#I've seen much later screenshots of them floating around

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

I'm obsessed with her

[amplifyme]

Episode time!

A Gentle Rain-- I liked this episode, too; and it's interesting that I didn't want (forgot his name) to not be turned in (at first) while ALSO wanting him to accept responsibility and pay his dues. His self-inflicted "punishment" was really the voice of "conscience", and his The Scarlet Letter routine (though it was perfectly understandable to a degree) got staler and staler the more he retreated into cowardice. His wife's decisions and rationalizations were a great touch. I admired the line Cathy walked this episode, because it would be so easy to let the case grow cold or be closed off to the mother's avenging attitude simply because she valued her family Below. The "I'm sorry" scene was excellent, as was Vincent's speech that broke through (forgot his name)'s denial.

The Outside-- Stressed, stressed, stressed. Long time since an episode has brought that out in me. (As an aside, the man who sent down the wheelbarrow of flowers reminded me glaringly of Mr. Chuckle Teeth from the Revival, though I've only seen the character through screenshots floating around here. Love him regardless.) The children playing heavily into the plot (not subtle for Vincent/Cathy, getting cut, almost getting killed, getting traumatized from seeing Randal's body, etc.) was an excellent, excellent idea. Mary getting more screentime, her and Father's rash and unwise (though heartfelt) decision almost got them killed (by a group that loves to play games through terror even more than killing in cold blood) her reluctance to leave, and her plan of action juxtaposed brilliantly to William's pragmatic boldness, willingness to stamp out evil even if it involved violence, and continual push of her and Father's more safety-oriented perspective. Vincent throughout this entire episode... wow. And even Cathy-- it wasn't really her fault this time around so much as Father's for forgetting about her (because of everything on his mind but also his other, more urgent priorities-- interesting dynamic); and though it went against Vincent's wishes, there was nothing else for her to do, really. Being chased down the hallway, shooting, getting caught and threatened, calling Vincent back, and trying to stop the child with her gun (a fitting parallel-- another part of her that contributed to his "downfall") was magnificent. The Outside left me with so many unclear thoughts and even more material for rumination. But here's one: they were all wrong and right-- Father and Mary heart to help was right but wrong for their community's rules (and neither response is wrong, only the context); William was right in his protective instinct but wrong to expect Vincent to be their weapon (though he hadn't meant to strip his friend of humanity); Cathy was wrong to push Vincent's mandate not to get involved but right to help when Father directly asked for her participation (BEHIND Vincent's back-- another fascinating touch); Vincent is right that bloodthirst is a part of him but wrong to assume it taints the whole of himself; etc. etc. Love any and all thoughts I might have missed (what was discussed when this aired, or after; what a lot of Classics miss in this ep.; what I might have missed, etc.) All of the scenes were brilliant, and everything haunting.

Another meaty one to sink my teeth into. See below...

Oh, I'm glad you liked A Gentle Rain! I wish we'd gotten to see more of Kanin and Livvy in later episodes. Livvy does show up again a few times, but Kanin continues on only in fanfic. I remember reading an interview with Shelly Moore and Linda Campanelli (the writers) where they spoke about how tough it was to sell this story in the writer's room. Apparently none of the male writers found it believable that a mother might still be so deeply affected by her child's death 16 years later. 😲 I'm very glad they were able to persuade the rest of the room to give this one a shot.

On to darker things...

I had to laugh at your comparison of Long, the grocer, to Mr. Chuckle Teeth. Now I'll never watch that scene again without thinking that!

Nothing much to add to the first part of your musings on The Outsiders. As an aside, Paramount Plus screwed up with the incomplete title on this one. That's important because the title doesn't refer just to the outsiders who invade the tunnel community but also to the one member of that community who is also in many ways an outsider.

And even Cathy-- it wasn't really her fault this time around so much as Father's for forgetting about her (because of everything on his mind but also his other, more urgent priorities-- interesting dynamic); and though it went against Vincent's wishes, there was nothing else for her to do, really.

