scold his brother -someone who had ample power within the system of governance since its inception- for his bias against the clan even when they're brought back via the edo tensei, etc). Hashirama tries to (weakly, in my opinion) defend the village status quo/way it is progressing and seems to want to better understand Madara, but isn't willing or is unable to go that extra mile for his friend - and, perhaps in some ways, Madara too was unwilling/unable to articulate himself in a more digestible way once their divergence of opinion on their shared village came to this new crux.

Ultimately, I just find it interesting that Fugaku, this character who is often portrayed by fans as a demon of hatred and cruelty, would (in reality) stand by his son even in his darkest hour, even as he is unjustly slaughtering their family, and continue to reaffirm that he is proud of Itachi/loves him - and this is directly counter to Hashirama who asserts he would absolutely kill anyone (including a child) that stood between him protecting that which he loves the most (the village).

And, of course, we also have this to chew on lol...

Sasuke explaining to edo Hashirama that Itachi inherited his 'Will of Fire' jingoism.

Mandatory disclaimer that Fugaku is not infallible and all the characters here (but Fugaku and Hashirama in particular) are their own people/the circumstances do vary (especially as one relationship is framed in the context of father-son and the other as two friends/peers)... I should also note that I still enjoy Hashirama as a character, I just think his flaws are often under-examined and that the hypocrisy inherent to the 'Will of Fire' philosophy/the Leaf Village (and by extension the shinobi world) is equally neglected especially when it comes to this fandom's love of tearing down the Uchiha to their worst traits/moments. But, man, something about these two panels and character portrayals in particular have just been eating at me the past few days, so I figured I'd try to work out some thoughts on them.

[yanderes-galore]

Bartolomeo with Straw Hat Darling concept please!

I wish you luck....

Yandere! Bartolomeo with Straw Hat! Darling

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Clingy behavior, Secret pictures, Worship yandere, Possessive behavior, Violence, Murder, Blood, Delusional behavior, Forced relationship.

Oof... He is probably one of the biggest handfuls there is when it comes to yanderes.

Especially if you're a Straw Hat.

You see, Bartolomeo is probably the biggest Straw Hat fan there is....

He's a huge fan of Luffy and has a shrine dedicated to the Straw Hat crew.

You heard me, a shrine.

Safe to say he's already a bit of a creep in canon....

Bartolomeo is very indifferent to others opinions... except the Straw Hats.

You see, I feel his obsession would be similar to what he has with Luffy.

Except while he sees Luffy like an idol and captain, he sees you in a more intense way.

Bartolomeo practically worships all of the Straw Hats...

You're the only one he fantasized about in the romantic way.

Unfortunately....

Bartolomeo could go for hours praising Luffy to other people.

But with you he often thinks of what it would be like to date you and be attached to the Straw Hats in that way.

You, of course, do not reciprocate in the slightest.

To you, like most of the Straw Hats, he's a rabid fan.

It's scary how possessive and violent he gets about you.

Whenever the crew has to interact with him, you try so hard to hide away.

People like Luffy can handle it, but he comes off so strong with you.

You'd need to have someone like Sanji help you evade him or something, maybe even Luffy.

You have no doubt seen the separate shrine he dedicated to you.

It has your wanted poster in the middle with roses and... was that hair?

There's probably other disgusting substances there, let's be honest, Bartolomeo is just like that.

You have never left so fast when you saw that.

Bartolomeo is incredibly delusional too.

He'd probably believe you two are already dating.

It would suck if he preached that everywhere, people giving you weird looks as you desperately try to say you aren't involved with him.

Even if you told Bartolomeo that you aren't together, He'd try to ask you out.

He sees you as an idol, his idol!

No one else gets to have his idol like he does.

It's worse if you're dating someone in the Straw Hats, or just in general.

He wouldn't write letters or anything like Cavendish might, no, he'd probably give you really weird gifts and fan mail.

It's even worse if it's something... scandalous?

Remember YouTuber unboxing videos?

About as unhinged as those at times.

If he was able to be near you, the man would be clingy.

Which is why he isn't allowed near you.

Bartolomeo would probably also make a big deal of 'defending your honor'.

If someone mocked you, he's going to splatter them.

In canon he quite literally cut the tongue off someone for bad mouthing Luffy.

Since he practically views you as his partner for him to worship... He'd probably proudly tell you he gutted someone for you.

He definitely stalks you, often plotting new ways to 'prove his love' to you.

It wouldn't be surprising if he ran up to you covered in blood, would it?

Bartolomeo would say he wants to be your protector.

His Devil Fruit uses barriers, so he often tries to be your shield in battle.

While that's useful... His obsession for you is difficult to ignore.

Bartolomeo would want your autograph, pictures, jewelry, clothes, you name it he wants it from you.

If you were dating someone who wasn't a Straw Hat, he might just kill them if he found out about it.

If they were a Straw Hat.... He probably asks to share.

Which no doubt upsets your partner.

He's such a feral man with no care for his actions.

He's indecent and destructive, only seeming to obey you when he wants your approval.

You always hope you won't have to speak with him or the Luffy fanclub he has as a crew again...

But he always manages to prove you wrong.

I imagine he wouldn't kidnap you... yet I can also see it happening.

At the very least I see him cornering you on an island and begging you to date him.

He's blushing and acting shy at times around you, fidgeting as he watches you.

He acts so innocent... Like he isn't a crazed stalker following your every move.

Although, while I imagine he tries to be behaved for Luffy...

I can also see him kidnapping to spend more time with you.

Like maybe not forever... but for 'surprise dates' with him so he can admire you.

He's completely deranged yet infatuated... a crazed fan for sure.

The worst part is you probably can't get rid of him....

He's an important and loyal asset to the crew and your captain.

Hopefully you can put up with him....

Yet, by the time he starts kidnapping you, clinging to you, telling everyone you're dating...

You aren't sure how much more you can handle...

You're terrified it will get worse, which... when it comes to Bartolomeo...

It most likely will.

[riddles-n-games]

Hey guys, I've been seeing another rift going on in the fandom regarding TGG and TIG characters, so I've decided to make a statement that can hopefully make things more cohesive.

I understand that not everyone likes the new spin-off and honestly, I'm considering just stopping after GU. Personally, I don't have anything against the characters of TGG but my problem is that they sound too much like our old mains. However, that's not their fault. It's the author's. There's nothing wrong with JLB wanting to expand the TIG universe but it is problematic when you are repeating the same character arcs of the old characters that are also present and interacting with these new mains. The problem that we face is the fact while even in The Naturals there are similar characters, they are divided by different series. However, that is not going on here with TIG and TGG. TGG is a continuation of TIG and our TIG characters are still present. Heck, one of our old mains is a player and a love interest here to one of the new mains. And therein lies the issue. When you have a connected series, it's important to have distinguished characters with different voices, not carbon copies.

What I expected for TGG characters was that she would move from the character tropes we've seen already in the series and come up with new ones. I mean, come on, she's a psychology major, we bring that up so often but what's the point when she keeps going in circles and never brings up anything new? I pointed a lot of this out pre-read because I already correctly guessed where this was going within just a few pages of reveal. Don't get me wrong, if she wanted to, she could do it but it doesn't feel like she has new plans or plots. Be honest with yourselves and don't just praise because she's your favorite author. You can be a reader, a fan, and a respectful critic all at the same time. Don't lower your expectations just because they can't deliver every time.

The trouble is that when you go back to TFG, in the acknowledgments, she herself wrote she wasn't sure there was going to be a third book. And now look, suddenly two books were announced a month or two after she released the last book of the trilogy which introduced our mains and not the most fashionably. I do believe she had ideas but I don't think they were the best fleshed out. You have to realize that just reading TGG, how many of you recognized the obvious plots, the romantic subplots, the character arcs, and even the semi-hidden plots just getting to the halfway point? And how many of you said, hey, wait a minute, we've had this plotline before? You did, didn't you? I want to give Jennifer the benefit of the doubt but I truly think she is in over her head because I don't believe she quite thought that this is how long the series would go.

In fact, I think that she is making more trouble for herself in trying multi POV for this new series when really I think it should have just been Gray taking over. It would have allowed us to see how he's grown especially after the heartache and mental health issues he's had to go through to get here. It felt like the obvious next step, even the summary for TGG made it sound like that. However, the only thing that seems new to me is the hypersexual atmosphere which also makes no sense to me because teens may go through attraction but that doesn't mean they're horny all the time and anyone who's gone through puberty can attest to that. So I ask again, like one reviewer on Goodreads put, were the romantic moments in the room with us? 12 hours is not love or romance, it's lust, that's it. Couldn't summarize it clearer. If she wanted to make it better, it could have been that she made the book stretch over a series of weeks which is why I wonder what the heck will happen to any character development if this book series is done in like 3 days?

As I said, a lot of things feel very repetitive, the plot, word choice, thought processes, quotes and sayings, etc. We are in a loop. She's in a loop. I think that the best thing JLB could have done is leave TIG alone for a few years after TFG, make a new series or whatever works outside this series she wanted to, give herself time to truly see if she has new stories to tell for TIG by writing a spin-off and then come back to give us that content. Because it's really telling how forced things have been in the last two books, even here with GU and I really think this empire is toppling. As they say, quality over quantity and thoughtful than full of thoughts that are just a variation of one another. That's what makes me think more and more she should have left it at TFG.

Thank you for reading and I hope this gives a new perspective that can help you see some things more clearly.