A couple things here. Father doesn't forget about Cathy. If you'll remember, he asked Cathy to meet Pascal and a group of children to escort the kids to a helper uptop. Pascal never makes it to the meeting because his group is ambushed on the way there. That's when Matthew and Simon are killed by the outsiders and Vincent kills the small group who attacked them (marking the first time we see him kill a woman, by the way).

And I strongly disagree with you about Cathy's decision to venture below. There was absolutely something else she could have done instead. She could have done as Vincent asked and stayed away. These lines are so, so important to the arc of Vincent's storyline going forward. It's not always brought up in future episodes, but the seed of his downward spiral starts here, I think. From the scene on Cathy's balcony:

C: Well then, let me try to help. V: No! You must stay away from it. C: That world, those tunnels, are part of my life too. And so are you! V: And if the worst should happen, you must not be anywhere near. C: If the worst happens, I want to be by your side. With you. V: No. Not like that. Not ever again.

Three times he tells her to stay away, because he already knows how this is going to end. He knows he'll end up killing at least some of the outsiders and he doesn't want her there when it happens.

Not like that, he says to her. Not ever again. Translation: I don't want you there when I kill. I don't want you to witness that. I can't continue to be burdened by the visceral emotions I always feel in you when I've killed in your protection, and with you so close. With you invariably throwing yourself at me in the immediate aftermath of my killings, when everything within me is nothing but beast and everything within you is exaltation at my protection of you, and your love for me at its strongest and most primal. I don't want to be that for you anymore. I don't want to feel that in you anymore - not from my killings. To steal another of Vincent's lines from A Happy Life that fits here as well: "It mocks our dream."

It's important to remember that Vincent draws a very distinct line in his own mind about what is acceptable when it comes to protection of the tunnel community and their world as opposed to the killing he's forced to do Above, in Catherine's world. His posture and the way he holds himself, even the way he kills, is vastly different from when he dispatches the first group of outsiders without Cathy there, to when she is the one in danger and right there with him. And Cathy seems to finally understand why he didn't want her there when she watches him go absolutely ape-shit on the group at the end. She tells him, "No, stop!" Too little, too late, Cathy.

Vincent is right that bloodthirst is a part of him but wrong to assume it taints the whole of himself; etc. etc.

I'm not so sure I agree with that. I think his assumption is correct. What he does when he loses himself in protection of Cathy does taint him.

V: How can you even look at me? C: Because I know you… I know who you are. V: You don't know me. C: Vincent… There are dark places in all of us. V: But part of me feeds in that darkness and I am lost in it.

He's right. He's not exaggerating. He can very pragmatically dispose of any threat to his world and his family, but when it's for Cathy, it's a whole different set of emotions and needs. And Vincent knows as long as that's true, he can never have the kind of life, be the kind of man, he wants to be with her.

As far as reactions... Vincent fans tended to view this ep as a deeper look at him and his dichotomies, while fans of the romance part of the story didn't like it because of the level of violence, and didn't seem to understand the ramifications.

Okay, that exhausted me. I need a nap now. Enjoy Orphans, it's a well-needed respite. It's also deeply sad though, too, for both Vincent and Cathy.

[scoundrels-in-love]

I waaaaaaaaaaant 2, 6, 10, 11 (for no reason, I'm just cuuuurious) and 14. Please!

Hi love, you're wonderful, do you know that?

2. has a comment someone left on a fic of yours ever made you cry?

Oh yes! I do not actually cry easily from good emotions, but even so, the answer is yes.

I do keep all my comments pretty much screenshotted, even random nice things people say to me in replies or conversations, to find later and relive the joy of them. Even small things mean the world to me. There are several from our conversations that have made me tear up!

But as for comments posted on Ao3, @zillychu left comment series on I was caught in a crossfire, I was still as the night (You were an angel in the shadows) that made me tear up, every one of 'em. It was the first thing I had written after a long break and I was quite anxious about it and their kind words really helped me feel like I had the ability to say something that others would enjoy or need to hear.

Those comments, and this one, which also made me tear up, are some that I go back to as one of the first when I feel like there's no point to me struggling through the effort of writing, that I can't find words or meanings behind them that are worth sharing. There are already so many good fics out there, so why must I suffer to add just something to the list? But then I reread them and it feels like, maybe there is a point.

I hope you have found some consolation, dear person. That you continue to find some peace and quiet. We are not faking it, because then we would not doubt it, we would know we are. Us tearing ourselves apart benefits no one, least of all ourselves and our tattered hearts that can never go back to the-befores.

6. what is your favourite sense to incorporate in your writing and why?

I honestly think I forget about them all too often. Sense of touch and hearing beyond communication nuance is often incorporated only to show signs of being overwhelmed, for example. I'm trying to be better about it.

I think writing in Trigun world has been an interesting challenge because lot of things I would love to show through senses often stem from my familiar and beloved, very green world.

Overall, I think it has to be sight that appears the most, but I don't know if it's necessarily the favorite.

10. what word do you keep using like it��s going out of style?

I feel like I literally noticed new one in the feral au ch1 but now I've forgotten. I definitely use things like tender and gentle a lot, but that's not on me, that's on them being tender and gentle.

Smithereens is one, has been haunting me for near decade now, I think.

I definitely make Meryl squeak a bit too often.

I feel like my readers might be more aware of it at this point, oops.

11. what grammar mistake do you keep making no matter how many times your beta corrects you? Maybe fuck you a little after all. Come one and come all, I think we as community should stage intervention for English language's addiction to articles. When the sentence has like 5-6 articles for 20-30 words, that shit's GOTTA STOP.

Seriously. I swear I am trying. They're just bullshit and they keep multiplying and they don't exist in my native language and-

14. what trope would you refuse to write even if you were paid to do it?

Yandere things, s*xual assault, assault and domestic violence in general, stalking and violently possessive behavior, not just references but in graphic detail and especially if happening between my OTPs.

Not only these are things I do not want to explore, they also just don't fit the characters I enjoy and write, so having such content would be breaking them heavily in ways I do not enjoy. While technically these aren't tropes, at least some of them, these are things I've seen floating around as AUs/scenarios. There are some I would fiddle with extensively/twist them on their heads to ever consider engaging with, such a pregnancy fics (regular or MPreg) or a/b/o things, but if I was paid to do them and was allowed to do my own thing... Idk.

Send me ask about fic writing?<3

[nopeferatu]

Can you explain to me why usuk is so popular when other America or England are not?

So in canon when Lithuania was undressing America and i guess was happy or saw him undress, Lithuania says he was happy now he undress and America says he loves the way he undress while blushing. When America made love gun. He used on himself. In front of Japan? I get there are usuk moments in manga

Okay I don't hate usuk. I don't mind because I see at more ass allies and friends then romantic. I could see as most maybe England having one sided feelings towards america. And don't worry I'm not one of those dumb anti usuk shippers that saying is incest. Even though i don't ship it I love seeing fanart and fanfics.

Uhh honestly I'm not really sure WHY it ever got to be so popular? I will say that Hima has done a lot of ship bait for them in the past...

See for example buon san valentino:

And the desert island strip:

I think many people can agree that England at LEAST has a crush on Ame on his part, that much is obvious, but I think you can also interpret America as also having feelings for him.

In the Buon San Valentino bit, Ame SPECIFICALLY wanted chocolates from England. He could have asked for chocolates from Japan, or Liet, or anyone really but he didn't- he wanted chocolate, on whats universally considered to be the most romantic day of the year, from England. Just that in and of itself to me is like...you'd have to be blind not to read that as him having a crush on England. But America is kind of a tsundere in his own weird way, and I think a lot of people forget that? Like...to me, whenever I see that part of the strip where hes eating the chocolates, I see it as him feeling put out by England not giving him chocolate, so in retaliation when he DOES give him chocolate, hes like "Oh what lol you think I like you?? Pfft as if!! Let me show you how much I DONT need you"

Also in the Halloween event where Ame forced them essentially into couples costumes as like. a "reward" for England being America's first twitter follower, Hima later commented on that and said that either way America would have found a way to have made England be his first follower. (Plus the way that America made a comment to England about "showing off his legs" in the robin costume 👀 you expect me NOT to see that as flirting?)