[midnightcatharsis]

Astarion haters are usually pathetic liars and the worst part of bg3 fandom. Here is a prime example of an absolutely pathetic individual (screen and context below, btw the first screens don't look that bad but the last one is important here and sheds a different light on them) : They go under every Astarion-related video and hate on him and his fans. They also almost always lie. They're the ones who said "AsTaRiOn DiSaProVes oF sAvInG thE GnOmEs at MoOnRiSe" and "AsTariON oNlY apPRoves oF sAviNg the HyEna and the OwlBeaR because he wants to eat them" I've debunked it with information from the game and wiki, but they continue to say that. You can find my post here. The same individual some time ago went under another Astarion video and made a comment hating on the entire Astarion fandom in a comment that at first glance can look innocent to neutral fans. They were enraged that some Astarion fans disliked people who purposefully downloaded a mod that allows you to put a collar on an escaped slave and makes him crawl. Of course, they failed to give any actual proof or link and expected everyone to blindly believe them which would be very unreasonable since I've already proven they often lie (the entire gnomes at moonrise situation I've mentioned) but they target neutral people in hope of deceiving them. Anyway here's the comment:

While there's no evidence and the only proof is "trust me bro", the comment itself doesn't look that bad, right? After being told that playing slave-owner simulator and purposefully putting a collar on an escaped slave to "make him crawl" is bad and people pointing that out were not wrong they went on to explain that the mystery "streamer didn't know and has only been playing for 6 hours"

Hmnn… They once again failed to provide ANY evidence. Which I wonder why? They seem to know the story and the streamer quite well, so why not even tell who the streamer was so people can check for themselves what he did, with what intentions and what was the real answer of Astarion fans? Perhaps the "evil Astarion fans" were just people telling him that playing the slave-owner simulator was disgusting. The story and justification itself sound extremely implausible. Why would the mystery streamer who had never played bg3 before, never had heard about it, and had not known the story before specifically look for and download a mod just to make one specific character (an escape, traumatized slave) into his own slave… Something doesn't seem right in their story. They explicitly stated that "the streamer " had only played 6 hours and hadn't been caring or paying attention to the story at all. Yet only after merely 6 hours, he searched for that particular mod to use it specifically on Astarion? I've played the game, and I've watched numerous playthroughs on twitch and youtube. Character creator alone takes almost 1 hour on your first time and the nautiloid tutorial takes another one. It leaves barely 4 hours of the game… Most people, even experienced gamers with gaming channels, are still learning basic mechanisms and are experimenting with them after 4 hours. They're exploring the vastness of the bg3 world and trying to grasp the story. You don't get a lot of companion interactions during the first few hours, and even Astarion's bite scene doesn't usually happen that early. After 4 hours of gameplay most gamers I've watched (and I, myself) were still getting around long/short rest mechanics and trying to learn how combat works… Most people try to understand how the main game works and what it has to offer before getting mods. And you're telling me this streamer who didn't care and didn't pay attention went out of his way to download such a specific mod for Astarion?? It sounds like a bad lie to me. Nobody can check it or verify it without a source, but the comment may sound innocuous on its own. Almost immediately in the same thread, another account started backing them up

Again, it looks harmless, right? Neutral fans and even some Astarion fans may think it's a valid opinion as everybody can dislike different characters.

Imagine my surprise or rather lack of it when I found THE SAME two usernames under another Astarion video talking about how they enjoy putting a collar on Astarion, making him crawl, torturing him and helping Cazador:

And they claim Astarion fans are the toxic ones XDD

There are several messed up things here:

Notice how they talk about enjoying torturing him and playing slave-owner simulator months after making comments defending the "streamer" on the basis that "the streamer didn't know about enslavement". Well, they surely know about Astarion's past and story because they both acknowledge it in their previous comments yet they both are proud of torturing a slave.

They think they're good for doing that

The sheer f* hypocrisy and audacity to say that they're bullied by "toxic fans" when people point out that messed up behavior

The dates. The "newer" comments were made under a video from several months ago, and the original comment had only a few likes and was one of the last ones under the video. You have to scroll a lot to see it. The fact that there is only one hour pause between them is strange. Additionally, the older comments made by those "two" accounts were also made back-to-back. Both are under the same comment/video, in both cases the original comment is not that easy to find because it's either hidden in replies or you really have to scroll the comments to see it, both made in the same very short period under a much older video/thread, both backing each other up and making THE SAME bs points. Interesting… very interesting indeed. XD

I have a strong suspicion that the "mystery streamer" was the second account (if the streamer wasn't made up) and I am practically certain those two accounts are the same individual. Which makes them one of the most pathetic characters I've ever met. They do similar things under other Astarion videos and comments too - purposefully lying making bs takes, and doubling down on it.

I'm too lazy to search or cite all of the bs I've seen them spew and I'm sure there's much more of it under different Astarion content but here are some examples that I find the most ridiculous:

Astarion doesn't approve of saving gnomes at Moonrise (proven to be a lie)

Astarion only approves of saving the hyena and the owlbear because he wants to eat them. (XD)

Astarion admits that he's evil in his good hero epilogue because he answers that he "embraced the darkness" when asked whether he misses walking in the sun

Astarion is evil because he disapproves if you forbid him from drinking animal blood (Don't tell them that other characters eat meat too, that meat is made of dead animals or Karlach knows how a dwarf tastes)

Playing the slave owner simulator is ok. (When said mod was compared to mods of Male Aylin or the mod whitewashing Wyll they said, playing with those mods is ok too)

Having nightmares is not a symptom of PTSD, and having nightmares of your abuser enslaving you again is also definitely not that. When asked to do some basic research they said they don't care what Wikipedia or the Internet says

The wiki and mods are lying and shouldn't be believed, only they're telling the truth and should be blindly believed

They also tried to decanonize the official in-game narrator lines and said origin runs are and events in them are not canon and don't offer companions' perspective. (Like they're arguing that Astarion nightmare doesn't happen despite it being in the game because their character can't see it XDD)

And many many others I don't even have energy to describe. How pathetic do you have to be to create numerous alternative accounts to go under all Astarion videos or threads and lie about fictional characters? They most surely have other fake accounts too. Do you know what's even funnier? They claim "they're not an Astarion hater" to convince neutral fans to believe them blindly. Yes, sure "they are not a hater". They just think Astarion is a disgusting evil monster who deserves to die and they brag about enjoying using slave collars on him and making him crawl. XDDD

I think it would be difficult to find a more hateful, dishonest, contemptible, and foul individual.

P.S. If you ever see a comment where somebody claims they're not an Astarion hater but then lies or tries to spread misinformation about him don't let them deceive you. It's their tactics. Please don't believe them or check every piece of information for yourself. Later, they go and brag about killing him, making him a slave as this individual here. Part 3

[thedrunkenreadersreviews]

Regarding Alastor's Hallway Scene in Episode 5 of "Hazbin Hotel"

Good day, folks! As sweet Mimzy said, "...pour a few fingers of rye and he turns into a kitten" so let's do that. Let me set up my Redemption, and let's get into this.

*Sip, sip*

Now, this is quite an interesting thing; the phenomenon of the reactions I have been seeing particularly regarding Alastor in episode 5 of Hazbin Hotel has been ... curiouser and curiouser.

*Sip, sip*

The big question that I think we should be asking after this episode is who Alastor is leashed to---but there seems to be something else on people's minds and that is the interaction Alastor had with Husk in the hallway of the hotel. I mean, every great character needs an epic hallway scene. For Star Wars it was Vader and Luke. For Hazbin, it is Alastor. Let's explore this.

*Sip, sip*

As a society, feasting on entertainment, whether it be through books or films or a series, fans often say that they enjoy the "villain" or "morally grey" character as opposed to those who are set on their compass of goodness. I find this to be a lie that we often tell ourselves and believe completely.

Sure, we find them more entertaining and thus we favor them, but then we try to find excuses for their behavior, make it a despicable act that is done for righteous reasons. Or because we desire to see someone who is tremendously struggling or has a rather horrid reputation overcome this and prove to be a fantastic character underneath all the layers of darkness. We don't like them because they are bad. We may pity them for they often have the most tragic backstories, or we see the potential of their goodness. But we like them because we believe that everyone in their universe has the wrong perspective of their wickedness while we, outsiders looking in, see the potential of their heroics. What they can do despite everything.

That is not liking a character because they are the villain. That is liking a character because of why they are the villain and how they can overcome it.

A few examples:

Rhysand dressing Feyre up like a whore and tattooing her without her consent: well, he was doing that to protect her and help her.

Darth Vader: Mass murderer and second in command of an empire built on absolute control; but he fulfilled the prophecy of the Chosen One and had originally fallen because he wanted to save the love of his life and his unborn children.

Loki: Yeah, he slaughtered 80 people in 2 days, attacked NYC with an alien army killing hundreds if not thousands in the process, and committed genocide prior to that, BUT that's because he was severely broken and now he sits all alone at the end of time, saving an infinite amount of people.

Granted, I love 2/3 of those characters because of the reasons provided. But also because in their prime they were WICKED!

*Sip, sip*

Now let's look at Alastor.

Alastor, the Radio Demon, and one of the most feared overlords of Hell ... threatened one of the souls he owns. And now, I see people comparing him to Val or saying they hated him at that moment or now have a poor taste for him in their mouths. But ... this is exactly what you asked for from him.

*Sip, sip*

Val, who ACTIVELY tortures Angel Dust, is being used as the comparison for Alastor because he THREATENED and scared Husk after Husk stepped over the line.

*Sip, sip*

Alastor, when alive, was a serial killer. Alastor in Hell captured overlords, tortured them, broadcasted the torture throughout Hell, and became one of the most feared overlords.

He didn't do that by being "nice" or "charming." He did that by being vile and not for a greater good. He did it because, as far as we know, he wanted power. And, damn, he got it.

Demons KNOW to be afraid of Alastor. Granted, his reputation may have faltered because he has been away for 7 years but before his departure and even upon his return, for the most part, demons avoid Alastor as though he were death incarnate.

*Sip, sip*

Now, let's examine him in episode 5. Only the scene that is getting the most traction; I'll talk about Alastor and Lucifer in another post. But let's look at this scene:

Alastor and Husk in the hallway.

*Sip, sip*

Let me put some quotes here real quick:

From the Pilot:

Husk to Alastor: "Don't you [Alastor, the owner of my soul] 'Husker' me, you son of a bitch!"

Husk to Alastor: "Are you [Alastor, the owner of my soul] shitting me?"

Husk to Alastor: "You [Alastor, owner of my soul whom I have just shoved off of me] think it must be some big fucking riot just to pull me out of nowhere? You think I'm some kind of fucking clown? [even though I am contractually obligated to obey your summons]"

Husk to Alastor: "I [the one contracted to serve you and obey your commands] ain't doing no fucking charity job [even though you told me by your order that I have to]."

Alastor to Husk: "Don't worry my friend [you, who sold your soul to me so that you could keep your power because you almost gambled it all away], I can make this more welcoming [providing you with something that you enjoy even though you are contractually obligated to obey my commands without payment/reward], if you wish."

From episode 5:

Alastor to Husk: "It's nothing I can't handle, don't worry, Husker. [Proceeds to walk away, leaving the conversation] Who in their right mind would cross me? [Continues to walk away, posing the question as rhetorical and not requiring an answer]."

Husk to Alastor: "... You've been gone a while. And it's not like anybody knows why---"

Alastor to Husk: "They don't need to know. [And it does not need to be discussed further, so leave it alone.] And don't you worry your fuzzy head about it. [Drop it. Drop it now. Don't pick it up]"

Husk to Alastor: "You may own my soul, but I ain't your fucking pet!"

[Personally, I think Val would have instantly backhanded AD for that alone.]

Alastor to Husk: "Hmhm. But you are [So stop talking, just let it go, I'm letting a lot slide here]."

Husk to Alastor [the owner of his soul, who has slaughtered overlords of Hell]: "Big talk for someone who is also on a leash."

Alastor to Husk: "Aha. What did you say? [Now you have tested my patience too much!]"

*Sip, sip*

In the pilot, Husk openly and without fear insults and cusses at Alastor. And what does Alastor, the owner of his soul, do? He lets it slide.

In the one scene between them in the hallway, Alastor essentially still does nothing even though it is evident that Husk struck a nerve. At least twice over in this scene alone, Alastor gives subtle hints to Husk that it is best he just stops. And it is not like he even dismisses Husk's worries about Mimzy or even his absence. It's more along the lines of, "Oh, I know she is in trouble and came here for me to clean up her mess, but I am a bit occupied at the moment dealing with the actual King of Hell, so I'll get to it when I get to it. Just keep her busy for now." And in regards to his absence, he makes it abundantly clear that Husk is better off just not mentioning anything about it. He cuts Husk off, and essentially says, "Look, just keep quiet about it. It's no one's business but mine and I'm fine, I can handle it, so let's just leave it alone."

All the talk people say of Alastor having a big ego, oh undoubtedly, but it makes sense why Husk is in pride in this one scene alone. Alastor tells him "let it go," and moves to walk away from the conversation.

But Husk pushes. And pushes. And on that final shove, I think Husk even knows before Alastor got mad that he went TOO far.

*Sip, sip*

And Alastor still, for the most part, does nothing.

He reminds Husker that he owns his soul, pulls on the chain just to knock Husker off-kilter, and then, rather demonically, tells Husk to not EVER mention the fact that he is leashed again. Honestly, with what Alastor COULD do to Husk ... that was letting him off SUPER easy. Like, Husk should be kissing his feet that that threat was the only punishment he received for that comment.

Val? Forget it. AD would probably be filming for 3 days straight. Alastor doesn't even touch Husk.

This move is also a sense of security for Alastor, I think. Husk probably thought this was just another comment that would result in Alastor just ignoring it. But it takes Alastor by surprise and destroys his comfort. He loses himself in a fit of fury and pulls on Husk's leash to remind both Husk and himself, "Yeah, I might be leashed but I still own YOUR soul, Husk! So do not test me!"

*sip, sip*

So, yeah, Husk gets scared, as he should. Alastor is terrifying.

Should this lessen our opinion of Alastor as it seems to have done with so many fans?

No. Absolutely not. If anything, this scene provides balance to that paradox I supplied earlier; how we like the evil characters because of the good they could do but we should also like them because they are evil and should be expected to do evil things.

Alastor IS evil. He owns Husk's soul.

And yet, this evil overlord allows Husk to get away with soooo much. And when Husk oversteps, as he absolutely did, to not even be smacked by Alastor speaks volumes of Alastor's opinion of Husk.

*Sip, sip*

Here is my speculation:

Husk obviously knows more about Alastor than most. But Alastor owns hundreds if not thousands of souls. Husk is someone he calls on often, obviously. Husk knows Alastor is leashed. Faustisse, a former employee of Spindle Horse, and one of the original teammates beside Viv for the Hazbin project said that Alastor regards Husk as one of his closest friends. Perhaps not friend, but maybe one of his closest confidants. Why else would Husk know that Alastor is leashed? Granted, we cannot tell from the dialogue if Husk knows where Alastor was for 7 years or even if he knows who Alastor is leashed to. To some extent, though, Alastor must trust Husk.

In this scene, Husk violates that trust. He deserved to be threatened, reminded, and terrified. I adore Husk. He is one of my favorite characters and when I saw the hallway scene, I thought Husk deserved way worse than what he got.

And Alastor still takes what Husk had to say about Mimzy into consideration. He still tells Mimzy, a friend he has had since he was alive, that she needs to leave.

*sip, sip*

Yes, Alastor is evil. And it is soooooo good to see him BE evil. And not for a good cause but just because someone got under his skin. He owns Husk and he lets Husk off very easy. So to see him lose his temper and not even physically hurt Husk allows the nugget of possible, minuscule glimmer of somewhat kindness to linger.

I loved the hallway scene. It did a fantastic job of showing us what Alastor COULD be if he really wanted to, why you shouldn't mess with him, and how he elicits fear.

Val lords over his souls through physical abuse. Alastor does it mentally when called for. They are two totally different overlords with really no comparison to be made between them save for this: they are both evil.

*Sip, sip*

Alastor ate in episode 5 and left no crumbs. He remains, quite possibly, the most interesting character in the show. I cannot wait to discover more of him and watch him be absolutely wicked towards others.

Cheers to you, Radio Demon. If I were in Hell and had to be leashed to anyone, I would want to be leashed to you.

*Sip, sip*

[asarigg]

Inside the Character's Mind: Part 3

AOBA'S JEALOUSY

To be honest, I find it difficult to decide in what order to look at the different scenes in their lives. I don’t know whether to do it chronologically, thematically, or as they appear in the game, and that’s without having in mind that I lose track of what I write easily.

Before continuing, I would like to comment on one aspect that never convinced me about how NC wrote this character, as I mentioned with other aspects above. It is probably what I like the least, I think it is very poorly used and lays a questionable foundation for the character that in my opinion does not do him justice.

The first thing we see of him is him throwing one of his client’s boyfriend to the ground for causing trouble, and a bunch of women wetting their panties around him. Again, I don’t mean to get into the sexism issue right now, but it’s inevitable to mention it. Having a fan club isn’t a bad idea, but of course the only thing they could ever do was to make a bunch of annoying, yelling, toxic and childish women behaving like they’re 15 and had never spoken to a man before. They’ve worked on it in the most superficial and stereotypical way possible that the only thing it leads to is discomfort and rejection of the idea of meeting him again. And the worst thing is that it’s not just you, it’s also Aoba, so they don’t help much. Luckily it doesn’t last too long.

Obviously you can’t just lay it all out right from the start, it’s normal that you’re shown the most superficial side and as you progress you get to know him in depth, like everyone else. But it’s extremely superficial. I personally wouldn’t change that much, and maybe my biggest problem (besides the representation of women) might be just a translation problem, but hey, I work with what I have. They’re just a few small details that make it seem like a textbook white knight copy and paste. If his relationship with women was just as superficial, maybe it wouldn’t be so disappointing, but the thing is that it isn’t, so it doesn’t feel completely right with his character.

Anyway, back to what I wanted to get to. The way Aoba talks about Koujaku is quite stiff, distant, even though we learn a little later that Koujaku has been his friend since childhood. It’s true that he left the island for many years, but then he says that Koujaku came back three years ago and that he hadn’t changed at all since they were children except for his appearance, he was still just as friendly, kind and smiling. So why this coldness?

Aoba practically talks about him like he’s some guy he met a few months ago and occasionally runs into and that’s it, despite what we’ve already mentioned. Not only that, but it turns out that Koujaku drops by his house quite often, staying for lunch and overnight, sleeping in his room. What kind of stranger would you do that with, especially someone like Aoba?

Even Tae herself, famously known for always grumbling and acting a bit surly, is fond of him. She is precisely the one who would be the least hesitant to kick him out of her house if she didn’t want him there, however Aoba points out that he knows that his grandmother considers him a second grandson. After all, she has known him since he was a kid. I'm sure that she’s very grateful to Koujaku for having been there with her grandson when no one else was, not even her, even if she wanted to be.

I talked about this topic a while ago with another tumblr user, who basically attributed Aoba’s behavior to pure discomfort and displeasure when seeing Koujaku’s fans interacting with him, due to having been distant for so long, so it seemed important to mention those three years. I’m not saying Aoba should not be uncomfortable in this situation, seeing your bestie flirting with a group of women jumping around him is definitely not the most fun thing to do. Also, he wants to avoid the gaze of the whole group because they would eat him alive, something he doesn’t achieve because Koujaku notices him anyway. But he seems very distant, he is not only showing discomfort or just wishes to disappear, he is excessively rough with the words he uses, saying that all that charisma he has is an act, false. Like I said before, this is because Aoba knows better, sure, but the way he says it gives it a pretty negative tone.

It seems to me that NC simply wants to introduce the character to you, as the reader, rather than introducing him as Aoba’s bestie, hence the coldness, it’s not Aoba, it’s you. They still joke around all the time and the complicity between them is quite clear, so it’s not like it’s entirely wrong or weird or distant, it’s just those details of Aoba’s thoughts that seemed somewhat dissonant to me.

In any case, there are behaviors that resonate with another idea that is very true and it’s Aoba being jealous. As we have already mentioned before, there are subtleties that make his attraction to Koujaku obvious from the beginning. In the Drama CD and the SSS we see that Aoba is quite insecure, undervaluing himself mostly for being in a homosexual relationship. Seeing that women continue to go after Koujaku makes him feel bad, although there is not much to do, he cannot lock Koujaku up so that he doesn’t talk to anyone ever again and that’s it. He is very troubled by this, and even wonders if Koujaku wouldn’t have preferred to be with a woman at the end of the day, as if he was less, as if Koujaku should be in a straight relationship.

Most notably in the Valentine’s Day story Aoba wants to be able to do what all those girls can do openly without having to worry about prejudice or stares. He wants to be able to kiss him, hold his hand, go on dates, and make him chocolates, normal couple things. Those reactions he had when seeing those women holding onto Koujaku’s arm or having his attention were nothing less than jealousy, because Aoba wanted him to give that attention to him.

This not being possible, since he doesn’t even realize what he feels to start with, makes Koujaku sharing other kinds of things with him that he doesn’t share with anyone else extremely valuable, like the balcony scene, or Koujaku holding his hand when they make love, even if he doesn’t like to admit it. That's why he loves to keep learning new things about Koujaku as their relationship progresses, even the silliest ones. The unknown is not a source of uncertainty or shock anymore, but one of curiosity, a way of loving.