There was once this post that someone who wasn't even an active USUK fan made about how America can also be interpreted as having a crush on England in return. It really put a lot of his actions, especially with regards to England, into perspective but that post is lost to time so unfortunately I can't link it here or else I would.

There are other things, like the fact that Hima himself posted this to his official blog back in 2008:

in the USUK fandom, whenever England is shown wearing America's jacket its called Amerigigi. This is OFFICIAL Amerigigi that was featured on Hima's blog.

Also the fact that America and England are officially King and Queen of Spades in merch that came with the Arte Stella book

A lot of fans of the past always joked about how the american revolution scene was set up so it played out like a huge, dramatic break up between lovers, which is really funny and silly to think about.

Theres also a rumor that Hima one time posted on his blog that England definitely had a crush on America, but that he took it down very quickly so it was only there for a brief moment. I don't know about the validity of this tbh as I've never seen any screenshots floating around about it, but I have heard a lot of fans through the years talk about it so I don't know what the truth of that situation is.

Soo yeah like. I wasn't there from the start (2007ish? 2008?) so I really can't say what came first, the chicken or the egg. Did Hima write the characters with romantic undertones before people started shipping them, or did he lean into the shipping that was already going on? I have no clue.

Another thing you have to realize is that fandom is gonna fandom, yanno? They see two cute blonde boys with a turmultuous relationship and they go "wouldn't it be cute if they kissed?". Thats what drew me into the pair when I first got into the fandom 🤷🏽‍♂️

Not to mention all the IRL history that is applicable between them post-WWII...you can't expect me, as someone who likes American history, to see the Special Relationship and just NOT use that as fodder for my ship thay literally innvolves those countries.

WHOOO sorry this got so long but these are some reasons off the top of my head that I think might have contributed to the popularity of USUK? I'm sure theres more reasons, and again I cant really explain why this of all heta ships got as big as it did, but the truth is that whenever you go onto FF.net, ao3 and Pixiv, the pairing that has the MOST content created for it is USUK, and thats not even including other fanworks made for the pair throughout the years that are floating around on sites like tumblr, twitter, instagram, deviantart, livejournal, etc. Edit: I brought the fact that there are so many fanworks for USUK to say that theres obviously something there that has drawn fans into the ship, something that a lot of people over the years have seen and been interested in exploring further.

And I'm not like. Discrediting other ships or anything like that lol. At the end of the day, all of this is just up to your interpretation and how you choose to read the source material. You don't have to view them as romantic if youdon't want, thats the beauty of transformative fandom. Hell, if hima said tomorrow that USUK was canon, people don't even have to ship it then and can disregard that if they wanted. Canonicity doesn't mean that a ship HAS to be shipped. Hell, PruCan has always been like one of the most popular ships in the fandom, and they dont even really interact much in canon? People just started shipping them on the basis of them being "the forgotten nations" or whatever.

So like, other ships aren't less valid, and nobody is forcing a gun to your head to ship usuk lol. I honestly can't explain why it got so popular other than "theyre cute together"

[aethernoise]

I was wondering, since I've seen that you've had it done before but, when you commission an artist what sort of references do you give them? I know it probably varies from artist to artist, but do you usually use in game screenshots? I feel like I remember seeing a post floating around Tumblr that had something like 'take screens like this for artists to use as a reference!' but I can't find it and also don't know how relevant that really is. I appreciate any help on the matter! Thanks!

Good morning! Thank you so much for asking because I have actually been wanting to make a post about this for some time now and this is a great excuse! In my experience it does vary a BIT from artist to artist, but I send screenshots every time. What usually varies is the extra stuff.

I have also been on both sides of the equation (commissioner and artist) so I definitely have opinions on best practices and tips, specifically for some REALLY easy things you can do in /gpose to take the best possible reference shots of your characters.

I’ll tag you when I make the post later, Please Look Forward to It!