Please Koujaku quit smoking I don’t want you die you're too sexy. haha

That’s why when he discovers that there are things about Koujaku that he doesn’t know, that Koujaku isn’t willing to share with him, among other things, it affects him in this way, like he’s not as special as he thought for knowing a side of Koujaku that most didn’t, because that is no longer a reality for him.

[lynxgriffin]

Since we've got plenty of time to reflect, who do you the Knight is? (I'm very much hoping it's Papyrus)

Okay! So! 

While I uh, think that Jaru is super wrong on almost all his theories, I've got one major exception where I think he is correct, and that’s the identity of the Knight:

(This is kinda long, so going under the read more)

Namely, that the Knight is Gerson’s soul tied to a particular object and brought to life in the Dark World. Although for me personally, I’m going to tweak that idea quite a bit because I think it can actually tie in really nicely with my current theories on Ralsei’s identity and nature. 

We keep getting little references to Gerson brought up here and there in both chapters: there’s a drawing of a turtle monster in the abandoned classroom, done by Alvin. It’s presumably either Alvin himself or his dad, Gerson, and I’m guessing it’s the latter. We have books written by Gerson in multiple places, a memorial bench for him, and then Alvin’s conversation about him in the graveyard by his headstone. Alvin also mumbles something about “did I do the right thing?” to Gerson’s grave. As long as you initiate a conversation with Alvin, the game makes sure that you don't miss that extra bit, which is a little telling.

We know that Gerson was originally a historian, and then later turned to writing fiction, and wrote a beloved fiction series that fans still send his family letters about after his death. 

What do we know about the nature of the Dark Worlds? They’re basically imagination and fantasy brought to life. While they certainly seem to have a full history outside of what we experience, with characters that remember each other even from other Dark Worlds, they’re only “given form” when a dark fountain is opened. Any Lightner with determination can stab the earth, and a dark, inky substance can spew from it and give a world of fantasy its own form. The Darkners frequently talk about how Lightners give them direction and purpose in their lives.

So…question! How many of you have used a fountain pen?

I have used those before. They’re quite sharp, and using them very often feels like scratching or stabbing the paper. Black ink spews forth, and from this black ink…you can create whole worlds of fiction! Worlds that other people can interact with! 

We know that Gerson wrote beloved fiction well into his old age. What if he knew his time was coming, but still had stories to tell? What if he didn’t want to stop? Alvin says how his dust was sprinkled on a hammer and buried in the earth, and that this is considered the appropriate monster cultural ritual for helping a soul pass to the afterlife. But Alvin also appears to have done something that is still really troubling him. Maybe Alvin, either at his father's request or based on his own wants, didn’t actually follow the appropriate cultural funeral rites, and somehow helped his father’s soul attach to a different beloved object…a fountain pen that he’d use to write down his story ideas. And if that object gets brought to life with a dark fountain, you could get the Knight: the soul of a writer, filtered exclusively through their favorite writing tool, unwilling to stop creating.

I think it would make sense on a few logical and thematic levels:

It explains how the Knight is able to get around and open the fountains: the same way that Ralsei is able to do the weird things he does. They’re both Darkners carrying Lightner souls, so they can bend the rules.

It explains Queen’s insistence that Lightners are the ones that can create fountains, while King hates Lightners but seems to fully trust the Knight…a Darkner with a Lightner soul can meet both those people's expectations.  

It sets up the Knight as a foil to Ralsei: they’re both the same kind of special Dark World being, both believing that they are fulfilling their roles and serving the Lightners, but coming to vastly different conclusions about how to do that. 

It explains the Knight’s motivations: not that he’s actually trying to destroy the world or anything, but that he’s trying to serve the Lightners. He knows very well how much joy and positivity his fiction has brought to Lightners in the past. How could more of that be anything bad? This is his purpose, what he was made to do. Not doing it is virtually unthinkable.

And I think that in turn keeps him following in the footsteps of how Toby usually writes his villains…rarely if ever fully malicious, but utterly convinced that they’re doing the right thing, or that they have no choice in the matter. 

And of course that ties in with one of Deltarune’s themes: the balance between reality and fantasy. The Knight has no more ties with reality, and therefore is focused exclusively on creating more fantasy and having it supplant reality, upsetting the balance between them. 

And this is extremely speculative, but I've been thinking about how Toby mentioned that chapter three will be a bit of an odd one out, that it's more about trying weird things than advancing a lot of plot. Kind of an interesting thing to note since Kris just made a fountain that should take us into chapter three. If the Dark Worlds are in some way shaped by the will of the Lightner that makes them, then chapter three indicates that Kris's will manifests more as just...trying out stuff rather than something purposeful. Kris makes a fountain because they really want to keep up this special hangout with their friends. But the Knight? He's making narratives.

[crippling-pages]

random kotlc headcanons :p

*clears throat* *puts fancy suit on* *pulls out whiteboard* @swans-chirping-in-the-distance you wanted headcanons, right? sooooooooo

Tam wears glasses, mainly to see things farther away better. He didn't know it until sometime during Flashback, he just thought everyone sees stuff that way. Tiergan helped him figure out that he needed them and helped get the perfect pair.

Biana buys Tam flower bouquets. He mentioned that he really liked flowers, and the next day she comes up to the door of Solreef, and blushing very, very hard, she gives Tam the bouquet. Linh had to spend a full 15 minutes with a dazed Tam.

When Keefe comes back from the Forbidden Cities, he uses all these weird slang words. One time, he told Councilor Emery that "You have no rizz, man. If you wanna become the alpha, you need to up your aura."

Emery is scarred for life after that exchange.

Sophie is a Red stan. She doesn't listen to Taylor Swift often, but she is forever a fan of the album Red.

When Fitz was looking for Sophie, he found a video of one of those kids baking competitions, and he was just amazed. It's how he started to get into baking.

Tam and Dex have this amazing friendship no one really knows about. It's not like they kept it a secret, it's just no one really notices either of them.

Tam can be chaotic as heck when he wants to be. Most of the time, he's the quiet and chill yet quite comfortable introvert. Though if he's got the right energy, BOOM he's as crazy as the triplets with enough energy to make the world explode.

One time, Dex asked Tam to watch the triplets (feeling pretty bad because the triplets are you know, the triplets) for him and his parents because they all were out that day, and when he came back home, they were asleep. And they stayed asleep, for hours.

It was one of the best days ever in the Dizznee household.

The reason Tam got them to sleep was because his chaotic side clicked in. It was a hour and a half game of tag.

(It was only that one time though. Next time Tam babysat, the triplets were prepared).

Even after making up with Tam, Linh still didn't really trust Rayni. But for every little conversation they have, they both start to ease up on each other.

One morning, when everyone's up for breakfast, Linh comes down and Rayni grins and goes, "What's up, Water-Gir?" and everyone is doing a double take because Linh was gonna kill Rayni. But it gets worse when Linh replies, also grinning, with "Good morning, RayRay."

Everyone else almost had a heart attack because it seemed like yesterday they were about to kill each other.

At one point, Keefe cracks a joke about Tam having a crush on Rayni (before he knew about Tam and Biana already dating), and Tam says, "Okay, for one: She's like, 25 and I'm like 16, I think, so that's disgusting, and secondly: Rayni is old and ugly, and-"

But he doesn't get to finish because Rayni hears and runs downstairs, pissed and yelling "WHAT THE HECK TAM?! WELL, AT LEAST I DON'T USE THE OVERUSED SHADY AND EMO IMAGE" and then that gets Tam pissed, so then there's this whole argument that goes on for about 10 minutes.

Basically, Tam and Rayni are siblings. Rayni is the oldest sister, and Tam is the annoying little brother.

Marella and Tam have gossip sessions during lunch; they also just have this really great friendship. (And by friendship, I mean they each have blackmail on each other and are forced to interact so the other doesn't spill their secrets).

Keefoster and Tiana double dates :>

At Solreef, Tiergan has this huge library, filled with elven books and even human books.

Tam has read almost every book in there. His favorites are the fantasy books.

His favorite book series ever is Percy Jackson. He's read every single PJO book in the library.

When Sophie finds out, oh boy do they geek out about it.

Forkle set them up on a sleepover one time, because "You kids need to be kids" or something like that.

None of them expected to have much fun, but they did. They even made a plan that once a week, at someones house they'd meet up and have a sleepover or just have fun.

TA-DA!!!!!!! KOTLC HEADCANONS YAYYYYYYYYY!!! Most of the are about Tam but Tam's amazing so its fine <3

hope you enjoyed! <3

[honeys-hotties]

No Es Suficiente (It’s Not Enough) (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Alexia x f!Reader,

Part 1/?

Warnings: buckle up babes, she’s angstyyyyyyy

Also, this is my first fic ever!! Big milestone, but quite honestly I’m not 10000% sure how I feel about this? Anyways, I hope you enjoy!! xxx Y/N’s eyes widened at the sight playing out below her, her mouth dropping open and eyes filling slowly with tears. She had known, of course she had known that Y/N would be at the event. Y/N quickly excused herself from the conversation, making her way outside onto one of the mostly abandoned balconies. 

Y/N and Alexia had been much more than friends, but had skirted around labels. The closest one would probably be friends with benefits, but that seemed to be simplifying an exceedingly complicated relationship. The two had met at an event held in Barcelona for famous women in the media a year and a half ago, Alexia the star football player, Y/N the stunning, highly accomplished young actress. The two had immediately clicked, and had spent the night talking and laughing like they were the only two people in the room. Alexia had seen some of Y/N’s work and considered herself a casual fan, in awe of the younger woman’s obvious talent. Y/N, on the other hand, who absolutely adored football and specifically Barcelona, had been a fan of Alexia’s since the midfielder had first begun playing for the club. As the night wore on and the two did not seem to be running out of things to talk about, Alexia invited Y/N to her apartment, where they spent the rest of the night getting to know each other in a number of ways.

And thus began their relationship. Y/N flew out to Spain whenever she could, and between new films and projects spent as much time as possible wrapped in the arms of the Catalonian, who adored spending time with her estrella. However, as time went on and Y/N’s feelings for the football star grew, she began wanting more. Any time the actress brought it up, however, Alexia shot her down, saying that what they had now was perfect, and that they were both so busy and saw each other too rarely for anything other than what they had. Alexia would never say it, but Y/N knew she was scared. Scared of what being in a relationship would bring, especially with the both of them being such public figures. So Y/N let it be, content to be the football star’s secret, at least for the time being. 

Y/N had met Alexia’s teammates, who treated her like family, and soon enough her Spanish visits became something she looked forward to more than almost anything else. Of course, these visits were not perfect, and many times she ended up feeling used, waking up to Alexia’s empty bed, cold sheets in her place while the older woman went on with her busy life. But Y/N was busy too, busier than she had ever been, and with her career on the rise and every director imaginable wanting to cast the up and coming actress in their new projects her Spanish visits became less and less frequent. She still texted Alexia as often as she could, FaceTime becoming her best friend, and was able to keep in contact with the rest of her Barca family, watching games at ungodly hours of the morning and accepting phone calls no matter the hour. She had even begun to carve out a life for herself in Barcelona, and while it did still mainly revolve around Alexia, she was feeling happier than she ever had. She attended many football matches, letting her inner Barcelona superfan break free, and soon became the life of the party, interacting with as many other Barca fans as possible. 

Hundreds of photos of her, sporting a number 11 jersey and waving a FC Barcelona flag littered social media, and she voiced her support for the club as loudly as she could. There were also many photos of her with the players, specifically one midfielder, sparking a number of rumours about the relationship between the two women. While these rumours had been circulating for a while, a photo taken of the two at a small coffee shop near Alexia’s apartment looking especially cozy had sparked an online frenzy, with Y/N’s fans and Alexia’s fans speculating on the relationship the two shared. These rumours had sparked the worst argument Y/N and Alexia had to date. Y/N had stayed relatively unbothered with it all, knowing how these things worked and that eventually people would move on to something else. Plus, a small part of her hoped that maybe this would show Alexia that things between them could work. I mean, they already knew they were insanely compatible, and an extremely attractive power couple to boot. In addition, Y/N had realized recently how deep her feelings for Alexia ran. She would even call it love, and Y/N was hoping more than anything that these rumours would be the push Alexia needed to make them an official couple. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Alexia was furious, blaming Y/N for the rumours, saying that if the morning when the photo was taken if Y/N had just gone somewhere else instead of insisting they go out together then they wouldn’t be in this mess. Y/N told Alexia she didn’t understand why the older woman thought it was a bad thing, that it was just talk and it would die down soon enough.

“Ale, this is a good thing!” the actress told her, crossing the room to take the older woman’s hand in hers. “This just proves what I have been telling you, that we can have a real relationship and things will be okay! Everyone online is being so amazing and supportive, we can make this work bebe! I do not understand why you are upset.”

“I am not surprised you do not understand,” Alexia seethed, ripping her hand away from the actress and walking to the other side of the room. “Unlike you, I need to have extreme focus every day I go to work, and you will be nothing but a silly distraction. This online interest just proves what I have been saying all along, people are more focused on our supposed relationship, and I need to be able to tune everything out and focus on the Champion’s League. I didn’t have time for a relationship when we first met, something I made very clear, but you still refuse to listen.”

“I know you don’t mean that, Ale.” Y/N’s voice shook, tears filing her eyes. She had never seen Alexia like this, not her sweet, silly Alexia who would cook her breakfast when she had tired the actress out the night before and give her piggy back rides after late nights out with the team. “You are just stressed about the league. But you don’t need to be, amor, you are going to be amazing, I just know it, and I’ll be there for you every step of the way. Just please, let me in.”

“I have never meant anything more in my life.” Alexia bit out, turning from the actress who was now sobbing quietly, curling into herself on the end of the couch. “Spending time with you this past year has been fun, but it is time for me to focus on my career now, something I advise you to do as well. I am the captain of the club and the national team, I need to focus and I cannot do that with you here, or with people thinking we are in a relationship. I think you should leave.”

“Ale, please, let’s talk about this.” Y/N cried, standing and walking across the room towards Alexia, who put out a hand to stop the younger woman. 

“Leave,” she said, without emotion.

Y/N turned, refusing to let any more tears fall until she was out of the Catalonian’s sight. She stumbled down the street, and sat on a bench, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. She stayed like that for who knows how long, thanking her lucky stars that there were very few people out that night, and none who seemed to recognize her. Once she managed to calm down, Y/N pulled out her phone and booked the next flight home, eager to get out of Spain for the first time in her life.

Fast forward to the present; Y/N had been invited to another event, this one for some sort of charity that had partnered with one of the companies that Y/N was a spokesperson for. Coincidentally, this very same company sponsored FC Barcelona, as well as a number of other sports teams and athletes, and was held in Madrid, meaning the odds of Alexia being there were very high. However, Y/N had done her best to put the footballer out of her mind, focusing instead on the smaller details of the night she could control. The dress she wore. The jewelry she had chosen. The drink she had been nursing all night. The people she talked to. One thing she hadn’t counted on was seeing Alexia in the shadows by the dancefloor, locking lips with another party guest.

Y/N practically ran out of the room to the balcony, where she allowed a single tear to fall, looking out over the beautiful city. She stood there attempting to compose herself for a few minutes, before mentally preparing to head back inside. However, before she could turn back around, she felt a hand on her arm, turning her around. Spinning towards the person, Y/N felt her jaw drop for the second time that night, as someone who she had never expected to speak to her stood before her.

“I saw Alexia,” the woman offered in explanation. “And I think I can help you. To get back at her, I mean, or to at least make her feel as upset as you obviously do, because a woman as beautiful as you doesn’t deserve to be crying over someone who could never realize what they had.”

“I-what? How do you know?” Y/N questioned the taller woman, staring at her in shock.

Esther Gonzalez shrugged. “You two were less than subtle. Plus, I saw you making out after we played Barcelona last year. So, what do you think? Can I help you?”

Let me know what you think!! xxxx

*Update* Part 2 is now out!!

[rainbowsky]

twitter BJ_ByYourSide/status/1427940852433776640 I'm confused on why this clip isn't on everyone's favorite list. There so much here! DD not wanting to sound fake and wanting to keep stuff away from the media. Reminds me of when he seemed upset with dd for praising him until gg reassured him he was being sincere. And obviously this is crush behavior- "what did he say about mee", so cute! Do you know when this was filmed? I would imagine the earlier stages cause he seemed insecure

This is the link, to make it easier for readers.

Hi Anon,

I'm a bit confused about why you think this isn't a popular clip. This one is actually quite popular, and fans made a big deal about it when it was first released. It's maybe not as popular as the 9 minutes of bickering on a boat or the lewd moments or jealousy in 3 languages, but it's also not nearly as exciting as those clips.

To me in order for a clip to be exciting it has to be entertaining (and ones containing both of them are always the most entertaining) or it has to reveal something new about them (jealousy in 3 languages seemed to give clues about their sexual orientation, for example).

This clip, while cute and also somewhat hilarious, doesn't give anything all that new. We already knew that DD is into GG, we already knew that he's the sort of person to be invested in what GG thinks about him and in what GG says about him.

I also don't see this clip the same way a lot of fans see it. I don't see it as 'early days, guy has a crush on another guy' at all. It strikes me as fairly normal behavior that doesn't give us much timeline insight. I think anyone discussing an interview where they were a likely topic would want to know what the other person said about them, especially if they were romantically involved with them.

If anything, that clip makes me eye the Devil's Timeline even more. There are a few things that stick out.

DD is speaking pretty openly about how sweet, handsome, cute, etc. GG is. That's not something I see someone as reserved as DD saying about someone he doesn't know well, to people he doesn't know well.

When the producer says that GG said they 'have a good friendship', everyone in the room starts laughing. To me it comes across as, "That's the understatement of the year." Like the people there know that GG and DD are more than just friends.

When DD brings up the game, I think he's musing about things he could have mentioned in the interview but didn't - not that he's 'excited about having had some alone time with a guy he has a crush on', as so many turtles think. That's only reinforced by what someone said in the comments of that clip, that "I didn't want to say it" in reference to the game was actually mistranslated and would be better translated as "I forgot it", which is why the producer said, "Your reaction was slow."

Similarly, someone in the comments said that "Am I fake?" (in response to why he didn't say all these glowing things about GG in the interview) would have been better translated as, "I would have sounded fake." So some fan impressions come out of how the clip was translated.

Everyone's going to have their own interpretations/impressions of things. A lot of fans read DD as insecure here, trying to pump the producer for information about his 'crush'. That's not at all how I saw this clip.

To me, judging from DD's body language and demeanour, he comes across as relaxed and maybe a bit bored. I don't see any insecurity at all in his behavior or speech.

He's obviously quite comfortable in his surroundings and with the people around him. DD is a scrupulously polite, often very reserved guy. He simply wouldn't behave so casually around people he doesn't know well or have a good rapport with. Some of his behavior could come across as rude if he's interacting with a superior he doesn't know very well.

So this clip tells me that DD has developed a laid back relationship with the crew, which leads me to believe he's not the 'new', 'shy', 'insecure' person that fans read him to be.

I also get the impression - like I said before - that DD is already in a relationship with GG at this point.

It's hard to say when it was recorded, but likely well into filming. After all, those interviews were filmed as promo, and it's unlikely they'd start filming those things before the cast and crew had gotten well into the groove of the project.

Just my two cents. Like I said, a lot of people have a different view of this and that's their right. We'll likely never know for sure what this was really all about.

If people don't talk about clips like this much now, it's probably because the BTS is really old and people aren't talking about any of the BTS much these days. These BTS moments were all filmed nearly 6 years ago.

Edit: here's GG's interview, which is being discussed in that clip.

[pascallatte]

Fish and Chips

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Actress!reader

Summary: some interesting fan interactions and sightings while pubbing around London.

Date: March-April 2021

A/N: aaaa got this out finally!!! sorry for the wait, I'm still sick but finally managed to finish the next two fics, so I tried something different (just added one twot sht, might do it again, let's see). also, I know this isn't much seeing that you've waited but I will post again soon (like very) and like before enjoy and let me know what you think!! To those who wished me a speedy recovery, thank you and I love u guys!!

@/deadrncuzofpedro

The video from this user was rather a mess, to say the least, with the girl having to build up the courage to come up to your table after mumbling to herself for a few seconds. Your voice as well as Pedro’s were heard in the background every step closer she got to your table at the far end of the place.

She takes in a breath as soon as she has stopped at a respectable distance from the two, yet instead of asking for a picture, she seems to have asked for a rather odd one instead.

“Hi! I love the both of you so much and…” she paused for a breath, “- I was wondering what drink you have?”

This earned audible sounds of confusion from the both of you before the girl, herself, gasped and raised her other hand to cover her mouth out of embarrassment and shock at what she had said.

Eyes seen scanning the two of you as she stuttered out multiple apologies, “Im sorr- oh lord I’m really sorry. I just- I wanted to ask another thing but..” She ranted but soon calmed down when you were heard asking if she wanted something to drink.

And even though the video didn’t end up like how she expected it to, she was still able to take a picture with the two of you as soon as she’d calmed down.

@/henryontour

Content creators often post the most unexpected and shocking situations when they’re out to travel. Nothing changed when Henryontour, a famous travel blogger got a chance to bump into Pedro at a pub his fans recommended. And when the video said “I bumped into Pedro Pascal in a pub in London,” it really and quite literally meant he bumped into Pedro.

Entering the establishment, he was in awe of the ambience and the interior design of the place. Having gone to multiple pubs at that point he explained that he really wasn’t expecting anything different than to previous ones, but this place had stunned him. Walking deeper into the place, he situates himself at a table by the window. Placing his bags down he continues to compliment the place.

“Oh look here, they have these vintage records as well as a most probably now customized jukebox. The feel of the table and the front bar is as sleek as it looks. Now let’s take a look at the-“ Henry stopped as soon as he bumped into something and turned around to look and apologize to who or whatever he had bumped into.

Not expecting the person he’s bumped into, he can only stay silent as his expression morphed into something of a shock, which was later identified as starstruck as soon as Pedro was seen in the video.

Composing himself, he clears his throat and lowers his camera, out of respect. “Sir, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t looking.” 

Pedro’s voice was now heard, "It's okay," as well as soft laughing from the side, “No worries dear, it was no one’s fault. You were both doing your own thing no need to fret about anything.” Your voice was heard in the background while Pedro who was now about to sit down just nods and pointed at the camera.

“What’s with the camera?” He asks out of curiosity. Making Henry moves his head to the camera and then back to the two of you.

“It’s- I’m actually a youtuber so I’m currently filming my tour around London. Is it ok if I show you guys on here? I’m sure my fans would love it when they see the two of you on here seeing that you’re both big names in the acting industry.” Respectfully, Henry asks and soon was raising the camera to show the two of you seated side by side on bar stools having drinks of your own.

“What a surprise, I bumped into the one only Pedro Pascal along with his muse Y/n L/n,” he introduced the two of you to the camera. Pedro was seen making a peace sign accompanying his dimpled smile while you were seen waving and smiling sweetly before raising your cup to take a sip of your drink of choice.

The video extended for a few more seconds of Henry expressing his huge admiration for Pedro earning him shy chuckles from the man.

@/vicstaria

“There!!! Turn back there, I swear I saw him!” A female voice later on named Victoria was heard. Her phone was aimed towards the sidewalk as the car turned left.

Zooming in her shrieks were heard when two figures are seen walking from afar. Rolling down her window, she zooms out when they get closer. Now seeing a clearer view, a man wearing a quilt jacket as well as a smaller figure in leather are seen walking hand in hand in the streets seemingly having the time of their lives with all the laugh the could be heard.

Passing by the two, Victoria took the chance to shout, “Pedro!!!! I Love you!!!!” her voice rang out making the pair look at her with funny and shocked expressions. 

You, who first found it amusing, raised your joined hands to wave, jumping as you blow her a kiss. A short shout from Victoria was heard before it was followed by continuous shouting, as soon as Pedro joined in on the fun and shouts back, “Hello to you too!!”

At this point, the pair was long gone as the car has now passed the two. What was left however were the gasps for air that were heard as well as the laughs of whoever was with her.

“Oh my lo-“The video ended with the camera turning to Victoria, revealing her current state. Which appears to be red-faced and out of breath.

@Pedy/nupdates: 

Usually, paps are these overly intrusive people who shove their cameras on your face just to write and tell the world something you’ve probably answered a couple of times. While some are people who still respect the celebrities they encounter as well as their space.

Like this one, this pap was just sitting around the corner after having been notified that you were in the area. As soon as they hear the shutter sounds of a camera pop off he stands and focuses on the mob of people just right outside of a pretty well-known pub.

And as always, the notification was correct. There you were in all of your glory, exiting the pub with Pedro in front of you, trying to get the two of you away as much as possible while still being polite.

This particular pap, instead of charging to the horde that was currently mobbing you, decides to wait and follow them from afar before walking with you. Also, in alternative to shoving their camera to your faces, he keeps it at a low angle to which your face was still seen.

Greeting Pedro with a “Good Evening,” obviously since he was leading the two of you to the car.

Pedro greeted back with a small smile and a nod, “Good evening to you too.”

“What were you two up to this fine evening?” He asks as casually as possible.

Sensing that the pap wasn’t going to stop unless they were satisfied, you answered seeing that this was better than those who’ve chosen to intrude.

“We just went out for drinks. That’s all, nothing really to it,” you answered softly as you nudged Pedro to take a turn.

“I see that now. It really is a fine evening to go out for some drinks. What’s your go-to pair with the drink you have while here in London?” He asks once again, walking a few paces ahead of you.

Intrigued by the question, Pedro lets out a laugh followed by, “Ooo that’s a nice one, but I’ll probably go with the classic steak and fries.” He said taking your hand when he sees your car nearing.

“That’s good. How ‘bout you, y/n? Anything you favour?”

“Me? In London?” You thought for quite a bit. Mostly to stall, but also think of a definite answer.

“Hmm, in London? I might get some good old fish and chips. Is that a common pair here? Or not?” You answer laughing at yourself, making Pedro shake his head at your confusion before wrapping his arm around your shoulder as he opens the door to your side of the car.

“I actually don’t know either, but thank you to the both of you and enjoy the rest of your night.” The paps stopped ways away from your car.

Pedro smiled, “You too and thank you.” The pap confused about what he was thanking him for can only wave and record as the pair drives off.

Taglist: @benonlinear @t-stark35 @heyitsme-2 @elleeeee21 @holmesstrange @tagakalat @flyestvenustrap @oldermenaremyreligion @cherryred444 @hobiismyhopeu @ilovehotdadsandshit @djarinsstuff @guacala @avengersheart @pukka-latte @lilvampirina

[tavyliasin]

Disability Pride Essays - Enver Gortash, Invisible Disability, and Visible Mobility Aids

Our focus this month has mostly been on our heroes (or perhaps, in some cases and paths, antiheroes, but companions nonetheless), but what about the villains? Gortash might not be the most sympathetic character, given all the morals he doesn’t have, but he’s important, popular, and altogether quite fascinating. This bonus round will take a look at a few of the more subtle details in his character, from the mobility aid to some things people have noticed in how he moves and interacts. There is a lot to be said about his traumatic backstory and how this impacted his life and decisions to where his moral compass does not point where most would prefer, but it would be a disservice to pretend that all disabled people - and indeed all disabled representation - are beyond criticism and are somehow icons of perfection. We are, I’m afraid to say, just as flawed as anyone else~ Which of course does not mean that we’re all out there making plans to dominate the world with a captured Elder Brain. That’s a little much…

What is Gortash’s Disability?

Gortash is far from the youngest of the adult characters, but he is also not of a typical age that one would expect to see mobility difficulties. And that is exactly what we have on the surface - though it is only seen in a couple of scenes, he has a rather ornate cane which is used for walking at times. There’s also an element of mental health with Gortash, and whilst we could do a deep dive into the causes I don’t feel that’s entirely necessary - the effect is in a few subtle details that some players might have missed.

How Do We See The Disability In The Game?

A lot of what we see is in Gortash’s outfit and inventory, though some have also pointed out that the way he walks and uses stairs looks very similar to how someone with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome might move (this condition is characterised by a weakening of connective tissues, leading to a higher chance of dislocation in joints and potentially differences in range of motion as tendons and ligaments are looser). This was fascinating to hear and I feel like I should absolutely go back and look at the scenes to see if I can spot those subtle shifts in motion and posture, though it is important to point out that quite simply you cannot always tell if someone is disabled or in pain just by observing them. There is the cane mentioned before, that is only in a couple of scenes but has made such an impact that it quite often makes an appearance in fan-created works, too. Another key item is his coat, which many refer to affectionately as “The Anxiety Jacket” - this might on the surface seem like a practical item to protect him from the influence of magical effects that cause conditions such as Fear, but many like to see it as a garment that also reduced anxiety and other similar symptoms. We can also see the gauntlets he wears as being a parallel to forearm and hand braces - though they’re not particularly accurate to actual support equipment, there are plenty of people who will wear specifically adapted braces in those areas. They might even have a couple of fingers uncovered as Gortash does, in order to better manipulate objects and prevent accidental scratches/injury from natural reactions like rubbing one’s eye when it’s sore/tired.

How Does This Reflect Real Life?

The cane is a very direct parallel, even in how it is not present in every scene with him. We only see it a couple of times, but it’s there enough for many of us to take note and to perhaps feel a little validation and representation from that. A lot of people who use an aid like a cane may not need it every single day, and use it only as and when required to maintain their strength but without struggling needlessly on bad days or risking making things worse. So whilst an argument could be made that “the cane he uses is only decorative” that doesn’t quite add up, as surely he would have it with him when holding the huge event to impress all the patriars - more on that later though. With the gloves, braces and even compression gloves are common accessibility aids that can support and protect joints and reduce pain. Granted, ornate golden metal is not usually the first choice, but like the cane we can see this as Enver making his mobility aids match his outfit/style. Plenty of us do seek out more stylish mobility aids, or otherwise decorate them with all sorts of things from stickers and paint to badges and keychains. It would be very interesting to see braces or supports styled like Gortash’s bracers and gauntlets. His coat could also be a parallel to how some people find a lot of comfort and anxiety relief from weighted blankets or even weighted garments that apply a level of pressure to the body in just the right way to feel soothing. This is particularly known for anxiety and neurodivergent people, though plenty of others have also found this to be helpful and calming.

Invisible Conditions and The Importance of Appearances

So in the community you might see people talk about Visible Disability and Invisible Illness (illness and disability are interchangeable here). What this refers to is whether a condition is something that people can instantly recognise, and usually won’t question. This might be a mobility aid like a wheelchair or crutches, or a white cane for visual impairments/blindness, or a service dog, or visible braces for joints. There are some borderline ones like walking canes which are a visible signal of disability but might not always be respected as such, particularly if the user looks younger and not the expected elderly person using a cane to walk. But many people who still need accessibility services and options - like disabled parking spaces or to use the lift instead of stairs - may not have any of these visible differences. It may be a heart and lung issue, or chronic pain that doesn’t require a mobility aid, a fluctuating severity condition, mental health and developmental/learning difficulties - numerous conditions can affect people in ways that are not immediately recognisable, so we call them invisible.  When you look at Gortash only having his cane for a couple of scenes and not in others, and how the gauntlets specifically serve another purpose of holding the netherstone, you can argue that his conditions are mostly invisible ones. Or that he is attempting to keep them that way, at least. He holds a position of high regard and clearly to some degree cares about appearances given how ornate his clothing is and how he presents himself as a powerful and charismatic leader of his people.

Were he to walk out in front of the crowds using a cane, it would more than likely turn a few heads, or even appear to be a weakness to those who might use it against him for their own gain. To someone with as large a target on your back as he has, even with all of the power of being Bane’s chosen, it’s unwise to give anyone an opening.  

Mobility Aids and The Anxiety Jacket

There are a lot of different mobility aids that people use in their daily lives, and some are even ones that are not needed every day. It isn’t unreasonable to suggest that actually Gortash’s use of the cane is like a part time mobility aid user - he doesn’t need it every day, but he does need it on a bad day when a symptom is flaring up or he has to do more than he usually would. The jacket might also, as well as acting in a similar way to a weighted blanket, be akin to how some people have favoured clothing items that give them comfort. Something like a jumper or jacket, a hoodie that is comfortable and feels safe to wear. Keeping things stylised, as mentioned earlier, is just another way that people incorporate their mobility and accessibility aids into their personal tastes. It’s similar to how people prefer to choose glasses that they feel look nice - it’s not just about the function of the item, technically any style of glasses will serve the purpose of correcting someone’s vision easily. They’re there all the time, so having them coordinate with your sense of style and taste is logical, and can make you feel more confident and positive about wearing them. It’s the same as anything really - you choose a coat not just for how it keeps the cold and/or rain out, but also for how it looks. Mobility aids aren’t always so interchangeable - it’s tough to afford or even store a whole range of wheelchairs or crutches - so choosing the right one and making it fit is important at the start. Enver’s cane is ornate, and in keeping with the themes of other things he wears all the time. As a game character, naturally he just has the one recognisable outfit, but it’s plausible to say that were he to have a more varied wardrobe it’s unlikely there would be anything that clashes with gold and black as a colour scheme. 

Function and fashion, essentially, don’t need to be entirely separate, even when we’re talking about disabilities. 

City Design and Accessible Buildings

Now, I might be remembering entirely incorrectly on this point, but from my memory and the screenshots I was looking at, it seems like Wyrm’s Rock Keep might actually have full step free access. There is a lift (elevator) that goes up to the upper floors for the coronation and to upper rooms, and I don’t recall seeing steps at either drawbridge entrance or in the doorways to the publicly accessible rooms either. It’s an odd point to bring up, and hardly seems relevant to the rest of the game, but I do want to invite you for a moment to think about the game map and your own local area. In the game, there are a huge amount of places only accessed by stairs, streets that are cobbled and bumpy, a complete lack of accessible routes. Of course it is a fantasy game where there is magical healing, but if you want to go into deep lore then there can still be disabilities in fantasy settings, and magical healing is very expensive. Adventurers end up with plenty of coin, but this is from selling things they find or steal, from rewards for completing tasks that carry a strong risk of death to each, from killing foes and raiding their pockets for loose change (I’m not judging you, it’s a game and they don’t exactly have a Will tucked into their back pocket telling you who to give their coin to). The average citizen, however? The amount needed to pay for high level healing spells or potions is more money than they would make in over 50 years, and that’s if they didn’t have daily living expenses to account for. So to pull that back into the real world, look at the world around you. Each business you enter, notice for a moment - does it have a stepped entrance? Anything more than an inch could prevent a disabled person from entering. Is the speech or conference you are watching being interpreted by someone using sign language? Are there braille marks on important buttons like door openings or bus stop bells? Have textured paths that white cane users need as guides for routes been blocked by anything? Is there enough space for a mobility aid user to safely navigate between aisles and displays in a shop? Sometimes it can seem like there is no need to add accessibility, because you’re not seeing disabled people around who need them. But to that I like to remind people of two key points - first, if a place isn’t accessible, we can’t even try to be there in the first place (or we don’t want to give our business to someone who has not thought of basic access needs), and secondly we are still a minority, so the percentage of us in the population whilst still significant is far lower than abled people.

What We Can Learn From Gortash’s Story

It feels strange to say “hey let’s learn about this unrepentant villain and how he can represent us” but the thing is we do need diverse representation. Just as we shouldn’t have villains be the only characters to portray disability (directly or indirectly), it would also be unfair to have disabled characters only permitted to be pure and virtuous. Disabled people, and disabled characters who represent them, are people. Whole entire people with wants and dreams, needs and desires, faults and flaws and mistakes and everything that makes us all human. We cannot - and should not - boil them down to only being their disability. Gortash can be representative of how people’s conditions may vary, how some days they may need a cane but others they might not. He might be an example of someone who hides their condition, or whose needs vary from day to day. It’s good to remember that in real life someone who is disabled might be able to do something one day, but not the next. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be entitled to help that they need to do that thing on the days they can’t, nor should you be assuming they always need the support if it isn’t being requested or used. He can also show us how mobility aids and supports do not need to only be functional. If someone can afford to have a gold inlaid ornately carved cane, why shouldn’t they? If someone wants to have braces or joint supports that are decorated and match their outfits, that should always be an option available to them. I would also like to invite you to take the time to look at the world around you and thing about how things may be accessible or inaccessible to someone with different needs to your own. As a wheelchair user myself, when I started using wheels to get around I was taken aback by just how needlessly difficult it can be. Businesses with steps, curbs not properly dropped to allow for road crossings, vehicles parked too far across pavements and footpaths, even accessible toilet facilities being used to store extra bins or other supplies because there’s more space in there - forgetting, of course, that wheelchair users need that extra floor space to be able to enter, turn, and navigate when inside. If you do notice that a business doesn’t have a step-free entrance, that there’s no lift or level crossing to change platforms at a train station, that a car park has no disabled spaces, please consider speaking up or notifying whoever is responsible for the area.

I’ll round this one off to remind us all that it’s ok to find parts of ourselves in a villain’s story, and even to feel a connection to a fictional villain. Love them, too, if you like - I know I often do~ You can find a whole breakdown of why I feel we like fictional villains - and how this does not make us bad people - right here.

[clementine-kesh]

so i've seen that you hate the julian x ezri storyline and wanted to say that i definitely feel the same way, that this relationship held absolutely no weight, was based purely on having a woman get in a relationship because thats her only purpose, and it ruined both characters stories; if star trek wasn't so fucking obsessed with making the federation look radical they could've lead into some plot of julian actually beginning to overthrow section 31 and hating the federation possibly, but what do you think they should've done with ezri? a lot of the problems with ezri come from her being introduced in the final season and the writers doing the almost exact same shit they did with jadzia: focusing too much on the symbiont instead of who the host is. we learn so much about curzon and there was almost nothing to reflect on with jadzia because the writers don't fucking establish her as an individual character the way they do with the rest of the main cast. the main cast also has no deep [properly writtern] reaction to ezri; they knew jadzia for over 7+ years and should've been buried in grief and guilt knowing she died the way she did. jadzia shouldn't have stopped, metaphorically, existing within the first few episodes of season 7 because despite the way she was written she had a profound impact on DS9. the original plans for the new host were to introduce a man, who would then have this relationship with worf, but to preserve the already small female leads list, they introduced ezri. they could've brought kasidy into the main cast and established her as a person separate from being Sisko's Wife but since we cannot eliminate ezri from canon, because we and i love ezri, what do you think they should've done with her character (in the span of the season and post canon)

GREAT question!! ezri’s whole character posits so many fascinating questions, many of which we really never get to see explored but that nevertheless keep me up at night. she’s the perfect foil to jadzia in a way that oddly enough a lot of fans don’t really seem to get? to make an analogy to the broader trek franchise, she’s the ds9/voy to jadzia’s tng, a darker and more complicated reflection of their prior.

one aspect of early season 7 that i love is ezri’s volatility, i think it actually does a pretty good job at showing the effect of joining on someone so unprepared and i wish we’d seen more of the fallout of that in her personal life as well as how it interacted with the rest of the crew’s grieving processes. especially with kira, who has lost so many of her comrades but never quite like this. it should’ve been kira that ezri spent a whole episode trying to give therapy to instead of garak imo.

the beta canon material (along with the proposed ds9 s8) has ezri move to the command track, which would’ve made a for a very interesting arc. like, ezri’s first and foremost a survivor. she’s smart, she’s tough, she’s good at cutting through the noise and doing what needs to be done. but when people spend their whole lives in survival mode like that they often have trouble identifying what they really want. throw in a whole bunch of new memories and new personalities and no wonder she’s so messed up. showing us her transition from counseling to command as a way of reasserting her own desires by realizing that the medical track was never quite right for her in the first place, perhaps she just went into it as a way to distance herself from her family’s scumminess, would’ve been amazing.

finally, i’d love to have seen the reaction of trill culture more generally. get a trill delegation on the station and see what they have to say! more exploration of alien cultural dynamics beyond just the vulcans and klingons is never a bad idea

[olderthannetfic]

Re: ‘most big fandoms are dominated by male characters so there’s less f/f’ - I think the conclusion that there’s so much more m/m and m/f out there because media with big fandoms include fewer women as characters and we are ‘just writing about the characters [we] connect with in the media [we] enjoy’ removes some of the agency involved in how we choose the media that we potentially end up fannishly enjoying. Yes, if there were more characters who are women in media with huge existing fandoms, we might see more f/f, but I think that many of us gravitate toward new media (and if we click with that new media, then new fandoms) based on our established interests from prior media/fandoms. I’ve been in online fandom in various capacities for over 20 years and in the first decade of my fannish ‘career’ I largely shipped m/m and wrote m/m. I was therefore, unsurprisingly, often drawn toward new media with m/m potential.

About a decade ago my personal interests began to shift and I found myself more drawn toward women characters and f/f. If I’m interested in women and f/f, I’m not going to keep focusing on new-to-me media with a whole slew of men and a couple women who barely interact. I’m keeping an eye out for media with several prominent female characters, media with lots of women, media with f/f potential. Luckily, that isn’t as hard to find across a variety of genres and formats as it used to be. It doesn’t always click — I enjoyed watching She-Ra and Ahsoka, for instance, and saw the f/f potential, but neither were id matches that sparked fannish creativity for me personally — but if I’m not checking out media with women and am instead continuing to watch/read/play media where the characters are largely men, then yeah, I’m going to get frustrated by the lack of f/f i those fandoms pretty quickly. That’s on me though, not on the fandom at large. If I’m not looking at what’s out there, trying to find the media that hits those iddy places and sparks the fannishness I crave, then am I really that interested in f/f in the first place? I don’t think fandom ‘hates women’, but I do think a lot of fandom just isn’t that fannishly interested in women for a plethora of reasons, and that’s fine! I do wish we could just admit that though.

There’s also…look, there are assholes in every corner of fandom. There are plenty of people out there who write posts that criticize unrealistic m/m smut, but that doesn’t seem to drive away the m/m fans from writing that super unrealistic m/m smut they want to read. Why then do a few jerks criticizing what they believe to be unrealistic f/f smut get blamed for driving people away from f/f? Did you really want to write that f/f smut to begin with? It’s okay if you didn’t really want to write it! But also, there is fantastically unrealistic f/f smut out there on ao3 with an appreciative audience. Unrealistic smut always has its place.

--

Yuuup.

I do think the few loud jerks on whatever topic have a disproportionate effect on things that people are already insecure about or that there's already less content about. Criticism from inside the house also seems to hit harder than from outside, for various definitions thereof. But I agree that there are bullies or just loud assholes everywhere, and it doesn't stop the juggernaut ships and fandoms. I think "the meanies made me not write f/f" is not a good analysis of the overall trend even if some specific people really did get bullied quite badly.

I do see people acting surprised that they don't like any f/f, yet not checking out media with multiple female leads. This is silly and we should move away from this along with ditching "There are no interesting female characters".

But another pattern I see is that, for the most part, really big fic fandoms come from things a ton of people consumed in the world overall. (The reverse isn't necessarily true: something can have mass mainstream popularity and no fic.) So even aside from willful blindness on the part of individual fans or personal reactions to gender, the overall lopsidedness of media does still matter for the big meta discussions that look at the ratio of stuff on AO3. If someone isn't really into small fandoms, they're going to have to go where the crowd is already going.

The top fandoms, according to tag search, are these (counts are different from current AO3 works if you click through, but they seem inflated by roughly similar amounts):

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling ‎(664365)

Marvel Cinematic Universe ‎(389476)

방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS ‎(289493)

Original Work ‎(273412)

Marvel ‎(233004)

Teen Wolf (TV) ‎(219504)

Haikyuu!! ‎(215127)

The Avengers (Marvel Movies) ‎(208509)

原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) ‎(207259)

Star Wars - All Media Types ‎(188548)

Sherlock (TV) ‎(169092)

Batman - All Media Types ‎(137281)

Captain America (Movies) ‎(118954)

Minecraft (Video Game) ‎(117892)

Stranger Things (TV 2016) ‎(117489)

Video Blogging RPF ‎(110169)

Voltron: Legendary Defender ‎(105117)

Miraculous Ladybug ‎(104003)

Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan ‎(103914)

魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù ‎(101819)

文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs ‎(95606)

Merlin (TV) ‎(88893)

僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) ‎(86484)

NCT (Band) ‎(85868)

Dream SMP ‎(83222)

Stray Kids (Band) ‎(82711)

One Direction (Band) ‎(79490)

呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) ‎(78975)

Homestuck ‎(77676)

Game of Thrones (TV) ‎(77361)

Good Omens (TV) ‎(76805)

陈情令 | The Untamed (TV) ‎(73444)

DCU ‎(71054)

ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure ‎(70648)

Undertale (Video Game) ‎(68959)

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin ‎(67854)

Star Trek ‎(67221)

Doctor Who ‎(65172)

Doctor Who (2005) ‎(65166)

呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) ‎(65109)

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett ‎(63727)

Once Upon a Time (TV) ‎(62211)

Avatar: The Last Airbender ‎(61743)

Hetalia: Axis Powers ‎(61343)

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy ‎(59581)

Iron Man (Movies) ‎(59158)

EXO (Band) ‎(58948)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types ‎(58055)

Hannibal (TV) ‎(56796)

Thor (Movies) ‎(56604)

I'm seeing some truly gargantuan franchises and their network of metatags, top Weekly Shounen Jump manga that are mega bestsellers far, far beyond how much any shojo manga sells in Japan, some of the biggest musical groups and most popular youtubers in the world, etc.

Some of these do seem a lot more popular with the AO3 crowd than the world in general, of course. It's not an exact 1:1 causal relationship between media's audience/impact and how much fic writers care or how much fic writers on AO3 care. It's certainly possible for fandom to make fetch happen with a relatively less popular canon; it's just not the default and not driving the big overall numbers.

I look at The Untamed and (often mistagged) MDZS) being on this list and I think of all those hot fanvids for f/f Chinese dramas.

I keep seeing fans watch one, go "Okay, I have got to watch that next!" only to be disappointed that the canon is a handful of 5-minute episodes, not some epic 50-episode thing like the censored m/m ones and the bromance ones and the het ones get. They want The Untamed-but-with-ladies, not the reality of those canons. I suppose there are some nominally-straight series with two female leads and not a heavy focus on a het romance with just a single female lead, but the one I'm thinking of was reportedly godawful and the people who saw potential between the women had no interest in writing fic about it.

Do any of those f/f c-novels have good translations? That's not what brings the big fic crowds (it's the adaptations that do that), but maybe I should try reading a few. I just keep getting turned off of Chinese webnovels in general by dodgy translations.

[hulknussen]

So I feel like you are really good at understanding and analyzing relationships, and I wanted to get your take on Nico and Kevin's relationships with their different teammates and how they interacted.

I know it's maybe too much to ask and a big question, but it was mostly because I stumbled upon this old video with Nico and Carlos. And the way Nico acts here with Carlos is just very different to me than what we have seen with Kevin.

I know it's old and all of them were younger and acted differently. But the way he talks to Carlos here seem to me like someone who is very aware of their age difference. Maybe I'm reaching. But as far as I know Carlos is only 2 years younger than Kevin. But I couldn't imagine Nico calling Kevin a sweetie pie like that... Am I talking nonsense?

Also can we talk about Jolyon, who was teammates with both of them. I've heard him talk a lot about Kevin, but I don't remember hearing him talk about being teammates with Nico.

Sorry for the ramble 🧡

definitely don't feel like you have to apologize, I am more than happy to talk about this topic

you're completely right that nico calling kevin sweetie pie (esp the way he did in that video you linked to... damn, nico) would seem quite odd. and I don't think just now, when they're both 30+, fathers, married, etc; it would have also seemed odd if they were teammates in 2018. which, fun fact, is something that was actually on the table for a while, if I recall correctly. which was also the second time a nico/kevin partnership was being considered by a team before haas did it, the time before being by force india.

many a (ni)carlos fan will be quick to point out that their one year and then some tenure as teammates was carlos' only time as the younger driver of a pairing in his entire career. it was also the closest thing nico ever got to having a rookie teammate, and at least from media and pr appearances, both of them seemed to embrace that dynamic quite thoroughly.

on top of that, I think it's important to consider that carlos really wasn't a threat to nico. at all. he'd just gotten let go from toro rosso, leaving him high and dry outside of red bull's revolving door system without getting a shot at the top team, and nico spends almost the entire 2018 season comfortably outscoring carlos. even by the halfway point of the season, when this was filmed, it was evident that nico was the stronger of the two drivers (at least when he didn't retire the race--but then, you could say him still outscoring despite having had four retirements to carlos' single retirement only brought the point home further) within the context of the renault team in its 2018 state.

so, nicarlos overall seemed happy to have nico calling carlos a sweetie pie, be that as a term of endearment, or also as a way of humiliation (to a degree) and establishing dominance. LISTEN: I just think, do not put it past nico inherently. especially not 2018 nico.

context also matters, and in this clip, he is calling carlos a "sweetie pie" for quote: "having feelings for his mechanics", which I will take as a "I like them and would consider having dinner with them" lol. he's also since gone on the record to say that he considers carlos quite the romantic, and that it's (again quote, though not verbatim) "that spanish blood of his" which to me is a clear indication that nico thinks of carlos as more emotional and that therefore a cutiefying--for lack of better word--term like that may be more intuitive to fall back on. something something macho metrosexual masculinity of a high-adrenaline sport.

on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, kevin and nico were pretty much inherently built on conflict and respect. kevin's first season immediately put him into the midfield as a true contender for it, and while the years after that he was often in the weaker car and delegated to finish a little bit further down the order than nico, I still think that by 2018 they were at least established as a real threat to each other in each other's minds. then, paired with a by-then somewhat established reputation of someone who isn't opposed to roughousing, I do not think nico would have taken to calling kevin something like that as easily. it also simply would not have been fitting; kevin is far more closed off, and while not an unemotional man by any means, he also has yet to get described as "lightly brushed by melancholy" by a sports journalist, lol. that is to say, the inclination to even use such a term for kevin, would be far less present, if at all, just based on who kevin is as a person.

as for jolyon, he did a podcast episode talking about nico about four months ago at the time of writing, where he describes nico as a "career killer" of his teammates. I do think it was cope from his end to a degree, because their time as teammates was. well, it sure was something! I don't remember too much, but I do remember that content they did together was horribly awkward in its undertones. jolyon really did not seem to be having a good time, while nico was closer to being a bully than anything else. he was always quick to point out that he was the better driver of the two, often using backhanded compliments or subtly jiving against jolyon even in his presence. boy, did 2017 nico know how to have catfights. I want to say: something something macho metrosexual masculinity of a high-adrenaline sport again, but that's kind of inherent to any analysis of nico's dynamics at this point. also, nico really didn't "end" (as much as another driver even can, but that's a different topic--just always good to consider nuance when talking about this) that many of his teammates' careers. really just jolyon's in my opinion

hopefully this was something! thank you for the ask. I will say though that I haven't given jolyon and nico much thought beyond when that episode aired back in september